HOME SWEAT HOME

Once in a while, I get to be a lipat-bahay (house transfer) wannabe-expert.

This senior happens to have been in the hustle-bustle of two lipatans while my son's family moved―first from a rented flat to a house of their own in one U.S. state; then, when they transferred to the west coast recently (from an apartment to their new house). For good, I pray!

These creaky knees and gouty foot probably could not stand any more lipatan. Sharing with you some lipatan lessons before they get trashed off my memory bin:

·  Organize and label your packed boxes or bags to easily and promptly stash them in their intended rooms or closets―makes it easier for the family to settle down in your new place .

·  If you're buying new furnishings, take time to Google-search, visit stores and compare prices to ensure you get best value for your hard earned money.

·  Husbands, let it go! Allow your wives' decorating instinct to bloom. A must to maintain the peace. (Unless you want them not speaking to you for days. Hmmm…)

·  Finally, no moving targets! Set a definite date to transfer so you don't dilly-dally on your packing―because staying much longer in your rented place suggests additional cost, which you could save for oncoming monthly mortgages.

If your dream house is ready for occupancy, why delay? 

Realities of course could prevent you from moving as scheduled: family situations or priorities demanding immediate attention, very demanding work, or you're plain stressed and lack the energy to get into the groove to move.

Makes me wonder. The houses, even mansions, people build on a few hundred square meters of earth are temporary―may even be a source of sorrow for many because of sky-high amortizations, high maintenance and utilities cost, the need for pricey furnishings and décor, and possible natural aggravations like typhoons.

Owning a house which you can call a home is a blessing. Here's the irony: Many make a living to acquire possessions, yet find themselves hardly savoring their benefits.

That's why I'm relieved, even ecstatic, when I think of my eternal home. I don't even need to sweat to move in―because Someone already paid the price so I can take residence there, for good.

Jesus says in John 14:2 (King James), "In my Father's house are many mansions..." He's prepared our eternal dwelling place for us, ready at a breath's notice.

No wonder He cautions (John 14:1), "Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me."

The key to the door? Acts 16:31―"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." That's a covenant promise. You and your loved ones could be part of His family. Heavenly mansions have been deeded to you―if you'd confess Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

Jesus Himself will welcome you! (John 14:3).

No packing. No aggravation. Ready when you are, Jesus!  

Photo/image credits: 

http://si.wsj.net

http://www.commonfloor.com

https://img0.etsystatic.com

JOYFUL FRUIT

Natalie and her friend Olaf

Senior folks' daily lives may easily flat-line especially if all their kids have left home; worse, if they choose to live overseas.

Empty-nesters. That’s what my husband and I have been these recent years.

Jack's extended employment after reaching 60 and my being busy with university teaching, writing and holding seminars have of course helped quench our once-in-a-while longing for them, especially our apos (grandkids).

By His grace, we've overcome!

Our children of course have their own lives and we have always encouraged them to pray and pursue God's direction for them.

So here we are visiting our son's family in San Diego (U.S.A.) which Carlo and his wife Opal have chosen to call home.

My pretty granddaughters: Cousins Charlize (left) and Natalie at three months 

I was of course most excited to bond with their daughter Natalie again. Lola Yay was present two and a half years ago when she was born; so I was awe-struck seeing her all so smart and looking like a little lady―her hair in a bob and with full bangs.  

Natalie regales us with her endless singing, her favorite song being "Let It Go" from the animated movie Frozen―which she's watched tirelessly. Just the other day, she sang "Jesus Loves Me" for my friend Tisha on YM.

Natalie the gymnast

From being Frozen's Anna, she becomes Princess Sophia 1 the next minute; then builds a palace of blocks the next; afterwards shapes a dress with her play dough, or prepares Minnie the mouse for skating.

She even knows how to search for (parent-allowed) sites on YouTube―and stay really focused on the lesson at hand. Curious about almost everything, she'd constantly ask, "Let me check it out."

We're glad to be here this season of our lives. Strengthening ties with our loved ones is God-ordained.

After He rose from the dead and before He went back to His Father in heaven, Jesus said (Acts 1:8): 

"But ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Joaqui at 10 years old

Our family is our "Jerusalem," so we must take every opportunity to minister to them while we have the strength―no matter how far they are.

We had initial misgivings about spending for this trip. As retirees, we should set aside enough for emergency needs. But we decided to go anyway, believing that as long as we are within God's will, we will be blessed.

Don't be caught flat-footed or comatose-like wishing. If you need to fly to be with a loved one, then fly. "Just do it!" says Nike.

In my book, "Grandparenting: Happiness and Hard Work," I recalled the times I visited my daughter's family in Australia: 

"Who could pin a peso value to bonding times with grandkids? Like giving the newborn (Charlize) her bath, reading to and playing cars and planes with Joaqui who was three years old then.

"I’ve always been Sydney-bound―looking forward to the next visit as if it were genuine missionary work (which I believe it is)… Pre-school or primary school age is when you can hug and cuddle them most―a pretty impressionable stage too.

"Come to think of it, lolas and lolos have managed to glue together Filipino families in spite of our diaspora. Where Pinoy families are, grandparents are too, keeping households intact, taking care of the babies, and preserving and passing on the best of Filipino values especially where popular culture counters their faith.    

“'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law' (Galatians 5:22-23).

"Grandparents patiently keeping their children’s households abroad must stash a lot of this fruit in their hearts."

IN CONTROL

He (or they) must be pretty smart―whoever makes things seem easy-breezy and orderly at airports.

Fly with me to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), California, the United States' second busiest airport and the fourth worldwide.

Its 2013 Wikipedia statistics: 66.7million passengers; 1.1 metric tons of cargo; and more than 353,000  aircrafts flying in and out. An average of 182,740 pax and 967 planes a day!

How on earth can anyone or any group of people manage all these? Must be due to a pretty well-oiled system, a competent team, or state-of-the-art technology―or a combination of all these.

To simple-minded me, that's one mind-boggling logistics nightmare; its complexity I can't even imagine.

But even more intriguing is that sleek sky-boat jetting people in and out of airports. Do you know that the biggest plane in the world weighs 285 metric tons―640 metric tons including cargo and passengers?

How can something as heavy, thrust itself heavenward-ward, then cross 11,747 km (7,299 miles), say from Manila to the US―at precisely the time and spot you've been promised you'd land. 

Unthinkable too, to my unscientific pedestrian mind, is this: that plane defied gravity!

I relished all these recently as we flew in to the Los Angeles airport, from where my husband and I would take another flight to San Diego for a much-anticipated visit of our son Carlo's family, my sisters and a handful of nieces and their extended families.

While the plane taxied down the runway, we viewed on its TV monitor the aircraft's underbelly―its front wheel precisely rolling on the thin runway line. Talk of precision technology and precision-trained pilots!

Travellers make it safe to their destinations today because of those with the wisdom to invent, innovate, plan and execute up to the tiniest details, and closely coordinate with others even across the globe.

System and people failures (even terrorists), along with typhoons, can wreak havoc on even the best plans. That's why security checks have never been more rigorous.

But isn't it awesome that God has equipped man with wisdom, and limitless capabilities to create and put into motion seemingly undoable things, like making travel safe and comfortable―even in the sky?

Didn't God say, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule…" (Genesis 1:26)?

God surely meant that likeness to be in the form of wisdom, understanding, insight, inventiveness, creativity, the ability to dream, have a vision, plan, execute, etc.

Genesis 2:7―Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life… man became a living being.

Yes, you and I are but dust; and we remember that when we see a loved one's remains in the cremation chamber. But it is not our form―nor this flesh we try to pamper everyday―which makes us like Him. His Spirit living in us makes us like Him.

No wonder we can manage life and its complexities like no other creature can. 

My next booking better be for space travel. 

Photo credits: 
www.loyolaphoenix.com
www.cathaypacific.com
www.scientificamerican.com

KILLING IN WHOSE NAME?

"Heartless" could not even describe it—how some extremist groups have become savages, pumping our hearts with dread and shaming governments.

Consider these latest incidents happening too eerily close to each other:

The MILF decimating  44 of our finest policemen;  ISIS beheading 21 Egyptian Christians;  and jihadists very recently abducting 90 Syrian believers.

Last year, Boko Haram kidnapped nearly 300 school girls in Nigeria. And backtracking, Hitler exterminated six million Jews between 1933 and 1945.

Yet all these don't even come close to the quiet yet equally barbaric disposal of a demographic too helpless and voiceless to protest or defend themselves—the 40-50 million babies aborted yearly worldwide; 125,000 daily abortions per the World Health Organization (WHO)

How and why has it come to this? The statistics reveal a rising trend of lawlessness  on all fronts as we approach the end-times.

2 Timothy 3:2-4―"... men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God..."

Those who kill in the name of religion do so because they believe God rejoices every time they murder "infidels". They even expect extravagant rewards when they enter heaven.  

Hitler was maniacally driven to upscale the Aryan race when he decimated the Jews. Some terrorists do it merely for money and power.  Those who have their babies aborted do it to cover up their shame or to avoid inconvenience.  

God is loving, compassionate and gracious. How could anyone even think that He would sanction hatred and murder? If He wonderfully and fearfully created each one of us (Psalm 139), how could He say yes to genocide, rape and violence against helpless infants, children, women and ethnic groups?

Some of us are clueless about the devil's machinations. He is real and has upped his game because he knows his time is limited. Jesus will come again soon to forever establish His reign.

Revelations 12:9—And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Yes, there has been a tsunami of lawlessness. But we cannot cower in fear.  The bible reminds us: "God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline (2 Tim 1:7)."

Meanwhile, let's pray and believe―that He will visit and make Himself known to those who maim and kill; and make their hearts right with God.  

"Son of Hamas" best-selling author Mosab Hassan Yousef was a member of one of the most-feared terrorist groups;  but Jesus visited him in prison one day and his life completely turned around.

Remember Paul? He too persecuted and approved the killing of believers. But he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and like Mosab, he became a fearless believer.

God is still in control, folks. Let's stay awake, praying and believing.  

Remember too:  His angels encamp around those who trust Him. If He is for us, who can be against us?

Photo credits:

http://wrc.ucr.edu

http://4.bp.blogspot.com

http://fciministries.com

DISRUPTIVE

What would tend to disrupt your day?

The dictionary says something is "disruptive" if it creates disorder or confusion.

It does not refer to mere interruption―which just breaks the continuity or uniformity of a process. Disruption connotes a sense of struggle, violence or conflict.  

In earthquake terms," interruption" might mean a mere magnitude "2" on the Richter Scale; with "disruption" measuring  "7" or above.

Remember the 2011 magnitude 9 earthquake which, with a tsunami,  wiped out the homes of more than 300,000 in Japan?  

Typhoon Yolanda was as disruptive when it levelled communities and claimed 6,340 lives in the Visayas―just as Pinoys were getting ready for Christmas 2013.

Disruptive innovation by highly competitive companies makes old technologies obsolete, resulting in the closure of their rivals' plants and their workers (especially those who have not learned new skills) without jobs.  

It will take time for our kababayans from the Visayas to rebuild their lives. They did not only lose their houses and livelihoods but their loved ones as well.

You might know someone who lost a job recently because the company he worked for closed; and he cannot now find a job―no skills to match new vacancies.  

What has disrupted your life recently? Interruptions and disruptions are a fact of life, as surely as the sun rises, and the tide ebbs and flows. Nothing is permanent.

Because we live in world marred by sin―man's greed, selfishness, mismanagement of resources and the environment―we will constantly be stressing and fighting to get through some days.

You thought you had your business figured out but surprisingly found yourself in bankrupt alley.  

Or your life is just great: money in the bank, wonderful family; but your doctor just told you a jaw-dropper―the big C's got you!

One executive reached the very top of the corporate ladder; but deep down, he knew he got stuck in the basement. His wife left him, and his teenage daughter will soon give birth―father unknown.

Take heart. Jesus is a specialist at turning disruptions around. He experienced it foremost:  Son of God, yet His glorious heavenly reign was put on hold for a while. But what a win for mankind―we've been reconciled with God.

In our brokenness, weakness or struggle to fend off life's constant tsunamis, His is the Name that we can call and depend on.

Jesus knew disruptions spelled the difference between life and death, or superb and mediocre. They gave Him room to act, on someone's behalf.

He was on the way to lay hands on Jairus' sick girl (Mark 5), then was stopped by a woman who had bled for 12 years. She was healed as she touched the hem of His cloak. Because of that delay, the little girl died. But guess what―an even bigger miracle: Jesus made her alive again!

Romans 8: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (v 28)."

He continues to intercede for us (v 34)― because He conquered death and sin and all the plans of the enemy to destroy us; then went back to His exalted position at the right hand of the Father, with His eye and His grace trained on those who would believe and place their trust in Him.

With Jesus, nothing is impossible.  Hey, even the storms obey Him!

Photo credits:

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tPQ5iTcnXW0/maxresdefault.jpg

https://medtechboston.medstro.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/disruptive-innovation.jpg

http://www.pinnlaw.com/bankruptcy_law.html

POSSESSED?

Can the devil possess us?

New Life Christian Center's Pastor Joey Rafael and Shoddy Chase taught on this topic recently---apparently triggered by some believers' fear that spirits may "jump" into them.  

I'm sure this fear has crossed your mind as it did mine at times, especially if you're fond of watching horror movies. (So stop watching them, for your sake!)

Mark 5:1-13 tells of this seemingly crazy man who was in fact demon possessed and tormented day and night by a motley of spirits, collectively named Legion. Jesus's presence caused them to speak out and beg Jesus not to send them out of that region. So Jesus cast them out from the man to a herd of pigs which plunged to their death in the lake.   

So to answer the question: A big "NO!" if Jesus rules your heart, your choices and your life. 

First, Satan is a long defeated enemy. Jesus says in Luke 10 that Satan has fallen like lightning from heaven. He has given believers the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the powers of the enemy.

His followers testified, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." 

We are in the Winning Team if you've acknowledged Jesus as your Savior and Lord---because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus! (Matthew 28:18)

Satan shouldn't even be such a huge concern. Jesus Himself says in Luke10:20, "Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." 

It's a given: If Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches, the same power is in us. Jesus died and rose again and He's seated today at the right hand of the Father, "Far above all rule and authority, power and dominion and every name that is invoked..."

We can do even greater, promised Jesus! 

John 14:12---Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 

So who possesses you? Make sure Jesus does.  

Photo credits:
amb-church.net
spiritual-weapons.blogspot.com
gifvila.deviantart.com

SELFIE-NESS (SELFIE PART 2)

Movies have their own sequels so you can treat this post as part two of "Check the Selfie" which registered one of the highest views on this blog.

Sequels are a film producer's way of milking a franchise, like "Rambo," till it runs dry, or once movie goers start asking, "Who's Sylvester Stallone, anyway?"

Which suggests that an actor's glory days will eventually fade just like classic Levi's jeans---and that's in spite of all his nip, tuck and botox treatments. 

Skin and themes can only be stretched so much.  

Meanwhile, we can still milk the selfie for its amazing lessons. I don't think we've grilled it enough that it can shout back, "Enough already!" 

Selfie-ness is on the rise, that's for sure.  

One juicy selfie news: Kim Kardashian it seems has found it challenging to satisfy the tsismosos (gossipy) around us---I among them, mea culpa---because she's running short of selfie concepts to keep us glued to her site. Her baby, North, unwittingly fills the gap. Poor baby!  

We of course know the greatest selfie-ness purveyor.

You guessed right, Facebook! All of us are guilty of plastering FB with our faces. But as I point to you, my three other fingers are directed me-wise. So let's tackle this 21st century addiction with a candid and self-deprecating attitude.

Cross-examine ourselves now to rightly diagnose our selfie-addiction: 

• How often am I tempted to take a selfie picture for the urge to show off... er... share something new about myself?

• When I eat out, do I have this irresistible, unquenchable tendency---just when my companions are about to pounce on that crunchy crispy pata---to holler, "Hold it!" Camera clicks. Then the go-signal to "Dig in!" (In a few seconds, the crispy pata is up on FB cloud as the real deal sadly makes its way into its gut-wrenching destiny.)

• When I travel, am I in the habit of letting the whole world know I'm in this or that airport or I'm bound for some place spectacular? 

• And a lot more: New car. New mani-pedi. New pair of shoes. New bling.  

Overheard this comment? Wala nang itinago. (Everything exposed.)

This sobering comment (by an IT expert in last year's gathering of OMF writers) should give us pause: 

At the rate people share photos, personal information, whereabouts, feelings, etc., they're giving room for evil-intentioned people to steal their identities (and many have been reported in the US) or track their every move so that they can ransack homes or stalk them to satisfy their fetishism or obsession.   

The millennial demographic is prone to selfie-ness, claim the experts. Often referred to as the narcissistic generation, gen-Yers are said to be self-obsessed. 

They express their center-of-the-universe attitude using their smart phones and tablets---technologies which seem to have been born with them. 

Social media and the millennials are two peas in a pod---and just perfect for each other!
  
But oldies like myself and some middle-aged people I know---nandamay pa---genuflect in the altar of selfie-ness, too. 

Let's face it, we are all narcissists. 

Don't blame FB and Twitter. All they've really done is magnify our self-absorbed, self-seeking nature. Some of us are probably more coy about blatantly bragging. Nonetheless, it's in our nature to show-off:  

"I've accomplished this." "I'm capable of this." " I own this." "I know this." "I bought this."  "I've been there." 

1 John 2:16 reminds us: "For all that is in the world---the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions---is not from the Father but the world."

Solomon in Proverbs urges us to seek wisdom, for in so doing, we gain prudence, knowledge, discretion, guidance.  

Many social media posts are not about selfie-ness at all. You may have posted FB messages because you:

Want to share helpful information on keeping fit physically or spiritually; 

Make your friends laugh and smile, for example, with funny baby or pet posts;

Have asked for prayers or help, especially when a friend or a group of kababayans were in crisis;

Desire to boost your pals' morale as they face crises; 

Are after a sense of community and relating well with your friends and loved ones no matter the distance; and to assure them that you are doing just fine. 

No one's judging anyone, OK? But it's up to us to manage the selfie beast inside. 

Better yet, let's boast in Jesus alone.

Photo credits: 
www.feedbox.com
www.dadsteachthebible.blogspot.com
www.kingkurtissmith.wordpress.com