Beginning the New Year on the Right Foot

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Today is the first work day of the year! Felt like a new beginning and SMSed my friends to wish them a good year with many good tidings and blessings.

Listening to Calling
My colleagues gathered for staff devotion today in my office and when I logged onto the "Our Daily Bread" website, I got a shock...

Today's daily bread spoke about committed Christians having to go through a 3-step conversion, "First to Christ, then to the church, and then back to the world." I have been thinking about how I can contribute back to church and I had been thinking of serving in the worship team since I like to sing but then came this, asking me to think how I will contribute back to the world, serving beyond the church?

I am thinking inside of me whether this is yet another sign of my calling to minister to my friend in the cult. I have seriously tried to put this at the back of my mind because I did not know how I am going to approach this matter. If you recall, a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I went to a cult meeting and while I have decided that I will not go back anymore, I just feel uncomfortable that my friend and many others are being misled, but I just do not know what to do.

Then came what might be a first sign of the calling... one of my cell group mates passed me a book on mission which reminded on how we should share about God and his love to those who have yet to know him. Not ministering to these people is just like knowing the cure for AIDS but keeping quiet about it. It is no use doing many good deeds for people but in the end not bringing them to salvation. This made me remember my friend and his friends who are in the cult and it seems to say to me that I shouldn't be leaving this as it is, knowing they are misled.

Then came what might be a second sign of the calling when the first sermon of the year preached on calling using the book of Jonah in the bible (incidentally, a couple of weeks ago, my colleague was sharing with me about this cute cartoon they saw with their child, about the story of Jonah). The book of Jonah spoke of how God has called upon Jonah, his messenger, to go to Nineveh to preach His word. Jonah refused to, because Nineveh was a vicious town and instead of going to Nineveh, he went the opposite direction. He was then caught in a storm and was swallowed by a giant fish. He eventually repented and went to Nineveh. Is there a parallel?

Now this third sign. I am not sure whether is this my calling at all? What if it is not a calling, maybe I am mistaken? How can it be me? I am a re-dedicated Christian and I do not know the Word strongly to minister to my friend, let alone bring them back. I am very lost.

Celebration of Blessings
Staff devotion today was deep despite no one prepared for the session today. Everyone, including myself, shared our testimony and how we had been blessed in our own ways by God. One of my colleagues spoke of how, despite his physical limitations (deaf and colour blind), he was placed in a missions school by his father (even though his family is not christian) and has been blessed through his life. I also shared my testimony and even about my recent calling. Another colleague spoke about how he has yet to forgive his father but today's sharing spoke to him on what he has to do. A new colleague shared about how her life had been unhappy lately and broke down halfway and another colleague told us that after 7 years of being a non-Christian in a Christian environment and reviewing Christianity, that she is now ready to accept Christ.

Somehow the discussion ended up with talking about trials and tribulations and I shared about what I heard and seen at one of the sermon about us being in God's umbrella, about how we are simultaneously under the umbrella of the church, our family and God and how bad things sometimes cause our faith to become weaker and push us outside of the umbrella of God. We then lament and lament and lament. I also shared how at the start of a new year, we should not only be hopefully of good tidings and blessings but also be prepared for trials and tribuations which would test us. Shared with everyone my favourite verse which has spoke to me during my time of crisis:

Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I even printed them on mini size cards and distributed them to my colleagues. :)

My First Movie
Spent one whole day yesterday playing my new game and made my first movie... check it out at http://movies.lionhead.com/movie/33935 :) This is fun!