I've Been There!

My experiences today and yesterday have been so fulfilling. I've been visiting the brethren from my pastorate in their homes. As their pastor, it is but usual for them to share their burdens with me and ask advice from me.Yesterday,one of the brethren that I visited shared her burden about her son's relationship. The other one told me about her problem with her co-teacher. And just today, when I visited one of the newly baptized member, he shared his problem of keeping the sabbath because of his work. I don't know if those were coincidences, but I've experienced the same problems they all have. God has been so good to me that I was able to overcome those trials, which made me more effective in giving advice to them. This part of my life made me realized that probably the reason why doesn't God allow everyone to experience all the problems in life is because He has given us our brethren, our neighbors, our family, our pastors, who once in their lives have been in the same situations we are in right now. They can testify how God has led them in the past and can give us the advice that we need for us not to be in the same scenario they were in. May God bring you the people who can help you in your present situation and may He use you to be of help to other people as well.

They Call it A House

I am fond of watching documentaries and just tonight I was able to watch "Kalye". This is a documetary on what is happening in the streets of the Philippines. Airing once a week, this show gives me a lot of insights. Tonight they featured the life of those who are living under a bridge somewhere in Paco, Manila and a family living in a small junked van. My heart was crushed when I saw their situation. I wondered how they are able to sleep and eat under a dirty, noisy and crowded place. I've slept inside a car so many times before but living in it is a different story. This made me amazed on how this family living in a junked van could find comfort despite of their situation. After watching the documentary, I began to ask myself why so many people still complain about their situation even if they live in a decent place, when many people live with cockroaches and still call it a house? When will we ever be contented with what we have and be grateful in whatever we receive from God?

Movie-Blessed!

It's either you get frustrated or satisfied with a movie after watching it. But have you ever been blessed by a movie? I was. It is amazing how God worked in me as I watched these movies that left a big impact in my life. My previous blog would show how I was blessed when I watched the movie 'Fireproof". I often download movies, but I never thought of downloading movies like these. The urge of looking for some movies like Fireproof made me search the internet. I found three other movies that made me even more blessed. "Facing the Giants", a "Mighty Ducks' type of movie, was indeed an inspiration for me to strive for the best in my faith and ministry. "Flywheel" taught me to treat every person fairly and work honestly for His glory. "Faith Like Potatoes" showed me that faith is needed even in the simplest activity of our life. I can't afford not to share my experience in watching these movies. Watch them too, and get ready to be movie-blessed!

I Was Fireproofed!

This has been a long day for me. i woke up at 8 in the morning and a few minutes from now it will be 2am. Last night was probably the worst, but tonight is incredible. I thank God, and carmi (my girlfriend) for letting me know about the movie "Fireproof". I used to see it on the advertisments at sermoncentral, but I downloaded it because carmi told me that she was sure i'd love the movie. I just finished watching it, and this is one of the most touching, heartwarming, and sensible movies I've ever seen. I knew that I needed to learn many things when it comes to relationships, which is probably what made me read books about relationships and listen to advice from the experienced people. One of the reasons why I've tried to learn so many things and why i am still learning alot of things in taking good care of a relationship,is Carmi. She is indeed a gift from God. She must be "The good wife which is a gift from God", that Solomon was talking about. Woaah...My heart was Fireproofed!

Almost Dead!

Last night was probably the worst night of my life. I usually have nightmares, but last night's was so terrible. My body was asleep and yet my mind was awake. In my nightmare, I experienced a terrible earthquake, that's why I wanted to move my whole body, but only my left foot was moving. I was aware that it was a nightmare and thought of the possiblity of dying at that point. In my mind, I started praying and asking God to spare my life because I already had a traumatic situation like this before. I had an uncle who died because of this, and my dad frequently experiences this too. God is so good, here I am sharing my near-death story. David in the book of Psalms said, "Even though I walk
through the valley of
the shadow of death
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me."
I know that It was God's rod that awakened me from that nightmare, when I was in the shadow of death.

A Great Prayer!

It was already 7:15 pm and the scheduled speaker for the prayer meeting had not yet arrived. I had the feeling before I left my house that I would speak that night. And true enough, the scheduled speaker was not aware that he would be speaking. Being the church pastor, I took his place and spoke before my pastorate. Stored in my usb drive was the first powerpoint sermon I ever made in my entire ministry, the "Prayer of Jabez". After reading 1 Chronicles 4:9,10 where the prayer of Jabez is recorded, I shared the essence of that prayer and how it became meaningful in my life.
The Prayer of Jabez reminds us that everybody struggles with choosing to rely on himself or God. Whether you are a focused Christian or just searching to find out more about God, life is a growing process. However, it is very clear in reviewing the Prayer of Jabez, as well as the rest of the Bible, that God is faithful in caring for those who seek Him. Jabez sets a great example of how God wants everyone to come to Him through constant and passionate prayer. If you are looking to start a relationship with God or improve your existing relationship with Him, start with prayer. God answers prayers when you trust Him. Prayers to God also please Him. We can all learn from Jabez and faithfully pray to God always in everything that we do.

The Come Back!

It has almost been a year since my last blog! I miss writing on the web and inspiring people through my experiences. I'm praying that God will spare me strength at the end of the day as I write daily.