"Thank You Letter" for my God

Dear Lord,

For many unspeakable gifts You have given, I thank You so much.

In my entire life, You have given me a lot. Even things I did not hope for. You have given me good husband, good family and good friends; even good lessons and good examples that I have to follow. You have made me experience heartaches amidst circumstances that others might not be able to accept with a smile. And from these pains, a learned- a lot.

For the last few days, I was again seriously thinking of going back to my hometown. For some personal reasons, that is. Truly, "personal interest and gain" is more appropriate to use. I already have my blueprint on what I really intend to do with my life when I reach home. For the past year, I planned trice of flying back home to Philippines. As a matter of fact, everything was ready. I have my tickets, my itinerary to places I want to visit with loved ones, and many more. I carefully planned on how to rebuild what I have started then because that was I in fact what I really wanted to do. However, due to peculiar and comical instances, all did not push though. This is more strange, on all of those three unsuccessful attempts, I did not feel any bitterness, or whatever unpleasant feeling. As a Christian I have to know that whatever the reasons were, You have crafted better plans for me.

Staying from where I am now is the best place for me. I am here because you want me to be HERE. Thanks that you whispered and reminded me again that life is not all about achieving my ambitions; that life is not about conquering the world; that life is not about possessing many material things. Lord, i can clearly remember how you brought me here, and how you made things easy for me. I never imagined myself living in a foreign land, and really never wanted to. However, I am here now, Thy will had happened no matter how hard I tried to swim against it. I am happy that every time I design my way, You straighten my path.

Before I end my "Thank You Letter" for you, I have one thing to ask again, if it is not too much for me to do so. Please help me until the end. Eating with you in your supper delights me, but I cannot stay even for a second, if you leave me alone. I submit myself to you.

Your worthless servant,

me

Reminiscing 2010 Q1 MCGI International Thanksgiving...

FIRST DAY (13Mar 2010)

The 3day-Thanksgiving of Members of Church of God International started with a bang! Yipee! Im so loving the program opening medley. All members worldwide are so happy and overwhelmed that the three months wait has come to an end. And here in our place,the ever energetic Choir and Teatro Kristiano were both fully charged for the opening number that added up to the liveliness and vitality of brethren.

And for the much-awaited quarterly International Thanksgiving, modern technology did it again. The program for the whole congregation- which emanated from Apalit, Pampanga, Philippines- was beamed via internet and satellites in over 350 coordinating centers in the Philippines and in less than 600 locales around the world. East and west meet to have one song, one prayer, one faith to glorify the Almighty God! It was overwhelming to learn on the first day the whole story on how the true church started in East, and eventually reach the longing-for-the-truth people of the west.

SECOND DAY (14Mar 2010)

This new day has given us a lot of wisdom from God again, as expected ;). Bro. Danny Navales and Bro. Mel Magdaraog officiated the introduction of the new topic. Bro. Danny is so hilarious! It made us more awake, LOL;)

On the second day, we have learned from Bro. Eli and Bro. Daniel that there are people who are capable to know what on God's mind. Amazing! God has chosen special person that speaks things that his enemies and non-believers of God cant oppose. For those non-members who want to dig deeper to discover the answer, attend Bro. Eli's next bible exposition and ask him. He will not surely deprive you of the answer.

On our locale program(we do this regularly during breaktime every International Thanksgiving), the group presentations were so touching, and Brethrens have practiced their song offerings very well.Even the little kids had a part on the numbers, too. The best part of the local program that i really liked is the presentation of the Locale Jingle. It was purposefully composed so the locale can have its very own welcome song for visiting non-members and brethrens. And because it has nice lyrics and upbeat tempo, we sang and dance to it for more or less five times in span of almost two hours! Hhmm, i heard they will have MTV for this, i just cant wait to see.

And lastly, this second day is very special to our domestic helper sisters since they got chance to sing their offering. Only on Sundays that they are allowed to take day-off, and thanks be to God that this belittled people in this world find refuge in the church He built, and gloriously giving Thanks to Him particularly on church's important gathering like this. Some burst into tears with too much joy they feel.

THIRD DAY (15Mar 2010)

How fast, the three days are over but the whole congregation seems want not to let the Thanksgiving end. We just cant enough!

My all-time favorite among the three days is the third one. Not because it is the last but because jamming is normally done on this day. Singing for the Lord gives me a different feeling of satisfaction. All singing and dancing, even the small children and the old ones join the jamming session. In the Philippines, hot weather was not a hindrance to stop them to glorify God by singing to the top of their lungs! Oh, missed you, Apalit ;( Hope to see you again soon.

Here in our venue, many had already gone home after the closing prayer but the choir is unstoppable! The energy level is still high. Together with Teatro Kristiano, and some siblings in faith, jamming was on! Well, we will never get tired singing songs of praise. And why get tired? Singing is the highest form of prayer.

See you all again next PBK, God willing c",)

Thanks to You, Modern Technology (In Tagalog: Salamat Sayo, Makabagong Teknolohiya)

Im so fascinated and addicted with writing lately, though i know I am not as good as everyone else out there who can write an artistic-and-creative-flowery-worded article. It has given me a feeling of completeness, that I am able to share my faith with those that i dont even know, using the power of internet. And because i got this itchy hands and twisted-brain who wants to blog wherever and whenever possible, i tried searching for iPhone applications that can allow me to do so. And VOILA! I found one, and this is my first blog using my phone. I love you more now, my iPhone ;).

I liked iPhone because it allows me serve my God better using this. Since I am working and married, therefore the large chunk of my time goes to them. But because of the deep passion in my heart that I have to find quality time and spend extra effort to serve my God, i joined choir, UNTV and our writers' team. The last two teams i joined aim to let God's goodness be spread by capitalizing on the advantages technology can offer. On these three tasks that i choose to be devoted at, my little gadget called iPhone, made my tasks a little bit easier to fulfill. Firstly, because i can load all our choir songs here. I can study our piece anytime, Anywhere. Same goes with my duty as for part of the UNTV team, i can now read emails even if I am not at the comfort of my room (or, sometimes using company computer). And now, no need to bring laptop most of the time, whew! Thats really a relief. And this last "discovery" i had, i can now blog whenever chance got in my way. It makes me feel wonderful! Thanks to new technology. For us all Christians, God gave us all these technologies so we can have wider reach in propagating His words.

By the way, dont get me wrong here. im not endorsing iPhone ;). Other netphones can be used, too. For us, God's children- Let us maximize the use of internet, exploit its capacity to reach people around the globe. Better post things of God rather than putting non-sense chit-chats. Those expensive state-of-the art gadgets-if you are a Christian by deed- must be used to glorify our God. As what our preachers, Bro. Eli and Bro. Daniel keeps on reminding us, we are now living in near-ending times. Lets run as fast as we can! Forget things that perish, look at the bigger picture of why we work hard to glorify God- and that is to be with Him in land He Promised to bring Us.

Advance

 Happy International Thanksgiving!

Give Blood. Save Lives. Nurture Christian Living.

Donate blood. It is good for the donor, for the recipient and for fostering Christian life. Blood is the symbolism of life and sharing our precious blood to others is such Godly deed. The feeling we have when we are able to lend a hand to others in any way we can is a very overwhelming experience. Same thing, no issue about the fact that the primary motivation why majority donate blood is the awe-inspiring and overjoyed emotion of being able to save someone else’s life. And saving a life is a big heck of a help, actually! As Christians, if we do have the capacity and qualifications, we are obliged to help others the soonest, as being said in Proverbs 3:28 “Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.” We only need to grant an hour of our valuable time to queue to any blood donation drive booth or go straight to blood banks. As followers of Christ, let us serve God by doing as how Jesus showed His faith to our Father. As it was written in 1 Job 3:16 "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."

Aside from spiritual nourishments Christians can achieve, donating blood is one manner of serving others that will not cause any trouble to donors but instead, it gives health profits. First, it reduces risks of having heart problems and cancer. Excess iron build up in our body can stimulate development of free radicals. These free radicals are the culprits of damage in cells and tissues, and also connected with other illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. For red-meat lovers, the risk of iron overdose is much higher. For men and post-menopausal women, this is also possible to be more of a problem. Above and beyond, donating blood burns excess calories and reduces cholesterol level. After giving off blood, blood cell count in the body is lowered. Thus, it refreshes the body system by stimulating the reproduction of new blood cells. When we take note of the benefits donating blood can offer, plus giving happiness to those who are in need, nothing to lose but only gain. I have searched on disadvantages but i fail to find one. There are some who declare minor disadvantage, like experiencing blood pressure drop because of hypovolemia, or may experience light-headedness or mild nausea for a very short time. But analyzing the pros compared to cons, cons are not really insignificant and may not be considered as “disadvantage” but just temporary after-effect. If we look at the bigger picture, this is a win-win for donor and recipient.

I suppose that some have not tried donating blood yet. Firstly, maybe it never got into their thoughts because their minds are preoccupied with too many things(as a matter of fact, it happened to me before). One more thing is because, they are afraid of the idea of poking needles in their arms. Well, for those who are having a second thought, reconsider giving your blood to the needy. Fear is just a state of mind, a heart longing to extend help will surmount this fear.

Giving is a noble thing and Christians are cheerful givers, and mainly, cheerful followers of God. As it is commanded by the Lord in Marcus 12:30-31, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Donating our blood is one big expression of love for others. And we can never tell, our friends and loved-ones can be the next person that will need blood.In donating blood, we don’t just help others, we save lives, and we nurture Christian living.Lets us not get tired of doing good. No good thing has ever bear bad outcome.

Related links:

http://danielrazon.com/en/

http://esoriano.wordpress.com/

http://www.untvweb.com

UNTV: Certified Public Service Channel

“UNTV- YOUR PUBLIC SERVICE CHANNEL”

Upon hearing UNTV, the first thing that comes next to people’s mind is the walking bible, Bro. Eli Soriano of “ANG DATING DAAN”. Bro. Eli, the man that straightforwardly teaches God’s gospel no matter how hard others wanted to put him down. And nothing and nobody can stop him to continue his advocacy to keep on pathway of good and true. Guided by the principles of having God’s words be heard and reach even in the most isolated areas, Bro Eli and Kuya Daniel Razon knew that television,- aside from radio broadcasting- would be a very good vehicle to spread the “good news”, and then UNTV came into the picture. The once dream for them has turned into reality. Amidst hardships and off-putting compliments from detractors, UNTV remains steadfast on its mission, and turn out to be more relentless in continuing to serve people. Genuineness of intentions and dedication to its mission are the key words, without these two virtues, and a lot of trust on what GOD can do, this unique public service channel cannot withstand staying as where it is now. Since Breakthrough and Milestones Productions, International bought timeslot to bring in intellectual programming for the viewing public in UNTV channel, the ever famous but defamed by others “ Ang Dating Daan”, got its new home. During then, Bro. Daniel was still preoccupied with his broadcasting career in a renowned TV network in the Philippines. On year 2007, Bro Daniel Razon left for the said network for some annoying issues thrown to him. But that was a blessing in disguise, when he left; the big kick-off for UNTV has started.

As part of the big initial onset, “Good Morning Kuya” was launched. The show was loaded with fresh ideas, charity works and it has posted new and better trend for morning shows, and the rest is history.

FREE CLINIC AND LEGAL ASSISTANCE

The free of charge medical and dental check up in “Clinic ni Kuya” is helping people everyday starting as early as 4am until the end of the day. Regardless of age, sex and standing in life, patients not go home without being served. And for everybody’s information, it is not just simple medical check up; even minor surgeries are being performed in this daily medical mission. Same thing with Kuya Daniel’s free legal assistance, there are lawyers specializing in different categories but of course, the top on priority list are those who are deprived of financial means and assistance. As such, this is not just a segment of the show GMK but this is a whole day charity work.

For those that cannot even afford to go to studio to avail these free services, UNTV has committed medical team and devoted lawyers and coordinators that will go even to the most remote areas nationwide to deliver these extending-a-helping-hand activities.

FREE BUS AND MRT RIDE

This free ride service to commuters was a dream-come-true for Kuya Daniel and Bro Eli Soriano. Small things but means a lot to the receiver of help. As they understand that majority of Filipinos are struggling to survive everyday living, and a bus fare saved a day is a lot help. Where can you find this one-of-a-kind charity work free which offers free ride plus free breakfast plus free Bible!

TRANSIENT HOME

This transient home is open for all who do not have a place to stay. This is just a simple-yet-from-the-heart-gesture of love to those who don’t have a place to stay at night. Before taking a rest, dinner is served. After the comfortable rest, they will wake up with a hearty breakfast, and medical help if needed and a Bible- without a single-cent charge. This is open to all, even to those who do not like Bro Eli and Kuya Daniel. As Bro. Eli always reminds, do good to others even if they do you wrong.

CHARITY WORKS EXTENDED ABROAD

UNTV’s advocacy on helping people, is not confined in Philippines alone. It is also extended abroad. With Kuya’s leadership, UNTV launched the “Libreng Sakay sa Eroplano” (Free Plane Ride”) for overseas Filipino Workers who got problems and needs to go back home but got no penny to make going back home possible. This has recently been done in Middle East by sending two OFWs back to Philippines. On this regard, UNTV has more projects to come for extending help for others around the globe. In Singapore, “Libreng Tawag sa Pinas”(Free Call to the Philippnes) was launched last year and now working out on avenues where UNTV-Singapore can do charity works.

UNTV-Singapore Free Call/Free Bible Project. (Independence Day 2009, Plaza Singapura)

 ”IN SERVICE TO HUMANITY WORLDWIDE”

 

With aspiration and fortitude to share the these good deeds, good news and good thoughts, UNTV37 made its best to reach all Filipinos nationwide even in the most primitive corner, via UHF Channel 37, Sky/Home Cable Channel 21 and Global Destiny Channel 91, Sky/Home Cable Channel 77 and Metro Davao, on Sky/Home Cable Channel 71, plus almost three hundred cable stations Philippine-wide. And to reach others around the globe, it is being beamed worldwide through its award-winning website www.untvweb.com for FREE, North America through IPTV Company, IPQube, and in Japan through World on Demand IPTV. Mabuhay Agila 2 with teleports in Asia and Hawaii. And lastly, UNTV has dedicated news teams from Los Angeles, North America, Middle East, Canada, Europe, San Francisco and Singapore to deliver the up-to-date and relevant news on their respective areas.

"YOUR INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE" 

Indeed, an intelligent alternative. All shows in UNTV channel mostly concentrates on commendable shows starting from wee hours of the morning by watching until night. With its line up of shows, it caters all people in all walks of life but it aims not just to give entertainment but making it sure that viewers gained something to fonder and value at the end of the day. Having UNTV as your default channel, you will not worry to leave you r children in front of television without any adult to look over them.

“ONE SPIRIT, ONE SOUL, ONE HOME”

UNTV is composed of many talents, working as one. Minds united as one and soared above perceptible differences to achieve one common goal- to deliver not just shows, but shows conceptualized with utmost care for the viewers’ benefit.

“KASAMBAHAY MO!” (YOUR HOUSEMATE!)

UNTV- A certified housemate that is! Offering educational and informative shows with concepts moulded by genuine love and care for fellow people. You will never regret having UNTV as part of your television viewing habit.

RELATED LINKS:

http://elisoriano.com/

http://danielrazon.com/en/
http://untvweb.com/
http://www.bmpicorp.com/index.html