These past weekends were kinda crazy... Crazy in a good sense. :) God made me realize about some things and answered some of my prayers. ;) Let me start with a couple of weekends ago (and I'd make sure that I will make this short BUT helpful hehe ;P)
Worship is a lot like love
It was Friday and I was in the church with the small group that I'm leading. We we're attending the Friday youth service and the message was about Worship.
Ptr. Joe Bonifacio was the preacher then. I like it when he uses examples from his past experiences to his preaching, making it easier for us (the listeners) to grasp and comprehend the message. (God-given strength! ^^) One of those examples is when he and
Rica (now his wife, who is a celebrity here in the Philippines) was still in a bf-gf stage (I apologize.. I don't know any wiser word to use in this haha! ;P). He once gave her an orchid for a gift thinking that this would please her. The next time he went to her house, he saw the orchid--and it looked like it hasn't been taken care of. He then asked her why and she told her that she's not keen on receiving flowers as a gift (or something like that).
Worship is like that. It's not about what you give to God but it's about what He wants. It's like you wanted to please Him with your worship and you want Him to give a rose. You gave Him the flower, but what He wants is a food-trip with you in Batangas. So do you think He is pleased, then? Or worst do you think that He accepted it? God seeks for true worshipers. He is high-class and doesn't want "second rates". So what does He look in a worshiper? A worshiper that worships Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24) ;) It's not about the place, the style, or your opinion. It's about who you worship, your heart, based on God's truth. :)
A "Gen Ad" mentality
Come follow Saturday... It was April 21 and Israel Houghton with New Breed & Planetshakers was in Manila for a worship concert! I wasn't able to reserve a ticket for myself because I'm in a tight budget. :) The night before the concert a friend texted me and told me that she still got a gen ad ticket for the event. She asked me if I'm willing to buy it for P250. Honestly I have nothing to pay for it even just for a gen ad ticket but I didn't close the possibility that maybe God will do something--that someone will bless me so I can buy that ticket, haha! :D Before leaving our house for volunteers' orientation in our church, I charged my digicam in faith that I will be able to watch the concert even though I still don't have the ticket. :)
To make the story shorter. No one blessed me with P250 for me to buy the gen ad ticket BUUUTT!!! Someone blessed me with a complimentary ticket... and it was for a Patron seat! Weee! :D Me with some friends were in the 2nd row from the stage! Some of my friends even saw my face flash on the giant screen because the camera man was just a few steps away from me! Haha! :D
 |
| That's the camera man that I've mentioned. ;P |
I was just asking for a Gen Ad ticket (the cheapest), but God gave me a Patron seat ticket (the most expensive). Sometimes we just believe for God to give us a "gen ad" ticket for something and not seeing the fact that God can give us a "patron" ticket for what we are asking! ;) So, do you have a "gen ad" mentality? ;P
It starts with the leader
Just this weekend I was able to attend our Kids Church core leaders team building. Again, someone blessed me so I can attend this vital team building! Weee, thank You Lord! :D This is one of my faith goals this year, wooh! ;)) We are "leveling up" in Kids Church that's why our leaders should be equipped. God put a high premium to the kids that's why in serving them, out of our love for God and for His people, we should serve them with excellence.
I've learned a lot about leadership. A leader should have a Christ-like character, discover his/her skills, then develop them for him/her to be competent and excellent and... love his/her team to maintain chemistry in the spirit of unity and being one in Christ. :)
 |
| A glimpse of my notes :) |
It's an honor to be a leader because it means that God entrusted you with bigger things. But then it is also crucial, and maybe at some point dangerous. Being a leader could make you more busy, and could lead you in neglecting your relationship with God. The more you climb the leadership ladder, the more you should be close to your Ultimate Leader-- God. :)
Guarding your heart
Here goes that phrase again! Haha! :D During our team building, there were a lot of "revelations" among the single women (and I'm one of them ;P). We were giddy about those and we talked about them until in the wee hours of the morning. (Yeah, it's a girl thing! ;P) Then I realized, it's really hard to guard your heart (and your mind) specially when you're a woman. It's really relying on God's grace in this! ;))
Carrying the Cross
Still on Saturday was the graduation of my sis from her missions training at Asian Center for Missions (ACM). So from team building, I went here with my family to attend (thank God for the strength! ;P). I had mixed emotions here. I was happy because my sis is now nearer in living the life that God have for her, and that is to be a goer in the missions field for long term. I was also sad because it means she will be away from home. Then I was reminded of this: when we give our lives to Jesus, our lives are no longer for us to live for ourselves but for Him. It's paying the price and carrying the cross. It's not about what you want or what your family wants... It's now all about God.
 |
| That's me with my sis and mama :) |
♫ Where You go, I go / Where You stay, I stay / Whom You love, I'll love / I will follow... ♫
I don't know the title of this song but it hit the right chords in my heart about carrying the cross and following Jesus. It's actually about--Worship. True worship ends in obedience. Now my sis is gearing up and raising partners for her long-term missions. Please pray with me that God will enable her to raise faithful partners that will support her through prayers and finances. :) Thanks!
Passing the baton
And since my sister is now preparing for her missions calling, most probably she will not be able to maintain her
online store that she started few years ago. So she passed it on to me hehe! ;) I believe that this is one of the avenues that God can use to support her missions financially. ;))
Whew! There are more reasons now to love weekends! ;)
P.S. Papa is now home from abroad! Yeah yeys! :D and I got a new mobile phone (thank you papa! ;P)
