My Basics of Ministry

Before we graduate from TTC, it is our FE requirement to write a philosophy for doing ministry. Below is my 3 foundations to the way I do ministry :

a) I am the branch, He is my Vine

The foundation of ministry and calling is my relationship with God, who am I in Him, then my calling, for without Him, there is no calling, there is no ministry. Matthew 7 : 21-23 (“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”) serves as a serious reminder for me to work out my salvation with fear and trembling, to jealously guard my relationship with Him and not to lost myself in “serving” Him.

My Boss tells me to "Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me." (John 15:4)

During one of my visits to Joan's house, Aunty told and encourage me that if I cannot intentionally connect myself to God, draw from Him daily, the Source of my entire being and ministry, I might as well not go into full time ministry after TTC.

b) I am fearfully and wonderfully made
Rev Foo Chee Meng in his final CPE evaluation encouraged me to continue to uncover my identity and person hood, to seek and know “Who is the self that pastors?” because the quality of my person hood forms or deforms the way I relate with people. At the end of the day ministry is all about people, His sheep and lamb that He brings along in my life. Intentional self awareness and reflection of my action and reaction with my Master will unveil my true self and recognition of my true self will hopefully enable me to minister out of a clean and clear river, hence, be the vessel that God can use to carry His clean waters to quench the thirsty and feed hungry. So, besides connecting with God, I have to connect with myself, my inner man, to do a stock take of my emotions and to know and understand what is going on within me. May God help me to be that clean vessel to carry fresh clean waters to feed His sheep, not murky or polluted water.

So, who am I? My identity as a person must be rooted in Christ and my calling embedded in who I am in Christ. Psalms 139 : 13-16 affirms that it is God who knitted me together in my mother’s womb, I am not an unplanned child. He had carefully made me with the right DNA combination, personality and gifts and specifically placed me in the family at the right moment to be born. I am His special child because He has engraved me on the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:16). WOW! May I live, move and have my entire being in Him (Acts 17:28)!

c) What drives me in my ministry?
I know what drives me neither is not money, material gain, power, status nor fame that I have experienced and left behind because it was utterly meaningless. What drives me is something money cannot buy nor exchange for and I know deep down in my heart, it is the attraction and power of the Cross. “But because I am heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, I will share and partake in the suffering of Christ as much as the glory of Christ.” (1 Cor 8:17). I pray that by God’s grace, I can echo Paul’s words : For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain (Phil 1:21) and embrace the sufferings and the glory of the Cross. Indeed its no longer that I live but Christ that lives in me and the live which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal 2:20)

Hence, my body will continue to carry and bear the marks of the Cross as I step out of the doors of TTC to continue my journey, a step closer to where I am suppose to be, doing what my Maker wants me to do. After all, He always have my best in mind as He leads me on .....

Lead Me Lord - 1

I guess I had too much of the grad magazine in my head as I have just completed the first draft of it. I can't sleep though its already 230am.

So, I decided to express my deep prayers and desires through the pictures I took in my silent retreat, last Dec, picking pictures that in line with the theme : Lead me Lord .....

This is the song that Dr LIm SH came across and it reminded him of us ....

Lead me by the hand and make me face the rising sun

Comfort me through all the pain that life may bring

There's no other hope that I can lean upon

Lead me Lord

Lead me all my life

Verse 2:

Walk by me

Walk by me across the lonely road of everyday

Take my arms and let your hand show me the way

Show the way to live inside your love

Lead me Lord

All my life

Chorus:

You are my life

You're the lamp upon my feet

All the time

my Lord, I need you there

You are my life

I cannot live alone

Let me stay by your guiding

love

All through my life

Lead me Lord

Verse 3:

Lead me Lord

Even though at times I'd ra

ther go along my way

Help me take the right dire

ction

Take your road

Lead me Lord and never leave my side

All my days, all my life

Finally Complete The Student Pass Process

At last! I've last student pass to confirm that I am a full time student in TTC. This pass will expire 7 Jun 2010 ... after this date, I will need to come into Spore through the normal white card application process.

The process : after all the submission via internet, I had to print out all the online application, online approvals ... the medical check up and reports, I now bring with me all the documents - at least 6-8 documents and a photo with white background and this is the process that I had to go thru :

a) Q at a registration machine to scan in the barrcode from the approval of the Student Pass to get a number to submit my application at one of the counters.

b) Wait for my number to be called for submission of application. Once my number is called, the officer will go thru all my documents and verify the information against my passport. Then she keys into the system. (10-30mins depending on the Q)

c) I go back to the seat .... to wait for my number to be called again -- for scanning of the photo and thumbprint taking. (10-30min depending on the Q)

d) The officer will abstract my application data from her PC before she scan my pix etc. Then, she asked me to come back 50mins later for the collection of my student pass

e) After 50mins, I come back to the area, scan my barcode thru another machine to indicate to the system that I am here to collect the pass. The time and counter number was written down by the officer earlier. I notice that this particular officer was not very efficient because she entertained "walk-in" customers/request. After 20mins of waiting, I walked right to her counter and say that i have been waiting, I have taken my number and still am waiting. So, she took my stack of documents and told me to take a seat. She will call for me. After 10mins, she did call me, checked my documents again and then gave me my student pass. But before I take my student pass, I had to scan my thumbprint again and sign on a piece of paper.

Net2 .... the whole process takes 2-4hrs depending on the Q, the efficiency of the officers and the application before yours. If the application before yours is group --wah ... you'll have a looong wait or if the applicant before you have problem with the scanning of thumbprint ... then u slowly wait-la ...:)

How do I feel after this whole process?

I am glad and relief that this is my final time going thru this whole process ... from the application of solar number thru the school, facing the staff in the office .. right to the collection of card!

Bye2 processes ............... bye2 student pass!

The Amos Challenge

Yesterday I preached my 1st draft of sermon in Homiletics class. The passage : Amos 5:18-24 - the 1st woe oracle and writings of warning and destruction, God's hates our worship. Not an easy text to deliver. It was a 20min sermon and according to Sammy's experience, 20min needs 2400 words and a 30min sermon needs 2600 words. He's quite accurate - my script was 2425 words and I took 18min!

Bobby, Kim Hock, Steven Lee, Samadi and King Ping was in the same group preaching along side with me. As usual, Ah Lian is busy setting up the "camera" - his handphone and then later pass the file to us ... efficient.

Some thoughts on this experience :
a) Experience and background of a person does make a difference.
There is similarity by the way Bob and KHock preach ---- traces of City Harvest training. M amazed by Kim Hock's preaching -- this man is amazing. He is not only able to expound the text but also connect the text (OT) with Jesus (NT) and on top of that he coated it with lots of quotes, sayings and also illustrations .... humor ....eeemmm ... and he does not refer much to his text --charismatic speaker. One can detect the similarity between KHock and Bob - CT Harvest mold. I as enjoyed KPing's message and style, but different from the other two based on his exposure and background.

From the list of people preaching yesterday, there is a clear difference in the people who have been preaching and those who do not have the experience in preaching. I for sure do not have much experience in preaching - still needs to work hard on this ... I still have much to improve in style, articulation, expressing my thoughts clearly and making it interesting ... preaching in some ways has also got to do with skill - public speaking and teaching. Having said that, I also believe that God have a soft spot for weaknesses. Only when we are weak, we get desperate with God to ask Him to help us, making us dependent on Him and not on ourselves.

b) Preaching is tiring business
After "preaching"or reading my 10page script. Yes, I feel so drained and tired. Why I wonder ... no wonder John Sung's request in the home that host his stay during his preaching and teaching assignments - is that the host has to prepare him kampung herbal chicken soup. He needs the extra boaster of energy and I guess those days, supplements and vitamins have not found their way into the global market.

To preach, one has not only prepare spiritually, emotionally, mentally but also physically -- we need physical strength to be able to carry the Gospel effectively.

c) My message & thoughts
I think and ponder, reflected and wondered what and how I will preach from Amos 5. After all, I am the 4th person preaching from the same text. But at the end, what I wanted to share from my reflection is just 2 points :
i) What if we are asked by God to carry an Amos message - a message of rebuke, a message of confrontation to repeated unrepentant sin, injustice .... what would our response be? Will we walk away and ignore the truth, pretending nothing happen? Or will we be bold and obedient like Amos?

ii) God hates outward worship ..... what God desires in inward. True worship comes from obedience and not sacrifices. True worship comes with circumcised heart. A true worshiper of God will reflect God's glory through transformation of life.

Question : Is there any hidden sin that we need to deal with or a part in our life that we need to change before we leave TTC so that we can step out of the doors of TTC a cleansed and molded vessel leading God's people true worship and not just outward meaningless worship.

O.Chambers

Staleness is an indication of something out of joint with God .. freshness does not come from obedience but from the Holy Spirit, obedience keeps us in the light as God is in the light.


Are you drawing your life from any other source than God Himself? If you are depending upon anything but Him, you will never know when He is gone .....

Kite Fly Kite 2 : His mercies are new every morning

Yesterday, we went to fly kite again. Dr Tu said that it will do me good to get out of my room since I am suppose to be clinically OK but still feel giddy ....

This time, there is more who joined us. Ah Lian was very proud to bring his 2 controlled kite ... which he did not really fly it till the end ... there was about 14 (Kim Chau, Ann, Susanto, Sau Ching, Lian were some of the new ones that joined us) of us .... and many more kites!

The interesting thing was there was this huge kite - a black shark (which we at first mistake it for batman cos its black and white ... until Cep corrected us ....hehhe ) .. This kite was huge and heavy but could soar high .... the string was also very long ... and wound around a paper roller that looks like a toilet paper roll (dono where Tu got it from - his toilet??) Anyway ... the interesting thing is ... when the kite soars high and the wind blows, you can actually hear the sound of the wind from the paper roller! Fascinating and amazing to be able to behold the sight and sound of this simple toy! I was one of the blessed one to experience it.

It was getting dark and almost time for us to go back when Rudy who was hold on to the string of the kite accidentally let the string go. And the boys ran after the kite .... Rudy, Cep and Susanto ... off course the girls just stood to watch and cheered our brothers (eerr ... screamed actually). Hero Cep eventually manage to grab the string when he jumped to reach it!! Hehehe ... thank God, else it'll be another casualty for our kites cos I tore one when the kite (a fish) tangled in the air with Pei Yi's kite and Rudy (again??) accidentally (again??) flew the kite high but cos the the change of wind, it got caught in the branches. So, our favorite bird kite had to be left behind.

As the guys was chasing after the kite, 2 thoughts came to mind :

a) In my previous blog on kite flying .. I mentioned that our life is like kites soaring free in the sky but the key is to ensure that we connected to God through the string and the string must be controlled by God. (http://ing-xpressionsherenthere.blogspot.com/2010/01/fly-kite-fly.html) Then again, sometimes, in our lives, we get disconnected from God and want to be free from the control of God ....we think that we can enjoy life even more and live better but we fail to see the dangers ahead and around us because our sight is limited ..... God in His great love and mercy for us will always call us and draw us back to Him - by send us His angels or people to help us to bring us back to Him (like the 3 guys). Lamentations 3:21-26 :

"Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD"

For those of us who have freed ourselves from God or lost our way and do not know how to come back, let's wait quietly for His salvation again, hope in Him ... for His mercies and compassion is new every morning .... great is Thy faithfulness o Lord to us .....

b) The song : Bagaikan Layang2 Putus Tali-Nya sung by Alleycats came to my mind. Yes, I do listen and enjoy Malay songs especially in the 80s and Alleycats is one of my favorite group that I listen to.

p/s : the photos are on "loan" from Andreas ... :0

Surviving Your First Year As Pastor - Angie Best Boss

I have to don a presentation from this book coming Mon. So I have no choice but to read the entire book. But the book is thin ... so, ok la ... can be read in the bus or toilet ..... 10 chapters .. it covers :

a) Knowing what you are getting into .... hahahha .... basically it is preparation of what we are getting into -- ie to be a pastor of new church. This section does more of a mental preparation -- as one goes around getting background info about the church and community that the person will be going to.

b) First things first ... moving on ... I guess the author tries to give a bearing to a person who is thrown into a new place-- what to do and where to start . I like the advise given by the author that when we are new, try not to do any changes. Many come into a new pasture and try to fix what seem not right by introducing change and change almost immediately. Here I would really appreciate respect and understanding of the current and historical situation before change is introduced -- hence, change to be introduced after 1 year is better idea. I also like the powerful statement that we must earn the right of being a pastor. A pastor has only the right to preach until other rights earned ..... :0

c) Putting things in order - this section is an important section and huge area - time management and touching the sensitive area of how much will the pastor be paid and the benefits ... from working experience, I normally do not like to discuss this area and I am still wondering if I need to discuss this .... I am not convinced by the author. However, the section of time management and juggling the time between sermon preparation, counseling, church meetings, admin work, other church activities and family time - I felt that justice have not been done in this section and wish more could have been done.

d) Visitations - home and hospital - I do believe that this area is taught in the seminary but perhaps is good to go thru the points like a crash course of visitation ethics etc. Couple with this, the (f) section - effective keys to counseling comes handy and again, all this would have been covered in courses like pastoral care or crisis management. With this, off course its good to be reminded that we are journeying together with our congregation - at their birth, baptism, marriage and death ....

e) Preparation of Sunday Service - I find this area quite helpful .. especially for someone who is new and dono know how to handle and where to start planning for the CE of the church.

f) Balancing Family time - depending on culture, society and location of the church .. I find that the proposals rather ideal .... having said that --- if it can be done ... like coming home for dinner ... it will be excellent cos I have not seen a pastor rushing home for dinner appointment with the family for a very long time.

g) The last 2 areas deal with issues of how to maintain our well and keeping it from running dry ... the phase is : the spiritual condition of our church depends on our spiritual life. Yes .. we cannot lead the people to go where we have not gone. Last -- handling conflicts and when to leave ....

If I were to re-name or re-title this book, I will call it Dummies Guide to Be A Pastor.

Though this book has written many good points, I still feel that this book is not balanced ... ie -- it has not touch the area for lady pastors .... how would a lady pastor wear different hats of being a pastor, a wife .. a mother ... a daughter in law ... a daughter .. can we have people writing on these areas as well and break away from the male dominant mentality. The church has also been very silent about single pastors ... how can a pastor carry out the role competently and effectively as a pastor ... as a counselor .... who knows ... perhaps some day I will write a book from this perspective and from Asian context .... :_) who knows what the future holds eh ...