Too Big A Task!

I went home really late last night. It had been a challenging evening. It was my second time to chair our church board meeting. The first time I did it, everything turned out well and we ended up early. But last night was so tough. I was stressed out compared to my previous chairmanship. Probably one of the factors was that in some of the agenda my name was involved. There was even one agenda that was all about me. Last night was one of the longest meetings we had. Members spoke out, some relevant, some superficial, some helpful while some were just for show-off. But despite the stresses that night, I am so thankful that God sent a big help for me, my senior pastor. He was beside me all the way, coaching me on how I should react to each circumstance, and he thought me when and when not to speak. He was like the Holy spirit at my side guiding me in all my decisions. I'm glad that God made me understand that there is no task too big if you are doing it for God's glory.

Beyond Our Grip!

The sun was about to set, yet we were still rushing to finish the church's newsletter. The Lay-out artist and I had both been busy in the past days, so we both did our best to get the newsletter done before the day ended. We were planning to release it tomorrow but everything didn't turn out well. A lot of pictures were still missing and one column wasn't finished yet. But we still persisted to finish it. We filled the blank spaces intended for the pictures with some graphics and eventually finished the lay-out and editing. We brought the files to the printing shop after the final editing but to our frustration, the printer in the shop was not working. Boy! What a day?! We did our best, but our best wasn't enough. One thing I've learned, some things are beyond our grip. We may not know why it happened but God does. It may seem so frustrating but in the end, it's for our own good.. We will be releasing the newsletter next week, so at least there's more time to finish the unfinished.Thank God.

When Everyone Stands Up!

I woke up at 4am yesterday and headed to church to meet pastor Gerry. We both went to Malabon to attend the workers' meeting at Central Luzon Conference. The meeting started with a typical devotional. After all the announcements, all of the Pre-interns, including me, met together and discussed the formation of our own organization. Ephraim Tolentino, one of the new pre-interns stood up and led the meeting. He proposed, that our group should elect our own officers and be organized. Many stood up and questioned the proposal. Many disagreed with the proposal and some even made their own proposal. While everyone else was standing up, I remained seated and whispered a prayer. "Lord help me to control myself, that I will remain humble when everyone else becomes proud, that I will remain seated when everyone else stands up!

Funny!

It was already raining when I started preparing for church today, so I decided to take a public ride instead of driving my motorcycle. I was the first passenger on the jeepney. Not so far from where I took the jeep, a man without a left arm joined me in the ride. After a minute, a man without a right limb also rode the jeep. Just before the jeepney took off, a cross-eyed man also got in. For a minute, I pondered on that funny experience. Was God teaching me a lesson? Or did He want me to realize something? When I got off the jeepney, I began to analyze what just happened. God probably wanted me to appreciate more the things I have. I am so blessed if compared to those impaired men. I just hope that despite the disabilities of those people, they would come to realize that they are still blessed in many ways!

Spare Some Strength Lord!

I've never heard my Praise team sing the way they sang last night at our final practice. It evidently showed that they were really tired. Most of them are students, probably tired from studying. Some are working and are probably stressed out with their jobs. I myself was tired the whole day, so I gave them some advice. I said, pray tonight that God will strengthen you tomorrow as you lead the worship in singing. We ended our session with a prayer, asking God to give us what we need as we lead the worship. I believe God will be with us as He used us tonight. But still, i'm praying that God will strengthen my praise team!

A Ride with my saviour!

I've never driven my motorcycle as far as I have today. Together with my senior Pastor, I explored the tourist spots of the province of Zambales. We didn't ride just for fun, but we looked for a good place to fit our church retreat on December. Of course, as pastors and people who trust God, we prayed before we left Olongapo. The sun was on its height on our way to the retreat places, but when we were already heading home, the rain started to fall. driving will always be dangerous when the road is slippery and so I felt a little nervous when the rain started to soak my jacket. As I was driving, a thought crossed my mind. I remembered Jesus' experience with His disciples while they were facing not only an ordinary rainfall but a wild storm. His disciples probably felt so nervous while strong winds were pushing and pulling their boat. But Jesus, in His capacity as a God, felt the doubting hearts of His disciples which made Him wake up and stand before them. He asked them, "Where is your faith?". I guess, if Jesus was riding with me in my motorcycle He would have asked me the same question.

Who Gets the Glory?

I am fond of watching “Pinoy Dream Academy” a musical reality TV show where contestants are trained inside an academy and have the opportunity to perform to the public once a week. One night I was watching one of the performances, a contestant named “Bugoy” conquered the center stage and the audience were all shouting and cheering for him. While watching, a thought struck me. Bugoy is so famous now, he gets all the attention and support from the public. But what about those who have been training him like the voice teacher, mentors and coaches? Do people care to know about them? After a while, I found myself relating this thought to our church experience. People stand up on the pulpit, rendering songs, giving inspirational messages and sermons, but the question is “Who gets the glory?”. Do we care if our songs lift the name of God, who in His power has given us our talents, or we just want to showcase our talents and be popular in our church? Do we ever think of saying “praise God” when somebody appreciates our performances? There is an invitation from Jesus Himself to "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works(singing, speaking,praying,charity works) and glorify your Father which is in heaven". (Matthew 5:16) Mark the word “glorify”. Did you know that the word "glorify" or "glorified" appears in the Word of God a total of 25 times. There's one verse where God talks about bringing glory and honor to His house, His temple. And on one verse, Jeremiah 30:19, God says He will glorify His people. But in all of the other 23 references, do you know who the subject is of that verb "glorify"? It's God Himself.
Isn't it challenging that Matthew 5:16 encompasses our lives on a 24/7 basis, but it certainly hits the one hour on Sabbath at church. If the congregation applauds after your number at church--fine, acknowledge it. But pass it right along to God. If they say amen, or compliment you, or lift you up in any way, deposit the glory at God's throne. Remember that our first purpose on this earth is to bring honor to Him, to praise and worship Him and perform for His glory.
Notes: 1. The Four Faces of Jesus By:Robert K. McIver

Back-Biting: The Christian Way

I have been so discouraged these past months of my ministry in my pastorate. Sis. _____ has been winning a lot of brethren for her campaign probably to prove that I'm not a good pastor. I wonder what God wants me to do with her. I can't see myself confronting her, how then should I react? Should I remain silent?Should I tell someone about it?
Well, God has been so good. He led me to the right decision. I was reading my Bible yesterday on Mark 7 and He showed me the best way to approach such people. I was amazed on how Jesus treated the Pharisees. He didn't confront them, neither told His predicaments to other people. Instead, Jesus approached the back-biters in most just and kind way. He spoke and quoted from the scriptures. I think God is teaching me to love the unlovable. To care for them even if they don't care about me. And that's what I think God wants us to do with 'back-biters".