randomly cluttered

Photo by Patrick Schneider on Unsplash I heard from a close friend that — after almost a decade — my previous church left the G12 system. It came as a shock. But I saw its eventuality after I left in 2020. I was relieved that my former spiritual leaders had finally seen G12 for what it truly is — a cultic system that has divided churches more than it has unified. But anger had already crept in as soon as I realized how late they were with the decision. Many have already left and are now tending to their spiritual traumas. All of this for what? I seethed in what was left of my self-righteousness. Someone has to be accountable. Healing will not be possible if no one will take responsibility for the hurt that has been inflicted to people who only wanted a God-centered community. If our spiritual leaders back then really had “spiritual discernment,” why did it take them this long to leave G12? Why weren’t we, their flock, warned and insulated from the dangers of it? Where is the pastoral ...

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash I've been under the G12 Philippines system for over seven years, until I wasn't. It took me long to notice how questionable some of the G12 teachings were. And when I first did, I kept mum for fear of being shunned. As someone who was a fervent follower of the movement, I didn't want to question the God-given authority of my leaders, so I remained silent. But the critical part of me kept asking questions, questions I directed back to myself. And when I couldn't focus on the white paper any more, I started noticing the spots. The following are a few of those questionable G12 teachings and practices: Encounter God Retreat EGR is a 3-day retreat where delegates, mostly new believers, will experience an encounter with God. Why three days? This idea is based from Paul's encounter with God, where, while en route to Damascus to persecute Christians, he lost his sight from a blinding light and encountered God. After three days, he gained bac...

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash This pandemic has given me the time rethink many things in my life with this question: Why do I do the things that I do? So, I focused on what I think is the most important aspect of my life right now – my relationship with God. In this post I will try to explain the dangers of “overemphasizing” the importance of personal devotions in one’s spiritual walk. A little background about me: I am a Born Again Christian attending a small church under a widely popular discipleship system. I lead a small group of young men. I’ve been doing daily devotions for as long as I can remember. I even teach new believers how to study the Word of God and begin their spiritual journey with Him. I remember when I was starting out I was introduced to doing devotions wherein you would spend time to study God’s Word and apply what you’ve learned in your life. It was simple, you would read a passage from the Bible and understand what it means and receive the lessons and c...

Photo by  David Monje  on  Unsplash Scripture: Leviticus 26 Leviticus 26 is divided into 2 parts: Rewards for Obedience and Punishment for Disobedience. This was established by God for the Israelites whom He brought out of Egypt. Here are my thoughts about the passage: Why are we following God? Why are we doing the things He has commanded us to do? Why, even though at times difficult, do we continue to follow after God’s own heart when for us it means denying our self and our own desires? Maybe we have our own reasons as to why we follow God. But why are we following Him? Is it because there are rewards in store for us? Is it because when we don’t follow Him we are going to be punished for our disobedience and rebellion? We need to first understand the reason behind our obedience to God. Because if we only follow Him for the rewards or because we’re afraid of being punished then we are following God for the wrong reasons. ...

kenyahodge3778.blogspot.com “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” -  Proverbs 4:23 Don’t you know that in the Bible, there are more than 500 verses about prayer and about 2350 plus verses about how to handle money and possessions? (I read this one on the internet.) Why? Because God knows the possible effects money and possessions have on people. And you know what? Through our giving we are protecting our heart from so many things especially those that separate us from God and His plan. Ways on how we protect our heart through giving: 1. When we give, we are reminded that everything we have and everything we are is from God.          Everything we have including our life is from God. 2. Giving protects our heart from being prideful. Maybe we think that everything we own, specifically our income, is because of our own hardwork and strength.  Giving makes us humble and gratef...

Just recently there has been a rat infestation in our place. We would be hearing scrambling noises outside of our room in the middle of the night. The trash bin outside will be knocked down with the its contents scattered. Also, the food that we forgot to secure in our supplies storage will be ripped into pieces by these savage and hungry rodents. This has been going on for weeks until I found out one morning that one of the resident rodents managed to puncture a noticeable hole on one of my beloved tee shirt which was gifted to me by a close friend. I had to add this part: I used that tee shirt to wrap the food I was trying to hide and put it inside my bag which our RR ripped to get its target. "This has to end!", I thought to myself. The next day I bought a fly trap from Mercury Drug Store and set the trap inside our room and outside. I sprinkled a handsome amount of cheese puffs onto the traps to eventually lure in the perpetrators.  What I found and lea...

I have been a small group leader for almost a year (I am currently handling at least 6 men). And as a disciple-maker I tend to get excited by the prospect of meeting someone new and eventually leading them to God. I would be very excited if I see them and think - based on their appearance - that they're already spiritually mature to a certain degree (I'm not sure if anyone could do that on a first meeting). But if I perceive them as such I would be energetic and friendly and desperate to mentor them right away. "Hi what's your name? I'm kuya Tobby! So welcome to KFCI and for our first lesson... " I would be daydreaming - teaching and leading them to God would be so much easier. I would love discipleship even more! The problem is when they're the opposite of my ideal disciple - spiritually immature, undisciplined and difficult to connect with. I would be very skeptical during our first meeting and would at some point try to ...

http://www.alychidesigns.com/the-act-of-conversation-has-purpose/ ...aside from God (of course), that should be established first. If you haven't yet then you need to prioritize your relationship with Him. I have always loved talking with people - it is one of the best ways to gain insights and wisdom. That is why I really treasure such moments I have with leaders I look up to because of the invaluable wisdom I get from just having a hearty one-on-one with them. What you'll receive during an hour of conversation are years of experience and wisdom on discipleship, ministry building, and spirituality, condensed in these easy-to-bite nuggets of wisdom. Consider it a plus if they'll open up about their personal lives - that can be humbling and encouraging. So, how do you spend your time with your spiritual leaders? Do you even make it a point to ask them to make time for you out of their hectic schedules? I know it's a stretch but who knows?  ...

http://lbpc.org/multimedia-archive/the-everydayness-of-worship/ Worship is more than listening to praise and worship songs.  It's not  even close.  Worship is more than singing, clapping, jumping, and dancing. Just because you know every single word of the song and its beat and melody doesn't mean you're more likely to feel God's presence. Don't equate those to worship. Crying is not worship. And so is kneeling and beating your chest. Worship is birthed from a heart that is surrendered to the authority of God.  It is the outflow of gratitude and humility brought by God's undeserved grace for us. Worship is an outward expression of an inward devotion. It transcends actions and other visible manifestions; f or the heart of worship is our heart.

http://stocdkfgsa.blogspot.com/2015/04/free-photos-running.html I have been running – as far as I know – for a long time. It started back during my college years. I run because I wanted to lose weight. I was heavier and bigger back then. It was doubled during my internship at Emerson. And it got worse when I landed my first job at Pointwest. I’d always schedule my runs early in the morning because it is the only time of the day that my mind is fully active and involved with what I am doing. I’d run around FTI (back when the constructions were not even started). I’d go 3 to 4 kilometers depending on my mood. And after running I’d walk for half a mile to cool down. At some point during my runs I’d feel tired even if I’m on my first kilometer. When it gets to that point, I’d just finish my first lap and walk the rest of my second lap. Then I’d go home. For me the goal of my daily run was to shed some unwanted pounds and that was it. If ever I’d reach my target weight, ...

http://www.beadisciple.com We have our own desires, few of which might be one of the following: To have a stable and fulfilling job and to become successful in our chosen field. To travel the world and explore it To own a car and high-end gadgets To be buff and to have a toned physique To become famous and have many friends To become the most followed person on twitter To live a glamorous and luxurious life To become a powerful and influential personality  http://www.godswordimages.com "But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." -  Matthew 6: 33 I read the last part twice, processing the wisdom which was right in front of me - "...and all these things will be given to you as well." Before, I wanted to be successful. Specifically, I wanted to be rich (like filthy rich,) with sport cars and olympic-size swimming pools. It was already instilled in my mind that being successfu...

kristenwetherell.files.wordpress.com We all have our fair share of experiences when it comes to doing our devotions. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, devotion is when you read the Word of God which is the Bible, note down all the things you learned on a notebook which you will then apply in your daily life.  But sometimes, there are moments when doing devotions can be difficult. Sometimes our busy schedule gets in the way of our intimate time with God. There are also times when it is rewarding and fruitful - that you just can't get enough of it. And that is the best feeling in the world, because nothing beats having quality time with the Lord. Believe you me! So here are some of my personal experiences I have when doing my devotions: My Devotion Chronicles... When you're like "What? Iba na yung story? Iba na yung mga characters at plot?" #bungibungidevotions When you're like "5 devotions, kaya ko ito in one day!" #sak...