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Have you ever experienced post-something depression? Like the post-Olympic depression many Canadian experienced. Or post-vacation depression? I get that after spending a week or so with a group of people and I’d miss them terribly when the trip is over. Well, my post-Around-the-Bay depression has hit me. It’s not so much about the race, but the wonderful people I ran with. Today, I learned that running long distance is about how much pain you can endure; And the joy is to run with people and finish side by side. Frankly, I don’t remember much about the race. There was a lot of pain but I couldn’t remember how I managed to finish. That is three hours of my life which I probably only remember a few minutes of. However, I did snap a few “kodak moments” in my head. Oh, how I hope I could print them out. I remember high-fiving Christine right after the finish line. I remember the ecstatic joy when we found Lexi and Jenny who both finished way before I did. I remember being intimidated by th...

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORDwatches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. -Psalm 127:1-2 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. -1 COr. 2:1-5 Francis Chan in his book, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit, tell us to “Forget about His will for your life.” Rather, worry about keeping in step with the Spirit at this moment. He continues to explain that part of th...

“Love God, love people, do something about it.” I doubt any of us on the Rock Church, Conway Charrette team could walk away from the charrette without this ringing in our minds. Conway, a city with a population of approximately 12,000 in Horry County, is one of the oldest towns in South Carolina. Originally named Kingston, the town was established in 1734 as part of South Carolina’s governor Robert Johnson’s “township scheme” to “establish frontier settlements that would provide a buffer zone between the costal settlements and the danger form attack by Native Americans, Spanish and French forces.” Fast forward to recent years, the Horry county has a “dual personality where a primarily agrarian land co-exists with the glitz of the internationally famous vacation mecca Myrtle Beach.” The Rock Church celebrated its five year anniversary on Sunday, March 7th. During the service, lead pastor Kevin Childs share some highlights in the past years. In short, they are a modern day nomadic congre...

I gathered some thoughts for a chapel sharing today. Aside from just sharing about the charrette, I wanted to give the audience a primer since most of them probably never thought much about church design and architecture. When I reflect upon the work which VS is doing, my experience with them, and combine with what I learned in the past two years, I arrive at the conclusion (as well as a premise of what we do) that the Church has a story to tell. As a matter of fact, all places have stories to tell. The difference between a place and a space is that a place is a storied space (see Walter Brueggemann, The Land: Place as Gifts, Promise, and Challenge in Biblical Faith). Frankly, the secular society is doing a much greater job than the churches. Theatres, shopping mall, and fitness centres tell their stories and instill (false) beliefs in people. ”Come buy this and you will be happy.” Or, “This product is necessary - you can’t live without it.” At the end of the day, they want your time a...

I’m reading Jim Elliot’s journal in preparation for a class presentation and have been blessed over and over again by his words. Such a relief as I read his process of discernment of God’s calling. In deciding between going to Ecuador and India, he asked, “How is one to decide when the heart is equally torn for both works, and one’s capabilities fit either sphere?” He also quoted George Macdonald, “Obedience is the opener of eyes.” In a similar chain of thoughts, Elliot said, “I must act in a holy manner, not for reward or appearance, but because of God’s nature.” “O Lord, you see the places secret in me, you know all my wanderings and reserves. If you see anything in me that is holding back the clear revelation of your will about Ecuador, uncover it to me, I pray.” I really like his analogies of keeping on track as riding on railroad: “Obedience to every command puts me on the track and keeps me there. Decisions of course must be made, but as in railroad, so in life - a block signal, ...

From Jim Elliot’s journal