When We Are Overwhelmed…

by PH

It’s not that God will not give you anything you cannot handle. It’s that He will enable you handle that which you cannot handle on your own. We are like a little boy who tried to remove a large rock in the middle of the sandbox. He tried his best but he simply didn’t have the […]

Dirty Old Men?

by PH

Another scandal hit the air waves. This time, governor Cuomo of New York. As we repeatedly hear of these scandals – men from all walks of life – I ‘m surprised that we get surprised! It’s almost like we expect some men not to have any of these dark stains. And then we get surprised […]

Learning peace and confidence in Christ

by LD

John 16:33-I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  From this passage, Jesus does not leave the disciples destitute in the harshness of reality, but does tell them the hard truth of it, while leaving them with His presence in […]

Your Calling Does Not Match Your Character

by PH

God’s calling is almost always to something that is unlikely. God does not usually call you to something that will suit you. You would think God got the wrong person. Moses thought that way. He wasn’t a good speaker, and therefore he could not lead a nation of people (so he thought). There are plenty of […]

Seeing ourselves in others-(the recent attacks on Asians)

by LD

Matthew 24:12–And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. Over eleven years ago in a coffee shop while planting As One, Pastor Hong asked me, why do you think God has us together?  Of course PH being Korean-American, and myself  African-American, God was answering us as we considered the question.  […]

The Blessed “Troubling” Calling

by PH

God’s calling is never for our blessing directly. The blessing comes only as a by-product of that calling. And the calling itself will bring much “trouble” to our lives. When God called Moses, it wasn’t about Moses or his future. It was about the Israelites. God wanted to deliver the Israelites from the hands of the […]

God’s Sovereign Will

by PH

You cannot thwart the will of God. It would be like a child kicking a tank with his tennis shoes on. God’s will will stand!Pharoah thought that he would wipe out God’s people. So, he ordered all the Hebrew boys to be killed as soon as they were born. But one of them survives and […]

Grace to preserve the perception of God

by LD

Exodus 32:11-12–But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12  Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out… It’s safe to say that when you […]

When Unfortunate Events Happen…

by PH

Do not judge whether a happening is good or bad too quickly. What we consider “bad” could actually be good. God often uses apparent evil to do actual good. “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Genesis […]

Embracing a “blood bought” status

by LD

Exodus 30:15-16–The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the Lord’s offering to make atonement for your lives. The Lord makes no distinction of societal status by making the rich and poor be on the same level, because in essence they are!  Before the Lord money […]