Stories of Hope, Unity and Transformation
Can the Philippines Be Healed?
When Our Political Expectations Are Crushed The recent elections made me reflect on Israel’s expectations of Jesus when Jesus walked the earth. Israel expected a Messiah who would free the nation from the clutches of Rome. After all, wasn’t this Messiah from the line...
Adoption: Embracing the Story of the Gospel
God’s View of Family Our concept of family used to be simple: get married, have kids, raise them up well, and you’re done. Isn’t that our typical picture? A husband, a wife, a son, a daughter, and maybe some pets in the mix? What we didn’t expect was that God had...
When God Goes Before You: the Story of LTC Ronie Torres Ebarita PART 2
PART 2 “What if he has a knife and stabs me? He still held his M14 rifle pressed between our bodies. What if he fires it?” As these thoughts raced through my mind, I heard the same voice earlier say, “May baril ka!” (You have a gun!). LtCol. Ebarita, who was then an...
When God Goes Before You: the Story of LTC Ronie Torres Ebarita Part 1
Childhood My six siblings and I grew up in a farming family, in the humble town of Pamplona, Negros Oriental. My parents were ordinary individuals in the community, but they were well-respected because of their character and integrity—virtues they wanted us to...
When God Shows You a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
A rotund man walked wobblingly past me, each of his oversized hands clasping a clearly undernourished one—a little girl on the left, and a tiny boy on the right. There was a jolly procession behind them, too: other equally young children from the slums. As this guy...
Finding My Truest Self
When you do not know who you are and whose you are, you will succumb to almost anything. You are an open book to everyone, with no reservations and prudence. You do not have firm ground to stand on. You just go with the flow. Que sera sera as they call it. When you...
You Are Not An Orphan
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” – John 1:12 Have you ever lost a father? I did. They say fathers play a significant role in our lives. Researchers have found that those who grow up...
BEAUTY FROM BROKENNESS: RESTORING A SECOND-HAND WEDDING GOWN
Finding My Dream Wedding Dress Damaged with missing beads. A ripped inner skirt. Lace that’s old fashioned. She’s not as beautiful as the others. She’s used. And she only cost me Php3,000. Because I was growing emotionally attached to a cheap gown, I started calling...
Joseph the Dreamer: Then and Now
“I am special! I am special! I am special!” If there was a scene that stood out for me in Trumpet’s musical production, Joseph the Dreamer (JTD) this year, it was when Joseph said these words while pounding on the prison floor, forcing himself to remember his value...
Remembering Venite PART 3
This is Part 3 in a 3-Part tribute to Venite Castillo, written by his friend, Inah Tolentino. My Goodbye I already lost my father, mother, and sister, so I can say I am well-acquainted with grief. Still, I got blindsided by the grief over losing Ven. He was a best...
Partner’s Corner
Reaching Out to Storm-Stricken Montalban
OB fed thousands of families in storm-stricken Rizal “We’ve been through every other typhoon, but we never saw anything like this,” Flordeliza Flores of Montalban, Rizal, shared as she waited in line to pick up her meal in a vacant lot near her house. There, Operation...
Holy Communion on a Bunk Bed: Lessons from an Iranian Ex-Prisoner
No hugs on Sunday morning. No joint meal with your Bible Study group. Many Christians around the world are now isolated because of the coronavirus. For the Iranian church, isolation is nothing new. Former prisoner for his faith, Pastor Wahid, shares three tips on how...
You Are My Portion: A Persecuted African’s Testimony PART 2
“I knelt down and prayed, ‘Lord, don’t let me fail. You are my portion.’ Not even my relatives helped me, only God did. He stands with the deprived and underprivileged ones. And here is my house. Blessed be the name of the Lord. I also thank all of you that have...
Get your copies now!
