Daniel Im

Pastor + Author

Articles

Succession at Beulah

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Are you willing to surrender your good ideas for God’s best idea for your life?

A couple weeks ago, the official announcement was made that in 2021, I was going to be the next lead pastor at Beulah Alliance Church—a church that has planted more than 50 churches in Edmonton, in Alberta, and in Canada over its 99 year history.

Here is Pastor Keith’s announcement:

https://youtu.be/gIaAU2furGk

Here is a conversation between Keith and I about this transition:

https://youtu.be/9FR8riW_e6s

To learn more about the backstory of our journey back to Edmonton—and how we discerned that this was God’s calling over our lives—take a look at these two articles:

  1. The Most Important Question When Discerning Your Next Steps
  2. The Difference Between an Opportunity and a Calling

Now that the news is public, I’d love to take a few moments to personally respond.

First and foremost, there’s no other pastor that I love and respect more than Keith Taylor. His love for Jesus, his incredible humility, and his faithful care and commitment to our church family over the past 30 years is jaw dropping to put it mildly. If you could join me in praying for him and his wife as they discern how they might serve Beulah and the greater Church in this next season of life, that would be incredible.

Next, we have a webpage that outlines everything you need to know about the transition. On this page, you’ll find a ton of FAQs about the process and what’s next.

When Christina and I were praying about coming back, God did two things in our hearts: First of all, he broke our hearts for Edmonton and for Beulah. He gave us such a deep burden and love for our city and our church. You can read about the story here.

Secondly, as we were praying and waiting on the Lord, he brought up what happened between Elijah and Elisha in 1 Kings 19. Perhaps you know the story: After Elisha was called to be Elijah’s successor, he took everything he had and surrendered it to God. His oxen, their yoke, and the plow—he burned it all up in surrender and worship to God. That was the image the Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart with this whole transition. That we were called to do the same—to surrender our green cards and to offer up the life and ministry we were living in Nashville, for what God has planned for us and Beulah here in Edmonton.

So here we are, all in, and ready to serve.

Christina and I are so excited to journey with our Beulah church family, as we together lift up high the name of Jesus over greater Edmonton because it’s all about Him. His name is the only name that matters. And he’s the one that has led Beulah for the past 100 years and will continue to lead her as we start this second century of ministry. I absolutely love the history of our church and the role that Beulah has played in Edmonton, in Alberta, in Canada, and around the world to make Jesus known.

Would you join me in praying that Beulah would continue to be a multiplying church? Please pray for God’s hand upon this time. Pray for guidance, pray for anointing upon Keith and I and our leadership team. Pray for vision, continued unity, commitment, and dedication to be a part of God’s calling for our future. And lastly, please pray for our Elders Board for this important and exciting season ahead of us.

The Fear of Not Having Enough

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In this last year, were you ever afraid that you wouldn’t have enough?

Or were you ever afraid of losing your job and not being able to provide? Or perhaps you did lose your job…and you’ve been struggling with the fear of failure.

When Jesus teaches us to pray “give us today our daily bread,” he’s not just talking about bread. He’s actually addressing fears that are deep within us, like the fear of not having enough.

Here’s a message I preached at my church on this very tension by digging deep into one line in the Lord’s Prayer. I pray that you’re encouraged and blessed by this.

https://youtu.be/lbk8erc2lK4?t=2521

Kings, Kingdoms, and the Election

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This week before the U.S. election, I wonder what would happen if every follower of Jesus began praying, “May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Because doesn’t it seem like there’s a kingdom conversation going on? Where as humans, we’re asking, hoping, expecting, and trusting an earthly king (or president) to do what only a heavenly king can do for us?

When the children of God rejected God as their king and instead demanded for a human king, God clearly warned them what would happen. See here in 1 Samuel 8:4-22 CSB,

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.” When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand wrong, so he prayed to the LORD. But the LORD told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected me as their king. They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to me, since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning me and worshiping other gods. Listen to them, but solemnly warn them and tell them about the customary rights of the king who will reign over them.” Samuel told all the LORD’s words to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “These are the rights of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and put them to his use in his chariots, on his horses, or running in front of his chariots. He can appoint them for his use as commanders of thousands or commanders of fifties, to plow his ground and reap his harvest, or to make his weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. He can take your daughters to become perfumers, cooks, and bakers. He can take your best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He can take a tenth of your grain and your vineyards and give them to his officials and servants. He can take your male servants, your female servants, your best cattle, and your donkeys and use them for his work. He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves can become his servants. When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you’ve chosen for yourselves, but the LORD won’t answer you on that day.” The people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us, and fight our battles.” Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the LORD. “Listen to them,” the LORD told Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.” Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Each of you, go back to your city.”

Did you notice the pattern?

God clearly warned the Israelites that human kings will take, take, take, and then take some more.

In asking for a human king, the Israelites were basically saying that they wanted to go back to the kind of life that God rescued them from back in Egypt.

They were rejecting a King who gave them manna to eat in the desert, who gave them water to drink out of rocks, who gave them their daily bread, and who gave them deliverance from a life of slavery under the nations around them. And instead, they wanted to replace that King with another king who would take their food, take their water, take the fruit of their work, and take their sons and daughters for his own use.

What a stark difference.

[Read more…] about Kings, Kingdoms, and the Election

The Measure of a Sermon

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Disclaimer: This article is written by a preacher for fellow preachers. If you are not a pastor, I hope that this will provide you with insight to know what your pastor might be feeling after preaching.

“You’re either a winner or a loser.”

While that statement might be true for sports, it’s not true for preaching. The measure of a game—like hockey, football, or basketball—is ultimately determined by the number of points scored. Sure, some games might be more memorable than others because of particular plays, or extraordinary efforts by certain individuals. But when all is said and done, it actually doesn’t matter how many points one team scores, unless they’ve scored more than the other team. In other words, unless there’s a loser, there is no winner.

This obviously doesn’t apply to preaching, right? …or does it?

I recognize that your average church doesn’t have a massive Jumbotron or scoreboard in the auditorium, but why does it still feel like there is one?

Let’s just think about this for a moment, if there were an actual Jumbotron, what would be considered a “goal,” or a “point scored” in preaching?

[Read more…] about The Measure of a Sermon

You Are What You Do – Audiobook

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As a podcaster, recording an audiobook was such a fun experience. If you find that you don’t have the time to sit down and read, I know that you’ll love listening to the truths inside of my newest book.

If you aren’t already on Audible, click here to get a free trial and download my audiobook for free. Otherwise, click here to see all the different ways you can grab a copy of the book (paperback, kindle, or audible).

Here’s the summary of You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies About Work, Life, and Love

The way that we’ve done things for centuries has been unsettled and unseated. We’re living in a new normal. And while on the surface many of these changes look like the next best thing, there’s actually a complex and fragile web of lies holding it all together:

You are what you do
You are what you experience
You are who you know
You are what you know
You are what you own
You are who you raise
You are your past

In You Are What You Do, author and Pastor Daniel Im considers these seven lies and the context that causes them to flourish. Through personable stories, research, and pastoral insight, Daniel will show you how to recognize these everyday lies in your life so that you can discover the truth on the other side. The truth that leads to freedom. The truth that moves you from surviving to thriving. The truth that will unlock a life of purpose, adventure, meaning, and destiny.

Do You Have a Culture of Co-Signers or Authorized Users?

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Everyone on your team is either a co-signer or an authorized user.

You might be familiar with the difference between the two — especially if you are a parent to a young adult, or if you’ve ever needed help building your credit. A co-signer on an account takes a shared responsibility for payment, but an authorized user simply has access to the credit line. While this is typically a financial conversation between parents and children, within this concept lies a powerful leadership lesson for anyone leading a team. Every employee is one of the two. Which would you rather have?

Would you rather have a team of co-signers or authorized users?
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In other words, are you building a culture of co-signers or authorized users? It’s quite simple to tell the difference. You know you have a team full of co-signers when everyone feels a personal attachment to your mission, vision and bottom line. And I’m not talking about individuals who have equity in your company — I’m referring to employees, not shareholders.

When you have team members who care about the soft side of culture building and organizational health — and they’re not in your HR department — you know you’ve built a team of co-signers. And when your team is willing to roll up their sleeves, double down on projects and make personal sacrifices in the face of low projections, you have a team of co-signers.

A team of authorized users looks quite different. They might be worried about the consequences of a bad quarter, but they’re not willing to go beyond their scope of work unless you talk about overtime pay or some sort of incentive. Authorized users would obviously like a positive work environment, but if something needs to be fixed, it’s someone else’s problem. And if a team member is willing to jump ship to a competitor, regardless of how much you’ve invested into them, you know they were an authorized user.

Here are three tips that will help you cultivate a culture of co-signers:

[Read more…] about Do You Have a Culture of Co-Signers or Authorized Users?

How to Live When You’re in Transition

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If you feel like you’re living in the middle, you’re not alone.

Are you in transition? Are you living in between one thing and another? If so, then beware! Because when we’re living in the middle, we often forget the past, turn inward, and drift off course.

Here’s a message I preached at my church on living in the middle by examining how God’s people have historically navigated this tension.

https://youtu.be/qQqQ7EcpMWQ?t=2042

What COVID-19 is Revealing about Your Church

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Have you ever noticed that one of your arms is stronger than the other?

I find that most days, this goes unnoticed—it doesn’t matter if I’m lifting a box that came from Amazon, or setting up tables and chairs for an event. It’s only when I’m lifting weights at the gym—or these days in my makeshift home gym—that I recognize just how much my right arm is stronger than my left.

It’s not immediate though. I don’t necessarily notice it when I start bench pressing. It’s only when I get to my third or fourth set of reps that I start realizing the imbalance because the bar starts dipping slightly lower on my left side.

Let’s think about this for a moment.

Why do you think this is happening? Is it that my left arm suddenly got weaker? And that the weight lifting caused my muscles to deteriorate?

Or, is it that my left arm was already weaker from the outset? And when pressed, put under pressure, and tested, the true strength and health of my arm was simply revealed?

Friends, this global pandemic has not only pressed us to our limits, pressured us beyond our point of comfort, and tested us in ways that we never thought we could handle, but it’s also done the same to the church.

The church is being pressed. The church is being put under pressure. And the church is being tested.

Global pandemic or not, the church has always been a body of believers that are both scattered and gathered. We are called to scatter and share the good news of Jesus making disciples of all nations (Matt 28:18-20), but we are also called to gather regularly and be of an encouragement to one another (Hebrews 10:25). We are called to scatter and gather. Scatter and gather.

[Read more…] about What COVID-19 is Revealing about Your Church

God Will Never Give You More Than You Can Handle?!

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Did God really say that he will never give us more than what we can handle?

Are trials punishment from God? What’s the role of endurance and the testing of our faith? Is it more about our ability to do things or God’s ability to do things through us?

Here’s a message I preached at my church debunking this very myth, “God will never give you more than you can handle.”

https://youtu.be/Gb736rpV4nM?t=1847

5 Steps To Easily Increase Connection During COVID-19

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Start an online book club.

It’s super simple and a fool proof way to increase meaningful connection with others around you during this weird season of masking and social distancing.

Here are 5 steps to get started:

  1. Reach out to a few friends, or write a quick post on your favorite social media platform. It can go something like this: “Anyone up for an online book club? I’m about to read [INSERT NAME OF BOOK], and would love to discuss it with a few others.”
  2. Agree on a start date, time, and frequency.
  3. Clarify which chapters to read by when.
  4. Connect using your platform of choice (FaceTime, Instagram, Messenger, Zoom, Hangouts, Houseparty, etc.)
  5. Facilitate the discussion by sharing favorite quotes, what stood out to you, and what you are going to change in light of the chapter.

That’s it!

If you’re looking for book ideas, check out this list of 15 recommended books from LifeWay that are all on sale for under $8.

My newest book, You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies about Work, Life, and Love is on the list for only $8!!