A Holy Week worth to remember

I find the Holy Week as one of my most celebrated religious activity of each year because as a choir member in the church during the days of my youth, we get so busy in preparing for the Maundy Thursday service, 7 Last Words during Good Friday, Black Saturday service and the grandest Easter Cantata. When I left for Cebu on 2007, Holy Week celebration became a normal day with me as I don't find it important only when I was still in GenSan.

Years gone by until I got baptized as a Roman Catholic on 2019, the Holy Week celebration has just been a commemorative day for the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross until I started to be passionate with my service with our Christian Community. The Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals is a Catholic organization where I and my wife had been members since 2017. Part of our service is to organize and inform the members about the new digital platform especially in embracing the new normal during the pandemic.

Being a visual learner, I usually incorporate information drive through videos with texts. At first, I aim to finish the 4 videos starting from Palm Sunday Prayer, Holy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Gospels and just to post it on a daily basis. Then it came creating the Maundy Thursday video, I research for the scriptures, cross referencing the versions of the Bible, compiling video from movies, editing each movie scene versus the scriptures, music download for scoring, final layout with music and effects, transferring files from phone to drive to laptop to drive to phone -- then the finish product once it's posted on our Facebook Page, but that is just the technical side.

In between those technical stuff was starting to build a spiritual food that I never, ever expected. Each scene from videos reminds me more of Jesus Christ and each word of the scriptures touched my heart with a whisper of prayer, my prayers at night becomes emotional because of overwhelming joy and thanksgiving that I have done something for His Glory.

As I started to create the Good Friday video, so much emotion came in. I was already reflecting of who am I and Jesus as my savior, God's perfect plan was just unfolding right in front of my eyes, there's too much to be thanked for -- more than His daily blessings, a real joy because of His passion -- that He didn't deserved on the cross but Jesus made us to be deserved because of His great love. The 7 last words, struck me with my guilt, my failures but assured me of His promise of eternal life.

Creating the Black Saturday and Easter Sunday videos was also a transition of excitement and a feeling of waiting for His coming and resurrection. A promise that made in the Gospel of John 3:16, "For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believe in Him will not perish but have an ever lasting life."

This Holy Week was one of the most memorable ever, as I am re-acquainted with Jesus and who He is to me because of my sins that was paid on the cross over 2,000 years ago. My service for Him is so small for what He has done for me, a true conversion that will be a commitment until I'll join Him in heaven.

NAC 40 Davao: Experiencing God's way through discipleship

The Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP) will once again hold its 40th National Anniversary Celebrations on April 24 - 25, 2020 at SMX Convention, (NAC 40) SM Lanang Premier, Davao City.

With the increasing number of delegates each year, BCBP members from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao come together in this annual event through praise and worship, sharing of life testimonies and  learning more about discipleship and leadership.

This is also the best time for members to unwind and relax from the busy life. A perfect moment to bring the family for a vacation.

For updates, you may logon to www.bcbpkapatiran.com.

Christmas is You..

Christmas celebration has just begun. Gifts, firecrackers and fireworks, and the best of all is food for the Noche Buena. But that is not just the reason why we celebrate Christmas. Christmas is Jesus Christ, a gift, the eternal gift.

I thank God for giving His wonderful gift of eternity. A gift from swaddling clothes in a manger which is Jesus Christ. 

OUR CELEBRATION

During Christmas Eve, we cooked food for the Noche Buena. After cooking, we felt asleep and woke up by 12 midnight to watch fireworks. Then we exchange gifts and greeted Merry Christmas!". After that, we had a sumptuous Noche Buena together as a family. Our celebration was just simple yet meaningful.

Have you found your Easter Egg today?

Easter Eggs on plant nest...

Easter as what most Christians believe as the rebirth of Christ from the dead. As for me an egg is a sign of new life; for sooner it will be a chick then a chicken.

THE IDEA

As Easter was fast approaching, Easter Egg Hunting activities in malls, hotels and churches are already newspapers and radio. Since most of these activities have registration fees and costumes (eg. Easter Bunny contest); I have come up with the idea to have our own Easter Egg Hunting in the community. 

si Sim nag-palayo jud kay basin ma-paso.

EASTER SUNDAY

It was an early Sunday morning when I head back from the office, bringing a pack full of loot bags filled with goodies for the 1st Easter Egg hunting in Sitio Huyong-huyong. Asking my neighbors to wake-up at 3am was a sacrifice to make but it turnout to be easy for them since it was for the kids. Cooking and painting the eggs is not an easy task instead we make it enjoyable to make because we will be hiding those eggs somewhere.

ang kaldero na wala kaayo nahugasan na gilutoan ug biko.

There are 90 eggs to be hidden and only 24 eggs has a caption "HAPPY EASTER". Only those kids who can find eggs with Happy Easter can have a loot bag filled with goodies.

naluto na ang itlog, pintalan na sab ni..

EASTER EGG HUNTING in HUYONG-HUYONG

Happy, Yepee, Yehey!!!

daghana pud sa itlog nimo, oie!

cge, pag-kuha nako sa premyo i-hatag nako sa imo ang mga itlog para mahatagan sab ka.. hehehe!!!

I thank those who volunteered to prepare in cooking, painting the eggs and lastly by hiding the eggs. To Ian Velasco, Sem Velasco, JBay Baguio and Rollen Lecciones... Salamat!

JOSHUA HARRIS' "I Kissed Dating Goodbye": A testimony to tell

He wrote when he was still 21 years old

It was a Thursday sunny afternoon of April, 2011 when I and my date were supposed to meet in a bookstore inside the mall. This date was really something because for me, she is so special. Not of my expectation, I was mesmerized on what she wear that it took me to glance her heavenly valleys at a time. For what I thought that she was fond of reading books because she was like looking for a good book to read; I came across of looking also a book to read. (just to impress her) Suddenly, I saw a book that had really caught my attention. It was entitled "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris. Even that I hate reading books and just want to impress my date, I bought it.

I don't know why I bought the book but for my own view, it is just to impress her, to let her know that I'm a hopeless romantic that seeks for her love and understanding. It was a motive so she would say "YES" when I ask her if we are on a girlfriend-boyfriend relationship or even to engage on pre-marital sex. And yet, I was wrong, terribly wrong!

My ideas of engaging to date was too selfish, lustful, and full of so called "love". I was too impatient of having her in my life as if I've owned her. But everything went also in a fast paced turn when I started to read and understand the book "I Kissed Dating Goodbye". The following are my points of understanding to what book is really all about after reading the five chapters:

• The book does NOT tell you NOT to date or even AVOIDS you in dating, instead gives you insights of how to value each others emotions and differences on what God wants you to be.
• The book does NOT want you to be self-righteous but wants you to vary and weigh the possibilities of choosing the right person to marry.
• It is a book for everybody to understand and learn different scenarios of some dating couples who have gone wrong that MAYBE for you was right.
• God is NOT a GRINCH to avoid our usual habits, instead it's His will for us to be in the right path.
• This book is NOT to impose rules in dating but God's insights for you.
• Instead of going to the NEGATIVITY, this book will surely be your BEST REWARD.

During I read the first five chapters, all that I felt was guilt and nothing but GUILT. Though some parts where a bit funny for me since most of the scenarios were my past experiences. It is upon our free will to follow or not, but I personally thanked the Lord for giving me this book that gave me wisdom to be responsible partner in the future.

To know more about the book and the author please contact the following:

WEBSITE:
www.joshharris.com

E-MAIL ADDRESS:
DOIT4JESUS@aol.com

ADDRESS:
Joshua Harris
P.O. Box 249
Gaithersburg, MD 20884-0249

Questions of Faith

While riding on a passenger jeep towards, I come across of talking to God that usually do. I was asking different questions to why only a few of many people can say that they received eternal life.

• When will I see these people again?
• How many of these people have known you as their God?
• Have they seen your grace?
• Have they ever thanked you?
• Were they prepared for the great sorrow?
• Have they ever called you?
• Have they shared anyone about you?

Suddenly, I thought of a one and simple question, Have they accepted you as their personal Lord and Saviour?

Perhaps, it's a question that only some of the passengers could ever answer because it's a question that can be answered sub-consciously, and that would be a big YES! An answer of the mind and not from the heart.

After making questions for others, I asked myself, Can I be a light for them? If that so, am I prepared to be one? When will I start? What will I do? How will I share?

It was a reflection that I myself can't guarantee to answer, questions that lead to realization that I need to do something. 

INTRODUCTION: Great is our GOD

Have you ever thought in every single day that you still wake up, breathing the fresh air, felt the sunshine on your face, drank clean water, talked to your loved-ones, saw the wonder of nature, no illness and healthy, ate your favorite food, and keeping yourself the abundance of life? That means you're still alive! These are just simple thoughts that encounters me everyday that I thanked the most. Too simple yet so complex to handle.

Maybe some of us noticed it but sad to say, most of us really don't care at all. What I mean is just being thankful for the things that only one creator did it, and he is God. Keeping yourself surviving for everyday is not an easy task, and not even our victory but His. We may forgot to say a simple thank you, but God never neglected us even we are too stubborn to handle. His patience perseveres me to be thankful and to keep focused on what I've done for the day. Though I may not be perfect as what He taught me to do so, I chose to be in his light.