Here are something interesting excerpts I found while reading the book Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe by Laurence Bergreen. Magellan has been known for some pretty bad things. He had his dark moments and his forced conversions. But, he also had some interesting interactions with the Filipino natives. Check it out:
Magellan inquired about the islanders' religious beliefs. "They replied that they worshiped nothing, but that they raised their clasped hands and their faces to the sky; and that they called their god 'Abba.'" Magellan indicated that their god sounded reassuringly familiar, "And, seeing that, the first king raised his hands to the sky, and said that he wished it were possible for him to make the Captain General see his love for him (Bergreen 252).
Magellan was troubled by signs that the conversions were incomplete and might be undone. Despite his orders,for example, they had failed to burn their idols; in fact, they continued to make sacrifices to them... In their defense, the islanders explained that they were propitiating the gods to aid a sick man; he was so sick that he had been unable to speak for four days. He was not just any man, he was the prince's brother, considered the "bravest and wisest" on the entire island. But Christianity could not help him, for he had not been baptized.
Magellan seized on the illness to demonstrate the healing power of Christian faith. Burn your idols he commanded, believe in Christ, and only Christ, and if the sick man is baptized, "he would quickly recover." Magellan was so adamant that if the sick man failed to recover, he would allow Humabon to "behead him, then and there." ... Magellan was convinced that his life depended on the outcome of the baptism, and it did. If the sick man failed to recover, the cause of Christianity would lose all credibility, and Magellan, undone by his fanaticism, would likely lose his head.
He prepared carefully for the ordeal, relying on a show of power and a display of ritual to preserve the sick man's life... "we baptized him and his two wives, and ten girls. Then the Captain General [Magellan] asked him how he felt. he spoke immediately and said that by the grace of our Lord he felt very well. That was a most manifest miracle... Before five days the sick man began to walk. He had an idol that certain old women had concealed in this house burned in the presence of the king and all the people... (Bergreen 274)"
Just thought some of these things were pretty interesting. Despite all the craziness and havoc that Magellan wreaked in the Philippines, he did plant the first cross there and apparently saw some crazy miracles. I'm not really sure what to think, but Magellan's coming to the Philippines was definitely a very influential date in Philippines history. The presence of God showed up in a profound way despite the fact that the name of Christianity was misused at times. This year has been 490 years since Magellan first arrived in the Philippines. I pray that God would turn all things for good and redeem his healing power amongst the Filipinos once again. I pray that this would be a year in which revival and reformation sweeps through the Philippines ending corruption and establishing righteousness in the government.
Tonight was a really cool night for me. I got to go to a mosque for the first time ever. I went to the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix for the "Love Your Neighbor Dinner." The "Love Your Neighbor Dinner" is really cool because basically it is a growing partnership between the Vineyard Community Church in Gilbert and the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix where members of each community get to come together and get to know one another. It was an awesome opportunity for Muslims and Christians to come together and dialogue about what it means to love your neighbor.
To be honest, if I did this a year ago, I would probably have been super nervous, afraid, and judgmental because of the misconceptions I have had of the Muslim community that have been heavily influenced by society and the media. But as I have learned more about Islam and more about Christianity, specifically Jesus, I was actually pretty excited to go and actually get to meet some Muslim friends.
From the beginning, I was struck by the hospitality and kindness of our Muslim hosts. They welcomed us cheerfully and went out of their way to serve us in any way they could. The whole night was about recognizing the similarities that Islam and Christianity have specifically around the topic of loving your neighbor. So at first, we got to hear Imam Mahmoud talk about what it means to love your neighbor from a Muslim perspective. Then, we got to hear Pastor Jack from Vineyard Church talk about what it means to love your neighbor from a Christian perspective. It was crazy to hear how similar both traditions were in talking about the importance of loving your neighbor. From the Islamic perspective, it was so interesting to hear the hadiths, or the Prophet Muhammad's sayings about loving your neighbor. It was essentially this idea that we were to go out of our way to serve our neighbor and treat them as we would want to be treated. There were many striking similarities to what we learn in Christianity.
After, the messages from both the Christian and Islamic perspective. We observed the prayer time and then we had dinner together. The Muslim members served us first and allowed us to get food first. The food was delicious! Then, we got to sit around tables and talk with everyone. I got to talk with Ahmed. He works with an organization that helps to re-settle refugees and help them in the adjust process. I really had a great conversation with him, and I felt like we connected pretty well. We exchanged information, and he gave me his business card so we could stay in contact and possibly go volunteer with the organization he is part of. It was so cool because Ahmed told me about how his organization is open to going and talking to others about different cultures and bringing awareness to them. I have been looking to establish connections with different communities, and it was so crazy that I was able to meet someone who was doing work in areas that I am very passionate about.
What was also really cool about the night is that many of my friends my simple church got to go the mosque together. There was 8 of us who were able to go, meet new friends, and get a better understanding of what Islam is really about and not just the perceptions we get in the media. Afterward, we were able to all get together and talk about our experiences. It was cool to see different peoples thoughts and experiences. It was a great learning experience for us all that really opened up our eyes to understanding our Muslim brothers and sisters. I am really excited to see what God is doing in our community as we are getting a chance to really get a glimpse of His heart and His love for all people. I am so thankful for the guidance and mentorship of Auntie Pei and Rick Love. They have been phenomenal in encouraging and supporting our community to keep digging deeper into the things God has in store for us.
It is so crazy because I probably would not be writing like this or being so excited about an experience like this in the past. Like I said, I probably would be scared, afraid, and confused. If you are reading this and thinking I am crazy, let me explain a little. Muslims and Christians have often been seen as having this fear and distrust for one another. But when you really get to know one another, you recognize that there are a lot of similarities, and you realize that they are real people. Muslims are real people who laugh and smile and joke and have fun. I had a great time getting to know some new Muslim friends and finding out that there are a lot of similarities between us. Now, there are obviously some big differences too. And as a Christian, I am not there to compromise my beliefs. But, I am looking for ways to find commonalities and find peace. There is a difference between compromise and peace-keeping.
I found it interesting that in answering the question about establishing peace, Imam Mahmoud stated that if the Jews, Christians, and Muslims would just read and follow their book, there would be peace. How telling is it that, we are all seeking peace. There are so many similarities with one another, but we choose to see the divides, and although they are significant in the eyes of many people. I am reminded of what Jesus said in Mark 9:
38.John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw a man using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn't one of our group."
39."Don't stop him!" Jesus said. "No one who performs miracles in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me.
40.Anyone who is not against us is for us.
41. If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I assure you, that person will be rewarded.
Did you catch verse 40? Jesus says, "Anyone who is not against us is for us?" Does that seem odd to you? I never caught this until it was pointed out to me. But this phrase goes contrary to everything we are taught many times as Christians and as Americans. See many of us are familiar with the phrase "If they are not for us, they are against us."
But Jesus is saying the complete opposite of what we know. He is saying if they are not against you...then they are for you. Think of what that means in terms of peace-making and building bridges. If people are not against you, they are for you. For Muslims and Christians, they are not against each other in many significant issues - loving your neighbor and making peace are a few of them. Now, not all Christians or Muslims adhere to all they are taught, which is a different issue. But if you look at the core teachings of both traditions, you will find similarities.
Jesus was all about establishing relationships and finding common ground in being able reach people and build relationships. Jesus didn't compromise who he was about. But he demonstrated that in finding commonalities, he could build bridges as a way to demonstrate His love. This is something that I really want to learn how to do. I want to be able to connect and relate to people, and like Jesus, be able find connections in which to build bridges that point back to him and show His love.
So lately, God has been really speaking to me about the importance of social justice specifically in education. I have always been one who has been passionate about the college campus. I will probably always have a passion for the campus because it has had such a profound impact in my life and changed the course of life. However, lately, I have realized something about the college campus and education in general. While most of the top leaders, world-changers, and history-makers all make there way through the college campus, consider this: In the top 130 colleges in America, only 9% of freshmen are from the lower half of the income distribution. That means over 90% of those on college campuses come from places that are, for the most part, economically well-off.
There is an achievement gap in America and children growing up in low-income communities face additional challenges that make it even more difficult for them to be successful. It is not that these students are not capable or able of being successful. They just have to overcome even more barriers and social inequalities than a student in high-income community.
So as I have pondered on these ideas lately, I asked myself, what would Jesus do about this? If you look at Jesus life, he hung out with the economically disadvantaged, and he met their tangible needs. He had compassion for people. He was unwilling to send them off without feeding them and fed five thousand of them at once. What about children? What does Jesus say about children? He said let the little children come to me. He also said that if anyone lays a hand on a child and harms them, they should tie a huge stone around their neck and be thrown in the sea. Jesus loved and met the needs of those who were poor, and he cared about children. Lately, I have asked myself. Do I really value these same things? Do I love and care about what Jesus cares about?
So what does this have to do with revival and reformation? For the past 2 years of my life, I have been tirelessly pursuing revival in my heart and in my community. I long for the day when the spirit of God revives the campuses and cities of America. But today as I sat with God, I heard him remind me that he doesn't only want revival. He wants reformation. Reformation is the transformation of society - not only part of society but every part of it from government, business, education, media, arts, family, and religion.
Lately, God has been putting on my heart this idea of reformation in education. What would that look like? Why is that important? Well as I looked into the definition of reformation, I found a very interesting definition. Definitions included "improvement in the existing form or condition of institutions or practices that are intended to make a striking change for the better in social or political or religious affairs." But the definition that really struck me was this one: "rescuing from error and returning to a rightful course - the 'reclamation of delinquent children.'" This is so crazy!!! What it basically is saying is that reformation is literally like releasing children who have gone astray back into their destiny. It reminded of the way that God caught up Jonah through a fish and released him back into his destiny to see the city of Nineveh turn back to God.
It blows my mind that the definition of reformation could speak so specially to children. God's heart is for children and those who are faceless, unseen. As I thought about the reformation of education, this thought came to my mind: What if the students who could change the world and have their lives impacted in college (just like mine) never had the chance to go to college because of their economic position. This breaks my heart. God is definitely doing something on the college campus. Revival is so near. You can sense it. You can feel it coming - like the rain; it's inevitable. But what about those students who might never go the college campus. Who will do anything about? Lately, my heart has been grappling with these questions. The thought has occurred to me: what if I could impact the life of just one student in elementary or high school that had the opportunity to go to college and experience what I experienced. What if I could just let them know how much they are worth, how much they are loved. Right now, our society is set up so that cannot easily happened. But if we could do something about it? What if we could not only bring revival to our campus, but reformation to our society? I can't help but think about what Jesus would do? But the better question now is what will you do?
You don't have to go and try to reform society all at once. You don't even have to all go in trying to reform education. Society has 7 main spheres: government, business, education, media, arts, family, and religion. Pray for revival; then take the next step and work for reformation. Revival and Reformation go hand in hand. Be aware of what is happening in the world around you. Ask yourself what Jesus would do if he were here, then go do it. That is something, I am still trying to figure out for myself, and in the process, I am getting rocked. I want Jesus' heart for people. He was an incredible man.
Jesus, I want to be more like you. I want to know your heart. Reveal yourself to us. May we see revival and reformation in our nation. Lord may you reform education. May the children you have destined for greatness not be withheld from reaching their dreams because of the inequalities in our society. Raise up leaders and visionaries who will carry your wisdom and discernment and see reformation in our society. May your children know their wort and know that they are loved.
Last Monday, David and Lorna Joannes came to share about how God inspired them with the vision to write the book Ako ay Pilipino which is about Filipino identity and destiny. Here's a video testimony about how God set up a divine appointment for me to get to meet them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rHb5H0ALO8
It's crazy to think that this is the last day of the year - the last year of the decade. It's weird to think that in a few months I will be graduating from college. It's weird to think that 8 years ago I started high school. Time has gone by so fast. It's hard to believe another ten years has come and gone so quick. It seems like yesterday we were all scared about y2k. My family stocked up a bunch of water and can foods. I was living in Roswell, New Mexico - not sure if my computer and cell phone would work the next day. But here I am, blogging away on my computer ten years later. Seems like all is well.
The end of the year has always been pretty special. Three years ago, I guess I could consider it my call into ministry as I changed my major from bioengineering to religious studies. From that point, so many things began to open up as I began to enter into the things I was called to. The next year, I found myself at San Diego Winter Conference confronted by the reality that I was living to please other people more than my desire to please God. Last year, I found myself at onething conference realizing the call to be set apart for God wasn't about a radical, one time decision. It was a lifestyle that embodied an intimate understanding of who God is. Where did that lead me?
Well, it lead me to to this crazy year. One of the weirdest and most unexplainable years of my life. I honestly can't put my finger on what has happened this year. I know that this semester has been one of the hardest times I have experienced in the longest times. I have been through a lot of stuff that is hard to understand why it happened. From losing ties to close friends and mentors, to going through darkest points of my personal life, it's been a struggle. I've been through so many highs and so many lows. And yet, in the midst of it all, I can say God is good. I have learned more and more that God's grace and His love is so good. When you go through good times its easy to take those things for granted. But when you mess up, fail, and go through valleys of darkness, you realize just how good God is in spite of your weakness.
In the midst of it all, I have learned a lot about myself and a lot about where I have come from as a person. I have learned my weaknesses and the areas of my life that need healing. I have learned a lot of bad, but I have also learned a lot of good. I have learned a lot about my cultural identity as a Filipino, I have learned a lot about my personal identity, and more recently about my familial identity and the legacy of my relatives who came before me.
As I sat down with my Aunt Lorna today to talk about the Philippines, missions, and my family, I found that there is so much in my family that affects who I am today. I learned a lot about my family and the legacy they have left behind.
Just today, I found out that my great-grandparents were the first people on my Dad's side who were Christian. In the early 1900s, missionaries from America came and introduced Jesus to my family. Prior to that, much of my family was raised as Catholics due to the Spanish influence since the 1500s. So to be Jesus followers was a radical thing for my great grandparents. They were looked down upon by their family and the community. But they were strong in their faith. They planted a church and saw many of their brothers and sisters transformed by the love of Jesus. My great-grandparents were uneducated but they had this passion to see their family know the transformational power of the gospel. They passed this down to my grandfather. He too had a heart to serve and to love others in the way that his parents did. My grandfather married his wife who was Catholic. But my Aunt Lorna told me how through my grandfather's influence, my grandmother and her family came to follow Jesus as well. My aunt described how my grandmother's family was not won over by a message of condemnation. Instead,they were won over by the lifestyle and example of my grandfather.
My grandfather thus continued in the legacy and lifestyle of missions as lived out by his father. My grandfather was very active in his church. He even gave up a well-paying job he had to go serve in a new ministry in which he helped to plant a school amongst the Muslim Filipinos of the Southern Philippines. In this endeavor, he worked with a missionary named Frank Laubach (Check out info on him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Laubach). Frank Laubach was a prominent missionary who became known as the "apostle to the illiterates" because he brought the gift of written language to the Maranao people of the Southern people. He developed a influential system of education known as "each one teach one." He taught the Maranao people how to read and write in their own language. Thus, my grandfather helped set up and run one of this first schools from scratch. He would later go on and travel to many other parts of the islands planting and developing schools from scratch. Thus very early on, missions and education was a big part of my family. Many of family members were bright scholars who received Ph.D's in America and were gifted in areas such as sciences, linguistics, and languages. Since my family traveled so much with my grandfather, they picked up many of the local Filipino dialects.
According to my aunt, my grandfather was a man who was not concerned with material things. He had a heart for his fellow people and lived a life of simplicity. My grandmother also was an incredible woman. She was a gifted musician. My aunt mentioned that she could play anything by hear. If someone wanted accompaniment for a singing piece, she would merely listen to the tune and play accordingly. She would transpose anything if necessary. There hasn't been as skilled of a musician in my family since her.
It's just crazy to see this crazy legacy of education, missions, and music that is part of my family line. There have also been some negative aspects along with that. My family has suffered some health problems such as heart issues that have prematurely have taken the lives of many members of my family before they were able to live their destiny out fully.
Yet in delving into my family history, I have learned so much about myself and where I have come from. If there has been one thing that I have learned this year, it has been identity. I have learned about my cultural identity as a Filipino, I have learned more about my cultural identity as a Catedral, and each day, I have learned more about my ultimate identity as a beloved son. When it comes down to it, the most significant part of my identity is that I am loved. Everything else flows from this insight. It has been the hardest part to learn because I have been so performance driven - who wouldnt be in trying to live up to such a family legacy? But the beauty of it is that I don't have to do anything to live up to my family who came before. All I have to do is be me - be loved.
It's been a long and hard year, but I'm so thankful the parts of my identity that have been revealed to me. Through the pain and through the hard times, it has been worth it all to find out where I have come from. The enemy has tried to hide and steal away my identity for so long. But as I begin to get a clearer picture of my identity, I have a renewed excitement and passion to pursue my destiny.
So here's to a New Year! May 2010 be a year of discovering our identity and pursuing our destiny! Thank God for another year!
