Daniel Im

Ethnicity and The New Creation

October 13, 2015 By Daniel Im

ethnicity-new-creation-TGP

*My post here was originally published on Aug 27, 2015 in The Gospel Project.

In movies like Memento or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the story is told in reverse—we call this technique the reverse chronology method. As counter-intuitive as this method might seem, movies that start with the end can actually be quite compelling, if not more so, than the traditional method of going from start to finish. This is because you’re placed in the seat of an investigator when the first scene of the movie is the end or the climax. You know something that the actors don’t, and you are trying to piece together the actions that they will take, in order to get to that end.

In the same way, you and I are living in a reverse chronology story. We know what is going to happen in the end—Jesus will return and he will usher in his new creation. His kingdom will fully come and be fully realized here on earth as it is in heaven. However, today, we are living in a moment where the kingdom is here but not fully here. We see evidences of God’s fingerprint and his new creation taking shape, but we can’t fully experience it until Jesus returns. As a result, we are living in a time of tension – we are straddling between the now and the not yet. We know what the end will bear, but today we still need to bear through the trials and struggles of this world. We know that in the end, there will be no more tears, grief, crying, pain, and death (Rev 21:4), but today, we face those harsh realities even more so than ever before. The future vision of this new creation is most clearly outlined in Rev 7:9-10.

A New Podcast to Help You Multiply

October 5, 2015 By Daniel Im

As many of you may already know, my focus and mission in life is on church multiplication and leadership. That’s why I’m excited to tell you that I am the founder and host of this podcast with Ed Stetzer and Todd Adkins. The three of us are tag teaming to answer your questions on all things related to church multiplication, multisite, church planting, and leadership.

Here’s the thing, every show, we’ll play a voicemail of one of your questions, and then strive to help you as best as we can, by answering your question on this show. You can submit a voicemail at NewChurches.com or at www.speakpipe.com/NewChurches.

So if you would be so kind, please subscribe on iTunes and leave a full rating and review so that others can discover and benefit from this podcast!

Click here to listen…

4 Tips to Casting a Compelling Vision

August 18, 2015 By Daniel Im

Every leader needs to be able to cast vision. Casting vision is about painting such a compelling picture of the future that others are willing to follow you on the journey that you’re on. So whether you’re a church planter gathering your launch team, a pastor working on a building plan, a contractor focused on a renovation, or a parent needing to deal with your child’s behavior, being able to cast a compelling vision is leadership 101.

Casting vision is about painting a compelling picture of the future

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Here are a few tips on casting vision:

Flip the Classroom to Train Your Church Leaders [Video]

August 5, 2015 By Daniel Im

A few months ago, I wrote a post on 4 Ways to “Flip the Classroom” in Your Church. You can read the article here, but since then, I’ve been in countless conversations regarding this and the future of training for church leaders and church planters. I’ve had the privilege of presenting this both at conferences as well as in individual conversations. As a result, here’s a video version of the idea.

How To Choose A Children’s Bible

July 28, 2015 By Daniel Im

Children's Bible

Being a father of three children and a pastor, I take my children’s spiritual life seriously. After all, Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” As important as it is to be a part of a church that has a good children’s program, I cannot fully rely on the church to cultivate my children’s spiritual life. It’s first and foremost my responsibility.

In fact, when you look at Joshua 1:8 and Deut 6:4-9, you discover the critical connection between Bible reading and a child’s spiritual life.

Joshua 1:8 – This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do

Deut 6:4-9 – Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

So my hope, through this post, is to help you navigate through the plethora of children’s Bibles out there. Now obviously, this isn’t all there is, but I do believe that this is a good sampling.

When you look at the image above, I’ve plotted the Bibles according to their difficulty/maturity level and the level of engagement that my children displayed when I read it to them. As a father and a pastor, a good children’s Bible does not only have to be theologically accurate, but it also must convey the Scriptures in an engaging manner at the right maturity level.

So here are my reviews:

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