BLOGPASTOR – Page 121 – blogging since 2004

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Blogpastor’s Identity Crisis

6 March 2017 blogpastor 8 Comments

A member came to me and said, “Congratulations”.

Oh you mean about the second grandchild.

“No, your blogpost on How To Get To Bukit Indah Shopping Mall By Bus is very high up on the Google search list”.

“My daughter had asked, Is that Pastor Kenny’s blog?”, she continued, “and I told her, Yes it is”.

“Wow, Yes I know about that. I have been seeing so many hits every week. There must be so many people going to Bukit Indah and needing step by step instructions”, I replied.

What! Has Blogpastor become Bus-pastor? My blog will soon lose its identity as a blog that is supposed to focus on Church & Spirituality and on the side some personal stuff. Now it is about how to get to Bukit Indah AEON shopping mall by bus!

Should I care? Should I take down that post? Then I will have to take down other popular posts like Mt Rinjani Or Mt Kinabalu: Which Is Tougher? or Car Repair In Johor: Worth The Hassle?

Beyond regular habits of prayer and Bible reading

28 February 2017 blogpastor 5 Comments

We are creatures of habit and this can be used to great advantage for the cultivation of a spiritual life. Regular habits of silence, solitude, examen, lectio divina and journaling have been established in my life over the last few years. This helps me greatly, but I want more.

More recently, I have been listening through the whole Bible online. I am now listening to audio readings of Exodus and Mark at the YouVersion Bible app. I am encouraged that it is more viable than I thought possible. Going through the Bible is a challenge for me. Now I have even gone through the complex book of Job which to me is quite an achievement. This helps me greatly but I want more.

There were several moments in recent weeks when I felt a holy discontent. Where it sprang from I cannot remember. They were invitations from a heavenly source. An invitation to go beyond routines and habits as important as these were. An invitation to love God with first love, with desire, passion, enthusiasm, and emotions. An invitation to love God with more than just my intellect and will.

We are to live out our spirituality by faith without depending heavily on our emotions. However, if will and mind set on following God can be accompanied by strong love and passion for my Lord in this long journey called life, why not? Having a love relationship devoid of emotions all my life is not my idea of a real relationship. God did not create emotions, desires and passions in me only to want it set aside when He relates to me. He wants my soul and desires to want Him and enthrone Him too.

I now pray more often for this grace: “Lord grant me a passionate love for You. I want to be able to love You with all my mind… AND emotions AND passion AND desires. Help me return to the first love.”

I know I cannot manufacture this. It’s not sustainable. It has to be a gift. A grace. So I ask in faith and wait patiently for Him to stir my affections as I seek Him during Lent.

Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ (Mark 12:29,30 The Message)

Appreciation Sunday for Cell Leaders

26 February 2017 blogpastor Leave a comment

Today’s Sunday Worship Service was devoted to encouraging and affirming and blessing our cell leaders for their works of faith, attitude of hope and love for God’s people. We had a meaningful, wonderful and inspiring morning. These were some of the things we did:

We let everyone know that we were going to appreciate the the cell leaders and reaffirm the importance of cells in spirituality.
The 25 minute sermon on Matthew 6:34 was a word in season for the cell leaders and members. A sermon about the purpose of cell groups is so hackneyed we decided not to do it. Ps Thomas spoke on “Living in the Present”, an exhortation to live fully in the present, and not to be stuck in the past, or to live in anxiety about the future.
A new member, Suling, shared with the congregation her thoughts about why the cell group was so beneficial for her growth.
Our youth worker Ethel Cannon-Shin shared how the new commandment of Jesus in John 13:34,35 should be the bedrock of the cell and how participation in a cell provides community.
We showed a video that stitched together every cell groups’ words of appreciation for their cell leaders. This was a clincher and it affirmed and energised every the cell leader.
We called all the cell leaders out to the front and asked all the cell members to gather around them and pray for them. Each cell leader received a gift of appreciation.
We had some special light refreshments: ang ku kueh, with a tortoise impressed upon the cake, to symbolise longevity. We do hope the cell leaders will be sustained by the grace of God, and the support of the cell core team, and will continue serving and leading for many years.

How does your church recognise, appreciate and celebrate the cell leaders’ contribution to church spirituality? Do use the comment box.

Cell appreciation from Tom Cannon on Vimeo.