FAIR SUNSHINE

These free bibles are going to Negros Occidental as a request from a dear sister who received a burden from the Lord towards the spread of the gospel. The Lord has faithfully provided for both our family's needs and the ministry's needs for over a year now despite having no regular paycheck or sponsors. We are resolved never to ask, solicit, or let any person know about our lack, and make our requests known only to God. We are seeking His glory not in the answers that come but in seeing His mighty hand at work in each instance, so we might declare to all that the Lord answers whatever is asked for the lifting up of His name. He never fails. We also had the privilege to encourage another dear sister who visited us to start giving out the gospel to people on her own, so we gave her some tracts. By God's grace she took our plea as good advice and went out to do so. This particular sister loves the Lord dearly and has often facesd resistance from her family but she

Prayerlessness is the cancer of modern Christendom. Shallow, short-lived, instant, and irreverent prayer. Yet for many, to be able to say a touching monologue before people is already prayer. But prayer is single-mindedly directed to God and to God alone. Often we are found to gather with people who are both strangers and allergic to waiting and being still before the Lord. I remember the prayer meetings I have had with two brothers in the early hours between midnight and morning, long after the leader has finished leading the prayer the other two would still continue for another hour with their face on the floor. Inversely, I say this to my shame, when I slid into sin a decade after, personal prayer was erased from my life, and replaced with the false, shallow, and poweless facade of public or group prayer. I would pray with friends, but shortly after would be snoring. My prayerless years were fraught with short-temper, fear, depression, lack of vision, lack of desire for fellowship

I do not believe that the Father of Truth will reprimand me for refusing to sit in with the scornful or to stand in the way of sinners, who for the sake of carnal gaiety celebrate an erroneous holy day along with the world when I am called to worship my God in spirit and in truth. Replacing a pagan god's holy day for Christ's birth is not worshipping in truth, but living in error, for anything done without faith is sin.  And to those who will say that such a time as this when the world has Christ's birth in mind can be taken advantage of to share Him further, lovingly do I tell you: if they do not have Christ in mind every day for the whole year, they will not have Him in mind for one. Ye merely want to justify setting aside Christ just this one time to be happy with the same world who has declared war with the God you professedly worship.  To wait for any festival just to proclaim Christ is to play straight into the devil's hands. Celebrating the mass of Chris

This was an exhortation in the middle of 2018 to the blessed saints in Batia, Bulacan, and is a repost of what I wrote last March 25th, 2019. My wife and children had to leave me for the night to go back to our rented house and continue packing our things for the scheduled move. Only my son was left to tend to me but he was sleeping up on the loft. As I was laying alone on my floor mat I happened to click on this video again, and remember the Lord's goodness as the message towards the end spoke to me. Truly, my God is a God of mercy and goodness. The Spirit and the bride say, Come. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 

Evening and morning comes so naturally that I tend to take it for granted, even in the early morning watches. The house is nearly done but we have already spent the whole week here, adapting well to the overly cold and foggy mornings, the crowing of chickens, and blaring music from our early-rising neighbors. It is only starting to sink in that we finally, by Father's gracious hand, are in our very own house. Many were the times I would stop to sit and be awed at what Father has allowed me to do. I had two months to learn and design the septic system, engineering and architecture, plumbing, roofing, and reinforcement - before commencing to build it. Time, money, and expertise were all against me. All I had was the desire to wait on God for what He wanted me here for. In a span of two and a half months, while our landlord kept visiting to make sure we were packing to move out of their property by year's end, the work slowly began moving forward. We had sold our car, bu

As I was preparing to close the day yesterday, a message from the dear brother we visited came in. The Lord had finally taken his mother home. For a moment I paused from activity and breathed a sigh of thankfulness. The longing her children had for her pain to end was mercifully heard. On this earth we can only yearn for the end of our pains, but the Lord wills to free us from it. How precious are His thoughts towards His children. How great is the sum of them! If we were to count them they would be more in number than the sand on the sea. (Psalm 139) It was endearing gesture to receive this image. I wanted to have taken this myself last time I was with her but was not able to. She was on her way to the hospital for treatment then. I have this habit of snapping moments in my head and spending time to gather my thoughts about what I saw; she was on her way out for temporal treatment, but in truth, it was a day's march nearer home. For a saint of the Lord, death does nothing

It was a busy week for the church body I fellowship with, having to attend to a schedule with visiting brethren from the United States who are coming in to see what the Lord has done through the generosity of saints from abroad. Yet not to sound ungrateful, my heart is not in pleasing people, but in ministering to my Lord. I did not participate in the church activities in anticipation of the arrival of one of the least of God's saints, a seeking brother whom I recently met last week. He came home because his mother, a beloved saint of the Lord is sick. This has been one of the greatest privileges God has granted me in my life. Well worth traveling for four hours to see this brother whom I've never met, to meet his dear sister, and to be with them at this trying time. But most importantly: to hold the hand, and look into the gentle eyes, of this sickly but dear saint, who grows weaker by the day. She came to know the Lord even before she married, in a land one would leas

The wall was not in the plan but due to the neighborhood children playing incessantly inside the grounds even while we're building, it was necessary for their safety to build it anyway. This set us back a month from the scheduled build and took away a considerable amount from the budget, but by Father's providence, it gave me time to revise crucial design flaws on the structure and further strengthen it. It is one thing to see this on the screen again and again, but when it was finally lifted up to its place I fell in awe of the Lord's goodness. It stood at over 10 feet, and once finished the structure will be around 12 feet tall - from the floor. From the ground well over 15 feet. I was just humbled by what God had allowed me to make. I have been customizing every interest I had. Only a few things I have owned remained stock, I just had to make it mine by personalizing it. But I never thought the list would include our house. We spent our very first night here,

But the LORD.. Jonah 1:4 What great comfort this portion of scripture brings. It conveys the very meaning of all things that happen in the lives of God's beloved children. God takes great delight in giving His children good things. But many people will settle for less: less pain, less trouble, less waiting, less grieving. In doing so, they miss out on the very source of endless bounty and joy. Christ is Himself the greatest reward for those who ask for the best that God can give. The experience of pain spares no one. For both the religionists and godless, when all else is taken away, troubles tend to justify their rebellion, the evidence of an already hardened heart. It drives them further away from the only help they so desperately seek. Ready to blame anyone and everything, except themselves. For the true child of God, however, they see His hand in every facet of their lives, hardships become opportunities for maturity, and troubles drive them further into the loving ar

I left the construction site earlier than usual because I wanted to fish while I still had daylight. As I was riding on my way to my fishing hole this afternoon I prayed. I prayed that God will glorify His name. God is very kind to me as to gently correct me in the right direction of His will. There are those who preach for the sake of preaching or prepare sermons for the sake of a good sermon. But it is infinitely more rewarding to preach and study to be awed by God's glory. Nothing more.  This afternoon ministry passed just like any other day: people do not even look at you when they take a tract. But after some time pleading with the gospel, the guard inside this building in front of me (it was barred shut so I assumed there was nobody inside) went out to ask for a tract and read it as he went back in. Father is amazing. I will really never know who's listening. I had him in mind as my unseen audience until the end of my pleading. I brought just a handful

After doing foreman duty at the construction site for most of the day, I proceeded to what has become my usual fishing hole. I brought my gear along plus a handful of tracts, the Lord placing in my mind to fish for at least a few souls before going home. There was a makeshift stall at the corner when I arrived, and I  proceeded to hand out my tracts. A few minutes later a lady alighted from a tricycle and set her stall up right in front of where I was ministering. I must have looked very strange to her, as I received not a few glances while I was proclaiming the good news of Christ to the passersby. But as the evening drew to a close she was intently listening, almost ignoring most of her customers and leaving them to help themselves with her wares. Towards the end of the message, she finally got up and asked for a tract. She read it for a good while. There were a lot of people who passed by me. A few gave me the head to foot look, most of them not even noticing I was the

God has graciously directed us to this part of Bulacan to minister to the people flocking into the cemeteries. We planned to assist the church in today's public ministry in another proposed part of the city but I had the impression that the motive was not for the benefit of the gospel. I have never viewed public proclamation to be a picnic outing, in the sense that those who are expected to bring the good news to the public will not do so unless they go in a group, or with a companion. This I believe is one of the main hindrances of the gospel's furtherance. I am always fearful when I go out alone but I will do so in spite of that fear. Yes, a brother or a group is much preferred, but that is not always the case. Regardless if I go alone or a friend goes with me, I still will go. Praise be to the Lord of heaven and earth, I have a faithful companion with me in this war. The gospel was proclaimed before a passive crowd of passers-by, but the real audience were the

I rode all the way from where I was keeping watch with the people who were helping me build my wall. A good 25 minutes from here. So as they asked leave to have their lunch, I went out instead, planning to spend the quick break to give away the tracts I brought with me. As usual, without knowing where to go. I tried the nearby local market which by this time only had a few people (I assumed everyone is having their meal.) Then I rode on to Northville, another populated part of the area but just the same, even after searching the side streets, only a few people were on the road minding their business. So I went back and headed farther out. As always, wherever the Lord leads. I remembered the same park where I recently gave tracts away had a few people sitting around passing time and thought that might be a good place today. It was there that I met this man. The man asked for alms as I walked past him from where I parked towards a food joint to use the restroom. I did not qu

 A journal entry, one early morning of October in silent communion. 2AM God loves you. It takes faith to believe this. It is a phrase proud people have no problem affirming. But for the truly repentant, it is often one of the hardest, if not, almost impossible truths to believe. The more he sees God's mercy in the pool of blood collecting underneath the cross of Christ, the more he sees his daily failures and repeated offenses. The more he lifts up his voice to God, the fewer answers seem to come. The darker he sees his true self, the harder he finds to believe God can indeed forgive him. The more he strives to be perfect, the more easily he falls. Weakness is such a blessed place where God often takes His children for a time of silent communion. Here he realizes how God saved him, but to the question 'why', he finds no answer in himself, only in God. The reason it is impossible for the true child of heaven to believe he is loved by God is that it takes faith t

An old workmate from almost 30 years ago sent me a message about an instance where he saw me render our Japanese Trainor respect by bowing to him in gratitude. It seemed stupid to him then, but he said the scene stuck with him to this day. This fellow claims to be a mason. I mentioned to him that it is openly known that Albert Pike claims that Lucifer (Baphomet) is the god of masonry. Although this fellow admits that there are many initiates of the Scottish rites especially those of the 33* upwards hold to the Luciferian doctrine, they open their lodge with an invocation to "God" first before acknowledging Lucifer. (Which basically sounds as foolish as praying first before molesting a child.) He claims that there are several branches of masonry and that he plans to be in the "Christ" side of it unlike the others. How he leans much on his charity (filthy rags) , and that he is into something deeper than having Christ live in him. For the remainder of the day, I

Six days worth of work with my son and we have been granted some great bonding time as we toiled under the scorching heat and occasional afternoon downpour. Our limited budget has constrained us to work on this ourselves instead of hiring professional help. So far, the floor framing will be completed this week with a few corrections along the way, should the Lord allow us. I had not taken into consideration the type of wood which we, having no table saw, have to deal with the different warpings and inconsistencies. But the Lord gives us the wisdom to work around the issues. Simple solutions to seemingly complicated adjustments come to mind even during breakfast. I somehow feel Tubal-Cain's pains. But I am humbled to note that funds for the left and right wall miraculously came out of nowhere and we are thus all the more encouraged. Help also came from Qatar from a dear sister whom I recently just met, (last week) to fund our tract supplies, just when we are about to run

What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use — men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men — men of prayer. The man makes the preacher. God must make the man. The messenger is, if possible, more than the message. The preacher is more than the sermon. The preacher makes the sermon. As the life-giving milk from the mother’s bosom is but the mother’s life, so all the preacher says is tinctured, impregnated by what the preacher is. The treasure is in earthen vessels, and the taste of the vessel impregnates and may discolor. The man, the whole man, lies behind the sermon. Preaching is not the performance of an hour. It is the outflow of a life. It takes twenty years to make a sermon, because it takes twenty years to make the man. The true sermon is a thing

I struggled for a long while. Wasting forty five minutes, before finally heeding the bid to proclaim the gospel inside the bus. The young man beside me had a long slash wound on his wrist. The thought of what he might be going through, and here I am withholding from him the good news of Christ, how else can I hate him more than to stay silent? He was visibly agitated by what he was hearing but he was listening intently. He was the first to receive a free bible, one of only three I brought along. A mother seated at the back with her young son also asked for one. In finishing the message we missed our stop. Had to take another ride back in the rain. I was so disappointed with myself for hesitating. I could not help but keep my head low on the way home. I wanted to say more, but I trust that the people heard what they needed to hear. Speaking is my greatest weakness. I was never good at it. Doing it in the midst of public attention, unthinkable. But then you realize God's

The familiar feeling of dread once again overtook me as we drew near to our spot this afternoon. My stomach started acting up and my chest was pounding. An all too familiar feeling with every instance of pleading in public. I had to face this every time in the past when I went out alone, but now, having my wife beside me was more than enough great comfort. It's perfectly fine to be afraid, as long as you obey in spite of it. And so we prayed. We pleaded for mercy and unction. We parked. And we made our way to the park. I immediately went to look for an enforcer but there was none, and I was directed to the nearest precinct. It is my custom, first of all, to ask permission from any available law enforcement person before I plead in public. In this case, the nearest police district was a good leg stretch away. It was a short but amusing conversation that both of us obviously wanted to end quick. The gentleman was only too pleased to even encourage me by saying "by all m

This is a small part of a complete sermon by my dear brother Jordan to the church where we hold fellowship with. Touching mostly with the current news of an American pastor and mental health expert, a self-confessed advocate of the LGBT agenda, who committed suicide. The purpose is to identify the sin of worry among the flock early, so it does not come anywhere near the contemplating of suicide. We can employ fancy medical terminologies to describe anxiety, but doing so deals only with the symptom, not the root of the disease: unbelief . The mind is a spiritual thing. It cannot get sick. It can only get influenced. Scripture says we wrestle not against flesh and blood. But in failing to identify the root, because it will hurt our pride, we fail to properly address the enemy. We have not been given the spirit of fear, but we have been given power. So many Christians today live powerless lives. They choose to be paupers instead of availing the riches and glory that can be found in

It seems surreal to see this before my very eyes. I have been looking at this only on the screen of my laptop, but up to the first day that we dug into the ground ourselves, persistent to prepare the ground to receive the rain we were asking for, unable to find professional help for a week or so; suddenly out of nowhere, a call came. He was a professional mason. Needless to say, our immediate need for somebody who can work on our base properly was answered. That same night he came over to check on the plans I drew, and to discuss settlement. Now the funds are again cut in half. It will go to the workers instead. Yet I have peace in it, and after he left I thanked the Lord. I was determined beforehand not to skimp on the foundation. Father is mindful even of that. I volunteered to drive the workers to and from where we currently lived to where the build would be (16 km) so they won't have to spend money on commuting. We are shouldering that expense on top of their fees. (May

God is sovereign. When my son ran away for three nights I did not pray that he might return home, but that God would teach him what he needed to learn from it. When my wife was laboring for 14 hours in the hospital with our first baby and I was left outside waiting and wondering I did not pray for a safe delivery, but that God would give me reason to abound with joy in trusting him though I see not. When I slid into adultery 19 years ago my wife prayed for me to return, but God patiently changed her selfish petition to one of surrender. 14 years was the LORD witness to her pleas and cries. And when finally the fullness of her time in the school of secret prayer came, God then delivered me. When I received an incurable wound in my body because of my sin I did not pray to be healed, but that it should remain with me unhealed all my life, and that it would serve to remind me that I have offended God severely, yet in His mercy He forgave me. When my wife was diagnosed with a bes