Raquel's 30th birthday

I don't really know what's the deal with turning 30. Maybe because I haven't been there. But hey i'll be there in a couple of years. Anyway, I may not understand it but I agree with her about rounding up all your friends in one room.

I hope to do this too one day. Not just my--let's see... 15 small group friends, 4 Brigs, 4 Katips, more or less 7 individual girlfriends I met and kept through the years..so about 30 girlfriends of mine--but also my family (but of course because I'm a family-girl!) and several favorite aunts and cousins of mine in one room.

Yes I will do it one day.  

Not just in my funeral :) but I hope to be able to honor them and thank them all together for everything that they have done for me. 

And to honor God for giving me on earth treasures that moths don't eat and rust doesn't destroy. 

So this is Raquel's 30th birthday.  

God spoiled her and gave her a great night last July 21 with all of her girlfriends. :)

Sunrise Buckets.  

When I told my cousins that I am so in love with Bon Chon, she promised me she'll take me somewhere where Bon Chon will pale in comparison.  

Yep. This is the place.

The place has a beach-y feel.

The plan was to have a little drama about some of us 

not being able to make it since it was a rainy night.  And then we're going to enter together, carrying our cupcake wish for her, say a little speech before we sit down.

She hardly noticed our cupcakes. But she did notice that the people who canceled were there after all. 

We're not able to pull off the cupcake speech because the place is not conducive for little dramas like that...

...but it's ok because she was happy nonetheless.

So this is our cupcake wishes for her. 

Notice the common denominator? :D

Food time!

BRIGS

If you want to gobble up and lick the buffalo wings to the bone, you gotta put on some gloves. 

Singing happy birthday for Raquel

After party we moved to Starbucks to catch up and play a little Guesstures. 

We were very careful not to laugh so loud because this Starbucks outlet was filled with students studying thick books.

Hero

This evening, our pastor quoted a sermon from Tim Keller which swept me off my feet.
His point is to tell people that the bible is not about us because you will find Jesus even in the Old Testament. But instead I was struck with who is this Jesus that we worship. That not only is He the true hero and the greatest but also because of how much love seeps out on each statement.

“Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden and whose obedience is imputed to us.

Jesus is the true and better Abel who, though innocently slain, has blood now that cries out, not for our condemnation, but for acquittal.

Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go out into the void not knowing wither he went to create a new people of God.

Jesus is the true and better Isaac who was not just offered up by his father on the mount but was truly sacrificed for us. And when God said to Abraham, “Now I know you love me because you did not withhold your son, your only son whom you love from me,” now we can look at God taking his son up the mountain and sacrificing him and say, “Now we know that you love us because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from us.”

Jesus is the true and better Jacob who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserved, so we, like Jacob, only receives the wounds of grace to wake us up and discipline us.

Jesus is the true and better Joseph who, at the right hand of the king, forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his new power to save them.

Jesus is the true and better Moses who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant.

Jesus is the true and better Rock of Moses who, struck with the rod of God’s justice, now gives us water in the desert.

Jesus is the true and better Job, the truly innocent sufferer, who then intercedes for and saves his stupid friends.

Jesus is the true and better David whose victory becomes his people’s victory, though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

Jesus is the true and better Esther who didn’t just risk leaving an earthly palace but lost the ultimate and heavenly one, who didn’t just risk his life, but gave his life to save his people. Who didn’t just say if i perish, I perish it’s when I perish I’ll perish for them to save my people.

Jesus is the true and better Jonah who was cast out into the storm so that we could be brought in.

Jesus is the real Rock of Moses, the real Passover Lamb, innocent, perfect, helpless, slain so the angel of death will pass over us.

He’s the true temple.

The true prophet

The true priest.

The true king.

The true sacrifice.

The true lamb.

The true light.

The true bread.

The Bible’s really not about you—it’s about him.”

Find the rest of the sermon here.