This might be nearly a month late, but wow, it’s 2009! Last January I posted my first year in review, and it’s nice to have something to go back and look at after a year’s time. This time around, I’m going to arrange my thoughts chronologically instead of by facets of life. Here are the highlights of 2008.

January 2008

January’s theme was new beginnings.

I started the year with a new Bible (ESV single-column reference); I had always wanted a single-column Bible, just for the look of paragraph prose spanning entire pages like a novel rather than newsprint! (However, later in the year I purchased the new ESV Study Bible, which I immediately began using regularly).

January was also the first time I saw Phil Wickham live or even heard his stuff. Since then, I’ve seen him in concert again, purchased his music, and even lead his songs regularly at church. The music ministry at church also started up a biweekly jam session, through which we train prospective musicians in the art of playing in a band. It has been really productive over the course of its first year; some of our meetings have up to 16 people in attendance, and it’s always a lot of fun!

And I started moisturizing regularly. The girls would be proud.

February 2008

February was marked by abundant and unexpected blessings.

I got a raise at work! That was significant and even brought more joy to my work.

I was also given a clean bill of health at a screening for my health insurance. All tests came out normal or excellent, or in the case of body fat percentage, off the charts (the nurse thought the machine was broken before she realized that it just couldn’t register that low of a range).

Buddy and I attended the Worship Central conference at Rock Harbor, featuring Tim Hughes. It was so profitable and eye-opening that we resolved to bring the rest of the music team along to the next conference, and we did (see September).

March 2008

The theme of March was significant change.

Jonas spearheaded major AV upgrades at church. The new system has a subwoofer, separate stage monitor mixes, and more acoustic control over the drum set. The subwoofer makes it THAT much more fun to play; being able to feel the music is great!

The goal of a musically excellent song set for Resurrection Sunday service led our worship band to conduct six nights of music team practices  (over the course of two months) to perfect an upbeat, uplifting, and passionate musical worship for that morning. Such an effort and commitment to practice had never been realized before among the English worship band. And the response to that worship service was overwhelming, which set a new standard for us as musicians. May we skillfully set a stage of excellent and undistracting instrumentation for the praise and glory of Jesus Christ from the lips and hearts of His children!

But the biggest change in my life (and most emotionally and spiritually trying period of 2008) was the mutual decision in March to cut off one of my deepest friendships for the sake of emotional purity. With Steph removed from my life, the following four months were a great personal trial, and it was a time of significant growth in terms of faith and contentment in God and His sovereign will.

April 2008

But God provided April as a time of retreat and renewal.

My solo trip to London was a sovereignly-timed cathartic experience to renew my trust in the Lord and to take my mind off of my immediate emotional distress. To celebrate my oldest cousin Francis’ 40th birthday (as the extended family’s representative from the States) and to spend time and share my faith with my beloved cousin Camille and her boyfriend Alex were indeed two very rewarding and memorable parts of my time in England.

May 2008

In May, fun and excitement prevailed.

Doreen and Roland got engaged. We had a 2005-6 small group reunion at UCLA. Then, in one of the craziest trips of the year, Grace, Lynnette, and I went on a whirlwind two-overnighter Megabus adventure to Berkeley for Crystal’s graduation, leaving after church Friday night and arriving home in time for church Sunday morning.

June 2008

June was just plain busy.

The hallmark example of June’s craziness would be the 21st, when I attended (and photographed) two weddings back-to-back. It was intensely fun and exhilarating, but exhausting.

Family Camp concluded the month, at which I again led worship at all six sessions. Preparation for that, as usual, was quite time-consuming, although the timing only allowed the band a couple practices beforehand. I praise God for the proficiency of the team, with the addition of Stephanie Chan as flautist, Crystal on the keyboard, and my mom providing Chinese translation. It was a blessing to serve with the team we had, and an answer to prayer!

July 2008

I’ll never forget July as being the most significant part of my year because of missions.

Malaysia was definitely the highlight of 2008. There’s so much to say about the trip that one paragraph could not do justice to our experience. But simply put: For Jeff, Grace, Crystal, Lynnette, and myself, it was a privilege to be a part of local ministry in Penang for a short time, meeting the students there and seeing their Christlike, selfless love for one another in their community. It was also a joy to serve them and serve alongside them, and to mutually encourage one another in faith. God is certainly doing wonderful work there, and I cannot wait to return this year, Lord willing.

August 2008

Looking back, August looks like it was just a month of random social activity, but perhaps the underlying theme is rekindling friendships.

I went up north for Roger’s wedding (and caught up with many UCLA friends), had a dinner potluck with my closest college friends (the Row), had various one-on-one lunches, dinners, and late night yogurt hangouts to catch up with other old friends, some of whom had just returned to Orange County after graduation for work, like Melissa. And after our time apart, Steph and I began to reconnect once more, only with greater caution and wariness.

Other exciting things in August: the Olympics, buying my first acoustic guitar, and assisting my friend Tim Park at another wedding. (I haven’t mentioned above, but throughout 2008 I had many opportunities to shoot with Tim at a variety of events. They’re always fun, and it’s a joy to shoot together or assist him!)

September 2008

Although I’m out of school, September is still always the beginning of a new church year.

In September, ROCK welcomed its largest incoming freshman class in recent memory. Attendance at our college fellowship this school year has averaged in maybe the upper 20’s, in stark contrast to just three years ago when it was just six or eight people! I love the students and enjoy spending time with them, teaching, and sharing in fellowship.

The music team also attended a worship conference/training seminar, which renewed the enthusiasm and passion of our musicians. We kicked off the new church year desiring a stronger gospel focus in our worship, and a passion for excellence in our ministry. Together we long for the worship of Jesus Christ by His people.

October 2008

The highlight of October was my blast-from-the-past weekend in LA. I had the opportunity to shoot a wedding for an old UCLA/GOC friend, which was great! But that also allowed me to spend the night back in Westwood, where I was blessed with the chance to not only meet up with our ROCK Bruins, but also to catch up with Peter (who was also visiting from the East Coast) and spend more personal time with Daniel, Jessica, and Steph. Visiting Grace on Campus, Grace Community Church, and Crossroads added to the nostalgia of my college life in Westwood.

November 2008

November was all about family.

Doreen and Roland got married, and that was quite an event! But the biggest blessing from the wedding (aside from getting a new brother-in-law) was the time spent with the extended family, particularly the cousins on my mom’s side. Before the wedding, on the wedding day (serving alongside them), and the week after (family trip to Big Bear), I was able to sit down with nearly each of my little cousins and connect with them on a level I never have before. Instead of goofing around and entertaining ourselves with games, I instead was able to catch almost all of them one-on-one and talk about church, faith, and their spiritual lives. It brings me so much joy, now that we’re all older, to be able to share openly and maturely about such things, especially to be an encouragement to my high school and college age cousins! As for my older cousins… bringing Francis (see April 2008) to Disneyland is something we both will never forget.

December 2008

December was seriously bipolar. The first theme would easily be PAR-TAY!

Five nights in a row of Christmas parties and potlucks, two weekends in a row of Christmas concerts, going to the Grace Church program twice in one year, and purchasing Sprinkles cupcakes three times in two weeks for said events… craziness!

Another highlight to end the year was ROCK Winter Camp, which had the largest attendance in recent memory. The theme was “wisdom living,” and having my friends Ben and Leah there as our speaker was definitely my joy. I was glad for our students to meet my college friends, and for my dear friends to partake in the ministry I’m a part of. The intersection of these two worlds of mine was nothing short of a blessing.

But the second overarching theme of December was a more somber trial: wrestling with seeking and submitting to God’s will.

The last half of December was a time of spiritual and emotional struggle as Steph and I again reached the same crossroads we had reached many times before regarding our relationship. We individually spent the winter break in deep prayer and petition, seeking spiritual counsel from parents, mentors, and Scripture. But this time around, instead of being filled with fear, selfish desire, and uncertainty, as in March, this was actually a time of great peace, comfort, and contentment as we committed our relationship together into God’s hands.

Conclusion

The year 2008 was a time of great highs and deep lows, but of phenomenal spiritual blessing and amazing spiritual growth. It was surely an unforgettable year, with major overseas trips and my sister’s wedding. And just like last year, I’ve seen God bless both the college (fellowship and Sunday School) and worship ministries at church. Looking back, this year is certainly a testament to His faithfulness. To Him be all glory and honor and praise!

Epilogue:

Your reward for making it to the end of this 1900-word post is my forthrightness regarding the open-ended relational issues I mentioned under March, August, and December. But it’s actually 2009 news, since we made our decision in January: Steph and I are now officially in a courtship; that is, we are together prayerfully and intentionally considering future marriage and seeking the Lord’s will in that regard. In the meantime, we view this courtship period as a time of preparation for such a level of commitment and intimacy, as we are grown to fulfill our God-ordained roles of Biblical headship and submission, should God ultimately bring us together in marriage. For simplicity, you may say that we’re dating.

And thus the year begins anew. I’d call that an exciting start to the new year! I can’t imagine what God has in store for 2009!