What is the Lord saying in these times?

Economical recessions, Employment woes, Earthquakes….what is happening?

Financial experts would advise us that this is normal financial cycle ie 6-8yrs we would expect some form of recessions, etc.
Geologist could explain the dynamics involved in earthquakes, etc.

BUT why are they happening?

I think in this season, it is important for Christian to pause and listen to the agenda of God.
Why is God shaking up the financial system of the world?
Why is there instability in job markets?
Why is nature being shaken up?

Personally I believe it is a wakeup call from God.
Man has resought to build our security in the things of this world that we have neglected our reliance on God.
We have more faith in the means of this world more than the Master of our lives.
We are worshipping our jobs more than making our jobs part of our total worship to God.
We are occupied with activities more than the Almighty.

It is time to slow down and align our hearts to the Object of our faith. We must not harden our hearts lest we miss His voice.


Application:
Take a proper break this Dec to reflect on the year and recommit every area to the Lordship of God. God must be the Lord over them and not be a divine rubber stamp.

My Silence

Just in case some of you wondered why the silence.....
- i am currently in Beijing with my family. This trip was a blessing from an old Victoria School friend. Am always thankful to God for this holiday as well as my Victoria School experiences and friends made.
- been thinking about many things ie my failing in discipling my disciples, the lack of true authentic Christian relationships and community life, the shallowness of love, etc
- personally, i believe it is important that we beginning our processing of conflicts, of interest or expectations, by examining how i have failed rather than how others have failed me. in this way, i switch from a blame game to a learning posture for everybody. BUT i have seen many leaders blaming others without doing a just examine of personal failing. Thus, i am determined to live out a God pleasing life by being a godly leader; nothing more, nothing less. It is time to be godly in all my ways. beginning with my processing......in silence.

Thinking aloud

Was reminded again by Ed Silvoso's (@ CHC) -
"if you want to see something you have never seen before, you must do something you have never done before. Or you will continue to see what you have always seen before as you continue in what you have always been doing."

This reminder was very reassuring i knew i had done something NEW in faith.

Also, there was a song which was sung with these few lines -
"..greater things that are yet to come. greater things that are yet to be done..."

Felt it was an assurance from our Father that He would be doing something new and great (or greater) in the coming years and i would be part of it as i had moved out in faith.

Words failed to express the sense of gratitude i felt in the hall.

As i reflected over this season, i was and am thankful that God is doing a much bigger thing than i realised. I have also found the Body of Christ much more gracious, kind and understanding.

Many people, outside my usual circle, came and offered help, love and listening ears (even when i chose not to speak). They heard, from others, and were concerned for me. Some even offered jobs for me. But I have turned them down because i know this is a season of studying, listening and seeing. It is not time yet to be engaged in anything more permanent.

But through their love expressed, i found GRACE. Grace amazing ....
That God is bigger than all my mistakes.
That God is greater than all the assessments i received.
That God is interested in all my dreams and fantasies.
That God is always around..
in my peaks....
in my pits...

Above all,
He loves me...
He cares for me...
He wants to use me...

To usher His greater things
To witness His greater acts
To celebrate His greater works

He loves me eternally! Such GRACE.

My part....i must respond to His grace by loving Him.
I have been reminded what i have taught about LOVE.

Love is not love till it is expressed.
Love is not just an emotional word.
Love is an action word.
Love acts in good faith and intention.
Love is not afraid of wrong.
Love is not afraid of opinions of others.
Love is not afraid.

Even though this was taught for christian love, it is even more so for me to live out to God.

"Evil persists because good man does nothing!"
There are too many such good man who do nothing in the face of wrong.
I have acted to the best i know.
i pray, by His Grace, i will continue to do so and reduce the evil around us.

something greater is yet to happen, something greater is going to happen!

what do you mean by submission?

to be posted...

Pastoral musing - over priority of teaching

In Stronks and Blomberg's "vision ; school for responsive discipleship", we are reminded the Christian schools have these roles -

Conserves and passes on biblical story and worldviews

Discerns spirits of our times

Inquires how the tradition it is conserving leads to reforming society

And in carrying out these roles, biblical schooling or Responsive discipleship would call us into these 3 priorities for teachers;

1. Unwrapping God’s gift

We need to nourish lifelong playful and thoughtful learner out of our students. there must be fun in learning (motto of JC Edu Park). In so doing, we must not limit ourselves to nurturing of just intellectual gift. We need to help our students to discover their hidden God's given gifts. We must also help them tap into creativity and imagination within thhem as they are made in the image of God.

2. Sharing burden and joy

School is more than producing scholars. It is about producing learners, learners who are human. This means we must guide them to offer their gifts to serve the body of Christ and society. As guide we must help them to counter the tide of individual gratification and self fulfilment and develop character of perseverance and resilience. i am thinking that we have neglected much about developing resilience in our youth lately. There is much to think about this.

In order to share burden and joy, we must grow to accept all as image of God and not the "naughty boy in my class". It is not easy but we all need to grow in this.

While expressing care and concerns, this caring covenant communities are not soft; forceful and demanding when necessary yet resilient. We must also teach personal failures as new learning opportunities, while endured. All these need not be done only in CIP or YEP. it must be cultivated in class as well.

3. Seeking Shalom

Shalom is biblical peace and justice that heals brokenness and restores creation to what God intends it to be. Shalom peace means both rests in and brings about restored relationship between God and man, community and world. as such, our pedagogy reflects tactfulness and trust, curriculum fosters justice and harmony, discipline redirects to discipleship, evaluation foster self reflective growth. We must Celebrate God's Lordship in creation and lament power of sins in our world. We lament in order to challenge our youth (and ourselves) to action.

It is theological!

Following a single charismatic leader, aligning everyone in the process and making things happened - all these are popular proven method both in organisational and church world.
But what is the problem with this?

Efficiency is up, productivity is high, success is almost guaranteed.

The subtle challenge is we have moved from a communal structure (of a family) into a hierarchical structure (of an organisation). We have replaced people as mean to achieve goals. We have skipped the necessary step for relational development for corporate effectiveness. And the deception of it all, we do get what we want as a result. But at what cost?

People feel used.

Relationship is abused and functional.

Personal aspiration is denied, at best, to be redefined.

Over time, people decided for a change; be it in church or workplace.

Leadership alignment is something i did and taught in the past. i don't think it was wrong. but i felt i (together with others) might have overused it.

Thomas Sergiovanni challenged the over use of leadership. By that, he meant the over-emphasis of leadership and leadership methods which would inevitably deny any personal ownership and development among the masses. In fact, he made a bold claim that when leadership is absent, true authentic (personal) leaders will arise. People will take more personal responsibilities when there is lesser top-down intervention. There is much to chew about.

Interestingly, while the above was a simple summary of my educational reflection, Elder Freddy Boey of Riverlife made the same challenge this Sunday too. He was also addressing the over-reliance of secular method adopted by churches.

Personally i have always wondered why the church is turning to the world for wisdom while the world is turning to Jesus as a model? My humble conclusion is that we have not invested in biblical christian thinking. We, like Singapore, prefer to be pragmatic rather than ideological in our views of life.

Elder Freddy made a personal stand against this tide by recognising that it was not a call for management efficiency that the church should be bothered with. Rather the church should stand for what is theologically sound and biblically right.

Amen to that!