Today is the day

Today is surely one of the most influential days in my life.

Back to June 2005, during Jkt-Sfo flight, I was once a youngster with optimistic mindset that United States is the promised land. I dreamt of myself being a highly educated career woman living in the city and walked through the snow with long coat and heels. Later I found out that SF doesn't have snow but I always wear coat even in the summer!

6years later, I am a changed person inside and out. I never dreamt to experience the love of Jesus in U.S., nor having an awesome family of Christ. Now I know what matters the most. It's not my diplomas, work experiences, money I earned, or anything. But my heart and character that Jesus has molded throughout the years, that I'm sure it would never happened if I'm not coming here.

His works for me in U.S. has done wonderfully. Now it's time to practice my child-like faith. I will leave the States without my own dreams because I know God is the author of my life. He knows what best for me.

For my friends & family, you indeed left special mark in my heart that I'll never forget :) God bless.

Start-Ups Fever

The success of the entrepreneurs behind Dell, Google, YouTube, and Facebook will undoubtedly inspire a growing breed of the young, energetic, and self-reliant who are more than willing to gamble that their startups will fly. But it's not just about role models. The start-ups idea usually came from passion, rebellion from traditional career path, and even recession (read: layoff). So when we set out to find the latest batch of fresh faces and examine what makes their businesses tick, it wasn't surprising to see their ages skewing younger and their ideas getting smarter. And for generation Y who have nothing to lose, yet, why not taking chances? They are willing to go extra miles such as sleepless nights and have peanut butter or ramen noodles everyday -- they are used to it anyway in college! I guess that's the beauty of the youth.

Here's the list of America's Best Young Entrepreneurs based on Bloomberg Business Week. (they are all in mid 20s!)

2008
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/sep2008/sb2008098_467315.htm
2009
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/oct2009/sb2009106_810168.htm
2010
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/sep2010/sb20100922_312662.htm
 

Asia's Best Young Entrepreneur 2009
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/09/0911_asias_best_young_entrepreneurs/index.htm

Seriously, they are all worth reading.

Infusing Fast Food with Gospel, Why Not?

I believe some of you have seen the writing of “John 3:16” on the Forever21 yellow bag or “Rev 3:20” on the In-N-Out burger wrapper. These are a few examples of how certain large business organizations display their foundation on biblical and Christian values. As a group of young students and professionals, some of us aspire to own / start a new business venture on our own. These are great dreams to pursue, however, money and profits are not the only goals in a business. As follower of Jesus, we need to learn to marry our business goals with mission to spread the Gospel. The following are a couple of examples of successful Christian-based companies that we all should take learning from:

It’s hard not to love In-N-Out Burger! Their tasty offering of freshly served burgers and fries has made many fans to crave over them – including those outside California. This family-owned business are famous for their boldness in declaring their Christian faith. Most of their food packaging contains bible scriptures (i.e soda cup bears the writing of John 3:16). Not only did they reach out to their customers, the In-N-Out management is also known for great employment benefits for their employees. In-N-Out is one of the only fast-food chains who provide above minimum wage, medical insurance benefits, as well as paid vacations.Their excellent execution at both food quality as well as employee appreciation exemplify their pursue of serving other under Christian value and it has taken them them to become one of the most successful fast-food business who runs very well for many years.

Some of us in California might not have heard about Chick-Fil-A and their famous chicken nugget or chicken sandwich. Chick-Fil-A is famous for their consistency in using real chicken meat in their products. The company is also listed to have one of the best customer services by BusinessWeek because the company promotes the family value. The restaurants are also famous for its tradition to close on Sundays to provide opportunity for their employee a day of worship. Both the executive and owner of Chick-Fil-A believes that the business existed to glorify God. They personally treat their employee like family, for example inviting a new store manager to their residence for a dinner. The owner, Mr&Mrs Cathy, is also a devoted Christian and has an active involvement in local and international mission. Chick-Fil-A also becomes a financial sponsor for two Christian-based foundation, WinShape and LifeShape. Both of these foundation provide helps and trainings for young leaders and they have been equipping many young teenagers with solid foundation in  Christianity.

As we can see, many of these Christian-based business shows an excellent example that a business can thrive even with practicing Christian values. Not only do they generate profits for the company itself, they also serve their customer, employees, and communities with Godly business principles. These show that secular business and Gospel can go hand in hand to create more impact and spread the good news to many people. If we believe God is the owner of everything, He himself can turn anything, including business, to His glory.

Why God allows disaster to happen in this world ?

Looking at recent natural disaster in Japan, it is a heartbreaking situation and comparable to Haiti, New Zealand, and Indonesia’s earthquake and tsunami years ago. I know many people (and even myself) sometimes ask "If God is a loving and powerful, why He allow disaster and tragedy happened in this world? To be honest, I really don’t know. No one can comprehend His mind & His plan because human has limited understanding.

When my mind made up every possible hypothesis after I saw my friend was posting "this question" on Facebook, KLove radio answered this question just in time! *yay* God hears my confusion! Here I also compiled the answers from www.carm.org. So everytime you encountered people who is wondering about it, you can share the answers. :)

1) Suffering is the result of human sin. The world is not the way that God created it and because of that, all are vulnerable to the effects of sin in the world. Why does one person suffer and another does not? Why do catastrophes happen to some and not to others? It is because sin is in the world. But there will come a day when the Lord will return and cleanse this world of all sin and all suffering.

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away," (Rev. 21:4).

2) It is possible that God has reasons for allowing evil to exist that we simply cannot understand. In this the Christian can have confidence in God knowing that His ways are above our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). As the Bible says, the just shall live by faith (Hab. 2:4).

3) God may be letting evil run its course in order to prove that evil is malignant and that suffering, which is the unfortunate product of evil, is further proof that anything contrary to God’s will is bad, harmful, painful, and leads to death.

4) It's quite possible that God uses the suffering to do good. In other words, He produces patience through tribulation (Rom. 5:3). Or He may desire to save someone through it. Take for example, the account of Joseph who was sold into slavery by His brothers. What they did was wrong and Joseph suffered greatly for it. But, later, God raised up Joseph in Egypt to make provisions for the people of that land during the coming drought of seven years. Not only was Egypt saved, but also his family and brothers who originally sold him into slavery. Joseph finally says to them, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:15-21). Of course, the greatest example of God using evil for good is the death of Christ. Evil people brought him to the cross, but God used that cross as the means to save the world.

5) My personal view : if everything in this world is perfect and there is no evil, how could God show His glory and power? Imagine if the world is full with good people and superhero, who need a superhero anymore? the same question, if the earth is not vulnerable to natural disaster and any suffering, who will even think for a second about God's existence and the need for 'someone more powerful' to cling on? people will be self-sufficient and think that nothing is stronger than themselves. I think we should not challenge or complaint to God about those things. Just walk by faith and not by sight. God bless.

I Am a Friend of God

I know it's a tad long, but Israel Houghton testimony below is worth to read..!! Personally I loveee his music because of the gospel and jazz influence behind it. But I began to see the meaning behind his lyrics and song and how his life is a living testimony until I read his biography. Fyi, he won Grammy awards for Best Contemporary Christian Artist this year, it proves that God is powerful to proof that His sons and daughter are talented in the eyes of the world ! Clear messages that I got are "racism is a foolish" and "say no to abortion" because God our creator has plan for every humankind that He created, including you. So never say "I feel unloved or unworthy" cause God loves you so much, more than you could ever imagine!

For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God! - Psalm 139:13-17

 
I recommend you to play this video while reading... Have a blessed day everyone! Share the Love :) - Jez

 

Skype Wedding? Why Not!

Ever thought that Skype can be used to exchange wedding vows? I couldn't help myself to not to post this, too adorable to be true.. just like Korean drama! - Jez   

Couple overcomes groom's illness with Skype wedding

Before Kim fell ill. Photo courtesy of Reuters.com

By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES | Sun Mar 6, 2011 8:04pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California couple whose wedding plans appeared thwarted when a lung infection landed the groom in the isolation ward of a hospital got married anyway over the weekend, in a ceremony conducted over Skype.
Samuel Kim and Helen Oh, both 27, had friends and family members traveling from as far away as their native Korea and from New York to their planned wedding ceremony in the southern California city of Fullerton on Saturday.
So when Kim began spitting up blood last week, he was initially too nervous to tell his bride for fear of causing her grief, he told Reuters.
When he finally did tell Oh later in the week, the couple improvised a solution by holding the wedding via the Web video conferencing system.
"Guests said it was inspirational, they really admired my fiance for being able to stand at the altar in the manner that she did, alone and not crying the whole time," Kim told Reuters from his bed at UCI Medical Center in Orange.
“Helen, my wife, I’m very very sorry for not being able to walk you down the aisle or stand at the altar, but today is just one day,” Kim told his bride over Skype. “We’re going to live for a very long time… I promise to be the perfect husband from now on to make up for this.”
"She was able to hold her ground and I was able to hold my ground, not crying or anything," he said.
Oh said the Skype wedding was not the perfect way to have a ceremony, but that guests were happy.
The Saturday afternoon wedding utilized five live cameramen at the couple's high-tech Korean church capturing the ceremony for guests watching on jumbo screens, and for Kim himself watching on a laptop with his tuxedo in the hospital's isolation ward.
Kim's hospital is less than 10 miles from the church, and he said he did not feel distant from the ceremony and the 500 guests there.
The professional-style presentation included split-screen images and an audio crew that gave Kim his cue, before his face was to appear on screen.
Kim's hospital room was decorated with flowers that nurses bought with their own money, he said.
Oh said that she does not credit Web technology alone for making the wedding a success. "I couldn't have done it without God," she said.
Up next for the couple: the honeymoon. Kim surprised Oh with plane tickets to Europe, where they will visit Paris and Prague, after he recovers from his lung infection.
click here for original article

What A Powerful Song...

Surely children weren't made for the streets
And fathers were not made to leave
Surely this isn't how it should be
Let Your Kingdom come

Surely nations were not made for war
Or the broken meant to be ignored
Surely this just can't be what You saw
Let Your Kingdom come
Here in my heart

And I will live
To carry on compassion
To love a world that's broken
To be Your hands and feet
And I will give
With the life that I've been given
And go beyond religion
To see the world be changed
By the power of Your name
By the power of Your name

Surely life wasn't made to regret
And the lost were not made to forget
Surely faith without action is dead
Let Your Kingdom come
Lord break this heart

Your name
Is a shelter for the hurting
Jesus Your name
Is a refuge for the weak
Only Your name
Can redeem the undeserving
Jesus Your name
Holds everything I need

 

Lincoln Brewster ft. Darlene Zschech

Incredible Life-Changing Moment of Once A Homeless Man

 

Here is the 21st Century of prodigal son: worth watching and shed my tears. Hopefully you too.

How many times we THANK GOD or say PRAISE THE LORD through hardships ?
How many times we say "Praise The Lord!" in public, instead of saying "I'm just lucky" ?
How many of you find Jesus in your lowest point of your life ?

He is always there to hug you, but often He is forgotten because we are so busy with His abundant blessings. Such a disturbing reality. Anyway, here I also want to acknowledge some of my brothers and sisters who are active in homeless ministry. I know that your labor will not be in vain because that's exactly what Jesus called us to do. I want to do something like that too in my area!

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." -Matt 25:35-36

Ted Williams, 53, a man with golden voice was once a successful man, buoyed with his achievement, turned into alcohol and drugs until he abandoned his family, involved in crime and living on the streets for couple years. But through viral sensation on youtube, he suddenly becomes a star now in just about a week. Now he begins to fix his life, go to rehab, get a job, a house, restore his relationship with his mom and children. Let's hope that CBS and all the media crews won't screw his life by giving him too much exposure.

"But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." - Luke 15:32

John 3:16 In The Marketplace

Whoa I'm impressed with this article that recently came up in Business Week. How many of you know Forever 21 ? (I can see many hands up and nods. Girls, don't tell me you've never been there) How many knows that the plastic bag has "John 3:16" at the bottom ? (Aha, I notice some of you raise your hands too. In case you have shopped there a lot but never notice it, take a look at one of those yellow plastic bags and you will see) Now, how many knows that the owner are Korean-American and devoted newborn Christian?

This business article about Fashion 21 empire amazes me because I just never thought that behind those stylish and affordable, there is a real-testimonial about God's goodness. Now the company worth $3 billion with 477-store worldwide and 35,000-employees. The founders Mr and Mrs Chang are the perfect example of 'from rags to riches'. Not so many businessman or business owners are willing to declare their faith in public nowadays, especially when it may probably risk their business. For instance, I know some customers don't want to go back to the store when they realized that F21 is a Christian-owner store, but as you can see, yet God still multiplies their customers and the business runs very well until now. Two thumbs up for their boldness!

The 91,257 sq.ft. megastore in Times Square, NYC opened in 2010.

Paris branch

In Seoul, Mr. Chang had started the first coffee and natural juice delivery service. Mrs. Chang had been a hairdresser. They wanted to run their own business in Los Angeles, and while subsisting on wages from menial labor (he pumped gas and worked as a janitor), they managed to open a 900-square-foot clothing store. It was on a low-rent street close to the garment district, and they called it Fashion 21. The Changs filled the store with cheaply made, skimpy clothes for teens, all produced by Korean-American manufacturers and all selected by Mrs. Chang. She proved to have a sharp eye for easy-to-copy trends and an even sharper instinct for negotiation.

The Changs, who are born-again Christians, think they had some other help, too. Mrs. Chang tells people that when they were starting out, she went to the top of a mountain in Los Angeles to pray. God told her she should open a store and that she would be successful. "Every decision that they made has been with thoughtful prayer," says Linda Chang- the eldest daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Chang attend a daily 5:30 a.m. prayer meeting at the Ttokamsa Mission Church when they're in town; he also leads Bible study, and she's a deacon. "I think they get a lot of business ideas and insight during early morning prayer time," Pastor Ken Choe says in an e-mail. According to him, they've contributed millions of dollars to missions around the world and regularly go on missions themselves, including to Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan. They've told their daughters that when they retire, they want to devote themselves fully to the church. "Mr. Chang said he would have been a missionary if this hadn't worked out," says Linda. "This supports that. This is part of their missionary vision." 

The Changs' faith is often on display at Forever 21. In black letters on the bottom of every bright yellow Forever 21 shopping bag is "John 3:16," a reference to one of the best-known verses of the Bible: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." There are Bibles at the company's headquarters. And when Mr. Chang accepted an award from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. in November and gave a rare public speech, he said: "I live by the Bible verse, 'He who is full hates honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.' " Then he added: "That is why I work so hard—because I'm still hungry." 

According to Roth Capital's Pierce, a typical Forever 21 store might turn over 20 percent of its merchandise in a week, which could be twice as much as most apparel retailers. ..... The Changs have been able to accomplish this with no advertising, virtually no marketing, and only infrequent attempts to introduce themselves to their customers. Click below for complete story.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_05/b4213090559511.htm

Hey, don't you feel inspired? I am hooked ! This is kind of business that Jesus want us to do to impact the world.

In this article, I'm aware that the author was talking that F21 had some issues like infringement suits in the past, secretive organization, etc. I personally think that fast-paced retail industry is almost impossible to copyright. I mean, every cheap clothing store tries to copy some designer's style because that's where the trend came from. The designer house should not be worried because 'the fake ones' will result in completely different garment anyway looking at the quality and cutting. So I think that's a fair game. It's just one of the competitive advantages which is part of differentiating your business, which is to help consumer 'feel good without breaking your bank' to wear what's in style for now. Also the author talked a lot about how risky it is to expand the business exponentially with double resources and liability (from real estate point of view) whereas I think that's a judgmental idea. Just because their company always keep silent to the media, doesn't mean they don't have strategic planning, and most importantly they have faith. Nothing is impossible for God. Keep supporting and pray for them.

The Greatest Love

While the Bible seems to be very bulky, it actually sum up into one word. LOVE.
Really, God demonstrates his own love for us in this; while we were still sinners Christ died for us. For nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 5:8, 8:38)

In the next 100 years you would not be here anymore, what impression do you want to leave in this world? Your career, degree, big house, cars, any of your possession? Nothing will matters when you're gone. God is eager to see your fruits in His Kingdom, not your earthly achievements. Let's make a significant impact in this universe and generation while we can.

Do not waste your life, your time, your sorrow, your inconvenient, and even your unemployment. Share the LOVE.