Beautiful Butterflies...now set free!

Last weekend is one of the best!!!

We had our Women's Encounter last May 4 to 6, 2007 at our beloved Destiny Life Center in Kamias, Quezon City. There were 59 women who experienced the love and victory that can only be found in Jesus.

The women who attended the Encounter indeed came out of their coccoon and has become totally new creation...beautiful and free!!!

More stories, testimonies and pictures to come...

Jesus, You're the best!!!

Women Arising to Fulfill Their Destiny

At Destiny, we are always hungry to experience God and at the same time eager to bring others to an experience with our God.

Last weekend (September 15-17), we had our second Women's Encounter at the Destiny Life Center. We all had an overwhelming, fresh experience with our Maker. Every session is really powerful, giving all of us (workers and participants) a fresh touch of our Father's hands.

There were 51 women who had a fresh Encounter with our God. There were highschool & college students, school teachers & professors, mothers, young professionals, and church workers (from our partner churches) who came hungry for the presence of the living God. They went home not just filled but overflowing with the presence and the love of our Father.

There is a lot of testimonies to tell, a lot of boasting in the Lord to make...

Women are set free... Now ready to fulfill their destiny...

The Cost of Soulwinning

One of my dedicated students wrote:

The cost of soulwinning is everything. It means leaving everything we have, our possessions, our status, or personal desires to pursue the heart of God for the lost. It necessitates a transformation of lifestyle. It deems a prioritizing of goals - we become soulwinners first before our profession, before everything else the world elevates as success. Like Paul, we count every achievement short of evangelizing as having no cost. Everything in our life, our veins, our heart, our mind, our body should revolve around soulwinning - until we breathe, eat and live the heart of God. The cost of soulwinning is everything. ----- M.D.

Four Men Received Their Prize!

Many people are now going through the Ladder of Success. Every journey is unique. Some would take a walk. Some would even sit and rest once-in-a-while just to realize the race (term) is over and they will need to go through it again. But there are some who really run like an athlete. They would run in such a way that they would win the prize. Their sense of focus and seriousness is really amazing.

In the First Term of 2006, there were four people from the Men's Youth Net who were recognized for their outstanding performance in their classes.

In the Post Encounter, Jonard Roperez was given the Faithfulness Award for not missing any class and for submitting all worksheets on time. In the School of Leaders Level One, it was Jan Andrew Orocay who received a recognition for being the top in their class. In the School of Leaders Level Two, Ray Edwin Ocfemia was awarded Valedictorian and Oliver Lagda as Salutatorian.

They were not just given special certificates. The more exciting part is that they were given special prizes - original copy of the books by Ptr Cesar Castellanos from Bogotha, Columbia. Jonard and Andrew received the book Ladder of Success, while Ray and Oliver received a copy each of the book Successful Leadership Through the Government of the 12.

When the prize was announced to the congregation, it set another kind of momentum among our people. As they start the new term, there are several who have expressed a serious determination to run in such a way that they will win the "prize." Wow, that means we will need to purchase more "prizes" (books) from Bogotha at the end of this term. It's exciting!

The journey in the Ladder of Success aims to form faithfulness and fruitfulness among the students. It is very evident that every person going through the schools are really being formed to be faithful and fruitful. In our Destiny Family, every member is a leader!

A Soulwinner's Reflection

The following article is written by one of our students at the Destiny School of Leaders. Be blessed in your reading...

“Now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.”-2 Corinthians 6:2

Being far away from home allowed me to enjoy the feelings of receiving packages and letters. One thing that also amazed me is the one who would go where we are in order to give us what was sent for us. Something precious that he takes very good care for and assures to give it on time. He is whom we call mister mailman or better known as the messenger.

He gathers the letters. Set a route plan for delivery. He carries a bag that would secure the messages. With him are sturdy and strong feet. Before him lies the different places to go to. In him is the goal of giving everything to its rightful receivers. Hard work does he do, but come to think of all those hopeful people who are waiting for their messages and to the senders who longs to give what they want to have to offer, it is worth it.

I like to illustrate Christians as messengers. We are God’s mailmen. We carry in us the promise of God’s salvation that is something to be given to all His people. As a mailman identifies himself with the desires of the sender, our hearts should be in tuned to God and to what message He wants to say. Different sizes of letters and packages are meant for different receivers, and so, God sees the needs of the people through us and we are to deliver the message in different ways. Many years may pass still the messages are still delivered. Veteran mailmen train younger ones to do such tasks. These young ones would continue the task. Like them Christians too are to leave a legacy in this world… men and women who will continue the race.

Reflecting on my experiences, I could relate myself to an insecure mailman. What if I don’t do well? What if I send the wrong package? What if they don’t get the messages? What if my timing wasn’t right? What if I did too much or left out something? What if they knew my past? Am I not still young to do that? Everything on what ifs and buts. Yes I have been saved and have place my faith on God, but still then there is something was retained in me. My fear of people, fear of speaking, fear of mistakes…doubtful to what I can give.

This got me thinking on the life Apostle Paul lived. He has a mission to accomplish among along all people. As Saul he was a well-known Pharisee. He has never violated the law in his lifetime. But he was also a great persecutor of God’s people. When he encountered God, he was renewed. Then on he has bold and open with his faith. He was enemy before but his past never hindered him from doing his work. He worked with all his heart, body and soul. “For God did not give us the spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

Paul’s example hit me hard. It got me thinking.. we love and honor the same God. I can do what he can do. May be not exactly the same way, but through what I have been given with. I am called to do my best to present myself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (modified from 2 Timothy 2:15). I must not be discouraged. It is time that I become a secure mailman. All for God’s glory.

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to public reading of the Scriptures, to preaching and teaching. Do not neglect your gift, …
Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see you progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 2 Timothy 4:12-16

--Wind

Learn All You Can!

We at Destiny never stop learning. We are always eager to hear new things, learn new things, have new things, do new things. It's not that we are always changing our minds, but it's about a continuous pursuit of our destiny, every man's destiny... the destiny of being a polished arrow in the loving hands of our Maker and God.

We're continually becoming ready for the multitudes!

Last Sunday, we formally opened the second term for the year 2006. It was a simultaneous opening of Post Encounter, School of Leaders 1, 2 and 3. It's exciting to see the brethren looking for their classrooms, with some of them getting lost. Haha... But we can see the excitement in their faces. People are just eager to grow and be equipped. And I know of some (or many) who are nervous... I just don't know why. Is it the teacher? The requirements? Or the classmates? Well, for whatever reason, that nervousness tells us that we cannot just rely on ourselves, even as we go to through the Ladder of Success. We need God's strength, power and grace to help us and sustain us. After all, the school is about each one of the students being placed in the hand of our Maker for Him to polish and perfect.

Well, the number of people keeps on increasing each term. Our Father is consistent with His promise of giving us the multitudes. Hallelujah! We are expecting a lot of people this semester.

In the Post Encounter, we are expecting more than 100 people to come. Yeah, we are consolidating a lot of people! In the School of Leaders Level One, we are expecting 59 students. In the School of Leaders Level Two, we have 29 in the list. In the School of Leaders Level Three, we are expecting 28 enrolees.

The Father is really raising up His sons and daughters to take the harvest among the nations. Let's continue to learn all that we can learn in the schools and be the leader that He has designed us to be. Let's give birth to generations!

Beach Getaway!!

In my devotions yesterday (May 1), God spoke to me in Lamentations 3:22-23 "The Lord's lovingkindness indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness." God spoke to me that His love and compassions are never ending. It will never lack. He has lots of supply! And it will never run out. It's gonna last forever. In fact, God has new supply of it everyday. His love is so abundant that He has the capacity to deliver new portion of it every single day. I don't have to starve from God's love in my life... not even a single day. Everyday, He can and will love me in a new measure. What a great God I have!!! "Wow, Lord, let me receive my portion of Your love and compassion today." That was my prayer...

The very same day, I went to a beautiful beach in Batangas with my disciples. That's God's love right there!!! We had one whole day of fun and discovery of new things - about each other and about the hidden beauty of the deep blue sea. For the first time, we went out of town and had time together that is not in a "ministry" atmosphere or mode. We went swimming together. We enjoyed the cool, clear waters of Batangas.

The Lord has placed this in my heart for more than a month already or so. God showed me that I need to bring my relationship with my disciples deeper. So, I started inviting them for dinner one by one (on one occasion, it was one-on-two). I enjoyed my talks with each of them. They are able to ask specific questions that they need concrete answers - in ministry, family, personal, work/study, and yes, lovelife included. I love the lovelife part...because they don't have any except for one... and a half (hahahaha!). We also had some time of 'intense' discipleship whenever someone needs extra "beautification" ceremony...In other words, correction and confrontation. Yeah, it makes one more beautiful than ever! I was also able to give them specific advise on their specific concerns. Our talks are deep. The presence of God is so strong and so sweet. I treasure every moment I have with my precious girls.

And just when my relationship with each of them was getting stronger and more intimate, it was then that God spoke to me some more..."bring them together." I love my Maker and I know that whatever He would tell me is perfect for me. So, I said "yes, Lord" and started praying for a get-together with my disciples. I realize that I also need to bring their relationship with each other deeper as well. And God put to mind a long weekend around May 1. So, I checked my calendar and my disciples' calendar. Good thing, everybody is available on May 1 (except for one who need to stay in the province with the family). So, we looked for a good place to go to. I personally looked at the website of a lot of resorts. And I fell in love with the beaches in San Juan Batangas. And finally, with the help of one of my diligent disciples, we got a booking in Blue Coral Beach Resort. And we went there!!! And we had so much fun!!!

It was a day of casual time of friendship and fun. I was not in a pastor-teacher mode. I did not want them to be just in a listening mode, just as in our usual Dcell meeting. I wanted them to be free, no pressure of any sort, and enjoy just being who they are. No pressure of being 'the' leader. We just had fun. It's really amazing if you are with 10 unique people with you. Some of them wanted the sun to get some tan-lines. But some of them did not want the sun at all, they feel that their body is already full of tan lines put together. Wahahaha!!! There's one looking for a tan-line on her tan skin. Will she find one? What do you think? They were just unique in almost every aspect. And now that they are together, the more I see the uniqueness and the beauty of their differences. I love watching them, hearing them, looking at them.

Then, we had the time of our lives in the afternoon. We went snorkeling!!! It was a first time for some of them so we decided that we'd go by partner. And it was an awesome experience. A super calm person partnering with a super-hyper-panic person. Imagine? Guess who wins?...

And I had the biggest fun of the day... I partnered with a first-timer. And I brought her to the open sea. I love it!!! You know what happened? She screamed (yes, with the snorkels on) and panicked a little (little?). She told me later that she felt like it was a life and death experience. The deep blue sea scared her. So, i pulled her back to the corals to assure her that it was still the sea that she's seeing and not Jesus yet... After a while, I made another attempt to see the deep blue sea, but I did not succeed. My partner got heavier??? Well, the deep blue sea experience scared her, but for me, it excites me. When I saw the deep blue sea, the more I wanted to stay there and watch what's gonna appear before me. It was a scare to my partner...it was great fun for me! We are really unique, huh! God made us unique. God is not boring. He does not want to see identical people serving and loving Him. He created us unique and He loves us in our uniqueness. Great!!!

At the end of the day, we relaxed in the warm pool at the resort. We exchanged stories of our snorkeling experience. It is indeed equally memorable for everybody - both the scare and the fun.

The day after my beach experience with my disciples, I got this in my devotions...

Did you know that Jesus went to the beach with His disciples? Check it out... In Mark 3:7, it says, "And Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples..." See? They went to the beach together.. Jesus intentionally spent time with His disciples. In this chapter, we will see that He made attempts to have an exclusive time with His disciples. He wanted some time with His disciples, away from the crowd. Jesus was so focused with His mission of discipleship.

This all the more affirmed the fun and joy I had with my disciples. This is what Jesus did. And this is what He wants us to imitate. He wants us, from time to time, to intentionally withdrew from the crowds and just be with our disciples. Jesus focused on his disciples. Despite the crowds following Him, He would find the way to be with His precious ones. What a great model of leadership and discipleship...

My 32nd birthday!

Birthdays are really fun... well, as we get older, we take on different meanings to the word "fun." To my girl who just turned 5, fun is a party with her classmates and lots of prizes.

This year, my idea was just an intimate time with my bestfriends, my girlfriends, my Dcell in the church...and of course, my family. And it happened last night! We had dinner by the poolside! My girls prepared everything... And it's a wow!

When i got out of the elevator, a beautiful bouquet of pink (my favorite color!) flowers welcomed me... We had lots of yummy, yummy seafood delights for our dinner. It's really yum-yum!!! Then, we dipped our tired bodies into the cool pool. It was so refreshing... not just the water, but the company of my inner circle. That jacuzzi is really relaxing...made warm by my boyfriends (my husband and his disciples)!

Well, i received the best gifts so far...My hubby gave me an ipod nano!! Wow!!! I've been borrowing his ipod for the past weeks, so he did himself a favor by buying me my own so i won't bother him anymore. Hehe...

My girlfriends gave me some sexy-looking outfit and accessories...You're making me hot!!! My pastor will really like it!!

Of course, we had lots of picture-taking as well! will post some soon...

I am always happy to be with the people I love the most and trust the most. I couldn't ask for more... I got more than what I wished for...It's indeed a night to remember for a lifetime...

A Weekend to Remember...

Last weekend was an awesome and memorable one. We had our first (for the year 2006) Encounter Weekend at the church. There were 67 people who came and had a fresh encounter with their Maker.

Freedom, fire, life, joy, peace, strength, passion, hope... and more... These are what people get from the Encounter weekend. There really is nothing like a fresh encounter with our Lord. People's lives are changed. Wow, it's exciting to hear their stories, right? We'll have them in the coming days. Yeah!!!

Consolidation: Care for People

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations..." Matthew 28:19

To form disciples is much more than preaching the gospel, it involves taking care of the "spiritual new born." It is to achieve reaffirmation in their decision for Christ in such a way that they begin to experience a change in their lives and they also begin to develop a desire to get involved in the Church. This is the stage in the discipleship process that we call consolidation.

Consolidation is defined as the caring and attention that we are supposed to give to the new believer so that we can reproduce in them the character of Christ, in such a way that their lives bring forth fruit that remain (John 15:16). This fruit should manifest a life that is transformed and capable of reproducing itself in others.

We are called to take care of people according to their worth and value given by God. For us to be effective and successful in consolidating people, we need to see their value in the sight of God. Realizing their worth in God's eyes is the best motivating power that we can have to be effective in taking care of people. It's not about the task...It's not about the obligation...It's not about the number that we're hitting...It's about their true value and worth in God's eyes.

So, how do we know each person's value? Look at the cross where Jesus died...That's how God values each person. God sees each person worth dying for. How about you? What do you see?