Blog — HOUSE OF FAITH

The past week has been a whirlwind for all of us. While it started as something concerning, but only present through TV and media, now the spread of COVID19 seems to have turned all of our worlds upside down in a very real and very big way. To do our part in preventing further spread of this outbreak, our church will be undergoing some temporary changes to the ways in which we minister to the heart of God and to one another:

Bible studies will be held on Zoom, Fridays at 7:30pm

Indonesian Service will be streamed on YouTube, Sundays at 10am

English Service will be held on Youtube, Sundays at 2pm

I've gone through so many different thoughts and emotions as this epidemic unfolded before me. I know many of you are likely feeling a range of things as well. Fear at the uncertainty of what this means, worry about job security and finances, loneliness and anxiety from being isolated in our homes, uncertainty about how this will all turn out. It can be so, so easy to lean into invitations from the enemy to allow fear to take hold of our minds and take root in our hearts. Trust me, he’s been working hard to rip at my faith and force me into believing his lies. But our God would never allow the enemy to defeat us. He is strong and mighty to deliver us. Worthy of our praises and our trust, even in the moments when our human minds can’t comprehend the outcome. In the midst of this season, I want to invite you all to turn your gaze completely towards the Lord, who holds all of this in his loving hands.

“But I have trusted in your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in your deliverance. I will sing to the Lord, because he has treated me generously.” Psalms 13:5-6 (CSB)

I know this time can be a source of so much stress, but please know that our community is still here, is still alive, and is stronger than ever. We are the children of a powerful God, who cares even for the flowers in the fields and the birds in the sky; we can rest assured that every need that we have, He will meet. Please reach out and contact us if you’re in need of support, prayer, or just listening ear! We love you, and as a church we want to partner with you as we go through this together.

As we step into this new, uncharted season, I pray that the Lord would lift the burdens of fear and worry from you, and that you would take time to rest in what our God is doing in the midst of this. Where we are usually a people who work all day and all night, now we have been given an opportunity to slow down and rest. To be quiet and still. To use the moments at home to truly seek the Lord, without distractions from work, school or friends. We get to see families united in the home and relationships be mended. We get to see our God restore the beauty of the earth, the clarity of the sky, and the purity of the sea.

We love you all tremendously, and we’re looking forward to the beauty that God will craft through this season of suffering.

-Kayla

It’s mid-October and already 2019 has been full of growth for us here! Spiritually, physically, and emotionally, I think we’ve all learned and changed a lot throughout the course of the year, both as individuals and as a community. One huge shift in our community that I want to highlight is our ever growing heart for the environment. In light of all that’s happening in the world, from the U.S. backing out of the Paris Agreement to the wealth of fires that have burned across the planet, it can become overwhelming to think of how one tiny individual can hope to have an impact on such huge, global issues. It’s something I’ve definitely struggled with in my own life, but now I have the blessing of watching as others in my community of believers become stirred for the destruction that’s befallen the beauty of the earth our God created for us to care for.

"You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you." Nehemiah 9:6

Our hope is to become more intentional about making moves, as a collective, to dedicate time and resources toward causes that help maintain and sustain the environment. Last weekend, we had the opportunity to attend a beach clean up at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington, CA, hosted by an organization called Coastal Angels (http://coastalangels.org/). Our ragtag group of about 20 people, ranging from high schoolers to young adults, met at lifeguard tower 21 and put ourselves to work for the morning. We started off checking in members of the group, gathering up tools, and listening to a representative of the organization give brief instructions about what to pick up and how to sort through the trash. After that, we were off for 3 hours! I think the idea of beach clean ups are so fun to get behind, but actually doing one that day gave me a whole new appreciation for the work it takes to protect our beaches. Thirty minutes into the cleanup and we were thirsty, sweating, and hungry! What’s really crazy though, is that for the whole three hours there, I would say we only covered about ¼ mile of beach. This first experience for us was a huge reminder of all the work that still needs to be done to help restore and care for the work that God’s hands made for us to enjoy.

I am amazed and so appreciative of the people who do these kinds of things on a regular basis; who are out in the field, day in and day out, fighting for environmental protections, for restorative action, and for change to be made. While our day at Bolsa Chica was a meaningful community service and bonding experience for our group, my prayer is that this yearning to see the restoration of the beautiful planet our God crafted continues to grow not just in us, but in the community of Christ as a whole. If you’re interested in joining us on our next cleanup or journeying with us as we walk together to grow more environmentally conscious, definitely sign up on the link below for updates! While we may not know or be capable of large-scale change, our desire is to grow day by day in our ability to fight for the planet God gifted us with!

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26