Lending to God

“I promise that I’ll bless you with everything I have – bless and bless and bless!”
Hebrews 6:14 (MSG)

As I heard the sound of a handful of coins being emptied onto a table, I couldn’t help but glance at the person next to me. She was an old lady in tattered clothes who timidly ordered three pieces of pan de sal.   As I saw that she was barefoot, I quickly got my pair of extra slippers in the car and gave it to her.

A few days after, our mission team went to the mountains and distributed gifts to the less privileged members of our outreach. On our way home, we had a quick stopover near outlet stores.  I checked out some rubber shoes in a prestigious sports store.  I needed a new pair then but didn’t have the budget for it yet.  I was pleasantly surprised when a member of our team saw me and asked me if I like the shoes.  He quickly bought it for me and in no time, I was running back to our bus wearing a new pair of rubber shoes!

Proverbs 19:17 (NLT) says, “If you help the poor you are lending to the Lord – and He will repay you.”  God is faithful to His promises and more than wants to bless His people in every way. -   Tapê of The Living Water.

What a privilege, O Lord, to be able to lend to You.
Help me to be compassionate to the poor.
Amen.

WISE WORDS “The greatest feats of love are performed by those who have had much practice in performing daily acts of kindness.”  -  Anonymous

When Life isn't fair

devotional from joelosteen.com
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TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28, NLT) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Everyone goes through things that don’t seem to make sense. It’s easy to get discouraged and wonder, “Why did this happen to me?” “Why did this person treat me wrong?” “Why did I get laid off?” But we have to understand, even though life is not always fair, God is fair. And, He promises to work all things together for good for those who love Him. I believe the key word is this verse is “together.” In other words, you can’t just isolate one part of your life and say, “Well, this is not good.” “It’s not good that I got laid off.” “It’s not good that my relationship didn’t work out.” Yes, that’s true, but that’s just one part of your life. God can see the big picture. That disappointment is not the end. Remember, when one door closes, God has another door for you to walk through — a better door. Those difficulties and challenges are merely stepping stones toward your brighter future. Be encouraged today because God has a plan for you to rise higher. He has a plan for you to come out stronger. He has a plan to work all things together for your good so that you can move forward in the victory He has prepared for you! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Heavenly Father, thank You for working all things together for my good. I choose to release any doubt, any frustration, any confusion over my past, and I choose to trust in You in Jesus’ name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen

Summer mission trips

As of this writing, we have two confirmed local mission trip this summer, the first one is the "Youth Mission camp" to which I am one of the organizer. It's gonna be in Davao ( Mindanao part of the Philippines) and it's a one week trip. Highlight of this will be the ministry we will be doing with the kids who were greatly affected by recent calamities that hit Mindanao. We will have feeding and we will give them some school supplies also.

This will be on APRIL 22-27, 2013, but me and my husband are going there earlier than that, probably the 20th of April which means we will be celebrating our 7th year wedding anniversary in Davao, (wish we could sneak in some leisure time to celebrate but that's quite impossible because of the enormous task assigned to me-but it's okay, who knows God might gift us a seventh or eight honeymoon in paris france wow! I would love that :) 

Our second local mission trip is in Palawan and this will be on May 21-25. This a youth congress with more or less 500 young people expected in attendance. The band (SELAH) will be the main worship team and we are just so glad that God has given us the privilege to serve Him through music. My husband is so excited with this trip.

Now, we are faced with two major problems, financial because these mission trips are quite far and both needed plane tickets, aside from financial challenges, next thing I'm worried about is "the leave for work" we both have to do as we are both working and currently my boss is not in  the mood to allow my absences. (please help me pray for that area)

I'm a believer of the slogan "when God sends you to mission, He will also send provision"  and I'm sure he will meet our needs for that.

So there, 2 misison trips for this summer and we are excited. If you want to help (specially with the school supplies giving) just please let me know :) and as always your prayers are appreciated very much!

Salaray or Reward?

~sharing what I got from my e-mail this morning~  
  
“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them;
for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 6:1


I have a monthly salary that compensates my work.   It is a fixed amount.  From this amount taxes are withheld, tithes and offerings are given, bills are paid, basic necessities are bought, assistance is given to those in need and whatever is left goes to a savings account.

Way above my salary are heavenly blessings.  It is a non-fixed amount . These include fullness of life, health, an incredibly loving family, deep peace, boundless joy, fulfillment, a thrilling vocation, an eternal inheritance and so on. It is infinitely more valuable than my salary.

The Gospel today offers us a choice: human compensation or heavenly reward.  If you give alms, pray or fast for public approval, then the applause is your compensation.  If you give alms, pray or fast in secret, a heavenly reward awaits. Do the math: which would you prefer?  This Lent, give alms secretly.  Pray more in secret.  Fast secretly.  As you do so, prepare yourself for immeasurable rewards from heaven! -   Moses of The Living Water.

Lord, I want to know You, love You and serve You more this Lent.  Help me to give more alms, pray more and fast more – secretly – in the coming weeks.
Amen.

WISE WORDS:  “Success lies, not in achieving what you aim at, but in aiming at what  you ought to achieve, and pressing forward, sure of achievement here,
                        or of not here, hereafter.”  -   Robert Forman Horton

Our eyes are on YOU Jesus!

We're currently preparing the program for the youth camp. I'm done with the draft and am just waiting for our Pastor and other camp organizers to double check it and have their final say. 

To tell you honestly, everytime I think of this camp, my mind and heart go rolling (I get butterflies in the stomach) and never felt this for quite sometime not  since our wedding day :) It only means I'm really nervous/anxious about the camp because it's BIG and it's quite a task to organize such. Not to mention that the campsite is less than two hours flight from here. And that we have to bring almost everything there (tent and bedding included-well at least we need not bring kitchen stuff and ph meter as they are already provided for.

But then, I am always reminded that really I can do nothing if I rely on my own (strength, wisdom, skills and all) but if I surrender everything to the Lord and tell Him that without HIM there's nothing I can do. I am very sure He will help me.

Like what King Jehoshaphat said when they are about to fight a vast army in 2 Chronicles 20:12 "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

And God helped them. And I really do not know what to do with the camp (specially with the 500 participants) but my eyes, our eyes are on JESUS.

And I'm counting on your prayers and help too. It encourages me A LOT. 

The NATIONS; My MISSIONS

 

Prayer request for this camp:

1. Provision for all the youth who will attend ( Transportation and Registration fee)

2. Safety and protection during the whole camp time

3. Knowledge and wisdom for all the camp speakers

4. Moving of the Holy Spirit -that everyone will have a special encounter with the Lord, that each heart will be awaken to do as what we have told by the Lord in Mark 16:15

Thanks and blessings to everyone!

Youth Mission Camp

"Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails."  Proverbs 19:21

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Last year after our church annual youth camp, we started planning on this years camp, and we decided to take it to a higher level. We will be doing a "MISSION CAMP" for our youth. Because our church is a missionary sending church, it is but right to start training our youth for Missions as early as possible. So "Mission Camp" it is.

But after months of planning, God revealed his greater and bigger plans. This Mission camp that we originally planned for the youth of our church is now a "Mission Camp" for the youth of different churches and we are now preparing for at least 500 young people from all over the Philippines.

"Wow that's big! Can we do it? " That's exactly my words when we learned about it. I even asked our Pastor if we are really doing this and his words  encouraged me "We can't do it but but God can".  So true, sometimes I tend to look on what I cannot do and forget that God can use me, our small church, our youth Pastor, our worship team, you and ordinary people to do extra ordinary things for His glory!

So, last weekend, we were in Davao, we inspected the campsite and had meetings with our co-organizers from there, We were blessed to meet selfless servants of God who are really on fire. In Davao, midnight prayers and dawn prayers are everywhere :) It was such an honor to be able to join them.

midnight prayer in front of Davao's City Hall

one of the churches we visited (we stayed here one night) it's literally in top of the mountain

this is the camp site, that's me and our youth Pastor discussing if we really can do it here :D

I'm asking everyone who read this (wherever you are) to please include this "Mission Camp" in your prayers, our goal is to awaken the youth that this is the end times and that God can use them for this generation to spread the gospel and win souls for Jesus Christ. So please please pray that many young people will benefit from this camp, pray for their finances, pray for their safety and for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit during the entire camp days.

Thanks and God bless everyone!

Blessings for Obedience

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 (NIV) 

"If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God"

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Lord,  help me obey you today and everyday of my life. Give me the desire to follow carefully all your commands. Bless me with a heart that is surrendered to you,to your will and to your ways. Take the driver seat Lord and let me be an obedient passenger. Not only for the blessings that you promise when we obey but let me obey yo because I love you and I honor you.

Thank you Lord. This I pray in Jesus name, Amen 

Update on Selah's worship album

The whole band specially my husband (Rudolf) is so happy because finally after being stalled for months they will now resume their recording session and hopefully will finish the entire album in one or two months.

Someone with a good heart supported the band financially and provided the payment for the recording studio. How awesome our God is indeed! To think, we just recently met this woman and heard the band once when we went to their place but God touched her heart. Bless her.

We already have an appointment with the owner of the studio on Saturday, we will discuss about recording schedules and everything we need to finish the album. That includes the CD cover (to which I am now scouting printers over the net, saw eoncode web 2 print software but I don't know if it will work for us) My husband wants a board type CD case and I have to look into that also.

But yes, we are all so grateful. God has heard our prayers.

Philippians 4:13

sharing my devotion to day from Joel Osteen's site. God bless!!

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I Can

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

(Philippians 4:13, NKJV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

When was the last time you declared “I can” out loud? It’s not something people think to do every day. In fact, most people tend to magnify their limitations. They focus on their shortcomings. But scripture makes it plain: all things are possible to those who believe. That’s right! It is possible to see your dreams fulfilled. It is possible to overcome that obstacle. It is possible to climb to new heights. It is possible to embrace your destiny. You may not know how it will all take place. You may not have a plan, but all you have to know is that if God said you can...you can! Today, why don’t you begin to open yourself up to possibilities in your future by simply declaring this verse, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength?” At the stoplight, when you’re waiting in line, any time you have a second just quote this verse to yourself again. Let it sink down deeply into your heart. As you do, His word will transform you. Faith will rise up in your heart and will boldly embrace the blessings that He has in store for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for empowering me by Your spirit to do everything that I'm called to do. Thank You for Your hand of blessing on me as I submit my ways to You. I declare “I can” do all things in Jesus’ name! Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen