2014 - Winter Quarter - Audio

The seed of prejudice is still very much alive in our broken world. As Von Humboldt reaffirms an idea that continues to plague our world “is that of establishing our common humanity.” Too often, we focus on the differences rather than the commonalities that shape our lives and purpose. Rodney Hume-Dawson, an emerging scholar and educator in California reflects on the prejudices he faced as a child and young man growing up with poliomyelitis in West Africa. He uses the story of Jonas’ prejudice in the Book of Jonah in the Bible and emphasized that too often, we are quick to make assumptions and judge others without even knowing them. He argues that the story of Jonah essentially teaches us that God’s nature is to be loving and merciful, patient and filled with kindness. He reiterated the fallibility and brokenness of the human race, and but for the Grace of God, we are all liable to fall ill or live with a disability at some point in our lives. As a result, he encouraged the audience to accept themselves as they are, and in so doing they will be able to love others. He also motivated them to start making a difference in the small places close to home (Roosevelt, 1958).

iGooglepedia is about searching for wisdom in a world of exponentially growing information. According to experts, the amount of information available to us in the digital world doubles in size every 72 hours, but wisdom is not growing at the same pace. People have access to lots of knowledge, but don’t know what to do with it. For guidance, we turn to one of the wisest, if not the wisest, man to ever live, King Solomon from Scripture. During his life he answered the call to both wisdom and folly, and at the end of his life he has the greatest gem of wisdom to share with the world.

We live in a fast paced world where many things cry out for our attention. Many of us are responsible for many important things as it relates to our vocational pursuits and families. How can we lay down our responsibilities and sit at the feet of Jesus? Why is it easier to remain “busy” or “worry” instead of accepting Jesus’ invitation to trust that He will and can take care of us? The story captured in Luke 10:27-41 shows the tension of being in the presence of Jesus and being with Jesus. Most of us are works in progress and are called to live like Mary in a Martha world.

Do you doubt that God really has a personal plan for your life? Does your doubt come from the fact that you've never had a major spiritual leadership role before in your community? Do you find yourself naturally avoiding this kind of spotlight? If so, then don't count yourself out. God's will is about to make itself known in a big way.

Ruth chapter 1 narrates a tragic story of loss. Naomi’s family is initially uprooted from Bethlehem due to a famine. She relocates in Moab, where she loses her husband and then her two sons. Naomi questions the role of God in her tragedy even as she hopes for a better future for her daughters-in-law. The biblical laws concerning family do not offer Naomi any hope. Hope arises from a redefinition of family initiated by a Moabitess who stands in solidarity with Naomi. Without this redefinition of family there is no future for Naomi, Israel or a messianic promise for the world.

In this special worship where we have members of our community share their experiences of God, we have two wonderful presentations. DP Harris & Amber Brown share how they respectively feel lead by God.

There is a reason Jesus healed on Sabbath, but what is it? What is healing if it is NOT work? The answer to this is thoroughly explored through Luke 13 and will change a life in its deepest core and impact that life for eternity.

Sometimes the pain of life and the guilt of sin cripples us. God wants to heal that pain and forgive that guilt. But how does that happen?

Most of us lack courage – the courage to do the right thing in a difficult moment. Sometimes a whole life hangs in the balance of one idea or one period of time. It is a fork in the road or the difficult path. When faced with that, what is our response? What determines how courageous we will be at the time? This presentation explores Luke 17 and how a moment of truth produces both likely and unlikely outcomes, depending on the person. The most rewarding life is one lived with courage – the courage to act and the courage to be.

Sometimes we desire what Jesus can do for us more than we desire Jesus himself. In fact, sometimes we choose to relate to him only if he will give us what we want. Could it be, however, that he himself should be faith's first focus.

What type of darkness scares you most? While there are many types of darkness, the one described in Luke 7 is probably the most difficult. It is the darkness of looking right at something and not being able to see it. From where he was sitting, Simon could easily see Jesus and the woman anointing Jesus, but he could not REALLY see them. He doubted who Jesus was and he failed to see the value of the woman. He was blinded by his own inability to see and understand. This is a terrible kind of darkness and we face it every day, although we are often not aware of it. We need others to help us look at situations from a different perspective. We will live life as we see it, but we will never see it clearly by ourselves. The answers are not one dimensional, but complex and elusive. This presentation will explore the danger of placing too much emphasis on one perspective and will illustrate the value of the community and of rubbing shoulders with those who differ.

My Best Friends & Me serve the LLU community through music. A mix of praise & worship songs and originals this is an awesome worship experience. Jason Silber – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, vocals • Brad Cacho – acoustic guitar, piano, glockenspiel • Julian Martinez – electric guitar • Philip Hivale – drums, cajon • Michael Giang – violin • Anthony Yeo – saxophone • Ryan Himawan – bass guitar • Ariana Anugerah – cello • Shannie - vocals