FAIR SUNSHINE

And when these lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent and ate and drank, and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and went and hid them. Then they came back and entered another tent and carried off things from it and went and hid them. Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come; let us go and tell the king's household.” 2 Kings 7:8-9  "At first, the lepers' self-centered disregard for other people was terrible. They cram themselves with food while storing as much spoil as they can. At least in the middle of it all they realized their mistake. Even more concerning is the fact that their actions reflect that of many Christians who reap the rewards of salvation but never spread the gospel to people around them who are in desperate need of the truth. May the Lord help all believers understand their resp...

I was beaming with gladness and my heart ablaze once again after the LORD led me to find this brother who preaches the glorious gospel in public with his son in the Andes,Peru. Such conviction is aroused by speaking plain truth of the great need of our times. May the LORD advance His kingdom among the people in this place and call them home through this dear brother's labors. Even in the beginning of the LORD's work here in our place we have been praying for the unnamed and unknown missionaries who have left their lives behind to labor in places where Christ has yet to be named. May the LORD answer their prayers. May He give their families comfort. If they are in peril, may the LORD hold their faith and see them through to the end. Oh, what sweet gladness for me to hear these faithful soldiers praise God as they see the face of Christ in the end smiling at them. Ushering them into His eternal promise and rest where they will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. I am granted ...

To engage in mercy ministry is good. But to neglect the intentional proclamation of the gospel is to affirm that man can indeed live on bread alone. If you give yourself a year in persevering through the difficulty of open air preaching you will realize what commandment you have been neglecting all along. Good doxology ought to follow from sound theology.  A proper appreciation of God's glory inspires awe, which in turn motivates action.  Telling others when we see something wonderful is ingrained in us.  People who claim to know God but could not bring themselves to share him with others demonstrate that no beauty in Christ was ever seen, and as a result, no glory for God is desired.  Doxology is then reduced to lip service rather than action because theology was either improperly taught or improperly comprehended.

I almost did not speak with them, my flesh apprehensive as always. I had no words to say, no care to show. Two days with little sleep and a ton of things to attend to will definitely dull the senses. I just want to physically rest with my mind agreeing just for once.  Finding a place to park took me here after dropping off my wife and daughters at the hospital for a check up. St. Martin of Tours parish is located in Bocaue Town Proper. I had to pay a fee upon entry, and a small group of 12-year-olds ran up to my window, asking for change. I ignored them. I found a spot in the far corner of the lot hoping for some quiet but they followed me, hoping to get a few coins for it. "Come back later," I told them.  The impression to talk to them came gently. But I was too tired in my body and mind. Try as I may to ignore the tug in my gut, I tried making up excuses not to. But like always, I surrendered. Waited. "Help me please. What do I say?" I pleaded as I watche...

We visited a dear brother in Quezon City on our way home who has been going through a difficult chapter in his life. He’s been struggling with severe back pain for months—pain that’s made even the simplest movements excruciating. On top of that, he’s now facing the possibility of losing his job because he can no longer keep up with its demands. Photo by K The visit wasn’t long, but it gave us the opportunity to share a meal as a family at a nearby ramen house. We didn’t talk much about work or the pain. I honestly zonked out at the table from the travel, having barely gotten three hours of sleep the night before. However, we concluded our time with exhortation for the brother to bear his cross, and prayer for the Lord's will in his sanctification.  It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. Psalm 119:71   Matthew Henry writes: That it has been the advantage of God's people to be afflicted. David could speak experimentally: It was good f...

This would be the first post of a very long backlog that I hope to fill after nine months of not blogging. Since my last post in August, a lot has happened, the majority of which has been related to daily Family Worship. Being overwhelmed and exhausted was what took up the greater part of the missing time. As things begin to wind down, I will try again to resume documenting from where I left off. Pastor Nate Sonner of Reformed Presbyterian Church Dumaguete sent me a casual invitation sometime last December, (if my memory serves me well) to a conference concerning planting biblical and reformed churches on May 19. Dr. Al Baker from Vanguard Presbytery will be speaking. I didn't think much of it but I went ahead and invited some of the brethren in our gathering. We started saving weekly in our make-shift piggy bank. By March we were already booked and every detail sorted out for us. It is sobering to learn how much of what we heard on Day 1 of the lecture corresponded to our view...

My wife takes our current house help through the pages of the New Testament each day before starting work. Her life is unbelievably difficult, and seemingly hopeless. Singled out by her in-laws for her background, she struggles between being beaten and maltreated by her husband, disrespected by her children, and having nowhere to turn to, till she found solace in talking about the Lord. As believers we are to treat each soul brought to us by the Lord as a candidate for His mercy. Each gasoline boy, driver, or security guard, a recipient of a gospel tract. These bread crumbs, done consistently and without regard for numbers, will one day surprise us in heaven. I tend to imagine a soul in heaven approaching me saying, "Remember that one tract you gave at such a place? The Lord used that to save me. And now I am here to worship God forever because you obeyed."

We are currently teaching covenant theology to the children starting from the Pactum Salutis. God has been so gracious as to provide the wisdom to translate this deep subject into simple language in order to communicate it well to the children. Covenant Theology is pivotal in giving us a coherent picture of the plan of redemption that culminates at the cross of Christ. It answers many questions and unifies what may seem to be disconnected stories of Scripture into one seamless and majestic revelation of the eternal God's grand design. Our goal is to explain the promise, necessity, and reason for the coming Messiah and His work in redeeming us to the Father, according to His eternal will. We are pleased to hear each precious soul, from the eldest to the youngest, recite scripture. May it please the LORD to preserve these blessed children unto salvation for His name's sake.

The most useful books for the whole week that compose the Sunday liturgy, with the family worship guide being used daily, 7 days a week. We keep the services 2 hours short, with an hour of close fellowship prior to start. An hour dedicated to prayer, worship, catechism, and Scripture reading - before the message. Ending in songs from the Westminster Scottish Psalter, and another hour of fellowship. God has tremendously blessed the dear ones by instilling a greater awareness of sin, and a deeper reverence for His commands, especially the seriousness of Lord's day, by which most of them have stood firm against much opposition and ridicule from employers, and even from their own families. The fruit of God's faithfulness shone through when I spoke with one of the young ones, "Should God gift me with my own family, we will dedicate every night to worshipping the Lord. From my children and to my grandchildren." Each one of them share the same sentiment. What a blessed work...

The absence of an affection for God amongst toddlers, children and young adults of Christian families in many, or almost all churches (I say all because I can safely assume that families who attend church during Sundays have fathers who do not lead their families in daily and intentional worship in their homes,) stem from the unfulfilled obligations of the parents in raising their household in the Scriptures and in the fear of the LORD.  It is a pathetic excuse to say we simply do not have time. What we really are saying is either one of two things: I do not know I was supposed to lead my family daily in worship, or, I do not want to make time for it. These are the same people who can sit for hours fiddling with their gadgets, or watching movies, or doing other 'important' things. In our modern day we are simply detached from the reality of God and assume that just because we attend church our children will automatically learn God. We lazily delegate the teaching of our childre...

Each meeting is fruitful for this old soul whose light is quite near its close. His body may have wasted away, but he is gifted with simple, child-like understanding. It is always a joy to recommend the mercies of Christ to a ready ear, and including the beginnings of redemptive history is quite a tremendous help in framing the gospel aright. May the LORD grant me the grace to faithfully and joyfully see this through. 

Last week we hired a lady to clean the shop and our house which led to my queen sharing the gospel with her. She lives with her husband in a small unit in the neighboring village, sharing the roof with her aged parents and 5 others. 9 of them live a small house for 2. The 10th occupant, a 21 year old lesbian lover of her 15 year old daughter, added to the load. Her stepfather's name is lolo S**, who she told was the only Christian in the family. He was passionate about the Word, but had no feeding for a long time now, eversince the pastor from Malolos who was assisting them stopped visiting for some reason. I offered to take her home so I can talk with the old man, and asked if he was interested in reviving the studies. He slept on a makeshift bed of wood in the garage, and can barely read with his poor eyesight. He popped his left knee while working on the dump site but had no money for an operation, so the knee is still dislocated up to this day and it keeps him from walking far....

We will be joining the churches of Lubbock Reformed Church, Grace Covenant Reformed Church, and some from Vanguard Presbytery, for a thanksgiving fast this coming 29th of December to worship the God of heaven and earth for His bountiful blessings, His exceedingly gracious answers to prayer this past year, for taking us to deeper waters, and to petition His mighty hand for the coming year.  May we see greater manifestations of His grace in our daily family worship, our personal devotions, our deepening of the faith, our desire to know Him daily through His Word, and to remain in constant awe at His majesty and mercy.

She embraced the gospel immediately and without apprehension. The difference between her person then and now is night and day. I am amazed with the LORD. Whenever I hear her pray, I am reminded of how wonderful the heart-changing power of the Holy Spirit truly is.

"I am afraid," I told my wife as we were about to begin. I have always been afraid. Never a time I was not. I have endless excuses running through my head like a train three inches away. Her words strengthened me, "I would just tell the people that salvation is found only in Christ." I can almost hear the Lord asking me, "since you first began, have you ever lacked anything?" Nothing, O Lord. You have always, always been faithful to supply the grace necessary. Forgive this miserable servant. Glorify your name. Angat Public Market is a 15.3 kilometer ride from the border of Pandi and Bocaue. I have been asking for this place since the past plandemic, making about three return trips on separate occasions and finding almost no people due to the imposed curfew. I was not sure if we will find people here in the afternoon but I went with intention to preach whether there were people or not. There was a sizeable crowd when we arrived. Very seldom have we stood o...