LIFE BEYOND OUR WILDEST DREAMS (Part 2)

Continued….

17. World Conference - I enjoyed my new year in Taipei,Taiwan for a week long celebration of the World Conference on Youth and Community Service.

18. Sponsors - Relatives and friends helped fund my trip to Taiwan. Thanks for the unforgettable experience. Thanks for your sacrifices.

19. Distance Learning - Our church conference has sponsored our distance learning masteral classes. I took 9 units this year.

20. AWE4Him - iDREAM's Praise Team was given this name early this year. It stands for Adoration, Worship, Esteem 4 (4-all four corners of the earth) our Holy, Immutable, Majesty.

21. Bulihan, Silang Crusade - The public evangelism held at Bulihan Silang led to the baptism of 215 souls. AWE4Him led in the praise time.

21. Biga, Silang Crusade - 40 souls surrendered their lives to Jesus through baptism.

22. Iba Church Planting - It all started as a small group. Now it’s growing and envisions to become the largest church in Silang town.

23. New Assignments - Effective Dec 22, I am moving to Adventist University of the Philippines’ church while still being the area 10 (Cavite province) chairman.

24. Church Organization - Batas SDA company was finally organized to Batas Seventh-Day Adventist Church on April 26, 2008.

to be continued....

LIFE BEYOND OUR WILDEST DREAMS (Part 1)

Pssst! Pastor Ardie! How was 2008?

Let me summarize a pastor's life for 2008 according to Gerald L. Borchert: "Jesus is the agent of wholeness, of eternal life, of secure pasture, and of release from the realm of darkness. He is, as the Samaritans confessed, “the Savior of the world” (John 4:42), and here he is the one who provides life to the fullest (John 10:10). The Greek perisson means “that which goes way beyond necessity.” John wanted all his readers to know that the gift of Jesus is life beyond our wildest dreams.

For this year John 10:10 has been my central theme. Check out this text in my favorite versions:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. The NET Bible 1st Edition

A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. The Message

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. NLT

Here are a few of God's surprises for me for the year 2008. Here's to life beyond my wildest dreams:

1. An Awesome God - John 10:10. With you God, life is beyond my wildest dreams
2. Eternal Life - In spite of my shortcomings, Jesus would never let me go.
3. Excitement - Each morning as I wake up, I am excited to start another day.
4. Passion - Although it may dwindle from time to time, my passion for God and ministry
grows each day.
5. Lovely Wife - How would I survive without my heaven-sent angel?
6. Fiona Sedrol - Born July 8, 2008. My second child boasts of being the next Ms.
Universe.
7. Sean Ardis - Why of course my first born leaves me wondering if Einstein was his uncle.
8. Parents - Hmmm. Why are they so patient with me?
9. Siblings - I pray that their journey in life will be Jesus-driven.
10. Ordination - God finally says, “It’s time!” I got ordained as a full-pledge pastor on May 2, 2008.
11. Church - Church still puzzles me and sometimes leave me wounded as a pastor but it will always be the object of God’s love. Jesus calls her his bride.
12. iDREAM - This young professionals organization keeps my passion for ministry alive. Geniuses at work!
13. 1st Gen Macbook - Why this 2 1/2 year old laptop has been instrumental to the baptism of 1,902 souls.
14. Nokia 3120c Phone - Why this cheap 3g phone keeps me connected to the net anywhere in the Philippines.
15. ardisonbernardo.multiply.com - This social network now houses my personal blogs & keeps me in touch with friends.
16. nextgenadventist.blogspot.com - This blog keeps my vision and passion alive of what a new generation Adventist and pastor should be - ever growing, ever changing, ever-reaching the next generation for Christ!

to be continued...

Pickpockets Love Texters: How I Experienced Grace

I was on my way to our company party. Upon reaching Manila city, I took my wallet from my pants and "secured" it inside my bag. Instinctively I knew pickpockets are busy as well during the Christmas holidays. As I walked towards the metro train I decided to update my phone's email and checked on my short text messages. A few meters from the counter I took my backpack... immediately i felt a numbing heat all over my body. The zipper got unzipped and my wallet tucked 1 foot deep to the bag's bottom was gone.

Good thing I only had 400 pesos in that wallet but I need those cards- ID's, driver's license, security cards, credit card, and my ATM card. Good thing I still had my cellphone with me. I was about to call my bank when I remembered there was a branch close by. In ten minutes time, I requested the customer service to put my bank cards on hold. Pickpockets these days are high tech so I never gave them the chance to use my cards. The bank teller told me that if they had used my credit card before I canceled the services, I will still have to pay it.

Since I only had 15 pesos in my pocket, I was thinking how would I get home? How would I spend my Christmas holidays without an ATM card? Will my bank allow me to withdraw my savings without valid ID's to present? The most logical thing was to get to my bank (my company's branch) which was 30 minutes away by train so I can withdraw my salary. But how to get there....

The Bible says ASK (ask, seek, knock) and it will be given to you. I could call a friend in Manila to pick me up or ask my senior supervisors to come and give me money. It was not the best option at that time. It was at that time that I literally "asked" and "begged" for help.

"Nakakahiya man po, pero pwede po ba akong mamasko sa inyo?" (I don't even know you Ma'am, but can I ask for a Christmas gift?" With a smile on her face she handed me a 20 peso bill. At that moment, that was the most important paper money bill I ever held. I was not expecting her to hand me a thousand pesos. But what she gave me was "grace". "Enough grace" to get to my bank. I was not her friend but she extended it to someone in need of grace.

As I pastor I will never get to know or experience everything about God in this dying planet. In fact, even my two-inch thick Bible just recorded "enough" revelation to show me how to make it to heaven. And Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross was "enough" to get me to God's rich depository of his riches and grace - to be in His presence now and beyond. All I ever need today is enough grace to get me to another day and enjoy His mercy. And He wants me to ask for enough grace daily till the day comes when I will live in God's bank - in heaven throughout eternity.... and beyond.

Have you asked for God's grace today?

My ANGEL

MY ANGEL

I can only think of you right now. I miss you so terribly.

Your eyes full of understanding and joy. They give me hope. Those windows of beauty give me vision to see the world as it is and behold it with awe and amazement. I see in your eyes love greater than the love that built Taj Majal. In those sweet portals I find joy.

You are my treasure. No, much more-my life. You are my crown that make complete my manly bearing. You are priceless! Much more than all the wealth of this world combined.

How can I ever forget you. Thoughts of you electrify my senses. Pictures of your lovely face in my mind saturates my whole being with your loveliness. Aaaahh…. Your face…

Your face so delicately interwoven with all the beauty any man would desire. It glows with pulchritude I gladly enjoy gazing at. Your face oh so delicate and pure and soft like that of a baby. It beams with all the radiance of love and happiness the world can offer. It speaks of unshakable love and bewilders spectators to stop and look admiring it with a sense of adoration they wish they could own. Aaah… but you are mine alone. Mine! Your face is mine alone to behold and cherish.

Wish you were here by my side. I long for your sweet embrace. The softness of which is my refuge. Your cushiony embrace provides relaxation to my aching muscles. Its tenderness soothes my tired mind. And oh there in the beauty of it all I can behold your lovely face smiling with the brightest of cheer. My eyes in your eyes. My escapade from the harshness of this world. Then I would hear your voice…

So cute. Calming. Melting my heart with its pitch of compassionate love. Tickling to my ear. Stroking gently the soul of my heart. Just to hear your voice makes me fall in love again as new as when I first talked with you. No wonder you are my angel. For when you speak , I hear an angel with a voice that touches the deepest part of my soul. And it rings in my ear. It never fades. Oh yes! The laughter’s I won’t forget. Each time you chuckle you send thrill into my heart. I get influenced too to chirp and chatter. Your voice breathe life into my soul. It simply smiles and aspirate delight to my heart.

Then I see you walking down the street in your perfect figure of beauty. My eyes are caught. I fail to breathe and behold that striking symmetry kicking my heart to the highest heights of exaltation. I find myself astounded by your figure of utmost balance and proportion. Your are to me the sexiest woman in the world. You are characterized not by regular features but by perfect beauty of harmony and charm. Each time I gaze at you I see fairness that holds attraction. I delight feasting on the spectacle of scenic beauty. Wheeew! What a sight!

It does not stop there! I am a proud owner of a woman with ripe wisdom. Your mature understanding, grasp of intellect, profundity of though, and depth of mind continue to lure me. Your someone to trust and depend on during times of sensitive decision-making. Your insights are always marked by tolerance, broad-mindedness, and objectivity. I am enlightened by the soundness of your discretion again and again. The profundity of your wisdom assures me of paths to be well-traveled. With you by my side I have someone to enjoy life sensibly. You are there to countercheck vital choices that determine my destiny and our future. Your corrections and advise I will always need. Your such a precious friend to me my angel. May you ever shine with mature wisdom.

Thank you for being your all to me-my friend, my girl, my woman, my soon to be wife. You never stop becoming the best that you can be. You never get tired of loving me and doing everything to make me happy. I will always be grateful of that gift-the greatest gift I have received- the gift of you. An angel wrapped in God’s love possessing all the tenderness, sweetness, and love I will always desire. I give thanks to the Highest for sending an angel by my side to guide and care for me. Sometimes it makes me think. Are you really not an angel?

Your love has transformed me. You have touched my life (makes me think again if you’re really not an angel) You have made a difference in my life. You have taught me love of its truest kind. You have shown me love of the grandest heights. You are the only woman I want to marry. Not to be exchanged with anything else except God. You are mine to adore and cherish. Mine to protect and secure. Mine, mine, mine. Mine to love forever. I will always love you. And if I forget I know your love will always be there to remind me again that to lose you is to lose my life. What is life without you. I will always have you for I won’t let go of you. Even if you grew tired of loving me I will carry you in my love to rejuvenate the love that once grew.

I still have many letters to write, songs to compose, pictures to paint. I still have many mountains to climb, lands to conquer, seas to dive. I still have many sermons to deliver, articles to write, songs to sing. I still have many dreams to reach, goals to accomplish, plans to fulfill. And I will do it because you have inspired me. I will never fail because you are there by my side. And if I fail I still have not lost because the highest mountain, the largest land, the deepest sea, the grandest dream, the noblest goal, the greatest plan, the sweetest letter, the best painting, the loveliest song, the greatest of all - is YOU!

I love you very, very, very much! Happy Valentines Day! My gift to you today - MYSELF! YOURS ALONE FOREVER!

Love,
Ardie / Feb. 14, 2000

My Dream Church

I just want to praise the Lord for his goodness and patience. I am enjoying working with Him! And yes, I have hopes and dreams for our church too. I dream of a church that is:

1. Grace-Centered. Don’t you love to be in a church where God’s love is ingrained in its very soul, life and culture? God’s love for you and me will never change, will never fail, and will never end. He came in the flesh, lived in this stinking planet, climb Mt. Calvary , and died for you and me on the cross. By His sacrifice He forgave all of our sins – past, present, future – and declared us righteous in his eyes. That is grace! If God did all that for you and me, shouldn’t we do the same?

I dream of a church which is grace-borne, grace-driven, grace-centered, grace-filled. A church that is focused on God’s love , living-out his grace and busy sharing His grace rather than just maintaining a set of standards. A church that is open for all sinners whether they dress, talk, and sing like us or not. A church that is passionate for Jesus. I long for a grace-revolution in our churches. Churches that will be known as loving churches not just churches with high standards. There’s nothing we can do that will stop God from loving us nor is there anything we can do that will make Him love us more. When our church does the same in loving sinners unconditionally, churches will grow.

2. Worship-Focused. Worship is at the very heart of the Adventist message. Yet it seems that we are far more interested in inviting people to worship on the right day than worshiping God with the right heart and spirit. Steve Pruitt puts it this way “I personally believe that worship should be the first priority of every church. Worship is meant for God and our most important ministry is to minister to him. Therefore, it is my opinion that most of our money, energy and time should be spent on the worship ministry.” We need to put worship at the very center of our church life and personal lives. Worship should be the ultimate goal of every ministry in the church including teaching, preaching, evangelism etc. This includes improving our church services that center on interactive relationships and service.

3. Spiritually-Growing. We are discipling and empowering believers to become God’s ministers. We aim for a thriving community of believers who are growing personally. Our deepest desire should be to produce disciples who have a passion for Jesus and yearn to worship him in spirit and truth. Instead of maintaining the traditional information-centered Sabbath-school classes we must strived for application-centered small group classes.

4. Culturally-Relevant. No matter how good the Good News is, it can’t be appreciated unless we communicate it to people in language they understand. We are to carry God’s message using the medium relevant to the target group we are trying to reach. Methods that are obsolete need to be reevaluated. God’s church is dynamic. We need to reach sinners through culturally-relevant forms and means of transmitting God’s message. We need to take a careful look at our music traditions. It took about a hundred years for the Christian church to accept hymns. Now the church is facing a serious struggle in accepting worship and praise choruses as a medium of worship expression. The new generation want to be challenged intellectually. They are interested in knowing the practicality of our doctrines and the connection to Christ. We need to make the gospel relevant to each generation of believers from cradle roll to pathfinders, from early teens to youth. As of now there is no church program for young adults.

5. Community-Oriented. People come to know Christ not through the beliefs we profess but through the love we express. Our churches need to lead in the forefront of community services. As the popular slogan goes, “People don’t care how much you know unless they know how much you care.” God’s church is a caring church. It is a loving church. Too often we do community work when we have a hidden agenda of converting them rather than simply loving them.

6. Child-Friendly . Our children are God’s most precious gifts. How they are trained and nurtured today will determine the future of God’s church. The church is always one generation away from extinction. Win your children for Jesus today, then you change the world tomorrow. Our churches need to have child-friendly atmosphere conducive to spiritual growth. They need to sense God loves them just the way they are and wants them to grow more and become like Jesus.

6. Evangelism-Directed. We need to put a proper balance between event-oriented evangelism and process-oriented evangelism. Our church is on the right track. We are passionate about our mission in reaching the lost. But we have concentrated too much on expensive , highly-emotional, event-oriented evangelism like the public crusades. We need to put people in the process of discovery, growth, and small group interaction. We need to put them in a church environment conducive to seekers of God’s truth.

The Lord bless his church as his vessel overflowing with grace!

Come, Follow Me!

“Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. Jesus said to them, "Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass." They didn't ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed. Matthew 4:18-20 (The Message)

Jesus’ call to discipleship doesn’t come first before the wondrous cross-saving experience. Before we can become disciples, we need to hear first the invitation to become citizens of the Kingdom of Grace.

Jesus doesn’t force us to become new born-again Christians. The new-birth experience is the work of the Holy Spirit. God doesn’t say, “Follow me.” Instead he tenderly calls us, “Come, follow me.” He invites us first. He bids us first to come before we can follow. Come first to Jesus and He will teach you how to follow. It is so difficult to follow if you have not yet come to Him. Only He can make you follow.

Notice too that when He bade his disciples to come and follow, there were no long arguments of persuasion and rationalism. Jesus simply offered them, “Come, follow me.” The simplicity of this call distinguishes Jesus from highly emotional preachers. When God calls, the Spirit is at work.

Often when we offer the invitation to accept God to others we become discouraged when they respond negatively. Whether an individual responds or not, the Christian instrument is just a mouthpiece of God. He speaks for God but the Spirit calls and moves the heart.

We will always hear God inviting us. When he says, “Come,” let’s leave our fishing nets behind and follow him all the way.

Even unto the cross.

Why I am Switching to Google Chrome Killer Web Browser

It's faster, simpler, more stable and secure than any web browser I have used. And it's it's still in beta. So far it has not crashed on me yet like my favorite Firefox 3.0. Although Google Chrome  is not available for the Mac OS X platform I am definitely switching to this killer browser that has been engineered from the future.

You would be surprised as well to know that installation takes only seconds. So download it now and get to test it for yourself and I am sure you will think twice before using your current web browser again whether it's Firefox, Internet Explorer, and even Mac's Safari.

Copy and paste this url http://code.google.com/apis/v8/run.html  on your current web browsers to benchmark your web browsers' speed. After installing Google Chrome, test and compare and you'll find out that Google Chrome, which is heavily optimized for Javascript,  leave all other browsers in the dust.

How To Find A Good Book

Ok I confess - I am a bookworm! So what?

For booklovers in the Philippines who are asking how to find a good book, my short answer is simply know where to find it.

...computers - Gilmore
ukay-ukay - Baguio or Tagaytay...
clothes and vegetables - Divisoria

...Books? Where else?


See you there!

Pastor Ardie

How To Get What You Want

by: Charla Candy
from Nashville, Tennessee
Guest Devotional Writer

“Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

When I was in junior high, I used to pray at night for God to bring me a boyfriend. When I would decide to like a certain boy and it looked like he might not like me back, I would pray really hard for God to make that boy like me!

I was boy crazy, or what some may call, a teenage girl. I remember thinking that if I had a boyfriend, my life would be perfect.

Well years went by and my prayers weren’t being answered. I would spend long hours in front of the mirror, making myself look my best. I would try to act fun at school and talk to all the right/popular people so my crush would notice me.

After all my efforts, I still wasn’t having any luck. “What’s wrong with me?” I would cry to God.

“Why don’t I have a boyfriend.” I wondered why I had prayed so hard and hadn’t got my boyfriend.

Finally in my later years of highschool things started to look up and I had a few boyfriends and then I began to pray to God for a “cool” boyfriend and a “hot” boyfriend.

Then later on I found that “cool” boyfriends weren’t always nice and “hot” boyfriends weren’t always smart. It seemed like the search would never end. Why couldn’t God give me the right boyfriend.

Then I began reading my Bible. Hoping maybe that would help me get the right boyfriend, I came across a verse that changed my whole outlook. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight in the ways of the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

I realized that I was focusing all my efforts on the wrong thing. Instead of begging God for a boyfriend, I needed to delight myself in the ways of the Lord. I needed to focus more on God and helping others.

I began studying the ways of the Lord and as I am getting to know Him, my desires have changed from getting a boyfriend to living a life sharing love and kindness with friends, family, and even strangers.

This sinful world makes us believe that petty things are so important. Like the cars you drive, the people you date, where you live, who you know, and how much money you make. But even acquiring all these things will never-ever bring true happiness and will always leave you wanting more.

God promises to give you the desires of your heart, you just have to delight in his ways.

Bored, Confused, Tired: How Are We Going To Spend Life in Eternity

I am presently enrolled in a Masters class under the course title THST 618 Soteriology (Doctrine of Salvation). As I am preparing for my exam tomorrow I came across this wonderful book that describes our life in heaven after Christ has taken us all to heaven during His second coming.

Immortal minds will contemplate with never-failing delight the wonders of creative power, the mysteries of redeeming love.... Every faculty will be developed, every capacity increased. The acquirement of knowledge will not weary the mind or exhaus the energies. There the grandest enerprises may be carried forward, the loftiest aspiratois reached, the highest ambitions realized; and still there will arise new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects to call forth the powers of mind and soul and body.

All treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God's redeemed. Unfettered by mortality, they wing their tireless flight to worlds afar... With unutterable delight the children of earth enter into the joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings.

And the years of eternity, as they roll, will bring richer and still more glorious revelations of God and of Christ. As knowledge is progressive, so will love, reverence, and happiness increase. The more men learn of God, the greater will be their admiration of HIs character. As Jesus opens before them teh riches of redemption and the amazing achivements in the great controversy with Satan, the hearts of the ransomed thrill with more fervent devotion, and with more rapturous joy. - Great Controversy, pp. 677, 678.

Do you miss God? Do you honestly want to see Him soon. Well, i can only imagine. Have you lost a love one recently? Are you tired and bored of life? A song that has inspired me a lot for the past years is the song by Mercy Me - I Can Only Imagine - which have been interpreted by countless artists.

When I get tired of living, I pause for a moment and imagine life with God in heaven. How about you?

Why I Need An External Hard Drive

As a pastor who is constantly teaching, preaching, training, writing, developing, and producing multimedia presentations for my congregations, I have no choice to but constantly backup my important files that are products of long nights of work, study, and research.

I use to backup files on CD's and DVD's but for purposes stated below, I prefer external hard drives to backup my files. I have several HD's (two 3.5 at 80 Gs and two 2.5 at 40 Gs) at home. And my office table is becoming cluttered so I am thinking of buying a bigger HD and consolidate them all.

HD Advantages
1. Practical incremental backups - since I am using a Macbook, it's time machine software allows me to do incremental backups as I work. I could not imagine myself using read only optical discs that forces you to backup data in huge chunks. You don't want to waste a 700MB CDR for just 50MB of data. Yet, if they fill it up to get the near full capacity, that may take days or even weeks. If the work/data is that crucial, that's too long to be without recent backups

2. Compatibility - Even if manufacturers promise us that CD's or DVD's have a 100 year life expectancy, there may be a small chance of failure. I have experienced burning something on a certain, when you try to restore it later on using the same PC with the same burner and burner software, the data is mysteriously inaccessible.

3. More sheer capacity - One of the main advantages of backing up on external hds is that they have enough capacity that one wouldn't be forced to backup stuff across 8 DVDs, or 50 CDs. This is actually fine for archives, but for stuff that one needs to access often, it may be quite a chore to have to swap discs all the time

4. Not everyone can just clear out internal hd space- Having an extra hd to dump some keepsake files is helpful to give them more time and space to organize stuff and maybe even burn some of it to permanently relive space from both HDs.

5. Drag and drop interface
You can't beat that. Granted burner softwares are that way too, but there's still the actual process of burning the data, which isn't as quick as to an external hd.

6. Space saver and Time saver - Imagine burning 50 Gig of data on dozens of DVD's. That would take hours of your time. This makes any optical media a totally non-viable backup method, since the cost would be more than a new external hard drive every time and I would need a ton of closet space. And imagine the amount of time you need to sift through you DVD stacks just looking for one file. With HD's, google desktop search or Mac OS X's spotlight enables you to find your files in seconds.

Now my dilemma is finding the best value backup HD that is reliable, fast, and durable. I've had terrible experience with my generic HD external casings. I am thinking of buying a Lacie external hd.

Your advice?

I Will Still Praise You

Oh that You can take me into our arms right now and just embrace me the whole day, Lord. I can’t find any words to say to you right now. In my heart you are telling me that it is more than just knowing the right words to speak. Worship is just coming with a God-hungry heart. In silent adoration I can still worship you with my mind. I can still think of you, love you, and adore you with my mind.

When my body is tired and my lips are swollen, I will still praise you. For I will glorify no one else but You. I will still try to put the best of my praise for You. I will honor You with my life. And thank You Jesus for speaking to my heart this morning.

I have nothing in need particularly for You supplied my needs. Perhaps if I can beg, let me ask for You strength. Speak to me, Lord. For my heart is ready to receive Your message. My heart is ready for Your divine instructions. I need to plant my self deeper into Your words. Come and take me right now into Your arms. Speak, Lord.

Although Lord there are times when I don’t sense your presence, when I feel low, I will still offer You my life. Yes, Lord, there is so much to do. And whether I feel like praying or not I will still pray. Whether I feel like reading your Word I will still ponder on it. And I will do it again and again. Thank you so much Lord.

Please keep me in your hands and arms. It is only through your grace that I can remain strong and secure. The world will never understand all the troubles I go through. But I pray that they see in my countenance the love that Jesus has.

Lord,today, renew my strength. Help me fight again. Please help me take my sword and stand up and fight again. Thank you so much for that promise. In Jesus name. Amen. - Your son, Ardie

Heart Worship - It's All About Him!

We are created to worship God. That is the essence of life and our ultimate purpose.
As author Steve Pruitt puts it: “I personally believe that worship should be the first priority of every church. Worship is meant for God and our most important ministry is to minister to him. Therefore, it is my opinion that most of our money, energy and time should be spent on the worship ministry.

With that said, let me say that a worship ministry consists of much more than a song service during corporate gatherings. Worship should penetrate every area of our Christian walk and service. This means that worship should be the ultimate goal of every ministry in the church including teaching, preaching, evangelism etc. For instance, my personal motivation for converting the lost is not to keep them out of hell. It is to see them forsake a lifestyle that glorifies Satan and turn to a lifestyle that glorifies God. As the Apostle Peter wrote, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light...” (1 Peter 2:9).

Our deepest desire should be to produce disciples who have a passion for Jesus and yearn to worship him in spirit and truth. A lifestyle that glorifies God is a lifestyle of worship. It’s all about him. He is our top priority. Keep that in the forefront of your mind as you work with leadership to develop a worship philosophy for your church.

Joshua & the Law of Influence

“The True Measure of Leadership is Influence-Nothing More, Nothing Less”

"The very essence of all power to influence lies in getting the other person to participate." HarryA. Overstreet.

LEADERSHIP THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Leadership impact increases as influence increases
Read: Numbers 13:1-33; 14: 1038; 27:12023; Joshua 1:1-18

TODAY'S QUESTION FOR REFLECTION

What are you currently doing to increase your influence?

Just like in the past, times come when I am overwhelmed by the unending tasks in the district. Idon't know how I am gonna face it, much more how I am gonna finish it. It's just too much. Justrecently I am frustrated with the work done by our missionaries. They seem to be playing notentirely committed to His work. Yet only God can read their hearts.

I want to share with them the best there is in serving the Lord. I don't want to compare themwith others. What I need to do is to influence them so they can become better workers of God.

After my short devotional today, the question for reflection is “ What are you currently doing toincrease your influence?

Well I guess the answer is obvious. Reading Maxwell's books on leadership is perhaps the beststep I have taken to improve myself. As a pastor my primary responsibility is leadership or influencing people as Maxwell defines it. Influencing people to change. Influencing people todraw closer to God. Influencing people to involve themselves in service. I could not use powerbecause the church does not use positional leadership.

Today I pray that, as I read this book, I would internalize more of its principles so I can lead this district closer to God.

Buying the Best Value Mini-Laptop

As area coordinator of all Adventist district pastors in Cavite, I am presently making recommendations for the best value mini-laptop that would suit the needs of an average user who's into web browsing, document creation, and powerpoint presentation.

The review I am writing will also benefit other Christian leaders in the entire Central Luzon Conference territory. Please limit your comments as much as possible on the following mini-laptop models (not the ultraportables like Macbook Air) that are now available in the Philippines:

-Asus eeePC 900 or 1000

-HP 2133 mini-note

-Acer Aspire One

-MSI Wind

Kindly write the pros and cons of your recommended model. Try to highlight the best features you like in it. If you can follow the suggested format below I would highly appreciate it.  Since I don't have enough time for research I would greatly benefit from this forum specially from actual owners. Please comment on any of the following:  OS, Processor, Hard Drive, Software, Keyboard, Screen, Extras, & Price from the best value store. 

Suggested format sample:

Model:  HP 2133 Mini Note

Pros:

       -excellent design: rugged metal casing

-8.9 inch screen

Cons: 

- uses Via's C7-M processor to run Vista (should be XP)

        - price range can buy a full-featured notebook

        - not multitouch touchpad like that of Asus eeePC 900

Features: 3 USB slots, an ethernet adapter, an SD card reader, VGA out, a Webcam, a microphone, and integrated Wi-Fi.

Features I Like Best: Aluminum casing not plastic,Full feature keyboard, & PC Express Card Slot

Price Verdict: 26,000 pesos - expensive for a non-intel processor mini-laptop. But considering it's durability, design, and tech support, I'll go for it. 

TEN RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (Part 2)

continued...

6. Don't marry the person who'’s not sensitive to your needs.
Insensitivity leads to misunderstandings. Marry the person who can teach you to be more sensitive to his/her needs; a person who is willing to know your emotional and spiritual needs and unselfishly fill it in. Marry the person who can communicate with you his/her ideas, plans, fears, failures, and frustrations.

7. Don't marry the person who'’s not quick to admit his/her error.
Humility, meekness, and forgiveness. Before you judge your partner, are you quick to admit your own faults? Learn to communicate deeply. Romance involves mental and spiritual intimacy. Don't marry the person who thinks he/she has every right to judge others but not himself/herself.

8. Don't marry the person who wants to become more of what you expected him/her to be than what he/she ought to be.
Partners should be able to compliment each other's strengths and compensate for his/her partner's weaknesses. Each person should be able to say, "Let me tell you who I am. I am good at this, I am almost great at that, I am poor at this, and I am embarrassingly poor at that. That's me. And here's what I think I can do here. Does that match up with what you expect me to do?" If he/she says "yes, I accept you!" then go for the bells with no questions asked. In the end each one should be able to say, "I discovered what it meant to become more of me and less of what others expected." Follow this rule and your life will not be under the mercy of other people who are trying to control your life.

9. Don't marry the person who says, "I love you dear but I'm not ready to go where we need to go, and do what I need to do because my life is not just to be your husband/wife."
"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." This does not mean that both will now have the same favorite food, favorite color, and favorite movie. Relationships should not be characterized by competition but by mutuality. Isn't it nice to hear your partner say, "I love you dear and I'm ready to go where we need to go, and do what I need to do because my life is to be your husband/wife."

10. Don't marry a perfect person because you are not an angel.
Most of us are looking for angels and not looking for wives/husbands. Don't ask for more than what you can give. Looking for somebody whose faith is so strong that he/she can evangelize the world when you yourself don't even pray to God. Looking for someone whose figure can be featured in the Glamor magazine when you just broke the weighing scale? Be realistic. Be humanly realistic. No one is perfect. Love is a developed capacity. Everyone has a need for love and born with the potential to love. Love grows in a home. Love loves imperfections.

TEN RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

Thoughts To Consider Before You Get Engaged !

"An engagement is a promise to marry, and also refers to the time between proposal and marriage." Wikipedia

I am now happily married to my ex-girlfriend for 7 years. Four years before we got married, I had to work as youth pastor in a city church in Guam-Micronesia mission for one year. Leaving her behind, the experience was one of the loneliest period in my life. It was during that time I came to realize how much I love her. Trying to find the reasons why I love her and why I want to marry her, I got inspired to write these ten rules of engagement. So before you get engaged, think thrice.

My wife passed all these rules. May it guide you as well:

1. Don't marry the person who doesn't make God first in his/her life.
Of course who would want to marry someone who does not believe in the God you worship and does not practice the Christian standard you uphold. Spirituality matters most. God is the center of all meaningful and successful relationships. Don't marry the person who just goes to church; marry the person who knows God intimately.

2. Don't marry the person who doesn't make you first in his/her human relationships.
Why marry the person who loves his/her talents more than you? Why marry the person who loves his/her goals and ambitions more than you? Why marry the person who puts more time for sports and other pursuits than you? His/her first duty is to his/her family. Don't marry the person who'd rather do something else than be with you. Marry someone who values his/her relationship with God and you more than anything else. Marry the person who puts more importance on his partner's interest than his/her own. The greatest gift you can ever give to someone is to give yourself. That relationship is to take precedence over anything else, over everything except God himself.

3. Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry the person you think you can't live without.
In short, marry the person you truly love. Others marry for fun, several marry for company, some marry for convenience, quite a few for a committed love. Ask yourself, "Is he/she the person I really love so much that I can't live without?"

4. Don't marry the person who talks more about himself/herself than he/she can talk about you.
A self-centered person brags about his/her achievements, goals, and success. A true lover always looks for something beautiful in his/her partner and never fails to discover and appreciate the unique and peculiar qualities of his/her love. He/she chooses to talk more, in private and in public, about his/her partner's characteristics than his/her own. You want someone who admire you, not himself/herself or your neighbor.

5. Don't marry the person who doesn't have a mature understanding of life's struggles and pains.
Only someone who has a deeper understanding of life's struggles can truly appreciate the value of relationships. He/she can grasp the true meaning of the realities of life; its discouragements and pains, its hardships and troubles, its mishaps and casualties. Marry someone who can show you what life is. Marry someone who can help you develop a more realistic view of yourself and your personal limitations.

To be continued tomorrow...

To Quit or To Worship

What is it about You Lord that I should adore? What is it about You that I should praise? When I fail, do You love me less? When I succeed, do You love me more? As your handiwork why have You created me? For what purpose? For what reason?

Lord, You know my heart. I am not perfect. I am not pure. Your presence alone makes me all that I am - perfect in Christ Jesus. You have given me a status so clean. Help me to live clean.

God You are a holy God. In You holiness I cannot stay unclean. Unholy. A holy God only can make a holy person. Make me holy, Father. Help me to live a holy life. That is what I need. That is what I want.

Lord, honestly at times I doubt my calling. I want to open my heart to you. There have been instances when I wonder why I am in the ministry. I often ask myself why do I have to go through all the pressures in this kind of work. But it is more than work I know. It is a calling. That makes all the difference in the world. That transforms my attitude and outlook in life. But whatever one's profession is, we all have been called. Called for the purpose of living for Your glory.

God you know how at times I wanted to quit ministry. I know too of ministers who have already burned out because of too much demands. Ministry, Lord, can really be exhausting. Pressures come from all sides. Anyway, any people-oriented work is really stressful. So perhaps, Lord, that is not an excuse. Besides, You promised to grant me with power and grace. Grace for every moment. Grace for every trial. Grace for every defeat. Grace for every pressure. Grace for every relationship. Grace for every day.

Lord, I am so sorry for trying to run away from You. Instead of running away, let me face that solemn responsibility of drawing your flock closer to your throne. Near to where you are. Keep me patient and humble. Keep me wise. Keep me forever secured in you love.

Almighty God, I just can't help but to wonder at Your grace. Wonder at Your magnificent love. You love me. How can you love a minuscule creation like me in such a vast universe. That is the wonder of Your love. How wonderful You are! Just when I am not at my best, You remind me of Your love that never change. You remind me there is power in your love.

You created me to worship You! Thank you for the privilege. There is power and life when I come to worship and serve You. You are wonderful! Wonderful to look at. Wonderful to serve. Wonderful to love and worship.

How to Cope with Death

Losing someone. It's really hard. The sting of death... As I was meditating on the gospels I was inspired to write truth in distilled form-

Jesus first died in Gethsemane before Calvary.
Self needs to die in the garden to lift our burden.

Like He we first die in Gethsemane before Calvary.
Then by looking at the tree, from death we are set free.

Death becomes bearable when we have been on our knees.
Not on Mt. Calvary. But in Gethsemane.

Have you today visited your spot among the olive trees?
-ADBernardo

A Board Taker's Prayer

If you are taking a national board exam (nursing, law, accountancy, etc.), you can download the "A Board Taker's Prayer" attachment, print it, and pray this prayer as you prepare for and take the board exam.

As part of iDREAM's ministry to young professionals in AUP and other places, we conduct a praise and worship service for board takers. It is a Spirit-filled, prayer-driven, and Bible-based celebration of God's guidance and goodness over the board taker's preparations for the national board exam. The AWE4HIM praise team leads out to help us connect with God through praise songs, followed by a study of God's word on the importance of prayer, and formation of prayer warrior groups who intercede for the board takers until the last day of the exam.

The printed prayer is distributed after the service to be kept in their wallets to become a constant reminder of their commitment to God and their small groups.

For invitations on how to organize the Board Taker's Praise & Worship event, contact me at ardisonbernardo@gmail.com.

How To Deal With Rejection (Conclusion)

Hi guys! I have been out for almost a week. Just came back from a leadership seminar. Let me conclude this article. May it help you in your journey.- Pastor Ardie

DEALING WITH REJECTION

So how do we deal with these feelings of rejection? So what do we do when we get rejected by the people we serve, love, and respect? We often respond to rejection in anger. Is it a bad reaction? How do we deal with these feelings of rejection.

Ever been to a party where no one noticed you? Have you been put in office and discovered no one wants to follow you? Perhaps a friend betrayed you. You wife doesn’t believe in you. Even your dog hates you.

How do we deal with rejection? We all want the respect, admiration, and appreciation of our love ones. No one likes to be disliked. No one likes his ideas to be disapproved or taken for granted. So what do we do when we get rejected by the people we serve, love, and respect?

We often respond to rejection in anger. Is it a bad reaction? Assessing your anger and frustration helps you see whether your anger and frustration are valid or not. If its not, then there is room for growth as you evaluate your mistakes, shortcomings, or personality flaws and grow from the experience.

All of us have a desire to be loved and liked. People are created for relationships. And within that framework our desire is to make others happy and in the process become happy in return. No one wants to love and be rejected. We want to love and be loved.

People often respond to rejection in anger. Is it a bad reaction?

Anger in and of itself is not a sin. God put this emotion in us. “Be angry,” he urges, “and do not sin” (Eph. 4:26 nkjv). Anger is not a sin, but it can lead to sin. Perhaps your anger doesn’t lead you to shed blood, but does it make you touchy, irritable, quick-tempered, quick to take offense?

But don’t we become touchy, irritable, quick tempered when people reject us? The next time your are fuming with anger ask yourself, “why am i fuming with anger?” You can always narrow the answer down to one word- rejection.

You hurt. And because you get hurt, you get hot. Anger is your defense mechanism.

Now that we know the common cause of anger- rejection- what is the cure? What is the opposite of rejection?

Acceptance!

If rejection causes anger, wouldn’t acceptance cure it?

Max Lucado has a very good insight on this:

A point we need to take is the story of Cain and Abel. When God rejected the offering of Cain’s own choosing how did he react? The text gives an answer. “The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. So Cain became very angry and felt rejected” (Gen. 4:4–5, ).

If rejection by heaven makes you mad at others, wouldn’t acceptance from heaven stir your love for them?... Remember the verse? “He who is forgiven little loves little.” We can replace the word forgiven with accepted and maintain the integrity of the passage. “He who is accepted little loves little.” If we think God is harsh and unfair, guess how we’ll treat people. Harshly and unfairly. But if we discover that God has doused us with unconditional love, would that make a difference?

So what turned the apostle Paul from a bully to a teddy bear?He encountered Christ. Or, to use his phrase, he was hidden in Christ: “Your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3 niv).

Max describes this thought beautifully in his book A Love Worth Giving: Through Christ, God has accepted you. Think about what this means. I’m scooting forward and talking softly again: You cannot keep people from rejecting you. But you can keep rejections from enraging you. Rejections are like speed bumps on the road. They come with the journey. Tacky purse peddlers populate the world. You’re going to get cut, dished, dropped, and kicked around. You cannot keep people from rejecting you. But you can keep rejections from enraging you. How? By letting his acceptance compensate for their rejection.

When the world has turned its back on you, remember whose you are! God has accepted you. God loved you even before you have known Him. Let His love that accepted you just as you are melt your heart and say, "People can reject me but God has already accepted me. He has forgiven me and is always willing to forgive me. My life is now hidden in Christ. I may not win the applause of the world but I can applaud God." Why? He who is forgiven much loves much. Or should I say, he who is accepted much, loves much.

How To Deal With Rejection (Part 3)

5. The I’m Ok, You’re Ok Guy. There are persons who just disregard feelings of rejection all together. When people turn them down, or criticize them, or all together disregard them, they say, “well that’s ok. Everyone is entitled to his own opinion. As far as I know I am Ok. We are all ok. Everything is ok.”

The problem with this indifferent, hard-shell approach is that the I’m Ok-You’re OK person might miss an opportunity to evaluate self. If you don’t know how to handle rejection you either become angry and fail to grow. Assessing your anger and frustration helps you see whether your anger and frustration is valid or not. If its not, then there is room for growth as you evaluate your mistakes, shortcomings, or personality flaws and grow from the experience.

The I’m Ok -You’re Ok person is unaffected at all by any criticism or tends to disregard it as if the rejection or hurt does not exist. But the problem is at times the I’m Ok-You’re Ok types react to rejection by quitting. He says to himself, “Ok if that’s the case then I’ll quit.”

But the world is in great need of your ministry that when you just quit on what you stand for and don’t give a thought about it, God loses one of his best soldiers.

6. The Law Keeper. The Law Keepers have good reputation in their communities or society. These are the straight guys. They are the protectors of the standards of the church. They are the keepers of the flame.

The problem with some Law Keepers is that they dress to impress. They obey because the good name gives them the feeling of importance and acceptance. Their title and reputation means everything to them. And they are willing to keep it untarnished.

In my experience however the law keepers always had a past experience of rejection as a consequence of perhaps not obeying the rules or any failure on his/her part to be the best person he can ever be.

Since he or she doesn’t want other people to go through the same painful experience, the Law Keeper models a life of obedience. But like the Power Ruler he/she has a tendency to impose upon others his/her convictions. He/she becomes judgmental. Laws are kept for legalistic purposes and no longer out of love. What becomes important is that people are made to obey the rules rather than winning people’s heart to understand these rules and perhaps be convicted to obey them too.

How To Deal With Rejection (Part 2)

2. The Flamboyant Talker. We all want the respect, admiration, andappreciation of our love ones. No one likes to be disliked. No one likes his ideas to be disapproved or taken for granted. But when our personality clashes with other people, when people start disliking us or start to lose respect in us, the flamboyant talker tries to cover up for this low feeling caused by rejection by trying to get everyone’s attention. He measures self-importance through peer acceptance. In the case of pastors - acceptance by our colleagues. Acceptance is everyone’s comfort zone.

So how does one try to gain people’s respect and approval? In the case of the flamboyant talker he tries to gain people’s attention by being loud. He may become vocal about issues and call for people’s attention with his flamboyant personality. In crowds or meetings he becomes an animated, vibrant, and vivacious talking machine. Too often he goes to the sidelines and does not make a point. But the attention he draws gives

him the high feeling of being noticed, of feeling important and not rejected.

3. The Show-Off. Other people try to cover up for their experiences of rejection by diverting people’s attention on what they have acquired, attained, and experienced.

People may want to use educational attainments to gain people’s respect which they desperately needed. Although academic pursuits should be taken for professional growth and self-improvement, some people have used academic degrees to get the respect and acceptance they wanted. Since our society today rates us based on our educational attainment and success in life, we also use the same position and power to get the self-importance we needed so much.

To bury past feelings of rejection, we cover it up by gaining people’s approval and attention through acquisition of stuffs that make us feel good about ourselves like new cellphones, laptops, cars, gadgets, clothes and other toys that subtly gives us a feeling of importance.

People also use their experience to gain leverage and advantage over those with less experience. To cover up possible rejection of people they share their wealth of experiences to draw people’s confidence on them as if to say, “Hey,better listen to me. I am more experienced than anyone else.”

Wealth, power, education, and experience are not bad in themselves but if used as the foundation of our self-worth, self-acceptance to combat people’s rejection and gain their approval it becomes a wrong motivation for people’s acceptance.

4. The Power Ruler. Other people resort to martial law power. Rather than win people with conviction they impose their convictions on others. If majority of the people reject the Power Ruler’s opinion

s and ideas, the Power Ruler then uses his status, power, and influence to enforce acceptance. His assertiveness and cunning logic are used with manipulation to get people saying “yes!”

Leaders who felt rejected are at times too foolish and hardheaded to look at their own flaws and understand other people’s point of view. Rather than go down to people’s level to listen and try to make a connection, they respond to people’s rejection by imposing their power and authority upon them. Instead of working towards mutual understanding they inflict force on others using subversive tactics of clever persuasion and logical reasoning. The Power Ruler become foolish enough to win people’s approval by intimidation and looks.

The Power Ruler uses power and intimation to enforce his views and convictions rather than use gentle persuasion through the power of the Holy Spirit . They don’t work to to win people’s heart. Instead they impose their ideas on them. This person believes that he has gained acceptance when people holds his views even if it means people follow them without truly becoming convicted.

How To Deal With Rejection (Part 1)

Our Relationship With God Will Determine Our Relationship With People

Article by Pastor Ardison D. Bernardo

No one wants to be called a loser or a failure, nor be considered incompetent. Can you relate? You cried for help and received nothing but dead silence. Your summons for assistance goes unnoticed. You begged for an extension and gets turned down twice. And being a Christian you offered your best services of love only to hear the words, “No, thanks!”

What does a leader do when the church board disapproves his agenda? When the congregation dislikes you? When people have no high regard for you? When your colleagues make fun of you? What do you do? When your very own family has abandoned you? When nobody subscribes to your dreams? When your employees rally against you? When your work of genius gets no warm welcome?

Rage is fathered by anger. Anger almost always goes with its brother named rejection. No one wants to be rejected. We all strive for acceptance. We all long to be loved and liked. So when someone else’s program and good ideas are not appreciated, he feels rejected. How does one deal with rejection?

People react to rejection differently. I have to admit that I have been in these various roles. May this help you become self-aware.

1. The People Pleaser. The People Pleaser try to gain people’s approval by coming up with good services and excellent programs. Like for instance if a church leader’s program failed or has serious faults causing the proponent of the program to be blamed, he switches to a defense mechanism. Rather than being humble enough to see his faults and learn from the experience, he tries to blame other people and comes up with better programs. He comes up with better programs because he wants this feeling of appreciation, of being adored, and loved by his people, church, or company. Since he has not dealt with the past feelings of rejections, he buries the pain in pleasant experiences of success where he feels accepted and appreciated.
And most of us tend to reminisce good thoughts and memories when we received our rewards, or when we have been lavishly appreciated. We keep our trophies, plaques, and medals. These awards become proofs of our acceptance. Rather than deal with the feelings of rejection we try to do away with it by coming up with actions that will please people. Once we receive this feeling we dwell on it and bury the painful experience of the past.

The people pleaser syndrome is deeply rooted in his experiences in the past when he might have been rejected or left unappreciated by his family, friends, colleagues. And he hates this feeling. And he will do anything to cover up this feeling. Covering up is a very insidious cure. The wound is there and you don’t want to do anything about it.

BEST VALUE BLUETOOTH LASER MOUSE FOR MACBOOKS

BEST VALUE BLUETOOTH LASER MOUSE FOR MACBOOKS

A mouse has always been friendlier to me than a trackpad. Consider what I have always wanted in a mouse and why I prefer a Logitech v470 mouse over Apple’s Wireless Mighty Mouse (WMM) for my Macbook:

1. BLUETOOTH WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY- wireless freedom. No messy wires. And no external USB receiver/dongle that takes up one of the USB ports. Both v470 and WMM have bluetooth.

2. LASER TECHNOLOGY - Laser precision : outperforms optical mice. Laser technology delivers smoother cursor control on virtually any surface. Both v470 and WMM have laser

3. TWO-BUTTON MOUSE- I find v470 easier to use compared to the WMM. The right-click in WMM works best when only one finger is in contact with the right part of the mouse.

4. FORM & STYLE- V470’s color is white and matches my macbook perfectly. It fits nicely into even larger hands and has a built in battery indicator near the scroll wheel. The WMM just feels so flat.

5. DURABILITY - V470 has a light and a very solid overal design. Logitech has been in the mouse business for years and is known for durability.

6. SCROLL WHEEL - The v470 has a wheel that can be rocked from side to side. Scrolling is smooth and accurate. The WMM’s scroll ball usually stops working when dirt gets inside the ball which means you have to clean it regularly or better yet washed your hands before using it.

7. BATTERY INDICATOR - The v470 has a battery indicator light built in the mouse whereas WMM has none. The v470 has a battery life of up to 4 months. There is an on-off switch to conserve the battery.

8. EXTRAS - The v470 comes with its own carry pouch to protect it from scratches.

9. BEST VALUE BLUETOOTH LASER MOUSE- I find all the features I want in Logitech’s v470 and is priced at 50 dollars compared to Apple’s WMM priced at 70 dollars.

Affordable Macbook (& other laptops) Accessories

Accessories and peripherals make MacLife exciting and productive.

My recommendations for those who are tight on budget:

1.2 GB 667 DDR2 Kingston memory. Increase performance of your macbook and do more with multitasking. Php 2,150.

2. Logitech v470 Bluetooth Laser Mouse. More efficient and durable that a wireless mighty mouse. Php 2,100+

3. 22“ Samsung 2253LW 1680x1050. Php 12, 700. 5 Star good looking, sleek, excellent performing monitor for dual screen. Install an external tv tuner to it so it’s a tv when there is no computer work to be done. 45 w power consumption. Saves electricity.

4. HP C4280 Photosmart Printer. Color matches your macbook and it’s blazing fast. Print speed: up to 30 ppm for black; up to 23 ppm for color. Php 5,900. I converted mine to continuous ink system (CIS) so you can print without guilt. Php 3,000+ Note: There is no available CIS for this model in the market yet. Took me a day to make a custom-made CIS for my printer. Saves me thousands from ink cost.

5. External DVD Writer: Internal LiteOn DVD Writer Dual Layer with LightScribe Technology in a a generic USB 2.0 case- Stuck with a combo drive? Are you burning a lot of DVD's and CD's for business?Get one! Php 1,300+

6. CDR King Laptop Nylon Bag - Need an affordable laptop bag that carries your laptop with extra space for a weekend gig? Php 680

7. Security Lock -Secure your laptop at home and office. Php 120+
White"iPod" USB 2.0 Hub - Expand with 4 additional USB ports for your printer, HD, Writer, and mouse so you just plug into one USB port fo your MB and save the other for a flash drive or camera. Php 200+

8. Soft Cleaning Brush -Brush the dust off the screen. Php 100+

9. LCD Screen Protector (generic) -Protect your LCD display from unwanted scratches. Children can be naugthy! Php 250+

10. iWork sleeve with memory foam _Protect your macbook from accidental bumps. Php 1,500 at Greenhills.

11. iSkin - Prevent dust and unwanted stains from getting into your keyboard and palmrest. Php 700 Generic is 150+

12. Mini Vacuum Cleaner - If you don't like rubber on your keyboard and want it bare, clean it regularly with a battery powered mini-vacuum cleaner. Php 150+

13. Creative Stereo Speakers -If you are into movies or presentations, get those speakers for a full, clear, rich sound. Php 450+. A relative gave me a set of portable Bose speakers that delivers a crisp, powerful, and theater-quality sound. Php 7,000 Visit Bose.

14. Notebook Cooler with 4 additional USB ports/stereo speakers- Macbook's working hard? Cool it down and enjoy the music. Php 300 to 2200+

A Pastor's Choice

Lord, today is a new day. A new gift. A fresh encounter. Another chance to meet You. Another opportunity to do good. Another day to fill my heart with your goodness. An occasion to celebrate your love. A good time to rejoice in your presence.

Lord, here am I in your presence. Asking for your gracious touch to transform me today. Praying that today you will make me a better pastor, a loving husband, a hardworking minister, a compassionate person, a faithful Christian, a responsible father, and a dependable friend. Pour out your life in me, Lord . Fill this day with many opportunities to break new grounds of ministry and mission. Take me to higher heights of your glory, Lord.

Let the sun’s rays warm my heart and being to live through the day in the spirit of worship. Permit the ground I thread on to become a witness of a life lived faithfully

TODAY, I am making a choice. A choice of eternal value.

Today, I decided to become religiously spiritual. Making God first, last, and best in everything I think, say, and do today. Today’s schedule will be preoccupied by the living, intimate God. A refreshing worship encounter minute by minute.

Today I decided to walk in humility. Yielding my life to the divine control of my Supreme Ruler, Master, CEO, Senior Pastor, and Boss. Respecting my co-workers and church leaders. Submitting my personal rights and sacrificing self for the sake of others.

Today I decided to become God’s wonderful masterpiece of creativity. I will allow God’s voice to shape and mold my thoughts that his mission may find new form, method, and ways of reaching his lost children. I will allow imagination to help jump-start a new ministry. I will think of new ways of doing old things which will be more effective and efficient. My thoughts will be filled with God’s imaginative creativity that molded me into what I was, I am , and will be.

Today I decided to mobilize my God given gifts, skills, and talents to good use. I will allow God to put them to work. I will invest my time for their good use. Harnessing, honing, equipping, and further enhancing my discovered gifts. I will allow the Spirit to give me a chance to discover other gifts and try them out. I will permit the Spirit to start new ministries using my God-given abilities. It will be unselfishly used for the expansion of the kingdom. I offer my heart, my hands, and my feet for the vicious mobilization of the gospel.

Today, Lord, I will go further than just discovering and knowing the spiritual gifts I already have. I will make use of them for a specialized ministry I love to do and enjoy doing.

Today I choose to do things extraordinarily better than what I used to do. I will excel in the area you want me to shine. Lord, I ask that you will help reshape my views of ministry and take me into new circumstances that will put this specialized ministry at work.

Today Lord I will innovate or help reshape an established ministry, introducing better methods, ideas, or forms. And it will be the product of the creative juice you’ve put inside me Lord, teach me to innovate for the sake of a more fruitful and functional ministry. How to do old things in a new manner with a fresh approach. I will not promote visionary innovation for the sake of change but for the sake of growth.

Today, Lord, I will concentrate on my goals. What the mind perceives is what the soul can achieve. And this mind is no longer mine. The mind of Christ is in me. Today I decided to focus only on good thoughts, on my purpose, my mission, my vision, and my Christ. Today I decided to concentrate on what truly matters most leaving no room for the devil to suggest unhealthy thoughts, selfish desires, egocentric behavior, destructive criticisms. And I choose a heart which is driven by the heart of Christ. Let this heart of mine be filled with your divine love.

And in all these,Lord, I resolve to be determined. Determined to live a godly life, exercise firmness in my purpose in life, steadfast resolution to excel.

Today, I decided to have the strength of Your will, the resiliency of Your character, the single-mindedness of focus, steadfastness in my faith, perseverance in life’s trials, commitment and dedication to You and You alone. I live for You alone, Lord. Take me now and help me live out my prayer. For I ask it in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Truth Nuggets

When reading the Bible try to distill the principles you can extract and come up with a one- liner to summarize these life lessons. Here are a few I processed after a meditation on Matthew chapters 26 & 27.

• Self is first crucified in Gethsemane before Calvary.
• Self can either be hanged on a “Judas tree” or a “Jesus tree.”
• You deny Christ each time you live a moment without Christ.
• No human crosses are too heavy if you would but look at Mt. Calvary.
• Christ’s righteousness isn’t bough; it is sought.

What Youth Ministry Taught Me

I spent the first 9 years of my pastoral ministry with young people. Four things youth ministry taught me.

1. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a church of young people. We better take youth ministry seriously. As of now the church has no well-established program that meets the needs of young adults and young professionals.

2. Youth ministry is based on relationships. Programs don’t win their hearts. The last thing young people need is a lecture or a sermon. They need a friend. A listening ear. Someone who will pray with them individually. That requires a lot of time. But when young people love you, most likely they will love your Savior. A youth ministry founded on relationships not only becomes appealing and attractive to young people but fruitful as well.

3. Youth Ministry takes risks. Young people are not robots. You have to reason with them and try to explain the Biblical principles behind the rules. God was never a dictator, why would you be one. Explain te why and be consistent. So when they get off the track of traditional views or fall into sin, love them more. ...and show it please.

4. Youth ministry is out of this world. It’s creativity and responsibility. What worked for you back then may not work now. Be innovative. There are a thousand ways of doing old things new. And please give everyone a responsibility. Young people just love being a part of something.

Lifting and Influencing Leaders

All leaders had had their own personal setbacks. I had mine. But instead of brooding over my failures and bitterness of the past I decided I will become an inspiration to the workforce of Central Luzon Conference.

I will resist the temptation of “status-quo-ministry.” I will develop creativity and innovation in my ministry and seek to inspire others to do the same. I will not be stuck with yesterday’s methods and prayerfully discover new ways of delivering the gospel. I will help enhance old procedures become more efficient and effective. I will shun politically-motivated church agenda and activities. I will attempt to look at things from different cultural and ministry perspectives. I will cease to depend on my wisdom and rely entirely upon the outworking and guidance of the Spirit.

I will also cease from waiting for the right opportunities before I improve myself. Instead I will enjoy and improve on the opportunities given me by God so that when the next big wave comes I will be ready for the ride of my life.

I wish to become a blessing to my fellow ministers and in so doing widen the sphere of my influence and friendship. As a leader I will always choose to lift and grow other leaders. So help me, God!

Keep Your Family Day Holy

If salvation is by works many pastors will surely make it to heaven. Pastors keep their appointments. They faithfully perform their duties. They observe the Sabbath. But how many relish and keep their family days holy?

When pastors consistently take pleasure in taking a day-off in a week to be with their families, there will be a lot more disciple-makers in the church where now there is one.

Questions Young Pastor Ask: How do I know if I am called into the ministry?

Question: How do I know if I am called into the ministry?

Answer: Surely one of the scariest questions you may hear is: Have you been called to the ministry? I encourage you to prayerfully consider the following text on the theme of ministry: Isaiah 6;1 Corinthians 4, 9, 12-14; Ezekiel 34; Ephesians 4:1-16; Matthew 4:18-22; 10; 28:16-20; Philippians 2:1-11. Please read Ellen White on Testimonies to Ministers, especially pp. 142-158

I am His child

Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God’s throne where there is grace. Hebrews 4:16

What do you need to fear when you know you can just get into God’s presence anytime? After all he is your great Father and Friend! There is no greater joy than knowing we can come to God anytime. He is just waiting for us. Not because He is far from us. He wants us to know that He is just beside us all the time. All we need to do is recognize He is beside us. So won’t you take the time to talk to Him right now?

What’s great with God is that aside from being our faithful Friend, He is also our majestic King. Imagine this. God in his throne overseeing the affairs of the universe. Perhaps busy holding an intergalactic meeting with other created beings of the universe. But anytime you call Him, He’ll leave his meeting behind just to be with you. And I can see God leaving his sit and walk towards you.

He is the personal God I know. And He is willing to leave everything behind. Even heaven itself. Why? He finds pleasure and joy simply by being with you. Can’t you see how much He loves you?

So the next time you feel abandoned by God remember he is just a door knock away. Open the door and ask Him, “Dad, can we just talk right now?”

“Sure! Let me just put Gabriel in charge of this meeting.”

And there is God beside you. Making no excuses from spending this special moment with you. You are His joy! So go meet our Dad. Our Abba- Father.

Who are you to ask such a thing? You are his child, for heaven’s sake!
- ADBernardo