God vs. Studies

“Mariel join ta fellowship this 3 pm ha?”, “Mag-unsa ka karong hapon?” Join ta fellowship ha!”, “Be here at 3 pm ha. Fellowship bya ron.”

This is usually happens in our church, the Bradford United Church of Christ, Inc. Young people tend to invite other people to join the activities and events held in the church. It seems to be an invitation of a lifetime.

But how sad the reality is, when almost all the young people in our church today are turning this down for a reason. “Naa man gud ko buhaton, magstudy.”

Hmm… That’s good! But is it really the studies that keep us avoiding such invitation? Or is it just a default in our mind that comes out when someone invites us to join activities?

Many young people today could not attend services or mass every Sunday and other church activities because they thought they’re busy in school. “They” always make their studies an excuse. What’s worst is “they” even sometimes deliberately make it a hindrance for their own spiritual growth.

Why am I saying this? Who am I anyway? Well, honestly, I was once of those “they”. Many times I had been invited but I always make my studies a reason for not coming though it was really for another reason. And that is I don’t feel comfortable mingling with other young people. Besides, studying as an excuse seems just and reasonable.

I was like those “they” who hesitated before coming to church because of the assignments undone. I was even one of those “they” whose heart and mind were not really in the church but in the school.

What’s really the core of this argument? Is there really such a point of choosing between God and Studies?

These questions were answered by Ate Leah, one of the Sunday school teachers, who was invited by the youth to be the speaker of the topic, God vs. Studies.

First, Ate Leah corrected the topic that afternoon. For her, there is no such thing as equating God with just an aspect of our lives and then contradict it. God, in the first place, should always be our first and highest regard; besides, God isn’t just a part of our lives but the life of our lives. Placing God and studies in opposite ends of the equilibrium is just like comparing a million-dollar-worth gem with a dust in a cupboard!

That was really striking! It was really a day full of realizations! In fact, those words are still playing in my mind.

I know now that the conflict isn’t really between God and our studies, but on how we manage our time. It is written in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “Everything on earth has its own time and season.” So let us not wait for the deadliest deadline of our school requirements. Accomplish it now!

As Christian, it is true that we also have to excel on our individual fields. I believe that Christian never fails. But if we come to the point of so much engrossment with our studies that we fail to acknowledge God, maybe it’s time for us to think, “Am I really doing it for God or myself only?” Or if we feel like our endurance and hard work in our studies are in vain, why won’t we ask ourselves again, “Is God really with me or am I too fast that I left Him behind?”

Matthew 6:33 states, “Seek ye fist the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all this things shall be added unto you.”

So now, stop that dilemma in our minds for we don’t have to make a choice. For us Christians, God is and always be our choice.

God vs. Studies.. Studies vs. God..not anymore! But God with studies and studies with God!

Humans: God's Assistants in Controlling Weather

The search for the mastery of the elements began in the late 1800s. It was Nikola Tesla who mastered almost all the elements and came up with the transmission of electrical energy through space. And this has become a reality.

Today, the two powerful countries have the ability to control weather around the world: the United States and Russia. Other countries are working feverishly to catch up. Weather can be used as a doomsday weapon.

In 1969, the US Patent Office granted a patent for a method in increasing the number of precipitation by the artificial introduction of sea water vapor into the atmosphere.

In 1971, a patent was issued to the Westinghouse Electric Corporation for as system of irradiation of planet surface areas. And in the same year, a patent was issued to the National Science Foundation for a weather modification method.

In the early 1970s, the United States Congressional Committee on Oceans and Internal Environment held hearings on our military research into weather and climate modification. They had found out that the defense department had plans for creating tidal waves through the coordinate use of nuclear weapons.

There was a great danger in the confrontation between the United States and Russia. In 1977, a United Nation’s treaty against weather modification for hostile purposes was signed by the US and Russia.

But this treaty did not signify the end of weather experimentation. In fact, the United States launched an experiment that created a downpour of rain over six countries in Northern Winconsin. The storm generated winds of 175 miles per hour that caused $50M damages. Russia, on the other hand, was selling weather control equipment tailored to specific needs. They used the slogan “Weather Made to Order”.

As the experiments in both countries continued, weather patterns began to change. Drastic changes in our environment are visible nowadays.

As we all know, weather is the most powerful force. It could disrupt world economies with perpetual rainstorms and tornadoes; wipe out crops in a drought, cause earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis, close airports and cause devastation on enemy battlefields. It could even destroy our economic activities. There are many other things that are disrupted when there is an occurrence of rainstorms, earthquakes, tornadoes and tsunamis.

Who could have thought such idea of controlling weather? They may have lost their minds or they just want to be all knowing just like God. Most scientists do not believe in God that’s why they have to prove to other people that all things is possible without God. They just want to overtake the place of God, as the maker and the destroyer.

Well, they got into a big mistake. Look at what they’ve done. They worsened the scenario of the world. They destroyed our properties and mostly, our environment.

We should not allow this to happen. Only God should be given the authority to control the weather. He’s the all knowing God, the only creator and the destroyer. And no one can take His place.

Loneliness: A Falling Leaf

Interpreting and understanding poems are one of the hardest things I encountered n Reading and Literature. I find it hard to read poems. That is why it takes 2 to 3 turns for me just to understand what the poem really tells us. My difficulty in reading poems must be an outcome of my utter disobedience to read books, short stories, poems and epics. I only know a few authors and sometimes, I forget about the stories they wrote. My attitude towards literature is really negative. I just enjoy fairy tale books because they have big font size and the background is colorful. The only novels that I have read were “A Series of Unfortunate Events”, “Charlotte’s Web”, and “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” The book “A Series of Unfortunate Events” is really made for children same as Charlotte’s Web. The “Are You Afraid of the Dark”, however, is an investigative form of novel written by Sidney Sheldon. It is hard for me to read books like these since they contain many pages. I am not really interested in exploring the world of literature. And that is a big problem for me.

l(a

le
af
fa
ll

s)
one
l

iness

Being instructed to interpret a poem that only contains 22 characters is such a difficult task for me. I know that each character is important and also, their locations.

L(a leaf falls)oneliness is the poem itself. Hard, right? But if I were to analyze this poem, I see an arrow pointing to a word, “iness”. Iness here is a word referring to “I”, being all alone.

After all, this poem is all about loneliness.

Loneliness is being unfrequented by others, deserted, desolate, solitary and sad from lack of companionship or sympathy. For me, this talks about loneliness.

As what I have imagined, there is a tree. The L in the first line symbolizes a tree. The season is a fall for leaves are falling. One by one, they started to fall. And now, only one leaf left in the tree. It kept on hanging on the tree, clinging to its bough. Loneliness filled the air but still the leaf was determined to stay.

That is how we deal with problems. We may be the only one solving it but we should always be determined in winning over it. We have to hold on, never giving up. Sometimes we would lose hope, but we should hold on to it.

Loneliness was created by God to make us strong and independent. It is not a burden, nor a punishment. It is a special gift from God. That’s what I believed.

Strong willpower and confidence with ourselves give us high self esteem even though we are the only ones depending on our lives. Each of us has some difficult problems. Big or small, whatever the size it is, we should fight for that. When everyone seems helpless, when everyone leaves us and when everyone rejects us, let us be strong. Stand tall and believe that we can do it by ourselves. Just say to yourself, “I have a companion, and that is God”.

Absolute Divorce..in Philippines

Upon moving to the next question in our test in Practical Law, I was alarmed by what I have read. The essay question read like this, ‘Lisa Masa has filed a bill of absolute divorce in the Congress. The question is, “Are you in favor of it? Give me three good reasons why or why not you are in favor of it.’

Of course, my answer is no!

Marriage is a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with the law for the establishment of a conjugal and family life. This is in Article 1 of the Family Code.

We all know that Philippines is a Catholic country. It doesn’t allow absolute divorce to be imposed in the country. This bill will only bring liberation to the people. Just look at the United States today. Most of the people out there entered into marriage and after several years, months, or even days, they will go into divorce.

Marriage is not just an ordinary relationship like a “boyfriend and a girlfriend” thing. Marriage is the only permanent contract that will only perish when either of the party will die.

It’s hard to go into marriage. You have to be physically, psychologically, emotionally and financially fit. You have to consider all the factors when you go into marriage.

I’m also wondering why some people want absolute divorce when this country allows annulment and legal separation. Aren’t they enough?

In the first place, annulment and legal separation is somehow the same with absolute divorce. Both parties should discuss this matter seriously and should think hard in deciding it.

The couple is not the only one affected when they go into divorce. The children are also affected with it. In fact, they are the ones who really suffer when the couple decides to break apart. They will be affected emotionally with that. And it is hard finding those emotions. Let us be sensitive to other people. Let us not only think for ourselves but also for our loved ones.

Knowingly, marriage is a sacred act. It is holy for God made it holy. But what did we do with it? We made it unholy by making it easy for the people to acquire it selfishly and reject it easily.

God married His wife (the Church). But then we are not satisfied with His love so we reject Him. Yet, He remained faithful to us.

That’s the real beauty of marriage, loving a person eternally. We do it by not doing things disagreeable to our partner. We should lengthen our patience. We should observe mutual love, respect and fidelity. And lastly, we should render help and support to keep us bounded with our partner.

With that, both parties will really enjoy marriage. And no more people will be hurt.

So let us not think of selfish ideas such as absolute divorce. Let us not hurt our children.

Absolute divorce will never happen in a Christian country like the Philippines.

Love: An Act of Will, Not An Act of Heart

Each one of us has a different definition or interpretation of love. Love can be defined as a deep devotion of affection for another person. It can be a strong sexual passion for another person or a sexual passion in general or even, the gratification of it. Love could also be blind, patient or kind, depending on the person feeling it. Or maybe, like is like a river that flows forever. The definition of love is really up to the person feeling it.

We all want to love and be loved. That is the sweetest thing that happens to a person. But it is hard to achieve. People are so proud that they do not want to express for the person may not love them in return. It is hard to achieve love because as you go deeper in the true meaning of love, you may realize that it is not love you are feeling at after all. Love is selfless, sure and sincere. In true love, you cannot find the words selfish, unsure, insincere and insecure. Once you love a person you do everything for him or her to be happy. You love not to satisfy your desires, but to satisfy the desires of the other person. It is not all about “I” anymore like before. You have to love the “you”. And that is how the phrase I Love You came to be.

But is love an act of will and not of heart? I have read on the Reader’s Digest that love lasts for 12 to 18 months and after that, you choose to love continually the person, or you choose to leave. It stated that it is really in the brain that controls your desire for that person and after 12 to 18 months, tat desire may fade away and it is already up to you if you will love that person continually. I do not know if I have to believe this but it showed that love is an act of ill as what I have agreed.

Science has not yet discovered the center or the organ which our feelings emanate from. We believe that the organ that contains it is the heart. Some say the brain. Native Africans believe that it is the liver that controls our feelings while others say our limbic system. Wherever the feelings come from, it is an act of will and not the organ containing it. Our willingness to do it or express it is the one that really matters. It is not only the brain, live, heart or the limbic system that is affected by these feelings. Our min, body and soul are also affected. We love because we want to love. No one or nothing forces us to do such act. It is our own choice that we will do everything for it. It does not matter that the brain cells of the brain give up in loving someone. It is our own choice. If we love the person continually, our whole person operates in doing that. It is only up to us if we love or not. But to tell you, I think that there is no single person that does not love after all. If there is, he or she may be a victim of a short span of life.

It is nice to choose to love everyday, every minute and every second. Love God, love yourself and love your family. Love your friends and love your pets. Love everything!

English: Medium of Instruction

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has instructed the Department of Education (DepEd) to restore the use of English as the medium of instruction in the Philippines schools. This was taken from Gloria E. Melercio’s article of Arab News.

The president was said to be alarmed with the continued decline of English proficiency since the constitution was amended in 1989 in using Filipino as a medium of instruction.

Now why do we really need to use English as a medium of instruction? What are the advantages and the disadvantages?

The advantages of using English as a medium of instruction, is really beneficial for us Filipinos. This is because, we would be able to communicate well with people outside our country, with this, we could be a world-class civilization. Through this we could also be updated with what is going on in the world. We can also do well especially in foreign trade.

But I have much more to say regarding the disadvantages of using English as medium. Ten leading institutions and organizations, including the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and other schools, showed dismay regarding president Arroyo’s decision in replacing the former medium of instruction, Filipino. The president has misread what Article 14, Section 6 of the constitution trying to convey. She did not consider the fact that students would be able to learn more by using their native tongue. The Iloilo experiment in 1960 proved that Filipino youths will learn faster using their native language. Test results showed that the highest scores were obtained by those who studied science in their own language, just like the Japanese and the Korean youths.

And did you know that countries which use their own language as medium of instruction ranks on the tops during science and math exams? These countries are Singapore, South Korea, Czech Republic, Japan, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Hungary, Austria, and Belgium.

The TIMMS (Third International Math and Science Survey) advised the president that using English as primary medium of instruction is not a solution in making us an intellectual person. They are absolutely not directly proportional. It is also not the answer to our country’s poor economy.

I envy Malaysia for having a prosperous economy even though they only use their native tongue, Bahasu Melayu, in the classroom. But look at us, we rank third in the English speaking countries but what a shame that we are on the top rank as the most corrupt country in Asia.

We know to ourselves that most of the time, we have great ideas in our minds but we cannot express them since we have to speak English. That is the outcome of the students who have been taught of a language unfamiliar to them.

I am not saying that we will disregard the English language. We can learn English even though it is not our medium of instruction. We have to master our own language before we learn other languages. My point is, we should love our country. We have raise to it from regress by being intellectual people. We could express well our ideas and aspirations by using Filipino as medium of instruction. And we could be more effective people by learning the second language, English.

World: A Harmful Place To Live At

Oh, how cruel is the world! It keeps on destroying our homes and properties by continually sending its storms. Our environment is suffering from the severe heat coming from that crazy sun! Can’t you feel the heat biting? Isn’t it painful? Are we really that numb that we do not feel the anger of the world?

I just heard from the news and read some articles that the four seasons: spring summer, winter, and fall had moved to from their usual months of occurrence. These days, predicting the occurrence of the seasons is hard. You might wonder why leaves are still falling even though it’s already December.

Even here in the Philippines, there are certain climatic changes that are happening. There is a dramatic change in our weather. We feel the extreme heat of the sun during the dry season. And this feeling is not usual because the heat really penetrates to your skin only within a short span of time. I also noticed a fluctuating pattern in the weather of our country. I get amazed by the very sunny morning that will eventually turn into strong and rainy evenings.

Truly, when nature strikes, it strikes hard.

But is nature the one who is cruel, or is it the other way around? We, citizens of the world; are the ones who are destroying our earth Anything we do, big or small, can contribute to the world’s destruction. We are the ones who are destroying our own place. We have triggered the occurrence of global warming.

Global warming is the direct result of the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is the warming of the earth’s atmosphere, which is the effect of atmospheric gases on the balance of terrestrial and solar radiation. Solar radiation is short wavelength infrared waves, which is stronger than terrestrial radiation, a long wavelength infrared. If there is too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it will inhibit terrestrial radiation. This keeps our world a cozy place to live at. However, too much of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases will also inhibit the long waves, which are, supposed to be expelled in space. These waves come back to earth causing a grave change in temperature.

This phenomenon would not happen if we do not abuse our environment. If we are just give concern to what is happening in our world today, then we could still be raised from this turmoil. We, humans, comprise of the biggest part in destroying our place. We do it by using petroleum as gasoline for our vehicles, per se, and all other activities that emit greenhouse gases. We all know that petroleum comes from fossil fuels which compost mostly of carbon. By burning these products, exhaust gases are exposed to the atmosphere and eventually trap terrestrial radiation as well. Inefficient use of electricity or energy is also a factor.

All these things cause the global warming of the globe or what we call global warming. I see no curative way in bringing back the old beautiful world that we once lived. But I see sure preventive ways towards the continuous destruction of the world. The ways are as follows: using biodiesel than petroleum since it does not emit too much carbon dioxide, not burning plastics and rubbers and avoid too much consumption of energy.

These are just few ways in preventing continuous destruction of the globe. These could save our next generations from a polluted earth because of us. Let us be sensitive with what is happening to our world. Start loving the world.