There is No Such Thing as a Self-Made Man

I share my testimony a lot. I was told that it is an effective way to share the Gospel. Almost always, I share how I didn't grow up in a Christian family, how I was pretty much the first Christian in my family, and how coming to faith "by myself" stirred up a passion for evangelism within me. I used to "boast" that my faith is real because I had to even go against my own family (see here). I have even seen myself as a "self-made man" with regards to my faith. Well, nowadays, I share my story a bit differently.

Yes it's true that growing up, I was not a Christian and I practiced a mix of Buddhism and ancestral worship. It's also true that neither of my parents went to church, with my dad especially being strong on atheism. It's true as well that I went to a secular school while living in a Muslim country. It's especially true that when I first became a Christian, both my dad and my grandparents were upset with me.

However, my faith didn't just come from a vacuum. I am not a self-made man. God placed many things in my path that led me to where I am today.

My mom, even though she did not go to church, is the first Christian in the family. Her reasons for doing so is in large part due to family pressure. Since she knew how suffocating this pressure is, she bore it all for me so I wouldn't have to feel as much pressure either from her or from my extended family.

My mom, even though she didn't lead me to a saving faith in Christ, did teach me the importance of prayer. Ever since a young age, she's told my brother and me that prayer works, that we can ask God for anything.

My mom, even though she didn't read the Bible too much (again due to family pressures), did tell me a few Bible stories. At the time, I don't think I even knew they were Bible stories. But I'm sure seeds were planted.

My mom, even though we had many options, chose to put me in a Christian school after 9th grade in high school. This was my first systematic exposure to the doctrines of Christianity. It was also there (Dalat International School in Penang, Malaysia) that I someone shared the essentials of the Gospel with me.

My mom, even though I did not know it, prayed for me night and day. I know that it is due to her simple but persevering prayers that I am where I am today.

My mom (and dad), even though I did not ask for it, are our biggest financial supporters. Without them, we would not be able to do much ministry at all, let alone even sustain ourselves.

Last week, my mom and dad cam to visit us in Chicago. We planned a week-long birthday celebration for them.

The points is...

However crazy our testimonies may be, there is always someone behind the scenes who played a huge but often unacknowledged part. The "self-made man" idea is simply not true. We owe everything to others and everything owes its existence to God. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."

So... Who is that person in your story? Who is the one who helped shape you into the person you are today? Write them a note of appreciation, and pray to God for them. Share your story with me too!

Going on an Unexpected Journey

Two weeks ago, we went on a road trip from Chicago to New York. My friend Kossi got married and I was one of the groomsmen, so naturally we had to go. Plus, this was a chance to see the city that my wife spent 15 years in.

Going there, we drove for 14 hours with food and gas stops. Including coming back, the whole trip took 30 hours. So what did we do all that time in the car? We asked each other many questions, talked about other things, listened to musicals... Oh, and we listened to an audiobook of The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, all 11 hours of the unabridged version. It was glorious.

The main character is this hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. He is an unassuming hobbit (like human beings except for being half the size, among other things) who was chosen (against his will at first) to go on this adventure. The other members of the journey (all dwarves except for Gandalf the wizard) doubted that he could bring anything useful to the team as well. All in all, it was not a good start.


Bilbo never thought that he would ever go on an adventure like this. In fact, all his friends and family in his town (the Shire) never thought that he would ever go on any adventures. But yet Bilbo set out, to the chagrin of those who know him, and proved that he was more than capable of doing great things.

As time passed and Bilbo got the dwarves out of trouble time and again, the dwarves started to respect Bilbo and even to see him as the leader in some occasions. Bilbo himself grew increasingly confident with each passing danger.

Near the end, Bilbo showed incredible courage and selflessness in his attempt to save everyone. This predictable, unadventurous hobbit from the Shire became a well-respected person liked by all, and more than capable of handling himself in a fight.

He was named Elf-friend, was respected by dwarves, liked by wizards, feared by giant spiders... the list could go on. Basically he was one of the most well-liked persons among races in middle-earth. Yet when he returned home, he lost credibility in the place where he spent most of his life.

His town didn't like him because he was no longer the simple neighbor they knew him to be. Out of all the places who should be proudest of him, this was the place that was ashamed of him most.

Listening to this incredible story was a great use of driving time during our trip to New York. As we went there and back again, I had more time to reflect. And I couldn't help but think that maybe this has more similarities to one's life than one may think.

Perhaps in our own lives, we should take on more unexpected journeys and adventures. Perhaps in doing so, we'd find out that we may not be as pathetic and useless as we think after all. Perhaps we could meet lifelong friends along the way, of all types of races. Perhaps there is greatness in all of us yet. Though perhaps, after all is said and done, you may gain the respect of many people but lose the respect of those dearest to you.

I know, for all that has happened to me.

This blog post is not "Christian" in the sense that I used Bible verses or the name of God. However, like Tolkien, perhaps, just perhaps, I've given you a reason to get out of your comfort zone to attempt something for God that you've never attempted.

PS. Tolkien is a devout follower of Christ but yet never mentioned God in his most popular works. Instead, his works are filled with Christian analogies and insights.

Qualifications for Ministry

Earlier this week, while visiting Taiwan, my grandpa said to me, "你沒有資格走神的道路" (which means "You do not have the qualification to be walking the path of God").

I was so shocked of this comment out of nowhere that I asked, "What do you mean?"

He explained his strong belief in moral relativism, namely that there is no such thing as right and wrong. He explained that no one has the qualification to tell others about right and wrong (which ironically is exactly what he is doing to me).

I was confused, hurt, and upset. I was confused that he, an atheist who has been strongly against Christianity since before I was born, would even mention God in a sentence. I was hurt that my own family, especially one who watched me grow up, would say this to me. And I was upset that he was condemning the very thing that I hold dearest.

The only consolation is that it seems he was more condemning a philosophy than he was condemning my character, though I'm sure there's a bit of both.

It is not the first time something like this happened.

Walking with my grandpa on the streets of Taipei.

But thinking about it now, it hurt me so much because I knew he was right. I don't have the qualification to be doing this. He watched me grow up, he has seen me at my worst (or close to it). I am not qualified to speak to thousands of people about God and life transformation.

Many excellent blogs (i.e. Acts 29 blog) talk about the qualifications for a pastor or minister. They are all correct. However, I am giving a different point. For every qualification one passes for ministry, there are two more one fails. A minister must be gentle and not quick-tempered (Titus 1:7), yet is there any among us who has not grown impatient at something or someone? A minister must be holy (Titus 1:8), but is there any who can claim to be holy like God is holy?

No one is qualified for ministry; instead we are transformed into the image of Christ one degree at a time (2 Corinthians 3:18) in the process of doing ministry.

Should we forget the qualifications then? No! Instead we look hard at them, strive for them. But when we realize we fail, we fall back on the grace of God. Not to stop trying to meet the qualifications, but to recuperate in order to be better in the future.

So if you ever feel discouraged or like you do not qualify for ministry, know that I feel it too. My grandpa's words will likely continue to sting me for many more years to come. But hear the words of God through the apostle Paul, "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong" (1 Corinthians 1:27).

You are not qualified, of course not. For you represent not man, but God. But he chose you and he wants to use you. He chooses the weak to shame the strong. more than that, in your weakness he makes you strong. You do not need to be qualified, you just need to be called. And you need to be willing. Transformation always happens after the call, but not always before.

PS. You need only worry when you are already doing ministry yet you fail on every single qualification on those blogs. Then maybe some self-examination is in order.

A Year in Review: 2015

In January, many people make new year resolutions. People make important decisions that will supposedly affect the rest of their lives. People try to kick off bad old habits and pick up good new ones. It's a time for change and renewal. Well, I am no exception. However, I wanted to look back at last year to see all that has happened. This helps me realize just how good God has been to me. Hopefully, you'll praise God for His faithfulness too.

January

My brother got married in Malaysia and then in Taiwan. I was honored to have officiated for both of the wedding ceremonies. It's my first time officiating for any wedding actually. It was a joy to do so for a family member, my only brother. It was the most unconventional wedding I've experienced. Read more about it here. We also went on a family trip in Taiwan (see here).

February

Esther and I were at Moody's cultural fair representing my home country. It was great to be able to come together with all these students from many nations, brought together by a singular purpose: food. Well, food aside, everyone loved God too. This month, we also celebrated our first wedding anniversary at a Brazilian steakhouse (see here). It's only been a year? Wow.

March

This was a busy month. First of all, Esther became a U.S. citizen! I preached at my friend Jeremy's church a few times and also at Hyunbo's KCCC. Esther went to a supporter's lunch and did her CD release concert. I shared the Gospel during the citizenship ceremony (see here) and then later using fried chicken (see here).

April

I was born in this month! Beside celebrating my birthday, we did other things too. We went to Jamaica for one. We helped out at a five-day camp where Tony preached 10 times and Esther led worship even more. This church has been without any kind of pastor for a few years now and we were privileged to have served them. See more pictures here. One the way back, we stopped by Georgia Tech, where my heart was first set ablaze by the fires of revival (see here).

May

I worked my butt off to finish all the course work for my seminary in the midst of doing ministry. I graduated from Moody Theological Seminary with highest honors (4.0 GPA)! "It was not I, but the grace of God that is with me" (1 Cor 15:10). See more pictures here. A week after, we were honored to have done a service at CityLight International Church. What a blessed group of people (see here).

June

We were in 5 countries this month. We started off in Korea, where we taught music to college students, we taught English to elementary kids, I preached a few times, and Esther did some concertizing with her mom. There was a good family trip too. We then went to Taiwan, where we did another worship service together. We then went to Kenya, but not without transit via Hong Kong and Thailand first.

July

Visiting Kenya was a great experience. We were primarily there for a church planting conference. It was amazing to play a part in this gathering of 600 pastors/church planters. I saw 10 inmates turn to Christ after preaching at this prison. We also got to know great people through ministry at this church in Mombasa and Harvest in Limuru. My parents and brother joined us in Kenya later for a trip to the Maasai Mara Safari. Oh, I touched the head of a giraffe. We also went to Switzerland, more on that next month.

August

Esther did a concert on Switzerland's national holiday. I also preached at two churches in Switzerland (church #1, #2). We also had a great family trip with both sides of the family, celebrating both fathers' 60th birthday (album #1, #2), visiting the alps and many beautiful cities. Then we went to Italy, where we saw many beautiful churches. We ministered at two of them (church #1, #2). Many lives were saved and many more were changed. We visited many places, including Vatican City (album #1, #2).

September

We returned at the end of August to Chicago, to our new house. We did a lot of cleaning, furniture shopping, plumbing, and the works. It was tiring, but great. Esther's friend stayed over for a while. We did some ministry at a homeless shelter too.

October

October was the month of concerts. Esther did a nano concert at Moody Church and led worship at Moody's Mission Conference. We also did a house concert for our neighborhood. This was our way of reaching out and befriending our neighbors, who come from many cultural and religious backgrounds. Furthermore, we did a housewarming party for a different set of people this month too. Our house was well used, even for Halloween.

November

We did not do much ministry this month. Instead we were catching up with friends and ministry reports. We did go to Pacific Garden Mission and saw people turn to God. Our dear friends and mentors also invited us to their house for a grand Thanksgiving feast. Overall, it was a relaxing month.

December

We went to Candlelight Carols with one neighbor and the botanical gardens with another. We did a Christmas Concert and Party for the neighborhood, for which 53 people showed up! They were all so thankful that we invited them. We did more Christmas events, including a concert at a retirement home and a service at church. Then there was Higher Calling Conference 2015, where I spoke and Esther led worship. It was quite impactful and a fitting end to 2015.

Summary

It has been an eventful year. My brother's wedding, cultural fair, Esther's citizenship, Jamaica, seminary graduation, Korean/Taiwan tour, church planting in Kenya, Switzerland/Italy tour, moving in to a new house, house concerts, homeless ministry, missions conference... As we continue living by faith and walking with God, I have no doubt that He will do greater things, and that we will partake in it. That is our prayer.