tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36929941741313145142012-01-15T22:51:15.486+07:00thoughts from a Christian journey in Bangkok. Visit our church website www.icbangkok.org. These posts are personal musings. They aren't the opinion of the church. Please understand that pastors are human. I am not perfect. These are personal reflections about things that capture my imagination and what God is doing in my life.Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comBlogger4561100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-19512647239954426582012-01-15T22:51:00.000+07:002012-01-15T22:51:15.498+07:00

Here is the third and last sermon in the New Beginnings Series. It's on holiness. Here are some study questions: (1) Share an experience where you tried and failed to improve yourself? Read Colossians 2 and 3. (2) Why do you think that "rules" and "regulations" can be so comforting? (3) What do you think Paul thinks about Jewish rituals? (4) What "rules" do you follow? Do you have any personal

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-86975459452028587142012-01-11T00:59:00.000+07:002012-01-11T00:59:35.736+07:00

Here is a link to the sermon text based on 2 Cor 5:17-20 A few questions for Bible study. Think about some issue or thing in our world that just breaks your heart and that you'd like to see change, but seems too big? How does that make you feel? Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 What do you think Paul means by "in Christ" in verse 17? Why would the message that the old is gone and the new is here

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-27718215665668747352011-12-20T16:10:00.000+07:002011-12-20T16:10:23.253+07:00

Christmas Eve worship this year will be at 6pm. It'll be a service of carols (lots of them), candles and just a great time for the whole family. Kids are invited to come in their PJs so they can run home and get to bed so Santa has plenty of time to make rounds. We don't collect an offering on Christmas Eve. This year, if you'd like to make a financial contribution, all money will go to In

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-3615439827186050592011-12-19T06:10:00.000+07:002011-12-19T06:10:28.311+07:00

Sunday (18 December) I think everyone was tired. I know I was after a huge caroling event on Saturday. But God was still present and I really enjoyed catching up with some old friends. Here is the Nativity Video everyone seemed to love so much. And here is a link to Sunday's sermon text.

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-77068424953852223152011-12-12T06:07:00.000+07:002011-12-12T06:07:34.501+07:00

Yesterday was one of those days when you are glad to be a pastor. Everything fell into place. Great nativity scene (thanks Suzy and Cherry for all the hard work).  Great choir (thanks to the Adventist ladies who joined us, and the regular choir ladies, and to Welmer, Shawn and Reggie).  Great testimony (thanks Ajarn Sirirat). Great turnout (morning had over 200 people and evening had over 60).

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-34046601671509358692011-12-05T11:39:00.000+07:002011-12-05T11:39:38.150+07:00

I'm going to start posting a few follow up questions and thoughts for folks who want to think more about Sunday's sermon. Here's a link if you want to read it. And here's a link if you want to listen. (I can't guarantee this one every week since I'm not in charge of recording or posting the audio.) And here are a few questions based on Acts 20:17-35 with a focus on vs 35. (1) Paul (one of THE

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-29046920954427527482011-11-25T11:39:00.001+07:002011-11-25T11:39:47.765+07:00

I know. I haven't blogged since July. Perhaps I'm gonna start again or perhaps this is just a one off. Not sure. We had a great Bible study Wednesday night from Hebrews chapter 9. We talked about how the writer uses all kinds of imagery we don't understand and relate to in order to re-inforce the gospel message and explain it. Here's a video that I show with a presentation that puts the gospel

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-45958396656707622892011-07-29T15:20:00.000+07:002011-07-29T15:20:02.707+07:00

A few years ago I was leading a Bible study on prayer. We got into a conversation about what is appropriate for prayer. A few people talked beautifully about how prayer is not really us changing God's mind, but rather it's about God changing our minds. Some said they prayed just that "His will be done". Some said they don't really believe in praying for things with specifics, but (as acts of

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-79152911256623986642011-07-21T14:13:00.000+07:002011-07-21T14:13:01.085+07:00

Ah... just returning from 3 weeks vacation. What a blessing to be able to get away with the family? But who stole my motivation. Jet lag. Freedom. Family reunions. They can all make the office a hard place to return to as happy as I am to be back. This reminded me of an article I read a month or two ago about motivation. Perhaps you can burn 500 calories on the treadmill before you give up for

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-43557309010569290782011-07-18T07:11:00.002+07:002011-07-18T07:13:25.151+07:00

Today I attended two churches... Mt Pleasant Presbyterian and Seacoast Church. They couldn't have been more different. In the morning the family worshipped with Mt Pleasant Presbyterian with my sister and my parents. The visit started poorly the night before when I was told that shorts would really be underdressed. Turned out I was still slightly underdressed in slacks, a button down and sandals

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-21947605493853430932011-07-13T14:03:00.004+07:002011-07-13T14:03:01.150+07:00

A few weeks ago someone told me that a song we sang made them uncomfortable. This wasn't a complaint. It was a thoughtful conversation opener. There was imagery in the song that he didn't relate to. Frankly, it was imagery I don't relate easily to either. But it was very biblical imagery. About sacrifice and God's wrath. And truth is it's not easy for me to relate to because I've never

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-55011805652510017592011-07-13T05:50:00.003+07:002011-07-13T05:53:03.453+07:00

The family and I attended Lowcountry Community Church on Sunday. Sorry last week for refering to it as Hilton Head Island Community Church. We attended there last year while on the island. It was fun to be back. The pastor preached about being wary of teachers claiming to be Christian, but preaching something less than the full gospel. He indicated a couple of 'tests' to tip us off when

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-21282019643317970252011-07-08T08:09:00.000+07:002011-07-08T08:09:00.237+07:00

My family is in the United States right now visiting family and friends. One thing I've noticed is that my daughter, Anna, is freely giving hugs to people. She's not usually a hugger. In fact, she told my wife and I that she only gives hugs on Mondays and Fridays. (So Monday comes up more than once every week in our house! ^-^) I don't know why she's not a big hugger. I think it's a joke and

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-58647919031120011942011-07-06T13:49:00.004+07:002011-07-06T13:49:00.890+07:00

Recently a young man in my church was telling me that he went to see a prophet from another church who told him his life story and his future without ever having met him before. I've always been uncomfortable with this kind of thing. I believe that God does speak to people today. I believe there are prophets. So what is it that bothers me? Well I finally figured it out. In the Bible prophets do

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-64648456387963583462011-07-04T00:58:00.001+07:002011-07-04T00:59:24.916+07:00

I'm on vacation this week and so was away from International Church. I missed it. Haven't heard anything about this morning, but I did hear that the evening went well. Our family walked down to the Peaks Island Baptist Church today. It's an independent Baptist church. Probably a bit fundamentalist. I've always maintained that there is more than one kind of fundamentalist. There are the mean

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-61331268606093882132011-06-29T13:21:00.000+07:002011-06-29T13:21:00.377+07:00

I have a friend who likes to remind everyone who complains about work that you can't take it personally. And there is truth to that. Lots of times we are simply caught in a system that is dysfunctional. Like if your boss is a bear and treats you poorly, take a look and see how he/she treats the other employees. Perhaps it's not about you, it's about the boss. Of course, the flip side is also

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-11213638332906707952011-06-28T14:30:00.000+07:002011-06-28T14:30:11.594+07:00

Here's the text of Sunday's sermon. I won't be preaching for three whole weeks, but I'll try to go online on Mondays still and tell you a little about the worship services I attend while on vacation with the family. Sunday was great. Here are just a few of the reasons. * Met a visitor in the AM who intended to come to another church but because they're service times had changed, she ended up at

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-8303195511362665642011-06-27T08:54:00.004+07:002011-06-27T08:54:00.718+07:00

I'll be on vacation for the first few weeks of July.  I've pre-done a few posts from material collected before leaving. And I might write live a couple of times because it's fun. I'll try to do Monday updates after attending worship on Sundays to share what God did and said during the church services we attend while away. The hardest one will be yesterday's church service from 26 June. I came

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-29188033259780844772011-06-24T08:43:00.000+07:002011-06-24T08:43:00.208+07:00

One of the most compelling ways to explain Jesus to someone that doesn't know Him is to tell your story. What happened to you when you met him? I believe most (if not all) Christians have a story that is compelling. But I also know that many (if not most) of us don't know how to tell our stories. (And stories is the right word, I've got tonnes of them.) Jeff Goins is a writer and blogger and he

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-51122750328495072992011-06-22T08:26:00.000+07:002011-06-22T08:26:00.839+07:00

Seth Godin had a great article recently where he talked about being a good salesman. Here is some of it. If you only show up when you want something, we'll catch on. If you only learn the minimum amount necessary to get over the next hurdle, you'll fall behind.... A professional salesperson refuses to engage in the short-cycle of cold call/sell/move on. An urgent plea from the boss before the

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-59532435722413451872011-06-20T15:56:00.000+07:002011-06-20T15:56:14.795+07:00

Sunday was amazing in all sorts of ways. Here's the sermon link. Here are some of the highlights. * Check out the video of "What Wondrous Love Is This" on Sunday. I'll embed it here when I get a chance, but it was just fabulous. There is a story behind how it happened that contains some humor and some God-ness. Right now it's on Facebook under the International Church of Bangkok page, my

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-74105643706747594152011-06-17T07:32:00.001+07:002011-06-17T07:32:01.006+07:00

I ran across a very interesting article from Tony Morgan today. He cites a Nielsen study that shows that teens text more than they talk on their mobile devices. In fact, no age group (with the exception of senior citizens) spend less time "talking" on their phones. Interesting. They text. They don't talk. I can relate. I prefer text too. I also prefer Facebook. Twitter. And email. There are some

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-75135502150963334812011-06-15T08:09:00.000+07:002011-06-15T08:09:00.627+07:00

I think God speaks a lot more often than we hear. One of the best things you can do as a Christian is cultivate an openness to hear the voice of God. One of the things we learn over and over again in Scripture is how often God speaks through and in places we'd least expect. There is this famous line from Genesis, "God was in the place and I didn't even know it." (Genesis 28:16) A few days ago I

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-73883427601211932902011-06-14T07:31:00.000+07:002011-06-14T07:31:23.970+07:00

Here's the sermon link from Sunday. (Note: the mp3 will be up on the Intl Church Website in about a week. Sorry for the delay.) I had a lot of fun Sunday. And God is/was and will be good. But I'm only going to share a few of things. * It was Pentecost, so we shook things up a bit. We rearranged the chairs in the morning. It worked. It wasn't perfect, but it created a better sense of community.

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-37921053887134353452011-06-08T08:08:00.000+07:002011-06-08T08:08:54.731+07:00

I read this article today about how a Yale University study recently suggested that we might be able to improve our diets by lying to ourselves about how many calories the food we are eating contains. You'll feel more satisfied if you *think* you are eating higher calorie foods whether they ARE higher calorie or not. This makes me feel better about telling my daughter that green beans are a type

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-37029427798071735852011-06-06T18:31:00.001+07:002011-06-08T12:38:24.469+07:00

One of the things that we learn when we study the life of John the Baptist is that he was pretty crazy. Just the kind of person who would be marginalized today. But God chose to speak through him. In fact, God used John to announce the coming of Jesus. What if God chose to speak through someone like John today? Most of us would miss it because we don't listen to people like John. That's the gist

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-66924650153166573752011-06-02T17:10:00.000+07:002011-06-02T17:10:30.165+07:00

First of all - let's agree right now that as Christians we are called to be people of influence. Jesus told us just before he ascended to heaven to await the final resurrection, Matthew 28:19, Go and make disciples (influence people) of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.So the call

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-25219363969159477382011-06-01T13:35:00.007+07:002011-06-01T13:35:00.180+07:00

Steven Hawkings one of the most brilliant minds of our time recently declared that heaven doesn't exist. And a huge chorus of people who hate religion cheers. And Christians hid. And I betcha heaven sighed. NT Wright responded thoughtfully in the Washington Post. It's worth reading. However - here's a short version and a little more commentary. Wright basically says that he doesn't believe in

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-57944885168105602492011-05-30T08:09:00.000+07:002011-05-30T08:09:10.161+07:00

In the sermon yesterday I preached on the Christian idea of LOVE. Not the sentimental thing that most people mean when they use the word, but the tough, redemptive commitment that God calls us to. Here's the sermon. Warning, it's not easy. Here are some thoughts from the day... *It was sad to say "goodbye" to the Compaans. It's been great to worship with them for the last two years. Praying

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-25825522532085464922011-05-29T13:09:00.005+07:002011-05-29T13:09:00.099+07:00

From a Design Blog There’s a phase we go through in our maturity as designers. At first we don’t have a lot of confidence in our process, so we hide while we work. We take feedback ...and say “Ok let me go away and work on that and I’ll get back to you.” ... When we get more confident a new phase opens up. We believe more in our process and we know that things are never perfect. So we start

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-32465547265194836732011-05-27T13:02:00.000+07:002011-05-27T13:02:11.896+07:00

This story is insane. Pope Ousts "loose living" Monks. a renowned monastery in Rome where monks staged concerts featuring a lap-dancer-turned-nun and opened a hotel with a 24-hour limousine service has been shut down by the pope. As part of Benedict XVI's crackdown on "loose living" within the Catholic church, 20 or so Cistercian monks are now being evicted from the monastery at the

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-82086275611844572942011-05-26T20:42:00.000+07:002011-05-26T20:42:00.334+07:00

Sometimes it seems that the only Christians who care about diet and fitness are our Adventist brothers and sisters. The rest of the body of Christ ignores stuff like vegetables, exercise and rest. This is why I was so happy to read a recent article by Heather Moffitt. She nailed it when she said that mainstream Christianity's weak relationship with the body is a form of modern Gnosticism. I'm

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-20760954272781604482011-05-23T10:31:00.000+07:002011-05-23T10:31:01.076+07:00

Here's a link to Sunday's sermon. The point of the title (which I said, but don't think is written in the sermon) is that God commands us to take care of ourselves through regular periods (sabbaths) of rest. When we refuse and think, "God will just intervene", I suspect God sits in heaven with his arms folded saying, "No. I told you to get some rest." Maybe it doesn't work EXACTLY like that. But

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-90611076852824393862011-05-23T05:07:00.001+07:002011-05-23T05:07:00.943+07:00

A friend of mine wrote that he's been seeing a trainer. The main reason is so that he'll remember to work out slowly. My biggest problem has been slowing down. I tend to work out too fast. Lift too fast, do crunches too fast, do pushups too fast, etc. I haven’t been able to catch myself when I’m going too fast. I’m certainly capable of slowing down, and I fundamentally understand the benefits

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-86313249883576249312011-05-21T04:54:00.001+07:002011-05-21T04:57:10.019+07:00

I have been reading the last few days in Numbers 22. Isreal has been moving through the promised land. They are almost upon the Moabites. The Moabites are afraid. They've seen what these Isrealites have done to other nations. So the king of Moab, a guy named Balak contacts a prophet named Balaam and asks him to curse the Isrealites so they (the Isrealites) won't be able to take the land. This is

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-76293996175266820612011-05-20T01:33:00.000+07:002011-05-20T01:33:00.373+07:00

Am I selling Jesus? Yes. It might sound crass, but it's true. And I think everyone should buy because He's awesome. So I was interested to read an article last week entitled, "Science reveals what you need to do to talk people into anything." My first thought was this was going to be a lame article. But as I read it I think they hit on a couple of really important things. Interviewers who spoke

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-43114497495565679712011-05-19T01:19:00.015+07:002011-05-24T21:00:35.784+07:00

I was reading an article by Tony Morgan recently and he was giving tips about church communications and his point was that churches need to stop being "fair" to every ministry. What he means is that not everything a church is doing is as important as everything else. But you wouldn't know it from the way many churches communicate. Giving every communication equal weight doesn't help people

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-48102239100180472562011-05-17T15:03:00.000+07:002011-05-17T15:03:59.176+07:00

One of the things I do NOT miss about living in the USA is the home improvement trap. I am a recovering Home Depot/Lowes junkie. I used to watch the home improvement TV shows. This Old House and others. I'd get all inspired. I'd identify cool projects that I could do around the house. I'd get in the car and head off to buy the supplies. In the store - you just felt like you were making progress.

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-35225901071381281182011-05-16T10:12:00.000+07:002011-05-16T10:12:16.471+07:00

I've been on study leave this past week in Los Angeles. This morning I worshiped with First Baptist Church of Pasadena. I've come to this church probably 7 times over the last 9 years. There was a lot of stuff that was great for worship. The theme was to learn to look at others (meaning people outside the Christian faith) as Jesus did... gracefully, with curiosity, wonder and as beautiful. FBC is

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-42826789483957309272011-05-10T21:44:00.000+07:002011-05-10T21:44:00.070+07:00

Sometimes we send unintended messages. Like this... One article noted Judging from the highlighted security question, Sovereign Bank’s customers must be doing quite well. Maybe next they will ask, “What’s the name of your third-largest yacht?” Or “In what room of your mansion do you keep your Fabergé eggs?”Makes you wonder what inadvertent signals we send as Christians. For example, I watched

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-42810787490359410072011-05-09T16:48:00.000+07:002011-05-09T16:48:00.397+07:00

I make a big effort to avoid evening and Saturday meetings. As a pastor that's hard. It's when others are free. But I want to be able to spend time with my wife and kids and that's when they are free too. So I usually pause work from 4 till 7pm to watch Jake play Wii or shoot baskets in the driveway. I often will sit and joke with Anna while she is playing. But sometimes I just sit in the same

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-7980600456593380862011-05-08T19:17:00.000+07:002011-05-08T19:17:20.930+07:00

Here's the sermon from Sunday. I rushed out after church Sunday to the airport and I'm typing from the foodcourt in the Taipei Airport on the way to LA. But we did have a great Sunday. Here were some of the elements. * Great Choir. It's always nice when you have 15 voices in a worship service of less than 200. 15 voices can make a really great sound. It is hard to believe that just about 12

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-32844808742404060662011-05-07T16:30:00.000+07:002011-05-07T16:30:01.283+07:00

I got a phone call today from someone that I really wish had called or emailed. Why? Because when I received the call I was in an area that was loud and I had a hard time understanding what she was saying. The matter was not urgent. I would have been just as happy receiving the information later in the afternoon. And it would have been nice to get a written record rather than only what I could

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-38526906459600010052011-05-05T16:29:00.000+07:002011-05-05T16:29:08.067+07:00

Something God has taught me in the past and seems to have to teach me over and over again is the principle that – Life Is As Easy As Listening To God & Then Doing What He Says. God does speak…I believe He speaks clearly, loudly and often.  If we are honest, most of us do not struggle with not knowing what to do…but rather with not doing what we already know. Here are a few principles for

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-41879421735012013382011-05-03T21:13:00.000+07:002011-05-03T21:13:05.007+07:00

So I preached this sermon BEFORE Osama Bin Laden was killed and people all over the world celebrated the death of the enemy. And the applications points in the sermon are mostly about personal relationships like family and co-workers. But I think it applies to the geo-political as well. See what you think. Here's the sermon from 1 May (the day before Bin Laden was killed). In terms of church

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-16334387460701316292011-04-30T08:20:00.001+07:002011-05-02T16:50:11.098+07:00

When I was a kid, if two people of the opposite sex (who were not related) lived together and weren't married we said, "They are living in sin." It was a shorthand way of disapproving of their decision to live together (and presumably sleep together) before marriage. I remember in college, the Baptist Student Union was set aflame one year when the student Secretary elect showed up for school and

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-42951521900824151172011-04-29T09:05:00.000+07:002011-04-29T09:05:00.834+07:00

Seth Godin had an interesting post recently where he contrasted someone who is hungry verses someone who is guarded. The hungry person at the all you can eat buffet is happy to take one more item. She doesn't spend a lot of time comparing this to that, or saying 'no thank you' or avoiding certain items. If it's interesting, "sure I'll try a little bit. I can always come back." The guarded

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-38783465385152565612011-04-27T08:47:00.004+07:002011-04-27T08:47:00.371+07:00

American National Public Radio picked up an interesting story. New Jersey Transit will rehire a man who was fired after burning a Quran. The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey brought a suit on behalf of Derek Fenton, who was fired for burning a Quran last year on the ninth anniversary of 9/11. The gist of the story is that a transit worker who was not at work attended a protest at

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-8785869772057068602011-04-24T23:02:00.000+07:002011-04-24T23:02:40.139+07:00

A lot happened today... as expected since it was Easter. I talked about resurrection and spelled out some Biblical ideas that I don't think get preached a lot. It includes the idea (which is amazingly comforting) that Jesus had a BBQ on the beach after being resurrected. Find out why here. Some other highlights and thoughts. (1) Thanks to everyone who invited friends to come with them today.

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-49795882236699325402011-04-23T11:46:00.000+07:002011-04-23T11:46:17.411+07:00

In honor of Easter where love really did win. Let me recommend Rob Bell's newest book again. I should probably do a more thorough review. There is good and bad in this book. Some parts are better than other parts. He asks lots of great questions and a few just to be difficult. The chapter on Hell (which is stirring up all the controversy) is the worst one in the book. It's incomplete. He attacks

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-17050465833381286382011-04-22T09:01:00.000+07:002011-04-22T09:01:00.875+07:00

After I made fun of Country Western Music a few weeks ago in a sermon, I thought I'd better do a little penance. So here's a shout out. I hear ('cause I don't know first hand) that Country music star Kenny Chesney sings a song that contains this refrain, Everybody wanna go to heaven; Hallelujah, let me hear you shout; Everybody wanna go to heaven; But nobody wanna go now. As much as I don't

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-37435089666003199262011-04-21T14:52:00.002+07:002011-04-21T14:52:01.095+07:00

A few weeks ago I taught my son Jake (aged 7) how to ride a bike. It was one of those challenging moments as a parent. I know how to ride a bike. I could tell him how to do it, but he couldn’t really hear me. I was trying to help but I wasn’t being helpful. He’d climb on the bike and I’d hold the seat to steady him. I’d tell him to pedal and I’d run along all hunched over holding him steady by

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-1891939950387487572011-04-18T15:12:00.000+07:002011-04-18T15:12:34.106+07:00

Here's the link to my sermon from yesterday. 17 April 2011. Matthew 26 & 27. Here are some of the highlights from church. It's always fun watching kids walk in waving palm branches for Palm Sunday. It's also fun watching adults do it. Somehow this year I didn't get a palm... in EITHER service. Not great planning. My fault. Again surprised by reasonable crowds in both the morning and evening

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-65158863440438212872011-04-14T14:33:00.001+07:002011-04-14T14:33:00.580+07:00

Jesus placed a high value on caring for those who are most vulnerable... including prisoners. Check out Matthew 25. With that in mind, we are glad to announce that representatives from the Christian Prison Ministry in Thailand will be at International Church of Bangkok Sunday. We've got a long standing relationship with this great ministry and are excited about continuing it. The Christian

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-21598730900966088012011-04-13T09:08:00.000+07:002011-04-13T09:08:25.964+07:00

At the end of my street is a motorcycle taxi rank. Usually there are 4-6 motorbike taxi drivers waiting to shuttle people around the neighborhood for a small fee. You pay them 10 baht (30 cents) and you get to your destination quicker and without all the water pouring off your body. A few days ago when I approached, a little old lady beat me to the front of the line. This was discouraging

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-17897746822085811732011-04-10T22:49:00.000+07:002011-04-10T22:49:16.057+07:00

The first thing the Bible says about God is that He is creative. At the end of the first chapter, it says we are made in God's image. Therefore, we are creative too. This sermon is in praise of artists and creatives. 2011 April 10 Sermon. Lots of great stuff happened today at church. (1) I was nervous about the choir only having four singers... but it was beautiful. I was surprised at how few

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-74684324972927170312011-04-09T19:15:00.000+07:002011-04-09T19:15:01.288+07:00

I was having lunch this week with a friend of mine who was disillusioned. "Why should I care anymore?" She said. "I've done everything I know how and she's just not taking any initiative." This woman from my church was talking about her efforts to reach out to someone in need. She'd helped another lady in many ways. She provided rent. Emotional and spiritual support. She'd found a doctor to look

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-44222402272076333182011-04-08T14:14:00.001+07:002011-04-08T14:14:00.668+07:00

Bill Easum is a famous church consultant. He's a great writer and I agree with almost everything he says... even if I don't like it. He had an interesting post recently about financial stewardship... some of which I don't agree with. Let's take a look at a list of principles he provides. Our standard of living should not determine our standard of giving; instead our standard of giving should

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-16185557253058480382011-04-07T14:11:00.000+07:002011-04-07T14:11:05.764+07:00

Okay. Practice what I preach... not what I do. I'm no expert at either of the Spiritual Disciplines I preached about over the last two weeks. But the gospel must be preached even when I'm not good at putting it into practice. 27 March 2011. Luke chapter 5. Solitude. 3 April 2011. Philippians chapter 2. Humility God has been doing a number of wonderful things in our church over the past couple

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-29154951079662656562011-04-02T19:04:00.002+07:002011-04-02T19:06:20.484+07:00

This video is worth taking a look at. It is from one of the leaders in advanced glass technology as it integrates with computer technology. People in the know say this is closer to reality than you think and if you watch CNN and pay attention to the advances recently with tablet and phone technology you know it's true. Take a look. How will this transform how we connect with God? Will it

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-63021119165264024532011-03-29T08:25:00.000+07:002011-03-29T08:25:07.365+07:00

 Image from www.andrewcorbett.net I just watched US President Barak Obama give his first big speech addressing the upheaval going on in Libya over the last few weeks. He very carefully steered away from using the term "war" to describe what the US, UK, France and other NATO and UN Nations are engaged in. But we all know that's exactly what it is. The questions I'm struggling with are: Is it "

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-62931683195975294142011-03-25T16:59:00.001+07:002011-03-25T17:01:45.359+07:00

There is an interesting study out by Matthew Feinstein which links obesity and regular religious participation. I couldn't find a link to the study itself, but here's a link to an article with more details. Feinstein found that American adults who participated in one or more religious group per week were 50% more likely to be obese by middle-age. There are all sorts of questions I have about the

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-61357667968468729512011-03-23T16:38:00.000+07:002011-03-23T16:38:07.348+07:00

Matthew 26:39, "Going a little farther, he  (Jesus) fell on his face to the ground and prayed...." There are all kinds of great lessons about prayer in this short exert from Jesus' life. I firmly believe there are not right and wrong ways (in terms of method) to pray. Lots of different styles have worked well for me. I think the key is that we DO pray. And I find that takes a lot more energy and

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-67072717161102928472011-03-21T11:23:00.001+07:002011-03-21T11:24:10.231+07:00

On Sunday we had a visitor at church in Bangkok. When I was chatting with her after the service, I asked if she was a Christian (note: we get lots of non-Christian visitors and we are grateful for that). She said, "I'm Thai." This was her way of saying, "No, I'm not Christian, I'm Buddhist." Despite the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of Thai Christians, despite the fact that Thailand

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-51541306769854695872011-03-16T17:35:00.001+07:002011-03-16T17:43:49.205+07:00

When I went out to dinner last night with my wife, at the end of dinner we exited the restaurant and found it raining. I thought twice about walking out into the rain because I'd read some Facebook posts that said that Thailand would be subject to Acid Rain because of the Japanese Nuclear Reactor. That's a lie. And I knew it. But I still thought about it. How about you? The ongoing concern over

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-38483678607713952682011-03-14T14:50:00.000+07:002011-03-14T14:50:26.752+07:00

The things people say to pastors after sermons are sometimes funny sometimes tragic. Yesterday I concluded the sermon by lamenting the fact that I was really tempted to buy an ipad2, but that I don't feel like getting one would be a very God-honoring use of money for me. I pointed out that I wasn't criticizing the ipad. And I didn't mean to say that anyone who DID get one was doing Satan's work

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-37711485448211195502011-03-14T00:54:00.000+07:002011-03-14T00:54:05.940+07:00

Sermon from 6 March: Mountaintops Can Be Dangerous Sermon from 13 March: Less Is More: Simplicity I find that God often surprises me. The two sermons above highlight aspects of God and what He commands that are contrary to what most people seem to think these days. First - most people seem to think that spiritual experiences and sacred moments are for our own enjoyment and that if we can just

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-6008902129896294502011-03-12T09:52:00.000+07:002011-03-12T09:52:48.732+07:00

Last night as I was surfing the different news channels looking for the best coverage of the tragedy in Japan I came across a CNBC interview with a friend of mine, Malcolm Foster. Malcolm is the AP Bureau Chief in Japan. He's an experienced international reporter/editor. He covered the 2004 Tsunami for AP. He'd just moved to Bangkok at the time. And I got to know him well over the next 5 years

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-63231443514173902042011-03-11T19:33:00.000+07:002011-03-11T19:33:30.415+07:00

This Sunday (13 March) friends from Rahab Ministries here in Thailand will join us for worship both in the morning and evening. They'll share stories of how God is at work in the Patpong Sex District. They introduce us (figuratively) to women who've been exploited in this industry and give us ideas about how we can help. Of course we can... * Pray. Prayer is powerful and sometimes the only way

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-58003533165988610742011-03-10T19:29:00.000+07:002011-03-10T19:29:33.426+07:00

I recently picked up Smart, Faster, Cheaper by David Garland. It got great reviews on Amazon... famous last words. ^-^ I'm just getting into it. It's essentially a modern guide to using social media for public relations. I'm trying to think through what he's saying as it might apply for pastors and churches. In the first bit I found something interesting and I'm thinking about the implications

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-4685436771638204182011-03-08T15:43:00.000+07:002011-03-08T15:43:03.111+07:00

A newcomer at church recently sent me an email asking how to pray. Specifically... 1. How can I pray in the right way? And 2. What is the real meaning of prayer? I think these are both great questions so I'm going to share part of what I wrote back. It's wonderful that you have so many questions. And they are great questions. Regarding prayer... a couple of things come to mind. First - you

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-34998733150901605002011-02-28T13:50:00.000+07:002011-02-28T13:50:52.595+07:00

Here is a link to Sunday's sermon. I was *thrilled* to learn some of the different things people said they learned from this sermon at dinner. (1) Who is the greatest Oscar host of all time. (2) That we don't have to do what anyone says... except God (closer). (3) That Paul (the apostle) wasn't innocent. I had a great Sunday. I really enjoyed morning worship despite a rocky start that included

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-78678430681446320222011-02-23T08:23:00.000+07:002011-02-23T08:23:21.604+07:00

I don't have a sermon to post from Sunday because I didn't preach. I listened. And it was glorious. ^-^ Pastor Ed Brown preached. He's with an organization called Care of Creation. They work to encourage Christians to take our stewardship of God's creation seriously. Ed made a number of insightful points during his 15 minutes at Intl Church. Here are a few... *From 1 Corinthians 3 we can see

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-67213507322868480632011-02-19T20:18:00.000+07:002011-02-19T20:18:22.947+07:00

Patience is not the easiest virtue for me. The simplest acts of patience wear me out. My parents are visiting. That means walking more slowly on the sidewalks. It makes me tired. Sitting at a restaurant with my kids wears me out. When I'm done, I want to move on. I don't want to wait on anyone else to finish. It's a fundamentally selfish thing. And this is just as true spiritually as it is in

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-48336923467315703382011-02-13T23:30:00.000+07:002011-02-13T23:30:00.171+07:00

Here is the link to Sunday's Sermon text. Highlights from Sunday included... * The choir in the morning was about as good as I can remember them. Really a blessing. * Sad to say "Goodbye" to Andrew and Amy. They have been great friends and ministry partners. * Thanks to Allyson for leading Humble King. It was a blessing. * Great to welcome Moses and Bee into formal membership. * First Church

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-70040412929794488742011-02-07T11:02:00.000+07:002011-02-07T11:02:39.133+07:00

At International Church, we've moved all our media advertising online. We run google ads as well as facebook ads and we have a social media presence on twitter.  Just a few years ago we had none of this. The only ads we ran were an occasional ad in the Bangkok Post. We went in with a couple other churches and ran a joint ad. Since I don't subscribe I almost never saw it. One of the few times I

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-70976324622742777572011-02-07T09:09:00.000+07:002011-02-07T09:09:25.361+07:00

Religion and religious people can be nasty, mean and arrogant. That's why Jesus often came into conflict with them (us). Here's a link to Sunday's sermon. * Love the energy Cecilia brought praying and reading Scripture in the morning. * Thanks to Jack, Charis and Sam for leading beautifully in the evening. * It was great to see Rukshan and Jean yesterday. And it was a special blessing to hear

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-40586088536102661072011-02-04T14:33:00.000+07:002011-02-04T14:33:55.079+07:00

Here's the sermon link from Sunday. If you were there you know that Jesus is not against ambition. It depends on what you are ambitious for. The problem is that in our world, selfish ambition is the rule. We are ambitious for fame and riches. We are narcissistic and it's leading us to more and more extreme behaviors in order to get attention. We had some wonderful things happen on Sunday. * We

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-59907546938427916122011-01-24T10:05:00.000+07:002011-01-24T10:05:04.991+07:00

A couple of weeks ago I started a new sermon series called Jesus vs.... The idea is that you can learn a lot about a person by the kinds of things he/she comes into conflict with. Jesus is no different. So we are taking a few chapters from the middle of the book of Luke. Sort of average days in the life and ministry of Jesus. And we are looking at some of the things he came into conflict with.

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-48794437652463982392011-01-03T10:20:00.000+07:002011-01-03T10:20:50.347+07:00

Here's a link to Sunday's sermon. There were a number of things that happened yesterday to give thanks for. First of all - I know this SHOULDN'T alter my mood, but despite the fact that LOTS of our regulars were gone yesterday, we had reasonable attendance at BOTH worship services. We were well off our regular crowd, but well above what I expected. Some English speaking churches in Bangkok

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-70849742604375819182010-12-28T08:28:00.000+07:002010-12-28T08:28:36.840+07:00

I was reading a fitness website today that was giving tips for how to deal with the different responses you get from family and friends when you try to eat healthier and get in shape. As I read, it occurred to me that the exact same range of reactions occur when we try to take positive steps with God spiritually. So here are the range of responses the fitness site said you could expect... 1. You

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-8245400696731068582010-12-25T19:51:00.001+07:002010-12-25T19:51:32.245+07:00

Here is the sermon text from Christmas Eve. It was a wonderful service for a lot of reasons. * A bunch of people invited friends. * The Facebook Ad apparently was very effective. * Reggie led wonderfully from the Piano and Joel stepped up to vocally lead the singing. * Roy came early and stopped off on the way to buy more candles. * Billy and a few others showed up really early to help arrange

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-36341935620799273672010-12-20T15:02:00.000+07:002010-12-20T15:02:27.982+07:00

Here's a link to Sunday's Sermon. A few people figured out where I was going before I got there. It wouldn't have been hard if you just read the Bible. :) The particular sermon I preach yesterday gets a lot of push back from people when I teach it in Bible study format. Some highlights from yesterday. *Choir was much smaller today, but still did a great job. *I was really encouraged by the

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-69918092425970628392010-12-17T10:56:00.000+07:002010-12-17T10:56:58.878+07:00

Do you know who made those Christmas gifts you bought? Would it dampen your mood if you found out they were produced by a kid forced by poverty and family responsibilities to work in unsafe conditions? One guy in the video says "people like to hand over big checks"... (Lol. Seriously?) but other than that it's a good thought for the day and a good reason to buy Christmas gifts through ThaiCraft

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-82678208516096358532010-12-16T09:09:00.000+07:002010-12-16T09:09:58.812+07:00

One of my FAVORITE worship services of the year is Christmas Eve. Half to three quarters of the congregation is out of the country, but there are usually plenty of vacationers and curious folks to take their place. We sing a BUNCH of Carols, read the Christmas Story and I'll have a SHORT but POWER PACKED mediation on Christmas. It's a great way to keep the meaning behind the holiday in

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-10011337700148634852010-12-13T08:47:00.001+07:002010-12-13T08:48:49.743+07:00

Sundays Sermons from... 5 December 2010 12 December 2010 Highlights from yesterday included... * A fun opening to the morning worship service. Kids from Chaiyapruk Home played the Angklang beautifully. It's sad to think they'll all been abandoned by their parents, but great to know that God has provided for them in spite of that with a wonderful, loving home. And great to see them praising God

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-23199326217331881332010-12-11T16:55:00.000+07:002010-12-11T16:55:32.196+07:00

When is truth, not the truth? And if truth isn't always true, then how do you decide what to do in any given situation? Lot's of people approach the Bible like it's a rule book. It's not. It's the story of people living in relationship to God. It's God's story. And reducing it to a set of rules or a "playbook" as some call it just misses the point and dismisses the need to listen to the Holy

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-29566306314852306762010-12-02T11:32:00.000+07:002010-12-02T11:32:33.631+07:00

Apologies up front to ICB members who will recognize this from the E-Messenger newsletter for this week. I don't usually blog what I write in the newsletter. But I thought a broader audience might think this is interesting. ------------------------- The sermon series right now is called "Skeletons in Jesus' Family History". We're looking at the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1. I was thinking

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-91556436484547966492010-11-30T09:19:00.003+07:002010-11-30T09:29:29.550+07:00

Here's the sermon link from Sunday. Do you have anyone in your family or family history who is just embarrassing? Jesus did. Some of us ARE the embarrassing person in our families. The one who moved away. The one who got divorced. The one who went to jail. The one who married a foreigner. Or changed religions. (The list could go on and on.) Jesus has people just like that (and worse) in his

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-18828523395663837212010-11-27T19:32:00.000+07:002010-11-27T19:32:04.275+07:00

I read with interesting this article in the NY Times today. It's about the US Department of Homeland Security shutting down filesharing websites. (I thought Homeland Security was focused on terrorism. Perhaps a little focus would help.) What I find interesting is the complete ineffectiveness of these types of police action. In my limited experience, punitive or threats of punitive action rarely

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-56656553364212309072010-11-25T13:57:00.000+07:002010-11-25T13:57:07.268+07:00

It's time to start thinking about Christmas. This Sunday marking the first Sunday in Advent. This Sunday is supposed to be a Sunday to start thinking about Jesus being born into our world and also to meditate on his coming again in glory. When I think about that - I am excited. Because it is a promise of a better world.  *We won't have to worry about wars (like we all have this week as

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-85150403337089738192010-11-22T15:24:00.000+07:002010-11-22T15:24:38.332+07:00

Christians Basics to Hold onto in Tough Times. That's the link to the sermon and a hint at the theme. Here are the highlights. (1) The morning service was punctuated by the visiting music group Oxygen. They were really wonderful. (2) The evening worship was highlighted by the Loy Kratong celebration afterwards. About 15 of us wandered over the Lumpini Park, changed the symbolism and lit our

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-30173723988758786252010-11-15T02:16:00.000+07:002010-11-15T02:16:32.128+07:00

Here's a link to the sermon Sunday. One of the most distressing aspects of much of modern Christianity is the idea that perhaps we don't really need to use our minds. No thinking. No real questions. No doubts. Just sit down and shut up. It's as though if we thought about stuff we are afraid of what we'd find. Life in Grace is about trusting God enough to really love the truth. 2 Thessalonians 2

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-8950808187567253722010-11-12T07:56:00.000+07:002010-11-12T07:56:50.930+07:00

I always thought that Malachi 3:8-12 was the painfully blunt bit about tithing in Malachi. But today I was reading in chapter 1 and this gives chapter 3 a run for it's money. Check out Malachi 1:6-14. What do you think your "crippled animal" is? I have some thoughts on mine. I have a tendency to do "religious stuff" all day and then really give God my leftover time. I squeeze in prayer here and

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-84286014827472851252010-11-08T08:04:00.000+07:002010-11-08T08:04:00.453+07:00

Here is the sermon text from yesterday. Sermon. Just a few thoughts from the day. *I had a breakfast meeting at 7am. I think it's the first time I've ever put a non-church meeting early on a Sunday morning before church like that. But I'm glad I did it. Can't give details but it was encouraging and humbling. *Loved the energy the choir brought with the gospel song in the morning. *Usually our

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-90903261208816545852010-11-01T07:48:00.000+07:002010-11-01T07:48:59.594+07:00

New sermons from the last two weeks. 31 October, 2 Thessalonians 1:1-7 - Life in Grace produces thankfullness 24 October, Luke 10:25ff - The good Samaritan was no hero (retreat) I haven't posted sermons from the last few weeks, so here are two. The sermon from Luke was what I preached Sunday morning in Pranburi at the church retreat. It was a fun start to a Scripture and spiritual growth filled

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-6989815755856515062010-10-11T08:50:00.000+07:002010-10-11T08:50:00.282+07:00

Here is the link to Sunday's sermon. Here are some thoughts out of this past Sunday. * Great to see a few Church of Christ Thailand (CCT) Missionaries in worship with us. We had folks in the morning and evening. The CCT Annual Meeting is this week. * Great to add another "new" voice to the choir. If everyone came on the same day, we'd have 20 voices. That's awesome. It never happens, but it

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-86960944175007640712010-10-04T02:02:00.000+07:002010-10-04T02:02:06.596+07:00

Here is a link to the sermon from Sunday. Today was World Communion Sunday. Churches all over the world from a wide variety of different denominations and traditions all celebrated Holy Communion today in a show of unity. Jesus' longest recorded prayer is in the Book of John and it's that his disciples would be unified. We've messed that up over the years. Sometimes dividing over serious issues

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-55789797401276473452010-10-01T08:23:00.002+07:002010-10-01T08:26:36.688+07:00

One of the big news stories yesterday was the Indian court's decision about what to do with the holy site at Ayodhya. The site is holy to Muslims, Hindus and a little-known local Indian religious sect. Unfortunately it has also been the scene of a great deal of violence in recent years. In 1992 Hindus tried to destroy a Mosque on the site. The Hindus believe that the site is the birthplace of one

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3692994174131314514.post-88487056768387549692010-09-27T08:44:00.000+07:002010-09-27T08:44:54.577+07:00

Here is a link to Sunday's Sermon. I'm unusually tired tonight so I think this will be brief. *Today started a series of Stewardship Sermons... "Using What God Gave You". I don't really like to preach about money (and the series isn't all about that), but I've got a lot to say on the subject largely because Jesus talked about it constantly. *I took out the most aggressive lines from my sermon

Stewart Perrynoreply@blogger.com