Honour

by Amanda Teo for Kingdom Call Camp 2013

According to the Oxford dictionary,
Honour is to have high respect for or to hold in high esteem.
But more than that, I reckon that honour is far greater than just respect. 
We always say, if you want respect, you’ve got to earn it. 
But can I also say, that we should all, openly and abandonly honour each other without having to earn it.  

In Romans 12 verse 10 it says 
Be devoted to one another in love. Honour each other above yourselves. 

Honour isn’t just a passing compliment, 
Or a gesture of love and encouragement. 
Honour isn’t just given in convenience,
And taken back in an anger’s instance. Honour isn’t recognising someone in public,
And rejecting them when you find out they’re alcoholics. 
Because honour? 
Honour isn’t about…you.  

Honour is given despite who he is or what he has done. 
Honour is about valuing others more than yourself,
Seeing others higher than ourselves. 
Honour is treating someone with integrity,
No matter who they are, to see them with dignity.
Honour is an outstretched arm of unconditional love and an overflow of God’s grace.  

Because Jesus honoured us.
Jesus honoured…you. 
We do not deserve to have Christ value our lives above His.
We did not work or earn His love, and that is His grace. 
But God chose, He chose to see value and potential in us. 
That despite our faults, failures and earthly lust,
He counted us worthy for His death on the cross. 

What is honour?
Honour is the heart you carry in you,
Honour is choosing to extend love and acceptance, in everything you do.
Honour is the opposite of judging someone based on his actions,
And the synonym of looking for the best in him, a strength extraction. 

Honour, honour should be found in the house of our King. 
In His Kingdom where people are searching and seeking. 
Where God has called us to love and honour each other,
Where God’s Kingdom…
HIS kingdom…calls.

Farewell Poem to Sept’12 MAD DTS

‘Hi, I’m Amanda and I’m from Singapore.’
That’s an introduction we’ve all repeated till our mouths grew sore.
Seven months of getting to know new people,
But at the same time, building those within this circle.
So would you applaud as I introduce…
Hannah, the woman who has powered us through this amazing journey
Katrina, the cheeky joker who always thinks that she’s so funny
Kat, the one who reminds us what a mess our rooms really are
Kaeli, an excitable spirit and a heart that’s never too far
Paige, a lover of bedroom slippers and really pretty flowers
Emily, a determined spirit, whose smile could never make your day worse
Maija, my favourite bus driver, who can sing any chorus or verse
Kale, the big hearted one who never fails to make us laugh
Brian, the collected but crazy one, with an eyebrow with a puff
Cory, a gentle giant I’d say, don’t let his guns fool you
And…Jeff, oh how could we ever forget about you?

You see, this journey would’ve been impossible without these eleven,
Without their leadership, fellowship, and friendship even.
Staff, I really want to say a heartfelt thank you to you,
For everything that you’ve given and sacrifices you’d to pull through
Thank you for seeing value and believing in us
Even with all the junk and crap in our past
You have been more than a blessing, more than just friends,
You’re role models, especially how your spirit wends
I’m not sure if these words would fully encapsulate my heart
But I guess this would be a good start

To say, I treasure every single one of you, really, every single one
Whether we’re tight of not, you’ve blessed me a ton.
Witnessing your lives change, as God moved in you,
I can only silently watch and say, “God, me too?”
This goes out to more than just staff, but to the wonderful friends whom I really love,
The way you’ve revealed Christ through your lives? Definitely, angels from above
I can’t bear to say goodbye,
But I guess I don’t have a choice, oh boy, sigh!
But before I leave tomorrow night,
I need to tell that you are the light.

Go out into the world and carry that candle,
You’re a church on a hill, a light God has kindled
I’m exhilarated to see what impact you would make
Upon this earth, for our Father’s glory sake
You’re world changers and history makers
Big dreamers and opportunity takers
You’ve been filled, to be emptied again
To restore the broken and heal the pain

I don’t quite know how to end this letter, but to ask of you just one thing
If you ever come by Singapore, do let me know.
My home will be your home, I’ll bring you to good food and other things.

Canvas

As I look upon the canvas on the wall,
The one that has a voice, a deep silent call.
My eyes are strained to capture every nuances,
But no, I can’t blink. It’ll cost me those chances.
Lash by lash, I found my eyes closed,
Afraid to reopen, will the light impose.
Not upon my life, but those around me,
My eyes have been unveiled, but what do I see?
This life is not mine, and neither this flesh,
It’ll soon rot, stink and even turn to ash.
I find myself incomplete, and yet made completely whole,
Knowing that people are friends and the world’s a foe.
The canvas is torn, but mended with stitches,
Each stitch so accurate, like melodious pitches.
The lens before my eyes now do not allow them to shut,
Touching the canvas, and going with my gut.
My fingers senses the texture of His plans,
But O God, what is it at the end?
Father, my heart cries out for a better vision,
Not the dream or goal, but my own perception.
I was blind, but now I see.
I was captured, but now I’m free.
I was in the dark, but now am the light,
But now I need Your grace to fight.
I was weak, but I am made strong,
I was proud, but You proved me wrong.
I know now that it’s not about me,
But it’s all about You, and who You’ve created me to be.
So upon that canvas that depicts my path,
May this seed that I am begin to rathe.

Identity & Purpose

It’s been awhile since my heart and mind are at this state,
at the peak of my heart’s emotions, where my mind contemplates.
Words don’t really seem to capture it all,
it’s overwhelming, and yet a little dull.
A conversation, and I’m reminded of who I used to be,
a young-cheery-loud, extroverted me. 
Four years down life’s highway that shifted my paradigm, 
of purpose, identity and eternity’s time. 
Who was I, and who am I now?
No matter the answer, I’ve got my Father’s vow.
“You are My daughter, in whom I delight,
You are my creation, My bright shining light.”
 
My identity as His daughter has kept me grounded,
through these years, where insecurities pounded.
My purpose in knowing that I’m His very own creation,
has granted me peace and an everlasting vision.
There’s no one that I can compare myself to,
nothing to boast about, except what He can do.
Because I’ve grown to realise that I’m nothing without Him,
and yet, I am capable of everything, when I am with Him.
 

Through these past four years, I know that I’ve changed,
swinging from an extrovert, to the introvert range.
I never intended to be on the introvert’s end,
it was never thought out, as an elaborate plan. 
I never felt the switch when it was happening,
I only later realised much later, when I was reflecting.
It isn’t a necessarily ”good or bad” occurrence, 
it just was! Like any soda’s effervescence. 
 

I’m glad to look back now, and see the purpose of the pendulum’s swing,
I’m even more glad to know that it is all God’s doing.
But these current burning thoughts that feels like a bane,
is that I sense a change coming, all over again.

Seasons

Autumn leaves fall into the embrace of the cold soft snow. 
Turning trees into silhouette branches. 
Soon new life is born, with flowers blooming. 
The sun scorches as people start tanning. 
But unlike such cycles of nature,
our lives do not repeat itself.
It’s only a forward journey, a decided path,
that one considers, and do life’s math.
But very much alike, from autumn to winter, 
sometimes we fall into the coldness of the dark.
Or like the blooming and then sun’s scorching,
we face battles, and through it, fighting. 

Now in this season, where talk arises,
I’ve questioned the topic, of love and my future.
Many distractions, but in this year I know,
God be my guide, my lover of my soul.
We all have buckets, or at least I do.
Some call it ladders, or maybe even bridges.
I’ve pondered long and hard, I believe we all do,
we all yearn to see, to get life’s clue.
But in faith, I shall stop at this point.
To start searching for God’s love and His plans.
And through that, may His providence be found,
through that, in His love, may I be bound. 

I want to be immersed in the presence of God,
to recognise the power of His being.
And as I seek His love, His dreams,
Then can I find love, and His dream team.
So God, align my thoughts and my sight,
let me bud as a tree,  a song in my heart.
Reveal Your dreams and Your will for Your servant,
that my life will be an offering, be found pleasant.
Shield my eyes and guard my heart,
let only Your voice resound in me.
Embrace me, speak. Dance with me, Oh Lord,
Hold my hand, lead. Be my staff and my rod.

slow down

longingisliving:

we’re an underzealous population of overexposed,
oversexed and super-stimulated youth
so take your sugar pills and smile
we’ll never understand the truth.

we subside on a diet of air and pain,
and what they feed us hurts our minds;
so, in a cage and biding time
we do not live to be confined.

medicated into dull submission,
and losing all you once held dear
they promise to attain your dreams
if it’s their dogma you ‘choose’ to revere.

it’s meaningless, one day we’ll die
but do you strive to become a lie?
or finish what you’ve started here
in this place of loathing, pain and fear?