Growing up in a traditional Asian home, I was taught to be polite, quiet, shy, humble, and deferential. Conformity to expectations is often emphasized, and emotional outbursts are discouraged. Failure to meet the family's expectations could mean bringing shame and...
"Bote!" "Garapa!" "Dyaryo!" Shouted by a cart-pushing Chinaman going around our Manila neighborhood, these words woke me up most mornings when I was a kid—bagong-saltang probinsyana (fresh from the province, Sampaloc, Quezon) getting used to life in Manila. This was...
The scripture mentioned above is part of a prophecy made by Jeremiah and is used and claimed by many people just for that specific part. Now, I will not venture into any discussion about claiming verses out of the blue just because it is their memory or life verse....
The greatest treasure in King Solomon’s Temple was the ark of the covenant, where God’s presence resided. Priests would sprinkle blood on the ark’s mercy seat for the forgiveness of the people’s sin. We, too, have a covenant. Jesus made it, saying, “this cup is the...
Some folks measure time by years--January 1 to December 31. Some folks keep track of it by birthdays. Some by how long it is until they can finally draw retirement benefits and kiss work goodbye forever, or how many weeks or years stand between them and getting...
Abraham Lincoln, the American president who faced tremendous personal struggles in his life, once said, "I have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go." And it often takes just that—the overwhelming conviction...
As we begin a new year, it’s wonderful to know that God makes us new! We are fearfully and wonderfully made, says Psalm 139:14, and Genesis 1:27 tells us we are made in God’s image. Sadly, sin interferes with His perfect plan—but when you give your life to Jesus and...
As the new year begins, it’s good to set aside time to ask God for wisdom. Proverbs 9:10 tells us, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This doesn’t mean we’re afraid of God; it means we are in absolute awe of His majesty, how He works through generations,...
A book is one of the best things that you can give someone today. The pandemic restrictions have given people more time to read. Giving a loved one a book is also healthy because it may help them stop drowning themselves in online binge-watching, which, according to a...
Everybody loves babies, right? Commuters in crowded airports, shoppers on a street corner, even hard-nosed businessmen who seldom crack a smile, always manage to pause and notice a baby. Babies are unaffected, sincere, unassuming, and pure. They are the stuff that...