Walking With Grace

Hello Blogging Family! Welcome to 2026 🙂 On Christmas Day a few weeks ago, Grace and I (and Grace’s parents) flew out to Savannah, GA to visit Grace’s sister’s family as well as extended family. This was my fourth visit to Savannah, and I’m starting to feel more familiar with its roads and freeways, the food and weather, and the surrounding areas. It’s quite different from Silicon Valley! I enjoy the slower pace of life, and the emphasis on community. I have to say, I do indulge a bit on the fried food when I visit, but when in Rome…

Anyway, during this trip Grace and I reached a big milestone in our relationship: our 10th wedding anniversary! I can’t believe it’s been ten years since Grace and I promised God and each other to walk through life together as husband and wife. Looking back, I couldn’t have predicted the direction our lives would have taken; I had assumed (at that time) that we would keep living in Riverside, CA, where we met in college, and that I would continue making a “musician’s living” through teaching lessons and playing for gigs while I pursued a terminal degree in order to teach at the university level.

Instead, Grace and I have now lived in San Jose, CA for almost 9 years, and I am teaching at a K-12 school, which has provided a lot of stability as well as flexibility for our household. If God hadn’t brought Grace’s accident into our lives, we would’ve never moved to San Jose (one of the most expensive areas to live in nationwide), and we would’ve never met the many friends God has blessed us with here.

Over the past decade, I’ve learned that I have so much more to learn! I thought I knew Grace very well when we became friends, and started dating, and got engaged and married; but I’m discovering more and more how precious God’s gift of marriage is – there is no other human relationship like it. I pray that God will help me become a more godly husband, and that He will guide me and Grace in this next decade of marriage so that we can become more like Him and be effective instruments of blessing for others.

Looking back over the past ten years, I’m struck by how faithful God has been. He has taught us so much about who He is, and who we are in Him, often through the crucible of trials and pain. Often it’s when God removes something of value to us – the ability to play violin professionally, or the prospect of having biological children – that we see His infinite value more clearly. He is the source of true satisfaction and fulfillment, our rock and refuge to weather the storms of life. As we enter this new year, may God open the eyes of our hearts so we can behold Him and be transformed by Him. May we treasure Him and worship Him above all else, for He alone is worthy.

Merry Christmas Eve! Thank you so much for walking with us this December. We pray this series has been an encouraging aid in remembering the permanence of God’s promises toward us, and anticipating the future hope this brings us both in this life and in eternity.

As we anticipate Christmas tomorrow, I’d like to conclude with one of my favorite Messianic prophecies from Isaiah:

Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—
    yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
 He will delight in obeying the Lord.
    He will not judge by appearance
    nor make a decision based on hearsay.
 He will give justice to the poor
    and make fair decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his word,
    and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
 He will wear righteousness like a belt
    and truth like an undergarment.

Isaiah 11:1-5

Here are some things that are blessing me as I meditate on this passage, both personally and as I consider what is going on in the world:

1. “The Spirit of counsel and might…” It can be tempting to equate seeking wisdom with passivity or delayed action, but wisdom that is truly from the Lord – the wisdom Christ embodied while he walked among us – is never weak or ineffective. It is incredibly powerful and knows when, how, and how much to act. It never does either too much or too little. That is why it can only from the Lord and is a sign of God’s Spirit transforming us as we renew our minds with his Word and depend on him to lead us day by day.
2. “He will not judge by appearance, nor make a decision based on hearsay.” This is the opposite of both our fallen human tendencies and our experience with other humans! In spite of our best intentions, it is impossible to be completely free from sinful motives or to be completely sure we know everything there is to know about a situation before we pass judgment. Jesus was the only man who was completely without sin, and who could also see into other men’s hearts perfectly (John 2:25). Yet he chose to bear God’s wrath for us and continues interceding for those of us who place our faith in him, instead of using that knowledge to condemn us (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25). Only he both judges righteous and also fulfills our longing to be perfectly known and understood.
3. “He will wear righteousness like a belt, and truth like an undergarment…” There have been several tragedies on the news in recent weeks, from the shootings connected to Brown University, MIT, and Bondi Beach, to the heartbreaking death of Jubilant Sykes. These remind us that, although Jesus has come once, our world is still very broken and in desperate need of the gospel. We wait in great anticipation of his second coming, when he will finally set everything to right and usher in the new Heaven and New Earth, and we will enjoy perfect fellowship with him and all God’s people. Until then, we are called to look forward to his coming and rely on his empowering grace to be ambassadors of truth and righteousness in this world that so desperately cries out for the eternal hope that only he can give.

Merry Christmas! May we be filled with the eternal hope of Immanuel – God with us!

Good morning, blogging family! One of my school’s traditions that I really appreciate is the annual opportunity to perform Christmas concerts at the historic California Theatre in Downtown San Jose. This nearly 100-year-old venue (opened April 1927) has hosted movie screenings, operas, plays, ballets, and (more recently) performances from Valley Christian elementary, junior high, and high school students!

This year I got to sing with the students in the Symphonic Chorale, celebrating the theme of “The Bells Still Ring.” I sang in three songs in the program: two arrangements of “Carol of the Bells,” and “Prayer of the Children,” by Kurt Bestor. The central message of the concert was that, throughout history, the bells of Christmas still ring out the good news of “peace on earth, goodwill to men.” God has come to be with us.

For confidentiality purposes, the picture above doesn’t show any of the smiling students and parents after the concert; but imagine the whole room alight with cheerful chatter and buzzing with warm energy, and you’ll get a sense of the festive atmosphere around these concerts. I hope the students at my school realize how amazing it is that we get to perform at such a beautiful and historic place; I know I’m grateful. I’m already looking forward to next year!

See you tomorrow!

Good morning, everyone! As we near the end of our series, I wanted to loop you in to an exciting announcement we made yesterday on social media since I realize that some of you are not on those platforms. We are hosting another violin recital in January, and this one will be in-person if you happen to live in the area! If you don’t, we will be live-streaming through Facebook live like we did last time so you can still watch either live or after the fact. You can access the event details by following this link (you don’t need a Facebook account to access Facebook events or livestream).

I’m particularly grateful for this recital because it represents the growth of a friendship as well as a significant amount of musical improvement over the past year. Last December, my dad introduced me to Min because she was passionate about violin and has also made a career of studying the brain, and over the past year she has been such an encouragement to both of us with her love of the Lord and music, and her willingness to meet up and practice music, and encourage me to keep trying different things such as improvising. It was also her suggestion to put together this a program of both classical and worship music. She and Ivan will be performing solo pieces at this recital, too and I really hope some of you can make it in-person. Our hope is that it will be an encouraging time of worshiping the Lord through different genres of music for everyone in attendance!

See you tomorrow!

Good morning, everyone! A few days ago, I wrote about how Psalm 100 was a perennial favorite for finding joy in my own life and encouraging others. Today, as I’m nearing the end of my Bible reading plan, I was meditating on Psalm 101 (my Psalm readings are not in chronological order), and was struck by the fact that this is actually a wonderful Psalm to ponder as we approach Christmas:

I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.
    I will praise you with songs.
 I will be careful to live a blameless life—
    when will you come to help me?
I will lead a life of integrity
    in my own home.
 I will refuse to look at
    anything vile and vulgar.
I hate all who deal crookedly;
    I will have nothing to do with them.
 I will reject perverse ideas
    and stay away from every evil.

I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.
    I will not endure conceit and pride.

 I will search for faithful people
    to be my companions.
Only those who are above reproach
    will be allowed to serve me.
 I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house,
    and liars will not stay in my presence.
 My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked
    and free the city of the Lord from their grip.

Psalm 101:1-8

My first reaction to reading this psalm was, “Wow, how inspiring!” But as I sat with it a bit longer and asked the Holy Spirit to illuminate my own heart, I became more uncomfortable. These are wonderful aspirations, and as the inspired Word of God, they represent God’s desired will for my life, but sadly I can’t say that this psalm reflects the truth about my life all the time. Even the opening gave me pause: I love singing praises to God in church and try to make a practice of singing at home as well, but can I with 100% certainty say that my praise is always coming from a completely sincere, undistracted heart? I was also struck by the verse “I live a life of integrity in my own home.” It’s easy to serve in church and focus on the status of my outward-facing relationships, but how would my family describe me? Even if Ivan affirms my integrity, how would I score with God, who knows the deepest secrets of my heart? And then there’s the part about not enduring “conceit and pride.” Once again, I’m fairly good at identifying certain overt sins, but a judgmental or critical spirit can slip under the radar.

By the time I’d reached the end of the psalm, I’d been reminded – yet again – that I am not above reproach, especially if I’m considering the thoughts of my heart that only the Lord sees. But instead of being depressed, I was encouraged that, while David’s aspirations in this psalm are righteous – especially given his role as king of Israel – at certain points in his life even he would not have met the requirements he was inspired to write.

But one of David’s descendants would. In addition to dying for our sins, Jesus lived the perfect life that none of us could ever live so that his righteousness could be fully credited to each of us who trusts him for salvation. I believe God includes passages like Psalm 101 for us in Scripture to remind us of his holy standard, and to encourage us to keep pursuing these character qualities once we’ve received our new nature as believers (Col. 3:10). As we look forward to Christmas, let us give thanks for the new natures we’ve received and the progressive sanctification that is taking place in all our lives, all because Jesus humbled himself, took on human flesh, and lived a perfect life in our place 2,000 years ago!

See you tomorrow!

As Grace mentioned, this year we’ve been starting the morning by reading and listening to carols together. Recently we came to one of my favorites: “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.” Not only is the music beautiful, but the lyrics really spoke to me this time around, and I hope you will be encouraged as we reflect on them together.

“It came upon the midnight clear, / That glorious song of old, / From angels bending near the earth / to touch their harps of gold: / ‘Peace on the earth, good will to men, / From heaven’s all-gracious King.’ / The world in solemn stillness lay / To hear the angels sing.”

Few times in the Bible do we witness such a direct intrusion of the spiritual realm into our earthly realm than when the angels announced the birth of Jesus to a band of shepherds at night (Luke 2:8-20). As messengers of the Eternal King of Kings, they heralded the arrival of His son, bringing the promise of that most elusive of human pursuits: peace.

“Yet with the woes of sin and strife / The world has suffered long, / Beneath the angel strain have rolled / Two thousand years of wrong; / And man, at war with man, hears not / The love song which they bring: / O hush the noise, ye men of strife, / And hear the angels sing!”

The second verse of this carol brings us from Bethlehem two thousand years ago to our own time, when man is still “at war with man.” Two thousand years of scientific and societal progress notwithstanding, the human heart today is just as much in need of grace and redemption as at the moment when the light of Christ broke into the darkness of our world. May our hearts not miss the divine “love song” poured out to us at Christ’s birth.

“All ye, beneath life’s crushing load, / Whose forms are bending low, / Who toil along the climbing way / With painful steps and slow, / Look now! for glad and golden hours / Come swiftly on the wing: / O rest beside the weary road / And hear the angels sing.”

It is when we come to the end of ourselves – tired, weary, and even broken – that we recognize the beauty and wonder of the life and love that Jesus offers. Our Lord is the gentle and powerful Shepherd of our souls who bids us to”Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

“For lo! the days are hast’ning on, / By prophets seen of old, / When with the ever circling years / Comes round the age of gold; When peace shall over all the earth / Its ancient splendors fling, And the whole world give back the song / Which now the angels sing.”

As children of the Risen King, we look forward to the time when peace covers all the earth, and all creation magnifies the one true God, in all His splendor and glory. God, who is faithful, has promised that He is making all things new, and will one day restore ourselves and our world. What is broken will be made new, and sorrow will permanently be replaced with gladness and thanksgiving.

If you are walking through this Christmas season with joy and hope, I rejoice with you and praise God for His goodness and blessing. If in this season you are walking through a valley, carrying a heavy load, I pray that the words of this Christmas carol will lift your gaze to the One who, one night two thousand years ago, came to give us hope, who gives us that hope still, and who has promised to bring us safely to the “age of gold, when peace shall over all the earth its ancient splendors fling.”

Something I’m extremely grateful for is the chance to study French with a real expert! It’s no secret that Paris is my absolute favorite city, and I would move there in a heartbeat. We’ve been blessed to visit twice in the last three years, first in June 2023 on a school trip and then on our own last Christmas for our ninth anniversary. I started learning French in preparation for our 2023 trip using the Pimsleur language program as well as YouTube and movies, and loved the trip and the language so much that I’ve tried to keep up with it ever since. For the short amounts of time we were in Paris, I was grateful to be able to generally understand what was said, as well as shop/order food/navigate. However, as any of us who love a language and long to spend an extended amount of time in a foreign country are aware, being tolerated by a certain breed of polite native speaker does NOT equal being competent in your desired language.

When the opportunity arose a few months ago to actually practice French in person, I couldn’t have been more blessed. Judy taught French at Ivan’s school, Valley Christian, for three decades and is legendary for her skill with the language, her enormous heart for students, and her love for the Lord. It’s been such a privilege to spend time with her on Wednesday mornings talking about life and counseling (another shared passion) building my French vocabulary and grammar, reading the delightful book Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and memorizing Scripture.

See you tomorrow!

Good morning, everyone! Today I’d like to continue our Christmas carol theme by sharing with you the history behind one of my personal favorites, “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.”

While some may put forth a Northern European favorite like “O Come All Ye Faithful” or “Good King Wenceslas” as the oldest carol still sung today (both were composed in the 13th century), the award most likely goes to the song I’ve posted above.

“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” was a Greek hymn that originated in the 4th century as preparation for taking communion. It emphasizes God’s holiness and power, as well as the awe we should experience as we contemplate his shocking choice to descend from heaven, dwell with us, and redeem us with his very own body. In the 19th century, this hymn was translated, paired with a French folk tune, and revitalized as an Advent carol. I love the richness of its imagery and its unique role as a window to what worship in the early church might have been like.

See you tomorrow!

I’ve shared before how the brain injury makes it difficult for me to overcome negative emotions because there’s a physiological disconnect between the “thinking” and “feeling” portions of my brain (short-circuiting the wisdom that if you renew your mind with truth long enough, your heart will follow suit). As a counselor, I’ve also spent time listening to people’s struggles with sin and suffering and praying about the best way to help them move forward biblically. My struggles, as well as some of those I’ve walked alongside, served as part of the inspiration for our second book, Hello, God.

These journeys have also taught me to love Psalm 100, both as a source of encouragement for myself and for others. It’s very brief, but I believe it offers some universal principles for joy:

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
     Serve the LORD with gladness!
    Come into his presence with singing!

 Know that the LORD, he is God!
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; bless his name!

 For the LORD is good;
    his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100:1-5

First of all, joy – and rest – comes from acknowledging that God is sovereign and good. So much of my anxiety and sadness can be traced back to wishing situations and people would become something other than they are, which at its root suggests that I don’t truly believe God knows what is best for me – or the people in my life. And I suspect this may be true for a lot of people who struggle with these emotions. He is creator and shepherd – completely powerful, and completely personally invested in the lives of each one of his flock.

Second, I love Psalm 100’s reassurances about the Lord’s character and his heart toward his people. No matter what is going on in the moment, we can trust these declarations that God’s love and faithfulness are eternal. There are times – even long periods – when our circumstances may tempt us to doubt this, but the psalmist encourages us to zoom out from our personal experience and survey the testimony of redemptive history. Once we consider how God has faithfully, relentlessly pursued his rebellious human creatures from the Garden of Eden right up to the present day, pouring out his unbridled wrath on his own precious Son so that he could offer us salvation, things begin to look different. And every time I consciously remind myself that my eternity is secured because of what Christ suffered in my place on the cross, whatever trial I happen to be facing takes a different hue.

As the Apostle Paul famously wrote, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:16-17)

See you tomorrow!