It was first Sunday of the month again today and the service proper started as early as seven o’clock. Pastor E scriptural topic was about “time” and the scriptural verse was from Ephesus 5: 16 that says “Making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.”

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Pastor E says that time is precious because it is short and when it passed it cannot be recover that’s why there is always regrets at the end when we didn’t use our time wisely. God give us certain set of time (Matthew 12:36) to do good but how much time we have wasted?

Time is also an opportunity to do good (redeeming time), it is God’ special gift to us, it was God given opportunity with purposes (Hebrews 3:15).

Yesterday, I overheard from inside our house that my sister was talking to someone outside, it sounds like she is talking with the older woman in the neighborhood (L) and they are talking what kind of eggs were found in the bush. Curious, I went outside to take a look on the eggs and it was concluded that they were turkey eggs since they are not smooth, they are eight of them.

It turns out Mrs. L found them while cutting grass for their cow; the eggs are wet since it rained a few days ago.  My sister asked our cousin’s son to call his grandmother to tell that their turkey lay eggs in the bushy fields and since they were already wet and there will be no chance that they’re going to be hatched our aunt gave three eggs to  my sister to boiled.

Today, the turkey went back looking for her eggs and the turkey is probably heart broken not finding her eggs since day were already taken out the bush the day before.

Odiongan is moving progressively now adays, there are several things that the town had been accomplished in the past few years. A year ago a tourist centre was opened and since then bit by bit something new arises; a well-known fast food chain was in construction in town to cater local people and visitors.

Anyway, a recently the town accomplished a new building for teenagers then a new signage in the food terminal just in front of almost abandon commercial building. It was already very late if you ask me since Odiongan is a first class municipality but another town belonging to fifth class municipalities has signage already years before Odiongan has, as well as other municipalities belonging to lower class.

On the first few days that the signage was lit, it attract old and young people. Many had their photo taken and shared in social media sites. Well, I hope the town can accomplished more things in the future.

Today is the last Sunday of the month and the church is celebrating its 51st Founding Anniversary and Thanksgiving, it should be also Easter Sunday but due to some circumstances some members didn’t agree that there should be a separate devotion at early morning, welcoming Easter.

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Anyway, Pastor E’s scriptural topic is Remember, Rejoice and Rededicate from scriptures of Deuteronomy 8:18, Deuteronomy 32:7, Psalms 64:10 and Romans 12:1. He started his preaching from remembering back the old days on how the church was built and started. He recalled how the older members served faithfully in the church, how united and active they were. Then Pastor E shared some reasons to celebrate and rejoice, on 51 years that had passed the church produces four daughter churches and it is progressively ahead than the mother church in the province.

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Rededicate, Pastor E told everyone that along the way we have lapses on our relationship with God, we are sometimes discourage with our relationship between ourselves and our brothers so we should settle this issues, restore our faith and commitment with God.

May our hearts be truly grateful and may we show our gratitude by the ways in which we live and care for others.

Well, after the church service, there is a small feast. Every zone bring food to feast but I went home and didn’t eat since I have no contribution in the food that our zone prepared.

There is devotional service and film showing at the church today for Good Friday but since there is a black out after a fire ignite somewhere there was no film showing. I have no plans to go to church because I didn’t like the idea that there will be no meditation and bible service but I went when the power didn’t come back even though it will be so hot inside the church without the electric fans running.

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Pastor E scriptural topic for Good Friday service is about God’s Greatest sacrifice, He sacrifice His life to clean us from our sins, His blood wash all our sins. God’s Sacrifice is greatest because His life in all aspect is very precious, His divine fullness is overflowing and His sacrifice is all sufficient.

The other day someone came to our house for CI process, it was from a cooperative.  My mother loaned an amount so we could pay some bills, it wasn’t a great idea but that’s the only way to get emergency money. The CI person happened to be my father’s batch mate in school and he asked how many children my parents has, then he mistaken me as the youngest daughter and was surprised when my mother told him I am already married so he blurted out why I married early and married first before my sister so I told him I am almost thirty and I am the eldest daughter which I think shocked him that he has to asked my age twice to confirm if I am not joking about my age. LOL

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Anyway, my mother was an old member of the cooperative but it was been almost two years since the last time she loaned from them after I told her to stop borrowing and my father lost his job subsequently but just recently she applied for a new loan but the cooperative subtracted the debt that my mother made from their grocery store a few years back as well as the gallons that were used in retailing water so she only received half of the money she loaned.

The loan is payable in six months but you have to pay installments weekly. If you are an old member a CI process is still needed if it was been a long time since your last loan from the cooperative, they have to investigate if the member is able to pay the loan within allotted time. Their policy changes, since the cooperative is now asking for a collateral items maybe many of the members were not able to pay their loan on time.

The church proper service today didn’t started early because there is a small meeting on what to do next Sunday and who’s to send as delegates in the convention of Baptist churches next month. I was asked by older women member if I would like to go but I declined since it is going to held in far away town of our province. The convention usually take three or more days but everything from fare, registration and food will be shouldered by the church.

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This Sunday is also Baccalaureate Sunday so there is a recognition and dedication of graduates from all levels. One graduate also gave testimony on God’s faithfulness on her struggles while studying. Anyway, Pastor E finally delivered the scriptural message this Sunday and his scriptural topic is Building a Legacy that Lasts which can be found at Mark 12: 28-31. He asked everyone if it would make a difference if you learned you had very little time left? Would it change your priorities if you felt life slipping away?

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Just like Reverend R’s message a few Sunday’s ago, Pastor E’s basis of topic was about a person who’s expert in the law asked  God what is the greatest commandment and Jesus replied that it is to love God and to love the people God puts around you. Pastor E says Jesus modeled this perfectly, and his legacy has had more impact on the world than any individual in history. He didn’t leave a legacy of money, property or power. Instead, he left a legacy of loving God completely, and sacrificially loving us and a legacy of loving others.

Would it make a difference if you learned you had very little time left? Would it change your priorities if you felt life slipping away? We are all running out of time. The opportunity to leave the legacy we want is one day shorter than it was yesterday.

Pastor shared a few stories and parable about the goat and lamb and then asked everyone if what is the legacy we are leaving on earth since we are leaving foot prints behind us.

Maybe one of the things we wanted to avoid is being confined in a hospital but as we grow old our body is becoming vulnerable and prone to sickness. Last night we went to the hospital to visit my father’s second elder sister, she was confined in the hospital for the second time, her blood sugar went up to the roof.  She was diagnosed as diabetic and since then her weight loss tremendously and felt other issues on her body.

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The hospital is full of sick people, when we went there I almost didn’t breath because most of the people being confined are coughing their lungs out. It looks like the hospital mixed the patient altogether because one of my aunt room mates whom they know was confined for asthma and dunno the other three I didn’t ask anymore since I think it is improper.

Yesterday afternoon we are invited by  a relative to their house which is just a few meters away from us, the son of my aunt’s brother in-law is celebrating his second birthday. Her brother in-law just came home from abroad and he went home in the province with her wife and two older siblings living in the city to visit my aunt’s husband and family and celebrated his son’s birthday as well in their hometown.

The food was catered, there’s plenty of food for everyone and after eating there are some games for children administered by my older cousin. The kids enjoyed the loots and the food as well as the cash price for the games that were played.

Since my aunt’s backyard was a bit pebbled the kids move in the open field to play sack race and relay, dunno who win since we went home after eating like the most of the invited guests since the catering also packed their things after everyone ate.

It was second Sunday of the month today and it is changed pulpit Sunday, a different Pastor delivered a message. The service proper was started late because there is a short discussion about the upcoming Thanksgiving and Foundation Day of the church.

Some people at my back was a bit shocked when the leader sit in the chair where a Pastor usually seated, I heard someone asked if the leader will be the preacher, it answers my thought that there is something wrong when the service proper started. Anyway the scriptural topic delivered by the Pastor was “The Beauty of Being Faithful” and the scriptural verse was from Job 2: 1-6, according to Pastor R there are three beauties of being faithful and the first one is God is proud to us.  He is proud when we live a clean and upright life like the life of Job, the Pastor also added that God wasn’t lacking and He didn’t commit mistake when He send over trials and problems to us, maybe it was us who did something wrong.

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Secondly, God is concerned to us. He won’t let us down, He will help us when we are willing to help ourselves first. He doesn’t walk away but we are the one who walk away from God through the sins we are making. Pastor R also says if you are concerned to someone it means you love that person just like how God is concerned to us because He love us.

The last beauty of being faithful is God is sufficient.  There are a lot of things God want us to have, to experience but all He wanted first is for us to be faithful to Him.  How? Pastor R says we must do all things with love,in short  do all things to God with love.