Yesterday was the missions conference.. The thing that i looked forward the most was the workshop and it's really great to hear pastor Jo share about his experience in Africa. And the class was pretty cheeky. One of the quiz questions was "name one historical missionary to Africa" and one person said "pastor Jo and Kristine (his wife)" lol...
Overall the workshop was quite cool and surprisingly despite only like 4 hours of sleep the night before, we don't really feel tired at all. Hope that this missions conference can stir up a bit more on some of our brothers and sisters.
I am not really a fan of conferences. In urban places, there are dozens of conferences but probably the total amount spent on fancy conferences exceeded the money spent on the field.
If we can make anybody who enters the church straightaway know about the vision and that God is really doing a work in our lives, people starts to have a vision and mission and they just simply want to be part of it, that is really powerful. It's really good that people are creating awareness of missions but the start of their spiritual life and their foundation is very important too for it is not the planting of a church per se that enables us to fulfill the Great Commission. It is building the RIGHT kind of churches that Jesus want so that they can multiply themselves and fill the earth. Let's not do something that is not good, do something and do it well.
Globalisation is really very real in this Movement. Once in a while the leaders will be overseas to attend leadership conference of the movement, and some you will not see them for some weeks to years because they are on missions trip or for some, you may only see them on msn. Just few weeks ago, a friend from another church is going to one part of Thailand to share the good news by holding a evangelistic event. The people there are tribal people and lived in refugees' camp. I told him I would pray for him and that to be careful of his safety. I thank God for his willingness as he even said he is even willing to die there...
Friday, June 1, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Over the years since I was a baby Christian, I've received so many encouragement cards that I have been keeping it in shoe boxes instead of my drawers. Once in a while, I will take them out and read. Last night, I did that I was so encouraged. Usually the ones on one coloured paper put inside a shirt wrapper one comes from Andrew. There is even one card designed by a sibling with jay chou pics LOL. Some cards are from my ex-sheeps/sheeps/shepherds/CLs/ULs/SDLs etc etc Some of these cards really managed to spur me up in my downtimes. The words that comes from the heart matters alot and the effort in designing cards such as putting jay chou pics for one, there's even one card with a rusty nail inside to remind me of Jesus' sacrifice and never let him go and people go all the way to print letters, articles, put a rusty nail as they do that, they thought of you, how important as a child of God, it is just so awesome!
The more we encourage, the more we will be stronger as a family of God. Realised how many natural families seldom practice encouragement and spurring? Rather many practice complaining, criticising, putting down and "sparring"! The people of God should be of a different spirit!
And some of the people who have written to me are no longer in the church. Some are doing well in other churches whereas some have left the family and left the parent (God). But I still thank them for their encouragements in the past. But even still, many are still in church, perhaps still in youth or adults! Even my best friend is in adults!
To me, sometimes encouragement cards is better than encouragement words. Cards they leave a sort-of footprint which you can keep. Words hold out as long as you could remember. But of course, we do both, and not doggedly cards only. Both has its value somewhere but most of all, we must be encouraging people!
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Hebrews 3:13
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
Hebrews 10:25
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
These are simple clear Bible verses that talks about encouragement. Encouragement has a value. It is not simply just writing cards for the sake of doing so but it has a purpose. The first verse talks about building one another up, then 2nd one talks about encouraging so people's hearts won't be hardened. When people's hearts hardened, they won't walk right with God, they won't be receptive to His word and they may fall. The 3rd verse talks about encouraging one another as often as we can and look forward to Jesus' 2nd coming, keeping the HOPE.
Recently, I started to write letters instead of cards. And I really write, thinking about the person and what I hope to encourage this person or affirm this person for. Anyone is able to fall, and to say "let God encourage him/her" is really a person that doesn't want to lift a finger and then puts his blame on God when things go bad. Everyone needs encouragement lar... God uses people to love and care for one another in the community of the church. That is the benefit of the community, no one can really encourage himself like Mr Bean - send a letter to his own address and receives it happily. I once tried that when I was a kid but didn't really get the joy that Mr Bean gets.
Anyone whom we loved and is in our circle of influence connection we should encourage them. Our founder writes an average of about 250 letters per month! Even the church may be big, once he know a new convert, he will also write a letter to them. That is the spirit of a shepherd whom we can learn. People do it even though they are very busy because they love you more than their sleep, more than to slack, more than just to do their own things. And that is the spirit of love we communicate and should create in our Hope family! Alright, let's be an encouraging family of God! Effort and heart...
The more we encourage, the more we will be stronger as a family of God. Realised how many natural families seldom practice encouragement and spurring? Rather many practice complaining, criticising, putting down and "sparring"! The people of God should be of a different spirit!
And some of the people who have written to me are no longer in the church. Some are doing well in other churches whereas some have left the family and left the parent (God). But I still thank them for their encouragements in the past. But even still, many are still in church, perhaps still in youth or adults! Even my best friend is in adults!
To me, sometimes encouragement cards is better than encouragement words. Cards they leave a sort-of footprint which you can keep. Words hold out as long as you could remember. But of course, we do both, and not doggedly cards only. Both has its value somewhere but most of all, we must be encouraging people!
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Hebrews 3:13
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
Hebrews 10:25
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
These are simple clear Bible verses that talks about encouragement. Encouragement has a value. It is not simply just writing cards for the sake of doing so but it has a purpose. The first verse talks about building one another up, then 2nd one talks about encouraging so people's hearts won't be hardened. When people's hearts hardened, they won't walk right with God, they won't be receptive to His word and they may fall. The 3rd verse talks about encouraging one another as often as we can and look forward to Jesus' 2nd coming, keeping the HOPE.
Recently, I started to write letters instead of cards. And I really write, thinking about the person and what I hope to encourage this person or affirm this person for. Anyone is able to fall, and to say "let God encourage him/her" is really a person that doesn't want to lift a finger and then puts his blame on God when things go bad. Everyone needs encouragement lar... God uses people to love and care for one another in the community of the church. That is the benefit of the community, no one can really encourage himself like Mr Bean - send a letter to his own address and receives it happily. I once tried that when I was a kid but didn't really get the joy that Mr Bean gets.
Anyone whom we loved and is in our circle of influence connection we should encourage them. Our founder writes an average of about 250 letters per month! Even the church may be big, once he know a new convert, he will also write a letter to them. That is the spirit of a shepherd whom we can learn. People do it even though they are very busy because they love you more than their sleep, more than to slack, more than just to do their own things. And that is the spirit of love we communicate and should create in our Hope family! Alright, let's be an encouraging family of God! Effort and heart...
Saturday, April 21, 2007
I really love thursday. After having a heartwarming caregroup on wed, I looked forward to thursday in going to church office to listen to sermon and teaching tapes. I really looked forward to it and the real expository preaching being taught and the Word of God being taught in the way God wants it. We don't say the Word being taught is exactly the way God wants it or exactly perfect to scripture. However, as we desire to teach the heart of God out through His words in the Bible, that's where God's blessings arises.
So Andrew and I met and we took bus there. On the way, I was sharing with him about NYP A. As I share more, I grew more and more excited. Really thank God for many good hearted people He has sent to my group! In my mind were soo many things of them. One had parental objection yet desires to take on leadership role, there are people who just so desire the Word of God, there's a guy who accompanied a freshmen to club crawl. This freshmen's from a Christian family but doesn't really know God personally. So this guy suggested jokingly to the freshmen to join the Buddhist Society and convert everyone in it so that this club may be called "Buddhist Society" in the future with a tagline "BUT we are Christians.." How cool is that?!!!!
You might have guessed who this joker was. But I am really so enlarged in my heart and vision for God when this brother shared this to me. We want the whole campus to be saved. Better filled with God's people. But this alone is NOT what God wants. Better not be Christians who just wanna warm the phew on sat service or doesn't hold any truths in the Bible. This kind of group I've seen enough, they fell in the end. We must have it the way Jesus will like it. When He looks down, does He only desire to see numbers? Churches need to have standards. The level of our people practicing the Word and understanding the Word is the current standard of our group. No matter how the standards fall short of God's perfect standard doesn't mean we don't have a standard. This standard must increase or "level up" so we may grow from glory to glory.
God smiles when He sees multitudes worshipping Him but He dance and rejoices when He sees multitudes fully committed to Him. Numbers alone is too narrow a vision, we will take on the world but with God's lenses. People must stand fully for righteousness, making disciples, winning souls and do all of this biblically.
Bus screeched at the bus stop and we walked to the church office...
In the church office, Jasmine helped us got the tapes and such but the TV and electrical systems wasn't properly set up. She just so naturally went and fix the wires or something for the TV and the systems for us. I dunno why, I am really touched at this sight. Not wanting to waste her time but let her concentrate on her work, I asked her to go do her work lor... But in my heart, I am moved by the welfare of spiritual food.
Church is a family that operates a farm, have an army to conquer more lands for farming, a small hospital at a corner for the large army and a True God-Father watching over it, being delighted with what He sees.
I want the group to be a group that truly loves one another. We may lose people or lose money or lose whatever, just don't take away this love for one another!
So Andrew and I met and we took bus there. On the way, I was sharing with him about NYP A. As I share more, I grew more and more excited. Really thank God for many good hearted people He has sent to my group! In my mind were soo many things of them. One had parental objection yet desires to take on leadership role, there are people who just so desire the Word of God, there's a guy who accompanied a freshmen to club crawl. This freshmen's from a Christian family but doesn't really know God personally. So this guy suggested jokingly to the freshmen to join the Buddhist Society and convert everyone in it so that this club may be called "Buddhist Society" in the future with a tagline "BUT we are Christians.." How cool is that?!!!!
You might have guessed who this joker was. But I am really so enlarged in my heart and vision for God when this brother shared this to me. We want the whole campus to be saved. Better filled with God's people. But this alone is NOT what God wants. Better not be Christians who just wanna warm the phew on sat service or doesn't hold any truths in the Bible. This kind of group I've seen enough, they fell in the end. We must have it the way Jesus will like it. When He looks down, does He only desire to see numbers? Churches need to have standards. The level of our people practicing the Word and understanding the Word is the current standard of our group. No matter how the standards fall short of God's perfect standard doesn't mean we don't have a standard. This standard must increase or "level up" so we may grow from glory to glory.
God smiles when He sees multitudes worshipping Him but He dance and rejoices when He sees multitudes fully committed to Him. Numbers alone is too narrow a vision, we will take on the world but with God's lenses. People must stand fully for righteousness, making disciples, winning souls and do all of this biblically.
Bus screeched at the bus stop and we walked to the church office...
In the church office, Jasmine helped us got the tapes and such but the TV and electrical systems wasn't properly set up. She just so naturally went and fix the wires or something for the TV and the systems for us. I dunno why, I am really touched at this sight. Not wanting to waste her time but let her concentrate on her work, I asked her to go do her work lor... But in my heart, I am moved by the welfare of spiritual food.
Church is a family that operates a farm, have an army to conquer more lands for farming, a small hospital at a corner for the large army and a True God-Father watching over it, being delighted with what He sees.
I want the group to be a group that truly loves one another. We may lose people or lose money or lose whatever, just don't take away this love for one another!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Virginia Tech Killing - its really such a tragedy. My heart really aches. One professor of the South Korean student killer noticed something weird about him for the whole semester. He was a English major and wrote some pretty scary and hidden violence kind of thing in his plays. The professor was very troubled of him, but the school faculty told this teacher that the student can write anything they want and they just sent him for counseling.
Because of the wrong basis of freedom America has, to buy guns, to have absolute freedom. That is not the kind of freedom the Bible says. What they have is a human definition that is causing problems today. It is so rootly established they find it hard to erect some of these principles away from their society now. Even with 30 people died, 17 injured, each dead victim found with multiple gun shots...
Thankfully Singapore has a more "restrictive kind of freedom" that we are free from gunshots and many other dangerous things most of the time. For the world to truly be done away with these things is not just to bring salvation to people. Salvation is important because this is the first step. But we have to root biblical principles in our church, in everything we do, then we will be strong and strengthen this society.
Because of the wrong basis of freedom America has, to buy guns, to have absolute freedom. That is not the kind of freedom the Bible says. What they have is a human definition that is causing problems today. It is so rootly established they find it hard to erect some of these principles away from their society now. Even with 30 people died, 17 injured, each dead victim found with multiple gun shots...
Thankfully Singapore has a more "restrictive kind of freedom" that we are free from gunshots and many other dangerous things most of the time. For the world to truly be done away with these things is not just to bring salvation to people. Salvation is important because this is the first step. But we have to root biblical principles in our church, in everything we do, then we will be strong and strengthen this society.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Parenting
I am spending my saturdays for the past 3 weeks being a teacher's assistant in a primary school for an external education co. It was really worthwhile to spend my early mornings for these kids. They are so cute hahaha.... but more than that, they have a innocent nature. Last week, we gave out some aeroplanes that they can play and experiment with principles of science. Today a young boy(7-8 years old) just came to me and ask me for another aeroplane cos he said his younger brother who is 5 years old "destroyed my aeroplane." He is very naughty but today became quieter because of no more aeroplane... bet his brother is one "la pi xiao xin"
I don't really see the bad side of them. I wonder how some teachers call these kids "monsters." Because I'm the assistant, I just played with them, tickle some of them, get them to focus on what the teacher is saying. Along the way, as they are distracted, I just go along and ask them what they are doing. With patience and "acting like a big brother" I think many of them were quite obedient to what I ask them to do.
In parenting, I think the impatience of many parents in their tone or behaviour has alot of side effects for their children psychologically. The children are unable to express their fullest potential, either become very rebellious or become very quiet. Personality disrupted. Communication breaks down in the parent-child relationship and some exploded some time later...
When I see how we relate to our heavenly Father, He is so patient! Many times, we just take God for granted. Soon after we got used to our own lives, we kick Him aside. When problems come then we cry to Him. Unlike our earthly parents, their imperfections ensures their constant presence.
Last night, I quarrelled with my mom. I do have some little bickerings with both my mom and dad once in a moon. Whenever, I hear them say things or have ideas that are not from the Bible or the best perspective they could ever have, I will just think this in my heart "imperfect parents are like that... unlike our perfect heavenly Father" I reflected last night and it dawned upon me that my parents probably also have an idea that their son is not like Jesus...
That is the fact we are living on today... constantly relating with people who are imperfect, just as we ourselves are. All of us are imperfect. People may think untruths about us, speak maliciously or shows in their behaviour they don't like you but we still gotta love them because God loves us. And without Jesus in our lives, it'll be so hard to love people. As Christians who follow God, we may have frictions here and there, but because with a relationship with God, through the years I realised that all these are kept in control. They will not explode like how some kids hated their parents, abandon their parents or sibling-hatreds etc etc. Relationships with men becomes better as our relationship with God becomes closer. With God, its a win-win situation. After the bickering, my mom and I just talked as if nothing has happened, just a little bit more polite and appreciative of one another because there's love because of God...
That's why I say "without God, no equation fits."
I don't really see the bad side of them. I wonder how some teachers call these kids "monsters." Because I'm the assistant, I just played with them, tickle some of them, get them to focus on what the teacher is saying. Along the way, as they are distracted, I just go along and ask them what they are doing. With patience and "acting like a big brother" I think many of them were quite obedient to what I ask them to do.
In parenting, I think the impatience of many parents in their tone or behaviour has alot of side effects for their children psychologically. The children are unable to express their fullest potential, either become very rebellious or become very quiet. Personality disrupted. Communication breaks down in the parent-child relationship and some exploded some time later...
When I see how we relate to our heavenly Father, He is so patient! Many times, we just take God for granted. Soon after we got used to our own lives, we kick Him aside. When problems come then we cry to Him. Unlike our earthly parents, their imperfections ensures their constant presence.
Last night, I quarrelled with my mom. I do have some little bickerings with both my mom and dad once in a moon. Whenever, I hear them say things or have ideas that are not from the Bible or the best perspective they could ever have, I will just think this in my heart "imperfect parents are like that... unlike our perfect heavenly Father" I reflected last night and it dawned upon me that my parents probably also have an idea that their son is not like Jesus...
That is the fact we are living on today... constantly relating with people who are imperfect, just as we ourselves are. All of us are imperfect. People may think untruths about us, speak maliciously or shows in their behaviour they don't like you but we still gotta love them because God loves us. And without Jesus in our lives, it'll be so hard to love people. As Christians who follow God, we may have frictions here and there, but because with a relationship with God, through the years I realised that all these are kept in control. They will not explode like how some kids hated their parents, abandon their parents or sibling-hatreds etc etc. Relationships with men becomes better as our relationship with God becomes closer. With God, its a win-win situation. After the bickering, my mom and I just talked as if nothing has happened, just a little bit more polite and appreciative of one another because there's love because of God...
That's why I say "without God, no equation fits."
Sunday, April 8, 2007
This is my best Easter so far! I really really thank Jesus sooo much in my life. This easter service reminds me of WHY - why. Christianity is not a baseless religion but a relationship and so when we are busying and caught up with our 'doing', we can ask the question "why".
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
Why did Jesus die on the cross - for me and u
Why do we not feel God all the time - You cannot see God and so, we cannot use our senses to base our relationship with God. We know He loved us and He did touch our lives at some point or another but we cannot base it on feeeling all the time. But we can remind ourselves the experiences we had with Him - answered prayers, healings, Holy Spirit baptism, life changing times etc... It is a relationship by faith and constantly inspired by consistently walking right in His ways. When we walk in His ways, He promised that He will be with us. Mat 28:19-20
Why do we serve God?
Why do we love others?
Why do we come to church?
Why do we face problems?
All these are real questions and there's also a real answer = Jesus
After service, went down to Richard's house and drank the stew soup made by his grandma hahaha... inside there is lamb, potato and onions!! All are so tasty. The onions don't have much taste inside the soup so I just swallowed it.
I am hungry of Your presence...
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
Why did Jesus die on the cross - for me and u
Why do we not feel God all the time - You cannot see God and so, we cannot use our senses to base our relationship with God. We know He loved us and He did touch our lives at some point or another but we cannot base it on feeeling all the time. But we can remind ourselves the experiences we had with Him - answered prayers, healings, Holy Spirit baptism, life changing times etc... It is a relationship by faith and constantly inspired by consistently walking right in His ways. When we walk in His ways, He promised that He will be with us. Mat 28:19-20
Why do we serve God?
Why do we love others?
Why do we come to church?
Why do we face problems?
All these are real questions and there's also a real answer = Jesus
After service, went down to Richard's house and drank the stew soup made by his grandma hahaha... inside there is lamb, potato and onions!! All are so tasty. The onions don't have much taste inside the soup so I just swallowed it.
I am hungry of Your presence...
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