To infinity and beyond...

"all my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..."

Tomorrow I embark on my first ever journey to Europe.
I am excited to see what God has in store for me but at the same time,
I'm humbled at the fact that it is only by HIS grace that I am able to go...

I hope to take a lot of pictures so please stayed tuned for a history lesson
because I know that Italy is choc full of historical goodness. Please keep
me and the team I'm traveling with in your prayers as I will be flying Air France.


Oh and I purchased my flight to Korea!!!




I will be leaving Thursday June 18th arriving in Seoul at 5:20 am Saturday Morning.
To my friends in Korea, see you all soon!!!

Till the next update...
Ciao~

My Guitar...

So a few weekends ago, my small group went on a retreat. My friend Jeanie, also the leader of the small group, asked if I would be willing to lead praise for it and so I happily obliged.

I brought my guitar, along with my bag and toiletries, to the center and we had a wonderful weekend spending time in God's word, worshiping, fellowshipping, and praising.



It came time to go home and we realized that we didn't have enough room in the car for everyone to fit so we had to move my guitar to my friend Jeanie's car and she said that she would return it to my friend Rob on Sunday at church. So, without hesitating, I agreed and placed the guitar safely in her car.

Fast forward a week and a half. I asked my friend Rob if he had received the guitar from Jeanie and he said not yet, but have had conversations with Jeanie to set up a time to get it from her. I wasn't in a hurry to get the guitar because it was Finals time and I was occupied with studying for exams. Also, Jeanie too had finals, so I could understand how it might have slipped her mind.

Not thinking too much of it, and also after school was over, as I had mentioned in my previous update that I went home to Philly, I figured that I would get it when I got back to Chicago.

Its been about a month since we came back from the retreat and so I called Jeanie to say hello and also ask if I could get my guitar back before she left Chicago for a three week trip.

Her response was shocking "Guitar, what are you talking about? I gave it to Rob the very Sunday after the retreat?"

I'm like SAY WHAT????

I asked Rob if he had gotten my guitar from Jeanie that Sunday and he said he never got it either!

I'm sitting here thinking what in the world??!?!? One person is saying one thing, and the other is saying another...who do I believe?!???

So obviously I need to get to the bottom of this issue....so I ask Rob again, but I believe that he didn't get it because I had asked him before, AND I see him all the time that if he had gotten it, he would have returned it by now...

So then it goes back to Jeanie and...
I'm like: "Hey, Rob says that he never got the guitar from you"
Jeanie says: "But I distinctly remember giving your guitar to someone who was going into the city the very Sunday after the retreat"
I'm Like: "Who else could you have given my guitar to, and why would you give it to someone else??"
Jeanie says: "Let me email out the small group members to see if I might have given it to someone else. I thought you already had it"

Can you imagine what I'm thinking at this point????

So the email goes out, and not surprisingly, no one else has any recollection of ever recieving the guitar from her...

What do I do??? Not only is the guitar pretty expensive, it holds great sentimental value because it was a birthday gift from my brothers. Who do I hold responsible...

Anyways, long story short, it turned out that Jeanie had given it to one of the other small group members who, on every Sunday rents what they call a ZIP CAR, which is ideal for those that live in the city to use a car but not pay for the expenses of owning a car. She asked him to return the guitar to me and so he took the guitar and placed it in the trunk, forgot that he had it, then returned it!!!!

Luckily when we finally pieced together this whole mystery, we called the regional office and they were just waiting on someone to call to claim it!!!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS??? Btw, whoever was responsible for the guitar after it had been passed to them, still hasn't manned up to the responsibility but whatever at this point, atleast I got my guitar back...

Moral of the story: Take care of your own things!
2nd Moral: Always take a second look through before returning the Car

Chicagoans are great people and that they didn't steal my guitar.
I should write a song about this.... :-)

till next time....

T-minus one day...

So I am unexpectedly heading back to Philly to take care of some stuff tomorrow...

I have a final in the morning, and then I will have to take care of whatever loose
ends I have on campus before I head out to the airport tomorrow afternoon...

Gosh, so much to do with so little time...

When am I going to write to you all about what "PROJECT DANNY" is all about??!?!?

Well if you guys can, please continue to pray for me as I have a HUGE New Testament final tomorrow at 10am that would be greatly appreciated.

I'll be home in Philly for the rest of the week and will jump right back into the Summer Session in Chicago the following Monday....

I have to keep on telling myself...I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....

Peace out everyone!!!!

Last day of the semester!!

What a beautiful feeling to know that I am officially done with classes for my first semester!!!

Just two more finals...

But then the process starts all over again unfortunately...haha!

Starting on Monday the 18th, I have my first summer school session and will be taking a total
of 19 credits this summer. Chip, chip, chipping away...

So with the first semester tucked under my belt, I am well under way to my goal of graduating in two years, and if all goes as planned...by the winter of 2010!!

I realized many things this semester but above all, I've realized that there are a lot of people supporting me and encouraging me to be the best that I can be...

To all those that have stood by my side despite my flaws and failures, I am deeply indebted to your unconditional support and love!!! I praise God for each of you and I dedicate this post to you!

I know I've got a long way to go, but you have to admit, its been a crazy fun time cruisin' with me hasn't it??? hahaha

To the faithful family and friends, and to the faithful followers of
PROJECT DANNY...

The best is yet to come!!!

Oxygen from Christopher Hendryx on Vimeo.

I know its been a while...but this was too cute to keep to myself!! I hope learning becomes this fun when my nieces get to school!!!

Long time no talk...

I know that its been a long while since I've last updated so I humbly return to this blog with my head held slightly lower in shame asking for your forgiveness...keke

But I do return with something that has inspired me and has placed a much needed smile on my face today! I hope that you enjoy it as much as I had enjoyed it myself!!!

CLICK HERE

Have a wonderful day everyone!!!

It's okay to dream once in a while...right?

So I have a friend looking to relocate to beautiful Southern California.
And in his quest to secure an apartment, he's been diligently looking online for a place to call home once he officially moves out there.

He's been so kind to share with me some of the "distractions" that came his way when looking for an apartment and I am in love with one particular place he found....

Before you look any further please prepare your heart for what you are about to see:












Anyone wanna move here with me??

~ooVoo~

Before I go to bed I have to comment on a program that we experimented with tonight called ooVoo. Its a video chat program similar to Skype but with more features that seem to be more user friendly and it comes with awesome features!

My brother Paul and his wife Jo, me, and my dad were able to have a three-way video conference chat! It was a lot of fun and the quality of the video was much better than Skype. One thing I like about it so far is that it comes standard with a three-way video conference chat and one other feature I thought was great was their video messaging system where you can leave a video message for someone offline. I have to play around with the program more to see how it works in its full capacity, but I will say that it has my vote so far over Skype!!

Ladies and gentlemen I present to you....

ooVoo


www.oovoo.com

Check it out for yourself!!

Beer Run~~

Please do not let the title alarm you...haha

We here at Moody, more specifically CULBY 6, have certain traditions that we like to uphold and so we have Beer Run's periodically throughout the semester. Root Beer runs that is...


We also have to dress pretty ridiculously for these outings...But I think I'm getting too old for this~



Here is a group shot of some of the guys on my floor...and yes some are younger than JOSHUA!



Certainly much different from what I remember when I first went to College...
But nevertheless, the experience is definitely one to remember!!

I would love to hear about your "College" experiences so please comment!!!

April~

April has always been a busy month for our family. We currently have three birthdays that are all within 5 days of each other, my Dad (5th) Me (10th) and my brother Paul (15th). Needless to say its a month where many great people have been birthed! haha

This month however marks another amazing addition to the family. My brother Paul and Joann are expecting their first child, a daughter, sometime this month. Approximately scheduled to arrive on the 11th, I can't help but wait for THE phone call from my brother telling me that its "GO TIME!!!"

You know people have asked me how I felt about the possibility of sharing my birthday with my niece. Obviously the birth of a newborn is so much more praise worthy than someone turning 29, so their question is "Would I be okay that I would be overshadowed?" My answer: It would be the best birthday present ever!!!! I just can't contain my excitement! :-)

This year has been so amazing for my family. I am already blessed to be an Uncle to a beautiful Elizabeth Eunbee Hwang in March by my oldest brother David and his wife Judy. And now with all of our birthday celebrations coming up and then the soon-to-arrive baby of my second brother's family...It seems like 2009 has been a party from the start!!!

However, I would also love to mention that this year Easter falls on the 12th of April. And to me this day is the most significant in my life. I also have the honor of sharing my birthday in rememberance of the greatest sacrifice of love: that Christ laid down His life for the world!!!

And so with all that said, how could I keep from singing HIS praise??!?!?!

Intramural Basketball...

So being back in school comes with the perks of being back on meal plans, having a gym at your disposal, and of course, intramural leagues!!!

I forgot how much I missed organized team sports! I also realized how out of shape I am trying to run with these young guys!! haha

But in any case, being at Moody adds an interesting spin to competition because everyone is so respectful and well-mannered. This was a little bit hard to get used to being from PHILLY and being a prolific trash talker myself! haha I mean these guys are the most encouraging bunch of guys I've ever met on the court. They cheer for everything, I mean everything. And even if you cost the team the loss, they give madd love on you anyways...not that I was ever THAT guy...

To be honest, its still weird not being able to be talk some dirrrty talk but at the same time its definitely a blessing to be here and get to play in intramural leagues.

We lost our basketball playoff game tonight 23 - 19. It was a well fought battle and everyone played hard. If my old self came out I would have been in the REF's faces for calling such a horrible game...But I won't complain!!

I guess I just have put that past me and look forward to crushing homers in our upcoming co-ed softball league!!

College...its just soo much fun!!

Anger Management...

This one goes out especially to ANGRY DANIEL!!! hahahahaha

So in class my professor was lecturing on the biblical principles of anger and anger management.
I'm not gonna go into too much detail with regards to what he shared but...

Its probably safe to assume that everyone that is reading this blog, at one point, struggled with some sort of instance that resulted in you acting out in ANGER.

Needless to say, I'm sure it wasn't a pretty sight, and moreover, I'm sure it wasn't your most proudest moment, right?

Well I took away from the class three really insightful questions we can ask ourselves when anger seems to be peaking its ugly head out...I pray that the contemplation of these questions will result in more reconciled and peace-filled relationships!!

1) Is it worth it? - This question alone should dispell your intention to react because most of the time its probably not worth the fight.

2) Why not rather be wrong? - In my experience, often times anger spurs out of the desire to prove your own point or to be right...or not to lose.

3) Is this incident out of God's control? - Lastly, this one just explains that whatever the situation may be, its not to the point where you have to take matters into your own hands...God's got it under control.

I found these three questions really penetrating my heart as I placed myself back in a situation where I lashed out in anger. Had I known these questions then, I think it would have made a huge difference in how I chose to react...

Hope this helps you~ Have an amazing day!!

A bit easier said than done...

I'm beginning to realize that this blogging thing is gonna definitely be a discipline to say the least!
Let's hope week two is much better than week one!!

I've got lots to do, but this week I want to focus on prayer and finding me some good old fashioned QT time with my creator!!

God Bless everyone and have a blessed week!!

Perspective...

WATCH

click play and leave comments after you watch!!

"Simplifying Life"

It's amazing when one actually begins to blog, just how many things happen in a single day. As I sit here to write about the day or thoughts or ramblings that have flowed through my mind, I am at a loss because I am having difficulty re-tracing my steps of events that have happened only hours ago. 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, 365 days in a year...man, that's a lot of time!

I was always one who was fascinated with statistics that show what happens every second, minute, hour, and day in this world. To think that millions of babies are being born, billions of pounds of food are consumed, and not to mention a ridiculous amount of hours spent watching T.V. So much is happening yet I wonder what I'm doing in contribution to all that is going on?

And of course its a given that a lot of the things that happen in the life of a person are certainly trivial and not important to make detailed note of, but I wonder if we were all better able to chronicle our day to day lives, just how much insight we can gain in retrospect looking back on all that has happened and all that we've considered important enough to share?

With all that said, I am beginning to understand that sometimes even the simplest of observations may carry a profound foresight into why we've become who we are...

Makes me look forward to when I am old and gray, to see what was once important in my life.

I bet I'll probably laugh aloud at how complicated I seemed to make things when life is best enjoyed in its simplicity...

On that note...

"Simplifying Life" seems to be a good theme to label this juncture in life now. Living what was once a hectic life of hustle and bustle, doing this and then doing that, I've succumbed to the life of relative peace that is of a student. I say relative, because once the term nears its end, this seemingly tranquil environment will turn into a viscous frenzy of students pulling all-nighters, taking final exams, writing papers, and giving presentations!

Just the thought of it gives me chills down my spine. I'm definitely lacking confidence and doubting whether or not I still have what it takes to come out on top, but I guess I'll have to cross that bridge when I get there, and then meet you all here to tell you how it went!

In any case, I don't think that life was intended to be complicated. In fact, I know that I have made some ill-fated decisions that have only attributed to complicating my life in great measures and I believe I am still feeling the repercussions of some the mistakes of my youth even now.

But when I was younger I wasn't thinking about the future as much as I am now! I didn't think that my actions then could possibly affect me as much years later in my life. It was all about "Carpe Diem" "Life is short, play hard!" "You've only got one life to live" and things like that! You know what I mean?

Now I find myself regretting the fact that I didn't finish school when I was supposed to, or at least developed a better eating habit and a healthier lifestyle so that I am not struggling with weight issues, or have maintained a savings account so that if and when God introduces me to my wife I wouldn't come to her broke.

Well they say you shouldn't cry over spilled milk, but its an amazing thing when you realize that a small sacrifice now, completely benefits the outcome of your life later.

I suppose I am grateful for the revelation now in my life and so as they say, its always better late than never. But I will bid you all adieu from today's ramblings as I sit in wonderment of what life would have been like had I chosen alternate routes.

I guess that's why I've always loved the "choose your own adventure" books when I was a kid. If I didn't like the ending that I chose, I could have simply gone back and gone the other way...

hahahaha~ It's funny how not much has changed in all these years!

From a "B" to an "A"

Much of today was spent on getting back into the swing of coming back to school from spring break. Often times, vacation ends up being both a blessing and a curse because it's so difficult to transition back from a "vacation" state of mind.

The second half of this semester seems as though it will be challenging so I hope to stay on top of all of the course work laid ahead of me. As much as the vacation was nice, its go time now and time is definitely not a luxury for me to say the least!!!

Coming back to from break also commences the beginning of a new chapter in my life with regards to opportunities and experiences. I hope that my life will begin to reflect a "faith in action" way of living where my actions begin to speak louder than my words. And being usually the one with lots to say, this is a very BIG step towards betterment...I hope! haha

I shall leave you all with an observation I made today in class.

I was given back a paper in which I had worked very hard at. The grade I received reflected the opinion of our seasoned professor who thought that I deserved a B+. Now if that is the final opinion of our professional scholar, then who am I to argue that assessment?

That seems to be a common attitude we all take when life dishes out whatever it deems you're worthy of. Many just take it and accept that to be the only answer and continue on with life without confidence to go against the grain or to challenge the "popular" opinion. Or otherwise understood as hopelessness.

I suppose when going up against the so-called "experts" of the field there isn't much edge-wise we can contribute to help make our argument worthy of examination. So often times, I feel as though we take ourselves out of the battle before it even begins.

I wasn't satisfied with my grade. I worked hard on the assignment given and I knew that I deserved an A. And although I also knew that if I were to boldly challenge the intellect of my professor I would potentially be setting myself up for major humiliation I wanted at least justification as to why I was given a B+. So humiliation was a price I was willing to pay.

Turns out, the professor made a mistake and asked me to correct a few things and turn the paper back in so that I can be given full credit for the work that I had accomplished.

I could have just as easily walked out of that class, paper in hand, accepting what was given to me and never look back. I would have avoided confrontation and rejection, a B+ is still a B+, and I should have just been grateful for given at least that, right?

But an A is sooo much better!

Sometimes the difference between a "B" and an "A" is just a little bit of confidence mixed with the affirmation that your intention is to seek after the truth...

That road, although seemingly painful at times, pays you back with greater dividends!


Looks like the second half of school is not gonna be so bad after all. :-)