First of all I want to thank God for his protection over us. Some areas in the Eastern region were hit hard but most of us who are living in MD and VA weren't as affected. I heard that so many people died, lost their houses, businesses, and many are still without power in some states. I pray God's love and peace will fill everyone's hearts and mind as the victims are suffering from their losses. 
One good story I heard on the radio this morning is that the utility workers in our area are volunteering to go help with restoration projects in the New York and New Jersey area. We always have people who sacrifice and go out of their way to help the ones in need in times of trouble. Every time we have a natural disaster hit us or even when the terrorists attacked our country, people like policemen, fire fighters, utility workers and even civilian volunteers have sacrificed so much for our country. My deepest gratitude goes out to all of them. And I specially want to thank Pepco for their continued effort over the past few years to improve their service and reliability. It certainly paid off this time because I, along with many Pepco customers, appreciated having power during the time when the hurricane hit our area.    
Do you remember how crazy it was last weekend? People were getting ready to face the storm in many different ways. Every grocery store was out of water bottles and gas stations ran out of gas. My parents and I filled so many buckets with water in case of emergency; we are still trying to get rid of those buckets of water. 
Speaking of getting ready for the storm, we as a NCFC congregation had a very special service last week to prepare ourselves for the storm as we heard the story of Jesus calming the stormy water. We sang a song together, "When the oceans rise and thunders roar, I will soar with You above the storm, Father you are king over the storm, I will be still and know You are God." It's amazing how God's word and a passage that was selected many months ago could fit perfectly with the current events and even the natural disaster that was about to happen. I'm not trying to spiritualize it too much but I can't help but be amazed by the timing of the message.
Lastly, i want to give a shout out to the church maintenance group over at MD campus for working so hard to restore the damage made by Sandy. It was a rainy, windy and very cold week to work outside but the weather did not stop them from showing their dedication and love for the Lord and His church. Good job and thank you!

From Pastor Brian’s Heart
November 04, 2012

“Pants for water so my soul longs for You” would probably be the appropriate response.  However, in recent times, the only experience that I’ve had with these creatures is along 495 going westbound, prancing along the highway, ending up on the hood of my car, ultimately leading to death on the side of a busy highway, and alone.  It seems to me, that there is a deer over-population issue in the DMV area.  A recent Washington Post article states that the chances of hitting a deer on the road is one in 102 in Virginia and in Maryland, one in 114.  So be careful as you drive.  Don’t text.  Don’t change the radio station.  Keep your eyes on the road because deer are everywhere.
The context behind this accident was that I was coming from a blessed evening of ministering to our college students, Impact, at the University of Maryland at College Park.  I was driving home from the meeting, thanking the Lord for His faithfulness, and out of nowhere I see a deer pop out right in front of me and with very little to no time to react, I hit the deer.  As a result of trying to avoid the deer, I had just missed the cement barrier on the left hand side.  But my car seemed to run fine so I continued home.  As I was making the left turn to enter my neighborhood, smoke began to fume out of the hood.  I was able to park but as I came to a stop, my engine shut off.  The Lord was indeed faithful to me and protected me from harm.  He is my Protector and my Shield and my Provider.  However, this is not a story of His protection, but more of the revelation of His grace through my sinful thoughts as I tried to make sense of this situation.
As I processed this event, I found myself trying to find something to blame and bring logic/reason to why things happen.  I asked the Lord “what did I do wrong?  Is there some kind of sin that deserves this type of punishment?”  Friends, the question I asked of the Lord may seem so absurd at first glance, but is that not the way we approach our relationship with Him and skew the concept of grace in our lives?  At times, it is extremely difficult to understand that, WHILE we were STILL sinners, Christ came to die for us.  That is grace!  That is good news!  Punishment was paid on the cross.  SIN DIED WITH JESUS!  But often times, we try to explain the corruption, evil, and all other sorts of injustice in the world by reason.  It simply can’t be done.  There’s no “logical” explanation for all the terrible things that happen to us and the world around us. 
Let’s take the other side’s approach.  We are blessed beyond words.  Most of us do not have to be concerned with where our meals come from day after day.  We are well provided for.  We do not have to worry about this upcoming winter, whether we will have a warm place to lay our heads or clothing to keep us warm when we do go outside.  So what separates us from those who do struggle with these issues among so many others?  Is it because we did something so good, worked so hard and have gained some type of merit to attain these things?  No.  I can only attribute everything that I have to the grace of our God and I can only respond with a humble “thank you, Lord”, confessing that every good and perfect gift comes from above.  So in the good and bad, God is unchanging; the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  Let’s stop over-complicating things and trying to find “logic” and “reason” behind everything that happens.  It may be difficult for many of us, but I pray for faith, which is confidence in what we hope for and certainty of what we do not see, and wisdom to see that His grace has power to cover all of our lives.  God bless you.

From Pastor Keeyoung’s Heart
October 28, 2012