The Word & Our Walk

Genesis 11 Summary Genesis 11 records the story of the tower of Babel. It's a fascinating history (that's how I read it) and not just a "story." Genesis 11 holds two movements as follows. First, the tower of Babel (vv. 1–9) Humanity, newly spread after the flood, does not “fill the earth” in obedient trust, but gathers to secure itself. With one language and shared ambition, they say, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us mak

Is what draws a crowd the same as forming disciples? We live in a time when “trend,” “platform,” “brand,” and “experience” are familiar words in our daily lives. And those words can quietly slip into the church’s vocabulary too. In recent decades, particularly in the United States and Korea, many churches have increased in numbers exponentially, leveraging marketing principles, trends, and experiences. However, we should question, "Is such an increase a real growth?" I believ

Genesis 9:18-29 Summary (9:18–29) The flood story ends with a "new world," but that doesn't mean that everything was fine. The post-flood world still carries the old sinful nature. Although God called Noah’s family to serve as the beginning of the human race after the judgment of the waters, Noah did not bring the perfect salvation we needed. Noah was a "righteous man," but he was merely pointing to the Righteous Man who will bring the perfect salvation that we all long for.

Summary Background (Genesis 6–8) All civilizations contain some sort of flood account. Historical evidence of the great flood is also evident in nature. The Bible also records the flood, and in Christianity, the flood is not a random disaster story. It is God’s holy response to a world that had become spiritually and morally defiled. To such an extent that it was no longer habitable. Scripture says, The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that eve

You may have noticed that I am unable to upload the daily meditations at this time, per the schedule set by Scripture Union. I am sorry for the inconsistency in sharing the daily meditations. Please keep up with the reading provided above and use what I upload as extra, not the main. Hopefully, I will be able to upload more frequently soon. Today, I am looking at Wednesday's reading, which is Genesis 4:1-26 . Summary Genesis 4:1–26 depicts life “east of Eden,” in which worshi

I believe Genesis tells us how to be ready for the emerging world of Artificial Intelligence. It involves the gift of being human. If machines can write, plan, counsel, even create, and “sound like” us, the question becomes unavoidable. What makes a human being a human being? What prevents computers and AIs from being recognized as sentient beings like humans? Genesis answers these questions with clarity and pastoral warmth. The truth we find in Genesis is not a list of techn

"And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock (meaning Peter's profession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God), I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."--Matthew 16:18 Riverside Community Church is in a significant transition. But we are not in a spiritual emergency because the Head of the Church is still our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, Jesus Christ is still building his church, and the forces of darkness ("the gates of Hades")

Overview of Genesis 1–2 Genesis 1 shows God creating by his word. Over and over, God declares what he makes to be “good.” When he finishes, “very good” (1:31). Humanity is made in God’s image, crowned with dignity, and given a calling to worship, stewardship, and relationship (1:26–28). In Genesis 2, the LORD God forms the man from the dust and breathes into him the breath of life (2:7). He places him in Eden “to work it and keep it” (2:15), gives a clear covenant command abo

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdu

Genesis 1:1-25 Summary Genesis opens with the Creator (God), not with us (the created). “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (v. 1). Before there is the material universe, there is the Creator God. The first scene is not “nature,” but this God speaking. The earth is “without form and void” and covered in darkness (v. 2), but it is not outside God’s rule; the Spirit of God is “hovering” over the waters (v. 2). Then God speaks light into darkness: “Let ther

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a chance to read last week's Shepherd's Corner (you can find it here: https://www.riversidepeople.org/post/shepherd-s-corner-december-24th-2025). If you are curious about what's going on at our church, you will often find I share my thoughts through the Shepherd's Corner. And, when I do share, please be mindful that I am not announcing something after the fact. I will often let you know about challenges I do not have quick answers to. I sha

Psalm 149 Summary Psalm 149 calls God’s redeemed people to praise that is both joyful and faithful. Like Psalm 148, it begins with a summons to praise, but here the focus narrows from all creation to the covenant community: Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly! (v. 1) This is not private devotion but communal worship. God’s people rejoice because the LORD is both Maker and King (v. 2). Praise is expressed with singing, music, and embodied joy (

Psalm 148 Summary Psalm 148 is a call to praise the Creator of the Universe. Unlike many psalms that begin with our need or personal confession, this psalm begins with a call to praise the Creator of Heaven and Earth. Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights! (v. 1) It moves downward to angels, stars, skies, seas, animals, nations, and finally to God’s covenant people. Praise is not first an emotion but a response to reality. Everything th

Grace of our Loving Lord Jesus Christ to you. Due to other pressing work, I have not been able to upload daily meditations for the past week. So, here I am uploading a meditation for the entire book of Micah. (Remember, even if I am unable to upload a meditation, the daily reading is posted with a link.) Let the Word of God richly dwell in the midst of us! Book of Micah Summary: the covenant God who refuses shallow religion Micah (whose name means "Who is like Yahweh?") speak

Micah 6:6-8 The Most Important Question in Life? It's not academic advancement, vocational success, financial stability, or anything else. It's this: What does the Creator (God) want from you? If you get that wrong, you’ll end up in one of two places: Pressure: “I must do enough.” (Religious) Drift: “It doesn’t really matter.” (Secular) Most people live by the "Golden Rule"--i.e., "Being good,” but no one seems to fully agree on what good actually means. Is goodness, being ni

What is the book of Micah all about? I am sharing a summary video by Bible Project with the transcript. Let's get to know the book for the Sunday worship service. Summary: The book of Micah presents a powerful movement between judgment and hope . Micah, a prophet from the rural town of Moreshet in Judah and a contemporary of Isaiah (Micah 1:1; Isaiah 1:1), speaks into a time when both Israel and Judah had broken their covenant with the Lord (Micah 1:5). He announces that God

John 1:1-14 Why Did God Become Human? Introduction: How well do we really know the meaning of Christmas? It depends on how we answer the question: "Why did God become human?" Three things I would say to answer that question: Reparation. Righteousness. Relationship. God became human to make reparation for sin , to provide righteousness we lacked, and to restore the relationship we lost. 1. Reparation — God Became Human to Make Things Right We often think of sin as mistakes ,

(No Audio. Please read.) Merry Christmas! On this Christmas Eve, I wish you and your family the happiest and most meaningful Christmas ever! May Heaven's riches abound in you and everyone in your life. Soon, I will be the only ordained pastor serving at Riverside Community Church. I did not imagine this situation when I accepted the call. I had hoped and prayed that at least the first year would be as stable as possible and as non-eventful as possible. Boy, was I in for a sur

Micah 1:1–16 Summary Prophet Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea (roughly 735-690 BC). His work is recorded in the twelve minor prophets section of the Old Testament. When the twelve minor prophets are viewed as one continuous scroll, Micah serves as a bridge between the local judgment of Israel/Samaria (Hosea/Amos) and the global judgment of Nineveh (Jonah-Nahum). Let's take a look. “The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth” (v. 1). That brief detail mat

Luke 2:1-7, 2:8–20 Introduction Quick question—be honest. Have you ever opened Instagram and thought, “Wow… everyone is doing amazing except me.” Some people are "winners" at school. Some are "winners" at sports. Some are even "winning"  genetically, according to some Jean commercial. Now, here's the crazy thing about Christmas: When God entered the world, He did not announce it to the so-called "winners." 1. God skipped the VIP list. Luke says the first people to hear about