Page 202 of 365: An Act of Heroism

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What Franz Dysam did was a showcase of his love to
his girlfriend, and you too can show that to God and
others. Loi Landicho

After his Letran Knights beat the Lyceum Pirates in the NCAA last night, Franz Dysam and his girlfriend

Joanne Sordan drove their way home. But they were ambushed by unidentified men along the intersection of N. Domingo and Araneta Avenues in San Juan City, just a stone throw away from the FilOil Flying V Arena where the game was played. The couple were brought to the hospital, but Sordan was declared dead on arrival, while Dysam was transferred to the UST Hospital to get further medications.

Colegio de San Juan de Letran released its official statement affirming some social media reports that Dysam covered Sordan, who was apparently the target of the ambush, by putting his body on her to take the ammos. Franz put his life on the line just to save his love, and that's a great gentleman approach that will be remembered for years. Love is about taking a heroic stand not just to your spouse but also to your parents, friends, and superiors. That heroic stand doesn't just come in the form of taking bullets. The apostle Paul put up a list of what love is and what heroic stands you can do to show your love to others. You can find that in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

And if you think you can't do them all, just look upon Jesus. He showed His love to us by doing everything Paul would write to Corinth several years after He ascended back to Heaven. Apart from that, the Lord did the biggest act of heroism ever. Jesus Christ took the "bullets" that were meant for us. We're the sinners that should have been punished by death, but the Lord showed His mercy and gave us grace by bailing us out of our faults, absorbing all of our sins, and bringing them to the cross. I remember how Christ did that for us, and I still get teary-eyed. You too can show your love. Be patient to them, be kind to them, be the friend or loved one they expect you to be, and of course be trustful to God, the Creator of love. Showing your love to God and others is a great act of heroism.

PS: Let's continue to pray for the fast recovery of Franz Dysam and that justice will be served to him and Joanne.

Page 184 of 365: Fasting Troubles

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I'm honestly on the verge of giving up in my midyear fast, but
I know God will strengthen me.

While I'm participating in a short fasting period, I am now at a point where I begin to crave for other things. I am currently in a milk-and-juice fast, but I'm beginning to feel like I need to eat now. Fasting has never been this hard.

However, this is where God works the best. In times that we're losing the battle, He will lift us up and strengthen us to achieve the victory. 1 Corinthians 2:5 (NIV) says that "faith [should] not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." As we continue to pray and fast, remember that it's the Lord's power that will prevail.

 Read Acts 10:44-48, 19:1-12, Ephesians 5:15-20, 1 Corinthians 2:4, 5, and Isaiah 44:1-5.

Page 183 of 365: Prayer is Power

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Not even a power interruption will stop us from continuously praying to God.

I had to rush to our church's prayer meeting from my class, but the lights were literally out as soon as I came to the church center. But what I saw was something I liked a lot. Despite the power interruption, the prayer meeting was still ongoing, and everyone was do passionate in praying as if there's no blackout. It was a totally different story from the past times I attended prayer meetings. All I saw were people continuously praying despite what I believe is a threat from Satan to disrupt them.

In this time in which we are praying and fasting, we are expecting the sinister plans of Satan, but we know that the Lord has already beaten him. And even a very long power interruption will not stop us from praying.

This is one of the callings of the Lord to us. We will never cease in praying and believing for the breakthroughs to come. As what the apostle Paul said, "He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time... (2 Timothy 1:9 NIV)"

Read 2 Timothy 1:8, 9, Acts 13:1-12, Romans 8:13, 14, and Isaiah 43:6, 7. 

Page 137 of 365: On Nancy's Win

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I believe it's God who chose Nancy Angeles to be a senator.

I made a firm stand that I am not voting Nancy Binay-Angeles in the elections. Aside from being a staunch supporter of the proposed Anti-Political Dynasty Bill, I find her not fit for the Senate considering the lack of credentials enough to make her worthy. But the people have spoken. Angeles made it to the Top 5 to the surprise of many who thought the social media information, from the satires to the serious news, would be enough to enlighten everyone. I don't think we failed. The reality is there are still many who only rely on what they see on TV or hear on radio.

I agree with what many are saying right now. We should not blame the masses. Again, many still don't have access to social media, especially in remote areas, and only rely on the traditional media as mentioned above. Besides, pursuing change does not end in the elections. We have three years (actually more) to make it possible.

Another thing: like I mentioned in my previous election posts, it's still the Lord who will appoint the leaders. It's His will to allow Nancy win. One thing I saw from a friend's wall is 1 Corinthians 1:27: "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." Like him, I was rebuked. It's still Him who calls the shots. All we can do now is continue to trust Him and support her.

Even if I am not an aspirant, I concede. Congratulations Nancy. I hope you will let the Lord direct your six-year term in the Senate. I expect the best from you girl. God bless. (No sarcasm here)

Page 134 of 365: Post-Election Reflection

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I want change, so I made a stand.

I was among the millions who braved the drizzles, waited (im)patiently in the lines, and exercised their rights of suffrage yesterday. Being a registered voter in my town, I picked who for me are the right people to do the job in governing the nation for at least three years. To get more privacy, I even went out of the voting area (Yeah! I did that) to an open park. Now that the millions have spoken, I'm now waiting for the results. But according to the latest unofficial tallies, it looks like the eventual winners are now who I expected. As it stands, only two of the people I voted are in the Top 12. In a way, I already expected that.

Going back to my pre-election post, I mentioned that it will still be God who will decide who to place in the electoral seats. It comes in the way of allowing those who we not voted to get there. Ten of the Top 12 are in my snobs (still based on the media tallies).

All I can say now is that even if we're not satisfied with the results, we should still be thankful to God that He is still in control. Just continue to seek His kingdom and righteousness first, and everything will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). Continue to pray for the nation like how Jesus did (John 17:9). But more importantly, make your own contribution to the betterment of the nation.

The elections are just some of the ways for us to make a voice, but it doesn't end there. In the next three years, we should still be prayerful, faithful, and reliant to the Lord that He will bring change to the Philippines.

Page 130 of 365: Voice of People=Voice of God?

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Iglesia ni Cristo released its endorsement, but is its slate the group the Lord
wants to govern us?

Earlier in the week, the Iglesia Ni Cristo revealed who to support in the coming May 13 elections. Seven from the Liberal Party and five from UNA got the INC nod. The religious organization has been well known to exercise its suffrage rights as an entirety, or simply bloc voting. With about five million INC members, according to reports from TV5 and the People's Journal, expected to cast their votes on Monday, this, according to their doctrine, is a showing of their unity. That leads me to the slogan of the one handling the Monday event, the Commission on Election or COMELEC. COMELEC's slogan reads "Vox Populae Vox Dei", a Latin quote which means, "The voice of the people is the voice of God." I wonder, "Is this really true?"

For me, it's the other way around: the voice of God SHOULD BE the voice of the people. But either way, it's not the case in reality. If all the people will heed on what the Lord says, we should be expecting a unanimous vote. Ramon Revilla Jr, who was the top vote-getter in the 2010 senatorial race, got a majority vote (51%), but 51 is not 100. It's God's will to have Revilla in the Senate (I actually had him in my ballot), but it means that many had other plans. How about a more recent example: LeBron James (yes, this is an election-related post). James won the 2013 NBA Most Valuable Player, but only one guy who cast his vote thought James was not impressive enough and elected Carmelo Anthony. The rest voted for LeBron. Yes, it's God's will that LeBron will earn his fourth MVP, but not all voted him. The reason for these is that God also gave us free will. Because of that, we set our own standards in choosing our leaders. The chance of you seeing a person who voted all the 12 eventual winning senators is 1 over 354,817,320. With only 50,000,000+ registered voters, it's imminent that no one "will get it right".

Another reason why the voice of the people is not necessarily the voice of God is that not all will vote. In the 2010 polls, only barely more than 70% of the voters actually cast their votes. The others either had a hard time looking for their names or did not care voting at all. Most of them would fall in the second category. That's 10,000,000+ votes wasted! God is telling us to be the spark of change in our nation, and one way to do so is to elect the right officials. But some people would say, "Why do I need to vote? Nothing's happening in the government." If you're one of them, better change your mindset. God is telling you to vote, so don't waste that opportunity.

And lastly, bloc voting, in recent history, does not necessarily equate to a sure win. I don't know if the Manalos, the ones leading the INC, already told the press, "They are who God wants," but being a bloc voting church could make you conclude such. But going back, because the Lord gave us the right to establish our own standards, the people who have different political landscapes could make the difference. Another thing I found out: they're not actually required to vote all the endorsed candidates. While I'm pretty sure many INC people veer away with who their superiors endorse and elect according to their will, what some friends told me is that the voters who opt to support the endorsed aspirants can actually mark out at most four of them and replace them with their own. That's a probable reason why some endorsed aspirants still lost. (Update: An article from blogger Mark Madrona recapped the INC votes from 1998. Here, the INC votes dictated the pace of the 1998 polls, but in the later elections, some aspirants still lost, especially in 2007 where four crashed out.) That means God has other things to say. God's will also comes in the form of allowing things not favorable to you to happen. It's a proof that He's in control of our government.

I have nothing against Iglesia ni Cristo. I have some INC friends too. What I'm saying here is that God still has the ultimate power to appoint our leaders, and He gave us the power to choose. He gave us free will so that we could set a barometer of their competence. You might think, "Si Lord pala ang pipili eh. Why does He need my vote?" He assigned us to fulfill His will, and our vote is for the betterment of the nation. After the elections, even if your slate lost, support the elected and God-appointed leaders. Pray this prayer of Jesus Christ: "I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours (John 17:9 ESV)."

Page 119 of 365: What Not to Look For in a Leader

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Sometimes, to know who to vote, we tend to know who not to vote. Here are
some things an aspirant should not be. Philippine Star

Inspired by a blog post and the preaching last night, I made this article that may act as a guide for the coming May 13 election. Yes, you're reading the headline right. What makes a true leader different than the rest is that while all of us have leadership skills (believe it or not, you are a leader), he uses his leadership skills rightfully. But it also means some use their skills in a wrong manner. Here are some things you should NOT look for in a leader.

1. Selfishness

To be a leader means you are ready to give up everything for the sake of service. The sad reality is that most, if not all, of us don't like the idea of sacrificing something. My pursuit of covering the Palarong Pambansa was something I still held on to till the time the chosen media trooped to Dumaguete. When God told me to give it up, it was very difficult. He taught me not to be selfish and just think about Him. He also reminded that there is a more important thing than the Palaro. Curiously, giving up something can also be an act of selfishness. As exemplified above, sacrificing is giving up something important for another of a bigger importance. Sometimes, we agree to give up something because we look at the benefits. Being too focused on the prize is also selfishness. A leader should not be selfish, but selfless. Selflessness is exemplified through sacrificing for the right purpose. One example is of Katniss Everdeen of "The Hunger Games". She did not want her younger sister to get killed at an early age, so she took her place by volunteering to battle, knowing that she herself might get killed. Katniss sacrificed her life for Prim's life. By the way, it so happened that I was watching the movie on Star Movies and on the internet while finishing this. The best example, however, is of Christ (look at the Scripture below). If the Lord tells you to give it up, give it up. No ifs; no buts. Also, look to Him, not to the benefits.

2. No Direction

I ran thrice in my high school's student council elections, and my record is a staggering 0-3! The Lord revealed to me why, "OK. You're elected. You win. What's next?" A true leader should have a direction in life. Just like what a friend's blog post says (and I hate to admit it), each of us commits corruption of a certain kind. Just like in his example, if you exchange your vital vote for a certain amount or you elect him just because he's a homie, then you're corrupt (we'll get to the homie part later). Adding to those, we can also commit corruption. If you just want to get voted only to get some bragging rights, that's corruption (I'm guilty). The sad reality, many politicians just want to get the titles president, governor, mayor, councilman, etc., but would only use that for their own benefits. When asked about a change of jersey numbers during her team's volleyball match, former Ateneo Lady Eagle Fille Cainglet answered, "It's just for fun." I attest: that's the same answer I would say if I was asked why I wanted to be elected to the student council. Hopefully, that's not the reason the politicians have in mind on why they want to be elected. If you want to get an electoral spot, you should have a direction you want your area of jurisdiction to take ready too. I'm not saying that you should not vote for your homie, whether he's a friend or a family member. Being a friend or a close family member of a certain aspirant means you know him a lot. But I'm telling you that if he has no clear reason why he should be elected, better tell him, "It's not too late to back out."

3. Not Putting Jesus at the Center

I mentioned earlier that we are in a way corrupt. That's because we commit sin. Romans 3:23 gives you a clear answer on who among us are corrupt... ALL OF US! But Jesus Christ did the ultimate sacrifice. He died on the cross, and along with Him are our sins. Because of Him, we can now connect to God. Jesus is the perfect Leader because He is selfless. He sacrificed Himself just to save us from the bondage of sin. My challenge to the electoral candidates is that they should be like Christ, being selfless. However, I know they, in fact we, can't be Christlike by our own. We need Jesus to be our Master so that we can gain an attitude like His. One way to be Christlike is by putting the Lord at our center. Yes, He should not be last but also not the first. The Lord should be at the center of our lives. Meaning, He should have a sight of the things we do and make Him lead the way. We should let the Lord take control. My hope is that the politicians should have Christ at the center of their governance.

PS: The politicians will not tell us that they're selfish, directionless, and not looking at God's example. In the end, it's still your call. Talk to God on who to elect. Look at their credentials too, and ask yourself, "What do I want for my country?"

Read Philippians 2:3-11 to see the example of Christ.