25th December 2011

My Private World:

Act of Devotion: I will observe 15-30 minutes silence to ponder over the gift of God in Jesus Christ, like Mary.

Act of Compassion: I will remember to do an act of kindness to a person that is least remembered by the family.

Accountability: At what moment this past week did you feel closest to Christ? What have I done this week so that Christ is better known and loved in my: family, vocation, community, small group, Christian community?

My Public World: Together with others,

Act of Worship: I will pray for the baptismal candidates as they are baptized this Sunday that they may grow in their discipleship in Jesus Christ.

Act of Justice: I will list down the number of Chinese people that will be spending Chinese New Year alone in Singapore and invite them to a church event/your family’s reunion dinner.

Accountability: At what moment this week did you respond to God’s call to be His disciple? Where did you participate in being the Church, the heartbeat of Christ?

11th December 2011

My Private World:

Act of Devotion: I will find out more about the Advent Wreath that the church is using during the Advent Season and participate with more understanding when I see the candles lighted. (just type “Advent Wreath” in any of the search engines).

Act of Compassion: I will speak a word of encouragement to one whose Christmas this year is dismal for one reason or another.

Accountability: At what moment this past week did you feel closest to Christ? What have I done this week so that Christ is better known and loved in my: family, vocation, community, small group, Christian community?

My Public World: Together with others,

Act of Worship: I will prepare a gift to the Lord (over and above my tithe) as an offering of thanksgiving as the year draws to a close even if I have no bonus to look forward to.

Act of Justice: I will follow up with our guests or those listed down in our prayer list. Invite them to our Christmas Day service (10am Sunday). Invite them to accompany you to the Alpha class in 2012.

Spiritual Promptings & Warnings: Discern the source of your inner thoughts and feelings.

Accountability: At what moment this week did you respond to God’s call to be His disciple? Where did you participate in being the Church, the heartbeat of Christ?

27th November 2011

My Private World:

Act of Devotion: List down the reasons to give thanks to the Lord for 2011 and if the Lord has shed light on the reason for some inexplicable trouble this year, take time to utter your thanks to the Lord.

Act of Compassion: I will show my gratitude to the Lord by answering someone’s prayer/plea for help this week.

Accountability: At what moment this past week did you feel closest to Christ? What have I done this week so that Christ is better known and loved in my: family, vocation, community, small group, Christian community?

My Public World: Together with others,

Act of Worship: I will fast and pray during the Advent season to reflect on the ways I would like to  better prepare myself and the church community for Jesus’ coming.

Act of Justice: I will look through the Christmas mailers asking for support and give generously to support one of these organizations as the Lord leads.

Spiritual Promptings & Warnings: Discern the source of your inner thoughts and feelings.

Accountability: At what moment this week did you respond to God’s call to be His disciple? Where did you participate in being the Church, the heartbeat of Christ?

13th November 2011

My Private World:

Act of Devotion: Take time daily to memorize Psalm 37 and allow the Spirit of God to etch these words on your heart.

Act of Compassion: I will begin praying for myself that as I set aside my resources for Christmas, I will give some portion of it (time, energy, involvement) to bless the less fortunate.

Accountability: At what moment this past week did you feel closest to Christ? What have I done this week so that Christ is better known and loved in my: family, vocation, community, small group, Christian community?

My Public World: Together with others,

Act of Worship: I will remember to worship God as I go on my vacations with other believers or members of the family, especially when the holiday crosses over a Sunday.

Act of Justice: We are at the threshold of new endeavours in social/community involvement, I will pray that our new avenue (s) for 2012 and beyond will be guided by God to meet real needs in community. I will volunteer to help if it is within my capacity to do so.

Spiritual Promptings & Warnings: Discern the source of your inner thoughts and feelings.

Accountability: At what moment this week did you respond to God’s call to be His disciple? Where did you participate in being the Church, the heartbeat of Christ? 

23rd October 2011

My Private World:

Act of Devotion: Take your focus off of getting stuff, have more of yourself available to focus on learning to love rightly, or taking time to be face-to-face with those in need, or learning Scripture, or learning how to depend on the Spirit. You can’t follow Christ and chase wealth; most of the time, the paths go in opposite directions.

Act of Compassion: I will use my sabbath to make visits to friends, and plan to do things with them. Invite people over for a dinner or barbecue or a sports get-together or a jam session.

Accountability: At what moment this past week did you feel closest to Christ? What have I done this week so that Christ is better known and loved in my: family, vocation, community, small group, Christian community?

My Public World: Together with others,

Act of Worship: I will refrain from checking and answering my emails, smsés, read the news in the Sanctuary because the Lord is already there waiting for me.

Act of Justice: I will join the church’s committee/body/entity be a prayer cell devoted to praying about what it has authority in, especially during this planning season of the year. We do not want to decide things in the same way politicians do for it is a holy task to make decisions in church.  I don’t mean offering up a quick ‘prayer’ to mark the beginning and end of meetings. (Sometimes I think Jesus is quite unhappy with us for taking His prayer in vain that way.) I mean really praying over each decision, both during the meeting and outside of it, and taking the time to listen for the Spirit’s voice about them.

Spiritual Promptings & Warnings: Discern the source of your inner thoughts and feelings.

Accountability: At what moment this week did you respond to God’s call to be His disciple? Where did you participate in being the Church, the heartbeat of Christ?

9th October 2011

My Private World:

Act of Devotion: Choose a psalm and use the words and ideas as seem to fit your situation, and pray that prayer to the Lord. Insert your own struggles and needs within the prayer.

Act of Compassion: I will read a psalm to a shut-in who needs encouragement.

Accountability: At what moment this past week did you feel closest to Christ? What have I done this week so that Christ is better known and loved in my: family, vocation, community, small group, Christian community?

My Public World: Together with others,

Act of Worship: I will praying for the Spirit to bear witness to those that do not believe through us. Pray that we will find the courage to use natural opportunities for bearing a more specific witness for Christ, particularly as we move closer to the season of Advent & Christmas.

Act of Justice: I will make the invisible kingdom visible through volunteering for the Angel Tree project.

Spiritual Promptings & Warnings: Discern the source of your inner thoughts and feelings.

Accountability: At what moment this week did you respond to God’s call to be His disciple? Where did you participate in being the Church, the heartbeat of Christ?

25th SEPTEMBER 2011

My Private World:

Act of Devotion: Quiet yourself before the Lord, allowing your focus to move from yourself and your circumstances to God and Who He Is. Choose one of the Names of God (look at some Psalms) and slowly read the scripture/s that speaks about this characteristic. Meditate on this quality of God and what it means to you.

Act of Compassion: Christ made it clear that the relationship with one’s neighbours was the key sign of the health of one’s relationship with God so bring the ministry of reconciliation into your relationships.

Accountability: At what moment this past week did you feel closest to Christ? What have I done this week so that Christ is better known and loved in my: family, vocation, community, small group, Christian community?

My Public World: Together with others,

Act of Worship: I will let each committee/body/entity, that I am a part of, be a prayer cell devoted to praying over each decision, both during the meeting and outside of it, and taking the time to listen for the Spirit’s voice about them.

Act of Justice: I will tune my senses to become aware of the deep evils in our society and resolve to pray and embrace it, seeking to know what I can and must do.

Spiritual Promptings & Warnings: Allow the Spirit to search your heart to discover the horrors that we have unwittingly sown in our own lives and the lives of others and lead you to repentance, confession and restitution.

Accountability: At what moment this week did you respond to God’s call to be His disciple? Where did you participate in being the Church, the heartbeat of Christ?

11th SEPTEMBER 2011

My Private World:

Act of Devotion: In faith, I will take time to prayerfully discern which are the promises that were meant for me to take to heart for right now and trust that God will honor His promises.

Act of Compassion: I will refrain from treating people according to a label [clown, stupid] can be almost as harmful when we mean good by it, because we’re not treating that specific person as the person they actually are.

Accountability: At what moment this past week did you feel closest to Christ? What have I done this week so that Christ is better known and loved in my: family, vocation, community, small group, Christian community?

My Public World: Together with others,

Act of Worship: I will spend at least some of my time doing the things that help to keep the faithful flock at Charis MC faithful and strong.

Act of Justice: I will tune my senses to become aware of the deep evils in our society and resolve to pray and embrace it, seeking to know what I can and must do.

Spiritual Promptings & Warnings: Discern the source of your inner thoughts and feelings.

Accountability: At what moment this week did you respond to God’s call to be His disciple? Where did you participate in being the Church, the heartbeat of Christ?

28th AUGUST 2011

My Private World:

Act of Devotion: Prayer isn’t always exciting. In fact, it usually isn’t. The habit is there, but the relationship is at a standstill. Take time to see what’s happening with you in prayer. Change where you pray and limit the number of persons who knows where you are praying, put the handphone, iPad away.

Act of Compassion: Confess to the Lord if you have allowed your anger against someone to fester instead of turning those energies to service. Listen to the Lord as He redirects you and obey.

Accountability: At what moment this past week did you feel closest to Christ? What have I done this week so that Christ is better known and loved in my: family, vocation, community, small group, Christian community?

My Public World: Together with others,

Act of Worship: As you worship, name a specific evil which is the strongest counter-witness to the Gospel in our congregation, and identify clearly where it has done its damage, as part of the process of recognizing the evil and collectively rejecting it.

Act of Justice: What do you most have to offer the society, culture or nation you live in? Are you offering it, as a servant? If not, in what ways can you start doing so?

Spiritual Promptings & Warnings: Discern the source of your inner thoughts and feelings.

Accountability: The Scripture is God’s Word to the whole Body of Christ, not just to oneself. So there needs to be a communal dimension to devotional Bible study. Ask yourself: what does this mean for the way I see what goes on in the world around me? What does God bid me to do or not do? Keep the focus on how you are to take the Word, for you are responsible to God for your own response, not everyone else’s.

14th AUGUST 2011

My Private World:

Act of Devotion: Make a list of the things you worry about during the day (the things that you did not commit to God). Surrender the things on the list specifically. Stop saying “God, give me the power to overcome these”. Instead, say, “God, I’m entirely ready to let You remove this worry about this child or this need to justify myself to this person, or this frantic worry about my financial life” (whatever it is that applies to you).

Act of Compassion: I will give smiling service to nagging co-workers, listen attentively to silly bores, express little kindnesses without making a fuss.

Accountability: At what moment this past week did you feel closest to Christ? What have I done this week so that Christ is better known and loved in my: family, vocation, community, small group, Christian community?

My Public World: Together with others,

Act of Worship: I will share testimony about my own discovery of how God works in my daily life with someone in worship, in prayer meetings, or in other churchly meetings.

Act of Justice: I will identify 1 or 2 person who need love more than others — those who are abandoned, alone, poor, shunned, oppressed, mentally ill, satanically deceived, or just exhausted from the tumult of life and shower them with love.

Spiritual Promptings & Warnings: Discern the source of your inner thoughts and feelings.

Accountability: The Scripture is God’s Word to the whole Body of Christ, not just to oneself. So there needs to be a communal dimension to devotional Bible study. Ask yourself: what does this mean for the way I see what goes on in the world around me? What does God bid me to do or not do? Keep the focus on how you are to take the Word, for you are responsible to God for your own response, not everyone else’s.