Shortly after high school I pursued a music career in Korea. I lived in Seoul for three years performing all over the country and even landing in the charts. On the outside my life looked glamorous and exciting. I had a supportive fan club that sent me gifts and letters.  After about year, we were touring from city to city performing on national T.V stations. It was like my dreams had come true. I didn’t know how it happened so quickly but all of a sudden I saw myself in magazines and T.V shows. I couldn’t believe it.

Despite all of this, my life was a mess. I lived in a small apartment with two other members of the group and our meals consisted of instant noodles and water. For the first time in my life I knew what it was like to be hungry. Almost everything we made from the record sales went directly to our manager and record company. I didn’t want my parents to worry back home and I couldn’t bring myself to ask them for money so I didn’t get to eat on a regular basis. I recall a time I had to go to the hospital because of severe stomach pains. The doctor told me it was from malnutrition. Once again, I lost hope and became depressed. At this time of my life, I felt so alone and miserable that I turned to alcohol to forget those feelings. One night I cried out, “If there really was a God, why is He letting me suffer and starve?” 

One day my friend invited me over to his home for dinner. His mom cooked a delicious meal for us and I ate three big helpings. She kindly suggested that I should live with them since it was obvious I needed proper nutrition. I gladly moved in and she became like a second mother to me. Mrs. Chung fed me at least three meals a day and even packed snacks for me when I went out. She loved me like a son and I felt like part of their family. I didn’t know why she loved me so much but I was grateful someone cared enough to welcome me into their home. I soon found out that she was a Christian and I knew she would pray for me often. I remembered my cry for help and wondered if this was God’s way of showing me He was real. A seed of hope was planted in my heart.

Eventually, I was so unhappy with the entertainment industry that I returned to the U.S. breaking my contract with the company. There had to be more to life than trying to impress a crowd. My heart longed for something more. There was a constant void that couldn’t be filled. 

In 2003, I married my high school crush and began attending church with her family.  Although I attended church with my family since the age of four, I never dedicated my life to Christ. At a men’s retreat with my father in law, I became saved and that’s when I knew that only God can fill the void that I had all my life. God started speaking to me about writing music for Him and I began to pray about the calling in my life. I wanted to serve Him and felt a great need to share His love with others through music. I began to write worship songs and joined the worship team at our church. In 2005, my wife and I were invited to serve a different church in need of a worship leader for their English ministry. The next few years were a wonderful time of growth spiritually and as a leader. It was a humbling time as God was molding me and showing me my weaknesses in different areas of my life. At the same time, wherever I went, I felt a great urgency to share others about Christ. That same year, our youth pastor resigned and I was given the opportunity to be the youth leader. I enjoyed teaching God's Word just as much as reading it. 

As I continue to grow and face life’s daily challenges I am reminded of the people who touched my life and events that impacted me tremendously. In some way or another they all pointed me to Jesus. I study the faces of people I meet and their eyes tell me there’s a void that needs to be filled. I want to point them to Jesus.