Perch.Church

We live in a world of contradictions. We are spiritual beings in earthly bodies. We are loving creatures in a hateful world. We are designed for relationships but religiosity surrounds us. What do we do with all this tension? We are called to be people of substance yet we are surrounded by shadows. Well, God calls us not to shy away from the shadows but to enter into it. In fact, God calls His people to enter into the tension that is this world, to not ignore or run away from the contradictions but to live in it and to be a light in the darkness.Join us on Sunday March 19 as we explore what it means to live in the shadows as people of substance.Colossians 2:16-23

Let's be honest, if you're a spiritual person or a person of faith, you've had your fair share of doubts. Everyone doubts sometimes. So the question should not be whether or not we should doubt, The question should be what should we do with those doubts. Surprisingly, God is not only comfortable with our doubts, God actually welcomes them. One thing is for certain, doubt can either bring us closer to God or push us away from God; but doubt will certainly never be neutral.The passage we observe today shows how even heroes of faith can doubt sometimes.Doubt keeps us honest. Doubt keeps us humble. Doubt keeps us hungry.Luke 7:18-23

Everyone waits, but not everyone intentionally waits. When we wait with intention, God works within us to help us heal, grow, and move forward in our spiritual lives. This is what Lent is all about, intentional waiting.

This Sunday we do a deep dive into the role of “shadow work” and examining ourselves as an imperative to healthy spirituality based on Psalm 139:1-15.

What does healthy spiritual growth look like? When I was younger, I thought it was as simple as reading, learning, and remembering. Now I'm realizing that growth is a constant process of knowing and unknowing, learning and unlearning, taking in and sending out. Join us tomorrow as we discover what “Grow Thyself” actually looks like. Based on 1 Corinthians 13:9-13

What's the relationship between belief and works? Well, that's the difference between an active faith and passive belief. We see this everywhere, not just in Christianity. Some might passively believe in social justice and easily talk about it and share it on social media, but how are they actively faithful about it? Some might passively believe in equity, but how are they actively faithful about making it a reality? Faith in God is no different; but if we start by observing our faith in God, it spills over into every other area of our lives.

Perhaps you have heard the expression, “When God closes a door, He opens a window.” But is that always true? If you go looking for that quote in the Bible, you'll be looking for a long time because you won't find it in there. But every open door offers new opportunities for the people of God to grow, connect, and love.

What does it mean to have an “open spirit”? Interestingly, I think it might be easier for some of us to recognize when someone has a “closed spirit.” Having an open spirit is essential in recognizing the constant work that God is doing in and around us. It also allows us to receive the blessings God desires to give; sadly, the blessings of God are readily available for all people, many just don't have spirits open enough to notice them.

The road of life can introduce us to some unexpected people, new experiences, and profound challenges. However, there are many ways many tend to avoid these people, experiences, and challenges along the way. They avoid unexpected people by surrounding themselves with people just like them. They circumvent new experiences because they stay in their little socioeconomic silos. They rarely confront profound challenges because they remain shelters and complacent. But who's really paying the consequences in the end? When we don't embrace unexpected people, new experiences, or profound challenges, our worldview remains narrow and we cease to grow.

One of the Four Core Values of Perch.Church is open-mindedness. We believe that in order experience healthy and holistic spirituality, open-mindedness is absolutely essential. But the concept of openness is important in terms of being open to opportunities, relationships, and other spiritual practices. In short, if we are not open, we are not growing.

During spiritually dry seasons, it seems like our spirits are barely trying to survive. We easily distract ourselves with busyness, activities, and entertainment, but our souls are shriveling within. God sends us little graces along the way to help sustain us during times of spiritual droughts. We just have to be able to open our spiritual eyes to see them.

It's summertime and it's been hot and dry in Souther California. This begs the question, have you been in a spiritually dry season? Maybe you're in a spiritually dry season right now. How do we get out of spiritually dry season? Is it simply waiting on God, or is there more to it?

Have you ever felt FOMO? If so, is it possible God wants to grow you through that experience?Last month Rev. Sam Roberson guest spoke on “Forgiveness” for our Justice Series.This Sunday, he'll be visiting again and sharing “A Sad Tale of FOMO.”

Last Sunday we went over the theme of Judgment in our Justice Series. However, it seemed like we just scratched the surface on this important theme. So we will be continuing our discussion on Judgment this Sunday for 4th of July weekend.

Are you guilty of being a judgmental person? Far too often people have looked down on others in judgment because of their lifestyle, social status, or other reasons. I have found that as I have gotten older, I am becoming less and less judgmental and more and more understanding. There are probably many reasons behind this, but one big reason is because I have suffered and learned from my sufferings. One truth I've realized is that judging your neighbor is the beginning of hatred.

Jesus taught us to forgive our enemies and pray for those who offend us. Isn't that annoying? But Jesus actually gave this command because of His concern for His followers and not the offenders. Forgiveness is a gift for the forgiver more than the forgiven.

Justice is something we all want. In fact, justice is a God-given desire innate in everyone. Yet, how many of us are willing to do the difficult work of looking inward and asking ourselves how we're embodying justice in our own lives? While it's easy for us to point fingers and blame others for what's wrong with the world, what is God calling His people to do in times of turmoil, division, and injustice?

Justice is something we all want. In fact, justice is a God-given desire innate in everyone. Yet, how many of us are willing to do the difficult work of looking inward and asking ourselves how we're embodying justice in our own lives? While it's easy for us to point fingers and blame others for what's wrong with the world, what is God calling His people to do in times of turmoil, division, and injustice?

Today we will lament and observe prayer reflecting on the tragedy that happened in Uvalde, TX this past Tuesday.For those watching online, please follow along with the Bulletin Attached. 5.29 Bulletin

Do you have any addictions? I have an addictive personality so I have to be careful what I consume. But lately, I'm trying to have a different approach towards addiction. Perhaps addictions are just another form of bonding; all human beings have an innate need to bond with others. I would also argue that all human beings have an innate need to bond with God. If human beings cannot bond with God or others in healthy ways, they'll bond to something else like drugs, alcohol, pornography, or gambling. As journalist and researcher Johann Hari explained in his widely viewed TED talk, “The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it's connection.”

Have you ever felt stuck in your life? Perhaps you've felt stuck vocationally, relationally, or financially.But have you ever wondered if you've ever felt stuck spiritually? Since 2020, it seems like most people are spiritually stuck but are either clueless as to how to overcome or they're utterly oblivious to their own spiritual state. We will explore this important, relevant and rarely examined phenomenon of feeling spiritually stuck.

A common misconception that many people have regarding faith is that all of our questions will get answered, all of our doubts will be erased, and all of our struggles will be disappear. In fact, often times our faith calls us into asking more questions, causes us to have more doubts, and makes us endure greater struggles. So why would anyone in their right mind become a person of faith? It's because spiritual growth and peace is found in the questions, doubts, and struggles. Staying in the valleys of life will ensure one thing: we stay exactly the same. It's precisely when we traverse the mountainsides and enter into the wilderness where genuine spiritual wholeness is found.Faith invites us to enter into the wilderness.

Have you ever wondered what happened after Jesus' resurrection? As we learned last week, Jesus' resurrection was first experienced by a handful of people. Over time, more of Jesus' followers witnessed Jesus' return from the grave, but His resurrection was never meant to be for the crowds of spectators like some of His miracles, His entrance into Jerusalem, or even His death on the cross. Yet after His resurrection, Jesus hung around for 40 more days before He ascended in heaven. But why? Well, it's because Jesus' resurrection was only the beginning, not the end. It was a restart.

The definition of hope can differ from person to person. When people speak about hope in a spiritual sense, it might mean believing good things will happen with faith in God. For others, it might mean always looking on the bright side and seeing challenges as opportunities. In other words, always “hoping for the best.” Merriam-Webster's definition makes “hope” seem close to “wish.” “To cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true.”In general, hope is the belief that life will get better. Now, that could mean that your circumstances may not change; maybe you'll change to be able to better handle life's difficulties. Perhaps God will send people your way who will help carry your burdens. Maybe God will give you a spiritual fulfillment that will outweigh the hardships.I don't know about you, but my life is still really difficult. One thing is certain, it is impossible to experience any joy without hope. This is what Easter is all about: hope.

There's an old adage: all roads lead to Rome. The reason why this saying came to be is because the Romans developed an advanced road system that connected various cities in their expansive Roman Empire. In ancient Jerusalem, however, there was only one path to Jerusalem because of where the city was situated on top of a plateau. The walk to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was the longest walk that Jesus ever took in his life because he knew what waited for him in that holy city; joyous welcome, healing miracles, meals with friends, malicious religious leaders, and his death on a cross.We all walk long roads sometimes in our lives that lead to heavy endings. These ends are often mixed with positive and negative experiences. Yet thru it all, God has a purpose or purposes behind them. While not “everything happens for a reason,” we can always learn, grow, or heal from every experience.

Have you or someone you know gone through a difficult divorce, separation, or breakup? Then you may want to check out our next Sunday Seminar on “Life After Separation.” Many people separate from longterm relationships, but not many people put a lot of thought and intention into how they should recover or heal from the loss, grief, and hurt associated with the separations. Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist Roy Kim will be sharing about what commonly happens after a separation, how to move forward with life, and even being healthier as a result.

It's been almost exactly two years since we've Covid was declared a global pandemic with various quarantine, mask, and social gathering mandates. Things are finally opening up again and life can move forward, but life doesn't feel quite normal. In fact, many parts of our lives feel messier than ever before. Countless businesses closed down, many relationships are broken, and communities are left in shambles. According to the Four Stages of a Crisis, it appears we are entering the Third Stage of a Crisis, which is called Chronic. This is the “Clean-Up” stage. After the dust has settled, you assess the damage done and you start to cleanup the broken pieces. Most of us have never been this way before, which is why we need guidance from God, support from a community, and love for ourselves.As a brother from Perch recently suggested, “Just take it one day at a time.”That's all any of us can do right now. Take it one day, one step, one task at a time.

Have you been waiting for change? And what are your thoughts on waiting? Perhaps you think its a waste of time, a void, or counter-productive. What if waiting can be more than that? What if waiting is good for the heart and spirit? God designed our lives to have periods of waiting interspersed throughout. While most people live for the “big moments,” we can easily look down on the periods of silence, stillness, and in-between. If done correctly, waiting for change can profoundly change us while we're waiting.

Everyone has some varying degrees of regret in their lives, that is everyone who is relatively healthy and able to self-reflect. If you're honest with yourself, you probably have your fair share or regrets too. But is there such a thing as healthy or unhealthy regret? Interestingly, the Bible has much to teach us on this topic. As long as we're able to distinguish between healthy/unhealthy regret, able to self-reflect, and process our regrets well, we need not be afraid of regret; rather, we can embrace it has a part of life and a welcome teacher.

”Keeping it real” means something different for different people. For some, it means being brutally honest despite hurt feelings and damaged reputations. For others, it means being true to yourself regardless of how it affects those around them. But have you ever wondered what the downside might be to “keeping it real?” And what about self-awareness. How can one “keep it real” if they're not very self-aware?

In this time of “cancel culture,” it feels like almost anything you say, do, or stand for can get you excluded. Unfortunately, it's no different in many American churches. “If you're a Christian, you have to vote for . . .” “If you're not an affirming church, you're a bigoted church.”While it is the Church that's supposed to be changing and shaping culture, it seems as though the Church has become a mirror image of culture; acting and behaving just as antagonistic as the rest of the world. In many ways, the Church needs to be the most exclusive AND inclusive organization the world has ever seen. The Church is the most exclusive organization in the world because we believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. On the other-hand, the Church is the most inclusive organization in the world because we believe everyone should “come as they are” and the hospitality is extended to all. Jesus was rejected, despised, and canceled by the world; but Jesus needed to go through that horrific experience in order to have all of us feel embraced by God's love.

What makes you want to fight? As human beings, we have an inherent primitive instinct to fight when we feel threatened. Perhaps this helps explain why many people have been so belligerent and combative the past two years because we have all been in survival mode. It seems as if we have seen the worst of humanity lately ranging in everything from racially charged murders to attack on the capitol. What people rarely talk about is also the best of humanity that has been displayed; millions have American citizens have rallied together in protest of racial injustice; people have donated more to charities on Giving Tuesday 2021 than ever before; and 80% of Californians have gotten the Covid vaccine, which is higher than we've ever seen for the influenza vaccine. This tells us that everyone has varying degrees of “fight” in them; they will either fight a “good fight” or a bad one.

What are your thoughts and reflections on failure? Most people typically think in one of two ways: failure is something we try to forget or failure is something we are ashamed of. Rarely will people embrace failure as a way of life. Yet, that's exactly how are to approach failure if we want to grow spiritually. In Western culture, we often think dualistically: “success is good; failures is bad.” But the two are inseparable from one another. They are two sides of the same coin.

What does spiritual growth look like? Is it up and to the right? Or is it more complex than that?Many people of faith take cues from the world around us to help explain spiritual maturity. But those metaphors are not always the most helpful because the kingdom of God doesn't operate like the kingdom of the world. The kingdom of the world rewards the proud and punishes the humble. The kingdom of the world uplifts the bold and cuts down the meek. Maybe spiritual growth is not up and to the right. Maybe spiritual growth is not even linear at all.

What does true unity look like to you? I've been in contexts where unity looked like conformity; everyone has to think, act, dress, and behave the same way. I've been in contexts where unity looked like control; everyone lives the way they're instructed. But I've also been in contexts where unity looked like diversity in communion; different voices, styles, behaviors, and backgrounds coming together for the common good.As a person trying to create a new community that strives for unity, I'm learning this truth:Healthy unity embraces individual uniqueness.Unhealthy unity controls individuals through conformity.

What are you afraid of? And how much of your decision-making is based on fear? It seems like everyone around us is freaking out these days because of omicron. But how much of our fear is based in reality?For example, if you look at the NY Times graph below, your eye naturally gravitates toward bright red line, which is the dramatic spike in Covid cases in the last month. However, that's actually the least important data on the graph. You'll notice that hospitalizations have not increased as drastically and that death rate has virtually plateaued. Yet, it seems like the level of fear in our culture is hyperbolically heightened. Why is that? Who benefits from your increased level of fear and panic? Do small business owners benefit? Or is it the people who control the news, social media, and technology?We'll be pushing some buttons Sunday as we deep dive into our subconscious as we strive to have a healthy “Perspective On Fear.”

Happy New Year? Another year, another surge, another, well, everything. Do you remember when 2021 new year rolled around? Parades were cancelled, holiday parties were shut down, and most people were working and attending school online. We naively thought 2021 would be better because the vaccine was more readily available. Now as 2022 rolls around, people tend to look forward to it with far less excitement than they used to. What do we need to get through this new year without fear and anxiety? We don't need the toxic positivity that we see flooding our social media feeds. Nor do we need to get angry at every institution and lash out at everybody.What we need is a NEW PERSPECTIVE.

ABOUT SUNDAY'S THEME As we're all aware, the Covid-19 pandemic has swept the world the past two years and has left millions dead. Yet there's another surge not many people are talking about; the sharp rise in anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. This highlights a deep-seated problem within humanity; the lack of emotional, mental, and spiritual health. What happens when people are prevented from engaging in regular activities that regularly distract them from their loneliness, sadness, and internal fears? All of those feelings will eventually come out. This is precisely what we are witnessing right now. And this is precisely why Jesus came into the world. Jesus came in the midst of darkness, disparity, and desperation. Jesus came to give humanity hope, peace, and guidance. Jesus is our North Star.

What happens when you skip over the good parts of a movie and jump to the end? You miss a lot of what the filmmaker intended for the viewer to experience. You have a limited view of the story. And you miss out on a lot of the benefits of the journey.Often times when it comes to faith, people want to gloss over the hard parts or bail as soon as things get difficult. When we do this, we miss out on a lot of the ways God wants us to grow, mature, and experience life.

We shared earlier three different ways of expressing gratitude and how it can help us become more grateful in our lives. But what are the great obstacles or enemies of gratitude? Since gratitude needs to be regularly practice, gratitude is a practice that needs to be intentional and exercised often. If we are not cognizant of the things that discourage gratitude, then we will inevitably drift into complacency and entitlement.

ABOUT SUNDAY'S THEMEDid you know that a life of gratitude can lead to healthier relationships, longer lifespan, and generosity?Even more prevalent is that gratitude begets generosity begets spiritual vitality.How does grateful generosity manifest?

Can healthy spirituality and anger coexist? Also, can gratitude and anger coexist? When some people think of enlightened individuals, they think that anger cannot be part of that equation. But some of the most spiritual people in modern history were people who were angry about injustice; MLK, Ghandi, Mother Teresa, or Rosa Parks. Yet, remaining in a state of perpetual anger is not helpful either

ABOUT SUNDAY'S THEMEDid you know the opposite of gratitude is actually entitlement? In fact, we live in a very entitled culture, especially in Los Angeles. Most Americans believe that we have what have in our lives as a result of our determination, talent, and hard work. While we can stop to enjoy life, how often do we really stop to express and acknowledge gratitude?

The mission statement for Perch is “a hospitable community for spiritual wanderers.” Hospitality is very important, not only to our church but to faith as a whole. In fact, the reason why we can even call ourselves the children of God is because God extended hospitality to us, welcoming us into his family by extending the invitation of unconditional love. This is why the spiritual practice of hospitality is so important yet often neglected. We will conclude October's “Neighbors” series this Sunday by exploring hospitality.

We all know that we all run into conflict with our neighbors, friends, and family sometimes. But did you know that conflict is necessary for healthy relationships? If Jesus calls us to be peacemakers, that means that conflict is a required step in order for peace to come to fruition. Being a peacemaker is very different from being a peacemaker.

Last week, Al Han shared some of the valuable life lessons he learned over the past year as a hospital chaplain… love and let go, love anyway, and love by listening. This Sunday he will be concluding this message and you will find that much of what he shares to be applicable in your own relationships, including how to truly love your neighbor.

After a two week hiatus, Al Han is returning to share some of the valuable life lessons he learned over the past two weeks and past year as a hospital chaplain. You will find that much of what he shares to be applicable in your own relationships, including how to truly love your neighbor.

This Sunday we have a very special guest speaker visiting Perch, Randy Choi. Randy has been a friend of Perch Pastor Al for nearly 20 years since grad school days. He has served in Los Angeles for many years as a pastor, working in non-profit, and volunteering in inner-city. He is currently a real estate agent and a newlywed to his wife Alex. He'll be giving the first message in our new series for October.