Take Courage, Explore, and Follow

My daughter Kaitlyn much enjoyed her time in one of Playhouses in the mall. What was unusual was that I had to be with her since she was just 2 years old. And so I entered into the colorful world of kids. There I was, encouraging her to climb the obstacles, explore the other side, and dare the slides. Before I knew it, it was already time to log out. I had a swell bonding time with my little princess.

Like Jesus, he came into our colorful world. He encouraged us to live in righteousness, he taught us about heaven, and dared us to radically follow Him. His words to this day and for eternity will last and will always give our toddler-faith the assurance of His salvation if we trust and accept His saving hand.

Let us therefore take courage, explore the faith, and radically Follow Him.

Who We Really Are

When ordering in a coffee shop or fastfood, 9 out of 10 times my name gets misspelled. It's either Kervin, Kerby, Korby or some other version. I find it very amusing.

Names have a lot to do with identity. 'Who we are' is very important to us. We may have different concepts of our own identity, but there are truths about our identity that are constant.

1. Our real identity is that we are God's children.

What does it mean to be identified as a son of God? It means that we have to reflect the goodness of our Father king and that we are heirs to His kingdom. The devil, like Rumplestiltskin, wants to snatch us away from the Father's arms and entices us with deceivingly attractive deals and compromises to our own demise.

2. As God's children, we are to be like Christ, our brother. We are to be identified as Christians. "No longer I but Christ." Gal.2:20.

Jesus is the Word become flesh. His life meant to be an example for us to follow, for our own salvation. Christ is in us, in our hearts, and He will shine through us if we let Him.

3. The expression of our Christian identity is to be a witness.

More than preaching, the way is to live out our identity in Christ. When people imagine Christ, can they relate through our lives? Witnessing is a day to day challenge and a measure of the depth of our relationship with Christ.

Knowing ourselves is a journey of humility. When we look at our real intentions and motivation, we discover our weaknesses and how far we are from becoming like Jesus. But acknowledging our weaknesses before God is the way to move forward.

"But He gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scripture say, "God opposes the proud but favors the humble." James 4:6

Responding to the Challenges of Media Evangelization

I just came from the GMA7 Christian Life Program to give the Orientation Talk. I was glad to see SFC members from a rival network ABS-CBN who committed to help and support. Indeed, if it's for the Lord, there is unity. There is a great need to evangelize the influential media networks and I'm inspired how SFC's in GMA7 stepped up to conduct their first ever CLP.

Media is one of the six sectors that the New Evangelization wants to reach. Media can be considered today's greatest educator. Much of how we think and behave is influenced by the dictates of media. Media popularizes. The challenge is to be able to permeate to media what is right. We must remember that it does not mean when it is popular, it is right. Easily, society develops a "poll mentality", as if what is just and right is defined by what the majority thinks is right. Beware of the following:

1. Popular people who think the world should conform to their set of beliefs, even if it's sinful.

Today's "twitter culture" reflects the kind of influences people are willing to be exposed to. Just look at the number of followers a celebrity has. Popularity should be used to promote righteousness and Christian values. Those who are in the position to influence should take into deep thought and prayer of the kind of society that ought to be built..

 2. Negative Norms in the storylines of sitcoms and movies.

Many western comedies or soaps promote pre-marital sex as normal or even cultural and regard sex as casual as playing tennis. Many movies project violence that border to being sadistic, as if banking on the entertainment value derived from seeing someone being killed. This is very reminiscent to the gladiator days where coliseums were dedicated for "deathtertainment."

3. Irresponsible use of social media.

Some people think that having a youtube, facebook or a twitter account gives them the license to unfiltered expression of hatred, disgust, and hurtful opinion. In my observation, the virtual society is slowly being desensitized to reveal more regardless if it is upbuilding or not, even to the point of endangering themselves and others.In our own way, let us seek to renew the field of media.

In today's advanced technology we are all empowered to have a voice. Use that voice like how John the Baptist would, to prepare the way of the Lord."A voice of one calling in the desert, prepare the way for the Lord." Mark 1:3

Questions to ponder before broadcasting:
1. Is my message the truth that honors the Lord?
2. When I post or repost, will it build relationships, help people, and proclaim God's goodness?
3. Am I contributing to God's intent for the gift of media?

 Let us continue to "Proclaim the Greatness of the Lord." Luke 1:46

Life to the Max

At 11:44am on August 29, 2012 our 3rd child, John Maximilian S. Llaban greeted the world. Max is a "Holy Land baby." Seeing him grow will always remind us of our experiences in the pilgrimage.  We praise God his safe and normal delivery.

My prayer for Max is that he may live life to the fullest, to the max, for our Lord Jesus.  May he embody the posture of John the Baptist, always humble and preparing the way for the coming of Jesus.  I pray that he may also reflect on the life of St. Maximilian Kolbe, declared by Pope John Paul II as "Patron Saint of our difficult century" and known as an Apostle of the Consecration to Mary.

Thank you Max for blessing us with your glowing presence and for the immeasurable joy you give to Sev, Kaitlyn, your Mom Michelle, and I your father.

So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. (Ephesians 5: 1-2)