3/18/2024

Creating Committees

Flashback: There were 73 children at the youth group’s outreach program, under the leadership of Teacher Ana. The event, scheduled for 3 PM, included singing, story telling, a message about Jesus, and eating. 

All the children were on time. Ana, on the other hand, was still busy with the food and physical arrangements. Then the young people started to trickle in. But instead of helping Ana, they were on their phones. 

A church elder who dropped by observed what was happening and called Ana to a meeting with the other elders the next day.     

“Nobody volunteered to help!” complained Ana.   

“Did you form committees? asked one elder.  

Ana insisted, “It was they who prepared the program.”   

"Did they know who was to do what?”  

On a larger scale, this happened to Moses in the wilderness with the Jews whom God brought out of Egypt. (Numbers 11:14-17 ESV)   

Moses complained to God, "I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me.  If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.'" 

Art by Jacob de Wit 1739
In our modern language, this means, "Delegate; create committees. People should be assigned particular jobs to focus on so they can do them efficiently and properly."  
    
The Lord’s work has to be communal. We need to assign brethren to do specific responsibilities, so they, too, may find joy and fulfillment.  Had Ana done this, the work would have been carried out joyfully and successfully with the help of others.  

Today: I tear up every time I see faith brethren in our church—each working hard in his/her own way—using God-given gifts and resources to serve the Lord. At no time have I seen this kind of energetic volunteerism from all quarters in all our ministries. In these last days, thank you, Lord, for equipping your children for commual work. We cannot do it without your grace.  

3/14/2024

My Salad Days

Those days are over—for a long time now. As Shakespeare meant the phrase to be, those were when I was ”green in judgment.” 

This is not ro brag, but as an elderly, I think I am wiser than I’ve ever been (except in anything that has to do with technology, especially digital scams). In that deep and wide area where the world is today, I am green in judgment. Go ahead, laugh. 

I digress. This post looks back to my youth with nostalgia. It’s about the days when I often ate a yummy salad, a luxury that I left behind. 

But because friends send me photos of PINK things (since I started  uploading a series of short posts every Wednesday on unusual PINK creation to my socmed page), I remembered my literal salad days. Meaning, when, as a little girl, I enjoyed this yummy salad on the dining table in the province: Katuday enselada.

My friend Gemma sent me a photo of PINK katuday (Ilocano term for katuray in Filipino and spelled katurai in other countries), an edible flower of a tree that populated our town, but which I cannot find in the city where I live today. 

My mouth watered, imagining a bowl of katuday salad (the three vignettes in the photo below):
 
Depending on one’s palate, this katuday salad can be served/prepared in many ways. I liked mine blanched, then mixed with boggoong (fish sauce), chopped tomatoes and onions, with a drop of vinegar. 

Life then was simple and dishes were easy to prepare. One can wing it along the way, without having to read a cookbook. 

Yup, my salad days are now just memories . . . of grace. How much yummier can that be?  

3/10/2024

Half a Century Catch-up

Coming from my last post . . . 

Separated by thousands of miles and both busy with a new family and career, my dear friend, Tits, who opted to remain in Chicago (year 1969), and I lost touch.  

But the pandemic dumped time on my lap to fiddle around with social media—and I found her!  Our messages, however, were cryptic as digital communication is not our default mode.  

Now that the world is back to normal, I received a message from her that she and her husband are in town and do I have time to meet them? 

Do I ever! 

For our meet-up, I wore the silver bracelet that was their gift to me as the maid-of-honor and bridesmaid in one at their wedding. I have treasured this gift, etched with both their names and wedding date. It was my first real jewelry, replacing my plastic and resin bangles. 

(Nothing is lost in the haze of faded photographs.)
That was also the last time we saw each other.  

Can over half a century gap be bridged? 

It can, in seconds—at this hotel lobby.  

We yelped each others’ names, hugged, and the 54 years went pffft. Beneath facial lines, gray brows, and prescription glasses, we saw our young selves and moved from there. How many kids now? Grandkids? What? Where? Who? Whose? When? Why? 

We exchanged laurels (for what else would you call Tit’s enchanting art pieces and my books), scrolled our phones for pictures, some photo ops, then lunch. 

The four-hour catch-up and chat flew by much too quickly. 

An old quote from the Net might have been written by us: True friends are never apart, maybe in distance but never in heart. 

What next? At this lifestage, I leave that to God's grace of serendipity.  

3/06/2024

Tits

Please don’t be appalled (or think ill of this blogsite on grace) by the title. It isn’t what you’re thinking. It’s a perfectly-proper-proper noun: it’s the nickname of my dear friend, Tita. 

Perhaps it is culture or habit; in the Philippines, we normally give our close friends affectionate nicknames by using the first syllable of their given names and adding an “s” to it. 

For instance, Karen becomes Kars; Nellie, Nells; Baby, Babes; Nena, Nens; ergo, Tita becomes Tits. 

Tits and I met at the Art Institute of Chicago, where we were both taking our master’s degree in the 1960s. She was enrolled at the college of fine arts, and I, at the college of performing arts. I can’t recall how we met, but because we were the only two Filipinos in that whole academic Institute, it was not a surprise that we’d find each other. 

On Leap Day this year (she was here on vacation with her hubby), she narrated to me this funny (okay, appalling) incident, which I vaguely remember:

She was at the far end of our school cafetria and I, at the other end. To call her attention, very loudly, I waved and yelled, “Tits! Tits!”  I refuse to imagine the reaction of the American crowd then. 

She was in that school on a Fullbright-Hays Award, and I, on my Uncle Joe and Billy’s generosity. 

Naturally, we were both poor, with zero cash for luxuries. She would spend weekends with me at my uncle Joe's home or uncle Billy's and sometimes, we would drop by her dormitory to pick up her things. 

Once we were invited to a Rizal Day formal celebration that required long gowns, which we could not afford to buy. What to do? We sewed them ourselves! 

Tits, being an artist, stayed awake all night making sure everything was pulido (polished to perfection) with her chartreuse trimmings. I never heard of chartreuse till then; I called it yellow, but Tits was always precise with colors and lines). My gown? I haphazardly sewed it in less than two hours, but I had to keep her company, muting our giggles so as not rouse uncle Billy. 

Behold our handiwork. Alas, it could no longer be edited to Tits’ high level of standards. 

I unearthed three more of our fading old photos, reminders of our carefree, poverty days. 

(Christmas eve with Aunt Mary in Chicago)
(Modelling as alternative career?)
(Yes, that's a typewriter.) 
Not long after, Tits got busy preparing for her wedding, while I got busy packing my bags to go back home to the Philippines to marry Tony. But not before . . . (that’ll be for my next post).                    

3/02/2024

Treasure Hunt

Children, as well as adults, enjoy treasure hunts in reunions or parties—not so much for the treasure but for the fun in finding it. The real treasure is in the hunt because of the creative clues: word scrambles, anagrams, riddles, and questions. 

The hunt is even more fun if each group has both young children and adults. A clue that says, “Peek through a doughnut hole and find the next step” makes everybody race each other in finding a doughnut.  
Now, isn’t treasure hunt like reading the Bible? 

To find the grace of wisdom, we need to search for it in God’s words.
“Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.” (Proverbs 2:2-5 NLT)  

These verses encourage us to spend time and effort to know God better by developing a heart of understanding. If we carefully read the Bible, word for word—and memorize verses that touch us—we find many clues to God’s great love for us. 

We can actually enjoy a treasure hunt every single day. Alone or with someone, we can seek His words and get to know the Lord more and more. What may sound like a puzzle or a word scramble at first, will soon be clear to us. 

The more we search, the deeper our understanding will be, because we will find wisdom—the hidden treasure! 

2/26/2024

SOS!

When ships were in trouble, going through extreme distress at sea, they put out an SOS radio signal to be rescued. 

SOS was not an acronym or abbreviation of anything—it was just a distinctive Morse code sequence. But many years later, when these letters became popular, people put meaning into them, such as:  "Save Our Souls" and "Save Our Ship". 

In everyday life, we likewise cry “SOS!” when we need help very badly. In such a crisis mode, what do we do?  

Answers vary: “I call my mom.” “I cry to let it all out.” “I plan what to do next.” “I psyche myself up to be strong.” “I pray.” 

The last answer is what we are encouraged to do by God Himself. Although people and our inner strength can help solve our problem, nobody can comfort us more than Jesus can. He said so in James 5:13 (NLT), “Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.” 

Psalm 46:1 assures us, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” 

Prayer is often not our first response to crisis. We run to people close to us—family  members and close friends, or try to figure out a solution by ourselves. And only after we’ve done all, without much success, do we pray as a last resort.  

We know that God does not always give us the answer we want, but we also know that as a God of grace, He will give us a fresh way to look at our situation, and help us become stronger and more at peace. 

King David always called on God when in trouble, “. . . in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears.” (Psalm 18:6) 

Whenever we are in trouble, let’s cry "SOS!" to the Lord in prayer.   

2/22/2024

Splitting Hairs

The phrase “splitting hairs” is an idiom which has existed since Shakespeare’s time. It continues to be used today because that’s how many of us behave. 

In a meeting, gentleman 1 (G1) made a motion using the word “empower.”  

Immediately gentleman 2 (G2) objected saying that “empower” is not the exact word. He suggested “task” because he felt it is more result-oriented and specific.  

G1 defended his position in a voice that was two decibels too high.  

Naturally, G2 became defensive and explained his choice of word emphatically in a pitch higher than his normal voice.   

Splitting hairs: worrying and arguing about small, non-essential details. It can be the start of a bitter word war. 

This can happen in churches, too.

Sometimes, we argue with fellow believers about what this word in the Bible means and how it should be used in Bible study lessons. Words, as invented and translated by man, are not exact. They have nuances and sometimes, one word cannot exactly replace the other. So we split hairs. 

My boss in the workplace used to advise me when I fumed over a client’s habit of changing my carefully thought-out words in a TV advertising. “If it’s just a synonym or a word that does not change the concept, give it to him. Don’t lose sleep over a word.”  

The Bible admonishes us, “A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.” (2 Timothy 2:24 NLT)

In Romans 14:19, this is how church people should behave among themselves, “So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.”  

By grace, this should be the norm.  

2/18/2024

Leaning Tower of Pisa

This bell tower of Pisa is considered one of the seven wonders of the medieval world. It is visited by millions of tourists every year. Construction started in 1173, and five years later, it started titlting because of "shallow foundations and unstable subsoil."*

It has not toppled over because engineers, through the centuries, have been trying to come up with a fix.  During the restoration work from 1999 to 2001, engineers placed weights on the structure's leaning end and extracted soil from below, causing it to slowly sink back in that direction.

Barring a large earthquake or other unforeseen disasters, engineers believe it will stay put for a few hundred years more!  

Like the Pisa bell tower, we need something to lean on as we grow older with unstable balance. There are canes, staff, and walkers that could steady us as we walk. The old patriarch Jacob, who was once young and strong, had to lean on his staff.   

“It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.”  (Hebrews 11:21 NLT)  

The symbolism of the staff dates back to ancient times when shepherds used them to guide their flock. 

Today, with a staff or any of the above physical aids for steadying us, we can maintain our bearings if we lean on the Lord. He said in Isaiah 41:134 (NLT), “For I hold you by your right hand—I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.” 

Psalm 118:8 says, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” 

To my young-once friends: our stronger years are gone, but we have a Redeemer, our Tower of strength. He is the Staff we can lean on. 

To my young friends of this generation: May you always lean on the Lord’s strength in your weakness, as we have, your seniors. Otherwise, without leaning on His grace, we would not have lasted this long. 

*The tower was finally completed in 1372.

2/14/2024

The Greatest Love of All

“Learning to love yourself.” 

That’s how the pop song with the above title defines the greatest love of all. 

It has nothing to do with how the Bible defines it, as summarized in this verse, KJV version, that I memorized in Sunday school as a little girl: 

This was the theme of our pastor’s message last Sunday. It took him an hour to explain this in great detail, but having a short attention span—not shorter than GenZs’ or tadpoles’ though—I had it all wrapped up briefly (my training in advertising) in my notebook, using his listicle and adding my reflections. My net take-away:    

1. God’s love is unconditional: “For God so loved the world [kosmos]," peppered with sinful men of various kinds. The adverb “so” emphasizes the depth and breath of this love. 

2. God’s love is sacrificial: “That he gave . . .” It was a concrete action, sharing what He owns and treasures.  

3. God’s love is valuable: “only son . . .” God did not send just anybody; He sent His valued only son. 

4. God’s love is personal: “Son . . .” His son became flesh so he could be close to us, to have a personal relationship with us.  

5. God’s love is accessible: By sending Jesus to earth, God enabled insignificant humans to talk to him freely, going to him for help, learning from him, and asking favors where they could.

6. God’s love is just. “ Whosoever believeth in him will not perish . . .” The  justice here is that there will be consequences of sin. Those who choose to turn their back on Jesus by mocking him and doing the opposite of everything good will have their day of reckoning. 

7. God’s love is beneficial. “. . . but have everlasting life.”  By dying on the cross for our sins, Jesus made it possible for us to receive forgivenss, be wiped totally clean, and that a beautiful, everlasting reward at the end of the road awaits us. Those who walk with him will never die but will live forever.

In a word, the greatest love of all is grace. Jesus came for all—even  for the undeserving. It is our choice to accept him or reject him. 

Valentine’s Day, as the world invented it, is about love. 

Note to self: may I always treasure in my heart the root and the essence of the greatest love of all.  

2/10/2024

Disinterest

Thomas Clayton Wolfe (American novelist in the early 20th century) wrote, “You have reached the pinnacle of success as soon as you become uninterested in money, compliments, or publicity.”

This describes Mr. Ato Acosta, once the top honcho of his many firms, but who is now—in his own words—blissfully retired. 

Still strong at age 79, he prefers to stay home with his wife, read history books, or go to the mall for coffee and subtly introduce the Gospel to his seatmate.    

“What should I do with these?” his wife asked, gesturing to the plaques and trophies lined up on shelves. 

“Sell them,” he said, laughing.   

“How much for each?” his wife joked.  

“How about P100 for the whole lot?” he bantered. 

Once upon a time, Mr. Ato loved the adulation and honor for his achievements. But now, he valued his freedom—from the expectations to have more of everything. He has lost interest in money, compliments, or publicity.

The opposite happened to Saul (1 Samuel 15). Before he was anointed as king by Samuel, he was a nobody in Israel. But as king, he honored himself with a monument.  

Samuel confronted Saul (verse 7, NLT), “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king . . . and sent you on a mission . . . Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder . . .?’”   

King Saul wallowed in his own self-importance, valuing money (plunder), compliments (honor), and publicity (recognition). 

Mr. Ato lost interest in everything, except in giving honor to the Source of grace, the Source of everything he ever had.    

He says, “I avoid craving for accolades and instead give importance to the One deserving of my praise.” 

2/06/2024

“I’ve Been Had!”

No matter how careful we are, we can sometimes be duped. For one, we easily trust.  For another, it’s tough to tell deceivers from honest people. 

To my deep dismay, I have been had a few times by glib-talking salesmen, financial advisers, and hyperbolic advertising: “miracle” devices that don’t work as explained; insurance that promised big returns that never came; “cheap” goods that are actually much cheaper elsewhere; designer outfits that turned out to be fake; yadda, yadda yadda. 

Of course I have learned my lessons and I am more careful now; still, sometimes I am caught off guard and victimized anew. Scammers on the Net are on the loose; I need to be extra vigilant.  
In the Old Testament, Joshua was scammed big time by the Gibeonites (Chapter 9). Fearing that they will soon be destroyed, they went to Joshua pretending they had come from a distant land to request for a peace treaty with the Israelites. Joshua asked them many incisive questions, but they had all the “right” answers. 

Through all these, the Israelites failed to consult the Lord.  “Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath (verse 15 NLT). 

Three days later, however, they discovered that the Gibeonites had deceived them. Joshua confronted the Gibeonites about their deception.  But because they had a peace treaty in the name of God, the Israelites could not attack their towns nor kill them. They instead made them woodcutters and water carriers for the Israelite community and for the altar of the Lord. 

May we always seek God’s grace for wise counsel whenever we make a decision.  

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5 ESV)

2/03/2024

Believers or Not

 My grandfather used to advise us, “Many people call themselves Christians without knowing what it means. Make sure that when you say you are a Christian, you really are.” 
What is a Christian? 

Some say it is a good person, or someone who goes to church often. In the Bible, the first time anyone was called a Christian was in Antioch. The story is told in Acts 11:19-26:   

Many believers of Jesus went to Antioch to preach to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus, and a great many turned to the Lord.  This amazing news reached the church at Jerusalem and sent Barnabas to Antioch. Indeed, Barnabas saw the proof of God’s blessing.  

Barnabas then went to Tarsus to bring back Saul to Antioch. Verse 26 reads, “Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. [It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.]” 

Those who believed that Jesus came to earth, died, and resurrected to offer forgiveness of sin were eventually called Christians—applying Jesus' title of Christ as a label for His followers.

A Christian, therefore, is one who responds to God’s grace of forgiveness by choosing to stop living for himself and start living for Christ.  

“. . . if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9-10 ESV)

People do good things for many reasons, but a Christian does good things because he/she loves God.

2/01/2024

Are We Heading South?

Heading South or going south is an expression people use when things are deteriorating or becoming worse. It refers to compasses and two-dimensional maps where north is up and south is down. 
This is a blog site on grace and not on politics, but the wranglings of two camps that were once called UniTeam and promised unity during the political campaign are too noisy to ignore. 

Adding to our many problems (learning poverty, high prices, horrific traffic, cyber scams, etc.) in this country, this war is making us go south too quickly. 

On January 29, two opposing events happened simultaneously.  

One, Pres. Bongbong rebranded his administration's direction with a new logo and a slogan, “Bagong Pilipinas” in a lavish manner. Crowds were hauled to attend it. Entertainers and speeches of platitudes highlighted the concert/extravaganza that cost taxpayers 16 million pesos.  

Two, a Candlelight Prayer Rally in Davao City to oppose charter change (particularly the People's Intiative) was attended by Ex-President Digong and the mayor  (father and son). In his speech, the mayor asked the president to resign because he is “lazy  and has no compassion for people.” Digong, in an expletive-laden speech, accused the president of being a cocaine addict.  

The following day, the president accused Digong of being addicted to Fentanyl, which might have affected his brain. 

The following day, too, many comments tried to explain the dirty verbal war, the causes of which an ordinary mortal like me can never guess. As it degenerates to gutter level, many applaud it.   

“Digong resented the fact that the president did not prevent the ICC from investigating his tokhang program."  

“There is a high chance that former Pres. Duterte and his children are being urged by China to destabilize the current Marcos administration . . .backing the Dutertes to take over the country's leadership, while making use of the opportunity to try to topple the Marcos administration to escape a possible arrest by the ICC. In return, a new leadership under a Duterte will most lilely stay quiet on Chinese domination in the West Philippine Sea, and will push for reduced cooperation with the US and its other partners like Australia, Japan and Europe.” 

China? US? Greed? Ego? We are indeed going south.  

What will happen tomorrow? 

“. . . do not be anxious . . . 'What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:31-34 ESV)

1/30/2024

Decluttering

Young netizens are agog on social media over the KonMari method, “a system of simplifying and organizing your home by getting rid of items that do not bring joy into your life.” 

This was created by Marie Kondo, a Japanese cleaning consultant, author of a best-selling book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” and now a TV host where she discusses the same.    

She is actually saying, ”Do not hoard.” 

Hoarding, my contemporaries and I believe, is age-related. When you’re young, at the peak of your career, you like to buy and buy things as though there were no tomorrow. 

But after I had left the workplace for good and embarked on writing, I felt the absurdity of hoarding. I realized that most of the things in my closet, cabinets, and on shelves “no longer bring joy to my life.” 

Except for my books, which always bring unparalleled pleasure, I am struggling to get rid of everything else—collection of key chains, clowns, bags, blazers, jewelry, doodads, and other clutter.  

Decluttering takes time. 

We have too much “junk” stored over the years. So we do it one closet/cabinet at a time, and wonder, “Why did I waste so much money and time on these?” 

As a Sunday school facilitator for years, I have often cited this verse:  

“. . . true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.” (1 Timothy 6:6 NLT) 

But I had to reach a certain age to learn it and by grace, take it to heart.   

1/28/2024

OPM: O Promise Me

OPM is an acronym in the Philippines that used to mean Original Pinoy Music in the 70s. It has evolved into a catch-all term for music produced by Filipinos. 

We gave it a different spin in the ad agency where I used to work: OPM was O Promise Me, facetiously referring to anyone who says one thing but does another. In short, unfulfilled promise. 

This came back to me after reading on social media endless complaints about the traffic situation in Metro Manila. It has reached international fame when  Chris Martin composed a song and sang it at the Coldplay concert last week:  

"Oh, we can’t wait to play Manila again, But the traffic here is completely insane."  


TomTom Traffic Index confirmed the insanity.  

This happened because of an OPM.  

Unwittingly, we too might have made a promise we did not fulfill.  

"I will love you forever" = break up  
"I will never leave you" = job abroad 
"I will pay you back on payday" = 48 paydays ago 
"I will lower the price of rice to P20/kilo"  = the cheapest is P55/kilo

Plus thousands more. And so, the expression "Promises are made to be broken" rings true.  

I now contrast this with the verses (ESV) I am reading on promises:  

". . . do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your 'yes' be yes and your 'no' be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation." James 5:12

"A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape." Proverbs 19:5 

"Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give." Proverbs 25:14

Note to self: Beg for grace to resist making a promise I cannot fulfill. 

Photos: borrowed from the Net

1/25/2024

Nerd Cred

A Nerd is defined as someone overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted, or lacking social skills.  He prefers to be alone working on his computer or spending time on his interest and shuns parties attended by people outside his circle of friends. 

The three-year pandemic did not exactly turn me into a nerd, but I earned enough nerd cred to enable me to have lenghty discussions with nerds.

Nerd cred? Hah, that's a new phrase for me too. I learned it from a crossword puzzle. 

Nerd Cred: the points one gets by doing nerdy things. These are suposed to make one cooler and able to have lengthy discussions with other nerds.  

My earned points are phenomenal. I have gone back to re-reading the literary classics and have begun reading Theology dissertations to help me facilitate our women's Sunday school. 

Even if health restrictions have been lifted, I still prefer to solve word puzzles and work on my computer than attend a party. I have turmed down invitations to many. I have also passed up opportunites for book talks and book signing. Not because I have no interest in any, but because of this. 

The last trip we took as a family last month incarcerated us on the road for hours. It's a bit (no, a lot!) of a torture that raises stress to its peak level if you need to go to the toilet/CR. 

So yes, I am okay with staying home, earning nerd cred every single day. I find grace here or it finds me. Now, cyber friends, can you introduce me to a nerd I can engage in a discourse?  

1/23/2024

The Youngest MVP

On record, the youngest MVPs are Derrick Rose and Wes Unseld, both 22 years old when they were proclaimed.  

Much younger and more precious than those two is our very own Most Valuable Player, all of eight years old. She was our clan's unanimous choice during our last clan reunion. Why? 

Why not? She particpated in every game (sports and parlor). Alas, she could not yet qualify for the adult basketball and volleyball for obvious reasons. But that didn't stop her from coaching along the sidelines. She had the spirit and the verve to have won with any of the competing teams. 

Her name: Jeza, my grandniece.  

Yes, she was in the pool, in the field, in the hall--here, there, everywhere! Catch the pink markers and arrows below, if you can.  
Are you huffing and puffing yet? Not only is she a dynamo, she embodies what our patriarch (Lolo Berto, my grandfather on my mother's side who, together with my grandmother, started our reunion 79 years ago) required. 

A disciplinarian like a Spanish monarch of old, Lolo's order then was to continue the annual reunion even after they're gone. He bequeathed lands to all family members so that the produce/income can be used to finance the reunions. 

He expected everyone to participate in all activites. If called upon to sing or dance or compete, he must not be kyok (he has to deliver!).

Jeza is a true-blue descendant of Lolo Berto, and then some. Young as she is, she taught everyone over the age of eight how to be an authentic reunionite. We thank the Lord for this gift of grace.  

The oldies (like me, whose knees can no longer cooperate even if the mind insists) simply cheered and applauded behind shades and shadows.  

(Aside: Jeza does not live in the Philippines. Her parents dropped everything in some faraway land so their family can attend our annual clan reunion.) 

1/22/2024

Breathtaking Grace

Almost every day, my eyes would be treated to a breathtaking view of the Manila Bay sunset, often described as the most beautiful in the world.
 
This was my route going home from my office. I'd always felt as though it was a reward from the Lord for a good day’s work.  

It’s been years since I left the corporate world; my travels here and there have become sporadic. The sunset is no longer a part of my daily repertoire.   

One day in December 2023, Bing, a peer in my erstwhile workplace, invited me to her intimate birthday bash. Not only would it be a reunion of old friends (once all 20+ years younger), the afternoon promised fun, laughter, and everything in between. 

There was a bonus! Big, beathtaking bonus: a view of the most beautiful sunset in the world! The intervening years have not changed it. Watching it with dearest friends made it even doubly breathtaking. 

A photo op was a must.  

And the party began. These spontaneous shots replayed the scenes of our youth. Trust Bing to always come up with an impeccable meet-up plan. This time, it was a unique, nostalgic reunion with a sunset view.  

1/18/2024

Faceless Readers

Son #3, a lawyer, enunciated this as though handing down a courtroom decision, "No, Mom, you cannot upload photos of minors without their parents' permission." 

"But I am blogging about the SISFU Rotaract, how civic-conscious the students are. It's not about the children, who are just the recipients of their kindness." 

"Okay, Mom, you may upload the photos but you need to blur each and every face." 

That was a tedious process, but it's better than going to jail.  

I have always been proud of the SISFU Rotaract Club in the university where I teach. Most of the members have been my students. 

A bit of a background: 

The Rotaract began as a Rotary International youth program in 1968 in the US, and has grown into a major organization of 11,172 clubs around the world with nearly 170,000 members in 189 geographic areas.

It is composed of young leaders, ages 18 and older, who develop innovative solutions to local problems by partnering with community officials. By providing creative services, they help transform communities. 

In the Philippines today, one of our most pressing problems is the inability of 90% of our schoolchildren (ages 10 and below) to read. One of the solutions given by authorities is storytelling. It helps kids improve their understanding and retention of content. In the process, it is likely they will be interested in reading on their own. 

Aware of this, the club decided on a Christmas party that highlighted storytelling to children in a public school. They chose the book "Bully versus Bully" (illustrations by Leo Kempis Ang and published by Hiyas of OMF Lit) that focuses on another national concern: bullying.  

When they wrote me about the project and asked if I could partner with them by providing copies of the book, I felt humbled. Unfortunately, I only had three remaining copies. They said my other books on values will be as good as Christmas presents to the kids. The project was held on campus.   

Bullying and love of reading? 

Two major problems can't be solved in one sitting. But seeing the enthusiasm of the 41 children (with clearly delighted faces on the original, unretouched photos) over the story and the books, this project is a big leap toward a changed community. 

Without doubt, grace will carry the SISFU Rotaract through in their next worthy project. 

1/15/2024

Back to Basics

After three years of squinting, trying to recognize faces in little squares on screen during our clan reunion, we finally met cheek-to-cheek right on original schedule! 

This annual get-together came back with a vengeance in the last two days of 2023 and on the first day of 2024, our 79th year. The three-year hiccup caused by the pandemic did not stop us from meeting, albeit on cyberspace. 

I call our 79th back to basics because it was like those reunions of old where the program concentrated on strengthening “The Tie  that Binds,” our clan’s slogan since the very first one in 1945

Our chairman (my cousin Lorna, whom I call my twin because we were born only hours apart) chose the theme, “Honoring Lolo Berto and Lola Cionang," the couple who started it all. Unmindful of the distance (she lives in the US), twin Lorna, together with the Execom based here, worked on the details and had a streamer/backdrop done to honor their memory. 

These photos are poignant and powerful reminders of our 79-year history:    

Our grandparents . . .   

had nine children . . . 

who birthed a big clan, now 600+ scattered all over the world and counting. These are those who attended the back-to-basics gathering.   

Exactly like how our forbears planned past reunions, the highlight was the worship service, where we thank and praise our faithful God of grace for daily blessings through the year. It is also to thank Him for the legacy of those who showed us the way—clan members now reunionited with our forbears. 

There are different opinions about clan reunions. Some opt out for varied reasons, but those who choose to always stay faithful and opt in (even in absence they participate through messages and love gifts) will continue this community of faith, singing in our hearts this old hymn: 

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me“

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV) 

1/13/2024

Crossing the River

With my hands raised, I sang with the Praise and Worship team in my best alto voice. “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.”  In our world today, tomorrow is iffy, precariously dark and dangerous. 

But because our God of grace lives, “All fear is gone.” 

When we got to verse 3,  “And then one day, I’ll cross the river,” tears streamed down my cheeks.

After the hymn ended, I wondered why I was weepy, and maybe a way too melodramatic. But that is how old hymns hit me, especially this one, one of my late mom’s favorites, and one of the very few hymns that we sing in church these days. The chosen songs by the young lead singers are usually contemporary and upbeat that get us clapping and dancing.  

“Because He Lives” is relatively new. It was released in 1971, before my first son was born. But the melody and lyrics speak to me more today than it ever did.

After the service, faith sisters of my generation were each talking about how they wept as they sang the hymn. I was not alone!  

At this stage in our lives, we think about crossing the river. It is a hopeful, wishful thought.

Because anytime now, our Savior will welcome us home, or He will come and be with us in lights of glory, whichever comes first. 

Verse 3 . . .  

“And then one day I'll cross the river
I'll fight life's final war with pain
And then as death gives way to vict'ry
I'll see the lights of glory
And I'll know He reigns.” 

         (By Bill and Gloria Gaither)

1/11/2024

Time is Relative

 Einstein was and is right all along. In his Special Theory of Relativity, he posited, “Time is relative.” In sum, the rate at which time passes depends on one’s context or frame of reference. 

Before computers changed the concept of time, snail mail had its schedule. And we were comfortable with it. A Christmas card mailed in the US in December, for instance, arrived in the Philippines in February. That was the norm.   

But today?!  

We laugh when Christmas cards from abroad reach us after December, as though snail mail is a total failure and obsolete.  

In defense of snail mail, it has exponentially improved. It still cannot compete with cyber speed (real time), but it has made a great leap. 

Here are two proofs: 

1) The card sent by son #2 and his family from the US reached us on Jan. 4.

2) The card from my brother and his family in Australia arrived on January 10.

Messages sent via snail mail are more personal, signed, slaved over with love, drafted and edited, and prepared for (addressing and putting stamps on the envelopes and licking them, plus mailing time), and therefore can never be replicated by GIFs and emojis cut and pasted from the Net.  

My age is showing. Yes, I am pining for those days when time was slower and people had ample moments to appreciate the grace that came with every ticking of the hour. 

1/09/2024

Togetherness

“Togetherness!” my late mom would vigorously remind (or admonish) us during family reunions. More accurately, she said this in Ilocano, “Awan ti togetherness!” 

To her, it was a felony not to participate in all activities—away shopping, or napping, or talking on the phone, or even staying in a corner reading—because we only had a day or two in a year to be together. 
   
Mama would have been ecstatic, with no chance to remind us in a bugcaw (loud, emphatic pitch) about togetherness. At our last family reunion, we held hands every step of the way. 

By family I mean my four siblings and moi, plus our individual units. One of us is in Australia, but we were complete. He was with us through GC via photo exchanges. With technology today, can you tell who was not physically present?  

Twenty members of our units are likewise abroad, but were present in cyberspace.   

My niece caught my youngest brother and me (despite a 10-year age gap) intensely debating a non-issue  over the loud restaurant noise, made noisier by Tony singing oldies, because the official singer wasn’t inspiring togetherness.  

We had a one-year-old and an 81-year old in the same rooms, and no generation gap intervened.    

Awan ti togetheress? See for yourself. 

1/07/2024

Memories: One Hug at a Time

What used to be a five-hour drive in the age of antiquity took us only two hours of easy driving (and one pit stop to relieve the seniors' quick-tempered bladders) to our reunion site. 

It took much longer to hug and chat with all 14 family members, whom we have not seen face-to-face since last year’s meet-up

There are actually 34 of us (my mom’s side), but only 14 are in the country. Yet it was a big enough crowd to rouse Atom (the world’s cutest and most adorable baby), who joined our reunion last year in his mother’s womb.

Dinner and laughter took place at Lola Nor’s, a resto that boasts of excellent Pampanga dishes. My usual dinner intake is small, but I made an exception that night. I polished off one serving of adobung kamaru (mole crickets sautéed in vinegar and garlic). 

It was my bane and blight. I itched all over hours later and had a fever. But the mind games and raucous ribbing prevailed over self-pity.  

We occupied one whole house ala Airbnb, with a swimming pool, a loft, and complete amenities that allowed for a complicated breakfast cooking by the excellent chefs in the family. 

Twenty-four hours later, we were all dolled up in our uniform (bearing the name of our family’s matriarch, Visitacion), ready for our souvenir group shots. 

And then it happened. I had a horrifying fall, face down. But I’d rather not belabor my suffering. Grace sustained me, and enabled us to join a bigger cowd—our clan, which has been meeting annually since 1945. 

The pandemic moved our clan reunion to cyberspace but at the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, we resumed hugging. After all, it was our 79th reunion year. 

At the clan reunion venue: hug here, hug there, hug, hug, hug everywhere. 

In between, we managed to assemble everyone for another family shot (only 14) beside the photo of our forbears who started it all. 

With each hug, more memories were saved in our heart’s hard drive. Next year, or someday soon, we hope all 34 of us can hug for memories to multiply.  

1/04/2024

My New Favorite Book

Nonpareil is the adjective, or noun, I use when I refer to my favorite book of all time: the Bible. 

All the books I’ve authored this far are based only on facts, figures, values, lessons from God’s book: Sola Scriptura

Sola scriptura (Latin for 'by scripture alone') means the Bible is the sole infallible source of authority for the Christian faith and practice.

According to Wycliffe Global Alliance, the Bible has been translated into 736 languages, the New Testament into an additional 1,658 languages, and smaller portions of the Bible into 1,264 other languages. 

Why? Languages evolve over time, and the words and phrases used in the past may no longer be understood today. That’s why updated translations are necessary to ensure that the Bible can continue to be understood by readers. 

As for English versions, there are approximately 900 for now. 

Caveat: No single English translation will ever represent the original biblical languages perfectly, because the Bible's ancient languages do not function like English. A word in Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic might not have an exact English word to match.

My maternal grandparents, the earliest Christians in our town, used the King James Version (KJV)*. I grew up reading and memorizing verses from that translation. As a little girl, it was a cinch to memorize as many as I could, including one whole chapter.

And I just recently found out why! The KJV has rhythmn, making it easy to put to memory.  All other translations that I read do not have cadence, not even New King James Version (NKJV). 

Son #1 found the version closest to KJV’s poetic measure but in modern language—English Standard Version (ESV). 

He gifted me one on Christmas.
 
Every year, his gift is a new version/translation of God's book. (I passed on last year's to my dearest sister Aie.) 

I am on my fourth day reading my daily ESV and yes, yes, yes, it sounds like KJV, only simpler. 

Although I still need to refer to the over-a-dozen translations when I write, the ESV is my new favorite! 


*"The King James Version is the world's most widely known Bible translation, using early seventeenth-century English. Its powerful, majestic style has made it a literary classic, with many of its phrases and expressions embedded in our language."