I subscribe to this quarterly journal called "Leadership Journal." In this issue, they are dealing with the topic of "Declutter." Bill Hybels was interviewed by two editors and they addressed the issue of simplifying your life to do all that God has called you to do. They also included an excerpt/story from the book Hybels recently wrote called "Simplify." I made copies of this and put one in each of our team leaders' mailboxes because I wanted them to read it with their wives. In this short story, Hybels talks about how he had decided to stay home four nights a week when his children were very young because of the question his daughter asked him ...

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By the time you read this, I will have left from IAH on my way to Sydney, Australia, arriving there on Monday morning.  It is a little more than a 20-hour flight including a two-hour layover in LA.  I am going there because Pastor Isaac Min, who attended our House Church Seminar for Pastors two years ago, asked me to come and speak at a joint retreat that he is part of.  In fact, he had asked me if I could come and speak in the beginning of 2014, but I couldn't go because of the multiple eye surgeries I had in 2013 as well as the process of recovering.  Pastor Isaac has been persistent in approaching me about coming to speak at this retreat.  So ...

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Several thoughts and ideas were shared during the last Village Leaders' Meeting.  And we sensed that it would be great to make some changes in our house church ministry to reflect what was shared.  These are the changes we will make starting from January 2015. House church shepherds' meetings As of now, our shepherds meet every Wednesday from 7:15 to 9PM except on the first Wednesday when we have House of Prayer and on the last Wednesday of even months when shepherds' wives meet with my wife for a time of sharing, encouragement and prayer.  Beginning next year, however, shepherds will meet monthly on the third Wednesday of every ...

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People think they will be happy if they take and possess stuff.  But Jesus teaches the opposite.  He said, "It's more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20: 35)  We experienced it once again this past Friday when we gave and served the community through Fall Festival. As I was working in my office on Friday afternoon, I could hear the New Life members outside who had come early to set up for Fall Festival.  When I left my office at about 6:15pm and went to the church parking lot, everything was pretty much ready to host the community.  I saw the entire church coming together to serve the community with love and joy.  It was a beautiful ...

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Each year we do Six Day Dinner Fast & Early Morning Prayer to prepare our hearts for the upcoming Fall Retreat. The dinner fast starts from Sunday at 3pm and the early morning prayer from Monday at 5am. And this goes on for six straight days. During the early morning prayer, we spend the first 15 minutes doing our personal devotional time (PDT) using the material I prepare for each day. After that, we pray individually for 30 minutes going over the prayer needs that are listed on the PDT sheet. Then, we all come together as one group and corporately pray the last 15 minutes specifically for the retreat as I call out each prayer topic. It's ...

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Tears came down as I was praying for the 32 participants who will be coming to this year's House Church Seminar for Lay Leaders. They are coming from 13 different churches from the states of Washington, California, Illinois, New York, Tennessee and Texas and the countries of Canada and Brazil. Praying for them brought different memories and thoughts to my mind. I remembered how I used to go to church conferences in the earlier years of New Life. And if I thought that a conference was good, then I would take New Life leaders with me later so we could learn from other churches. My one and only desire was to help New Life become a biblically healthy ...

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