Gratitude
As we approach the end of 2022, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all our patrons, supporters, and friends.
Thank you for being our encouragement.
It is not my practice to talk big. My theology does not encourage me to think big and do big things for God. I simply focus on glorifying God with my projects one day at a time. Jesus cautions us in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” At Uncommon Voices Collective, we are not trying to be big or even significant. We just want to make a small difference. One day at a time. One soul at a time. One glass of fine wine at a time.
As I look back over the last year, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, without any long-term strategic plans, vision, mission, and value statements, our awesome team of four, Jeff, Michael, Steve, and Kenneth, continue to produce and to engage with new friends through divine appointments. These encounters helped us formulate and test new projects every week during our weekly meetings. And the divine appointments have led to more divine appointments. We have been meeting new and godly people continuously throughout the year. And we planted many seeds of projects to be nurtured further next year.
An important milestone was the acquisition of the historic Stoutenberg House, built in 1893, now named the Blue House, or sometimes, the Magic Blue House. This unplanned purchase solidifies the possible plan for the Holy Spirit to establish a new and different gathering space in Pasadena.
With the establishment of the San Gabriel Mission in 1771, Pasadena was the first incorporated city in Los Angeles founded in 1886. Fuller Theological Seminary tried to move away from Pasadena, and I believe the Holy Spirit intervened and stopped the project. It may be coincidental that I owned an office building in Pasadena for my for-profit businesses which was where the first home of UVC was. The Blue House is only a few blocks away. For me, I don’t play the God card as if everything I do is His will. Even though I do my best to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I never want to blemish God’s reputation by my own slip-ups in following my own intuitions. Regardless, I feel there is something special about Pasadena and my presence in it. Becoming a trustee of Fuller Theological Seminary is another interesting coincidence. At this time, UVC’s focus is on Pasadena and how we can make a difference in this community. From our list of visitors including our patrons, supporters, and friends, we want to create an intimate group of a hundred to start. What that means, we don’t know. We have been having happy hours with guest speakers to stimulate us with interesting new ideas. We have had gatherings like communion, thanksgiving potluck, and an upcoming Christmas party. We want to involve all one hundred of our first group of cohorts to help us develop new projects for the upcoming year. I named UVC a collective precisely because UVC is not about any individual but to create a new form of collective that will make a difference in people’s lives.
Refuse, our short film project, is receiving confirmation from many of our connections in Hollywood and a full feature film project is in the works. The “studio” term has been mentioned a few times when new friends describe what they think UVC can possibly be. I just can’t imagine how we can be a typical studio in Hollywood, but maybe, there is a possibility to create a new studio that will be different from any that we know of now. It will definitely be a Holy Spirit project if and when that happens.
While I can sense that the Blue House, our physical space, will be the anchor of UVC’s activities, our digital platform will enhance our physical experience and the connection of our initial collective of one hundred. Popular websites are attracting engagement through controversies, sensationalism, and even fake news. UVC’s website would engage through peace, joy, sabbath, and love. I hope that our website can be a daily refuge for all things holy and beautiful, and nourishment for our souls, calming us down so that we can listen to the small voices of the Holy Spirit. Our advent TikTok series is an excellent example of that. Please continue to support us financially for each of our new projects next year, and let us know what else we can do to create an intimate collective.
Finally, we need to be reminded again about our upcoming celebration of the birth of our Lord Christ Jesus. Many of you know that my daily devotional is chapters 21 & 22 of Revelation. The new heaven, the new earth, and the new Jerusalem are all the work of Christ Jesus. They are not dependent on anyone of us doing anything on behalf of God or for God. All the judgment we deserve has been nailed on the cross in Jesus. He is the only person standing in front of the judgment table. That is an incredible blessing because of God’s holy grace. And for me, the worst of all the sinners, to be a beneficiary of such grace and the gift of Jesus Christ, how can I not fully submit myself, nail myself on the cross, and allow the complete indwelling of Christ in me (Gal 2:20). May we all rededicate and submit ourselves to Him fully during this Christmas season.
All glory be to God.
Amen.