Leaders Needed!
I've said so many times in this blog that LifeGroup plays a huge part in our lives.
LifeGroups is the heartbeat of Quest;
it is the ultimate reason why we do the things we do;
it is where life-change happens...
and we are constantly evaluating and improving the way we do groups because we believe so passionately that this is also what God wants.
Well, the last few months our groups program has multiplied; so much that we almost ran out of LifeGroup leaders.
Now, you might say, "Why don't you just pick someone who attended a semester of Bible School or someone who joined a seminar on How To Develop Successful Group?"
That's not how it works. Johnson Lo, our Groups Director, can explain it to you in more intricate details, but basically we are picky on who we choose to lead LifeGroups.
IT'S THAT IMPORTANT!
So last Sunday, we held a LifeGroup Leaders Training. This is in preparation for whenever we need new LG (LifeGroup) leaders; which could pretty well be next Sunday :)
Don't get me wrong, this is a great problem to have. We just don't wanna get caught in a situation again where there are more groups-in-waiting than leaders-in-waiting!
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Who are you accountable to? No man (or woman) is an island! Join a Lifegroup!
Sunday Summary (Oct 25, 2009)
"God has blessed me with more than I need, I'm RICH!"
"I will not trust in my riches, but in God who richly provides."
"Do more, Give more!"
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This has been the bottom lines for the last 3 Sundays.
And it has been eye-opening to a lot of people.
I can't get into all the details, listen for yourself :)
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We also showed a video from the team that went to Manila to help with the typhoon victims.
I will post it as soon as we get it uploaded to the web.
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On to the songs:
We opened with India.Arie's "There's Hope" - pretty cool R&B tune, check out this artist (free plug :)
Worship Songs:
No One Like You - Dave* Crowder Band
You Alone - Lincoln Brewster
How Great is our God - a Tomlin fave, BUT with a different flava. CLICK HERE for the new version by Seventh Day Slumber.
Band: Eph Tonzo (worship leader & elec guitar1), Jevan Gonato (elec guitar2), Ben Purisima (bass), Reymund dela Cruz (drums), Saralee Tilka & Rose Valencia (bg vocals), Saralee, Rose, and Faith Capuyan (sang the opener)
Emotions
Emotions are an interesting thing.
Some people say you may have too many, others may say that you are not emotional enough.
No matter what your opinion may be about emotions one thing is clear, they are a gift from God.
However, the reason for them in our lives was meant to enhance our lives, not run them.
This can be hard sometimes when "emotions are running high" or you are "emotionally involved" in a situation or with another person.
The key is to find balance, which means that you don't discount them, or let them overrun you.
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Here are a few Bible verses for your emotions:
When I feel afraid...
"The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear". (Psalm 27:1)
When I feel overwhelmed...
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness". (2 Corinthians 12:9)
When I feel like running away...
"And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand". (Romans 14:4)
When I feel threatened...
"O Lord my God, I take refuge in You; save and deliver me from all who pursue me". (Psalm 7:1)
When I feel betrayed...
"Be strong and courageous...For the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you". (Deuteronomy 31:6)
When I feel confused...
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him". (James 1:5)
When I feel angry...
"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires" (James 1:19-20)
When I feel depressed...
"He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along". (Psalm 40:2)
When I feel unloved...
"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness. I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt". (Jeremiah 31:3-4)
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What are you feeling today?
R & R
A couple of weeks ago, our family went to Cabadbaran, a town in Mindanao.Its not quite the "no-electric, no-tv" kind of remote place but its not as modernized as Cebu City.
In other words, it was the perfect getaway!
A few things we did:
1. flew as a family for the first time
2. visited my late Grandfather's AND Grandmother's gravesite.
3. BEACH!!!
4. celebrated my uncles's birthday
5. slept under a mosquito net as a family
6. and a lot more...
We had a great time! I think everyone SHOULD be forced to go on a getaway as much as possible; what with all the tension and pressure with daily life.
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PLAN YOUR NEXT GETAWAY!
Sunday Summary (Oct 18, 2009)
The day started out lazy. Everyone was coming in late. Thankfully everyone gathered their thoughts quickly and we got the run-through in almost record time.
We did part 2 of "How To Be Rich" - it talked about how God richly provides for ALL our needs. AMEN!!!!
We had a really funny opener; a parody of "If I Had A Million Dollars." Jevan & Cris did a great job. Sadly, no one got a video. Grrrr! Oh well.
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On to the songs:
Opener - the aforementioned parody of "If I Had A Million Dollars" by Barenaked Ladies. Another secular song? What's going on?
Worship Set:
Let God Arise by Chris Tomlin
Marvelous Light by Charlie Hall
Unfailing Love again by Tomlin
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Band: Me (worship leader & acoustic), James Sarcos (elec guitar), Ben Purisima (bass), Bradley Tilka (acoustic guitar2), Reymund dela Cruz (drums), Shen Cagas & Faith Capuyan (bg vocals), Cris Ablanque & Jevan Gonato (sang the opener)
LG Happenings
LG (LifeGroup) is always important to us.
So when a couple from our group said they're moving to a new house, I immediately volunteered the rest of our group to help them out...
It was one of the best bonding times we had as a LifeGroup.
Don't believe me? Try it with your group! It's LIFE-CHANGING!
Quest 5th Birthday
October 4, 2009 marked our church's 5th birthday; but the preparations started waaaaaayyyyy before that!
We saw this thing on the internet that we wanted to do for the occasion. It was Oprah's opener for this season; they had the Black-Eyed Peas doing the number. You can look it up in YouTube and just input "Oprah Opener 2009".
Well anyway, we gathered about 30-40 volunteers and practiced for 2 weekends.
And somehow we managed to pull it off. And it was great! A few people from the crowd actually joined in the dance. It was awesome!
I will post the video as soon as the media guys finish with it.
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We had games, dressed up the place... why don't I just let you see for yourself.
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Les talked about what Quest is all about and why we do the things we do.
AND...
We were also collecting relief goods for the people in Manila that were affected by the floods. We collected more than 500kgs.
Overall, a great day for the church.
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What got you excited with your church last week?
Sunday Summary (Oct 11, 2009)
We started our new series last Sunday.
It was a "straight-shot" Sunday by our standards :) By this I mean we didn't have any big elements going on during the services.
And I think it needed to be after the huge production with our 5th Anniversary last Sunday (I will post the 5th Anniversary this wk, honest).
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On to the songs:
Opener - I Wanna Be Rich by Cab Calloway. Yep, a secular song in church :)
Worship Set
Let The Praises Ring by Lincoln Brewster
Everlasting God again by LB
Lift High by Eddie Kirkland
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Band: Dennis Canlas (worship leader), Eph (elec guitar1), Ben Purisima (bass), Jevan Gonato (elec guitar2), Ching Cagas (drums), Cris Ablanque (keys), Jando Urot (sang the opener)
on leave
our blog will be on hold for few days as our family will be going out of town for a family reunion.
the anniversary report will have to wait (you guys can wait :)
c u soon,
mel
Asking Big
We did a stand-alone message a few weeks ago entitled Asking Big. It talks about stuff that you should be praying for. We know that we should all pray but what exactly should we be praying for?
Sometimes our prayers are too small. Sometimes we pray for the "wrong" things, things that are not really that important.
Here is the link to the message: CLICK HERE
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My Asking Big stuff for this & next year:
a. 100% of regular Quest VOLUNTEERS join a LifeGroup
b. 100 LifeGroups in the next 2 years
c. 1 (or more) baptism every service
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What are you ASKING BIG from God today?
L.I.T.B.M.
Wondering what "L.I.T.B.M." means?
Its simply means - Laughter Is The Best Medicine
This will be the start of a section in our blog which frankly will soon become my favorite!
This will include, among others: funny stories, funny pictures, funny slogans, funny everything...
SO... if you have something funny that you think will relieve some of the daily stress in our lives, bring it on!
Here are some samples :)
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DON'T FORGET TO SMILE TODAY!
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