Connecting with God Archive

  • 700 aunties and uncles

    700 aunties and uncles

    I was really touched by Nathan’s sharing yesterday, on the part 3 video of the grumpy old men talk show (to be posted soon on gracepointvideo.org), when he said that he has about 700 aunties and uncles who love him and take care of him. ...

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  • Running on gratitude

    Running on gratitude

    Submitted by Tiffany… Growing up, I was always in the position of being protected from my father’s anger, weaknesses and neglect by my mother and sister. When I saw how much pain my mother and sister suffered, I felt useless and wanted to do something...

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  • Consumed by God’s work

    Consumed by God’s work

    Submitted by Sam… I have always seen myself as different from other people. Pride told me that everyone else were objects standing before me that could either satisfy my desires or oppose them. But God introduced another standard into my life from an early age...

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  • Empty –> Full

    Empty –> Full

    Submitted by David.. I was born and raised as a middle child in East Los Angeles and for the first five years of my life, I was the youngest in my family.  During these early years, I remember being heavily influenced by my older brother...

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  • Receiving 100 times as much

    Receiving 100 times as much

    Submitted by Helen… My 30th birthday was this past week and I was so grateful to God for all the ways that God has been faithful in my life for the 30 years.  I can’t believe that I’ve been here for the past 12 years. ...

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  • Standing before the old rugged cross

    Standing before the old rugged cross

    Submitted by Anonymous… In 1986, I was born in an ordinary family in Beijing. The baby boom in China culminated that year with more than fifteen million babies, which meant that I needed go through competition my entire life, including my education, career and marriage....

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  • You feed them

    You feed them

    Being an introvert by nature, I feel much more at ease in one on one or smaller group settings, and my reaction to crowds is, “Get me outta here;” so one of the things that never ceases to amaze me is Jesus’ compassion on the...

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  • Sue’s story

    Sue’s story

    Rick and Sue are the directors of Kairos Christian Fellowship (pictured above), a Gracepoint Berkeley ministry. (Sue is in the front row, right side.) I grew up in a very comfortable home and never lacked anything. For my 17th birthday my parents surprised me with...

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  • Rock star to food server

    Rock star to food server

    One of the things I cherish about Gracepoint Berkeley’s New Student Welcome Night every year is that it really doesn’t matter who you are or what you do.  Each person matters, each person’s presence counts and what each of us does has rippling effects for...

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  • Doing the Famine Gracepoint Style

    Doing the Famine Gracepoint Style

    Submitted by Judy… Gracepoint Fellowship Church of Berkeley, CA had the privilege of participating in World Vision’s 30-Hour Famine for the second time this year. Starting in May, Gracepoint Fellowship Church members – from Pastor Ed and his wife Kelly Kang, to youth and college...

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  • What a journey

    What a journey

    It’ll be our 20th year anniversary this fall!  No, not for us and our husbands (it’s all of our 14th year anniversaries this year), but for my peers and I.  It was the Fall Retreat 1989 on Labor Day weekend of our freshman year when...

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  • Wait…

    Wait…

    Submitted by David… In high school I desperately wanted to immerse myself in pop culture by having a girlfriend, going to dances, and partying with my secular friends, and I remember the frustration of not being able give into my desires due to the many...

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  • Zooming out

    Zooming out

    Submitted by Ester… When approaching this year’s 30 Hour Famine, I have to honestly say that I didn’t have any particular plan for fundraising.  I had some ideas such as asking some of my friends and family, but I could hardly imagine talking to complete...

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  • Stepping stones

    Stepping stones

    Submitted by Gina… We had a time of memorializing some stones this past weekend at the Praxis Discipleship Retreat. (Joshua 4: “Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder…to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children...

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  • Back to the basics

    Back to the basics

    Submitted by Ellen…. Several years ago, I was so locked up in my own pride that refused to grow or move in any sort of way. I was doing things for the sake of just doing things. For example, I was meeting with students because...

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  • My 15th NSWN

    My 15th NSWN

    Wanted to share this with NSWN right around the corner….     This past weekend (Sept 2008), I attended Gracepoint Fellowship Church’s New Student Welcome Night for the 15th time since I graduated college! And it never gets old. We do the same skit every year, but...

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  • Pray for Camp Gracepoint

    Pray for Camp Gracepoint

    Submitted by James…   This was written a couple years ago about the FTS Retreat; please pray for the Camp Gracepoint retreat going on this weekend! This FTS retreat (2007) was quite memorable as it was the first time that the most of the Impact children...

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  • I have been crucified with Christ

    I have been crucified with Christ

    Submitted by Anonymous…    I was born in a typical Chinese family. My mom had high-standards socially and was quite strict with me. I was trained to be polite and careful not to hurt anybody’s feelings. How could I never hurt anyone? The best way was...

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  • Honduras SMT

    Honduras SMT

    Submitted by Daniel…   Thank you so much for praying for the Honduras mission trip.  It was a short but quite an intense trip, and we really felt your prayers. This year, there were 10 people from Gracepoint Berkeley who joined BMDMI for the Honduras medical...

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  • True bonding

    True bonding

    Submitted by Helen… I had a really good time at the interns retreat this past weekend. I was so thankful that I was able to go last minute. I was personally really blessed and challenged by the retreat (even though it wasn’t for me). The...

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  • A haven from my to-do list

    A haven from my to-do list

    Submitted by Becky… Generally being a Type-A person with a long list of things I need to get done and rushing from here to there in a frenzy, I can start to see our monthly convalescent home visit as another item on my to-do list....

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  • Jeannie’s story

    Jeannie’s story

    I grew up in a traditionally Buddhist home, but when we came to America when I was three, I was sponsored by a 7th Day Adventist Church. This was my first introduction to the Bible and Christianity. I attended several Sunday schools with my parents...

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  • How can you?

    How can you?

    Submitted by Jin… Several years ago, an overarching sentiment I felt can be captured in the words of “How can you?” It is an episode of my life I am very ashamed about and not anything I ever want to relive again. In the summer...

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  • Sharon’s Story

    Sharon’s Story

    I was born in 1971 in Seoul, Korea into a normal, loving family. But my normal childhood ended when my mom passed away from a sudden heart attack when I was nine years old. I still remember how my personality changed shortly after my mom’s...

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  • Bursting at the seams

    Bursting at the seams

    Submitted by Dan…  There was a point in life when I wanted desperately to die. I thought the world would be a better place if I was gone, and that apart from a few people no one would even bat an eye at my permanent...

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