AN UNTIMELY FEAST OF TABERNACLES

Last night, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem Philippines Chapter held a worship celebration at GCF dubbed, Blow A Trumpet in Zion- a taste of the feast of Sukkot. They invited Chuck King, worship director of the King of Kings Community in Jerusalem to lead worship- mostly Hebrew songs with English translation. All in all, it was a great worship experience. But I was expecting it to be a more formal and solemn synagogue-style than Filipino-Pentecostal style.

The word Sukkot is derived from the Hebrew word sukkah, meaning booth or hut. During this holiday, Jews are instructed to build a temporary structure in which to eat their meals, entertain guests, relax, and even sleep. The sukkah is reminiscent of the type of huts in which the ancient Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt, and is intended to reflect God's benevolence in providing for all the Jews' needs in the desert. I just found it a wee bit weird to celebrate sukkot in May because it is observed during the month of Tishri (September-October).

I got to rub shoulders with the keynote speaker, Zvi Aviner Vapni, Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines. He spoke on the Philippine-Israel frienship beginning with the two Philippine Presidents, Manuel L. Quezon (during the Philippine- US Commonwealth) and Manuel Roxas (First President of an independent Philippine Republic) whose names are derived from the Hebrew phrase emanu-el (God with us) supported the founding of the nation of Israel (יִשְרָאֵל) , and how the Philippines has always been a Zionist, a friend of Israel from its founding to this day. He pointed out to the great Abrahamic Covenant "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you (Gen.12:3)." In a nutshell, he said, according to the promise of God, those who love Israel will be loved, those who bless Israel will be blessed, those who hate Israel will be hated, those who pray for Israel's peace, will experience peace.

In a sermon by Rabbi Arthur Rulnick of the Woodbury Jewish Center (NY) he said:

There are two mountains that loom large in Jewish thought. There is Mount Sinai where the Torah was given to the Jewish people and there is Jerusalem's Mount Moriah where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac, his beloved son, an event described in this morning's Torah reading. Which one do you think is more holy -- Mount Sinai or Mount Moriah? Those of you who said to yourselves Mount Moriah are right. The reason, our rabbis tell us, is that because Abraham was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for his faith there, that mountain transcended in holiness even the site where the Jewish people received the torah. Many generations after Abraham and Isaac, King Solomon built the holy Temple on that mountain.

For Jews, Jerusalem is ir ha'kodesh, the Holy City. The Bible tells us it was founded by King David to be the capital of the first Israelite Commonwealth. The core of its holiness is the Temple Mount where King Solomon built the first Temple to the God of Israel. Ever since, Jerusalem has been the spiritual center of Judaism. Throughout the millennia, when an independent Jewish State was only a dream, Jews have ended their Yom Kippur service with the phrase l'shana ha'ba'ah biyrushalayim, "Next year in his Jerusalem," just as they have concluded their seders each year with those same words and that same hope. The great Spanish Jewish poet, Yehuda Ha'Levi, expressed the eternal love of the Jewish people for Jerusalem in his immortal words, Libi bmizrach va'ani b'sof maarav. " My heart is in the East though I am in the furthest reaches of the West."

For Christians, Jerusalem is also sacred ground. Jesus taught there and was crucified there. But most important of all, the central event of Christian belief, Jesus's resurrection, occurred in the Old City of Jerusalem, allegedly, where the Church of the Holy Sepulcher now stands. Today, because the number of Christians in Jerusalem is small and growing even smaller, Christians are not making any claims for power. They are no longer major players in the political process. The Vatican, which was once a vocal advocate to internationalize the entire city now is insisting only on international guarantees that its holy sites be safeguarded and that Christians be entitled to freely practice their faith.

Moslems venerate Jerusalem as their third holiest city - even though Jerusalem is not once mentioned in the Koran. The city first appears in a story told by one of Muhammad's early biographers. According to this story, one night Mohammad mounted his horse for a miraculous midnight journey from Mecca to the Temple Mount. From there, Mohammed ascended through the seven heavens to God's throne. Moslems believe that the Dome of the Rock in the Old City marks the very spot from which Mohammad made his ascent. Mohammad's journey enhanced Jerusalem's holiness for Moslems in two ways. It linked Jerusalem to Mecca, and it made the Temple Mount the sacred launching pad for the prophet's journey to the heavens.

In Psalms, Kings David urges us, Sha'alu Shalom Yerushalayim, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." Together with Jews around the world, let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for Jerusalem belongs to all Jews, and its fate affects us all.

With God's help and with a renewed spirit of compromise and good will among Palestinians and Israelis, may this new year see the inhabitants of Jerusalem - Jew, Moslem and Christian - living together, shoulder to shoulder in peace and in harmony.

V'chen yehi ratzon. May this be God's will. L'shana tova.

PASSION SENSE

Passion Sense in Movies.

At Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at Ortigas Park around 1, waiting for my lunch to be served, I saw a boy wearing a familiar bright orange shirt with a huge smiley print walk across the garden outside the shop. He picked a park bench under the trellis shade, sat, and opened a book! He sat quietly flipping from page to page enjoying the breezy afternoon. I recognized him as one the sons of an elder at church. I invited him in and offered him a cold blended drink. He agreed.
After a few minutes of small talk about church and family, he asked what I was doing there. I told him that on my days off, I eat out in a quiet restaurant or coffee shop and write on my Moleskine notebook. "What do you write about?" he asked. "Well, stuff--anything about anything!-- lessons gleaned from a movie I just saw, expounding a quote by a famous person, learnings from seredipitous moments, reflections from my Bible readings, among others." I answered.

"Interesting," he said, "I've always wondered what pastors do on their free time...so, you write!"

"Yes, I do...well, I try. You should too."

"Well, P. Jon, I'm not a good writer...my grammar's not that extensive!"

"You know, it doesn't take a lot of words to write....well, it actually does...but you have to begin somewhere. Your vocabulary will grow in time as you write. What are you passionate about?"

"Filmmaking!"

"Oh, cool...me, I've always wanted to be a screenplaywright! That's why I like intelligently written films."

"Like LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN?--Bruce Willis and Josh Hartnett?"

"I haven't actually seen that. Tell me what it's about."

"In New York, when the unlucky newcomer Slevin arrives in the apartment of his friend Nick Fisher for a leisure time, gets mistakenly taken as being his friend, who owes money to two powerful bosses of the criminal world. He is pressed by The Boss to kill the gay son of The Rabbi, as a payback for the death of The Boss's son. Nick's next door neighbor Lindsay, who works in the morgue, tries to help Slevin and they fall in love for each other. Meanwhile, the cold-blood killer Mr. Goodkat is mysteriously helping both crime lords, while Slevin is also pressed by Detective Brikowski, who is chasing The Boss and The Rabbi. In the end, revenge is a dish best served cold."

"Wow! That's like an IMDb plot summary! I'm gonna go get a DVD of that."

"You should."

We went on and on talking about filmmaking- writing, and directing. I headed off, so did he. He said he's always wanted to walk around the Central Business District but never had the chance to until today, so he planned on doing that all afternoon.

The boy was in many ways unique compared to kids his age (13). Most of the boys his age I know are confused with what they intend to do when they grow up. I was having dinner with a group of guys in their late teens who are more childish in every way than this boy I had lunch with. This one is totally different. He has passion and he's willing to explore the world (even if it meant walking around Ortigas Center) to find out more about it. It could be due to his upbringing, or perhaps his exposure, I don't know. What I know is, the boy has passion!

Passion sense of Luther.

Last night, I watched the movie Martin Luther. Luther struggled under years of guilt and depression as he searched to find the means of Grace, evetually, that search became his passion. I read a quote this weekend where Luther said that during this time, prior to his discovery of the plain meaning of scriptures, the one thing he longed for was, "to know, even for an instant, that He [God] wasn't angry with me."

On the plain reading of scripture, Luther came into an experience of the Father's love that he described as, "Simultaneously saint and sinner".

I feel unworthy, but He will not let me confess. I feel shameful yet He clothes me. I am undone in the unending Grace of God as I look up and see the Christ dying in my stead, and I break down in everlasting joy in the Father's arms. All my understanding of the world is transformed. The God who rules the universe had led me into this moment of having my soul filled with the knowledge of His grace and mercy. God has birthed in my person the knowledge of His love. He has poured in my heart affection for Him through the gospel. All my attempts to earn His favor were thoughts of clay born of my infantile mind. I groped after knowledge, but my food came directly from His hand. God's ways are too marvelous to imagine. His love endures forever. All the days of my life I will sing of His loving kindness and mercy in the presence of His people and indeed in the presence of my enemies.(bhightower)

It is this moment; this crossroads of an instant where eternity and our existence meet that creates, forever, passion for the experience of the Father's love. After the discovering the truth about God's grace, Martin became passionate about telling others about it!

SERENDIPITY AND COINCIDENCE

I love Serendipity. I'm neither referring to the restaurant on Manhattan's Upper East Side (which forced to shut down by the Health Department in November 2007 for discovery of mice and cockroaches in their kitchen) nor the movie where I first liked Kate Beckinsale. I mean the word serendipity- making fortunate discoveries by accident!

The world is indebted to English author Horace Walpole, who in a letter dated January 28, 1754, wrote that "this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word." Walpole formed the word on an old name for Sri Lanka, Serendip. He explained that this name was part of the title of "a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip: as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of...."

Serendipity. Mr. Webster defines it as "an aptitude for making desirable discoveries." While I know I scored high when I took the Scholastic Aptitude Test, I have no idea whether that has to do with the fact that a lot of my most desirable discoveries were pretty much accidental. I remember sticking my index finger into a lamp shade socket hoping I'd light up like a bulb! That was how I discovered the power of electricity! I'm not saying being electricuted is cute and desirable...but it was a discovery resulting from an accident.

I love "Aha!" moments! (That's one of the many reasons why I majored in journalism, and dreamt of joining the media three-fourths of my college life!) "Aha!" moments- they provide occasional flare to an almost 30-year-old man's close-to-boring life!

Serendipity is not the same as coincidence. There are no coincidences.

Or is it? If it is, then there are no seredipities either. I don't think they're the same. There are serendipities, but there are no coincidences. Each of us has had times when we have been struck by the oddness of events in our lives. An unexpected visit or a chance meeting connects us with people we haven't been in touch with for many years; we apply for a job and discover the interviewer knows a mutual friend. These incidents happen to us often, and we often say, "What a coincidence!" But there are no coincidences.

Our lives can be determined by our free choices. We can, and often do, base them on what's best for us or for others who love us. God expects us to do that. But many times we wonder, "What does God want me to do?" It is as if there was only one choice to make, and we have to be certain to make the correct one or fail. God is not like that. God leads us to choices and frequently there are several to choose from, all equally right in accordance with God's plan. This is because God's plan will prevail.

there are no coincidences. It is never by luck or chance that we stumble into the Divine plan. We know that God has been at work in each of us from the moment we were formed in our mother's womb, even before that. Each of us is called to the same place, to a community being saved where we work out our own salvation. Each of us is given gifts to complement that community, and every one of us has a part in the story.

So, it's not who we meet, or what job we take, or who we marry that matters. These are choices God gives to us. But surrounding all the choices is the framework of God's plan for salvation, a plan that will be carried out with our involvement.

There are no coincidences. Every encounter with someone, each connection we find, is part of our being connected with the God that made us. Let us resolve this year to look forward to meeting God in the people we meet. Let us remember to seek and serve Christ in all persons. And let us rejoice that in doing so we are participating in the plan God has for each of us, the plan that will one day bring us home.

HILLSONG HYPE

I'd say close to 27,000 people were present at last night's Hillsong United Live Worship Event at the Araneta Coliseum!

I've held my ticket since around March and I was thinking of giving it away to one of the kids at church. I also received a text message from someone inviting me to the "Meet and Greet" session before the concert, but I honestly wasn't all that excited for Hillsong United coming to Manila. I loved being at the worship event. I must say, it was a time of genuine worship for me.
On my way home, I was thinking how the worship experience will impact the lives of those who were there. Will the worship leaders present want to be more like Joel Houston? Will the worshippers start jumping up and down in their given contexts? Will they merely become like fans of a rockstar in a huge mosh pit concert, or will they take fling out the banner of Truth (Jesus Christ) wherever they go?

To be very blunt, unlike other worship pastors, I was never a "fan" of Hillsong. When I lead worship, I don't pick a lot of their songs. But I do like some of their songs, I just think there are songs with deeper meanings, and richer theological content than Hillsong's; and some of the ministry leaders of Hillsong Church I personally know and keep in touch with are aware of my preference. I love Hillsong, in the sense that it belongs to the wider Body of Christ-- I always fling out the Kingdom thinking banner! All that names the name of Christ and have a genuine relationship with Him belong to Him. In that respect, I love Hillsong...we belong to One family called Christian!

I believe that God has raised Hillsong to help revolutionize the way the Church worlwide worships! That is good! Their songs are sung throughout the world. Hillsong has influenced many worship leaders and churches around the world. And in the words of worship pastor, Darlene Zschech, in her book Extravagant Worship (which I have read and am blessed with): "What an honor it is to have influence! God, through His incredible grace has given us favor to influence godly changes in people's lives. To be a part of building God's kingdom is so exciting!" She understands that Hillsong is a church that influences people for God. They are doing their part in God's great economy! The problem with this influence however lies on the people receiving it and not on Hillsong! Worship Pastors, Leaders and Teams take the influence of Hillsong by merely COPYING Hillsong. That's the problem! Instead of having our local congregations generate our own heart for worship, make new songs that come from that heart for worship, we copy-- imitate- the givens. We forget that Hillsong's influence should be an example, a benchmark. We are not to be our local churches' cheap imitations or versions of Darlene Zschech, Joel Houston, Chris Tomlin, Don Moen, etc.

This morning, I was in a discussion about last night's worship event with another person. We were going well in our conversation until he said, "On Sunday, I'm going to try to use that style of worship leading in our church so we can have genuine revival." And I don't have the time nor the energy to write down the lenghty theological/practical/ministerial discussion I had with him to correct his notion! The Hillsong way of worship is not the only way, nor is it the more superior way to worship.

There are many expressions of worship, just as there are many other songs to sing. I get invited to speak about worship in different churches and facilitate worship leading seminars, and one of the main things I remind worship leaders with is that they should widen their horizon when looking for new songs, or better yet, write them. If you can't write songs and your only recourse is to use other people's songs, then do not be limited to choosing Hillsong music only. Explore new things and let the Bible be the guidepost in your exploration. There are many other music materials by worship leaders around that may have better theological content that could bring your communities to greater depths of knowing and worshipping God, so your churches will not be stuck with sing, "I love You...no one else will I love more than you...You love me, I love You...I praise You...You are Good to me...I commit to you...I will follow...I surrender...I stand...etc." There are more facets to the person of God than we can sing, there are more truths to declare!

Also, I encourage worship leaders to not be imitations of famous worship leaders, instead, they should go deeper in the Word as they get to know their context, their culture, their communities, and discern what God has to say to them. That's prophetic worship leadership-- when we go to God and His Word and ask about what He has to say to our communities in our time of struggle, victory, hope and every situation we find ourselves in; and lead them towards worshipping Him in our our given context. We let God speak for Himself through His Word, and we respond in worship!

Reflecting on last night's worship event (notice I don't say "concert"), I believe the praises God's people declared and lifted in many ways, glorified Him. There was a general sense of awe and worship. But in a crowd that big (27,000+) I have reasons to believe that not all really worshipped, and I can never be more thankful for Joel Houston's way of proclaiming the Gospel and inviting people to receive Christ! I believe that in every worship event, there has to be a proclamation of the Gospel and an invitation to respond to it.

I appreciate how Joel Houston encouraged the worshippers to be a generation that will not be known for their loud lip worship/service, but a genuine commitment to live a life of worship! That said it all. Worship is not all about loud music, artistry, and songs. It is about living!

RELATIVELY....

It wasn't a shock at all. Shock is relative. I hung up the phone after having received a news this morning-- a news I expected to come anytime since around Christmas when we first heard he was sick. He, his wife and one grandchild (Arby) always joined us for Christmas lunch over at my dad's house. Last Christmas, we only had his wife and Arby for lunch, bearing the news that my uncle was terminally ill and had become too weak to leave the house. This morning, uncle Benigno died of multiple organ failure due to his lingering illness.

I have very few memories of uncle Benigno. I heard a lot about his many failed endeavors, unsuccessful ventures, and his problems with his kids over family dinners. My dad had two brothers- one died a few years earlier from Cirrhosis of the liver for drinking too much. I honestly don't remember a time he was sober. He had a business, but was always mediocre in running it. He didn't have kids either. My dad has two sisters (both alive and well!, thank God!) who are a little more successful in their exploits than their brothers! My dad's cousins are even more successful than the rest of the family. But then again, success is relative.

He had four adult children and a couple grandkids. Unfortunately, I never grew close to my cousins, nor to him. For some reason, they have distanced themselves from us since they became members of the Iglesia ni Kristo. In one of my three or four talks with my uncle, I asked if he'd ever get in trouble with his Church for celebrating Christmas, as we know, the Iglesia ni Kristo does not celebrate Christmas. He said, "I'm not celebrating Christmas, I'm having lunch with relatives." I was cool with that answer. I asked why his kids never came with him for Christmas lunch, he said, "Well, they don't want to celebrate Christmas with the family!"

At any rate, he was my uncle-- my dad's younger brother. The family has lost him. My dad shared the Gospel with him a number of times but I do not know if he ever accepted the message. I could only hope he did. He had become staunch in his religious conviction. People in my dad's side of the family are quite staunch when it comes to religious conviction- whatever they may be: Catholic, Buddhist, Iglesia ni Kristo. My mom's side, beginning with (of course) my mom sharing the Gospel with my grandma and receiving it, all her sisters have become Christians and are active members of a local Assembly of God congregation in their city.


I pray that the rest of my extended family will receive Christ as Lord and Savior in the coming days.

A TREE IN FULL BLOOM

On the way to church today, I walked down from my building on Eisenhower Street and noticed the beautiful tree on the Kaimo family's yard in full bloom! It was 6:15AM, and I knew I had to rush and make it to church a 6:40, but the tree blossoms looked so beautiful, I slowed down to enjoy the scene. The sky was overcast, and the road still had visible signs of having been soaked in rainwater the day before. I observed tiny flowers falling on to the drenched asphalt road as the branches are rattled by the gentle morning breeze that carried the blooms' scent into the air! It was a feeling close to amazing! What a way for God to begin my day!

I passed by the convenience store to get a chocolate drink, hailed a cab and on the road browsed the morning news on the internet through my phone (known 20th-century theologian, Karl Barth believed that the preacher should stand with the Bible in one hand and the morning newspaper in the other). There's not much good news: power crisis, food crisis, political bickering, inflation, etc.-- very disheartening!
Immediately, I thought of the beautiful tree I walked past earlier and how God started ministering to me with it. Then browsing the news, I felt the whole world trying to shrivel the inspiration-producing thought away. The cab made its way up the overpass on Ortigas corner EDSA and on my left, I saw a tree in full bloom, similar to the one near my house! It generated a smile-- God was not going to let the worship inspiration overshadowed by the news!

This morning in our services, we sang Hosanna by Paul Baloche.

The pre-chorus reads:

'Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day

In Your Presence all our fears are washed away, washed away.

Immediately, I am reminded of Psalm 29:10-11:

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
The LORD is enthroned as King forever.
The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace.

Though the storms rage and the mountains quake, the Lord is king. His enthronement over "the flood" assures his children that great as his power is, he is sovereign. As in the days of the Flood, so it is at any time that God's glory can be expressed in severe judgment. He rules over nations and peoples that inhabit and traverse land and sea. The demonstration of God's glory in nature gives a sense of tranquility and awe. The Lord, our God, is powerful in his glory. He can and does protect his people.

AVOIDING CHAOS

I tried to avoid the usually messy cacophony of people, noise, and chaos altogether during a scheduled fire drill today. At 9:45, the alarms all over my condo building will go off and people have to rush from all twenty-five floors down through the stairwells and onto the street. I know I should not have avoided the drill, but I did...I had to, I should have had a breakfast meeting with someone at 9AM at the Coffee Bean.

I ordered breakfast and then received a text: an apology for tardiness. So, what else is new with tardiness and Filipinos? "Tardy" is almost every Filipino's middle name. I decided to read my Bible and do my quiet time, write reflections on my Moleskine. Another text message: "I don't think I'll make it...yadda..yadda...yadda!" I figured, might as well make the most of my time alone. I learned something out of my breakfast time:

Sometimes, out of a mess, great order is revealed.


Consider Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin. As one of Fleming’s biographers put it, “Tidiness was not one of Fleming’s strong points.” Fleming always meant to put his used culture plates in antiseptic (preliminary to washing them) but too often would let a huge pile grow, so that those on top were completely out of the antiseptic. A colleague dropped by to visit one day, and Fleming, pointing to a pile of experiment dishes, commented : “As soon as you uncover a culture dish, something tiresome is sure to happen. Things fall out of the air.” Fleming looked at his pile of mess, suddenly noticed that one of them had green mold on it, around which the staphylococcus bacteria colonies had disappeared. And so, because he was messy, Fleming discovered penicillin.


Then there's Christian Schonbein, who in the 1940’s, was working in his wife’s kitchen when he spilled some acid. He wiped off the mess with a handy cotton apron, then realized he should dry the apron, so his wife wouldn’t discover he’d used it to wipe up the acid. When he held the wet apron over the stove to dry it, the apron disappeared in a smokeless explosion. He had discovered how to produce nitrocellulose, or “guncotton,” which led to the development of plastic.


Sometimes from messy circumstances, a greater order is revealed. While I do not suggest there is no need for thoughtful order to one’s life, it’s truer than we’d like to admit that, no matter how hard we try to control our lives, disorder can rule any given day. Murphy's Law- "If anything can go wrong it will." Then of course there's the cliche: "Life is what happens when you’ve planned something else."


This is also true of our experience of Christ. It is often in the midst of the chaos we find ourselves in when we realize a need for order and that seemingly elusive thought of peace. Most Christians testify of their coming to faith in the midst of messy circumstances. It is in our sinfulness when we realize our need to emerge from such an existence.


This is true of the life of the Church. At Pentecost, when people thought the followers of Christ were drunk and goofing around when the Church was formed. Transformed lives gave birth to the church in which cowards became courageous, “the followers became leaders, the listeners became preachers, the converts became missionaries, the healed became healers…surprising things began to happen…they became brave and capable and wise…” (Barbara Taylor, Gospel Medicine). It was in the midst of a chaotic situation- of persecution and trouble- when the church grew the fastest, and learned new things on how to be a better organization and organism.


Such is true of our individual lives aside from our initial knowledge of Christ. Some of us have always lived a scripted, scheduled life, most of those, and in the middle of our organization– something happens: some unwanted, unplanned or unaccounted for events and outcomes, some disappointment in romance or career, some illness or sudden loss. And out of those times, we see our lives changed, our thoughts organized all the more, and we learn new things- things God would want for us to learn to chisel a character in us He desires to see.


Now, we all have plans for the future. Some of us think we have a handle on things. But be open to the surprises of God beyond our wildest thoughts, when that happens, He's up to something! He always is.


(sbauman.jon.las)

PURSUING A WIFE (?)

This morning, in the elevator, I bumped into another Pastor. He ministers at our Sta. Rosa satellite church. He looked excited. I remembered that his wife had just given birth to a bouncing baby boy last week, so I congratulated him! He thanks me and says, "Bro, it feels good to be a dad for the very first time...almost similar to getting married, but better!....So, our single pastors are getting married...are you on queu? When are you getting married?"

Last night, on my way home I got a hot cup of Chai Latte from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. As I waited for my tea, leaning against the steel rail leafing reading the back of a new DVD I bought, a couple I know came in. While the man ordered at the counter, the woman started some small talk with, and without slowing down shifted to saying, "My hubby and I know someone you might be interested in." I was like, "Hmm...what made you sure I'd be interested?"

It's funny how many people are concerned with my own future married life than I am. But I guess I'm at that age when everyone wishes I am married, or I would get married soon. At every wedding, every engagement party....even funerals, people ask me, "When are you getting married Pastor Jon? You're 30!" Someone even quoted Proverbs 18:22: "He who finds a wife finds what is good and received favor from the Lord!" Talk about pressure!

Well-intentioned church folks go as far as Kai Shao (Chinese traditional practice of introducing singles with others-- a blind date of sorts)! Some folks think when a man just turned 30 and is still not married, all possible human intervention becomes a necessity! Ten years back my dad gave me a gold ring as a gift! Being a silver lover, I never wore it until I unearthed it under a pile of old college term papers last Labor Day weekend when I cleaned my dresser. The only finger through which it fits is my ring finger! And thus, one lady remarked, "Please, take that off for your marketability's sake!" That's funny-- marketability!

I know it is my responsibility to initiate a relationship even though I might feel scared to death to make the first move. It's my job to show up at her doorstep with flowers in my trembling hands. I believe it's the man's responsibility to initiate the relationship. But that statement comes with some serious qualifiers. Though it is the guy's job to pursue, that does not negate God's role. God is still the best matchmaker. We should never rush into relationships by running roughshod over the leading of His Spirit. Only after prayer and careful consideration should we proceed.

It's equally important that we be sensitive in reading God-ordained signals. While women want men to be proactive, when the romantic feelings are not mutual, being aggressive is not cool — it's creepy. If man's advances receive chilly receptions, we should not soldier on. Doing so will likely only fortify — not wear down — her defenses. Back off and behave like a brother.
But if you're one of the myriad men sitting on the fence too scared or too "spiritual" to pursue a woman, it may be time to man-up and make a move. I know taking risks can be daunting. But often the most rewarding journeys begin with uneasy and faltering steps.

God created men to be pursuers. So next time God brings a godly woman into your life, don't sit around twiddling your thumbs. The love of your life could be passing you by! (I'm talking to myself now!)

(jonlas.drewdyck)

LATEST CRAZE

A Bike and Gas Price Hike. This morning, I went for a jog around the mall again-- after three months of not doing it. Surprisingly, there are more people this morning, and a lot of newer faces.

After about four laps, I stretched and sat for a couple of minutes on the steps fronting Starbucks. An white man in his late 20s on a bike stopped in front of me and asked if I could watch his bike for him while he gets himself a cup of coffee. I did. He wasn't dressed to jog or bike- he wore a gray long sleeved shirt, a yellow tie, black pants and leather shoes, and a yellow helmet to go with his yellow tie!!! He came out of the store and sat beside me saying, "Hey man! Thanks for watching over my bike...I'm ++++, I bike to work!" Soon after I gave him my name, a middle-age Chinese man holding a cup of coffee walked by and said, "Nice bike!" He later told us that he owns a Bike store, and how Bike sales are surging to record highs in the last few months. He relates the surge in sales to the surge of Gas price! More and more people, apparently, are buying bikes to save money on gas!

Lately, I have been thinking of getting myself a bike since my office is just 1 mile and a half away from home. My problem with biking though is that I sweat easily, I don't want to go to work in the morning like I had just been to a rough work out in the gym, plus of course, I don't want to ruin my lungs with the world-renown Manila air pollution!

Indiana Jones: Frustration (Spoiler Alert!). Yesterday, I was all out excited for the man flick! After two hours, I was like-- "What in the world did I get myself into?"
When the movie opened with a scene in "Nevada, 1957"...I thought, "Oh no, I have the feeling this will have to do with aliens!" When the Russians found what they were looking for at Area51-- the body of an alien life form, I knew at that instance that the movie will be about aliens! Indeed, it is!

The Crystal skull is the actual skull of aliens that came to earth 5000 years ago and helped established the Mezo-American civilizations! The lost skull they all searched for in the movie is one of the thirteen aliens who ruled the early native Americans. Near the end of the movie, when Indy and the other characters stood on a hill looking at the destruction of El Dorado, the city of Gold, a huge flying saucer lifted from the valley and flew away!
In terms of action, well, it still bears the Indy signature of long vehicular chases and amazing stunts! But there's this 20-minute-long car chase in the jungle! Why does it have to be that long? Shia LeBeouf is a good actor though.

What ever happened to Lucas and Spielberg? Have all the creative juices been extracted, and all that's left are stale ideas from a distant past? A friend I watched the movie with suggested that the two legendary film makers should buy homes in Florida or France and retire. I'm sure they have more amazing movies in mind, the latest Indiana Jones flick just isn't one of them.

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This is my newest post on Blogger!
I have been blogging for a couple of years now at www.xanga.com/jonlas click the link to read more.