The Journey of a Christian Mom...

Just updating…

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 02:42:00 +0000

It’s been over a year now since I have updated my blog. There were lots of reasons for this and mostly due to busy-ness and sometimes laziness. We also moved to our newly rented house and it kept me very busy adjusting to the new environment. Last year also was Reuel’s most travelled year in his entire career life which meant in return that I was left alone with the kids most of the time. Conclusively, 2011 was more prosperous and abundant year for us compared to previous years.

I have so much to write if time permits me. But, I want to start this with our church’s theme this year: GROWING UP IN ALL THINGS IN 2012 which is an excerpt from the book of Ephesians 4:15-16. With this theme, I and Reuel committed ourselves once again to be diligent in attending the morning and afternoon Sunday services and eventually becoming involve in the ministry. We’re planning also to start having a ministry one at a time. And, I’m glad that I find one where I can use my talent and skills to serve the Lord. I was asked by Pastor Bong if I could join the Creative Media team where I was assigned to help for the Audio-Video Presentation (AVP) in the church. I got excited because I know I can do it and this is what I wanted to do but I was also nervous that I might not be able to meet the deadlines and fail God again. But who knows? Maybe this is where I can excel and serve the Lord. I hope so…

We also started our Sunday commitment last January 15 by attending the whole-day service and by partaking the Me-Mo (families with a surname that starts with this letter) Family presentation. Each one of us was asked for our favorite verses for us to testify. Reuel and I did backup singing also during the congregation singing. Imagine that! I sang in front of people, can’t believe it (I don’t know how to sing or should I say I’m flat when I sing)… hahaha. But it’s for the glory of GOD and I have made it!

My verse was in 1 Corinthians 10:13…

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

It was a very tiring day because we need to come back again for the afternoon service but I was also happy and appease.

HAPPY 2012 everyone!

RAISING OUR LEVEL HIGH IN 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 16:02:00 +0000

Reuel is in Malaysia right now for his business trip so I am left alone with the 3 kids at home. Since today is Sunday and I’m not able to personally attend our church worship service, I rather let myself watch the live streaming (http://www.lighthousebbc.org/) worship service from the main congregation in Tatalon, Quezon City. The message of Pastor Reuben is entitled, RAISING OUR LEVEL HIGH IN 2011. With his message, he asked all the members to post the preaching notes to each and everyone’s Facebook account and so I did. Below are the different levels that should be raised this year.
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1. Raising the Level of our Spiritual Awareness

According to Pastor Reuben, everything done for God is opportunity. We just need to be aware of the opportunities around us and the danger that comes our way because sometimes we do not know that it has come our way and we just let it passed. We ought to do something for the opportunities to come. And for us to discern the spiritual opportunities, we should set our affections above and not of those in this earth. Pastor RA also mentioned that we need to have the sense for excellent things to raise our spiritual awareness.
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Let us read some verses in the Bible:
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Philippians 1:10 (KJV):
“That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;”
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1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 (KJV):
“Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.”
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Ephesians 5:14-17 (KJV):
“Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”
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In the last verse, it mentions that the Lord gives us illumination when we are spiritually sensitive (we should be awake first then arise) for us to receive the lights that our Lord Jesus Christ is giving.
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2. Raising the Level of our Spiritual Endurance
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This means increasing the threshold of our spiritual endurance. Pastor RA cites that some Christians is being on and off in serving the Lord which greatly affects their spiritual growth. We should not be affected or persuaded by those people that have wrong attitudes, by those who are fond of criticizing other people, etc. We all need to be strong for us to be able to endure things that can help us grow. Please read the following verses from the Bible which was written by Apostle Paul to Timothy that speaks of endurance.
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2 Timothy 3:10-12 (KJV):
“But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
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1 Timothy 4:6 (KJV):
“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.”
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Ephesians 6:10-19 (KJV):
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,”
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3. Raising the Level of our Saving Endeavors
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Contrary to what most of us know, the Church’ business is not just to save the soul of a man but the saving of a whole man which is the spirit, soul and the body. There are people who clamor to save souls but did not care about fellowshipping with other. Every part of the church’ ministries are in the saving business. We need to save people from stubbornness, from wrong directions, from wrong influence, from wrong minds so let all our church’ ministries be a saving ministry of the whole man. Let us read the Bible:
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Philippians 2:12 (KJV):
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
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4. Raising the Level of our Ministry Quality
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We at LBBC want to have a fool-proof ministry. Every ministry of the church should care for the work of GOD. Pastor RA said that we cannot demonstrate the love of God without loving the work of God. We should be willing to fulfill our ministry against all odds. Let us read what the Bible said about this:
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Colossians 4:17 (KJV):
“And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.”
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2 Corinthians 6:3-12 (KJV):
“Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.”
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Pastor Reuben ends his morning preaching asking the members to raise our levels high this year. God Bless us all!

The events behind the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 15:01:00 +0000

Christmas is now in every corner of the metropolitan. People are excitingly bustled on their shopping galore. Lights are sparkling everywhere. Parties and get-together is all around. And of course, traffic jam is all over the land. Ah! That’s how we celebrate this special occasion.
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This holiday season is indeed in everyone’s psyche at this moment but before we hook ourselves in a festive mood brought by Christmas, let us pause for a while to reflect on the true essence of this most awaited event of the year. Let us have a little time to know why we celebrate this special occasion – the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ (though based on the description written in the bible, Jesus Christ was not born in December but who really knows the exact date? What’s most important is that we celebrate the birth of our savior. If those non-Bible believers respects Christmas, how much more those who truly believed in Jesus Christ?
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As we prepare our tables for the Noche Buena, let me give you some insights on the events behind the birth of Jesus Christ. This was preached by preacher Benjie Reyes in one of our Sunday evening worship a year ago and I feel that it’s worth sharing it with you.
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1. Satan tried to stop the birth of the seed
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As early as the Old Testament time, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ was already prophesied. In the book of Genesis, when Adam and Eve fell into sin, God gave the prophecy about the seed. Let us read the verse below:
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Genesis 3:15 (KJV):
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
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In the verse above, God speaks about Jesus Christ as the seed of the woman and the anti-Christ as the seed of the serpent. Because of this prophecy about the seed of the woman against the seed of the serpent, Satan did everything just to keep it from happening.
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a. Killing of Abel
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Satan watched warily every man that pleases God. And because Abel pleased God, Satan has put a seed of covetousness on Cain which in effect leads Cain into killing his brother Abel. However, God knows this and he gave Adam and Eve another son, Seth, who is our ascendant. Please read the following verses:
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Genesis 4:9 (KJV):
“And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?”
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Genesis 4:25 (KJV):
“And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.”
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b. Killing of male children during Moses time
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The pharaoh, during the time of Moses, has been the instrument of Satan to avert the first prophecy of God about the woman’s seed.
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Exodus 1:22 (KJV):
“And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.”
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c. Breaking of David’s Royal chain
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Jeremiah 22:30 (KJV):
“Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.”
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The prophecy by Jeremiah above speaks of the breaking of David’s royal chain. Israel was conquered by other nations several times and the kingdom under David’s line ceased to exist as the Bible says, “…for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.” This was the consequence of the sins that David’s descendants have wrought when they ruled wickedly over Israel.
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However, the devil was shocked when he learned that God was not limited to one line. David had another son named Nathan who had never made it to become a king. His generation was taken care of God to preserve the seed of David.
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2 Samuel 5:13-14 (KJV):
“And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David. And these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,”
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If we would read the book of Matthew and Luke about the genealogy of Jesus Christ, we could see that they speak of different grandfather of Jesus. It is because during that time, the woman has no rights in the society. The Heli that was mentioned in the book of Luke was the father of Mary which was espoused to Joseph.
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Luke 3:23-31 (KJV):
“And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,”
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d. Killing of children during Herod’s time
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When the time has come and the birth of the Messiah has taken place, Satan still tried his best…
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Matthew 2:13-16 (KJV):
“And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.”
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2. Old Testament Prophecies were fulfilled
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a. He would be born of a virgin
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This prophecy was written in the book of Isaiah and Matthew which are 800 years apart.
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Isaiah 7:14 (KJV):
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
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Matthew 1:22-23 (KJV):
“Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
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b. He would be given the throne of David
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2 Sam 7:11-12 (KJV):
“And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.”
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Psalms 132:11 (KJV):
“The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.”
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Isaiah 9:6-7 (KJV):
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”
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Luke 1:31-32 (KJV):
“And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:”
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3. Mary’s Confusion
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a. She doesn’t have any boyfriend
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During those early times, when a woman got pregnant without a husband, she will be stoned to death because of the embarrassment she had brought to her family. Just imagine the confusion of Mary when the angel said that she will be having a baby without even knowing a man whom he may call her husband and the father of her baby.
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Luke 1:34 (KJV):

“Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”
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b. The archangel reassured her
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Luke 1:35 (KJV):
“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
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4. Joseph’s Fear
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a. He was surprised of Mary’s pregnancy
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Matthew 1:19 (KJV):
“Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.”
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b. He arranges to make Mary his legal wife
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Matthew 1:24-25 (KJV):
“Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.”
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If it not had been for Judah’s sin, Joseph could have been the rightful king of Judah when the time Christ was born. It was he and not Herod who had the credentials to sit upon the throne of Israel.
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The lessons we could learned from these events are:
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1. Let us not be discouraged if we are undergoing trials because God is in control. In the past events, Satan did his best to prevent the prophecy from happening but our Lord Jesus Christ still has been born. In times of trials, God is just checking our attitudes.
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Romans 8:28 (KJV):
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
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2. Let us continue to labor for the Lord. Mary continued to nourish Jesus despite the fact that He hadn’t shown any greatness, being the son of God, during the early years of His life. If we would read the life of Jesus Christ in the bible, the first miracle of Jesus was in the wedding at Cana where He turned the water into wine. The same is true in our time today, where doing wrong is acceptable but doing right is strange. We should not let the world affects us. Instead, let us be the shining lights to move the lives of the people around us.
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1 Peter 4:10-11 (KJV):
“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
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3. Christmas is all about JESUS and not about us!
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Let us not forget the true meaning of Christmas -- our Lord Jesus Christ! I have notice that Santa Clause has been the center of attraction during Christmas in the children because of gifts giving rather than Jesus Christ who gave the greatest gift of all -- His life!
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Merry CHRISTmas to all!

My life's purpose

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 18:10:00 +0000

I was in my deep slumber last night when out of nowhere I got awake at 4 am with the fearful thought that I might lose Reuel in my life. I cuddled him tightly and I told him in between my tears how much I love him. And that I am very thankful that he is in my life. I put on him a blanket to keep him warm and I checked if he was ok (because it seems that he will be having an asthma attack after we got home from last Sunday’s evening service). I checked the kids too in their room and I was relieved that they’re sleeping soundly. Then I returned into bed and with tears, I say a little prayer to the Lord to spare Reuel and my kids from my iniquities and shortcomings as a Christian.
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As I am praying, the preaching from last Sunday night’s service flashed back. It maybe because I was greatly moved by what the missionary preacher from Vietnam had said that many Christians do not believe that hell does exists. According to him, if we really believe in hell’s existence, we might have the compassion to share the gospel with our loved ones instead of lingering on our comfort zone. As he was saying this, I remember my family and friends that I haven’t shared the gospel with. I also recalled the video from YouTube.com about the reenacted events of a tormented person in hell blaming his friend, who is a Christian, because the latter did not share the gospel. Here is the video of that:

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Yes, my dear friend, Hell does EXIST! Hell is a place wherein, every soul is experiencing intense pain especially mental pain because the memory which they rejected the gospel retains. The place called “HELL” was described by Jesus Christ in the book of Mark, which is:
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Mark 9:47-48 KJV:
"And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
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It was also described by Jesus Christ through the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Let us read the whole story which is in the book of Luke.
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Luke 16:19-31 KJV:
“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”
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This is the reason Jesus Christ died for us, to redeem us from the eternal damnation in hell. When the first people, Adam and Eve, commits the first sin which is disobedience, every man comes short of the glory of God. This is written in the Bible.
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Romans 3:23 KJV:
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
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So God the father sent his only begotten son, Jesus Christ as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins and the only way to His kingdom in heaven. And whoever faithfully believes in Him shall not perish.
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John 14:6 KJV:
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
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John 3:16 KJV:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
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Contrary to what the world teaches us that good works can save us. The Bible has something written about this.
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Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV:
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
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I hope that through this writing, I have imparted the good news which is the gospel of Jesus Christ.---

Good morning everyone! J

Instant noodles

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:39:00 +0000

As I’m organizing the labels of my blogs here, I noticed that I haven’t written a single entry about foods from different regions/country that we have tried and becomes our favorite. So, I’m posting this entry, in which at first, I really don’t have the intention to do so.

Instant noodles are usual stuffs in our grocery list. It is very convenient to have that in the pantry most especially during the times when either I’m too lazy to cook a soup which complements fried dishes we have, or we do not have something to pair up with rice. Or even when the weather is cold and we want something that would keep us warm without the hassle of cooking a real soup (which of course, tastes better and healthier to consider). Instant noodles are very cheap commodities too that everybody else could afford. So, we love instant noodles!

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The first time we experienced the Taiwan instant noodles is when Reuel had a business trip to Taipei. He immediately fell in love with it because of the generous amount of meat chunks that came with it. So, he brought some when he got home. And since it comes with the chunks of real meat (plus a mixed flavor in it), it is advisable to store it in the refrigerator.

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Those noodles shown above were not brought in by Reuel as he hasn’t been to Taiwan for more than a year now. Those lovely and yummy noodles are from Ken, Reuel’s Taiwan-based boss. Yes, he was here in the Philippines. He brought the noodles as “pasalubong” to his team as he always used to do. Thank you Ken!

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Please take note that the smaller pack does not have meat chunks. It’s just an ordinary noodle we usually find here but they’re tastier compared to our local ones.

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So, if you happened to be in Taiwan and you love instant noodles, this is a must-try for your food trip to put noodles into a higher level.

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Bon appetit!

Who says life is easy?!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:38:00 +0000

Every day is full of challenges. And every people have their own difficulties to deal with. In short, no one is exempted from that life’s quest. Some may have financial issue and some may have relationship issue. The financial issue is very common and it’s the easiest problem one can have. The relationship issues are those issues by which your mutual relations or your emotional association with other people is at stake or could be lacking. Relationship issue for me is the most difficult problem because you cannot easily resolve it and it involves emotional distress.

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I remember, Reuel and I had a small talk and he asked me if I have to choose what could be our next problem if money would not be a problem for us after all. He enumerated the possible problems that we are about to face in the future which includes our relationship as husband and wife, our relationship towards our children which is a common problem among parents most especially when our children reach the teenage years or another wave of financial problems. Then I answered, that I would rather choose to have money problem.

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So, who says life is easy? Our challenges may not be the same with other people but there is one common among all of us and that is each and every one of us will experience hardships in life no matter what. King Solomon, who was the wisest man who ever lived on earth, writes in the book of Ecclesiastes that:

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Ecclesiastes 1:8 KJV:
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“All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.”

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Ecclesiastes 1:14 KJV:
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“I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.”

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Therefore, all things we do here is useless if we do not do the sole duty of our existence in this earth which is:

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Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 KJV:
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“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”

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Thus, I and Reuel never have a single fight over money matters since we got married because we know that it doesn’t bring any good to our relationship. It is just vanity (useless) to fight over material things. We look at money as a consumable thing that might bring some sort of satisfaction to ourselves but it is a worthless cause of contention. And yes, we’re one of the millions of people who have financial difficulties and we sometimes feel sad because we cannot buy what we want, do what we want, nor go wherever we want to. But I think it’s a matter of setting your mind to look into another angle of your life in which you are blessed. In that, you become contented for whatever you have. In our part, we truly love each other and we’re building a wonderful family. To think of that, makes us grateful unto the Lord.

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One time, my parents commented that we look so happy and contented in the midst of our financial crisis. According to them, it seems that we’ve been somewhat brain-washed by our Pastor (they’re opposing to our tithes giving and offering) that money is not important. If we would only read the Word of God, it says giving is the way to God’s blessings. And only in giving that God asks us to prove Him. It is in the book of Malachi 3:10, which says:

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“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

---

And in the book of Luke 6:38, which says:

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“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

---

I still remember, what my mom have said, that money is what makes one happy. You can do all the things you want when you have money. I just smile at them and pray that they would understand and experience the happiness and contentment that we have and, that they would have the same eternal security that we have through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us look what was written in the book of Matthew 6: 19-21:

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“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

---

When you have learned not to worry over the things that you don’t have, you will start enjoying your life. We do not have to worry for what we need because God knows all our needs. It is written in the book of Matthew 6:25-26, that says:

---

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?”

---

It is true that worrying about the future does not help us. We only need to trust God for everything. And trusting God is difficult to exercise but once we’re into it, we’ll have a better disposition in life because we know that everything happens to us has a purpose and it is according to God’s plan.

---

I would like to include here one of my favorite song that I usually play:

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What I've been through

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 17:18:00 +0000

I am blessed with a good and loving husband. And he’s a good provider too… We started our marriage life with a good start. We have bought almost everything that we need to start a family. Then there comes the time that we have our first born. Oh yes, we still have that good start. We are able to give all the needs of our first baby. Then our second baby came. At first, it’s so hard for us because it brought us financial challenges and on my part emotional difficulties. But we never fight over financial issues. I and Reuel value our relationship more than anything. We always thought that all people have money problem even for rich people. So, it’s common to all. However, GOD is so good because that phase in our married life had easily come to pass because Reuel got an increase in his salary twice on that year, which is very rare to happen.
----

So, financial challenges were settled but not the emotional part within me. I cannot say that I’m not happy with my life. I have a very supportive husband and two wonderful sons then. And almost every weekend, Reuel stroll us to the mall and we dine to our restaurant of choice. I’m always happy during the weekend but whenever Monday comes, there’s something in me that I cannot put into words or I don’t even know what exactly it is. But I’m always crying most of the day most especially in the morning when Reuel has gone to office to work and the children are still sleeping. I feel like I’m exhausted with my life and I’m praying to God to just take my life to end the heaviness that I always feel whenever I’m left alone. I love my two sons and I always spend time playing with them. I feel that emotional sickness when I’m alone or in the midst of doing my daily house chores routine. But Reuel is always there for me love me more, to understand me and to give his moral support to what I've been going through. He prays for me everyday that God would help me.

----

Then, we commit ourselves to God’s work. I started to enjoy fellowshipping with our church mates especially to mommies like me. And I realized then that I’m so blessed with my life because I found that some may have more difficult challenges than what I have. That was the start when I really enjoy my life. And I start putting all my worries and trust unto the Lord. My very first life verse that I’ve found in the Bible is in the book of John 14:1 which says:

----
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”
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Everything was ok, and we’re active doing Christ’s great work until I gave birth to our third child. My faith got shaken and becomes weak. I didn’t have time to pray and do my personal devotion. Then I met (in the net) again my former colleague, Diana. I read her blog and relate easily to what she’s been through. Then we instantly have that kind of connection that only mommies at home have. She’s the reason I start blogging again and she brings back the confidence in myself.

Oh how I’ve missed working again BUT I am happy being a SAHM…

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 10:05:00 +0000

I will be celebrating my 5th year as a house mom on March 2011, which is only 5 months away. Well, overall, it has not been easy for me to become a full time mom to two kids then and now to three kids. It’s a very challenging work and everyday your patience is being tested.

When I got pregnant to Gabee, Yuan was 5 months old. I decided to resign from my work and embraced full-time motherhood. Besides, I love to have kids and being around with my kids. I want to take care of Yuan by myself and see his milestones every day which I was not able to do then when I was still working (because he was staying at my parent’s house in Cavite). And our setup then was, to visit him on weekends which were very tedious to do because of the long travel that I and Reuel have to take after a 5-day tiring work.

At first, I was so excited to think that I’m not going to office anymore and that I could have more time to sleep making my sleeping habit becomes normal again (I used to work in a Call Center on a graveyard shift as a technical support agent). And that I will have more time to spend with Yuan. What I did not know was becoming a full-time mom is far more difficult than being a career woman. This is because when you are working, you are free from doing the house chores, which means you have more time to take care of yourself physically. You have an excuse not to go to work when you’re not feeling well. Or plainly, you just not want to work at all. And best of all, you earn money. For being a full-time mom, you have to work 24/7 non-stop. No sick leave or vacation leave and you cannot quit whenever you want to.

There even a time that I asked Reuel if I could be able to work again when the time comes that all of our children will go to school. Fear comes to me when I think what would be my life at home without my kids. Surely, it sucks. And I always ask myself, how can I be able to go back to work again thinking at my age? Who will hire me? And I shall be stagnant for 7 years by the time my kids are all going to school. I don’t even have a copy of my CV (curriculum vitae) with me because Reuel’s hard drive where I saved my CV has crashed. And honestly, I don’t really remember how to have social life with other people aside from Reuel and my kids. However, Reuel, always console me that I could have my time for myself when all our kids are gone to school and he tells me that I could continue investing in the stock market just to keep me busy.

So, when Diana (a friend and a former colleague) offers me a part-time job online, I instantly grab the opportunity. It’s not about the money that I will earn but the opportunity to work again. God knows, how happy I really am when some amount was credited to my PayPal account because the fact that I worked for it, is incomparable. And I thought that it’s a good start for me to have my career back even at home.

Happy weekend everyone!!!

My Sofia

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 17:45:00 +0000

It’s almost been 2 years since I last blogged. And now that the feeling of blogging again gets into my heart and soul so here I am writing my first entry for this year. J Before anything else, I want to share to all of you that I gave birth to our third child last year. And we spot on the jackpot this time as our baby is a bouncing baby girl. Of course, thank GOD for answering our prayer (We ask earnestly if it is possible for me not to conceive again or if His will is to bless us another child then so be it but we prayed for a baby girl). Thank you so much Lord for this blessing!

We named her Sofia Danielle which is the first name that we have thought of when I get preggy the first time. I love the name Sofia because for me it sounds elegant or sophisticated. I dream of giving this name to my future daughter when I was still in high school and I thought it would not happen because my first two children are boys. The name Danielle came from Reuel, just like me though he actually wants “Daniel” to be the name of his son. You would ask why we didn’t give the name “Daniel” to our sons. Well, it was because we have somehow anticipated that our firstborn could be a girl and we really reserved the name “Sofia Danielle” for our first baby girl. So that’s the story behind that name…

Anyway, I googled for the root meaning of “Sofia” and it means “Wisdom”; and “Danielle” also which means “God is my judge.” Hmmm…perfect combination, isn’t it? Would you care to know the meaning of our names also? My hubby Reuel (pronounce as “ROO el”) means “Friend of God”; Michelle which means “Who is like God”; our firstborn, Juan Rafael which means “God is gracious” and “God has healed” respectively; our second son, Josef Gabriel which means “He will enlarge” and “God is my might”. Now, I started to think that names of people have something to do with his fate, eh? J

Moving on, I have lots of “first-time” experience with Sofia. She is our first and only daughter and this is the first time that I do breastfeeding because economically speaking, we can save a lot of money from buying formula milk. Secondly, we’ve been through hardship with our first two children as they’re very sickly. Almost every month they suffer from asthma and almost every year they have to be confined in the hospital. So we really thought that if I would do breastfeeding with Sofia, we’ll be freed from that difficult situation. And based on my experience, breastfed babies have good immune system. Sofia is 10 month-old now and she’s never been admitted to hospital. If I could only bring back time, I will do breastfeeding with Yuan and Gabee when they were still babies to save us from anxieties and money.

Till next time! Good morning everyone…

Goodies for me

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:34:00 +0000

Whoopee! Those are goodies from Reuel’s Taiwanese director (Ken) just for me. Every time he’s here for a business trip, he always remembers to bring me these goodies.

According to Reuel, Ken extends his gratitude to me for taking care of my hubby for him. Hmm…sounds like poofy!? Well, it’s not. He is a good man and has his own family in Taiwan. I met Ken once (early this year) when he asked his team to bring their own wives for a social dinner.
--I don’t know the English name of this rice cake. If somebody knows the name, would you mind sharing it? Actually, it’s like a “tikoy” (Chinese glutinous rice cake) with peanut filling. This is my favorite delicacy from Taiwan. And, Gabee too really likes it because he can finish two cakes in just one sitting.

--Thank you Ken for these!

3 Word Thursdays #6

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:05:00 +0000

meme rules:

* photo must have 3 words in it
* post your photo on your site with a link back to Ma Vie Folle (or grab button)

The saying “Our eyes are the windows to our soul” is one of my favorite phrase because through the eyes we can see the sincerity of a person. We can also see one’s emotion as it reflects clearly in her/his eyes. That’s why I always look at the eyes of the people I’m talking with to see if they are true on what they are saying.

Melodies for Missions Season Two

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:55:00 +0000

Melodies for Missions is the yearly song writing competition of Lighthouse Bible Baptist Churches and missions. Its aim is to bring out the talents of all Christians and to garner funds for the mission works of the church. This year’s theme is “A heart for missions”. And our church (Cainta mission) has ten entries in which four of them were among the finalists to compete last night’s big event which was held in our mother church in Tatalon, Quezon City. Below are the Cainta's entries (pardon for the quality of the video):

God commands us to go
by: Mel Bryan Alkuino
Interpreted by: Cainta Quartet

God Has commanded us to go (2x)
God wanted us to show
The passion for the souls of the Lord

Christ commanded us to preach
Christ commanded us to teach
Christ wanted us to know
The power in the blood of the Lord

Chorus:God has given us the power
God has given us the right
God has given Jesus wholly
Christ has given us His life

God has commanded to bring (the sheaves)
God has commanded to cling (to His word)
God wanted us to share
The love of the Lord
The mercy of the Lord
The life in the Lord eternally

Chorus:Now it’s the time to win the lost
Now it’s the time to reach the lost
Now it’s the time for the Lord
Abide & to carry our cross

Chorus (2x)God has given Jesus wholly
Christ has given us His life-- --

A Heart Like Yoursby: Jhing Ramos

Interpreted by: Olive Gragas
The vastness of the universe
The sun, the moon, the skies
You breathed out the stars in all its splendour
Your hands have made them all

But when You died on the cross
How You have left heavens above
I saw Your heart
How you have loved me
How You have bought an unworthy soul like me..

Chorus:Oh gracious Saviour
I want a heart just like Yours
Full of compassion
For souls gone astray
Oh gracious Saviour
Grant me a heart just like Yours
A heart for those in need
I want a heart like Yours

This life now I commit to You
This life I do not own
Use me for heaven’s greater cause
To share Your gift of grace

I empty my heart Oh Lord
Now is the time
To share to them
How you have loved us
How You have bought the unworthy souls men..

Coda:Make me a channel
Only by Your grace
Make me a vessel
That they may see Your face
Thru me…--

Bring Back the Passion
by: Ana Katrina Magayon
Interpreted by: Cristy Delgado

I was once a glowing lighthouse
I was once a shining one
But all my sins and selfishness
Has made my heart cold
Made my light glow dim

I am serving, yes sincere
Yet my life was so unclean
But Jesus taught me somethin’ else
That my service must have
A heart that obeys
Lord…Chorus:Bring back the pulse
Bring back the heartbeat
Of my heart in serving you
Bring back the passion for the souls
And make my lighthouse glow once again

The field is already yielding
Many souls are lost
But I am doin’ nothin’ else
To make them hear Your word

Clean me Lord and make me worthy
Make my life a reflection of You
So that when wond’ring one look near or far
They will see that You are true

This I pray (2x) Bring back the joy in serving You…

Walk in Himby: Oliver Espera

Interpreted by: Ramon Quemada
We have been redeemed by Christ our Saviour
From the paths of sin
Though we were unworthy of His love
And the darkness filled within

*When we’ll realize the sacrifice He’d made
And proclaim His love throughout the earth
With undeserved redeeming grace

Chorus:

Let us walk in Him
Together we will
Serve the King
And fulfil the mission
With our hearts that would not fail
He’s our mighty God
Our courage and our strength
Let us walk in Him today

Through the years He’s been so faithful
And in His grace we’ve been so rich
In all trials and circumstances
Oh, His love had set us free

Repeat *
Repeat Chorus 2x

He’s our mighty God
Our courage and our strength
Let us walk in Him today

The song “Walk in Him” got the second place and “Saan Man Ako Magtungo” written by Mark Rosales from LBBC Tatalon won the title of this year’s Melodies of Missions.

Congratulations to the winners and to all the finalists!

Knowing What The Scripture Say

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:07:00 +0000

We were awaked around 7:30am last Sunday but despite the limited time we have, we still lingered on the comfort of our bed trying to wake up the kids (again running late...why is our morning always packed with such unnecessary stuff?). Since time restricted us to prepare much of ourselves, we divided the chores. I prepared the foods while Reuel bathed the kids. Afterwards, we hastily ate our breakfast and we take turn on bathing ourselves. Alas! We finish around 10am, too late for the Sunday Gospel Time (SGT). Then, we just decided to attend the afternoon service because it was also raining during that time.

So what I would like to share with you is the SGT the week before last Sunday, which was all about our mission pastor’s beliefs before he got to know the scriptures -- the Bible. You might find connections with his beliefs as I do. I may not be accurate in details on how Pastor Bong had preached this because it has been 2 weeks after I have the time to write this, so I trust the Holy Spirit for this writings.

Before moving on, let me express what I have pondered as I realized that we have the same views before we got save and maybe these are also your views or beliefs in life. I have thought that most of us are blinded by the things which we feel right. We also tend to believe on something we really do not have much understanding just to conform on the bandwagon. Therefore, I conclude that we’re living through the same experience. And to clarify things, let us read the bible about these:

Matthew 22:29-30 (KJV):
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”
In the verse above, it confirmed my realization that we’re subjected to the same mistakes until we know the scriptures. Due to that fact, the scripture serves our guide to our way to eternal life as it is written in the bible:

Psalms 119:105 (KJV):
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
Man is often misled and he clings to false hopes. He believes that salvation is a reward that is earned by merit. Because of this, man resorts to religion, riches, good works, philosophy and the like. The bible however, teaches that all these do not contribute to man’s salvation. The scripture also helps us remove the blindfold that covers our eyes from the eternal verities. We were blindfolded by Satan and driven away from God but through Christ we were set free from being blindfolded as it was written in the book of 2 Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 4:4 (KJV):
“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
Here are the wrong beliefs of Pastor Bong before he encountered, read, and knew the scriptures:

1. I thought Religion is the way to God
According to him, he believed then that the different viewpoints of different religion are the different ways to God. Little did he know that there is only one way to salvation and that is through Jesus Christ. This was also my point of view before -- to belong to a religion and do some charity works to other people. I even dreamed of entering to a monastery after graduating in high school (I studied in a Catholic school) and I thank God for not allowing me to do that. Please read the verses below for in dept understanding:

Proverbs 14:12 (KJV):
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Acts 4:12 (KJV):
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Matthew 1:21 (KJV):
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
Many of us thought that belonging to a certain religion can save us from eternal damnation so we join religion that appears interesting to us. Those religions that do not demand so much of our time and resources are the most appealing to us because it means we can stay at our home unruffled.

I remember what Reuel has told me about his discussions with his former officemate. The guy was a Christian before but now he’s agnostic -- being unsure whether God exists or not. He had this illustration where there are ten blind people and an elephant. These ten people encircle the elephant and he says that the elephant represent as god for example. Then they were instructed to touch the elephant and were asked afterwards to describe the elephant based on what they have sensed. So what do you expect they would say? Of course, they have different perception of the elephant because they’ve touched the different parts of the animal. That former officemate of hubby correlate the ten blind people to the different religion which has a different standpoint about God. Thus, he concluded that all the religions are pointing only to one God though they have a different viewpoint. And because of confusion on which religion he needs to be belong, he just choose to be an agnostic. (Please click here for further reference)

That scenario is exactly the reason why there are people who questioned whether God exists or not because they are looking for the best religion in town when in fact they should not be. What they should search for is only Christ Jesus as He is the only answer; He is the way, the truth and the life. Nothing goes wrong when we are in the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. I thought I can’t be assured of heaven
The good works that we assume can save us is vain (nothing) as it cannot redeem us from eternal punishment in hell. Only believing in Christ Jesus can do so because by grace we are saved and that grace is the righteousness of God to man even though we do not deserve such grace. Let us read the following verses:

Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV):
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Romans 6:23 (KJV):
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Ezekiel 18:4 (KJV):
“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Titus 3:5 (KJV):
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;”
The bible said that salvation is God’s free gift to every sinner who will humbly repent of his sins and receive Jesus Christ as his personal Savior by faith. Jesus is our hope of eternal life! It is clearly stated that no amount of hard works could be able to save us. All we need to do is to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I feel sad when some people have a hard time accepting this fact as they would say that accepting Jesus Christ as their savior is so easy for them to be saved.

3. I thought riches are the reason of man’s happiness
As Pastor Bong said that those people who strive hard to be rich is just setting up themselves to sins as their love for the money is like piercing themselves to many anguish and afflictions in life. Money doesn’t give meaning to our lives and it is the most unstable and unreliable underpinnings in man’s life. In fact, its value depreciates over time so if our happiness depends on how much money do we have in our pocket then our life is a miserable one. If we still think that money is the answer to all, then let us take a look on the following verses below:

1 Timothy 6:9-10 (KJV):
“But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Proverbs 23:4-5 (KJV):
“Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.”

Proverbs 27:24 (KJV):
“For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?”
And the following verses tell us that only God can give our security way beyond the riches and wealth in this world. Without God in our life, we cannot do anything even though we attain the highest education that one could have, we can still regard as an educated fool because we’re missing the fact that God is the truth and the life.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 (KJV):
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

Psalms 4:7-8 (KJV):
“Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”

4. I thought God is not concerned with what I do
If we think that God is not involved in our daily lives, then we’re wrong as it is God who sustains our lives. He is the one who protects us from life’s commotion. He even invites us to have a talk in the form of prayer just to tell us that He is with us always. Please refer to the following verses:

Acts 17:28 (KJV):
“For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.”

Isaiah 1:18 (KJV):
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Jeremiah 33:2-3 (KJV):
“Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”
Thank you for taking time to read this writings. I hope that in my own little way, I have provided you a more spiritual understanding regarding the scriptures for you to be aware of some of our wrong beliefs in life. Not all we perceive seems right is right. Have a nice day to all of you!

3 Word Thursdays #5

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 08:41:00 +0000

meme rules:

* photo must have 3 words in it
* post your photo on your site with a link back to Ma Vie Folle (or grab button)

The script that I need to do to help my hubby’s management project is what’s on my mind today. I haven’t started it yet but hopefully I could finish it by tomorrow. How about you? What’s on your mind?

Bonsai: The Art of Tray Planting

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:27:00 +0000

I love bonsai. How they are aesthetically shaped by these talented people is what I truly admire. I’m fascinated with how these simple plants are made to be a wonderful creation of arts. Little I know then that any trees or plants can be made as bonsai. Just like the sampaloc tree (tamarind tree) in the picture which was taken to practice my skills in photography (I'm a lousy photographer).

(a bonsai tamarind tree)

(another bonsai)

(top view of bonsai taken by hubby)

Can you see the wires on the branches to form the shape that the designer wants to attain? It’s really artistic!

updated (11/28/08):

I've seen a video on how to make a bonsai tree in the Youtube.

It seems easy but I don’t think I can do it without destroying the plant.

Sunset peek

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:24:00 +0000

Every afternoon, I and the kids go on our rooftop to play, to watch the sky, to see the birds flying and the airplanes that travel across the sky. We sometimes wait until the stars and the moon starts to be seen in the sky around 6 pm. Oftentimes, I miss to bring the camera with me to capture the sunset and other unforgettable moments that we had. But yesterday I remembered to bring the camera however, the camera battery went off after two shots. Ah, these are one of the bad days.

But take a look at the sky that I have captured, it was really beautiful. The colors and the lights that are beautifully crafted in the sky are truly amazing.

Weekend with Jollibee

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:50:00 +0000

It’s been a long time since we ate at Jollibee. I and hubby usually prefer to have our meal in a decent restaurant or in a satisfactory fast food chain like Kenny Rogers or Max’s because we found our money’s worth in those places in terms of quality of foods, food servings and good ambience. However, Yuan requested us if we could have a meal in Jollibee last Saturday after we picked them up from my parent’s house. It seems to me that Jollibee has this enchanting attraction to children which I cannot fully grasp. The sales strategy and the marketing psychology of this kind of food chain are really doing well as they target the largest number of customers in the market -- the children -- to achieve a successful business venture. Anyway, we treated them there.

While waiting for our order, whoops! I didn’t know that we forgot to take pictures of our food. We were too excited to eat.

I was just surprised that Jollibee crew approached us and took our order by menu just like in a restaurant. We don’t have to line in a long queue to order the food. But I still saw people in the counter to order their food, thus, I’m not sure if this service care of Jollibee is being implemented across all chains. We were also informed by the crew who took our order that the price in the menu was not updated yet so I have no idea if taking orders in the seat has a different price compare to that when you line in the counter. I’ll check it again when we go back there at the Robinson’s Galleria. But for me it’s a good thing because they thought of ways to improve their services. I don’t mind paying extra amount for the convenience that it could bring to us.

Yuan and Gabee looked very happy seeing the Jollibee mascot. They even asked for a picture with Jollibee at their side.

3 Word Thursdays #4

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:48:00 +0000

meme rules:

* photo must have 3 words in it

* post your photo on your site with a link back to Ma Vie Folle (or grab button)

“All About Eve” was a Korean drama series aired sometime in 2005. This is a story of an indigent ambitious girl (Erika) who has been taken to be a part of the family by a well-off man with a loving and cheerful daughter (Nicole). Instead of befriending the old man’s daughter, Erika treated Nicole as a rival in everything they do. With her own attitude, Erika reaches the point that she will do anything to achieve her ambition no matter what the consequences are. Ah! Who would forgot the wickedness of Erika on each episode?

So Sweet...

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:26:00 +0000

I wasn’t blogging much these past days because I plan to spend my time with my kids alone to make up for the days when I was not with them. It means that I’m off blogging for a week or two. But since I was deeply touched when Yuan said that he had missed me so much when they were in Cavite during the past week, I just thought this is a nice story to share with my readers.

Yuan didn’t tell it to me right after we take them home last Saturday. It was happened when I asked Gabee for a kiss this evening while I’m putting a diaper on Yuan. When Gabee wouldn’t like to kiss me, Yuan said, “Mommy kiss kita… Love kita mommy… Iyak-iyak ako don kina lola tapos sabi ko mommy tapos sabi Gabee mimi (short for mommy, Gabee barely calls me mommy)…miss kita (translated as I was crying at granny’s house because I have missed you a lot. Gabee and I were always calling mommy), then he kissed me on my lips and Gabee also drew closer to me and gave me a kiss. Afterwards Yuan started singing the “I love you” song from Barney (he knows very well the lyrics of it) while we hugged each other. I can’t say anything for a while when I heard it from Yuan. It really broke my heart. I just kissed them saying that I love them very much and that we’re not going to leave them again to their grandparents. Not anymore…

Back in last Saturday, when we arrived to Cavite, Gabee was walking at the outdoors with my cousin Aijen. Seeing us, Gabee just gave us a look but didn’t come to us for a hug. He just stood where he was and let us approach him (he is doing this whenever he’s sulking). And Aijen, told me that Yuan and Gabee were always crying at night. I just ignored it because I thought that maybe they just didn’t feel comfortable sleeping in a non-air-conditioned room. Until tonight…

Maybe I need some activities for tomorrow and for the next few days to make up with them. Do you have any suggestions?

3 Word Thursdays #3

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:13:00 +0000

meme rules:

* photo must have 3 words in it
* post your photo on your site with a link back to Ma Vie Folle (or grab button)

Good to Great is the title of a book authored by Jim Collins. This book was given to my hubby as a token of appreciation by his trainees when he went to India to handle training in April 2005. It’s about why some companies make the leap and others don’t. From 1,435 companies that underwent the screening process for selecting good-to-great companies, only 11 make it to the top. I got curious on the difference between a good and a great company that’s why I started reading it and hopefully laziness won’t strike me.

The Great Commission Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:40:00 +0000

We took our children to my parent’s house in Cavite last Wednesday night to attend a 3-day Great Commission Conference which was held in November 7 to 9 and conducted by our mother church. This is the reason I’m off blogging for three days.

The conference we took part in involved hard-core lectures that one can realize the true meaning of having a Christian life and I admit that I am culpable of not doing what I ought to do. Let me share with you the things I’ve learned from the conference and I want to summarize it in a way that a wife, a mother, a friend, and a woman can relate it in their daily lives. These are the things that have great impact on me as a Christian wife and mother.

But before I begin, allow me to define what the great commission is. If you have read my previous entries about Sunday preachings, you might have a slight hint of what it means. But for the clueless, let me give some clarification on these words. The great commission is commanded by Jesus Christ to all His church (church is not the structure but the people that believes and follows Him) as it is written in the book of Matthew. Please read the verses below:

Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV):
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
However, in attending the 3-day conference, I have learned that the great commission is not just confined in a preaching thing alone. The great commission is describe accurately in the book of Luke which says:

Luke 4:18-19 (KJV):
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

The above verses are what we call the holistic approach in fulfilling the great commission that every Christian must do. Let me enumerate it in a way that we can easily understand the context in the book of Luke.

1. Preach the gospel to the poor (it means to preach the gospel to the people who are hopeless in their lives in this world)
2. Heal the broken-hearted (those are emotionally troubled)
3. Deliverance of the captives (those people that are addicted in the worldly things in this world)
4. Recovering sight to the blind (those that are lost and in need of direction)
5. Set at liberty them that are bruised (people who suffer)

Of course, in order to fulfill all of those commandments, God has given us the following:

1. Faith – so we can do the great commission beyond our ability
2. Holy Spirit – to inspire and empower us (as what was written in the book of Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”)
3. Gifts – these are our capabilities and talents that we can use to accomplish the great commission

I know that it’s hard to do all of those especially in our time today (which is a time of great stress in everything as the crisis is all over the world) but I do hope that you fully grasp the meaning of the great commission and you may act immediately as what I’m struggling to do. To begin with, let me give you the chosen theme for this year’s Great Commission Conference,

Philippians 2:15-16 (KJV):“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”
You may ask for the meaning of the above verse in our time today. Again, let me itemize what was written in the book of Philippians for easy understanding:

1. Blameless, harmless and without rebuke

If we would translate those words in our present time, blameless means faultless. Harmless is having no negative side effects and the “without rebuke” means flawless or unblemished. These are the qualities that we should have to show that we really are the sons of God. What I have learned on the conference is that we should prove to the world that we are the sons of God so that we can win people to Him.

2. Showing evidence of being related to God

As a parent, our children can be distinguished as our children if they resemble some of our traits. This is also the same with our God, our father. We, as His children should have the genes and traits of the Father because we all come from Him. The quality of God should be manifested in our lives.

3. Victorious and persevering in the midst of adverse situation

I know most of us tend to give up during the difficult phase in our lives but as a true Christian we should not be because we have the eternal hope in Jesus Christ. Our world today becomes more crooked and perverse and we have to stand out to beat them, we should win the battle against flesh and earthly things. We may have a complicated life here in this world, but be confident that life beyond would be worry-free for us.

4. Shining as lights in the world in all righteous works

We are the lights here as God refer us as “lights”. It’s no wonder why God wants Christians to be the lights. Because when we are one, we put everybody who sees us in amazing hold, wondering in its beauty and its mystery. The longer they see the light in us, they begin to see God. For God is light as what was written in the book of 1 John 1:5, “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
Christians are not to shine in a place where lights are abundant. Instead we are to shine in dark places where light is much needed for us to show God’s beauty and power. And we ought to light our world to expose the sins and to drive away the darkness.

5. Raising the banner of God’s Word
We become the banners of God’s word when we project the divine message, thought, truth, will, understanding, etc.

Now let me share with you the part of the preaching that has great impact on me as a Christian wife and mother. Last Saturday, we have an activity which asked for listing down 8 things that we have given importance in our lives and prioritizing them according on how we value them. Below is what truly matters to me:

1. Family
2. Service and love to God
3. Health (of mine and my family)
4. Security
5. Personal development
6. Enjoyment
7. Friends
8. Material things

Afterwards, the facilitator requested to remove three things from the list. Those are the things that we can live without. Of course, the last three in my list was eliminated. Then after doing so, the facilitator asked again to remove two things in our list. Well, crossing out my personal development and my family’s security is quite hard to do but I take them away in my list. And again, we were asked to remove one thing in the list. What do you expect I removed? Without a doubt, I removed health because God can provide it for us. And as you can see the two things that remained in my list are my family and my service and love to God. But have you seen the order of how I value them? Yes, I know that it’s not right but I don’t want to deceive myself. That’s how it is for me. And I prayed for forgiveness and asked that God would correct my heart eventually. I know that I should value God more than my family because that is my purpose in my life – to prioritize and to glorify Him in everything I do. I hope that my heart will be corrected soon.

The values identified in the activity have been related to those mentioned by Apostle Paul in the book of Philippians chapter 1-4, by which it signifies Apostle Paul’s life priorities that gave joy to his life. Those are the following:

1. Prayer
2. Preaching, listening and sharing of the gospel
3. Faith
4. Like-mindedness or church unity – having one mind, forgiveness between brethren, love for the Pastor and the brethren
5. Second coming of Christ
6. Sacrifices and services to the Lord
7. Church family – seeing our brethren joyful and happy
8. Christ Himself and the privilege to have fellowship with Him

As we see in apostle Paul’s life before he got saved, he had many accomplishments: he was a Pharisee, was righteous, had integrity and had the opportunity to gain whatever can be gained in life -- however, he counted all these things as loss, as dung just to have the knowledge of Christ as it was written in the book of Philippians 3:5-8 (KJV), “…for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ”.
Certainly, there are more topics discussed in the conference but these are the part which has a strong effect on me. To end this, I want to give you the thrust of the mission. The aim of mission is to show the excellency of Christ, the power and the purity of the gospel. It is not about us but it is all about Jesus -- His glory and His will. The challenge is to live the Great Commission in our lives. Let us all work and do the Great Commission: get people save, get the saved to be obedient and get the obedient do the will and work of God.

I hope that this writings have enlightened all of us on what really our purpose in life and that is doing the Great Commission.

For good breath

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:57:00 +0000

I have discovered something that I think I should share with you. I discovered Dentiste’ Plus White toothpaste in the supermarket a couple of months ago, which promise to take away bad morning breath. I’m a bit hesitant to try it out at first because it’s a little pricey for a new product and I’m not sure then if the sales agent is just doing a sales pitch on us. But we tried it anyway and I’m glad we did. The Dentiste’ toothpaste really removes the bad morning breath. And the good thing is; all the ingredients are natural which includes some herbs. It does not have fluoride which has some negative effect on our teeth if used in excessive amount.

It’s ingredients are (as indicated in the pack): Xylitol, silicone dioxide, peppermint oil, clove oil, menthol, vitamin C, eucalyptus oil, sage extract, chamomile extract(1), fennel extract, glycyrrhiza extract and cinnamon bark extract. According to Wikipedia Xylitol was derived from Birch tree and used as a safe sweetener for people with diabetes. And based on the pamphlet that goes along with the toothpaste, the xylitol is a natural sweetener and sugar substitute, which bacteria can’t feed on so it helps decrease the growth of bacteria. This may be the reason in the decrease of bad morning breath when you use Dentiste’ toothpaste. The micro silica complex is the abrasive scrubs used for cleaning the teeth and it helps get rid off plaque without destroying your teeth’s natural enamel. The toothpaste is originated in Thailand and it has a money back guaranteed seal which I think is our protection as consumer for any false claim from the company.

I shop around at SM and Robinson’s to look for this toothpaste but unfortunately it is only available in Shopwise (we bought ours in Shopwise Libis). With around less than 200 pesos per 100 grams price, I can say that it’s worth the price. In fact, it is a good find for me because I can hardly find toothpaste nowadays that could do a complete protection for your gums and teeth without damaging your tooth enamel. I’m happy with the effect of this toothpaste and what I am hoping is that, the quality would be consistent (as I already realized that new products are just good upon release and as time goes by, the quality is slowly being diminished).

Note: This is just a product review and not an advertisement.

MISSIONS: Our Church's Good Work

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:24:00 +0000

The preaching last Sunday evening was all about church missions. It is entitled – MISSIONS: OUR CHURCH’S GOOD WORK. Pastor Bong cited that the mission works is the church’s lifeline hence; he is encouraging everyone to have a mind for our missions. Let us first read the epistle of Paul to the Philippians:

Philippians 4:1-20 (KJV):“Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
We can perceive in the words of the Apostle Paul that he is very grateful with the Philippian church as they were helping him in carrying out the great commission. And that he is requesting Euodias and Syntyche to be the same as well as the Philippian church was. He also said that only the Philippian church’s had been generous in giving all his needs to perform his mission works. And with that, he prayed for them that God may supply all their needs according to God’s riches. It is not just a blessings but it’s the supply of needs according to the Lord’s riches. Just imagine the universe to visualize how great is the riches of the Lord. We can also see in the book of Philippians on the first chapter that the Apostle Paul includes the Philippian church in his everyday prayer. Kindly read the verse below:

Philippians 1:4-6 (KJV):
“Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
In that verse, we can conclude that the Philippian church had grown and had been blessed by God because they were very liberated in helping out in the works of mission. As what Pastor Bong quoted, a church that has concerns in giving and receiving becomes more matured and more blessed because the Lord will bless them liberally as what the Lord had promised in the verse below:

Philippians 4:19 (KJV):“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Please be guided that for us to experience the supply of our needs according to the Lord’s riches, the preceding verses should be done first which is to be concern in the works of mission. This is what God’s principle means when He says:

Matthew 16:25 (KJV):“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”
If a church is not burdened (or is not concerned) with missions, then that church is inferior, similar to as what Apostle Paul has tagged the Corinthian church for being not supportive in the work of missions. Let us look at the following verse:

2 Corinthians 12:13 (KJV):
“For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong.”

Afterwards, Pastor Bong said that if he doesn’t teach us “giving”, then he’s doing injustice to us because the road to success is through “giving”. If we would want to grow and to be supplied of our needs, we need to give to do the work of mission which is the good work that Christ Jesus had started. He also said that God’s blessing is subjective with the performance of every Christians. He referenced the subjectivity of God’s blessing when the time Jesus Christ did not make any miracles in his home town because the people there are very hostile and did not believe in Him.

Matthew 13:54-58 (KJV):“And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”
Pastor Bong challenged us that we should have our minds on the work of missions because our life in this world is all about Christ’s work. The true believer of Jesus Christ according to him carries the same mission. Let us read the following verse to prove it:

John 14:12-14 (KJV):“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”
Again, please be guided that the promise, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” is inseparable to the preceding verse. For us to experience this, we should first do what He commanded to us, which is “the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do”. This is the main purpose of our life in this world, doing the work of Christ.

Now let us define what the Work of Missions is…

A. Mission Work is about church evangelism and discipleship.

- There is no institution that teaches us the mission work of evangelizing and discipling but the church of Jesus Christ. There is no mission work if there is no evangelizing and discipling because through that, we can spread the gospel of the Lord.
- Our church is the most potent and effective institution for the healing of our broken souls.
- The church is the training ground of missions
- The church was given the power and authority to evangelize and to disciple by our Lord Jesus Christ in the book of Matthew:

Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV):
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
- When a church knows how to evangelize, we can start mission work. Evangelism starts the church but discipleship sustains the church. Let us read what was written in the book of Acts:

Acts 20:27-31 (KJV):“For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.”

B. The work of mission is about sending out missionaries.

- The church cannot start sending out missionaries if the church doesn’t know how to evangelize and to disciple.
- Unless the church trains, it cannot sends out missionaries. In the following verses, we cannot deny that God wants the church perpetuity. God even sends persecution when we do not want to go outside of our comfort zone to start mission works.

Acts 8:1 (KJV):
“And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.”

Acts 8:4 (KJV):
“Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.”

- It is a gain for a church when they send someone out to do mission works because it means that we do the will of God. In the following verse, we can see that the word of God should be delivered through the preacher.

Romans 10:13-15 (KJV):
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

- In this verse, the church gathers and we can see that they send out people to do the mission works based on the desire of the church and not based on individual desire. Therefore, a person cannot be a missionary unless the church has sent him.

Acts 13:1-3 (KJV):“Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”
Ephesians 4:11 (KJV):
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;”

C. The work of mission is about helping the missionaries.
- The work of mission is about being a partaker of someone’s burden and that someone is the missionaries sharing the word of God to the lost world. And through this we can measure our performance as a church.

Philippians 1:5 (KJV):
“For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;”

Philippians 4:14 (KJV):
“Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction.”

Before I end this, may I share with you one of my favorite songs, “The Missions”:

I know most of you don’t fully understand the work of missions but I hope this writings can help you realize that our life is all about doing Christ work, the WORK of MISSIONS.

3 Word Thursdays #2

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:32:00 +0000

meme rules:

* photo must have 3 words in it
* post your photo on your site with a link back to Ma Vie Folle (or grab button)

My three-word today is “The Word Factory”. When I was pregnant with our first child, Yuan, we used to play this with my sisters-in-law to wile away the afternoon boredom. How I miss that time! And now, I and hubby cannot play it anymore because kids always ruin our game. But I’m looking forward to play it with them when they grow. This could be another happy bonding moment of our family.

Church Outing

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 03:46:00 +0000

Our church celebrated the All Saints Day in Cableway Resort in Binangonan, Rizal. We got there around 8:30 am and started the day’s activities with a short prayer and songs of praise to the Lord. After that, two YP (young people) grouped us into four in preparation for the fun games. I wish I know the name of the games but I couldn’t remember how they called it. Anyway, all of us participated in the games which made it more exciting. Almost everyone shows their funny side during the fun games which is really amusing because you haven’t thought that they have that kind of personality. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures during the games.

Afterwards, we took our lunch together and shared our food to one another. Our packed food that day is smoked Milkfish and French toasts with ham and cheese (it is also called Monte Cristo by some).

In our church, it’s our tradition to bring foods for two families when there’s an event or occasion. All the families bring foods to share with everyone.

Lunch with Sister Susan's family...

When we had our lunch everyone hurriedly went to swimming pool especially the kids. My kids went into the pool right after the games ended. That’s how excited they are to swim. I need to convince them that they need to eat first before they could continue to swim.

Gabee jump into the swimming pool like a pro…

Can you guess who is Gabee and who is Yuan?...

In the afternoon, we celebrated Ira Prynze’s first birthday with a cake and spaghetti.

Daddy and kids taking their merienda...

Wiling away the time through picture taking...

Pastor Bong and his wife sister Joy.

Later that noon, Pastor Bong announced the winners for the fun games...

The spryness of everyone had made the activities for the day more exciting and enjoyable. And also because of the cooperation that each had given to the facilitator.