Recent Blog Posts from Pursuit NYC
Oct 8, 2015
“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.... read more
Sep 8, 2015
“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... read more
Aug 25, 2015
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... read more
