Fair Winds..

Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it and to fight for it
~Barrack Obama~

Tis the season came..

I speak of the year as one of Hope. Strangely enough an innate inkling to follow my heart's desires of the sublime satisfaction to pursue that which is right and noble, that which is not just a pigment of my imagination for a better tomorrow. And, to settle for nothing less than God's best for this season of life - where the adventure of the unknown and the uncertainty gives me that exciting electrifying sensation within the core of my soul of a life changing terrain that is to come.

So, I've quit adopting the whatever will be, will be mentality. And as my dear cousin J calls the "Que sera, sera" philosophy. The present and the future is mine, if I take ownership of it, of course. So with courage, boldness and trust in the faithfulness of my God and compass, I walk on with hope, I walk on exploring, I walk on expecting mistakes, frustrations and disgruntle but I walk on in hope because I am learning....learning to not short change myself in quitting and giving up or even feeling slightly regretful of things past but instead to trust in the faithfulness of my God.

Fair winds have blown into months of immense joy. Ending 2007 with the big shebang of having family around, and with a renewed voice of hope at the Malaysian Christian Conference brought me to a new hobby of "investment". Investment in the light of the words sacrifice, dying to self and discipleship. And my new hobby of investment is pretty lucrative - the returns are guaranteed and the windfalls are way above average :) Now, talk about ending the year with a bang!

Apart from the amazing things I see happening within church and in my own life the last few months, I believe there is a wave and a surge of revival happening in the lives of young people across the cities, the nation and the world. The cry of the young urban generation, the gen-x and ys of today are having their voices heard, way beyond just charades of meaningless conversations. Instead, there is a cry for something deeper, maybe even something spiritual that cuts to the heart to fill the empty void of intimacy.

I am thankful and honoured that God has taken me on this pilgrimage to many varied camps in 2 months alone. Journeying from South London with urban young adults, and moving up to taking the talks at an eye opening retreat with the Liverpool Student Fellowship, then back down to the Encounter Weekend with the community kids and then speaking at PHAT Camp where I saw youths from different churches from UK and Belfast turning to Christ, and being ministered to in such a profound way. For the deep work the Spirit has done in these lives, one can only stand amazed in the presence and power of the Lord.

What stands out on such adventures ? I believe its 2 things - expect the unexpected and to keep the main thing the main thing - the centrality of the cross of Jesus Christ (yes, the gospel!)

One can never get tired of seeing lives being changed and touch by God. And I'm definitely going to fight for it.

So dream with me, and fight with me...

A great challenge yet awaits me with the upcoming Teens Easter Conference, a project that is very much on my heart which begets this question "what are you centred on". Radical and provoking a conference that it is, the goal is to restate the obvious that the most important truth to mankind is the finished work on the cross. And I felt a need to try out something new, which is a big risk. I left things real late - 80% of time is praying and only 20% actual planning yet I am thankful that God gave me such a great team who've journeyed with me - with a synergy only possible because of Him.

Visit our blog if you want :) (its not much)

My spiritual dad hit the nail on the head for me with this : It is very key for us to see beyond the present and immediate. We need to see God in the person and what God could do in and through the person.

This generation and the next, implores us to care. To really care. Caring beyond the charade of meaningless conversations.

I want to hope for a better tomorrow not just for ourselves, but for those that come after us.