Children should be taught respect and courtesy just like any other Christian virtues. I often encountered teenagers who don’t even know how to greet an older person. Some are simply ashamed, others are plainly ignorant of (Good Manners and Right Conduct) GMRC. When we were young students, we would always greet our teachers whenever they entered the classroom. Now – particularly among college students – when a teacher enters the classroom, she is the one who greets the students.

It is sad. But children of Christians should never be branded as lacking courtesy or respect. They should be taught to greet people, young and old alike, to say “please” and “sorry”,…

Dear Luzviminda,

This coming Sunday, May 8, we will be celebrating Mother’s Day. Let me be the first one to greet you “Happy Mother’s Day!”.  How I wish I can be with you all. But I have other obligation to keep. I need to be with my daughter when she delivers her baby anytime soon. It is a momentous event for all of us in the family. My daughter will have her very own daughter, and I will witness motherhood coming full circle. How wondrous is His work and how wise and wonderful is His design for the family. God be praised for His marvelous goodness.

But on  Monday, May 9, is…

Dear Aileen,

We were so blessed that you and Zoe joined the first TBC women’s out-of-town baby shower for sister Rhua. We knew it was difficult for a mother to arrange a “leave of absence”, but Dennis willingly took charge because he wanted you to enjoy a special time with the sisters. But joining the trip was even more challenging to you with Baby Zoe on board. It was her first long trip. But God’s special grace was with us. I have not heard Baby Zoe cried or felt discomforted.

God provided a pleasant trip to Lucena city. It was almost 10:00 am when we arrived in the cute apartment…

Dear Liza,

You were asking some tips on how to raise an obedient child.   I am not an expert on child rearing, but through years of raising my own children, I observed some important realities that every mother should consider in training their children

Realize that man is inherently sinful. Children left to themselves are inclined to be disobedient.  If you will not take effort to discipline your son John, don’t get surprised if he grew-up to be ill-mannered and disobedient. That is his natural tendency.

God has mandated parents to bring-up their children in “the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”    Children have natural resistance towards the good, making the teaching of…

Dear  Janet,

How time flies! Next week, your son DJ will celebrate his 1st birthday. As he gets older, note that training him to be a “good boy” also gets more difficult.  Realize that DJ’s character development is foremost in your training.  These are some few tips I can give you:

Make the best of DJ’s formative years (1-4 years old). During these years, DJ’s mind is still malleable. If you miss teaching him at this stage, it would be harder and requires much effort.  Seize these years to teach about God, the Bible, and godly virtues. Train him to respect older people  by saying po and opo. Courtesy is…

My dearest Mom,

If I can only say what I feel, these are the things I would like to tell you. First of all, I am so grateful for bringing me to the world and preparing me to face it by myself. For now, you are so preoccupied with me, attending to my slightest need. Your sleep has never been the same, but you don’t care a bit about it.

I can feel your joy as you put me to sleep. You heart throbs with love as I suck that life-giving milk from you. How blessed am I that have the best nourishment ever. When I look at you…

Dear Emilie,

Teaching little children to do  household chores is difficult and challenging. That is the reason why many mothers failed on this area.

Children like to help and imitate what their mother  is doing.  When  Mom is washing clothes, they  also like to dip their hands on the soapy water.  When Mom is  cooking, they are like little supervisors  watching their mother’s every move.   For them work is not work but something they can take part and enjoy.  Sadly, mothers’ usual reaction is to dismiss and direct the children to just play or worst, watch TV.  And why not?  Children’s clumsy little hands  slow down everything that mothers…

Dear  Ann,

I pity you the last time I saw you in South Supermarket. You seemed to struggle pushing the grocery cart with your right hand while holding Baby Ruth with your left. Little John was pulling your skirt asking you to buy him his favorite choco drink. I offered to bring your oversize shoulder bag, but you said you can manage and is getting used to it.  I inquired about how things are going with you and you said you just came from the doctor because baby Ruth is sick again while John is getting more active, requiring more attention. You informed me that Ronnie is on a…

Dear Marie, 

You were in our prayer group last Sunday and you mentioned that every night you feel so tired yet you didn’t seem to have accomplished something worthwhile.  I would like to comment on that but time did not permit me to.  Indeed, that’s a common sentiment of most  stay-home moms.  Day in and day out, things seem to be the same. You wake up and cook breakfast, prepare the children to school, wash dishes, clean the house, wash the never-ending pile of laundry, take care of the baby, etc, etc. Tomorrow you repeat the same cycle of household works. Those are important tasks but…

Dear Annie,

Today is market day, and mothers just like you and me are always delighted to see the bounty of God’s provision in the market. There is one lesson which i want to share with you. A lesson we can learn in the marketplace.

Mothers going to the market today will see wonders of God’s creation. In the market are myriads of things beautiful. Fruits are of various kinds, luscious, and newly-picked. Fishes are so fresh, their eyes sparkling and they come in small and big sizes, offering a variety of  tastes. Pork, and beef and chicken are spread nicely and they…