September 21, 2024

It was a snowy morning in December, and my friend Walter was driving my brother and me to O’Hare airport from school. It was a two-hour drive and we left early. The snow was getting heavier, Walter drove with patience and caution as many cars slowed down on the icy highway. Unfortunately, we hit an icy spot, the car spun around twice, and our vehicle slid down into the side ditch.

There was no time to spare. My brother and I got out to push the car back out onto the highway while Walter stepped on the gas pedal to move the car forward. The wheels only spun in their place and dug deeper in the snow and dirt. We tried it a couple more times and no success. I looked behind us, and I could see a police car flashing its light. I had hoped that it saw us and was coming to our rescue, but it stopped earlier to help another car that slipped into the ditch.

We got back into the car not knowing what to do. We were certain that we were going to miss our flight to Korea. At that moment, we realized that we didn’t pray about this. There were three pastors in the car, and none of us thought to pray first! Finally, we prayed. Two of us got out again to start pushing the car while Walter stepped on the gas pedal. Slowly, the wheels got their grip,  the car moved its way up, and we were back on the road! I wonder how things would have turned out if we chose to pray first. There is power in prayer.

I would like to thank you all for showing up to our all night prayer vigil. I know that the Holy Spirit will be upon us as we come together as a body of Christ in praying and seeking His leading. And I pray that we will experience the early church as we continue to write Acts 29. “Then Paule dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.” Acts 28:30,31.

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September 14, 2024

Back in college in 2001, I was on a mountain climbing club. The club was strict, but everyone in the club loved mountains and rock climbing. We would meet at least once a week to learn to climb walls and prepare for our mountain climbing tour that began as soon as the first semester ended. The tour lasted for almost a week.

As soon as the final exam was over, we packed up and climbed up the 500-meter-high mountain right behind our school campus. It wasn’t the highest mountain, but it had good rocks to climb on. We set up our tents and started training and climbing different rocks and got to learn from the seniors. Everything was great, except for one thing. There was no shower. There was no such facility on top of the mountain, and the water was strictly for cooking and drinking only. We sweated all day and we were gross, and we could not shower. We were showerless for at least three days, I don’t know how we did that.

After three days, we came down the mountain to go to the next climbing site. We hopped on the bus. I felt so sorry for everyone else on the bus because we were nasty. This next site had a shower facility, praise the Lord! That shower after 3 days of climbing was like heaven. Oh, it felt so good and refreshing. We were clean again. 

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7. How powerful is this statement. The sin that has held us hostage to death for all this time is cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Just like the song that says, “Nothing but the blood of Jesus,” I pray that we will walk in the light of God and allow us to be cleansed by His Son Jesus Christ.

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September 7, 2024

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness?” Matthew 6:22,23.

This passage is from the sermon on the mount, and many people do not remember this passage as much as the other passages. There are few ways to read this passage, but this reminds me of what my professor shared in class many years ago. It was short but had an impact.

He was watching a show on TV, not knowing what the show was about. Suddenly an inappropriate scene came up without notice, which was now registered in his mind. That Sabbath, he was on the podium to pray and preach. When he got up to give the opening prayer before preaching, that scene that he saw from few days ago came to his thought, completely distracting him from what he was supposed to pray about. I don’t think that is a unique experience for him only, as I have had similar experiences in the past. What we see will occupy the mind, that will control the thought process and our actions.

The things that we do, see, talk about, hear about will determine the outcome of your thoughts and behaviors. I would expect that if we spend and consume more time in the study of the Word and praying to Jesus over other things of the world, then that is what you will be reflecting in your character and actions as you encounter people around you. What have you read and prayed about this week?

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