The Ooops of life . . .

Yesterday, January 31, 2011, at 3:00 in the afternoon,  I attended an assimilation process about the “Ministry in Focus.” It was spearheaded by Pastora Edna Garces. There were seventeen of us who attended. It was a very enjoyable meeting and of course very rewarding. We had fun learning the realities when you are in the ministry and the many encounters when you are faced with the many “suddenly” in life.

God made us a new Creation

          Becoming a Christian is neither walking in straight and unbarred paths nor a channel flowing with milk and honey. But there are hurdles to surpass and dark clouds to encounter. Rainy days will come and storms at times are on your way to put a stop on continuing to reach out the world for Jesus. At times, we may stumble . . .  but this thing is normal. Because if we don’t experience failure, then, we will never grow. This is part of our Christian growth and testimony.

Dark days and much tragedy have encompassed this world, and the future may become darker before the dawning. The Bible strongly urges that all of us who have the light are to “shine forth as a light in the world, holding forth the word of life.” We can be the light to light the way for someone who walks in the darkness. 

In the book of Matthew 5:16, it says, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.” It may seem easier to do but on our way are temptations, trials and dilemmas that are pulling us afar from God’s plan. 

Major hurdles in life

Our past may seem very painful and less acceptable from the standard of other people. We may have been crestfallen and defeated so hard that standing up once again or over and over again would be so thrashing. That even the person closest to us, whom we think would be an instrument to make us well again is the one who pushes us to become more downtrodden.

But praise God! His word sets us free! We have a God of the second chance. He never ceases reminding us and He never ceases       making every possible way to get us back to His fold. The kind of love God has bestowed in us and for us is so consuming and unconditional. The kind of love which forgets the wrong deeds after extending forgiveness. 

The book of 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God is faithful. He never leaves us even to the worst situation we are in. He ever clings to us, just waiting for us to come to Him with all our hearts.

Sometimes we fall . . . hard fall!

Living with guilt is a torturous existence. We can never be at peace with everyone around, much more with our life. We can never work well with what is present and what lies ahead of us . . . especially with the ministry God has prepared for us and that we wish to fulfill in life. There is still forgiveness for whatever action has brought us guilt! 

Philippians 4:13

“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

Iranian Woman Learns Truth- Persecuted Christian

We Are The Reason

Hillsong - Oceans Will Part - With Subtitles/Lyrics

Chariots of fire . . . He who honors God!

Heavenly Homecoming . . .

Homecoming have a special place in the course of human events and human relationships. When you have been gone for a period of time, nothing compares with the emotions of going home . . . which is even true during alumni homecoming after several years we haven’t been together with our batch mates in secondary and tertiary years in school.

Encouraging Bible Verses For Daily Living

Encouraging Bible Verses For Daily Living

Presidential Kick-Off!

Agape Campus Crusaders

Thursday of  January 13, 2011 was the “Presidential Kick- Off”  activity for all the clubs of STI College General Santos, Inc. to be fully recognized by the school.   Each club was given a 10 minute presentation to show off its objectives.  Everyone had a real great time bonding along with enjoying  each club’s presentation.  It showed how smart each participant was, not  only in their academic standing but also at doing special tasks  assigned  to them. 

One among the clubs was the AGAPE Campus Ministry that I was coordinating since 2007. We had an interpretative dance which highlighted the short drama presentation.  The drama was show casing the wiles of the world which imply that our choices in life would either bring us to life or pull us ten feet below the ground. The interpretative dance was something of a “thanksgiving to an awesome God.” 

Watching while another club was performing

It was actually great! As the members of the Campus Ministry was performing, there was silence. Every one around was just watching the presentation. One can only hear the music accompanying the students performing the interpretative dance. I can feel the presence of God as the students were performing at the moment!

It was such a great time for the students . . . a nice break after all the academic pressures inside the classroom.  Everyone was really enjoying with the passing of time and watching the performances of the students representing 
each club. 

Under the yellow tent

The highlight of the said event was the giving of certificate of recognition for each club . . .  which means that the school is in full recognition of the clubs. There were actually nine (9) clubs: The COMSOC (Computer Society), the Math Club, the English Club, the Agape Campus Crusaders’, the Sports Club, the SSC (Students’ Supreme Council), the COHOMA (HRM students), and the MEDIC (medical team). 

One good thing was that, each club was given an assigned space in the bulletin board where they can post some important detail or announcements for all the members of the clubs to be aware of a gathering, meeting, and/or activities ahead.

So serious . . .?

Our Journey . . .

An eminent psychiatrist, Dr. George Crane, recently listed various ingredients necessary for greatness. Among those qualities he noted are some you’d expect to find . . . talent, responsibility, etc. Then, surprisingly, he said that physical stamina is also necessary! He reasons that many men do not reach the apex of their life endeavors until quite late in life and, therefore, endurance is necessary. He cited Winston Churchill as a prime example.

What is true in the physical realm of life is also true in the spiritual part of living. If we are to reach the ultimate in what God wants us to be, there must be spiritual endurance. This quality is called “long-suffering” as well as “patience” in the bible. The apostle Paul even lists long – suffering as a fruit of the Spirit.

In this journey on earth, it’s the little things that drive us to despair. To reach your goal in life will take endurance, but it’s worth the struggle. In the end, you’ll be glad you didn’t give up. In the book of Mark 13:13, the word of the Lord says: “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

          It is so easy to fill our lives with the urgent and forget about the really important! We get so busy doing “religious things,” “personal and career wise kind of a thing,” but where is the Lord in all our busyness? Outside or in the inside? Too many of us like to keep God in a Sunday – kind – of – box. It’s nice to go to His House . . .  but to take Him home with us may be a bit too close for comfort. His presence may cramp our style.

           
       Our journey is a complex one. Somewhere between childhood innocence and now, life has become too grim! Who says that being a Christian means you must have a long face? To be joyful is a choice! To be anxious is a choice! Whatever you want and wherever you want to settle yourself into is a matter of choice. So, let us choose to be joyful and submit to God everything about us and everything in us by faith . . .  Our God is an able!

Philippians 4:8

⁸Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,

whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,

whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,

whatsoever things are of good report;

if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,

think on these things.

To You Be The Glory

Glory Revealed

---

Psalm 8, A visual meditation

Psalm 23 . . . A Psalm of David!

1  The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

2  He makes me lie down in green pastures,

       He leads me beside quiet waters,

3  He restores my soul.

 He guides me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

4  Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,

 I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

 your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5  You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

 You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6  Surely goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

 and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

The book of Psalm, chapter 23 is the finest known and well-liked of all the psalms. It is ascribed to King David and is thought to be written towards the end of his life. The psalm is loved by Jews and Christians alike, speaking as it does of God's protection and care. Both traditions use the psalm as a hymn. The Jews used psalm 23 as a focal point for the third meal in the Sabbath rest and on other religious occasions such as in the “Yizkor” - prayers of remembrance.          The Christendom has two or three popular melodies that set the psalm to music. The most popular is set to the "Crimond" tune, another being the melody also used in John Newton's "Amazing Grace". Crimond is a village in the northeast of Scotland, located nine miles northwest of the port of Peterhead. and just over two miles from the coast.

Psalm 23 was written by David during the time he was run after by King Saul. King Saul wanted to kill David because he got jealous of David. He thought that if David died, every favor and blessing David was enjoying would become his. During the time King Saul pursued David . . . David felt tired and rested behind the big rock in Mount Maon. And at that moment while relaxing and leaning on the rock, David closed his eyes and was mesmerized by the goodness of God in His life . . . and that Psalm 23 was written.           David’s life was not far from the life we have been into . . . from the experiences we have everyday. We are all sinners, and that’s reality. No one is perfect. No one in the world can claim that he is righteous, that he lives a life of perfection, that his deeds are just right, and that what he had been doing and acting always conform to the principles of God.         David was so thankful to God! With all the messes in his life, God’s favor and grace granted David all the success in life . . . Why? Because David has a heart of repentance. He realized and he acknowledged that apart from God, he was nothing. That’s why David was called “a man after God’s own heart.”      Truly, David vividly recognized and discovered and was fully persuaded through his declaration in Psalm 23:6 that God’s Loving kindness “will follow him all the days of his life and he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!”         It’s like a magnet that wherever we are, no matter what situation we are in, God’s loving kindness will let us get through it all. His Grace and His favor will let us see God’s Amazing Power. Like Apostle Paul, David was totally persuaded that God is able to do exceedingly . . . anything and everything we have laid down to Him. God is indeed, the God of all times . . . our Almighty God!

Trusting God . . .

The last century produced an information explosion unparalleled in human history. Yet modern knowledge has been unable to shed any new light on the most basic spiritual questions facing the human race. That’s exactly how the Bible describes mankind in the end times: “always  learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7)..

Man has solved incredibly difficult problems in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, microbiology, and even space travel. But the true meaning of life stubbornly eludes those whose methods of pursuit are purely rational. They end up totally puzzled about life, death, God, man, sin, heaven, hell, love, joy, and peace.

There is a never ending quest for something . . . a continues discovery on the undiscovered and on the field of inventions. People are wanting to show to the world about a better, something more innovative, and something that would settle us into a better situation from the seemingly conventional way.

To make it able for man to do so, he starts to compete in every field he is in. He starts to desire more and even beyond his capacity and his capability to do such. And because of this, man develops within him selfishness and greediness just to make it possible for him to realize his goals. At the end, man becomes frustrated and disgusted, since any endeavor coupled with negative thoughts and ill feelings would result to pain, failure and will even messed up lives.

But there is a good news for everyone. The Lord has always something better for everyone with every need we have. He wanted us to trust Him in every way we can. He wanted us to develop our faith even from the least important thing to the greatest struggle we have in life. God’s resources are inexhaustible. It never run out of service and everything that man needs . . . Yeah! Everything that we need!

A Life so Precious Before God . . .

Life is too short to be wasted as we hear others say. We only have one life to live, and what are done for Christ are the only ones that last.  Those wasted moments will be forgotten by time . . . they’re like the heap of rice in the fields which are blown by the winds to nowhere.

During my younger days, just right after I graduated from college, I was serving full time in the ministry. I was assigned to several places. And one of the most memorable place where I was ministering was in Cawa, Maitum, Sarangani Province in the Philippines.  Cawa was along the seashore. It was abundantly blessed with sea foods and just a distance from the shore are rice fields. There was also a rich production of shrimps and milkfish from a private owned fish pond whose owners were some influential people who were pioneers in the place.

I had  a very memorable stay in Cawa because of the many experiences I had with the people there. I remember walking a mile or two just to reach some places where we are to minister the people and conduct some bible studies, teaching children and praying for them. 

I had with me Edith, a friend who was a single mom. She had with her at that time a three year old son whom we considered as  a young missionary who’s always with us wherever we go from place to place just to minister the Word of God to the people. 

Edith was my intercessor during that time. We also had with us a singer/guitarist whose name was Lory Sasam. He had a real great passion in the music ministry. Both of them were used mightily by God in their respective ministry. They were with me during the time I opened up a home church in Kayupo – a place just a 20 minute drive from Maitum, Sarangani Province.

At the time I started teaching in a private school, I haven’t heard and seen Edith and Lory anymore. It was after 12 years that I met Edith again. She was the same Edith whom I was with in the ministry before. She hadn’t changed. It’s just that she was able to marry again and bore a baby boy. In 2005, we started communicating again and exchanged messages through texting.

It was in the second quarter of 2010 that the communication stopped. I had never heard of her anymore . . . no texts, yeah! Nothing! I was just passive since I was also busy with my graduate studies and at the same time with my teaching career. Life went on with me and my family, along with my busy career. I never knew anything about what Edith had under went in life. She never mentioned anything to me . . . I felt pain when I knew what happened!

I was informed though in the mid of December that Edith was on stage 4 of her colon cancer. It was a shock on my part. I thought of paying her a visit with some of our  pals before. I was thinking about some weekend visit so I can stay longer time talking and of course praying for her . . . but sad to say, I never had been able to do such. My school activities and family responsibilities had wedged me and I became passive.

On January 1^st, 2011 @ quarter before 3 pm, I received a text message from my sister-in-law informing me about Edith’s death . . . It seemed I was loaded with a heavy thing in my whole body. I felt something like being apathetic . . . and I whisper some few words, “Has Edith died?” “I can hardly believe!” I can’t question the Lord why and I don’t have the right to question God either way though . . . He knows our coming in and our going out! He is in control! Everything is in His hands!

After a few minutes of mesmerizing, I was able to thank the Lord for everything . . . for the life of Edith, for her family and even for me and my family. God reminded me at that very moment that life is precious! Redeeming it is in our hands. We need not be caught unaware. 

Edith, even at the very last breathe she had, been praising the God who gave her everything she had while still living. She was with God now and had joined her Savior! A thousand accolade to you Edith! You’ll always be alive in our hearts and in our memory! God loves you and so do your family, friends and I!

Psalm 116:15

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

Thoughts this New Year!

My brother with family, friends & cousins

The New Year’s celebration is a big event . . .  not only for us but for the people all over the world. On the eve of December 31, the world is looking forward to the final countdown until the first of January.  With great expectancy the world awaits the midnight event to welcome the coming of the New Year.

Midnight fireworks' display

My family and I had a great time spending the holidays with cousins and friends. It was a bonding moment for everyone. We prepared games and watch movies while waiting for the midnight countdown to meet the New Year 2011. We spent our New year’s countdown at my older brother’s place at MSU(Mindanao State University) campus in  Tambler, General Santos City.

          It was actually my son who insinuated me to spend our New Year’s at my older brother’s place in MSU, Tambler.  My son enjoyed the time bonding with his cousins during the Christmas time because we spent the Christmas with them.  And that my son do not even wanted to go home yet even after the Christmas season.

During the midnight fireworks' display

          We enjoyed watching the fireworks in the sky at exactly 12:00 midnight to meet the New year’s 2011. It was so astounding! The kids were blowing a hand made paper horns which added noise to the stunning fireworks display in the sky. The neighborhoods were all around shouting and yelling along with their displayed fireworks and hand-made paper horns.

(Back to front) BJ, Traecy, AJ & May at the garden

Another year has come . . . the year 2011. A new life to face! A new hope to bear! A new struggle to fight! A new and fresh surprises to expect! A consuming blessings from the Lord await our daily life! There are new challenges to behold! . . . . And with all of these, God is the only refuge! His strength will keep us through. His favor will feed us and His grace will make it possible for us . . . Indeed, God is Amazing!

My friend . . . life’s not over, yet! This New Year brings a new chance, a new beginning, another opportunity to start again! Let’s get up one more time! God is the God of the second chance!  

                                                                                    

My daughter BJ took me a shot at the garden

Every Nation 2010 World Conference Recap Video

Darlene Zschech - Here I Am to Worship

Amazing Grace in 50 Different Languages

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!