This Sunday is different from the other Sundays because today I am not just part of the congregation. I am the liturgist today and it is making me nervous, since this will be my first time to be speaking at the pulpit in front of the congregation.

[Photo source: vimeo.com]

Today is the third Sunday that Pastor E talks about people who serves in the Shadows, and this Sunday he talks about Epaphras life from the books of Colossians 1: 7-8 and Colossians 4: 12-13 , his faithful dedication , cooperation, conviction, commitment and consistency.

The topic of Pastor E’s preaching this Sunday is a continuation of his topic the previous Sunday, it is about Serving in the Shadows but today it is about Hur, from the book of Exodus 17: 8-13.

[Photo source: vimeo.com]

Pastor E talks about Hur’s character,  Hur has support and cooperation, potential and his participation is persistence. He encourage everyone to be faithful in their  place serving God and use everyone’s God given talent to serve God,  he said that a potential without participation is a little value and participation is essential but without persistence you will not see victory.

Today, my mother and sister went to church with me after a long years of her not going to the church. I have been inviting her but she doesn’t want to, but one surprising day she just said she want to go to church and it happened today.

Pastor E started a new topic this Sunday which is about “Serving in the Shadows” from the book of Acts 11: 19-26 where Bernabe was mentioned. Pastor E says that Bernabe is a faithful servant and his life has a large impact to people during those times.

The qualities of loyal servant of God can be found in Bernabe’s life, he is a good person, blessed with the Holy Spirit and has a strong faith. How’s our attitude in serving God? Are we committed and willing?

It was first Sunday of the month and it was raining hard, the church service started very early. There were only few people inside the church maybe because of the heavy rain, people were trap on their home. I was a bit soak in rain despite of having an umbrella.

Pastor E’s scriptural topic was continuation and the last part about being a good disciple of Christ “The Confidence in Discipleship” based of scriptural verse John 15: 7-11. According to the bible to be a Gods disciple we should do three things – forget about our self, bring the cross and follow Him.

On the scriptural verses 7-8 we are told to be confident in our position, we should abide God and His words and when we do it God is glorified. Secondly, on verses 9-10 there is a provision, God’s love us and He challenge us to remain in His love, while on verse 11 we have the confidence in our position in life since God equipped us with many talents and abilities, along the way God provided for us even though we challenged Him by doing nothing, for not growing as a Christian.

[ Tagged In ] A Blessed Sunday, Church, Church Service, Sunday Service

It’s the last Sunday of the month and Pastor E’s topic on his preaching today was from the book of Luke 14: 25-33 with a a topic of “The Cost of Discipleship”. Blessings are free and costly and there is very little blessings require in serving the Lord conveniently, Pastor E asked the congregation that considering God’s investment in us, what God have received from us?

Pastor E also gave some points on the cost of discipleship like the criteria, God says on verse 26 to love Him more than we love our parents, brother and sisters and whoever do not so cannot be his disciple then on verse 27  it was said that in following Jesus there will be a cross to carry, it means responsibility and on verse 28 we have to sit down and think if we can continue serving God given the responsibilities and cost.

Today, is Father’s Day Sunday. Instead of Pastor E preaching it was his wife who delivered God’s message, the scripture reading was from the book of 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12 with a topic “A Portrait of Fatherhood.

[Photo courtesy of fathers-days.net]

Pastor E’s wife shared the traits of a father, according to her a father is able to express genuine love, he has transparent life where he isn’t ashamed to cry in front of others, he has unselfish diligence, genuine spirituality and positive influence in his child’s life.

There was some testimony from other members for their father, they were called to share something in front of the congregation.

A new doctor check-up on my mother since today, her second doctor was in Manila and I guess the first one wasn’t around or been busy with other patients. According to the new doctor my mother’s sugar level and uric acid wasn’t too high, his finding my mother maybe had a stroke because of cholesterol, he said that even a person has a lower cholesterol level it can cause a stroke. Her medicine were changed  to tablets already unlike before they were thru IV,  one of her medicine were lowered on dosage.

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

We are told that my mother might be discharged tomorrow, my mother requested the sales clerk in the hospital pharmacy to have a partial account of our hospital bill, she was from our barangay so we knew her. The partial amount was quite high, it was almost three months of my father’s monthly wages as a carpenter (his rate is ₱2,100 per week) and we have already spend almost two months of my father’s wages in medicines and other expenses so the bill was like a fortune for us, quite sad too we have no health insurance.

My mother can now sit without being felt dizzy unlike the last few days that she can’t even raise her head although her affected body has still no sensation but she can move her hands and feet already.  She’s recovering quickly isn’t it?

Hospital was our second home for a few days already, my father and I go home in the morning to collect water, do the laundry, cooked food and do other household chores and then we returned during lunch and went home again in the afternoon and went back to the hospital at late afternoon. It was been our routine for several days, it was hard to sleep during the night because we have to monitor my mother’s urine every hour, by draining her catheter and measuring it. I sleep a bit at night and do the task during early morning but I can’t sleep well at all because I was worrying with my mother’s condition.

Anyway, I am not planning to attend church service today but my sister texted that if I want to go to church I just have to make sure that everything is right at home, so I immediately searched for my jeans and went to church with a cloudy mind, lack of sleep and non-stop worrying.

[Image source: mbchiawassee.org]

This Sunday is my father’s birthday and it was exchanged pulpit Sunday which mean different Pastor will do the preaching, the preacher was a woman pastor (Pastor E.F) from sister church, her topic for the day was about “Service That Pleasing the Lord” based on scripture reading Matthew 25: 14-31.

What kind of service pleasing the Lord? According to Pastor E.F, productive service pleases the Lord, a service that is effective and fruitful, God gave us talents and ability for us  to flourish, He expected us to level up. Secondly, passionate service pleases the Lord, it is a service that is burning, committed, eager, excited, enthusiastic, hot and emotional in short it is a service that is from the heart. We should work with love to the Lord, our motivation should be love to glorify God. Thirdly, a faithful service pleases the Lord, it should be close, consistent, devoted, loyal and trustworthy. A faithful servant never retired, he served faithfully as long as he is alive. According to Pastor E.F a good servant acknowledge God as the owner and him as a steward and faithfulness is keeping promises.

Today, is the first Sunday of the month so the service started 7 o’clock in the morning. Pastor E topics is about the “The Call to Discipleship” based on Matthew 4:19 when Jesus invited Peter and Andrew to follow him to be fisher’s of men.

[Photo courtesy of relationaldiscipleship.wordpress.com]

Pastor E encourages the congregation to strengthen their faith and live like Jesus wanted His children to be, to follow Him and live on His words. He also discuss about Jesus invitation to Peter and Andrew,  he said it was not only for them but for everyone. Peter and Andrew followed Jesus without hesitation, they trust and became obedient.

[ Tagged In ] A Blessed Sunday, Church, Church Service, Sunday Service

The other day while I went out to return the broom outside, I saw a woman carrying a baby on her arms. She first went to my aunt store then talk to my cousin’s wife and when she saw us in our porch, she offered a bottle of honey. I have thought of buying honey a few weeks ago so my father could drink calamansi juice with honey to cure his colds and cough but I don’t know where to find a seller and the woman showing in our house with a bottle of honey is an answered prayer. She is selling the bottle of honey for ₱150 about $3.20, we asked her if it was a pure honey and we are told it was and it was the only bottle she got. We could test it we don’t believe her; anyway we bought the bottle of honey without testing.

When my father arrived in the afternoon I have told him that I bought a bottle of honey for ₱150, he said it was too expensive because he thinks my older cousin’s wife was selling bottle of honey for ₱60 ($1.31) only, my older female cousin who was at home seconded but she thought that is cheaper than the amount my father mentioned. Well, I have thought buying it for ₱150 was already a steal since it was hard to get pure honey these days.

Anyway, when they look at bottle of honey I bought they concluded it was pure honey since it was very sticky and dark yellow in color unlike the honey that my older cousin’s wife reselling from the island where she is working it is blunt in color and watery in texture.