(Almost) cover story

This was supposed to be the cover story of UCCP Bradford's "Acts 16:9" Sunday Bulletin on CYAF Sunday 2010.

Tipping the First Tile

The Bradford Christian Young Adults’ Fellowship (CYAF) believes that care, if done right, will have a “domino effect" in the community.

Domino effect does not work on one tile only, not even with a few tiles. It works best if there are several tiles. In the same way, care is best seen at work in the community.

However, the beauty and wonder we see in the successive knocking over of several tiles starts with one push. Even after all the hard work involved in setting up the tiles, it still needs that one push to make it all happen. That one push is often something we find so hard to do for others. The fear or reluctance of doing that one push often makes us give up on caring for others.

And we are all called to care for others.

Let us all, by God’s grace, be bold enough to make that one push and start the domino effect of love and care in the community.

One might argue that he/she is not fit or built for caring and point to someone else to do it. It is valuable to note that arranging domino tiles in order to achieve the “domino effect” is not in any way connected to the game for which the tiles where made. “Domino effect” is a product of resourcefulness and of thinking out of the box. Caring for others should not be so different at all.

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.

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.