Easter 5 - 2005

I was greatly encouraged by last Sunday's readings (Acts 7:55-60, Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16, 1 Peter 2:2-10, John 14:1-14). The dramatis personae of these passages (save the Psalm) were all pre-AD 70 Christians, we used the analogy of the bank in order to understand their courage and confidence in spite of various persecutions, trials and hardships (with even more promised!) that they faced from both Jews and Rome.

As we put our trust in the bank to safeguard our earthly valuables, all the much more that we can trust Jesus to safeguard that which is far more valuable than any of our earthly treasures.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt. 6:19-21)

Stephen was able to see beyond the physical consequences of his unintimidated proclamation of the Hebrews' blood guilt and preaching of the Gospel; and instead focus on the treasure that lay ahead for him in Christ. According to the Apostle Peter, Jesus is the chief cornerstone that God had chosen. Man has only two responses to that fact, it's either to take offence, stumble and reject Him, or to put their wholehearted trust in Him and never be put to shame.

But thanks be to God! In His great mercy, He chose us and made us His own. We are now not counted as children of disobedience, but rather as sheep who knows the voice of their Shepherd and gladly heed His call.

IOPN?

You might be wondering about the weird handle. IOPN looks like the ЮPИ which is "Yuri" written in Cyrillic. Other people have beaten me to "Jerry" and other variations of my name as web logons/handles. Besides I had a great interest in learning the Russian language at that time :-).

Catechism for Children

Have you ever felt some anxiety against your children's interactions outside of your home? How are we to shield them against "bad influence"? I'd say catechising them is one sure way of doing so. It allows us to structure a Christian reality for them, so they won't be swayed every which way by things they see and hear while outside the home. They are empowered by having God's Word as glasses through which they perceive and interpret their environment.

We bought this book from Doorposts. It is an excellent tool for younger children for quick memorization around the breakfast/dinner table. It contains the essential Shorter Catechism with simplified questions and answers and illustrations that help even non-readers to comprehend the meaning.

We have so much fun during our free-flowing discussions, we are amazed that even as we teach, we also learn along with our children. Employing the book as a guide and using our trusty whiteboard for diagrams and drawings we are able convey the lessons more efficiently.

Album (CD): The Best of Noel Pointer

I have always enjoyed Noel Pointer's music especially East of St. Louis Melody and I Feel Your Soul. He too was novel in the way he used the violin for jazz. John Lesaca and Tadao Hayashi come to mind. I will be missing his music. Found this one at the Landmark for P 299.00.

1. East of St. Louis Melody


2. I Feel Your Soul


3. Superwoman


4. Classy lady


5. Virgie


6. All the Reason Why


7. Brookline


8. Land of Make Believe


9. Staying With You


10. Movin' In


11. Stardust Lady


12. Savin' It Up


13. Oh What a Beautiful City

Sa wakas...

nanalo rin si Joey ng kanyang pinaka-aasam-asam na GOLD, and in the most unexpected of events, 100m freestyle! Sumali ang team nila sa 1st ERST Invitational Swim Meet held at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.

Very consistent ang pacing niya even though may advantage yung kalaban niya sa first lap. He really is very happy that he finally got one. We too are very proud of him!

Kaya naman hayun, sa sobrang pagod nakatulog na sa floor ng mall.

Nini's recognition

She got a "Most Thoughtful" award (kasi mahilig magsulat ng mga notes at magbigay ng mga regalo sa teacher) and a medal for being the Bible Quiz Bee Champion among those in Grades 1-3. Her lolo and lola from Sta. Rosa came to see and congratulate her!