As the kids got older, we started to implement a wish list for Christmas. In this list we would have 3 categories (3 M’s): 1) Most Expensive, 2) Moderately Expensive, 3) Minimally Expensive. The number of items would decrease as we move towards the “most expensive.” There is a greater probability that we might not […]
The Blinding Power of Power
AP Photo By now, many of you have probably heard about the arrest of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on corruption charges. Blagojevich and his administration were on a 3-year probe by the FBI; and on Tuesday, they were finally charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of […]
First Vietnamese-American Congressman
Things are happening. History is being made all over the political landscape. It is encouraging to hear about how people in the state of Louisiana elected the first Vietnamese-American to Congress. Joseph Cao came out of nowhere. But his committed to the community and wanting to bring change, helped him get […]
Detroit and the Bailout
Reuters Photo Uh… Wow! This is all I can say. I hope they didn’t give the cars to the pastor. Lord, help us. Get the full story here.
The Power of Words
I always get mixed reactions when it comes to creating new words. When we first came up with the word, Transformasphere, people were not that enthusiastic (maybe rightly so). But for me, I am all for it as long as it serves the purposes of trying to: 1) Communicate a vision or movement; 2) Help […]
1st Jakarta Church Team Meeting
Yesterday we introduced the Jakarta church plant team to the whole church during the Sunday Celebration. Then in the late afternoon the team came over to my place for our first meeting. It was great hearing from every person about how God lead them to apply for the church plant team. Josiah, my son even […]
Christmas Letters
As we enter into this Advent season, we are going to start a 3-part series called, “Christmas Letters.” If you have ever received a personal letter from someone you love, you will know the power of written words. Now in the days of e-mails, Facebook, Twitter and other communication avenues, we […]
Church-Wide Worship Gathering 12.5.08
As churches grow in numbers, it becomes more specialized and segmented. There is a ministry for children, high school students, college students, single adults, and married couples. As the members in the church get older, the need for a senior citizen ministry is apparent. Even though separating the various ministries helps […]
Trip to Austin 12.4.08
I am at the airport now getting ready to board the plane for my trip back to Ann Arbor. As I sit here at the terminal, I am just thankful for the privilege of reconnecting with the Austin team. It has been a fruitful trip. I was able to spend some time with the whole […]
Trip to Austin 12.2.08
I am making a short trip down to Austin to spend some time with the team. I am in Dallas on a quick layover. It has been about 3 months since the church officially started; and it is encouraging to hear that they are building relationships with pre-Christians and seekers. This is usually the hard […]
Christmas Tree Tradition 2008
Yesterday the family and I put up our Christmas tree. It is a special time for us. We crack up the Christmas music and start putting our “tree of the nations” together. Some years ago, Christina and I made a decision to decorate our tree with ornaments from different nations and cultures. In the midst […]
Thanksgiving in Lewisburg
Christina and I were talking and we realized that for some people it was a bit weird when they heard that we were going to spend Thanksgiving with former members. But we have built a great relationship with them over the years. In fact, they were the first couple that we married in our church. […]
The Madness of Black Friday
In the last two years, Christina and I have participated in the Black Friday madness. We have been able to get some good deals last year, but this year we decided to take a break from all the madness. It might be rooted in a slight protest from all the consumerism. In fact, the last […]
Oh the Power of Twitter
We need to be in prayer for the situation in Mumbai, India. It is just humbling and heartbreaking when some of the craziness is happening in places that you have visited before the bombing. Here is a story on the power of Twitter