Nothing is particularly hard if you divide into small jobs.

Henry Ford

After coming out of our 3 day planning (where we used up 10+ metres of paper), the task has never been clearer nor scarier. What lies ahead of us is truly beyond us, and I think all we can say is, “Lord, help us to take one day at a time“.

Been preparing and getting ready for the next few weeks. It’s going be really really full & exciting.

Some of the stuff that’s be churning.

#1. Met with our service core team. Mei, Justin & Luce are 3 of the most faithful and incredible leaders I have the opportunity to serve alongside. We refused to talk about admin / operations and for 3+ hours sketched out our teams, structure and strategy on a big A2 (?) piece of paper that spanned across two dinner tables. Man, the task ahead of us in mammoth. We fully need God’s anointing and divine direction!

#2. Preparing for conference. Believe that it’s going to be a great time of seeing God’s community built together. Have the privilege of not only worship leading, but doing it with a super covenant friend. In his words, leading together is the “ultimate expression of covenantal friendship” (you think it would be like… something else). Haha. But we’re so excited about serving our church as a whole and leading God’s people into God’s presence.

#3. Working the MAC team hard :). These guys have a massive list of stuff to develop - web stuff, graphics stuff, multimedia etc. Watch out for some awesome stuff that’s coming really soon!

#4. Putting together our next term of Ablaze CDS classes. Man it seems like ages since we’ve done these. Looking forward to seeing some awesome teaching and seeing lives changed under the Word.

#5. Planning, strategising and dreaming about the season ahead of us… we are praying and thinking through how to head into the next season of growth. I believe God is preparing the new wineskin for a new anointing, a new move of His Spirit and a new wave of growth. After conference Torch, Nick, Lis & I will be running away for 3 whole days to think, pray, discuss, have tough & heated conversations about where God is taking us and what it means to follow and obey the leading of God for this season practically. I’m thinking through for our service, our student ministry and for our next generation of leaders as well. We’ve started talking a bit already and where we sense God is leading us is crazy scary (for me at least). Really looking forward to the time of praying, fellowshipping together as well as having lots of braincells get slaughtered for the Kingdom.

#6. Camp! is just around the corner. Putting together some things like worship & workshops. I can’t believe how close it is. The consensus is that this year is different than any other year. There’s a real sense of stirring and preparation. It’s going to be EPIC (If you’re reading this and you haven’t registered… you have like… 24 hours to do so… if there is still space - make sure you do!!). PH - we are going to prepare together next week with our united life group. You don’t want to miss it! God’s already laid some stuff upon my heart…

#7. Getting excited about this man (and others like him) coming here:

(I don’t remember him being this angry in Singapore… hahahaha)

Ps Shirls, Daniel (the happy person pointing in the above photo) and the rest of the team, as well as interstate / kiwi delegates will be here really soon! Can’t wait to bounce life off and learn from other youth leaders and youth ministries (yes Steph & Rach, that means you two as well!)

Let’s unite in prayer together, shall we? So much going on but we need the touch of God let’s believe for His leading and empowering like never before.
Ok back to it for me!

Something that was said over the weekend - puts a stupid smile on my face every time I think about it.

Chris, if you watched P.S. I Love You, you would cry too!

- mystery person

(I was told not to put the name so we can guess. Haha)

[edit: Trung has his own account of life group here - I cacked up reading them. Man I love life group)

I’m coming back to revive this dead blog… again…

Had such a privilege this morning to chat over a coffee with a couple from Brisbane City Church. These guys are doing phenomenal stuff as new Christians pastors and wanting to bless and resource others in their statewide ministry as well. It was a really refreshing time for me as I sat and heard their heart for young adults, their vision for our generation and the unreal things that God is doing through BCC.

I think the thing that struck me most was the great vision that God has placed upon these guys and people all over the world, and their heart desire to not hold it to themselves but to bless the Church (the universal church), the Body of Christ (capital B). I left that place fired up about not just about my ministry, but the part that we are playing in God’s global plan.

Really thank God for great, secure, generous & empowering leaders like that - it’s obvious that they are not about building their own sort of kingdom or ministry, but doing whatever it takes to see God’s Kingdom come in our generation. Was so blessed & challenged by that. Am looking forward to more opportunities to connect with what God is doing across our generation!

I had an unbelievable & full weekend (more photos to come for sure!). Got some photos of some whiteboards here though to start:

(from our ministry fair on Sunday… artwork courtesy of Mrs Cheah)

Typical right, how do you draw Chris? Just dirty his face with a black marker!

My personal favourites - Ps Wilson’s moustache, Ps Lance’s stubbles, and John Ong’s rat tail!

In the afternoon, all of our ministry leaders in the Ablaze Service met together for 3 goals: to celebrate, re-align and be equipped. I was thoroughly blown away by the end of it, along with a couple of realisations:

1. Just over a year ago, we pretty much had both no clue and no team. God has raised up some pretty incredible and anointed young leaders in our midst. Every single one of those 20+ ministry leaders in the room carried their chunk and brought something significant to the table.

2. There was such a sense of destiny and unity in the room. As I shared, I felt that I was getting vision sucked out from me. Our team is hungry about doing the Father’s business and seeing the local church as the irresistible place where God reveals His glory. We all left the meeting fired up and on the same page about God’s vision. It was truly amazing.

We workshopped what it means to have vision in ministry. There were some great insights! The results (thanks Soppy for being our scribe, and Jien-Mae for putting up the pics!)

The big picture

Vision Killers

Vision Stirrers

… what happens when there is vision.

Can’t wait to see this one come to pass!!

This was said a lot throughout the night (we had a time of celebration + sharing over dinner after the meeting), but it still doesn’t get said enough. Thanks, team! Blessed to be serving & leading men & women who will change the world!

[edit: I am super slow - you can check some brilliant accounts here and here - definitely worth the read!]

… the updates are few because there have been plenty to digest.

It has been an overwhelming week as everyday I receive emails or news about the ripples from last Friday. From hearing about how funny it was to see people running down (I thought they were too slow! Haha), to those decisions made in their personal lives on how they would live, to getting emails from those who decided to commit to life group for the first time, to seeing the great majority of our church down on that altar, complete with people whom I neer expected to see down there.

It’s such a humbling thought isn’t it, knowing that God is calling His church for His mission on this earth. Just before heading out on Friday, Ps WN called me from Melb and prayed for me. What ruined me was when he prayed that I wouldn’t just deliver a good preaching, but live the life of a good preacher. That still echoes in my soul. I know beyond just one great church service, God did something deep in my own life throughout the own process. There were new convictions and zeal birthed in my heart.

Tonite Torch brought an unbelievable word. Not only did we sense incredible momentum, but there was something deeper that God was doing in the life of our church. There’s no doubt in my mind that God is doing something new and He is empowering young people to be incredible influencers in their worlds.

There was a moment tonite I was flat on my face as I was reminded about God’s call to care and build His church.

I believe in this generation - our generation. I believe we are called by God and destined to change this world. I believe in investing my all in the lives of young people because the church is the hope of the world. I believe the mind boggling things we see today are but a shadow and mere glimpse of the miraculous work God will do in the seasons to come.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen our church as close to God’s heart of being on mission as we have the past couple of services. God is definitely up to something in our midst. I’m definitely looking forward to meet and training all our ministry leaders this Sunday as we brace ourselves for the new things God will surely do.

I’m so in awe of what God did tonight in the heart of our church. I was trying so hard to play it cool after the service talking to people but really I was in complete shambles in my heart over God’s vision, His call and His perfect plan for us and His local church. It was such an overwhelming moment for me as the church responded to God & filled up our stage.

So, here it is, unedited complete with heaps of poor jokes, cringe moments; but also God’s power through my super imperfect delivery!

(edit - i hear that the stream above is not complete. Sorry! Attached is the rest + a real messy but good altar call)

This where the good stuff was…

Had a chance encounter tonight with my good buddy Ray and his worship team at church office and they ended up being my focus group for sermon points and illustrations :). Man, I reckon it was such a divine encounter.

Big thanks to Ray, John, Sam, Li Wen, Gerald for sitting patiently and giving some super useful feedback! Cheers guys!

I also wished I had my notepad and pen whilst driving Ps Wilson home from the airport afterwards - man he was sharing some unbelievable thoughts and challenges for our youth ministry. Was trying so hard to engrave it into my memory because I didn’t want to miss a single thought…

I’m ready to preach! (ok actually not quite… not really…)

It’s really hard for me to finish this sermon as I spend every 10 minutes getting up and pacing around the room in excitement (and ADDness) about how good and powerful the Word of God is.

I’m going to be very honest this Friday night, and I am planning to call us out on some things. God is going to challenge to serve Him to a great level.

How dare we ask busy, capable people to give of their time, resources and life to the church? I’ll tell you why

I am going to get to invite some men and women to be used by God in ways that they never imagined. We will see people invest their lives in a purpose that is far greater than themselves. We will be fulfilled in God as we realise that there is more to life than our ipods, playstations, cars, jobs, relationships and bank accounts. But that we can play our part in Kingdom purpose. We get to see people’s joy and life when we realised that God Himself has used us to make a difference.

How unbelievable is that?

Church, come with an open heart to the Holy Spirit. God is going to show up in some lives in a big way!

So I’m sitting here in the kitchen looking over some notes whilst waiting for some chicken to cook.  I hear Lisa H leading the worship team in prayer in preparation for this Friday night. Man it sounds like they are going to lift the roof off that lecture theatre. It’s our WUSH team from Saturday night (minus one member) - so excited about seeing them minister together because I believe God has called them and anointed them as inidividual worship ministers, as a team, and as a spiritual family.

Pretty exciting stuff!!