I can’t count the number of times I’ve felt anxious or afraid to share the Gospel with an unbeliever. I would get a lump in my throat, heart racing, and palms sweaty. But over time, through encouragement from YHWH’s Word and from others, I definitely feel less anxious in those situations than I did in years past. In particular, there’s a passage that I found really helpful, especially when I’m being asked about Christianity by someone who explicitly tells me that they’re opposed to it:

But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them [those who actively oppose Christianity], nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience

- 1 Peter 3:14-16a

Being able to share the various reasons for the hope we have in the Gospel when someone asks us certainly takes effort on our parts, but we can also be emboldened by taking God’s Word at face value - when God tells us that even if we should suffer because we’re faithful followers of Jesus Christ, we can trust God that He will fulfill His promise to bless us. God is literally unable to lie; when God’s Word says something, it is reality, and thus we can trust it.

And to help alleviate the anxiety of “what should I say to the person?”, we have the gift of our personal testimonies, both our testimonies of salvation and of the ensuing works of God in our lives thereafter. Those verses in 1 Peter encourage us to be prepared always to provide an answer anytime that anyone asks us for a reason for the hope that we have in Christ. Notice it says, “anyone who asks you for a reason…”.

Different people will have different questions and have their respective objections to Jesus Christ. This passage instructs us with YHWH’s eternal wisdom to prepare ourselves to have a variety of thoughtful responses and winsome, respectful conversation-starters ready to give depending on the circumstances and on the background and context of the person who’s asking you, and our testimonies can be a powerful tool in those cases. We can share our stories of God with all of those different people, and in the process provide another reason for the hope that we have in Christ Jesus.

There’s an old adage that the more prepared a person is, the more probable is one’s success. There’s also the converse adage of “by failing to prepare, we are preparing to fail”. The more practice and preparation we invest in talking about our various stories of how we’ve seen and witnessed God in our lives and in the lives around us, the more comfortable we’ll be when those opportunities come our way, and the more familiar we’ll be with how those conversations often generally flow. And regardless of how the person asking responds to your story, it doesn’t change the fact that we get to experience the peace and satisfaction that we’re being faithful to what God entrusted us to do: sharing just one of the many reasons for the hope that Christ has given to us - namely Himself.

So as you enjoy these stories of YHWH shared by real people who have received the treasure of Jesus Christ, may it spur memories of your own stories of YHWH, and may YHWH bless you all over again!

In His Assured Hope,

Pastor Yung J. Kim

No Longer Alone

by Kyoungsoo You

Three years ago, my husband and I moved here from Korea with our 2 young children. It was a transition full of challenges and fear of the unknown. In Korea, I had a supported life surrounded by friends and family, but life here in San Jose was new, unfamiliar, and at times, a place where I felt very alone.

When I first came to Revive, I slowly began to find community. But when I became a member, I realized that God had given me more than a community — He had given me a family. Through Revive, God gave me direction, purpose, and a deeper sense of belonging.

This past year became a turning point in my spiritual and personal growth. Through the sisterhood of my LOLMD, God gave me a spiritual bond that helped me begin a deeper journey of becoming more like Jesus in my everyday life. I was able to experience the gospel not only as something I believe, but as something lived out through people who sincerely care for one another and take responsibility for one another in love.

There were many memorable moments when we laughed together, cried together, and prayed for one another’s lives. Through those moments, God reminded me that I was no longer alone. The fear of the unknown that I carried when I first moved here began to fade. Even though I still have family and friends in Korea, this past year and my LOLMD helped me see that God had provided me with a new family through Revive. I no longer felt alone.

My husband and I often talk about what this journey has been like for us. I have shared with him many times how differently I now see the roads we take to church. When I first came here, the roads, mountains, and sky reminded me that I was far from home. But now, when I see the view along Highway 280, I am reminded that God has been with me on every part of this journey. What once felt unfamiliar has become beautiful because I can now see His guidance in it.

Unlearning My Ingratitude

by Nancy Kim

I did not grow up knowing how to be grateful. But this year, God is teaching me to be thankful for even the little things because it produces a joyful heart. When I was a child, my parents worked very hard to support our family, working seven days a week at our donut shop. But this often left them weary and tired and in a low mood leading them to complain, and they both were hypercritical of me and my siblings. This naturally affected how I approached and saw the world. It was easy for me to see the bad in things, but harder to see the good. I was also very hypercritical of myself, and I thought this was just normal.

When I accepted Jesus into my heart and learned how much the Father loved me as His daughter just the way I am, it really freed me from that hypercriticism. Yet I still carry remnants of the old self with me all these decades later. The bad things are still so easy to see. I think God gave me two boys to work out more of my old self—to sanctify me. They push every button I have, they break things, they fight, and they never stop moving. For a while, all I saw was how draining it was, how tired I felt, how messy the house looked, and how angry I got. Why can’t I parent well? Why did I lose my temper again?

For the last few years, I asked God daily just to help me survive the day.

I had forgotten how I prayed for three years for a child when I struggled with infertility. I forgot the church family that fasted with us for a miracle. I had forgotten that I almost lost Toby at 21 weeks gestation. I had forgotten why I named my firstborn son Tobias, which means “God’s goodness.”

God was good to me and blessed me with motherhood after years of infertility and a miscarriage. But my heart was not thankful.

This year, God challenged me to not just survive this phase of life, but to be present and thankful for it. To be thankful my boys are healthy enough to laugh and play. To be thankful they want to be with me (even while I’m in the bathroom!). To be thankful for a well-lived home full of laughter, even if there is more mess and dirt.

Every night when we pray together as a family, Frank asks the kids what they are thankful for. We do this because, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bone” (Proverbs 17:22). This practice has forced me to reflect daily on what I am thankful to God for. The saying goes, “the days are long, but the years are short.” The question is: do I want those long days to be full of joyful moments or full of “survival” mode? Choosing to see the joyful moments takes work and practice, but it has been good medicine for my heart.

Discovering True Fairness

by Yeojin Hur

For a long time, I felt trapped in unfair situations in my family, career, marriage, and other areas of life, despite my achievements and recognition. I desperately wanted to understand why this kept happening and how to change it so my life could feel more meaningful and fulfilling. At times, I blamed my introverted personality, my lack of social skills, or the people around me. Yet whenever I reflected on my past, I often concluded that I had not done anything obviously wrong. Instead, I believed I had lived responsibly, followed the rules, and treated others with respect.

Because of this, I constantly sought validation from other people, though I did not fully understand why. I thought I had submitted myself to God by listening to the opinions and advice of other Christian friends and by receiving prayers from them, but in truth, I had not fully surrendered. Deep down, I was still pursuing recognition from people rather than from God. I was searching for those who would support my thoughts and vindicate my actions. My identity was still grounded in this world instead of in the heavenly identity that God had already given me.

Yet despite all my efforts, I still felt emptiness in my heart, and I could not find a way to fill it.

Gradually, I began seeking help directly from God Himself, and I came to understand that there is no perfect fairness in this world we call “reality,” because we are all sinful human beings. I also realized where I had gone wrong: I had believed that I was the one who could correct the injustices around me through God’s provision.

I thought I could accomplish anything I desired if I simply asked and prayed, and I defined God’s purpose according to my own will and understanding. I selfishly interpreted what Philippians 4:13 should mean for my life.

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4:13

Indeed, it was MY own will, and I was glorifying myself. I prayed to God for MY life to be successful and joyful saying, “God, I am ready to listen to you, I know that you want me to be kind, generous, and patient so please give me the capacity to do this, ALTHOUGH I AM NOT WILLING to do, I will do so since you WILL prepare everything for me.”

Without realizing it, I was subtly commanding God about what He should do, which seemed reasonable in my own eyes at the time. In my self-righteousness I believed that He would gladly agree with me. But God is God, not me. And He had His own plan for my life—a plan through which I would truly submit to Him rather than follow my own desires. He did not want me to deceive myself by merely making my life appear better outwardly. Instead, He wanted to give me true peace and joy within my heart.

How much longer could I continue seeking justification through the approval of mankind and expect it to satisfy me completely? If I did not trust that God had already confirmed His love for me - showing that He had forgiven and saved me through His merciful love and through His one and only Son, who died for my sins -I could never truly be fulfilled. Even when I still doubted and kept seeking for approval from other people instead of praying and asking Him, God never left me and He kept telling me that He is waiting for me to understand his profound love by protecting my heart from the enemy’s attacks.

During the first year of my LOLMD, I began to understand this more clearly, that God loves me so much that he created my soul and would help me live not just fairly but also in complete justice. Even though this justice may seem unreasonable to our imperfect eyes, we can still trust God’s true, all-knowing provision.

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” – Galatians 5:25

What I am thankful for now is no longer merely a successful life, a stable family, healthy children, a supportive husband, a job, a house, or even my own good deeds. While I am deeply grateful for everything God has provided, my greatest gratitude now rests in His grace for me, His everlasting love, and His patience toward me, regardless of what my life looks like outwardly. His love embraces us with the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

The wisdom that I was seeking for was some kind of perfect skills that God would provide to make me survive in the tough and tricky world, but it was actually given in my heart when I trust God and surrender myself to Him, accepting Jesus as my Lord who has paid the debt of our sin so we as a whole church are set free from worrying about any unfairness in this world and instead pursue our desire to abide in the true eternal fairness of God!

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” - Proverbs 9:10 (ESV):

Thank you Jesus, since you died for us, we can now live for you.

From Knowing About God to Knowing God

by Eunjoo Park

First, I want to thank God and give Him all the glory for walking with me through this past year of discipleship training.

I was born into a Christian home and grew up in the church. For most of my life, I felt grateful to have been raised in a Christian home, and maybe I assumed that alone made me a child of God. There were moments as a child when God felt unmistakably real to me, but I quickly forgot about them and got caught up in the things of this world. Honestly, until I got married, I think I had been living with my back turned to God for a very long time.

Then I met Pourio and came to America, and the truth is, I really struggled to adjust. Married life, along with the unexpected challenges we face with our child, brought me to a place of deep sadness and frustration. There was so little I could do on my own here. But in the middle of all that, God began to lift me up, step by step, like a parent teaching a baby how to walk. And somewhere along the way, even though nothing around me had changed, something inside me did. My heart started to fill with gratitude, joy, and peace. I stopped fixating on what was wrong and started asking what God wanted from me and what He was trying to do through me.

I had been wanting to go through discipleship training for a while, but I was afraid it would be too hard in English. So I prayed about it. And God answered right away. He opened the door for me to do it in Korean, and I’m so thankful.

For a long time, I didn’t know how to love a God I couldn’t see. But this past year, going through LOLMD, I encountered His love for myself, and I began to understand just how deep it really goes. The death of Jesus had always been a part of my life, but it had only ever felt like a sad story to me. This year, for the first time, I began to understand that it is the grace of God for me.

Looking back, the God I used to know felt more like a character in a story than someone real. But now I feel it in my whole being. God is alive. He has made me new through the gospel, and I’m certain of it. This is the one thing I can really testify to, and it’s given me such a deep longing for others to know this love too.

It feels like God has sent me out to my own little mission field. Every morning when I open my eyes, I pray, “God, please use me again today.”

God, thank You for loving someone like me, even in all my weakness.

From Reaching Hand to Gentle Father

by Eric Tam

I started LOLMD this year a little sad. Last year was my first full year doing LOLMD, we had a great group of husbands and fathers that I had just poured my heart out and walked by my side with. Unfortunately, they were also in their 3rd years, and so I would be in a group with a brand new set of men. As always, God is the perfect loving father and has a greater plan than yours.

This year it was different. The men were in a different season of life and definitely younger (almost to being their dads). However, God can work in all circumstances and I am glad to call these men my brother after my second year of life. While they could not relate specifically to my specific struggles, God’s spirit still poured out through them in their prayer, in their love and in their willingness to sit there with you night in and night out. If I asked myself honestly why I was hesitant, I was being selfish and wanting someone to ultimately side with me.

I think the one thing I saw that God has shown this year through these incredible men is to have hope and faith in Him. While there were many nights this year I asked God, “why Lord” in different battles in life, through these men, through his Word, I see how God was saying to have faith in Him. Not to say that I didn’t have difficult times, there were a lot of pain and tears shed, yet I see through this Journey with LOLMD group 2025-26 his Goodness. I was reminded about God’s goodness throughout this year. I’m reminded about God fought for me to be in the United States almost two decades ago, and that I could have stayed in Toronto instead. What a different life that would have been. Or how God brought me from job to job, like the last one of where I was in tears at Netflix. But God has something better and gave me a home at my current job. Or remembering the woman of God you married versus being lost in parenthood.

To sum it up, I remember last year in my testimony I described the analogy of how God was stretching out his hand to me and calling me to Him. This year, while writing this testimony of how God worked, it’s the imagery of God as my loving gentle father, crouched beside me, using his hand to wipe my tears. God is so good.

Something Happened Anyway

by Daeyoun Kim

I’ve been going to church for a long time, hearing many sermons, attending Bible studies, and serving in many ways. But if I’m being honest, my prayer life was inconsistent and my Bible reading even more so. I’m embarrassed to say that I neglected prayer many times throughout my day unless I was praying quietly before a meal or unless I was asked to pray for a group. I’m also embarrassed at the number of times I’ve read Genesis as I attempted to complete a Bible-reading plan.

So when I committed to LOLMD, I remember saying my biggest worry was that I would join and see no change in myself and I would fall behind my group. I knew my own track record, and how undisciplined I was. And of course I was correct. My prayer life didn’t suddenly improve, and I procrastinated on my LOLMD homework and memorizing heart verses. But something happened anyway.

Through our meeting and discussions, the characteristics of God were revealed to me in a way I hadn’t experienced before. I found myself relearning who He actually is, not just facts about Him, but about Him and His heart and how His characteristics are the reason for literally everything.

God is so much more than what I envisioned Him to be. God is Creator, who meticulously designed all of creation, but putting in more care as He created us in His image. God is sovereign, meaning he has authority and nothing can stand against what He wills because He is omnipotent, omniscient and more. God is my personal Father who wants to give me more than just what I need because He loves his children so much more.

And that changed something in me. I struggled with anxiousness and uncertainty and doubts in my own abilities when it came to my future, especially in my career. But the more I understood who God actually is, that he is sovereign, all-knowing, and that nothing happens outside of His will, the harder it became for me to be anxious. There was a lot of comfort in knowing God is sovereign over my life and knows exactly what I need. God provided for me as well as for others in my discipleship group this season, and we were all reminded of His faithfulness, power, and love for us.

My prayer life is not where I want it to be, nor is my Bible reading habit much more disciplined. Still, He is faithful even when I am not. He loves me despite my little faith. And that has changed me, not because I got more disciplined, but because I found myself drawn toward Him in a way I wasn’t before. I want to know Him, and I want to love Him back.

Incurvatus of the Soul

by Kevin Yang

This year was a year of self inflicted loneliness all while surrounded by people who love me. I started 2025 struggling with my job, Judy got sick again for the 3rd time, yet at the start of LOLMD everything started turning around, treatment was finished, my job rating improved, everything looked good. Still life hit hard again by the end of the year, the sickness came back a 4th time, my job started feeling at risk again. And instead of turning to God I turned inward. I struggled with sexual impurity as a distraction, started gaming late into the night, isolating from the loving community that God graced me with. I took relationships for granted, and service was just another thing holding me over to the next week.

I felt so absorbed with my grief with Judy, disappointment in my daily choices, and anxiety for the future. During LOLMD this year I failed as a brother caring for other members when they shared things I knew I could empathize with more. Everything felt numb.

Yet even as everything passed by in a blur. God constantly was tearing down my imperfect pillars of support this year, all while saying, I am here. He tore down my security in a future family, yet blessed me with unforgettable memories in friendships and relationships. He tore down my security in my job, yet still gifted me with work positions I don’t deserve. He tore down my pride in my friendliness as I couldn’t find energy to maintain friendships, yet he blessed me with new loving relationships throughout the year.

In breaking down my pillars God has clearly revealed my weakness and covered it in his grace alone.

I constantly meditated on Matthew 6 this year. The Lord’s Prayer is so encompassing a clear cry for what I need with God.

“Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” - Matthew 6:9-13

Praise to his name

Affirmation of our mission on this earth

Supplication for our daily needs

Forgiveness of sins

And fleeing from all temptation.

I may fail even in calling out to God, but He has never left me. I’ve chased comfort and stability but in taking away my comforts in this life, God has ensured I live this life wholly. I currently feel like a spoiled child who got humbled. I feel hurt and scared, but I know there’s a beautiful path that Christ has laid out for me.

With that in mind, I just need to set my eyes on this path rather than the sins of this world.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”- Matthew 6:22-23

Learning to Love What He Loves

by Rachel Murata

In my first year of LOLMD, for our service project, my group chose RealOptions Obria Medical Clinics: Walk for Life. Walk for Life is an annual 5k walk-a-thon where churches raise proceeds for the clinics. At first, I felt uncomfortable fundraising and publicly showing my support. I worried about what some of my friends might think or whether they would feel offended that I participated in a fundraiser supporting life-affirming services, including abortion pill reversal.

As I learned more about RealOptions Obria Medical Clinics, the more I grew to love and admire this organization. They provide a wide range of services for all women, men, and students throughout the Bay Area, including screenings, testing, ultrasounds, pregnancy education, and emotional support for those experiencing reproductive loss. I came to understand that supporting Walk for Life was not about making a political statement, but rather about caring for women and informing them of all their options and supporting them with compassion and respect.

My LOLMD group participated again during my second and third years. By my third year, I felt empowered by the Holy Spirit to share the inspiring work of these clinics. I was no longer nervous to speak with friends and family about Walk for Life, but instead felt grateful to support an organization that serves others with Jesus’ compassion. Looking back, I realized my concerns were misplaced. I was selfishly worried about my own image. I thank God for continually transforming me to love what he loves.

From Bitter to Held: Learning to Trust Again

by Ashley Son

Over the past two years, my faith journey has been one of returning, rebuilding, and slowly learning to trust God again.

For about eight years, I was not consistently attending church. During that time, I carried a bitter heart toward God, rooted in ongoing mental and physical health struggles. I often wondered, “Why is this happening to me?”, and I felt that God was distant or displeased with me. I questioned what I had done to upset Him and how I could earn His love again. Over time, that pain and confusion created distance in my relationship with Him, and I eventually stepped away from church involvement.

That began to shift when I found Revive. Coming back into a church community, especially one that was much smaller than I was used to, felt somewhat awkward at first but also deeply needed. As I re-entered church life, I also found myself drawn back into serving, starting with the Toddler and Children’s Ministries and later joining the Worship Team and Welcoming Team. It felt like returning to a version of myself that was more spiritually energized and engaged.

A key part of this journey has been my experience in LOLMD. This past year has been especially challenging, involving changes in work, relationships, and health that have stretched me emotionally and spiritually. In many ways, it has been a season of uncertainty, but the sisters in my LOLMD group became a steady source of support. Through our time together, I experienced a new level of accountability, honesty, and intimacy, and I came to understand the power of communal prayer and how God often uses others to strengthen us when our own faith feels weak.

Lately, Proverbs 19:21, the verse on my phone wallpaper, has been something I keep returning to: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand”. When I feel inadequate, I am reminded that my worth is not defined by how I see myself. When I believe God loves others more than me, I am reminded that He is not a God of favoritism. When I face unexpected hardship and unmet expectations, I am reminded that my plans and desires are not what ultimately determine the outcome of my life. Through all of it, God’s purpose is what stands, and who am I to try to define or control my life when it is ultimately held by Him?

And looking back, I can begin to see how what I once only experienced as pain was part of how He has been forming resilience in me and gently drawing my heart back to Him. My desire is to continue growing into a deeper place of trust, where I can fully rest in Him.

With that perspective, I am especially grateful for the people He has placed around me. Thank you for praying for me, for laughing and crying with me, and for pointing me back to God’s love and presence when I struggle to see it myself.

Out of My Control, Into His Hands

by Olivia Lee

When I started LOLMD this past year, I remember feeling very stressed and overwhelmed at work. I also struggled with increasing anxiety and negative thoughts in other areas of my life. Then I went on a short trip to Korea at the end of September that I was initially excited about. However, due to some unforeseen factors, it wasn’t quite as enjoyable or relaxing as I had expected. My self esteem was incredibly low and those negative thoughts seemed to only escalate.

When I returned from my trip, the pressure at work increased and then at the end of October, I experienced a seizure for the first time in my life. This was very unexpected and that event affected me more than I thought it would. I was unable to drive for a few months which meant I had to do what I have a really difficult time doing: ask for help. Because of the seizure and medication, I didn’t feel like myself, and I truly felt like my life was out of my control.

That season brought a lot of limitations and uncertainty, and it forced me to slow down when I very much prefer a busy schedule. I had to give myself a lot of grace for the mistakes I made at work, and for the way I viewed myself. Life was difficult to navigate, but through those hardships, God was teaching me to depend on Him and to have more faith and patience, not just when things felt easy, but especially when they didn’t.

I’m deeply grateful for how LOLMD helped anchor me during that time. One thing that stood out was the unit about God’s sovereignty. I was comforted by Psalm 115:1-13, which reminds us that He is our help and shield, even when we sometimes feel forgotten. Through this season, I learned to stay rooted in God and to trust that His plans are always better than my own. I had to rely on others for rides, but those opportunities allowed me to connect with and get to know my church family better. Through time spent with God, discipleship, and community, I was continually reminded of who God is and the ways He provides for me.

After a Little While

by Damon Moon

"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you”. (1 Peter 5:10)

One thing that I’ve noticed recently is that everyone has some part of their life that is painful. In social media posts, everything seems to be fine, but once you get closer to that person, you will see their flaws, shortcomings, and sufferings that not many people know about. Behind every smile, story and success, and I see on social media, there are a lot of painful sleepless nights, anger, frustration, and even depression that people go through.

Certainly, I am not an exception. As much as I like to be positive, optimistic, and determined, there are a lot of challenges, sufferings I experienced recently. Instead of praising Him for who he is and what He has done for me, my prayers have been different flavors, of “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? (Mark 4:38)”

I already know what He does and says after that. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? (Mark 4:40)”

Early last year, I felt like I was shipwrecked and was swimming through a dark ocean. In fact, swimming in the ocean for years. Many ships pass by and some recognize, and some don’t. It was painful.

I often catch myself trying to numb my pains through distractions and busyness. But I still have to confront this question, “Have I still no faith?”

It boils down to faith.

In the summer of last year, I joined a new company. It felt like it was a slippery log floating in the ocean. It takes tremendous effort to hold on to the log, but at least there are a few more people on the log.

Several weeks ago, I encountered this verse on 1 Peter 5:10. It follows Peter’s exhortation to the elders on how elders should shepherd His flock. Every time I read this verse, it feels like Jesus is speaking right into my heart, knowing what I am going through. And every single time, this verse touches my heart and the bottled up emotions in my heart seep through my eyes as tears.

This chapter is even more special to me, because it was the verse given to me by the church when I became an elder.

He absolutely knows that there will be suffering and there is suffering.

And He says, “After you have suffered a little while”. Yes, after all these pass away, it will be feeling like a “little while”. And, He Himself will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish me. Not me, not someone else, the God of all grace, He himself who called me will.

This is the promise I hold on to. This is where my faith needs to grow.

Several years ago, I meditated on this verse on Romans.

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5)

It’s strange how it starts from faith, and that faith transforms suffering into hope. It’s strange that He didn’t promise that suffering will transform into results, fame, success or abundance, but it is hope.

One of the key phrases that Jesus says in the Bible is “Take Heart” (Matthew 9, John 16). Abba Father is telling me to take heart. It is the ultimate encouragement that nothing in this world, no man in this world can give because He has overcome the world.

Million Little Miracles

by Daris Chang

My name is Daris, and I love teaching through stories.

If I were to teach someone my name, I’d tell this:

In college, I lived with a music composition major from Korea who had a strong accent when speaking English. He was always mixing music, often through powerful speakers.

One day, he was sampling the hymn Power in the Blood and singing along to the chorus. But because of his accent, it sounded like he was singing “Dar-ris power…”

From that day on, he would blast that chorus when I came home.

That’s how I became “Daris Power,” and how Power in the Blood became my theme song.

Here are four stories of God’s power in this past year:

1. Power in the Tithe

Toward the end of 2025, I made my first commitment to tithe, and I began faithfully doing so in 2026.

In March, I received a W-2 from a company I hadn’t worked for in three years. Confused, I investigated and discovered they had released private stock shares to me, right around the time I made my pledge.

The amount was about 7% less than what I had committed. I jokingly told God, “Wouldn’t it be amazing if it matched exactly?”

A couple of months later, Clara became seriously ill in Korea and had to be hospitalized without health insurance. For the first time, I asked if she wanted to come to the U.S. for more affordable treatment.

After taxes, the stock payout matched her hospital bill almost exactly.

At that point, it felt like more than coincidence.

2. Power in the Testimony

Through the LoLMD curriculum, I strengthened my desire for oversea missions. But I began wrestling with a question:

How can I go overseas when my own father and brother don’t yet believe?

During a trip to Taiwan in December, I decided to share the Gospel with my father. Growing up, I had seen him reject others who tried. As a former professor, he values logic and evidence.

I was anxious. Would he reject me too?

When the moment came, I said, “I need to tell you about Jesus.”

I shared honestly about our family, my struggles, and how Christ changed my life.

I was ready for a theological debate.

Instead, he said, “I know how hard life has been for you, and I’ve seen how Jesus has changed you. Please, tell me more.” He had all the evidence he needed.

Today, he’s “A/B testing” his prayers, comparing prayers to his Buddhist gods with prayers to Jesus. We’ve also started reading the Gospel of John together.

3. Power in the Music

My father is one of many people I pray for. Recently, our family grew close to Jean’s figure skating choreographer and his husband.

We had been praying for an opportunity to share the Gospel—and unexpectedly, one came through music.

Jean’s choreographer chose Child of Nazareth for Jean’s 2026 performance.

After the program was mostly finalized, we asked if he knew the story behind the song.

He didn’t.

That opened the door for us to share about Jesus.

In response, he began incorporating Christian imagery into her performance, adding elements representing the crown of thorns, the cross, and the resurrection.

It wasn’t what we anticipated, but it created space to normalize conversations about Jesus.

4. Power in Burnt Offerings

After Jesus, burnt offerings became obsolete as a means of atonement. He is the perfect sacrifice.

But I’ve come to see that the discipline behind burnt offerings still carries meaning in my personal worship.

In the Old Testament, you would set aside livestock or crops, invest months and years of time and resources to raise them, and then offer them to God—only for them to be consumed in minutes.

All that investment, surrendered.

Depression is something I struggle with daily. But joining the praise team helped me rediscover that spirit of offering.

I practice each song for hours, only to offer it to God over a few minutes on Sunday.

Like a burnt offering, something cultivated over time is surrendered in a moment of worship.

But I don’t do this to atone for sin. Jesus has already done that.

Instead I do it in gratitude for His perfect sacrifice.

At the beginning, I shared how Power in the Blood became my theme song.

I’d like to close with another song that defined this year for me: “Million Little Miracles” (QR code for this song below)

Part of the chorus goes, “I’ve got miracles on miracles, count your miracles. One, two, three, four, I can’t even count them all.

I shared four stories, but they were only four out of a million little miracles.

I hope that through these stories, you, too, will see the million little miracles in your life.

Content in Every Situation

by Andrew Capucao

There have been so many moments in my life where I’ve tried to take control of my own story, thinking I knew what was best for me. But time and time again, God has gently and sometimes firmly reminded me that He already has a perfect plan. Looking back, I can clearly see that He has always provided exactly what I needed, never too early, never too late.

Through this journey, I’ve come to understand more deeply what it means to live by grace. I used to think motivation came from pressure, performance, or even fear of falling short. But what I’ve learned is that true, lasting motivation comes from knowing how deeply loved I am by God. As Scripture says, “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

That truth has changed everything for me. Instead of striving, I’ve learned to respond. One of the biggest lessons God has shown me is how easy it is to forget His faithfulness when I get comfortable. I’ve caught myself praying for opportunities, for provision, and for open doors, only to later complain about the very things I once begged God for. Whether it’s a job I prayed for but now find stressful, or the challenges of building a life in a country I once prayed so hard to stay in, I’ve seen how quickly my perspective can shift when I let my flesh take control.

But through His grace, God continues to bring me back. He reminds me that even in the struggle, He is answering my prayers. As it says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8:28). I’ve seen that play out in real time. Even the hard seasons, the uncomfortable growth, and the moments of uncertainty are all part of His greater plan.

Through LOLMD, I’ve also learned that spiritual maturity isn’t about earning more of God’s love, it’s about living from the love He has already given. His grace is what fuels growth, not guilt or pressure. That has reshaped the way I view both my struggles and my progress.

I’ve also come to understand that because of the fall, we live in a broken world where it’s easy to lose sight of blessings. But at the same time, that brokenness allows me to truly recognize and appreciate God’s goodness when He provides. It gives weight to gratitude. It makes His faithfulness stand out even more.

Through everything, I’m learning to surrender daily, to not let my emotions or circumstances dictate my gratitude, but to choose thankfulness regardless. As Paul writes, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Philippians 4:11). That’s something I’m still growing in every day.

At the end of it all, I can honestly say that I am incredibly grateful, grateful for the highs, the lows, the answered prayers, and even the struggles. Because every situation God places me in is shaping me, teaching me, and drawing me closer to Him. And that’s something I never want to take for granted.

God has always had a plan for me, and He always will.

From Proving Myself to Resting in Grace

by Davina Lee

When I immigrated to America and spent my teenage years here as a 1.5-generation immigrant, I often found myself in situations where I felt like I had no choice but to simply endure.

Over time, those moments of hurt and unfairness began to build up inside me. Without even realizing it, I became an adult who could only feel at peace when I was proving my worth. Somewhere along the way, I began to carry the wrong kind of pride — the belief that in order to be valuable, I had to be good enough.

After getting married and moving to San Jose, I struggled deeply with leaving behind my work, friends, family, and the life that was familiar to me. Even with my husband beside me, and later with our two beautiful children, I often found myself focusing more on what I had lost than on what God had given me. This blinded me, making me think I had to be the one receiving love first, instead of giving it to my husband.

But through LOLMD this past year, God began to gently turn my eyes back to Him. Through the sisters in my LOLMD group, through our weekly sharing, and through the times we prayed together with tears, God showed me the pride, hurt, resentment, and need for approval that I had been carrying for so long. God did not reveal these things to condemn me, but to lead me closer to Jesus.

I am thankful that God did not simply change my situation, but began to change my heart. He reminded me that I do not have to prove my worth to be loved by Him; instead, my value comes from belonging to Jesus Christ Himself. In Christ, I am already seen, known, and loved.

In this grace, He has also softened my heart toward my husband. God transformed my desire to be served into a heart that longs to serve.

Now, I am no longer chasing after my worth; I am securely rooted in His love and grace.

The Anchors I Didn’t Know I Needed

by Walter Park

This year, my journey has felt peaceful yet unsettling at the same time.

LOLMD has felt very different for me this year. I felt as if I had just been cruising through the materials; many of the units just weren’t impacting me as much as last year. However, the thing that truly impacted me was the conversations we had in our groups.

Everyone was going through a different season—whether it involved their health, their work, or their relationship with God. Whenever we shared an update or a problem, we would take the time to truly focus on one another’s stories and pray for each other. Those moments of listening to someone else’s struggles and being able to lift them up in prayer and blessing them were what made this year special.

Although these moments were truly a blessing, those prayers were the anchors I didn’t know I needed, because elsewhere in my life, I was drifting. Lately, it felt like I was just going through the daily motions and falling away from Christ. But recently, I feel like God has been reaching out to me through two specific verses:

“Be still and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” — Ecclesiastes 3:11

The reason these verses have stuck with me is that I felt as if my journey was starting to fade, and everything was becoming chaotic. It reached a point where everything felt unsettling, no matter what I did, and the only thing left to do was look towards the Word. When I finally took the time to sit down and truly give my thoughts and prayers over to God, I felt a sense of peace. I realized that in everything I do, I should be surrendering it to Him first.

Now, I feel like God is challenging me to take a breath and truly put my trust in Him as He guides my path. I know there will be storms throughout the journey ahead, but I pray that I can fully surrender it all to the Lord and walk by faith and not by sight.

Rebuilding Faith

by Danny Lim

Over the past year, I’ve often shared about my struggle of being “good soil,” reflecting on the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:1–9. When I first started my LOLMD journey, I never imagined I would end up where I am now—finishing my third year and still feeling like I’m not “good soil.”

But in the midst of that, something deeper has been happening—my faith and my prayer life have been reshaped.

In my first year of LOLMD, everything felt right. I was being spiritually fed, I had just started a new job, I was surrounded by a great community, and I was actively serving in different ministries. Life felt smooth, and honestly, it went exactly how I expected. I thought by my final year, I would experience this big, transformative spiritual growth.

But things didn’t go that way.

Starting in my second year and continuing into my third, I began to struggle. I was still praying and seeking God, but it often felt like He wasn’t present in the everyday moments of my life. Instead, it felt like doors were closing in every direction.

That’s when I slowly fell into legalism.

I started thinking, “Maybe I’m not doing enough for God. Maybe if I serve more, do more, and try harder, He’ll be pleased with me and start opening doors.”

Without realizing it, I began living out my faith like a transaction. I pushed myself into burnout, saw little to no fruit, and honestly, started living more like a Pharisee than someone walking in grace.

Even though I was still reading Scripture and reminding myself of the gospel—that Jesus loves me and died for me—my prayers told a different story. I was praying out of selfish desires, trying to negotiate with God so He would align with my plans. And when those prayers weren’t answered, my faith in prayer began to fade.

Prayer started to feel like a duty instead of a relationship. Something I had to do, not something I wanted to do.

Recently, I went through personal hardships and difficult situations at work that left me feeling lost and hopeless. I started doubting myself and my ability to move forward in life.

But in that place, I realized something hard but true: I had been practicing Christianity without truly letting Jesus lead my life.

I was exhausted—not because life was too heavy, but because I was trying to carry everything on my own.

So I took a step back and chose to be honest—with myself and with God. I began spending intentional, consistent time with Jesus through His Word and through prayer. And to be honest, I surprised myself with how consistent I became.

Even then, I still wrestled with a question:

“Am I even praying the right way?”

That’s when I came across James 4:1–3 which reads, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” As I sat with those verses, I began to see my prayers clearly for the first time. I wasn’t just asking—I was asking with the wrong motives, trying to fulfill my own desires rather than seeking God’s will.

In that moment, something shifted.

Instead of asking God to bless my plans, I began surrendering my plans altogether. I gave Him control—over my decisions, my desires, and my direction.

And the first thing He gave me wasn’t answers or open doors. It was rest.

Rest from the pressure I had been putting on myself.

Rest from trying to earn His approval.

And from that place of rest came something I hadn’t felt in a while—joy.

Slowly, my faith began to rebuild.

Now, spending time with Jesus no longer feels like an obligation. It has become a place of peace—a place I want to return to.

And my prayers have changed too. They’re no longer centered around my own ambitions, but around a simple desire:

“God, let Your will be done in my life.”

I may still feel like I’m not “good soil,”

but I’m beginning to see that God is patiently working on my heart— and that, in itself, is grace.

Not Meant to Go Through Life Alone

by Jenny Lee

Last year was filled with many memorable moments, unexpected challenges, and reminders of God’s faithfulness. One of the biggest milestones for me was visiting Korea with my family for the first time in 10 years despite my anxiety and fear of long flights. Shortly after we returned from Korea, my husband John underwent surgery to remove metal plates from his collarbone from an injury from mountain biking the previous year. During the summer, my son Jonah got baptized while my parents were visiting from Korea which made that season especially meaningful for our family. Later that same summer, during a mountain biking trip in Canada, Jonah broke his collarbone and had to undergo surgery as well. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, right?

Through all of these experiences, there were moments of fear, stress, uncertainty, and gratitude. Looking back, I can clearly see how faithful God was through every season. In moments when I felt anxious or overwhelmed, God reminded me again and again that my peace is not found in my circumstances, but in Jesus. In every difficult moment God remained near, faithful, and present carrying our family through it all. Doing LOLMD this year also became a meaningful part of that journey. Through meeting regularly, sharing life, and praying for one another, God used this time to encourage, challenge, and deepen my faith. I’m thankful not only for what I learned, but also for the opportunity to walk alongside my journey group and witness how God is working in each person’s life.

One thing I especially realized this year is how important faith community is. God surrounded our family with people who prayed for us, encouraged us, checked in on us, and walked alongside us during difficult times. I’m so thankful for the body of Christ and for the reminder that we are not meant to go through life alone.

New Life in Christ to the Nations of Silicon Valley

by SooSang Park

After I returned from my sabbatical in the fall of 2022, the Lord led me to connect with, get to know, and befriend Vietnamese pastors in the Bay Area. My dear friend Pastor Paul Pham was on sabbatical and to my delight chose to regularly worship at Revive. He had met Kiem Le, who may very well be the best theologically trained Vietnamese theologian in the world (no exaggeration) and wanted me to befriend him too. We at Revive decided to use our “five loaves and two fish” to try to begin blessing the Vietnamese community by encouraging some of their pastors. We raised some money to invite some of them to a pastor’s conference that Yung, Joe, and I love, called the PCA EM (English Ministry) Pastors Forum. A handful agreed to fly all the way to greater Atlanta where the conference was hosted that year.

In addition to Kiem Le and Paul Pham, a brother I had not met before had decided to come, Paul Hoang Nguyen. Paul has a remarkable testimony. He considered himself a devout Buddhist in the past, and though he had married a Christian Vietnamese woman, he at first forbade her from even going to church after she had immigrated to the U.S. to be with him. It took many years for Hoang to slowly shift. First he let his wife attend church, then the kids, and then eventually he would go at times to be with his family. Even with him regularly attending a small group in the church, he was still stubborn and resistant to the Gospel. After that he had what was a profound spiritual encounter with God through the Holy Spirit which finally led him to lay his life down before Jesus and become baptized. After his conversion he had a hunger to learn, and when he attended the EM Forum with us, he was in the midst of part-time seminary studies. He had never interacted with either Korean Christian pastors nor Presbyterians, and though he found us Presbyterians odd in some ways compared to the more charismatic evangelical faith that had led him to Christ in his Vietnamese Christian circles, it was clear to him that we were true brothers and rooted in the Gospel. This is how my relationship with Hoang Nguyen began.

This past spring he sent me an invitation to attend his ordination service. On April 25th, 2026 Arise Generation Church, where Paul Hoang Nguyen currently serves on the pastoral staff, hosted the ordination service at Church on the Hill in San Jose. I went, and it was perhaps the most beautiful ordination worship service I’ve ever seen. The Vietnamese brethren celebrate an ordination of a pastor in such a joyful way that it feels more like a wedding, including a wonderful, celebratory meal after the 2.5 hour service!

During the ordination service when all the pastors in attendance were invited to come to the stage to lay hands on Hoang, I (and Paul Pham and Kiem Le) joined them. There were 45 pastors laying hands on our brother! I may have been the only Korean-American pastor to be amongst them. I’m pretty sure I was the only Presbyterian pastor! As I prayed with all those other Godly servant leaders to bless Hoang, I felt a great sense of privilege and honor to have been invited and included in this holy event so crucial for the Vietnamese in our city. I also had a special sense that our Father sees me and was confirming to me that He will bless and empower our mission and desire to proclaim “new life in Christ to the nations of Silicon Valley.” I wish many more from Revive could have attended that special ordination service and drank in the Holy Spirit with me while in the midst of all those wonderful Vietnamese brothers and sisters.

It gets better. A week later my LOLMD group was doing Pray for the Bay, an event which Damon Moon started in my first LOLMD group, and which I like to continue and have towards the end of our discipleship year. I have not been able to pull it off every year, but I like to try to close out the day when we go to various places to pray for different demographics in Silicon Valley by sharing a fellowship dinner with some brothers and sisters from among one of the unreached ethnics in the Bay Area. I asked Kiem Le and Hoang Nguyen (and his wife Thuy Tran) if they would bless us by choosing a restaurant and joining our discipleship group for dinner. To my mild surprise, neither were busy that evening and gladly came. So we had an amazing Vietnamese feast at Saigon Kitchen while Hoang and his lovely wife Thuy became vulnerable and honestly shared with us all that it took for Paul to not only become born again but also to be called to pastoral ministry. There was a lot of love, joy, and gratitude at that table that night. I look forward to seeing what else the Lord will do through my friendships with these remarkable Vietnamese Gospel leaders.

The Same God

by Judy Kim

The past 2 years have been among the hardest seasons of my life to pray through. Times of prayer were always filled with tears, frustration, and a weariness I didn’t have the strength to deal with. After so many battles with my health, others urged me to be angry with God, to wrestle with Him, to cry with Him, but I was simply exhausted. And yet God continued to remind me of His presence with small nudges and pull me back to Him, ultimately calling me back to LOLMD for my third year.

This year in LOLMD, I was really encouraged by the way my group members would occasionally share thoughts that God was placing on their hearts, and this helped to be more consistent with my own personal worship as I wanted to be able to encourage them in the same way. Consistency still didn’t come easily for me and prayer was still exhausting, but I think God began to comfort me in silence. I began to pray that the Spirit would just fill my thoughts as I turned off my mind and told God, “You know everything anyway.” During this time, I also began to find scripture speaking to me more than before. Where I used to sometimes feel like I was pulling teeth re-reading verses to try and understand what God might be telling me, specific verses now began to stand out to me very naturally. I didn’t feel pressure to pour deeply over passages and I felt seen even when I didn’t always love what I was reading.

One verse that encompassed a lot of this past year for me was Psalm 62:2. “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.” Within the span of 6 months my health went from worsening for the 3rd time, to improving, then declining again for the 4th time, which is when God gave me this verse. My heart felt so fickle, swinging from being so hopeful one day, to full of anxiety the next day based on a single scan result. Knowing I would be like this, God had prepared me with this verse the night before, while also giving my mom a very similar message as extra confirmation that He is still the same God he was yesterday. He is the same God who carried me through my 1st and 2nd battles, the God who gave me hope, the God who comforted me, the one who fully knows and loves me. He already knew what my scan results would be and He made sure I would remember that His plans and love for me had never changed. During this 4 year long health journey, I’ve experienced so many waves of fear, grief, hope, depression, and exhaustion, yet God has remained the same through it all. While He grieves with me, He is never afraid, anxious, or exhausted. It’s easy to trust Him when results are good and hard to trust Him when they’re not, but I think God is showing me how to remain steadfast in Him through everything, as He has remained steadfast with me.

Selfishly, I pray that my heart will become perfectly aligned with God’s just so that I never have to suffer from disappointment, but I also pray that His joy, hope, and my trust in Him will grow so strong it will cover everything. I desperately pray this for everyone around me as well, that God’s presence will feel so obvious and natural to them, and that we can all be able to constantly feel seen by the one who loves us most.

Hot Water, Cold World

by Gina Har

What does it really mean to be spiritually lukewarm?

For a long time, I thought it meant someone who used to love God passionately but had slowly lost that passion over time. I pictured it like a cup of hot water left out until it became cold. Whenever life felt overwhelming, or I became discouraged or afraid, I would think, “Maybe I’ve stopped trusting God. Maybe my love for Him has grown cold.”

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139: 23-24)

For about a month, I wrestled with this passage in prayer. One day, while washing my face and adjusting the water temperature by mixing hot and cold water, a thought suddenly came to my heart.

“Maybe my love for God has not grown cold at all. Perhaps it is still hot. But whenever I open part of my heart to the world, it is like cold water mixing with hot water. The hot water is still there, yet the whole becomes lukewarm. In the same way, my heart becomes divided, and my devotion to God is diluted whenever my love for Him is mixed with love for the world.”

I am not saying that this is the original meaning of Revelation 3. Rather, as I meditated on this passage, the Lord used this picture to show me how lukewarmness was showing up in my own heart.

After that realization, even Psalm 139:21–22 began to speak to me differently than before.

For a long time, the word “hate” felt too strong for me. I thought that as a Christian, I shouldn’t have such feelings. But through the Word, God helped me understand that He is not calling me to hate people, but rather to have a holy heart that also rejects the sin and evil that He Himself hates.

Looking back, there were many areas in my life where I had compromised with the world, thinking, “This much is probably fine,” or “God will understand.” Those were the very things that were making my heart lukewarm.

So I held on to Psalm 139:23–24 again and the Holy Spirit began to bring back things I had long forgotten—lies I told my parents as a child, sinful thoughts toward friends, and moments I had buried in shame. As I confessed them one by one, I was reminded that my forgiveness rests not on my repentance, but on Christ’s finished work on the cross. My heart was no longer filled with guilt, but with gratitude.

So even now, I pray this every day:

“Abba Father, I cannot live this way by my own strength. Please renew my heart daily through the Holy Spirit, and help me live a life more united with Christ. Teach me to hate what You hate, and to love what You love.”

Not Measured by Provision, But by the Cross

by Ashley Chin

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11-13)

The year 2025 was the most difficult year for me in regard to finding contentment in my current life situation and trusting that God truly loves me. In the year 2025, I was furloughed/unemployed for 6 months which gave me an abundance of time to contemplate my life and I convinced myself that God didn’t love me. I compared my life to everyone else’s and thought that if God was my good father, he would give me similar things to my other Christian friends, who all seemed to be in better life situations than me. I felt like he was giving blessings to everyone except me. I looked at all the negative things about my life, being jobless, constantly moving to new places (3 different addresses in one year), and without immediate family in the area. This was the first year I ever felt any discontentment in God’s provision for me. I realized my faith was so shallow because I only thought about what the Lord wasn’t doing in my life rather than thinking of all the ways he was working in me.

My worldly perspective told me that if I wasn’t employed in my career field, I was inadequate, but God wanted to show me a different perspective. God provided me so many opportunities to serve him, which I may not have done if I was working. During this time, I got to help with youth retreat for the first time, go on my first mission trip, and help with Kids Club in person. I was slightly hesitant to serve because I worried my faith wasn’t strong enough but I thought I should be obedient in service when called. I loved the youth retreat and the Revive youth blessed me in so many ways.

On the last night of retreat we all huddled together as a church and prayed together, and I remember crying because the kids’ prayers were so beautiful. I felt a bit of sadness too because growing up I never experienced a youth retreat or had Christian community. But I realized I shouldn’t be sad because the Lord has provided it to me now.

Even though it took many years for it to happen, the Lord brought Revive church into my life and I have been able to experience three church retreats, participate in LOLMD, and participate in GLF, serve in YAAT, serve on a mission trip and experience Christian community. Being a member of Revive Church was one of the greatest blessings God has given me in my life.

During this difficult season I had my LOLMD sisters praying for me and always had them to talk to when things were hard. The Lord revealed to me the joys of serving and how it grows our faith. Before, I may not have taken time off work to serve, believing that my PTO is precious and should be for vacation, but now I think serving is definitely a good use of PTO.

Looking back at how God has been faithful to me and has been teaching me gave me hope that God has not forgotten about me. God provided exactly what I needed at the right time. Dealing with suffering is for my benefit and all things he does is working for my good. I no longer compare my life to others (as often as I did before) and no longer think the abundance of provision is I should measure God’s love for me. God sacrificed his one and only son Jesus to save me, that is how I know he loves me. Philippians 4:13 is quoted so often but I think verses 11 and 12 are so necessary to include. I want to have the same faith as Paul and find contentment in all situations and circumstances that the Lord puts me in. I will find my strength in Jesus and what he has done for me.

Seek Me With All Your Heart

by Jennifer Kim

I truly feel my heart was tested during this LOLMD season. I came to an unexpected realization: my heart had hardened, and I had drifted from God without even noticing. Life had simply taken over. I had fallen into a “worldly routine” where, in my head, I knew how to trust God and I thought I was being a faithful servant.

But I eventually had to face a difficult question: Were my heart and mind actually aligned?

That is where I felt lost. My thoughts were no longer in sync with my spirit. To return to being a faithful Christian, I knew I had to stop just “knowing” about God and start spending real time with Him. I was reminded of the promise in Jeremiah 29:13-14: “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord...”

I felt broken and lost. I knew the “fix”—more prayer, personal worship, and family prayer—sounded easy, but it was a big challenge. I saw how weak I had become, and the enemy certainly took advantage of that by encouraging me to procrastinate.

Slowly, I began to pray for help. The more I prayed, the more comfort I felt. While my personal worship is still a work in progress, I am getting back there. I’ve also made it a priority to lead my family in prayer, reminding us all to put God first.

Looking back, I see God’s hand in all of this. He was preparing me for something I can’t quite see yet. There is a storm coming, and I realize now that I have been in intensive training, learning how to actually put on and use the Armor of God.

I know now that the real battle is either about to begin or is already here. I don’t have all the answers, and I am still very much a work in progress—but I am staying faithful, knowing that He has equipped me for exactly what is coming next.

Letting Go of the Excuse

by Diana Tam

Honestly, this year in LOLMD was a lot. Between work and family, there were times I wasn’t sure how I was going to keep up. But looking back, I’m glad I stayed with it, because God used it in a way I really wasn’t expecting.

The big thing for me this year was something I hadn’t really put into words until now. When my dad passed away suddenly from pancreatic cancer, I carried a lot of bitterness from that. And somewhere along the way, I started using that bitterness as a reason to keep God at arm’s length — like the hurt gave me an excuse not to go deeper with Him. I didn’t even fully realize I was doing it.

But this year, through LOLMD, I feel like God started breaking that off me. He’s been working on replacing that identity I built around my pain with what He actually had in mind for me all along — just receiving His love, trusting His forgiveness, and accepting that He’s in control even when things don’t go the way I want. His ways are higher than mine, and I’m starting to actually lean into that instead of fighting it.

The Home as a Mission Field

by Joyce Kim

Before Life-on-Life Missional Discipleship, I often felt unsure about what it truly meant to be a godly wife and someday a mother. Through the women who walked alongside me, God used this ministry to deeply soften and shape my heart. I began to see marriage not just as companionship, but as a daily opportunity to love sacrificially, serve humbly, and reflect Christ.

As my husband and I begin thinking about having kids soon, I feel so much more grounded, encouraged, and spiritually prepared for that season of life. I’ve also learned that the home is far more than just a place to live — it can be a mission field where people experience the love of Jesus through hospitality, service, and everyday faithfulness. I’m so grateful for the ways this discipleship has helped me grow in servant-heartedness and given me a clearer vision for the kind of home and family I hope to build.