The God-given Ability to Succeed

- posting from Word 4U Today -

Bible Text:
- Deuteronomy 8:18: "But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today."

Do you want your life to count in God's big plan for the planet?
1. Get seriously creative: When God gives you the ability to succeed, it often begins as an idea. But remember you have to do something with that idea, make a plan, talk to people, get it done! Your idea (or someone else's) might come from God. Stop and think: if God's a creator and we are made in His likeness, shouldn't we be creative too?

2.Use your gifts: The gift God gave you is your key to success. He didn't give it to you to be wasted on stuff that has no point or purpose or denied out of a false sense of humility. No, He gave it to you to be invested - to be used! Jesus told the story of three guys who were given money to invest. The first two double theirs; the third buried his in the ground because he was afraid of messing it up. Look out! FEAR IS ONE OF YOUR GREATEST ENEMIES. It numbs your spirit and bangs up your creativity. Use what God's given you. Trust God and take some risks.

3. Get on with it! Ok, sometimes it's wise to wait. But a lot of times, being over cautious will just lead to missed opportunities, disappointments and regrets. Your friends and leaders can help you work this out. But if you know in your heart that God has told you do something for Him, if you've got the ideas and the gifts, don't make excuses, get on with it! Make it happen. Seize the day! Grab the 'now' moments of your life - the 'right time' you're waiting for may never arrive.

Personal Reflection:
I also took note of some points from Deuteronomy 8:18.
- Remember God. "But remember the Lord your God..." Don't take God away from the picture.
- Utilize our ability to produce wealth. "...for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth..." If God has given us the ability, make use of it!
- Hold on to His promises and claim them. "...and so confirms His covenant..." God confirms His promises, so there's no room for doubt. It's also good to mention God's promises to us when we pray.
- Believe His consistency. "...which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today." God is unchanging. He's the same yesterday, today and forever. If He promised and gave success to our forefathers, He will do the same to us.

I was truly blessed with this. I was praying last night kasi...God did answer my query right away. He said, "Anak, go on! Make it happen! I'm with you all the way."

Birthday Prayer

Lord,

• create in me a pure heart with honest intentions (1 Chronicles 29:17)
• bless me so I can bless others more (Deuteronomy 15:6)
• give me a discerning heart and wisdom (1 Kings 3:9)
• use me more for the benefit of others (Galatians 3:8)
• help me to be humble and think less of my self (James 3:13)
• strengthen me so I can do the work You've entrusted to me (Psalm 73:26)
• give me a grateful heart and help me to keep myself from complaining (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
• make my heart teachable (Psalm 119:27)
• help me to persevere and be mature in faith (James 1:4)
• give me patience and help me to understand that everything has its perfect time (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
• help me to be decisive (Job 38:36)
• draw me closer to You, I want to know You more (Psalm 119:20)
• teach me how to love the way You do - agape love (John 3:16)

Can these be Your birthday gifts to me?

...though I know You have given so much

...and this will take time.

Thank you for another year of Your faithfulness and love.

Random Thoughts

I don't really have something specific to post. Naisip ko lang sayang ang opportunity. It's my first time to be alone here in office (during office hours).

May event kasi ang mga officemates ko. They're divided into two groups. One group handled AHPADA, the 1st International Arts & Crafts Expo held at SMX Convention Center last Nov.21-25. The other team handled the 2nd North Philippines International Tourism Fair in SM Clark, on the same dates. So last week wala rin sila dito sa office but the president and v.p. of the company were here (kaya 'di rin ako naging malaya! in fact, nag mistula akong call center agent kasasagot ng calls nila). Since last day ng 2 events yesterday, medyo rest ata sila kaya wala silang lahat dito.

I was thinking of...
- filing my resignation effective by early January.
- surfing the net to look for other job.
- doing something with regard to the ministry's project for 2008 ('di ko pa ma-mention kasi we, sa dance, are still praying for this). I'll draft the proposal.
- leaving the apartment at mag-uwian na lang sa Dasma.
- going home today earlier at matulog agad.

Noon at Ngayon

Natuwa ako dito kaya ko pinost...

Ito ang picture namin ni Ate Eu. This was taken during one of our practices (nag-water break lang kami sandali), almost one year ago na siguro.

Before, we handled the same team in the ministry - Towdah. She's the team leader and I was her assistant. More or less six months ago, nagkaron ng reshuffling of teams. Currently I'm handling Tehillah (may picture sa side bar of my page). S'ya naman, Towdah pa rin; a team with 4 members, all leaders.

Ngayon, ito na ang picture namin...

Taken last October 27, my sister's debut party. (Medyo formal naman ang effect :D ) Sobrang nakakamiss lang...

One Spirit

Finally, I have the chance to share these stories. Hahaha! Both happened weeks ago.

*That was Sunday, November 11, the last day of our Expo. I arrived late at World Tade, around 3:00 pm, 'cause I came straight from the church (attended the worship service). I visited the booths and talked to our exhibitors, one of such was Ate Marissa. She approached me and said, "Alam mo, wala pa kaming benta. Kararating lang kasi namin, nag-church pa kasi kami eh." I replied, "Ako rin po." By that, we discovered that we were both Christians. Sobrang tuwang tuwa sya at napaiyak pa! She embraced me and said, "Sabi ko na eh, may iba sa'yo una pa lang kitang makita." Then, she gave me a set of earrings and necklace. Kwentuhan to the max na kami. She has a son who was a pastor and their church was located in Bacoor (parang may Victory Church akong narinig...'di ko na maalala yung exact name).

Another one...

*I rode a bus, San Agustin, last Wednesday. I was on my way to the office around 9:30 am. I sat beside a guy (with his friend on his left). They were talking about a certain person and some of the lines I heard..."hindi mo talaga mapipilit ang isang tao kung ayaw. May perfect time din si Lord sa kanya," and "ganon talaga 'pag nandun ang favor ni Lord." After an hour (nasa Baclaran na kami), hindi ko na napigilan ang sarili ko and I said to them, "Excuse me, Kuya pwedeng magtanong? (and they said "yes") Are you Christians?" I was correct! They were Christians. I said I didn't intend to listen to their conversation, I just kept on hearing the name of the LORD. Their names: Kuya Roy, 24 and Kuya Noli, 22. Both of them were youth leaders. Kuya Roy was also a dancer and a worship leader. They're part of the Jesus Reigns Church in Buho, Silang. Ini-invite nga nila ako sa Sunday, November 25, it's their church's anniversary. Alam din nila ang Church of God-Dasma, sabi ni Kuya Noli, naging professor nya daw si Kuya Warren Pangilinan during college at TUP.

It's glad to know that Christians have the same spirit and that spirit becomes our identity. We can easily feel whenever our spiritual brothers and sisters are near us (even without knowing them personally). Sobrang na-bless lang ako.

Counting our blessings (Part II)

Medyo matagal na rin akong hindi nakapagpost though I used to visit various blogs. Minsan kasi mas feel kong magbasa lang...

Anyway, I want to continue mentioning some of God's blessings to me as I have said in my older post.

* My co-leaders sa ministry. Nakakatuwa yung relationship ng leaders, parang magkakapatid lang talaga. They are real blessings. They're true friends. Though may mga times na hindi nagkakaintindihan, mas nangingibabaw pa rin yung love.

* Tehillah Dance Team. This is the team that I handle in the ministry. The team is composed of 25 members (one is in Hongkong), all are teens. Medyo complicated ang stage na 'to (i mean the age) 'cause this is the stage wherein sobrang taas ng level ng curiousity, madalas ang mood swing at to the maximum level ang pagiging sensitive. But then, I love this team so much. God used them to train me not just in terms of leadership but more in character; how to care genuinely, to be patient, to listen, to understand, to love and to pray harder.

* Churchmates' blogs. Sobrang malaking tulong sa'kin ang posts ng churchmates ko. There are times na sobrang discouraged ako and then pag-nagbukas ako ng page at nagbasa, naeencourage ako sa stories nila.

* Church Pastors. "Anointed." Yun lang ang nasasabi ko minsan 'pag nakikita ko sila. They're being used by God to deliver His message to the congregation. Most of the time, sapul talaga ako sa sermon! :)

* Music. Sa buong maghapon na nakaharap ako sa computer doing various paper works, nagmiminister sa'kin yung songs na pinakikinggan ko (ngaun, We Speak to Nations ang tugtog).
When I'm sleepy, patugtog lang ako ng praise songs.

* My Bosses. As I have stated in my previous post, sobrang kakaiba ang superiors ko, madalas hindi makarecognize or maka-appreciate ng mga bagay bagay, demanding at times and so on. But then, I'm thankful for having them. I learned how to be independent, to be decisive and to be submissive.

* My CLDP teacher and classmates. Sobrang nag-eenjoy ako sa class namin sa CLDP. Actually wala namang something special sa class, lecture type lang talaga...makikinig ka lang, pwedeng mag-share if you want. But every meeting is an exciting one for me dahil sa dami ng natututunan ko when it comes to leadership. Saturday, November 24, is our last meeting at pot bless! hihi!

* Trials. If I'll enumerate lahat ng ito sobrang marami but still trials can't outnumber God's blessings. Thankful ako sa mga trials for they draw me closer to God, make me stronger, wiser and more mature.

Indeed, God has blessed me so much and this page might not be able to contain all those. I'm thankful for the sun, for the wind, for the air I breathe, for this life and so on.

*GOD, most of all, I am thankful that I have You. This life will never be as meaningful as this if I haven't come to know YOU.

Event Updates

Hay... [isang malalim na buntong hininga]. Tiring pala talaga ang mag-organize ng event lalo na kung ikaw lang mag-isa.

Anyway, below are brief stories of what happened for the past 2 days:

• Opening Day - As expected, agang-aga ng Friday haggard na. Dahil nga sa mga pasaway na exhibitors na hindi nag-ingress last Thursday sobrang cramming sa pag-seset up the following day. Feeling ko, hindi ako napirme sa isang lugar...lakad dito, lakad dun...explain dito, usap doon...lahat na! Hanggang sa nagstart na ang opening ceremony, may nag-aayos pa sa loob ng hall, sa booth nila! Lunch time, I went back to the office to get some documents necessary for the event. Nung makita naman ako ng boss ko, more utos ito. So, until 4pm nasa office pa rin ako to think na I have a meeting with a researcher at 2:30 at World Trade. Pag-labas ko naman ng office, sobrang lakas ng ulan at baha...no choice, sugod ito. Thank God I was wearing black slocks that time so hindi halatang hanggang tuhod basa ako. ahuhu. Buti na lang mabait yung kameet ko...
• Second day (that was Saturday) - May humabol pang exhibitor so may nag-set up pa rin that morning. Yesterday was easier than the past two days. Medyo nakalibot-libot na sa buong exhibit area. But still, I received no text from my superiors kahit pangungumusta lang (ang thoughtful nila di ba? hay...). Anyway, I thank God that there were still people who are appreciative...May ilang mga exhibitors na binigyan ako ng items nila. At the end of the day, I received a watch, a necklace, 2 pairs of earrings, a brooch, 2 shirts and 2 bracelets...all from our exhibitors. :) Umuwi ako sa Dasma one hour before the closing para makahabol sa CLDP class, ayun nakarating naman pero 20 minutes late.
• Last day - Today is Sunday! Remember natatakot akong hindi makapagservice today because of this event? God is really great! Actually Siya pa rin ang nauna sa araw na 'to. I went to church and attended the 7:30 worship and left after the 10:30 service. Nagkita-kita pa kami nila Myk, Pangj and the rest of the youth at nakapagkwentuhan pa sa co-leaders sa dance. After that, dito na ko dumiretso sa office...at nagpost! hehehe!

I'll leave muna for a while for the Egress (na according sa mga organizers ay madugo ding part. Kaguluhang ganap ito!) Then, I'll continue...

Prayer: Lord, thank you so much for strengthening me and for giving me the courage to face this challenge. Truly enough, "those who seek You will find You and will never be disappointed." I claim the victory in Your name for I fight every battle as I put my trust not in chariots nor in swords but in Your victorious and powerful Name! All the glory is Yours, my Master.

Khen's Firsts

I was reminded of the church's giveaway for the Workers' General Assembly 2008. It's a calendar showcasing the first properties of the church: a guitar, light mixer, overhead projector and so on.

Now, I want to mention what are my firsts for this day.

November 9 (tomorrow), will be the opening of our event called the "PACEOS Christmas Pavilion," part of the Total Lifystyle Expo and Digital World at the World Trade Center. The Expo has approximately 200 exhibitors/booths selling different products such as cosmetics, cloths, bags, accessories, furniture, and lamps for the Total Lifestyle and printers, computers, electronic gadgets, appliances and cars for the Digital World. This will run for three consecutive days, meaning the event is until Sunday. And everyone is invited to come. It's free admission (sabay promote bah! hihi!).

In line with this, today is the Exhibitors' Ingress. Let me explain briefly what's going on during the Exhibitors' Ingress. Hhmmm...but I think it'll be better if I'll mention the Contractor's Ingress before this one ('cause contractor's ingress is prior to the exhibitors').

• Contractors' Ingress. By this time, the booths are set up, carpets on the floor (the entire hall is carpeted), electrical works and overall design is done by the booth contractor (a booth contractor company). That was yesterday.
• Exhibitor's Ingress. All the exhibitors will be coming in to display their products as well as to design their own booths. And my story will start here... (ang haba ng intro!)

Before an exhibitor enters the hall, he needs to register and fill out the forms: Pass In, Pass Out Form itemizing all the things he will bring inside; Waiver; and ID deposit slip. For those who will pay for the booth on site, I need to issue the O.R since I also do the collection. After accomplishing all the forms and settling the fees, sasamahan ko na sila sa booth nila and then, they'll set up.

- Wala namang problema sa bagay na ito, parang ang simple nga lang ng process. But the problem is nag-sabay sabay ng dating ang mga exhibitors at syempre ako lahat ang nag-aasikaso dahil ako lang naman ang staff ng PACEOS. I'm with the Global Link people (Global Link is the organizer of the entire event and is a member of PACEOS) but they can't entertain my exhibitors (PACEOS exhibitors) 'cause they're handling Total Lifestyle and Digital Exhibitors. Take note, eight people are in charge of the registration (for the Lifestyle and Digital). Sabi nga ni Ms. Tina, "mag-isa ka lang? kami nga walo na nahihirapan pa." So, Kumusta naman ako, nag-iisa! (ayun, ok naman, cool lang kahit nahihirapan...ganyan talaga 'pag may LORD sa puso!)

Now, what are my firsts?

- This is the first big event that I'll handle. I'm not into events naman kasi...remember I'm a communication graduate. hihi! Events like this one is more on marketing and management.

- This is my first Ingress. Since first time kong humawak ng event, first time ko rin maka-experience ng ingress. Indeed, it was exhausting! Lalo na 'pag wala si Lord, siguro makakasalita ka ng foul words sa sobrang inis. The people beside me, wala nang nasabi kundi s**t and the like (syempre pag nakatalikod na yung exhibitor ha).

- The event is my first major project. May mga events din naman akong na-handle over the past months pero those were only for the members of the association like general membership meetings with 40 to 50 pax.

- My first time to deal with exhibitors. For the Pavilion alone, we have 30 exhibitors. So, 30 silang nanggugulo sa'kin since Monday! Nandyan yung tatawagan ka maya't maya for clarifications, questions, etc. May kausap kang exhibitor tapos may tatawag sa cell mo, tapos may isa pang magrereklamo na exhibitor, etc. - All at a time - Kanina nga, sobrang galit yung isa naming exhibitor...pinagmukha naman nya kasing tiangge yung expo. As in nag-hang ng clothes sa may aisle and so on. When I approched her at sabihang bawal yun, nagsimula nang uminit ang ulo! Mag-baback out na daw sya. Hay! stressful ang makipagdeal sa mga pasaway na exhibitors! really! 'Di lang sya ang nag-iisang pasaway, marami sila. Some of the exhibitors naman, tomorrow pa raw sila mag-seset up..opening na kaya tomorrow! It's means hanggang bukas guguluhin nila ang mundo ko!

Though hindi pa tapos magset up ang ilang exhibitors, I left the hall by 6:00 and went straight to the office (at ito nga, nagpost muna ako...to rest and to unload!)

Nakakapagod pero masaya. I can't imagine that I was able to handle this one despite the fact that I'm doing everything on my own. Sabi nga ni Bola, one of my officemates but from other company, "Bilib ako sa'yo Karen, nakayanan mo mag-isa lahat yan! Lalo na ang Ingress...that's the most exhausting part of an event. Kung ako yan, magrereklamo talaga ako sa boss ko...sana man lang binigyan ka ng kasama kahit isa o kaya doblehin ang salary mo noh!" Well, I just smiled and said, "Thank God, He's my partner."

God enabled me to do things that are beyond my limits. I want to give Him all the glory and am not going to steal it from Him. Even ako sobrang na-amaze at masasabi kong, "Lord, that's You!" It takes months to organize an event. Like my collegues here (a group of 7), they are preparing for the 1st APHADA International Arts and Crafts Expo at SM X Convention Center on Nov.21-25. They are working for this since late July or early August. The Pavilion, on the other hand, was organized only for two weeks, in which 80% of the load is on my shoulder. That's what God can do!

This might be my first time when it comes to events but definitely it's not my first time to see how God works and to prove how faithful He is.

There are more stories to tell tomorrow until Sunday regarding this matter. But I know all of these stories will contain how God showed His power!

All the glory belongs to you Lord!

Counting our blessings

I was going through my yahoo email and noticed a message from a fellow christian with the subject, "You are blessed!" Below is the content.

• If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who won't survive the week.


• If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 20 million people around the world.


• If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than almost three billion people in the world.


• If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.


• If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish some place, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.


• If your parents are still married and alive, you are very rare, especially in the United States.


• If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.


• If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder,you are blessed because you canoffer God's healing touch.
  If you can read this message,you are more blessed than overtwo billion people in the worldthat cannot read anything at all.


• You are so blessed in ways you may never even know.

I list some of the blessings God has given me.

• My Job. I am currently working as the executive assistant of PACEOS short for Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers, Inc.

• A private organization of Event organizers, venues and suppliers in the country. Members of the association are companies like SM X Covention Center, Heritage Hotel, World Trade Center, Global Link and so on. My work is a quite hard to explain. I am the only staff they have. In effect, I do all the work from messengerial to accounting. haha! Imagine I was able to reach different places knowing the address alone, not the exact location. With this I learned..."Ok lang maligaw, basta marunong kang magbasa at may pamasahe ka, makakabalik ka!" I work in the office without my superiors around ('cause they report in their respective companies). We keep in touch through email and phone. Since, we have an event on Nov.9-11, I do all the work. huh! I can't file a resignation right away though most of the time I feel like doing so. I need to find someone to replace me before I may do so. Often, I say and feel that I'm not enjoying my work anymore but then, I thank God for He provided a job for me. Millions are looking for jobs but they can't find some.
• My Family. I have 5 sisters and 2 brothers. (other details and stories to follow)
• My Christian brothers and sisters. The church is my bigger family. I am really blessed every time I think of them, my co-workers and even the COG building.
• My office computer. This one was my silent friend. It knows even my prayers ('cause I used to encode my prayers here..."kinakausap ko si Lord through my computer").
• My cellphone. Since I entered college, I've been using Nokia 8210. (Niloloko ko nga ang dance, sabi ko pinagbibili ko na ang phone ko..."DOS na lang, two gives" hehe!).

...to be continued. We are blessed more than we can ever imagine!