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Turning 40 is what some see as a half-way mark in life. And so its an opportunity to reflect. And as we reflect, its good to journal some thoughts down, just to have a record of where your thoughts were in that season of life. So as I share these thoughts, it will be interesting to reread them 40 years from today. //// Here are some things … Continue reading Reflections on turning 40
Every career choice will have its benefits, and its hardships. And though some careers are more stressful than others, every person will face stress at their jobs. From time to time, I reflect on my choice of being in full time ministry, its benefits and its struggles. When asked what is the toughest part of being a pastor, by far, it is learning to balance … Continue reading The Pastor’s Struggle: 4 tough yet important responsibilities
The United States is a land of immigrants. If you ask most people, they have some knowledge of their “immigrant” past. Close to 15% of the residents in big cities weren’t born in US; imagine if you take their children and grand children into consideration? Most families, in one way or another, have some connection to immigration. That said, when most immigrants come, they start … Continue reading Slavic Pastors planting English-speaking churches in US
Recently, Tanya Feygin’s article, “Russian Culture and The Christian Church” went viral in the Slavic Christian community, with close to 4,000 Facebook shares, thousands of views, and a lot of chatter & comments. After reading the article, I countered with a response, posted HERE. Since my first post, Ive had the opportunity to privately connect with Tanya Feygin, and have spent some time reading other … Continue reading An Apology from a Pastor
Recently, Thom Rainer, one of my favorite bloggers, wrote this article on Seven Warnings for Church Leaders Who Use Social Media. With Social Media being so prominent in our society, it is great to see it used for good purposes. But often it is misused, and sadly, even by church leaders. Discussions that should take place in private rooms, according to “Matthew 18,” are often now … Continue reading Seven Warnings For Church Leaders Who Use Social Media
Recently, @pastorboz posted an article on the 10 Things Pastors Hate to Admit Publicly. The article was great, painful, and truthful, and therefore, I wanted to share it with my readers. Please pray for your pastor daily. He needs it. Here are the 10 things: #1. We Take It Personally When You Leave The Church. It’s just a straight up fact. We pastors eat, drink … Continue reading 10 Things Pastors Hate To Admit Publicly
As I write this blog, I am deeply concerned about an investment scam that has penetrated the Slavic community in our state. Though some are unaware that the company is just that – a scam, many investors have already come to the realization that it is a scam, but, continue to “promote” it, in hopes of at least getting their initial investment returned. Anytime a … Continue reading Are you Knowingly Investing into a Financial Scam or Pyramid Scheme?
DISCLAIMER #1: This post is not against missionaries, nor against any one preacher that has visited or spoke at any Slavic church. Most of these “guest preachers” are people who fear God, are called by God, and are doing the Lord’s work all over the world. Many of them do genuinely need financial assistance, and treat every donation with outmost integrity. DISCLAIMER #2: Many of … Continue reading A Call to Reform a “Culture of Guest Preachers” in the Slavic Church
I use Social Media a lot. I believe it is one of the greatest tools available today for individuals and churches to communicate, inform and influence people. I do not believe Social Media is a sin; I actually think its probably unwise to not be utilizing social media for ministry. I also have a track record of getting other ministers to use Facebook and Twitter. … Continue reading 11 Daring Questions to Ask Yourself about Social Media Use
THIS BLOG IS FOR MATURE AUDIENCE ONLY Can we “plan” to have only 4 kids and not 10? Is family planning, using contraceptives sinful? Is a woman saved through child-bearing? The questions of family planning are certainly controversial. This blog will be controversial, because there are many strong-held beliefs, and those beliefs differ. Nevertheless, I’ve decided to write about this openly, due to much misinformation, … Continue reading Is using contraceptives a sin? What are the different “Birth Control” methods?
Title: The Meaning of Marriage Author: Timothy Keller Topic: Marriage One of the best marriage books I have read and will recommend is “The Meaning of Marriage” by Tim Keller. In this book, author Timothy Keller frankly lets people know marriages built on “self-fulfillment” will not last, rather, marriages need to be built on self-denial & sacrifice. Some small points from the book: * Vows … Continue reading Book Recommendation: The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller
All marriages, including marriages of Christian couples, are never perfect and need a lot of work to make them work. Getting married will neither make you “complete” nor “whole.” The only thing that makes us complete and whole is our relationship w/ Jesus Christ. Choosing your marriage partner should never be based on the feelings of “love” alone. Feelings of love are the result of … Continue reading 5 Questions to ask, before dating someone
The issue of homosexuality has been front cover news for several years now. Many liberals have equaled the rights of homosexuals to get married w/ the great civil rights movement. On the other hand, many Christians are ready to take arms and literally fight so that the government does not give homosexuals the right to get married legally, as if a prohibition against homosexual’s right … Continue reading The Christian’s approach to homosexual marriage
As a church, we are developing a guideline for our leaders, when they visit a hospital. Many of these suggestions were taken from several publications, and its a working document. Any suggestions, as we finalize this? HOSPITAL VISITATION GUIDELINE When we think of ministry, we often think of the words of Jesus in the Great Commission, “Go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). Jesus, … Continue reading Hospital Visitation guidelines for pastors and leaders
On Monday, November 30th, over 12,000 people jam-packed the Mabee Center of Oral Roberts University and thousands more watched online, as the world paid tribute to Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty. He died on Nov. 22 of cancer. Undoubtedly, Pastor Billy Joe left behind a great legacy; he started Victory Christian Center, a church of 17,000 members. He also founded Victory Christian School, International Victory Bible … Continue reading Report from Memorial Service of Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty
Who you surround yourself with has a tremendous affect on your life! The environment you place yourself in will either promote you to growth, or can be a hindrance to your growth and development. Did you know that some sharks, if allowed to develop and freely grow can be as long as 41 feet? But, when a shark is born and is placed in an … Continue reading who’s your friends
As I sit in Starbucks and enjoy a Tall Vanilla Latte as well as the sight of my beautiful wife, something comes to my mind that I need to do that I have been putting off. I have received a couple of emails from people asking me my opinions of Starbucks, and this “movement” amongst some groups to boycott Starbucks. The people who wrote me, … Continue reading boycott starbucks?
Coming revival or will things get worse?Recently, I have begun to look into scriptures, to find out what we, the church, will face, in the coming days. Some, especially in the church, proclaim that we are living in the worst of times, and it’s only going to get worse. Others believe the whole world is going to be saved. So whats really going to happen?Let … Continue reading coming revival, or gloom and doom
Did you know that many scholars believe that the 12 disciples whom Jesus chose were probably under the age of 20 when Jesus selected them, all except Peter? Very different then the common pictures of Jesus and his old bearded disciples.Recently, I was doing an exegesis on Mathew 17:24-27, where Jesus tells Peter to catch a fish, and in the fish, he would find a … Continue reading age of the disciples
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