Category archive: Christian Living
Ministering to Wounded Hearts
There is an instinct within animals to protect themselves if they are hurt. So if a dog were to get cut or be wounded, it would growl and snap at anyone who would try and touch that hurting spot. I’ve seen the most loyal, loving pets growl and snap at their owners when they are…
Let’s Just Be Friends
Here is some advice for those who enjoy having friends of the opposite gender (both for girls with guy friends and guys with girl friends)… 1. Understand that no friend of the opposite sex can be your best friend unless that person is your spouse. If you are a girl and your best friend is a…
The Power of Couple Tees
In 2008 I attended a missions conference in Thailand. On my flight back (a direct flight to Korea) I was overwhelmed by all the matching honeymoon couples. Their outfits were coordinated perfectly top to bottom. This picture would be an example of one couple, but only if their socks and shoes were identical too… I never knew how…
An Inspirational Church
A couple years ago I met with the pastors of New Life Christian Church in Chantilly, Virginia. I was greatly blessed by their church and by their vision. The head pastor (a family friend) told me that in the 1980’s he heard that it was becoming out of fashion to build church buildings. Church buildings create…
Meekness vs Responsibility
Sermon – Blessed Are the Meek (sermon manuscript) This past weekend I preached a message, “Blessed Are the Meek.” You can listen to it here or download it on iTunes under “New Philadelphia Church.” The message covers a number of things, but one that I wanted to highlight in this blog is the contrast between meekness (patience…
Money Money Money
I’ve lived as a missionary in Korea for over nine years. I started living here off of $1,500 a month and lived pretty poorly. God began to teach me a ton of lessons on money, changing my mindset, my prayers, and my spending habits. This past year I was able to raise over $100,000 for…
The Beauty of Adoption
It never occurred to me that a lot of why Moses was so insecure about God’s calling was because Moses was adopted. Moses was saved as a child by Pharoah’s daughter, who raised him as her own. Because he was raised in Pharoah’s courts, he likely spoke the Egyptian language much better than the Hebrew…
The Ghosts Are Rather Puny
While living in the orphanage during my first three years in Korea I stayed in a small apartment that happened to be where the home would quarantine sick kids who had chicken pox or pink eye. Often when young kids would have to stay with me they would request that I would leave their door open…
The Beauty of Thankfulness (Possible New Year’s Resolution?)
I was convicted while still in college that my attitude was too pessimistic and negative. From adolescence my mind had been trained to be cynical and to focus on the bad. While I was thankful when good things would happen, my thankfulness rarely would last long. But when bad things would happen, I would find…
A Missionary’s Mindset
The following is the main teaching I give to every person who wants to volunteer at one of our camps for orphans in Korea. It is also probably the best advice that could be given to anyone who desires to do missionary work… One of the greatest acts of love ever made was Jesus Christ…