Monday, February 22, 2010

Peace.

It has been 2 days since I came back from Gloria Retreat 2010 and it's been great. I'm not saying that I'm like spiritually high or like I'm so hype for GOD right now or anything because of the retreat, but the retreat let me experience God in a very solitude way once again. Just to meet God away from everything else. It's really sad that it was only 2 days and 1 night long, but I definitely got the most I possibly can out of it. It was good, real good.

So from this retreat, I got many new insights on the way my life and how my mind should work. The sermons from Pastor Ken were not some philosophical, intellectual, well-thought out sermons, but they definitely hit home for me and most likely for everyone else. The series of questions. The way the words and everything just had to do with my current situation. My stress. My problems. How do they get solved? Where is God in the midst? How can there be PEACE when there is NO peace?

For the past year I have been living from home and going to school in Manhattan. The reason being is because I felt like i needed to stay home and solve issues going on with my family and such. It has held me back from doing what I really want and possibly what God is leading me to. It has been a huge distraction and beyond that, it has been my stress/idol. Many people know where my heart is and what I want to do after I graduate. I want to be involved with the less fortunate and homeless within cities. Going to school in Pennsylvania and being 40 minutes away from Philadelphia just made everything so accessible, but now I'm home and I began to get really involved within my church and it's ministries since the beginning of this school year, but it's not what i planned.

This stress, this storm, this idol, in my life was really just killing me inside. Only a limited few know of this issue fully and it kills me inside because it's holding me back from living. I know I'm a silly, energetic guy, but deep down inside and behind the smile and the laughs, I have a lot of pain stored up. A lot.

So we learned about peace and false peace. The difference and how we can replace one for the other in our lives. Is peace the absence of stress? The answer is no. The passage that Pastor Ken was preaching from the for the first message was Jeremiah 6:13-19 and I also used it for my Bible Study yesterday as I tried to bring the same message to my students.

13"For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely.


14They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, 'Peace, peace,'when there is no peace.


15Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,"
says the LORD.

16Thus says the LORD:"Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'

17I set watchmen over you, saying,'Pay attention tothe sound of the trumpet!'But they said,'We will not pay attention.'

18Therefore hear, O nations, and know, O congregation, what will happen to them.

19Hear, O earth; behold, I am bringing disaster upon this people, the fruit of their devices, because they have not paid attention to my words; and as for my law, they have rejected it.

So this passage is Jeremiah speaking to the people of Israel that are in exile in Babylon. They've rejected the Word. They rejected the Law. They rejected God. God is saying, "Look to the ancient paths. Look, people have gone before you. That is the road. You have read and seen the great guidance of God. Why do you not take the road? Open your eyes." But, they did not look, nor did they walk on the road that God has shown. We do this all that time, but if we just took a step of faith. If we just listened to God when He tells us the truth, we would have peace.

Peace is not the absence of stress. No it isn't. Peace is in Christ. Peace is when Christ is overflowing from you, so that NOTHING else matters. All the stress, the sins, the problems that you are dealing with becomes so minor compared to Christ. Christ is always on your mind and because of that everything else has less worry. We worry about being Christ-like, we worry about being holy, and being obedient to the calling. Peace comes to us when we just give it to God and we are so indulged in the life of God. Peace comes to us because Christ covers all.

Christ is called the Prince of Peace.

Now how has this began to shape me for the past 2 days? I've been thinking about all the people that I love, the people that I hate, and the people that I don't even know. As I said with my family problem and all, I'm starting to let go. I'm letting God have His way. I do have an influence on it, but if it is putting a hold on my life to glorify God then it must not be right. I love my family and all, but I think my family in Heaven must come before all things and it has begun to give me peace. Not that I don't care, but I'm letting go. Also, I'm starting to think about the friendships and relationships with people I have and had. The friends that I have are so dear to me and I don't wanna lose them. I don't wanna fight with them. I was talking with Jessica yesterday on oovoo and we were just talking about relationships, marriage, and FRIENDSHIPS. Half of my conversations were about Ben, but it made me realize the "niggas" that I have in my life. How much they mean to me. Because when I'm 80 years old, Ben, Mark, Jungmin, Will, and Jason will be smoking a nice fat pipe with me on rocking chairs on one of our front porch. It's gonna be amazing. And our wives are gonna be hanging out together and we're gonna grow old together. Just the thought of that gives me peace because right now I feel like I'm growing too fast and I wanna be a kid again. The friendships and relationships that I've lost or are on pause need to be mended and I've begun to sew. A few minutes ago, I confronted a friend about how we're not friends anymore and it's awkward and all that and now we're straight again haha. So praise God because I've missed that person. There's still a few more I must get to as well, but I will get to them. Trust me.

Life is peaceful because Christ is within me. It's how i feel. That's truth.

So all in all, retreat was great and I've learned a lot and took away a lot. Thanks Pastor Ken and Phil for teaching me and revitalizing me. Now pray that I won't fall away and that I'd be like this from here on out.


The boy with the smelly feet and the dirty stache,

Charles Chung

2 comments:

  1. Amen broddder!
    whether or not you're going to be here later
    you'll always bring the light to dark places
    I'm so certain of it

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  2. "Ima tell you something and it's just gonna be between you and me. I think folks carry on about heaven too much, like it's some kind of all you can eat buffet up in the clouds and folks just do as they told so they can eat what they want behind some pearly gates. There's sinning in my heart, there's evil in the world but when I got no one, I talk to God. I ask for strength, I ask for forgiveness, not peace at the end of my days when I got no more life to live or no more good to do, but today, right now... What's your heaven?"

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