So head over there an search in your question and might just find your answer (always with Biblical support).

Keep it up gotquestions.org

All I can say is THANK YOU.

JOSE CRUZ

and all the Dad out there!

God bless.

(The actual father’s day here in the Philippines is third Sunday of June, that would be June 20, 2010)

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Preparations

We were planning for an activity for our Community Sunday School class (children that are not from the church) and we decided to have a program with games and food. We delegated the task to who shall do the program, games and all. Then the wife of our pastor who works in a children’s center in Manila came into contact with an organization that conducts activities for the children. They will take care of the gifts, food (popcorn and cotton candy), give aways (colors and coloring books), and the mascot. They were asked if they do go to churches and they said yes and we invited them to our church. That organization is the Chummy Chum Foundation Philippines.

Our initial target were just the attendees of the Community Sunday School class (around 60 children). However, we were informed that they usually handle 200 – 300 children in one event, so we opened the event to the whole Sunday School department and encouraged everyone to invite their friend to attend the activity.

So in short, we were saved from the trouble of preparing food, gifts etc, for the activity.

Chummy Chum

The Chummy Chum Foundation isn’t actually a Christian organization, but they have a very wonderful mission, to give joy, laughter and fun to unprivileged children in the country. They started their ministry on September 2007 and had been to many hospitals, children’s center, churches, orphanages and more, usually serving more than 200 children. They provide gifts, toys, and their trademark is the Gummy Cotton Candy Factory and Chummy Popcorn Maker. They also provide their center of attraction – Chummy Chum. For more info about their work and their organization, visit their website at http://chummychum.org. If you want to invite them, you can also sign up on their website.

They are mostly volunteers and their job is not easy so you really see that these people want to bring smile to these children’s faces.

The Big Event

The Chummy Mobile cam around 11:30 in the morning (our worship service isn’t finished yet) and the start of the program is 2pm (but we said to the children that it’ll start at 1pm). So they were able to rest in preparation for the program.

Children started coming in at 1pm. At first, we thought that we won’t reach the 200 children. But by 2pm, the church is already filled with children from all over the barangay. The program started with songs, games, and a special number. The Chummy Chum volunteers and our teachers really had a hard time ‘controlling’ the 200+ children inside the building. But despite of the heat and noise, everybody is having fun. The cotton candy maker and popcorn maker started running at 1pm and those will be given at the end of the program.

Everybody is curious what Chummy Chum look like and when the time came for him to show up, everybody was rushing to him, chanting “Chummy Chum, Chummy Chum” and wants to hold him. Chummy Chum danced for the children and had time for some picture taking before bidding farewell. If not for the intense heat that afternoon, probably he could stay longer (and we want him to stay longer but we also don’t want the person inside Chummy to suffer from heat stroke ).

After the event, we gave a certificate of appreciation to the Chummy Chum Foundation that was received by Ms. Rowena Bula, General Manager of Chummy Chum Foundation Philippines.

Popcorns, Cotton Candy, colors and coloring books were given to the children as they leave the place.

200+ children, 200+ smiles and laughter.

Soli Deo Gloria!

[View with PicLens]

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Some good points I see in Windows Live Writer

• WYSIWYG – I’ve heard and read a lot of complain about this when using WordPress as a platform for a blog or website. And it is true and frustrating most of the time (like what I’ve said earlier). With WLW, you are (or feels like) you are writing directly in to your website’s front end. It captures your theme so while you are writing, the fonts, font size, colors, spacing and even the area of the article area (from the first letter to the last letter of the line) are exactly the same as what will appear when you publish your article (now, that is WYSIWYG). Disclaimer – it is not 100% but it’s as close as it is.
• Faster preview – there are three tabs, the edit tab where you type in your article and everything. Then there is source tab where you can see the source (or enter any codes that can only be entered via the source) and there is the Preview tab where you can actually see “your whole website” as if you are viewing it from a web browser. Well, as I’ve said also, it is not 100% so it may vary (depending also on the browser and operating system you are using.
• Lot’s more to discover…

Windows Live Writer is free for Windows 7 (and yes, I am using Windows 7 and not Linux). This is my first post using this software so there are still a lot of things I need to discover. But as of now, everything is good for me.

NOTE: This is an article and at the same time a trial post using WLW, so if anything isn’t rendering as it should be, please forgive me and I’ll take it as a lesson.

So, for those who are saying that wordpress doesn’t have a “WYSIWYG”, then better check this out.

Disclaimer: I use Windows 7 and Windows Live Writer and this is NOT a paid post nor is a comprehensive review.

After her death, we live with some of our relatives (that time my father is working in Saudi Arabia). They were are tita (aunts). They are the ones who actually lived with us (except for the last one where we moved to their house. They became our ‘second’ mothers. They did their best to fill the space between when we lost our mother till the day that we we can live on our own. What we are now is a combination of their trainings.

So this mother’s Day, I would like to send my utmost greetings to this special women in my life.

Tita RIza

Tita Leny

Tita Remy (we moved to their house)

Tita Betty (she’s my stepmom)

And of course, the most special woman in my life today, my loving wife, mother of my child, April Joy. I will always love you will all of my heart.

And to all the mothers out there. HAPPY MOTHER”S DAY!!!

God bless.

Person 1: Oh, serving the Lord is tiring.

Person 2: What? You shouldn’t get tired serving the Lord!

Person 1: Really?

Have you heard this conversation before? Or have you been in this kind of conversation before. Me, I’ve heard this a lot. And just recently, I encountered this exact scenario, a servant of God saying he got tired (just tired, not quiting) due to his probably hectic schedule doing the ministry of the Lord. One of his friend said that if it is for the Lord, he shouldn’t be tired. Well, the commenter might have a pessimistic mind on that but I think that isn’t things go.

Isaiah 40:30-31 reads:

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. (NIV)

I believe the verse is clear, ‘Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;’. We are human beings. We are not robots. It is natural, let me repeat – natural - for a person to get tired, whatever he is doing cause he is using muscles that require energy to work. And like any other job, once your body has reached it’s peak on the “tiredness meter”, your brain will send out signals to your whole body to rest. If you don’t, then you’re either a super human being or you’re deceiving yourself. I remember Ptr. Rick Warren on one of his Purpose Driven Church Seminar (watched it on CD) when he said, “Mary had a little lamb, it would have been a sheep, it joined a local church and died in lack of sleep.”

Let us be honest and real. We do get tired while we are serving the Lord. However, it doesn’t end there. God made a promise. That even though you’ll get tired (verse 30), if your hope is in the Lord, he will renew your strength (verse 31). Take note the on the last two lines it said “not grow weary” and “not be faint”. Isn’t this the one that says we shouldn’t be tired when serving the Lord? I believe this only means that God will give us unlimited renewal of strength. That every time we feel weak, God will refuel us. That every time we feel tired, God will strengthen us.

Let us confess that we are only human. We do get tired. But we have a God, that’s always willing to strengthen us.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

- Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

God bless.

⁵Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁶because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’

⁷“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

⁹“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.¹⁰For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹²Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Luke 11:5-13 (NIV)

There were two things we can see on this passage.

Importunity

When defined, “Unreasonableness; an unsuitable or inappropriate time; A constant and insistent demanding”. This was the word used on the King James Version on verse 8. It wasn’t actually the friendship that pushed the man to get up and give his friend bread, but rather the friend’s ‘continual asking’ for bread. When he was turned down, he didn’t lose hope and he continued to knock on the door. We don’t know how long he knocked, but for sure he knocked and asked until his friend gave in, probably realizing how this man is in deep need. Take note, it wasn’t the friendship that was considered here, it was the asker’s continuous asking.

Father and Child

Verses 11 – 13 shows a relationship of a father and a child when it comes to asking. For parents out there, you’ll definitely know what this passage says. I know you’ll agree with me that sometimes, even though we had said no to our child about something that he asks, we do sometimes give in to what they ask. How much more if they were asking for something that isn’t bad. And we definitely want the best for our children.

Putting it all together

Knock, not just a single knock, but a continuous knock. Don’t just pray once, pray continuously. When we ask for something from God, and we weren’t able to get an answer right away, don’t stop, continue asking. Knock until the door is opened for you for he promised that he will open the door for us (verse 9b).

Do we even bother to knock, ask or seek? Many Christians now says “God already knows what I need”. Yes, that’s true, but he also said that we should ask for it. This is our act of faith to him. And like a father to his child, he will definitely listen to us. And we also forget that he is a “Father” to us, a Father who wants the best for his children. When we pray, pray to the “Father”, and like a child, be importunate, and be consistent. Don’t be discouraged easily. Ask and you shall receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.

God bless.

We went to bed last night at around 11:30pm. I was the last one to sleep since I was chatting with a friend asking for some help with his computer. After our conversation, I went to the comfort room to brush and, as my usual habit every evening, double checked if the doors were locked (and chained). I’m 100% sure that everything’s locked up since I actually have to turn off the lights outside the house. Went to bed and fell immediately asleep since we’re tired due to a busy Sunday.

My wife woke up morning and we went to the comfort room to take a leak and immediately went down to bed and fell asleep. I checked the watch before sleeping and it’s 7:30am. We didn’t notice anything unusual.

After an hour or so, my son woke up upon hearing his favorite “taho” calling outside. That’s when I noticed something’s not right. The front door isn’t locked anymore it is actually closed (or not fully closed). When I opened the door, I was surprised to see two of my pants laying outside. Those pants were hanged in one of the rooms that we use for closet and laundry (there are two rooms in the house, the one we sleep at and the one with our closet). I opened the gate so my son could get his taho then I picked up the pants and asked my wife (who also woke up to get money for the taho vendor) if she through my pants outside. She as I expected, she said no. My wife took the pants and checked it and she said that there’s still some money on my pants and they’re gone. I said that there’s a coin pouch at the back pocket and it’s gone also. She asked for my wallet and I said it’s in the closed. Upon checking the closet, it isn’t there also. I remembered that there’s one more wallet on top of the fridge and it’s gone also. I double checked other items and none was taken except for the wallets and the money on my pants’ pocket. Those money were the profit from our store. Suddenly, my wife asked about her phone. I tried contacting the phone if we just misplaced it but it’s already out of reach (phone’s battery’s not yet drained since I’ve checked it last night at the church). Three wallets, my wallet contains my Driver’s License and Voter’s ID, the other two contains the money, and my wife’s phone.

I checked the house and we suspected that the burglar was able to unlock the door via the windows. No one could get in via the window but he or they might be able to use a long stick to pick the double lock and remove the chain. I usually close the windows at night, but probably left it open due to tiredness.

The only money left was the money at the store (which is on my mother-in-law’s house). That’s only around 35 pesos. Good thing is only three items were taken. Our computer is in the room where we sleep. Our digital camera is on the computer table (which I usually store on the closet where my wallet was taken). The video camera is on the closet but on the upper storage, blocked by old hard drives and box of computer peripherals. And most important of all, the burglar/s didn’t went to our bedroom (which isn’t locked and can’t be closed properly due to the cables for phone and LAN, it’s only partially closed by using an electric fan to prevent it from opening). The burglar might have noticed that our dim light is on. If he/they went in, something might have happened to us or to him/them.

We still thank God for the protection. Nothing happened to us. Nothing of more value was taken (except for the money and my wife’s phone, and probably my Driver’s License and Voter’s ID, but we can live without it). We thank God for my wife’s niece and nephew who lend us money so we can buy breakfast.

The only thing that still trouble me is why did the burglar left my pants outside the front door. Was he/they in a hurry? Did we actually was able to caught them in act when we woke up? And since he/they already know how to get in, are they going back? Maybe more security measures have to be done, specially making sure that the windows are closed.

Despite of what happened, me and my wife still thank God that we are safe. Please pray for us. Pray for our security. Pray for the person responsible for this, and that God deal with him.