from believers to workers to leaders

In acts29 we believe in forming leaders/disciples.
Jesus was always in the business of making disciples. He went out of his way to win the lost, build the faith believers and equiped the workers. On top of all this Jesus went one step further in disiple-making. He multipled and sent leaders out. His apprentice leaders were led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. They grew from stength to strength, from grace to grace.

Jesus continues to make disciples in our world today. We need our youth believers to develop into workers! Sometimes there are members who are just happy attending sessions and receiving but they have to start working and do their part in building God's kingdom. One does not have to possess any special attribute or talent to be a worker-leader. God can use anyone!

Our youth workers need to be identified, encouraged, equipped and mobilized to become leaders within our community for kingdom-building. But what is needed to help a youth disciple of Jesus to become a leader? the right candidates must be 1st identified.

Who are the emerging leaders?
An emerging leader is one who is available, faithful, teachable and responsive.

Availability is the 1st key to leadership and kingdom-building! One needs to be available for the Lord in order to work for His kingdom. Available youth disciples are those who clear their calendar to make the Great Commission a priority in their lives.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)

Faithfulness is the next key for leadership. These youths demonstrate endurance over a period of time. We can epxect spiritual consistency and predictability from these youths. Spiritual consistency meaning they maintain a faithful prayer life and participate in the sacraments of the Church. These youths know they can draw strength from the Lord.

Teachable youth disciples posssess humility and accountability. They are humble enough to learn and to be accountable to leadership.

Responsive youth disciples possess team spirit! The are enthusiastic and passionate. They spread this contagious enthusiasm and passion to others in the community.
When a youth leader is passionate about Jesus, other youths catch the bug from them, to be committed to Jesus.

Jesus the Lord is risen! Hallelujah!

Hello World! I am breathing once again!
Since I got back from the Phils... I've had no time to come here! that's how busy it's been..

A Big Thank You to all the guys and gals who came down for the 24hour FAST. 138 of you made it possible... You went without food... You danced you sang and kept everyone's energy up throughout.. by being you - youths! Well Done! I was amazed that there were non-Catholics who came too.. Awesome! Together we raised $2317 (if I remember correctly) for Catholic Charities week... Go on say it "We did it!!!" Now that we're in Eastertide, dun forget the less fortunate around us ok? remember to come out of your comfort zone often and take the time to be a neighbour to others.

For those of you are who are wondering... yup! 24 hour FAST will be back next year.. 3rd week of LENT. But it will be different... we're in the process of revamping and redesigning the program to keep it new and relevant with the times. It may not even be 24hours.. 24hours is a piece of cake rite? shall we try for 30 hours? For those of you who have participated and you'd like to come back as a volunteer.. just tag us or drop us an email, yah??

One thing I realized during the FAST was that a whole new generation of youths have surfaced... and I know they are a new generation cos this group of teens (15-16year olds) do not know who Mother Teresa is. Some teens i know don't recognise her face. Mother Teresa was, for my friends and I, an icon of compassion and love. It was she who said, "We can only do small things with great love"

While she was alive, she was so very real. Her work was real and genuine and had great impact on vast numbers of people. Today her work and mission lives on especially through the Missionaries of Charity, an order she had set up. Mother Teresa has had a great impact on my life. When I think about justice in the world, I think of Mother Teresa's efforts. Even though she died 11 years ago.. it seems to me, like she had only just recently left us.

If it was only 10 years ago that Jesus had walked on this Earth, died and rose from the dead, how much of an impact would it have on my life today? Would it be more real 10 years ago than 2000 years ago? For those who were too young to know Mother Teresa then, is she just a story to them? for all of us who had yet to be born 2000 years ago, is Christ's resurrection just a story to us?

What impact has the resurection of Jesus made on our lives as believers?

As we read of the days after Easter, we see dramatic changes in the lives of the apostles. From a group of hopeless frightened men, they found hope in the Risen Lord. They recieved the power of the Holy Spirit and built a Christian community which we can read about in Acts 2:42. They went out to preach the Good News. Miracles and wonders took place and the community grew daily. These ordinary men and women had their hearts set ablaze for Jesus. In today's world, we would call them crazy radicals or Jesus freaks or "Christians". Wait a minute.. what does that make us? That makes us crazy radicals, Jesus freaks - fools for Christ! Are we?

Are we today as passionate as the early Christian community was? Are we sharing all we have with those in need? Do we serve the Lord? Where are the miracles and wonders? How is it we don't see such things? Today as I am blogging, someone somewhere is giving his life to our Risen Lord. Someone somewhere is being healed, walking for the 1st time. Someone has his sight restored. All this is happening in Jesus' name...

By whose name do we live? by our own name? or by the risen Lord? By whose name is all authority given to? by our name? or by the risen Lord? Jesus came to give us life to the full. Have we opened out hearts to this life? Jesus gives us his resurrection so we can claim his victory for our lives. So we don't have to get by on 2nd best anymore. We don't have to be afraid to live as Christians (to love God as he deserves) aka crazy radicals, Jesus freaks, fools for Christ.

"... we come through all these things triumphantly victorious, by the power of him who loved us. For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nothing already in existence and nothing still to come, nor any power, nor the heights nor the depths, nor any created thing whatever, will be able to come between us and the love of God, known to us in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-38

If you havent' done so.. proclaim to one new person everyday: " Jesus the Lord is risen! Hallelujah!"