I first became aware of Church of God publications in mid-1962. It was then being advertised in The Philippines Free Press, of which my father was a subscriber and occasional writer. Being a second year college student then in Zamboanga City, I did not have as much time to seriously read those publications, unlike the rest of my family residing then in Kabasalan, Zamboanga del Sur. But the things I heard from my father back home seemed to make good solid sense.
While in college, I was then very active in the leadership position of the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. Having been born and raised as Evangelical Protestants, we were taught to be careful about publications that contradicted its teachings. Thus, I found an inner struggle trying to reconcile what I was beginning to learn as truth with what I had been previously taught. An even greater problem loomed in my mind with the possibility of making drastic changes in my life—including a change in my religious affiliation. The idea was becoming quite scary then. [click to continue…]
My life started on the night of December 11, 1985. My birth was a very happy occasion for my parents. Everything seemed to be wonderful until I was six months old and started having convulsions—attacks that occurred not once, not twice, but at least five times a day! I was brought to the hospital and multiple tests were performed. Even with tests on my blood, my heart, and the different organs in my body, the doctors could not determine why I was having the convulsions.
The doctor told my parents that every time I experienced a convulsion my brain was being denied oxygen—a dangerous situation. So he prescribed Phenobarbital—a barbiturate drug—to prevent the convulsions. It was believed that this drug would lessen my convulsion attacks but there was also a possibility that the drug would have a lifelong negative effect on my brain. The main concern of my doctor at that time was to stop the attacks and to keep me alive. [click to continue…]
In an effort to promote peace, in December of 1986, then Philippine President Corazon Aquino declared a unilateral ceasefire for the government forces against attacking rebel organizations. In turn, the rebels took advantage of the opportunity to raid homes and establishments to acquire weapons and funds for their cause, and some such incidents were published in the newspapers then.
We were then renting a house in a subdivision in San Pedro, Laguna, owned by a Filipino family working abroad. Through their dollar earnings, they were able to make their house look nice on the outside because of the glazed tiles on the front walls, with glass and aluminum front doors. [click to continue…]
Ambassador College, Big Sandy, Texas, USA—It’s 10:48 p.m., November 24, 1993. I hate to admit it, but I think I’m beginning to feel a little homesick.
Thanksgiving break started at noon today. Everything seemed to come to a screeching halt. Everybody seemed to be heading somewhere—except me. Some of my friends have already left for home. My “booth-mate” David left a few hours ago. Here I am, alone in my booth, looking at pictures and perusing the most recent letters I got from home. I have in front of me the latest family portrait taken during Mom and Dad’s anniversary last month. Oh, those faces I have longed to see. Oh, their voices I have longed to hear. [click to continue…]
Why are we here? Just what is the purpose and meaning of life? That question has intrigued and baffled scientists, philosophers, and theologians—even ordinary men and women—for hundreds and thousands of years. Yes, the answer to what is arguably life’s ultimate question has eluded the world’s most brilliant and learned minds. Most of the 6.7 billion people living today are clueless about the right answer. In fact, USA Today once published the results of a poll listing significant questions on most people’s minds. At the top of the list was the question: “What is the purpose of life?”
If you will do a search on Wikipedia, under the heading Meaning of Life, you will find that the answers proposed are as varied and as diverse as the entire ideological landscape. Clearly, many have opinions, but few have conclusive or authoritative answers. [click to continue…]
Have you ever looked closely at a diamond? Nothing quite compares to its dazzling beauty, sheer elegance and fiery brilliance! It is the hardest natural substance on earth. It is, in fact, 40 times harder than a sapphire or a ruby, the next hardest minerals. Only another diamond can scratch a diamond.
A diamond is the greatest conductor of heat, is transparent over the greatest number of wavelengths, has the highest melting point (4,090 degrees Celsius—2 1/2 times greater than that of steel!) and has a refractive index greater than any naturally occurring gemstone—giving it its characteristic fire and brilliance. Diamonds are among the rarest and costliest of gemstones. [click to continue…]
I don’t know exactly how far away You are—how many light years Your throne is from where I am. I just know you are somewhere behind those brilliant, beautiful stars in the sky tonight. Maybe farther…
The gentle wind blows cold out here in the open. It is so quiet, I cannot hear a sound but the chirping notes of the crickets. [click to continue…]
January 16, 1987, San Pedro (Laguna), Philippines — “Close your eyes! Nobody moves, screams or looks at us—or I’ll blow his head off!”
My family had barely finished asking the blessing on a Friday evening meal when we were faced with four masked, shabby-looking men brandishing handguns, an M-16 rifle and a dagger.
How did these people get in here? What do they want?
“I said shut your eyes!” the leader barked, pointing a revolver straight at Dad. [click to continue…]
“Thank you for that kind introduction; good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Being from a third-world country, I liken coming to America, much less studying at Ambassador College, to winning a million dollars in a sweepstake. Distance was a problem, money was a big problem, immigration was a big, big problem. But I had a dream—a dream to span the Pacific and come to this college.
Like many of you here tonight, I was excited to learn about my acceptance to AC. Little did I know what was to befall me within 12 weeks: three nightmares—three humongous pitch-black monsters—that would threaten to snuff my dream from existence. [click to continue…]
