Photo from Craziestgadgets This morning, I was reminded of this quote from Charles E. Hummel’s book, The Tyranny of the Urgent: “Jesus did not finish all the urgent tasks in Palestine or all the things He would have liked to do, but He did finish the work which God gave Him […]
HMCC Inaugural Celebration in Indonesia
It has been a few days since our Inaugural Sunday Celebration and I had some time to soak in and reflect on what God has been doing here in Indonesia. Here are some of my thoughts: 1) Church planting requires 110% commitment. I have been telling our team that church planting is not for […]
The Impact of One Person
This week has been a sobering week for me – not only in trying to prepare for the Inaugural Sunday Celebration, but more importantly because I attended a funeral service for a woman that I just met once. It is hard to believe that a person that you have only met once can make […]
Going Through the Open Doors
Photo by Sierrasong It is just amazing how God gives us opportunities to experience new things every single day. But one caveat to this is that when God does open the doors, then we need the discernment and the courage to obey or we will miss the opportunities. This principle was […]
Internationals Making a Difference
One of the fascinating things that I have been discovering over the years is that there are many international students who come to the States to study. By pastoring on a college campus, I have seen many international students who represent many nations come to the States and then return to their country. In […]
Preview Sunday Celebration
This past Sunday we had our Preview Celebration at the location where we will be holding our church gatherings on Sunday. There was a lot of anticipation building up to the Sunday. In fact, it was a mixture of excitement and nervousness. The team and I were excited because this is why we committed […]
Success Cannot Measure Us
Photo from csuohio.edu We live in such a success oriented culture, not just in the States but even here in Asia. I think it starts when we are young. When we do well in school, in sports, and extra-curricular activities our parents and friends praise us. When we win awards and […]
Back to Preaching
Photo by Barry Dean This Sunday, we are going to have our Preview Sunday Celebration here in Karawaci at 10:30AM. This is the service before the official inaugural launch on September 6th. The team and I are so excited to get things officially started. Even though we have started LIFE groups […]
Challenging the Status Quo
Photo by Sweetliferving I have been amazed at the number of frozen yogurt places that are here in Indonesia. Let’s see… we have: Sour Sally, Sour Mary, Icy Blue, J. Co, Twistberry, Tutti Fruiti, Iceblazz, and the list goes on and on. On one hand, I ask myself, “Why are there […]
A Memorial for a Mother
Photo on Flickr Yesterday I had the privilege of attending a one year remembrance memorial service for a woman who made a huge impact in Indonesia. But more importantly, the impact that she had on her family was truly inspiring. Since this lady was a prominent figure, there were many people […]
The Start of Ramadan 2009
Photo by MLive I was always aware of the importance of Ramadan for Muslims while I was in Ann Arbor, but for some reason it has more significance now that we are out here in Indonesia. Just knowing that Indonesia has the largest Muslim population is a strong reminder that many […]
Game Night 2009
There are some things in life that are universal. What I mean by universal is simply that no matter what ethnicity or background you are from, there are things that everyone shares in common and understands. Some of those things are laughter and having fun. Tonight, we held a game night event at the […]
Celebrated Our Team’s 1st B-Day
It is hard to believe that it has been over a month that the team and our family have been together here in Indonesia. We have already gone through a lot of things together and have become more of a family unit. We are learning the biblical principles of Acts 2 in a real […]
Meeting Various Pastors
One of the great joys I often get to experience is meeting different pastors and hearing their stories. Today, I was out in Jakarta meeting up with a pastor who was introduced to me through one of the HMCC of Ann Arbor member’s father. This pastor was the shepherd for the member’s family while […]