I had the privilege of attending the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, GA last Wednesday to Friday. This is a conference for all Christian leaders so you can imagine how many pastors were there along with small group leaders, Sunday school teachers, Elders, Deacons, and etc. The last time I went to this conference was back in 2009 when I was living in Raleigh, NC. I chose not to fly but rather drive 10 hours down. Unlike a lot of people, I enjoy long road trips. I love being in a car and on the road (unless there’s traffic) and just take in the sights along the way. Since I chose to drive down, I had the chance to visit the church I served at in Raleigh and meet up with some of my former youth who are now in college. It was really nice to see how much they’ve grown spiritually. I also had the chance to visit my parent’s house and have dinner with them. I think it’s been around 5 years (?) since I’ve been “home.” I have to say that my mom’s mandoo is still the best in the world.
When I finally arrived at the conference, I was deeply challenged and inspired by the opening session. The speaker was Andy Stanley, who is one of my favorite pastors. In fact, when I was there in 2009, I actually got a chance to talk with him as he signed the book that I bought. It was one of the coolest moments of my life. In the opening session, he was talking about how we as leaders need to stir and disturb the imaginations of the people we lead and awaken the wonder within them.
How many ideas have been shot down not just at church but anywhere because it was “new” and unfamiliar? At times, it’s easy for leaders to say no to an idea because we don’t understand it, but sticking with only what’s familiar is how we become stagnant. If you think about it, stirring up and disturbing the imaginations of the people is exactly what Jesus did. Isn’t that why the Pharisees hated him so much? He did not fit into their religious box. Isn’t that why so many people were following him? No one had met someone like Jesus, who taught the way Jesus did. They were amazed at his teaching. He awakened the wonder of the people.
 Maybe a reason why we try to stay clear from new ideas, is that wonder can be as threatening and disruptive as it can be inspiring. New ideas mean disrupting the norm or the tradition of doing things. We use phrases like “it’s always been this way.” New ideas can be scary because it pulls us away from our comfort zone and puts us in unfamiliar territory. As leaders, we should embrace the unknown. We should encourage new ideas. New ideas have the potential to inspire people and to awaken the wonder within us. Think of all the innovation that is around us. I just read the other day that Japan has now invented a train that goes 1 mile in 10 seconds! It floats on magnets so it has frictionless motion. This allows the train to go really fast reaching speeds up to 374 mph. To put things into perspective, it can go from NY to DC in about 35 minutes.
Ideas like this came to fruition because of thinking outside the box; by thinking outside of “how it’s always been done.” Imagine what can be done if we think outside the box and step into the unknown at church. Let’s not get stuck on doing things the same way just because that’s how it’s always been done. Let’s open ourselves to new ideas and see how God leads us. As a church, let’s start to be a people of wonder.

From Pastor Eugene’s Heart
October 18, 2015

A wise, modern-day philosopher once said in a song “thirty is the new twenty”.  I’ve heard people say that our age is like wine, the older we get the “finer” we are.  I turned thirty a week ago and I hate these two statements.  Thirty is the new twenty?  Really?  I get tired, cold, angry, and gain weight a lot quicker now than a decade ago.  Fine wine?  Mm well, I have more wrinkles, white hairs, creaky bones, and more injury prone than I was a decade ago.  Wrong again.  All things point to the fact that things become worse as you age.  But at the end of the day, I am not depressed or hopeless, I promise!  In fact, despite the physical decay of my body, on my 30th birthday, there was an extra skip to my spiritual step and hopeful expectation as I thought of the near and far future.  Here is why.
A few months approaching my third decade of life, I found myself incredibly introspective.  I began to analyze (probably over-analyze) everything about me.  Self-awareness has always been my strength.  Ask my friends, I’d be the first to admit my weaknesses.  But something about this birthday made me delve even further to me studying me.  At first, it was admittedly depressing.  For the first time in a while, I could FEEL my age.  I also recalled my hopes/dreams as an 18 year old and realized that more than half the things I wanted to accomplish were still on my to-do list.   But one moment, or weekend, changed everything.
Last weekend, a few guys and I took a weekend trip to New York to celebrate my birthday.  During a dinner, eight of us sat around a table at a traditional Italian restaurant in West Village and caught up on married life (or lack thereof), sports, and everything in between.  As the appetizers were placed on our table, we asked the eldest of the table to bless the meal.  As he prayed, tears began to well in my eyes as I looked at the faces of the men around me.  These were my brothers, life-long friends whom I could call upon at any moment in times of need (as long as their kids were not sick or wives not angry with them=D).  These brothers would pray for me, speak truth in love, laugh, cry, be couch potatoes…. anything with me.  What I experienced at that moment was overwhelming gratitude and I knew it was the Holy Spirit.  What became tangibly real at that moment is something that I often talk and preach about; it’s all about relationships.  It really is, isn’t it?  I believe with my whole heart that God gave us brothers and sisters in Christ, wives, husbands, children, friends, co-workers, whatever relationship you have in your life, to point to a God who is always with us and will never leave us nor forsake us.  Sitting around that table, it didn’t matter how old I was or what I’ve accomplished in life.  It was a gentle-whisper reminder that my Father in heaven always has my back.  If these sinful man can lead me to this conclusion, how much more the promise of a perfect God to be with you and who will never fail.  I pray that you have people in your life that lead you to higher, wider, and deeper praise to the Lord who is worthy of it all.
It was an amazing time that filled me with joy and hope.  Just if you were wondering, I didn’t cry nor do I ever because I’m a thirty-year-old man.  Now stop reading and pay attention to my sermon.

From Pastor Keeyoung’s Heart
October 11, 2015