“To reach the people no one else are reaching, we must do the things no one else are doing.”
Craig Groeschel

“When your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near.”
Michael Hammer

Jonathan Herron
http://jonathanherron.typepad.com/
Jonathan and his wife launched Catalyst in Kent, Ohio, where he currently serves as lead pastor.

J.D. Greear
http://jdgreear.typepad.com/
J.D. became the Lead Pastor at the Summit Church of Raleigh-Durham, NC in January of 2002. Before coming to work at the Summit he had worked among Muslims in Southeast Asia. J.D. is married about 20 leagues over his head to his drop-dead gorgeous wife Veronica. They have 3 stunningly beautiful children, Kharis, Alethia, and Ryah.

Enjoy!

That being said, it is always interesting and fun to see what kind of characteristics and traits I have. As mentioned on the blog of a friend, iPersonic is another of such a site that provides a simplified personality test. One thing to keep in mind is that just because such a test puts a label on us, it does not mean that we are strictly confined within that boundary of that label. Rather, I tend to view the various labels as an audio equaliser.

Harmony-seeking Idealist (HI)
Harmony-seeking Idealists are characterised by a complex personality and an abundance of thoughts and feelings. They are warm-hearted persons by nature. They are sympathetic and understanding. Harmony-seeking Idealists expect a lot of themselves and of others. They have a strong understanding of human nature and are often very good judges of character. But they are mostly reserved and confide their thoughts and feelings to very few people they trust. They are deeply hurt by rejection or criticism. Harmony-seeking Idealists find conflict situations unpleasant and prefer harmonious relationships. However, if reaching a certain target is very important to them they can assert themselves with a doggedness bordering on obstinacy.

Harmony-seeking Idealists have a lively fantasy, often an almost clairvoyant intuition and are often very creative. Once they have tackled a project, they do everything in their power to achieve their goals. In everyday life, they often prove to be excellent problem solvers. They like to get to the root of things and have a natural curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. At the same time, they are practically oriented, well organised and in a position to tackle complex situations in a structured and carefully considered manner. When they concentrate on something, they do so one hundred percent – they often become so immersed in a task that they forget everything else around them. That is the secret of their often very large professional success.

As partners, harmony-seeking idealists are loyal and reliable; a permanent relationship is very important to them. They seldom fall in love head over heels nor do they like quick affairs. They sometimes find it very difficult to clearly show their affection although their feelings are deep and sincere. In as far as their circle of friends is concerned, their motto is: less is more! As far as new contacts are concerned, they are approachable to only a limited extent; they prefer to put their energy into just a few, close friendships. Their demands on friends and partners are very high. As they do not like conflicts, they hesitate for some time before raising unsatisfactory issues and, when they do, they make every effort not to hurt anyone as a result.

Adjectives which describe your type
introverted, theoretical, emotional, planning, idealistic, harmony-seeking, understanding, peace-loving, sensitive, quiet, sympathetic, conscientious, dogged, complicated, inconspicuous, warm-hearted, complex, imaginative, inspiring, helpful, demanding, communicative, reserved, vulnerable

Hmm… What do you think? Have a go at it yourself.

With that, it seems all so fast and the Ipswich life group will be starting in just over one month! And to kick it off, the team will be holding a “Meet the Team!” session during the ‘Community Church Conference’ that is happening this weekend.

For more details, please refer to the e-Invite below:

recharge!
With so many things are happening, I must admit that yet again, I have been feeling the stress with it all, and especially for having whacked my rythm out of sorts! I had a look at my calendar for the past few weeks; what I saw astounded even myself!

I am expecting so much more to happen in the second half of 2008, and so is the team! Time to get recharged!

driving on ice
I chanced upon the feature article Driving on Ice by Andy Stanley in the latest issue of the Catalyst Groupzine—aptly titled Courageous in Calling—just the other day as I was browsing through my small library that definitely needs much more of my attention and time.

Andy Stanley is the lead pastor of North Point Community Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the bestselling author of Visioneering, The Next Generation Leader, The Best Question Ever, and the recent It Came from Within.

In this article, Andy touched on five expressions of courage that every Christian leader must embrace. As I looked into the article again, I began to see much more of myself in each of the area. Not so much as I see myself with those expressions, but more so the need for or the lack of such expressions.

I shall try to attempt to draw out the characteristics of these expressions of courage here.

courage to challenge the status quo
Leaders are those who love progress and are discouraged when they are faced with the prospect of being stuck in an environment where progress is impossible. Accepting the status quo and living with things as they are is not an option for a leader.

Courageous leaders are those who would rather challenge what needs to change and pay the price than remain silent and slowly die inside.

Leaders are the ones who find themselves in the precarious career-jeopardising position of drawing attention to the need for change, having the courage to act on what they see, to speak up when everyone else is silent. This sets the leader apart from the crowd.

As leaders, they are the ones who must ask the people to follow them to places where the people and the leaders themselves have been before.

courage to embrace your fear
Leading into the future conjures up feelings of uncertainty, angst, risk of being wrong, and more. It is the response of the leader that determines in a large part whether or not you will be called to lead. Many who lack the courage to forge ahead yearn for someone to take the first step to show the way.

Leaders are not always the first to see opportunities; they are simply the first to seize them. They recognise that courage is not the absence of fear, but it assumes fear. Failure is something a leader can live with; it is easier for them to live with the prospect of having tried and failed than not having tried at all. Leaders know that the best way to ensure success is to take chances.

While the average man or woman fears stepping out into a new opportunity, the leader fears missing out on a new opportunity.

A leader leads by taking risks—risks that requires courage.

courage to say no
Every leader must come to acknowledge and recognise that there will always be more opportunities than there is time to pursue them. Refusing to choose from these opportunities carefully dilutes efforts. Refusing to say no eventually robs leaders of their ultimate opportunity: the opportunity to play to their strengths.

Don’t allow the many good opportunities to divert your attention from the one opportunity that has the greatest potential.

The hallmark of great leadership is the ability to identify and focus on the few necessary things. Learn to say no. The lack of focus will eventually translate into a lack of vision, and people are not able to follow when the vision is fuzzy.

courage to face current reality
Leaders must be willing to face and embrace current reality, regardless of how discouraging or embarrassing it may be; to be relentless in finding the truth about what is happening around you; to make it your habit to root out misinformation and refuse to reward those who deliver this misinformation. In doing so, a culture that is healthily transparent about what is and what is not taking place will be created.

Jim Collins says, “Leadership does not begin just with vision. it begins with getting people to confront the brutal facts and to act on the implications.”

Facing current reality is often nasty, but always necessary. As a leader, be willing to face the truth regardless of how painful it might be. And when you do not like what you see, change it.

courage to dream
Every great accomplishment began as a dream, and dreaming requires courage. For on the heels of every dream is the dream of doubt. It is impossible to lead without a dream; somewhere in all those random ideas that flood your mind will be one that captures your heart and imagination—that seemingly random idea that may very well evolve into a vision for your life and leadership.

If you allow fear to overshadow your dreams, you will never try anything new or create anything new.

A next generation leader must dream about what could be and should be, allowing the mind to wander outside the boundaries of what is and begin to create a mental picture of what could be. Sounds familiar? If you do, you will remember the quote by Dr Martin Luther King Jr. that I mentioned in one of my earlier post “God-wards“

embrace and be driven
Embracing these five expressions of courage will enable you to have the foundation you need to leverage the opportunities God brings your way and provide you with the traction you need to maximise your potential.

“Am I willing to challenge the status quo?”

“Do I have the ourage to embrace my fears?”

“Am I willing to say no to the good opportunity for the sake of the one with the greatest potential?”

“Do I have the courage to face and embrace current reality?”

“Am I willing to allow my mind to wander outside the boundaries of what is and begin to create a mental picture of what could be… to dream?”

We all have one shot and one shot only to leave a lasting legacy—a definitive mark on this world that reflects our decision to lean into, not away from, our areas of holy discontent. A legacy that says, “I have been trusted to carry God’s message of hope to an aching, fractured world in need, and I refuse to rest until my role in that is fulfilled.”

Bill Hybels
Holy Discontent: Fueling the Fire that Ignites Personal Vision

Of all the authors that I have come across so far, not that there are many though, I am most attracted to the writing style of Bill Hybels. He is probably one of a handful of authors that I am inspired by. Sadly, given that I am also a slow reader, I have only managed to read a handful of his books.

Bill Hybels is the founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, USA. He has authored over twenty books, including Fit to Be Tied and Rediscovering Church (with his wife Lynne), Too Busy Not to Pray, Courageous Leadership, The Volunteer Revolution, and Just Walk Across the Room.

“If we develop a relationship with God apart from our life circumstances, then we may be able to hang on when the physical reality breaks down. We can learn to trust God despite all the unfairness of life.”
Douglas as quoted by Philip Yancey

“I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down.”
C S Lewis

“Without somehow destroying me in the process, how can God reveal Himself in a way that would leave no room for doubt? If there were no room for doubt, there would be no room for me.”
Frederick Buechner

Martin Luther King Jr. said during his acceptance speech when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at the University of Oslo in 1964:

“I refuse to accept the idea that the ‘is-ness’ of man’s present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal ‘ought-ness’ that forever confronts him.”

is-ness
It is amazing how often I can be enthralled by my circumstances and my logic, such that I always overlook the simple fact that God is simply able. Such circumstances as financial aspirations, career considerations, lifestyle sacrifices, character inadequacies can often present so many layers of logic and reasoning, or perhaps a better word to use here would be excuses, so much so as to incapacitate the ability to move fowards. That being said, I am not saying that all concerns should be thoughtlessly cast to the winds. That would be totally irresponsible.

Over the last few months, it had not been easy, but it was a time where there was much growth and knowledge gleaned. Juggling university, work and ministries is quite the handful; however, trying to do so on an intensive level is definitely something that I would not subject myself to any more. Not only was my physical and mental health heavily affected, I felt myself being drawn away from God steadily. It was truly a humbling process to step back and assess all that I was doing, to finally admit that this was not something I want and slowly taking steps to come back to Him.

On another note, during that same period, I was presented with a consideration that I would never have considered in the past (I shall talk more about this when more details have been finalised). Despite having made a decision early on, it did not settle that well within me; it was a decision based on logical reasoning and that which I have come to realise stems from a selfish desire. And as I struggled for clarity and assurance, I was presented with the various aspects of the Heart of God—the very thing that burns within the very heart of mine—time and again.

ought-ness
And so, I made my decision earlier this week (as mentioned previously, I will talk more of this at a later date). I felt the peace of God within my heart and the assurance from God that He will take care of everything. I believe I also felt the excitement that there will be so much that God is going to show me; I can only wait in anticipation!

In the past year, I have come to realise that the calling God has on my life is so much more than I had originally thought it to be. Much of my original revelations and thinking have been brought to a new and higher level of faith expectations.

changes
With nine days into the month of May, my state of emotions continues to extend in the realm of excitement. Over the next few months, there will be so many changes. These changes are so going to affect so many different areas of my life that I do not know how I am going to handle them.

“Will I be able to get a new job soon?”

“Where is God going to lead me?”

“How are these changes going to affect me and those around me?”

So many questions… So much feelings… One answer.

Amasiah.

“For a musician to make history, he needs not only talent, but also important encounters with people.”

Before I go on with this entry, I would just like to thank a number of people who have had been crucial in my journey this year, especially for helping me go through all those valleys and caves. If not for you guys, I would probably have given up. Thank God for you!

Caitlyn, thank you for putting up with all my random remarks. And especially for listening! Now, let us continue to stay off the blonde jokes eh?

Chris, you get a special mention hey! Thank you for being there, bro. I owe you so much. Seriously.

Gin, you don’t know how much you have really helped in carrying me through—truly! Love ya so much, my dearest brother!

Sam K, thank you for your support!

Once again, I have left my blog aside for so long. Actually, I should say that it is more like I just avoided blogging. It had been a difficult year—much like being caught in the middle of a scale 10 typhoon.

torn
I was brought up in a Christian family where we would ‘faithfully’ attend church every Sunday. Until I was about fifteen. Due to a number of reasons, I walked away from God. For the next twelve years, I indulged in the world before coming back to God.

In the space of those twelve years, I had taken up so many different lifestyles—smoking; drinking; gambling; new age indulgence including wiccan, tarot, etc; and others—and almost got myself charged with a felony. There were also periods of depression, which eventually led me thinking about life. I thank God for His mercy and grace that He brought me back, even after I had challenged Him to do so. It was this experience of the prodigal son that led me make a promise of full-time ministry to God.

Over the last few years, I had the privilege of helping out and eventually working part-time in the church here in Brisbane. It is great serving God in this manner. As time goes by, I began to reconsider this. There may be other things that are affecting my decision in this aspect, but I know my decision and heart is still for God. So here I am, torn between deciding to step out of the church into the commercial industry to gain experience so that I can launch overseas and continuing to work in the church.

It is not easy as I sought God in this matter. I will honour God in however manner He leads me because I know that I have His peace in me.

grandma
In July, I flew back home because my grandmother was seriously ill. After two weeks, her condition seemed to improve and I flew back to Brisbane. Over the next couple months, her condition gradually worsened, and she passed away in September. I remember the sequence of events in the eleven days leading to her passing, and I can clearly see the hand of God working.

The Thursday before my citizenship ceremony, I applied for a credit card in anticipation of the expenses of air-fare and my passport processing fees. The next day, I got approval for it even without having to present any documents. In the afternoon of my citizenship ceremony on Monday, I got the credit card package, which I activated over the next couple days. This was just in time to apply for my passport on Thursday. The following Monday, my passport was issued and sent from the passport office.

On Tuesday morning, I had booked my air-ticket for Thursday. Later in the afternoon, I got a message from home that the condition of my grandmother was critical. However, because no one was home when the passport was deliver, I could only change my flight to Wednesday morning after collecting it. Once the final confirmation was made, I got to know that she had passed on.

Although I was unable to see her for one last time, I know that she is back with God. And without God’s hand in the sequence of events, I would not have been able to get the financing, passport and flight back. Thank God for His precise timeliness!

journey
These are a couple of what had transpired over the last ten months, and how God has been evident in my life. Praise God! And even though there are more things to work out, I know He is there.

This is another of the albums which I bought when I was in Singapore – ‘Beautiful News‘ by Matt Redman. Like the ‘Rush of Fools’ album, I had no idea how the album would turn out at the time I bought it, and I must say I love it!

Simple eh?