My talk on Biblical Manhood at Music Museum:
Manny Pacqiuao meets his MATCH
January 13, 2012 By 1 Comment
Taken from ABS CBN NEWS
In a one-on-one interview with ABS-CBN News, Pacquiao said he has had his share of vices in the past including gambling, drinking and womanizing.
“Pagsusugal, yung pag-iinom, yung mga pambababae. Kung ano mga kalokohan mga barkada. Kung anong ginagawa diyan…” he said.
“If I had died last year or in the last 2 years, I am sure I would’ve gone straight to Hell. My faith in Him is there 100 percent but behind it, I was still doing evil,” he added.
Pacquiao said a dream he had after his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez last November started him on the road to change.
In his dream, he said he was walking inside a beautiful forest when a bright light shone on him and a voice asked: “Son, why are you going away from me?”
“I woke up crying. I remember I was crying in my dream and when I touched my pillow, it was wet,” he said.
Pacquiao said he looked for the meaning of the dream and found answers in the Bible.
“Noong unang panahon, kinakausap ng Panginoon ang tao sa pamamagitan ng panaginip. So sabi ko totoo yung panaginip ko na kailangan magbagong buhay na ako at yun siguro ay tawag sa akin ng Panginoon na siyempre alam niya yung puso ko na nananalig ako sa kanya pero sa likod niyan is gumagawa pa rin ako ng mga masamang bagay at yung mga hindi niya ikakatutuwa,” he said.
(In the old times, the Lord talked to people through their dreams. So I said, my dream is real. I have to change my life. Maybe it was God calling because he knows what’s in my heart, that I believe in Him but still do bad things, things that don’t please Him.)
The change in Pacquiao’s lifestyle came slowly and surely. Pacquiao said he is reading his Bible regularly and spending more time with his family.
He has also lost his appetite for his old vices, and gave away all his fighting cocks.
He also said the change came not just because he desired it but because God changed him.
“Di ko naman sinabi na o, magbagong buhay ako. Hinto na ako sa pag-iinom. Hinto na ako sa pambababae ko, sa pagsusugal ko. Kumbaga, binago lang siya. Binago ng Panginoon. Dumating yung panahon na ayaw ko na gawin yung mga bagay na iyon. Dahil because tinanggap ko na si Hesukristo sa katawan ko, Jesus Christ, and siguro yung Holy Spirit ang nagsabi sa akin na iwanan ko na iyon,” he said.
“Being a Christian means accepting Christ as your saviour, your God. That is why you are called a Christian. If you remove ‘Christ’, there’s only ‘ian’ and that means ‘I am nothing.’”
Soft Effiminate Christianity
December 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A blog post by Tim Challies
I came across this quote by Horatius Bonar and thought it was worth sharing. Bonar is warning against a kind of soft and, in his word, effeminate Christianity, that may come about when Christians are too afraid to fight for what is right and to protest against what is wrong.
For there is some danger of falling into a soft and effeminate Christianity, under the plea of a lofty and ethereal theology. Christianity was born for endurance…It walks with firm step and erect frame; it is kindly, but firm; it is gentle, but honest; it is calm, but not facile; obliging, but not imbecile; decided, but not churlish. It does not fear to speak the stern word of condemnation against error, nor to raise its voice against surrounding evils, under the pretext that it is not of this world.
It does not shrink from giving honest reproof lest it come under the charge of displaying an unchristian spirit. It calls sin ‘sin,’ on whomsoever it is found, and would rather risk the accusation of being actuated by a bad spirit than not discharge an explicit duty. Let us not misjudge strong words used in honest controversy. Out of the heat a viper may come forth; but we shake it off and feel no harm.
The religion of both Old and New Testaments is marked by fervent outspoken testimonies against evil. To speak smooth things in such a case may be sentimentalism, but it is not Christianity. It is a betrayal of the cause of truth and righteousness. If anyone should be frank, manly, honest, cheerful (I do not say blunt or rude, for a Christian must be courteous and polite), it is he who has tasted that the Lord is gracious, and is looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God.
I know that charity covereth a multitude of sins; but it does not call evil good, because a good man has done it; it does not excuse inconsistencies, because the inconsistent brother has a high name and a fervent spirit. Crookedness and worldliness are still crookedness and worldliness, though exhibited in one who seems to have reached no common height of attainment.
The Chase
November 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
We always chase something. Everyday is a chase. They say when you stop chasing, you cease to exist. Life becomes boring and we all die a slow natural death.
But some of the things we chase we need to assess. Should I really chase it with all my heart, soul, mind and strength? When I was a single I did made some chase that made so much sense before but after much thought and also experiences you kind of wonder if it was really worth the chase.
FINANCIAL CHASE:
I came from a family of businessmen and women. Money was a hot topic. Everybody was wired, trained and brainwashed to become entrepreneurs in the family. My parents worked really hard in building their financial portfolio. In short, I grew up in an environment where it was business or nothing.
At age 16, I started working. I was chasing the dream. The goal was P100,000 by age 16 and millionaire by the age of 24. I don’t know how I got those numbers but work hard did I. I thought having all the money that I could get would be a worthwhile chase.
Till I lost all my earnings and savings at the age of 21. Almost 80% of all my hard earned money gone with the wind. It made me reassess my relationship with money. Money made me happy for awhile. Having money made me greedy and proud. It wasn’t money’s fault. It was my fault. I have made money my life thus it destroyed me.
SUCCESS CHASE
Every man is defined by his work. Ask a man how he is doing and he talks about his work. I don’t know why but that is how we were wired by our culture. The bigger the car, house and the more beautiful your wife – the more successful you are. I thought it would escape me when I entered ministry. It did not. It was now who has the more people attending your church or how much money came in for the month.
I have seen so many people get destroyed by success. It eats you up. It makes you think you are somebody because you are successful. Get out of the rat race they say. But once you are out of the rat race, what’s next.
We recently concluded a talk on success and invited some of the most successful personalities in the nation. The story is almost identical, only the name and places change.
We go on a chase. A chase of what we like. We use vision, passion, determination, strategic planning and get what we want. We celebrate for a day or two and we find out the catch well it was good for awhile but it won’t really give me the thrill and adventure I am looking for.
When we chase the things of this world, we will never be content. There is always something we need. We were created to long for adventure and to take Christ out of the adventure would mean the start of BOREDOM and empty pursuits.
Here lies the problem:
Instead of following Jesus, we invite Jesus to follow us.
Instead of serving God’s purpose, we want Him to serve our purposes.
The wildest chase you will ever experience is the chase God. You will never know where it will lead you. It is an adventurous chase that would lead you to dangerous places and circumstances. It is an adventure that will never end. It just gets better and better. You see the chase is not about the finish product but the journey. Jesus talks about eternity a lot of times. Do you ever wonder why?
Dreams
July 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
When we start to talk about our vision and our purpose , we as men tend to get so excited. Our purpose defines who we are thus we craft the vision of our lives and the purpose why we exists. We engineer it really well and execute it with passion because we know this is the one thing I cannot mess up – my vision, my dreams.
We presume that because we have crafted our vision and dreams that God will now show up and bless it. This is how I tried to run my life. I had it all planned. Be in business, get filthy rich, get a wife, make babies, continue to be rich and then enter ministry. Looking at it now, I find it funny because I knew it was not God’s vision for me. It was my vision for me – to satisfy me, to build a name for myself but it wasn’t His plan.
We presume to design what we will become in Christ. We pursue our dreams over His God’s vision for our lives. We live out our lives in our own image. We live to please ourselves and others. We shape our dreams around our own insecurities. We then take God’s sovereign plan for our lives and make it as our goal. We take over God’s control. We now drive the wheel and here lies our mistake.
God’s vision for our lives is not something we chase; it is something we become. So to live out your God given dreams and vision, it would require for us as men to love and pursue this Jesus. To know who we already are in Christ.
I pray that you might journey well my friend in discovering your God given dreams
“Jesus – take this drug away from me”- Brian Welch of Korn
May 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Brian “Head” Welch of the Korn talks about his recovery from drugs.
Another day in life
Which way will I go?
Will I pick suicide
How do I say no?
The demons are calling me
“Just one more line”
Voices echoing in my head
These thoughts aren’t mine
Chop it
Snort it
The kid?
ignore it
Life sucks
I’m over it
Save me from myself
Can’t quit
I tried it
Your love?
denied it
Can’t fake it
I hate it
please help me
God!!
Save me from myself
I’m beggin you
God
Save me from my hell
Chillin in my own gutter
I’ve sunk so low
I want to be a good father
but Here the voices go
Chop it
Snort it
The kid?
ignore it
Life sucks
I’m over it
Save me from myself
Can’t quit
I tried it
Your love?
denied it
Can’t fake it
I hate it
please help me
God
Save me from myself
I’m beggin you
God
Save me from my hell
Save me x2
from my
myself
Save me x2
from my
my hell
Wake up Wasted
Get up Wasted
Go out Wasted
Come home So Wasted
Play shows Wasted
Pimp hoes Wasted
Life blows I’m Wasted
No more living Wasted!
Drug use I kicked it
Abuse I kicked it
I’m through I kicked it
I won’t kill myself
Depression I kicked it
Suicide I kicked it
Telling lies I kicked it
I won’t kill myself
Father! Thank you
Father! I live for you now!
Oh my God I live For you now x2
God Save me from myself
I’m beggin you
God Save me from my hell
The satisfaction of a famous man
May 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Stephen Baldwin shares his story on his priorities and his satisfaction
The Healing of a Scarred Man
May 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Powerful video of how men journey through the scars and the only one who can heal us of our scars
President Obama’s Take on Easter
April 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
taken from Ed Stetzer’s Site
The President’s comments at the National Prayer Brakfast did not get much coverage, perhaps because they were about religion. I have written on omission of religious coverage in the past). Yet, I thought these words were particularly newsworthy (but, again, received little coverage).
Here is what the President said:
We all live in the hustle and bustle of our work. And everybody in this room has weighty responsibilities, from leading churches and denominations, to helping to administer important government programs, to shaping our culture in various ways. And I admit that my plate has been full as well. (Laughter.) The inbox keeps on accumulating. (Laughter.)
But then comes Holy Week. The triumph of Palm Sunday. The humility of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. His slow march up that hill, and the pain and the scorn and the shame of the cross.And we’re reminded that in that moment, he took on the sins of the world — past, present and future — and he extended to us that unfathomable gift of grace and salvation through his death and resurrection.
In the words of the book Isaiah: ‘But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.’
This magnificent grace, this expansive grace, this ‘Amazing Grace’ calls me to reflect. And it calls me to pray. It calls me to ask God for forgiveness for the times that I’ve not shown grace to others, those times that I’ve fallen short. It calls me to praise God for the gift of our son — his Son and our Savior.
Lessons from the Dark Knight Returns
April 14, 2011 By 1 Comment
Just finished reading the Dark Knight Returns. The story revolves around Commissioner Gordon on his last day and the city of Gotham is as bad as ever. Evil still triumphs. Frank Miller depicts how inhumane the city has become. Prostitution, Gang wars and killings were the norm. Batman has been silent for almost twenty years. He was beyond his prime but he wanted one last run.
So the Dark Knight returns to solve the problem of Gotham city. He thought he could but instead of being hailed as a hero, he became the “vigilante” again.
After reading the graphic novel, you can’t help but feel sad because in a way it reflects how our society is. We know there is a problem. We know the problem is way beyond us. The moral, financial and sexual problem of society has defined us. It is as if we have in a way given up in a way to what a few influential people deemed moral or immoral. As the saying goes, If you can’t beat them, join them.
Batman couldn’t handle that fact and his moral fiber tells him to fight back. Fight back using what? He fought back using the same tools that his enemy is using. I think this is where the Dark Knight’s plan failed.
You can’t fight fire with fire. The end result with be a bigger fire. So what should Batman do? Now you might not agree with me but hey this is my blog so just read on:
Here are some principles Batman needs to understand:
1. Man is sinful. No matter how hard you stop sin, SIN spreads unless people are transformed from the inside.
2. External solutions cannot solve an internal problem. Batman tried doing it externally. He did experience a short lived victory since the next day, crime still exists and it evolves through time.
3. Find an internal solution. The only internal solution that I know that has a lasting impact is the gospel found in Scripture. Only through Jesus can people experience life transformation.
4. Batman doesn’t need to start a church to do that. The solution might be slower but if Batman had an encounter with Christ and experienced His transforming grace, He could mentor the Robins and the next BAT MEN. He tried doing it in the Dark Knight graphic novel but he used violence to solve the problem which is problem #2.
5. Transformation happens one person at a time and can be found in one man – Jesus.
