If you haven’t been to Catalyst, you need to. It truly is an experience and not just an event. This year’s theme is “Tension is Good” and I love the idea of tension. I’ve always found the greatest depth of faith when there is tension.

You may be thinking that this event is “too much production” and “not enough spirituality” but let me push back and say that perhaps you aren’t very teachable. This is an experience where it will make you think whether you agree with what is said or not. It will challenge your theology. The experience will stretch you.

Catalyst Conference East, October 6-8, Atlanta, GA. Register here.

Related posts:

1. When There Is Tension

This was a heartfelt story I came across today. It really speaks to the differences that we feel between the culture that we (born in the US) understand and the culture of our parents (born in Asia). I’m gonna make it easier for you so here’s the full article:

I didn’t think my father cared about me. I left Hong Kong at age 5, when my mother divorced my father in 1968. My father never contacted me. I lived in America. He lived a world away. Then in 1996, at age 33, I returned with my mom to Hong Kong and met my father. I spoke only English. He spoke only Cantonese. My mother needed to serve as interpreter.

After I married my wife, Quyen, in 1998, I visited Hong Kong again to introduce her to my father. When Quyen and I had kids, I heard through my mom that he wanted to see our children. So I invited him to the U.S., told him I would pay for his plane ticket and that he could stay with us. But I never received a response. I didn’t think he cared. So I went about my life.

In March, my father suffered a stroke and died. It was my family’s obligation to go to Hong Kong to take part in the funeral. I was his only child; my kids were his only grandchildren. Once there, my father’s younger brother brought my father’s possessions to me. From a faded, leather carrying bag, my uncle took out a small, tarnished brass picture frame holding a photo of Quyen and me at our wedding reception. My uncle told me that my father kept the picture on his nightstand beside his bed. It was his favorite. Then my uncle handed me a worn, crusty plain brown packaging envelope, which contained photographs and cards my mom had sent my father throughout the years.

ere were pictures of me in my college cap and gown, Quyen and me at a formal dinner while dating, the two of us beaming at our wedding reception, our son Kevin on his third birthday, a 5-month-old Kristie cradled in my left arm on the couch. I found Christmas cards from my mother nestled between the photos, and a neatly folded paper with a hand-drawn heart and a message of love from Kristie.

I leafed through more pictures and discovered a group shot of my father, mother and me next to a number of relatives and friends on a pier in Hong Kong. I must’ve been 4 at the time. I came upon another photo of me in elementary school, maybe 8 years old and wearing a gaudy blue sweater. My father had kept every item relating to me and my family.

My uncle said my father never traveled. In his 76 years of life, my father had never been on an airplane.

For most of my life, I didn’t think my father cared about me. As I looked upon the pictures of my family with tears in my eyes, I knew I was wrong.

Written by Ray M. Wong who is a writer based in San Diego.

How do feel about the way your parents express love?

Life is full of ups and downs isn’t it? But did you know that God isn’t always just interested in fixing your problem, but also wants you to know that He understands how you feel? The Psalms can help you express to God how you feel and have faith that God hears your heart.

When You Feel...	Psalm Chapter
Afraid	3; 4; 27; 46; 49; 56; 91; 118
Alone	9; 10; 12; 13; 27;40 ;43
Burned Out	6; 63
Cheated	41
Confused	10; 12; 73
Depressed	27; 34; 42; 43; 88; 143
Distressed	13; 25; 31; 40; 107
Elated	19; 96
Guilty	19; 32; 38; 51
Hateful	11
Impatient	13; 27; 37; 40
Insecure	3; 5; 12; 91
Jealous	37
Like Quitting	29; 43; 145
Lost	23; 139
Overwhelmed	25; 69; 142
Penitent/Sorry	32; 51; 66
Proud	14; 30; 49
Purposeless	14; 25; 39; 49; 90
Sad	13
Self-confident	24
Tense	4
Thankful	118; 136; 138
Threatened	3; 11; 17
Tired/Weak	6; 13; 18; 28; 49; 40; 86
Trapped	7; 17; 42; 88; 142
Unimportant	8; 90; 139
Vengeful	3; 7; 109
Worried	37
Worshipful	8; 19; 27; 29; 150

Check out this article: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2010/04/christian-millennials-prayer-church/1

By the way, Millenials are people your age (born between 1984-2004).

Do you agree? What do you think?

You really never know how things will turn out when you are faithful to what God wants you to do. But in the end, it’s always worth it.

Last October Laura and I officially submitted our paperwork to start our adoption process. We felt that God was calling us to adopt a child for a long time, but finally we felt that the time had come to actually start the main process. We really felt that it was a calling rather than a response to not having children of our own yet. Shortly after we completed our home study where a social worker basically does an interview of us and evaluates whether the way we live is consistent to being an adoptive family. We got through the initial process very quickly since Laura already knew the ins-and-outs since that’s what she does at Bethany Christian Services.

Once the home study was done and we got approval from Korea we started to think about how we would ease into telling our families about it. Of course we had mentioned to our families that we were interested and we got those general responses like “oh, that’s a good thing to do” and expected comments like “you should have your own children first.” From the time a home study is completed, families usually have at least a year before receiving a referral (when you are matched with a child and they provide detailed information of the child) so we planned on breaking our families in over the course of the year.

Now I must admit that we did get pressure from our families to have our own children first and both parents started pushing us to get tested to make sure there aren’t issues with getting pregnant. So to appease them we were in the process of going through those tests. We never really thought that there was anything wrong with us, but thought that it just wasn’t time for us since we felt that we were to adopt first. Nevertheless, my tests came back fine and we were in the process of getting Laura tested.

Everything changed on Christmas eve…

Keep reading here: http://www.jasonjeong.com/adoption/

Related posts:

1. The Adoption Journey

Instead of lavish gifts or restaurant dinners for my 31st birthday, I want to make a difference for 31 families. I want to protect the children of those 31 families from becoming orphans due to extreme poverty and treatable diseases. We can protect them by simply providing them with clean water! The goal is for people to give $31 and raise a total of $3,100 to serve 31 families in Cambodia!

100% of all the money raised will be used towards this water project and all donations are tax deductable through my non-profit, Orphan Epidemic.

Click here to make a donation! And check the progress here!

I’m not arrogant to think that I’m going to end the orphan epidemic by myself, but I’m starting somewhere and doing something. Help me make this a birthday that makes a difference!

Here are some FAQs:

How exactly will the money be used?

The money will go towards two things. The first will be towards building a well and some money will go towards building biosand water filters. Money will NOT be used for travel expenses, administration, or anything internal for Orphan Epidemic. A partner that works at ground level will be helping us with the water projects to avoid any additional costs.

Why Cambodia?

As I have recently been to Cambodia (last fall), I have seen first hand the brokenness of the country (Khmer Rouge being recent history) and of the people. The country uniquely suffers from extreme poverty (including the lack of clean water), insufficient medical care for majority of the country, and social justice issues (it’s a primary location for sex trafficking, brothels, and child labor). But I have also seen many workers with great hope that God will redeem the country and there are great opportunities to show what Christ is all about.

Where can I get more info?

Go checkout the Orphan Epidemic website!

Orphan Epidemic works to prevent children from becoming orphans by addressing the root causes of extreme poverty and treatable diseases. Clean water is an initiative that engages both of these issues.

No related posts.

“Great leadership is the ability to taste a person’s soul — like a fine bottle of wine.” ~Mike Rawlings, CEO of Pizza Hut

Related posts:

1. Nugget – Feb 11, 2010
2. Nugget – Sept 22, 2009

We are constantly trying to improve ourselves. Whether what you believe is actually better or worse, this pursuit is a fact for everyone. We want to be a better person or get better at something. And for Christians, this is especially true. But, even when you’re seeking something as good as God, your motivation might be twisted.

I read a devotional today from My Utmost for His Highest that talked partly about this, and I wanted to share it.

Goodness and purity should never be traits that draw attention to themselves, but should simply be magnets that draw people to Jesus Christ. If my holiness is not drawing others to Him, it is not the right kind of holiness; it is only an influence which awakens undue emotions and evil desires in people and diverts them from heading in the right direction. A person who is a beautiful saint can be a hindrance in leading people to the Lord by presenting only what Christ has done for him, instead of presenting Jesus Christ Himself. Others will be left with this thought— “What a fine person that man is!” That is not being a true “friend of the bridegroom”— I am increasing all the time; He is not.

To maintain this friendship and faithfulness to the Bridegroom, we have to be more careful to have the moral and vital relationship to Him above everything else, including obedience. Sometimes there is nothing to obey and our only task is to maintain a vital connection with Jesus Christ, seeing that nothing interferes with it. Only occasionally is it a matter of obedience. At those times when a crisis arises, we have to find out what God’s will is. Yet most of our life is not spent in trying to be consciously obedient, but in maintaining this relationship— being the “friend of the bridegroom.” Christian work can actually be a means of diverting a person’s focus away from Jesus Christ. Instead of being friends “of the bridegroom,” we may become amateur providences of God to someone else, working against Him while we use His weapons.

This made me examine my heart about what I was doing. I recognized that many times, I do things out of selfish reasons. Even when I want Christ to be known, I admit that I sometimes want people to see how God has changed me or how I’m growing spiritually. Or, they may be good reasons but not necessarily be the best by focusing on the things that should merely be the by-product of drawing closer to Christ, such as being obedient, serving others, praying, etc. To think that I could be a hinderance from God being known or that I’m taking some glory away from God? Yikes! I have to constantly remind myself and keep myself in check.

So, what is your motivation? What [who] are you trying to prove [improve]?

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ~James 1:2-4

Too often we settle into that spiritual roller coaster. After that high from a retreat or event our motivation starts to fizzle and then the next thing you know you’re faced with some major obstacles in your life! Where did all energy go? Why am I not passionate anymore? Why am I now faced with these trials? It’s not the emotions fizzing out that is the problem, but it’s the fact that we give up when we face trials soon after.

There is a point at which we all have a decision to make whether to press on and persevere or to just ride the roller coaster to the bottom. When we give up, we miss out on making major break throughs in our faith! What I’m talking about is the decision we’re faced with at the point of perseverance.

How do you keep going when you don’t think you can? It’s not a “let God do everything” or a “do everything yourself” dilema, but it’s both and. You have a to bite down and fight the pain. It’s like trying to hold your breath under water against someone and just when you think you want to go up for air you tell yourself a little longer. That’s not where it ends. At the same time, you have to trust God to lift you up out of the downward spiral. You know, this is just the start of perseverance.

You have to continue beyond where you don’t think you can go any further. You haven’t broken through just yet. You have to make it through the break through point. This is the point where you realize it doesn’t hurt as bad as you thought before. It’s not that your circumstances have really changed. They may or may not have, but what’s happening is that God is developing character. It’s the kind of character that matures you. It’s like a runner’s second wind. Only mature runners know how to develop and use it. It’s only runners who push themselves to that point that understand it. This is stuff God has to have the chance to do something in you.

In order to develop muscle, you have to bust your butt and lift hard. Hard enough to where it hurts because that’s when your muscle tears. But at this point, you can’t tell your muscles to grow and repair itself. You have to leave it up to God.

You will have a spiritual break through, when you persevere through trials. This is bigger than just having the right attitude or the right strength. It’s about God being bigger than the trials you face. It’s about allowing your actions to follow your faith. It’s about God getting the glory when you reach new heights in your faith.

What is it that you have to persevere through right now? Don’t give up. Don’t miss experiencing a break through in your faith.

Today, Ash Wednesday, is the first day of Lent is the forty days leading up to Easter.

It is a time where Christians prepare themselves through fasting and prayer as Jesus fasted before he was crucified, buried, and resurrected. It is a time to think about the work God is doing in your life. It is a time to reflect on the lives we live.