God Is For Us

Romans 8:28-39
What is your form of communication with your significant other? Back in the day, we would write letters and have a messenger carry that letter to the person that we wrote to. Then we had the post office, which was a little faster than the messenger. Then the phone was invented, and later on text messages. Now that we have the internet, we can communicate through email, social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and video messaging like Skype or Facetime. If you have a significant other, what is your medium of communication?

God communicates to us through the Bible and the Holy Spirit. How do you view the Bible? Is it just another book? A religious object? The truth is that the Bible is God's letter to human kind. Every book points to His only Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible is not a religious object because Jesus was not about religion. I don't know how it is like to grow up under the influence of another "religion," but I learned throughout the years that true Christianity is about having a relationship with Christ and following Him. The meaning of religion, which means "to tie again," has changed. Something needed to be tied again because it was broken by sin. A perfect relationship with God was broken in the Garden of Eden because of sin. Our sin separates us from God. What God offers according to His Word, the Bible, is Jesus Christ. It says in John 3:16 that "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in HIm will not perish, but have everlasting life."

The Bible tells us that God is for us in Romans 8:31. If you were crazy enough to sacrifice YOUR son/daughter for a criminal, what else would you be willing to give up? God's love is crazy enough that He didn't spare His only Son for you and me. God truly is for us because He thought of us before we were even created and He gave us a destination. He has a plan for you but it starts with YOU making a CHOICE to love Him (Romans 8:28). When we make a choice to love someone, we start a relationship. It is the same with Christ.

God is calling us and it goes back to the cross. The cross is screaming salvation, hope, peace, restoration, and redemption. If Jesus was able to conquer death, sin, and hell, what else can stand against Him? When you allow Jesus to become your identity, when He becomes YOUR salvation and strength, YOUR peace and hope, YOUR restoration and redemption, who can stand against you? Even if the enemy will stand against you, Jesus will always be the VICTORIOUS ONE (Romans 8:34).

Christ's love will WORK FOR YOU because when you receive it, nothing can separate you from it. All you need to do is to have a sincere and humble heart to receive His love, mercy, and grace.

The Midget Tax Collector

Text: Luke 19:1-10

What would you do to meet a celebrity? Taylor Swift, a famous pop/country artist, goes out of her way to show appreciation for her fans. On June 2011, Taylor Swift did a 13-hour meet and greet with her fans just so everyone who wanted to meet her could. While she was driving by the mall, she saw a teen wearing one of her tour T-shirts. She made a quick u-turn and searched for the girl inside the mall. After a few minutes of searching, she found the 11-year old girl inside a video game store and introduced herself to her and says, "Oh, hi. I wanted to meet you." The girl was speechless for about 3 minutes. Her mom walks over bursting into tears and explains to Taylor Swift that she drove all the way from Austin, Texas just to see her in concert.

In the first 10 verses of Luke 19, we read about the story of Zaccheus. His name literally means "pure" but everyone hated Zaccheus because he was a publican/tax collector and he was rich. He heard that Jesus was coming to town and he was interested in seeing Him. In the previous chapters in Luke, Jesus performed miracles: He made the lepers clean; He heals the servant of a centurion; He feeds a multitude by the thousands. Whatever miracle Jesus did for other people, Zaccheus wanted it for himself. As a matter of fact, Zaccheus was so interested in Jesus that he had the sense of urgency to find the nearest tree just so he can have a physical sight of Jesus. However, the Son of Man wanted to give Him more than than. Zaccheus had enough faith to not be embarrassed about seeking Jesus. Think about it. A lot of things could have gone wrong that day but Zaccheus was focused on seeing Jesus. A midget tax collector climbing a sycamore tree could have fallen in front of hundreds of people, but that wasn't even on his mind. But before Zaccheus even heard of Jesus, God had a plan to change his life. Jesus would bless Zaccheus' house with His presence in front of a multitude in Jericho to show them that the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost.
The same message applies to you. God has a plan for you even before you heard of Him and made a decision to receive Him joyfully in your life. In Romans 8:27-30, it says that He has a plan for those who love Him, and love starts with a relationship.

The Impact of $5 in 2 hours.

At the moment I am shaking from hunger. Maybe I need a McChicken. I haven't eaten lunch because this idea of handing out free sandwiches has been consumed my mind last Tuesday. I am already seeing results starting in my work. We started a collecting jar in my work and we named it Kickface the Bear and its belly is getting bigger everyday!

I wanted to share this idea to a very good friend of mine, Daniella, my brother Ej, and James. Just a day ago, I saw her tweet about wanting Tim Hortons. I saw it as an opportunity to do another local mission trip and share about Mission McChicken. When we think of the words "mission trip," some of us if not most of us think about going to a third world country like Africa, Belize and Guatemala, or Ecuador. For me, doing missions is a lifestyle. It is not limited to one, two, or three weeks of your summer when you decide to go reach out to the poor in another country. My mission site is here, 10 feet away from my lawn. My mission site is here in the heart of the city in Detroit. My mission site is in the drive-thru of Tim Hortons and McDonald's. It says in Matthew 5:13-16 that "we are the salt of the earth." We need to be the flavor in this bland world of leftovers. We can simply do that by sharing or paying for someone's meal in a restaurant or in the drive-thru.

After a few verses and a little motivational speech about faith, we decided to act on the idea of making someone's day by paying for their meal. It was socially awkward for them, but they loved the fact that it would bother someone that a stranger bought their meal. I bought them 5 McChickens to start with and they were very excited to hand them out. We started praying for "the right person" to be the recipient of the blessing. When we saw a boy walking down Telegraph, we offered it to him--he said, "no thanks." We didn't let that discourage us. We were still excited as we were on our way back to the church. We had to tell our other friends about this mission and we did. The kids were excited to be a part of it--so excited that they decided to take the bag of McChickens and attempt to stop cars passing by the road in front of the church just so they can share the blessings. It reminded me of what Jesus what talking about in the Bible--childlike faith that believes. For the kids, it wasn't just a belief because they ACTED in something that they believed in--hence, it's faith.

I decided to take a different approach. My car was running out of gas so I decided to take Daniella and Arielle with me to the gas station, praying that we can be a blessing to someone. When we pulled up, there were two boys in front of the store with their bikes. Daniella's eyes lit up with joy when he saw them. It was now her opportunity to share! Daniella and Arielle hesitantly walked towards them in awkwardness, paused, and then said hi. With the McChicken in her hand, she straightens out her arm and hands the sandwich. They exchanged a few words and walked in glee back towards the car. "That was awesome!" says Daniella. "If we can do it once, we can do it again!" says Arielle. I was in awe. That was totally kickface.
We decided to go back to the church to get the rest of the McChickens. This time, I brought James and EJ with me. As we were on our way back to the gas station, we prayed that the boys will still be there. We pulled up to the gas station and there they were--with 3 or 4 more of their friends! As we drove by them, EJ recognized that they were his friends. Such a small world that we live in. It turns out that they go to school with EJ. They gave the rest of the McChickens to them. They were suspicious at first, thinking that we put something in the sandwiches, but they eventually finished the sandwiches before we can even pull out of the gas station.

The kids were very excited to be part of this short-term mission trip. They are now forming more ideas with what they want to do in their schools, possibly starting a Christian club so they can be a blessing to their classmates. I am also very excited for by brother because a door has been opened for him to share his faith.
I hope that you have been blessed by this story and I pray that you will be a part of Mission McChicken.

Mission McChicken

A few weeks ago, I decided to meet up with two of my friends in a coffee shop. What started as an innocent get together with my friends turned out to be a time to ventilate about our frustrations in life, specifically our financial struggles. As we evaluated our money spending, we realized that we could be saving so much money but instead we like to waste it on overrated things. Like Starbucks. We started comparing our dollar currency with McChickens. For example, if we bought a Frappuccino, we would be spending around $5 on an overrated drink. It's selfishness if you think about it. I could be buying 5 McChickens at the dollar menu and made 5 people happy. I could have been at downtown Detroit and made 5 friends who desperately needed the sandwich. Well, a couple weeks later, I found out that my co-worker broke up with her boyfriend. She was feeling depressed so she decided to go out and spend $200 on going out and getting drunk off her face. I said to myself, "Why would you spend $200 on a glorified hangover? I can just punch you in the face for free and it would feel just the same.."
Soon, a thought came to my head. Two-hundred dollars equal 200 McChickens! If I save up 200 McChickens, I can make 200 new friends in downtown Detroit around Christmas time!
I was too excited. I couldn't wait til Christmas to hand out a sandwich. If I let 5 weeks pass by, a person could be dead by starvation by then. I proposed a plan with my friends and decided to challenge them on a McChicken War. Basically, we would have a friendly competition of handing out McChickens to as many people as we can. We started it this week and so far it has been good. I decided to go to McDonald's and buy 5 McChickens this week..2 for me, 1 for my brother, and one for my neighbor. I went to the drive-thru and also decided to pay for the person's meal behind me. It was 2 random acts of kindness that will make anyone's day.
So. I challenge you guys to do the same thing. Please help #MissionMcChicken (trending topic at twitter--follow me! @eliezersagansay) become international in less than a week! I would love to see you post up some photos/videos/statuses reaching out to people. Remember, the lad in the Bible gave Jesus 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread and He turned it into a life changing miracle. If we can spend $20 (pounds) on McChickens, that's like 4O BREADS AND 20 CHICKENS that God can use to bring glory to Himself. God can use a McChicken to be a bridge to a new relationship. :-

“TATAY BOSI”

02- 15- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (John 14:1- 6)
“TATAY BOSI”
1- “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2- In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3- And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4- And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5- Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6- Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
“Tatay” is the tagalog word for “father”, “dad” or “papa”. He is commonly known as “Tatay Bosi” or “Tatay Pedro or Pete”. He is not as popular as Billy Graham or he is not as popular as Dr. Gavino S. Tica but he is the man. He was used by the Lord in a very special way. He has no PHD or Bachelor degree, but he made it in life and he had accomplished what others were not able to do so in spite of their money, degrees and resources in life. He did not start a church or pastor a church, but he is surrounded by pastors and Christian workers in their family circle. Tatay Bosi is from Tuguegarao, Philippines who was raised in a very poor family. Tatay shared to me few years ago that he was an orphan. He grew up not knowing his parents, but tatay is not like some of those kids you know who became a problem in the community. He is not a highly intellectual person, but he knew what he was doing and he is smart. Actually, Tatay Bosi is a World War II veteran. He fought for our freedom and he gave his life for us so we can enjoy the freedom that we have right now in the Philippines and the United States of America. Tatay Bosi raised his children from the Province of Cagayan Valley in Luzon, Philippines. Some of his children, grand children and great grand children are pastors or pastor’s wife, leaders or deacons or Christian workers. Tatay is now living in the United States of America with his wife and some of his children. Some of Tatay’s children, grand children and great grand children are in Canada or at least overseas. I remember Tatay shared to me in the nineties that he would be happy if he would die in his seventies. I said, “Tatay, God can give you more than that and you can even ask Him to give you life ‘til you reach a hundred years old.” And Tatay said, “I don’t want to live that long…” I said, “How about 87 or 97?” He said, “I want to die before I lost my eyesight, or the word that he used was “useless” in tagalong “inutil”. Tatay is a very positive person except for that day when he shared to me that it would not be good for him to live long and be a burden to his family. Tatay is in his eighties and he loves to cook, loves gardening and cut the grass, clean up the church and the surroundings, and he loves to call me and ask me to drive him to the store or the Salvation Army. Last week Tatay said, “I can’t go out right now because it’s snowing hard and I’m looking forward of sitting next to you Pastor (Ely) and drive me to the Thrift Store. Tatay is very weak because he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Today it’s Tatay Bosi’s birthday and the churches and the brethren from around Michigan and Windsor, Canada have joined hand together for a special tribute to him. This is a tribute to an unknown or unsung hero; who made a difference through his life and the life of his children and grand kids. His name is Tatay Pedro Bosi of Dearborn, Michigan. God Bless you and you are special to my family (The Sagansay family) and my church. Happy Birthday!!!
(Titus 2:13) “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14- Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. ”

DOES FAITH AND SUFFERING COME TOGETHER?

02- 14- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Hebrews 11:31- 40)
DOES FAITH AND SUFFERING COME TOGETHER?
31- “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. 32- And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33- Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34- Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35- Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36- And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37- They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, 38- (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39- And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40- God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”
Does faith and suffering come together? Are they siblings or husband and wife? It’s interesting that when an individual come to Christ by faith for salvation, after that comes the trials and sufferings. Here in our text, we can see how these people were able to go through suffering and pain while at the same time exercising their faith in God. I call them the conquerors and the over comer. They conquered and were able to overcome all kinds of hurdles, persecution and suffering for the sake of Christ. They went through a lot and it was something that some of the Christians of this present time could not even stand and may not even go through. It’s very unfortunate that we all have faith but we don’t stand for God in times of suffering. As believers, your faith and suffering means success and blessings especially if you endure the tribulation by the grace of God. During the times of the prophets and the Old Testament Christians; the swords, the fire, the lions and the mocking and the stones are part of their being the servants of God. (Philippians 1:28- 30) 28- “And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 29- For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 30- Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”

WHERE HAVE ALL THE HEROES GONE?

MI DAILY DEVOTION (Hebrews 11:1; 39- 40)
WHERE HAVE ALL THE HEROES GONE?
1- “For by it the elders obtained a good report. 39- And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40- God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”
I’ve taken this phrase from John C. Maxwell book “Think on These Things”. “Where have all the heroes gone?” It’s very true and relevant question for all of us. Our young people and children look at some of the Hollywood stars as their heroes and role model. It’s so obvious that some of the Hollywood stars are not concern about moral values, don’t believe in God and others don’t even exercise religion. Some of those who are so called stars in the Hollywood would even practice same sex marriage or supports the idea of same sex marriage. But our youth look at them as their heroes and role model. They copy and even live up to the words of these people. In the spiritual or religious realm, we have the same things going on right now both in churches and religious organizations. I remember when I was in a Bible College where the President of the said institution was being modeled by many students. They copied the way he preached, his preaching and his mannerism and even his life and personality. I like and love him but I’m a different person with different personality, so when I was learning and growing as a minister I said to myself; “I’m not going to do other students are doing, I want to be different…” I’m not Dr. Gavino S. Tica and I will be different. Our heroes should be the Lord Jesus Christ, the prophets and the Lord’s disciples who lived up to the standard of the Word of God and who was an example of His love and passion. As Christians, we should follow the Lord and follow the example of the pastors and man of God who lives and love the Lord and His Word. We are vulnerable to sin, temptation and even failures and mistakes, but we can be different. We good and great athletes like Manny Pacquiao or Michael Jordan. We have great singers in the secular world and best and talented singers in the spiritual world like Scott Wesley Brown, Steve Green or Amy Grant and others who lived up the Word of God. I have some of my friends on Facebook that are my heroes as Christian singers and talented individual. So the question would be, “Where have all the heroes gone?” (I Peter 1:14- 16) 14- “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15- But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16- Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

GOD IS LOOKING FOR A MAN WHO IS WILLING TO SEPARA

02- 11- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Ezekiel 22:30; II Corinthians 6:16- 17)

GOD IS LOOKING FOR A MAN WHO IS WILLING TO SEPARATE…

22- “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” 16- “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17- Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,”

God is looking for a man who is willing to be separated from the world and its evil system. God is a just, holy and righteous God and He will not use a man or a woman who are not willing to separate from evil. There’s a big difference between a separatists and a man separated from the worldly system. You must be clean and a vessel that is pleasing to God. In as much as we don’t want to use a dirty plate or cup; the Lord who is Holy and just will not use a Christian who is not living his /her life accordingly, or according to the Word of God and according to the will of God. (I Timothy 3:7; 6:11; II Timothy 2:20- 21) “Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 20- But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 21- If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.”

The Apostle Paul said in (Romans 12:1- 2)1- “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2- And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” It’s just so easy to blend in with the crowd, but to be someone who would want to make a difference and who is willing to stand up for God is something that you really need the courage, integrity and the dignity. You need to be strong to be able to stand up for what is right and for the glory of God. Living in righteousness and in holiness is not an overnight thing. You need to have the love, passion and dedication for God. You need the grace of God to be able to stand up for what is right and noble.

(I Corinthians 6:15- ) 15- “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16- What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. 17- But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 18- Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19- What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20- For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”

LOVE… IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM!

LOVE… IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM!

by ELY R. SAGANSAY on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at 9:18pm

02- 09- 11MI DAILY DEVOTION (Mark 4:35- 41)
LOVE… IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM!
35- And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36- And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37- And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38- And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39- And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40- And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41- And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
If you will imagine yourself being in the shoes of the Psalmist who may have the same feelings as the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ when they were under pressure and troubles. We can always overcome by the grace of God. I hope and pray that you will read and meditate on this from your heart.
(Psalm 88:1-18) 1- “A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: 2- Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; 3- For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. 4- I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength: 5- Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand. 6- Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. 7- Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah. 8- Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth. 9- Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.  10- Wilt thou show wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah. 11- Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction? 12- Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? 13- But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee. 14- LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me? 15- I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted. 16- Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off. 17- They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together. 18- Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.”

Pursue

I want to start this blog with a confession. I confess that Jesus is the Savior of the world and He is my LORD.

I John 4
¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. ¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

Anything that Jesus has ever said exposes the human heart. He knows our deepest thoughts, our needs and wants. He knows that human heart is evil. There is no one that is righteous-- not one. When God sent His Son, He knew that we would betray Him, even after showing His greatest act of love--dying on the cross for our sins.

It breaks my heart to see that God continues to pursue us even when we continue to reject Him. I think it's because Jesus is the truth and we can't handle it. Jesus has the ability to show us that we are total crap but somehow He does it with grace. Only He can do that because He is God and He lived a perfect life on earth.

Amazing.

He continues to show us His goodness and faithfulness everyday in spite of who we are. Take a second to reflect and thank God for His goodness.

Thank You Lord Jesus for Your mercy and grace! 

The Power of One

It's amazing how one man's life can impact so many lives, including mine. A man that had a very intimate relationship with God just died this week. He was a man after God's heart. He was equipped by God with the brains, the humor, and the leadership--and he used it all for God's glory. He did it for the advancement of His kingdom. He left a great legacy behind when he left earth to step into eternity with his Creator.

Dr. Gavino Tica is like the apostle Paul of the Philippines. I consider him as the greatest missionary that ever lived in the Philippines. I remember growing up in the Philippines and remembering that name from time to time. I've heard the stories of how pastors like my dad, my godfather, my uncle, and their friends went through a seminary school (Bible) under the leadership of Dr. Tica. It was like military--the biggest challenge of my dad's life in the ministry, but he is very thankful for going through that.
My dad and mom went to International Baptist Theological College.
I would say that IBTC is like going through boot camp for the Navy Seal. I would say that anyone who made it through IBTC can make it through any problem in the ministry. Thanks to Dr. Tica, who gave his life fully for the glory of God, we have pastors all over the Philippines and even in different parts of the world who serve God faithfully. It was partly because of Dr. Gavino Tica that I am where I am today. He obviously has impacted the my parents' life. If they didn't meet in IBTC, I wouldn't be here--literally.
Thank you, Dr. Gavino Tica. You put faith into action when you decided to follow Christ. Because of you, many have surrendered their life to Christ and followed Him in their calling to the ministry.

I Trust You

It gives me relief knowing that there is Someone who is in control. I know that things can be beyond my control, even myself. I know that whatever happens in my life happens for a reason. Thank You God!

I Trust You by James Fortune

(verse)
even though i can't see
and i can't feel your touch
i will trust you lord
how i love you so much
though my nights my seem long
and i feel so alone
lord my trust is in you
i surrender to you

(bridge)
so many painful thoughts
travel through my mind
and i wonder how
i will make it through this time

(chorus)
but i trust you
lord it's not easy
sometimes the pain in my life
makes you seem far away
but i'll trust you
i need to know you're here
through the tears and the pain
through the heartache and rain

i'll trust you

(verse 2)
everything that i see
tells me not to believe
but i'll trust you lord
you have never failed me

my past still controls me
will this hurt ever leave?
i can only trust you
no one else like you do

pictures

No More Nights by David Phelps 

The timeless theme, earth and
heaven will pass away. It's not a
dream, God will make all things
new that day. Gone is the curse
from which I stumbled and fell.
Evil is banished to eternal hell.

No more night. No more pain.
No more tears. Never crying
again. And praises to the great "I
AM." We will live in the light of
the risen Lamb.

See all around, now the nations
bow down to sing. The only
sound is the praises to Christ,
our King. Slowly the names from
the book are read. I know the
King, so there's no need to dread.

No more night. No more pain.
No more tears. Never crying
again. And praises to the great "I
AM." We will live in the light of
the risen Lamb.

See over there, there's a mansion,
oh that's prepared just for me,
where I will live with my savior
eternally.

No more night. No more pain.
No more tears. Never crying
again. And praises to the great "I
AM." We will live in the light of
the risen Lamb.

All praises to the great "I AM."
We're gonna live in the light of
the risen Lamb.

 

Looking at an image of someone that means so much to you gives you memories. Sometimes it brings back emotions that you want to feel again. Sometimes it doesn't and what you feel is grief or pain because it seems that you've lost that person...or maybe you have if you've lost someone because of death. Emotions are only temporary compared to the fullness of eternity. It may hurt now, but what we have beyond this life is incomparable to what we will have for eternity. It gives me hope when we look forward to a life after death with Jesus. No more tears, no more pain.

Emannuel

We take worship for granted, especially in the United States. We are very blessed to be in a country where we can worship freely. Unfortunately, Christians have also taken their relationship with God for granted, including me. Sometimes, we limit our worship within the four walls of the church building and we don't take our worship past Sunday morning. Worship is everyday. Church should be everyday because we are the church. We are meant to worship God everyday. It's the very least that we can give to God because He deserves everything.

I was listening to a song by MercyMe entitled "God With Us." In the song it says:

Such a tiny offering, compared to Calvary. Nevertheless, we lay this at Your feet.

The very least that we can do for God is to sing songs with empty hands held high. God gave us more than that.  He gave us life. He gave us the beauty of creation for us to enjoy. He gave us family and friends. Most importantly, He is with us when we let Him in our lives.
 

In The Potter's Hands

Today in class, we learned about pain. Pain is not always a bad thing. Its a feeling or a sensation that lets us know that something can hurt us. I believe that the worst kind of pain is emotional pain. It hurts the more than physical pain because it cannot be treated with medicine. Having a severe emotional pain for a very long time an actually cause us to eventually feel numb and one way to feel something again would be to inflict physical pain on ourselves. I learned this from last semester, which helped me understand why cutters cut themselves. There are so many things in this life that can bring us down. We all  have problems and we go through stress. For some, it will take a major crisis for them to break down, including myself. That's why I honestly couldn't handle being in the psyche hospital. I felt like I could be in there any time if God let me. I just need to be reminded sometimes that pain is a good thing. God breaks us down sometimes, but He doesn't leave us broken. He takes us in His hands and forms something beautiful out of our dirt...

My Social Network

Sometimes, it's hard for me to admit that I'm hurt, especially in public. I'm surprised how many people would actually put up how they really feel on their statuses. Facebook is now a place of expressing yourself, no matter what it is. Facebook is the place to show everyone "What is on your mind?"

What is on my mind? To be honest, sometimes you don't want to know.

Unfortunately, our social networks have replaced our daily communication with God. Is it easier to show people what is really on your mind? Or run straight to God with your problems?

It's harder for me to say publicly that I've been hurt and betrayed. It's harder for me to say what I'm really struggling with. It's hard to trust people sometimes.....most of the times.

I do admit that sometimes I find it harder to run to God because I turned away from Him, betrayed Him, and hurt Him with my actions and thoughts. But He welcomes me with open hands and listening ears. He wants me to run to Him for my problems because He's been through it all. Even when we don't know it, the one thing that we need in our lives is God's presence. It cannot be explained, it has to be experienced. In God's presence is peace, joy, and unconditional love that our heart longs for.

"You know the depths of my heart yet You love me the same. You are amazing God!" -Chris Tomlin

My Friend "RaAaAaAandy!"

Let me tell you about my friend "RaAaAaAandy!". He is definitely not the brightest crayon in the box (I mean this in more ways than one). If you know me, you might know who I'm really talking about. Most of my friends including myself have made fun of this guy. We know that he has made a lot of dumb decisions in his life, and it seems that he is completely oblivious to them at times. Today, he found me at a mall and I decided to invite him for lunch during my study break. I found out that there are a lot of positive things about him.
Here's the list:

• He has a license, which is a big deal since he can drive himself anywhere...if he has a car.
• He graduated high school and attended AND passed some of his college courses...which my seem impossible. THIS IS A BIG DEAL. TRUST ME. 
• He is independent. He lives by himself in an apartment. He cooks for himself and does his own laundry. Until now, my mom still does my laundry because she doesn't want me too. She also cooks for me...or if I'm hungry, I just go out to eat. I still live with my parents.
• He gets whatever he wants. Recently, he owns a second blackberry after he just sold his iPhone. I own a "free" phone from sprint and I don't even pay the bills for it because I'm broke all the time. 
• He owns an Xbox 360 and Playstation 3....for a second time. I have a Playstation 2 at home which was bought secondhand. He probably owns a flat screen tv...I have a "tube style" Tv at home.
• He is not stressed about his job....because he doesn't have one. He doesn't worry about paying for the car insurance...because he just sold his car. Yet, he seems happy for the most part....and WORRY FREE. 
• He wears new clothes which he bought maybe two weeks/months ago...my shoes are new if it wasn't for my boss giving them to me last July. Half my clothes are stolen from by brother's closet. The rest of my clothes are from 2 years ago.

Here is my conclusion....if I could trade lives with my friend "RaAaAaAaAndy" for one day, I would. I wouldn't really care if people made fun of me because I can care less what people think about me. I think that some people make fun of  "RaAaAaAaAndy" because they're jealous of him. I happen to think that "RaAaAaAaAndy" is really blessed. Today, we compared our lives and found out that we have a lot to be grateful for. Thanks for the lesson, "RaAaAaAaAndy!"
³"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 ⁴Blessed are those who mourn,
      for they will be comforted.
 ⁵Blessed are the meek,
      for they will inherit the earth.
 ⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
      for they will be filled.
 ⁷Blessed are the merciful,
      for they will be shown mercy.
 ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,
      for they will see God.
 ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,
      for they will be called sons of God.
 ¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  ¹¹"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 

good grief

Everything by Lifehouse

Find Me Here
Speak To Me
I want to feel you
I need to hear you
You are the light
That's leading me
To the place where I find peace again.

You are the strength, that keeps me walking.
You are the hope, that keeps me trusting.
You are the light to my soul.
You are my purpose...you're everything.

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

You calm the storms, and you give me rest.
You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall.
You steal my heart, and you take my breath away.
Would you take me in? Take me deeper now?

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Cause you're all I want, You're all I need
You're everything,everything
You're all I want your all I need
You're everything, everything.
You're all I want you're all I need.
You're everything, everything
You're all I want you're all I need, you're everything, everything.

And How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

When I say..."I am a Christian" by Maya Angelou

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!

Living In A Rat House

Colossians 3:12-17 (New International Version)

 ¹²Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
 ¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

We went on a mission trip to Belize and Guatemala on August 19-25, 2010. It was amazing experience of worship with the Guatemalan church. They worshiped God with their lives. They served us with humility. They were very poor. They lived in houses that were good for rats. When they I asked them where the garbage can was, one of the ladies took me their backyard--and there it was. Yet, when they cooked food for us, it was the best food we had during our whole stay there. No exaggeration. I felt that every bite of my food was made with love. There's so much more I want to say about that place, like for example the bathroom conditions and the bed bugs. But the way they worshiped God with their lives is more important than my so called "sufferings." They had so little and yet it was so much in the sight of God.
Going back to this passage, when I read over verse 16 and 17, it reminded me of their worship service. It went like this....first, the pastor goes to the keyboard and plays the reggaeton beat. Then plays the same riff and chord for 8 counts, and then heavens broke loose. Every song had the same beat, the same riff, and the same chord. I couldn't understand a word that they were saying because it was in Spanish, but every beat was accompanied with a clap and 40 Guatemalans singing from the bottom of their hearts to the top of their lungs with the same purpose, same mindset, and the same heart. It was a 3 hour service that felt like 15 minutes. It was 5 different cultures (American, Filipino, Belizean, Ecuadorian and Guatemalan) projecting one sound. It was a preview of heaven on earth. I hope to worship with them again one day..