Saturday, July 31, 2010

Being Brothers and Sisters in Christ


My son, Sev, is very affectionate to his younger sister, Kaitlyn. Sev usually gets things broken because of his hyper active ways. But when it comes to his sister, he's very careful. He tries to control his strength so he can be gentle with her. At times, Sev will dance for her so that she'll burst with joy and laughter. Sev would fondly refer to himself as "Tigger" and Kaitlyn as his "Pooh bear." We're blessed to have Sev as a loving brother to Kaitlyn.

We have a loving and affectionate God. He calls as His children. He loves us so much that He sends his own son, Jesus, to be our brother. As our Brother, he guides and shows us the way. He tells us parables and shows us how to relate to God our Father. He protects us, heals us and saves us from our sins. When God searched for Abel, Cain answered God by saying, "Am I my brother's keeper (Genesis 4:9)?" But Jesus our true brother will do everything for us. Even if He will be shamed, undergo suffering, and even put to death, just so that we will be saved.

How are we as brothers and sisters to others? Do we protect and save each other? Or do we seek for the fault of others? There three things that I remember in how we are to relate as bretheren. It's Three L's. We have to be loyal, loving, and life giving.

An example of being loyal is not to talk about other people when they are not around. Specially when it degrades the character of the person. Loyalty is also about not telling others of things that are shared to you in confidentiality. Most often the case is that we can't control ourselves from telling secrets. We find ourselves saying, "Don't tell others that I told you this.. ." Having a loose tongue breeds distrust. Another thing, being loyal is not about standing by your friend even if you know that what he or she is doing is wrong. Loyalty is about helping others to be true to the right principles and see them through in becoming better people.

"Love one another as I have loved you (John 13:34)." This is Christ's challenge to us. Loving is not easy. We are able to love out of God's grace. Since we are dealing everyday with sinners like you and me, one is bound to disappoint the other. We have to learn to love in a way that is unconditional. In 1 Corinthians 13, it says everything about how we should love. One way to check if we are aligned to how God want us to love is to replace the word "love" to "your name" in the verses of 1 Cor. 13. It will sound like "Kirby is patient, Kirby is kind (and so on...) ."

Are we leading people to life or closer to death? Are we bringing them to the Lord or are we influencing them to sin? As a brother or sister, we have to be life giving. Loyalty and love will make a good relationship, but without the life that faith gives, it will be limited and possibly non-sustainable. Christ should be at the center of our relationships. We can do our best help out a friend or a family member, but it is Christ that will create the miracles in their lives. The best gift we can give them is the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

May we be loyal, loving, and live giving to each other. Christ has shown us how to be a true brother. Indeed we are our brother's keeper. "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers (1 John 3:16)."

Friday, July 30, 2010

Super Heroes


Yesterday, my son Sev was getting his picture taken with comic super heroes. These super heroes have been around for years, capturing the imagination of the young. What is in superheroes that attract us to them? I could identify some. One is that they have special powers. Another is that they save others' lives or they are able to the world from destruction. And probably one more is they have interesting struggles in life.

These super heroes have a lot of things similar to us. Like them, God gives us special powers (1 Corinthians 12:4-11), the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He gives us the power to serve. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)."

With these powers, we are able to be used by God to save the souls of other people. So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls (Acts 2:41). We use God's strength and power to be able to be soul savers. By evangelizing people, we also build a people who are good stewards of God's creation and a people who will strive to bring God's love to all cultures of different nations "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Mt. 28:19)."

While we do our best to be God's disciples, we also face our daily struggles and victories. Our lives are living testimonies of God's goodness. They say that the world doesn't need more preachers but more witnesses. I believe each of us has a story to tell. A story of conversion, a story of overcoming struggle, a story of surrendering to the Lord. All these we shall use for God's glory, bringing others closer to our Lord.

We are more like these Super Heroes after all. But the greatest hero of all is Jesus. He died and suffered for our sins, that we may live the fullness of life. Now that's heroism. May we be more like Christ everyday, responding to His call with heroism.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Serving In God's Vineyard

Mike and I have been serving quite a while as full time pastoral workers. I started in 2000 while Mike started in '98. After all these years, people start to notice some white streaks of hair and our horizontal physical growth (yes, we're getting fatter). Yet, with all these external changes, one thing remains the same: The passion to serve God through music. Mike's staying most of the time in Davao, while I'm based in Manila. But every time he comes to visit there's an instant connection, and most of the time we come up with a new song.

Seving with Mike, I come to realize these four postures in serving in God's vineyard. First, we have to be thankful to God for the people that serve together with us. They are our co-workers in the vineyard. They are one of the "few laborers" that God has called to the "great harvest." He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field (Luke 10:2). Second, we thank God of the talents He has given us to serve in His "vineyard." We are gifted by God to contribute to the work. We are not given the same gifts so we may complement each other and work as a community. Third, is that we have to honor the friendships that we have built while serving in the "vineyard." It would be sad to start off as friends and co-workers, only to end up being bitter to another. Friendships are God's gifts to us. Friendships are what makes us rich, for there is abundant love. Fourth, we have to be God's instruments in bringing in more laborers for the harvest. Using our friendships and our talents, we come to attract others towards Christ by witnessing to the love of God in our lives.

May we all continue serving Him as faithful co-workers in God's great vineyard. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ--everything in heaven and on earth (Ephisians 1:10).

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

A Perspective On Livelihood

As a birthday gift, I gave my 3 year old son, Sev, a ukulele. He loves it so much. He brings his ukulele everywhere. In the office, in the mall, in the sala, in the bedroom, you name it. He does his best to sing worship songs. His favorites so far are 'Worship the Lord' and 'How Great is our God.' He strums and strums and sings his heart out. He is so happy playing his ukelele. He even made a song called, 'Hippopotamus.' During Mass, he tries to keep up with the music ministry by strumming along. Today, while the other fulltime workers were worshipping, he was even closing his eyes and trying to sing the songs. I saw in Sev something he really loves doing.

What is it that we love doing so much? What is the very thing that we do that ignites our hearts? What makes us sing with joy when we do such a thing? They say, "Find something you love doing, and you don't have to work a single day."

This reminds me of our livelihood. Our daily work, whether at work or in school. The word livelihood' comes from “lyuelode,” a 14th century Old English word which means “the way of life” or “the manner of living one’s life.” Since it is a way of life that supports our personal and family's needs, is our livelihood, life giving? Many of us complain about our jobs or livelihood more than we are thankful for it. For some, it's all about logging in on time and logging out on time and making sure we get paid for our work. I believe we have to assess some key points in our livelihood. We ask, "What is our company's end goal? It's vision and mission?" Is it something we believe in? Is it something we are proud of? What are the values that we are practicing or pursuing in our livelihood? Is it being lived out or is it compromised? Is what we are doing pleasing to the Lord? My perspective is that it would be great if we are in a livelihood that we are truly passionate about. But even if we land on something that is not fully aligned to our passion, I believe we have to sincerely consider these three important things. First, we dedicate all our works to the Lord, making us strive for excellence. Second, our character and integrity are not to be compromised. This will allow us to live a life of dignity and righteousness. Third, we think beyond our profit goals and see ourselves contributing to the noble vision of the workplace, specially if it is compatible with our Christian values. This will remind us that the little and big things we do lead to something worthwhile. With these, we gain peace. With these, we honor God.

Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better (Colossians 1:10).

Let us remember that our livelihood gives us life and not the opposite. May we do our work passionately like how my son plays his ukulele. Let us grow in loving our work, fully dedicating it to our Lord Jesus.

Monday, July 26, 2010

God's Great Inventions

I bought a light bulb today. I'm finally replacing the one that got busted. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, was a very prolific inventor. According to wikipedia, he has 1,093 U.S. patents in his name. Now, that's a lot of inventions. His inventions also include the phonograph and the motion picture camera.

I always wanted to be an inventor. I like the thrill of discovering new things and the thought of contributing to mankind. That's why I admire Thomas Edison. But still the greatest of all inventors is the one who invented this thing called "love." In fact He is love. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 14:8). Out of His love, he created mankind. All of us on earth, all 7 billion of us, is patented by God in heaven. Not to mention those who have gone before us in all history. None of us are alike. No two fingerprints are alike, no two voice prints are alike, no two eye prints are alike, and no two heartbeat patterns are alike. We are all God's great inventions, made out of his great love.

May we not forget how special we are. If you come to doubt your value and importance, remember that God made sure you are one of a kind.

Putting Order in our Lives

I finally arranged my books. I always wanted to categorize my books and put them in neat and orderly shelves. In that way I can easily locate a specific book when I need it for reference. But it wasn't an easy task. I had to take all the books out from the its old storage, dusted 'em off a bit, sneezed a lot, moved a cabinet to the next room, took the trash out, sorted out the books, and finally arranged them by size and topic. Whew!

It's not easy to put things in order. Specially if done at one time. The same with our lives, it's not easy to put it in order. There are things we have to take out, sort out, and arrange.

We have to take out the trash in our lives. Trash like bad habits of procrastination, laziness, and our vices. These are things that hinder our progress. They are causes of clutter in our lives and we have a hard time changing or getting rid of them because we have become comfortable of our bad habits. The effects of this are debts, compromised integrity, and low self worth. As soon as we straighten up and take out the trash, it will be easier to sort things out. We have to know how to give time to the different roles we have in our lives. We have our roles in the family, business, service, and friends, to name a few. We are to give ample time to each. The challenge is not to balance them, but to be able to give our best in each. Sometimes our time with family is overlapped with our work or service. We get it all mixed up. We can't determine what's family time, work time, service time, or friends' time. It is a matter of proper planning and knowing when to say "no" so we can say "yes" to those that need our time. Arranging is about prioritizing. There will be times when two important things come at the same schedule. If we know our priorities, guided by our core values and personal mission statement, a clear decision can be made. We are able to arrange our lives and put it in order.

Putting our lives in order cannot be a one time process. We are to watch out for patterns of laziness and procrastination. When we have finally put our lives in order, but then later we slack off, in time we will be back in our old mess. Let us then continually live out the process of taking out the trash, sorting out, and arranging our lives. With God's strength we are able to overcome our bad habits and live a life that is pleasing to Him.

"...since he is not the God of disorder but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33)."

Sunday, July 25, 2010

The Heart of Worship is Surrender

The heart of worship is surrender. - Rick Warren, Purpose driven life

I am reminded by the word surrender when the police arrests somebody and the suspect raises his hands up. With his hands high up in the air, he cannot right away grab something to his defense. It also signifies that he has nothing in his hands that will resist arrest. He is resigned to the fact that he has lost and the cops can take him away.

In worship, we raise our hands in surrender. We do not try defend our sinfulness, but we submit ourselves completely to his love and mercy. We let go of everything else we hold dear by emptying our hands of worldly possessions and emotional burdens. We acknowledge that only God can heal, satisfy and fill us through His grace.

With nothing I came out of my mother's body, and with nothing I will go back there; the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; let the Lord's name be praised (Job 1:21).

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Well Done My Good and Faithful Servant

I started the morning hearing sad news. Bro. Rey Peralta, the head of the CFC National Music Ministry, passed away. A person I truly admire. A man blessed greatly with talent for music. A man who was a true servant of God...always humble...always smiling. He will be missed. Yet another sad news came to me, Bro. Joey Velasco also passed away. Also, a man who was truly gifted. His paintings depicted Christ in a way that struck the heart of every Filipino. A man who loved the poor and saw Jesus in each of them. He will be missed.

Two people who left a legacy of Christ's love to many. One through his music, another through his paintings. Life may be a great mystery, but one thing is certain: That we have to live life sharing God's love to the world. I salute you, brothers Rey and Joey. Thank you for showing us how to live a life that is full, a life serving our Lord Jesus Christ. Our sadness will turn into joy knowing you are with Jesus. Surely the Lord has welcomed you into the gates of heaven and said, "Well done, my good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23)."

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Building and Honoring God's Gifts

I was watching History channel today. The episode was about the History of America, particularly about how the Statue of Liberty was mounted in New York. It was a gift from France to the United States as a thank you for helping them obtain their independence, and as a way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of America's independence. The different parts of the statue came in gigantic crates. Now, the problem of the city was that it was too expensive to actually to put up the statue. They didn't have the money to build it. The gift meant a lot and it was important to honor it. The people were determined to build it. The one who lead the construction, Joseph Pulitzer, was also the owner of the most popular newspaper of that time. Through print media, they asked the people of New York to help build the statue. After the sound off for support, money came in through letter envelopes. There were 120,000 people who gave money and most of them gave less than a dollar. Amazingly, through the help of the people they were able to raise more than enough money to be able to put up the statue.

The Statue of Liberty is like God's gifts to us. We have been given great gifts from the Lord, but we have to build it up. We have our talents, our family, our friends, our jobs and many more. But for us to realize the full potential of these gifts, we have to ask others for help. We need them to be able to put together the different pieces of God's gifts to us. If God gifted us with the talent for leadership, we need to be mentored by different people and gain insights so the gift may be harnessed. God has given to us the gift of family and we need each member to contribute so that the family will stand strong. The gift of our jobs or businesses can only grow if we have co-workers and customers. The gift of our creative talents like playing an instrument, painting, singing, dancing, and writing will be maximized if we actually study and asked to be taught by others. To achieve something great through our gifts, we need other people.

If we have to build something great out of our lives by allowing God to fully use us, our vision for ourselves must also be clear. What do we envision ourselves to be? What do we see ourselves doing for the Lord? It helps if we start to draft a personal vision and mission statement. "Each one, as a good manager of God's different gifts, must use for the good of others the special gift he has received from God (1 Peter 4:10)."

Another insight I got is that the people of New York were excited to help because they were awed by the possibility of this grand vision. For us to be able to get people to support our cause, the vision must be as clear as building the Statue of Liberty. It should be something that excites and captivates the imagination. The vision should make our hearts long for its completion.

God has a great plan for our lives. "I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for (Jer 29:11)." With this great plan comes great gifts. May we be able to build up and honor God's gifts so His glory may be seen throughout the world.

Monday, July 19, 2010

The Challenge of Renewing Society

My three year old son, Sev, proudly gave me his set of Alphabet Flash Cards and urged me to test him. He got most of the alphabets right with the corresponding image. But when it came to the letter "R," he said,"R is for flower." The image on the card was a Rose. I then said, yes Sev, that's a flower but it's a Rose flower. What was important to Sev was his familiarity of the image rather than the relevance of the letter's sound to the object.

We often respond to what is familiar to us. The challenge of building a society to embrace morality is that we are exposed to much negative influences. At first we find it logical that certain behaviors are unacceptable. But later, the more we become familiarized with these immoral exposures, it slowly becomes acceptable to society. Our concept of morality is then distorted, until it becomes misrepresented. Take Playboy magazine as an example. Just three years ago, who would ever expect that they would be in magazine stands of malls and convenience stores? We would have been even scandalized to see it plainly in these public areas. But now, Playboy and the rest of the so called men's magazines are just a shelf apart from Kids' Magazines like Disney or K-zone. What about noon time shows for the family? Since when has it been acceptable to see almost naked women dancing with much sexual suggestiveness, in front of our kids while having lunch? What about corruption? Is it already a norm to bribe in exchange of not being penalized of a street violation? Contraceptives are much advertised on TV already, going even further to be put in the context of being single.

Many of us are aware of the analogy of a frog being put in hot water. When a frog is directly put in high temperature water, it reacts and naturally jumps out of the water. But when you place a frog in normal temperature, and slowly increment the heat level, the frog will not realize that it is being cooked to death already. If this phenomenon of moral degradation will continue, slowly our society will not recognize what is moral or immoral until it results to moral breakdown. People will respond more to what is familiar, to what others are doing anyway, to what is profitable and to what gives them pleasure.

So what are we to do? First, we have to disturb the mindset. Second, we have to be creative in our advocacy as not to repel people. Third, we have to collaborate.

Disturbing the mindset means that we pose questions and perspectives that will challenge the negative social norm. It is not preachy, but thought provoking and interesting. It makes people reflect. Then it makes society realize that it is indeed wrong. We interrupt the normal way of thinking by injecting arguments. The way Jesus disturbed the mindset of the Pharisees was by means of parables and analogies. Instead of bluntly pointing to the main issue, the Lord used stories and symbols that were also familiar to the people of that day. The parable of the Good Samaritan must have struck a strong chord to the ears of the high priests. The story of the poor widow who gave her two coins taught us about true offering.

Be creative in advocating. The usual pitfall of advocacies is that it tends to repel and turn off people, instead of focusing on the goal and getting people to buy in. If immoral social norms were creatively mainstreamed, the way to counter is also to creatively reverse them. We want to make righteousness hip and cool. We aim to attract them to what we have to say. When all the people heard of Jesus' arrival, they flocked to see him... (John 12:9)." We make society more familiar of what is truly moral. I'm not only talking about doing a one time concert but to bombard society with continuous influencing over TV, radio, print, internet, and specially word of mouth. We find ways to mainstream. There are Christian bands that are already mainstreaming. To affect change in governance, Christian leaders through the laity must also mainstream in politics, but in a most credible and creative manner. The author of the Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien, was a known devout Catholic and reflecting his faith in characters and plot of his book. Malcolm gladwell, in his book "Tipping point," talks about how certain behaviors become an epidemic and reach to a tipping point when it becomes mainstreamed. He mentions that there are three types of people that greatly help in spreading an epidemic or an idea. These are the connectors (knows a lot of people), mavens (knows a lot of information) , and the salesmen (knows how to persuade people). To advocate change, we need people like these. We might find ourselves in one of these categories, and greatly help in creatively overcoming immoral societal practices.

Collaborating is the greater challenge. When our convictions arrive at the process of translating it into actions and results, we come to realize that we cannot do it alone. We are humbled by this idea, and we submit ourselves to the goals of our cause. What other groups or organizations have the same cause as ours? What are our "sweet spots" wherein we can work together, even amidst some differences in opinions and backgrounds? How big a force should we organize to achieve our goals? John Maxwell says that, "The size of the team should be as big as the size of the dream." The more we connect and work with groups who have the same vision, the faster we get to our desired change.

We open our eyes to the evil that is eating up our society. There is much poverty, immorality, environmental degradation, and greed. Let us not allow the devil to deceive us by conditioning our minds by familiarization to what is sinful. Instead, let us start to disturb the mindset, be creative in our advocacy, and collaborate to create a movement of change. We call upon the Holy Spirit to empower us as He has empowered Jesus' disciples 2,000 years ago. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)."

Adapting and Connecting: Keys to Relevance

I spent quite sometime in the hardware stores and computer shops, looking for jacks. I ended up buying a wrong cable jack, so my speakers won't be much of use for the meantime. What was needed was some kind of special adaptor for it to work. Well, for the non-techie like me, an adaptor is a special gadget that will allow one type of cable to be connected to a different type so that the needed function can be achieved. It's a sort of a bridge between two different types of cable jacks.

Reflecting on this, how do we adapt to our environment, so we can connect with the people around us? During the early Christianity years in the Philippines, the Spanish priests had to adapt to the native culture so Christ can be understood better. Thus, we see the Sinulog celebration in the Cebu in honor of Sr. Sto. Nino. There was an inculturation. According to wikipedia, inculturation is a term used in Christianity, especially in the Roman Catholic Church, referring to the adaptation of the way Church teachings are presented to non-Christian cultures, and to the influence of those cultures to the evolution of these teachings. The early Catholic church in the Philippines did not compromise its core teachings when they had an inculturation of the natives.

What kind of culture are we in today? How can we inculturate our Christian values without compromising our teachings? "Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves (Matthew 10:16)." What would be sad is if our way of evangelization is in disconnect with the culture around us.? There is a need to strive for relevance, so people can relate and not be repelled. It is important to stand firm in our religious principles, even if we become unpopular. But it is also as important to stand firm in relevance, so that Christ be known to many.

We have to be conscious and be very careful to put "new wine into new wine skin." "And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins (Mark 2:22)." We are to review if our methods are still working. Some refuse to embrace change even if the old way is not anymore effective in achieving our goals. There is a great need for the humility to adapt to new ways because we are now living in a different environment.

We are now past the industrial age and embracing the information age or the internet age. The rules are different; the pace is faster, the kids are getting smarter, information is a search engine away, the technology is getting more sophisticated, and the world is getting smaller (yes, i'm referring to the world of facebook). How do we now become an "adaptor" to all these and get them "connected" to Christ?

To be able to adapt and gain relevance, we ponder upon questions like; What do people of today or our target audience need the most? What is common to everyone wherein we can start to agree? What are today's compelling issues that can be commonly addressed? What are particular interests that attract certain types of people? What are common areas of strength that people can work together? If we have answers to these questions and inject Christ in each of them, then I believe that we will be off to a good start towards our journey to relevance leading to inculturation in this new world we are in today. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8)."

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Your Servant Is Listening

I was on my way to Laguna riding a commuter van. During this 2-hour trip, at the point when most of us were about to fall asleep, one person in this cramped up van was singing...loudly. He didn't realize the sound level of his voice because he was using ear phones while listening to his mp3 player. All the while he must have thought that he was just whispering the song to himself. So, everyone in the van "secretly" smiled, trying their best to suppress the laughter. By the way, it went on for three(3) full songs before he became aware that he was doing a concert.

Reflecting on this, I realize that there are things in life that we listen to a lot, that we become deaf and blind to the reality that surround us. First, is that we often heed to our materialistic nature. We listen to a lot of ads on TV and in the internet that encourage us to buy the latest gadget, clothes, cars, properties and more. Influenced by media, we work hard to buy what we want, but we become deaf to the cry of the poor, who need us to help them find food to feed their family. "Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor(Proverbs 14:21)."


We listen to the promptings of our vices. We get addicted to smoking, drinking, drugs, and sins of the flesh, that we become deaf to the consequences of these actions...as long as we are happy for the moment. We are not conscious that as we destroy ourselves, we also destroy the lives of the people closest to us. "Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death (James 1:16)."


We listen, even pumping up the volume, to our pride. This is the least obvious because we won't even admit that we are consumed by our pride. It has always to be that, "the other one should humble himself first." The more we listen to our pride, the harder things will get. Healing will be hard to come by because forgiveness is already consumed by pride. "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom (Proverbs 11:2)."

Before we become a laughing stock of the enemy, we have to stop listening to the loud influence of the devil. Like the Singing Sirens of greek mythology, he will lure us to listen to his voice, until we are deaf to the Lord's call. Let us be conscious. We may already be developing apathy, addictions, and a hardened heart. "If today you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts (Hebrews 4:17)."

So what do we do? First, we strive hard to be attuned to His voice. This is done through constant prayer. We find time to meditate, to reflect on our day. We find time to give praise to Him. We ask the Lord to forgive our shortcomings and we thank Him for the love and mercy he bestows everyday. Second, we heed His call. In the daily gospel, there is always a call or a challenge that is given to us. When we respond to this challenge, we will find ourselves among His people, specially the poor. Third, we listen to His people. By serving others, we come to know Christ more. It is hard to humble ourselves and actually take time to listen to people's concerns. Specially taking the time to understand the person who has wronged us. This requires great humility. But by listening, we come to develop a heart that is easy to forgive and to love.

Let us listen to God more and embrace the reality of the mission He has set for us everyday. Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening (1 Samuel 3:9)."

Friday, July 16, 2010

Repentance and Faith: Perfect Combo

I just had delicious corn cream soup and crackers prepared by my wife. For me, this combo is perfect! I had to take two bowls. I can't get enough of it. I reminded of this combo that is essential to our Christian life, repentance and faith.

Some decide to repent but not embrace faith. They realize that there are things in life that are wrong and they make amends. So they straighten up their lives by correcting their mistakes and even apologizing to people. This can happen while not having the belief that there is God.

Some embrace the faith but neglect the need for repentance. They believe that Jesus will help them overcome their sins, but their pride hinders them from repenting.

Like corn cream soup and crackers, they can be eaten separately, but the desired effect will not be achieved. Repentance and faith has to be together. When we repent, through faith, we ask God to help us overcome our sins. Only then can there be genuine repentance and lasting change. When we have faith, we come to realize that the first thing needed to live out our faith is to be have the humility to change our ways by repenting. Only then can our faith be real.

"This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel. (Mark 1:15)"

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Don't Be Dependent On Your Comforts

Brown outs, all over the metro. That's what last night's heavy winds caused. What are we to do without electricity? We can't watch the TV, can't surf the net, we sweat a lot, food spoil, and many more effects of the loss of electricity. We have been used to the comforts that electricity brings, that without it, we are paralyzed.

There are many things in life that paralyze us. Without them, we are hindered, helpless, and uncomfortable. One is the comfort of advice. It is important to have the support of our friends. They are there to listen to us and help us in time of need. But there will be times that we have to stand strong on our own. I was helping a friend once with his addiction problems. All was well when I was around, but everytime I went on mission, things got worse. I was there to assist and facilitate him, but he was very dependent on my counsel and guidance. Friends are there to help us stand strong, but they cannot be substitutes for our own two feet. We put our hope upon the Lord, and ask his grace to help us overcome our challenges. "The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation (Exodus 15:2)."

Another is the comfort of our titles. Sometimes we borrow our strength from the positions we hold. But if these positions are taken away, we feel less important. Sometimes we draw our worth from how people perceive us, and having a title boosts our ego. They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory (Mark 10:37). How about pursuing a vision, working for a mission and realizing a dream? I think these are more important, regardless of the position we hold. Some of us do not help unless we are endorsed or recognized. Some even draw authority from the position given, without building relationships and trust on the ground. Titles are there to help put order in a system. You may be the president of a country, but at the end of the day your mission is to unite your people and help your country achieve its full potential. Being president, or being in position, is just a consequence of our capabilities matching the required tasks to be accomplished. We are not to be paralyzed without a title. We must continue to pursue the vision and uphold our values regardless of position.

Lastly, another comfort that we are dependent on is the comfort of wealth. It is good to be financially wealthy. It helps our family and it is even very instrumental in the expansion of God's work here on earth. But what if money becomes a source of conflict and hatred? I know of some siblings that kill each other over a piece of land to be inherited. Sometimes our joy lies greatly in the money we earn. Some measure their worth with their monthly salary and the amount of money in their bank accounts. There are times that people ask me how much I earn in a month being a missionary. Then i just answer them, "Enough." Enough for us to live simply and sustain our basic needs. But yet, God is generous beyond imagination. We feel Him bless us through our friends and family. What if all your financial wealth will be gone today? How will you value yourself? Will it paralyze you from serving God? For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (1 Timothy 6:10). Let us strive to gain financial wealth, not forgetting to help those in need and to be a resource for expanding God's kingdom.

The comforts of advice, title, and wealth are there to help us achieve our mission. But at the time when these are gone, like a 3-day brownout, our faith and dependence in God should be sufficient.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Sowing Friendships and Nurturing Trust

I'm back! Yeah, back to my hobby of growing vegetables and herbs, particularly lettuce and mint. It never ceases to amaze me how such small seeds, with the right nurturing, grow into something so useful. Everyday, I watch their development, noting each leaf that comes out day by day. It fills my heart to see them grow, anticipating the day of harvest.

In bringing people to God, many of us expect a harvest without sowing the seeds and nurturing them along the way. We expect that once we invite people to join community, they will readily accept our invitation. In 1995, I joined CFC Youth For Christ because a good friend invited me. This friend, sowed good friendship and nurtured trust. When I was invited to join the entry camp, I easily said 'yes.'

We desire to bring many people closer to God, but we need to be good workers in the Lord's vineyard. Let us not be content that only the announcement streamers and flyers will do the evangelization work for us. We need programs and initiatives that will give us the opportunity to sow friendships and nurture trust. Through this, relationships will grow and in time we will gather a great harvest of renewed people in the Lord. And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold (Luke 8:8).

Changed by Christ

I just came from a conference of Kids for Christ couple coordinators of Metro Manila. There were about 350 coordinators present, devoting their time in the service to build a new generation that will proclaim Christ and bring great change in the world. The theme was "Changed by Christ."

We come to realize that Christ desires change in our whole being. He can change how we see things, how we feel for others, how we do our work, and where we want go. But we need to surrender to Him our eyes, heart, hands, and feet...our whole self. When we let Him take over, He lets our eyes see visions, our hearts love without condition, our hands build the mission, and our feet be led to the right direction. We want come to the point of having to declare, "No longer I, but Christ (Galatians 2:20)."

It is always difficult to embrace change. Change would mean having to adapt to a new system and to drop old habits. One of the sharers in that conference testified that he was once one of the top 3 in the wanted list of drug pushers in Metro Manila. Upon hearing her mother pray to God, the Holy Spirit touched him. He didn't push through with a big time drug deal on that day. He asked for forgiveness and decided to do rehabilitation. The doctor said that it would take a year to get the drugs out of his system. But with God's grace, in 6 months, he was clean of drugs. He then got married and joined Couples for Christ and is now testifying God's goodness not only in the Philippines but also in many countries. From a pusher to an evangelizer. Truly, He was Changed by Christ.

May we come before God and offer our whole selves to Him. As we individually experience being changed by Christ, the people around us are affected by this change, and in turn the community of the people around us are also positively affected. One day, these ripples of change will reach far and wide, until we will see our whole world changed by Christ.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Faith is spelled as R-I-S-K

Always bring yourself to a place where you are a student. While it may be good to be in a place where we are experts in what we do, there is great tendency for our life to stagnate, to be at a stand still. Life is a continuous learning process. When we do not embrace learning, we might miss out on life.

Making mistakes is part of learning. As they say, the more mistakes you make, the more you learn. I am not referring to mistakes solely as sins. The context of 'mistakes' here is more about when we do our best, yet we fall short. Like starting a business that failed or unintentionally disappointing people or not reaching expectations. These past mistakes then become something of value. It becomes something you tell others not to do and gain the conviction of what is right.

I once heard a priest say, "Faith is spelled as R-I-S-K." Indeed when we live out our faith, we take risks. There are those who feel the calling for mission, but are afraid of the risks even when the call is strong. But Peter shows us that if it is Jesus who calls, He lets us walk on water. Peter said to him in reply, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."He said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus (Matthew 14:28-29). His call comes with the power to overcome even the impossible.

They say that ships aren't meant to stay at the harbor, but to sail towards the great wide ocean. We cannot stay in safe harbors for too long, one day we have to sail even to the unknown and live the adventure that God has set for us.

Let us be students of life, having eyes wide open in eagerness to learn new things. Let us take risks for the sake of our faith, knowing that God will guide us and give us strength. May the mistakes we make along the way leave signposts of lessons that will benefit those who take the same path.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

See One, Do One, Teach One

I heard from one of my leaders a simple process of empowerment. It's "see one, do one, teach one." Being a keen observer and absorber is important in the "see one" process. In learning, we first witness how things are done and the kind of culture and environment we are in. We see how transactions are made. We see how our mentors handle their meetings and dealings. We see how a talk or seminar is delivered. We see how products are made. We see one.

"Do one" means being hands-on. Trying out what we have seen. This takes courage for there is a great risk of failure. But by failing, we learn a great deal. It is through this that lessons are imprinted upon us. As we continue to practice, we become better at our craft until we become experts in our field.

What is all our knowledge and experience for if we can't pass it on to someone? "Teach one" is about paying forward. It is now our turn to let others observe what we do. It is our time to mentor those who are new and have the hope that one day this student will surpass us.

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father (John 14:12).

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Honoring God through Excellence

We give honor to God by striving to be excellent through the talents, opportunities, work, and service He gives us. If we have to be God's servants, we need to desire to be God's excellent servants, giving 100% for Him. Excellence requires focus, conviction and commitment.

Focus by learning to prioritize. Even giving up other responsibilities to be able to devote more time and attention to the main goal. Without the right focus, there is a great possibility of being mediocre to all your supposed engagements. We might disappoint some people by turning down some offers of service, work, or business, but the return to your main priority will be great. By focusing, we can give full strength to the very thing we hope to achieve. When we focus, we learn to sort the clutter in our lives and realize the most important things we should do first. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. (Philippians 3:13)

We have to be convicted in what we do. Being convicted is preceded by a journey towards clarity of purpose and arriving at the point of having inner peace. When we are convinced that what we do is part of a greater purpose that God wants for our lives, then we are able to brave all kinds of trials and challenges. When convicted, we are held "prisoners" to our beliefs. We are captured to the idea of our mission. I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received (Ephisians 4:1).

Commitment will sustain us through the rough times. At the point of giving up and even losing heart, commitment will allow us to persevere and move forward. When the excitement is lost, the commitment should stay. A commitment is a bond, a promise. To be a committed person is to be a person of character and integrity. Promises made, promises kept. Excellence resides in people who can truly stick through the difficult times and stay true to their word. You will honor God through this genuine act of service because of your commitment to spread the Good News of Christ and because of your generosity in sharing with them and everyone else (2 Corinthians 9:13).

It is not easy to gain focus, conviction, and commitment. We have to come to a point of humility and surrender, so the Holy Spirit may give us the strength and guidance to achieve these three. Let us continue to honor Him by desiring to be excellent servants of God and letting His love shine in what we do.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Three L's of an Enriching Prayer Meeting

Being in a prayer community, it is a great blessing to go to gatherings and receive God's blessings through the testimonies, teachings, and worship. I have observed that there are three L's that make up an enriching prayer assembly, whether it is a small group or a massive gathering.

The first one is that the assembly is life-giving. The testimonies are inspiring and the teachings are very helpful to our daily lives. People seek hope and upliftment when they go to prayer meetings. Through the well-prepared topics and discernment of sharers, the people's spiritual needs are met and hope abounds. The prayer assembly does not come as a burden or as a requirement, but comes as a source of nourishment and guidance for the people.

The second thing i noticed in enriching prayer meetings is that there is love overflowing. There is an 'aroma of Christ' in the air that is very welcoming. Even upon entering the assembly, we are greeted by smiles and affirmations of our work for the Lord. The music ministry sings with much passion and joy, and is evident in their faces and manner of singing. There is a strong sense of community that overwhelms the heart.

I also see that enriching prayer meetings are led by the Spirit. The prayer leader is open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Even the songs that were practiced for worship can be changed if the Spirit is leading the body to be inspired of a certain message. Being led by the Spirit gives room for the Lord to work His power upon us. His presence is strongly felt throughout the assembly.

May the three L's of an enriching prayer meeting help us when we organize or lead a prayer gathering. Let us continually be enriched in God's wisdom through the assemblies we attend.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Songwriting Tip #7: It's Okay To Have the Same Chord Pattern

Many songwriters are worried that their new song has the same Chord pattern as the previous one. In my experience, it doesn't matter. Most of my songs are in the E-B-F#m-A chord pattern. But each song still sounds unique. What is more important is that we are able to make songs for the Lord.
If you are just a simple musician like me, who just knows the basic guitar and piano chords, you can ask an expert to improve the chords. I ask my friends Fredney and Mike to arrange the songs to make them sound better and distinctive. Suddenly I see "broken chords" and "sus" chords, because of their help.
If your goal is to let more people easily learn the songs you make, then simple chords are better. Also, having the same chord patterns make it easy for you to transition from one song to the next.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Payatas Tres and the Father's Love

I just came from Payatas 3, with Fr. Paul Uwemedimo and our household (prayer group). We were invited to a Lord's day celebration with the Payatas Tres Youth for Christ(YFC) Mission Volunteers. Their testimonies were very inspiring. One particular sharing that struck me was about this YFC mission volunteer who used to be a neighborhood thief. He shared about how notorious he was and how he was caught and brought to prison. He said that he lost all hope because of the shame he brought upon himself and to his own family. He thought that his own parents would disown him. But to his surprise, his father went to bail him out and accepted him back lovingly.

Reflecting on this testimony, this is how our Father in heaven loves us. We become notorious sinners in the sense that we repeat many of our sins again and again, despite saying to the priest during confession, "to amend my life. Amen." It comes to a point where our habitual sins lead us to great trouble, like getting caught, being brought to shame, or hurting somebody. But yet still, our Father forgives and accepts us back lovingly.

The Payatas 3 youth are a great inspiration. Many of them were scholars of the Puso ng Ama Foundation, and now these scholars are serving their fellow youth, bringing them closer to the Lord. They are a testimony of how "sheep are transformed to shepherds." It takes a champion like Fr. Paul, to show them the way by being Christ to them. May we see many more communities transformed with the love of Christ.

Be Prepared

For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. When people are saying, "Peace and security," then sudden disaster comes upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3

Yesterday, I was in a meeting of Climate Change Congress of the Philippines (CCCP) to organize a La Nina Summit. The main goal is to help individuals, families, and communities prepare for heavy rains causing floods, just like the one in Ondoy. The problem is that we only react when the flood has arrived. We need to be prepared anytime disaster strikes.

In the same way, it is a challenge for us to always be prepared spiritually. When my dad died last December of 2009, during his wake, the people in the room beside us was mourning for a 31 year old man who died in a sudden accident. I realize that I have to do the following: make peace, confess regularly, make everyday count.

Peace is something every person values. It is important that relationships are restored. We have to learn to forgive and ask forgiveness. Peace is a gift of grace. It is usually not something that we earn or are worthy of. It is freely given. Even if the person whom we need to forgive logically does not deserve it, we give it out of the grace of God's love.

When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.' Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, 'Pay back what you owe.' Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?' Matthew 18:24-33
Confessing regularly helps us to become better Christians. It is an indicator of humility and sincerity in living out as a Christian. We regularly seek for the Lord's forgiveness and strive not to repeat our sins until good works become habitual. This definitely helps us to be prepared for the Lord.

Making everyday count, is something that people who have terminal illnesses like cancer, advocate to the rest of us. They see the value of life and what they can still do. We don't have to wait to be struck with sickness for us to realize that each day is a gift and that each day we can bring people closer to the Lord. We may have to evaluate our priorities. We may have to ask ourselves, "Am I storing up riches that will not last? Or Am I storing up riches in heaven that is eternal?" Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Mark 10:21).

The famous Boy Scout motto suggests, "Be Prepared." I believe this is the kind of posture that the Lord wants us to have in our daily living. We always have to be alert and vigilant in pursuing the work of the Lord while we are on earth. Let us make peace, confess regularly, and make everyday count all for the glory of His name.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Cyberspace: The New Mission Area

"There are 8 million Filipinos using facebook." This was what I heard yesterday in Fr. Jayboy Gonzales' workshop on Social Media. It's amazing how the internet has become part of our lives already. Just one click and the whole world knows. I wonder how it was during the time of Christ, 2,000 years ago. No TV, no radio, no facebook, only pure word of mouth and scroll writing. Yet, His disciples were very passionate in spreading His word, to the point of Christianizing Rome. I think with that kind of drive and with today's technology, more and more people will come to know Christ. I also heard in the workshop that the Pope said that "the new mission area of the Church is cyberspace." To reach out to people for them to know Christ through the internet, I believe we need to possess these qualities:

Humility
It takes a lot of dying to ourselves when we write about God. He is to be glorified. With this comes the humility to write about Him through our lives. The temptation of 'false humility' will set in once we try to testify. Thoughts like, "I'm not good enough to write" or "I have nothing much to say." This might lead us to be suppressed in sharing the goodness of God in our lives.

Boldness
We cannot be selfish of God's message for us. Good news is to be spread, not only to be kept in our journals and stacked in our cabinets. We need to be bold and share so more people may know Christ.

Diligence
This is the hard part. To be consistent. It is really a challenge to regularly write online. Apart from writing, we have a lot to do in our day's work. But I believe diligence has its benefits. By writing consistently we become more attuned to God because we are brought into a situation to seek Him. We come to ask "Lord, what shall I write today?" Diligence leads us to surrender before God and let Him take over our writing.

Millions of people are out there floating in cyberspace, needing to hear about God. Let us reach out and share our lives to glorify Him. And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Mark 16:15"

 
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