OK! I finally have time and energy to post! Although its Sunday, I feel the need to share this great sermon with everyone. Its been a really hectic week due to VBS. Ha ha. Down to business. Pastor Lia preached a really great sermon on Wednesday that was both practical for both the normal and spiritual life. As you know, in the world that we are living in now, we really need people who can rise up and not only lead people, but impact them and with God's power, touch and change their lives.

However, according to Proverbs 24:10, " If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!" . This basically means that if you faint in times of adversity, be it due to temptation or a moment of weakness, your strength is small. But, referring to James 1: 2-4," Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." This means that leaders must have a strong spirit of faith and perseverance.

Genesis 1:3 - 2:3. Yes, its very long, so I won't type it. But Basically, when God created the universe, He was actually very systematic. He had it all very well planned. And, just like God, we must at least try to be like Him. We must follow these 3 principle. Live.Learn.Lead. To live properly, you must have order in your life. Only then can you develop the hunger for learning. And finally, you will then be able to lead effectively and move people!

1 Timothy 3: 1-8. Again its very long so I shall not type it out. But basically it says that if you cannot live an orderly life, you cannot develop the hunger for learning. And if you don't have hunger, you cannot learn and understand, and hence you will be unable to lead. In essence, if you cannot put the basic things in your life right, you cannot learn and you definitely won't be capable of leading!

So what is success? It is the progressive realization of a predetermined (planned) goal.

It requires effort and discipline to really be organized. Discipline basically means to have self control. Only those who are disciplined will realize their dreams. Being organized also requires 2 things: Planning and time management. Proverbs 16:9," In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." God will direct your steps only after you have planned what you want to do. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

1. Ignorance.
Hosea 4:6," my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." When people do not read widely enough, they do not have information which may be crucial to their success. But because they are oblivious to their surroundings, they don't plan and hence they are not successful.

2. Laziness.
Proverbs 13:4 ," The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied."

3. Resignation.
Some people are resigned to their "fate". They have been so hurt and disappointed by society and those around them that they no longer dare to set high expectations least they are disappointed again. Their way of thinking then causes them to lose their motivation to do well in life. However, who knows that people of faith do not walk in resignation?

4. Presumption.
Some others think that things left on their own will naturally get better and better by themselves. Now that is a wrong mindset. Luke 14:28-30 generally gives an example of how planning is important even in doing simple things like building a tower, where the cost of building has to be calculated, as well as other factors.

Yes. So how do we set goals? Through something called SMART!

Firstly, we have to be Specific. We have to list everything that we want to do down. Next, the goals must be Measurable. After that, you must have an Action plan! How are you going to achieve these goals? Then, you must be Realistic. You must definitely have faith in God but must also keep your feet on the ground. Down to earth yea? Finally, you must be Time conscious. Pressure from limited time usually brings out the best in people. This is because the highest level of productivity is during that time. For example, when you study for your exams, you absorb as much information in one week as you do in one month.

Christians, however, must be SMART-ER! E stands for expectation management. We must learn to be flexible and change our expectations once every few weeks, as circumstances are always changing. And R is for Revelations! Yes, you do plan and let God guide you. But ultimately it is God who makes the final decision and gives you revelations to direct your path!

Exodus 18:13-23. Again, it is too long for me to type. But generally it speaks of Moses serving as judge for the people. However, Moses would be doing the same thing all day long, helping people with their problems, be it big or small. When Moses' father-in-law saw this, he told Moses that what he was doing was very inefficient, and that he should choose capable men who are holy and fear God to help him with the small matters, so that he could concentrate on the larger matters that God had for him.

High Importance, High Urgency (HI/HU)- Things which have a deadline and need to be done quickly.

High Importance, Low Urgency (HI/LU)- Such things are commonly ignored because they have no deadline, but they are important and must be completed.It is important for you to work such tasks into your daily schedule. For example, personal hygiene.

Low Importance, High Urgency (LI/HU)- Although the tasks are not very important, they do have a deadline, so get it done quickly. For example, buying a present for someone's birthday.

1. Set priorities and mark upcoming events on your calender.

2. Allow time for the unexpected.

3. Organize your work space.

4. Work according to your temperment. ( Since you know yourself best, work when you feel best during the day or the night)

5. Use waiting, busing or in-between time for light work and growth. For example, plan your day's schedule while waiting for the bus.

6. Develop systems that work for you, be it a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

1. Appointments and deadlines are all met, and meetings are fruitful.

2. Personal grooming is tip-top and you become aware of an increase in your self-esteem.

3. I invest my energies in productive tasks.

4. I tend to feel good about my work and I am motivated to give my best all the time.

5. I enjoy intimacy with God.

6. The quality of my relationships reveal orderliness in my life.

7. I love myself, my life and everyone around me, and God.

So friends, if you feel that you are living a disorganised life, you can change it. Start planning your life out and soon you will begin to see that life will flip 180 degrees and become great!