I think i should copy this and paste here because we are something like that..Let's be different from today onwards!!
The praise here can be translated to mean "to boast, celebrate, approve, admire and commend". In the case of praising God, it is to express the actions or works of God. Common praise songs i grew up with (when i was saved in 1997) were like... "Celebrate Jesus Celebrate, He is risen (2x), and He lives forevermore..." "Arise Shine for Your light has come, your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon YOu, Arise Shine, Arise Shine, for Your light has come", "We serve a God of miracles, You heal the sick and open blinded eyes, We serve a God of miracles, the demons flee the moment You arise, Arise and show Yourself strong, Arise, arise and show Yourself strong". Today, i hear "praise" songs along the lines of these... "Searching the world, The lost will be found, In freedom we live, As one we cry out, You carried the cross, YOu died and rose again, My God, I'll only ever give my all... Jesus, we're living for Your name, We'll never be ashamed of You, Our praise and all we are today, Take take take it all, take take take it all" "All my days, i'm following You, in every way i live my life just to please You, all my praise will tell the world what You've done in me, cause i'll never be the same. All my days, i am honouring You, in every way, i glorify and exalt You, all my praise is an offering to You, and the nations crown You King, of all my days.." Ok, i don't mean to split hairs here, nor am i saying the youth worship songs today are not relevant or doctrinally sound. They are all well and good, BUT somehow i PERSONALLY feel that today's songs are more like telling stories about how we would like to praise God and why we want to praise God instead of actually praising God in the songs. The words are so many, and the tempo is so fast, if you heard the song for the first time, without lyrics flashed on the screen, you wouldn't even know what you are singing. The drums, keyboards, bass, electric guitars are all coming together to form a really attractive sound, so much so that it can easily pass off as a rock concert in the YouthPark and nobody could tell the difference. Some may say that it is about being relevant to the youths today, it is keeping in times, Jane, u're just too old. I beg to differ. Before i got saved, i went to nightclubs & i'm not proud of it, i had to struggle to get away from those things. So now that i'm more sanctified than i was back then, i really don't need the nightclub sounds & effects to come into the place where i worship God. If we are so relevant that non-believers are so comfortable when they come into our services and they say, "wow, this is as cool as a rock concert", then sadly, we are no different from the world. Aren't we called a peculiar people? Down right it is! Christians are peculiar, we stick out like sore thumbs, when we praise and worship our God, people think we are strange, and i'm proud of it. what's wrong with that? This is why we are not of the world! I'm not suggesting that we do away with all the trendy youth praise and worship songs, but i'm suggesting a balance of old and new. I'm suggesting that we teach our youths how to really praise and worship God and not rely on the cool rock sound, not rely on the catchy tune, and not rely on the upbeat tempo to get ourselves hyped up. Let's teach our youths to tell God how good He is, proclaim His greatness, with simple words. No need to tell long stories about the world-and-ay-ay-ay and my dreams and how God met my needs and therefore i give my praise to God. Just say "Praise God, YOu are good! You are majesty! You are God of all Creation!" How simple can that be! I've been struggling with this issue for weeks, and everytime, i tell myself, maybe i'm just old and not in sync, maybe i don't know the youth beat today. I remember how i used to like Petra and Jars of Clay when i was a young believer cause those were as closed to worldly music as i could find among Christian songs. So there is a place for hip, trendy Christian songs that sound like worldly music. But i also remember singing all types of other praise songs, and i remembered that after awhile, Petra and Jars of Clay were more for leisure listening when i'm cookin or cleaning, but not when i truly want to praise God. My goodness, Jars of Clay was excellent, i even attended one concert! but till today, i still don't understand what some of the lyrics were about. Youth ministry is really an exciting, cutting edge place to be, cause youths are just so versatile, vibrant and full of life! I’ve only recently moved to youth min, and I know the difference and I am convinced that I would rather serve in youth min than anywhere else because there is something about young people that’s just so moldable and teachable. And this is probably one of the best places to build God’s army for the last days that will very shortly come upon us.
So my plead to all fellow laborers in youth min, let’s build wisely and let’s build strong foundations. Let’s teach our youths how to be in the world, but not of the world.
By Jane's multiply blog
Monday, October 23, 2006
7:59 PM
Here's something I read from one of Mal Fletcher's books...
Newsweek magazine defined buzz as ‘infectious chatter; genuine, street-level excitement about a hot new person, place or thing.’ Buzz is easier to create, or encourage, when the product or idea:
1)Contains something useful: when the idea gives people results right away.
2)Can be previewed: when people are offered a sneak preview of what the idea can do for them, an opportunity to ‘try-before-you-buy’.
3)Features a story with a hero or charismatic leader: when the focal point is a person who has qualities other people want to emulate.
4)Can be passed on easily to others: when give-aways or other incentives make it easy for people to share the idea or product with others.
5)Delivers what it promises: when the idea does not overpromise and under-perform.
6)Is not too predictable: when the product or concept contains something daring and risky.
7)Contains an element of mystery and surprise; when the product offers a tantalizing hint that there may be more to come, as if you need to stay with it to discover the full benefits.
The greatest enemy to communicating the gospel will be predictability.
The only thing people should be able to predict about a church it is that it’s going to surprise them every time – because it represents Christ. A church that consciously builds surprise into everything it does will position itself to be heard.
Power of Culture
The church of 2020 will recognize that it has an internal culture and celebrate – but not worship – it. Leadership is not primarily about building organizations but creating cultures. To lead any group of people well you must first create a new sense of what is healthy, acceptable and normal thinking and behavior in that group. A healthy culture is fundamental to a strong sense of identity, which leads to growth.
Here are ten facts about group and church cultures:
1)The group that has the strongest culture will become the leading voice in a society. Why do small lobby groups often exercise a level of influence in society that is way out of proportion to their size? Because they have developed a strong sense of identity and purpose based around their values and culture.
2)Whoever defines the culture rules the group. If someone other than the leader is shaping the culture, cues for the group will be coming from all the wrong places.
3)The strongest convictions will shape the culture. Leaders must have deeply felt convictions and proven values which are born out of personal revelation and practical experience.
4)Cultures tend to attract people of their own kind. If you want people of character, purpose, vision and excellence in your church, business or organization, you need to create a culture where these things are promoted and celebrated.
5)Cultures must be maintained. Having set the culture – which can take two to three years in a new church or organization – you must work to keep it alive. Maintain the momentum by exposing your team to like-minded, successful people from outside your organization.
6)People, left to their own devices, will often return to their old cultures. You must provide incentives and demonstrate results so that people will not give in to the pressures of entropy.
7)Culture brings people together around common ideals, not just common tasks. A strong culture can never be built around simply performing a task or meeting a goal. It must go deeper than that, to fulfill a common cause and meet a shared aspiration within people’s hearts.
8)The mix of weak organization/strong culture can grow. The mix of weak culture/strong organization won’t survive! In a church, even if you have a Sunday of relatively ‘weak’ services, you will still grow if your culture is strong.
9)Healthy church culture builds access ramps not stairways to heaven.
10)Church culture is a good servant and a poor master. Culture becomes a problem only when we forget that we have one – when we expect everyone outside to automatically understand why we believe and behave as we do.
5:51 PM
There is a story about a traveller who fell into a deep pit and couldn’t get out. Several persons came along and saw him struggling in the pit.
The sensitive person said, "I feel for you down there." The reflective person said, "It’s logical that someone would fall into the pit." The aesthetic person said, "I can give you ideas on how to decorate your pit." The judgmental person said, "Only bad people fall into the pit." The analytical person said, "Help me measure the depth of your pit." The curious person said, "Tell me how you fell into the pit." The perfectionist said, "I believe you deserve your pit." The evaluator said, "Tell me, are you paying taxes on this pit." The self-pitying person said, "You should have seen my pit." The specialist in meditation said, "Just relax and don’t think about the pit." The optimist said, "Cheer up! Things could be worse." The pessimist said, "Be prepared! Things will get worse."
Jesus, seeing the man, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the miserable pit. The Bible tells us that we are like this man who have fallen into the pit of sin. This pit of sin has disfigured us so much that we became ugly, smelly, dirty and corrupted in our mind, will and emotion. We are like the prodigal sons who rebelliously walk out in our relationship with God and His law and we walk right in our own eyes. Not only did we not recognize God as our creator, but we have carved out images and bow down to them. We build our own righteousness through our own human sinful “righteousness works” to try to cover up our sin, shame and wickedness.
God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He did not wait for us to be good, holy, righteous, blameless, although lovely etc. He did not stay in the seat and say I love you! He did not say some kind of sweet talk and see us die in our state of sin, our helplessness to become righteous required by God and says I expect you to be Holy, I expect you to be Righteous, I expect you to do good and commit not sin, come on, do that!
He knows that sin is controlling us and He came down to rescue us from the pit of sin. He fought against all odds, all obstacles, all barriers and all hells to come to rescue us. He broke the barrier between God and man. He removed His Kingly crown, His royal robe, His golden throne, His pedestal seat, his unlimited divine nature and clothe himself in human flesh, going through all pains, rejections, all sufferings, all tortures so that you may have life, so that your sins can be forgiven, so that He can have a relationship with you again. God is unlike man, He will reach down to the most unlovable person, the most hideous and ugly person physically and in personality, the most unresponsive person, the person who may gives the most trouble, the weakest person, the greatest failure.
His love goes beyond conditions.
5:39 PM
"Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).”
My title for this week is : A Ransom for Many
Earlier this week, we saw that we were saved in order to serve others. Jesus left us the ultimate example, by washing the feet of those He came to save. We will consider that same theme in another verse today.
One day, the mother of James and John came to Jesus and asked if her two sons could have the most exalted positions in Jesus’ Kingdom. The other disciples heard her selfish request, and an argument started among them all about who would be the greatest. Jesus responded by telling them that the greatest among them needed to be the servant of all (Matthew 20:20-28).
This statement is such revolutionary thinking! Why should the greatest be the one who serves? This statement runs against the entire thinking of the world, and even runs against the way we often view things as Christians. Shouldn’t the greatest among us be served by all? That is not what Christ said.
Once again, Christ pointed the disciples to His own example. He is the King of heaven, the Lord of lords, the omnipotent Creator of the universe. And yet why did He come to earth? Not to be served by others, but to serve them, and to give His life as a Ransom for our sins.
Why didn’t Christ come to earth to be served? If Christ had needed to be served, it would imply that He had some deficiency, or some need in Himself that He was coming to earth to fulfill. However, Christ had no need, no deficiency. He was eternally complete in Himself, and thus wasn’t coming to earth for people to meet His needs. Rather, He came to earth to meet our needs.
And that is the example we are to follow. We are not complete in ourselves, but we are complete in Christ. And out of our fullness in Him, we can meet the needs of others. We can condescend and look out for their interests. We don’t need earthly glory to be fulfilled, so we don’t need earthly kingship. All of our fulfillment is in Christ!
Only Christ could give His life as a ransom (payment) for sins. Our lives cannot pay for sin, but through the sacrifice of our lives Christ can reveal to others the sacrifice that He has made, and His sacrifice will serve every need anyone will ever have. Let’s give our lives to be servants of others. :)
5:19 PM
The title of today's post is : The Next Level
Deuteronomy 1:6-8“The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: “You have dwelt long enough at this mountain”.
There is no permanent place for a person who walks with God. It is either you grow or you deteriorate. It is either you move on or you die at where you are.
Many people I met in my life that refused to move to their next level end up dying in that same place and at that same level. The very fact is that Life is Life only when is Live out actively and dynamically. It is not static and never to live it passively. I’m not talking about striving for a title, a physical place of status or position. I’m talking about a refusal to grow into the next level.
Many people love to remain and stay at where they are when they are supposed to move on. Don’t build your life like you are staying at your HDB flats, it’s unmovable, unshakable. But build your life like a camping tent, where it’s time to move to your next level, you should pack your tent, wrapped it and move on to pitch your tent at your next level.
God’s intention for His people to live their lives has been always in the way like Exodus 40:36-37
Some people refuses to grow up when they are suppose to: -For those who have come out of children church, you have to leave behind the children mentality into an overcoming young man and woman’s mentality.
-For those who are at 3rd year polytechnic, you have to move on to your next level of taking adult responsibility.
-For some of us who have been long enough as a Christian, it’s God challenging you to grow into your next level of your Christian Maturity.
-For some of us who have been struggling with the same old sin and habit over and over again for weeks, months and years, you ought to say to yourself: “ Enough is enough!”
-For some of us you have been following Jesus from afar off, not truly committing your life to Him, is it the time to move a shift?
-For some of us here, our lives have been a mess, everything it’s in a mess; our study, our time management, our room, our money handling; everything it’s in a mess.
It’s time to say: “I’ve had enough! I’ve stayed here long enough! '' Now is the time to get through this mess. Have you been staying too long in that same dead zone? Have you been staying too long in that same old sin and struggle? Have you been staying too long in that same old state of mediocrity; doing the same thing but never attempt to improve, never attempt to excel, never attempt to make progress?
Some of us God is challenging you who are serving Him into your next level of growth, capacity and anointing, are you going to stay there and hide in your little corner of self sufficiency, holding on to your little ministry?
' Don’t play for safety – it’s the most dangerous thing in the world, ' said Hugh Warpole. The key is this : to forfeit the safety of what we are for what we could become. Unless you do something beyond what you have already done, you will never grow.
Are you accepting your present situation and state of your life as your permanent dwelling place? God told the children of Israel, “You have stayed there long enough, turn and take your journey, and go to the mountains.” There are higher mountains to conquer in your life. In case you think that your present mountain is your highest mountain, you are absolutely wrong, you are myopic. There are higher heights; there are deeper seas for you to conquer. There are new mountains for you to climb.
There are two things that make a person stops : after a defeat and also after a victory. Don’t stop because you have a moment of failure and don’t stop because of a momentary success. Don’t give excuses. Seize the divine moment of God for your life. God wants you to get over your present mountain today to your next level. What is your next level today? How do you move to your next level?
1. Decide to Break Camp. (1 Kings 19:19-21) No more excuses. No more reasoning in your mind. No more running. No More saying that lies to people, yourself and God. This is a time of funeral Service. This is a time to confront. It is not a time to debate, discuss or calculate. Don’t say tomorrow, for tomorrow will not come.Some of you have to declare to the devil that you are no longer to be under his Feet, but that he will be beneath your feet.Some of you will have to say good-bye to your present lifestyle and friends.Some of you will have to burn away what you are doing now literally like Elisha.Some of you will have to say good bye to your good old memories.
2. Depend on God’s Strength. (Judges 6:11-16) Don’t look at your present strength and capacity as your gauge. Don't look at your own little resources. Don’t focus at your present situation to be the mountain. Don’t limit God in your life. Trust in God’s strength. In my experience, I will never experience a greater strength of come until I depart from my own human strength, intelligent, resources, ability. Surrender the ‘little or the nothing” you have that is where God’s strength will come.
3. Determine to take action. Too many people have wishes but too little make their wishes happen. Unless you do something beyond yourself what you have already done, you will never grow. Don’t sit around and wait.Do something that will take you to your next level!
Sunday, October 22, 2006
10:44 PM
GUYS n GIRLS from gen1.4
PRAISE GOD! Anton and Yee Chong have received Jesus into their life! Lets keep them in prayer and welcome them into the big family of God! Well,nothing excites me more than a lost soul turns back to God! Lets continue to live out and preach the Good news of Jesus Christ, that is the power {resurrection od Jesus Christ}! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
11:26 PM
haha..11.19pm i started posting..2 to 3 hours ago i was at chomp chomp with jiancong and kelvin. We were having a great time of fellowship,gorging ourself with the food. haha then after that we went to a park to have a short chat and this is what I really felt to share about.
In case you all dont know,the past 6 to 7 posts, mostly no names one are posted by me. The cell website have not been updated daily since last month and I felt to do it so I did.Today, I want to share about 3 different levels of people.
Level 1: they are called the ''Dependent " people. They depend on people to grow and cannot grow without people leading them.
Level 2: they are called the "Independent" people.This group of people are mostly on their own,being named "the SOLO". They shine when they are working on their own, handling everything well.This group of people falter when they work as a team as they don't really team with other people to handle situations.
Level 3: they are called the "Interdependent" people. They do well to shine and they are like Level 2 people,except that they work well on their own and they work well together as a team. Not many people are not Level 3, I myself, admit that I am only on Level 2, but i am trying and growing to be Level 3,which is not easy. It is different between trying and striving. Trying is u do your best without any regrets and do it with Joy, Striving is u slog hard but you dont feel and happiness.But let's not be discouraged but let this be a reason that we start to turn back from our old ways.Let's work hand in hand,together as a cell and ministry and grow together.May God be the centre of everything and let's thank him for all things work out for good.haha now 11.39pm, so i post for 20 mins haha not bad k..got to go see you all this sat..
With much care and love, Nigel ^.^
4:37 PM
"Then God saw everything He had made, and indeed it was very good (Genesis 1:31)."
God is also pleased with the work of His own hands. And one of God's greatest pleasures comes from the creation. When God saw the completed work, He said that it was all “very good.” God derives great joy from this natural world that He created!
He takes pleasure in floating butterflies and running streams and green valleys and snow-capped mountains and majestic lions and chirping crickets. He is interested in the intricacies of the human eye and the interaction of microscopic atoms and the vastness of the galaxies spanning across the universe. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are thrilled with the world that has been created through the Word of their Power.
God has placed each one of us as natural people in a natural world. We need to realize this fact and understand that natural things do matter. CS Lewis, the famous Christian apologist and author (most famous in modern times for writing the Chronicles of Narnia ) once observed, “Some Christians try to be more spiritual than God.” In other words, it is possible to neglect this world to such a point that we miss out on God's purposes for our lives.
It is true that our ultimate home is not this world, it is heaven. It is true that we are pilgrims on this earth. But we are still here for now! We are in a beautiful place that has been created by the hands of God Himself. Therefore, we should put our best efforts into our natural concerns as well. We should labor at work and at school. And we should derive enjoyment and joy from the world God has created. Our ultimate joy comes not from the world but from God, but God gives us not only spiritual joy but natural joy in the world He has created.
So next time you're walking around outside, look up at the sky. Marvel at its blueness or grayness or darkness. Some day, go to a park and be amazed at the nature all around you. God has great joy in the world He has created, and through Him we can have joy in it as well. God is a great creative God, and what He has created is very, very, “very good.”
4:35 PM
"For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you (John 13:15)."
The Master got up from the table and wrapped a towel around His waist. It was dinner time, but first it was time to teach His disciples an important lesson. He filled a pail with water, and began to go around the table washing His disciple's feet. How shocked His disciples became! In their culture, only the lowest rungs of society performed foot washing; it was a task humiliating even for a slave. Yet here was Jesus, the Master of All, the Creator of the Universe, taking a towel and washing the feet of mere men.
Can you imagine being in that room? Can you imagine the hands that had fashioned the mountains now washing the dirt off of your feet? Can you fathom the awesome humility of Christ? Jesus told the disciples that they should act as servants for each other, that just as He had humbled Himself to wash their feet, so they should humble themselves.
The Christian life is really a paradox of the way things are run in the world. Here on earth, we consider great men to be those with money, power, and privilege. The greatest men on earth do not serve others but are served by the masses. From a Christian perspective, things are the opposite. Greatness is not defined by how many people serve you, but by the level to which you serve others. The greatest of all is the one who is servant to all (Mark 10:44). Those who are high in their pride are really the lowest in the eyes of God, and those who are low in humility are the ones whom God exalts.
That is why your goal as a Christian must be to serve and not to lord. As a Christian, you are called to be a servant! Do not set your heart on the approval of men, but instead focus on the approval of God. Spend your time helping the poor, the sick, and the needy. Put the needs and concerns of others before your own. Be willing to do the right actions even when no one is watching and you will not get credit. The King of all Heaven took upon Himself a servant's form and died for us so that we could be saved!
Let that same mind of humility and servant hood that was in Christ be in you.
4:02 PM
Here is my collection of quotes on Vision. This generation is under crisis. Most young people can't see clearly - they are like blind trying to lead the blind. A young visionary is compelled to go see the beyond his present circumstance to a preferred future. The world is shaped by visionary leaders who dare to act on their convictions!
Antoine Saint-Exupéry: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.
Stedman Graham: When you have a sense of your own identity and a vision of where you want to go in your life, you then have the basis for reaching out to the world and going after your dreams for a better life.
Henry David Thoreau: I would give all the wealth of the world, and all the deeds of all the heroes, for one true vision.
Ayn Rand: Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision.
Helen Keller: It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision.
Carl Jung: Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens.
Napoleon Hill: Cherish you visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blue prints of your ultimate achievements.
Frank Gaines: Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible. Malcolm S. Forbes: The best vision is insight.
Calvin Coolidge: We do not need more of the things that are seen, we need more of the things that are unseen.
Joel A. Barker: Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.
Daniel H. Burnham: Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans. Aim high in hope and work. Remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die.
Les Brown: It takes someone with a vision of the possibilities to attain new levels of experience. Someone with the courage to live his dreams.
Antoine de Saint Exupery: If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.
Unknown Author: Some people see more in a walk around the block than others see in a trip around the world.
Lord Byron: Our thoughts take the wildest flight; even at the moment when they should arrange themselves in thoughtful order.
Adlai E. Stevenson: Every age needs men who will redeem the time by living with a vision of the things that are to be.
Eric Butterworth: Our job is not to set things right but to see them right.
Thaddeus Golas: Inside yourself or outside, you never have to change what you see, only the way you see it.
Robert Collier: Vision gives you the impulse to make the picture your own.
Unknown Author: The first step toward creating an improved future is developing the ability to envision it.
Unknown Author: The whole world steps aside for the man who knows where he is going. Henri Bergson: The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.
Ayn Rand: Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision.
Robert Collier: Visualize this thing you want. See it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin.
Norman Vincent Peale: Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture.
St Augustine: Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe.
Marcel Proust: The real voyage of discovery consists not in making new landscapes but in having new eyes.
Robert Collier: Visualize this thing you want. See it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin.
Napoleon Hill: Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.
Charles Kettering: My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there.
Rosabeth Moss Kanter: A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.
Emile Zola:The only basis for living is believing in life, loving it, and applying the whole force of one's intellect to know it better.
Sir Isaac Newton: If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.
Marcel Proust: The real voyage of discovery lies not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.
Ayn Rand: Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery: A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.
Peter Marshall: Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for.
Julius Caesar: As a rule, men worry more about what they can't see than about what they can.
Christopher Reeve:If you don't have a vision, nothing happens.
Marcus Aurelius: The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.
Lieh Tzu: Living a life without limits is the highest state of existence.
Unknown Author: Knowing your destination is half the journey.
Kurt Hahn: There is more to us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives we will be unwilling to settle for less.
Oliver Wendell Holmes: A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience.
Unknown Author:Knowing your destination is half the journey.
Chinese Proverb: There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same.
Theodore M. Hesburgh: The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet.
Warren Buffett: Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.
Duane Michals: I believe in the imagination. What I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see.
Henry David Thoreau: It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.
Pablo Picasso: I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them.
George Bernard Shaw: Better keep youself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.
Unknown Author:The real voyage is not in seeking new landscapes but in seeing with new eyes and through the eyes of others.
Goethe: I find the great thing in this world is, not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.
Lucas Hellmer: Aim not for what you are, but for what you could be.
Antoine De Saint Exupery: A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.
T.S. Eliot: Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
Denis Waitley: Life is the movie you see through your own eyes. It makes little difference what's happening out there. It's how you take it that counts.
Thomas Holcroft: The past is a guidepost, not a hitching post.
Francis Bacon: The job of the artist is to deepen the mystery.
Proverbs 29:18: Where there is no vision, people perish.
Franklin Roosevelt: The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.
Unknown Author: Know your limits ... but never stop trying to exceed them.
John Wooden: If you go as far as you can see, you will then see enough to go even farther.
James Broughton: The only limits are, as always, those of vision.
Charles Kettering: My interest is in the future; as I'm going to be spending the rest of my life there.
Wayne Gretsky: I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it is going.
Henry David Thoreau: In the long run, men hit only what they aim at.
Henry Ford: Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.
George Bernard Shaw: Do not follow where the path my lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Peter Marshall: Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for - because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.
Michelangelo: I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.
Japanese proverb: Vison without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.
John Lubbock: What we see depends mainly on what we look for.
Ralph Waldo Emerson: This time like all times is a very good one if we but know what to do with it.
Unknown Author:Seeing yourself as you want to be is the key to personal growth.
Unknown Author: Many an opportunity is lost because a man is out looking for four-leaf clovers. H. Jackson Brown Jr: Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.
3:47 PM
Here is an excerpts from Good to Great by Jim Collins that really impressed me. That's what we want to become - Level 5 Leaders!
5 Levels of Leadership
Level 1 Highly Capable Individual - Makes productive contributions through talent, knowledge, skills and good work habits.
Level 2 Contributing Team Member - Contributes individual capabilities to the achievement of group objectives and works effectively with others in a group setting.
Level 3 Competent Manager - Organizes people and resources toward effective and efficient pursuit of pre-determined objectives.
Level 4 Effective Leader - Catalyzes commitment to and vigorous pursuit of a clear and compelling vision, stimulating higher performance standards.
* Level 5 Executive - Builds enduring greatness through paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will. - Channel their ego needs away from themselves and into the larger goal of building a great company. - It’s not that Level 5 leaders have no ego or self-interest. Indeed, they are incredibly ambitious but their ambition is first and foremost for the institution, not themselves.
The Two Sides of Level 5 Leadership
- Professional Will
- Creates superb results, a clear catalyst in the transition from good to great. - Demonstrates an unwavering resolve to do whatever must be done to produce the best long-term results, no matter how difficult. - Sets the standard of building an enduring company/organization; will settle for nothing less. - Looks in the mirror, not out the window, to apportion responsibility for poor results, never blaming other people, external factors, or bad luck.
-Personal Humility
- Looks out the window, not in the mirror, to apportion credit for the success of the company / organization – to other people, external factors, and good luck. - Demonstrates a compelling modesty, shunning public adulation, never boastful. - Acts with quiet, calm determination, relies principally on inspired standards, not inspiring charisma, to motivate. -Channels ambition into the company, not the self, sets up successors for even greater success in the next generation.
Monday, October 16, 2006
2:40 PM
1) Red chair - This chair represents Passion.People who sit on this chair are on fire for God. They are interested in extending the Kingdom of God. These people are different and are not found living in sin and immorality.
2) Green chair - This chair represents Growth and Discipline.People who sit on this chair are disciplined and yearn to abide in Christ. They hear the Word of God, accept it and bear good fruits in their lives. These people endure the walk and they are not choked with the cores of the world and the deceitfulness of riches.
3) Grey chair - This chair represents Compromise.People who sit on this chair are lukewarm, and have an outward religion but have no innerrelationship with God. These people are driven by their feelings and have a roller coaster walk with God. They are double-minded and unstable in all their ways.
4) Black Chair - This chair represents Sin and Darkness.People who sit on this chair have life without Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. They are bound in affliction and bondages.
People,let's turn back from our old ways and be a Red Chair.Let's be passionate and on fire,but most importantly, abiding in God, Loving Him, that's the greatest commandment.. you people rocks!!
with much care, Nigel;
12:41 AM
Helluuu! :D Im going to post about today's 3rd service in cas some of you all missed it out.
Today's sermon is Thanksgiving.
1 Timothy 2 4 kinds of prayer: Supplication (mercy) intercession (to stand in the gap) thanksgiving * giving petitions
1 Thessalonians 5:18 God's will to give thanks!
Ephesians 5:18-20 be filled with the Holy Spirit
Psalms 100:4-5 talks about Thanksgiving and praise
3 reasons to be thanksful! (it doesnt change) God is good! His mercy is everlasting Truth to all generations!
What does thanksgiving do? 1. It provides excess to presence of God (Rejoice in all circumstances!) 2. Unlocks the supernatural power of God John 6:23 & John11 3. Purify from a complaining &murmuring spirit
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Though today's service doesnt have an altar call, I think it meant alot and did a great impact didnt it? I mean to think about it, if Paul could give thanks even when he is locked up in the dungeon where it stinks, why couldnt we? You might think like,' No God! you dont understand all those problems that I face' He understands! I mean, would you rather keep complaining about it or give thanks to God that it happened? Its hard yes, but do you know that when you complain, it plants a sort of bitterness in your heart? Hmmm, i dont really know how to phrase what i want to say but i hope you got my point. xD
Anyway, Thank you Father for my parents even though sometimes they dont understand me, Thank you Father for my brother though somtimes he's really irritating, Thank you Father for my classmates though they are not united and are childish at times, Thank you Father for blessing me with such great cell members, Thank you Father for giving me a chance for sheparding Serene &Zx! :D Thank you Father for the friends around me like Kaiying! that she's so caring. Thank you Father for succha great cell leader Jiancong! Thank you Father for my results even though it's bad because it gives me another chance to work even better! Thank you Father for all my CCA juniors! Thank you Father for every breathe that I take, Thank you Father for technology, Thank you Father for my phone, Thank you Father for all the wonderful scenery you have made, Thank you Father for all the food, Thank you Father for bubbletea! Thank you Father for the creation of CHICKEN WINGS! Thank you Father for your wisdom and knowledge, Thank you Father for you grace and mercy, Thank you Father that we may worship you openly, Thank you Father for candies and chocolates, Thank you Father for making us who we are, Thank you Father for being succha loving Father, Thank you Father for loving us first, Thank you Father for dying on the cross for us, Thank you Father for being a God of promises, Thank you Father for being our Saviour, Thank you Father for our church, Thank you Father for our health, Thank you Father for putting us in Singapore, Thank you Father for putting us in this church, Thank you Father for putting us in Gen1.4, Thank you Father for your perfect plan for us, Thank you Father for all that you have done, Thank you Father for coming in our lifes, Thank you Father for my FG,
etc etc! There's just soo many things to thank God for man! Amen? I'll just stop here. :) Let's learn, to give thanks to God, even in our darkest hour. I bet we'll start seeing lifes change, in a matter of time. Heee, okay. Im done here.
Things to take note of: - Full-payment for Like CraZy camp by 29th Oct if you're planning to be an Early Bird (Early bird gets a slping bag and shirt free? worth $30 :D ) - Invite your friends for nxt Saturday's cell titled Message in A Bottle - Friday's bbq at Kailing's house for all those who have done C.I.P at Pearl Care Centre (Invite your friends back!) - 26th Nov is our church's Sports Day! :D
Okie, thats all. Nightey night peeps! Much love, Ivy hohoho :D
do the Jellyfish dance! = o ~ = o ~ = o ~ = o
Sunday, October 15, 2006
11:14 PM
By Pastor Daniel :
It’s our responsibility to care for the flock and tend to their needs. As shepherds of God’s sheep, it is our duty to feed and protect them – nourish them in their faith and guard them from threats and unnecessary trouble. We need to correct and commend; to rebuke in love and to navigate them through life’s issues. The impact that we’ll make in their lives will be remembered for a long time.
I just want to encourage all of us to give our time and effort to this – it’s more than just planning good programs and preaching powerful sermons though these are essentials, we are called to love and feed God’s lambs and sheep, and to lay down our lives for them. It’s really about relationships, sharing life together and imparting the wisdom that God has worked out in our lives through the School of Hard Knocks.
Change There may be some changes to our Third Service time and that may affect your cell/zone programs. However I believe changes are necessary – it’s part of growth. I’ll be meeting the Zone Leaders to discuss about these issues and trust that the Lord will give us His wisdom to bring Generations to the next level! I really hope to review the ministry and see what’s working and what’s not, and make prune the process so that we can be more fruitful. Please keep the GET leaders in prayer as we lead the ministry forward.
11:11 PM
God, grant me the Serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the Courage to change the ones I can, and the Wisdom to know it's me.
The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember ... : Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
John the Baptist ate bugs
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer..
AND Lazarus was dead!
No more excuses now. God can use you to your full potential.Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.
By, Nigel
Hello! We're a bunch of God lovers, and we're called
We consist of:
Er Jiajian
Celeste Sng, Celia Sng, Cheryl Ho, Chien Kwok Seng, Choon Hua, Diane Tan, Eunice Joy, Fiona, Gideon Tam, Hasswin, Huimin, Jingwei, Joanna Chan,
Joanna Huang, Johnathan Kum, Jonathan Yeo, Kelvin Shieh, Kelvin Teo, Lee Kaiying, Madeline Tang, Melissa Ng, Mok Peijie, Nigel Tham,
Noel Yeong, Pei En, Poh Shu Juan, Rachelin, Rebekah Ong, Tatjna Ong, Vivien Sim & Yang Peida
