During this next school year, I'm on an adventure of a lifetime traveling to college campuses across America to share the love of Jesus and help to start student churches. It's been great so far.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=JZKEmol08Pg&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fuser%2FtheANAK%23p%2Fu%2F0%2FJZKEmol08Pg#!
This past week, my cousin Daniel and I had the opportunity to perform a spoken word piece at the Golden Key International Summit. The piece is called "Is the Sun Rising or Setting?"
Special thanks to Ben Sanders and Charles Seyffer for helping us out with the research for the piece.
Update on my life for the month of march:
Finished defending my honors thesis (sigh of relief....more on this later)
Finished my Teach For America interview (thought it went pretty well; re-ignited my passion for education)
To Do List:
Sleep.... alot
On a more serious note, 24 hour prayer started off tonight! Woot! Watch out for what comes out of the desert. There is a new sense of excitment and expentancy on the campus as students gear up for nonstop day and night prayer. There is a sense of identity being restored as the body of Christ steps into their destiny as sons and daughters of God. It's on!
Now Serving: more Jesus for everyone!
Last night, I was reading through Wolfgang Simson's Houses that Change the World. As I read, I was really moved by this excerpt which talks about relating to cultures that are different from our own:
Confusing culture with spiritual realities
Some young Christians from the USA were reporting in the Asian church about some outreach they were doing in Calcutta. They had genuine brokenness in their eyes as they talked about the people worshipping dead idols in temples, and yet these young people did not recognise the endless hours of TV in their country as worshipping living idols of sport, music or film.
They had broken hearts over the abject material poverty in Calcutta, and did not see the spiritual and emotional poverty of countless millions suffering from loneliness and meaninglessness in their home country. They could not believe that people sacrifice flowers and even animals to their gods, overlooking that it is quite normal to sacrifice even children and whole families on the holy altar of success back home. They marvelled at the smoke and incense-offerings "those pagans do to their gods," and did not see for one moment the smog caused by every individualist jamming the roads with their own car, industry polluting the atmosphere, and cigarette smokers polluting the rooms. They said, "These children here are so dirty!", and yet they did not realize that most children in their own country do not obey their parents and have unbelievably dirty language, harbouring fantasies most children in Asia or the Middle East would simply abhor.
In short, they saw and judged the outside, not the inside. They were shocked by the culture, not by the spirit behind it, and they failed to see that it is no better at home than in Asia. Fallenness and sinfulness only looks different on the outside; its quality is essentially the same everywhere (229-230).
I thought this excerpt was a really interesting and convicting read. It has challenged me to think of what it means to really follow Jesus. Jesus loved people for who they were on the inside and not what he saw or experienced them as being on the outside. He recognized the deeper realities of the human condition and didn't judge people based on external layers or circumstances. What would it look like if we saw people, not as objects or projects to be worked on, but as people with whom we all share common characteristics and qualities? How does this change our perceptions of what it means to love? Even more so, how would this affect the way we respond to Jesus' command to "love our enemies"?
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!
Man, tonight was one of those unforgettable nights that you look back on and think, "did that really just happen?" David and Lorna Joannes from Ako ay Pilipino Movement came and shared with some Filipino friends and family at my church today. It was somewhat of a culmination of about a month of crazy divine appointments since the day after Thanksgiving. I'm kinda tired and sickly right now, so I can't fully process everything, but all I can say that it was truly incredible.
Everything fell into place in exactly God's timing and way. It was amazing to see my family so passionate and excited about serving David and Lorna and facilitating their time here in Phoenix. My parents went out of their way to prepare food, clean the house, and make phone calls all day to tell friends and family about tonight's get together. It was really strange to me because my parents had never met David and Lorna. All they saw was the book the helped put together and my short little spiel about God doing stuff in the Filipino community. All I can say is that it had nothing to do with me. It was definitely all God.
I look back at all the things that have happened, and its like a crazy fairytale that I feel I don't belong in. I've had the craziest stretch of my life in the past semester and struggled with so many sin issues. Suffered from people-pleasing, performance issues and so much more. I look at all the good things I have done in my life, and I am reminded that my righteousness is nothing but filthy rags. But that's the beauty of it I suppose. It's all about grace. God has given us a good thing that we dont deserve. Man, I thought I understood it before. I thought I had it all figured. I remember reciting the definition of grace in AWANA: "Grace is a free gift that we don't deserve." If I only knew what it really meant back then, I probably wouldn't use the word so flippantly. But I realize that I still don't get it. God is soooo good. I don't even understand.
Anyway, it was so amazing to see my family so excited and so passionate for rediscovering their Filipino roots. You could sense the presence of God really stirring people as David and Lorna spoke at church tonight. Even before that, it was great to have them over at our house and chat over some delicious Filipino food. It was their first time meeting and eating with Filipinos in Arizona.
It has been so cool meeting them. It's like we have known each for so long because our hearts have been knit together with the same passions from rediscovering Filipino roots to planting churches amongst unreached people groups. I think one of the craziest moments was having everyone at my house gathered around the table to watch some of their videos about planting underground churches in East Asia. The stories are incredible. The favor of God and is hand is definitely over them, and it was such an honor to have them in my home.
It was just a really crazy night - down to the fact that Sara and Donna from Hawaii missed their flights and ended stranded here (which is the third time now for Sara). Good things always seem to happen when they get stuck here though haha. Anyhoo, it's so cool to see what God is doing. How he uses me and all of us in spite of our weaknesses and inadequacies. I'm also excited that David and Lorna will be coming to speak at our church again. I pray for more divine appointments; for more hearts to be stirred; and more encounters with the presence of God.
Ahhh....so crazy. God what are you up to? What a crazy adventure!
Ahhh sooo goood! Some friends from the Ako ay Pilipino Movement are gonna be in Phoenix tonight to meet with the Filipino Community and share some of what God has placed on their hearts. God is stirring the hearts of many people to remember who they are and where they came from - to know there identity. I am praying for a powerful encounter tonight as many in the Filipino community will come face to face with reality of who God has called them to be and what He has destined them for. Its so crazy to think how all of the craziness and divine appointments of the past few weeks is culminating with an opportunity for the Filipino community to hear a prophetic message and encouragement of what He is doing to restore His people and call them back to their destiny.
As I talked to a friend earlier today, she mentioned that more and more she is realizing that missions is not about bringing a message from a point of superiority. Instead, it is about empowering people to be who God has made them to be. To go off of this, I was talking to my professor the other day about the new Filipino book called Ako ay Pilipino. When he heard that it was written by some missionaries, he asked me if the writing reflected some of the missionary mindsets of old. He was referring to some of the material we had read in our class that showed Christian missionaries forcing indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands to give up their cultural values and traditions. I sat for a while, and I really believe that God gave me the words to speak in that moment. I mentioned that it was really interesting because what I see happening is that many missionaries I have met and come in contact with are "reminding people of who they are and not telling them who they should be." My professor was very surprised by this comment, and said that I was on to something and that I should keep delving into that idea.
It's so crazy to see what God is doing in recalling the cultural heritage of people and reminding them of their identity. At the end of the day, the pressure is off of us. We don't have to perform or try our hardest to put all the pieces together. This is something that I have been struggling a lot with lately. I have tried so hard to do things my own way and on my own time. I have failed a lot and overworked myself to the point of sickness and exhaustion. It is in these moments, that I am reminded that God loves me for who I am and not for what I do. We have a God who loves us not for what we do for Him but because of what He did for us. I am learning more and more what it means to rest in the reality that God loves me. That is our primary identity - to be loved by the King.
Check out these videos and be inspired by what God is doing amongst Filipinos as He is reminding them of who He made them to be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dnh4VH_D0Q&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EBd4fGXR6Q&feature=player_embedded
facebook link
Here's a look at our Epic year in review. It's been a crazy year with so many ups and downs, but God has been good. I definitely want to spend some more time reflecting on all the craziness that has happened. But we have definitely grown a lot and learned a lot. I was reminded of this video just the other day, and as I looked back on it, I was reminded once again of the goodness of God despite all the uncertainty around me. It's been a transitional year to say the least. But its always good look back and remember the faithfulness of God.
Got to hang out with David and Lorna Joannes, founders of the Ako ay Pilipino Movement today. You could sense that it was one of those crazy divinely-inspired appointments when Kelly, Miles, and I finally got to meet them.
What are the odds that the people who came up with the idea for a new book in the Philippines would be hanging out in AZ for the next month or so? They just came out with a new book called Ako ay Pilipino that's gonna help revive and restore Filipino identity and destiny across the globe. All across the globe, God is calling Filipinos to remember who they are, and He is reminding them what He says about them. These are exciting times for Filipinos!
Be apart of the movement.
Check it out yourself: http://akoaypilipino.multiply.com
http://www.akoaypilipinongayon.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ako-ay-Pilipino-Ngayon/152353495066/
Hit me up if you're interested in getting one of the books.
"Know your identity, pursue your destiny."
This semester I took a class on Pacific Islanders. It was really interesting to get a cultural perspective that I never really was fully aware of or understood. In learning about the Pacific Islands, I learned so much about the beauty of culture, the importance of relationships, as as well as learning about the social injustices and historical wounds that they have experienced.
Along the journey,I learned a lot about myself and my cultural identity. I realized that so much of my history and cultural identity has been covered up by titles and labels that I have blindly accepted but never questioned. As I have begun to dig deep into finding more about who I am, I have discovered a lot of things that have given me a greater appreciation for the beauty of culture and the creativity of God.
This video was a project that documented Filipino identity. I really didn't intentionally go into this project in the first place, but as I did, I began to learn a lot more about identity and how confusing it can be. But in learning about the past and remembering history, we learn so much about ourselves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciBmVL4pels
For those of you who missed the Jaeson Ma's prophetic word about Transforming Media & Entertainment, check it out:
http://www.propheticmedia.com/video/xperience/xperience12_6_09teaching.mp4
It's a powerful word about how God is using media and entertainment to transform Hollywood. He is raising up young Asian Americans among many others who will make a profound impact on society and the world at large.
One of the things I have realized is that one of the ways that the enemy tries to break up and confuse a community is through insecurity and isolation. God puts things on the hearts of many people. But so many times, they feel like they are the only ones with that passion. So there may be many people in a group who God is speaking similar things to - most likely complimentary things. But instead of recognizing the unity of what God is speaking, out of fear and uncertainty, people respond by doing things on their own rather than bringing others into it.
I think I am guilty of this a lot. I want things done on my time and in my way. But when people don't see things the exact same way that I do, I begin to feel inadequate and misunderstood. So often I fail to recognize that what God is putting on my heart is the same that He is putting on another's heart it's just packaged and understood in a different way. I run to conclusions rather than giving others the benefit of the doubt. If the person has a hard time communicating their ideas, then it becomes even more difficult. In the midst of these types of experiences, it is important to remember that we don't have to explain to other people what God has placed on our heart in order to be validated. If God has put something on heart, we have to go for it, and the rest will follow. We may be misunderstood at times, but one of the biggest principles in community is that TIMING IS EVERYTHING.
God has perfect timing and will do things in his way. We have to do what God has put on our hearts, but I believe we must also become aware of what God is putting on the hearts of others and discern the ways in which we can come together under a united vision for what God has for us.
But in order for this to happen we must communicate. I think one of the biggest things that hinder us is that when we face these difficulties we don't communicate. Community with one another and community with God are directly related. The way we relate to God will determine how we relate to others and the way we relate to God will determine how we relate others. If we don't spend time individually with God or with others and we are not spending time corporately with each other and corporately seeking God, what do we expect our results to be?
Our security above all is based in God, but since we also have a people part of us, community has such a vital role in reinforcing the things that God has placed on our heart. When we are in a healthy community that submits to one another in love and is willing to sacrifice for one another, I believe we will be able to piece the unique things that God has placed on our heart together.
So many times we come together, there is a lack of unity because there is a lack of security. Our group is individually lacking the fiery passion that comes from knowing God's passion for us, and likewise, when we come together, we lack belief that God is capable of the impossible.
Sometimes it takes the one bold person who has something in their heart to take the step of faith and believe that God will move in the hearts of others. Will you be that one? At the end of the day it comes back to knowing the goodness of Jesus. Security in him is what ultimately breeds confidence and dispels insecurity which will then catalyze authentic community.
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Excerpt from daily prayer devotional:
“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
If one is to speak mightily for God, then one must walk humbly with God. Courage for Christ is a direct result of security in Christ. Prayer intensifies our fellowship with God. It is in that fellowship that the believer experiences the depth and width and height of the love of God. The Christian can face the gates of hell if he has been before the throne of heaven. Fear flees when one has basked in the perfect love of God.
Prayer:
Merciful, loving God, I long for deeper intimacy with You. Show me how to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly in Your holy Presence so that my fellowship with You will bring transformation into the lives of others. In Jesus’ Name I ask this!
Live A Praying Life!
Insecurity sucks. It breeds loneliness and attacks sense of worth. Have you ever felt super excited or passionate to do something, and then you go around your group of friends to tell them, but as you go there, you just can't share anymore? It's like the atmosphere totally shifts and you can sense the lack of care that the others around you have. As a result, you start to doubt yourself, and you think that the thing you were excited and passionate about isn't really that big of a deal.
Community is a double-edged sword. It can either build you up or tear you to pieces. That's why community is such a big deal, and that’s why there is such a battle over experiencing authentic, transformational community.
Like I said previously, for myself, I have become increasingly unsettled by seeing the insecurities, not only in myself, but also, in seeing the insecurities in others. Why? Because if I am insecure and the people that I am around are insecure than we are just hiding away from each other and remaining in isolation - so in truth, we aren't really being a community. This breaks my heart because individually and corporately we are not living up to the fullness that God desires and has in store for us.
What I see in myself and in others is that I become passive and begin to suffer from unbelief. I don't step out into what God has for me because I begin to doubt that what He says will really happen. So with that, I have had two recent revelations.
The first one stems from a devotional reading I had this morning:
If one is to speak mightily for God, then one must walk humbly with God. Courage for Christ is a direct result of security in Christ. Prayer intensifies our fellowship with God. It is in that fellowship that the believer experiences the depth and width and height of the love of God. The Christian can face the gates of hell if he has been before the throne of heaven. Fear flees when one has basked in the perfect love of God.
The number one sign of a religious spirit is passivity, and the number two sign is a poverty mindset - Graham Cooke
