I'm reading "Letters By A Modern Mystic" by Frank Laubach, who was a missionary to the Philippines. He longed to live in communion with God. He was determined to not let a single minute pass without thinking about God and to ask God's permission before he did anything, including his repetitive daily routines. The letters record his experiences - how hard it is to focus on God throughout the day and the rewards he reaped when he was successful. We may think that trying to focus on God while we're working will distract us, resulting in poor performance. But Laubach believed that people living their daily lives already think about two or three things at ...

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At the end of my last trip to Korea, the board members of House Church Ministries International took a trip together. The board was created according to the bylaws passed last January. 1/3 of the board members are elected every year, so it's necessary to spend time together like this to get to know each other. We decided to have the very first meeting in Korea. We met at Tongyeong, the birthplace of one of the board members. He had claimed that its scenery was as beautiful as the Mediterranean Sea, if not more so. We found that he wasn't exaggerating. Besides its picturesque scenery, Tongyeong is known for being the headquarters of the legendary ...

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One of the core values of the house church is "waiting." We don't push nonbelievers but wait patiently for them to accept Christ. The same goes for new Christians and their spiritual growth. There are many moving stories about infinitely patient shepherds in our church who eventually saw hard-headed people receive Christ and selfish people become servants. Like anything else, however, waiting has a downside: it may create an unhealthy culture in a house church. For example, in some house churches, members take it for granted that they'll meet at their Shepherds' house every week instead of taking turns. In some house churches, members only attend ...

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Some scientists get upset when someone expresses doubt or reservations about evolutionary theory. They call them irrational, ignorant people who don't understand scientific evidence. Science is a tool for explaining natural phenomena. Scientist try to find rules that govern nature. When they think they've discovered such a rule, they presented it as a theory. A theory's validity is tested either experimentally or by applying it to other cases. If a phenomenon is observed that contradicts it, it must be further refined. If a theory cannot be proven by experiment, it remains merely a theory. But when all related phenomenon can be explained by a theory, ...

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It's been 10 years since 9/11. Many magazines published special issues to commemorate the occasion. As a result, the Islam faith has been a recent topic of discussion. However, I've found that many writers have a faulty understanding of Islam. Our staff members studied the Koran together, and based on that, I'd like to share my beliefs concerning the Islamic faith. Before I start, I want to make it clear that Christians have a duty to love Muslims. We should respect their faith even though we disagree with them. If they are discriminated against in the U.S, we should stand alongside them to defend their rights. Still, respecting them doesn't mean we ...

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Seoul Baptist Church has implemented house churches for the adults and children, but not yet for the youth group, who just have small groups. The youth group plans to implement the house church in January. The house church Shepherds will consist of youth group members (instead of Sunday school teachers) and other students will choose their own shepherds as in adult house churches. By serving as shepherds, our youth will develop leadership skills. We also expect higher rates of conversions. A youth pastor serving at a church in California said that the number of youth baptisms at his church increased significantly after implementing the house church ...

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Some people consider me a reckless driver. I wouldn't call myself reckless, just impatient. I know that I'm an impatient driver because when a car in front of me in the fast lane drives slowly, I immediately overtake it on the right lane. Once when we were talking about my driving habits, my son Danny said that my compulsion to be punctual may be the cause of my impatience while driving. I think he's right. I pride myself on being on time. The problem is that I usually give myself just enough driving time to get there exactly on time. So I have to speed when traffic is even slightly more congested than I expected. Impatience is the source of my wild ...

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