by Sam | Apr 3, 2018 | Inspiration, Reflection
“To love involves trusting the beloved beyond the evidence, even against much evidence. No man is our friend who believes in our good intentions only when they are proved. No man is our friend who will not be very slow to accept evidence against them. Such confidence, between one man and another, is in fact almost universally praised as a moral beauty, not blamed as a logical error. And the suspicious man is blamed for a meanness of character, not admired for the excellence of his logic… You are no longer faced with an argument which demands your assent, but with a Person who demands your confidence.” – CS Lewis Even though I’ve been a Christian my entire adult life, there are times I am filled with doubt or frustration when it comes to my relationship with God. Many times it’s self-inflicted bouts with knowing whether or not I can hear God’s voice or if I know how to walk with Him. There are moments when I can hear God so clearly, and then other times where I’m unsure if what I’m sensing is me, God, or the pizza I had… In those moments I find that I am so critical in my ability to have faith. Yet faith is never the byproduct of striving or performing, but yielding. Yielding to who He is and who He has been in our lives. Great faith is the product of God’s even greater faithfulness. I have to learn to trust in Him, but also in my relationship with Him. To put all my eggs in the basket that is my history...
by Sam | Mar 20, 2018 | Events, Inspiration
by Danny Kang “Wait. Wait a little longer…” I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I heard this. “Just wait.” Growing up, I would hear it from my mom whenever I asked her for a taste of what she was cooking. I still hear it from her occasionally. I would hear it from my friends whenever I was impatiently waiting for my turn to get next on the basketball court. I would hear it from my teachers whenever I would pack my bags, ready to leave before the class was finished. Recently, I began to hear it again. This time, from leaders / mentors in my life, and also from God. When I first got back home after spending 6 months training and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with hundreds, maybe thousands, throughout Southeast Asia, I was desperate to see the same move of God in the U.S. I couldn’t wait till I got a chance to preach in front of hundreds. I couldn’t wait to see people encounter Jesus and have their lives transformed, just as people did in Southeast Asia. I couldn’t wait till I got to see the dreams and visions God has given me unfold before my very eyes! Anyone else ever felt that way? But that’s when I heard it again. “Wait.” There was this urgency in my heart that made me want to go gather a crowd so that I could share with them the message that was in my heart, but I kept hearing it again: wait. And instead of a crowd, God would give me two youth...
by Sam | Mar 6, 2018 | Inspiration, Reflection
I believe with all my heart that every single one of us has been called to greatness and significance. Not that we find that on our own or in this world, but in who we are as children of God. When we come to grips with just how insignificant we are, we are then qualified to encounter our true and eternal significance in Christ. Also as it says in Scripture, I believe as Christians we go from glory to glory. Yet that path is paved on the roads of trials and the mundane. It’s when we journey on that very road that prepares us to steward the next “glory”. As human beings we tend to gravitate towards greatness and amazing. I think that’s normal because that’s what we were created for! Yet the issue today is in our demand for it right now and without any costs. If I’m honest, I fight the temptation to make everything I do for God grand and spectacular because if it isn’t, it’s a failure. My sermon either has to be the best I’ve ever preached or it’s awful. The event I plan has to have tons of people come or else why bother. Why can’t something just be what it is without having to be spectacular? There’s this mindset and pressure to make something more than it is. To be epic. To be monumental. To be grand and great. You are the BE-loved, not the “DO-this-then-you’re-loved” Click To Tweet For many believers, much of that has to do with wanting to prove our love for God or wanting God to prove His...
by Sam | Feb 20, 2018 | Inspiration, Reflection
One of the greatest joys and highest honors I have is being able to travel and speak. I’ll never forget the first time I got to preach at a Gospel camp for youth. It was the summer of 2007 in Upstate NY. My pastor was invited as the main speaker, and I accompanied him to help in anyway I could. To my surprise (and that youth ministry’s dismay) he said he wanted me to preach at couple of the main sessions. It was truly humbling, and the beginning of what God would do in the years to come. Fast forward to this past summer, and I received an invitation to speak at a youth conference out of the blue. The opportunity came because of what happened almost ten years ago at that very first camp. I hadn’t really stayed in touch with anyone from there, and I don’t remember what I preached either (and probably for the better!). Not long after that, another invitation came because I helped a high school’s Christian club years earlier as well. Within a matter of days, invitations to speak came that could be traced back to those moments I chose to be steadfast and to serve without an agenda. God’s 'suddenlies' are always predicated by perseverance. Click To Tweet Being faithful and available over the LONG HAUL has opened more doors than networking and self-promoting. Faithfulness might seem painful in the moment, but it always comes with greater returns when you don’t quit. If you’re looking for quick breakthroughs and doors opening suddenly, this isn’t for you. But newsflash, there are no such...
by Sam | Feb 13, 2018 | Guest Blogger, Inspiration
The first time I felt proud to be a black woman was when I lived with three other black suitemates during my sophomore year in college who celebrated and shared their West Indian and Nigerian culture, food, and heritage with me. As sisters in Christ, we would worship, sing praise songs, and discuss theology on the same night we would joyfully dance to Caribbean and African beats, share hair products, and talk about the latest rap song. It was a beautiful marrying of cultures and experiences that made me feel like I had returned home to a forgotten motherland. I felt proud to say that I was black, female, and created in the image of God; for the first time in my life, I had real sisterhood. Yet in that same season, I was reminded that every aspect of who I am as person was still dishonored, ignored, or disbelieved in our society. That semester, we wept when we heard the news about Tamir Rice being killed while playing in a park and worried about the future of our brothers and children; we were heartbroken at the ignorance and casual racism within our fellowship we had experienced from our white and Asian American brothers and sisters in Christ; we joined in solidarity with those who marched after Eric Garner’s killer wasn’t indicted; we shared stories of the sexism and misogynoir we experienced from those who claimed to be our brothers in Christ. We were bonded by our sisterhood and our pain, and that is at the core of how it feels to be black in America, especially as a...
by Sam | Jan 22, 2018 | Reflection
One of the common threads you see in the calling of God is that it’s impossible. Not “impossible” as in a figure of speech like “it’s really, really hard, but it can still be done”, but literally impossible. How can an exiled murderer lead a people who have been enslaved for four centuries through a sea into the Promised Land? How can a young shepherd boy turned fugitive on the run become king? How can an unmarried, virgin girl give birth to the Son of God? Impossible! But God called them to it. That should tell us that God isn’t interested in calling people who can do what He asks, but those who are available and will “yes” no matter the cost. The old adage is that God doesn’t call the qualified, but rather He qualifies the called. God will always call you beyond what you’re qualified for and what you can do in the natural. Not so you can strive and perform and qualify yourself, but to make you seek the supernatural God. God doesn't call the qualified, but qualifies those He calls. Click To Tweet God gives you an impossible call because that’s what drives us to our knees. Our natural can never fulfill a supernatural call. Since it’s supernatural, it demands intervention and involvement of a supernatural God. Thankfully His Word says that nothing is impossible for Him! (Matthew 19:26; Luke 1:37) He gives us an impossible call so that He can do the impossible on our behalf. God doesn’t call us because He needs a task to be done, but rather because He wants to...
by Sam | Jan 5, 2018 | Guest Blogger, Inspiration
I once heard that after their formal education and college years, the average adult does not pick up another book. And if they do, it is just a fraction of that minority that actually finishes a book. Mark Twain keenly noted, “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” Elsewhere I heard Jim Rohn remark on stage that only three percent of adults in the U.S. own a library card. A mere three percent! Can you imagine? Which is why I suppose the Christian real estate billionaire Peter J. Daniels observed, “Never before have the libraries of the world been so full, and never before have they been so empty.” 'The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.' - Mark Twain Click To Tweet The last verse of the Gospel of John (John 21:25) still leaves me flabbergasted, years after I first read it. No doubt when my time on Earth comes to an end and my new life begins, you will find me perusing through God’s library (good thing I’ll have eternity to do it!) In fact, I hope God’s current librarian plans on retiring when I get there, so I can fill those wings. I am a voracious reader. I picked up the habit of reading books (cover to cover) in my early 20s, because I had many mentors encourage me to. In reading I found even more mentors, and I expanded my awareness, thinking, and consciousness through swimming across a wide ocean of subjects – psychology, philosophy, personal and professional development, leadership,...
by Sam | Dec 21, 2017 | Reflection
Wow, what a year! 2017 truly was a year of breakthrough for us individually and as a ministry. Definitely one of the most significant times for our young ministry. God really did what only He could do. Glory to God! These past twelve months we saw God open doors, bring increase, and take us deeper in His presence. It’s a joy to recap some of the highlights with you of what God has done… LEADERSHIP TEAM One of the biggest steps forward for us was officially establishing a leadership team. Every person on the team has been a big part of the ministry, but we decided to increase our level of commitment by serving in this capacity. It’s been a joy to see the team move and minister together as one. Who said ministry had to be boring or lonely? We really have a special group right here! Our heart so far has been to develop a Kingdom culture and to build covenant as a family. It definitely has shifted the atmosphere of the ministry and the fruit is evident in every time we get together. (Our team from left to right – Jay, Sam, Kevin, Josh, Danny, and Janet.) PARTNERSHIPS Our heart from the beginning has been to work in tandem with local churches and other ministries in the area. We believe wholeheartedly that revival will only come when ministries shift from competition to collaboration. Too often our focus has been in growing “my” ministry instead of reaching our community. Revival only happens in unity. This year has been no different for us as we have partnered with...
by Sam | Dec 4, 2017 | Inspiration, Reflection
“In winter, are the trees bare? Yes. In winter, are the trees barren? No.” – Alicia Britt Chole This past Saturday I woke up in the middle of Upstate New York to a chilly 24 degrees. I had driven almost three hours to be there to minister at a young adult retreat. It had been a busy season of traveling and events. And it was already the last month of the year. Somehow December had snuck up on us. It didn’t feel like it at all, but it was on full display that day with frost all around. There was a heaviness in the frigid air and a dreariness that only winter brings. I have a love/hate relationship with winter. I love the holidays, but find the cold to be miserable. Snow can be enchanting, but who really enjoys shoveling? But that’s the thing about seasons. It always comes with both the negative and the positive. When it comes to the seasons of life, there is a positive to find even in winter seasons of the soul. Much of my journey the last few years has been learning to embrace the process. But recently God has been teaching me how to take the next step beyond embracing the process to actually enjoying it. Winter shows us that God isn’t in a hurry or ever in a rush to bring forth new life. In mercy He brings a divine slowness that saves us from our hectic busyness. He has a time and purpose in all that He does. So why not enjoy it? He brings a divine slowness that saves...
by Sam | Oct 17, 2017 | Guest Blogger, Reflection
by Andrew Min The essential vice of man through history has been to please himself, to bring himself joy, to accomplish his own will, to receive his own glory. But when a person meets Jesus, everything changes; the Holy Spirit breathes a miracle into their soul, the curious reorientation of their entire life, turning it upside down. In the heart of a Christian, God plants a simple, small desire, a quiet Voice, that says, “I want to serve You, God. I want to do something meaningful for You. I want to do what makes my Father happy.” Your life is no longer about loving the things that that bring yourself pleasure, but to bring pleasure to the One you love. Surrender is no longer a reluctant yielding, but a joyful offering. It’s the upside down, backwards nature of true love, the beautiful foolishness of carrying the cross. It’s extraordinary. It’s silly. It’s divine. And the worldwide Kingdom revolution is going to begin with this holy desire. But I’m frustrated by the idolatry we practice as believers toward the position of pastor. I feel like a subtle lie persistently influences our church world, a thought that most of us would never explicitly agree with yet somehow continue to propagate: a person’s love for God is measured by their involvement in church. When you first start loving God, you become a greeter for Sunday service; and then when your love for God grows, you become a small group leader; and then if you’re really passionate about Jesus, you’ll be a volunteer staff to give announcements and plan events; and one day,...
