This past week, I said goodbye to one of my good friends as he moved on to the next chapter in his life.  Ok that sounds kinda morbid like he died but actually he just moved to Kansas City.  You guys know him as Pastor Keeyoung.
In the past, I used to have a lot of trouble dealing with change.  When I was younger, I never wanted to go far away from home and I always got upset whenever one of my friends moved away.  In fact, when I first moved to Maryland from NJ, I used to go back to the land of pizza and bagels at least once, sometimes even twice once a month just so I could see my friends again.  I tried convincing my parents to send me to Rutgers University, the equivalent of 13th grade in NJ, so I could stay close to home instead of going to UVA which seemed millions of miles away.  (In hindsight, that decision turned out ok… hehe hi, Mina!  I guess parents are right sometimes)
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve either grown more accustomed to change or just accepted it as a part of life.  There are moments it still hits me, like when I look at my oldest son, Josiah, and realize he’s about to turn 4.  I remember when he was born and looked like an alien and couldn’t do anything for himself.  Now he comes into my bedroom and tells me my breath smells.  Even Connor pushes me out of the way when I try to hug him sometimes.  They have become toddler teenagers already.
But change is a part of life.  And one of the reasons I’ve come to accept change better is because I recognize that it’s a necessary part of growth.  Particularly as a pastor of the young adult group, I’ve seen so many people come and go to our church the past few years as part of obedience to the Lord.  And while selfishly, I’ve always wanted them to stick around, I know that their leaving is part of God’s plan for their life.  God has always done the same thing; whether it’s Abraham’s obedience in leaving Harran, Paul’s obedience in going all over Europe and Asia, God is constantly calling many of us to go.  This is not to say that staying somewhere is disobedience to God – in fact, staying somewhere is a calling itself and sometimes even more difficult to obey!  But the truth is, staying or going are decisions mature men and women of faith need to deal with at periods of transition.  By ignoring the tugging at our hearts or the wrestling we need to do with the Lord, we are simply putting our heads in the sand and not living out the full lives that Jesus died to give us, lives worthy of the calling we have received (Ephesians 4:1).
So, even as I said goodbye to my friend, my heart was filled with more joy and excitement than sadness.  I have no claim on his life, on his future any more than I do on any of your lives.  We all belong to the Lord and our tomorrows are His.  How can we say no to the One who always says yes to us?  He has our future in His hands, and if we say He’s a good good Father, then why wouldn’t we obey Him?  Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  As Deuteronomy 31:8 states, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”  So I won’t.
Though there will be an empty space on my couch where Keeyoung used to take naps, I’m at peace knowing that he’s gone because God said to go.  Besides, now Frank can fully stretch out on the couch without worrying about kicking Keeyoung’s head.  By the way, Frank, you’re not allowed to move anywhere.

From Pastor David’s Heart
January 17, 2016

“A few more minutes, Dad!” was the groggy response I heard back as I tried to wake my 2 older boys. With the start of the New Year, I have asked Caleb and Caden to commit to waking up early with me to do bible reading and devotionals before they head off to school (in the past, we had read the bible together before bedtime). With Old Man Winter finally arriving, the lure to stay a little longer in a warm and cozy bed is very inviting. Lately, God has placed on my heart the hope and prayer to see the next generation raised up, a creative and passionate generation who would be willing to take steps of faith and at the same time persevere when the going gets tough!
Working with the younger generation can be very capricious at times (just ask any parent)! There are days when you scratch your head and wonder if any change will come about. But I was reminded of God’s goodness and faithfulness in the midst of our perseverance through a Facebook message I received a few months into our Home Assignment here in the U.S. Over ten years ago when I was still a single man, working as a civil engineer, God had given me the privilege to meet up and disciple a group of students at the University of Maryland.  Week after week for about four years, I would commute to campus right after getting off work, and lead a bible study with this group of young men in their dorm room. After they graduated, we parted ways and I didn’t feel like much really resulted from my efforts.
A couple months ago I received a Facebook message from one of the young men in that group. All he wrote was, “Thanks for making those long commutes out to College Park, Dave!” And right under the message was a link to a testimony he wrote for a Christian website. You have to understand that he was the only non-Christian in the group at that time. In fact, he shared in his testimony that he was furious when confronted with the existence of hell and the exclusivity of Jesus as Savior and Lord in one of our bible studies. He even exclaimed that he would rather be in hell than believe in our kind of God. But along his spiritual journey, he came to believe in Jesus Christ by God’s grace through the Alpha Course in a local church, and is now currently a fourth year graduate student at Westminster Theological Seminary preparing to be a pastor.
So what is the point of sharing this story? Sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with the younger generation is not always easy. Ministering to and discipling the next generation is not always effortless. Many times we may not see any immediate results or fruit either. Yet, the bible says, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58).
With the recent Timothy Retreat, it was quite encouraging to see so many young adults be small group counselors – to listen, to love, to pray, and to pour into the lives of the Timothy students. As a church, may we recognize the need for inter-generational ministry, and learn to cherish and invest in the next generation with perseverance!

From Pastor Dave’s Heart
January 10, 2016