Straight From Pastor Ey

Image credit Thirty-five years ago, Alvin Toffler, American writer and futurist (or, social scientist), wrote these words in the The Third Wave that sounded like he just wrote it yesterday. A powerful tide is surging across much of the world today, creating a new, often bizarre, environment in which to work, play, marry, raise children, or retire. In this bewildering context, businessmen swim against highly erratic economic currents; politicians see their ratings bob wildly up and down; universities, hospitals, and other institutions battle desperately against inflation. Value systems splinter and crash, while the lifeboats of family, church, and state are hurled madly about. [1] Eerie but exact, right? Nowadays, we see the Filipino family attacked like never before. For example, according to a news report, “The number of marriage annulment and nullity cases filed in the country has been steadily rising for the past eight years, with an average of 28 couples seeking to ...

Image credit We are reminded time and again that we are to create memories with our children. As Nazi holocaust survivor Corrie Ten Boom said, “Memories are the key not to the past, but to the future.”   Our God is into creating memories, too. After the miraculous crossing of the Jordan river, Joshua commanded 12 men from each tribe of Israel to take one stone each from the place where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood.  [T]hat this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, “What do those stones mean to you?” then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever. … so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever. (Joshua 4:6-7, 24. Emphasis added.)...

Image credit We have heard, “Happy wife, happy life.” (Or, for the husbands, “Happy spouse, happy house.”) A Proverbs 31 woman is not only a happy wife. She also makes her husband happy. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. … Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. (vv. 11-12, 23, ESV). I remember a story where a rich businessman and his wife stopped at a red light in an intersection. Then, out of nowhere, a homeless guy suddenly sprayed water with detergent on his BMW’s windshield and wiped it dry with his squeegee. He was about to scold the guy but the wife stopped him. She recognized him as the guy she used to date. So, out of pity, he gave him more money. Driving away, the businessman was all smiles. The wife asked why he’s grinning from ear to ear. He proudly answered, “Aren’t you happy you married me and not him?” She retorted, “If I ...

Image credit For Mother’s day, two kids gave a plant as a gift to their mother. They even broke their piggy banks to have enough money to buy that plant. However, the mother noticed the sad faces of her kids. When she asked why, one of them answered, “There was a bouquet that we wanted to give you at the flower shop. It was really pretty but it was too expensive. It had a ribbon on it that said, ‘Rest In Peace.’ We thought it would be just perfect since you are always asking for a little peace so that you can rest. ” [1] Seriously, a mother’s work really requires a lot of energy. Image credit The most creative job in the world involves fashion, decorating, recreation, education, transportation, psychology, romance, cuisine, literature, art, economics, government, pediatrics, geriatrics, entertainment, maintenance, purchasing, law, religion, energy and management. Anyone who can handle all those has to be somebody special. She is. She’s a homemaker. [2] Becau...