Pastor's Blog
by Pastor Rolly Estabillo

To the Moon and Back!
June 11, 2024

I love this woman to the moon and back! Being with a woman who has boosted my life and ministry through the years is an absolute blessing from God. I would never have made it to this point without her ardent support and constant encouragement. "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." (Proverbs 18:22)

Last weekend we went to the moon (at the National Air and Space Museum) to celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary. I wanted us to see what's new at the still-being-renovated museum and to enjoy watching a movie on IMAX. Well, our journey almost never happened because of a snag. When we parked near the museum, after checking my phone, I saw that now you need passes to get in. It's been years since the last time we were there. The passes are free, but you must reserve them. So, I reserved for two immediately on the app, but it showed "SO" for June 8. What did it mean? I searched and it meant "Sold Out"! Uh-oh. Now, I was in trouble. It seemed power went out of me and I was going to crash. I told Bel about it, then she looked at me, forcing a smile, and said, "Where else can we go to watch an event or something?" I knew she was deeply disappointed, but she didn't show it. I castigated myself for not checking days before.

​I was silent for a few minutes, looking around nervously, thinking how I could salvage the situation. Then I thought of something and told her my idea, "You know, we can try to get in. We'll plead with them to let us in. Sometimes, people will consider a sincere plea." I knew it was a long shot, but it was a desperate situation. As we walked around the block en route to the entrance, I continuously prayed. "Lord please let us in."

​We approached one of the ticket-checkers, a middle-aged woman, who immediately asked, "Do you have tickets?" With an imploring look in my eyes, I said, "Ma'am, it's been a while since we were here and that's when our kids were small and now we found out that passes are needed but, you see, we're celebrating our 21st anniversary and, perhaps, you can permit us to get in anyway." Without smiling, the woman said, "Let me see the ticket on your phone. " And I said, "I can't show it because I don't have a ticket." "Just let me see your phone", she said without emotion. I showed it to her anyway and she said, "Rotate it". "What do you mean?" I asked. "It's upside down," she said. "Security behind us will see." So, I turned it around and she took her scanner, pretended to scan it, and said, "Ok, you get in now, quickly." I was stupefied. Hurriedly, Bel and I made our way inside and smiled at the security guards as we passed through the security booths.
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God is faithful. He saved me once again. And we landed safely on the moon. What could have been a disaster turned out to be a successful and wonderful journey to the moon and back.
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Truth and Consequence
April 14, 2024

(Devotions given during the Counselors/Volunteers Summit prior to the joint youth camp in May.)

Good morning! What is truth? That is one of the most important questions in life. Ever since we were born into this world, we are curious about the truth. We want to know the reason for everything. We simply want to know the truth. For thousands of years, what truth is has been debated, discussed, and dissected by philosophers, theologians, scholars, and ordinary people like us. Even Pilate posed this quintessential question to Jesus during his trial, “What is truth?” Jesus did not answer him. Probably because he knew that to Pilate it was just a rhetorical question. For many people, however, it is not. It can spell the difference between living a life with meaning or not.

We now live in a post-modern society where people say that truth is relative, that truth depends on your interpretation of it. “What is true for you may not be true for me but that’s ok. You can do whatever you want because for you that is the truth. And I won’t interfere with your kind of truth.”  This kind of thinking has led many to believe in lies and falsehoods like all religions lead to the same God, if it feels good it must be right, in the end love wins as espoused by Rob Bell. Do you know him? A former pastor of a megachurch who wrote the book “Love Wins” in which he said that all will be saved in the end and there is no hell.

Nowadays, people ask Google or Siri to find answers to their questions. The question is, is what they’re getting the right answer? Is it a reliable answer? Is it a truthful answer? You see, the advent of modern technology has also given birth to countless hoaxes and fake news. And it spreads so quickly like wildfire. And produces mayhem. Because of this, it’s now so hard to distinguish between truth and falsehood. This has translated into not knowing what is truth regarding many important questions in life, questions about God, morality, relationships, sexuality, etc. 

What we are experiencing now is what we call Truth Decay. Our society doesn't value truth anymore. What they value is what works. It doesn't matter if it's true or not. In John 17:17 Jesus says, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” This is from the prayer of Jesus for his disciples which begins in verse 6. What is significant in that verse is the fact that the Lord Jesus stated that there is truth. He repeated it twice.

Where can we find truth? He says “your word is truth”. Truth is found in God’s Word, the Bible. It is the foundation of our beliefs. It is the basis of morality. It is the answer to our questions. It is our compass, our light, and our GPS. The world, of course, doesn’t believe in the Bible. They say it is outdated and full of tales and myths. They rely on their own philosophies and self-concocted beliefs which have resulted in half-truths and outright lies. Do you see the problem we have today in this society? It is a society that’s out of control. It is a society that has virtually allowed each individual to make moral decisions themselves, guided by their own notions and ideas. In this state of affairs, there’s no accountability. If there’s no accountability there’s no sense of responsibility. Everyone does what he thinks is right. 

Paul predicted / that in the last days, this is exactly what’s going to happen. In 2 Timothy 3:3-9, he says, and listen as I read: 1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.   6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth--men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.   

Paul knew what the problem was going to be. It is because people are going to turn away from the truth. They would oppose it as verse 8 says. Sadly, this is happening even in many of our churches today. Some preachers preach only things that would tickle the ears of their hearers. They espouse teachings that are unbiblical, not based on the eternal truths of God’s Word. Teachings like if you are not healthy and wealthy you lack faith, it’s ok to marry the opposite sex, it’s all right to abort an unwanted child, living in with someone before marriage is acceptable and what-have-you.

Folks, we need to be careful. Paul says, “Have nothing to do with them.” Stay away from them. What do we need to do then so that we don’t become victims of the great liar, the devil? Make the Bible truly a part of our lives. Let’s fall in love with the Bible again. Never let a day pass without opening your Bible. Unless you’re fasting, you wouldn’t let a day pass without eating food, right? The Bible, as we know, is our spiritual food. Many of us fall into temptation because we become weak as a result of not consuming spiritual food. Now, when we become serious in reading our Bibles and applying the principles in our lives, what happens? We are sanctified. Jesus prays to his Father, “Sanctify them by the truth.” What does “sanctify” mean? It means to be made holy or to be separate. It comes from the Latin “sanctus” which means “Holy”.

You’ve heard of the music band “Sanctus Real”, right? It means Real Holy and it applies to God. God is the only Holy One, Amen? To be sanctified carries with it the idea of being separate. God is separate in the sense that he is uncorrupt, perfect, sinless, unblemished, pure. It doesn’t mean tho’ that God is sanctified by something. He is Holy through and through. He doesn’t need to be sanctified. Holiness is his nature. And he wants us to become
like him.

In 1 Peter 1:15-16, Peter says, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” Peter is quoting from the Old Testament where God wants his people to not be defiled by unclean animals. He applies this now to followers of Jesus who should rid themselves of evil desires. In the preceding verse (14), he says “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.” So, when Jesus Christ prays “sanctify them by the truth”, he recognizes the fact that the Bible is the means by which God makes someone holy and separate from society’s evils. As Paul says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Truly, the truth of God’s Word has far-reaching effects on every person. It can lead someone to know Jesus which is what we call “positional sanctification” and make someone become like Jesus as years go by which is what we call “progressive sanctification.”

​Many years ago in a Moscow theater, matinee idol Alexander Rostovzev was converted while playing the role of Jesus in a sacrilegious play entitled “Christ in a Tuxedo”. He was supposed to read two verses from the Sermon on the Mount, remove his gown, and cry out, "Give me my tuxedo and top hat!" But as he read the words, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted," he began to tremble. Instead of following the script, he kept reading Matthew 5. A hush fell over the audience. Finally, recalling a verse he had learned in his childhood in a Russian Orthodox Church, he cried, "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom!" (Luke 23:42). Before the curtain could be lowered, Rostovzev had trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. What we see is that the truth of God’s Word exposed the barenness in the life of this actor. The truth of God’s Word led him to accept Jesus as his Lord. That is the consequence of knowing and acknowledging the truth. Friends, what I shared with you is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help me God.

No Rest for the Weary
July 31, 2023

I’m back again. This time I’m talking about being back literally from vacation. Don’t we need it every now and then? Even God rested on the seventh day. And he commands us to also take a rest at least once a week. He knows our bodies need to take a break from work. This benefits not only our bodies but our minds and emotions as well. But he understands if we need to take a rest seven days a week for a few weeks. And that’s what I did during the first three weeks of July. I thought I needed a long break since I was becoming weary with family, work, and church responsibilities. So, together with my family, I visited our home country, the Philippines, for a much-needed vacation. Besides, the last time I was there was 10 years ago and so, going back home was long overdue.

Of course, we were all excited about the vacation. My wife was thrilled to see her siblings once again. My children enthusiastically looked forward to meeting their cousins in person. And I was just glad to step away from work and ministry even for a little while to recharge. I actually imagined myself just strolling lazily in the mall, enjoying some Filipino delicacies, lying comfortably on the beach somewhere in Bohol or Palawan, and all other things I can do leisurely. Such was the case until the second Saturday of our stay. On that day, my wife’s relatives from her mother’s side gathered for a reunion. The day before, my wife requested me to share the gospel with her relatives soon after they had eaten lunch. My first reaction was to think, “Oh no, I came here for a vacation, not to do an outreach”. But that thought was immediately tamped down by the Holy Spirit who reminded me that God wants everyone to be saved. Besides, I remembered also that I’ve always exhorted our church to be ready in season and out of season even if it means sacrificing one’s time or comfort for others. I was weary but I know God is gracious. So, I just prayed for guidance.

I thought I would use Evangelism Explosion which I was trained in many years ago. I rarely use it nowadays and prefer the shorter evangelistic methods. So, at first, I was afraid I might lose my way during the presentation. But thank God for the internet because I saw that there were a lot of EE outlines that I could use.

The next day, after all the chit-chats and the sumptuous meal and when everybody settled down, I started to share the good news. Immediately, I felt God move in the sense that I spoke in a way that was spontaneous but was humorous and serious at the same time guided only by the Holy Spirit and by the outline I was looking at on my phone every now and then. I saw that everyone was listening intently. Some were smiling, some were nodding their heads. At least 25 people filled the tiny living room that day. In the end, when I asked for a commitment, I saw several people raised their hands to ask Jesus in their lives. It was a humbling experience.

Once again, I witnessed God’s miraculous work in saving people’s souls. It made me realized once more that God is looking for people who are willing to obey. As the saying goes, “God is looking not at our capability but at our availability.”

Next time, I’ll write about a similar experience when I was invited to preach at a youth camp in the Philippines in 2006. 


It’s Back!
June 30, 2023
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Yes, it’s back! The Joint Fil-Am Youth Camp is back after a three-year hiatus. Thank God, it’s back because I’m back as well writing my latest blog after a two-year hiatus.

On May 26 through 29, the new and improved youth camp for Filipino-American youth was held at its usual site, Camp Piankatank in Central Virginia, close to the Williamsburg area. It has improved because not only did we see some campers who were non-Filipino-Americans but we also saw some campers who came all the way from New Jersey! And there was a volunteer who came as far as Florida. The camp’s reach is actually expanding. Three new churches have joined, the one from New Jersey, one from our area and the other from Virginia Beach. These three churches sent a delegation of almost 40 altogether consisting of campers, counselors, and volunteers. Of course, there were the usual churches who have been with the camp since the beginning. Next year, we expect a few more churches to join as I’ve learned that at least two churches from New Jersey and in our area are interested. God willing, our number will increase from about 65 youth this year.

​This is our sixth year (could have been ninth) and we praise God for what he is doing. It wouldn’t have been possible without his guidance and direction to the organizers. Personally, I’m humbled because of the privilege God has given me to lead the camp. It is tiring, I admit, but fulfilling. To see youngsters get together, have fun, learn, be discipled, and get close to God is one of the joys of ministry. In fact, the youth leader of the church at Virginia Beach talked to me just before they drove back. He was very happy because he learned that one of their campers became a Christian. And I was happy, too, of course, because one soul saved is worth all the effort we put into this camp. "We’re rejoicing with all the angels in heaven for one sinner who was saved." (Luke 15:10)

I’m looking forward to another youth camp next year. For now, I’ll take a break and that involves taking a three-week vacation with my family in our home country, the Philippines, starting on July 4. (To check out the youth camp Facebook page, please click this link: https://www.facebook.com/AErnestP/ )

Caring Like Jesus During the Pandemic
June 22, 2021

We are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel or so it seems. After one-and-a-half years of intermittent lockdowns and facemask-wearing, the latest scourge in the modern era is finally coming to an end. To be sure, death and suffering are still heavily felt in countries like India, Brazil, the Philippines, Mexico, Japan, and such, but by and large, many parts of the world are now opening up especially here in the US. We thank God for sustaining all of us during those tumultuous months. And we pray and hope the suffering will truly end worldwide in the very near future.

Let us recall though the many sacrifices that frontliners gave to try to save as many as they can. They spent their own time, energy, resources, and even their own lives to bring hope and healing to the sick and dying. In our church alone, we have several nurses who risked their lives in the line of duty. Day in and day out they fulfilled their lives’ calling. They unselfishly attended to the needy in the hospitals where they worked, armed only with the thought that as Jesus laid down his life for his friends, they too were ready, willing, and able to lay down their own lives. (John 15:13) Their actions were in imitation of their Savior’s own action when he was on earth – “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” (Matthew 20:28)

Thus, when some families and individuals in the church became infected with the coronavirus disease, our church frontliners were naturally the very first ones to spearhead an effort to help them. Not in the sense of treating them medically since they were just quarantining at home as their symptoms were not serious, but in the sense of providing for their physical needs. For example, when we learned that a husband and wife became ill, one veteran nurse immediately got into action by contacting several women in the church to organize a food brigade. Many responded quickly. The women then took turns in cooking food for the couple’s family, delivering the food with the help of their husbands at their doorstep. Others, meanwhile, bought some groceries and other necessities for them and dropped them off as well. This went on until the couple have finally recovered.

In addition to this practical service, members of the church were diligent in offering emotional support to our members who have either contracted the disease or have relatives here or in the Philippines who were sick or dying or passed away because of covid. It was especially challenging for those whose sick loved ones were in the Philippines because they could not be with them. So, in our Facebook chat group, we assured them of our prayers and offered words of comfort and encouragement. And every Wednesday night, we diligently prayed for God’s comfort for them and for the healing of their loved ones.

As a church, we do our best to serve others. We believe that the church is a conduit of God’s grace. We believe that the church serves as a channel through which people from all walks of life can feel God’s love and care for them. After all, the Lord Jesus said that if we feed the hungry, we give drink to the thirsty, we invite the stranger in, we clothe the naked, we look after the sick, and we visit those in prison, it is as if we do those things to him (Matthew 25:34-40). Fil-Am Church is a church that will continue to serve the least in the name of Jesus.

Is the Government Persecuting the Church?
October 23, 2020

Since the start of the pandemic, some local governments, if not all, have issued orders prohibiting the gathering of large groups of people in restaurants, pubs, parks, offices, schools, and, of course, in churches, too. There are many who do not agree with this perceived drastic action of governors citing the fact that it stifles their freedom to meet and restricts their movements. Some churches do not conform as well for a different reason. The pastors and leaders of these churches claim that this is an effort to prevent them from preaching the gospel. In effect, a subtle attempt to persecute the church. In fact, one famous leader of a megachurch in California asserted in an interview that the government is targeting the church.

The question is, is there really persecution of the church? Do these governors have a hidden agenda? Are they targeting the church?

Common sense and real-life situations tell us that this is not the case. Now, I am not defending the government. I just want to look at the situation objectively. Although a case can be made, on the one hand, against some governors because of their tacit approval of recent mass protests and such which are super-spreaders, it cannot be cited as an argument for making a case, on the other hand, that the church is being targeted. If the latter is true, then are these leaders targeting also restaurants and other small businesses because they are asked to close or limit the number of their customers?  It’s ridiculous to think that they are being persecuted as well. If pastors strongly disagree with their governors for allowing mass protests to continue or letting abortion clinics to operate in the midst of the pandemic then they should voice their protests through other means or methods, not thumbing their nose at them by continuing to meet in-person which puts the lives of their people at risk. 

While it is true that the Bible tells us to not give up meeting together (Hebrews 10:25), it is also true that we must exercise common sense and be caring and considerate of others. What is perplexing is some church leaders even cite Scripture to bolster their case like “we must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) It is taken out of context, however. The apostles were ordered by the High Priest and the whole Sanhedrin to stop preaching in the name of Jesus. That is clearly a persecution. In the present situation, pastors are not ordered to stop preaching but are just told to limit the attendance inside the church. Why? For the obvious reason that large gatherings where people don’t wear masks and sit or stand elbow to elbow are breeding grounds for COVID-19 infection. Statistics and science bear this out. We cannot deny the existence of the pandemic. It is irresponsible and careless to do the opposite, plain and simple. 

The coronavirus crisis is real. Continuing to defy authorities, deny reality and refusing to cooperate only exacerbate the situation. As Christians, we are commanded to obey the government (Romans 13:1) and even to pray for our leaders (2 Timothy 2:1). Of course, these doesn't always apply. But these explicitly apply to our present situation when people's health and lives are at stake. Defying public health orders is defying God. So, don’t put up a challenge. The government is not after you.

One thing we must remember though is that the government cannot provide a permanent solution to society’s ills, whether physical or not. We must put our trust in and look to the one who is always faithful, the Lord Jesus Christ. In the midst of this unprecedented crisis, he will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Someday, he will come again and wipe away every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:4).


How Can You Pray Boldly and Humbly at the Same Time? Isn't that a contradiction?
July 20, 2020

That was a question posed to me by a member of our church in our church FB messenger chat group. She posted it right after our Service yesterday afternoon. She responded to my sermon where I stated that in order to get our prayers answered, we must pray boldly, persistently, and humbly. I thought that it was a good question and needed a good answer. So, I prayed for wisdom and after a bit of research, I replied to her:

"You asked a good question. At first glance, praying boldly and humbly seem to contradict each other. But they don’t. Hebrews 4:16 tells us to pray with boldness before the throne of God to receive an answer. Jesus himself said, “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:13) Praying with boldness is, first of all, believing in a God who answers our prayers, and second, believing that we can ask for anything in the name of Jesus. Now, praying humbly is acknowledging that we are lowly compared to a sovereign God. It is coupled with a sense of recognition of the fact that the ultimate decision-maker is God. Even Jesus, as a man, prayed, “Thy will be done.” He could ask boldly to stop the pain he was experiencing in the Garden of Gethsemane but, at the same time, he was ready to receive whatever is God’s answer to his prayer. Someone said, “Bold, confident prayers don’t force God to do anything. They usher in his blessing when they are in line with his will for your life, but they don’t manipulate him into giving you something that is out of alignment with his ultimate goals for you. The greater purpose of talking with God through prayer is to line up your wants and needs with his will and desires–to have your thoughts renewed by aligning them with his.” D. L. Moody, the famous revivalist, once said that at one time, blessings were flowing so abundantly in his life that he had to ask God to stop. Ultimately, to paraphrase someone, “prayer is supposed to change us, not to change the mind of God”. If you pray according to his will, he will surely grant that prayer (Psalm 37:4)."

She responded back saying that my answer satisfied her. I just wish that I had included that part in my sermon.

Personally, I had an experience similar to D.L. Moody's. But this is more of an emotional and mental blessing. I was in Australia working as a computer programmer. Back then, God was in the process of restoring me after I've been backslidden for ten years. Because I was a nervous wreck, I suffered from panic attacks and my mind and body were always tense.Then, one day, I felt a tingling sensation in my body and there was this sense of joy and excitement and my mind became clear like the depressive thoughts I was having were lifted away. For the first time, after many years, I began to enjoy life again. I went to work feeling vibrant and energetic, became an extrovert suddenly, and felt so confident. I knew this was from God because at the same time I hungered for his Word and I was always praying. It was some sort of personal revival. This went on for days, 24 hours a day. Even at night, I felt it. After a week, it was still there. Until I realized that I couldn't focus so much on my work anymore because I was always happy plus the fact that it was hard for me to catch sleep at night because the adrenaline was always rushing in my body. One night, I couldn't sleep but I knew I had to get some sleep. Besides, I have lost sleep for sometime already. I then asked God to stop the flow of blessing. I said, "Lord, please stay your hand."  Immediately, the blessing stopped. I mean, literally, the tingling sensation left. I felt the adrenaline rush slowing until it completely stopped. 

The next few days, it was like before. No more excited feelings, lonely thoughts crept back into my mind. And I asked God to bless me again. He didn't. I asked again and again, but he didn't. But it was enough to buoy up my confidence in God as the one who cares for and loves me in my darkest moments. Of course, I don't base my faith on this experience but on his Word. I know though that he is faithful and allows us to feel his presence just like an earthly parent would come and hug you when you are afraid. So, when I feel kind of down, these words always come to my mind, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:9-10)


A Most Wonderful Anniversary Gift
July 4, 2019              

It was Friday in the wee hours of the morning. I suddenly woke up and then remembered I had to do something very important. I needed to find a hotel at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. My wife and I were celebrating our 16th anniversary the next day, the 8th of June, and I only had an hour or two to make a reservation. I had actually planned for us to visit the Biltmore Estate in Asheville in the same state but realizing that the drive to Biltmore would take seven hours, I decided against it. So, I called a friend on Thursday night and he suggested the Outer Banks. We’ve never been there but my friend said it was a really nice vacation spot. Besides, it was closer. About two-and-half hours closer than Biltmore. So, I took my tablet, did an online search, found some hotels, and settled on Days Inn because its location seemed perfect. Literally just a two-minute walk to the beach. Altogether, I spent about an hour looking and booking.

I went back to bed and just then I realized something I did not factor in my search. What would the weather be like on that weekend in the Outer Banks? Because if it was going to rain then it was useless going to the beach. Hurriedly and quite anxiously, I got up from bed, took my tablet and checked the weather. My heart sank with what I discovered. The weekend was going to be rainy. In fact, the probability of rain on Saturday was 70% and thunderstorms would visit the area on Sunday.

Now, I was in a tight bind. Canceling my hotel reservation would incur a steep fee. “Oh, God, have mercy on me,” I prayed. “Please give me wisdom. Please don’t make it rain.” I went back to bed feeling bad.

In the office the next day, I still felt disturbed. I kept wondering what I should do. I even thought of calling the hotel and, perhaps, re-schedule my reservation in the future. In the end, I knew that God knew what was happening; he knew all my fears and anxieties. And so, I decided to leave everything to him.

On Friday night, we hit the road on our way to the Outer Banks. The sky was overcast.  Halfway through the journey, it rained. It wasn’t strong though but it was heavy enough to somehow confirm what I was dreading. Upon arrival at the hotel, it was wet all around but not raining. I thought we’d just make the most of our stay there by visiting the town and playing board games inside our room.

When I woke up the next morning, I immediately glanced at the tiny opening in the curtain-draped window. To my astonishment, it seemed like it was bright outside. I got up quickly, swept the curtain to one side and to my delight, there was no rain! In fact, the sun was starting to peer out of the clouds. Imagine the joy I felt! God is good! He is faithful and made sure we truly enjoyed the weekend. Needless to say, we frolicked in the beach and had fantastic time in the waters although it was a bit cold. Amazingly, the really nice weather continued the next day because the sun came out even brighter.  
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As usual, the Lord gave me and my wife another opportunity to spend our anniversary in the most wonderful way.
         
God is On the Move in People's Hearts

April 19, 2018

Two weeks ago we started a message series in the church called "On the Move". I was inspired by this energetic song called "God is On the Move" by the Christian rock band 7eventh Time Down. The series is about the ways God moves in our lives like moving us from point to another both literally and figuratively. For example, from bitterness to forgiveness, from fear to courage, etc. Last Sunday, I talked about the move of the Holy Spirit in relation to prompting us to share the good news of Jesus. Then, in the middle of my message I called our Worship Leader, Christine, to share her testimony with regards to this subject. I had asked her beforehand and knew the content of her message. What I didn't know was how it moved many of her listeners. Below is her testimony in full:

"About six weeks ago, I was approached by Pastor Rolly and asked, “Christine, do you know how to share the Gospel?” I was completely caught off guard and my over planning mind immediately started running 100 miles an hour and was starting to feel anxious. I thought, “Why is he asking me this?  Did I do or say something in his presence recently that would make him think that I didn’t know how to share the Gospel?  I wonder if he remembers that I attended Evangelism explosion with him last year? Where’s he going with this?” After all that, all I could muster was “Uhm, I think so Pastor” but he had me hooked. The reason for his call was to request that I befriend, two young ladies who have been attending our church for quite some time now.  Pastor shared that he felt they would welcome another female friend to give some encouragement and their hearts could potentially be open to the Gospel. Aha! There it was - the clincher.  I was completely fine with the befriending part, but sharing the Gospel made me a little nervous.  Nevertheless, I agreed and committed to reaching out to them.

"Over the next few days, I reached out to the ladies and scheduled to meet on a Monday evening.  As Monday was fast approaching I started becoming REALLY nervous about it.  Part of me wanted to back out, but part of me felt like I was handed a super-secret mission and there was no way out.  The confirmation that this was something the Lord wanted me to do happened when two of my church sisters mentioned the same two young ladies in our conversations just days after Pastor’s request.  It was on and there was ABSOLUTELY no backing out.  However, I did have my doubts about myself and kept sharing with the Lord, “Not sure why Pastor picked me, Lord, but I don’t want to screw this up”, “When’s the right time to share and how will I know? What do I say and where do I even begin?” Being the Sovereign God He is, he then gave me a tip to go look for my Evangelism Explosion workbook and review my notes a few minutes each day for the next few days. I recall praying before each review session and asking the Lord for his guidance and strength, but the nervousness remained.

"Monday came and the nerves were still there.  I picked up the ladies and we went to a Thai restaurant nearby since they’ve never tried Thai food.  We shared our stories of our families, how we got to the United States, how we were introduced to Fil-Am and got to know each other. Their cheerfulness and warmth was so infectious that it made me forget my nervousness. After dinner we walked around a few blocks and ended up at a coffee shop.  We chatted some more, hopped around topics involving Christian life, the Bible, Heaven, and Jesus.  There were a few opportunities for me to start sharing the Gospel and I would think, “Take it, do it now”, but then back out.  Then I would get mad at myself for “chickening” out but my gut was also telling me to be patient and wait.  Eventually, it was time for the coffee shop to close.  We were walking back to the car and I was thinking “Last two minutes, you better do to it or say something to plant a seed.”  The pressure!  This feeling was worse than when my High School team being in one point down in the last 5 seconds of a championship basketball game and I on the line to shoot two freethrows. Right after that thought, something prompted to ask the ladies after they made a comment about Heaven, “Well, how do you know if you’re going Heaven or not?”  And I left it at that.  I dropped them off, agreed to meet again next Monday and said goodbye for the night.

"Driving home was the worst. I couldn’t help being disappointment and I started replaying all the missed opportunities to, then Michelle came to mind.  Michelle was my very dear friend, whom I’ve known since Middle School, growing up in the Philippines, and remained friends into our adult lives.  Though we did not see each other often since I moved to the US, she was that kind friend that didn’t let distance or time get in the way of the friendship.  Every time we would reunite, our conversations picked up where we left off.  She lived vigorously and loved passionately. In January of this year, Michelle, at 37, died unexpectedly from a massive seizure due to an undiagnosed brain tumor. My deepest sorrow was not taking the time to share the Gospel with her while she was alive. I could have, at the very least, planted a seed in her heart.  Her sudden death made me realize that tomorrow is not promised and an opportunity to give someone a chance to know the Lord is a precious thing - a gift from the Holy Spirit.   I did not want to make the same mistake and with that thought I prayed. 

“'Lord, I ask for your forgiveness for the missed opportunities and, as The Light, let Your light shine into every broken, shameful, fearful place, that You shine through me.  I humbly asked You to create in me a new heart.  A heart that has courage to live with boldness and compassion, to preach You without preaching and radiate Your love for the hopeless and the broken.'

"Monday rolled around and I was again with the ladies, enjoying some Ramen for dinner.  Since it was unusually warmer than a typical winter evening, we decided to take a walk and hang out at a park nearby.  It was when we were sitting by the playground that I could feel our discussion becoming more personal and we started really pouring our hearts to each other.  I could feel the Holy Spirit prepping, orchestrating the conversation and opening our hearts. At the same time, I realized the nervousness and fear was nowhere to be found.  There was a natural flow to the moment similar how water flows down a stream, bending and swaying to the leaves and rocks it encounters. The next thing I knew, I was praying the Sinner’s Prayer with them.  As we were praying I was imagining the golden gates of Heaven opening and the brightest light coming from inside the gates.  An army of angels flying out of the light, lining up by the gates playing their golden trumpets and harps and singing “Hallelujah”…a greeting fit for a King.  Once we all said Amen, we dried our tears and had the sweetest group hug I ever experienced.  All I could do after that moment were deep exhales and have the biggest smile the muscles on my face could express.  Looking back now, my smile may have been as goofy looking as a cartoon character, but I probably would not have cared.  All I could think of was the hundreds of angels that were having the biggest celestial party!  These two beautiful ladies realized that they were sinners, accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior, now covered and cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, Heaven-bound and NOTHING can ever take that away from them.  They received the greatest gift and I was excited to see what the future holds for them. 
Even I received a gift that day.  As it says in John 15:5, 'I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.'

"As a child of God, I am the branch that is designed to depend on Him, the Vine, moment by moment recognizing that apart from Him, I can do nothing.  It was not by my strength that two people got saved that day, but it was His love, grace that drew them in.  I was simply a extension of the vine, a witness to his sovereignty, and what a precious gift that was."
 
The Holy Spirit was truly at work in her heart and in the hearts of the two ladies she led to the Lord. It was a blessing to everyone in church. I'm looking forward to many more such moves of God in the church in the days ahead.
 

Should We Celebrate Easter?
April 1, 2018

Easter is associated with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and that’s why many Christians celebrate it. However, there are also well-meaning Christians who shy away from the celebration or do not use the word “Easter” because they believe that it is a pagan name. Which is which?
Being a former Jehovah’s Witness who did not use the word “Easter” nor celebrated Christmas and even birthdays because of their pagan associations, I’ve seen and heard the arguments against “Easter”. One argument that is put forth is that “Easter” is derived from the name of a pagan goddess “Ishtar” or “Astarte”.  Nothing can be further from the truth. Because if you search Wikipedia or any encyclopedia for that matter, these names are not connected to “Easter”, aside from similarity in sound and letters.

The Encyclopedia Brittanica says this about “Easter”: “The English word Easter, which parallels the German word Ostern, is of uncertain origin. One view, expounded by the Venerable Bede in the 8th century, was that it derived from Eostre, or Eostrae, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility. This view presumes—as does the view associating the origin of Christmas on December 25 with pagan celebrations of the winter equinox—that Christians appropriated pagan names and holidays for their highest festivals. Given the determination with which Christians combated all forms of paganism, this appears a rather dubious presumption. There is now widespread consensus that the word derives from the Christian designation of Easter week as in albis, a Latin phrase that was understood as the plural of alba (‘dawn’) and became eostarum in Old High German, the precursor of the modern German and English term. The Latin and Greek pascha (‘Passover’) provides the root for Pâcques, the French word for Easter.”

Now, for argument’s sake, even if it is of pagan origin, using the word “Easter” doesn’t denigrate its true meaning because the world knows that it stands for the resurrection of Christ. Further, words of pagan origin have crept into our language like the names of the days of the week (Tuesday, for example, is named after the Norse god Tyr) but, of course, we don’t honor these pagan gods just because we use their names in our calendar. And there are people whose names derive from a pagan god like Julius from Jupiter, a Roman god. But just because your name is pagan in origin doesn’t mean your parents honor this god. As noted above, Easter, at best, is not a pagan word. Even if it is, everyone knows that it is associated with the Christian belief of the resurrection of Christ. The only true issue is whether the world believes in the resurrection of Christ.

How about the customs and practices during Easter celebration? Let me quote again from the Encyclopedia Brittanica: “Easter, like Christmas, has accumulated a great many traditions, some of which have little to do with the Christian celebration of the Resurrection but derive from folk customs. The custom of the Easter lamb appropriates both the appellation used for Jesus in Scripture (‘behold the lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world,’ John 1:29) and the lamb’s role as a sacrificial animal in ancient Israel. In antiquity, Christians placed lamb meat under the altar, had it blessed, and then ate it on Easter. Since the 12th century, the Lenten fast has ended on Easter with meals including eggs, ham, cheeses, and bread that have been blessed for the occasion.

“The use of painted and decorated Easter eggs was first recorded in the 13th century. The church prohibited the eating of eggs during Holy Week, but chickens continued to lay eggs during that week, and the notion of specially identifying those as “Holy Week” eggs brought about their decoration. The egg itself became a symbol of the Resurrection. Just as Jesus rose from the tomb, the egg symbolizes new life emerging from the eggshell. In the Orthodox tradition, eggs are painted red to symbolize the blood Jesus shed on the cross. In the United States, Easter egg hunts are popular among children, and in 1878 Lucy Hayes, the wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes, sponsored the first annual Easter egg roll on the White House lawn.

“The custom of associating a rabbit with Easter arose in Protestant areas in Europe in the 17th century but did not become common until the 19th century. The Easter rabbit was said to lay the eggs as well as decorate and hide them. In a way, this was a manifestation of the Protestant rejection of Catholic Easter customs. In some European countries, however, other animals—in Switzerland the cuckoo, in Westphalia the fox—brought the Easter eggs.”
​
So there. Be proud of “Easter”. It is the day of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! And let our children continue to enjoy the celebration (and know its real significance).

For further reading, please check this out:
http://jamesmirror.com/2012/04/02/is-easter-pagan-holiday/
http://www.equip.org/articles/ash-wednesday-lent-and-easter


The Evil that Men Do, The Good that God Does
December 26, 2017

​Last weekend, my family and I went to New York to visit my brother and his family and some old friends as well. While there, we took the opportunity to visit the newly-built edifice called the “Oculus” that was dedicated to the memory of the thousands who perished during the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers and now serves as the main hub that connects New Jersey to New York via the PATH train. The building’s façade is impressive which is shaped like a dove in flight which obviously symbolizes peace. But the inside is impressive as well with an all-white motif and home to various stores and restaurants. The center of the building is large and open where we saw several booths and Christmas exhibits.

But the thing that is more breathtaking than the “Oculus” is the 9/11 Memorial Museum that is situated next to it. The museum chronicles the events before, during, and after the tragedy in much detail. There are sound clips and film clips. There are numerous pictures and artifacts. It is a museum that is unique although it evokes almost the same emotions as the Holocaust Museum does in Washington, DC. It is impossible not to be moved by it.

What is significant is that the 9/11 Museum is a grim reminder of the evil that man is capable of doing. History provides enough evidence that people can act in ways that are inimical and destructive. Wars, crimes, hostilities, and the like are proof that we are less than what we think we are.
 
For example, about 2000 years ago, a man, powerful but fearful, ordered the killing of innocent children, two years and below, because he didn’t want anyone to seize his throne. This man was King Herod of Judea who sought to murder the child Jesus because of an ancient prophecy that foretold of the child ascending the throne of Israel. And, very recently, in this country, men have taken the lives of innocent people by shooting indiscriminately at them in Vegas, in South Carolina, in Florida, etc.

All of this confirms the fact that as the Bible says, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12) Yet, all is not lost for mankind. Because the innocent child Jesus who escaped the clutches of the evil one grew up to bring hope for all of us. The Bible says that an angel told Joseph that Mary, his wife, was going to give birth to a son “and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21b) “Jesus” means “Jehovah saves”.

​When Jesus was 33 years old, he himself laid down his life for us by dying on the cross. Since then, his death serves as the main hub that connects sinful man to a Holy God. Now, anyone, whatever their background is, however evil and sinful they are, has an opportunity to be forgiven of sin and live forever. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”


Surprise! Surprise! (Part 2)
January 23, 2017

It’s been a while since I last shared my thoughts and experiences. If you know me, you won’t be surprised. But quite a few surprising things happened since my last blog. Let me share these with you to show how truly amazing our faithful God is.

In June of last year, our family left Sterling to reside in Annandale. This was because the church asked us to move into a nice one-story brick house with a basement that stands on a one acre lot which the church bought a few months before. The location is superb because it is literally less than a minute from I-495, the main freeway in Northern Virginia. As a result, a few things changed. Since I’m now 30 minutes closer to Richmond where I’d been working, I no longer had to rent a room in Richmond and be away from my family four days a week. Instead, every day I drove about 35 minutes south to a commuter lot, commute with a vanpool to downtown Richmond for an hour, then hop on a city bus to the DMV Headquarters for another 15 minutes. Going home is the reverse route as you could imagine. I know that’s about two hours each way but it’s always worth it when you’re close to family. Besides, I’m now closer to many folks in the church and thus, I’m able to do more ministry.

​The daily long distance travel, however, started to take its toll on my body. Most of the time I arrived at work feeling haggard. This was caused by waking up too early. Although I was able to catch some sleep on the van, the ride was so bumpy that I knew my body was getting a beating. So, I prayed daily that the Lord would end my misery. I enjoyed my job tremendously but riding to work was not a joy.

Days before we moved to Annandale, by the way, the company that Anabel worked for was revamped and they decided to give up certain positions which included hers. It was providential anyway because that gave her time to sort out our stuff and get things organized, with the help of her mom, for our move. In September, she found another job and this time in DC. She was excited at first but as days and weeks went by, it became difficult for her. She tried commuting by train and bus but being asthmatic, she got tired easily because of the hurried pace and even got sick for a time. Thus, she decided to drive to work. But this proved to be a struggle, too, because it took almost an hour to reach DC although her place of work was just about 14 miles away from home. Leaving earlier to avoid the heavy traffic was not an option because she had to drop off the kids at the school bus stop. Going home was the same thing. Too much traffic. She came home pretty much exhausted.

So, that was our situation. Anabel feeling tired and drained every day just like myself. We wondered when it would last.

Toward the end of November, I saw a glimmer of hope. An opening for a job was posted online. It was in DC.  A federal job. I scanned the requirements and I seemed to fit the bill. But I wasn’t too excited because I was sure that the job would require some sort of security clearance which I didn’t have. I looked again, up and down the posting, but to my surprise there was no mention of a security clearance whatsoever.  So, I decide to submit my resume and left it to the Lord.

After a week, I received a call and was asked to come for an interview. I did. Then the hiring manager asked me to come again for a second interview with the Department Chief. I did. Then after a week I got an offer. It was so quick it was surreal. It seemed God had paved the way for my entry.

It was then Anabel and I saw God’s hand in all this. First, he moved us to Annandale to be closer to DC. Prior to our move, he took away her former job so she could concentrate on organizing our stuff. When we settled down in the new house, he gave her a new job in DC. Then, a few months later, he gave me a job in DC so we could drive in together. And here is the most surprising and remarkable part – she works for the Department of Health which is less than ten minutes by foot to the U.S. House of Representatives where I work. We can literally have a lunch date every day!

God is a loving God who always surprises his children with his blessings. If we are faithful to him and seek his face always, he will reward us with unimaginable blessings. The Bible says in Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” And in 1 Corinthians 2:9, it also says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Bel and I never imagined working for the government although we dreamed it. It was a long shot. But with God nothing is impossible. We just have to wait on him, trust him, and delight in him. Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Surprise! Surprise! (Part 1)
May 18, 2016

The past few months have been full of surprises. God has certainly surprised us in many ways. You just don’t know when God will show up but when he does, you will certainly be amazed. My wife, Anabel, for instance, was at the receiving end. She celebrated her 40th birthday last March 10, a Thursday. Maybe she was expecting something spectacular but I didn’t prepare any. I think she was surprised that there was no surprise. I took her and the whole family, anyway, to a Filipino restaurant in Arlington which we heard was frequented by many folks, Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike. Well, we were surprised because the food was so-so. They didn’t taste authentic and Anabel and I thought they changed the taste a bit to pander to foreigners’ discriminating taste buds. It was a beautiful night, anyway, and the whole family enjoyed the new surroundings and the drive.

What Anabel didn’t know was that a huge surprise was waiting for her in a couple of days. Since February, my mother-in-law, Monet, and I have been in cahoots with the whole church so as to give a surprise party for Anabel. We painstakingly tried hard to keep it a secret from her. Because I was staying in Richmond from Monday to Thursday, I didn’t have to hide my phone from Anabel and so I texted freely with people and talked with them without fear of being caught. However, before I drove back to Sterling, I spent over 30 minutes deleting the texts and call history and voicemails, short of resetting my phone, for fear that she would borrow my phone during the weekend, which she usually did. And this cycle continued for several weeks until her big day on Saturday, March 12. Everything was kept hidden from her and until now it amazes me that she never had an inkling of what was going on.

While people waited at the venue, which was a modest-sized clubhouse in Fairfax, I took Anabel to a movie and then we dropped by at a T-Mobile store where I waited for a call letting me know that it was okay to proceed to the venue. After I received the call, Anabel and I drove to the venue but up to the time we reached the place, she still didn’t have any clue about the plan we had hatched. There were cars parked all around but she didn’t pay attention to those cars as I told her that we were going inside the clubhouse because we were going to see a church member. And as I opened the door and let her in, everyone, about 80 people altogether, shouted and greeted her “Happy Birthday.” It was, perhaps, a very touching moment for her, to say the obvious. She cried, of course, especially when she saw several of our close friends from New York who were there to greet her.

Anabel was pleasantly and wonderfully surprised. But I, too, was surprised by the love expressed by the church members to us. Six years into my pastorate in the church and the people still love us. I feel like our honeymoon with the church is still ongoing and that is kind of unusual. Observers say that the honeymoon usually is over by the pastor’s second year in the church. In this case, all people in the church were all-out in their support of this surprise party. Several people volunteered to decorate the place, bring food, set up the chairs and tables, prepare the equipment, emcee the program, and so on. Up to the last minute people were asking what else they can do to help. And the turnout was huge. Almost everyone in church was there. That’s why I cried with joy, too.

God showed up that evening. He expressed his love to my family through our church family. That is why I love Fil-Am. Truly, God just never runs out of surprises!


He Knows Your Name (You are Famous in Your Father's Eyes)
November 28, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving! There are so many things my wife and I can thank God for. One of those things is the recent experience we had about God’s goodness and faithfulness. Please read on.
​
Do you believe in a personal God? Do you believe that he is interested in you and watching over you? My wife and I do. God has proven this time and again to us and our latest experience with our loving Father confirms the truth of that.
               
On November 5 and 6 Bel and I went to New York to attend Microsoft’s Cloud Roadshow held at Jacob Javits Center. Believe it or not, I’ve lived in New York/New Jersey for almost twenty years but I never set foot in that building and so I thought it would be nice to see it this time plus the fact that being an IT pro I was interested in this free event by Microsoft. So I asked Bel to come with me since she is an IT pro herself and I found out she herself had never been to that place, too. But there was one more motivation for her. She wanted to take a much-needed respite from a very recent heartbreaking episode in her life.
               
Bel, together with her mom, had just come back from the Philippines to attend the wake and funeral of her only brother Nolie, who was 35, and left a young wife and two children. Bong, which was his nickname, died after a motorcycle accident in the Philippines in early October. He was on his way home in the wee hours of the morning when he lost control of his motorcycle and he slammed head-first on a concrete post. He was wearing a helmet but the impact to his head was so great that he didn’t survive the accident. Needless to say, Bel was devastated. She loved him dearly. He had always asked for her advice and she gave them generously. And Bel was hoping for her brother’s bright future in the field of arts. Bong was an accomplished painter, having won numerous awards in the past, and had just been contracted by the government to do a mural painting on a wall at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for the upcoming APEC conference. The painting was half-way done and had to be completed by someone else.
               
In New York, Bel tried her best to put on a brave front although obviously she was going through a difficult time. The sights and sounds of New York, perhaps, soothed her frayed emotions and made her forget her difficult experience even just for a little while. She appeared animated and smiled a lot which I noticed as soon as we arrived in New York on Wednesday night and up to the time we attended the event sessions which started the next day. On Friday afternoon, however, she somehow lost her enthusiasm. We attended our last session and I noticed her scribbling something on her notepad. She seemed uninterested in the lecture.
               
After the lecture, we proceeded to the booth of one of the exhibitors who was holding a raffle. The lucky (forgive the word because as a Christian I don’t believe in luck) winner gets to bring home a video drone. I dropped my entry earlier praying I’d win it and encouraged Bel to drop hers, too. She wasn’t interested in it though which I learned later.
               
A big crowd gathered in front of the booth. And I positioned myself right at the front to make sure that I would hear clearly as they announced the name of the winner. Bel, meanwhile, preferred to just stay in the back. With bated breath, I watched as one of the guys manning the booth put his hand inside the box and pulled out a piece of paper. He called out the name of the winner and it wasn’t either of our names.  I was disappointed, of course. Everybody looked around but no one came to claim the prize. The guy called again and still no one came. There is hope, I told myself. Realizing the “winner” had left the Center already, the guy picked another entry, called out the name but no one responded again. For the third time, the announcer picked another one, the name was called and still no one responded. This went on for quite a few more times. Now, the guy, after the initial announcement, had actually been picking business cards which was an acceptable raffle entry. I was always disappointed when I saw him holding a card because we filled out a paper entry and there was no way we would win it. At that point, he must have picked seven already but no one came to the front to pick up the prize. Before he picked the eighth, someone shouted, “Try another paper entry again!” So, he did. And when he called the name of the winner, Bel said later, “It was as if God called my name”. In my excitement, I shouted, “That’s me!” I looked back and saw that Bel was in a state of surprise and I rushed to her, quickly grabbed her and finally, her face broke into a big smile as we dashed to the front and picked up the video drone.
               
It was surreal. Unbelievable. The Lord Jesus had intended it for Bel all along. He wanted her to know that he is aware of what she was going through, that he knows her name. Personally. Lovingly. That thoughtful gesture from the Lord certainly touched Bel’s heart and lifted her spirit. The Bible says, “1 Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;”
               
Later in the afternoon on the subway, on our way to Jollibee in Queens to celebrate, Bel shared with me what she wrote on her notepad earlier. She said that she was asking God questions about her brother’s sudden, unexpected death. She wasn’t even sure of her brother’s salvation although she knew when they were young he was even the one who brought his siblings to church. Afterwards, she posted this on Facebook, “I was asking God in my notepad during the last session ... about my brother's death etc. I told Him give me a sign that he's in His hands... then I just joined Rolly if he'd win that drone. Few people's business cards were picked out, but not present at that moment. Then my name was announced. It's only material thing. But for me it's God's personal way of confirming his love and all my questions to Him. He didn't forget me.”
               
The Bible says that God will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). You are the apple of his eye (Zechariah 2:8). Take heart if you’re going through something difficult yourself. God is the strength of your heart and he will always be faithful to you. You are famous in your Father's eyes, to rephrase a line in Francesca Battistelli's popular song "He Knows My Name". 
                 

September 3, 2015
A Tale of Two Camps

Two wonderful events took place in the last two months. First was the first-ever youth camp that was held in cooperation with Grace Filipino Church last July 24-26 and the second was the just-concluded family camp our church had two weekends ago. I would describe those two events in these words: “awesome” and “a blast”. Everyone came home feeling blessed and had a better appreciation of church fellowship and God.

What’s striking at the youth camp is the testimonies we heard. One came to Jesus and several others testified to being convicted about becoming serious in following Jesus. One mother, for example, wondered what we did at the camp because she said that her teenage son suddenly became conscious of God that she often overhears him in his room talking or praying to God aloud. She asked him about it and he replied that God has become so personal to him that he would like to talk to him as he would to any person. Then, a week before the family camp, one mother approached me about her daughter who wanted to be baptized. I spoke to her 15 year-old daughter and I found out that she had been baptized before but wanted to be re-baptized as a sign that she was re-committing her life to Jesus. According to her, the camp opened her eyes to the reality that she fell short as a disciple of Jesus and now wants to go all out for him. And the person who came to Jesus? He said that right after the second night’s message and while the invitation song was being sung, he felt a stirring within his heart that made him decide to turn over his life to Jesus. This teenager came together with family friends from California and was surprised that God would touch him in a place that’s across the country.

Meanwhile, the family camp was not short of good news and blessings as well. We also heard of testimonies from people who were so glad that they came to the camp because of the fellowship and teachings they derived from it. They were particularly effusive in their praises of the workshops conducted on Saturday morning. The workshops were introduced this year in the camp for the first time. There were five altogether and each dealt with a topic that was related to the main theme of the camp. It was a joy to see the people, youth and adults alike, rushing to the workshops of their choice.

But the highlight of the camp, as it has always been, was the baptism service on Saturday night. Four were baptized – from a nine year-old to someone in his early forties. Each of them gave a touching testimony about their decision to be baptized. All campers came away from the service greatly blessed and encouraged by what they witnessed.

All in all, these two events held back-to-back could define the year for the church. They made us realize once again that it is only God who engineers circumstances to make things possible and successful. "All things are possible with God", as Jesus says (Mark 10:27). A few of us, who were heavily involved in the preparations, often wondered how we would be able to pull it off. But we were encouraged by the apostle Paul's words, "I can do all things through him who gives me strength." (Phil. 4:13)  It is amazing how God has graciously guided and generously strengthened us through those months of intense preparation. We are now looking forward to next year’s youth camp and family camp!






June 10, 2015
The Latest Challenge

Two big Christian personalities have grabbed headlines recently because of an issue that has been raging since the second half of 2013. These are Franklin Graham, the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), and Tony Campolo, a highly-regarded pastor, preacher and author. Graham announced last week that he was withdrawing all accounts of the BGEA from Wells Fargo because they came out with an ad supporting a lesbian couple. Campolo, on the other hand, announced last Monday that he shifted his stance and now supports same-sex marriage and encourages the church to do the same.

Undoubtedly, the issue of same-sex marriage has become a bone of contention among Christians and is causing division even within denominations. Christians have responded differently to this issue just like the two above-mentioned Christian leaders. Some assert that gays and lesbians should be accorded the right to marry because God loves them as well as anyone else, that there is no prohibition of this in the Bible, that God created them that way, that two people who are in love must not be denied this right, and all other reasons. Some have refused to make any stand claiming that Jesus did not speak about it although one may sense that they don’t just want to alienate a group of people who they want to reach out.  And, of course, there are some who are opposed to it because they believe it flies in the face of what the Bible teaches clearly. I align myself with the third category.

I believe that marriage is only between a man and a woman. I believe that any relationship between two people of the same gender is a big no-no. I believe that the homosexual lifestyle is not condoned in the Bible. But…I believe also that gays and lesbians are people who need love and compassion just like any person. I believe that they should be treated with care and respect. Jesus loves them and he died for them too after all. Jesus did not die for a chosen group of people but he died for everyone as the Bible says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NIV)

I have gay friends and I love them. It is because I love them that I won’t hate them for what they have chosen as their lifestyle. Like I will not hate a friend who has chosen to indulge in drugs or alcohol or gambling. In fact, I want them to see the light and so I will not stay away and instead offer my friendship. Jesus did quite likewise and was often seen in the company of people who were cast out by society so much so that he was labeled a “glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” (Matthew 11:19 NIV).

LGBTQ supporters say that gays and lesbians did not choose to be that way. However, in view of the lack of any definitive scientific study on the cause of it, I will beg to disagree. Finding the proverbial “gay gene”, I would say, is like trying to find the missing link in Darwin’s evolution theory.

It’s just sad that many Christian pastors and leaders today are capitulating to this latest assault on the Christian faith. For thousands of years, God’s people have always upheld this age-old truism that marriage is only between a man and a woman because that is what God has instituted in the Garden of Eden. Suddenly, because of the liberalism of our time, it seems that many Christians now have changed their views and are joining the growing number of people who support the opposing view.

By the way, this issue has just suddenly been pushed to the forefront because of the decision of the Supreme Court in mid-2013, in a 5-4 vote, to strike down a key part of the Defense of Marriage Act. That ruling paved the way for an avalanche of decisions by lower courts that granted gays and lesbians the right to marry in several states, 37 according to the latest count. To think that actually only five people caused this issue to suddenly explode. Since that time, support for same-sex marriage has gathered steam. Why? Because of the LGBTQ-friendly media. And many now claim that this is the new morality. I even heard a famous young pastor of a big church in the south who is the son of a famous pastor in Georgia preach about accepting a gay couple with adopted children and calling them the “modern family”. Just because they go to his church.

But, of course, morality is not founded upon numbers. It is founded upon the eternal truth of what God says in his Word. We will note though that in some high-profile cases, pastors changed their views because they know of a close family member who is gay and have been emotionally affected by the latter’s struggles and have even officiated at their same-sex wedding.  Emotions, as we know, are a poor basis for making sound, rational and biblical decisions. We are a feeling people, yes, but God asks us to uphold his truth first. 

Some say that Jesus was silent on this issue and, therefore, they will be silent too or it just indicates that Jesus somehow condoned it and would approve of it were he with us today. Common sense would trounce the fallacy of such argument. Jesus did not say abortion was wrong but he, the Source of Life, obviously would not condone such practice.

At the end of the day, I believe followers of Jesus ought to extend love and care to LGBTQ people but at the same time make a biblical stand against this latest challenge on their faith.

       
March 14, 2015
It's a Miracle...When God Saved My Child from Harm

We just started a new sermon series last Sunday called “It’s a Miracle!” In this series we’re talking about a few of Jesus’ famous miracles like the water being turned into wine, the storm being calmed, and a blind man being given his sight. This series will culminate on Easter Sunday, April 5, when we look at the miracle of all miracles, Jesus raising himself from the dead.

As I did some research on my first message, I found out an interesting statistic. The Harris Poll and Pew Forum on Religion said that the percentage of people in America who believe in miracles have gone down steadily in just the past few years. In 2008, for example, 90% or 9 out 10 people believe in miracles. Then, that number decreased to 80% or 8 out of 10 in 2010. And in 2013, it went down again to 70% or 7 out of 10. This downward slide just signals the increasing secularization of America where people are more and more becoming irreligious and losing their faith in a God who can intervene in our lives.

The Bible is full of stories of God’s great power in display from the book of Genesis to  Revelation. Critics and atheists, of course, deny all these and claim they are all made up or just delusions or have natural explanations. 

When I was in my teens I came across a book called “Chariots of the Gods” where the author argued that when Jesus fed the 5,000, he was in cahoots with UFO’s. According to his wild imagination, the author asserted that while Jesus and everybody else was praying and their eyes were closed, flying saucers appeared overhead and dropped hundreds and hundreds of bags of bread. Then, after the prayer, all people were amazed at the bountiful meal before them.

Well, the author had never been to a church before, I presume. You see, after I preach in church and I ask people to close their eyes and bow down their heads and tell them to not look around, invariably I will see a person or two who will not follow my instructions and their eyes look around out of curiosity or something. I myself did that when I wasn’t a pastor yet and was sitting on the pew. So, it sounds ridiculous to assume that out of at least 5,000 men, which can double to at least 10,000 if you count women and children, not one of them, not even one of them, had an eye open out of curiosity. Granted that all adults were so compliant, would you expect all the children to be as well? The author did not go to Sunday school either! No wonder this book was trashed by people on Amazon. But, there were gullible people who did buy into his bizarre theory. 

That’s the great lengths that people go to in order to explain the miracles recorded in the Bible. Christians believe that those miracles occurred literally and they still occur today. In John 5:17, Jesus says, “My Father is still working, and I am working also.” Jesus is involved in our lives and interested in us.

About three years ago, my family saw a miracle happened before their very eyes. Eza, almost three at the time, escaped from deadly harm with the help of God.  I shared this with our church family when I did a sermon series titled “Extraordinary Power for Ordinary People”. Here’s the transcript:

“Let me share with you how God showed his extraordinary power to my family this week. Yes, we experienced his power in a way that’s unbelievable. Perhaps, something you’ve never heard before.

Well, it happened last Wednesday around lunch time. I was at work and Anabel called me on my cell. The first words she said were, “Rolly, Eza fell on the stairs outside the house.” I immediately felt alarmed knowing that the stairs was concrete but her next words calmed me down. “But she’s all right.”
Then, she narrated what happened. First, let me show you the picture of the stairs. 
Then, the picture of the porch. What happened was that all of them were walking along the porch toward the stairs and to the car, with Nanay Monet and Eza leading the way.  Eza already knows how to get down the stairs. She normally holds the railing on the side and slowly steps down with Nanay or Anabel or myself beside her just in case. 

"Now, as Eza was getting close to the edge, she suddenly looked back probably because she looked for Anabel who just closed the door. As she looked back while still walking, her left foot missed the first step. Now, what do you think would happen? You would imagine she would tumble down head first, right?

"Let me ask Nanay Monet was she saw. She’s going to narrate in Filipino so she could describe it better. And I’ll try to interpret it afterwards... 

"If you didn’t understand her, I guess you could already deduce what happened because of how she demonstrated it. But basically, she said that Eza’s body never touched the steps of the stairs and she saw her turned around like an acrobat, or like a diver doing a somersault and most amazing of all, everything happened in slo-mo. She testified that it was like watching a slo-mo replay in boxing or basketball. Ally was behind them and saw what happened too. She said to Anabel, 'Mommy, Eza floated. And her body turned crazy. Then she fell to the ground slowly'. In the car, Eze who saw it too, suddenly prayed and said, 'Lord, thank you for sending an angel to save Eza.'

"I wish it was caught on video. But with video or not, I believe an angel caught Eza and perhaps, because Eza was a bit heavy, the angel had a hard time keeping her steady that’s why her body bounced around until the angel was able to put her down slowly."

There’s absolutely no natural explanation for that. Three members of my family were witnesses to the fact. The only thing I can say is that God loves little children. After church, a few folks came to me and told me of how God protected them or someone they knew when they were children as well.
God is amazing! He says, "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jer. 32:27 NIV)


October 29, 2014

What Shall We Do with Halloween?

Well, it’s that time of the year once again when children in costumes come out to knock on your doors and with a grin happily say, “Trick or Treat?”  How could you ever turn away or ignore those cute, smiling little ones? But then, of course, it depends on what you believe about Halloween as a Christian.

Halloween is one of those things that Christians are divided about. On one side there are those who don’t want to have anything to do with it, treating it with contempt, because of its pagan origins. On the other side are those who find nothing wrong with it and join in the “festivities” for the sake of the children and so children are dressed up as angels or some biblical character. 

The problem with arguing that Halloween should be condemned, or ignored at best, because of its pagan origins is that it is untenable.  The reason is that Christmas has for centuries been celebrated by Christians everywhere but its origins are pagan too. December 25 was celebrated in the ancient Roman Empire as the birthday of their sun god Sol Invictus (“Unconquered Sun”). The week prior to this was the feast of Saturnalia, a period of revelry and celebration in honor of another god, Saturn, where there was gift-giving, feasting, and gambling. When the Roman Empire increasingly came under Christian rule, the early church felt that light can overcome darkness by ascribing Christian meaning to and adopting some of these pagan practices which resulted to pagans being won over to Christ.  

So, what should we do then? We can be in the world but not of the world (John 17:14-15).  Obviously, I’m choosing the other side. Having three little children, I’d like them to also have some good fun but at the same time I want them to be aware of their role in influencing others. What my wife and I do as we accompany our children around the neighborhood is that when the door opens and the person inside the house gives out the candies, one of us hands out a Halloween-themed gospel tract to the person.  Ninety percent of the time, the person accepts the tract and most of the time, we are able to strike a conversation with them. We are neighbors, after all, and they are just too glad to accommodate us. But if they don’t take the tract, then no big deal at all. It happens.  In the same way, when children come knocking on our door, we give them bags of candies with a gospel tract inside of it. In both instances, we’re hoping and praying that both grown-ups and children will take the time to read the tract.


This is just an example of how we can redeem this day for the Lord. Some churches hold a harvest festival or something similar in order to take advantage of the opportunity to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Children and adults are out on the streets and we can seize the moment to interact with them.

Of course, I respect every Christian’s take on this celebration. Let me know your thoughts on this.


October 19, 2014

Is "Heaven is for Real" for Real?

This piece is actually long-overdue. In my previous blog, written after Easter Sunday, I wrote about how a top-grossing movie “Heaven is for Real” ended up in my sermon. In summary, I said that God can use anything and anyone, imperfect it may be, to serve his purpose. Then, in the end, I mentioned that I would try to share some more of my thoughts about the book. So, this is the follow-up which took me some time to put together. Honestly, I had prepared it days after I wrote my blog and in the intervening weeks and months, kept putting it aside because of more pressing matters. Anyway, let me now get into it.
 
“Heaven is for Real” is a book written by Todd Burpo, father of Colton Burpo, a four-year-old boy who had an out-of-body experience while he was going through an emergency appendectomy and lived to tell of what he saw and experienced while he was in heaven. The book became a bestseller when it first came out in 2010. 

The reactions of people to the book and movie range from those who believe everything in it to those who completely dismiss it as just pure fantasy. I would say that I’m somewhere in the middle.  

Normally, I would be wary of someone claiming visions of heaven or the afterlife. After all, stories like this abound. They come mostly from grown-up people who recount going through a tunnel and then emerging into a place of beauty and love and then encountering a being enveloped in brilliant light who they surmise to be Jesus or a Supreme Being. There are significant loopholes in such "near-death experiences" and that's why many skeptics explain them away as just figments of imagination that the brain try to conjure up in that very brief moment between life and death.
 Such cannot really be said of the little boy's account.  There are certain things in his account that I find compelling and hard to ignore. Like his encounter with his sister who died due to a miscarriage before he was born which no one had ever told him about or his coming face to face with his great-grandfather who he never met on earth and yet described him to his father the way he looked like as a young man on earth. Now, critics explain this away by accusing the author of making it up. May be it was for fame or financial gain or simply ignorance of the Bible? I don't think so. This guy is a pastor from a well-known denomination and nothing in his background, as records indicate, would show that he would resort to such subterfuge.
Some of these criticisms actually come from popular Christian teachers and writers. I understand them. They don't want people to be distracted by a subjective experience of a subject matter, heaven, that is objectively described in the Bible. They don’t want people to base their understanding of heaven from someone's experience rather than on what the Bible actually says. I agree. Nevertheless, in doing so, their arguments fall short just to discredit the book and the movie. 

For example, there's this radio personality, who I admire but whose ideas I disagree with sometimes, who indirectly compares the boy's experience to Betty Eadie's "Embraced by the Light" which became popular in the early 90’s. Eadie is a Mormon whose religious beliefs permeate her book which include the denials of the core truths of Christianity like the Trinity, salvation through Christ alone, and the reality of hell. In contrast, Burpo's book is replete with scripture verses that support such orthodox beliefs. Then, there's this young preacher who discredits the book based on Jesus' words on John 3:13, "No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man." Unfortunately, he quotes out of context. Jesus was not talking about a literal trip to heaven and back. Besides, Enoch, Elijah, Moses and other people in the Old Testament are already in heaven. Remember, Moses and Elijah even “came down” to earth when they appeared in Jesus during the transfiguration. So, Jesus was just trying to make the point to unbelieving Nicodemus that his teaching authority comes from God himself. Then the preacher goes on to say that Lazarus came back from the dead but did not give any account of him being in heaven. Unfortunately again, the preacher is "arguing from silence".  For example, just because the Bible doesn't say that I shouldn't throw my garbage to my neighbor's backyard doesn’t mean that I can do it. 
We all know that followers of Jesus go to his presence immediately when they die. Paul says, "I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body." (Phil. 1:23-24) Lazarus went to heaven and decided to not just talk about it. Is there anything wrong with that? Even if he did, God chose not include it in the Scriptures.
So, is the book true to the Bible in every detail? I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is that, imperfect as it is, it gives us a glimpse of heaven which can help to point people to the real heaven and, of course, Jesus. 

After all is said and done, I would not, however, base my theology on this book. Our final authority is the Bible and no book by any author could supplant that authority. 

BTW, critics also cite the fact that the child’s heavenly vision include horses and other animals which they find unbelievable because they don’t think that animals go to heaven. Hmm, I think John the apostle had a vision of Jesus, the great warrior riding on a white horse as he describes it in Revelation,

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”  (Revelation 19:11-16)

So there…


May 6, 2014
"A Glimpse of Heaven”

As a pastor and preacher, I have always tried to be careful in promoting or endorsing something from the pulpit. I don’t want to misinform or mislead people. So, before saying to my audience, “I’d like you to read this book” or “This is a good movie that you should watch”, I take pains to first do my research on such material to make sure that it stands up to biblical and factual scrutiny. 

I failed to do that recently. During my Easter message three weeks ago, I endorsed a movie that was the top-grosser in the box office at the time. I’m talking about the much-hyped Christian-themed movie “Heaven is for Real”. Although I watched the trailer at home, I didn’t check out the book it was based on or even read the reviews especially from scholarly Christian teachers or pastors.  So, how did it end up in my sermon? What happened was that on the day before Easter, a friend of mine who saw the movie talked excitedly about the movie, remarking that it was one that would inspire and encourage anyone. I didn’t pay much attention to it, however.

That night, while I was working on my sermon for the next day, I came to the point in my sermon where I was going to encourage people to trust in God because he can secure our future, and that future is in heaven. The movie that my friend mentioned suddenly came to my mind. I thought it would provide a good illustration. Immediately I watched the trailer, liked it, and downloaded it into my flash drive so I can show it in church. It was already late at night and I didn’t have any more time to scour the ‘net for any reviews. I trusted my friend. 

So, the next day, toward the end of my sermon, I showed it after recommending it. And I made the mistake of endorsing something that I didn’t check out carefully first. As it turned out, after doing my research afterwards, the movie or the book itself contains some inaccuracies and not true to the Bible in every detail. That’s why it was largely panned by Christian pastors and teachers in the know. But then, on hindsight, I asked myself, did I really commit a mistake? 

You see, after preaching my Easter message, and giving an invitation for people to accept Christ, at least one person in the room accepted Jesus. That person raised her hand up high and then looked at me, although I said “with every head bowed and eye closed”, as if saying, “Please don’t miss me. I’d like to receive Jesus as my Lord and Savior”. That person came back to church and is willing to be discipled.

It bears mentioning too that one member of the church said to me afterwards that “the Spirit was moving”.  Another one said that the message was “off the charts”. Of course, the message was about Jesus that is why the Spirit moved. Did the trailer help to accentuate the message? I believe so. Would have I shown it if I knew what I already know now? I think so with the disclaimer that the people should not accept the movie or book lock, stock, and barrel. Like any imperfect instrument or vessel, I believe the movie was used by God to point toward Jesus. (2 Cor. 4:7) It helped people to reflect on the reality of heaven. It helped people to get a glimpse of heaven. It helped people to focus on eternal life with Jesus.

I remember the time, three years ago, when before putting my children to bed, Ally who was then six years old got hold of a gospel tract that I casually set down in the living room. It was one of those hard-hitting, in-your-face booklets by Chick Publications which someone in church handed to me. Aside from their aggressiveness, materials from Chick Publications often contain factual errors and so I don’t use them. That night, however, God used that booklet. Ally read about hell that the booklet described and asked me about it. I explained it to her and then gradually eased into how someone can avoid going to hell and instead go to heaven through Jesus. Ally understood and prayed to receive Jesus. A few months later, she was baptized.

Didn’t Paul also use a line from a pagan author which we now quote and even turn into a song? He says in Acts 17:28, “For in him we live and move and have our being” which actually comes from a Cretan philosopher named Epimenides. In the same verse, Paul quoted another philosopher named Aratus when he wrote “We are his offspring”. Was he endorsing the writings of these Greek philosophers wholesale? Of course not.

The point is, God, in his wisdom, can use anything to achieve his purpose and bring glory to him.  Like Paul, we can use something intentionally, or like me, we can use it mistakenly. Either way, God uses it because “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)

I still have much to say about the book/movie but will have to do it in my next blog. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts about this, please share. 

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March 22, 2014
"Watching Over You"

I was encouraged a few days back by a story I heard on the radio on my way to work. This guy was being interviewed by Dennis Rainey on his program "Family Life Today" . His name is Brad Mathias and he wrote a book called “Road Trip to Redemption”. The book details the time he took his wife and three teenagers to a two-week trip across 14 states and 2 Canadian provinces on an SUV due to a family crisis. The crisis was precipitated by the revelation of his daughter, Bethany, that she had been molested by a boy in her eighth grade class. Brad then realized how disconnected his family had become and that his parenting skills were seriously  in doubt.

In the program, Brad talked about an episode which appears in the book wherein his daughter who didn’t believe that God actually answers prayers asked God to show her a moose. Brad thought that was really tough. They hadn’t seen a moose for the past 11 days and the chances of seeing one the next few days were quite nil. 

Then, the next morning, at the Rocky Mountain National Park, in early July, he said that God woke him up and said to him, “Get her and go”. God impressed on him that she would see a moose that morning. He hesitated for a moment because if that didn’t happen then he would just dig himself into a deeper hole than he was in already. He told her, anyway, that she would see a moose.

So, off they drove for about 15 miles and all the while Brad knew where the Lord wanted them to go. When they reached the place, they walked off the side of the road and peering into the forest, they saw a moose. 
 
This is one of those stories that prove God cares for us. When we need him desperately, he shows up and tells us “I love you. I know what you’re going through. I’m always with you.”  

There are times when we feel like he is not concerned about us. Or maybe even doubt about his power or existence. Nothing can be further from the truth. Jesus says that as the Father’s eyes are on the sparrow his eyes are always on you.  And you are more valuable than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31)

Be encouraged then. God is with you!

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February 16, 2014
"Perfect Timing"

I'm excited about tomorrow. After nine months, I'm entering the work force once again. I've been out of job and I never thought it would take this long. But in the process, God made me grow. God showed me things I needed to dealt with. There were three specific things he revealed to me and not until I admitted my shortcomings that he began to pave the way for my getting a new job eventually. And the timing was perfect. What are these three things? I'll let you know after ten years :) 

The following  is what I shared in the church just before I preached last week:

Good morning! We’re on the last part of our series on Financial Fitness. I hope we’re all working towards that. Before I go to our message, let me confess something to you. When Pastor Dave and I thought of this series, I was kind of hesitant to do it because we were going to talk about money and I didn’t have money, well sort of. As you know, I’m a bi-vocational pastor. Meaning, aside from being your pastor, I also had a full-time job. I said “had” because I lost my job in May of last year, if you don’t know. So, it’s been nine months now. Last month, it was a bit hard for me to come up here in front and talk about how God is the source of everything, that he provides, that he made us stewards of his resources. Although I was receiving unemployment benefits every week and receiving something from the church as well, our resources were beginning to be depleted. I have four children, Ally, Eze, and Eza times 2. I know that any moment, the benefits from the government will stop then what next? I know God is faithful. He will never leave us nor forsake us. And yet, I couldn’t find a job. I applied at dozens and dozens of companies and to tell you the truth my resume reached as far as California and Canada, but to no avail. I had some interviews but nothing came out of them either. I was beginning to lose my self-confidence. But I decided to go on with this series anyway. I felt like God was saying, “Just preach it!”

Three weeks ago, the week of January 20, the government sent me my last weekly benefit. So, I said to Anabel, let’s pack up and go. Just kidding. I told her let’s tighten our belts. And we were wondering what will happen next, when the following week, a position suddenly opened at a place not very far from where we live, Chantilly, less than 20 minutes by car! That was Wednesday, Jan. 29. I applied, and two days later was interviewed. Last Wednesday, Feb. 5, I was told that I got the job and last Friday, I was told that I’ll be starting next week.

So, it was like boom, boom, boom. In less than three weeks, seemingly without any effort at all, I have a job again. Who can do such a thing? Only God. He is faithful. His timing is perfect.

You know, when I wasn’t getting anything around the area at first, I told Anabel that maybe I should try looking in other states which I did. She was opposed to this, however, because she said that this is where our church is. I told her I could still go home every weekend but she reminded me about the time, money, effort, that would be spent. So now, I know she listens to God. Better than me. God still wants us here. What’s the lesson? Men, listen to your wives. Sometimes they are right. 

One verse that I held on to while waiting on God is Psalm 37:25, “I was young and now I am old (oops), yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” That’s why we have Panera! God is good, all the time!
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I mentioned Panera because our church just started a bread ministry courtesy of Panera. Every Saturday night, I go to Panera and pick up their left-overs and there's a lot - bagels, loaves of bread, cupcakes, pastries, etc. Half goes to the church and half goes to a homeless shelter in Reston. 
Anyway, God still wants us in Virginia. Actually, and I didn't tell my church, there's a Christian company in NC who wants me. I applied there before the one here in Chantilly. However, their offer came later. So, I'll just continue to bloom here where the Lord has planted me.

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March - April 2012
"Sunday Is Coming!"

Ever been disappointed? Sure you have. All of us have our own share of griefs and frustrations. It’s so frustrating and disappointing when something you hoped for did not materialize. Or something you expected wasn’t what it was supposed to be. Just like the early apostles. They were hoping for a conquering hero. They were looking for someone who would save them from Roman oppression. They were praying, I’m sure, for someone who would lead them to victory and a bright future. They thought they found the one in Jesus.

But Jesus willingly submitted himself to his enemies and allowed him-self to be arrested by the Jewish Priests and Roman soldiers. He did not put up a fight. Instead, he said to one of them who tried to defend him, "Put your sword back in its place." No wonder all of them scattered like mice and hid in the dark. Perhaps, their disappointment was so deep that everyone, except for John, did not show up in the crucifixion of their leader.

You may be disappointed with your leader—God. You thought he was going to come through for you. You thought he would help you with the bills, heal a loved one, make your child change his ways, give you a job, discipline your philandering husband, or fix whatever problem you have but it seems he is not doing anything. Like he couldn’t care less. And so, you run away, deeply frustrated and fearful.

Don’t be afraid though and don’t be disappointed with God. He loves you more than you’ll ever know. Because in his silence, he wants you to trust him. In his silence, he is actually shouting and calling your attention to the fact that he is almighty and powerful and able to save you.

Jesus died and was laid in a tomb on that dark somber Friday. But Sunday came and he rose again, victorious over death. He showed himself to his apostles and hundreds more giving them fresh hope for the future. He truly was the conquering hero!

It may feel like a bad Friday for you right now. Take heart! Sunday is coming and Jesus will rise and show himself to you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Before he went to heaven, he promised his disciples, "Surely I am with you always." (Matthew 28:20)

You may not understand it right now but it will unfold before you later on. Remember that whatever bind you are in right now, the Bible says, "In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

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January - February 2012
"Facing Tomorrow with Confidence"

Now that we’re entering a new year, hope and confidence should set in and fill our beings. However, this may not be true for many of us because of the uncertainty that the future brings. The economy hasn’t improved, natural calamities abound, no great strides in conquering dreadful diseases, wars and threats of war are a reality and so forth. In fact, this year is thought to be the end of the world as bandied about by a movie based on some ancient people’s prediction. So, people welcome the new year with guarded optimism – hoping for the best and expecting the worst.

The world may not be the best place to live in but it’s the only place we know of, at least while we’re still alive. God’s Word says that there’s a far better place waiting for those who believe in him. That’s heaven. But does that mean that we will continue to live in a helpless state while we’re waiting for that to happen? The answer is yes and no. Yes because, the fact is, the world is imperfect and people are imperfect. No because there is someone who is perfect who gives us help along the way.
 
Jesus says, "Surely I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20). His companionship is real. He promises to never leave you nor forsake you. You may be feeling stressed out because of the looming challenges ahead but Jesus says, "Relax, I’ve got you covered". He tells you to not worry. "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" (Matthew 6:25-27).

This is great consolation. In a world and in a time where everything seems confusing, there is someone who can restore order in our lives. Jesus is the solid rock who we can firmly place our trust in. The question is, to mimic a popular ad, "got Jesus?"

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November - December 2011
"Counting My Blessings"

Thanksgiving is a time to count your blessings. For each blessing you count, you then give thanks to the Lord who is the blessing-giver. Some of us, however, would rather complain than count. When times get tough, we indulge ourselves in a litany of woes instead of praises. Out of frustration because of many complainers during his day, Charles Dickens once said that there should also be a day dedicated to griping and complaining.

God understands all our complaints, nevertheless, knowing how weak and fragile we are. Yet, to remain in a complaining state doesn’t help us any neither honors God. At the end of the day, what matters is how grateful we are to God despite the troubles we’ve seen. Ephesians 5:20 says, "Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Personally, I’ve had my share of blessings since my family and I came to Virginia two years ago. On top of my list is being the pastor of this church for one-and-half-years now. What a pleasure and privilege to be serving him in this church. I never thought I’d ever be in this position when my family came here and my wife and I are truly grateful for the wonderful and loving people who have welcomed us in this church.

Another blessing is being in a company of dedicated church servant-leaders, called Directors, who are willing to keep on tracking with me, watch my back, and show me things I couldn’t see about myself and the way I do things.

Still another one is having a group of zealous and vigorous ministry leaders (Sunday school, youth, men’s, women’s) who spend their time, effort, and money to accomplish their task of building up the children and older folks spiritually.

Yet another one is having a team of gifted and exceptional teachers who diligently lead the IMPACT Class Sunday after Sunday in order to make the people become more acquainted with God’s Word. Then there’s also the home groups that meet weekly or every other week religiously, whose members care for each other and help each other understand the complex issues of life through the lens of the Bible (special men-tion goes to the Burke Group for the Most Improved Home Group Award).

And the newsletter team is a blessing as well because of their tireless effort to meet deadlines in order to make others in the community know God through the news, articles, poems, artwork, etc.

Plus the energetic children who always provide joy and entertainment whether they’re in their class or just playing around.

Likewise the Maryland Crossover Group is a blessing for their indomitable spirit, faithfully meeting every month for Worship and Bible study and coming to Springfield despite the distance.

And, of course, it is a blessing to see all the men who come early to haul equipment and set them up and tear them down afterwards and the women as well who help out for the Worship Service.

Similarly, it is a blessing to see a talented Worship Team leading the people in praising and worshipping God every Sunday.

And I could go on and on citing all the ministries, big or small, that have blessed my heart in the short time I’ve been in the church so far. Obviously, this list is not complete because of limited space. To see the complete list, you have to open my heart.

God never ceases to shower us with his blessings. We just lose sight of them sometimes when difficult circumstances cloud our vision. We need to adjust the lens of our perspective then in order keep God in focus again. Remember, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:6-7)

September - October 2011
"Tremors, Trials and Triumphs"

Have you experienced any tremors in your life? I’m sure you have. We all have. And I’m not talking about the recent earthquake that shocked and shook all of us living in the eastern seaboard. That was an experience we didn’t expect to happen in our lifetime here in this part of the world. The last "big" earthquake to have occurred in Central Virginia, according to seismologists, was way back in 1875 with a modest magnitude of 4.8.  This most recent one was 5.9. It was shocking for us but ordinary for Californians.

Tremors have a way of shaking us. They come unexpectedly, without warning. Sometimes, they even turn our worlds upside down. I’m talking about life’s tremors. They come in the form of a sudden illness, a freak accident, a financial problem, an unwanted pregnancy, a wayward spouse, a rebellious child, a betrayed friendship, a hurtful word, a grievous mistake, and a whole lot more. The magnitude of each can be different but they all produce in us the same results – confusion, anxiety, helplessness, and even hopelessness. Tremors are a part of life. No one goes through life unscathed. 

Knowing that tremors are inevitable helps us to put things in proper perspective. We can look at them as trials or transitions. They make us aware of our own weaknesses and frailties. Many people, however, think that they have it all together and smugly assume that they can manage to go through life
without a higher power to sustain them. Until the walls come tumbling down and they’re left hanging on to dear life in the aftermath. Since these tremors are trials, we need extraordinary strength in order to make it through. 

There is one person we can hold on to who will give us the strength we need in our times of difficulty. Jesus is his name. The apostle Paul proclaims
in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through him (Jesus Christ) who gives me strength." Even when we have reached the end of our rope, the
Bible tells us that "we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Rom. 8:37). And in John 16:33, Jesus assures us victory, "I have told
you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." We are triumphant
because of him!

On September 11th, we’re going to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York. That was an earth-shaking ordeal for many people. That was also a wake-up call for them. It made them realize that nothing or no one in this world, no matter how solid and stable they may seem, can withstand the heat of trials. That’s why, almost immediately, people came to churches in droves to seek spiritual solace.

The trials you have may be shaking you to your core. You need spiritual solace, too. You’ll find it in Jesus. Put your faith in him, believe that he has conquered sin and death and the world forever through his death and resurrection, and you too will triumph in the end. He offers you a life of abundance here on earth and eternal life in heaven. Let Jesus take care of your tremors and he will give you peace that passes understanding then you will emerge victorious (Phil. 4:6-7)! 

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July - August 2011
"How to Get Your Prayers Answered"

Father‘s Day just went by and I‘d like to just say a few words to our fathers about prayer. As I was preparing for the prayer and fasting which we held last May, one verse struck me as I was searching the Bible for some verses pertaining to prayer. The verse is 1 Peter 3:7 (NIV) which says, "Husbands, …be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers." This verse talks about how the prayer life of a man can be affected by the way he treats or mistreats his wife. In fact, he cannot get an answer to prayer until he starts to treat his wife well—understanding her, being considerate, and giving her the honor she deserves.

God commands the husband to love his wife no matter what ( Eph. 5:25). He put them together and it is his design that the husband is the initiator of love. Thus, a loving husband and father is one who would make every effort to make the wife happy and feel like a queen.

Someone asked me one time, "Pastor, maybe, my wife is not really God‘s will for me because I didn‘t pray for her. Circumstances just brought us
together and then we were married". I told him, "Did Adam pray for Eve?" The answer, of course, is no. He didn‘t even know that God was going to create an Eve. The point is, marriage is a sacred institution and God is the one who established it. Therefore, anyone you‘re married to automatically is God‘s will for you.

In this regard, the husband plays a big role in ensuring the success of the marriage. Success comes when he obeys the command in 1 Peter 3:7.
God takes delight in such and his ears will surely be open to hear the husband‘s prayers.

So, dads, if your prayers are not being answered, maybe you  should check the way you treat the mother of your children. A saying goes, "The
best gift a father can give his children is to love their mother".

Now, isn‘t there also a verse that says, "Wives, submit to your husbands, as to the Lord?"

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June 2011
"You Have a Purpose"

Purpose is the one essential thing that motivates us to continue living. Without a purpose, life has no meaning at all. If you lose your purpose for living, you lose your will to live. If you don‘t have any purpose at all, then you don‘t have any direction at all. You lose your way.

Every thing that God has created has a purpose. The sun has a purpose – it gives off heat that makes living here on earth possible. The trees have a purpose. They not only beautify our surroundings, they also provide food and oxygen for us. The butterfly has a purpose. It hops from flower to flower to get food and at the same time causes these flowers to reproduce.

Anyway, each one of us here on earth, being creations of God, has a purpose. God says in Jeremiah 29:11, "I know the plans I have for you…they are plans for good and not disaster. To give you a future and a hope." So, you‘re not an accident. God put you here on earth for a purpose. To extend that further, God put you here in America, in Virginia, for a purpose. And to extend that a little further, God put you in Fil-Am Community Church for a purpose. You did not just stumble over this building. 

I thank God you‘re here. If you know why you‘re here in church, well and good. Otherwise, you can ask God. Whatever it is, you were put here by God to
join other believers in this church to fulfill God‘s plans and purposes for this church. God has given you gifts and talents to use in building his kingdom. 

However, if you‘re not a part of this church yet, I encourage you to come and join us as we celebrate the goodness of God every Sunday Service at
11:00 am. Then, I‘m sure you‘ll discover the treasure of knowing what the  purpose of your life is.

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May 26, 2011
"A Spiritual Feast"

Last night, the church was treated to a spiritual feast. God fed us through Sarah Balabagan, the former OFW in the United Arab Emirates, who escaped death by firing squad in the mid-90's. 

The first thing we had was an appetizer in the form of a song called "I Will Obey", a song composed by a Filipino pastor in California which is going to be included in Sarah's next album. It's a beautiful song which moved many in attendance. Then, the entree came when Sarah shared her life story which was both heartbreaking and encouraging. She recounted her harrowing experience in the Middle East, from the time she was recruited as a domestic helper when she was just 14 to the sexual abuse she suffered under the hands of her 60-year old employer, to her stabbing him with a knife in self-defense when he tried to rape her, to her being sentenced to die by firing squad and to the commutation of her sentence to 100 lashes on her back and to her eventual release from prison through the intervention of the Philippine government. She became famous in the Philippines because of what she went through. Her life was then turned into a movie called simply "The Sarah Balabagan Story" which starred Vina Morales. Eventually, she became a singer and her dream of providing for her poor and hapless family in Mindanao became reality. Yet, the best thing that ever happened to her was when she came to know Jesus and became his disciple. Sarah is a former Muslim who became a Christian through Dulce Amor, who was her mentor in singing. Dulce introduced her to her pastor, who in turn led Sarah to the Lord. Since then, Sarah has remained with the church and serves in ministry. And the beautiful part is that Sarah learned to forgive and forget. The pain she suffered has been replaced by the love of Jesus.

After the spiritually satisfying story that Sarah shared with us, she belted out another song called "My Life is in Your Hands", a song popularized by Kathy Troccoli. It was like a delicious dessert, a sweet reminder that despite the hardships of life and our fear of the future, we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus takes care of us. 

After this spiritual feast of sorts, while everyone was busy taking pictures with Sarah and asking for her autograph on her CD's, God surprised me with one more treat, a "fortune cookie", so to speak. A lady came to me and said excitedly, "Pastor, I thank you, I thank you so much." 

"Why?", I asked. "Because you invited Sarah and I'm blessed." 

Then, she continued, "You know, just this morning, before going to work, I was just praying and asking God to give me all the resources I need to become spiritually strong. You see, I work with this big company and I just can't find fulfillment. I want to my life to make a difference. I feel I need a change. But what and how? So, I said, 'God, please give me the resources I need and I will obey you. And then, I came to this meeting tonight and heard Sarah sing "I Will Obey" and just like that, I cried. I knew that was God speaking to me. And I knew that is the resource I need. I shared this with Sarah and she gave me a CD of the song. You'll see me more often in church now."

I was stupefied, to say the least. Speechless. And when I recovered, I realized that last night was worth it all. Even just for that one soul, all the effort we spent in preparation was certainly worth it. You just don't know when the Lord will show up and surprise you.  That was my good fortune last night.

May 2011
"Your Choice"

The pressures of life can be unbearable at times. They can hit us like a tsunami or a tornado that just saps away our energy. Sometimes they come suddenly, but sometimes they just build up until it reaches a level which we can't tolerate any-more and we desperately scream, "Enough is enough!". Have you reached this level? Are you almost in this level?

If you're nodding your head, let me assure you that you're not alone. But, of course, that offers no real comfort to you. What I'm pointing out is that in everyone's life, problems, pressures, and predicaments do come and they come with seeming regularity. No one is immune to them. If you have problems, rejoice, because it means you're still alive. But on a more serious note, it's hard to rejoice when there's no money to pay the bills, when the doctor says you have a serious illness, when the spouse is not faithful, when the children are rebellious, and so on. But you have a choice. You can either sulk or soak. Sulk in one corner and bemoan your fate or soak yourself in the Word of God.

One reason we're not able to stand strong in the midst of life's storms is that our lives are not firmly anchored in God's Word. In Jeremiah 2:13, God says, "My  people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."  help us to focus our sights on God. All you need to do is to believe in him and ac-knowledge that he alone can give you strength. As he says in John 7:38, "Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." Jesus, The Living Water, will refresh you, revive you, and infuse new energy in you.

If you're already a believer, keep getting connected to Jesus or just re-connect. If you're not, believing is as easy as ABC:
A-dmit that you're a sinner and can't get to heaven on your own;
B-elieve that God, in the person of Jesus, sacrificed himself and paid the price for your sin; and
C-ommit your life to Jesus.

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April 7, 2011
"Awesome!"

Last night, around 10:30 pm, I had the most awesome experience with my children. I was ready to put them to bed when Ally, my six-year-old daughter, asked me something about a booklet she was holding. I looked at it and saw that it was one of Chick Publication's Gospel tracts which a friend gave me and I left lying around in the house. She pointed to me the picture of hell on one of its pages. So I tried to explain to her, in the most gingerly fashion, what hell is, that it was a place for bad people, a place for people who don't like Jesus. Then, immediately, I also told her about  heaven, where good people go, where people who have Jesus in their hearts go. 

Realizing that it maybe one of those "God-moments", I proceeded to explain to her God's plan of salvation. Eze, my four-year-old son was also all ears as I shared the good news of Jesus with them. Throughout, Ally kept asking questions like, "What is sin?", "How do you know these things?" In the end, I told them that daddy and mommy and Nanay Monet are going to heaven. Ally asked, "Is that where Daddy Lino is now?" I said yes. Then, I followed up with, "Do you also want to go to heaven?" Both of them said "Yes" with an excited look in their faces. And I asked again, "To go to heaven you must ask Jesus to come into your hearts."  They said "Yes" again, smiling. I said that receiving Jesus meant allowing him to make them a good girl and a good boy and they readily agreed. But first, they must ask forgiveness for their sins. When I asked whether they knew what forgiveness is, they said they knew and so I didn't have to explain. 

I then asked them to kneel on the bed, fold their hands in prayer, close their eyes, and to repeat every word I say. They followed to the letter. When they uttered the final word, "Amen", in my heart I thanked God for the opportunity to lead my children to Jesus. It was a great feeling. Then Ally asked, "How about Eza?" She was always concerned about her younger siblings. I assured her that when Eza gets older, she'll have the chance to ask Jesus in her heart as well. But if anything happens to her before that time, she would surely go to heaven.

Now, I really know that God uses anything and any moment for his glory.  I'm not really a fan of Chick Publications because of their sometimes
in-the-face, sensational, historically-inaccurate pamphlets. But tonight, I praise God for them. And I'm keeping the booklet that Ally was holding as a
souvenir :)

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April 2011
"Foolish Notions"

Now that April is here, we are reminded again of foolish things. As we all know, at the beginning of the month some folks try to pull a fast one on an
unsuspecting person. Of course, this is done jokingly, without the intent of causing any harm.  I hope you were not a victim and didn't fall into any foolish trap. However, there is one trap that can cause great spiritual damage when we're not careful. It is the trap of not believing in God. The Bible calls those who don't believe in God as fools. “The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'” (Psalm 14:1).

This is a hard saying but it's true. Despite overwhelming evidences for an Intelligent  Designer and Creator of the universe such as the orderly movements of the planets, the complexity of the cell, the conscience of man, etc., many people still cling to foolish notions like the big bang theory, the evolution theory, the missing link theory and other nonsense. Note that these and others of their kind are just theories, not facts. 

The fact is, there is a God who came to earth about 2,000 years ago in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus claimed to be God. His disciples believed that he was God. One of his disciples, Luke, an expert historian according to modern-day expert historians, recorded in the Bible that over 500 people saw Jesus after his resurrection. Josephus, a non-Christian Jewish writer who lived during the first century, and other writers at the time, wrote about the existence of Christ. In modern times, people who were once atheists like Alexander Solzhenitsyn, C.S. Lewis, and Lee Strobel came to believe in Christ after careful scrutiny of the  evidences. What’s significant is that millions of people are now living with hope because of a belief in a living and personal God.

Don't let the world and its materialism fool you. Atheists can't offer you hope. Only the God of the Bible can offer you hope now and in the hereafter. Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24) And that is not a foolish notion.

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March 2011
"Disaster In Japan"

What has happened in Japan is truly heartbreaking. I'm sure many are asking, “Why did this happen?” “How come there are disasters like this?” “Is there a God?” Like this guy who sat beside me in an airplane twenty years ago one springtime. I was on my way back to Australia after a brief vacation here in the US. It was just a few days after a powerful cyclone hit Bangladesh that claimed about 150,000 lives in that tiny nation. I struck a conversation with this guy, who was a businessman from Atlanta, talking about different topics until we veered toward spiritual matters. That's when he said that he didn't believe in God. And the reason why he didn't is because of natural disasters like the one that devastated Bangladesh. To him that was proof enough that God didn't exist. If he did, he wouldn't allow such violent natural calamity to occur.

I don't remember exactly how I responded. But I think I told him what the Bible says about how God created everything perfect at first and the fall of man resulted in evil and imperfection in the world. I believe I mentioned, too, that a time will come when God will put things back in order and, therefore, there is hope for everyone in this world. The man seemed mollified afterwards because he looked more relax and I was able to get his address in Australia so we could converse some more.

That man's faith was shaken because of a major calamity. Yet, it doesn't take a cyclone or tsunami to affect one's belief in God. It can be affected by the loss of a loved one, a financial breakdown, or a series of personal setbacks. Been there, done that. God, however, is in control as I found out. He is still on his throne and will put things back in order just like what I said to that guy. Psalm 46:1-3 gives us this assurance, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”

Let's continue to keep Japan in our prayers. Let's pray that this event will bring many of them to call on the  real God.