Romans 5:1-11 (NIV)

¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰ For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹ Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Reflection:

During the era of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther wrestled with the understanding of his standing before God, and as the truth of justification by faith dawned upon him he wrote the following poem:

I know that though in doing good I spend my life, I never could atone for all I’ve done;
But though my sins are black as night, I dare to come before Thy sight because I trust Thy Son.

In Him alone my trust I place, come boldly to Thy throne of grace, and there commune with Thee.
Salvation sure, O Lord, is mine, and, all Unworthy, I am Thine, for Jesus died for me.

We are now reconciled with God and have peace because of Jesus Christ, and our faith in Him brings us into this incredible grace- God’s love now poured into our hearts through His Spirit.  We now stand justified before God because of His love that was demonstrated and completely secured to us through Jesus Christ.

Responding to the Transmission:

Our faith begins and ends in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  So now, we stand reconciled to God through Christ.  Let’s spend time in prayer today boasting in Christ and praising His name; and may our boasting in Christ flow through all of our lives.

After a long and hard work out, all one wants is some delicious and healthy food. With this thought in mind, I headed to the H-Mart on Rolling Road and Rt. 40 to satisfy this taste. When trying international food, I make it a rule to try the food with someone who is accustomed to the cuisine for at least the first outing. After that, I would call myself a connoisseur (not really, sarcasm), and order like a pro right?!

In high school, my Korean friend’s mom would always make me delicious Korean BBQ and other delicious cuisine, so I have grown to love Korean food. Even the dreaded Kimchi was one of my favorite side dishes when I first tried Korean food. From bulgogi, Korean BBQ, galbidolsot, jjajangmyun and jigae, I LOVE KOREAN FOOD.

I had decided to go to Hanoori Town, next to H-Mart, but somehow I ended up in H-Mart at their little Korean restaurant in the corner.

I decided to order some galbidolsot and my friend, Patrice, ordered a variety of Sushi. I am not a big fan of sushi, but I had to try it. The food was, as always, very delicious. The steak was marinated to perfection and everything tasted amazing; just like what April’s ahma (mother in Korean) used to make.

The prices of the sushi and the Korean food are very reasonable. They give you so much food that you can split it into 3 servings. The sushi was also a very good deal. Patrice got 30 rolls for under $25. The sushi was also very good, which was a surprise to me. I normally don’t like anything that smells like seafood, which sushi does exactly, but I really liked it.

This is the menu for the restaurant. They do not deliver but they do take orders over the phone and have a sitting area to eat in. Even though it seems weird to sit in a grocery store, just eating food, it doesn’t feel awkward and you may forget that you are in a grocery store once you are delving into your bowls of deliciousness.

Alert! There was a coordinated effort to commit voter fraud this week in New Hampshire.

Conservative activist and film maker James O’Keefe, along with his team, were there to document it.

O’Keefe and company were attempting to demonstrate how one could vote using a dead person’s name to cast a ballot undetected. The group was aiming to highlight the need for a voter ID law in order to prevent voter fraud.

But O’Keefe probably wasn’t expecting that the only people committing voter fraud was his crew. Federal law defines voter fraud as:

The procurement, casting, or tabulation of ballots that are known by the person to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under the laws of the State in which the election is held,

David Schultz, a professor of law at Hamline University, believes O’Keefe’s operation wasn’t benign:

“In either case, if they were intentionally going in and trying to fraudulently obtain a ballot, they violated the law . . . So right off the bat, what they did violated the law.”

Proponents of voter ID legislation argue that presenting identification is a simple step to prevent people casting votes for dead people.

Detractors point out it disproportionately affects senior citizens and minorities. They further observe that instances of voter fraud are rare and the negative repercussions are far too sever to justify the law.

What are your thoughts on voter ID laws?

Cartoon by Kal

This past week, the U.S. government observed an anniversary that some would rather forget. On Wednesday, Guantanamo Bay is turning the big 1-0!

The controversial detention camp opened 10 years ago to hold captives of the Bush administration’s War on Terror. And it’s been the center of debates on human rights and military imprisonment ever since.

The use of torture is the main reason for the appalling and shocking fact that 10 years after 9/11 the alleged perpetrators of those attacks have not been brought to justice, despite the fact they’ve been held for many years.”

Recently the dispute has focused on President Obama’s failed promise to close Guantanamo over two years ago. A goal his administration is still touting.

The commitment that the president has to closing Guantanamo Bay is as firm today as it was during the campaign … I think this is a process that faces obstacles that we’re all aware of and we will continue to work through them.”

Maybe they are waiting for the right moment to win back all the dissatisfied liberals before the election…