Goodbye 2007, hello 2008

Well, it's Dec 31st, notably the day when everyone wants to go somewhere or be somewhere celebrating the last day of the year and ushering in the new year. I'll be spending my "countdown" at church with my spiritual family. As usual, we'll be having praise and worship and give thanks to God for His blessings upon us for this year and also give our annual thanksgiving offering. The only different item is there will be performances by various church members namely a skit, acapella, violin presentation and others. So this year will start with a tiny bit of difference.

As I've told some friends, my mind has already been in 2008 mode for almost a month. There are a lot of things that have been going through my mind. My relationship with God, my role to play in my local church, my role in my own ministry and my job at GRC. These are things that are currently the closest to my heart.

I think in 2007 my relationship with God has taken a different tangent altogether. I always used to see who God is in a group - cell group, church, youth group, friends - but in 2007, I began to see God minus the crowd. Which is something I had unconsciously thought about when I was at RLC for the planetshakers workshop earlier this year. I had wished to see God and know Him away from the crowd. Well, I got what I wanted and I didn't even formally petition God for it. Thank You so much for answering that prayer of mine, God! For 2008, God, I want to rediscover and deepen that joy I have in relating with You. God, let Your will manifest in this request of mine. I know I still need correction and discipline. Bring it on! I'll go through anything just to come out stronger and more like You, Lord!

I love my church - World Harvest Church - alot. It's the place where I grew spiritually and found real friends who cared for me both emotionally and spiritually. It's the place where I find that Christianity is preached and practised to the best it can. And truly, I want to take 2008 as a time to reflect and explore what are my roles to play in this church. I want to reactivate my commitment to evangelism and see myself rise up in spiritual maturity. I want to be a team player. I feel I haven't been much of a team player in 2007 though it wasn't my choice. I feel I can do more. I want to try to do more.

What is my own ministry? There are no words that can accurately describe everyone's ministry. I highly doubt I have any pastoral calling nor am I an apostle. But I do know that God has given me a calling to serve Him all the days of my life. That much I know it will suffice. Because my deepest desire in ministry is to be able to be so flexible and dynamic for God. If He wills me to continue to minister to the youth, then so be it. If He wants me to minister to the sick and dying in the hospitals, let His will be done. I realise that I'd rather not know for now so soon what is my calling specifically, because it gives me opportunity to see every need and minister without reservation. I don't want to be just stuck on one ministry, but I want to be diverse. God, use me in 2008.

And lastly, my job. Working in GRC is something I have always given thanks for ever since the day I joined the happy family of GRCians. This job has taught me and is still teaching me about how God is using the younger generation to impact the world. It's a privilege to be able to be a part of God's plan in using them to preach the gospel and change their peers. I don't think I dislike children as much as I used to in the past thanks to this job^^ Of course there have been ups and downs that I have been through while serving at GRC but at the end, God's grace enabled not only myself, but all the staff, to persevere and come out victorious. I am praying and hoping that 2008 will be an even more successful year in seeing the children discipled and trained by the Lord and see them achieve and make known their testimony to everyone. I'm staying on for 2008 and I know that 2008 will be a year of change. Already, I am experiencing the changes as I write these words. But by God's grace, I will see 2008 be a different year because God is in it!