Being a counselor is both rewarding and tiring. The last time I was a counselor in a Youth Conference was way back in 2009. My family and I were in a different city and different church where my husband served as a pastor. Back in 2009, instead of gaining the trust of my group mates, I have made enemies. It was a sad experience and I have carried that moment in my heart for years to come. I guess that is the reason why I've opted to stay away from counseling until last week.
As the 35th FCCF Youth Conference was announced sometime in 2012, my husband had decided that I will be one of the counselors. I gave him reasons after reasons just to prove to him that it will be difficult for me to take part in the Youth Conferences, but he insisted and he won. I've struggled and prayed and hoped that God will make a difference this time, both in the lives of my group mates and mine.
Four wonderful things had happened in that youth conference (in my perspective):
1. The Speaker for our theme messages. The Lord has been merciful and gracious upon the life of our speaker through out the conference. Two days before the conference started, he fell ill with fever and a slight cough, but on the day of the conference, his illness got worse. According to the FCCF Chairman, when he visited our speaker, he was shaking from chills and yet when he stands in front of God's people, he stood firmly and without any hint that he's sick except of slight coughing. Our speaker is truly a man of God and he uses the Word to encourage, not just the youth, but more so the leaders.
2. My Children. They were the reasons that I gave to my husband so that I can "escape". But God had proven me wrong. Yes, I believe my children had fought and shouted at each other while they were "locked" up in the hotel room, but they've proven themselves able to take care of each other. I said "locked" up, well, they were not really locked in, they can leave the room whenever they wanted to, but I believe we've instill in them the capability to obey. If I were to check the hotel's CCTV, I might see my kids poking their heads out once in a while, or even walk down the hallway, but nevertheless, whenever I go the room and give a surprise check, they're always there, inside, and playing =)
3. My Group Mates. When I first realized who my group mates were, I quickly asked the Lord "why this age group?" From our city, we've got ages 14-26, but God had given to me those who are 14-16. I could have handled the older ones, but no, God said. And as the days of the conference draws to the end, I now realize why. It's never easy to deal with other people's problems, hey, its never easy to DEAL WITH OUR OWN PROBLEMS, how much more other's, right? It's not that I'm more able or more matured in dealing with these younger people's problems; it's not that I'm more able to relate to them since I'm a mom; it's not that I'm good and know a lot of things...it's just simply God wanted me to care for them. I hope I've gained their trust, instead of gaining more enemies. But one thing will always stay the same, God will send me wherever the need is.
4. My Old Friends in the other city. Remember the enemies I mentioned at the start of this blog? Well, the Lord has been good and gracious, we still have good friends back there and meeting them on this conference was truly a good and rewarding experience! One particularly whom I used to perceive as grumpy and always negative is now a beautiful and matured lady! The Lord had changed her heart and is now in the process of maturity! If you are able to read this blog, I just wanna let you know that we'll continue to pray for you. I've also talked to my disciple whose heart is so into the ministry! Praise God for you life, my dear disciple! Keep up the good work!
With all these things that God had allowed me to experience and see, there's only one response I can give...PRAISE BE TO HIM FOREVER AND EVER!
Will I do this again? If the Lord wants me to, why not =)
Will I give up? Whenever I get betrayed, I always complain to God. So my answer is this, whenever God sees it right to put me down and be betrayed, so be it. May God have mercy on me when I complain and wallow in the pit of misery.
In everything, SOLI DEO GLORIA!
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Friday, September 14, 2012
Life as It Is...
There are times when feeling of boredom and dissatisfaction comes to one's mind...how do you deal with that?
One of the greatest struggle of a housewife is the feeling of boredom and the sense of uselessness. As one goes through the mundane of daily chores, and taking care of the family, a housewife tends to loose her connection to the world of technology, business and to the world itself. She only gets to connect through the television or the gossips that goes around her. But she does not have the opportunity to "feel" life anymore.
With what had mentioned above, a housewife tends to take her value for granted. And once she does this, the family members will start doing it as well. The family will think that "ah, she will always be there" and the words "thank you" & "I love you" flies out the door.
Have I felt this way? Oh Yes! But by God's mercies, my family has not reached the point yet where they have taken me for granted. Once in a while, the Lord will show them my worth and they give importance to whatever I do for them.
One of the greatest key in battling boredom is not television nor radio nor gossips. It's the Word of God. Whenever these feelings attacks me, I would pick up my Bible and reflect on God's grace. Do I have a specific passage or book that I turn to? No, I don't. I find solace in the whole Counsel of God. Wherever I turn, whatever book I read, whichever Testament it might be, I always find my place in God. That's the beauty of being a housewife...you'll find your true value not in money that you earn, nor in the praises and rewards of man, but in God!
One of the greatest struggle of a housewife is the feeling of boredom and the sense of uselessness. As one goes through the mundane of daily chores, and taking care of the family, a housewife tends to loose her connection to the world of technology, business and to the world itself. She only gets to connect through the television or the gossips that goes around her. But she does not have the opportunity to "feel" life anymore.
With what had mentioned above, a housewife tends to take her value for granted. And once she does this, the family members will start doing it as well. The family will think that "ah, she will always be there" and the words "thank you" & "I love you" flies out the door.
Have I felt this way? Oh Yes! But by God's mercies, my family has not reached the point yet where they have taken me for granted. Once in a while, the Lord will show them my worth and they give importance to whatever I do for them.
One of the greatest key in battling boredom is not television nor radio nor gossips. It's the Word of God. Whenever these feelings attacks me, I would pick up my Bible and reflect on God's grace. Do I have a specific passage or book that I turn to? No, I don't. I find solace in the whole Counsel of God. Wherever I turn, whatever book I read, whichever Testament it might be, I always find my place in God. That's the beauty of being a housewife...you'll find your true value not in money that you earn, nor in the praises and rewards of man, but in God!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
On Being a Home-School Mom
Home-schooling is now becoming a trend in education. A lot of schools, especially in the Philippines, are now offering home-schooling curriculum. Home-schooling was never heard of until the year 2000. And it was not accepted until 5-6years later. Home-schooling is unknown in the unbelieving world, but this is a basic Biblical teaching. It is unheard or unpracticed in the unbelieving world because most, if not all, parents would prefer to throw their children in schools because they need to work to provide the children with good education. But this is not true with the Biblical teaching. Deuteronomy 11:19 says "Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Although this specific passage talks about the miracles that God had done and has to do with the teachings of the law, the same is still true when it comes to educating our children. In the Old Testament time, one may argue, there was no institution called school, but that's the purpose why school was made, so that parents can focus on working. But I say, that is wrong. Statistically speaking, children fare well in this world when both parents are there to teach, guide and live by example. Some children fare well too with only one parent present. However, the same can't be said to a child or children who were left in the care of an institution. Home-schooling is the most ideal, but also most taxing of all.
Home-schooling Moms need to have patience, abilities and discipline. Most of the time, we'll hear parents scold their children of not being focus on their studies or assignments. But in home-schooling, it's the Mom (or the supervisor) who needs to be disciplined. The "Supervisor" must be consistent with study time and goals accomplished. The "Supervisor" must prepare all of the things, esp when it comes to craft time. If the "Supervisor" failed to do these things, then home-schooling will not be effective.
However, there are perks as well in doing home-schooling. The child is trained to be independent in doing his homework. The child gets more attention than in a traditional school set up. And the "Supervisor" can figure out the child's weakness in each subject and be able to help the child cope up.
As with anything in this world, there'll always be pros and cons in a given situation. One must weigh the pros and cons of home-schooling before actually "leaping" into it.
I've done home-schooling with my son for 3levels in a span of 2years. I can say that home-schooling is still the best for I can focus on my son's weaknesses. However, my son has acquired my weaknesses as well. I'm pretty poor with crafts, and so I have the tendency to pay more attention with his actual subjects than honing his skills in the arts' section.
Again, there are pros and cons in doing this thing...but it's truly worth a try. It can strengthen one's bond with your child/ren or it can cause more problem. With my case, it has allowed me to get to know my son better in the area of his studies. And I was able to relay to him my goals for him. I can say it has helped us in improving our relationship with one another. And on top of this, I am able to follow-up the principles I'm teaching him here at home with this studies. Home-schooling, for me, is and will always be the best!
Home-schooling Moms need to have patience, abilities and discipline. Most of the time, we'll hear parents scold their children of not being focus on their studies or assignments. But in home-schooling, it's the Mom (or the supervisor) who needs to be disciplined. The "Supervisor" must be consistent with study time and goals accomplished. The "Supervisor" must prepare all of the things, esp when it comes to craft time. If the "Supervisor" failed to do these things, then home-schooling will not be effective.
However, there are perks as well in doing home-schooling. The child is trained to be independent in doing his homework. The child gets more attention than in a traditional school set up. And the "Supervisor" can figure out the child's weakness in each subject and be able to help the child cope up.
As with anything in this world, there'll always be pros and cons in a given situation. One must weigh the pros and cons of home-schooling before actually "leaping" into it.
I've done home-schooling with my son for 3levels in a span of 2years. I can say that home-schooling is still the best for I can focus on my son's weaknesses. However, my son has acquired my weaknesses as well. I'm pretty poor with crafts, and so I have the tendency to pay more attention with his actual subjects than honing his skills in the arts' section.
Again, there are pros and cons in doing this thing...but it's truly worth a try. It can strengthen one's bond with your child/ren or it can cause more problem. With my case, it has allowed me to get to know my son better in the area of his studies. And I was able to relay to him my goals for him. I can say it has helped us in improving our relationship with one another. And on top of this, I am able to follow-up the principles I'm teaching him here at home with this studies. Home-schooling, for me, is and will always be the best!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Why Is It So Hard?
Why is it so hard to be a pastor? Well, first and foremost, I have been a pastor for only 6 years. And just recently, I have decided to resign from that post to concentrate on my new mission field, which is raising my children God's way.
But for these 6 years, I've seen that the difficulty of being a servant of God in our time did not differ much from those in the Bible time. When Israel had finally settled in the land of Canaan, they were surrounded by idolatry and was enticed to worship their gods. When Isaiah was called to preach the Word of God, the people he was to preached to were hardhearted people and their hearts were not towards God. At the end of Paul's life, he was still fighting against heresy in the church and had to face false teachers inside. Sounds like our time, right?
The Church Age is not different from the days of the Old and New Testament. If I may say so, I believe the Bible IS and ALWAYS will be the manual for God's servants...for in It, we find that we're not alone in fighting this tragic battle and how we must fight it.
As far as I can see, there are actually 4 areas in this battle. The 1st one will be the religious group that are growing faster as each day passes by. They are not only growing in worshipers but the cultic groups are popping out faster than popcorn themselves! And yet, these groups are not new. They may change their names but their teachings were the ones that Paul and the church fathers had been fighting against during their time.
The 2nd one will be the pastors who are no longer afraid of God but instead they choose to fear men. Pastors nowadays are afraid to lose their jobs, because once that happens, the business world can and will not welcome them back because they know nothing about that world. Therefore, out of fear of not having anything to eat, they no longer preach what they're suppose to preach! They water-down their messages so that the church-goers will not be offended. Sin is no longer confronted and instead it is being flaunted for all to see. These pastors are afraid to correct them especially if they are the biggest giver. They no longer preach nor teach, instead, they give stories for their listeners to be entertained with. They make a clown of themselves just so that their listeners will not boot them out of the church. Some of them would even twist the passages of the Bible just to suit whatever they wanted to say. The holiness of the Bible is no longer put into perspective, nor the holiness of their Master put in mind.
The 3rd one will be the listeners. If you notice I don't call them Christians because unless they see errors in what their preachers are doing, then they are not truly born of Christ. The listeners allow their preachers to preach whatever they can as long as they will not be offended by it and their sins are not brought into scrutiny. They choose whom they wanted to listen to and they don't care if it's for the sake of their spiritual growth or not. The listeners had just simply decided to listen rather to think and grow.
The 4th one will be the "rare few" (as some of them call themselves). It is rare indeed to have pastors preach doctrines and correct sin. It is rare indeed to have people who dares to collide with trend and what people want. It is rare indeed to have people who upholds the truth of the Bible and always preach the holiness of their Master. And I see this as the 4th front of the battle because as rare as these people are, the first 3 fronts are trying to crush these rare few. Just like how Martin Luther was crushed during his time, so are the pastors who are serving their God, rather than their stomach, are being crushed.
Yes, it's hard to preach to hardhearted people. It's easier to see money than points earned in heaven. It's easier to feel hunger pangs rather than hear the angels rejoicing. It's easier to feel fear of the unknown than see our Father's smile. Therefore, to the rare few out there who can read this message...Don't lose heart! Our Father in Heaven knows our dilemma. He has been caring for people with the same burden from the beginning of time and He's still taking care of these same people (though of different race, gender and intensity of difficulty) in our time. As we have read in the Bible, we're not experiencing something new. Let us praise our God for giving the Bible to us to remind us that wherever we are, there will always be 4-fronts in a battle. The question will be, which front will you be. Hope you will ally with us so that we will no longer be the rare-few!
But for these 6 years, I've seen that the difficulty of being a servant of God in our time did not differ much from those in the Bible time. When Israel had finally settled in the land of Canaan, they were surrounded by idolatry and was enticed to worship their gods. When Isaiah was called to preach the Word of God, the people he was to preached to were hardhearted people and their hearts were not towards God. At the end of Paul's life, he was still fighting against heresy in the church and had to face false teachers inside. Sounds like our time, right?
The Church Age is not different from the days of the Old and New Testament. If I may say so, I believe the Bible IS and ALWAYS will be the manual for God's servants...for in It, we find that we're not alone in fighting this tragic battle and how we must fight it.
As far as I can see, there are actually 4 areas in this battle. The 1st one will be the religious group that are growing faster as each day passes by. They are not only growing in worshipers but the cultic groups are popping out faster than popcorn themselves! And yet, these groups are not new. They may change their names but their teachings were the ones that Paul and the church fathers had been fighting against during their time.
The 2nd one will be the pastors who are no longer afraid of God but instead they choose to fear men. Pastors nowadays are afraid to lose their jobs, because once that happens, the business world can and will not welcome them back because they know nothing about that world. Therefore, out of fear of not having anything to eat, they no longer preach what they're suppose to preach! They water-down their messages so that the church-goers will not be offended. Sin is no longer confronted and instead it is being flaunted for all to see. These pastors are afraid to correct them especially if they are the biggest giver. They no longer preach nor teach, instead, they give stories for their listeners to be entertained with. They make a clown of themselves just so that their listeners will not boot them out of the church. Some of them would even twist the passages of the Bible just to suit whatever they wanted to say. The holiness of the Bible is no longer put into perspective, nor the holiness of their Master put in mind.
The 3rd one will be the listeners. If you notice I don't call them Christians because unless they see errors in what their preachers are doing, then they are not truly born of Christ. The listeners allow their preachers to preach whatever they can as long as they will not be offended by it and their sins are not brought into scrutiny. They choose whom they wanted to listen to and they don't care if it's for the sake of their spiritual growth or not. The listeners had just simply decided to listen rather to think and grow.
The 4th one will be the "rare few" (as some of them call themselves). It is rare indeed to have pastors preach doctrines and correct sin. It is rare indeed to have people who dares to collide with trend and what people want. It is rare indeed to have people who upholds the truth of the Bible and always preach the holiness of their Master. And I see this as the 4th front of the battle because as rare as these people are, the first 3 fronts are trying to crush these rare few. Just like how Martin Luther was crushed during his time, so are the pastors who are serving their God, rather than their stomach, are being crushed.
Yes, it's hard to preach to hardhearted people. It's easier to see money than points earned in heaven. It's easier to feel hunger pangs rather than hear the angels rejoicing. It's easier to feel fear of the unknown than see our Father's smile. Therefore, to the rare few out there who can read this message...Don't lose heart! Our Father in Heaven knows our dilemma. He has been caring for people with the same burden from the beginning of time and He's still taking care of these same people (though of different race, gender and intensity of difficulty) in our time. As we have read in the Bible, we're not experiencing something new. Let us praise our God for giving the Bible to us to remind us that wherever we are, there will always be 4-fronts in a battle. The question will be, which front will you be. Hope you will ally with us so that we will no longer be the rare-few!
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