Called and Empowered

This sharing was written a day after the empowerment that happened last Monday (March 27)

We had a powerful empowerment yesterday at Tita Grace’s residence at Sharjah. Everyone was surprised to see almost ¾ of the service team from SFC who attended. Before the prayer started, Tita Grace shared and exhorted about the battles we will be facing. She gave us a glimpse of what we will experience during this empowerment. The exhortation itself was empowering and somehow most of us were excited for what’s next.

We started the prayer by singing songs of praise and were praying in tongues. During the prayer, the Lord was telling me messages but it was not clear but I just felt it. Everyone in that room was moved by the leading of the Holy Spirit. Each of us prayed in tongues. There was a time when our hands were blessed with Holy water and even our bodies were sprinkled by that same water. It was a long and continuous prayer, before it ended we all surrendered and claimed the victory.

After the prayer, was the time for eating! Since it was nearly 12 MN, it’s time for us to go home since there’s work the next day. Tita Grace hugged us all individually before we left. When it was my turn, she whispered to me that: "Marami pang gustong ipagawa si Lord sayo..." English translated: “You have more things to do for the Lord”. Of course I was shocked and it was then that I realized what the Lord made me feel during the prayer. He made me remember and see both the bad and good things when serving Him like pain, frustration, struggle, doubt, worry and even joy, victory, love, fulfillment etc. He is expecting me to do more things for him before I settle down. Maybe he wants me to work for the mission and he even assured me that he will take care and lead me as we prepare for our upcoming wedding.

After that it made me think more of what I can do. I realized that I have to give my full force in serving God for he is expecting me and calling me to give more because he still needs me and who am I to say no? After all he has done and given me? I say yes for greater and bigger services for the Lord. I also realized before my services sometimes became my burden because I myself is serious enough to fulfill them. There are moments that maybe I partly enjoyed but now with all the experiences I have been through, I finally know how to handle them and I am enjoying. I am having fun because I need to feel the excitement when preparing and doing my service to Him.

Before the awaited desert camp, last Sunday I attended the meeting for KFC Family Conference. I was given a task and I just said yes because I want to give God the glory he deserve. My current service is not yet done for the Family Ties and here comes another responsibility but I know the Lord will sustain and prepare me to do what he is expecting me to do. I believe that my God is strong and faithful and I hold on to that truth. I hold on to His promises for I may fail but I know he never fails.

Sisters and brothers, I thank you for the support and love that you have for me. Thank you for being God’s instrument to me and altogether let's stand firm in the faith.

KFC Ruwais (June)

Hello Dubai! Good to be back home after a victorious service at Ruwais!
Thank you Lord. Praise God!

Thank you KFC Ruwais for the warm welcome and we're looking forward to see you again.

Thank you Ates and Kuya for a fruitful mission, new found friendship and start of many "hugots" to come

June 24, 2016

#iamBBM #deogloria #iloveKFC

Welcome to KFC UAE!

CFC Kids For Christ Ministry - UAE
Welcome to CFC Kids For Christ Ministry!!

The CFC Kids For Christ MISSION-VISION:
"BRINGING KIDS TO THE LORD AND BUILDING A BRIGHT NEW WORLD."

Our service in KFC as ROCK facilitators was inspired by the verse from Mark 10:14
“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."

In serving at KFC, ROCK means Reaching out Christ to Kids. Jesus is commanding us to do the same, to lead Him closer to the Kids that they may know and be more like Him. Let us become an instrument of God's love especially to the future generation of CFC and God's favorite ministry!! Let us take part in fulfilling God's great and wonderful plan for the youngest members of our community!

Experience Jesus' great and unstoppable love and invite kids to be part of the KFC ministry.
You can pray and decide to become a ROCK Facilitator today! :)

KFC Ministry Cluster C Dubai UAE
KFC Song: Called to love
Photo/Video credits to the owners

Youtube video link: https://youtu.be/ZosTNhZmpSU

A love that endures

“What is family?”
We pondered and ask ourselves what family meant for us. We mentioned words that relate to “family” and we agreed that the word itself has a lot of meaning. We concluded that family means God’s gift, belongingness, happiness, blessing, comfort, love, faith, trust, peace, purpose, guidance, strength, unity, forgiveness, home, church, marriage, providence, sacrifice, relationship, communication, time, treasure, community, work, effort, distance, responsibility, blood related, sweat, rivalry, hurts, under progress, third party, mistress, abortion, emotional baggage, selfishness, separation, brokenness, defense mechanism, pain, misunderstanding and the list goes on. We realized that family can be defined simply as love.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things.
-1 Corinthians 13:7

How wonderful and powerful true and genuine love can be? For it is by love that God sent his Son to save the world. It is by love that he has called us and even blessed us with a family we can call our own. It is also by love from our parents that we are here enjoying life by living on earth. We don’t choose our parents and neither do they choose their children. The family is a manifestation of God’s great plan and love for mankind.

A family is not referred to as blood related only. Any person can be a part of a family no matter what their circumstances may be. Belonging to a community, to a workplace, to the Church, to friends or even housemates is already considered as a family because we are building a relationship with them. Being migrant workers in a foreign country, I believe God provided a second family for us to share and enjoy our life even if our biological family is away from us.

The fruit of a family is a blessing of a relationship and a love that is shared between them. It is the love that binds and unites them like a rope tied by connecting each member together. The love continues to grow stronger and blazes like fire burning with passion and desire that nothing can stop it. The relationship built flows deeply more than blood, sweat and water as time passes by. We all have good and bad sides and when there is love and acceptance, the heart is freed of any guilt or bad emotions and the desire to change to become better is there.

The family nowadays is being attacked and we should always remember that no matter how hard and difficult the situations may be, as long as there is love, relationship and a commitment to hold on to then definitely it will withstand all the storms that life may bring. The vibrant colors symbolize the ups and downs of family life. It shows that family will always be the reason for us to love and they will always be our home when there’s no place that we can run to for comfort. Love endures and therefore our family should endure because they are God’s gift to us. Our family and our love to them is always worth fighting and enduring for!

This entry is dedicated to all our family and friends who are gifts from God and we praise the Lord for they are our treasures! They are a God's masterpiece in our life. "Thank you and We love you!"

Dubai Chapter 3B3: Thank you Girl power!
Sarah Lauren Lim, Karla Mae Gabion, Vaneflor Olesco, Leah Joy Lingat, Madonna Cabalona and also thank you for the support from members of Chapter 3B3

Obey, follow and witness Christ!

Daily Manna sharing

Date: Sept. 30, 2015

Gospel: Luke 9:57-62

The Cost of Following Jesus (Luke 9:57-62)

57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
 

Reflection:

The word “follow” has a lot of meaning and can be defined as to obey, to imitate/copy, to act accordingly, to understand, to carry out and to become an example. To name a few, Mother Mary and Jesus are the best examples that we all should follow and strive to become. With how they said “Yes” and allowed God to work in their life was a testimony on how they trusted and had faith with His plan for them despite the unknown circumstances.

I remembered in a previous conference when a speaker told us that we are an “OFW” and everyone agreed. We were thinking that OFW means “Overseas Filipino Worker”. In fact he was right because in the eyes of our loved ones and fellow Filipinos – we are OFWs! We are the new heroes of our nation. Well in contrast to what we know, the speaker gave us an uplifting meaning of what an “OFW” is. He said that we are an “OFW” and we should be “Obedient Followers and Witnesses of Christ”. From what he said, everyone pondered and realized he was right. God sees us differently and we must be confident knowing we are His sons and daughters. We were called for a purpose and He wants us to live our life as an “OFW of and for Christ” to others who are the least, the lost and the last.     

 

In the Gospel when Jesus said, “Follow me”, He did not literally mean to just keep following him and do nothing. What He wanted us to understand is that in following Him, we have to deny ourselves, we have to trust and do what He ask us to do regardless how easy, difficult or conflicting the task will be. Jesus affirms us that in following Him, He will also take care of our needs. He assures us that whatever we ask in His name will be granted in God’s perfect time. So when He tells us to go, let us be confident that He knows what He is doing and He believes in our capacity.

 

Brothers and sisters, we are destined for greater things and God continues to knock in our hearts. Let us answer the call and become His instrument to others. Let us set aside our unworthiness, be healed of our pains, ask forgiveness, be renewed and be empowered by His mercy and grace. May we prepare our hearts to love others more just as He first loved us. In our journey as followers and servants of God, our mission is challenging and difficult but He affirms us that we are not alone. When we need Him, let us come to Him through prayer and rest. As one Church, together let’s work and strive to become obedient followers and witnesses of Christ wherever we are and even to the ends of the earth because we were created to be like Christ! With God’s grace, we can!

 

And with this may God be praised! Deo Gloria!

 

Guide question:
How can I be an obedient follower and witness of Christ?

 

 

 

Songwriting Tips

FOR ALL THE SONGWRITERS OUT THERE

Taken from the blog of one of the best songwriter that I know in the CFC community, Kirby Llaban. He composed the song “God is enough”, “Send me”, “I give my all” and many more…

visit his blog: (The links have expired so it's not valid anymore.)
http://www.godisenoughforme.com
http://ghamaypepito.tumblr.com

Songwriting Tip #7: It’s Okay To Have the Same Chord Pattern
Many songwriters are worried that their new song has the same Chord pattern as the previous one. In my experience, it doesn’t matter. Most of my songs are in the E-B-F#m-A chord pattern. But each song still sounds unique. What is more important is that we are able to make songs for the Lord.

If you are just a simple musician like me, who just knows the basic guitar and piano chords, you can ask an expert to improve the chords. I ask my friends Fredney and Mike to arrange the songs to make them sound better and distinctive. Suddenly I see “broken chords” and “sus” chords, because of their help.

If your goal is to let more people easily learn the songs you make, then simple chords are better. Also, having the same chord patterns make it easy for you to transition from one song to the next.

Songwriting Tip# 6: Have a Handy Recorder
It’s important to have a gadget where you can record your song in an instant. There are times that suddenly a melody comes across your mind or a beat or an idea for an intro. Sparks of inspiration can easily be forgotten when our focus is diverted. It helps if your cellphone has a voice recording feature, so you can hum your melody or sing out an inspired chorus directly to your phone. Another way is to video yourself, including the chords that you play.

You can stack your recorded ‘inspirations’ and get back to them anytime. The temptation though is that because you are confident that you have stored the initial parts, there is a lesser tendency to finish the song. Be sure to finish what you have started.

Songwriting Tip #5: Lyrics or Melody? It’s Up to God
Which comes first? The lyrics or the melody? This “chicken or egg” query is the most frequently asked question regarding songwriting. The answer to that: whichever the Lord reveals to you first. There are times that you strum a certain chord pattern and a melody comes out. There are also instances that we are inspired to write down and express a realization or an emotion.

In my experience, the advantage if the melody comes first is that the song is most likely to have a very catchy chorus and a complementing stanza melody. The challenge is to write down an inspiration that will capture the feel of the music.

When you write the lyrics first, a great advantage is that the song can have a very unique outcome of its melody since it’s based on the words and the emotions behind the poetry. It is less likely to be structured and the song is not “boxed in.” The big challenge is to shorten some of your written verses to fit in the desired number of syllables to match the song timing. You may have to change many of your original lyrics.

The best thing to do is to allow the Lord to lead you whether what you are holding now is a pen or a guitar. It’s His song anyway.

Songwriting Tip #4: Build Up the Message of Your Song
Do you have anything to say? What is it that you feel? The answers to these questions can be communicated by speech or better yet, by SONG! St. Augustine once said, “Singing is twice praying.” Music is such a potent tool to communicate and express our innermost thoughts and feelings.On the blank below, write down a key message that you want to deliver. It can be a word or a phrase. (ex. love for God, expressing a romantic feeling, etc.)_____________________________

List down five(5) topics related to your key message. (ex. love for God: forgiveness, peace, joy, etc.)

1.___________________________

2.___________________________

3.___________________________

4.___________________________

5.___________________________

Next, write down how you feel about each topic. (ex. forgiveness: freedom)

1.___________________________

2.___________________________

3.___________________________

4.___________________________

5.___________________________

With these information, you can now proceed to write a draft composition. What is vital is that you have a clear message and that you can visualize the emotions that will match to the tune you will be creating.

Songwriting Tip #3: Believe in Yourself
A basic requirement for song writing is CONFIDENCE. If you don’t believe in yourself, then most of the time others won’t. Stephen Covey suggests in his Seven Habits of Effective People, “Begin with the end in mind.” Believe 100% that you can be an excellent song writer. Stick with that goal, and you will see how fast your skills develop. State three(3) reasons why you can be an excellent song writer.

1.___________________________

2.___________________________

3.___________________________



Songwriting Tip #2: Find Out Why You Want to Write Songs
Can you state three(3) reasons why writing songs is important? State your reasons.

1.___________________________

2.___________________________

3.___________________________

The question above aims to let you realize that songwriting can affect lives. It may be a hobby or a skill you want to harness, but best of all it is something of worth and importance. Answering the “whys” will bring out your passion for songwriting. When time comes that you feel lost and tired in writing songs, the “whys” will bring you back on track.

Songwriting Tip #1: Have the Passion
A musician with great passion will later outdo a musician with great skill. How many times have we seen someone so gifted in an instrument but never dared to write or even finish a song he has started? I know I have dozens of them. Passion always creates possibilities. Passion drives us to learn more each day until we become excellent. Having a passion for songwriting will ignite endless possibilities to creating a musical masterpiece.

With God.....

With God…………….

I am blessed. I am His beloved. I am forgiven. I am dearly loved.

I am secured. I am freed. I am capable. I am special.

I am complete. I am a Princess/Prince. I am highly favored. I am contented.

I am forever grateful. I am called. I am happy. I am chosen.

I am strong. I can be the best. I am inspired. I am supported.

I am wanted. I am adored. I am humbled. I am wonderfully made.

I am captivated. I am useful. I am destined for greatness.

I am accepted regardless of my past, faults and failures.

I can be me without pretension, guilt, fear and worry.

I am saved by His grace. I am needed. I am empowered.

I can be, I am me, I will be, with His love, mercy, grace and providence.

With God, I can do everything to the best of my abilities.

Without God, I am empty, incomplete, lost, weak, helpless, incapable and useless.

With God, all things are possible for impossibilities are His specialties!

Thank you Lord. You're the best!

Fear NOT!

(First posted in FB last October 10, 2011 at 12:11 pm)

Define FEAR.

...a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil,pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.

...is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat.

FEAR causes ANXIETY that makes you feel threatened that causes several changes in your body when not controlled. :)

What are your greatest fears or common fears? 

Who are you afraid of?

Why are you afraid?

How do you overcome those fears?

FEAR is NORMAL. EXCESSIVE FEAR IS ABNORMAL.

Learn to overcome fears before it causes distrubances in your body.

THE SECRET TO OVERCOMING FEARS: OVERCOME YOUR fear with FEAR.

F- Faith in God, in yourself and in others

    Forget & Focus (F n F)

     Forget your own circumstances and focus on God's promises

E- Equip yourself with Prayer and God's word.

     Enthusiasm/Excitement when facing difficult situations.

     Endure more and humble yourself.

A- Accept & Admit your own weakness/failures/capabilities/talents, etc.

     Acknowledge God's presence.

     Absolute trust & surrendering to God.

     Affirmation

R- Be READY to take RISKS.

     Respect other people's differences/uniqueness.

     React and Respond positively.

     Reach out. :)

What do you fear would test your faith in God the most?

Habakkuk 3:17-19

The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life.

(Whom shall I fear)

PSALM 91 - PRAYER FOR PROTECTION

God has given us 365 days to FEAR NOT.

There are a lot of reasons to be afraid but knowing that we have a BIG GOD that strengthens us to overcome such fears/obstacles.

FEAR ends when FAITH in GOD BEGINS.

With that MAY GOD BE PRAISED!!!! :-)

Saying YES to the LORD is a LIFELONG JOURNEY with the ALMIGHTY

Saying YES to the LORD is a LIFELONG JOURNEY with the ALMIGHTY. <3

May 5, 2012 at 12:54am

Saying YES to the Lord is a lifelong journey – It has become a great and long travel..
It has taken me to places that I never dreamed of going but because of His abundant and overflowing grace I was able to go..

I just want to share to you my experience and how Christ's love has transformed me to the person I am now… New, improved and better than ever.

MY JOURNEY IS NOT AN ORDINARY JOURNEY BUT AN EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY WITH THE ALMIGHTY

* When I was offered by my parents to take up NURSING (APRIL 2005).. At first I didn't have the passion to serve my brothers and sisters but God made me understand to let them feel and experience His grace and love for everyone.. especially to those who are ill and suffering.. I thought that it wasn't for me but God slowly revealed His purpose and plan for me. I am forever thankful that He transformed me to be a Christ centered and God fearing Nurse.

* Accepted and committing to become a member of the CFC Youth for Christ way back July 2005.

* When asked to go to far places to serve God – I just say YES LORD! I WILL GO!

* Grabbing an opportunity for spiritual growth and maturity by attending camps, trainings, kasangga retreats, recollection, conferences, etc.

* Embracing the calling to serve the HIGH SCHOOL BASE PROGRAM despite the busy schedules, incapability, unworthiness and other priorities.

* Moving towards CFC Singles for Christ (JULY 2009)

* YES. Been blessed by the Lord to have a GOD'S GIFT.

* Leaving my hometown to work in MANILA after ILC BAGUIO (APRIL-DEC 2010)

* Supporting a project (TOUCH A HEART I & II)

* Working in a hospital as a volunteer nurse for 4-5 months.

* When asked by my Father to go to DUBAI because there's YFC there, I immediately said YES. YES TO GO ON A MISSION.

* Letting go and letting God to take over – I still manage to say YES no matter how difficult it is..

* YES to staying here rather than going home.. I faced a major major decision and even asked God whether I should stay or go home. Happy because God made me realized how blessed I am to be here unlike others who are dying to come and work here. I was very lucky to be taken cared of here and received such special treatment so why should I go home? I have the opportunity and God made me realize that I shouldn't waste it. He assures me I will be safe and that all is well!

* YES to SIMBANG GABI at ST. MARY'S CHURCH, DUBAI (just missed the 1st mass though) YEAAAAH I SURVIVED IT.

* YES to leaving it all in the past and moving on to the present and hoping the best for the future.. I had experiences and made wrong decisions to lead to fights and even hurts. I am a work in progress. I realized it's ok to make mistakes as long as you make an effort to change and learn from those experiences and grow as a better person.

* YES to accepting a JOB. So blessed to have one. God hears our prayers.

* YES for a great new beginning. Starting to heal and accept myself. Being able to forgive and been forgiven. Started the year right. Just turned 23 and God revealed so much to me. He wants me to be prepared to receive all the graces and even challenges that's coming my way.

* YES to being transferred to a different branch of the NURSERY thus meeting new people to work with and even kids to take care of. In short, a new environment.

* YES to LOVE, TAKE RISKS  and GET HURT AGAIN. I learned to forgive, let God and let go.. He will forever be my Almighty.

* YES to attend the CHRISTIAN LIFE PROGRAM of CFC SINGLES FOR CHRIST rather than being endorsed or integrated. I choose the hard way hahaha I endured months of traveling and attending the activity. I met new friends and my spirit was renewed and my faith strengthened. Thank God I survived and now I am an SFC member!! It's all worth it.

* SAYING YES TO REAL LOVE WAITS. There's joy in waiting. I know He is molding me for the person He has prepared for me.

* YES to going on a MISSION and a HIGHER CALLING. ALL FOR GOD!

* YES to healthy living, eating right, going to the gym and lose weight hahaha I gained 10 kgs and it is difficult for me to move. YEAH I am lazy and getting old.. I decided that it is time for a change. HAHA HIYANG NA HIYANG SA DUBAI EH! I'm going to do it because God knows I can hehe and I surely will.

* Saying YES to endurance in life and endurance in MISSION.

* I WILL SAY YES to PROCLAIM THE GREATNESS AND GOODNESS OF THE LORD ALMIGHTY!!!!!

THE REST IS HISTORY…. (THOSE MENTIONED ARE THE IMPORTANT EVENTS that CAUSED A BIG IMPACT IN MY LIFE THAT GREATLY INFLUENCED ME TO MOTIVATE AND CHANGE MYSELF)

SAYING YES MEANS:
- Committing one's self to the Lord
- Accepting His will, purpose and plan for your life..
- Being equipped to battle whatever hindrances that comes your way
- Preparing one's self to experience God's ultimate grace, mercy and love
- Allowing for struggles, hindrances, disappointments, pains, sufferings to test your faith and overcoming them.. all for the glory of the Lord
- Embracing and loving the changes in one's life
- Being confident on the Lord's divine providence
- Holding on and focusing to the promises of the Lord
- Making a move that's one step closer to God's calling in leading His people..
- Forgetting our circumstances
- Laying our unworthiness down..
- Denying our self, picking our own cross and following Jesus..
- Putting our hope in the Lord…
- Loving the Lord and therefore loving His people..
- Strengthening one's faith
- A great and memorable experience with the Almighty

When we say yes to Him it means that we will be having a lifelong commitment to Him.. Despite the trials and struggle, I still try to say YES to HIM…

In following the Lord, we only have two choices: YES LORD or OH YES YES LORD!!!!

If I hadn't said YES to the calling of the Lord then I wouldn't be here experiencing His Almighty grace in my life… Because SAYING YES has LEAD me to the UAE…

How about you? Where has your YES led you? SHARE!!!!!!!!!!

----> Inspired by the talks/session from the CFC YFC 19th ILC at AKLAN, PHILIPPINES last APRIL 12-15, 2012 :)) Proud ONLINE DELEGATE! Thank you! Praise God!

T.R.U.S.T.

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT IN YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT. 

–PROVERBS 3:5-6

T- Total surrender to God's will

MARY – (Luke 1:38).  I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to your word..

Mama Mary accepted, submitted and surrendered herself to God.

If you want to follow me, you must deny yourself and pick up your cross...

We give our total dependence to the will of God in all aspects of our life, in studies, in service and in relationships. We deny ourselves to the point of regarding others as more important than ourselves. 

Mary though young, humbled and submitted herself to God. Knowing that it's going to be difficult she surrendered it all to God without doubts but will total faith and trust.

R- Rest in His embrace 

David (2 Samuel 11:1-5/ 2 Samuel 12:16)

In his sinfulness and shame, He chose to repent and finds comfort from God’s forgiving embrace. He trusts the Lord and draws strength from Him.

Today, when we sin, we turn away from God, our Father. We choose evil. Then we feel unhappy and sad because we offend God who loves us so much.  We begin to see that we have been bad. But Christ wants us to repent (act of penance) and be reconciled with Him (absolution of the priest) through the sacrament of confession. Christ willed that His church should continue his work of healing and salvation. Confession is a continuing obligation of every Christian.

God wants us to repent after committing mistakes. He doesn't want us to be lost. He wants us to come to him. Imperfect as we are, we tend to run away from Him but what He wants is that we run toward Him. It's ok to commit sin but it should not always be a reason to keep doing it. We should learn to accept and correct them and even avoid committing it again. When we sin our thoughts become clouded and makes us vulnerable to different temptations. God wants us to be near Him so as to change the things we do and become better in His eyes.

U- United in His Love

Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4-10)

Jeremiah is a young prophet who was chosen by the Lord and was given the authority over the nations. Though he was young, He trusted that the love of God will bring him through wherever God leads him to.

Just like him, as young as we are, we are called to serve and become leaders in our areas. In spite of our weaknesses and rejection, we find our security, assurance and completeness in God’s love.

We are bound and united in His LOVE. That is how we are connected to one another.. God first loved us. Our next task is to give and share the love to others. And being a blessing to the lives of others is a factor. When all else fails, rest assured that God is love and He is all what we need. We can put our trust in His unfailing, unconditional and undying love. :-) A love worth fighting and dying on the cross for the sake of our sins. Thank you Lord for saving me and being nailed to the cross because you loved a sinner like me.

S- Silent in His Presence

Jesus Calms the storm (Luke 8: 22-25)

In the midst of the storm, Christ exudes inner peace. In his heart He completely trusts the Father and remained calm.

For us leaders, our members looked up to us, and they see us as role models. In any activities that we may encounter difficult times, we should keep our calmness or poise and be confident that the Lord is in control.

Being silent gives you a chance to listen more. In the silence of our hearts is where God speaks the loudest. We must listen to it and learn to understand what He is saying. Find a place where you can communicate to Him freely and be yourself before God. Only with Him can we find rest and peace. Only with Prayer and scriptures can we be secured and that we can feel His presence in us.

When faced with difficulties, learn to be silent. Learn to pray and entrust it all to God. Being silent means thinking a better strategy and asking for God's knowledge and wisdom for your actions. Smile and show them how God taught you to be, Like Christ.

T- Thankful and grateful in His faithfulness

Job (Job 1:21)

An inspiring story of Job tells us of the many trials and test of faith, and yet be thankful and grateful for God’s faithfulness and promise. In whatever situation, we see it as an opportunity to grow and an opportunity for God to prepare and mold us according to His greater will.

The greatest form of worship comes from a person who is enduring/suffering. It's never easy to praise and thank God when you're in the midst of a trial or pain. Nevertheless being able to do so makes you humble but great. It just shows how strong your faith for Him is. It is actually easy to praise and thank Him during joy and happiness without the feeling of sincerity unlike when you're during the trial. The feeling and emotions are felt and expressed to the highest level.

WORSHIPPING GOD during the trial will be the most difficult of all. It's easy to praise and glorify Him during happiness but praising Him during trials, problems, struggles and challenges is a bit hard. God wants to feel the sweetness of our prayers. God tests us to see how strong we are. He wants to see how we overcome the challenges that pass by us. He wants us to feel the pains that we are going through and assures us that it's all worth it and a reward is waiting for us on the other side..

JAM-PACKED WEEKEND (FEB2012)

JAM-PACKED WEEKEND (FEB2012)

March 17, 2012 at 12:23pm

Upon arriving from work last Thursday I was approached to give a talk to YFCs the next day. At first I hesitated and then it made me think a bit. I was thinking that maybe he approached me because he didn't have any options rather I was the only option he had. It really made me think deeply. I was reflecting if I should accept it or not. Knowing the situation he was in and somehow I understand the struggles he was experiencing. With the fact that there's not enough time left to search for a speaker for tomorrow's activity I just said YES. I'm sure God wanted me to come back to him. I myself was struggling in secret especially with my relationship and prayer time. I was given the privilege to select the talk that fits me. It was about values per the seven IDs of being a YFC…

I came across the talk about the value of TRUST under the YFC ID of BEING A MISSIONARY…  Then something hit me. I realized the true essence of TRUST. I had experience trust issues with relationships and I really learned my lesson the very hard way.

The talk is about TRUSTING THE LORD WITHOUT DOUBT AND THE VALUE OF THE SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION…

TRUST is hard to obtain but easy to lose. It takes hours to days to weeks to months and even years to build and develop trust but it only takes seconds to minutes or perhaps hours to days to lose it. When trust is lost it's even harder to obtain back.

TRUST can be compared to a piece of paper. If you do something wrong, a part of it is being torn apart. If you did something greater than the first offense then the paper is slowly being crumpled… But if you did something worse than the first two mentioned then it's like being burned to ashes. Gone and you can never get it back like it was before. It will always leave a scar or a mark in that person's life. Time can heal. It will surely be a long process to have it back again but it will never be the same as before or it depends on the person or the situation. It's a case to case basis. It's how I see it as it is based from my experience.

YOU CAN ALWAYS TRUST THE ONE YOU LOVE BUT YOU CAN NEVER LOVE THE ONE YOU DON'T TRUST… Love and trust always go together.. All of us are given the privilege to trust and be trusted. How we take care of that trust depends on us. TRUST can be very fragile so we should be careful.

Humans as we are it is always difficult to trust others. It's even more difficult if you have experienced something in the past involving a loved one and you just got hurt so much that you closed yourself and learned to never trust others so easily. Our family and loved ones will surely fail us but GOD WILL NEVER FAIL US. God wants us to feel that we can trust Him. In His presence we are secured and confident that He'll never let us down. He even loves us more and will continue to bless us even if we're not that deserving. God wants us to learn to trust and lean on Him. He wants us to acknowledge His presence and even develop a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.. God assures us that trusting Him would be the best decision we can ever make that we will never regret.

Trust is developed during 0-1 year old. It starts when we were born and until we turn 1 year old. When we were babies we would cry a lot since we can't speak. We cry for them to feed us. We cry to have our nappy changed. We cry to be cuddled by them. We cry if we feel something wrong. During that time, we cry to meet our needs and wants. In that time the trust is developed if all needs are met but if it's fixated then the baby develops mistrust. Trust usually is learned and developed first when you were a baby then enhanced as you grow and interact with other people. It changes as time passes by and as you learn from your experiences.

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT IN YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT.  –PROVERBS 3:5-6

T- Total surrender to God's will
R- Rest in His embrace 
U- United in His Love
S- Silent in His Presence
T- Thankful and grateful in His faithfulness

REMEMBER….
Whatever is the state of your heart right now, TRUST in God’s promises.  Know that in loneliness, HE is our EMBRACE; in fear, HE is our COURAGE; in doubt HE is our confidence; in confusion, HE is our PEACE.

Singing the song HEART of WORSHIP.. (learning to play the guitar again)
Trust God and surely He will never fail you. PRAISE GOD FOR THAT.. 

During that day, I attended the CLP of CFC Singles for Christ and the talk was about Repentance and Faith (same like the topic I discussed)..we even sang the song HEART of WORSHIP.. Would you believe that? There are no accidents... :-)
FEB 17, 2012

Me and Kiko with the YFC Ras Al Khaimah

We just met and talked for a few hours and with God's grace became family.. YEAAAH! Thank you for making me feel the love and warmth of having a family here. I am sooo blessed and I can't contain it...

God bless and be blessed.. :-)

XXLOVEXX

SARAHKAILYN <3 c",)

Quiz: I am Job!

What Bible Character Are You?

You got: Job

Bad things happen to good people. You know that better than anyone. Sometimes life seems like a series of struggles so focused on you that you start to wonder if someone upstairs has it in for you. It is true that God gives us as much as we can take, and it sometimes feels like you are a beast of burden. As with Job, with you, it will all make sense at the end. Keep the faith! (From: http://quizsocial.com/what-bible-character-are-you/ )

        For what I have learned when I was young, Job was a righteous man. He was blessed greatly by God because of his faithfulness. Then satan tempted God to check the faithfulness of Job. At first he gave him suffering and then he took away his riches, then his family and gave him sickness. In the end, Job remained faithful and never blamed God. In return for his faithfulness amidst trials, God rewarded him beyond what he lost.

Job: Faith under trial!

        I can’t imagine being in the shoes of Job. He had everything and then slowly it was taken away from him. It is hard to be faithful during trial and suffering. In my case I would have felt hopeless and will choose to die than endure the pain and keep living. The one thing I admire for Job was the unbreakable faith he had for God. Despite the pain and sorrows he held on to God saying he was unworthy. He never blamed God and he allowed satan to test his faith and he conquered.

        Whenever I struggle, I can’t help but complain, be worried or afraid, doubt and somehow my faith is shaken. Trials are tests that I have to pass and overcome. At times, I always fail, I feel unworthy and hopeless yet God assures me to continue being faithful just as how faithful He is. His comforting embrace is always there to ease my pain and comfort me as I struggle. In this journey the storms come and go to make us learn by shaking us that makes our faith become stronger. Without these we can never know who we are, what our purpose is, how we will do and why it happened. Once the trial is over and when God sees our faithfulness, He will bless us like how He did with Job. Faithful and generous is He and truly He’ll shower us the blessings beyond measure.

What is the posture of our heart during struggles?

Keep the faith. God is in control. He is with us always. 

I will walk on water Lord..

Matthew 14:22-33New International Version (NIV)

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said,“why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Peter cried out: "Lord save me!"

Jesus reached his hand, "Man of little faith, why did you doubt?"

I see the myself in the character of Peter. He may be old but his faith is like a child. His desire to spread the good news was one of the reasons why God chose and called him despite his unworthiness. He was a fisherman, a man with words, failures and a sinner like me. He can be fearful at the face of trial yet he can be strong enough to preach the gospel of God. He would say yes, firmly obey and witness God's miracle unfold before his eyes. He loved Jesus and looks up to him. He followed his master yet he denied him three times. Despite his doubts and insecurities still God was pleased with him. He hold the keys to heaven. He is a pillar of the church. He was crucified the opposite way and after his death look at where and how the Catholic faith has grown now?

Like Peter, I can be brave and confident to say yes knowing God won't abandon me but when trials struck me down I can be shaken easily. I guess I have a strong belief and my Christian faith is really important to me. The reason why I can't say no is because I know that there's a reason why God has called me and what He asks of me is my firm YES. Well saying yes can be a difficult thing because you really have to stand up for it and you are liable with what you say. There are times that I doubt easily when there are situations that I don't understand. It is hard especially in the time of struggle yet God assures me to keep the faith and walk on water as what He did. He wants me to journey with him and assures me that I am not alone. And when the storms of doubt, fear and struggles come, the Lord will hold my hand, will save me and will calm the storm. I know I have to call on him and be still knowing He is God and I am not.

Here's my fave line of the song: Walk on water by Woodstruck

You came so unexpectedly just when I thought my life was made..

You said My Child come follow me. With all my fears I surrendered..

Chorus: I will walk on water Lord. You have called me. You have called my name..

If it's you Lord I will go..