Ministry Update: JIL BC

The 17th batch of JIL BC Encounter Retreat just recently concluded this day. Another weekend passed with more or less 5o delegates from the JIL BC Churches. It was a wonderful time of fellowship, God’s word and ministering under God’s presence. Altogether, lives were changed and transformed towards fulfilling their destiny under God’s plan and purpose. Praise the Lord!

Congratulations to all our Pastors and Coordinators including all leaders, workers and the delegates for being where the Lord wants them to be this weekend. Seeing and hearing them testify of what God has done only prove one thing, that is, God is the same yesterday, today and forever! Great is the Lord and His wonderful acts to His people.

Until next time!!!

Ministry Update: Meeting Days

These upcoming two weeks will filled with meetings with JIL USA and Canada Pastors using the facility of the JIL Prayer House and Retreat Center in Mission, BC. It will be days spent for strategizing and cascading of the direction and goals for 2009-2010 or even beyond. Simply put, a time well spent to fulfill the JIL MVV for USA and Canada.

I am looking forward in meeting the Pastors for a very fruitful time of exchanging ideas, providing inputs and outputs for the common desire of saturating cities for Jesus. I believe that it will be an important meeting to set the tone for the next move towards church-planting and leadership development for these countries. It is a great time to be seeing what will unfold after these meeting days…..Great things are ahead for sure!!!!

Better Things

As the world totter in crisis nowadays, we can only hope for better things in the horizon. Everything that goes down and touches bottom has only one direction but to go up. Have we touched bottom yet? How can it be when we still hear news about companies like GM considering filing for bankruptcy and many others experiencing the squeeze as well in their own businesses? Should we be concern and begin to panic? We can glean from biblical principles to find solace and encouragement in these times of crisis. One of the many popular verses comes from Matthew 6:25-34:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (NIV)

Read it carefully and one will find specific instruction that deals with the daily concerns of life’s basic needs. It has provided simple but workable solutions to what ails humanity at its core, i.e., worry and fear. Jesus described it as unjustified and unnecessary when we reflect carefully on some simple illustrations of care that God has done to other created beings in our planet. We will lose sight of what God has done in the past and what He will do today and tomorrow when we surround fill ourselves with unbelief and doubt. The outlook of better things is hindered by our “little faith.” Thus, we see worst things and hopelessness rather than holding on to God’s promises of better things.

One very clear reminder is to stop worrying about tomorrow when today is already full. Here’s something to consider as written by Reynolds Dodson in Reader's Digest, June, 1992 as the rules for crisis management:

1. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
2. Look first, and then act.
3. When you do act, act aggressively.
4. Seek help.
5. Don't get locked on a detail.
6. No matter how bad things get, be truthful.
7. Look for the silver lining.

The silver lining can never be found on our own ways and means. When we have exhausted all means possible and still nothing happened favoring our way. Then it is time to apply the biblical principle stated above, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” Let it become a proven principle when applied deliberately and consistently in our daily life.

Remember that crises are part of our life and they are here to stay whether we like it or not. However, we have a choice in dealing with them that includes God in the equation or to depend on our own ways and know-how. God guarantees His words and promises with complete success especially when we obey His will completely and faithfully at all times. Otherwise, we will be left with uncertainties without any guarantees but more anxieties. Being anchored in God’s promises might be the best option at this time of crisis, pandemics, political upheavals and many other related events. Trust God more than anything else in his world and you are in a very good hands. If you remember the Sunday school song that says, “He’s got the whole world in His hands” then everything will always be better ahead.

Let’s talk again!