by Daniel Gee

Pastor Victor invited me to share some thoughts on my time as a youth advisor. This first article was posted in the leaflet years ago, but still holds true for me today, and best frames how I’ve come to see youth ministry. I hope that some may find the thoughts shared in these upcoming articles encouraging and helpful.

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Never a dull moment in youth ministry. And that’s not because those two juniors wrestling almost made me spill my drink over a freshman who, on her phone, almost tripped over said juniors.  Although, yes, stuff like that happens, too.

Contrary to all appearances, occurring beneath the surface of Friday night mayhem are moments of great maturation. Our students are growing in their care for one another. They love to pray for one another. They are growing as worship leaders. They are learning the challenges of honoring God at their school. They are stretching themselves to reach out to those they don’t know. It is our joy and privilege as youth advisors to walk with these young men and women as they journey through these uniquely formative years of their lives.

Of course, beneath all this is more. We find immaturities. We find ourselves (my peers included) in a generation increasingly apathetic, entitled, and with an impatience cultivated by constant phone usage. These immaturities even find their way into our students’ moments of growth. Showing love to a friend might be mixed with the selfish desire to be needed. A student worship leader, while appearing as a model Christian, is internally struggling against temptations of pride, judging others and the fear of man. 

I believe one of the fundamental premises of youth ministry is that there is more than meets the eye. As youth advisors, we are confronted each week with our students’ immaturities, awkwardness, growing pains and frustrations. Nonetheless, we see this in the context of a greater narrative, one that subsumes the present: these young men and women are in progress, and by God’s grace will be more than who they are now. He is indeed not done with them!   We are able to take seriously our students’ immaturities, and yet also in the very same breath affirm that God is apprenticing a skillful artisan, training a courageous soldier and nurturing a loving parent for redeeming work in his Kingdom.

And in this do we not find the deepest truths of the gospel we hold so dear? God is determined to bring redemption in spite of our sin. We can still hope when all is not as it should be. We can trust God to justify us and to sanctify us. We are called to both pursue tenacious discipleship and seek daily forgiveness. All the while, God calls into being that which has not yet fully arrived.

Thus, as the youth are, so are you and me. Yet I sense us old(er) folk find it harder to acknowledge this in ourselves.  We feel as if we are supposed to have it all together. Immaturities are supposed to be long behind us. But if I’m going to be honest, I see in the youth my own being “not there yet.” The same temptation to be needed lurks in my mentoring, and the same pride is at my heels when I lead them in worship.  “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” (Romans 5:20). In my time as a youth advisor, years very dear to me, I’ve seen that God is indeed rich in mercy and grace for our youth. Today, may we give thanks that so He is for us all.

by Kenny Wada

When I was in high school, by God's abundant mercy, he opened my eyes to see that Jesus gave his life for me so that I might live with him and for him (2 Corinthians 5:15).  He allowed me to see that the Creator and sustainer of all things was inviting me, one out of billions of people, to repent, believe in him, love him and fully enjoy him.  This revelation was unbelievable to me.

Today, I still find it hard to FULLY embrace this truth that in Christ, God desires to know me AND make himself known to me.  And it's not only because I think I'm not that important, but it's also because of other beliefs and attitudes I have that Paul Miller unearthed through his book, A Praying Life. 

The book, A Praying Life, is not just a book about how to pray, but about what life looks like in relationship with God.  It's about relating to a heavenly Father in a secure, free and child-like manner that's unhindered by distrust or self-importance. 

I think one of the endorsers says it best when he (Scotty Smith) writes, "With childlike wonder, sage-like wisdom, and heartfelt candor, Paul shows us that to pray is to see Jesus more clearly and meet him more regularly in every single aspect and moment of the day." 

So if you long to experience a real and working relationship with God, check out Paul Miller's book,A Praying Life.You can also join us as we go through his book for 10 weeks on Tuesday nights from 8pm to 9pm starting on February 23rd. Register here.

by Victor Chen

This is the third part to the previous blog post, “What Are My Children Supposed to Do During Sunday Service?”

It’s pretty easy to tell whether my children are listening to me. 

They rarely listen if they are in another room (no matter how loud I bark orders).

They aren’t listening to me if their backs are to me (no matter how much they insist otherwise).

They for sure are not listening to me if they are doing something while I am talking to them (no matter the number of head nods and mumbling affirmations).

My children listen to me if they are looking at me.

That is why any call to listen is often preceded by a request —“Look at me.”

We listen most effectively with our eyes. We listen when we look up.

As a parent, Church School teacher and preacher, I can tell when people are listening. It’s as simple as looking at their faces and seeing whether they are looking right back at me.

What about taking notes? 

Sure, there are some who are able to take notes as they are listening. But to guard from wandering minds (and wandering doodles), we should look up and give the preacher our full attention. When a point or insightful thought is spoken, we can then take notes. First look, then listen and then write any appropriate notes. 

But that’s a long time to be looking up!

There will be times to look down, like when the preacher directs you to the Scripture passage and points out key verses or key words. It is important to look up during the preacher’s introduction though, because that is when he introduces the key idea, and during the preacher’s conclusion, because that is when he concludes with a key takeaway application. 

So parents, the next time the pastor is preaching, here’s a tip to help your children listen —tell them, “Look up!”

by Victor Chen

Two candidates stood before the people. One seemingly represented the interests of God’s people and their hope to usher God’s kingdom to the world.

The other candidate seemingly represented peace for the world and hope for unity amidst a divided nation. 

Which candidate did you support?

Before you answer, let me tell you the results of this “election”.

The people vote to crucify Jesus. The messiah is defeated by the Roman government he was supposed to overthrow.

The end…

Or was it?

Whether you were happy with the results of the 2020 election or still upset about it, take note of what happened when Jesus was condemned. 

The story didn’t end. It wasn’t over for God’s people.

A political defeat for Jesus resulted in victory for the Lord. The kingdom of God wasn’t squashed. It exploded.

Hope didn’t die. He rose from the grave. 

Promised political peace was short-lived. But the Prince of Peace lives far past the fall of the temple and the Roman empire.

So wherever you stand on the political spectrum, remember that our God reigns. God’s Kingdom operates on a different trajectory than what is happening politically in our country. So please pray for our leaders yet remember, in God we trust.

And take heart, for our King has overcome.

”I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33 (ESV)

by Ian Nagata

Last month, all eyes were on a Buddhist priest and his giant calligraphy brush.

There atop Kiyomizu Temple’s iconic wooden terrace, news crews gathered to see what single kanji (Chinese character) he would draw, to summarize the entire year.

Stepping up to the blank sheet of paper over a meter in width and length, he dipped his brush and began to write.

密

2020 in one word.

Years from now, if nothing else, people will remember密mitsu, meaning “close” or “dense.” It’s Japan’s social distancing keyword, used in the “3 mitsus to avoid”: “closed spaces” 密閉空間, “crowded places” 密集場所, and “close-contact settings” 密接場面. 

Not bad considering some of the previous choices since the tradition began in 1995, like 災 (disaster), 震(quake), 戦 (war), or even 毒 (poison)! 

Nevertheless, COVID-19 had the lasting word. 

I posed the same question to our church. What did God teach us these trying 12 months?

Immediately, one boy replied, “endurance.” Then another girl, “home,” and yet another, “creativity.” Even words that seemed grim at first (like my choice, “weakness”), captured a sense of hope.

Then as we were about to move on, I realized one person hadn’t shared: the husband of one of our members. Though not yet a follower of Christ, he has been attending services over the past year. 

Hesitantly, I put him on the spot. 

He immediately replied, “family.” 

“In what sense?” I asked, thinking he was referring to the extra time he had with his wife and daughter this year.

“This church has become like family,” he said.

Despite all the opportunities we “lost” to COVID-19, we overlooked the ones we gained – quick weekday lunches together while working from home, golf outings, even online celebrations. Through these and more, our church had become like family to him.

Indeed, someone had been painting this word, along with all the other words we shared for 2020. Not a priest in his lofty temple, but our Great High Priest upon His throne. God had the final word. 

May our eyes be watching and waiting for His next brushstrokes.