I've started to write at another blogging platform: http://mrkevanlin.wordpress.com Come join me over there if you're a Google Reader fan or a wordpress fanatic. I'll write another post on why I like it better than Xanga. In the meanwhile, he's the latest post from my other blog.

On December 14, 2008, I will have graduated from college. Scary thought. Exciting times. When my health insurance decides to drop me on that day, I will be joining with the thousands if not millions of people in America that don’t have health insurance. In a way, I’m not worried, as my ultimate insurance plan comes from God. When Paul made his three missions trips to various places back in the day, you think he had health insurance? Don’t think so. I’ll be fine.

so what will I be doing with my life? That seems to be the only question that I’ve been getting these days. The pattern goes as such; ‘congratulations on your graduation, its been awhile hasn’t it? I’m so proud of you and your accomplishment, what will you be doing?’

I want to make it fun and tell different people different things. Or maybe today I’ll say “I’m going to be a firefighter” and tomorrow I’ll say “I’m planning on climbing Mt. Everest.” I’m sure those responses are going to be hilarious.

But instead of being coy and deflective, I have given it some serious thought, and more importantly some serious prayer. Everybody wants to know what their purpose in life is, which is connected to the Will of God for my life, which in turn is actually my plan for life too. More importantly, knowing God’s will for my life is actually one and the same with knowing who God is to begin with (Romans 12). So where do I begin? Pray. Read the Bible. All great places to start. But where do you go from there?

A constant thought I’ve always had was this: How can my passions and gifts be aligned with God’s will for my life so that a. I can glorify my Father and b. so that I might be content in doing so. Well now that time has passed ever since I’ve asked this question (well over 3 years now) I feel like God has finally started to reveal Himself to me (or maybe He has been and I just missed all the communique (it’s possible!)).

Recently, I’ve been asked to join a team that will be traveling to Kenya to run a soccer camp for the youth and an orphanage, and to try to purchase a soccer ball for every orphan and youth there. Along with doing this we will be seeing if we can set up something long term with this village/town. There are so many things associated with fundraising for this trip, but more than that I’ve been gifted in being able to see that this simple trip has incredible potential for so much more. Local soccer tournaments that will help fundraise for this trip/cause, a video documentary of the whole trip, photography, and even local schools or businesses that will want to participate in this. It’s about doing something good in this world, and banding people together to do it. But more importantly, it’s about doing it through the outpouring of God’s love. Even though this might be a “secularized” thing, God is in the midst of it. He’ll make the opportunities known to us and it’ll be our job to respond.

I’ll leave you with that today, and I’ll be writing about the process as it unfolds. Thanks for reading, be blessed today.

a friend of mine Ryan has written a pretty accurate assessment to the character of John McCain. It's a good read.

so i feel a bit bi-polar now. A few days ago I was saying that I was missing something, and now I'm getting back on the road to contentment again. It almost feels a bit hypocritical of me, but when its genuine and honest, it shouldn't matter right? I've been reminded by myself (literally) about the priorities in life. Back in like March, April or May (i don't remember when this took place), I was part of this film for Campus America. In it I hold up a polaroid and say "I am Kevan Lin and I pray Brokenness." You can see it here. It's pretty awesome.

but yeah, it was this video that reminded me that during my own brokenness that I ought to pray. Amidst his own struggle here on the earth, Jesus prayed during the times of weakness, and during times of hard struggle. (i.e. garden of Getsamane(sp?).) Before I serve anybody else, I need to reconcile myself before God and really pray out what I'm dealing with. I had to admit that there was so much confusion happening internally, emotions left and right, serious reconciliation issues that needed to be put onto the table. It was through an exhaustive 4-5 month process that has finally led me to come this point in my life. I ask the question to myself: "What are you living for?" "Who are you living for?" It is money, fame, success or women? Because they will all come and go, money will make me greedy, fame is fleeting, success can be measured in so many ways, and women will never fully understand who I am as a person like God can.

I've always been rebellious and never fit into the status quo. My teenage years were tumultuous to say the least, but they were essential for the formation of who I am today. In the same way, these years of college life are just as pertinent in my growth into the man I will become in the near future. the Lord disciplines the ones He loves, and if this axiom holds fast, then the Lord loves me a WHOLE lot. It has taken me a long time, and will still take me a very long time, to understand that my life is not my own, that I have been bought at a price. But it is through that sacrifice that I am a free man. By exercising my freedom, it is to be proactive in the things of the kingdom of God.

I'm not vowing to stop drinking, the rare swear words that come awkwardly out of my mouth, nor to halt the desire to be well learned on my television shows. But it's about my mentality, to take it seriously, the call of the cross. I'm slowly understanding that it's not about me. It never was. It was my own mind and this world that fixates so much on me. What am I doing wrong? How can I better myself? How can I make myself into a person that will be likeable/attractive? It's these questions that take up too much of limelight, when the real questions should be: How can I help the person next to me, what am I doing to make this world a better place, how can I show love in practical ways?

I'll leave these questions unanswered... until next time.
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reminder: check out http://twelvehours.wordpress.com to see my photography blog. We are posting a regular basis now, so it's pretty neat to watch and see the photos that Jeannie and I are taking.