Ann: A Girl Bigger Than Problems

“In this world ye shall have tribulations, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33)."


I want to testify about this close friend and colleague of mine. She's a woman of inspiration and of hope. Her name was Ann Brimon, a girl who looks down on problems as if she were standing on a mountain.


I first get in touch with Ann 3 years ago. She was a girl who always smiles and laugh, she never ran out of it as if she had an overflowing source of laughter. She always cracks jokes and laugh around like it's the end of the world. I never saw her sad or crying for real as if she never experience problems in life. She's the total optimistic and she's the happiest of all creature I ever knew.


Behind those tickling laughter and golden smiles she was a girl who is living her life the least and humblest among us friends. She lives in a rented shack which I think is just the size of our dining area, she had no brothers or sisters, and her mother died 3 years ago. She makes living through encoding on a shipping company and provides, along with the help of her aunt, for her father who had a lung disease and is incapable of working . Just around this September, her father fell worse in sickness and needed to be confined on the Lung Center for treatment. Everyday, her father's sickness got worse until her father loses hope. It was October 3, 2011 when her father died and she needed to pay for the bills that cost around 300,000 pesos. On that day, I called her on the phone and it was the first time I heard her cry. I felt grief and cried along with her voice on the phone. I then visited her father's wake (burol) the other day after the phone call. As I remember, all she do is smile, I cried but she still smile and laugh. It's like nothing happened at all. I knew on her heart she was happy because her father's struggle ended in peace but this is very unusual for a person who is left alone on her own at a young age of 23. I can tell you that I feel sadder than Ann when I saw her but she just made fun of it and she said to me that she already moved on about the incident yet I, just a friend, was more grieved than her.


She smiles a lot because she knows that everything was already conquered for her as said on the verse above. She realizes her blessings more than she acknowledges problems. She knows her standing with God and knows that she had friends that she can call brothers and sisters and that she knows she's not alone. Most of us can't realize these things. We always acknowledge problems more than realizing our blessings. We often think that we're alone when there's a God who always watch and is ever ready to help. A little problem often makes us upset and look grumpy all the time. Always think that there is a God who overcame everything for us and all we have to do is believe, acknowledge and rely on His power along with our efforts. Smile always because there is a God who gives you joy in the midst of tribulation and you know that He will never leave you nor forsake you and that problems are not your own. Let the life of our sister Ann be an encouraging inspiration to all of us.

___________________________________________

This article is dedicated to Mary Ann G. Brimon
R.I.P. Mr. Ricardo Brimon

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Seeing Beyond the Naked Eye and Living Beyond the Flesh

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" - Matthew 6:22-23

The eye, it is a very fascinating part of our body. It gathers the light and converts it into brain signals so that it can be a picture. Without the light, we cannot see because light is the substance that our eyes use in order to create a picture. Our spirit also do have its own eyes, eyes to see the spiritual realm. It also collects light and turns it into a picture. Without light, it cannot also see.

Now if we see by the Spirit then we would have seen everything that the angels are doing, the unseen evidences created by faith and also the disgusting works of Satan, yes, the disgusting works of Satan. Do we know that most of the human population are spiritually blind? Why is that so? Because Satan does not want a person to see what he is doing, he does not want you to see that he is stealing from you, he does not want you to see that he is killing you and destroying you. He lures us into his temptations and what we think is "good" is actually a trap. Of course those blinded persons cannot see it as a trap and that's just how Satan works. Now, one key to a good spiritual life is by opening our spiritual eye.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
     But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. - 2 Corinthians 4:3-7

Now if we see in spirit CLEARLY, we would just realize how bad this world is because of Satan. We would see how they work and we will be disgusted to what we could see. We would see how our unbeliever friends are getting severed by the demonic spirits he/she posses. Of course we should have compassion over them. Seeing beyond the flesh is what makes Christians extraordinary.

Seeing in the spirit requires spiritual healing and spiritual light. Spiritual healing begins when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He opens our spiritual eyes together with the rebirth of our spirit. With His love in us, we CAN now start to see. BUT how can we tell what is in the spiritual world when we does not even know one color? All we know is black and no more since we are born spiritually blind in this world. How can you differentiate "spiritual green" from "spiritual yellow" if you did not yet learned the "spiritual color wheel"? The solution: start LEARNING BY THE SPIRIT! Read the Word of God because He is the light gets into your spiritual eyes and reflects every color in the spiritual realm. With your eyes open and with the knowledge to distinguish spiritual colors, we can grow spiritually with ease.

Color is the quality of an object with respect to light. Now, God is our light, and everything in the spirit (its quality, its value, its virtue, its character, etc.) will be judged according to this Light. By this light we can see clearly in the spiritual realm. THE SPIRITUAL REALM IS THE "TRUER" WORLD, it is where we should really live in. It is more real than the physical world we know. Seeing in this world is seeing in our more real life and living in this world requires us also to speak in spiritual language (speaking in tongues), learning in the spirit, bathing in the spirit, eating in the spirit, sleeping in the spirit (soaking) and desiring every spiritual gift that God is more than willing to give us if we truly desire.

I hope that this post is an EYE OPENER to everyone. (Please don't forget to eat, drink and sleep in the physical world :P).

I would also recommend this page which also discusses about spiritual blindness.

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The Successful Revolution: Breaking Strongholds and Changing Your Life With a Hope

I want to share something about breaking strongholds, not just within ourselves, but also for our environment. Pastor Keith in LWCC told us about Kingdom System and I just want to impart my insight on it.

The Three Nations

Our lives can be compared to a nation, a nation budding on its own, innocent and young. There are two other nations. These nations are already established before you even when you were not born. The first nation is a Colonizing Nation.This nation searches for lands and occupies them for itself, just like when Spain colonized Philippines. You, as a nation, received this colonizing nation because of their offers: wealth, knowledge, technology, leisure and everything and as exchange, they get something from you as well: your crops, resources and produce. Little that you know, this nation turned you into a slave nation, getting more from your resources but you still need its benefits because you cannot stand on your own. Little parts of this slave nation now starts to long for freedom. Some will start a revolution and this revolution gives little hope for the slave nation. But the colonizing nation knew that someday there will be a revolution, they already planned ahead for this so that the slave nation can do nothing. This slave nation needs help. This nation now would choose whether to stay as slaves or to seek help from the third nation (sometimes these slave nations offer themselves as vessels for the colonizing nation).

Now the third nation plays its role (when the slave nation chose to seek its help). The third nation is a Kingdom Nation. This nation is stronger than the colonizing nation and this nation offers freedom from slavery, blesses them, establishing an army there and equips them for battle. Seeking help to this greater nation requires great guts and offering the King your loyal heart. Indeed there will be a war between this two nations, together with the little rebels of your own (the little hope inside of you). For sure, the Kingdom Nation will win and the slave nation will no longer be a slave but a colony of the Kingdom Nation.

The Meaning

The above story pertains to three certain characters. The slave nation is us, the colonizing nation is Satan and the kingdom nation was God. Do we know that everything in this world was dominated by Satan when Adam gave his right by submitting to his temptation? Now Satan uses the nations that he dominated to colonize others. How can it be? Well I can give some examples.

1.) The people around you - The people around you affects who you become. Your parents teach you, your friends influence you and your brothers also. When these people are colonized by Satan, more likely that you become colonized as well. Remember this: Satan always look for new nations to colonize, even the infants.

2.) Your environment and lifestyle - What you see in TV can also colonize you, even the games you play (I have written an article about a certain game here), or even the things we see. This are some tools that Satan uses to invade your mind to a state of slavery to your own environment.

There are many ways that Satan uses to invade you. By these things, he might get a foothold of you then eventually getting a stronghold of you, capable of even turning you to a monster. All of us, at first, should break these strongholds and break others strongholds. These strongholds might be smoking, drinking, pornography, adultery, drugs, cheating, gambling, stealing, or the words we speak. It is hard to get rid of it, and these strongholds can really get a hold of us like a steel chain. We become slaves to it, even if we want to get out of it, our flesh continues to seek it and do it all over again. Some people think they are free to the extend that they can do everything they want like the examples I have given - these people are actually slaves to sin and to Satan, they do whatever Satan wishes them to do. These people are completely colonized, even though they have some resistance, Satan knows it before you could ever know.

Breaking Through Your Own Nation

Getting rid of these strongholds and fortresses in us needs a much stronger force and I guess, by now, you should have known. This is the third nation. Our little rebels (the hope of change inside of us) needs to call out for help to this Kingdom Nation. Here comes salvation and faith. We should accept Jesus Christ as our King, Lord and Savior of our lives (to know more about this clicke here) and then we should let His will be done so that His kingdom might come (Matt 6;10). In that way, He can revive the nation that once was a slave. (Matt 6:33)

Colonizing Other Nation

By accepting God's offer, we should let His will be done in us so that His kingdom might come upon us and also to our environement and ALSO to the people around us. Before we can breakthrough other's strongholds, we should break ours first. We should not let any region of our body to be a spy or headquarters of the enemy. Our whole body should act as a nation with one desire, to love God above all and follow Him. If we are fully committed to Him, He will equip us and bless us and the other slave nations can be easily saved because we are in a much greater force (Romans 8:31).

The Revolution

Now to explain more, the little rebels I am talking about (if you haven't guessed), are the desire to change in someone's heart. I believe inside every person's heart, there is a hope for change and a hope for a better life. This hope is suppressed by the strongholds inside because the devil does not want some uprising or some kind of rebellion against his rulership inside someone. This revolution inside of each and everyone is the fuel for change and it should be directed to the true God so that it can be useful for someone.

The revolution should always continue in us because the devil is always there to plant some little culprits in your nation. Revolution means "turning", it means change. The earth continues to revolve endlessly, and we also need to revolve endlessly. We are being changed from glory to glory. Remember, everyday is a battle and we should not let the enemy gain a foothold on ourselves.

Final Toughts

We should have come to this conclusion, Satan is everywhere, he attacks and gains control over someone. People around us can be harm or for our good. REMEMBER that his offer will enslave you. REMEMBER that God offers a good future for His people so we should forget about what the devil offers. FINALLY, we should change our ways so that we can be perfected for God's use, breaking other's strongholds and setting his people free. Let HIS kingdom come to everyone!

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The Power of One - Israel Houghton

The Power of One sung by Israel Houghton on his 2009 album The Power of One.
Got revolution? We'll start it one by one!




What if it all depended on me. 
To change the world. 
To change the world? 
What if my only responsibility was to change the world. 
To change the world? Let me be the ONE. 
To start a revolution. 
Let me sing my song to the people of the 
world. It all begins with. 

ONE THE POWER OF ONE. 
JOINING THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE BELIEVING IN ONE. 
THE POWER OF ONE. DON’T HANG AROUND. STAND UP OR SIT DOWN. 
AND BELIEVE WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD TOGETHER 
WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD TOGETHER 

What kind of love can conquer disease. 
And change the world. And change the world? 
What can I do to make poverty history. 
And change the world. And change the world? 
Let me be the ONE. To start a revolution. 
Let me sing my song to the people of the world. 
To the children of the world. 

It all begins with... 
ONE THE POWER OF ONE. 
JOINING THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE BELIEVING IN ONE. 
THE POWER OF ONE. DON’T HANG AROUND. STAND UP OR SIT DOWN. 
AND BELIEVE WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD TOGETHER 
WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD TOGETHER 

Please don’t close your eyes 
Please don't turn away. Let your voices rise. 
Put love on display. And make a difference now. 
I believe you and me. Can make a difference now. 
Oh oh oh. Oh oh oh Oh oh oh It all begins with ONE 

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Social Revolution: Social Networking Sites

Facebook, Twitter, Multiply, Orkut, Tumblr, Google+ and Friendster are just examples of social networking websites that changed how we view the world today. These social networking websites simplified our way of communication through the internet. It also drew us closer to friends by staying in touch with each other through updates. Through these websites, we can also show our lifestyle to almost anyone: our ways of thinking, political views, religion, who someone is interested to or even our simple likes and dislikes.

A week ago, here in Reborn Youth, we celebrated our first anniversary and we entitled it "La Revolucion" (The Revolution). That revolution is about changing our lifestyle, turning 180 degrees from the wrong path that leads to destruction and that also includes our social lifestyle as well as our cyber activities. I have already written an article about a particular computer game here but this time I will focus about social networking sites and how most people use it.

Here in the Philippines, Facebook addiction is now more popular the cellphone addiction but before that was Friendster addiction. I can see everyone now had their own accounts on these websites and people are getting addicted into it. I had a friend who stays online for hours, even late at night, just staring, updating, chatting, commenting, liking and customizing her Facebook account. This seems too much but it really happens to most Filipinos.

NOW, STRAIGHT TO THE POINT. We are talking about a revolution. Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.". IT MATTERS WHAT YOU SHARE ON THIS SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES!!! I saw many women display their bodies as display pictures and some men, likewise. Some others share everything, from brushing their teeth to almost sharing what should be kept in private. Kenneth Cole, a famous clothing designer once quoted "If we expose too much online, are we virtually naked?", which, for me, is almost literal. It also covers what our personal info contains (and this is also for your own security). These things are garbage, online garbage. Do you remember what GIGO and WYSIWYG means? It means "Garbage In, Garbage Out" and "What You See Is What You Get". Sharing your garbage means others also get garbage. Your waste should be waste and it should not get to others. The devil works this way in this social networking sites.

USE IT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE.  We can share the word of God through these websites and win souls to Christ. Now what others now see from you is what they get. Our online accounts can also be a living testimony when others see that your profile gives glory to God. Like the pages that are wholesome and noteworthy and avoid pages that stimulates our lust or destructive to others. Me, personally, I use my account to share my blog posts (like this) so that it could reach more readers and turn them to Christ. We can also use it for businesses that are not harmful. I have a friend who turned his account into an online store which is good and I was reminded of the parable of the talents. Let us start cleaning up our accounts and use it to glorify God.

For final remarks, too much communication through social networking sites depreciates our real world social skills, we should always keep in touch personally. This will also limit ourselves to living only in our own cyber world when we got too much of it. ALSO, please don't be a full time CYBER-CHRISTIAN. It is always better if someone sees you as a walking testimony rather than a cyber testimony and it is more better if you are serving God not only in the cyber world but also in the real world. Remember, too much is too bad.

This is only a part of the revolution. We are in the process of changing every time, from glory to glory unto perfection.

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Laminin - A Marvel (Video)

 Colossians 1:17 says "In Him  [Christ] all things hold together"

Here is a video where Louie Giglio is teaching about some protein molecule called laminin which happened to be shaped like a cross. Laminin here is just a representation of Christ who holds His own body, the church. Laminin is not a biblical fact but it sure is a great inspiration for us. Watch and enjoy.

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Homosexuality Should not be Justified, Homosexuality is Perversion

Last night as I was watching 24 oras (nightly news show, GMA 7), I was shocked to see that being a homosexual person was being justified by the church here in the Philippines. One priest said that being gay, dressing in other gender's clothing, is not a sin but it will be when one commits intercourse with the same sex. How am I grieved by these news. One gay said also like this: "We should not be discriminated  because this is the way God created us". Does God created a homosexual according to His own image? When we were born, we are male and female, even the birth certificate tells us that we are male and female, there's no bi or lesbian or gay or transgender! I hate Lady GaGa's new song entitled Born This Way. It perverts the truth about creation of man. It entices its listeners to continue on living their life and tells them that we are insecured about them. There's a line there saying:

No matter gay, straight or bi lesbian, transgendered life I'm on the right track, baby I was born to survive No matter black, white or beige chola or orient made I'm on the right track, baby I was born to be brave 
I'm beautiful in my way 'Cause God makes no mistakes I'm on the right track, baby I was born this way 

Lady GaGa here clearly perverts the meaning of the creation. God does not make mistakes but people do! It is just a matter of choosing right from wrong, to become a homosexual or to continue living upright. Homosexuality is Satan's tool. He uses people to tell us that it is okay to sin and  he makes us believe that it is the truth. If you want to see a full view of the lyrics just click here. Please exercise good judgement when reading the lyrics.

The Bible addressed to clear that many times. In the book of Genesis, He said that God created them man and woman and there was no homosexuals. If one persists to claim that he is a gay or she is a lesbian, then they omit the fact that they were male or female and then completely ignores the truth which is against the truth of God. God's wrath is upon the wicked. He showed us an example on how He is being grieved by these when He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. These cities were so pervert that they perform homosexuality, intercourse with animals, intercourse with the same sex. God burned them to the ground, none of their city was left and they were pulverized by the wrath of God. 1 Corinthians 6:8-10 says:

 8Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
9Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 

The New International Version says it more clearly:

8Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers.9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 

What If You're Already A Homosexual? 

There's a cure if you're already one. Most cases of becoming gay comes from the lack of the father image. If you lack the affection and an example of a father, there's a Father that really cares for you. He is the one watching you all of your life, He just waits for you to turn your ears and eyes to Him. He is saying that if you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you (1 John 1:9). Repent so that you can have a new start with the Lord (Acts 3:19). If you believe that you are born a homosexual, there's still time, you can be born a man with a fresh start, be born again, not in the flesh, but in the spirit that is inclined to the will of God (John 3:3-6). Jesus wants you to be like Him. He said that we should follow His example. Exercise yourself on living the right way with your gender: if you're a man, be a real man, and if you're a woman, so be it. Read the word of God and pray everyday. It sure will help because if you do so, the Holy Spirit will give you the wisdom and the conviction to know what is wrong and what is right. Remember this: With God, nothing is impossible.


In closing, I just want you to share this verse.

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." - Ephesians 5:31

This is the only kind of marriage God allowed in the bible. Desire to have the perfect wife if you are a man and desire the perfect husband if you're a woman. With God's help, nothing is impossible.

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Compromising Christians

Compromising Christians are those Christians that are mixing up two different things, they know what is right but mix it with doing what is wrong. Sadly, many Christians are compromising. The world today is affected by centuries of compromising. If no one compromises, the world today will retain its values since Jesus Christ is still walking here on earth. Compromising covers up a large array of definitions but we will tackle here about some key definitions. Compromising is as simple as disobedience and it is taking sin lightly.


Simple Things Matter. Did you know that playing  ungodly music is already a compromise? Listening to songs of this world is a very dangerous place for your ears. Watching pagan, satanic, immoral, filthy or ungodly movies or television shows or videos are also the likes. Magazines, reading materials, whatever you set before your eyes or ears that are not acceptable to God, then you are already compromising.

Don't Keep It. Walking on a store selling pornographic magazines and not objecting or speaking to the owner about it is already a compromise. Well I know it sounds like "heavy" but there is another way: pray about it and when you do it should come with an action because faith without action is nothing. Having also the opportunity to share salvation when you are being convicted is a compromise, you have their blood in your hands.

Bribing Faith. You have a friend who is not a Christian, you invited him to the church then he said like this, "I'll come with you if you come with me first to the bar", then you come with him so that you can make him go with you to the church. It's already a compromise.

What Comes Out. You use your tongue to worship God and you also use it in the same manner when cracking dirty jokes, gossiping, trash talking. We are held accountable for every idle word we say (Mat. 12:36). Singing ungodly songs is the same.

From Evil Hands to Yours. Buying items that came from thieves (piracy) is a compromise. A Christian should not promote these activities instead fight against them. If you found it enjoying because buying stolen items are much cheaper, you already forgot that God is exceeding in riches and can provide your needs and desires (Psalm 37:4)

There are too many examples to cite. I like to suggest a webpage and it shows a large example of Compromising Christians. Here's the link: http://www.jamesrussellpublishing.biz/compromise.html

I hope after reading this we have learned how these things are taken seriously by the Lord. His standards are so high that He consider hatred as murder and lust as adultery. He is a God of serious orders but He is also a God who rewards those that obey Him with blessings that overtake and overflow. Obedience is a must.

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On God's Perfect Time

Everything will happen on God’s perfect time. He is God and He knows the best for His children. All we need to do is to put our trust in Him.
God is really good. He gave us freedom to do what we want to do. But Paul said “you can do anything” –but not everything is good for you. And even though “you are allowed to do anything,” you must not become a slave to anything. We should use our freedom to give God glory. He created you not to waste your time on the things that will hurt Him.
God would not give us the things we want if we are not able. He is our Father and He will give us what is right for us. If we put our trust in Him let His will not our will be done. His ways is perfect.
Jesus is God but He lay down His life for us so that we could have a eternal life. Everytime that we ignore His love for us we hurt Him. No one in this world could do what Jesus has done for us.
When I read the book entitled “When God writes my love story” it really affects my life. Especially, in my love life. As I read every chapter, it inspire me to trust God in that aspect of my life. It will never be too late if we will be faithful and patiently waiting for His will. At the right time God will give us everything that we need if He could see us that we are able to receive it.
Wait so that we could get the best. All that is worth waiting for is worth having for. Let’s put our trust in God. He is God the creator of heaven and earth. He has a great plan for everyone.
the ways of a man seems right but at the end DESTRUCTION. We should not waste our time on things that we will not gave us benefit for what we’re doing.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.

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Music Workshop 2011 (Day 1)

Now, giving the opportunity to all members of Reborn Youth Fellowship, a chance to serve the Lord and His people. Music Workshop 2010 is lead by me (Angel) and is ongoing. Anyone is welcome to join the workshop.

First Day

• To all keyboard students, just remember the 1-5-4 positions for the major chord on the keys, 1-4-5 for minor chords, your assignment is to draw all the natural (no sharp, no flat) chords.

• To all guitar students, master the first two faces of the barred chords I have thought you this Sunday because you need those to master all the chords.

• Bass students, practice memorizing the notes on the fretboard and practice finger picking (index and middle finger). As to Nicole, I have already given you an exercise on hammer-ons.

Have a nice practice time - for the glory of God.

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Passion Manila 2010 (Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio, Kristian Stanfill)

PASSION CONFERENCE is back in Manila again!  See Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio and Kristian Stanfill live at the Big Dome! This is their second time around here in the Philippines! Hurry and grab your tickets for only P200.00 in all sections (Lower box and Upper box)! A great worship experience. TICKETS ARE BEING SOLD OUT FAST!!!

Passion believes in university students and in the “university moment,” that window of life where many young people forge their identity and set the trajectory of their lives. And we believe these students are uniquely poised to shape the future and help achieve a more hopeful outcome for humanity.

As well, we believe in cities, massive urban centers that not only provide the best opportunity for the Gospel to impact culture, but house the greatest concentration of university students on the planet. For many, the great global cities are only about commerce, industry, political might, fashion, history and design. Yet, the leading urban centers of the world are also “university towns,” places like NYC, Los Angeles, London, and Kyiv, cities where more than one million university students call home.

Thus, in 2010 Passion will be returning to seven cities, hosting gatherings for university-aged young people in Kyiv, London, São Paulo, Vancouver, Manila, Tokyo and Hong Kong. While we would love to revisit all seventeen cities from 2008, we are excited to be back with friends in these seven nations, inspiring students to love Jesus and to live to make Him famous in this generation.

There’s no doubt our message is loudest when Believers are united, and best received when our words turn into action to touch the world in Jesus’ name. So join us in the city nearest you and, in the mean time, help spread the word.

The wave is growing into a global awakening. Join the movement for His renown.



Passion Manila 2010
25 May 2010, 7:30pm
Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Louie Giglio | Kristian Stanfill | Chris Tomlin
Ticket Price: P200

Passion Manila 2010 tickets are available at:

• Becca Music Inc. office (Patron and Lower Box tickets are sold out, Upper Box A tickets available) – Please call 910.5524, 910.5352

• TicketNet (Upper Box B and Gen. Adm. sections) – Please call 911.5555

Passion Manila 2010 is for university-aged students, 16 to 25 years old ONLY.

Are you going to attend Passion Manila 2010?

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The Power of Words Over Water

Can water be affected by what we say? Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese scientist believes so and he has proof. Dr. Emoto took water droplets, exposed them to various words, music, and environments, and froze them for three hours. He then examined the crystal formations under a dark field microscope and he took photographs. The results were totally mind-blowing.

Here's a photo of ordinary prayer without any prayer spoken over it. The molecular structure is in disarray.

The photo below is water after the prayer was said. It’s simply breathtaking. (I now have a great respect for praying before meals! More on this later.)

Dr. Emoto also exposed water to Heavy Metal music. Here’s how it looks like. Looks sad if you asked me. It have some wild radial streaks in it.

Here’s water exposed to classical music and folk dance music. Looks much better, right?

Next, Dr. Emoto stuck a piece of paper with these words: “You make me sick. I will kill you.” Here’s how the frozen water droplets looks like under the microscope…

Below is how water looked like with the words “Love” over it. The difference is amazing.

This is polluted water...

This is water from Lourdes, France. Utterly beautiful, right?

WAIT A MINUTE!!!

Aren't you made up of water?

Yes! 72%-75% of your body is made up of water. Imagine how your words affect the water? It also affects your own body! When you say, "I'm a failure", or "I'm hopeless", or "I won't get well", imagine how these words weaken your health.

Make a choice to say the best words ot there. Say often, "I'm wonderful", and "I''m beautiful", and "I'm God's child", and "God has a great plan for my life!"

It's not only the water. Dr. Emoto also experimented with cooked rice. He placed one cup of cooked rice in two airtight jars. On one jar, he wrote, "I love you", and on the other, "You fool". Eveyday for 30 days, Dr. Emoto would say these words to each jar of rice.

After 30 days, the "I love you" rice was still white. But the "You fool" rice was so rotten, it was black. How can you explain this? Just as a side note: When I was a child, my mother taught me to pray before meals. Now I realize it wasn't just a nice thing to do. When I pray over my meal, I know a material transformation takes place in the molecular level of the food that I pray for. I say, "Be blessed'" to the water and food on the table---and I expect it to be blessed.

People think that words are just a medium of communication. What we don't know is that our words instantly commences its function. It is our faith that makes it real -- what we say (and believe it) literally comes to life. Proverbs 18:21 says "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." God also made the heavens and the earth through His word. Jesus said to the fig tree to be withered and it withered. Our words are more than what we actually think so be careful and choose what you say because it may affect everything.

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Ushersing: Least Ministry

I was moved suddenly to tell you something about the ushers in the church. Every Sunday when I walk into the church gates, I am welcomed by a band of ushers simultaneously. The hospitality in our church makes anyone happy before entering the worship hall. These ushers are composed mostly of the elders in the church and the eldest is Mommy Eden who is very well treated with respect.

The Usher Inside the Church

Ushers are the least recognized ministry inside the church because they just look like simple people who will greet you when you come in and come out of the church. This is a big mistake if we underestimate this ministry, in fact, they are one of the biggest ministry a church should give focus.

The ministry of ushering does not require a skilled individual and all of us can be an usher even if it's not our ministry. All we need is attitude, an attitude of hospitality and brotherly love. We Filipinos are coined to be hospitable people and we as Christians should be the most hospitable. Considering the story of Elijah and the widow in 1 Kings 17:7-16, the widow gave all that she had been left for Elijah and she was then blessed and her jars are filled with many. We should be like the widow, even if we have nothing left, we should still show the light of the Word who is Jesus Christ upon us through this kind of hospitality inside the church. I have a true to life story:

My father is working in South Korea and he attends regularly to a church there. When he got home for a vacation, he showed me some of the pictures of their church and their church look amazing and the structure was very beautiful. Then he told me that that church was once a very small church with a small number of attenders. In my mind, that was usual to churches because all churches started small. But this church's story is a lot different than I imagined.

That church was a small church with very hospitable members. Actually, they have no ushers because everyone is an usher. One Sunday, a very old man was walking outside the streets when he suddenly heared the church's music. He entered the church and he was welcomed by members gladly and treated him as a special guest, though he is not a Christian. The old man became a regular attender in the church and he was very glad about the people of the church. One time the old man talked to the pastor and he said that one day the church will own the large land in front of their church and the pastor just didn't believed.

During offerings, the old man would give his whole wallet out and throw it to the offering basket. The old man was actually an owner of a large shipping company in South Korea! Every time he goes to church he just walks but his bodyguards are watching him from afar in disguise. He bought the large land in front of the church and entitled it to the church. The church suddenly became a very great church in Korea.

As Christians, we should all have the heart of an usher. Although the Bible doesn't say anything direct about ushering, Jesus, our great teacher, is the greatest example. He had welcomed us into His kingdom even if we're not deserving.

Being the Love Hand of God

The Bible doesn't say much about ushers in the church but having the example of Jesus, all of us should have the heart to usher to one another especially to new members or visitors in the church. It's almost like the evangelism ministry. The ushers are the hand of God that draws people closer to the church and it shows love much more than any other ministry in the church. Being welcomed into the Kingdom of God is a very exciting feeling -- to be loved, and to be accepted though we're sinners. Remember that we are the children of God and those children should be the first to welcome the visitors (unbelievers, believers, etc.).

Being welcome to one another (openness) also prevents members of the church from backsliding, thus, it supports one another on the love of God. It also promotes brotherly love where it becomes a firm foundation of the church. All of us should be a reachable help as God has gave His Son for us and welcomed us into His presence.

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DotA: Masama O Mabuti?

[Editted]

Crystal Maiden, Skeleton King, Doom Bringer at Gorgon, ilan lang yan sa mga pinakasikat na karakter ng isang sikat na larong tinatawag na DotA. Madami ang nahuhumaling sa computer game na ito dahil ito ay isang larong sumusukat sa kakayahan ng naglalaro nito at ipag-tagisan ito sa kapwa manlalaro.

Ang larong DotA (Defense of the Ancient) ay isang custom map sa larong Warcraft 3. Ang katotohanan sa likod ng DotA ay hindi maganda. It ay isang satanic game. Sa pangalan pa lang ng mga karakter at tema ng laro, mahahalata na ang larong ito ay inspirado ng mythology, killing, bragging, devil at kung ano ano pang masamang elemento. Ito din ay nageengganyo sa mga manlalaro sa tema nito na patayan: masmaraming mapapatay, masmaraming pera at maging BEYOND GODLIKE (higit pa sa Diyos). Ang litrato sa kaliwa ay isang kuha mula sa larong ito. Dito ay ipinapakita ang deskripsiyon ng karakter na si Lucifer (Si Satanas mismo) na kilala din sa pangalang Doom Bringer.

Ang laro ay simple lang naman: depensahan ninyo ang sarili ninyong teritoryo at sakupin ang kabilang teritoryo. Dalawang koponan ang nahahati: ang Sentinel (good daw) at ang Scourge(ang mga kontrabida). Ang mga karakter ay halong tao at mga halimaw na nakikipaglaban sa isa't isa. Kailangan patayin mo ang karakter ng kalaban mo kundi ikaw ang papatayin at kapag napatay mo siya ay meron kang bonus money na pwede mong ipambili ng mga pampalakas ng karakter mo para mas lumakas pa.

Ano ang pakay nito? Ang #1 pakay nito ay purihin si satanas at hindi ang ating Panginoon. Ito ay isang malaking desepsyon kung saan ang naglalaro ay ineenjoy ang laro nang hindi niya alam na it pala ay isang pandaraya ni satanas.

Sa unang tingin pa lamang ay hindi na nakakalugod sa ating Panginoon ang larong ito. Ang sabi nga ng bibliya: "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me" -Psalm 101:3 (pasensya na sa Ingles na bersyon).

Ito ay ilan lamang sa mga CHEATS o mga salitang pandaya sa larong ito:

♦ WHOSYOURDADDY (Who's your daddy?/sino ang iyong ama?) - Ito ay ginagamit upang magkaron ng ganap na kontrol sa laro. Ito din ay tumutukoy na inaamin mo na ang ama mo ay si satanas na nagbigay sa'yo ng ganap na kontrol sa laro.

♦GREEDISGOOD (Greed is good/mabuti ang kasakiman) - Ito ay para magkaron ka ng masmaraming pera. Malinaw na din sa sariling salita kung bakit ito masama.

♦ISEEDEADPEOPLE (I see dead people/Nakakakita ako ng mga patay na tao) - Ito ay para makita ang buong mapa ng laro (kadalasan ng mga laro ay may mapa para makita ang lokasyon ng kung ano-anong bagay, karakter at kalaban). Ang ibig sabihin din nito sa literal ay kapag nakita mo na ang buong mapa, dinedeklara mo nang patay ang iyong kalaban dahil dinaya mo sa pamamagitan ng cheat na ito dahil mapagpaplanuhan mo na kung saang parte ka aatake.

Ito ay ilan sa mga pangalan ng mga karakter sa larong ito: Deathbringer, Skeleton King, Chaos Knight, Abaddon (ibig sabihin ay pagkawasak, isang pangalan ng demonyo na binanggit sa Bibliya), Leviathan (isang halimaw sa dagat na binanggit din sa bibliya), Necromancer (nakikipag-usap sa mga patay) at madami pang pangalang tumutukoy sa mga nilalang ng kadiliman.

Mejo mahirap ipaliwanag ang larong ito para sa mga hindi pa nakapaglaro nito. Binabalaan ko lang ang mga taong gustong subukan ang larong ito. Huwag kayong magpapadala sa pandaraya ng demonyo.


Hindi ko ipinagbabawal ang paglaro ng larong ito pero sa ngayon alam kong malinaw na para sa inyong mga mambabasa at kapwa kapatid sa Panginoon na ang larong ito ay devil inspired. Hindi makabubuti ang paglalaro nitong larong ito at alam ninyo iyon sa sarili ninyo. Sinasayang nito ang inyong panahon at pera. Ang kasiyahan sa larong ito ay panandalian lamang samantalang ang kaligayahan sa ating Panginoon ay hindi nakakasawa at magpakailanma'y hindi magbabago.

Sa madaliang salita: DotA = MASAMA. Hindi dapat ito nilalaro ng isang Kristyano, lalo na ang mga kabataan o kahit hindi din mga mananampalataya. Hindi lang ang larong DotA ang devil inspired. Madaming laro ngayon, lalo na sa mga kompyuter, ay devil inspired. Dapat nating piliin kung ano ang mga bagay na pumapasok sa ating mata at tenga.

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Should A Christian Vote?

"SHOULD A CHRISTIAN VOTE?" - This is a fairly asked question among Christians today but it is an intriguing question that is still unanswered.

For me, there is nothing wrong with not voting and voting. Voting is for the betterment of our country and if not voting is your means for the betterment of the country, it's up to you if you'll vote or not and being a Christian is not really a hindrance in voting.

There is no such verse or passage in the Bible that says something wrong about voting. Voting is not a sin, it is a gift for the people, a chance to speak and a chance for a change. God has given us the wisdom and we, as Christians, should use it in voting. We should clearly know who are we voting for and why. Ask wisdom from the Lord and He will give it freely (James 1:5).

Some Christians disagree with voting. They said that when Jesus is still living on the earth, He did not vote. Yes, it's true. But remember that He is God and He had perfect free will. He doesn't even have a need to vote because He can elect anyone He wants. "With God all things are possible" and when He said ALL it is really a big ALL and nothing has exception. Christians don't vote just because Jesus didn't vote or they are saying that they are hindering the will of God if they'll vote. The will of God will never be put to existence without a medium and we are that medium.

Not voting is also not wrong, remember that God has given us free-will. If praying for the people is your choice then go for it but still you can vote, just remember to register before registration closes. Praying for the leaders is a good choice but it can be better done when we vote for the right leader (which is through wisdom and revelation of God). We can also pray in tongues to get the most out of it (suggested best) but still voting is putting it into action. If you did not vote, you just lost a once-in-six-years opportunity to change a government. Your one-in-a-million vote is a very important factor.

Now, voting should not be a big issue in the Church. It will not guarantee salvation. Voting is an instrument for building a better nation but without God in your actions it are nothing. Do everything unto the Lord.

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Faithful and Loyal, So What's the Difference?

Recently, I have received this text message from a friend of mine:

Know the difference between loyal and faithful? A faithful person don't have time to get attracted with others. His/her attention is exclusively for the only one he/she loves. A loyal person still gets attracted to others, appreciates beauty, flirt in some ways. But at the end of the day... a loyal person knows where his/her heart belongs.

This SMS message instantly strucked me when I first read this. It is like our Christian life. God never wants us to be loyal to Him but to be FAITHFUL to Him and in His statutes. God is so faithful to us that he never let us down in every promise He said and of course, He will stick to His word because His integrity is unimaginable. He loves you and also He loves me because we are His sons and daughters. Although He loves another it is the same as yours and faithful to His word.

His people, the believers, commonly becomes the loyalist. These people at first are faithful to God then becomes loyal. How can it be? Most of the time, they tend to sin and later repent and after repentance they come back to their own sinful ways. They are attracted to what the devil offers and they play with it. They are like dogs that returns to their vomit (Proverbs 26:11 - As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly).

God never wanted someone like that. He wants faithful Christians to be rewarded in Heaven. As it is written in Matthew 25:21, "...Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!". Only the faithful servants will be rewarded completely.

Remember that God sees everything so everything you do are not secret to Him.

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The Zealots of Today

Last year's a very good year for me. I've visited many churches and learn many from each and have distinguished one common similarity about these churches. I may give this credit for the youth groups in these churches. These youth groups are the one called "zealots" in the churches.

I have an encounter with Victory Church International Christian Ministries in Camarin, Caloocan. I have observed their youth and noticed that almost all of them are being prepared to be a pastor! These dudes are real zealots. Each one of them (even though a very small church) had a disciple and they've been trained to evangelize and disciple. I was also invited to a youth fellowship on regular sundays called 'Youth Stop' at Emmanuel Christian Ministries International (am I right?). My friend, Joef, said to me that their goal is to gather 100 youth. I am very blessed to hear that. He added that they are moving house to house spreading the Gospel.

These people, the youth, are very energetic physically and spiritualy. They have been much active than the more adult church members. We, as a youth and having that same energy and zeal and enthusiasm, have to be more active. We shouldn't be exclusive to our church, we should show the community the real light.

Timothy, a disciple of Paul and considered him as his own son, was trained like the way these youth people are trained. Likewise we should train ourselves to the true war in the heavenly realms. More over, Timothy was a respected Christian in his hometown of Lystra, he became an example towards the elderly being a young man. The biggest responsibility given to him was to handle a small church at Ephesus. It's a big responsibility for a young person but being a Christian it's a very great opportunity to serve the Lord.

We also, should have the same vision. We all have been given the authority to trample over snakes and serpents: over trials and strongholds of the enemy and his minions. Weeven  have the power to lead a small church! We are being prepared for a greater level of Christianiy and a better craft. God's craft shall we do. What Jesus can do we also can do! Have the eagerness to serve and He will satisfy you.

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Ultimate Issues: Homosexuality

Is the gay lifestyle really wrong? Shows like Will and Grace, Boy Meets Boy, and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (All-American shows) would say no. Instead, they would argue that homosexuality is "an alternative lifestyle" - one that you hear about more and more on TV and also in the courts.

For example, in 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decided that denying same-sex couples the right to marriage was unconstitutional. They also decided that the definition of marriage to change from union of a man and a woman to the "voluntary union of two persons as spouses, to the exclusion of others."

By now, you might wonder what the real scoop is. In the face of changing legislature, has God's view of homosexuality also changed? --- No...

Now here's a longer one: in Romans 1:18-32, the apostle Paul has particularly harsh words for those who engage in idolatry and homosexuality. Men and women who practice homosexuality go against God's design for human sexuality and will experience consequences for their actions.

Two important messages need to be given on the subject of homosexuality. One is for our society, where biblical notions of right and wrong are sometimes viewed as outdated. That message is that some lifestyles are not  acceptable "alternatives".

The second message is for Christians. While homosexuality is sin, it is not the unforgivable sin (see Mark 3:29). God loves homosexuals just as much as He loves other people who do wrong. Jesus' death on the cross paid for the sin of homosexuality, just as it paid for the sins of lying, greed, lust, hate, and pride.

Homosexuals, like all wrongdoers, stand guilty before God. If that were the whole story, there would be no hope. The greate message of Romans - and the entire Bible - is that Jesus can set us free, regardless of what we've done wrong.

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Practical Discipleship - How Do We Disciple Others?

Sorry for the late post. I'm sure all of you are waiting for this next part so here it goes... 

By Jason Weimer, Western Pennsylvania Catalytic Team

So, discipleship is developing someone in the character and actions of Jesus, and equipping them to develop others. It is simply passing on what you’ve learned and been trained in to others. To be a discipler, you first need to be a disciple. You need to be growing in order to help others grow.

The next question one might ask is: How exactly do I do this? How do I effectively pass on what I’ve learned to those I’ll disciple? There are five essential elements in discipleship: Evangelism, Fellowship, Teaching, Training, and Prayer. These are the nuts and bolts of your discipleship appointments, the mechanism through which you can pass on what you’ve learned. We’ll take a look at each one individually.

Evangelism - It has been said that “discipleship without evangelism is just counseling.” If we aren’t taking our disciples out to share their faith, we become nothing more than a counselor trying to help sort out their issues and problems. Jesus called us to “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19), and the first step in making disciples is sharing the Gospel with those who don’t yet know Christ.

We need to be teaching our disciples how to share their faith with others so they can effectively reach others with the Gospel. The most practical way to teach someone how to share his faith is to actually go out and do it. This can be by taking him out to a dorm or the student union and doing spiritual questionnaires with people or just hanging out with a non-Christian friend and having a conversation about spiritual things. But it is essential that we take our disciples with us and share our faith together.

Fellowship - It is important to be a friend to the people we’re discipling, so part of discipleship is developing that friendship. This can be inside or out of the set “discipleship time”, but a deepening friendship is important in developing an environment of vulnerability and growth.

Teaching - This element deals specifically with teaching someone Scripture: what it says, what it means, how it applies to him or her, etc. It can be teaching a passage that addresses a struggle or issue your disciple has or simply a lesson on Biblical history or
doctrine to help her gain a greater knowledge of the Word and how it applies to her life. Teaching someone Scripture helps develop heart, mind, vision, and character.

Training - This element deals with training someone how to minister to others. It could be training him how to lead a Bible study, how to disciple someone else, how to share the Gospel, etc. It is different from teaching in that teaching addresses your disciple’s personal development, while training addresses how he can minister to others.

Prayer - Of course, prayer is a vital part of discipleship. A discipler should pray regularly for his or her disciples, as well as pray with them. This is the most vital of all the elements, because it is the Lord who will cause our disciples to grow, not us, and we need to be praying for them and praying that God will use us as a vessel to help them grow.

A discipleship appointment can be a combination of all 5 of these elements, or just a few at a time. Sometimes it is good spend the whole appointment sharing your faith with others, or teaching on a critical issue in your disciple’s life, or even just hanging out and playing pool. Most appointments probably will have a mix of several elements.

But in order to have an effective, life-changing discipleship relationship, you need a healthy balance of all 5 elements coupled with a healthy dose of reliance on God. You need to be taking them out to share their faith, teaching them from the Word, training them how to minister to others, praying for them and with them, and just being a good friend.

One of the most important things to remember is that discipleship is much more than just a weekly appointment - it is demonstrating the Christian life to your disciple on a day-to-day basis. Most lessons you’ll teach to your disciples will be outside your regular appointments - they will learn from you through seeing Christ in you as you walk by faith. Jesus simply lived His life in front of the 12 disciples and modeled to them how to live. Most people learn best by observing and experiencing than by being directly taught. So, make discipleship more than just a weekly meeting in the Student Union - make it an exciting experience and a deep relationship!

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Practical Discipleship - Why Do We Disciple Others?

By Jason Weimer, Western Pennsylvania Catalytic Team

Let’s start by reviewing why discipleship is so important. First, of all the crowds of people that surrounded Jesus almost constantly, He chose to devote much of His time and teaching to 12 rather common, ordinary men. Why? Wouldn’t it have been easier for Him to spend all His time preaching to the masses, winning many souls to Himself, and building up a huge number of followers? He could have easily reached tens of thousands and established a church with a broad base and large number of people. But what would have happened after His death, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven?

The large number of new believers would be without trained leaders to carry on Jesus’ teachings and no one would grow in their new faith - they would be like a boat without a rudder. Instead, Jesus chose to focus on 12 prayerfully chosen men who He staked His whole ministry on. He specifically and intentionally chose them, lived with them, taught them, and instilled His plans and purposes into them.

And now, starting with these men under the power of the Holy Spirit, the church has expanded literally around the world, with hundreds of millions of believers. The principle Jesus set called spiritual multiplication, and the apostle Paul described it best in 2 Timothy 2:2: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”

In spiritual multiplication, the aim is to invest in a few people, equipping each of them to invest in another few people, and so on. If you pour into 3 people, then they each pour into 3 more, you end up in 12 people devoted and matured (your 3 + their 9). Then if those 9 disciples each pour into 3 more, and so on, very quickly there can be a huge number of people discipled. Jesus strategically ministered in this way, and we can too.

Why do we disciple others? Simple- because it is the practice Jesus set, and it is the most efficient way to reach the world. By pouring into a few, developing them in the character and actions of Jesus, and equipping them to develop others, we can be used by God to make a great impact in reaching the world for Christ.

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