by Sam | Apr 13, 2021 | Inspiration, Teaching
by Josh Kim Do you know that you’re called to be a leader? You may not have an official leadership position or title. You may not be the front lead person of an organization. But you are called to lead because leadership is ultimately using your influence to impact the world around you. And whether you realize it or not, you have influence and use it every day within your family, amongst friends, at work, at school, and more. The level of influence looks different for each person but we all have influence in different capacities and in different contexts. We are all called to be leaders. However, as followers of Jesus, we are not only called to be leaders but spiritual leaders. People use influence for all different purposes and agendas. But as followers of Jesus, God gave you a mandate to lead to bring influence and advancement to His kingdom wherever you are and whatever you do. That is the main difference between leadership versus spiritual leadership. And I want to encourage you to embrace the mandate of being a spiritual leader because spiritual leadership is needed in our cultural moment. But before we get specifically into spiritual leadership, let me share further general thoughts on leadership so that we are all on the same page. LEADERSHIP IS INFLUENCE First, leadership is transforming. It’s the ability to lead others and achieve goals to ultimately transform the world around us. Banning Liebscher says, “Leadership is the instrument God uses to draw the greatness out of you and bring change to the world around you.” It’s not an instrument...
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 | 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 3, 2019 | Guest Blogger, Inspiration, Teaching
by Michael Kang Dreams are powerful. A dream can shift a moment, it can even shift history. Sadly, many dreams don’t get the chance of being birthed because of fear, but what I believe is even more sad is when we don’t believe we are allowed to dream! There can be a host of reasons as to why a person doesn’t dream, but one thing I realize a person doesn’t dream is because they are told not to dream. People are told that they have to follow a plan and that is the right thing to do and let me clarify, you and I are to follow the plans of God and build His Kingdom, but what I am believing as I get older is that the Kingdom of God is built on the dreams of the saints who walk with God! We are in a season of church history where I believe God is unleashing His people to dream and the dreams will reveal a unique expression of church which only reveals new facets of God’s glory. Every dream in God is a reflection of a unique display of God’s glory and this is the time we don’t rinse and repeat what was done, but appreciate what has happened as we forge a new era of the Kingdom! To start you off in your dream journey with God, I wanted to go through a brief roadmap of the pitfalls and lessons from the story of Joseph in Genesis. May the unpacking of this story spur you on to contribute into the Kingdom what is already buried deep within...
by Sam | Nov 12, 2019 | Inspiration, Reflection, Teaching
by Samuel Won I love watching movies of all different genres, especially in the theater. There’s just something about experiencing a brand new film on the big screen with immersive sound that gets me every time. I love it so much, that I actually don’t mind going by myself (don’t judge me!). However, when I do go, I don’t watch just any film. It’s usually one that I have been anticipating for a while. I know exactly what I want to watch, and I go for it. Yet, I can’t say the same when it comes to streaming services. Like I said, I love movies, but I feel paralyzed by the plethora of options available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and now Disney+. It’s not because I can’t find anything good, but rather quite the opposite. There’s just too many good films! I don’t know what I want to watch first, as a result, I don’t watch anything at all. Before I know it, I have reverted to watching something familiar like The Office because of my own indecisiveness… Anyone else have a hard time making a decision like me? Now obviously choosing what movie to watch is quite insignificant in the grand scheme of life, but what happens when you need to make a decision for your career or for your family? Many times the reason why decisions are so hard is because it isn’t always black or white nor is it good versus bad. Instead they are tough choices that need to be made between multiple good options that have the potential to change the trajectory of...
by Sam | Nov 5, 2019 | Inspiration, Reflection
by Sam Won “Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.” – John 13:1-5 (NLT) Imagine you are told by God Himself that you only have a few more days left here on earth. Initially it would be quite shocking. Even scary! After this reality sinks in, the next thought would be about how you would spend these precious last days. Would you spend it with loved ones? Maybe mulling over some past regrets trying to make it right? Completing your bucket list? No matter what you do, it can be assumed that these final moments would become defining moments. How you choose to spend these last few days would speak volumes about your life and legacy. In this passage, Jesus comes to that very realization that His end has come near. He is entering the final stretch of His life here on earth. What’s even more interesting is that He has a full understanding of...
