Carrying a good work to completion!

Sitting here in my parents house in Chilliwack watching chunks of snow blanket this mountain-side we call home. Its been a great visit back in Canada being able to spend some time with my sisters family in Penticton, visit my home church Salmon Arm, be a groomsman in my buddies wedding & spend some time with my parents in Chilliwack. As hard as its been for me to really take a rest in this three week vacation I've finally been able stop these last few days & process all God has done in this last year. I can't believe I just spent an entire year in South Korea & experienced all the things I did! It's been a privilege to be a part of the Dreem Church family in Daegu, a people with huge hearts who have generously provided for me and taught me so much. There was never a week where I was not invited to a families house for a traditional Korean meal & the odd Western meal to give me a taste of home. They have shown me the appreciation we should have for the simple things in life like family & food. So much of Korean culture is centered around food, often sharing elaborate meals while talking & laughing for hours on end.



Since returning to Canada, God has clearly revealed to me the direction he is taking my life which is to be involved in full-time ministry as a Pastor. I think my heart has known this for a long time but since watching my own father go through the struggles & sacrifices pastors go through I've been fearful & hesitant. It's funny because for so long I've been waiting for other people to call out my gifts "Jeremy, you should be a pastor. this is totally you" but I'm convinced God has silenced the persuasions of fellow believers (as well-motivated as people are).

I'm so thankful that He wanted to reveal this calling to me independent of what people may or may not say. He doesn't want our lives to be swayed by the popularity of man, placing identity and purpose in the hands of imperfect people but on Himself who crafted us in his own image. He is the one who validates us. I won't lie to you, as relieving as it is to know my calling, it terrifies me. To be a shepherd of God's sheep is no small calling. The bible is clear that there is a higher standard for Pastors who are entrusted the responsibility of faithfully preaching God's word. I believe this calling is not small & I don't plan to take it lightly.

This is why I covet your prayers in these early preparation years. Please pray for integrity, humility & authenticity; ingredients that I believe will keep me close to Jesus & trustworthy in the eyes of man.



I am heading back to South Korea in the next couple days to continue the English Ministries in Dreem Church. I'm still deciding on what University I will attend this coming September & what courses I will be taking so please pray for me in that as well!

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

Lakeside Church Mission Update

Dear Lakeside Family,

KONA Four years ago while attending a Discipleship Training School with YWAM in Kona, Hawaii, I was put in a dorm room with two Korean guys with nothing in common other then our faith. In these three months of rooming I quickly noticed that they were very different from me in & naturally began observing their lives. What really stood out was their fierce dedication to the Lord in form of spiritual disciplines. Morning prayer, bible reading & passion-filled worship times seemed to be an essential of their every day routine, things that I had not yet dedicated as a supreme importance in my walk with God. Their lives seemed to not only maintain a consistent reliance on God but bore fruit of generosity, selflessness & a love for people that intrigued me. In this time of searching I believe God had given me these guys to model an obedient & sustainable lifestyle in my faith journey. I knew from that time in Hawaii that the Korean people would hold a dear place in my heart. I didn’t know, however, that God had not finished with my Korean experience but would set the course for me to continue learning, growing & serving in the nation of South Korea.

TAIWAN It was a year later while attending a Bible School in Taiwan that I had met a Fijian man that was a missionary & leading an English Ministry in South Korea. He held the same love for the Korean people & soon learnt that we had similar interests. He then had talked to the church back in Korea & suggested to them me being involved in their church. It was soon after that I was offered an opportunity to come serve & take over leadership of the new founded English Ministry at Dreem Presbyterian Church. I knew that God was orchestrating something beyond what my limited faith could comprehend. Thrilled & eager for this new adventure I agreed & planned to fly over after my School of Worship had finished in Montana, USA.

SOUTH KOREA God has been so faithful to provide this amazing ministry for me to not only serve as an English worship leader but for me to grow & learn from the Korean people. The last year of my life in Korea has been comprised of various programs through the medium of English language education. Since South Korea is rapidly becoming a global & economic power, the demand for English (the international language) is very high. It is through this medium that we are able to reach the lost for Christ as well as equipping & educating Believers for global missions.

Weekday English Classes has been a very effective tool to bring in many Koreans into the church. As I’ve humbly attempted to teach my own language with no teaching experience I’ve made it my aim to build a trust with my students & through that have been able to introduce deeper life topics, often times opening doors for the gospel to be shared.

English Bible Study has been a wonderful opportunity for both Christians & non-Christians to attend. Our goal in this is to allow the word of God to penetrate into our daily lives, making the life of Paul in the New Testament & his followers real to us now. These studies have truly enhanced our faith!


English Worship Service This is basically an English focused Sunday School for children. This has been my favorite ministry since I love kids! Action songs, jumping, screaming, bible stories, crafts, skits, candy & crying. We’ve been doing it all! I wish you could feel the intensity level of 50-60 young Korean kids singing their hearts & hands raised to their Father & Friend. I can say I have witnessed the beautiful, simple faith that Jesus calls us to through the innocence & joy of these children. I absolutely love them & thank God who has deemed me adequate to Shepherd them.

Whom shall I send? It’s been a privilege to do life over in South Korea & be part of a community of people committed to sharing the free gift of grace & equipping believers to a life of obedience. I believe God is using these among many ministries in Dreem Church to build & establish his Kingdom on this earth. In the book of Isaiah, while in the presence of God, Isaiah hears God saying “Whom shall I send and who will go for us?” This was a call not discriminately towards Isaiah but to all God’s people. Isaiah simply responds “Here am I! Send me”. (Isaiah 6:8) I believe God doesn’t call a select few to the lost but all His people. The issue is the condition of our ears to hear, respond & step into what God is already in the midst of doing.


Thank you so much for your support! Lakeside has been & continues to be a cornerstone & encouragement in my faith both spiritually & financially. I would ask if you would be willing to continue prayer for my ministry in Korea & whether you can support me financially in this next leg of my journey. I pray that God would bless you in whatever ministry he has entrusted to you in Canada!

All is well

A couple weeks ago I was able to join the youth group on a Ski/Snowboard trip. Too bad the snow was pure ICE. Nevertheless a fun time!

All is well in South Korea and much improved on the North-South Korean relations front. I can't say I know too much of what is going on but there are talks of peace in the air with South and North Korean presidents talking. This is a very big step for peace between these countries still technically at war. Thank you God!

As for myself, I'm just finishing up my last few days in Daegu before heading back to Canada. The church has given me three weeks back home before I return for another 5 months of ministry. I'm looking forward to visiting Lakeside Church in Salmon Arm and sharing with them what God has been doing in and through me in South Korea. I'll also be able to attend my buddies wedding, connect with friends and spend some quality time with family. Can't tell you how much I miss my nephews Tyson and Lukas. I'm hoping to make it back for Tysons hockey game!

Please be praying for my 3 week rest, that God would re-charge my batteries and fill me with a passion to serve.

Pride

As most of you might have seen on the news, South Korea (who is still technically at war) came to another military confrontation with North Korea yesterday where they exchanged weapons fire across the borders. I won't fill you in on all the details but simply put, emotions are high and cannons are loose over this offence. North Korea, who is adamantly communicating to the world their threatening nuclear capabilities is like the big yet small bully of South Korea and the world. Because of this bullying South Korea has been making it just as clear that they're not afraid to defend and/or retaliate if need be.



People
Some people I talk to are really afraid & are expecting the worst case scenario, stocking up on rice ramen noodles & bottled water while others are less fatalistic & believe this is just another empty power-play from the North. The problem now is what response will be carried out to the big, small bully of the North. North Korea has publicly stated that they will not flinch to attach if provocated which makes the wisdom of the South Korean President crucial.



Pride
I'm so convinced that God is still pursuing the broken & confused soul of the NKorean dictator Kim Jong il who is behind all this power seeking & glory. Just as God showed his patience with men like Pharoah of Egypt & King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, I believe God continues to seek his attention & heart. Throughout the bible & in my own heart I've experienced the toxic, destructive power of pride and how it can cause us to move into a false reality where I am superior and the world revolves around me. Because God is a good Dad He can't watch us pollute ourselves in this way but humbles us so we turn our attention off ourselves and on Him. In one way or another God will have the final say.

Please Pray:
1) For Kim Jong il, that he would be humbled & broken. That he would see that he is just a man and not a god.
2) For the wisdom of South Korea President Lee Myung-bak & that he would make the right decisions.
3) That the church would stand in the midst of fear and share the message of a God who is in control. That there is no fear in love.



The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not be in want;
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil;
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the
Lord forever.

Psalm 23

Sinner Saved by Grace

One of the ministries I've been entrusted while serving this community in South Korea is a bible study. People from in and out of our community as well as non-Christians have been attending all with differing motivations; some to grow in their English speaking, some unsure and sometimes even hostile towards the idea of Christianity, and finally the people who are genuinely seeking to grow more in their faith. This has made for a very interesting blend of discussion but I've been gleaning so much from our times and I want to tell you about it!

The last couple months we've been battling through the book of Romans. A book written by our good friend Paul who by the Holy Spirit began to unpack the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Christians in Rome. Unfortunately for us bible students over 2000 years later, trying to follow Paul's symbolism, illustrations and elusive techniques of communication have been a struggle to follow. Fortunately, a couple years ago I had the privilege to invest 9 months of my life to carefully dissecting all 66 books of the bible and what God was trying to communicate to us today. It's been a great opportunity for me to put into practice all the knowledge I had obtained from my bible school.

Dead to the law, alive in the grace of Jesus. This is the blanket theme of the book of Rome. Paul was speaking to a group of people who, for thousands of years were programmed and accustomed to the Law of Moses, a rulebook of almost a thousand laws and prohibitions. Their relationship with God was defined by sacrifice. They understood that their sin required an offering in order for them to be forgiven and declared (by the priests) justified before a holy God. They would need to adhere to an impossible list of commands to be good. This 'mission impossible' (in terms of pleasing God) was to cause a sense of failure in themselves. This helplessness forced the sinner to find a solution to his sin problem outside of himself. He needed a Savior since sin was and continues to be the separating factor between us and our great Father.



Good News! When God sent his Son Jesus as the atoning (perfect and satisfying payment for sin) sacrifice for all mankind, the institution of the law became void. There was no need for the law anymore because Jesus lived a sinless life making that law ineffective for the rest of human experience. Jesus paid the price that man just couldn't pay. Because of Jesus there was no more need for performance and a sense of striving to get into God's 'good books'. This is why the good news was and is SO GOOD! God has not only forgiven our sins through Jesus' death and resurrection but has put the Holy Spirit inside of the Christian to move and direct them in a personal way. The barrier between God and man was restored through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The GREAT news is that we can be in communion with God through the Holy Spirit. GRACE, the free gift that we didn't deserve!

Amazing Grace! Paul's mission in this book of Romans was to communicate to a people who were so inclined by the concept of performance in their relationship with God that all they had to do was accept this idea of grace. God's unmerited favor! Paul knew that this would be a challenge for them to grapple with since humans operate on the mentality that nothing is free but that everything is earned through hard work.



Interestingly, even as Paul was so intent on communicating this idea of grace we still struggle with accepting it today. After exploring the first few chapters of Romans one of our members came out in all honesty and said "I just don't understand justification, (justification=Jesus making us justified before God) how can our sins be just excused without us somehow earning it". It's too good to be true isn't it? I think it was this same question that drove John Newton to write the most popular hymn in Christianity 'Amazing Grace..how sweet the sound'. I love how Brennan Manning puts it in my favorite book 'Ragamuffin Gospel':

"The poor man and woman of the gospel have made peace with their flawed existence. They are aware of their lack of wholeness, their brokenness, the simple fact that they don't have it all together. While they do not excuse their sin, they are humbly aware that sin is precisely what has caused the to throw themselves at the mercy of the Father. They do not pretend to be anything but what they are: sinners saved by grace."

What a freeing reality! I think God's problem isn't with our sin, its our denial of our sin. Have you ever felt that you're so messed up and beyond repair? There is one member in our group who is a non-Christian. She complains that every time she comes to church or Bible study shes confronted with how sinful she is. I say to her 'Praise God!' Why? Because the consciousness of her sin and brokenness is only going to lead her to the only one who can free her from this condemnation and guilt.



I know God is faithful to reveal himself to those who call out to him with a pure heart. Bible Study has been a time great to just submit and let Gods word permeate into every corner of our lives. My prayer is that we would lay hold of our nothingness before God and therefore enter into the deepest reality of our relationship with Him!

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

May the Slaughtered Lamb receive the full reward for his sacrifice!

Loving People

Have you ever felt judged? Misunderstood?

There is a certain person in my life that I encounter on a regular basis who I've 'written off' as selfish and controlling. Everything about this persons body language and attitudes caused me to come to this unfair conclusion. For so long I've been unconsciously avoiding interactions and have had an insincere interest in their life for fear of being hurt by them. I've been judging them.


It was yesterday when I was asked by this individual to go out for coffee which I reluctantly agreed to doing. On the drive towards the coffee shop I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me, "Give them a chance."Despite my presuppositions I began to open up and allow my heart to engage with this person. To my surprise, the conversation quickly went from 'talking about the weather' to things that actually matter in life. The more I became real and authentic, the more this person became real with me. I had begun to see a completely different person then I had experienced in the past months and was refreshed by their perspective and opinions. I was introduced to their heart.

It was through this experience that I realized how incapable we are as people to love others. I spent the last 6 months of my life illegitimately assuming the worst of someone without even giving them a chance to really get to know them. Isn't this unfair?

I think we love to love people who will love us. We choose the people who are safe, innocent, harmless and automatically block anyone who gives us a bad vibe. The truth is that we're afraid to love in the fear of being hurt. Instead we need to step out of our dominating fears and experience the liberty of selfless love. This is an opportunity to demonstrate the love of Jesus, a love that cares more for others than for itself, a love that always looks for the best in people.

What a great reminder. I'm grateful that the love of Jesus through me can communicate a love that I would never be able to relay on my own.


"For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7



"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

Don't be a Chicken, be an Eagle!

Every week I'm confronted with the same question. "What am I going to teach these kids?"

Leading a Worship Service for the kids has got to be one of the most challenging things I've had to do in my whole life. I've discovered that kids learn best when their senses are stimulated. I've become the stimulator! It's brought me back into the world of balloons, skits, animal sounds and silly songs. I love it!



Last week's message was about all about an old fable:

"A man found an eagle's egg and put it in a nest of a barnyard hen. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them. All his life the eagle did what the barnyard chicks did,thinking he was a barnyard chicken.
"Years passed and the eagle grew old. One day he saw a magnificent bird above him in the cloudless sky. The old eagle looked up in awe. 'Who's that?' he asked.
"'That's the eagle, the king of the birds,' said his neighbor.
'He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth; we're chickens.'
"So the eagle lived and died as chicken, for that's what he
thought he was."

It's a story about fate, destiny, low self-esteem, low self-confidence and comfort zones. What we think determines the way we'll live.

I got to tell the kids that what how we think is very important! When we think good things, we're going to live lives that are pleasing to God. When we think of bad stuff it causes us to do bad things! Just like the eagle who was convinced it was a chicken, we can let our thoughts (the enemy) to lie to us about who we are and our potential.

We're not meant to be chickens who can't fly, we're made to be eagles! Even the word 'chicken' sounds silly but the word eeeeaaaagle sounds cool!

Don't be a CHICKEN! Be an EEEAAAGLE!

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8