Countenance

Countenance - noun; a person's face or facial expression.

I look upon Your countenance
I see the fullness of Your grace,
I can only bow down and say...

Whenever I come into the presence of God, the words from this song is what exactly happens to me. My heart overflows with thanksgiving, my soul down to the ground, bowing low...

Who am I that I am given this privilege to approach Him?Who am I, a sinner, a life taken out from the soil, that He may come to me?Ever since I started serving in the Worship Team, my prayer has always been like this:

Lord, may it be
that whenever I come up the stage
nobody would see---
my face, my body, my nervous lips;
my trembling hands, my sweaty forehead,
my messy hair, my frail voice--
Lord, may it be
that as I come up the stage
everyone would see---
Your servant, Your beloved,
Your lover, Your follower;
May it be, my Lord
that as I come up the stage
nobody would see me,
but instead
Your countenance.
Your grace.
Your Spirit.
Your love.
May they see.

Because His countenance-- His face, is way better than anything or anyone else in this world, not in even in Heaven.

You are the One

Looking for meaning
Looking for love
For so many wasted times I have done this. I have ran away from God and searched for love somewhere else, and made myself believe that I can find it apart from its Author.

Looking for something to
Never give up
And even though I am already here, back in His arms, I still struggle even with the littlest things... Indeed, following Him is not easy. I have to die to myself, forget what is behind, pressing on to win the prize of being with Him. I always wish that everything would just end, so I can find myself facing Him already. But that is not His will. He wants me to find more meaning in life by loving Him. He wants me to find strength as I go on with my journey as His beloved. And I never thought that the answer could be so simple...


You are the One
You are the One
Everthing is all about Him. A life that revolves and finds meaning only in Him is what He wants from me. There could never be another requirement. He deserves nothing less, anyway. He is my Saving Grace. And with Him as the Center of my universe, how can I ask for more? He's the One. He's my Only One.


Looking for purpose in all
Of the pain
Most of the time, I fail to understand His ways. Especially when I am hurting. There is too much bias in our emotions. It confuses and destroys us. As I listen and simply obey His Word, I have come to realize that my feelings must not be my priority. I do not live by it. I live by His Word alone. It does not matter how I feel; what matters is Him. His will. His love over me, and my obedience to Him.

Looking for someone to
Hold in the rain
Yes. I thought I just needed someone. I thought that was the answer. But I've found out that I do not need to hold someone; Someone needs to hold me. And only One does it best.

You are the one
You are the one
(tears)

You are life more beautiful
You are love more powerful
Indeed, everything is way better when I am in His arms. Life is brighter. Love is filled with hope. I was a fool, finding love without Him.

You are the light that always shines
Always. Even if my own light fades and fails, His never will. I can always drop to my knees and ask for more.

You are the one
You are the One.

And I will never move on from you
I will never move on from you
He is my yesterday, today, and forever. There's no escaping this love.



You are the One
Sung by Jason Castro

Get to Work

My spirit was moved upon reading this verse:

“But now the Lord says, Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” - Haggai 2:4 NLT

This was the time when the Lord instructed Israel’s remnants to rebuild His Temple. At first it seemed that they were reluctant in doing so, as we refer to Haggai 1:2, saying that it is not yet time to rebuild the Lord’s House. As they were finally obeying the Lord and starting the construction, the Lord again spoke, saying that the New Temple seemed like nothing at all (Hag. 2:3) compared to its former grandeur.

But  things got exciting when after the Lord encouraged Zerubbael, the Governor of Judah, and Jeshua the son of the High Priest, God disclosed His plans for the New Temple:

“For this is what the LORD Almighty says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth. I will shake the oceans and the dry land, too. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will come to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the LORD Almighty. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD Almighty. The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the LORD Almighty. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken!” – Haggai 2:6-9

God was planning to gather the treasures of the nations to the New Temple! God was planning to fill the place with His glory, even greater than its former glory! Moreover, the New Temple will be filled with peace, meaning, Israel will no longer engage in war and experience its dreadful aftermath. Wow!

But of course, we already know that. We, Christians, have been quoting these verses, declaring it, prophesying it, speaking it to happen to our Local Churches. But what caught my attention this time was verse 4 of Chapter 2. God was encouraging the leaders of Israel. God was saying, even if they still cannot see what is ahead (even the greater things ahead), they must not be discouraged!

BE STRONG, God says to the Government.

BE STRONG, God says to the Believers.

And what shall we do with the strength? God says, GET TO WORK! BUILD MY CHURCH!

I am currently the Media Director for a pioneering Local Church in the Philippines, and to tell you the truth, it is not an easy ride for me, to keep moving forward, towards the greater glory God has planned for our Church. I believe in my heart that the things I see today (borrowed equipment, hand-me-down instruments and chairs and supplies) will be replaced by the future glory God has promised. But once I prayed to God, while waiting for it, what Word shall I keep in my heart so I will not give in to discouragement?

It was Haggai 2:4.

The things I see today may be nothing compared to the things I enjoyed and experienced from my former ministry, but God is now encouraging me: BE STRONG, SHEL. GET TO WORK AND BUILD MY CHURCH. Support and love your Pastor, support his vision, help him build My Church. I have given you enough talent and skill to accomplish many things; to be your Pastor’s extra hands, feet,  and mind. Get to work and build My Church, so in due time I will gather the treasures of the nations that is meant for this Church. I will bring greater glory and peace like you have never seen nor heard before.

And that, my friends, changed the way I see the things of today. I thank God for always keeping me, hiding me, comforting me, understanding me, lahat-lahat na! I know that as I continue to follow Him, He will sustain me with encouragement and strength. I will be forever grateful for that.

Get to work!

Love, Ate Shel

Loneliness: A Price to Pay in Leadership

Why can't I leave Blogspot? :) I'm moving articles from my other blogs here. This one's published last December 29, 2012. Enjoy!

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I am currently reading Leading with a Limp by Dan B. Allender and I have found out that this is one of the few books that I can relate myself with. Being a leader, it has its benefits, but I cannot deny that as I wipe down every sweat and tear, there are also a number of inevitable costs that, only after reading the first chapter of the book, I cannot deny because I am now experiencing them, and the number one cost that truly drives me nuts is LONELINESS.

As a leader I am expected to be strict in implementing and obeying rules and policies. It means I am the first one to observe it and the last one to betray it. And having a number of people under me, I am expected to monitor their obedience, too. The Word of God in the basis of this Policy, so as a leader I am responsible in not only informing my people of the do’s and don’ts but to also make them understand why it is so.

I am also a mentor. I do not only work with my team on a professional level but on a personal and spiritual sense. When they have problems, they come to you. When they are sick, they ask you to lay hands on them (and they would not choose any other people). When they are unemployed, you accompany them in submitting resumes. And you worry when they are out of cash! You worry when they are not yet home and it’s late at night. You require them to text you when they reach their houses. These are just a few. But the funniest part is, even if you are tired and sometimes wanting to be stoic, you can’t help but be concerned. Because your life is intertwined with theirs. Because you simply love them.

And you, the leader, since you become the channel of God’s wisdom and comfort and joy and anointing, you tend to become stiff when it comes to mushy things like friendship. There are things you want to share to your co-workers but you cannot because it might lessen your “dignity” as a leader. Because you are so busy, you cannot attend dinners with friends and finally get some well-deserved relaxation. You lose contact and you fail to keep in touch. You gain acquaintances but you lose confidantes. It may not be true to some, but it sure is true to me.

You see, leadership in the Church is quite exemplary in following the highest standard which is the Word of God and in influencing people with your own life. If not handled carefully and with wisdom, a leader would tend to withdraw from people and instead be a fake oracle of strength.

But this book I’m telling you about, this book is starting to change the way I see myself. Leading with a Limp is a successful attempt to make leaders accept their weaknesses and use it as an effective tool in leading people. And I will continue reading it until I find out why I am here, leading with a limp. By God’s unfailing grace, I will make it through.