When we think about cities, we generally think about government and corporations and institutions. Another way to look at the cities is to see individual people who have great needs. People don’t realize that without God in their lives, they are like the movie title “dead men walking”. Perhaps we should be praying that people…

How do we respond to our City? Good things happen. And we celebrate. But bad things happen too. And we grieve. One day when Jesus “approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it” (Luke 19:41). Jerusalem had been given the greatest gift of all, God incarnate. But they rejected him. Jesus had come…

How does God look at the cities? At NYC? At the borough of Queens, where our church has been called by God to serve? Did you know? Queens is one of the most ethnically diverse urban areas in the world. The percentage of people in Queens who are foreign born is 48.5%. Queens has more…

Jimi Hendrix has been considered by many as the greatest guitarist of all time. I wonder what would it have been like for Hendrix to surrender his life to Christ and give his musical abilities and talents over to God. Perhaps he could have become an outstanding worship leader, writing songs of praise and thanksgiving…

We live and work in or near NYC, which is made up of 8.4 million plus people. We’re familiar with houses, businesses, schools, stores, skyscrapers, highways, apartments, parks, warehouses, subways, restaurants, religious buildings, museums, and so on. Did you know that the word “city” is used 724 times in the NIV Bible, and the plural…

I read a legend of a man who found the barn where Satan kept his seeds ready to be sown in the human heart. On finding the seeds of discouragement more numerous than others, he learned that those seeds could be made to grow almost anywhere. When Satan was questioned, he reluctantly admitted that there…

In Making Grateful Kids, Jeffrey Froh and Giacomo Bono tell about their research on the benefits of gratitude among young people. They’ve found that grateful young adolescents (ages 11-13), compared with their less grateful counterparts, are happier; are more optimistic; have better social support from friends and family; are more satisfied with their school, family,…

A story is told about a devout king who was disturbed by the ingratitude of his royal court. So he prepared a large banquet for them. When the king and his royal guests were seated, by prearrangement, a beggar shuffled into the hall, sat down at the king’s table, and gorged himself with food. Without…

An optimistic who was facing obstacles within his company stated, “We shouldn’t look at our situation like this. These aren’t problems. They’re opportunities!” A member of his board quickly retorted: “If that’s the case, then we’ve got a company full of opportunities!” An optimist tends to see things favorably. A pessimist tends to see those…

Paul directs us to “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). The pagans in Paul’s day accepted fate as sovereign over everything. They believed that they should accept whatever came their way and even give thanks for it. Fate is the belief that there are forces outside our control that make things happen. “We…