Back From St. Louis- Day 2

Thoughts On The Conference

I just got back home from St. Louis and had a sweet time at New City Fellowship’s Reconciliation and Justice Conference. On the whole, the plenary sessions were extremely helpful and the small group sessions were great too, providing space for thoughtful conversations and time to wrestle on the specific issues of reconciliation and justice in our churches with different pastors.

It was all the more interesting because the majority of folks who attended the conference were from the PCA, a denomination that is almost entirely white in ethnic make-up and has a history of racism. In fact, there is still much of that going on in certain regions of the country today. That’s for another entry, however.

I’d like to offer a few concluding thoughts from the conference. First off, I applaud New City Fellowship for their incredible commitment and passion to seeing reconciliation in the church, especially in regards to race and ethnicity. You see this kind of intentionality in every facet of their church, from leadership, various ministries and especially their music. They are also extensively committed to serving the poor and meeting the felt needs of the people in their context. New City Fellowship has two churches, the original being located in Chattanooga and the other in St. Louis. From what I’ve witnessed with the St. Louis church, they have an amazing non-profit organization in Restore St. Louis that is making a huge impact in the city. I praise God for them.

My one concern, however, is not an unimportant or minor one. While I am firmly committed to seeing racial reconciliation and justice enacted out in the local church, I don’t think that it is the core of the gospel. I truly believe the primary mission of the church is to preach the gospel faithfully and make disciples of all nations. The heart of the gospel, I believe, is the exaltation of Jesus and the salvation of sinners. Racial reconciliation and justice is and should be (but is often not, especially in many Reformed circles) a natural, organic outflow of faithfully preaching the gospel and raising disciples for Christ. But it should never take center stage, in my opinion, of any church’s philosophy of ministry. My fear is that people will begin to see that reconciliation and justice are the only concerns of the church. I think the gospel is much more comprehensive than those two things, although those two aspects of seeing God build His kingdom are extremely important components and often neglected in most evangelical churches today.

With that being said, I am grateful for the church and pray God would bless them and would faithfully be drawing more and more sinners into His family through this local congregation. I pray above all that Christ would be exalted in everything that happens.

The Best Part

Perhaps the best part of the conference was meeting new people and spending time with Pastor Dan and our soon-to-be Pastor Abraham. More on those two later.

I finally had a chance to meet Abe Cho and Duke Kwon. I didn’t get too much of a chance to chat with Abe but it was great to finally get a chance to talk with him, even if it was all too brief. The biggest blessing was meeting this dude named Duke Kwon. First of all, what kind of Korean parents name their kid Duke? Duke? Seriously, Duke? That is so bad-ass.

Duke is the lead pastor at a new PCA church plant in D.C. called Grace Meridian Hill. He and Pastor Dan hit it off last year at the conference and I’ve been told ever since that I had to meet this guy. I finally see why. My time with him was all too brief but I’m praying that this would lead to a fruitful and long-lasting relationship. Duke is a Korean-American man leading a multi-ethnic church in a neighborhood that is very much like Boston’s version of Jamaica-Plain and Roxbury. I often wrestle with the role of Asian-American pastors within the context of multi-ethnic churches. I was comforted to know that there’s other like-minded men going before me, such as Duke and Abe, who I can look up to and learn from as I discern God’s calling on my life as well. I’m hoping to visit D.C. (hopefully in the summer) to check out Duke’s church and see how God is using him!

Well, I just vomited a whole bunch of information. That was dope, I guess. But here are the pictures, the only real reason why anyone actually reads this blog. Sorry they suck!

Worship during the third session.

Whether led by Kirk Ward or Mike Ramsey, New City’s worship team always brings it hard.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, one of the best parts about the trip was hanging out with Pastor Dan and Abe. I still crack up when I think that our staff in Dorchester is comprised of this strange combination of a big white teddy bear and a pair of Harold and Kumar look-alikes. I praise God for these two men and having the chance to co-labor alongside them as well as being mentored by them.

Here we are, waiting for the T. St. Louis was dope, but it’s good to be back home in Boston!

Back In St. Louis- Day 1

Last August I had the privilege of attending a worship music conference with a specific focus on justice and reconciliation. The conference was hosted by New City Fellowship in St. Louis, Missouri.

I’m back in town and it’s been an interesting and thought-provoking trip so far. I’ll have more reflections tomorrow but I’m exhausted right now.

I woke up at 3:30AM to pick up Abe and leave with Pastor Dan for our flight at 5:45AM. They definitely don’t make these seats for big boys.

Photogenic.

Photogenic again.

What if you’re fat?

Really? Yes.

Moving sidewalk. I definitely pissed some people off behind me who were hoping to get to their destination a bit quicker.

Pastor Dan listening intently.

Abe: “I’m way too smart for these cats.”

The legendary Abe Cho speaking during the second plenary session. He gave a talk that was both equally insightful and brilliant at the same time. And he tied it all back to the cross of Jesus Christ. Would you expect any less from a dude who pastors at Redeemer?

In the evening we had a chance to unwind and grab a few drinks at a downtown lounge called Lola. The name sounds weird but it was super dope getting a chance to hang out with some of Abe’s old friends.

The always passionate and extremely gracious Steve St. Pierre.

From left to right: Mike, Abe, JR, and Alejandro. Alejandro is a DJ doing work with Sadat X! Crazy! And JR? He leads worship at The Journey, an Acts 29 church in St. Louis. And he also does some production and lends his vocals for some dude named Lecrae. Yup, that Lecrae.

What a gangster mural.

More pictures and reflections tomorrow! One more day left in the conference and landing in Boston during the late evening…

Friends Are Friends Forever

I should be going to sleep. Actually, I should have gone to sleep an hour or two ago. I’ll be attempting to wake up at 3:30AM in order to wash up and go pick up Abraham so we can head to Pastor Dan’s house. We’re headed to St. Louis for New City Fellowship’s conference on justice and racial reconciliation. I’m super excited to meet a lot of wiser, older more experienced men and to be spending time with the two pastors. It will also be nice to meet a much more diverse group of PCA pastors than I am accustomed to seeing gather in one place. Pictures and reflections to come!

Some random reflections that have been running through my head. In bullet points for your reading pleasure…

• People tell me I’m a bad friend because I am terrible at keeping in touch. And I think they mean it. I am wondering how I can remedy this or if this is just something I need to accept will be a recurring motif in my life.
• I’m 99% sure I want to get my D.Min. I would love to be able to teach at Gordon-Conwell someday.
• I am very thankful for Jane.
• When you realize that God the Father loves you in the same way He has loved His Son, it changes everything.
• Really, am I a bad friend?
• I’m such a people-pleaser.

This is dedicated to my friends. Have a nice day.

She’s Older Than Me

Today I sang my own version of “Happy Birthday” to Jane.

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday my dear lady
Happy birthday to you!

How old are you now?
I believe you’re twenty-five!
Let’s hurry up and get married
While you’re still in your prime!

Happy twenty-fifth to my best friend. You are a gift from God and the second-best thing that’s ever happened to me. Thank You Jesus for allowing me to walk alongside her on this journey we call life!

Unfair

“The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair.” – Relient K

Who knew you could find gospel truths in modern pop rock songs? Well, Relient K is actually a ragtag bunch of good Christian kids. And that song has been out for quite a while. But, I digress.

Ever since I began my studies in seminary it seems as if the reality of what it means to live out what I preach has really been brought to the forefront. It’s easy to preach “love others, even your enemies, because Christ died for you while you were an enemy of God.” When the actual task of loving someone or being loving in a situation where you’ve been hurt (whether intentionally or unintentionally) does arise, however, your belief in these doctrines is truly tested.

In the end, it all comes back to Jesus, doesn’t it? How could I possibly hold a grudge against someone or hold any mistake or sin committed against anybody? I was once an enemy of God and am sitting here, reflecting on His goodness and faithfulness in my life only by and purely by grace alone. It is unfair that I would be called and chosen to be one of His Redeemed. Because God is so holy and just, if He chose not to save anyone He would be well within His rights. But he has chosen some and He has chosen and saved many. How could anyone who has experienced this great, supernatural act of mercy possibly hold anything against anyone, then?

As Paul says, all have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

The ultimate beauty of the Gospel is that the grace of God not only saves us but changes us and sanctifies as well. This song has been encouraging to me and I pray that the truth of God’s mighty work in the hearts and lives of the Redeemed would cause us to live, think and act differently.

“You make all things new.”

My Two Best Friends

My two best friends Inwoo and Jane were born on the same day. Well, not exactly. They were actually born a year apart from each other. This Wednesday is their official birthday(s) but we kicked off the festivities a few days earlier because a work night isn’t exactly the ideal time to celebrate.

Inwoo’s girlfriend Katie and I decided to throw them a nice dinner party. All that really meant was I hosted and cleaned the house while Katie did most of the cooking. She did a brilliant job and the food was freaking awesome. I’m glad she cooked because as much as I’ve taken great strides in the kitchen I’d still much rather leave the cooking to an expert.

Meat. Yes.

Katie = gangster in the kitchen. YES!

Katie and the green beans. Vegetables. No.

The only thing I contributed in the kitchen.

Katie’s masterpiece! Everyone loves. Great success!

Katie and Inwoo!

Oh snap, those are nice looking salad plates!

Slow Down and Not Forget

Okay, okay, I’m kind of late on this. You might think it strange that I haven’t logged in an entry since December 18th. It’s literally been a month since I haven’t written a single entry.

So, why no entries? It was definitely not because there wasn’t much going on. Quite the contrary, the last three-four weeks have been quite the journey and produced much fruit. Even though it’s been just a few short weeks, so much has happened and I’m blown away when I reflect on God’s faithfulness and what He’s done in my life.

I think after wrapping up final exams, however, my mind just shut down and went into hibernation. I spent my first Christmas with Jane and it was overall a wonderful experience. Time at home with my family was also an incredible blessing with all its ups and downs. And, now I’m back in Boston and I’ve been in class since the day I returned.

Basically, I haven’t had a real chance to put the brakes on life. So, I needed a break in some area and so I took a break from blogging. No, it’s not a part-time job but blogging regularly is actually a lot more difficult than it seems. It requires more thought, energy and time than I wanted to expend.

Needless to say, I’m back.  I figured it was important that I continue sharing reflections and recording what goes on in my life. In the end, this blog is mostly for me, to serve as a reminder of where I’ve been, where I’m at and to continue dreaming about where I’m being taken. After all, one of the most fatal characteristics of being human is our forgetfulness. We are incredibly distracted and so easily amused with the next big shiny thing that comes beckoning for our attention, especially in this day and age.

This is why the apostle Paul is always reminding the churches he writes to about the gospel that was first taught to them. Why did he need to remind these cats about the gospel? Didn’t they already know the gospel? Yup. They knew it. Yet they were so quick to desert it and so prone to forgetfulness. Just like us. That’s why I need to believe that grace not only saves us, but also changes us.

Here’s to a new year. I’ll end with this quote from the Reverend Dan Rogers: “This year, stop trying to work out your own righteousness with new year’s resolutions. You will always fail. Try Jesus, instead.”

Here’s to Jesus. Cheers!