giving...

Monday, 27th of September.

I was in a meeting with young-adult leaders of our church. It was in a pastry shop. The idea of buying some pastries for the attendees of the meeting got hold of me. The feeling of joy in giving to others has never been this strong in me.

I bought them something which may not be the most expensive ones in the selves. But it felt really good nonetheless.

If you ask my old friends, I was never the one to buy food (or other stuffs) for others.

Thank you Lord for reminding me that it is a whole lot better to give than to receive.

As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. ~ Matthew 10:7 & 8

That Still Small Voice

Last Sunday, the speaker for the 9:45am service at Bradford said that it was her privilege to share to the congregation God's message for her that day.

Something hit me there and then. If we just think of sharing a Bible reflection, and even a full blown message or sermon, as merely sharing God's message for us on that day, then we won't be scared to stand and talk in front of people.

What does this imply? We simply have to listen to what God has to say to us everyday.

How do we do this? Prayer. Meditation. Bible reading.

If we say that God has not revealed His message to us today, then there must be something wrong with our being Christians.

One of the characters in the movie "I am Legend" said that God told her about the colony of the last few humans on earth, that God has a plan. When Dr Neville, played by Will Smith, tried to dismiss her disposition as crazy, she said, "The world is quieter now. If we listen, we can hear God's plan..."

Does it have to be at world's end, when the world is literally quieter, for us to hear that still small voice? I dare say no. He speaks to us every moment of every day. We just have to listen.

Quite coincidentally (as many would put it; in Christian terms, it's called blessing), I learned a new word last night as I was reading stuffs in the internet. Zeitgeist. Its origin is German. It means "the spirit of the moment/time."

The new word I learned further helped me decide to blog God's day to day message for me.

I pray I will be able to do this to help make the lives of people, me included, better...

But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.

To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.

-John 10:2-4

Unplanned, Unpracticed

"Coffee Overload"

Taken with a borrowed Canon 550D inside a PAL plane when our flight to Manila last Sept 19 was delayed for almost 2 hours.

Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. - Isaiah 40:31

Life is...

You wake up
And find that you have none
You spend the whole day
Trying you gain just one
When there are some
Who are born right out of trust funds
Who may sleep all day
And still have much in their hands

Yes life is not fair
No matter how much you try
No matter how much you dare
But if you see the wonder that is in all
Yes life is not fair
But it is beautiful

You choose to love
And find all the reasons to smile
You give your all
Only to find out it’s not worth your while
Hold your head high
You’ll see, if you look beyond big pains
Swarms of small blessings
Like floods that come from droplets of rain

Yes life is not fair
No matter how much you try
No matter how much you dare
But if you see the wonder that is in all
Yes life is not fair
But it is beautiful

Be Still...?

Just me and my.... no, it's not my camera... I sure hope I have one like it... so I can really start a photography business venture with my friend agnes and make a model out of my girlfriend...

Presumptuous Me

May of last year, I and my girlfriend attended the first death anniversary celebration of my Lolo Roger. We drove south (on my motorcycle) from Cebu City to the southern tip of Cebu Island and took the barge going to Negros Oriental. Lolo Roger is buried in Dumaguete City.

A few months after, in a proud, almost boastful, voice, I told a good friend of mine about our summer escapade.

It was then that I learned that this friend of mine drove from Mindanao to Manila during the same time I drove from Cebu to Dumaguete. Then he told me that when they were driving to the capital, they met on the road a foreigner walking. The man has been to different countries on a mission: to walk around the world.

I went to my friend so proud about my adventure only to find out that he's been to a greater adventure and that other people are on or have been to much greater ones.

There is nothing wrong about being proud of the things that you have done but bragging and thinking no one's ever done the things you did probably is. And it just might make you lose your face...

In Luke 14:8-10, Jesus said:

When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests.

Tithe and Bribe

One of the many things I know I should do but somehow fail to do several times is tithing. I know how it works (or I think I do). I know I ought to do it. But somehow, I can’t.

There are a lot of things that I can identify that would very much qualify as alibis or as I would call them: self-justified reasons, for not tithing. But I am not going to write about them here. I’m going to write about tithing and the awkward feelings that surround it.

I may well be speaking for myself here. I may be the only one going through this. But it’s our own personal experiences that teach us life lessons. And this is one of those experiences.

Have you ever tried giving more than ten percent of your income because you have so much to thank for? I have and it feels so good.

How about giving more, hoping to somehow negate something that you have done wrong? Or maybe you don’t admit it, not even to yourself, but at the back of your mind the idea clings on like stain on fabric – that you have brought tithing down to a derogatory status of a bribe?

This is crazy. I know. Tithing is not, and should never be, for all intent and purposes, a bribe. Tithing is returning to God what is rightfully His. Tithing is part of the natural order of the universe. It is us humans, and all our weaknesses and inadequacies, that stain the essence of the tithe.

I am sure many of us have heard about employers holding their own employees hostage with their (employees) salaries as the weapon of choice. These employers threaten not to release the salaries or wages of their workers if they (employees) do not let them (employers) have their ways of doing things. And I’m pretty sure also that upon hearing this kind of stories, we would, as if in chorus, scream “That’s not fair!”

Indeed, it is not fair. It is not fair to those who have worked so hard not to receive the fruits of their labor – something that rightfully belongs to them. It’s stealing from them.

It is also not fair to God if we don’t give Him what’s His. It’s stealing from Him.

Moreover, it is equally not fair to Him if we give our tithe and expect a little extra favor from Him because we have something in us that needs serious corrections.

Malachi 3:10 says “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me on this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it…”

We should give our tithe because it’s the right thing to do – so “that there may be food in God’s house,” and not because we are after the blessing God promised. It’s just like we don’t steal or kill because it’s the right thing to do and not because we don’t want the consequences of doing it.

So whenever tithing becomes more like bribing, change the things you have the power over – yourself and your unrighteousness. Ask God to take away that guilt. And when it is gone, giving will feel so much better.

I have yet to do this myself. Help me God...

Another Tale of Bats

Shortly after the school year started, I went to get IDs. I had surrendered my faculty ID for not teaching any subject the previous semester; my student ID on the other hand had already expired. So, as my teaching load for the current semester was still being processed, I thought it best to get a new student ID while waiting for my faculty ID. (For those who don't know, I am a full-time Master of Science student and a part-time college instructor of the Civil Engineering Department of one of the universities in Cebu City.)

The school does not allow male students (specifically undergraduates) to grow their hair long or grow beards and mustaches. My hair about eight inches long. So when I approached the one in charge of taking ID pictures, I was told I can't have my photo taken because of my hair.

I played the double-agent card.

I told her I am also a member of the faculty of the university.

She told me I am also a student so I should have my hair cut. Shortly after, she snapped that I can have my photo taken.

But I have to wait in line.

I left. The long line was the perfect alibi for leaving. And my seemingly busy schedule would further support my action. But what the ID-girl said left a sting in my mind.

Some weeks after that, one of the members of the faculty of our department asked me if the university allows male teachers to grow their hair long.

Again, I played the double-agent card.

I told him I am also a graduate student.

That was when I started thinking more about why I wanted to get both a faculty and a student ID. I realized I need my faculty ID to gain for myself more access and "power" inside the campus. And my student ID? I need it to get discounts.

This made me reflect - on life, on being a Christian. We love to play the double-agent card. We tend to switch from one side to the other depending on which one benefits us. We boldly claim all the blessings of being a Christian. But when we are called to step out of our comfort zones, we cower away.

Remember the story about the bats who were caught in the middle of a war between mammals and birds? The bats could not decide which side they are on. And so they were caught right in the middle with no way out.

In life, we need to be bold and steadfast. As Christians, we should also be bold and steadfast.

"So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth" - Revelation 3:16 NIV

For God and Country

My brother once told me that if a person was legally allowed to stow away on every flight (his words in Bisaya were “mokabit sa eroplano”) to the United States of America (or other countries), it would not take long for the population of the Philippines to be dramatically reduced. It was meant to be a joke, of course. However, one can’t help but notice how much it touches on reality – Filipinos would go to great lengths just to get out of the country.

Have you ever found yourself asking God why He made you Filipino? Or found yourself wanting to go out the country so bad in hope for a “better” life?

Sadly, for many, the answer to these questions is “yes.”

What do the scriptures say about our nationality? In the New Testament, we can read these words:

²⁶From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. ²⁷God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ²⁸”For in him we live and move and have our being.” As some of your own poets have said, “We are his offspring.” (Acts 17; NIV)

Let us also remember that, during the Old Testament times, God did not only reveal His glory and grace to a person, nor to a family; He revealed Himself to a nation. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you” (Gen 12:2a) was God’s promise to Abraham, the father of our faith. It was to and through this nation that God made Himself known – He blessed them as a nation and, at many times, punished them as a nation.

If you think the Philippines is now hopeless and beyond help because of the corruption and all the unrighteousness in it, take time to reflect. Could it be that, as a nation, as His people, we have not sought Him like He intended? Could it be that, as a nation, we have not obeyed Him? Could it be that we have not considered our being Filipinos as a blessing from God?

Our being Filipinos, our nationality, is one of the most visible, tangible will of God in our lives. Let us honor it by being thankful for it and by actively participating in rebuilding our nation. It is not enough to do things for ourselves alone. Let us start doing whatever we do in life for God and for the country.

New Post

We are on the 6th month of the year and I've had only one post. Not quite a good run. As I recall, I enjoy blogging because it gives me a venue to express my thoughts. That's partly true. The other part of my satisfaction in blogging is knowing that I have friends reading my blogs.

Ever since microblogging (e.g., twitter) was born, my friends have completely abandoned blogging. Without people reading my blogs, I somehow lost the drive to blog.

Yet, I don't know why I have developed renewed interest in blogging.

Maybe the idea of letting my thoughts float around the web without assurance of anyone finding them allures me.

Maybe the thought of expressing my ideas without anyone contesting them or commenting on them somehow becomes a sort defense mechanism.

Maybe I am just letting these thoughts flow, with high hopes that SOMEONE will come to like or appreciate them.

Maybe there are thoughts that, for some reasons, I can not personally tell even the closest of my friends and the web, as well as all those connected to it, seems the friendliest "ear" I can find.

Maybe I have so many things I need to let out somehow after months of not blogging and not having a "listener."

Maybe, in this moment of being "lost," my blogs will act as a distress signal that will allow people who read them to help me find my way.

Maybe... Just maybe...

ERDT Cross-registrant Step-by-step Process

I spent the whole day enrolling for one subject (that's 3 academic units only)!

We were given instructions on how to go about the process but they were not very helpful. So I have come up with my own step-by-step instructions on how to cross-register in UP Diliman. (Refer to the map below for your convenience).

Step 1

From University Hotel (UH; red dot in map), go (you may follow the red line in map) to the Office of the University Registrar Admission and Registration Section (OUR/ARS; red circle in map), 3rd floor, and pay Php 100 Application Fee

***Note: You may not have to fall in line. Ask people in-charge.

Step 2

Submit the following to Ms. Jenn Mallari (at the OUR ARS - ground floor):

1. Permit to Cross-enroll (letter prepared by the Engineering Dean of USC or your university of origin)
2. Accomplished UP Application Form 3A (this form has previously been sent to you by email or provided by your university of origin)
3. Two (passport size) pictures with signature at the back - staple to Form (you may have your picture taken at the shopping center - green dot in the map)
4. Student Directory - 2 copies (again, you are expected to have a copy of this form from your university of origin)
5. Official receipt of Application Fee (from Step 1)

Step 3

Upon submission of the above documents, you will get a username and a password. Use this to update your profile online at http://crs.upd.edu.ph. Then print your Form 5A from the site.

***Note: You may use your own computer or rent one in the shopping center (green dot in map). You may take the "Ikot" jeepney (green line in map).

Step 4

Have your Form 5A signed by an "adviser." Then pre-enlist for the subject (Technology Entrepreneurship).

***Note: For our part, Dr. Vergel of NCTS (National Center of Transportation Studies; located at the College of Engineering [blue circle in map], beside Melchor Hall) signed our forms. We were informed later that we could have had them signed at the OUR ARS. We enlisted at the Civil Engineering Department (located in Melchor Hall). Other departments are offering the course as well and you may enlist there.

Step 5

Go to the ERDT Office located at Melchor Hall Rm 205 to get the Certificate of Authority from Ms. Krystle Mae I. Candolina

***Note: We skipped this step because the certificates were already forwarded to the OUR ARS

Step 6

Go back to the OUR ARS and submit all documents mentioned above. You will then be given Form 5, which you will fill out and sign. The student copy of Form 5 stamped "REGISTERED" will then be given to you.

- Done -