what’s next

Now that the big stuffs are over, we’re getting ready for the next level. My team and I have been planning for THE planning we’re going to do in August and September. Words can’t describe the amount of anticipation I have for how God is going to ‘renovate’ our entire youth ministry.

One homework that we’ve been doing for this month (besides going mad over Rendition) is to read, read and read. We’re studying many models of thriving churches and youth ministries. We have also started throwing in questions that we’ve always pondered but never had the time to answer.

So, I’m going to catch up on some reading (no kindle, please! i prefer old-fashioned books, thank you very much) and journaling (on my first moleskine journal, no less) for the rest of the week. Now, where’s my koorong box…

Steph: “Shirls! Are you going to buy all those books?!?”
Shirls: -gives a mix of conflicted and sheepish look-
Rach: “Okays, let’s at least take a photo of them first!”

By the way, have I ever mentioned that my first language wasn’t English? When I first read my English Bible at the age of 15, I had to read it with a dictionary on my lap. What I’m saying is, no one is too stupid to read. Whereas not reading and learning, that is just crying shame.

“Not every reader is a leader, but every leader must be a reader.” – Harry Truman

happy children’s day

According to World Factbook, 27% of of world’s population is below 15 years of age. 1 out of every 2 kids live in poverty. Yup, that means even if you can’t afford havaianas flip flops, you’re still richer than half the world.

I’ve just started reading Three Cups of Tea – about a man’s mission to build schools all over Pakistan. I also saw excerpt from I Heart Revolution DVD few days ago. This wasn’t the first time I got stirred by the fight for social justice. But this time I asked:

What have I ever done about it?

I’ve felt bad about it. Shed some tears. Gave to Burmese flood victims. Even donned yellow ribbon. I’ve talked about issues with gusto. I believe there’s much more we all can do. But am I doing it? The answer is no. And I find myself rather revolting.

So enough with mere sympathy. I did some thinking and decided to sponsor a child. I’m posting this not to boast about it. Seriously, it’s nothing to show off. I’m sharing this in hope I can influence others to do the same, if not now then some time in the future. Yes, read on if you dare…

After some research, I chose to sponsor a child via World Vision because:

1. Food aid is a pressing need. Education is a long-term solution. Don’t just give them fish; teach them how to fish.

2. World Vision is a Christian organisation that serves all people. They care for both body and soul. They work with churches to make eternal difference.

3. I’ve always admired the founder, Bob Pierce, for his vision and leadership. Till today the organisation is run with integrity and effectiveness.

Once I’d decided on the action and organisation, I had to choose a child. This part of the process was traumatising!!

There are thousands of kids on the list. Every time I bypassed one and clicked next, I imagined him/her saying, “Why not me? I wanna go school, too! Pick me!” And I had to say out loud (to my monitor!), “I’m sorry! I pray another person would sponsor you…” Man! It’s the worst feeling ever!

There’s a bit of complication, too. I decided on a kid, clicked to submit and realised he’s in a project by World Vision US that I couldn’t opt for. I called World Vision Spore to ask if I could sponsor him. They said no. So I had to let him go. I’m so sorry!! I hope a kind soul would take you…

In the end, I finally got a boy from Ethiopia. Simply because Ethiopia’s mired in wretched poverty for too long. It’s now fighting a severe battle againt AIDS epidemic. There’s only 1 doctor per 100,000 people. AIDS has impacted the entire social structure, creating a generation of orphans.

What can I do? I’m not Bono, Angelina Jolie or Mother Theresa (though I’d love to be as cool, sexy and compassionate as each – in that sequence).

But I know where I can start. I can make a difference one child at a time. Prayerfully one seed can help save his generation and the next.

Next, I can speak up. Most people have a heart for the defenceless – it’s how God wired us. But we have no idea what we can do. So I wanna tell you: it’s not a big sacrifice, really. I’ve calculated:

one movie + one cab ride + one starbucks latte + one Canelé cake per month
=
clean water + food & agriculture + health care + schooling every month

Pretty worth the trade-off, eh?

Last but definitely not the least, we must continue discipling God’s people. So that we can keep planting churches and offer hope to the hopeless. So that godly people can be people of influence who will change the system. So that thru our words and our actions, we can bring people to God’s love.

Wow, this has become a long post. I shall end it by introducing…

Six-year-old Idau who loves football!

Incidentally, his bday falls on 1 Oct. Happy Bday, Idau!

And doesn’t he have funny hair? Heheh…

 

listening — all i need is you by hillsong united

hooray for ebay

A very special package all the way from Chicago, Illinois has just arrived containing this:

Singapore, being quite a backwater for Christian resources, no longer imports/distributes/sells this book – anywhere at all! It took the mighty power of ebay to (finally) lay my hands on this preciousss…

As icing on the cake, I flipped to the first page… lo and behold!

Yes, you see that right! It’s an authentic note from Bill Hybels himself!! Woots! This beats any signature from Fernando Alonso or George Clooney (the latter is a close fight but still, Bill takes the prize).

And then, there’s the matter of its content. I casually flipped to the foreword as I was about to go to bed (why do I never learn my lesson?!?) and ended up… well, how can I possibly sleep with my heart pounding at 100 mph?

I’m falling in love all over again with God’s church. With all its strengths and weaknesses, I’m still convinced it is the hope of the world. I think I understand more than ever why Jesus called it His bride. And I humbly thank God for letting me be part of it.

I’m flying off to Jakarta today. Will be back by Monday! Armed with my Bible, this book and my journal, am so looking forward to my weekend!

Next book to get: Axiom – Powerful Leadership Proverbs!

listening — to where You are by kristy starling

one of those 5am posts

There are only a few things that can keep me awake till such ungodly hour. One is the thought of God’s church. The other is reading a fascinating book. In this case, it’s both.

I’ve been given the book Simple Church while I was sick with the intention to make me feel better. Instead, this book has been disturbing me greatly - in a really good way.

Tonight (or rather this morning) is the ultimate yet. I’d been tossing and turning on my bed, waiting for the elusive sleep. After an hour, I gave up, switched on my bedroom light and continued reading where I left off. Two hours later, my bed is littered with mucus-filled tissues and small postcards of my drawing/scrawling.

I am so psyched up. It’s the wrong time of the day, I know, but I can’t help it. I feel like calling my DMM team right now but I’m not that much of a slave driver.

I believe that God’s church is the capital of his kingdom.
I believe the church has one best strategy: people.
I believe the church is most effective when we invest most time & efforts in our best strategy.

That’s why I’ve always believed in discipleship. You can take away all programs from the church but if you still have discipleship, you’d still have the church. Jesus did not start the church by renting a room in town to conduct care group. He started it by doing life with and discipling 12 under-qualified jokers.

Well, for now, it suffices to say yhope is going to take a serious look on discipleship from Oct onwards. It won’t be a new campaign. Rather, it’ll be a return to the basic process for making disciples. Simple is good. Narrow the focus. Achieve the win.

Ha! Now that I’ve put everything into words, I feel I’m ready for some sleep. And breakfast. Man, this is going to be another tough choice to make…

listening — comfortable by john mayer

the weekend has officially started

and there is one sale you cant afford to miss (you wanna click me!)

for all who love reading or writing, here’s a hilarious excerpt from TIME’s michael kinsley

Writers Vs. Editors: A Battle for the Ages

Like the detectives and the prosecutors on Law & Order, two very different groups of people are responsible for the words that fill the world’s magazines and newspapers. There are the writers, who produce the prose, and the editors, who do their best to wreck it.

Writers are sensitive souls–generally intelligent and hardworking but easily bruised. Treat them right, though, and you will be rewarded. Writers shape words into luminous sentences and the sentences into exquisitely crafted paragraphs. They weave the paragraphs together into a near perfect article, essay or review. Then their writing–their baby–is ripped untimely from their computers (well, maybe only a couple of weeks overdue) and turned over to editors. These are idiots, most of them, and brutes, with tin ears, the aesthetic sensitivity of insects, deeply held erroneous beliefs about your topic and a maddening conviction that any article, no matter how eloquent or profound or already cut to the bone, can be improved by losing an additional 100 words.

Editors are selfless, editors believe. They labor in anonymity and take their satisfaction vicariously. The writer gets all the glory. He gets the big bucks. He gets invited to the parties, the openings, the symposia, while the editors toil at their desks turning the writer’s random jottings and pretentious stylistic quirks into something resembling English prose. But that’s O.K. Editors don’t mind. They say, “Have a lovely time at that writers’ conference, and we’ll have the rewrite done when you get back.”

shirls’ note: if you like that as much as i do, go ahead enjoy the full article

and ah yes, writers are egoistical, whiny, self-indulgent creatures
but still… WRITERS RULE!! =)

have a God-filled weekend, everyone!

listenin — outback oasis by don grusin