Chinese vs. the Pope

About a century or two ago, the Pope decided that all the Chinese had to leave Italy. Naturally there was a big uproar from the Chinese community.

So the Pope made a deal. He would have a religious debate with a member of the Chinese community. If the Chinese win, they could stay. If the Pope wins, the Chinese would leave.

The Chinese realized that they had no other choice. So they picked a middle-aged man named Ah Peh to represent them.

Ah Peh asked for one condition to be added to the debate. "To make it more interesting", he said, "neither side would be allowed to talk".

The Pope agreed. The day of the great debate came. Ah Peh and the Pope sat opposite each other for a full minute.

Then the Pope raised his hand and showed three fingers. Ah Peh looked back at him and raised one finger.
The Pope waved his fingers in a circle around his head. Ah Peh pointed to the ground at where he sat.
The Pope pulled out a loaf and a glass of wine. Ah Peh pull out an apple.

The Pope stood up and said: "I give up. This man is too good. The Chinese can stay."

An hour later, the cardinals were all around The Pope asking him what happened? The Pope said, "first I held up three fingers to represent the holy trinity. He responded by holding up one finger to remind me that there was still one God common to both our religions."

"Then I waved my finger around me to show him that God was all around us."
He responded by pointing to the ground and showing that God was also right here with us."

"I pulled out the wine and loaf to show that God absolves all sin. He showed me an apple to remind us of the original sin. He had an answer for everything.

What could I do?"

Meanwhile, the Chinese community had crowded around Ah Peh. "What happened?"they asked.

"Well," said Ah Peh, "First he indicated to me that all Chinese had 3 days to get out of here. I replied to him not one of us was leaving." "Then he pointed that this whole city would be cleared of Chinese. I showed him that we are staying right here."

"Yes, and then???" asked the crowd. "I don't know", said Ah Peh, "He took out his lunch, and I took out mine."

grad pics

so yea...these are my scanned "do not copy" proofs....haha
not the ones i ordered though.

excellence

"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion.He hardly knows which is which.He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing.To him he is always doing both."?
James Michener

hmmm......

in the past few weeks.....

-i've been greatly encouraged by brothers and sisters in Christ
-exams have neared
-school has not been that much of a burden, mostly because i've been lazy and not done my homework
-i learned how to add links to a blog
-i've gotten angry
-i've gotten annoyed
-i spent a huge amount of money on grad pics ($125)
-i've communicated with old old friends
-i've talked less on the phone
-i learned to juggle for three rounds, at least
-the house basement flooded, while i was asleep and wes was on the computer. my mom came home and kept ringing the doorbell, but i was afraid to open it cuz i thought it was raining really hard OUTSIDE, when in fact there was a hole in the roof right above the door that was spraying water out crazily. spent much time clearing out water.
-i had great discussions/sharing within cell group....= BLESSING
-God has spoken to me many many times, through Unplugged & remixed concert, through friends, classmates, parents, and of course, his Word
-i've confessed something out loud
-prayer has been more prominent in my day
-i've listened to the same cd over and over again
-i've cried..er, teared up--a lot. "Y no podria estar ante Ti...sin llorar como un nino. Y pasaria el tiempo asi, sin querer nada mas, nada mas que escucharte hablar." (And i couldn't go before You...without crying like a child. And time would pass like that, without wanting anything other than to hear You speak)

SkIiNg + other things

haha the title looks like "skling"..but no, it's SKIING!!

i went skiing yesterday...owned the bunny hills!! but then got owned on everything else. i wiped out on all the hills (blues and black diamonds) except maybe three of them. the scariest thing was looking at a very steep hill, (or any hill) and not being able to see the bottom. it's like not knowing what will happen in the future. it IS not knowing what will happen in the future.

ahhh, anyways, the most comforting thing that happened: EVERY time one of us wiped out--which was a lot--(and was mostly either me or my mom) all the others stopped to help. or at least stopped to wait. well, except for me, since i didn't know how to stop and went too fast. :$ i give thanks for the falls, cuz "you fall so you can get back up" -Alfred (in Batman Begins). in any case..SSOOOOO fun!!! i can't wait to go again!!

and other things i can't wait for:
-softball
-completing my personal goal #2
-high school to END --> summer!!!!
-getting an accountability/prayer partner
-both TC's
-seeing CR friends again

some things to pray for:
-Daniel--> new programs, leaders/counselors, spiritual growth (don't cancel bible study!!!!!)
-personal goal #2
-TC---> team, humbleness, attendees

now that i'm thinking about Daniel...singsperation....it frustrates me so much not to know what to say in between the songs or how to communicate with the team or just how to lead in general. i feel like such a bad leader, i don't know how to encourage them. i'm just hoping they don't feel DIScouraged whenever i criticize or make really last minute decisions for the format of the songs or what to sing, etc etc. i give thanks for their improvising skills, for not knowing whats going on, and just following me when i start out....or start going all over the place. :|
if only i could learn to actually put to use the criticism i get, or at least ask for it. [sigh]

i guess i'm focusing more on how i myself am leading and how the songs are sounding than the words....but if i worry about the words, i wouldn't get anything done, and just enjoy the song in my head. aaah ok i don't know what i'm saying....must be late.

anyways, tonight's worship was....well...OK. whoops--> singsperation was OK, and worship, ANYTIME we're worshiping God, is GREAT!!! so, tonight's singsperation was OK. and awkward, i was told. and really bad leading, and my big mistake of putting in a somewhat new song. after an hour or so of practicing and only getting half the songs, dan.sing. team (AKA DANiel SINGsperation team....hahaha) scrapped the whole thing and we (fine, more "I") decided to just sit in a circle and sing everything accappella. it was nice actually hearing the rest of the people sing, for once! and when we sang
"Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that i need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice"
(from Word of God speak), I was just like, "YES!!!" i regret not having a verse prepared as planned, but OH WELL. it gave a chance so that we can all find God's Word speaking to us in our own time...er, His own time.

i'm off to hear God's Word speak, then.