Repentance and The Lost Son April 16, 2007
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Luke 15:11-32
Among the stories that Jesus gave us, one of the most popular stories is the Parable of the Lost Son. The first part of the story shows us that a father has two sons. The youngest had the guts of asking for his share of his inheritance from his father. From a cultural perspective, it was a brave move that the youngest son asked for his inheritance as it was like asking for his father to die. The youngest son ended up wasting away the inheritance that he got from his father, only to end up with nothing and losing all of his inheritance.
If one was to reflect upon the story, one could imagine that we are akin to the young son.
Ever thought about wanting to go away and be in control of your life?
But wait, there’s more. Ever consider that you might be the other son? The other son never left the family, and yet when he heard that there was a party going on for the return of his younger brother — he got angry because he felt that he should have been given the same accolade and recognition. Nevertheless, the father responded that what’s important is that his youngest son has returned and that it is reason enough to rejoice and be glad.
Another thing to think about is that the youngest son only thought upon returning to his father when he was reminded that the hired help ate more regularly and much better than he did. Come to think of it, sometimes we are like the youngest son because sometimes we have seen and tasted the goodness of God, but instead we go on our own. Only then when we have reached rock bottom do we begin to see that we are nothing without God.
What’s more amazing about the story is what the father does in the story. While his son was still far off, the father ran towards his son. This is strange in the Jewish culture because an esteemed and respected man like that does not run but walks. But here, the father runs in wild abandon towards the son that he loves and embraces him. Not only that, but he asks for a robe to be placed around his son and that a ring be given to his son to wear. The ring can be seen as symbolic of the reinstatement of the son to the family.
The question now is — how do you see God as a heavenly Father?
Is he someone whom you could approach? Sometimes, the way we look at God affects the way we go to Him. But our need for God is much greater than our fears, because in the end we are indeed “lost” and we are indeed still wandering unless we have learned to reach “home”. For there is no other joy than to come home to the heavenly Father’s arms, and there is no greater love that could help us move on and make our life meaningful in this planet.
For that is the only way that we could experience the true grace and power of the love of God.
Getting back to the story, which “son” are you? At the heart of the story we see that the lost son repented of his past, and that the father received him with joy and gladness. Better yet, are you a “true” son of the family? Or are you still finding your way home, trying to figure things out? Maybe it is about time to come to the Heavenly Father and move on, and learn to accept the grace of God in your life and establish that lifetime relationship with Him.
Biblical Foundation I [Episode 3] April 2, 2007
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BORN AGAIN.
It’s only two words, but what image comes to your mind when you think about that word? For most people, they think about people are fanatic about the Bible. Others think about those evangelists who ride on buses and jeepneys, passing around envelops asking for money and getting a free ride. Is this what comes to your mind?
In John 3, Nicodemus asked Jesus Christ about this matter:
Joh 3:1 There was a Jewish leader named Nicodemus, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees.
Joh 3:2 One night he went to Jesus and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent by God. No one could perform the miracles you are doing unless God were with him.”
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered, “I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again.”
Joh 3:4 “How can a grown man be born again?” Nicodemus asked. “He certainly cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time!”
Joh 3:5 “I am telling you the truth,” replied Jesus, “that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.
Joh 3:6 A person is born physically of human parents, but is born spiritually of the Spirit.
Joh 3:7 Do not be surprised because I tell you that you must all be born again.
Joh 3:8 The wind blows wherever it wishes; you hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Joh 3:9 “How can this be?” asked Nicodemus.
Joh 3:10 Jesus answered, “You are a great teacher in Israel, and you don’t know this?
Joh 3:11 I am telling you the truth: we speak of what we know and report what we have seen, yet none of you is willing to accept our message.
Joh 3:12 You do not believe me when I tell you about the things of this world; how will you ever believe me, then, when I tell you about the things of heaven?
Joh 3:13 And no one has ever gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from heaven.”
Joh 3:14 As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, in the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up,
Joh 3:15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
To give you a background, Nicodemus is a Jewish priest and also an esteemed leader of the Jews during that time. In fact, to be part of the Sanhedrin, one has to memorize the entire Law of Moses as part of their training. The Sanhedrin is the highest governing body at the time among the Jewish people during the time when they were occupied by the Romans.
But isn’t it interesting that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night? Is it because he was afraid that other religious leaders in the Sanhedrin would look down on him? Or is it because Jesus was less busy and could have a more intimate conversation with Jesus Christ? Whatever the intention, it is clear that Nicodemus wanted to know more about God, and that by talking to Jesus he would find out more about it.
The key question that Nicodemus asked was what does it mean to be “Born Again”? In verse 3, Jesus just stated that no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. Nicodemus couldn’t grasp this thought, as he imagined about an adult who needed to be born out of the womb of a woman. Did Jesus meant it literally? Or is this figuratively?
With that in mind, Jesus replied with “flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”
In short, being “Born Again” is about regeneration. It is about rebuilding the foundations of your soul, but this is the spiritual rebirth of the soul. It is having a new nature, a new person. It is having a new life – a new nature.
But why do we NEED to be “Born Again”? Have you ever understood the process of why we need to have a new life, a rebirth of the soul? We’ve learned that man is a sinner, corrupt and that God is perfect, pure and holy. Therefore, if God is pure and man is sinful, then whatever man does in order to reach God and re-establish the perfect relationship prior to the Fall of Man — it can’t past the test of God’s perfection.
That is why we need to be “Born Again”. How does it work?
It is simpler than we think. It starts with the love of God, and by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior in our hearts. It is not a guarantee that we will not sin anymore, but by accepting Jesus into our lives, God would send his Spirit to enable us to follow us day by day. It is through this Spirit that there would be rebirth, and through this rebirth that we would be cleansed from all our sins. And with this change, God would also enable us to make the necessary changes in our lives. For all these things will done and come to pass only through the power and grace of God.
Getting back to verse 4, have you noticed the words “water” and”spirit”. It talks about two things. Water talks about cleansing, the external part — while the spirit highlights the “internal” cleansing of the spirit. But in the following verses, we could see that Nicodemus is still surprised by this.
In verse 9, Nicodemus replies “How can this be?” What was he trying to say here? Is it more than just a surprise? Take note that Nicodemus already knows the Law of Moses by heart, so when he tried to grasp the words that Jesus gave that night — he was perplexed. It dawned on him that there is still something that he still doesn’t know about the Kingdom of God. Nevertheless, through this inquiry Nicodemus was slowly being enlightened by the light and truth of salvation. In fact, Jesus answered Nicodemus with “You are Israel’s teacher, and do you not understand these things?” How come Nicodemus struggled with understanding the words Jesus said? Why cannot he comprehend?
In the succeeding verses, Jesus describes about how “they’ bear witness to the kingdom of God — but still people will not believe. Jesus even shares a story in Number 21, about the snake being lifted up and how the Son of Man will also be lifted up in a similar manner. What is important to note here is that the story is already familiar to Nicodemus, as he has memorized the Law of Moses. By using the story, Jesus was trying to allude to how the Son of Man would save the people similar to how raising the snake in a pole and looking at it would grant healing to the people who stared at it. Is it possible that Nicodemus finally understood the true meaning of being “Born Again” by how Jesus used the story in Numbers?
To be bitten by venomous snakes is considered to die a slow and painful death. The venom slowly courses its way throughout the human body. And yet in the story in Numbers, we could see that God didn’t take away the snakes that surrounded them. God just gave them a snake on a pole to look upon. It is such a simple act to do, to merely stare at it. But that act requires faith, which is important into the understanding the concept of being “Born Again”. Similarly, in our lives, we would never be rid of problems as well. But all it takes to have a rebirth of our entire being is to become a “Born Again”.
In John 19:38-39, we see what Nicodemus does for Jesus when he died on the cross. He brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 75 pounds. This action is an act of declaration of his faith in Jesus. In fact, prior to the trial of Jesus Christ, he even defended and question the decision of the Sanhedrin. These acts are not easy to do, especially for a person who has been granted respect, prestige and authority in the Jewish society. He was part of the ruling elite, and yet from his actions later on, it is clear that Nicodemus finally understood the meaning of being a “Born Again”. It took awhile for Nicodemus to take that step of faith and making a public declaration of it.
What about you? Have you made your declaration of your faith? Or are the people around you still clueless about the faith that you profess? Maybe it is about time to pray about these things, for if you are truly a “Born Again”, then sooner or later you cannot deny your faith, as your words and action would reflect your faith. And through those things, people would either wonder or rethink about their own faith and their own spirituality. Remember, God honors your desire to know him more. But now, I pray that you have a better understanding of what “Born Again” means. And I hope that now you would have the strength to share these things to the people around you, who are still not enlightened by the truth that you have in your hearts.
Biblical Foundation I [Episode 2] March 26, 2007
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HELL.
Have we truly appreciated the love that we have experienced from God? Tonight, we will be tackling another truth that the Bible talks about — HELL. Hell is not an easy topic to discuss, nevertheless it is something thats we need to address and know more of. But first, let us review what we have learned last week:
In Ephesians 2:8-10 it is written that — “it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God. Bot by works, so that no man can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Simply put, it is because of Jesus Christ that can save us from sin and give us a ticket to heaven.
But now, the question that remains is that — is there really life after death?
According to Psalm 9-:10
Seventy years is all we have— eighty years, if we are strong; yet all they bring us is trouble and sorrow; life is soon over, and we are gone.
If we compute the manner of weeks that we have left base on that verse, an average person at age 30 has only 2000 weeks left to live. This means that life is indeed fleeting.
Let’s go to Luke 16:19-31:
“There was once a rich man who dressed in the most expensive clothes and lived in great luxury every day. There was also a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who used to be brought to the rich man’s door, hoping to eat the bits of food that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the feast in heaven. The rich man died and was buried, and in Hades, where he was in great pain, he looked up and saw Abraham, far away, with Lazarus at his side. So he called out, ‘Father Abraham! Take pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip his finger in some water and cool off my tongue, because I am in great pain in this fire!’ But Abraham said, ‘Remember, my son, that in your lifetime you were given all the good things, while Lazarus got all the bad things. But now he is enjoying himself here, while you are in pain. Besides all that, there is a deep pit lying between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, nor can anyone cross over to us from where you are.’ The rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father’s house, where I have five brothers. Let him go and warn them so that they, at least, will not come to this place of pain.’ Abraham said, ‘Your brothers have Moses and the prophets to warn them; your brothers should listen to what they say.’ The rich man answered, ‘That is not enough, father Abraham! But if someone were to rise from death and go to them, then they would turn from their sins.’ But Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death.’ “
In the story, there are two characters — The Rich Man and Lazarus
The first thing thing that we see in the story is that there is a contrast in life as the rich man lived in luxury every day, while there is another man just outside his house who lived on a subsistence level. To the point that even dogs lick his sores, which means that he is so physically weak.
But the second contrast that we could see is where the two individuals spent eternity after they died. The rich man went to hell, while Lazarus went to heaven. In versus 23 to 25, have you observed that hell is being described as a place of fire? Does this mean that every little thing in our body would feel the fires of hell? If hell is composed of a lake of fire and sulfur, which is seven times hotter than the boiling point of water — then isn’t this something to be afraid of?
Afraid is the best word to capture the rich man’s concern, because the third contrast is that heaven and hell are two distinct destinations. In verse 25, there is a great chasm that is between heaven and hell. Is this a literal description? In the succeeding verses, the rich man requests father Abraham to send Lazarus to his family that has been left on earth so that they would not go to hell. Alas, the die has been cast and there is nothing that can be done anymore.
How many of you actually are concerned about the people you love? Are you more concerned about their temporary alleviation from the difficulties of life? Or are you more concerned about what would be their final destination when they die? For in the end, God would give an accounting of what we have done in relation to sharing the Good News of salvation. Nevertheless, take note of the last verses of the text that it shows that no matter how much God has given a person to take a step towards salvation through faith in Jesus Christ — it is nothing if the person hardens his heart and does nothing about it.
The conviction and conversion of the lost soul will not transpire unless he has a heart for God. So it is critical that one has the heart first.
In Mark 9:47-48: “And if you’re eyes causes you to stumble, cast it out, it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast in hell, where worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.”Since we are still in the subject of HELL, the verse above shows us that the fire in hell is also everlasting. Every fiber of our body would feel it. And in Matthew 25:30 — “…. in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Does this topic make you rethink about your life right now? Have you thought about the consequences of sin and what are the eternal implications?
Are you afraid of death? We ought not be afraid anymore, if we put our faith in Jesus Christ. For the Bible describes the heaven as a beautiful place. In Revelations 21:4 — “And he shall wipe away every tear from their lives, and there shall be no longer any death; there shall be no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
Furthermore, in Revelations 21:18-27 it is written:
The wall was made of jasper, and the city itself was made of pure gold, as clear as glass. The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation stone was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh yellow quartz, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chalcedony, the eleventh turquoise, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls; each gate was made from a single pearl. The street of the city was of pure gold, transparent as glass. I did not see a temple in the city, because its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb. The city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God shines on it, and the Lamb is its lamp. The peoples of the world will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their wealth into it. The gates of the city will stand open all day; they will never be closed, because there will be no night there. The greatness and the wealth of the nations will be brought into the city. But nothing that is impure will enter the city, nor anyone who does shameful things or tells lies. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of the living will enter the city.I’ve been excited just reading those passages as heaven becomes such an exciting place to live in! Imagine being with God for all eternity! But still, it all boils down to a decision. Heaven and Hell is a choice. But it all starts with making that step in faith in Jesus Christ, that he alone is the way to Heaven and that he is the one that can absolve us from all our sins.
Biblical Foundation I [Episode 1] March 19, 2007
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The human brain is 85% water. It takes 17 muscles to smile, 43 muscles to frown. The largest human organ is the SKIN. It has a surface area of almost 25 square feet [on the average]. Another thing is that a diamond will not dissolve in acid? It can only be destroyed in intense heat. Or how about this — that there are 250,000 sweat glands in our feet? Women say an average of 7000 words per day? Men just manage 2000 and womens’ hearts beat faster too.
Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens immune systems. On an average, a six year old laughs three times more in a day than an adult. Most people take these things for granted, and most of these have been discovered during the last 1,000 years. But what about the Bible? It has been around for almost 2,000 years and yet how much do we know about it? If we consider the Bible as something that contains the truth, where do we begin in our understanding of the Bible? Tonight, we will be discussing five key things about the Bible. This will be the first part of eight.
What are the facts that we need to start with?
The first truth is that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. In John 3:16 we read — “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” I’d like to highlight the word “LOVE”. Why is love important? More so, why did God use the word “WORLD”? Could it be because God’s love is INCLUSIVE of everybody, regardless of gender,culture and nationality?
The next word I want you to consider is the word “SON”. What happened when God “gave his Son?” Is this the process that led to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? If so, then what does it take to “BELIEVE” in Jesus Christ? I know it looks too simplistic, but that’s how it is — that Jesus Christ died for our sins, so that we could have “eternal life.” Eternal life is defined in the dictionary that it is “the condition of living continuously”. Why did I focus on the following words? I am doing this because this is the first truth that you need to understand. God loves you and that he has a plan for you.
The second truth leads us to another verse in the Bible — “Thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly” John 10:10. Who is this “thief”? Who is this “I”? If Jesus is the “I”, then
How come we are not having our life abundantly? Why are there so many people not getting the abundant life? How do you define abundance? Is it more than enough? Is it more than overflowing? There are two things that most people aspire — the material stuff such as riches, and the other is the non-material stuff such as love, peace, joy.
The Bible explains this easily and this is the second point — it is because of SIN that has separated us from God.
In Isaiah 59:2 it is written — “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; you sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”
This is also emphasized in Romans 2:23 — “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” What do you think of “fall short?” In the Filipino dictum, the closest possible word is “kulang” or “kapos”. How about “the glory of God”? What do you imagine when you think about the glory of God? Are we part of it? Are we part of the glory of God?
Falling short is simply not being able to reach the standard that God has set out, like a bridge that we are trying to build in order to reach out to God. All our good attempts to reach out to God are things that we do in order to become “worthy” of God and in order to win His favor. Alas, these attempts are nothing, and they mean nothing to God. None of these things would bridge the gap in getting man back with God. No matter what we do, we would ALWAYS fall short of God’s glory and standards.
QUESTION asked during the Dgroup: What about the mother of Jesus, Mary? Is she without sin as this is a popular theology that is discussed in many circles?
Response: According to James 2:10 — For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” The whole law here refers to the 10 Commandments. Do you know anybody who hasn’t stumbled in his life? Let’s bring it to a more personal level, do you know anybody who has not sinned or made a mistake? I think it is safe to say that even Mary is not exempt from the law. She was just used by God.
Remember the stories in the Bible? How they are afraid to stand in the presence of God? People die in the Holy of Holies when they come in with sin or a blemish in their clothing. That is God views sin and that is the kind of standard that he asks of us. Similar to a drop of canal water in a glass of crystal clear water, the water is no longer pure.
Let’s do a review, the first truth is that God loves man. Alas, because of sin, man has been separated from God, and no matter what we do we cannot do anything to win the favor of God and the wages of sin is death. For me, the concept and idea of perfectness was very difficult to grasp until I began to understand the character of God.
“For the wages of sin is death” — Romans 6:23. Everybody will eventually die. Yet SIN will bring us into account and that would determine our next destination. The first death involves the human body. The second death involves where our soul is will go. And in this regard, there is no in betweens. It is either HEAVEN or HELL. In Romans 6:23, the Bible is describing the Second Death which is described in Revelations 21:8 — “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, and liars — their place would be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Can you imagine the heat of “the burning lake of sulfur?” The boiling point of sulfur is 7 times than higher than that of water. If you are the person who is afraid of consequences, then it is about time that you consider these realities that is presented in the Bible.
Our third truth is this: Jesus Christ is God’s only way to HEAVEN.
This is explained in Romans 5:8 — “But God demonstrated His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”
In 1 Peter 2: 24 — “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.” During the time of Jesus Christ, it was not popular amongst the Jews to crucify their own. In fact, Jesus Christ did not deserve to die on the cross. He “literally” died on the Cross — “The tree” that is described in the verse above. He died with Him, and that is why we have a way back towards spiritual healing that brought us a way to connect with God again.
This concept is all-inclusive and a one time act. Jesus Christ’s sacrifice covers the past, present and the future generation of man. Jesus Christ becomes the catalyst of the Christian faith and is the only way that we could indeed approach God. This is the power of the blood of Christ. But all this depends if YOU, have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, accepting and believing in the things that the Bible has to say about truth, love, sin and faith.
How do you think of your faith in God now?
In John 4:16 — “Jesus answered: I am the way, the truth and the light. No one comes to the Father except through Me” As a background of this verse, Jesus stated this prior to a disciple who would betray Him. Focus on the word that Jesus Christ used. Ever notice that only Jesus Christ made the audacious claim that “He” is the “ONLY” way?
If Jesus Christ is the only way, then what about the other actions that we have done to be good? Most people would probably consider themselves good by doing traditions such as making confessions and acts of mercy. Think about it.
The fourth truth is that — The resurrection of Jesus Christ that He can fulfill His promise of eternal life.
In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.” First He died. Second He was buried. Third he rose. Fourth people have seen Him. Why is it important to be reminded that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and that He was in fact seen by people? Peter was amongst the first people who has seen the resurrected Savior, then He made Himself seen to 500 disciples.
I remember the story of seeing a Manta Ray in Anilao Bay in Batangas. That was a rare experience because they are rarely seen in that region. I was so ecstatic about it I looked around if there were other divers in the area. Similarly, when Peter saw Jesus, he became excited and wanted to validate his claim that he has seen the Christ.
So are you now ready to take the gift of eternal life, the source of salvation that comes only from God?
This leads us to the the fifth truth that — we must place our FAITH on Jesus Christ alone to save us from sin.
“For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God — not by works, so that n0 man can boast. For we are God’s worksmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared for us in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:8-10
What are we talking here? This is not about saving faith alone. This is more a declaration of our actions speak louder than our words. That is the end of true measure of our faith. For words are cheap, but if it is not backed by our actions. Remember what Francis Kong shared? Communication is 30% verbal and 70% non-verbal.
Yet I would like to wrap up with that at the center of these five truths is that God is a gracious God. That we do not deserve the love that God has lavished us. When confronted with the realities of the different verses above, what realizations have you made? Have you taken your faith for granted? Sometimes the foundations of our faith are not firmly rooted into what is essential and what is important. It is therefore good to be reminded of these things. And for those who encounter these truths for the first time, the challenge here is what will you do with it?
For in the end, we are only confronted with the decision of either ACCEPTING these truths or rejecting it. For it is only by accepting these truths, of making that bold step of faith, can we fulfill the good works that God has set out for us to do in our journey of faith and obedience in God.
Reflections on the Men’s Retreat March 12, 2007
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Here are some things that the men who attended “Men Leading the Charge” shared during the latest monday DGroup meeting:
Dolph – na bless ako sa retreat na maraming men na seryoso sa relationship nila with God
Joel – I was expecting something earthshaking, but aside from what Dolph said — like Philip, he’s a big guy, he also has a sensitive side. Kasi I’m an emotional guy, although di ko masyado pinapahalata, um not many can relate to pagiging emotional ko, is that one thing that struck me is that these guys also have tender spots. There are different aspects of the walk, of the struggle, at hindi lang ako ang naglalakad na looking at the Lord. Some have problems with their sexuality, with decisiveness, career, but all the same dealings of God as it humbles me — I get to see these people, mature Christians like Pastor Legaspi, who has been there and done that, and they may have to contend with this, — Sana one day I will have the same heart, and out of reverence and adoration for You, I will leave it all behind and follow you.
It’s a long walk, but it is so inspiring.
Whil – One of the most blessed thing is that it was the first retreat that I attended na for men. One thing for me is that naging comfortable ako sa group, na kahit anong itsura mo, puro boys naman kayo. What I mean to say is that I feel comfortable. In terms of topics, it focuses on the challenges of what men faces. One of the message that struck me “if men will not lead, who will?”
AC - I’ve been a Christian for quite some time, but I believe it is one of the best retreats I ever attended. At the same time, I look at that as one of the best that God has done for me, especially for the past two weeks prior to the said event. It is really a great reminder for me that — life is a journey, but during the retreat is that not the journey but the destination.
DGroup joins Ickoy’s loss February 25, 2007
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Last Saturday night, Ickoy’s father passed away. The wake is presently being held at Funeraria Nacional located at Araneta Avenue, Santa Mesa. It’s near SM Centerpoint and is sandwiched between E. Rodriguez Avenue and Aurora Avenue of Quezon City. The funeral will be held this Wednesday. Other details will be uploaded later. Please continue to pray for Ickoy and his family in this time of grief and loss.
Words mirror you February 7, 2007
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You are one of them...your speech shows it. - Mark 14:70 NKJV
You can try to disguise your identity by changing your looks, your social
circle and your address-but how you speak will give you away every time.
It happened to Peter. When a servant girl saw him warming himself by the
fire, she said, "'You...were with Jesus of Nazareth.' But he denied
it...And the...girl saw him again and began to say to those who stood by,
'This is one of them.' But he denied it again...later those who stood by
said to Peter again...'you are one of them...your speech shows it'" (Mk
14:67-70 NKJV). So in order to convince his accusers that he wasn't a
friend of Jesus, Peter "Began to curse and swear, 'I do not know this Man
of whom you speak'" (Mk 14:71 NKJV). And it worked! After that nobody
else accused him of knowing Jesus. Isn't it interesting how public
profanity, in any language, has a way of making others question the
quality of your relationship with Christ?
Paul says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but
only what is helpful for building others up...that it may benefit those
who listen" (Eph 4:29 NIV). If you want to win people to Jesus, start
with how you talk. Paul said, "Let your speech always be with
grace...that you may know how you ought to answer each one" (Col 4:6
NKJV). Words are powerful things. They either build up or tear down, add
to or take from. It's not important that people can tell from your accent
where you're from, but when they can't tell by the way you talk that
you're Christ's disciple, something's seriously wrong.
CCF Baptism at Big1 January 19, 2007
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Here’s the baptism video during the Big1 that took place late last year. Try to guess and look for the members of our DGroup in this video!!!
Doulos January 19, 2007
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Last Thursday Joan, Dolph, Abby, Joel and B went to Doulos. While B took the long walk of Roxas Boulevard, the rest of the gang took the LRT and jeep to get to the ship. And here’s one of the pictures taken in the boat. B would like to think it is a great shot, because it highlights one of the remaining colonial buildings of the United States occupation of Manila right after World War II.
Anyway, here’s Joan and Abby eargerly posing for the camera. They were able to buy a few things here. Abby bought a devotional book while Joan splurged on discounted tapes that sold for only 50 pesos each! She’s going to play these things on her car.
While Dolph and Joel got lost in the myriad books on display, B took the liberty of observing people ar0und. Here’s another picture of people who are looking for a needle in a haystack, or rather perhaps they are looking for a diamond in the rough?
Going healthy? That’s good! It’s Joel’s second time to visit the famed bookstore ship and he was already contemplating on how he would survive the remaining week and a half before the next payday. Not to worry, Joel. There’s always fasting. It’s biblical in addition to the fact that it helps detoxify the body!!! Just don’t forget to get your focus on why you are going to go through a fast though.
Here’s the only group picture we got as Abby had to meet up with her dad in Malate.
After buying books and taking pictures, the group went to Wok Inn in Malate to have dinner. Man, we were stuffed. The food was great and the place was recommended by Dolph. You will be amazed by this guy, as he tried to woo himself with a korean lady, a chinese day and also with a european — speaking in their local language. Well, that is all for now.
Baguio Roadtrip January 19, 2007
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On January 12 [Friday], the Dgroup 6750 went on a weekend escapade in Baguio. We stayed at the Baguio Country Club, courtesy of Vina and there were to three vehicles that were used for the road trip.
So what did the group do in Baguio?
First of all, the group ate breakfast at the house rented at the BCC.
As you can see, the group is famished! The team of Jombi ate dinner before going on the road trip. The other team led by Ickoy went to a hunger strike. Yes, they fasted the whole night, este, they abstained from a heavy meal and subsisted on Halls candy, Gardenia Bread supplied by Shads and Mr. Chips.
After eating breakfast, the group went to Tam-awan Village. It’s a place where artists [painters and illustrators mostly] congregate and have a community. It is frequented by tourists so much so that they already have guided tours of the entire place and the traditional Ifugao and Ibaloi huts can be rented out as well.
Here’s Abby with some of the paintings exhibited at Tam-awan Village. We weren’t allowed to take solo pictures of the paintings, but it is allowed to take pictures of them as long as people are included in the picture!
Aside from the paintings and the traditional huts, there was also a brief cultural presentation. Fanatical Teacher would have wanted them to explain what they were actually doing though, so that it would have been more memorable and more meaningful to onlookers. Notice Jimbo at the background of this photo?
Aside from the tour and cultural show, a few of the DGroup has their sketches made. Care to guess who this is?
This is a view of Tam-Awan in one of their forest trails. According to the tour guide, on a clear cloudless day, one can sea the South China Sea and some parts of Pangasinan’s Hundred Islands. Notice how one of the huts is missing a roof? It was destroyed by the powerful Typhoon Milenyo last year during its onslaught of Luzon. Anyway, the group stayed there for about three hours, having sketches, drinking locally brewed coffee and drinks. Incidentally, almost everybody forgot about eating lunch. Is it the cool breezy air that made us forget about eating a meal? One doesn’t really know.
After Tam-Awan Village, the group went to the Stawberry Fields in La Trinidad. Here’s the entire group among the flowers of La Trinidad. The strawberry fields have recently been harvested, and the group bought 3 kilos of fresh strawberries that were cosumed in less than 24 hours!!! Talk about pigging out on strawberries!
The group finally felt a little hungry, so we went to Camp John Hay and decided to be kids again! Almost everybody went and had a good time with the bump cars. Then we went to have a late snack at Batirol, dipping hot chocos and muching on Turons and Bibingkas. It was after this that we had dinner at home and prepared for our ultimate photo op and devotional time.
There you have it folks! We were dressed to go to the Manor Hotel to just hang out, but ended up with a very good performance done by one of Ickoy’s friend, Mia.
She was amazing! She was greatly applauded and admired by the audience, and it was later found out that she had voice lessons with the famous musician/composer Ryan Cayabyab. No wonder this girl could sing! She was also a health buff, as we bumped into her during the late afternoon just finishing her exercise regimen.
Back at Baguio Country Club, we set up a fire at the fireplace courtesy of Jimbo and Joel. It was really cold that night, and it was just fun experiencing a fireplace in the Philippines. The one next to Ickoy is an officemate of his who is assigned in the Bicol region, specifically Naga City. The group slowly slipped into dreamland one by one, while most of the ladies paired up and discussed about life, love and other mysteries. Abby ended up entertaining one of the guests till early morning. On Sunday, the group went to Victory Christian Fellowship and it was quite interesting because one of the passages that was expounded during that day was the same as the group had with the group devotionl [see article on This DGroup for more details on this].
After that, we went back to the house to pack up and eat lunch. We went to Cafe by the Ruins, our final pit stop within Baguio City before going back to the chaos of Metro Manila. And so ends our story, but wait, here’s a final pic that’s fun to look at.
Indeed, to God be the glory for the great things He has done over that weekend!
