authentic and transparent communication
the value and necessity of authentic and transparent preaching/teaching.
Since later of half of last year, I have this chance to train new preacher in service. I work with new preacher on researching the text, preaching creatively, building meaningful outlines, or pointing people toward the gospel. Yet one of the most important aspect in preaching is to bring all of themselves to a message.
When you preach or teach, you must bring you. Without you in, around, and through the message, you will not impact today’s listener.
The younger audience today has a built in authenticity-meter. You can preach with passion, humor, clever points, or heart-wrenching stories. But if the scriptures haven’t touched your life, the listener will know it—and ignore your well-crafted message.
People want to know:
How has the text Affected you?
How have you failed in the area the Scripture addresses?
What about the text makes you uncomfortable?
What do you feel about what Scripture is saying? (I know our feelings don’t trump scriptural truth, but talking about how we feel about the text can help engage others at a deeper level.)
How are you becoming different because of your study in God’s word?
Which preachers do you listen to that do a good job of brining themselves into the message? How are you learning to “bring you” as a communicator?
so whether we are preaching in service, teaching in CG, sharing in shepherding session, look at the above questions and ponder and helps us to let the bible/scriptures walks through us.
that's the honour that we can teach to 1 or many... God wants to deal with me and change me first before I present the truth to others... then when I present it others, there is power and impact and holy spirit will bring the same transformation in my life to those that I teach and share...
Daddy
thanks to all your sms, comments and wishes to my dad. He was discharged 3 days from hospital. Now, he is at home resting. He is much weaker now and he sleeps more.
Thank to my mom and helper who have help to take care of daddy. Also my nephew has brought joy to him as well...
As I prayed for my dad that this stage of his life will be the best of all in his whole entire life. I told him and he smiled. :)
Learn to laUgh
I had a good laugh in the meeting with the PolyDINS ULs earlier at my house...I had a good laugh with abigail talking about something crazy... I enjoyed Leanne's sermon yesterday because it was real and humours!
Laugh is a antidote to our soul! It's important to learn to laugh...sometimes, i forget to laugh...here is an article by Rick Warren abt Learning to Laugh... it's so true... be blessed!
Learn to Laugh by Rick Warren
Did you know that people who laugh live longer? It’s true. Proverbs 14:30 says, “A relaxed attitude lengthens a man’s life.” (TLB)
Humor is an amazing thing. It’s a tension dissolver. It’s an antidote to anxiety. It’s just like a tranquilizer, but without any troublesome side effects. And it’s free! You don’t even need a prescription.
Laughter is life’s shock absorber. If you want to have less stress in your life, learn to laugh at your circumstances. Somehow, you must find the fun in the frustrating.
Someone once asked President Lincoln how he handled all the stresses of the Civil War. He said, “If it hadn’t been for laughter, I could not have made it.” Many famous comedians grew up in poor neighborhoods with lots of problems. They coped with their troubles by learning to laugh and making others laugh.
So learn to laugh. If you can laugh at it, you can live with it. And besides, if you learn to laugh at your troubles, you’ll never run out of anything to laugh at! Life is full of funny situations. Will Rogers once said, “I don’t know any jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”
Proverbs 17:22 says, “Being cheerful keeps you healthy.” (GNB) We all need to develop a sense of humor.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Psalm 2:4, “The One enthroned in heaven laughs.” Isn’t that a great verse? God has a sense of humor. God laughs! Have you ever seen the face of an orangutan? God thought that one up! That proves he has a sense of humor. Do you want to be more like God? Learn to laugh. A sense of humor can preserve your sanity.
Sometimes, one irritation follows another, and before you know it, our day is ruined. I read this account in the The Encyclopedia Britannica’s 1982 Yearbook, under the heading “Strange and Unusual Events.” It tells about a man named Brian Heise who had what you might call a “very irritating day”:
Brian Heise had more than his share of luck in July of that year, and most of it was bad. When his apartment in Provo, Utah, became flooded from a broken pipe in the upstairs apartment, the manager told him to go out and rent a water vacuum. That’s when he discovered his car had a flat tire. He changed it, then went inside again to phone a friend for help. The electric shock he got from the phone so startled him that he inadvertently ripped the instrument off the wall. Before he could leave the apartment a second time, a neighbor had to kick down the apartment door because water damage had jammed it tight. While all of this was going on, someone stole Heise’s car, but it was almost out of gas. He found it a few blocks away but had to push it to the gas station, where he filled up the tank. That evening Heise attended a military ceremony at Brigham Young University. He injured himself severely when he somehow sat on his bayonet, which had been tossed onto the front seat of his car. Doctors were able to stitch up the wound, but no one was able to resuscitate four of Heise’s canaries that were crushed to death by falling plaster. After Heise slipped on the wet carpet and badly injured his tailbone, he said he began to wonder if “God wanted me dead, but just kept missing.”
And you think you’ve had bad days! Sometimes, all you can do is laugh.
Take my advice: acquire a sense of humor. Learn to laugh. It’s relaxing and healing and a buffer to all the stress the world throws your way.
valentised?
last night i was at vivo City, man, was realli crowded! many sales and promotions for valentine's Day. Salesman approached couples that walked pass them for wedding package.
Yin San told me that she wanted to order a wreath for a member loved one's funeral but just couldn't. Many florist shops are not able to provide delivery service to JB because their resources are tied up for valetine's order... can't believe this high in demand business during valentine!
If I were in any businesses, I were be like any businessman, target couples (young, old, courting or married couples, or friends...) I will be able to have high revenues...hohohoho!
To all married couples : Wish you 爱情长长久久...
To all courtship couples : Wish you 有情人终成眷属...
To all others : Wish you 单身万岁!
blessed valentine!
Friends...
I'm thankful that i have a group of friends whom i can share my life with and grow up and old together.
I met few friends on different occasion this week, i was so blessed by them.
Each of them have different life challenges and struggles and responsibilities. They were real & honest in their struggles yet they are hopeful of what's to come as they are moulded and prune by God. They didn't pretend to be strong yet they knew deep inside, they placed their faith in God and will go through it.
That's the spirit and attitude.
That's bringing the reality of God to this side of the world! We are sooo normal and ordinary but we have a big big God is able and willing to help us!
995
This was the number i dialled on Wed 12am... After a short chat with abigail abt her sending off for her mom to changi airport, we heard strange sound coming from my dad's room. I rushed to the room and saw him shaking vigirously for 20s and then he stopped shaking. He looked in a daze... i was so scared that after the shake, his breath stopped. i prayed as he was shaking. i checked his heartbeat and it was still beating...
I asked abi to called ambulance, 995. Everything happened so fast. Mom prepared dad's IC. Mom called Wilson, brother and sister.
I was thinking probably dad had the 3rd stroke and pray everything will be fine for him! Ambulance came in a short while and i went with them to Alexandra hospital.
Wilson joined me shortly. As dad was resting on the bed, he seems to regain consciousness. we explained to him where he was and what happened to him just now...the doctor examined him and tell us that he is suspected to have fits due to stroke.
We waited for the doctor till 3am and tallked to the doctor and find out more... Thank God his condition is more stablise but need Brain scanning to study more.
Dad was transferred to a ward then and we stayed for a while and went home. It was a dramtic nite. As i reflected back, it was scary to see someone close to you getting relapse and especially when you found you cannot do much.
Before I sleep, i reflected about life and death. all of us will meet death one day. We will call 995 at one point of our life. We may not know when and how we will die but we will DIE. No one can stopped this from happening.
It's not easy to handle death of someone you loved. But when you know he/she is returning back to Jesus, it's so much easier to cope. We will meet one day. I will meet my dad one day if he returns to Jesus earlier.
Throughout the night, I have fear yet hope and assurance do filled my heart as i sat in the ambulance car. I whisper to God, "If you think it's time for dad to return home, take him back." I dailed a wireless 995 while we are on the way to the hospital.
God, with you, I can handle death and lost so much better compared to face it without you in my life.
Ps 23
let's memorise these few verses of a personal psalms of David. He was running away from his son whom wanted his life. David's throne was overthrown and he was running for his life. What a life? He wrote the 1st verse : The Lord is my shepherd and I shall not be in want.
Given a deeper thought, usually we will complain about the situation or cry out to God abt how I felt terribly if I were in David's shoe. What caused King David to talk about the role of God in his life - His shepherd.
He reminded himself God's role in his life... Shepherd will protect, guide, comfort and provide for him. This is such a simple yet important truth when i go through tough and terrible time in life.
I just recited Ps 23 last night before I sleep. I recite it slowly and reminded myself who God is and what he will and can do to me.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
I love You Jesus...
