Last quarter,  some coworkers and I met up with some Ph.D studying Thai Students who taught us how to cook authentic Thai food from scratch. If you have ever wanted to learn recipes such as Pad Thai, Beef Basil, or Tom Yom Ka soup (coconut milk soup), now’s your chance! These recipes are authentic that come straight from their parents Thailand. We documented the experience and put together an easy recipe book that lists the ingredients along with a step by step process with pictures included. I encourage you to check it out. Pretty soon you can open your own restaurant!

Click HERE or the image bellow to view recipes

On Wednesday, UCLA hosted the Veritas forum. Originally started at Harvard University, its purpose is to provide an opportunity for Christian intellectuals to answers to some of life’s hardest questions on the college campuses. This year, UCLA’s guest speaker was Dr. John Lennox, an Oxford mathematician, whose lecture was labeled “Christianity and the Tooth Fairy” asking the question if belief in Jesus Christ required a suspension of logic. He spoke in the morning during a lunch in for faculty and graduate students, as well as that evening for the rest of the UCLA population and community. I was able to attend both events, and encourage you to watch the video for that nights discussion. It brings up some very good points I had never thought about before.

I paraphrased a few of my favorite remarks as well as posted a link to the entire video below.

-The question of who created God is flawed. If I believe God created everything and you believe the universe created everything, who created your creator?

-God and science is not mutually exclusive. The whole reason we can do science is because there is a rational lawgiver.

-The laws of nature create no events, it explains the pattern God put into play. The laws of physics are descriptive, not creative.

-How could Christianity have exploded from Judaism of there was no resurrection from the dead.

-You can’t prove miracles are impossible, but you can say they are very improvable, otherwise they wouldn’t be miracles .

-In order for us to recognize the supernatural, you have to live in a world of regularity.

Christianity and the Tooth Fairy: A UCLA law professor questions an Oxford mathematician on the claims of Jesus from The Veritas Forum on Vimeo.

I have decided to start releasing a weekly video. It might be a simple thought, an update of what God is doing out here, an interview, etc. I encourage you to check back every each to see what I have to share. I just released my first one and I encourage you to check it out.

I just released my Spring 2011 Newsletter. I put a lot of work into it, so please check it out. View it by clicking HERE or the image below.

It felt really good to see that I’m making a tangible difference at UCLA. Of the four students who shared at our last service of the quarter, I had personally gotten two of them involved with Chi Alpha. I had met one of them during our weekly book table, and had met the other individual while she was working at UCLA’s gym. They both had really powerful testimonies, yet I am sure they’re not alone.

I pass by tons of students every day that probably come from similar circumstances and are just searching for a group like Chi Alpha and don’t even know it yet. I do my best to invite as many people as possible, and though many of the invites may seem in vain, if I can just get  one student plugged in and on fire for God, it’s worth it. However, I’m a visionary. I’m not satisfied with just one student; I’m not satisfied with just a few. Sure that’s a start, but there are way too many souls on this campus that are going to die and go to hell if I don’t do something about it. Since I’m a visionary, if I am going to be on this campus, I want to see the nations changed! Not just one or two students, but entire continents erupting with a fiery passion for God.

Earlier today I found myself reading about iphone development. I found myself asking what my calling was, and what I am truly passionate for. I like the idea of developing an iphone application and making a lot of money from it. However, I do not know how to program (only the basics of basics, though not even visual basics if you get the pun). The time it would require to develop such an application would be unbearable. I can’t imagine myself sitting in front of a computer for 60 hours a week typing code. If I was going to build an iphone application, I would just hire programmers to build it for me. That being said, I found myself asking what my calling is. What am I truly gifted at. Some people have the natural ability to type lines and lines of code. I’ve tried learning it in the past and have a basic overview and would like to learn more, but I wouldn’t call that my gifting. Some people are skilled carpenters who can build a house from scratch by themselves. Others are natural musicians that can play every instrument known to man. Though I am learning guitar, this too is not my natural gifting (though I think song writing is). Some people have the natural ability to fix any mechanical or electrical part. Though my father is gifted with that ability and has taught me to build a computer from scratch, I wouldn’t call that my gifting either. I had some problems trying to fix some iphones the other day for resale.

It was once said by an incredible man of God and missionary of the world that everyone had a God given anointing and a calling on their life. The talent your anointed with will make a place for you, but it is not until you match that anointing with your calling that you can be truly fulfill Gods plan for your life. A great example of this is main stream music artists that get their start singing in the local church such as Britney Spears and Katy Perry, but then miss align their anointing with their calling and end up misusing their abilities.

I am a very extraverted individual with the God given ability to sell stuff. Though criticized at times, I have been in sales my whole life. In Job interviews in an attempt to cross the threshold from salesman to analyst, I remember multiple interviewers explaining that I should apply for the sales position because I looked better qualified for it. That frustrated me because anyone could get a sales job. It was only the people with good GPA’s that got the analyst positions. I had a good GPA and didn’t want to be disqualified from that job because of my natural sales ability. I was trying to branch out and did not want my hard work in school to be in vain.

That being said, I started selling “legal insurance” while I was still in high school, building a team of 60 people under me within a few years. How does that translate to ministry? This unique skill landed me the opportunity to travel the nation the last three summers spreading the prolife message with a Christian apparel company (liveoffensively.com). I’ve found myself in Washington DC the last three Januarys at the March for Life, the largest prolife rally in the country selling our merchandise through a bullhorn, and passing out tons of fliers, stickers, etc. referencing our prolife campaign.

Though it may sound strange, I have the God given ability to approach random strangers and somehow get them to give me their phone number and email. However, I am more passionate about sitting down with people and sharing the love of Jesus Christ than I am about selling stuff. This translates to UCLA Chi Alpha by giving me the ability to pass out fliers on bruin walk and get students to stop and listen to what we have to say. It allows me to connect to random students and have them meet up with me for lunch or coffee. I will go head to head with any other campus organization for passing out stuff. I’ve passed out fliers at Missouri State University, and that’s a breeze compared to UCLA. The students here are trained to look down, ignore you, or act like their on the phone. It’s even difficult to give away free food.

In spite of this, I pass out more fliers than any other campus group out there. I say praise the LORD there are not more people like me out there. The last thing I want is someone with my gifting working to get people to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Islamic group, or other false religious groups on campus. Though Chi Alpha is a stepping stone for me, I don’t know what the future holds. I will continue to work full time with Chi Alpha until God moves me on. I committed at least another year after this. I don’t think my season here will be over until we see revival on this campus. I’m talking about Azusa street rebirthed, with miraculous signs and wonders, radical transformations, divine healings, and salvations. Another great awakening to this generation, but not just at UCLA, but across the world. When the next season of my life comes, I can see myself traveling and speaking to the masses, however, we will see when that season comes. Thanks for your prayers and support in the mean time, I need all the help I can get.

At the beginning of march, we hosted a combined effort between Chi Alpha and the International Student Friendship where we took all the students to the beach for a bonfire. The event was very successful, with a good mix of both American and international students.I was able to connect with a Chinese student who I had never met before. He is a visiting scholar here at UCLA and is a professor back in China who teaches Chinese history.

I met up with him that next week and had invited him to come out to our service. He ended up coming and brought a friend as well. I don’t believe either of them  had been to a Christian service before. It seemed like they enjoyed it, though I did not get a chance to talk with them afterward. This service was a little different, being the last service of the quarter. Instead of the campus pastor speaking, a few newer students involved in Chi Alpha shared their testimony with the group, and they were very powerful.

After the service, we all went out to eat as usual and hung out one last time officially before the quarter ended. We will most definitely be hanging out with students over spring break this next week, though there will be no official Chi Alpha activities until next quarter. The irony though, is that our unofficial hang out activities are sometimes as large as our actual activities. Historically, I would travel during periods like spring break, but this year I am going to stay home and relax. I will use the time to build deeper relationships with the students who stayed in town and probably take a few of them rock climbing. I’ll also work on getting some administration work done. Besides, everyone comes here for Spring Break anyways so I might as well enjoy California life.

The number one venue right now for connecting with new students and getting them involved in the fellowship is Ultimate Frisbee. It is a very popular sport on the college campus, and when our group plays, we mean business. You may say that that sounds like an easy job, but I assure you, sprinting for 2 1/2 hours and guarding the best player out there is no easy task. A member of UCLA’s Intramural Frisbee Team actually said that when we play, it’s longer than their practice is. We typically play three 45 high intensity minute quarters on Friday afternoons after a short warm-up quarter. Afterward, we usually go back to Pastor Winston’s house for food, fellowship, and games, or head to a restaurant around Los Angeles followed by a movie. Hosting events like this is a great way to get students involved in our ministry who are not Christians. If these students are hanging out with us, they are not out partying, engaging in debauchery and sexual immorality. We are called to be in the world, and not of it. That means that we have to actually be interacting and engaging non Christians and not living in a bubble somewhere. Living in a Christian bubble is like placing the light God has given us under a basket.

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14 – 16

The most memorial ultimate frisbee game took place a few weeks ago. The students wanted to play Ultimate Frisbee on a Friday, though were concerned if we were going to be able to play due to the bad weather forecast. Despite the fact that it had been raining off and on all day, and that you could see your breath, tons of people still showed up at the Intramural Field at UCLA expecting to play frisbee only to find that the IM field had closed due to the rain. Despite the bad weather and getting kicked off the field, more students kept showing up and were so adamant about playing that we made the decision to head off campus and play in a local park. We figured we would only play a quarter or two due to the lack of daylight, but it turned out that the park had stadium style lighting. We ended up playing all three quarters in the midst of the mud and the heavy rain, and the students had more fun this time playing ultimate Frisbee than they had ever had before. Afterward, everyone got cleaned up and headed back to Winston’s for a home cooked meal, fellowship, and games. It was past two by the time I got home. We have played ultimate Frisbee since then, and will continue to play as long as the students are passionate about it.

As mentioned a little below, Israel’s supporters ran a counter campaign in UCLA’s paper The Daily Bruin revealing the support of Israel in the UCLA community and revealed the truth behind the Israel – Palistinian relationship. Israel’s support by the UCLA community was examplified throughout the week by a page long petition stating “I support the U.S. – Israel Relationship” followed by “Over 120 student leaders at the University of California, Los Angeles have signed this statement in support of the U.S.-Israel Relationship, including Undergraduate Students Associate Council (USAC) Officers, USAC Directors, Student Organization Presidents, Athletics Organization Leaders, and Greek Organization Presidents” with a sample of the names listed below. This ad was ran throughout the week, ending Friday, February 25th with instead an a page long ad touching on the truth behind the wall. For more information, feel free to click on the thumbnails below to view them in PDF.

Thursday on campus marked to last day of the Palestinian awareness week event in which supporters of Palestine put a wall in the middle of Bruin Plaza at UCLA with very anti Israeli information on it. The wall did not expose the terror groups which operate daily on the Palestinian side, but rather featured Israel as the evil oppressor of the Palestinians. In light of this, the majority of UCLA actually supports Israel and a whole page was ran multiple days this last week in UCLA’s paper, the Daily Bruin stating “I Support the US – Israel Relationship” with representatives from different UCLA groups listen bellow. Outside the wall, Bruins for Israel, Christian’s United for Israel, and Hillel supporters held signs proclaiming the truth of the Israeli Palestinian relationship. There was even an Israeli UCLA 2nd year student who had served in the Israel Defense force out there helping promote the truth. This individual was hit by a missile from Hamas while serving with the IDF and was considered critically injured at the time, suffering brain damage and the loose of an eye. It was amazing that this individual survived. I suspect the individuals behind the event were hoping for a violent outbreak on the Israeli side and to be picked up by a large news network and to show Palestinian sympathy. Being a Messianic Jew myself, the topic of Israel is a very sensitive. Terror groups are constantly in operation in the Palestinian camps and are daily bombarding missiles into Israel. Israel has taken many steps toward piece in the past yet these terror groups continue to flourish. As Christians, we know that regardless of where we stand on the debate, we are  called to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalms 122:6).