Pastor Jessica Chen

When Jesus said, He is the vine and we are the branches, and that we ought to remain in Him in order to be alive and fruitful, He was talking about our spiritual health. For a branch to remain connected to the vine, daily tending, protection and care are vital. For us to remain connected to Jesus, our source of life, love, joy, peace, and power, we come to Him daily in prayer, praise, worship, and devotion.

How do we live our best life? We do this by first recognizing who holds all things and is the source of everything we need. When we put our trust in Him, seeing Him as our source, our best friend, and our ultimate destination, there is a peace and joy that comes that goes beyond our circumstances.

So, Praise the Lord, my soul! All my being, praise his holy name! Praise the Lord, my soul, and do not forget how kind he is. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.He keeps me from the grave and blesses me with love and mercy. He fills my life with good things, so that I stay young and strong like an eagle.

We were reminded this past weekend through Pastor Dave’s sermon entitled, “I Can Only Imagine”, of Jesus’ mission statement above in the book of Luke. Incredible! Amazing! How true! And yet, we might also wonder within — if that’s true, then what about now? What about me? Does God see my pain? Can He set me free? Can He heal what’s broken?

“God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.” (Ephesians 1:22)One Spring evening, I was jogging home alone along my street when all of a sudden, an owl grabbed my hair bun and disappeared. To my shock and dismay, I screamed and looked behind me to find the owl in a nearby tree. This was not the first time I had come against a bird flying near my head, and so as with other bird encounters, I decided to run for it… worst mistake…

“We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you.” (Colossians 1:3)This week we embark on 24/7 prayer for our Good Friday and Easter Sunday services. Prayer – something we know is a necessity for every Christian and sadly many of us feel we do not do enough of it. Why? It could be that we are busy with family activities, work has too many deadlines, sheer laziness, procrastination, or mere forgetfulness. Whatever the reason may be, our lack of prayer reveals our deeper misunderstanding of who we are, who God is and what prayer is for. 

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. — Psalm 63:6-8 Growing up, I had a lot of fear in my life – fear of the dark, fear of failing, fear of danger, fear of having a broken family, fear of scary images, fear of what other people thought of me… the list could go on.