Dedicate this to 0203:

Too much of next years' discussion that I keep thinking of it. Well, it's going to be tough without Alvin. But since he has to and wants to be promoted, that's good of coz, we shall go with the flow and bless him all the best in his up coming cg! Pa, go have a good time with Zhong bo, and of coz with the others in the cg as well... Hehe

Other than that, our cg will not change, in TQ2, with the same faces. But this will not do. We want to multiply!! How should I say this... Hmm... Increase from 10 steady and serving cgers to 25 by end of 2007. Too much to ask for?! I think it'll be too little if we really wake up now and start sowing everywhere. While RW sent his first letter to invite people to his service of 15 people, he sent it to 15,000 residents. He says he'll see 150 people if it's a 1% response. See! Sow everywhere!! But within our designed area of coz...

Well, Weiwen and I are really having headache, and quite lost as to how to lead the whole cg to a new level. Let me share what RW has to say: It's a myth to say that if any pastors are deicated enough, the church will grow. He says that this myth has caused thousands of dedicated pastors in the world whose churches are not growing feeling more frustrated, more guilty and more inadequate. And feeling like this doesn't help in church growing!
And I know that leaders can't do this alone. I seriously need my people to go the extra tough mile with me. Without them, it'll be a lonely and tiring journey... You know my cgers have so many things to say that people taking buses with us cannot even fall asleep?! They can sing, laugh, joke, share throughout the whole journey, shorten the travel time.
Most importantly why you should be working towards this goal is because 2Tim 2:22 says, "So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart."

So if they're not in, I'll be very helpless. So abandoned. Please be with me, please. Don't you also feel like taking action when others say we cannot grow? When you see the same people over and over again, haven't you ever imagined if they were some other faces? If you feel something, something inside which tells you we can't go on like this, YOU'RE IN. That's what I feel too! Feeling like this is all that it takes to make our first move: Grow Up Ourselves.

Well, I don't mean we stop telling jokes, stop wearing bright-coloured clothings and stop jumping and screaming around in parties... That all we can hold on to! But we have to be more spiritually mature. Let's take a look at the few things we have to start doing:

Firstly, our love and patience for each other and our new friends. Listening and saying criticisms proves that all! We have to have more patience to new friends, THEN can new friends stay! Imagine if we keep critising how this new friend wears, how he talks, how quiet she is and BLAH BLAH BLAH... Will they like us? Most importantly, will they see Jesus in us?
Have we ever thought we were like this before, and how others tolerated all our nonsenses? So please stop stiring displease among each other, even of the person you are most irritated with. And don't build on gossips. Stay holy and refuse all these to get into your ears, and hating sinful stuffs. God hates sin that's why He can love fully.
Com'on, start taking firm stands and behave like Jesus would. You never know to how much your love can stretch until you start stretching!(PS: It'll start stretching ONLY when you meet with people you are irritated with, so, JIAYOU!)

Next is our zest. Our gusto, our passion, our enthusiasm. All these doesn't come naturally. Noone is born to be genuinely interested in God's kingdom. So don't take pastors' zest for granted. They spend effort to build all these zest in them! If you ask, "How can I build my zest for the Lord?", the answer is: "You have to practise them"!
For example on moody days when you don't feel like doing anything, force yourself to smile to everyone who come pass you and greet them.(Because self-pity floods out your care of how others feel, remember?!) If you don't feel like offering your $5 note, pull out the $50 and force yourself to put it in.(Because everthing that we own belongs to our gracious Lord!)
Practising and forcing your limits helps you build energy. That's my experience. Do things you never even think you can do for God. See old lady picking up cans, give her everything that's left that day in your pocket, and your love for the needy will grow. Forcing yourself to do the right things you don't feel like doing will help you grow...
Soon before you realise, you no longer don't feel like doing them, THEN, energy is built!

Also, our relations with God. Read the Bible, talk to Him daily and share the Good News helps build relationship with God. Reading the Bible is like eating. You cannot over "eat" and then for the next few days don't "eat" anything. You have to spread out what you have over days and take a day's proportion each day! What happens if you skip meals? You get gastric. Same logic. If this skipping of meals persist, you suffer from eating-disorder. Same logic again. So, pace out what you can digest for that day and faithfully read your Bible. If you can't stay faithful, get someone to guide you. Be it getting scolded, being encouraged, or be reminded... Whatever. Just get someone to make sure you read.
Hmmm, next, talking to Him. For those who are far far far from faithfully reading the Bible, this is for you: Talk to Him everywhere. On MRTs, buses, school, bathroom, bedroom, study-table, in front of TV, ANYWHERE. But what I do which really helps make my day holy is to start the day praying. Before your feet hits the ground, pray in bed. Tell God to involve you in today's spiritual war. Remember God when you feel the wind, see children, smell the after-rain or when you see foregin-workers working under hot sun... If you train like that, you'll start walking like Jesus, talking like Him and finally thinking like Him too!
After read the Bible, talking to Him, we have to share!!! Love is like cough. You cannot keep it. 1Tim 6:12 says, "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witness." And if you really tries keeping it, you'll choke. So people who can keep the Good News untold hasn't really gotten the Good News. They merely know the Good News. Because if you really digested Lord's message, you'll naturally share it.

WHA... I'm so lor-soh. But yea, I hope this helps you in your growing path.

1Tim 4:12 says,
"Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example
in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."

:)