Alfred and Friday, Friday, Friday. Kidding.

Me, prepping some notes based off of Romans 1:18-25 around Saturday night, at 4am ... heh. Alfred wakes up from a 4 hour nap.

Me: "why does God hate sin? Why does our sin invoke His wrath?"
Alf: "... Because ... He loves us."
Me: "... dangggg dawgggg! That's good! Yes! *pounds it*. That's gonna make it in on Friday."

-We had just had a nice chat at Texas Roadhouse and Alfred goes back to sleep after this conversation about 10 min alter ... I love Texas Roadhouse's fort worth ribeyes!

I love the multiple layers of the gospel. God is personally offended and angered and infuriated against sin. Why? Because a perfect Father loves His children enough to hate the things that separate His children from His all-satisfying, all-providing self. We need to get back to Him somehow. And His infinite perfection and holiness demands that it come at a costly, costly price. Praise God for His Son, Jesus. Praise God for Jesus.

By the grace of Jesus Christ, I have an opportunity right now to be discipling a newer believer in Christ. His name is Alfred Lee. It's been a joy to just be a part of his life and to be an agent that got to see, firsthand, the transforming work of the gospel on his life. It's crazy. Just looking back on how far he's come and how much more God is doing and will do in him. It's crazy. He's going back to his home, Taiwan, on his first ever mission trip! That's pretty exciting ... to think about Acts 17 playing itself out ... Me and Alf really shouldn't have that much in common to be honest. He's a first generation Taiwanese student who never wanted to come to the states and leave his home behind, with no working knowledge of who Jesus was and I'm a 2.5(?) generation, Texan, Cantonese, brisket-loving wanna-be ghetto kid who grew up in the church but never felt like I belonged to it. Somehow God works ... And thinking about all those times where Alfred would just sit on our couch in my apartment, with a friendship solely built on the sport of basketball (what a sovereign God we serve), and kinda just waiting ... as if He was waiting for me to share the gospel with him or something ... It took entirely too long (in my opinion) but what joy it was when I finally did share the great news of the person and work of Jesus. Fast forward 7-8 months later, and Alfred later decides to follow this Jesus at a camping trip with the fellowship group that brought our paths together, at a moment where i was so disbelieving in God and the power of the gospel, and it's all just so crazy how it happened. It's not easy discipling someone ... I think this might be my first intentional discipleship relationship, but it's totally worth it and it's satisfying ... Sometimes it's hard to be patient, and work through the weeks where it seems so hard ... just life and trying to teach and lead a friend to more Jesus. But then there's moments like these where they get it! And I'm reminded that the costs of following Jesus are great and I'm aware that many "dark nights of the soul" will come, but, boy, is Jesus worth it. Jesus alone is worth it. I can't believe I say things like that still.

I'm a little nervous coming into Friday. This is going to be the first time I'll have spoken in front of a large group since ... high school after a mission trip. This time is different however. Much different. These are my peers and my dearest friends and brothers and sisters and I feel a lot of weight already, a lot of the gravity of preaching already and a lot of nervous doubt of "what the heck am i doing? I can't do this. Part of me wants to run away from "preaching" because you know ... "me!? who am I to speak? I shouldn't be doing this." Yet, I know this is what He calls me to do. I'm scared, yes, but I'm excited and hopeful for the Holy Spirit to perhaps be mighty ... even through a weak vessel like me. I think God much enjoys it to use completely average nobody's if only to have us say "Danggg, that really had nothing to do at all with us. It had to be the God of the universe." My heart's heavy in a good way. My main prayer is to be an obedient server of the dish of the gospel, and to have a peaceful joy in knowing that in the end God saves ... not my attempts at eloquence. Jesus, call your sheep by name, just like you did Alfred, just like you did me, just like you're doing as I type. Make much of your glorious name.