Day 3! @SquareOne2011

Father, form a unity in Stillwaters that is stronger than death. Because that is the allegiance you deserve. May the world see Your amazing love through us! Amen.

        You can be part of this life-changing experience. Even if you’re not at Pililla, Rizal from October 23 to 27.

        Square One is a leadership training camp. It’s designed to increase the capacities of participants in three ways:

• Retrace. Going back to our first love and growing sweeter in love with Jesus.
• Reconnect. Experiencing the beauty and power of unity as the body of Christ.
• Reveal. Moving with God as He glorifies Himself in a generation-wide impact.

        We promise to transfer the benefits of the camp to you as fully as possible. Especially to those who really wanted to come but couldn’t make it. (We’ll try to give live updates via our facebook/twitter. Look for melvinandflo.)

        Now, join us in prayer! Watch out for posts on October 24 and 25. There’ll be a prayer in each, please agree with us to God. I’ll post a bonus video for you too. These were the teasers made for the camp. Here’s the first one.

“Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.”
Psalm 97:2

Who compares to You Father? May every person who attends Square One catch a glimpse of Your glory. An encounter like that would change us forever. Amen.

        God took me and Flo aside for a one-day retreat last Thursday. He sure is a great Father. Thanks to everyone who prayed for a refreshing time for us.

        It was an amazing time for me in the Word. The passages I went through spoke directly to my attitude and issues. For Flo it was a very meaningful time of prayer. She shared how a sense of peace and dependence on God strengthened her. It’s great how God meets us individually and that the experience is never exactly the same.

        12 students received eternal life through the Tuesday HC this semester. They have 3 new Bible study group leaders as well. The only house church with no full-fledged leader has a story to tell.

        This house church is led by 6 leaders-in-training. Previous full-fledged leaders have either started a new HC, graduated or took a pause. It was a pleasant surprise to see these “newbies” take the evaluation to heart. They were brutally honest with one another, even if it meant that none of them would make it to full-fledged leadership. (None of them did.) There was a drive to learn; so as to achieve even more next semester.

        One example of this was Danielle. She egged her teammates on, telling them to hold back nothing in constructive criticism. Through tears she shared why she believed she ought to be a full-fledged leader. She wanted badly to serve her God in this way. But she didn’t want to bypass His standards. So she humbled herself and agreed with the team decision. She won’t be a full-fledged leader just yet, but guess what. She’s in Japan now (as an exchange student for a sem) and is eager to plant a student house church there.

        We don’t have to be discouraged when others give us pointers. These student leaders are already moving forward; it’s the happy process of maturity.

        Thank you for patiently waiting for the house church evaluations. Sorry for the delay! I’m excited to get right back on it.

        I was out for a few days due to a bad case of hyperacidity. It was the first time Flo and I had to rush to the hospital! (For ourselves.) Doctor said it was stress and diet. The pain has subsided and no need for surgery. Flo was with me the whole time; it’s so good having a beautiful woman take care of me!

        Thanked her with a dinner date and a just-for-fun movie. I had 12 hours of nonstop pain, SO… please excuse me for posting the following cheesy photo.

The growth is clear.

        Leadership teams from the different house churches have been evaluating their first semester of the year. We’re excited to tell you about all the results. We’ll post on one house church a day over the next week.

        As an appetizer, let us show you how these evaluations go. There’s only one indicator that they are looking for: enjoyment of God. They evaluate each other based on how much enjoyment of God exists. Because we believe that God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him.

They break down that enjoyment into three factors (taken from 1 Timothy 3):

• The secret place: Does the student enjoy God when no one is looking?
• Inside the church: Does the student help those inside the church enjoy God?
• Outside the church: Does the student help those outside the church enjoy God?

Then they enforce a strict environment during this discussion: brutal honesty. This is done by adhering to 2 biblical principles.

• Purpose: We are not here by random chance. God appointed us as student leaders and we have a job to do. We will build up the church. Sugarcoating evaluations does not build up the church.
• Permanence: Our performance does not determine our worth. Therefore I can receive and give criticism with the confidence that, no matter what, I am of infinite value to God.

What happens next is a no-nonsense, clear and inspiring view of how God is at work in these house churches. Those stories are coming up next.

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