It was great breaking fast together yesterday with some of the members in our small group. For some people it was their first time fasting, so it was encouraging to hear that they persevered all the way until the end! As our married couple population has been growing, we had to split up our groups. […]
Retreat 2008 Fasting
For the last week and a half, the various small groups have been taking turns in fasting for the Winter Congregational Retreat. There is something about prayer and fasting that brings a church together. Today is our married couples small group’s turn. I am always encouraged to see people who are married (especially those who […]
Michigan Primary 2008
Today, Christina and I went out for our breakfast date and chit-chatted about various things. It is good that we keep on touching base. I realized that in the midst of all our busyness with church and raising kids, it is tempting to make this a lower priority. But by the […]
Winter Retreat 2008 Prayers
Starting tonight, we are going to have our nightly prayer gatherings for the Winter Retreat. A life lesson that I have learned over the years is: Prayer is a priority for preparation. Whenever there is a hunger for prayer amongst God’s people, then it is a pretty good sign that God wants to do something […]
Comparisons to the Sports’ World
I have always been an advocate for drawing illustrations from the sports world. In fact, the Apostle Paul uses many sports illustrations to make a biblical point (1 Co 9:24-27; Gal 2:2; 5:7; Php 2:16; 2 Ti 2:5; 4:7). Thank God for ESPN! The other day there was an interesting article in the Michigan Daily. […]
Prayer Cards for the Winter Retreat
We had a great time of prayer at our church-wide prayer gathering yesterday. It was the first time we implemented the corporate prayer cards that many of our members have filled out in their small groups. At first, it was exciting to see all the prayer cards with various prayer requests. It was also encouraging […]
The Unexplainable Witness
I first heard the news of the December 9th shooting at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs on the internet when I was in Malaysia. It was pretty shocking to hear that a gunman walked in to the church after one of the services and starting shooting. But over the years, I have learned […]
Thoughts on “Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church”
Ever since 1996, we have been trying to build a multi-ethnic church here in Ann Arbor. To be honest, I knew that it was going to be difficult, but I didn’t know that it was going to be this hard. Human nature tells us that we like things are comfortable and […]
The “H” in the Transformasphere Movement
Last month there was a World AIDS Day on December 1st. It just reminded me of the importance of the Church being in the forefront and the frontlines of trying to show the compassion of Jesus. As many people have said, “AIDS is like the modern day leprosy of Jesus’ time.” This is one of […]
First L3 Gathering for 2008
The Leadership Lesson Luncheon yesterday was great. We had our biggest group – about 30 students came out to discuss and dialogue on leadership topics. The topic of “Implementation” was discussed. All great leaders know how to implement things in their lives and in their organization. It really comes down to priorities. People who are […]
Keeping Fit with All the Bad Stuff?
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to exercise at least four times a week. There seems to be a direct correlation between exercise and having more energy. Since I want to do all that God is calling me to do, I need to be faithful in keeping my health in good condition. I am […]
Adultolescents?
John Piper in an article called, “A Church-Based Hope for ‘Adultolescents’” uses this term coined by Christian Smith, a professor of sociology at Notre Dame. It describes a phenomenon that is occurring in the United States, as well as other developing countries. It is simply the “postponement of adulthood into the thirties.” Smith explains that […]
“Unleashed” Sermon Series
I am excited about starting a new sermon series for the start of this 2008 year. Awhile back, the staff and I were talking about the lack of knowledge and even the preconceived notions we have about the Holy Spirit. Sadly to say, we often times refer to Him as an […]
College Students – All Hype?
There was an interesting article yesterday in the Michigan Daily, the UM student newspaper. They titled it, “Students Could Tip Race – If They Show Up.” They gave a list of all the former candidates for presidents who banked on students to win the presidency. But history tells the stark reality that often times students […]