D shared with me yesterday tat his mum only had a few days left. His mum has cancer. He sounded strong, and said tat he is at least comforted that his mum has been baptised.
I didn't know that the news affected me so much, until I dreamt.
I had a nightmare. Of someone v close to me, dying. And it was terrible. In my dream I was bawling, crying, wailing. And I grabbed that person v close...but it was as if life sipped out of her life..and all I could do was cry.
I felt lost.
A deep sense of loss...
A part of me gone...
I din know I cared so much for her.
And then..momentarily..it gave me an inkling of how D felt.
When D put down the phone he said...so you must treasure your parents and those close to u. Indeed we must.
How vulnerable a life is. How easy to fall. How life..can be cut off..in a sec...
Almighty God..I pray for the soul...of my frens.
There's gotto be an urgency for them.
---
Been pretty stressed out. WJ has been great encouragement. He is also doing thesis. Fellow ple in the same boat. I'm not sure I've encouraged him much. But he is really angelic to msg me jia you at different times of the day. :) Thank God for frens. Once again...yups.
Collected guitar today! yay! Super happy. I might have to play for cg. Cos mel has got her promotion, and wun be able to attend fri cg regularly. Yups. So must master it pretty soon.
---
In a while, I will be attending YM's wedding. The first wedding dinner I'm attending of a peer! Well, she is 2 years older. But it is a wonderful experience of rejoicing. Hoho..Yay...
The amazing cycles of life.
Reminds me of Fann Wong's song...
Ren you bei huan li he..
Yue you yin qin yuan que
Reminds me also of Eccl..
There's a time for everything
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Following Only the Father's Commands
Tuesday, March 15, 2005by Os Hillman
Jesus gave them this answer: ''I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.'' ~ John 5:19
Have you ever thought about a typical day in Jesus' life? Perhaps He might have had questions like these, "Who am I going to heal today? Who will I visit today? Which person will I deliver from demons this day?" etc. The demands on Jesus' time were great. Yet we see that Jesus allocated His time very deliberately. We don't get the idea that Jesus was flustered or stressed from the activity He was involved in. He often sought times of prayer and reflection away from the disciples. His life appeared to have a balance of quiet moments and active ministry into the lives He came in contact with. ?How do we determine what we will be involved in each day of our lives? What keeps us in sync with the will of our heavenly Father for the daily tasks He calls us to? Jesus tells us that He was only involved in those things the Father was involved in. Nothing more, nothing less. So often we determine our participation in an activity based on whether we have the time to do it or whether we desire to participate. The real question we should ask is, "Does the Father want me to participate in this activity?"
"Lord, should I add this Bible study to my schedule? Should I spend an extra night out on this committee this week? Should I take on new business that will take me away from home more? Should my daughter be involved in music lessons?" These are the daily challenges for the world we now live in. We are an activity-based society that often encourages more and more activity, often in the name of Christian virtue. ?Our lives will become less cluttered, less stressful, and more fulfilling when we follow the model Jesus provided. It may not always please everyone. Jesus never sought to please everyone. Ask the Lord each day this week how you and He are to spend your time. Yield your schedule to Him. Let Jesus direct your every activity. You may discover that He desires you to cut back some things in order to spend more time alone with Him. He will be faithful to show you. And you will become more fulfilled because you are centered in His will for you.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005by Os Hillman
Jesus gave them this answer: ''I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.'' ~ John 5:19
Have you ever thought about a typical day in Jesus' life? Perhaps He might have had questions like these, "Who am I going to heal today? Who will I visit today? Which person will I deliver from demons this day?" etc. The demands on Jesus' time were great. Yet we see that Jesus allocated His time very deliberately. We don't get the idea that Jesus was flustered or stressed from the activity He was involved in. He often sought times of prayer and reflection away from the disciples. His life appeared to have a balance of quiet moments and active ministry into the lives He came in contact with. ?How do we determine what we will be involved in each day of our lives? What keeps us in sync with the will of our heavenly Father for the daily tasks He calls us to? Jesus tells us that He was only involved in those things the Father was involved in. Nothing more, nothing less. So often we determine our participation in an activity based on whether we have the time to do it or whether we desire to participate. The real question we should ask is, "Does the Father want me to participate in this activity?"
"Lord, should I add this Bible study to my schedule? Should I spend an extra night out on this committee this week? Should I take on new business that will take me away from home more? Should my daughter be involved in music lessons?" These are the daily challenges for the world we now live in. We are an activity-based society that often encourages more and more activity, often in the name of Christian virtue. ?Our lives will become less cluttered, less stressful, and more fulfilling when we follow the model Jesus provided. It may not always please everyone. Jesus never sought to please everyone. Ask the Lord each day this week how you and He are to spend your time. Yield your schedule to Him. Let Jesus direct your every activity. You may discover that He desires you to cut back some things in order to spend more time alone with Him. He will be faithful to show you. And you will become more fulfilled because you are centered in His will for you.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
I saw a light..
Yesterday during Pastor Benny Hinn...
I saw a light...a vision of God's glory. And it was Holy.
Came to my mind...Woe is me, I am undone..for I saw the glory of the Lord.
And then He filled my heart with His love.
And covered me with His righteousness and glory.
I felt Him surround me. The Holy Spirit.
And He said...let go...
For I care for u.
and I LOVE you.
Praise God for the healings and miracles....blind woman saw, lame can walk.
Expressions of God's love for mankind, and His children.
The lyrics went....God made us whole. He made our soul whole. Something like that.
And suddenly I knew tat my broken heart was made whole.
Just like the people who had physical healing...
He took my heart and healed it.
I saw a light...a vision of God's glory. And it was Holy.
Came to my mind...Woe is me, I am undone..for I saw the glory of the Lord.
And then He filled my heart with His love.
And covered me with His righteousness and glory.
I felt Him surround me. The Holy Spirit.
And He said...let go...
For I care for u.
and I LOVE you.
Praise God for the healings and miracles....blind woman saw, lame can walk.
Expressions of God's love for mankind, and His children.
The lyrics went....God made us whole. He made our soul whole. Something like that.
And suddenly I knew tat my broken heart was made whole.
Just like the people who had physical healing...
He took my heart and healed it.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Breathe in and out (tats wat Feng suggested)
Harllos
It is strange coming home to an empty house. Can hear the quietness and the ping of a needle falling on the ground. Strange not having mummy ask me if I had eaten. No daddy sitting in front of TV. Had thot I would feel liberated hehe..even had thots of moving out as well..gaining independence.
I can imagine how ple who stay alone come home to an empty hse. Hehs. I guess I dun really like the feeling. Its like nobody loves u kinda feeling.
I am feeling the stress from my thesis. I am still analysing the interviews and trying to generate theory. I can find a few theories, but the few theories dun hold ground in ALL the cases. And the thesis is due in 25 days..and I need abt 3 days for binding, 2 days at least for refining/aligning/proof-reading the first draft?
So I've 20 days.
Out of these 20 days I wun be spending all my time on my thesis ofcos...
Now I have done about 45 pages. I need 80 pages.
About 20 of the 45 pages may end up in the appendix. So I have 25 pages done.
AAHHHH!!! Help!!
:S
Now is the time to walk the talk. Been telling ple to have faith. Now crucial moment..XJ, can u have the faith?
Yes Yes and Yes!
Went to comp lab today..saw Kel. Kel was super upset cos of the results he got from the survey weren't good...walked past WJ, raymond...heh...all super stress.
We all know that the discouraged cannot encourage the discouraged. How can... So therefore I need to fill myself with God's strength..so tat I can have the courage too! And not be a whiner...or join the whiner party.
Lord, give me the strength, grace and wisdom!
It is strange coming home to an empty house. Can hear the quietness and the ping of a needle falling on the ground. Strange not having mummy ask me if I had eaten. No daddy sitting in front of TV. Had thot I would feel liberated hehe..even had thots of moving out as well..gaining independence.
I can imagine how ple who stay alone come home to an empty hse. Hehs. I guess I dun really like the feeling. Its like nobody loves u kinda feeling.
I am feeling the stress from my thesis. I am still analysing the interviews and trying to generate theory. I can find a few theories, but the few theories dun hold ground in ALL the cases. And the thesis is due in 25 days..and I need abt 3 days for binding, 2 days at least for refining/aligning/proof-reading the first draft?
So I've 20 days.
Out of these 20 days I wun be spending all my time on my thesis ofcos...
Now I have done about 45 pages. I need 80 pages.
About 20 of the 45 pages may end up in the appendix. So I have 25 pages done.
AAHHHH!!! Help!!
:S
Now is the time to walk the talk. Been telling ple to have faith. Now crucial moment..XJ, can u have the faith?
Yes Yes and Yes!
Went to comp lab today..saw Kel. Kel was super upset cos of the results he got from the survey weren't good...walked past WJ, raymond...heh...all super stress.
We all know that the discouraged cannot encourage the discouraged. How can... So therefore I need to fill myself with God's strength..so tat I can have the courage too! And not be a whiner...or join the whiner party.
Lord, give me the strength, grace and wisdom!
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Good morning
Yeah its morning! Listening to "Hero" in the background, courtesy of Mainer's website.
My parents are off to a leadership training camp at a bible seminary from thur to sat. Haha. My parents..who used to be anti-church, pragmatist. Now, going for leadership training. :) Praise God. With God all things are possible.
This week Rev Benny Hinn is coming to the indoor stadium to preach. Heard it will really be crowded, with ple flying from indonesia, malaysia etc, ple buying their own air tkts to come. Pastor Audrey says tat the church office was flooded with phone calls from christians wanting to reserve seats in the indoor stadium. There's one church that's even bringing 400 ple! So expected to be really crowded. Heard of ple going at 12pm to queue..some foreigners camping overnight! Haha...so N272, wat time are u guys meeting? :)
Tmr bizad is having a prayer meeting. Organised by Derrick. Am expecting God to move mightily. I pray for open hearts. I will be sharing my testimony. Derrick will share somemore. Then also hoping we get to pray for some of them and minister to them. Lets see how God will move. God, is tis the time u r talking abt? The revival tat U showed me?
Exciting times ...Roy is going down to Temasek Sec to preach today. Pray for him. Ziling..his mbrs, invited him down, to speak to a group of 10-20 of them.
In the midst of all these there are the hiccups/obstacles. Sigh..I quote..the greater the calling, the greater the depth and width of your faith experiences. Things have not been so smooth in the forum, emotions..Challenges in my life. The door is open but the adversaries are many. Therefore pray pray and pray.
My parents are off to a leadership training camp at a bible seminary from thur to sat. Haha. My parents..who used to be anti-church, pragmatist. Now, going for leadership training. :) Praise God. With God all things are possible.
This week Rev Benny Hinn is coming to the indoor stadium to preach. Heard it will really be crowded, with ple flying from indonesia, malaysia etc, ple buying their own air tkts to come. Pastor Audrey says tat the church office was flooded with phone calls from christians wanting to reserve seats in the indoor stadium. There's one church that's even bringing 400 ple! So expected to be really crowded. Heard of ple going at 12pm to queue..some foreigners camping overnight! Haha...so N272, wat time are u guys meeting? :)
Tmr bizad is having a prayer meeting. Organised by Derrick. Am expecting God to move mightily. I pray for open hearts. I will be sharing my testimony. Derrick will share somemore. Then also hoping we get to pray for some of them and minister to them. Lets see how God will move. God, is tis the time u r talking abt? The revival tat U showed me?
Exciting times ...Roy is going down to Temasek Sec to preach today. Pray for him. Ziling..his mbrs, invited him down, to speak to a group of 10-20 of them.
In the midst of all these there are the hiccups/obstacles. Sigh..I quote..the greater the calling, the greater the depth and width of your faith experiences. Things have not been so smooth in the forum, emotions..Challenges in my life. The door is open but the adversaries are many. Therefore pray pray and pray.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Obstacles..
Ah!!
Dr. Vivian rejected us to be GOH. :( Now we need someone else...
And the sponsors want to know who is the GOH.
No GOH no sponsor...
No sponsor no 50K.
God, You are my provider!! Please provide one for me?
Dr. Vivian rejected us to be GOH. :( Now we need someone else...
And the sponsors want to know who is the GOH.
No GOH no sponsor...
No sponsor no 50K.
God, You are my provider!! Please provide one for me?
Monday, March 07, 2005
What is love?
Prov 30:18-19
18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Yes, four which I do not understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the midst of the sea, And the way of a man with a virgin.
Yups, this comes from the bible.
One of the most complexed thing in the world, I think is the love betw a man and a woman. It is complexed yet it is a beautiful and wonderful thing.
What is love all about?
Love is defined as 1Cor13:4-8
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails.
Love is then seeking the best for the other. Love is then, not just an emotional feeling, but it is also balanced with logic. Balanced with issues.
If therefore with the issues, one does not perceive the r/s will go on long termed, starting anything will only hurt one another.
If one has the maturity to see it, one doesn't start it in the first place.
Does it mean one does not love the other? Nope. But it is a mature thing to do. It is because you love the other too much, and know that this decision works for both of you.
And you move on.
Love....
What is love all about?
:)
18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Yes, four which I do not understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the midst of the sea, And the way of a man with a virgin.
Yups, this comes from the bible.
One of the most complexed thing in the world, I think is the love betw a man and a woman. It is complexed yet it is a beautiful and wonderful thing.
What is love all about?
Love is defined as 1Cor13:4-8
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails.
Love is then seeking the best for the other. Love is then, not just an emotional feeling, but it is also balanced with logic. Balanced with issues.
If therefore with the issues, one does not perceive the r/s will go on long termed, starting anything will only hurt one another.
If one has the maturity to see it, one doesn't start it in the first place.
Does it mean one does not love the other? Nope. But it is a mature thing to do. It is because you love the other too much, and know that this decision works for both of you.
And you move on.
Love....
What is love all about?
:)
Friday, March 04, 2005
CG was great today!
Hehe the title speaks in all lar.
I'm happy to see all of us bonding together. haha..brotherly love (and sisterly ofcos!!)
A member: Actually I came to church to look for frens
Me: So did you find?
A member: Yah.
:)
God is doing a new work in our lives...really...renewed love for Him.
---
Prof Wong replied my email. With very enlightening suggestions for my thesis. HEhe. So happy. I can move forward again. 31 more days..jia you!
Tmr is Victorian's day. Going back to VJ!!
I'm happy to see all of us bonding together. haha..brotherly love (and sisterly ofcos!!)
A member: Actually I came to church to look for frens
Me: So did you find?
A member: Yah.
:)
God is doing a new work in our lives...really...renewed love for Him.
---
Prof Wong replied my email. With very enlightening suggestions for my thesis. HEhe. So happy. I can move forward again. 31 more days..jia you!
Tmr is Victorian's day. Going back to VJ!!
My spiritual gift! Cool
http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi
Spiritual Gifts
Strength
Evangelism
18
Prophecy
11
Teaching
13
Exhortation
13
Pastor/Shepherd
19
Showing Mercy
19
Serving
10
Giving
10
Administration
14
About Your Spiritual Gifts
The results of your Spiritual Gifts Inventory indicate that your number one dominant gift is MERCY SHOWING! The Greek word "ellco" means to feel sympathy with or for others. As a mercy-shower you have the Spirit-given capacity and desire to serve God by identifying with and comforting those who are in distress. You understand and comfort your fellow Christian. You enter into the grief or happiness of others and have the ability to show empathy which is to feel WITH others, not just for others.
As a mercy-shower you are willing to deal with and minister to people who have needs that most people feel very uncomfortable working with. You seem to say the right thing at the right time. Your personality is likely one of soft-spoken love. It hurts you to scold someone; you are very non-condemning. People love you because of all the love you give them. You find it easy to express yourself and are outgoing with a low-key, inoffensive personality. You are easy to talk to, responsive to people, a good listener, peaceable, and agreeable. You tend to make decisions based on feelings more than fact and like to think about things for a while before making a decision.
In your burden to comfort others, your heart goes out to the poor, the aged, the ill, the underprivileged, and so on. You tend to attract people who are hurting or rejoicing because you identify with them. Be careful not to let others use you. Try not to resent others who are not as understanding as you. Refrain from becoming a gossiper when you are around other mercy-showers. Do not let your circumstances control you. Because of your supernatural ability to show mercy, others accuse you of taking up for people, being a softy and a compromiser. They may think you are too emotional.
Mercy-showers make excellent counselors. However, left untrained, you may destroy yourself by your tendency to take people's problems home with you. Your empathy can become detrimental without personal training on how to deal with it.
Beware of Satan's attack on your gift. He can cause pride because of your ability to relate to others. He may influence you to disregard rules and authority. You may experience a lack of discipline because of strong feeling for those who hurt due to disobedience and sin. Don't fall into Satan's trap of complaining and griping.
HOW CAN YOU USE YOUR GIFT? Your gift is used best in times of sorrow and in times of great joy. It fits well with another gift of service such as deacon, youth worker or hospital visitation. With a counseling course, you could become a good counselor. You may serve as a hospital, nursing home, or shut-in worker; a funeral coordinator and provider of sympathy and support; or a poverty center worker. You would do well as an usher or greeter and welcome center worker or hospitality person. You may want to work in a telephone ministry. You would make people feel welcome on a newcomer visitation team. Other appropriate ministry areas include missions, committee member, furlough assistance, and correspondence helper. You would work well with the elderly and with people who have mental and physical disabilities, in nursing, and with special ministries to migrants, released offenders or abused children and women.
The results of your Spiritual Gifts Inventory indicate that your second dominant gift is PASTORING/SHEPHERDING! The Greek word "poimen" means pastor. In Paul's spiritual gifts listing in Ephesians 4:11, this term is translated "pastor." Although the word "poimen" is translated pastor only one time in Scripture it is used sixteen additional times. The remaining sixteen are all translated "shepherd." Therefore, we are actually discussing the GIFT of shepherding, not the POSITION of pastor. Though a good pastor must have the gift of shepherding, everyone who has the gift of shepherding is not called to be pastor. The gift can be used in many positions in a church.
As a gifted shepherd, you have the Spirit-given capacity and desire to serve God by overseeing, training, and caring for the needs of a group of Christians. You are usually very patient, people-centered, and willing to spend time in prayer for others. You tend to be a "Jack of All and Master of ONE," meaning you are usually dominant in one of the speaking gifts (evangelist, prophet, teacher, exhorter) as well. You are often authoritative, more a leader than a follower, and expressive, composed, and sensitive. Your pleasing personality draws people to you.
You have a burden to see others learn and grow and are protective of those under your care. You want to present the whole Word of God and do not like to present the same materials more than once. You are willing to study what is necessary to feed your group and are more relationship oriented than task oriented. You are a peace-maker and diplomat - very tolerant of people's weaknesses. You tend to remember people's names and faces. You are more concerned with doing for others than others doing for you. You are faithful and devoted and may become a workaholic. You can become an all-purpose person in order to meet needs.
People with the gift of shepherding make the best Sunday school teachers and group leaders because their desire is to go beyond just teaching or leading, to shepherd and minister to the daily needs of their students. The position of Sunday school teacher or group leader is an extension of the pastoral ministry in the church. These groups should be shepherded on a small scale the same as the pastor shepherds the whole congregation on a large scale.
Be careful to involve other people; don't try to do it all yourself. Work on making people accountable. Do not be overly protective of your "flock." Because of these potentially weak areas, other people may think it is your job to do all the work; they rely too heavily on you. You may be expected to be available at all times, know all the answers, and be at every function. Learn when to say no.
Beware of Satan's attack on your gift. He will cause discouragement when the load gets heavy, and pride because your "sheep" look up to you. You may develop family problems because of too little time and attention. You may become selfish when "sheep" feed in other pastures.
HOW CAN YOU USE YOUR GIFT? This gift is a great help in many areas. You may serve as a Sunday school teacher, small group leader, pastor or assistant pastor, bus captain, special ministry leader (such as youth, children, men, etc.), nursery worker or as a half-way house or other type shelter volunteer. You may consider serving as a dormitory leader in a college, orphanage, children's home, etc. Scout troops would appreciate your assistance as a den leader.
Spiritual Gifts
Strength
Evangelism
18
Prophecy
11
Teaching
13
Exhortation
13
Pastor/Shepherd
19
Showing Mercy
19
Serving
10
Giving
10
Administration
14
About Your Spiritual Gifts
The results of your Spiritual Gifts Inventory indicate that your number one dominant gift is MERCY SHOWING! The Greek word "ellco" means to feel sympathy with or for others. As a mercy-shower you have the Spirit-given capacity and desire to serve God by identifying with and comforting those who are in distress. You understand and comfort your fellow Christian. You enter into the grief or happiness of others and have the ability to show empathy which is to feel WITH others, not just for others.
As a mercy-shower you are willing to deal with and minister to people who have needs that most people feel very uncomfortable working with. You seem to say the right thing at the right time. Your personality is likely one of soft-spoken love. It hurts you to scold someone; you are very non-condemning. People love you because of all the love you give them. You find it easy to express yourself and are outgoing with a low-key, inoffensive personality. You are easy to talk to, responsive to people, a good listener, peaceable, and agreeable. You tend to make decisions based on feelings more than fact and like to think about things for a while before making a decision.
In your burden to comfort others, your heart goes out to the poor, the aged, the ill, the underprivileged, and so on. You tend to attract people who are hurting or rejoicing because you identify with them. Be careful not to let others use you. Try not to resent others who are not as understanding as you. Refrain from becoming a gossiper when you are around other mercy-showers. Do not let your circumstances control you. Because of your supernatural ability to show mercy, others accuse you of taking up for people, being a softy and a compromiser. They may think you are too emotional.
Mercy-showers make excellent counselors. However, left untrained, you may destroy yourself by your tendency to take people's problems home with you. Your empathy can become detrimental without personal training on how to deal with it.
Beware of Satan's attack on your gift. He can cause pride because of your ability to relate to others. He may influence you to disregard rules and authority. You may experience a lack of discipline because of strong feeling for those who hurt due to disobedience and sin. Don't fall into Satan's trap of complaining and griping.
HOW CAN YOU USE YOUR GIFT? Your gift is used best in times of sorrow and in times of great joy. It fits well with another gift of service such as deacon, youth worker or hospital visitation. With a counseling course, you could become a good counselor. You may serve as a hospital, nursing home, or shut-in worker; a funeral coordinator and provider of sympathy and support; or a poverty center worker. You would do well as an usher or greeter and welcome center worker or hospitality person. You may want to work in a telephone ministry. You would make people feel welcome on a newcomer visitation team. Other appropriate ministry areas include missions, committee member, furlough assistance, and correspondence helper. You would work well with the elderly and with people who have mental and physical disabilities, in nursing, and with special ministries to migrants, released offenders or abused children and women.
The results of your Spiritual Gifts Inventory indicate that your second dominant gift is PASTORING/SHEPHERDING! The Greek word "poimen" means pastor. In Paul's spiritual gifts listing in Ephesians 4:11, this term is translated "pastor." Although the word "poimen" is translated pastor only one time in Scripture it is used sixteen additional times. The remaining sixteen are all translated "shepherd." Therefore, we are actually discussing the GIFT of shepherding, not the POSITION of pastor. Though a good pastor must have the gift of shepherding, everyone who has the gift of shepherding is not called to be pastor. The gift can be used in many positions in a church.
As a gifted shepherd, you have the Spirit-given capacity and desire to serve God by overseeing, training, and caring for the needs of a group of Christians. You are usually very patient, people-centered, and willing to spend time in prayer for others. You tend to be a "Jack of All and Master of ONE," meaning you are usually dominant in one of the speaking gifts (evangelist, prophet, teacher, exhorter) as well. You are often authoritative, more a leader than a follower, and expressive, composed, and sensitive. Your pleasing personality draws people to you.
You have a burden to see others learn and grow and are protective of those under your care. You want to present the whole Word of God and do not like to present the same materials more than once. You are willing to study what is necessary to feed your group and are more relationship oriented than task oriented. You are a peace-maker and diplomat - very tolerant of people's weaknesses. You tend to remember people's names and faces. You are more concerned with doing for others than others doing for you. You are faithful and devoted and may become a workaholic. You can become an all-purpose person in order to meet needs.
People with the gift of shepherding make the best Sunday school teachers and group leaders because their desire is to go beyond just teaching or leading, to shepherd and minister to the daily needs of their students. The position of Sunday school teacher or group leader is an extension of the pastoral ministry in the church. These groups should be shepherded on a small scale the same as the pastor shepherds the whole congregation on a large scale.
Be careful to involve other people; don't try to do it all yourself. Work on making people accountable. Do not be overly protective of your "flock." Because of these potentially weak areas, other people may think it is your job to do all the work; they rely too heavily on you. You may be expected to be available at all times, know all the answers, and be at every function. Learn when to say no.
Beware of Satan's attack on your gift. He will cause discouragement when the load gets heavy, and pride because your "sheep" look up to you. You may develop family problems because of too little time and attention. You may become selfish when "sheep" feed in other pastures.
HOW CAN YOU USE YOUR GIFT? This gift is a great help in many areas. You may serve as a Sunday school teacher, small group leader, pastor or assistant pastor, bus captain, special ministry leader (such as youth, children, men, etc.), nursery worker or as a half-way house or other type shelter volunteer. You may consider serving as a dormitory leader in a college, orphanage, children's home, etc. Scout troops would appreciate your assistance as a den leader.
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