JOHIAspeaks: 2007

Thursday, December 27, 2007

VOTE for D-MAC's "Miracle Mind" on HP's International Band competition!!

"Miracle Mind" is our very own Mac Dela Pena's song. And yes! it made it to HP's Design Your Personal Life GLOBAL competition. NAKS naman! Lets support him and vote for the song!! It was inspired by one of Ptr. Tanny's preachings. Kuya Cyrus Laroco and kuya Rio Bautista played the drums and guitar in this track. This is a Dubai based competition so international talaga cya!! SO VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE for "MIRACLE MIND"

WHEN VOTING, REMEMBER TO...

1. rate song (5 stars)

2. enter your name and e-mail

3. click VOTE

4.check your e-mail inbox and open "thank you for voting" then click the link to validate/confirm vote

6. encourage others to vote for the song as well!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Anghel Na Nawalan ng Tinig, A JOHIA Christmas musical

Watch and and be blessed with "ANGHEL NA NAWALAN NG TINIG", an all original Christmas musical featuring all JOHIA ministries (yes! lahat may role! kaya siguradong maganda!)

Sapara is a choir angel who lost her voice. She is given the vital role of proclaiming the much awaited coming of the Messiah but it cannot be done without her voice. She then goes around heaven with friends Rea and Zeroa looking for it. How will Sapara ever find her voice? Will the Messiah be finally born? The story brings a fresh message of Christmas seen through the eyes of Angels.

NOW WITH 3 PLAY DATES!!!
December 13, 15 and 16
7:00 pm, JOHIA Sanctuary
for tickets call 912-3031 and look for Apol
or text Len 0919-3715918
ticket price only 120 Php

for more info visit
tiniganghel.multiply.com

Monday, November 12, 2007

JOHIA Choir's 1st street evangelism

Kudos to the CHOIR! They had their first street evangelism last November 11, 2007 in the busy sidewalk of Aurora Bldvd in Cubao, Quezon City. People had mixed reactions from enthusiasm to skepticism, nevertheless we are confident that "seeds" of God's love and truth were planted in the hearts of those who heard it. Calling cards bearing JOHIA's phone number for counseling were also given out to people. It was truly awesome to worship God in the streets and to bring His presence where it is truly needed! Thanks to Ptr. Rene, the Lovelies, the JOHIA knights, the AVIDS, and the JAMS for their presence and support. This is just a first step to harvest time!!! There wil be more to come.

Friday, October 26, 2007

MORE THAN ENOUGH, a worship song

Monday, October 15, 2007

How the Lord gave me children in really impossible situations!

A testimony of Diane Villanueva

My husband and I were married in 1986. Five years passed and we still didn’t have a baby. We were both Christian workers that time. We prayed to the Lord to bless us with children. The Lord answered us by declaring His purpose through the passages of Psalm 128:3 “…your children will be like olive shoots around your table.”

May 1990, we hosted a special gathering in our community. We invited close friends and relatives so we decided to add a chair in our table for two, making it for three. We recalled Gods’ promise to us. That time the Lord told me that I am conceiving and I will call my son John.

July 1990, during my 1st trimester, I was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer. Laboratory tests, Ultrasound, and Biopsy confirmed the disease was already on its 3rd stage! Yet, I never lost hope. I recalled Gods’ faithfulness and I declared “Your words will never return to you void, but it will lead to fulfillment”. This was where I based my faith on- “by the stripes of Jesus I am healed”. I continually declared verse 6 of Psalm 128 “…that I shall see my children’s children” “It is YOU, Lord who promised life for me and for my son, John…” was my prayer.

August 1990, I was scheduled for Chemotherapy. My OB made one final test and to her surprise, the result was negative! NO TRACE OF TERMINAL CERVICAL CANCER was seen. That day I decided to call my son John Mark-- JOHN – as Gods’ given name; and Mark – for he would be a “mark” of my covenant with God.

PRAISE BE TO GOD!

Four years later, May 1994 we again hosted a special gathering in our community, so we needed to prepare our house. We replaced our 3- seater dining table into a 4-seater one. We recalled Gods’ promise “…your children will be like olive shoots around your table”. Again I conceived and this time it was a baby girl. During my 1st trimester, a Cyst was detected on my right ovary and it grew so fast, it became larger than my baby. There was threat for the cyst to rupture so I underwent a series of ultrasound checking the cyst’s size and to see if my baby was developing normally. Laboratory tests were also done in preparation of my surgery.

August 1994, the cyst collapsed and ruptured. I was rushed to Makati Med for an immediate operation. According to my OB, if the rupture occurs, my baby and I will only be safe within 15 to 30 minutes. Otherwise, we will both die because of the poison that will spread quickly inside my body as a result of the rupture. But God was really true to HIS promise. The operation lasted for about one hour and forty-five minutes. The baby was removed and returned to where she was in my womb. February 1995, I finally gave birth to my daughter- Rejoice without any trace of abnormalities on her physical and mental growth. GLORY TO GOD!

October 1995, since we were having birthday and anniversary celebrations in our house, we converted our 4-seater round dining table into a 5-seater oblong glass top dining table. A week before, my OB told me that it was impossible for me to get pregnant again because of my previous operations. Laboratory results showed that only my left ovary survived. My fallopian tubes and right ovary were no longer there. She was very certain and firm about her diagnosis. But after a week she was surprised, because I was pregnant! On July 13, 1996, I gave birth to a very strong and healthy daughter-Reign. She was my third child.

On November 23, 1996, Saturday at 5 o’clock in the afternoon an accident happened in our house. Reign fell off our 13- step staircase! Her head hit the door. Blood covered our doorsteps.

I was still in the office when it happened. I saw God glowing in great brightness. In awe, I bowed down and prayed feeling no strength. I said: “I don’t know what you’re trying to say. All I know is that you want to embrace me with Your Greatness!” He said nothing. He was just silent. The brightness disappeared, and I went home.

My brother told me what happened. I went to Reigns’ room, broken and in tears. I began talking to HIM. I said “Ever since, you’ve been declaring your provisions to me. Now, this is my declaration and I will do this my entire life. Sundays will be yours, Saturdays will be for my family, during weekdays whenever there’s a need to work overtime, I won’t file it. It will be Yours – it will serve as a token of my love offering to You, because AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE WE WILL SERVE YOU!” In the hospital, I knew God accepted every word that I have declared. I heard my daughter calling me “mommy” from the operating room. It was a sign of a new life for Reign, a new strength for us. TRULY GOD DESERVES THE HIGHEST PRAISES OF HIS PEOPLE!

Seven years later, our 5- seater oblong glass top dining table cracked and got broken. So we replaced it with 6-seater round table. Again we recalled God’s words: “your children will be like olive shoots around your table”.

By that time I had no fallopian tube and only had one ovary. But again I became pregnant and gave birth to my fourth child- Jeremiah. My OB was really amazed because it was clearly a miracle! Celebrating Jeremiah’s birth, we renewed our faith and God declared HIS promises to us confirming it in the book of Jeremiah 29:11-14. We were overjoyed because we knew that GOD is really true to HIS promises. Everyday we enjoyed life with God’s blessings.

Year 2005, my husband and I had this marital problem. He stopped attending church and our relationship was dying. I found myself complaining. I was living in absolute depression and was even hospitalized because of a heart ailment. Nevertheless my children and I never skipped church during Sundays. It is for Gods’ Glory as I’ve promised. We kept on going and searched for Gods’ wisdom and provision.

February 2007, I decided to leave my house and my kids for 3 days and 2 nights, just to be with the Lord and to remember what He has done in my life while fasting and praying. Again, God that time was so silent, no words came from Him. But on the third day HE said: “Go home”. Though I was heartbroken, I went home and found the same man blessed by God to be my husband, finally home! Nowadays, he attends church regularly with us. He is also the guitarist of JOHIA Knights, JOHIA’s men’s ministry. He leads us in our daily prayers living in God’s holiness and continually changing from glory to glory.

And now I am declaring with joy that the God of Abraham and Jacob who is the same GOD I AM SERVING, IS MORE THAN AMAZING!!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Carpe Diem

A testimony of Ptr. Cyrus Laroco

Seize the day...

Mike Portnoy has a tattoo on his left forearm. It says “Carpe Diem” and has the date of 11-16-84 underneath which is the date he lost his mother in a plane crash. “Carpe Diem” means seize the Day in Latin and was part of a lesson he was taught earlier that day in high school. A lesson that provided him with a final moment with his mom and a final hug and kiss before she left for her flight.

I was in Mcdonalds Commonwealth a few years back when I saw two boys asking for water on the counter. The crew in Mcdonalds were gracious enough to give them water to drink. They seemed happy and grateful for the simple service the crew gave them. At that time I had this feeling that I had to do something for them, it was as if God was instructing me to do something for them. I really felt that I needed to buy each of them a Sunday cone, which was only 5 pesos that time. Unfortunately, I didn’t. I felt guilty afterward. I did not seize the day. I was not a blessing to them. There are times when I remember that time and I still get teary eyed because I know I did not follow God’s instruction. A few weeks came to pass and I saw myself in the same situation. This time I bought the kids ice cream, but it wasn’t the same. I felt as if I was only covering the mistake I did a few weeks back.

Opportunities lost...

Situations like that don’t come very often. God will always give us the chance to love, care, connect, be blessings, and to reach out to people. I pray that whenever we find ourselves in that situation we choose to SEIZE THE DAY and let ourselves be an extension of God’s blessing to others.

read more of Ptr. Cyrus' blog entries

Monday, September 17, 2007

How Butch and I cursed and blessed a robber on the same day

a testimony of Wendy Lopez-Redaon

Somebody broke into our house about two months ago. I went home from the market and found shards of our glass window on the floor. My closet door was ajar. Immediately, I checked the secret spot where I put bulk of our money in. It was untouched and in tact! I called Butch in his office and told him the bad news. Together, we did an inspection of what was missing: his motorcycle helmet, a pair of his basketball rubber shoes, our digital camera, 300 pesos worth of cash and my wedding ring. My heart sunk. Very scared, I asked Butch to come home at once. The robber didn’t get a lot of things. I was surprised he didn’t take my my ipod or the DVD player. This made me think that he (assuming it was a guy who did it) only made an inspection of the place, took only stuff he could carry and planned to come back to get some more.

As I picked up the shards of broken glass, I cursed the culprit with an angry heart. “I curse the person who did this. I release a curse to the person who broke into my house; not only to him but his family up to the 6^th generation.” I felt violated and apprehensive. Our apartment, for me was a safe haven located on the third floor in a building my father owned. It was the compound I grew up in and it was robbed in broad day light!

read more

click here to read more of Wendy's blogs
also read "A thousand deaths all for Love"

Friday, September 7, 2007

Ptr. Tanny's Anniversary Greeting with intro from Apol, Cyrus and Joshua

also view
Ptr. Rene's Greeting
Ptr. Glen Gazzingan's Greeting
Ptr. Jared Lapasaran's Greeting

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Odd

by Apol Laroco

When it seems odd
A part of you keeps calling home
But can’t connect
A part of you extends a hand
But still can’t reach
You think you’re full
But stinkin’ funny deep inside
You just feel odd
You don’t know why

Empty
Around you, many but can’t
Reach among so many
Who
A question most holistic people try to view
When all your goodness, you thought,
Was shining through, inspiring you

Odd
But when you look back you knew
There’s nothing that you lack
When all the theories you knew
became firm facts
This can’t be wrong
Smart’s out of question
This is all odd

Coz suddenly
I found myself soaked in reality
That who I am is a façade- a dream, a ‘lack’
I have the head but then I couldn’t free my heart
That life is not about the sight, the thought, the sound
It goes beyond…
Odd

Thursday, August 30, 2007

JOHIA Commemorates 11th year Anniversary

Jesus Our Hope International Assemblies Church commemorated its very first anniversary
celebration on its 11^th year last August 27, 2007. The commemoration date turned up when recently discovered documents showed that JOHIA was officially launched on August 24, 1996 by Rev. Nilo Jaren Lapasaran, Jr. JOHIA members & guests gathered at the church sanctuary at 5:00 PM for this very special occasion.

Four generations of worship teams lead in honoring the Lord with a festive praise and worship celebration. Praise team personalities namely Nenette Torrecampo, Ptr Mark Felias, Sherwin Felias, Lee Margaret Panlilio-Mallares, and Ana Canlas all joined the festivity. Dancers once again played their colorful tambourines in jubilation. Everyone worshipped the Lord with songs well-loved through the years such as “Glory, Glory Lord,” “Romans 16:19,” “Mercy is Falling,” and “Psalm 30” to name a few.

click here to read full article

click here for more pictures =)

On the Festive day itself August 26, 2007

Check out more pictures click here

and also here

Mga videos naman....
Eagles youth batch singing Psalm 30
Lovelies and JOHIA Knights special number
Tambourine ala Retro
JYM Praise and Worship

Thanks to Pammie, Kuya Cyrus and Archer for the pictures and videos =)

Our 777 Slot clip

Includes "Sinasamba Kita" and "Adonai"
Thank you Len and Tita Weena for the video =)

mejo matagal cya mag load, pero worth it panoorin PROMISE! Enjoy!
you can also view this video in Len's site

Thursday, August 16, 2007

HAPPY 11th YEAR ANNIVERSARY, JOHIA!

We found out that JOHIA was officially launched by Ptr. Jaren Lapasaran last August 24, 1996. In line with this discovery, we celebrate our anniversary this last Sunday of August (on the 26th to be exact). All JOHIAns -past, present, future- are expected to come!

Monday, August 13, 2007

That small switch inside of us

A revelation from Rio Bautista

When I was in college, we'd only have 3-4 school days and I'd spend my non-school-days at the Jefferson Library. And it's only because I enjoyed the smell, the quiet and the cool a/c. I'd spend the whole day watching videos and reading the yellow-pages of the different states in the US. Eventually, I got into reading the books in the libraray (which proves that simply being exposed to the library for so long will make you want to read books).

Anyway, the first book that caught my curiosity was this book "The Binary Brain". This was the book that got me into computers. I got so passionate about computers, I dropped all my other subjects and focused on computers (reason why I only graduated 20 years later).

The Binary Brain, was a book about Artificial Intelligence so it talks a lot about the similarities between how our minds think and how computers work.

Like a computer, our minds are filled with "switches" that goes on or off. Sub-microscopic tissues that trigger one another to process information and eventually causing a muscle to move.

What I'd like to share is how a simple difference between 1 and 0 can decide the fate of one man if not mankind.

There is a little-switch in all of us that makes us who we are. Some take this for granted until faced with a situation that calls for judgment. Some will use it so often to know that he's in control of himself. Others fear even touching the switch to avoid accountability.

The switch is there whether you are aware of it or not . Becoming aware of it will be the first step to taking control of yourself and your world.

If you really think about it. Our biggest blunders in life could all have been avoided had we taken control of our self. Had we not let pride, pain or satisfaction lock our switch into making a bad move. The idea of an "automatic" life can be no less than tempting and that's how many of us chose to live. Programmed by the world to do this or that when faced with this or that. It's almost understandable. I mean, if you grew up in the world with everybody around telling you what's right or wrong, or what to do when this or that happens, you'd be pretty much programmed to behave as you do today. We learn. But what fails us is when we loose our "self" and put our lives in "auto" mode. When our "will" takes a back-seat, we loose control. We become robots, zombies moving about, reacting automatically to what the sensors detect.

We often forget that above that switch is our will, our conviction, our future and not the situation nor the world that should turn our switch for us. And for those who chose to follow God, they gained the honor of having God turn their switch for them.

When you find yourself in a situation that you know you're not supposed to be in. When you know something not right is making a mess of you. Consider looking back. There just might be something keeping your will from making the right move. Check your heart, loose your pride, loose your bitterness, forget about the pain and remember that a simple flick of a switch can turn your life around.

read more of Rio Bautista's blog entries

JOHIA Worship team montage

BY Len San Pedro =)

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Random pictures from practice and stuff...

mga pastor...

eating time after service... nice pose, Mon =)

usapang keyboards... ptr. Cy usapang guitara...

View More Pictures

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Isaac's Wells

Finding Opportunities in a land of famine
By Ptr. Derrick Anselmo

We must understand, as Isaac does, that the blessing is not the thing or opportunity before us. The blessing is us. Isaac recognized that the blessing was not on the land that he planted on, but rather it was on him. That HE WAS THE BLESSING. He was the reason why opportunities continue to come even though others passed or were grabbed from him.

This is a season of “famine” in the Philippines. It is not a famine from food, but rather, a famine from opportunities. Filipinos are migrating to other countries for “greener pastures”. The ambition of every child is becoming synchronized to one beat which is “to go abroad when I grow up”. Even professionals, like doctors, engineers, teachers, uproot themselves from their local practice to work as caregivers, domestic helpers, foremen, or other blue collared position in another country, embracing less ideal situations for “opportunities”. And, sometimes, in an effort to grab an opening for gain, people would even step on others without conviction. People will go to such extent as to steal opportunities by falsifying documents and passports to be able to leave. “Survival of the fittest at all costs” and “each man for himself” have become more popular principles in life. Nobility is dying. Materialism is gaining grounds.

It is a time much like the time of Isaac, the promised child to Abraham, when they too had a famine in their region:

Genesis 26:1 – 6 ¹Now there was a famine in the land – besides the earlier famine of Abraham’s time – and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. ² The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. ³ Stay in this land for a while and I will be with you and bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. ⁴ I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring, all nations on earth will be blessed, ⁵ because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws.” ⁶ So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

It was a time like ours. Due to the famine, everyone was migrating to Egypt for better “opportunities” far away from the famine. But, in the middle of all that, God spoke to Isaac and discouraged him to go with the others to Egypt and asked him to stay at the place where he was at that moment, a place where he doesn’t belong either.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Going through a Path with no Trail

How the Lord led Ptr. Derrick to untapped resources with wounded legs and dirty K-Swiss!

“Call unto me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know,” Jeremiah 33:3

The trek started out fine. I was enjoying the scenery. Lot’s of greens. The smell of the country and fresh air was so relaxing. I saw a lot of coconut trees and pili nut trees along the trail and realized how rich the property was. As we went along, we stopped ever so often to look at a tree and the fruits while Dr. Dineros points to them and enthusiastically explains their potential market and income generation. Then, he wanted to see the limits of his property. So we started to walk towards the direction of the barbwires along the property line. This was when the “suffering” (hehe) started.

Our guide brought out a “bolo” and started to cut vines, tall grasses, branches, and plants in front of him. I deduced that the path Dr. Dineros wanted to take had no trail. We were going to parts of his property that no one has reached before. Now, in this part of the trek, I started to look more often down to my new shoes, my arms, and my legs. As we walked through the newly made trail, I acquired several cuts on my arms and legs due to the protruding thorns from vines and branches. I got more as we went along with additional insect bites and dirt on my new K-swiss, which was, by then, brown with mud.

Dr. Dineros, however, was consistent in his enthusiasm and continued to explain as we stopped every now and then at a fruit filled tree. We realized that in these parts, where the trees are growing wildly, there were more fruits on them. There were more resources here than in the parts of the property that had established trails. And he was getting more excited about it.

I, on the other hand, after walking for 4 hours through a “virgin forest”, started to complain to myself. I was worried if I remembered to put on sunblock. I was complaining about the cuts, the insect bites, and was thinking we were supposed to be operating at this time, or I should have been in church today (because it was Sunday), worshipping, listening to God’s word in an air-conditioned auditorium, but instead I here, suffering. One of the guides was even saying, “Wala pa tayo sa kalahati!!!” (“We’re not halfway there yet!”) So, I complained even more. But, through my complaining, God broke through.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

complete...because he loves me...

a testimony of Ruth Tampoc

it's just wonderful to think i am God's BELOVED...saya...sabi nga sa deuteronomy 7:7, "God did not chose you because you were the greatest among the nations; infact you were the least...but GOD CHOSE YOU AND SET HIS AFFECTION ON YOU BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU..." nabasa ko tong passage na to nung gumagawa ako ng assignment sa values...dba, napaka-impromptu ni Lord...unexpected, but those were the words i needed...HE loves me because he loves me...grabe...i contemplated on it and i was just crying and my heart was overflowing...ang saya-saya ko...

then, nung february 19....

death anniversary pala ni daddy...i remembered it gabi na...galing pa nga ako sa bahay ng classmate ko...tas, pagdating ko sa bhay...sabi ko kay Lord..."Lord, bakit ganon.death anniversary ni daddy, pero parang ndi ako malungkot...kahit gusto kong mag inemote, ayaw...bakit?" then eto si Lord who makes patol all the time and just said.... "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU...THAT'S WHY..." after he said that, he hugged me just like a father does to his daughter...and i just can't help but cry...my heart overflowed because the God who created the whole universe, the God who was with abraham,isaac,and jacob, chose to love me because he just loves me...

ang saya...what i've learned????well, simple...

i don't need anything...i don't need to be great..i don't need to have a complete family...I JUST NEED GOD...and i am complete....

Jesus Festival Clip

a clip of our slot during the Jesus Festival. Fast songs nga lang. Enjoy =)

thank you Butch for posting = )

EXCELLENCE - a god centered virtue

a revelation from Paul Fronda

... a master sculptor was contracted to fashion a large statue. after completing the front of the statue, he proceeded to chisel the back with equal painstaking care. his son, looked on, and asked, "the statue will be standing against a wall anyway, why bother with the back?.. nobody will ever get to see it." to which the sculptor replied, "ah but god will see it.

" OUR WORK SHOULD BE A REFLECTION OF OUR BELIEFS ABOUT GOD

1. god is an excellent worker

have you ever felt pride for a job well done? it can be for delivering a superb instumental solo or exceeding a sales quota. if so, then you had a glimpse of the satisfaction god felt after creating the universe.

the bible kicks off with an unapologetic declaration "in the beginning god created the heavens and the earth..." (gen1:1) then we read what happened next, god saw what he had created as"good" (vv 3,10,12,18,21,25) when he was finished on the sixth day, he saw it only not as "good", but "very good"

god is a master craftsman; just marvel at the intricated design of the human body, the clockwork precision of the solar system and the breathtaking splendor of nature for you to believe this statement.

his son was also lauded for excellence, because at one point, in jesus' earthly ministry, the people exclaimed, "he has done everything well." (mark 7:37)

an outstanding leader should also inspire outstanding perfromance from his followers. thus, on a grander scale, a fresh vision of god's excellance should stir emotions within us: awe for his perfect work, the desire to reflect his excellence and shame for shoddy work. jesus set the standard, 'therefore, you are to be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect. " (mat. 5:48) ..so the next time you ask yourself, "why be excellent?" .. you know the answer, because god is excellent.

2. god is glorified by excellence

an athlete trained long and hard for the olympics and giving his best won the gold medal for his country. this athlete enjoyed the glory of his victory which arose from his desire for excellence. his country too, shared in the glory of having such a world-class athlete.

excellence and glory go hand-in-hand. god is glorified in his excellence. the universe that he had created speaks of his glory (ps. 19:1) jesus' own earthly ministry on earth gave glory to his father, like when he healed the paralytic (mat.9:8). in the same way, when we render high-quality service, we glorify him - god, (mat. 5:16, 1pet. 2:12). the apostle paul tells us that "whatever we do ... we should do it for the glory of god (1cor.10:31)

are you zealous for god's glory? do not limit it to sunday worship but extend it through terrific work from monday to saturday.

3. god is our ultimate master

... let's say that god appers befor you and give you a special assignment. would'nt you leap on your feet, count it as an ultimate priveledge and do your outmost to fulfill four task? guess what? he had already given you a special assignment; wherever you are now, be it in the office, laboratory, factory, pier, call cente, hospital, band ... wherever you are working.

one antidote to being disheartened in your job is to look beyond your problematic circumstances and see the excellent, glorious god as the final reciepient of your work. the apostle paul instructs, "whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the lord, not for men... it is the lord christ that you are serving (col.3:22-24)." our true boss is the king of kings and the lord of lords, who deserves no less than our best.

4. god rewards excellence

someday, our ultimate master will give us a "performance appraisal." this isn't to deteremine wheter we will go to heaven or not or not because that has already been settled when we put our trust in christ as our personal lord and saviour. rather, this is to determine what rewards god will give us (2cor.5:10).

Monday, June 18, 2007

Ptr. Rene's "Spaghetti Pataas" worship song version

Nung camp to! Nakakaaliw lng talaga! lol with Ptr. Glen as back-up dancer and on Guitar Ptr. Mark
thank you Archer for posting it in youtube! = )

My Dream Birthday Wish

A testimony of Pammy Borommeo

The air that filled my lungs was salty and alive. Sand pressed between my toes. Jesus’ hand slid into mine.

“Thanks for inviting me to your beach birthday party” He said.

“I wish…”

“Yes?”

“I wish we could always be like this.”

“Your need is what draws Me to you,” He said.

I saw in His eyes that the times I have thought I was self-sufficient; I neglected Him, the one friend who has never let me down. He squeezed my hand, letting me know that was behind us. There were others on the beach, but right then, He was my world and we were alone. Time passed, and my mind wandered here and there, but never too far from the anchor of knowing He was next to me.

“I’m Already 26 and I have some worries,” I blurted out.

“Fire away.”

I smiled, paused, took a deep breath, and then plunged right in.

“I worry about the future. And more recently I’m worried that I won’t be able to handle whatever I may be faced with. I wish I were better with people. I wish I didn’t feel as though every day was an effort. I wish…”

His hand squeezed mine, and we were both silent for a time. We watched the swelling of the waves and listened to them crash on the shore. I was thinking about what would happen to me if He ever put a limit on wishes. If He did, I’d be sunk. I was His biggest customer. He read my thoughts and said,

“One wish for your birthday.”

“What?”

“It’s yours. Anything. I’m giving you one wish.” I thought He must be kidding.

“Really?”

“I’m not” He said.

“Not what?” I asked, a little confused.

“Not kidding.” I laughed.

“Anything?”

“Anything. But what if I wish for something that isn’t good for me?”

“Do you love Me?”

“Of course!” I said, surprised that He would ask such a question. He chuckled.

“Then I know that your desires will be in line with what I want and know is best for you.”

I paused, trying to figure out where my love for ice cream fit into His highest will.

“You know, I could use this wish for something like…” I was unable to finish the sentence.

“Ice cream on demand?” Sometimes I forget how readable I am to Him.

“Would you like that?” He asked.

“I don’t know. That is a good option.”

We smiled at each other in perfect harmony of thought and emotions. I began sorting through my wish list. Sitting next to Him brought most of my wishes down a few places on the list. Others I crossed off altogether. In the presence of the One I love most, all other loves paled in comparison and I realized that there was nothing I wanted more than to make Him happy.

“I wish to serve You and love You and make You happy.” He hugged me tight. I felt as though all of my wishes had come true.

“That’s what I want too,” He said softly.

“Because then I am able to give you the desires of your heart.”

“But what if my desires aren’t the right ones?” I was thinking of a certain instance some time back.

“When I’m first in your life, when you want nothing else but Me, then I reward you by showering you with blessings. I send you things that I know will make you happy. I even fulfill desires that you didn’t know you had.”

I looked at Him and I told Him that all my desires were fulfilled in Him. He looked at me and said “Ice cream is on the menu today.” We laughed as we continued our walk. And we ate ice cream that night.

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REACTIONS

A revelation from Apol Laroco

I will watch and learn from the scenes unfolding before me.

Reactions.

My reaction is the only thing I directly control. So this is my choice – I’ll keep an eye on the view, the ones that God would allow me to see.

I believe this is a test. The ones I "see" are questions in picture form. My reactions will be my form of ‘answer.’ My Teacher – the One who hears past my spoken voice.

Passed or Failed?
My Teacher knew the answers my 'heart' gave.
The thing here is, when I produced the wrong answer (reaction), di ko na pwede burahin yun act. Time recorded what had happened eh (sigh).
Pero the good thing is, He allowed that scene to happen for me to:

1) Know who HE really is.
2) to have a first hand experience of what HE can do in my life.
3) Show me the person that i am from His point of view.
4) I may fail but He'll be there to help me change. =)

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