Straight From Pastor Ey

Chalk it up as another “pangit” (ugly) point for the Philippines. By now, I assume you already read about the untimely death of Julia Campbell, a US Peace Corps volunteer who served in Donsol, Sorsogon. Julia was reported missing on April 8 while hiking to see the Banaue rice terraces in Ifugao province. Last Wednesday, the PNP announced that they found her body, partially buried with a foot sticking out in a shallow grave. She is the first tourist to die in that tourist spot known also as a UNESCO World Heritage site and dubbed as one of the eight wonders of the world. To chronicle her stay in our country, Julia wrote a blog ( http://juliainthephilippines.blogspot.com/ ). In her blog, Julia shared how she learned to cope with our way of life here (like using a “tabo” or water dipper). When she got infected with roundworms, she even jokingly named one of her parasites “Fred.” She also challenged people to contribute books and other resource materials for a local library and worked ...

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37-38, NIV) This was one of those rare moments that Jesus gave a prayer request. Before He asked His disciples to pray to the Lord of the harvest, He pointed out two facts. First, the harvest is plentiful. Second, the workers are few. There is a harvest out there. The workers indeed are few. So, what are we going to do about it? Jesus did not tell His disciples to ask God to stop the harvest or, at least, delay the ripening of the grains. He did not tell them to pray that God would strengthen the workers (though I believe He does just that and we should also pray for that). Instead, He commanded them to pray for more workers. That is the Lord’s solution to the present situation. More workers! It’s a sight to behold a field that is ripe for harvest. It will not be there for long. Pests could come. Birds are al...

Good AM. There was a black slave named Jack who chopped wood every day for his master. It was a hard task. His hands would bleed. His entire body would also be painful. Ever since he was a child, he did just that. One very exhausting day, he thought of his dire situation. Whose fault was it that he ended up a slave? Who’s the one he should blame for his awful life? Was it his parents or his grandparents? Well, they were all born slaves also. Finally, he realized whose fault it was. It was Adam. Because Old Adam ate the forbidden fruit, Jack became a slave. He got so angry that, as he chopped wood, he hit it with so much force. His master asked him what his problem is. When he told his master, he answered, “ If it’s Adam’s fault, then you should not suffer for it. From now, you will no longer chop wood. Enjoy my house, the food and the drink. There’s only one condition. Don’t open the box on top of the dining table.” After gorging himself with a sumptuous meal, he saw the box. It was ju...