Miracle In Prayer

It is a miracle to see a pastor friend who has bee diagnosed with cancer of the nerves in 2008 and who is now back here in the Philippines, ministering again. His journey to becoming cancer free is so amazing that I give the glory to God for his recovery.



Basically, he was given an experimental treatment where only 6% of the patients recovered. Doctors harvested stem cells from him and brought down his white blood cells from 8,000 to 100. the stem cells were then injected back to him and his white blood count rose back to 8,000 in 14 days.

This is something I haven't heard of even with mesothelioma treatments but it is really a miracle this worked. Prayer is really powerful.

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Humility In Prayer: My Meditations On Ondoy and Pepeng Experiences

The recent experiences of the Philippines with typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng is a reminder to all of us how powerless we are against nature and the Creator who controls it. In my own meditations about the recent disasters I felt God humbling me and reminding me to always be dependent upon Him.

A lot of times, we think we are in control of things around us, that we are powerful and we are independent, self-sufficient. But, when things like landslides, floods and other disasters fall upon us, we are shown how so many things are beyond our control.

The good news is that God is in control. Although disasters befall us, God is there to meet us where we are and we must learn to trust Him always. Below is an appropriate reading or devotion related to this meditation.

"Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens."
Lamentations 3:41

The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is a very salutary lesson for such proud beings as we are. If God gave us favours without constraining us to pray for them we should never know how poor we are, but a true prayer is an inventory of wants, a catalogue of necessities, a revelation of hidden poverty. While it is an application to divine wealth, it is a confession of human emptiness. The most healthy state of a Christian is to be always empty in self and constantly depending upon the Lord for supplies; to be always poor in self and rich in Jesus; weak as water personally, but mighty through God to do great exploits; and hence the use of prayer, because, while it adores God, it lays the creature where it should be, in the very dust. Prayer is in itself, apart from the answer which it brings, a great benefit to the Christian. As the runner gains strength for the race by daily exercise, so for the great race of life we acquire energy by the hallowed labour of prayer. Prayer plumes the wings of God's young eaglets, that they may learn to mount above the clouds. Prayer girds the loins of God's warriors, and sends them forth to combat with their sinews braced and their muscles firm. An earnest pleader cometh out of his closet, even as the sun ariseth from the chambers of the east, rejoicing like a strong man to run his race. Prayer is that uplifted hand of Moses which routs the Amalekites more than the sword of Joshua; it is the arrow shot from the chamber of the prophet foreboding defeat to the Syrians. Prayer girds human weakness with divine strength, turns human folly into heavenly wisdom, and gives to troubled mortals the peace of God. We know not what prayer cannot do! We thank thee, great God, for the mercy-seat, a choice proof of thy marvellous lovingkindness. Help us to use it aright throughout this day!

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Prayer: What it Is Not

It is interesting to note that even as Jesus' disciples saw Him preach the greatest sermon, heal the sick and even raise up the dead, when they were given a chance to make a request to Jesus, they did not request for preaching skills, or the power to heal the sick or raise the dead. In Luke 11, Jesus' disciples asked Him to teach them to pray.


But, what is prayer, really? From what I have seen in the religious culture in our country the Philippines, among believers and what I see in the Word of God, let me share what prayer is not.


Prayer is not a magic wand. Many people who profess to believe in God use prayer superstitiously. It is used like a lucky charm when they are in need of something from God.

Prayer is not a fire extinguisher - for emergency use only. Of course, prayer is the best option and should be the first - not the last option. It surely is necessary during dire situations but prayer should not just be used during emergencies.

Prayer is not a tug-of-war with God. We do not have to beg, bribe or plead with God to answer our prayers. All we need to do is ask.

Prayer is more than just a religious duty. It is more than repeated, vain words, strictly scheduled times with God. If you pray and treat prayer like any or all of these four things then we may be missing the whole point of prayer. It is an act of cooperating with God, saying our requests to God, dedicating ourselves to God and most of all, communicating with God - like a child communicates with his father or a friend communicating with another friend.

Why don't you try this? During a time within the day when you are at your best, relax and focus on the presence of God. Then start talking to Him. You can even write a journal or a private blog of your communication with God. I assure you that it will revolutionize your prayer life. Go ahead, try it!

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Rick Warren, Chosen for Invocation by Obama on Inaugural Ceremony

Last night, as I was visiting blogs or what many call blog hopping, I ran into this news about Pastor Rick Warren, head of Saddleback Church in California, being chosen by the US President Barack Obama to give the prayer or invocation during the inaugural ceremony that will be held on January 20, 2009.
It made me stop and read the news and I read how protests from non-Christian and non-believer sectors arose. It also mentioned that protests may be drawn if he prays in the name of Jesus, and disappointment will be expresses if he does not.

As a fellow minister of the gospel, I feel for Rick Warren and I feel led to pray for him as He chooses the words he would use for the invocation. May the Holy Spirit lead him and give him wisdom as pressure from different groups is arise knowing that he is being requested to modify his prayer to represent the beliefs of Americans. May God be glorified through all this.

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A Request for Prayer and Financial Support for My Friends

This few weeks I had three people I know diagnosed with cancer. The first one is an old lady from our church named Tess Legaspi. Presently, she is undergoing frequent treatments at Philppine General Hospital just after undergoing surgery a month ago.

The second one is a long time friend from our mother church, Ate Debbie, and she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She has just undergone surgery two Fridays ago and is till at East Ave. Medical Center. I will be visiting her tomorrow and will know more updates about her condition.


The third one is a pastor friend and he, Pastor Gary, used to be an interim pastor at our mother church. He has been diagnosed last September 11 of a rare form of lymphoma of the nerves, called neurolymphomatosis and has immediately began treatments at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

I would like to solicit your prayers for these friends of mine. They are all born-again Christians by the way and are all at peace with their present condition. I just ask that brothers and sisters in Christ who come across this blog entry to please include them in your prayers - and please pray that their finances would be provided even as they continue with their treatments. Please pray for comfort and strength for each of their family.

God is good and whatever happens we can claim God's promise of eternal life through their personal faith in Christ!

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

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Mount Peniel Campsite, Capas, Tarlac

Today, I woke up at 4:48AM and started to prepare for our trip to Mount Peniel Campsite at Capas, Tarlac. This trip was a business trip. Our objective was to negotiate and settle final arrangements for our upcoming summer youth camp this third and fourth week of April. This was not our first time at this camp site. We held our youth camp last year at this same site. At 6:15AM my pastor friend and I were on our way to Quezon City to pick up our other companions. By 9AM we were already at Mount Peniel.

This camp site houses 600 heads in its rooms and dormitories comfortably. But at last year's camp we were able to fit in about 1,100 participants by maximizing every room and using their five other session halls excluding the covered basketball court which we used as our venue for our general assemblies. The rooms, dormitories and session halls in this camp site are all named after Bible characters, that is because the owners are Christians. They also have prayer cells within their camp site, so they're not only a camp site but a prayer venue as well. Before we conducted our meeting, the owners showed us a small scale model of their planned expansion - a new building which will add additional dorms, rooms and prayer cells to their existing facilities. They plan to finish this project next year.

The name of their camp site was taken from Genesis 32:30, "So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, 'It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.'" This is because the owner of Mount Peniel encountered God personally and she began a personal relationship with God that turned her life around and changed her for the better. She and her husband built and currently manage the campsite as a ministry to churches and Christian organizations by providing for them an affordable prayer venue and a camp site.

Our meeting with the owners were really swift and they were really easy to deal with - I believe it is because we share the same life objectives even in our different endeavors and that is to share to people how they can have a life changing personal relationship with God. We hope to settle our deal and make necessary reservation arrangements in the next two to three weeks.

Posted below are pictures of the campsite from our youth summer camp last year:

(Clockwise from upper left: Campers playing in Mount Peniel's playing field; Campers from our church (SBC Makati) hanging out just outside the mess hall; Our camp theme last year; Mount Peniel's covered court which we used for our general assemblies.)

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