a2f newsletter.

hope all of you had a good thanksgiving. and now that thanksgiving is officially over, merry christmas.

a2f had a packed holiday season.

some of us went to chicago to hang out with our friends at our training center. good times spent with friends and mentors we have nearly a decade of relational history with a lot of food. ice-skating. and some doing a 5k turkey trot.

the international team hosted students who were still around to an incredible, “traditional” (😏) hot-pot thanksgiving dinner.

and we capped off the holidays by going to watch wicked 2. reviews and responses to the movie were quite split. there were those who loved it (tabby, brian lin) and those who probably would’ve given it a 10% on rotten tomato (sophie). ask them this friday if you want their in-depth take.

on that note, reminder that we have a special a2f friday this week. corec. 6:30p. starting with dinner and then our special talk (how can a good god allow suffering) told from the unique perspective of one our mentors who was considering becoming a buddhist monk early on in his life (brandon). afterwards, we’ll end the night with some roller-skating at great indoor skates, lafayette.

cheers.

dj.

we recently went through one of the most famous jesus parables, the parable of the prodigal son in our devotions.

i was struck by how my own story converged with the prodigal’s but also again brought to gratitude for how jesus saved my life.

one of the phrases that describe this prodigal that i resonated with is “he squandered his property in reckless living.”

when i think back on my high school and college days before i came to know jesus, i think that would’ve captured my life. squandered. i was pursuing things peer pressure, our culture and the ads and messaging of social media told me to pursue at the time. popularity. romance. success. money. comfort. there was a roadmap for life that was set before me and that would’ve looked like enjoying the very best of college life while studying hard. getting that dream internship. first job out of college. working my way up the career ladder and maximizing my earning potential and all to accomplish what? to be able to retire early and be comfortable.

the world invited me to give the very best of my youth, my ambitions, my passions and the best years of my life to this pursuit. it may not be reckless living but, looking back now, it definitely would’ve been an empty life. a life where i would squander the very best years to pursue a better paycheck and a nicer home.

but god intervened. the father who went on an all-out rescue mission for his prodigal son and before i could squander more and more years of my life into reckless and empty living, he found me and saved me through a church and a group of people who shared the gospel with me. and instead, i’ve gotten to live the richest, most vibrant and most meaningful life following jesus, trying to share the gospel with college students, and getting to make an eternal impact in people’s lives. in other words, i got to invest some of the best years of my life into people and, in turn, i’ve gotten to reap the incredible fruits of impact, changed lives, and relationships that have lasted years.

thankful that god found me and saved me when i was 19. if anything, i only wished it happened earlier when i was in high school or even as a child which is why i also felt so thankful that my kids get to grow up in a home that knows and honors god.

thankful for the loving father who always welcomes us with open arms and wants to invite us back home to live not a limited life but the most meaningful and joyful life.

until next time.

dj.