Category Archives: Who is God?

Who is God and who are we in him?

Life & Love, Who is God?

Learning Live Streaming Amidst the Pandemic

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Web Content Specialist

For some ten years, I had a job called “web content specialist” or something like that. I myself could not really figure out what the exact title of my job really was haha! But essentially, I uploaded articles into various WordPress websites. Sometimes the work needed a bit of knowledge about basic html codes and sometimes one needs to be good at English grammar. There were times when I was asked to write articles too and there were times when I got involved in link building activities. I also got involved with writing emails to website administrators as part of link building activities. I learned a lot of things all those ten years more or less but the main thing that I always did was to add more content to a lot of WordPress websites. I helped create as well as maintain a lot of websites. Many of my fellow church members are unaware that I have an online job for all those ten years. They only know that I’m retired as a full time pastor and as an employee of my church or maybe some still think that I’m still employed by the church.

Since it was no longer allowed to have worship services in church buildings, I learned how to do live streaming quickly.

Jobless During this Pandemic

So, I was a “web content specialist” for some ten years until the COVID-19 pandemic engulfed the whole world. When the President declared a quarantine/lockdown throughout Luzon on March 12, 2020, I was already thinking about the implication of this pandemic on my online job. And then it happened a week or so later, on March 25, 2020. I got a call informing me that I no longer had an online job. That was sad but at the same time I’m grateful and thankful for the Lord’s grace on me and my family all those years.

About ten years or so ago, I was in the same exact predicament — I was told I no longer had a job. Ten years ago, I was also jobless and I didn’t know what’s next. I did not know how I could provide for my family. But the Lord did provide for me and my family all those ten years or so till now.

I therefore will continue to trust in the Lord for his provision as he always did. I have nothing but thanks to the generosity of my employers all those ten years or so. In fact, the American employer even thanked me and asked me if I’m willing to be hired again if things get better again. Of course I gladly replied, “I’d be on standby.” So, I’m jobless again.

More Active Web Ministry Due to COVID-19

What is odd and interesting about all this is that despite the pandemic, being jobless and being at home due to the quarantine/lockdown, I’m still quite busy at this time because I got involved in organizing a weekly online worship service for my denomination. “Work from home” or telecommute is nothing new to me. I’ve always worked at home haha! So now that I’m jobless, I still work at home. I might be a senior citizen but somehow something still keeps me busy.

Successful live streaming of my denomination’s online worship service for our membership nationwide (some from overseas joined) although I did not really know much yet all about it. I’m continuing to learn haha! I’m having fun!

Online Worship Service, Live Streaming

Since March 15, we were able to organize an online worship service every Sunday up to now. What is interesting about this is that when we started, I did not know anything at all about “Open Broadcaster Software” (OBS) for live streaming haha! But now I seem to be getting familiar with it. I need to continue learning though. So, here I am jobless but still busy working from home.

So, just in case you need to hire a senior citizen like me, I can work from home. I always did. 🙂

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4, NIV


Life & Love, Who is God?

Responding with compassion — it will be alright

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Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we have heard so many sad stories of people around the world who got sick or died because of this corona virus. We have learned through the news that some people are apprehensive about their future, some have lost their jobs or about to lose their jobs. The world economy is down and many businesses have closed shop or are temporarily closed. Some have great concerns about their daily needs especially the poor masses of society. In fact, just a few hours ago, a man attempted suicide by jumping off the bridge because he can no longer feed his family. Thankfully, the authorities were able to rescue him. The future is uncertain for so many.

We can be glad that God is in-charge and he gives us his assurance. Jesus said his Father provides food for the sparrows and we are more than just sparrows. We are his beloved brothers and sisters and so Jesus tells us, “Don’t worry.” It will be alright.

Whether it be famine, pestilence or pandemic, earthquakes, tsunamis, super typhoons or volcanic eruption, God assures us that nothing can separate us from his love. It will be alright.

So how do we respond to this current pandemic? With faith, with hope and with love. When someone approaches you for help, respond with love and understanding. Don’t berate the person for his misfortune. Sometimes, because we also have personal problems of our own, we react negatively when someone asks for our help. Respond with love and compassion instead. And if you ask for help and is rejected, respond with love and understanding as well knowing that the other person also has his own reasons for doing so. Live a life of compassion. Live a life of love.

Respond with faith, fully trusting God in all circumstances. Respond fully filled with hope knowing that God is in control and we are safe in the palm of his hands. And respond with the love of Christ in our hearts towards our fellowmen. It will be alright.



Life & Love, Who is God?

Faith, Hope & love

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A time for prayer and meditation on: Faith, Hope and Love

1. Faith – Trust God, Father, Son and Spirit. Believe him. Have faith in Jesus. Read all of Hebrews 11 and learn about God’s people who had faith in God no matter what happened to them.

2. Hope – In these trying times, let’s continue to hope in Jesus for our healing and salvation. Read all of Romans 8, be inspired and continue to be filled with hope in Jesus.

3. Love – In the midst of our difficult situation, we can continue to participate in Christ’s love for the whole world by showing love to all. Read and meditate on 1 Corinthians 13 and learn about the love of Jesus.



Life & Love, Who is God?

On Forms of Worship

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Differing Forms of Worship

Some people love to pray and meditate as they walk through a beautiful garden and that’s how they connect to God. Others love to devote their time to doing missions & evangelism, to serving others, giving alms, study the Bible or maybe dance for the Lord and that to them are their ways of worshiping God. Some are diligent to practice some spiritual disciplines like fasting or maybe to spend time in silence and solitude. Some are okay with loud music while others hate it. Others clap or raise their hands when they worship in church while some others just stand there like nothing is happening all around them. These are various ways or forms of how people worship God.

During one of the youth summer camps in Mindanao in 2008 where the worship songs can be very loud and the worshipers are jumping up and down and having fun. It was meaningful to them.

Hymnal or Hillsong?

When contemporary worship music became the “in” thing several decades ago, some opposed this new trend and wanted to retain the old hymnal songs. Some did not mind singing all types of worship music whether it be from the hymnal or a contemporary song. But it sure did cause some division in the churches for some time. I guess that generational and cultural differences are things to consider when planning and organizing worship services in the church. That’s what I have observed.

JB Torrance’s Thoughts

James B. Torrance
James B. Torrance

I like what James B. Torrance wrote about the “forms of worship” in his book, Worship, Community and the Triune God of Grace on pages 15-16. He wrote:

“We must ask ourselves whether our forms of worship convey the gospel. Are they an appropriate response to the gospel? Do they help people to apprehend the worship and ministry of Christ as he draws us by the Spirit into a life of shared communion, or do they hinder? Do they make the real presence of Christ transparent in worship, or do they obscure it? To answer these questions, we have to look at the meaning, the content of worship, before we can decide whether our traditions and procedures are adequate. More profoundly, we have to consider our doctrine of God in worship. Is he the triune God of grace who has created us and redeemed us to participate in his life of communion and in his concerns for the world or is he the contract-God who has to be conditioned into being gracious by what we do–by our religion? If our worship is to be intelligent, meaningful worship, offered joyfully in the freedom of the Spirit, we must look at the realities which inspire us and demand from us an intelligent, meaningful response.”

Trinitarian, Christ-centered Worship?

So this is a good reminder from JB Torrance as we consider our forms of worship. Is it Christ-centered worship? Is it trinitarian or is it a unitarian kind of worship? Is Christ the Worship Leader?

“With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers (and sisters), as an act of intelligent worship (logike latreia), to give him your bodies as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him” (Romans 12:1 J. B. Phillips)



Life & Love, Who is God?

What is Christian Worship?

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JB Torrance’s Book

James B. Torrance

I’ve been reading James B. Torrance’s book entitled, Worship, Community and the Triune God of Grace and I’m fascinated by what this author has to say. Previous to this, I’ve heard his audio lectures on prayer countless of times over the years including the audio lectures of his brother, Thomas F. Torrance. Their audio lectures so inspire me each time. I can’t finish this book as yet. I keep on going back to the first few pages thinking about it, meditating about it and sharing it in my Facebook account. I still have to continue reading and hopefully finish the book. Here’s an excerpt from the book on page 15:

Christian Worship Defined

“Christian worship is…our participation through the Spirit in the Son’s communion with the Father, in his vicarious life of worship and intercession. It is our response to our Father for all that he has done for us in Christ. It is our self-offering in body, mind and spirit, in response to the one true offering made for us in Christ, our response of gratitude (eucharistia) to God’s grace (charis), our sharing by grace in the heavenly intercession of Christ. Therefore, anything we say about worship–the forms of worship, its practice and procedure–must be said in the light of him to whom it is a response. It must be said in the light of the gospel of grace.”

Incarnational, Trinitarian Worship

This is a very Christ-centered, incarnational and very trinitarian concept of worship. The author explains that in many Christian churches, their worship is more of unitarian instead of trinitarian. He also added that some are trinitarian in concept but unitarian in actual practice with Christ as High Priest, Mediator and Worship Leader being absent in their theology and practice. If I may add, some focus only on the Father, some only on Christ and some focus more on the Holy Spirit. Their worship maybe trinitarian in concept/theology but unitarian in practice. More on this later in his book.

In this excerpt I quoted above, the author defines and explains what true incarnational (Christ-centered) and trinitarian kind of worship is all about. In my next blog, I will quote him on the forms of worship as a response to what we know as true worship.