by Steven Preslar

There have been a number of changes in the video ministry since the last time I wrote. We have a few new members. James Lim has joined us from the Photo Ministry, and also Dan Baker has joined the team. Both James and Dan complement the team with a unique set of skills, and we are very excited to put those skills to the test.

Another noteworthy change in the Video Ministry has been the decision to move away from using tape to record on. We are going completely digital and will be posted to the web using a Vimeo, a video hosting web site. Vimeo will allow us to quickly post our final product for the members of Lighthouse to enjoy via the church website. We still have some technical details to workout, but with any luck we will be uploading and posting within a month or so.

If you are interested in joining the team, have questions or would like to use the team for an event please feel free to contact me or any other team members.

by Teddy Yu

Death is not an uncommon occurrence in the convalescent home ministry. Indeed, by definition a convalescent home houses those that are either ill or advanced in age, and oftentimes, both. Thus it is not a surprise to hear that some of the residents have either fallen seriously ill or died. And such was the case just a couple months ago. We had arrived at the convalescent home just like any other week to spend time with the residents and share the Gospel. Yet on this particular visit, we discovered that one of the residents that we had been visiting for the past few years, ‘George’, was sent to the hospital to treat an illness…not an uncommon occurrence. However, it was only a couple weeks later that we learned that the doctors had been unable to treat his illness and that ‘George’ had died while in the hospital. While ‘George’s’ death wasn’t the first to happen among the residents that we had been visiting, it provided a sobering reminder in three specific areas:

1) Death is a reminder of the seriousness of sin

There is a natural grief and mourning that accompanies death. At the loss of a loved one, the heart aches at the loss knowing that he can never be brought back. There may be words of regret that can never be taken away, words that were never said, potential unfulfilled, and unanswered questions. Yet the believer understands that because God has a sovereign purpose even in the death of a loved one, his response must be not to avoid or to become lost in grief over death (cf. Job 1:20-21, 2 Sam. 12:22-23). Indeed, contemporary society has a tendency to mask the signs of death or postpone the finality of death either with euphemisms such as “passing away” and “eternal rest” or through excessive beauty and cosmetic treatments (not that one shouldn’t seek to be a good steward of their health).

In contrast, the Bible clearly states that death is the earned consequence of sin (cf. Romans 6:16, 23). Furthermore, death is described as the final event of life after which one is ushered into judgment before the Holy One (cf. Hebrews 9:27). Thus a proper biblical understanding that death is the necessary consequence of sin focuses the attention of the believer in the midst of his grief to comprehend a little more clearly the seriousness of sin. It is not helpful to cover up or to mitigate the issue of death with pleasant words (i.e. “He was a good man and everybody liked him…”) or with the views of other religions (annihilation, purgatory, reincarnation, etc.) that only serve to hand off the responsibility of death and the judgment to come. Instead, there is a grim reality and truth that man only has only one life to live and sin has terrible consequences. Thus the presence of death (however masked by contemporary American society), should serve as a reminder of the devastating nature of sin not only upon the sinner, but indicative of the magnitude of sin’s offense against the holiness of God that He would require death. Is it not appropriate that death should be a sobering reminder for believers to hate sin more?

2) Death is reminder of the hope that believers have in Christ

The Christian understands that even in the seriousness of death and the its devastating consequences to take away and ravage everything on earth, that there is abundant hope in Christ. The Bible is clear that the things of this world are fleeting because of the temporary nature imposed upon them through death. Instead, only the Word of God endures forever (cf. Isaiah 40:8). The things of this world were never meant to be the end focus of our attention and joy. Instead, all creation’s purpose was to point us to the worship of the Creator. And it is this understanding that provides the basis behind the heart that is able to joyfully proclaim, “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21)

This is the challenge that we have in this ministry: to instill this heavenward joy and perspective in people while they are still living. It is only when man submits himself in repentance and faith to the Lordship of Christ as Redeemer that he can be freed from the penalty and power of sin and the threat of the grave (cf. 1 Cor. 15:55). The is no other answer to the problem of sin and death. The key to developing this heavenly attitude is to begin and to continue crucifying the desires of the flesh for the things of the world and instead to cultivate the enjoyment of heaven now. Indeed, it has been aptly said that there are none that go to hell that did not choose so willingly; for they have chosen to love their sin instead of repent. And conversely, there are none that go to heaven to enjoy the presence of Christ who did not already taste it while on earth (cf. John Owen’s The Glory of Christ).

3) Death is a reminder that believers must proclaim the Gospel with urgency

It is an undeniable fact that the matter of death is immensely serious given the drastically different consequences for the believer and unbeliever. After death, the believer looks forward to being ushering into the full joy the presence of the Father while the unbeliever can only anticipate being sent into the eternal flames of agony and condemnation apart from the Father’s grace. And when these serious consequence of sin is coupled with the uncertain timing of death (cf. James 4:14), there is a necessary urgent response to bring and bear the Gospel. Right now there are souls heading toward eternal condemnation in unrepentant sin that can only be saved by faith through the grace communicated in the message of the Gospel (cf. Ephesians 2:8-10).

The urgent nature of sin and salvation focuses each visit we spend at the convalescent home. It is as sobering fact that each time we visit the convalescent home may be the last time we see some of the residents alive. There will be no second chances or another opportunity to say what needs to be said to address sin. Instead, love demands that sin be immediately and seriously addressed and that the message of the Gospel be earnestly and urgently proclaimed.

Death is a serious and painful reminder of the reality of sin. Yet as believers, we must cling to our hope in our Lord Jesus Christ who died upon the cross to bear the penalty of sin and rose again to conquer the power of sin. The issue of sin is indeed a matter of life (through faith and repentance) or death (the consequence of an unrepentant heart). The Gospel proclaims that hope everlasting can be found through faith in Jesus Christ (cf. John 3:16) that quells the fear of death. It is a marvelous blessing for the Christian to be able to proclaim:

1 Corinthians 15:55-57
“O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

by Tim Nieh

Every winter quarter College Life has their biggest event of the year: college retreat. “The one weekend at College Life retreat is equal to over a year’s worth of fellowship,” says Pastor Patrick, and many can testify to the truthfulness of the statement.

College retreat is without a doubt the highlight of College Life with its crazy games, competitions, and team skits. However, the best part of every Lighthouse retreat has to be the messages. This year we had the privilege of having Pastor Mark Lim of Berean Community Church in Irvine as our speaker, and many collegians can testify to the overwhelming encouragement and challenge that each message delivered. The theme for retreat this year was “Worth It All,” a study and survey through the book of Hebrews (yes, we went through the entire book in four messages!). Though the book of Hebrews was originally written to Jews that were wavering in their faith, it is packed full of relevant and important theology as well as pressing exhortations for all believers.

Though every message was crammed and jammed with goodness I realize that typing up a summary of key points would amount to an article half the length of one of Pastor John’s sermons (maybe). So instead I’d like to share on the sermon that challenged me most during the retreat. The final message pastor Mark delivered was based on Hebrews 11-13 titled, “Show Up to the Race.” He began by reminding us that the life we live now is founded upon future promises. Too many of us believe that life is all about the here and now and we forget that the life of discipleship is also a life of faithful patience. Take Abraham and his wife Sarah for example. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a nation as numerous as the stars in the sky, but he and Sarah waited twenty-five years to receive their son Isaac. We as Christians need to develop endurance and faithfulness that have been tested through many seasons. We need a patience that is beyond this life. In addition to a steadfast spirit we are to strip away the things in our lives that weigh down the pursuit of Christ in our lives. Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race set before us.”

Blatantly immoral things or direct disobedience to the commands of God may not completely destroy a life of following Christ. More subtly, the neutral things become the encumbrances that eventually weigh us down and disqualify us in our race. For example, ask a marathon runner to run a mile in sweats and he or she would have no problem doing so, but ask them to show up to a marathon race wearing sweats and they would look at you as if you were crazy. The small sins and small “weights” of our lives are those that will kill us. We are to cut away all that hinders us from Christ but not without the tender mercy and help from His Spirit. Also, we must be specific in our Christian faith. We must be specific when we confess our sins, in our fight against sin, and in our pursuit of Christ. We cannot afford to hide behind generalities. In addition we must always remember that God is not some distant Father but rather He is a personal and intimate Savior that desires to commune with us. He is after our hearts.

As for the rest of the retreat activities like the skits, competitions, and games, I’m sure any collegian wouldn’t mind elaborating on them and at the same time you can ask them about the other messages as well. Hopefully this article was able to give you a little taste of retreat as well as the book of Hebrews. Studying the book of Hebrews will bring great comfort, strength, and encouragement to any believer, so if you’re looking for your next book to study, dive into the book of Hebrews!

by Stephen Rodgers

As I sat down to write this article, I was confused (which isn’t going to surprise anyone who knows me). I could have sworn that I already wrote something to this effect, and in a sense I have. There is a lot of information scattered about, mostly in the Editor’s Notes since October 2009, that pertains to this blog, its purpose, and its hopes and dreams for the future (at least, insofar as a blog can have hopes and dreams).

But I guess I failed to articulate exactly what it is that the Beacon DOES, and WHY.

Just like it says in the sidebar over there, the Beacon is the official newsletter of Lighthouse Bible Church. We’re NOT the website…you’ve already met Kyle and his band of merry rogues who handle all of that. Rather, we’re the central means of communication on the website. This is where the pastors and elders write their weekly messages to the church. This is where ministries highlight their goals and needs. This is where the staff of the newsletter posts articles to inform, edify, and encourage. (Ok, that’s hard to link; just look under CATEGORIES to the right). At the end of the day, we’re just a 21st century means of promoting what Paul talks about in Ephesians 4.

Let me walk you through it if you don’t mind:

• Working for the Beacon will test your humility, gentleness, and patience (Eph 4:1-2). The editor (moi) is tested when he hounds the writers for their articles. I’m sure the writers are tested in the hounding as well.
• Sometimes squabbles ensue. Guess what? There’s directions for that too (Eph 4:3).
• As a staff member, sometimes it’s easy to think that the Beacon exists for your benefit. Not true. We’re primarily here to serve and assist the leaders of the church (Eph 4:11) as they serve and instruct the church (Eph 4:12) for the purpose of dragging all of us, kicking and screaming, in Christ-likeness (Eph 4:13).
• Sometimes that means that the articles focus on what we’re doing WRONG (Eph 4:14)…
• …but there’s a WAY that is done (Eph 4:15)…
• …and there’s a REASON for it to be done that particular way (Eph 4:16).

I could go on and on, but I trust you get the point. You can (and should) read the rest of that chapter for yourself. It’s not always easy to accept, particularly the application, but as the kids say these days, “that’s how we roll.” (Or at least, that’s how we SHOULD if we are obedient to God and sensitive to the Scriptures).

Lately however, I’ve been struggling a little bit with the enormity of the SCOPE of this command. And by that I don’t mean the fact that it pertains to my entire life as a Christian and not just “Church stuff.” No, I’m talking about the scope of the audience.

Now I need to be careful here so that this doesn’t come out of a place of pride, but lately we’ve been growing like crazy. In the past six months, our readership has increased by around 1,000%. In the last month alone, it’s up by about 40% and there’s no sign that we’re slowing down yet. In fact, I tracked where our visitors have been coming from for the last 30 days, and this is what I discovered:

Beacon Readers

I know that’s not the best map (we’re working on a better one for next time), but let me break that down for you briefly: thousands of people from six continents are reading this. Now the vast majority of them are from North America, that’s not a huge surprise. And I can guess who some of the others are: my fiancee’s church is most likely the dot in the Czech Republic, and I still have a few friends from the time I spent living in India. Given the demographics of our church, I’m not too startled we’ve got a dot in South Korea, and we have members and former-members currently living in northern California and the east coast. But Saudi Arabia? Sweden? Australia? I have no idea who they might be. And honestly, I don’t need to know.

Because God does.

You see, in this way, the Beacon is a microcosm of the Christian life. We go through this world, putting off the old man (Eph 4:22), putting on the new (Eph 4:24), loving God and loving our neighbors (Matt 22:37-39), and we’re never quite sure who might be watching. (And a quick reminder, if you’re only going through the motions to be seen in the first place, you’re doing it wrong. Jesus talked about that in Matthew 6:1 and following). Rather, we’re the spiritual version of those guys on the street corners with the signs. We’re here to point people to someone else; we’re not the show, we’re the messengers. It’s not given to me to know with certainty all the primary, secondary, tertiary (and so on) effects of that message. God’s in the business of handling that.

But occasionally, through something as ridiculous as a JPEG of the earth, I get a tiny glimpse. And that glimpse is more than enough to excite me and humble me all over again.

This is way too long; so I’ll summarize.

You may have noticed that I sign all my posts with the Latin phrase “Pro Rege.” Yes, I stole that from Van Til, but that’s not the point. You see, “Pro Rege” means “For the King.” It summarizes the Christian’s mindset and motivation for all that they do, including getting out of bed in the morning.

And including this blog.

(HT: Dan Phillips for the original idea)

Pro Rege

by Kyle Grindley

Much like Robin Hood and his merry men, the LBC web team is a loosely organized group of ragtag folks joined for a common goal.  However, rather than the illegal redistribution of wealth, our goal is the redistribution of knowledge, specifically knowledge of what is going on at LBC.  We take information from those ministry leaders who have a wealth of knowledge and freely give it to those congregants who lack it.

While Robin Hood was motivated by altruism and an apatite for adventure, we want  to see Christ’s church grow.  The web site was designed to be a tool for helping LBC accomplish its MVP.  This idea should permeate every feature of the site.  The calendar’s purpose helping ministry leaders coordinate with members of their ministries.  The mailing list is in place to make it easier for the pastors to communicate to the congregation.  Ministry lists help LBCers find somewhere to involve themselves.  The member directory allows people to easily contact one another so that they can love and serve one another.  There are also many people who have found our church because of the web site, so the information should to reflect what is going on so like minded Christians and those curious about Jesus can find us.

Also, like Robin Hood’s band we like to skulk around behind the scenes; they in Sherwood Forest, we just kind of blend in around LBC.  If you are wondering who is named among the merry band at LBC, you’ve come to the right paragraph.  Have you ever downloaded a sermon from the media section?  Well, Terence Kim was a major part of its design and Paul Chen diligently ensures the latest sermons are up.  Have you ever checked the announcements page?  You have Kim Phan to thank for that up-to-date list.  Collegians, next time you see Michael Kwon say thanks because he maintains the College Life site.  Sinlges, Ryan McAdams designed the bulk of the Single Life site (and coined “We’re LBC! And we’re single!”).  If you have been enjoying the members directory you can thank Peter Lim as he wrote most of the code for that.  Steven Preslar also helped in the early stages of the member directory development.  Dan Baker designed a new look that we hope to roll out this year and worked on the Beacon 3.0 along with Stephen Rodgers.  Kevin Chan, Stephanie Cheng, Harold Kim & John Mark Wendler are newer members of the web team and are all excited to help out.

Some of the features we are hoping to add in 2010 are:

• Members section improvements including adding pictures the the directory.
• A new layout for the main site that will showcase the newest sermons and Beacon articles.
• Mailing list improvements
• A bunch of behind the scenes changes that you probably won’t notice, but trust me, they will be sweet.

We hope that you have found the web site helpful in some regard as you work to build up the church.  We are always looking for ways to improve the site and find new features that would be helpful.  Since no one knows what the ministries could use better than those involved in the ministries that puts you in a unique position to help us.  If there is something that might help your ministry please let us know, we would love to give it a try.  Also, as the ragtag bunch we are, sometimes things don’t work the way we expect; servers go down, bugs are missed all sorts of problems arise.  If you come across a problem please tell us right away; chances are we don’t know about it yet.  You can send any ideas, questions comments, problem reports to web@lighthousebc.com.  You can also help us by praying that we would use our time and resources in a way that furthers the MVP.

by Hwa Park

Hello, My name is Hwa and along with my wife Suzie and about 10 other faithful servants we make up the refreshments ministry. The primary purpose of this ministry is to glorify God by feeding our Church
family during various Church events (1 Corinthians 10:31). At our Church we love to eat and more specifically we love to eat a lot of meat and I have the pleasure of filling our bellies with yummy meat. We believe that God created everything that is on the earth and that all food is clean and suitable for consumption. With an exception that if eating or drinking causes a brother to sin we will abstain from it
(1 Corinthians 8:13).

Over the past 11 years the role of refreshments ministry has evolved from one person feeding about 30 people to now over 10 workers consistently feeding as many as 300 people. The Refreshments Ministry provides Sunday morning delights and refreshments for various other functions such as Fun in the Sun (FITS), Anniversary Services, Resurrection Sunday breakfast, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mission bowl, and Members Meeting Dinners. Over the years I estimate we served about 11 thousand meals that include about…

1. 700 lbs of Turkey
2. 500 lbs of Ham
3. 400 lbs of hot links
4. 500 lbs of hot dogs
5. 880 lbs of hamburgers
6. 3,000 sandwiches
7. 500 lbs of fried chicken
8. 1,000 pizzas
9. 15,000 bottles of water, sodas and juice boxes
10. …and 1 lb veggie burger (back in 01′)

We can always use faithful servants that enjoy serving others through food. If you are a member please contact Suzie at suzie4jc@yahoo.com. How much food to prepare is always a challenge as we never really know how many people will show up to various Church functions. Portioning and menu planning can also be difficult as men will often consume more food then the ladies. Please pray that our team will serve others with a humble heart that seeks to glorify God.

Church BBQ Grill

by Brian Song

You’re at church and you see a flash of light out of the corner of your eye followed by a series of clicking sounds. As you whip your head around, you barely catch a glimpse of what appears to be a person moving and carrying a rather large object in their hands…

The Photography Ministry at Lighthouse is comprised of men and women who share a common passion for taking pictures. Our ministry’s goal is to ensure that we capture the life of the church in pictures so that the church can relive them for many years to come. Generally, we meet 30 minutes before each event so that we can assign tasks for each team member. It may seem that we’re roaming around at random, but it often takes coordination and planning so that we don’t end up all shooting the same thing. Afterwards, everyone is responsible for uploading all the photos to our church’s photo website (http://www.lbcsd.smugmug.com). It usually takes our team anywhere from one to two weeks to filter through, process, and upload their shots online.

One of our other responsibilities is to maintain the member photos posted on the walls of the church. With all the changes taking place in the body (new members and growing families), we will continue to shoot members photos before, during, and after each member’s meeting. So if you’re a member and either need a photo taken or want an updated photo, please don’t hesitate to visit our “studio” during the next member’s meeting.

I’ve been so encouraged by our team’s willingness and faithfulness in serving the church through this ministry. One of most challenging aspects of this ministry is that whenever we’re serving, it oftentimes keeps us from fully enjoying the event with the rest of the body. As different (life stage) ministries hold events, team members from the other ministries have graciously taken time out of their busy schedules to volunteer to take photos so that the rest of the team can partake in the fellowship.

It is our great joy that God can use our passion for photography to capture his body carrying out the MVP of our church. All of us are more than excited to share our passion with others. So if you ever have want to know what camera to buy, to learn about different photography techniques, or even to join the photo ministry, please let us know!

Photo Team

by Carol Lim

LBC Nursery Ministry, aka Fireflies, serves the youngest members of our church, ages 0-3 yrs. I’m sure by now you’ve seen some ladies with pink or blue smocks each Sunday morning enjoying the worship time with the little ones on your way into the sanctuary. I currently serve as the director of Fireflies along with Lillian To (scheduling coordinator) and Brenda Hom (curriculum coordinator). Our staff of about 30 ladies of all ages (college & up) absolutely loves the children that the parents entrust to us while they worship. Each staff member is currently scheduled to serve about once every 3 weeks. Besides on Sunday mornings, we also serve on other occasions such as Christmas Concert, LBC Annual Banquet, and other events as needs arise.

Fireflies are divided into 2 areas: Nursery 1 (from birth to about 16 months old), and Nursery 2 (from about 16 months old to 3 years old). We not only have play time, snack time, and potty time, we also have Bible lesson time for Nursery 2 children where they learn different attributes of God. For instance, during the month of February, they are learning about God’s sovereignty through the story of Jesus calming the wind and the sea and how He is the boss of everything (Matt. 8:23-27). They are taught the same lesson for the whole month along with a memory verse. For February, they are memorizing Ephesians 6:1, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

I’m particularly blessed to be part of this ministry not only because I get to participate in the lives of these children who grow up ever so quickly, but also because I get to be involved in the lives of other fellow sisters who serve here. We encourage the ladies to consider the times of serving as an act of worship. We try to hold each other accountable in our spiritual walk and be intentional even in our conversations while we serve. Because we have a number of moms serving as staff members, younger ladies are finding this ministry to be such a valuable opportunity to be learning from the older women in dealing with children (as in Titus 2).

If anyone is interested in joining Fireflies, we ask that you be:

1. Female
2. A member in good standing
3. Interested in caring for children
4. Desiring to grow spiritually and to learn from other ladies

For more information please contact Lillian, Brenda, or myself. Thanks!

by Min Kim

I still remember my first day as an usher. I believe it was the fall of 2000. I approached Peter Lim and told him that it was weird for me to show up to Church and not serve. I thought I should be serving somewhere and not come to Church and just sit there. He suggested that I be an usher. I said yes, and from that day forward I was an usher. But to this day, I still don’t know how I became the head usher. I do it enjoy it and I have been overseeing this ministry for the past 10 years.

The Church is called to worship God with all their heart (Matthew 22:37), and in spirit and in truth (John 4:21-24). The worship service should reflect His character and nature because He is a God of peace and order, and not of strife and confusion (I Corinthians 14:33). The worship service must exalt and glorify God. So the ushers serve by helping others worship God without any distractions and help keep order during the worship service.

The duties of the ushers are: collecting the offering, collecting white slips, door monitoring, some security duties, and assisting with administering communion.

If you are a member of LBC and would like to serve in this ministry, please let me know.

by Joyce Kang

This is the fifth year that LBC has been involved with the Pacific Beach homeless ministry as a branch of the Local Outreach Ministry. The involvement began in the formative years of the Local Outreach Ministry when member Kevin Tse introduced the PB ministry to LBC members.

Every Sunday, PB church members prepare a home-cooked meal for 100+ local homeless who come to enjoy a sit-down dinner. Although LBC involvement has evolved through the years, the consistency of the Pacific Beach members who have run the homeless ministry for over 15 years has been extremely encouraging and inspiring. Volunteers who go to help Sunday afternoons just need to show up as PB members will direct what help is needed with meal preparation and serving.

Through the years, devotions have been shared by Set Free ministries, as well as visiting pastors from other local churches who have come to volunteer.

For those who wish to help, a typical Sunday schedule might look as follows:

3:00pm – 3:30pm: Arrive at PB church
3:30pm – 4:45pm: Meal preparation
4:50pm – 5:00pm: Prayer
5:00pm – 6:00pm: Serving of meals

When LBC became involved with the ministry, a three-fold purpose was envisioned: To provide LBC members an opportunity to:

1. get involved in the community as salt and light (Matt. 5:13)
2. fellowship as they serve together in preparing and serving meals
3. be obedient to Christ’s command to help the poor and needy (Deut. 15:11; Matt. 25:31-46)

Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church is located at 1675 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach, and any interested LBC members are encouraged to make the initiative to go, whether as individuals or groups. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Joyce Kang or Grace Lee.