(Adapted from I Cor. 13:1-8;13)

Though a husband is an admirable speaker, but speaks harshly to his wife, he is like a motorcycle without a muffler, or a blaring car alarm.

And though he is successful in his career, and is expert in his work, and has the faith that he will accomplish great things, but does not share his dreams with his wife, he is like a mansion on a flooded plain or a spoiled gourmet meal.

And though he gives generously and sacrifices for the sake of others, but is not concerned with the needs of his wife, he is like an SUV with an empty gas tank  or a stained Armani  pants.

A loving husband is patient. He understands…

(Adapted from I Corinthian 13: 1-8;13)

Though a wife speaks well to people but is not sweet to her husband, she is like a stained  chopping board or a lukewarm coffee.

And though she is an excellent cook and keeps the house in order, but  is not affectionate to her husband, she is like an expensive vase which has no purpose but for display.

And though she opens up their house to visitors, gives generously and sacrifices for the sake of others, but is not sensitive to the feelings of her husband, she is like a leaking faucet or a sagging clothesline.

A loving wife is patient. She understands and accepts the weaknesses of her husband.

A loving wife treats…

I always think that thoughtfulness is kindness of a higher order. Kindness is to do good to people; to extend a helping hand; to give a kind word of encouragement; to share one’s burden or joy. But thoughtfulness is a lot more.

Relationship in the church is replete with examples of thoughtfulness. A sister who went home to her province would bring small packs of goodies to distribute to church mates upon her return. Another sister would share half of her favorite snacks to me because she knows I like it too. A young mother would text in the middle of the week to inquire how am I doing, knowing that I am prone to spells of dizziness. Some members…

Act 7:60 And kneeling down, he cried with a loud voice, Lord, do not lay this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

In this verse, the Lord is teaching us the right attitude to people who troubles us. To retaliate is the expected reaction of man; to pay back evil for evil – all at once.

We may not retaliate overtly, but oftentimes we fight back with our body language and in our minds.  Cold shoulder is what we give them, together with a massive dose of  evil thoughts.  In our minds,  murder is going on.

It requires a deep sense of maturity to entrust   our offended heart  to  the Lord and let Him punish…

One fine morning, I finally decided to clean my refrigerator that was screaming from overload. I procrastinated because defrosting is always messy and tedious. Surprisingly, I enjoyed every bit of it.

First, I began emptying the lower compartment while I waited for the ice in the freezer to soften a bit. While removing food items from the refrigerator, I realized that there were many foodstuff inside that  reminded me of people who care for me. The bag of walnut reminded me of the thoughtfulness of my eldest sister who carried a load of it all the way from Oregon, USA  as  pasalubong.  Thoughts of  her joyful  visit flashed in my  mind.  And while I was removing a bunch of  “suman”,…

 When I was young, I dreaded the thought of having white hairs. For me it meant old age and eventually… death. But as I grow older, and get my share of white hairs that multiply by the day, my perspective about it changed. By the grace of God, I began to welcome those glistening white strands as part of the beautiful process of aging.

God’s great design and His gentle dealing with His people are evident in the process of aging. God’s wisdom dictates that the emergence of our white hairs be a slow and lengthy process. Initially, it appears as a permanent “highlight” of brownish shade just above the forehead. Soon it invades a wider part of…

“And also women were following, who were accompanying Him out of Galilee, who watched the tomb, and how His body was placed. And they returned and they prepared spices and ointment. And they rested on the Sabbath day according to the commandment.”   Luke 23:55-56 

Observe the love of the women to Jesus which (seemingly) surpasses that of the disciples’. When Christ was on His way to Calvary, His  disciples were nowhere to be found, probably watching  from afar, afraid to be associated with Jesus. But these women were following every event in the crucifixion. They  would not like to leave their eyes off Jesus. It was their  deep affection that  made them lingered. That is why they saw  the  tomb…

“So teach us to number our days, so that we may bring to Thee a heart of wisdom.”  Psalm 90:12

We need to number our days because each day will pass and will never return. Every day, a drop falls from the bucket of life and we do now know how much more is left. Today could be the last drop… we just don’t know.

We number things because we want each item to be secured and counted. We value each single piece and don’t want to lose it. It is like a merchandise. When one item is lost or damaged the seller feels some regret because he knows he lost a portion of his profit.

If each day is of value,…

“But the word about Him spread even more. And great crowds were coming to hear, and to be healed from their infirmities by Him.  But He was drawing back in the wilderness, and praying.”   Luke 5:15-16

 In the midst of heavy work, in  time of deep engagements, there must be a time to draw back and pray.  Prayer is an integral part of our work, whatever it is. We need to be sustained by prayer.  In the midst of the heaviness of a schedule, we need to pause and pray.

Christ deliberately left the pressing crowd, the adulation of people, the cry for help, the seeming immediacy of the moment and went to the wilderness – away from the crowd and…

Motherhood is not for the faint-hearted. Because for it to be successful, it requires a great price – even the price of one’s ambition and dreams.   It is a sad reality that countless women, young and old alike  plunged into motherhood without a full knowledge of the responsibilities that go  with it. They think of motherhood as something that can be learned along the way.

Many even think that motherhood can be relegated  to the yaya or relatives. They can easily source out an unknown person from  remote places  and fully handed to her the care of her precious bundle of joy. This  yaya, whom the values and character are hardly examined is given the power to influence the mind…