Whenever someone says that they are not being “fed” by their pastor’s preaching at their church, I tell them to not criticize or complain. Afterall, it is not easy to deliver a good sermon every Sunday. Not every pastor is a good preacher. Rather than expecting your pastor to “feed” you (and I don’t think […]
In my Sunday School lesson, I taught from Charles Stanley’s principle that “you know you are growing in your relationship with Christ when spiritual battles are more fierce and you are still rejoicing.” Rejoicing during hard times is not natural. It’s supernatural, and that is why it is an indication that you are growing spiritually. […]
In the early 80’s when I was in seminary, I was looking for an internship with a church. At the time, the concept of ABC (American Born Chinese) ministry was just beginning to emerge. English-speaking-only Chinese churches without a Chinese congregation were starting to be planted in Southern Cal. (Multi-cultural Asian American churches has not […]
I found this lying around in my house, part of an article by John Piper from DesiringGod.org.: What we mean by the sovereignty of God is captured in paragraph 3.2 of The Bethlehem Baptist Church Elder Affirmation of Faith. The dozens of biblical passages used to support this paragraph are found in the online version. […]
I spoke at my daughter’s college fellowship group retreat on Saturday, and as is always the case, the teacher probably got more out of it than the students. There was good feedback from the girls, and I myself also learned one thing that I need to apply to myself. I said contentment comes when we […]
When you need to make a decision and ask for God’s leading, how do you know what His answer is? Two situations recently taught me something about discerning God’s leading. A friend had to make a decision – yes or no in accepting a position. Me: “Why don’t you ask God to give you a […]
My recent surgery experience taught me a few things about praying for others. *I found it hard to pray for myself. I couldn’t concentrate, and was distracted by attending to immediate details and worries. However, I was reminded that many people were praying for me. I was comforted to know that God heard all those […]
A few weekends ago at our church retreat, the speaker talked about having a memorial of Bible verses. Memorials are things that remind us of something that happened in the past. The Lincoln Memorial, the USS Arizona Memorial. Memorials, often referred to in the Old Testament, also serves to pass on history to future generations. […]
I read this from my daily email from Family Life, and found it very encouraging. As Dennis Rainey says in this piece, I haven’t the foggiest idea of what God is up to. But either He is sovereign or He’s not. Since I believe He is, then that settles that. This is a true story. […]
Our former preaching pastor Mike used to say that we are a Costco generation – when we have a need, we don’t have to ask God for help; we get it from Costco. I find that true of myself. Have a problem? Google it. Call Dr. Laura. Get a self-help book. Ask a friend. Post […]
Jesus calls us to be servants – the greatest is the servant of all. I don’t mind being a servant, if I am the one who volunteers and chooses to be a servant. I determine what I will or will not do. But I don’t like to be forced to be a servant – when […]
I love Psalm 121. When I first learned to drive, in the pre-GPS, pre-Thomas Guide days (all we had were those maps from AAA, you know, the ones that are impossible to refold), I was taught that if I am lost, look for the mountains – the mountains are north. We lived against the foothills […]
Life’s disappointments can wear you down. Rejected for a date, not invited to a friend’s party, didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas – may be relatively minor disappointments and inconsequential in the scheme of things, but still, it can chip away the joy of living. There are the big things too – marriage problems, […]
Yesterday the sermon in church was on knowing God, the foundation of the Christian life. I heard a couple of comments that the content of the sermon didn’t fit the title. They were expecting a different type of sermon about knowing God. In the sermon, our pastor talked about knowing God as holy, a prominent […]
Another sermon on the Lord’s prayer on Sunday, but it never gets old. The sermon reminded me that acknowledging God as our Lord and to submit to him is the first step of prayer. This week, I’ve been praying the words “God, be the Lord over…” when stating my concerns. It gives me the right […]
In 1990, our family moved to Walnut from Pasadena to open a real estate office. (We closed that office a year ago due to the downturn, but that’s another story.) We started attending a small church that met at an elementary school, because we knew a few people there and because the pastor was our […]
On Sunday, I taught the concept of Lent to the children. Lent is generally practiced among Catholics, but it doesn’t hurt if we Protestants practice some kind of giving up of something in preparation for Easter. I explained to the children that whatever we sacrifice, it’s nothing compared to what Jesus did for us when […]
It is true what they say, that the more you know, the more you realize how much you don’t know. I became a Christ follower when I was 16. After 30+ years of being a Christian, you would think I have it down pat basic concepts such as Loving God, Loving People, Knowing the Bible, […]
When you are posed with several options or courses of action, and all of them are good, how do you decide which one God wants you to choose? How do you determine God’s will? I’ve been reading biographies of famous Christians, the children’s versions in story form. They are easy and fun to read, so […]
Our pastor said his senior quote was, “I’ve been crucified with Christ, and it’s no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.” His teacher thought […]