COH in Cebu

It was my fourth time to visit the city and my second time to do the "Channels of Hope" or COH workshop in Cebu last week.

The first one was back in 2009 when I was part of training team to train the second batch of facilitators. This time, some of those new facilitators were now part of the team and most of them were their first time to practice what they have learned more than a year ago.

In spite of a big group of this health team from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, we have four sets of facilitators of three for four groups; everything went well for God was truly in control.

More than 120 participants have attended, were very blessed with the whole workshop and have become new "salt and light" for those people who needs it especially those infected and affected by the HIV pandemic.

I continually thank God and give back all the honor, glory and praises to Him for entrusting me this work and ministry despite of my weaknesses. Blessed be thy name Lord Jesus!

What's So Amazing About Grace?

Philip Yancey is the author of this book and I must say that its one of the best I've ever read. In fact it made me want to read the first book I read from him "The Jesus I Never Knew", which I have finished reading a couple of years ago.

We speak of God's grace often but when somebody ask us what is it, we usually have difficulty in defining and explaining what is it all about. When I became true Christian, I once asked about grace and the person I was speaking with told me that it is an "undeserved gift." It is a gift from our Heavenly father that we, as Christians must know and always ready to dispense.

This book gave me a deeper understanding of what grace is and with the examples given by Yancey such as the holocaust, his homosexual Pastor friend and the EDSA People Power to name a few, I cried a few times. That's how amazing this grace is!

It helped me to comprehend more of God's unconditional love and forgiveness. Two things that all people must experience to become a dispenser of this amazing gift in this world that knows far more of cruelty and unforgiveness than it does of mercy.

I really like Dostoevsky's words that he quoted which is "to love a person means to see him as God intended him to be". According to Yancey, true grace is scandalous and shocking for it forgives the unfaithful spouse, the racist, the child abuser. It loves today's AIDS-ridden addict as much as the tax collector of Jesus' day.

This book has been out there for quite a long time but I only read it last month thanks to my friend for lending it to me. I highly recommend this one because it is a must-read kind of book!

"There is nothing we can do to make God love us more.
There is nothing we can do to make God love us less."

God loves us already no matter what.....that's how amazing God's grace is!

COH Iloilo and My Struggle

It was my first time to visit Iloilo City last week and I got impressed with the place from the time I arrived at their new airport up to the point when I reached the hotel where I stayed for three nights.

The airport is small but nice then the road from there going to the city is well engineered, the same thing with the few infrastructures on its side. Although the city proper is a little congested but somehow I like it. The La Paz Batchoy tastes really great as well as the barquillos.

As for the COH workshop, it went very smoothly even though one of our facilitator was not able to join us due to her vertigo. God was totally in control. Thirty eight (38) new "channels of hope" were so blessed how God worked in my life. I am truly grateful to Him for allowing me to serve His kingdom in this ministry.

I just pray that God will continue to capture my heart with His love and give me a heart overflowing with love for Jesus! Also I pray that God will renew the burning passion in me that I used to have when I was still a new Christian so that this love and passion will be more than enough for me to say no to these temptations and ungodly desires. I must admit that I am still struggling with SSA and honestly I had a few (three I guess) occasional sexual fall for the past 3 months. It all happened when I was very really tired physically and mentally from work which I think hauled my guards down then against temptations, not to mention that there's still a part of me that wants to satisfy these sinful desires.

God has forgiven me already I know when I confessed and admitted it to Him not only once but many times. I cannot continue serving Him and sinning even occasionally at the same time. All I want is to love Him, honor and please Him, serve Him and live this God-given life truly worthy of His unconditional love.

Please pray for me my dear brothers and sisters in Christ as I continue to walk this journey with Him. Thank you and God bless us all.