From the Pastor’s Desk (252) As you know, I preached last Sunday about the difference between the little children and the rich young man. I will finish the message this Sunday with Part 2. The key difference between the two groups of people is trusting in God. The little children trust in God (and in Jesus) but the rich young man and those who are like him trust not in God but in something else. In the rich young man's case, it was his money. It's a trust issue.  And if we truly trust in God (and so in Jesus and his words), then sooner or later, obedient&nb...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (251) It’s been three months since we went into lockdown due to COVID-19. Through many citizens’ participation, we have been able to flatten the curve. Even though we are hearing stories of coronavirus flaring up in certain parts of our nation and around the world, it appears that the situation is not as dire as it was a few months ago when the virus that was new and unfamiliar seemed to spread rapidly. As we have been going through the lockdown, we have been made aware that social distancing, though it was necessary for all of us, hurt ...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (250) It has been six weeks already since we have resorted to YouTube livestream for our Sunday worship service. This has been a new experience for all of us especially for me who is not technologically inclined at all. However, we have managed to worship God virtually together as one body of Christ. At first, it was awkward for me to be in the sanctuary with a small group of Magnification Team members praising God and preaching to them. I felt like I was in a recording studio. But as weeks went on, all of us who came out to church to ...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (249) The entire world seems to be consumed with COVID-19 the past several weeks. Houston where we live is not any exception. Just a few days ago, one major university announced that they are shutting down the school for the remaining of the semester and all the students except few whose homelands are more susceptible to COVID-19 are asked to go home. The students will receive their instruction from their professors through online teaching. New Life has been committed to “Give, suffer and die” for Christ and his kingdom. And I think I ...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (248) January 26, 2020 Those of you who had the opportunity to serve on the Leadership Team with me in the past know how I am not too fond of online giving. I believe that giving is a very important part of our Sunday corporate worship service. As we set aside a portion of our income to prepare our offering in cash or check at home during the week and physically place it into an offering basket, I would like for us to use that moment to thank and worship God who has provided us with a job and allowed us to earn an income. But I feel that it ...

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In about a month from now, I will be taking my first sabbatical ever. Since I have never done this before, I don’t know what to expect or what will come out of it. But because it is in our pastoral staff policy and the Holy Spirit seems to be leading me to this, I am obeying His guidance. At first, I thought about completely staying away and resting from church ministry. So, I planned not to come to church for any reason even when I am in town. Instead, I thought about attending different churches to experience different styles of worship and learn from them. After ...

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