by Sam | Aug 11, 2017 | Guest Blogger, Reflection
by Natalie Walker Our wedding was in two days. It was ten o’clock at night, and we had a million things left to do on our checklist. Yet, my fiancé and I found ourselves standing in an aisle at Home Depot debating how much we should spend on a plastic tarp, dishwashing soap, and a garden hose. The need, of course, was urgent. We were picking up supplies to create a slip and slide at our rehearsal dinner. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t entirely confident in our plan. The wedding funds had been spent, and the details for the weekend had all been arranged. My bride’s mind began to play out every worst-case scenario that could possibly go wrong: injuries, scrapes, scratches. I could picture myself walking down the aisle to my groom, only to be met with some kind of freak facial injury because we just had to have that slip and slide. Right about the time I was encouraging my future husband to drop the soap and make a beeline for the door, I stopped to remind myself why we were doing this in the first place. We knew that the ceremony would be sacred, and that the reception would be memorable. But, we also knew that this weekend was our first chance to make a statement about who we were, and who we wanted to be, as a married unit. And, we wanted to be fun. During our engagement, my husband and I came up with a list of five core values that we hoped to prioritize and embody, one of which was fun. It’s not...
by Sam | Jul 5, 2017 | Reflection
written by Josh Kim HEALING ROOM ORIGINS Just two months ago in May, Pursuit NYC launched and hosted our very first Healing Room service where we worshiped in His presence and went after physical, spiritual, emotional, and relational healing. It was an amazing time of worshiping and contending for God’s healing in people’s lives. For us as a team, it was a very special moment because we were finally seeing one of our dreams come to life. When our team was dreaming about Pursuit NYC back in 2013, and everything God wants to do in this region, one of the things on our list of dreams was contending for healing, especially physical healing. We wanted to be passionate about God’s healing because we simply believe that God is Healer (“…for I am the LORD, who heals you.” – Exodus 15:26) and He wants to heal people today. That is the heart behind the Healing Room services – nothing more and nothing less. We believe that God is who He says He is, good and powerful, and He’ll do what He says He’ll do. We believe that God is who He says He is, good & powerful, and He’ll do what He says He’ll do Click To Tweet GOD IS WILLING TO HEAL TODAY There are many people in our lives and in our world who are suffering from all types of diseases, illnesses, and injuries. I, myself, grew up with and still deal with sun-allergies. As I was growing up with this skin condition of being allergic to the sun, I questioned the nature and character of God, particularly...
by Sam | Jun 13, 2017 | Inspiration, Reflection
One Sunday morning at church, I saw a friend whom I hadn’t seen in a quite a bit. All of a sudden, I was overcome with deep compassion for him. I, of course, loved him as a friend and a brother in Christ, but this was unique. As I pressed into what that was, God started speaking to me about him and opening passages from Scripture to describe where he was. Now I had no idea if these verses were relevant or not. I wasn’t sure what was going on in his life, but I decided to just share with him all of these things in faith. As I shared this with him, he had tears well up in his eyes. He responded by saying how spot on everything was and that those Scriptures were ones he had actually been thinking about recently in the past week! We were both in awe of God, and I was tremendously encouraged and thankful to be used by Him in that way. My friend continued and said this moment showed him just how much God loved him, that he wasn’t alone, and that I definitely knew how to hear from the Father. Yet when it comes to my own life and the unknowns that come with it, there are times I feel as though I’ve never heard God before. At all… That I just don’t even know how. How do I even start hearing from God? How do I even know it’s God? Do I really know how to hear from Him? And the questions and doubts go on and on. And...
by Sam | May 31, 2017 | Inspiration, Reflection, Testimony
The other week I had the tremendous honor of preaching at a youth revival in Delaware. It would be my first time doing ministry there and I was really looking forward to it. As the date approached closer, I took some time to seek God on how I could prepare myself for the weekend. Should I spend some time in extended prayer? Should I even fast? That’s when I felt like God said, “No, I don’t want you to fast. I want you to feast.” At first I wondered if that was really God speaking or my own flesh! Because of course, eating is easier than fasting. But a part of me wanted to fast because that was more “spiritual”, which meant a better outcome in ministry (or so I thought). Yet the best thing we can do is obey. So with that in mind, I did what anyone would do in that scenario. I went straight to my iPhone and opened up the app, Yelp! Being totally new to the area, I was hoping to find a spot that would represent “feasting” the best. I stumbled upon a BBQ place deemed the best in all of Delaware according to the Travel Channel. Also the name was so unique, I had to see for myself. Once there, my mentee, Danny, and I asked the owner what we needed to try, and she ordered for us. It was ribs, brisket, kebabs, and more. Truly a feast! As we were enjoying the meal, we started talking to the owner about the restaurant and how they began the business. From there God started...
by Sam | May 2, 2017 | Inspiration, Reflection
“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” — Mark Twain Recently I was catching up with a regional leader on what was next. I had recently transitioned out of my home church into a new season. He asked me what I learned the most while being there. As I tried to think about the last three and a half years, I knew I learned so much, but couldn’t pinpoint one particular thing. That’s when I realized that I wasn’t leaving with just more information or knowledge, but as a fuller version of who God envisioned me to be. I shared that more than what I gained or acquired, I was walking away empowered in my identity and purpose. That my time there was more about who I became than what I learned. This was in stark contrast to my previous experience, which was probably one of the worst times of my life. I saw the dark side of leadership where people’s own agendas and insecurities negatively affect everyone. It was indeed a difficult season, but not a wasted one because I did learn so much. I learned how to submit and to honor. In retrospect, I can honestly say that it were the bad leaders who taught me the most about leadership. They taught me what not to do, whereas great leaders didn’t necessarily teach me how to be a better leader, instead they helped me become my best self. Isn’t that what true leadership should be about?...
by Sam | Apr 18, 2017 | Inspiration, Reflection
It had been seven long, grueling seasons in the NBA. Though this player was known for his abilities and athleticism, it had yet to have translated into a championship. He endured a serious injury early on in his career that made him miss practically a whole season. And lately many wondered if he could hold up physically from taking such a beating on the basketball court. There seemed to be a ceiling of how far he could lead his team. Critics and fans alike started to question him as a player. As a leader. Was he too selfish? Did he have what it takes? Can he actually get the job done? Now the athlete we are talking about is Michael Jordan, who many consider to be the GOAT (greatest of all time). Once his NBA playing days were all said and done, he would have won six championships as well as numerous other feats that would set him apart as an iconic figure in not only sports but pop culture. Yet if we judged him only halfway through his career, it would not capture the fullness of his legacy and greatness that was to come. The truth is God is not finished with you yet. The Bible says that He is the Author and Perfecter of our faiths (Hebrews 12:2). The good work He started in you, He will complete (Philippians 1:6)! Yet as human beings bound by time, it is hard for us to see beyond our past and our present circumstances. We wonder if the promises God has for us will ever come to pass. We think...
