Reflections from Jakarta: Crazy Rich Asians

By Grace Liu

Crazy Rich Asians (just released on DVD) will resonate with anyone that has studied abroad and came back to Asia to experience the immediate cultural pressures of family obligations. The tug of war between putting your dreams or your family first is real, especially for those who inherit the family company upon returning from overseas studies. 

I grew up in North Carolina and New York. I moved to Indonesia during my early teen years and finished off my high school in Jakarta. I went to the University of Michigan and came back to Indonesia for family and for work.

But being Asian American, I saw the truths of both cultures portrayed in the movie. The western side of me believes that you need to stand up for what you believe in. So it is important to understand your passions and follow your dreams. Love who you want to love. You are your own person, it is important be secure and own the desires of your heart. At the same time, the Asian side of me understands the importance of being community-oriented; and how our personal dreams need to be in line with what is best for the family. This is not just about your immediate family, this involves your uncles, aunties, cousins, grandparents, nieces, nephews. Future decisions you make affect not just you, but your ENTIRE family.

Eleanor (the mother in Crazy Rich Asians) said that Americans are great with following their dreams and achieving their ambitions , but Asians are good with building things (such as family traditions, family businesses) that last. This is why in a culturally Asian family, who you marry is such a big deal. It is the prayers of the elders in your family that you find someone in line with your family values. Parents play a big role in this decision because you do not only marry the person, you marry into their family. Both families (their family culture, their reputation, their name) merge into one. When you marry, you carry the benefits and burdens of the family you choose to tie yours to. 

What does the Bible say about following your dreams verses building up your family? 

Philippians 2:3-4 says " Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." 

It is biblical to put the interests of others before yourself.  It is biblical to sacrifice you your fleshly desires for the good for your family, your community. However at the same time the Bible also commands us to "forsake your mother and father". 

Matthew 19:29 says, " And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life."

How do you find common ground with these two verses? 

God has given us talents, gifts, ambition, vision for life and these are all good things! However God has also given us the responsibility to love and care for the people within our spheres of influence. This includes our family. Whether you are Asian or not, your life decisions do affect your family on some level. Making life decisions with or without the support of your family makes a difference. 

Does this mean all our life decisions need to be agreed on by our parents? Absolutely not. Our parents are also human and can make decisions out of selfish ambition as well (not saying that all parents do this, but just know that everyone will have this tendency no matter what life stage you are in).

God has also given us to Holy Spirit to guide us from everyday little decisions to major life decisions. Sometimes these decisions may not make sense to our family. However, when God will call us to a season of life where our obedience to God will be challenged; are you willing to follow through what God wants for your life regardless of what other people say? I understand that this might be a big struggle for many of my Asian American friends when faced with this verse. It goes against cultural values; it is seen as rude or disrespectful when we go against family wishes. Following what God wants for our life is not about being politically or culturally correct, it is about being obedient and trusting that God even when you cannot see the bigger picture yet. 

Crazy Rich Asians was a bit cheesy, over the top, yet entertaining and addresses some real struggles Asian young adults face when integrating back to their home country after studying abroad. One thing I took away is, no matter what ethnic or family culture you were brought up in, we should always revert to bringing the Jesus culture into our decision making and our family culture. 

Grace Liu is our Jakarta City Director and has a passion to bring young adults together in community for the sake of the Gospel. Her and her husband Ronald have two kids and live in Jakarta.

The Taste of Tolerance

Buffalo (kerbau) meat is still somewhat of a culinary novelty in Indonesia. However, for adventurous palates curious to taste the best of this delicacy, you need look no further than a small town tucked away about 70 kilometers east of the provincial capital of Central Java. Stroll through any main street or obscure corner of Kudus regency, and chances are you’ll stumble upon multiple food stalls offering myriad variations of buffalo-based treats: barbequed on skewers (sate kerbau), stewed with rice on melinjo leaves (pindang kerbau), boiled in fragrant broth (soto kerbau), or even fried into crunchy rind crackers (krupuk rambak) – and all for less than the price of a glass of iced tea in Jakarta.

My interest in Kudus’s buffalo-dominated gastronomic landscape is ironic, considering I’m a pescatarian. But ever since my first visit to Kudus two years ago for my work in the education development space, and in all the recurring visits since, I’ve continued to be captivated by the story behind Kudus’s preferred choice of bovine cuisine and what it teaches us about Indonesian multiculturalism.

You see, besides cheap culinary treats, this small town I’ve come to know as a second home boasts a strong legacy of Islamic tolerance. A landmark Islamic pilgrimage site since the sixteenth century, Kudus’s name originates from the Arabic word “al-Quds” (Jerusalem) and translates to “holy” in the Indonesian language. (You can imagine the endless variations of puns at the disposal of Kudus natives, orang Kudus.) Yet, when Kudus was founded in 1549 by Sunan Kudus – one of nine Muslim saints renowned for their influential role in the spread of moderate Islam throughout Indonesia – many Kudus natives were still practicing the Hindu faith. In order to respect these Hindu residents who considered cows sacred, Sunan Kudus forbade his followers from slaughtering cattle for meat and encouraged the consumption of buffalo meat instead. Today, buffalo meat remains a staple of local Kudus residents’ diets and a daily reminder of the standing tradition of religious tolerance and Archipelago Islam in this city.

Recently, Indonesians and international audiences alike are voicing concerns that Indonesian pluralism has lost its way. News headlines such as the jailing of Jakarta’s ethnic Chinese, Christian ex-governor for alleged blasphemy, the three-fold series of church bombings in Surabaya this year, and a recent study finding nearly 60 percent of Indonesian Muslim teachers to hold intolerant views, all seem to confirm that Indonesia has veered far from the original vision of democratic, multicultural coexistence formulated by the nation’s founders. Even in historically peaceful, moderate environments like Kudus, radicalized teachings are finding their way into schools and universities. A study conducted by the foundation I work for found that roughly 60 percent of religion teachers in state primary schools backed the cause of a radicalist Islamist group (HTI) banned by the Indonesian government for suspected ties to ISIS. The nation’s climate has become rife with growing distrust and divisiveness, and generations who lived through the ’98 ethnic and religious riots wonder if history is bound to repeat itself.

Yet, in my two years journeying across Indonesia and interacting on a day-to-day basis with Indonesians of various faiths and cultural identities, from teachers in Kudus to farmers in Southeast Sulawesi to Go-Car drivers in Jakarta, I’ve encountered numerous counternarratives of faith-based reconciliation and care for neighbor across ethnic, racial, religious and socioeconomic boundaries that give me hope for a better Indonesia. I’ve seen how faith can be a force for good, a fundamental part of one’s identity and calling to love God and thus love neighbor. Some stories are relatively well-known and documented, like the history behind Kudus’s love of buffalo-meat-based cuisine, or the peace-building movement led by the fourth Indonesian president Gus Dur and continued by his descendants today. Many others remain to be discovered and told.

In light of all this, I have decided to begin a personal quest to search for, document, and share more of these counternarratives of hope for a multicultural, democratic Indonesia in which faith can still play an integral and positive role. As part of this quest, I will learn and write about the stories of everyday Indonesians – Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, teachers, farmers, businesspeople, politicians, development workers – their life backgrounds, how they understand and interpret faith in context of their other identities and callings, what loving God and loving neighbor means to them, and how they engage in peace-building within their own circles of influence. Some of my sources will be primary (from personal interactions and interviews), while others will be secondary or tertiary (from my ventures into historical documents and books to see what we can learn there). I will start with various relationships I already have, in the hope that I will not only gain understanding but also deeper friendships. Throughout this process, I commit to a posture of learning and seeking truth in love (please keep me accountable!).

I do not pretend to be an expert on interfaith and intercultural issues, nor a neutral observer and narrator. I am an ethnically Chinese, foreign-educated, a Singapore citizen with Indonesian-born parents, a woman, and a practicing Christian. I acknowledge that each of these identities and especially my Christian worldview will certainly color and shape my observations, conclusions, and even actions in the journey of interfaith reconciliation. Yes, I may be biased as a Christ-follower, but it is a bias toward hope and redemption: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18, ESV).

Friends, in the face of complex, heated, emotion-rife issues like religious intolerance and radicalism, often the temptation is to fight or flight. To vilify the perceived enemy or other and bemoan their wrongs; or to withdraw altogether and resign ourselves to whatever fate may come. However, I invite you to join me in choosing a third option: to recognize with humility that we are part of the problem even as we try to be part of the solution, and thus by God’s grace commit to learning, listening, and persevering in the work of reconciliation.

My prayer is that this generation of Indonesians can be one that writes fresh stories of multicultural tolerance and interfaith reconciliation, continuing in the spirit of historical figures like Sunan Kudus, Soekarno and Gus Dur, and forging a fresh legacy for our modern times. Who knows? Perhaps some of these stories will continue to be told to locals and tourists generations down the line, roaming the street food stalls of Jakarta and Kudus and other Indonesian cities, captivated by the delicious foods, beautiful peoples and rich multicultural legacy of this nation we call home.

Felicia Hanitio, Jakarta Cohort 2018

Lifeʼs Little Detours

What do you when things donʼt go your way? Do you often grumble, do you often resist, and try to push forward? There are time when weʼre called to simply brave it through, to push through. But there are also the other times where detours are necessary.

How often do you get thrown off guard when things donʼt seem to go as you had planned it to be?

Thatʼs me most of the time. And as I took time to ponder upon the question: Why is it so hard for me to simply let things be? And I came to realize:

Resistance often comes when what we want (what we plan) isnʼt what He wills.

And ever since I come to realize that, I feel an immeasurable surge of peace and I choose to yield into His leading. Iʼm simply gonna let things flow, learning to flow in His grace. And to not let little things that doesnʼt seem to go our way throw us off.

With every detour thereʼs a blessing, or an opportunity to serve.

Therefore we must instead pay closer attention to what Heʼs doing, instead of getting irritated. Easier done when our will is no longer ours.

I would have not been here if it were not some of these detours. And I praise God for the little detours in my life. For it is part of His way, to drive me a little out of my “seemingly straight path”, a little further, a little off-the-road experiences, whereby the view is better, or where an unexpected encounter and experience occurs.

God is working in all things, including the detours.

So the next time, something doesnʼt go your way, consider that a “pause” sign from God. To ponder, and to come to Him, ask Him to open up your eyes, so you may be attentive to what Heʼs doing. Because our God is purposeful and intentional in every way. Therefore, with every detour, it could be a pause sign to ponder and pray; it could serve as a warning; it could be a way to get your full attention to what Heʼs doing; it could be His way to redirect you. It could be a million things. Therefore it is wise to simply consider and pause, rather than simply push through. Otherwise youʼd be going through life just zooming through it, managing it, and missing the whole point of life itself.

Lifeʼs little detours calls for us to learn to flow in His grace.
Lifeʼs little detours calls for us to learn to surf with the waves.

And I pray today that I may be able to understand this everyday and every time something unplanned comes my way. Iʼll pray the same for you too.

Sonia Wirya, Jakarta Cohort

Know Your Place

Tau diri  is a common term used in the Indonesian culture (usually by an older person to a younger person) as a reminder to "know your place". What does that mean exactly? It means:

• Don’t speak out unless you are told to do so.

• Respect elderly people and heed their advice; don't talk as if you know better.

• As an employee, never outshine your superiors.

• If you are the 2nd or 3rd born in your family, accept that most of the leadership roles will fall under your oldest sibling.

Tau diri. Know your place.

It is a phrase that is often times belittling, oppressive, and negative. It is usually used when scolding someone, that someone being of lower status, age, rights, and/or gender(women are still seen as “less” in this country).

A friend once told me that because her parents repeatedly told her to "tau diri," her insecurities grew. She expected less from herself. She didn’t want to stand out or speak up. To her,Tau diri meant keeping quiet and always nodding along in order to be the "proper person". It prevented her from seeing herself the way God sees her.

I challenge us to see this term "tau diri" in a different light. Yes, tau diri means know your place. But let’s try and see this with a positive perspective - know your place, as a child of God. Know your place as an ambassador of Christ. Know your place as someone that has been saved by the loving grace of God.

I agree that it is important for us to "know our place" with regards to our family, work position, and age. It is always good to have a humble heart and attitude. However, humble does not mean one is weak or less than others. We should know that God has placed us in this family, this country, this culture, this group of friends, and this company, all for a reason...know your place. Know your place as a child of God. A child that is loved, cherished, and saved. We do not need to look for fame or position to be secure because God is our security.  

With this “new” definition, I want to challenge all of us to Tau Diri from a kingdom perspective, God’s eyes. Know your place as a child of God. A child that has been given a mission and vision for the people around you.

Grace Liu, Jakarta City Director

Standing...

By Pastor Oscar Muriu
Nairobi Chapel

Standing to be Counted

True leadership has two sides of it. Psalm “when god looked for a leader he looked for David…”

The only safeguard against the corruption of power is values. Values that cannot be shaken or corrupted. Risk friends and popularity.

Qualities looked for in a leader:

1. Vision

2. Ability to unify people

3. Humility. Willingness to be held accountable.

4. Caring. Help the poor.

5. Integrity. Character.

First quality of integrity is blameless was. Number two, speaks truth of heart, truthful and forthright. Three, does neighbor no wrong, transparent, no gossip. Fourth, despised foul men, stands for what is right. Fifth, keeps oath. Six, lends money without asking for interest, kind to those in need. Seven, does not accept bribe against innocent, incorruptible. Best place to see true character of someone is in their home. Can hide from public, but not family.

Standing for Something

Hope in spirit of change. Put hope in God and God alone.

God does not treat us as we deserve. He is merciful.

God hears the prayers of His people.

God has a plan for this nation.

Middle class needs to be out on the streets, involved. Hold leaders accountable. Together we may build this nation. There has been a lot out into place because of middle class. Continue to do your work and continue to do it well. God holds the destiny of this nation in His hands. He is able to raise up and remove. He holds the heart of the king in His hands, He hears the prayers of His people, He has a plan.

Our hope is in God.

Standing in the Gap

Yahweh is a name God gave Himself in Exodus 3. Many of Gods nicknames come from men after God impacts their lives. We are unsure if we pronounce it correctly, Hebrews didn’t use vowels. The Jews themselves wouldn’t have dared to say the name of God in case they use His name in vain. Always write a different name in place of the name God named Himself.

Tribes were established by God. Made of of many families that share same heritage, roots. Band together for survival. Language becomes identifying mark of that tribe. Tribes are larger than families but smaller than nations. God allowed tribes to halt the spread of evil. In the beginning they were a good thing. God built them as an instrument to stop evil. Satan creates tribalism. The problem is not tribes, it is tribalism - a way of thinking and behaving where people are more loyal to their tribe than to their friends, nation. Other people are dumb, ignorant, negative stereotypes. Tribalism strives to exclude, divide, and oppress. Tribalism at a national level can be racism and ethnocentrism. Racism is tribalism at its worst. The only way to fight tribalism is to first fight it within your heart.

You are all children of God through faith.

Cross of Christ unites us, we are all equal.

Are You a Secure Leader? (Part II)

Part II: Letting go and Letting God. 

I BUILT THIS. 
THIS IS MINE. 
NO ONE WILL DO THINGS THE WAY I DO IT.

Those were the walls of pride that God had to break down in my life as he asked me to step up in a new level of leadership.

Developing Humbleness.

It's not mine.
I had to recognize that this ministry belongs to God. He simply allowed me to play a part as a leader in helping it grow. He did not need me, he simply allowed me to be a part of it.

I am not the best.
I had to recognize that God has gifted the members in my group with different ways of leading. As a leader I needed to tap into each potential leader's strengths and styles of leading. I needed to encourage and empower the next generation of leaders to NOT lead like GRACE LIU but lead in the way have have been gifted and called to lead. Being a secure leader means not only understanding your own strengths and style in leading, but helping the next generation of leaders understand and develop their own style of leadership.

A secure leader wants and will do everything in their power for their successor to do better than them. They would want their discipled leader to lead bigger groups, lead effectively and accomplish exponential growth beyond what they can achieve themselves. A secure leader has the mindset and heart attitude that acknowledges in whatever job, position, title that God allows him/her to be in; it is not about me.

The Change

Our young adults community will be multiplying this year. I have decided to step down and not lead any of the groups. Instead I will empower and support the new leaders as they initiate these new community groups. Although there have been much hesitation, some sadness and some fears that have been voiced out by some members, I feel this a step in the right direction for our community and for me as a leader. Letting go, and allowing God to do his work through this community in raising up leaders has been (and will continue to be) a challenge. However, I do believe that in order to be healthy and grow deeper in our faith we need to be sensitive towards God's leading. God is calling us to grow and not to stay comfortably where we are at. 

My pastor at church shared this quote with us:

 “Healthy things grow

Growing things change.

Change challenges us.

Challenge forces us to trust God.

Trust leads to obedience.

Obedience makes us healthy.

Healthy things grow…”

Let's choose to let go and let God direct us in the way we should go. 
A secure leader is about living a life of obedience and encouraging others to do the same.

Grace Liu, Jakarta City Director

Are You a Secure Leader? (Part I)

Part I: When You Cannot Let Go

What would you feel when God asks you to let go of your position, your title or the ministry you have built over many years?
How do you feel when you handover power to your disciple and take a step back?
How do you feel when you successor is more successful than you?

Your response to these questions will tell you whether you are a secure or insecure leader.

After 5 years of serving and leading life groups (community groups), I felt God calling me to empower young adult leaders to start their own community groups. A mentor of mine confirmed this calling and told me this: "Stop being the hero. Instead, be a hero-maker of the people God has placed in your community". It made sense to me and I knew this was a clear sign for me to start delegating tasks and raising leaders in order to multiply. 

Something was holding me back.

The stubborn, micromanaging side of me was not ready to give in to the calling God had for me and our life group. Our attendance had grown from 12 to nearly 80 people in the past 2 years. I enjoyed seeing our group grow. A sense of accomplishment helped me grow in my confidence as a leader. As months passed, I realized in order to deepen our faith as a group it was important for each person's story to be known by others. In order to build a healthy community it was important to cultivate vulnerability and openness and this was hard to do in such a large group. 

I began to reflect on why it was so hard for me to receive God's calling to empower leaders and split into smaller groups.

I realized there were 2 insecurities I had developed as a leader:

1. I am afraid of losing power and control
I was worried about the quality and depth of the groups if I was not the leader. I was worried that the new leaders were not able to carry out the same passion and zeal I had for the life group. I felt like if I was not present and in charge, something would go wrong. These worries were not about the abilities of the future leaders, this was more about my unwillingness to give up control and step down in order to give room for others to lead. 

2. I am afraid of being forgotten
I was worried people would forget about how awesome of a leader I was (or I would like to think that I was) and like the new leader better. I was worried that this new leader would be a much better leader than me and his/her group would grow to be bigger than my original group. I was afraid I would no longer have a say and my sacrifice would be forgotten. 

Both of these insecurities stem from one thing: PRIDE. 

I made my ministry all about me. This community unconsciously became part of my identity and I realized this is a danger that can happen to followers of Christ who have committed a big portion of their life to ministry. I have realized that it is possible to be selfish about serving Christ. Pride can develop from desiring recognition from the church to as a good, strong, committed Christian.

God was calling me to the next step of leadership. God was calling me to develop and empower the next generation of young adult leaders. God was reminding me that everything belongs to Him and I cannot get overly attached to anything, even when it is a good thing like ministry. Often times we get so busy with perfecting our way of serving that we lose sight; in order to grow, we need to level up in our spiritual walk with God.  We need to embrace the directional change that God is calling us to go. A good leader serves. A good leader realizes it is not about him/her. A good leader is able to discern when it is time to give up control and let others step up.

Grace Liu, Jakarta City Director

Crazy Rich Asians

A Window into Southeast Asia’s Wealth and Faith

While earning raving reviews and credit for its all-Asian cast, Crazy Rich Asians, has given us in the States a window into just how wealthy, how crazy, and how Christianity plays a part in Southeast Asia. One of the first scenes shows Eleanor Young (the male’s lead mother) having a Bible Study in Singapore with her friends. But what’s even more unusual, is not that there is a Bible study, but the fact that the Bible study is taking place in a lush tropical villa (or mansion) with other wealthy and social elite women. And the passage being read comes from Colossians 3:2, “Set your mind on things above, not on things that are on the Earth”. Interesting…

Though religion occupies only a small portion of the film, the book, written by Kevin Kwan poses Christianity as one of the many qualifications to what it takes to be considered a social elite in countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, and others. In his book (not in the movie), it mentions that a successful elite teenager in SE Asia, is one that succeeds in music, academics, and religion. The Holy Trinity of success. In other words, religion, or in this case Christianity, becomes a badge of morality and an extracurricular activity rather than a way of life. That is why you see some appreciate Crazy Rich Asians as a movie, but ask the question: If Christianity is the faith of the social elite in SE Asia, how does the gospel impact how they live? Or does it?

Kion You, a journalist at Brown University, writes that the movie helps portray Christianity in a hyper-capitalist country, “by satirizing Christianity as a tool for the wealthy to cozy up with those even more wealthy, accruing large doses of social capital with sprinkles of the gospel”.[1] In other words, he sees Christianity for the wealthy in SE Asia, as merely “a hollowed out vessel of wealth”. Just like the $40 million wedding in the movie that was held in a church. Wealth was present, but Christianity wasn’t. On the ground level, Brett McCraken, from the Gospel Coalition, interviewed three Singaporean pastors to get a deeper look at Christianity in countries like Singapore. One of them, Guna Raman of Agape Baptist Church, had this to say about Christianity in his home country, “Many churches preach heavily moralistic sermons or, on the other hand, proclaim ‘hyper-grace,’ subtly (if not overtly) proclaiming the prosperity gospel. There is a great need in Singapore for more theological depth.” [2]

When one looks at SE Asia and sees the elite claim Christianity as their religion, yet not let it impact how they give to the poor, reconcile among ethnic divisions, or pursue justice; it begs the question of whether the gospel actually impacts their lives. At Resource Global, we’ve had similar conversations among those in Jakarta and Singapore. For many of the elite, Christianity is merely the means of pursuing good morality, or blessings if you obey, or a community among similar-minded people. It plays a part in their lives, but doesn’t impact or dictate their lives.

That is why for us at Resource Global, we’ve made it our mission to resourcing and releasing the next generation of Christian leaders and professionals within an interconnected network for Gospel movements in major global cities. And we’ve made SE Asia a specific target for this. One of the main reasons is because there is a lack of understanding among young leaders in how to properly integrate Scripture and the Gospel into everyday life, especially in their workplace. For example: What does the Gospel have to do with the $100 million company I will inherit from my family in 10-15 years? What does the Gospel have to do with loving the marginalized, the poor, and those who are not Christians? What does the Gospel have to do with marriage, community, justice, and more? In no way do we expect to answer and solve every question. But our hope is to bring in leaders, speakers, and mentors to have dialogue around these topics, so that they will not live out a “hollowed out vessel of religion” or one with “little theological depth”. Instead, they will live one that knows what, why, and how the gospel speaks to every single inch of their lives.

So at Resource Global, we are just getting started. Now in Year 3 of our cohorts in Jakarta and Chicago, and Year 1 starting for Nairobi, we are excited to continue investing in local workplace leaders and see the future transformation in 5, 10, or 20 years. We’ve already seen leaders change how they work and love their co-workers, lead initiatives in their local churches, and start new efforts in loving those around them that are not like them. We know our investment is small, but with the capacity and potential of these global leaders, we know the impact they can make for God’s kingdom is massive. As we all were given the opportunity to peer into the window of Christianity in SE Asia through Crazy Rich Asians, our hope is that in 20 years you will be able to see into a window not of crazy wealth with a Christian bumper sticker attached, but one of young leaders integrating and risking their lives for Jesus’ name and the welfare of their communities and cities.

Noah Chung, Resource Global Staff

[1]https://sojo.net/articles/crazy-rich-asians-shows-role-christianity-worlds-richest-countries
[2]https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/gospel-takes-root-crazy-rich-singapore/

When Empty, Cracked Vessels are Good

We live in an age age that demands perfection more than ever. With today’s technology, airbrushing has never been easier, if not more convenient, to display or sell the truth. Images of things we market and sell are airbrushed, and even various images of ourselves.

First, we airbrush the photos (the way we look) we post on social media. Then, we “airbrush” our character or personality to match what we want others to perceive of us. Soon, we easily “airbrush” our own spirituality. Now, we are not showing our true selves.

Why do we do this? Is it because you don’t think you look good enough or are enough? Do you fear not having it all? This basically means that you donʼt believe that God knows what He is doing when he created you. You donʼt trust Godʼs design (of you).

There is a practice in Japan, the Kintsukuroi method, where broken pottery is repaired with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold. Now picture two Vessels. One being perfect and intact and the second having cracks, but with hints of gold. Which is more beautiful and real? Which of these vessels would you like to be?

How To See and Embrace Your Cracks

No one is perfect. So, the choice is yours to plaster your own cracks or let God plaster your cracks. Who better to go back and fix the original masterpiece than the Potter Himself? He designed and made the vessel in the first place. He is the only One that knows what your functions are and why you are designed the way you are. He has called you to fulfill a purpose that only He knows. If you understand that, let me share a little of what I went through when I made the decision regarding my own cracks.

For me, the process began with a willing heart, prayers and self-reflection. You need to be still, be willing, and be honest. But the hardest, most crucial part was being courageous enough to be vulnerable and be real. This process also involves the help of others. So, do not be afraid to seek trusted Godly counsel or communities. Weʼve become so good at plastering our own cracks that sometimes it is hard for us to be able to see what is real and what is not an original part of us.

Only when an honest, trusted opinion gets lovingly spoken to us, do we realize we have cracks and see where they are. This is the hardest part for me. Some of the things that I cover my cracks with is perfectionism, self-sufficiency and feminism. And to top it off, I keep a safe (emotionally and spiritually) distance from people. If you maintain a safe distance, people cannot see you for who you truly are, an imperfect person. But with that action, you forget the importance of your imperfections...that your imperfections is the greatest testimony of His mercy. When there are cracks, there is room and need for grace.

“for My strength is made perfect in weakness” - 2 Corinthians 12:9

I am done being seen as one who has it all together. If anything, that is the biggest misperception that others often have of me. For those that have earned my trust and see me for who I am, they know how far from perfect I am from it.

The Need for Empty Vessels

God can only pour into empty vessels. Grace is flowing and can overflow. So, in order to receive God, you need room for Godʼs oil in your vessel. But you also need to keep your vessel clean so that the pure oil may continue to flow to and through you.

The “cracks” are what sometimes prevents us from showing our true selves or God’s glory. But it is those cracks and conflicts that actually best represent His blessings and allows His glory to shine through the most. You are Godʼs chosen vessels, imperfect and with cracks. Cracks ensure His glory and allow His grace to be visible. This way people wonʼt compliment the vessels, but in turn, might value the oil that is placed inside.

Pour out what is inside your vessel. Leave your vessel empty, by pouring into Him, so that He may pour into and make you anew. One must have the courage to pour out our own pride, opinions, insecurities, walls and defenses. Only then can you come before the Lord, willing, vulnerable, honest and ready to be renewed in His grace. Let God repair the cracks (part of His original design) that you have tried to plaster yourself, and let Him fill it with gold, His grace.

Pour out to People - The call to love

The main principle is that you pour love to other people, knowing that you are pouring for the Lord. This is in spite of how they may respond, appreciated or not, and regardless of whether they asked. Remember the source from where it comes from and the very reason why you began pouring out to others in the first place. Continue to offer a word of encouragement, a touch of love, an offer of strength, but no matter what, you gotta keep pouring.

The concept of Daily Sustenance

“Your mercies are new every morning” - Lamentations 3:22-23

2 Kings 4:5-6 - The widow poured in secret (behind closed doors) into empty vessels

When vessels are empty, they are ready. Ready to receive, ready to give, ready to daily draw from Him. Usually, one gives as much as they “have” or can “afford” to give. But know that because God is your source, you will never have nothing to give. So, you should always give and let His blessings continue to flow upon you and others. Let the oil continue to flow out and into vessels.Just as the Israelites were told not to save manna for tomorrow, trust that what God gives to you today is meant to be shared for today. Do not hold back worried that it won’t be enough. God will always provide just enough not only for you but for others that you want to share it with and with those God wants you to share it with. Then you come again to Him tomorrow for another portion.

My prayer today

Lord, I believe that You have given me what You have required. I trust that I have enough. Enough love, strength, encouragement and faith to give. I choose to not to wait until I have what I think I need, before I can give.

I trust that You are sovereign. So, if You have led me here, I believe that You have a plan. I thank you for all the paths which are aligned with Yours. And I trust You with the detours that You have lovingly let me take out of my own misdoing. Help me now to turn those detours for Your glory and for your purpose.

Give to me, in all your ways, just enough for today, for myself, to give to others, and to all those You have placed in my life.

Word of Encouragement:

I believe that every decision you have made until now has led you to where you are at this moment in time. You are where you are supposed to be, doing what God needs you to do, not later, but now.

Sonia Wirya, Jakarta Cohort 2018

Chicago: the Launching Pad

August 2018 ends the second group of our Chicago Cohort. Though we had a smaller amount compared to the first year, the intimacy and relationships that was built within us was unique and powerful. We had leaders who were in healthcare, writing, tech training, consulting, and marketing. Some were born and raised right here in Chicago, while others were born in different states or even different countries. Yet all of them gathered together because they wanted a deeper understanding of what it meant to live out the gospel in the fullness of their work, their family, and in their communities.

The beauty of Resource Global is that we have an opportunity to influence diverse young leaders who are impacting their workplaces and communities in Chicago and even outside of it. What’s so unique about Chicago and the leaders we have here is that many of them end up leaving Chicago and going to other global cities for work, family, and mission. For example, almost half of our first Chicago Cohort are now in cities like San Francisco, Denver, Singapore, and more. They are taking upon new degrees, new jobs, new churches, new communities, and some, even new relationships. Unlike our Jakarta cohort that usually has many who stick it out in Jakarta because of family and work, our Chicago Cohort is able to serve as a launching pad to send out leaders in other places so they can not only impact one city, but multiple cities. Though it makes it hard to have an alumni gathering the following year, it’s been a blessing to see our cohort members take their passions to new places that will allow their gospel impact to be even greater than in Chicago. It makes me reflect upon the reality that Jesus called the disciples to not stay in Jerusalem, but to go beyond: to Judea, to Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Our hope is that our Chicago Cohort past, present, and future will be the same. That while in Chicago they can learn, grow, and catch vision, so that they can be launched to make gospel impact wherever God calls them.

Now as we get ready for year 3, we are excited to have a new Chicago Cohort Lead, Deb Gorton, head up a new batch of leaders and influencers. We are partnering with many city churches, creating a Chicago board, and have also just completed our first ever God@Work Conference with speakers from Northwestern Kellogg Business school that had over 80+ people in attendance. We look forward to building off the momentum from the past two years and see our Chicago Cohort take new ground with Deb’s leadership and even as we start another global cohort in Nairobi. Ultimately, we know that the invest we make is small, but the impact we hope to see in 5-10 years will produce fruit beyond any of us can comprehend or imagine.

Noah Chung, Resource Global Staff

Our Vision: Global Cities and Global Young Leaders

Rise of Global Cities

Cities around the world continue to be on the rise. For the first time in history, more than half of the world’s people live in cities. They hold such economic and political power, yet also contain vast inequality and diversity. As we’ve worked alongside global non-profits, mission agencies, and churches, one of the common issues we faced was the lack of local leaders from professional workplace backgrounds that could support, consult, or even help lead many ministry efforts in global cities like Jakarta, Shanghai, Nairobi, and more. So we began to ask ourselves, what type of individual could spur the greatest impact towards God’s global mission in reaching the lost and poor, while at the same time influence the workplace, the city, and be self-sustainable?  

Cohort, Community, and Learning

The answer was in the future. At Resource Global, we are committed to resourcing and releasing the next generation of Christian leaders and professionals within an interconnected network for Gospel movements in major global cities. Many of the young working professional leaders in Jakarta, Chicago, and other global cities are continuing to thirst for a greater understanding and purpose in how to take their work, experiences, passions, and the gospel to new frontiers in their city and industries. Our ultimate hope is that we are able to resource these leaders in the short-term and long-term, so that they can be released to restore the brokenness and needs of their neighborhoods, workplaces, churches, and cities.

How do we expect to invest and resource these individuals? Well, our vision starts with establishing yearlong cohorts of 12-15 hand-selected individuals in our global cities. Throughout the year, they will be taught through a leadership curriculum with prominent workplace and ministry leaders on topics like identity, faith and work, and global missions. Each cohort member will also be paired with a mentor in the same industry, so that they can walk alongside and give guidance in the areas of faith, work, and ministry. And to continue with global learning, each year we host a Global Cohort Gathering (GCG) that brings together all the cohorts to spend intentional time learning from global leaders and from their global peers. At the end, we challenge each cohort member to create a Gospel Action Plan, which maps out their next steps of how they will impact their city and beyond.

Impacting Culture and Cities

Why do we invest in these individuals? One assumption in global missions is that as Americans we have to invest by ourselves. But when you look at the giftedness and positions of these young leaders, they have the potential to be the future investors, future elders, and future entrepreneurs. They have the potential to create fair-pay jobs and justice-filled industries, to give and partner with churches, the poor, and global missions. They have the potential to understand the cultures, corruptions, languages, and difficult dynamics of ministry that we as Westerners will take decades to understand. And when Western money and giving decreases towards world missions, these young leaders have the potential to carry on the torch in the majority world and in the most unreached areas of the world. If we properly train, resource, and walk alongside these future leaders their potential to impact the world with the gospel is endless.

The reality is that the future of global missions does not rely on us but it relies on future global Christian workplace leaders. Our hope is to invest our time, resources, network of teachers, and mentors so that these future workplace leaders can take Gospel-centered risks in their spheres of influence. And one day, we hope that by creating a network of future leaders sharing and teaching one another across the world, we can see sustainable Gospel impact grow 30, 60, and even 100 times for the Kingdom of God.

Resource Global Team

A New Wave of Missions - ICON 2018

There is an element of missions that I have always admired and romanticized - the idea of sacrificing all you have and all you know to go live in a faraway place for the sake of sharing the love of Christ with people who do not know Jesus.  What automatically came to mind was something along the lines of living in a hut with chickens and goats while wearing prairie dresses and befriending local villagers. It sounds a bit primitive, but this would not be too far-off a description of my own first overseas missions trip experience I had in 2004.

I know that missions has changed over time and that there has been a movement to integrate business and missions, so I was really looking forward to the opportunity I had to visit Jakarta with Resource Global and get a first-hand look at one way that missions can look like today.  

How do you impact a city of 10 million people for the sake of the gospel?  One effective way would be to find the young movers and shakers, invest in them, and mobilize them to be the change agents in their own city and to their own people.  This, in a nutshell, is what Resource Global is doing in Jakarta.

Who are these young movers and shakers?  They are business start-up founders, company CEOs, and other heads of businesses.  They are in the position to employ and directly influence tens, hundreds, and some, tens of thousands of people.  They can infuse Christian values into their business leadership and business culture in a way that shines Christ. They are in positions of great influence.  And they are under 30 years old.

I was quite impressed with the many 20-somethings I met in Jakarta.  What was initially impressive to me was their high business positions and titles at such a young age.  But this is not what was lastingly impressive. The persisting quality that stood out to me was their passion and conviction to use their positions to honor Christ.  It sounds typically spiritual and holy, but I imagine that being heads of businesses comes with a lot of worldly temptations that does not make this an easy or light matter to take for granted.

Many of these young people have strong business acumen that has helped to propel them to success. However, I was surprised by many who did not have much or any business background, but circumstances had fortuitously led them to engage in their family business that they originally did not plan on or have the aspiration to do.  This, along with the weight of responsibility they feel to those they employ and work with, draws a posture of humility before God.

What potential do these business leaders have to impact their city and country?  A young business co-CEO of a large scale apparel manufacturing company that makes clothes for many notable U.S. brands, who provides jobs for 28,000 people in Indonesia.  A young maritime business head working to bring healthcare to remote islands in Indonesia through floating hospitals- donating resources and working to raise funds and workers- whilst running the maritime company that is not at all related to healthcare.  A young business CEO who started a company that provides microloans for small online businesses, which is helping to build a virtually non-existent middle class in Indonesia. These are a few snapshots of the young people God is using in Jakarta.

While I continue to hold the utmost respect for those that sacrifice all they have and all they know to go live in faraway places, I am also awakened to other ways to shine Christ to people who do not know Jesus.  Find young Christian entrepreneurs and business leaders, invest in providing them spiritual mentorship, cultivate in them a love for their city and their people, and mobilize them to use their God-given positions to impact their city and their country for the sake of the gospel.  This is the work of Resource Global and I am thankful for the opportunity I had to catch a glimpse of it.

Ellie Kim was one of Resource Global’s first board member.  She is a teacher at the Chicago Public School

Loving Our City - Thoughts from Wayne Pederson

Indonesia

Indonesia is the world's 14th largest country in terms of land area and the 7th largest in terms of combined sea and land area. With over 261 million people, it’s the world's 4th most populous country.  It’s the world's largest island country, with more than 17,000 islands.

We had the privilege of spending a week in Jakarta, seeing the thriving business community. But also heard the frequently mentioned challenges:

• Marginal air quality

• The crazy heavy traffic

• Poverty, (the large gap between the “haves” and the “have nots)

• Corruption: (Young people leave country because of corruption.)

• The resulting hopelessness

Because of the poor air quality and the heavy traffic, life for many professionals is lived in the many stunning, impressive, shiny shopping malls.  The most luxurious department stores, excellent restaurants and varied specialty shops abound in the malls.  We spent a lot of time in the malls, even did some serious shopping.

Resource Global

I was in Jakarta as a guest of Resource Global. Resource Global led by CEO Tommy Lee seeks to develop young leaders for Christ’s Kingdom from among the leading young marketplace entrepreneurs.  The purpose of our meeting was to identify, encourage, recruit and mentor young marketplace leaders as a bridge to serving the church and Christ’s Kingdom.

Many of these young marketplace leaders in their 20’s and 30’s have studied at some of the best universities in the U.S.  They returned to Jakarta to run family businesses, do business turn-arounds, or engage in starting, building and selling new businesses..  Many were already using their business as a means to enhance the life in their communities and to demonstrate the love of Christ to the culture

For example: Julia stepped aside from a rapidly rising career in New York City to return to Indonesia to work with her father in a family shipping business.  Very soon she saw a need for healthcare among the underprivileged in the thousands of islands across the country.  And she saw an opportunity to use shipping vessels as a floating medical clinic to reach the underserved people on the islands.  In addition to money from her company, she raised $1 Million locally to fund equipping of the boat.

A young pastor and his wife (Andrew and Nikki Jun) see their church as a base for business entrepreneurship.  They recognize the business platform as an effective way to reach local unreached people groups.  They are identifying local leaders and sending business entrepreneurs for outreach to other areas of the country.

George Enratta runs an amazing 45-50 companies, for which he has provided venture capital for a start-up or a turn-around; i.e an online travel agency, a coffee/tea business and banking along the lines of PayPal.

David Dtjokknor: dynamic CEO of Soverience Capital. His business mission is to strategically invest in start-ups.  His model:

1. See the need

2. Build the company

3. Sell the company

To date, David has 87 investors, creating such businesses as Uber Asia and a full-service Brides/Wedding on-line consulting.  The wedding business in Indonesia is huge with guests running in the thousands.  The wedding service is run by Christians.  Weddings are streamed on FaceBook Live.  Christian model for marriage is presented. Excess wedding banquet food is distributed to the poor.

His advice for westerners:

• Listen to those you seek to influence.

• Provide mentor ship to those who seek help.

• Honor and respect the culture.

• Take a back seat.

Over tea with the SE Asia representative of a well-known Foundation stated: We are transitioning from the old ways of western non-profit missions to supporting local entrepreneurs.  This is a different global mission mindset. Funding for ministry in Indonesia is increasingly coming from businesses in-country.

The ICON Conference all day Saturday was a call to action:

• We are to be students of the city. God has a plan for us to redeem the city. -What is one tangible thing we can do?

• Christians must get involved

I was impacted by plenary speaker, former HUD Secretary under the Bush administration, Steve Preston, who stated:

“Gods vision for loving the city is loving its people. “

“The role of government for the city is to advance the welfare of individuals in the city. In areas of poverty, education, jobs, healthcare, environment.”

“In order to transform society God has to transform us.”

Sunday morning we attended a large, alive evangelical church on the 8th floor of a large building in downtown Jakarta.  The worship was alive, loud and vibrant.  Most of the music was .  The pastor was dynamic, biblical and practical as he shared the great truth that God is present ALWAYS, with us, in us, before us.  We were thrilled and inspired to see this large, passionate group of young believers worshiping and learning in a country where they are so outnumbered, but rapidly growing.

Wayne Pederson, Friend of Resource Global

Loving the City - ICON 2018

Psalm 107 portrays the gathering of displaced people into a city as an ideal.  “. . . and they founded a city where they could settle (v. 37).”  Displaced people are described as “finding no way to a city where they could settle (v. 4b).”

Jakarta has become a global city where over ten million people have found their refuge. The Chinese are among those who have settled in Jakarta.  This mega city in South East Asia on the island of Java has the highest number of overseas Chinese in Indonesia. ICON 2018 was a conference to promote the values and practices of “Loving the City” for an audience made up mostly of young ethnic Chinese.  Several other people groups were among the audience, but the majority were definitely the Chinese and, if history told it all, the Chinese would not have a reason to love Jakarta.  The article on “Chinese Indonesians” in Wikipedia, documents a history of discrimination and persecution against this group.  And yet, over 100 young (average age, 27), Chinese Indonesian professionals gathered on a Saturday in July to receive instruction and encouragement to love Jakarta.  Why?

Many of these professionals came to a personal faith in Jesus Christ while studying abroad and now desire to live out that faith in and through their lives.  But they have a problem, or a potential, depending on which angle one approaches the issue.  Their positions in the business world allow them to implement changes of scale larger than mere personal transformation. The potential of influence would be a problem if the conference did not specifically address this unique angle.  But the organizers have been tracking the needs among this audience for the last four years with excellent, on-the-ground data. Resource Global was able to challenge the audience on their level, and at the right point for their next step.  In education a timely challenge, that is truly a next step in ability and willingness is called, the Zone of Proximal Development.  Debriefing with several participants made it evident to me that ICON hit the Zone.

A business owner at my table decided to make himself accountable.  Mr. Steve Preston, the keynote speaker, a business leader and a former US housing secretary, mentioned that businesses could become deliberate in changing a neighborhood. “Why not cooperate with other businesses and deliberately place your next venture where the economic situation is dismal?”  That is exactly what this business owner heard and inquired about after the speech. What would the dynamics be if he placed his next manufacturing/assembly business in an accessible place to a population that was a need?  He promised he would pray about it and investigate the actions necessary to make the love of Jesus tangible in a neighborhood.

After all, these young professionals have committed themselves, at least forty of them, to implement whatever they learn from the Scriptures in their family businesses and work places and in their personal lives.  Icon 2018 gave them specifics on scaling their influence to not “take out of the city, like many others, but to give to the city” (challenge from Alex Evans, the pastor at The Collective.)

The theme for next year will bring the focus back to personal ethics and issues of integrity.  The organizers of ICON know how to dance between the Sermon on the Mount issues (Matthew 5, ethics) and the parable of the good and faithful steward in Matthew 25 (stewardship).  Icon is making disciples in Jakarta who can and want to change how Jesus’ love would be experienced in healthcare, education, politics, architecture, and more in a city where many migrate to (over 50% of the population is not from Jakarta).  It is crowded now, but open spaces are coming!

Dr. Julius Wong Loi Sing - thoughts from ICON 2018

Struggles of Working in a Family Business

Working in a family business is like an irony. People would think that because it's our own family company, we have a lot of rooms to grow and move around and change things as we deem important. But truthfully, it's harder than it looks. Here are some of the struggles I've encountered:

1. Passing the baton

My father is a self-made man. His family came from nothing and being able to build his own entire company until having what we have now, is something he values so much. It’s his baby. Maybe it's even where he puts his identity in. So that being said, I felt there were a lot of difficulties for him on giving up control and authority. Company structure became messy and I wasn’t the only one who was having trouble positioning myself in the company. The employees were also confused on whom they had to report to, because the business was slowly being passed onto his kids.

But seeing from his point of view, he saw us as kids who weren’t ready to be passed on the family business. This create a lot of tension, because trust was now at stake. My father might have felt that as kids we will never be “man” enough to run the business, but we as kids, we wanted our chance to prove to our father that we were capable. But there was nothing that we could do except to wait (impatiently), until he felt that we were ready.

Sadly, when things at the company are bad and you just want to wind down at home and not talk about business anymore... you still have to sit at the dinner table with family and still discuss business, which makes it hard to separate business from personal feelings and family.

2. Bringing education to the workplace

I was blessed to have the opportunity to have my university education in America where I was exposed to Western ways of thinking and mentality. I took business as my major, so when I went back to Jakarta, I wanted to implement a lot of the same things in the company to make it more forward. But with the different culture and years of an immersed tradition within the company, it wasn’t so easy to penetrate it. It would take a lot of time to make our employees and employers understand why we would want to shift some of the ways we traditionally do it.

But all  that said, I have realized a few things: honest communication is very important, establishing boundaries and positioning ourselves in the company is also key, and taking things easily, or in other words, argue your arguments, but when it’s done, make sure it’s a clear and finalized before you leave it.

3. Depending on God

Finally, my foremost important takeaway from working in a family business is that it makes me understand more about having God as our center as the most important thing in my life. We can get caught up with work and businesses or talk about it neverendingly, which can make it our identity. But without God as our core foundation, we will be easily shift and forget what exactly is the entire purpose of work. Working in a family business requires a lot of patience, and when we try with our own strength, it will never sustain. But with His love, it’s not impossible.

All of these times, it never occured to me to put my faith and trust in Him within my workplace, gosh ..it never really crossed my mind to do so. Maybe because it was too far of a reach that even thinking about it was just ...off. But one thing that God revealed to me at my time at Resource Global was when He helped me understand that His heart is never pointed to only one part of our lives, but to all extended parts; and seeing people from different nations and cities having the same heart that wants to glorify God with their work was another proof that nothing is too big or too far reached for Him.

Velencia Bong, Jarakta Cohort Member 2018

Alternate Realities and Alternate Poverties

As a child, whenever I was approached by beggars on the streets of Shanghai, I recall pausing and reaching for my coin purse before my parents would pull me along and gently reprimand me: didn’t I know my money would just encourage their slothfulness, that if these people really tried they could find a real job? Their words did not sit well with me, not then or later as I repeatedly encountered homeless people in every city we visited or lived in. But then again, who was I to disobey my parents’ wishes, when I wasn’t even sure what difference my contribution would make?

Entering university and once again facing the glaring reality of homelessness in the world’s wealthiest economy, I sought to educate myself about an injustice that seemed beyond comprehension. In my community psychology class, I was surprised to learn that the primary driver of homelessness is not mental illness, addiction, or crime but simply the lack of affordable housing. In my daily devotionals, I was challenged by account after account in which Jesus chose to spend time with and care for the homeless, poor, diseased, and despised in first-century Jewish society. Around campus, I began to strike up conversations beyond the cursory “Hello, how are you?” with street paper vendors I saw regularly, curious to hear their stories and hoping to help meet some of their immediate needs.

It was during one of these conversations that I first befriended Stephen and Edie, over a year ago. A startling number of characteristics unite us. We work and live in Nashville, where Stephen and I are both students pursuing social science degrees at local universities. We are passionate about people and theology and social justice, and we love and worship the same God. When we are spending time together, exchanging stories, I can almost forget the barriers that separate us.

Yet, we live completely different realities. Each day, Stephen and Edie bravely bear the scars of having lost their home and their youngest daughter in the Nashville flood of 2010. Each day, as they earn their daily living dollar by dollar, they choose to bless and pray not only for the passersby who are kind to them, but also for the many who hurry on with blank expressions and averted eyes, or even hurl food and mockery in their faces. Each day, Stephen and Edie thank Jesus for His continuous mercies and daily provision. Is it not I who am spiritually poor, and they who God has sent to fill my poverty?

I have a long way to go before I can truly understand or empathize with the experiences of Stephen, Edie, and many worldwide who may suffer even more than they do. But I refuse to sit in inaction, paralyzed by the ambiguity of who and how best to help. With each life and alternate reality I choose to intertwine with mine— Stephen, Edie, and other homeless friends I have met, the street-smart African American first graders I tutor every Wednesday, my ex-students in Phnom Penh who still dearly hold my heart, those I hope to meet and share life with through PiA—I will learn to engage rather than to overlook, to love rather than fear, and to be a catalyst for radical compassion.

Felicia Hanitio

Jakarta Cohort, 2018

Heart Knowledge

Being biblically literate and memorizing verses is important, however when head knowledge becomes heart knowledge, that is when true life transformation happens.

Over the past few weeks I have been going through a book with my lifegroup (Young Adults Community Group) called Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero. Emotions are complicated, messy; life would be much easier if we could just get by our days by shutting away our emotions to get things done.

I have learned over the past weeks that God speaks through our emotions. When we shut down or bottle our emotions we miss out on the things that God is trying to say to us. God speaks through disappointments, sadness, happiness, anger, jealousy. The point is not that we should be guided by our emotions (because that would lead to horrible life decisions), but the point is to realize and reflect on why we feel the way we feel, and what are the things God is trying to reveal to us through these emotions. 

In moments we are disappointed or during situations that just make us burst in anger, we must analyze why we feel angry? Is it because we do not like losing control? Is it because we do not like being abandoned? Why do we react the way we do? Is it because of our family culture, the way we are brought up?

Understanding why we feel the emotions we feel and being able to correct ourselves to be emotionally healthy is an important part of spiritual growth.  

Living in a culture where we are taught to "save face" and bottle up emotions, this book was not easy to digest. I live in a culture where emotions of sadness, anger, disappointment, or even over the top happiness are seen as a sign of weakness and not appropriate to display in public. 

From a young age, I was taught to "know my place", and "accept" the way young people are treated based on culture and tradition. I push down emotions of frustration when being scolded and learned to numb emotions of disappointment. I noticed later on in life that these bottled emotions started to leak out in the form of passive aggressiveness and sarcasm. I begin to create emotional barriers in my relationships to prevent myself (my heart) from getting hurt. 

Understanding how family culture and ethnicity has built me to the person I am today and taking a step back in realizing the emotional baggage that has accumulated over the years has helped me uncover bad habits and emotional behaviors I have built up. I began to reflect on situations that would rise up that would cause me to be overly sensitive or give out overblown reactions, and made a decision to lay my insecurities and emotional baggage at the feet of Jesus. 

In response to Emotionally Healthy Spirituality,  I have decided to be more open vulnerable to a trusted group of friends about the emotions I feel. I can say it has not been easy but being able to sort through emotion and respond in a healthy manner has been a challenging yet liberating experience. 

It is a liberating realization to know that I am not bound by my past or my emotional responses built by my culture. God's love gives me the power to break these unhealthy emotional habits and embrace God's family culture.

We tend to belittle emotions and see them as signs of weakness but when we bring those weaknesses before God, He can turn our greatness weakness into our greatest asset to serve others and bring glory to Him. 

Grace Liu

Global City Director, Jakarta

Loving Your City

When you think about creation and God's original intent for mankind, what do you envision? Does your mind immediately fill with images of wide open spaces filled with beautiful creatures living in perfect harmony and free from the busyness, noise, and clutter that comes with urban living? It is easy to think of the Garden of Eden as the ideal dwelling place, but it is just as easy to forget that God's original mandate to man was to "be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it." In fact, as we look at Scripture, the Bible gives a very positive view of urban areas and even gives us a glimpse of the eternal future of all believers:  the Holy City, the new Jerusalem.

Cities have a dual nature:  the capacity for great good if they are God-exalting, or the capacity for tremendous evil if they are man-exalting. A God-exalting culture brings glory to God's name and is a means of serving God and neighbor, but a man-exalting culture results when something is done with the motivation of self-recognition. As we look back over mankind's history as it unfolds through Scripture's narrative, we see how this dual nature has played out in cities like Babel, Nineveh, Babylon, and the Roman Empire. Interestingly, the city is also a glimpse into God's redemptive story and one which should give us encouragement to love our city and to be excited about its tremendous potential as a mission field.

The city of Babel is an excellent example of what can happen when the potential good of a city is perverted. The inhabitants—who the Bible describes as resourceful, ambitious, driven, and hardworking...all good things—set out to build a city and a tower. But instead of using their talents to bring glory to God, the people sought to make a name for themselves and to avoid being scattered over the face of the earth. Their actions were in direct opposition to God's command to Noah and his sons that they "be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth." Their hearts were filled with pride, and their actions brought about God's judgment. As we read the Bible's account of the city of Babel, we are reminded that God will not let evil go unpunished; but we can also be encouraged that there is hope for our cities. When we recognize how the potential for good in our city has been perverted, we have the opportunity to step in and bring God's light to very dark places.

Nineveh, like Babel, was a city filled with people with evil intentions. In fact, Nineveh had built up quite a bad reputation among its neighbors. As we read the Bible's account, we are even told that Nineveh's evil had come up before God. But instead of intervening the way He did at Babel, or bringing swift destruction as He did with Sodom and Gomorrah, God gave the Ninevites a forty-day warning. It can be easy to look at the evil that is being done in our cities and wonder why God does not step in and act, but we forget that "our Lord's patience means salvation." The people of Nineveh believed God's message through the prophet Jonah and repented. They turned from their wicked ways, and God showed the city mercy. Throughout Israel's history, prophets had been raised up and sent to preach to God's people to call them to repentance, but Jonah was the first prophet sent to a pagan city. Jonah and Nineveh are a new phase in the unfolding story of God's redemptive mission. No matter how evil a city is, God wants everyone to have the opportunity to repent, which is why he is so patient with us.

As believers, we know that this place is not our home. I 1 Peter 2:11 Peter writes that “we are like aliens in a foreign land, eagerly awaiting our return to our heavenly dwelling.” But just as God told the Israelites through the prophet Jeremiah that they were to settle down and invest in the good of Babylon during their time as exiles, we too are to be contributors, not just consumers, in our places of residence. Hananiah, the false prophet, dishonestly prophesied that God would bring the Jewish nation back to Jerusalem within two years of being exiled in Babylon. Instead, the exile lasted seventy years. If the people had believed Hananiah, they would have remained disengaged in their new city, waiting day after day for God's imminent deliverance. But through Jeremiah, God reminded the people that He was the one who had placed them in Babylon, that this was His plan, and that He wanted them to pray for the city and seek its peace and prosperity, promising that if the city prospered, the Israelites too would prosper (Jeremiah 29:7). In the same way, we as believers may long for heaven, but we should not put our lives on hold simply because we prefer to be somewhere else. Instead, we must recognize that God has placed us in our city for a reason; it is His plan, and we are to make the most of our time here.

Have you ever considered why the early church grew so quickly and the gospel message spread so rapidly throughout the province of Asia? The believers' strategy was to evangelize the cities. Acts 17, 18, and 19 tell us that Paul made it a point to travel to Athens, the intellectual center of the Greco-Roman world, Corinth, the commercial center of the empire, and Ephesus, Rome's religious center. At the end of the book of Acts, Paul makes it to the empire's capital, Rome, the military and political center. Major cities are the unavoidable crossroads of societies and the place from which culture is influenced and ideas flow. As we consider our evangelism strategy, it should give us great encouragement as we think about the potential our cities have to reach entire nations!

From the time of David onward, the prophets spoke of a perfect urban society that was yet to come. We are told that the city of God, the new Jerusalem, will be "the joy of the whole earth." The Bible's narrative recounts the great spiritual conflict throughout history of the struggle between a society that is created for self-salvation, self-service, and self-glorification versus a society that is devoted to God's glory. This future city will be the culmination of that history. The new Jerusalem is the reason for our hope and why we strive to share the Good News with people. Our cities are temporary; God's city is eternal.

The final goal of Christ's redemptive work is not to return believers to a rural, Edenic world. From God's command in Genesis that man "be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it," to the new Jerusalem as described in Revelation, it is clear that God's intention for mankind is that we raise up cities that glorify him and be good stewards of the resources He has entrusted to us. Our work in our cities is vitally important, and we can take great comfort, just as the Israelites in exile did, that God, himself, has placed us here and that He has a plan.

It is a good thing for us to love our cities and it is a good thing for us to seek the wellbeing of our cities. God's heart longs for their repentance and redemption. Shouldn't ours?

Tommy Lee

Meet Julia Tan

Resource Global is an organization I started nine years ago to take the vision God had given me to take the Gospel to the ends of the Earth. Resource Global is committed to resourcing and releasing the next generation of Christian leaders and professionals within an interconnected network for Gospel movements in major global cities.

One of the people I have gotten to meet and who has been part of our cohorts has been Julia Tan.  Julia is an extremely bright and talented individual.  She is one of the future leaders in that city.  Julia is the Head of Corporate Development and HR at Liputan Group in Jakarta and the Head of Project at DoctorShare and will be speaking at our annual Icon Conference in Jakarta this year.  

I want to share two videos with you:

Called to Work

Called to Work

"Marketplace leaders." We hear this term often, but you may be wondering, what does it mean and why are nonprofits suddenly jumping to help these people?

I recently had a conversation with someone at church. He told me, "I feel really guilty when I'm at work. I feel like if I'm obedient to God, I should quit my job and either go into full-time ministry or go into missions." It was an interesting thought, and one that left me wondering why he could not be obedient to God in his work. What this individual did not recognize, and what many people fail to realize, is that he put his faith in a box by believing that serving God is limited to church work.

"What is it that God has gifted you in?" I asked him, adding, "God has gifted you with different passions, just like he has gifted the designer with certain skills and passions, or a banker or an accountant." It was important for me to help him understand and see that his career was, in fact, bringing glory to God and enhancing the Gospel. I encouraged him to identify the characteristics that have led him to excel in his current work and consider how they might be used by God in other capacities. "What do you like about your job?" I asked him. "What are the things you are doing at work that you just love, where time flies by and you enjoy every moment of it?" This, I told him, could be God slowly showing him what He has created him to be. I then took it a step further: "How do you begin to use those skills and those passions and what he has given you to not only serve your work and make your work and your city better, but use those skills to also serve the church, your family, and all of this?"

Looking into the Old and New Testaments, we are reminded that the life stories God writes for us are tied to the unique abilities we have been given. Zacchaeus was a tax collector. He interacted with Jesus, and stayed a tax collector. What changed was how he used his gifting. A self-serving attitude shifted to a desire to serve the poor.

Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king; he was a government official. When he received news that the walls of Jerusalem were down, he took leave to use his skills to organize his people to rebuild the wall. When the task was done, he returned to his responsibilities in the palace. The interesting thing to note is that Nehemiah would not have been able to do what he did if he was not a government official.

Peter was a fisherman.

Daniel and Joseph both worked in the government. The list goes on.

Marketplace leaders are Christian business professionals.

"How can we mobilize these individuals towards ministry in the marketplace?" is a question that is inspiring nonprofit organizations around the world to not just support the spiritual growth of young global leaders, but to encourage them to pursue marketplace careers that create opportunities for evangelism and discipleship in secular fields.

A marketplace leader is born out of an individual actively seeking to discover and pursue their God-given purpose.

In a recent radio interview I did with Dr. Michael Easley, my former boss and the former President of Moody Bible Institute, he said to me, "I'm one of these outliers that doesn't believe in a specific call from God." This view can, and does, upset some people. "I didn't have some experience, or some, you know, intervention, or some, 'Boy, I think God wants me to be a pastor.'"  Instead, Dr. Easley points to our innate, God-given wiring as an indicator for what we are created to do. "I do think we have gifts, calling, abilities, talents, interests, passions, wiring, and when you put all that together and you have a sense of 'I was made to do X,'...I think we need to pay attention to those basic things." Dr. Easley has reminded me time and again, "Tommy, just do the next thing and the next thing."

Careful personal consideration and insight from other people are valuable tools. Sometimes we want something so much that we confuse God's calling with our own desires. I think we have all been there. We have to continually ask ourselves, is it His will, or did I just convince myself that this is God's will for me because I want it so much for myself?

This even happens to people who know they are called into full-time ministry. Take Pastor Mark Jobe's story as an example. Pastor Mark is the Senior Pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago. When Mark was 21 years old, attending Moody Bible Institute in Chicago in 1986, he received an invitation from God that he knew he could not turn down. "A pastor had planted a seed in my heart," Mark explained to me during an UpNext radio interview. "He said, 'Mark, you know, the nations have come to the city. If we can reach the cities, we can reach the nations.'" Mark was not crazy about Chicago and longed to return to his family in Northern Spain, but God challenged him during a personal prayer time, saying, "I love people. I love the city. Would you love the city?" God softened his heart, and soon Mark began to see the people of Chicago as individuals that God loved. He accepted a call to pastor a small church of 18 people. Now, thirty years later, he is the lead and founding pastor of New Life Community Church, and his congregation has planted 24 other churches with over 40 services in multiple languages. Today Mark says, "I see a city that Jesus loves, that has tremendous potential to be a turnaround city that shows the whole world that there is a powerful God at work in Chicago."

Marketplace leaders have the potential to change the world, too.

If God has called you to serve in the marketplace, he has bestowed upon you a great honor. Almost all non-Christian Americans are in the marketplace. This is not to say that they are unreached with the Gospel, but instead have access to churches and Christians, yet are still living in darkness. As Theology of Business (www.theologyofbusiness.com) describes it, "The local church is like the showroom for Christianity. The marketplace is the test drive." Consider your daily life and how you react under pressure, how you treat your neighbors, coworkers, family, and friends, because the people around you are watching.

If you are in the marketplace, or considering entering the marketplace, because you have considered your "gifts, calling, abilities, talents, interests, passions, and wiring" and found that that is where God wants you, then I want to assure you that you have no reason to feel guilty like the individual I talked to at my church for not being in full-time ministry. As Theology of Business so aptly puts it, "The marketplace is where our unbelieving co-workers get to see if they really want what we have."

Tommy Lee