11/02/2024
I went to the international bazaar sponsored by the DFA and enjoyed myself immensely. Been wanting to do some tourist-y shopping but tamad to step on a plane.
Anyway, I was asked by the S Korean booth to play a game to win a Choco Pie. I requested…
10/11/2024
A friend asked me about Halloween and the costume parties that come with it. I replied how the "holiday" should be avoided by Bible-believing Christians. If you noticed, I put quotes because the word is derived from "holy" and "day." There is nothing holy…
10/01/2024
Once again, I found myself with an unexpected access to an airport lounge and it gets even better.
When I saw the lounge from the entrance, I was a bit dismayed seeing how noisy and crowded it was inside. But since there's free buffet, I went in but…
10/01/2024
Pinoys are bowled over seeing the country's richest doing what every plane passenger does---wait at the carousel. The original post-er pointed out how others in her business group were nowhere to be seen as they have "assistants presumably delivering their…
08/30/2024
I've been seeing memes about people thinking they're the main character in a movie and everyone else belongs to the supporting cast. It's called the main character syndrome.
If we are to be honest with ourselves, all of us suffer from it while others…
08/01/2024
Found myself in an unexpected situation where I was nodding at a pro-abortion statement delivered by US VP Kamala Harris at a black sorority conference. She said how women should have "the freedom...to make decisions about her own body."
Theologically,…
07/28/2024
Pop culture parodies of The Last Supper are done within their own context, not at an event where the world comes together in sportsmanship and harmony. Surely, you knew it will offend some of your guests? If you didn't, then who is uneducated, as some defenders…
07/03/2024
So here I am waiting for my turn for a doctor who may or may not see me because I'm a walk-in. I tried calling for an appointment but no one picked up the phone.
The secretary was reluctant to pencil me in in a filled-up datebook page but I assured her…
06/24/2024
June is almost over and the spiritually-charged reactions to National Pride Month would die down until 12 months later. I may be opposed to its celebration but I have come to accept that it has grown deep roots. It has made me reflect that I got a flash of,…
06/04/2024
I saw a clip of an interview with probably one of the most loved local gay celebrities. My heart went out to her especially as I saw her grow up entertaining the nation in the most wholesome of ways even to this day.
She talked about being the target…
05/30/2024
The divorce bill has people all shook up presenting their ayes and nays. One argument that has caught my attention is how the ayes are telling the nays not to impose their religious beliefs on them. And that’s the thing. Where else would one’s conviction arise…
05/29/2024
Another one of those fast-becoming trite social media remarks and responses of people who find themselves, well, being hated on, because of something they said or did. The most recent on this side of the West Philippine Sea, was the response of the FAMAS director…
05/28/2024
The first woman NASA official was sworn in as a director but the news zeroed in on her use of Carl Sagan’s book instead of the Bible. The article later mentions that it is not unprecedented but the way the headline was worded, “New Nasa director swears oath…
05/27/2024
"S/he understood the assignment."
I often see that as a caption to show how people or animals have met expectations eliciting that "awww..." reaction from netizens. The images are indeed cute, amusing, and funny. But then it got me into thinking about…
05/24/2024
The Catholic Church has a new saint, a teenage millennial at that. In the evangelical faith where the Bible is the sole authorty, a saint is someone still alive who has committed to follow Jesus and has become set apart for God. Or in social media lingo, a…
05/16/2024
I have yet to watch a single video about pranking someone but I often see it as a caption. I wonder if they are indeed funny or if the creator doesn't care for as long as s/he gets the views and the monetary gain, if applicable.
Pranks have long existed…
05/16/2024
"Sana ol, sana ol"That's the latest catchphrase whenever people hear of others enjoying some good fortune or blessing. "Sana ol," or "wish it were for everyone especially for oneself." Well, I added the especially part but that is implied.Good fortune or blessings,…
05/01/2024
The actor Brian Cox is said to have described the Bible as such. Being atheist, that's hardly surprising. It would be newsworthy if he had said, "The Bible is one of the best books ever." I wonder what are the other titles that made it on his worst list though?
Mr.…
04/26/2024
If there is a bright side to this flaming summer heat is that it's got some people talking about hell---the real hell, that is, and not just the hellish heat index. "Kung ganito pa lang hirap na tayo, paano pa kaya ang impyerno?"
"HAHAHA! Hell…
04/18/2024
As much as I love to read, The Little Prince has never been my cup of tea. I only learned about it when then beauty candidate, Ruffa Gutierrez impressed the Miss World judges by quoting from it.
I have read it since and even went to its dedicated museum in…
04/16/2024
A Chinese national won a half-marathon seemingly only because, if one were to observe the video, the three Africans behind him let him win. One reasoned it was because the Chinese was his friend.
Stories about letting others win or making others co-winners…
03/28/2024
God the Son died on the cross to save us, sinners, and three days later, naghahanap tayo ng itlog with a kuneho.
Conspiracy theories abound from the Illuminati to plandemic to Taylor Swift which may be a cause for concern for those who adhere to them or…
03/27/2024
I came across an article recently that startled me. A woman wrote how she cannot accept the God of the Bible because He was a child abuser by allowing Jesus, His Son, to die a horrific death. In my 35 years of being an born-again evangelical, I never saw it…
03/19/2024
The past few days have been engaging as far as the academe is concerned.
First, there's the teacher who recorded herself describing her students as "ugaling iskwater" while the second promised how he will feel good if his students offed themselves.
It…
03/15/2024
SPOILER ALERT
COME BACK AFTER WATCHING THE MOVIE
At the end of "Kung Fu Panda 4," all of the powers of Po's "nemesis, nemesises, nemesi..." came into one being who was still defeated by the Dragon Warrior. If being vanquished by Kung Fu Panda before…
03/15/2024
For a non-native English-speaking nation, we sure are snooty when others commit mistakes to the point of branding them stupid, ignorant, incompetent, mediocre, and an embarrassment. My five-decade old memory bank can't recall the same level of magnitude when…
03/13/2024
While the filing of charges and the throwing of social media stones at the “Ama Namin” performer is sad and unfortunate, I find it interesting when he says it’s his expression of his faith.
I do not know the “artist” or what his faith is. I am not and…
02/23/2024
Holy Week is still a month away but already I have two encounters regarding the use of the cross in the church. One came from a friend whose former faith finds it shameful while another from a netizen who after seeing my photo of United Evangelical Church…
02/21/2024
I was at a ladies' boutique when I noticed something about the attending clerks and asked the cashier, "Sinadya bang lalaki lahat ang staff?"
The cashier chuckled and said, "Bading po sila. Hindi po sinasadya. Babae po ang manager namin. Babae rin…
01/03/2024
Steamboat Willie has come out of copyright protection and already it has a horror movie like that of Winnie the Pooh from last year. I find it interesting how people just can't wait to deconstruct pure characters to show how even the best has an evil side.…
12/18/2023
"Hindi ka na sana umabot ng 25."
A streetboy cursed me yday after I refused to give him any alms.
I didn't take any offense or concern. If I don't make it to Christmas Day, I know I will be with the Reason for the season in heaven. I know this…
09/21/2023
Have you seen that viral photo of a cement house being built without any posts at all? Architects and engineers do not recommend that at all. We wouldn't want to be in that house when an earthquake strikes, even a minor one. Posts are needed for a stable foundation.…
09/12/2023
"Hindi kayo special."(Buti pa ang siopao, special.)We may not be special when we are just fulfilling our duties but did you know that we are special in God's eyes? Together with nature and the universe, we are all God's creation but we are His only creation…
09/07/2023
When we think of God's promises, we tend to think of incredible blessings particularly in the financial material aspect. We embrace the feel-good ones like Jeremiah 29:11 and 1 Peter 2:24---and rightly so but we forget that God also has promises that aren't…
08/30/2023
Have you heard about how Adele called out security in the middle of her concert for discouraging an out-of-tune fan singing along? Predictably, people are divided over it. Some hail her for being the goddess that she is while others pointed out how security…
08/19/2023
One of the most foolproof fun games is "Bring Me." It doesn't cost a thing to participate and the first successful "bringer" wins. But did you know that there's a Bring Me version where all who participates wins even if we're the last? It's God's Bring Me.“Bring…
08/07/2023
Tomorrow is an auspicious date especially with the number 8 considered as lucky in Chinese numerology. I remember the frenzy to give birth on 8.8.88. (I wonder how the kids born that day turned out? I also wonder if we would be feeling the same if we had a…
07/20/2023
A job applicant was outraged by being told off by her potential employer when she asked for accommodation to her "time blindness" which is a fancy word for the inability to be on time. Yoohoo, my fellow Filipinos!
But even though it’s a condition, “most…
07/17/2023
A disappointed fan posted about his dressing room encounter with Lea Salonga who insisted on observing protocols for security purposes. The uploader griped about having to pay a steep amount to watch her show only to be turned away. "Mas malala pa kasi para…
07/14/2023
Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn't believe in heaven so we will not see each other again after death. His idea of heaven is keeping a person in his memory. What happens when we breathe our last? “Nothing. You’re 6 feet under. Anyone that tells you something else…
07/13/2023
Whatever we want to do for the Lord---sing, speak, dance, draw, paint, write, etc.---we must remember that He is holy and expects us to approach Him with reverence. We cannot do it our way; it is always His way for our acts of service to be acceptable to Him…
07/04/2023
I may be the only person in the Philippines not to have watched a single episode of It's Showtime and couldn't care less about the going lunch hour show rigmarole but this one made me stop (after it kept appearing in my feed).
A statement from…
07/02/2023
Have you seen the video where a big biker lost control of his wheels as he changed lanes and slammed into a concrete barrier? Several cars just passed by his body lying on the wet Skyway. No one, not one even attempted to help, just like the priest and the…
06/29/2023
I was recently in a group activity where the topic was praying away racism in the church. Being the opinionated person that I am (haha), I said racism may be a major problem in other parts of the world, but here where we are, the gap between the poor and rich…
05/29/2023
A lot of people are turned off by the woke theme of the live version of The Little Mermaid while others laud Disney for being inclusive by featuring a black in a character traditionally imagined as white. And then came the studio's poster in China where unlike…
05/25/2023
The Apostle Paul is probably the greatest example of being accused of being a serial religious offender when he just spoke the Truth. We think that was then and things are more liberal and tolerant now. Think again.
A Catholic priest was arrested on…
05/08/2023
Some people would have nothing to do with King Charles if only because of what he "did to Diana." It doesn't matter to them the accomplishments Prince William narrated in his speech nor that there hasn't been a hint of scandal since he made a "respectable"…
05/05/2023
Been seeing a lot of positive affirmations since I started commonplace journaling and as a bible-believer, I find them dangerous because on the surface, they sound right.
* Do what makes you happy.
* I am good enough!
* I deserve everything I want in…
05/01/2023
"So the pastor has a core of 12 men who are expected to be loyal to him. Then each has his own 12 men loyal to them. They follow him because he knows their secrets," a friend explained the set-up of a church to me.
Jesus never taught the church to…
05/01/2023
The godfather of AI has expressed regrets over his life's work, wondering what dangers it will bring to humanity.
Life is already short to feel regretful over our poor choices but such is the stuff of life. Such is the stuff of eternity as well.
In…
04/20/2023
Some people from a section of the world are upset over Netflix casting an “Afrocentric” Cleopatra. The legendary femme fatale was Mediterranean so the least the company could have done with their documentary---not fictionalized storytelling---is to keep her…
04/18/2023
Some Harry Potter fans are outraged that JK Rowlings is involved in the TV reboot of Harry Potter.
If you thought you misread the image or the lead, you’re not alone. I myself had to read the article twice.
Because some fans didn’t like how the author voiced…
04/14/2023
I was watching a YT video on cozy mysteries when one featured "Adobo and Arsenic" by Fil-Am author Mia P. Manansala. The Gen Z reviewer said she didn't like how diabetics were "misrepresented" when the Philippine-born characters opined how the murder victim…
04/14/2023
Somebody has ruffled the feathers of Pinoy netizens with his travel photos. I didn't read the articles but gathering from the comments, it seems like they're annoyed at how many he posts and he's always blocking the views. Dont know why this has become news…
04/06/2023
“Tetelestai,” He cried, bowed His head, and died.
The Greek word is translated as “It is finished.” It is a business transaction term in New Testament times to indicate that a bill had been paid in full. When Jesus cried out those four syllables, He meant…
04/04/2023
A friend of mine bought a property that has lots and lots of bamboo. “Kahit anong putol ko to use the bamboo, parang hindi nababawasan," he said. The abundance is leading him to an accidental additional business. His statement reminded me of how good God…
04/02/2023
When Vanessa Hudgen was made the country’s Global Tourism ambassador, some people wondered how she can be effective when she admitted being “definitely raised very American, except for all the rice, and the Adobo and Pancit!’ She (only) learned…about her other…
03/29/2023
BRAND AMBASSADORAs a marketing teacher, my pet peeve about the world of marketing is its use of "brand ambassador" formerly simply called an endorser. It smacks of more-than-necessary-self-importance.Growing up, there was only one type of ambassador and that…
03/24/2023
That's usually the go-to excuse of people caught offending the sensibilities and feelings of others. It's like a verbal politician neck brace. Based on one commenter, we're seeing it again in the case of the Ateneo student who treated what Catholics consider…
03/20/2023
An Oscar nominee got a lot of flak for wearing an outfit that made her outstanding for all the wrong reasons. Her voluminous head (not hair) accessory was so huge that it blocked the view of the people seated behind her.
Instead of being penitent, she responded…
03/16/2023
I am no financial expert nor am I am economist so I am not sure what to make of the collapse of three banks in a row in the States. Will there be a domino effect worldwide?
I have never even heard of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and the subsequent banks…
03/14/2023
Entertainment news is raining on Brendan and Jamie Lee's parades as they write how Angela and Austin were snubbed.The family of Paul Sorvino is also upset over the memoriam segment. I have yet to read the academy's reason for the great omission but I remember…
03/10/2023
First time I encountered that phrase, it was in connection to the Jessica Soho Kpop issue. There were "for clout" comments which I didn't fully understand. Of course, I knew the word but it didn't make sense so I dismissed it until I encountered it again today…
03/08/2023
There are rules in life that we may be ignorant about or we just don't care. Sometimes we get away with it by bullying those who know and follow them. Who knows what the "may-ari ng parking and family" are feeling now? They may be contrite, esp now that their…
03/06/2023
We have become a cynical people that news of death is not taken as fact without uncontestable proof of a body or its remains. This is usually the reaction when notorious criminals are reported to have died (so conveniently). It's once again the reaction to…
03/06/2023
"I have no sympathy for the jeepney drivers. Yan ang resulta ng binoto nila," said somebody frustrated.
When the 2022 election results showed the return of the family ousted almost 40 years ago, some kakampinks expressed their frustration with a threat…
03/06/2023
AI is simply GIGO. It can only produce what is inputted. Economist and UP professor, JC Punongbayan searched for information about himself and found it to be erroneous. It shows how the figurative garbage can become a literal garbage information. This is why…
02/23/2023
Did you know strawberries are actually flowers?
...that nuts are fruits?
...and that wheat is a fruit?
This jaw-dropping realization that almost makes me want to demand a refund from my Science teachers, made me reflect on how people are.
They…
02/15/2023
A New Yorker was all set to enjoy a vacation in Sydney, Australia but didn't realize he had booked himself a flight to Sidney, Montana, a city with a population of 6000.
As funny as it may seem, it's no laughing matter when it comes to thinking and believing…
02/12/2023
"Good things will come your way!""The universe is rooting for you!""The best is yet to come!""You deserve good things!""Be your authentic self."
Lately, I have been encountering a lot of these rah-rah boosters. At first glance, they sound so nice but imagine…
02/06/2023
Have you seen the movie, "Knock at the Cabin?" It's about a couple being convinced that they are the chosen. Even as they speak, news of earthquakes, tsunamis, plane crashes, and diseases were occurring all over the world. Only believing that they are the…
01/29/2023
I was appalled seeing two names in a line-up of respected speakers in a church gathering. The person who shared the event poster has little knowledge of Philippine politics and the sad roles the two played. One doesn’t even have to be pro-gov’t to see the…
01/24/2023
I have never read Kafka's The Castle; I have never even heard of it until I came across this article talking about how an artist used the book for an art installation.
The Castle purportedly shows the monumental power of a single idea, so the artist created…
01/20/2023
I asked two food servers for their opinion about the cake-smearing. One said it's pointless to make a fuss because he knows the company will never take his side. Another said it was just "katuwaan. Sigurado naman may tip yan."
I felt sorry for the first…
01/18/2023
I often encounter that in posts trying out many options and telling us what they found favorable. Cheekily phrasing it that way makes it sound like they're doing us a favor.
Sometimes, I would rather do the testing myself because, for one, I don't know…
01/17/2023
Have you seen the video of literally the last minutes and seconds of the passengers of the ill-fated Yeti Airways?
Did you see Lisa Marie Presley at the Golden Globe, two days before she would shock us with her sudden passing?
I'm sure…
01/16/2023
An artist who paints about traditional values has not been showing he's keeping them himself in my transaction with him. This brought to mind a former colleague who tried to convince me to watch a tribute to the king of pop. Upon seeing my disgust, she said…
01/15/2023
I chanced upon a post on “ignorantia legis neminem excusat” which in English means “ignorance of the law excuses no one.”
It admits that this principle might seem unfair but the professor cites two reasons why it is really not.
“First, it promotes legal…
01/08/2023
Some people act like they’re the sun where the solar system revolves around. And don’t think that being followers of Christ makes us an exemption. Some of us act like God’s entire plan for the universe revolves around us and our happiness. This is mostly reflected…
01/08/2023
“Voltes V” and “Maria Clara and Ibarra” have been outraging some fans and historians for tampering with canon. A love triangle is purportedly added to the most beloved anime in the Philippines. (I wonder if it will be Jamie and Prince Zardoz fighting over…
01/05/2023
“Zabeth, ever wonder why flight attendants will ask passengers to open window shades, seats in upright position, keep all things like laptop in your bag & dim light of the cabin during take-off and landing? Here's the answer, the most critical in flying is…
01/04/2023
A vlogger has been appearing in the news lately for allegedly being insensitive with her toxic positivity.
“Bakit may sad dahil back to work na? Diba dapat masaya ka kasi may chance ka na pagandahin buhay mo at ng pamilya? Trip ko pa nga may work ng January…
12/21/2022
I seldom open forwarded videos without context on why I should bother but somehow, I clicked on one and a few seconds into it, the mystery was solved. God wanted me to write another blog entry. Haha
I don’t know the pastor so I don’t know where he is coming…
12/19/2022
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path
When I feel afraid, think I've lost my way Still You're there right beside me Nothing will I fear as long as you are near Please be near me to the end
If you sang that verse, it’s a testament to the…
12/18/2022
A collection of Travel Advisor reviews showed how San Agustin is deemed as the most beautiful church building in the country.
It's good that the article added the word, "building" as church, as the bible defines it, is "an assembly of people, called…
12/07/2022
“I have done more good works than you,” said a mother to her daughter who was sharing the gospel to her. As the mother was truthful, it frustrated the daughter who was my friend.
“I don’t know how to answer that,” my friend sighed.
If it’s a contest of good…
12/03/2022
A friend and I debated on the merits of citing sources on social media. As a writer trained in journalism, I try to cite whenever I can while my friend said CTTO will do in social media.
There is a legal danger to CTTO-ing but for the creatives industry,…
12/03/2022
Almost in succession, we read of fraud and deception in US start-up businesses that promised the realization of the stuff of scifi ---detection of cancer from a few drops of blood, crypto heaven, and green trucks that run on hydrogen and battery. All of them…
11/30/2022
ALL of us---whether we believe in God or not---will recognize the King of Kings when we are in His presence on judgment day AND we will ALL bow down. The question is, will we do so in excitement like a star-struck fan or will we fall to our weakened knees…
11/13/2022
It is God who gives us the skill to create wealth.
It is God who gives us financial resources.
It is God who owns all that we have.
The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. (Psalm 24:1)
We are mere stewards. (Gen. 2:15)
For believers, there’s no…
11/11/2022
I have been seeing posts that start with "I was today years old when I found out" lately. For the life of me, I don't know how this caught on as it's awful in the ears. It means discovering something for the first time, btw. If you're learning about this now,…
11/09/2022
By now, everyone has heard and seen that rampage in the court. It’s almost like a visual interpretation of nagdilim ng paningin. As I am no basketball fan whatever league it is, I am not sure what brought that on. Reports keep saying an investigation is underway…
10/31/2022
If you’ve been a Christian for at least three years now, chances are, you’ve probably heard of “EGR.” The first time I heard of it was a few years ago when a good friend said she needed “EGR.” As I was not familiar with the acronym, I asked what it stood for.
“Extra…
10/16/2022
“Who the F is Joyce Pring and why should I give a F about what she says about who goes and doesnt go to hell?”
I don’t know who she is either but I know her Jesus, and, yes, you’re right---we shouldn’t give a “*” about what she says because it is what God…
09/19/2022
I had not realized it was Mid-Autumn Festival until I went inside a bank and saw a depositor win a power bank for rolling in the numbers in the photo. It was the second prize.
In the Chinese culture, the festival is not only celebrated with mooncake but a…
09/05/2022
I came across an article with a headline that could be embarrassing for the evangelical community should the contents be accurate: “Faith factor: Spiritual groups on Facebook as effective tools for disinformation.”
So I went through the story which relied…
08/28/2022
I am going through the book of Joshua for my quiet time and I keep encountering the phrase, "We have heard how God is" from the lips of the people whom God's army is about to conquer (2:10, 9:1, 24, 10:1, 11:1, 20). It is not uncommon to hear people say that…
08/25/2022
As some kids go back to school face to face for the first time in more than two years, my newsfeed is filled with the usual pictures and stories of anxiety separation, lack of classroom facilities, typhoons, etc. It's bittersweet as it’s good that we are slowly…
08/15/2022
A good friend forwarded to me a media interview of a faith leader making a stand against same-sex civil union. We are on the same side but I wonder why are we swift to make a public stand when it comes to sex, but so silent when it comes to justice when the…
08/08/2022
A good friend of mine asked me to stop using the bible to support my political bias, as according to her, politics and the Bible are like oil and water.
We all have our biases, (and by the way, did you know there are different kinds of biases?), so I won’t…
08/06/2022
In two days’ time, it will be three months since the annals of history have started calling Ferdinand Romauldez Marcos Jr. the country’s 17th president but listening to one pastor, one would think it’s still May 2022.
“Mga nag-aaway-away noong eleksyon, wala…
08/05/2022
“God is blessing the Marcoses and punishing the Aquinos. They’re back in power while the Aquinos are dead or dying,” shared my friend to me. “He said it at our bible study.”
That got my full attention. It’s one thing to say such things in social media or…
08/02/2022
“In Jesus’ Name, I rebuke you!”
Every now and then, I would hear that from people with illness or from those praying for them. Last night was not an exception when a person whose right kidney is decreasing in size, prayed to rebuke “you.” I am not sure who…
07/29/2022
It’s ghost month.
From July 29 to August 26, souls are unleashed from hell to bring us bad luck. This is why a feng shui expert advises us to pray, wear happy colors, keep our homes bright, make food offerings, use anting-anting, offer incense, and avoid…
07/27/2022
Have you ever wondered why some women---and men---overfill their lips to the point they have hotdog lips and still think it looks attractive?
According to a YouTube video featuring two cosmetic surgeons, these people suffer from body dysmorphic order (BDD)…
07/18/2022
It’s common to hear someone say how a departed loved one is “watching over us now,” and sometimes the statement is appended by, “s/he is feeling so proud of” the children left behind.
Thinking this might help our emotional and mental state but it is detrimental…
07/14/2022
If you've studied marketing, you will be familiar with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The bottom of the pyramid is the most basic survival need while the top is what gives purpose to our existence.
I am reminded of Phil. 4:19 which states that God shall…
07/13/2022
Be true to yourself.
Be your authentic self.
We often hear those pieces of mantra advice nowadays especially when the question is how to be happy. And there is some kernel of truth in it.
The path to happiness is indeed knowing who we really are…
07/11/2022
One of the country’s leading historians, Ambeth Ocampo, is in the crosshairs of “influencers and pages supportive of the Marcos administration” when he commented how “(h)istory may have bias but it is based on fact, not opinion. Real History is about Truth,…
07/07/2022
“Sabihin mo nga sa akin, masama ba akong tao?”
It depends on whom you’re asking but then again, any answer this side of heaven (or hell) is irrelevant. It is only God’s answer that matters and according to Him, “nagkasala ang lahat.” (Rom. 3:23a, The Pinoy…
07/07/2022
We need to be careful about sharing Scriptures in social media because those solitary verses can easily be taken out of context when lifted from the text which can lead to a misinterpretation and misapplication.
More often than not, the verses we like…
07/02/2022
“Can we lose our salvation?” my friends wanted to know where I stood in the age-old debate among the evangelical global community. Is it “once saved, always saved” or can we lose our salvation?
I started my reply with calling for a rewording. “Instead of…
06/26/2022
Been reading how churches in the US seem to be loudly silent about the overturn of Roe vs Wade. I don't know how accurate that is, given I'm here thanking our Lord that we've come to the end of a term. What I did notice was how some comments lamenting the…
06/20/2022
An actor is in the news for two reasons---his short-lived marriage and his claim of being cheated of P24M by someone who lured him into investing his money with a promise of a windfall. It made me wonder if the alleged swindler was a trusted friend like that…
06/19/2022
I am “celebrating my first pride month as openly and publicly queer,” posted a celebrity’s kid sending the nation abuzz but four days later, she denied being, “a lesbian, nor have I claimed to be,” adding that being “queer ≠ lesbian.”
“?” went my bubble thought.…
06/15/2022
"I have been training for this my entire life!" said Knuckles whose thirst for revenge was greater than his muscles.
"And I have no training at all yet here I am ahead of you! That's gotta be embarrassing!" said Supersonic Hedgehog. Yes, that video…
06/13/2022
A friend forwarded to me an article with a title claiming that Palau was once a part of the Philippines. It was misleading though. Palau and the Philippines were just part of the Spanish East Indies. It's like saying New York is part of Hawaii when both are…
06/13/2022
“We were encouraged to keep posting pictures to give the impression we had a lot of money and that we were living the high life,” confided my friend to me, talking about her work.
While curating…oh, let’s just be blunt…while lying with our pictures,…
06/09/2022
I went to Fully Booked to buy whatever books on Martial Law to preserve its truth and was told that they’re all out of stock. My visit confirmed the headline, “Fear of history revisionism as Marcos family returns to power sparks panic buying of Philippines…
06/08/2022
Two movie personalities have been declared persona non grata by a Quezon City councilor for the alleged misuse of the city seal in support of the failed campaign of their mayoral bet. According to the resolution’s sponsor, “Kung mag-apologize sila, sincerely…
06/06/2022
“They must realize that in the eyes of the community, they are practicing an ancient belief which is no longer relevant in these times,” said the honorable governor in reference to what’s gone down in his turf between a church and a school who invited a commencement…
06/03/2022
She calls herself an artist just because she dabbles. And although art is subjective, hers was truly of grade school project level.
The word, "artist," is a gift word. A friend said that we have to wait for someone to call us an artist when they have seen…
06/02/2022
I chanced upon a show where people vied for the title of cooking the most sinful dish. One did a wagyu burger sandwich, the second was a grilled bone marrow, and the third created a chocolate dessert that stared insulin in the eye. Which do you think won?…
05/28/2022
Since the start of the 2022 election season, I have seen a bit of “his/her post didn’t age well” remarks on people who used to be, well, just to simplify matters, politically yellow become red. From denouncing the atrocities of the conjugal dictatorship, they…
05/25/2022
As Bible-believing Christians, we are all sure of going to heaven, of course not because of anything we had done but because of His promise. And most of us will stop at that when we talk about how we got saved. But you know what? More than just rerouting our…
05/20/2022
“If you spend Mother’s Day attacking a parent for being pregnant, then you obviously have way too much time in your hands.”
After reading that, you have to wonder what’s wrong with people but notice that quote doesn’t say “mother” but “parent” and that is…
05/16/2022
After I wrote my reaction to a pastor’s wife’s lament over the silence of the shepherds in the months leading up to the election, a good friend messaged me and we had a good discussion about it. And yes, we’re still friends. Haha
She opined how “we were given…
05/12/2022
Resurrection Sunday 2023 will be different. Anyone whose heart was broken over the outcome of the 2022 presidential elections can now understand how the disciples must have felt when the Liwanag (John 1:5) of all liwanag sa dilim was extinguished.
How could…
05/11/2022
I don’t know Rica Perajelo personally even though we belong to the same faith organization that collectively was publicly “neutral” in the recently concluded elections that changed forever the course of our history.
Like I said, I don’t know her so I don’t…
05/02/2022
The threat of sampal seems to be an annual ritual for our outgoing president.
In 2018, he threatened to slap Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
He bookended 2019 by doing the same to Daraga Mayor Carlwyn Baldo in January and a human rights advocate in November.…
04/19/2022
My friend and I just finished studying the Book of Judges and one of the things that we wondered about was Samson's physical appearance.
Sunday School and Hollywood have always depicted him as someone who could win Mr. Universe but if God's ways are not…
04/18/2022
I came across a post saying to let women do the preaching on Resurrection Sunday as they were the ones who discovered how the Lord had risen.
At first glance, it seems affirming but as I lingered on what it’s saying, it slowly became patronizing. Are we to…
04/01/2022
A partisan group came out with a post claiming that its caravan has achieved Guinness record status, only to be debunked by THE Guinness Book of World Records a couple of days later with a reply, “This information is incorrect.” (I have to hand it these guys…
03/25/2022
If there's a list of phrases and terms that define our election fever this 2022, one of them would be "echo chamber" which describes an environment where similar beliefs or opinions are tossed around for reinforcement purposes. No dissenting belief or opinion…
01/28/2022
I don’t watch Christian or what they call faith-based movies. The last time I did was in high school where the low-budget feel left me unimpressed to this day. Now since those days were such a long time ago, I am sure the production quality has improved but…
01/12/2022
I’m tired of the ‘families are a mother and a father’ argument against same-sex marriage
Screamed the headline followed by the hammer, “Arguments against same-sex marriage are tired, outdated, and don’t reflect families that already exist.”
An LGBT advocate…
01/11/2022
The death of a national artist left the literary community feeling ambiguous. As much as his contributions could not---and should not---be forgotten, his opinions in his later years have incited “anger and derision.” This wasn’t a matter of differences of…
01/05/2022
I was in a video group call with friends when one shared how our common friend is not vaccinated because he was afraid it will remove his God gene.
“The what?” I asked.
“The God gene---the gene that makes us look for God. The vaccine will kill it.”
I have…
01/02/2022
Austria’s parliament has legalized assisted suicide with strict conditions. It is not the first country to do so as it joins Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, and some states in the US. Although it has yet to reach the level of introduction in our…
01/02/2022
Austria’s parliament has legalized assisted suicide with strict conditions. It is not the first country to do so as it joins Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, and some states in the US. Although it has yet to reach the level of introduction in our…
12/10/2021
Caravans and premature campaign sorties are dominating public life nowadays. One crowd is more crowded than the other, some courtesy of Photoshop while others (actually, the same camp) by blocking all lanes making those trapped look as if they’re there for…
12/09/2021
Usually, when a pastor is caught in an act that is contrary to his calling, it is because he has been exposed. Circumstances have made it impossible for him to hide his shenanigans any longer but in the case of one American minister, he did it on TV for all…
11/19/2021
“Would you still listen to a church leader who has asked for forgiveness after admitting to an affair with another man’s wife and had her husband killed to cover it up so no one would be the wiser when the woman gives birth a few months later?” I asked my…
11/19/2021
"Ginagawa naman ng Pangulo natin ang lahat para sa ikabubuti ng bansa, para sa ikabubuti ng bawat Pilipino pero binabatikos pa rin siya. Sa inyo pong lahat na bumabatikos: mamatay kayong lahat. Salamat po," commented one person to the critics of his, well,…
11/19/2021
For almost three years now, our nation has known nothing but divisiveness and contention brought about by the patented policies of the administration. Sadly, the sword has not spared the evangelical community tearing it apart into two main factions: the opponents…
11/19/2021
These are interesting times that we live in and you know what they say how such can show who you really are. There is now a great divide not only in our society but in the church as well. The division is not neatly cut into two. There are the pros, the antis,…
11/19/2021
"Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God…
11/19/2021
The Master and the masters
Throughout AD history, the Bible and its stories have been presented in various formats outside of oral storytelling to capture the interest and perhaps the imagination of both the presenter and the intended audience. We have movies,…
11/19/2021
Ever heard of Meroz?
I bet you're shaking your head. The sure and confident fact that most of us are not familiar with Meroz is proof that the curse that was laid upon this city thousands of years ago still lingers on.
'Curse Meroz,' said the angel of the…
11/19/2021
People often think that that means the church must not stick its nose in matters of the state. In a sense, they are correct in that they are not to busy themselves with the running of the state as if they are the government themselves. It's like the proverbial…
06/19/2021
Maybe I am reading in too much into this cancel culture thing but I see the Tower of Babel in it with its emphasis on being one and having one voice.
Yes, being one is nice. Don’t we all want to get along? But if the shift towards the moral acceptance of…
05/27/2021
“He looks happy.”
The Internet has been abuzz for the past few days since we saw a topless Elliot Page in swimming trunks. Why? Well, Elliot is the former actress Eileen Page. She no longer has breasts but a chest after undergoing gender-affirmative surgery.…
05/19/2021
A Spanish politician was suspended temporarily by Tweeter for saying that men cannot get pregnant. “Twitter argued (that the)…tweet was in violation of its policies against content that threatens, harasses, or fosters violence against others based on their…
04/30/2021
That's what somebody called me after I commented how children are a gift from the Lord as a reaction to an article arguing for the legalization of abortion in our country. The post had more reactions in favor of it and its advocates went after people like…
04/21/2021
Something occurred to me just now. I don't know why but it was like an epiphany. I am turning 51 this year---no, that's not the epiphany. I have been a Christian for 33 years now---the earthly lifetime of our Lord Jesus Christ. And, no, that's still not the…
04/21/2021
I was listening to a sermon where the pastor said we should not rant on social media but bring our frustrations to God in prayer. He said how perhaps if we were in the same position as our officials are in, we may be as tameme as they are. I take super exemption…
03/11/2021
Racism seems to be the third sibling of the intolerance and gender triplet sins. All these issues emanate from the West which of course does not mean they are not concerns of people in the East. It is good that we are talking about these things especially…
02/12/2021
Have you heard of gamestopping? It’s okay if you haven’t since it’s a newly-coined word from something that happened just recently.
Last January, the share prices of Gamestop rose by 500% even though it was expected to lose money for the next two years all…
01/12/2021
A friend shared a post about a believer who has decided to stop calling herself an evangelical repudiating the evangelicals who support the government and its sunshine policy of EJK. She says she is now an exvangelical but she will “keep” her relationship…
12/27/2020
We are all familiar with the parable of the sower so much so that perhaps some of us have treated it like a light Sunday School story. And most of the time, it is told in the context of evangelism forgetting that three out of four said yes to Jesus but only…
12/20/2020
A lot of people are in a reflective mood nowadays, realizing what is truly important. Not I.
Not I because I did all that for the better part of 2019 when I was diagnosed with a condition that made me housebound for months where life passed me by. Everybody…
12/20/2020
A friend of mine received a forwarded message from a pastor urging all Christians to rise up in prayer against the passage of the SOGIE bill. We both had the same bubble thought: Where was this sense of urgency when tens and thousands of our fellow countrymen,…
12/20/2020
Okay, I will be direct.
I don’t understand how people can be for EJK.
I don’t understand how a doctor who has sworn to uphold the Hippocratic Oath can agree to a policy that brings harm especially to the poor. Maybe it’s because I am not a doctor.
I don’t…
12/20/2020
“Gay conversion therapy: Hundreds of religious leaders call for ban,” read the headline in my feed. The story goes on to report how “more than 370 religious leaders from around the world are calling for a ban on conversion therapy” which “refers to any form…
11/29/2020
In a rare legal victory in a fast-becoming hostile environment to evangelicals, a German court upheld the rights to freedom of speech to a Christian restaurant owner to post bible verses in her establishment. I do not know the specifics of the case as to who…
11/17/2020
I was doing my quiet time on Revelations 8-9 when an overly-familiar passage as evidenced by my highlighting of it from years back struck me differently this time. I was a new Christian when I first encountered it and was dumbfounded. “How is this possible?”…
11/10/2020
Why Evangelicals and other Christians would prefer to pick the obviously flawed, lying, immoral, heartless candidate over the devout Catholic is beyond me. For what? For a single issue of abortion?
for many, from what I understand, yes. And for the life of…
11/07/2020
I do not follow celebrities but my news feed would feature them whether I like it or not and I chanced upon one who voiced her opinion about the SOGIE bill by calling out a sector that sounded like it was of the religious nature and where I belong. Allow me…
11/05/2020
When the pandemic started, there were jokes about wishing the biggest news was about the Barretto sisters or whatever hogged the headlines that might get our goat but at least we’re not crippled by fear to be less than six feet away from someone sneezing or…
11/02/2020
Perhaps no other questions are juxtaposed together in times of trepidation such as what the world is going through now than these two. If the angels Michael and Gabriel were to have their own analytics in heaven, they would be reporting to God how He is trending.
Nasaan…
10/26/2020
It feels like 2019 again when news broke about what the Pope said about same-sex civil unions and the ensuing eyebrow-raising or cheers from all sides of the issue. As I am neither a Catholic nor a lawyer, I just treated it as a rare non-COVID-19 news taking…
10/20/2020
I was watching a video when for whatever reason my eyes were drawn to the next video of a doctor accusing someone of being a quack which at first, I thought was a parody as he, although white, spoke excellent Filipino but I didn’t even finish it as my curiosity…
10/16/2020
A friend of mine who belongs to a different Christian faith is concerned for the rise in COVID-19 cases in the European country she lives in. She cries for the friends who have lost loved ones to the virus and feels helpless on how to express her sympathies…
10/14/2020
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do…
10/10/2020
A good friend and I had an exchange of ideas where our differences were clearly delineated in the FB page which we both manage. I posted something about mental health in regard to the pandemic written by a faith-based research center and he was concerned how…
10/04/2020
I have never been into basketball as I don’t see anything interesting about men running around chasing a ball but as I follow the news, I get to hear from time to time what’s going on and of course, the drama is always better outside the court. Again, as I…
09/14/2020
I was watching ANC Conversations when a guest who is a who’s who in the global creatives community shared her insights on consumer pandemic behavior which were very helpful to me as a marketing lecturer; she also gave me something to chew upon as a believer.
She…
09/13/2020
I didn’t know who he was until his viral post started appearing in my news feed. The academe’s argument chiding the youth who are railing against Marcos and the counter-argument that he received caught my attention.
He wrote: “The present generation that…
09/08/2020
“Ikaw na lang kaya magpresidente!”
“Ang dami mong alam!”
“Eksperto ka na ah!”
These are the usual remarks on social media of people who are displeased with criticism leveled at the government that it’s almost a knee-jerk reaction to insult the person rather…
08/22/2020
During this time of pandemic, wouldn’t it be nice if Christians had a Goshen-like experience where the Israelites were safe and protected from the hail that struck down everyone and everything (Exodus 9:26)? Or where death reigned in all the livestock except…
08/07/2020
A post has been making the rounds in Christian social media circles that got me all riled up because it misrepresents biblical teachings in a treacherous way.
On the surface, it sounds so...so biblical but if one were to examine it further against the light…
07/22/2020
In June 2018, President Duterte made a remark that has become one of his most unforgettable quotable quotes: “Who is this stupid God? Estupido talaga itong p***** i**.” He never lived it down not that he tried because he kept on with his tirades with no let-up.…
07/02/2020
Yesterday was an interesting social media news reading for me. First, I read of a CNN news anchor who told his viewers, “If you believe in one another and if you do the right thing for yourself and your community, things will get better in this country. You…
06/16/2020
Somebody PMd me about a challenge making the rounds in the Pinoy Christian social media landscape.
***** me to post this: Pwde kaya may challenge sa mga Christian na sumusuporta kay duterte na mag-post ng ganito: I AM A CHRISTIAN AND I SUPPORT A PRESIDENT…
06/03/2020
If you’ve ever shared the gospel, chances are, you have been told at least once, “I’m not into religion.” But we know that not just because they think they are not into it, means they’re off the hook because, like it or not, we are all either for or against…
05/27/2020
A feng shui practitioner who predicted that 2020 would be a "strong, prosperous and lucky year” has admitted that feng shui “is not 100 percent perfect." He likened it to “weather prediction, may mga ginagamit silang tools and modules. Ganun din kami sa feng…
05/26/2020
As a writer, I always try my best to use the most perfect word to make sure that my reader and I are on the same dictionary page. So it has been interesting for me to observe how the administration has been playing loose with words since the lockdown. Speaking…
05/24/2020
“Filipino dollar millionaires turn to gold for pandemic security” so goes the headline. I hope you caught the key word there. No, it’s not “millionaires” but “dollar.” And according to the article, we have 20,000 of those in the country. I wish I were one…
05/23/2020
It is interesting to see the debate in the US whether churches are as essential as groceries and drug stores during a lockdown. I was surprised how it became a point of Constitutional contention because here in our country, all faiths just said, "Okay, we…
05/20/2020
The past two months have been interesting (to say the least) for everyone as the country had never gone through a lockdown where normal life came to a screeching halt. But in the midst of an unusual experience (which we hope will never be seen ever again)…
05/11/2020
I have some political pet peeves. No, let me correct that---I have a LOT but the top two would be when believers say: “We must submit to authorities” or “Magpray ka na lang.” Let’s start with the second first and with a challenge.
Read the entire Old Testament.…
05/10/2020
You know what has been trending lately? Unfollowing, unfriending, and blocking friends both on and offline. I have yet to follow it as I don’t follow people for the reason(s) people are unfollowing, unfriending, and blocking their friends. It just hurts too…
05/04/2020
I was repelled when I read the words. At first I thought it had to be made up so I went to the site but still could not verify if the quote was truthful but I was sickened at the other comments made in private groups that were screenshot and were now exposed…
04/23/2020
The private sector has been fighting against COVID-19 with conglomerates, small businesses, NGOs, private individuals, and celebrities doing more than their share. Social media has become a scrapbook of photos of the drive prompting Michael V to post on Instagram,…
04/20/2020
Now listen to me, you that say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to a certain city, where we will stay a year and go into business and make a lot of money.” You don't even know what your life tomorrow will be! You are like a puff of smoke, which appears for…
04/16/2020
In an interview with CNN, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the COVID-19 spread is slowing down:
“The number is down, because we brought the number down. God did not do that. Faith did not do that. Destiny did not do that. A lot of pain and suffering did…
04/14/2020
A friend of mine went to her barangay wondering why they haven’t received their relief goods and was met with a hearty laugh. “Sa mga indigent lang.”
Another friend related how only PWDs (persons with disabilities) are given in their district, not even the…
04/02/2020
Nine months ago, PayPal predicted that “the Philippines’ eCommerce market will grow to US3.5 billion by 2020, fueled by mobile shopping and growing awareness in online shopping.” The prediction will probably see fruition but not in any way anybody could ever…
04/01/2020
I thanked her with so much appreciation for the help she offered which was a bit unexpected as we were mere acquaintances. Twenty-four hours later, I had a message from her through someone else, “Huwag mo na raw uulitin yun pinagawa mo sa kanya.” My jaw dropped.…
03/29/2020
A few days ago, I joined a farewell party organized by someone I have never met, attended mostly by strangers but we all had one thing in common. Get those fake news peddlers! And with a rat-tat-tat of keyboard clicks, we all reported one page at a time to…
03/27/2020
My friend ranted how unfair it was not to receive relief goods simply because she wasn’t registered.
I explained, “There needs to be a basis for the barangay whom to give otherwise it will run out of goods and funds.” I wonder why she didn’t register when…
03/26/2020
The Internet in this side of the globe exploded in indignant outrage when they learned of the irresponsible behavior of a senator violating his self-quarantine and endangering the people especially the collapsing, exhausted and dwindling frontliners he crossed…
03/25/2020
“Napapraning na ako sa mga posts mo,” PM’d a friend.
I laughed but I quickly made a U-turn in case he wasn’t joking, “Wait, are you serious?” He just HAHA’d back.
He may have laughed but I suspect it was sprinkled with a dash of controlled panic and who…
03/13/2020
"If you won't attend church anymore because of COVID-19, you really missed the point of what Christianity is all about, or maybe, you're not a Christian at all."Got that from a friend who was bothered by the message. She was bothered; I am livid. This is patently…
03/04/2020
As Filipinos went about their day last March 2nd with their face masks and hand sanitizers, a man walked into an office that he once called his place of work, shot a former colleague, and held 30 people hostage as well as the entire nation for 10 hours. “(A)rmed…
03/01/2020
Reach out and touch Somebody's hand Make this world a better place If you can
If ever there is a time that we need to heed that message is now but how do we “reach out and touch somebody’s hand” when we are even scared to shake?
In 1987, the late Princess…
02/15/2020
In light of the COVIC-19 outbreak, churches in Singapore, Hong Kong, and China have suspended physical worship services with streaming taking their place for the meantime. (As of this writing, I have yet to hear of a similar directive here and I pray that…
02/12/2020
A school art project in Portland became news at the start of the year. A college sophomore ripped the vertical half of a Bible, painted it fiery orange, and laid it on one side with a drawing of a man with a goat for its head looming over it. The figure is…
02/04/2020
I went to church (not my home church) on the first Sunday after the first reported death due to coronavirus in the country and outside China. I was glad to see hand sanitizers offered almost everywhere and was a bit unsurprised to see some congregants donning…
01/29/2020
“Why?”
That was the collective question the world has been grappling with the past few days when one of the greatest basketball legends died in a horrible helicopter crash. “Why did he have to die so soon?” Several faith-based organizations as well as individual…
01/18/2020
The Catholic Church has gone through unprecedented political persecution as the president himself has called for the killing of its bishops for their criticisms although he later retracted. He’s called for their mugging because according to him, they are rich…
01/15/2020
I had a falling out with a close friend years ago. Later, I found out her husband had passed away. A mutual friend asked if I would be interested in going with her to pay our respects. I said, “Yes, of course. I remember how kind the husband was to me. I am…
12/27/2019
There is nothing more unnatural for a parent than to survive his/her child especially when the latter is just two years old. Last December 14th, Olive stopped breathing “and died shortly afterwards. She was taken off life support, with her remains subsequently…
12/23/2019
It’s that time of year again when the nativity scene is in vogue and its varied interpretations.
A church in California depicts Jesus, Mary and Joseph as encaged refugees.
The famous anonymous Banksy shows his “modified nativity” where the manger is set…
12/20/2019
The new Star Wars film is highly anticipated among a certain segment of the global movie-going population but there is a reported brief scene of two women locked in a kiss which has some cheering while others rolling their eyes for forcing an agenda.
One…
12/17/2019
There’s an ongoing petition urging Netflix to drop a comedy film that portrays a bumbling 30-year old coming home for the holidays where both he and the parents have a surprise for each other. The son wants them to meet his boyfriend and the parents want to…
12/16/2019
One of the most common points raised against the gospel is this: “What about those who never got the chance to hear it? How can a God of love do that? That is so unfair!” The argument can be difficult not because there is no an answer but one that is based…
12/08/2019
2019 has proven to be a, well, a very interesting year for me, to put it mildly. It started with doctors suspecting I have the following: myoma, TB, breast cancer, enlarged heart, and hypertension. Only the first two were confirmed.
On the second quarter,…
12/02/2019
The past three years have been revealing when it comes to how evangelical megachurches regard their role in society which can be boiled down to two words---almost none. At least that’s what a journal article unearthed when it featured their view on extra-judicial…
11/18/2019
I recently posted a public comment about a political issue and was called a troll and a boba not by the opposing side but by people from the same side. The name-callers failed to understand my words that any sixth grader would get. Oh, don’t worry about me.…
11/13/2019
pəlkrəˈt(y)o͞od(ə)nəs/: beautiful
"How can such an ugly-sounding word mean beautiful?” PMd my friend.
As I had never encountered the word, I had to look it up expecting it to be used in reference to a scenery or an inanimate object but was surprised to see…
11/10/2019
“She has the gift of healing so perhaps she can come and pray for you,” suggested a good friend.
Given my conservative evangelical background, I had to check the FB page of the person and saw a sound theology that would make my late Baptist pastor proud so…
11/05/2019
We are all familiar with that infamous (and perhaps unsolicited) advice of a wife to her ailing husband. Often, when that is quoted, it is usually in derision for her perceived insensitivity but we forget that she too was suffering. She had lost her 10 children,…
10/26/2019
People usually say that to someone going through a crisis. I don’t doubt their sincerity (at least for some anyway) but let me be frank: in my experience, it doesn’t mean anything. Why not? Let me count the ways.
For one, I can’t be for certain which one…
10/01/2019
“I love Jesus but I don’t like the people in church. It’s full of hypocrites. That’s why I don’t go to church. I can worship God on my own anyway.”
This is often the gist of why professing believers do not go to church. Let us break it into digestible pieces…
09/13/2019
The worldwide evangelical community has been rocked of late with personalities either renouncing the faith or their lives. Quite expectantly, questions related to their salvation have risen. Were they Christians in the first place? Have they lost their salvation?…
09/10/2019
Benny Hinn, one of the wealthiest televangelists there is, known for his prosperity gospel teaching recently made a U-turn by admitting he had been wrong in his theology---again. For some people, the verdict is still out if he is sincere this time. Whether…
09/05/2019
Some religious leaders back SOGIE bill
So goes the headline about the Senate panel hearing on the SOGIE bill. Sadly, I wasn’t surprised but I was curious as to who the leaders were and how they justified it. Of the three that were included in the report,…
09/01/2019
Four years ago, the “lovewins” hashtag was born when the US Supreme Court allowed same-sex marriage and since then, there have been 29 countries that have followed suit. The Philippines is eager to join the club but, so far, only to the extent of recognizing…
08/26/2019
“GRETCHEN DIEZ COMES OUT
She's the new poster girl of the Philippine LGBTQ+ movement. Arrested and shamed for needing to use the toilet. This is her story.”
So goes the headline and introduction of a Rappler story on the ongoing saga of the CR issue. Obviously,…
08/23/2019
Lately, I have been seeing the name of Jesus in my news feed a lot. It should not be surprising as I follow some Bible-based pages but the references to Him are in the form of news---political news to be exact. As a believer, I am all for Christians not shying…
08/20/2019
As I write this, the SOGIE Bill (an act prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression) is being discussed in the Senate. Not wanting to make a kneejerk reaction, I looked it up to see what the bill wants to…
08/17/2019
For the past few days, social media has been abuzz about a transgender being barred from using the ladies’ room at a Quezon City mall which was in violation of the Gender-Fair Ordinance. The ordinance seeks to protect LGBTQ+ members from barring of entry and…
08/14/2019
“I do communion at home,” said a friend. As I like the thought of Christian families celebrating the Lord’s Supper at home, I had no reaction until my friend added, “I do it during my quiet time.”
“What do you mean?”
“I do communion on my own.”
“There is…
08/09/2019
More than a year ago, our president challenged people to produce evidence of the existence of God through a selfie.
"(I)f there is somebody of the so many billions, maybe if he can go there in heaven, talk to God, and magpa-selfie sila at bumalik siya rito…
08/01/2019
More than a year ago, President Duterte called God “(i)stupido talaga itong p******a” because He “created something perfect and then you think of an event that would tempt and destroy the quality of your work.” He was referring of course to the tree of knowledge…
07/14/2019
As of this writing, I have been living with and managing pain for almost two months now. Although it has limited my mobility, it has given me a lot of time to discover more of God and who He is, discover Christian ministries online, and discover some humility…
07/08/2019
“They are everywhere!”
It seems that anywhere you go in Manila, you will see a Chinese national not acting like a tourist but being at home in the country. This may not be an exaggeration as there has been a “total of 3.12 million Chinese” arrivals due to…
07/01/2019
“I’ve been reading this book by someone who went to heaven and chatted with Jesus. It’s very fascinating,” shared a lady whom I had just met which accounts for my keeping my mouth shut but not necessarily my keyboard.
I will not judge the intent of the author…
06/26/2019
Lately, it seems like the phrase “God bless!” is overtaking “goodbye” and “thank you” which in a way is good because it acknowledges the active presence and the need for God in our lives. That is, if it’s not used like an everyday expression without thought…
06/01/2019
In one of his speeches in his home turf, our president shared a dream he had where he asked God to tell him why He created women as an “afterthought” (i.e., after seeing how Adam needed a companion) which led to “messed up” lives for men from thereon. This…
05/24/2019
With the rising trend of the legal acceptance of same-sex marriage in some countries, our nation is now being confronted whether to join it with an online poll by no less than congress. Predictably, there is the subsequent debate for both sides. Those in favor…
05/21/2019
“Would you still listen to a church leader who has asked for forgiveness after admitting to an affair with another man’s wife and had her husband killed to cover it up so no one would be the wiser when the woman gives birth a few months later?” I asked my…
05/18/2019
A married couple filed for candidacy separately in two congressional districts which naturally raised eyebrows considering they’re not known to be separated. Although this was challenged by a concerned citizen, their application was approved and their run…
04/26/2019
These past few days have seen people talking (and not talking) about what is expected to be the biggest movie in history, “The Avengers: Endgame.” There are pleas to zip it on social media as “Thanos demands your silence” so as not to spoil the experience…
03/02/2019
If I were to round up our beloved president’s three favorite topics, it would be drugs, the Catholic clergy, and hell. The last one would find him in the company of our Lord Jesus Christ who talked about hell and its reality more than anyone else in the Bible.
In…
01/25/2019
“Doesn’t the Bible say that the path to heaven is narrow because we need to do lots of good works?” asked a new acquaintance after I shared the gospel with her group.
One disadvantage about being a Christian for so long is the overfamiliarity of verses that…
01/12/2019
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” (NIV)
What Christian isn’t familiar with Matthew 5:13? What Christian…
12/31/2018
When you get to a certain age, the battle of the bulge becomes more wearisome and troublesome to take on. I have had my share of gaining unwanted pounds as well as the experience of shedding them (thankfully), prompting comments from relatives from my mother’s…
12/09/2018
Two friends of mine have been recently immortalized by their inclusion in the 2018 CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Arts which blew my mind. It is a first for me to know people who are who's who on a personal level. Casting aside my insane jealousy, I asked…
12/04/2018
A friend shared a story with me about her daughter’s jobless friend who bought the latest iPhone while deep in debt.
“How stupid!” my friend reacted.
“Mom, you’re so judgmental!” her daughter contended, unnerving my friend.
Next to being called intolerant,…
11/27/2018
If we’ve been a Christian for, let’s say, at least five years, one of the phrases that we must be familiar with is “salt of the earth.” Perhaps so much so that we have come to take its profound meaning for granted by limiting it to an understanding of “Oh,…
10/31/2018
My friend was heartbroken over her friend who fell for a scam that caused him whatever little money he had, his scholarship, his potential ministry, and his marriage.
He was a foreign student on scholarship in the country, getting ready to be equipped for…
10/21/2018
These are indeed interesting times that we live in especially when it comes to our spoken and written words----or to be more apt, our posted words. Such passion, such emotions, such vitriol. It saddens me all the more when they come from people who are mandated…
10/02/2018
In times of conflicts, strife, and violence, we often hear people pleading to the universal brotherhood of men with one father as a reason or motivation to stop the madness. We even sing about it like the famous song born out of the 1986 EDSA Revolution:
"Magkakapatid…
08/29/2018
Last June, our president who has made profanity his trademark raised a proverbial fist a lot higher by aiming his tirades at God in a speech at an ICT summit in his bailiwick, Davao City. In a country that has more than 90% population identifying themselves…
06/26/2018
"Dapat lang silang mamatay! Mga drug addict sila!" uttered a friend of mine while volunteering at a church event celebrating conversions.
Under normal circumstances, the scene might be ironic but sadly, this sentiment has become normal among some believers…
06/17/2018
Why are there so many songs about rainbows? Well, nowadays, there seems to be more posts about rainbows that have strayed so far from the biblical origin.
The rainbow was given by God after the Great Deluge as a covenant "between me and the earth....Never…
05/27/2018
It is not quite uncommon to hear people misquote some Bible verses or phrases just because they heard the same from other people and simply assumed they’re correct. But the misquotes don’t end in speeches and conversations but have also found their way in…
05/01/2018
Growing up, we all know how name-calling is bad and how bad it hurts to be at the receiving end. Unfortunately, this hasn’t stopped many of us from committing it especially in social media where it is easiest to do. For us, Christians, we know from the Bible…
04/06/2018
34 Prophecies in the Old Testament that Jesus Fulfilled Hundreds of Years Later
We are all amazed when we hear a prediction come true. Even one instance will make believers out of us which is why some of us are hooked in horoscopes and Nostradamus. But what…
03/23/2018
If you were in a room of 100 people and ask for a show of hands on how many associate the Bible with the Chinese language, you’d probably get 100% zero hands. But it is interesting to note that some biblical accounts especially those in the book of Genesis…
03/23/2018
“You can’t fully understand the English language without going back to the Bible,” I heard someone say---a Westerner to be precise. For someone like me who grew up with English as a second language, that took a lot of effort on my part to keep my eyebrows…
