Mind the Gap

Is there anyone else who totally forgot it was Ash Wednesday? Because I surely did. Thankfully, I have friends who remind me, and a dear friend sent me a text with a quote from one of her favorite writers, Frederick Buechner. In this quote, Buechner talks about Lent in a such a new way. He frames Lent as a period of time to reflect on who we are and becoming. He asks some hard questions that won't leave us feeling too great about ourselves, but I think that's the point. Give it a little listen, and lemme know what you think. As always, thanks for listening (:

Hello everyone! I'm back to tell you about a very unfortunate day, aka today... Today was just a mish mash of things going wrong one after the other, and we all have those bad days. They're not the worst days of your lives, but they're just baddd, if you know what I mean. I thought I would share because I don't want to share just the highlight reel, and this is my reality today. I hope everyone else's day went much better! But if it wasn't, I hope you felt just a little bit less alone! (: As always, thanks for listening and I'll see ya'll again soon!

In honor of 02.02.2022, I thought I would share some interesting palindromes. I honestly didn't realize how many strange phrases could be palindromes, so there ya go! Now you know! As I share some palindromes, I review their quality and answer some palindromic questions. And yes, it's chaotic, but what else do you expect from me? But as always, if you've listened, thank you for sticking with me as a listener (: 

Hello everyone! I'm back with much less wisdom than before! Okay, I'm kidding (that was the worst joke ever)... But I am back, almost fully recovered from getting my wisdom teeth out, and I have a few updates to share with you guys! In this episode, I talk about this recent surgical experience, my new job (!!!), and feelings as I end this month/digital detox. I also add some bonus feature content with some media I've been consuming lol. This description doesn't make any of that sound fun and I cannot promise that this episode will be any fun, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless! As always, thanks for listening! (: 

Hello everyone! It's been a few days, so I had some time to think about how I'm going to go about this podcast for the rest of the year. It's been a learning process of what is best for myself and the podcast, so I've got a few updates for you about that. Also, I share some life updates and what my next couple of days is going to look like. Today's main topic was on Nehemiah 8:9-12. I read it for my QT the other day, and it was such an interesting passage to read. I explain a little bit about why it stuck out to me and how it's shifted the way I view rejoicing and celebration. Lemme know what you think about the passage. As always, thanks for listening. (: 

Hello everyone! It's been a few days since my last episode, which means I failed! It's been only 2 weeks into the year, and I already missed a few days of my daily podcast series. In this episode, I address said failure and how I'm trying to think about failure. I also touch on other ways my life is less than perfect currently. It's all part of the process. As always, thanks for listening, and I'll see you tomorrow! (: 

Hello everyone! I thought I'd try something new today and share some of my favorite quotes from a book that is very special to me. It's special because I have one of the quotes on a canvas on my wall, and I used the same quote to decorate my graduation cap. Gilead is made up of a series of fictional letters written by an elderly pastor to his young son. It's honestly so beautifully written, and I kept highlighting quotes because of how beautiful the prose is. In this episode, I share 11 of my favorite quotes, and I hope it prompts you to read the book. I'm thinking of doing a re-read this year. As always, thanks for listening, and I will see ya'll tomorrow! (: 

Hello everyone! Today is January 9, 2022, and today's episode is just a little bit of everything! It's another life update about things that have been on my mind recently from wisdom teeth to sabbathing to fasting to community. There's a lot going on a very short amount of time. I guess this is the beginning of a year feeling. Hope everyone is doing well! And as always, thanks for listening! (:

Hello everyone! I thought I'd prepare something a bit more today compared to yesterday's ramble, so I wrote out a mini review for things I've watched recently! In December, I watched Spiderman: No Way Home and started Single's Inferno. And so far in 2022, I've watched Lovestruck in the City, a Netflix Kdrama and finished Single's Inferno. I share some of my no-spoilers thoughts, and I'm planning on doing a couple episodes like this throughout the year. It's a good way for me to consolidate my thoughts and feelings about the things I watch instead of just mindlessly consuming them. And I hope they can be somewhat helpful for whoever listens in! As always, thanks for listening! (: 

Hello everyone! I was originally going to be talking about another topic, but this one seemed more pertinent for the day! I told some more coworkers that I only have a week left at my current job, and it made me a lot more emotional than I had imagined. In this episode, I just ramble a little about closing this chapter of work post-grad as I enter a new one. I learned so much from my current job, and I know I'll take what I've learned with me to my next job and the rest of my career. It's definitely a bittersweet end, and I'm sure others can relate to this feeling when leaving a job for another. It's for sure been on my mind! This episode is definitely all over the place, but that's what daily podcasting is like I guess haha. As always, thanks for listening, and I'll talk to you guys tomorrow! (:

Hello everyone! Today is January 6, and I talked a bit about how I'm attempting to practice silence + solitude in my daily life. It's a spiritual discipline that does not come easily to me whatsoever, and it's been a challenge to figure out how to start practicing it. After I started driving by myself near the end of this past year, I realized that it's really the only time when I'm alone and that I should take advantage of it. I started to drive to work in complete silence and it has really made such a difference. In this episode, I not only talk about what I do instead during that time alone but also how I see myself changing as a result. For anyone who struggles with this discipline like me, I'd love to chat about this because it's such an odd thing to pursue. Anyways, that's all for now! As always, thanks for listening! (: 

Hello everyone! Today, I'm talking about the digital detox I started at the beginning of the year. For me, Instagram was the most addicting app on my phone, and it is gone for the month of January. I'm hoping that at the end of this I start using it less and spend the time doing something more useful. I talk a little bit about what got me started and how it's felt so far. tl;dl: it's been not the easiest. But this has been really good for me, and I hope to share more thoughts along the way! Thanks again! 

Hello everyone! Today, I'm coming at you with a very late episode. I wasn't sure if I would still upload, but I can't give up this early on in the year lol. Today, I just fill you guys in on some life updates concerning bugs and vlogs. Beware, it's kind of gross if you don't like bugs. That's honestly all I had for today, so I hope it is okay. Hoping that I just let this space be a fun place for me to express because I'm still getting the hang of it. Hope ya'll had a better day than me! As always, thanks for listening, and I'll see ya'll tomorrow!

Hello!!! It is January 3rd, and it is a super snowy day! I was super happy to wake up to see snow outside my window and thought it would be fitting to do a snow-related episode. It's a very simple episode in which I share some thoughts about snow, indoor snow activities, and some movie/show recs for a day in. Have a happy snow day!

Hello everyone! It's January 2! Today's episode is an odd one for the beginning of the year, but a lot of things in my life have been pointing to the topic of living our lives with the end in mind, or with eternal perspective. I share a new year's eve reflection and thought, as well as a testimony I heard at church today. I guess I've been thinking a lot about how to live this year intentionally with eternity in mind, and so many things just aligned with this thought. At the end, I also share a devotional by Pastor John Piper titled "Death Rehearsal," and I thought it was the perfect title to this episode, as well. I hope that this episode gave you some reflection points as we start this year! (: 

Welcome to Elevenses with Yen! What or who is an elevenses? Well, you'll have to listen to find out! What I can tell you is that it is the title to a new series on my podcast where I get to leave a little audio message every single day for whoever wants to listen. It's the beginning of a year and a series, so I started it off with a little intro into why I decided to do a daily series, the meaning behind the name, and what I plan on doing on this series. Hope you guys listen along this year, and feel free to message me with any following thoughts or comments (: 

disclaimer: sorry for my congested voice...

I am starting to finally get out of the creative rut that I've been in for the past year and a half, and it's so exciting! But, how did I get in a rut? How did I get out of it? And what about everything in between? What I've learned throughout the past couple of months is that true emotional health is being able to sit presently with all of the happy thoughts and feelings, as well as the not-so-happy thoughts and feelings. Blind contentedness is not actually contentedness at all; it's apathy. And we cannot grow and create from a place of apathy. It's not something I could talk myself out of, but it is truly by God's grace that I am starting to feel like who I was created to be. I am feeling like myself again for the first time in a long time, and I wanted to walk through the process with you guys because it's not something that happens over night. It is a continual process, and we are not alone. For those who have felt lost, I hope that this episode can remind you that there is always a way to return. 

It's been way too long, and I don't really know how to return to podcasting besides laying out what's been going on during the past 1.5 years. It didn't feel right just jumping into an interesting topic after being in such a long hiatus, so I decided to do a play-by-play on the year and just narrate my life. There are some highs. There are some lows. There is very little in between. It's just an honest conversation about what the end of 2020 and the whole of 2021 have looked like. It's real. It's vulnerable (without oversharing too much, in my opinion). And I hope at the end of it all, if you've felt any of the ways I've felt, you feel less alone. Real life is made up of the mundane. It's also filled with a bunch of firsts and disappointments and tons of emotions. So, strap in and enjoy the ride as we take a dive into my last 1.5 years. 

Time has just been flying by, and in that time, there have been some changes! Mostly, I want to just hop on to say hi and let ya'll know what's been going on with me. Along with that, I wanted to see how well I've been adhering to my 2020 Intentions (re: Ep. 7: 2020 Intentions). So, if you want to get a quick catch-up on my life and reflect with me on my 2020 resolutions/intentions, have a listen! 

(I mention the app Good on You in the episode, but I said the wrong name -- so yes, it should be Good on You)

This pandemic and subsequent quarantine present a unique opportunity to reflect on everything that's been going on. I, too, feel like I've been learning and being reminded of so much. I wanted to share the lessons that God has been putting on my heart, in hopes of encouraging you to also chew on what God has been showing you during this time, whether it be about yourself, the world, and/or God and His character. I pray that we can be open and ready for how God is using this time to shape and mold us to come out of this pandemic with a deeper understanding of who God is, who we are based on who God says we are, and the rest of the world in relation to us and God. I feel like God is calling us into stillness and a time of listening and abiding, and though it's hard to be physically alone, I wanted to make this episode to share what's been on my heart because I know that I am not the only one thinking these things. There is solidarity not only in how physically close we may be, but in spirit and in truth. You are not alone and we will get through this!

This pandemic and subsequent quarantine present a unique opportunity to reflect on everything that's been going on. I, too, feel like I've been learning and being reminded of so much. I wanted to share the lessons that God has been putting on my heart, in hopes of encouraging you to also chew on what God has been showing you during this time, whether it be about yourself, the world, and/or God and His character. I pray that we can be open and ready for how God is using this time to shape and mold us to come out of this pandemic with a deeper understanding of who God is, who we are based on who God says we are, and the rest of the world in relation to us and God. I feel like God is calling us into stillness and a time of listening and abiding, and though it's hard to be physically alone, I wanted to make this episode to share what's been on my heart because I know that I am not the only one thinking these things. There is solidarity not only in how physically close we may be, but in spirit and in truth. You are not alone and we will get through this!

With the new year comes new year's resolutions, and so that's what I've brought to you today. However, instead of things I've resolved to do, here is a list of things I intend and will do my best to do this year. Splitting them up into 4 categories, I will share some spiritual/faith-based, relational, health, and personal intentions that I plan to carry out through 2020. Though it's already February, it is not too late to write down some of your intentions and goals for the year. Hopefully, this is an encouragement to think about what you want to accomplish or improve on in 2020. It's not about perfecting these things but slowly working at them! So, here's to 2020 and here's to trying! 

It is already the end of 2019 AND the end of season 1 for the Mind the Gap podcast! It only seemed fitting to end the year with a thoughtful reflection on everything that has gone in 2019. I realized while writing this episode that I don't reflect all too much on a regular basis, and I honestly let things fly by without having time to be grateful or more introspective about the lessons learned through the highs and the lows. This episode is a little bit on the longer side and is more conversational than others because I wanted it to feel like a chat about everything that went on in my life: the good, the bad, and the ugly, but also the beautiful. I go month-by-month, recapping the high points, the low points, and a lil something I learned in that month in hopes that maybe you may relate to one of them. It was pretty cool to look back on the little and big moments and see how God was in them with me. He is glorified in our victories and dwells with us in our suffering. He is in the remembrance of our happiest memories while redeeming and working through the sorrow we have experienced. May you reflect on His goodness, mercy, faithfulness, and love as you close this year. Happy Christmas and Happy New Year! Whether you've had the best year of your life or the worst year of your life, remember: The best is yet to come! 

Starting a job meant one new thing in my life: cash flowww! And with money comes responsibility. Something that I always saw around me but never understood too much growing up in the church was giving, offering, and tithing. I knew that Christians gave to church, but I didn't know why. Now that I've started a job with an income, I needed to figure out what the significance of giving was and how I should go about it. This new issue became magnified when my dad suggested I offer up my whole first income as an offering. But what if I didn't want to? And where in the Bible does God even command that? So many questions and not enough answers were stored up in my head. So, I did some research in order to educate myself and maybe even bring some insight into giving of firstfruits, the significance of offering in the Old Testament (Moses's time), and what God has commanded 21st century Christians (like myself) to do with regards to offering/giving. Along the way, I let you guys in the failures in my giving history and what I decided to do with my first paycheck. So, join me as I do some digging on the Internet, in the Bible, and in my own heart, as I go on a quest to answer these question on what to do when we start experiencing cash flow. 

This week, I'll be talking about the topic of comparison. A friend brought this up in conversation, and months later, here's a podcast on what I think about this topic. We've all done it, and it kind of stinks when you sucked into the comparison game, whether it's comparing your talents, how you look, and/or your life circumstances. It's always easy to lift up a sign to the heavens and ask God, 'Why me?'. I've definitely done it many-a-times in my life. Maybe it's something that I'll always struggle with, so I thought I will provide some encouragement for myself and all of you other folk who may struggle with this, as well. I focus on comparison in the 3 areas of talents/gifts/skills, body image/physical appearance, and life circumstances. I really wanted to focus on Scripture and what the Bible says about each of these 3 areas of our lives, so that we can grow to find contentment in how God has created us and joy through suffering and the difficulties we face. May we grab onto the truths and promises of God and cling to hope and joy as we fight comparison in our lives!

This week, I wanted to dedicate a whole episode to talk about spiritual slumps/dryness because that's where I'm at right now. I want this podcast to be honest and real as to what's going on currently in my life as I live out my gap year(s), and currently, I'm slumping. It's been a couple months of feeling apathy in my walk with God and I wanted to address it so that I can speak truth into this drought and hopefully encourage some of you in the same place. Spiritual slumps are something that I am not new to, but it slowly becomes old. I start to wonder if I'll ever have a fire reignited in my heart for the Lord. When will my desire to read the Word and pray return? In the midst of spiritual dryness, often, there doesn't seem to be an end. However, there is hope! I want to shed some light on what I personally go through during spiritual slumps and share some not-so-new thoughts on the dangers of spiritual slumps that affect this generation particularly. I hope you will hop on along for the ride, whether you're in a slump or not, because it's a universal thing that us Christians deal with! You are not alone because I'm right there with ya! 

If you know me, then you know that I have many different interests, many of which are not the most hip or popular. I am going to be having a series of sorts on my podcast where I explain to you why I love these things in hopes that you may learn a little bit more about me and so that I can maybe peak your interest regarding these things. I'm starting off this series with musicals (Broadway or otherwise). It's definitely a niche interest and it can be difficult to understand or even like, but lemme try to convince you why you should give it a chance.  I'll explain how the experiences in my life have shaped me to be a musical fanatic, the technical aspects of the music that make musicals so genius, and some reasons as to why people have a hard time getting into musicals in hopes that I can change your mind by getting all of the excuses out of the way. Though I am no musical expert, I do have many years of listening to show tunes under my belt, so I think I can give you the Yen's Declassified of musicals/Broadway. Before you even begin to listen, one reason why you should give musicals a chance is because only in the musical world can Gretchen Wieners have a surprisingly deep moment while she battles an identity crisis. Yes, that's right -- there is a Mean Girls musical. So, take a chance on me, and have a listen as I tell you why I love musicals and why you should, too. 

Post-grad has come with its good share of alone time, and after many months of very few human interactions, it's been getting  a tad lonely. I'm sure you can understand this even if you're not in the post-grad stage of life. While thinking about loneliness, I came to understand how I use social media as a means to combat loneliness. In this episode, I discuss the topics of loneliness in college + post-grad life, finstas + my theories as to why people have them, and my experience with social media, sharing, and how I really think the desire to share our lives is just a basic human characteristic. If you're feeling lonely, have a listen. If you're struggling in college and post-grad with fostering intentional relationships, have a listen. If you have no idea what a finsta is, have a listen. Cheers, Yen 

I'm Yen, and welcome to my podcast, Mind the Gap! I wanted to take this time to introduce the what and why of this podcast: why I made this podcast, what the name means, my intentions for this podcast, and what sort of things I'll be talking about. I am very excited to go on this new journey, and I'm glad that I can share it with you!