This is Pastor Daniel Dong Won Lee, Pastor Emeritus of Global Mission Church in Maryland and South Korea. When I was attending University of Maryland, he was the senior pastor of the church that I attended. To this day, I believe that it was God’s working of miracle to bring him into my life right around the time I became born again! After I became a believer in 1983, God somehow orchestrated things so that he moved from Korea to became our church’s pastor one year later. Below is me and Pastor Lee sharing a moment together.

His love for God and his respect for the Word and his commitment to handle accurately the Word of Truth greatly challenged me. I became amazed at how he was able to wisely handle the Word, teach with passion, and deliver its key lessons in an organized way. So, one day I asked him about it. He simply gave me two verses from the Bible and memorize them, and they were:

“For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10)

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.” (2 Tim.2:15)

I didn’t realize it then, but as I committed to memorizing these verse, God shaped my heart and mind to be a faithful Word-centered Christian and leader all the days of my life. The greatest fear in my life as a Christian leader is to hear from God, “Why didn’t you handle accurately the word of truth?” And the greatest hope in my life is to hear from the Master, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You did your utmost best to study, practice, and teach My Words. Enter into the joy of your Master.” Pastor Lee’s commitment to God’s Word truly fleshed out for me as he continued to live his life as a Word-centered leader even though he suffered great pains through his sons. His first son went through mental health crisis after his divorce, and his second son, a successful lawyer, died of cancer at the age of 42. He showed me that he was not just talking the talk but walking the life as a Word-centered leader.