The Branch is still able to bear Fruit.

Dear Pastor,

"areas of renewal"

Personal Renewal:

I want to be crisis-proficient. Somehow I feel that there will be always an incoming crisis whether in my personal life or ministry. During this season of accepting new people into the cell group, I realized that I have been called to deal with so much crisis "mismanagement". This is especially true when I feel weakest this year. All the hurts I sustained this half of the year is supposed to make me more "skillful". It is this intersection that I become the most involved. Sometimes, it even reflects upon my own life.

Since I cannot beat it, I might as well filter it down. A R Bernard said, "God’s pruning is to make it more fruitful." Which I feel that it is precisely where I have been tested consistently. He went on to describe about the Fruit is observed on the Branches and not on the Vine. This is the point that I feel that I have been put to bear fruits. It may be a crisis season, but the Branch is still able to bear Fruit.

Relational Renewal:

The ones that I allow access to me are really those whom I want to be identified with. For example, I allow a lot of access to Huizhen and Jimmy. It is really more than a choice or a garnishing; it is a learning process from them. I feel that their presence reaffirm a lot on Faithfulness and Integrity. They are people who are very forgiving and uplifting.

I would fight war with those who run the race. We need those people who are being included by the Heroes of Faith from Hebrews 12. Being a minister, it is easy to be consumed by power and favoritism. It becomes important for me remember the healthy intimacy towards those who reassumes my basic needs. It is easy for me to forget my First Love which should have always been my most basic relationship. In like manner, I need to reposition the crucial basics of those who have consistently uplifted me.

Purpose Renewal:

Reexamining the value of every activity in my life, I want to reposition myself in the area of raising more leaders which I have kind of neglected. Ever since last year in N182, I have been doing my best to communicate with the members, new or longer. But the one thing I have been a little slack over would be the disciples that I have in my group.

I want to repent and reposition this area of imparting into more people around me. Recently, I have received many encouragements (from zone and overseas mission trips) from people who have been updating themselves about my life. I need to make full use of the gift I have received from God: Open Doors. I could make use of myself more faithfully. The words and photography have become my tools of encouragement. I want to avail myself to raising good people who can be used for greater works in the longevity of the Kingdom of God.

Structural Renewal:

When pastor shared about "Don't confuse Movement with Progression", I felt checked. N182 has been praised by some leaders as a 'happy cell group' but one of my own fears is that it is becoming an activity center without a spiritual camp. I decided to spend more time on personally meeting up each and every connect group within and share on the topic of Revelation and Dreams.

I really am not sure whether I have done a good job because this is my first time having a mass discipleship other than regular cell group meetings. But to go into every detail fancied by the members' thoughts, I did feel a strange empowerment. I thoroughly enjoyed smiling and talking to each one of them about the Revelations that God has placed over them. Like a structure that needs renewing cells, the Bible says without Visions and Dreams, people perish. By undertaking their Revelations, we are revealing their Vision and Dream tunnels, and there is new life upon the cell group proper. I am already beginning to see the people are slowly getting happier and excited about living life. And this is the real activity of leading cell group: Life is good.

Cultural Renewal:

Pastor started by saying "There is a new shift of the impact of the organization on society." I know that I want to be part of that shift of impact. But it would require Responsibility Thinking.

While I was reading on Victor Lim Fei's writings ever since Pastor Kong's saga, I realized his personal efforts of going against a misinformed media. But more than that, I saw Responsibility Thinking on the inside. He was taking ownership of the situation.

Personally, I am not sure how I can create Cultural Renewal but I want to dare myself in the area of Responsibility Thinking. My new career demands a lot of Responsibility Thinking, especially in the area of leadership and project management. And Moses experienced the same thing, having to "own" God's people as His own. But this is it with dealing the Babylonian or Worldly culture. The first initiative is to "own" or proclaim ownership over the lost.

If you have read this far, I thank you.

Melvin