This post was written by Justin’s former dinner group leader, Noah Robison-Cox, reflecting on his experience with Justin and the incredible legacy he leaves behind.
Meeting Justin and Michelle
Jean and I first met Justin and Michelle Chang in 2017. We were dinner group leaders at the time, and Jean was serving at a Connection Point on the Sunday that Justin and Michelle first came to Hoboken Grace. Our dinner group was full, so normally Jean would direct new couples to sign up with groups that had openings, but for some reason that day, she told Justin and Michelle to just join our group—and the next day, they did.
For about a year, Justin and Michelle were members of our dinner group, although it felt like we had known them much longer. Justin was passionate about the group from the beginning and fit in right away. He was always excited to talk about the message from Sunday and was quick to share related stories and examples from his own life. He usually showed up with a smile and a cup of Dunkin’ Donuts hot chocolate. He didn’t seem to care what other people thought—he loved his hot chocolate.
Justin and I both worked at startups at the time, so we frequently talked about technology and all kinds of product ideas. We both watched Game of Thrones, and I remember sharing with him after one episode that I was getting tired of all the violence. Justin told me that when he watched the same episode, he felt God telling him, This is what Jesus went through for you. That gave me a new perspective on the show and how God can work.
Justin’s Impact in Community
If you knew Justin at all, you knew he loved to golf. I’m not a golfer, but his enthusiasm for golf was infectious and made me wish I could play. He was constantly practicing his swing and trying all kinds of ways to improve his stroke. What I found unique about Justin, though, was that most of the time, when I asked him how his latest round went, he would say, “Terrible.” He would describe how everything he’d been practicing fell apart as soon as he got to the course. If it were me, I would have given up, but not Justin. He would laugh about his performance and then go right back to practicing his swing.
That same honesty about failures applied to Justin’s conversations in group as well. He wouldn’t hesitate to share when he felt he was failing or falling short. We faced similar addictions and hang-ups in the past, and his honesty and willingness to share helped guide me in my own walk with God.
A Leader Through Life’s Highs and Lows
Our dinner group was thriving, but we also knew we needed to multiply if we were going to accommodate more people in the future. We saw a lot of leadership potential in Justin and Michelle, so we asked them if they would consider apprenticing to be leaders. They turned us down.
We still felt called by God to multiply and create room for more couples to join a dinner group. We also knew from personal experience that it wasn’t going to happen naturally. So in August of 2018, we took our group on a weekend trip to the Catskills. We enjoyed playing games and spending time in nature and then, at the end of the trip, we shared our plans to start a new group, while another couple, Rex and Rachel, would take over as leaders of the current group. While Justin understood the reasons, he was surprised and would refer to that weekend many times going forward as the “breakup weekend.”
While it was painful to part with the group we loved, we are so glad now that it eventually led to Justin and Michelle stepping up as leaders. They led a dinner group for many years and have impacted so many lives in the process. They led consistently through COVID, pregnancy, and most recently cancer. Justin didn’t let cancer take him out of community; he used it as an opportunity to meet and share his love of Christ with a long list of non-Christian friends. We are so proud and humbled by the way Justin continued to lead his group right until the end of his life. When he was asked if he’d like to take a break while he went through chemo, he replied, “No way. All in until the end.”
The Legacy Justin Leaves Behind
The Sunday before Justin passed away, we saw him at church, and he seemed like the same old Justin. He was smiling and enthusiastic about his condition, and we praised God that he had answered our prayers for healing.
So it was quite a shock when we learned on Saturday that Justin had passed away. In the process of that first day without Justin, one of the things my wife, Jean, shared with me was that the professionals who came to his house had ruled out foul play. That made me angry initially. Of course, there was no foul play. Why would someone even mention that at a time like this?
As I thought about it more, though, I realized that my reaction said something about my own heart. When tragedy strikes in my life, whether consciously or subconsciously, I start looking for someone to blame. And if I can’t find a person, I can start to blame God.
When I was 18, a good friend of mine died in a car accident. I was on an exchange program in Belgium, so I couldn’t go back home for the funeral or to see my family. I felt alone and isolated in my grief, and I couldn’t understand why God would take away someone who seemed so good and full of potential. For the next nine years, I allowed that pain to pull me further and further away from God. I pursued worldly success and tried to live by my own moral code until finally, God stepped in and confronted me with reality. I was living a selfish life, and I couldn’t live up to my own standards, let alone His. I needed a savior.
Like me, Justin hit his own spiritual rock bottom. And like me, we both heard messages from Pastor Tim Keller that helped lift us back out again. Justin especially loved Tim Keller’s series on Proverbs. If you knew him, I don’t have to tell you how smart Justin was, but I believe he desired wisdom even more than knowledge. He sought to walk with the wise because he knew that a companion of fools suffers harm.
I didn’t know Justin before he put his faith in Christ, but it was evident to me that God had transformed him. There was a joy and enthusiasm that permeated everything he did.
If you are one of the friends that Justin shared his faith with before he left, know that God is offering the same grace and mercy to you that He gave to Justin. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done—Jesus already took the punishment for it, and He wipes the slate clean forever when you decide to follow Him.
If you feel hurt and upset with God right now, I urge you to bring your pain to Him. God loves you, and He wants to comfort you. Don’t let the pain create distance between you and God, like I did. Justin wouldn’t want that, and I believe the best way you can honor Justin is to trust that God is good and that from Jesus, there is never any foul play.
If you feel like everything is falling apart right now, like Justin, I urge you to keep on swinging. And if you need something to comfort you, maybe try a cup of hot chocolate.
Jean and I were honored to be Justin’s dinner group leaders for a time, but now he has led us in a much more powerful example of what it looks like to lead as a Christian. Jesus calls us to go and make disciples. To multiply. Justin knew that sometimes multiplication requires the pain of separation, but in the end, it is always worth it. We miss you, Justin, but we also look forward to seeing you and all those you helped lead to Christ in eternity.
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