Sunday Service
- Adult 1st Service: 9AM
- Adult 2nd Service: 11AM
- Youth Service: 10:45AM
Legalization of same-sex marriage
On June 26, Supreme Court made a decision that same-sex marriage is legal nationwide. Prior to this ruling, same-sex marriages were permitted in 37 states and in 13 states it was illegal. With this ruling, same-sex couples can enjoy a host of benefits supported by the federal government such as wealth sharing, inheritance, and adoption, etc. Since Obama government declared that they would support legalization of same-sex marriage, it was expected that it might happen, but it seems that it happened earlier than expected.
The definition of marriage is no longer a union of ...
Don’t Let Your Children Come to Me…for Now!
I have had shingles for the past few weeks. It's been pretty painful. You can read about it on WebMD or Mayo Clinic. Shingles is not contagious to those who have had chicken pox or received chicken pox vaccine. There is no cure for this. It has to run its course. The most you can do is to take some medicine or apply cream to shorten the duration of the virus or relieve the pain temporarily.
One doctor from New Life prescribed the cream for me because I asked him for one. When I went to the pharmacy to pick it up, I was told that it is $45 even with my insurance. I left ...
My Children’s Last High School Graduation
My youngest son, Josiah, graduated from high school last Sunday. I don't know why schools have graduation ceremonies on Sundays these days or when this all started. For some reason, it doesn't sit well with me.
Last Sunday was Pulpit Exchange Sunday with our Korean speaking congregation. They have three worship services. The third one begins at 2:30pm and ends at about 4:15pm. So, I was able to make it to the graduation after preaching three times since it began at 7pm.
Once again, I didn't get to sit in one of those seats where the family members of the top ten ...
Why New Life Doesn’t Allow Members to Raise Funds for Mission Trips
Just recently I received four support letters from college students who are not members of New Life. They are all planning to go on a mission trip this summer and they each needed to raise at least $3,000 if not more for their trip. This is a lot of money.
As I was making online contributions for them, various thoughts came to mind in regards to church and missions. Why are they asking for money to go on a mission trip? Why is it that their church is not taking care of them? What will they learn and gain from participating in these mission trips?
Many ...
House Church or Village Outings
New Life has come to a point where we can't just think about our own well-being. There are several churches that are looking to us for direction and guidance. And this is especially true among those churches whose pastors attended house church seminar and are committed to do house church ministry.
In light of this, I would like to ask you to make Sunday corporate worship non-negotiable. When you are on vacation with your family, it is perfectly fine to worship at another church if you are outside of Houston. And if you are camping with your family in a remote place ...
Do not abuse social drinking
We have some members who are alcoholics. Some struggle a lot with alcohol and lose the battle repeatedly. Some, on the other hand, struggle but are making a courageous decision to stay sober each and every day as they rely on the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer and others holding them accountable. It is a beautiful thing!
Due to the fact that we have members who are fighting against alcoholism, my stance on social drinking has been very firm especially for those who are serving in a leadership capacity: no drinking in public period!
However, as I watched and ...
Helping other churches that are trying to do house church
We have many medical school students here at New Life. After four years of studying, they all have to apply and get matched to a residency program to get more practical training to become a full-fledged doctor. Some will stay in Houston but some will leave to go to other places for their residency. This past week, I heard from two members that they got matched to places in California. One is a shepherd and the other one is a core member in our Missions Team. A great loss for Texas but a great gain for California!
From God's perspective, however, this could turn out to ...