Hit Your Head With This.

Reading the book Messages to Young People by Ellen G. White is like taking a bottle and hitting your head with it. Lots of realizations that could cause you to blink, think at what you're doing and realize that you're making small mistakes. 

Consider the following quotations:

"You will not suffer lovesick sentimentalism to so blind your vision that you cannot discern the high claims that God has upon you as a Christian.--"

in short, being emo is bad.

"Those who love society frequently indulge this trait until it becomes an overruling passion. To dress, to visit places of amusement, to laugh and chat upon subjects altogether lighter than vanity, --this is the object of their lives. They cannot endure to read the Bible and contemplate heavenly things. They are miserable unless there is something to excite. They have not within them the power to be happy; but they depend for happiness upon the company of other youth as thoughtless and reckless as themselves. The powers which might be turned to noble purposes, they give to folly. . . ."

In short, no parties and small time enjoyments, because they do not give you real happiness...

"As disciples of Christ we shall not mingle with the world from a mere love of pleasure, to unite with them in folly. Such associations can result only in harm. We should never give sanction to sin by our words or our deeds, our silence or our presence. Wherever we go, we are to carry Jesus with us, and to reveal to others the preciousness of our Saviour. But those who try to preserve their religion by hiding it within stone walls lose precious opportunities of doing good."

in short, socialize and be friendly but be firm on not crossing the boundaries of your convictions and beliefs.

These are just few quotations from the book. If you wanted to find a straight path to a straight life, this book is a must read.

Water: The Two Whites

October 10, 2010. The famed 10.10.10.

I awoke to the sound of my alarm. It was still dark outside but most of us were already up. I got up with quite a struggle. My body still bore the muscle pains of hiking the other day. It was hard to move my knees and my ankles. They were still tender. However, had I not dipped my body in the Hot springs, I might not be able to move at all. It was still a struggle moving from the bed to the bathroom and back. I had lean onto something, but it would be too embarrassing. Read more.

Air: The Wind Rush

October 8, 2010. Dawn came. I was awake the moment my alarm went off at 4:30 in the morning. People were still singing so I figured my companions might still be struggling from lack of sleep. I plugged my ears again and set my clock at 5:00 AM. By the time the alarm started, I was drowned by the sudden silence.  The singing stopped and the drunken revelers had packed and gone. It was still dark outside though so I went back to snooze.

I was suddenly awakened by someone grabbing my foot. Read more.

Finding Joy part 3

The Real Secret of Happiness.

All our lives we thought that life should be fun. Although it is true that we serve a God who wants us to be happy, fun was never written on the Bible in the context of something that God wants us to have in life. In fact, Pastor David Assherick says that the word fun never occurred in the Bible, but the word joy occurs more than 200 times. This tells a lot about the difference between fun and joy. Read more.

Finding Joy part 2

On reasons to be joyful in Christ.

True happiness could not be found in money, possessions or power. Yet in order to find real joy in one’s life, we need to know why do we need joy. Why do we have to be really happy?

Every Monday evening, our group dug deep into the study of finding Christ. A certain book called “The Steps to Christ” by E.G. White has become our guide throughout our quest with discussion material provided by... Read more.

Salt

1:30 AM. I arrived home after a really blessed Sabbath. A lot of things happened from morning till late night. Sabbath truly is the busiest yet the most blessed day ever. 

The morning greeted me with the old paintbrush. Once again, Joey Velasco (whom I recently discovered died three or four weeks ago) touched the innermost sanctum of my thoughts with his gripping take on the prodigal son. Who would envision that the prodigal son could be an old man? Besides, the Father in the famous parable represented God, isn't it then possible to have an old man come back to his Father? After all his aimless wanderings in the world, and after tasting all the temporal things the world has to offer, he has decided to return to his Father even when he was at the sunset of his life. My eyes were further opened with the testimonies of two former inmates in New Bilibid prison (now active members of the church) who were given an nth chance, and was finally able to return home to their Father.

Afterwards, I was bombarded by the naked truth that though the ideal is to be responsible as a Christian, a lot of people fall short of doing so. A lot of people seem to try to take the fast and easy lane even if it takes them to bend a lot of rules. In the same manner, we should also be responsible Filipinos and not take the easy way out of the country just because the president did everything from increasing the prices of gas to combs. After all, we ourselves should take the lead in the country and not the president. We should live responsibly not just as Christians, but as Filipino Christians. 

The bulk of the hustle and bustle came from the Deaf Ministry. Once more, I could only stand in awe at the Lord for blessing this struggling ministry to be accepted in the world. Not many Christian denominations are fully aware or fully up to the challenge of meeting the needs of the deaf, not to mention the disabled. Likewise, not many Seventh-Day Adventist Churches would be up to the big responsibility of answering the call to minister unto the deaf brethren, even though the Bible tells "Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation,tribe, language and people." - Revelation 14:6

Yet the Deaf Ministry has developed once again as a caring group for people with hearing impaired.They have been constantly developing into an organized ministry, something that we, the hearing members could not even think of doing. New rules were set as we went along, at the same time, the ministry had a shot in leading the Youth Ministries program. It was a stand-out program with the whole congregation participating in the simple songs and lessons that we taught!

The culmination of the day was by far the best. Right now, my mind still could not rest. It has had its refill of information, emotion, and action. It's one thing to enjoy a Sabbath of service, but it is entirely another thing to strike up a balance between serving and being served. 

Though the day had already expired, the mind seemed to be ready for input and that's just what I got. This was just one of the few moments I really appreciate with people in church. They'd be more than willing to listen to your burdens in all aspects of your life and at the same time offer you timely advise or offer you a listening ear. While those advises and topics that we have talked about simmer in my head, some of which could never be uttered out of the circle, one thought really stuck to my mind. While talking at Wendy's tonight, our pastor who was with us told us that as the youth of the church, we have to stand up and have a say in some of the matters regarding the directions of the church. It's the way we should be salts who would season the church with the way that it should go. How ironic that I was holding a bag of salt at that time. 

I'm still holding it right now. It's true. We should be salts. 

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses itssaltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." Matthew 5:13

Let us all continue in our respective ministries and keep all the corners of the church with fresh ideas to improve our spirituality.

TV Appearance for a Price.

Cameras and lots of wiring were the main attractions of Pasay Adventist Church (PAC) from the 17th to the 30th of July.

 

The Central Luzon Conference (CLC) of SDA decided to conduct their More Abundant Life In Jesus Crusade and TV program in cooperation with PAC. What seemed like a simple task of conducting a program became an overwhelming project. Cameras were set up, the sound system was given an upgrade, various wiring and contraptions were set up on the pulpit, and the worst part was that the internet connection was given up for them to upload a live stream of the production. It was all for the production.

As part of the program, PAC was given the charge of arranging the praise team for the program. Since the only praise team available (and the only one at PAC) was the Youth Ministries Praise Team, we were the ones tapped to do it. With the help of some import singers and musicians from MAMC College Church, we were set to learn the songs including the theme song "How Great Is Our God" of Chris Tomlin. We had two weeks of practice with some inconveniences when it came to the musicians. We had trouble getting musicians, but we were able to settle for a guitarist from the neighboring college church.  

The first night was a night of revelations. Television wasn't as glitzy or glamorous as I thought it to be. Rather it was more like a toxic time bound environment where people could easily snap if you just pulled the wrong strings. The deadlines were by the minute and things like professionalism and ethics were either taken very highly or taken for granted by most of the people. 

We were able to sing, although I leave it up to you to judge if we did well. None the less, for the next few nights, I expect to get home later than usual. It's a sacrifice we had to do to serve God in our own little ways. But that wasn't the price I had to pay for my first international TV appearance, it was the virus I couldn't get out (yet) on my notebook. I had the honor of arranging the powerpoint slides for the praise team. Apparently, in my haste to set up the slides, I plugged my USB to a virus infested computer and then to my notebook without scanning. Now, I can feel the presence of this virus whatever it maybe, but I have to let it stay there for now, until I could get time to scan the whole system.

If you're interested to look at what happened from the first night of the crusade until tonight, visit http://www.adventist.ph

Transition

“Daily, we redeem ourselves in unspoken rituals of renewal. Daily, we get up and go to work in the construction business of building and repairing and remodeling a life.” – Robert Fulghum, From Beginning to End.

I admit it is a nice concept. Daily, we do experience changes – renewals in our lives. We face challenges, problems, obstacles, tests, call it what you may. The concept is the same. We experience things that cause us to struggle and eventually surpass the struggle and emerge a new person. A purifying fiery trial... Read more.

Deaf Ministry Church Visitation and Outing

May 29, 2010. Lead the Sabbath School Feature and Divine Service Program at Baclaran Church. Also instructed the members about sign language.

May 29-30, 2010, Marina Resort, Laiya, San Juan, Batangas.
Members of the Deaf Ministry's first R and R.

Deacon's Retreat

Last stop of the 3 weekend get away. Bolinao, Pangasinan. Nice beach, nice people. Great scenes, great events. A conglomeration of generations. The nips activity was great. The social night was wild.

End result, we learned a lot from and about each other.

Mount Tarak Adventure

March 26-28, 2010. The Youth Ministries Department went on a hiking expedition to Mt. Tarak, Mariveles, Bataan. The mountain is 1288 feet below sea level. From its peak, you could see the island of Corregidor and the town of Mariveles.

This time, my knees didn't give in unlike last time, but my head did. It was a blast, but my untimely head ache due to something not modest to mention, ruined it all.

Up there and beyond

This post is way over due. This was written a month before on my notebook. I recently had the chance to post this.

Sweat dribbled down my cheek. My heart thumped hard as if a herd of elephants were stampeding inside. My legs shook and trembled in exhaustion. I was on the verge of whiting out. Yet, it was my best Sabbath ever.

We tried to climb Mt. Pico de Loro, one of the mountains that border the countryside of Cavite and Batangas. Recently, I learned that it is the highest peak in Cavite.

"It is bounded by the island of Corregidor and the Caraballo Mountains in the north, Nasugbu, Batangas in the south, Maragondon on the east and the South China Sea on the west. With the height of 664 meters above sea level, it is considered the highest mountain in the generally flat Cavite province." - http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/3712/gpicodeloro.html

We started our trip with a night trek on a Friday night to the first base camp where we were going to spend the night. The trip to the first base camp took almost two hours. At the starting point, I was already giddy with excitement. It was as if I never came from work the day before. Although, I actually wondered how and when we'd get to the base camp, it was sort of a wake up call for my legs that more efforts like this one was required tomorrow. It was exhausting to climb blindly with only your head lamp to guide you, but it was actually a bonus since you won't feel the pressure of reaching any point. At times, we had to test our balance with the slippery rock ledges and crevices. I was actually in high spirits. After two years, I was back to conquer another mountain.

We reached the base camp at around 1AM. We immediately set up camp. This was another first since the last time I went up a mountain, I didn't have my own tent, but this time, my brother and I called the shots. We had our own tent and sleeping bags. My body was sore, but I still found the time to write and eat with Kuya Jez and Kuya Zyrus. I savored my first cook out in the mountains. It was amazing to see that small burner so much wonders.

The food lasted for so long and as I tried to hit the sleeping bags, I listened to this new sound in the air. The sound of silence was new to me. It was alien to the city of shouting neighbors and honking vehicles. I indulged in the silence. It was a sensory diet I was more than willing to partake. Later on, I heard the sounds of the forest night. Those insects that wouldn't stop chirrupping and the norcturnal birds that flapped their wings were the new music to my ears. All these, I probably heard from a mile away. In these kinds of conditions, the silence made my hearing, though moderately impaired, at its sharpest.

We greeted the Sabbath morning with jubilaton. At least I did. I don't know about the others, but I was crazily dashing to and fro the camp. I left the chores of breakfast to my groupmates. They were, after all, the experts in these kinds of trip. I was like a toddler full of energy running around the camp, inspecting each group as they prepared their breakfasts and tasting their curious concoctions. I was elated when our breakfast was served. It was Kung-Pao Jungle Jezreel Edition. Who would have thought that you could mix up such a meal in the heard of the jungle?

We broke camp immediately after breakfast. The initial plan was to leave after lunch and head to the falls, but as morning came, we saw other groups heading towards the falls. Our guides predicted that if we stick to our plans, we'd have no space to set up camp at the summit that evening. So our guides decided to head straight to the summit camp and decide to go to the falls tomorrow morning. Although somewhat disappointed, this proved to be a very wise move later on.

The road was long and winding. The trail was as clear as day. It was as dry and rocky. Trudging through that trail proved to be easy but tiring. We reached a small clearing with a sign that says Alibangbang Park. We rested a while. I thought we were near, but to my surprise, the guides told us that the climb was just beginning and here I was already sweating like a pig.

10 meters of great walking later, we were led towards an upward trail. This one proved to be harder than the previous trails but the most interesting so far. The vegetation was filled with lush trees and ferns. It was damp all around and getting some sticky goo into your hands seemed likely. Various fungi and lichens were abundant. Rocks jutted like crazy all the way to the top. Once or twice we had to step higher than usual. What comforted me was that there were no 90 degree climbs.

So there I was full of sweat and on the brink of exhaustion. My clothes, including my vest, could have filled a bucket of sweat. My legs were shaking and refusing to move anymore. My knees protested the most. It simply wouldn't budge anymore. It seemed to ignore any commands from my brain. It was as if cemented and weighed down by tons of steel chains. Stars were almost the only thing I could see.

Eventually, I had to remove my shirt and my vest so as to climb lighter and breathe easier. I may be lighter then, but it still seemed less easier. I was still struggling. I thought of the countless hours I should have given to prepare for this hike but it was all useless. So I just shrugged off all the should haves and what ifs and trudged on, stopping occasionally to rest my trembling legs.

Fortunately, I was nowhere near fainting. I was just tired. I tried to walk on my own pace together with others from our pack. The energized ones were already further up. Our sweepers were far behind us so there was no worries of getting lost or getting left behind. At a junction near the top, we eventually caught up with the others. Apparently, they too were exhausted. They took the wrong turn and tried to climb a steeper trail but failed. They waited for the sweepers for directions so we were able to catch up to them.

I actually thought this was the end of the hike. The vegetation has changed from the damp ferns and fungi to large trees and bamboos. The moss and the fungi were still there but it was obviously a different variety. There were fallen trees everywhere, most of which were extremely slippery. Trails leading down were covered with leaves making it a dangerous mud and moss slide. When the guides reached us, they were able to point the right way. We had to go somewhat downward and around to get to the camp.

At that point I thought I was done for. I was so bemused with thinking that I might have gone past my limit when I realized that I was all alone. Panic suddenly charged me up to move faster. I tried to jump over the slippery trees and purposely slide down the leaf infested slopes. I finally made it at the rear of our pack. I was a few paces from them at least. I noticed that the trees were gone and we were walking through a bamboo forest. The path this time became easier. It still lead upward but it was less rocky and less slippery. Never the less I was still on the verge of collapse.

Just when I was about to put down my bag to rest, I noticed that the trail lead to a bright clearing. I braced my self for a final lunge. There I noticed the bright blue sky. Yes, the clear blue sky and something else: Mount Pico De Loro Summit.
We reached it at around 2:45 in the afternoon. The camp site was clear of people. We were the first ones there. It was cloudy and fair. I shouted and wailed my heart out. I was happy to reach the top. I actually felt that I was on top of the world. We set up camp and had a short sundown worship afterward. This was the best sabbath ever! 
Right now, I'm waiting for the next hike. I hope I'd get my self ready by then.

Dizzy Wizzy

This is the second time in two weeks.

I was utterly confused for two straight Sabbaths.

I was confounded by the silence and knocked over by the excessive visual stimuli. Ever since this ministry started I was really dazed.

Who else to blame but me? I was so eager to put up this ministry together that I had no choice but to bear with it for a while. This is only temporary I guess. I would just have to bear with it until I get used to it and increase my vocabulary.

OK, so I'm telling a story as if I'm already wrapping it up. But that's simply how I feel whenever I try to look at the deaf ministry as they were having a Bible study. Last sabbath, my friend, Myrtle and I dozed off out of confusion. It was too much given our limited knowledge of sign language. I could personally recognize some of the gestures. By some, I meant like less than 10 signs. Myrtle knows 10 more than I do. But it was not enough. And to think that they were discussing about the creation!

But that's alright. Most of them are not Christians yet so it was a very welcome notion to teach them more about the Bible. I wouldn't mind getting dizzy so much as long as it is for others to learn more about the person I love the most: God.

Dizzyness and confusion aside, I really enjoyed looking at those people. They were so amazing to look at. I just pray that this ministry will go on and would continue to grow. I have a vision for this group and I pray to God that things will go His way.

Making Lives Count For Something

Two boys rushed passed me towards the vacant lot where we were setting up some chairs. They kept on running around. Later on, they were siting on the chairs we have prepared while still pulling pranks at each other. One would stand and pretend to fall down on the floor and pretend that it had been the other child's fault. Of course, a scuffle would start and they would fight until someone intervenes or one of them starts to cry.

Had they been patients in our clinic under my watch, I would have chased them around. Yet they weren't. In fact, they were miscreants from one of the yet to be demolished slums in Manila. Most of them were filthy and smelled of sweat, dirt, and something else. One even had something on his hair that I dare not identify not even where he had been playing before coming here.

Had it been someone else, say some wise-ass-social climbing maniac, they would definitely faint or even run away either from the stench or from the unruly kids. I had been used to that since childhood. I had some classmates from prep school before and had the experience of talking to them since high school and college. So their smell or even their looks would be normal to me. Besides, I saw no difference between them and the kids that I handle in private clinics. They both had great need to be understood.

That was why I was there together with the members from our Wednesday small group. There were seven of us that day. Two guys, including me, and the rest were women. We brought the kids snacks, some activities, and a bunch of chairs for them to sit on. We were armed with only our voices, our hearts and our prayers. It was a ministry we took over from a hard working couple who roam around the vicinity of Pasay-Manila and spread God's love to these kids. It is what we called a Branch Sabbath School.

If there was one word to describe this kids, it was chaos. We tried to break up fights, force them to stand and even try to get them to sit down. My friends tried everything, even bribing them with gifts and prizes, but they seem to have understood that everyone get food afterward anyway. So their ramblings and fighting ensued.

That was how we started the program. Some of them refusing to stand up, some of them fighting amongst each other, some were crying. It was utter chaos. No one could pacify these bunch of rowdy kids. We even thought of leaving, but that would mean admitting defeat. So we went ahead with the program.

What struck me most was not their ramblings, it was their silence. We finally made them to silence even for just a few precious minutes. And I would believe that it was not really me. Although I was the one who stood in front of them at that time, I believe it was the story that hushed up their mouths. The story was a Gospel classic: Jesus feeding the multitude.

I saw their faces hungry for the word of God. Not one kid spoke a word. Not one tried to run away or play around. All eyes were on me as I told them the story. All of them were in complete attention. Their eyes were bright with wonder as the story progressed. For a moment there I felt that relating that simple story to them made my life count for something.

Just the morning before that, I heard our elder preach that to make your life more meaningful, count your days. Maybe this is what counting your days mean. Counting your days working for the most High and seeing the precious faces of young souls famished for a story or even a comforting word from God. It is seeing how truly blessed we can all be who can afford the Bibles, and the Devotional Books to be inspired and look at life a tad more differently than these kids who would have to wait for someone to tell them about the good news from God.

It is their need, unruly and carefree as they are, and it is our duty to teach them. We who are able bodied, and can read, we who may be out of jobs but can see through the God behind all misfortunes, we are all accountable in God's sight.

So if you seem to find your life meaningless and short, just try to see to the spiritual needs of these children, something they would forget the world around them for.

More on making lives count visit:
http://manacled.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/numbering-our-days/

Hard Hearts and Dry Bones

“I really don’t want to talk about faith or God!” A friend once responded when our conversation drew near the topic. “Whenever that’s the topic there seems to be no argument,” He continued.

True enough, we often meet people with the same view as my friend. Most of them would rather talk about the weather, the up coming sale or what’s new on television than who is God and what His purpose in our life is. They would readily avoid things that they know would lead them to a realization that would give them a 180 degree turn back to our Creator. These would lead us to a question: why?

I am not a psychologist or a sociologist to give a general fact, but in the case of my friend, I can clearly see that it is merely the fear of seeing the error of his chosen path that keeps him from knowing God. It is refusing to accept what God really wanted for his life and instead, enjoy the pleasures that HE KNOWS is something unacceptable to the Creator. Thus, his tendency is to avoid anything that would lead him to discover how much he was missing with God by asking skeptical questions or ignoring the topic completely.

Yet for all we know, people like my friend have all the potential to be a great leader in church. Some would have the talent that would help move mountains in the ministry. Yes, they sometimes seem better than us. So what do we do we do about it?

An error that I have learned in dealing with that friend of mine is not to force any Christian fact. It is like forcing your head on an untrained lion’s mouth. He’ll bite back in anger. Another one is to ask questions that would dig deep into his core beliefs as he would tend to hide in his shell. So what would be a better way?

EZEKIEL’S WAY

An Adventist Review Online article called “Dry Bones and Living Souls” seeks to answer such questions by allowing us to look back at the time of Ezekiel.

During Ezekiel’s time, Israel had been under captivity. Most of them have become hopeless to the point of losing faith on and being skeptical with God. It was then that God took Ezekiel on a valley of dry bones. (verse can be found in Ezekiel 37: 1-10)

No questions asked, the bones pertain to death and decay – “dead men walking—alive, but spiritually dead; awake, yet in carnal slumber” as blatantly mentioned in the article.

1. Trust God
What really makes you wonder is the Ezekiel’s view on the matter. While completely surrounded by dry bones, God asked him if the bones would live. Without a single doubt, the prophet replied “O Lord God, thou knowest.”

Ezekiel had nothing to say with the matter. It was like seeing him holding up both hands saying “God it’s you’re call not mine! You’re the mighty one not me!” Dry bones or not, we must keep in mind that it is God who can touch hearts and turn heads, not us. We must refrain from that “shortsighted humanity” wherein we close the doors on people once they rejected God. We must trust God to know what we would say or do. Remember, we don’t call the shots, we’re just the guns.

2. “Prophesy upon these bones”
Ezekiel was then asked by God to prophesy upon the bones. God gave him the exact words. Lo and behold, life came into the bones.

After trusting God to know what would happen, respond to His bidding. Don’t give up on talking to the person. Ask God what to say. He’ll tell you what to say or how to prophesy.

Again, we are the tools. We are the disciples. God directs. So the whole process is God’s call. Just imagine the scene after Ezekiel prophesied. So many things happened in the process. A loud noise and shaking, bones came together, sinews and flesh came, and lastly, skin covered the structure. It was a process that God willed to form after Ezekiel followed the command.

The same would happen to us, God would direct the words and would tell you when to stop. Afterwards, you just wait and you will be surprised with what will happen to the bones.

3. “Prophesy unto the wind”
So the bones came together and became flesh. But imagine the prophet’s surprise when he discovers that the flesh was not moving. God then tells him to “prophesy unto the wind”

Adventist Review Online article clearly identifies the wind as the Holy Spirit. It also goes further to point out that all evangelistic efforts would be futile had the converting power of the Holy Spirit been forgotten. True enough, nothing would come out of any work of God without the Holy Spirit to guide us and to touch the people we invite to God. The Holy Spirit is an essential ingredient in the mix to make any dry bones come to life.

Following Ezekiel’s response to God could no doubt be effective in convincing people to go back to God. The results were clearly staggering. At the end, a whole army was standing in front of Ezekiel ready to do battle.

I could not wait to try such approach to my friend. If God could make dry bones into an army during Ezekiel’s time, why not on ours?

SDA Youth Moments: First Prayers

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Philippians 4:13

I was invited by my friend to speak at their academy vesper worship. I was a little hesitant but God’s call prevailed. So I agreed to speak and prayed to God that somehow my message would be an inspiration to those students most of whom were not Seventh-day Adventists.

However, I am not writing about how God strengthened me to speak to these young people. Instead, I was fully impressed to write about how some of the participants that night acted. They were very jittery and anxious to get their parts done and bolt away afterwards. One funny thing is that they reminded me of someone I know.

In our church, the Juniors Sabbath School Class (aged 10-12) had its own Divine Worship to prepare them for service at the main church.

One Sabbath, that person was chosen by his father, who served as their adviser and guide, to offer the pastoral prayer during the Divine Worship service. He was very apprehensive. First he was not a student at the Academy and was only there for the Sabbath. Second, he was not prepared in praying for a crowd and in a gathering such as these. But with his father’s insistence, he went on to serve even when cold sweat was already dripping down his back.

He collected his thoughts and tried to plan his prayer carefully. He even tried to ask if he could just read his prayer but his request was denied. So he had to go impromptu.

 At the pulpit, he was very anxious to get his part done and go back home. But the worst came, nothing came out of his mouth. He didn’t know what to say. He paused for so long while banging his knees on the floor. The thought of banging his head and throwing away the microphone also occurred to him.

He thought how foolish he looked especially with people his age. At the end of the service, he wanted to quickly get away from this crowd and go back home where no one would even know what he did.

But what happened during that embarrassing Sabbath led him to seek God’s help and try to remove his stage fright. It took several years but later on, he became very much involved in God’s work that he can’t even count how many times he had been on that pulpit. 

So imagine how much God would strengthen you whenever you feel inadequate and unprepared for His work. It just starts with as simple prayer – even a very embarrassing one.

I hope you’ve guessed who this person is, because I am not dropping names.