Total Devotion Blog

Dazzling December
by Justin

In the month of December, a lot of things were going on for TDers, including a message, a bible study, TD Christmas, convalescent home, and there was winter retreat! The biggest events were the TD Christmas and then winter retreat. ÊÊÊÊÊ

During the TD Christmas, we went caroling at the convalescent home. We were able to bring some Christmas joy and Christian joy to the people there. After, we went back to ArthurÕs house and had a small party/dinner. ÊÊÊÊÊÊ

Junior Eunice Im had this to say about TD Christmas: ÒTD Christmas was the second big TD event I attended outside of the regular Friday meetings. Like TD Thanksgiving, it exceeded all my expectations. The fellowship at this event and at every TD meeting I've attended this past year and a half has been huge blessings. God has truly blessed this ministry and by God's grace, these blessings have been given to me. The personal level you befriend the other TD'ers is more intimate than most relationships I have with friends at school and TD Christmas was another opportunity for me to experience more of that! It's just so amazing! Thank you God for being so gracious!Ó ÊÊÊÊÊ

Another great event during the month of December was the MBCLA Winter Retreat. We went to the Oaks and had a wonderful time. There was basketball, archery, throwing horse shoes, a game room, and a wonderful facility that we used for messages and meetings. Overall, winter retreat was awesome and a spiritually very uplifting. It was not only a chance to interact with fellow brothers and sisters, but also an escape from the world and just a good time with God and his family.

Gnarly November
by Maple

November's message by Jon and the Bible study can be found here under ÒLiving a Life of Worship (Jon)Ó.

  • 11.04.05: Message - Living a Life of Worship
    Jon Ma gave us an enlightening message about how to worship gladly, using a definition of worship coming from John Piper: ÒWorship is a way of gladly reflecting back to God the radiance of His worth.Ó He also taught us how we should worship in spirit, in truth, and in our lifestyles. Jon used an awesome power point which you can find here: http://www.mbcla.org/english/td/media/Living_a_Life_of_Worship.pps. If you would like to listen to his message again and again and again, you can find that by going here: http://www.mbcla.org/english/td/message_archive.php#20052006 and clicking on MP3 next to Living a Life of Worship (Jon). It makes more sense if you're listening to the message while you are looking at the power point. (You can tell when to click on the power point to get the next part of it so that it corresponds with the message. It's like the real thing!)
  • 11.11.05: Bible Study - Living a Life of Worship
    The Bible study is available for download. So, this week, we TDers did our small group Bible studies in our separate rooms. It gave us a perspective on how we're like ants (there are supposedly around a million ants for each person on earth) compared to God. If you think about it, God could choose to smite you right now. Or now. But he doesn't, because of his everlasting love for us, His children. This Bible study also taught us more about how we are called to worship God, elaborating on Jon's message said the week before.
  • 11.18.05: A TD Thanksgiving!
    This year, TD's Thanksgiving was celebrated in the home of our very own Arthur and Sandra. There were lots of people (and some new friends, too), good food, happy times, interesting games, and a very important message regarded persecuted Christian children who are forced to kill their parents. Doesn't that last part make you want to give a Òtalking toÓ to those infuriating people who make the children do that?!? But all else was very fun, like paper star-folding, basketball, chatting with friends, and taking pictures.
  • 11.26.05: A Visit to the South Pasadena Convalescent Home (and a Whiffle Ball Game)
    Alan, Caleb, Candace, Clara, Eunice, George, Ian, Ivana, Justin, Leslie, Peter, Robert, Tammy, Joan, and the Hsiehs all brought boatloads OF joy during the Thanksgiving to many people at the convalescent home. Pictures of the whiffle ball game can be found in our multimedia section. Use the dropdown bar to find ÒWhiffle BallÓ and click!

Outstanding October
by Ruth Ann

Over 20 TDers kicked off the month of October by helping out at the "Through the Roof" Conference sponsored by Joni and Friends. At the conference, we met Nick Vuijic, an amazing servant of God who travels the world encouraging people with the testimony of his life without limbs. At the last minute, we were also able to get Nick to speak at our church. The Worship Hall was packed as Nick kicked a tennis ball, picked up his phone, and shared how God had changed his life.

After a memorable time of selecting a slogan for this year's theme (the girls singing ÒKnowing YouÓ was the clincher; Frank's idea ÒExtreme Makeover: Jesus EditionÓ was set aside for another eventÉ) and an extremely exciting countdown to the unveiling of our newly-designed website (ÒIt's coming!!Ó), we began our year with the goal of knowing Christ more intimately. Arthur's first message, ÒJesus: Our First Love,Ó brought nostalgia of the passion we had when we first started following Jesus. Arthur also reaffirmed some basic truths many of us had forgotten, such as how Jesus is right there with us all the time, no matter what we are doing.

The second week of October, we got to know the people in our small groups by hanging out together. Jenny's group met at Grace's house to eat pizza and personalize notebooks. Kathy's group met at Anna's house and made their own dinner. As for the guys, Robert & Leslie's group played some ball at Garrett's house and had a great meal. Afterwards, they had a good time of sharing too. Peter and George's group also had a bonding time of basketball, ping pong, and dinner at Jon Ma's house.

The following week, we met with our small groups again to study the Word and reexamine our relationships with our Savior. Garrett, Robert, Tammy, Candace, Justin, Ian, and Peter visited South Pasadena Convalescent Home at the end of the month to share God's love with the residents. Of course, the month wouldn't have been complete without MBCLA's traditional Hallelujah Night on October 31. TD sponsored two creative game booths - a Bible verse puzzle race and floating targets in a green turtle pool.

Starting with September
by Tammy

In September we had our TD kickoff! We got to learn about our lovely freshmen by dressing them up using a pipe cleaner, a sharpie, a piece of paper and a toilet paper roll. We will get back at the counselors someday. On the last Saturday of the month, Justin, Ian, Alan, Robert, Eddie, and Jenny went to the South Pasadena Convalescent Home to talk to the elderly, worship, and give a message.

The Noise We Make, hosted by TD & Heavenbound, was spectacular, ranging from worship and a testimony to skits and body worship with glow-sticks. Friends from different schools came to watch and also heard the Gospel, presented in a message by Arthur. The skit team did a good job with the skits of course. Robert gave his testimony. The body worship team glow-sticked to Indescribable. The worship team was wonderful. And the Heavenbound ladies were great!

A Sensational Summer Retreat
by Justin

Summer retreat was my first MBCLA retreat. The theme was ÒUse My LifeÓ. We had many workshops during the three days we were there. We were able to learn many useful things at these workshops. Senior Leslie Wong said, "I have learned a lot about myself and how to treat others with more care and kindness." For me, I was able to make stronger bonds with many of my brothers and sister in Christ during retreat. This was one of the biggest joys for me because I have only been at MBCLA for a short time. Many other people were able to make stronger friendships in Christ at summer retreat as well. Also, we were able to just give our lives to Jesus once again: during a message, we who wanted to be re-commit our lives had a chance to just go up and pray with the pastors one-on-one.

Hot Weather, Hot Events, and Hot Topics
by Tammy

So summer 2005É There was the Youth Summer Mission Project at Arizona in July. With humbled hearts, Uncle John, Auntie Rose, Auntie Sabrina, Adrien, Jenny, Kathy, Lisa, Robert, Caleb, Clara, Judy, Megan, and Yvonne served on the Indian reservations. Driving in the hot summer desert, they finally reached their destination. For about a week, they served by teaching VBS and going door-to-door sharing the Gospel. On both the Leupp Navajo Reservation and the McNary Apache Reservation, they met many other missionaries and learned to love each other and work together.

Then in mid-August, Justin, Ruth Ann, Joanna, Robert, Candace, Peter, Grace, Andrew, Matthew, Lisa, Eunice, Ian, Jenny, Tammy, the Hsus, and the Hsiehs served at the Joni and Friends Family Retreat at Pine Springs Ranch. They spent a whole week with just vegetarian food, yet did not care when their hearts were set to ÒShineÓ in the name of Jesus. Even though they went to bless the disabled, they received the joy and blessings just through the experience of serving others and being served in return. Plus, they had a hot Christmas this year.

In TD, we studied a 10-lesson series on relationships. Each week there was a video of Chip Ingram speaking, and afterwards, the males and females went to separate groups to discuss the topics of love, sex, and lasting relationships. The messages can be heard on www.lote.org.


Total Devotion is the High School Fellowship at Mandarin Baptist Church of Los Angeles.

Total Devotion meets on every Friday night from 730 PM to 10 PM in Room 131 except for the last Friday of each month.

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Phillipians 3:8-11