Experiencing God Musical

I've been blessed to see this year's Christmas Cantata of ICS. The Cantata's theme is Experiencing God from the book of the same title by Blackaby. I've enjoyed it so much having read the book and it just brought the reading experience in a new dimension. By parents-in-law were part of the choir so last few weeks they've been practicing their parts in the mornings, and it became an LSS to me.  So I'm sharing this opening theme song.

Christmas parties I've been to so far

Here are the some of the great people and friends I've celebrated Christmas with in the past weeks. Stuffed and satisfied.

Office staff Christmas party of Asia Pacific Media Ministries

Spent our Christmas party at Buffet 101 in Robinsons Magnolia

This place is a win!

Before lunch we had a fun Amazing Race around Robinsons Magnolia. Early in the game we were ahead, but we lost.

Answering a Word Search game after lunch. I finished first.

Christmas party at Chi Alpha Campus Ministries in University Belt

Thanking God for a fruitful year in campus ministry. Everyone sure had fun!!

Was really impressed by the decorations that the creative team did.

Fun games have been a staple at our Life Gatherings.

Loving these photo booth frames that our creative team made.

Photo with the girls and students from Nette's DGroup.

Get together with Chi Alpha Luzon Team

This was our gathering after October's campus conference. Everyone got really busy so this gathering was a much awaited one. We're missing Shiela and Nette though.

Another shot with Isau, who ate and run haha.. We had dinner at Pepper Lunch in Trinoma.

Stroll around the mall to let the food go down. We were fortunate to see the light show. Lights really lighten things up even our spirits.

Catch up and sharing time over frappe and swirls at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. 

Poses like this are meant to hide the bulging tummy stuffed during Christmas.

Christmas Rant

Today's Christmastime is a season of get togethers and fellowships. This year's Christmas as I have observed seemed too fast paced, going from one event to another. Love the gatherings, meeting friends though I wish there could be more time to spend with each one. I wish we could just spread out the Christmas parties throughout the year so we don't have to run from one to the other. 

Lately exchange gift giving is becoming less appealing to me. It's like being forced to give because you have to, not because you want to. It would be more meaningful if we really got to know the recipient of our gift and put on time to really think about the gift they would like. That way our monies would be spent more wisely I think. I'm already ranting.

Christmas should be about celebrating family and friendships. Less of the things, but more of thanksgiving. Stopping (really stopping and stop multitasking) to say "Thank you" and reflecting on the goodness and faithfulness that God shown in the past months and years. Christmastime is the time when we look with wonderment and remember that night when the Savior of the world was born, found on a quiet, humble stable. Christmastime is when we savor the Savior. Christmas can never be complete without thanking and worshipping Immanuel.

The Lord is my portion

When the Lord divided Canaan among the tribes of Israel Levi received no share of the land. God said to him simply, "I am thy part and thine inheritance," and by those words made him richer than all his brethren, richer than all the kings and rajas who have ever lived in the world. And there is a spiritual principle here, a principle still valid for every priest of the Most High God.

The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the Source of all things he has in One all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight. Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in One, and he has it purely, legitimately and forever.

O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus' Name, Amen. 

- Excerpt from Tozer's Pursuit of God

Chi Alpha UBelt Christmas Party

Campus Ministry Rocks this Christmas! Thank you Lord for these precious ones.

Hongkong and Malaysia

Got a double whammy even as 2012 draws to a close. I am reminded that where God has brought me is a direct result of my prayer and my heart's desire to see and serve the nations. Forever grateful.

MALAYSIA - December 4-7, 2012

Went to Petaling Jaya for the Asia Pacific Youth Alive Conference.

Visited the Petronas Towers as a side trip.

I was able to share to 2000+ delegates of APYAC about the Philippines and the youth and campus ministries in the Philippines.

Group photo with Philippine delegates. 22 delegates come from the Phils. This was taken right after the evening revival service where Ptr. Warren Aragona delivered a powerful message on missions.

FLASHBACK!!

APYAC 2007

I stumbled upon my APYAC 2007 experience and reminded me of the fun moments we spent in Jakarta.

Post: Terima Kasih Jakarta!

Post: A Tribe Finds Jesus

This photo includes Brian (left most) and Welfert (right most), to good friends and colleague in the ministry until now.

HONGKONG - November 15-19

Went to HK as part of the OneHope digital think tank.

Photo at the harbor with the famous HK cityscape on the background.

With the members of the think tank meeting.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. - Ephesians 3:20-21

APYAC Reflections

“Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. - Rev 1:17-18

I thank God for reminding me not to be afraid. That He is the First and the Last. For me it meant that He has seen my future, therefore I will be secure. It also means that from start to finish He is the main thing and should be my top priority. Everything I do should end up for His glory and nothing else.

My time spent in APYAC (Asia Pacific Youth Alive Conference) has showed me that the Philippines is a blessed nation in that we have a relatively larger percentage of believers in the general population. Our nation enjoys religious freedom and everyone generally has knowledge of Jesus. I am reminded of God's promise to Abraham:

 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” - Genesis 12:2-3

God blessing us with spiritual blessing is not just for our benefit, but so that "all peoples on earth will be blessed through" us. For me this means that as a nation we should be looking on how we can be a blessing to the nations. It challenges me as a leader on the way I am utilizing my influence to make our youth aware of the need and the cries of the nations, and to mobilize them to reach them. And in this I feel that I am wanting. There is more to be done for the Philippines. Lord, may You give me the strength to do what needs to be done. I know You shall see me through. You are the first and the last. I will not be afraid.

APYAC has also reminded me of my personal calling. I have come to this point where once again I am juggling too many things. The question is if each of these commitments is helping me realize God's call in my life. With too much on my plate, I can't be excellent in all of them, and I've become mediocre and even bad in some. I am called to serve the youth of the nations. And I have to clean up my act. God will make all things beautiful in His time. 

I'm also confronted with my personal relationship with God. My busyness has affected my relationship with God. It can be better. God has since been putting me in places of influence, where I sometimes half-hearted to take upon. Feelings of guilt, unworthiness and apathy. The result is I'm not fully the person that I can be when these kairos moments come. But once again, I am reminded of who I am in Christ, that I am a minister of the gospel. That I have been called and that I've been called to sacrifice and give up the desires of the world. I am reminded of the one of the messages during the conference. Actually it's the first session given by the General Superintendent of AoG Malaysia:

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. - Hebrews 11:24-26

I still remember his outline. (1) Faith sometimes changes things. (2) Faith sometimes do not change things, it changes you. (3) Faith demands a quality decision. I pray that God will be patient with me and continue to change the condition of my heart. The more I'm thrust into places of influence, my heart is confronted to its wicked tendencies: to pride, envy and insecurity. I cannot afford to delay and be found unfit for service. Yet I shall fall into His amazing grace. May God in the end find me faithful to Him alone. May my heart's longing be only the pleasure of its Master.

God is able to restore and resurrect the dead and the desolate

GOD IS ABLE TO RESTORE AND RESURRECT THE DEAD AND THE DESOLATE.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” - John 11:25-26

What does this passage say about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ:

He is the resurrection - He is capable of bringing even dead things to life.

He is the life - Apart from Him we are dead and boring.

He is worthy of our trust and faith - Because His promise is available to "whoever who believes" in Him.

 Jesus' question for you too is "Do you believe this?"

 Have a Blessed Day!! :)

Don't delay to be a blessing to someone else

In light of yesterday's suicide incident in Ortigas, I discovered in the news that there was another suicide incident (a day before yesterday) this time involving a UST student. My heart breaks for these precious ones who have concluded that life has no meaning anymore, enough to end their lives abruptly. Hope came too late for them.

I do not intend to dampen your spirit today. I just want to remind us that time is running, and the enemy is also at work to destroy the lives of this generation. One generation is all it takes to make or break it for the next generation.

But God is at work in you, and He can work through you. Every day counts. In us we carry this hope in Christ that can transform the world. Really. Don't lose any moment to be a blessing to another. A simple hi, smile, initiate a conversation, an act of unconditional love through a simple act of kindness can make a difference.

The Man and The Miracle

Today I was reading through the story in John 9 when Jesus healed the man who was born blind. I was just reminded by what motivation did Jesus healed the blind man. I really love this story because this is something I can relate with. I may not be physically blind, but at one time, spiritually I was groping in the darkness of my soul.

The man born blind didn't asked to be healed, he didn't even know that Jesus had come to heal him that day. But Jesus did it anyway. So what was Jesus' motivation behind this healing? Reading through the passage with eyes of the flesh we can assume that Jesus might be trying to prove a point. He might be trying to prove His superiority over Sabbath, or the Law and the Pharisees, which He is (superior). Or perhaps He had his disciples for another lesson on the kingdom and it happened that this blind man was a suitable object lesson. Then I realize, it is my sinful nature that I see in me. These are why we do ministry for the wrong reasons. The thing is Jesus' didn't have to prove anything, He heals people for who He is. His name is Jesus.

I started to magnify and worship God as I am confronted once again with this amazing love of God. The blind man didn't ask to be healed. Like many of us, we didn't ask to be saved. "But while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." His motivation, pure love and compassion. A love as hot as a burning furnace, compassion as gentle as a Father's embrace. And the object of this raging love and compassion--you. He is in hot pursuit of you. In the grand scheme of God's plan, Jesus sought this man born blind to reveal himself to this man and to reveal God's kingdom to many, "so that the works of God might be displayed in him."

It makes me wonder and ask myself, how am I responding to this love. That if love is a burning furnace, have I been transformed by it? Makes me wonder the moments when I choose to cast my godly inheritance for earthly ones. These are the moments when I lose sight of this love, the knowledge that God is continuously drawing me to Him. Scripture say that it is by God's kindness that we are led to repentance. Just when Jesus challenged the faith of this man to believe and wash his face in Siloam, do I have that faith to believe that I am washed, forgiven and redeemed?

"Once I was blind, but now I see." The man only knew two things. The Man and the miracle. It was enough for him, but soon after he would discover that he was already talking to his Savior face to face.  

I was also blind once, and Jesus sought me and He saved me because He is love. His grace, forgiveness and His dwelling presence that I have received lay on this amazing love. And so we focus on the Name and the miracle--Jesus and what He has done for us. 

+++

One Act of Faith and Righteousness

As a young Christian, I grew up to the story of the Peace Child, the story of a missionaries Don & Carol Richardson and their sons who won to Christ the Sawi tribe who was then known for tribal wars, headhunting and cannibalism. This video is when the missionaries family returned to visit the Sawi tribe after 50 years. 

This video is a reminder that there is no one too insignificant and too sinful to be too far from God's saving hand. It also reminds us that God can take a person's one act of faith and righteousness to save many lives. Can your one act of faith and courage save a campus? By God's grace and power, yes! Your stand and voice for Jesus can impact a generation of believers in your campus in the years to come. #walkLikeJesus

"For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." Romans 5:19-20

Never the Same from Pioneers-USA on Vimeo.

Subic Road Trip

I love the times when Nette and I get to have a break from work and ministry and just hang out together. This time, we went with her aunts and cousins to Subic to hang-out. Here is my story:

First stop: Royal Duty Free. It's their anniversary so everything is 10% off. 

It was a chaos inside the store. Everyone scuttling to find the best deal. It's funny because sometimes we buy things we don't really need, we convince ourselves that we need them after we see them. It's so crowded that shopping carts are head to head, people's patience are tested. Twice, I've heard someone say that someone stole an item on their cart, on which I thought "how can someone steal from you when you have not yet paid for it?"

Seth finds his toy. 

Lunch at Meat Plus. I'm holding a banana split which Nette and I destroyed after a few minutes. The barbeque pork ribs is also a must try (P220)

Stopped by Shell of Asia NLex on way home to kill some time before the coding is lifted. Went to starbucks and hang out.

Tried this pumpkin crunch a.k.a. buto ng kalabasa

Have you tried peeling pumpkin seeds? But instead of eating each right away, you wait until you've gathered a handful and then you eat them all together? This is sort of like that. Though eating already-peeled pumpkin seeds misses out on the experience of peeling it, the struggle and reward.

Seth is our nephew. A jolly little kid.

In Photos: The Month That Was

I'd like to share to you some of my memorable photos in the past few weeks:

This was just this evening. I met up with some of the guys in my student DGroup (L-R: Dan, Calvin, Morris, Sid and Chimi (he's the one taking the pic) to catch up after our Radical Outbreak convergence in Baguio. I wasn't able to spend much time with them in Baguio, so this get together was a much awaited one. I am rejoicing with the stories and reflections I heard from these guys. Praying that they will continue to grow in the Lord.

This was taken last Sunday at LifeSource. Just so happened that Ronel and I wore a complimentary shade and stripes and it reminded me that Christmas is drawing near. Ronel is an XA alumni from UP Los Banos and is now taking his MA in La Salle. Very, very bright kid.

RADICAL OUTBREAK

Delegates from Radical Outbreak Baguio and Cebu

What a privilege to speak before students of Chi Alpha at Radical Outbreak Baguio and Cebu. I did the welcome and wrap up sessions.

Hanging out with Chi Alpha Luzon Team at Baguio's 50s Diner. It's a great encouragement to everybody when like minds with the same passion and burden for students meet together and share a meal.

Hanging out with Brian Lopez, RadCon Baguio's program coordinator. We met back in 2004 in AIYS, but this is the first time we've really worked together. He's really an awesome guy. Learned so much from this guy. He's a great motivator, with a great passion for leading worship and ministering to young people.

One of our candid moments with the XA team. I really appreciate this photo because it reminds me that ministry can be serious without being somber. We always love a good laugh.

Behind every successful man is a woman. And that woman in my life is Nette. I really thank God for giving me a loving and supportive wife. I'm blessed to be with her serving with me during the convergence. Thanks by, I love you!

A meeting in progress. Met with XA Visayas leaders and coordinators to catch up, share stories and victories and values. These people can move and mobilize. Each of us has caught the vision.

 This was during our road trip in Cebu the day after the Cebu convergence. I'm with Jed, Japhet and Gadiel. Jed is my co-staff in XA Luzon. Japhet and Gadiel are Ate Merla's disciple in Toledo City. I thank God because He is raising the next generation of student missionaries and campus workers. In fact, I surveyed almost on each locale God has placed a young trailblazer in Chi Alpha. Makes me excited for the things to come!

The icing on the cake. Our time in Cebu was taking toll on our physical. So when Kuya Paul Mongas took us in The Port in Waterfront Hotel, and treat us to an eat-all-you-can buffet, it lifted all our spirits. The best ka talaga Kuya Paul!

SEMENDERS

Our last Dgroup gathering in PUP. After weeks of failing to meet together because of the final exams, we finally made our last hurrah for the semester and almost everyone turned up for the gathering. Cookie cheers for a great 1st semester!

Sem end doesn't mean we can't go meet new friends. We made new friends with students from Technological University of the Philippines. We had a small gathering in the Chinese Garden in Luneta, had fun games and fellowship and shared to them the good news.

This photo was during my birthday party last September. But I'm highlighting this because the guy beside me, Chester, my disciple from CEU will not be with us in 2nd Semester. He will be staying with his mom in Italy for a while and will be back 2nd Semester next school year. I miss this guy. Our last Sunday together at church made me cry and realize the attachment I had with these precious ones. :'(

We'll see each other soon. :)

We ended our semester with a great semender party! Everyone turned up and more! Looking at this photo reminded me of the months we spent serving in University Belt, and truly our work in the Lord is not in vain.

BONUS

These are video clips from our semender party ...

Team Building Reflection

Icebreaker