21 Lessons

1. Lesson of the Korean cactus. 

It has become my favorite plant due to its level of strength and perseverance. It's of very low maintenance, not just a survivor, but an incredible "thrivor." A lesson for all leaders. 

2. Lesson of the bad grass.

If we don't pull the roots out completely when gardening,  the bad grass will come back stronger to challenge and even destroy the garden.

3. Lesson of the bad heat.

Water plants early, way before the heat's arrival. Or else, it will be too late and the plants won't be able to withstand the high temperature due to its lack of water absorption. Be prepare way ahead for the trials to come.  Don't wait until the last minute,  or else the falling away is imminent.  

4. Lesson of the chickens and goats.

I believe goats like me more than chickens. Chicken don't really care for my arrival,  but goats seem to acknowledge my presence by bleating, "Vinnyyyyyy!."

5. Lesson on how to water trees.

Different tree ages and different root developments need distinct watering system: Flooding the roots or dripping droplets onto the roots. This is about how to teach adults and children. Know how to get the valuable knowledge across.  

6. Lesson of chickens are not trees.

Don't spray the chickens with water to clean them. No spiritual lesson here. Just don't spray the chicken with water. 

7. Lesson of the biggest rooster and the smallest rooster in the same cage. 

The smallest rooster is very calm and polite with all other chickens,  except with the biggest rooster. He beats and forces the big rooster to give up the will to fight. The biggest rooster has to be isolated and live by himself now. I tried to introduce him to the cage 2 more times to see if he'll reclaim his throne and allow the smallest rooster to coexist as before,  but his will to defend himself is no more. He will die if I didn't give him an isolated cage to live out his days, so I did. His routine morning authoritative crow is no longer believable to me. The heart is no longer there.  Somehow I have a sense of sadness every time I look at him.

8. Lesson of Elder Yang's language. 

His language is sweat. No sweet talk.  Just sweat talk.  Want to relate to him? Simple. Just sweat. No shortcut through the sauna, but by working the land. No matter how stern one is, always plant a bright flower garden for your wife. This garden is Elder's I love you to his wife.  I really believe a good gardener will be a great family man. He knows how to care.

9. Lesson of different trees. 

Some need more water, some need less. Know who you're dealing with. 

10. Lesson on trimming branches.

Trim our life.  Dead branches will use up the energy and  resources of your precious youthful years. Keep the dead branches and regrets will wait for you around the corner. 

11. Lesson of the snake. 

Simple. Guard your door. 

11. Lesson of the water leak.

Watch out for the leaks of valuable water in our life. Or else, the water tank will suddenly be empty on the hottest day of summer, while the toilet is not yet flushed. 

12. Lesson of the prayer cave of dirt.

An enclosed prayer cave of dirt is more beneficial to one's spiritual life than the grandest of golden palace. No distraction by the self grandeur. The self importance is minimized, so God can be magnified. 

13. Lesson of iron and sponge. 

Elder Yang sharpens iron. He cannot do it with a sponge.  Iron sharpens iron, and sparks will fly. Withstand the heat through the process.  It is good heat. 

14. Lesson of the fish pond.

Too much food in the pond is bad. It pollutes the water. Be careful, keep your mind clear. Fast sometimes. 

15. Lesson of the septic sewer tank. 

This is about God's love. Our Lord Jesus is Holy. He came into this sinful world to do the work of salvation. Sin is the opposite of holiness.  This lesson becomes real and visible through Elder and Paul's working with the septic tank. Only love can make sense of this.  The love for the well-being and benefits of others.  

16. Lesson of the greenbrier/thorny vine.

Be careful of this thorny vine. Its embrace is deadly; its stronghold is unbreakable. The tree stands in hopelessness in regards to break free from this bondage.  From far enough,  the tree looks normal and green. But, once we're close,  the tree is completely engulfed by the greenbrier.  The young vines don't have thorns,  but the matured ones do.  The earlier embrace is jovial and normal.  But once the grip is tight, the thorns will show up to secure its new claim.  These thorns will even bite The hands and feet of those who try to rescue the tree.  Careful of the addictions in our life.  

17. Lesson of the tall grass.

Cut it. Don't let the snakes lurk in there without you knowing. Hidden sins. 

18. Lesson of the sunlight and plants. 

This is about the brightness of God. Plants need an energy source from the sun that's 93 million miles away, floating in mid air. It's 93 million miles away, yet we can't look at it without hurting our eyes, even going blind. God created this light. So, it means He's even brighter.  It makes sense that His light can penetrate and instantly incinerate us. Don't try to understand God. His thoughts are much too high above our thoughts. His ways are not our ways.  

19. Lesson of the invisible sweat.

This is about the heart of worship. Worship that involves personal sacrifice.  Pastor Chon's place of worship is behind the pulpit, praying and petitioning for God's people.  If enough requests are coming in, then sleepless nights ensue.  Elder Yang's place of worship is on the soil. He tirelessly works the ground, cares for the plants, animals and builds prayer cabins for us to seek for God. Elderest Park's place of worship is her room. She prays and petitions daily in her room for the church. To war in the spirit.  Esther's place of worship is the kitchen and cleaning up the sanctuary and the prayer cabins for the guests. I actually saw Esther sweat 3 times. Once after cleaning up sanctuary,  once during cooking, and once after cleaning up a cabin. I saw an incredible amount of love in those sweat. Love is patient, love is kind. Brothers and sisters, do clean up thoroughly after yourselves. This simple act  visibly reveals the condition of the heart. And even more, when possible, do consider volunteering and lifting up your worship through sweat as well. Whatever we do in whichever setting, just try to serve more than being served. 

20. Lesson of the blood vessels.

This is about God's wisdom. A few days ago, Elder Yang had a bleeding nose and I had a bleeding right toe. Elder believed that it was good that his nose was bleeding.  He explained that it meant his circulation is good. No clogging headache.  As for me, I believe my  bleeding right toe was due to a tree trunk falling on it. I believed this because a tree trunk fell on it in front of my eyes.  The tree trunk didn't make a noise but I did. The strange lesson is if you take all the blood vessels in my body and put them together into one long string,  it could circle the earth 2.5 times. 2.5 times! The incredible wisdom of God. So, the next time you bleed, after fainting, open your eyes and praise His wisdom, then call 911 if necessary.  Praise The Lord that we're fearfully and wonderfully made.

21. Lesson on plowing the ground for planting.

This is about the process of proclaiming of the Word of God at Immanuel Prayer House. One day brother Cung Cung and I were tasked with plowing different parts of the ground to prepare for future planting. I noticed that some parts are soft and some are hard. There's actually a patch of land right next to the sanctuary that's just rocky.  Covered by a surface of rock.  Thankfully,  we didn't have to plow this part. But, my personal experience is this.  Many times our hearts are very hard. Calcified and hardened by the pain,  disappointment, deaths, negativity,  regrets, addictions, anger and many other sentiments and harsh life experiences. Some of us learn to be cold and emotionless as a way living for personal preservation. I fall into this way of life to some extent.  The result is the loss of Joy.  With proclamation of the Word, it's like plowing the ground of our heart. To break it, to pull up the rocks, to soften it and make it ready for the seeds to germinate and grow. To make The land healthy.  The plowing process takes more than just one plow. It takes much repetition. Depending on the hardness of the ground,  at times the softening process takes a long time because the land has been calcified and hardened for many decades. Same goes with the heart. Sometimes new lessons are hindered by old lessons. We can't understand everything new before we learn, so many times obedience is the key. Through obedience and going through the process of proclamation of the Word of God, I've  experienced the softening of my heart. May the process continue and The Lord plant His seeds according to His will.