If any of you have ever been in a leadership role, you will know that being a leader is not easy. In fact, one of the hardest parts of leadership is addressing issues that arise with the people you are leading.

Lt. Gen. David Morrison, who is Australia’s Chief of Army, addressed his troops directly via video about an investigation regarding explicit e-mails about female staffers that were sent by officers and other soldiers. It is an effective video because it has all the good characteristic traits of admonishing people who fail to act with integrity and honor, which can ultimately ruin an organization.

Jena McGregor, a columnist for The Washington Post writes,

This style might not suit everyone, but it is a good lesson for all leaders to learn how to address issues when it affects the whole organization.
 
 

 
Being a father is probably one of the hardest callings in the world. But once you embrace it, there is nothing more fulfilling. On this Father’s Day, I am thankful for the privilege of being a father to my three children.

It is my prayer that I will continue to do my best to reflect Christ in all that I do, even though at times I fail.

To all the fathers at HMCC, I am thankful that we are on this journey together. Let’s raise up the next generation of people who will transform the world.
 
 

 
In a world filled with superficial romances, it is refreshing to hear about a love story that is leaving people flabbergasted. Often times, when people try to find someone to spend the rest of their lives with, they fluctuate on the extremes. They either look for someone with “form” (looks, height, body shape, ethnicity, etc) or someone who will play the spouse “function” (meet their needs, companionship, have children, etc).

We all want both – the form and the function.

But sometimes God might surprise us with a person that will not have everything that we wanted as a little kid watching all the Disney movies.

Fact: We will all get old and some aspects of the “form” WILL change. Also, as a couple goes through different life-stages, the “function” WILL change or even disappear.

This is why it is imperative that we find a person that we believe God is preparing for us in order to make us more holy and Christ-like. There will never be a “perfect” person because we are all sinful. But we are gradually being made “perfect” (Col 1:28) by His grace as we reflect more of Christ in our lives.

Here is a video of Nick Vujicic and Kanae Miyahara and their incredible love story. There is no denying that God is the author of it. Their story is also being used as a powerful testimony to demonstrate the greatness, goodness, and glory of God.

May God write all of our love stories for the full display of His glory!
 
 
 

 
This TEDS video inspired me. It reminded me of an important life lesson that I keep on forgetting in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of life. So often in life, we try to achieve lofty goals but in the process we lose our heart.

Ji-Hae Park is an incredible violinist who had aspirations of becoming a world famous violinist; but in that pursuit she fell into a severe depression. What was once a love of her life became something that led her to a downward spiral.

The irony of her story is that music eventually led her out of the depression.

But now, the key difference is that she is playing the violin to show forth the beauty of music to the world. Ji-Hae’s love for music became a gift that she shared with people. She learned that if she played just for her fame and fortune, it would lead to despair. But if she played for others to enjoy the power of music, it would lead to freedom and joy.

When you watch the video, you will see the joy and passion shine.

I’m wondering how many of us lost the sense of wonder and joy of our relationship with Christ. We might have replaced it with meetings, serving and doing a lot of tasks for Jesus. But what did all those things lead to?

It is critical that we get back to the heart of worshiping Jesus for who He is. This is when people will be able to see a joy and passion like never before.
 
 
 

 
I am constantly reminded about the importance of the father-son relationship. Even though the son’s relationship with his mother is just as important, there is something unique about the father-son relationship.

I have been trying to teach my boys about being a R.E.A.L. man. The acronym stands for: Reject passivity, Exemplify integrity, Accept responsibility, Lead courageously. A person can learn these principles from anyone, but when a son sees these traits modeled by their dad, it powerfully reinforces the significance of manhood.

This is something I want to keep on growing in, as my time with my boys will be limited as they go off to college.

The best way to teach them principles is by spending time with them. It is critical to find teaching moments through the daily things of life. I am praying that every father can make the investment to raise up the next generation of men.
 
 

 
Happy Mother’s Day, especially to Christina who has exemplified what it means to be a Proverbs 31 woman. The longer I observe what mothers go through, I more I realize that it is one of the most difficult roles a person can play. Too often, we don’t fully understand what mothers go through because we are not walking in their shoes.

It is easy to take mothers for granted. But if we can look at life from their perspective, we would be more thankful for all that they do.

This video show the limited and self-centered perspective of a child. One day, when the boy has his own family, he will understanding the sacrifice that his mother went through for him.

I am thankful for my mother and all the sacrifice that she has made for me throughout the year. I am also thankful for Christina and her life of sacrifice that she is demonstrating to our family. We are forever blessed!
 
 

 

Photo by gbtan.org
 
 
 
This weekend we are having our leadership team summit for the 18th time in our church’s history. It is hard to believe that HMCC in Ann Arbor is finishing off its 17th year of ministry. There are lots of memories. Lots of ups and downs. But at the end of the day, there is nothing but joy and thankfulness for all that God has accomplished.

Sometimes when we do the same routine for a long period of time, it is easy to forget about God’s faithfulness. We quickly forget the history of how things got started. As I pause and reflect on the last 17 years, I am grateful that God brought us through different seasons. Many people have come and gone; and we have raised up many generations of people who are now making an impact around the world.

This weekend we are starting our 18th leadership team. With the new generation of people on our leadership team, it is important that tap into the 17 years of history and tradition. I was inspired by the Michigan Football Tradition. I always found it fascinating that they name their football team according to a number. This year’s 2013 team will be Team 134. The reason behind this is because of the 134 years of Michigan Football. The 2014 team will be Team 135.

Starting this year, we are going to use the University of Michigan football team number reference to identify our leadership team. Therefore, this year’s leadership team will be known as TEAM Community Team 18.

The reasons for this are:

I am looking forward to partnering up with Team 18. It is going to be a great year!
Let’s win some championships!

 
This song has been on repeat throughout the day. There are times when a song has a way of ministering to you at just the right time. Usually, it is a combination of the song’s words and the situation you are facing at the moment.
 
 

 
There is something very beautiful about blending in various styles of music together. Not only does it give a fresh flavor to the song, but it highlights the uniqueness of the different styles. I have always been a Gospel Choir lover. I still remember my first Gospel Choir concert that I attended when I was in college. It gave me goosebumps as they were singing songs with so much passion, rhythm and soul.

In many ways, it is similar in the Body of Christ. When people with different personalities, talents and gifts come together, beautiful music is created. When everyone is in sync, it glorifies God. I am praying that churches in a region or a city is able to understand this. No two churches are exactly alike. This is why we need to learn how to appreciate and honor different churches in our area.

When we are able to come together in unity, the world will be able to hear God’s melodies; and there is a good possibility that they might even like it.

This is one of my favorite U2 songs, but the song was elevated even higher with the Harlem Gospel Choir step into the picture.
 
 

 
God always has a way of taking something that is familiar and giving it a fresh perspective. The Cambodian church that we visited on Sunday was singing the song, “I Can Sing of Your Love Forever.” I think I sang that song hundreds of times, but for some reason, when I heard it sung in Khmei and the people who have been rescued from sex slavery started to sing, it wrecked me.

It was at that moment, I realized (again) how a song is powerful not only because of the words and the music, but because of what it means to the person who is singing it. This is why worship is always a good indication of what is going on in a person’s heart.
 

 
We arrived safely in Phnom Penh on Thursday morning. Then we spend the afternoon walking around the city and observing everything that was happening around us. In the evening we did some investigative filming. It was truly eye-opening.

Then on Friday we spent the whole working with a ministry. It was a phenomenal place filled with incredible people. Even though it has only been 2 days in Cambodia, God is speaking powerfully to us. We are truly grateful and humbled by what we are seeing here.
 
 

 
We are at the airport and waiting in the lounge to catch our flight. The team and I are excited to experience all that God has in store for us. I believe that this is the beginning of greater things for our LIBERTY Mission movement.

Please keep us in your prayers as we work with various organizations that are on the frontlines of the human slavery fight. I will be updating through the trip via Twitter and on this blog.