re•fresh

lsf newsletter | fall 2013

♥new year, new structure.There are several reasons as to why the board was dissolved and why we wanted to move for-ward without it as a church. Besides telling you about the reason as we’ve explained it from Ephesians 4:11-12, I want to explain it from a different perspective as to why it was dissolved.

A big issue that is plaguing our churches today is that we’ve built them to have hierarchies. If you are on the church board then you are consid-ered someone special. And if you are considered someone special, then your rank or level within the church is higher than the rest of the people. Then, once you’re perceived as someone who is higher than the rest of the people, then the rest of the people start to talk about how undeserving you are of being in that position. It allows people to target the people that are already in ‘leader-ship’ positions and also allows people in ‘leader-ship’ to have a figuratively ‘big’ head.

The fundamentals of God’s kingdom aren’t this way. Jesus talks of a different fundamental when it comes to the structure of HIS Kingdom. Let’s take a closer look as to the structure that Jesus talks about in the Bible. It comes from a dispute amongst the disciples in which they argue as to who is the greatest. Luke 22:24-26 says,

24 And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be great-est. 25 And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ 26 But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant.

Clearly, Jesus desired for His disciples to live as people who do not rule over other people, but to become as the lowest of their society and group. In Jesus’ saying, the “leader” is to become like a servant for others. In other passages in the Gos-pels, Jesus speaks of the Kingdom in this very manner, i.e. Matt 18:1-6; Luke 18:9-14, 15-17; Matt 20:24-28. The principle is that we don’t live or view the Kingdom as a place in which we build ourselves up, but the principle is that we humble ourselves and become as one who is equal to a servant. In Luke 22:27, Jesus gives us the big-

gest reason as to why we are to become like ser-vants. He says, “For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.” It’s because He Himself was among us as one who serves. The Greatest in the Kingdom came to the very bottom. He wasn’t here merely to sit around and do nothing, but to be a servant amongst us.

This is exactly how Jesus wants us to live. By going on without a board, it gives us a chance to live just as Jesus did. Live as if we don’t take our positions to lord it over one another, but to find ways to serve one another and love each other as Christ did.

Frankly, it hasn’t been the most popular change that has come about to LSF, but I believe it has happened for the better. Principally, it makes sense. God wants us to look for Him to lead us, to ultimately be our King. The board isn’t a nec-essary layer for the church to exist. God, not a board, is in control of the decisions at church. As we continue to move forward as a church, it is the hope of God that we follow in His footsteps in becoming servants for each other and others around us. God wants us to be in tune to others’ needs and be His ambassadors in fulfilling those needs.

In moving forward, the challenge for all of us is to think of innovative ways as to how we, as a church, plan on filling the needs of others around us. There is a plan to organize in some kind of way, but it won’t be the way in which our church used to function. However, we must continue to ask ourselves some questions moving forward. How can we continue to build our community

through our service to each other? What are some tangible ways that we can effectively be representatives of those who Christ wanted us to be to others? In what ways can we build God’s Kingdom? How can we practice those suggest-ed ways? Continue to challenge yourselves and shift your paradigm. Ask God how you can build His Kingdom in the proper way and let Him be your Guide.

1 by david kang

♥to love & care

a glimpse at LSF ministries

Dorm RoomVisitations

by Luke Kang

This past semester, we have been vis-iting the nursing home more often. It is the nursing home really close to Andrews that is nearby McDonalds and Taco Bell. We have been going after church on Saturdays and a few interesting things have been happening. We usually start by talking to the elder-ly and then sing songs for them. A few popular songs are Jesus Loves You and What a Friend We Have in Jesus. It’s pretty funny because this one lady named Opal always requests that song. She requests that song about 2 times each time we visit. Also, on one of the visits, we split the vol-unteers into two groups because there were a lot of us and so one of the groups stayed back to write Christmas cards for them. It has been a blessing to spend time with the elderly. It is rewarding because we get to go back multiple times to build relationships with them. I look forward to continuing to reach out to them.

Visiting is not only for pastors. Visiting comes in all forms whether we go to hang out with a friend, study with classmates, or pray for others. However, I believe making the ef-fort to see a few people at least once a week to ask them how everything is whether it be one on one, with another friend, or in a group is something significant to do to remind them that you care for them, and more importantly that God cares for them. Praying with some-one is something meaningful for the visitor and visitee, for it brings God into their rela-tionship. Having a larger group for dorm visi-tations for both the girls and guys have made it much more efficient and opportunity-open-ing to have an organized group to make sure everyone was visited in a timely manner. We continued the tradition by Pastor Jinha to pass out snacks with Bible verses on them in order to remind them that God provides peace in our lives in any situation. One of the verses used went like, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).I hope and pray that everyone can see the importance of visiting at least one person or friend and spending that time in prayer after a conversation. “For I was hungry, and you gave Me some-thing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:35-36).

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Nursing Home Visitationsby Kenneth Choi

welcome backannual beach trip

tiscornia beach, 08/31/13

by won jin jeon

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At the beginning of fall semester of 2013, on a sunny, beautiful Sabbath af-ternoon, the members of Living Springs Fellowship, including the newest freshmen, journeyed to Tiscornia Beach. Everyone gathered together near the water’s edge; some had expressions of fear and anxiety, while others smirked and grinned. Then, the “Freshmen Initiation” started. The traditional act began with groups of junior and senior men and women grabbing the arms and legs of the unfortunate freshmen and either lifting or dragging them to the water. Soon, freshmen found themselves covered with sand and soaked to the hair. Some resisted the upperclassmen, like Ye Ryung Lee who desperately clung to her older brother Ye Joon, but no freshmen were shown mercy. One freshman, Ansel Nam, made the initiators’ job easier by submis-sively walking into the cold water. Then, it was free-for-all and nearly everyone got wet. By the end of the dunking experience, everyone was in a good mood, laughing and enjoying the moment. After the exhaustive act of dunking each other, some moved on to touch football, others to basketball, still others to Frisbee throwing, and even more to pier jumping. With not enough outer clothing on, a handful of men jumped in on the count of three. They were not alone, however. Two old ladies watched the entertaining sight and took out their cameras to record LSF men jumping in unison off the Tiscornia Beach pier. Once everyone had their fill of fun, the massive group of LSF members slowly headed back to the parking lot. In the midst, one could see an act of kindness: Jason Kim giving Kyungje Sung, who had been injured playing bas-ketball, a piggy-back ride all the way back. Overall, the adventure to Tiscornia Beach consisted of a great bonding experience, minor injuries, and a refreshing way to start the year. Beside the beautiful lake and with members of the family of God, two of the greatest gifts of God, the members of Living Springs Fellowship created memories and made new friends.

introducing the freshmen

(some of)

Q: What is your favorite cafe food?

Ansel: Smashed potatoes. Because they’re not mashed.

Rachel: I think the breakfast menu is pretty good. Especially the omelette bar

Adriana: As a lover of Italian food, I’m happy whenever there’s pasta (well, most of the time).

Austin: Favorite food would have to be a sub from the Gazebo... but from the Cafe I guess I would say Sam’s Chicken + mashed potatoes... and the cookie dough ice cream.

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Q: What is your first impression of LSF/An-drews? What brought you to LSF?

Ansel: Really interesting or nice people. I sort of was intrigued when I first visited during preview.

Rachel: I really like that LSF is student ori-ented and student-run. When I came to vis-it, everyone seemed so comfortable with each other like family and I really liked that

Adriana: Andrews impressed me very much when I visited April of my senior year; it’s what drew me away from Walla Walla, where I was so set on going. People were nicer and I liked the bigger campus, the amount of di-versity, better caf food, higher emphasis on academics, rank, and its location in a differ-ent part of the country, the Midwest. I’ve al-ways liked going to new places, so it fit well. As for LSF, I was surprised at how nice peo-ple were because it wasn’t what I expected. I was new to the Korean community, which I knew very little about, so it was pleasant to be so kindly welcomed by everyone. I kept going back thanks to my newfound friends and now LSF is the primary church I go to.

Austin: My first impression of LSF was “Wow, that’s a lot of Koreans.” I mean, I used to go to a Korean church and have been to camp meetings, but I was still surprised at how many Koreans there were walking about Andrews in general and the amount of students that are part of LSF. Also, I was kind of thinking that all of the LSF/Kore-an-American people were exclusive and only hung out with each other. As I found out later, LSFers are extremely welcoming and inviting to everyone. I think I went to LSF partly because I just wanted to check out all of the churches around campus and partly because a lot of my friends were go-ing as well. Turns out the only churches I’ve actually gone to are PMC, LSF, and One Place because of choir.

Q: Is being a freshman scary?

Ansel: Yeah, but isn’t everything scary?

Rachel: Not really. The upperclassmen have been nice...so far

Adriana: Yes, being a freshman is scary, be-cause it’s a venture into the new, unknown realm of college. Simultaneously, it’s ex-citing and invigorating because of unique revelations and the relationships I’ve devel-oped. The beginning steps towards a career where there’s a level of uncertainty, of not knowing whether I chose the right major or not or whether I’m doing the right thing is perhaps what I worry about the most. It’s a time for discovery, as some people call it, a time to ‘find [myself]’ and uncover who I truly am and what I’m really passionate about. Not only is there that uncertainty, it’s also an adjustment, of getting accustomed to courses more rigorous than high school, being away from home, and embracing life on my own. Overall though, it’s been a great experience from the start, getting to meet wonderful people from different places, be-ing embraced by a community I wasn’t ex-posed to back home, and learning as much as I have not only academically, but in other areas as well. Nothing though, compares to the greatest thing that has come from my college experience so far; dependency and trust in God. I’ve come to know Christ like never before, especially through my strug-gles with college life which I underestimat-ed and found to be harder than I thought. They say that in college, students tend to draw away from Christ, but for me at least, I’ve experienced the opposite.

Austin: Being a freshman was terrifying, mostly because my mom kept on telling me how important Freshman year and es-pecially the 1st semester of Freshman year are. There are plenty of things to worry about like doing well in classes, making new friends, getting along with your roommate, making your own decisions, etc. However, looking back, all of those come naturally as the semester goes on and really, there’s nothing to fear about being a freshman ex-cept realizing how short college is and how quickly it’s going to go by.

the freshmen

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ansel namrachel kimadriana delgadoaustin huh

Q: What were/are your ex-pectations from Andrews and/or LSF? Has it been met or not?

Ansel: I’ve forgotten what they were, but I’m sur-prised by how things have changed because of An-drews and LSF. and I think that’s a good thing.

Rachel: I came to Andrews really excited about being meeting people and mak-ing friends that were like family. It helps that we’re in an all-girls dorm because I feel like I got really close to the freshmen girls. This semester was busy for ev-eryone but I’m really hoping that I will get closer to the upperclassmen next se-mester!

Adriana: I didn’t have many expectations of LSF, but I’ve found it to be well organized and better than I expected. It’s nice to have a church body of college students close in age to connect with, worship Christ, and talk about deeper issues and problems. I appreciate having been incorporated into the church community so quickly. Back home where vibrant church life and in-volvement was lacking, I’m thankful for the involvement of everyone and being allowed to sing on the praise team.

Austin: Honestly, I kind of expected Andrews to be boring in the sense that there wouldn’t be crazy weekend plans or late night outings that are possible at other universi-ties unless you go looking for it. However, I also came to Andrews looking forward to meeting new people and making new friends with whom I could have fun and make lifelong memories without that kind of lifestyle. For once, I didn’t want to just be able to relate to my classmates on a social level, but on a spiritual level. Andrews, at the very least, has met these expectations.

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into the wild

fi vc

September 27-29, 2013

Never before done by LSF, Man Camp, I believe, was a huge success. It gave us a chance to open up, be completely comfortable, and explore ideas that had never or rarely been explored. We could really let our guard down, unconcerned about women judging our odor. We do not often get a chance to breathe and talk about what really matters or concerns us. Whether God, friends, family, morals, or oth-erwise, we had a chance address these things. Still, men will be men, and we had more than enough time to have fun. Seeing Johnny running around a field without a shirt, catching wild Alaskan salmon, diving into a subzero whitewater rapid, see-ing Johnny drenched in water without a shirt, and sleeping under the stars next to a dying fire--all these memories and more will be always remembered as the one and only, Man Camp.

I’ve never gone on a women’s retreat before. We never had one at LSF--or for as long as I can remember--and the most we had was crocheting and knitting to-gether or drinking tea at someone’s place. Even when we tried to have a girls-only hang out, it was usually spontaneous with no planning. So this women’s retreat was different; it was completely new, random, and exciting.I liked how it was all planned by us. Andrew and Jeremy insisted on helping, which they did, but most of the work was done by the upperclassmen girls. We assigned people to take care of certain tasks, such as calling and reserving, taking care of rides, doing the groceries etc. I was able to see different sides of people through the planning process and I think it got us really excited for the retreat.It was unfortunate that the freshmen girls couldn’t join us but we decided to make the most of it. We shared with each other the uncomfortable things, the bad things, and the good things. Being vulnerable was difficult for all of us but we opened up and were able to become closer to one another. I saw Jesus in a lot of girls throughout the retreat and it really touched me to see them grow not just in matu-rity but in spirituality as well. This retreat is one of the few that I will remember for a while even after college. I was very blessed by the experience and I praise God for guiding us.

MAN CAMP by Michael Choi

WOMEN’S RETREAT by Eunbi Kim

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JoyFall Retreat 2013Jesus first, others second, yourself last

I’m not gonna lie. A couple days before Retreat, I started to regret signing up. I had an O-Chem test that Thursday and I knew that I would end up staying up and sacrificing sleep in the name of fun. Since I knew I wasn’t going to study on Friday or Saturday, I decided to stay for just those two days. Surprisingly, I think I laughed more during those two days than I have the entire semester. The retreat consisted of intriguing sermons, wonderful food, and amazing games. Pastor Alexej started his sermons with a chapter of Gen-esis and told us to tell him the main points of each chapter. He would then follow up by helping us look at God in a refreshing new way. Growing up an Adventist, I thought I heard it all, but Pastor Alexej proved me wrong (Oh, and he’s beast on the guitar). Although we played the same games as the last retreat, they were somehow a thousand times more enjoyable and fun-ny. I made new friends and grew closer to my old ones. Props to everyone who helped plan the retreat!

nov.15-172013

by Alexis Chang

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#lsfmoments

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new! starting 2014, we encourage everyone to use this hashtag for all lsf-related posts so that we can record

everyone’s moments in one collection!

iWriter’s Opinion

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly:An Overview of This Season’s Big Films

(Spoilers ahead—you have been warned!)

Thor: The Dark World (PG-13)The Good: Witty, fast-paced, plot twistsThe Bad: Forgettable (a la Transformers), deus ex machina, a useless Natalie PortmanThe Ugly: The chilling end scene.The Showstealer: Silver-tongued Loki is suspicious, but totally charming.Rating: 3/5 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (PG-13)The Good: No shaking camera, emotional roller coaster ride, intenseThe Bad: Choppy, slow at firstThe Ugly: The whole film is a display of the ugly reper-cussions of totalitarian government.The Showstealer: Sam Claflin will have you rooting for Team Finnick—forget Peeta and Gale.Rating: 4/5 Frozen (PG)The Good: Catchy music, a heartwarming relationship between sisters, plot twists, true loveThe Bad: A few loose ends and unanswered questionsThe Ugly: Someone gets stabbed in the heart. Literally.The Showstealer: Olaf the Snowman will melt your heart and make you smile!Rating: 4/5

by Shanelle Kim

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inljoNai Kim: Apple, because we all have different per-sonalities and roles, but as a whole, we are one

family just like how there’s seeds, juice, and skin in

one apple.

rr

Q

Yeongmin Han: Banana, because bananas come in different sizes, and my

family does too.

Teddy Mumu:Durian, because

we’re tough on th outside, but we’re

sweet on the inside.

Describeyour familyas a fruit

Mina Chung:Papaya, because the longer you let it ripen, the sweeter it tastes. It’s the same with my family; as I grew up and went to college,

they eventally became my life long best

friends.

session

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rseniorspotlight

l to r: johnny ahn,

kristin chung,jason kim

For this fall Senior Recognition Night, the juniors were in charge of the program. Be-cause nothing was delegated within our class as to who was in charge of what, we were all a little unprepared (except for freshmen). That’s when I reluctantly decided to plan the program and figure out the speakers. Don’t get me wrong, I like organizing and planning, it was just a little rough in the beginning. The night of the Senior Rec, a few things went wrong. I told the sophomore girls the wrong information, I hadn’t chosen any MCs for the night, and schedule needed constant alterations. But as the seniors entered, every-thing fell into place. The performances were all really funny and the junior girls prepared and practiced the day before and the day of, which I would say is an amazing feat. From all the positive feedback I’ve received, this year’s Senior Recognition Night was very good. I’m not trying to boast because honestly, I did almost nothing. The performances, the food and decorations, the speakers, the videos and slideshows are what made the night unforgettable.Yoon

a K

ang

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Johnny Ahnseniorspotlight

Q: Are you gonna miss the weather? Why or why not?A: Right now, I don’t miss Michigan weather—neg-ative temperatures, blustery wind, icy roads, and all. Then again, I have a feeling that my answer will change once I go to Chad since I hear the weather’s so unbearably hot over there. To be honest, I mainly don’t like Michigan weather because the snow covers the tennis courts (haha).

Q: What was your motivation that got you through college?A: Motivation. That’s really an artificial concept be-cause people don’t typically have just one motivation; they have many—both conscious and subconscious. Let me see if I can list the motivations that I con-sciously recognize. First, I’m motivated by my inner, competitive drive. Second, I’m motivated by a desire to do my best; four years represents a large chunk of time, and I want to maximize that time as much as possible. Third, I’m motivated by the fact that I want to receive acceptance into medical school. Fourth, I’m motivated by people around me (e.g. Jason Kim) who excel at school. Fifth, I’m motivated by the fact that my parents pay for my school bill; I don’t like to waste my own money, and I certainly don’t like to waster other people’s money—especially my parents’ money. I’m sure I have other motivations, but that’s all I can think of right now.

Q: What is one thing you wish you knew your freshman year?A: How to balance work and play—something I still haven’t learned to do well. Then again, I definitely think students need to err on the side of caution when it comes to balancing school and fun. Professional schools won’t blame you for not watching more mid-night premiers or eating out more, but professional schools will hold it against you if you fail a test and mess up your GPA because you played too much. And with that, I’ll step off my soapbox.

Q: What is one thing you plan to take with you that you learned from Andrews/LSF?A: I didn’t grow up in a Korean church. So going to LSF was kind of weird at first—kind of like culture shock—but I definitely appreciate the community that LSF offers. And I hope I can find/facilitate that same kind of community wherever I end up after graduating from Andrews.

Birthday: February 2, 1992Degree: BS Biology, Biomedical EmphasisPlans after college: Maybe teach English in Korea, or enroll in ARISE. But definitely go to medical school.

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Q: What was your motivation that got you through college?I think a lot of factors weighed in on motivat-ing me throughout these past 3.5 years of un-dergrad; however, the biggest one was family. As the eldest of four siblings, I always wanted to live a life that could somehow positively in-fluence them. We’re like best friends, so when it came to academic, spiritual, or mental as-pects of college, the biggest thing that got me through came from knowing that those kids back at home were watching me.

Q: What is one thing you wish you knew your freshman year?That I could submit missing co-curricular credits that I didn’t go to LOL... JUST KID-DING! In all seriousness though, I wish I knew that grades/numbers didn’t affect me as a person. Coming into college, I had the delu-sion that academic performances dictated my identity; because of that, I missed out on so many memory-making opportunities and potential relationships with others. So, I’d probably tell my freshman-self something like this, “Yes, grades are important and ed-ucation is one of the greatest blessings and investments, but don’t let it push important things like God, family, and friends into the shadows- remember to reflect on the bigger picture.”

Kri

stin

Chu

ngse

nior

spot

light

Q: What brought you to LSF?As a Korean freshman with predominantly Korean friends at the time, LSF became the default church for me. As the years went on, I began attending PMC as well, but the beautiful thing about LSF that I always cherished came through the warmth that ex-uded from everyone whenever I did visit. I think that’s what constantly tugged at me to come back: to know that people there actually knew me and wanted me to be there with them. That sense of belonging, I think, hit me deeper than I knew at the time, and I pretty much always left LSF feeling the love .

Q: What is one thing you plan to take with you that you learned from Andrews/LSF?One thing I learned from Andrews that I’ll take with me throughout life is this: never give up on yourself. It’s incredible some of the hardships and struggles I had to endure throughout these past few years; I always tried to put up a happy facade, but inside I was a storm. Many times I wanted to give up, but somehow I found a reason to fight through it. Realizing where I’m at right now and looking back, I see retrospectively how our decisions can make such an impact on life as a whole. Hardships will forever be an ingredient of life- realistically we can’t run from them- but I really believe that in the face of such hardships, we’re presented with two choices: (1) To let it chip away at us, or (2) to find ways through which it can strengthen and empower us.

Birthday: July 1, 1991Degree: BS Biology, minor in ChemistryPlans after college: Travel the world! And then hopefully medical school

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Jason Kim seniorspotlightQ: Are you gonna miss the weather? Why or why not?A: I will miss for sure miss the cold, but not the snow. I used to love snow my freshman and soph-omore year... and then I got old so I can’t deal with the snow anymore. I prefer cold weather over warm weather any day.

Q: What was your motivation that got you through college?A: My motivation was to just do my best in all that I do. If I do my best, everyone is happy. Parents are happy, I’m happy, teachers are happy, and God is happy.

Q: What is one thing you wish you knew your freshman year?A: I wish that I knew that late night fast food runs would make me gain weight. HAHA! I knew that, but I obviously didn’t fully realize it.

Q: What brought you to LSF?A: I came to LSF because it was a Korean church. I’m the most comfortable in a Korean church because I’ve only attended Korean churches throughout my life.

Q: Fondest Memory of LSF?A: My fondest memory of LSF was the fall retreat my junior year (2012). I’ve never laughed so much in my life and the messages from that weekend were exactly what I needed to hear.

Q: What is one thing you plan to take with you that you learned from Andrews/LSF?A: I plan to take my realization of how import-ant personal relationships with people are. It’s so easy to have superficial relationships with a bunch of people, but all of that is noth-ing compared to the deep and meaningful relationships with a few close friends. This also ties in with the importance of vulnera-bility. I never really realized how important it was to be vulnerable with each other until my time here at LSF.

Birthday: January 9, 1993Degree: BS BiologyPlans after college: ARISE Instititute in Austra-lia and medical school (hopefully)

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Life Thoughts. by Jeremy Lee

Hope. The English language is one that is slowly losing efficacy and substance as it passes through our ever evolving culture. I heard the observation the other day of how we now describe even the most mediocre, mildly entertaining event as epic, so as to eventually lead to a loss of words to de-scribe what is truly epic or amazing. Google just changed their definition of ‘literally’ to “used for emphasis or to express strong feeling while NOT being literally true.” I mean literally literally doesn’t mean literally any more. It means the exact oppo-site.... In this abuse of language, words that once held profound depth and should carry significance have been beaten to empty shells and fillers. Even more so in our faith is it not? Think of words like faith, hope, and love. We get a inkling of an idea of what ideas those words encapsulate but it’s more if a fleeting impression rather than a solid, resonant definition. You say “who has faith?” and fifty different ideas come up in fifty different minds. Words that were intended to communicate the weightiest and most significant sentiments have now become mere confusing ‘religious jar-gon.’ I hear these words thrown around in differ-ent circles and strung together in quite eloquent ways but many times, no one truly understands what is being communicated except the one who is speaking. We just kind of listen and nod our heads because it sounds nice or doesn’t sound wrong. We must become more. Just because you say something means that something was com-municated. When we throw around these words with disregard of the understanding of the recip-ient we become talkers who talk at rather than communicators who talk with. No wonder many people feel as though Christianity is impractical and out of touch with reality. We must take time to define our language again, to reinvigorate our words with personal, resonant meaning and thus enable ourselves to connect to others in a mean-ingful way. Take the word hope for example. I’m real-izing how powerful hope is in my life. What do I mean? I mean that even though presently I’m so discouraged at the way things are; the person that I am, the unfaithfulness and frailty of my convic-tions, the pressures of my circumstances, the lack of success, the guilt of disappointment, I see the prospect that things won’t always be the way they are now. I have hope that I will be changed; that I won’t always be this mess of a person that I am

today. I have hope that life will get better; that ill have insight and promise of more fulfilling rela-tionships and circumstances. I was feeling quite hopeless the last few weeks and man, was it discouraging. Hopeless-ness. When things aren’t the way they should be, and I feel like it will always be that way. I find my-self stuck again, feeling like I haven’t measured up and I’m not the person that I should be; feeling like I’ve let down my friends, my family, LSF and ultimately God. I feel like I’ve found myself here in this pit before and I don’t see a way out. Even if I do get out, I’m inevitably going to fall back in again. I’m not where I want to be, and I might nev-er get there. What’s the use in trying? When I feel hopeless, I am incredibly discouraged and unable to try again. Why attempt to try when I’m going to inevitably fail forever? Do you feel hopeless? That things aren’t the way they should be, and it will always be that way? Hope is permeating our culture and is a in-tegral part of the human psyche. I mean, look at the Hunger Games series. The whole series is predi-cated on Katniss Everdeen symbolizing hope. Life in Panem sucks, but in Katniss, the districts see the possibility that things won’t always be the way they are today: that there is possibility of change. It’s a compelling storyline. League of Legends, you sucked it up last game, I’m talking 0 - 16, but you have hope that you can be a better player. I mean it’s the most compelling reason to play game af-ter game, because you have hope that you can be better, you can play better, you can improve, that the way things are, isn’t the way things will always be. The gospel is a gospel of process. It doesn’t promise that everything will be good today. It ac-knowledges the shortcomings, difficulties and sin of today and promises of a better tomorrow, not only in the next life, but in this life also. God ac-knowledges and understands that where we are today isn’t where we’d like to be. We’re accepted in that condition, that is the human condition. Then He gives us the promise of hope, that things can be different, that things will be different. So, are you dissatisfied with who you are today? Where you are today? Have hope, because the way things are today isn’t necessarily the way things can be tomorrow. Jeremiah 29:11“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 16