The world was never transformed by people who followed the crowd or went with the status quo. The world has been shaped (and will probably always be shaped) by people who think differently. For some reason, they listen to a different drum beat. This is the reason why the early church that we see […]
The Ripple Logo
Photo by HMCC-AA Publication Team Over the years, people have asked me about our church logo. The genesis of this logo goes back to 1990 when I was a student at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. It was my senior year and it was a difficult year. I felt completely […]
Are We on Standby?
Photo on topnews.us One of the frustrating things that I experience on my travels is when I have to wait for a delayed flight. Sometimes I am waiting at the gate to board, but there are no signs that we are going to board soon. I have also been in situations […]
The Gospel Choir Version
There is something about a gospel choir that just makes a song reach a whole new level. My first time hearing a gospel choir was when I was in college. I still remember how I got goose bumps as I heard different gospel songs at the concert. After this experience, I got hooked. Now, […]
Why New York City?
Some of you might have already heard about the possibility of starting a HMCC LIFE Group in New York City this summer, which will hopefully turn into a church plant one day. One thing I value very highly is the dissemination of information. To be more exact, I value the dissemination […]
Paramount Sermon Series
Photo by HMCC-AA Publication Team I am so excited to start a whole new sermon series on the Book of Colossians throughout the months of May through August. It has been awhile since we have systematically studied a whole book together on Sundays. But the more I began to pray through […]
Innovators, Idealists, and Influencers (Pt 2)
I have been greatly encouraged to see God placing many future innovators and influencers in our church. As soon as I posted my entry on “Innovators, Idealists, and Influencers” (I3) yesterday, I received an e-mail with a video link. As I was watching it, I was reminded of several more things: 1) I3’s are […]
Innovators, Idealists, and Influencers
Photo from www.smithsonianmag.com I have an insatiable appetite for information. Couple that with a hunger and fascination with history and you get a person who is constantly reading, discovering, and asking questions. Sometimes my curiosity frustrates people (sorry); and it is often times misunderstood for my knack of “cornering people” to […]
Strategy for Planting Churches
Created by Paul Bulter, an intern at Facebook Recently, there have been an increasing number of people asking me, “How do we, as a church, decide which city or campus to plant a church in?” I think in light of our 2020 Vision, we are trying to come up with some […]
The Freshmen Class
Photo by Washington School Inn I realized that serving as a pastor on a college campus is like a double-edged sword. On one hand, there is a great sense of joy because I am able to meet a new batch of freshmen every year, as they start their college years. Then […]
God is Mapping Detroit
I was able to catch part of the Super Bowl in Austin, TX. The leadership team and my crew went out to eat and then headed back to Pastor Ben’s place to catch the 2nd half of the Super Bowl game. We were all trying to be polite to one another as we were […]
A Vision for Detroit
Photo by Getty Images When you look throughout the Bible, you will notice the significance of cities. It was in particular cities where God revealed Himself and where He sent people to declare His truth. As we specifically look at the early church, we notice that once persecution started (Ac 8:1), […]
SGP & JKT 2010 Update 5
Today, I had the opportunity to have dinner with the church planting team. It was great to reconnect with everyone. The dinner conversation covered everything from some personal experiences here in Indonesia to updating on the happenings in the various HMCC churches back in the States. Other conversations I am not permitted to mention […]
Advancing Together with the 2020 Vision
Photo by HMCC-AA Publication Team It has been about a month since we shared the 2020 Vision with all the HMCC churches. Once again, this is an endeavor that will require a tremendous amount of faith and prayer. Throughout history, whenever great things were accomplished, there were several traits consistently present: […]