This month it’s been so many times I travel to Johor that I’m almost Johor-phobic.

Was at the international Leaders conference at Johor Bahru. Then our staff retreat at Tanjung Sutera in Johor. Tomorrow we’ll be “Impact” Retreating at Kukup in Johor.

I’m feeling lucky, maybe my next trip will at Ubin.

A colleague send me this link The Future of Children’s Ministry Curriculum about the Smart Table being the future of children’s ministry curriculum.

I would normally get all excited about such a thing but this time, I wasn’t.

I’m thinking we don’t need Smart Table. We need Smart People.

People who are smart enough to invest in children’s minstry. People like Bill Wilson.

I have many heroes but Bill is the biggest one I think I will ever know.

This is Part 2

The front page says “The Big Moo”, the subtitle says  “Stop Trying To Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable”.

The back page says….

” Remarkable is being unafraid to stand out.

Remarkable is having a fire in your belly and an idea that won’t quit.

Remarkable is telling the truth, always.

Remarkable is knowing that a risky idea might fail, but a boring idea will definitely fail.

Remarkable is failing often and then trying again.

Remarkable is more doing and less planing. More testing and less waiting. More dreaming and less sleeping.

Remarkable is when you stand for something and make it happen and change the world or your life along the way.

Remarkable isn’t up to you. Remarkable is in the eye of the other person. If he/she decides something you do is worth remarking on then, by definition, it’s remarkable.”

Only Seth Godin can write a book where the cover and the back page tells you so much that you feel you don’t have enough room for more. Now that, I think is remarkable.

I wasn’t in kids service last Sunday. I was hosting the adults service.

The feedback from the kids service side is that we were a bit too loud, that it got the kids too excited and out of control throughout the day. The comment is that our excitement doesn’t have to come with wild shouting, it should instead be with controlled enthusiasm, communication clarity and joy!

She is right. Let’s keep the enthusiasm up while the volume a bit down. Let’s practice cool and have some orderly control.

In other words, let’s do some Miles Davis…. ‘Sustained Intensity’ ….. ‘The Piercing Mellow’…

“… be always asking, always seeking, always knocking, so that you may at least have a shot at  finding, receiving or doors being open to you” - Rags 

“Women are the only realists; their whole object in life is to pit their realism against the extravagant, excessive, and occasionally drunken idealism of men.” - GK.Chesteron

Today is Mag’s birthday.

Mag is an unusual angel. The opportunity to do life with her in this side of life has been God’s greatest gift to me. Her life of integrity, honesty and sincerity is beyond human compare and her display of how to love others has inspired me since the day I met her. Her natural generosity in giving and selfless caring impacts me and many others in so many ways.

I’m truly indebted that she has continually supported me in all the things that I do in the family, work and ministry all these years even though some of the things didn’t sound sane. She has stuck through the thick and thin and is the pime reason why I can still dream today.  I’m too ashamed to think about just how little honor and recognition she get in return.

A first class wife, wonderful mother and a great person, she deserves everything life can give her.

Madelin, thank you for all that you have given to me unconditionally. Sorry for taking so much because … it is just too irresistable. You are my inspiration always. God bless and have a great birthday *  

                                    * by the way, it’s already 10pm. When will you be home? 

This week I read a book by a Japanese wartime hero Mamuro Shinozaki.

He was working in Singapore before the Japanese occupation. The ruling British police suspected him to be a spy for the Japanese and put him into jail without trial. He was in prison for a few years before the Japanese arrived.

When the Japanese occupied Singapore, he was released and given a role in the welfare department in the government. The Japanese see the Chinese and Eurasion people as threat to their rule and treat them as enemies so much so there were much brutality and mistreatment of them during the occupation. Shinozaki didn’t approve of such treatment of people. In his time in the government, he freely gave out good citizen passes to everyone who ask of him. These passes ensures its holder protection by and from the Japanese Military Government. It didn’t matter to him who asked for these passes as he gave freely because of his greater value of mercy. He gave out thousands of such passes and saved the lives of that number of people. The act didn’t really go well with his Japanese comrades.

He set up organisations to try and get prominent Chinese and Eurasian leaders to sit in their offices. The idea is that if these organisations are official setups of the Japanese government, they becomes a safe haven for its members.  During that time, a lot of these prominent leaders were caught, jailed and put on trial for very severe sentences. He successfully set up the infamous ‘Overseas Chinese Assocation’ and save many lives eg. Dr. Lim Boon Keng and many others. This was a risky move that didn’t put him in good books of others.

At the end of the war, when the Japanese surrendered and the British returned, many top officials in the japanese regime was put into prison and charged with war crimes. Shinozaki was one of them. However it wasn’t long until people came to testify for him and recognised all his good work during the war. He was set free and even given honor and work with the government. It didn’t matter that people said he was a traitor and a spineless man, he did the right thing. He honored lives of people and stood by grace and mercy more than his job and duty. He returned to Japan and recently came back to visit Singapore a great hero.

Shinozaki showed us what ‘mercy’ and ‘grace’ look like in times of adversity. Even at the cost of popularity and his own neck, he helped those who are helpless and show us an example of someone who gives mercy easily.

His life made a difference to thousands. What about ours?

This is the video version ….

I’ve been busy…

I’ve been also sitting around…

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Yes this week, we’ve been sitting around with the staff team at Tanjung Sutera. We refuel energy so to dispense energy. This is part of doing life together.  I hope that in your divine service that you have time to sit around with your team.

* Thanks Charmaine and Yin San for the nicely taken photos.