A Different Worship Service

Several weeks ago, our church got word that the hall we were renting for our Sunday service and Wednesday Prayer Meeting would be demolished. Alarmed, we scrambled for a place to rent on such short notice. There were already plans to move to another place, but this time we had to move fast! Calling some members of the congregation, we made plans to temporarily relocate some of our church equipment. Ruth and me found ourselves housing the four huge speaker units of our church in our new apartment.

Where to hold our worship service? Some church officers sought approval to hold our services in a seminar hall two blocks behind Capitol Medical Hospital along Quezon Ave. While waiting for that approval, we needed a place for Nov. 4. Guess where God led us? In McDonald's, Quezon Ave.!

Church was never more different for most of us that Sunday. We booked a party room from 10-2. We conducted our regular worship service, complete with hymns and preaching. And because it was the first Sunday...we had our Lord's Supper! Because the room was surrounded by glass, people inside and outside McDo were curiously looking (or pretending not to look). The McDo staff were very helpful. And all of us had McDo's chicken fillet meal for lunch. It was airconditioned and the kids had fun at the play area. It was a serious, fun, casual worship service—very different!

It's one of those situations where God reminds you that the church is foremost the people rather than the building. And that where we worship, there He is with us. And He is everywhere.

God provided the hall behind Capitol Med and we'll be there for six months. But that McDo Worship Service was really an experience.

back again

After a long time of not blogging, I'm back! And the one big event that happened during my long absence? Tada! I'm finally a married man!

September 22, 2007 was the date of a beautiful, rainy wedding. Surrounded by family and friends, Ruth and I exchanged vows, rings, and kisses. If I can figure out how to load the pics, I'll show them here (uhm, Beng, Glads..helf?).

We praise God for a wonderful relationship and for a wonderful wedding. And we look forward to a wonderful marriage. Thanks to everyone for walking with us and being witnesses of God's goodness.

listening

An ordinary employee starts the day at 6:00 am. He gets to work at 8:00 am, takes a break at 10, then eats lunch at 12:00 nn. If he eats fast enough, he gets to nap from 12:30 to 1:00 pm. It’s work time again from 1-3 pm, then break, then work until 5:00. Our employee either meets up with some friends for dinner and the occasional movie, heads off to a Bible study group, or goes straight home for dinner and laundry. Chances are, he’ll be sleeping by 10 or 11:00 pm. Then at 6:00 am, he gets up...and goes through the routine again, provided it’s a weekday. He gets to wake up late on Saturdays, but on Sundays goes to church.

Okay, life may not seem that boring. Of course a lot of things happen between 6:00 am and 11:00 pm. Meetings, situations in the office, situations at home, problems with people, problems with the traffic. There are joyful happenings as well. Birthdays in the office, ice cream with friends, pancit with friends (everything fun seems to center around food).

And in the midst of all these happenings, we sometimes forget God. Or put Him aside.

Philip Yancey, in his book Rumors of Another World, encourages us to listen to rumors and whispers, to what is happening around us, and see them all point back to God. This takes considerable awareness, awareness to what is going on in the surface and under the surface of things. And I believe it requires discipline to simply stop and be aware and think through it all.

It also requires discipline to finish the book. But Rumors is a great encouragement and challenge for me to see God actively present in my life. Not that I have mastered this fine art of listening to rumors; some say when I’ve finished the book 5 times, while others would argue for 10. Rumor has it, someone mastered it after 3.

freedom!

Happy freedom day, Philippines! Though we've got plenty of problems here in this part of the world, let's continue to pray and hope in our God. Libre naman eh! The earth is still the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it... (from Ps. 24:1 NIV).

gud morning…snork, snork…

Mornings are not my favorite time of day. I have a hard time getting up from the comfort of my bed, and when I do, I have a hard time moving myself—getting ready for the rest of the day. Give me late nights anytime! (And that’s probably a reason why I ‘hate’ mornings.)

But on rare occasions, and for a limited number of days, I surprise myself. Retreats and camps, where for a few days I have to get up at 530am, beat the others to the showers, have my quiet time and be ready for breakfast. Or the Easter sunrise worship service, which happens only once a year. Or when I have to take my mom to the airport, for her morning flight to CDO. This happens maybe once a year. Like a few minutes ago.

I’m at the office an hour early. Definitely I’ll need coffee, and/or whatever food and drinks are here, to keep me awake. Oh boy.

writing about life

The urge to write finally gets to me, so I sit down with my fingers clutching the ballpen and an open notebook in front. I’ll have to be satisfied starting this post the archaic way, while my sister is using the PC. Again, just like countless times before, I pause. The desire to write cursing throughout my body, but my mind like a big dam holding back the waters asks: ‘Write what?’

Nope, I’m not psychotic, but I put down the pen and begin arguing with myself.

‘Write about life!’ my chin lifts up, proud of the idea, as if it were an original. Did I come up with that all by myself? ‘Life!’

I squint down on my proud chin and answer back: ‘What about life?’ And so the argument goes back and forth. One side throwing idea after idea in a frenzy, the other countering with wild precision. Not like a tennis match, the analogy is still too tame. Think like a wild basketball game where 10 players swarm all over the ball and each other. Someone will win the argument in the end, I’m sure, but by then I would have switched to another channel and my writing would be forgotten.
_______

My life the past week had its own build-up and rush—and flop—at work. A meeting to prepare for and attend, and quarterly program materials to prepare and send out. Well, the meeting turned out ok; the program materials, in spite of our efforts, were left unsent on top of the office table. This particular build-up went into a nosedive and crashed into the ‘to do’ list of next week. If you’ve experienced working hard at something only to see that it won’t turn out the way you wanted it to, you would probably understand how I felt. Yup, I crashed with that one.

I can’t help but think what last week was all about. Sometimes the daily activities, the push and pull of relationships, the burden and privilege of responsibilities have a way of putting one in autopilot mode—with a ‘beep’ to warn us that we are almost at the end of the flight and time to prepare for landing. Only to find out we are headed for a crash. And we miss out on the flight itself, we wonder what it was all about.

The past week was like that for me. And maybe, on a smaller scale, sometimes, hindi naman masyado, medyo medyo lang—maybe it was like that for you, too.

So what was last week all about? God still works through everything and God has a purpose for why it turned out that way. But sometimes this reminder is hard to swallow, especially when you’re feeling dejected.

Definitely one’s faith goes through the treadmill, bench press and aerobics mat. Faith comes out tired after the work-out, but stronger in the end. And ready for the next week.

kwentong retreat

When I got into OMF Literature, I learned to look forward to several things: sweldo days, booklaunches, lunch times and coffee breaks, inventory, Christmas parties, and of course, the annual retreat.

So far, I’ve been to three OMF Lit retreats. My first was in Iba, Zambales, where I had the pleasure of rooming in with Manong Willie and Ian, wading in the waters around the Hundred Islands, getting an award during the Fun Night (for my costume or ridiculous performance, I forgot), gorging myself on grilled pork, fish, squid, and vegetables, jamming with some friends along the beach at 12 midnight.

My second retreat was last year at Rizal Re-creation Center. I enjoyed the plenary sessions by Dr. Tim Gener, the tour and swimming & eating by the falls at Villa Escudero, the shopping at the Liliw Tsinelas Festival, being a part of the choir (highlight! haha!), the bonfire and bonding time with friends while lying down on the grass at 12 midnight. And I also got to facilitate one of the small groups, and co-introduce (with Amy) Dr. Gener in one of the plenary. We asked him to sing for us, and he graciously said yes.

My third retreat. That would be last week’s retreat, April 24-26, once again at RRC. Being my second time, you would think I’d be bored with the venue. No, not really. I realized that I had not ‘maximized’ my retreat there last year. I did not use the bowling lanes, the billiards table, the table tennis, the rope course...maybe you’re asking what facility did I use at RRC last year? Uh, the grass (see previous paragraph), the swimming hole—since it has only one depth. I didn’t really know how to swim, so I just stayed at the side pretending I knew what I was doing (I did try the water slide, and knew enough to ‘swim’ to the side when I gurgled to the surface). The volleyball court and badminton court (one-on-one kami ni Gladys but it was cut short because of lunch, I think. Forgot who was winning...ako yata. Haha! Kidding, parang siya).

So when I heard it was going to be RRC again, I sort-a knew what I wanted to do (and not do). Check: the coffee/ice cream snack bar, bowling, sleeping, reading on a banig on the grass. Cross-out: swimming (sayang lang oras ko), badminton. I also had an idea what to bring (plenty of shirts!), hand fan, water bottle.

As the retreat theme suggests (Eat All U Can!), I was getting ready to ‘eat’ my fill. And I did, though I did not get to do all the items checked above. But aside from those I did do, I had a lot of other pleasant ‘meals’ that I enjoyed.

This year, I held a workshop for men (I now realize that I should have expanded the workshop and talked about being men of God), I was part of the recreation/games committee, and played back-up to the other committees. Together with some friends, we played a 3D boardgame called Heroscape (losing everytime but then someone has to. Blame the dice!). And the plenary sessions on the Sermon on the Mount, by Dr. Bel Magalit, were enriching. I was able to nap one siesta time, talk to friends over lunch and late at night, basketball (some shooting, but it was fun! To think I gave up on this sport. Tsk, tsk, tsk). You can tell I had a good time.

Yes, I look forward to the annual retreat. The key to having fun? It’s not so much where you are but what you do there. And who you’re with.

inconvenience store

[Luke 2:1-7]

A census, travel, a pregnant wife. I was reading this passage in Luke about the birth of Jesus Christ and I realized how inconvenient things were for Joseph and Mary. The timing was all wrong. It must have really stressed the couple out when Mary went into labor, and to top it all there was no room anywhere for them. Mary ended up giving birth in a manger.

Jesus’ life was also inconvenient at times—definitely tiring, demanding and stressful. Yet the account in Luke 2 is a reminder that God uses inconvenient, stressful times for His purpose, for the good of His people, for His glory.

It’s been inconvenient and stressful lately, especially in church. Like Joseph and Mary, like Jesus, I have to turn to God and trust Him for what I do not understand, and what I cannot control.

heartfelt

Here's a song that's been going around in my mind lately. It's performed by Avalon in their album The Creed. This song is for all of us who sometimes wonder where God is during our tough, sad moments.

YOU WERE THERE

I wonder how it must have felt
When David stood to face Goliath on a hill
I imagine that he shook with all his might
Until You took his hand, and held on tight

'Cause You were there, You were there
In the midst of danger's snare
You were there, You were there always
You were there when the hardest fight
Seemed so out of reach
Oh, You were there, You were always there
You were always there

So there he stood upon that hill
Abraham with knife in hand was poised to kill
But God in all His sovereignty had bigger plans
And just in time, You brought a lamb

'Cause You were there, You were there
In the midst of the unclear
You were there, You were there always
You were there when obedience
Seemed to not make sense
You were there, You were always there
You were always there

So haven't I learned that my ways
Aren't as high as Yours are
And You alone keep the universe
From crumbling into dust
You are God and though we would
Not have understood You
There You were...

Hanging blameless on a cross
You would rather die than leave us in the dark
Every moment, every planned coincidence
Just all makes sense
With Your last breath

You were there, You were there
During history's darkest hour
You were there, You were there always
You were the Victor and the King
You were the power in David's swing
You were the calm in Abraham
You are the God who understands
You are the strength when we have none
You are the living, Holy One
You were, You are and You will always be
The Risen Lamb of God

You were, You are and You will always be...
The Risen Lamb of God

Written by Ben Glover
c)2004 Extended Stay Music/ASCAP

what’s the worst that could happen

03/16/2007

I got to the church a little past 2 pm. It was a very hot Friday afternoon. The people involved with this wedding prayed that it would not rain today; it did not seem right to complain to God about the sun. Good thing I had a bottle of cool tea in my hand and an extra shirt in my bag.

The preparations were under way. Tables and chairs were already arranged in the church garden, covered with white and yellow cloths. People from the catering company were arranging the flower centerpiece on each table, laying out the buffet table and drinks stations, checking the plates, spoons, knives and forks. The light and sound system people already had their speakers, spotlights, console and wires all laid down. They were doing sound checks. Some of our friends from church were fixing the cloth backdrop over the stage. I went over to help.

Guests began to arrive at around 3:30 pm. By then, everything was in place. All the tables had labels already, chocolate labels because the couple had chocolate as their theme. So there was a KitKat table, a Hershey’s Kisses table, a Chocnut table. Ruth and the registration people had their lists; the ushers were ready.

The groom arrived with his family. We exchanged handshakes and hugs, wishing him God’s best. Then the rest of us hurriedly changed into wedding guests’ clothes.

Just before the wedding was supposed to start, 4 pm, the electricity went out.

The bride, in her bridal car, had not arrived yet. Good thing. We milled around talking and praying silently that the lights would come back soon. The bridal car, with the bride, arrived and still there was no electricity. It was probably around 5 pm, that a Ninong volunteered his SUV’s battery. He parked the vehicle as close as possible to the church building, left the engine on, and rigged the battery with wires connecting it to the church. It was enough to allow for the use of the microphones, not enough to include the lights and electric fans. The officiating minister, seasoned pastor of that church, quipped that this was a very memorable wedding. That had everyone either laughing or smiling.

I turned to look at the garden outside. I noticed a pretty strong wind blowing through the trees. Frowning, I stepped outside to the front of the church. The wind was really blowing. It was starting to get uncharacteristically dark. I moved to the garden, where Ruth and others were already gathering. As if losing the electricity was not enough, now it looked like it was going to rain. We began to pray, pleading God to stop the rain from falling.

It began as a light shower, then turned into a drizzle. It was raining all right. As if on cue, we moved. Spreading out all over the place, we began to clear the garden—tablecloths, chairs and their cover, flowers, food. I went straight to one end of the garden, stopping beside the couple’s table and lifted the wedding cake. Hurriedly, I carried it to the covered registration area. A friend rushed for an umbrella, and together we moved the cake inside a Sunday school room.

Bayanihan never fails to amaze me. I had a glimpse of people rushing in to help: the couple’s friends and our cell group mates, church friends, relatives, lights and sounds people, the people from the caterer. It was a mad, cohesive scramble for the nearest flower, tablecloth, table napkins and whatever. Everything was brought into the Sunday school room. Even the doves were brought in.

Now what? The church has a conference room but it was going to be a tight reception if we cram everyone inside. Some of us started preparing the conference room. But it had stopped raining and the final decision was made to hold the reception back at the garden. It was trusting-God-again time. So we moved everything back, and managed to finish the preparations as the ceremony was closing.

The rain had stopped but there were still no lights. The church secretary called Meralco, inquired, and placed a request to prioritize electricity in that area. But the guests began to move to the garden. Ruth and her registration team started directing them to their tables. Two of our cell group mates went out to buy additional candles to light the tables. We had our flashlights out. As everyone settled in their chairs, the wedding coordinator went out to the middle and began to shout apologies, comfort and instructions. He led the opening prayer then directed the people to the buffet table.

The same Ninong who volunteered his SUV’s battery, together with another church member, were connecting wires from a generator to the main electric meter to provide electricity for the whole garden. Several lights flickered. Then suddenly the electricity was back! Everyone started clapping and cheering wildly as all the lights and sounds went on. From then on, everything went along smoothly.

Haay. It was a memorable wedding simply because some of the things that could go wrong did go wrong. What made it special was the effort everyone put in to make it work. I was on my way home when it struck me. Days before the wedding, I prayed that our cell group would be able to show love and support to our marrying friends. And that we would be able to give our best on their wedding day. Guess what? God answered my prayer.

weekend blues

This weekend, I rushed from one activity to another, or from place to place—kept myself busy. The result? Yup, I’m dead tired. It was not a restful weekend for me.

Well, ok, unless you consider dinner with friends from church, laughing and praying for one another, as rest. We did end at 10pm, and I got home at 11:30. And slept at 1:00am. It was not the fellowship that brought about the wozzy-ness the next morning. Oh yeah, consider also: on that same day I had a breakfast meeting with some leaders from my church, at 7:30am. So I was up from 6am to 1am. Whoopee. It was not restful.

That was Saturday. The next day, I was liturgist in my church. Service started a little past 10am. Everything went smoothly, and we ended on time. After lunch, I was on my way to a church in Caloocan (or is it already in Valenzuela? That’s up north from where I live) to present the ministry of OMF Literature. It was their 5^th Church Anniversary. An officemate, one of the pastors of that church, invited me to share something about OMF Lit. It was a 1 hour-15 minute trip by bus. I was dozing on and off. Thankfully, I did not miss my stop. I got to the church at 3pm. I joined their anniversary program as visitor. I struggled to keep awake as the message was delivered; I laughed with them and sang with them. Until, almost 6pm, it was my time to present. And I thought I would be home sleeping by 5! But it was encouraging how their church grew in those 5 years. They have a church building and a big choir! Just some things I wish for my church.

So I got home at 7:30pm. I was breathing consciously during the bus trip back home, afraid I would throw up. Now, I have a mild headache, my eyes are shutting down on me, I’m in a talkative state of (no)mind—happens when I don’t have enough rest.

Haha, let’s talk about blessings. Had my hair cut. Photocopied some stuff for the office. Of course, the outcome of the breakfast meeting and the dinner fellowship were good. Also, the anniversary fellowship in Caloocan. And I have something to blog about. Ha!

Yes, it was tiring. It was not a restful weekend. But it was fun. Let’s hope I don’t do something like it again next week. It’s supposed to be a choice, I remind myself. Hehe.

running into an old friend

There's a new link in the 'More Songs' area. Silas Partners is the office of an old college friend, Rhea. Check out their ministry, devotions and thoughts, through their posts.

Two Trips

I’ve been on a trip down the past in just a few days. Twice, actually.

First trip. A former client asked me to design a residential ministry center. It had to look like a house because it was to be located in a residential community. And they wanted to make the place their ministry center in that area. The challenge was fitting it all in a less-than-30 square meter lot. That’s smaller than the average 7-11 stores. Whopee.

At first I had misgivings about doing architecture work again. But since it was only a small house, I said yes. So I worked on it, doodling with a pen and scratch paper, tapping away at the keyboards using my old AutoCad computer program. I had fun! This was what I loved about architecture—the designing, the challenge of twisting and turning spaces and rooms so that everything will fit together like…uh…a house. Should fit together. Okay. I spent several long hours at my computer until I was finally satisfied. Print! And the architect in me enjoyed the exercise. So, I can still do this, huh. Can still work until the wee hours of the morning, sleep for a few hours, prepare for work, rush to the MRT, and hopefully make it to the office by 9am. Then drown a mug of hot coffee. Haha, gudlak.

Next trip was an accident. I was going through old folders trying to find one clean enough to put my newly designed house plans when, tada, I stumbled upon my old sermons! My first few attempts at delivering the message in church! Hmmm, I flipped through them, reading and thinking to myself, what was I trying to say? Aha, okay, this was about Peter and fishing with Jesus…when Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus fled to Egypt!…uh hmmm, Hannah, Samuel’s mother….As I flipped through them, I relived the experience—preaching, the struggle of preparing, the nervousness of speaking, the fear and joy. A mix of dread and excitement. A friend said something like that’s healthy, it keeps you dependent on God. I agree. And, yes, I’m encouraged and humbled at how God used me. And continues to use me.

It’s way past midnight and I’m still awake. I’m thinking about my trips down memory lane and how God brought me through. I’m sure you have your own trips. Old pictures, letters and cards from friends, souvenirs, maybe an old text message you haven’t deleted. Enjoy them, every now and then. They are definitely worth keeping. God’s gift, these trips.

Decision-Making Process

“So how did you two decide that you’re going to marry this year?”

“Well…let’s see…it’s something that we thought was right…uh…you somehow sense that this is the time…kinda hard to explain…”

A friend threw me the question one early evening and I was trying my best to give her a coherent answer. Obviously I was babbling. I stopped for a few seconds to compose my thoughts. Hmmm, I had not really thought about explaining it—how we decided to get married this year.

How do we make decisions? Or a related (and more important question) is how do we know God’s leading? Looking back at how God led me, I don’t remember an actual instance when there was thunder and lightning and I heard the voice of God speak. Nothing dramatic. What I experienced was the quiet nudging of the Spirit as He led me by circumstances along a particular path, and the assurance of God-given peace. That is how God reveals His will for me: step by step, situation by situation.

That’s how God “speaks” to me. We can’t put God in a box and expect Him to do the same thing He does to everyone. He speaks to us differently, and He moves and works in us differently.

So, how did we decide to get married this year? We’ve been together for 12 years now—9 years of those as a couple. We have adjusted to each other (as much as we can, but there are times when she looks at me as if I’m from another galaxy, haha!). Our jobs are stable. Our sisters and (her) brother have work and able to support our parents. We help out with each other’s church ministries. And we prayed about it. God did not say no. It’s just right to move on. So, checking our schedules, we decided to get married this year.

Part reason-part feeling. No flashing, sign from God. No Hollywood-romance stuff, no fancy lines—I fumbled through my prepared short speech. Just knowing that God has blessed our relationship, and that this year would be a good year to get married. And knowing ourselves better, knowing our work and responsibilities enough to make a wise decision.

I proposed to Ruth last December. All my plans went wrong: it was raining, we had a hard time getting a taxi, I could not think of a place/restaurant/coffee shop where it was quiet enough so I can propose to her. But everything worked out wonderfully well. Definitely God’s blessing.

Not Finished

Oh great. I started another article but could not stop myself. Upto now, it's still not finished. And I think I'm just halfway through. Wierd how thoughts pop into my head and when I look up, they're there in my article! Waiting for me to get it done, so I can post it!

Promise, I'm not writing a novel, but this other article is not showing signs of stopping.

Psalm 62

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Several Wednesdays ago, I shared some thoughts on Psalm 62 at my church's Wednesday Prayer Meeting. I was drawn to this Psalm because of several images that entered my mind upon reading it: resting in God alone; He is my rock, salvation and fortress; the comfort of security.

I’m thankful that God is a never-changing God, and that this Psalm still speaks truth today. God is a big, solid, strong rock—a fortress. We can lean on Him, finding shelter and safety in His strength. Reminds me of another verse, Psalm 61:2: From the ends of the earth I call to You, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Sometimes this, too, is my prayer. My heart grows faint, lead me, draw me to You!

It is then comforting that our God is also our salvation. Imagine if we are in the hands of a not-so-strong God. Would we be certain of what we hope for, if there is doubt if He can hold us forever? But Jesus assures us that no one can snatch God’s people from God’s hand. There is the promise of a strong, powerful God, a mighty rock and a fortress, in whom is also found our salvation.

God being who He is, there is a security that not even the best insurance companies in the world can dream of ever assuring their clients. God’s people are sure of who they are, what they should do, and where they will go. We are God’s children (a right God gave to those who believed and trusted in Jesus, John 1:12), we should love our God (still the greatest commandment, and from which all other commandments should follow), and we are certainly going to heaven (even now, we belong to God’s kingdom).

Psalm 62 started with finding rest in God alone. I got to thinking if I do seek God and find rest in Him, or lean on something else for rest. Or someone. Where do we find rest? Interestingly, verse 1 is repeated in verse 5 but with a slight difference. Verse 1 is more a declaration; verse 8 is a reminder. Though knowing where to find real rest, was the writer of Psalm 62 reminding himself of what he already knew? Sabi sa inyo interesting.

Every now and then I need to be reminded of this Psalm. Maybe you do, too. We need to be reminded of what we already know: we find rest in God alone because He is a strong rock and fortress, He holds our salvation and nothing can wrestle us out of His hand. Find rest, O my soul, in God alone.

Finally

Welcome to my blog! Yes, finally, I've begun blogging. It's been months since friends have been urging me to start one. Don't worry, they would say, the words will just come out. Ok, here it is.

I had an email address several years ago, using the name 'songbearer.' I loved the name ever since. It has the sound of medieval, fantasy-fiction to it. Not that I claim to sing (except when I have to), but if we look at life or events, as separate things then they would seem meaningless compared to other people's lives and events. But if we consider that God, since before the beginning, has a grand plan for His creation, then every day is a part of His plan. And even during hard, sad moments, the truth that God is still in control is a gentle encouragement to all of us. So my life is God's song. And so is yours.