I was born in a non-Christian family but I probably had a notion of God.  So, if I went to a Buddhist temple for a school field trip, I bowed down to the statue of Buddha and when I heard that I needed to pray to the moon on the first full moon of the year, I did.  However, whenever I was in trouble, I sought 'God'.  I did not know when I attained this concept of God, but He was always the one I prayed to when I took a college entrance exam, had a job interview, or whenever I needed help. However, in spite of seeking Him in times of trouble, He was not a comfortable one to me.  Actually, He was someone whom I rather wanted to avoid and someone ...

Read More

Starting from the fasting of this Tuesday evening, the three chord prayer will commence this Wednesday morning.  There are numerous problems in life and the only one who can truly solve them is God.  Many of you understand this and that is why you come to church before dawn to pray.  When I think about that, it is very exciting. Three Chord prayer is not only to solve problems and to overcome spiritual obstacles but also to become more confirmed to God's will by seeking His voice and not the answers which seem right to us.  I urge all of you to participate in this endeavor so that you will have a great spiritual growth. Some of you may ...

Read More

This is the last week of 2015 and I want to share with you the major activates of the SBC for 2015.  For 2015, there were 188 new comers who registered to the church.  The average Sunday worship attendance was 1,029 for all three services.  The number who received Jesus as savior was 131, and 130 were baptized.  This gives an average number of 2.5 per week who received Jesus and were baptized.  Once again this year was full with special stories and testimonies of their first encounter with Jesus.  I am sure we all rejoiced together with God for the salvation of these people as they prayed and labored for this end. For Living Life Bible study, ...

Read More

At the end of year 2015, I reflected over this year.  The most meaningful event for the year is the pastor's seminar in a city in China and in Mozambique, Africa.  Considering the impoverished condition of those locations, it was truly amazing to have an official house church seminar where the hosting church members provided room and board to the seminar participants. To achieve this, arrangements were made for many shepherds to experience laymen's seminar and lots of time and resources were spent to assist in those pastor's seminars, and the result was very pleasing.  Because this was the first year, I gave lectures with a translator during ...

Read More

SBC has many new believers.  This sometimes causes certain laughable situations, but sometimes I experience an embarrassing moment.  On Sunday, during the time of dedication, I had a prayer request which put me at a loss.  It went like this, "My beloved grandmother passed away.  She did not receive Jesus, but please pray so that God will send her to a nice place."  The Bible states that only people who received Jesus can go to heaven and the opportunity is given only during the time on Earth and no second chance will be given after the person passes away.  Therefore, while the prayer requester's grief is understandable, it is not possible for me ...

Read More

Thanksgiving this year was especially bleak.  As the price of oil hit new lows daily, many oil-related companies in Houston are going through unprecedented recessions and as a result many church members are laid off.  Around the world, the terrorist activity of ISIS was enough to make us depressed as Thanksgiving approached us. Nevertheless, as I read the shepherd's journal, it looked like most homes shared heartwarming moments in their house church.  Many gathered in their house churches and some had joint house churches to celebrate Thanksgiving together.  They invited VIPs, and in their meetings they shared thanksgiving for the year.  Some ...

Read More

As I wrote last week, Pastor Barnabas Choi's sudden departure placed me in a quandary.  Not only is there a disruption in the Family Youth Program, but also there is no pastor who can share the burden of preaching.  Even though we do not have an associate pastor, we need a pastor who can preach once a month and who can lead the service when I am out of town. However, it is not that we urgently need an associate pastor because the Family Youth Program is still in the development stage and all that is needed is someone who can preach once a month.  After I spent some time to think about who would be the right person, I thought of Deacon Jae Dong ...

Read More