Staying on Course....

I was cleaning up the kitchen the other day, partly because I take joy in having some of the domestic duties in our home, partly because I don’t want my wife to have to all the dirty work, and partly because I am feeling guilty, even before I have done anything. I get this feeling quite often, and it is part of a little emotional gymnastics routine I go through before I leave home to go on a domestic or international trip.

It goes like this…I know that I have to leave at a certain time (sometimes very early in the morning). So the day before, I begin to go through an emotional funk of knowing that I am going to be away from my family for a few days, needing to get my stuff packed, my tickets printed, all the bills paid, and all errands done. Then I am hit with the realization that I want to spend time with my kids instead of packing a bag. It becomes harder and harder to leave, so I try to plan in advance; more time with my family, more time playing with the kids on the floor, getting ahead of my domestic chores by starting them a few days earlier, etc. So standing at the sink the other day, watching some ants crawl all over spilled sugar bits while running the plates under the faucet, I was reminded of this verse from Deuteronomy 5:32-33.

“So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.”

So this was God’s word to me that day…DO NOT DEVIATE! After many years of life like this, it would be easy for me to become complacent and apathetic. I could rest on years gone by, great events and wonderful altar calls, and amazing stories of the miraculous from the mission field. But the moment that I did that, it would begin to die. The whole thing would derail, because the command from God to the people of Israel was simply to stay on course. Nothing fancy, nothing flashy. Just walking straight without deviation from the path. And the promise was that God Himself would bless them with a place of their own, a home dedicated to their relationship with Him, if they would but stay the course.

It is easy to deviate. Lots of people have good ideas, and they often want you to be involved (or they ask you to “partner” in their good idea, which can sometimes mean they want you to do all the work while they get all the credit). As the years go by, energy levels deplete, joints hurt, bedtime keeps inching earlier and earlier toward 7 PM, and there is more opportunity to do MORE but LESS time to do everything that you need to do. We become distracted by all the things that just have to be done, and those things become tyrants, taking us away from the main things. Jesus Christ, our family, our community, and serving God and others; these are the things we must NEVER deviate from.

I am called. Called to be a husband, a father, and a minister. While I will have innumerable opportunities to become involved in all sorts of other efforts, programs, and good ideas, I must never deviate from these. No matter what I have to say no to, or how much fun I might miss out on, or how I will have to adjust my life in order to stay on the path God has given me to walk, the effort and the sacrifices are worth it.

What is it in your life that you must never deviate from? Have you veered off the path? What will it take to get back on track, to stay the course and be faithful?

two things...

two things that can stop you right on your tracks....defeat and victory.

defeat can discourage you and hinder you to continue while victory satisfies you and tends to make you relax.

"blessed is the man who perseveres..." - James 1:12

i got bumped

oh yes...i got bumped and i didn't even know it!

but not in a violent way. i got bumped up to first-class seat.

i checked in at the SFO airport for my flight going to Florida, so i printed my boarding passes at the NWA check-in counter, one for the SFO to Detroit leg and the other one for the Detroit to Florida. i said my goodbyes to the people i love and went inside my gate to wait for my boarding time.

and so when time came to board, the ground stewardess started calling out for boarding. they called in those who were flying with children, then the business-class passengers followed by those who were flying first-class. when all these IMPORTANT people have gone in, they called out for general boarding.

i went inside the plane and started to look for the seat number printed on my boarding pass, it was 4B. then it suddenly struck me that it was in front of the plane....oh boy, it's the first-class cabin. yes, i got bumped up to first class cabin. then i looked at my other boarding pass (Detroit-Florida) and it also said "first-class cabin".

i've flown first-class before on Thai Airways during one of my trips to Thailand, but it was only a 3.5hour-flight. this one staring at me is a good 8hour-flight. 4hours and 52min from SFO to Detroit and another 2hours and 56min flight to Florida.

and so, i got all the perks and privileges and benefits of flying first-class!

God is good!

no easy way to do it...

...and so i hugged her tight, kissed her on the cheek and said goodbye... that was my sister. then i did the same to my dad and thanked him for being there. i hugged my mom longer and tighter and felt like almost crying when she reminded me to take care of myself like she's always done, while my favorite 5-year-old niece, Bridget was embracing my leg like a leech would a flesh. we did not want to separate ways just yet. that was the scene at the San Francisco International Airport when i left California for my flight to Florida the other day. my bags were heavy but my emotion was heavier as i made my way to the escalator that would take me to the gate entrance of the airport. i just said goodbye, for the moment, to the people i love dearly.

i should be good at goodbyes by now because I've done it countless of times but I guess one will never get the hang of bidding goodbyes especially to people you love. goodbyes are always sad because the distance is there and the absence is painful when you miss people. but such is my life...distance has made this family closer and even if we're not physically together, the love will always make us FEEL closer than we really are.

....will miss my wifey and kiddies

....leaving for the US in about 11 hours.

i will be visiting my parents in California, then will travel to Florida for the Book of Hope Global Congress.

i will come back right before Christmas.

why do i do this?

i got my 2009 Starbucks planner today, and quite frankly i am not impressed with its look and design. it is very simple compared to its predecessors of the last years. although they come in tree different colors (black, red and blue), it's not leather bound, and it doesn't have the traditional Starbucks coupon inside...in short, it looks like just a plain planner/journal that you can get off the shelves in any bookstore.

i was not excited getting the stickers for the planner, but because i love coffee a lot and Starbucks is one of my favorite places to get coffee from, i got the required number of stickers in no time.

and so, i have my planner. and as my practice, i know i will be using it for the first few months of the year and eventually letting it sit on my table beginning the middle till the end of the year...until i am ready again to collect stickers in november 2009 for the 2010 Starbucks planner....what a vicious cycle.

haayyy...such is life!

when was the last time you thanked God?

I was driving home today when I passed a man wearing a shirt that has these words on it:

Being taken for granted?
Just imagine how God feels.

Quite frankly, I do feel taken for granted sometimes. I'm not a high-maintenance person and I don't demand a lot of attention, but because I'm so lax I feel like people breeze over me easily. However, one big difference between the Big God and myself is I haven't done anything extremely sacrificial like He has, so he deserves more attention that i do.

Everyone likes a little acknowledgment every now and again. I say thank you all the time to strangers who hold the door open or salespeople who help me find what I need, but I forget that God is the one who gave me the means to walk through doors and blessed me with the money to buy stuff.

So, this one's for you God, my friend. A few minutes to let You know I've noticed Your work throughout my day today:

Thanks for easing up the traffic on the way to where I was heading this morning. I really appreciate it, especially since this is the season when traffic is horrid.

I appreciate you helping me making a very good pot of coffee this morning. Mmm it wasn't too watered down and it wasn't too strong. Perrrfecctt-oo!

I know you’ve placed me in my current job and thank you for that. I love the work environment and family-feel atmosphere at Book of Hope.

Thanks for allowing me to enjoy life in its gadgetry but never letting me drown into its savvy-ness.

Thank you for giving me a wonderful family – wonderful wife, wonderful kids wonderful parents and wonderful siblings…. very nice of you.

And you know what? You did an absolutely great job with my day today! I can't wait to see what you have in store tomorrow

What are you thankful for this week?

how NOT to ask a Christian girl out

this is for you guys who are contemplating and even planning to ask a girl out from your church, or even from other church. i got this in my email, so i'm sharing this with you single men.

How NOT to ask a Christian girl out.

1. During a Prayer Request
When she's sharing her prayer request and mentions that lately she's been feeling lonely - pointing to yourself and saying "Booyah! God answers prayers!" isn't the right way to ask a Christian girl out.

2. Creating a Small Group for just you and her
Christians often meet during the week in what's called "small group" where they do Bible study or just hang out. But making a small group with a limit of 2 people is not the right way to ask a Christian girl out.

3. Using Bible Pick Up Lines
"I'm missing a rib, and I think you're it." "I think you're a part of my Purpose Driven Life" and "Now I know why Solomon has 700 wives, because he never met you" are not acceptable ways to ask a Christian girl out.

4. Praying together
and then saying "let's hold hands" is not an acceptable way to ask a Christian girl out.

5. Becoming a praise leader
and then during church service dedicating a song to her while singing "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye - is not an acceptable way to ask a ....in fact, just not acceptable.

6. Doing a skit on a book from the Bible
although most Christians seem to love doing skits - picking Song of Songs as the book of choice, is not an acceptable way to ask a Christian girl out.

7. Using Ecclesiastes 4:11
Look it up you lazy.

8. Getting set up
"So...I think we have a common friend."
"Who?"
"Jesus."
is not acceptable way to ask a Christian girl out.

Got to blog soon...

It's been a while since i've blogged. My work, family and ministry keep me sooo busy these days.

I know i got to write soon, lest i lose what's left of what i thought is my littlest contribution to the literary world...my own idea.

poverty and hardwork...

The last couple of days saw some of us drooling over the hundreds of millions and billions of dollars of money owned by the reported 40 wealthiest people in the Philippines. This, inspite of the current economic meltdown being experienced globally. Some of these billionaires earned their money through hard work and even have some of the most inspired rags-to-riches story. Take the case of Henry Sy, who started peddling at an early age… now the richest man in the country with $3.1 Billion net worth. Another poor-man-turned-billionaire is Senate president Manny Villar with a whopping net worth of $940 million.

On the other side of the fence, however, are millions of Filipinos still living in poverty, a big percentage of which will die as paupers.

My question is, do we have a solution to poverty?

The most prevalent idea being perpetuated by mass media and other traditional establishments with regards to how poverty could be solved is the notion that it’s all up to the individual’s hard work and perseverance. Nasa sipag at tiyaga lang ‘yan. Kayod lang nang kayod. Mag-trabaho lang nang mag-trabaho. Dadating din ang asenso.

To reinforce this idea, it’s not seldom that we are made witnesses to countless life stories of individuals who rose from poverty rags-to-riches style. Just this weekend, over ABS-CBN, we are made audience to TV biographies of the country’s business tycoons and how they achieved their status through “hard work” and how they return to the poor their riches through humanitarian efforts and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) projects.

This, however, is the reality: anumang sipag at tiyaga ang gawin ng malawak na sektor ng manggagawa, karamihan sa kanila ay hindi talaga aasenso. Not in a prevailing order that thrives on the cycle of inequality that it perpetuates. The success stories we are being made to witness and admire are mere exceptions rather than the norm. Surely, if it’s all up to sipag at tiyaga, then most of our employees, workers and farmers, whom we pride to be hard-working, should be experiencing economic security. Don’t you ever wonder why such is not the case? After all, who benefits the most from the hard work of workers? We are simply being made to pin our hopes and be content with the way things are done and not strive or fight for something better.

Indeed, when it is not coupled with genuine reforms and changes in the core orientation of our economies and in how our governments are run, mere sipag at tiyaga will never be enough to lift the vast majority Filipinos, and even the rest of the world’s poor, out of poverty.

Let me give you a quote I got on a blogsite about poverty.

“Poverty, whether it’s in the Philippines or in other countries, is simple. It is the result of contradictions. It’s the result of two contradictory interests: the interests of capitalists, and the interests of workers. Because capitalist profit and worker wages come from the same “value”, the contradiction is on how should this “value” be divided. And because it is the capitalist side who has political power in their side as of present, most of this “value” goes to them. This is poverty.”

broken glasses...

So as I was going to the refrigerator in our kitchen to get some water, I saw that someone had dropped something made of glass from a height of sufficient magnitude to cause a force greater than the structural integrity of the glass object at the point where it collided with the ground (haba ng explanation ‘no?... in short, sa ilalim ng lamesa).

It appeared to have been a coffee mug, or some very muddy looking chocolate drink. Either way, having stepped on broken glass in bare feet before, I felt the need to clean it up, because stepping on broken glass sucks. I later found out that one of my kids (Kaiel, the twins or Danae) was the culprit.

So I strolled over to where my wife Alice was, and informed her of the predicament. She was very convincing when she told me that I should take care of it because the kids are in the room studying. So, after debating with myself if I should do it or not, I meandered back to the kitchen, past my wife, and laid down some paper towels to soak up the coffee,. I had learned later on, that it was in fact a spilled coffee in a mug that I had unintentionally left unfinished, that one of my kids had accidentally dropped while trying to clean up the table (I know..it’s my fault, so no judging, ok?).

Then I set about the work of cleaning up the broken glass, because I know how difficult it is (I was a bit of a clumsy child, often broke things), and I know that my kids like to walk barefoot, and I don’t want them stepping on shattered and broken glasses and wounding them, as a result. I’d like to save them from that ordeal.

Now I know what you're thinking: "This is the lamest hero story every. You cleaned up glass, congratulations." But that's not what this is about. I often have some random thoughts while I do chores, and this one came to me while I was down wiping the floor with a wet paper towel to pick up the little pieces.

See, that's the thing about cleaning up broken glass, it gets everywhere, and there's always the little pieces that you couldn't see, but as soon as you step on it, it's there. Sure, there are the big pieces, the large chunks, that with a little care and almost less effort, you can easily pick up and throw away. It's the little ones, the tiny slivers that hide in corners only to be blown out into the open by the gust from an open door, that are dangerous.

You have to take a lot of care, and focus, and time to pick them all up.

First you've got to sweep, get all the pieces you can see. Then you take a wet cloth and wipe up the tiny pieces, then you dry it all up and pick up the pieces you missed. Then you use the damp cloth again, and repeat until you're sure it's all gone.

Then, you've got to check your hands, knees, shoes, all your bits for pieces that just stuck on there. And after all that, there's still gonna be some pieces that you missed. Glass is just so much work to get rid of. But you've got to do it, because it's dangerous and causes pain.

The thought I had was just how much like sin it was. It's just so easy to find and pick out the big sins, the most obvious ones, and stop those and make sure you don't do them. But what about the little ones, the ones that hide?

Sure, it's pretty easy to tell that you've committed adultery, or murder, or better yet, easy to avoid them. But what about lusting? What about wandering into those sites you shouldn't, with all the XXX's? What about anger, or hatred? What about irritating that guy in class or at work just because he did it to you, first?

How hard is it to overcome those sins? How hard is it to not see your friend's new gadget, and want it, too? How hard is it to admit to yourself that you did have some desire for that guy on the corner? How tempting it is to just give in to your desires? (I have just given a message on this to our Youth and Young Adults Group at our church).

Sin is just so hard to get rid of. But you've got to do it, because it's dangerous and causes pain.

We really do have to get down into the dirt, the floor, the corners of ourselves, the parts you don't want to see, to get it out. And yes, the glass is sharp, and you could get cut (coffee, as it turns out, is not good at all for cuts).

The thing is, no matter how hard we try, we can never get it all. Just like the glass, there's always gonna be that one piece that eludes you, that comes back to cut open your foot, or make a nice new gash in your hand.

That's where God comes in. He takes all the glass, all those little sharp splinters, the little blades of pain in your life, and turns them all into safety glass, painless, rounded, dull. Even the little tiny one hiding in the corner. He sent his Son to walk through the glass, through the sin and the pain, and change it all. The glass lost its sharpness, it cannot cut us any longer, if we just accept Him.

My life has a lot of broken glasses in it, just like everyone else. But therein lies the beauty of it. There is only one sinless tale, but that sinless tale is the key to living a life free of broken pieces and shattered glasses in our life…it can be fixed

What has God shown you recently about the slivers of sin in your life?

through the eyes of a child...(very funny)

A child was asked to write a book report on the entire Bible.

This is amazing and brought tears of laughter to my eyes.

I wonder how often we take for granted that children understand what we are teaching???


The Bible Through the eyes of a child:

In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas.

The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that.

Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did.

Then God made the world.

He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet.

Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad Apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden.

Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars.

Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.

Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.

One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.

After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.

Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.

God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments.

These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff.

Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more:

Humor thy father and thy mother.

One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.

After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me.

After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore. There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them.

After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn.

(I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.')

During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Republicans.

Jesus also had twelve opossums.

The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.

Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards, applied Chiropractice to the lame and even preached to some Germans on the Mount.

But the Republicans and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.

Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again.

He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.

to live right...

Me and my friend and co-minister Joey Reyes have this running play of words between us. We would always use the statement “..to fulfill all righteousness” whenever we need to do something right that seemingly is against the world standard. Like when we need to stop for a red light even when the streets are free of other vehicles and we can just zoom past the light, we’d wait till the light turns green “..to fulfill all righteousness”. These were the same words that Jesus used when He was going to be baptized by John the Baptist. Of course, He used it in a different context, that’s why we call it play of words. It’s a different type of “righteousness” that Jesus was talking about than what Joey and myself would use it to mean.

What is righteousness anyway? It’s not a word we hear much anymore. I guess the simplest definition would be that righteousness means living right, or being morally upright. Of course, this implies a lot of things. Mostly, it implies that there is some true and right standard for us to live by. Where does this standard come from? …from God. The whole concept of right and wrong comes from Him. True righteousness is living God’s way. Sadly, many have rejected God and His standards, but that doesn’t make them go away.

Does righteous living have any value? Many would argue that we should make our own rules – that we are not bound by "old fashioned" ways of thinking when living in this modern age. Some say the Ten Commandments and the Bible are outdated.

I agree that in this world of selfishness, pride, rebellion, humanism, and materialism there doesn’t seem to be a place for the teachings of the Bible. Today we have the Gospel according to Oprah and all the modern gurus with their feel good theologies. They have developed "designer religions" which do away with the concept of sin, hell and repentance. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 16:25 NIV)

Call me crazy, but I think I am just going to hang in there with the standards God set up. It makes sense to me that the One who made me knows what is best for me. I have observed that those who choose to go God’s way – The Bible’s way -- have a peace and joy that those who follow the modern philosophies will not have. God has made some promises to those who choose to walk His way. Here are just a few.

"The ways of right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine." (Proverbs 4:18 MSG)

"The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step]. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him." (Psalms 37:23-24 AMP)

"And the effect of righteousness will be peace [internal and external], and the result of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever." (Isaiah 32:17 AMP)

"But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides." (Matthew 6:33 AMP)

There is no substitute or replacement for the righteousness of God.

you can't Google God....

I got this image on the net and it made me laugh, but it made me think as well.

I love the internet. I think it's the greatest invention ever and I can't imagine modern life without it. What I love most about it is that I have almost instant access to anything I want. Any question that crosses my mind can be answered with a little "clickety-clack" on the keyboard. What movie is showing where? Clickthecity.com indulges me. Who is getting traded this season in the NBA? Yahoo news gives me the answer in 1.2 seconds. Who is Hillary Hahn? Oh, thank you Wikipedia. What does 'agrestic' mean again? Merriam-Webster.com to the rescue. What's the next project that Harisson Ford is working on? My answer and much more on Imdb.com.

From dumb questions to important ones, we can find almost all the answers on the web. But I think we’re getting so used to this way of life, that we don't know how to pray and listen to God any more. We tend to liken God to the internet. We want instant responses and nothing enigmatic and vague. We don't want to have to think about it or figure things out for ourselves. We want everything to be clear-cut and laid out in a concise, easy to read format.

But God is not the internet. I mean, he's more AWESOME (borrowing Ptr. Jerry’s statement) than the internet, and He doesn't just work the same way. And as silly as it is to forget that, we do forget. Sometimes God does give clear answers in a short amount of time. But sometimes, he makes us wait. It's not to drive us crazy, even though that's what it feels like. Some things just make more sense with time. We are complex individuals with lots and lots of layers, and I'm pretty sure God knows that a quick-fix answer in the peak of our troubles is not really going to help us. He's not the friend that just says, "It's okay" no matter what we are going through. God cares for us much more deeply than that; He doesn't do quick-fixes and blanket responses. He has specific words for each of us, but it can take time for us to be ready to hear them.

God speaks the truth to us and His promises are true. But timing is very important to Him. Are we asking God for instant answers or are we willing to wait a little longer?

God has a ready answer for our different situations, but you can’t Google God’s answers.

should i or should i not?

HEALER

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in you
I trust in you

I believe
You're my healer
I believe
You are all I need
I believe
You're my portion
I believe
You're more than enough for me
Jesus, you're all I need

Nothing is impossible for you
Nothing is impossible
Nothing is impossible for you
You hold my world in your hands

In light of the recent scandal, and the controversy that the composer of the above song faked his terminal sickness and lied to everyone, I am faced with a question. Should I use this song in worship at my church?

It is my strong belief that the person who wrote this song is human and I don’t believe he is perfect. I do believe that he has a problem and I do think that his situation will probably give ammunition to people waiting around to slander Christians and poke their fun. I’ve concluded that that is OK - Christianity will forever be faced with such things.

The one thing I’m not OK with is the fact that some people might become disillusioned and turn away from Christ.

So back to my question, should Ior should i not use this song in chuch worship? Well, it’s a simple song, simple chord progressions (a big plus for me) and it’s simple enough for a congregation of people who might not all be musically inclined to learn.

The next thing would be the lyrics, do I agree with the lyrics? Does God heal? Yes. Does He walk through the storm and fire with us? Yes. Do I trust Him? Yes. Do I believe He is all I need? Yes. Is it true that I believe that nothing is impossible for Him? Yes.

So far it seems that I agree with this song. I can see how it can give God glory and I can see how easy it is for the congregation to follow along with it and so I conclude that this song will be used in worship.

It is sad to have someone deceive so many, it's sad to see that many will be affected. However, I cannot deny the truth in the words of the song and I cannot deny that God can use it for good.

How do you feel about singing or listening to this song?