Homingle and KT

2011 Reflection

2012-01-03T23:51:00.003-05:00

Happy 2012!

As we enter 2012, I want to share a few highlights of the past year. They are, by no means, a comprehensive list, but they're just special memories and reflections that I would like to share with you. 2010 was a BIG year for our family and our ministry together. What was 2011 like? Here are some words to describe it:

Growing Pains. 2011 will probably remembered as a tough-but-fruitful year. It was one of the most emotionally and physically draining times to date. Two energetic, feisty children; moving into new house and plenty of social commitments and church ministry pressures can do that to you. But God was gracious and we're moving in a direction and pace that is healthier and happier as we enter the new year. We have much for which to give thanks in 2011: Our son started school; improved his English vocabulary (e.g. he learned the word "boring" among others) and is working out how to better process and express his emotions. Our daughter turned 1. She learned to walk, talk, and enjoy television. Moreover, she is learning to love her older brother. Katie and I also celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary.

Smartphones. After waiting 4 years and seeing 4 models pass before my eyes (i.e. a combination of the practice of delayed gratification and the practice of chronic cheapness), I finally purchased a pair of iPhones. Admittedly, they are very useful. FaceTime, PhotoStream and iCloud especially. As well as Contacts. And Instagram. And WhatsApp and iMessage. And let's not forget Siri and ...

Weddings. I conducted my first two wedding ceremonies as the officiating minister. I tried to keep both ceremonies short and sweet, but was clearly nervous as I didn't want to ruin someone's big day. Thankfully, two of my childhood friends were the ones who got married, so all was forgiven. I think.

Sermons. I preached a lot more than ever before. On average, 1.4 times per week. Though it was hard work, it was rewarding and I felt God really working in and through me through the process. I learned to preach on a variety of texts in a variety of cultural contexts: I had the opportunity to speak to Kenyans, Korean New Yorkers, English-speaking Hong Kong International Students and Chinese Bostonians. I spoke to gatherings of 70 adults as well as to crowds of 1100+ teenagers. Sometimes I would speak once on a Sunday, and other times - 6 times per week. 2011 was a year to push myself to really improve my preaching because like all things, the only way you'll get better is by doing it more and doing it better. I'm thankful to God who continues to give me chances to preach his Word -despite my weaknesses and follies (2 Cor. 4:7).

Second Chances. I had the honour of meeting, and becoming good friends with Jenny, a young Queen's University grad, who nearly died in February as a result of two malignant brain tumours. But God was gracious, and on December 18th, I baptized Jenny in the presence of her family, family and colleagues. She is now working in Toronto and is actively using her story as a way to declare the gospel.

Airplanes. 6 major trips in 4 continents in total. Traveling isn't always positive. I was on the road - sleeping in hotels and host homes and living out of my trusty blue suitcase - for nearly 2.5 months this year and I missed the family tremendously. However, God was gracious: I was healthy as I traveled, and learned a great deal. I saw the poverty and needs of Kenya; interacted with international Chinese church leaders in Bali, Indonesia; rediscovered my roots in Hong Kong and was trained by world-class leaders in Chicago. My travels in 2011 also provided a rare chance to spend time with loved our family. I took Ethan on our first first daddy-son trip to New York City (where I spoke six times for New York Presbyterian Church) and had a seafood adventure with Katie in Boston (where I spoke at the Winter Teens Conference). Lastly, Katie and I finally took a much-needed driving vacation through Europe (our second trip together since our honeymoon).

2011 was a rough year, but God used it to refine my character and deepen my reliance upon Him. He made me more aware that I am only one person and ministry does not ultimately depend on me, but on His power and grace. I learned that the little things do matter; that family is my ministry; that transformative discipleship is the key to building a great church; that God is doing amazing things around the world and I can learn something from anyone at anytime.

On behalf of Katie, Alex and Ethan and

In the indestructible joy of Jesus,

SNA 2011 Message Transcript

2011-12-14T23:19:00.004-05:00

Oneof the highlights for each year is our annual creative arts outreach event,"Saturday Night Alive." Each year, we focus on one theme and findcreative ways of presenting this theme using drama, dance, art, video andmusic. The night draws over 1000 students from the community including many whohave never heard of the gospel before. At the end of the night, there is agospel presentation. I've posted this year's one below. Thanks to everyone whoprayed for me before and during the night. It means a lot to me and without it,I'd be sunk before I even got started. I'll post more on SNA2011 in futureposts, but happy reading for now.

What is the Orb in your life?

The Orb ofAvaskus is a made-up object, but what it represents is very real. Every singleperson has an Orb of Avaskus. Joe, Sheldon and Brianna had one. Indiana Joneshas one. What’s yours? It’s your one thing. It’s the one thing your heartcraves. It’s the one thing that you think will change your life. It’s what youlook to for satisfaction, contentment and peace. It’s the one thing you believeyou can’t live without and the one thing you daydream about.

What’s yourone thing?

In theBible, the word to describe this is “worship.” We all worship something (not IFquestion, but a WHAT question). AHarvard professor was defined a full and meaningful life as having these four components: (1) Enjoyablework (2)True experience of loving and being loved (3) Satisfying recreation and... (4)Meaningful worship.

How do youknow what you are worshipping? It iswhatever you’re giving your primary attention to (mind), whatever you’re givingour primary affection (heart) to and whatever you’re giving your primarilyabilities to (body).

For some,it’s your schoolwork. For others you worship money and material things. Someworship sex. Or another person that dominates your life – your total attention,affection and ability go to that person. Some people worship religion (i.e. doingthings to earn God’s favor) and some worship irreligion (i.e. defining what isright/wrong through self-made morality). Some people worship work; or eventheir family.

ConsiderHarry Potter’s “Mirror of Erised” (“desire” backwards). It's a magical mirrorthat Harry stumbles upon as he's exploring the castle. And when he looks intoit, he sees his parents. Ron - his best friend - however, sees himself as ahigh school sports champion. Of course, they can’t figure why they’re see, sothey ask Dumbledore, the headmaster of the school. Dumbledore tells them this:“The mirror shows you’re the deepest and most desperate of your heart." Weall have desperate desire of your heart; “If I have that…then I’ll be okay.”What’s the one thing that would make you say that? Whatever that thing is, onething is for certain: It controls you; re-directs your entire life. Andwhatever controls us is your god; is your king. That’s what worship is.

Psalm 95

¹Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;

letus shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

²Let us come before him with thanksgiving

andextol him with music and song.

³For the LORD is the great God,  the great King above allgods.

Why does itmatter what I worship? Jesus was asked thisvery question (Matthew 22:34-39)

One dayJesus is walking down the street, and along comes this guy (lawyer) and he askshim: “Teacher, what is the greatest command in the Law?” (Torah = way =life; “What is the most important thing in life?”). Jesus replies, “Okay,here it is. This is the most important thing you’ll ever learn: Love the Lordyour God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind. This is thefirst and greatest command” (v. 38).

Why wouldJesus say that? Is it because he’s a egotistical maniac? It is for God’s glory,but also for our joy. The two are not at odds. Godis the only thing in the ENTIRE UNIVERSE worthy of your worship.

If you visit the Grand Canyon in the USA, you don’t say: “Lookhow big, awesome and powerful I am.” When people go there they often saythey are in “awe.” There is a sense of humility and astonishment at howmajestic the landscape is, and how small you are. You may say that nobody actsthat way, but we do it every single day of our lives. We take small thingsand make them into big things. And in North America, we do that reallywell. We take things that are good andhave a role to play in our lives and wemake ultimate and have them play the central role in our lives.

• Money and Possessions: Weall need to use money and to own possessions, but in our culture, it seemsthese two things occupy the role of God in our lives: They giveus our worth, value, satisfaction, pleasure and acceptance. We live in a “consumer culture”: It makes us constantly aware of whatwe do not have. It constantly tells you that what you have isn’t good enough.;it’s not fast enough; not trendy enough. Marketers continually push newitems in order to make last year’s trends old news. Ourmodern lives are based upon this idea of the “Deification of Dissatisfaction”(Rodney Clapp), so we keep chasing after things that never satisfy our souls,all the while, ignoring that which is the only thing that can satisfy us: Godhimself. A relationship with the living God is what’s going to satisfy yourliving soul.

• Academics and Career:We all should work hard, be responsible and provide for our family, but in ourculture, we’ve made our career the single most important thing in life. What’swrong with this? At the heart is the issue of self-reliance: To assume that youhave the ability to control your life and that whatever good comes your way wasbecause of your hard work is making a god out of Self. But here’s the reality:If you have worked hard for your career, God has somehow orchestrated all ofit. He gave you the mind to study hard; he put you in contact with the rightpeople; he gave you enough money to go to school; he allowed you to walk safelyto your first interview for your job. We should give praise to God and be thankfulto him, but instead we seek glory for ourselves and ignore Him.

• Sex and Relationships:God created us for relationships and to have sex within the boundaries ofmarriage, but instead we have made relationships and sex our gods. Don’tbelieve me? Just look at the latest magazine about this topic (e.g. FHM, Maxim,Cosmopolitan, Seventeen). What is the message of these magazines? If you lookand behave a certain way, you will get the woman or man of your dreams.Workout. Dress up. Flirt. Talk smoothly. Be daring. Be cool. Be sexy. And youwill fall in love with the right person and you will be happy. These magazinesaren’t selling products as much as they are selling the concepts of love,sexuality, and success. They tell us who we are and who we should be. You and Ispend enormous amounts of time, effort and money striving to achieve thispersona and feeling ashamed when we fail. And failure is inevitable becausethis cannot be achieved. Models in these magazines are flawless (i.e. airbrushed,photo-shopped, retouched). Cindy Crawford once said, “I wish I looked like CindyCrawford.” We’ve people into products that are supposed to make us happy andcomplete. And anytime you do - historically - it’s the first step toward abuse.

Theseare all surface idols. They are easier to spot. But if you dig deeper, thereare root causes that drive all other idolatry in your life:

(1) Approval Idolatry: “Life only has meaning if I am loved andrespected by ___________” (Brianna’s story, Sheldon’s story). We were allcreated with a desire to be loved, but the problem with the person with anapproval idol is they are not ultimately satisfied with God’s love for them andseek love from those who they deem important. So you will do anything to winthe acceptance of others (boyfriend, parent, friend, etc.). You constantlyworry about what others think of you and your greatest nightmare is rejection.

(2) Power Idolatry: “Life only has meaning if I have power andinfluence over others” (Joe’s story). A person with a power idol gains theiridentity in competition - the bigger the challenge, the better. Competition ishelpful, but when you want to gain glory and power over all things, that’s whenit becomes sin. Do you have a power idol? One of the ways you’ll know is byreflecting on how you lose? People with this idol cannot lose, because losingexposes their deep insecurity. Losing often brings anger towards others or ahatred of self.

Wespend most of our lives pursuing things that do not last and do not satisfy.That’s called worship (worth+shape). What we deem as worth shapes us for eithergood or bad; restoration or ruin. In Scripture, idols are always pictured as anattractive mistress that seduces us into enslavement, and intoxication. Theyalways ruin us. Even J.K. Rowling admits this: After Harry and Ron explain whatthey see to Dumbledore, he says: “"Men have wastedaway before it, not knowing if what they have seen is real, or even possible."

Let me giveyou a few examples of how these things only damage and distort your life.

God-Substitute	Consequences
Relationship	Repeat this pattern (1. Find the right person; 2. Fall in love; 3. Fix your hopes and dreams on this person; 4. Repeat)
Family/Children	Try to live vicariously through them; resentment form children; in extreme cases, emotional and physical child abuse
Work/Career	Become a workaholic and shallow person; alienation from family and friends; depression from poor career development
Money/Possession	Constant worry and jealously about money; willingness to engage in unethical activities in order to maintain lifestyle
Pleasure/Comfort	Addiction to “escape strategies” in order to avoid the hardness of life

When weworship something other than God, it leads to enslavement and intoxication.Even the devil knew this, and that’s why he tried to tempt Jesus this way. Ifhe had a better tool for temptation, I’m sure he would have used it. Matthew4:8-10, it reads:

Again, thedevil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of theworld and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said,"if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Awayfrom me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve himonly.’

The biggestand greatest temptation in your life is to give you attention, affection andability to something other than the Creator who made you.

Do you everwonder why some people break up with their boyfriend and recover, while otherssink into constant unhappiness? Do you ever wonder why some people lose moneyor their possessions get destroyed, but they bounce back up, while others feellike their life is over?

The Biblesays what you worship is the real problem.

If you putyour hope and trust in any other kind of love besides God’s love, sooner orlater, that love will disappoint you, because it’s not pure and not perfect.

If you putyour value in money or career or school achievements instead of being God’schild, sooner or later, that value will depreciate. Something is going tohappen, and you’ll lose it.

Whathappens when the Orb of your life shatters?

The answerin the gospel. The gospel is the good news of Jesus, available for everyone:That we are completely sinful and unable to save ourselves (i.e. we areenslaved by our idols because we wrongly find our love and acceptance fromthem), but we are completely accepted by God because of Christ’s work on thecross. The answer is transferring thehope and love that we place in idols onto God, because God can give us all thehope and love we need. When Jesus came, he said this: “Repent and believein the gospel.” Turn from the idols in your life and put Jesus in the center.

• Money:2 Cor. 8:9, “For your sake, he becamepoor, so that you, by his poverty, might become rich.” When you recognize thatJesus gave up everything to make you his treasure, you will want to him yourtreasure. Money will cease to play the role of security and significance inyour life.

• Power:Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus “made himself nothing.” Jesus gave up allpower to serve us and to save us. When you see your own sin and the gravity ofit (i.e. you are completely powerless to do anything about it), you will ceaseto lust for power. You will serve others and love them even if you do havepower over them.

• Approval:When God came to earth in Jesus, he was a person nobody wanted. He was born ina manger; he wasn’t rich; he became friends with those everyone shunned; at theend of his life, everyone abandoned him. Why did Jesus do all of this? Becausehe took upon himself our sins and died in our place. If we truly see this kindof love for us, then it will shatter our idols. We will stop trying to winapproval from others, because we are accepted and loved unconditionally by God.

Noticethere is a sense of joy to this process. You can’t just repent out of fear. Yourepent because you also rejoice. You rejoice in God’s sacrificial love for us.God gave up his wealth, power and suffered for us. We repent of sin because wesee how much it cost God, but also because we see how much God loves us. That’swhy - for Christians - worship is a response to God’s love. It’s loving Godback for all that he is and all that he’s done for us. Knowing that though youare completely sinful, yet you are completely loved by God shatters the idolsof our lives.

When wetruly worship God with our mind, will and heart, God says, “I’ll take care ofeverything else. You don’t have to worry about it. I will provide. I will takecare of your career, family, reputation. I may not give you exactly what youwant you, but I know what’s the best plan for you and what will make you themost joyful.”

Where areyou in your journey with God?

1. “Thisis the first time I’ve heard anything like this before.”

2. “I’vebeen to church before. I’m a Christian. But I need to have the gospel sink indeeper.”

3. “I’ma Christian, and I love God with all my heart, soul and mind.”

You needthe gospel. You need the gospel to sink deeper, and grow wider. Why? Becauseour hearts are constantly tempted by Orbs of Avaskus. We think we’ve set ouridols down and reached a place where’s we’re good with God, but we should neverassume that. We have to be people who are constantly working at it and gettingcloser to God. We need the gospel every day and every year.

How do Irespond to the gospel?

Beliefthat you are a sinner in need of salvation (Rom 3:23). God created you for Hisglory, butin your thoughts and actions you have sought glory for yourself, and in otherthings. “The wagesof sin is death” (Rom 6:23a). God’s holiness and justice demands payment forsin. Do youbelieve that?

Trustthat God sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to save you; to be your substituteon the cross; to win for you all the benefits that He earned from His life ofperfect obedience (John 3:16-18). Jesus died the death you should have died,and lived the life that you should have lived. Do you trust in Him?

Callingupon Jesus to save you. Nothing, and no one, else can save (Rom 3:20). Being aChristian doesn’t mean doing good deeds, going to church, giving to the poor,or living a moral life. All of those are important, but none of them result insalvation, because you cannot possibly do all that God requires. Christians,therefore, repent not only of the bad things they’ve done, but also the goodthings that they’ve done from a sinful motive; namely, thinking their gooddeeds could earn them salvation. Only Jesus can save. Have you asked Him to?

The Argument

2011-11-17T20:50:00.001-05:00

The Argument. One of Many.

Shot using my (hopefully) trusty new iPhone 4s.

Deacons

2011-11-05T12:12:00.001-04:00

[RHCCC Pastors and Deacons at our annual leadership retreat, October 2011]

"What is a deacon?" I've been asked this question on more than one occasion in the past few months. The word means comes from the Greek word, diakonos, meaning “servant." The word suggests all kind of service, from hospitality to teaching ministry. In Acts 6:1-7, we learn the early apostles become overburdened with some of the caring ministry of the church, so they appointed pastoral assistants or "deacons." These were a group of highly qualified spiritual leaders chosen to help the apostles. By doing so, they freed the apostles to prioritize their time on prayer and the preaching God's Word.

Another main verse regarding the character and role of a deacon is 1 Timothy 3:8-13:

Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

The qualifications for deacons can be divided into two categories: (1) Personal Character and (2) Spiritual Character. Paul lists four personal character qualifications:

Men and women of dignity who treat the ministry seriously and...
...are consistent in their speech
....known for their clear thinking and self-control
....whose life goals should not be monetary (i.e. fond of dishonest gain)

Paul also lists four spiritual character qualifications:

Men and women who have conviction based on the knowledge of God's Word and...
...are above reproach
...are morally pure and devoted to his/her spouse (if married)
...and love and lead their families well

The main distinction between the role of an elder (pastor) and a deacon is that the former should focus upon and excel at the teaching and preaching of Scripture. The deacon's main task is to administrate, preserve the unity of the church and care for the people of God, and this can manifest itself in many forms according to the needs of the local church. At RHCCC, we have a pastor who oversees every ministry and under them, they have at least one deacon to assistant them.

On a personal note, I'm profoundly thankful for our deacons. They have shown me more about what it means to lead as a servant than I have been able to show them. I've worked with various deacons over the years and what I've observed is that there is a genuine spirit of cooperation and trust between us. Many of our deacons have served for the bulk of a decade - working faithfully to ensure that God's mission is fulfilled in our local church. They are often unseen - doing a lot of the administrative and 'behind-the-scenes' tasks - but continue to press on, by faith and in love. If a pastor is seen as "good at his job" it's most likely he's got a great deacon behind him. So friends, be thankful for your deacon. Encourage him. Thank her regularly. If you love your church, it's probably because of your deacon.

Hybels on Families, Elder Boards, Emerging Churches and Sunday Mornings

2011-10-28T15:25:00.001-04:00

I was clearing my trusty MacBook Pro of old data and somehow I found notes from a Bill Hybels' Coaching Session I attended in 2009. Here are today's final notes. A few days ago, I posted his answers on young adult ministry and evangelism and on leadership and satellite church sites. I'm hoping they help sharpen your leadership skills as they have mine.

Happy reading everyone. Interestingly enough, yesterday our senior pastor informed me that the church is sending me to participate in a small advanced leadership training at Willow Creek with Bill Hybels and other leaders as a Canadian delegate. It's called "Partnering to Prevail" and it takes place at the end of November in Chicago. I'm looking forward to learning and to yet another adventure.

Q: Strengthenfamilies?

Spiritualheritage is not the main responsibility of the local church (Plan A, Deut. 6). Parents should not blame thelocal church for their kids’ spiritual status
Churchministry should support and encourage parents (Plan B)
Offerparent training/resources
Getparents involved in youth groups
Mustteach on this subject (Hybels recently taught a sermon series about this)

Q: Elders’ Board?

WillowCreek is cycling into a policy-governance (i.e. oral/written wisdom to policy). Only four months into this
Takethe time to write down what you hold deeply. Decisions are made according topolicy.
Sometimespolicies are re-written
Stafftakes care of the day-to-day operations, while the Board deals with the bigpicture

Q: EmergingChurches?

Therewas a unproductive polarity of thought: Attractional versus Missional
Theyounger generation was rightfully skeptical about “attractional” ministries(attracting for the sake of the ego of the pastor at any cost, etc.)
Hybelsasks what is end game of missional ministries? If it is (1) redeem and (2)restore, Hybels says he is with them.
Let usbuild churches that have as many of genuine ‘missional maniacs’ as possible.
Backto Luke 8 (Parable of the Sower): Jesus was attracting followers to hismissional maniac team
Sowseeds to explorers, who will eventually join ourteam of missionaries

Q: Sunday MorningService?

Whatis killing Chicago people is the commute
Whenpeople pay a price to get to the church, they want serious teaching
Willowholds a pre-service ministry (reflection/journaling time). Maximize everyminute.
ServiceItself: Congregational Singing to Special Training of a Spiritual Practice (powerfulreflection/deep engagement/serious complementation) to Congregation Response to Sermon to Blurring the ending of the service (prayer area, spiritualconversation, etc.)
Hybelsspends 2 hours per week with his Sunday morning creative team
Hewants such a powerful experience with God that they could really go home(because people reconnect with God)
Youdon’t want a fuzzy weekend brand; you want your regulars to love what your churchdoes so much they want to pray on their knees that their friends would comewith them next weekend (you want to have a “brand promise” and stay faithful tothat). Don’t have too many speakers/worship leaders. People want and needconsistency.
Mustfeel the pulse of the church (preach on what God did last week, etc.). Must beflexible. Shift on the fly. Willow generally knows where it’s going out 4-6weeks out
Administratorsshould never run the church!

Hybels on Leadership and Satellite Churches

2011-10-21T15:49:00.003-04:00

I went through some of my old notes from a Bill Hybels' Coaching Session I attended in 2009. Here are today's notes. I'm posting a few questions and their answers per day.. Yesterday, I posted his answers on young adult ministry and evangelism. Happy reading, friends.

Q: Leadership?

Have quarterly encouragement sessions
Don’t insult their intelligence (makingexperienced leaders attend mandatory re-training courses)
Need to aggregate our leaders who have aparticular gift (giving, evangelists, etc.) frequently to encourage them andtrain them up à resourcesmatter!
Don’t rescue ministries that should notbe rescued
You can only lead people equal or belowyour level of leadership (5’s only attract 4,3,2’s, etc.). This is why we havealways to examine one’s level of leadership among our key leaders! This is alsowhy we must train and develop leaders. B/c we are blessing the WHOLE church!
Some pastors do not have the leadershipgift (could be an 8 as a communicator, but a 4 as a leader). These leaders musttake the initiative to be better in weak areas!
Make sure you complement your leadershipwith other leaders, with other gifts
If you get to the place that you know youare obstacle, you need to move to another area or resign.
Some pastors lead best in a church thatis small in number. Others lead better in churches that are larger. Make sureyou know where you’re leading best. VERY few pastors can lead churches largerthan 4-5000. Romans 12 tells us to have a “somber judgment about ourselves.”Somber judgment involves understanding SCALE.

Q: Satellite Churches?

One of the most rapidly proliferatedideas advancing the kingdom today…if they are done right
Take the same basic thing that worked foryour ministry to another location
Must have a good communicator àcannot replicate weakness
What the Spirit anoints that first time,He anoints in all times/places
Hybels says he has 3 suburban cites, and1 newly-launched urban cite (currently runs 1200)
Need to have the right campus pastor andbeing in the right facility
Additionally, must have the right core ofpeople
Never a moneyissue (usually people give crazy to these initiatives)

Hybels on Young Adults and Evangelism

2011-10-20T11:15:00.000-04:00

Iwas digging through my resources the other day, and came across a helpful setof notes that I'd like to share with you, especially those in vocationalministry or leaders in our church. In 2009, I had the opportunity to listen toPastor Bill Hybels (WillowCreek Community Church in Chicago) at Compass Point Bible church in Burlington, Ontario. It was aninformal setting where audience members had the chance to ask questions. Irecorded 10 questions and his answers. These are only my notes, but I hope theywill help you as a leader. I'll post around 2 questions each day until theyare finished. Enjoy.

Q: Young Adults?

Not going to attract by entertaining. We must engage them in world-changing (compassion & justice)
Organize them around missional hubs
Challenge suburban young adults to choose move to strategic apartment complexes to be the hands/feet of
Christ (e.g. open apartment for socials/bible study)
Make sure your (senior) leaders teach/live this out
Young adults hold to conflicting views in their minds all the time
Strong engagement: “flesh on faith”
Q: Passionate evangelism?
There are 4 Groups in a church: (1) explorers (2) believers (3) growing (4) Christ-centered people. Christ-centered people want more challenges
Changed mid-week service to a university format (seminary professors on doctrine, theology)
Keep foundation classes for other 3 groups
Hybels admits that evangelistic zeal has gone down in his church (but he’s noticed this all across the world).
His theory is that people naturally gravitate AWAY from the activities they fail at.
Jesus tells us to keep sowing seeds (Luke 8) despite failure of people to repent and come to faith
Worst thing you should do is to stop sowing seeds! Some of it will bring 100x fold
When was the last time you sowed ANY seed? Defeatist attitude means we focus on compassion/justice/discipleship and forget evangelism

Facing the Storm

2011-10-12T19:25:00.000-04:00

Ever feel like this?

I found this picture on my computer. I think it was drawn by one of my students years ago. I'm not sure where you on your journey, but perhaps you feel like you're going through a storm right now. Let me encourage you with a few words from the book of Jonah. The following is a short excerpt from my first sermon onJonah (Chapter 1), which I preached in May 2011:

"God send storms into your life for your good, not your punishment. Most people think God is a meantyrant in the story - he’s punishing the poor sailors and Jonah. But God isnot punishing them as much as he’s intervening. Today, the word intervention isused when a friend is self-destructing without realizing it. Jonah is thisperson. He’s run away from God and he’s going down a road of hurt andsuffering, so God intervenes. What’s Jonah’s problem? It’s self-reliance. SoGod does something that shatters all sense of self-reliance; he sends a greatstorm.

Self-reliance is the essence ofhuman rebellion. It’s an illusion that people love to buy into. But its self-destructive.If you believe everything in your life depends on you and not God, you’re aslave to your performance. What will free you is not more self-reliance; it’sGod-reliance. It’s trusting in God for everything that you have and everythingthat you will be.

You may be facing a great storm inyour life right now. It could be a financial, emotional, relational, or even spiritual one. Whatever your circumstance, there are always two choices: (1) You can be more free and more secure in God (2) Youcan get bitter at God.

I pray that that the storm in yourlife will not leave you shaking your fist in anger toward God, but rather leaveyou falling on your knees in humility before God. I pray that you would turn from self-reliance to God-reliance; from slavery-to-self to freedom in God."

Hong Kong 2011

2011-10-05T19:30:00.002-04:00

On route back from the 8th CCOWE, I stopped off in Hong Kong for 7 days to visit family, friends and to speak. Hong Kong will always have a special place in my heart because it is a place where part of my identity resides. It is also a place of great food, reasonably priced merchandise, efficient transportation, extraordinarily high-pressure education, astronomically expensive housing, seemingly unbearable work hours, moderate-to-high pollution and of course, dense, dense, dense population.

In short, a wonderful place to visit.

Here are my photos, via Facebook.

CCOWE Reflection

2011-09-29T14:41:00.001-04:00

[*You can view my photos from this trip via Facebook]

When I was asked to attend the 8th Chinese Congress on World Evangelization (CCOWE), I wasn't sure what to think. Admittedly, traveling to Bali, Indonesia sounded great, but attending yet another conference on yet another topic did not. Ultimately, with the blessing of my incredibly organized and tough wife, I embarked on September 11th at 1:40 am after officiating my first wedding and serving as a groomsman for another wedding in the span of 36 hours. I've been asked to share about my thoughts for my denomination's monthly publication, so here we go:

I arrived in beautiful Bali, Indonesia on September 12th after 24 hours on the road, along with 2132 other pastors and church leaders from 37 countries. About 65% are international visitors like myself while the rest are from Indonesia itself.

Each day we had two plenary sessions, one workshop, one panel discussion, one joint revival meeting, one lunch, one dinner, 2 hours of free time, and corporate worship and prayer. It was exhausting, & sometimes overwhelming, but I was glad to be there to absorb as much as possible. Here are three important lessons I've learned:

1. The importance of raising younger leaders. CCOWE stressed the pivotal ministry of identifying, praying for and ultimately training young leaders for gospel ministry. Pastors need to devote ample energy, resources and time to doing this well. One of the key issues raised was how we often neglect this important ministry until it is too late. More-often-than-not, we wait until a person from the church decides - on his own accord - to enter seminary. After several years of formal theological education, we interview this person, and then - if they are deemed 'suitable; - hire him as a pastor.' There are several problems with this line of thinking, however. First, an individual may not be suitable for pastoral work. How can we tell if one will make a good pastor? One of the ways is through the unified voice of the local church. Any prospective pastor's character and competency should be first tested in his church before he decides to enter formal theological training. Does this person exhibit Christ-like qualities? Is he able to lead and care for people well? Does he understand the Scriptures and is able to speak from them clearly and passionately? Does he depend on God in prayer and find his joy in the Lord first and not his ministry? I don't want to belabour the obvious, but the authority of the local church and the calling of the individual work together. CCOWE stressed this point: We must be in the ministry of constantly training leaders and from among the best - identify prospective pastors, mentor them by ministering together in a local church and then send them into seminary to train. The gospel is, after all, passed on from one generation to the next (2 Timothy 2:1-7).

2. The importance of endurance and faithfulness in ministry. I've attended to many conferences (especially ones that focus on youth and young adult ministry), but one thing that makes CCOWE stand out is the respect for elders and their wisdom and experience. Many of the speakers were well into their 60s - if not 70-80s. Our discussion panel on the first day - in fact - consisted of three leaders with combined ministry experience of 155 years. Each leader spoke about the challenges of ministry - how tough it is to endure, but also how gracious God has been to them each step of the way. Could you learn these lessons from a 30 or 40 year old? Certainly. But with age and experience comes more credibility and wisdom. There is something almost magical about listening to someone who has been faithful to the ministry to which he or she was called for over 50 years. I was incredibly moved especially by how these leaders revealed many of their weaknesses, challenged us to learn from their mistakes and called us to endure faithfully for the gospel.

3. The importance of unity in gospel ministry. I literally met people from all across the world - from the big city of Hong Kong to one of the most remote locations in the world - La Reunion - a little French-speaking island off the coast of Madagascar, Africa. During the conference, I witnessed three people on stage: one interviewer; one interviewee and one translator. The interviewer was an Australian-born Chinese man. He asked the questions in English. The interviewee was a Norwegian-born Chinese man. He responded in Norwegian. The translator was a Norwegian-born Norwegian man. He responded ... In Cantonese. It was a bizarre moment, but one that showed me how interwoven, mobile and connected our global society is now today. It also showed me how Christians from all across the planet must be work together to fulfill the Great Commission. Everyone has to take part - not only a select few. Everyone must be unified on mission for God in preaching and living out the Gospel as the dynamic for renewal and redemption.

Gratefully in Jesus,

Rev. Dr. Ho-Ming J. Tsui
Pastor, Richmond Hill Christian Community Church
Toronto, Canada

CCOWE 2011 - Day 4

2011-09-16T07:39:00.001-04:00

8th Chinese Congress on World Evangelization
Bali, Indonesia
Sept. 16, 2011

The Importance of the Mission of God
Dr. Patrick Fung, OMF International Director

1. Pilgrimage

- Journey includes praying with them, exploring the Scripture with them to understand God's purpose, listening to their struggles, etc.
- "Walk me to the field": uninformed, informed, interested, participate, owning the vision

2. Community

- Acts 1:14, "joined in one accord"
- The 'we' factor in mission (Nehemiah 2:17-18)
- Where is the hidden gold in your church?

3. The Word

- Postmodern culture --> proclamation of teaching of the Word of God becomes marginalized in missions
- How do we equip our churches to be competent in the Word?

4. Transformation

- Conversion number is not a helpful; it is about life transformation
- "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch" Acts 11:26
- social involvement + evangelism

5. Suffering

- "The very shape of mission is cruciform." John Stott
- "Being willing to suffer is an acid test for the genuineness of our mission" Cape Town Commitment, 2010
- "To live on terms set by other people" Andrew Walls
- Serving with love & sincerity; Not just preaching the gospel in a few minutes and leaving (e.g. Tsunami relief work in Japan)

To All The Nations
Rev. Chris Chia, Adam Road Presbyterian Centre, Singapore

1. The DNA of God: The glory of God (perfection and excellency of God)

- God is perfect in a) attributes, b) actions and c) achievements
- We should praise no one; only God is worthy of worship and praise
- We are to live in awe of God; the most glorious thing about being human is not to glory in self, but to glory in God

2. The DNA of Sin: Snatching glory from God

- Romans 1:21-23, our determination not to praise God
- From maker to men; creator to creature
- There is nothing more destructive to steal the glory of God (vacations, weddings, work, funeral --> all about us instead of about God and his purposes)
- "star wars": one big glory war --> who is the star of life?

3. The DNA of Jesus: His whole duty & delight was to glorify God

- Jesus is the perfect human being because we are created to glorify God and He did this perfectly
- To lose the glory of God and not live in the awe of God brings pain into our lives
- The movement of Jesus: Self --> God

4. The DNA of The Church: To tell of Jesus and to become like Jesus

- To turn people from self --> God
- Gospel: end of Satan's illegitimate rule in our lives --> God's rightful rule
- The DNA of the church must follow the DNA of our savior
- This is the first step in mission: It's about God's glory!

5 Obstacles of Missions

1. Overcoming our bad witness (Romans 1:29; Matt. 27:18; 1 Peter 2:1)
- mission is the the church in the world, but the first barrier is the world in the church (jealously, envy, pride, etc.)

2. Overcoming our lost love (Romans 5:6-11; 2 Cor. 5:14-15)
- movement of the messiah to us, is b/c of love
- thus our movement into the world must be motivated by love
- our problem is not a knowledge of God's will, but a lack of love

3. Overcoming our paralyzing fear (Joshua 1:9; Matthew 10:26-31)
- the great enemy to mission is FEAR
- FEAR: "False Evidence Appearing Real"
- our of life without God are a series of moments of fear
- faith is hearing God's Word and trusting in it
- a lot of our fears are our fear of each other

4. Overcoming our incomprehensible suffering (2 Cor. 1)
- suffering shows us there is power in weakness
- the best things in life (I.e. Salvation) come in unattractive packaging
- we don't have to be perfect to share the gospel
- the gospel is packaged in suffering

5. Overcoming God's Enemy
A. Physical persecution
B. Doctrinal confusion
C. Moral compromise
D. Relational division

6. Overcoming The World's Rebellion (2 Tim. 3:1-3)
- the last days sin will be "super-sized"
- intensification of sin, demonizing the church

Conclusion: Should not dichotomize between local and global mission. Each week you are sending missionaries out of your church after service.

Location:Jalan Amphi,Kuta,Indonesia

An Example of Our Mobile, Interwoven Global Society Today

2011-09-14T23:46:00.001-04:00

During the conference yesterday, it hit home how much our world is changing. We are living in a brave, new world indeed.

Three people on stage. One interviewer. One interviewee. One translator.

The interviewer was an Australian-born Chinese man. He asked the questions in English.

The interviewee was a Norwegian-born Chinese man. He responded in Norwegian.

The translator was a Norwegian-born Norwegian man. He responded ... In Cantonese.

It was a bizarre moment, but one that shows us how interwoven, mobile and connected our global society is now today.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Jalan Kawasan Nusa Dua Resort,Kuta,Indonesia

CCOWE 2011- Day 3

2011-09-14T22:40:00.001-04:00

8th Chinese Congress on World Evangelization
Bali, Indonesia
Sept. 15, 2011

The Holistic Mission of God and God's People, Part 3
Dr. Christopher Wright
Jeremiah 29:1-14

- 597 BCE, first deportation of Jews to Babylon
- 587 BCE, final destruction of Jerusalem & 2nd stage of exile
- Reactions? Utter despair, superficial optimism
- Q asked: "Where is the Lord?"

1. A surprising new perspective (v. 4-6)

- v.4, '(God) carried into exile' (vs. v. 1)
- It is hard to affirm God's sovereignty when you are caught up in difficult circumstances (e.g. When Western missionaries were expelled from China in the 1950s)
- New perspective: Refugees into residents! Bloom here you are planted.

2. A surprising new mission (v. 7)

- Seek the welfare of the city and bless it (vs. Psalm 122, 137)
- New perspective: Mourners into missionaries!
- Other examples of this: Daniel 4:19-20, 1 Tim. 2:1-2

3. A surprising new hope (v. 10-14)

- Reason for their exile: God's judgment on their continual sin
- Beyond judgment, a word of hope and promise
- v. 11: a familiar promise, but must be set in this context: it is a word for the repentant who acknowledge God's judgment on the basis of earnest prayer and genuine repentance
- Also see Daniel 9
- New perspective: Victims into visionaries!

Succession Planning: From Generation to Generation (2 Tim. 2:1-2; 1 Cor. 15:3-6)
Rev. Chris Chia

1. Christianity: The Original Franchise

- Franchise: location differs, but content is the same
- Gospel franchising: Something to be received and then passed on

2. Gospel Succession: Divine sovereignty or human responsibility?

- It is both; God takes a 'nightmare' team into a dream team

3. School vs. School of Life

- School (passive, read the Word, more artificial) vs. School of Life (proactive, hear the Voice, more natural)
- School means "I teach, you learn" vs. School of Life means "God teaches, we learn"

4. Ministry is both Caught and Taught

- Watch the style: polemical = "anti" does not mean "pro" (just b/c you are against something does not mean you are necessarily pro-God)
- Watch the issue: Single Issue (I.e. test of authentic Christian) vs. Singleminded vs. Holistic
- Watch the mode: Multiplier vs. Maintenance
- Watch the mode: Programs vs. People

5. Gospel Succession

A. Pastors' Buy-In (conceptualizer, communicate, carry out, coordinate)
B. Leadership Buy-In
C. Church Buy-In

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Jalan Kawasan Nusa Dua Resort,Kuta,Indonesia

CCOWE 2011 - Day 2

2011-09-14T00:16:00.001-04:00

8th Chinese Congress on World Evangelization
Bali, Indonesia
Sept. 14, 2011

The Holistic Mission of God and God's People, Part 2
Dr. Christopher Wright
Exodus 19: 1-6

1. Past Grace (v. 4)

- God's grace came first, therefore all of our life and mission as Christians must be found on God's grace

2. Future Grace (v. 5)

- God is looking forward to the end of history: To bless the nations
- Our response to God in our mission is 'framed' by what God has done in the past (to save us) and what God plans to do in the future (to redeem all of creation)
- Life makes sense only if you live between the historic and future grace of God

3. Present Grace (v. 6)

- What was the role of the priest?
A. To teach God's law to the people
B. To bring the people to God through sacrifice

- "You will be for me to the rest of the nations what your priests are for you"...Our role is to be God's representatives to the world (Romans 15:16, Paul has a priestly job to do; 1 Peter 2:9-10, it is the task of all Christians)
- We are to be the living proof of the living God
- This is what it means to be holy (Lev. 18:1-5; 19:2)
- Remember the double context of grace: obedience means responding to the grace of God (obedience is not a requirement for salvation, but it is a requirement for mission!)

Mentoring Our Future Leaders (Philippians 2:1-11)
Rev. Chris Chia

To be or not to be...like Jesus

1. Love

- There is no such thing as a loveless Christian
- Faith in Christ --> love for the saints
- Are you in love with God or in love with the idea of God? If it's the latter, you will be a channel of the PROGRAM, if the first, you will be a channel of the PERSON

2. Humility

- We do not need programs for unity if we have the mind of Christ (i.e. Humility)
- Superiority (high-mindedness), inferiority (no-mindedness) vs. Humility (less-mindedness)
- The Bible's Search: Where is the person who lives in complete humility before God and before neighbor (Adam failed, Christ succeeded)

Conclusion:

1. Jesus' Greatest Virtues: humility, love
2. Jesus' Greatest Achievements: unity, purity

Practical: Three Ways of Shaping Christ-Like Leaders

1. Big Group Ministry (weekly services; one-to-many teaching & ministry; growth & maturity of the body as a whole)

2. Small Group Ministry (regular home groups; one-to-another teaching & ministry; growth & maturity of a part of the body)

3. Personal Ministry (meeting people 1-to-1; one-to-one ministry, especially of leaders; growth & maturity of an individual)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Jalan Kawasan Nusa Dua Resort,Kuta,Indonesia

CCOWE 2011 - Day 1

2011-09-13T12:16:00.001-04:00

So I am here in beautiful Bali, Indonesia with 2132 other pastors and church leaders from 37 countries. About 65% are international visitors like myself while the rest are from Indonesia itself.

Each day we have 2 plenary sessions, one workshop, one panel discussion, one joint revival meeting, one lunch, one dinner, 2 hours of free time, and corporate worship and prayer. It is exhausting, & sometimes overwhelming, but I am glad to be here to absorb as much as possible - especially as many older, wiser, and more mature leaders are here as well. For example, today our panel on the spiritual formation of leaders consisted of three veterans of ministry with combined ministry experience of 155 years. I was also able to attend a small group discussion on strategic leadership development with about 30 other pastors from all across the world and that was refreshing to say the least.

In the next four days, I will post my notes from the morning plenary sessions so you can follow along in my little learning adventure. Thanks for your prayers and for reading!

8th Chinese Congress on World Evangelization
Bali, Indonesia
Sept. 13, 2011

The Holistic Mission of God and God's People, Part 1
Dr. Christopher Wright

- Sodom is a picture of the fallen world under God's judgment, while Abraham is the promise of God's mission (Genesis 18:18)
- 'The mission of God' means that God is keeping his promise to Abraham - God 'dreaming' of a long distant future. Our mission is to play our part in that great story
- What does it mean to 'keep the way of the Lord'? To reflect God's character, by doing what is right and just in our lives (Deut. 10:12-19; Micah 6:8)
- The logic of Genesis 18:19: "I have chosen him (election) so that ... Keep the way of the Lord (ethics) so that... Blessing to the nations (mission)"
- The way we live in practice is the vital link between our calling and our mission. There is no biblical mission without biblical living.

The Spiritual Formation of Christ-Like Leaders (2 Tim. 4)
Rev. Chris Chia

1. The Problem: God's Messiah, God's Mission & God's Messengers

A. The gospel solves our problem

B. But there is a gospel "problem": God's messengers and leaders

2. The Solution: What God is looking for

A. Be a God-Fearer, Not a Man-Fearer (4:1)
- It is an activating fear (c.f. Paralyzingly fear)
- It is a serious call
- Only a healthy fear of God (our first audience, and final judgment) brings about godly, effective leader
- Never lose your awe of God; it is liberating not stifling
- Whether you are preaching to 10 or 1000 people, it should not matter. Don't prepare more diligently just because your audience is bigger. This is a sign of the fear of man

B. Be an Evergreen, Not a Fashionable Preacher (4:2)
- The gospel is the word of truth, so proclaim it whether it is convenient or not (e.g. When Christian singles want to get married with non-Christians, preach the gospel; when churches ordain homosexuals, preach the gospel, etc.)
- When are you more sharp with your doctrine? At the start. But the years wear on, so you will have to fight harder to preach the truth

C. Be a Truth-decay Specialist (4:3-4)
- When there is no appetite for false teachers, there will be no need for them
- It is not easy to be a spiritual dentist; it is a difficult task but we must repent of our cowardice

D. Be Level- headed, Not Big-headed or Pig-headed (4:5)
- When ministry goes well, we tend to get big-headed and prideful, but when it goes badly, we tend to get pig-headed and stubborn

E. Be a Good Fighter in a Good Fight (4:6-9)
- Don't be a bad fighter in a good fight, or a good fighter in a bad fight
- Paul was a good fighter, fighting in a good fight
- Seek the crown of righteousness

Conclusion: What God is looking for was fulfilled in Jesus. Will people know we bear the character - not just the message - of Jesus. This was the gospel according to Jesus and Paul. What is the gospel according to you? You are writing the gospel a chapter a day. The character and conduct of God's messenger is vitally important to God's mission.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Jalan Pantai Mengiat,Kuta,Indonesia

Ms Piggy

2011-09-11T18:39:00.001-04:00

I just landed in HK, and already miss our little family, including Little Ms Piggy here.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Hong Kong International Airport

Summer Sermons from 11 am English Service

2011-09-02T15:01:00.000-04:00

Yes. I know. I never wear a suit to preach ...

My latest two sermons from our 11 am English service are online:

1. Develop Great Habits (Titus 2:11-12), August 28, 2011

2. Making Great Sacrifices (John 15:9-17), July 31, 2011

(Brief) Reviews of 2011 Superhero Movies

2011-09-01T15:29:00.001-04:00

New Photo Album via FB: I'm glad my love for (most) things geek have rubbed off on my offspring.

In other news, I watched my fair share of superhero movies this summer and here's my brief assessment:

The Good:

X-Men First Class: Solid acting. Interesting Characters. Superb casting for both Xavier and Magneto. Great Plot. Added to the mythology of the franchise nicely. It left you wanting to watch more, which is always a good sign.

Captain America The First Avenger: Chris Evans made him very likeable. You felt for Steve Rogers and when the audience invests emotionally into the film, you've done a great job. The WW2 backdrop made this origin story unique and interesting.

The So-So:

Thor: Not a bad first outing for this B-rated character. But the plot and the characters lacked the subtle complexities and nuances that make a film great. Also, a waste of Natalie Portman's acting abilities.

The Ugly:

Green Lantern: While Ryan Reynolds (who is basically the SAME character in EVERY movie he does!) does an admirable job to try to save the film, the poor choice in villain; lame plot; under-use of the secondary characters (e.g. Kilowog) and the wasted cast (e.g. Tim Robbins) made this potentially great origin story into a half-baked, uninteresting snore-fest. Good job, DC for ruining the possibility of a Justice League of America movie. On a side-note, if you want to watch the film that it should have been, watch 2009's Green Lantern: First Flight. If the makers of the live-action movie copied this film, it would have easily been in my good list.

2011 Fall Preaching Calendar

2011-08-30T15:10:00.009-04:00

At the request of my wife, for the sake of others who work with me and for my own memory, here's where I will be speaking during the fall months. God has been good. I never thought I'd preach more than once a month, but somehow He's given me grace in this area over the years. If you could, please pray for me during these times. Pray that I would make much of Christ and that he would be exalted and I would be seen as only a servant for his sake. Pray for my preparation time too, as that is often when I find God speaks to me the most. Thanks everyone.
September 2011

4th: RHCCC Youth Service on "The Wonder of Wisdom (Proverbs 4:7)"
(12-16th: 8th Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism Conference, Bali, Indonesia)
18th: Emmanuel English Church, Hong Kong
23rd: Ignite HK, Hong Kong

October

2nd: RHCCC 2nd Service on "DNA Series: Gospel"
9th: RHCCC 2nd Service on "DNA Series: Community"
16th: RHCCC 2nd Service on "DNA Series: Mission"
30th: RHCCC Youth and 2nd Service on "The Missional Church: The Church as a Mission"

November

6th: RHCCC 2nd Service on "The Missional Church: The Missional Theologian"
13th: RHCCC 2nd Service on "The Missional Church: The World Christian"
20th: RHCCC Youth Service on "Fire-Proofing Your Faith (2 Timothy 4:7)"
25th: Kingston Chinese Christian Fellowship, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
26th: Kingston Chinese Alliance Church on "Parenting the Next Generation"
27th: Kingston Chinese Alliance Church (9:30 am English Service, 11:00 am Chinese Service)

December

4th: RHCCC 11 am English Service
10th: Saturday Night Alive 2011
27-30th: New York Presbyterian Church, New York, USA

Kenya 2011 and the Global Reality of Poverty

2011-08-29T21:00:00.005-04:00

Kenya 2011 was my first trip to Africa. I've heard the statistics before (and seen the sponsorship advertisements on TV), but to see the harsh reality with my own eyes was something else.

One in five (1.2 billion people) do not have access to basic social service of health care, education, safe drinking water and adequate nutrition. While in the Kibera slums, we observed all these problems. Everyday our medical team had to turn away families because we just didn't have enough time to see everyone. While I was teaching a course on leadership, I took notice of the willingness of the Kenyans to learn. During our home visitations, the Kenyans explained how it often difficult to pay the rent, send their children to school and provide enough food and clean water daily.

Each night 800 million people go to bed hungry. In Kenya today, there is a famine, which means the price of food is 3x the normal cost. During each of our medical clinics, leadership training and children's camps, we tried to provide a meal for every single person who came through the doors. Though it was only rice, beans and tea, it cost $3 USD per person.

11 million children under 5 die every year from preventable causes. During our visit to the micro-finance projects sponsored by our churches, we meet Nelly and her 1 year-old daughter. Just a year ago, Nelly - a single mother - lived in a part of the slum where sewage water would regularly flow into her house. Thankfully, due to the micro-finance project sponsorship, she now lives in the newly-built store. I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been for her and her little daughter to live in such conditions. This is just one story of the unimaginable living conditions of many Kibera inhabitants.

By 2025, more than 1/4 of the world's population will be living in the squatter settlements of the developing world, like Kibera. In other words, slums are on the rise. While the solution is not necessarily relocating inhabitants to new housing or simply giving money, something has need to be done.

The poverty is overwhelming, and we in the West often have difficulty understanding it. Yet Jesus clearly identified with the poor. He was born in a stable, and lived as a wandering teacher with no home as an adult. Jesus demonstrated a special interest in the disabled, children, prostitutes and the ostracized (Luke 7:33-50; 19:1-10) and instructed his disciples to do likewise.

So what now? I'm not certain about even where to start. But I do know one thing: It begins with our hearts. When we realize the poverty of our condition before God, then we naturally extend the grace, compassion and love that God gives us to someone else - whether in Toronto, Canada .. or in Kibera, Kenya.

Kenya - Safari Adventure 2011

2011-08-23T18:56:00.010-04:00

Safari Photos are now online.

My Fun Facts, Observations & True Stories:

We visited the Masai Mara National Reserve, which was the exclusive location for the 2011 Disney feature, "African Cats"
During our adventure, it was migration season for the wildebeasts (the animals that stomped Mufasa to death and left Simba without a father). Over two million of these cow-like creatures venture in to Masai Mara looking for greener pastures
We technically stepped foot into Tanzania as it borders the Masai Mara Park in Kenya
We saw most of the larger animals, including the elusive leopard, which is rarely ever observed
"Hakuna Matata," "Simba" and "Rafiki" are actually Swahili words meaning "No Problem," "Lion or Handsome" and "Friend" respectively. The word "Mufasa" - on the other hand - is of unknown origin, while the word "Scar" means "area of fibrous tissue that replace normal skin after injury" in English
We did not see Hyenas, but we heard them outside our tent at night. The enclosure is not fenced.
Every time we ventured into the park, we sang the Jurassic Park Theme Song
When going to the washroom in the park, the last thing you're thinking about is your privacy - though there are plenty of tourists with zoom lenses
There is no wifi in the National Park
During a walking tour, we encountered a hippo 5 metres away from us. When we casually pointed it out toour guide, he pointed his AK-47 toward it, unlocked the safety switch and told us to get behind him. The hippo moved on. The guide later pointed out that was the first time that he's had to do that. True Story.
I wonder what the world would be like if sin had not tarnished everything? Would animals hunt and kill each other? Or would - as the Lion King song goes - "[everything be] in peace and harmony?" I'll leave you with this intriguing thought

Kenya Photos

2011-08-22T23:59:00.005-04:00

Photos from my latest adventure in Kenya are now online via Facebook.
Words and even pictures cannot describe what we learned, saw and experienced. But they are certainly worth a look to get a glimpse into our time there. Thank you for your continual prayers and love.

Kenya - Days 10-13

2011-08-19T14:14:00.001-04:00

Thank you for always keeping us in your daily prayers. Tomorrow is our travel day back home via Europe, so pray for travel mercies.

For the past two days, a small team, led by Pastor Sophia and Deacon Nancy, traveled to West Kenya to train 311 pastors. We were touched by the devotion and humility of these leaders - many of whom traveled several hours to attend the training, and fasted and prayed for our travels to West Kenya. One pastor, David, hopped on and off several buses to receive the training. His total travel time? 10 hours. We also thank you for your prayers, including for our safety.

The other group traveled to Masai Mara National Reserve on a safari adventure. Besides exploring God's beautiful creation, the journey was a time of reflection and further bonding. During the safari, we were blessed to see lions, cheetahs, water buffalos, hippos, giraffes and even the elusive leopard. We thank God for this time of rest. Upon our return, we visited the "Little Brother" Rescue Center, where boys from difficult circumstances such as abandonment and abuse are brought to a safe place for rehabilitation. This was the last place where our donation went, so thank you immensely for giving.

As I write this, our team is sharing for the last time before our travels back home. Tonight, we are asking the question, "What kind of impact will Kenya have on our life and our church back home?" We'll you know when we see you.

Thank you once again for your love, encouragement and prayers.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:St Daniel Comboni Rd,Nairobi,Kenya

Kenya - Days 7 & 8

2011-08-16T14:34:00.001-04:00

For the last two days, we divided into two groups. On Monday, one team visited and ministered at the Gethsemane Orphanage, located in the nearby town of Ngong. There we met Pastor Sylvester, who started this orphanage with his wife about 10 years ago. Today, they are adoptive parents to 60+ children, ages 7 to 20. Upon arrival, our team toured the orphanage and were welcomed with a light refreshment time with fresh cow's milk and Kenyan tea. Afterward the youth team ministered to the children through skits, music, crafts and small group discussion. The rest of the team trained several high school graduates living there in basic leadership and computer skills. Thank you for the donation of laptops - they were received with gratitude. Our computer team also trained Pastor Sylvester in basic EXCEL so he can better keep track of his records.

Today, this same team visited and ministered at Anchor Of Hope Orphan's Home in Kware Slum - in the outskirts of Nairobi. Kware is a rock mining area and one of the fastest growing in central and eastern Africa. Here we spent the entire day ministering to 350 children and 50 teachers. My initial observation is that the poverty is even more evident here. Children were running around with shoes, playing near sewage water and very hungry. As we started the camp, a young mother approached me and "handed" me her 2 year-old daughter. I never saw the mother for the rest of the day and as such, her little girl clung onto me during this time. This is just one example of the difficult times families are facing in poverty stricken areas like Kware. I'll never know why this mother chose to leave her daughter for the entire day. Perhaps she had to work, or maybe she knew we were providing food so she wanted to ensure her daughter would be fed.

The other team traveled into Kibera for these two days and continued their medical ministry. Please pray for these patients - some of whom had to be informed that they were HIV positive today. Also pray we can have wisdom to partner with the pastors and doctors effectively in the long-term, especially in Kibera, where poverty means many people do not receive adequate medical care.

Tomorrow, a small group including Pastor Sophia and Deacon Nancy venture to a small city in Western Kenya to assess the needs and train over 300 pastors. Pray also for Dr. Bob and Liz as they are finished their medical work and are flying back home.

Thanks for your anticipated prayers!

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Location:St Daniel Comboni Rd,Nairobi,Kenya

Kenya Days 6-7

2011-08-14T14:09:00.001-04:00

God is good! Saturday was the youth team's last day working in the slum (the medical team continues on Monday). We finished our leadership and teachers training and held graduation ceremonies for each class. Thank you for the donation of the ties. The pastors were appreciative of this small gift, and many wore them right away. We are also grateful for the donation of small toys, which we handed out to the children as well. At the end of the day, we gathered with the Kenyans to share mutual encouragement and prayer, and it was clear that both groups worked together well.

Today, the team had a break. Pastor Sophia, Nancy and some other members went to a small church in the Kibera Slum - King Community Church. The rest of the team attended service at the Nairobi Baptist Church http://www.nairobibaptist.co.ke. The young adults found the sermon particularly engaging as the pastor spoke about the role of a submissive wife (Ephesians 5). We had an opportunity to tour this large, beautiful church, meet some of their pastors and met a team of Canadians who serving in Uganda. Afterwards, we went to a nice restaurant where the entire team had a good lunch. Lastly, we were able to visit the Yaya Market which had many local vendors selling Kenyan souvenirs and crafts.

Please continue to pray for us as we start up ministry again this week. The youth camp will be held at an orphanage called Gethsemane and the medical outreach will continue at the Changing Times Centre. Pray for physical protection and energy as many members of the team are starting to feel sick and tired. We greatly appreciate your prayers.

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Location:St Daniel Comboni Rd,Nairobi,Kenya

Kenya - Day 5

2011-08-12T17:14:00.001-04:00

Thanks for your prayers everyone! We continued with our children's ministry, medical outreach, building ministry, leadership training and teachers training. In our children's ministry, the youth carried out the day camp with much energy and enthusiasm. The medical outreach continued to aid many ill Kenyans with the expertise of Dr.Bob and Dr. Phillip and the MUCH APPRECIATED donated medication. The team taught the patients how to conduct oral hygiene. Praise the Lord that the medication is helping the people of the slum.

Today the teachers training had their first day. A total of 13 eager teachers showed up to listen to our teachers offer advice and new ideas. We were very touched by their thirst for knowledge. 70 pastors also showed up for the second day of leadership training. Dr. Roland, Edward and Louisa as well as Pastor Sophia taught a total of 4 lessons. We are humbled by the willingness of all the pastors to learn despite the fact that many of them are experienced in ministry.

Lastly, Deacon Tim Li and Pastor Ho-Ming visited our two micro-finance projects to asses their progress (last year, RHCCC loaned money to two such projects). It is with great joy that we report that the projects (one is a cosmetic store and the other is a photocopying center) are thriving. They are generating income, and employing 4 single mothers and 3 young men. We are particularly touched upon learning that the cosmetic store is now also home to one young mother, Nelly, and her little daughter. Only a month ago did she and her daughter had lived in a location where sewage would spill into her house regularly.

Please continue to pray for extra energy and wisdom as we are extending our ministry hours to accommodate the needs of the people. Pray for spiritual and physical healing for the people of Kenya. Also pray for team unity as their are people on this team with different cultures and ages.

Filling in for Pastor Ho-Ming today, and with lots of love xoxo,

Joey Ho and Eunice Leung

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Location:St Daniel Comboni Rd,Nairobi,Kenya

Kenya - Day 4

2011-08-11T17:25:00.001-04:00

Thank you for your continual prayers. Today, we saw evidence of God's grace as we entered Kibera once again after rainfall. The roads were muddy and therefore slippery, but the buses were fine, though we had to walk a portion of the journey on foot. We continued with our children's ministry and medical clinics (with over 200+ people attending both sites). We also commenced teachers' training as well as pastor leadership training, albeit the latter was unexpected. Originally the plan was to teach pastors on Friday and Saturday, but God had other plans and 65 pastors showed up today. Pastor Sophia, Louisa and I scrambled to put our revised lessons together and by God's grace, we taught for a combined 10 hours, covering 4 lessons on leadership. Today we also finished our computer training. Tomorrow we return to Kibera to continue the ministry. Please pray for extra energy and wisdom as we have extended our ministry hours to accommodate the needs of the people. Moreover, pray for Deacon Nancy, and Sophia and I as we are leading the team spiritually and logistically.

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Location:St Daniel Comboni Rd,Nairobi,Kenya

Kenya - Day 3

2011-08-10T15:40:00.001-04:00

After our usual morning devotion and breakfast, We headed back into Kibera today. Our team divided into four groups:

1. Building Improvement has commenced. We are being assisted by hired carpenters. Please continue to pray for safety and wisdom as construction is very tricky in the slum area.

2. Computer Training is on it's second day. Though we expected the same group to return, we realized that most of the attendees today were new, and so we had to repeat our first lesson. Please pray that we would have a steady attendance, relationships would be built and we would learn how to be flexible.

3. Children Ministry continued onto it's second day. 200+ children showed up, and we taught them the Parable of the Prodigal Sons (Luke 15) as well as the story of David vs. Goliath. Pray we would continue to work as a flexible and unified team. Tomorrow we will tell the stories of Jonah and Noah.

4. Medical Ministry began today. We assessed and treated over 150 patients, many of whom had malnutrition and parasites. Pray for continual wisdom for the doctors, and their assistants. There are many opportunities to build relationships with the patients as they wait for assessment and treatment, so pray that we have opportunities to share the gospel and it's healing power.

Tomorrow we continue our slum ministry in these same groups. We are extremely grateful for your anticipated prayers.

HM

On another note, I tried Camel's milk today and it ain't pretty. You can definitely taste the animal in it.

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Location:St Daniel Comboni Rd,Nairobi,Kenya

Kenya - Days 1 & 2

2011-08-09T12:14:00.001-04:00

Most of our team has arrived in Kenya after a quick stopover in Paris. Total travel time = 17 hours. They will be coming tonight and tomorrow morning. Please pray for journey mercies for them. As well, there is a new rule that we did not know about that involves the medical supplies we need, so please pray our medical team will clear customs ok.

Today we visited the Kibera, the largest slum in Kenya. The inadequate living conditions and immense poverty are almost unimaginable. Our team split into groups of 5 and visited local residents to talk to them,understand the way of life better and pray for their households. As I walked through the garbage-filled streets of the slums, I was humbled to see the simple joy of the Kenyans, particularly the young children who were always smiling and greeting us with handshakes. In the afternoon, we ran our first children's day camp, and had 150 children come. We anticipate double that number tomorrow. We also held our first day of computer training for local leaders.

Tomorrow, we will conduct our second day of day camps, as well as start our medical clinics. A small team will start construction on a second floor for the local ministry center here. Pray for continual safety, team unity and energy.

I just downloaded Blogpress for the iPad, so I will try to keep everyone updated here. Thank you for prayers and love.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:St Daniel Comboni Rd,Nairobi,Kenya