Remember the story that I shared last Sunday about my soccer tryouts? It was probably one of the most embarrassing memories I can recall during my high school years other than all the silly mistakes I made not knowing much English. As I was preparing my sermon, God brought up this shameful memory and highlighted an area that I overlooked because I was so caught up in not making the team. So even after I told the story on Sunday, I couldn’t shake off the thought of appreciation and love for my brother. Now that I think back, I should have told my brother how much I appreciated his loving and courageous act that he showed on that day. Can’t believe my brother, as a teenager himself, decided to come run with me for another mile or two after he finished the five mile run. I honestly don’t think I would have done that for my brother. Although I love him very much, I would have been very embarrassed of him and would not have had the courage to run out to finish the race together. No wonder I’m the younger brother!
Many of you may not know my brother Jacob. He is only two years older than me so we basically grew up together going to arcades, playing sports and even getting in trouble together in our early teenage years. When I was in 4th grade, I got in trouble with some older bullies in my school because I stood up against them. They threatened to beat me up after school for what I did. So that day my brother, along with some of his friends came out and protected me from those bullies. It sounds so silly now but it mattered greatly then because I was so scared that something might happen to me. Another memory that I have is when we got into big trouble because we stole something and lied to our dad. Long story short, my brother took everything on himself and kept me from getting a good “spanking” from my dad for what we did together. We lived in a house with two rooms at that time and I remember that in one of the rooms, my brother was being disciplined and in the other room, I was crying because of what my brother did for me. There are many more stories I can share but due to limited space I can’t. Just wanted to share that my brother has been there for me all along and I truly honor and love him for being such a wonderful brother to me.
Please understand that I’m not trying to brag about my family and how blessed I am. I shared about my brother because his love helped me to understand how Jesus loves and cares for me. And what I want to ask is that we need to practice such love toward one another in the context of church communities as well. We have been brought together as a family through the wonderful work of Jesus Christ.
There is a story of friends who brought a paralytic to Jesus in Luke 5. These men must have had a great desire (love) to see a paralytic get healed so they went out of their way to make sure that he is seen by Jesus. When they could not get through the crowd, the friends went on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. What a wonderful picture of how a faith community can be! These men didn’t care about what others thought of them. They were willing to do whatever it takes to bring their friend to Jesus. How many of us will go out of our way to help and minister to a brother or sister in our community? And how far will you go to bring someone to Christ? I just love how the bible describes that the paralytic was brought “right in front of Jesus.” There might be people in your life that you want to bring to Christ. What are you willing to do and how far will you go to bring that person “right in front of Jesus?” Something to think about…
BTW, my sister (Jenna) who might be reading this right now may feel left out that I didn’t write anything about her. I will do that in my next column!
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
February 21, 2016
Timothy is leaving for the retreat today. We have not had our own youth group retreat since last winter retreat. So many kids and counselors are looking forward to spending the next three days at the Skycroft Retreat Center. We have a total of 116 kids, 29 counselors, 3 parent volunteers and 3 pastors signed up. These numbers are so special because we have been praying for God to move the hearts of many students to attend the retreat. Thank God for answering our prayers! Praise the Lord!
One of the first questions I like to ask students and counselors at the first small group is about their expectation of the retreat. Many come with an expectation to be challenged and renewed but we always have a few who reluctantly gave in their parents’ request. To me, I really don’t mind whether the students came willingly or reluctantly because I know that God has a special plan for each student and He will do amazing work that I can’t even imagine of with my limited human mind. There is just something about the retreat atmosphere that makes it very hard for people to resist God. So I trust in God that He will accomplish His good plan that He has in stored for this retreat.
Our theme this year is “Giants are birthed out of Intimate Places”. There is no short-cut or an easy way when it comes to becoming a Giant for the Kingdom of God. It’s not the talent or the “gift” that a person has that make him/her a giant. Giants are made through a process of life through personal and intimate places, and many times through difficult trials. Joseph went through so many trials as a young man however, he remained faithful to God and God used him to save many people’s lives. David was trained at a young age to tend his sheep not knowing that he was gonna be a king one day. When he was faithful to carry out his daily duties of life as a young shepherd boy, God anointed and used him to shepherd His people.
I believe God is going to raise up many young men and women of NCFC to become heroes of faith who will impact the world with the power and the love of Jesus Christ. Someone once said it takes a village to raise up a leader. I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. As parents, friends, mentors, brothers and sisters we need to respond to God’s calling to intercede and jump in this together! So I ask you, the church, to join me in praying for the Timothy and the counselors. Please pray that both youth and the young adults will encounter God in a very personal and special way. Pray also that their hearts will be stirred up to rediscover their love for Jesus!
Lastly, I want to give an important tip to the visitors. We always welcome visitors to come and pray for us, but we LOVE visitors who bring things to make our tummies feel good. Just saying…=)
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
December 27, 2015
As Reina is getting older I am often faced with challenging questions that leads to meaningful conversations with her. Reina had a Halloween party scheduled on Friday at her school and we didn’t let her stay for the party because we don’t celebrate Halloween. So on our way back home from picking her up early from school Reina was telling me how the party is not anything scary or weird but just eating yummy treats and having fun. She was definitely disappointed that she was missing a good party. So I had to explain why we don’t celebrate Halloween and that I will make sure that she has more fun and better food at Fall Festival. I’m sure I will have to remind her and make sure that she fully understands as she gets older. For parents who are dealing with same issues, here is helpful information that we used to give out to the congregation.
NCFC does not believe that Christians should participate in the celebration of Halloween due to its origin and practices, which are contrary to the teachings of the Bible.
The custom of Halloween is traced to the Druid festival of the dead around 100 A.D. Samhain, a Druid god of the dead, was honored at Halloween in Britain, France, and the Celtic countries. Druids believed that souls of the dead returned to their former homes to be entertained by the living. Bonfires were built atop hills so they might find their way. Suitable food and shelter was provided for these spirits(“treat”) or else they would cast spells, cause havoc, destroy crops, or create terror as they haunted the living (“trick”). Many witches and Satan worshippers gather to continue the traditional practice of worshipping evil spirits on Halloween day even today.
When children dress up and knock on doors and ask for treats, they are mimicking the dead! The Bible instructs us to have nothing to do with the occult practices, the deeds of darkness (Deuteronomy 18:10-11). Some may say, “but we only do this for fun... we don’t practice witchcraft.” That which represents Satan and his domain cannot be handled or emulated “for fun”. Such participation places the participant in the forbidden enemy territory.
That is why NCFC insists on having our Fall Festival on Halloween night. We do not just tell our children not to participate in Halloween, but we offer them an exciting alternative to celebrate life and the Giver of Life, not death. So I hope you brought your entire family to this wonderful family event, and showed your support. If you missed it this year, make sure to plan ahead so you can attend next year. You will have so much fun, and your children will love you for it!
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
November 1, 2015
It’s that time of the year again!
I hope everyone took advantage of the tax free week to get ready for the new school year. I usually don’t enjoy this time of year because of so many back to schools meetings I have to attend. As a pastor I should enjoy meeting and getting to know new people but I honestly don’t enjoy it that much due to my personality as an introvert. So whenever I attend my kids’ school events or go to their friends’ b’day parties, I usually sit in the corner and stare at my phone the whole time. However, when it comes to ministry I can’t hide my face and sit in the corner anymore because I need to actively reach out to parents and students. I really enjoy ministry but meeting new people is always a big challenge for me. Pray for me! ^^
Promiseland and Timothy ministries will have our back to school meeting today after service. We are going through so many changes as a church so make sure to come to be informed of those changes and meet our new ministry partners. Although changes are not always welcomed by many, I think they bring freshness to the ministry and also push us to get out of our comfort zones. The Children’s ministry is going through a time of transition under the new leadership of P. Jae. He’s been working hard to get to know the people and to learn the NCFC culture of doing ministry for the past couple months. At the same time P. Jae is bringing new perspective into the ministry as well. One thing I love about him is his heart for the children. I can’t stop laughing whenever he preaches to the kids because this big guy with an intimidating look puts on a cheesy smile and gets down to their level. The best part is that he does that wearing a suit and a tie. Don’t get me wrong, I am not making fun of him. I am truly inspired by a man who broke my stereotype of what a children’s minister should look like. I’m so glad that God sent us such a great pastor with a clear conviction and passion to love the children. Please get involved and partner with P. Jae in Promiseland ministry as they are still in need of more volunteers!
Timothy is also starting a new chapter of history today by having our own service. It’s been such an honor and blessing to worship together with EC families for so many years but now God is taking Timothy into a different direction. Many kids have been spectators of an adult worship but now God is challenging our youth to rise up to take more ownership of their service and become worshippers instead of watching other people worship. We will definitely miss the presence of EC family and leaders who set examples for our youth to follow. However, I believe God will use this new opportunity to raise up a new generation of leaders who will not only influence fellow youths, but the whole church in the years to come. God is already moving the hearts of many parents and other adults to partner with us. We have teachers and parents who are ready and excited to embark in this new journey together. It’s going to be a great year! Yes, I believe! Please pray and partner with us!
See you at Back to School.
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
August 30, 2015
As Summer begins, I’m sure many families are planning out family vacations. I grew up in a family culture where a family vacation was not on our family calendar of events. I don’t remember going on any vacations growing up in Korea and even when we moved to the States, we didn’t have the luxury of going on family vacations. My parents, just like any other immigrant families, were always busy working so I can’t really recall a time when our whole family went on a family vacation. However, things are different now with my kids. We’ve already been to a couple of family vacations in the past so the kids are looking forward to going on a family trip over the summer. I was just doing a random search on “taking vacation” on google and came across an article titled “Take a vacation, or die?” The article basically talks about how taking vacations is needed to be physically and mentally healthier. They refer to studies that link health problems for people who fail to take annual vacations. So make sure you plan a vacation over the summer, you deserve it!
There are many of us who have served in ministries for so many years without any breaks in between. I say this very carefully because I don’t want all teachers and volunteers to step down from serving all at once, but you should know if you are due for a “vacation” to refuel and to be replenished to be able to continue in your calling that God has given you. If you are serving out of duty and responsibility rather than the joy of serving God’s people or if you simply are overwhelmed with too much “workload,” you may want to ask God for His wisdom and guidance in taking necessary steps to have the passion and the joy of serving restored before you completely get burnt out. I recently started reading a book called “Leading on Empty” by Wayne Cordeiro. It’s a book that deals with “burnouts” among church leaders and those who are actively involved in ministry. Not that I didn’t know about the potential burnout that I could face in ministry, the book is reminding me to take preventive measures to avoid the same mistakes that the author made which eventually took him longer to recover from. Just as a family vacation takes a lot planning to make it happen, a spiritual “vacation” needs to be well thought out, planned and has to be followed by God’s clear prompting. Please discuss with your spouse and talk with your ministry leaders and pray together to find creative ways to make it happen if you are suffering from burnout.
So start planning your vacation now if you have not done so! It doesn’t have to be a week long vacation in Hawaii or Cancun. A short trip to ocean city or even a day trip to a nearby location will do. However, when you plan your vacations, try to avoid missing Sunday services if you can work around it. Maybe I have an old school mindset but Sunday service is something that we should value as Christians. And the children have to grow up learning that coming to church on Sunday and worshipping together with the church family is very important. However, I know that missing one or two Sundays due to a well-deserved family vacation is needed and very understandable. Just make sure to attend a nearby church service if you happen to travel on a Sunday and if you go to a place where you can’t find a church, I suggest a family service. For those who may not feel comfortable leading a service and sharing the Word with your children, there are “Online or LIVE STREAM” worship options available on many church websites as well so don’t let a Sunday go by without coming together to worship wherever you are! =)
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
June 7, 2015
During Spring Break, my family went down to Orlando, Florida for our very first “legit” family vacation. By legit, I mean it was more than just a one day trip to Ocean City. My wife and I always wondered when would be a good time for our kids to go on a long trip and we felt like the kids were old enough and ready for one this year. Plus, to make things a little easier, my wife’s best friend recently moved down to Orlando so Kyunghwa was looking forward to reconnecting with her friend. And of course, the kids were super excited about riding the airplane for the first time and visiting Disney World. On the other hand, I was such a party pooper all along because I usually don’t enjoy going away to far places, especially to a super crowded place like Disney World. However, thanks to my wife’s “gentle nudge,” I eventually came to my senses and left with a happy heart.
On the second day of vacation, we visited Disney World. The kids were so hyped up for the very first hour but as soon as we started lining up to get into different rides, they weren’t so happy anymore. With the help of the Fastpass app, the kids were able to enjoy a couple rides without waiting in long lines but the majority of the time was spent walking around the park and waiting in lines. So our family’s first experience at Disney World was not so great after all. When people asked the kids about their favorite part of the trip, they don’t mention anything about Disney World. Both kids say that spending time at the beach was the best part of the trip. Oh well, at least my wife and I can cross it off on our list of things to do with the kids. If I were to pick the best or worthwhile moment at the Disney World, I would pick the parade that the kids got to sit up close and see all the Disney Characters in real life.
Other than the day spent at Disney World, we thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the time we spent together as a family. It was great not having to worry about giving rides, packing lunches and other work duties. On the last day of the trip, my wife’s friend took us to a local barbeque restaurant called “4 Rivers Smokehouse.” You might have been to this place if you traveled to Florida. It’s a family-owned company run by Christian owners. Their sign said “closed on Sundays” and their mission statement on their website is very powerful as well. “Our mission is simple – to use our God-given gifts to support the local community, schools, and charity organizations. At the foundation, the 4Rivers brand is exceptional products, community support and uncompromised honesty, integrity, and respect (4rsmokehouse.com). Not only was I impressed to find a well-established restaurant that advertises Christian values, I just fell in love with the food they served. If you ever visit Florida, you have to try eating out at one of the “4 Rivers Smokehouse” restaurants, this place was amazing! You know the saying “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” is definitely true. I would love to go back to Orlando just to eat at that place again and show my support for a great company that brings honor to God through quality service to the local community. And on top of their great food, they even had a separate dessert stand within the restaurant with amazing s’more brownies and huge cupcakes.
It was such a great ending to a busy and stressful vacation. What’s amazing is that despite all the bad experiences that I wrote about our time in Orlando, the pictures say otherwise. As I scroll through the pictures I only see the times of laughter, doing many “first time” activities together as a family and enjoying each other’s company. I’m looking forward to many more family trips in the years to come!
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
April 19, 2015
I’ve been enjoying reading through the book of Genesis as part of the M’Cheyne reading. One important message that God taught me this time around is that Abraham was not only a man of faith who lived a life of obedience, but a good father to Isaac who cared for his son’s spiritual well-being. As his death was near, Abraham asked his servant to do two things (Gen 24): One, never allow Isaac to marry a local Canaanite woman. Two, never take Isaac back to the hometown, even if he finds a good person. The “wife to be” had to agree to leave her hometown to come live with Isaac. Why did Abraham make such requests? Abraham was more concerned about his son’s spiritual wellbeing (holiness) and carrying out God’s calling rather than marrying a good wife and living a happy life without God. In doing so, Abraham wanted to leave a rich heritage of faith for the next generation. This really made me think about how I am raising my children. What kind of values am I modeling and planting in their lives? Will they live to worship and serve God like their grandparents’ and parents’ generation? With these questions in mind, I came across a good devotional by Charles R. Swindoll that I wanted to share with the church. Enjoy!
A curious phenomenon has plagued families for as long as there have been families. It's that age-old problem of second-generation fallout that breaks the hearts of godly moms and dads. The scenario goes something like this. A man and woman fall in love and get married. They also love Christ and desire to serve Him with all their hearts. As their children come along, they teach and train and pray that God will get hold of their little lives and use them for His glory. But what about the now-grown kids? Ah, there's the rub. Somewhere along the way God got pushed way down on their list of priorities. Disciplines like prayer, church attendance, tithing, serving, and serious Bible study got lost in the shuffle.
I recently stumbled upon one of those father-son stories that still speaks volumes. The dad was Hezekiah, a king who took the throne when he was twenty-five and reigned until he was fifty-four. All the while, his heart remained warm toward his God, and God prospered him. What a man! When Hezekiah was forty-two, he and his wife, Hephzibah, had a son, Manasseh. But you'd never know he came from Hezekiah stock. According to the inspired historian's account, he seduced the people of Judah "to do evil more than the nations whom the LORD destroyed" (2 Kings 21:9). What went wrong? Why didn't Hezekiah's righteousness and passion pass to his son? I believe there are at least three reasons:
First, Manasseh had a will of his own as we all do and with that will he stubbornly and deliberately refused to respond to the Lord (2 Chron. 33:10). Second, he was weak-willed and overly influenced by ungodly and wicked associations (2 Kings 21:3, 6). And third, he was neglected by his preoccupied, busy father. The king was at the zenith of his reign when Manasseh was born, and there is every indication that the prince saw little of his father during the formative years of his life. Hezekiah simply never took the time.
Sound familiar at all? While you still have your children under your roof, take time to talk together, to play together, to relax together . . . just to be together.It is amazing how powerful first-generation presence can be when it comes to curing the second-generation plague.
Devotional is from: http://www.insight.org/resources/devotionals/second-generation-fallout.html?ga=homepage-intro#sthash.ZPL1iltj.dpuf
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
February 22, 2015
It’s been three weeks since I came over from VA campus to serve at MD campus. Although we are one church in two separate locations, there are a lot of differences that I still need to learn and get used to here in MD campus. The toughest challenge is getting to know the people. I’m an introvert by nature but God is continuing to push me to be more aggressive and be more open to necessary changes. If it wasn’t for God, I would probably get too comfortable with myself and become stagnant. God is reminding me the lessons that we learned together through the Experiencing God series that when God invites us into His work we are faced with a crisis of faith and therefore need to make necessary adjustments. It’s been a very tough journey thus far for sure because I know that there are so many expectations to make better things happen. However, God is training me to know what it means to “trust” Him and surrender all my fears to Him.
I thank God for the His Word that I can recite and proclaim over myself in moments of doubt.
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in your ways submit to Him, and he will make your path straight.” (Prov 3:5-6)
It seems like the rest of my family is adjusting well to the new surroundings. Thanks to Fellowship Christian School and the summer camps that my kids attended in the past, both Reina and Ryan already had some friends in their new Sunday school classes. And my wife actually has some close friends in the English congregation so she is happy to be able to reconnect with her old friends as well. As I reflect on this transition and how things unfold, I can clearly see that God has been preparing all our family members for this transition even before it came about. My wife and I like to plan things ahead of time but this is something we couldn’t have even imagined. No human minds could have planned out better than how God did it so perfectly. I’m always so amazed how God orchestrates everything to make all things good for those who trust in Him. Praise God for His provision and His faithfulness!
There is a major change in Timothy ministry that will take place starting next Sunday (12/7). We will be implementing a new Sunday schedule for both middle and high school ministries. The church leadership and the Timothy committee have been working very hard to come up with a change that will benefit the Timothy ministry as a whole. I know change is often very uncomfortable and not welcomed by many but change can also bring forth new hope and excitement to the ministry. So I ask the English congregation from both MD and VA to pray with me for the Timothy ministry that the upcoming transitions and changes will go smoothly and the students will adjust well. I know this change is only for MD campus but we are all partners in the Kingdom of God so I ask the VA campus pray together as well. Thank you.
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
November 30, 2014
Seems like Ebola is the “hot topic” that is being talked about more than anything else on the news and among people. When I heard that one of the Ebola patients flew into NIH for treatment during the week, I couldn’t help but worry about our church people who work at NIH. Not only them, but for most of us who live not too far from NIH, it’s something that gets our attention for sure. I felt so bad that an ordinary nurse who was simply trying to help out an Ebola patient ended up contracting the disease. I’m sure a lot of things could have been done differently to prevent such a tragedy, but I can’t imagine the pain and the hopelessness she is dealing with knowing that there is no cure for the disease. I just pray and hope that we find a way to cure this deadly disease as soon as possible.
I’m currently listening to CNN news where John Kerry, the Secretary of State, is having a press conference as he was making an urgent plea for more countries around the world to step up and respond to the Ebola outbreak to fight against this deadly disease. However, the contributions made by a few countries tallied up to only a third of the $1 billion dollar goal set by the UN as of Friday morning. The news anchor was emphasizing the fact that only a handful of countries have contributed to this important cause out of 193 UN member countries so far. One of the lines that really stood out from his speech was “winning this fight is going to be costly and will take all our effort.” I don’t know much about politics and I’m not trying to promote anyone, but the Secretary Kerry is right on point on that. I almost said “amen” to it because that applies to not only the fight against Ebola but our missions as Christians living on this earth.
The great commission that we are called to carry out will require everyone’s effort, not just pastors and leaders. When the news anchor made the comment on how only a few members of the UN countries are making contributions, I immediately thought about the current state of the church. One of the hardest things to do in church is mobilizing and gathering up the members to be involved in the Kingdom work. Whether people are too busy or not motivated, only a handful of people end up doing the majority of the work for churches. The same trend has been and is still happening in local and global missions where only the so called, “missionaries” are evangelizing with urgency. Many of us who are living the American Dream, are busy pursuing our own agendas and thus have put aside the great commission that Jesus commanded to every Christian.
The bible tells us that every believer has a role to play in the body of Christ. In Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul urges (just like John Kerry made an urgent plea) the church to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. And in order for a body of Christ to grow and mature in the likeness of Jesus Christ, Paul says it’s crucial that each part has to do its work (v. 16). As quoted earlier, not only will it require everyone’s effort, winning this “fight” is going to be costly. Someone has to be willing to pay the price as our Lord Jesus Christ stepped up and paid the price for us on the cross. And Jesus is asking us to do the same. We currently have a couple hundred “members” of NCFC but only a few are making a contribution toward winning “souls.” It is my plea to the church of NCFC to step up and get involved in saving people from the deadliest disease called “sin.” I pray and hope that many more will join in and become more involved in winning souls for the Kingdom of God.
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
October 19, 2014
After a long summer break, the kids finally went back to school this week! I’m so happy that Reina started her first Kindergarten class and Ryan started Preschool. But now, the kids have to be dropped off at two different locations at two different times so I have to make sure to manage my time well. I can’t imagine what your mornings are like for those of you with more kids. Perhaps things will get easier and become more natural as I get used to it but for now, I am running up and down the stairs getting kids ready and making sure I’m not leaving anything behind, especially their lunches.
When I put up a couple pictures of my kids’ first day of school on facebook, some of you made a comment that Reina’s lunch bag is big. It’s because we take our meals very seriously. A lunch bag is all Ryan takes to his school. That explains everything right? I must share a painful story to get my point across here. When I was in elementary school, I cried so bitterly during lunchtime because for some reason, on that particular day, I couldn’t open my lunch bag zipper and I was too shy to ask anyone for help. I don’t remember whether I was eventually able to open it or not, but one thing I vividly remember is that I ran into the bathroom and cried. My parents told me that I came home crying that day. So my wife and I want to make sure our kids don’t have to go through anything like that. haha.
In fact, my wife told Reina to ask her teacher to heat up her lunch if we pack something that needs to be microwaved. And of course, Reina wasn’t too thrilled to hear that because she got my genes of being all shy. So my wife and I decided to heat things up in the morning and pack them in a thermal lunch jar to make sure Reina doesn’t skip her lunch because she’s too shy to ask her teacher to heat up her lunch. On the other hand, we have no worries for Ryan. His teacher told me the first day that Ryan kept on asking, “Is it lunch time yet?” Doesn’t that sound like something that I would say? Ryan certainly got my genes of eating!
I would like to share an important lesson that I learned with other parents. When my family was having dinner together, I asked Reina and Ryan to pray before their meal. And to my surprise, Reina responded by saying “we don’t do that anymore.” So I told her to pray even when her friends don’t pray but I knew in my heart that it wasn’t going to be that simple for Reina to sing the song like she used to sing at Fellowship Christian School before their meal times. And if Reina has a hard time asking the teacher to heat up her lunch, she certainly will not be able to sing the long “God our Father” song before she takes her meal in front of her classmates. This was one of those “wake up” moments for me. It hit me so hard that Reina is now in a public school where prayer, worship, stories of God is not a norm anymore. I should have prepared her better by teaching her how to do a simple prayer before her meals. Not only that, I really need to buckle up and pray for her to be strong in her faith and to live out a life of worship even at a young age. God has been challenging me for a while to set aside time for a family worship where our kids are saturated with the Word of God and learn the life of worship from the family setting. I know that the Sunday worship and a bible class once a week on a Sunday morning for a couple hours will not be enough for our kids to keep their faith in this world. God really convicted me to take family worship more seriously and practice doing it more consistently.
Dear fellow parents, it’s time to wake up! It’s time to pray for our families and our kids. More than worrying about what activities and programs we can provide for our kids to develop their talents and gifts, we need to teach and guide them a life of worship and living out His Word. And that has to start from our homes. As the apostle Paul said in Romans 12:2, the transformation by the renewing of the mind has to become our priority so that our families will not conform to the pattern of this world.
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
August 31, 2014
As many of you know, my family recently moved to a new place. The whole process of searching and moving into our new home has been a true testimony of how God provided and orchestrated everything so perfectly. My wife and I are filled with so much gratitude and awe of how God brought different people to help and support throughout the process. It was stressful at times not knowing where we were going to end up, but it certainly has been an amazing time of growth in our faith as well. Thank you for those who have been praying with us!
We’ve been living with my parents and my sister for the last couple years but my wife and I decided that it was time for us to move out and have a new start to our family. We went from being a just married couple to having two more additions to the family in our previous house over the last 7 years that we lived there. Now that the kids have grown up, the house was getting a little too small for all of us to live together. There are so many good memories that our family will continue to cherish for the rest of our lives. Ryan is actually a little confused now that he’s sleeping at our new house at night and being watched by grandma during the day at our old house. I ask him every morning on our way to the grandparents’ house whether he knows where we are going, and Ryan just says “home!” Isn’t he adorable?! Other than Ryan, everyone else is enjoying the changes we are going through. My parents are very excited about their “new start” on their own. My sister will be moving out and starting her own family in a couple of months. And my older brother’s family is coming back to the States and is expecting a daughter to be born in July. It’s going to be a crazy summer with so many big family events.
Talking about craziness, our house has never been so messy since we got married. My wife always kept the house very clean (thanks to her OCD tendency) and nicely organized (yes, even with the kids). But now that we have just moved and have boxes everywhere, the house is a mess. We’ve got the rooms pretty much sorted out but the main living room area still needs to be painted and organized. Until a couple days ago, my kids were using one of the boxes as their table for their meals. And to add to the craziness, we actually had the gas and electricity service terminated because we forgot to call the utility companies to start the service when we moved in. You can probably imagine how crazy not having gas and electricity must have been with everything else that we had to take care of. Now that everything is back on track, we are slowly catching up on our laundry, cleaning and unpacking.
One thing I am NOT looking forward to is taking care of the house. I never had to worry about fixing and taking care of things around the house because I had my father, a handy man, who always took care of everything. And it worries me that now I am the one to fulfill that need. In fact, it took me a long time to install curtain rods for the kids’ rooms the other day. It’s not that I can’t get the job done; it’s just that having tools in my hand just doesn’t feel right quite yet. Please pray for me that I will overcome this fear of mine and become a handy man. Maybe I need to start watching more “Bob the Builder” or “Handy Manny” with the kids?! =)
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
June 8, 2014
I believe that retreats, regardless of who the speaker is, what the theme is, who serves as counselors and how many kids sign up, always turn out be a blessing to everyone. I can attest to that because there has not been a “bad” retreat for the last 8 years I’ve served as youth pastor at NCFC, not counting many years when I went as a student. God never fails to show up beyond our expectations. This past winter retreat was no different than other retreats in ways that God touched our hearts and how He stirred up new passion and vision for His kingdom. However, apart from all the usual retreat experience, this past winter retreat was definitely a memorable one because we celebrated New Year’s Eve together. It was a special night that everyone will talk about for many years! The level of excitement and craziness (in a good way) that I witnessed that night was something very special. You just had to be there to experience it!
When we started planning and promoting the retreat, many parents were concerned that the retreat was ending on New Year’s Day because families getting together has been a long tradition for many Korean families. As a result, a good number of families decided not to sign up and there were kids who just didn’t want to come to the retreat on top of that. Even though I understand the culture and the family traditions and all, I was so frustrated that people take these retreats so lightly when we have more than 20 counselors who take these retreats so seriously by taking their personal vacations (some without pay) to serve and to love upon the students. I had one teacher couple who even brought their kids and stayed overnight in the motel room because they wanted to be there for the kids they teach. I even told some people to come visit for a day or two before going out to the family gatherings for the New Year’s Day but no one took my advice seriously. You can probably feel my frustration as you read this column. I believe it’s a matter of setting “proper” priorities in life. Many of us say that God is our number one priority in life but a lot of times other things in life come first and God becomes secondary.
During a Sunday school class when I asked the kids what helps them to grow in their relationship with God, 7 out of 8 people answered “retreats”. Of course, a mature Christian can grow by reading the bible and praying consistently but we know how hard that is for young people who are so busy and are surrounded by worldly pleasures all around them. So I urge everyone to make it a priority to attend future retreats. I pray and hope we will have more hunger and thirst for God this year. I pray that we, as a church, will hold on to God’s promise from Joel 2:28-30 and act upon His promise for the year of 2014.
28 I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth
Happy New year everyone!
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
January 5, 2014
After a couple months of practicing in the cold weather, sometimes freezing weather, Turkey bowl tournament has finally come to an end. First of all, I would like to thank every player who represented our church teams well. I also thank the parents and supporters for their encouragement and cheers throughout the tournaments and for serving delicious food and warm drinks. And last but not least, the coaches and other leaders for their hard work put into the tournament. It was certainly a great time of witnessing a genuine love and unity within the body of New Covenant Fellowship Church. Regardless of the result of how each team did at the tournament, we were all able to get to know each other better through football and spending our weekends together. That to me was the most important thing I gained from participating in this year’s tournament.
This year was the very first time I got an opportunity to play in the Turkeybowl. It was my first time playing football in an organized manner. You can imagine how tough it was for me to learn all the rules, positions and the whole dynamic of a football game. I definitely appreciate the game of football a lot more as a result of this tournament. There were many times when I had no idea what I was doing on the field and when people were calling out plays or shouting out things like “option”, “weak side blitz”, “Shadow Run(?)” I felt like I was learning English all over again. And I didn’t want to look like a fool by asking so many questions that everyone seemed to know. However, I got better through the practice sessions. Thank God for amazing teammates for taking time and kindly explaining everything for me. Now that I invested so much time in learning the game of football, I hope to get better and continue to play in the Turkey Bowl as long as my health permits me to play competitively. After all, I have to make a full use of all the football gear that I purchased for this tournament for at least a couple more years.
One thing I love about playing team sports is that each person’s character comes out in the game setting. I especially love seeing the fine balance of people’s competitive spirit and the love of Christ being displayed in the game. It was very encouraging to see everyone trying to keep their mouth shut from complaining and uttering bad words. I know it was a bit of a struggle for many of us to keep our “cool” in certain instances but I am very proud of all of you for displaying such control and poise throughout the tournament. I am already looking forward to next year’s tournament!
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
December 1, 2013
If you have been attending our church for many years, you know by now that we set aside the month of October to appreciate our pastors. It’s not an official holiday, but many churches across the nation mark October as Pastor’s Appreciation Month and the 2nd Sunday as “Pastor’s Appreciation Day.” Out of curiosity I googled how this wonderful tradition got started and found some interesting facts. According to SBCvoices.com, in 1992, a layperson Jerry Frear, Jr., was brainstorming with church colleagues about how they might be of help to their minister when he glanced at a calendar and noticed that it was almost Groundhog’s Day. So he thought, if they have a day for groundhogs, there ought to be a day for the 375,000 clergy people in America. Hallmark sold their first pastor’s appreciation card in 2002. These are some interesting facts for sure.
As I was doing this research, I came across a cool song titled “Pastor’s Song” by Donna Jackson. It had a very nice melody and flow to beautiful lyrics that express appreciation of a pastor’s dedication and how God will consider his job well done. I encourage you to check it out on Youtube. Perhaps you can learn the song and sing for the pastors. =)
I also read a good article that I wanted to share with you. I will only quote only a part of the article, the entire article can be found at http://thrivingpastor.org/clergyappreciation/
The nature of the service provided by pastors and their families is unique. God has entrusted to them one of the most precious of assignments — the spiritual well-being of His flock. When a pastor becomes ineffective, the very souls of his or her parishioners are endangered. When eternity is in the balance, we should all be concerned.
Pastors and their families live under incredible pressures. Their lives are played out in a fishbowl, with the entire congregation and community watching their every move. They are expected to have ideal families, to be perfect people, to always be available, to never be down and to have all the answers we need to keep our own lives stable and moving forward. Those are unrealistic expectations to place on anyone, yet most of us are disappointed when a pastor becomes overwhelmed, seems depressed, lets us down or completely burns out.
That’s why God has instructed us to recognize His servants. “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17).
I subscribe to many leadership blogs and Christian articles so I can continue to learn and grow as a pastor. On a blog on Sharefaith.com, someone listed 8 ways you can show appreciation to your pastor. Though I enjoyed reading and agreed with all 8 ways, I could not agree more with his last point on how people can show their appreciation to their pastors by Growing in Grace. We, the pastors, take greatest joy when we see changes or growth in people’s lives as a result of our ministry and of what God is doing in their lives.
These past few months have been a tough season for our church but it definitely helped us to grow and mature together. And what more appreciation do we need from you when you already brought so much joy in our hearts by the way you responded with such love and grace? Just continue to hunger and thirst after God and grow in your walk with Him.
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
October 13, 2013
During one of my seminary classes, I was asked whether I am a people person or a goal oriented person. It was clear, at least in my own opinion, that I was a people person because I like people, I get along well with people and I also work well in a group setting. Apparently, that wasn’t the case. My professor who asked me that question looked at me and said that I am more of a goal oriented person. His response was very shocking to me but it was a well needed assessment of my life and the way I do ministry. I realized that my life was primarily driven by goals and the love of people has been pushed aside for the sake of reaching certain goals in life and ministry. To this day, I still struggle to be more mindful and caring for the people that I serve. There are many pastors and church leaders who deal with the same issue as I do because we are called to be shepherds who tend and care for their sheep rather than just getting our jobs done.
For the last few weeks, God has reminded me of the importance of shepherding through various oikos ministry trainings. As I was going through the oikos leaders’ training sessions, God convicted me of my role as a shepherd, not a hired hand. The heart of a shepherd that goes after one lost sheep is what I need to develop more in my life. God has already given me the heart of a shepherd but it’s been pushed out and covered up by the eagerness to achieve goals. Not only am I struggling with caring for the people, but I also need to let go of my selfish mindset and learn to work together with people even at the cost of my “desired” outcome. There is an old saying in Korean that comes to my mind, “it’s better to go one mile together than ten miles alone.” Yes, it is true that the process of accomplishing the goal might be delayed or may not even be reached at all, but that’s the way God wants us to live our lives. King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes chapter 3:8-12,
This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing. Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
I hope to practice more of being patient and caring with my own kids at home. How often do we ignore our kids’ needs or wants in the name of work, ministry and even for the sake of our personal space? I pray that God will open up our ears to hear, to respond, to treasure the people that He has blessed us with in our daily lives. That will be the very first step of becoming the shepherds God called us to be.
From Pastor Brians Heart
September 22, 2013
During one of my seminary classes, I was asked whether I am a people person or a goal oriented person. It was clear, at least in my own opinion, that I was a people person because I like people, I get along well with people and I also work well in a group setting. Apparently, that wasn’t the case. My professor who asked me that question looked at me and said that I am more of a goal oriented person. His response was very shocking to me but it was a well needed assessment of my life and the way I do ministry. I realized that my life was primarily driven by goals and the love of people has been pushed aside for the sake of reaching certain goals in life and ministry. To this day, I still struggle to be more mindful and caring for the people that I serve. There are many pastors and church leaders who deal with the same issue as I do because we are called to be shepherds who tend and care for their sheep rather than just getting our jobs done.
For the last few weeks, God has reminded me of the importance of shepherding through various oikos ministry trainings. As I was going through the oikos leaders’ training sessions, God convicted me of my role as a shepherd, not a hired hand. The heart of a shepherd that goes after one lost sheep is what I need to develop more in my life. God has already given me the heart of a shepherd but it’s been pushed out and covered up by the eagerness to achieve goals. Not only am I struggling with caring for the people, but I also need to let go of my selfish mindset and learn to work together with people even at the cost of my “desired” outcome. There is an old saying in Korean that comes to my mind, “it’s better to go one mile together than ten miles alone.” Yes, it is true that the process of accomplishing the goal might be delayed or may not even be reached at all, but that’s the way God wants us to live our lives. King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes chapter 3:8-12,
This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing. Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
I hope to practice more of being patient and caring with my own kids at home. How often do we ignore our kids’ needs or wants in the name of work, ministry and even for the sake of our personal space? I pray that God will open up our ears to hear, to respond, to treasure the people that He has blessed us with in our daily lives. That will be the very first step of becoming the shepherds God called us to be.
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
September 15, 2013
After spending a week in El Salvador, I realized once again that there is no place better than home. Thank God that I can enjoy AC, a hot shower, clean water, great food and my own car to drive around. It was a good reminder that I have so much to be grateful for. Although I enjoy going on missions to different countries, I have a hard time getting used to different food, culture, language barrier and especially unsanitary conditions of certain countries. It was no different this time in El Salvador. I tried my best to eat the local food without any grumbling and get used to the unsanitary surroundings but it was very difficult. I’ve never used sanitizer so often in my life until the past week in the mission field. If you ask my wife, I am certainly not the most sanitary and clean person, but somehow I get paranoid when I go overseas. However, as much as I tried to avoid getting infected, I wasn’t able to escape the power of a stomach virus. I have no idea where I picked it up but one thing I know is that I was literally rolling on the ground in pain on the last day of the trip. It wasn’t a good ending to an amazing week but the care from other members helped me to keep going.
As many of you heard, I wasn’t the only one sick during missions. Most of the team members were also sick throughout the trip. The nurses and doctors on our team were busy not only for their medical ministry but looking after our own team members. By the grace of God we were able to successfully finish our missions. God’s divine strength and His perfect will led us to overcome our physical limitations.
If you ask anybody from the El Salvador team what the highlight of the trip was, he or she will definitely talk about rescuing a lady from attempting suicide. When we were hiking up the mountain called “The gate of the devil,” we just wanted to enjoy our day off from doing ministry and enjoy the beautiful scene. However, God had a different plan for us. He brought us to the right place at the right time to minister to this woman. We held our hands together on the top of the mountain crying out to God to save her life as two of our members were ministering to her. God heard our prayers and there was no doubt in anyone’s heart that God used us to save a soul. God has moved her from the gate of the devil to the gate of heaven through us. It’s a testimony that all members will remember and cherish for the rest of our lives.
I was personally challenged by the way El Salvadorian Christians worship God. Their love for God that was expressed through their worship, the way they listen and respond to the spoken Word just blew my mind. Although I did not understand 99% of what was said and done, I knew clearly that these people had the joy of the Lord in them. I pray and dream about our church congregation worshipping the Lord with the same passion and joy like the El Salvadorian Christians.
Today, we set aside a special time to hear great testimonies of how God worked through our church people in the different missions fields. God has done great and amazing things through us. Gloria Dios!
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
July 14, 2013
As I was growing up, I told myself that I would be the perfect husband and father for my future family. My parents set a good example for me to learn from as they tried their best to raise me with godly values. Though my parents were not perfect in every area of parenting, my siblings and I always looked up to their leadership. There are times when I’m just amazed by how they were able to raise all three of us so well because it certainly is not so easy for me.
My wife and I have been married for over five years now. Our relationship has definitely grown more intimate than ever before. There are many good and bad memories I can think of and all in all, God has been so good to us. I’ve been thinking a lot about how to be the leader of a household these days as I was reading about Abraham, Ezra, and Nehemiah. God has revealed amazing leadership characteristics of each person that I simply looked over before. The three individuals and their leadership taught me what I need to work on as a godly father, a husband and a spiritual leader to many. As I found myself struggling to become a better leader and a loving husband for my wife, two kids came along and made it even harder for me. Since I am not a natural leader, I was often forced to make decisions and had to learn to accept my role as the leader in my household and at church as a spiritual leader. It’s been a tough and yet rewarding journey for the last five years of family life and seven years of ministry experience. I still have a long way to go but I understand and accept my role as a leader that God has called me to be. I’m grateful to God for blessing me with people, especially my wife, who continue to encourage and challenge me to become a better leader.
For the past few weeks, I have been visiting and counseling Timothy families. Each family had a unique set of issues and struggles but one common topic that we discussed was on the topic of parenting and leadership. God allowed me to comfort and encourage dads and moms for the amazing job they are doing, but I also challenged them by reminding them that they are called to be “leaders of their household.” I hope to see many parents taking on full responsibility of their calling to be leaders of their households by humbly kneeling before God for His strength and wisdom. I was so encouraged to hear that there is a prayer movement that’s starting up at our church among the leaders and parents. God is about to do some amazing things at our church and in your families! I challenge all the leaders and parents to come out to EMP on Saturdays and also join the Friday night leaders/parents prayer meetings to participate and fully experience the blessings of this prayer movement.
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
January 27, 2013
It’s only the first week of December and I already see Christmas decorations everywhere. Even at my house, we have a Christmas tree that we purchased a few years back which started our family tradition of putting it up every year the week of Thanksgiving. It was first bought as a gift for my wife and now it has become a source of joy for my whole family. My two kids certainly love seeing the tree light up every night and they get excited to see other houses with Christmas decorations. I just wish that I could share the same excitement as I did when I was a kid. Even as I write this column, my mind is preoccupied with things that I have to prepare for Christmas and the end of the year programs. Churches across the world are preparing programs and special worship services for Christmas because it certainly is one of the most important days for us Christians. In fact, we already had our annual Christmas Banquet last night. It was a refreshing reminder that Christmas is not a time of stress and busyness but a time of joy. We sang Christmas carols, ate good food prepared by the Philippines missions team and we certainly enjoyed a warm ambiance created by beautiful decorations. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to put together such a wonderful banquet for people to enjoy.
With Christmas only a few weeks away how are you and your family preparing for that day? Are the children in your family putting together a list of things they want to receive as this year’s Christmas gifts? Or is your family planning to spend good quality time together as 2012 comes to an end? Recently I heard on the radio that many people are not looking forward to this year’s Christmas due to the bad economy. The thought of getting gifts for people and the money associated with the gifts are too burdensome that people would rather skip Christmas. I, for one, am already looking through websites and store advertisements to find good deals for Christmas gifts. It has become one of my priorities to prepare for every Christmas. I already have more than four Christmas related parties where a gift exchange is involved. Satan has twisted the true meaning of Christmas and it has now become a holiday where many people don’t even call it “CHRISTmas”. More and more, today’s culture seems to emphasize the glitter of this world rather the One who was born in the small town of Bethlehem.
There is a popular song called “All I Want for Christmas” that’s played over and over during this Christmas season. My wife and I especially enjoy Mariah Carey’s version of that song. “I don't want a lot for Christmas. There's just one thing I need. I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree. I just want you for my own more than you could ever know. Make my wish come true, all I want for Christmas is you...I don't need to hang my stocking, there upon the fireplace. Santa Claus won't make me happy with a toy on Christmas day. I just want you for my own. More than you could ever know, make my wish come true. All I want for Christmas is you.” As many people sing these lyrics over the next few weeks, I wish and pray that what people want will be Jesus Christ. No matter how many gifts we receive for Christmas, the joy and satisfaction won’t last long. Only Jesus Christ is our source of eternal joy and peace. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts as you prayerfully prepare for Christmas. I also pray that the joy of the Lord will be your perfect strength as many have end of the year exams and projects at schools and work places.
From Pastor Brian’s Heart
December 9, 2012