CAMPUS SET UP
ARENA
MAN
in the
The Chinese have a peculiar method of cleaning snails to prepare them for table. They collect water from the highlands, the colder the better, and soak these critters for several hours alive in a frigid baptism of ice. Ultimately, it is in the purity of the plunge that causes those snails to spew out (vomit) the dirt and gut debris.
I am told the French employ a more radical, but no less cruel method that involves dislocation of the slug from its shell. Quickly, the knife removes the belly dirt and the body is blanched into a boiling cauldron.
So choose, either the shock of the cold of the trauma of the hot, but without preparation nobody is going to put a snail in his mouth.
Likewise preparation for the front-lines of Christian service requires a radical re-calibration in the heart. Something has to happen first inside us before service can be accepted as Christian, bringing glory to God and not self. And, from an organisational standpoint, this is what allows you to stand firm, tough as an anvil, though oft beaten.
Ministries are always specific to callings and many are called. But not everyone is chosen. Brethren we are not service providers! Charity is one thing, but the work of serving, whether it is to the poor or the downtrodden, takes a certain heart attitude that allows room for God to act.
Man in the Arena - a ministry of leadership development in collaboration with Direct Assistance to Victims in Trauma (DAVT-12). Journey with us to the central Philippines city of Bacolod on the the island of Negros Occidental this February. You will be part of the historic and documented BlackWest Revival contributing to the revival communities in the sugar and rice fields of Visayas. You will travel off-the-beaten path to appreciate hidden treasures of nature in the intersection of country and city, where the mountainS touch the sky, where rivers flow into the sea. Arow (clear skies), hangin (sea breeze), tubig (fresh water) and tulog (a good night's rest) awaits.
Contact Rev Gerard Seow c/o The Oikos Fellowship, 175 a/b Geylang Road, Singapore 389247. Tel: 6-743-6938.
STAND FIRM, TOUGH AS AN ANVIL, THOUGH O'FT BEATEN