if i were to get married...

...my mom would want the pastor we have at our church here in Jersey now to preside over my ceremony. LOL

But in all seriousness, (though I think she is a bit serious about it @_@), I've really enjoyed going to Sunday services with my family at our new church. The head Korean pastor is one of my dad's high school colleagues, and he's pretty much the smiley-est pastor I've ever met in my life. He always greets the congregation with, "사랑합니다!", which means "I love you!" And then the congregation is supposed to repeat that back to him - and as awkward as it is for me to experience this exchange every Sunday, I think it suits him, haha. His sermons are very Word-based, and even though we've had some sermons on passages I've definitely heard in other sermons throughout my life (Ephesians 5:15-16, anyone?), I feel like I've been able to gain something new each time. He reads into things and analyzes them in ways I wouldn't have thought to consider before. So, even though things have usually been tough spiritually at home, I've been able to gain more insight and strength through his sermons.

Today's sermon (the first sermon of the new year) was on Psalm 1 - he broke down the first three verses carefully in order to show us how to live as a blessed person - I'd share, but it'll take forever, so just ask me in person if you would like the full analysis LOL, BUT the one thing that stuck out to my family and me was his point about verse 3: it says that "[a blessed man] is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."

This isn't just another random nature-y metaphor that's like, ah, being led to green pastures and still waters. This is legitimately how our life with God is: we follow His ebb and flow - He is the water, we are the tree. As long as we are rooted next to Him, we will live, prospering and bearing fruit when the time is right. And moreover, He is a river, meaning we have like the ultimate source to fresh water as a tree - it's not like we're struggling to get what we can out of the ground, waiting for unpredictable rain.

It's been a pretty rough time for me at home this winter break, but just little reminders like this have helped me to realize time and time again that He's in control and we work on His time, not ours...no matter how much we try to control and make things stable on our own.

I'm really glad my family has found a good church here :)

And the reason (besides all the above) for my mom wanting him to do my wedding ceremony?

Apparently he's like super awesome to his wife, so she's hoping my future husband and I will get the same kind of marital blessings. LOL. AH. MOM, I'M ONLY TWENTY YEARS OLD!