Last night, I had a phone conference with some of the HMCC alumni. We had close to 20 people on this phone conference and it was awesome reconnecting with them. I had them go around and share what they were doing currently and the one thing they missed about HMCC. I was able to see […]
An Alumni Blessing
It is always good to reconnect with our HMCC alumni. There are times when I wonder if some of the graduates from our church are living a life of transformation. Ever since the start of our church, we have always been committed to “transforming lives and transforming the world.” This is why it is always […]
Influencing Through Writing
I have been trying to encourage a lot of our members to find avenues to influence the world for Jesus Christ. Sometimes people have a hard time trying to figure out how they can incorporate their gifts, skill sets, purpose, and passions together. Some people think there is an oxymoron when it comes to being […]
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 […]
New Beginnings 2008
Yesterday, Christina and I sat down and set some new goals for our marriage, our family and our sphere of influence. This is something that we have always done from the start of our marriage back in 1996. This gives us a purpose and a target to strive for throughout the new year… without it […]
Malaysia and Indonesia
Today, Christina and I will be heading out to Kuala Lumpur to join some of AMI missionaries to have our first AMI International conference. This is something that we have been dreaming about and talking about amongst the AMI Trans-Local Team (TLT). As we see more people being sent out, we are trying to continue […]
The Trans-Cultural Church
Several weeks ago, I introduced a new term in our church in Ann Arbor and this coming Sunday people in Chicago will hear it for the first time. The term is, “The Trans-Cultural Church.” We have heard a lot of the multi-cultural and multi-ethnic church, but we are trying to create a new ethos within […]
Another Scouting Trip
Pastor Ben and I will be heading out to the airport in about 3 hours. As you know, we are trying to secure another campus location for a future church plant. Part of the joy in going to other campuses is to just see what God is up to in that area. Even in our […]
Video Sermon History
This coming Sunday due to my travel to HMCC of Chicago, we are going to do our first video sermon in Ann Arbor. I am praying that we will expect the similar results as in Chicago, if not greater here in the “mother church.” When we first showed the video sermon in Chicago, Pastor Jimmy […]
International Students on the Rise
There was an interesting article on the Michigan Daily yesterday. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, we have seen a drop in international students coming to the States to study. But a recent study has shown that the number has increased this year. This is an awesome thing in light of missions and the greater vision […]
International Sunday Celebration
Tomorrow, we will have our first-ever international Sunday Celebration. This has been 10 years in the making. I have always wanted to have a service where we can sing worship songs in multi-languages and to read Scripture in various tongues. It is going to be exciting to cap off our Missions […]
Mission Possible: Multi-Ethnic Churches
For the last 11 years, we as a church have been trying to develop a multi-ethnic church. Even though we are not exactly where we want to be, we are committed to making some progress in this area. This is probably one of the hardest goals for a church to reach. Through various sermons, talks […]
Crucial Component of College Campuses
I was away the last 2 days visiting a college campus. I went out to scout the campus for a possible church plant in the future. As I was walking around, I couldn’t help but to get convicted about the important role college campuses play in the overall purpose and mission of God. As I […]
Missions Week 2007
We started off our annual Missions Week. This is a great time for our church to really focus in on the heart of our church and the bigger purpose of God. Every year, I am humbled to see how a concentrated time of tapping into God’s heart can produce life transformation. […]