Missed Opportunities

The story is told of a young man who wished to marry the farmer’s
beautiful daughter. He went to the farmer to ask his permission. The
farmer looked him over and responded, “Son, go stand out in that field
and I’m going to release three bulls, one at a time. If you can catch
the tail of any one of the three bulls, you can marry my daughter.”

The young man stood in the pasture awaiting the first bull. The barn
door opened and out ran the biggest, meanest-looking bull he had ever
seen. He decided that one of the next bulls had to be a better choice
than this one, so he ran over to the side and let the bull pass through
the pasture out the back gate.

The barn door opened again. Unbelievable. He had never seen anything so
big and fierce in his life. It stood — pawing the ground, grunting,
slinging slobber — as it eyed him. Whatever the next bull was like, it
had to be a better choice than this one. He ran to the fence and let
the bull pass through the pasture out the back gate.

The door opened a third time. A smile came across his face. This was
the weakest, scrawniest little bull he had ever seen. This one was his
bull. As the bull came running by, he positioned himself just right and
jumped at just the exact moment. He grabbed … but the bull had no
tail!

We may miss out altogether.

Life is full of opportunities. Some will be easy to take advantage of,
some will be difficult. But once we let them pass — often in hopes of
something better — those opportunities may never again be available.
The same thing is also true of opportunities to serve Christ. God often
opens doors — opportunities to speak up for Him, opportunities to
minister to someone who is hurting or in need, opportunities to make an
influence on the world around us. If we allow them to pass by (perhaps
because we are waiting for something easier to come along), we may miss
out on them altogether.

Continue praying, keeping alert, and always thanking God. Also pray for us that God will give us an opportunity to tell people his message (Colossians 4:2-3 NCV).

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10).

May you take advantage of the doors God opens for you this day!

Robert James Fischer, 64

ahooNews today says Robert James Fischer has died.He’s one of the greatest chess players of all time. Learned to play chess at six, became the youngest national junior chess champion at thirteen, the youngest senior champion at fourteen. At age 20, he set a record nobody had done before: 11 wins in 11 games. At age 29, defeating the title holder Boris Spassky of the USSR, he became his country’s first world champion.

In 1975, another Russian, Anatoly Karpov, challenged him. Karpov wanted the title back for Russia. But it was a match that never came. Bobby Fischer refused to defend his title.

Dr. Max Euwe, Fide’s president, could not conceal his disappointment. “We have sent Karpov a telegram informing him that we have awarded him the title, and congratulating him.”

Karpov, who became a title holder by default, could not understand why Fisher refused to play the match. “I wanted this very much to take place. I think he was just not ready to play.” The truth is Fischer wanted to change the rules of chess games. For example, he objected to the rule that limited the championship matches to 24 games, to which Fide agreed. But Fischer demanded further concessions to which Fide would not agree. So Fischer refused to defend his title.

Back in Fischer’s village, his countrymen were equally disappointed. “It’s tragic,” said Col. Edmund Edmundson. “Tragic for Fischer, for world chess, for Karpov. Poor Fischer won’t have his title, Karpov will have a paper title (which won’t mean anything), and the world won’t have its match. We’re all losers” (The Times Report on the World Chess Champion, 1975, in Microsoft Encarta Premium Suite 2005).

Fischer’s reputation as a chess genius is eclipsed, in the eyes of many, by his idiosyncrasies. “His extravagant life and scandalous statements did not contribute to the popularity of chess,” Kasparov was quoted as saying to the Associated Press. Fischer occasionally made erratic and often racist remarks against the Jews, although his mother was Jewish. Every now and then he would emerge on radio stations in Hungary, Iceland, the Philippines and Switzerland, ranting belligerently excessive remarks against his perceived enemies: the US and Israel. (Posted Ed Maquiling) Read more>>>

A Second Look at the Doctrine of the Indwelling Spirit – 2

In this discussion, I take a different approach and for a different reason. My purpose is not to win an argument. I look at the question and the facts in front of me, hopefully, without my colored glasses on, without my preconceived notions, without my set of beliefs.

A missionary of the Lord’s church, who equated “being indwelt by the Spirit” with “being filled by the Spirit” (a conclusion which we have just proved to be lexically and etymologically wrong, see series 1), seeing from the Scriptures that only inspired men had been “Spirit-filled,” concluded that the indwelling of the Spirit had ceased with the death of the last inspired writer. There is no Spirit-indwelling today, he said. He was wrong.

In approaching the question, I try to look at ALL the facts related to it and based on a good number of reasons, I may make my conclusion. But, that conclusion is subject to further investigation and examination. The reason I do this is because I am not an inspired man and neither have I a hotline connection to the office of the Deity.

This doctrine is like a puzzle, and I am trying to find the pieces that fit. Like any specimen in the lab, the Bible too may be examined, by us, and by those who are very critical of it. The facts about that specimen, its character and nature– they do not change–and if those facts are printed and published by machines configured only to print and publish what they see, these facts would come out the same. But in the eyes of men whose hearts have been configured to believe only what they want to believe, you would hear different conclusions.

This study is an invitation to you to learn with me.

Does the Holy Spirit dwell in us through the Word? The proponent of this theory argues that “the Holy Spirit dwells in the Christian indirectly, that is, through a medium,” which is the Word of God. Citing Romans 8:1-2, he says that the “Holy Spirit has a law that set us free from the slavery we were under, from the law of sin and death,” and that law is “the word of God, the good news of Jesus Christ.”

The paragraph in Romans 8 begins with a “therefore,” or “consequently,” an inference drawn from the argument which Paul made in Romans 7. That argument shows that in Christ the disciples are delivered from sin and from the curse of the Law. Since they have been delivered, they are now in Christ, and since they are now in Christ, they are no longer under condemnation or punishment. Romans 8:2 literally reads, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ FREED you from the law of sin and of death” (Alfred Marshall’s translation). “Freed” is from the Greek, eleutherosen, which means “liberated,” aorist indicative active of eleutheroo, to liberate. As this law liberated Paul and other Christians of long ago, it too could liberate anyone from the law of sin and death today.

Read more>>>

Things That Never Get Outdated

Today I bade goodbye to Penny. Three years ago, she became mine for a measly price of P2,800. Now as she grows older, and SLOWER, her upgrading price has gone up, while her usability has gone low. But she is one machine I’d learned to love. She watched me grow from one who knew nothing about Microsoft Word to one who knew something somewhat in some way, like hacking CPUs, memories, disks, legacy and I/O devices. Our three years journey was one most fruitful, because she had honed my skills to the utmost. I had adapted to her ways (”Checksum error”), her idiosyncrasies (”Try Safe mode”), her habits (”Your computer maybe at risk. Click here to update”) and her tantrums (”Could not find boot ini.”). Because she’s grown tired of Windows 98, she shacked up with Windows 2000, but finally settled with Windows XP. No one, definitely no one understood her more than I did; no one lovingly cared for her more than I did. You could say that today our parting was a tearful one. Penny it was who kept me company in my early blogging days. But I have to move on. Since she refused to be upgraded, rather, she could no longer be upgraded, I gave her away, and took on a new laptop.

My youngest daughter was too happy to get Penny the Pentium 2.

Things in this world get old or outdated. I thought about it last night too as I talked to a fellow preacher who’s on his last semester in a graduate school. He and his fellow students are on the cutting edge, the laptop-carrying generation, not just the ordinary laptops, mind you, but the Dual Core Centrino, 1 gig RAM, 180 gig hard disk, Windows Vista OS. Because they’re groomed to be counselors, teaching and lecturing became common affairs, and the DLP (”digital live projector”) became the common gadget they attach to their Neo Emprivas. The suns of modern technology definitely shine so brightly in the classrooms.

Read more>>>

PERSE JIMENEZ-TRINIDAD COMES HOME

After several years of staying in the United States where HERMAN TRINIDAD, her husband died in 2005, Perse Jimenez-Trinidad came home to the Philippines last December 27, 2007. She spent her New Year’s Eve at the family’s residence at Cabilocaan, Calasiao, Pangasinan.  This writer, together with some members of the family, went to see her on January 1, 2008.  She tendered a thanksgiving party for having survived the “BIG C”.

Sister Perse was so accommodating in bringing home an LCD Multimedia Projector which was ordered by the writer for use in his home congregation at the expense of leaving behind some baggage which were earlier intended to be brought home.  She will accommodate this writer again in bringing to America the payment (she accepted Philippine Peso and converts it in America later).  The said projector was used last Lord’s Day, January 6, 2008.

Perse is continuing the ministry left behind by Herman by sending help to several Preachers in the Philippines through the ARO Foundation established by several brethren in the USA including Herman and his in-laws. ARO is a word in Pangasinan dialect which means “LOVE”.

Here are some pictures taken by means of a Phone Camera used by the writer.  Shown are: Perse (Lady in brown), Leony Lachica, Yoling Bravo, Felix Bravo, Marilyn Lachica & Adelina Lachica (daughter and wife of Trifon Lachica, respectively), Trifon Lachica, Ricardo Nieto, Daughter and grandson of Ric Nieto, Teofilo Alcayde,  Roland Lazo, Mar Bernanrdo, and several others.

  

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

YEAREND FELLOWSHIP

The congregation of the church of Christ at Pongpong, Sto. Tomas, La Union, Philippines held their yearend fellowship last December 30, 2007.  The expanded chapel for worship services was also inaguarated. It is not yet fully finished but it is now conducive for meetings and services.

The event was well attended (see the pictures).  Some brethren from Rabon, San Fabian, Pangasinan;  San Julian, Agoo, La Union; and Tubao, La Union joined the fellowship.  Brother Ruben Mendoza, worker of the OPEN DOOR MINISTRY and the College at Dagupan City, Pangasinan, was present.  The event was captured in video and in still pictures.  The DVD format of the event will be distributed to the members. We are posting the pictures taken during affair.