by Sam | Jul 31, 2018 | Reflection, Testimony
God has been moving powerfully thus far in 2018! In faith and obedience we have launched different projects and endeavors this year while continuing what we’ve been contending for. As we are already underway in the second half of 2018, we wanted to take time to reflect on the past 6 months. Remembering is one of the key disciplines of faith and one we value greatly. Psalm 105:5 in the NLT says, “Remember the wonders He has performed, His miracles, and the rulings He has given…” We wanted to share with you several testimonies that recall, recount, and remember what He has already done so far this year. More than giving an update from our end, we wanted to share testimonies from our fellow brothers, sisters, leaders, and friends throughout the region. With gratitude, it’s an honor to share them with you. Glory to God! In my dry season of waiting and being uncertain about the future, all I wanted was a personal encounter with the living God. It wasn’t that I couldn’t be in God’s presence in my personal devotion time or that God only speaks to me through large events, but I was just hungry and thirsty for something more. Honestly, I needed some spiritual help, so I drove 3 hours to Pursuit’s July Gathering in hopes that God would do something new in my life with a body of believers who also hunger to see God move like never before. “What can you offer to God” were the words spoken by the praise leader as we started worship. I hadn’t been serving at church at the...
by Sam | Jul 10, 2018 | Inspiration, Reflection
by Kevin Kim “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:13-16 (The Sermon on the Mount is arguably the greatest sermon ever given in history… so many messages have come from it including this blog post! So much depth in God’s word…) “You are the salt of the earth.” I’m sure by now everyone has been called salty at one point, but not in the way Jesus called us… so what does it mean to be salt? Salt is a seasoning – this is my favorite aspect of salt. A common way that salt is used is to add flavor to something, but another thing salt does is bring out the flavor of something. One of the weirdest encounters I’ve had with salt was when my friends told me that putting salt in chocolate milk would actually make it sweeter. I didn’t believe them so I never tried it, but that statement would haunt me from time to time. I finally decided to do some research… Through my thorough research (on...
by Sam | May 1, 2018 | Reflection, Testimony
Couple weeks ago, Kevin, Josh, and myself (Sam) had the tremendous privilege of going to Bethel’s Leaders Advance. We all made sacrifices and took time off from school and work to attend this leadership conference. Although it was our first time there, we all agreed this wouldn’t be our last! There were hundreds and hundreds of leaders there from literally all over the world. There were over over 30 nations represented at this conference alone! Wow! There were so many highlights for me personally on this trip. Being able to meet leaders from different parts of the world is always so interesting and expands my horizon each time. Also there was a level of excellence and honor that Bethel stewards so well that inspired me to pursue after them even more. I also had the tremendous honor of sitting down with couple of Bethel’s pastors during my time there. Their encouragement, acceptance, and wisdom definitely left an impact. I really felt like I left this conference with a special deposit from the Lord. It was already at work on our flight back home when God supernaturally healed a man at the airport. Praise God! Along with my brief update and recap, I’ve also asked Josh and Kevin to share about their experience as well. JOSH KIM Heading to Bethel Church for the Leaders Advance, I was feeling burnt out, stuck, stagnant, and complacent in ministry, and also just personally. So my expectations for the conference was to be inspired, encouraged, and motivated to keep growing as a leader, go deeper with God, and rekindle the passion in my heart...
by Sam | Apr 17, 2018 | Inspiration, Reflection
“People lose their way when they lose their why.” – Michael Hyatt Whether it’s a new project, a new job, or a new semester, the first great challenge anyone faces is in just getting started. Once that first step is taken, it can be exhilarating and life-giving. Filled with conviction and a sense of calling, people are eager to begin in faith. It’s risky, but worth it. There’s a satisfaction that comes from just beginning a good work. Yet what I noticed is that while many of us can overcome that first challenge of simply beginning, we are often not ready to handle an even greater obstacle of sticking it through. I remember when I first started Pursuit NYC. It was risky, it was scary, but I was excited to start and pioneer something new. The timing felt right and there was a strong sense of calling from God. During this season God spoke clearly about what I was supposed to do. After much prayer, I shared what was on my heart with many trusted friends and leaders, who all affirmed what I was sensing. It was time! I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but God was leading and I was so fired up! There’s nothing like seeing the dreaming stage of the process start to come to life before your eyes. I overcame the challenge of starting by taking the first step. As anyone who has every started anything knows, it’s not all sunshines and flowers afterwards. I had a head on collision with a mix of unforeseen circumstances, challenges, and struggles that made me question why...
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 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...
