Pamparo in Toronto

A fellow Christian blogger posted a “simple question” regarding the fine line between performing our very best and living out a “rock-star” dream when leading worship on a Sunday morning. You can read all about it here at Guitar For Worship’s A Simple Question post …

Personally, I’ve never really gotten into playing with a band outside of church. I mean, I did join some bands before and I still get invitations here and there to play outside of church. But as a whole, I’ve never really committed to any of it. My reasons to decline are always of time/availability. But my real personal reason is that I just don’t think I am good enough to be out there. Which on a Sunday morning, I can come and play music for God to the very best that I can play. I always try to remind myself of this passage from the Bible regarding offering …

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” — Mark 12:41-44 (New International Version)

Although, this is more of a verse used for tithing and financial offering, I believe it also relates to how much of what we have can we give back to God. For me, I always try to give my very best to God when I step out on that platform, when I play for a small group, and even for my own personal devotion.

What Karl asked is a very valid question. However, I think the more important question to ask is: How much of what you have do you really give back to God.

Right after Rhoy and I got married in 2004 we decided to rent a 1-bedroom apartment in midtown Toronto. Although our parents on both side offered us to stay with them for a while, we still wanted to start on our own. We had stuff from our “single” days, but we still started with an empty space, a few things from wedding gifts and hand-me-down furniture. They were great and we didn’t mind using it. Then as the years gone by, after we adjusted to our environment and our budget, we started buying stuff for our family. Changed some furniture, bought electronic devices and Rhoy continually expanded his broad collection of guitar (electric and acoustic),   pedals and amps! My love for bags have also evolved from buying local brands to name-branded ones. Then we had a baby. New kid’s stuff was added to our small apartment. As I look and gaze to our surrounding I’m being overwhelmed on how much stuff we have accumulated over the years. Don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining or anything. Actually, I’m so amazed on how God abundantly blessed us with material possessions. Having said that, God is so gracious that He is still blessing us with a bigger space to fit in all these… No, we are not moving to a house. It would be nice, but not yet. We’re just moving to a 2 bedroom unit on the same building, same floor, with a slightly bigger space. By June 1st of 2009 we will be starting a new chapter of our life to our 2-bedroom apartment.
Our life is not always this great. We too have our ups and downs as other people would have experience in different phases of their lives. With the economic crisis that has been going on around, my family and I can’t help but to be grateful of what the Lord has been doing to us. God has been faithful to us over these years and we know He will still be with us on the coming years!

During the time of the prophet Nehemiah, he had a heart to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. In the process of doing so, he and the people of Israel were met with a lot different oppositions that came their way.

Read the the account of the rebuilding of the wall here: Nehemiah 1-7

Like Nehemiah and the people of Israel at that time, trials/criticisms/oppositions will come our way. But we have to act like them when we are faced with these things in our daily lives. Believe that God will be the one fighting for us!

… ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.
– Zechariah 4:6

We have to continue to pray and ask God to give us the encouragement to continue. We have to have faith and trust in His words. As Jesus said of faith:

He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”
– Luke 17:6 (NIV)

“Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
– Matthew 17:19-20 (NIV)

Besides, Nehemiah and the people of Israel managed to re-build the walls, didn’t they? But the most important aspect here is also written in the scriptures.

When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.
– Nehemiah 6:16

Have faith my friends, God is in control!

And everybody say … He is risen, indeed!

Happy Easter everybody! I hope that it’s not only today that we remember what Christ has done for us. Let’s do it everyday as an act of worship to Him. Praise the Lord!

When I was younger, I used to ask the question why would people call friday, Good Friday? I kept thinking, if Jesus died that day, then how can that be good. No one seems to know the answer though. Even the people who are supposed to be “religious”. I always get the shoulder shrug, sometimes the “you are still young and wouldn’t understand it” type of answers. I even remember how my father use to tell my grandma that it is ok to be drunk because Jesus is still dead and wouldn’t know what’s happening until Easter anyways. Funny, it seems that a lot of people think like this. Maybe not in your community, it certainly is in our area as there seems to be a lot of drunk people during these times, including me!

But I thank God everyday, now I know why it’s called Good Friday. It’s so simple and you might not even believe it just because it seems so easy!

Let me be just be clear, I am not trying to persuade you or argue with you. I just want to share what I found out about this.

First the bad news. We are all sinners, you and me. A lot of people would argue about this. But it is a fact of life. Even at an early age, we just like to disobey what we know is right. My son is barely 3 1/2 and he know the concept of good and bad. And sometimes, he even knows that he is doing something he is not supposed to be doing. He can’t help it, it’s in his nature. And so do we, we just do it!

Now, the good news! That first Good Friday, 2000 years ago, Jesus dies on the cross to redeem us of our sins. He rose after three days and is now sitting in heaven on the right side of God the Father. Here’s the really good news, we don’t have to do anything special or extra-ordinary to get this salvation. It clearly states here

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

All we need to do is really accept the fact that we are sinners and simply BELIEVE in Jesus Christ. Once we have done that, we will gain the salvation that has been freely given to us by God. We will become followers of Christ and will start to live a changed life. Not that we will have an easier life than others, but we will live with that blessed hope that there is something else bigger that life here on earth!

So my friends, if you haven’t accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, there is still time.

Just believe! God is good, thank him for that first Good Friday