Nathan's Notes

My friend Steve had started a new church plant and invited me to preach on “The Family and Christian Education.” My wife, our three kids and I joined the small church of over 30 adults, youth and kids as they met in a local Chinese restaurant that had graciously allowed them the use of the facilities on Sunday mornings.

I had selected Deuteronomy 6 as the passage to preach from. It contained the mandate God has for parents, as well as the reasoning, method, and goal of parenting children in the faith.

I knew many of the children there and was very comfortable with them being in the service, even though I was preaching primarily to the parents. But in the back of my mind, I was thinking, How do I make this message relevant to the children and the youth? What about those who are single or the couples whose kids have grown up?

Hear, O Israel: 

The Lord our God is one, 

the Lord is One…

Nathan, my 7-year-old son, had asked for several sheets of paper and a pen before I started preaching. Okay, great! My own son is planning to draw pictures to pass away the time.

You shall love the Lord your God

 with all your heart, with all your soul, 

and with all your strength.

Later as I shared how significant I thought it was that Moses spoke to parents first when he began his sermon in Deuteronomy, I noticed Nathan scribbling hard, hardly even stopping to take any break. I wonder what he’s working on.

And these words which I command you 

today shall be in your heart.

“God does not intend Christian education to be accomplished through a church or Christian school. His plan is for parents to make it a part of their lifestyle.” I tried hard to concentrate on my notes, but seeing Nathan working so hard, being oblivious, was extremely distracting.

You shall teach them diligently

 to your children …

“Moses knew that the people of Israel needed to see beyond their own generation. God’s purpose included their pursuing God wholeheartedly and reproducing this faith in their own homes.” I noticed a couple who was staring at Nathan.

… and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, 

when you walk by the way, when you lie down, 

and when you rise up.

“The key to making sure that faith is being passed on to your kids is to be intentional and yet informal.” My wife Betty who was seated next to Nathan had peeked a glance at Nathan’s papers and was smiling. What’s going on?

You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, 

and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 

You shall write them on the doorposts of your house 

and on your gates.

“The church’s role is to facilitate the equipping of parents to teach their children, and not to take over the task on behalf of the parents.” Nathan had stopped and was looking at me with a satisfied grin. So, he’s pleased with himself? I need to have a talk with him.

When I finally finished the sermon, I have to confess that in my mind I was already working on a new one that had in mind a specific person as audience.

Betty brought Nathan over to me and asked if I was curious to know what Nathan was working on. Of course, I was curious! What’s going on? Then Nathan showed me several pages of notes that he had written down. Nathan had been taking notes from the sermon!

God surprised me that day. He allowed me a glimpse into the kind of man my son would one day be—someone who took God’s Word and his father’s words to heart. My prayer is that we will all become that kind of parent to our kids, in spite of ourselves.

Sightseers in Seattle

Most people remembers Sleepless in Seattle, the Meg Ryan-Tom Hanks movie of the previous decade. The City of Seattle, I'm sure, appreciated the tourism boost the film gave them. Well, count my family and me as one more group of tourists that hit the Emerald City by the sea because of it.


The Space Needle. Seattle's answer to Dallas' Reunion Tower, Chicago's Sears Roebuck, or New York's Empire State Building. We weren't planning on having lunch up there but they were charging an arm and a leg for just the lookout level. So I thought, "Why not get the whole experience?" So we had lunch, kinda expensive, the kind I would only indulge in once a decade.



Betty had lamb, prompting a protest from Nathan, saying, "You can't eat lamb. It's like eating Jesus." Someone remind me to check what his Sunday school teacher has been teaching him. Oh wait, I'm in charge of what's being taught in church to the kids.


While in Seattle, we visited with Ms. Christina Fong and rode the ferry. Ms. Christina showed us some of the sights. including this gorgeous flower. Unfortunately I'm not a flora person so I don't know what it is.

Dear John Letter

I received a "Dear John Letter" last night at a dinner hosted by jack and Lena Y. After reading this, I found myself thanking God for the years He has given me in Fort Bend. Grateful, too, for the privilege of serving Him and being used as His instrument. I usually don't self-publish my press reports, but I did promise Steven's parents I would do this. Steven K. put a lot of hard work into this. Thanks, Steven.

Dear Mr. Frank,

I would like to take the time to thank you for all of your hard work in the Children's Ministry at Fort Bend Community Church. I am now in 7th grade, but I still remember you as one of my heroes. You were always there at Awana to support us and help us with our games, worship time, and memorizing verse. On Sunday during our children's worship, you led us through songs and preached the Word to us. You tried to make the Word fun and interesting to learn about our Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for all your help and encouragement. I wish you a safe trip to your next destination where God has wanted you to go and preach the Word. Finally, May God Bless You and Your Family.

Sincerely yours,
Steven Kung

Off to Oregon

Well, it's final. I got a phone call yesterday from Village Baptist Church in Beaverton, Oregon, informing me that the congregation has voted and approved the recommendation to call me as Pastor to Children and Families.

I am excited, as are my family. However, the stress of preparing to move is also getting to us. Betty and I did a quick count and calculated this to be a double-digit move for our family. Here's the complete list of previous moves, so far.

1) Taipei to Manila (July 1992)
2) Manila to Dallas (May 1993)
3) Sied Apt. to Swiss Apt., within Dallas (Sept. 1993)
4) Swiss Apt. to Biltmore Apt., within Dallas (August 1995)
5) Biltmore Apt. to Swissaire Apt., within Dallas (1996)
6) Swissaire Apt. to Gus Thomasson Rd., within Dallas (Oct. 1997)
7) Gus Thomasson Rd., Dallas to Rosemeade Pkwy., Carrollton (Dec. 1999)
8) Carrollton to Sugar Land (Aug 2001)
9) Sugar Land to Missouri City (Oct. 2002)

Lighthouses in Three

Last fall the Yang Ming Transport Company held its 1st International Children's Painting Competition. Thanks to Ms. Jesse, who works at the Houston branch of Yang Ming, our kids were encouraged to submit entries. Anne, Joy, and Nathan decided to send in entries depicting lighthouses on the coast. Here are their respective entries.

Anne's entry.


Elise Joy's entry. Third Place in US regional judging. Honorary Mention in international finals.


Nathan's entry

As can be obviously inferred, Nathan only participated because we encouraged him. Anne and Joy worked on their watercolor paintings quite a bit. Anne's approach is linear and clean. Joy decided to fit in as many details as she could, with a lot of variety. As a parent, you're not supposed to play favorites, and I'm not. But Joy's painting comes across as vibrant and creative. Apparently, the judges felt the same way, because Joy's entry made it to the International Judging phase and got an Honorary Mention honor.

Great job, Joy. We're happy for you.