“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

None of us who are alive have ever seen Christ in the fulness of his glory. At best, we have seen glimpses of his glory. At best, we have seen glimpses of Christ’s likeness.

Helen’s dad, Dave Sparling, Kiyo Scott…they see him as he is!!! They are in the presence of the Savior and there is no more guessing what Christ might look like. They behold the very face of the Son of God!!!

Thank you all for your prayers and for your messages of care.

Helen and our family are doing well. We are so thankful for God’s goodness.

Helen’s dad drew his last breath here on earth around 9:45pm on Tuesday evening. What is surprising is that Helen’s dad was doing better. So much so that the doctors were talking about discharging him on Friday. Helen was making arrangements with the nurses, the oxygen people, and others so that dad could be home starting Friday.

But that evening, dad’s condition worsened and he had another breathing episode. And within moments, he was gone.

The nurse attending to him that evening was a Christian. She held his hand and prayed dad into eternity. We are so grateful to her and all other nurses like her who have been present for loved ones as families couldn’t be.

We are grateful because God took dad quickly. This is exactly what he wanted. Even had he gone home on Friday, his quality of life would have been nothing like before. All his life he was active and very healthy until Covid ravaged his lungs. We thank God Helen was already in LA so she could be with her mom and sister during this time. God worked everything out.

God promises to give to us a peace that surpasses all understanding. That’s not just wishful thinking. That’s a reality that Helen and our family are living through right now. Of course, death stings. But death does not win! We grieve and we rejoice. We miss and we are thankful. Things have changed yet, there is peace. God is good! That hasn’t and will never change.

Thank you for your ongoing prayers and concern.

God is good!

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Dear church family and friends, Helen’s dad entered the church triumphant on Tuesday evening.

Helen is already in Los Angeles with her family. There is currently a backlog of around three weeks at the funeral homes in Los Angeles. Once we can find a date to celebrate the life of Sun Young Park, kids and I will be joining Helen in Los Angeles.

Helen’s dad is currently in the presence of Jesus. He is no longer struggling with Covid. He is no longer struggling to breathe. Helen’s dad is more fully alive at this moment than we have ever known or experienced.

Helen’s dad loved Jesus and we know Jesus loves him. He had no doubts about what would happen to him should Jesus call him home.

Because of Jesus, because of the life God offers in Jesus Christ, this is not the end of the story for Helen’s dad. We know we will be together again.

We thank God for the promise of the resurrection. We thank God that death does not get the last word. We are sad and will miss Helen’s dad’s presence but we have a peace that surpasses human understanding.

Thank you for your prayers and your care.

God is good.

What does it mean to end the prayer with, “Amen?”

Amen is a Hebrew word that literally means “So be it!”, “I agree”, “I affirm it”, “May it be so”.

Dr. Bill Carl tells us, “In Deuteronomy 27 Moses says that the Levites are to inform all the people they shall be cursed for making a graven image, dishonoring mother or father, moving their neighbors’ stones, leading the blind astray, withholding justice from the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. After each of the admonitions, Moses declares, ‘And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.'”

Saying “Amen” is like saying “I do” at the end of marriage vows. When a couple declares “I do” at the altar, they are asserting that not only at that current moment but for the rest of their lives they will honor one another. As anyone who has ever been married knows saying, “I do,” is easy. Living out our marriage vows takes everything we’ve got!!!

When we end the prayer Jesus taught his disciples with “Amen,” it means we give ourselves not only at that moment, but for the rest of our lives to everything that Jesus taught in the prayer.

• Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name – Amen!
• Thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven – Amen!
• Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors – Amen!
• Give us this day our daily bread – Amen!
• Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil – Amen!
• For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever – Amen!

When we declare “Amen,” it means we commit ourselves to living out the reality Jesus describes in this prayer to our last dying breath.

What a powerful prayer!!!