Where Is God?

Happy New Year, everyone! We made it! Another year, another chapter.

It honestly feels just like yesterday where I was talking about how 2014 would be a year that'd become what we make of it. I actually remember sitting down writing the blog where I said that too. In terms of progress, I'm so far away from where I was at this point last year.

In case you've just started reading my blog, in 2014, I finished my final semester of school, graduated, and now call Vancouver my home. It took some time, but I'm now the English Pastor at Newbern Alliance Church in Vancouver. I rent out a 2 bedroom basement suite in a "Vancouver special" home in an upper class neighbornood in south Vancouver.

I can say with all honesty that having become a pastor is a dream come true. I would've never imagined myself being on this career path, but when it seems so much that it was already determined for me, I couldn't run away from it. I can't see myself doing anything else in life, and I'm incredible happy that this is what I do.

The sweetest thing I've found in my three months of being a pastor is that the "marriage" between the pastor and the congregation is so closely knit. I find myself shaping and growing my own self the same way I want to shape and grow my congregation. A lot of my personal hopes and dreams for the coming year line up very much with the ones I have for my church. I think this comes from the result of me completely submerging myself into the community and church, trying to align us to what God's plan is.

My big picture outlook for the year is basically a question. I think one of the biggest questions we hear nowadays is "where is God?" Amidst all the crap that we see in the world, where is God? So I'm seeing a lot of my friends and family going through life, experiencing the different seasons, and the question I always want to ask them is, "where is God in this?"

Where is God in your relationship with your job? With your family? With your husband? With your wife? With your friends? Where is God in your times of struggle? Where is God in the achievement you just obtained? Where is God in each aspect of your life?

Basically, on a personal level, and a professional level, I'm going to be constantly asking this question. I think so many of us are so quick to dismiss God that we eventually lose God in our lives because we cut him out of our lives one area at a time. I actually want to challenge all my friends and people who read my blog to do the same. We're always bumping God down our priority list that it hurts me to see people not even acknowledge him anymore. This is what it means when we talk about a jealous God: when something gets in between our relationship with God, it rips his heart to pieces.

So, actually, who cares about me being bummed out when I see my friends push God out of their lives. God is the one that's infinitely more hurt than I am. God desires so much to have a relationship with each of us personally, and yet we push him away. I don't get it.

Anyways, I'm starting to get a bit fired up. Haha. But I'm glad that I'm taking this flame with me into the new year. I also hope that the fire that's been placed on my heart can spread. I don't want to keep it to myself.

Welp, there you have it, the end to my obligatory New Year's blog.

Hope everyone has a great start to the year!