Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says – James 1:22
The bible says just listening to the word can be potentially deceptive but doing what is says is what counts.
Faith has two components, the believing and the doing. The doing is really just a supplement to the believing. If your doing is not supplement to your belief that God can work in the situation or the person you are serving, then you are operating on the strength of men. Strength of men is okay in football but in ministry it won’t do.
Tips on Doing!
1) Don’t do what you do, love what you do!
2) If you don’t love what you do, believe God’s working in what you do!
3) If you can’t believe God’s working in what you do, stop what you do.
4)>> If you CANNOT stop what you do because its already habit, go to 6) which is you have a problem being connected to Him
5)>> If you CAN stop what you do and you feel miserable about not doing anything anymore, go to 6) which is also you have a problem being connected to God.
6) You have a problem, go and get connected to Him.
Either way you have a problem, you may as well work on getting connected to Him first and then work on loving what you do. At least then you are still a doer rather than a listener of the word. And that’ll make you feel better as the Lord work in you.
Just came back from a long day feeling slightly tired because of well, the long day and the early morning I had. The rest were but Chern Han wasn’t asleep so I caught up with him about his day which was quite interesting to know. How are kids always able to tell of mundane things with such sheer joy and excitement? Will I ever learn to do that.
Mag offered me some otah sandwich after knowing that I haven’t eaten which is a neat way of de-stressing and being thankful. Spend a few minutes reflecting on the whole day. Listening to Natalie Merchant sing about a certain ‘King of May’, the words go….
Farewell today
Travel on now
Be on your way
Go safely there
Never worry
Never care
Beyond this day
Farewell tonight
To all joy and to all delight
Go well and go peacefully
We can’t keep your majesty
Be on your way
Bidding tonight farewell and before going on my way, I’m just slightly curious what’s the emotion combination of my tired feeling? I’m not quite sure. Tired and stressed, definitely yes but am I tired, stressed and excited or am I tired, stressed and bored?
It’s important to know because the former really means we get it and are doing something important that is difficult to do. The latter means we need to consider what we are doing if its important or if its for us to do. I’ll answer my own reflection privately and I do hope you’ll do the same with yours.
Goodbye day, goodbye night, let us be off on our way.
Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead.
The scarcity makes leadership valuable. If everyone tries to lead all the time, not much happens. It’s discomfort that creates the leverage that makes leadership worthwhile.
In other words, if everyone could do it, they would, and it wouldn’t be worth much.
It’s uncomfortable to stand up in front of strangers.
It’s uncomfortable to propose an idea that might fail.
It’s uncomfortable to challenge the status quo.
It’s uncomfortable to resist the urge to settle.
When you identify the discomfort, you’ve found the place where a leader is needed.
If you’re not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it’s almost certain you’re not reaching your potential as a leader.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level path for your feet”, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. - Hebrews 12:12-13 NIV
Last week was wild. I thank the Lord for the chance to coordinate and lead the Global Conference workshops in partnership with so many great leaders and people of the movement. The opportunity to teach “Be A Kids Builder” was humbling as well as a joy. I enjoyed it tremendously everytime likeminded people from all over the world join in to discuss God’s work and children. We shared about not managing our children but building, discipling and training them for the next generation.
Discipline in building and training kids is about making the level path for your own feet. Why is that important? So that people we minister to get ministered . When we strengthen our legs and hands, we make the ground we stand on, level and strong. When we are standing strongly, our people will be strong too. Otherwise, they’ll be .. disabled.
Having the Sunday off to be devoted again yesterday was great. Today I’m inspired by the Lord’s work at the combined service to do some fresh strengthening work. Tomorrow, the path for my feet will be even stronger than today.
Kudos to all who work hard last week at the GC and combined service. Keep your feet on solid ground and have a well deserved rest!
I think we had one of the best services at Suntec last night. Everyone did their parts well and it resulted in kids worshipping God in Spirit. Those who usually don’t start to do so its a sight that one has to be there to believe. It was a rewarding time for the team who worked hard. When hardwork intersect with the God thing, the experience is indescribable.
Here’s what count for a Great Service
1) Be good with our preparation The worship team prepared at outside studio before another run through before the service. Despite the week Global Conference, the service guide was done by Thursday night, which means all planning has been done way before the weekend.
2) Converse with kids before service
I had great chats with kids before the service. Two kids who insists on talking about ghosts and haunted houses, but I concluded with a question if we need to be afraid of ghosts. Both of them knew not because Christ lives in them.
3) Do the fun and ‘captivating’ part of the service well The games was great fun and appetizer hilarious, birthdays were really celebrated and it got some real energy out of the kids
4) Take risk to give the service back to them
Our new LIVE! Challenge segment saw 5 kid queuing up to share how God was real in their life. We also invited kids on stage to praise together with us. Now kids being involved in service is what kids service is all about.
5) Preach truth that is relevant to them
For once, I said that God do want them to play their PSP, their computer games or whatever fun they like to have. But I said that if it is to take their attention away from God, that he would not think that those things is a good idea. I challenge them to live life but always put God first.
6) We prayed and God answered our prayer We prayed hard before the service and during our VIP huddle for a great time to lead kids to Christ. Even though operationally and the decoration may not be in the best of state but the God thing was strong.
The result of everything coming together is kids being connected to Christ. It was great job and Christ is honored! We are all encountered by the Holy Spirit last night.
In the midst of our Global Conference, we had McDonald’s for tea break. While eating that surprise meal, I keep thinking of Ronald because I’m a big admirer of clowns as people who exhibit courage to doing things despite uncertainties and nervy circumstances. They make people laugh while in unfavourable situations.
I’m always very impressed by the level of confidence people in show outside their comfort zone. I can see God’s power in many of our people and leaders in the movement. Throughout the conference, I notice those who are courageously doing things outside their comfort zone that they inevitably shine. But those who do what they have been comfortably doing just making the mark. It’s not bad or wrong or undesirable. It is just okay when it can always be more than okay.
I can be more than okay.
The other side of our fear is always our confidence. By doing what we’re afraid to do because it’s outside our comfort zone, we will always grow in confidence and courage. That’s always the uncomfortable best place to be.
What you look out for, you’ll likely find. You can never see anything you choose not to see.
Send a vulture to a desert, it’ll reach dead meat or carcass. Send a hummingbird to the same desert and it’ll find a flower. Same place but different scenery.
Look out for something fresh today and you will likely find it. Turn your eyes upon Jesus and you’ll be looking at the freshest thing, you’ll ever going to find for your soul.
5 Tips To Look At Jesus
1. Don’t have to necessarily see a man with robe and a beard
2. Don’t have to wear glasses to see, you can even close your eyes
3. See glory. See also grace
4. Think watermelon not your worries in family, work or ministry.
5. Think watermelon and see glory and grace in you* not someone you think is more spiritual than you. *because really you are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Disclaimer: These tips only work if you like watermelon. If not, then replace the word ‘watermelon’ with ‘grapes’ or ‘durian’ whichever is fresher.
I notice some movements in our lives (mostly mine)….
It’s not so much that we are running away from our problems, but really running away from our solutions; Because a solution means personal change and that is a scary thing for many of us. We rather be victims which is a familiar condition than a victor which is relatively uncomfortable.
We should choose powerfully today. We can because He has!
We do a creative element called the Service Appetizer every week to introduce our Big Point and we heavily depend on great scriptwriting. Yeu Ann, our resident writer asked recently how we can improve the way we write. I said I don’t know.
I was just listening to some interviews and I stumble upon a certain Ruben, who’s a screen writer and a teacher of screen writing skills. He shares how to win in script/screen writing which is great for us::
I didn’t finish listening as this is not my main quest. I quickly sent the link to Yeu Ann so he can learn further and be our dramatic strategist.
All these sounds like what we really read in the bible and it helps me too as I prepare to tell this weekend’s story about kindness from the Book of Ruth a bit more.
Thanks Ruben for the screenwriting, scriptwriting and storytelling tips.
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