Beulah

The Difference Between an Opportunity and a Calling

September 11, 2019 By Daniel Im

“That was the worst sermon you ever preached. Why are you even here? Just go back to Nashville.”

It’s true. I heard those words.

It happened when Christina and I were interviewing at Beulah Alliance Church this last year. As I shared last week, God had unsettled our hearts and led us to the point where we knew our next right thing was to go up to Edmonton and interview.

Now whether coming back to Beulah was just an opportunity or a calling, we weren’t certain of. All we knew was that the next right thing was to go to Edmonton. So that’s what we did. With an open heart and a deep desire to live our lives wholeheartedly for God—wherever, whenever, and doing whatever—we hopped on a plane and flew to Edmonton. After all, for as long as I can remember, this has been our family motto: “Lord, here I am. Lord, here we are.”

So we went. And it went well.

Thursday. Friday. Saturday. Interviews. Meet and greets. Meals. Everything went well. Incredibly well. Honestly, I don’t know if I could’ve planned it any better. So clearly this meant that God was saying yes, right? That He was opening up the opportunity for us to come back and help lead Beulah to accomplish its vision to reach 1% of greater Edmonton for Christ…right?

Isn’t that how God leads?

Didn’t someone say that a lack of obstacles is another sign for God’s leading? That if you’re in God’s plan, no man can be against you?

I hope you’re shaking your head and vehemently disagreeing with me because that last paragraph was 100% sarcasm.

In the Bible we see that trials and opposition are actually a good thing—and to some extent a matter of joy—because it’s one of the ways that God shapes our faith and matures us (James 1:2-4). We see this all throughout the Scriptures with Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, Paul, and the disciples.

Trials and opposition are actually a good thing—and to some extent a matter of joy.

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But if you look at it the other way, the presence of opposition doesn’t necessarily equate to God’s leading either.

So what is it? How does God lead?!

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The Most Important Question When Discerning Your Next Steps

September 3, 2019 By Daniel Im

Not making the decision isn’t the issue. The issue is not even having the option of making the decision.

It’s not that I don’t like double negatives, it’s just that they can sometimes be tricky to navigate—much like decision making. And boy, was this last year ever a year for decision making.

Five years ago, when we moved down to Nashville to serve the Church in her mission of making disciples with LifeWay Leadership, I never thought we’d be back up in Canada this soon. In fact, we had just gotten permanent residency in the States, which was a long, complicated, and expensive process.

But last Fall, Christina and I began sensing that change was on the horizon. There was this unsettledness in our hearts that couldn’t be explained. We loved everything about our lives in Nashville. Our community was incredible, our church was healthy and growing, our podcast was impacting marriages and families, and my work at LifeWay was affecting and changing church practice. I was also in the middle of writing my third book, while continuing to accept invitations to speak on my previous one. In other words, there was no human reason for us to move, or even consider a change—especially if you’re an Enneagram 3 like I am. In fact, I even heard some people remark that I had their dream job.

So you can probably anticipate how surprised I was when, only a few months later, Christina and I started praying about coming back to Beulah Alliance Church—especially since it was in the middle of an Edmonton winter (#ifyouknowyouknow). And to be crystal clear, this wasn’t some trite little “prayer” that we carelessly tossed up to God. No, this was one of those all-hands-on-deck, get-on-your-knees, everything-is-up-for-grabs, I-can’t-believe-I’m-actually-praying-this kind of prayer.

Here’s why it was one of those prayers.

When Keith Taylor, the Lead Pastor of Beulah for the last 28 years, asked us to pray about coming back, it wasn’t just to fill a gap. He had been asking God to unsettle the right person’s heart who was going to come alongside him and lead Beulah into the future.

Unsettle?

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How to Increase the Level of Participation in Your Group

April 13, 2011 By Daniel Im

Do you ever have those one or two people who just don’t seem to participate in your group discussion time? Does it ever feel like pulling teeth when you try to get them to talk? Okay, maybe it’s not that bad, but in this video I suggest a few different ideas as to how to up the level of participation in your group. I also talk a bit about adult learning methodology.

For more information about groups, check out the website of the church I’m the Groups Pastor at: http://groups.beulah.tv

Gripped by the Greatness of God (A New Season)

August 5, 2010 By Daniel Im

I’m writing this in my new office, in a new city, with a new position (Groups Pastor), in a new church (Beulah Alliance Church). In short, my family and I moved to Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) 2 weeks ago to start this new chapter in our lives.

It’s amazing how God’s grace is so real and just how his timing is absolutely perfect. After leaving Korea, we had no idea where we were going or what we were going to do. That, in and of itself, was stressful enough, but on top of that, we had only a limited amount of money left in our savings. Thank God that we were able to stay with my parents and Christina’s parents in the meantime.

Upon leaving Korea, I was hoping that I would find a position right away and start our new life immediately, but God had different plans for us. It was really a whole bunch of silence for the next couple of months, and that time proved so valuable and crucial for God to do the work he needed to do in our lives. Plus, our daughter had the opportunity to spend months with her grandparents – something that she wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise.

All that to say, I am absolutely loving Edmonton, Beulah, my new position, and this whole new chapter in our lives.

Now that the introduction is done, let me get to the meat of what I wanted to share with you. Right now, our church is going through a series entitled – “Griped by the Greatness of God.” As I was spending time reading the Bible this morning, I just wanted to share the passage that popped out to me.

He (Jesus) was supreme in the beginning and – leading the resurrection parade – he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe – people and things, animals and atoms – get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross. (Colossians 1:18-20 The Message Translation)

Why don’t you read that passage again and realize just how great our God is?