Ragsstudio.com

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

Rags — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:01:48 +0000

20 years ago, the Berlin Wall fell. It fell because it was trying to keep people in. It’s never good to build a wall to keep people in. We build and restore walls to allow dwellings and to keep enemies out.

Two things to do:
1. Always build community that is sanctified by the Word and
2. Set people free.

Spiritual Encounter This Morning

Rags — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:36:41 +0000

I had a spiritual encounter with a 3 year old who’s staying with us for a few days. She keep asking me to read the bible and I did. The fresh Word of the Lord hit me like a 10 ton truck….

Isaiah 58….

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

I’ve got to do these things…
1) Do away with finger pointing and malicious talk
2) Let light shine over darkness by giving attention to the oppressed and serve them
3) Let the Lord strengthen my ‘frame’ and be “Repairer of Broken Walls” and “Restorers of Streets with Dwellings”.
Sounds like U2 songs.

Doing visitation with Wan Yueh tomorrow night, weeeeee yeahhhhhh.

10 Stupid Things That Keep Churches From Growing

Rags — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:00:37 +0000

Been examining ideas in this book by Geoff Surratt. The 10 Stupid things are:

1 Trying to do it all
2 Establishing the Wrong Role for the Pastor’s Family
3 Providing a Second-Rate Worship Experience
4 Settling for Low Quality Children’s Ministry
5 Promoting Talent over Integrity
6 Clinging to a Bad Location
7 Copying Another Successful Church
8 Favoring Discipline over Reconciliation
9 Mixing Ministry and Business
10 Letting Committees Steer the Ship

Hey, how come it makes me feel like I’m doing stupid things. Anyway I like number 4, which goes to show that what we do makes a difference to the growth of the church.

Some Data Before You Say I Do

Rags — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:40:36 +0000

Some short thesis on marriage. OK disclaimer here, you got to not take things too seriously if you want to read them.

They say that marriage makes a man dizzy, and it’s true. As soon as I
got a wife, I lost my balance at the bank.

* Men want 3 qualities in wives: Economist in the kitchen, artist in
the home & devil in bed. But they get artists in the kitchen, devils
in their homes & economists in their beds.

* Q: Why do women live longer than men?
A: Shopping never causes heart attacks, but paying the bill does!

* Before marriage: Roses are red, sky is blue. U r beautiful, I luv u.
After marriage: Roses are dead, I’m blue. U r my headache, one day
I’ll kill u.

* Getting married is very much like going to a restaurant with
friends. You order what you want, and then when you see what the other
person has, you wish you had ordered that.

* Man: Is there any way for long life?
Dr: Get married.
Man: Will it help?
Dr: No, but the thought of long life will never come.

* Why do couples hold hands during their wedding?
It’s a formality just like two boxers shaking hands before the fight begins!

* Wife: Darling today is our anniversary, what should we do?
Husband: Let us stand in silence for 2 minutes.

How to Help a Child with Disruptive Behavior

Rags — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:03:43 +0000

We are grateful for God’s trust in the team to bring another group of kids from diverse background to HopeKids the past few weeks. It has been a great challenge to connect with these new kids so much so that we are frantically doing boundaries training for our volunteers as well as learning about it ourselves. Having just came back from a talk by Dr Lynette Tay, a clinical child psychologist with the team, I think it’s a good time to formulate how I personally think it should be done. This is how I do it….

How to Help a Child with Disruptive Behavior

Step One: Be calm
Sounds easy but it takes great spiritual strength to remain calm especially when confronted with having to help a child who has disruptive behavior.

Step Two: Address the behavior and state it as it is
Decide to be better trainers (and not wimpier) so don’t ignore the behaviour but address it with the child. Say to the child with this standard clear statement “You can’t do this (state whatever) because it’ll harm/disturb/hurt/(state whatever reason) others. You are to care for others”. As ‘caring for others’ is a rule in our HopeKids service, it should be affirmed as the preferred behavior. At this point, it is very important to know that while they may not respond to you, but they will HEAR YOU so the clarity of your reason and terms is important.

Step Three: Wait for the war to be over
If you are calm, regardless of how crazy the disruption is, the behavior will lose steam. Observe them and wait for the time when the child stop whatever disruption that he is doing or becomes completely calm.

Step Four: Re-state what is stated in Step Two
Go back to the child in that less emotional state and do some reflective listening to find out what has happened. Whatever it is, ensure that you reinstate what was stated in Step Two, using the same reasons and terms. For example, tell the child “Do you know that you cannot (whatever) because (whatever reason or impact to others). You are to care for others. We love you and enjoy having you here but you cannot do what you just did because it xxx others. Do you understand?”. Let the final impression be a good one, so a hug, a good job for the other times he did not play out or any positive remark will help the child know that its not them but the behaviour that is not acceptable. They will also look forward to come back because you cared to go through this with them

We pay so much attention to children who has disruptive behavior because we know that their strong will, persistence and hard headed-ness may just be the X-factor needed for them to one day become very strong leaders for God. And maybe the turnaround is that the conformists may end up as wimpy ones and this group lead to change the world

Perhaps God is younger than we are

Rags — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:35:14 +0000

“A child kicks its legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough… It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again,” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again,” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike: it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”- G.K. Chesterton

Birds

Rags — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:30:32 +0000

I like this photo from Joey Mookie’s Photo gallery. It’s entitled “Birds Waiting For Rain To Stop”.

We can be like that; Made to fly but unlike them have decided to wait for rain to stop even when there’s no rain.

The make of a person is to fly and to have…

Beautiful Visions, Unwavering Faith and Devout Gratitude

The Staff Team is off to Bali tonight for our retreat, fun and fellowship. For me, it is also a time for God to make a person.

Why be self controlled and stand firm today?

Rags — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:45:33 +0000

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. - 1 Peter 5:8-9

Be an example to those who needs you to be an example. Have a great Sunday today!

Don’t.. What You Don’t Have

Rags — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:23:07 +0000

The ad that reads “My American Express Card Gives Me The Chance To Cruise on My Own Luxury Sport Boat” is accompanied by a picture of a couple holidaying in this sport boat and instructions how to get a AmExpress card.

It is easy to do things based on what we don’t have. Credit card makes it so. But not many people know that it is easier to do things based on what we do have.

Feeling a bit tired today I listed out the list of what I have and here’s what I discover.

3 great kids around me
3 dollars in my pocket
A wife that is dedicated, loving and responsible
A box of second hand records
Parents, friends and colleagues
Two days of planning for 2010
Legs & hair
Lionel Ritchie’s Hello
A house that is a home
People around me that are passionate about what they do
Listening ability
Rina & the dinner today
Ride from Ps Jeff from bus stop
Jeremiah 12:5
Touch typing and sight
2 year old handphone that die so often can still be used

I can go on but its enough to fill me with gratitude of what I have. God thank you, I’m off to bed.

Don’t … what you don’t have, Do … what you do have! It really makes a difference

Vision

Rags — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:49:03 +0000

“A transformed tomorrow with the hope today”.

That’s what we want to see when we disciple a child in ministry.