From the Pastor’s Desk (300) Choosing a gift that truly brings joy to another person’s heart is no easy task. To do so, we must know what that person desires and what brings delight to the depths of their heart. Yet we cannot fully know one another’s hearts. That is why, at times, cash becomes the safest gift—it allows the recipient to choose what they truly want. But God is different. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He understands even our weaknesses, longings, and needs that we cannot fully express in words. Therefore, God prepared for ...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (299) Every once in a while, I hear about some frustrating things that certain members of New Life do, and I feel the need to address them clearly and directly. If I don’t, the DNA of New Life could be altered—and I am not about to let that happen. There are certain things here at New Life that every member does—without exception. Why? Because the church is the family of God, which means New Life is God’s family. And in any family, there are things that every family member does without exception. If you have a family where only a few ...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (298) We just completed our Fall Retreat with about 800 adults, college and youth students, and children attending at Camp Allen, which is probably the most beautiful retreat center in Texas. Everything went so smoothly, and everyone was blessed in so many ways. This is what happens when Christ’s church functions the way it was intended, according to the Bible—with everyone doing his or her part joyfully, gratefully, and skillfully in response to the grace shown to us through Christ and His finished work on the cross. When everyone contri...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (297) I’m writing to you because there has been some confusion regarding this topic. I’ve heard the following statements from various people: “As long as you commit to eventually work your way up to tithing, you can sign the Class 201 covenant and graduate.” “You don’t have to tithe from your gross income—you can tithe from your net income and still graduate from Class 201.” Because of this confusion, I’ve had interns who came to my home for the shepherds' orientation—right before their house church was about to ...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (296) We are hosting another House Church Seminar for Lay Leaders. This past Friday morning, our House Church Seminar Team prepared pho for participants who had arrived early for the seminar. I also enjoyed a bowl myself. This was possible because we have a significant number of Vietnamese brothers and sisters in our English-speaking congregation. While enjoying that bowl of pho, Pastor Young G. Chai naturally came to mind. Almost 30 years ago, when I started New Life Fellowship, I felt a strong conviction and desire, based on Matthew 28, to ...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (295) The two weeks of my ministry in Maui are now coming to an end. I will leave Maui very late Tuesday night and arrive in Houston early Wednesday afternoon. The ministry I have been doing here over the past 11 days has been very similar to what I did last year. Last year, I led and preached a 20–25 minute message during the early morning prayer service at 6 AM from Tuesday to Saturday. I also led and preached during their Wednesday evening services at 7 PM. On Sundays, I preached three messages—once in English and twice in Korean. In ...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (294) After the House Church Conference for Pastors ended last Thursday, the pastor couples who are serving as the regional shepherds finished their meeting and went out for dinner. My wife and I were seated with Pastor Inki Kim and his wife, and Pastor Daeho Yu and his wife. Pastor Inki Kim serves as the executive director of the North American House Church Ministry, and Pastor Daeho Yu is the senior pastor of God’s Family Church in Southern California. Both of them have a great sense of humor, and every time the conference is held, they ...

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