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.

connect the dots .____.

Today (actually, yesterday) in my mechanics of deformable bodies (strength of materials) class, the topic was shear and moment diagrams. A fair amount of drawing was involved and something that I have been aware of since I started teaching hit me like it never did before. Indeed it is far more difficult to draw freehand a vertical line on a whiteboard than it is to draw a horizontal line; but I never thought I'd draw a reflection out of this observation.

I would take horizontal lines as our connections to our fellowmen. For mere humans like all of us, it generally (and relatively) is easy to establish and maintain these horizontal lines on our own. Vertical lines are our connections to God. Sins have severed these ties. These sins have made it practically impossible for us to draw perfect vertical lines on our own.

The solution is simple. We just let Jesus be our "RULER" - the Ruler of our lives, and our connections to God will be as straight as it should be.

For God and Country

When I got the message inviting me to speak in this joyous occasion, I was trembling. I do not know exactly why. Maybe I was scared. I have never spoken to this big a crowd before. Maybe I was excited. I would be lying if I tell you that the thought of speaking to the graduating class of our beloved JBI never crossed my mind. In fact, it did. I just never thought it would be this soon – just 11 years after my own graduation.

But recognizing that it was such a privilege, a great chance to share what I have learned in the relatively short span of 11 years, I humbly accepted the offer.

So, here I am.

It was not too long ago when I was in your shoes, so I know you guys are still in a “seventh heaven” state right now. You feel like you are on top of the world; you feel like a warrior who has just won his toughest fight yet. But let a few weeks pass and reality will start to hit you. Before you know it, you are faced with various choices – some of them are just waiting to be made; others may be the only ones you have; others still may have been made for you.
No, I’m not going to tell you what choices to make. I am not going to help you answer the question, “What do I do now?” That would be unfair because the circumstances I had when I was you may be far different. Rather, I would like to help you answer a far more important question: “What do I do with what I have?”

Wait, do you know what you now have? Each of you now has under your belt what I would call a Bethelian education, the same one that I have. Some of you will continue to gain more education, some may not; but wherever you find yourself in the next few months or years, and even for the rest of your lives, I urge you to use what you have gained from our beloved school.

The scripture reference of today’s celebration is found in James 1:25, which says,"But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act – they will be blessed in their doing."

The measure of how we fair as Christians is how we apply what we read from the scriptures. And it would seem that a similar yardstick is used to see how much we have learned academically.

And for you who are recipients of not just any education but a Christian education and a good one I may add, that yardstick is quite long. You are expected to reflect just that in your daily lives. Wherever you are and whatever you do, if indeed you have learned something, it should shine through.

Quality education therefore dear graduates, is not what is given to you. It is what you make out of what you are given.

Just as learning is an unending process, education does not end on graduation day. The first part of education, which is instruction, may end when you leave the classroom, but the next part, which is application, is just about to get serious.

Continued Responsiveness in Delivering Quality Education amidst Global Changes – this is today’s theme. At first look, it seems to be addressed to just the teachers, the mentors. But it is actually addressed to you graduates, and to all of us. The responsibility of delivering quality education falls on us all.

How do we deliver quality education? – by being doers who act. We impart our knowledge to the people around us by applying to our daily lives what we have received, what we have learned.

I would like to give an analogy to this. And what better example can we have than the heroes of the Bible. Noah is a good example of what it is to be a doer. Noah received instructions from God to build an ark. Can you imagine what would have happened if Noah never set out to build the ark? Nobody would have been saved from the flood. More importantly, we would never know how Noah responded to the instructions of God.

In the same way, if you don’t apply what you have learned, people will never know if you ever learned anything at all – you yourself will never know if you have learned anything at all.

I am fond of big words – words that most people do not know or use. So, as much as I can, I improve my vocabulary. And how do I know that I have indeed learned new words or expressions? It is never enough to know what they mean. It is even not enough to know how these words came to be – their etymologies. It is when I find the perfect opportunity, in a free conversation, to use the words that I know I have learned them.

Let us now revisit the Parable of the Talents? (Matthew 25:14, ff) Three servants were given by their master different amount of talents each according to their abilities. The two of them used their talents and gained more talents. While the other one, did not, in any way, make use of the talent that was given to him. And we all know what happened next. To those who have, more will be given; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.

Be doers, act and be rewarded in your doing.

So that’s it. Apply, use, capitalize on what you have – on what you have learned. That is the only way to do it.

And you may say, “Ok, now what?”

Dear graduates, it doesn’t end there. There is an even greater question that you all need to ask yourselves. And the question is: “To what end shall I use the things I have learned?” “To what purpose shall I use the things I have learned?”

When I was on my first or second year in high school, my dad left me a gift for my birthday. He could not give it to me personally because he works in Cagayan de Oro and my birthday was on a weekday. My mom was the one who handed me the gift and said that there is a message that goes along with it and that I should read the message first because it’s a clue as to what’s inside.

The message was in fact a passage from the Bible: Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

And the gift was a flashlight – a very cool one, I might add.

I’m not going to talk about my flashlight; I’ll focus more on the verse. That verse has been one of my favorites since then. And that verse is what I would like you to answer to the question with.

Everything you do should bring glory to God. Use your skills, talents and education to that end, to that purpose and all things will fall into place.

There is nothing more to it. It’s as straightforward as that. Do whatever you do for God.

If there is another purpose for using the best of our abilities and offering the best of who we are, it should be that we do what we do for our country. And this is where I would solicit your support, your hearts the most. For many of our countrymen have forgotten or worse, blatantly neglect the fact that we are Filipinos. And our responsibility as a people is towards the Philippines.

There is no doubt that our first priority is to please the Lord our God in everything we do. But the immediate second should be that we should serve our country. These two responsibilities are closely linked to each other. How?

Let us 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.

Our being Filipinos, our nationality, is probably the most visible, tangible will of God in our lives. We honor His by serving our country.

In the near future, you will have your own families to uphold, companies to run and jobs to do. But never forget that you have a country to serve.

Do you know the story of Nehemiah? Nehemiah is of course a person who lived during the Old Testament times. During his time, the Jews were defeated by the Babylonians and were brought to exile in Babylonia. And then came the Persians and defeated the Babylonians. Could you just imagine the predicament the Jewish people were in during that time? While many of the Jews were allowed to go back to Jerusalem, some were made to serve the Persian king in Babylonia and Nehemiah was one of them.

Nehemiah was the cup bearer of the king. As such, he was trusted by the king with his life. So he probably had the most luxurious life among the Jews in Babylonia. But then Nehemiah heard news that his country was literally broken – the walls of the city were broken down and the gates where destroyed by fire.

During the time, the walls protect the city from all threats from outside. Moreover, these walls keep the people united. A city with broken walls is like a naked person – shamed and defenseless.

Upon hearing this sad news, Nehemiah mourned for this people and cried out to God for help.
But he never stopped there. He set out on a journey back to his country and on a mission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and reestablish the unity of his people.

Dear graduates, you, and all of us, should be like Nehemiah. You may live luxurious lives; but do not get lost in the comforts; never lose heart for your country. In your own little ways, honor God and serve our country, the Philippines.

At this point, I would like to ask: “Are you proud to be Filipino?”

Why?

If you point to the conquests of Manny Pacquiao or of Charice Pempengco as the source of Filipino pride, then my dear friends, you have fallen short of being Filipinos. Our source of pride as a country, as a people should lie within ourselves. Let us work together such that everything we do, and everything we are, would honor the country God has blessed us with.

Start with simple gestures. Follow traffic rules. Throw wastes properly. Be involved in the comings and goings of the country. In time, you will find ways to honor the Philippines in your own ways.

I dream of the day when Filipinos no longer have to point to someone else if asked, "Why are you proud to be Filipino?" I dream of the day that for each one of us, everything we do and everything we are are the very core from which Filipino pride radiates.

To end, let’s reflect on the words of Jesus himself found in Matthew 7:24 and following:

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell – and great was its fall!

This is another of my top favorite verses. I can so relate to it because I am an engineer – a builder. For us engineers, for any structure – be it a house, a tall building or a bridge, it is not what you see on the outside that is important. It is the foundation – what is deep within, what you do not see with your eyes, that is important. And the general rule is that the bigger, the grander the structure is, the firmer should be the foundation.

So graduates, be doers and not just hearers. Use what you have learned for God and country!

Build your futures, and in turn build this country up, on the only foundation that cannot be shaken – God.

Once again, congratulations. May God bless us all.

Me in His Tree

It was me by His Tree

Taking refuge, whilst being free

Shielded from the glare

Unfazed by the wind

Splashing in the water

Satisfied from within

Now, it’s me in His Tree

Taking in others, setting them free

Shielding from the glare

Barring the wind

Keeping in the water

Bidding, “Come, jump in.”

This was the unofficial "carrier poem" of CYAF's involvement in Bradford's Ministry Fair 2010, in November of last year.

The title, which was the drive of CYAF is a play of words: MINISTRY ---> ME IN HIS TREE

It tells of our growth, or aspiration to grow, from being blessed to becoming blessings to others.

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.

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

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.

a song for my God

You gave us the sun up above,

To keep us warm during the day;

You gave us the stars in the sky,

To gaze upon when we may

You gave us the mountains and seas,

To wonder and marvel upon;

We now live enjoying all these,

Because You gave us Your Son

In thanksgiving,

I give all that I have;

In worship,

I offer all that I am;

In praise,

I now sing...

To You my God (and King)

You flood us with Your blessings,

That we overflow with them;

You make our paths straight,

Now we run the race to win

And every time we go astray,

You take us back with open arms;

To save us all from sin,

You let Your Son be the Lamb

I wrote this on Monday morning at four

I have wanted to write lyrics to a song for a long time now

I thank God He gave me the right words even at the unholiest of hours

take a pause

Traffic, most of the times, irritates us. And it often results to friction, conflicts and misunderstanding.

We do not like traffic because we do not want to be slowed down or stopped when we are driving/traveling. Often, I see people beating the red light and/or going before the light goes green. There are reasons why the light goes yellow for about 3 to 4 seconds before turning red; or why there is a 3 to 4 - second interval (or delay) before the light goes green. Safety is foremost among these reasons.

Naps, blank spaces in magazine pages, short pauses, recess, coffee breaks... All these give us time (and space) to think more, think better; they give us a chance to relax and rest; they give us an opportunity to appreciate things; they keep us from the dangers of rushing or overdoing things... The gaps between traffic sign changes are pretty much like these things.

Why then do we beat traffic? Why then do we let a few seconds to think, relax, appreciate and keep us safe pass us by?

Let us take a few seconds off.

Let us also remember that God wants us to stop, pause, or be still once in a while, for us to know Him and His glory... He has told us through the psalmist in Psalms 46:10:

"Be still, and know that I am God"

tale of the white cap (part 2)

Almost a year ago, I posted a blog titled "tale of the white cap." It was all about commitment. It was about how people have varying degrees of commitment to something...

My friend did not allow me to use her cap which the group needed. Now, a string of circumstances has passed the hypothetical white cap, which my friends need, to me. And, like my friend, I seem unwilling to let them borrow it.

And in my unwillingness, I have hurt people.

"Lord of Time and Bounty, I pray that you give me the wisdom to see pass the limited resources that I have. Lord, let me see and measure things according to Your riches and according to Your promise that You will provide everything that we need and desire... I also pray that You let Your unconditional love fill the gaps among us - gaps in terms of commitment and understanding - and that it may bind us in reconciliation... Amen..."

Direct Hit

Perhaps we are attracted by the things of this life, and therefore choose to remove ourselves from God just far enough so that we can enjoy certain aspects of this world that we desire to.

(from http://www.daybyday.org)

Direct hit.

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.

broadcast Him

youtube.com says "broadcast yourself"...

"broadcast Him" is more appropriate for us who strive to lose ourselves and let Him live in us. And this is also the slogan of GodTube.com. What? You did not know there is such a site? So did I.

Click here to view the video that introduced me to the site. May this video be a lesson to us who easily give up when faced with hurdles in life.

first gig

September 5th, Friday, was the day “Kape ug Kanta” was revived. It was also the day of Two Copper Coins' first gig.

I really do not know how to look back to that day. So many things happened around and within me.

I could look at it as a disaster. I was the (unofficial) organizer of the event and I totally forgot to prepare the sound system. People were asking me where were the speakers and other equipment. It was scheduled to start at half past seven in the evening and it started some minutes after nine. For almost two hours, people were asking me, “What time will we start?”

So few people came. My girlfriend was pissed with me the whole stretch of the “show.” My good friend Koren was there to watch us perform but instead ended up watching my irresponsible persona fail and falter.

I could also look at it as a selfish act. The idea of me and the other guys of Two Copper Coins performing has taken the better part of me. The major reason I forgot about preparing for the event was that I was so excited and so busy practicing for our performance. Until now I continue to ask myself if I exerted a considerable amount of effort to revive “Kape ug Kanta” to bring back into existence a good venue for young Christians to hang out, or to provide a venue for me to perform.

It was supposed to be all for the glory of God. The event. Two Copper Coins. All these came into being to praise and glorify the Almighty. I failed to look past myself and look up to Him.

But of course, I could look at it another one of God's intricate plans. Despite my failures and questionable motive, it all worked out in the end.

Lord, I'm sorry for my selfishness. May you be glorified in everything that I do.

We hope to make “Kape ug Kanta” a regular activity of the young. And we strive to cling on to the purpose of honor Him, and Him alone.

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.