Hard Conversations

This vlog briefly looks at evolutionary psychology and how its understanding of ethics and morality gives grounds for devastating human behavior.

Too many people simply assume that what science promulgates is the unvarnished truth. But there is something that precedes science that influences how scientists will choose to interpret the data. What's that?

Good Friday, Easter Sunday but what about the Saturday in between during which time Jesus was in the state of death for the entire day? Where did he go? What does this imply for a lot of us?

I respond to the question, "Why should I believe the Bible when there are other sacred books?"

While talking about sanctification, I briefly consider spiritual differences between in-person worship and online worship.

Several years ago, before I got up to speak at a conference, the hosting pastor introduced me as Dr. PowerPoint. Yes, I heavily rely on this tool to communicate God's message. So, is that all good? That depends. In this vlog I imagine what may happen to my PowerPoint slides on the Day of Judgment.

I share one unforgettable moment in my life when the Lord exposed the motives of my heart in ministry. Ouch!

The three typical ways in which we use the cross against the instruction that came with it.

The young man I speak to in this vlog is a brilliant tech geek. He is well-known in the coding world because of his significant contribution to the field as a core maintainer of Babel, which is widely used among some of the biggest companies in the world. He recently worked on a new app, and I had a chance to talk to him about it. He also attends one of the AMI churches.

I had to make this vlog about Pastor Eddie because it has become apparent to me that this man had impacted so many lives, particularly pastors, with genuine love wrapped around his insightful words of wisdom! I, too, want to tell my story of how this man contributed toward what I am actually doing right now. But, before you get to that, listen first to the heartfelt words shared by pastors Joe, Seong and Bryan about the impact Pastor Eddie made in their hearts!

AMI has called Pastor Joe Suh, a long-time associate pastor at the Church of Southland in Anaheim, California, to succeed Pastor Eddie, who recently went to be with the Lord, as the Lead Pastor of Canvas City Church in Philadelphia. This is my interview with him and his wife Betty that I conducted while I was at Southland to attend Pastor Eddie's memorial service on January 3rd. The following Sunday at Canvas, I shared a message largely to prepare the congregation for their new pastor who will make an initial visit to Canvas on January 17th.

The last couple Pastor Eddie married (twice!) shares what it all means to them. They also covered the most ground (or air space) to make it to the memorial service held in Anaheim, California this past Wednesday (1.3.24). Check out their unique and special story.

Tina and Anthony Pham, from Church of Southland in Anaheim, California, have only been in northern Vietnam for three months (as of November 23, 2023). While they were in Ho Chi Minh City to attend a leadership conference AMI was holding for church leaders and pastors there, I sat down with them to talk briefly about how things were going with their missions in its very early stage.

In June, while directing AMI Institute held at the Church of Southland in Anaheim, California, I met a couple—John and Yisho—in their mid-50s who sat through the entire two weeks of the Institute. They had just made major decisions that greatly affected their careers and lifestyle in order that they could serve as missionaries in Guatemala. Five months later, I ran into their son while visiting the Living Water Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. This vlog is about what this son really thinks about his parents who have kissed the American Dream goodbye so they can serve God as missionaries.

This was the first-time visiting Vietnam after COVID-19; prior to that I had made multiple visits to this beautiful country forever linked to America because of the infamous war. Anyway, of all the people I have met there, Phi and Mai stand out as the most genuine believers. I interviewed them so that you can get to know them as well.

I just came back from Seoul, South Korea, and during my time there with my AMI colleagues, I learned something about missionaries to Korea I never knew. It had the effect of deeply touching all our hearts in gratitude of their sacrifice to serve Koreans at behest of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Earlier this month (Nov. 2023), I visited the Living Water Church in Over-The-Rhines, Cincinnati, Ohio. The last time I visited this church was February of 2020, that is, a month or so before the Pandemic led to the shutting down of the country. While the sudden passing of Dr. Johann in 2019 was accompanied by many changes made to the Living Water ministry, some things have remained unchanged, such as former AMI interns deciding to stay in the OTR community to live and to serve the Lord; in my latest visit, I got to interview four of them. Listen to their stories and understand why some people are drawn to this city despite its penchant for violence.

I recently sat down with Pastor Mark and had a conversation about his battle with a serious physical ailment that led him to make a life-altering decision in January of this year. We talked about faith, life and second chance.

Some people are quite upset about the so-called replacement theology, particularly in light of the escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict today. What is this theology? Is it a false teaching? And what does this theology have anything to do with Israel? In actuality, matters related to replacement theology are very fundamental to, among other things, our understanding of how God operates in our world, hermeneutics and end-times.

Should Israel matter to believers? If yes, then, how come some theologians and pastor say, "No"?

Recently, I had a chance to interview Pastor Joe, Lead Pastor of Remnant Church in Manhattan, and his wife Hanna, a licensed counselor, at his home. After a nice dinner P. Joe prepared, we reminisced about a very difficult decision they had to make to relocate from Philadelphia to New York City in 2015. What made it a bit easier for P. Joe was what his oldest son told him even as the young boy was heartbroken about having to leave the life that he loved in Philadelpha.

Not many people know about the background story of Pastor Yoon and his wife Becky, who became part of the AMI family in 2020. Because I felt that their story is quite unique, I was determined to interview them while visiting The Blessing Church for "Church and Culture" conference (Oct. 6-8, 2023) for which I was invited to speak.

I am reposting the vlog of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict made in 2021, with a new introduction. It was in response to Hamas' unprovoked attacks on Israel that pales in comparison to what they did to Israelis this past Saturday (Oct. 7). The Part A is entitled, "Christians at a Crossroads of the Israelis & Palestinian Conflict: What About, Not Hamas, But Palestinians?

The Remnant Westside Church (RWC) in Manhattan celebrated her 20th anniversary this past Sunday (September 24). Having been invited to share a message on this momentous occasion for RWC—for which I feel very grateful—I took the opportunity to interview Pastor Shan Gian, a young man who was installed as RWC's Lead Pastor two years ago. Shan will be first to admit that he didn't get here alone, for God placed two important men in his life, one in his 20s and the other in his 30s. May the Lord place able and faithful people in our path who can help us becoming able and faithful people ourselves to serve God better.

I recently spent ten entire days at home while studying theology with Dr. Won Kim, a man whom I first met in 1986, who flew in from California for that very purpose. All total, we spent some 80 hours talking about all kinds of theological matters. I interviewed this unique and very intelligent man who is getting ready to serve the Lord as a missionary in the Middle East.

This is Part 2 of "Ryun Does James So That No One Misses Out on Eddie":In this vlog, I assumed the identity of the apostle James, an older brother of John the apostle, to tell his story. Many people know James from the gospel accounts, but not many are aware of what happened to him in the Early Church. After discussing his life, I relate the findings to what my colleague Eddie Kim is currently going through, being inflicted with late-stage cancer

In this vlog, I assume the identity of the apostle James, an older brother of John the apostle, to tell his story. Many people know James from the gospel accounts, but not many are aware of what happened to him in the Early Church. After discussing his life, I relate the findings to what my colleague Eddie Kim is currently going through, being inflicted with late-stage cancer.

Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God? There are some people who, seeing themselves as knowledgeable, would say yes. This is my short response to them.

For those of us who feel that teaching the Bible looks fun. . . Think again before you take a stab at it.

Not many people have heard of PUBLIC THEOLOGY. In the Post-COVID-19 world, THAT theology looms large because of two reasons. One, the current culture is moving rapidly away from shared values necessary to sustain a stable and secure society. Two, the Church, who took a lot of body blows during COVID, may have become wary of addressing important sociocultural issues that are very consequential to our world. This is no time for the Church to remain silent; she must discover public theology and equip herself to articulate it for the common good of everyone in society. Consider this vlog as a short introduction to public theology.

I returned home late last night (June 27) after spending a whole month on the road. Of all the cities I visited during this trip—Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Francisco, El Paso (TX) and Las Cruces (NM), the most significant place has to be Silver City—a small town in eastern New Mexico—that I first visited in 1981, that is, 42 years ago. So why is this city so personally significant to me? Well, that's what this vlog is about. Enjoy.  

Who is this "45"-year old Lead Pastor? Check out the vlog and find out.

This is a compilation of videos and photos of my visit (along with my wife) to Montreal, Canada (May 18-21). Once there, we got to spend some quality time with Pastor Andrew and his wife, Jessie, and the Alive congregation.

AMI Institute is my organization's annual event (for 2 weeks) to expose those pastors and interns who are new to AMI to its spiritual and theological DNA. Since we just finished the first week of the Institute, consider this vlog as a progress report..

Joe Suh is an assistant pastor at the Church of Southland in Anaheim, California. Michael Choi is Professor of Systematic Theology at Torch Trinity Graduate University in South Korea. They do not know each other because they have never met. Nevertheless, they have one thing in common: Pastor Eddie Kim. Through this connection, I am sharing two vital biblical messages these men embody: one, putting God first above all else, including our own families (Luke 14:26-27), and two, finishing well in our faith journey (2 Tim. 4:7-8). 

Before heading home from my trip to E. Asia, I stopped by Los Angeles to spend a week at Tapestry Church to film twelve teaching videos and also to preach on Sunday (4.16). And after the service, I was greeted by the most significant person in my life (not including my parents and wife); it was a great surprise and joy! I also spoke to Grace Choe, the better half of Pastor Charles as well several Tapestry staff whom I have gotten to know over the years. Here I share my brief conversations with some of them. Enjoy. 

After I got done teaching in Taiwan, I flew over to Seoul, S. Korea a day before the Easter Sunday to see Pastor Eddie Kim, literally my neighbor who is getting retreatment for his late-stage cancer there. Besides needing to deliver cards and gifts to him from his Canvas congregants, I wanted to pray for him as well as have a conversation about his thoughts on faith, life and death.

Meet Pastor David Son and his wife Grace who came to Taipei four years ago to serve as missionaries. They are a couple who learned well from their mentors before coming here to serve. Their story goes to show that the best preparation to serve the Lord on the mission field is faithfully serving him on the home front. Check out their stories; they will warm your heart. Enjoy.

I have been visiting Remnant Church (AMI) in Manhattan (New York) since 2011 quite regularly. Except for a few occasions, I have always taken a bus to get there and then walk to the church upon arriving. This time was no different. Although I talked about the uniqueness of this church before (three services in three languages, every Sunday), this time I captured that in video. The vlog includes live footages and interviews that denote this Remnant uniqueness as well as brief excerpts from four messages I shared on March 18 and 19. Enjoy.

I have been annually visiting Journey Church of Atlanta since 2011 and have preached and taught there multiple times. In fact, I have many good and lasting memories with several people associated with this church—both past and present. Of course, being a church of young people, there is always an influx of people coming in and out; nevertheless, there are still a handful people in JCA whom I have known for a long time. Maybe that's why I was yearning to come this time more so than in any of my previous visits. This vlog contains the live footages of Sunday service, interviews with Pastor Dandy and Jennifer his wife, respectively, and a segment from my Friday night presentation. Enjoy

Pastor Mark is a colleague (AMI) and a good friend. He recently resigned as the Lead Pastor of Radiance Christian Church in San Francisco, a church the Lord allowed him to plant in 2011. The decision to leave was due in part to his health issues. This is a tribute video I prepared in response to the request made by the Radiance leadership. Thank you.

This is the prayer and benediction by Pastor Eddie Kim of Canvas Church in Philadelphia at the end of yesterday's worship service. This morning he left for Korea to receive treatment for his advanced cancer. May the Lord keep and guard Eddie during this difficult journey that just began.

There is something just as bad as racism, if not worse, and has been around a lot longer than racism. How old, then, is racism? What is it that is as bad as racism if not worse?

Do you have dogs? My family has had several dogs over the years, and we have enjoyed them immensely. Today, I am going to talk about two of those dogs because their paths crossed in such a manner that one led to life and the other, in all likelihood, to death. After sharing about important aspects of their lives, I am going to extract one very important spiritual principle from it and then apply it to the believers. Now, before you scoff at the idea of learning anything spiritual from animals, be reminded that God's word tells us to learn hard work from ants (Prov. 6:6-8), imitate innocence and shrewdness, respectively, from doves and serpents, respectively (Matt. 10:16). Happy New Year 2023!

Should we cancel the Christmas service this Sunday since many people won't be coming? You know, traveling and, maybe, too much partying the night before. A pastor in Boston did just that (not meeting this Sunday) and then wrote an article, which appears in the Gospel Coalition website, that defends his decision. This videoblog is my response to this pastor's rationale which he believes is firmly rooted in Scripture. I think not.  

If we are honest, and unless we read the Bible without ever mulling over implications of what we read, we must admit that there are accounts in Scripture that should really disturb us. One such story is God commanding Abraham to slaughter his son Isaac as a burnt offering to Him. That's a problem! We can either gloss over it as if God didn't really mean it or deal with it head-on, both biblically and philosophically. Recently, upon hearing a message given my pastor son Joshua, who just completed his PhD in philosophy, on this matter, my eyes lit up and my ears perked up. I think he offers a cogent and valid way to deal with this matter of God sanctioning atrocity, whether real or only in appearance. Listen to it and find out for yourself what I mean.

Did you have a nice Thanksgiving Day? Around this time of the year, the nine Israelis, who failed to thank Jesus for healing them of leprosy, get a lot of flak while the lone Samaritan, who did thank the Lord, gets a ton of praise. Do you really think that the nine didn't have a thankful thought? Sure, they did, but it wasn't enough to motivate them to return to Jesus to do what the Samaritan did: “He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him.” Why? What's the difference between them? How would you have responded if you were one of them? This videoblog shows that unless we “move” to where Jesus stays, a place called, “outside the camp,” we will do exactly what the nine did.

More than a week ago in Itaewon, South Korea, what is dubbed as Halloween stampede or crush took the lives of 156 young people. It is an incredibly sad moment and a catastrophic loss of lives, potentials, and possibilities. In this short video, I raise this question: Could it be that the Lord seeks to speak to churches in South Korea through this manmade tragedy? If so, then, what might be His message to them? Are there any spiritual ramifications to a body of churches like Acts Ministries International (of which I am its teaching pastor)? I bring this matter up because there is an uncanny similarity between those who perished in Itaewon and the kind of people who attend AMI churches. These are some of the questions I raise in this presentation in view of the tragedy that occurred on Halloween, a day of celebrating death, demons, and witches.

It is one subject no one wants to talk about, in churches of all places! Death. Sure, it is a morbid topic, but never talking about it certainly does not make death go away, and it leaves us woefully ill-prepared to deal with it when it's our turn to die, sometimes a lot sooner than we had hoped. Not that I myself was interested in the topic but that all changed when I witnessed how my father handled the devasting news that he had only several months to live due to cancer. So it is from my father that I learned about dying well in Christ. Yes, he died very quickly after finding out about the disease, but the way he died gave me a vivid picture of how I would like to depart this world when it is my turn. I hope you enjoy this video about a matter we rather not talk about. Thank you.

We spend most of our time in school or at work with people who do not share our faith and values rooted in the historic Christian faith. Yet, the truth of the matter is that many believers today will say, “So what?” Yes, there is hardly any tension felt by believers who have been co-opted by the mood of our culture that privileges inclusivity, plurality and zero-tolerance of anything resembling intolerance—whether real or imagined. This videoblog is about how we need to better understand our unbelieving coworkers and classmates, many of whom are atheists, agnostics and universalists, on the one hand, and foul-mouthed, party animals, on the other. To help us do that, I am going to share about my encounter with a UCLA professor who prompted me to rethink about my fundamental assumptions about the unregenerate unbelievers who are spiritually dead. Without seriously grappling with this matter, we will not evangelize (feeling no tension), and, when and if do so, we will greatly miss the mark.

Last Sunday I got to preach three sermons at Remnant Church in Manhattan: the first sermon in Korean, the second in English and the last one in Spanish. That was the first time that that ever happened to me. It was a very unique experience, especially because of surprise guests who came to the worship service in Spanish. And the Lord did something very special for these people who are facing great needs. This presentation done in three languages (with English translation) is entitled, "1 Sunday-3 Sermons in 3 Languages-About 1 Lord." God bless.