None But Jesus

This post is specially for those who don't feel happy being in church anymore. I see you, & I feel you. You're not alone in this. There are people saying healing & joy has come, but you're not feeling it; you're not believing it. I'm with you. I hope this post will encourage you & bless you.

It took us a while to decide if we're going to church camp or not. It wasn't a small decision for us - my wife & I had nights where we would just be crying on our bed as we talked about it. The past year had been a wild journey for us. The only reason we survived through it was because we hung on to the knowledge that in all of the storm, God is with us. And indeed He was.

You see, I used to be associated as the pastors' son. I hated every generalization that came with it, but at the same time I was proud to be the pastors' son. When my mom preached about Sons vs Servants, I immediately (wrongly) took on the identity as a son in the house - I became the son of the church. And when my father resigned from the church, I thought I had nothing left but to be a rebel.

But God has pulled me out of that now. He's taken me on a journey, teaching me about our adoption as children of God. I'm not a son of the church. I am a child of God. You see (again), if we base our identity in anything other than our position in God, we will crumble. If our source of life, joy, strength & hope is anything other than Jesus Himself, we will run dry.

If you let me, I could think of so many reasons to walk out of the church & just plant myself somewhere else. No church is perfect, but at least it'll be a new start - I'll be appreciated, I might get paid for my service, and it'll be years before anyone realizes what an idiot I am!! So why are we still in FCC, serving in the youth ministry & music team? Well, there's only 1 reason really - God hasn't said anything yet. And until He does, I must be faithful with the gifts & the responsibilities entrusted to me. As long as I'm still here, I will love the local church & the people in it. It's not because there's a new pastor or a new church board, or that the youth ministry is growing - it's simply listening & obeying to voice of the One whom I belong to.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this - FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS. Do not depend on anyone or anything else. Desire to know His love for you & respond accordingly, & everything else will be an overflow out of that relationship.

Good Friends

Pictures above were taken on August 31, 2009. Just 2 days after our youth camp, we headed back up there for a time to just be. Took me a while, but now I realise that the group that went were basically the TOUCH Core with Rachael & Rabeeka. More importantly, they are my closest friends. I am pretty much a pain in the butt, but they accept me as I am. And I don't know how they do it - whether they cast some magic spell or just be a really good friend to me - somehow they make me want to be a better person. I have grown & changed (perhaps at too slow a pace, but still... ) and they played no small part.

So, thank you.

Clear Blue Skies

GetLife09 was awesome!! So awesome that it has restored my faith in camps. Thank God for open heavens at youth camp '09 & beyond.

Looking back now, God's hand had been with us all along. Yes, there was a dark cloud hovering above us - but our God is King above the storms, & He is Emmanuel, God with us. Throughout the camp, we prayed for open heavens & praise be to God for answering our plea. I praise God for the work He has done amongst us in this youth camp. Lives were touched, & 1 soul was added to the Kingdom!! YAY!!

1 thing that amazed me was that everybody that should have been at GetLife09 were there. And I'm happy to have witnessed the display of excellence by all campers, especially in the 3 days Amazing Race. Kudos to the camp committee for creating a race that drew the best out of everyone, & congratulations to all participants for their passion & enthusiasm.

There's really no telling what this generation can do in God - the sky's the limit. And personally, it's both comforting & scary. Comforting, because I know that this generation is in God's hand & God will use us to do great things; scary, because as a leader, I have the responsibility to lead without overshadowing or hindering the growth of each individual - finding that balance has been a challenge I knew I had to face. But this is a sign of critical mass, a place where small moves will determine if we leap ahead or fade away.

And therefore, now more than ever, is our time to do that one thing that's needed, that one good, noble thing - to sit at the feet of Jesus, to draw joy, peace, strength; to get life from the everlasting source.

Get life, till our cups overflow.