Loakan Baptist Church Christmas Cantata

Here's a special number before the Message by the Christians Committed to Christ (C3) Voices....




Pasensya di na namin na-include yung message.....
Here is the Cantata proper.... just have a copy of the songs, partially the narration and monologues....

























Sorry but as told by my brother, the Finale or last video is "bitin" or cut-off due to battery low of our cam... so sorry... will try to look for a complete video though.... =) Have a blessed day or night watching it! =)

UHM??? ok here is a video of the last song in a different angle. Video from.... uhmmm? ehehehe! Someone I don't personally know (pasensya na ha.... pero sana ok lang hihihiihi! na i-post ko dito... =)...)

ay.... cannot embed the video.. but here is the link in facebook anyway.... wenks!
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1609232639156&ref=notif¬if_t=video_tag

My First Visit to Daclan

December 5, 2010. I went with my father to check the place of Daclan. It was my father’s appointment or schedule to go there every 1st Sunday of the month to preach and teach the Word of God. For months, having heard about the place and knowing that the Loakan Baptist Church adopted the mission point in Daclan, I wanted to visit Daclan myself. And so was done on that Sunday, and probably wouldn’t be the last, as I’ve also committed to be helping my father in His ministry beginning year 2011.

Further than that, my father is also ministering and sharing God’s Word in Apalan, where his previous fruits of his ministry are now gathering, fellow brethren who also needs much encouragement and discipling. They too came along going to Daclan... Manang Bec jokingly says “the traveling church!” Hehe!

(Video shows the number of people coming along with my father to Daclan. Approximately 21 people rode a 13-seater van. )



Having seen the place, and the people, I saw much disappointment at the same time encouragement on the faces of those that were there. Further than that, I saw much struggle amongst themselves, for they were fewer than us who went with my father. Just a few families came, which made me sad. For so long years I have been in an atmosphere of much people, too much to even know them one by one or know their names even, but here I find so few inside a partially built chapel for worship and as a church building. But one of them surely was grateful we came, shaking my hand and saying it was good we came to visit. It’s a heart-breaking and heart-warming feeling and surely I’ve seen so much need. I just hope in time they would also grow spiritually and numerically in God’s own time.

As of now, different workers of the Lord, go there to preach and share the gospel every Sunday. But on weekdays? Nobody comes. Truly the harvest is plenteous but the laborers are few.

My father taught at that day for the Sunday School speaking in the Ibaloi dialect as it is the most common language in that place. It was quite hard for me to cope up with it since I wasn’t trained much on the Ibaloi dialect even though I am an Ibaloi by blood. But still I have learned and reminded much from what my father shared.

One of his topics was about the true and genuine Christian and the Counterfeit Christian. Truly a lot of us these days proclaim that they are Christians, but only in words, never in the real essence of it. They act like a Christian, but they don’t really know the Lord Jesus Christ. Their relationship with the Living God is actually still cut-off and never was re-"bound" (if you know what I mean). My father’s reference about the matter is Matthew chapter 7. It also reminded me of a preaching I viewed from Youtube by Paul Washer talking and questioning “Who are the genuine Christians among those professing Christians of America?” And, truly our nation is not far from it. Many claim they are Christians, but the real truth of it, they are not. Jesus Himself knew this and can be read His words in Matthew chapter 7.



At the time of judgement, many will say to Christ.. “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” but Christ will soon say “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Truly there is a big difference from simply knowing the Lord Jesus Christ from the Lord Jesus Christ knowing us. May this be a reminder of who is our Lord and who is our Savior? Is it our possessions? Is it our positions? Our career? Our money? Even Our family? Nay, but let Christ be our Lord and Master of all! Our Savior and our God!

(video shows a partial view of the place and the building. The church building is built in Kulong Daclan and somewhere school is also nearby.)


(video shows our food to partake.)


(video also shows a house visitation we had in the afternoon. Visiting the sick and as I've heard a previous attendee at Coblan.)



With all these, my hopes are that we Christians be reminded of why we’re still here on earth, that is to live for Him who died for us, Jesus the Christ.

AWANA KICK-OFF

Last June 27, 2010, the AWANA SY 2010 – 2011 started. It was a start of a new club year for the AWANA Ministry. New Commander in the person of Bro. Lyndon Zabala, and new club directors in the person of: Girlie Grace Balagot, handling the Sparks Club; Dennis Valles, handling the Flame Club; And, Gideon Pay-an, handling the Torch Club. Each club handles and teaches kids according to their level in Elementary School: the Sparks handle Grade 2 and below clubbers; the Flames handle Grade 3 and 4; Whereas, Torch handles Grade 5 and 6 as well as high-schoolers who want to join the AWANA Clubs.
The current school year started with 74 clubbers and currently has an average of 50 clubbers attending the AWANA Clubs every Sunday, 2:00 in the afternoon. And, also have 29 leaders helping, teaching and leading little kids to know Jesus Christ and training them to serve Him. This is the aim of AWANA Clubs, that is to teach and train them according to the principles of God’s Word, based from its theme verse, 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, A Workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” AWANA as it stands Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed.
The AWANA Kick-off was the introduction and a special day for clubbers and the leaders prepared a period of games for them. A time to have fun and a time of laughter! It was also a time to introduce the leaders to the clubbers as well as the clubbers to their leaders. The activity done was a simultaneous game event from which clubbers are free to choose from, which game they would prefer. To describe it more, it was more like a fun fair, although there were no clowns or such. Some games were physical like shooting the ball, playing touch the body, bring me, etc. Other games, were Mind games like, unscrambling scrambled words, memorizing verses, answering questions and the like. And some were easy games mostly preferred by little kids, that is modified bowling and others. With all those games it was probably enough to motivate them to come back for next AWANA meeting.
But as the ministry of AWANA started, so are the battles and the challenges for the leaders. It is a challenge indeed seeing very young leaders handling young clubbers. For as the leaders know, the key for the success of the AWANA ministry, are they themselves, the leaders. For they are the main teachers, leaders and trainers of these young kids in knowing and following after our Mighty King, the Lord Jesus Christ. Every leader is accountable to every clubber they handle. Every soul of each kid is on their hands. Therefore, great is the responsibility and accountability of these new leaders towards these kids who will soon become leaders of the next generation.
And probably a good question these leaders should ask themselves is “Where will their kids be after they are gone?” Evangelism and Discipleship are very important in our Christian lives and it is best done when we are young, easy to mold and to be trained. “As the twig is bent is how the tree will grow. As the mind is planted, is how the heart will know.” May God continually help these leaders as they lead the kids to and for Christ!

Choir Team Building activity =)

“The Rat Race”

A few weeks ago, I’ve been searching for a book to be used for cell group discussion amongst our Young Professionals’ Fellowship. I couldn’t find the books I previously searched through the net and somehow came across this book: “The Man in the Mirror” by Patrick M. Morley. I kind’a thought “This is a good book for me”. A good read somehow… and, so I bought it, having found nothing else to buy from the Christian bookstore.

As I read it, the first chapter talks about this “Rat Race”, which the author relates it to the “American Dream” yet never attained. From this point on, I knew that the target readers of this book were Christian Americans who are engrossed and perhaps trapped in pursuing this so called “The American Dream.” Although it may have targeted Americans, still I have interest in reading it. And so I did!

The author defined “Rat Race” as pursuing the beautiful wrinkled-free life. To far more describe it in detail (from my own understanding), it is about one’s desire to acquire a life with beautiful house, excellent & luxurious car, with time to relax with family and friends and simply enjoy, having fun and etc. I thought to myself and ask “Is this the kind of life Filipinos dream too?” Probably! But maybe that’s just my opinion. The Filipino majority, I believe, are the poor ones and there are even poorer than the poor. Putting myself in their situation, I see that their goal might be, is to survive this wretched and corrupted system of ours and survive by earning and even sacrificing much for the sake of providing for their needs. And to add to it, even we Christians are somewhat caught in this kind of situation.

As I failed to make some survey of my own, perhaps asking my fellow young professionals would suffice and confirm my thoughts and ideas about this so called “the rat race” (in the Filipino concept). And somehow it was almost the same in my thought when asked “What is the Filipino’s dream today?” One of the things I’m sure would hit our thought is “Abroad!” Going away or running away from the Philippines. Of course with the idea that your family is also with you and finding a better place to stay or “a greener pasture” as they say. And before one could do that, sacrifices had to be made. One has to venture and explore the uncertainties and the risks, rather than to choose to stay in this corrupted nation.

Seeing the lives of other people, I think some are successful and some failed. And a sad truth, one has to gamble a great deal of money to take the risk of earning huge of amount of money. And of course when money is in the middle of it, corruption and deception follows it luring the innocent and the unknowing victims of its true intention.

Another sad thing, most often we Filipinos are caught up and almost have a habit of what we call loan (utang – Filipino term). I can’t understand how this practice have come from, for I believe this kind of practice is never a Christian habit or life-style.

Romans 13:8 “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law”

But going back to the book…. And I think, Filipinos and even we Christians being caught in the idea of pursing a goal which is to attain this greener pasture-kind of life is our “the rat race”. I’m not saying that being in this “rat race” is wrong, but it’s just that because of this, we forget our real goal. We forget sometimes what is more valuable than not. And most often, we forget that we have a Great God. And, that I must admit, I too am caught in this problem.

Hebrews 12:1-3 – Talks about our race, the Christian race, which definitely points us to a different direction.

And,

Galatians 5:7 - Reminds and asks us Christians “What has detracted us into running our good race?”

“But what can we do? It seems there is no way from getting out of the rat race?” I somehow asked. Personally? I too am hard up thinking about these things for there are many factors that affect our situation.

The book talked about some factors that have weaved this “American Dream” concept. One is, Media. The media has become a strong medium of, maybe brainwashing or deceiving people to believe in a product and making it become as if “a need” rather than just a want. With the power of technology, media has become more influential than ever. And, perhaps created a new breed of generation, if I may say, a materialistic generation. It’s astonishing how the television works and affects people. Sometimes I observe my sisters and perhaps I myself caught in watching TV programs. Just after watching one episode, generate a desire to watch the next one, same with games and other media and/or entertainment-related activities. It definitely creates such an addiction that is hard to say no to it. A problem which may cause us to decide poorly and unwise on certain decisions which will in effect may lead us to bigger problems. And I think that is the problem. We are caught up with small things and think it’s just a small problem when in fact, when neglected becomes a big problem.

That is just one factor. And it’s certainly a sad note.

1 Corinthians 6:12 "'Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything.

This verse gives a practical principle we Christians should put into practice. Watching TV is not evil nor is a problem. But it actually gives no benefit for us. Probably to simply entertain, but entertainment is never a need. If you think we need it to relax and have a little laughter, don’t you think you could do that in a much better activity like being with your family or your friends? Think about it. What is more likely enjoyable and much more meaningful, a time with your TV or your family and friends? And, the principle that one must not be mastered or controlled by it is one thing we Christians should really have. At this point, I have certainly learned to say no to TV. But if idle time comes, it definitely knocks on my door a lot.

One of the factors that I’m currently on struggle right now is money. For some reason, I couldn’t help but be caught up in the pursuit of more money. Of course, due to the need of money-generated problem (e.g. bills, allowances, food, needful items & appliances, etc.). And seeing others, it seems they too have the same problems, which makes me at times ask God and most often doubt Him as my Provider. Of course, by doing so, I sin against Him. And so I ask God’s forgiveness as well as for Understanding. And the Truth? I think the problem is in how we define our needs. I sometimes ask, “I wonder if I were alone living in a simple house. What would it be like? What will be my needs?” Sometimes or most often we have a problem managing or becoming a good steward on what God has given us. And as one preacher recently preached: “Sometimes we think we own these things. When actually it is God’s[re-phrased].” We need to learn and remind ourselves that we are just stewards of God’s creation and God’s gift. And we are held accountable in what God has given us.

I may never give comfort and share all the insights here. But certainly, we can’t go on in our lives as Christians and become miserable just by looking at and pursuing a goal other than Christ.

Matthew 7:14 “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”