Laughs

One night we asked our daughter to pray for her teacher because her teacher is going to defend her thesis the following day. We closed our eyes and she went like this "Lord give my teacher true brain that will grow, and Lord help her not to burst her brain."

I and her mother were laughing as we went to sleep.

Morality

Morality. Morality is in the eye of the beholder, ooppss!!! sorry I'm wrong it should be, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Presently, just like the lyrics of a popular song that goes "honesty, is such a lonely word everyone is so untrue" I can honestly say that "morality is such a lonely word, everyone is so immoral." Huh! pretty harsh, but harsh as it may it is the real thing that is happening right now. Immoral is defined as "conflicting with generally or traditionally held moral principles." In the other dictionary it is defined as "morally wrong, or corrupt".
It gives us the idea that morality is not just confined within sexual issues but it talks about the total being of an individual. It includes the way a person talks, reacts, do things, the way he handles issues, the way a person thinks. It surprises me that even in churches today there are lots of people who are immoral. I noticed that even in the leadership circle, many leaders have fall into that category. Leaders are afraid to reprimand and restore an erring member of the church especially if that person is identified as one who gives large amount of money.
Some leaders would even endure to stay in the position because they have nowhere else to go. If an erring member is financially struggling, it seems very easy for a leader to call the attention of the person concerned and give an admonition but if the person involved is financially well off the church leader or shepherd will choose to be in a state of "hear no evil, see no evil. " Others are afraid of accountability, often feel uncomfortable if being asked hard questions, uncomfortable and defensive about undergoing performance appraisal and evaluation. Others seemed very eager to serve but deep inside it is the love gift that motivates them to serve. Some would even try to be in the seat of the board of a "Christian Institution" with high aspirations that someday they become the president. Often times we blame and point fingers at government officials who are corrupt but in the churches backyard almost all forms of immorality and corruption are relentlessly blossoming.
What happen to the biblical principles that is being inculcated during seminary days? What happen to the ideals and aspirations while still studying in the Bible College? Has it shrink along with the moral degradation of the society? Given the present situation, does this give us the passport to loose hope and go with the flow? No, I still believe that church leaders and shepherds must be the catalysts still in setting moral standards. All the more we should press on in doing what is right before God and not before men. It all starts within us, it starts with our hearts. If there is a change of heart, everything else will follow. Let us go back to our first love, our relationship with the one who died for our sins and restore morality.

Religion?

I saw a movie that talks about "Intelligent Design" versus "Evolution". In that movie it gives me an impression that in the U. S., teaching children or students in schools about how the earth came into existence by virtue of "Intelligent Design", that somebody must have created the earth is labeled as "religion" and thus prohibited from being taught in schools. Well first of all let me refresh our minds about the meaning of "religion". Farlex on line free dictionary has given four meanings of "religion" however I am going to quote just two meanings, the "CLASSIC" meaning and the "RELEVANT" meaning respectively. The first meaning is "Belief in and reverence in the supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe." This is the classic and perhaps the old meaning of religion. For this discussion the more accurate meaning and up to date definition herein referred to as "RELEVANT" meaning is "A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion". Considering the relevant meaning that I mentioned could it be that evolutionism falls into the category of religion? Why is it that people who embraced this belief are pursuing with zeal and with much conscientious devotion to protect "evolution" which is technically a religion in the guise of "science" from possibly being out of school in the near future because "Intelligent Design" has followed the leading of the evidence that they're trying to investigate? Why is it that evolutionists would try to suppress their colleagues in the academia by means of banning them from teaching in schools? In my own opinion, evolutionists are not playing fair this only show that there is something more than just being a "science." Evolution is religion! Considering the attitude of the proponents of evolution, considering their zealousness in pushing and protecting their belief, it all points to one direction and conclusion that "EVOLUTION IS RELIGION!!!". If religion is not allowed in schools then I guess it is fair enough to say that evolution should be banned from being taught  in public schools and should be taken out from the schools curricula after all "evolution" remains to be a theory.

What Matters Most

December 2007 my mom went home to be with the Lord. She had diabetes and she only had 72 years on earth and right now she's spending her life in eternity. She only had two choices which I think made her easier to choose which life she’s going to pursue, the life here on earth in which she only had 72 years or the life after physical death.
My family and I were beside on her deathbed when she went home. My eldest sister whispered to her ear and said mom, if you need to go please do so and she obviously was experiencing excruciating pain at that time because she kept on moaning and complaining about the pain that she felt coming from the different parts of her body. When I realized that she’s already tired and is about to go, I started to talk to her and asked her the most important question that a person must answer.
I said mom is Jesus still in your heart? Is Jesus Christ of Nazareth still your savior? She was too tired to answer and I told her you can squeeze my hand if you say yes, and she did enough for me to know that she said yes. My heart was overwhelming with joy to be assured that my mother will spend eternity with her savior and my savior and that someday we will be reunited to each other.
Half of her face as well as her legs started to bloat because of the excess fluid. Then my father started to cry and all of us are mourning not because she’s gone forever but for sure we are going to miss her but on the other hand comforted because we know she’s going to spend eternity in the place called heaven where she'll have an incorruptible body and will be waiting for our going home.
Once upon her lifetime she DECIDED to surrender her life to the LORD JESUS CHRIST of Nazareth the one and only who died on the cross to offer salvation to mankind. All of her life she lived serving and living according to the grace she received from the Lord because she realized that what matters most is not her life here on earth but the LIFE AFTER DEATH which is eternal.
Then it dawned on me, why is it that people right now are so preoccupied with this life and yet they all know that nobody is going to live here forever. We know for a fact that all of us are going to die! Death is inevitable, death is sure to come to all of us and yet with this full knowledge only few are able to grasp and have acted upon the reality of this truth.
What about you have you realized that in every birthday you celebrate you are one year closer to the end of your life here on earth? If you haven't, well it’s about time that you consider this matter seriously because this involves your future. How is your relationship with the Lord? Is Jesus Christ on the seat of your heart? Is he already your Lord?
If not tell him that you now realized your need to have a savior and that you know that without him you will be eternally condemned. Surrender your life to Him and let him be the one to sit in your heart. Only by doing so you'll find genuine and true freedom. After all WHAT MATTERS MOST is not 70-100 years only but ETERNITY.