Professional Documents
Culture Documents
An
autobiography
Alex
Leung
1/30/2007
This
essay
documents
my
conversion
experience,
spiritual
pilgrimage,
call
to
ministry,
life
experiences,
as
well
as
information
on
my
ministerial
experience,
spiritual
growth,
my
calling,
and
significant
life
events.
1.
Conversion
Looking
back
upon
my
childhood
and
my
conversion
to
Christianity,
I
realize
that
it
was
nothing
close
to
dramatic,
but
rather
a
gradual
process.
I
was
born
in
a
Baptist
hospital
in
Hong
Kong
and
as
a
baby
I
was
dedicated
to
God
in
the
Baptist
church
that
my
parents
attended.
When
we
moved
to
Canada,
I
was
only
about
to
turn
4
years
old
and
knew
little
about
the
God
that
my
parents
worshipped.
I
grew
up
in
a
Christian
family
in
the
suburbs
of
Toronto,
Ontario
(Canada)
where
my
parents
brought
me
and
my
sister
to
the
Chinese
Alliance
church
they
attended.
However,
my
parents
neither
forced
me
to
go
to
church
nor
pushed
me
to
believe,
but
rather
put
me
in
a
spiritually
nurturing
environment
where
I
began
playing
with
other
children
my
age
and
slowly
became
more
and
more
interested
in
the
God
who
created
the
universe.
In
my
adolescent
years,
I
did
my
best
to
behave
in
“junior
church”
and
Sunday
school,
and
found
myself
to
be
fairly
disciplined
in
paying
attention
and
participating
in
church.
We
rented
another
church
building
in
the
early
years
of
our
church,
so
I
was
also
asked
to
help
carry
hymnals
in
and
out
of
the
storage
room
to
the
sanctuary.
I
did
not
know
that
I
was
serving
God,
but
only
tried
my
best
to
be
a
good,
obedient
kid
to
my
parents
and
the
other
uncles
and
aunties
in
church.
Once
I
moved
on
from
the
elementary
school
to
junior
high
school,
I
began
having
more
and
more
of
an
inquiring
mind
as
to
why
I
should
believe
what
my
parents
believed.
In
grade
7
and
8,
I
started
quietly
questioning
in
mind
all
that
I
had
learned
about
the
God
of
Jacob,
Isaac
and
Abraham.
As
my
interest
in
science
blossomed,
my
mind
also
wandered
to
how
all
the
things
I
learned
in
school
fit
in
with
the
Bible.
In
the
midst
of
questioning
whether
or
not
evolution
was
true
or
if
God
really
created
the
world
by
simply
speaking
it
all
into
existence,
I
began
earnestly
seeking
a
truth
that
would
set
my
heart
and
my
mind
free.
As
I
sought
the
LORD’s
wisdom,
I
found
peace
of
mind
in
the
very
Word
of
God
which
I
had
been
reading
but
not
understanding
all
these
years.
By
the
Holy
Spirit’s
indwelling
and
enlightenment,
I
realized
that
I
had
no
wisdom
apart
from
God
first
revealing
Himself
to
me
and
opening
my
eyes
to
see
His
glorious
truths.
God
showed
me
at
that
young
age
that
I
am
a
sinful
man
and
that
I
am
unable
to
save
myself
by
my
own
self-‐trying
and
self-‐power;
I
needed
to
put
faith
in
His
Son,
Jesus
Christ,
as
my
Lord
and
Savior
in
order
to
be
made
right
with
God
and
have
my
sins
atoned
for.
With
the
help
of
my
fellowship
counselors
and
Pastor,
I
trusted
God
with
my
life
and
surrendered
myself
to
Him.
He
gave
me
what
I
did
1 of 1
2
not
deserve—grace—and
in
so
doing,
filled
me
with
the
Holy
Spirit
so
that
I
was
able
to
discern
that
God
indeed
is
the
creator
of
all
things
on
earth
and
in
heaven.
I
am
forever
thankful
that
He
chose
me
to
be
His
own
child
and
imputing
to
me
the
righteousness
of
Christ
Jesus,
my
Lord
and
Savior.
2 of 2
3
Near
the
end
of
my
first
year
at
Ryerson,
the
Worship
Coordinator
began
talking
to
me
about
whether
or
not
I
was
interested
in
taking
over
his
responsibilities
as
“Worship
Coordinator”
the
following
year.
He
said
it
was
a
logical
step
considering
I
was
a
inviting
worship
leader
and
seemed
like
a
very
caring
servant
to
CCF.
I
was
humbled
by
his
remarks,
and
soon
enough,
I
was
nominated
to
be
on
the
following
year’s
CCF
Planning
Committee
as
Worship
Coordinator
and
voted
into
the
position
on
election
day.
It
truly
was
a
gift
of
God
to
be
given
such
an
opportunity
to
serve
my
brothers
and
sisters
at
Ryerson
CCF,
and
yet
at
the
same
time,
a
great
responsibility
had
been
put
on
my
shoulders
to
be
a
mentor
and
leader
of
a
people
whom
I
considered
to
be
my
equals.
That
first
year
I
was
on
committee
became
a
great
learning
experience
for
me
due
to
the
fact
that
I
initiated
many
changes
to
the
musical
worship
ministry.
I
first
started
a
more
planned
and
structured
worship
teams
schedule,
as
well
as
a
mandatory
devotional
and
prayer
time
at
the
beginning
of
all
worship
practices.
This
all
came
from
my
understanding
that
all
the
songs
we
lead
others
in
singing
during
fellowship
are
meaningless
unless
we
first
discuss
and
prayer
about
the
life
story
behind
the
songs.
As
that
year
progressed,
the
fellowship
and
I
started
growing
deeper
into
the
heart
of
God
as
we
reflected
more
deeply
into
the
songs
we
sang.
The
music
was
only
the
soundtrack
to
the
story
of
our
lives—
evidence
of
the
amazing
work
of
God’s
mercy
and
grace
in
His
chosen
people.
Through
leading
worship
during
fellowship
gatherings,
talking
to
individual
leaders,
coordinating
events
and
organizing
the
winter
retreat
worship,
I
learned
a
great
deal
about
worship
as
a
lifestyle
even
as
I
lead
others
in
the
learning
process.
When
the
end
of
the
school
year
drew
near,
I
had
a
yearning
to
step
up
and
stay
another
year
on
the
planning
committee.
As
much
as
I
knew
I
had
contributed
to
the
growth
fellowship
through
leading
the
worship
ministry,
I
also
felt
that
my
job
was
not
finished.
Even
though
I
spent
a
great
deal
of
time
fellowshipping,
making
new
friends,
and
discipling
others
in
worship,
I
did
not
take
enough
initiative
to
mentor
anybody
to
take
over
as
Worship
Coordinator.
As
a
result,
I
told
the
fellowship
during
election
night
my
mission
for
my
second
term
in
the
ministry
if
re-‐elected:
to
continue
growing
the
musical
ministry
upon
the
foundation
of
God’s
word
and
to
build
up
the
next
generation
of
leaders
before
passing
on
the
torch.
Being
elected
for
a
second
term
was
like
being
a
given
a
second
chance
to
accomplish
all
that
God
wanted
me
to
accomplish
for
Ryerson
CCF.
God
taught
me
through
my
second
year
as
Worship
Coordinator
that
even
though
the
ministry
itself
was
very
important,
mentoring
the
next
generation
of
leaders
was
just
as
important
for
me
as
the
shepherd
of
the
flock.
In
my
first
year
on
committee,
I
saw
some
good
potential
in
one
individual
to
pick
up
the
responsibility,
and
so,
my
second
year
on
committee
was
spent
building
upon
our
friendship
and
nurturing
his
leadership
skills.
As
easy
as
mentorship
seemed
in
books
and
at
conferences,
it
was
a
tasking
job
in
reality
and
required
me
to
put
a
lot
of
additional
time
and
effort
into
it.
3 of 3
4
me
what
true
worship
was,
what
true
humility
involved,
and
what
genuine
mentorship
required.
In
the
midst
of
mentoring
the
next
Worship
Coordinator
of
CCF,
I
also
began
feeling
a
call
from
God
towards
a
leading
a
larger
ministry
and
taking
a
greater
responsibility.
Through
Campus
Challenge,
the
yearly
campus
ministry
conference
run
by
Ambassadors
for
Christ
for
Southern
Ontario
CCFs,
God
opened
a
door
for
me
to
be
the
Worship
Coordinator
for
the
conference.
At
that
first
conference
I
coordinated,
I
learned
a
great
deal
about
the
importance
of
the
word
of
God
that
was
expressed
through
songs
of
worship,
as
well
as
the
importance
of
painting
a
big,
clear
picture
of
God
Himself
through
the
times
of
singing.
God
taught
me
that
before
we
could
ever
sing
anything
to
Him,
He
first
must
show
us
Himself.
Before
any
response
happens
on
our
part,
God
must
reveal
Himself
to
us.
Worship
is
our
all
consuming
response
to
the
all-‐deserving
revelation
of
God,
and
it
begins
with
a
true
vision
of
the
living,
and
not
with
us
saying
things
we
may
not
mean.
It
was
through
the
two
years
of
coordinating
worship
for
the
Campus
Challenge
conference
that,
looking
back,
I
could
see
now
that
the
LORD
Almighty
was
high
and
exalted,
and
was
asking
me,
“Whom
shall
I
send?
Who
will
go
for
us?”
During
my
last
couple
years
of
university,
I
was
also
being
immersed
into
God’s
infallible
Word
through
Sunday
School—not
just
as
a
student
learning,
but
also
as
a
teacher
leading
my
brothers
and
sisters
at
church
in
studying
Scripture.
I
accepted
the
invitation
by
my
church’s
Sunday
School
Deacon
to
teach
Sunday
School,
and
began
teaching
Paul’s
letters
to
the
Colossians,
Ephesians,
Galatians,
as
well
as
a
course
on
New
Testament
men
of
God,
and
the
Ten
Commandments.
It
was
through
teaching
those
Epistles
and
being
taught
by
my
Pastor
on
the
book
of
Romans
that
I
grew
to
have
a
great
interested
in
the
Doctrines
of
Grace
and
Reformed
theology.
As
I
taught
those
classes
on
the
doctrines
of
sovereign
election,
divine
foreknowledge,
and
substitutionary
atonement,
I
also
began
to
struggle
with
a
lot
of
issues
and
questions
I
had
from
the
Scriptures.
Before
the
beginning
of
my
last
year
of
university
in
August
2005,
my
girlfriend
of
five
months
suddenly
broke
off
our
relationship.
I
knew
not
the
reasons
for
a
long
time,
and
vaguely
understood
them
to
be
incompatibility,
where
she
thought
I
was
not
who
she
thought
I
was.
During
my
second
last
term
of
school,
I
fell
into
a
bit
of
mild
depression,
thinking
that
I
had
failed
God
to
be
a
good
leader
in
the
relationship.
I
have
not
experienced
much
“significant
life
experiences”
over
the
years,
but
this
has
felt
like
the
most
momentous
event
so
far—certainly
having
a
negative
effect
on
my
academic
performance.
In
those
trying
months,
my
hurt
and
struggles
drew
me
to
look
deeper
into
God’s
Word
and
the
words
of
others
before
me.
In
time,
I
grew
in
understanding
the
depths
of
my
depravity
and
the
height
of
his
majesty—His
pure
glorious
holiness
which
cannot
accept
sin.
Recognizing
His
Sovereign
authority
over
all
things,
I
began
to
understand
His
Divine
plan
in
election
and
learned
to
be
thankful
for
His
grace
in
every
moment.
I
found
the
answers
to
the
questions
in
the
heart
and
mind
of
my
Sunday
students
and
myself
in
His
infallible
Word.
Coming
to
terms
with
these
theological
issues,
I
eventually
realized
that
much
of
my
own
theology
was
“Reformed”
once
I
compared
it
to
various
books,
sermons,
and
articles
I
read
from
authors
like
Louie
Giglio,
John
Piper,
John
MacArthur,
Al
Mohler,
Mark
Dever,
Josh
Harris,
Mark
Driscoll,
etc..
4 of 4
5
I
attended
the
Passion06
conference
in
Nashville
with
two
of
my
CC’05
worship
team
members
in
January
2006,
and
it
was
there
that
I
heard
the
voice
of
God
call
out
to
me
through
the
lips
of
the
speakers,
Beth
Moore
and
Louie
Giglio,
and
through
the
Words
of
God
Himself
in
Galatians
and
Colossians.
I
cried
tears
of
repentance
and
surrender
during
Beth’s
talk
on
Galatians
6—but
I
did
not
realize
that
at
that
time
that
it
was
my
“call
to
ministry”
until
many
months
later.
Instead
of
just
eating
God’s
Word,
getting
full
on
it
and
simply
enjoying
it
for
myself,
the
Spirit
moved
in
my
heart
and
called
me
to
sow
it—the
Word
of
God—into
the
soil
of
my
lives
and
those
around
me.
One
who
is
taught
the
word
must
share
all
good
things
with
the
one
who
teaches.
Do
not
be
deceived:
God
is
not
mocked,
for
whatever
one
sows,
that
will
he
also
reap.
For
the
one
who
sows
to
his
own
flesh
will
from
the
flesh
reap
corruption,
but
the
one
who
sows
to
the
Spirit
will
from
the
Spirit
reap
eternal
life.
And
let
us
not
grow
weary
of
doing
good,
for
in
due
season
we
will
reap,
if
we
do
not
give
up.
So
then,
as
we
have
opportunity,
let
us
do
good
to
everyone,
and
especially
to
those
who
are
of
the
household
of
faith.
(Galatians
6:6-‐
10)
Indeed,
I
stood
in
commitment
and
devotion
during
Louie’s
altar
call
from
Colossians
3:17
at
the
end
of
the
conference’s
session—by
His
grace
and
His
Spirit
working
in
and
through
me,
I
would
do
everything
for
God’s
fame
and
unending
memory
of
His
name.
The
Holy
Spirit’s
voice
called
on
me
to
use
my
gifts
and
my
talents,
my
strengths
and
my
weaknesses,
to
share
the
beautiful
news
of
salvation
through
Christ
alone.
As
fun,
filling
and
entertaining
as
music
ministry
has
been
for
me,
I
realized
that
it
was
not
my
calling.
Furthermore,
seeing
the
hypocrisy
of
many
Christian
friends
around
me
was
heart-‐
wrenching—seeing
and
hearing
about
those
who
worshipped
God
on
their
knees
on
one
night
and
clubbing,
and
getting
drunk
on
another
night.
I
realized
that
as
important
as
music
is,
it
is
truth
that
outlasts
the
melodies.
Music
cannot
save
anybody,
only
the
gospel
truth
can,
and
furthermore,
a
catchy
tune
can
be
a
distraction
unless
it
helps
people
implant
God’s
truth
into
their
hearts.
A
few
months
later
while
listening
to
a
sermon
by
John
MacArthur
on
the
emerging
church,
I
felt
my
heart
tugged
by
God
to
contend
for
my
faith
that
was
once
for
all
delivered
to
the
saints.
I
thought
of
all
the
friends
and
coworkers
I
came
in
contact
with
over
the
years,
and
realized
that
they
could
not
call
on
Him
in
whom
they
have
not
believed.
Honestly,
“how
are
they
to
believe
in
Him
if
they
have
never
heard
of
Him?
How
are
they
to
hear
without
someone
preaching
the
Gospel
message
to
them?
And
how
am
I
to
preach
unless
God
sends
me?”
(Romans
10:14-‐15)
It
was
in
those
moments
that
I
felt
the
quiet,
constant
voice
of
the
Father
beckoning
me
to
be
trained
for
ministry
of
His
Word—a
calling
I
am
unworthy
of
but
purely
a
gift
of
grace.
2006
consequently
became
a
year
of
fruitful
ministry
that
continually
affirmed
my
calling—internally
by
the
Seed
of
His
Word
and
externally
through
friends
and
church
leaders—and
a
time
of
learning
about
the
weaknesses
of
the
emerging
movement
and
how
to
defend
my
faith
with
a
humble
orthodoxy.
Why
am
I
applying
to
Southern
Seminary?
The
answer
is
simply
that
I
have
heard
of
many
of
the
renowned
professors
from
this
great
seminary,
and
believe
in
much
of
what
they
preach.
Specifically,
I
have
been
convinced
that
SBTS
is
where
I
would
feel
most
comfortable
yet
challenged
theologically,
after
hearing
President
Al
Mohler’s
chapel
&
New
5 of 5
6
Attitude
messages,
listening
to
his
radio
show
reading
his
blog,
hearing
Dr.
Bruce
Ware’s
lecture’s
on
Systematic
Theology,
and
reading
Dr.
Thomas
Shreiner’s
work
on
substitutionary
atonement.
Furthermore,
my
friend
Shuling
Lee
attended
Southern
for
a
year
(2005-‐2006)
and
has
encouraged
me
that
the
seminary
would
suit
me
very
well
due
to
its
strong
emphasis
on
biblical
and
systematic
theology
and
expository
preaching.
I
have
come
to
know
Southern
as
a
school
that
has
its
foundation
in
the
all-‐sufficient,
inerrant
Scriptures,
and
is
purposed
for
the
training
and
preparation
of
ministers
for
faithful
Christian
service.
For
this
very
reason,
I
find
myself
called
to
be
a
humble
learner
at
this
seminary.
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