We Have Launched!

Due to popular demand in our MP3 generation ... we now have our sermons online and ready to download in MP3 format. PLUS! We have it in RSS subscription format for podcasting and they will soon be available through iTunes 4.9 as well! [Don't know what any of that means? That's OK! Click on the "My Sermons" link for more info and links!]

So far all you iPod + iTunes users, check for the sermon subscriptions under "New Life Worship Podcast" in the coming days. And even if you don't have it, you can just stop by our website and use any MP3 player to listen to the sermons of New Life.

A special thanks to Chris Miles and our internet team for setting all of this up! U da man Chris! Thanks bro! The new site and features look awesome! [Click the "My Sermons" link on the right for our new sermon site or visit iTunes.]

A Tribute to Ryne Sandberg

It was a pretty reflective day as I prepared for Sunday and did a bit of personal study here and there. So for now ... I just wanted to post a tribute to Ryne Sandberg, who was my favorite baseball player growing up, and tomorrow he'll be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Growing up in Chicago, #23 meant two people: Michael Jordan and Ryne Sandberg. Everyone wanted #23 on their uniforms because of these two guys. No matter the sport you played, this was the prized jersey number to get ... I only got it once, and never let it go =) Those were the days ...

Anyways ... have a great Sunday and may you enjoy God and His favor upon your life. And may His Word go forth with power and bring life-change for all who hear. May God bless you richly this weekend!

I'll close with a song from one of my favorite song-writers who always helps me think of my eternal home in heaven ...

"Be With You" by Rich Mullins

"Everybody each and all
We're gonna die eventually
It's no more or less our faults
Than it is our destiny
So now Lord I come to you
Asking only for Your grace
You know what I've put myself through
All those empty dreams I chased

And when my body lies in the ruins
Of the lies that nearly ruined me
Will You pick up the pieces
That were pure and true
And breathe Your life into them
And set them free?

And when You start this world over
Again from scratch
Will You make me anew
Out of the stuff that lasts
Stuff that's purer than gold is
And clearer than glass could ever be
Can I be with You?
Can I be with You?

And when You blast this cosmos
To kingdom come
When those jagged-edged mountains
I love are gone
When the sky is crossed with the tears
Of a thousand falling suns
As they crash into the sea
Can I be with you?
Can I be with you?"

Currently Listening Here in America (Bonus DVD) By Rich Mullins Be With You

What's New: a couple of new posts in the "Inkings: Bible Reflections" section, continuing on in Exodus.

Keeping the Fire Burning

"Writing helps you 'think yourself clear'" is something my preaching professor Haddon Robinson often talked about in our classes. It's easy for us to be unclear in communication, but learning to write well will help us become better and clearer communicators. Through my thesis I got a glimpse of that truth and now through blogging [especially in the Inklings section] I'm learning to maintain this discipline of writing in order to "think myself clear". Thanks to email and SMS texts, our generation is developing a very 'relaxed' form of written "kOmUniKaYshUn" and I've been finding my own writing becoming less refined as a result.

But I realized that if I am unrefined in my writing, then I have become unrefined in my thought life. And if my thought life is not refined, then my life will only follow. Writing is a reflection of what’s in our minds and reveals the condition of our minds. My thoughts will determine my actions, and so if I want my actions to change, my thoughts much change. And one of the ways to influence my thoughts is to meditate and write upon what I want my life to be a reflection of. If I want “more of Christ” in my life, then it needs to begin with what I think about. And if I want to think more about God in my life, one way I can do this is through writing – writing about Him, His Word, and His goodness in my life. Paul commands us to “take captive every thought and make it obedient to Him” [2 Corinthians 10:5] and he also commands us to think thoughts that are excellent, lovely and praise-worthy [Philippians 4:8].

So in writing about lessons learned through His Word and what we see God doing in our lives, it will naturally lead to a chain-reaction of our lives becoming more refined into the image of Christ. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” [Romans 12:2]. So may our writing, thinking, blogging, and living become more and more a reflection of Christ in us.

So I'm hoping to keep up this new hobby, as a discipline for personal growth and spiritual refinement, as well as for keeping in touch with loved ones. And at least for now, it's still pretty fun too. =)

Currently Listening Carried Me: The Worship Project By Jeremy Camp Empty Me (Holy Fire)

What's New: A new video of me and Eddie Bang warming up at a "fire" during our retreat. I also added RSS links for the site. We're almost ready to launch an RSS MP3 subscription service for our sermons as well; it should be ready within a week or two.

A Blog on Blogging

It’s been said that the unreflective life is not worth living. With that in mind, I wanted to be more concrete in the things I reflect upon, not only in my personal blog, but also through more specific means such as book reviews, music reviews, articles and the like. So I’ve added a section to my site called “My Inklings” where I hope to post my writings and thoughts from the culture of my life.

But blogs [web logs] are a peculiar thing. It’s a journal … that is public – at first thought, it’s almost an oxymoron, because most journals in my life in the past have been private. And if it’s private, it’s much easier to be honest and open about anything and anyone I write about. But once you add the element of other people reading it, it changes everything. Suddenly image becomes a factor … how will people respond to what is written? How will it be seen? How will it be received? But a reassuring thing is to read examples of godly people of the past (e.g. missionaries and early church fathers) who kept journals with the assumption that others would be reading it in the future.

Also, this means of blogging has become a source of accountability for me. It’s helping me keep track of my days and has provided a means of remembering the journey of life that I am on. And as a pastor, it’s been a valuable source of getting to know other people in our congregation on a more relaxed level that wouldn't have been there in the past [and vice versa, for them to get to know me in that same relaxed setting].

It has also enabled me to reconnect with old friends that I haven’t talked to in years and discover a deeper answer to the question “how are you doing?” in ways that couldn’t be conveyed in a phone call or email. So for me, the benefits are many, and even if it were a private journal that no one could read except me, I’m enjoying this means of organizing my life online, so I can have a place [online] to look back and see how good God has been each day of my life.

So whether you eat or drink or blog, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Currently Listening How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb By U2 Yahweh

What's New: Added new posts to my inklings section. I posted a book review on "The Treasure Principle" by Randy Alcorn and a Bible reflection from Exodus. This is turning into a great accountability tool for me ... keeping me thinking, writing, and on my toes concerning what I'm reading, listening to, and learning throughout my days. My free times are becoming more productive ... hee hee hee.

Urgent Prayer for Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is one of several countries that our sermon subscription ministry [Harvest] sends out CD's to on a monthly basis. Recently, I received an email from the underground church concerning an urgent prayer request from their congregation that I wanted us to pray for together.

As you may know, Uzbekistan is a muslim country and it is illegal to evangelize or worship as Christians there. Recently the police raided their Sunday service, took away all their Bibles and threatened them to not gather together anymore.

Please pray for protection for the church we support there and pray that God would provide a safe place for them to gather and worship. Pray for the Church in Uzbek to grow and be strengthened. Pray that God would raise up leaders to shepherd the Church there. Pray that the government would find Christ and submit to His authority.

The Bible and Christian resources are extremely rare for them, so our CD ministry has been a source of encouragement and spiritual growth for them. They have been very thankful that we can provide this resource for them. Praise God for that! But also pray that these CD's would be protected and anointed so God can use it to build His Kingdom further in the nation of Uzbekistan.

And if you could also pray for our Harvest [CD/DVD] Ministry as well. Through it, our ministry has been able to help many countries and churches that are without a full-time pastor. Thanks for your prayers ... through it we become partners in building His Kingdom together. May God bless you richly for each prayer.

Tour de Lance

It was a pretty good weekend with JAMA finishing up well and a fun Sunday service with Charles Kim speaking. Eddie Bang and I had a great time hanging out with the pastors from the US and I was very encouraged to see our praise team grow as worship leaders during this conference [May God bless you richly and give you the strength and grace needed to get back with your lives after a month of full-time ministry! I'm proud of you guys!].

A few of us also visited Jamie Kim in the hospital on Sunday and it was good to see her recovering well from her surgery. Keep her in prayer; I think she'll be resting at home for the next month or so.

And Lance Armstrong, after overcoming cancer, won his 7th consecutive Tour de France over the weekend - a record that may stand for quite some time. I was following his career ever since 1999 and I can't believe how far he's come (and overcome!) during these years. I remember watching a documentary on him that first year and everyone was amazed that he was just in the race ... and then when he won it, it was unbelievable to see.

Anyways ... what a jam(a)-packed month it's been ... the Hillsong Conference, our EM retreat, the JAMA Convention ... and now preparing to go to Africa in September and December of this year too. What a life ... gotta love it!

[What's New: I uploaded a new video of the fire/fireplace from our EM retreat =) If you loop it in your Windows Media Player, it can be a virtual fireplace for your computer ... hope it keeps you warm and thinking pleasant thoughts!! ;p And I added some pictures in my "Friends USA", "Me and Hyun" and "Family" sections. Enjoy!]

Audio Blogger - Can You Hear Me Now?

Dude, this site has a cool audio blogger function ... you can call up a number and record your thoughts and it'll automatically post the audio feed onto the website!!!! Cool, huh? I tested it out with our retreat's blessing song ...



The audio quality's not that great, but hey, it's a cool function. Anyways ... we'll be taking off for JAMA in a few short hours. Keep it in prayer and I also hope to see you there! God's moving in Australia, so let's seek Him and partner with Him together to see a revival happen throughout this land.

JAMA is Almost Here

Eddie Bang and I picked up the main speakers for this year's JAMA conference this morning from the airport [Jae, Rick and Charles] and they're a great bunch of people. Very down to earth and a lot of fun to be with. Then we did a very quick tour of the Opera House area ... had a huge lunch ... meetings for a few hours ... had a huge dinner ... and now I'm finally home.

But it was exciting to share what God has been doing here in Australia and they're pumped to be here. Let's keep this JAMA conference in prayer and please come this weekend to JAMA so that we can continue to lift up and cry out for this nation together as one body and one Church here in Sydney. God has consistently met us in powerful ways each time we gather in His name ... so don't miss out. Looking forward to worshipping with you this weekend.

7PM Friday-Sunday @ the University of Western Sydney, Parramatta ... and all day Saturday. I've attached the schedule for the JAMA conference below. See you there!

Fine Dining Funny Dramas

Wow ... I've been eating extremely well so far this week =p Just came back from an amazing dinner of 'all-you-can-eat' mussels and fries near Darling Harbour (for only $18!!) and then a nice sweet dessert =) Just found out about this place and it was great ... esp. for the price. (Sorry Walt and Toni! I'll take you here next time you come!)

We'll have to take our praise team here after all their hard work is finished when JAMA's over. Keep them in prayer ... they've had back-to-back-to-back retreat/conferences these past few weeks. Good job guys. You've done a great job so far ... my prayers are with you.

[What's New: 2 new videos -one of Paul doing his best Whitney Houston impersonation and another of Nathan singing his 'original' Wombat song. Not bad for a 2 year old!! Plus added some old school pictures in our "Weekend Services", "Retreats" and "Baptism" sections (See: My Church Family Pix). Enjoy.]

MC Hermannese In Da Houuuuuuuuse!

Hermannese like you've never seen him before ... just uploaded a pretty funny video of Hermz singing and dancing during a skit for our retreat. I love it! =p I'll try and get more videos from the retreat up soon as well.

There's also a very cute video of Nathan attempting a very "Big Smile" =) And I added Walter and Toni's family homepage in the links section. We can stop by and see updates on how Nathan and Naomi are doing.

And I just came back from a great lunch with Walter, Toni, Eddie Bang and Matt Lee ... hosted and cooked by Kwang Won, Jenny and their mom. Thanks guys ... it was an amazing lunch. The best I've had in over 50 days! =p It was sad to say good-bye to Walter, Toni, and family but it was great to serve with them again. Let's keep them in our prayers and look forward to the day we can see them all again. (Lord willing, some day soon) We love you guys!!!!

50 Days of Purity - A Life of Faith is A Life of Purity

We concluded our 50 Days of Purity today! What a great time of consecration, prayer and fasting for our congregation. I'm very proud of all who made it through the whole 50 days! I know it wasn't easy for some of you, but I really believe God was happy with it all.

I received email letters from people who have shared what God has done during these days. Here is a bit of what God has done in these 50 days:

* At least 3 people have been set free from years of bondage
* Salvation has come upon friends of our EM members
* Contacts for more potential donors for SEASON of Love
* A mother's cancer had stopped growing
* Hearts have been renewed to follow hard after God
* Future direction has become clearer for some

Breakthroughs have happened. Lives have been changed. His Kingdom has grown. God has done great things!

Feel free to email me more of the testimonies of what God has done during this time. I'd love to hear them! And let's give thanks and praise for the awesome works of His hands! I know God will continue to do more life-changing things through the JAMA conference coming up next weekend ... more of You Lord, that is our desire!!

[What's New: I've majorly reorganized all the folders in the pictures sections. Enjoy =)]

To Our Precious Angel from God ... Naomi

I'm going to miss Naomi's smile so much when Walter and Toni leave. Her smiling at me makes me feel so special ... because it's coming from such a special person =)

Naomi, may you always know your Father in heaven is also always smiling upon you. You are His cherished possession. You are the apple of His eye ... you are forever dearly loved by Him (and by us!).

I dedicate our retreat blessing song to you:

May the Lord bless you
May the Lord keep you
May the Lord protect you
For the Lord loves you

He loves to hear you
He loves to hold you
He loves to know you
For the Lord loves you

You will always have our prayers surrounding you, Naomi. Bless you my precious angel from God. You have blessed me tremendously ... with the gift of who you are. We love you. Always.

A Taste of Home ...

A big thank you to God and to all who prayed for our retreat. I just got back from our "Homecoming" Retreat and must say that it was wonderful to get a taste of heaven through it ... the time in God's presence through worship and an awesome time of getting to know each other better as a family in Christ. It was also a valuable time of training for all present and future leaders through the gifted teaching of Walter and Toni Kim.

And everyone was blessed BIG TIME through the preciousness of Nathan and Naomi =) New Life loves you guys! Always!! May God bless you, keep you, hold you and keep you in His watch throughout your whole lives. And I pray that God would seal the good work He has done in our lives and in our ministry through this retreat. God is wonderful to us.

[*What's New: more pix of the retreat in the "My Church Family" picture section + new pictures in the "Mission Trips" section. Enjoy!]

Getting to Know You ...

We had a wonderful service today with Walter as the guest speaker, reminding us again that we were created for eternity (jet-lagged for Jesus) and the marks for our discipleship to Christ is seen through our faith and love.

Hmmm ... this may look like a dating game going on in our EM, but it's actually just lunch with some "possible" double motives going on here =) And poor Danni ... I think she was the last one left in this "game". It's OK Danni, we all love you. [For the "real" version of what happened, see the "multi-media section: dating game" for the video of this match up ... because she was "interested" =) ]

And in order to get to know each other and God even better, we'll be heading off to our retreat tomorrow [July 11-14]. Please continue to pour your prayers over us as we go. And pray for lives to grow deeper in love and deeper in maturity with God. And lift up special prayers for Walter and Toni as they speak and the praise team as they lead us into His presence with songs of joy. Thanks for your prayers ... through it we become partners in this journey of faith. I'll update you again when we return. May God bless you richly this week!

A Picture's Worth ...

2 more days until our retreat!! May God meet us in an intimate and powerful way. May He speak through Walter and Toni and may we grow in wisdom, knowledge and love as a result. And Father, I pray tomorrow's worship service would become a holy encounter with You ... may it be a great exchange of love and devotion.

And in seeking to dry more of God's flowers in my life ... I've begun a "My Pictures" section for this site [see the links section on the right] Hope you enjoy them. Have a great weekend in God's presence and may God bless you richly.

His Word Our Guide

Yesterday and today have been filled with testimonies of many answers to prayer! People are definately being set free and experiencing breakthroughs during our 50 Days of Purity. Thank you God for what you're doing in the lives of your people here in Sydney!

A bunch of faithful and dedicated EM people are hard at work at the office right now getting final things ready for our retreat. If you haven't signed up yet, do it ASAP!! It's going to be a great time of worship and training for our spiritual growth. Please pray for it too. Walter and Toni are the guest speakers and we'll be at the Katoomba Conference Center from Monday to Thursday (July 11-14). Pray for anointing and life change to happen for all who attend.

I also added a few more files in the download section. All three are Bible Reading Plans by Discipleship Journal. The newest one is called the 5 x 5 x 5 Plan, for those who are beginners at having a regular Bible reading time. Download now and find out what all those 5's stand for! =) I hope these resources will help you grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ and may you experience the joy of knowing His Word. May God bless you richly!

"Taste and see that the Lord is good."
Psalm 34:8

Friendships and New Links

Today was a wonderful and "relaxing" day for me =) The weather was sunny and warm and so was the company I was with. I got a chance to spend some very good quality 1:1 time with some people from church ... got a chance to get to know them better, hear what God has been doing in their lives and be blessed by their presence ... and become thankful that they're a part of my life. So thank you to those who shared your heart and your life with me today ... I was blessed =)

And I was finally able to find a free file hosting site for my blog ... soooooo .... I started a new section on my links area called: "Multi-media: Downloads", where you can download various audio and video clips. One of the clips was the final point of a volleyball match between our ministry [New Life Worship] and the defending champs [Full Life] ... I believe New Life (ahem ...) dethroned the reigning champs ... hee hee hee =)

A Mighty Answer to Prayer

God continues to do some great things during our 50 Days of Purity fast. I got word from Lisa Lee’s mom, whom we’ve been praying for these past weeks. She was diagnosed with cancer and originally the doctors told her she had to go through chemotherapy or else the cancer would spread quickly to other areas. She didn’t want to do the chemo and so our church was in prayer for her. After her most recent results [yesterday], the doctors couldn’t believe it, but the cancer stopped growing! It was nothing short of a miracle from God! Let’s praise God for this wonderful display of mercy and grace … and let’s continue to keep her and her family in prayer. The battle is not over yet, so let’s continue to pray for a complete and quick recovery. God is good … all the time. Thank you God! You're awesome!

Walter and Toni Outing

Walter, Toni, their son Nathan and daughter Naomi and I at Darling Harbour ... Minsang, Kwangwon, Danni and I took out our guests to the city today. It was my regular tourist route with stops at key photostops ... I love playing photographer =)


Walter and Toni =)


Walter and Nathan =)

Happy Birthday Paul and Hye Lim!

Happy 20th to Paul and Happy 21st to Hye Lim! =) The 2003 Thailand Team had a nice reunion dinner tonight at Paul's place ... wollamsam baby! Had to leave a bit early to pick up Walter and Toni at the airport (they just arrived guys and they're excited about our retreat!) ... It was nice to hang out and talk with the team again ... it's been so long! We'll have to do it again sometime soon. May the two of you grow in leaps and bounds this year ... and may your love for Christ only grow stronger and deeper ... blessings to you both. I'm honored to know you and serve with you.

50 Days of Purity - A Life of Sexual Purity

Today's message came from Genesis 39, looking at the life and integrity of Joseph. In the midst of temptation, his desire was clearly more for God than for his flesh. He knew that all sin was ultimately a sin against God ... and that all sin was done in the presence of God.

God, give us the courage and strength to run away from places that tempt us ... to refuse to stay on that path ... to pray bold offensive prayers against the enemy ... and to have the humility and wisdom to recruit accountability partners as we strive to live a life of purity before you. And when we fall, may we crawl always back to the cross again and again and again ... trusting and believing that You will forgive and restore us again.

"How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?"
Genesis 39:9c

An Evening Prayer ...

It was a quiet day of preparation and consecration for Sunday. But before I sleep ... an evening prayer for our congregation:

Father in heaven, may you bless and keep those in our congregation close to your heart tonight ... make your face shine upon them and gracious to them ... and as we sleep, give us good rest, under the strength and shadow of your wings. Let us dream dreams of You and of your Kingdom tonight.

And awaken us tomorrow with new energy and excitement for You. As we gather together in your name, bless us with the intimacy of your presence ... give us hearts that long for You and may our worship be pleasing in your sight ... and may it rise like incense to your throne of grace. Transform lives through your Word and your Spirit. May You be the reason we gather and the reason we live ... today, tomorrow, and forever. Amen.

"I will lie down and sleep in peace
for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."
Psalm 4:8 NIV

Good night and God bless.

He Has Done Great Things

He has done great things ... this past week! Yesterday was a time of extended prayer and breakthrough for a brother in our ministry. Praise God for that. And God, may you continue to protect him, prepare him, and use him well ... all for your glory.

He has done great things ... with bringing so many visitors to our ministry this week/month from NZ, USA, and Korea ... and as we gather to seek Him, may we taste and see that You are good and wonderful and worthy of all that we are.

He has done great things ... in bringing more workers to Sydney! I just met an awesome brother and partner in the Gospel, Matt Lee, who's from LA and who is praying about coming back to serve full-time in Sydney [Onnuri] early next year. A gifted singer, piano player and song-writer .... he'll be coming to our service this Sunday for a special praise and will be at our EM retreat as well. Thank you God for answering prayers for more partners in the Gospel here in Australia.

He has done great things ... in the life of Eddie Bang. Got in contact with Eddie Bang and sounds like God's blessing him big time in the US right now =) Praise God for that. God, continue to bless the socks off of Eddie!

He will do great things ... this weekend! Come Lord Jesus ... we want more of you.