HK: Getting an Updated Passport at DFA, Manila

On the Value of Records: “

The American writer, Bell Hooks, in her latest book, Belonging: A Culture of Place (New York: Routledge, 2009), gives us this interesting perspective on the value of the record: ‘In the past I have often scoffed at those folks who cannot go anywhere without a camera, a recording device, video, without some instrument to document for the future. Now that I have witnessed the deep pain and grief that can be caused by loss of memory, through illness, dementia and Alzheimer’s . . ., I can acknowledge the value of documentation for a future time. I know firsthand what a blessing it is to have a record – a way to remember that goes beyond the mind.’ ” (pp. 185-186). [from the blog, Reading Archives, by Richard J. Cox]

My Take:

You asked why 24 blogs regarding my family’s Hong Kong Tour? It cost me a lot of savings-and I need to extend its benefits by recording the memories and observation I had for future posterity and use.

But before that i have to mention that I almost got delayed and fleece by fixers outside the DFA. They will try to divert your attention before the gate of DFA. They might try to help put your picture into your passport a[pplication and then lead you to another building (not DFA) and then told you that you need extra time and money to have your passport completed. I did not show my anger but I returned to the real gate of DFA and from there line up at the verification. Can the DFA officials have an cleansweep operation of this swindlers and hoodlums just outside their gates? Are they inutile or in cahoots with these people? This is our country and yet we are being fleeced by our "enterprising" kababayans. Hoy Mahiya naman kayo-may mas mabuti pang trabaho kaysa magloko ng kapwa. (Please be ashamed of what you are doing -there is a better way to earn a living instead of taking advantage of your fellowmen)

Inside-you would have to queu for the verification of records and documents -which took up 1-2 hours. Then you can enter the DFA building for your passport to be assesed-then you need to queu again in order to pay the assesed value and to be interviewed by the DFA personnel and have your name entered into their  computer. I entered DFA by 9AM and left by 2PM. I ate my morning merienda, lunch and afternoon merienda by 2PM+. I paid 150.00 for the passport delivery-and got my passport at my house after 7 working days.

Here are some pictures of the location:

Verification inside the basketball court

DFA Basketball court

Some pictures of the requirements and steps for obtaining your passport (new and renewal):

Instructions

Passport Requirements

Procedure-Step-by-step

By the way-did I mentioned that I shouted to the guards inside the payment and encoding area because they do not how to process the lines-who to get first and who will be last. After I shouted-they corrected the sitiation. They do this everyday and yet  they have not done -more than basic improvements-for the sake of our kababayan-Sino ba DFA Secretary? Dapat siguro magresign na at better administrator who will treat our kababayan better and with more dignity.

Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park Tour

I will be starting a series of blogs regarding my family’s tour last November 4-7, 2009 at the Queen’s former territory-Hong Kong. The possible order of my blogs is as follows:

1. Getting a updated passport at DFA, Manila

2. Preparing for the trip

3.Early morning going to NAIA

4. Arriving at HK International Airport

5. Travel to Kowloon-Park Hotel

6. First Lunch-Mcdonalds

7. The Peak Tower

8. Night Market

9. Avenue of the Stars

10. TSL Jewelry

11. Hong Kong Disneyland-The Rides

12. HK Disneyland Fireworks

13. Breakfast 3rd Day

14. Ocean Park Part 1

15. Ocean Park Part 2

16. Symphony of Lights

17.  Space & Art Museum

18. Breakfast 4th Day

19. Science Museum

20. Last Day Lunch

21.History Museum

22. Travel back to HK Airport

23. Dinner at HK Airport

24. Trip back to NAIA

Preaching as if there is still tomorrow

James 4:13-17 

 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”– yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

 1Corinthians 2:1-5

 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

 1Corinthians 2:13-14

 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

 Preaching as if there is still tomorrow

 Some preachers will like to reach out to people-really- with the Word of God. Only they want it in bites and sizes that can be easily digested by their hearers. Nothing wrong with that-in fact it is commendable. It is when the content of such messages is change from what is urgent and essential to something contemporary and mundane.

 I have read magazine articles of cults like the old Worldwide Church of God and Jehovah’s witnesses discussing things regarding home life, personal enrichment and some political and economic viewpoints. They are in fact tailored and well edited articles and they are geared to the needs of their readers. Much like the Reader Digest or similar magazine. However, this does not addressed what is essential and urgent to the lives of unbelievers.

 I believe in soft selling the Gospel i.e. sugar coating the medicine of the gospel by contemporary concerns-but it must still contain the medicine. And there is no good news without the bad news. Or the hearers might think that the medicine is for something else more pedestrian or common-not the one that need surgery or organ transplant.

 Consider this also-not every unbeliever we meet still has their 1000 days to spare-maybe tomorrow or next week=they have to meet their Maker-and they will be found wanting or naked of the needed righteousness before the throne room of God.

 And even how much we change our language-our message is still on to rough translating by our hearers-they cannot really get it or understand it- There will always be a heart problem that only a fully proclaimed Word-then explained and then applied-will an unbeliever be forced to face his lack of Mediator before God due to his sins and transgression of the law. That is if they were also enlightened and reborn by the Holy Spirit. Without this rebirth-we will be only talking to dead spirits of living men and women.

 So-now-we must have confidence: to share the Word –interpret, explain, illustrate and apply. Our message must rely fully to the content and thought of the Word of God. Or else the conversion we thought that the unbeliever or hearer is undergoing or undergone may not be real conversion. Merely spurious or false. We might just delude them to eternal destruction. And woe to us if they stumble to the darkness because we are not faithful to the message. There are bare minimum in terms of the content and sooner or later-we must tell it to our dear friends and neighbors. They must not only know about Christ-they must be confronted by Him. And the only way is through the faithful preaching of the Word of God.

By the way- I am not defining preaching exclusively as church building pulpit preaching. I am more emphasizing the ordinary sharing of the Word in the byways of life. Brethren-we might have all the time in the world-but our unbelieving generation does not. And let us not be afraid of doctrines. It is just teaching-the INC,Jehovah,Mormon , Muslim and what have you-always thrive in this situation and they are  multiplying in adherents. It is cowardice that make us manufacture all these excuses not to share the Word. If you want training-there are many local churches and parachurch organization who are willing to teach us.

Reformation Rally-October 25, 2009

This year’s Reformation Rally was held at Baker Hall of the UP Los Baños campus ground. Churches representing Classis SOuther Luzon and North and SOuth Metro Manila congregate at the humid BAker Hall around 8:30 Am to have a joint liturgical worship service. An American missionary gave the message (sorry-we were late in coming-around 9 AM since San Pedro CRC was 75 men strong and we have to wait for others before leaving San Pedro, Laguna around 8 AM-so I don’t know his name). There was also an ordination of a pastor from Pila CRC.My children and I took lunch outside the campus at a Chowking store. Around 2 PM I took-out hamburger meal from Mcdonalds. The crowd was large and the hall was not enough:

The afternoon session was eventful with some particpation from the different Southern Luzon churches- The music was more contemporaneous and lively this time with at least 4 bands leading the singing. Our church interpreted the Desert Song by Hillsong with a Maranao(?) inspired dance by our feamle youth members. It was well-received by the congregation. The program ended by 3 PM and we left in our own jeepneys. Below are the members of San Pedro CRC that attended the affair:

My daughter and I took some of the pictures -and video-but since our videocam is new-we used the wrong setting (close-up) so the video was blurry. But here is my picture with Baker Hall building at the background:

Got to be a Long Weekend (October 15-19, 2009)

It is kind of busy week. Starting last Thursday-the Men in Powerhouse (MIP) visited me and my family together with their wives. We have a simple late night merienda of pansit and some barbeque.

We have simple bible studies discussing from some scriptures if people experience the absence of God. My answer to the question is that I no longer  doubted God’s existence-but only if what He thinks is good for me-is in the immediate or the current is pleasant experience or good in my perspective. Bro Val narrated his experience where his father was the in-patient of St. Luke’s Hospital for 1.5 years and then died afterwards. Most of his salary and life savings were gone because of that.

I said at the office-we always makes the newbie try the hard stuff so we can see how he can handle and if he really have the right stuff. When he keeps failing-we either helped them or re-assigned other jobs which we can handle. I am not sure if this is the same way God sees it. I also said that I was not able to really answer it-but found comfort in the absurdity of the death of His Son-who was the most righteous person who lived and yet died a criminal or sinners death. Forsaken by God-yethe justified many.

Based on the question of Bro Mar-regarding election which he applied to the members of Pacita Bible Baptist church-especially their smugness-Pastor Ed gave his mediating opinion (between Arminius and Calvin) that though real Christians really don’t fall away from salvation-no man is reprobated-and thus the Lord is willing to elect all men in Christ. It is man who chooses not to be elected. Me-without correcting this erroneous and still Arminian position, pointed our that based Colossians 3:12- the elect or chosen of God must reflect humility and not pride. For we are chosen in him, in Christ-so we cannot really boast of anything-except to boast the election of Jesus first. It is also possible that in Jesus -all men are elected- like the opinion of Barth-since Jesus worth and his death is able to pay the sins of all men-if he intended it in his eternal will and purpose. But we cannot look at election nakedly. It is always in the mirror that shows how Christ suffered-even when he does not merit such death. I also mentioned that in the Canons of Dordt which was the source of the historical five points of Calvinism-it mentioned that election is not of the same weight or ultimacy as that reprobation. Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels-not for unbelieving men. And thought source of election is God’s favor-the source of election is men’s unbelief.

Then by Saturday -I was included in the Powerhouse Annual Vision weekend. I even presented a 10 minutes talk regarding the importance of core values-which was excerpted from my  experience with my utility company. Later in the afternoon we have symbolic end of the day eating of black forest cake from Red Ribbon.

Sunday: I am in the second installment for the Junior High of San Pedro CRC of my series regarding Election and Covenant in the life of Abraham-especially Gen 12:1-20-God called him. Then after the worship service -Rayuel and I returned back around 2:30 pm and attended the zone youth  fellowship of 5 churches affiliated with CRCP.

It started late and dull but it picked up speed in the end-especially with the games, special numbers from Bulihan CRC and Emmanuel Christian Church. I  left SPCRC around 5:30 pm to get my 2 kids from the barbershop.

The Floods Brought by Storm Ondoy

My kids and I always clean the Powerhouse Church every Saturday morning around 10 AM. But September 26, 2009 will be different. Early by 9 AM-it started to rain hard-and never let-up until 12 Noon+. After cleaning the church-we prayed for awhile with Aldren-and then tried to go home.

But we cannot-The wind was howling at El Rancho Inn-and my children and I will be wet -even with our jackets on. So we crossed to TEC Cinema building to be sheltered from the storm.But no Jeepney ever stops there-since It is already started to egt flooded. So we walked towards the SM Tunasan building-and waited there for a ride. Around 12 Noon-we were able to board a jeepney which only goes halfway upto the front of RMT Industrial Compound. Boundary San Pedro with its short concrete bridge was flooded-and the currents were strong.

We waited for a CHER Bus to pass through and we were able to ride on it-with my 3 kids (Mai, Enye and Ebeng). I sent my eldest, Uel -ahead for home-while the floods is slightly lower-so he can help my wife in bringing up the equipments and furnitures. My 3 kids and I were able to aloft at 7-11 United San Pedro. We ate our lunch there (donuts with pineapple juice-and took a wee break). Around 2 PM we crossed the flooded National Road and went to the Meralco San Pedro office. We were able to change clothes and dry them with CR blower. The staff and guards of Engr Vic Baylosis’ branch were very helpful and accommodating.

We ate merienda at San Pedro branch-I just some bread from Julie’s bakeshop-and what was left is for the supper of my children who will be left at the branch.

Around 5 PM-after Engr Baylosis cleared my kids staying for the night at the branch-I trekked back towards our house. Along the way with -with abdomen deep waters – the currents were strong, the manholes are uncovered and the street are filled with rocks and what have you. But the Lord prevailed in all of these. I keep calling His name to make the rains stopped and to help me go home. My feet ached during the process but I was able to enter my house @ 6PM. From that time the waters started to recede.

The electric power returned by 9 PM-and I was able to restore the lights and the ordinary convenience outlets -without the water pump. We slept restless. For the next day will be cleaning the muds away. That will be my next story.

I attached some pictures of San Pedro Boundary, my house when the floods started to recede:

Reliability Forum: August 28, 2009

I was one of the resource speaker at the subject forum -held at Valenzuela Sector , Karuhatan, Valenzuela. Besides me was from Sales, Sustem Adequacy and the Maintenance group of Networks. Here is my slide presentation which I delivered in 10 minutes only:

And here are some pictures when I delivered my part :

Jesus Raised Lazarus: John 11:1-45

My pastor at Powerhouse Baptist Church allowed me to preach last Wednesday night as part of the book series on “3 Steps Forward, 2 Steps Back” by Charles Swindoll. This would be my first and last preaching 0-at least for this year. Here is my working outline (incomplete without the intro and concluding application):

John 11:1-46

Intro: Who They Are (v. 1-2)

Martha, Mary and Lazarus

The same sisters who have some misunderstanding on what to do in face of Jesus when he visited them. Also Mary who anointed the fet of Jesus for burial with an alabaster worth of 1 year’s wage.

1. Jesus Informed (v.3-6)
Loved?-Affectionate-Emotional Attachment. Maybe His kind of people as a man. Genuine likeness for all of them-Not eros-sexual love which is prevalent being insinuated by others. Why can’t we like others without the sexual factor? It is because of the lie that is peddled to us every time in our society.

God’s glory, God’s Son glorified- This sickness will not end in death!-So weird a term. we don’t know it especially our hearts.

He waited for 2 more days-but he did wait- for He is already dead when he received the message. Needed to prove that he is really dead when he has to raise him. See slide.

2. His decision to go to Bethany (v. 7-11)

He made enemies when he healed the man born blind, Also when he taught about the Bread From Heaven

12 hours of daylight-when he is given by the Father to do what he have to do-prepare his disciples and the people and then die at the right time-then night time comes

Fallen sleep-euphemisms for Christian later who die in the lord-for he will wake us up at the last day.

3. Lazarus Dead (v. 12-16)

Disciples are hard headed-cannot see thru the usual, language of the Lord. So he make it plain so that there will be no misunderstanding later. He teaches then do it.

I am glad for your sake

Thomas comment- Loyalty with a tinge of pessimism. He will go with him-but it will be suicide. Later –if not for the fact that Jesus protected them in the Garden-that they will be able to escape-or they would have been crucified one-by-one .

4. Bethany-4 days Tomb (v.17-19)

Bethany 3 kms from Jerusalem- 4 days-undeniable fact that Lazarus was dead and is now in a state of decomposition.

And since Martha’s family is prominent and near to Jerusalem-there are many onlookers. Ready for the grand miracle Jesus will be doing.

5. Jesus and Martha (v.20-27)

Mary stayed home-loss of appetite and strength due to grief.

Lord if oyu have been here…Not unbelief but Martha’s faith at this point is based on what Jesus had done before. She is not prepared for what He will be doing later. And yet She hopes-against hope. Against what she can fully understand or experience.

Even if Jesus keeps affirming that the source of life and resurrection-she does not get. Even when she affirmed that He is the Christ and the Son of God. Comprehension fails when face with the Revelation of the glory of the Son.

Our eyes cannot see directly towards the Sun. Nor faith fully comprehend what Grace is .

Faith seeking, Faith not able to grasp God’s Glory

6. Martha And Mary (v.28-31)

Martha Secretly told Mary-so as to maybe have her help him to do something-even when their minds cannot fathom it yet.

Why not rushing to Jesus? Maybe she gave up hope when Lazarus died-he might be their youngest –and thus dear to them. And his loss shock her and she felt numb afterwards.

Only when she learns that Jesus islooking for her that she woke up from stupor-mindlessness.

Thus the onlookers or professional mourners saw-and they follow her-they thought she was going to the tomb.

7. Jesus and Mary (v. 32-35)

And due to the grief and physical -mental exhaustion brought by the death of their brother-she fell at his feet- pouring her hearts to her. And maybe pleading –for something He can still do.

Teachers/ Rabbis are prominent members of the society and it is an honor that Jesus can visit them . Teachers will be restrained and dignified when they attended such wake (Greeks and Romans do) . B

But Jesus did not do this . He truly cares for them even when He is trying to fulfill His mission and give His father the Glory due to him. In fact He is willing to exercise more- that even if it will mean that others will plot to kill Him after this.

Kuhbler-Ross diagram on 5 stages of grief (1969-On Death and Dying). Shows that 5 stages or qualities that bereaved members experienced when their love ones die. Some are evident with Mary.

And Jesus wept-
It is also a good for us for us –not to speak so much but just be present- and weep with those who weep-or be silent in the face of such grief. Let us not be the three wretched friends of Job who does not let-up in condemning him- and speak of long theologies when your are physically,mentally, emotionally and spiritual in tortured situation.

8. Mixed reactions (v.36-37)

How He loved him-They admired

Why did he let him die?-But others throws insinuations that he does not really care-and it is only for show.

9. Take Away the stone (v.38-40)

At the command of Jesus-he wanted the stone taken away-but here Martha’s faith also failed-she cannot see through the rotting flesh she can smell-

And was it so glad that Grace and God does not depend on what our faith can grasp-in order for Him to do His work!

Jesus equates the Glory of God to the Raising of Lazarus. God’s glory in our resurrection- Not a glory on His own –but shown in his redemption. His power to overcome death- which sin set loose at the beginning of time.

10. Lazarus Raised (v. 41-44)

Jesus talked with the Father- For the sake of those hearing

And called a dead man –with clothes wrapping him like a mummy. Lying down in that situation and yet able to hear the voice of His Master-this miracle out a shock of what Jesus can really do. And who he really is

Conclusion: Others believed, others conspired to get him killed

So others believe-and yet others remain in their unbelief or is hardened in it.

Here are the powerpoint slides I prepared for this talk:

Saturday Bible Studies

Last three Saturdays ago I started an afternoon bible studies at the San Pedro Christian Reformed Church. The local church elders there decided to allow me to share the burden with them in reaching out to the construction workers of one of the elders there. I have presented  my initial proposal to them and thank God-that they agreed to it.  It will run for 11 weeks-hopefully. So these are the past  Saturdays I had spent with them and the corresponding topics I facilitated:

September 5: Roman road and One-verse Evangelism Presentation

 September 12: Call of Matthew (Matthew 9:9-13)

                             Two Thieves ( Luke 23:32-43)

September 19: Canaanite Woman’s Faith (Matthew 15:21-28)

                             Call of Peter (Luke 5:1-11)

Here are some pictures:

And here is me with my fellow travelers in this bible studies:

Children of Christians Saved (?)

From the Canon of Dordt:

“Hence it clearly appears that some have acted very improperly and against all truth, fairness, and love in wishing to persuade the public of the following:

…Many innocent children of believers are torn from their mothers’ breasts and tyrannically thrown into hell, so that neither the blood of Christ nor their baptism nor the prayers of the church at their baptism can be of any help to them.”

From hence-you can see that even Reformed Christians (second generation from the Protestant Reformation) believed that infant baptism has some utility in securing the salvation fo their children. It is also adduced that in ther story of David and his child with Bathsheba- that “I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” meaning that this child -being his child- a child of the covenant is in a saved condition. This is always offered as a proof of child salvation based on the covenant.

But does it also mean that the child was alrerady covenantally circumcised? The child died on the 7th day-As per Matthew Poole reckoning-it is reckon from the date of the child’s birth. The Hebrew words used is na’ar and yeled -both indicating a child from infancy to early adolescent-there is no indication that it is definitely a 7- days old baby. But if it is a 7-days old baby-then it had never reached the 8th day. And what is the 8th day means?

Genesis 17:12 And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.

Which means that David still thinks that the child-since he is a covenant child- is secure in God’s hand-even without the benefit of a covenantal sign and seal! And that those Christians parents who have children who dies in infancy need not fear if their children did not receive the sacrmanent of baptism in order to be sure of their children’s salvation.

Well it is debateable at the least-but I still think that if we believe in the omniscience of our God and that the example of Jesus in holding children as good examples of citizens of the kingdom-We need not fear from thie Middle Age superstition. Our Father protects his children-and his Son’s death at the cross infinite worth is able to ransom them from the fiery hell awaiting the devil and his angels.