salt

If you are an inexperienced cook, there's a fairly big chance of you getting the taste wrong. So when making scrambled eggs, chances are that you put in too little or too much salt. My girlfriend puts it this way: if there is too little salt, it's OK, something can still be done even after cooking; but if there's too much salt, there's nothing much that we can do about it.

She's right. And she's got me thinking and reflecting on what Jesus said about us being the salt of the earth. Apparently, if we are too salty - if we exercise what it is to be Christians well, we become far too stringent to most people, to the world.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I dare say it is a good thing.

If Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth, he calls us to be salty - to be as salty as we can be, in fact. We should spread our salinity like wild fire searing everything in its way.

But that's not all. We should also be adamant, resolved, steadfast. We should never lose our salinity.

Matthew 5:13
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."

(Un)random chorus

Scribbles on the Sand

Drag me to the Savior’s side

Bring me to where He stands

Where stones and death have no power

My guilt is written on sand

So easily erased by the tides

Of His love

This is a piece I wrote (and rewrote a couple of times) based on the first few verses of John 8:

1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Redemption

The Shepherd became the Lamb
To be one with the lost
He came down from His throne
The King of kings, the Host of hosts
And let drip His blood
For those He loves most
That's you and me, brother (and sister)
He bought us at the highest of costs

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

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

Fave Bible Character

Last Sunday, the children at Bradford had a creative junior worship service. They were all asked to wear costumes of their favorite Bible characters for that day and many of them did. (I wish I have pictures). It was fun. Lua (and many others) was Mary (Korean version; because she wore a traditional Korean costume under her long veil). Dakila was Delilah. Nikko was David. Sam and Kitkat were angels.

One thing I noticed is that nobody, not even the Sunday School teachers (who also wore costumes) wore a Jesus costume. Is it because he is not a favorite? or because he is not a character?

I think the answer to these is captured in the lyrics of a beautiful song titled "Everything to Me" by Avalon. The chorus goes this way:

Everything to me
He's more than a story
More than words on a page of history
He is the air that I breathe

The water I thirst for
And the ground beneath my feet
Oh He's everything, everything to me

You see Jesus is not A favorite. He is THE favorite. And He is not a character. He is far more...

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.