The senior pastor of the church I attended in Korea when I was a young Christian used to say that he felt elated when he heard about wonderful things happening to his church members, as if it were his own doing, and devastated and when things went wrong with them, as if it were his fault. When I heard this, I questioned its validity. Since I've been serving as acting senior pastor, the greatest change I've experienced has been that I'm now really getting to know, little by little, the life of our congregation. Before, I had only experienced life in the States as an ...

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In churches like ours, where Sunday Services start off with announcements and greetings, it seems that many people mistakenly believe that the worship service actually starts with praise and prayer, after the announcements. So sometimes people loiter outside the sanctuary, doing things like making calls on their cell phones, and they hurry to get back in the sanctuary only after they hear the sounds of praise beginning. (I am not saying I see this often. In fact, it's not easy to see such people at our church). Do you realize that the times of announcements and welcoming ...

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On Labor Day, I went to the mall and bought my daughter - who just started high school - a cell phone. This was not an easy decision to make; I had been pondering it for quite some time. My daughter had asked for a cell phone a few years back, but at that time I told her no because I firmly believed that having personal belongings before coming of age and understanding the responsibilities involved would instill a faulty concept of material goods. She seemed to be hoping for a cell phone this year, but I again told her no because she got a digital camera as a birthday ...

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We held a Church family meeting last Wednesday and approved the fiscal year 2007 ministry volunteer list. The total number of names on the list was 560. The Sunday worship attendance of the Korean Speaking Congregation is about 1,000, so this represents 56% of the total. Moreover, we estimate the total to be closer to 60% of the congregation if we include non-voting members not accounted for in the list. These people will serve in various areas during this fiscal year. It's more amazing when we count those serving in the house churches. All of our 150 existing house ...

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There are many, many books written about marriage, but I like "A Lasting Promise" by Stanley Scott best. He studied 135 couples starting from when they were engaged and continuing through 12 years of marriage. By analyzing the data he was convinced that he could predict with 90% certainty which couples would make a successful marriage and which would not. He found that certain communication patterns that began when the couples were engaged and continued through marriage were the primary determinants in the success of the marriages. Let me share the four most common ...

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