May 11, 2024

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26

Twice a year, our daughters’ school hosts a concert and this week they had the spring concert. I know the class practiced for this wonderful event and the rest of the other campuses prepared well for this wonderful event.

The auditorium was full and Hye Mi and I sat up as front as we could. There were about three rows of students in front of us. Once the concert started, we paid attention to the performance. The students were all good and I can see how well they prepared. But the best performance was yet to come. 

Halfway through the concert, it was finally our daughters’ class’s turn to perform. I got my phone ready to start recording. The students lined up, started playing their ukelele, and sang the song “Kanaka Waiwai.” It was the best performance of the night. My girls sang the loudest, and they were the most beautiful-looking students in the entire school.

You can see that I am being very subjective. Did our kids’ class perform the best? Objectively not. Were my girls’ voices the most beautiful and best looking? Objectively not. They are my kids, and to me, that’s all I cared about all night. Every little movement they made caught my attention and to me, they were the best. Because they are MY kids.

I would like to think that that’s how God thinks of us. We are created in His image, and we are His loving children. I am thankful for a Father who watches over us and cares for us no matter what.

#pastorsblog #waukeshachurch

May 4, 2024

“As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings.” Deuteronomy 32:11

I try to go for a run at least 3 times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. While I try to run on different routes, I frequently run the Glacial Drumlin Trail, which isn’t too far from where I live. The biggest perk to running outside is enjoying nature and the different weather I encounter each day. No days are the same, and it’s a time to engage God and pray to Him during that time. Another perk is encountering live creatures. I get to see birds, chipmunks, deer, and turkeys, among many others.

When I encounter these animals on the run, I try to slow down and do my best to keep my distance. Almost all the time, these lovely creatures will run away from me (whew!). This morning, about one mile into the run, I saw a pair of ducks just right next to the paved trail on the grassy area. Obviously, it was a male and a female, and right beside them was a water puddle. I was getting closer to these ducks, and I thought surely these ducks will run away. But they stayed still and they didn’t even budge an inch. I passed them and they didn’t move at all! I thought that was odd. I didn’t see any chicks around them, so I assumed they must be protecting their eggs. If my assumptions are true, then this pair of ducks were protecting their eggs at all costs, even when this human being was passing by them.

That is what our Father in Heaven is like. He will do everything to protect us, nurture us, and grow us to be safe. Despite the challenges we have in our life, I pray that we will stay faithful to Him and trust Him because we know that He is our Father who loves us so much.

#pastorsblog #waukeshachurch

April 27, 2024

“But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” Matthew 25:4

One item I appreciated when we were traveling Europe was a portable battery pack for my phone. It made the top essential item list when we were packing for the trip. I have had my phone for some years and now the battery life on the phone is pretty bad. Most of the time, the battery life doesn’t bother me as I am mostly in a building and I can charge it anytime I want, and I can charge the phone when I am driving.

However, that was not the case when we were on the tour. I knew that the phone would not last the morning if I were to take multiple pictures and sometimes I would have to use maps to navigate around (this happened when our return flight got canceled and Hyemi and I were on our own). What got me through was the portable battery pack. Once fully charged overnight, I was able to power my phone to its fullest percentage twice. This was more than enough for me that I would even let other pastors use my battery pack because they would run out of battery as well. Each evening when we arrive at our hotel, I would ensure to hook up the battery pack to be prepared for the following day.

The parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25 teaches us a valuable lesson that we must be prepared for the groom. A fully charged phone is just not enough. You must have an extra power source ready in case of a delay, as was seen in the parable. I pray that we can stay prepared and ready for Jesus, especially in times like today.

#pastorsblog #waukeshachurch