Just finished reading a book that Daisy lent me. It's called "What You Do Best in the Body of Christ". Very interesting and helpful.

Some things I captured:
1. Attitude of Servility versus Serving

2. Spiritual gifts alone doesn't make for effective ministry - love is needed as well. Like having two wings for an airplane - you need both wings to fly.
See 1 Corinthians 13. Very very very important!!!

3. Passion + Personal Style + Spiritual Gifts.
For me:
Passion: Media + Children
Personal Style: People/Unstructured (Actually, I'm fine with either people or tasks, though I prefer interacting with people to a smaller extent.)
Spiritual Gifts: Encouragement (confirmed) + Prophecy (possible)
= direction of God's purpose for my life.

4. Some spiritual gifts can work well in combinations and there are different combinations e.g. encouragement + mercy + hospitality has a different impact from encouragement + prophecy.

5. Personal reflections on my serving in HopeKids - I enjoy it a lot, but don't really have the taste to keep doing the MM, yet really can't be the "rah-rah" type for the children. I'm much more comfortable listening to the children share their lives with me, and encouraging them, and exploring together with them their potential talents and skills. Think I do much better in small groups of children (3 to 4 children), than larger groups (say 20 kids). I struggle to enforce discipline on a larger scale, but can correct a child on a one-to-one basis (and I love it!).

Still thinking... one thing that I've been getting increasingly stressed about is how to take care of the children, keep them disciplined, etc. Maybe I'm worrying too much, and sometimes I think I should just cast my cares to the wind... oh... why not cast them onto Jesus instead? :)

To just enjoy the children's presence, and let the little ones minister to me in their own unique God-given way.

Matthew 19:14-15
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these." When he had placed his hands on them,he went on from there.

I'm thinking about this too... think this verse is telling me that sometimes the best way to bless them is just hold them and pray for them. That's why the parents brought their children to Jesus, that He might put His hands on them and pray for them.

And that is something I really really really love to do. Imagine... each one of them brimming with promise and potentiality... a precious gift from God.

Hmm, so need God's help to renew this burden and love for the children, because I'm feeling awfully tired and drained now actually. Yup, thank God for His Word and this book, think it's very timely - helped me draw back to the heart of serving Him... it's all because of Jesus' love to me. He died on the cross - for my sins, and not just my sins - the sins of the whole world.

Dear Lord, please help me go beyond myself to have a heart for You, for Your people, to serve them as You would have me serve. In Jesus' name amen.