From the Pastor’s Desk (251) It’s been three months since we went into lockdown due to COVID-19. Through many citizens’ participation, we have been able to flatten the curve. Even though we are hearing stories of coronavirus flaring up in certain parts of our nation and around the world, it appears that the situation is not as dire as it was a few months ago when the virus that was new and unfamiliar seemed to spread rapidly. As we have been going through the lockdown, we have been made aware that social distancing, though it was necessary for all of us, hurt us in many ways as well. It also has been evident that certain groups of people ...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (250) It has been six weeks already since we have resorted to YouTube livestream for our Sunday worship service. This has been a new experience for all of us especially for me who is not technologically inclined at all. However, we have managed to worship God virtually together as one body of Christ. At first, it was awkward for me to be in the sanctuary with a small group of Magnification Team members praising God and preaching to them. I felt like I was in a recording studio. But as weeks went on, all of us who came out to church to provide worship service for New Life family got used to this new way of doing things. ...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (249) The entire world seems to be consumed with COVID-19 the past several weeks. Houston where we live is not any exception. Just a few days ago, one major university announced that they are shutting down the school for the remaining of the semester and all the students except few whose homelands are more susceptible to COVID-19 are asked to go home. The students will receive their instruction from their professors through online teaching. New Life has been committed to “Give, suffer and die” for Christ and his kingdom. And I think I can honestly say that we have done our best to live that life before God. Even in ...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (248) January 26, 2020 Those of you who had the opportunity to serve on the Leadership Team with me in the past know how I am not too fond of online giving. I believe that giving is a very important part of our Sunday corporate worship service. As we set aside a portion of our income to prepare our offering in cash or check at home during the week and physically place it into an offering basket, I would like for us to use that moment to thank and worship God who has provided us with a job and allowed us to earn an income. But I feel that it is hard to do this with online giving. However, times have changed. Many of ...

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In about a month from now, I will be taking my first sabbatical ever. Since I have never done this before, I don’t know what to expect or what will come out of it. But because it is in our pastoral staff policy and the Holy Spirit seems to be leading me to this, I am obeying His guidance. At first, I thought about completely staying away and resting from church ministry. So, I planned not to come to church for any reason even when I am in town. Instead, I thought about attending different churches to experience different styles of worship and learn from them. After giving some thought, however, I realized that I shouldn’t restrict myself ...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (246) Lynette and I have been serving as College House Church Village Leaders for the past almost nine years. Though it was very meaningful and fulfilling to serve in this capacity, we have realized for some time that we can’t do a great job in this ministry while serving the whole church as the senior pastor couple. College house church is unique in that there is a very high turnover rate. College students typically stay in Houston and study in their school for about four or five years. After that, many of them graduate and move away from the city. This means, our college students get exposed to and experience New ...

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On November 30, 1994, my family (Lynette, Enoch, Caleb in Lynette’s womb and I) left Watertown, MA to come to Houston and serve as a youth pastor at Seoul Baptist Church. We loaded our belongings into a Budget rental truck while it was snowing, towed a white Honda Accord LX, and drove 1,850 miles in four days and three nights. We made stops to sleep in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Alabama. We arrived in Houston on Saturday, December 3. The church helped us to find an apartment on Jones and West Rd. Several deacons and their wives from the church helped us unload our belongings so we could move in quickly. One deacon took us out for dinner at ...

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