You Gotta Have Heart

"Linsanity" "Lincredible" "Linternet Boom" "Linderella"

No matter how you phrase it, Jeremy Lin is a current basketball phenomenon. The 23-year-old NBA rookie is one of the few Asian-American players in NBA history and the first player of Chinese descent. As an avid basketball fan, and a Korean myself, I can't tell you how inspiring it is to watch Jeremy Lin on the court.

His meteoric rise to starting point guard on the New York Knicks is truly a rags to riches "Linderella" tale. He was an outstanding Ivy League player at Harvard setting League records in career points, rebounds, assists, and steals. But upon graduating he went overlooked and undrafted by the NBA. He was picked up in reserve positions but later cut from 2 other franchises, before being picked up as a reserve player for the New York Knicks.

Despite being largely ignored, former coaches remember Lin as an energetic player with an incredible work ethic. "He was always the first player to arrive at practice and the last one to leave. He put his whole heart into it every day relentlessly reviewing his films, identifying and attacking his weaknesses."

At the beginning of the 2012 NBA season, Lin was a backup player getting only a few minutes per game. After starting as point guard in early February, Lin has led the Knicks to 10 wins in the last 13 games, an incredible team rebound from their 8–15 season start. To date Lin is averaging 22.4 points, 8.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

New York has been taken over by "Linsanity." Knicks ticket prices and TV ratings have skyrocketed. Web traffic on the Knicks site is up 770% and Knicks paraphernalia sales are up 4000%. Jeremy Lin is also turning the team around with his aggressive, wholehearted, "can-do" attitude. Sports analysts describe him as "a great team player, a pass first player, not a limelight seeking chucker. He is clearly the dominant personality on the Knicks."

Lin's transforming effect on the Knicks is reminiscent of the classic Broadway musical comedy "Damn Yankees," in which an unknown long ball hitter suddenly appears playing for the Washington Senators and turns the baseball team's fortunes around. One of the most popular songs from that musical is "You've Gotta Have Heart." The lyrics seem to describe Lin: "All you really need is heart. You can open any door. There's nothing to it but to do it. You've gotta have heart, miles and miles and miles of heart."

When asked about his instant star status, and the pressure that it brings, Jeremy Lin, a devout Christian, replies, "I'm proud to be playing for the Nick's. I just thank God for the opportunity to play basketball. I've surrendered all the pressure to God, and I'm not in a battle with what everybody thinks about me anymore."

Jeremy Lin's wholehearted pursuit of basketball and complete trust in God remind me of a promise God gives to us. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working unto the Lord and not unto men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Colossians 3:23–24)

God wholeheartedly gave us His all when He sent His son Christ Jesus here to redeem us from our sin. He wants our wholehearted dedication to Him in everything we do.

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. Pastor Karl Malouff will discuss having the right heart attitude, the last in our current series, "What's the H in HRock Church?")

Welcome Stranger!

My mother was a truly amazing hostess. My father, who was a minister, frequently brought guests home at the last minute, and if my mom was caught off guard, she never showed it. She always graciously greeted each new guest and then disappeared for a period of time into the kitchen, only to reappear with a sumptuous snack or meal. She appeared to do this almost effortlessly, but I know it actually took a lot of foresight and planning.

You see, my mom wasn't just an ordinary cook; she was an exceptional one. She had a restaurant specializing in Korean dishes for lunch that was packed every day. When you went to her restaurant, you immediately felt welcomed and attended to. My mom knew how to create an atmosphere of hospitality, as well as being a good cook, and both these skills were amply demonstrated in her success as a restaurant owner.

I often think of my mom and her hospitality when I travel internationally. Every culture has its own way of demonstrating hospitality to strangers, and it often involves considerable self-sacrifice on the part of the hosts. I am always humbled and a bit overwhelmed when we enter the home of a poor family, and they have prepared a meal for us that often involves some type of meat, which they almost never eat themselves. It is more than a meal; it is an extravagant gift of welcome.

Hospitality is an ancient practice and was actually important in early times for survival. Towns were few and far between, with most people living in rural areas. For travelers, there were no accommodations like hotels or restaurants. They had to depend on the hospitality of people they encountered as they journeyed. It was customary to take in the stranger and offer them a place to sleep, something to eat and even protection if needed.


Many ancient cultures contained written or orally transmitted commands to take in the stranger and provide for them. One of the laws in early Israel stated, "The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as a citizen among you. You shall love the stranger as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 19:34)

Jesus equated hospitality with loving God and doing right. He said, "When you give a luncheon or dinner do not invite your friends or family or your rich neighbors. If you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." (Luke 14:12–14)

Hospitality is a godlike act, for God was the original host. The first two chapters of Genesis relate how He carefully designed and prepared the earth for us. He then created a beautiful garden, full of delicious things to eat and invited us in. He's been reaching out and welcoming us ever since. It brings Him great joy when we accept His hospitable invitation and spend time with Him.

Please come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. We will be discussing hospitality as a way of participating in and sharing God's love, another in our series on "What's the H in HRock Church?"

Who's Your “BFF”?

Texting is part of our everyday lives, and it is redesigning our vocabulary. We all know that "BFF" means "best friends forever," and we know what we value in a "BFF." I asked several people what they look for in a best friend and came up with the following list: respect, shared interests, loyalty, honesty, trustworthy, nonjudgmental, common values and worldview, mutual concern and caring, sense of humor, integrity not afraid to confront and always has your back.

While your list might look somewhat different, I'm sure that you would also include many of the same behaviors. We all want to have at least one person that we feel is a true friend. We want someone we can count on in good times and bad, and someone we can trust with those parts of ourselves that we don't easily share.

Starting in childhood, we are raised with numerous examples of good friends. Doubtless you can remember many cartoon friendships like: Mickey Mouse and Pluto, Lilo and Stitch, Batman and Robin, Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble and Rocky and Bullwinkle to name just a few. If we read books, we were introduced to famous friends such as the 2 hobbits, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson or the Three Musketeers.

The subject of friendship has made some movies or series classics that we enjoy over and over again. Examples that come to mind are: Stand by Me, Band of Brothers, The Odd Couple, It's a Wonderful Life, The Wizard Of Oz and Gladiator. We all can relate to the feelings of friendship, the tension of estranged friendship, the sadness of lost friends, and the joy of reunion with friends.

While some of us may have enduring friendships from childhood, most of us have had a series of best friends in our lives. The idea of a "forever friend," is very appealing, but most of us would have to admit that nothing lasts forever, not even a best friend. Sometimes we have a falling out with a best friend. More commonly we drift apart due to life changes such as marriage and family, diverging interests, moves to new locations etc.
We often find as we get older that our friendships become more centered on shared activities rather than a shared whole life experience. This reality was well described in the movie "Stand by Me." The central character, who is the narrator, comments: "I never again found the quality of friendship that I had with those friends when I was 12."

I don't think we ever stop wanting a BFF, no matter how old we get. As one unknown writer put it: "A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you've forgotten the words." It would be wonderful to have such a friend by your side forever.

Do you know that God seeks friendship with you? Jesus told his disciples: "Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down their life for their friend. I call you my friends, for everything my Father has revealed to me I have told to you." (John 15:13, 15b) On his last night with them, Jesus reassured his followers that even though He was going away, He would not leave them alone. He would send them the Holy Spirit to stand by them and be their friend forever. God wants to be your BFF, and He died for you to prove it.

Come join us this Sunday morning at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. I will be talking about the Holy Spirit and the partnership we can have with Him, another topic in our current series on "What's the H in HRock Church?"

What's on the Menu?

How is this for a menu: 46 million pounds potato chips

                                              1.25 billion buffalo wings

                                              10 million slices of pizza

These are the three most popular snack foods for Super Bowl Sunday, and this is what fans consumed last Sunday. While pizza, chips and dip are ongoing favorites, buffalo wings are now the traditional snack food associated with the Super Bowl with their consumption rising geometrically each year.

We all have our favorite foods that we crave. I like to watch people's plates when I'm at a buffet, because I can quickly tell what foods are on their personal menu. First there are the “carb cravers” who love to pile on the starch. Their plate contains items like spaghetti and stuffed baked potatoes, with a side plate of several slices of garlic bread. The “carnivores” have a sampling of every cut of meat available (never fish or chicken) and a baked potato or better yet, french fries.

The “Diary Queens” collect cheese spread and crackers, varieties of cheese wedges, lasagna with extra cheese from the salad bar, cottage cheese and fruit salad, and of course, ice cream for dessert. Then there are the “grazers.” These are the souls who forage on the salad bar gathering various flora with a multitude of toppings, and always return to your table with a slightly virtuous smile. I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

When we “get the craving,” we can't seem to get enough of the foods that are on our personal menu.  For me, it's Chinese food, especially kung-pao chicken. We can stuff our face and still be hungry for more, but foods are not the only area where we have a personal menu. We also have one in what we hunger for in life.

You don't have to watch people very long to see what's on their personal “life menu.” Some people crave power and influence, while others collect money and possessions. Some want to be on the cutting edge of fashion, and others hunger for fame and success. Some strive to be star athletes or highly respected authorities in their career field, while others constantly check their Facebook page to see how many “new friends” they have.

What's on your personal “life menu?” Which interests and pursuits tend to dominate your time and energy? Do they bring you deep and lasting satisfaction, or like food cravings, do they need to be constantly fed with more?

In His famous sermon on the mount, Jesus gives us an important truth about our “life menu.” He tells us: “Blessed, that is happy, are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (a right relationship with God), for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)

You see, God originally created us to be in relationship with Him. He wants us to enjoy our lives here and the good things we can have. However, if we are not in a right relationship with Him, we will find ourselves continuing to be hungry and craving for “something more.” It doesn't matter how much we fill our “life menu” with additional attainments, we won't find ongoing satisfaction.

Put a relationship with God at the top of your personal “life menu” today, and begin to experience the deep fulfillment only He can bring.

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. My son, Gabriel Ahn, will discuss how we hunger for righteousness and are filled, another topic in our current series: “What's the H in HRock Church?”

Going Steady

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was in junior high and my older sister was in high school. We had always been close, even as little children in Korea. We grew even closer when we came to the United States speaking no English, so we banded together as a supportive team.

But now all that had changed. Suddenly my sister was no longer communicating with me, but was constantly huddled with girlfriends in her bedroom amid lots of whispering and laughter. Naturally, I was curious, but every time I tried to listen in my sister would yell, "Che, get away from that door!"

She seemed to be preoccupied in some type of "altered" state with her mind constantly elsewhere. She spent more time than ever on the phone. Honestly I couldn't imagine having that much to say to anyone! She had obviously been taken over by some force, and I soon found out that force was a guy. You see my sister had "fallen in love," and was "going steady."

All her waking hours now seemed to be preoccupied with her boyfriend except for when she had to do her homework. Although I discovered girls at a young age, my sister’s behavior really seemed excessive and stupid. I remember thinking, "That will never happen to me!"

Boy was I wrong! A few short years later I was a sophomore in high school when I saw "her." She was the new girl and she was gorgeous! I became obsessed from the first moment I saw her, and soon discovered that my sisters "going steady behavior" made perfect sense.

Remember "going steady?" You were attracted to someone and they became the focus of your attention. When you were with them you seldom thought about anything or anyone else, and when you were away from them you couldn't wait to be with them again. There always seemed to be all sorts of things to talk about on the phone, although you could seldom remember what they were later. You wanted to do things with that person, buy things for them, take them places and be near them as much as you could. While it lasted, it was a wonderful experience in which you felt "fully alive," and on top of the world.

As we are all aware, the problem with the wonder and excitement of "going steady" was that it didn't last. Our fascination faded with time, but it was so great while it lasted. As we get older, we often substitute things like a career, hobby or recreational pursuits, and while we become very enthusiastic about them, they never match the all-encompassing fascination of that special relationship.

I think the reason that "going steady" affects us in such a powerful way is that we are wired to want an intense relationship with someone. God created us for a vital union with Himself. In 1 Peter 2:9 He tells us: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His perfect light."

God calls this exclusive focus on a relationship with him "holiness." It means to be set apart, and dedicated and consecrated to God. You see, God is deeply in love with us, and is inviting us to "go steady" with Him. He wants to satisfy our deepest desires for a fascinating and fulfilling relationship that never fades.

Please come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. We will be discussing holiness and our relationship with God, another topic in our current series, "What's the H In HRock Church?"

No Pain No Gain

Professional athletes know it. Amateur athletes know it. Bodybuilders know it. Fitness experts know it. If you want to build physical strength and endurance, you will experience a certain degree of pain. But this is not pain for pain’s sake.

Our muscles are created so that they respond to vigorous exercise with microscopic tears in the muscle fiber. This muscle damage signals repair activity in which new fibers are created, thus increasing the number and thickness of our muscle fibers. Certain hormones such as growth factor, pituitary and thyroid stimulate muscle growth and protein synthesis that allows more glucose to enter muscle cells and results in increasing energy and endurance. This cycle of exercise, muscle damage and muscle repair over time produces larger and stronger muscles.

The pain or soreness we experience in our muscles is actually due to the repair process that occurs after we exercise. Critical to supporting a healthy repair process is alternating activity and recovery periods. Every athlete knows that you don't exercise the same set of muscles day after day, because you can cause yourself serious injury. After exercise, muscles need time to repair, and therefore it's important to alternate periods of exercise with periods of rest.

It's also important to support the recovery and repair process by getting sufficient sleep, drinking plenty of water, feeding your muscles by eating lots of protein and nutrient dense foods, and persisting in your exercise efforts. Results take time to show outwardly, so it is also helpful to keep in mind a picture of yourself with those more well-developed muscles you desire.

While we understand this process of damage and repair in muscle healing and building, we often forget that this is a universal principle that applies to all areas of our lives. Challenges in any aspect of our life, our health, relationships, finances, career etc. produce pain and stress. Whether our pain is physical or emotional, involves disappointment or a sense of loss, we need to remember that we can choose to allow the healing process to take us to a stronger and better place.

God makes it very clear in Scripture that He is a healer. He wants to take us through illness, pain of all types, and our difficulties and make us stronger, and more confident through our healing. He has built all types of natural healing processes into our bodies and the world around us.

His love extends beyond the natural healing processes, however. In Isaiah 53:4–5 we are told: "Surely Jesus took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken and smitten by God. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was wounded for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed." He loves us so much, that He wants to ensure that we will always have access to healing no matter what we are facing.

The same principles we use to build strong muscles, also apply in obtaining our healing with God. It's important that we rest in confident trust in God's love and promises to us. We need to feed on the spiritually dense nutrition of God's Word and to drink deeply of His Holy Spirit by inviting Him into our lives. Finally, just as we can see ourselves with our buff body when we are building muscle, we need to keep a vision of ourselves as a whole, complete, healed person through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. We will be discussing more on obtaining our healing from Father God, as we continue in our current series, "What's the H in HRock Church?"

If Honor Ruled

Superman wears Tim Tebow pajamas.

When Tim Tebow touches water, it turns to Gatorade.

The NFL renamed the two-minute warning "Tebow Time."

Tim Tebow can tweet Scripture from a rotary phone.

When you're a public figure it's inevitable. When you've had public exposure for any time at all, you find yourself the brunt of jokes and the point of peoples’ sarcasm. And while some of the jokes are good-natured, other comments are intended to hurt and demean the receiver.

I just happened to run into these remarks about Tim Tebow following the Broncos very lopsided loss to the New England Patriots last weekend, and these were the good-natured jokes. But it really wouldn't make any difference what type of public figure I chose to follow, entertainer, successful entrepreneur, politician, etc., I would find plenty of unsavory remarks about each one.

It seems that it's impossible for us to allow any one person to receive honor for very long. We build them up, but then quickly tear them down. We see this pattern repeated over and over again. A person will receive positive attention, and everyone flocks to them with praise, but inevitably the negative remarks begin to increase and their every flaw becomes a media item.

Why can't we let honor remain unscathed? How would our lives be different if honor ruled?

Honor is valuing a person, and considering them worthy of our respect. What would the world be like if we chose to honor everyone? I began reflecting on this, and soon realized that it would make a profound change in the way we experience life here on earth.

For starters, our lives would be characterized by courtesy to one another. We would offer our seat to the older lady on the bus, or hold open the door for a person with packages in their hand. We would not go into "piranha mode" over that parking spot in the mall, or stampede others in our haste to reach the special sale item. Think how different political campaigns would be. Candidates would be civil to other each other during debates, and campaign ads would focus on issues, not on smearing other candidates.

These would be only the superficial changes. If we all really valued and respected each other, we wouldn't steal, cheat others, or commit violence against them. We wouldn't use deception or manipulation in our interactions with others either. There would be no crime, so we wouldn't need any prison systems or police departments, or regulatory agencies. That would free up a lot of public funds to pay off the national debt!

If honor ruled in schools, employment situations, and our individual homes, can you imagine how stress would be reduced? If we all gave each other encouragement and constructive criticism, how creative might we become as a society? We would probably reach potentials that we cannot even dream of today.

You may be thinking, "This speculation is pointless because it can never happen." Sadly I have to agree with you, because without a profound change it never will happen. You see we can only give what we have received, and far too many of us have never received real honor, so we don't honor ourselves. We don't really value and consider ourselves worthy of respect, so we don't respect others.

We need to have an encounter with our Heavenly Father. He honors us so much, that He considers us valuable enough to die for. And through His son Jesus Christ He did exactly that. He honored all of us because He knows we are valuable, for He created us that way. You see in God's heart, honor always rules.

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. I will be speaking about honor in our relationship with God and others. This is the fourth topic in our current series, "What's the H in HRock Church?"