EASTER GATHERING 2010lifewithcada.com/chronicles/cadachronicles_2010_0406.pdf · presentation was a...

APRIL – JUNE 2010

Official newsletter of Christ’s Ardent Disciples in Action (CADA) © 2001-2010 Vol. 10 Issue 2 page 1

EASTER GATHERING 2010

e is risen! He is risen indeed. After the 40 days of the

Lenten season, the day finally arrived for us to

commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord

Jesus Christ. Being one of the most important feast day of our

Christian faith, we at CADA celebrate it with joy and glee.

This year we celebrated it on April 10 at St. Priscilla Church in

Livonia. All arrived in their white attire to symbolize our

baptism, and new life with our risen Lord. The activity started

with a Lord’s Day celebration. Pedro & Toni Esteva led the

ceremony. CADA had dinner followed by praise and

worship. Praise and worship was led by Jun Siwa. It was

really a time to rejoice and sing Hallelujah!

The program included games and activities for kids, including

egg hunting, watching a video, organized by the Children

Ministry. The single brothers and sisters led by Amy Apostol

produced a commercial for the upcoming Life in the Spirit

Seminar. It was a fun depiction of good vs. evil in a boxing

arena setting, wherein drinking the Holy Spirit will empower

one to defeat one’s foes. The next presentation was done by

the Music Ministry. They presented a video of Christ’s passion

in a painting followed by a song number led by Marilou

Hoffman honoring Jesus, with other members of the music

ministry parading banners of how Jesus transformed their

lives. At the end it presented a painting of Jesus made by

Olive Manalo (Crissy Manalo’s younger sister). The last

presentation was a video presentation made by Rhoda Simon.

Rhoda asked different members of CADA how Jesus is alive in

their lives. It covered different aspects of our community life:

prayer meetings, service ministries, cell group and our

relationships with one another as father, mother, husband, wife,

son and daughter. It was indeed a good reminder that our Lord

is perpetually present at every moment, and in every aspect of

our life.

Overall, it was a fun celebration of honoring and celebrating

our Lords’ resurrection. Thanks to Rhoda for organizing the

event and thanks to every one who pitched in and helped one

way or another to make this celebration a success.

Until next year, may all of you be blessed this Easter season.

By: Renz Tejada

LIFE IN THE SPIRIT SEMINAR 2010

y momma always said, "Life is like a box of chocolates.

You never know what you're going to get." This was the

quote from the movie “Forest Gump”. But I think choosing the

way your life should be shouldn’t be like a game of chance. We

all have the capability to make the right choice and the Life in

the Spirit Seminar is the best chocolate in the box you could get.

The Life in the Spirit Seminar is an opportunity for us to know

how much God loves us. It is His way of reaching into each our

lives. Life is a constant battle between good and evil but in the

end it is you who needs to stand up and make the choice. By

receiving the Holy Spirit, you will be guided in life to make the

right choice for Him and win your daily battle in life.

This year 2010, CADA, through God’s blessings, was able to

offer the Life in the Spirit Seminar (LSS). LSS is a concentric

effort of the community. CADA members took part of these

series of activities it in any ways they could --- from

organization and planning, praying over, fasting, food

preparation, and in the various direct service roles in each day

of the seminar.

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The following were the people who served during the event:

Team Leader: Pedro Esteva

Admin/Video: Dave Demetria and Renz Tejada

Greeter: Lynette Trinidad

Music Ministry (c/o Jun Siwa)

Intercessory (c/o Lulu Bagtas)

Discussion Group Leaders:

Women: Rhoda Simon (Leader), Elma Monzon(Assistant).

Allyn Ojeda (Leader), Crissy Manalo(Assistant)

Men : Ed Nicdao (Leader), Warren Brillantes (Assistant)

Pedro Esteva(Leader), Jun Siwa(Assistant)

Sharers : Annie Alpas, Kristine Cabillo, Dave and Jing

Demetria, Voltaire Diaz, Don Dulay.

This year’s candidates were (in no particular order):

Ladies: Vicki Kort, Joanna Kris Aquino, Viviene Francisco,

Michelle Collantes, Sheryl Chu,Dione Manalo, Daisy Keeling

Gentlemen: Noel Lopez, Charleston Catolico, Jun Chu, JP

Quesada, Gerald Gales, Jaron Johnson.

Seminar’s Schedule: April 16, 2010 through June 4, 2010

(Every Friday).

The following were the topics discussed during the course of

the seminar: God’s love, Salvation, New Life, Receiving God’s

Gift, The Holy Spirit, Growth, Transformation and Call to

Community.

In Behalf of CADA, we thank you all who have participated

and served. We wish all candidates the God’s blessings, and

may you continue to do all things all for His Glory.

By: Dave Demetria

Participant’s Thoughts on the LSS …

he Life in the Spirit Seminar is, at the very least, a beacon

of hope for those who have yet to experience God’s grace

and, at the very most, a guiding hand for those who

consciously choose to remain in Him. It has its own subtle way

of introducing a paradigm shift to willing individuals on how

to take the initial step towards living a truly Christian life by

putting into context and perspective core values such as

humility, love, respect and faith. It also cultivates and

nourishes one’s faith by constantly reminding individuals about

the promises intended to be kept by God if one freely makes a

choice to remain in His love. Lastly, the LSS strengthens the

community by gathering believers and would be believers

having a common set of purpose – believing that for whatever

things thought of, words spoken of and acts done must always

be for His greater glory.

By: Noel Lopez

A fun-filled moment in the LSS

Rekindling The Christian Life In Michigan Through The LSS

“I pray that Christ will make His home in your hearts through faith. I

pray that you may have roots and foundation in love, so that you,

together will all God’s people, may have the power to understand how

broad and long , how high and deep, is Christ’s love. Yes, may you

come to know His love, although it can never be fully known.”

Ephesians3:17-19

he Life in the Spirit Seminar with CADA was truly an

amazing and delightful experience for me and my husband.

It became a wonderful venue for us to be able to renew our

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commitment to God, to each other, to ourselves, to our family,

friends and other people. This experience had sparked a new

ray of light in our community service and married life here in

the US. It came just right in time. The encounter we had with

the Lord in the LSS made us wiser and bolder in our calling to

live a life conformed to standards and will of the Father.

Indeed, it was really an experience made even richer than we

could have imagined.

We had a great time listening to all talks, speakers, and

sharers. I remembered, I was even moved into tears a few time

as I contemplated on my own imperfect yet happy life. I felt

that the Lord was alive at every moment. Jun and I could never

be happier if we missed out God’s call to join CADA in the

LSS. It was a blessing for us to be able to continue the journey

we have started in Iloilo through “Ang Lingkod ng

Panginoon”. Receiving the Lord and the Holy Spirit in the LSS

was a huge gift. And making a home for this gift in our hearts

was one of the amazing privileges we ever have wanted in our

lives.

I know that the end of the LSS will just be the beginning of a

new life in Christ and with the brothers and sisters in CADA.

We shall dedicate ourselves to God’s service and to the

community as we continue on our pursuit of the “Pearl of

Great Price”, believing that His grace will always be sufficient

and His strength will be made perfect in our weakness. To God

be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

By: Sheryl Joy Chu

Talk # 5:

RIGHTEOUS AND UNRIGHTEOUS ANGER

DISCUSSED BY CHRIS SIMON APRIL 25, 2010

hris started his talk with scenes from the movie

“Fireproof”, where a married couple was constantly

arguing leading to so much anger that went out of control.

Perhaps one of the most powerful emotions that we have is

anger. Although this is a God-given emotion, it shows that

when it consumes us and gets out of control, it could lead to

broken relationships and worst, to sin. Anger comes in many

forms and has many synonyms. It could range from mild

irritation to intense fury or rage. Examples of these are wrath,

fury or losing one’s temper. It could come in a physical form

like hitting or throwing things. It could also be in the form of

words like verbal abuse, negativity or sarcasm. It can be

disguised in the form of

negative humor,

resentment or simply by

being silent. Chris made

a very good analogy

that anger can be as hot

as an erupting volcano

or it could be as cold as

the North Pole where it

is silent and

hidden within.

Anger happens in our day-to-day life. We experience this from

people we don’t know or people we know like our spouse,

friends, parents, children, brother or sister in the community, or

our boss. There are different areas, times and situations in our

lives where we may experience anger.

So as Christians, how do we respond to anger? Below are some

suggestions:

● Be cautious. Based on scriptures, we need to be

cautious and not eager to condemn.

Ephesians 4:26 says, “Be angry but do not sin; do not let

the sun go down on your anger”. Remember that the

devil can use this tool against us if we let it linger for a

long time. Other scripture readings given are Ephesians

4:31 and Matthew 5:21

● Be slow to anger. Proverbs 16:32 says, “He who is

slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who

rules his spirit than he who takes a city”.

Chris further discussed righteous and unrighteous anger.

He pointed out that anger is not always an expression of hate

and it is not always opposed to love.

Anger can be righteous. It is righteous when:

1. It is a response to something wrong or unjust that

is happening that is not of God or against the will

of God.

2. There is an obstacle in the way of something

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EMOTIONS IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

(Continuing series of talks)

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legitimate that needs to happen or that you need to

obtain.

3. It is controlled so that we handle the problem

well.

Anger is unrighteous when:

We are just trying to get our own way or when

we do not allow others to get something that they

want that’s legitimate.

When it is out of control.

There will be many times in our lives where we are faced

with difficult situations. Below are some suggestions on how

to handle our anger in difficult situations:

1. We should not repress, hide or ignore our anger

but rather respond to it with Christian wisdom.

We should express it and channel it to ways that

are positive, assertive but not aggressive, and we

have to make clear what is right without

intentionally hurting others.

2. In a heated discussion, we need to calm down

and listen carefully to what the other person is

saying, taking time before we answer. We need

to tame our tongue.

3. Discern whether our anger is justified or not. If it

is unjustified, we should let it go.

4. If we have a dispute with someone, we need to

settle quickly or simply forebear meaning be

patient.

5. If you did get angry with someone and you

realized you are wrong, you should go to that

person and apologize for your behavior (be

humble and patient).

In conclusion, the root of our anger problems is that we

have not surrendered something to the Lord most specially our

self-will. This is where prayer time and scripture reading is

important. We should use this time to talk to God, examine our

lives and surrender everything to God. He will reveal areas of

our life where anger is still festering or rooted and His grace

will free us from that anger. If there’s one thing towards which

we ought to direct our anger, it should be sin. We should use

that energy to come up with something that is good to address

that issue, after all we are empowered by the Holy Spirit and

we are Ardent Disciples of Christ.

by: Ivy Senger

CALL TO COMMUNITY

DISCUSSED BY: RENZ TEJADA

May 23, 2010

s the Life in the Spirit (LSS) ended, Renz gave a

presentation on the “Call to Community” to provide an

insight to the LSS graduates and remind CADA members of

what a Christian community is, its importance and God’s call to

belong to him. He also emphasized that believing and

responding to the call to belong to God is more important than

having the knowledge of what a community is. It is also

noteworthy to reiterate the following benefits of living in a

Christian community:

Developing our spiritual muscles by receiving teachings

and support from others

Moving us out of self-centered isolation as the community

is Christ-centered and is geared towards serving God and

others

Helping to keep us from backsliding

Sharing in Christ’s mission to proclaim the gospel to the

world

From these benefits, we can see why a community is vital to

Christian life and why we were created to live with others. Of

course, it was mentioned that the church we belong to is our

primary community and that CADA is not a replacement of the

church. Rather, it is an added support to enable us to live out

our life as a Christian in the fullest way possible. On this note,

an introduction to who CADA is, what is its mission and vision

and how it evolved over the years was given as an invitation to

the LSS graduates. Still, CADA is only one among the many

Christian communities that God may call them to join.

Toward the end of the talk, Toni Esteva, Cliff Obsum and Lot

Hoffman shared their personal experience of community

life. Toni’s sharing centered on how she grew up as a

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community kid in Ligaya ng Panginoon (a member of the

Sword of the Spirit) and how her life in the community is

integral to her growth as a Christian and in her personal life. It

was a decision that eventually led her to meet her husband,

Pedro in a community gathering; raise her children differently

following the Christians’ ideals as opposed to worldly ideals;

witness God’s faithfulness and the fulfillment of his promises;

realize the importance of daily prayer, listening to the Lord,

and bible reading; learn the true meaning of ecumenism; and

to open her life to others and admitting her own weaknesses

without the fear of being judged and lastly witness how

people serve God and others lovingly and diligently.

Cliff shared how joining the community showed him his

weaknesses that going to Mass as a Catholic was not enough

and that was most essential is having a personal relationship

with God. He also learned the virtue of hope and patience as

he slowly let go of his setbacks in life and accept what God

was doing in his life. From being heartbroken, he found a

much better life in the community having met the love of his

life, Ellen, in the community. He learned how to rely on God

more and be thankful for every little thing that comes his way.

Lot’s sharing reflects one of the benefits of having a

community where one finds support in others to prevent us

from backsliding in our Christian life. She shared about how

her life was without the community and the emptiness and

longing that she felt inside. Eventually, she made a decision to

find a community around her and even brought her husband

along with her.

They all ended their sharing that they couldn’t imagine what

their life would like without the community. God never ceases

to awe us with the way He works wonders in our lives to bring

us closer to Him. How amazing it is how He can connect us to

people at the right time and at the right place!

By Jing Demetria

Talk # 6:

FEAR, FAITH, AND FIGHT DISCUSSED BY: PEDRO ESTEVA

JUNE 4, 2010

ear is an emotion that exists in all of us from the very

beginning of our life. Like all emotions, it has both good

and bad aspects. When used in excess or if we let it run our

lives, it is bad. When we are young, it can be used for good by

our parents who use it to control our weakness or bad behavior.

This is a fear of punishment, which makes us behave. If we

experience fear that we will not be with God in Heaven because

of bad Edecisions, than this fear, like that of our parents, is also

good. Of course fear can be bad too. We can be manipulated by

unfounded or misplaced fear and this is of course, bad. The

media is tuned into fear, and plays on unfounded fear regularly.

For example, the exaggerated fear that the media generated by

the anxiety of the H1N1 virus. Or even the continuous

bombardment of bad news from foreign wars or economy. This

bad news is not intended for our safety or even for our well-

being but to simply make money through advertisements.

Satan uses this fear to extinguish hope, and hype anxiety

effectively distracting us and driving us from concentrating on

God.

We are human, and as humans, we express fear individually

and widely different. Some “hold up” their anxiety, while other

express through the need to express themselves. Either one can

occur in the extreme. Although it is necessary as humans to

express fear, in extreme this too can rule your life and distract

you from God.

The Aztec Indians were loyal and respectful people who lived

in absolute terror of their gods. They believed that their gods

demanded human sacrifices or they would be punished

severely. So they appeased their god’s out of sheer terror. When

they saw Mary they saw her as a more powerful person than

their own gods, and Jesus, her son, was even more powerful

than Mary. So out of the joy of freedom from the oppression of

fear, they venerated God, Jesus, and Mary. Our God has the

power to punish us, yet today in our modern society we don’t

even live in fear of his retribution or even venerate him

properly. In a small way, the Aztecs exemplify the need to

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examine how we venerate God. In this case fear can teach us to

be better Christians. We need a little bit of fear when we

worship Him.

A perfect example of misplaced fear was when the stock

market recently crashed a couple of weeks ago. Because of all

the issues with Greece, fear drove people to act irrationally.

People with investments in the Stock market were afraid they

would lose their money because of the possible collapse of

Greece. This was fueled by wild speculation that the failure of

Greece would roll into Portugal and other EU countries. Of

course that didn’t happen but the market still made enormous

swings that week.

When Pedro grew up in Mexico, he was comfortable with his

neighborhood. He felt he could walk the streets freely from

criminal activity. However, when he went there recently, he

was held at knifepoint by petty thieves, he was afraid, but he

didn’t let it paralyze him or let it make him lose hope. He

avoided the confrontation by running, avoiding the problem.

As Christians we must remember to never be afraid. We need

to learn to not let the overwhelming tasks of this earthly world

to fill us with fear. For a role model we can look to Paul for

inspiration. He was beat severely on several occasions

preaching the word of God. You can believe he had fear, but he

didn’t let it control him. He even knew in advance that trouble

and agony was awaiting him in the next city, but he didn’t let

it hold him back, he went there anyway. Even when he was

beat up by the opposition, he would brush himself off and go

do it again, never letting it control him. As Christians we

should also never forget we should never fear death. God gave

us this earthly body and we should be excited to join God in

heaven. Conversely we should experience fear if we do

something that would prevent us from joining Him.

In Matthew, we have the wonderful quote “And do not fear

those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him

who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” This means fear

God and not man because only God has the power to destroy

both body and soul. We are designed to worship Him, and

obey Him, so when we don’t do these things we should be in

fear.

In situations of danger we should respond with courage,

wisdom, and stand in our faith. The Lord expects us to do our

part and he will help us when it is necessary. When a family

has experienced a tragic death due to illness or some other

hardship, the natural reaction is to live in fear of the cause. We

need to learn to embrace suffering; it is part of our human

condition. In addition, we need to channel this suffering

through the Lord through contrition and supplication.

Remember Jesus gave his own life and even suffered horribly

for his love of us. We need to learn not to be afraid of suffering

and to trust in the Lord and live in Hope and Faith.

Faith is the main antidote to fear. Remember our lives are in His

hands, do not be afraid, trust in His promise with faith and

hope. In Luke we see that If God can feed the birds and yet they

make no effort take care of themselves what are we afraid of?

God certainly loves us more than the birds. He will take care of

us. In addition God blessed us with community to assist us in

times of our need. The Lord knows everything including what

is going on in our minds. It is acceptable to admit and share our

fears and anxieties with him. We must find ways persevere

through times of fear. This might include changing our life

styles. We should also accept we will have fear and we need

have faith and trust in the Lord and His will.

By: Philip Senger

SOS CONSULTS CADA MEMBERS

Tom Gryniewicz

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bout a year ago, CADA became an affiliate community of

the Sword of the Spirit. It became a blessing for us and

also to the whole Sword of the Spirit Community (SOS). As

we continue the process of becoming a full pledge SOS

community, we are undertaking steps that will lead us there.

One of them is consulting the members of the community to

evaluate current leadership in CADA. Tom Gryniewicz

(CADA outside coordinator) created the consultation form

with input from SOS & CADA leaders. The form includes a

letter explaining why we need to do this; it also contains the

consultation form itself which listed the names of the CADA

leaders and asking you if you want them to continue to serve

as leaders of the community. There is also room for

recommendations for new leaders and comments.

It was decided that the prayer meeting on June 18 will be

solely dedicated for this purpose. Tom gave a presentation on

why we are doing this and why it is important in our

community. The form was given to CADA current committed

members and the deadline for submission was July 9. Tom

will review all the forms, together with Miriam Torres (CADA

outside Women’s coordinator) and will present it to CADA in

future time. This was a good opportunity for members to

evaluate their leaders and also for Sword of the Spirit to know

how they could effectively help us through our leaders.

On the side note, Phil Senger led the prayer meeting for the

first time and he did well. Also, Noel Juan from Ligaya ng

Panginoon, who is doing a gap year in Detroit outreach,

shared his joy of attending the prayer meeting. Dale Arconado

from Servants of the Word also shared his enthusiasm in

finally meeting brothers and sisters in CADA.

By: Renz Tejada

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF COVENANT

COMMUNITY

“Covenant community began 40 years ago…on a secular campus in

Ann Arbor, MI among a handful of students and local residents who

were hungry for God and the action of His Holy Spirit.” (taken from

Living Bulwark, the Sword of the Spirit online magazine May/June

2010 issue)

ince that moment, the seeds of covenant Christian

community have been planted across the United States and

all over the world as men and women who have come to Ann

Arbor to witness and experience the distinct way of life pursued

and shared their vision. There is presently a network of 65

member communities in 24 countries that share the call of

“living as a Community of disciples on mission.”

To commemorate those monumental 40 years, The Word of Life

Community hosted the Sword of the Spirit’s celebration last

May 2, 2010 at the Knox Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor. It

was a joyful and fitting opportunity to thank God for the life

that we share with brothers and sisters from across the globe

and celebrate His faithfulness throughout those 40 years. It was

an opportunity to recognize those who were there from the

beginning, to rejoice in worship, to be nourished by His word,

and to be inspired by the expressions of thanksgiving and by

the sharings of some of the leaders about God’s hand on the

past, present, and the future of their communities and in the

Sword of the Spirit, in general. The gathering also marked the

beginning of the Assembly of the Sword of the Spirit where

leaders of covenant communities from around the world came

together for a series of meetings in Chelsea. The evening ended

with a reception and a time for fellowship.

By: Toni Esteva

SOS NORTH AMERICAN SUMMER

CONFERENCE

A S

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he annual Sword of the Spirit North American Region

Summer Conference was recently held at the Eastern

Michigan University iin Ypsilanti, MI from June 24-27, 2010.

Deviating from the format of previous conferences, where

several tracks took place simultaneously, this year's conference

featured a Pastoral Training Institute (PTI) on The Glory of

God: The First Table of the Commandments. The different

talks addressed both the basic truths that are contained in the

first table taken from Exodus 20: 2-11 and Deuteronomy 5:6-15,

as well as the practical pastoral approaches to the truths. There

was also a talk on Raising Our Children to be Fully Engaged in

the Sword of the Spirit. The times of fellowships within and

outside the conference schedule were rich as brothers and

sisters from across the different communities of the SOS got

together to build, strengthen, or renew relationships. The

times of worship during the prayer meetings were equally rich

and tangibly Spirit-filled.

By: Toni Esteva

CELL GROUP UPDATES

MEN’S WEST GROUP by: Pedro Esteva

In the last quarter, the Men's West group had the chance to get

together with our families for lunch at La Sharm to celebrate

Easter. We haven't been able to meet as a group, but most of us

served during the recent LSS by sharing, leading discussion

groups and helping with the service team. I believe the LSS

gave my men's group the chance to continue growing in the

Lord and experience His love in a deeper way.

MEN’S EAST GROUP by: Jun Siwa

The East men's cell group for the past month has restructured

the grouping that would allow a better support system for the

members. The focus of the meetings for the past months were

regarding the emotions course and on the recommitment for

the coming anniversary

MEN’S GROUP by: Chris Simon

Rey Rodriguez is now a member of our men's group since

April. We have included scripture reading assignments as part

of our regular discussions and have recently finished 1 Peter.

CENTRAL WOMEN’S GROUP by: Rhoda Simon

The Central Women’s Cell Group reviewed all the ECL talks

(Emotions in Christian Life) during the May and June meetings.

We shared our experiences and our insights on struggles and

success with regards to the emotions that were touched in the

talks (desire, guilt, humility, anger, fear). The ECL series of talks

was indeed enlightening and a big help to all of us. Our May

meeting was held in the east, hosted by Pearl, and our June

meeting was held in Ivy’s home, where we celebrated the

Lord’s Day.

WOMEN’S GROUP by: Amy Apostol

We continued discussing ECL talks. Most of us helped w/ LSS.

We celebrated Elma's and Mayeth's birthdays. We helped Crissy

move. We lost the fathers of Kristine and Amy.

MINISTRY UPDATES

INFORMATION MINISTRY by: Ivy Senger

The ministry had a fun fellowship meeting in April at the

Demetria's residence. Currently, we are working on the CADA

Chronicles 2nd quarter release.

INTERCESSORY MINISTRY by: Rhoda Simon

The Intercessory ministry served faithfully during one of the

community’s most important events, the Baptism of the Holy

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Spirit in the Life in the Spirit Seminar, on May 15th. Good job,

sisters!

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY by: Portia Almendras

Children Ministry met on June 12, 2010. Updates and concerns

were discussed. It was decided that we need to hold regular

and more frequent meetings to discern God's direction for our

ministry, for teambuilding and training. We discussed plans

for the upcoming CADA Anniversary as well.

MUSIC MINISTRY by: Bobby de los Reyes

The music ministry participated in the LSS where we had the

opportunity to teach songs and lead the praise and worship. I

would like to take this opportunity to honor the members of

the music ministry in their dedication to the Lord’s

community. I honor our brother Don Dulay for stepping up as

my new assistant leader. For the summer season, where the

prayer meeting is held every other Friday, our practice was

moved to every other Tuesday and I would like to thank Cliff

and Ellen Obsum for offering their home as a place for

practice. We encourage everyone who wants to serve the Lord

through music, we also welcome our LSS participants, if they

want to attend our practice and get familiar with our

community songs or they want use their talents through the

music ministry, they are more than welcome to join. Don’t

hesitate to approach Bobby, Don or any member of the Music

ministry. If you have any questions or suggestions or if you

want to introduce a new song to the community, we are happy

to accommodate you

NICDAO FAMILY

1. Name of each family members and profession (including

kids and age, grade in school if applicable OR

parents/siblings on each side of the family)

Jonah and Eduardo Nicdao - IT Consultants

2. Where from the Philippines?

Manila

Jonah and Eduardo Nicdao

3. Why did you decide to stay in Michigan?

We received an offer from Ciber Inc (previously DCI

Consulting) as IT Consultants. Since we prefer to be

assigned on the same state, Ciber agreed to look for an

opportunity for both of our skill-set. With God's blessings,

they found a position for us - Nic as a Database

Administrator and Jonah as a Business Analyst in

Dearborn, Michigan. Further, we consider CADA as our

family and friends in the US. CADA does not only provide

companionship, but a deeper level of relationship that is God

centered.

4. How did you get involved in CADA?

We got involved in CADA thru an invitation from Jackie,

Ellen, Lulu and Rhoda. They are Nic's colleagues at UCPB

in the Philippines.

5. Any message for CADA

May CADA continue to be God's vessel in revealing

Himself to bring Joy and Unity to the whole community.

April 25, 2010

Psalm 86:11-13 - You alone are our God. Teach me your ways,

oh Lord and I will walk in your truth. Give me an undivided

APRIL - JUNE 2010


heart that I may hear your name. I will praise you with all my

heart. I will call on your name forever for great is your love

toward me. You have delivered me from the depths of the

grave.

Romans 12:17-21- Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.

Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far

as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the

wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I

WILL REPAY," says the Lord. BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS

HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A

DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING

COALS ON HIS HEAD." Do not be overcome with evil but

overcome evil with good.

Revelation 3:20 - Here I am! I stand in the door and knock.

Anyone who hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in

and eat with him and he with me. Brothers and sisters, the

Lord is knocking on our hearts right now. It is up to us to open

the door of our hearts to Him. Be with him as he has great

plans for us in heaven.

You are all my children. Each of you I have called by name.

Come, I offer you hope. Come, I offer you peace. Come, I offer

you joy. Come, I offer riches beyond your worldly

imagination. Come to the feast my children. It is waiting for

you. Come.

Psalm 139:1-10

May 23, 2010

Ephesians 6:10-18 - Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his

mighty power. Put up the full armor of God so that you can

take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is

not against life and blood but against the rulers, against the

power, against the world forces of this darkness, against the

forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore put on the full

armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you will be

able to stand firm…

I shall seek the truth. I shall seek the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I

shall seek the giver of the gifts. Seek me My people, seek me My

children. Seek Me in your prayer time. Seek Me in your

scripture reading. Seek Me in your community. Seek Me in your

fellowship with brothers and sisters. Seek Me wherever you are.

Seek the truths of the Holy Spirit. Seek the giver of gifts.

Receive the Holy Spirit. If you love Me, you will follow My

teaching. If you love Me, you will obey My commandments. I

will never leave you or forsake you. My father and I will send

the Holy Spirit to be with you forever. Receive the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am

sending you. Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s

sins, they are forgiven. If you did not forgive, they are not

forgiven. “

June 4, 2010

… Of all the commandments, which is the most important?

Jesus answered, “Hear, oh Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is

one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your

soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. And the

second is this; love your neighbor as yourself. There is no

commandment greater than this.”

I just have a sense from the Lord that says, the greatest thing

there is on earth is love. That’s why He sent his son and is the

main purpose of His coming here. We should be reminded of

that – to love him even more, to love our neighbors. Most

importantly a love that’s a legacy we leave our friends, a legacy

to our family and our children. The Lord says, love me as much

as you can, love me with all your heart, with all your might.

Love your neighbor, love your spouse, your children, and love

yourself, for this is the legacy you are going to leave to them.

June 18, 2010

The Lord says that he is pleased with all of our praise and the

offering of our lives. It is very pleasing. Even though we have

heard him many, many times. He has told us about his pleasure

APRIL - JUNE 2010


in us when we praise him, but I think this time He wants us to

take it more to heart, that it really does please Him when we

give our offering of our life, our praise of who we are and

everything that we have.

I have a beautiful vision while we were singing, I saw big

fields of grass, I saw a figure at the top of the hill and I was

running uphill and a beautiful face looking at me with arms

stretched out wide. I felt like a child running to my father. I felt

overwhelmed with joy.

The Lord says, do not be afraid because He is our life and our

salvation. There is nothing that can harm us if we are with the

Lord. We should not be afraid as we try to surrender our lives

with that outstretch hands, giving our all to the Lord. Do not

be afraid in surrendering our fears and worries, of the

unforgiveness of our sins, or what will people will think about

our insecurities. The Lord just wants us to surrender them all

to the Lord. He has outstretched hands ready to receive us out

of love and because of being pleased of what we doing right

now.

2nd Corinthians 4:5-9

The Lord would like to remind us that He is being a father to

us. That He is our true father. He is reminding us to remember

who we are, that we are His sons and daughters. He has

created us in His image and likeness. That as a father He is also

our protector and shield on our side. And He calls us to trust

Him like a child, giving up our lives to Him. Come to Him,

come to Him as our father and we as His children to surrender

all that we have to Him.

Isaiah 54:1-10

Because I’m pleased with you, I will not withhold My grace

from you. I will not withhold My love from you. I will not

withhold My mercy from you. Because I am pleased with you,

with pleasure, I will pour out my blessing upon you. I will

reveal myself to you fully. I will reveal to you what I am about,

what I am about to do in your life. I will reveal to you what I

have for you.

COMMUNITY INTERCESSION

* We pray for all CADA members to have a deeper conviction and

commitment to our community's way of life. We pray that God may

continue to strengthen our faith and increase our zeal to live out our

commitment.

* For all of our brothers and sisters traveling this summer, may God

keep them safe, and grant that their vacation be fruitful.

* We pray for all those who are sick, that they may find strength and

comfort in the saving and healing power of God. We pray that all

their practical needs be provided.

* We pray for all those that are discerning or making important

decisions in their life. That they may seek God's wisdom and guidance,

and that they may continue to trust God even in difficult situations.

AUGUST 2010

12 – Word of Life Summer Prayer Meeting

13-15 - CADA Family Day (Camping)

20-21 - WOL Women’s Retreat

23 – CADA Core Meeting

SEPTEMBER 2010

6 – Us Labor Day

10 – Music Ministry Practice

12 – Word of Life Gathering

12 – CADA Community Gathering

19 – Serving Coffee and Doughnuts At St. Priscilla



APRIL - JUNE 2010



OCTOBER 2010

11 – Columbus Day




31 - CADA All Saints Day Gathering Gathering

FIRST COMMUNION: Gabrielle-Marie Bagtas

May 2, 2010

St. Edmund Parish,Warren

FOR THE ETERNAL REPOSE: Loreto Nagtalon (Dad of

Kristine Cabillo):May

7,2010

Auxencio Apostol (Dad of

Amy Apostol): May 27,2010

CITIZENSHIP: Eduardo and Jonah Nicdao

June 16, 2010

The Seed, The Sower, and the SOS NARC (Sword

of the Spirit North American Regional Conference

June 2010)

few weeks before the SOS NARC, I sensed that God was

reminding me to divert my focus on my role in the

Children Ministry. Along with the message was the grace of a

renewed desire to serve thru the Kids Min. Around the same

time, I caught up with the talks on emotions and appreciated

them. I felt that I learned a lot from them and I remember

sharing in my cell group how relevant they were to my

concerns.

Little did I know that the enemy was just lurking around

waiting for me to perhaps get too secured with my new found

faith knowledge, then prove it all useless, or at least it wants me

A

ASSIGNED KIDS MINISTERS/ASSISTANTS FOR AUGUST-OCTOBER 2010

Aug. 13-15: -No assigned kids’ min –

CADA Family Picnic -

Sep. 12: - Jonah/Kristine/Nic, Assistant: Pearl

Sep. 26: - Portia/Kristine/Nic, Assistant: Lot

Oct. 10:- Jhoanne/Crissy/Jun, Assistant: Dave

Oct. 24:- Jhoanne/Crissy/Pedro, Assistant: Rey

CADA CASH FLOW AS OF JUNE 2010 Cash Received: As of:

6/30/2010

Tithes and other collections $2,700.00

Cash Expenses:

Equipment:

Venue Fees: $410.00

CADA sponsored activities $84.00

Children’s Ministry activities $159.91

Miscellaneous

------------

Total Cash Expenses $ 653.91

------------

Net Cash Increase $2, 046.09

(Decrease) ========

APRIL - JUNE 2010


to think that. Shortly after my cell group meeting, I found

myself going through all the emotions I learned about and

more. They were intense and simultaneous. Without enough

thinking and praying, I acted on them and before I knew it, I

truly believed then that I have done some damage in my

relationships.

This then escalated to one of the worst spiritual warfare I have

experienced in my lifetime. Divide and conquer was its tactic.

Still raw in emotions, I began to believe the voice that was

telling me that I was a fake and a failure at trying to be a good

Christian.

I was so ashamed, angry, frustrated that I was ready to quit. In

an instant was a 180 degree turn-around from my zeal to serve

to turning my back away from it all. As much as I was

somewhat aware that I was being attacked with lies, it all felt

so real. I prayed and prayed, then I asked myself, if I leave the

community, where would I go? Then I knew there was

nowhere to go. This is where I am called to be here and now,

and where my faith will be nurtured. Then I remember one

thing from one of the the talks: talk to the brothers and sisters

for support, so I did.

I was reminded to keep still and let the Lord fight for me. I did

that too. I rested in His presence in silence for days, though in

my heart I was asking Him what happened? I thought I just

learned how to handle emotions in a Christian way, then all

these happened because of my failure to do exactly that. His

reply:

The Parable of the Sower Mark 4:13-20

13 Then Jesus said to them, 'Don't you understand this parable? How then

will you understand any parable? 14The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people

are like seeds sown along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they

hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16

Others, like the seed sown in rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it

with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When

trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18

Still others, like the seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries

of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in

and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good

soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a

hundred times what was sown."

After I read this, I understood, I was humbled and accepted

that I was not yet fertile soil, and that I want to be, and so does

He. I was like all the different types of ground BUT the fertile

one. I experienced joy in learning His teaching, but failed to

keep at it, to continue to ponder His words and be open to His

grace until the busyness of life choked the seed that barely

rooted.

I prayed that He help me put into action my faith knowledge so

that it would bear fruit, and become wisdom. As always, I was

grateful that He was honest with me, and that He spoke to me

and helped me understand. I was at peace, but that was just the

beginning of yet another turn-around. This time, it was His

hands at work.

The SOS NARC came, and though I initially registered for the

full four (4) days, family circumstances permitted my

participation in only two (2) prayer meeting sessions. On

Saturday night, I walked into a room full of people who were

strangers to me. But as soon as the opening song started, I felt I

was home.

Everyone started praising and worshiping with such boldness

and reverence to God that made me sense His greatness, power

and majesty. I was reminded that the Battle is the Lord's and

that He is Victorious. Having God on our side gave me courage

and rest. We all came together from far places of the US, for our

One True God. They were no strangers anymore. While we

worshipped as one people of God, I had the overwhelming

experience of being one with my Christian family. It was a

homecoming from a mission in an ongoing battle.

Wherever we came from, we were all fighting the good fight.

Seeing my brothers and sisters taking this refuge with me

reassured me that I was never alone in any spiritual warfare.

The talks reminded us of what we are up against. It is tough but

God is faithful and we fight with Him.

We each have a role to play, and there's no role that is

insignificant. One analogy they presented was that it was like us

being in a battleship. Without the cook, the soldiers would be

weak.

To top it all up, I met the Children Ministry leader of City on a

Hill in LA. We spent the rest of our spare time sharing about

our ministries and I have learned a lot from her. I believe that

she was God's way of guiding me through my service.

As always, ang galing talaga ni God!

By Portia Almendras

APRIL - JUNE 2010


“Whoever serves me must follow me; and

where I am, my servant also will be. My

Father will honor the one who serves me.”

John 12:26

“Great is the LORD and most worthy of

praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”

Psalm 145:3

APRIL - JUNE 2010


● ● ●

"As the Father has loved me, so have I

loved you. Now remain in my love.”

John 15:9

● ● ●

"All this I have spoken while still with

you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit,

whom the Father will send in my name,

will teach you all things and will

remind you of everything I have said to

you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I

give you. I do not give to you as the

world gives. Do not let your hearts be

troubled and do not be afraid.”

John 14:25-27

APRIL - JUNE 2010


CADA Chronicles is the official newsletter of Christ’s Ardent Disciples in Action (CADA). Established in 2001, CADA Chronicles is published quarterly in Southeast Michigan by the CADA Information Ministry. Staff: Renz Tejada Ivy Senger Phil Senger Dave Demetria Allyn Ojeda Jing Demetria Lynette Trinidad Contributors: Toni Esteva; Portia Almendras Send us an email at [email protected]. Learn more about CADA at http://www.lifewithcada.com

“I can do everything through Him who gives

me strength.”

Philippians 4:13

mailto:[email protected]

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