Posted on by graceutomo12 · 1 Comment

A Helping Hand

Hello Blogging Family! Thank you all so much for your prayers and concern! I’m finally back to normal typing, and wanted to share a personal “thank you” as well as my own thoughts on the past couple of weeks.

Although we continue to be extremely grateful for just how faithful and powerful the Lord has been to restore so much of my life, this incident has reminded me that I’ve started to take certain parts of recovery for granted. On the bright side, it’s also been a sweet demonstration of all the love and support we continue to receive from our online community whenever there is a health-related update! ❤

As I consider the progress that I may have begun to take for granted – or push a little too far – working in the kitchen is one of the first things that comes to mind. Every time I’ve told my version of this latest incident and started with, “Well, I was opening a can one-handed…” I’m struck by how unwise this sounds. Although I’ve been opening cans for several years now, I’m realizing that it’s God’s mercy and protection that I made it this long without an accident.

While Ivan does most of the truly dangerous kitchen work at our house, I admit that my limitations with my left hand tempt me to feel insecure when I consider what other wives do for their husbands. This often prompts me to test my limits to see if I could be doing more. Hence my one-handed can-opening career. But the past couple of weeks have reminded us that when my experiments go south, I need significantly more help from him than if I focused on doing what we know I can do safely and well.

On the subject of help. the past couple of weeks have been a sweet reminder of how much Ivan is willing to help and how much my guilt for asking him is self-imposed. On the drive home from the hospital he began peppering me with questions about everything I would need help with now that I was down my right hand – including getting dressed. While I nixed that particular suggestion, the heart behind it was truly precious, and continued to remind me of how Ivan has always been willing to do whatever needs to be done to care for me.

And I did find myself humbled the following morning when we embarked on our two weeks of wound care. Although I knew I would need some help given that I had relatively incapacitated my dominant hand, after everything I’ve been through I pride myself on being rather tough and low maintenance. I laid everything out and read all the instructions, only to be hit by a wave of nausea when we removed the bandage. Maybe it’s been too many years since our last significant incident, or maybe there was something different about this cut (Ivan spared the gory details in his post), but I found myself unable to do anything except look away and pray while he did all the wound care. So this too was a poignant reminder, not just of Ivan’s willingness to help, but also of the Lord’s faithfulness and enabling power in all the trials we’ve been through in the past. I am more aware than ever that the grit I used to think was part of my personality is really an enabling grace God can give and remove as He sees fit. I’m very grateful for when He does choose to give it. When He does not, this causes me to depend on Him more closely and also be more grateful for the help I receive from others.

I’d like to close with Psalm 46, which my discipleship group recently memorized. The application question the week before my can-opener incident was “How are you going to apply this psalm to daily life?” At the time I’d talked about using it as a framework to pray for others and also praise God’s sovereignty over all our lives. I couldn’t imagine this application would get VERY real just a week later. In the ER, I was desperately looking for something to which I could fix my attention when it was time to get the stitches put in. Reciting the psalm in my mind and rehearsing the Lord’s presence and power transformed what would have been an otherwise extremely disconcerting few minutes for me. Hopefully this can also be an encouragement to all of you who have a practice of memorizing Scripture, or are considering starting this journey!

God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
 Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
 though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
 “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Posted on by ivanutomo · 5 Comments

Thumbs Up from the ER

Hello Blogging Family! Greetings from a teacher who is enjoying Ski Week 😊 For those unfamiliar with this tradition, schools in the San Jose area take the third week of February off for students to [presumably] enjoy going to the nearby mountains to ski. I myself am not a skier, but won’t say no to a week off!

Two weeks ago, Grace and I found ourselves once more at the ER. Thankfully, it’s been more than a year since we’ve had to go in, so while this trip was unnerving, it was also a great reminder of how far she’s come and how graciously and powerfully God has worked in our lives. She’s asked me to write this update for you all since typing is still a bit challenging for her while she recovers!

Two Wednesdays ago it was a little past 2 pm and I was in a meeting at work, when Grace called me. This was unusual since she knew I was working, so I took it.

“Hello?”

“I’ve hurt my hand really badly and need to go to the ER, so I need you to come home right now.”

“Did you cut it?”

“Just come home.”

With that, I made a hasty exit from my meeting and hurried to my car. I was once again very thankful that Grace and I live close to the school where I work. I made it home and saw Grace sitting on the floor, propped up against the kitchen cabinets, and, sure enough, her hand was badly cut (I will spare all the graphic details).

En route to the ER, I learned that Grace had been opening up a can and the lid had sliced deeply through the pad of her thumb. Due to her strokes from her initial accident almost 10 years ago, Grace has no sensation in her left hand and has to do all her kitchen tasks one-handed with sensory input from only her right hand, which, as you can imagine, makes things more difficult and, in this case, also more dangerous.

We got to the ER, and a nurse sat Grace down in the intake chair, asking the customary questions. When she got to the “Pain from 1 to 10?” question, Grace said “Seven,” and then passed out. We’re still not sure why this happened, but possible causes were that Grace never ate lunch (she was making it when she cut her hand) and/or loss of blood. A team of nurses surged to her and they took her in to a room right away. I noted she had a history of strokes and a TBI, and they let me in too.

By the time I got to the room, Grace was coming to. She was still a bit groggy, when when they asked her what happened, she said she didn’t remember. (Later she told me that when she was regaining consciousness, all she could see was white light, and she heard people’s voices speaking near her (the nurses) but it didn’t sound like they were speaking English).

To fast forward through the next four hours or so: we were very blessed to be attended by kind medical staff, who cleaned Grace’s wound and ran various tests. The ER doctor was also friendly, and although at first he thought Grace’s wound could be fixed using glue, but once all the blood was gone and he was able to assess the injury he concluded, “This needs stitches.”

So five stitches were put in her thumb pad, and they discharged us home. Grace was a trooper through all this; she has a remarkably high pain tolerance, which at times has actually prevented medical staff from accurately assessing her real pain level or the severity of what needs to be treated.

The following week brought with it a steady regimen of wound care, which for both of us was reminiscent of the first year post-accident. Thankfully, stitches were taken out this past weekend after the first 10 days, and the cut is healing well, although it was still open when he stitches came out, so she does still need to wear a splint and continue some care until it closes. All in all, we are grateful that there was no nerve damage, and no infection during initial healing.

This latest ER trip was not part of Grace’s or my plans two Wednesdays ago, but in His providence God had Grace go through this too. We trust that every event of our lives is under His wise and loving care, even the painful and unexpected things. I pray that whatever you may be facing right now, you will know God’s tender care for you, wise purposes for you, and power indwelling you through His Spirit. Thanks as always for walking with us!

Posted on by graceutomo12 · 11 Comments

ICYMI: Recital Recording!

Good afternoon, Blogging Family! Thank you again so much to all of you who prayed for, attended, or expressed interest in our recital last Saturday! It was a sweet time of celebrating the Lord’s faithfulness over the years, and we were so humbled and blessed by everyone’s support, both in person and online! We would not be here today without the prayers, and love of far more people than we are even aware of, and Saturday was a vivid reminder of this reality.

We wanted to share this recording with those of you who were unable to attend in person but asked about a recording. If you tried to livestream, you’re aware that we ran into some unexpected network issues. Because of this, the version posted above is missing a few songs. However, I’m very grateful that Ivan could reconstruct the large majority of the recital and we hope you will enjoy the overall feel of the event! 🙂

***

Update on 1/30/26: We’re continuing to get comments that some of you are having trouble viewing the embedded video. We’re working to figure it out! In the meantime, please follow this direct link to the performance. Thanks so much for your patience!

Posted on by graceutomo12 · 4 Comments

Countdown to Saturday!

Good morning, Blogging Family! We can’t believe that it’s less than a week to our recital. We’ll be performing works by Bach, Mendelssohn, Massenet, and Rachmaninoff, as well as some original arrangements of our favorite worship songs.

If you’d like to attend in person, you can find out more details on our Facebook event page. We will also be live-streaming from our Facebook page if you can’t make it but would like to watch virtually. You don’t need a Facebook account to watch the livestream. 🙂

We pray it will be an encouraging time of worship and celebrating what God has done. Hope you can join us!

Posted on by ivanutomo · 2 Comments

New Year, New Decade of Marriage

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.

Posted on by graceutomo12 · 1 Comment

24 Days of Hope: The Conclusion

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!

Posted on by ivanutomo

24 Days of Hope: Mary’s Song of Praise

This painting of Mary visiting Elizabeth is called “The Visitation,” and is by the Renaissance master Raphael.

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to lead our prayer team’s pre-service prayer and devotion, and the Bible passage that came to mind was Mary’s prayer recorded in Luke 1:46-55, commonly known as the Magnificat (which is the first word of the Latin translation of this prayer). Although I had read this passage before, it struck me anew how beautiful and powerful this prayer is, and how brightly it shines the light of the good news of Christmas.

After receiving news from the angel Gabriel that she would bear the Son of God, Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, who was herself pregnant with John the Baptist. When Elizabeth said to her, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord,” Mary responded by praising and worshiping God:

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

Luke 1:46-49

What incredible faith and humility her prayer shows! Mary gave all the glory to God, recognizing His power and holiness, and her need for and dependence on Him. Mary understood that God sent His Son to be the Savior of the world, indeed, her savior and ours. She lived out of a knowledge of her proper standing before the Lord: that is, she was his servant (the Greek word can also be translated “bondservant”). She saw rightly that the source of all true blessing is God Himself, not anything generated from herself, her abilities, or her circumstances.

Do I live this way? Do I see the extent of my need for God? Do I profess to rely on Him, but operate out of self-reliance and pride? Do I, like Mary, and Paul, James, and others heroes of the faith, refer to myself as a servant of the Lord, or instead do I attempt to live as if I am master of my own fate?

The beauty of the Christmas message is that the righteous, almighty, gracious God of the universe has demonstrated His love for us, His creation, by sending His Son Jesus Christ to bring light and life into our broken world, into our broken lives. He brings redemption and restoration. Mary understood this, and rejoiced; may we join her in wholeheartedly worshiping our Lord.

Posted on by ivanutomo

24 Days of Hope: Christmas at the California Theatre

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!

Posted on by graceutomo12 · 2 Comments

24 Days of Hope: An Exciting Announcement

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!

Posted on by graceutomo12 · 2 Comments

24 Days of Hope: An Unusual Christmas Psalm

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!