Sweet Child of Mine

Do you ever miss home?  Our Editor Dan shares a touching story about the tenderness of the Father’s Heart for those who are living far away from family and friends.

Last Friday my wife Rachel was feeling especially homesick.  Being from Malaysia and coming to a whole new world and life out here in LA, she sometimes needs a little taste of home to keep her going.  So we decided to have a late dinner at The Spice Table in Little Tokyo, one of our favorite restaurants and one of the only places in LA where you can find truly authentic Malaysian / Singaporean flavors.

We’re regulars there, and we almost always order the same thing, but this time for some reason we decided to try something different and ordered the Kaya Toast - which is a buttered toast with coconut jam that you dip in a mixture of soft poached egg, soy sauce and white pepper. 

It had been a hard day and a long week for Rachel.

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You Shall Not Be Broken

In the spirit of Valentine’s, at WitnessLA.org we’re featuring the stories and testimonies on what God has shown Christians about singleness, relationships, and love all the days leading up to Feb. 14th.  Today, our Editor Dan shares how God is faithful in keeping His promise to make marriage a blessed union.

Marriage isn’t easy.  It’s no wonder that when we look around at our peers in our late 20’s and even mid 30’s, it’s rare to find people who are actually married.  I wasn’t a young buck by the time I tied the knot - one month from my 30th birthday, and yet, when people find out that I’m married, it’s shocking and almost scandalous to most people that I would do the deed “at such a young age.”  Some people are in such disbelief when they’re around Rachel and I that they keep referring to me as her boyfriend, even after being corrected many times.

Now that could just be my youthful charm and good looks (*wink*), but more likely it’s a symptom of how we view marriage nowadays and the fact that to most people, marriage just isn’t worth the work. 

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Please Don’t Stop the Music

Sometimes, the big huge game-changing miracle comes in a tiny little gift of love. Our Editor Dan shares his story.

It’s amazing all the little ways God shows how He loves us and how He is there with us.  A few weeks ago, the WitnessLA team had its first ever “Dinner Social” for all the different Editors, Voices, team members, volunteers and contributors to meet each other in person for the first time.  Rachel and I had decided to host the event at our house in Silver Lake, but really didn’t know what to expect and how it would turn out.  We had been praying for God to show up in a big and dramatic way, but the biggest way He ended up showing up was in the smallest of little details.

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Food For Thought (Dan): “You’re Really Lucky”

Today I had to go to the County Recorder’s Office in East LA to pick up a copy of my marriage license, and when I got there the line was atrocious - person after person queued up and fanning themselves in the late summer heat.  I was frustrated by the wait, and my patience was really being tested because I’ve become an impatient person when it comes to wasting time.

After more than an hour in the long winding line inching forward ever so slowly (and a dozen or so checks to Facebook Mobile), I finally made it up to the service window.  After all the wait, my heart sank.  The teller at the window told me my Certificate would be mailed and they couldn’t give me a copy in person unless it had already been entered by the County Recorder.  She had to check for me.

At that moment, I prayed in full faith “Lord Jesus, I really need this certificate today so we can file our applications by our deadline.  Would you somehow make it ready for me?  I know you can do anything.”  Despite my prayer, I was still prepared for the worst.

The teller looked up at me with a smile.  “You’re really lucky, you know?  It says here it’s JUST been entered, so I can give you your certificate today.  It normally takes six weeks, but yours was somehow entered in only two.  You’re really lucky.” 

“Yes, I guess I am really lucky,” I said.  Walking back to my car, I couldn’t help but smile.

Pray at all times, pray for the impossible, and watch God move Heaven and Earth out of love for you.  Just believe!  “All things are possible for one who believes.” Mark 9:23 (ESV)

Moving Heavens and Earth

Are you bold in what you pray for?  Recently, I’ve become absolutely convinced that God will move Heavens and Earth out of love for us if we just ask.  That He can - and will - do anything to show you His love, even change the weather.

Now before you strike me as some kind of radical or crazy person, Jesus himself said “With man this impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  Matthew 19:26 (NIV)

I just got married on September 18th.  It was a Sunday.  For three or four days before the wedding, I woke up each day to dark grey overcast skies.  I checked the weather each day, hopeful there would somehow be sun for the biggest day of our lives…[click “Read More” below to continue]

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Food For Thought (Dan): Bible in a Year

So after almost two years, I’ve finally finished my Bible-in-a-year reading plan.  I guess that technically makes it a Bible-in-two-years plan, but I digress.  In any case, I can now say I’ve actually read The Word from cover to cover (even the Book of Numbers, which I’ve earmarked for future bouts with insomnia).

As I’ve reached the end of this journey, I took a moment to reflect.  I can’t say that I now know every verse by heart, or even the most famous ones - I’ll still hear verses quoted in church and have no idea where they come from or the slightest idea what they mean.  I can’t say that I don’t swear anymore (I try not to!), that I sold all my belongings and gave the money to the poor, that I have love and patience for everyone all the time (see e.g., LA drivers), or that when I open my mouth only pink daisies and odes of angels come out.

And yet, in those two years, a lot has happened that I just can’t explain or claim credit for.  In those two years, I’ve: paid off all my debt, gotten my dream job when I least expected it, kicked depression to the curb for good, forgiven the unforgivable, bared my soul and my life story in front of thousands of strangers who still recognize me on the street by name, somehow saved someone’s life from jumping off a bridge, started three blogs with people I met by chance and who are now like family, traveled to the ends of the Earth with Asian celebrities and pop stars for Christ, followed a Godly conviction on my heart to go to Asia on a whim and unknowingly met the girl of my dreams there who I am marrying in three weeks.  Coincidence?  I doubt it.

Two bible verses (that I can remember) I think summarize what this whirlwind journey has been like:

“He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
   out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
   and gave me a firm place to stand.” - Psalm 40:2 (NIV)

“Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” - Proverbs 16:3 (ESV)

My challenge to all of you, friends, is this.  What can God do with you and through your life in just three chapters a day?  If you are ready for your own God adventure to begin, just turn that first page.  And don’t say I didn’t warn you!

“Yes, a Thousand Times Yes!!”

There is no one more romantic than God.  A few months ago, our Editor Dan wanted to propose to his girlfriend Rachel (the founder of WitnessHK).  He didn’t know how he would do it, but he prayed that the Creator of all romance would give him ideas.  God did even better - He made it perfect.

In March, Rachel visited Dan in LA for the second time.  God had just blessed Dan with a new job, so he had a week off before the new job was going to start.

As far as Rachel knew, the plan was just to drive up to San Francisco from LA to meet Dan’s family. 

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And The Curtain Was Torn

Have you ever felt like God was speaking to you?  Our Editor Dan shares a story of how finding the perfect verse at the perfect time increased his intimacy with the Lord.

A few weeks ago God totally bailed me out.  The leader of our house church had asked me to prepare a message for a special Good Friday event we were hosting at my house.  I was meaning to spend time in prayer and in the Word to find the perfect lesson plan.  But as often happens, I got caught up in all the worldly details of our event.  I cleaned the house, bought chairs for everyone to sit, coordinated food for the night, emailed people to attend, but by the time 6:30 rolled around, I was panicked.  It was only an hour before we were scheduled to start - and I had no message prepared whatsoever.  So I went upstairs and started to pray…[click “Read More” below to continue]

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Closing One Mouth to Feed Another

I recently moved from Marina Del Rey to Silver Lake, and I really love it out here.  I love it so much that I’ve even been bragging to friends recently that there isn’t really much I miss about the West Side.  There’s less traffic out here, the neighbors here actually want to meet you and say hello, and everything is so much cheaper.  The reservoir is beautiful to walk around, and there’s so many neighborhoods nearby to explore.  But if there’s one thing I miss about the West Side, more than the beach, more than the weather, more than anything, it’s Bay Cities Italian Deli.

Now before you laugh, anyone who’s eaten there knows that a sandwich from Bay Cities isn’t just a sandwich, it isn’t just an institution, it’s a dream fulfilled.  Which is why when I found myself all the way out in Santa Monica on Saturday afternoon, I just had to - no needed to - get a sandwich from Bay Cities.

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