Tribute to Grandma

It was a long and hot summer day. I was seven years old hanging out with my sister and cousins causing mayhem and chaos, as usual. Since it was during the summer my Grandma would take care of us while everyone else went to work. She was the only adult around. She would usually read her Thai newspaper or watch old Kung Fu movies that had been translated into Thai.

One day, there was a giant Tarantula crawling on the wall upstairs. It was my sister, my cousin Theresa and myself who noticed it as we walked out of the bedroom. We immediately ran back into the room screaming and franticly grabbing the sheets to cover the opening underneath the door. We looked for another way of escape. The bedroom was on the second floor so the climb was too much for seven-year-olds. We decided to wait it out, hoping the Tarantula would grow tired of waiting for it’s prey and leave. A couple of hours passed and we decided to take a peak out of the door. Sure enough, the Tarantula was still there but only closer to the doorway. We repeated the screaming as we ran back into the room and franticly grabbed the sheets to cover the opening underneath the door once again.

Finally, through all the hysterical screaming, my grandma came up the stairs to see what the commotion was all about. We opened the door and noticed that Grandma had obliviously walked right by the Tarantula (to this day I don’t understand how she was completely unaware of a Tarantula that looked like it came out of “Clash of the Titans.”). When we pointed it out to her, she quickly grabbed a magazine, rolled it up and held it over her head like a samurai warrior and chopped it down with one strike like she was Uma Thurman in Kill Bill.

That’s really Grandma in a nutshell. It would take some commotion to get her attention and at times she was oblivious to her surroundings but she was always there for us when we were kids. She wasn’t the amazing cook my mom was (actually she was pretty lousy) but she made sure we had food on the plate.

The truly amazing part of my grandma’s story was that she grown up being a Buddhist. Thai people have it indoctrinated in their minds that to be a Thai person you need to also be Buddhist. However, once my mom became a Christian my grandma was one of her first converts. This was a miracle because old people, as you know, don’t really change all that much. Converting from Buddhism to Christianity is quite the change. My mother and grandmother would attend church together and even were baptized just a year apart. Sadly, my grandma had a stroke that would render her in a vegetative state just a few years after her conversion. Although she progressed back to a state of partial awareness, she was never able to speak again. Seeing her unable to talk floored me. The family thought it best to move her back to Thailand.

My mom and I made a trip to Bangkok in the summer of 2005 to visit her. My mom was still extremely affectionate towards her and at night, she would lie by her side in bed and gently stroke her hair while telling her stories of how much Jesus loves her. I’m not exactly sure if my grandma understood any of it or if it impacted her at all. However, watching my mom’s example of unconditional love towards my grandma certainly impacted me.

Grandma’s last few months were extremely painful as her health began to deteriorate rapidly. Finally, the Lord released her from her pain and she is home with Jesus now. Death always brings sobering thoughts to mind and causes me to take personal inventory on my own life. I’ll never forget the care my grandma provided when my mom had to work as a single mother. What I take away from my grandma’s life is her example of contentment and servant-hood.

So I rejoice that my grandma is finally home with the Lord. She no longer is experiencing pain but is experiencing joy unspeakable. She is no longer in a deteriorating body but in a glorified body that cannot waste away. My grandma is a reminder of the godly legacy my mom left behind and the godly legacy I need to follow.

…till next time Grandma, when we will talk again.

Training Camp - "One Away"

This past week I've been sick and dealing with a pulled right hamstring. I haven't been able to workout because of work, sickness, and house hunting. This morning I woke up and realized that training camp begins for the Lakers. I said to myself, "Screw it! I'm hitting the gym." After meeting my buddy Carlos at the gym, we starting rehabbing my hamstring. It felt great to be back in the gym and working out. Although I'm not 100% and still unable to play basketball, it still felt good to be somewhat active.

But do you know what else feels good? That's right, basketball season is around the corner and The Lake Show will be going for the 3-peat. I've already talked about the games I'll be attending and I even planned out Christmas Day. With the Miami Heat getting all the hype this season, I'm giddy to see how this year plays out. No, I'm not concerned with Andrew Bynum missing the beginning of the season. If you remember, P. Gasol missed the beginning of last season and Kobe brought his summer workouts with Hakeem with him and turned into a 6'6 Olajuwon. It was a joy to watch him punish every shooting guard in the post. I'm looking for more of the same this year. As long as Bynum is healthy (enough) during the playoffs we'll be fine.

Interestingly, the wife suggested the "Dream Season" being that the Lakers beat Boston again in the Finals. Imagine that Kobe and the Lakers beat the C's again with Shaq on the team in a year that Miami received all the hype and didn't even make the Finals? Wow! I'll need life insurance because if this were to happen (possible) I would explode. At the height of the Lakers/Celtics rivalry in the 80s, they played three times in the Finals (Lakers winning two out of the three). I say it's only fitting that they play three times in this era as well (the Lakers also winning two out of the three). Furthermore, the Laker franchise is only one championship away from tying the hated Celtics at 17. Also, Kobe is only one championship away from tying Michael Jordan (and no, I'm not one of those Laker fans who thinks Kobe is better than MJ. In certain aspects of the game, yes but not overall. Still, it would be fun watching him tie the great one and let the talking heads speak on that achievement for days on end.). So then, I'm officially naming the 2010-2011 NBA season "One Away." That should be our war cry this year. Did I mention that I'm giddy?

For kicks here's a nice youtube clip that emphasizes my point:

A "Prodigal Uncle" Part II of II

Click here for Part I

It was a small Christian church in Bangkok. I attended the service with my mom and a couple of friends from Biola. After the service was over I got up and looked towards the back and noticed my uncle sitting at the last row slowly getting up. And when I saw him, all 5’7, 110 pounds of him, I gave him a hug and I felt his frail boney body. Its as if I could’ve squeezed the last breath from his body like though I was folding a piece of tarp. The moment overtook me in an instant and I began weeping immediately. My friends gave me a moment to myself as I tried to collect my composure. My uncle said that he was still alive “because of Jesus.” For a man with such an abhorrent background to say that was an absolute miracle. I stood in awe at the manifestation of God’s grace in the life of my uncle.

I talked to him a few weeks ago on the phone and the pain of the cancer was getting unbearable. He knew that his time was near. He felt guilty about everything that he had done in his lifetime, especially towards our family. He kept saying that he was sorry, and he was in so much pain both physically and within his own soul. My mom and I would try and explain the concept of grace to him- that his debt was paid for by Jesus.

I believe that the Lord extended his life a year or so for him to understand that concept. Why else would he have been healed? I called him the “prodigal” uncle because he wasted his entire life pursuing the things of this world. Only at the end did he really see that it was all meaningless, insignificant and empty. But by God’s grace he was able to live for another year in a relationship with God. He didn’t fully understand the basic theological concept of grace (I’m not sure I do sometimes either) before he died. But he understands it more now than I ever will in this lifetime.

In the end, my uncle Paul wasted the majority of his life. However, because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, his soul was not wasted. The final year of his life he spent going to church every week and worshipping the God who redeemed his life. He was humble, meek, and fully aware of the borrowed time on his hands. Now, for all eternality he stands in the presence of the Almighty in a glorified body worshipping with the strength of a legion of men. I can’t believe he gets to do this before I do!! What a jerk!! Truly, where sin abounds – grace abounds much more.

A "Prodigal Uncle" Part I of II

I wrote this back in Dec 2005. I wanted to repost it because of the recent lost of my Grandma and Aunt (of which I will be writing about at a later time). It's a beautiful story of God's grace on a man's life and another wonderful story about my mom who burned with a passion that people may come to know the Lord.

The word “prodigal” is often associated with the parable of the prodigal son and it is often used to refer to someone who is presently lost in the world or of a runaway child (Luke 15:11-32). This of course is not what the word actually means. It literally means “wasteful,” usually in a monetary sense. So the prodigal son was wasteful of his parents’ money but returned home to a warm welcome, to say the least. The parable is about grace (although the word “grace” is not found in the passage, the concept of it is clear) and how God views us as His children.

Recently, my uncle Paul passed away because of cancer. He was fighting it for a couple of years and finally lost the battle. But that’s not the tragic part. The tragic part was that he was a “prodigal uncle”. Not so much in a monetary sense, although it certainly includes it. Throughout his entire life he was a raging alcoholic, irresponsible, and absolutely abusive, verbally and physically, towards family members.

He would stay with different family members until they just couldn’t stand him anymore and then send him off to other family members. As a kid I remember that he would pick on me. I tried to ameliorate the situation by keeping in mind that he is my uncle and that I should respect him. But his astringent remarks and treatment of me and other family members made it difficult. I guess what I’m saying is that he was not a nice guy. You know what . . . he was just a down right A-hole!

As the years passed, his lifestyle finally caught up to him as it eventually does with everyone who lives in such a way. About two years ago he was diagnosed with cancer and his body started to deteriorate. The doctors only gave him a few days to live at most.

After receiving the news, my mother went to Thailand to see him and shared the gospel with him. She was kind in her words and fervent in her prayers. Uncle Paul was deeply touched that someone would still care about him at this stage of his life. He received Christ and started miraculously regaining his health. Slowly he began to gain his weight back. For the first time in his life he realized that he was a terrible person and that he had racked up a great deal of sins against his account. On my last trip to Thailand, I was able to see him (2005).

Click here for Part II

Old Friend, New Era

Earlier this month my old friend Dom, who I’ve been friends with since 7th grade, moved up to Monterey California with his wife, Jessica, to take a youth pastor position at Cypress Church. This news by itself is exciting because the church is in need of a good youth pastor and I believe Dom is the guy. But that’s not even the most exciting news, at least to me.

The wife and I were there when Dom and Jess were introduced to the church and to the youth group. Dom gave a snapshot of his testimony and mentioned the tragic death of his older brother Bryce when we were still in middle school. That was the event that drove Dom and Laura, Dom’s mother, to church. One by one his friends followed him to church, including the infamous Bryan Benavidez and myself.



Attending church wasn’t immediately life changing but it did start our exposure to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Ironically, Bryan and I would stay consistent with attending church in our early high school years but Dom would eventually fall off the map and began engaging in the world with new fervor. Sadly, as Bryan and I began to mature as Christians, we stood by helplessly watching our friend indulge himself in worldly pleasures and decadence and fall further into the abyss of darkness.

During this time, Dom was being recruited by colleges for a basketball scholarship. Also during this time, Laura, Dom’s mother, came down with breast cancer. As Laura grew sicker, Dom’s world and perspective immediately changed. It shook him to the core of his being. Through treatment and God’s mercy, Laura recovered and is doing well today. That event steered Dom back to the Lord.

One day, Bryan and I were talking about how cool it would be if we were able to go to a place like The Master’s College. Then we received a phone call from Dom asking us, "Hey, have you guys ever heard of The Master's College?" We told him all about it. When his junior college career ended, he attended The Master’s College on a full basketball scholarship. This is where he was grounded in the Word and met his wife Jessica (through a crank-call, no less). After finishing his bachelor’s in Biblical Studies he went on to teach at Santa Clarita Christian School for the next seven years.




This is exciting for Cypress Church to gain a solid youth pastor with a heart for young Christians. But it’s exciting to me that Dom is entering a new era in his life. He can take all of his experiences while he was in youth group, the Bible training he received at The Master’s College, the experience from teaching at a Christian school for several years- and most importantly, all the wisdom I’ve been able to impart to him throughout the years- and use it to help shape, mold, and mature in Christ the students that he will be working with. Throughout Dom's darkest times in life, God was preparing him for this moment. Furthermore, it reminds me that God uses “earthen vessels” for His glory. No matter how the youth ministry flourishes at Cypress Church, God will ultimately get the credit for it is He who sovereignly worked out all things “according to the counsel of His will” in Dom’s life to put him where he is today.

The Summer of Beast-Mode

As the summer comes to an end, I like to reflect on things I’ve learned and done. This summer I took the opportunity to teach summer school. For the month of August, I worked out with my buddy Carlos. He’s wanted to work out together for some time. The guy is buffed out and I told him that I wasn’t interested in getting totally yoked out. Remember, I’m a basketball player who needs to be lean and agile. Carlos replied, “You’ll be alright.” I figured that it’s only for a month and I could use him to push me during the workouts (this is one of those “be careful for what you ask for” moments).

Normally, my routine is working out between four to five days a week. However, for the month of August I had three total days where I didn’t run, lift weights, or play basketball or some combination of two out of the three in a day. It was going 9.0 on the Beast-Mode scale for the entire month.

Carlos was helpful in telling me what body part to isolate each day and gave me effective lifting techniques for each workout. He also pushed me further than I thought I could’ve gone. The wife even noticed my additional muscular tone and my perpetual state of soreness.

There are two things that I’ve taken from this experience with Carlos. First, I thought I was a beast in the weight room. I was wrong. Carlos is a beast in the weight room. He also pushed me to do things that I wouldn’t have done on my own. When I was ready to call it a workout we went an additional 45 minutes. As a result, I realize that my body was capable of going farther than I thought I could go.

Second, if you’ve read my weight room blog you’ll realize my no non-sense attitude while working out. Sometimes I can get lost in my music and have that, “I’m too busy doing work to talk to anyone” attitude. Since I was working out with Carlos, I didn’t have headphones and neither did he. Throughout our workouts he would frequently say “hello” to several people that he knew in the gym. He met them just by going to the gym often and simply being friendly. I thought to myself, “Here’s a guy who works out twice as hard as I do but yet has time to love people.” It was convicting and challenging.

Furthermore, Carlos isn’t a basketball player but was willing to shoot some hoops with me after some workouts. He even playfully challenged me to a game of one-on-one. We played a game to 21 and the final score was 21-1. He boasts in the fact that he scored on me. I told him that even a blind squirrel could find a nut from time to time. What stood out to me is that he didn’t have an ego to maintain. He was kind to people at the gym while putting in some serious work, he asked questions about things I was more knowledgeable in, and he was constantly encouraging me to push myself to get better.

I really feel that the Lord put him in my life to show me that we could still make an impact on the people around us even at the gym. I’ve always thought that gym-time was “me-time” and that I didn’t really need to be kind and caring to anyone while I was working out because, . . . well . . . I was working out. Christianity doesn’t take time off and I’m happy that I have brothers around me to remind me of that fact.