I walked into the long anticipated meeting with the senior class a little late due to another meeting I had at another place. I really did not know what to expect. Usually my meetings with people are more one-on-one… and they are usually in a counseling context. The senior class called this meeting because they […]
Criticism
One thing I have learned over the years is that sometimes ministry and criticism go hand in hand. There have been many times when someone in our leadership team has said, “Pastor, did you hear about what this person said about our church?” or “Pastor, do you know what someone said about you?” If I […]
Getting a Second Opinion
My dad just recently went through eye surgery for his cataract. If truth be told, he should have dealt with this eye problem 10 years ago. But for various reasons, he decided to hold off until it got too unbearable. When he went into the ophthalmologist to remove the cataract, the doctor mentioned that since […]
Northwestern Meeting
Christina and I drove out to Northwestern University yesterday. It was a fun drive because we ended up reminiscing about our courting days. I couldn’t believe the number of times we went to the “rocks” to look at Lake Michigan… the number of drives down Lake Shore Drive and Sheridan Road. Then the million dollar […]
Easter 2006
It was a full house! We packed out Mendelssohn Theater. This year’s Easter Celebration was filled with exuberance and creativity. Our first church choir did a great job. The dance team’s presentation of the resurrection reminded me of my dance party days… I don’t know if my body can move like that anymore… haha! […]
Good Friday 2006
We decided to try something different this year for our Good Friday service. For the response time after the message, we asked people to pick up a candle and head out to the Diag (the center of campus). We put a big cross in the Diag for public display and we just ended up worshipping […]
Hosanna 2006
For the last four years, many of the churches in the Washtenaw County gathered together to worship the Lord on Palm Sunday. This year the worship gathering was special. The theme and focus of the night was: “All the Nations.” It was incredible to see all the flags that were represented. But the most enjoyable […]
Candlestick Holders and Grace
Yesterday, Christina and I had the privilege of going to see Les Misérables in Detroit’s Fisher Theatre. Some people in our church gave the tickets (and even provided babysitting) as a Christmas gift to us. Since Christina loves musicals, this was probably one of the best Christmas gifts she has received. It was a powerful […]
Lessons From “24”
I have to admit that I was a late-comer to the TV show “24”. My first thought was who in the world would waste their precious time to watch a show about a person’s life, one hour at a time. It did not make sense to me. But after some coaxing and in the name […]
Jury Duty
If there is a spiritual gift for getting picked for jury duty, I would have it. This is my 3rd time. In the previous 2 times I was not selected to sit as a juror, but this time around I had the magic number. It started off with about 50+ of us in a jury […]