English Worship Service!

Use; a means of accomplishing a purpose

Hey friends,

Another week of ministry in Daegu has left me overwhelmingly appreciative of the work God has done and is continuing to do in the lives of these people! This sunday I was told by a church member that 4 women that attend my weekday English class brought their husbands and children to church this sunday. Considering these women aren't believers, this was exciting news to know that God is using my simple English Class to create a curiosity in them for the community that is found in Jesus.

Also, theres been a woman who attends the English Bible Study that I've been leading every Saturday that I've been confused for the last couple weeks about. She's been attending this bible study for the last couple weeks yet doesn't speak or understand any english at all and hasn't been able to hear or participate in our discussions. This Saturday I decided to ask her (through a translator) why she should would want to come to an English Bible study when she clearly was unable to follow. She told me that when she first attended that she felt the kindness I had brought to her and the people in the group and that even though she couldn't understand what we were talking about, she could sense the atmosphere of depth and passion in our times that she was drawn to. I learnt that she was not even a Christian and didn't know anything about this bible and so, in a state of amazement, we as a group began to share the gospel with her and a basic understanding of the bible. I think this was a powerful time for all of us to be reminded of the simple reality that God, out of pure love, would create man and would want a relationship with him. The message of Jesus, the cross and the resurrection is the most beautiful story of the relentless love of a relentless Father and it was such a privilege to share this message and see the expressions of amazement in her eyes.

In the parable of the Prodigals Son there is captivating imagery of a Fathers refusal to give up on his Son. In spite the Son's destructive and selfish lifestyle, the Father (who has every right to disregard him) comes running from the distance in a state of uncontainable passion for his lost Son. In that moment the Son learns what unconditional love means...

I hope I can share more stories like these every week and that more people come to know the God who loves them without condition. What an honor to be used to shuttle this message to a world void of hope.

Because His love is better than life.

Rest

Hey friends,

In South Korea they say "bally bally" which is an expression that loosely means "busy busy culture". After over a month of ministry in Dream Church I have begun to understand that this expression is a major understatement. I've jumped on the South Korean treadmill and am feeling the burn of all the responsibilities I have here. A few things I've learnt from ministry life or any type of high-RPM work is that rest and focus are very important ingredients of a healthy lifestyle. I remember one of my teachers in my School of Worship tell me that "we can't expect to give unless we've received". Youth Pastor Lee shared a story with me about how ten years ago he was a workaholic and had a lot of stress in his life. He told me that through this stress he developed a heart condition that forced him to slow down and not work so hard. A major message he gives to the youth is the importance of sabbath rest. I'm learning that it is MY responsibility to make sure that I'm rested, not stressed and spiritually motivated so that I can give the most to those who are in my sphere of influence. Some practical ways I've tried to make this a reality is attending a gym five days a week in the morning, this has been a great outlet for mental and physical re-energizing. Extra things apart from prayer and reading the Word that I've found to be like booster cables in my life are podcasts, inspiring books and uplifting music. (If you want to hear some good suggestions I'd be glad to hook you up!) I think, ultimately its all about submission. Letting go and reminding myself (yourself) that your ministry is not yours or mine but God's. He'll make it happen!

The ministries have gone very well so far and I'm starting to really enjoy my responsibilities. My English classes that I lead twice a week are growing like mad! I've gone from 14 students in the first week and am now breaking 20 students in each class and have had to upgrade my classroom to fit all the new people. I've tried to make these classes as easy-going as possible as most of the students are fairly overwhelmed by learning the English language. I think this laid back atmosphere has helped the students feel more comfortable and confident in learning as well as building new relationships. Some members of my class are non-Christians so my prayer is that through the genuine joy and peaceful atmosphere that they'll be pulled towards the joy and peace that Jesus brings. Please partner with me in this!

Overall, throughout all the chaos of Korean ministry, I feel free and I can only attribute that to the Spirit of God. He is so faithful to lift me up when my Spirit is low. I hope you can learn the beauty of submission as I am learning. Even in the craziness of life, He wants you to relinquish your control so that he can have control.

"Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-29

Resting in His yoke
-Jeremy

Dream Church Speech

English Worship Service

Here are a few pictures from this Sunday. I was teaching them about the Romans 12:21 principle "do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good".
It is a privilege to invest godly principles into these young kids. They wear me out though...

Happy Easter!

Arrested by Him who died in my place
-Jeremy

The Addictive Culture

After living in Daegu for almost a month now I am finally somewhat adjusted to the demands of being an English Minister. It has taken longer then I expected but I never realized just how different the culture and church operates. Let me explain...

In the last couple weeks I've been able to spend some time with some of the ministers from Dream church and go out for coffee with them. One man (Pastor Lee) has been an especially good friend to me here and has taken me out during church office hours to hang out and show me around. Last week he took me to the University that he graduated from and introduced me to some of his old professors and even played ping-pong with one of them who taught me how to execute a perfect 'smash'. This was way too much fun and so what I needed after sitting in an office chair for most of the week. Pastor Lee and I talked a lot about Korean culture and I asked several questions about how Koreans have come to be so dedicated and passionate people. He explained to me that when he was a kid most of Korea was in poverty and that there was no variety in food or clothing like there is today. Since the war with North Korea in 1950, South Korea has exploded out of poverty and is now one of the greatest authorities and competitors in the global market.
" 'Miracle on the Han River' refers to South Korea's highly accelerated export-fueled economic growth, overnight industrialization, technological achievement, education boom, exponential rise in living standards, rapid urbanization, skyscraper boom, modernization, successful hosting of the 1988 Summer Olympics and 2002 FIFA World Cup, fast democratization and globalization that miraculously transformed the country from the ashes of the Korean war to a wealthy and highly developed country today with a globally influential trillion dollar economy and well-known multinational conglomerates such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai-Kia." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_on_the_Han_River

Many Christians in South Korea attribute this staggering economic growth to a Word God gave to the South Korean people after the war and that was "follow me I will give you food and water" (I will prosper you). Looking at the nation now it is almost undenyable to believe anything different as there are churches scattered across the landscape these highly populated cities. When I arrived in Seoul and was driving through the 11 million population city I noticed throughout all the bright lights that there were hundreds of red crosses everywhere you looked. SungJin (my korean buddy) explained that these crosses where all churches. I couldn't believe it! The saying when I was living in Montana USA was that there are as many bars and casinos as there are churches but in South Korea there as many Churches as there are corner stores.

Pastor Lee (who has majored in counselling) explained that Koreas are an 'addictive' culture. These people devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue whether it be running a cell phone business, restaurant or vending on the street, they place on themselves the highest standard of success. I have to tell you that shopping is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have in South Korea. Because of the high plane of competition here, every store, shop, vendor, business will treat you like a King in order to keep you as a customer and have you come back to their shop. Here is a perfect example; when looking to buy a cell phone here I walked into one little shop (there are dozens of cell of phone shops on one street) and was greeted with hospitality by a family who offered me coffee and chocolate as SungJin and I took a look at the vast variety of cell phones for sale. Unaware of their activity, (SungJin explained later..) the owners wife ran over to the mall where her daughter (who speaks english) was working at the time and brought her back to the store so that she could help translate and help me find the best plan for a cell phone. She pulled her daughter out of her job just to help me buy a cell phone that I didn't even end up buying! This is the reality in South Korea, every product that you could think of is readily available and people are waiting for you to walk in to their store and help you get the best possible deal.

To an outsider (like me!) this addictive culture is admirable in the way their determination to meet the need of each customer but unfortunately 'addictive' is never a good word. Pastor Lee shared that this same mentality is operating in the church. The innocent desire to build a successful, god-fearing church is shared by all churches in South Korea but leaves the church "looking like the rest of the culture" He said that, while all the church services and programs are helpful and beneficial in spiritual growth church members are expected to meet these expectations and end up neglecting essential things in life like family and Sabbath rest. Depression and suicide is growing rapidly in South Korea which Pastor Lee attributes to broken families and unrealistic expectations placed on children for their academic performance.

These are a few realities about South Korea that I've learnt so far... I've realized through Pastor Lee that dedication and passion can also have negative ramifications as well as positive. I want to dig deeper into these issues and next time bring more of a positive position on the lifestyle of the Korean people.
This week coming up to Easter I've had to get up at 4:30am for 5am services every day. This seems extreme but as I sat there unaware of anything being said (because of the Korean language) I was able to sense the atmosphere of reverence for Jesus, the lamb that was slaughtered for the sin of the world. I think this reality is worthy of early morning reflection and meditation..Paul said "that I might know Him and the power of the resurrection"

My prayer is that we would simply know him and be wrecked by the reality of the cross.

I'm so thankful for this challenging experience in South Korea, please pray that I would serve and love these people.

Long live the slaughtered Lamb!

Jeremy