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!
Labels:
Our Daily Grace,
Worship 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.
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.
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Saturday, August 16, 2008
Joshua & the Law of Influence
Labels:
Leadership Tips
“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.
"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.
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Thursday, August 14, 2008
Buying the Best Value Mini-Laptop
Labels:
tech review
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)
Labels:
Family Life,
Marriage
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.
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.
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Monday, August 11, 2008
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