Spring Retreat

This year's Spring Retreat was hugely encouraging to my heart and is probably one of my favorite times of this past year. Here are a few reasons:

1. Testimonies and sharing that showed God's work in the lives of people.
2. Conversations that not only encouraging but challenging to my heart.
3. Sermons that placed an emphasis on the importance of church that made me appreciate Grace Community Church even more.
4. Trying to count God's blessing on my life and realized it would take years and I still wouldn't finish.


There are more, but these 4 things summarize what's going on through my mind.

On a completely separate note,I ran over a squirrel today on the way back from retreat. It's my first roadkill. I don't know if I was more sad for the squirrel or for my car...

And finally, here's an awesome picture of my favorite Brazilian Footballer, Kaka.

Zoom Zoom!

2002 Mazda Protege 5
She's all mine!

FAQs:

What are you going to name her?

I'm not going to name her anything. I think that's a lame practice [no offense to anyone who names their cars]. I shouldn't even refer to the car as she. It's a car. It will be called... the Mazda, the Protege, P5, or the wagon. But if I WERE to name her, her name would be... wagon.

Why did you buy a wagon? Aren't wagons for soccer moms?

I bought a wagon because wagons are extremely practical, and that makes it cool. The backseats can fold down flat, turning the rear seating area into a huge trunk. This car can haul music equipment, camping gear, mountain bikes, snowboards, etc. Plus, this wagon looks really good, and it drives more like a sports car [handling wise] than a station wagon. Too bad it's slower than Turtle McTurtle.

You drive stick? I didn't know that! Can you teach me how to drive stick shift?

Yes, I've been driving stick since I had my permit. If you really want to learn, I could teach you how to drive it. I'll decided if I will on a case to case basis.

Can you make garlic bread with this wagon?

Unfortunately, no. This car is not equipped with an oven. However, now that I have a car, I can buy bread more often and make garlic bread more often. And who doesn't like garlic bread!

Are you going to get any RACINGBEAT or other aftermarket parts?

Okay, for those of you who have been wondering what Racingbeat is...Racingbeat is a company that makes aftermarket performance parts for Mazdas. I may get something later on but for now, the protege will remain stock.

I am planning on getting a snowboard/ski roof rack and a bike rack for the car. That way, I can carry 5 people AND 4 snowboards to the slopes in the winter, and go mountain biking [in the mountains] in the summer. Booya!



That's all I have for now. Zoom Zoom!

Benny's Famous Garlic Bread Recipe!

(Garlic Bread perfected in the mind of Benny)


Due to popular demand, I will share with you all the recipe to my garlic bread. But first, a little history of how I came up with my recipe for my garlic bread.

I fell in love with garlic bread the first time I had it. I don't remember when, or even where, but I do remember the taste. The taste, aroma, and texture of that particular garlic bread stuck with me as the perfect garlic bread. I can't really use words to describe to you what this bread was like because I was really too young to remember. I loved garlic bread ever since that day.

The problem was, that every time I tried garlic bread, whether it's made by a professional, some loving mother, or even my own mother, it wasn't the same; the bread texture was not right, too much garlic, too little garlic, etc. I couldn't put my finger on what the taste was, but the memory of that taste/armoa/texture laid dormant in my mind, waiting to be unleashed as soon as I taste garlic bread of the same caliper.

During my junior year of college at UCLA, I began cooking more often due to the fact that mom wasn't here to cook for me anymore, and that I no longer have access to the dining halls. This was the beginning of my quest to recreate what was in my mind the perfect garlic bread.

After 2 quarters and and many failures (though not entirely failures because I began to figure out different bits of recipe to my ultimate garlic bread), I have finally figured out my recipe for my perfect garlic bread, and will now share it with you all.

Thank you for reading the boring history of how I came to make my garlic bread.


Ingredients:
1 stick of butter or margarine
a handful of parsley leaves, minced
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1/2 Cup of parmesan cheese
1 loaf of Baguette/French Bread/Italian Bread

Procedure:

Step 1: Preparations
Leave butter/margarine out for an hour or so in a bowl to let it soften.
Mince the garlic and parsley finely.
Cut the bread. (*hint: use a serrated knife)

Step 2: Mixing
Place garlic, parsley, olive oil, and parmesan cheese in a bowl and stir until ingredients are evenly mixed in the spread.

Step 3: Spread
Spread the mix evenly on the top of the bread. Do not spread on both sides.
*note: If you cut the bread the way I recommend (see FAQs), then the spread should be used up or almost used up by the time you spread it over all the pieces.

Step 4: Baking
Bake the bread in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 6 minutes or until the edges get slightly burnt* (a medium brown color).
*this is vital for the desired texture of the garlic bread

Step 5: Eat it
Enjoy your garlic bread, while it's hot. However, don't eat it right out of the oven. It's extremely hot and will burn your face off. Wait ~30 seconds before attempting to consume the garlic bread.

That's all!

FAQs:

Is that picture on the top of the post your garlic bread?
No. Due to time constraints, I randomly googled garlic bread and found a picture of one was the most similar to mine. Mine looks better and probably tastes better (to me).

I'm dumb. I still don't get it. Will you provide pictures in the future?
Yes, I will provide pictures next time I make garlic bread.

What kind of ingredients do you use?
I use Imperial Margarine, Craft Parmesan Cheese, and bread from Ralph's, I recommend getting the bread when it's super fresh. It tastes best when the bread is still warm at the time of purchase.

How do you cut the bread?
I usually just cross-section the bread, making slices around 1 inch thick. That way the spread will be used up.

Why do you use such sucky ingredients such as margarine and Craft Cheese?
As I was creating my perfect garlic bread recipe, I wanted it to be created using very regular and easily accessible ingredients so it can be recreated by anyone. Actually, I'm just cheap. I haven't tried this recipe with "elite" ingredients.

Can I share this with others?
Please do. Excellent food should not be kept secret. Steal it. Call it your own. I don't care, as long as you enjoy it!

This was really simple. Is this all there is to it? My mom could've figured this out!
Yes, that's all there is to it. Yes, your mom probably could've figured it out, if you told her what I liked in garlic bread. But why all the trouble?

Feel free to ask questions or comment about the awesomeness that is garlic bread.

live jazz music

I don't know about you, but I love jazz music. And as much as I enjoy listening to jazz played flawlessly on an album, there is nothing like going a live show to watch the great musicians (such as Victor Wooten and Marcus Miller, which I had to pleasure to see twice) play their instruments masterfully in harmony with the others on stage.

Where am I going with this? Besides stating my love for this American Art, I think there is a lesson to learn from these jazz musicians about humility: a humility that serves and encourages. Humility, you ask, from musicians who are stars in their respective art? Well, let me explain.

You don't have to know much about jazz music to know that improvisation is a huge part of jazz. Every good jazz musician can improvise a melody for songs. One major part of the jazz show is watching these masters create improvised melodic lines that is similar to the original melody, yet different at the same time. When the focus is placed primarily on a particular instrument, that's called a solo. When a jazz musician is playing a solo, he/she is put in the spotlight; he/she is the star.

However, when he or she completes a solo, often times he/she will give credit to the band: the drummer for holding down the beat, the bassist for grooving while creating space for the melody, the other musicians for doing their part. Think for a minute... if the whole band were to individually decide that they all want to take the spotlight at the same, it would be disaster, wouldn't it? Therefore, each musician not only waits their turn to play their solos, but to backup and support the person doing their solo at the particular moment. What I find especially encouraging is when the one in the spotlight gives his/her thanks and appreciation for the support of his/her band. It's a humble acknowledgment that the piece is not possible without the support of each of the band members.

So what? What does this have anything to do with humility?

As a Christian in ministry, there are time when a particular person is in the spotlight, and there are times when a person is in the background doing all the support work. Either way, not one or the other is more important than the other, for both contributes to the whole.
The problem lies when a certain person thinks he/she is more important than the other. It is pride that leads a person in the spotlight to think or say, "Oh, look at me, I'm the important one because everybody sees/hears/follow me," or the person in the background thinking, "Peh, you would be nothing without me."

Notice that the root of what each person says is pride, that he/she of the utmost importance. However, a humble person would recognize that all that they attempt do is not for themselves, but ultimately for the honor, glory, and exultation of Christ. If one has that proper view of themselves as a worshiper of Christ, it would not lead us to sin in this manner. Like the jazz musicians who play together to compose a beautiful piece of music, we work together for one united cause, not for our own selfish gain.

Wait a minute, you say. We all know this and we don't tell people to look at ourselves! I'm not struggling with this!

May I ask that you take a look at your own heart and examine yourself? Can you look at yourself in the mirror and honestly say this isn't an issue with you? I know I can't. That's why I need a constant reminder. That's why I need be challenged and reminded by each one of you! So, I'm asking that if you read this and ever see me heading towards any avenue of pride and selfishness, that you'll love me by confronting me, shining the light of Christ on my sinful heart, and I will try to do the same.

I close with this:

What does this mean practically (this is more geared towards GOCers in ministry)?

When you are serving on a team that works with another team, and conflict arises, is your first thought the errors of their ways instead of seeking out to serve them to the best of your ability, no matter the sacrifice?

Do you think you are more important than another person who is on a different, "lesser" known/up front ministry team or even a person who is not in any ministry team at all?

Are you sensitive to the needs of those who are in another role/doing different things than you?

When you serve with others, does it look like you're serving for the same goal of honoring God or are you serving for any other reason (make yourself look good, oh, in front of that *special* someone)?

I don't know how relevant this is to people who read this, but I hope it served to either encourage, challenge, or stir up your hearts in some way or another.

today's gospel: authentic or synthetic

I'm currently reading through a book called Today's Gospel: Authentic or Synthetic (which you can get used at amazon.com for 20 cents plus shipping), written by Walter J. Chantry. It's a short, 92-page, book that examines the deficiencies of the gospel as its preached using modern "evangelism" and powerfully shows the way evangelism should be done, as our Lord Jesus Christ did, using the example of the Rich Young Ruler in the gospels. I highly recommend it.


Here's an excerpt:

Today, we are told that witnessing is to begin with "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." Love is set before sinners as the foremost characteristic of God. But Jesus didn't begin that way. And the Bible as a whole speaks more often of God's holiness than of His love. This is probably because men readily remember all the attributes that might favor themselves and totally forget those which threaten or alarm them.

Thousands of sinners think of God as having only one attribute - "love". Though that is a part of the truth, when it is taken for the whole truth it becomes a lie. When you tell a stranger, "God loves you," his mind registers something like this: "Yes, He loves me and would never harm me. He loves me with forgiving and merciful kindness; so, all is well with my soul." In the concept of the average American, there is no idea that God is holy; only a perverted concept that God is gushy, all-embracing kindness. Modern evangelism is helping to foster this misconception of God by its silence and vagueness.

To say to a rebel, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life," is terribly misinforming. The truth is that God is holy. Thus, He is angry with the sinner at this moment. His sword of wrath already hangs over the head of the guilty and will forever torment him unless he repents and trusts Christ. This plan is not so wonderful. God's redeeming love for sinners is found only in Christ, and the sinner is out of Christ. The modern approach is diametrically opposed to Jesus' method with the young ruler. He did not soothe him in his ignorance, but stirred up fear by preaching that God is essentially good.