This is my first entry to my first blog. I think it’s fitting that I describe the incredible time the staff at Gracepoint Fellowship Church, Austin had at Houston this past weekend. We went to visit NASA and got to go into Mission Control! It was truly an awesome experience.

Being there at Mission Control reminded me of a couple things. First, that I was sent from Berkeley on a spiritual mission to the UT Austin campus. Second, that I’m blessed with an incredible church, that acts like Mission Control, where every member plays an important role in the big picture. In the movie Apollo 13, everyone in the room worked together for that same goal of bringing the astronauts back to earth safely. I realize the church is to be like this. I’m so thankful to be supported by my home church, Gracepoint Fellowship Church Berkeley, and for the abundance of rich relationships I have in this family of faith. We are a small church here in Austin, but back in Berkeley, it’s comforting to know that our Pastor Ed Kang and his wife Kelly Kang, and our entire church are supporting us.

A week and a half ago, Koinonia Austin had its first ever New Student Welcome Night, also known as NSWN. I don’t know what we were thinking when we, the Austin team, thought we could pull this event off by ourselves with our limited manpower. Thankfully, 13 of our brothers and sisters from our Davis sister church, Waypoint Community Church, flew out for nearly an entire week to help put the evening together. They did so much from creating props, barbecuing, shopping, tabling, decorating A-frames…you name it, they probably did it. And with such cheer not to mention. It was also great to see many familiar faces, and being able to house them in our various apartments and homes for that week.

All I can say is Praise God for an amazing night where nearly a hundred students came to hear about Koinonia and God! Though it required a lot of hard work and sacrifice, in the end it was all worth it. Let’s see what’s in store for the rest of 2008!

Today we had our third small group meeting of the semester! As usual, we started with a sumptuous dinner, catered from a local Chinese restaurant, shared some laughs, and then we broke up into our respective small groups to talk about one of the most important questions we could ever ask – What is Life? I’m thankful that God has given us this chance to discuss questions such as this, which are so important during this season of life, college. I remember when I was in college, the kinds of things I thought about, the habits I formed. And it’s true what many people have told me. The decisions I make and the lifestyle I choose to live in college have a great effect upon the rest of my life. Having been out of college now for some time, I can see the truth of such words.
I’m hoping that through this weekly small group all of our students would seriously think about the questions that really bear weight in this life, and give serious effort to know and live out the Bible, which is the truth. Looking forward to many more great small groups and memories to come!

I think most of us know how to play line charades. Basically, the point is to try and imitate exactly what your teammates do, so that you can pass along that sequence to your next teammate, and preserve that message to end of the line. The team with the closest rendition to the original sequence wins. Well, I think that’s something someone forgot to tell these guys in the video. This past Friday night after Bible Study, we ate some nice root beer floats, and then we played a memorable round of line charades in which we acted out scenes ranging from “goldfish going up for air” to “students cheating on an exam.” In this movie sequence, you’ll see that the scene being acted out was two people driving in a car, blowing out a tire, and then changing it. It’s amazing how easy it is to tweak that message without even knowing it…
One thing’s for sure…Koinonia is not a band of actors

There’s something undeniably attractive about sizzling patties & hot dogs, with a mound of hot, grilled onions on a nice day in the park. Many of us got our first taste of the awesome Zilker Park this past Saturday with an incredible day of eating and playing. We all got to the park at 11am (I know this is early for many of you college students out there but you made it!) and began with a game of ultimate frisbee. Although my team eventually ended up losing 5-4, we put up a good fight. While we were engaged in a serious frisbee battle, Pastor Manny and brother Maurice were busy grilling tons of cheesburger patties and hot dogs for us. Right after our frisbee game, we all flocked over to the picnic tables like wild hyenas who had been famished for weeks. Those patties went fast!

After we had finished stuffing our stomachs, we were ready for more action. This time, we hit the volleyball nets and played several games up to 25. And we ended the day with the epic match – California vs Texas…Knowing that the California team didn’t have any experienced volleyball players, with exception to Kelly Lin, I thought Texas would dominate or at least put up a good fight. Well, my view of Texans changed after the match. Let’s just say that I think our Texas friends should stick to rodeos and football…
See more pictures from our picnic!

It’s Rudys time! Yes, indeed it was for our 12 friends who arrived from California just two days ago. I must say, Rudys BBQ is the best place to go for a bite to eat with a group of 10+ people who are hungry, and wanting something tasty. And what’s even better is that it’s cheap …about 5-7 bucks/person.

Well, I’m very excited to see them all here in Austin. They’ve been working real hard (though not obvious in this picture here), and have been an encouragement to the rest of the Austin team members.

And what a week this is going to be with them all here! Tonight we had a devastating time of fun outdoor games at South Mall for our Ultimate Sports event, and last night we had a great time at the Anna Hiss gym for our Ultimate Games event. I’m looking forward to this Friday, our Ultimate Study Break event, and of course our climax on Sunday, the Inaugural Service for Gracepoint Fellowship Church Austin. For more info on these events, definitely check out the details at our college group Koinonia website
By the way, I know for those of you who were there tonight at the Ultimate Sports event, it might have seemed that some of us “older” ones were a bit slow during the game capture-the-flag. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I know that for at least myself I was wearing sandals and this definitely hindered me from playing at the top of my game

There are times when it’s hard to put into words all that you’ve experienced from an experience or period of time. I think this past weekend is one of those times. On Sunday, I had the privilege of being a part of the Inaugural Service of Gracepoint Fellowship Church – Austin. It was a special time indeed as many people packed into the sanctuary with UT students, special guests, and nearly 70 of our dear precious brothers and sisters from the Bay Area. It kind of felt like I had been transported back to Berkeley at times seeing so many familiar faces…

Our senior pastor from GFC Berkeley, Pastor Ed, brought the message from Romans 16. He challenged us to be like the early church, that we might become a people who are close to one another because of our bond in Christ. After reading Romans 16:1-16, it’s very clear that Apostle Paul had this intimacy with fellow brothers and sisters scattered throughout the world. Pastor Ed also challenged us to become people who claim one another in love. That is what the church is, a place filled with people who claim each other in love. I think this is an appropriate message for me personally as I serve here in the Austin church. I’m reminded that the reason I moved out here is to become a person who loves God and people zealously.

Well, Ultimate Week and the Inaugural are all over now. As I look back, I’m just so thankful for the many friends and leaders who flew out here this past weekend to be with us. It gives me great strength to know that everyone back at home in Berkeley, Davis, and Taiwan continues to run this race alongside all of us here in Austin, and that we are all in this spiritual battle together, contending together to honor our awesome God. So it’s official…Gracepoint Fellowship Church Austin has been birthed! Happy Birthday GFC Austin!

Everyone remembers the incredible performance of Jamaica’s sprinter Usain Bolt at the recent Olympics in Beijing. What sticks out about Mr. Bolt is the way that he demolished the competition, but also the flair with which he accomplished it.
Last Friday night, Koinonia went bowling, and let’s just say, Pastor Manny was on fire, very similar to how Usain Bolt was in Beijing. I mean, he had such command of that bowling ball that he was pulling out strikes and spares at will. Though the eldest competitor in all of Koinonia, Pastor Manny showed the young ones what’s up…
In the video, you’ll see his impressive skills, as well as some striking similarities to Usain Bolt…