* I’m 35 years old today. But with what I’ve gone through in life, I’ll say, I’m a guy about 40 years old with the looks of a 25 :D
* Thanks for those who greeted. One quick thought: 3 years ago, when I wake up in my birthday morning, my cellphone had already been swamped with text messages. Today, except for that message from my 2 brothers, I have none. Everyone else went to my Facebook page. The techopreneur in me is wondering how much mooneys does the telcos loose because of the popularity of Facebook.
* Nothing special today, really. This year’s the birthday that I never really felt any anticipation or excitement. The reason is simple: my thoughts were focused on other things, that is:
* Today, on my birthday, God birthed a new church family in Makati — LifeChurch Makati. The launch team worked hard, prayed hard, invited people (and its hard!) for this launch. And today, it’s official — we’re a church. :D
I thank God for 35 years of challenges, love, grace and peace that does not come from the things of this world. Thirty five years of ups and downs, victories and failures, joys and disappointments. I may have not survived it without my Mama and Papa, my wife Joy, my church family and most especially, the ever willing listening ear, ever forgiving, ever willing to give grace, the friend and Lord of my life — they call him Bro, JC, best friend — I call him with the name above all name, Jesus Christ.
Let me write a quick note about LifeChurch Makati‘s last preview experience this Sunday.
We’re excited for this Sunday’s Preview Experience. This is our last chance to “tighten the screws” so to speak as we near our official launch on May 16.
This Sunday, we’re going to enjoy and be blessed with high energy worship and going to be challenged spiritually by Craig Groeschel’s message lifted from his recently released book “Christian Atheist”. If you’re planning to come, I promise you, after this event, you’re life will never be the same again.
Here’s the Facebook invite page. Bring your friends and your family members. The experience starts at exactly 10:45 am at Glorietta 4, Cinema 4 in Makati. Come earlier so we can have some more chats before the experience.
… if you are inspired by, changed through and your life has made a turn around because of the Bible, then you’ll fall in-love with this movie. It’s an action film. Not great, as in “Borne…” great. But behind the action scenes, the passion for The Book is very evident.
Makes me think: we’re a blessed generation. We have hundreds of Bible versions with millions of copies in the market. And, through LifeChurch.tv (were LifeChurch Makati is networked), considered as the most innovative church in the US — and in my opinion the most generous — they have made The Bible even more accessible — for free! — through YouVersion.com. Now you can read the Bible through the internet or through your phones.
Very accessible more than ever. But where is our Bibles today? In the altars? In your bags — to protect you from “harms and dangers?”
You will never experience the power of the Book if you’re not going to be passionate about reading it and putting it in your hearts. It has changed my life, it has inspired me to walk with God and it has guided me through difficult situations in life. My experience is identical with millions who decided to make the Bible part of their lives.
And you can experience this, too. Grab your Bible and start reading it. If you don’t have one, go ahead and go to YouVersion.com, choose a version you’re most comfortable with and start reading online.
Don’t wait for the time when the Bible is nowhere to be found.
I’m playing with the thought of having a mini-Christian bloggers’ meet-up this Friday night. I’m not an event organizer or anything like that, so I really don’t know what I’m doing. :D Nonetheless, I have a couple of reasons why I need this to happen:
1. I need to see the faces behind those avatars. Let’s admit it, we know a lot of people online, but very few know each other personally. It can be a great time to fellowship and shake the real hands, you know what I mean.
2. LifeChurch Makati, the church we’re launching in May, said we’re willing to sponsor the coffee/drinks for this event. So, that’s free Starbucks for those who’s coming. :D To be transparent about it, not only that we’re excited to meet Christian bloggers, we also what to know if you guys can help cover the event on Sunday (March 21) as we have our 2nd preview service at Glorietta 4, Cinema 4. Details during the meet-up.
So, if you’re a:
- Christian blogger, or
- Christian twitter (wow, new English term, eh!)
and if you’re available this Friday, 7 pm, we’d like to have you for this Christian Blogger mini-meetup. That’ll be held at Starbucks Glorietta 4. Please confirm your attendance here. If I’ll have even just 4 bloggers to sign up, we’ll proceed. If you have questions, please email me at arnold[at]lifechurchmakati.com.
Watch this, then let me tell you why Bro. Eddie just broke my heart.
Let me lay out the ground work.
1. I’m an evangelical Christian.
2. Bro. Eddie is a leader of one of the biggest evangelical groups here in the Philippines.
3. While I’m not part of the Jesus is Lord Church which he founded, I look up to him as a brother and a great leader of the Church.
4. Apolo Quiboloy’s “Kingdom…”, on the other hand, is NOT an evangelical church. In fact, his church is largely considered a cult of Christianity among evangelical apologists. Reason for this includes his claim of being the Son of God (in Gentile body, blasphemous in my opinion), their works-oriented salvation doctrine, Oneness (as against Trinitarianism), and exclusivity (even claiming that Davao — where their headquarters is located — is the new Jerusalem). He has all the characteristics to be tagged by evangelicals as a dangerous cult.
5. I can respect Quiboloy as a citizen of the Philippines and truly a leader with many followers. But I will never call him a “preacher of righteousness”.
Bro. Eddie, as most of you know, is campaigning for the presidency.
Seeing this man of God compromise his belief, the gospel of Jesus Christ, to which this man from Davao has adulterated, breaks my heart. He is not only loosing his witness, he is also loosing the witness of the entire evangelical Christianity in the Philippines.
What else can Bro. Eddie do just to win the votes of the people?
I’m calling on Bro. Eddie to repent of this lie, hunger for power and for bringing shame to the name of Jesus Christ, the true Son of God.
… if you are inspired by, changed through and your life has made a turn around because of the Bible, then you’ll fall in-love with this movie. It’s an action film. Not great, as in “Borne…” great. But behind the action scenes, the passion for The Book is very evident.
