CHRISTIANITY DAILY

O Christmas Tree

Dec 06, 2016

Last Monday, after a good 8 hours of continuous lecturing well into the evening at the seminary, I was well received at home by a bright Christmas tree in the corner of our dark living room. The brightness of the tree began to make my heart feel merry as well.

Five Personal Leadership Lessons I've Learned the Hard Way

Dec 01, 2016

I have positional leadership, but that does not mean I am truly a leader. There are several reasons for this rather negative self-assessment, but the essence of my own evaluation comes from my failure to learn quickly and adjust.

Grace Follows Those Who Are Grateful

Nov 28, 2016

Thomas a Kempis says, “Grace always follows those who are grateful.” Those whom the grace of God follows are the blessed ones. Thomas a Kempis saw that the secret of the blessed one is gratitude. Because they are weak, human beings easily grumble and complain. God knows that human beings cannot help but grumble and complain. But God wants us to be grateful.

Sharing the 'Tofu Gospel' With the Muslim Community

Nov 28, 2016

As they say, evangelizing to the Muslim community is as difficult as it is like trying to break a stone with an egg. It is not as though the Gospel is particularly difficult or inhumane. However, there is a widely held prejudice of hostility leading to the ostracizing and persecution of Christians.

Four Reasons Sunday Attire Is Important to Christian Millennials

Nov 21, 2016

“Those Millennials are so dang selfish. All they care about is their preference of worship style and their grungy clothes.” An older gentleman in a church made that statement to me. I did not make it up. Sadly, he said each of those words.

Start Each Day Anew

Nov 15, 2016

While I was meditating on the Bible, I realized that God wants us to start afresh day by day. In the Bible, there are words such as new work, new spirit, new heart, new covenant, new song, new creation, new self, new life, new commandment, new strength, new wine, and new wineskin, etc. God is still doing something new and creating a new history.

Four Differences Between Programs and Ministry Solutions

Nov 14, 2016

I saw some non-program church leaders using the same resources as churches that were program-centered. I realized then that the definition of programmatic was not necessarily tied to the resources used. Instead I began to see four distinctive differences between what I now called programs and ministry solutions.

Seven Ways Pastors Can Deal With the Monday Blues

Nov 07, 2016

It can be the toughest day of the week for pastors. They have preached with passion and conviction. They have prayed for lives to be impacted. They have worked 15 hours on Sunday. Some have taken the barbs from critics. Others have self-doubt about their sermons. Some are considering quitting.

Why My Faith Means I Must Vote Yes on Prop 62

Nov 07, 2016

California voters will soon decide the future of the death penalty in our state. The November 8th ballot holds two options, Prop 62 and Prop 66. Prop 62 is simple: Replace our failed death penalty system with a life sentence without parole.

I Finished My Dissertation

Oct 21, 2016

I finished. I actually finished my academic requirements for the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree at Talbot School of Theology.

The Seven Deadly Sins of Church Announcements

Oct 21, 2016

Have you ever had a cringe moment listening to church announcements? Most of you are probably nodding your head affirmatively. So what are the biggest factors in bad church announcements? Here are seven of the deadliest.

The Wisdom of Continuing the Valuable Things

Oct 07, 2016

It is a powerful thing to continue the valuable things. The power of life is in continuity. It is critical for breathing to stop. When heart stops beating, it causes fatality. The life of body is preserved as long as breathing continues and heart continues to beat. The reason we cherish prayer is because the prayer is the breath of spirit in the spiritual realm.

Problems Are the Ingredients to Create Miracles

Sep 29, 2016

Life is series of problems. Problems come one after the other. Problems come to us like unwanted guests. A way to live a life wisely is to resolve problems well. In my life, I have encountered numerous problems in my life.

Five Categorical Lies About Pastors

Sep 29, 2016

I’ve had enough. I’ve heard the lies too many times. It’s time for them to end. The lies are about pastors and staff. They are false statements that seem to have some traction. They are diminishing the respect of pastors. And, for the most part, they are undeserved.

The One Who Embraces a Dream Endures

Sep 23, 2016

Dream is future-oriented. The reason I like dream is because embracing dream helps us to leave behind our past. In order to move toward the future, we must leave our past behind.