Stories of Grace

In John 5:17, Jesus tells us that “My Father is always at his work, to this very day…” In Philippians 2:13, the Apostle Paul reminds us that “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” In our "Stories of Grace" feature, members are invited to share a particular instance of how God has been at work in their lives.  

                           Anna Wang

This month, our contributor is Anna Wang.

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11)

An area where I have seen God at work in my life is in my own heart. I grew up going to Sunday school and then youth group, and church every Sunday. But I do not think I truly understood the gospel and God’s character and grace until much later in life. To me, God was another authority figure to be placated and to seek approval from.  I thought being a Christian and pleasing God meant following all the rules–you know, reading the Bible, going to church, tithing, and just generally being a nice person. And nothing more. Nothing about finding your joy in God or tasting the sweetness of His companionship and mercy. I saw my relationship with Him as almost like a partnership or quid pro quo thing where He did His part by sending Jesus and I kept up my end of the deal by being a “good Christian.”

I remember a summer retreat when I was in high school, where the guest pastor gave a sermon about wanting more of God and wanting to know Him more and wanting to love Him more. And I just remember thinking, “Wow, that sounds nothing like how I currently relate to God. But I want to want that.” And I remember praying, “God, I don’t want more of You right now, and I don’t even know what that would look like. But help me want to want that.” About five or six years later, after not having been in fellowship regularly, or reading the Word, or praying, or having anything like a real relationship with our Father, but still calling myself a Christian and carrying around this guilt all the time about not doing any of the above, I started attending a small home church in New York where I think I truly heard and understood the gospel for the first time.

Something the pastor, there, used to say that really stuck with me was this: “There is nothing you can do to make God love you more—or less.” That just blew me away. You mean God is not sitting up there like a stern judge marking up my permanent record and just waiting for me to run afoul of the law? You mean Christ not only died to wipe my slate clean (though it is on me to keep it clean and not mess up), but to actually give me a righteousness that can never be removed, such that no matter how many times I fail, God’s grace remains greater than my sin? As the Holy Spirit slowly imprints that truth onto my heart, I have seen a real change in myself, over the past year or so in particular.  I cannot pinpoint when or how it started, but now I genuinely want to pray and spend time in the Word.  It is no longer an obligation or a chore, or something to be done so God does not get angry, but something that brings me true peace, comfort, and joy.

So after 20 years, God answered my prayer from back in high school. I can honestly say that I want more of God now, and can understand what the psalmist meant by fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore in God’s presence.

January Happenings

Sunday, January 14 – The annual budget will be distributed to all the members.

Sunday, January 14 – Lunch Fellowship with Dr. Diane Poythress. Dr. Poythress will be speaking on family and the Ten Commandments. We will be serving lunch and refreshments. Child care will be provided. Registration for this event is required. To attend, email Anna Furness at the church email account, or please sign up via our website or this link: https://goo.gl/forms/6g5XJopnNpYQwseA2. Dr. Poythress earned her Ph.D. in Reformation History and Theology from Westminster Theological Seminary. She has studied under Francis Schaeffer at L’Abri, been a missionary in Europe and Taiwan, and served as staff for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in Washington, D.C. She has recently published a book, My Child, His Child.

Tuesday, January 16 – FPC’s monthly kingdom-centered prayer meeting will be meeting in room 401 of the church building. We gather at 7:30pm, and go into prayer from 8:00 to 9:15. All are welcome, but we ask that you do your best to arrive before 8:00 so that we may enjoy uninterrupted prayer time.

Sunday, January 21 – Town hall meeting and luncheon (1:00-3:00pm, room 702, 261 Roosevelt Rd. building). We want to gather our congregation, both members and regular attendees, for a family-style gathering over food, conversation, and a presentation on the part of the elders where they share their vision for the coming year. It will also include the rationale for the staffing of the church during an interim time while the search committee seeks a new pastor. This will also include any questions the congregation may have on anything—the proposed vision, the budget, anything.  Be sure to join us for this family meeting!

Sunday, January 28 – Congregational meeting to approve the proposed budget (1:00-3:00pm, room 602, 261 Roosevelt Rd. building). This brief meeting will be an opportunity for members to vote on the new budget. The main discussion on the budget will have taken place the week prior.

5 Questions With...Carol Song

1. How did you first get involved with Friendship Presbyterian? I was saved through an international student ministry in the Midwest of the United States. So I have always felt more comfortable in an English-language church than a Chinese-language one. In fact, I have grown roots in a medium-sized, inter-denominational, international church in the Tienmou 天母 area (northern Taipei) ever since I returned Taiwan. However, God’s interventions moved me through two Chinese-language mega-churches during 2014 and 2015, and then reconnected me to an English-language church, FPC. I did not embrace those twists and turns at first. However, the endorsement of a couple former members of FPC, plus God’s guidance, led me into a spiritual exploration which resulted in my commitment to membership at FPC. The Christmas caroling of 2016 was the first event that I intentionally made time for and merrily found a home in.

2. What do you do Monday to Saturday? I serve at a private university called Ming Chuan University, the first U.S.-accredited university in Asia. My responsibility is to assist the Executive Vice President in various areas of international education, including accreditation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, coordination between the Taipei headquarters and Michigan (U.S.) campus site, and hospitality services to the university guests. For more info about our institution, please scan one of these two QR codes.
          
3. What is something people might be surprised to know about you? I've traveled through 23 countries, and most of them are developing countries. One of my previous jobs was in World Vision Taiwan (WVT), a faith-based, international, child-welfare organization. Serving as a program manager, I was given the privilege to manage the fund entrusted by Taiwanese donors and conduct regular project monitoring in the beneficiary countries, e.g., Mongolia, Kosovo, Angola, and several other countries in the southern Africa region. It was a prayer answered and a foretaste of Heaven to see how God’s kingdom could be established gradually through Christian humanitarian work, where the poor may seek a new identity in Christ and transform their community along the beautiful unfolding process.

4. What do you find most challenging about being a Christian today? We are called to respond to the Great Commission wherever we go. I find it challenging to balance (or to be strategically and spiritually well-positioned) between thriving in your relationship with God (in his calling) and building bridges with others to make peace with God. The challenges can be boiled down to a number of issues—for me personally, it’s about time management, cultural sensitivity, prayer centeredness, a Scriptural base, and a servant heart.

5. What is your favorite book of the Bible? In terms of servanthood, it is the book of Joshua. Whenever I am called to serve in God’s name, the first chapter of Joshua comes to me as spiritual encouragement. Knowing my nature of avoiding conflicts, God often speaks through the book to position me, whether in confronting non-believers or disciplining junior Christians, whether at a funeral or beside a sick bed. The key is to trust him with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding.

In terms of my personal life, it is the book of Psalms, where God’s commands are to praise him and give thanks in all circumstances through faith. My experiences of bad things often turn around after I express my praise and gratitude.