Read this article in The Times magazine by Richard Stengel, Mandela's 8 Lessons of Leadership. Click here for the full article.
1) Courage is not the absence of fear — it's inspiring others to move beyond it 2) Lead from the front — but don't leave your base behind 3) Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front 4) Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport 5) Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer 6) Appearances matter — and remember to smile 7) Nothing is black or white 8) Quitting is leading too
The Passion recently released the album, God of This City. The title was taken from a song, sung on the album by Chris Tomlin, but originally written and released by the Irish band, Blue Tree.
Back story of this song .. When asked about the song, Blue Tree lead vox Aaron Boyd recalls:
“There’s a couple from Carrickfergus, Ian and Leslie, and they moved out to Thailand to a place called Pattaya. We got asked to go and be part of an event called Pattaya Praise. Pattaya is a seaside town/resort place, and physically, it looks to be like the darkest place you’ll ever go to. And spiritually, it is THE darkest place we have ever been to. You just feel the evil. You just feel the enemy all over that place. It’s a very small place. . . But in that small area in Thailand, there are 30,000 prostitutes and that figure excludes kids and excludes anything that’s outside of the range of, say 18-30, and who are female. . .
Part of what we were asked to do was to go out and be part of an event which runs for four or five days. It had things like 24/7 worship and prayer and social action going on helping the people who clean the streets every morning. We played in a school and ministered in an orphanage and tried to get a heart for that city. As a band we were getting cold feet because we had four days in Bangkok to start, and in those four days it was great. We’d be quite hyperactive, and it was flat-out, four days; not an hour was lost to sleep in those four days. On the Sunday we managed to play in one church and it was brilliant, but we wanted more. And then when we got to Pattaya . . . we said, ‘If you can get us anywhere else to play, anywhere, we want to play. We just want to do what we do in the middle of somewhere and just go head-on into it.”
“There was a bar called The Climax Bar - on a street that’s about 10 metres wide, it’s a kilometre long and it’s filled with everything you can physically imagine. And I promise you, as a red-blooded male, to keep your head in the right place you’ve got to look down at the ground and walk down that street and pray because it is just so in your face. People hit you with menus about everything, flashing lights, just everything you can imagine goes on in that place. You see kids as young as eight, nine, 10, just selling themselves, you know?! You see 60-year-old guys walking down the street with two 13 or 14-year-old girls. Forget about the Christian thing, you just get raging! You properly get raging when you see that happening, you know?!”
. . . We got the chance to play in this bar, a two-hour worship set in this bar. I don’t think the people in the bar spoke a word of English but we basically got to go in. The deal was that we play and we bring a following of people with us; so we’re there, set up, really good gear! So we all set up and there was like 20 Christians all standing in front of us, and the deal was we play, they buy lots of drinks, alright? I don’t think the place has ever sold so much Coke in its whole life in one night!
And we got to play for two hours. And just the way the band set up, we like using loops, and at one point I just started singing out. I started singing “Greater Things”, something along those lines, almost prophesying over the city. And without going into the band dynamics, slowly this groove emerged from this thing. And long story short; we walked out of that Climax Bar with pretty much a nailed song, as strange as that sounds. Then we were on the way home.
We were all. . .it was that tumbleweed silence, you know? It was like, ‘What actually just happened in that time?!’ It was one of the most powerful worship experiences we’ve ever had. I actually remember looking out, and you’re looking down a wee alleyway, into the street, and it was just 50 or 60 probably British tourists and they’re just sitting there listening going, ‘What is this all about?’ Coming from The Climax Bar which is pretty much a strip club. Just, here we are singing about Jesus in the middle of this. . . It was one of the most random experiences but it was a God thing, God was there.”
Chris shares the story behind the song, "God of This City"
Indeed....
Greater things have yet to come And greater things are still to be done In this city Greater things are still to come And greater things are still to be done here
My colleague invited me to his church for an evening praise with the Korean missionary singers. Was contemplating whether to go as the others weren't able to make it. But at last, I went also. I'm glad I went cause it was an amazing night. We sang for hours.. And as we were singing the song "Still" by Hillsong, it reminds me of the video I saw the night before during a talk organized by Malaysian Nature Society (MNS). Err.. Not really a talk but rather a slide presentation on nesting and some exotic bird species.
The video was about a mother bird covering her young under her wings, shielding them from wind and rain. As I sing this song, I felt just like the little birds. So weak and frail. That I need to hide under the wings for protection.
Hide me now Under your wings Cover me within your mighty hand
When the oceans rise and thunders roar I will soar with you above the storm Father you are king over the flood I will be still and know you are God
Find rest my soul In Christ alone Know his power In quietness and trust
Thank You Lord that when I am weak, You covered me within Your mighty hand. Help me to be still in times like this.
Last Sunday, pastor shared how he felt when he heard about the rise of petrol price on Wednesday. Many are unhappy with the sudden change of decision. Empty promises.. Though men may break their promises, but there is One Person who never breaks His promises. There is a faithful, promise-keeping God in heaven.
As he was sharing this, I was reminded of the wonderful promise on waiting.
Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Indeed, waiting is the hardest thing to do. Hope and patience is what I need as I learn to wait. Though i may not be soaring right now, but Lord, help me to walk and not faint.
Jesus take the wheel Take it from my hands Cause I can't do this on my own I'm letting go So give me one more chance To save me on this road I'm on Jesus take the wheel
My Cubicle is a very funny parody of James Blunt's hit song 'You're Beautiful'. The song was written by Keith Hughes and performed by Jym Britton. Click here for lyrics.
