Our new URL is:

http://koinoniaberkeleyfellowshiphg2.wordpress.com

On the Fourth of July, our homegroup had an outing to Lake Chabot, where we played volleyball, had a bbq, boated in the lake, and biked around the lake. Afterwards we had dinner at Joe and Annie’s house and then went out to enjoy the fireworks show at Jack London Square. Here are some pictures from the night.

Yummy Food

Perry marvels at Arie and Sharon's kayaking skills

Who is Annie pointing at?

Grace, Carol, and Lillian chillin'

Jaw Droppin' Fireworks

Having decided to participate in the 30 hour famine, I knew I needed to find sponsors…fast.  There were only 3 days left, and aside from myself as a sponsor, I had no one else.  I knew that my coworkers from work would probably sponsor me if I was persistent enough, but I thought that this event would also make a good excuse to catch up with some of my high school friends and spread awareness of the world hunger issue.  The first person who I knew I wanted to call was my friend Isaac.  He is one of my closest friends from high school whom I can always count on to hear me out and support me.  I gave him a call during my lunch break at work and told him about the 30 Hour Famine and that I was planning on participating in the event that weekend.  I then asked if he would like to support me by sponsoring me with a donation.  He said that he would be glad to donate, as he himself, had been a participant of the 30 Hour Famine in the past with his own church back at home.  Sweet!  I was excited to hear that my friend was familiar with the program and that he would be willing to help out. “How much do you think you will donate?” I asked.  He said he wasn’t set on the amount yet, but he would paypal me an amount that night.

Next day, I check my paypal account at work.  Nothing.  The following day, I check again.  Nothing.  “I should give him a call.” I thought to myself, as Isaac was often forgetful.  I called him up again during my lunch break and the story he told me just totally rocked my world.  Isaac told me he had been really struggling over the issue of money and worldly spending recently.  He said it started a couple weeks ago when he started taking up small jobs and saving up money to buy a XBox360.  Right when he had saved up enough, another friend called him and told him to wait another week because he had heard news that the game system was going to drop its price.  Isaac thus decided to hold off a week.  The following week, he attended a retreat with his church and was hit hard by a message regarding stewardship of one’s resources for the kingdom of God.  Isaac knew that the game system he was planning on buying was purely for his own pleasure and saw it in conflict with the message.  He started praying over this issue intensely that week, asking God what he should do.  It just so happened that that week, I had called him regarding the 30 Hour Famine.

After hearing the story, I was just struck by how everything played out.  God was obviously at work here - it couldn’t have all just been mere coincidence!  I told Isaac that he should pay attention to the promptings in his heart from God and donate however much he is convicted to donate.  He told me he’d pray over this issue some more and get me a response by that night.  That night I check my paypal account and saw that Isaac had deposited $290 into my account.  I was totally awestruck!  He had given up all the money he had been saving up for the XBox360!  I couldn’t believe it.  The next day I called up Isaac again to talk to him over what he had done and whether this was what he wanted to do, and not something I had pressured him into bitterly doing.  Isaac calmly told me that this was what he was convicted to do, and now, he felt as though a huge burden was lifted from his shoulders.  I was amazed.  I spent another half an hour on the phone with my friend and confirming everything with him.  I let him know how his money would provide for so many of the needy in the world and how proud I was of him as a friend.  He just laughs and says how thankful he was of this opportunity given to him.  After I got off the phone with him, I just felt so blessed to see my friend take this step in trusting God with this issue.

This was just one story out of the countless from the recent 30-Hour Famine.  For me, it has been just so amazing to witness and participate in a group of like-minded minded people focused on a mission outside of ourselves.

Friday was the much anticipated Summer IM’s kick-off. Carpools and vanpools merged onto Otis Drive. One by one they turned on their left blinkers to enter the Wood Middle School lot. The air was a bit smoky because of all the fires, but the temperature was just right for chasing after soccer balls, volleyballs, basketballs, or Frisbees—depending on what you’re signed up for. You could feel the energy rising amidst the throng that gathered at the courtyard. People were hovering around the fold-out tables to find their names listed on their respective teams. While writing my name on the blue-bordered sticker, I could hear anxious voices, “Can you write me one too?” then “Yeah, me too!” It was clear—we were pumped!

I’m on Team 2 for IM Soccer. We had to have been one of the most diverse teams out there: we had members from Berkeley Praxis, SF Praxis, A2F, Koinonia, Kairos, and one all the way from Indiana. Despite the lack of familiarity with one another, our team, as well as the others, clicked right away. We had an array of different skill levels, too: Rene plays in Cal IM Soccer, Diana played in middle school, and well… then there’s me. I just signed up to run around the field, burn some calories, and maybe learn how to kick the ball. But after joining the team, I realized that our captains were actually taking us seriously. John “Korea” Lee and Richard Kwon had us run laps during our break and coached us to practice accurate passing. We were starting to feel like a real, bona fide soccer team. During our huddle, Richard gave us a word of encouragement, “Remember, it’s not about winning, it’s about not losing…” That just inspired us so much that we won 1-0.

Once the games were over, everyone scurried back into their rides for DT Sharing in home groups. I guess it was a night of many “firsts,” since not only was it our first night of IM’s but also our very first Home Group 2 Bible study at the Songs’. Joe and Annie hosted us with a much welcomed meal of barbacoa pork, Costco chicken, guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa, refried beans, shredded cheese, warm flour tortillas, and plenty of corn tortilla chips. In addition to the food itself, there were two other factors that made this meal that much more delicious: 1. Post-workout hunger, and 2. The anticipation of 30-hour famine at the stroke of midnight. Brothers and sisters alike got up to get seconds, and sometimes thirds, so dinner went on at a leisurely pace.

Some new friends joined us that night who were friends of Garrett: Arthur and Ashkon. Sadly both of them had to leave before DT Sharing but we’re looking forward to seeing them again next week. After saying goodbye to these guys, we quickly set up the room into a large three-layered circle to share how God has been speaking to us throughout the week from Psalm 32. One of the main points we discussed was the blessing of God’s heavy hand and confession. It struck me afresh how counterintuitive it is for us to love confession, and yet how it leads to true peace and freedom because our confession is to a loving and authoritative God whose forgiveness is total.

The night wasn’t over yet. In preparation for our Meals-on-Wheels adventure for the next morning, we baked the first batch of salted oatmeal cranberry white chocolate cookies JUST in time for one last bite before midnight—the start of our 30-hour fast. Joe, our home group lead, encouraged us to add just five more minutes so we could finish eating the cantaloupes. “It’s just five minutes…” Joe said. Aghast and utterly scandalized, the students unanimously refused, holding firmly to the 12 o’clock cut-off. People were so adamant and stern that Joe later expressed fear that some would come at him with pitchforks and torches. Such was the kick-off of our 30-hour famine. Uncompromised integrity? Legalism? You decide. =)

Well, it may seem like it’s been a quiet few weeks here between the end of graduations and the beginning of summer school Session C that started this week.  But this summer has been packed with activity.  Just to give a little recap, here are some of the things that have happened already (or will start this week) at Gracepoint Fellowship Church Berkeley or at our homegroup:

• Cambodia 1, Taiwan, and Thailand Mission teams left and returned
• GTS (Gracepoint Training School) with Pastor Jon Choi
• SET (Summer Evangelism Training)
• Worldview Camp
• Cambodia 2 Mission team left
• Summer IM’s (starting June 27) - This will start at 6:30pm at Wood Jr. High School in Alameda.  Check out the blog page for this at http://gfcims.blogspot.com/
• 30-Hour Famine (June 28-29) - We will be participating in the Alameda Meals on Wheels program and then heading over to the World Vision Experience: AIDS exhibit in Fremont.  Check out the website to the exhibit: http://www.worldvisionexperience.org/event_info.php?event_id=68

Wow, it’s already been a packed summer!  And we’re only 1/3 of the way through! 

It’s been a while since I last posted on the blog. Things have been busy recently with students’ finals and graduations. Here are some pictures from the past graduations.

My father is a diplomat from Taiwan currently stationed in Washington, D.C., so I know a little something about what it means to be an ambassador.

For the longest time when I was growing up, I did not know what my dad did for a living. All I knew was he got invited to free dinners a lot, and sometimes he would drag me and my sister to these fancy banquets where we would eat a lot of good food. Yet that was small consolation for the immense boredom I would have to endure because there were rarely any other kids, and my dad was always talking to other stuffy old people about things I did not understand. My sister and I always had to dress up and be on our best behavior. Sometimes my parents would brag to the other couples about what an incompetent and underperforming son I was. As you can imagine, I took very little interest in my father’s line of work.

When I became older, I began to understand what my dad did, and why. When he is at work, he is usually on the phone or meeting with politicians and business leaders, always trying to improve international relationships with the movers and shakers of the country to which he is assigned. Every chance he gets, he is promoting the cause and interests of Taiwan. When he attends various social functions, he has to give public statements as the embodied presence of Taiwan. He hates giving speeches in English, even after doing it for decades, which is why he often makes me ghostwrite for him and always kept things under five minutes. Nevertheless, my dad read many books at home about writing style, grammar, American idioms, and even jokes, all so he could present the most professional and polished image of his country. When big events occur in Taiwan or in the local community, newspaper and television reporters would ask my dad for the official position of the Taiwan government on those affairs, so he is always on call.

His is a full-time job. It does not end when he leaves the office at 6 or 7 pm. At home, at the supermarket, or even walking to the mailbox, he is always the diplomat from Taiwan. When he steps out the door, he never knows who might recognize him, because his picture regularly appears in the local Chinese newspapers, often standing next to some important stranger. When he was stationed in Singapore, he took up tennis because that was what business people played there; when he was assigned to America he switched to golf because that was what important people did for fun here. In his “spare” time, he attends numerous events and social gatherings not because he is interested in them, but because he has to network with as many people as possible and commend Taiwan to them.

We moved around a lot when I was growing up because my father did not get to pick where he worked. He went where the government told him to go, sometimes only on a few week’s notice, and our whole family would have to pack up and move. I remember when he was stationed in Taiwan and received orders to go to Texas; I was only ten years old at the time and dreaded moving to America and losing all my friends. I cried and pleaded and begged, but there was nothing to be done; he was the diplomat from Taiwan, and to be a diplomat meant going where he was sent, when he was sent.

So, what does all of this have anything to do with anything? Well, the devotional text this week at Gracepoint Fellowship Church was 2 Corinthians 4–5, and in 2 Corinthians 5:20, Apostle Paul says, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” Pastor Ed Kang gave a Bible study last Tuesday in Berkeley on this passage, but it really struck me today as I reflected on it. All Christians are Christ’s ambassadors. I am an ambassador. What an astounding thought!

As an ambassador, my citizenship is not in the country where I find myself. My citizenship is in heaven, along with God’s people and members of God’s household. Philippians 3:20; Ephesians 2:19. When I finish my job here, that is where I will return, and what I can expect as my reward.

But like my dad, I am always on call. I bear the name of Christ wherever I go, whether I like it or not. My job does not stop when I leave church or Bible study; in fact, in some sense, that is when my job begins. When people want to know what God is like, or what Christianity is all about, they will look at my life. When situations or crises arise, the world will look at my response to see the official position of the Kingdom of Heaven; in other words, as the cliché goes, what would Jesus do. When people have questions about God or heard some rumor slandering the King I represent, I have to be ready to set the record straight. 1 Peter 3:15-16. I have to live an exemplary life not because that is how I curry favor with God, but because I want everyone to see what a great and awesome God I have, and that they can come and be a part of His Kingdom, too. Matthew 5:16.

As an ambassador, I have a defined mission and purpose in life: to represent the Kingdom of my Lord, Jesus Christ. Like my dad, I have to always be prepared to advance the interests of my home country, whether I find myself at school, at work, or in the dining commons. My agenda must be completely aligned with God’s agenda. I have to be ready to go where He sends me, when He sends me, and cannot have lasting ties or attachments to this world. As His agent, I must come to know and even feel what is on God’s heart, what His attitude and perspective is on the world around me, so I can carry out His will and purpose. Romans 12:2. Primarily, this means I must carry out the ministry of reconciliation, because the King of the universe wants to be reconciled to all the rebel states of humanity who have chosen to reject His rightful authority over their lives. God wants everyone to know they no longer need to fear retribution or wrath, because through Jesus’ death and resurrection a blanket amnesty is available for all to receive.

The most amazing part of all this is that I get to be an ambassador at all. An ambassador is the highest emissary from one nation to another, which means to become an ambassador you have to get yourself appointed by a head of state, like a president. You have to have connections and know someone to get the job. My dad is not an ambassador, although he works for one. Apostle Paul says I am an ambassador because I do know Someone, and Jesus has connections like you would not believe. How is it that I came to find myself with a job like this? I was once just another ignorant rebel, ruining my own life while shaking my fist at God. Now, not only did I receive a complete pardon from my crimes of high treason, I get to bear God’s message of reconciliation to others. Out of love, God condescended to tie His good name to mine, and despite my sinful nature and flawed character, He is not ashamed to be called my God. Hebrews 11:16. My dad is in a respectable line of work, and I am proud of him for having been so faithful at his job, but in the end, he only represents a small nation-state. Civilizations come and go, but God’s Kingdom lasts forever, and His is a Kingdom of abundant life and peace and joy and purpose to which all are invited to join. And I get to invite them.

Can you believe it that the school year is over? Hopefully, you’ve been so on top of your classes this semester that you won’t have to stress about your finals!

We will be meeting in the big group this Friday, as we have an all-Koinonia Bible study. Pastor Ed will be teaching, so you won’t want to miss it! Afterwards, we’ll be having a special senior sendoff. It’ll be a chance to send off the seniors with our well wishes, and recall how God has been faithful in their lives throughout the past four years.

What: Koinonia Bible Study
When: FRIDAY 5/9, 7:00 pm
Where: 155 Dwinelle

As many of you know, this past Saturday was the last of 3 consecutive Saturdays we put on our ImpACT Springfest 2008. The theme for this year was Superheroes, and appropriately so as the event was of epic proportions. We had over 60 kids each week attend from both Garfield and Franklin elementary schools. And to help put on the entire event were over 170 volunteers, hailing from almost every ministry group in our church—Praxis, Acts2Fellowship, Koinonia, Kairos, Element, and even members of our SF church.

Being a part of this event was an awesome experience. I finally got to live out my childhood (or perhaps still current) dream of being a superhero, although I didn’t get to choose my superpower—honestly, I can’t imagine many situations in which my alter ego, Pokeman, and his uncanny ability to, “with a single poke, send enemies flying over a mile,” would come in handy. While I didn’t wear my costume during the rest of the week, that didn’t stop me from reflecting on what it truly means to be a superhero. As we learned over the 3 weeks, true superheroes have Might, Sight, and Flight, and are always Tight.

Might – you don’t have to be strong to be mighty (yes brothers, this applies to us as well). What’s the point of being strong if you don’t use your strength for the right things? “True might always does what’s right.”

Sight – it’s not always about what we can physically see. Something may look cool on the outside, but may be ugly on the inside. “Often what’s right is out of sight.”

Flight – in one word, discernment. Sometimes we need to see opportunities to do the right thing, and fly towards them; other times we need to recognize dangerous situations and take flight from them. “Know when it’s right to take flight.”

Tight – what’s a superhero without his trusty sidekick or team members? We are all relational beings and we need others to encourage us, keep us safe, be our friends, etc. “As long as you’re tight, it’ll be alright.”

Perhaps even more meaningful an experience was the opportunity we got to give the children a glimpse of God’s love for them. Though brief, the time I spent with them was well worth all the effort that was put into Springfest. (While I don’t consider dressing up and acting silly on stage an “effort,” know that there were many hours of behind-the-scenes work, sweat, and blood given up by the volunteers, teachers, and team leads). Just a few moments with the kids is enough time to see just how precious they are, leaving me to wonder how much more God must love each and every one of them. I am reminded of a recent Remarkable Jesus message:

Mark 9:35-37 “Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.’ He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.’”

While the world may view children as unproductive, powerless, and ultimately worthless, Jesus came down to be the servant of ALL. Though these children may come from poor socioeconomic backgrounds, growing up in troubled neighborhoods, they are every bit as precious to God. I’m so grateful that we were able to share with the children a love that isn’t based on their efforts or abilities and I’m excited to see how God will continue to work in their lives as they transition into our Joyland ministry.

Hi everyone,

Here’s the lowdown for the activities this week:

Tuesday:

• Prayer meeting at 1st Pres.

Friday:

• GracePoint Monthly - This will be our last GracePoint Monthly of the semester, so hope to see you all there. We will get to hear about how God has been working in our church this past month. What a busy month it has been, especially with ImpACT Springfest. Come and hear the testimonies of some of the things that have happened.
• Afterwards, the senior class will be practicing for their class song for the graduation service on May 11, 2008.  Seniors, please head to the Y after GracePoint Monthly for practice.  The other classes will go out for some fellowship activity. Stay tuned for more details.

Saturday:

• Summer Mission Trip Kick-off at 7-10pm at NorthLoop.

Sunday:

• Sunday service at 11:45am at GracePoint Fellowship Church in Berkeley.
• Ergonomics training from 4-5pm and a Sierra Lodge usage training from 5-6pm at NorthLoop.