Kindergarten Classroom

Due to the many simultaneous activities after the worship service, the women’s Sunday school was assigned the kindergarten room. It has teeny-weeny chairs and tables and lots of colorful images on four walls. 

Methinks it's the perfect room for us.

It seems the Lord willed it, so we could all recognize and accept the fact that we are still in kindergarten level when it comes to intimately knowing the Bible. With every lesson, we learn more—not just facts, but messages we never heard before—and reflect more, which is vital for our spiritual growth. 

Within an hour or less, till the clock strikes 12 noon, we teach and learn from each other with joy. 

As born-again Christians, we already all know and believe in the ABCs: the good news. That’s what makes us kindred souls, fellow pilgrims in our journey towards the Promised land.

But why do we need to know more? This I ask myself Sunday after Sunday, and one photo captured it all.    

Because we should understand the beauty, the depth and breadth of God’s bottomless grace for sinful men. By knowing Him more, we are driven and empowered to share His magnificence to others. 

Below are stolen shots, except for the last two that we deliberately pose for to document our Sunday school day. 

Then the magic of technology makes the kindergarten doodads disappear and replaces them with information of the day’s lesson and activity—for posterity. 

 

This final photo foreshadows amazing things to come. In one or two more Sundays, at the rate we are progressing, we should be accelerated to the higher grade levels. 

What an exciting journey for the women of our village church! If you are within the area, please consider joining us. 

All photos by: Sis Ching

Are You in the Promised Land?

This was a question Pastor Popoy, our speaker in a church gathering for seniors, asked after he spoke of the Israelites’ 40-year journey in the wilderness. He looked at me, and specified my name. 

My knee-jerk reflex answer would have been “Yes!” But I hedged. I didn’t have the right words to explain why and I was afraid of being misunderstood. So I babbled about another part of the lesson. Whew!  

I told him later in confidence what my answer was. And he said, “I knew it. That was why I asked you.” 

To those who have put their faith in Jesus of course know that the Promised Land is heaven, where we will live forever someday as He promised. “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26 NIV) 

While still on terra firma, however, the Promised Land is symbolic of a better place which we reach—after learning about humility, obedience, repentance, and dependence from our wilderness years. 

The Promised Land on earth is a womb where we have made a covenant of faithfulness with God so that we can live out our divine calling. It is where we are singularly focused on Him, using the talents he has entrusted to us for His glory.  

I believe that everyone who wants to reach the Promised Land in this mortal soil needs to be taken into the wilderness first to be sifted and taught the only thing we would ever need: Jesus. 

Like the Israelites, I wandered through the wilderness—and how! 

If I were to write all about those years, I’d end up with a weighty tome.  The wilderness is a life full of complaints, entitlements, failures, arrogance, bitterness, idol worship (fame, fortune, and every ego-boosting thing that the world offers), lack of trust in God, and stubborn hearts. 

In contrast, the Promised Land is where one is content, humbled, totally dependent on God, keeping in step with the Holy Spirit and not wanting more than our daily bread. 

And my earnest prayer is for grace to rein me in the Promised Land, and never let me stray to the wilderness. 

May I repeat Pastor Popoy’s question to friends who may be reading this?  Are you in the Promised Land? 

Philippine Book Festival 2023

Through all the years before the pandemic, I’d traipse around book fairs from the first day to the last. It didn’t matter if I had a scheduled book signing or book talk or not. I was there from opening time till closing time. The thrill of meeting kindred spirits, finding books and stockpiling them in my carry-all was immeasurable. 

But something happened. 

When the The Philippine Book Festival (PBF), held from June 2 to 4 at the World Trade Center,  was announced, my heart didn’t spin beyond control as it used to. I read the announcement cursorily. Next, I got a message from OMF Lit, publisher of many of my books, asking me what day would I be at the book fair for book signing.  I chose only one day—and just for the allotted hour.  

The ad for the book fair was sent to me immediately. 

By all standards, it is inviting. Although I promptly uploaded it to my FB page, my pulse idled at low RPM. 

Then came D-day. With my usual book-fair entourage—sons #1 and #3 and my sister Aie—I hied to the book fair after the worship service.  I stayed in the publisher’s booths signing books and chatting with readers (this was the only part of the whole scenario that perked me up) and not much else. 

The PBS was everything it was hyped to be: “a book experience and the biggest travelling book festival in the country that highlights Filipino books.” A joint project  of the National Book Development Board (NBDB),the National Library of the Philippines and other partner agencies, it was (the crowd was huge) a success.  Sons and Aie had a tall pile of purchases! 

I bought a few books, which I had intended to buy prior to the event, greeted the friends I bumped into, but I didn’t scour the area. I even forgot to take pictures. These photos were sent to me by friends:  

What happened? Age? Pandemic inertia at rest? Loss of interest/energy? Priority re-calibration? Effect of two Covid-19 infections? PTSD?

I can’t put a finger on it. But perhaps the reason/s can be found in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:   

For everything there is a season,

    a time for every activity under heaven.

A time to be born and a time to die.

    A time to plant and a time to harvest.

A time to kill and a time to heal.

    A time to tear down and a time to build up.

A time to cry and a time to laugh.

    A time to grieve and a time to dance.

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.

    A time to embrace and a time to turn away.

A time to search and a time to quit searching.

    A time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear and a time to mend.

    A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

A time to love and a time to hate.

    A time for war and a time for peace.

End of the Road

What a sad, despairing idiom, I used to think whenever I heard it from my American friends (budding stage actors) after an abysmal audition for a role. "End of the road for me." I felt their pain and frustration. It was as though their career had come into a screeching halt. 

I had forgotten all about this idiom when I returned to the Philippines, because I don’t hear this (translation: wala nang pag-asa) at all.  Filipinos are generally optimistic, as reported in annual polls. Despite  difficulties, the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) read, “Forty-five percent of adult Filipinos believe their quality of life will improve in the year ahead . . . resulting in a net personal optimism score of ‘excellent’ . . .” 

Son #3, who went to Tuguegarao for a few days, inadvertently reminded me of this idiom when he sent us this photo and wrote, “End of the road [literally!]. Beyond it is the sea.”

Surprisingly, the idiom made me glad, not sad. 

As I prepare for the women’s Sunday school in church, which I help facilitate, I pore over the Bible with excitement, because it repeatedly assures me that the road never ends for someone who believes in the saving grace of Jesus.  

Isaiah 43:13 (NLT) reads, “From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.”

Jesus says in John 5:24, “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life!” 

Failures are not the end of the road, as many still insist. And hope goes way beyond optimism (pag-asa) for a better life on earth. 

“ . . . we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." (2 Corinthians 4:18)

To those who put their faith in Jesus, there is no such thing—not even earthly death—as end of the road. 

Deo Volente

We may not be familiar with this Latin phrase, but many Christians use its English translation (“God willing” or “If the Lord wills”) to punctuate our statements about our future plans. 

“I will visit my son in the US this summer, God willing.” 

This phrase signifies our total dependence on God’s grace, even after we have done our planning. It emphasizes the fact that no plan will take off without God’s will. And because we utter it through our mouth, with our own voice, we remind ourselves that even if we have the money, the energy, and the time to go to the US this summer, we are absolutely powerless to carry out our plan.  

Likewise, this phrase is not only for us, but also for the unbelievers who hear us say it. They will discover our faith and if they question why we keep saying the phrase, then they are opening the door for us to explain the gift of salvation.   

James wrote in chapter 4, verses15-16, “What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.” 

We all have plans. But if we do not connect to the profound thought of Deo volente, we might be clinging stubbornly to what we can do by ourselves through our own smarts and skills—minus God.  

James warns us in verse 17, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” 

Saying “God willing” is one way we can reject sin and pursue righteousness by acknowledging and submitting to God’s plan for our lives.  Anything and everything hinges on the Lord. 

Why Not Gumamela?

Way below the popularity of the rose, orchids, and other flowers, the gumamela (hibiscus of the Mallow family), seems to be ignored as a gift on Valentine’s Day. It is rarely seen in a bouquet for weddings and other occasions, or as an accent in floral arrangements in public places. 

I ignored it, too, when I was growing up in the province. 

My playmates and I would rave over the scent of rosal, sampaguita, or ilang-ilang. Gumamela? Odorless, it occupied too many spaces—gardens, sidewalk, and fences of homes and buildings. It was so common that it became an ordinary sight, like grass and weeds. 

It wasn’t until the birth of the PINK Wednesday that the gumamela made its presence felt on the Net.  I googled PINK in nature for my Wednesday posts and out came all the PINK of everything—including gumamela—from all over the world! I was overwhelmed by how many varieties this unpopular flower has and how beautiful it actually each one is!

PINK Wednesday, for me, did not stop when Atty. Leni was not proclaimed the president of the Philippines by the Commission on Elections. The PINK things keep popping up on my screen.  

So last Wednesday, I finally gave gumamela the recognition it deserves—on center stage. 

The kind we have in our garden (left) is a combination of pale PINK and magenta.  The rest of the PINK ones are courtesy of the Net. Lovely, aren’t they all? 

And I was wrong about the gumamela not being used for bouquets. Here is a stunning one! In all its PINK splendor. 

 

Beyond PINK, there are hundreds more. These are just some of those I gathered. 

Gumamela is grace—special and extraordinary after all. 

Keturah

 Do you know a Keturah?  

It’s an unusual name. But if you’ve combed through the details of Abraham’s life, then you do. She is usually skipped over in discussions about great women in Bible, but looking closely, we can see why God chose her to produce lasting fruit. 

She was Abraham’s second wife, who bore him six sons. Compared to Sarah, Abraham’s first wife who birthed Isaac; and Hagar, the mother of Abraham’s first son, Ishmael; Keturah is relegated to the background, a minor prop in a stage play. 

Her name is mentioned only three times in the Bible. And yet, Keturah played a huge role through Abraham’s sunset years. 

Three years after Sarah’s death, and Isaac had taken for himself a wife, Abraham (aged 140), married Keturah. 

Their children are named—Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah—but we are not told why Abraham still married at such a late age. We can only surmise, based on what happens to widowers today, that Abraham was an empty-nester and needed company.  

In his declining years, Abraham was blessed with a woman’s care, a circle of six sons, who would become the ancestors of the 12 tribes of Israel, making Abraham “the father of many nations.” 

A single woman marrying a far older widower, Keturah gives us a glimpse of Abraham's last chapter on earth. Although we know nothing about her, the fact that God included her name in Scripture is noteworthy. 

This means that our relationships and the roles we play are important to God. Jesus assured His disciples, “You didn’t choose me; I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” (John 15:16 NLT) 

Keturah produced lasting fruit as Abraham’s second wife, because God’s grace equipped her to do so.  

Photo credit

Choreography

A choreographer is key to any kind of dance—hip-hop, ballet, rock or just a background ensemble in a stage play and other events.  

He plans, composes, and arranges the sequence of steps and moves of dancers, making sure the steps go with the rhythm of sound or music. 

Without a choreographer, there would be chaos—each dancer would be doing his own thing to his own beat. A dancer therefore needs to train continually so he could perform with an ensemble that executes the choreographer’s concept.   

In the same vein, have we ever thought of God as our Choreographer? 

Life is actually a dance. We need to learn steps in sync with His Word, so that we can move to the rhythm of His will.  

We have missteps along the way, but if we continually train to perform His commands and know them by heart, we delight our Choreographer.  

What important steps do we need in our dance of life?   

“You must love the Lord your God and always obey his requirements, decrees, regulations, and commands.” (Deuteronomy 11:1 NLT) 

“Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.” (2 John 6) 

What training must we go through to internalize these steps?  

"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 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." (Hebrews 10:24-25)

“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” (Joshua 1:8) 

Like training in dance, we have to rehearse the steps and movements over and over again till they become a part of us.   

Thoughts to ponder: 

What is my level of intimacy with God’s Word? How is my regular reading of Scripture training me to do the steps God has demonstrated to me? 

R.O.I. vs. Cheerful Giving

Before the offertory in church services, the liturgist usually reads Bible verses on giving. 

A favorite in many churches is Malachi 3:10 (NLT), “’Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!’” 

This is sometimes misinterpreted to mean that the more money you put into the offering bag, the more money you will receive in return—like an R.O.I. (Retun on Investment). That’s why some give big sums, expecting returns sooner or later.  

“We need to correct this wrong motivation to give,” one elder said in a meeting. “Giving is not a business proposition. It is defined in the New Testament as something you do with an open heart, without expecting anything in return. 

He then read 2 Corinthians 9:7, “. . .  decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 

No matter how well intentioned the elder’s proposal was, another elder replied, “Giving to the church work is personal, based on faith. Unfortunately, we cannot compel anyone to give cheerfully. Some treasure their wealth so much that by giving generously, they think they will be doubly compensated.”

The Bible raises a red flag about R.O.I. giving, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” (Matthew 6:21) 

 

That's why Timothy enjoins believers in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, "Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others . . . "  

The desire of a Christian's heart is to trust in God.     

Photo credit: 

Dewi Sri Farm: Encore

One day is simply not enough to take in all the treasures at Dewi Sri, a 10-hectare, Bali-inspired farm in Pila, Laguna. We were there exactly a year ago for an overnight stay. 

Although my heart brimmed with wonders to have written an ode to the place then, I knew there was more to uncover in this hidden paradise, tucked away from the highway.  

This second time around, we stayed for two nights; indeed, the bliss doubled. 

In the province where I grew up, farms were our playground, so the memories of those bygone days come alive at Dewi Sri. As for Tony and my boys—all born and bred in Manila—these are novel experiences and therefore, mind-bending.  

In this resort-farm, the efficient staff and everything else are authentic. Preservatives and chemicals are not welcome. You wake up and turn in with the best in nature surrounding your every move: birds, fowls, fish, flowers, vegetables, trees, rocks, rivers, ponds, fresh air and clear, blue skies. The sights and sounds seem to come directly from the heavens. 

Let me call this encore of a visit a perfect getaway, far from the madding crowd. All-natural and freshly-picked food served on a dining table—open to the scenic terrain—elevate eating from a ritual to a rite.    

Every nook is restful, calm, and an ideal spot for communing with God. I couldn’t take enough photos to show what a healing environment is like. 

Again, we had the pool all to ourselves; the music in our cottage was a chorale magnifique of tweeting birds, clucking chickens, singing geckos, whispering trees, humming waters, and whistling breeze. 

My collage below is just an overture of what you would enjoy at Dewi Sri. No, I am not a paid blogger for this edenic place. I was one paying guest (c/o son #3), but as I have rhapsodized above, every cent was all about the Creator's grace.  

“. . . ask the animals, and they will teach you,

    or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;

or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,

    or let the fish in the sea inform you.

Which of all these does not know

    that the hand of the Lord has done this?

In his hand is the life of every creature

    and the breath of all mankind.”

Job 12:7-10 (NIV) 

Women Miners

Mining?! It is the extraction of valuable treasures and other astronomical objects from the Earth. 

That’s exactly what the women of our church (ages ranging from 27 to 77) are doing every Sunday, online at the height of the  pandemic and face-to-face since a few Sundays ago, as documented below.  

We come together and do spiritual mining from the Bible, the greatest and richest Mine of all.  We extract valuable, astronomical gems found there. And they are endless! As we keep digging, we keep finding more—and more!  

What we learned in Children’s Sunday School or in our daily reading of the Bible are affirmed and enriched, filling us with astounding grace. In a circle, we find friendship, camaraderie, and love for each other in Christ.  

We have just concluded our series on “Second chances.”  Next, we are gearing up for a series on “Finding Christ." 

Meet our church’s women miners—after an hour of poring over the day's lesson and sharing of challenges, epiphany moments, and blessings in our lives.

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” (Hebrews 4:12 NLT)

No Lipstick for Mother: The Backstory

On Mother’s Day this year, my mind traveled back to my book, No Lipstick for Mother (illustrated by Kora Dandan-Albano and published by Hiyas of OMF Lit), which I wrote to encourage children to be proud of their mother. 

It was written before I started blogging so I have not yet shared its backstory. It is no coincidence that I am narrating it only now. The person (wedding godchild,  dear friend, and faith brethren), who inspired the book, suddenly went home to be with Jesus last month. Ironically, he was a father and not the mother who stars in the narrative. But the fact remains: this was written to honor him.  

Caloy had been a faithful member of our church for a long time. He was one of the very few who knew the Bible like the palm of his hand. If one had any question about anything in the good Book, “Ask Caloy.”  He was also a poet—his reflections were in verse form.  

ooo

One hot summer day years ago, before entering the church for the service, I saw him parking his tricycle. Sweat streamed down his flushed face. 

“It is difficult these hot days to drive a tricycle,” I said. 

He replied, “That’s nothing, Ninang, compared to how I feel about what I overheard children were saying about tricycle drivers."     

“What’s that?” I was alarmed. 

“I wish papa would find another job. Driving a tricycle is so embarrassing.” 

Embarrassing?! I screamed the word silently. 

“That hurts more than the sun, the dust, the fumes, and the punishing hours,” he said. 

I was just as hurt. So I did what I like doing best: I wrote about that story. In the process of tweaking, I changed the tricycle driver to a mother (at that time, there was one woman tricycle driver in our village) and used lipstick, which is familiar to every kid, as a metaphor for beauty and to convey vivid imagery. I sent the manuscript to the Palanca Awards and it won first prize in its category. 

Hiyas had the story re-told in Filipino by Dr. Luis Gatmaitan, a Palanca Hall of Fame awardee. 

On Mother’s Day, I thanked God for the life of Caloy, the father who inspired a mother’s story, which by grace, will likewise inspire children to be proud of their parents, who are willing to go through any hardship for their sake.  

"If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord." (Romans 14:8 NLT)

Eve of Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day as we know it today is highly commercialized: flowers, greeting cards, parties, meals in fancy restaurants, and phone calls (more than any other day of the year) for mom.

I plead guilty to this state of disrepair. In advertising, my career for years, we hyped Mother’s Day to boost our clients’ sales. We crafted touching phrases so people would feel some kind of guilt if they scrimped on gifts for their Mom. Manipulative? But my heart cried, Mothers ought to be honored for their unconditional, sacrificial love sans gongs and cymbals.  

Celebrating mothers goes back to the beginning of time—to the first mother on earth: Eve. 

Called the mother of all the living, Eve was different from all of us—she came from a man and had no mother. All women after her came from a mother. 

The first human to fall into sin, Eve understood and suffered loss: loss of innocence when she disobeyed God in Eden; loss of paradise when God sent her and Adam out of the garden; loss of her son Abel when he was murdered by Cain. Worst of all, loss of close relationship with God. 

In Genesis 3:20, we read. “Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.” Let’s summarize what this means: 

1. The mother of all the physically living 

God commanded Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it." From them would come all other human beings. 

But sin intervened. In Genesis 3, God pronounced a curse upon Eve, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing.” And He told Adam that he would return to the ground from which he was taken. 
Yet, even with that death sentence, there was hope: Eve would experience pain in childbearing, but would bear children to be the mother of all human race.  

2. The mother of all the spiritually living

To the serpent, God said in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers.” Spiritual battle! There would be war between the offspring of the serpent, Satan (those who oppose God and His will) and the offspring of Eve (humanity that obeys God).  

What began in Eden continued with Eve’s Cain and Abel, and then Eve’s third seed, Seth, who named his son, Enosh. “At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.” (Genesis 4:26) 

Eve’s godly seed is represented by Seth’s offspring and wicked seed (those who disobey God), by Cain’s offspring.

3. The mother of Christ the Savior 

Eve would become the mother of Christ. God prophesied Christ when He told the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

When Eve and Adam sinned, they were separated from God. Because of His grace, God sent sinful men a Savior: Jesus. That Savior would come through the offspring of Eve.

Satan struck at Jesus’ heel (crucifixion) but Jesus crushed Satan’s head (dying for our sins on the cross and freeing us from Satan and death), so that we could live with God forever.

In celebrating Mother’s Day, may we reflect on the blessings that have come to all mothers through Eve. Like her, we have suffered over losses of various kinds. But the joy of motherhood outweights them all! 

Photo credit (top):  Andreus of iStock; (collage) Pinterest

Seenzoned

This term came with the digital age; it appeared in the urban dictionary sometime in 2016. Seenzoned is when you send someone a cyber message and you know it has been “seen” but you get no response. 

Young people of this generation go berserk when they are seenzoned. “It’s a death knell,” one of my students whined. “It means you are not important to deserve a reply.” 

I tried to appease her, “I get seenzoned often by friends and family and it does not matter. Perhaps they had no time to check their gadgets. Or even if they read my message, a no-reply does not affect our relationship.” 

Ooops, I spoke too soon. 

I was seenzoned by a student leader I never met, but whose online invitation for me to speak about writing in the big university in the south, where she is taking up education, I graciously accepted.  

Without asking for any fee or favor in return, I spoke virtually to over 100 students—most of them studying to be teachers—about why I write: to help instill values among young readers. It was a spirited and fruitful two hours of my time.

After my talk, the student leader wrote a message of thanks on behalf of the school and she committed/offered to send me some souvenir items, among which is a university t-shirt as soon as it is printed. She asked for my address.  

Six months later, the items she promised never came. So I messaged her and asked that perhaps they sent them to the wrong address? (Don’t get me wrong. The  items, for me, are inconsequential. But for future educators reneging on their commitment is dangerous; they will produce students who will emulate them.)

She replied that it was the club president, not her, who was in charge of such, but she will remind him. 

It had been three weeks, and there was no update from her. So I messaged her again, asking what had happened—wishing that as a teacher myself and a writer on grace, I could teach her and her schoolmates the value of commitment. 

Seenzoned. 

And that was like a death knell. My grief has nothing to do with feeling unimportant. It is about young people ignoring values. What happened? Commitment is a promise, a pledge, an obligation, a covenant, and according to son #3, who is a lawyer, “a contract.”  

Sob.

My prayer is that universities educating students to be teachers would emphasize the importance of moral values. Without them, the world of our children and their students would be in a state of meltdown.    

Beautiful Forever

For me, the ultimate magicians on this planet are  make-up artists. They can make any ordinary-looking woman extraordinarily beautiful. They can vanish crow's feet, wrinkles, skin blemishes, misshapen eyebrows, and pug noses right before your eyes. 

When I was still in advertising, I saw how make-up artists performed their magic. During a TV commercial shoot, they would work on the faces of our on-camera talents. In an hour or so, these talents would look like a million bucks!

After the shoot, just a few hours later when everyone had changed back to casual clothes and washed their faces—well, the magic went poof. That's how temporary make-up is. No wonder many celebrities lug magicians wherever they go!

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 9:8: 

He wanted the people of Corinth to avoid focusing on the external, which is temporary. When we focus on life in eternity, we can better accept skin blemishes and facial imperfections. Wrinkles, sagging jowls, and pock marks, which often cause aging women to panic, do not matter in eternity.

Beyond sorrows on earth are the joys in heaven. Insecurities about one’s physical imperfections and signs of aging will end; because in heaven, these anxieties are vanished. With God, everything and anything is beautiful—forever!

Lord, help me realize that physical imperfections do not make me less of a person. Help me see myself through Your eyes. And please make me look forward to the awesome beauty of forever. Amen. 

(The above devo is is an excerpt from "Grace Found Me," a recipient of the 2012 Gintong Aklat [Golden Book] Award, Inspirational Category, from the Book Development Association of the Philippines.) 

Being Nice

“A lemon!” Mercy described the smart phone she bought on sale with her first paycheck.  It was only one-week old and already it went pffft—zero incoming calls. 

Naturally, she was livid, and prepared to demand an explanation from the store. Her mother cautioned her, “Hey, be nice. Just explain what the problem is. Remember, a scowl begets a scowl and a smile- ”   

“ - begets a smile,” Mercy replied. “Okay, Mom, they might do something nice in return.”   

“Mercy, being nice is not about getting something in return. It’s how children of God should behave.  You will just annoy people by being difficult.”    

Mercy reined in her temper at the store. She patiently explained to the salesman what had happened to her phone. 

“I am sorry, Ma’am, but . . .” 

“Please, let me talk to your manager . . .”  

Because Mercy was nice, the sales clerk called the manager. Again, Mercy patiently explained her problem.  

The manager said, “Thank you for being so gracious, Ma’am. I wish all customers were like you. Let me call the head office.”  

After the call, the manager said, “We’ll service your phone and give you a temporary phone to use meanwhile.”   

Mercy happily narrated to her Mom the favor she got from the manager.  

The attitude of Mercy epitomizes Ephesians 5:8-9 (NLT), “. . . once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.” 

Colossians 4:6 is specific on what God’s people should do, “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” 

Under annoying circumstances, one needs enormous effort, an extra package of grace, to remain nice. But we need to keep trying and behave as as people of light. 

Viral: Surge of Social Currency

In recent years, there have been diverse definitions of this “new” buzzword: Social currency.  And now, it is also equated with money. 

Quickly defined, social currency is the personal assets and attributes of a person that help him/her raise his status/reputation in the eyes of others.  

The term is commonly used for online social networks, but it also refers to real life and the online/physical hybrid environment in which we live today. It is associated with “like” (thumbs up, heart, embrace, and wow emojis; and number of followers) we receive that elate us. That’s why we take pains in uploading only our “good” side.  

Those ”likes” today are monetized by advertizers. 

This blog is hardly that. It is simply about one post of Tony that shocked him when he got more than 10 “likes” (the highest he ever got for one post). He got over 5,000 likes! 

Unbelievable. 

He posted this photo with a caption on how the book reveals devastating truths about our country that the public is not aware of.  

I teased him, “Now you’re rich!” 

“Rich?” 

“Yeah, your social currency surged beyond your imagination.” 

“Did I go viral?” 

“Not yet. Try reaching 10,000,” I dashed his hope.

This post has little to do with Tony (my camera has no filter), but a lot with Maria Ressa, the author. 

If you are updated on Philippine journalism, you must know her. Let me lift some data from write-ups about her: 

“Maria is the CEO and president of Rappler, the top digital only news site that is leading the fight for press freedom in the Philippines. She has endured constant political harassment and arrests by the Duterte government, forced to post bail ten times to stay free. 

“In October 2021, Maria was one of two journalists awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her ‘efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.’

“She was named one of Time Magazine’s 2018 Person of the Year, was among its 100 Most Influential People of 2019, and one of Time's Most Influential Women of the Century. She was also part of the BBC's 100 most inspiring and influential women of 2019 and Prospect magazine's World's top 50 thinkers. In 2020 . . . "  

Plus tons more. 

Tony lent the book to me after he read it. I couldn’t put it down, sobbing through many of the pages. I can’t write all my reasons why, but if you love our country and have read the book, with its documented details of human rights abuses, you know why. 

We leave our beloved Philippines in God’s hand. The injustices will further escalate (end times), but grace with sail us through.   

Wandering Mind

Busy people’s plates are always so full that their minds tend to wander. In a poll of 2,000 people conducted in the UK for Avery Office & Consumer Products sometime ago, busy people forget an average of five important facts/tasks every day.  

Some of the top answers on what people forget are: calling people back; replying to emails; colleagues’ names; cellphones; reading glasses; and files on the printer. 

Bonnie (an accountant for various firms) shared this story. “I was frantically looking for my 

reading glasses everywhere, only to be told it was perched on my head.” 

Does that sound familiar? On occasion, we find ourselves drifting, causing people we’re conversing with to ask, “Hey, are you still there?” 

There is an old hymn that speaks of wandering mind: "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” written by Robert Robinson in 1757.  The lyrics say,  “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.” 

This hymn is about the writer not focusing his heart and mind on the Savior who so loves him. He is in good company. He has busy us and Apostle Paul. “I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” (Romans 7:19 NLT)  

Then there’s King David who had the same lament, “I have tried hard to find you—don’t let me wander from your commands.” (Psalm 119:10) 

There are too many distractions in this digitized life when we desperately want to go back to our Anchor. Even when our hearts long to seek Him, our wandering mind draws us away.  

We ask, we beg, for the Lord's restraining grace when our minds stray!  

Recluse No More

For three years since the pandemic began, I had been a recluse by choice. I didn’t want to risk it—with the coronavirus haunting us. Tony has comorbidities that I didn’t want to compromise. Except for one family reunion of about 13 people in an Airbnb  on Christmas, I attended church online and taught Sunday School online as well. 

Now that the health protocols have slackened, with many people no longer apprehended for not wearing masks, I decided to attend the opening of the art exhibit of a dear friend and former colleague, Caloy. 

It was like breaking a three-year fast. 

One other friend suggested that we meet up on that same date, at an earlier hour, to “launch” my book, “Teacher in Me” (written at the height of the pandemic and published by CSM Publishing), among close friends within the area. 

I prepared early, making sure I had a signed copy for everyone.  

And so it happened! We met at Jaeu, a Japanese-European resto in the mall. It was fun, nostalgic, and heartwarming: a grace gathering I wouldn't miss for the world.  

We reminisced, ate, laughed, cried a little, and exchanged gifts through a raffle. 

Then we headed to Metanoia, Caloy’s exquisite art exhibit. More chit-chats, reminiscing, and re-connecting, frozen for posterity in my heart and in these photos: 

Someone once said, friends make us laugh a lttle harder, cry a little less, and smile a lot more.  Indeed! And if I may add . . . they break you loose from being a recluse. 

Pandemic Soul and Sole

Both my soul and my sole graphically illustrate how the three-year pandemic had been for me: stark contrast between worldly pleasures and spiritual treasures. 

The world was in a panic, rushing to discover a vaccine/cure that can manage the Covid-19 virus. 

While at that, my own outer world stopped. Book publishing, which is 90% of my concerns, could not move forward as offices and printing presses closed shop. My part-time teaching job, our family business (medical transcription school), activities such as clan reunions, book talks, church worship and fellowship, etc. were put on hold until . . .?   

SOUL: Since we were at home 24/7 due to health protocols, days blended into nights. It did not matter what time we woke up and what time we went to bed. For the first time, our family broke bread together—morning, noon, and night. Tony and I bonded like we never had before—talking and laughing about anything under the sun. Schedules did not matter because routine was scrapped. 

I was not worried about death or sickness, but concerned about how to manage both. Hospitals and funeral parlors overflowed. Meanwhile, friends were dying here and abroad. Messages of death and anguish filled social media. 

But I knew that by grace, a new day, hope, would never leave, as captured by award-winning artist Glen McGraw’s “PINK Sunrise.”  The tide rolls; the sun shines.

 

I got busy helping with the PINK political campaign of VP Leni, the presidential candidate who symbolized hope. 

I wrote hundreds of hopeful blogs and three books on grace, even if there was no prospect of any ever being published. My Sunday school class for women required me to study Scripture and Theology closely.

Yes, my inner world kept going. There was movement in my soul. 

SOLE: All material things that are worn when going out to face humanity stayed put inside boxes and closets. The new footwear I bought before the pandemic was left idle and untouched. 

None, no movement for my sole. 

ooo

On the first day of face-to-face classes, I shook the dust off my blazers, bags, jewelry, and shoes. While spiritedly lecturing on consumer behavior such as materialism, of all topics, I tripped and fell down the floor. The culprit? My sole! 

It is all too clear, worldly pleasures do not last; spiritual treasures do. 

"Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." (Matthew 6:20-21)

Apostrophe Amore

There seems to be a love affair between the apostrophe and a number of people. This obsession to put an apostrophe before the final “s” in a regular plural noun, where it shouldn’t be, is beyond my comprehension. I think I need brain surgery to understand this mystery.  

Among all the punctuation marks I review (yes, review, because all my students have gone through high school where grammar is drilled into their system) in my English classes, the use of apostrophe is the most difficult to teach and for many students to re-learn or unlearn. 

Any dictionary tells us that an apostrophe is a punctuation mark used to indicate only two things: 

1) possession or ownership (e.g., Karen’s sons);

2) omission of letters or numbers (e.g., isn't; class of ’99).  

Outside of those two, amore for the apostrophe must end. 

However, it is totally different with God. 

To Christians, “s” is never added to God, because there is only ONE God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit. 

Should we add an “s,” then an apostrophe is a must!  God owns everything and therefore, the format is . . . God’s grace, God’s people . . . God’s ad infinitum, indicating possession. 

“For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.” Romans 11:36 (NLT) 

When we refer to God, let’s fall in love with the apostrophe, the punctuation mark that shows He possesses and owns all.

One-upmanship

We have all met the likes of an I-am-better-than-you personality. They are in our circles, in public places, proclaiming their greatness. They just have to be better than anyone. 

Let’s listen to this conversation between Red and Green:  

Green could be telling the truth, but why make Red feel small?  

One-upmanship originated in sports. It is the practice of successively outdoing a competitor by discomfiting him. The term has since been used for any assertion of superiority. 

Its opposite is humility, a trait or an attitude the Bible encourages everyone to pursue. Being humble doesn't mean to think less of yourself, but to think of yourself less. You can have strong self-esteem but not brag or make a big deal of yourself to others. 

According to psychologists, it is often people with low self-esteem that feel the need to practise one-upmanship to make themselves feel better.  

The Lord longs to lead His children toward humility. His Book tells us, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” (Philippians 2:3 NLT)  

We also read in Proverbs 11:2, “Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

If Jesus, the Creator of the universe, was humble, why can’t we—His mere creation—do the same? 

This verse echoes all the others that admonish us when there is a temptation to act like Green.   

“Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!”  (Romans 12:16) 

photo credit 

State-of-the-art CCTV

CCTV (Closed Circuit TV), a surveillance system with cameras, recorders and monitors, has so fascinated me, I wrote a blog about it sometime ago. 

This modern contraption is able to do many things more quickly than a human being can: apprehend speedsters on the highway, catch thieves, cheaters, bullies, and all kinds of offenders in any place where it is installed. 

There are different brands and models of CCTV—the higher the cost, the better it can “see” and “hear.” Yet, the CCTV, no matter how technologically advanced, is not foolproof. It can only catch action and hear sounds within a certain range.  

There is a state-of-the art CCTV that can see all, hear all, feel all, taste all, smell all, and know all—including what goes on inside of us: God.     

He is omnipotent (all-powerful). He is omniscient (all-knowing). He is omnipresent (all-present). There is no way anyone can hide any sin from Him. 

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.” (Hebrews 4:13 NLT) 

We can only describe the things He can do, but no artist, not even the great masters, can render them visually. I found two that capture a few dimensions of Him.  

While He sees what we do wrong, He also sees what we do right.  

He holds the universe (plural, as astronomers have recently discovered that there are many) in the palm of His hand.  

 

In Scripture, we read that in the temple one day, Jesus noted that many rich people put in large amounts of money in the collection box. 

In contrast, a poor widow dropped in two small coins. Jesus told His disciples, “. . . this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”  (Mark 12:41-44) 

 

God also hears our silent, private prayers. “. . . your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!" (Matthew 6:6-8) 

What’s best is, this state-of-the-art, divine CCTV sees every heart and fills those that are committed to Him with grace.  

“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him . . .” (2 Chronicles 16:9) 

No CCTV, not even a future invention (with advances in artificial intelligence and technology), will compare or even come close to what God sees, feels, hears, tastes, smells, and knows for eternity.