What People Say About Us
“Coaching with Cecil is the most effective thing I’ve found that is moving me concretely towards the happiness I long for. He has helped me to sort through the complex of feelings, frustrations, and dreams in my soul to gain clarity of what it is I really want, where I need to go, and the action points to get there. They say you can’t buy happiness but life coaching with Cecil comes pretty close!”
― Joe P., Moorpark, CA
Through my time with Jon, it became quickly apparent that he had an affinity for serving others and discipleship in the setting of his faith. He mentored me not only in my tennis game, but also in my faith as a fellow Christian. It is clear that he possesses the patience, kind-heartedness, and nurturing nature of a truly gifted mentor
― Kortney E., Monterrey, CA
Organizations We Partner With
Seek & Save teaches, trains, and coaches Christian serving teams and ministry leaders to do justice with compassion as love to others, evangelism to the lost, obedience to the Word, and worship to God.
Hidden Treasures Foundation is dedicated to the rescue and restoration of women and children victimized by sex slavery in the human trafficking industry. Our goal is to provide housing, life planning, and mentoring for these victims, ensuring they have a safe and viable escape from being trafficked.
Celebrate You Coaching is a non-profit organization made up of a small but growing group of professionals ready to serve you in your emotional, physical, and financial needs. We offer coaching services as well as free local workshops and events.
Recommendations and Referrals
Referrals for Jonathan Low
August 9, 2017
To whom it may concern:
I am writing this letter of endorsement for Jon Low in support of his character, integrity, and leadership abilities. I have known Jon for approximately 7 years and he has become a close friend of my family and myself. I met him on the local tennis courts of South San Francisco, where from the start he was welcoming, warm, and strikingly personable. Jon instantly reached out to me and we spent much time together both on and off the courts. Through my time with Jon, it became quickly apparent that he had an affinity for serving others and discipleship in the setting of his faith. He mentored me not only in my tennis game, but also in my faith as a fellow Christian. It is clear that he possesses the patience, kind-heartedness, and nurturing nature of a truly gifted mentor. Not only did I witness Jon’s mentorship toward me, but also his knack for reaching out and serving others. Jon has a heart for the youth and is always ready and eager to spend time with and share his faith with younger generations. I joined Jon on a camping trip that he organized as an act of outreach for families and youth. Throughout the trip, his loving and generous character showed through his acts of preparing food for the camp, leading fishing and water sport activities off his boat, and ensuring joyous and memorable opportunities for fellowship, bonding, and memory-making. His giving spirit is apparent in his hospitality and tendency to put all others before himself.
Beyond giving and serving, Jon is a clear and relatable leader to many different types of people. I, for one, value Jon’s opinion and direction because I know him to be an honest, intelligent, and insightful person. Additionally, in spending much time with his family, I have observed Jon as a loving leader of his household. It is apparent that he cares deeply for his sons and does everything in his power to be an upstanding, authentic role model for them. By following Jon’s example, his sons are developing into genuine, hard-working young men who strive for excellence in their ambitions and honesty in their relationships. I have also been privileged enough to observe Jon in his role as Captain of his fire station in South San Francisco. Jon allowed me to be a ride-along for a day at his fire station, where I was able to witness him as a firm but esteemed leader among his peers. Jon’s colleagues showed deep respect and satisfaction in Jon as their leader, and with a relatable and righteous character like Jon’s, I could understand why. He provides guidance and direction in a genuine, fatherly manner that all ages, young and old, respond well to.
In summary, I greatly value my relationship with Jon and think of myself as privileged to be able to endorse a respectable, gifted man of integrity such as him.
Sincerely,
Kortney Eng, M.S., CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist
July 6, 2017
To whom it may concern:
I have known Jon Low for 6 years and it has been a good 6 years.
Jon and I started our relationship at church when I was serving at his campus. Our initial contacts were friendly and became more in depth as we got to know each other and what make each other tick.
As we served together on our high school ministries houseboat trips, we got to know each other even better. I got to know what makes Jon want to serve others. Jon has a servant’s heart—especially for those in need. It doesn’t matter if you are a high school kid seeking answers to life, someone seeking financial advice, someone seeking a meal, someone who wants to learn how to fish (and Jon knows how to fish), or someone that needs an ear to listen. Jon is the kind of person you can rely on. I know Jon would be there for me at any time—night or day.
I know Jon to be an upright, moral, forthright, and straight forward individual. If you want integrity, Jon is your man. He will not sugar coat something. He will call a spade a spade and call someone out if he doesn’t believe you are telling the truth. His integrity compass points straight North and has not swayed in the years I have known him.
If anyone is looking to work with Jon, I know Jon will work with diligence to make sure the work gets done well and with integrity. Jon is an old fashion guy and you could take his word and handshake to the bank and get paid back in spades. Whatever Jon does, he does it well and works nothing short of 100%.
If anyone desires to invest with Jon, I recommend him whole heartedly.
Sincerely,
Michael Poleselli
I am excited to write this letter of recommendation for Jon Low. In my experiences with him personally and professionally, I have witnessed first hand both his authentic love for people and the quality of his work. He is highly motivated to help others and continues to support them even through difficult circumstances.
I first met Jon Low in my work with Project Bayview, which is a men’s live in home. Jon had met a guy who was homeless and living in the park. As he built a relationship with this man, he thought Project Bayview could be a good fit for him and brought him to the house. Flash forward a few years, and not only was Jon’s instinct about fit correct, but the young man he introduced thrived in the program and eventually became one of the mentors and leaders in the house.
Early in my relationship with Jon, I learned he was interested in helping youth, so we arranged for me to bring my young men’s development group to the fire station where he worked. He immediately fell in love with my youth group and we planned a weekend camping trip to Lake Berryessa. From there we continued to team up to pour into the youth. Jon facilitated classes including topics of maturity, financial literacy, and teamwork.
In addition to Jon’s support of programs and the community, he’s also opened up himself and his home. Many of the people he’s met and worked with he’s welcomed into his home to cook with him and eat with his family. He even took time to teach me and my wife about the basics of stock trading. Through all of my experiences with Jon over the years, he’s shown himself to be trustworthy and reliable. He’s a man of his word and has the utmost integrity.
Sincerely,
Marcus Bailey
July 12, 2017
I am writing this letter as an endorsement of John Low’s character. I have known John Low for over ten years. I have spent many days with him because we share a common love for sport fishing for all kinds of game fish both in freshwater and saltwater. Those outings were typically all day affairs from sunrise to sunset that included long drives to and from the lake or the river or the ocean. Together we have endured all kinds of weather, wind, waves, searing heat and other dangerous situations on those fishing trips. On those trips I had the opportunity to engage John in long conversations about all sorts of subjects some of which even included fishing. I have gotten to know John pretty well on a one on one basis as well as in group settings. For as long as I’ve known John he has always been a kind, generous, respectable and competitive individual. John is man of faith, both in his belief in God and his belief in the goodness of his fellow man and woman. His faith in people has been the one outstanding quality that I’ve always admired about him. John has demonstrated that faith to me on many occasions. I remember that on one occasion John invited a notorious ex-gangster to clear lake to fish for bass. It was a two hour drive each way to and from the lake and an entire day on the water on John’s boat with just the three of us. On that day I remember feeling a bit uncomfortable. That discomfort was partially due to my professional experience as a police officer in dealing with crime and violence and a person with a strong sense for personal safety. I was astonished by the degree of faith and trust that John had and something that I apparently did not. I got to witness John’s kindness first hand and got to see how that individual reacted to the kindness with kindness. Needless to say nothing bad happened and everyone remained on the boat that day. John is a natural teacher he thrives on teaching things, providing profound knowledge to downtrodden people to help with their lives. He seems to love the challenge of bettering people’s lives by teaching the belief of the goodness of Jesus. I appreciate and believe that John and people like John play a vital role in our society in providing essential hope for some and especially for those who need it. Sometimes it takes an individual effort from people like John and not from any government agency or from the private sector to effect a person’s life.
Sincerely yours,
Tony Gomes
7/7/17
My name is Frank Cutter, I am a good friend of Jon Low’s, I have known Jon for 8 years. I am an elder at New North church in San Bruno and that is where I know him from. I cannot say enough about Jon, he is a man of integrity and he loves people and is always putting them first and trying to help them. We have worked together on a church high school houseboat trip where we spend 4 days serving kids by taking them fishing and tubing, I have been on that trip four years with Jon he has always been amazing with those kids just loving them. Jon is always seeing the bigger picture with people and very willing to serve them and help them in any way he can. I would highly recommend anyone who feels called to be a part of Jon’s new ministry to do it because Jon’s calling to help people and love them is truly genuine. If you would like to know more about Jon please call me anytime I would love to talk to you.
Frank Cutter
Referrals for Cecil Wong
J. Preston, Father of 3 & Co-owner of Openherd.com, Alpaca Elite, LLC.
I have known Cecil for about 3 years. We met through Sunset Church’s children’s ministry and quickly struck up a friendship because of our mutual desire to be better fathers and faith leaders in our homes.
As it turned out, Cecil became a kind of father to me as well as a close friend. I was going through very deep waters related to the absence of my father and we cried over things, ministered to each other, drank coffee together, rode bikes, and shared the journey of life together.
At first I wasn’t sure if this was ministry or friendship. I realize now this is the heart of Jesus that God wants all of us to radiate through all that we do, rather than a conflict between work and social life. This is Cecil’s strength but sadly perceived by church leaders, who are overwhelmingly type-A personalities, as wishy-washy, unfocused, and difficult to measure performance.
However, “the proof is in the pudding.” For years I had struggled alone and the church as a whole was unprepared and unable to help me deal with the deep pain and wounds I carried, and at best only helped me cope. But my friendship with Cecil was life changing. He presented the heart of Jesus to me in a real person: someone who spent time with me; someone who felt my grief and pain; convinced me that he liked me; wrestled with truth. We walked a dusty path together.
And now I am able to minister to others knowing this is Jesus’ way of doing things. The world needs more Cecils, especially churches and Christian organizations.
Cecil has vision, a strong heart, isn’t easily offended, is very flexible, is a faithful friend, and sees the best in people and draws that out with his talents in coaching and discipleship.
If you’re looking for a type-A person or evaluating Cecil by those criteria, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want to breathe life and heart into people and help them experience Jesus and discover their own hearts and calling, then Cecil is your man. He was made for this.
If you would like to discuss anything further, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
S. Lee, SEO Media Associate at Quinstreet
I could not have handpicked a more personable, encouraging, and motivating life coach than Cecil. After graduating college I was not only struggling to get my career started but I slowly began to see how all other aspects of my personal life were beginning to suffer. I didn’t know who to turn to but Cecil reached out to me first and took me on as his client, even though I couldn’t afford his services at the time.
Long story short, in the few months that I have worked with Cecil I was able to open up my career, transform my outlook on life, and figure out what mattered to me the most. Together, we were able to pinpoint and address the root of my issues. I have reached major milestones inside and outside of the office thanks to Cecil’s active listening and introspective questioning.
I highly recommend Cecil as a life coach because of his proven experience, passion for helping others, and natural ability to ask the right questions at the right time. He has helped me realize my potential and has guided me to achieve my ambitious goals.
L. Lee, Mother of 2 & Bilingual Classroom Teacher at SFUSD
Cecil is an innovative and energetic leader in Christian education, parent training, and marriage mentoring. He excels in implementing new approaches, bringing great speakers, and using technology. Our church has been very blessed to have him lead our Christian education.
M. Chinn, Owner, Father of 3 & Michael Chinn Albums & Boxes
In my short time here at Sunset Church I been privileged to have built some very meaningful relationships with a handful of men and I’d have to say that Cecil is at the top of that list! We’ve been meeting on a regular basis for the past 6+ months over “great coffee” and wonderful sharing of our lives in a very meaningful and real way. Cecil has a natural gift of “pressing in”… encouraging & motivating the life stages one faces and I feel like I’ve been a recipient of his genuine care for me as a man who is seeking growth and healthy life change. I’d highly recommend Cecil as a leader who can bring his spiritual leadership and coaching skills to our body at Sunset Church.
Cecil is truly a man of integrity, a dedicated and committed man who strives to do his best in his work and personal life. He is always someone who I can rely on and feel encouraged by in our meeting times together.
S. Tse, Lead User Experience Researcher at eBay
Simply put, Cecil loves the word of God. I remember he was meeting weekly with a Bible Study Teacher (Hosea) every week at Starbucks, and they would just talk and enjoy the Word that would eventually be shared with others. He is somebody you can count on…dedicated, compassionate, and accessible. He is always there to help people discover who they are, and help them achieve what God wants all of us to ultimately be.
Cecil practices what he preaches. For the curriculum that we’re using for the youth, He applies it to his own personal life, whether it’s relating to his wife, or his two kids.
Cecil isn’t just fulfilling a role at the Christian Education Director, but truly loves the youth that he serves. Most recently, a high schooler came to class, with apparently something troubling her. Cecil spent the good half hour, counseling and comforting the student who was in tears. He cares for the little ones, just as Jesus demonstrated in Matthew 19:14.
R. Mack, Mother of 2 & School Counselor
Cecil brought much-needed leadership and direction to our church’s children’s ministry. Before he came, many children dreaded attending church. Since he transformed our ministry, the children (my own included) look forward to Sunday School. He’s skilled at recruiting & managing a large volunteer staff, and has found creative ways to delegate. He’s an effective teacher who communicates passion about his faith and core beliefs. As a volunteer teacher, I’ve appreciated how he humbly listens to my feedback and demonstrates flexibility and openness to positive change. Best of all, kids love him!
C. Mo, Social Worker, MSW
Cecil was a passionate and caring leader and teacher. It was a blessing to serve in Sunday school under his leadership. He equipped us to teach by providing training, and modeled for volunteers as we worked with children of all ages. He also taught us to not be afraid to be gracious and firm at the same time. I can feel how much he cares about the children, their growth in Christ and their well-being.
J. Quan, Father of 2 & Project Manager at Judicial Council of CA
Cecil’s proposal to be a life coach is a manifestation of his heart’s desire to improve the spiritual life of the church. This desire is evident in speaking to Sunday School students and speaking during Immersion Classes. He speaks of transformation from the inside out. Cecil has acquired skills and resources in seminary to coach. He and his associates have offered coaching to students and staff of the seminary. I believe he is making the same coaching available to Sunset Church. Specifically, he is offering coaching to, clarifying values, align goals, and generate concrete action plans for people to move forward.
L. Wong, Mother of 2 & Senior Product Manager at Oracle
I’ve worked with Cecil in the CE ministry as CE committee member and CE teacher, and as facilitator in the Immersion Experience program. More recently, I was leader of a small group that spun off from Immersion Experience, and Cecil helped coach me in leading the group and in personal spiritual growth. I found that his method of coaching/discipling was effective in helping me identify my blind spots and painful areas of my life that I often try to avoid.
I remember in one meeting, Cecil was trying to encourage me to think about what spiritual growth would mean to me and what it would look like. I was getting stuck and he asked me to think about what my dreams would be. I told him I’m afraid to dream about the great things I could do for God because I’m tired of feeling disappointed when my dreams don’t seem to go anywhere. Cecil helped me see that I can overcome my fear of disappointment by relying on God’s comfort, and there is hope to get myself ‘unstuck’.
In another meeting Cecil was trying to help me identify the obstacles that are blocking me from living the spiritual life that I want to live. I had been involved in a few ministries and have had to pull back the last few years so I could focus on discipling my husband and teenage sons. We identified that treating my family with love and grace is easier for me than challenging them. Both are needed to foster spiritual growth in my family members. Since then, I had challenged my sons to ask God to help them be more loving to each other when they get mad at each other. It was a simple request, but surprisingly, they’ve stepped up to the challenge and have been consciously trying to do nice things for each other and not fight over little things. I haven’t tried this on my husband yet, but I plan to very soon. A part of me is bracing for the disappointment I might feel if the challenge goes nowhere, but I’ve experienced God’s great comfort after going through the Immersion Experience Program, so I know God will be there for me if that happens. Cecil tells me I have courage because I’m willing to risk being hurt to follow where God is leading me. I don’t feel courageous, but if that’s what God thinks of me, that’s great! I am thankful for leaders like Cecil who encourage me in my spiritual walk and help me see my life and relationships from God’s perspective.
D. Nguyen, Site Reliability Engineer at One Kings Lane
One of the things that I am most grateful for is how much healthier conflicts with my wife are now. When you and I first started to meet, Dianne and I would occasionally have these really terrible exchanges that would hang around for weeks until we were both exhausted and things would sort of just blow over. It was a very unhealthy way to resolve conflicts and whenever the next blow up would occur, the old wounds would eventually reopen and would usually be worse than the time before.
Some of the tools you’ve helped me with that have made a huge difference in how we handle conflict:
Self awareness – You introduced me to our personality types and how we actually fit a very common pattern. Just knowing that we aren’t the only ones was a huge relief and while the pattern has been “solved”, undoing the habits and tendencies that are deeply ingrained takes time and that is also normal
Love styles – part of the pattern is knowing that what works for me will absolutely not work for Dianne. And while it may seem like common sense once we worked through it, our natural tendency is to try and love our spouses in the same way that we want to be loved which in our case was very different
Empathy – Just to say that my wife fits “this pattern” wouldn’t have taken on the same meaning without thinking about how and why we are the way we are. How we grew up, how we interact with our families, why we try to resolve things the way we do.
Willingness to be open and vulnerable – This one was a big one for me. I always wondered why it felt like there wasn’t a ton of trust in our relationship, but actually sharing and talking about myself and my feelings was something that I did very little of.
Some real life examples – you also shared a lot about yourself and your own relationships. It was very encouraging to hear some of the stories about the changes you’ve made or how you resolve issues with your son or wife.
God’s design in all of this – We looked at scripture for the proof and for guidance as far as what man’s role is. Ephesians comes to mind and also your advice on how to read Proverbs. Tying in scripture to everyday life is something I have yet to be able to do and it was really good to see how you do it as I really have very few examples of what this looks like.
This is starting to get quite long winded, but one thing that I do want to mention is that this type of evolution can’t happen overnight or by going to small groups or conferences. Much of the learning has actually come from the journey itself rather than the “lesson” and I think what you did with me has been really successful. You gave me what I could absorb and then let me run off and “try”. Then we could talk about what worked and what didn’t the next time we met.
I’ve learned a lot about myself from you. Coaching is something I would have been the last person to ever ask for or think that I needed, but I was really shocked to find out how much I needed it.
T. Chiao, Mother of 3 & Pharmacist
I came to Sunset Church as somebody raised Catholic who didn’t pay much attention, and had not had exposure to or interest in any kind of faith since High School. I was looking for a spiritual foundation for my 3 young children (especially my oldest daughter), not a renewal of my own faith. But I found Jesus and a longing to be born again! I owe so much to Cecil.
I began volunteering in Christian Ed not long after I came to SC, and made connections with CE staff, attended seminars, and found a love for reading the Bible and applying it to my daily life. But accepting Jesus as my savior has not been an easy journey. Cecil has been an incredible help in understanding and exploring Biblical principles and truths, but also in more personal matters (which I came to understand are also Biblical!).
When I am most confused and feeling lost in relationships with my husband, my children, and my parents, Cecil helps me clear the fog and gain some focus and direction. Somehow, my self-doubt and frustration are replaced with God’s love and grace. Cecil lifts me up and helps me to see myself as God sees me. And he also helps me to see my family as God sees them, in their pain and brokenness, so I can love them more deeply and forgive. Cecil helps me identify realistic short-term tangible goals. And having goals, the anxiety and frustration subside. Feeling renewed and filled with God’s love and Grace, I am energized, invigorated, and excited about continuing my journey. Amen!!
T & M Lee, Parents of 2
During the last few years, we have worked and observed Cecil as our Christian Education Director for Sunset Church in SF. We strongly recommend Cecil to serve as a Life Coach because of the following attributes/characters he has demonstrated.
Characters/Attributes:
1. Cecil is a man of godly character with great devotion to his family and his church.
2. Cecil has taught us (Sunday school teachers) what it means to live life according to biblical principles in our daily lives and how we can teach and guide our Sunday school students to walk with God daily.
3. Cecil demonstrated to us how we need to look into the hearts of the kids who are defiant and show them how to let God transform their character, instead of just telling them to change their behavior.
4. Cecil has a personal and genuine concern about how authentically we live in Christ. He does not hesitate to inquire and find out how we are doing.
5. Cecil has spent hours talking with me (Mandy) about how to respond to God’s call for me to take a new direction in life after I was laid off.
M. Walker, New Father & Ministry Director
Initially hesitant about engaging a Life Coach, I am so glad I did! Cecil helped bring structure and guidance to my life at a time when I felt like I was juggling too many balls, and doing so poorly. He not only helped me discover the space and power to make my own choices, but he challenged me to see how I could live a life that brought me freedom and joy with some simple changes in perspective. And he always knew when to ask, “What would make this part of your life not just work, but blow your expectations out of the water?” So grateful to be a client of Family Connections Coaching.
A. Bong, Father of 2 & Pastor
“It is not as easy as it seems to be able to find someone whom you ultimately trust…someone who listens well, asks the right question, helps fuel your relationship with God and those you care about most, who believes in you, and works to bring out your best. Would highly recommend contacting Cecil if you need someone like I did and do, to help you in all aspects of family and life.
At the gut level, I know that nothing here on earth is as important to me as my family. Yet, there so many instances I fail to live out of my convictions or am at a loss as to what to do. It is so easy being distracted by other good things at the loss of the best. Cecil has helped me stay true to the people in my life I care about most. He has helped me realize that the way I relate to those closest to me, reveals where I am really at more than anything else does. I wholeheartedly recommend Cecil as a family and life coach.
N. Yee, Mother & Entrepreneur
Cecil is very good at what he does. I am infinitely closer to my kids and they, in turn, feel open and free to tell me what weighs on their minds. Awesome.
A. Ho, Mother of 3, IT Professional
“We have been friends for 10 years. Cecil has passion, care for people, honest and fun to with work with. I am thankful for his professional help in my parenting journey. It totally transform me and I am able to ‘break through’ my own cultural barrier. Highly recommended.
Cecil constantly provides a great support to me as a coach. He does a fantastic job really listening and asking questions to guide a more in-depth dialogue that promotes personal reflection. His thoughtful insight and guidance empowers me to always find solutions and move forward in my personal and professional growth. He has made the coaching experience very enjoyable.”
D.Everett, High School Counseling Director
Cecil constantly provides a great support to me as a coach. He does a fantastic job really listening and asking questions to guide a more in-depth dialogue that promotes personal reflection. His thoughtful insight and guidance empowers me to always find solutions and move forward in my personal and professional growth. He has made the coaching experience very enjoyable.
Your Next Steps Coaching 