Today the church is celebrating Thanksgiving Sunday but unlike the norms it wasn’t celebrated inside the church. A voting for the venue was done the previous Sunday which I wasn’t able to witness because I went to the church a bit late; I only knew that Thanksgiving Sunday will be celebrated in one of the popular beach resort in town when Pastor E mentioned it during announcement period.

I felt uncomfortable with the venue and I found it unpleasing, the church was built within a purpose and a beach resort was built within a purpose too, it is for fun, relaxation and to cater gatherings like birthdays, weddings, alumni and etc.  With this, I decided not to attend the Thanksgiving celebration and just went to church to read the bible and pray on my own.

It was quite sad that most churches were open and full during Sunday but the church beside us was closed because the members decided to full a resort instead.  Maybe, if it was not Sunday I may be able to go the resort and celebrate with them but it is Sunday and I found it improper to attend a service outside of the church when the church was quite large to cater a lot of people and guests.

[Photo courtesy of ddouk/pixabay.com]

Well, it would be better if the Thanksgiving service was done inside the church and the reception for the Thanksgiving Day was done in the resort rather than leaving the church empty on Sunday. It was quite disappointing that it seems most of the church goers (over here) already forget the purpose of the church, the effect of worldly influence to them is quite scary.  Who’s on their straight mind abandon a church during Sunday?

Well, some people forget too to respect the holy place and it seems going to the church is just becoming their habit.  Who the heck cut their fingernails inside the church when a Pastor is preaching in the pulpit? Shocking isn’t it? But that’s the weirdest I’ve seen inside the church, weirder than someone combing their hair or playing games on their phone during Sunday service.

Anyway, I am not saying I am a perfect Christian because nobody is perfect but my views and opinion doesn’t correlate with was just voted and decided by many.

It was been a long time since I blogged about Sunday, I have been procrastinated on doing so. I have planned to just write a late post but my mind was too busy and can’t focus.

How are you going to describe your heart today?  That’s the question asked by Pastor E to everyone and I could write a long sentence to describe mine but I’ll just skip that.  The scriptural verse for this Sunday was from Luke 17: 11-19 with the scriptural topic of “The Beat of a Thankful heart”.

Pastor E shared  that the thankful heart beats for those who are without.  We see hurting people all around us and yet we are paralyzed to help because our hearts are telling us:

[Photo courtesy of greatergood.berkeley.edu]

• “Why bother…nobody will change”.
• “It’s too risky…you might fail or get hurt.”
• “Someone else can a better effort at helping than I can.”

Secondly, the thankful heart beats with a faith that things can change no matter what the circumstances. As Paul  said on Philippians 4:6-7 ~

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

It is with a heart of thanksgiving that we are to pray and let God know our needs. When we pray, God can do two things:

1. Change our circumstance
2. Give us His peace in our circumstance

Thirdly, The thankful heart beats for the Giver…not just the gift and lastly the thankful heart beats with thanksgiving and more is given.

When it rains, it pours. This saying isn’t new, lot of things happens within the clan in a week, it wasn’t that long when my blood rise to the roof and then one of my older aunt had a high blood attack just a week ago, she almost didn’t make it if she didn’t crawled to their porch to call for help. The first relatives who help says my aunt was already icy cold and her blood pressure is soaring to the roof that cause her headache and tremendous vomiting. When I went to their house, she was not in good shape anymore she looked very helpless and very sick, they were getting ready bringing her to the hospital after long deliberation with my aunt. It turns out she doesn’t want to be brought in the hospital and just cried silently but since she is too weak she was rushed to the hospital right away where she was confined for a few days.

Not long after, another aunt had a high blood attack I have heard of it after my cousin’s wife bought an ice pack, I went to my aunt house which is just beside us, she is lying on their sofa chair with leaves on her temples. I have ask what happened then a cousin informed that our aunt had a high blood attack and there isn’t medicine for first aid, upon knowing what medicine they need I immediately went home, there are some aspirin in our home, they were one of my mother’s maintenance medicine but since she developed rashes while taking them she stopped taking those medicines.

[Photo courtesy of unsplash.com/pexels.com]

A younger cousin is set to wed in a few a months but it looks there is a chance it won’t take place because of unforeseen issues that will affect a lifetime.

Anyway, today a very sad news came. A younger pregnant cousin who married a few months ago had an ultrasound done in town and they have found out the baby in her belly has no heartbeat anymore… I don’t know much details since it just happened a little while this afternoon but as what I have heard she will be brought to the hospital before we went to town to shop.

Well, while I am creating this blog post I am hearing some yelling and glasses being thrown and broken into pieces, it looks like a neighboring couple was having a couple fight… ahm dunno…

It is time of the year where farmers have to harvest their crops, most crops around the neighborhood were harvested and threshed this week,  it was my family’s term in the small rice field my grandmother owns or maybe it is more appropriate to say tenanting.  My family’s term take place every three years since an irrigation was made to help farmers plant their crops.

My father was at work when a cousin came by into our house asking for sacks, it turns out my father’s crops will be harvested today after the group of people done harvesting my cousin family’s crops, instead of the next day like it was planned. My sister was just scheduled to buy the sacks today, so we immediately texted her to bring the sacks to our father and asked him to go home and work only half day. We are caught by surprised because we are not told the change of schedule, we just found that the rice stalks were already cut and collected when we look in the field.

Well, my father went home with the sacks but he has to return to work since he has to work to do and can’t be continued the next day. He asked a female older cousin who is already in the field (with her husband and father) looking after their own crops to hold the sacks for the harvester and look after the sacks of grains, she can do it because she is accustomed with the field work and the harvesters, my father can’t asked me since he knew I can’t do it without scratching all over and I have anti-social issue eh, I went to the field to bring the plastic ties for the sacks and went back again after the workers asked for cold water, I brought a pitcher and set of bread with the help of my mother but since she can’t go to the field with her condition she remain in the street. I wasn’t happy doing those things because the weather isn’t good, it was scorching hot and the field isn’t friendly.  Yes, I have complained since I believed it should be my father doing this, he should be the one looking at the harvester and the grains since he knew how the entire process worked.

Anyway, to cut the story short we yield thirteen sacks of rice grains but only get eleven and half after the harvester took their share, only half of the field was harvested because the other half was still unripe, the unripe part was eaten by worms previously and since the rice stalks have to regrow they are not able to grow at the same rate on the uneaten part of the field.  We have to pay for the harvester to carry the sacks of grains home and  my cousin who look after them.

When my father came home I have told him that next time (harvest time) he must not go to work so he can look after the harvester because I can’t do it since it is a man’s job and I have not accustomed with field work since it was only this late we started planting crops and I am too weak to do it because of the pain in my chest, yeah we do field work in school but it was just an hour or two. As expected I developed itchy rashes on my legs, they were too itchy that I can’t stop scratching until it bleeds but what is pain in the ass was  I got a muscle cramps on my right arm that I can’t carry things or move my arm freely without agonizing in pain, dunno if it is from my chest issue or I twitched a muscle since it was a bit swollen when I wake up in the morning.

Anyway, the grains we yielded will be a great help to my family. We will not be buying rice for time being which is good because my sister will be jobless again, her work will end this October because the girlfriend of the owner’s brother will work in the water station so the couple could save money for their wedding next year.

There was a different Pastor today at church since Pastor E was assigned out of town, Pastor J talks about the things you are willing to trade for something else from the book of 1 Peter 5:8-11. She said if we are experiencing good life and doesn’t experience problems we should be already nervous what path are we already walking. Maybe we are already walking a path to Satan’s lair, Pastor J set Job as example how he was tempted by Satan and how he remained faithful to God.

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Pastor J shared some insights or ways to know if we are already trap by the enemy, first she said we are trapped when the things we want were given without struggle because it is true that when a person life is well he forgot God. He encouraged every one to be vigilant, to focus and be observant and secondly to meditate God’s words.  A life without trial is an enemy’s way to trap you.

Today is the continuation of Pastor E’s teaching about the home, his topic is about the “Framework of the Home” from the book of Ephesians 5: 22-23 and Ephesians 6:1-4.

[Photo courtesy of worldthatlacksgod.blogspot.com]

Pastor E talk about the husband and wife on the first part of his message even thought I don’t want my tears flow instantly. He says the women sacrifice just to be with their husband, they left their family so they could with their husband and all men has the accountability to love and cherish them so they could flourish, he encourage the men to be the man of identity, be a leader but not a dictator,  be a man of integrity.

Pastor E asked the men congregation how do they treat their wife. Do they treat them unjustly or humiliate them in front of other people? As it says, humiliating your wife doesn’t do a you any good because your wife reflects you.  It is true that most wife are abused inside the home because they are weak, have lesser value compare to their husband. Pastor E says the wives are the women who took courage and struggled to form a complete home and it doesn’t mean they have to go down.

The second part of his preaching is for children to honor their parents and obey them.

Today is youth Sunday and there nothing much happened, Pastor E is out of town and assigned to deliver a preach in other church.  The service was prepared by youth and the Sunday service was all about singing praises and a short message from one of the older youth, it was told the music and interpretative dance rendered by the young people talks about FAITH.

[Photo courtesy of jesustoday.com]

The speaker also shared some insights how to equipped or teach the next generation:

1. Approached God – Prayer
2. Admit and Reject your sins
3. Accept Jesus as Lord and Savior

Since there was no preaching this Sunday which a little disappoint me the church service finished early. I love listening to God’s words because it comforts me and give hope to me.

Everything inside the church today is in Philippine language “Tagalog” because the country is celebrating “Buwan ng Wika” so Pastor E’s preaching is in our national language and his topic this Sunday is about the “Fortress Inside the Home” from Psalms 100: 1-5 and Psalms 127: 1-5.

[Photo courtesy of silverfox1341.blogspot.com]

Pastor E talked about the strength of the foundation of the home, the elements that should be present to build a strong Foundation.

It was been a long time since I post has an update over here, I guess I have to published backdated post for Sundays I have missed to create a blog. I have been busy during the day with household chores and looking after my mother so I was already quite tired in the evening.  I did laundry yesterday and they are quite a lot that we are able to eat dinner past bed time, our neighbors were already asleep eh. They’re hand wash so it took me long time to finish washing the clothes.

[Photo courtesy of kaboompics.com/pexels.com]

Not feeling well today, I took three vitamin C in one day to relieved the discomfort I am feeling. I hope I feel better tomorrow, I have already research ways to home treat kidney stones and hopefully I can gather all the necessary condiments, my cousin has been confined to the hospital for this and he spend plenty for it and for his a month medication so I was scared on adding more expenses to my family after my mother has been hospitalized . My mother told me to go with her on her upcoming laboratory test and check-up but thinking of the expenses I have just said I am already feeling well.

We went to pharmacy today to buy my mother’s maintenance medicine,  my sister lost the prescription it is either she left it in the pharmacy a week ago or it slip on her bag, we have asked the pharmacist if they have found a prescription, she doesn’t know since she was not the in pharmacy on duty that day.  Good thing we are able to buy medicine without it, we just show sample of the medicine.

Home is the first institution God had created. Pastor E’s topic on his preach this Sunday is about A Firm Foundation from the book of Joshua 24: 13-15. When building a home we always want it to be safe and productive, we always first create a solid foundation.

[Image source pastorbrianlamsermons.blogspot.com]

Pastor E shared three D’s that are integrity of the home, the first one is discernment (verse 13), which talks about God’s blessing, Him being compassionate and merciful. We become what we rare because of God’s bountiful grace, we are blessed beyond measure but unfortunately we overlooked God and cast  Him aside our home. The second is duty (verse 14), we must fear the Lord and recognized His position in our life. Most of us fear the Lord but we are not committed, we have no consideration we live according to our own desire.

The last D is decision (verse 15), we must choose God’s will and serve the Lord and when we serve the Lord faithfully He is being praised. Pastor E ended his preaching asking if Jesus is the priority of your life.

[ Tagged In ] A Blessed Sunday, Church, Sunday Service