FOLLOW ME Means Repent, Deny Yourself, Lose Your Life and Make Disciples
This pamphlet has three parts:
Part I. The great invitation (Mt 4:19; Mk 1:17).
Part II. The great cost (Lk 9:23).
Part III. The great change (Mt 28:19).
A 2nd Gen Story
Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. –John 3:20,21
The darkness of UBF is overwhelming. Secrets hide behind nearly every smiling face that offers you so much as a plate of bulgoki. Growing up, every Sunday I went to CBF at the “center.” Even as I child, I always felt like there was something off about UBF people. I never quite felt like I was at home, or that this was my family.
Upon leaving UBF at age 8 with my family, we went to an unnamed evangelical church in the area. It was there that I entered life and finally learned to be a normal human being. For the first time in my young life, I felt like I could fit in with the other boys, the other children, and I learned about God, who Jesus was, and accepted him into my heart as my Lord and savior.
West Loop’s first sermon in 2008: Where is your vision?
Editorial note: While searching for an old email, I happened to find the first sermon preached at West Loop UBF on Jan 6, 2008. It is over 6 years ago. I feel strange and nostalgic reading it. It reminded me of A Real Testimony by Ben Toh from 1998. UBFers will likely welcome what I wrote and may wonder why I am no longer like that, while exUBFers might suffer from varying degrees of PTSD. The full sermon can be read here. What I copied and pasted below is my personal application, which I preached verbatim. Continue reading →
My Feelings about UBF
Here is a somewhat poetical but not completely poetical writing I wrote about what I would tell my Pastor if I thought he would listen. How I want to cry because he shutdown UBF by not listening to his flock because they were younger than him and not telling them the truth about what he really wants them to do and banishing them from the loving presence of the other sheep. UBF Pastors, I am begging you do not close down UBF. I love UBF but I heard UBF facilities are being shutdown on other campuses and maybe my own for which I might weep. I do not think it was because of the sheep trying to become new shepherds. I think……It was you.
My Last Few Days in Chicago
The closing testimonies at Campus night last Friday were given by Moses Noah, Jim Rabchuk, and Ron Ward. The title on the program was “Campus mission, my family, and my profession.” The slide presented was the above. I was slightly irritated by this slide, since it ignored family and excluded any mention of Christ. And that was also their point.
Continue reading →
The Work of Satan in Mexico
In light of the public prayer topic for our ubfriends in Mexico, I would like to share some news so that you can pray more clearly about the situation. The recent public prayer topic was announced this way on ubf.org: “Pray for M. Timothy, Mexico and his sock factory closed since last 3 weeks. Now he earnestly requests our sincere prayers that by next Tuesday (Feb. 24), he may submit all the necessary documents the labor department required after doing what they requested in the factory, and the factory may be allowed to reopen!”
My Own Response
I watched two Facebook videos the other day.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/10/people-hear-for-first-time-video_n_6646594.html
One was about a man who left his job on wall street to open a pizza shop for $1 a slice. One customer came in and wanted to buy a slice for anyone who might need help. So the owner put a post-it on the wall, and the idea spread. Those who benefitted from this kindness later found jobs and came in to donate a slice of pizza for another person who might come in hungry.
The next video is about technology helping people hear for the first time and seeing their reactions. If this doesn’t make you cry, I don’t know what will.
My First Few Days in Chicago
Last Friday Chicago held a campus mission night. I traveled from St. Louis to Chicago for the event. My pastor had the missionary meeting so he was not present. To be truthful I was not entirely sure why I went. It is prohibitively expensive to travel there, since I currently only make $100 dollars a week as a graduate student. I found that I could take a bus there for only $20 and my spring break started the following week so there was no homework to worry about. I left Thursday around 2pm and arrived late. I will try to be protracted in parts I think readers will want to hear, and brief in other parts. I encourage any reader to leave any questions in the comments, a lot can happen in three days after all.
Continue reading →
The Power of Now
What if we figured out and did good and right things now? What if we had already done them years, even decades ago? On the other hand, what if we don’t do them for more decades?
Prayers for the Church
The Bride of Christ could use some prayer right now. Here are some excerpts from The Book of Common Prayer. Will you agree with me on these?
For the Church
Gracious Father, we pray for the holy Catholic Church. Fill it with with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it.; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it, for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.
Last 30 Comments