by Grace Wu
Editor’s Note: This week, the Youth affinity group brings us an interview with one of their members: Zach.
How long have you been a part of Lumos? What was it like when you first came?
I have been in Lumos since April 2008, and I loved it! It was smaller than other youth groups I previously attended. I was nervous, but the staff and youth were and are so kind. I had never met a group of people so kind as the Youth Group.
What is different about Lumos now?
The only thing different about Lumos is that JR and the Kims aren’t there anymore. It feels like nothing about Lumos has changed, because whenever I walk into Bible Studies or Sunday School, it is a part of the family of Christ.
How have you changed since first being in Lumos and now?
I definitely have changed a lot since the summer of 2008. I went to a Youth Retreat hosted by Pastor Chris Mueller, who taught on Jonah. He spoke of his hypocritical ways, and the messages he spoke got me thinking. And a few weeks later, I repented and became a Christian on 7/20/2008. I have grown into a higher spiritual maturity than before, thanks to JR’s epic Systematic Theology lessons. The lessons now are just as God-filled as JR’s, and encouraging and Scripture-filled also.
What is one significant lesson God has been teaching you lately?
One significant lesson God has been teaching me for a very long time (even today) is to not be anxious. I get hung up over all my sins, and when I’m not hung up over my sins, I think that I’m not caring about them, which gets me in an endless circle of emotional stimulation and fear. It is hard to learn, but I know I will learn it one of these days. For of God starts a good work, He will complete it.
What’s it like being one of the few guys in Lumos?
Being one of the only guys in Youth just makes you stand out a lot! The young women try to pick on you, you are an instrument of fun, or if you are like me, John Yang picks you up and spins you around and around! It is really fun! And its a blessing to be one of the young-and-growing men in Lumos.
How do you shine the light at your school?
It is hard to shine the light, because when I try, I feel an all-out war in my mind, one part saying “Do it!” and another saying “Don’t!” I am different, people know I’m different, it is just hard to show it as much as I would like to.
What is one thing you want people to know about you?
I want people to know that I am a great enemy of God, a scoffer of Christ, and a rebel to the Law of God, who was redeemed by Christ’s death, and that I want to be like Jesus.
What are your hobbies?
My hobbies are writing papers proving the truth of Christianity; reading; learning about things I do not know about; watching war movies; being a World War II know-it-all; hanging out with friends; playing the ukelele, violin, guitar and piano and my Xbox; and I absolutely love to sit in one spot, space out and think.