Carwash anyone?

 The holidays are upon us and winter is here. Soon I'm sure we will see our first snow fall. Plow trucks will be out and the roads will be peppered with salt and sand. All of this will make for dirty cars in desperate need of a good wash.  Recently I went through a car wash, you know the kind where you can sit inside the car and go through the various stages.

 First an attendant uses a powerwash to get all the dirt and bugs off the fenders and at the base of the car. Then there is light mist to prewash before the first soaping. Long strands of fabric dangle in the air rubbing the car down as it passes through and then those twirling brushes, followed by multicolored soap, more wiping and a hard rinse, a soft rinse and then the fast blow drying...  Afterwards attendants clean the windows, wipe down the interior and finally vacuum the mats. Once the car makes it back to me, there is a final wipe down of any spots missed and then it's presented.

 Voila, my car looks new again! I almost forgot how nice a shiny black car looks when clean!  I didn't need a new car, I just needed a good wash to uncover the beauty that was already there underneath the gunk which had hardened on the exterior....

 I thought for a moment and it reminded me of the passage in John 13. Verse 10 says 'Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean.'  Did you get that?  Jesus says you are already clean, just your feet need a washing because it has dirtied while walking through this world.

 Sometimes the Lord may take a powerwash to forcefully release the sins that have hardened on our hearts and other times He will bring a soft mist to wet and soften strongholds before washing it gently away.  He uses whichever method he sees fit and sometimes pushes us through a wash cycle...  I can say for sure those powerwashes have been painful as I've walked through seasons of wilderness but looking back I realize why it was needed.

 As we celebrate the one true reason for this season, I hope we remember that He came to shed his blood so that we will be made clean, once and for all eternity!
 Next time you are at the car wash, take a moment to thank Jesus...

 With gratitude from an elder's heart... Michael

“Continue to Hope and Pray!”

Pastor’s Column: Rev. Brian Lee

I briefly mentioned last Sunday about what’s going on in Korea so let me use this column to share my thoughts on all the craziness that’s happening in Korea.
My heart is overwhelmed with grief, anger, and sympathy for my home country even as I write this.
I have never felt such a feeling about Korea regardless of what was happening in Korea over the last 20 years since I left Korea as a 14 year old in 1996. Maybe I was just too young and clueless to understand everything but now God is opening my eyes to see things more clearly.
It’s not a coincidence that I spoke on Nehemiah and Esther to Timothy the past two weeks. Nehemiah wept, fasted and received a calling to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem when he heard about the great trouble and disgrace of his home country (Nehemiah 1:3-4). In Esther chapter 3-4 we read that the Jews are in the verge of annihilation. When Esther was informed of the evil plot, she boldly speaks up by risking everything on the line to save all the Jews.
I heard someone say yesterday that people in Korea have lost smiles on their faces. People are not only in shock or angered by the whole situation, they are lost for HOPE. Who are they supposed to trust? Who has power to restore and set things right when the corruption has taken such a deep root in the government? Who’s going to restore the smiles on people’s faces? We find the same question in Ps 121:1 “I lift up my eyes to the mountains where does my help come from?” In the following verse we find the answer “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Only God can heal, restore and make everything new. I pray and hope that people in Korea will seek God and find Him in this time of difficulty.
Let’s also continue to pray for the nation that we are living in. The election is coming up in two days. Many of might have already voted but let’s continue to lift up this nation and proclaim that God rules over this nation. In hopelessness, the hope of Jesus Christ is magnified. In darkness, the light of the Gospel will shine brighter for the whole world to see. God is calling the church to carry out its calling as a lampstand, the bearer of the light of Jesus. Let’s continue hope and pray!
“We wait in hope for the LORD; HE is our help and our shield. In HIM our hearts rejoice, for we trust in HIS holy name. May your unfailing love be with us Lord as we put our HOPE IN YOU.” (Ps 33:20-22)