I just came back from a retreat. I brought one of the guys on the worship team with me to help out with leading worship. It was a great experience for the both of us. We ended up ministering to a small group of leaders who are serving in the inner city of Cincinnati. It […]
How to Have a Productive Day
Not everyone has a type-A personality; therefore trying to make each daily productive and fruitful is no small task. Over the years I have learned some principles that has helped me stay focus and get as much done as possible with the strength that the Lord provides. Here are the 6 […]
Wanting to Live Somewhere Else
StockVault Photo Recently the Pew Research Center did a survey and asked people where they would most like to live. They found out that over 50% of the people wished they lived somewhere else. As I was reading the article, I couldn’t help but to think back to my earlier years […]
Pre-Programmed Answers
Recently, I changed my text messaging plan on my PDA cell phone. With the increase usage of text messaging, I ended up getting a better plan so that I would not be constrained by a limited amount of text throughout the month. I don’t know if any of you have noticed that a lot of […]
Punished for Winning?
I had a question: “Should a person or a team be punished for winning?” Oh, I forgot to mention one pertinent information… the final score was 100 to 0. This is the gist of what happened: 1) A women’s basketball game between 2 private high schools 2) The Christian private school won 100-0 3) The […]
Breaking Habits and Starting New Ones
As I was driving today, I was reminded of an important principle. There is a street near my home where there used to be a stop sign at a railroad track. Now, they have replaced it with railroad signals and a rail guard. I sometimes take this road when I am coming home from a […]
Rewired Sermon Series
This series is a by-product of many months and weeks of discussion with the pastoral staff, as well as with the church staff. In all my counseling session, I have noticed that there is always a common thread to a lot of the problems that people were facing – an incorrect […]
The Fast the Lord Requires
In most sports competitions there is something called a “halftime.” Not only is it a time to rest and refresh for the 2nd half of the game, but it is a time where the coach can speak to the players to help them to refocus on the goal, which is to win. It is amazing […]
The Extinction of Church Discipline
I have always found it amazing when I hear comments from people which expose their self-centered perspective. For example, it is pretty amazing when someone says, “Why can’t that person speak English?!” The most appalling part of this is that they are saying this not in America, but in a foreign country! (I still shake […]
The Burden of One Man
AP Photo Yesterday’s inaugural ceremony was pretty impressive. You can truly feel that something incredible was happening. Not only was history was being made, but there was a sense of unity in the National Mall. In all the news reports and even on the radio, people were commenting about how things […]
The 2009 Presidential Inauguration
AP Photo The tides are changing. The thought of having our first African-American president was unimaginable 20 or 30 years ago. But here we are making history. These are exciting times. Today was the inauguration of our 44th president, Barack Obama. Due to our global staff meeting, I was not able […]
MLK 2009
This year’s Martin Luther King, Jr’s celebration will be like none other. It is amazing how key moments in history intersect with current events. With the inauguration of our first African-American president tomorrow, King’s dream of equality and freedom is becoming a reality. Who would have ever imagined that on the nation’s capital, where King […]
Reflections on the 2009 Retreat
We finished off the retreat today. As I was driving back home with my family (the 2 ladies were sleeping), I had some time to reflect on the retreat. First of all, I was thankful for our worship times. God graciously allowed us to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth (Jn 4:24). There is […]
HMCC Joint Winter Retreat 2009
I’m pumped for our annual congregational winter retreat. We will have HMCC of Chicago join us again this year. The theme for this year is, “Poured Out.” We have been praying that God would pour out his anointing over us at this retreat so that we can then, pour ourselves out […]