By Sapna Thomas ( a member of NewVine church)

Let me start with my thanks to my Lord for the privilege to share what He taught me in the past year or so as He moved me from Singapore to the Bay Area, a distance of 13,574 kilometers , across oceans and continents . To obey the Lord is something I have always encouraged friends and family to do, blithely unaware of the fact that there are obedience milestones in every single Christ follower’s life and mine was just round the corner. Below I share some of the lessons I learned on this journey. Read more →

By Wilson Lee

In my work at Cityteam, I think a lot about addiction and the mystery of recovery. I wonder why some people are more prone to addiction than others? And what does it take for an addict to recover without relapsing? I don’t know all the answers, but I have learned to see the divine image in those struggling with addiction, and to believe that they are worthy of respect and love from above. In turn, those who are ready to be saved find hope, freedom, and a place they can redeem their lives, sometimes more than once.

Addiction is a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional malady. Beyond a mere failure of the will, addiction has psychological, biological, and social causes brought about by physical cravings, genetic dispositions, familial upbringing and societal pressures. It embodies the experience of Romans 7:18b-19, “For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. Read more →

by Lillian Wong

Empower is an eight month, online course offered by Nyack College/Alliance Theological Seminary, specifically designed for women. We meet at SJCAC once a month for the live stream class. The majority of the class work is done on our own. There’s an online community of professors and classmates on the forum that can offer assistance. There’s an average of 2 books to read and 2 papers to write per month. This certificate program equips, motivates and prepares women to engage in ministry in the local church and beyond. Read more →

by Betty Young

“Others are like the seed planted in the good ground. They hear the teaching and accept it. Then they grow and produce fruit—sometimes thirty times more, sometimes sixty times more, and sometimes a hundred times more.” ~~Mark 4:20

Their story is like so many other stories. It is a story about an immigrant family travelling to the United States from an obscure village near Fuzhou, China. They came with nothing but a willingness to work hard. They didn’t come for themselves. They came for the sake of their children’s future. Read more →

By Abby J.

These past 5 days I feel that God really wanted to overcome me with his presence. In every worship session I felt an overwhelming sense of joy that I know can only be from God. When i worshipped him, suddenly all of my problems and all the worries I had coming here seemed so insignificant. In his presence, nothing else mattered.

“No one is greater than him,” now carries so much weight. Before I would hear these things without taking it to heart, but when I was in his presence and heard these simple phrases, I was brought to tears because all of the love he has poured out on me now felt so real. For all the times when God has revealed images, words, promises to me in the past, I felt that this week he has been reminding me of his goodness. Read more →