My First Time To SPEAK

I’m a Nutrition Instructor, I’m not afraid of talking in front of my Nursing students.
I’m a Sunday School Teacher, I can deliver well my outline and I can even conduct a seminar about CLASS 301 to the whole church congregation.
I’m a Youth Leader, I can spontaneously exhort in our youth gatherings.
I’m a Small Group Leader, I can explain biblical concepts to my SG bros and sisses.
I’m a Song Leader, I can lead the congregation (even the whole Tanauan City alliance of Christians) for 30 minutes or so in praise & worship.

But I’m not a preacher.

when i was told, "Ikaw speaker sa Sunday," my initial reaction, sinabunutan ko sarili ko! I told my dad, I know I can do a talk in front of the congregation, I’ve done it before, when we had a church-wide workshop on Spiritual Gifts Inventory. But this one is not a workshop. It’s a sermon that I’m gonna be doing. hello?! sermon?! I know I’m confident I can do the talking but I wasn’t confident because I didn’t know what to say - i’m not yet an experienced person. wala pa kong alam sa buhay! But my dad just said, "Talk about your SHAPE. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit." YEAH, and I shut up.

Prior to this conversation, nakipag-bargain ako kay God.

1.) While waiting for a bus, kulimlim, tapos umambon. "God, hindi ako makakapagSpeak, mukhang masstranded ako."
- Biglang tumila ulan; the sky became clear.

2.) Riding the bus, nakatayo. "God, ayoko magspeak kasi wala pa po akong tulog."
- Someone offered a seat. no excuse. makakatulog na ‘ko during the travel.

3.) "God, pa’no nman ako magsspeak, wala naman akong na-prepare. [melan attack] bakit nman first time ko mag-speak eh wala man lang preparations, walang fasting, etc.
- Biglang nagsalita mommy ko, "may binabasa kang book a? (huh? naalala ng mommy ung book? kelan pa?)

4.) si kuya Erick na lang (our Missions Head) or si nanay Nita (Admin)
- [daddy] "eh kung sila ang sinabi sken ng Lord, sila kakausapin ko"
ano raw?! sinabi ng Lord?!

5.) "God, pag 25 na ako…" >>> ang logic, kasi, before ako mag-birthday, ‘twud be my regularization sa work. so, para sure na na-test ko talaga faithfulness ni God.
- [God speaking] "at ano? wala ka talagang faith? tingin mo hindi kita kayang i-regular sa work?"

6.) hmmm… God, ano ‘to? joke? isa pa! Wala pa po kaming bahay, sana mag-reply na ung sa room for rent at pumayag na 1 month deposit na lang.
- no reply. it’s as if God was saying, "sinusubukan mo ba ko? bket di ka muna sumunod?"

7.) sa Music Ministry Practice, ung head namin ang nag-lead ng prayer/devotion (which he never did). hmmm, kuya, does that mean, you’re going to take the leadership and obey God from now on?

- END OF LIST -

wala na ‘ko magawa. baka mamya biglang may malaking isda akong makasalubong at kainin ako. besides, i needed to do the outline for the sermon coz it’s already 9pm. whew! ’twas difficult and i changed topic thrice. haha… but when i was already desperate, God said, "just share your testimony." That meant share my stubborness! Share my murmuring! and share how God changed my heart to obey Him, then, His blessing followed. ah… i see!

Sunday morning… I was blessed even as i was doing the talk, kasi si God, kinakausap Nya din ako, and He was just reminding me things that I could just say "oo nga noh? galing mo God!"

After the service… I was more blessed to hear that while those people were staring at me during the service, one by one, they were telling me, God spoke to them, their tears were falling, it hit them, so on and so forth.

sigh… no great preparations but actually, the 3 years of God dealing with me about my prayer, was already His preparation for me. So that on June 8, 2008, i’ll have something to share to the church congregation.

(Thanks pa rin sa book ni Max Lucado, it helped me a lot in my first sermon)

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nag-reply nga pala ung sa room for rent. hahaha! di ko na naalala un. nagReply sya don sa time na i was thinking na humanap na ng ibang bahay.