We, humans, sometimes get things backgrounds. In fact, I sometimes wear my shirt backwards. But that’s beside the point. One of the things we often get backwards is the purpose of rest. Oftentimes, we seek rest because we’ve burnt out—physically, mentally, and/or emotionally.
Read MoreGetting the Desires of Our Hearts
What is your heart’s greatest desire? Is it to be able to live a particular lifestyle? Fame and popularity? A type of relationship? Achievement and recognition? A long forgotten dream? A particular future in mind? Everybody’s got desires. Everybody’s heart wants something. We’ll...
Read MoreStories: Mike the Bus Driver
“Hey Mike, is that you?” I yelled from another part of the cafeteria. I was holding a tray of food and preparing to pay for my breakfast at the local Ikea where I meet with other pastors and leaders once a month. Mike glanced in my direction with a confused look on his face. I was...
Read MoreGospel Sharing: Creating an Oikos Map
Several months ago, another pastor shared with me something he referred to as an oikos map*. The word oikos is the Greek word for “household”. An oikos map no doubt refers to the various occasions found in the Bible where a whole household came to faith in Jesus often by the...
Read MoreTransportation vs. Transformation
Many years ago, I heard a pastor cleverly say, “Many people want transportation but they may not necessarily want transformation.” He was referring to the desire of many people to end up in heaven—transportation to the heavenly realm. But they may not necessarily want the...
Read MoreSpirit, Lead Me where My Trust is without Borders
One of my favorite Christian songs is Oceans by Hillsong. It contains a powerful message about trusting and surrendering our lives to Christ. There’s a line in the bridge of the song that really brings it all together for me: “Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders.” I love hearing...
Read MoreSimple Living: Never Leave Home without Your Bible
I bring my Bible with me almost everywhere I go. It’s a practice that I’ve carried with me since my undergrad days. In university, I kept a small red-colored pocket-sized Bible in my bag. It was small and light enough to not be so cumbersome since I had a lot of other books I needed...
Read MoreGospel Sharing: Keep the Conversation Going
As I’ve written several times in this blog, I spend quite a bit of time at a local coffee shop near my home. Not only does the space serve as my regular office, but it also serves as a place where I can meet all kinds of interesting people and have fascinating conversations. Of course...
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