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.

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!

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.”

I recently heard the song “Once Upon” by Sovereign Grace for the first time, and these lyrics stood out to me:

“Once upon a bed of straw / slept the Sovereign Son of God / Lord of the universe /breathing the dust of earth.”

What an amazing love this is; there is none other like it. No other love freely gives up so much for such a poor return: leaving the glories of Heaven for a dirty stable, trading the worship of angels for the scorn and enmity of the humans He created.

The more I reflect on God’s sacrificial love for you and me, the more I am humbled and convicted of the shallowness of my love for Him and others. And the more I am grateful that He loves me this much. My hope lies in the character, acts, and promises of God, the One who never changes and who has promised to walk with me every day. The One who emptied Himself for my sake, to reconcile me to Himself. I belong to Him and can rejoice in Him.

May we take in the joy and wonder of Christmas more and more as we reflect on the eternal truth and love displayed in the birth of the baby in the manger.

See you tomorrow!

Yesterday was my 33rd birthday; thank you so much to everyone who sent birthday wishes! This birthday felt especially meaningful, perhaps because our Lord Jesus was 33 years old when He went to the cross to pay for our sins. Lord, may You be glorified through me this year.

Internally, I still feel like I’m around 23 years old instead of 33. Yet at the same time, so much has happened in the past 10 years that I unquestionably also feel much “older,” although I suspect that “future me” may also find this comical.

Time is a strange thing, isn’t it? Especially when we consider the perspective of God, who created time in the first place. Peter famously said, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8).

God has been with me every day of the past 33 years of my life; even if I had been born 330 or 3300 years ago, His sovereignty and goodness would remain unchanged. And my hope throughout life is that God is calling me home to be with Him and enjoy Him forever in the life to come. When I’m tempted to think of myself as the main character of “my story,” God’s Word reminds me that He is the main character of history, and He has invited me (and all of us) to play a part in His redemptive story.

I’d like to end by sharing that yesterday I felt God impress this verse on my heart as a key verse for this next year of my life:

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

2 Timothy 1:7

When we find ourselves facing fear, or any of its companions – worry, anxiety, discouragement, doubt – may we cling to the God who is the source of power, love, and self-control. For those of us who have placed our faith in Christ, He is transforming our hearts from the inside out so that day by day we resemble Him more, radiating His light and love to those around us, for His glory. May we fear Him above all else, trusting in His unchanging love, mercy and grace.

Hello Blogging Family, Ivan here! It’s been a while since my last post. This blog will be a bit different than usual, as I will recap our recent trip to Central Europe. Each year my school’s arts department travels internationally so that our students can experience each country’s art, history, and culture firsthand. This is probably one of my favorite parts of my job.

We flew from San Francisco to Frankfurt and then to Munich, before taking a bus to Salzburg, which is Mozart’s birthplace. We actually got to visit a museum which used to be the house where he was raised. It’s hard to describe how I felt standing in the room where Mozart was born. God blessed this one little baby with so much creativity that has blessed millions of people. Salzburg is also where much of The Sound of Music was filmed, so it was fun to retrace the film’s steps. We had dinner outdoors on a patio at Hohensalzburg Fortress, and the view of the city was simply stunning. This was followed by a chamber music concert, a delightful way to close the evening.

The following day we drove to Vienna, stopping at Melk Abbey on the way. Seeing the beauty of the cathedrals was definitely awe-inspiring. God is so amazing that even the most beautiful works of human art and ingenuity cannot compare to His perfect beauty and majesty; and yet He also draws near to us and loves us so personally. He is both transcendent and intimate–how amazing this is!

Next, Vienna: what to say! So much history, music, and art. The word that comes to mind is imperial, and this was reflected in the city’s architecture. The scale and grandeur of the buildings, statues, and courtyards were remarkable. We visited the Opera House, Historical Art Museum, and the Museum of Military History, and even got to attend the Vienna Philharmonic’s outdoor concert at Schönnbrun Palace.

From Vienna we drove to Budapest, stopping at Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, on the way. Our tour guide pointed out that we hit three capitals in one day! So different from life in the US. In Budapest we did a Danube river cruise and walked through Castle Hill. I also got to visit the Franz Liszt museum, which used to be an apartment where he lived. As a pianist, I’ve tended to fall on the Chopin side of the Chopin-Liszt debate, but being in Hungary definitely gave me a deeper understanding and appreciation for Liszt’s music. At dinner our last night in Budapest, we heard a local Hungarian band play, consisting of two violins, a clarinet, upright bass, and cimbalom. Grace told me that classical violinists play a lot of pieces influenced by Hungarian music, and I really enjoyed the unique way the lead violinist played.

For the final leg of our journey we made our way from Budapest to Prague, stopping along the way at Brno, the second largest city in Czechia. Fun fact: our wonderful tour guide informed us that Brno has the second largest catacombs in Europe, after Paris.

I had been forewarned that Prague was a beautiful city, like something out of a fairy tale. But instead of reality being overshadowed by expectations, I discovered that I’d underestimated this city. The winding, multicolored cobblestone streets; the sloping roofs of the medieval buildings; the stunning views from the hill and the bridges; all were spectacular. Our guide took our group to the Old Town Square at sunset, and the blend of the colors in the sky and the city lights turning on was magical.

We visited Prague Castle, which was–you guessed it–beautiful. The stained glass windows at St. Vitus Cathedral were incredible, and I also stepped inside the little house where Franz Kafka wrote “A Country Doctor”. We had the last dinner of the trip at Obecni Dum,a beautiful restaurant decorated in 1920’s style. The next morning we flew from Prague to Zurich (a short one-hour flight) and from there to San Francisco (11.5 hours). Like a dream, our trip was over.

I love to travel, and am so grateful that God allowed me and Grace to go on this trip. But even more than the amazing sights and activities we experienced, I’m most grateful to God that Grace was able to go with me.

There was a time when I wasn’t even sure if Grace would even be able to walk again, much less travel internationally. Looking back, I can see how God has granted us blessing after blessing, such as miraculously healing Grace of her seizures, which has allowed us to reach this point on our lives. Grace still battles ongoing symptoms such as fatigue, and it is only by God’s grace that we were able to go on this trip together. May we always remember to thank the Giver of all the good gifts we enjoy in this life, even as we look ahead to the endless joy of being with Him forever one day. To God be the glory!