As you can see, these situations and stress are making me a little miserable, yet my joy is not set on circumstance, but on the unchanging character of my King and God, Jesus. So filled with joy despite circumstance. I’m loving this, and wouldn’t trade it for an easy life. That’s the life I desired to give up for my calling to serve the Heavenly Father I’m in love with, and it’s been an adventure since!

New Update coming!

After coming back from Israel, I job-searched for two months with no avail. Eventually, I went back up to the Bay Area for the CBM Counselor’s meeting, then to get two emails for interviews at Macy’s and Apple through much prayer, so I drove back down, got a job at Apple (both of them liked me but Macy’s had no positions open so they put me on a waitlist for possible job openings where I would not need to interview again). After my 3rd interview with Apple, I counseled an amazing week at CBM camp, and being known as the intense counselor, used an abundance of Scripture to cut to the heart of my campers quite bluntly, then came back for a week of training into working.

In this time, I also was accepted into The Master’s Seminary to pursue an M. Div. degree. This is the end of week 3 already, 20% of classes over, and I’m struggling to not drown in school, work, and ministry. I’ve already dropped two classes because of my struggle to balance so many things, becoming a part-time student.

The ministry internship that I speak of is with Community Christian Alliance Church where I serve. I’m starting a new research project titled Interfellowship Research & Integration for the purpose of seeing how we can naturally lead interaction not just between horizontal age/peer groups but vertically across different demographics, ages, and communities. This is a huge undertaking that may take many years, but my heart is for the church to act as a biblical church beyond American cultural church, where church has become institutionalized to the point where neglect of interfellowship communities are very present. This has been a calling of God, integrating my training at Eternity Bible College/Cornerstone Simi, intensive studies of the scriptures, and Pastor Danny Bae’s message on the topic and his frustration over certain operations of the general church and also specifically our college group. God convicts heavily through scripture and the simple question of “Do I really believe this? Is this what we look like?”

This past week has been very difficult for me and has caused my soul to become downcast. Between living off very little finances and the required time commitments of work, grad school, and ministry, things seem to be coming apart. I feel my flesh tell me, “Was it worth it to give up so much and end up like this?” My great discouragement has been difficult to deal with and although my selfishness wants to just give up, I can’t, because I know that who I serve is absolute truth, the definer of truth, and that anything else I could do would be fleeting and vain.

“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”-Jim Elliott

Knowing truth, especially that this truth is absolute, is my motivator through the Holy Spirit. I’m a soldier behind enemy lines and no matter the frustration and no matter how low my soul becomes, there is nothing else to turn to, there is no truth outside that which is defined by the Creator. That is why I can fight for the Kingdom until my dying day. That is why my own strength will never suffice, and my strength has to die that I may rely on the strength of an omnipotent Lord.

How can I draw on joy in moments like this? חסד. There is nothing like it. The Hebrew word that we try to translate as the perfect, steadfast loving kindness of our Lord. It is steadfast and unwavering towards his people. It is mercy beyond definition, of which we only understand glimpses of. I know my faith will waver, I know my trust in our Lord will not be perfect in this lifetime. As I have been in a state of constant desire to cry because of the situation, I will be sustained by יהוה, my King and ultimate.

This is where God now teaches me that he is the one who sustains me and my faith, I don’t sustain my faith. He is the one who perfects my faith, not me. He is the one who supplies, not in my working and abilities. I also need to remember that the Holy Spirit has been poured out abundantly on me, not scarcely!

“God’s work, done God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.” -Hudson Taylor.

Please continue in prayer for me, communion with me, and let us be Christ to each other, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I need you guys more than ever.

in His grip,
everest

In a few weeks, I’ll be headed to Israel to study and survey the land through IBEX and my Bible college, led by my amazing Old Testament professor, Nate Foreman! This is such an awesome opportunity for me and I will also earn 3 units that go toward my B.A. in Biblical Studies degree!

I wanted to ask if you and your family would be willing to help support me financially for this upcoming international study in Israel! I need to raise around $4500 to cover airfare, hotel, meals, transportation, & entrance fees.

Please check out my support letter at:
Support Letter Downoad & View on Google Docs
from there, you can also download the actual PDF file!

Thanks! Love you guys!

in His grip,
ev

http://www.facebook.com/pages/evliu-Ministries/119492294733996

the “become a fan” button has now become a “like” button. if you support my ministry, please “like” the page so you can follow along and keep up with my prayer requests and continue to pray for me. Also, please refer this to your friends if anyone you know would pray for me! Thanks everyone!!!

CHRIST IS KING!

in his grip,

ev

“It would be like a husband and a wife, right? Every Christian family, every Christian couple, should look into each other’s eyes, and they should do this before they get married, and then lots of times afterwards, and say, “You are number two.” And if that is not sweet in her ears, don’t marry her. If that is not sweet in his ears, don’t marry him, because being number two with Jesus as number one will make her a way more loved number two than if she were number one. We are made to operate with Jesus as the ultimate value, not ourselves, not our spouses, not anything else.” – John Piper

Making Jesus #1 allows us to love our significant others significantly more, making them much  more significant in our lives! You can watch the sermon at http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/special/john-piper-gospel

Big Scale: This part I still need faith, but because I’m going on missions to Haiti for disaster relief, I have to sacrifice 8 hours of work that I was just offered, which is huge for me because I’m not making ends-meet and eating tons of Ramen so I can cut costs and slow the draining of my bank account. I might even give up health on top of already cutting out 9 days of study/homework time, the work hours that I really need, the Gospel conference (which I’ll need to make up with time I don’t have), et cetera. Heck, I might even die in Haiti for all I know, which I am mentally and spiritually prepared for, but all this sacrifice is scaring me into needing to have more faith in the Lord (King) Jesus Christ to intricately craft everything to work out for His glory and yet still sustain me in everything. I am so scared, but peace abides the more!

Main Point: As believers, we often define blessing as that which we will receive in heaven, but it is not so limited to that. Physical and emotional blessings do also occur, as it did for me today sacrificing a little for Brad to get a lot in return ($5 for food is a lot for me, considering I’m living off a lot less than that a day to survive). My faith needs to grow and I need to know that God has it under control. That is where the Word of Life is sweet to the taste [:

Conclusion: I have tons of tangible examples of being blessed, and have not taken it so far that blessing is riches and wealth, but rather blessed are the poor and meek (blessed can also be translated as happy). Yea… i forgot my point… I’m blessed.

Dear precious friends and family,

I’ll be heading over to Haiti to aid in the disaster relief the first week of March and so I ask that each of you would consider partnering with me! With much love and compassion ~ everest

Please check out my support letter on Google Docs:
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B_QNcJ7LcDvTMjEwOGY5YTEtY2QzZC00YjUwLWFlZTAtNjQxMTljMjE5Njgz&hl=en

Facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=319171954912

Even in my second statement, the individualistic nature rings out. The inference there is that it’s not my fault that the group only got a B+, and as true as that may be, I have failed to see that grade as a collective effort, but rather focusing on who I know that did not put in the required effort. This is quite the antithesis of being the body. Being disciplined in grace and lovingly display grace to those who don’t pull their weight when it affects my academics is something I’m learning. It teaches me vastly more about God’s grace to my utter sinful life and how I’ve been redeemed, how He has infinite grace even after I haven’t pulled my weight. Yes, there are theological lessons even in my grades and group projects (which I have been conditioned to hate). God is gracious, and we are like our Heavenly Father, so let us be disciplined in grace, because we are like our Father!

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m totally fine with being lonely in the sense of not having a wife and all that good God-designed stuff, and being in the permanent confines of Jesus’ arms, I don’t find myself having to cope with loneliness as I’ve grown out of dependency in finding value from people. Yea, it’d still be nice to have a wife but until then, I’ve learned not to let loneliness bother me more than an itch because the joys and peace that proceed out of the truth of God makes miniscule the worries of the world.

I’m not saying I don’t go through hard times in this category of feelings, and it’s always going to be hard, but too much of that is about me and my feelings; too centered on me. Sometimes it’s just nice to be going through hard times because the deepening of the relationships with fellow brothers and sisters [:

I’d rather suffer and experience intimacy with Jesus than to be content with life and be stagnant in my relationship with Him. His steadfast love endures forever! (Psalms 118)

This is one of my favorite quotes by one of the most famous missionaries of America, a dear friend of the resolved Jonathan Edwards. The dairy of David Brainerd is a very influential book in my life as I see the heart of a great man respected by even great reformers of our country in the 1700s. I ridiculously desire for that type of intimacy with my magnificent creator! This week, John Piper was talking about the coinciding of waiting on the Lord and active obedience in faith to the Lord and mentioned that there should always be preparation and petitioning of the Lord’s will every morning with the intention of seeking guidance for the whole day. I pray that I will create a new discipline of this and be able to pray much every morning and meditate on the Word before rushing into each day. Accountability anyone?