Friday, November 10, 2006

Christmas in Love

I'm going back to japan!

really psyched about it. =D

this trip is really special cos melvyn is coming too! we will be giving out evangelistic music CDs in the financial/business areas in Tokyo from 15-23 Dec. At first the trip was 17-23, but we've realised we can;t get tix on 16th or 17th, so we're going a bit earlier.

my prayer and hope is to meet up with the 4 or 5 japanese friends i have made over there. some are believers, some are yet to be. please pray for us, that we would enjoy ourselves, and that i would have the opportunity to share what i can in a way that ministers to and encourages them. =)

pray for mel too... it's his first trip to japan. pray that God would just continue to speak to his heart through our time there.

please do read my newsletter! it's uploaded under newsletter archive on the left =)

thank you!

Thursday, November 09, 2006

walk in love, walk in faith

Lead me on Holy Spirit

Fill my heart, come flood my soul

Lead me on into Your presence

Touch me Lord, Jesus I need You

I can’t live without You

I can’t walk this road alone

In my heart I need You

Holy One, come take my hand

- Without You, Parachute Band



"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God... if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know and rely on the love God has for us. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. Whoever loves God must also love his brother... and this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love."

1 John 4:7, 12, 16, 18-19; 2 John 6

Monday, November 06, 2006

parachute pointers =)

i went for a parachute band worship workshop this last weekend, and boy did i learn a lot! in fact i had to force myself to wake up early on Sunday morning before church to have a short retreat and process all that i have learnt. there is so much to apply in both work and church contexts, in evangelism and worship, and i am SO thankful that i went, because i was actually quite reluctant to drag myself out of bed on saturday morning =b

here is a brief summary of the main points i've learnt:

1. Know where your congregation/audience has come from - literally.
- what hurts are they going through
- what confusion might be going on in their lives
- what might the media be telling them
- what is happening in their families, in their communities, in their country
- we want to take them on a journey from where they have from to a place where they can encounter God

2. create a 'big idea' for each song
- what is the main message of the song
- plan out how to create that message physically (structure, instrumentation) and emotionally (tone, mood, feel)

3. Redeem the chords of 'secular' music for God
- take note of cool rifts or chords and use it for God

4. People want to see the true ME, OUR story. they don't want to see us only copying someone else, be it Hillsongs or Keanne. the song should fit our personality, and the message that we are seeking to convey

5. Choose musicians/vocalists for their FEEL, not for SKILL
- Skill is still important, but chords can be learnt more easier, versus groove.

6. Analyse music pieces to understand key elements
- What makes this song 'this' song?
- Why does it evoke this feeling in me?

7. Plan rehearsals well
- Structure balanced with flexibility
- Clear flow and direction of each piece and TO each piece
- Always think what's good for the listener. How to NOT distract them?

8. Really FEEL what you are playing.
- love God
- love the song
- love the people you are leading

9. Develop emotional muscle
- Listen to genres you hate, understand where they are coming from
- Feel the music you listen to

10. Groove is most important in preparing a song
- Always focus on rhythm section first

11. Develop ear for music
- Sing scales to tune your ear
- Not just for singers - all musicians should 'tune' their ears, and need to do this regularly, to get better

12. Music is not a tool to draw people nearer to God. It is purely an emotional tool that creates an atmosphere for listeners to engage with God. it is up to the individual listener, and it is his/her responsibility, to choose to respond to God in faith.

Friday, November 03, 2006

depend on God no matter what

read this on my friend's blog and was greatly blessed.


* * *

While walking through the magazine aisle I noticed a magazine cover with a title, “The diet to end all diets” with a picture of a waif-like young woman whose mother and grandmother probably weigh 180 pounds combined. Then there are the muscle magazines with ads for power drinks that will make you as muscular as the grotesquely pictured man whose father was probably Lou Ferrigno (the Hulk).

Sometimes Christians can fall into the same deceptions. We can look at naturally gifted preacher or speaker and give 100% spiritual attribution for their talents. We can look at a sickeningly “good” Christian who never does ANYTHING wrong - always speaks so kindly and never gets mad while driving and wonder why their faith is so much better than ours.

The truth of the matter is that some preachers and teachers can run entirely on natural gifting coming across very impressively but masking a bankrupt and faulty spirituality. And you can have a Mr. Roger’s Christian who thinks he or she is doing just fine spiritually (or much much better than fine - better than everyone around them) who is simply operating from a natural wiring that lulls them into spiritual complacency and Pharisaism.

The wonderful truth and hope of Christianity is that we are not ultimately limited to our natural wiring - unlike the large boned woman who wants to be stick-skinny or the wiring small boned man who wants to be Arnold Schwartzeneggar big. God can both further empower and God-glorifyingly use natural gifting and also spiritually gift and grace areas of character and gifting that are largely absent or corrupted in natural gifting and wiring.

So, a piece of advice. Recognize your natural gifting and give thanks to the Lord for it. BUT don’t be lazy or don’t be deceived into thinking that the easy exercise of natural talents in the flesh is enough or even good. These areas will be particularly difficult for you to learn how to exercise with total dependence upon God and wholly for God’s glory. These are talents that you could perform in your sleep - or in spiritual terms - totally without prayer or reliance upon God. AND people will heap boat-loads of prayer on you - perhaps with a twist of spiritual language. Learning to exercise talents in naturally gifted areas with humility, full reliance upon God and with spiritual empowerment of those natural gifts is the difference between your getting the glory or God and the difference between a ministry that is good just on the outside or is really God’s.

Secondly for areas where you lack natural gifting - either in character/personality or skill - learn to recognize these as well. Recognize these as particularly challenging areas that will require (as much as the true spiritual exercise of your naturally gifted areas) faith and God’s empowerment. Don’t be discouraged or hopeless as you see the seemingly perfect exercise of such gifts and life in Christians around you. Know that if they exercise such talents with natural ease apart from a reliance and glorifying of God they should not be envied. Know also that if they exercise such talents by the grace of God in faith and for the glory of God they do so with the same power and grace of God that is available to you as well - if you would approach the Lord with humility, from secure identity in Christ, and for His and not your glory.

For you Mr. Rogers perfect Christians, don’t be deceived into thinking that your naturally wired goodness makes you better or less sinful than those around you. Don’t be deceived into thinking that you don’t have to work very hard and deliberately and humbly for your spiritual development. May your good works be from Biblical conviction and divine power and your righteousness Christ’s not your own.

For you bad-boy and bad-girl Christians, don’t envy nor despise your Mr. Rogers brothers and sisters. You have blessings of audacity and spunk that can bring the Lord much glory - if they will be exercised and harnessed and sanctified by the Spirit. Your goodness will never be in the exercise of sickly sweet, walk-all-over-me always doing the right thing. Your goodness is the credited righteousness and goodness of Jesus Christ alone. Allow God to sanctify areas of your gifting and fallenness for His glory.

God has as many plans for sanctification as there are Christians in this world. Each one unique and perfect for us. Lord have your way in each of our lives.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

God speaks through others... and through His Word

the past few days have been somewhat emotionally dissatisfying. i can't quite pinpoint why or what, but just haven't been my usual optimistic, perky self. so yesterday it was v refreshing and humbling to suddenly have a revelation cum rebuke from God, as i was helping my colleague test-run a message.

"... you are still not ready.

You are still worldly.

For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?

Are you not acting like mere men?...

For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building...

the fire will test the quality of each man's work. (ie not me)"

1 Cor 3:2-3, 13

"Are you so foolish?

After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?

Have you suffered so much for nothing - if it really was for nothing?

Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law,

or because you believe what you heard?"

Gal 3:3-5

"... the fruit of the Spirit is

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

Against such things there is no law...

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."

Gal 5:22-26

And this prayer of response:

Dear Father,

I need You.

I acknowledge that I have sinned against You by directing my own life.

I thank You that You have forgiven my sins through Christ’s death on the cross for me.

I now invite Christ to again take His place on the throne of my life.

Fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be filled,

and as You promised in Your Word that You would do if I asked in faith.

I pray this in the name of Jesus.

I now thank You for filling me with the Holy Spirit and directing my life.

Amen


In retrospect, this passage comes to mind:

"For God does speak - now one way, now another -

though man may not perceive it.

In a dream, in a vision of the night...

he may speak in their ears...

to turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride...

or a man may be chastened on a bed of pain...

He prays to God and finds favour with him,

he sees God's face and shouts for joy;

he is restored...

God does all these things to a man - twice, even three times -

to turn him back from the grave,

that the light of life may shine on him."

Job 33: 14-30


i pray that YOU and I would be open, sensitive and quick to all that God is saying to us.