It been great spending time with Jackson and Rachel. I am so proud of them as they are heading up HMCC-SGP. I have been also meeting up with some alumni and new members of this church. God is at work and we want to continue to participate in what He is doing here in […]
Singapore Trip 9.2010 – Update 1
I have decided to change things up and instead of writing in my blog, I will do a video blog. I will try to write from time to time, but I am going to give this a try throughout my trip to Asia. One thing I love about being out here, in these global […]
Check Out Other Churches?
Photo from luckysupermarket.ca Some people would ask me why I encourage newcomers to check out other churches. It just seems so counter-intuitive. They say, “Pastor, aren’t you suppose to grow the church instead of shrinking it by asking people to check out other churches?” I have my reasons and I am […]
The Best Advertisement
Photo on gawrilla.com In the early years of our church, we spent a lot of money on advertisement to introduce and promote our church and our activities. For some reason, we thought this was the best way to get the word out about this new church plant. I think all the […]
TEAM Community Summit 8.26.10
Photo on kanjini.org Every year, before all the madness begins with the start of the new year’s ministry, all the leaders of our LIFE Groups (small group ministry) and the leaders of our various ministry teams, come together to pray and prepare. I always look forward to this time because I […]
A Time to Retreat
Photo on kriyayoga.com It is hard to believe that God has given me the privilege of serving HMCC for the last 14 years. With all its ups and downs, my heart is filled with gratitude and joy as I think about the many transformations that I have been able to witness […]
Ashamed of the Gospel?
Photo on leftnewsandviews.com It was interesting to read what Barna Group recently discovered regarding teenagers (ages 13-17) and evangelism. Not only is the “spirituality” of teenagers slowly waning, but they are less likely to share Christ in their conversations. You can read the whole article here. In Barna’s survey, they specifically […]
Beauty Will Rise
On May 21st, 2008, Steven Curtis Chapman’s five-year-old daughter, Maria Sue Chapman, was killed in an accident. The hardest thing about this accident was that Maria was accidentally killed by her older brother, as he was driving into the driveway of their home. I can’t even imagine the devastation and the […]
Reminders from Weddings
Photo on life123.com As a pastor, I have done my fair share of performing wedding ceremonies for couples. I have also attended many weddings just as a guest. In many ways, weddings are pretty similar and standard. Lighting of candles by mothers, the processional, cute kids, the bride, songs, prayer, message, […]
Construction and Change
Photo on ci.fridley.mn.us As soon as we arrived to Ann Arbor, my family and I realized that there was a lot of road construction going on in this city. When the boys and I went out on an errand, one of them asked about the increase in construction on the streets. […]
NFL – “Not For Long”
Photo on blogspot.com There was a USA Today article the other day that caught my attention. It described how so many NFL (National Football League) players go bankrupt after their career is over. The sobering statistic was that the average football player’s career last only 3.5 years. This means that after […]
The Discipline of Gratitude
Photo on beliefnet.com We have all heard the adage that states, “We need an attitude of gratitude.” I am realizing that having a grateful heart does not come easily. Simply, it is not natural. In fact, it is something that has to be trained in a person. No one is born […]
The Blame is Always on the Leader
Photo on guardian.co.uk In John Maxwell’s book, The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, he writes, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” This principle is seen in every major area of life. If a family is struggling, then there is some connection with the husband not taking responsibility of leading his […]
God Works and So Do We
Photo on regex.info Recently in my prayer time, God put a phrase in my heart – “Let God do the saving, while you do the serving.” I am constantly reminded of the paradox of God’s Sovereignty and human responsibility. We cannot have one without the other. If we only have one, […]