COVENANT COMMUNITY CHURCH

SUPER BOWL XLV

2011-02-02T21:10:00.001-08:00

It's that time again! Super Bowl BABY!!!

So this Sunday we are having service at the Nam Residence at 9:30am. Members check your email for the address.

Afterward, we will migrate to Pastor Ben's house to watch the Dodgers play the Yankees in what is slated to be the most watched television event in history. Come by and double dip your chips and get loaded on an endless stream of Cactus Cooler.

See you soon!!!

PRAYER REQUESTS (SUNDAY 1/15/11)

2011-01-19T12:36:00.000-08:00

We'd like to start a new thread on our blog devoted to prayer requests. Prayer requests from every Sunday worship will be posted here, unless otherwise instructed by the respective member. Also, members will be free to post their own requests should they need to throughout the week. Or if you're not a member but have any requests, you can email Eric at eric.bong.nam@gmail.com and he will gladly post them for you.

Sunday Requests

>>>Please pray for our father who was recently found to have an aortic aneurysm. May the Lord comfort him in this time of need, and may He give us, his family, the strength and courage to be there for him.

>>>Please pray for my friend K and his father, who was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Doctors attempted to perform the whipple surgery but backed out due to various reasons. Chemo-therapy has begun so may the Lord be with him to give him courage to endure the physical pain and to lend him the strength of mind to go through this challenging journey. May the Lord also be with K and his family to ease their hearts in this difficult time.

>>>Please pray for our brother and sister, Rex and Judy, who fondly await the arrival of their first-born son. May the Lord provide the family comfort, warmth, and grace in this most challenging yet most beautiful of times.

>>>Please pray for me as I begin a long overdue break from school and work to visit my family back home in Korea. I will be gone for four months so may the Lord be with me throughout the journey and graciously provide me with safety, rest, and spiritual rejuvenation.

>>>Please pray for a dear person in my life who has been battling a devastating addiction to codeine. He is a hard-working, God-fearing, husband and father of two beautiful children in middle school. May the Lord be with him as he fights his way out this darkest of places.

>>>Please pray for my sister to find her faith in the Lord. May the Lord guide her out of the secular world and into the spiritual one.

>>>Please pray for our church as we have embarked on an ambitious endeavor to re-structure and re-launch the planting of our ministry. We have faced many challenges including, but not limited to, financial difficulties, inconsistency of member attendance, stagnation of membership growth, and inability to secure a permanent venue for worship. May the Lord be with our Pastor Ben as his passion and undying faith carries his congregation forward. But may the Lord also lend to his congregation the strength, initiative, leadership, wisdom, and courage it so greatly lacks in order to help carry his burden.

BACK ON...LINE

2011-01-19T12:25:00.000-08:00

After a bit of a hiatus the Covenant Community Church blog is back up and running. We also have our Facebook page in full effect so if you're not a fan yet, please come on by and click that pretty little "Like" button!

Remote Area Medical

2010-04-26T22:44:00.000-07:00

APPLES AND ORANGES

2010-04-14T21:10:00.001-07:00

The last time I owned anything Apple was my first generation iPod, until it died on me a year ago. For a brief stint I used a Powerbook, and also some Macs for work. But overall I've been a pretty straight-laced PC man, devoted to IBM Thinkpads and four generations of Blackberry. Well I've been debating changing that by picking up an iPad, but it's been hard to look past all its limitations. And now, with HP's Slate coming to the fore, I might never be an Apple-man.

FACEBOOK VANISHED...

2010-04-14T12:19:00.000-07:00

Hey all, I just realized that our Facebook page is not up anymore. I have no idea what happened, but I will find out soon. Sorry about the inconvenience! I'll let you guys know my findings :)

2010-04-13T23:32:00.000-07:00

SUSAN BOYLE IN A BOWL CUT?

2010-04-08T21:53:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you all have seen this by now, but in case you haven't yet, enjoy!

Anyone want to geocache?

2010-04-03T23:41:00.000-07:00

GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE

2010-04-01T23:34:00.002-07:00

Don't forget all! We will be having a Good Friday service at church tomorrow night at 7pm. There will be a time of prayer, worship, and exhortation so we look forward to seeing you all there!

SERMON TEXT: MARK 6:7-14 ESV

2010-03-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff -- no bread, no bag, no money in their belts -- 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10 And he said to them, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them." 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. The Death of John the Baptist 14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become known. Some said, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him."

FORGET GOOGLE MAPS...

2010-03-25T16:40:00.000-07:00

Wrap yourself with your own neighborhood with these quilts from HapticLab. Hand-made by award-winning architect and designer, Emily Fischer, each quilt can be customized with a street grid of your neighborhood. Whether you live in simi Valley or hail from Granada Hills, Emily can stitch out a street-by-street map on quilt for you. Size, scale, and location can all be customized. Each custom order takes about 200+ hours of handiwork, which translates to about a six to twelve week turnaround. So order early if it's for a gift. Cost will vary per order, but usually falls in the ballpark of $150-$200.

FISHER PRICE CREATES NEW iPHONE APP FOR KIDS

2010-03-19T09:14:00.001-07:00

I've been a die-hard Blackberry user for five years and four generations, and I'd be very hard-pressed to promote anything for the Darkside, ahem iPhones. But considering I have many friends on the Darkside, especially those with family and kids, I wanted to share these cool new apps from Fisher Price. It's definitely something I would download had I made the mistake, excuse me I mean decision, of owning an iPhone.

Fisher Price has launched three new apps for iPhones aimed at children ages 2-5. I'm fairly certain they are not under the impression that this age demographic is a big user of the iPhone; more likely these apps are aimed at the parents of those kids. A great way to keep the little ones busy and learning, there's See'n Say, the one where your kid spins an arrow to identify animals; Little People Farm, with the three games and two songs; and Chatter Telephone, a virtual version of the old Fisher Price telephone toy, perfect to train any future Blackberry-user

Fisher Price is also launching a new Facebook app for social networking parents called "Moments to Share," which will let parents record photos, video, dates, captions and stories to records their kids' milestones and memorable moments.

3rd times a charm!

2010-03-16T23:17:00.000-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Oops, I still new at this posting thing.

2010-03-16T23:05:00.000-07:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35878196&from=en-us_msnhp>1=43001

there you go

Nice Car Dude! Check out how it was made!

2010-03-16T22:55:00.000-07:00

SEAWEED SOUP (mee-ook gook)

2010-03-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

MeeOok Gook, more MeeOok Gook, and then some more MeeOok Gook. This is the ultimate, superlative reward for undergoing pains incomprehensible to even the world's strongest man (Zydrunas Savickas of Lithuania). Hours and hours of pain upon pain turns into an endless bowl of meeook gook.

This is all the OH household will be eating for a while.

Grace was yet again extraordinary in delivering our second child...Grant TaeMin Oh. What seemed like the most casual labor and delivery, ended in the birth of our 7 lbs 5.5 oz and 19 3/4" tall bundle of baby joy.

Watching the birth of your child is probably the most amazing phenomenon any man can have the privilege of witnessing (makes you wonder what God feels like). The nine month process of development and growth culminating into an instant of absolute perfection. I have been blessed with the luxury of that pleasure twice now, and I must say it doesn't get old. I thank God with every fiber of my being.

While I sit there staring, wondering who he looks like, hoping he doesn't have my eyes (the ones that are too close together) or my dad's monstrous forehead, I catch Grant in a peaceful slumber that can bring you to your knees. How can such an innocent little thing be born a sinner? But then again...I retract that statement. I forgot about the crying, fidgeting, pooping, whining, fussing, kicking, screaming, and loss of sleep at night moments. Nevertheless, they are absolutely unspoiled, flawless, and out right pure.

Grace and I are unbelievably grateful for Grant in our lives. The fact that he is perfectly healthy thus far (especially the kidneys) is simply icing on the cake. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

Roman is getting along with his brother just fine. He has his moments, but how can you get mad at the little guy when he does stuff like this. As a new family of four, I'm sure the road ahead of us in nothing but bumpy, but we will be grateful for every obstacle He challenges us with.

Thank you all for you support and God Bless.

SERMON TEXT: MARK 5:21-43 ESV

2010-03-09T21:03:00.000-08:00

21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live." 24 And he went with him. And a crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well." 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my garments?" 31 And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'" 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." 35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" 36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." 37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping." 40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 taking her by the hand he said to her, "Talitha cumi," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." 42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

MARCUS TURNS TWO

2010-02-25T21:24:00.001-08:00

This post is a little late. Our Marcus turned 2 on Feb 15th. We are so thankful for him. Marcus, I promise to improve on my rice krispy cake :)

SNOW PLAY

2010-02-25T20:53:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of a recent day trip that a few of the families took together. We went up to wrightwood on President's Holiday. The kids had a lot of fun sledding. Poor Christina was so sick but was super mom that day just so her kids could have some fun. Jerry and Soo prepared kimbap for everyone which was awesome. The kids ate in the trunk of the The Oh's minivan and Jerry made some spicy Shin Ramen on the side of the road with his portable stove. What a memorable trip. Looking forward to more memorable CCC family trips together. Can't wait to go camping together!

SERMON TEXT: MARK 4:35-41 ESV

2010-02-21T20:13:00.000-08:00

35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already fillling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

2010 NEW CREDIT CARD ACT AND FHA RULES

2010-02-16T08:21:00.000-08:00

Sweeping changes have been made to credit card regulations such as the elimination of mandatory over-limit fees and more stringent FHA Loan requirements. I guess depending on which side of the fence you're on some things can be good and some things not so good. Here's a quick list:

New Credit Regulations

SINGLES FROM THE SINGLES

2010-02-14T23:54:00.000-08:00

As Valentine's Day fell on Sunday this year the Singles Ministry, well, the men from the Singles Ministry, were nice enough to put together a Valentine's mix CD for all the Covenant ladies. Apologies to husbands, but there was no intention to put you on blast :) For those who got the CD but maybe don't have iTunes, here is the tracklist:

By Your Side - Sade
Set Adrift On Memory Bliss - PM Dawn
Such Great Heights - Iron & Wine
The Way You Look Tonight - Frank Sinatra
First Day Of My Life - Bright Eyes
On Bended Knee - Boyz II Men
Wonderwall - Oasis
When You Walk In The Room - Fyfe Dangerfield
Unchained Melody - Gene Vincent
I Love Your Smile - Shanice
Daughters - John Mayer
Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton
What A Wonderful World - Sam Cooke
You Are Beautiful - James Blunt
I Will Follow You Into The Dark - Death Cab For Cutie
Angel Of Mine - Monica
Hard To Say I'm Sorry - Chicago
Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley
Nobody Knows - Tony Rich Project
You And Me - The Dave Matthews Band
In My Life - The Beatles

Enjoy!

SERMON TEXT: MARK 4:26-32 ESV

2010-02-14T23:48:00.000-08:00

26 And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows now how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." 30 And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth. 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."

COVENANT + FACEBOOK = COOL

2010-02-10T18:21:00.000-08:00

That's right, Covenant is now officially cool, hip, and socially networked. Check out our new Facebook page:

Covenant Community Church's Official Facebook Page

If you have a Facebook account (who in this world doesn't besides Pastor Ben?) add yourself as a fan of the page, and suggest the page to ALL your friends. If you don't have a FB account (ahem, Pastor Ben) then come on and sign up.

This should be a good way for us to keep up with each other throughout the week, keep track of events, drive traffic here to our blog, and just have fun. And if anybody has any good pictures let me know. Also any suggestions or comments, please don't hesitate to bring it up :)

Have a good week!

SERMON TEXT: MARK 4:21-25 ESV

2010-02-08T11:38:00.000-08:00

21 And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." 24 And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

SUPER BOWL XLIV

2010-02-06T16:30:00.001-08:00

Date/Time:
Sunday February 7, 2010 @ 4:00pm

Location:
304 Medea Creek Lane
Oak Park, CA 91377

It's Super Bowl XLIV (Roman Numerals are confusing, is that 44?). Join the fellowship at Pastor Ben's place this Sunday. Of course there will be plenty of food, fun, and......kids. Even though the Vikings didn't make it, it should still be a good game. Indianapolis Colts versus New Orleans Something-or-other.

Oh yeah, be sure to RSVP to Hetty's Evite so she can get an accurate head count. See you all then!

ROCKS IN A JAR

2010-02-01T23:53:00.000-08:00

Most motivational speakers give me the willies. Perhaps it's some inborn cynicism that compels me to imagine these high-horse "motivators" to actually be the most un-motivated people in the room when it comes to what's really important in life. Not that I've attended many seminars or read a plethora of self-help books, but I've definitely come across a fair share of them. And when they begin to speak or write, I always picture them holed up in a crummy no-bedroom apartment on the other side of the river, reflecting on what they should have, could have done to make their lives better, thanking the heavens that they met a PR agent or publisher crazy enough to promote their wacky ideas. I don't know why I think these things. But I'll admit that every once in a while a story or an anecdote will breakthrough my grudging resistance and stick in the back of my conscience somewhere.

The following is my rendition of a story I heard somewhere from someone whose name my subconscious has readily omitted from my memory bank. Perhaps some of you have heard it before.

So there's this professor teaching a group of college students a lesson on time management. He stands at the front of the class, and from behind his podium he pulls out a large, wide-mouth glass jar, and sets it on the table. He then carefully pulls out a score of fist-sized rocks and places them next to the glass jar.

"How many of these do you think we can fit in the jar?" the professor asks his students.

"Where is the old man going with this?" the class collectively thinks to themselves. But in the spirit of good sport the students go along with the presentation and begin to make random guesses. Five. Seven. Sixteen.

The professor begins to gently place the rocks, one by one, into the jar up to the lip of the brim.

"Is the jar full?" he asks. The class quickly agrees that it is full.

He then reaches behind the podium and pulls out a bucket of loose gravel and proceeds to pour it into the glass jar. The gravel fills up all the spaces between the large rocks and the glass. When the gravel has reached the brim and no empty space can be accounted for the professor slyly asks, "Is the jar full?"

At this point the class squints suspiciously. They can kind of see where the old man is going with this. This time they answer "Probably not."

The professor is impressed with his class. He reaches behind the podium once again and this time pulls out a bucket of sand. He again pours the sand into the jar until all the tiny crevices between the rocks, gravel, and glass are filled up. Again he asks "Is the jar full?"

Collectively the class shouts, "No!"

"Very good!" the professor replies. Finally he pulls out a pitcher of water from behind the podium (mind you this is an unusually large podium) and pours the water into the jar. He asks "So what's the point of all this?"

A student in front quickly answers, "No matter how full you think your schedule is, you can always make room for more things in your life."

The professor answers "No, that is not the point of this demonstration and I hope that is not the message you folks walk away with today. The point of all this is that you have to put the big rocks in first or else you will never get them in."

Now I guess it's up to each of us to determine what are the big rocks in our respective lives. I imagine family and God to be the two big ones. But I can also say, speaking for myself, I often forget to put the big rocks in first or even at all, and foolishly let all the gravel and sand take up my limited space. This year I plan to work on recognizing the big rocks (I'm not talking about the 2-karat kind ladies) and to cultivate them.

I guess wisdom takes a long time to gain. Oftentimes it is pride that stands in the way. Maybe that's why I don't like motivational speakers yet.

THANK YOU PASTOR FRANCIS

2010-01-31T20:41:00.000-08:00

Pastor Francis,

We at Covenant Community Church would like to send to you our sincerest thanks for generously sharing your time, wisdom, and knowledge with us this past Sunday. Your visit was a true source of encouragement, not only in the words of advice you offered, but also in the fondness to see that our own pastor is blessedly amongst respectable, knowledgeable, and supportive peers. Although God continuously sprinkles our days with endless challenges, He also occasionally reminds us that none of them are wholly insurmountable under His guidance and providence. Because your church and congregation are planted on the east coast, we hope that you would drop by anytime you are on the west (warmer and better) coast again, as our doors are always open. We pray that you have a safe trip back home and we wish you, your family, and your congregation a wonderful new year!

Sincerely,

Covenant Community Church

SERMON TEXT: MALACHI 3:6-10 ESV (COURTESY OF PASTOR FRANCIS)

2010-01-31T16:02:00.000-08:00

6 For I the LORD do not change, therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, "How shall we return?" 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, "How have we robbed you?" In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

*This week's sermon was generously provided by Pastor Francis Chang.

BLOGGING TIP #1

2010-01-29T20:05:00.000-08:00

Hey All,

I forgot to mention before that there's an easy way to keep up with the blog. I know it's difficult to remind ourselves to check the blog on a regular basis, what with our tightly knit daily routines and all. Sometimes there's no time in our day, or we just simply forget. Well follow these steps and you can keep the blog right in front of you whenever you are online:

Open your Firefox browser (If you're still using the virtually obsolete Internet Explorer or Safari browsers you need a serious upgrade. Download Firefox here: http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/)
Go to this blog (well I guess you're already here).
Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page.
Left of center you will see a link that reads "Subscribe (Atom)." Click that.
The next page will ask you to subscribe using "Live Bookmark." Do so.
Save in your Bookmark Menu.
A "Covenant Community Church" tab should appear at the top of your browser, just under the URL field. Voila!

From now on you can access any and all updates by clicking on this tab.

Contact Eric if you have any questions:

(310) 622.5903

eric.bong.nam@gmail.com

PUPPY NEEDS A HOME

2010-01-28T09:00:00.001-08:00

We have a Blue-Nosed Pit Bull up for adoption. She's purebred and AKC certified with all her documentation. She has all her shots for the year. Her name is Lima and she's 2 and 1/2 months old. Super smart and super sweet. She's already fully potty-trained and can follow basic commands. These dogs are hard to come across, and grow up to be beautiful. Lima needs a good home, preferably someone with Pit experience, not because Pits are such a scary breed or anything. On the contrary, Pit Bulls are amazing and very intelligent animals that deserve a proud owner and good care. Let me know if you're interested.

RECIPE: "DANGEROUS" PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

2010-01-25T22:30:00.000-08:00

Lord knows I don't need anymore cheesecake, or any other form of cake for that matter. So in the spirit of "letting go" I want to share my cheesecake recipe with you all. Well it's not really mine, it's based off of Emeril's recipe with a few tweaks here and there. Play around with it and see what happens...

Crust Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups of Honeymaid Graham Cracker crumbs
1/4 cup of ground pecans
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 cup of regular unsalted butter

Filling Ingredients:

24 oz. of softened cream cheese (3 x 8oz. packages)
1 1/2 cups of sugar
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup of heavy cream
14 oz. can of Libby's Pumpkin Puree

Kitchenware:

Oven
Mixing bowl
9-12 inch Springform pan
Pestle and mortar AND/OR
Electric chopper
Shallow baking pan
Wooden spoon

Steps:

Leave cream cheese out of refrigerator in order to bring it to room temperature. Trying to mix cold cheese is like churning asphalt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Start on crust by finely grinding graham crackers and pecans. It's a bit more work, but I like to use a pestle and mortar. You get more control over the fineness (or coarseness) of the ingredients, but you can always use an electric food chopper or coffee grinder if you want.
Mix the dry crumbs, pecans, and cinnamon in a bowl.
Melt butter in a microwave for about 1-1.5 minutes, depending on the power level of your microwave.
Stir butter into the bowl until the dry ingredients become evenly moist.
Pour the mixture into the bottom of the springform pan and press down to an even thickness. The crust should climb up an inch or two up the side of the pan. I like to make a fist and push down with my knuckles and dorsal digits like a gorilla.
Put aside and work on filling.
In a large mixer bowl combine the softened cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract. You can use an electric hand mixer or mix by hand. I burned out two hand mixers in a row making this cake so I now go with the latter method. It's harder on the elbows and you'll end up with small lumps of white unmixed cream cheese in the final product, but the taste is all the same. Mix and beat this until everything is combined and fluffy.
Now add the eggs and yolks all at once. Stir slowly until all combined.
Finally, fold in the heavy cream and pumpkin puree until evenly mixed (or you can mix halfway to make a sort of marbled effect).
Pour this mixture over the crust in pan until every last drop is out. I like to think that every little bit I can scrape out is another bite I can have later so I'm usually very thorough on this part. This mentality is also why I should be banned from eating cheesecake altogether.
Place the Springform pan onto the shallow baking pan or sheet and place in oven. This because the butter tends to seep through the Springform and can burn at the bottom of your oven. It also helps to evenly distribute the heat.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked into the center. Also do a shake test. The center of the cake should appear almost set when you shake the pan. I once had to cook a cake for over an hour, but this all this depends on how often you open the oven and let the heat out.
Cool for 15-20 minutes.
Loosen the snapped sides and cool for another 30 minutes.
Then chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Serve liberally.
Smile.
Stop nagging your husband.

SERMON TEXT: MARK 4:1-20 ESV

2010-01-25T22:11:00.000-08:00

The Parable of the Sower

1 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 "Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. 9 And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

The Purpose of the Parables

10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that "they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven." 13 And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them 18 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And other are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."

SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS

2010-01-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Want to encourage everyone to trust the Lord in 2010. May we not worry about our life here on earth for we have our Heavenly Father who loves us and takes care of us. This will be a big challenge but this will also bring us closer to our Father in heaven. Think how amazing it is...we were once sinners, the enemies of God but now in Christ, God the Father obliged himself unto us as our Heavenly Father...we are now his children...we are now his beloved. Therefore, we don't have to worry about what to eat, what to drink and what to wear for our Father in Heaven knows our needs and provides us. This is the reason why we can now seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. Our Christian life has to be a relfection of this reality and must be a presentation of our identity in Christ. So let me challenge you...better yet, let me give you the glorious privilege...seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. May 2010 be served for His glory...God bless.

PB

ADOPT-A-FAMILY

2009-12-30T22:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who contributed items to the family we adopted this Christmas. Along with the gifts we also gave them a $80 gift card to vallarta so they could purchase food items and a basket of snacks. They were very grateful. I hope that we can do this next year for Christmas but it would be nice if we can do something all year around.

SERMON TEXT: MARK 3:7-19 ESV

2009-12-27T18:09:00.000-08:00

7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known. 13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might sent them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons. 16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2009-12-25T10:35:00.001-08:00

Here is a Christmas Gift from me to you and your family!
You see, Eric does not enjoy Christmas and I happen to love Christmas. So here is our compromise!

Happy Holidays CCC,
Sarah Nam

SERMON TEXT: MARK 2:23-3:6 ESV

2009-12-21T23:07:00.000-08:00

23 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" 25 And he said to them, "Have you ever read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?" 27 And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."

1 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, "Come here." 4 And he said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

CHRISTMAS SHINDIG

2009-12-21T21:16:00.000-08:00

On behalf of the OH FAMILY (younger one that is) we would like to thank all of those that came out to our house to make our annual COVENANT CHRISTMAS PARTY a memorable one. And to those that couldn't make it - we missed you. Great food, great laughs, and unforgettable white elephant gifts. At least David, didn't walk away with the crummiest gift this year. I believe the award for the most unwanted 2009 white elephant gift goes to ....... the Nam's and their beautifully handcrafted (i think) crystal (or was it glass?) serving platter. The highlight of the night was definately giving Pastor Ben his well deserved gift - a Taylor guitar. Thanks to the Covenant family for all the help in making this happen. Thanks to Eric for the great idea.I pray that everyone has a wonderful time with your families during the holidays and look forward to the new year with the Covenant family.

HUMBLE AND GRATEFUL

2009-12-20T20:46:00.000-08:00

I received the most wondeful gift from you guys today...i'm not a great musician and i do not pretend to be one but i do know a wonderful instrument when i see one...who would thought that i can have a Taylor guitar...probably the most beautiful guitar out there =) i really had no idea. it was awesome...but what touched me and humbled me, more so than the guitar, is when Hetty told me that my church members had planned this for the whole year...and i can't explain in words how i felt when i read those wonderful and encouraging words from each one of you today in the card...to be quite frank, i do not deserve any of these. i know my flaws, my shortcomings...you guys deserve someone so much better than i. But thank you...thank you for demonstrating God's wonderful grace to me...thank you for considering me as your pastor and thank you for loving me unconditionally...

PB

NEW FASTING: OUR HUNGER AND THIRST FOR CHRIST

2009-12-17T12:12:00.000-08:00

So here's a brief summary of last week's sermon. In today's passage, Jesus is confronted by his opponents. Apparently, Jesus' diciples failed to practice fasting like the disciples of John and the Pharisees. Fasting as we know is abstinence from some, or all, food, or water, or both. So then why didn't the disciples fast? And further, why do we fast as believers and what is the goal behind our fasting?

Christ here does not prohibit fasting. In fact, he tells us that his diciples will fast later on. The issue at hand was not fasting itself but it was the way the Pharisees and the disciples of John fasted. Jesus refutes the fasting of the Pharisees b/c of their self-rigtheousness. The Pharisees fasted voluntarily on Mondays and Thursdays as a way of attaining righteousness. Here Jesus condemns thier self-righteous attitude and their hypocrisy.

But what about the fasting of John's disciples? In all likeness, the fasting of John's disciples refers to the fasting of the old covenant. As we have learned, John was the last representative of the old covenant (chapter 1). If so, then we have to ask what was the fasting in the old covenant? In the OT, fasting, particularly on the Day of Atonement, calls for a need for repentance. The saints of the OT fasted in fear of God's judgment as they repented for their sins before the Lord.

But Jesus' disciples do not fast like the Pharisees and they do not fast like the OT saints. Their fasting is different. And this is the point! In today's passage, Jesus does away the old and he gives us something new: The old fasting is gone but a new fasting is given. Consider the analogies given by Jesus in today's passage: Wedding feast, a new cloth and a new wine. What is the common thread? There is an element of 'incompatibility." Wedding feast and fasting are incompatible; a new cloth and old garment are incompatible; a new wine and old wineskin are incompatible. Yes, the old fasting and the new fasting are incompatible.

Our Christian fasting has a different dimension. The goal of fasting is not to earn righteousness or to receive forgiveness but rather it is Christ and Christ alone. Jesus says, "They (his disciples) will not fast when they are with the bridegroom but they will fast again when he is taken away." The phrase 'when he is taken away,' has two-fold meaning. One, it refers to a time when Jesus is arrested and tried and crucified on the cross. And there on the cross, Jesus ultimately fulfills the old covenant fasting. Yes, he hungers and he thirsts and he fasts for the sake of our sin on the cross, does he not? Jesus says, "I thirst" on the cross so that he may take away our sin once for all. And this is why we fast as believers in the Lord. We fast so that we may now come to confess our faith in the One who is the Bread of Heaven and who is the Living Water. We fast so that we might be drawn to Christ; we fast so that we might eat of Him and we might drink of Him.

And this is the second meaning of "when he is taken away." Here we refer to our condition as a church of Christ in between comings of Christ. Yes, Jesus is with us in the Spirit but he is not with us in the flesh. So we fast as a church of Christ b/c we believe in the Son of God as our Saviour. We fast as a church b/c we know that one day we will be with the Lord in heaven. John Piper said, "We hunger so that we'd know what it means to hunger after Christ who is the Bread from Heaven. We thirst so that we'd know what it means to thirst after Christ who is the Living Water." Do you see how radically different our fasting is in the Lord?

So do fast, but more so, do hunger and thirst after your Lord. Are you truly content in the Lord? Is He sufficient enough for you in your life? How many of us are willing to say, "I need not food and water as long as I have Christ"? May the Lord bless you and challenge you.

PB

NEW MEMBERS: THE JU FAMILY

2009-12-17T09:05:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday we experienced another awesome blessing from the Lord as we welcomed the newest members to the Covenant Family, Kevin and Christine Ju and their two wonderful children Cadyn and Katie. They've been sharing their time with us in worship and fellowship for the past few months and now they have graciously become members of Covenant Community Church. It's always a blessing to see our church grow with great people.

UPDATE: COVENANT CHRISTMAS DINNER

2009-12-17T08:50:00.000-08:00

More details about the big Christmas Party:

Sunday December 20, 2009 @ 4:00 PM

The Oh Residence
11780 Doral Ave.
Northridge, CA 91326

We will be having our traditional White Elephant Gift Exchange so bring a little something around $10. Remember, no re-gifting or used items! Nobody wants a box of used condiments from the fridge.

Also, we will be playing fun games. We're still open to suggestions so if you have any please share. So far we have Cranium, MAFIA, and Taboo.

Oh, and it's going to be a potluck so please talk to Grace (I think) about what to bring.

See you all there!

SERMON TEXT: MARK 2:18-22 ESV

2009-12-13T17:27:00.000-08:00

18 John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, " Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" 19 And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. If he does, the wine will burst the skins - and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins."

COVENANT CHRISTMAS DINNER!!!

2009-12-09T16:31:00.001-08:00

Christmas-Time is here again...da da da...doo doo doo...blah blah blah...

It's time for the famous Covenant Christmas Dinner again!

This year The Oh Family will be graciously hosting the event at their home.

Sunday December 20, 2009 @ 4:00pm

We'll have lots of goodies and games for all to enjoy so mark your calendars. More details to follow so stay tuned...

THOSE WHO ARE SICK

2009-12-07T20:08:00.000-08:00

Since Eric (At least i think it is Eric) posted the past Sunday's text, i felt somewhat obligated to give a short summary. A wonderful passage, isn't it? We clearly see the gospel, both the law and grace. The law first b/c it reveals our unrighteousness. Jesus reminds us that we are sinners. He shows us that we are sick. But there's more...so much more, so much more of His glorious grace. Jesus says, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners." Yes, Jesus is our heavenly physician. He has come to us because we are sick. He has come to call sinners. So we thank the Lord. We thank Jesus. We have been healed by the power of the gospel.

Think about this more...Jesus has come to serve us. Pretty amazing, isn't it? And that's what our Lord's Day worship is all about. We come to Jesus because he is our heavenly physician. We come to Jesus b/c we are sick. Yes, worship is indeed "Divine Service," it is a place where Jesus comes to give us a heavenly remedy called 'grace.' So many people think that worship is something that we do onto God but it is just the opposite. Worship is where Jesus ministers to us, he serves us, he heals us...it's entirely His doing, not ours.

So come...come to Jesus. Come b/c we are sick...come b/c he is your heavenly physician. And would you also share that with those who are sick. Bring them to Christ b/c he is the one who can heal them. So how can we not share the gospel with others? How can we not let others know of Christ's amazing power to heal us? I was greatly humbled and touched by God's grace this past Sunday. I'm so thankful that i have this privilege of serving you as your pastor...have a wonderful week and remember your heavenly physician.

PB

SERMON TEXT: MARK 2:13-17 ESV

2009-12-06T23:05:00.000-08:00

13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.

15 And as he reclined at the table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

MORE COUPONS

2009-12-06T21:09:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I have another coupon to share. I know all you mommy's shop at Gapkids and I know our entire family shops at Gap! So here's a little something for you to use during the holidays! This coupon can be printed multiple times. You get 20% off everything! Have fun shopping.
-Jeanny

FRESHOP

2009-12-03T16:41:00.001-08:00

For all the mommys, check out this cool online store. It's run by my good friend's wife, but that's not why I'm telling you about it :)

Every high-quality item on the site is hand-picked and eco-friendly. They are very passionate about providing the best organic products for children that's available. And they're having a holiday sale right now.

Click on the coupon to link.

BABY JOEL IS FINALLY A WHOLE NUMBER!

2009-11-30T18:05:00.001-08:00

This Saturday Mr. Joel Shin, recipient of the 2009 Cutest Baby on Township Avenue Award, will have his 1st birthday!

Come celebrate with the family!

Info:

Great Wall of China Restaurant
989 S. Dewey Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90008
(213) 384-1119

Saturday December 5, 2009 @ 5:00PM

ADOPT-A-FAMILY

2009-11-29T20:25:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone. I just sent out an e-mail regarding Adopt a family. Please sign up if you can. Let me know soon.

WOMEN'S FELLOWSHIP: 9/26/09

2009-11-29T18:56:00.000-08:00

Our last women's ministry was held at Santa Monica Pier. It was a lot of fun... We rode bikes along the beach, ate some hot dogs, and had some quality time over some ice cold drinks. It was a wonderful day of laughter, sharing, and girls just having fun... I cannot wait for our next women's ministry day so stay tuned for more... =)

GREAT BLOG

2009-11-28T20:59:00.000-08:00

Great blog Eric. Looks very professional. Thanks for doing this.

I AM THANKFUL FOR...

2009-11-26T11:15:00.001-08:00

My GT Performer bicycle. That's what I was thankful for in 1989. Well that and the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the '88 World Series a year before against the Oakland A's (which we all still appreciate here in LA seeing that the Dodgers haven't clenched so much as a fist since then). Passing my Modern American Poetry mid-term in college even though I usually preferred grabbing coffee and bagels with friends rather than going to class. That's what I was thankful for in 1999. Oh and of course the fact that the Y2K scare turned out to be nothing more than a reason to blast Prince on the stereo on New Year's Eve.

This year I am thankful for many things, of course, the main item being the most obvious item: getting married to Sarah. And I have to say I think I've grown up a bit in the past 20 years. Don't get me wrong, my Performer was a top-o-the-line BMX machine and although I appreciate poetry my professor couldn't have made T.S. Eliot any drier than he already is. But I think this marriage thing is a pretty big step.

I...we are most thankful that we grew and matured under God's providence and grace, and together with everyone at Covenant Community. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

(Oh and special thanks for the New York Yankees taking the Series for the first time in nine years. They've secretly been my favorite team since Don Mattingly manned first base.)

Here are some pics of everybody from our wedding three months ago (already!)

MORE PICTURES

2009-11-26T11:02:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share pictures I took this past Sunday...

Roman's Dad looks super happy!

Little Women

Allen and Eric grubbing

Banqueting Table

Mini Banqueting Table

i AM THANKFUL FOR OUR CHURCH!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

LOVE, JEANNY CHANG

MR.NAM

2009-11-24T23:09:00.000-08:00

Kudos on this blogspot Bong. Much obliged. I see you were able to get a picture of Roman. I guess he got tired of running away from you.

richard

2009-11-24T19:06:00.000-08:00

Thanks Eric for setting this up. I'm excited about this. Wish I could take credit for the yummy creamed corn but that was all Jeanny. I made the mushy yams. To finish what I was trying to say on Sunday during our time of sharing(or should I say "To start") I am especially thankful for Marcus getting better and Kylee doing so much better. I am thankful for that challenge and all that God taught me through it.

WHAT IF...

2009-11-24T14:23:00.000-08:00

What if we have no family? What if we have no friends? What if we have no neighbors? What if we have no church? What if we have no grace? What if we have no heaven? What if we have no Christ? We often struggle to find a reason for thanksgiving. But ponder and see, "What if...?" Then you'd come to say at the end, "How can I not thank the Lord?" Happy Thanksgiving!

PB

EARLY THANKSGIVING

2009-11-22T21:50:00.003-08:00

Covenant Community don't mess around when it comes to Thanksgiving. I mean just look at all that beauty: a perfect 16 lb. bird (a la Donald), rosemary mashed potatoes and gravy (a la Jay), creamed corn (a la Jeanny), candied yams (a la Hetty), Honeybaked ham and cranberry relish (a la Jerry), fruit & veggie stuffing (a la Jeanny), and not to mention what Richard referred to as a "dangerous" pumpkin cheesecake (not pictured). Today's sermon (Mark 1:40-45) was a bit excruciating to endure as the aroma of all these glorious goodies were wafting into the prayer hall from the kitchen. Is it just me or did Pastor Ben wrap up his message just a little faster than usual? Before plating up we did our tradition of going around the room to hear each member's list of things to be thankful for. This part always seems like a hassle at first because who really wants to be put on the spot? But once the round is done it's always nice to hear about everyone's sincerest blessings and we all realize we are thankful to have things to be thankful for.

Needless to say we all immediately bee-lined it to the serving tables, eager to load up our styrofoam plates with about 3,000 calories worth of pure heaven. You never heard as many groans and cries of joy from adult men.

Afterwards all the little Covenanteers joined Pastor Ben in singing and dancing to praise songs, while the old folks slowly succumbed to the onset of food coma and tryptophan sedation.

At the end we all walked away feeling a little warmer, a little closer to each other, and a little more settled in our hearts. It's funny how soothing it can be to fix our gaze upon those things that God blesses us with. It's also funny how easily we sometimes forget.

-Eric