It is the month of February....and I am making an attempt to revive my blog again :) 2006, a year of significance for me as i enter into my 2nd term of bible college. Unlike the first term, I find my whole approach a little different. There is a sense of dissatisfaction I felt in the first term where I was taking everything in without actually thinking hard of applying to my faith journey. Most people have this impression that "wow, you're at bible college. You know so much. Therefore, your spiritual life is good." Others say it to you very sacarstically sometimes"but you are in bible college, I'm not like you". To these statements, I strongly unleash to you my own personal journey.
When I first started bible college, I made it a point not to share with many people because I feared the questions that would come my way. I feared the discouraging words I would hear. I feared that people will misunderstand my reasons for being in bible college after finishing 5 years of studying law and being in the marketplace for 1 year. Inside my heart, I was crying out for some support and understanding of those around me. As Bert helped me work through things in that one month of living with Phan and himself, I was sure that my decision to go to Bible College wasn't just one of those random things I do. It was a calling of obedience I responded to. I went through weeks of pain in my heart and emotions with God, with the relationships around me, with the past, with my own career choices. Yielding is something I do not do easily. Bert examplified to me in his life that faith is not the absence of doubt but faith is about taking small steps of obedience even in the midst of doubt.
Coming to Birmingham has really humbled me in the area of service. I entered a different culture of youth work. I entered a different sort of ministry from the years of student work and leading cell groups. It took me awhile to connect....and 4 months is a LONG time for me! I thought it was going to be easy peasy especially when I know I don't think I have a problem making friends. In terms of social skills, I thought I was way above most people. Not here.I had to learn how to make friends. I had to learn how to relate. I had to learn how to connect. I had to learn a different culture.
The question that kept popping in my head was "How am I gonna ever develop them or help them grow in God if I can't even talk to them properly". The other question was " Do they like me or hate me?" I told Bert at one point that I feel totally lost cos I have no idea if I'm actually an asset or liability to him in the youth ministry. Being the encourager he is, I think he knew the best way for me to connect with them was to do things with them and for them....and we started meeting consistently on Tuesdays to pray and plan for C n R and iD. He started challenging me to take some of the lessons for C n R and iD to share my heart also with the teens. And as I reflect now, Bert invited me on his journey...to come along and share his journey. Nothing beats shared journeys, and being apart of each other's walk of faith in empowering others in His kingdom work. In this journey he took me on, I captured his core values and his heart for disciplemaking in the lives of the teens he was entrusted with ...and in this process, I begin to slowly own it too. To reasonate and to be radical for God.
Two important lessons I learnt is : Teacheability and Patience. Attributes I continue to hope to uphold in the way I do ministry and in the way I see God's timing and hand at work. And a leadership lesson that was shared with me over Christmas was this : Servanthood is our position, Leadership is our responsibility. A commission and a calling to lead by pointing people back to who God is. Knowing now that because leadership is my responsibility, i need to lead with an attitude of servant wholly dependent on God and His grace despite my personal shortcomings.
What has all this got to do with Bible College?
That being in bible college is not a one dimensional thing. It is not a institution to go to for learning and attaining knowledge, or to be that scholar. I can go to bible college, do all the work and studying and be the best student or I can go to bible college with always an attitude of brokeness, realising that all I learn needs to be transmitted from my head into my heart and live and still be the the best student for God. My journey since starting bible college does not revolve around the 4 walls of the college but it is apart of every other area of my life.
What I learn helps me see God at work then and now, helps me see that I can learn valuable lessons when I piece together things that I never found the time to want to dig deeper. In bible college we are always taught to open a floodgates of thoughts. I have been loving the OLD TESTAMENT in particular as I see what a genius God is in His sense of time and planning towards the day and age we live in now!
When most people asked me why I choose to study at Birmingham Christian College and not somewhere like the US or even London Bible College, I said that the course here at BCC was something my heart reasonated with - taking the practical exposure as much as the academia. Indeed my journey hasn't been all reading, research and academic. A huge part is the whole cannister of "life lessons" i take hold of in my quest to finishing this season at bible college. The exposure to a different sort of ministry, a different sort of church, a different sort of community was rather bleak initially but it has now been life transforming for me.
I do pray that I will be able to end 2006 saying that I have arrived at where God wants me to be...and to have grown in wisdom, stature and in loving Him more.
The youth work here and the church is enters into a time of BUILDING or REBUILDING this 2006. As we keep inspiring and encouraging each other to keep dreaming for God, I pray that we will continue to capture and continue running with perseverance this race He has set before us. Truly that we will be a people that is being restored and empowered to rebuild the temple.
As a youth ministry, we want to never stop dreaming for God and encourage the teens to dream big dreams for God. We want to teach them faith and build a culture of faith. In that process, dream and faith goals for 2006 are being set out now for all of us to have that certain mark and to be reminded of our dream goals for God.
DREAM AND FAITH GOALS
When I first started bible college, I made it a point not to share with many people because I feared the questions that would come my way. I feared the discouraging words I would hear. I feared that people will misunderstand my reasons for being in bible college after finishing 5 years of studying law and being in the marketplace for 1 year. Inside my heart, I was crying out for some support and understanding of those around me. As Bert helped me work through things in that one month of living with Phan and himself, I was sure that my decision to go to Bible College wasn't just one of those random things I do. It was a calling of obedience I responded to. I went through weeks of pain in my heart and emotions with God, with the relationships around me, with the past, with my own career choices. Yielding is something I do not do easily. Bert examplified to me in his life that faith is not the absence of doubt but faith is about taking small steps of obedience even in the midst of doubt.
Coming to Birmingham has really humbled me in the area of service. I entered a different culture of youth work. I entered a different sort of ministry from the years of student work and leading cell groups. It took me awhile to connect....and 4 months is a LONG time for me! I thought it was going to be easy peasy especially when I know I don't think I have a problem making friends. In terms of social skills, I thought I was way above most people. Not here.I had to learn how to make friends. I had to learn how to relate. I had to learn how to connect. I had to learn a different culture.
The question that kept popping in my head was "How am I gonna ever develop them or help them grow in God if I can't even talk to them properly". The other question was " Do they like me or hate me?" I told Bert at one point that I feel totally lost cos I have no idea if I'm actually an asset or liability to him in the youth ministry. Being the encourager he is, I think he knew the best way for me to connect with them was to do things with them and for them....and we started meeting consistently on Tuesdays to pray and plan for C n R and iD. He started challenging me to take some of the lessons for C n R and iD to share my heart also with the teens. And as I reflect now, Bert invited me on his journey...to come along and share his journey. Nothing beats shared journeys, and being apart of each other's walk of faith in empowering others in His kingdom work. In this journey he took me on, I captured his core values and his heart for disciplemaking in the lives of the teens he was entrusted with ...and in this process, I begin to slowly own it too. To reasonate and to be radical for God.
Two important lessons I learnt is : Teacheability and Patience. Attributes I continue to hope to uphold in the way I do ministry and in the way I see God's timing and hand at work. And a leadership lesson that was shared with me over Christmas was this : Servanthood is our position, Leadership is our responsibility. A commission and a calling to lead by pointing people back to who God is. Knowing now that because leadership is my responsibility, i need to lead with an attitude of servant wholly dependent on God and His grace despite my personal shortcomings.
What has all this got to do with Bible College?
That being in bible college is not a one dimensional thing. It is not a institution to go to for learning and attaining knowledge, or to be that scholar. I can go to bible college, do all the work and studying and be the best student or I can go to bible college with always an attitude of brokeness, realising that all I learn needs to be transmitted from my head into my heart and live and still be the the best student for God. My journey since starting bible college does not revolve around the 4 walls of the college but it is apart of every other area of my life.
What I learn helps me see God at work then and now, helps me see that I can learn valuable lessons when I piece together things that I never found the time to want to dig deeper. In bible college we are always taught to open a floodgates of thoughts. I have been loving the OLD TESTAMENT in particular as I see what a genius God is in His sense of time and planning towards the day and age we live in now!
When most people asked me why I choose to study at Birmingham Christian College and not somewhere like the US or even London Bible College, I said that the course here at BCC was something my heart reasonated with - taking the practical exposure as much as the academia. Indeed my journey hasn't been all reading, research and academic. A huge part is the whole cannister of "life lessons" i take hold of in my quest to finishing this season at bible college. The exposure to a different sort of ministry, a different sort of church, a different sort of community was rather bleak initially but it has now been life transforming for me.
I do pray that I will be able to end 2006 saying that I have arrived at where God wants me to be...and to have grown in wisdom, stature and in loving Him more.
The youth work here and the church is enters into a time of BUILDING or REBUILDING this 2006. As we keep inspiring and encouraging each other to keep dreaming for God, I pray that we will continue to capture and continue running with perseverance this race He has set before us. Truly that we will be a people that is being restored and empowered to rebuild the temple.
As a youth ministry, we want to never stop dreaming for God and encourage the teens to dream big dreams for God. We want to teach them faith and build a culture of faith. In that process, dream and faith goals for 2006 are being set out now for all of us to have that certain mark and to be reminded of our dream goals for God.
DREAM AND FAITH GOALS
- Develop stronger roots in the word of God
- Moving from weekly feeding to daily dining
- Disciplemakers making disciplemakers
- God's Spiritual Gifts manisfesting in the lives of the youths
- Developing a next generation of quality
This is what Bert, Terence & I really want to see in the lives of the teens cum December 2006 :) And I believe that God will see us through it all...
Zechariah 6 : 15 Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. This WILL happen if you diligently OBEY the Lord your God.
And it the exciting part of seeing dreams and faith goals coming together is when we share journeys and walk it together..To corporately envision what the youth ministry can be :)
I've just come back from a shared journey this weekend with many student leaders from UK Student Fellowships. The amazing thing is always to see GOD's GREATER HOUSE being built and to know that He is very much amongst us :)
To be all things to all men and to do all things for the sake of the gospel and the kingdom...1 Cor 9
Zechariah 6 : 15 Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. This WILL happen if you diligently OBEY the Lord your God.
And it the exciting part of seeing dreams and faith goals coming together is when we share journeys and walk it together..To corporately envision what the youth ministry can be :)
I've just come back from a shared journey this weekend with many student leaders from UK Student Fellowships. The amazing thing is always to see GOD's GREATER HOUSE being built and to know that He is very much amongst us :)
To be all things to all men and to do all things for the sake of the gospel and the kingdom...1 Cor 9
1 comments:
glad to see you blogging again gal =) and always amazing and encouraging to read abt what God is doing in your life.
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