Today the world is a lesser place...

Its been so long since I've made an entry it took me a few minutes to figure out how to make an entry.  Has it really been almost 2 years since my last post?  Looking at some of the pictures here I feel like such a different person now, so much has happened around me, to me, through me.  I could write a book about the last couple years, General Hospital got nothing on the dramatics of my life, but tonight isn't about me, its about a very special brother I met here only a year ago, his name is Pastor Edmond Wong. 

If you've ever spent much time in San Francisco you know there's one place you don't want to spend much time in and that place is called "The Tenderloin."  People call it the "TL" or "The Loin."  In any case, you have no business there unless you're a prostitute, a john, a crack addict, a heroin addict, a dealer or all of the above.  That is unless you're name is Pastor Ed Wong.  Several times a month he conducts an outdoor service in the middle of park thats smack in the middle of the TL, his ministry is called "Church in the Park."  And he does this ministry with his wife Liz and the help of his 3 kids and many others who have grown to love, respect, this incredible man of God.   I came to know Pastor Ed through the church I came to serve in the Bay Area.  A few of the leaders here  had been helping Pastor Ed and "Church in the Park" a few times a year. 

Pastor Ed is a second generation Chinese American who grew up in SF but eventually fell into drug addiction and lived the mean streets of the TL for many years.  He came to know the Lord while trying to sell vacuums to support his drug addictions.  A woman whom he tried to sell a vacuum to shared the Gospel with him and changed his life forever.  With the power of the Lord, he overcame addictions of many kinds.  Most people would have left the places of sin and temptation, but with a new sense of mission and calling, he felt led to share the transforming power of the Gospel to the people of the TL. 

Several times a month he will pack a hundred or so hotdog lunches, a few bags of used clothing, a bunch of tent shelters and head to Boedekker Park in the heart of the TL.  He will invite guest musicians to lead praise but most times he will take out an old acoustic guitar and begin to praise the Lord over a beat up PA system.  The music will echo and bounce through the TL like a great call to awakening.  He will then pass out a copy of the Bible and have the whole park begin turning pages in the word and he will begin to preach his heart out.  He'll share his life, what miseries Jesus saved him from, what joy now fills his life, and how very possible and certain God's power is to tranform lives in a moment.  He will make an altar call and one by one a crowd of about twenty will form in front of him and he will pray for them while a line of people who are interested only in filling their stomachs will form a group of more than 50.  In the couple decades he has done this exact thing, he has had people punch him, grab him, spit on him, and say all kinds of abusive and vulgar things to not only him, but to his wife and children as well.  Always he has continued to love and embrace the people of the TL with the love and forgiveness of the Lord.  Yet, there have been some great returns on the investment as well.  One woman, a drug addict who was saved from one of Pastor Ed's services was even featured during a news segment on a major Bay Area news channel.  Her plea during the news segment? To ask for donations for the homeless shelter she founded herself. It seems that she too, like Pastor Ed, had devoted her life to help others in the TL in need. 

His work in the TL alone would be a tremendous accomplishment, but anyone who knows Pastor Ed and his family knows his greatest ministry achievement has been the raising of his children.  In a time when messed up Pastor's kids is an acceptable norm and cliche, Pastor Ed has made a deeper impression on myself and our church by the way he has raised such passionate and God loving children as you will ever see.  He loves his kids, (and they are some good looking kids, happa, their mother is white.)  It is truly inspiring to see his kids love, respect, and follow their parents to such a great degree.  And to impart such tender yet resilient faith and love for the Lord!  Which makes all this the more difficult...several months ago Pastor Ed was diagnosed with liver cancer.  He never let the cancer hold him back from going out to the TL, preaching, ministering, feeding till his body could no longer support him in the day.  He battled with great courage, hope, and much prayer...but this afternoon at 4pm Pastor Ed went to be the Lord and left his family, the TL, myself, my church, and the world a lesser place for it.

Forever the evangelist, I heard that when a young man came to the house this week to administer home hospice care, Pastor Ed began to share the Gospel with him.  The young man replied, "In this job I have never had anyone talk to me personally before."  The young man agreed to try church out again.  Even in his death, he selflessly reached out to save one more for Jesus.  As Rick Warren says, "I intend to make that the motto of my life, 'Save one more for Jesus.'"

I love you Pastor Ed, I couldn't tell you enough, I know that you know.  I will miss you profoundly and will cherish the time we had till we meet again.  Thank you for showing me even in your illness, what it means to love Jesus more than anything, even life itself...

PS: Pastor Ed's daughter Hosanna made this video a few months ago to cheer her father up.  Go here to see Pastor Ed and his family: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff_d_ZPB_qA

Thanks for listening, God bless and sorry guys I haven't kept in better touch.

Currently Reading Les Miserables: Complete and Unabridged (Signet Classics) By Victor Hugo, Norman MacAfee see related

Last Sunday @ OKC CM

I heard Rick Warren say that he wants these four words on his grave: "At Least He Tried."  Amen to that.  Funny, I just got my Master Degree in the mail from Fuller.  To think that my journey in ministry has only just begun.  Gotta say, it makes me smile and sigh at the same time.  Well its off to Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo...

God bless OKC/Faith. 

Lifehouse Retreat 2006:"Elevate"

Just got back to the OC from speaking at another Lifehouse Ministries Retreat.  Man, what an incredible time.  The retreat was held in the middle of a Redwood forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  I am still aglow...

This is the main worship and activities room.  In this place God moved us crazy.

I had to take this pic.  There was about 50 students and staff members, but more than 12 moms and dads coming to pray for us and cook for us.  We had so much gal-bi during this retreat, for the last meal they made fried rice out of chopped up gal-bi.  Love and joy were flowing out of that kitchen.

This is my good friend Dennis Shin, Youth Pastor at Lifehouse Ministries in SF.  Funniest, humblest, most talented guy ever.  SF is blessed to have this man. 

Perhaps what Jesus would do with shoes.

The awesome, gifted, gracious, down right audacious staff.  Good peoples...

Rebecca and Susan.  I met them a couple years ago when they begged to stay in our revival services.  They've gotten bigger since, and now although theyre only in 6th grade, they came to the retreat to serve as go-fers.

Big ups to Lifehouse, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz youth.  You guys rock, thanks for letting me be a part of the goodness.  I will not soon forget you guys...Dream God's dreams.  Dont be changed by the world, go and change the world for Jesus. "Elevate" baby...i love you guys.

OKC VBS Fiesta 2006

I spaced my camera somewhere at church and was sure I lost it.  But then my dad handed it to me and said Isaac found it at church.  So with a sigh of relief, I present here a few shots of pure joy.

Fellowship Hall under construction

Fellowship Hall after construction: Dinner time Day 1 VBS

160+ children.  80+ volunteers.  100+ volunteer hours.  90 degree heat.  1 awesome God.

VBS Body worship movements remind me of aerobics.  The people loved to dance and shout, it was pure madness.  Much props to the Body Worship Team and Dale's VBS Band...you guys are all rock stars.  Kids wanted autographs...I saw this with my own two eyes.

Kids diligently stuffing face.  I say this every year, but seriously, I am so in awe of the moms who cook for us.  Many of them were in the kitchen for more than two weeks straight.  And if you've ever been in the kitchen y'kno it aint fun in there, always 20 degrees hotter than anywhere else, if its 90 outside, its 110 in the kitchen.  A mom's love is no kids play.

Hot Bible Adventure station.  I took this shot in almost total darkness.  The skits presented here were so good, kids were crying...(from the darkness more than anything).

This kid in the center goes to my church.  He's kinda FOBulous and shy so he never says a word to me on sundays...look at him now.  A complete dork...  God is good.

The unsung heroes.  My mind cannot erase their labor of love. I have seen their sweat and tears of which only God knows the number of and counts them each so dear.  Good job OKC.

Not too long ago we were all shocked to hear about the two Korean fathers who out of frustration and deception, turned on their own children.  One, burning his children alive in a car.  Another, shooting his children in the head point blank.  The incidents didnt occur in some slum, ghetto, or war torn nation overseas.  It happened here in our own backyards.  I had even heard that the families in these occurences were church members.   As a pastor, I took that personally.  I went before God and felt him take it personally as well.  Why is it always the children who suffer first and most?  The vision for this year's VBS was taking shape, we needed to reach out to the families with the Gospel.  The vision was missionary, and it was two fold.  We as the church VBS were called to reach out to the communities by sharing the Gospel to the children.  The children would then become missionaries into their families as they share their experiences and principles learned throughout the VBS.  We were intentional about it, and we prayed diligently for it.  To be very honest, I have no way of knowing how successful we were in our missionary endeavor.  At least I do know this, for one extraordinary week, every one of the 160 children who attended our VBS received as much love in as many forms as we could possibly imagine...praying with all our hearts that they would know Jesus.  So be it the fearful first day of elementary school or the fury of a father gone mad, at least 160 children now know that Jesus is our friend and savior.  Viva baby viva.   

God is good.

Currently Watching Lost - The Complete First Season see related

31

I am now officially 31 years young...

Sunday was real good, I lost my voice over the weekend for some odd reason so I had to basically whisper all day.  Not easy when my job is basically all about speaking in front of people.  I don't know what made me suddenly think I could sing that day.  I usually lead the kids into one last song after the message, but i couldnt stop from cracking like a kid going thru puberty so we ended the song after the first line...very nice segue into closing prayer if you can imagine.   

In Brea after EM.  I was so tired, I napped in the car for an hour.  Had to get my energy back for....

My "surprise" Birthday dinner put together by the CM staff and her highness queen Pak who dazzled all of us with her crazy culinary skills. 

Jackie toiled for days...thats mad love...

Jackie, y'know I dont have the words.  Esp. loved the prayer time afterwards.  My life is profoundly blessed for knowing you and John.

The cool seniors...citizens that is.  Whatevers, I'm in my prime yo.

The guests were asked 10 questions to see how well they know me, winner got a Starbucks giftcard.  Apparently, Susan Cho knows me best...strange and cool in a stalker sorta way ;)  Course, Juice and Isaac werent allowed to play.

One last pic before going sleepy time...

The CM peeps pitched in to get me this...a sleek new black 30G Video IPod and a $30 dolla Apple giftcard to get a case wit...I hear they scratch real easy, cant let that happen.  Thanks so much guys, my cup runneth over yo. 

Summer is in the air...cant wait for them warm Cali nights...gotta cruise PCH with my new IPod soon.