Going to Japan

Going to Japan

“By faith Abraham … obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” — Hebrews 11:8 I want to be a man of faith. There are plenty of moments where I wrestle with doubt, unbelief, and wondering how much smaller my faith is than a mustard seed, but at the end of the day, I still want to be a man of faith. In February I will be flying out to Japan in complete faith. For the past several months, God had been highlighting the nation of Japan through the strangest of ways (you can listen to the full story in a recent podcast!). Ultimately it came to a point where I could no longer ignore these “coincidences”, so I said “yes” to whatever God wants. I believe God has something there for me personally, but even more so for what is to come. For Pursuit NYC, for our region, and beyond. But at the end of the day, I feel as though God wanted me to go for no other reason than to go in obedience and faith. I will be flying on February 2nd with my best friend, Sam Lee, and will be returning February 18th. We will be in Tokyo then Nagoya together before flying to Korea, where I will spend my last few days visiting friends and family. I am not sure what to expect, but believe God will lead as He has up until now. I have no real agenda or need to achieve or accomplish, but am going in faith believing God is asking for simple childlike trust. I...
The Wind, the Earthquake, the Fire and the Whisper

The Wind, the Earthquake, the Fire and the Whisper

When I first started pursuing God I thought I would find Him in a big event. I started my journey with God about 12 years ago at the ripe age of 16. Since I was an atheist up until that point in my life (and didn’t have a satisfactory encounter with God up until then), I figured that God is probably somewhere out there and I have to find Him. I felt a need to put forth a good deal of effort in order to find Him and figured that encountering God would probably happen in some big way: some big ministry event/conference, some big missions movement, and something emotionally or intellectually stirring. I read dozens of books of philosophy and theology, attended every Christian conference I found, prayed between 1-3 hours a day, and participated in outreaches on the streets. A 2 month short term-missions trip in Cambodia during 2013 topped off my collection of encounters with God. In Cambodia, we witnessed people who had never heard of the name of Jesus encounter God through supernatural healing, dreams and visions. We witnessed a prison of 200 prisoners turn itself into a church as each prisoner encountered God, was baptized in the prison, and started a bible study in every prison cell. After a series of adventures, I realize that while God may have been a part of those big events He wasn’t in them. As I take a minute to reflect on life and dream of what may be ahead, I find that I’m not looking for my next missions trip, ministry opportunity, outreach or power encounter. I...
FRONTIER: Victor Lee

FRONTIER: Victor Lee

“One of the biggest blessings in doing what I do is that it opens doors for me to meet so many amazing people all over the Tri-state region. Victor is definitely one of them. I first met him a couple years ago when Pursuit had its first ever missions team go out and love the city of New Brunswick for a week. Victor was part of that team, and I have had the pleasure of getting to know him since. He is one of the most talented, creative, and humble young men I’ve met, and it’s an honor to share his story through FRONTIER.” — Sam Won 1) Tell us about yourself. My name is Victor – 22, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and currently living in Central New Jersey. I’m the Art Director of NoLedge Productions, an amazing and young team that I joined earlier this year. I’ve been serving and doing life with my family at Praise English Ministry (PEM) for the past four years while I was attending Rutgers University. I’ve also been investing in the craft of barbering for about 5 years now and have been able build amazing relationships with many of the clients that have been in my chair. When I’m not filming, this is actually my main source of bread and I’m honestly still humbled by how supportive my clientele base has been over the years. You also must know that I’m a die-hard Kobe Bryant fan. It’s basically Jesus then Kobe. 2) When did faith become such an important part of your life? I first heard about Christ at a...
Building Altars In Every Season

Building Altars In Every Season

Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him. After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord. – Genesis 12:7-8 One of our core beliefs and favorite phrases at Pursuit NYC is that “The best is yet to come.” Knowing that the God we worship is the God who promises to “give life and life to the fullest” (John 10:10), we contend, expect, and believe for God to move in powerful ways in our lives, schools, workplaces, and nations. But I believe that one of the greatest battles our generation faces is struggling with timelines. It’s easy to hear, read, and see what other people are doing these days and compare our lives to theirs. We might think, “I should be dating/married by now… I should have kids by now… I should be at this point in my career by now… I should be this type of person/spouse/friend by now… I should be further along by now…” And while the best is yet to come, I believe that it’s difficult for many of us to love God right where we are. BUILDING ALTARS I imagine that Abraham was confronted with loving God right where he was throughout his journey of faith. In the beginning of his story in Genesis 12, Abraham (then, known as...