Déjà Vu Days

Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until His wrath has passed by.
Isaiah 26:20

Well, it’s been three weeks of social distancing but it already feels like ∞ days and the extrovert inside of me is screaming for release. During this time I’ve been asking myself a lot of questions I never thought I would ever ask. “How can I be an effective pastor when I’m unable to meet up with people? How can we create and experience community when we cannot physically gather together? Is there somewhere in my home I can hide where my kids can never find me?” Likewise, I’m sure all of you have been confronted with questions of your own. This season of quarantine sort of reminds me of the Passover in the story of Exodus, when the Angel of Death swept across the land of Egypt passing over the Israelites’ homes. But after the Israelites escaped slavery in Egypt, their lives did not get any easier. They still left their homes, they crossed the Red Sea, and they wandered in the desert for forty years. After our quarantine is lifted, I imagine our lives won’t go back “normal” like before. There will be a big adjustment that everyone will need to make. But one thing was true for the Israelites in Exodus as it is for God’s people today… God will be with us. God may not lead us with a traveling cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night like He did with the Israelites, but I’m certain God will be with us as He has always been. As a result, God’s people will be better off because God’s presence was with them.

I Can Do All This

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:12-13 (2011 NIV)

One of the most beloved verses in Scripture is Philippians 4:13, but you might have heard or read it in a slightly different translation. The ESV and older NIV translated Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” Do you notice the subtle but very significant difference? If you read the context of Philippians 4, Apostle Paul was talking about the secret of being content no matter what the circumstances may be. However, when verse 13 is read by itself in its mistranslated version with the word “everything” instead of the correct “all this,” Christians misread it as accomplishing big audacious goals or overcoming huge obstacles no matter what as long as Christ is present in their lives. That’s simply not what the passage is saying.

In a strange way, discovering the true meaning of Philippians 4:13 gives me great comfort because many followers of Jesus are having a very difficult time right now, myself included. Covid-19 has impacted many people’s lives in numerous ways; people are sick or dying, others have gotten laid off, many feel lonely, and businesses are struggling. I think it’s okay to feel whatever we’re feeling, whether that’s fear, frustration, or futility. But can we come back to the place where we are at peace and content when we remember our identity in Christ? Whether we’re in plenty or in want, can we do this through Christ who gives us strength especially in light of this Lenten season? That is my prayer for us all.

Anxiety/Prayer

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians‬ ‭4:6

Reflections
There’s a lot of content online that can make us anxious, fearful, and isolated. Being a person who struggled with anxiety his entire life, I always had a hard time with dealing with my anxiousness. Philippians 4:6 did not help me so much in the past because I had a very shallow understanding of prayer. I thought prayer was simply listing a slew of requests to God, who was like a magical genie in the sky. But now that I have a better grasp of prayer, which is simply communing with God, I find that prayer is one of the best ways I can ease my anxiety. Many times in my prayers, I don’t even make any “requests.” Sometimes I simply rest in His presence. There are fewer things that calm my anxieties than communal prayer with my heavenly Father. What are you most anxious about lately? Dialogue with God about it. And if you have a few minutes to spare, listen to this beautiful hymn performed by Audrey Assad in a quiet, comfortable place.

Spiritual Intimacy During Social Distancing

Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners.
James 4:8a

This past week of coronavirus warning has been a whirlwind of confusion, chaos, and social distancing. We’ve been seeing people behave in strange ways… hoarding of toilet paper, reacting with fear, or (if you’re anything like me) going stir-crazy with cabin fever. It’s easy to become very negative in crisis situations like we’re in right now. However, there are some unexpected benefits that may come out of this situation. When my wife and I were on a walk last night after our kids went to sleep, we noticed the skies seemed clear and less polluted than usual. There may be fear in people’s hearts but there’s a calmness in the streets. And while we are socially distant from each other, we have more time on our hands and it may be an invitation from God to draw near to Him.

And remember to wash your hands… you sinners.

Climate of Fear & Rage

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not fear.”
John 14:27

The erratic and inconsistent weather this week in Los Angeles has been a reminder of the climate of fear and rage we currently live in America. Coronavirus has people stocking up on toilet paper, schools and sports games closing, and racists coming out left and right. To make matters worse, political leaders are leveraging this pandemic to advance their campaigns or create xenophobia in Americans. Yet, in the midst of all this craziness, Jesus reminds us that He is the peace that the world desperately needs. So if you’re freaking out a little bit with the rest of the world, remember this: Peace is not the absence of threats, pain, or chaos. Peace is being calm in our spirits being grounded in the love and security of Jesus no matter what is happening around us. The world needs Jesus now more than ever.

Escapism, Self-Care, or Sabbath?

For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 20:11

Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Luke 5:16

For the longest time I did not know what genuine sabbath was. I thought any form of “time off” from working was sabbath. That was until our couples therapist Migum clarified the difference between escapism, self-care, and sabbath. Escapism is when we distract ourselves from everyday life, usually with some form of entertainment or substance. Self-care is when we take care of ourselves like hygiene, exercise, adequate sleep, and balanced eating.

Sabbath is when you create space and stillness in your schedule to rest, reflect, and restore your soul. This can take form in a variety of ways… a pleasant walk outside, sitting quietly in a garden, meditation, or light yoga. Even God demonstrated this for humans when He rested on the seventh day of creation. But people often miss the fact that God took little sabbaths at the end of each day; this is evident when God stopped working at the end of each day, reflected, and said, “It is good.” Even Jesus regularly withdrew Himself from the crowds and busyness of life for sabbath. If God made sabbath a regular part of life, how much more do we as humans need to make space for sabbath?

We invite you to practice daily sabbath with our church plant throughout Lent. If this practice is good for you, continue to make it a part of your daily rhythm. 

Create at least 15 minutes a day for sabbath.

kobe on Ash Wednesday

All go to the same place; all come from dust and to dust all return.
Ecclesiastes 3:20

Today is recognized internationally as Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, which is the 40-days prior to Easter. Many traditional churches host Ash Wednesday services where they take the ashes made from burnt palm branches and mark a cross on the foreheads of their church members as a reminder of our mortality. Many Angelenos were painfully reminded of our mortality when we witnessed thousands of people gathering together for the memorial service of Kobe Bryant. Even someone as famous, successful, and adored as Kobe Bryant eventually faces the same grim end as anyone else. “All go to the same place; all come from dust and to dust all return.” But even though our physical bodies return to ash, our spirits endure. How can you invest more in your spirit instead of your ashes?

Tikkun Olam

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Genesis 2:15

There’s a great Hebrew word that I learned today, which is tikkun olam. This is the idea that God created the earth and left it unfinished so that humankind can “work it and take care of it.” It’s a great deal of responsibility and trust that God handed off to humanity. It is a sobering reminder that everything we have came from God and that God trusted us enough to be good stewards of it. This is not just applicable for care of the earth, but also to the care of our vocation, our relationships, and even our own souls. What is the tikkun olam that God has called you to work?

Love on Valentine's Day

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Happy Valentines Day! My Valentine’s Day started with volunteering at my son’s preschool. My son attends a preschool at a church near our home, so I played some kids church songs at their school chapel. In between songs, I asked the kids whom they love on Valentine’s Day. I think they misunderstood my question and they replied… “Dolphins! Elephants! Candy!” It is funny how the word we use to describe how we feel towards cute animals and delicious food is also the same word we use to describe how we feel towards our mothers. But the love that God has for us goes even further than the love humans have for each other; this is called agape love or divine love. It’s limitless, unconditional, and not dependent on reciprocation. This is the love described in 1 Corinthians 13. This is the love that God wants His children to practice when loving others. But we can only access this love when we experience it for ourselves by embracing the love that God has for us.

God of the Margins

After [Jesus] had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. Later that night, He was there alone.
Matthew 14:23

It was always curious to me that God often encountered His people while they were in the margins. Frequently, God met His people in the wilderness, mountainside, or the desert, many times when they were least expecting it… God met Moses when he was looking for his lost sheep in the mountains. God met Elijah in the silence of the wilderness. God led the Israelites by fire and cloud in the desert. If God often shows up in the margins of life, how imperative is it that we create margins for ourselves? If we are bombarding our lives with noise, how in the world will we be able to hear God’s voice? If we are filling up our schedules with endless activities, how will we be able to make space for God’s presence? God is not only the God of the marginalized, God is also the God of the margins.