Photo from daveyost I am realizing that people who are self-centered and narrow-minded really rub me the wrong way. I know that one area of character development that I need a lot of prayer for is in the area of patience with such people. Sigh. Sometimes I have this crazy dream. […]
Why We Make Horrible Judges
Photo by Getty Images There was an incident that happened recently that just reminded me how human beings make horrible judges. According to the dictionary, the verb, “to judge” is defined as, “to infer, think, or hold as an opinion; conclude about or assess.” First of all, since we are biased […]
The Testimony at Saddleback
Photo from Salon Right before the New Year, Pastor Rick Warren sent out an urgent letter to his congregation at Saddleback Church to consider giving to the $900,000 deficit in the church budget. The church had literally 48 hours to meet the 2009 budget. It is interesting that within hours various […]
Lesson on “Being in Someone Else’s Shoes”
Photo from Stateman Photoblog In light of the Christmas Day terror plot, the White House has been stepping up their rhetoric and actions towards addressing the issue of terrorism. As all the news outlets have been covering the story, it has been quite an interesting display of déjà vu. Without trying […]
Lucky vs. Providence
Photo from Watchmojo The attempted terror plot to blow up Northwest Flight #253 on Christmas Day was barely avoided. For all the passengers on that flight, it must have been a humbling and sobering thought to know that Christmas Day 2009 could have been their last day here on this earth. […]
Counting Down
Photo by Daily World Buzz As people have been counting down for the New Year, I just had a thought. There are a lot of things that we count down for on a regular – birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, vacation, and etc. But not all countdowns elicit the same response. When I […]
Closing Out 2009
Photo by Getty Images With only 5 more hours before the close of 2009, I want to take this time to reflect on God’s faithfulness and goodness. Through all the highs and lows, God has not only shown Himself to be worthy of worship, but a God who can be trusted […]
Big Dreams, A Big God
Photo from indiainfo I was thinking the other day that it must be an exhilarating feeling when you know that you are the first one to do something that no one else in the world has ever done. On May 29, 1953 Sir Edmund Hillary became the first person to reach […]
Importance of the Lighthouse
I have always been challenged and inspired by Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in […]
Christmas 2009 Reflections
Photo by Getty Images It is kind of interesting that the controversy of saying, “Merry Christmas” is not a big issue here in Indonesia. One thing I have noticed in this predominantly Islamic country is that people are usually very tolerant of all the various religions. In fact, Indonesia is one […]
Nobodies into Somebody
Photo from cruciality.wordpress.com I am always fascinated to find Koreans in pretty much every part of the world. I don’t know if it is a pioneering spirit that Koreans have or if it is just the desire to jump on various opportunities. But regardless, there are a lot of Koreans in […]
Obama, Nobel Prize and Grace
Photo by CNN In light of Obama’s acceptance speech of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, I couldn’t help but to think about a very important biblical doctrine – the doctrine of grace. I have seen the speech on the internet and I have (believe it or not) read through […]
The Key to Doing “Easy” Ministry
Photo from Flickr I was reading the other day from Eugene Peterson’s, The Message of Matthew 11:28-30. It captured my attention and helped me to reaffirm what I have been sensing from God throughout this whole year. Peterson writes, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. […]
Failed Commitments
Photo by The North Face I have always been teaching people in our church that you know what is important to a person not by their words, but by their actions because words are cheap, but actions are costly. It has been a rough several weeks for me in the area […]