Have you heard of Rizpah?
She's one of the least known women in the Bible, not in the same league with the popular Ruth, Esther, Mary, Eve, Sarah, and Hannah. In fact, she was mentioned only four times in the Old Testament, KJV (2 Samuel 3:7; 21:8; 21:10-11).
But zooming in on what Rizpah had done as a mother, a fellow mom like me can't help but be stunned.
5/31/2013
5/29/2013
Breakfast Eggs
Whatever Ate Vi serves on the breakfast table, I eat.
But my boys are different. They are all good cooks, so they relish cooking their own breakfast. Sometimes Tony makes a Spanish omelet; sometimes son #1 prepares pancakes; sometimes son #3 does French toast or a new concoction of last night's leftovers. All dishes are always well presented (like those I see on TV) on each of their plates.
But my boys are different. They are all good cooks, so they relish cooking their own breakfast. Sometimes Tony makes a Spanish omelet; sometimes son #1 prepares pancakes; sometimes son #3 does French toast or a new concoction of last night's leftovers. All dishes are always well presented (like those I see on TV) on each of their plates.
5/27/2013
Mount Everest, Here I Come
As a card-bearing, 60-something senior, I often ponder my mortality. The thought that the Lord may soon take me home visits me now and then, especially when I am down with an ailment or feel aches and pains.
After all, the kids are grown, the mortgages paid, and life's loose ends tied up (well, almost).
I am now, as I wrote in my book, What Me, Retire? . . .
5/23/2013
#Hashtag #Ignorance
See this punctuation mark? #. For the longest time, I called it "Number."
Then came touch phones and cellphones and people gave it an alias and another usage: "Pound."
Now here's a newer monicker with yet another usage: "Hashtag."
I don't do Twitter so I missed Hashtag's birth. But on FB, which I do daily, I began noticing the "Number" or "Pound" or now "Hashtag" appear in a number of messages, especially photo captions.
For instance, a young friend posted a photo with his family. Before the photo were these gobbledygook:
Now here's a newer monicker with yet another usage: "Hashtag."
I don't do Twitter so I missed Hashtag's birth. But on FB, which I do daily, I began noticing the "Number" or "Pound" or now "Hashtag" appear in a number of messages, especially photo captions.
For instance, a young friend posted a photo with his family. Before the photo were these gobbledygook:
5/20/2013
Conceit
Conceit has reigned within mortals, past or present. We have developed excessive belief in ourselves because of our abilities or riches or achievements or fame.
Today, the thinking, “Believe in yourself” is a campaign, or maybe even an ideology, to raise one's self-esteem, which is seen to have paramount importance in building a person's confidence.
5/16/2013
How Do You Spell Your Name?
Spelling is kind of complicated. Especially now that we have developed new, appalling habits of misspelling everything in text messages (which also often take the form of email and FB notes).
Yet we have the compulsion to make it even harder.
Cirio is a simple enough name. But it can still get mangled along the way:
Now, think about the confusing ones.
Yet we have the compulsion to make it even harder.
Cirio is a simple enough name. But it can still get mangled along the way:
Now, think about the confusing ones.
5/13/2013
5/12/2013
So You Want to Be an Atheist
The intense, oppressive afternoon heat made me closet myself in our bedroom with the air-conditioner full blast.
I visited a cabinet unopened in over a decade. Surprise! There sat manuscripts, clippings, and files I had stashed away for reasons I can't remember. One of them is a copy of a letter dated July 1999, which I wrote to the 15-year-old daughter of a family friend.
My friend was extremely distressed when her daughter joined the Atheist Society. A faithful Christian, my friend cried on my shoulder. Since her daughter was quite close to me, I decided to write to her:
Dear Sarah*,
A wise old man told me when I was your age, “The day you stop questioning is the day you die.”
I choose not to die before my time, so at age 54, I am questioning still—no longer about the existence of God, but about other things: 'If I ate 12 peanuts instead of eight, will my joints ache?' 'Have I taken my maintenance pill?'
I visited a cabinet unopened in over a decade. Surprise! There sat manuscripts, clippings, and files I had stashed away for reasons I can't remember. One of them is a copy of a letter dated July 1999, which I wrote to the 15-year-old daughter of a family friend.
My friend was extremely distressed when her daughter joined the Atheist Society. A faithful Christian, my friend cried on my shoulder. Since her daughter was quite close to me, I decided to write to her:
Dear Sarah*,
A wise old man told me when I was your age, “The day you stop questioning is the day you die.”
I choose not to die before my time, so at age 54, I am questioning still—no longer about the existence of God, but about other things: 'If I ate 12 peanuts instead of eight, will my joints ache?' 'Have I taken my maintenance pill?'
5/08/2013
Want to Know Your Future?
The fiesta was probably the most exciting time in our town. The rides, game booths, and circus came—so did the fortune tellers.
I was ten and in 6th grade, and after class, my friends and I decided to spend our allowance that day on knowing our future. We had heard that the seeress had beautiful fingers and a crystal ball that gleamed.
5/05/2013
Special Sunday
Today, we thank the Lord for the grace of an active little boy who has just turned six.
We haven't seen him for 771 days, but he is in our prayers every day. May he continue to grow up knowing and loving Jesus more and more.
Our thanksgiving offering to Him who keeps us from falling: 
For Adrian, this is what the Lord said about little ones: Mark 10:14 (NIV) “. . . Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
Happy birthday little one!
Top photos: Gianina Chong
Our thanksgiving offering to Him who keeps us from falling:
Happy birthday little one!
Top photos: Gianina Chong
5/03/2013
Why Go to Church?
Some people don't like going to church.
“I can pray or worship God anywhere,” they would argue. In fact, some of them just turn on the TV set in their bedrooms, sing hymns, and pray with the people in the show, which is “exactly the same as being in church.”
There are many verses in the Bible that remind God's people to get together and build relationships. One is found in Hebrews 10:25 (NLT), “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
But the most surprising reason for going to church for me came not from the Bible but in a testimony of one of the members of our youth group in church.
In a halting voice, Olim said in words that I now paraphrase:
“I can pray or worship God anywhere,” they would argue. In fact, some of them just turn on the TV set in their bedrooms, sing hymns, and pray with the people in the show, which is “exactly the same as being in church.”
There are many verses in the Bible that remind God's people to get together and build relationships. One is found in Hebrews 10:25 (NLT), “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
But the most surprising reason for going to church for me came not from the Bible but in a testimony of one of the members of our youth group in church.
In a halting voice, Olim said in words that I now paraphrase:
4/29/2013
Standard of Giving
Q: Do you tithe?
A: Yes.
Q: Where does it say in the New Testament that we should tithe?
4/28/2013
Storytime Sunday
What are you doing this afternoon?
Here's an invitation for all kids to come and listen to the story of a great flood in Mateo's town—and how great grace flooded our little hero instead.
It'll be fun!
4/26/2013
A Plea for PWD
It must have been something I ate which rendered my total being totally useless in the last two days. I was a Person With Disability (PWD).
I missed an important event that I looked forward to for one whole year (gown all pressed), missed writing my column for a magazine, missed reading my daily Bible, missed my appetite, missed my computer, and missed my humor.
There was this constant sick feeling at the gate of my tummy, aggravated when I so much as moved vertically. So I had to lie flat, except for those hurried trips to and from the bathroom. Only by grace, sent through a kindly doctor name Perry, a solicitous Ate Vi, and a supportive family, was I able to pull through this energy-sapping ailment perilously close to life-threatening dehydration.
I missed an important event that I looked forward to for one whole year (gown all pressed), missed writing my column for a magazine, missed reading my daily Bible, missed my appetite, missed my computer, and missed my humor.
There was this constant sick feeling at the gate of my tummy, aggravated when I so much as moved vertically. So I had to lie flat, except for those hurried trips to and from the bathroom. Only by grace, sent through a kindly doctor name Perry, a solicitous Ate Vi, and a supportive family, was I able to pull through this energy-sapping ailment perilously close to life-threatening dehydration.
4/23/2013
Junior Moment
I just had a junior moment.
Huh? How can that be possible when you're a senior, Mom! My sons are most likely saying in their minds.
Before I speak of that embarrassing episode, let me just say that I've been having senior moments for as long as I can remember. A senior moment is defined as, “A momentary lapse in memory, particularly one experienced by a senior citizen.”
Half truth. Senior moments are not the sole domain of older people; my young sons forget their cellphones, shades, people's names, and other details as often as I do.
Huh? How can that be possible when you're a senior, Mom! My sons are most likely saying in their minds.
Before I speak of that embarrassing episode, let me just say that I've been having senior moments for as long as I can remember. A senior moment is defined as, “A momentary lapse in memory, particularly one experienced by a senior citizen.”
Half truth. Senior moments are not the sole domain of older people; my young sons forget their cellphones, shades, people's names, and other details as often as I do.
4/19/2013
Boredom Buster
Does waiting still infuriate and frustrate you?
Try crossword puzzles.
You are probably saying, "Not again?!"
I have rhapsodized solving crosswords ad infinitum in my past blogs and here comes another one. (Next to Adrian, my one and only grandson, crossword puzzles come next in the number and frequency of my posts.)
Try crossword puzzles.
You are probably saying, "Not again?!"
I have rhapsodized solving crosswords ad infinitum in my past blogs and here comes another one. (Next to Adrian, my one and only grandson, crossword puzzles come next in the number and frequency of my posts.)
4/16/2013
One Direction
"Lola, I need a new book!" were the first words that Trista, a grandniece, said when I hugged her, not having seen her for over a year. "I have finished reading all the books you gave me!"
"Oh, I need to keep writing faster then," I said. "I have to keep pace with you."
"Oh, I need to keep writing faster then," I said. "I have to keep pace with you."
4/12/2013
Bird Watching
One of the greatest pleasures of walking at dawn is watching the birds wake up with the morning light and make their first flight for the day. They sing and hover over me; they perch on electric and telephone wires in a row; then they fly and chirp around again.
Alas, in my neighborhood, I see only birds of one kind. These are the same ones that constantly visit our garden and sometimes, one or two mysteriously make their way into our house.
As soon as this one flew in, we let it fly back out. I don't even know what it's called. In my dialect, we call it billit balay (house birds).
The only other types of birds I see are on the Net, like so:
When Tony mentioned that his childhood friend Ed takes great bird pictures, I hurriedly visited Ed's FB wall. The pictures so fascinated me I asked Tony to ask Ed if I could post some of his photos on my blog. He said yes and here are my picks:
Lovely, aren't they?
In the Philippines today, there are guided birdwatching tours and then there's the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, established in July 2003 “to promote birdwatching as a hobby and the responsible enjoyment of nature.”
As a little girl growing up in the province, I used to see all types of beautiful birds in the farm, but took them all for granted—like most Filipinos do. I shouldn't have.
Did you know that the Philippines has a spectacular mix of more than 600 species of resident and migratory birds? And even more spectacular, 200 of these species are endemic? That's a slew of beauty taken for granted and ignored.
Now that the world is changing, with the global warming quickly destroying the habitats of birds, many of these flying wonders are becoming extinct. Now is the time to take a closer look at how we can better treasure and nurture our country's avifaunal blessings.
The first step is to look at lovely photos such as the above (also google “birds” in the Net and viola!) to awaken our dormant appreciation of God's creation, particularly the astounding grace of nature in flight.
Credits: Top photo; collages: Ed Tiotuyco
Alas, in my neighborhood, I see only birds of one kind. These are the same ones that constantly visit our garden and sometimes, one or two mysteriously make their way into our house.
As soon as this one flew in, we let it fly back out. I don't even know what it's called. In my dialect, we call it billit balay (house birds).
The only other types of birds I see are on the Net, like so:
When Tony mentioned that his childhood friend Ed takes great bird pictures, I hurriedly visited Ed's FB wall. The pictures so fascinated me I asked Tony to ask Ed if I could post some of his photos on my blog. He said yes and here are my picks:
Lovely, aren't they?
In the Philippines today, there are guided birdwatching tours and then there's the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, established in July 2003 “to promote birdwatching as a hobby and the responsible enjoyment of nature.”
As a little girl growing up in the province, I used to see all types of beautiful birds in the farm, but took them all for granted—like most Filipinos do. I shouldn't have.
Did you know that the Philippines has a spectacular mix of more than 600 species of resident and migratory birds? And even more spectacular, 200 of these species are endemic? That's a slew of beauty taken for granted and ignored.
Now that the world is changing, with the global warming quickly destroying the habitats of birds, many of these flying wonders are becoming extinct. Now is the time to take a closer look at how we can better treasure and nurture our country's avifaunal blessings.
The first step is to look at lovely photos such as the above (also google “birds” in the Net and viola!) to awaken our dormant appreciation of God's creation, particularly the astounding grace of nature in flight.
Credits: Top photo; collages: Ed Tiotuyco
4/08/2013
Let Go, Let God
This was what happened to the song Let God, Let Go by DeWayne Woods after the record was launched in 2007. It hit the top of the charts and won multiple awards. Pretty soon, thousands of images of the title crammed the Net and everyone had everything to say about it—from left to right, and back.
4/04/2013
Does God Have a Sense of Humor?
Everyday you meet one or two (the number is not very big) people who can make you laugh with the way they say a word or a phrase. There is usually one in a group. Wish there were more of these picker-uppers! 
Many of my favorite public speakers are those with a sense of humor. They have an uncanny ability to make the audience ROFL (Roll On the Floor Laughing) and therefore hold their interest.
3/31/2013
The Naked Cross
And yet, Jesus chose the cross to redeem us from the mire of sin. Galatians 3:13(ESV), “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree' . . .”
“From this cross He would rob hell and populate heaven,” wrote Joseph Chambers, a preacher.
3/28/2013
Off Duty
Writing is not a duty for me. It has always been a privilege, a time of great feelings, a mountain-top joy, and . . . an undeserved grace of a lifetime.
Some of my friends in church say it is my assignment from above, and therefore I am duty bound to do it well. I try.
My writing hours are thus: the actual computer time is all day; the thinking time is all night.
Some of my friends in church say it is my assignment from above, and therefore I am duty bound to do it well. I try.
My writing hours are thus: the actual computer time is all day; the thinking time is all night.
3/24/2013
The Kiram, Kristel, and Kris Brouhaha
Every Tom, Dick, and Harry has commented on the current hot issues involving Sultan Kiram of Sulu, Kristel, and Kris Aquino.
Some blame the Media for sensationalizing all three. Some blame the militants for agitating the student population. Some blame the politicians for taking advantage of the situations. Some blame President Aquino for not showing enough concern.
Some blame the government for everything, period.
Some blame the government for everything, period.
3/21/2013
Surprise Homecoming
Do you enjoy surprising others?
Well, I have a surprise for you. You might end up being surprised yourself.
My brother Dave loves to spring a surprise on us. In the last 10 years or so, however, he hasn't had too many opportunities to do that, because he and his wife, Glad, lived abroad. The only chance, then, to surprise us is when he, she, or both come home for vacation.
Well, I have a surprise for you. You might end up being surprised yourself.
My brother Dave loves to spring a surprise on us. In the last 10 years or so, however, he hasn't had too many opportunities to do that, because he and his wife, Glad, lived abroad. The only chance, then, to surprise us is when he, she, or both come home for vacation.
3/17/2013
Look-Alikes
On TV last week, I watched a show that featured same-sex pairs who looked very much alike but who, in reality, are not twins.
Unbelievable. As each pair talked to the camera, I looked at their individual features—eyes, nose, lips, shape of face, hair—and they were the same. If you saw them in person, you'd say, “Twins!”
They are not. They are not even remotely related to each other; they just happen to look so similar.
Is this possible?
Unbelievable. As each pair talked to the camera, I looked at their individual features—eyes, nose, lips, shape of face, hair—and they were the same. If you saw them in person, you'd say, “Twins!”
They are not. They are not even remotely related to each other; they just happen to look so similar.
Is this possible?
3/16/2013
Beware the Ides of March
Over time, the phrase “Ides of March” evolved into “Beware the ides of March,” a warning of bad things to come because of William Shakespeare's play, “Julius Caesar.”
3/12/2013
The Christian Atheist: A Sort of Review
I discovered this book in faraway Cagayan de Oro (CDO) OMFLit bookstore. In between sporadic book signing, I sat down beside a shelf and took the first book that nudged my arm.
The title caught me off guard. I thought it was blasphemous and therefore I shouldn't read it. But as I often do, I talked to myself:
Where have all your years of training in creative work gone? “Expect the unexpected” you used to say. Well, this one's unexpected. When have you become a bigot?
The title caught me off guard. I thought it was blasphemous and therefore I shouldn't read it. But as I often do, I talked to myself:
Where have all your years of training in creative work gone? “Expect the unexpected” you used to say. Well, this one's unexpected. When have you become a bigot?
3/08/2013
City of White Water Rafting
Mention Cagayan de Oro (CDO) City to anyone who has been there and he'll say, white water rafting and river trekking!
Well, I've just come from CDO and the only water I saw was bottled and came free with my hotel room. Okay, I got a glimpse of the CDO river when we crossed a scenic bridge, but it was only for a few seconds, the time it took our taxi to zoom past it.
Nevertheless, in between meetings and short trips to town for meals that consisted of energy-giving food. boasting of cholesterol galore and one book signing event (OMFLit Book Shop), I got a chance to take photos of the tricycle which looked so strange, compared to what what I see in Manila. They so fascinated me I stayed at a curb clicking away for a good ten minutes.
CDO is the gateway to Northern Mindanao and described in its Website as a “City in bloom, in blossom, and in boom.” I have been to many parts of Mindanao but never to CDO so I thought I'd wander through its suburbia and enjoy the bloom, blossom, and bloom, but our schedule permitted only the usual things busy business people do—airport to hotel to boardroom, then reverse the process—and before you know it, the trip is ended.
Well, I've just come from CDO and the only water I saw was bottled and came free with my hotel room. Okay, I got a glimpse of the CDO river when we crossed a scenic bridge, but it was only for a few seconds, the time it took our taxi to zoom past it.
Nevertheless, in between meetings and short trips to town for meals that consisted of energy-giving food. boasting of cholesterol galore and one book signing event (OMFLit Book Shop), I got a chance to take photos of the tricycle which looked so strange, compared to what what I see in Manila. They so fascinated me I stayed at a curb clicking away for a good ten minutes.
CDO is the gateway to Northern Mindanao and described in its Website as a “City in bloom, in blossom, and in boom.” I have been to many parts of Mindanao but never to CDO so I thought I'd wander through its suburbia and enjoy the bloom, blossom, and bloom, but our schedule permitted only the usual things busy business people do—airport to hotel to boardroom, then reverse the process—and before you know it, the trip is ended.
3/04/2013
Disabled Parking
For twenty long minutes we had been driving round and round the parking lot. It was unusually full. Suddenly, a car whizzed past us and parked in the space reserved for Persons With Disability (PWD).
When the driver got out of the car, she looked like she stepped out of a fashion magazine—she was tottering on a five-inch heels in animal prints! Tony and I thought she might have a PWD passenger.
She was alone.
When the driver got out of the car, she looked like she stepped out of a fashion magazine—she was tottering on a five-inch heels in animal prints! Tony and I thought she might have a PWD passenger.
She was alone.
2/28/2013
First Draft
Each author regards the first draft differently. Ernest Hemingway said that “The first draft of anything is s—t.”
Nicholas Sparks has another view, “Writing the last page of the first draft is the most enjoyable moment in writing. It's one of the most enjoyable moments in life, period.”
Today, after I tore off the last page of February from my calendar, I typed in the period to the last sentence of the first draft of my next book with the working title, “Gifts of Compassion.”
I don't think it's s—t. It still needs a lot of work, but the framework is there.
Nicholas Sparks has another view, “Writing the last page of the first draft is the most enjoyable moment in writing. It's one of the most enjoyable moments in life, period.”
Today, after I tore off the last page of February from my calendar, I typed in the period to the last sentence of the first draft of my next book with the working title, “Gifts of Compassion.”
2/27/2013
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2/25/2013
Yellow Sky
Then on TV, on the edge of our seats, we saw the man and his family board a helicopter leaving at last. It was like New Year's Day, but the rejoicing was accompanied with cathartic tears and euphoria.
2/22/2013
Crossing the Street
One of life's most difficult endeavors is crossing a street in Metro Manila. Vehicles don't stop for hapless pedestrians.
There was that one day which I keep wishing would come again:
2/18/2013
No Teeth
Dread is the perfect word to describe what I felt about renewing my passport. In past years, it took a minimum of two hours to wait in line and get things done.
This time my survival kit included my iPad (euphemism for a small scribble notebook) and two crossword puzzles, torn from that day's newspapers; Tony is less impatient, so he needed no survival kit.
Our travel agent was there on the dot. He ushered us to a hall filled with people in snaky long queues.
“Three simple steps,” he said. “First floor for identification, second floor for picture taking, and back to ground floor for exit.”
He then gave us the password: “Senior citizen.”
This time my survival kit included my iPad (euphemism for a small scribble notebook) and two crossword puzzles, torn from that day's newspapers; Tony is less impatient, so he needed no survival kit.
Our travel agent was there on the dot. He ushered us to a hall filled with people in snaky long queues.
“Three simple steps,” he said. “First floor for identification, second floor for picture taking, and back to ground floor for exit.”
He then gave us the password: “Senior citizen.”
2/14/2013
Risking it All
A big, deep, pure love came to Jesus.
And it came from the lowest of the low—a despised prostitute.
Today, Valentine's Day, I will attempt to talk about that love (Luke 7:36-50) from my limited, layman's view.
Many sermons have been delivered and many books have been written about it, and yet we are still trying to fathom if we, too, are capable of loving the way she did.
Today, Valentine's Day, I will attempt to talk about that love (Luke 7:36-50) from my limited, layman's view.
Many sermons have been delivered and many books have been written about it, and yet we are still trying to fathom if we, too, are capable of loving the way she did.
2/12/2013
Chinese New Year (Year of the Water Snake)
“Are you Chinese?” People sometimes ask me.
“No, but my children and husband are,” I reply. “And I celebrate Chinese New Year.”
Chinese New Year's eve this year was a quiet, extremely quiet affair. Tony and I were invited to dinner at the home of his closest living relative—a septuagenarian first cousin, whose wife is three years younger.
For the first time in years, I was in a group where I was the youngest.
“No, but my children and husband are,” I reply. “And I celebrate Chinese New Year.”
Chinese New Year's eve this year was a quiet, extremely quiet affair. Tony and I were invited to dinner at the home of his closest living relative—a septuagenarian first cousin, whose wife is three years younger.
For the first time in years, I was in a group where I was the youngest.
2/10/2013
The Great Commission
If you are a Christian and feeling guilty (as I am) about not being able to do something about the Great Commission, don't. There is something we can do—or may already be doing—about it.
This was the gist of my talk at the district conference of women in over 50 churches recently. I was invited to challenge the attendees into doing missionary work:
"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT)
I felt unworthy because I am no missionary. While praying about it, however, I came upon this verse:
“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” Romans 12: 6-8 (NLT)
Let me share with you excerpts from that talk:
I have no authority to preach. I am not a pastor, neither was I ever in Bible school. I have no advice about being a better mother or a better wife or even a better person—because I, myself, have not been an ideal mother nor wife. I don't think I can tell you to be more faithful servants of God, because many times I fail miserably in my faithfulness.
Everything that I know about the Great Commission, women of God like you already know.
Then it dawns on me that not all of us can be a missionary in the sense of 'going out to share the gospel.' We can use our individual gifts right at home to help those who have the gift to proclaim the Word.
I constantly ponder what I have been doing in terms of the Great Commission. Aside from contributing to the Missions fund and praying for our missionaries, I have not been doing much else. The world out there is thirsty for God's Word. They badly need to know about the saving grace of Jesus.
This was the gist of my talk at the district conference of women in over 50 churches recently. I was invited to challenge the attendees into doing missionary work:
"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT)
I felt unworthy because I am no missionary. While praying about it, however, I came upon this verse:
“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” Romans 12: 6-8 (NLT)
Let me share with you excerpts from that talk:
I have no authority to preach. I am not a pastor, neither was I ever in Bible school. I have no advice about being a better mother or a better wife or even a better person—because I, myself, have not been an ideal mother nor wife. I don't think I can tell you to be more faithful servants of God, because many times I fail miserably in my faithfulness.
Everything that I know about the Great Commission, women of God like you already know.
Then it dawns on me that not all of us can be a missionary in the sense of 'going out to share the gospel.' We can use our individual gifts right at home to help those who have the gift to proclaim the Word.
I constantly ponder what I have been doing in terms of the Great Commission. Aside from contributing to the Missions fund and praying for our missionaries, I have not been doing much else. The world out there is thirsty for God's Word. They badly need to know about the saving grace of Jesus.
2/06/2013
Cancer (3)
(This is the third and last part of the excerpted chapter, My friends Sonia and Brenda, from “Gifts of Grace” Book 3. )
My Friends Sonia and Brenda (Part 3)
Good-bye millions in damages—money for my medications and hospitalization, a small part of me said. But the bigger part of me thought of God, how He must have felt when He sent His only Son to be crucified and die for our sins. I wept and started going back to Ward 451D. They stopped me, saying I could occupy that private room for free.
I said, “No, I belong to Ward 451D. It’s where I met my God!”
P.S. Ward patients are not supplied with newspapers. But from then on, I began receiving mine. Every day. That’s what I got for damages. My own newspaper. And that is more than enough.
I had difficulty breathing myself—from trying to hold back my tears. I e-mailed back immediately, “Brenda, our e-group friends are really blessed by your short e-mails on faith. Through you, God’s magnificence is almost palpable. With your permission, may I share your two-part e-mail to me with our e-group?”
Good-bye millions in damages—money for my medications and hospitalization, a small part of me said. But the bigger part of me thought of God, how He must have felt when He sent His only Son to be crucified and die for our sins. I wept and started going back to Ward 451D. They stopped me, saying I could occupy that private room for free.
I said, “No, I belong to Ward 451D. It’s where I met my God!”
P.S. Ward patients are not supplied with newspapers. But from then on, I began receiving mine. Every day. That’s what I got for damages. My own newspaper. And that is more than enough.
I had difficulty breathing myself—from trying to hold back my tears. I e-mailed back immediately, “Brenda, our e-group friends are really blessed by your short e-mails on faith. Through you, God’s magnificence is almost palpable. With your permission, may I share your two-part e-mail to me with our e-group?”
2/05/2013
Cancer (2)
(Continued from yesterday's post. To those who have just chanced upon this blog, this is an excerpt from my Book, “Gifts of Grace” Book 3, which has a chapter on two friends afflicted with cancer.)
My Friends Sonia and Brenda (Part 2)
Our response was instant and electric:
“Welcome to the group, Brenda!”
“Another one to include in my daily prayers, thanks Brenda!”
“Hi, Brenda! Please delight in reading our sometimes crazy but always interesting exchanges about anything under the sun. Share with us your thoughts.”
Brenda’s first e-mail to us read, “I feel so honored to be a part of this e-group. Thanks for letting me in. I was diagnosed with a cell lung cancer last year, given three to four months to live, but by God's healing grace, here I am—still very much alive.”
That was the beginning of Brenda’s short but regular e-mails. She updated us on her condition. She was now also a faithful prayer warrior for our sick friends. Always, she spoke of her unwavering faith in God.
I e-mailed Brenda privately about the gift of salvation and sent her a Bible plus my books Gifts of Grace 1 and 2. She thanked me privately as well, and shared with me a most gripping story—in two installments. I was moved that she chose to let me in on what turned her life around. Let me summarize it, hoping to capture Brenda’s heart.
First installment:
Our response was instant and electric:
“Welcome to the group, Brenda!”
“Another one to include in my daily prayers, thanks Brenda!”
“Hi, Brenda! Please delight in reading our sometimes crazy but always interesting exchanges about anything under the sun. Share with us your thoughts.”
Brenda’s first e-mail to us read, “I feel so honored to be a part of this e-group. Thanks for letting me in. I was diagnosed with a cell lung cancer last year, given three to four months to live, but by God's healing grace, here I am—still very much alive.”
That was the beginning of Brenda’s short but regular e-mails. She updated us on her condition. She was now also a faithful prayer warrior for our sick friends. Always, she spoke of her unwavering faith in God.
I e-mailed Brenda privately about the gift of salvation and sent her a Bible plus my books Gifts of Grace 1 and 2. She thanked me privately as well, and shared with me a most gripping story—in two installments. I was moved that she chose to let me in on what turned her life around. Let me summarize it, hoping to capture Brenda’s heart.
First installment:
2/04/2013
Cancer (1)
(Another loved one just lost her battle against cancer. Every so often, I would read posts of friends grieving over someone suffering from this dreaded disease. One posted an excerpt from my book “Gifts of Grace” Book 3, which he says helped him in his darkest hours after his wife's death.)
Let me share this excerpt with you. May it help others deal with their grief.
My Friends Sonia and Brenda (Part 1)
Not too long ago, people were reticent about cancer. We would refer to it as “The Big C” and would say it in whispers. But the scourge and rise of the disease has become so severe—the No. 2 cause of death in the U.S. in the year 2007—we now call a spade a spade, so to speak. People openly say, my aunt or uncle or friend or mother or father or grandmother or grandfather has cancer.
It is in this light that I will speak about my friends Sonia and Brenda. They have touched my and other people’s lives on such a grand scale that by writing about them, I hope that many more will be similarly touched.
Sonia and Brenda never met each other. And never will—at least not in this lifetime. But they always come to my mind simultaneously. They had two things in common: faith in God and cancer, in that order.
My Friends Sonia and Brenda (Part 1)
Not too long ago, people were reticent about cancer. We would refer to it as “The Big C” and would say it in whispers. But the scourge and rise of the disease has become so severe—the No. 2 cause of death in the U.S. in the year 2007—we now call a spade a spade, so to speak. People openly say, my aunt or uncle or friend or mother or father or grandmother or grandfather has cancer.
It is in this light that I will speak about my friends Sonia and Brenda. They have touched my and other people’s lives on such a grand scale that by writing about them, I hope that many more will be similarly touched.
Sonia and Brenda never met each other. And never will—at least not in this lifetime. But they always come to my mind simultaneously. They had two things in common: faith in God and cancer, in that order.
2/02/2013
Cockroaches and Motorcycles
Cockroaches. That's the only image I can summon to describe the motorcycles on the road.
The above photo is kinda gross I know, but I needed to upload it to get the point off my chest and join the crusade in abating road deaths.
Like these cockroaches, motorcycles are all over, darting here, there and everywhere. If you want to be stressed, just get on a vehicle and observe them (if you are a passenger, that is; if you are driving, have a third or fourth eye—and a reservoir of patience—to avoid being needled by them).
The above photo is kinda gross I know, but I needed to upload it to get the point off my chest and join the crusade in abating road deaths.
Like these cockroaches, motorcycles are all over, darting here, there and everywhere. If you want to be stressed, just get on a vehicle and observe them (if you are a passenger, that is; if you are driving, have a third or fourth eye—and a reservoir of patience—to avoid being needled by them).
1/29/2013
Dot Dot Dot
Among all the punctuation marks in English, the most unused, misused and abused is the period.
In this confused era of text messaging, Twitter, Facebook, and electronic gadgets, people seem to have taken the period for granted or found it irrelevant. Sometimes, in a long-winding paragraph, it is nowhere to be found. Sometimes, after a phrase, it comes in succession—four or five of them, sometimes more.
The proper use of the period has been trashed for no logical reason. Instead of one dot, people resort to using a series of dots. Sadly, the users are clueless on what the series of dots is called or how to use it properly.
The series of dots, often referred to as “dot dot dot” does have a name. This punctuation mark is called ellipsis.
Grammar books are explicit in saying that an ellipsis is a series or row of three periods (not more, not less).
Here's what The Chicago Manual of Style says:
In this confused era of text messaging, Twitter, Facebook, and electronic gadgets, people seem to have taken the period for granted or found it irrelevant. Sometimes, in a long-winding paragraph, it is nowhere to be found. Sometimes, after a phrase, it comes in succession—four or five of them, sometimes more.
The proper use of the period has been trashed for no logical reason. Instead of one dot, people resort to using a series of dots. Sadly, the users are clueless on what the series of dots is called or how to use it properly.
The series of dots, often referred to as “dot dot dot” does have a name. This punctuation mark is called ellipsis.
Here's what The Chicago Manual of Style says:
1/25/2013
Man and Woman: Take Two
A car cut right in front of ours and my driver slammed on the brakes. He muttered, “Women drivers!”
I looked at the other car's driver and sure enough, it was a woman. “How did you know?”
My driver replied, “Nobody cuts like a woman does.”
1/21/2013
My Heart Exults
Must do: change my header now, just 21 days after I had it up:
Son #2, who was rushed to the emergency room in a Pittsburgh hospital, has been sent home.
1/18/2013
The Face of God
My quiet time today centered on the life of Jacob, the man from whom the 12 tribes of Israel came. He certainly had a dramatic, tele-novela life.
What riveted me most, however, was when he went back to his homeland to seek the forgiveness of his brother, whom he had wronged.
If you remember your Bible, he betrayed his brother Esau at the deathbed of their father. At his mother's prodding, Jacob pretended to be Esau so he could receive their father's blessings.
What riveted me most, however, was when he went back to his homeland to seek the forgiveness of his brother, whom he had wronged.
If you remember your Bible, he betrayed his brother Esau at the deathbed of their father. At his mother's prodding, Jacob pretended to be Esau so he could receive their father's blessings.
1/14/2013
Too Many Bibles?
One can't have too many Bibles—not if they come in different translations.
The reported numbers vary, but it is safe to say that there are over 450 English translations of the Scriptures today, and counting.
I got my 19th Bible translation as a Christmas gift from son #1, JC. It's NLT (New Living Translation), which I already have, but with a difference.
The reported numbers vary, but it is safe to say that there are over 450 English translations of the Scriptures today, and counting.
I got my 19th Bible translation as a Christmas gift from son #1, JC. It's NLT (New Living Translation), which I already have, but with a difference.
1/10/2013
Pure, Purer, Purest
This extraordinary woman of faith breastfed me when I was a baby.
And from now I will talk about her in the past tense with both sadness and joy. She went to be with the Lord on New Year's day at age 98 in Chicago where she lived.
Auntie Pure was my mother's older sister. She and mom gave birth almost at the same time—Auntie Pure had my cousin Lorna just one day ahead of the time my mom had me.
And from now I will talk about her in the past tense with both sadness and joy. She went to be with the Lord on New Year's day at age 98 in Chicago where she lived.
Auntie Pure was my mother's older sister. She and mom gave birth almost at the same time—Auntie Pure had my cousin Lorna just one day ahead of the time my mom had me.
1/06/2013
Should Traditions End?
Everything on earth will end when the Lord comes again.
This is what the Scriptures tell us, but some cousins and I discussed a different kind of ending when we got together again for our 68th annual clan reunion (CLAN-V we call ourselves).
Sadly, we see an ending to this reunion saga somewhere in time—when our generation (third) shall have passed away. The second gen (our parents) was totally wiped out with the death of our lone surviving aunt in Chicago on New Year's day, just a few hours after we closed the last reunion.
This is what the Scriptures tell us, but some cousins and I discussed a different kind of ending when we got together again for our 68th annual clan reunion (CLAN-V we call ourselves).
Sadly, we see an ending to this reunion saga somewhere in time—when our generation (third) shall have passed away. The second gen (our parents) was totally wiped out with the death of our lone surviving aunt in Chicago on New Year's day, just a few hours after we closed the last reunion.
1/02/2013
Year 2013
2012 was another year of the Lord.
Reviewing my past 100 posts, I see all the hills and valleys that gripped our lives in this country. It was an uncommon year.
In all of these seemingly sad circumstances, God's grace has given us happy endings in various forms, which helped us move on to come this far: 2013.
Reviewing my past 100 posts, I see all the hills and valleys that gripped our lives in this country. It was an uncommon year.
In all of these seemingly sad circumstances, God's grace has given us happy endings in various forms, which helped us move on to come this far: 2013.
12/30/2012
Dinner with Eddie Garcia
Am I dreaming?
The Eddie Garcia, best actor of the 55th Asia Pacific Festival and the only hall-of-fame Famas awardee for three categories, materialized in front of me, spoke in basso profundo, and we would have dinner together.
It was for real.
He was actually one of the few invited guests to a Christmas dinner (the first we attended this year) that my friend ALB hosted in her spectacular home. A more apt description of that structure with luxurious interior in an inclusive enclave in Makati is: royal palace.
Through the years, miles and miles of news have been written about Eddie Garcia (now in his 80s), he who has won more awards than any other Filipino actor, and whose name is synonymous to great character acting—all of them well deserved.
The Eddie Garcia, best actor of the 55th Asia Pacific Festival and the only hall-of-fame Famas awardee for three categories, materialized in front of me, spoke in basso profundo, and we would have dinner together.
It was for real.
He was actually one of the few invited guests to a Christmas dinner (the first we attended this year) that my friend ALB hosted in her spectacular home. A more apt description of that structure with luxurious interior in an inclusive enclave in Makati is: royal palace.
Through the years, miles and miles of news have been written about Eddie Garcia (now in his 80s), he who has won more awards than any other Filipino actor, and whose name is synonymous to great character acting—all of them well deserved.
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