Color Quiz

Haha... Is this true kaya? This test is a kind of personality test which determines your attitude and your possible problem. It is similar to the one I had undergone during the choir's outing - the DISC test, which determines your strength and weakness. But it is different in its method. It made me understand myself and others a little more.

Well, some of the statements sometimes reflect my inner thoughts. Well, let's just say that the results are not always reflective. People change so these statements will definitely change. But it is still fun to know, right? Hehe Ü Enjoy!

Byron took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test! "His need to feel more causative and to have a wide..." Click here to read the rest of the results.

Singing in the Storm

Have you ever been so scared and frightened in your life? Have you been in a situation where you felt so alone and so helpless? Have you felt your heart skip a beat or two because of being trapped? Well last night, I somehow experienced all of these...

Yesterday was a hard day for me. I somehow experienced someone say to my baby that he's ugly. Haha. You probably might wonder at this illustration if you hadn't heard Ahia Harg's sermon on positive criticism. Well, I have a project that I really worked on until the end or its final stage only to find out that my boss thinks its too complicated. He had already approved of it during its initial stages so it was hard for me to somehow accept his explanations (which makes sense by the way). So I had no complaints and agreed to adjust and make ammendments. But somehow my actions and my heart are not in sync.

I went home late yesterday around 7 pm. I knew it was raining then, but as I stepped in front of the main gate, I knew that getting home was going to be harder. As I was driving, I said to myself, "This is the first time I've experienced rain so fine that I couldn't see much where I was going." I really depended on the tail lights and blinkers of the other cars.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar sound from the brakes. Uh-Oh. I knew I should have stayed away from flooded areas. "I would have if only I could see where I was going" I thought. But still I pressed on and went home the way I used to know... only to find out that the road gets flooded during heavy rains. Traffic was really building up because small cars couldn't pass through the flooded areas. But still I continued until such a time that I was stuck in the traffic itself.

While being stranded in the traffic, I could hear the rain splashing on the wind shield. I could see the lightning as if it were reaching to me. I could hear the thunder roaring. I could feel the gushing waters beneath my car. I could see and hear it all and yet I was unable to do anything. I was really stuck with another car in front and the waters at my back. I had to make a choice - go to another road which I am not familiar or stay stucked in there. I prayed to God to protect and guide me in this situation and to also be with my loved ones and friends.

I backed up against the current to a new road that is not that flooded and followed a car which did the same. I followed the car while trying to balance speeding and braking. Then I found myself singing to songs like "I Know Who Holds the Future","My God Is So Big","Cares Chorus" and many others (that I couldn't remember now). I was singing until I found a familiar billboard that signalled me I was close a familair road - the way to home. I was so overjoyed that I practically was singing and thanking Him until I was home.

I don't know what you are going through today, but may this encourage you to let God control your lives. As Jesus has calmed the storms during His time, so can He calm the storm in this age and the ages to come. This is a lesson that I've learned while in the translation class (Eccl. 9:1,7-10) Accept the realities of life with a happy heart because all is in the plan/hands of God, be able to share it with someone you love and continue to fully live and mightily do the work which God has allowed you to do. Glory to God!

Elections and the Fear of God

Have you ever thought how life would be easier if everybody would just get along, if everybody would love and care for each other, if everyone would just be nice to one another without thinking that he or she might get something out of being nice... what a world that would have been!

And yet God chose to place us in this world where, most of the time, people do things out of selfishness, pride, jealousy, foolishness and many other reasons. The sad thing is, most of the time, people are not unaware of what they are doing. It is the same as a person who puts shades while doing these horrible things. They know it is bad enough to even think about these things (they see through their shades), but they still do it (pretending not to see it). The recent Philippine election was a testament to this fact. We see people deliberately killing each other for the position - no wonder they say that in the Philippines, "People would even kill just to serve." Actually, we should add a follow-up question "They serve who?"

The Bible accounts in Judges the many errors of God's people so that we could learn from their mistakes. I agree with what my Bible Study leader has been repeatedly saying in the Bible Study..."Not only did the Israelites went through the cycle of forsaking God, but they (this includes the judges) also became worst and worst than before." The Israleites knew what they were doing was wrong and yet they chose to do it out of convenience, practicality, and fear of others.

The manner of forsaking God maybe different from that time to this generation, but one way or another if we are not careful, we will relive the mistakes of the Israelites because the root is basically the same - convenience, practicality and fear of others. I must confess that I find myself struggling in this battle arena. How many times have I said I'm sorry because I hurt others? How many times have I made wrong decisions in my life? How many times have I tried to people please than to please my God?

I could still remember a story from when I was a youth. What if God was a guest in your house, would you let him in your living room only where you show off the finest materials, furniture, and household wares? What if He asks you to let Him enter your bedroom or your closet? Would you bring Him to where you go, where you work, where you hang out? Will you let Him in your secrets? I'm sure that if it is someone special, you wouldn't dare to show off your bad traits or the bad side of you! Why? Because there is an element of embarrassment or a hint of fear.

When we come before our God, let us strip ourselves of all these things. He is a holy God, therefore we should also strive to be holy. It is a fact that we cannot be perfect in this world, but God is glorified when we strive to be like Him in this ungodly world. Let us not wait until that time when we don't even feel the shame of doing evil things or when we blatantly (in the open without the shades) do these things. I pray that we will all be men and women who fear God more than we fear circumstances and people.

A Fishy Week!

It all strated last Friday when our YoungPro fellowship decided to have book reading on the minor prophet Jonah. Well, at first I thought to myself, "What Jonah again? I know that story! Can we have something else." But as you will see later, I'm glad I went last Friday.

I observed we did not start with the usual singspiration. We started with the announcements and Bible verse memorization. (This time it's tough, memorizing James 1:21 in three languages) After the LCD was set-up, then we had the singspiration. ("For the Sake of the Call" and a new song song... forgot the title) I knew then that this fellowship would not be just an ordinary Jonah story. I was right! We delved into the book of Jonah through some games - not only one but three!

The first game was family feud (a group game). We were divided into three teams. We used the piano as buzzer (low, medium, and high notes... hehe) The game basically has the same mechanics as the original except the sole basis of answers is found in the book. "Woah... and to think this was easy... i was very wrong!" This game showed me how much details I've left out when reading this book and how much time I've spent on being contented with what I know and not seeking the deeper meaning of the details.

The second game was weakest link. Two representatives from each team is needed to play the game. Each player needs to answer a series of questions that will add up to the "jackpot". At the end of each round, the players vote off who they like to leave. Sadly, I was one of those who left first not because my answers were wrong, but because I'm a threat. hehe. But as I was sat out and listened to the other questions... I began to see a newer side of Jonah that I haven't seen before.

The last game was actually challenging... summarizing the book of Jonah and giving a moral lesson in as few words as possible. My group came up with a short poem. It was kind of a children's poem so we decided to act out some of the words.

God said "Go!"; Jonah said "No!",
boarded boat to Tarshish, swallowed by a fish,
prayed for forgiveness, was spat ashore,
He preached in Nineveh so judgment no more!
'Cause people repented; Jonah resented...
Poeple hide, God will find... He forgives!

We won that evening... Actually all of us, because we learned so much!

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Yesterday, we went to the Mall of Asia. Guess who we hooked up with unexpectedly... Ahia Harg and his family, my aunt and her children and grandchildren (father's side), my mom and dad's friend (who also had a child taking up music). Well, that's rather funny 'cause it is as if we were thinking of the same thing and to meet up in such a huge place - truly amazing!

Then we ate dinner... guess where? Fish and Co. It was really sumptuous. It was the first time my family and I ate there so we didn't know the taste. Luckily we liked it especially their fish and chips. hehe (getting hungry)

Lastly, guess what was playing on Fish and Co.'s screen that night! Finding Nemo. I really liked this animation picture because of the rich characters and the adventure. Of course, it wouldn't be complete without my favorite charcter from that movie - Dorie!

I guess in all these, what I'm trying to say is that God's ways are higher than ours. Even though things or events might seem fishy to us, to Him all is planned and worked out! He has purposes why things happen. The only thing we can do is to live each day for Him and be thankful for the things/people/events that might come along our way!

Imitating Dorie's whale talk.... "TtHaNnKk YyOoUu FfOoRr RrEeAaDdIiNnGg!"

Nahum: Chapter 1 Part 1

Let's continue on with Nahum...

Verse 1:
This is an interesting title to a book, "Vision of Nahum". Does this mean that the Lord showed all of this to Nahum? Does Nahum have any connection with Nineveh like Jonah did (Jonah hated the Ninevites)?

Verse 2 - 8:
It is interesting to note how God is described in these verses. Our God avenges... revenges... reserves wrath... on who? His enemies... adversaries... those who has characteristics of making Him jealous and furious. This verse reminds me of another verse wherein it says something like "Do not take revenge because revenge is of the Lord's." Putting these two together, it seems Nineveh has done something terrible to someone (maybe His people) that is why God is unhappy and will take revenge for those who are oppressed.

Nahum goes on to be specific that the Lord will not acquit the wicked. (If God can punish a group of people for not following him or making him jealous, what can stop this God from punishing me?) Even the clouds, whirlwind and storm, mountains and seas and hills are but dust of His feet. (He has power over these since He is the Creator) Anyhow, God here is pictured to be supreme and powerful, able to take vengeance for Himself and His people. He continues by asking, "Who can stand His indignation?"(Indignation means righteous anger; It is not that God goes around being angry for nothing, but when He gets angry, surely there must be a reason.) No one can possibly endure it or stand against it.

But He is also pictured to be good and a stronghold for those who trust in Him. In verse 3, He is slow to anger. (This might probably mean that He forgave freely again and again, but the people still insist on having their own ways up to a point where He gave His judgment on Nineveh.) We see a God who is good/gracious yet great/mighty - able to forgive and save yet also able to bring judgment and revenge.

Questions:
1) Is this part of the vision of Nahum or just stating a fact that God is this kind of person/God who can do these things? Is this a warning to Nineveh before their destruction?

2) What do you mean by "The earth heaves at His presence, yes, the world and all who dwell in it"?

3) What are Bashan and Carmel? Are they rivers? What does the flower of Lebanon symbolize?

4) Since there is poetry in Nahum, are there any other things that are with hidden meaning? (Stuructures? repetitions?)

Nahum: Background

I'll try something that my friend "Ahia Elliott" is doing with his blog, because I find it more productive and more exciting. I'll also post my learnings from a book from the Bible that I'm reading right now. For starters, I'll also try the book of Nahum because it interests me to find out what happened to Nineveh after the book of Jonah... hehe. Let's start!

Author
The book contains the “vision of Nahum” (1:1), whose name means “comfort” and is related to the name Nehemiah, meaning “The Lord comforts” or “comfort of the Lord.” (Nineveh’s fall, which is Nahum’s theme, would bring comfort to Judah.) Nothing is known about him except his hometown (Elkosh), and even its general location is uncertain.

Date
In 3:8–10 the author speaks of the fall of Thebes, which happened in 663 b.c., as already past. In all three chapters Nahum prophesied Nineveh’s fall, which was fulfilled in 612. Nahum therefore uttered this oracle between 663 and 612, perhaps near the end of this period since he represents the fall of Nineveh as imminent (2:1; 3:14,19). This would place him during the reign of Josiah and make him a contemporary of Zephaniah and the young Jeremiah.

Background
Assyria (represented by Nineveh, 1:1) had already destroyed Samaria (722–721 b.c.), resulting in the captivity of the northern kingdom of Israel, and posed a present threat to Judah. The Assyrians were brutally cruel, their kings often being depicted as gloating over the gruesome punishments inflicted on conquered peoples. They conducted their wars with shocking ferocity, uprooted whole populations as state policy and deported them to other parts of their empire. The leaders of conquered cities were tortured and horribly mutilated before being executed (see note on 3:3). No wonder the dread of Assyria fell on all her neighbors!

About 700 b.c. King Sennacherib made Nineveh the capital of the Assyrian empire, and it remained the capital until it was destroyed in 612. Jonah had announced its destruction earlier (Jnh 3:4), but the people put on at least a show of repentance and the destruction was temporarily averted (see Jnh 3:10 and note). Not long after that, however, Nineveh reverted to its extreme wickedness, cruelty and pride. The brutality reached its peak under Ashurbanipal (669–627), the last great ruler of the Assyrian empire. After his death, Assyria’s influence and power waned rapidly until 612, when Nineveh was overthrown (see notes on 1:14; 2:1). (Further historical information is given in notes throughout the book.)

Recipients
Some words are addressed to Judah (see 1:12–13,15), but most are addressed to Nineveh (see 1:11,14; 2:1,13; 3:5–17,19) or its king (3:18). The book, however, was meant for Israelite readers living in Judah.

Literary Style
The contents are primarily made up of judgment oracles, with appropriate descriptions and vocabulary, expressing intense moods, sights and sounds. The language is poetic, with frequent use of metaphors and similes, vivid word pictures, repetition and many short—often staccato—phrases (see, e.g., 3:1–3). Rhetorical questions punctuate the flow of thought, which has a marked stress on moral indignation toward injustice.

Theological Themes
The focal point of the entire book is the Lord’s judgment on Nineveh for her oppression, cruelty, idolatry and wickedness. The book ends with the destruction of the city.
According to Ro 11:22, God is not only kind but also stern. In Nahum, God is not only “slow to anger” (1:3) and “a refuge . . . for those who trust in him” (1:7), but also one who “will not leave the guilty unpunished” (1:3). God’s righteous and just kingdom will ultimately triumph, for kingdoms built on wickedness and tyranny must eventually fall, as Assyria did.
In addition, Nahum declares the universal sovereignty of God. God is Lord of history and of all nations; as such, he controls their destinies.

Outline
I. Title (1:1)
II. Nineveh’s Judge (1:2–15)
A. The Lord’s Kindness and Sternness (1:2–8)
B. Nineveh’s Overthrow and Judah’s Joy (1:9–15)
III. Nineveh’s Judgment (ch. 2)
A. Nineveh Besieged (2:1–10)
B. Nineveh’s Desolation Contrasted with Her Former Glory (2:11–13)
IV. Nineveh’s Total Destruction (ch. 3)
A. Nineveh’s Sins (3:1–4)
B. Nineveh’s Doom (3:5–19)

International Bible Society (IBS) © 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Accessed May 11, 2007. http://www.ibs.org/niv/studybible/nahum.php

Dazed Amid the Blaze

My thoughts:

Last night was a very scary night for the people in Caloocan specifically 8th Ave. (I live a street away from the main street of 8th Ave. where the real blaze is happening). Although my family were a street away, I could still feel the heat, the fire burning. As I go up to the 5th floor terrace, I could see a small shanty and several others around it being swallowed in flames.

As I recall, I've been in this situation before when my neighbors house got burned also. Back then, I really had no idea what was happening. As a small child, I couldn't do anything as I was being taken care of by my mom. All I remember was being held by my mom as we went out of the house to a nearby relative's house for safety. This time around as an adult, I suddenly felt dazed/confused in all the commotion.

Suddenly,...
1) Priorities are tested (What should I bring if ever the flames get near - what I need or what I want?)
2) True care is measured (As I look into the burning house, I thought of the people who lived in that shanty. I also thought about the adjacent house which sold gas tanks for the stove. I thought to myself "what if the fire gets into that house?" - selfish or for others)
3) Tensions arise (I told my brothers to quickly pack something - maybe 3 sets of clothes and to just stay put),
4) Lessons are learned (Is this a reminder from God to cherish what He has given me? What is God saying in all this?)

I said a little prayer in the midst of this that went something liek this.

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My prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I may not know what is your purpose in doing this. I may not know what is to happen to me or anyone. I may not know of many things, but this i know - that You, o Lord, are a great and good God. I know in your perfect will and timing that You have planned all things to happen. Yes, I am finite and You are infinite. I pray that You are still glorified in the midst of this. Help me not to be too concerned of myself. Help me to be a person who gives praise and thanks always even in the midst of suffering and sadness. I pray for comfort to those who have lost their homes in this blaze. Be with us tonight! In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Home Alone

My thoughts:

Remember the movie "Home Alone"? I believe that it had many other sequels because it was, after all, a funny film for the family. It mostly features a kid who was left alone in their house (the first movie; I think the other movies was somewhere else) who basically felt that he had the freedom to do whatever it is he wanted to do because no one is there to force him to do things. His mom won't be there to nag him. His brother is not there to bully him. His sister isn't there to disturb him. Practically everyone is not there to have anything to do with him.

Well, just yesterday, I felt like I was that kid in the movie. My youngest sibling was out to camp. My parents and other siblings went to sleep in a hotel for free (why didn't they tell me...) Well, I thought to myself, at least i got the whole house to myself. No one will disturb me now when i do my business. Hours of watching TV, playing some games, reading books... (you get the point) This was supposed to be fun. No one's bothering me but why do I feel sad and lonely (like I'm missing a part of me?) Suddenly, I remembered what my dad usually say that once his children get married, he'll miss the noise in the house. Probably he's right because the kid in the movie, he felt very alone and sad towards the latter part of the movie (and it could be dangerous too).

I also was reminded about our topic in the "Disciple Another to Love Jesus". Freedom as it states is not the ability to do what you want to do, but the ability to do what you ought to do. This got me to think because I think it is somewhat relative and may be open to misunderstanding. If I am a person who comes from a worldly perspective, probably it would be different from a person who comes from God's perspective. In a very competitive world, Christians face a very hard reality of being a minority. More often than not, our co-workers, colleagues, even bosses might not be Christians who understand your beliefs and stands. And sometimes its just hard to do what you ought to do and just follow (forced to follow) what everyone wants to do.

I wonder how Christian companies "do what they ought to do?" How do they keep themselves above all others who are using a wordly standard to measure their success and reputation? Hopefully a book that I bought will give light to these questions.

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My prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, what do you want me to learn from this experience? I pray that I may find You in my life and the lives I touch. help me to use my freedom to do the things that I ought to do for your global glory. I am that you forgive my selfish nature and encourage through your words in the Bible. Always remind me that freedom is not an excuse to do want I want or even evil deeds, but it is a tool to glorify You and edify my brothers and the people that i interact with. All these things i ask in Jesus' name, Amen.

Through the Bandages

My thoughts:

Last March 11, my high school friends and I visited one of our high school friends (Mark) who had just undergone a major surgey a few times already. We, together with Mark's college school mates, had prepared a surprise party for him in his house. Of course, I had been Mark classmate for a long time now. I'm not sure when it started but I think we were classmates since kindergarten if I remember it correctly. It was good to see him again in person after not seeing him after graduation. Sadly, I has no contact with him for about 5 years til that day. My only source of news about him was Abigail and Adeline.

Anyway, when we gathered at his house's living room, we really did surprise him, even his parents. No one knew about the party, but still Mark and his parents welcomed all of us. When we saw Mark, he had a bandage on the right portion of his face where the operation was done. Each of us told something about how Mark has influenced our lives. One way or another, he has been the silent supporter of all of us. He truly was a God-sent friend who would walk out of his way to help his friends in need. The testimony went on for a long time but still God gave him strength to be able to listen to all of our testimonies about him and God's benevolence in his life.

When his dad shared about his last surgery, I couldn't help but think of how God was in control of the whole situation. The timing, the place, the people who operated, the people who were inspired - all was God's handiwork! What was more amazing is how God is continually using mark's life as a beacon that would reflect God's glory all the time. His persistence in coming to church despite having undergone the surgery is very touching and it shows how He values God in his life.

The bandages was not a hindrance to coming to church because, inside mark was a very healthy Christian! I hope and pray that you get better each day so that we can praise and worship God together!

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My prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for letting me get to know you better in the person of Mark Alvin Chua. I know that You have ways of teaching us how to be good Christians and I believe You have used Mark as an inspiration of how we should not give excuses in doing the things that will glorify You. May you continue to bless Mark and his family and I sincerely pray for Mark's gradual recover. Thank you for the opportunity to meet him again after many years. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Blood for Blood

My thoughts:

I just have finished reading a Christian fiction book entitled, "Blood for Blood". As the tiltle suggests, inside it you will see a reality that has happened in the tribes and minorities in the southern parts of the Philippines in Mindanao. In their native tongue, the reality of pangayaw has left all those who were part of it or even those who just stood in the way of it very much as good as dead. Pangayaw is considered as the "native's justice system for stealing a man's wife, killing without cause, burning a a house, stealing a water buffalo, or insulting the elderly." (according to the book) In short, pangayaw is the right to kill or vendetta killing.

In the story, three lives intertwine as these three represent the three different soldiers that are present in those parts of the Philippines - the army soldier, the rebel soldier and last but not least, the soldier of God! All of them were drawn by the vendetta killings of a single person, Buaya, against the tribe who killed his mother when he was still a child.

12 years ago, his father eloped with another woman thereby signalling the husband of the woman to declare pangayaw against his father. In the process, his father not only died, his mother, who had nothing to do with it, was also slain by the vendetta-driven tribe. This incident led to his uncle (brother of his mother) declaring the pangayaw against the woman who eloped with his father because if she didn't flee to his father in the first place, Buaya's father and mother would still be alive. The other tribe regretfully gave the woman to avoid more unnecessary killings. But for Buaya who survived the attacked, he has put upon himself the burden of getting revenge for what the other tribe did to his clan. He wanted to personally kill the person who killed his father and mother.

After 12 years, a pastor by the name of Apino came together with his family to minister to this tribes in the remote areas in Mindanao. He had a wife and a son with him in this mission. By this time also, another person by the name of Lt. Del Rosario has just graduated the military and has been assigned to go to Mindanao to catch Buaya and his gang.

With the military coming into the scene, it was a matter of time before encounters grew more often. And Buaya did get hurt in some instances up to a point where he was so injured that when Apino found him (although Apino knew that he was Buaya), he just felt compassion for the man and treated his wounds.

Yet in the middle of this blood war, it can be seen that it is indeed a sad story. Later, we see Buaya being overtaken by the evil in him (hatred) that he even killed Apino's only son. Yes, he did get revenge in the end by killing those tribe who killed his parents, but it was forgiveness which won the day. In the last chapter, tension rises up as Apino could have killed Buaya with the bolo in his hand. But when he swung it, it got stuck to the cross which he and his son built to signify that the Lord is with them. He immediately cried into tears as he knew that it was wrong to take revenge for his son's death so he forgave Buaya on the spot. As for Lt. Del Rosario who also endured many threats to the position he had because of the circumstances in this mission, he could have killed Buaya during this weak moment, but he chose to leave it to justice, not by his own hand.

Yes, it was literally blood for blood when they took revenge on each other. But there is something about this phrase that I cannot help but to delve deeper in its meaning. And that is the side of forgiveness of this phrase more specifically Jesus' forgiveness of our sins as shown by his dead on the cross. You could it was Jesus blood for our blood. Our blood should have been spilt because we deserved to die, and yet out of his great mercy, God sent His only Son so that His blood might be spilt over us - to cleanse, to redeem, to buy us back. Jesus' blood - the blood of an innocent, the blood of the God-man, the blood which signifies forgiveness won us back to God!

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My prayer:

Dear Father, thank you once again for remindingme of my disposition. And yet You still gave me a chance to know you and to feel Your love for me through Jesus Christ. His blood set me free. I now pray for the harsh reality in the minority tribes of Mindanao that they may one day come to fully know You and Your goodness. I also pray for Your soldiers their in their mission to evangelize as they spread Your Good News. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Are You One Of Us?

My thoughts:

Last Saturday, January 20, 2007, we had our first ever YoungPro Joint Fellowship among the five churches in the Manila area that are included the Association of Zhenghua Churches of the Philippines namely UECM, UECPasay, UECP, UECG, Jubilee. The event entitled "Are You One Of Us?" aimed to have brothers and sisters in Christ interact with other Christians in other churches. It started out as something simple, but ended with something greater planned in mind and a challenge.

The night started out by the buffet table awaiting us - but there's a catch, we should sit next to someone from another church! Of course at first, people tend to group together with friends but as the night grew, we slowly got comfortable being with other people. We started to greet each other and just took the time to get to know one another by asking them where they work or which church they are from. After a good dinner, we went it to worship the Lord through songs of praise and adoration. Many people sang their hearts praising Jesus through songs such as "Worthy is the Lamb", "Redeemer, Savior, Friend" and many more! Right after that, we were finally enlightened as to the true purpose of the AZCOP and why they held such an event especially for YoungPros. Remember guys: finding a girlfriend is only a BONUS, not the ultimate goal of AZCOP! Then came the fun part - the games! Our ID's were shaped differently to match which team we should join for example "Team Kisses"! The games tested team spirit, team coordination and team oneness as called forth by games like "Team Name and Cheer", "Happy Feet" and "Melody Chain"

The night ended with the most important program - the message. The passage was taken from Joshua 5:13-15 which stresses the question, "Are you for us or against us?" I agree with the pastor who said that this is a very selfish question. If you are the one asking this question, then it leaves the one who will answer in a spot wherein he needs to choose if he will be for you or against you. But unlike our society's notion of this question, we Christians interpret this differently. "Are you one of us?" is a question that challenges us to think about the people in our area, people who we interact daily with, people who we see, people who we do business with. Are they one of us? Do they know the love of God? These question cannot possibly come from someone selfish becaue these are the same questions that show true care and concern for the individual. This is the lesson that Joshua learned as he immediately fell on his knees and removed his sandals.

Another lesson that can be learned from the passage is through observing Joshua's response to what has been said - he removed his sandals. We must remember that during this time, Joshua was at war and removing his sandals may prove fatal in the battlefield. But he bowed before God barefooted not with swords and shields and this he did before battle. In our lives, we may not bring swords and shields to work but these may be represented by our laptops or palms or notebooks. But as Joshua, let us learn to set a time for God before going into the workplace's battle and win souls for His kingdom.

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My prayer:

My God, You have shown me again and again of your wondrous blessings. I pray that you are the One who was most pleased with the gathering of believers in this event. I hope that what has been started here will be faithfully and truthfully carried on so that more and more people will be blessed by You, so that more and more people will come to know you and praise you even more. Let me be like Joshua who came prepared to the battlefield not with laptops and stylus, but with your presence and blessing. I thank you for your love for us that even though we are separate small churches, in You, we are one big Church. Continue to guide eahc and everyone of us, the churches, AZCOP. All these we ask in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus, Amen.

Invisible Father

My thoughts:

I've just finished watching a heart-warming Korean series entitled "Invisible Man". It is a story of an unlikely couple who was sweet in their first years of marriage but had problems later on in their family life. From the onset, the parents of the girl didn't approve of the marriage because of the status of the boy (no more father, mother remarried), but later unhappily approved of it. Somewhere along their marriage, the husband became so engrossed with work to provide the best for his family, but as a result, his presence was not felt by the wife and his twin children. You could say he'd rather work than be at home not because he wanted it that way but because He wants his family to be proud of him since this is the only thing he could do due to his status. The wife, on the other end, became stouthearted and had to work several jobs and, at the same time, be there for the children. All of these piled up which led to their eventual divorce. The story progressed and climaxed at a point where the husband, due to several hits on his head during his early years of being a cop, contracted dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Later, the wife who had a kidney transplant in younger years needed another kidney transplant in order to survive. With no time left to find a donor and the husband having the perfect match of kidney at that time, he already decided to donate his kidney to his wife even if he knew he may never wake up again. Of course, before all of this happened, the father spent the rest of his days being happy with his children, with his wife, with his friends even held a happy live funeral for him because anytime he could die from the disease and he also wanted to leave happy memories before he died. Unknown to his friends and family, he keeps all of this burden to himself until the day he died in the hospital after the succesful operation of his wife. His only favor that he left his wife through a letter is to save his phone number to encourage his younger son so that even when he's not around, his children may feel that he is with them.

In our Christian walk, it seems we blame God for what is happening to us since we cannot see him. When we are alone, when we are sad, when we are hopeless... it seems our God is not with us and that He let go of our hands and left us to suffer. But just like in the poem "Footprints in the Sand", He never leaves us nor forsakes us. He walked with us during the happy days of our lives and carried us through the winds and storms in our lives. We cannot see Him but that doesn't mean He doesn't care for us, that doesn't mean He doesnt care about what we do about our life!

Yes, He is invisible yet He is also a Father. He knows us more than anybody can know us. He even knows us more than we know ourselves that's why He is the only One who knows what's best for us, His children. If our earthly fathers care for us so much, how much more will our Heavenly Father care for His children? In the film, the father wasn't around his children because of work, because of his sickness, because of his situation, but he made sure that his children always felt that he was with them through his unusual gifts and bonding time with them. Our Father gave us the most unusual gift yet it is the most priceless one that anybody can give to His children. He gave us Jesus to be the intermediator between Us and Him. He gave us His only begotten Son so that we could be with Him forever.

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My prayer:

Dear Lord, sometimes it is hard for me to believe that You are there for me since I cannot see You. I pray that You forgive me of this and please give me a heart that believes that I can rely on my invisible Father. Help me to trust in You more and take to heart all of your comforting promises in the Bible. Guide my paths and help me remember and cherish the wonderful gift of salvation through Jesus your Son. You know me more than myself so I pray that your will be done through my actions, through my words, and through my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Care For Christmas?

My thoughts:

This year, as a Christmas presentation of the Youth and YoungPro Fellowship at our church, both fellowships decided to have a Christmas play. And as the script was written, the song lyrics and melodies were written, I can't contain myself because of the excitement in me. It is an excitement that I am to be part of a group of young ministers to people. We are not pastors or or missionaries but in our own little ways of acting and singing, we are ministers to those people who will watch us that day of our presentation. We are ministers holding on to the message and affecting people with that same message.

At the same time, we are opened once again to the reality that we are "busy" people. We are people who make excuses just so that we are not committed to do something or so that people won't expect much from us. The business of men is just a way to hide the truth from the reality that we just don't want anything to with God other than receive blessings from Him. If there is any requirement of service and dedication, we tend to shy away and make up silly and sometimes the same old excuses. Another thing that this business brings about is the fact that it hides the true meaning of Christmas. Many times we focus on things such as what to buy for our friends, what to prepare for the Christmas Eve, what to wear, what to do that day, whom to invite, etc. but we rarely think of why we celebrate this day in the first place. We seldom think of whom to invite to such a play or how we will get people to realize the real celebrant and his purpose for coming to earth to be born as a human from a virgin. May we be examples of how to be busy in the work of the Lord.

And with the start of the new year and as a new drama ministry is put into place, there are many things that will definitely change. Things like time spent on doing things or personal priorities will change but one thing will not change because it is the one true message that has been proclaimed since that day the angels spoke to the shepherds, "I bring you good tidings of great joy that will be for all people. For today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you and He is Christ the Lord!" As Achi Nenel would always stress, "the drama ministry should be entertaining, compelling, and life-changing." I agree with this statement. I find that drama attracts people through entertainment and the creativity behind it - from the actors to the director. But more imprtantly, in a Christian setting, what should draw people is the message of the Bible and the impact that message wwill have on their lives. In the end, I really do hope the message will affect me first as an actor and then spread that same effect to the congregation.

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My prayer:

Lord Jesus, I know I am an unworthy person to be used by such a magnificent God as you, but You still gave me the privilege to be minister of your Holy Word. This will be a new challenge for me because I know a am a weak vessel not only physically but also spiritually. I pray that I won't be one of the people who would pretend to be "busy" and not care to knowing you more deeply. I hope that the Christmas message will be wonderfully portrayed in the play that our church has prepared. I pray that the message will touch me first so that I would convey that message compellingly and in the end not only give entertaining value, but also glory to your name. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Whose Agenda Is It Anyway?

My thoughts:

The Bible study that we had in our fellowship was about Judges 4 and 5, about the story of Deborah and Barak. After each story, our Bible study leader would then give us the applications of the story in our lives today. One of the application struck me among others and has been bothering me for some time now - missing out in God's agenda.

There are two interpretations for me here. The first one tackles really missing out in God's agenda. The other tribes who did not join the fight against Sisera did not glorify God because they did not help their brothers in need. In return, they did not experience the miracle of God in battle. I'm sure only the ones who joined the battle had a life-changing experience. It is the same thing with us today. We miss out on knowing Him deeper when we do not put ourselves closer to Him. When we choose to do other things before God, we might not get another chance to do so. So grab the chance whenever you have to serve Him wholeheartedly and I'm sure it will impact your lives as well. (Get a ministry)

The next one focuses on the question: Whose agenda is it anyway? While I was pondering upon the application, this question popped out of nowhere. Anyway, I started to think about it seriously and the outcome startled me. We say that we should participate in God's agenda, but most of the time, I really think that we let God participate in OUR agenda or even not at all. It seems to me that I have lived most of my time enjoying myself and doing the things that I like especially during haapy days, but when problems come, that's the only time that we call on our "genie" - God. Sometimes we do participate in God's agenda, but we still push our agenda with selfish motives - something unseen.

Combining the two interpretations, I had formed a strong conclusion: Many times we give excuses and reasons that are selfish in nature, so we miss out/couldn't particpate in God's agenda. Other times we do particpate in God's agenda, but we still could not fully experience God and see God's greater vision because we serve Him halfhearted and with self-centered intentions.

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My prayer:

Lord Jesus, I know that I am guilty of being selfish. There are many times that I've missed out in showing others your glory because I try to outshine you. There are times that I could have spent with you but I did not make time for it or am just too lazy to do so. Please pardon my sins today. Please help me learn this lesson as leaders also fall into this trap. I pray that I will humble myself before you and give you back all the glory. I pray that I could make the most of every opportunity given to me by serving You without any selfish reasons so that my offering will pleasing to You and may reflect You so that when people engage with me or join me, they might glorify Your name! This I pray in Jesus' name, Amen

Worship 101

"It's a hard thing to express, but for me, I sense God's pleasure when I sing to Him. And nothing pleases me more than when other people tell me that they also sense His pleasure when they listen to me sing."

- Abridged from My Second Chapter: The Matthew Ward Story. Copyright © 2006 by Matthew Ward.
- Taken from http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/commentaries/itunes.html

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My thoughts:

I had my ups and downs in leading the praise and worship - from being commented and praised to having a bad rehearsal (which led to arguments within the group). After evaluating what happened and where all these come from, we talked about it and shared what we thought, shared what we felt. I can sense that we tried not to only compromise onto a solution, but to really cooperate and refocus on why in the first place we are doing this kind of service.

Yes, we could have blamed each other and pretended that nothing was ever wrong when we get on to lead the praise and worship. Yes, we could faked it all along and just do it technically because either way the congregation wouldn't know what lies behind each practice, each team member, each song. But in the end, the congregation is not the audience. We had to humble ourselves and resolve this because I'm losing the first and foremost reason why I joined the praise and worship group, I'm losing the reason why I sing - to please God, not men. Men may or may not see our intentions; they might or might not get a sense that we don't work together as a group, but the Lord sees all and everything.

Therefore, I have decided to do these goals as I continue to lead them to worship:
1) Preparation - Who is my audience? (not myself, not the congregation)
2) Evaluation - Am I alright with my God? (prayed, read the Bible, etc.)
3) Cooperation - Am I doing this the right way? (work together)
4) Participation - Am I really "leading" them to praise/glorify God? (hopefully they will also offer to God a pleasing aroma of worship from the heart!)

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My prayer:

I pray for myself as I am leading the worship service. Yes, it is true that leaders are attacked the most since when they make a mistake, many others will follow him fall. I pray that I will always be alert and stand firm in the Word. Next, I pray for my team members. I know that we may have our differences, but we can still lay aside these and cooperate to come before God and give Him the best praise and worship ever! I pray for the congregation that may be able to worship with us with all their hearts and minds, in spirit and in truth. Thank You for your infinite mercy and grace and for giving us the richness of music. May all glory be to You and You alone always. In Jesus' name, Amen.