Click Here to Read More..
Showing posts with label Christian youth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian youth. Show all posts
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Story-Telling
Thursday, January 15, 2009
These pictures came in a bit late but I wrote about this wonderful experience earlier in this blog. This was the day after Christmas and my first time to do story-telling to kids. It was awesome! I'm glad I decided to spend it with them instead of going to the beach with some friends.
Story-telling time at school was my favorite when I was a kid. One of the stories I won't forget was about Daedalus and his son Icarus. They were prisoners of King Minos of Crete and Daedalus planned their escape. He made them a pair of wings out of feathers sewn together and and molded in wax. He warned Icarus to beware of rash adventures among the stars. But the kid was so enticed by his new-found freedom and flew up high to the highest heavens until the sun melted the wax off his wings and he fell. This story has been a constant reminder to me until now that freedom comes with responsibility.
Others that are included in my list of favorites are Aesop's fables and Jose Rizal's story about the monkey and the turtle.
*Thanks Ate Vida for the pictures. You can find more here.
Click Here to Read More..
Story-telling time at school was my favorite when I was a kid. One of the stories I won't forget was about Daedalus and his son Icarus. They were prisoners of King Minos of Crete and Daedalus planned their escape. He made them a pair of wings out of feathers sewn together and and molded in wax. He warned Icarus to beware of rash adventures among the stars. But the kid was so enticed by his new-found freedom and flew up high to the highest heavens until the sun melted the wax off his wings and he fell. This story has been a constant reminder to me until now that freedom comes with responsibility.
Others that are included in my list of favorites are Aesop's fables and Jose Rizal's story about the monkey and the turtle.
*Thanks Ate Vida for the pictures. You can find more here.
Click Here to Read More..
Friday, December 26, 2008
Kids
Friday, December 26, 2008
Yesterday, I had a wonderful opportunity together with four other kins in faith, in celebrating Christmas with kids from one of our church's community outreaches. More and more I understand why they say that Christmas is for children.
The "little party" was in an improvised basketball court in one of the impoverished areas of the town. The court is about 30 square meters, surrounded by tiny houses inhabited by, I guess a family of five to six. It's on flat part of the hill so we needed to climb a good 100m of 30-40 degrees sloping terrain. We were also carrying the food and drinks that we prepared as we went up. It was a bit difficult and we had to catch our breaths as we trudge. When we got there, the kids were waiting and they were excited. I think there were about 60 of them, with age ranging from 2 to 14, who came.
My part of the program (I was actually forced to do it) was to tell the Christmas story. I refused to do it at first because I am terrible at telling stories. More than that, it's hard to tell stories to kids (I realized later that you just have to keep it simple. That's one thing grown-ups forget -- to keep things simple). But then, off I went. Thanks to the big book with pictures. I just have to nail down one point. That Christmas is about Jesus.
The kids had games after that then they ate. The ladies in our group prepared the food. They had spaghetti, sandwich and cake. The challenge is to have everyone fed, including some parents who were on the side watching. The food was just enough and I think the kids were most delighted with the cake.
It was such a joy watching the the big smiles from the kids when they got their little presents, which is not so much actually. The girls in our group put biscuits, curls and candies in tiny little white pouches sealed by a red ribbon. In all honesty, when I was on their age, I wouldn't really appreciate that, I mean the content of those pouches. But those kids, oh... I saw the kids beamed in joy as soon as they opened it. It was golden. Very heartwarming in my part.
The experience just reminded me to be thankful. Sometimes I have much, sometimes I have little or have nothing at all, but just the same be thankful. It's an issue for me because I'm a whiner. Those kids, they were happy. I was playing one of the kid's toy gun and another kid approached me. He's a bald little 3-year old boy wearing a red shirt and a red shorts. He wanted to play with the toy gun and I let him. He was very happy. It broke my heart when I need to get the toy and return it to the other kid who owned it. But the little kid was still all smiles. He may have been delighted to just being able to play with the it for a few minutes because he haven't got a toy gun ever. I don't know but he was still happy.
It's an afternoon well-spent...
Click Here to Read More..
The "little party" was in an improvised basketball court in one of the impoverished areas of the town. The court is about 30 square meters, surrounded by tiny houses inhabited by, I guess a family of five to six. It's on flat part of the hill so we needed to climb a good 100m of 30-40 degrees sloping terrain. We were also carrying the food and drinks that we prepared as we went up. It was a bit difficult and we had to catch our breaths as we trudge. When we got there, the kids were waiting and they were excited. I think there were about 60 of them, with age ranging from 2 to 14, who came.
My part of the program (I was actually forced to do it) was to tell the Christmas story. I refused to do it at first because I am terrible at telling stories. More than that, it's hard to tell stories to kids (I realized later that you just have to keep it simple. That's one thing grown-ups forget -- to keep things simple). But then, off I went. Thanks to the big book with pictures. I just have to nail down one point. That Christmas is about Jesus.
The kids had games after that then they ate. The ladies in our group prepared the food. They had spaghetti, sandwich and cake. The challenge is to have everyone fed, including some parents who were on the side watching. The food was just enough and I think the kids were most delighted with the cake.
It was such a joy watching the the big smiles from the kids when they got their little presents, which is not so much actually. The girls in our group put biscuits, curls and candies in tiny little white pouches sealed by a red ribbon. In all honesty, when I was on their age, I wouldn't really appreciate that, I mean the content of those pouches. But those kids, oh... I saw the kids beamed in joy as soon as they opened it. It was golden. Very heartwarming in my part.
The experience just reminded me to be thankful. Sometimes I have much, sometimes I have little or have nothing at all, but just the same be thankful. It's an issue for me because I'm a whiner. Those kids, they were happy. I was playing one of the kid's toy gun and another kid approached me. He's a bald little 3-year old boy wearing a red shirt and a red shorts. He wanted to play with the toy gun and I let him. He was very happy. It broke my heart when I need to get the toy and return it to the other kid who owned it. But the little kid was still all smiles. He may have been delighted to just being able to play with the it for a few minutes because he haven't got a toy gun ever. I don't know but he was still happy.
It's an afternoon well-spent...
Click Here to Read More..
Monday, December 8, 2008
Happy Birthday Meg
Monday, December 8, 2008
It's my good friend's birthday today and I thought of giving her a little tribute.
That's Meg. I first met her in our church's little old red car. Our "cell" group (that's how we call our small group fellowships in the church) and theirs joined for a little pool party. She was so shy and frail that she almost shrunk when she was introduced to the people inside the car. She hardly talked but she always wear that shy smile.
It took a while before we became "really" friends. Of course it was always me who initiates a greeting every time we would see each other on the street. I would call her "Tipay" then. That's the nick she used in one game that we played during the party.
Nine years after, here we are, really good friends! And her shyness has already "shyed away". She was one of my college crush (or maybe more than that... hahaha!), which she knew. I was so embarrassed when I knew that she knew and I couldn't look at her in the eye (yaiyks! talk about being cheesy)! But we went past that and our friendship now is one that is bound by God's love and "with absolute purity" as said in 1 Timothy 5:2. It's just a blessing, looking back, how God nurtured such a beautiful friendship.
One thing that exudes in Meg, more than the pretty face, is her love for God. She faithfully serves God as a tamborinee in our church and she does it with grace and utmost worship. It was just lately that I discovered how tough a woman she is. Amazing how God changed her from a frail little girl that she was. She has a gargantuan appetite, by the way. She loves to eat and to cook. She loves the camera and the camera likes her, too. Fortunately.
Relationships, like friendship, are among the wonderful things in the world. It's God's gift. In many ways, God shows His love to us by friends who care, laugh, cry and rebukes us.
Dear readers, in case it crosses your minds, she's not my girlfriend. Just pure love for a sister in Christ.
By the way, we have a huge huge collection of pictures together as both of us likes the camera's flash and shutter. It's in here.
Click Here to Read More..
That's Meg. I first met her in our church's little old red car. Our "cell" group (that's how we call our small group fellowships in the church) and theirs joined for a little pool party. She was so shy and frail that she almost shrunk when she was introduced to the people inside the car. She hardly talked but she always wear that shy smile.It took a while before we became "really" friends. Of course it was always me who initiates a greeting every time we would see each other on the street. I would call her "Tipay" then. That's the nick she used in one game that we played during the party.
Nine years after, here we are, really good friends! And her shyness has already "shyed away". She was one of my college crush (or maybe more than that... hahaha!), which she knew. I was so embarrassed when I knew that she knew and I couldn't look at her in the eye (yaiyks! talk about being cheesy)! But we went past that and our friendship now is one that is bound by God's love and "with absolute purity" as said in 1 Timothy 5:2. It's just a blessing, looking back, how God nurtured such a beautiful friendship.
One thing that exudes in Meg, more than the pretty face, is her love for God. She faithfully serves God as a tamborinee in our church and she does it with grace and utmost worship. It was just lately that I discovered how tough a woman she is. Amazing how God changed her from a frail little girl that she was. She has a gargantuan appetite, by the way. She loves to eat and to cook. She loves the camera and the camera likes her, too. Fortunately.
Relationships, like friendship, are among the wonderful things in the world. It's God's gift. In many ways, God shows His love to us by friends who care, laugh, cry and rebukes us.
Dear readers, in case it crosses your minds, she's not my girlfriend. Just pure love for a sister in Christ.
By the way, we have a huge huge collection of pictures together as both of us likes the camera's flash and shutter. It's in here.
Click Here to Read More..
Monday, December 1, 2008
God told me to SMILE
Monday, December 1, 2008
How could I've missed it!
I was browsing my Multiply account and I bumped into one of my friends' blog about what she saw last night. She said that she saw God smiling!
What she saw was similar to the picture above. It's as if God has sent an emoticon to his creations. The bright yellow light on the left is Venus and the blue one on the right is Jupiter and the moon crescent below.
Even if I didn't see it, the picture brought me so much encouragement, especially as I deliver the message about the Second Commandment tonight. The Lord commands His people not to bow down and worship "anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below". Yet He uses His creations to amaze us and tell us that He is ever present and His love and grace is eternally abundant.
I was browsing my Multiply account and I bumped into one of my friends' blog about what she saw last night. She said that she saw God smiling!
What she saw was similar to the picture above. It's as if God has sent an emoticon to his creations. The bright yellow light on the left is Venus and the blue one on the right is Jupiter and the moon crescent below.Even if I didn't see it, the picture brought me so much encouragement, especially as I deliver the message about the Second Commandment tonight. The Lord commands His people not to bow down and worship "anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below". Yet He uses His creations to amaze us and tell us that He is ever present and His love and grace is eternally abundant.
When I consider your heavens,the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,which you have set in place. -Psalm 8:3Click Here to Read More..
Saturday, November 29, 2008
The Second Commandment
Saturday, November 29, 2008
I'll be the speaker for our weekly youth fellowship this coming Tuesday. For this new semester we will be having a series about The Ten Commandments. My topic will be the Second Commandment.
"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments."I'm preparing my message and I pray that the Lord will teach me what to teach my youth listeners. Click Here to Read More..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
