"Let us pray"

As we all know, the free world now has a new leader. I have spent quite some time on thinking and praying about/for President Obama. I don't believe there has ever been a leader in recent years with as much pressure placed on them as our President does today. As we watch the media coverage, listen to civilian interviews, both domestic and foreign, it is near impossible to avoid recognizing the amount of hope placed into this one man.

There are countless topics one could field when speaking/writing about the President. However, I'd like to take this time and opportunity to focus on just one. Prayer.

As a church, we have been spending a ton of time addressing prayer. With all the chaos and daily distractions of our lives, its often difficult to pray for anything outside of ourselves and even more difficult to pray for someone we do not know on a personal level. President Obama is in a position to make all the difference in the world, literally. Let's all remember to keep him in our prayers and to look to the leader of ALL. With so much to be fixed, poverty, broken families, the current economic state, countless lives lost in "holy" wars, widows, orphans, health of Mother Nature, etc., where does one begin, with the world awaiting your "repairs," no less? Let's pray for our President. Let's pray for him through his victories as well as his struggles. As President Obama does his best to improve the current state of our country, let's do our part. In the words of Steven Curtis Chapman, "Let us pray." Let us not look to President Obama to save a broken world, rather, let us look to the Saviour of all to work THROUGH President Obama.

Thanks for reading everyone! Have a GREAT rest of the week.

Timmy Kong - Plug Midweek Ministry and praise team

The Commute

I hate commuting. It's the worst. I love my job and what I do but the sprint to the subway, almost getting pancaked by taxi drivers and then cramming into a packed subway car isn't my ideal way to begin or end a day. I hate commuting so much that I moved within throwing distance to my first workplace. Bliss could only last so long and then I switched jobs across town

Since then I've been forced back into the commute, I've done everything imaginable to shorten or distract myself from the idea that I'm commuting. I blast my tunes on my iPod and try to get lost in thought about something but that never really works. If you seen me at the subway, I'm usually reading a newspaper or pretending to be interested in something I'm really not. I digress.

Anyways, a couple weeks ago at church, Pastor Dave mentioned something about picking up QT books for 4 bucks. My big thing for 2009 has been to move my faith past just Sunday. I'm not a great Christian by any stretch of the imagination but one can try. I decided to take a flyer on the book seeing as it was only 4 bucks. The next problem was how to read this thing EVERY day. This coming from a guy who has a tough time remembering to brush his teeth everyday (Disgusting, right? Don't worry, I keep a toothbrush at the office).

Then one day on my way to work, I forgot my newspaper but noticed I had the QT book in my bag. Now, I've always been one to think that doing QT meant you had to lock your door, sit in a dimly lit room and listen to some medley of Chris Tomlin and Shane Bernard in the background. But on this day, I decided to flip open to the current day's study and began reading. I did my best to follow the story, do the memory verse, think about the application and read the suggested prayer. By the time I closed the book, I was at my stop. It turned out that the exact amount of time it took to do a QT was the exact amount of time it took to get to work. Coincidence? Maybe not.

I think the "quiet" in QT, at least to me, might be a bit of a misnomer. There's nothing quiet about my morning commute; the screeching sound of the subway, the conductor over the intercom, passengers jockeying for prime position. At the same time, it's the quietest part of my day, where my thoughts go interrupted and where I attempt to change the worst part of my day into one of the most meaningful.

Keith Park

Knock Knock...

What is currently on your wish list? What are you asking God for right now? Has He given you things that you haven't even thought of or asked for??? Is that good or bad?

I recently starting about what's happening in my life.... then realized God has lately given me an abundance of "something" I asked for.... now I come to ask myself.... Can I handle it? and handle all of it like I asked for? Like God expects me to?

"Knock and it shall be given to you" but did I knock too much? or accidentally knock and He opened the door too wide for me? It made me think how I should prepare myself first before I ask for something. Too often times, we don't even know exactly what or why we want something, but we vaguely just ask....

On a flip side, when God asks me for something, do I do it with an obedient heart? or ignore it? or do it reluctantly? Are we really ready for what He will ask us to do, say or have?

It also made me think about my priorities. When God actually gives me something I asked for (or didn't' ask for).... am I be ready for it? can / do I put those things on my priority list? Or am I blind and foolish enough to put those blessings at the bottom of the list? or worse yet, don't even see them there.... like the Sun hiding behind the clouds.... Just because we can't easily see it or seek it, doesn't' mean it's not there right?

Here's what I told myself today......

1) Before I ask for it, be ready to "handle" it

2) Be ready to wait for it (with hopeful anticipation) when it doesn't come right away

3) Seek and Knock with a clear purpose and plan

4) Do something about it (instead of sitting and waiting for it to come to you)

With that in mind, I hope that we ALL be proactive in seeking and knocking for things we want to pursue in life! Ciao!!


Jessie Chang - Hanamissions and Praise Team

Man on a mission...

First off, what an amazing trip. It was amazing to see 13 individuals come together for one cause, bringing our prayers together, hoping we would be able to help out even just a little bit during our stay.

At first, I was a bit worried, not because it was Nicaragua, but because we were doing everything last minute. We were scraping up donations just a couple days before our trip and we did not really have a set plan yet. However, people were ready and willing to go. It was a little awkward at first because it was the first mission trip with the English and Korean Ministry together.

At the beginning of the trip, the EM (English Ministry) and the KM (Korean Ministry) were hanging out separately, but slowly we started to poke fun at each other and began to act more like a family. We gave each other nicknames and laughed as we headed towards to Nicaragua.

When we arrived in Nicaragua, we were ready to work. Each of us got the bags and I carted some bags with a rice cooker on top. The customs officer told me to go to the side. He then put the rice cooker through the X-Ray machine and the dude was like what is this? I said, "It is a rice cooker". He looked at me like I was a martian. I then said with confidence, "Arroz" which he understood a bit better.

When we stepped outside, I took a deep breath of Nicaragua's air. It was fresh and humid. I came to a quick realization that I wasn't home anymore. A stranger kept roaming around our bags and attempted to help us. We told him no a dozen times but I could see that he was desperate. Desperate to find food, or to steal. It was sad.

That first night, we went straight to Jinotepe which was a hour drive away.It felt amazing to be in a different country, but since it was dark, it was hard to tell what it looked like. The next day is when I got a complete realization. Every house had guard rails with two locks to get in and rails over the windows. Some houses had additional locks to just walk in through your front door. Every door had locks on them and had to be locked at all times.

Homes had chipped paint and all of them had an overlay of years of dirt. Dog and horse feces were everywhere. Horses had the legs the size of of a NFL fullbacks and dogs probably weighed the same as two NYC pigeons. Everything in the USA is supersized and everything in Nicaragua seemed so small.

I felt privileged to be living in the USA, with the luxury of throwing my toilet paper in the can and to drink a Coke and throw my bottle away (glass bottles had to be returned to stores). There was a 9-5 curfew, from sunrise to sundown. These people were getting the equivalent of nine US dollars a day to build structures on the school property. I felt like a spoiled brat, complaining about having no job. It was an honor to work with these people, who need the money to get food on the table. These people live this everyday, not by choice, but because they have to live.

Most of the time, I was digging land for where the IN2 house will later stand, breaking pieces off the ground and hauling chunks of mother nature off a hill. At other times I was painting and cleaning. It was amazing to see everyone working so hard and diligently. We wanted to make our time there worth every little second. We kept encouraging each other and kept on laughing and we accomplished so much while we were down there. It might seem minimal, but that is time that can be saved by the permanent missionaries. It gives them time to do other things and to focus on growing the Christian school.

It was an eye opening experience and I want to do it again. It is amazing what people can do if they set their minds to it.

Sang Kang - Welcome Team Leader, Mustard Seed Ministry

Abraham Lincoln Didn't Quit

Probably the greatest example of persistence is Abraham Lincoln. If you want to learn about somebody who didn't quit, look no further.

Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost eight elections, twice failed in business and suffered a nervous breakdown.

He could have quit many times - but he didn't and because he didn't quit, he became one of the greatest presidents in the history of our country.

Lincoln was a champion and he never gave up. Here is a sketch of Lincoln's road to the White House:

• 1816 His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.
• 1818 His mother died.
• 1831 Failed in business.
• 1832 Ran for state legislature - lost.
• 1832 Also lost his job - wanted to go to law school but couldn't get in.
• 1833 Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this debt.
• 1834 Ran for state legislature again - won.
• 1835 Was engaged to be married, sweetheart died and his heart was broken.
• 1836 Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months.
• 1838 Sought to become speaker of the state legislature - defeated.
• 1840 Sought to become elector - defeated.
• 1843 Ran for Congress - lost.
• 1846 Ran for Congress again - this time he won - went to Washington and did a good job.
• 1848 Ran for re-election to Congress - lost.
• 1849 Sought the job of land officer in his home state - rejected.
• 1854 Ran for Senate of the United States - lost.
• 1856 Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party's national convention - get less than 100 votes.
• 1858 Ran for U.S. Senate again - again he lost.
• 1860 Elected president of the United States.

In2, lets not even consider giving up as an option, press on!

Young Hwang, Mustard Seed Teacher

The Lord of the Fries

"Uncle, those are my fries!"

My fingers froze in mid-grab as he shouted in angry disbelief. With his eyes blazing and his face flushed, he looked at me as though I had committed some cardinal sin.

All I wanted was a couple of fries.

Fries I had bought for him.

Fries I had ordered for him.

Fries I had driven him to Burger King to get.

He forgot that as far as his life is concerned, I am the Lord of the Fries.

Without me, he would not have any fries. I decide whether or not and how much he gets.

I don't actually need his fries. I could buy fries for myself – as much as I want.

I don't need his fries, but I do want him to learn something. I want him to understand that he is not the lord of his life. (He's not even the lord of his fries.) I want him to be generous and to share spontaneously, without the threat of punishment or the promise of reward. I want him to understand that his uncle will always provide for him. I want him to be able to recognize and to pray, as King David did, For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. (I Chronicles 29:14b)

There is nothing we have that didn't come from God. That's what I want him to know.

That's what I need to remember as well.

I am not the lord of my life. God is the one who has given me my life, my time, my talents, my treasures. God wants me to be generous and to share spontaneously. God wants me to understand that God, my Father, will always provide for me.

So I grab a few more fries. I think he's understood the lesson.

"Uncle! That's my drink!"

Andrew Choi - Lighting Team

NYU Sign In

So, whenever I go to login to my school's site, a different picture is on the homepage. There's a picture of a chessboard, some flowers, scientists, students raising their hands and sometimes, if i'm lucky, us NYUers get to see this:
a random dinosaur in Washington Square ... but why a dinosaur?


Debora Suk - Mustard Seed Leader, Small Group Leader, Praise Team

The Living LIfe - January 13, 2009

Planting on Fertile Soil Mark 4:13~25
13	Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?
14	The farmer sows the word.
15	Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
16	Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
17	But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
18	Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;
19	but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
20	Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."
21	He said to them, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand?
22	For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.
23	If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
24	"Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you--and even more.
25	Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."
The Explanation (4:13-20) In today’s passage, Jesus explains to His disciples, the parable that was told in yesterday’s passage. The four soils represent the four different responses to God’s message. The first three soils have one thing in common—the seed was unable to grow in them, due to a variety of reasons. As a pastor, every Sunday, when I look out at my congregation, I see a mixed group of people. There are those who fervently take notes, nodding at each significant point, and even whispering an occasional “Amen” with a blessed remark. Then there are those who are looking outside the window, talking with their spouse, or altogether have fallen asleep. I want to encourage you to come to church with a holy expectation that God is going to meet you where you’re at and do a transforming work in you. When you enter those sanctuary doors, is the soil of your heart fertile and ready to produce a crop? Shine On (4:21-25) The purpose for the light is to shine, not to be hidden. Any light that is covered or hidden is useless. Why does Jesus say this at this point to His disciples? Being amongst the privileged in having heard the truth, they are not to conceal it. They now have a responsibility to pass it on. That is why Jesus says to “Consider carefully what you hear…with the measure you use, it will be measure to you—and even more (v. 24). Knowing the truth has benefits, but it comes with it responsibilities. Don’t hide your lamp. Let it shine. Furthermore, light is always stronger than the darkness. No matter how dark a place may be, the smallest light will unveil the darkness. Darkness can never overcome the light. No matter how dark or hopeless your situation may be, just keep shining brightly. The daylight will come even after the darkest of nights.
In the busyness of getting ready for church on Sunday morning, do you spend more time in preparation for your physical appearance or on the inner condition of your heart? Come before the Lord in worship with a holy expectation to meet with Him. You and I have been given a great responsibility. We are jars of clay, carrying the truth of the Gospel within us. It is the flame’s nature to burn. When we are ignited with the light of Christ, it is only natural for others to feel the warmth and see the light.