The other day when I got home, I saw Santy kneeling on the side of the bed praying with two other female members of our church. The women who attend the women’s fellowship are divided into groups of three and each week they pray together over the phone. They’ve done this for quite some time; week after week they pray for each other and of course, for all of us, too. I would like to say, thank you, for praying for us. You are all the spiritual backbone of our church.
In his book, An Introduction to Prayer, Bishop Robert Barron tells us simply that prayer is, “the mystical coming together of these two longings—our longing for God and God’s longing for us.” In prayer, we and God come together; we want to see Him, talk to Him, and be with Him, so does God. In prayer our heart meets with God’s heart, and our mind is re-aligned with God’s mind as we enter the Union with the Holy. In prayer, He hears us, and we hear Him. No matter how cluttered our heart is, when we pray, it will be cleansed.
As a pastor I do have a few concerns that cross my mind from time to time; some by way of direct involvement, some by way of hearing from those who share them with me. Whatever the concern is, my immediate reaction is usually helpless. I cannot do anything about it. Secondly, I come to God, and I pray; I bring up this concern to Him and I surrender. I trust that God will do something, maybe not in the way that I think of or hope for. He has His way and His will.
One of the men that I admire is John Wooden, the legendary coach of UCLA Basketball Team. There are many pearls of wisdom that have come out of his blessed heart; here is one of them, “Be quick but don’t hurry.” Similarly, Dallas Willard also says this about Jesus, that even though He was often busy, He was never hurried. So, we must stop the hurry, not by walking slowly, but by praying slowly.
Pastor Paul
A couple of days ago, a friend in ministry, who is a lot younger than I, died. He and I shared a room together in a retreat several decades ago. Since then, we kept in contact periodically. He’s a faithful man of God and gave all his heart and mind to serving Him. He’s healthy with no known serious illness but God in His infinite mercy decided to call him home. That’s heaven’s perspective, and we must not let it slip our eyes whenever tragedy strikes. But we are also mindful of the fact that we still live on earth, so we can’t help but see this loss through our earthly lens. For the family he left behind, more than a storm, this is a hurricane; and they are in the eye of the hurricane.
The eye of the hurricane is where winds and rain are the strongest. At times God leads us to the eye of the hurricane of trouble, but as David exclaims, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me” (Psalm 138:7). Please take note of that word, revive. Not only are we beaten by the storms, but we are also almost dead. In fact, we are already dead—at least emotionally. We’ve been there before; we saw no hope, felt lifeless; we’re like zombies, doing our chores without purpose. There in the eye of the hurricane, in the center of trouble, Christ was there, as always, and He revived us.
In his book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, Pastor Eugene Peterson recounts the last days of Dietrich Bonhoeffer as written in the report of the prison doctor at Flossenburg, where he’s serving time for speaking out against Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer, a pastor, knelt in fervent prayer on the wee morning hour of April 9, 1945. Seeing that, the doctor wrote that it “moved me to the depths.” The prison guards then ordered all the prisoners to be executed to strip and led them to a secluded place. Five minutes before he was killed, Bonhoeffer once again knelt to pray. Although he’s in the eye of the storms, he’s calm; he knew he’s at the center of God’s love.
Pastor Paul
Years ago, a friend in ministry lost her husband in a tragic accident. Her life was suddenly upended by the loss, and she lost her balance. She could not stop crying and it was then a pastor who came to see her told her angrily that her excessive grief brought embarrassment to God. As a Christian, especially as a minister, she should’ve been more composed. That comment hurt her even more deeply, but thank God, over time she recovered and is now back in ministry.
Psalm 30:5 shares a beautiful message about crying, “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” The Bible does not say, “Weeping may not tarry,” no, weeping may tarry, even for the night. It’s perfectly OK to cry especially during the night when no one is around, and we feel so alone. It is humane to grieve with lots of tears for someone with whom we shared lots of years, both in joy and sorrow. It is fine to weep because with the morning, God has joy in store for us. His lovingkindness is already waiting for us.
But perhaps we wonder why weeping does not just stop; why it comes back again. Well, in short it is because life without our loved one is not only different, but it is also more difficult. It brings more pain and sadness, so each day we experience pain and sadness, we are torn again. Simply put, weeping comes not from the longing for our loved one but from the loss of our loved one, and how his or her absence creates a hole in our heart, a hole that brings pain each day we face life’s challenges. That is the reason weeping comes again.
So, it is not a matter of being weak or not depending on or trusting God, as insightfully explained by C. S. Lewis, “Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.” So, when morning comes, we must once again come to God and ask for His strength as if we had never asked for and received His strength.
Pastor Paul
I saw something in the news that’s hilarious and tragic at the same time. In a pop concert, a middle-aged couple hugging each other suddenly under a huge spotlight roaming at random among the audience. The problem was they were husband and wife; he is somebody else’s husband, and she is somebody else’s wife! Simply put they were cheating on their spouses. To make matters worse, the show was being broadcast to the public. It’s hilarious because the moment they realized that the spotlight was on them, out of reflex, the man let go of his embrace and ducked, and the woman turned her body and covered her face. It’s too late; they’re caught. When I saw that, I couldn’t help but think about their spouses and children, if they have any. Oh, the humiliation and the devastation!
What also came to mind was King Ahab. In the Book of I Kings 22, we can read the story of King Ahab’s asking King Jehosaphat of the Southern Kingdom to take back Ramoth in Gilead from the king of Syria. Being a godly man, King Jehosaphat requested King Ahab to first consult with a prophet of God. Being an ungodly man, King Ahab called in, not one, but four hundred prophets—four hundred false prophets, that is! Like a choir, they all gave their blessings. Knowing in his spirit that these men did not speak for God, King Jehosaphat asked for another prophet, a true prophet. Micaiah was called in, and like a bombshell, he dropped the Word of the Lord on King Ahab, “The Lord has declared disaster against you.”
Out of fear, King Ahab went into the battle disguising himself as a soldier. He thought he’d be safe, but he thought wrong. “Now a certain man drew a bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor.” Ahab died. Just like that cheating couple, Ahab was also under God’s spotlight. Just like that cheating couple, Ahab thought no one knew. No one knew, but God knew.
Pastor Paul
There are many ways to be reminded of our age. Well, here is one of them: The other day, when Santy and I were at our daughter’s home, one of our grandsons said to me, “Kung Kung, let me read to you.” Apparently, it was not a request but an order, because he just took my hand, sat me down, and started reading to me—cover to cover. And his brother also did the same thing to Santy—he read to her! Just several years ago it was we who read to them but now it’s they who read to us. I can only guess, it is because they see us so old that we cannot read anymore and need them to read to us.
Time certainly flies; what I did not know was that it flies so fast! The other day I spoke with a minister-friend of mine. I still remember the first church that he pastored decades ago, but now he’s talking about retirement. Time flies, but we do not have to fly along with time at that fast speed. We can still savor and live each minute. We who take the time and do not rush are often used by God to do His will and to reflect the glory of His Son Jesus, as shown by this story.
Because their meeting ran late, five out-of-town salesmen rushed to the station to catch a train home. Inadvertently one of them kicked over a table on which was a basket of apples; it belonged to a blind boy who was selling apples. These salesmen climbed up to the train except one, who out of compassion, decided to help the boy collect his apples. He told his colleagues to call his wife and tell her that he would come home late. Finding that some of the apples were split, he took twenty dollars out of his wallet and gave it to the boy to pay for those apples. The boy took the money; while the salesman was walking away, the boy called after him and asked, “Are you Jesus?”
It is when we walk and not run that we can become more like Jesus and be used by Him. You see, Jesus never ran; He always walked.
Pastor Paul
Last Friday we celebrated our adoptive country’s 249th anniversary as an independent nation. On July 4, 1776, in the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, fifty-six men put their signatures on a piece of document that altered the direction of this country: Independence! But by putting down their signatures they also risked their lives to be hung on the gallows by the British government. Napoleon Hill, an inspirational self-help and leadership book’s author makes an astute comment about this momentous time in US history, “The value of decisions depends on the courage required to render them.” Their courage under fire was not in vain; God has blessed America.
The Book of Deuteronomy contains the farewell speech of Moses. Toward the end of his speech, he warned the nation of Israel to be faithful to the Lord God and not to turn to other gods and idols. In his words, “Make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison” (29:18). That root that produces bitter poison is none other than gradual shift to other gods and idols. Sadly, Israel failed; throughout the times of the Judges and the Kings, this bitter poison took root and flourished, requiring God to punish them.
Root that produces bitter poison is present not only outside of our home; it is also in our home, isn’t it? It is not only in spiritual form, but also in mental and emotional form. We might think that we are giving our children medicine and supplements to make them strong but judging from their mental anguish, we are giving them poison. Consequently, they grow up feeling bitter and defeated, but what is worse is that they end up growing roots that produce bitter poison.
So, take heed. Make sure that we do not plant roots that produce bitter poison. Instead, plant roots that produce “fruit in its season.” We may not see the fruit yet but in its season, it will bear fruit.
Pastor Paul
Last Wednesday in our Bible Study Fellowship we learned about Nicodemus, about his big heart and humility. It’s that character that enabled him to come to Jesus and to hear what He had to say to him. Based on that we concluded that spiritual growth cannot be separated from mental and emotional growth. In other words, our knowledge of God depends on how pure and how big our heart it. The bigger and the purer the heart is, the more accurate and the deeper our knowledge of God is, which will have a direct effect on how effective our ministry will be. The opposite is of course true.
In his book, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Pastor Peter Scazsero shares his observation about those in ministry and concludes, “work for God that is not nourished by a deep interior life WITH God will eventually be contaminated by other things such as ego, power . . . . When we work for God because of these things, our experience of the Gospel often falls off the center. We become ‘human doings’ not ‘human beings.’ Our experiential sense of worth and validation gradually shifts from God’s unconditional love for us in Christ to our works and performance.” Sadly, his analysis is true, not only for ministry but also for other areas, such as work and relationships.
Our insecurity does not only affect our ministry—trusting others— but also relationships—letting others be. Our ego does not only affect our ministry—demanding recognition from others—but also relationships—putting our needs over and above those of others. In the end our concept of God and His work is also skewed. We limit it and make rules that have nothing to do with God’s will. In the case of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the high priests in Jesus’ time, to make Him gone, they killed Him. So, let’s heed the warning, “We must first clean the inside of the cup and dish” (Matthew 23:26).
Pastor Paul
St. Francis Medical Center, in Lynwood, is of course named after St. Francis of Assisi, whose primary calling and mission was to serve the poor. In keeping with the purpose, St. Francis Medical Center has faithfully served the poor Angelinos, not only the model citizens but also the troubled ones. One such man who was admitted for gun-shot wound was Cesar Galan, who’s recently featured in LA Times.
Cesar grew up in Artesia, got involved in gang life, but something happened twenty-four years ago: he and his brother were shot by a man who was just released from prison. He survived the gunshot, but his brother didn’t. As a result of the gunshot, he is paralyzed from the chest down. It was while he was in the hospital, he met Chaplain Hirbe who ministered to him. After he was released, Hirbe continued to visit him, and later enrolled him in a chaplain’s trainee program at St. Francis. Cesar began attending Mass and reading the Bible, and in the end, felt called to be a priest. Seven years later, he was ordained a priest, and his assignment was St. Francis Hospital.
That’s what Christian ministry should be. It’s not just saving the soul but also saving mind and body. It is not only caring about whether one will go to heaven but also caring about whether one will be able to go to school or to work or to get the help they need. It’s through Chaplain Hirbe that Cesar became the man that he is. It’s from him that Cesar learned about the grace of God, the lesson that he now shares with those he serves, “The only sin that can’t be forgiven is a sin that you’re not sorry for.” Grace always comes to a sorry heart.
On his wheelchair Father Cesar visits patients who upon seeing his condition tend to open to him. He understands, not only because he was once there in the same ICU, but also because he was once there, lying in his own blood, but later cleansed by Jesus’ blood.
Pastor Paul
It is not always easy to admit to our mistakes; our natural tendency is to explain away our mistakes and shift the blame to something or someone else. But it is almost equally difficult to be gracefully right. When we are right, we usually demand that others acknowledge it and if they don’t, we get angry and resort to forceful ways to make them see that we are right, and hopefully, admit to their wrongs.
Dallas Willard shares his wisdom about how hard it is to be right, “Being right is actually a very hard burden to be able to carry gracefully and humbly. That’s why nobody likes to sit next to the kid in class who’s right all the time. One of the hardest things in the world is to be right and not hurt other people with it.” Yes, we hurt people by being wrong, but we also hurt them by being right. It is not easy to be right, graceful and humble at the same time. As fathers, the burden is even heavier. We’re the authority figures, so we want to make sure that we’re right all the time. Hence, we do not take it kindly when we are pushed to the corner to admit the wrong that we have done. And when we think we are right, we do not take it gracefully when our wives or children refuse to admit the mistakes they have made. We want them to acknowledge that we are right; our authority is on the line, and we want to preserve it.
So, here is what we must do: When we are wrong, be humble; when we are right, be graceful. When we are wrong, be humble to admit and to apologize; when we are right, be graceful to forgive and to let go. It is enough to show what is right; there is no need to show what and who is wrong. In fact, there is no need to make them feel bad and apologize to us. What our children need more than seeing us, their fathers, right is seeing their fathers graceful and humble. It gives them room to be human and teaches them to also be graceful.
Pastor Paul
Today is the Day of Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Easter, the day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples of Jesus. Two thousand years ago today marked the beginning of a new era, a new way of God’s guiding His people to live in His will. His Holy Spirit is now in us to illuminate us and empower us, and when it is needed, to convict us of our sins. We know God is with us through His Spirit.
We often hear people say, “The Spirit works in a mysterious way.” The word, “mysterious,” simply means that we do not always know what the Holy Spirit does and how He accomplishes something. It is shielded from us not out of malicious intent but because it is not the time for us to know or because we are not ready to accept what is in the will of God for us right there and then. We will know it later.
One such man that did not know what the Holy Spirit was doing and what He purposed to accomplish was Inigo of Spain. He had no plan to be useful in the Kingdom of God, let alone be called to ministry. His chief goal in life was to be famous; that’s all. Consequently, he’s obsessed with his appearance. All that was abruptly upended when he was wounded in a battle, causing him to limp for the rest of his life. It was when he was recovering in Loyola that God called him.
In 1534 along with some friends he founded Companio de Jesus, or the Society of Jesus, known today as the Jesuits, whose mission is to find God in all things. Inigo changed his name to Ignatius, Ignatius of Loyola that is. Glenn Packiam, in The Resilient Pastor, summed it well: He spread a spirituality that does not seek a monastery apart from the world but sees the world as a monastery.” Amen to that!
The Holy Spirit is at work, not only in us, not only in the church, but also in the world. That makes the world in a way, like a big church. In His mysterious ways He calls, He changes, and He uses people.
Pastor Paul