by Sam | Nov 3, 2016 | Guest Blogger, Inspiration, Reflection
There’s a song from a modern day prophet that goes a little something like this: “Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake. I shake it off, I shake it off.” I’m pretty sure T-swift was quoting the Bible. And I’m pretty sure those words are more relevant to us than we realize. There’s a story in Acts 18:1-6 about a dude named Paul. You may have heard of him. It says that every Sabbath, Paul was in the synagogues preaching to the Jews and Greeks. He spent ALL his time preaching the Word. And of course, the Jewish peeps oppose and insult him. In response, it says that Paul shook the dust from his clothes. In Matthew 10:14, Jesus sends his disciples out to minister and he tells them, “If anyone does not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet.” Shake off the dust. I love the picture this paints. The implication is that when we live a life of obedience – a life of saying yes to God – there will be difficult moments. That’s pretty much a fact. If you haven’t faced hard things, that means one of two things. Either you’re extremely blessed, or quite possibly you’re playing it too safe. When we begin to say yes to God, there will inevitably be disappointments, failure, rejection, opposition, discouragement, you name it. In other words, there will be dust and we have to learn how to shake it off. If you haven’t faced hard things, quite possibly you’re playing it too safe. Click To Tweet The issue is that there are far too many...
by Sam | Oct 20, 2016 | Inspiration, Reflection
I absolutely love this generation! This generation is full of so many people who are called, gifted, and anointed by the Lord. They are passionate and dream big dreams. They want to be used by God. They also have access to more resources than any other previous generation. Thanks to social media and technology, we can find out what God is doing all over the world. We know what sermons are being preached, what songs are being sung, and what books are being read in an instant. There is something to be said when there are countless videos of worship songs getting millions of views online! So many people, including myself, get inspired and encouraged by these things. Yet the temptation is to just mimic what others are doing expecting the same results. While what God is doing in building a worship culture around the world is both inspiring and powerful, let us not become a generation that is governed by what is trendy rather than what is true. I believe that God is wanting to disciple a generation in authentic worship rather than a generation that’s discipled by just worship culture. Here are some values of what authentic worship looks like. OBEDIENCE OVER SACRIFICE True worship is about obedience unto the Lord. Obedience in even the smallest of things is greater in the sight of the Lord than extravagant expressions of sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). We see this in the life of King Saul. Instead of obeying God, King Saul does what he thinks is best in his own eyes and understanding. He covers up his own pride by spiritualizing...
by Sam | Mar 7, 2016 | Guest Blogger, Inspiration, Reflection
I think most of us, including me, summarize perseverance by the simple mantra: “Don’t give up!” Perseverance is often measured by years, the amount of time invested, the number of sick days not taken. But I think “not-giving-up” can become an easy front. Plenty of people show up to work for years, to their churches and marriages and children for decades, and can look like they’re reliable. Except inside, they’re not there. Plenty of us can quit without physically quitting. We can live this way for years, thinking that “showing up” is enough and we can skate by on the bare minimum. In other words, perseverance is not just staying in, but being in. It’s being present and engaged. It’s not that we don’t have it in us to persevere. It’s that all of us wasn’t in the task at hand. Even a person who gets to the finish-line, who didn’t put their all into it, hasn’t really persevered. I do this, too. I can be there but not there. And I’m learning that being disengaged begins with my expectations. When our plans don’t turn out the way we want to, we tend to check out. Disengagement is a way of protecting ourselves from disappointment. This isn’t to judge anyone, because perseverance is hard. But I think it’s made harder because of the way we’ve been trained. Some of us have bought into an overly romanticized narrative. We get excited and inspired to do stuff, but the second we do stuff, it’s nothing like those first emotions that got us there. Here’s what I mean. I get really inspired...
by Sam | Jan 14, 2016 | Reflection
Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.” – Luke 9:46-48 In the book of Proverbs, the importance of wisdom is highlighted over and over again. There are those who embrace it and become wise, and then there are those who spurn it and become fools. Proverbs then goes ahead and paints a picture of what makes them different. One key difference that is repeated throughout the book is in how they receive correction. Simply put, a wise person will love you if you rebuke him, whereas a foolish person will hate you. Throughout the years of ministry, I have met tremendously talented and gifted leaders, yet what set the good leaders apart from the great ones had little to do with their ability, but their teachability. They are teachable and humble enough to receive. One way character is revealed is how you handle discipline and rebuke… even if it seems unwarranted! Character will take you further than your potential. A generation rescued from suffering and spared from discipline becomes entitled rather than empowered. We actually endanger them rather than encourage them if we do that. Your teachability will take you further than your ability. Click To Tweet In the passage above from Luke, the disciples are arguing on which of them is the greatest. By...
by Sam | Oct 8, 2015 | Inspiration, Reflection
“And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ … And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” — Luke 19:17, 24-26 In the Gospels, Jesus tells the parable of the talents as well as the parable of the minas (text above). Both of them have the same premise: three servants are all entrusted with differing amounts of resources. Two of the three produce a great return, but one of them does absolutely nothing with what he’s been given except in fear, bury it. Many of us have heard this story or are at least familiar with it, but can you imagine what it’s like to be one of those servants? After being given the talents, I would want to know what the instruction is. At least some next practical steps, right? Yet none are given! Okay, so I’ve been given these resources, so what now? You ever ask yourself that question, “What now?“ I often ask myself that question when I’m in a new season or in transition. What do I do now? What should I do now? Yet I believe the answer sometimes is to just use what you already have. Now it takes faith to just go for it....
by Sam | Sep 8, 2015 | Reflection
“People could become better than they are right now by doing one thing: reading! This neglected activity is a pathway to greatness. By reading, people open their minds to be mentored by others whom they may not have the pleasure to meet due to time and space differences. C.S. Lewis, Socrates and Billy Graham are all available to talk when I open a book to listen.” For as long as I can remember, I’ve lived by the maxim, “Readers are leaders.” As corny as that might sound, it is absolutely true. Reading widely has helped me grow as a leader and as a person. In honor of International Literacy Day, here is a look back at the books I read this past summer. The Power of Mentoring – Martin Sanders I first read this book my first year in seminary when I was 22 almost, 7 years ago! At the time I really enjoyed the book, but was not in a place to start implementing what I read. Now that I find myself engaging more intentionally in mentoring relationships, I knew this was the perfect book to go back to especially since Martin Sanders has impacted my personal life. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to mentor or be mentored. Steve Jobs – Walter Isaacson Anyone who knows me, knows that I am an Apple user. So I had to read this book just to find out what made Steve Jobs who he was and what drove him to build a company like Apple. I must say that Jobs is quite the peculiar man, but I found...
by Sam | Aug 25, 2015 | Frontier
In this edition of Pursuit FRONTIER, I do a Q&A with an awesome young man, Brian Li. I first met him a few years ago at a retreat for a college ministry and then reconnected at Living as the Beloved Son. I have always been encouraged by his passion for Jesus and for dancing. He is definitely someone who is taking the Kingdom of God into new frontiers filled with artists and dancers. Check out what he has to say! 1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. My name is Brian Li, currently 24 years old and living in central New Jersey. I work as a software test engineer down in Matawan, NJ, but when I’m not at work, I’m usually either involved in the community of my church GCC (Grace Community Chapel), serving in my dance ministry REACH, or dancing with my other dance team The Society. It’s a pretty busy schedule, so I’m always constantly praying for God to increase my capacity. 2) How did you come to know Christ? I came to know Christ right before going into high school, but as an immature teenager with very worldly things on his mind, I quickly went prodigal once delving into the school year. I had a very hardened heart towards God and I struggled with depression, suicide, and a lot of brokenness in general. It wasn’t until college that I finally let God work in my life and remind me of His unconditional love. As He revealed Himself more and more to me through prayer and Scripture, my faith gradually became less about me and more about Him. One...
by Sam | Jul 28, 2015 | Reflection
You ever hear a song or come back to a location, and then memories start flooding back? Often times for me, it happens outside of my control. In just a moment, I start reciting and recalling everything from that past season. The sights, the smells, the thoughts, the feelings, and sometimes even the wounds. Recently I had an experience just like that. I found myself in a scenario with someone that triggered old feelings and thoughts that I had about myself. These feelings and thoughts were rooted in lies about my worth and my identity. That I was not worth much and that I will always be that way… In life old thought patterns, beliefs, and feelings do try to crawl back even if you’ve overcome them in the past. They have a way of finding you when you are vulnerable, and they intoxicate you with their familiarity. Thinking those thoughts and believing those things feel familiar. So familiar that they masquerade around like truth. Yet just because it feels true, sounds true, looks true, doesn’t make it truth. That’s the prison of familiarity. Just because it’s what we’ve known most of our lives or because it feels familiar, don’t buy into the lie that it’s true. Lies and thoughts we had about ourselves are like a really old pair of shoes. We become comfortable with them. They’ve been broken in and we have grown accustomed to them as well. We have tons of mileage with them and memories as well. They are familiar. But they just absolutely stink! No going back, just throw them out. You have outgrown them no...
by Sam | Jul 15, 2015 | Guest Blogger, Inspiration, Reflection
The Beauty of Grieving by Catherine Cha One of the most valuable things I learned during my years at Alliance Theological Seminary was the discipline of grieving the seasons of my life. I’ve always been prone to melancholy and nostalgia, but never had words to adequately convey or coherently cry out what I was feeling, and why. I never knew what to do about the pulsating weights that would press on my heart and my gut every now and then. I never knew how to dissolve the lumps that would form at the back of my throat, or reverse the downward trajectory of the corners of my lips on those days when all I wanted to do was pout and whimper. I never knew why everyone around me was so happily looking forward to the next day, the next year, the next step, the next change, and I was the only one looking backwards and longing for what once was and never will be again. I never knew that I could grieve these things – these never-again moments – and give them a proper send-off so that I could say “hello” to the new. Learning to grieve the passing seasons of my life – and thus, strangely, becoming more able to celebrate the wonderful and not-so-wonderful days that were flowing by – has made me more self-aware, and more grateful, having more capacity to honor the One who gives them to me in the first place. June 8, 2015, was the 365th day that my daughter Sasha has been with us. On June 9, 2015, she turned 1 year old,...
by Sam | Jul 7, 2015 | Inspiration, Reflection
There have been moments in my life where I reached out to my friends because I was having a hard time. I needed to be around people who were for me and wanted their company, prayers, and encouragement. Now if I only ever reach out to my friends because I need something from them, that friendship will quickly become one-sided, and ultimately go downhill. Imagine if I call my friends to meet, and yet I only talk about how I don’t sense their closeness as much as I did “last time”. How about if I only ask why they aren’t encouraging me more. Or if all I say to them is how I just want more of their friendship… to their face. Isn’t that weird? That is a sure-fire way to end friendships! Yet so often that’s how we approach and seek God. In healthy relationships I seek out friends simply for the sake of friendship. To meet, to catch-up, and ultimately to just be with them. When it comes to friendship with God, I believe it’s exactly the same. Of course there are times when we seek Him because of a need or a want. I have gone to God to hear His voice, to find His leading, to feel His presence, and to even ask for more of Him. As good as those things are, I ultimately want to seek God to simply be with Him for the sake of being with Him. I don’t need a Word from heaven or direction, I don’t need a feeling or even a sense, as much as I need to just be with Him. I...
