Shit happens for a reason

I always make it a point to have a handkerchief in my left (back or front) pocket everywhere I go.  But one fateful day, I was not able to bring one because all of my hankies are in the laundry.

So when I got to my cubicle at the faculty room, I grabbed a pack of pop-up tissues that has been there for several months already and shoved it into my bag before going to class.  I thought it was the perfect stand-in for my absentee hanky.

In the classroom, as I was running a little late, I immediately set up my computer for Powerpoint.  When I was almost done, my tummy started to feel weird.  And if one knows me, he/she should know that I'm not particularly skilled at holding my bowels.

There was nothing else to do: I had to grab the pack of tissues, put it in my pocket and dashed to the nearest rest room.

That was the first time I was glad I did not have a handkerchief with me.

... all things work together for good to those who love God... - Romans 8:28

School ID Christianity

University of San Carlos (USC) is one of the few schools that still imposes strict policies on wearing uniforms and ID cards.  And probably the first directive the security guards in the campus were given was to implement these policies.  This entry is not a critique on the policies and the guards; it is rather a reflection of how we are as Christians as seen in the analogy of wearing ID cards.

The most common scene at the gates of USC is this: students (on their way into the campus) taking their ID's from their pockets and wearing them; students (on their way out of the campus) taking their ID's off and shoving them into their pockets just a few meters away from the gates.

I can't help but notice certain similarities between this scene and our Christian lives.  Many of us wear our "Christian ID cards" when we are in church.  We don our kind, compassionate, loving, friendly, accommodating selves when we are in church or when we are with our friends from church.  But as soon as we step out of the gates, we take them off and go about our ways.

Let us examine ourselves.  How do we take our identity as Christians.  Do we wear it like an ID card - which we can take off whenever we feel it's not needed anymore?  Or do we wear it like our skins for everyone to see?

Just do it

Just do it.

That is the catchphrase of one of the world’s leading sports apparel brand.  Their store in a mall, just recently, and for quite a long time, put up a big poster of two of their leading endorsers: Kobe and LeBron – two basketball superstars whom fans had hoped to battle it out in the (recent) finals.  They never did.  It seems they just couldn’t do it.

The company, in a way, put their faith on two humans.  Failure of the endorsers to “just do it” may not topple down the company.  But imagine if it was you who put your faith on people and they failed big time.

Put in Christian light, “just do it” is a disposition that entails a lot of faith – faith in God, of course, not in men.  When the first missionaries arrived in Cebu encountered obstacles – the least of which was not having a sanctuary to worship in, they probably said to each other, “Let’s just do it. God will provide.”  When people were pessimistic about reopening the Bradford Memorial Church, citing the unsuitability of the old building for worship services, our church leaders said, “Let’s just do it!”

Sure enough, God provided; just as He did almost a hundred years ago; just as He always does.

So the next time you are doubtful about having enough to do something, just do it.  God is sure to provide the needs of His children.

a shrimpy reflection

The following article is the cover story of the Feb 6 2011 issue of Acts 16:9.

I had shrimp sinigang for dinner the other night. Yum!

Shrimp, as well as crab and lobster, is arguably the best produce from the sea (or rivers). That is why it is among the top of everyone’s “my favorite food” list. That is why parties run out of shrimp before they do any other dish. That is why it is so expensive.

If there is one drawback in the whole shrimp thing, it is the need to use both hands to get the shell off – you would have to have shrimp matter in your nails; and the smell does not come off easy. I remember my brother saying he loves crab and shrimp; he just doesn’t want to go through the whole process of taking the meat out of the shell.

As members of the Christian community, many of us do not bother to get involved in the little details of Christian life. We don’t bother attending Bible studies and Sunday school. We don’t fellowship with others in the different organizations and ministries. Maybe we just want the brand name – we just want the shrimp meat.

We do not see that, just as having to remove by hand the shell before actually eating the shrimp is half the experience, getting involved and fellowshipping is half of what it means to be part of the faith community. The only way to enjoy shrimp is hands-on experience; the only way to enjoy being a Christian is hands-on experience.

Be a full-time member of Christ’s church. Be involved.

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

From Einstein

I watched recent episodes of the fourth volume of the series Heroes a couple of days ago. I picked up some of the conversation which they attribute to the great Einstein. It says something like:

The life of the individual has meaning only in so far as it aids in making the life of every living thing nobler and more beautiful

If only everyone thinks this way...

Past Car

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
(Matthew 6:14-15)

Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you (NIV)
Know where you are headed and you will stay on solid ground (CEV)
(Proverbs 4:25-26)

Let me share the analogy of a car on what's behind (the past) and what's ahead (the future):

A car's windshield is far greater in area than the combined areas of the side-view mirrors and the rear-view mirrors. This simply tells us that we must pay more attention to what is ahead of us - the current moment and the future, rather than what is behind us - our past experiences and pains.

One may argue that we need to look behind to better prepare for and understand the future. True. That's the reason cars have at least three (3) mirrors facing backwards. When making a turn, parking and even overtaking another vehicle, the driver (the good ones, I may add) look at these mirrors in order to avoid accidents and injuries (to self and others).

In life, making a turn, parking and overtaking may be compared to making decisions. Quite similarly, we look at our past experiences, with a hope of not making the same mistakes or misjudgments as before. We look at our past pains to avoid future pains. We look at our past victories to win greater challenges.

Still, we need to pay more attention at what is directly ahead of us. The past is always there to teach us lessons in life. But if we look ahead, armed not only with the knowledge (and understanding) of the past, but more so, with a determination of getting to where we are going, we can get there, and even beyond, safe and sound.

The windshield is still wider than all the mirrors facing backwards.

tale of the white cap

A couple of months ago, I, together with the Bradford CYAF, went to an acquaintance activity in some beach in the City of Naga. The overnight activity included team building exercises, which is a series of team games.

In the final game, each group was to extract seawater and "carry" it to a bottle. My teammates held in place the "gutters" through which the water must be channeled to the bottle. It was my job to extract water with everything that I have with me (this means, my clothes and body parts only, or those of my teammates).

One of my teammates was wearing a white cap. I figured it would make my job easier and in turn would put our team on top of the others. So I asked her I could use her cap for "carrying" water. She vehemently refused to my request so I ended up using my white shirt instead.

After the game, we gave insights and reflections on our experiences in the games. Here is what I shared with the group on my friend's white cap.

When my friend refused to lend me her cap, I realized that we make sacrifices for the group to a certain degree. But it is futile to assume that others would make the same sacrifices.

We offer our all!

Two Copper Coins is the name of the band my friends and I are putting up.
Read Mark 12:41-44. It is where we got the name. The passage will also give you an idea why we chose the name.

To God be the glory!

Sycamore Tree

Yesterday, at four in the afternoon, Bradford Church held its first Contemporary Worship Service. It was filled with upbeat songs of praise and worship. Kuya Dave gave a testimony. Pastor Haniel gave a message. And everybody was blessed and filled with joy.

It was a very wonderful experience, one that lifts your heart from some unfathomable depths of sorrow and darkness.

Pastor Haniel’s message was about Zaccheus – a common yet beautiful story of how a man, through faith, was changed. And he presented the story such as I have never heard it before.

There is one part of the message that got me pondering even after the service (This will be another long entry if I retell the whole message). The story, as told in the Bible, says that Zaccheus climbed up a sycamore tree. He did this in order to see Jesus – just to see Him from a distance. He may have thought that seeing Jesus would be enough for him. But Jesus stopped by the tree and said, “Zaccheus, come down, for I am going to stay at your house today.”

This tells us of two things. One is that Jesus knows you and me by name, as He knew Zaccheus by name. The other is that He doesn’t want us to see Him from afar, He wants to be with us no matter who we are, no matter how sinful we are (Zaccheus was the chief tax collector, which is almost tantamount to saying he was the chief of cheaters, thieves and sinners, remember?).

After hearing the message, I contemplated on my life and looked at it through the Zaccheus’ eyes. I realized that I too have climbed up my sycamore tree. I have stayed in my comfort zones and have been contented with seeing Jesus, our Lord and Savior, from afar. And I have stayed up there for quite some time already that I think my sycamore tree has grown taller and it’s gotten harder for me to climb down and be with Him.

I now ask God, in prayer, for more courage and strength to climb down and be closer to my Savior.

P.S.

Bradford Church Contemporary Worship Service happens every Sunday at four in the afternoon. Come and join us. Bring a friend. Be blessed and be a blessing.

from dumaguete with...

I am in Dumaguete, the place where I spent five of my great years in life. This morning, I attended the funeral service of my late Lolo Roger. The pastor said pretty cool things in his message. He said that God did not make the vastness and the abundance of the universe and of eternity if they are out of our reach.

It may be true that our bodies can only last of about a hundred years tops. It may also be true that the stars and the other wonders of the universe are millions of lightyears away - meaning it will take us millions of years to reach them, which is way past our life expectancy. However, God's promise of eternal life is our one ticket to such a long destination. It is through eternal life in Him that we will enjoy the richness of the universe.
Thank You Lord for the gift of life eternal.