Sunday, June 28, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings in the blessed name of Jesus!

First and foremost, I would like to thank all of you for your understanding for allowing me to finish my Masters in Theology. After 3 long years, I have finally accomplished my mission. ;) Also, thank you for praying for me and allowing me to take some time off to graduate in the United Kingdom. My family and I truly appreciate your kindness and love. It was a really good break for us. And… this coming July, I will be starting my Doctorate in Ministry (DMin). It is going to take another 3 years to accomplish so do pray that I won’t throw in the towel half way through. ;)

This week, I am going to continue on ‘The Christian Mind’ series. This is such an important series for us as a church as it aims to eliminate all the wrong mindsets that we have accumulated over the years. Some of the things that we practice or think are so steep in religiosity that sometimes we do not even know it is unbiblical. I want City Harvest to be liberated from the binding, irrelevant traditions of men. I want us to be relevant. However, I am also mindful that we cannot sacrifice any level of truth for the sake of relevance. Hence, this series on ‘The Christian Mind’! I want to challenge all of us to live an unadulterated Christian life – a community of people who are genuinely caring and loving regardless of color, faith and ethnicity. I want us to go out there to show the love of Christ through our words and our actions. I want people to appreciate having a Christian community around them. We used to exert such influence. But over the years, things have changed and we have lost its glow.

Today, I want to claim that back. I want all of us to be in the forefront of changing our world for the better; providing better healthcare, establishing proper education and eradicating poverty mindset. I pray we can see an obvious change in our generation and do something that will make God proud!

Phew! I am excited!

KEV

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Dear Church,

Greetings in the blessed name of Jesus!

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

This week is very special because it is a time for us to honor and appreciate all our fathers. Fathers are very important in our lives because they provide for us, not just material needs but also spiritual direction. They need to work hard in the marketplace to earn money and build us up spiritually at the same time. Their responsibility is heavy. Spiritual leadership at home is a 24/7 deal. He cannot take a break and have a vacation from being our father. It is a big, heavy commitment. As a result of such demands on them, they sometimes find it hard to balance between the two. Very often people misunderstand them, thinking that they are neglecting the family. But the contrary is true. No fathers set out to just earn money and ignore their family. All of them want to do both well. It is the fine line of trying to juggle between work and family that is stressing them out.

So City Harvest, today, I want to teach you and challenge you to look at your dad differently. Learn to listen to what they are going through. Show them more love and understanding. Be interested in what they are doing. Genuinely want to know how they are doing. Fervently pray for them. I believe if we change our attitude toward them, we will soon see the changes in them. Our fathers are very precious to us. They are humans too. So, do not for a split second think that they do not need our love and our attention. Be brave now… go and do something different for them. Show them that you care and that you mean it! If you do all these that I am telling you, I honestly believe your relationship with your dad will never ever be the same again!

Happy Father’s Day once again and make it a memorable one for him…

See you next week,

KEV

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Dear Church,

Greetings in the blessed name of Jesus!

How are you doing? Another week had come and gone and I pray that you have had a very fruitful and blessed week. Sometimes when I think about it, it can get pretty scary because the days seem to be passing so quickly. Unknowingly, it is already Friday… and then Saturday and then Monday once again. And soon it will be December!!!

We are not getting any younger so I want to ask all of us to really seize our day. If there is a dream in your heart, pursue it. If there is someone that you love, express it. If there is any adventures still undone, go for it! If there is an idea in your mind, say it. Don’t be afraid of what people think. Don’t be easily discouraged by the words of men! There bound to be pessimists. There is bound to be people who will reject our ideas. But my dear friends, we only have one life to live. So why don’t we live it to the fullest, the best we know how for the glory of God? Why don’t we use all the talents and gifts that God has given to us and be a blessing? Touch a life. Heal a soul. Do something that would leave an indelible mark in this land that we love.

Jesus wants us to connect with the world out there. He wants us to be engaging. He wants us to witness to them and win them over. And that is the reason why He blesses us with gifts and empowers us with His Holy Spirit. So my friends, be real when we meet someone. Be sincere when we hang out with them. We have a lifetime to evangelize so let’s do this journey together with joy and love. Don’t rush. Don’t be pushy. Don’t be forceful. Take your time. Enjoy the friendship. Let the life of Christ flow out of you through your conduct and your speech.

With this new mindset, I truly believe our church will become more relevant and more in touch with the world.

Enjoy the ride,

KEV

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Dear Church,

Greetings in the blessed name of Jesus!

How are you all doing? I pray that this edition of Word Weekly finds you blessed and very productive. First and foremost, I would like to warmly welcome Ps. Andrew Gray into our midst. He is the Senior Pastor of Mount Annan CCC, Sydney, a very vibrant and Spirit-filled congregation. This is the first time Ps. Andrew is here so I want to ask all of you to come prepared to receive the Word of God. Don’t just come to be blessed, come prepared to be transformed by the power of God! Amen!

By the way, I also want to take this opportunity to remind all of us that 50% of 2009 is gone. We have come to the 2nd half of the year. Are you still on track with your visions and values? Have you been tracking your growth and progress? If you have done so, keep up the good work. If you have not done so, may I encourage you to take some time out to do so this week? All of us need to evaluate all that we have done or failed to do. We need to improve on our weaknesses and make changes to areas that we are weak in. This is the only way to grow. We cannot continually ignore our shortcomings.

If you have a problem with your spending habit, then perhaps it is time to cancel your credit cards! If you have a problem with your attitude, then perhaps you need to work on your emotions and reactions. If you are not doing well in your studies, then perhaps it is time for you to just stay focus on work on those subjects that you are weak in. Success in life is all about choices. And if you want to see a change in your life then you must be prepared to do something that you have never done before. There can be no achievement without sacrifice!

Lastly, may I remind all of you that this weekend is our WARCHEST WEEKEND. Let’s give what we have pledged to God and expect a mighty harvest from Him.


Running with you,

KEV