Blessed are those who dwell in Your house, ever singing Your praise!Selah. Blessed are those whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. Psalm 84:4–5 In Old Testament times, it was common for God’s people to long for God’s Temple in...
We’ve just had two consecutive weeks of baptism ceremonies at Island ECC and we’re going to have one more next week! That’s how much a typhoon can change our schedules. We love Baptism Sunday at our church. It’s always so encouraging to see people share their life...
Over the summer, I had a great time travelling with my family back to Scotland: the place where I studied and where my son was born. The last time we were there was 15 years ago and we have never been back since. The old places brought back a lot of great and not-so-great memories. There was...
If you think that you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! — 1 Corinthians 10:13 Typhoon Hato hit Hong Kong fiercely this Wednesday with violent winds and downpours of rain. Dramatic videos filmed in the morning surfaced quickly… Three...
You are in for a real treat today! We’ve decided to mix things up a bit and have two live speakers on every floor. I’ve asked 8 of our staff to share a mini-sermon about what God has been doing in their lives recently. You will get to hear two of them in the service you attend, but...
In my years in Hong Kong, I’ve come to observe that there are three Cantonese dishes that make even the most adventurous “I’ll try anything” eaters balk: sweet red bean soup, steamed chicken feet in soy bean sauce, and pigs feet in sweet ginger & vinegar sauce. To...
We just started a new sermon series called “Sweet and Sour” that is taking a look at how we are to have life to the full, but there will also be trouble. I’ve been reading through the book of Acts lately and there was a passage that struck me as somewhat of a “sweet and...
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 Years ago, before I joined Island ECC as a pastor, I was...
Fearless. This single word summarises the way in which each one of us would hope to live as a follower of Jesus Christ: bold, confident, gutsy, even heroic. However, fear is our enemy, plaguing us in many ways, both big and small, both consequential and inconsequential. How do we fight it? Be...
Fear is common emotion throughout the Bible, and thankfully, with each expression of our fear, God negates it with one simple word: “not.” That succinct two-word reassurance and command to “Fear not” runs throughout Scripture, from Genesis (God to Abraham, 15:1) to...