I’ve been traveling a lot for work these days.  When I was younger, I used to enjoy it.  Spend a night in a random city, stay in a clean hotel room where you don’t have to make your bed, order room service, call it a night.  I used to even prolong business trips and leave in the morning so I could sneak in an extra night of free room service.  Now that I’m older and I have a family, I hate traveling and would much rather just be home.  Besides, I don’t make my own bed at home anyway!
It’s funny how priorities change as we get older.  Though I don’t see myself as very old (Timothy may disagree), I also don’t see myself as very young (Destiny may disagree).  But one thing that’s become clear is how different the things I care about have become.  Instead of expensive expensed meals, I’d rather be picking leftover food off my son’s plate as my wife chases him around the house trying to get him to finish his dinner.  Instead of staying up late watching movies ordered to my hotel room, I’d rather watch my kids sleep through the grainy images of a camera monitor.
I wonder if my faith has changed as well.  Everything I read about the movers and shakers of the Christian faith, be it in missions or in culture, seems to hinge around the younger generation.  David Platt became the youngest senior head pastor of a mega church at the age of 26.  Hudson Taylor first went to China as a missionary at the age of 21.  The Student Volunteer movement was an organization founded in the late 1800s that sent hundreds of college students and recent graduates into the missions field and was a huge part in shaping how missions exists in the world at large today.  And this is even true biblically.  King David is believed to have been 12-16 years old when he was anointed King of Israel by the prophet Samuel.  Samuel himself was dedicated to the Lord at the tender age of 12.  Thus, it’s clear that God definitely uses and moves in the heart of our young people to build His kingdom. 
So what does this mean for our church?  For the younger people, it’s obvious – go out and live radically for Jesus!  There will never be another time in your life like now, where you will have the maximum amount of freedom and passion to chase after God.  But for those of us who trend towards the older group, does this mean we’re done living passionately for God?  Are we simply supposed to be satisfied with growing older and taking care of our families and keeping up with the Jones’s?
Heck no.  There’s nothing wrong with taking care of your family and raising up godly children who love the Lord.  But I believe if we feel that’s our ONLY role in the kingdom of God, then we are selling God, and ourselves, very short.  Even though God certainly uses the younger generations to do great things for His kingdom, I believe that He’s got plenty for us older folks as well.  Abraham was 75 years old when he departed Haran for the Promised Land.  Elizabeth is believed to have been 88 when she gave birth to John the Baptist.  And if you’re looking for something a bit younger, this guy named Jesus is believed to have started his earthly ministry at the age of 33.
So, church, let’s not lose ourselves in the world and the rat race.  Rather, let us focus on God and “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)  I challenge you, if you had dreams as a young man or woman but have given up on them since you’ve gotten older, dream again.  Ask for greater vision.  Pursue deeper intimacy with the Lord.  Even though my priorities may have changed, one thing I know to be true is still the same: God has big things for all of us but we have to be willing participants in HIS story to make HISTORY.

From Pastor David’s Heart
March 15, 2015

By now everyone has heard the things that are going on with ISIS. Couple weeks ago, they beheaded 21 Christian men. They also kidnapped 100 Christians in Syria last week. Why is this happening? Why are so many Christians being persecuted in the Middle East? Is there anything that we can do to stop it?
I believe that this is a call to wake us up. We have it too easy here in the US. We don’t know what it’s like to face persecution. In fact, the most “persecuted” that we might experience is someone laughing at our faith. We have it too comfortable here. I believe this has caused us to be apathetic. We lost the passion and fervor. Coming to church has become a routine on Sunday. Being able to focus during worship has become a struggle. Showing up for Morning Prayer every day has become a struggle (myself included). My whole life, I thought that Morning Prayer was specifically a Korean thing. It makes sense because I grew up in a Korean church. I would ask my non-Korean friends if their church had Morning Prayer, and they would look at me like I was crazy. You do what? That early?
My eyes were opened when I saw that the Spanish church here at NCFC VA campus has Morning Prayer! Wow! Are they like half-Korean? No, they’re not. It was then that I realized that Morning Prayer wasn’t a cultural thing. It was a desperate thing. It was a desperately seeking God thing. The American church used to have Morning Prayer as well, but as America had become blessed, our desperation had faded. We’ve grown too comfortable. We’ve become too complacent. We’re not desperate any more.
When I read about the 21 Christian men who were beheaded, and how they were proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ with their last breath, I was so challenged.  They were so passionate. All they cared about was giving God the glory and having His name be known. They were willing to die for that. I believe that God is calling Christians in America and around the world to our knees. To be a people who are praying with desperation. We know that God is in control of the situation with ISIS and when His timing comes, ISIS will fade away. In the meantime, we need to pray. We need to wake up from our slumber. We need to be ready for the coming of Christ. We need to be alert!
We need to pray for the Christians who are being persecuted around the world. That God would use them to bring people to Him. I believe that God could use Christians to bring members of ISIS to God. If Apostle Paul met God and believed in Him, even though he went around killing Christians, then so can these guys. They need to know that what they’re doing is wicked and evil. The Bible tells us not to repay evil for evil but to overcome evil with good. We can try all we want to defeat ISIS with evil, but nothing can change their hearts except the love of Christ found in the gospel.
Everything begins and ends with the gospel. For us who have lost our passion and zeal for God, meditate on the gospel. As we do that, our relationship will be restored. We’ll be hungry and passionate for Him. Why? Because we realize that we need Jesus. For those who have yet to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, meditate on the gospel. Why? Because you will realize that you need Jesus. The gospel is simple enough for the nonbeliever to come to Christ, and it is deep enough to sanctify the believer. I believe God is using ISIS to give us a wakeup call. The question is: how will we respond?

From Pastor Eugene’s Heart
March 8, 2015