A Blessed Sunday: What Are The Things you Have that you can Trade?

There was a different Pastor today at church since Pastor E was assigned out of town, Pastor J talks about the things you are willing to trade for something else from the book of 1 Peter 5:8-11. She said if we are experiencing good life and doesn't experience problems we should be already nervous what path are we already walking. Maybe we are already walking a path to Satan's lair, Pastor J set Job as example how he was tempted by Satan and how he remained faithful to God.

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Pastor J shared some insights or ways to know if we are already trap by the enemy, first she said we are trapped when the things we want were given without struggle because it is true that when a person life is well he forgot God. He encouraged every one to be vigilant, to focus and be observant and secondly to meditate God's words.  A life without trial is an enemy's way to trap you.

A Blessed Sunday: Service that Pleasing the Lord

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.

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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.

A Blessed Sunday: Faithful Christian Service

This Sunday, Pastor E’s scriptural topic was about Faithful Christian Service based from scriptural verses Matthew 25:21, 1 Corinthians 4: 12 and Galatians 5: 22-23. Pastor E told the congregation that it is our duty to serve God but we served God in a voluntarily phases, in short we see ourselves as volunteers.

God put us in our particular place to be faithful and with a purpose, these purpose can be found in the following bible verses and what God encourages us to be:

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1. Hebrews 10: 25 – God wish each of us to be faithful in our attendance in church
2. 2 Timothy 2: 15 – Be faithful in reading the bible
3. 1 Thessalonians 5: 17 -  Be faithful in praying without ceasing
4. 2 Timothy 2: 19- 22 – Be faithful in our moral lives
5. James 2: 14-18 – Be faithful in serving others

Pastor E elaborates more and shared a story how King Henry III became an obedient King. He finishes his preach asking everyone a question "Will God find us faithful?"

A Blessed Sunday: Time is Precious

It was first Sunday of the month again today and the service proper started as early as seven o'clock. Pastor E scriptural topic was about "time" and the scriptural verse was from Ephesus 5: 16 that says "Making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil."

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Pastor E says that time is precious because it is short and when it passed it cannot be recover that's why there is always regrets at the end when we didn't use our time wisely. God give us certain set of time (Matthew 12:36) to do good but how much time we have wasted?

Time is also an opportunity to do good (redeeming time), it is God' special gift to us, it was God given opportunity with purposes (Hebrews 3:15).

Fulfilling Life Purposes

It was been my habit to say “always look at the bright side” but when I passed through the dark tunnel of life I have closed my eyes and I can’t see any light like I am blind; there is no bright side it is pitched black.

Today is the first Sunday of the month and as usual the church service started at 7 o’clock in the morning the spiritual topic is Fulfilling Life Purposes from the book of Psalms 90: 12.

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All of us have different purpose and mission in life, have you found yours? What is God’s purpose in your life? Are you fulfilling that purpose? These were the question raised to us by our pastor and after which he informed everyone that we could find our life purpose if we remain teachable throughout our brief life span, by learning to manage our given time well and allow ourselves to be transformed as God intends.

Women's Faith, Strong Amid Challenges

The weather isn’t nice today it is very gloomy maybe because of the typhoon. I am not still feeling well too but it didn’t stop me from waking up early and taking a bath. I need to hold on so I can live; this Sunday is Women's Sunday so the scriptural topic is about women, and how God uses women for the victory of Israel.

We remember women's faith, strong amid challenges.

The speaker for today is our Pastor’s wife, she said it was her first time to speak in front of congregation but I think she did well. I was touched and blessed many times on her messages; I am able to digest a lot of after thoughts.

God knocked to us when we are wandering away to wake us up, we are not given problems we cannot overcome and problems are God’s way for us to seek Him. Our prayers will be answered on His time just few of the messages I can recall. I have a lot of troubles, I am weary and what is making me to stand is my hope and my faith that everything will be fine in God’s perfect time.

Going to church after three consecutive Sundays, I am slowly becoming comfortable with people’s presence. I am now able to look around and smile to the older women I’ve seen in the church unlike the first time I can’t do it. Being embarrassed to go to church after a long time was also the reason why I didn’t go to church for a long period, and I have overcome that embarrassment when one morning I decided to go, that was the time I cannot carry all my burdens anymore and my heart is overflowing with sadness. I am now learning to feel comfortable with people, I hope slowly I will be able to gain confidence.

Nobody know what am I going through except my family. A cousin asked me why I am not leaving the country yet, my replied "It is more fun in our town" my family knew it because I can’t hide it from them when I started crying out loud like someone died, well my heart dies.

Well, after church and lunch at home I went back to bed and I have been sleeping all day.

The Black Hole and Going to Church after a Long Time

The black hole ate me again last night so I asked my mother and sister to drive me to town, I felt a little better when I feel the air touching my face and head, if only air could carry my burdens away from me it would be nicer. We made a little grocery shopping but I didn't stay longer inside the store, I went out immediately upon hearing a Christmas song inside because I can't stop my tears from coming out, the music was so magical, it was very merry but I am dying inside.

Anyway, I went to church today. It was been a long time since I attend a church service. I didn't go to church since I came home to Philippines which is already over a year ago which is so wrong because I have  a lot of things to be thankful for. I forgot a lot of things, I became very comfortable with my life, I forgot to pray and open my bible which I always did before. I wandered and I became lost, I became overwhelmed and drunk with the material world. I have been wanting to go to church but I was so embarrassed to do it alone maybe because I felt like I can still go on with my life and take some steps forward. But lately, I can't do it anymore. I can't walked anymore, I am very tired already and would like to rest, so I surrendered all my pain and burden inside my heart to God.

The church was just in our neighborhood just right beside us so we could hear everything from praise and worship, to the message and prayers. Last Sunday there are some testimonies about God faithfulness, I have heard someone shared that she knew that she didn't pass a board exam so she would remember being a Christian and to remember God, because once we became comfortable with life we forgot to praise and say thank you to Him.  It hits me deeply, it was just like me. I forgot to say thank you and I forgot to pray for a long period of time, it was recently that I learned again to call Him. I became a bad child and now He is waking me up and calling me so I will remember Him, I will remember God's faithfulness.

So today I went to church, I wake up early because the service will start very early since it was the first Sunday of the month. Before going into church I bought candies in the store and my aunt was surprised when I told her I am going to church after she asked where am I heading to.

It was heartwarming to be inside the church again, singing "Amazing Grace" made me teary. The message I heard today is about mission, and this would be the topic for the whole month of October, the last Sunday of the month will be celebrated as Wider Mission Sunday. I would like to write down some notes but I forgot to bring a pen with me and I just remember at home that I should instead record the message in my phone rather than looking for a pen. If I remember it right, the people/church has a mission but they have two choose either  to be a good Christian who shared or just to remain a Christian who doesn't do anything.

There is a church hopping after the service but I didn't go to it anymore even my aunt invited me to do it, in church hopping we have to attend another Sunday service into another church.