Faith Forward

FAITH

starts with you and ends with you.

FAITH

starts with you and ends with somebody else.

-Ate Nikki

For years, CFC – Youth for Christ (YFC) has been molding the youth to become more faithful. This year, we are encouraged to put that faith into action and take advantage of the passion and boldness of our young hearts.

"It's so easy to say 'God bless' but have you been a blessing to the other person?" -Ate Nikki

We are called to be fearless in proclaiming our faith.

To not fear rejection and reach out and continue being good.

To not be afraid of defying the standards of being cool by living a 100% free lifestyle and stand for what we believe in.

To not be afraid of being “corny” and vulnerable to our household members by sharing with them our everyday joys and sorrows.

To not be afraid of actually caring for people.

To not be afraid of failure.

“We are called to be fearless because God is fearless. And God is in us.” – Kuya Eric

Faith Forward is the theme of the Regional Youth Conference (RYC) 2012. One thousand two hundred and sixty six young people gathered in Bayugan City for the Northeastern Mindanao RYC. In other parts of the country, roughly the same numbers of young people gather for the same event. Magpapahuli ka pa ba? Actually, yeah it just ended yesterday. But it’s not yet too late. There’s something bigger in the summer of 2013 – International Leaders’ Conference (ILC) Manila. Be there. Start saving.

Magastos ba ‘ka mo? Let me tell you a story. This happened on Facebook. There was this brother or sister who posted “The best things in life are free… Pero ang RYC hindi free.” Kuya Eric, the speaker for the third session, just laughed at it.

Sabi niya pwede namang free yung mga conferences. We can do it on the side of the road or in any venue which can be used freely. The speaker can just step on a rock where he can be seen by everybody. We can still reach out and conduct the social action like we did last weekend. However, we won’t enjoy the food that Jollibee is serving us. We won’t have IDs and conference kits to be part of our YFC collection. We can’t have Ablaze T-shirts. Pwede talaga siya free and it would still be a complete conference pero “showbiz” tayo, eh. Sosyal pa.

“Showbiz” tayo because we cannot show the world how great God is when we settle for mediocrity. We want the best in proclaiming God’s greatness. By spending on these conferences, we can show the world that financial difficulties cannot stop us to experience an all-out worship to God. We can show the world that there is a better way of spending our sem break and our money. That’s being “showbiz”.

Instead of saving up for that newest gadget which you’ve always wanted but would sooner or later be obsolete when developers come up with a new model, save up for YFC conferences where you can experience real joy of worshipping the Lord; where you can meet new friends who share the same passion as you; where you would want to change to live a better life for God. The joy it brings would last longer than does a new gadget.

And even when we don’t get that newest gadget, we are still sosyal. We are social beings! We can’t share God’s love when we isolate ourselves. Reach out. That’s something I need to work on. I’m not anti-social, I’m just shy. Have you ever thought that being shy could be an indication of fearing rejection? ‘Coz I thought of it just now. I’ve read that being shy indicates that one fears being embarrassed. But I am called to be fearless, am I not? So I should be friendlier.

During the RYC, I was reminded and reassured of God’s great love. Yung feeling na just a few moments ago you could remember all your sins and feel all this unworthiness but when you come before the presence of the Lord, you would suddenly feel the need to let all of it go and just continue moving forward and never give up in striving to live a life that would please our King. The RYC is a fresh start.  How we continue the momentum after it would be a challenge.

“Every day is a temptation.”

“Temptation is not a sin unless entertained.”

I had a great weekend. I got the sem break I needed. Ikaw, how did you spend your sem break?

The Bigger Picture

I remember telling myself that this is going to be the best two years of my stay in Leyte. Well, it has just begun. I pictured having the most fun, building the best relationships and getting really good grades. But God’s way of making it the best is far greater than I imagined.

I’m pretty sure I did not get really good grades this semester. After I failed in the midterm exam of our major subject, I got discouraged, I lost confidence and I became lazy and unexcited and fearful. Thankfully, I passed my major subject. My grade is not very impressive but, hey, I passed. Praise God! I actually thought I wasn’t going to make it. I even feared going through college for six years. Now, I there is new hope that I won’t.

Tin2x, a YFC sister, was right when she told me that maybe the reason I’m not getting really good grades is that I haven’t really learned everything yet and that maybe the reason I fear failing is that I haven’t forgiven myself for my previous failure yet. What exactly is it that I need to learn?

More than just the lessons in the subjects that I took, this semester has taught me a lot. I experienced being at the lowest and no one can relate better with those having a hard time with their studies than one who actually had some difficulties herself. So, I guess, next time, when I won’t be at the bottom anymore, this experience should remind me that I may have friends who need me and whom I can’t neglect just because I am content with my performance.

Some might disagree but I believe it could happen sometimes that no matter how much effort you exerted (not that I gave my all because, honestly, I was being lazy for most of the semester) and no matter how confident you are (not that I ever was) when you took the exam, you still may not be able to ace nor pass it. It’s a very humbling experience, really. It’s one of those times when you would really get down on your knees and ask that God’s will be done and that you be blessed with a humble heart to accept it. And when it doesn’t happen to you, it could happen to your friend(s), so, be sensitive.

Now, I have gained a new way of looking at failure and a new attitude towards my studies. I have learned how not to take failure against anyone – not by being easily irritated by my friends, not by questioning God, not even losing self-confidence. I never would have learned such had I completely given up and just drifted away. I’m glad I decided to continue fighting until the end of the semester. Whatever you’re going through right now, remember that it is just a piece of a puzzle. In the end, it all fits together. Those little things that brought me down this semester could be just a preparation for more challenges.

There will be greater challenges for sure. But I know that when I come face to face with those challenges, I will always have friends like Tin2x to help me see the bigger picture and I always have God to make it the best picture ever.

I thank God for another wonderful episode of my life. I thank GPP for another semester of friendship. Happy sem break everyone!

SOLVE

In doing Accounting problems...

S  strengthen your foundation
O   overcome panic
L    love what you do
V    value time and details
E    expose yourself to more problems

Hunger Games

(This one's raw. Forgive me for my writing.)

I'm happy God does not rule over our lives the same way Seneca did over the lives of the Tributes. 

Seneca wanted to see them kill each other.  God wants us to live harmoniously and love one another. 

Seneca wanted to control the tributes. God gave us the gift of choice and willpower. 

Life is no hunger games. Unfortunately, the world has become one big arena without us noticing it. We are so full of ourselves that we only want to end up being the victor through our own efforts -- even hurting other people and pulling each other down. We tend to forget that the evil one only wants to put up a good show by turning us against each other. We forget the innate goodness of our hearts. 

Life is a precious gift meant for us to keep and share with other people. It is not just a show. It flows according to how we choose to live it. But the odds are according to how God wills it. May the odds be ever  in your favor.

Hey, check out Alexander Ludwig (Cato) and Liam Hemsworth (Gale). Handsome, eh?

Two points

I was humbled by the result of our midterm exam in Advanced Accounting. I prepared well for it and I asked God’s blessing for it. My classmates and I knew it was the type of exam we really have to prepare for. I did my best during the exam but my best was two points away from passing. It was just devastating for me.

 I realized, though, that if I humbly asked for God’s help, then I have to be just as humble to accept whatever it is that He will give me. I don’t have to rebel against His will. I have to believe that there is a purpose for it.

Now that I think about it, I realized that it has been quite some time when I prayed for God’s will to be done. I was always asking for whatever I wanted.

I know now what Tim LaHaye meant when he wrote that being filled by the Holy Spirit is not a one-time event; we have to ask God everyday under any circumstance that we be filled with His Spirit. Right now, I need to ask for the Holy Spirit’s gift of meekness for me to be able to humbly accept the result of this exam.

I don’t have to wallow in depression and ruin the rest of the semester. I don’t have to feel bad about it because I did my best. I don’t have to feel good about it, either. I just have to be humble enough to accept it. Seriously, I’m tired of crying; time to move on.

Blue Moon

It’s a Blue Moon!

Blue Moon is a phenomenon wherein we experience two full moons in one month. It happens only once every three years, thus, the word ‘blue’ meaning rare.

The moon was shining bright, alright. But what could have been a beautiful night turned out to be one experience which could not be easily forgotten by anyone.

As UPians flocked to witness two events simultaneously held that night, a huge earthquake disrupted the night’s entertainment. It lasted long enough to scare people away and drive them out of the buildings. The 7.9 magnitude quake’s epicenter was in Eastern Samar and it was too strong that it reached my hometown in Mindanao. Tsunami alert levels were raised in Eastern Visayas and parts of Mindanao. My family back home already left for evacuation along with many of our fellowmen.

Meanwhile, in downtown Tacloban City, darkness reigned as power was still out. My housemates and I were told to prepare emergency things including blankets, clothes, flashlights, food and other valuables. So we did. We prayed and I know many other people out there did the same. We stayed up until electricity came back and the alert levels were lifted. Before going to sleep, we were warned of a possible aftershock, but as (kind of) expected, it did not come. There have been a number of Tsunami warnings in the past and, thankfully, it all came to pass without an actual Tsunami.

So, I guess, it is a reminder for all of us that sometimes a quake is just a quake. Maybe someday we’ll look back at this night and realize how little faith we have when we panicked instead of praying or how selfish we were when we prayed only for the safety of our loved ones and ourselves.

I hope we don’t flood heaven with prayers only once in a blue moon because every day we’re alive is reason enough to call on to God, thank Him for the gift of life and ask for His constant guidance.

An afternoon with Snow White

The forest draws strength from your weakness. 

– Huntsman in Snow White and the Huntsman

Even  a bad movie can give us something to think about. Snow White and the Huntsman is not really that bad, it’s just boring, like “Oh there’s nothing new here. It’s just a subtle mash-up of a bunch of other stories.” I watched the movie with Mani, Eunice, Gerald, Kim and Michelle.

We thought it would relieve stress after that brain-damaging exam from Sir Tikki in Advanced Accounting. But it wasn’t the movie that relieved our stress -- it was us watching the movie together. If I watched the movie alone, I wouldn’t have appreciated it fully. Well, honestly, up to now I still don’t. Haha. But watching the movie with my friends made it worth my while. Our occasional remarks and criticisms of the movie were just funny.

So, if you’re feeling down after an exam which you have prepared for days and still not ace it, MOVE ON! Life doesn’t end there. There’s still another quiz, another exam, another chance. Let’s just do our best every time because chances are limited. Just because we did not do well in an exam doesn’t mean we can't do well in our relationships with our friends and family. Spend time with the people who make your life colorful.