All good things . . .

I have decided to move to Los Angeles. Why? To attend the church I went to when I was at Caltech. This church is Evergreen Baptist Church of LA, and the senior pastor is Ken Fong.

I first heard of Evergreen more than eleven years ago, when I was choosing whether to attend Caltech. One of the first things my mom said was, "Oh, Caltech! If you go there, you can go to Ken Fong's church." I didn't know who Ken Fong was at the time, but it turned out that his mom was my old Sunday school teacher. Also, I thought it strange to think about church when making a major decision like where to go to grad school. Aren't churches the same everywhere?

Even when I got to Caltech, I didn't think much of Evergreen. I went sometimes because my mom would want me to, but it was a little far--a whole 20 minutes away--so I also checked out churches close by. It took a couple of years before I started going to Evergreen regularly. Even then, after I finished at Caltech after six years, I hadn't met a single person at Evergreen! I had been content to attend the service and tithe regularly, and that was it.

It has been five years since I left LA. My faith is a much higher priority now. I have attended many other churches, but I always missed the sermons from Pastor Ken and others at Evergreen. (I still listen online.) At the same time, I have also learned the value of a church "small group," which is a few people who meet regularly to study the Bible and to share life together. Many times, talking and praying with 1-2 others has had a bigger impact on me than sitting in church.
So, I plan to go back to Evergreen and also join a small group there.

Have you ever wished you could go back in time, bring along some of your current experience, and do something over again? I do. I wish I had been less self-absorbed in high school. I wish I had worked a little before I went to college. And, yes, I wish I had joined a small group at Evergreen while in grad school.

I know sometimes we can't go back, and sometimes we shouldn't go back. But sometimes, I think it's a risk worth taking.

I leave Seattle on September 7. I will drive to Sacramento, stay a few days, and then drive to LA.