This was an excellent book of Ecclesiastes, both concise and hitting the core. I believe it will be a great help not only for new believers but also for those who have been in the faith for a long time, helping them reflect on their own state and journey of faith. It made me deeply consider which of the ‘Three Gates to God’ I had opened to arrive at this point. Though I wasn’t born into a Christian family, I recall first stepping into a church in seventh grade, following neighborhood friends. At the time, I had spent three years attending an international school in Indonesia with my father, who was stationed overseas. Returning to Korea in the second semester of seventh grade, I was in the midst of making new friends. Fortunately, the most precious friends I met then were all church friends.

Starting in an environment similar to being born into faith, I formed my religious perspective within a global setting from childhood through middle and high school, university, KATUSA military service, and working life at a foreign company. Memories range from an Indonesian immigrant church, to a cozy neighborhood church in Gangbuk reminiscent of the drama ‘Reply 1994’, to serving as the general affairs manager for English worship services led by foreign missionaries at large Seoul churches during my university and military years—all invaluable assets. Especially during my time as a U.S. expatriate, I gained opportunities for spiritual growth through training at a Korean church. Living in Silicon Valley and engaging in faith life alongside the top 0.1% of talent in South Korea was a tremendous blessing. After returning home, I serve as a community leader for both the English and Korean communities at LifeSpring Church in Songdo, Incheon, where Christians from around the world gather. Initially, I volunteered as a coach in the English community for my children’s sake. However, feeling the limitations of my capabilities and language skills, I took a brief break. Starting this year, I have taken on the role of Korean community leader.

Rather than gaining new knowledge, 『Invitation to an Abundant Life』 proved immensely beneficial by allowing me to assess where I stand on my faith journey. Answering each chapter’s questions felt like crossing off checkpoints, and sometimes facing difficult questions forced me to confront my true feelings and wrestle with them. I realized that while my days were filled with early morning cryptocurrency trading and blog writing, I lacked sufficient time for one-on-one encounters with God. Updating my prayer topics in the Bible app, I gave thanks that all my past prayers had been answered, and felt a new resolve to pray for inner transformation. While I’ve diligently expanded my ‘meddling’ by leveraging a global network to help and support brothers and sisters in places like Palestine, North Korea, and the Philippines, I reflected on whether I’d been neglecting to care for myself and my family. Though materially well-off, I think I’ve deliberately ignored our family’s lack of time—always struggling with its scarcity—out of guilt toward those facing greater hardship.

Despite experiencing precious mission fields—from vision trips to Philippine slums to fellowship with Jerusalem and North Korean workers—living in the narrow confines of Korea, I found myself constantly comparing apartment prices in neighboring districts and envying the lives of affluent building owners. I am ashamed of that version of myself. But the reason I’ve become a ‘highly-rated delivery driver’ who comforts my heart by carrying my youngest child in a hiking carrier while delivering packages or driving a van to the provinces—even though I used to wear a hat pulled low over my eyes while making deliveries in the neighborhood for fear of being recognized—is because God has given me an inner richness. I regained my status and salary as the branch manager of a global IT company and succeeded as an investor, but in truth, I had already learned how to become rich from within long before that.

Over the past year, driving 100km daily across Incheon at dawn and sweating while hauling hundreds of boxes in a tiny elevator during the day, I felt truly alive. I felt gratitude for a bottle of Yakult given by a resident on my way home, and for the health that allowed me to run up five flights of stairs in an elevator-less apartment building. I believe I am currently at the stage of ‘Recommitment’ in my faith journey. Like Denzel Washington’s words, “Today is the first day of my remaining life,” I greet the rising sun each day with the heart of beginning a new life, and with that, I conclude this book review.