Operation Bear (9 August 2007)
I could not sleep as I am still getting used to the time difference in Europe, I decided to get up to blog this very significant event that took place on Singapore’s 42nd birthday.
As I was told, close to 600 brothers in our church gathered for Operation Bear in Yishun SAFRA country club at around 9am. Guys were represented from every group as we gathered to play station games as we build closer bonds together.
It was really fun to see brothers of all ages, all shapes and sizes compete. Full credits must be given to Jo and his team for organizing this event well.
I took the last part of the gathering with a short sharing on Bearing Each Others’ Burden.
The bible teaches us in Galatians 6:1-5 that we are each to carry our own load while helping to carry each others’ burden. Our load is basically area of our own responsibility that each of us have. We need to be responsible and carry that on our own. Burden refers to areas that may be too heavy for us to shoulder it on our own and we need others to help us.
As guys, we need to help one another to become all that we have been created to be in Christ. We cannot do it alone and we need to do it together.
How can we practically bear each others’ burden? I gave 3 practical ways. They are not comprehensive but I believe that they are the big 3!
1) Bare Heart
The key here is openness. Guys are generally competitive and opening up to one another in an authentic and vulnerable way is not natural for most. While we certainly cannot bare our hearts to anyone, there must certainly be some people that we can and must bare our hearts to.
We need to have fellow brothers who can gift us with the role of being truth-tellers in our lives. We need people who are ask us hard questions about our personal lives (more than just ministry, work and other stuff).
2) Bear Hug
The key here is proximity. We need to learn to do lives together. There must be regular time and events where the guys in our groups can do lives together. We can do sports, watch movies, have long meals, go on trips or even shop together (though the last suggestion may not appeal to most guys!)
Relationships among guys are more task or activities oriented. Unlike the gals, guys are less communal naturally.
3) Bear With One Another
The key here is “tahan” (tahan means forbear in Bahasa Malaysia). When human natural likings wears thin, Christ-like forbearing love has to win the day.
Like it or not, all close, meaningful and deep relationship is not built on a 21 Day Europe Tour or simply by joining hands and belting out “We Are The World” at the top of our voices. Like all close relationship, there will be tough times.
This would be times when the Care Bear Feelings is preceded by the Bear With One Another tough love.
Lastly, the planning committee encouraged us to build close brotherly relationship at two levels. The first level is within the pastoral groups. The next level is with the others groups in other life stations. The second level would help us to learn from people in other stages of life experiences and ministries.
May godly men arise all across Singapore and the whole globe!
Some of the groups
As I was told, close to 600 brothers in our church gathered for Operation Bear in Yishun SAFRA country club at around 9am. Guys were represented from every group as we gathered to play station games as we build closer bonds together.
It was really fun to see brothers of all ages, all shapes and sizes compete. Full credits must be given to Jo and his team for organizing this event well.
I took the last part of the gathering with a short sharing on Bearing Each Others’ Burden.
The bible teaches us in Galatians 6:1-5 that we are each to carry our own load while helping to carry each others’ burden. Our load is basically area of our own responsibility that each of us have. We need to be responsible and carry that on our own. Burden refers to areas that may be too heavy for us to shoulder it on our own and we need others to help us.
As guys, we need to help one another to become all that we have been created to be in Christ. We cannot do it alone and we need to do it together.
How can we practically bear each others’ burden? I gave 3 practical ways. They are not comprehensive but I believe that they are the big 3!
1) Bare Heart
The key here is openness. Guys are generally competitive and opening up to one another in an authentic and vulnerable way is not natural for most. While we certainly cannot bare our hearts to anyone, there must certainly be some people that we can and must bare our hearts to.
We need to have fellow brothers who can gift us with the role of being truth-tellers in our lives. We need people who are ask us hard questions about our personal lives (more than just ministry, work and other stuff).
2) Bear Hug
The key here is proximity. We need to learn to do lives together. There must be regular time and events where the guys in our groups can do lives together. We can do sports, watch movies, have long meals, go on trips or even shop together (though the last suggestion may not appeal to most guys!)
Relationships among guys are more task or activities oriented. Unlike the gals, guys are less communal naturally.
3) Bear With One Another
The key here is “tahan” (tahan means forbear in Bahasa Malaysia). When human natural likings wears thin, Christ-like forbearing love has to win the day.
Like it or not, all close, meaningful and deep relationship is not built on a 21 Day Europe Tour or simply by joining hands and belting out “We Are The World” at the top of our voices. Like all close relationship, there will be tough times.
This would be times when the Care Bear Feelings is preceded by the Bear With One Another tough love.
Lastly, the planning committee encouraged us to build close brotherly relationship at two levels. The first level is within the pastoral groups. The next level is with the others groups in other life stations. The second level would help us to learn from people in other stages of life experiences and ministries.
May godly men arise all across Singapore and the whole globe!
Some of the groups
posted by Jeff Chong at 2:47 am
6 Comments:
You can only tell who's a believer after they've been kidnapped for over a week by talibans, and faced down a gun after being given a choice to convert to islam.
Hey Danny, God will test us up to the level that we can bear. Thank God for that.
1 Cor 10:13
thanks for you teaching on the "bear's". hahax i will apply it to my sheeps. Hoping that will be improve. but the bottom line it takes 2 hand to clap :D
thank u for the msg and for the fun event! It was great! ^^ Makes me want 2b a Bigger bear 4 the kingdom!
Thanks Rui Hao and gali for the comments. Let's all become bigger bears for Jesus!
Danny watt, brother, your statement sounds judgmental.
Even Peter in the Bible denied Christ when he was in fear. I'm not saying that we encourage it, or that there's nothing wrong with renouncing Christ.
But I'm saying that even believers (Christians) are also only HUMAN. IMPERFECT. Like me. Like you.
That's why we need the grace of God.
Extra resources:
--- Ephesians 2:8,9 .. "it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; Not because of works, lest any man should boast.
---http://ourgodreigns.net/god's_saving_grace.htm
--- Read 'Grace Awakening' by Charles Swindoll
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