December 7, 2024

Even though my wife and I are not US citizens, we took great interest in the presidential election some weeks ago. In fact, the whole world was watching, as the leader of this big nation affects the political, economic, and military geography of the whole globe. I never spoke about my thoughts in public about the election, but I was still interested in how things turned out. And I am curious to know what the world will look like in the next few years.

On Tuesday evening at 10:20 pm Korean time, the Korean president issued an emergency martial law. This took everyone by surprise, and the whole nation was shocked. No one saw this coming. There weren’t any international threats, and there was no civil issue that law enforcement couldn’t control. There was absolutely no reason for martial law, and yet it happened. Within 2 and a half hours, the Korean parliament unanimously voted to stop the martial law. And now the Korean citizens are coming out to the streets to protest and demanding to impeach the president. I can say that this is an international embarrassment as to why the president did this. This isn’t something you would expect in one of the most advanced nations in Asia. While living across the Pacific here in Wisconsin, my wife and I were upset about this, and we have been following the Korean news all week long because it was about my country. 

What I gather from above is that how and what we decide affects our lives and the groups we belong to. Your voices and opinions matter. When they are expressed it helps us to find the right direction. Acts 15 talks about one of the first business meetings that took place in the early church, the Jerusalem council. The church at that time gathered to discuss the conflict over circumcision and sought the Holy Spirit to make decisions as “we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” Acts 15:11. They gathered because it was their church and they all had the same goal of all being saved.

I invite my church family to our annual business meeting at 6 pm this evening. This is our church, and we all have a common goal, to make this church a community leading to salvation. With the leading of the Holy Spirit, your voice and vote will help guide the church in the direction that God planned for us.

#pastorsblog #waukeshachurch

December 14, 2024

On Friday, I celebrated my seven years of running by going for a 7 mile run. It was 4 degrees outside and it was cold. I made sure to layer up and protect myself from the weather. I have run in colder conditions for many winters so I knew this would be enough. The sky was crisp clear and thankfully there was no wind.

The trail was clean for about the first half mile of the run and soon I saw a thin layer of snow on the trail. The sheet of snow wasn’t icy or slippery. It was just right amount to run on. Every step on the snow sounded like biting into a crunchy chocolate chip and the rhythmical sound of the steps calmed my mind. I noticed there were many other footsteps of people running and walking and dog footsteps, too. The longer I ran on the trail, the number of footsteps on the snow decreased until there was only one other set of footsteps left. From the pattern of the tread, I could tell it was a runner’s footsteps. Due to the cold weather, only a couple of us made it out this far.

I remember reading about sea turtles laying up to 100 eggs in the sand. During the incubation period in the sand, animals would dig up the sand and some of the eggs get eaten up. When the eggs are hatched, the hatchlings would rush to the ocean but during those moments, birds and other four legged animals would come and snatch the baby sea turtles. And for the sea turtles that do make it to the ocean, some of them would get eaten by big fish. Out of a 100, only a few actually survive to grow up in the wild.

Jesus talks about the ‘narrow way’ in Matthew and Luke. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are a few who find it.” Matthew 7:13,14. Even with all the people out there labeled as ‘Christians,’ only a few will make it into the kingdom of God. The Bible warns us about all the temptations of the Devil. The key is to look straight forward to Jesus only and trust that He will guide you all the way through to the end.

#pastorsblog #waukeshachurch

November 30, 2024

I was discharged from the Korean Army on October 15, 2005. It was a day to celebrate and it was the Sabbath. On my last morning in the military, I dressed up in my battle dress uniform for the last time, and with a few other buddies that were getting discharged together, we went to the regional commander’s office to report. Oh, it was a great day.

After that, I hopped on a train to Seoul and went straight to church. Most of the young adults knew me very well and congratulated me on my military service. Once the church service was over, church young adults and I hung out together and celebrated until late into the evening. It was around 9 pm when my father called me. He sounded upset and asked where I was. It was late and I had to return home. I think it was after 10 pm when I arrived home. To my surprise, my parents were waiting for me with a cake. In fact, they were waiting for me all afternoon to celebrate with me. 

I regretted my actions and was grateful for my parents. I knew about their support and sacrifice for me during those years and I took that for granted. I got to understand this better once I became a parent. As a parent I could now understand what it took for my parents to support me and provide for me all those years of growing up. Once I realized this, it was in a deeper sense whenever I expressed my gratitude to my parents.

We also have a Father who gave us everything and we often forget that. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. As we celebrate this Thanksgiving holiday, may we remember to thank our Father for all His blessings poured upon us.

#pastorsblog #waukeshachurch