As it enters this next season, my hope is that more readers will find their own place within this shared journey—whether through prayer, presence, or practical support—so that these heart connections can continue to form, deepen, and bear fruit for the generations to come.
Does a person really need faith? And if so, what exactly is faith?
It is hard to imagine that this pastor—now fluent in Scripture and prayer—had once devoted years to Daoist medicine and Buddhist practice, even preparing to become a monk
My heart burned for more young people to come to church, to encounter the living Christ, and to serve with passion and purpose.
As Christians, have we truly found the light of life?
I planned on pursuing a degree in International Relations and wanted to work for the US Foreign Service or maybe serve at a consulate in China, until something changed my path completely: I was personally called to serve God. I had what I could only describe as a personal revelation, where Christ came to me and asked me to serve him, causing me to immediately switch my major focus from International Relations to Theology.
I was born in a Christian family and my grandma is a faithful Christian. She likes reading the Bible in the afternoon even though she only has a primary school education. At that age, I couldn’t understand what this meant to me, but seeds of faith were planted in my heart though I didn’t know it yet.
As I reflect on my past, I see that much of my struggle with identity came from trying to reconcile different worlds—my Chinese heritage, my upbringing, and the newfound faith that challenged everything I once believed. In a society where success is often measured by status and power, surrendering to Christ felt like a contradiction. Yet, in that surrender, I found my true identity.
God finally led me through his gates and into his courts, where I came to understand that he is not only the answer to the social issues I sought to resolve but also my personal Savior, my eternal Father in heaven, my dearest friend in spirit, and I, his beloved child.
I no longer wallowed in self-pity as a piece of wild grass because such grass is also created by God and loved by God.
I was weeping and mourning and having a hard time accepting where Grandpa is eternally, because I had thought, surely, I would have another chance to share the gospel with him, and had I done that, my grandpa would have had a chance to be saved and reconciled with God through faith in Jesus the Savior.
Looking back, it must have been the moving of the Holy Spirit that compelled me to ask Yanfei and my daughter to join me in being baptized on the evening of December 24, 2003, and taking on the name of Christian.