How Do You See the Rainbow After the Storm?

My country is recently hit by its strongest storm in 20 years. Many died, too much lost or suffered. There's no stopping of storms occuring as we move on with our lives. We just need to be ready all the time when they hit us. I am reminded of a quote by Albert Einstein whose outlook on life was shaped by World War II and its own inherent evil. Einstein wrote: "Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." To see the rainbow after the storm, a most important thing to remember is to fall up instead of fall down. This involves changing my perception. While I cannot control what has happened, I can control my perception. That takes faith and hope in Him.

Do you know Armando?

In 1987, an amazing 8 year old boy attended a Roman Catholic gathering of bishops. Armando cannot walk or talk. He is very small for his age. He came to the L'Arche Community from an orphanage where he had been abandoned. He was desperately thin and dying for lack of food.



After a while, the community took him in where he found people who held him, loved him, and wanted him to live. He began to eat again and develop. He still cannot walk or talk or eat by himself. His body is twisted and broken, and he has a severe mental disability.

But when you pick him up, his eyes and whole body quiver with joy. In excitement, he'll say to you, "I love you." Armando has a deep impact and personal influence on people around him.

If someone loves you, as the members of L'ARCHE loved Armando in both his physical and spiritual deformities, we discover something good can survive. Something pure. It takes Armando for us to see the miracle of the Gospel in our hearts and lives. Broken yet beautiful. It's because Armando found a fellowship that gives him Christ's unconditional love and grace.

All of us need the example of Armando and his kind of spiritual community to grow and thrive.

Emotional Relationships Via the Internet

Emotion is present in the internet. People meet via the internet everyday. Exhange pleasantries. Share knowledge. Find friends. Gossip. Play games. Flirt. Fall in love. Give emotional support. Engage in idle or small talk. Because people can bring their real life problems and personalities to their "virtual world," it's therefore possible for people to develop emotional relationships with their "invisible, electronic" friends or lovers.

The internet is indeed today's social phenomenon. It offers a way for people to "find each other." Can one fall in love or make friends over the internet? Sure. Statistics or evidence strongly reveal the reality that countless online relationships are now developed through emails or in the chat rooms. In a way, the internet may provide a positive alternative for people to ease loneliness or isolation and discover connectedness with others.

Inspite of its positive uses or potential, there can be an ugly side or limitations to "electronic relationship." One can get in contact with fake, bitter, even dangerous people on the web. Online communication is not the same as real life, face-to-face communication. It often leaves out the "most important things about you" -- things like attitude, character or personality, nonverbal behavior, true family background, etc. After all, isn't it the nature of the internet that you can limit to or act out only that which you wish to show to the other person online?

Indeed, the Internet is not simply about technology. It is not just about information. It is about human communication. It's about people talking with each other, people exchanging e-mail, people doing a web dance who can be emotional with each other. The challenge I see is for us to be able to discern the many sides of electronic relationship, and hopefully go beyond what is typical.

Rubbing Shoulders with Brian

Today I rubbed shoulders with Brian, American boyfriend of my wife's Filipino cousin Arlene. It's just brief but I feel the Lord leading me to pray for him and Arlene always. My feeling is that Brian appeared irreligious and hesitant. But for some reason, he was able to come with me to our church's bookstore and attend a worship service! If there's one thing, I don't wish Brian to feel that he's being set up. I pray that the Lord gives us occasions where things will just flow naturally. I pray (and do pray with me) for the Holy Spirit to prepare the soil of Brian's heart for God's Word and His salvation.

Day 1 Purpose Driven Life Reflections

Day 1 -- THINKING ABOUT MY PURPOSE

Point to Ponder: It's Not About Me.

Verse to Remember: "Everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him." (Colossians 1:16b)

Question to Consider: "In spite of all the advertising around me, how can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?

Some REFLECTION NOTES:

The gates of today's advertising are always trickery. They can brainwash the mind and soul away from God's light and truth. If I'm not careful, I'll be a victim. I can forget or ignore that I'm a Christian or I should live a life for God.

Life is about living for God, not myself. To remind myself of that inspite of all the advertising around me, I wish to be playful. I mean, I stop taking myself too seriously. That takes courage. But as a Christian, I need to take a deep breath of His Spirit and defeat my self-centeredness to live for God.

Word and prayer are my ideal companions for this purpose. They develop my protections and arm me with weapons to fight the spiritual war as I live in the world. I invoke my audience of One, which strongly moves me on.

Experience Can Be A Hard Teacher

Experience can be a hard teacher. It gives the test first, the lesson afterward! At times I have dangerous impatience and imaginings. If I ignore or deny them, they grow into beasts and can rip away at me. So, I must face them. If I avoid what's dangerous, I avoid life. I devalue life by fleeing. This is one of the highest purposes of writing as an art. Writing allows me to confront, explore, and investigate what is most disturbing. Writing serves to contain the impatience and the images.

The Safest Place on Earth

I'm currently reading a book entitled "The Safest Place on Earth" recently written by popular author Larry Crabb. It's an important book that many of us have been waiting for long!

Dr. Crabb has pointedly described the widespread problem of "unspiritual community" in the church. He wrote, "More often than not we are disappointed. Why? Why is spiritual community - "church" - high on so many people's list as a major spiritual problem? The question is no respecter of persons: young and old, men and women in the pews and pastors in their pulpits, long-time Christians, new Christians, and not-quite-yet Christians. The question ranges across denominational lines."

People are longing for true spiritual community. We have had enough of loneliness, independence, and competition. In building true spiritual community in the local church, Dr. Crabb advocates for turning away from managerial and leadership skills that are held important in our culture. He invites us to return to the biblical and actual conditions in which true spiritual communities exist.

One lesson I learned from Dr. Crabb's book is that community is aroused by passions in its members. And passions are not easily managed. They cannot be reduced to principles or boxed by rules and regulations. He said:

"It is still tempting to try to manage community because it matters so much. We don't want to trust Someone else to get it right. We work at our marriages by carefully following principles of communication and strategies for conflict resolution ... But soul care and all relationships are spiritual activity. Good relating that stirs life in another, whether in counseling, family, or friendship, depends on the Spirit and cannot, therefore, be managed, because He cannot be managed."

That lesson means a lot to me. Until that shift happens, the community we all long for in our families and churches cannot happen.

This is just one of those major things I got from the book. There is much more. So, take a hold of this wonderful book while you still have time to live a better Christian life!

Celebrating Diversity

Today, we see different kinds of churches. Liturgical. Charismatic/pentecostal. Loud. Quiet. Formal. Informal. Small. Large. Rich. Poor. And many more kinds! All of these are expressions of diversity in the Body of Christ. Yet, this was the supernatural power of the early church. They were one (no demnominations yet!). The rich and poor, Jews and Greeks, slaves and free, men and women were able to share a common life in Jesus. How we need to pray today that we may all be one in love and truth, be more open to other kinds of Christians!

Dreaming the Dreams of God with NPWM

As I board plane from Philippines for Korea, I was somewhat overcome at the sights and sounds around me. Everything is Korean, including the signages! Those of us in the Philippines hear stories about the growing affluence of Korea nowadays. But until you see it with your own eyes, the stories seem like a fairy tale.

I live a normal, simple life in the Philippines. As I would do in the days ahead of my brief visit to Korea, I tend to compare their lifestyle to that of us in the Philippines and to that of other native ministers in other countries like India, Indonesia etc. Then I discovered Korean pastors and churches enjoy lots of food, nice homes and cars, and have closets full of things!

And I remembered the years I traveled as a pastor/teacher in my own country with erratic provisions and simple clothings. Affluence of course is not bad in itself. But it can be taken to extremes. There are so different economies in Asia where God's people live like in India, Bangladesh, Vietnam etc. And I wonder about how can so different economies co-exist simultaneously in Asia and the rest of the earth!

The Bible says, "some plant" and "others water." The Lord has been taking me to Korea where the world's largest churches are found to involve me in native partnership for Christ's Gospel work. This is where the balance comes in. Korean churches from different denominations dream dreams of God together with others in the Body of Christ throughout the world.

The policy of NPWM is this: native partners. It is one where transdenominational Korean churches primarily help (through prayer intercession and funding support) send forth native missionary workers in the harvest fields rather than Korean staff. Today, it is outrageously expensive to send foreign missionaries overseas. Thus, from a strictly financial standpoint, sending native missionaries is wise stewardship.

There is one more important reason why native partnership in missions is wiser. God has been raising up indigenous leaders in different cultures and nations who are more capable than outsiders to finish the job. For any missionary to be successful, he must learn a foreign language and identify with the people he plans to reach. Statistics and experience show that most westerners and other foreign missionaries usually cannot do this. This explains the ineffectiveness of many foreign missionaries today with their colonial-style foreign missions.

I believe NPWM is being used by God to move mightily among native missionaries, pastors, and workers. It is transdenominational, thus taking a step to unite the greater Body of Christ. With the prayers and material blessings that God has been showering upon Korean churches, we can help native evangelists and pastors and their families move forward to complete the task of Christ's Great Commission.



View photo album. More photos to come!

Travel in the Face of Terrorists

I'm boarding an airplane to travel to Korea this coming Tuesday. I feel excited as well as somewhat strange. Just this week, the media reported a lapse in the local airport security. Someone was able to enter and assemble a bomb inside the airplane. He didn't push the button. But he was able to get away with it, undetected! Honestly, I wonder, of all times, this has to be the occasion for me to board a plane!

These past few weeks, there's heightened security preparation all over the world against recently renewed terrorist threats. After the 9/11 airplane tragedy where over 3,000 innocent men, women, and children as well as internationals from 80 different countries were slaughtered, the world has been on the alert. There is a global war going on. And like many others, I wonder when the war will end.

As a Christian, my response to terrorism is, "Have Faith in God" (Mark 11:22). My purpose in life is to trust God. "But without Faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).

All the commotions in the world should only serve to confirm my confidence in the LORD as my Refuge, Strength, and Present Help in trouble. "God is our Refuge and Strength, a very Present Help in trouble. Therefore I will NOT we fear, though the Earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah" (Psalm 46:1-3).

I don't mean to imagine things. But in case something bad happens and God allows it, I'd be thankful to God. I say this because I know that the life He lent me on this earth has significance. More times I can count, He also gave me good memories of love and fun with my wife Imelda and kids Christine, Paul, and Angel.
Especially my wife Imelda, who shared both my joys and pains. She's God's gift to me to be my companion in the journey, even well beyond earthly existence.

I'm naturally not interested in war, because I have a family. We want to live. And continue serving the Lord in peace. But so long as there is a danger called terrorism we'll continue to protect ourselves. Of course, our life is in His hands. The way of faith is always the best way to remove the fear and danger from the terrorism in our world.

Do pray for me always. Cheers!

Are You Lost in the Church?

In the mid 1990s, George Barna startled the church with what he termed “one of the rudest awakenings I have ever received." And what's that? It’s this: “Half of all adults who attend ...churches on a typical Sunday morning are not Christian!” Churches are filled with individuals who by reason of tradition, misinformation, demonic deception or something else have never come to a grace-based relationship with Jesus Christ. They are “lost in church.”

My church where I am right now is very evangelistic. And we're an active part of reaching the lost outside the walls of our local church. But there's this pressing need that Barna has exposed: up to one-half of the people going to church week after week are not Christians -"lost churchgoers!" As his research indicated, the need for "intra-evangelism" (evangelism within the walls of the church) is huge.

It's the Matthew 7/21 Window - the lost in the church. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." The passage does imply that there will be those who'd get church or religion, but they don't get Jesus! I do used to think that I find the lost only outside the church fellowship. I can better see and understand now what's going on. My eyes are widely opened.

This explains why chaos happens within the church. Week after week, people go to church. Everything looks fine, but intimacy with God dries up. Gossip among churchgoers. Self-seeking ministers and workers. Fornicating worship leaders. Hypocritical, undisciplined, no passion for the lost. Indeed, behind the mask of outward spiritual church life, may lie a great darkness and lostness of soul.

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. ~ John 3:36 (KJV)

Check and view powerpoint on "Are You Lost in the Church?" plus many other helpful materials from the website www.lostinchurch.com to understand the issue better.