Well, well, well..., here we are again... at the end of another year... called 2010. It is that time again. Sounds like a rap song huh? Anyway, time to reflect on the highlights and pitfalls of this year.
Overall it has been a wonderful one. A year where God would close doorways and open up new ones. As you may or may not know, Mr. Bilson became the unwilling victim of corporate downsizing. Yes it is true! In the midst of a global economic downturn, yours truly was laid off from about a decade of involvement at PMC. It was memorable, emotional but also inevitable. Now all that is left are the memories. The doorway was finally shut here but as many believers have shared with Mr. Bilson in the past, it means that God is opening a new doorway. The doorway to a Sabbath or also a sabbatical. It was long awaited and well earned one. Now, Mr. Bilson is known for being a bit of a workaholic and can sometimes bite off more than he can chew. But after much prayer and meditation, it seemed God had finally called him to unwind, relax and take a breather, a hiatus or sorts. Normally, Mr. Bilson is a bit stubborn towards being put to rest until he started to see and reap the benefits.
So here we go to review 2010 and see those benefits. We'll begin with a word on Sabbath.During the year, Mr. Bilson would awaken to taking on a Sabbath/Sabbatical which meant time in worship and hearing the word. There were many memorable preachers. Some key ones are John MacArthur and his many sermons about his favorite saint Paul. Mr. Bilson was more intrigued about his comments on running the Church and the organization of Deacons in it. A must listen... Also his Q and A sessions were also quite stimulating.Not also was MacArthur a key preacher but there was also David Jeremiah and Joel Houston.
David Jeremiah gave awesome sermons describing how America put the world into a economic down turn and how it all could fit into Biblical prophecy. What was noteworthy was his comments on how America was not mentioned in Biblical prophecy. He quoted his earlier book that it may be because most of the nation may have already been raptured up to heaven in the last days but now wanted to entertain the possibility that the nation may turn in itself in a moral meltdown in response to harsh economic times. Quite fascinating!
The other preacher worth mention was Joel Houston. He talked about having momentum in our walk with God and how some people lose it. They may have met some major disappointments in life and come to a place where they stop taking leaps of faith and become stagnant not wanting to be a leader who can make the hard decisions. What a warning we all should heed!Joel is a preacher from a Church also known for its worship. Mr. Bilson is speaking of Joel Houston, who is the pastor at the famous Hillsong Church in Sydney Australia. If you don't already know, it is a world famous Church that is known for it's powerful worship music that has circled the globe. Mr. Bilson's favorite song was, "Forever Reign" which was one of the beautiful songs that he frequently played in the mornings when he'd wake up! It is still a killer tune.... or should I say life giving one!
Other great songs of the year came from another awesome band called Anberlin. There are a couple of believers in that one and their new song, "Impossible" was one that anyone can identify with. It expressed the pain of having broken relationships and not being able to figure it out. Who could not identify with that one? But to my friends in Anberlin remember He, "...heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." (Psalm 147:3)
And who can forget the powerful songs by Al Gordon and Paul Bolouche. Al wrote, "Glory" and Paul wrote, "Our God Saves" and "Hossana" which were songs anointed by the powerful presence of God when sung and Mr. B's old and new Church, CLA. It was the Church Mr. B belonged to long before he ever heard of PMC and to comeback after 10 years was nothing short of a breath of fresh air. The revival is still on and the presence of God so powerful after being in the desert for toooo long. CLA welcomed Mr. B with open arms! God bless them! But also God bless the gift of those worship leaders for leading Mr. B into the powerful presence of the Almighty.2010 was also a year where Mr. Bilson experienced incredible blessing and answered prayer through CLA.
For years Mr. B was praying for his brother, A-Bomb to experience the powerful presence of God and to have a deeper hunger for the Word. About ten years later at CLA, he'd finally see his prayers come true. A-Bomb would wake up and get ready quickly on those Sunday morn's to rush to CLA and soak more of His presence and Word. He started craving it. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing years of prayer answered. It just proves true that when disciples, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. " ( Matthew 7:7-8)
Oh, and who can forget the trip to India? Did I mention that one? Mr. B and his Pops when back to the motherland to catch up with old family members. It was one word: HOT! No really! There was a heat wave of +50 C and it didn't change at nighttime. Mr. B found himself becoming almost senial to the point of laughing and talking to himself... it shocked his aunties. But the hightlights was seeing the place where Mr. B Pop's grew up, the school he attended, meeting distant family relatives and drinking hot Chai in the hot weather. Most memorable. And who can forget the house boat cruise overlooking K.P Yohannan land. It was short of breathtaking.
There was also the swing over to Dubai to enjoy the company of family again and see the sights. The dune bashing was most exquisite and the fine dining. The Burj Khailifa, the tallest building in the world, was not open at the time but no worries, we'll catch up to it next time.There was also more answered prayer. Mr. Bilson remembers the frequent prayers made out at the Millennium amphitheater to bring an evangelistic event there. It finally came true in 2010 where his favorite preacher's son and a favorite band would eventually come. Franklin Graham brought his friends from Skillet to lead in a mayjor youth rally leading nearly 1000 youngsters back to Christ. Most memorable it was! Thank you Jesus! You always hear the cry of our hearts!
O, and what else was there? Oh! The trip to the interior. We had some fun meeting up a former youth pastor from England who showed us the beauty of interior B.C. We hung out at the different beaches, floated down a river on inner tubes and ate to our hearts content. They were so hospitable and kind. They were true followers of Jesus. It was a refreshing weekend.And finally, to top it all off! ISRAEL and JORDAN. Dreams came true as God allowed Mr. Bilson to fullfill some dreams of going to the promised land with some fellow saints. More will be posted on that in the near future. In the meantime, here are a bunch of photoes!
Well, thanks again for journeying with Mr. Bilson on his escapades... But before we leave we want you to think about... What is next? What is in store for 2011?We'll see you in the New Year!
Mr. Bilson
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