Chuseok Holiday Experience at Gyeongbokgung Palace

Mercy and Grace

I always like receiving free items and buy discounted products. I like the feeling of spending what your money is worth plus the perks. On the other way around, we dont want to give something more than what we have, we only give what is left. We always want to be treated special but dont want to treat others like that.

God's grace is free and it does need your work because it is given as long as you accept Him as your Lord and Saviour. He died for our sins and showed mercy towards His enemies. Jesus Christ taught about showing grace and mercy. In the beatitudes, Matthew 5:7,  Jesus said that the merciful shall be blessed for they will be shown mercy.

If Jesus has shown mercy to us, we also need to share that to others. We may feel compromised and abused to our different dealings with people, but even so, Jesus taught us to show mercy.

Be patient and show mercy even if you are hurt. Show compassion even in turmoil. Be calm even in the storm. Trust God always and show your love to others through your actions.

Be humble

Are you confident to do things on your own without any help? Do you boast all your accomplishment to others?

As a christian, Jesus reminded us in Matthew 5:5 that He will bless those who are humble and He gave a promises of inheritance.

Be humble and do not boast. You don't need to please others. You only need to please God. Remember to set away your pride and do not be too much proud of yourself. Always glorify God in everything that you do.

My Hanbok Experience in Daejeon Festival this Fall Semester

True Humility

When I was young, I always want to win an argument and I don't want to lose a debate even if its about small simple things. Sometimes we all have that gesture of wanting to dominate a conversation. Do you have that desire to set away your pride and humble yourselves to others?

In Proverbs 22:4 (NLT) it says, "True hu

mility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor and long life." God held these promises for those who fear Him and exalt true humility in word, thought and deeds.

Let go of pride and swallow it

Let go of fear and forget it

Embrace confidence for its your defense

Be humble so you will not stumble

For the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom

Spread kindness and humility to all!♥♥♥

Strenght and Courage

Sleeping late, waking up drowsy, study, do your assigments and papers..... All of these activities are routinary and we end up getting tired. How can I gain strenght and have the courage to continue? 

Only God can help us who gives us strenght and courage to continue. In Psalms 31:24, it says that we need to be strong and set our hearts to God who gives us hope.

No matter how tired we are or we lose hope. Just remember that God is constant and permanent in our lives. He will never leave you nor forsake you. 

Let us trust the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our mind, body and soul. 

Act of Kindness

Living here in South Korea since 2022, I have experienced a lot of challenges. I struggled financially, emotionally, physically and spiritually. In my darkest moments, when I have no food to eat because I sent all my money back home. I was fortunate that my friends were there to lend me money to buy food. I also pay it forward by helping my cousins back home by paying  their meals at our university cafeteria.

Daily Encouragement

Are you feeling down and not able to wake up immediately every morning? Why are you waking up each morning? Who are you dedicating your life to?

Sometimes or almost always we have low energy to do our daily routines. There are times that we want to give up the fight and chose to quit. Our fears are always greater than our desire for success. 

How can we turn our fears into encouragement?

The answer is all in God's word from the bible. They say BIBLE means Biblical Instruction Before Leaving Earth. This book is our daily manual to guide us on what to do and how to make decisions in life.

In Romans 15:5, it says that God gives us endurance and encouragement and give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had.

The solution to drowsy mornings is a pill of endurance and encouragement from God's word in the bible. His words will give us energy and boost our motivation to do our works through praising and worshiping Him in everything that we do.

Do not be discouraged and always trust the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul.

Against Us?

A Good Worker

We practice and train ourselves to learn new skills and to acquire knowledge that our relevant to our careers. We want to be good workers for our bosses. Do we have the energy and motivation when we work for the kingdom of God?

I am a late bloomer when it comes to having the habit of reading. I started reading pocketbooks on personal development, leadership and psychology to better equip myself on how to change my mind set, habits, leadership and these are essential in my career as a lecturer in a university. 

Aside from that, when I was 31 years old. I came to have an intimate relationship with God and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and started the habit of reading the bible, have my devotional time and share the gospel to family. I always pray and meditate on His words as a guide in my daily living. I committed myself to always acknowledge God in everything that I do and be a diligent worker in His divine Kingdom.

In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul wrote to Timothy to encourage him to do his best in serving God and reminded him not to be ashamed as a worker of the church.

Are you a good worker in your office? Can you transcend your energy from your job to be a motivated worker of God? 

Brothers and sisters, we can always start equipping ourselves to become good workers of God. It is never too late. Start your Christian journey today.

Thanksgiving

Do we have the attitude of thanksgiving? Do we thank God only for the success you accomplished? Or do you also thank Him for your failures?

When we experience defeat, we lose hope and discourage to continue our journey. This does not call for celebration right? But if you have Christ in your life, no matter what are the consequences, you should be thankful because all of these things are according to His will. 

I failed 7 times in my sholarship applications abroad. But everytime I was rejected, I just accepted it and there is no hard feelings for me because I was faithful that God has prepared something great for me and that sholarship is not for me. I tried to apply the 8th time and God granted my prayers. I am now a doctoral scholar at South Korea.

In Psalm 100:4, it says "Give Thanks To Him and Praise His Name". God is amazing right? If you have a prayer for so long, don't give up. Because everything you have is from God, lets us always thank Him in the good and bad times.

Have this attitude of gratitude no matter what the circumstances in your life us. You always have something to be thankful for, your family, community, job, children, school, house, etc. Remember that you are a blessing the moment you were in your mother's  womb. Be thankful always!

1st Breakfast Meal to start the Fall Semester

This is what I've been waiting for. The 1000 won breakfast of Kangwon National University. This is equivalent around 40 to 44 pesos depending on the exchange rate. Very affordable and I can have some viand for my lunch and dinner. Looking forward my breakfast this fall semester. This promo meal is available until December 21.

Unlimited

Have you imagined having unlimited resources? What will you do with it? Will you buy things for yourself or help others who needs it the most?

We need money to buy necessities and also to gain wealth. But riches in material things do not matter in God's Kingdom. In the letter of Paul to thr Ephesians, he says: 

Paul prayed for inner strength from the Holy Spirit out of God's unlimited resources. Riches in His kingdom do not mean material posessions but rather it refers to heavenly treasures. What have you been saving lately? Are you saving a lot of money at the bank? Have you invested money in stocks? Have you bought real estate properties? 

For God's glorious kingdom, how many people have you shared the gospel and helped them be saved? As a Christian, we to honor God and make disciples. Share, Pray and Care for people who wants to hear the word of God. This is what we need to save before His return on earth. Let us prepare ourselves when that day comes.

Give Thanks

"The thing you wanted the most once you have it, you don't want it anymore." This is what my professor said in college. This statement also lingered to me even when I became a professional. 

We all have dreams for ourselves, for our family and for others in our community. We pray for our future success in each of our endeavours. But what if the one thing you desired is just around the corner for so long and you did not even notice it was there. 

I have applied for so many jobs back in 2011 and 2012, because our project will about to end and I was worried I cannot continue paying my bills. I need to have a stable source of income.  A friend told me they need an instructor in my former university, I was hesitant at first because I don't know if I can do it and I was afraid I cannot live up to the expectations of my former professors. But I made a decision to try it and the rest was history. I was Instructor 1 in 2012 and 10 years later, I became an Associate Professor 2 in 2022. I realized that for all the job applications I made and rejections I have, one phone call offered me a lifetime opportunity. I took the risk and accepted it even ifbI was uncertain.

I realize the importance of gratitude and contentment in everything that we have. Sometimes we do not need look away because the blessings are just around the corner. We should be thankful for what we have and be contented with it. If you prayed for something, wait for the Lord's answer. 

In Psalms 105:1, it says: "Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done." 

When we achieve success in our endeavours, let us not forget who gave us such blessing. Let give thanks to the Lord our God in our success and even in our failures. If we fail, it just means that it was not meant for us and God has prepared something greater and something bigger for us. We can do it if we lift our plans to God for He will establish it. Lets praise the Lord and share His goodness and mercy to others! Share the gospel and make disciples!

Endurance

Have we lived a life with no problems? Are you exempted to face life's adversity? Maybe not.. Problems are part our lives, we faced it and solved it, endured the pain we felt on it and most importantly we learned from it and used that lesson to improve ourselves in the future.

In James 1:12, it is said that those people who have endurance to face every trial in life is blessed by God. We are reminded that problems are part of everyday life. We do not need to worry about it. We just need to lift up to God all our worries and cares and everything will work according to His plans. 

Endure the pain, face the problem, pray to God and ask guidance and direction in solving your problems. Trust God always and have faith in Him in every trial you face. Endure the pain in every rain for there is eternal peace in the presence of God we can obtain.

Encouragement

Living alone here in South Korea and having no church community, I opt to attend an online church service at CCF. I watch their services every Sunday and they always encourage to find a discipleship group. I clicked the link they have shared on the online chat. I was hoping that I would be part of a Christian community here in South Korea.

I prayed to God in Janaury 2023, during my new year prayer and fasting. One of my prayer list is to have a discipleship group and be able to lead one myself. In April 19, 2023, I received an email of the discipleship group leader, and they endorsed me to their chat group. In August 9, 2023, I was able to invite a friend to our disiciple group and I am currently equipping myself to become a leader and disiciple others in the future. 

My Dgroup family here in South Korea is my source of strength and encouragement. I have a Dgroup before in my former church in Davao City in 2017, we were 3 in the group and  all of us are married with kids. But it did not last long and were gradually dismantled due to busy work schedules and our leader was not able to communicate with us anymore. I really felt cut off from my spiritual family especially during the pandemic when I needed the most comfort and encouragement during that time. 

In August 28, 2022, I went to South Korea to study and I was searching for a church community. I found CCF online service in youtube and that led me to my Dgroup now since April 2023. I am thankful for my family here. Even if we meet online, I have learned a lot and it gave me  courage to always embody a Christ-like attitude. They are my accountability partners. Reminding me what to do as Christian and how to decide on things based on biblical wisdom. 

In Matthew 18:20, Jesus shared that He is always with us even if 2 or 3 people are gathered honoring His name. This verse is the foundation of discipleship groups who study the bible together and sharing testimonies that everybody can learn.

Furthermore, in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Paul reminded the church In Thessalonica to encourage every member of the church and build each other's Christ-like character. 

These powerful verses clearly reminds us that we should never be alone in our walk with God. It is a great oppotunity to walk with people with the same mindset because it will influence you to become a transformative Christian in word, thought and deed.

I realized that whatever platform we can communicate whether online or face-to-face, it does not matter. What matters most is how we acknowledge the presence of God through the Holy Spirit every time you meet your brothers and sisters in Christ. It is important that you surround yourself with people who can influence you greatly and walk with you in your Christian life journey.

Let us share the gospel and encourage one another! In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour Amen!🙏

Forgotten

I was in highschool and I have this classmate in my elementary years who visited our school. I said hi and he didnt reply. My classmate who is also her friend told me that he doesnt remember me as his classmate before. I was dissapointed how can someone forget about me. Maybe he was young and did not remember me, but at that time, I was hurt and realized that not everyone will remember you. 

People will forget some details about their friends because they were busy or you are not that special to them, not that important to be remembered. But prophet Isaiah in chapter 49 verse 15, said that God will never forget about us. He likened it to a mother who will never forget her own child.

When people forget about you, do not worry because no matter what your circumstances are God will always remember you. He will never forget about you. He will call your name. Let us always call upon the  name of the Lord and dwell on His words. Amen!

All things to all people

I am a person who thrives in different environments. I am a versatile person because I can change my ways in order to gain new friends and establish a relationship with them. In high school, I have different groups of friends. I have friends in my class section, and friends in our cooking class. I also befriended a girl who was bullied because she was a loner. In college, I became a student leader in class, in the college, and at the university level during my senior year. This has put me in a more strategic role where I met different types of students from different colleges. I befriended all of them from athletes, artists, and fellow leaders. I am willing to adapt to different personalities and make myself like them, so I can gain their trust and establish a working relationship with them. It is an advantage to me as a leader, so I can easily implement my programs and projects in school. Even when I was working, I gained a lot of friends from different departments and offices. 

Just like me, Paul was adapting to different personalities and managed to use a different approach to preaching the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 9:22-23, Paul said "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." Paul emphasized in this verse, that in order to draw people near to God, you share the gospel in different ways to different kinds of people. People have different personalities and it's important to have an approach that will cater to their attention. 

We can do all things for all people, for the sake of sharing the gospel. Let us be open-minded and willing to change our ways for the better. Let us step out of our comfort zone to reach out to people who need to hear the gospel. All things are possible in God's name! Amen!

Faith Matters

I thought I can but I am not

I pushed forward like an astronaut

I was dismayed and it destroyed my faith

Looking at the future is what I hate

I was on a journey

But there is no one with me

I thought I was alone

I am okay on my own

I read the word

Even If I was bored

Gave me a reason

Not for a treason

I read again to comprehend

My broken heart will be mend

Day and Night I meditate

To change my current state

The word was alive

If give me a big high five

It gave hope

So I can cope

When I fail

I am not frail

I became stronger

That's all that matter

I am ready

So I am steady

I am resilient

It is permanent

The word gave hope

I easily cope

Inspired me more

Down to my core

I will continue

Despite the issue

I am bullet-proof

No one can spoof

I will not dissapoint

God always have a point

I want to ponder for I wonder

Only my faith always matter

Overcome the shadows

We are just the juniors and we are not worthy to lead. That is what people told us when we were left to lead our college because our seniors already retired. They said that we can never be like them. We are always living in their shadows.

We are uniquely made by God. We have our distinct characteristics and we individually shine in our own way. Even if we heard those comments, we didnt mind them and we just focused on doing our jobs well. A lot people will always like to see you fail because we cannot live up to what they have done. But we have proven them wrong because we did our best given our abilities. In fact, it was the first time that we are the best college in our university.

This is how God made us identify who we are and what we need to accomplish. God always demonstrated His own love for us as what is said in Romans 5:8.

We should not be bothered by labels given by people because our identity is reflected in our image with God. Let us shine and spread the light of God wherever we are. Let us escape the shadows and enter the light towards eternal life with Christ.

Supporting each other

I invited my friend Janice to our discipleship group. During our discussion, she shared that her life turned a whole 360 degree turn. I listened and emphatized with her. After the meeting, I talked to her online because I want to comfort her in her distress. That night, she accepted Jesus as her Lord and saviour and commited to attend our discipleship group meeting regularly. As we share our circumstances, she struggled financially and shares how all the things they had were gone and they started again from scratch. 

In the lowest point of her life, she sought refuge from God and attended online church services in the same church as me. We met with our friends two weeks before that and that is how I discovered that we are attending the same church online and invited her to our discipleship group. 

I realize how important it is to connect with friends regularly and share the gospel to give them comfort and guide them in their decision making. We realized that we have the same struggles and our only refuge is the Lord. 

As we journey together in our Christian life, I am also equipping myself with God's message and prepared myself to lead a discipleship group myself in the future. I realized now my purpose to share the gospel and supporting my friends in their struggles. We will grow together with the Lord.

The Lord is always with us, when people gathered in His name as what in Matthew 18:20 says.

Let us check our family members and friends because they have their own struggles and they need someone to share their feelings and emotions with. As a Christian, it is our mission to share the gospel and support each other through our discipleship groups.

Rituals

Do you practice rituals and traditions in your family? Does it hinder you to do good things because its not part of a ritual?

Bayanihan is a longtime time practice of our Filipino ancestors. We will help each other in the community no matter the circumstance. But what if you get in trouble just by helping someone? 

Here in Korea, there are incidents when someone helped a person who was troubled by another person, the person who helped got arrested. With these  common incidents,  people here are minding their own business. They do not help or care if the elderly is walking in the street or carrying a heavy load. They just go on with their busy lives. For them, its better not to help rather than being caught off guard and be accused of something they did not do.

Is this a safe decision are principles more important than people? This is exactly how Jesus spoke to the Pharisees when he emphasized that it is okay to heal someone on Sabbath day. In Matthew 12:11-12, Jesus emphasized that a person is more valuable than a sheep and the law permits a person to good on a Sabbath Day.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, what are the circumstances that hinder us from doing good at home, school, workplace and in our community? Are you afraid to break the rituals and traditions practiced by our elders? Or will you do good despite the opposition?

We can always decide to do good and not conform to what others do. Let us do what matters most in accordance to God's teachings. 

Celebrating 15 years of Marriage: Fred and Jen's Crystal Wedding Anniversary

                                          

Freedom

Are you free to do the things you want? What hinders you to do it?  

I am living in the Republic of the Philippines, where we enjoy democracy and freedom of speech.  However, too much freedom can be abusive. People tend to enjoy too much in saying what they want to say to the point that a lot of people are offended. Is there a limit to enjoying our freedom?

In Exodus 6:6-8,  God chose Moses to lead the Israelites to freedom from slavery from the Egyptians.

6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.t I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. w 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.  Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’ ”

They were freed from the bondage of slavery and were released from abuse. All of them wanted to get out of Egypt. But to experience genuine freedom is to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, In Galatians 5:1, it says:

Let us experience divine freedom by living our lives with Jesus Christ! Amen!

Holy Spirit

Are we filled with Holy Spirit?

When we were baptized with water, we were also  baptized by the Holy Spirit as we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior. As we commit ourselves to Jesus Christ, we dwell on His words from the scriptures and be faithful on His promises. We follow Him and equip ourselves with His messages by meditating on His words day and night. We should always be filled by the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

In Ephesians 5:18, Paul reminded the believers in Ephesus not to be full of themselves with liquor that will make their lives miserable, but instead they were told to focus on God and be filled with the Spirit.

When people have problems, they dwell on worldy answers to drink alcohol to forget their problems. Aside from that, people drink to socialize and make friends by joining parties and drink all night until they are drunk. Some fell to addiction and can't control themselves anymore. How can we turn that longing of something to drink to our desire to be filled with Holy Spirit?

Read, study, listen and share the gospel. Be filled with the good messages from God in the scriptures and apply in our daily lives. Lets be full with God's lessons from the bible so we will never be hungry and we can always share what we have to others. Our source of truth is infinite. So let's grab this opportunity to praise and worship the Lord,  everyday in our lives. Let us welcome the Holy Spirit!!!