Life at Gracepoint

One of the biggest sources of joy for me in the past two months was the G-Live experience. Something about this time around stands out much more than the previous experiences. Though it started off a bit slow and late in a sense, it was amazing how every part came together, starting with the week of G-Live camp and the massive amount of work and practice that was accomplished and completed during that short time of spring break. I was thankful as I thought about how the majority of our college students were spending their spring break – making props, practicing singing and dancing, repeating their one line again and again, cramming into various houses and apartments, sleeping like packed sardines in the floor, and bonding and creating unforgettable memories together through the whole process. What a contrast to how they have spent their spring break in the past, or how they would have – sleeping in, lounging around home all day, watching hours of TV and movies, playing video games, endless hours on the internet updating their facebook accounts, chatting, looking through mindless images, even maybe much more harmful and dangerous activities that could possibly deaden their soul and mind. Also such a contrast to how so many college students spend their spring break – going to a resort in Mexico, partying, etc. But here they were, each day as I rushed to NL after work, I was greeted and surrounded by numerous students who were laughing, eating, hanging out, enjoying one another’s presence, and even at times when they were tired, it was a good tired – tired because they were exerting their time and energy to a cause greater than themselves, tired because they were practicing one particular thing again and again, to get it just right so that that one line could be delivered well to communicate the message, and tired being engaged in doing something together with so many others. They were doing something worthy with their time, and it was something pleasing to God. The time spent with them during the down-times, just getting to know some of them was also invaluable.

In the midst of the busyness, physical fatigue, and sometimes stress that came with G-Live, I was personally very strengthened by being among the senior class. It was very encouraging and uplifting to see just how excited and grateful they were throughout the whole time. They were willing to give it their all in whatever big or small part they had. Of course they had fun dancing and acting, but I saw how much they encouraged and supported the ones who may have had more prominent roles. I loved seeing Steve and Wesley in the back working on the unseen things like lighting and sound; Judge, Christina, and Albert working so intently on the mics and also taking part in something that is often unnoticed. My favorite were the “ninjas” that dressed all in black and zealously moved the props and helped their peers with multiple costume changes. This reminded me of Nehemiah 3:20 where “Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section” – which may not have been some significant part, yet it was how he did it – zealously. And in Nehemiah 4:6, it is described that the “people worked with all their heart” – and I got to see this happening with the students. It was an eye-opening experience for them to see, as seniors this time around, the amount of time and work that goes into all the various aspects of G-Live. They were also prayerfully inviting their friends and classmates. No matter how well G-Live turned out, just knowing how the attitudes and the hearts of the students changed through the process of participating in it made all the difference.

The pep rally that was incited in the overflow was also another incredible picture of the kind of enthusiasm and joy that comes in doing something together as a church, taking part in God’s work of sharing the gospel, and the true exhilaration that comes through it. It was a beautiful sight (loud and crazy too) to see and hear the seniors cheer on the freshmen and sophomores as they returned from being on stage, and the underclassmen cheering the seniors on as they left to go on stage.

One consistent lesson I receive from mission trips that never ceases to amaze me is the lesson of how much a team of like-minded soldiers of Christ can accomplish in such a short amount of time. Even though we were only there for eight days, we were able to do so much and experience so much. We seriously hit the ground running, arriving at Taipei Friday morning, were shuttled to Hsinchu, where we washed up, started with DT and prayer, moving to DC outreach and ending with presenting “Gone” for Friday Night Plus on campus and fellowship time. For the next week, we made a lot of contacts through DC outreach, sports outreach, dorm outreach; we celebrated our Hsinchu church’s first anniversary, practiced and prepared for Christmas Celebration like crazy; and we spent “down-time” fellowshipping and encouraging our Hsinchu brothers and sisters. No moment was wasted, and I was reminded how it is indeed possible to make the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:15, Colossians 4:5) and to operate with that sense of urgency (Isaiah 55:6, Revelation 22:12). My commitment from this mission trip is to carry this conviction that time is short, Jesus is coming, people are lost, and I need to bridge the gap and point the way to the way and the truth and the life. It is important for me to personally sustain this sense of calling and mission in my life. So when I am conducting ministry at USF and at Gracepoint Fellowship Church, I need to do so with that sense of ownership over God’s work.

“Without suffering and sacrifice, there is no salvation of souls.” I along with the rest of the 2008 Taiwan winter mission team suffered little and sacrificed even less. Sure, we paid $1500 and spent Christmas away from family and friends. But we all ate and slept well, and the brothers even got to play basketball as a way to meet students! And for the more fobby members, being in Taiwan was like a fish going back to water. But during our stay the entire team reached a high level of intensity, on par with NSWN mode. Non-stop outreach; hours of praise and special music practices; late nights of skit rehearsal, reciting the same line again and again; prop-making with limited time and even more limited resources. It was exciting to see everyone sharing one heart, not holding back but truly contending as one man for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:27). Yet, what we did cannot compare to what Jesus had done first: coming down from heaven to a lowly manger, from the manger to Calvary’s cross, and from a cruel death to eternal glory. “This is love: not that we loved God, but God loved us and sent his Son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Still, for me personally, seeing what little I gave being used by God confirmed in me that I need to be willing to do whatever it takes to carry out God’s kingdom work. The 1st anniversary message on John 6:1-15, about the feeding of the multitudes, captures God’s heart for missions and our collective experience during our short stay in Taiwan. God wants to take whatever we offer and use it to bless all those around. Together, we poured out our energy, creativity, and heart to put on Christmas Celebration, and we saw God taking that and using it to share the gospel with over 350 Taiwanese students! I see Jesus saying, “When you bring all that you have, stand back and watch what I can do!” Thus, I hope I can suffer and sacrifice anything and everything just for the chance to experience Jesus using me to bless others.

At Gracepoint you often hear stories about hard workers behind the scenes who make things happen especially for big events like G-live, NSWN, or JCC. Among this group are our weekly ImpACT and Joyland drivers who may very likely be the epitome of what it means to give it all.

The rides component of the ImpACT and Joyland programs draw on drivers from many of our ministries — Berkeley and CSUEB College staff, Element, ISM, Korean Department, and Praxis — who are already serving in different capacities yet continue to make the time to serve by driving ImpACT and Joyland kids from Oakland to Willard and back to their homes. It truly takes the whole church to successfully coordinate and arrange rides for the many children who come to ImpACT and Joyland. Throughout the week, I speak with Sue Yi, Tony and Michelle Sun, and Ken Yi (from Korean Department) as we work together to find and finalize drivers for that coming Sunday.

Drivers are participating in a task that many will not see. They are relating to ImpACT children and continuing to stretch themselves even more as they continue to give their all. It’s obvious that ImpACT and Joyland drivers have pivotal roles in our program because they transport the kids to and from Willard, but more importantly, ImpACT and Joyland drivers have the advantage of connecting with and ministering to the kids in the 20 to 30 minute car rides. They are the first people to greet the kids as they come to ImpACT and Joyland and the last people to leave an impression as the kids return home.

There are Sundays when rides go smoothly, but the Sundays where there aren’t enough drivers have proven to be the most effective in faith building. It is during these Sundays that the body of Christ giving their all for a common purpose becomes strikingly apparent as drivers step up to take kids home. It is encouraging for me to experience the kind of positive attitude and willingness I see from drivers, especially those who are asked an hour before (or five minutes…and sometimes even on the spot), to drive for ImpACT and Joyland. Regardless of their tiredness or the busyness of their morning schedule and responsibilities, the drivers continue to be all there for their kids as they engage in meaningful conversations and just simply try to understand where the kids are coming from.

Having the opportunity to coordinate rides for ImpACT and Joyland has allowed me to see the various ways in which we, at Gracepoint, strive to give our all for God’s work and kingdom. My prayer is that the kids will come to understand the kind of heart and character exhibited by these drivers, and that they will one day also come to serve God in similar ways.

I have always known that Eugene has a long commute from Hsinchu to Taipei everyday, but I didn't really know how bad this was until I had an internship in Taipei this past summer. I commuted with him on most days: we try to get out by 6:15 to take the bus to Taipei, then we would try to do DT together at a café. We always looked forward to the wonderful 1.5 hour nap on the bus to Taipei and the seats on these buses are actually really comfortable, so this is really not bad at all. Originally I thought we'd be able to have some wonderful fellowship on the bus ride…I mean, sometimes it is hard to find time to pause to talk to Eugene when things get busy. But we didn't really talk on the bus, except saying good night to each other the moment we found our seats, no words exchanged but wonderful fellowship nonetheless.

My internship was pretty easy; if I had to leave early or take time off, I just had to ask. Everyday, I got off at 5pm and caught the bus back to Hsinchu, but because of the bus route and traffic, I rode the MRT to Taipei Main Station to transfer to the bus to Hsinchu and stepped into our home slightly before 8. But for Eugene: only on a good day would he be able to get off at 5. He usually gets off at around 6 and gets home around 9 or later. I only did this for a few weeks during the summer but Eugene has been doing this for over one year now.

The most exciting part of this commute with Eugene was on Friday night. Friday Night Plus starts at 6:30 with dinner and Bible study starts at 7:30 so it was pretty obvious we can't make it back in time if we took the bus, but good thing there was the high speed rail, which took about 1.5-2 hours door to door including the MRT and taxi ride to and from the high speed rail station. I could get off work early very easily but Eugene would always be super tight with time. He would get off work, run to the MRT station, swim through the Friday night crowd at the MRT station. He knows exactly how long it takes to run from work to the MRT and how long the MRT takes to get to the main station and exactly what time the high speed rail takes off. He also knows to take the middle car on the MRT and stay close to the door so he can beat the crowd exiting one of the two small elevators and staircases. After that, we ran pretty hard to the exit and high speed rail transfer point. Most of the time, he gets on with one or two minutes to spare, but because he gets on so late, all the seats are taken. So we find a place to stand, and as I am trying to catch my breath, Eugene puts down his bag, takes out his Bible study outline and reviews it during the 40 minute ride. We'd always stand in car #9 because Eugene has figured out that it always ends up being closest to the stairs where we get off. After arriving in Hsinchu, we rush off again, beating the crowd to the stairs to catch the taxi to get to campus for Bible study.

I thought this was kind of fun and exciting for the first two weeks, but it soon began to be a little unbearable. At times, I would feel disoriented as I got to FNP and just wanted to disengage and complain: man! I can't concentrate. But before I could begin complaining, I would see Eugene getting up to the stage to teach Bible study: man! I have NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT, so that pretty much ended my whining. Because I did this with Eugene, I went through my internship okay, and was emotionally stable for the most part. I really have no idea how Eugene does it.

The most amazing thing is that I never sense that Eugene is overwhelmed with stress. I know he gets tired but he always has the spirit to joke around with us, hang out with us, and make fun of us. I never get from him the sense that the world is caving in. I remember I would get that from people sometimes: it's overs for me… It's overs man… this is overs, and I would soon feel stressed too. Eugene instead always has the spirit to spend time with us. Sometimes he would jokingly tell us: I am stressed because you guys refuse to take the cross and give Bible study and Sunday message. He'd always make the most of the opportunity to make fun of us: you know you can be the answer to your own prayer and concern for me by just stepping up to teach and preach. Of course, none of us have the courage to really step up, so he just laughs at us for a little. This is all done good-naturedly of course. I am sure he does feel tired and stressed but he never makes a big deal out of his stress. So very often, I'd say, if he is doing okay, then I should be doing okay, and honestly, this has really been the solution to many small stressful situations for me. I just learn from him, not to make a big deal out of the situation, keep up my spirits and just go through it. Most of the time, what I conceive to be stress is really not that big of a deal, so by just keeping up my spirits and going through it, I am just being true to reality.

Of course, Eugene is not a robot. He gets sick, tired, sleepy, and stressed at times. We know and see this because we live with him. But no matter how tired he is, or how many Bible studies or Sunday messages he has to give, how many times he has to do the crazy commute, he always has the spirit to hang out and just bring his lively spirit to our midst by making fun of and taunting us. We always have so much fun and laughter hanging out with him. And often we'd have so much fun together that we forget he has the burden of teaching Bible study and Sunday message every week. Sometimes we would hang out on Saturday night and realize: oh shoot! You have to give message the next day right, do you have enough time to prepare. He bobbles his head and laughs a little. This is my fearless leader.

I am sure among the leaders, among people who have gone before me, many have gone through similar or tougher situations and kept up their spirit and their faith. I want to emulate them and walk in their footsteps. In the mean time, I am just really thankful to be able to work side by side and see in detail and firsthand how this kind of emotional toughness and resilient faith is lived out. I think this is God's lesson for me as I am emotionally weak and wimpy, losing sleep over the slightest inconveniences.

I just got back from a week in beautiful Austin, Texas helping our sister church, Gracepoint Fellowship Church-Austin , prep for their Inaugural Service. About a dozen of us from Berkeley and SF went for the entire week leading up to the Inaugural Service. The week in Austin entailed passing out invitation flyers, meeting students at their dining halls, and doing the odds and ends of church operations – setup, take down, loading, unloading, cooking, cleaning, video, publications, lighting, keying keychains, all while swatting away those pesky Texas mosquitoes.

It was great to be with our Austin brothers and sisters for a week and I didn’t realize how much I had missed so many of them until I was with them again. We did morning prayer walks, DT with Pastor Manny, and fellowshipped together in the evenings over various work and dining tables every day.

And while the team from Berkeley was trying to be helpful, a realization that I couldn’t deny was the difficultly in setting up a church. It was hard just being there for one week but I can’t imagine the work and toil of all that we did that is done on a regular basis apart from us, week in and week out. In Berkeley, there’s always someone else or some other group that’s scheduled to do a certain task, or a subject matter expert that’s a resource for knowledge. But in Austin, everyone’s needed for loading, everyone’s needed in the kitchen, and everyone is a subject matter expert.

But this picture of the church is all worth it. On Inaugural Sunday, there were 30 plus students in attendance and they saw the concrete love and deep relationships that were displayed when all the 50 plus visitors from Berkeley, Waypoint Community Church, and Bridgeway Church of Silicon Valley joined the Austin team in their celebration. And that concrete love and richness in relationship isn’t something that can be faked. And that’s why the gift of the church is so beautiful - broken lives come together to fellowship and love each other so that the world may see that Christ is alive and real in our midst. So although I already miss my friends in Austin, some of whom were my former leaders and housemates when they were here in California, I’m so encouraged to see them pour out their lives day in and day out over the work involved in the new church in Texas. So it’s no excuse for me to slack off here or rely on someone else to be that subject matter expert while I know many are working hard in Austin, in hopes that those who come will find rest and Lord-willing, join the Austin team in their good labor.