by Sam | May 19, 2020 | Guest Blogger, Inspiration, Reflection
by Rachel Baik I’ve always loved long car rides. When I was younger, there was a game I used to play from the back seat of my family’s beat up minivan. Soaking in the passing scenery, I would ask myself: which of these would I like to call home? Maybe the glamorous high rise poking out from the Los Angeles skyline, or the mansion nestled into the Calabasas mountainside. Perhaps even — and this was for the days where fantasy and the imagination roamed free — the overgrown bush marking the entrance to the freeway we took each week to church; untold mysteries hidden within its depths. The game evolved as childhood slipped from my shoulders. Instead of unmarked buildings and magical shrubberies, I started to look for home in even less traditional spaces. In cliques and romance, accomplishments and career, I was desperate to find the place where I felt I truly belonged. Homesickness. It’s a concept that transcends culture and ethnicity, a universal human experience so closely knitted with the desire to belong. I found this desire compelled me in more ways than one. The clothes I wore, the way I acted. My manner of speech and the places I invested my time. So desperate was I to find this elusive home, that I shaped who I was around the search. My body broke down in the summer of 2016 during a missions trip to Panama. An unexpected career change into vocational ministry left me abandoning all I had worked for until that point. Void of community and struggling to meet my self-imposed expectations of ministry, the...
by Sam | Mar 31, 2020 | Update
by Samuel Won As I write this, I am receiving what seems like unending news updates on the devastation COVID-19 is causing all over the world, and especially in our very own region here in NY and NJ. Not only that, but I have begun to slowly hear more and more about how this virus is affecting my friends personally. Although by now it’s been said numerous times, it’s worth repeating that we are truly living in unprecedented times. Such times as these bring their own challenges and unique changes, most of which no one has navigated before. Thankfully, so many have risen up in this crisis such as medical workers, doctors, caretakers, and more. As well those who work long hours at grocery stores to pharmacies and other essential businesses. They are pillars in moments like this helping the rest of us through this time. Our deepest gratitude and respect goes out to them and their loved ones! Also we’ve been so blessed and encouraged by many of our friends and colleagues in ministry who have led courageously by taking advantage of technology and online streaming to serve their people. Keep going! We are rooting for you all. With that being said, as a ministry we have asked ourselves and the Lord as to ways we can better serve our region. It’s a question we’ve been wrestling with for weeks. Obviously we have canceled all monthly gatherings until further notice. Consequently, we had to postpone our annual conference that was scheduled for this summer as well. That was a tough decision, but the right one given the circumstances....
by Sam | Jan 21, 2020 | Guest Blogger, Inspiration, Reflection
by Jane Kim Living in the Midwest, there are many Winter mornings where I wake up to mounds of fresh powdered snow. People who don’t live with four seasons will automatically assume that this is something to celebrate. The seasoned Michigander that I am, dread these types of mornings. Yes, it’s aesthetically pleasing. Yes, it’s quite serene. But no matter how I see it, I conclude that I would enjoy it more through pictures than actually living it. With fresh powdered snow comes the inconvenience of walking to your car, sweating underneath all your layers of clothing, and spending many rushed minutes cleaning off your vehicle and attempting to maneuver your way out without hitting something or getting stuck. This is especially hard when you live in an apartment complex with shared parking. Not too long ago while I was in prayer, the Lord spoke to me through this familiar type of scene. Almost like a film reel going through my mind. As I pressed deeper into this moment with God, I watched myself open my front door to a set of footprints left by my neighbor who had left before me. As I put my foot into the remnants of their prints, I found myself avoiding the forceful trekking against untouched snow leading me where I needed to go that much faster. As I continued in prayer, I felt this deep impression on my heart that said, “Put your feet where mine have been. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light”. Right then and there I started to weep and cry out in repentance. For too...
by Sam | Dec 24, 2019 | Reflection
As 2019 comes to a close, we as a ministry are celebrating FIVE YEARS! It’s incredible how five years can feel like an instant and eternity at the same time. Since we started, if I’m honest, there were plenty of moments that couldn’t foresee us lasting this long. Sometimes the valley felt too deep, the doubts too heavy, the obstacles too tall, and the wilderness too vast. But yet, to think we’ve made it this far, is truly a testament of God’s faithfulness and goodness. There have been challenges and disappointments along the way, but at the end of the day, He has exceeded our expectations time after time. With that though, however, is the tension that there are still promises and hopes left unfulfilled. We have yet to see all He has said come to pass. Simply put, there’s more. There’s always more! Knowing He has come through for us in the past and knowing we’ve only scratched the surface, the pursuit after Him continues. Reflecting on 2019, it resembles what our entire journey has been like up until now. At least for me personally, I can say that my year had its dazzling heights as well as its fair share of despairing lows. But as always, the nearness of God has been for our good. As a ministry, it wasn’t as dramatic, but we have had some significant changes this past year. One of the greatest changes we had was transition with our team. With tears and love, we said goodbye to Ezra and Janet as well as to Josh for a season. But also we joyfully...
by Sam | Dec 17, 2019 | Teaching
by Josh Kim Growth is the process of committing to become better versions of ourselves everyday. And as followers of Jesus, it’s also about becoming more like Him. Yet because growth doesn’t happen automatically, it must be a core value in our lives. It must be actively and intentionally cultivated through choices we consistently make! Perhaps that is why Apostle Paul describes growth in the Christian life as the “fruits of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23). All to say, we must have a passion to grow. VALUE OF FEEDBACK One of the skill sets or tools that will help us to grow is the practice of feedback. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, feedback is defined as “the transmission of evaluative or corrective information about an action, event, or process.” For many of us, feedback can have a negative connotation because our experiences with feedback are connected to, or associated with, events, relationships, or processes that did not go well. However, when done with wisdom and grace, feedback can be one of the most helpful tools as it helps us better understand our blind spots, how others experience us, our constraints, our strengths, our areas of improvement, our gifts/talents, and more. Read through the book of Proverbs and you’ll see the value and gift of feedback in a person’s life: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15) “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14) “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22)...
