As a Christian and a pastor, I feel a lot of shame whenever I hear about the issues of megachurches in Korea. However, I take comfort in the fact that there are churches like Bundang Woori Church (Pastor Lee, Chan-Soo), which breaks up large churches into separate congregations and forces them to fulfill the church’s mission. And in that spirit, I focus on the mission given to the church in hope.

It seems that passing on the church they built during their lifetime to their children does not bring virtue to the world. Even if there is a respected pastor who passes on the leadership in a pure and unadulterated way, the next person will pass it on to his children in a way that is not fair. I believe that the evaluation and judgment of these things will first be made by the Lord and through the saints in His will.

In the midst of internet articles and issues in the news, high-profile relationships are often at the height of their popularity, and then an incident or mishap occurs and the reputation they have built is forgotten. Why does this happen? I think it's because we lose our focus and become arrogant amidst the abundance of material things that come with fame. I also think it's because they go for the goal of being the best, and when they finally stand there, they feel empty.

I think there are four seasons in every life. We must have gone through spring and enjoyed the bounty of fall at its peak. I think we should learn from nature's lessons, especially at the peak of fall. As the lush foliage loses its strength and falls away, we should learn the sacrifice of the leaves for the roots that will survive the cold winter and begin again.

I've been looking at the Gospel of Mark recently, which is about servantship for the salvation of humanity. Jesus was a superstar in His day, performing all sorts of miracles and living life to the fullest with a huge fan following. He was in the midst of an amazing scene of healing through the laying on of hands, prayer, and touch, and even more amazingly, healing through the spoken word. Given a few of these abilities, it would be easy to become a superstar.  

But let's not forget the people behind the spotlights. Jesus left behind the lights shining on Him in the quiet hours of the morning before God for his daily signs and wonders. Looking back, it seems that the biggest events and accidents happen at the highest and fastest places. It's a realization that I wish we had the wisdom to lean more heavily on the Lord at the very times in our lives when things are going best and there are no tackles.

In the morning, when it was barely dark, Jesus got up. And he went away to a quiet place and prayed. (Mark 1:35)