FAIR SUNSHINE

On my way to my fishing hole I kept asking the LORD to send a searching soul to hear the gospel. I had peace He would. He never fails to graciously give what I ask of Him. I often feel this profound, grounded calm; this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. To boast to the world about the wonder of God's unmerited gift: Christ crucified. It brings about a sense of gladness in the soul mixed with terror in the flesh. Knowing that I have to do this but detest attention is a mystery to me. God took this insecure creature out the hole I buried myself in to put me in the last place on earth I would want to be, doing the very thing I would never think of doing. He is so wise. This creature then has nothing to boast of. This nice lady suddenly spoke with me as I parked right by the municipal hall. A kind soul that I couldn't help but repay her kind gesture towards me by treating her to a meal. She was so thankful. May the LORD grant me time to talk with her on my next return....

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 fear that in some of our less enlightened country churches there are conservative individuals who almost believe that to preach anywhere except in the chapel would be a shocking innovation, a sure token of heretical tendencies, and a mark of zeal without knowledge. Any young brother who studies his comfort among them must not suggest anything so irregular as a sermon outside the walls of their Zion.  In the olden times we are told Wisdom crieth without, she uttereth her voice in the streets, she crieth in the chief places of concourse, in the openings of the gates'; but the wise men of orthodoxy would have wisdom gagged except beneath the roof of a licensed building. These people believe in a New Testament which says, Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, and yet they dislike a literal obedience to the command. Do they imagine that a special blessing results from sitting upon a particular deal board with a piece of straight-up panelling at their b...

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.

Pat, as he is simply called, is a servant of the Lord with a passion for the proclamation of Christ. I had the honor of meeting him and his beloved wife Sarah during the rebellion march at University of the Philippines last Saturday. This meeting has been long overdue. God is gracious indeed.  I have been with a handful of  men in the past who for a time preached Christ in public but went back to comfort and silence. They did not continue or persevere in it. It was just a phase. Perhaps the reason they did it was because it was a "Christian" thing to do and there were others to do it with. However, true calling is demonstrated when men follow through even when others have abandoned you. I have lost count the number of messages I've received along the lines of, 'I want to preach with you.' or 'do you have Facebook so I can follow because I want to preach?' Even, 'I have a burden to preach. Do you give instructions?'  The question is not, do I h...

Two weeks upon learning there would be a sodomite rally on the 28th at Quezon City, we held overnight prayer meetings between the hours of 2AM to 4AM. We believe all battles in behalf of the kingdom of Christ is won on our knees, and that our Lord's victory on the cross was made possible by that pivotal moment He spent in Gethsemane the night before. Everyone wanted to participate, but our small car can only accommodate five people. Everyone else would have to endure the laborious effort of traveling from Makati and Bulacan. Some sacrificed the day off from work, while others traveled directly from a 5 a.m. shift. We weren't there to see the event or the people, but to witness for our Savior. The public proclamation of the word is grossly misunderstood by most, especially by religionists who think the practice is outmoded, impractical, and ineffective. I've read comments arguing that it drives people away, and it belittles their faith. In reality, they have never been cl...

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...

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...