Overflow Conference

Have you ever heard the question.. "If you could meet one person on this planet that's alive today, who would you want to meet?" My answer has always been John Piper. He's played a huge influence on me. Even if it was just listening to his sermons and reading his books. He's such a strong and wise preacher. He has solid theology, preaches with conviction and passion, and is just all about the gospel. anyways, at the overflow conference i finally got to meet him. it was a blasty blast.

The theme of the conference was "Overflow." Piper explained that the love within the three members of the trinity is so complete, divine and full, that it overflows onto all of creation. And when our cup is full and satisfied in his love, we too overflow God's love to others. Something like that.. lol. One of John Pipers famous quotes is, "God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him." When we are content and full of his joy, the Holy Spirit puts us on worship mode. He receives all the praise when we delight in Him. If you've ever been overwhelmed with love before, you know that it's uncontainable and contagious. You can't help but smile and praise God for his amazing grace.

One thing Piper mentioned that stuck out to me was when he said, "God's glory is manifested in his grace, and his grace is manifested in Jesus Christ." The message of the gospel is the ultimate display of God's love. He redeemed his people from this bondage of sin. We were powerless to save ourselves, we were all corrupt and basically damned in our sin. But God paid our debt in full. He is rich in mercy and grace and covers all our sins. The gospel isnt just a means to receive forgiveness and go to heaven. The gospel of his grace gives us the power to be sanctified as well. He transforms us, disciplines us, convicts us of sin, and strengthens us through trials. And even in the midst of suffering God's grace is sufficient.

After the conference i got to actually meet him. i was such a giggly groupie fan boy. I finally got to meet my favorite preacher on this planet. guess i can check that off the list. i gave him a hug, and then i asked him a theological question that was on my mind. I asked him, "how come i can sense God the father when i pray and receive his love, and i can sense the Holy Spirit convicting me of sin, etc, but i can't really sense Jesus within the Trinity?" He responded, "Well when you pray in Jesus name, Jesus and the Father are One. Jesus is the power that allows us to pray and commune with the Father. So when you sense one, Jesus is there too.." then he was like, okay theres a bunch of other ppl, so i then i left. lol

3 Hobbies

Find three hobbies you love: One to make you money, one to keep you in shape, one to be creative.

Relearning

Sometimes.. God teaches us things we think we already knew

..

1) Gratitude
stop being so pessimistic, life is good, enjoy it. disappointments are inevitable, discouragement is a choice. how are u being? how are u feeling throughout most of your day/ week? Bring those negative emotions, thoughts, worries, anxieties, fears, before God. Sometimes we miss how much God has blessed us. If we spend a second to think about it, we have much to be thankful for.

2) Blessed are the poor in spirit
We need God, we're weak and can't do anything apart from him. We need to humble ourselves and come to a place of repentance. Feeling lost, confused and unsure about where you're heading in life? That's okay. It leaves us in a place of dependence on Him.. Not knowing requires us to Trust. Over the past 3 months i memorized like 3 bible verses. lol i know it's not much. i think im starting to understand what it means to fully digest God's word. To meditate, process and apply it to our lives. It's yummy.

3) Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Sometimes we forget to forgive ourselves. We condemn ourselves for our mistakes and failures. God died for our sins hello. Not receiving God's grace, is denying that Jesus' death and atonement is not worthy to pay for our sins. God forgives all of our sins, if we repent and believe. When we really absorb the truth and unconditional love has poured on us, we have the strength and ability to forgive others as well. Forgiving actually liberates the forgiver.

4) Healing
This relates to trust again too. Sometimes we don't even invite or ask God to heal us of our physical, emotional and relational wounds. God can heal us, he takes care of his children. And if he doesn't he can use suffering, trials, pain, and negative events for something good. Detatch from worldy addictions and distractions we use to cope. Turn the smart phone off, Spend some time to actually meditate. Simply be present with God.. How much more enriching is spending a few moments with God? We have direct availability to the Almighty God, and King of the universe. Ultimately he is the only one who can truly satisfy our souls.

5) Stewardship
I met with a finical adviser, doctor and pastor within this past week. We need to seek wise counsel. We need to be good stewards of our money, time, and bodies. Chris-san.. Be Wise With Your Money! Stop spending it on stupid stuff! Be Asian and SAVE! We also need to take better care of ourselves holistically. dudes.. dudettes.. theres some sort of correlation between physical exercise/ nutrition and our emotional, spiritual, relational health. like there all somehow connected.. somehow.. So workout like a beast! lol.. I almost always learn somethin by going to the gym/ taking a walk. if not, then u get ripped anyway haha

6) Community
take care of ur relational health and talk to friends/ church small group members, it's refreshing, restoring and good for ur health. dont withdraw from community, jus dont do it. Many single ppl are desperate for a bf/ gf as if that one person will solve all our emotional needs. Noope. It's a sign that we need to connect to more healthy/ godly friendships with Christian brothers and sisters imo. Would you benefit being in a group of believers who actually cared to pray for you weekly? In the same way, be that supporting light for others.

7) The Art of Listening
People dont listen well anymore. Focus on intentionally listening and actively showing empathy/ compassion. Dont necessarily try to fix ppl. direct them to God. Show interest, concern. Offer patience, and the love of Christ. I know that all sounds simple and cheesy, but there are a lot of troubled and hurting ppl out there. One way to express the love of Christ is to take the time to really listen to others.

8) Clean Your Room

9) Listen to Awesome Music

10) Be Committed to Your Goals