Operation Clean-Up Drive

Another exciting ministry that G.U.L.F. implemented was to engage in cleaning up of our adopted church?s perimeter in which all the members have participated and it was freshly started last Friday May 22, 2009. The operation clean-up drive was started right away after our lunch break. Despite the scorching heat, we successfully accomplished the said program. This initiative was originally suggested by brother Edel. He mentioned that through this we will keep away from criticisms and likewise help our landlord avoid such penalty from the government of Dubai. This movement was duly approved by Pastor Joseph. This will be an every Friday activity.


 
 

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A Post Mothers Day Special

May 25, 2009
Jhun Labnas


One of the highlights of our last Friday Divine Service is to commemorate our four mothers in the church. This was done in celebration to the forgotten Mothers Day which was supposed to be celebrated last May 10. Our gathering became poignant as our mothers delivered their own testimonies all about their motherhood-their pains, struggles and their joy and happiness too.

The ever feared testimony portion was kicked off by one of our happiest mom ever of which she affirmed that being a mother to her is totally fulfilling because she has been blessed with a loving and caring husband and most of all, an energetic and talented son. Moreover, she also gave her praise to GOD for having an understanding mother and a mother-in-law who is always openhanded to care for their son while she and her husband are miles away working for their family.

Another mom praised God with all her heart as she came to understand and realize that the importance of becoming a mother is only showed through giving your child their needs financially but most of all your physical presence with them especially in their time of upbringing onwards to their maturity. She also emphasized that money or any earthly material things cannot buy or replace the times that you are not with them especially when they need you beside them-to comfort, to care and to love them as they grow and to guide them as they grow in the Word of God. She then concluded her testimony by thanking God for providing Christian brethren who comforts her, particularly in those times that she remembers and longs for her child and the Church in providing fellowship, strength and guidance upon her as well.

Our third mom started also by stating that, for now, she is focusing her attention to her daughter as she wants her to grow as a good Christian following her footsteps her mom started in her. She was raised by her mom in attending Sunday school at an early age. According to her, the gap or the distance that separates between them and her daughter made her realize that the situation is not easy especially in the part of her child. But this realization drives her more to strive to work for the sake of her family. I remember that she quoted Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." And Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". Further, she said that all her sacrifices are not financially motivated but it is more on the truth that she always desire for the plan and will of God to her.

Finally, our last and most quite mom's term to express her thoughts and feelings for being a mother of two had come at last. She gave us a short glance about her cruel and ruined past life that lead her to early marriage. In her high school life at the age of 16 she still experienced to be whipped by her parents. Based on her experience, she came to know that raising your children in such cruel way will result to rebellion in the part of the child. "Our children are not our own, we only borrowed them from God" these words strike our minds. She extended her testimony by sharing her experience during her life way back on her quest in Kish Island of Iran where she struggled for her employment and visa dilemma. According to her, she even reaches to the point of thinking suicidal act just because of mixed feelings and emotions that she encountered.


Note: The above statements are true and based on actual experience of our mothers that are separated from their children in order to fulfill their dreams.


To all mothers, God bless you all!!

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"The Beauty Beyond the word Mother"

(Adapted from Rev. Kevin Cauley of Berryville Church of Christ)
May 24, 2009
Pastor Joseph Sanchee Awal

I was at my work one afternoon, there were no customers to assist and so I took the opportunity to think and pray on what would be my message for the coming Friday. While praying, with my eyes open, I was prompt by the Holy Spirit that this month is Mothers Day. I got so dismayed that I haven?t thought of it on the exact day. Nevertheless, I was very thankful also that it wasn't yet late to do something to recognize and honor our four mothers in the church. Again, I praised the Lord because of the help of the Holy Spirit that right then and there He comforted me and reminded me that that specific day has not ended the right of the church to give credit to the mothers.




I thought of sharing the meaning of the 6-letter word ?mother?. In my mind, I was thinking that the true meaning of mother is contained in its 6 letters. I tried to browse the internet to avail some resources and to my surprise, there it is! It is a sermon by Kevin Cauley, a minister and pastor of Berryville Church of Christ (www.preachersfiles.com). I adopted the sermon and shared it in that occasion.


I would like to share this to all the mothers out there. Though all of us were in different situations, some have lost their mother and some still have them, there is one common truth that binds us. All of us have mothers. In this truth alone, we can derive the sense that their being is not an ordinary. There is something in them that gives them the beauty. Let us take a look at the acronym and see who really our mothers are.

Maturity

1. While physically many females may give birth and technically be mothers, it takes a certain amount of maturity to make the commitment to being a mother.
2. Motherhood isn't a part time job and every mother knows this.
3. Having children requires long-term commitment and that requires a certain maturity that many simply don't have.
4. 1 Corinthians 15:58 applies to motherhood. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
5. There's no doubt about it; being a good mother is doing the Lord's work.

Obligation

1. Mother's are obligated.
2. First and foremost, however, they are obligated to God.
3. Consider that these are the exact implications of Titus 2:4-5 ?That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.?
4. 1 Timothy 2:15 states, ?but she shall be saved through her child?bearing, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety.?
5. The word ?child-bearing? in this passage indicates maternity ? the duties that are associated with being a mother.
6. God is concerned that women who are mothers understand that they are obligated to Him.
7. A mother has a divine obligation to care for and raise her children according to God's will.

Tears

1. A good mother is going to experience some tears.
2. 
   
3. And there are different kinds of tears.
4. 
   
5. There are tears of sadness, tears of joy, tears of worry, tears of grief, tears of relief, and tears of regret.
6. A good mother will experience all of these tears and more for the wellbeing of her children.
Examples:
• Don't you know that Sarah cried at the birth of Isaac?
• I'm sure that Hannah cried out of pride for Samuel.
• I would believe that Eve cried upon the death of her son Abel and upon the guilt of her son Cain.
• There's no doubt in my mind that Mary cried as Jesus was being crucified.

Home

1. Take the ?t? and the ?r? out of mother and you have the letters for home.
2. Someone once asked a child, ?Where is home?? The reply: Wherever mother is.
3. Nothing quite defines home like a mother.
4. Home is where there are good food, nourishment, and cookies!
5. Home is where there is a loving atmosphere of care, concern, and conviviality.
6. Home is where children can be raised in an atmosphere of respect, safety, and instruction.
7. All of these things would be nigh impossible to obtain without mother.
8. A mother can make all the difference in the world to the kind of home one has.

Empathy

1. When God made woman, He took her out of man's rib; in essence, God refined man.
2. Women being the product of that refinement are more sympathetic and empathetic with their children than fathers.
3. It takes both a father and a mother to raise children in the way that God would have them raised.
4. The mother, however, provides the warmth, encouragement, emotional sympathy/empathy to a child that many times men either can't or won't provide.

Reward / Regret

1. If a mother is mature, recognizes her obligations, sheds her tears over her children, keeps the home, and practices an empathetic spirit toward her children, then she will be rewarded.
2. She will be rewarded by children who will, as the Proverb writer says, ?Her children arise up, and call her blessed? (Proverbs 31:28).
3. Her husband will extol her praises as well ?her husband also, and he praised her.?
4. She will be recognized by the people of the community for her good works. Proverbs 31:31 ?...her own works praise her in the gates.?
5. And ultimately, for being the kind of servant to God that she ought, she will receive the eternal and heavenly inheritance and eternal life.
6. However, should she be immature, not fulfill her obligations, busy herself with her own pleasures instead of tears for her family, neglect the home, be unsympathetic toward her children, her life will be filled with regret.
7. There may be regret due to lost children, regret due to a failed marriage, and regret due to children given to worldliness and carnality and much other sadness that comes as a result of failing to live a godly life.
8. Ultimately, however, she will have eternal regret, if she does not repent, for the many missed opportunities to influence her children for good.

We are being reminded of who really our mothers are and once again, it is not only in the month of May that we will do something to honor our mothers. This message is saying to us that anytime we can make them special in our lives because they are not doing what they have done to us in a certain day or month or year. But it is in their being as a mother. God bless all our mothers!

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Angels Among Us

May 2009
Andres Labnas

It all happened so quickly, I closed my door to Him. It was the part about doing the right things as He says that had become difficult for me to do. I chose to become detached from him, and I shut myself off from friends, family, community and church.

After several years of wasted and social life in this vanishing world, I knew something was not right deep inside. Feelings of abandonment and rejection began to trigger pain as I observed on my environment. My life played into a hell of booze drinking, lying, puff of smoke and cheating. Those thoughts began to pound on me and keep on repeating on and on that almost made me to start thinking about death.

Two things are battling in my mind, to simply quit, or too early to give up. But I said to myself that I had come too far to give up.
Until one day I realized that God sent angels down for me to talk to and to bring me close to him. But sad to say I rejected them, leaving them, hoping that they won't bother me anymore, but I was totally wrong on my presumption. Then the angels started knocking back again into my closed door, trying to open it for them to set me free. As I was trying to add more pressure to strengthen the barrier that divides us when I heard a voice from the other side. One of the angels reminds me of my horrific past life. Regret engulf me as I reminisce the past. Tears usually never conquered me but to this point, it flowed as I repeatedly spoke the words "God forgive me on what I have done". Then the other angel offers me chance to change my decision to remain behind that secluded closed door and be in the dark forever or to open the door and let the light shine in and welcome everyone inside and likewise for me to discover that God's love is not only to those who follows him, but also to those people who are lost on their ways by taking the wrong path and willing to alter their way towards him.

I was so thankful I had them with me for years and they never leaved me despite of our misunderstanding due to our discord opinions in life. Now I say I was blessed by them. When nothing else could help, the unfailing love of God kept lifting me through them. In faith, I repented on my sins and asked God to help me find the right way back to him once again. I thanked Him for sending those angels that I could reach out to in my arduous times.

Now I am preparing myself to take the next episode of my life thinking all about how marvelous God's grace is. Time to start my life anew..

Thank you, God, for loving me and not letting go.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned" (John 15:5-9).

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"Enlarging our Comfort Zone"

Matthew 13:22-33
May 18, 2009
Pastor Joseph Sanchee Awal

Back in the Philippines, I have heard Rev. Leonardo Caput, in one of our Ministers meeting saying that, "Many Pastors/Preachers, when giving a sermon about the life of Peter walking on water, have only focused on his display of doubt and lack of faith. They failed to see the hardest and challenging part of it. That is, the great faith Peter showed in taking the first step to walk on water." This little part of his sermon caught my attention and brought me into a realization that God indeed wants us to grow in our faith, take the first step and enlarge our comfort zone. This was my challenge to our brethren in one of our prayer meetings in a house church in Satwa, Dubai.

Speaking of "Enlarging our Comfort Zone," I took the example of Peter. That in his world of safety and security in the tiny space of the boat, he was faced with fear when invited by Jesus to walk on water. Instead of being overwhelmed with fear, he took courage and initiated the first step. At last, he made it, he experienced walking on water. He tried to move out of his comfort zone but God did not left him. Peter grew in faith and his comfort zone was extended..


According to Bruce Wilkinson, in the website (www.worshiptogether.com), he emphasized that moving out of our comfort zone is somewhat, "taking more territory in your life" and in this process it predicts a cycle of comfort, discomfort and comfort again-which is actually a higher level of comfort. In my own analysis, I picture it this way; at first, we are safe and secure in the presence of God and along the way we see a mountain to take. Here, the process of discomfort is about to take place, wherein we have that fear of drifting away and being overwhelmed. At times, we even think of retreating and pulling back our step. But with the living Word of God and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, we now take courage and eventually take the mountain. Then what comes next? We victor over that mountain! Praise the Lord! As a result, we feel exhilarated, our faith moved to a greater level and finally, we extended our territory-our comfort zone was enlarged. Isn't our God great? He doesn't want us to be spoiled with the same estate of comfort and security in our Christian life, rather, He wants us to explore and see more of His greatness through the step of our faith and the willingness of our heart to take a risk.

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PICNIC! AGAIN!

May 9, 2009
Rebbie Samidan


One Friday just after the service, I was browsing the first issue of the GULF Herald newsletter. Looking at the pictures posted with each article, I felt joy in my heart as I see smiles in faces of fellow believers around me. Then I thought it?s been a long time when we last had an outing. Suddenly I said, ?Hey, let?s have a picnic!? and everybody reacted with ?Yes! Where? When??


Four months ago when we had a picnic at Creek Park, it was remembered to have an attendance of 26 people. It was a start to reach out to friends who are busy at work and has forgotten about having fun and of course most importantly to show the love of God.


May 8 at 7:00 in the morning each one was getting ready to go to Jumeirah Beach Park for the picnic. On arrival, we had breakfast while waiting for the others to arrive. It was about 10 A.M. when we started the fellowship. Our activity was led by Pastor Joseph wherein we debated on the topic, ?The way you see your life shapes your life.? derived from Rick Warren?s book The Purpose Driven Life which we are also studying once a month. At the end, Pastor explained that we should shape our life in God?s view and in constant prayer.


After a few minutes of having lunch, we proceeded with the games facilitated by Sheryl and Jeff wherein everybody participated. I myself did not expect that I am going to have fun that day. The park was filled with ?loud? laughter and smiles were pasted in everybody?s face.


It was really a good thing that we fellowshipped in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and I know in my heart that it was not an accident that we were together that day. As it says in the Bible in Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him."

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