Leading Through Brokenness (#GrowingLeader)

 

Everyone is broken. While most people pretending they are alright, spiritual leaders leading through brokenness. How? Henri Nouwen equips: "Our life is full of brokenness - broken relationships, broken promises, broken expectations. How can we live with that brokenness without becoming bitter and resentful except by returning again and again to God's faithful presence in our lives" 💪🙏⚡ #ServeToLead #GrowingLeader #LeadingThroughBrokenness

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THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

 

Why Does God Let Us Get Old?

Picture of late Robertson McQuilkin

Robertson McQuilkin, former esteemed president of Columbia International University, South Carolina, once drove an elderly friend on an errand. She moved slowly and painfully, being crippled with arthritis. “Robertson,” she asked as they drove along, “why does God let us get old and weak? Why must I hurt so?” 

“I’m not sure,” McQuilkin replied, “but I have a theory.” “What is it?”

He hesitated to share it, but she insisted. This is what he said: “I think God has planned the strength and beauty of youth to be physical. But the strength and beauty of age are spiritual. We gradually lose the strength and beauty that is temporary, so we’ll be sure to concentrate on the strength and beauty which is forever.”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

 

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Angelus' Quote: Lord, Make Me as Big as Any Problems

The little soul prays, "Let me off easy" 😔

The great soul prays, "Lord, make me as big as any problems" 😊

The small soul prays, "Lord, let me have a lighter load" 😔

The giant soul prays, "Lord, give me strength sufficient for a hard day" 😊

The weak soul prays, "I get tired and quit" 😔

The busy soul prays, "Lord, stand with me until I finish my task" 😊

#ServeToLead #GrowingLeader

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

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Angelus' Quote: A True Warrior Can TAME the Lion of Fear

I didn't say you need to kill the lion. I didn't say you have to surrender to the lion. I didn't say you run away from the lion. I say "TAME" the lion. Nobody can really get rid of fear, let's be realistic (motivational and inspirational quote like this can be unrealistic sometimes).

Confident people have fears; Successful people have worried; Godly people have doubts. But what they - the warriors - do is they don't let these feelings stop them. It is not necessary to try to get rid of fear, worry and doubt in order to be a true warrior.

I still fear of public speaking even though I did it 3-4 times a week on average. I sometimes doubt if people ever read my blog or not, but I do it anyway. I still fear to share the Gospel to strangers but God gives me strength and boldness. Don't kill, surrender or run from fear... A true Warrior can TAME the lion of fear.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

John C. Maxwell on Leadership #23 Practice Your Craft Today

William Osler, the physician who wrote The Principles and Practice of Medicine in 1892, once told a group of medical students:

“Banish the future. Live only for the hour and its allotted work. Think not the amount to be accomplished, the difficulties to be overcome, or the end to attained, but set earnestly at the little task at your elbow, letting that be sufficient for the day; for surely our plain duty is, as Carlyle says, ‘Not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.’”

The only way to improve is to practice your craft until you know it inside and out. At first, you do what you know to do. The more you practice your craft, the more you know. But as you do more, you will also discover more about what you ought to do differently. At that point you have a decision to make: Will you do what you have always done, or will you try to do more of what you think you should do? The only way you improve is to get out of your comfort zone and try new things.

People often ask me, “How can I grow my business?” or “How can I make my department better?” The answer is for you personally to grow. The only way to grow your organization is to grow the leaders who run it. By making yourself better, you make others better. Retired General Electric CEO Jack Welch said, “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” And the time to start is today.

Focus your energy on trying something within your strength zone but

outside of your comfort zone.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Self-Leadership #7 Work Harder Than Everybody

Don't buy the myth of the overnight success. "It takes years to make an overnight success," observed Eddie Cantor. Most of the people we celebrate for their effortless achievements have actually put a whole lot of energy into preparing for their victory. Yes, they make it look easy and they may even talk in a way that makes their success seem almost inevitable. But if you listen to them, you will usually find that they are working hard toward a compelling goal. It's the clarity of that goal – vivid, precise, focus – that makes their success seem unavoidable.

What they're not necessarily talking about (by the outward victory that we see), are the long lonely hours of practice and hard work that they subjected themselves to, or the many, many doubts they experienced along the way. I like this quote, "Some people dream of worthy accomplishments while others stay awake and do them."

I read that Adam Clark is reported to have spent 40 years writing his commentary on the Bible; Noah Webster laboured 36 years forming his well-known dictionary (in fact, he crossed the ocean twice to gather material needed to make the dictionary absolutely accurate); John Milton rose at 4 o'clock every morning in order to have sufficient hours to compose and rewrite his poetry which stands among the best of the world's literature; Edward Gibbon spent 26 years on his monumental book The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; William Bryant rewrote one of his poetic masterpieces a hundred times before it was published just to attain complete beauty and perfection of expression; young Lee Chong Wei, now Malaysia's finest badminton player, sleep by 10 o’clock every night and is up by 5 o’clock, after he finishes his breakfast at seven, it is a whole day of non-stop regimented training. These men have a tremendous focus on what they were doing and each one threw all his energy into his effort no matter how difficult the job.

With hard work, practice and discipline, they were gaining complete confidence in their ability to do the things that they do. It is this discipline of hard work and training, investing those countless hours of practice that leads to mastery that takes a skill or gift from the conscious level to just second nature to them. "Achievement," said Mortimer Adler, "seldom exceeds effort."

Here are three (3) techniques to make sure you're working hard:

Perfecting Your Discipline: Hard work is discipline, focused training that develops self-control. It helps you make the hard decisions, endure pain, and stay on track despite the stress, pressure, and fear.

Invest in Your Talent: All too often, our culture celebrates success without effort. And all too often, these stories turn out to be untrue (be careful about marketing scams that promise easy money and easy this-and-that). You have a responsibility to invest in your God-given talent for the long-term. If talent not used, it will be taken away from you.

Start At Home: A leader must send a message to his followers. They all must see the leader put in more effort than they did and therefore will be motivated to put in more effort themselves.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Self-Leadership #5 Think Big Picture

Once you’ve begun to know yourself, the next step is to make sure that everything you do is directed to the successful completion of your goals.

Vince Lombardi, a celebrated football coach, was completely devoted to making his teams successful. He didn’t tolerate outside interests interfering with his players’ dedication to their game and certainly wouldn’t have put himself in that situation. As the Packers’ general manager, he ran a tight ship and he ran it conservatively. He dominated the Packers’ executive board.

Lombardi found ways to compensate in areas where he didn’t have much experience especially at the outset of his professional coaching career. He was an effective delegator and he didn’t hesitate to ask questions when he didn’t understand something – one sign of a confident leader – and he didn’t tolerate answers that he considered half-baked. He ran tight agenda-driven meetings which began and ended on schedule (I need more discipline to do that!).

All of these effective strategies allowed him to focus on the one overarching mission – winning football games. Victory on the field - or any field of leadership – is in part the outgrowth of a complete understanding of the leader’s vision and strengths. And every part of the organization must be focused on this big picture.

This doesn’t mean that the big picture doesn’t change as the competitive environment changes. In fact, the ongoing viability of an organization or group depends on the adaptation of its mission to the current climate. But the big picture must not be affected by minor setbacks or problems.

Consider the following to keep the big picture in the forefront of your consciousness for you and your organization/team:

Link Goal to Vision: Goals must be anchored in conviction. Make sure that your goals are closely linked to your mission; if they aren’t, it will be too easy to throw them overboard at the first sign of adversity.

Change with the Competitive Environment: The long-term viability of an organization/team depends on its ability to adapt to a changing environment. Sooner or later, your product will become obsolete. If you’re not ready to take advantage of that moment, somebody will.

Don’t Be Swayed by Minor Setbacks: Don’t confuse minor shifts with major changes. A bump in the road can – and should – be navigated without major rerouting.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Self-Leadership #3 Play To Your Strengths

“What great leaders have in common is that each truly knows his or her strengths - and can call on the right strength at the right time.”

(Tom Rath)

Self-discovery is nothing if not personal both in the process and in the results. There is no formula by which you can find out what makes you tick, no standardized test that will reveal your goals in life. Looking within yourself to ask the tough questions is an individual quest, and you must not conform to what you think the results should be.

The trick is to find your own strengths and to play those strengths. As you start to answer the questions that lead to self-knowledge, certain strengths – and weaknesses – in your own character will begin to become evident (This is not a bad thing. Strong people tend to have strong weaknesses; as long as you're aware of them, they don't have to work to your disadvantage). Good leaders will work to reduce their weaknesses, but moreover, they will use their strengths to the greatest advantage. Focus more on your strengths than weaknesses.

There are many ways in which we may learn more about our own strengths and weaknesses. Some of these are techniques we can choose to practice, such as prayer, meditation or long walks in the park. These are methods by which we pay attention, in very specific ways: with intention, in the present moment and non-judgementally. Keeping a journal can also be a way to learn more about yourself. Other learning experiences are less voluntary; pain, for example, can provide invaluable insights but is rarely a method that people would choose for themselves.

The important thing is to make the commitment to self-knowledge, through whatever means works for you, and to accept and use to your advantage the results of this discovery process. You see, you can't be a good leader if you only compare yourself to others. You have to look into yourself. Your greatest strengths as a leader are those qualities that are unique to you. As you discover them, use them to your advantage. Different people find their ways through different paths, and if you take someone else's path, you may not like where you end up.

Here three (3) ways to learn more about your strengths and yourself:

#1 Choose Your Own Path: It doesn't have to be the path less traveled or the one of least resistance. What matters is that it's the right one for you.

#2 It's Not a Failure If You Learn Something: Be open to the learning process. Whether its pain, mistakes or success, every experience can teach you something. Sometimes the hardest lessons are the most important.

#3 Practice Continuous Renewal: Continuous, disciplined self-examination internalizes the lessons you're learning about yourself and allows you instinctively to play to your own strengths.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Help Child Deal with Divorce #10 Annabel, Be Happy, Have Fun and Enjoy Life (End)

Dear Annabel,

            You asked uncle, ‘It is okay to still laugh and have fun?’ Well of course! :) My prayer and wish are for you to be cheerful again. Divorce is not the end of your life, it’s just the beginning of a new and different chapter. Laughter and fun are great stress relievers and having fun with your friends can help you deal with what’s going on. Don’t feel guilty if you are having a good time even when your parents are not. Being miserable will not make it any easier for you or for them. Someone once said: “Some people think that it’s holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it’s letting go.”

            Right now, you might still be in shock and you’re not as happy as you want to. But like what uncle already told you in the past, it won’t always be this way. As time goes by you will find it easier to accept your parents’ divorce and the changes it brings. You may even discover some unexpected positives. I discovered that my parents are happier after the divorce. I get along better with both of my parents when they separated with each other.

I know this might sound weird but coping with divorce can also bring out your strength and maturity. You will become more responsible, independent and thoughtful. I know you will because I see great potentials in you to make a different in other’s lives. You also will become better problem-solvers, better listeners (you can empathize other better) and even better friends. You will be amazed that you can make it through this difficult situation successfully. So be patient. Let others support you and enjoy the good things in life. Be courageous. Be compassionate. Be dependence on God.

Listen… uncle and your aunty are here for you. We always support you. You’re our daughter. I pray you the absolute best as you go through this tough time. You’re not alone. I foresee that you will look back and say, “Wow! That was tough, but I did it. Praise God!”

Laugh more,

Angelus

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Help Child Deal with Divorce #1 Annabel, You're Not Alone

Dear Annabel,

            Weeks after your parents divorced, you asked uncle, “Why me? Why are my parents getting divorced? What did I do to deserve this?” This is not your fault. I know this is hard for you, and I want you to know that I’m here for you if you want to share your feelings and thoughts. You’re just like my own daughter. Your father and I are very close, you know that.

            Divorce can make even the smartest person in the world say, “I don’t know what to do or how to feel.” A number of years ago, my parents got divorced too. At that time, I thought it was the worth thing that could ever happen to anyone. I was sad, confused, embarrassed and I couldn’t sleep. My stomach hurt. Many times I asked God, ‘Why?’

            When people get divorced they often have a really hard time. So do their kids. Divorce is an uncomfortable experience for the whole family. Nobody likes it, not even the mom or dad who decided to end the marriage. During my visits to schools and campuses as Christian staff worker, I have spoken to many young people like you whose parents have split up. Most of these students couldn’t find answers to the million questions they had about the divorce. They have been through situation just like you. I’m too. You’re not alone.

            If you want to make sense of it all – this divorce and separations – I want to help you to get through it. I know you are having a hard time trying to understand what’s going in, no matter how brave and strong you are. I hope I can answer some of the difficult questions you might have about what you are experiencing now. I hope my letters to come will gives you the encouragement and strength you need during this tough time. I hope you can overcome this challenging situation out of your parents’ divorce with new hope and understanding. Annabel, believe uncle when I say that you won’t always feel as sad, confused and upset as you are possible feeling right now. Our God is the Father of the fatherless like you and me. The Scripture says, “[Those] who hope in the LORD will renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31). Be hopeful my child!

                                                                                                            Your friend and uncle,

Angelus

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Book Review: The Hidden Value of a Man (1992) by Gary Smalley and John Trent

The Hidden Value of a Man: The Incredible Impact of a Man on His Family (1992)
by Gary Smalley and John Trent

As a man, the authors writes, whether you realize it or not, own two “swords,” two form of power – a silver-handed sword called man’s positional power, and a gold-handed sword called man’s personal power. Positional power is “the clout, control, prestige and authority that come to a man because of where he works or what he does. It’s his job title, his resume… it’s the number of academic degrees he has earned… it centres on an image… and doing whatever it takes, to whomever, to increase and maintain the image of excellent.” Personal power on the other hand is “the ability to develop meaningful, fulfilling relationships; a willingness to do whatever it takes to strengthen our families and find the help we need to overcome any strains in our marriages.” Both are important, but men today lack personal power, the gold-handed sword, said the authors. “When you speak of a man’s personal power, you immediately think of words reflecting character like warmth, sensitivity, dependability, determination, genuine compassion and caring.”

Deep down, men may realize something of the power they have to touch the lives of their families, wives and children. But because we don’t understand how does it work and when to use it, we stumble along the way. We sometime have no real concept of the damage caused by our actions, our words, our absence, even our silence (just like my dad). As with smoking or alcohol abuse, we don’t see the damage immediately. So it’s easy to think that because everything looks fine on the outside, problems aren’t building up on the inside. Both authors are counsellors tell real-life-stories about how a child’s heart is within a man’s reach, the strength of a fulfilling marriage is within a man’s reach, and the destruction of our society lies within a man’s reach. “When will we realize we’re so powerful that we can’t ‘do our own thing’ without affecting everything and everyone around us?” For good and bad, for better and worst.

I’m not married yet, but I read this because I want to change my way of using my silver and gold swords, to equip myself in Biblical manhood, to improve my family relationships, and as preparation for marriage life. Successful in the world of work is important, but men also need to be successful at home. This is even more important. This remind me of 1 Timothy 3:5, “For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?” Great question!

This book is divided into 14 chapters, namely:

#1 The Hidden Value of a Man

#2 The Two Swords of Value in Every Man

#3 When We Fail to Pick Up the Gold Sword

#4 Creating Your Own Gold Sword

#5 Seven Reflections of the Gold Sword, Part 1

#6 Seven Reflections of the Gold Sword, Part 2

#7 Being Male May Be Hazardous to Your Family’s Health

#8 The Little “e” Can Spell Big Trouble

#9 Women Who Hide Our Swords

#10 Healing the Hole in Our Hearts

#11 When Actions Don’t Measure Up to Words

#12 The Hidden Power of Friends

#13 What to Do When Nothing Else Words

#14 Master of the Gold Sword

I love how this book end with Jesus Christ, the Master of the Gold Sword. Wow! I bought this book at second-hand book fair at The Hill, Kuching for only RM3.90.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Abram had a Choice: Faith or Self-Sufficiency (Genesis 12:10-16)

“Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, ‘I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.’ When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels”
(Genesis 12:10-16, NIV).

The journey God called Abram to undertake wasn’t safe. Abram had to pass through the lands of many unfriendly kings. As Abram’s danger grew, his fear grew – especially in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh was the sort of king who took whatever he wanted. Abram was afraid Pharaoh would want his wife, Sarai, and kill her husband to have her. Abram would rather lose his wife than to protect her (Abram was faith-less here; Sarai was very obedience).

Abram had a choice: he could renew his trust in the God who promised to see him through; or he could attempt to solve the problem in his own strength and wisdom. He chose the latter. It was a perfectly understandable reaction; when things feel out of control, our first instinct is to attempt to take control. But in relying on his own shrewdness, Abram made the situation grow worst. He forsook his wife, ‘prostituting’ her to save his own skin.

When we trust in our own shrewdness, we draw a very strict limit around the solutions that are available to us. In my own experiences, many of those solutions are worse than the original problem, simply because I trust myself more than I trust God’s guidance and promises. When we rely on God, we open ourselves to a whole universe of solutions. Now, practically today, how to know God’s will in our lives? How to make God-centred decisions? For Abram, he can just ask God, but he didn’t. For us today, we have the Holy Spirit and the Word of God available and accessible to us. Get serious with the Word. To know God’s will is to have the mind of Christ; to have the mind of Christ is to know God’s Word: God’s will is God’s Word. It is through God’s Word that we can have faith in the God of the Word.

Every day we have a choice: faith or self-sufficiency.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus the Son of God: We Can Have, Know and Enjoy Eternal Life (1 John 5:11-12)

“[This] is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life”

(1 John 5:11-12, NLT).

The Apostle John now sums up all that is in store for the believer. Not only do we have the promise of God’s Spirit living in us to help, teach, encourage, strengthen, and change us. “But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true – it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ” (2:27). “[The] Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world… the Spirit of Truth” (4:4, 6). “God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us” (4:13). But we are also given a gift that cannot be earned, the gift of eternal life! Jesus Christ is the only true divine Son of God, and he is eternal life (5:20). We can enjoy eternal life (2:25), we can have eternal life (4:9), and we can know we have eternal life (5:13). This is the God-size-coolness beyond measure!

What is eternal life? Eternal life is not simply an unending progression of years. A common New Testament word for “eternal” is aionios, which carries the idea of quantity as well as quality. In fact, eternal life is not really associated with “years” at all, as it is independent of time. Eternal life can function outside and beyond time, as well as within time. For this reason, eternal life can be thought of as something that Christians experience now. Believers don’t have to “wait” for eternal life, because it’s not something that starts when they die. Rather, eternal life begins the moment a person exercises faith in Christ. It is our current possession.

[Source: Got Questions Ministries website]

As you know, there are a lot of people who are scared to death about dying. Some people are so afraid that they won’t even talk about it, and if a loved one does die, they try to act like it didn’t really happen. We see this fear in our society with such a focus on being wrinkle-free, young, and fit, and the increase of photo editors’ apps. But the truth is that all of us will die sometime, and that can seem kind of scary for those who don’t have hope. The power or fear of death can be defeated. However, we don’t need to live our lives being deathly afraid about dying. We know it’s going to happen, but we can be relieved of the worry and fear that so many people have.

God “has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” This eternal life really starts right now, when we confess our sins before God and accept God’s Son as our Lord and Saviour. With Jesus in our lives, we can live life to the fullest right now – with joy unspeakable (even in the midst of suffering and persecution) and a great sense of purpose in life (you know why and what you’re living for) we never thought possible. To live without Jesus, on the other hand, is to be (always) bored, unsatisfied life, depressed, afraid, and the worst of all is not hell but – separation from God.

As this letter 1 John is written to Christians, I want to focus on us: Not only does being a Christian increase the quantity of our life (life eternal with God) but also brings a greater quality of life (life lived in Jesus right now). Brothers and sisters, what more could we ask for? Praise and worship God!

What comes to your mind when you think about death?

Fear or faith?

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

In Jesus, We Are Victorious! (1 John 5:3-5)

“Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God”

(1 John 5:3-5, NLT).

I noticed that our love for God is not so much an emotional feeling as it is practical and active. We show our love by our actions, by “keeping his commandments.” This may sound kind of easy, but it’s not always so, is it? Sometimes we may just be too busy thinking about something else, like workloads, worried about how we look or act, or feel tired or sick. At times like these, we need to remember the promise of Jesus Christ: “Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). So, when we’re burned out and feel that God’s commandments are “burdensome” – when we’re exhausted, too busy, or when our feelings get kind of numb, we are promised that, as we share our concerns with Jesus, we will get great relief. We can cast our concerns and burdens upon God because God really cares about us (read 1 Peter 5:7).

Not only does Jesus promise to give us relief and rest but He also promises to give us strength. No matter what our age, there are times we may just feel like we want to let go of everything and sleep for days and days. Life can just be too much, and who can care about other people at those times? But as we learn to keep the right balance in our lives – especially as we learn to include God in our plans and put Him at the center of what is important to us – we will be given new strength we never thought we would have. God’s got enough power and strength to last all of us through our lifetimes! So, God has not imposed a lot of impossible demands and rules on us only to walk out and slam the door. God is right here with us, never leaving us (even at times when we may not feel close to Him), always encouraging and giving us the strength we need to “keep his [not burdensome] commandments.” God wants what is best for us and wants us to have deeper joy in Him.

“And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God” Obeying God’s commandments and having faith in Jesus is one and the same, and interrelated – only God’s children will do. Our faith in Jesus brings us great victory: we can overcome and “defeat this evil world” The temptations of the world can be very appealing and alluring. The pressure to be like everyone else – to have certain things and to act in certain ways – can be overpowering. But with God on our side, we “can win this battle against the world.” We don’t need to walk around and act defeated. With God’s help, we are really victorious in life!

If you have ever won some kind of contest (I once won a musical contest during my university time, battle of the band. Or whatever you had won) you know how great you feel when you win – as if you could conquer the world! That’s the kind of attitude that God wants for us in life – a winning, forward-looking, confident, expecting the best, stretching us to the limit. “We achieve this victory through our faith” in “the Son of God.” If you’re God’s child, you don’t have to feel defeated, inadequate, and expecting the worst. In Jesus, you’re victorious! Amen.  

THINK BIG. START SMALL GO DEEP.

Jesus Freaks: Zhang, Shen, Xianfeng, and Zhen of Mainland China, Placing Themselves as Targets for Chirst

A student is proudly holding a Chine Bible. 

1999

Zhang Rongliang, Shen Xianfeng, Zhen Xianqi, and other house church leaders, representing roughly fifteen million underground believers, signed and published the “House Church Confession of Faith” that called on the Communist government to stop treating the members of house churches in China as criminals. Officially, to give the appearance of freedom of religion in China, the government there recognizes its state-controlled church, the Three-Self Patriotic Church, as a freely worshiping assembly but allow no other Christian gatherings this protection. At the same time, the state makes sure that little within the meetings of the sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Church is Christian or free. According to official state documents, house churches are identified with the Chinese word that means “evil religion,” a word that has occult connotations for the people of China. The “House Church Confession of Faith” called for changes to this reference as well as real religious freedoms within the nation.

            Only months after making the document public, several of the signers, including Zhang, were arrested and placed in prison. In December of 1999, Zhang was sentenced to three years but was released on a seven-year probation providing that he “behaved” himself.

            Shen Xianfeng, who was arrested around the same time as Zhang, suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. This condition has forced him to walk with the aid of crutches. During his arrest, the officers used his own crutches to beat him. Zhen Xianqi also suffered arrest and harassment.

            By signing the document and meeting with Western journalists, Zhang and the others knew that they were placing targets on their back, yet this didn’t concern them. They felt called of God to make a statement of faith to the world and to use any means of their disposal to proclaim Jesus Christ to their fellow countrymen and women.

            Pastor Zhang still travels by car and train to minister to his various flocks, but he never sleeps in the same bed more than four nights in a row to avoid arrest.

………………………………….

China continues its “hard strike” policy, which is supposed to be a crackdown on organized crime and petty criminals, but it has put more Christians behind bars than are presently in prison in any other nation on the earth today. Any Bible found by a Public Security Bureau (PSB) Officer is immediately confiscated, even if it is a version authorized and printed by the Chinese government.

            Recent statistics have revealed that from 1983 to 2001 there have been at least 23,686 Christian arrests in China for religious reasons, and of these, 208 have been beaten to the point of being crippled for life. Because of such things, world leaders are starting to speak up.

            Despite this, an estimated 1,200 Chinese come to Christ every hour.

            Political pressure, though it is constantly needed in such cases, has had little effect on counties such as China in recent decades. What is needed are equipped Christians to fight the same spiritual fight that brought down the Berlin Wall and crumbled the Soviet Union.

            Pray for these believers in China. Pray for their protection and that God will sanctify the Word in their hearts for their encouragement and strength.
[Taken from Jesus Freaks: Revolutionaries (2002) by dc Talk. Title mine]

“We don’t obey people. We obey God” (Peter’s declaration in Acts 5:29)

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Letters to Annie: Don't Let Your Problems Get You Down

Like Wonder Woman, Be Strong!

Dear Annie,

            I noticed that you’re having bad moods lately. Yes, problems come and go. I will see you soon okay and we going to talk about it face-to-face. Though we’re separate hundreds miles away, I try my best to be there when you need me. If not physically, then through phone calls. All of us face those occasional days when things don’t happened the way we want it to be or when relationships around us went through brokenness, arguments and pain. But, when we find ourselves overtaken by the frustrations of life, we must catch ourselves, take a deep breath, and lift our thoughts upward. A.W. Tozer wisely advise: “Keep your feet on the ground, but let your heart soar as high as it will. Refuse to be average or to surrender to the chill of your spiritual environment.”

            Although we must occasionally struggle to rise above the distractions and disappointments of tough times (or probably tough relationships), we need never struggle alone. We are for one another. Or better, God is here – eternally and faithfully, with infinite patience and love. “People who do what is right may have many problems, but the Lord will solve them all” (Psalm 34:19). And I believe our friends, family members, and maybe close colleagues are also willing to help us restore perspective and peace to our souls. “The first step in solving a problem,” write John Peter Flynn, “is to tell someone about it.” Our only action is to let them.

            Remember I told you to be optimistic about life? Well, I want to add to that. Be a realistic optimist. Your attitude toward the future will help create your future. So think realistically about yourself and your situation while making a conscious effort to focus on hopes, not fears; on self-growth, not stumbling blocks; on God’s sovereign power, not present problems. My Annie, don’t let your problems get you down!

Here are some of my favourite quotes that help to restore my perspective when I’m having difficult times. I hope it can help you too: “He who can’t endure the bad will not live to see the good” (Yiddish Proverbs); “The worst thing in your life may contain seeds of the best. When you can see crisis as an opportunity, your life becomes not easier, but more satisfying” (Joe Kogel); “Storms make trees take deeper roots” (Claude McDonald); “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows” (Helen Keller); “The human capacity to fight back will always astonish doctors and philosophers. It seems, indeed, that there are no circumstances so bad and no obstacles so big that man cannot conquer them” (Jean Tetreau); “Every problem contains within itself the seeds of its own solution” (Edward Somers); etc. You can have all my quotation books when you marry me!

My love, this is a trustworthy saying: “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Don’t let your problems get you down. Let God cares for you.

I miss you. You look prettier when you smile you know [laugh]!

I love you Annie.

Most genius and supportive boyfriend ever,

Richard

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Letters to Annie: Understand the Importance of Encouragement in Relationship

Dear Annie,

            I did it! Oh, no, Jesus did it! Sharing last night was good and I’m satisfied with what I shared. I know that since yesterday God’s spirit is working in their hearts and God’s Word faithfully preached will not return void but will bear much fruit. Amen. Thank you for your encouragements. I like it when you said, “clear your heart… clear your mind and share sincerely… put God first and pray is the important thing…” Thank you I appreciate it. I read: “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb. Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24). Your words strengthen me.

            I see us as a team sport, and you and I need occasional pats on the back from one another.  We are a couple and a partner, brother and sister in Christ, we are lovers. As Christians, we are called upon to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, and we are also to spread a message of encouragement and hope to the world. But first, it must start with us. Again, thank you for your encouragement.

            Whether we realize it or not, many people with whom we come in contact every day are in desperate need of a smile or an encouraging word. Our colleagues in office, family at home, friends we hang out with, and strangers we walked by. As I realize the important of encouragement to me from you, my love one, I can extend it to others. Barbara Johnson writes, “We can never untangle all the woes in other people’s lives. We can’t produce miracles overnight. But we can bring a cup of cool water to a thirsty soul, or a scoop of laughter to a lonely heart.” You see, since we don’t always know who needs our help, the best strategy is to try to encourage all the people who cross our paths, will all that we have in God’s wisdom.

            Let’s encourage one another. Let’s use pleasant words to lift up our spirits. If in the future we argue about certain issues, may we never speaks the word that we will regret later. Even if we want to correct or give advice, may we speak it all in the spirit of love. Sometimes, even very few words can make a very big difference (for better or worst). As Fanny Crosby positively observed, “A single word, if spoken in a friendly spirit, may be sufficient to turn one from dangerous error.”

When I said I don’t earn much, you encouraged me about how privilege my calling is; when you said you’re not perfect, I over and over again said to you that you are; when I’m lack of confidence to share the Word, you reminds me to not to use my own strength but God’s; and when you were thinking of joining a competition, I said go for it! We are at our best when we encourage one another without having the desire of becoming greater. I love you. You’re the best of me.

                                                                                                                        You’re special in my heart,

Richard

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus is Infinite and Omnipotent: Boy's Five Loaves and Two Fish Made All the Difference

“Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.’ But Jesus said, ‘You feed them.’ ‘But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,’ they answered. ‘Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?’ For there were about 5,000 men there”
(Luke 9:12-14, NLT).

“Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ‘There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?’” (John 6:8-9)

The disciples were shocked by Jesus’ response and – so do I. They didn’t understand what he was saying. How could they possibly feed this huge crowd? Thus they gave him the typical reasons his request seemed impossible: too many people, no stores, no money. So Jesus told them to find out what they actually had (see Mark 6:38). A check of the resources yielded just a boy with five loaves of bread and two fish, a small boy’s lunch that he was willing to share for Jesus’ use.

The Bible doesn’t tell us what the boy was thinking or even where his parents were, for that matter. Was he the only one who had thought ahead? He was risking a lot, turning over his lunch to Jesus. We don’t know the interchange between the boy and the disciples, but they brought the food to Jesus. In all the accounts of this incident in the Gospels, we read nothing about the disciples giving of their resources to Jesus. Instead, they expressed their grave concerns about the problem and their doubts about any possible solutions. In contrast, the boy gave Jesus everything he had, even though it wasn’t much in light of the huge need. The boy’s faith in Jesus, expressed by turning over his meager resources, made all the difference.

Think about this: Because we are painfully aware of our weaknesses and limitations, we can easily think we have nothing to offer to God. After all, we might think, I’m only a housewife or I’m only a layperson or I’m only a college student or I haven’t been a Christian very long or I’m poor. We and our resources are meager, but our God is infinite and omnipotent, with unlimited resources. He wants us to release control, to turn everything over to him. Yes, we are poor; He is rich! Yes, we are finite; He is infinite! Yes, we are weak and doubtful; He is omnipotent! With all that we have, with Jesus, we can make a difference. 

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.