September 2010

STAYING POWER OF GOD

He got up and was baptized…. – Acts 9:18
On the morning of February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia re-entered the earth’s atmosphere after a 16-day scientific mission. A few minutes before its expected landing, the shuttle burst into flames, lost its power, disintegrated and crashed in the desert of California.
Columbia needed a large amount […]

AS EASY AS ADDITION

“The Lord, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will also keep me safe from the clutches of this Philistine.” – 1 Samuel 17:37
I can still feel the thrill when I first performed two-digit addition. As a first grader, my knowledge was limited only to single digit math. But one […]

SUNDAY STRUGGLE

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” – Mark 2:27
There are very few “big things” that my wife and I quarrel about. One is attending Sunday Mass first thing in the morning and being on time. That’s the least that I can do as my way of giving my Sunday to […]

A MOTOR CYCLE AND AN ENEMY

“Obedience is better than sacrifice.” – 1 Samuel 15:22
I’ve had many experiences that prove that obedience to the Lord really pays. Let me share two with you. Before, I hated riding on my husband’s motorcycle because, well, it wasn’t
as classy as riding in a car. But the Lord said, “Be thankful in all circumstances.” So […]

FRIENDS IN DEED

They came bringing to Him a paralytic carried by four men. – Mark 2:3
My eight-year-old cell phone went kaput. I was on a shoestring budget then and buying a new cell phone, even the cheapest one, was a luxury. I needed a replacement soonest but my circumstances prevented me from getting one. I informed some […]

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

It was a disastrous defeat, in which Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. – 1 Samuel 4:10
On a train ride up to the Canadian Rocky Mountains, we passed through mountains upon mountains of evergreen trees. We also traversed through wide areas of pine forest that burned to the ground because of fires started by careless […]

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

“Here I am. You called me.” – 1 Samuel 3:5
During a Light of Jesus retreat, the first ever my husband, Ed, and I attended, I really felt the presence of Jesus. I remember, like Samuel in today’s reading, I woke up in the middle of the night. I walked to the chapel of the retreat […]

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

“Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom….” – Isaiah 40:11
My pet cat Casper had an appetite problem. He was choosy with food and ate like a bird. So whenever he skipped a meal, I thought that was normal. But when Casper was one […]

FISHERS OF MEN

“Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.” – Mark 1:17
The Bukas Loob Sa Diyos-Gawad Kalinga ministry (BLD-GK) members were awake at the crack of dawn on a rainy Sunday for the two-hour drive to Cabiao, Nueva Ecija. They were eager to conduct a basic Bible seminar.
It was the first time for […]

Kindness

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12
God wants us to be kind. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit working in our lives is kindness.
What is kindness? It is being gracious and loving and forgiving to others — even when sometimes […]