My Daily Rituals

THERE COMES A MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE when you realize that no matter how hard you try, you’re never going to be fluent in another language. Or travel the whole world like you’ve always planned when you were a child. Or be a great athlete and win an Olympic gold medal.

My father taught me how to play chess at an early age. I was a champion chess player in high school and I boldly dreamt of being the first and the youngest Filipino woman grandmaster. I have also made sincere attempts to be very good at playing the guitar, engaging in archery, writing passionately or making it big in the corporate world. Well, I didn’t succeed in any of it. I realized that the farthest I have gone is being a jack of all trades, master of none.

I kept trying to find my answer to life - and this becomes more elusive the older we get - that is, until I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. God’s demand, which is not a piece of cake, is that we cease trying to be great in our own eyes, to become small that God might get the glory He deserves.

When I finally gave up my charade of self-sufficiency, my fascination with the subject of magnifying God began. As a born-again Christian, the one question I usually ask is this: How will my life bring the most glory to God?

Why I Believe that The Bible is the Word of GOD

I WAS BORN AND RAISED A CATHOLIC. I attended a Catholic elementary school, and graduated from an all-girls Catholic college. I remember asking my religion teacher who was a nun, “Sister, why do Catholics pray to saints? Aren’t saints just ordinary people like us? They are not GOD, so why do we have to worship them?” I have no recollection of what she said in response, but it had effectively turned me into a non-believer. I purposely became a self-proclaimed atheist as I was convinced there must be no God. Philosophy and logic were instantly my favorite subjects. That was in the year 2000.

In retrospect, that sort of religion was not beneficial for me. In fact, The Bible says that God hates religion, because what he wants from us is a personal relationship that is rooted in humility. If we do not know anything about God, there is nothing in our mind to awaken love. And if our love does not come from knowing God, there's no point calling it 'love for God.' God is not honored by groundless love.

“As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on thing and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.” - C.S. Lewis

"I hate all your show and pretense--the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies." (Amos 5:21)

"I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings." (Hosea 6:6)

Lessons from 2004

2004 was the year I LOVED AND LOST. The guy once added me as a friend on Facebook many years ago. I accepted, and not long after, I unfriended him. He added me again, I accepted it, but for the longest time, I contemplated on unfriending him permanently because I just wanted nothing to do with him. My Christian self insisted that I kept him as a friend, so that once in a while, whenever I’d post Bible verses, the word of God might pierce his heart and turn him into a believer. It’s funny because earlier today when I was ready to unfriend him yet again, I found out he already did it for me. It’s as if the trash decided to take itself out. (Just kidding!)

Burger King and Starbucks

Around July of this year, a local Burger King in the U.S. launched a limited edition "Proud Whopper" that fuelled a controversy about the company's promotion of homosexual behavior and gender equality.

About a week ago, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz adamantly reaffirmed his company’s support for same-sex marriage, saying that shareholders can sell their stocks if they are only in favor of biblical marriage.

OK, so what is the big deal?

On The Road to Temperance (Part 2)

This is a continuation of my "On The Road to Temperance" post. For Part 1, click here.

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3. Media Consumption

Television – I hardly ever watch Pinoy telenovelas to avoid getting bombarded with ridiculous programs that only exist to fill the space between commercials. Oh, and one more thing: I hate drama. I wasn’t raised in a household where confrontation or sampalan/sabunutan (catfight) was a part of daily family life, so I couldn’t particularly relate with the kind of drama that soap operas promote. I believe any kind of disputes among people who live under the same roof can be resolved calmly and civilly. These shows are way too predictable. Some of the curses of our generation are fame-obsession, consumerism and a display of intelligence devoid of wisdom. Television is one of the main sustainers of our addiction to narcissism and superficiality. Sometimes, it does depend on what we are watching. Granted, if we could watch quality news and educational TV programs, it would not always be such a waste of time.

On The Road to Temperance (Part 1)

According to the dictionary, temperance is moderation or self-restraint, especially in eating and drinking, although now it usually means teetotalism or total abstinence from alcohol or liquor. During the classical era, temperance meant going the right length and no further in all pleasures.

The ways we live now – checking our smartphones every minute, absorbing a plethora of information, over scheduling our days or our children’s days, shopping ‘til we drop, gorging at eat-all-you-can buffets, not taking time to unwind without a screen in front of our faces – are all clear signs that excessive indulgence is the name of the game in this day and age.

In his book, A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer, American author and preacher John Piper writes:

"Desires for other things" - there's the enemy. And the only weapon that will triumph is a deeper hunger for God. The weakness of our hunger for God is not because he is unsavory, but because we keep ourselves stuffed with "other things." Perhaps, then, the denial of our stomach's appetite for food might express, or even increase, our soul's appetite for God.