Baggages

During our recent trip to Cebu for the pastors and workers' conference, going back to Iloilo was a learning experience for me. As we went to the pier to get aboard the ship going to Iloilo, security had to inspect all our things for deadly weapons. As I was passing through the metal detector, it kept beeping on me! The guard won't let me pass through until there was no more beep. So I had to remove my cellphone...then my coins and keys...lastly, my belt that had a metal buckle. Finally, the detector went silent after I removed all the metal objects attached to me. The lesson: Don't carry too much metal on my next trip.

Sometimes in our walk with the Lord we carry too much extra baggage. This can come in different forms like bad habits, bitterness, or anxiety. But it can also come in good packaging such as activities that don't really help us stay focused on God's call upon our lives. Sometimes good things become the enemies of the best things that God has for us. Let's seek the Lord for His perfect will for our lives and lay down anything that can hinder us from running our race. - RJ Alobba

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” - Hebrews 12:1

Calvary Chapel Regional Pastors and Workers' Conference 2007

Last week, eight of us were able to attend the regional pastors' and workers conference in Cebu City. It was a time when we could meet up with other Calvary pastors and workers in the Visayas area. It was a blessing for us, being fed the Word of God, fellowshipping, and worshipping the Lord. It was truly a refreshing, recharging experience.

We left Iloilo City on the evening of October 15. We gathered at the church office at around 4:00 P.M., then went to the port at around 5:00 P.M. It was an overnight trip on a ship that lasted about 14 hours.


On the picture above, from left to right: Darel, Grace, Ryan, Vicente, Krishia, Rizel, RJ, and Pastor Mark.

We arrived in Cebu City in the morning and one of the people from Calvary Chapel of Cebu City, Kenneth, drove us from the port to the church where we were going to stay.


This was the place where we stayed. The church had a sanctuary, but not on the ground floor. The ground floor was used for Sunday school and housing guests. There was a kitchen, some bedrooms, and bathrooms.


Afterwards they took us to Eco Tech, a government facility where the conference was being held. We had time to relax and see the place.




Afterwards we had to eat something since we were getting hungry. We went to the McDonald's at the J.V. Mall, which is close by.












At the start of the conference, pastors and church workers from different Calvaries in the Visayas joined together in worship and fellowship.






































The churches in the Cebu island hosted the conference, and Pastor Tom Maxwell was the master of ceremonies for the whole conference program. There were different speakers in the sessions as well as in the workshops.































































































During the sessions, we studied the book of Nehemiah. Our theme for this year is "Rebuilding Walls, Rebuilding Lives".






At the last night, we had a time of waiting on the Lord and worship, or what we call "Afterglow". It was a very encouraging experience, especially since a lot of people spoke up and gave the Word of the Lord.

They also fed us well during our stay. The food that we ate was some of the best foods around. I think I even gained a few pounds.






















The Lord continues to raise up laborers for His harvest field. Those He raises up, He equips. We get our strength, our courage, and our comfort from Jesus Christ alone. He is the author and the finisher of our faith.












Please pray with us that God continue to raise up more workers for His churches here in the Visayan islands. We are many, but not many enough. There are still a lot of people and places unreached by the Gospel of Christ.







After the conference we had time to go to SM City Cebu, just to relax and have some clean fun. Below you will see us playing around with the bump cars:




Afterwards we took an overnight trip on a boat back to Iloilo.

The following Sunday, some of us gave our testimonies on how the Lord worked in our lives at the conference.

UseLESs rUsH

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." - Ephesians 5:15-16


Recently, I had to rush some errands for my office and I didn't have a lot of time in my hands since I decided to do it on my lunch break. I had to go to the mall to buy lunch, get a staple gun, swing to the other office to drop some supplies, pick up the laptop the company issued me, and go back to my office. All this has to happen in one hour.

12:00:01...12:00:02...12:00:03...12:00:04...

The following occurs between 12:00 P.M. and 1:00 P.M.

Preparing to rush out the door, I picked up the plastic bag that I thought were the supplies I needed to deliver. I got to the mall parking lot and I took a good look at the bag -- it was the wrong one, since I picked up the plastic bag containing the trash instead! I then had to go to plan B.

12:59:57...12:59:58...12:59:59...01:00:00

In the world we live in today, things are rushing. Even on this remote island in the Philippines were I live in, things are already starting to be fast-paced. Life just keeps demanding, doesn't it? Still, we are called to be wise people. We Christians live by a higher standard and we live by faith. No matter what happens, let's take time to wait on the Lord, to pray over things, and to make decisions based on a Biblical world view, and not the view the world tries to plunge down our throats.

RJ
Iloilo City, Philippines