The heart of the Christian faith is loving relationships - a loving relationship with God and loving relationships with neighbors. A loving relationship with God can be expressed differently, just as you have different loving relationships with different people. In some families, children speak to their father very politely, as to a guest, and this respectful attitude doesn't mean there's no love between them. In other families, children talk to their fathers like friends, and this casual attitude doesn't mean there's no respect between them. Different children simply express their love and respect differently. There must be both love and respect in ...

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I don't like making a big fuss over small things. Before I became a Christian, to me a wedding ceremony was just a formal process that gave legitimacy to two people who wanted to live together. Accordingly, I felt that my own simple wedding ceremony, which was attended by only a handful of people, was still fussing over nothing and that the sooner we got it over with, the better. I feel that funerals are also things we can easily make too much fuss over. In my will, I've requested that my funeral ceremony be as simple as possible and that my body be cremated. I don't want people to make too much fuss over burying my body, which to me is simply the ...

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Pluralism is the prevailing pathos of today. Many people believe that all religions - for example, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, or Confucianism - are essentially the same. Their goals are the same; only their methods differ. People who say this don't understand religion and obviously believe in none. If they did, they wouldn't say absurd things like this because the founders of these four major religions wouldn't agree. Would Mohammed say that Christianity and Islam are the same? No! He would say that Christianity is wrong because Christians believe that Jesus - whom Muslims consider a great prophet but still only a human being - is a god. Would ...

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We often hear from people who claim that they visited heaven. I often wonder if what they saw was truly heaven or if it's merely something that happened in their brains. My skepticism increases when even non-Christians report similar experiences. For the annual 10-day early morning prayer meetings in January, I've chosen to go over "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn. I'll preach from it as usual and I'd like you read it before you come. Alcorn is a seminary professor who has published many books. In this book, he describes what heaven will look based solely on Scripture. He believes that we won't live ghostly lives after we die but fuller lives. We'll ...

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In a previous Pastor's Corner, I shared some of my health secrets: shaking my hands and feet in a clapping motion 200 times just before going to bed and right after getting up, drinking a large glass of water as soon as I get up in the morning, and drinking a glass of water with 2 spoonfuls of vinegar twice a day. Let me share a few more. First, when I feel tired, I immediately lie down on my back on a mat placed on the hard floor with an eye mask and rest for 15 to 20 minutes. It's not a nap. As you know, our sleep has cycles. If we are awakened during a deep sleep stage, we feel more tired. We want to wake up before reaching that stage. 15 to 20 ...

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Our speaker today, Pastor Choi, will be joining our church as an Assistant Pastor in January. He will take over some of Pastor Sookwan Lee's current responsibilities when he becomes Senior Pastor. Pastor Choi will also be involved in the singles' ministry and will eventually take it over from Pastor Lee. Since the position of assistant pastor involves working for our future senior pastor, I let Pastor Lee decide who to hire. I believe he made an excellent choice. When I choose coworkers, I look for three qualities: First, are they successful in what they do? Second, do they have good relationship skills? Third, are they faithful in ministry? Pastor ...

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Many people wonder how I handle my workload without getting sick or tired. I'm surprised by my health myself. I wasn't this healthy when I worked in the corporate world - I usually missed at least a day or two a year from sickness. However, since I became Senior Pastor of Seoul Baptist Church about 19 years ago, I've never missed preaching on a Sunday due to health, except for one Sunday after I had an appendectomy. God, who promises to take care of us when we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, has been faithful as I've tried to live my life pursuing those two things. Everything comes from God's grace, but there are a few things we need to ...

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