Do You Personally Know Him (Part II)

My daughter (turning 6 by the end of next month) and I were on a jeepney that same Sunday morning just after we attended church. We were on our way to the city around 18 kilometers from our town. We sat near a mother who cuddled her more than a year old (to my knowledge) boy. She was with other two mothers and two grade school-aged girls.

Upon sitting down I noticed the group not to be locals in our place or anywhere around Northern Luzon because of the way this mother carried her young boy --- with a sling cloth. The Igorot tribe, whom I am one, also carry their toddlers with a sheet cloth, but this group didn't look like one. They spoke in a dialect that seems I've heard before and I guessed them to be Badjao's, a small tribe in Southern Mindanao. Sometimes they are referred to as sea gypsies because they live along coastlines floating on sea. I softly asked them if where are they from. The woman beside me smiled and said, "Basilan."

Basilan is a province also in Southern Mindanao long known as a battleground between the government soldiers and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and other groups of bandits. Currently, the mountains of the said province is a haven for the Abu Sayyaf group, an Islamic terrorist.

It was in the mid '80s, I was in highschool when I first read stories in newspapers about the peace and order situations in Basilan. The residents are generally of the Muslim tribes. Recently, however, 14 marine soldiers who were with the batallion to rescue Fr. Carlo Bossi, an Italian Catholic priest assigned in the area, kidnapped by members of the Abu Sayyaf, were killed in an encounter.

Knowing Basilan to be war and poverty-stricken usually drive away the residents to nearby regions just like what this group with us in the jeepney did and decided to come north probably to find peace. As our conversation went comfortably, I slowly asked again if they belong to Muslims. They softly answered, "Hindi po. Badjao kami." (No, we are Badjao's). I was right with my earlier guess. I've seen some of them before in my travels to other cities in Luzon roaming the streets. I asked them if they have relatives around whom they visited but said, nobody. "Mahirap ang buhay sa Basilan," (Life in Basilan is so difficult). According to them they just ride and walk, ride and walk to any direction their feet would find them and beg for food. They spend their nights along street corners. It was visible though on how they looked --- tired, rugged and hungry.

I asked my daughter to give to the thin young boy, one apple fruit from the four pieces she was carrying while I continued to tell the group to hang on to life's challenges. Knowing the conditions of Badjao people in the Philippines ever since, I cannot help but pray for material help to reach them. I cannot give more than anything to these souls beside me but told them that our physical bodies are just temporary here on earth, so that even though how difficult circumstances are to each one, there is still Someone who loves and truly cares for us. I wondered though if they believed what I told them when in fact, materially, they are not well taken cared of. Nevertheless, I can see traces of happiness on their faces no matter how tough life for them is.

Finally, I said to the woman beside me, "Do you believe in Jesus Christ the Saviour?" I was so delighted to hear her answer, "Yes, I believe in Him. I just don't know with others." Her second statement seemed askew with the first one but her answer made me more comfortable to share to them the goodness of God even though many times we don't understand why we have to suffer poverty, wars and many pains that our physical and temporal bodies have to bear. If we personally believe in Him and ask Him to become our Saviour, then we are assured that once the time comes for us to leave this world, our souls will surely go home to our God to His kingdom in Heaven.

Reaching the city, we all parted with smiles and blessings. My daughter and I left them with their chorous of, "Thank you."

Do You Personally Know Him (Part I)

"You may be a very rich and intelligent person, well-travelled, have earned several degrees in prestigious universities and have elite friends. You may be a well-updated person in current world events, have read shelves and shelves of books, know the biographies of famous mathematicians, scientists, politicians and world leaders like Aristotle, Einstein, Graham Bell, Queen Elizabeth and scores of others... and personally you may even know them. But did you ever know that there is a Person greater than your elite friends and greater than all the famous people the world has ever produced? Have you ever read His biography? Are you well-updated with His constant encouragements and promises to you?" These were some of the lines and in whole, the message one Sunday morning in church this month of August.

Well, it's not bad to be the individual in the message because God wants each one of His children to become rich, intelligent and comfortable in life.

It was not my first time to hear a similar message in a Gospel-based gathering urging each one to become aware that there is a person greater than anyone else and who loves each one so much. Because of His unconditional love for you and for me and to all human beings, He paid the penalty for out sins when He was nailed at the cross more than 2000 years ago. His name is Jesus, the Christ.

In my several acquaintances, I've met people of different colors, of different cultures from different lands or in short --- from different walks in life. There were many who were so intelligent that I always got a childish curiosity to ask myself how and why are these people so intelligent? Why am I not like them? Why is their comprehension so full while I don't have? They know so many things than me under the sun. How come and why like that?

Many intelligent people upon asking if they personally know who gave them their intelligence, would give a loud and defensive answer. I attacked a point in their ego!

Some I've met brag about their achievements in life and their good works, their successful children, successful career, etc... I feel happy for their achievements and I envy them. Only I feel pathetic when along their stories, they don't personally know who gave them all the intelligence, comforts and successes in their lives. They may answer that God gave them their assets when asked them but who is this God? There are many, many gods out there.

When it comes to spiritual beliefs, many still grip on superstitious beliefs/omens and ghosts! I pity these fine-brained people who don't know the very basic reason why they are alive. They don't know the most intelligent Person of all.

I am a born-again Christian because I humbled down before Jesus Christ, gave Him all my being, my problems, my achievements, my family and friends and everything of me and allowed Him to cleanse away all my sins and finally allowed Him to control the throne of my life. I prayed and received Him as my Personal Lord and Saviour 15 years ago. My feelings and views of worldly things became different from that moment because of the assurance of salvation that I received.

Along the years though after I got saved was not easy for me because of my inner enemy--- my own stubbornness. Trials and struggles popped along the way so that Satan became so occupied to bring me back to my old habits. It is his job to destroy each and every Christian as much as he can. At times I gave in, but Jesus my God would always hold my hands. I was so thankful because despite all the struggles I've gone through, my faith in my Christ never faded. Until now, He keeps on directing my feet to the path even if I get obstinate so often. He is truly a caring and loving God.

With lifestyles these days however, being too much occupied having no time even to sit down for a minute to say a short prayer of thanks, the more we lose updates on the goodness of God so that the preaching that Sunday morning became a bullet that pierced my heart. I claim to be a Christian for long, long years but do I regularly update myself with His words --- the Bible? My Christian friends out there -- this is a question I also leave to you. If we claim to be born-again Christians, do we really know Him? How deep?

To readers who want to know Him personally and become a Christian right now, here is a prayer of acceptance or sometimes called the sinner's prayer. It is short and simple. Pray it sincerely and allow the Lord Jesus Christ to work in your lives:

"Lord Jesus, I need You. I have sinned against You and against others. I confess that I am a sinner. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. Amen."

If you prayed this simple prayer and want to know more about Jesus Christ, our God, you can go to any full-Gospel church near you and fellowship with other Christians.

God bless and praise the Lord!

Ways To Destruction

Before the GATT-WTO (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trades of the World Trade Organization) came into world scene, product exchange or transfer of goods (i.e. barters and trades, imports and exports) was not as easy because there were many restrictions on the standard operation procedures that must be followed. Export and import of fresh products between some countries were not even allowed. Supply of certain goods or products either for export or import were thus regulated.

When the world opened into an agreement on tariffs and trades in the mid '90's, Research and Development boomed to the extent that some research technologies went beyond the limits of morality and ultimately posing danger into the human race. As a Bible-believing Christian, I believe in hermeneutics that World War III is at hand. This war however is very much different from the past World Wars I and II. It is not of arms and nuclear bombs but rather of an economic war.

True, it is happening today of the unpredictable fluctuations in the world economy. This situation is prophesied in the Book of Revelation in the Holy Bible of the Christian faith.

Aside from famines, earthquakes, floods and wars, many events were and will still be fulfilled before the final hour of these worldly things will happen. One is the One World Government. There will only be one ruler of this world. The transfer of basic food items from one country to another will easily be controlled.

Basing some events in what Revelation tells, many countries will unite into one big nation. As we know, the European countries agreed to have one currency called Euro as against the present World currency, the $US. Is this a prelude to the one world government?

The division of food crop species with headquarters based in strategic parts of the world including the Philippines, is another way of preparing the world as prophesied. In just a snap of a finger, thousands of food crop species can be destroyed forever. You may ask, how? Through the introduction of virulent crop diseases and devastating pests! Food supplies can be easily controlled through this situation! Result? Hunger. Eventually, massive death of the human race.

I am an avid viewer of the CBN news via the Trinity Broadcasting Network and the British Broadcasting Cable (BBC World). I watch daily the short noontime world events aired through CBN and it is from this network where I learned that certain foods that China export to the open world were detected to contain amounts of formaldehyde. Later, this situation was aired through the local networks identifying particularly the white rabbit candy coming from China that has a water soluble and edible secondary wrapper to contain the same chemical. Later, other Chinese products were scrutinized by BFAD wherein certain Chinese food companies use formaldehyde as one of their preservatives. Cosmetics and perfumes from the same country were also found positive of the chemical.

Formaldehyde can be available either in gas or liquid and aside from being used as preservative can be used as disinfectant and in making resins and dyes. If accumulated in the body will cause cancer.

Recently, children's toys coming from China manufactured particularly by Fisher-Price company were found to contain lead element. This includes the toys that Mattel, a US-owned company, distribute to the world market to also contain the same element. Mattel's toys are made particularly in China.

A man's heart is plagued with sin thus by ruling his selfish desires he can manufacture anything under the sun without considering the offensive consequences gradually poisoning the human race. The ultimate goal is an early rendezvous with death!

Before these world issues, the Philippine media was plagued with news about the abrupt increase of several brands of infant formula prompting most mothers of this generation to have their babies depend solely on the said synthetic milk instead of breastmilk. Almost all milk manufacturing companies today continuously establish tie-ups with government health centers to promote their products. Because of very promising advertisements, these companies make mothers more fickle-minded. The milk products are advertised to make babies geniuses even at the ages of 2 to 3. Who could not be enticed however! All mothers of course want their children to be strong, healthy, good-looking and have high IQ level! But irony of all ironies, after all the perfectly structured lines of enticements however, the last and brief lines to be said is, "Breastmilk is still best for babies up to 2 years." Wow! It's not a guarantee that if a baby is fed with golden infant formula will make the child so bright. Synthetics are still synthetics and natural is still natural!

I salute the unsung heroes of the rural health units in the country who promote breastfeeding and continuously discourage the sole use of infant formula. May your tribes increase!

The reason why infant formula were made is for emergency alternative in extreme cases like, mother's death where no breast milk is at hand, serious/debilitating disease that the mother carries wherein the pathogen can be transferred to her baby through her milk and in such that the mother is physically unable to breastfeed. But these reasons were ignored however, and instead the use of infant formula became a trend or fashion thereby continually psychologically inverting the reasoning powers of most mothers today.

The many reasons I've heard from lactating mothers this generation why they resort to infant formula is the limited volume of milk that they can give their babies. Of course for a reason to defend are many other reasons! I then paused to raise a question on this case. The trend today is that every pregnant woman has to has a private doctor (OB gyne). All the drugs, be it milk for pregnant women, vitamins and all that the private doctor prescribe are religiously taken in. To my surprise, if all the drugs tell the truth including the stimulation of the production of breastmilk during the lactating period, why is it that young mothers of today complain of limited milk production? What are the secret contents of these drugs that delimit the natural production of breastmilk in lactating mothers? In my own opinion, maybe these vitamins, milk, other drugs and every synthetics that are prescribed to pregnant women has something to do with the limited production of breastmilk later on so that all these infant formula available in the market will be sold ---- selfish desires! These companies make senseless profit from should be lactating mothers!

Comes now the time to let the baby receive doses of vaccines. A parent of course is branded crazy if he/she doesn't allow his/her baby to receive vaccinations against harmful pathogens.

One time, I watched a world health news on television posing a question, "Are all vaccines safe?" Alleged victims of vaccinations were shown on screen as either autistic or with very low IQ level. One 18 year old boy was shown as thinking and acting like a three-year old. Another was a child who after receiving an anti-polio vaccine became a polio victim instead. These cases are not isolated I guess because there had been other previous cases around the globe.

I just don't know but my observation, question and conclusion is: Why is it that around 10 years ago to this date, cases of autism in the Philippines is very high in children? Is it because of these vaccines that babies receive? The symptoms of autism usually manifest when the child reaches pre-school years around 3 to 4.

Autism is considered a mental illness just like schizophrenia. It is an organic condition in children caused by neurological disorder. Autistics may excel in one or more skills and they barely remember their names.

Somehow, I am convinced that these said disorders can be acquired through medicine, vaccines and other instant food products because of either what some unscrupulous researchers mix and match to come up with results that are immediately released for consumption even without completing the required product screening in the units of research and development or because of accidental procedures that went unnoticed during the process. The toy on the playground is the food chain.

We live with all the advanced technologies, the products of advanced researches, thereby we become robots of advertisements. Our eyes are very wide open. Yes, we can see but we are blind on the way to destruction!