From Him, Through Me, To You

Fighting for Love

2012-12-05T14:40:00.000-06:00

1 million children are affected by divorce every year, and 40 to 50% of marriages end in divorce. We need to stop fighting over petty things of so little value, and instead, fight for things that are actually worth fighting for. We need to turn our desires away from within ourselves, and learn to desire our partners and their interests. There is too much selfishness and too little selflessness. Marriage was never meant to be easy... it was meant to be a challenge that can only be overcome by two people who love one another, where its rewards far outweigh the sacrifice. Husbands and wives, lets focus our energy and power into things of real value. For when two people divorce, it's many more than just two lives that are broken.

Seasonal Friendships

2012-10-14T20:20:00.001-05:00

When it comes to family, God calls us to do what it takes to stay together. Even if it means to agree to disagree, as long as in the end, love prevails among us. This is pleasing to God. Why? We don't get to choose who becomes our family. We are either born into a family or married into one. In both cases, it's God's call, and our duty to is to honor that the best we can.

When it comes to friends, however, God allows us to make the call. Just like other responsibilities in life, friendship is a decision we make -- a decision to either commit to it or terminate it. The word calls us to love our neighbors and not have ill hearts for anyone, but nowhere does it say we're called to please everyone and keep everyone we encounter in our inner circle of relationship, regardless of how "holy" our intent may be.

I have witnessed good-hearted folks round up groups and groups of "friends" to invest time in, and this is all truly wonderful. I love this... but then when I take a closer look, the quality of the relationships don't seem all that conducive to me. These friends come and go, and eventually, it gets to a point when someone who is in need of a real, quality friendship finds disappointment instead because needs and expectations cannot be met. It's certainly not because of ill intentions. Rather, this friend, or people-pleaser, doesn't know how to be real or reach that level of trust and meaningfulness that is expected from a quality friendship. Of course, as always, this is merely my opinion based on observations, and that's all that should be considered for the purpose of this blog.

The reason why this doesn't appeal to me is because I value quality relationships above many, many things in my life. It's definitely high up there for me. For this reason, I happen to not hold a special place in my heart for these types of people. I believe God gives us a desire for certain things, and it's our responsibility to ensure that these desires are fulfilled effectively. Because I had a friend like that, I made the decision to deem her "seasonal." She has a good heart, and our friendship was so fruitful when things were working on her terms. It was wonderful because for a good year or so, I truly enjoyed being on her terms. I regarded her in that way, and I appreciated her for everything she did. But like in all relationships, it takes two. So when it was my turn to need, I became disappointed... more sad, but still disappointed. I know disappointment is a double-edged sword, but I believe it's the appropriate word to describe my feelings at the time. I felt like it was my turn to need a friend, but even after all I've invested, I received little to nothing in return, but it was okay. Why? Because God gave me the right to choose. He gave me the ability to discern and make decisions. He created me to be someone special, and He allowed me to recognize my identity in Him. Without this ability to be one in Him, I wouldn't have been able to make decisions that led me to be free and without disappointment. In the end, he honored my decision, and in return, I gained other fruitful and meaningful relationships (one being my husband).

Today, I love the casual relationship I have with my old friend, and I love her. Nothing changes the fact that we shared fruitful moments in a past season. But just as the seasons change, so do some of my relationships. I would add "unfortunately" after that last sentence, but it's really a good thing, I promise. I don't ask for or anticipate these changes, but I allow God to help me with making these changes in my life. If we can give up certain things we deem "purposeless" and "unnecessary" from season to season, why can't we do the same for relationships that are just as purposeless and unnecessary? God doesn't want us to waste our time and efforts on things that are already dead. There's so much work to do in His kingdom, so there's no sense in wasting our God-given time and resources.

So if you're struggling with friendships that are dragging you down with weight on your shoulders, or even stuck with friendships that are just sitting there stagnantly, not as alive as they used to be for whatever the reason, just know that it's okay to have seasonal friendships. They had a purpose while they lasted in their season, but it's time to move forward once that purpose no longer exists. Take that time and effort and put it into something alive and meaningful. No one has the right to tell you who should or should not be your friend. Friendships are a personal decision, and any decisions in regard to them should only be between you and the only other one who knows you best... God. It's totally possible to love and let go at the same time, and if anything, God will be more pleased that you did so than otherwise.

Reassessment

2012-07-10T12:51:00.001-05:00

One of the biggest problems I see in some of my brothers and sisters today is the tendency to be over-righteous and play God. They carry this spirit if judgement, and they lack humility and openness to the true love of God. This really bothers me because we have so many people in our church seeking the Lord, in need of fellow brothers and sisters who can lead and guide them. If these types of people are the first to mentor them in any way, it's going to spread like an epidemic.

I feel like they have reached a dead end in their walk with God. They don't know how to proceed any further because they've closed their hearts to God's direction. They've taken what they've already accumulated, and use it to impose on others in a condemning way, making it seem like they are actually progressing in their walk with God. They have lost the most important thing of all... a real connection with the Holy Spirit. If I ever had the chance to confront these people in the right way, I would do it. When I say "the right way," I mean with the discernment of the Holy Spirit, with love, and without condemnation.

I have heard that their biggest defense would be truth. They would say, "God wants us to tell the truth to people... the truth is what sets us free." And yes, that's correct. But they're missing another huge part of the equation: Love. Love is like the sugar IN a cake. Note the difference between the sugar IN the cake, and the sugar on TOP of it. Sugar on TOP would be "sugar-coating." Sugar IN it is simply necessary, and without it, we would be purposeless, and no longer have a "cake." I have witnessed women so torn and broken, that after consulting with one of these "truth-tellers," they would walk away even more torn and broken than they were. This angers me, because I have witnessed one woman who was, again, told the same truth, but this time with love, and it had made a world of a difference to this woman. Had the Holy Spirit been allowed to lead, the timing and the words would have been perfect and purposeful.

Sometimes, with these types of brothers and sisters, the "truth" becomes anything but. I can count on a number of two occasions where An and I have been offended by something that was given either as advice or through a discussion as a mere opinion. The advice that was given to us deeply threatened our relationship, right as it began. It was based on judgments placed on An as a new believer at the time, and it involved using labels such as "baby Christian" (we're strongly against this term). At the same time, I also received other advice in relation to An's new walk with Christ, but they were just different... they were helpful... and they were still biblical. No sugar-coating necessary. I thank God, being as impressionable as I was, that I didn't take heed to what was said. Instead, we allowed God and our spiritual leaders to guide us with their wisdom and truth.

I understand that these types of people are inevitable. In fact, they're one of the groups of Christians that give fellow Christians a bad name. However, when the problem occurs so close to home, it aches my heart even more. Witnessing the direct effect of this on people you know, makes you see things in a different light. All of me wants to take action now, but it's the Holy Spirit that I need to heed to, not my own flesh. When He gives me an opportunity, I will be ready... because I know His timing is right, and I will be equipped with His wisdom and discernment.

To all my brothers and sisters, having God in our lives is a right, but having the opportunity to minister to others and change lives is a privilege. What we say and the way we say things can be the difference between conviction and condemnation... between life and death. Are the messages we send truly pleasing to God, or is it blasphemy? Are we heeding to our own flesh, or are we letting the Holy Spirit lead the way? And what is our purpose? To put others down in order for us to move up... or lifting others up, even if it means humbling ourselves down to Jesus' feet?

He STILL Heals.

2012-06-24T23:28:00.000-05:00

The following is a testimony from An, and amazingly, I've been blessed as a result. These are the moments where I find myself really thanking God for a mighty man of God and a true believer as a husband. It's not just something I want... it's something I need. It's so easy to lose hope in my healing. I do it all the time. I've been inflicted with this disease for so long that I've grown so acclimated to it. I honestly can't imagine a life without it, so praying for a life without lupus is hard when I don't even know what I'm praying for actually feels like. In Jesus' name, I refuse to find comfort in our inflictions, and I will continue to believe and fight for the health that's rightfully ours. Thank you, my love.

For almost 3 years now, my left knee has been giving me problems, preventing me from doing normal jogging and hindering me from certain goals. When jogging, I would always have to wear a knee brace, and that would only help for up to 2 miles... and that only lessened the pain. Even with the brace, my knee would continue to hurt for a day or two. A few weeks ago, I had a dream of where I received complete healing in my knee when Pastor Stephen prayed over me. The Holy Spirit was so real and vivid that I woke up sweating and sobbing. The following day, I told Pastor Stephen about the dream and asked him to pray for my leg. I must admit that afterwards, I was still afraid to jog without the knee brace. So, up until Thursday of last week, I’ve kept the brace on out of fear of the pain.

I want my VBC family to know that our God is truly Jehovah Rophe! As of Friday June 22nd, I was able to go 4 miles, NO stopping, NO knee brace. As I was reaching my 2-mile mark that day, I was speaking life back into my body, “This is God’s body, In the name of Jesus!” and before I knew it, I reached 4 miles. I’ve never felt so good after a jog before! Finishing that 4-mile jog was one of the biggest accomplishments I’ve done physically for 3 years. It doesn’t stop here, my friends. God doesn’t just bring you to where you want to be and stops. He brings you there and wants to give you the strength to do more and go even further than you can imagine. In fact, I am typing this post today because I just finished 6.22 miles with no pain. I actually didn’t even want to stop. Praise the Lord!

Believe in his power! Pastor Khanh once said that we should NEVER believe that God wants us to be sick. Why else would He create an immune system, right? God loves us, and he doesn’t just give us what we want, he gives us what we need, and we all need healing. Now, I am looking forward to God working in my wife. I believe that because we are one, God wants me to believe in His healing in order for her to be completely healed of lupus.

God Bless.

Girlfriends

2012-04-22T23:30:00.000-05:00

While An watches an old movie (Someone Like You with Ashley Judd and Hugh Jackman) in the other room as I work on a paper, I caught a line that made me think of all my shoe-loving girlfriends...

"Time wounds all heels," which is a spin-off from the cliche "Time heals all wounds." I think a friend was trying to comfort her fellow girlfriend after a break-up, and said that out of jest. Very cute!

With that said, I would like to wish my [girl] best friend of [too] many years, SERENA, a very happy birthday today! I always associate Earth Day with her. One day I shall plant a tree in her name, haha. =P

Have a very blessed week ahead, everyone! :)

Mom's Green Beans

2011-10-26T13:37:00.003-05:00

I was grocery shopping at Wal-mart yesterday, and a huge mound of fresh green beans on sale caught my attention. It instantly reminded me of the times my mom would send me to Sav-a-Center to stand there and carefully pick out all the "good" green beans to bring home for dinner. Then she taught me how to snap the ends using my fingernails, and if they're too long, she told me to snap them in half. What I don't remember is how she cooked them, but thank God for the internet! I picked up this easy and delicious French recipe, and it turned out just the way I wanted. If you're interested, I included it below. I had no intentions of buying any fresh foods to cook, but it was nice to re-live this memory... and get a nice, fresh side dish out of it. ;)

As many of my friends know, I'm not a cook. I know this because I realized I've been trying out recipes and experimenting for several years, and I don't believe my cooking intuitions have improved in any way, nor have I gained any further desire in cooking more. The only motivation I have to cook comes from wanting to feed my husband when he comes home from work, but that doesn't really work out because he eats dinner at work since he's there so late. Oh, and to top things off, he was raised on authentic (key word = authentic!) Vietnamese dishes. I've attempted to learn from my sister-in-law and other Vietnamese friends, but if my frustration exceeds my enjoyment, I think it's time to take a hint, don't you think? :)

It boggled my mind when fellow Vietnamese friends are shocked when they discover I haven't a clue as to how to put together the simplest of Vietnamese dishes or what two sauces combined makes a specific dipping sauce. It was as if every Vietnamese family had to know. My response would always be something along the lines of, "Sorry, my mom never cooked." or "Sorry, my mom was too busy to cook." I guess the same went for my lack of speaking Vietnamese... "Sorry, my parents never spoke to me in Vietnamese." When I was younger, there were times where I felt so guilty and shameful because of my lack of culture. I knew it wasn't my fault, but I still felt bad.

Everything we have, we were given for a reason... even our own parents. I believe God blesses us with the kind of parents we could learn the most from, and also blesses us with the demeanor to receive, wisdom to discern and grace to forgive. My mom may not have taught me everything, but what she did teach me, she taught well. She taught me how to run a business -- which later taught me to stay out of business! She taught me how to trust -- and also when not to trust. She taught me how to speak and write properly (perhaps I should include her in an acknowledgement section?). She taught me how to never give up and to keep pressing through, because there's no one I know who did that better than her. Heck, she even taught me how to use a cash register and "coi chung" or "watch out" (for stealing customers, haha) -- this definitely gave me a sharp eye for suspicious activity! There may be times where we feel so convinced that the mothers we end up with was a huge mistake, but if you ask God to reveal to you your mother's purpose in your life, it will become easier to appreciate her by realizing what you wouldn't have without her. And even if you think you were tossed the worst of the bunch, you start to find valuable lessons even from their mistakes. When we find beauty in ashes, the rewards are even more rewarding.

Here's the recipe. If my mom reads this (I hear she stalks my blogs), she'll most likely send me her own recipe and encourage me to do it her way. I'll be sure to post it up if she does. :)

French Green Bean Recipe
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add green beans and blanch for 3-4 minutes (just until they turn bright green). Drain water, return beans to dry pan and put back on burner to get all excess water off. Add a generous dallop of butter and a handful of freshly chopped parsley and garlic. Saute for a couple of minutes until butter is melted and beans are heated through. Garnish with a bit more parsly if desired. Voila!

Revival Conference 2011

2011-10-07T23:59:00.000-05:00

I have to say that I loved today. Revival Conference is awesome every year. Even though it took nearly all of me, I enjoyed every moment, including the two important lessons I learned today: 1) Never teach a child how to be a giraffe, for this may be my first and last time in Children's Ministry, and 2) We should probably enjoy our marriage without children a little while longer, haha... Oh yeah! And 3) Aligned with God is the way to be, of course! :)

Quality Out of Quantity

2011-08-11T10:57:00.001-05:00

When free time with your spouse seldom comes, it's important to make those rare moments count. I used to unintentionally use those times to complain about how I don't get to see my husband, and just talk about how nice it is to finally have that time. It's okay to mention it a couple of times just to communicate how I feel, but after that, it's overkill and annoying. We're too tired to do anything else, so we just end up lounging on the couch watching TV, which isn't bad at all, but can get a bit redundant at times... and by the time the end of the night arrives, there are no highlights to remember the day by.

We decided to have a praise night once or twice a week after An gets home. No matter how busy or tiring the day has been, we'll put time aside to blast some music and show God how grateful we are to simply be in the same room together. Who knows -- by making these little steps, habits will slowly incorporate themselves into our daily lives. We have to start somewhere.

I've been using the busy-ness of life far too often as an excuse to neglect God (though I didn't quite see it that way). Recently, He's taught me that it doesn't make sense for Him to put me in a plan that requires me to be too busy, even for Him. I never saw it that way, but it's kind of silly now that I think about it.

I must add, at the same time, this shouldn't serve as a queue to force yourself to attend spiritual gatherings and teachings out of guilt. Allow God to work in you as an individual. The beauty of us is in our differences, and that's something we need to embrace. There's no one right doctrine we all should follow. We all have a unique pace that God works in us with, and it's good to be around people who can understand and respect that. That's what makes our stories so amazing. And as I always say, at the same time, we have to ensure that we do our part before we expect God to do His. He's waiting on us, not the other way around.

It was silly of me to think that God would understand if I didn't have devotion time with Him anymore since He blessed me with getting into pharmacy school. He understood alright... He understood that there should never be anything above Him, not even a blessing that was from Him. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Looks like I found another reason to give praise to Him tonight. :)

OFFICIALLY Officially Mrs. Vo!

2011-08-09T14:34:00.001-05:00

It has been 5 months since we've gotten married and today, I've officially changed my name with the Social Security Administration! Of course, it's just the beginning because I've still got to change my name on my driver's license, school records, bank accounts, etc., but it's a major first step! I'm glad it only took me about 30 minutes too. Social security is getting pretty organized these days... :)

To me, it's a big thing to make this change officially. It's one of the most visible proofs and statements of unity. I completely dropped my maiden name for a couple reasons... one, it's far too common for me to miss it (haha), and two, I see marriage as beginning a completely new life with your spouse. I take the concept of leaving and cleaving very seriously. I believe it's important to define a clear distinction between your life with your first family and your new life with your new family. And just for an added peace of mind, digging yourself in a deeper and more binding situation, legally, kind of makes it harder to get yourself out of it, right? I see it as a little incentive to fight for a marriage rather than to fight for another name change. ;)

HIS Shoulder to Lean On

2011-05-13T17:23:00.005-05:00

The last day of the semester has finally arrived, and I can't believe I still have the energy to blog! I guess when there's something on my heart that's itching to get out, it gets out, right? I don't think I've ever been happier that a semester has ended -- not because I've completed it (I don't even know that much yet), but more because it was so painful and now it's finally over. I just don't have the capability of staying up hours on end studying or even pulling anything close to all-nighters. I need my 6 hours of sleep, and if I don't get it, I pay for it physically, mentally and now, emotionally.

How often do we let the busyness and stresses of life bring turmoil into our most cherished personal relationships? How often do we use a "busy day at work" or a "killer of an exam" as excuses as to why we're not loving and temperamental? [Raises hand] I've been so guilty of this for the past few weeks, since the semester started winding down and the pressure got to an all-time high. My husband is the most accessible person in the world to me, even when he's not around, and that's how it should be. However, that doesn't validate me selfishly unloading all my baggage on him and using him as my personal punching bag.

My mistake is that I forget God plays this role, too. He doesn't only come when He chooses, He also comes when I call on Him. In fact, He WANTS me to turn to Him first and unload everything on Him. Unlike us humans, God won't naturally retaliate or take it to offense. Instead, He has the ability to turn our troubles into stepping stones to a greater glory. And the fact that we're continuing to designate Him as our first shoulder to lean on -- our confidant, is pleasing to Him.

While driving home, I remembered what it felt like to fall in love with An for the first time. The fluttery feelings in my tummy came back, and immediately, I felt the conviction of my actions. At times when I was frustrated and tired, I would treat him as if he didn't deserve my acknowledgement, yet I couldn't imagine my life without him. There were times where a long week had taken its toll on me, and I completely ran out of patience to deal with him... yet, of all the people in the world, he is the one most deserving of my patience.

We both knew what was going on, which was the great part. We each have our own relationship with the same God, so it's easy for us to stay on the same page with things. Praise God for that. Last week, he suggested that after the semester ends, we steal at least a day out of our week to get out of town and just relish in each other's presence. It sounded like a wonderful idea, and I was actually blown away by his sudden suggestion. I couldn't have agreed more! Now that the semester is over, I think our time is due. His actions reminded me of many lessons I learned from several different studies and teachings. A marriage doesn't just happen -- it's both of the individuals that were united in that marriage that keep it going. If we want things to happen, we make them happen. If we want things to change, we make things change. It seems like one of those things that is easier said than done, but so far, I've found that if you've got God agreeing with the things that you do, it does actually tend to be easily done. :)

Defend God with what He defended you with: LOVE.

2011-04-02T22:30:00.013-05:00

Just to be vague (kinda), there's a link floating around with a man, I believe who is somewhat of a Christian prominent speaker (possibly a pastor/minister as well?), sarcastically criticizing Joel Osteen. It really bothered me listening to this man speak, not because I favor Joel Osteen in any way, but because I believe he portrayed such a poor representation of Christians in general.

I have never heard a single sermon from Joel Osteen. In fact, I've never stepped foot into his church, so I've never heard from anyone associated with him. I just know he's an inspirational speaker and author, and pastor of Lakewood Church, a mega-church here in Houston. My stand is unbiased and purely based on my point of view as a Christian.

This man uses one of Osteen's inspirational books as his source of fuel. He picks out several lines and contradicts them with verses from the Bible. Basically, he's trying to steer people away from Osteen, discrediting him as a man of God.

The fact of the matter is that Joel Osteen is a seeker-friendly preacher, and there's nothing wrong with that. God calls us to minister to others in different ways, and this is apparently Osteen's way. Yes, it's important to tell people like it is, to tell them the truth plain and clear (for our lives are at stake), and allow them to make their own decision based on the Truth. It works for people like me who already know better, and it ends up serving as conviction from God to do the right thing and get back on the right path with God. But what about those non-believers who don't even realize that they don't believe? What about those people who don't even know who or what God is? And what about those people who have a skin so thick from pain and suffering, that the only thing that can penetrate through it is a message that makes them feel like they're finally at top of the world, and no longer a reject of society? I feel like Joel Osteen brings God into people's lives by revealing reasons to praise and love God, by teaching them to take the initiative to take steps to transform their lives, and eventually showing them that it was God's plan and intentions for them all along; not just by shoving Him in their face and saying, "Either take Him or leave Him." He teaches people how to change their outlook on life, in a way to prepare their hearts to receive something greater -- like God. I think this explains why his church is so big. People from all walks of life feel comfortable enough to enter, and I think the most important part is getting some random and lost non-believer to step foot into a church... after all, it IS God's house, and once you've made a decision to enter into His home, you've given Him the authority to reach out to you in a divine way. And from that point on, who knows where God will direct you? He may lead you to either find another church that's smaller, spirit-filled and more direct, or He may as well call you to remain at that same church. Either way, it's an opportunity for God to touch lives, and I see nothing wrong with it.

Certainly, this man has every right to express his ideas and opinions out of his love and faith in God, but he needs to be reminded that God calls us to conquer the hearts of the lost and unsaved with LOVE, not sarcasm, which is the opposite of love when used more often than necessary, and when used without love. We learned in our pre-marital counseling class to avoid being sarcastic with our spouse, even if it's naturally our personality. There's a point where sarcasm ends up giving off de-valuing and belittling signals to the other person, and that's not healthy, especially in a marriage, when expectations of one another are on a different, more unique level. God IS Love, and there's no question about it -- no preacher will argue with that. If this man doesn't believe Joel Osteen is legitimate and isn't doing anything to save lives and bring glory to God, well there are a million and one ways he can take his stand without pulling another brother down. The number one way would be to pray FOR Joel Osteen, and ask God to reveal the "real" Truth to him, as well as what he may be doing wrong, and then continue to preach to his church the love of Christ by BEING that example. Don't stain God's image by teaching people to publicly slander the names of our fellow brothers and sisters. On top of that, slandering the church -- any church -- is slandering the name of the Bride of Christ, no matter how you put it. I don't think any husband would appreciate that.

Next time you decide to have a late dinner at a restaurant...

2011-04-02T14:52:00.009-05:00

... read this.

If you ever asked me, "How's married life?" and I responded with, "It still feels like a honeymoon," I lied, so please forgive me. Okay, maybe I didn't lie because I was referring those few moments I have with him, which does, in fact, feel like a honeymoon. The real truth is that it's hard for me, as well as for him. He's not around much, being in the type of business he's in. Before I leave to school every morning, I gently give him a kiss good-bye... soft enough to not wake him, yet firm enough to let him know I bid him farewell. By the time he gets home, I'm either sleeping or about to sleep, too tired to even talk to him about my day, or about any one of the million things that is on my mind to share. He does get one weekday off (most of the time), but it's not even a day "off." He has to use that day to run his own personal errands, and I still have class until 2:30 pm. By the time the day's over, we look back, and it feels like it just started. It went by so quickly, and before we know it, we're looking forward to the next Tuesday. He gets most Sundays off as well, and of course, we do our best to reserve that day to give praise to and worship our Lord. After church, it's usually family time with all the in-laws and kids, then it's study time and preparation for the next school week.

Okay, regardless of how sad my story sounds, here's the silver lining. My husband and I both serve a faithful God. He directs our paths and guides us to live a life that brings glory to Him. Not a day goes by that we question Him. It was so clear and evident to us that our marriage and unity was divine and created by Him, so there's no doubt in our minds that He is going to continue to lead us to glory. This remains the same even through my own personal battles with physical healing. It's obvious to see that my blessings and favor are far greater than my sufferings (seriously, just ask my husband what he goes through when I'm not feeling well! He's truly my one in a million times a million!). An and I both recognized our purposes, even before we married each other, and now that we're married, our ability to fulfill our purposes shall be multiplied, according to His word. We both know that this time is truly temporary, and when the day comes to share our testimony, this will certainly be a chapter of our story.

And YOU can help too! Yes, YOU. Back to the title of this entry, next time you decide to have a late dinner at a restaurant, THINK ABOUT OUR FAMILIES. Ever since I met An, my outlook on the system of restaurants has transformed profoundly. And now that I'm his wife, my stand is even more firm. I was guilty of what I don't like now, so I hope sharing this will change you in the way it has changed me. For the past two nights, An called and texted me to tell me that he will be coming home late, which means past midnight. At this point, I'm pretty much stoic to news like this. I understand his situation, and I want to be the kind of wife that can turn her husband's bad mood upside-down when he comes home... but I admit, this isn't always the case, and I'm working on it with God's help. I come to find out that the reason for him coming home late are customers that either come in on the MINUTE of the last seating or are allowed to come in AFTER the last seating (he declines, but usually his decision is overridden). There are even several customers who beg and plead to be seated and promise that they'll be quick, but end up slapping you in the face when they end up staying longer than most of customers that day. When An and I were courting, we wouldn't have dinner at a restaurant, even if it was a minute before the last seating, and especially if we were going to be the only folks there. In fact, I'd be the one to argue with him saying, "They set that time for a reason, so if we make it a minute before that time, we're good, right?" Well, I quickly learned first-hand where An was coming from. Say that we do decide to come right at the minute of the last seating, and it's just the two of us, enjoying conversation and each other's company. So who stays to service us? The manager, the cook, the server and the cleaning folks. How many families would we be compromising? Of course, I may be exaggerating, and these people probably wouldn't mind at all, but why take the risk? Why? I suppose being in the family's position makes me a tad bit more compassionate about this, but clearly, I'm also in the position of the customer desiring to have some quality time over a nice dinner with my date. And being in that position more than six months ago, I can assure you that all the times we couldn't have a late dinner at a restaurant, we had just as great of a time spending quality time with each other at home. :)

For the purpose of setting an example for young men, this is what happens on those nights when the tough gets going...

Praise God for my hubs. He knows how to do it right. This is what I call an instant cure to an upset wife (I'm mainly referring to his words in the card -- the tulips were great, too!).

Blog Marathon

2011-04-02T14:09:00.002-05:00

I prayed that God help me make time to blog, and so He has.

I've learned expressing myself through writing and blogging is a part of my being. I've been doing this since childhood, when I first learned how to write. The only awards I ever won in high school were two English awards -- one for literature and one for composition. I had about a couple stories published in some sort of kids publication, and I won an award for a Mother's Day essay I "accidentally" wrote. Then all that ended when my Asian parents "encouraged" me to do something medical-related. Haha.

It's a God-given gift, and I dare not crumple it up and throw it in His face by ignoring and neglecting it. In fact, I couldn't even do it if I tried. I get a little short-tempered when I don't express myself (who doesn't?), especially through writing, so you can only imagine how I've been in the last few weeks!

Much has happened since my last entry. The biggest thing is that I'm married now. Yup, I'm Mrs. Vo, and it sounds SO good to hear out loud, so keep those greetings coming! :) The second biggest thing is that I'm still walking with God. Yeah, I consider that a big thing. This world is filled with such pleasurable temptations, that it's so easy to fall away, and it takes such an effort to keep Him in our lives. Being that I'm still walking with Him, He has shared so many things with me that I've been dying to share with the world - not because I feel the need to be heard, but I feel the need for the world to hear it. Thank you, Lord, for helping me find this time once again. Here we go...

Getting Closer...

2011-02-03T17:45:00.000-06:00

We had our first session of Pre-Marital Counseling last night. To put it in a nutshell, it was fun, exciting, thought-provoking and fulfilling. We left with something, and that's really important. Of course, there were a lot of reminders of things we already learned in our singleness, but we never want to leave something like that feeling like we know it all.

That's one sign of our special day getting closer. Over the past couple of weeks, my living room has been filling up with packages of supplies for the wedding. Obviously, we can't do anything with it, so it just sits there and accumulates. Today, I received seven HUGE boxes of glass vases for our centerpieces, and I thought to myself, "Gee, it sure it getting hard to walk around here..." I sat back and felt a rush of excitement, realizing that the day is almost here. An and I occasionally stop and playfully ask each other, "Oh my goodness, can you believe we're getting married??" and it never fails to ignite a smile each time. Being at PM Counseling last night also reminded us of how REAL our marriage is going to be. We're praying for God's wisdom and hearts with an expectancy of the RIGHT things (not unrealistic things). We're going to conquer things with love (for it conquers all), and we're going to beat the statistics of the world. That's our goal/promise. You're welcome to hold us to it. :)

We also just purchased our honeymoon package today! The honeymoon is something we're both looking forward to, only because we've been so anxious to just get away from our busy schedules and just be with each other. It came to a point where I didn't really care where we went, as long as we were out of Texas, and together, alone. He actually purchased the plane tickets to Hawaii first, without even knowing what package we'll be getting. After all, getting out was our main goal, right? Haha. In regards to planning and providing for these things, I'm such a blessed woman. I'm taken care of... all thanks to You, God.

Pump-what???

2011-02-01T07:26:00.002-06:00

40 days!!! AAAH!! So excited!

To highlight this day, I ate and filmed with Tom Pizzica from Food Network's Outrageous Food! Yeah, I'm totally far from being camera ready, haha. Look for me stuffing my face with Three Brother's famous Pumpecapple Piecake - a mischievous concoction of "pumpkin pie baked in a pumpkin spice cake filled with crème cheese icing, pecan pie (or chocolate pecan pie) baked in chocolate cake filled with crème cheese icing, and apple pie baked in our spice cake, iced all over with crème cheese icing, garnished with pecan pieces and topped with a generous drizzle of carmel!" I'll be sure to post a link when it's produced!

Oh, maybe I should update you on my wedding diet progress?? Haha yeah, what diet - now that the Pumpecapple Piecake has come into my life! It's no big deal, it only took them a good 5 minutes to wrestle with my zipper to finally get it up, right? :)

On a second thought, An and I thought it'd also be perfect to highlight this day by beginning a new fast (heh, the irony). I think we've decided. Probably not a food one since we've been starving due to our budget adjustments, haha. It'll be great... just like You, Lord. Today marks the beginning of a glorious turning point! Thank YOU!

My Daily Laugh

2011-01-31T00:29:00.001-06:00

... And who said a businessman can't be a nerd??

I respond to an email from a friend/classmate of mine: "Wow, I can't believe I totally missed your msg!"

An peeks over and reads aloud, "Wow, I can't believe I totally missed your monosodium glutamate..."

I'm practically laughing my butt off, and if you're not, it's probably because I'm about to marry this jokester. :)

Thank God for Another Day

2010-12-29T14:44:00.003-06:00

Please be careful and take your time on the roads, folks. I ran an important errand just for 15 minutes and saw a truck make 3 whole 360s on the highway and miraculously stopped in the right direction and continued driving. My heart was pounding just from being so close, and I praised God that the few cars behind it were able to dodge it safely. On my way back home, however, an accident just happened, and the car was facing opposite the traffic on the highway, and traffic was already backed up many exits down... and here I am, not stuck in traffic, safe at home. Thank God for another day.

Jehovah Jireh

2010-12-23T12:09:00.000-06:00

We are closing on our house next week! Thank you Lord for such a huge blessing. You always, ALWAYS provide!

I'm very thankful for a family who have always loved me -- even if I didn't always agree with how they loved me. I always thought their love would die out, but it was only because we didn't see love on the same terms. That's why it's so important for families to make sure everyone is on the same page and defines love the way God defines it.

... An must be very happy to be marrying Mommy's & Daddy's little girl. ;)

RE-fixing Our Eyes on Him

2010-11-13T12:56:00.003-06:00

ONLY God can bring weddings together and KEEP them together, amen my brides and brides-to-be? I love witnessing God do His work in all these women's lives, including my own.

Right now, An and I are trying to take steps on our own to ensure God remains first, and not each other nor our plans. Our career paths seem to be at a standstill, and we're expecting more. But we know we have to do OUR part first. We've decided to put most of the planning aside until mid-December, when I finish this semester of school. I'll be focusing on just God and his career plan for me, and An will be doing the same. Even though God has us both on parallel paths, they're still areas that we both need to assess INDIVIDUALLY and in our singleness. We have three and a half months until our lives are changed and united forever! God, use us to the max now, and may You be glorified forever!

Order

2010-11-03T23:05:00.000-05:00

God has been teaching us so much through this process. It's going to be more than just a wedding. We're both First generations, so we've got a lot of work in Lord to do. We learned today that we can't forget to follow order - first God, then family, then friends. There are going to be tiny sacrifices here and there to make, but when we look at the potential glory in the end, it's totally worth it. After all, we're dealing with lives here! Thank You for walking us through this, Lord.

On a side note, happy 8 months of courtship to us! Yes! Only 8 months, but it feels like we've known each other for 8 years! Now that's what I call a "productive" courtship! :)

THE Dress

2010-10-19T22:12:00.002-05:00

It's one of the best feelings in the whole wedding planning process -- when the bride FINALLY finds THE DRESS!!

I think I share the same common feelings as most brides who've endured this process. After trying on dress after dress, there was always some kind of "ehh" or "but..." I consider myself fairly easy to please, and since I have a knack for simplicity and elegance, I thought my search would be rather easy. Well, the problem there was that I knew EXACTLY how simple and EXACTLY how elegant I wanted my dress to be, and turns out, knowing exactly what you want tends to make it a tad bit harder in a sense!

After ALMOST settling for a dress and realizing how much time was counting down, I asked God again to show me THE dress. Although every dress I tried on that I THOUGHT I liked ended up letting me down, I never lost hope. I KNEW that if God orchestrated this chapter of my life, He most certainly included all the little details as well... So I STOPPED looking.

Ehh, I was so busy with school anyways, so it wasn't THAT much of a sacrifice, but I made sure that I completely shunned away every hint of worry in heart, and trusted God with the situation.

Sure enough, without notice, opportunity came. I stumbled across it unexpectedly on the exact website I ended up ordering it from. It was absolutely gorgeous ONLINE (just like every other dress I tried on), but something inside me urged me to make an appointment as soon as possible to try it on. I got the appointment on Sunday and invited my future sister-in-law with me this time. As I stepped into the showroom dress that was 3 - 4 sizes larger, I was ALREADY FLOORED by how PERFECT it looked on me! The best part was that my consultant didn't even get to clip it against my body yet! So you can just imagine how even more amazed I was when it was actually fitted... I thanked God right then and there. Of course, my future sister-in-law was amazed as she saw me walk out. Though our tastes are nearly opposite, she KNEW that was MY dress. It was definitely "me" -- every last detail on it. There were no "umms" or "buts" about it!

Oh, and the icing on my cake was getting the dress for LESS than 50% of its original price (Edit: Sorry, my math is bad!). :) Like I always say... ABUNDANTLY blessed! PTL!

Turning a New Leaf...

2010-10-03T17:25:00.003-05:00

-- in our wedding theme, that is! ;)

There's a potential major change of plans, and we're excited! While working/sharing with some of my sisters yesterday, I was able to get some planning advice as far as putting together colors and determining a central theme. It wasn't long before it dawned on me that my fiance was all about being modern. Not just modern with a twist of this and that, but STRAIGHT UP modern! As he knows very well, I'm a very adaptable woman, and in this case, I can adapt to any theme, just as long as everything flows together and there's no clashing or colors or outfits! Well, after going home and "discussing" (I put that in quotes for a reason, haha) more about our theme, we ran into more and more obstacles that set us two steps back in our plans each time...

We didn't have much time to talk things over due to our overwhelmingly busy schedules, but we discussed the topic enough to the point where we knew rest would be the best thing for us at the moment, and perhaps God will reveal more of what He has in mind for us in the morning.

Sure enough, this evening, I got a phone call from the fiance with a mouthful of crazy ideas! Crazy... yet amazing ideas, in my opinion! He always envisioned his wedding to be very specific -- Let me stop here... Yes, I know it's "kind of" out of this world for a man to even have that 7-letter word in his head -- but actually imagining it is hilarious. I really hope I'm not distorting his words, but regardless, he just went 10 notches ABOVE #1 man in MY book (and that's all that counts, right?)! Anyways, he had some details already envisioned, but all this time, I never knew about it because we thought our options were very limited. I guess when it comes to the work of God, we can't put Him in a box, right? :)

We're still trying to get the details finalized, so we won't make any announcements until then. Despite our differing tastes and opinions, we've learned so many new and interesting things about each other, and we've found a way to express the best of both of us... Praise God! Thank you to all my sisters for all the fun times we had yesterday chit-chatting about this! ;)

Two Colors, One Team

2010-09-21T18:11:00.004-05:00

So I wanted an antique and neutral theme, and he wanted a modern and classy theme. Many would would think I would be the one to opt for the bright colors and he would opt for the neutrals, right? Well, let's just say we're loving the little surprises that we're discovering throughout this wedding planning process!

He spotted the "perfect color" while shopping for suits for his Best Man's wedding (yeah, I know, right?! Double blessings!) that is just about a month before ours. They were in the form of dress shirts, and the moment he saw them, he knew that the color would bring the best out of his men... weird, but thoughtful, right? Haha. I never knew men could even look at things in that manner!

Finally, after many failed attempts of trying to describe the color to me, he took me to the store to take a look for myself. An was always a black & white kind of guy, so to find a LIGHT TURQUOISE as his choice of color was a bit of a shock to me -- a PLEASANT shock, of course! It was beautiful. And coming from me, that's saying a lot because I'm definitely not a blue kind of girl. It had this free-spirited feeling about it, kind of like our relationship. He asked if I accepted, and I said yes... again. :)

Like I said, I'm not a blue kind of girl, and as beautiful as this light turquoise was, I didn't want to dress my bridesmaids in it. So I've decided to search for silver/grey dresses for them. And as a finishing touch, our bouquets will have some sort of light yellow flowers to complement the blues. PERFECT! (At least that's how I'm envisioning it!)

I'm very pleased with our progress... it's coming together so naturally. Now I can sort out my dress choices and pick out the one most suitable for our color theme. :) So thank you, Lord, for this experience. Thank you, Lord, for this man. And thank you, Lord, for this season where you are most present!

Our WEDsite!

2010-09-10T15:19:00.001-05:00

Knowing myself, making our "wedsite" would be one of the first things I'd jump on! Well here it is, folks! Entering this new season of my life, my next few blogs will probably wedding-planning-related, so I hope you'll enjoy sharing this experience with me. After that, I'm sure I'll have MUCH to share as a newlywed, so I will continue to give God the glory through this blog.

Actually, who knows what ministry God will call me to in the future? I just thank Him for creating me with this passion and providing outlets for my writing.

So if you're interested or just curious, you are more than welcome to tag along with us on this new journey... who knows what life-saving lessons and glorious blessings we'll run into!

Our WEDsite!

Engaged

2010-09-07T23:04:00.011-05:00

For His anger is but for a moment,

His favor is for life;

Weeping may endure for a night,

But joy comes in the morning.

- Psalm 30:5

It has been over a week since I have officially gone from being a girlfriend to a fiancée... and yet I still find myself still absorbing the fact and floating on Cloud 9! But that's not even the best part...

The most ironic thing about this is that we knew all along that this day would come. We met a year ago in August and started courting six months ago in March. To the world, this may be "fast," but if it's on God's terms, then it's PERFECT. We entered into our relationship clear on our intentions and purpose, and with intense prayer. Our primary confidant for the relationship was God, and slowly, with time, our parents, spiritual parents, pastors, and accountability partners became sources of guidance throughout our relationship. Also, in my singleness with God, He allowed me to become aware and confident of my identity in Christ. I knew that publicly sharing our relationship too early would influence me in artificial ways, pressuring me to do things that may be unaligned with what God had already planned for me. Looking back in retrospect, it was a wise decision on our part.

Anyway, back to the best part... Obviously, I HAD to have known that during a successful six months of courtship, marriage was just around the corner. I always [unintentionally] had it in the back of my mind every time he planned a trip for us. I asked God to help me to stop thinking about it because I really wanted to be surprised, but of course, it's just normal for a woman to have an intense desire for such a thing. And here's the best part... We serve a God who is so faithful to His word, keeps His promises, and KNOWS our hearts, inside and out. So regardless of how much my heart was expecting, He gave me the most PERFECT proposal any girl could ever ask for...

An was aware of my expectations, so he was always one step AHEAD (which I believe is by the grace of God, because honestly, I really didn't think he had it in him! Haha!). He carefully planned to "NOT plan." In fact, I think he even tested my patience and stirred up a fight on purpose! He knew that in just a few hours, I would be looking back and laughing. In fact, I realized he knew me much, much more than I expected him to know me... in the end, I think that's what made me fall in love with him all over again. Oh, and it doesn't stop there... a couple mornings later, I woke up to a video on my computer of a makeshift documentary of the proposal. And yes, I cried many happy tears (again). You can indulge yourself as well with the link provided below. This just goes to show how truly abundant our god is!

We stand here today praising God for helping and leading us through our times of singleness AND courtship (note, I mentioned BOTH, because there is no such thing as a successful courtship without a successful singleness with God), for giving us patience, and teaching us obedience. We know that because we committed to placing God at the top of our lives, allowing Him to call the shots, direct our moves, and convict us for our sins, we are now experiencing this overwhelming joy. I know that one of An's favorite things to claim is God's FAVOR. He's so confident in the love God has for him, that whatever storm the enemy may try to stir up, he is always ready to stand confidently in His favor.

We declare that we would never trade our God for the world. Would you?

The Proposal
Our Courtship