A few hours after I was proudly wearing the “I voted” sticker, I was deeply concerned that what I was hoping for this year’s election would not come true. The results on the website did not look too good and i went to sleep knowing that I had to face the reality when I woke up in the morning. The next morning came and I had to swallow the sad defeat. Although I was not too shocked by the expected presidential voting results, what followed the big announcement. When I was casting my ballots at the voting center I had to vote for so many questions including the same-sex marriage and expansion of casinos in the state of MD that will bring table games into the state. These two issues really had me thinking about the negative consequences that will directly affect so many families and young people.
In all honesty, I am not an expert in politics nor fully understand its policies but one thing I know for sure is that people in the office and what they believe in will make a huge impact on this country. “The Best is Yet to Come!”, president Obama told his supporters as he was confirmed as president for a second term. As much as I wanted to believe in what he was saying, my heart was very heavy because I did not see the “best” coming out of questions 6 (same sex marriage) & 7 (casino expansion). I had a friend in college who once shared about her father’s gambling problems that was causing the whole family to suffer. People probably voted for the casino expansion hoping to create more jobs to boost the economy into a positive direction, but I am very concerned about the potential addictions and divisions in many families due to gambling issues.
Likewise, the same sex marriage issue is something that many young people will be affected by for years to come. There will come a day when I have to explain these things to my own kids when they raise their eyebrows and ask why their friends have two fathers or two mothers. Non Christians and perhaps some of our own church members will consider me as being old fashioned, non-loving and narrow minded. But what can I say? My values and life standards come from what God says in the bible.
“We live in a culture that considers the principles of Scripture outdated and narrow minded. The bible is viewed merely as a piece of literature, and civilized culture has grown past the need for such a book. Some say it provides a basic framework for being a good person, but to consider it the source of truth and a plan for living seems naive.” <Josiah Road by Luke & Harold Harper>
How do you view the word of God? Apostle Paul wrote in Heb 4:12, the word of God is living and active....it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. And through the Bible we learn that we will not be conformed to this world and its standards by renewing of our minds. (Rom 12:2)
In conclusion, I believe that God is still in charge as He always has been and always will be. Therefore I put my trust in Him for He is the only hope and the one who can bring the “Best”. I just pray and hope that the leaders of this country and leaders around the world will humble themselves and seek God with all their heart, soul and strength. Lord, let Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

From Pastor Brian’s Heart
November 11, 2012

These days, because I have very limited free time, I’m very selective about the movies I watch.  I don’t want to waste 2-3 hours of my life on a bad movie!  I could use that time for sweet precious sleep!  My wife and I usually disagree on which movies to watch though – she likes the serious, introspective dramas while I just want to zone out and laugh at crude jokes.  You can tell how different we are by our favorite movies: hers are “Braveheart” and “Forrest Gump” while mine are “My Sassy Girl” and “You’ve Got Mail.”  Don’t cry, Shopgirl, don’t cry.  (You can tell which side of the generation gap you stand on if you hear “you’ve got mail” and think of the sound of a modem.  Also, if you know what a modem is.)
This is why when I watch a movie that’s not particularly good or too long, I get really annoyed.  I just wasted 3 hours of my life that I will never get back just to watch a bunch of hobbits in awful British accents run around like a bunch of ninnies!  Don’t waste my time with this stuff, Peter Jackson!  And why do all elves look the same?  Racist!
We all have similar attitudes with our time.  Maybe it’s because we’re living in an age of instant gratification where the speed of 4G LTE brings us anything we want in seconds.  Maybe it’s because our schedules are so full nowadays that it’s always just gogogogogo.  Or maybe we’re just spoiled.  But this attitude is often reflected towards church as well.
It seems like we have the same sort of consumeristic approach towards church as we do with movie choices or plans for Saturday night.  If it can entertain me for a few hours and is a better option than anything else going on at the same time, then fine.  Otherwise, don’t bother.  And believe me, I understand this very well.  Even as a pastor, sometimes I wish I didn’t have to go to another church function and just go home and hang out with my family or watch “Tangled” with my wife (a movie we can both agree on).  But honestly?  That attitude shows just how much we really are in need of more Jesus in our lives.
Now, let me caveat that church does not equal Jesus.  Going to a retreat every month, coming out to early morning prayer every day, participating in a weekly small group meeting 3x a week WILL NOT get you into heaven and WILL NOT help you know Jesus more.  These are just “things to do.”  They do not equate to God.
However, it is specifically at “things” like these where we have opportunities to encounter God with our church community in ways that we do not throughout the rest of our days.  Let’s be honest – how many of us are truly encountering Christ on the regular?  How many of us feel like there’s not a single area of our lives where we need the Lord?  (And not in a “God, give me more money” kind of way).  Yet despite the fact that we know in our heart of hearts that we do need more Jesus, we still go out of our way to make excuses or prioritize tons of other things over church.
I challenge you, church.  When you see an announcement for the fasting retreat, do you inwardly groan?  When you hear about a praise and prayer event, do you automatically pretend like you’re busy?  When you are invited to receive prayer, do you start inching towards the doorway?  Again, I get the sentiment.  But that feeling comes from our attitude towards “things.”  If we can channel our focus on Jesus instead, I think our hearts will change.  And frankly, there’s nothing that can change our hearts other than more Jesus.
So please sign up for the fasting retreat.  There are no good movies out anyway.

From Pastor David’s Heart
January 25, 2015