The GCF call center ministry will be having a Christmas party on December 12th.
If any of you are looking for a place to hang out in the University Belt area, I'd recommend the Youth Life Student Center (UBC). It is located at 818 N. Reyes st. Sampaloc, Manila: in front of FEU and beside Mcdonald's Morayta.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak at Villamor Evangelical Church's youth service. I was pleasantly surprised when I learned this church is located inside the Villamor Air Base. This was a "double privilege" for me: a chance to minister to the body of Christ and also minister to family members of the armed forces. Students from other nearby churches/ministries attended and we had a great time.
Thanks to everyone who was involved in this event!
Attention, Davao! The Basta LoveLife Radio Show will soon be on The Edge Davao (FM 104.3).
It's tentatively scheduled for Wednesday nights at 8:00 p.m. The folks at The Edge are still working on this, but it should be on the air soon. Please tune in--you'll get some good advice and you'll be supporting Christian radio.
Efren Peñaflorida has been selected as CNN's Hero of the Year for 2009!
Here's an excerpt from CNN:
(CNN) -- Efren Peñaflorida, who started a "pushcart classroom" in the Philippines to bring education to poor children as an alternative to gang membership, has been named the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year.
CNN's Anderson Cooper revealed Peñaflorida's selection at the conclusion of the third-annual "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Saturday night.
The gala event, taped before an audience of 3,000 at the Kodak Theatre, premieres on Thanksgiving, November 26, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the global networks of CNN.
The broadcast, which honors the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2009, features performances by Grammy Award-winning artist Carrie Underwood, R&B crooner Maxwell and British pop sensation Leona Lewis.
Peñaflorida, who will receive $100,000 to continue his work with the Dynamic Teen Company, was selected after seven weeks of online voting at CNN.com. More than 2.75 million votes were cast.
I the opportunity to meet students from Emilio Aguinaldo College and Morning Dew Montessori over the past couple of days. Thanks to those students who attended and listened to the seminars. I hope some of you will stop here by the blog and keep in touch.
Friday Night Youth Gig starts up again this week!
Time: Friday nights, 6:00 p.m. (late comers are always welcome).
Location: University Baptist Church
818 N. Reyes st. Sampaloc, Manila: in front of FEU and beside Mcdonald's Morayta.
Join us for a time of games, worship, small group discussions, and a message from God's word.
I've had a really good time creating and developing Strongandfit.net, my blog about strength, bodybuilding, fitness, and weight loss. It keeps me motivated to stay in the gym and I think it has helped others do the same. My only regret is that I didn't start this project up sooner.
This semester I'll be attending and promoting Friday Night Youth Gig.
Time: Friday nights, 6:00 p.m. (late comers are always welcome).
Location: University Baptist Church
818 N. Reyes st. Sampaloc, Manila: in front of FEU and beside Mcdonald's Morayta.
Youth Gig starts up next week (November 20th)
Join us for a time of games, worship, small group discussions, and a message from God's word.
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven
-Ecclesiastes 3:1
I believe in excellence. I believe God is honored when we discipline ourselves, develop our talents, and use them for His glory (see also: Excellence: Stand Before Kings). I believe we owe it to God to learn what we are good at, then do our best to become great at it.
But I'm not advocating perfectionism--demanding that every single thing in your life be perfect. Trying to be perfect in everything might just keep you from focusing on anything. It's also a pretty good way to drive yourself crazy.
Maybe you could call my philosophy "selective perfectionism." There are a few things which I'm constantly trying to improve (writing and speaking, for example).
Selective perfectionism also means being flexible. Yesterday, for example, I accepted a last-minute invitation to speak to a group of students. The campus is nearby, and they just needed me to talk about something for a few minutes. It wasn't my best lecture, but it was the best I could do given the circumstances. It turned out to be an enjoyable opportunity to serve students.
Do a few things, and do those few things well. Always leave room for failure and progress.
I’ve just finished reading another great book: Undressed: The Naked Truth about Love, Sex, and Dating
Here are a few things I loved about this book:
Biblical
Of course I would not like a book if it wasn’t based on the truths of Scripture. Illian did a great job of explaining the biblical principles of purity and wisdom (kind of like the two commandments).
Funny
I love this author’s (sometimes irreverent) sense of humor. This book is hilarious--made me laugh out loud a few times (the folks at Starbucks probably thought I had one too many refills). It made for a fast-paced, enjoyable read.
Practical
Some Christian relationship books just go way overboard into legalism, over-spiritualizing, ect. Not this one: I saw a lot of very practical advice on how to go about dating in a godly way—very balanced.
Relevant
This author is not some guy who got married at 18. He wrote this when he was in his late twenties and had been through some serious “stuff” (including breaking up with a girl he was engaged to). This was refreshing—hearing from someone who was still out there in the “trenches” of single life.
Thoughtful
Illian challenged some the popular notions that get passed around in churches. Here are just a few:
Group Dating: Highly overrated. It keeps the guy and girl from really getting to know each other, and puts the guy in a passive mode (not having to take responsibility for planning the date).
“Dating” vs “Courtship”: “Dating” is actually a better term because it lowers our expectations. In other words, there’s less pressure to immediately decide if he/she is “the one” (I’ll talk about this again when I deal with cultural issues).
Meeting Your Spouse in Church: “We put an unfair burden on the church when we expect it to fulfill the romantic holes in our lives,” he argues. He makes a great point here—we Christians should not limit the ways/places God could use to help us find a spouse.
A Few of my Highlighted Quotes:
“Being single is not a disease and marriage certainly isn’t the cure.”
“We must learn to be thoughtfully vulnerable, not recklessly available in our dating relationships.”
“We often hear stories from well-meaning pastors and church leaders about how they met their spouses at church, but this isn’t how it normally works.”
“There is a dangerous and erroneous thought circling in some Christian groups that God will miraculously drop the love of your life from heaven, gift-wrapped and marriage-ready.”
“Despite what many of us have been taught, romantic relationships don’t just happen to us. There is something for you to do and there is something for God to do.”
“If you’ll keep your clothes on, you’ll get to see if he really wants to put a ring on.”
“The best way to extinguish a burning relationship is to have sex. Once a man knows he can have sex without any responsibilities, why would he ever commit to a long-term relationship?”
Disagreements:
I disagreed with this author on a couple of points. First, he tended to characterize those who marry after only a year of dating as “impatient.” I understand his point, but I’ve also seen the other side: problems caused by couples spending years in a relationship with no clear direction (in fairness to the author, he does urge readers to be intentional in their dating).
I also didn’t like his response to a young (virgin) woman who wanted to marry a virgin man (in Chapter 10, where he responds to reader emails). I think he kind of dismissed her dream, and I don't agree with some of the logic he used.
But I nodded in agreement on everything else (99.9% of the book)--so many great points, lessons, and analogies.
Cultural Issues:
There are a couple of cultural issues I’d like to address for my kababayan (Filipino countrymen).
First and foremost, there’s the whole courtship thing. Filipinos are a little more formal in their approach to romance, so they may have some problems relating to what Illian says about “dating” vs “courtship.” Don’t get too caught up in terms—instead, think about the principles.
Next, there’s the idea of “flirting.” Illian argues that flirting can be a good thing, but he is referring to innocent gestures a girl may use to show she’s interested. But Filipinos tend to associate the word “flirt” with the word “malandi” (which would translate “easy” or “slutty”). A Filipino would need to keep this in mind—the word “flirt” doesn’t always mean the same thing to an American.
Finally, there are several American pop culture references in the book that some Filipinos may not quite get.
Conclusion:
I wish I had known about this book when I wrote my Top Five Christian Books on Dating/Relationships. It would have easily made the list (which means I may just change it). Two thumbs up!
Here's the Amazon.com link. I've seen the book here in Manila at National Book Stores.
Here are my November speaking engagements:
Wednesday, November 19th: Emilio Aguinaldo College. I'll be doing a seminar on Substance Abuse and Addiction.
Friday, November 20th (morning): Morning Dew Montessori, Cainta Rizal.
I'll be speaking to their high school students.
Sunday, November 22nd (2:00 pm): Villamor Evangelical Church, Pasay City
Thursday, November 26th: Youth Ministry Forum, sponsored by United Methodist Youth Fellowship in the Philippines (UMYFP). Location: Harris Memorial College, Dolores, Taytay, Rizal. The whole seminar is 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. My time slot is 1:00-2:30, and I'll be talking about Ministry with Youth in the Campus.
Saturday, November 28th (6:30 pm): Youth L.I.V.E., Greehills Christian Fellowship Ortigas (Auditorium A).
Sunday, November 29th (2:00 pm): Foundation of Truth Christian Church, Novaliches (youth service).
Please pray for me and those I'll be sharing with. Blessings!
This video reminds me of the analogy I used back in the Purity and Intimacy post a couple of years ago.
