MM 2010

So I'm officially back in Davis/Sac. Our team arrived back into the States around 8PM at SFO on July 16th. It's been a long 3 week journey to Myanmar and various thoughts are coming and going.
Having a difficult time adjusting back to the "normal" sleeping schedule. First night back slept for 3 hours and then went off to Hayward for a softball tournament. Last night slept for about 6 hours, but still up before dawn.
MM trip was difficult, not just physically but emotionally. Being in MM really reminded me about my first mission trip to Indonesia back in '98....I disliked that experience very much so, and I think the flashbacks really presented themselves again this year. I realized that 2 things I don't like very much is diesel-fuel exhaust and traveling in SE Asia. I rarely get motion sickness, but it seemed like I was "sick" almost everyday. The weather was hot and sticky, except on those days that it actually rained. Food was a hit and miss, mostly a hit, but still battled with stomach issues throughout the trip. Saw more than my fair share of Buddhas and pagodas and temples....these people are blindly living oppressed lives and they don't even know it. So much deceit and manipulation and corruption...only God can break through that blanket of evil.
Definitely saw first hand how God used our team to encourage the missionaries and their wives and families. Awesome times of fellowship and worship and just plain laughter. I think they needed the encouragement...the affirmation that what they sacrificed to do was the right act of obedience.
Still got a few thoughts to process and convert into prayers before God. Learning to pray more...learning to just speak with God more consistently (ie: meditation).
Grateful to all of my supporters, for without their help, this trip would not have been possible. Need to write a follow-up letter/testimony. Hopefully I can clearly express into words the things that took place in Myanmar in the last 3 weeks....

PTL!

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

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Myanmar

looks like I'm going to Myanmar for a few weeks this summer. kinda caught off-guard here, definitely need to come before the Lord in prayer. me? a team leader? i've never officially led a team before. i've always been on the side, or in the background....advising, mobilizing, counseling. but now i'm up front and in the middle. all my faults and weaknesses are flooding my thoughts right now. did I mention that i need to pray?

friends, will you pray with/for me??

June 28 - July 17

Great Collection of Quotes

"In a day, when you don't come across any problems, you can be sure that you are traveling in a wrong path" - Swami Vivekananda

"If someone feels that they had never made a mistake in their life, then it means they had never tried a new thing in their life" - Albert Einstein

"Never break four things in our life - Trust, Relation, Promise and Heart - because when they break, they don't make noise but pains a lot?" - Charles Dickens

"Three sentences for getting success: Know more than other | Work more than other | Expect less than other" - Williams Shakespeare

"If we cannot love the person whom we see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see.." - Mother Teresa

"I will not say I failed 1000 times, I will say that I discovered 1000 ways that can cause failure" - Thomas Alva Edison

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself" - Leo Tolstoy

Come Home Running

As I'm preparing for our services this weekend, this song came to mind, which also seems to coincide with this morning's devotional from Luke 15:11-24. I don't know about you, but sometimes we just need to remember to just let everything go and just run to Him. He is the One who can solve all our problems, love us more than anyone else can love us, and provide for us more than we'll ever need or want.
The biggest question mark in my life right now pertains to my future....future job/career, future spouse/family, future plans, etc... And sometimes I feel like I'm barely treading the waters of life. I need to be constantly reminded of how BIG and GREAT my God is and how He loves me so much and just wants my heart in obedience to Him. How cool is that huh?
I hope that as you reflect on the lyrics of this song, and think about the price that was paid on the cross, you will recognize just how great and loving our God truly is and run to Him.....

Come Home Running
Oh heart of mine, why must you stray?
From one so fair you run away
And one more time you have to pay
The heaviness of needless shame

Oh heart of mine, come back home
You've been too long out on your own
And He's been there all along
Watching for you down the road

So come home running
His arms are open wide
His name is Jesus
He understands
He is the answer
You are looking for
So come home running
Just as you are

Oh child of God so dearly loved
And ransomed by the Savior's blood
And called by name, daughter and son
Wrapped in the robe of righteousness
~Chris Tomlin

Homecoming

Last weekend, DKC celebrated its 28th Anniversary. But along with the celebration, we also dedicated our new Missions Center. In doing so, we invited all of our alumni and former pastors to come celebrate with us. What a blessed weekend it was, despite the crazy hours, the endless meetings, the various plans that seemed to change constantly, and the minimal sleep that was had. One thing was for certain....that upon hearing the messages from our pastors and missionaries and friends, we can definitely sense that God loves DKC and the people who come/go through our church. To start from a small bible study group of 7 families to now having our own mission center, is a true testament of God's love and faithfulness.
But one thing I wanted to share was the message that P. Jimbob Park had to share with our english-speaking congregation. His message was simple, coming from Matthew 25. It's the story of the talents. P. Jimbob had 3 points, but I can only remember 2 of them. The first was to have a vision...and his definition of "vision" was to be able to see the end product. What is the end product we aim to achieve in our lives? What is God's end product for me?
Secondly, he shared how regardless of how many talents we're blessed with, we need to do all we can to use our talents. He talked about the servant given 1 talent who hid it. P. Jimbob said even with the 1 talent, we ought to use it for God's glory. We may think we don't have talent or aren't skilled enough, but that's not the way God sees it. And if we are responsible with what little we are given, then God will entrust us with much more down the road. His analogy was about tithing and how we make excuses about not tithing and that we will once we make more money. But if we can't sacrifice with the little we have, how much harder will it be when we have so much more? It's about establishing discipline...
P. Daniel Kim's message on Sunday was just as good too.....talked about "Wave Generation" and how to catch that wave in our Christian faith. Man...I miss his sermons. Goes straight to the core of the heart.
Thanks to everyone who served so diligiently. It's exciting to see how God will use DKC now in the years to come. I'm just glad to have been a part of it these last 15+ years and can't wait to see how He'll use me in the years ahead.

PS~ does anybody read this blog? If so, can you leave a comment so I don't think everyone is an online stalker? hahaha

thought for the week.....

So I don't know why, but lately I've been thinking a lot about charismatic manifestation and the practice of such theology. I personally cannot deny the cessation of spiritual gifts of the Spirit, as taught by conservatives such as John MacArther. I have close friends who "speak in tongues" or know of people who have personally experienced "healing" in some fashion. Even at our last college retreat, the guest speaker "prophesied" over 3 of our members. I think growing up in a Korean church didn't help either because charismatic practices have manifested itself during worship, even at so called "conservative" churches. I think the larger question I have is how to discern what is of God and what is not of God. Like I said, I don't practice spiritual gifts in my personal walk, but I am definitely intrigued by the countless testimonies of physical healing and yet skeptical of practices such as being "slain in the spirit."
Serving in a college ministry I do have concerns about what we teach and expose our students to. Sometimes I feel there is more hype and excitement for God through the signs and wonders and emotions that charismatics display versus the actual word of God. I wonder if we are putting more emphasis on our experiences or emotions rather than in God Himself? Or am I just "jaded" in my walk and not open to this "power of the Holy Spirit?"
I don't think I'm jaded (well I hope not) and I know I love God. But I'm just not certain that by speaking in tongues or falling over when prayed upon through the laying of hands, is indicative of how intimate my walk with the Lord is (or isn't). I don't get the "highs" from retreats anymore, only to come crashing back down. Does that mean I'm not living a "spirit-filled" life? Some may say so, but I beg to differ.....
I think one pastor said it best, "in every church, there needs to be a balance, a good balance between head, heart and hands."
I want people to recognize my love for God through the way I live my life for Him who saved me. If anything, this thought has really caused me to see just how much I lack in reading through scripture and finding my answers (truth) there. I guess it's time to dust of the cover...so to speak.