by Keith Jainga
“Tune our hearts to sing Thy grace.” My attention was recently brought to this line in the hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. It got me to asking, “What does it mean to have my heart tuned to sing God’s grace?” Perhaps we may start with the idea of “tuning.” Serious guitar players (or …
(This week we have another guest writer for the Ponderings: Adrian Ocampo. A songwriter and rapper, Adrian has chosen to write using a format with which he is most familiar. So this time, the Ponderings is in verse. Read, reflect, be blessed.) In the Word I always read it. Always see it repeated. But in …
Religious persecution still happens today. In particular, there are still areas in the world where followers of Christ constantly face hostility (many times in a violent way) because of their faith. I greatly admire the faithful perseverance of those who face such persecution on a daily basis. If you are like me, you probably had …
September 11, 2013 marks the 12th year since the coordinated attack on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. While many such terrorist attacks have been launched all over the world, none have affected the American psyche more than the events popularly referred to as “9/11.” The terrorists behind …
I’ve been wearing glasses for years now. Without them it’s quite a task to read. But I still haven’t gotten completely used to them. And they can be a hassle. Sometimes I catch myself attempting to scratch an itch around my eye and end up hitting my glasses instead. Sometimes I forget where I put …
Two weeks ago I experienced first hand what the GFFC sportsfest was all about. It is a friendly game of volleyball and basketball competition from different Filipino churches in our area. In the past years I’ve attended and watched, but this year was the first year I actually played basketball. With little to no practice …
“Just do it.” Perhaps the Nike slogan has an insight that followers of Christ could use in the task called discipleship and service. There are those who have pointed out that when we overthink a course of action, there is a tendency either to end up doing nothing, or to flub the task. My …
The words “Your Amazing Body” is on the cover of the latest issue of Reader’s Digest. Inside, one would find articles that highlight the wonder of the human body as well as advances in the field of health and medicine. One segment entitled “The Amazing Body Tour” presents some remarkable facts about the human body. …
When Christians discuss matters of commitment and devotion to Christ, the discussion is usually conducted from the perspective of one’s willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice–their very own lives for the sake of Christ. The idea is that when one’s faith is challenged, the devoted Christian will stand firm even under the threat of harm …
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Hebrews 13.15 NIV). Someone once asked: Why is “praise” pictured as a “sacrifice” in this verse? “Sacrifice” customarily carries the connotation of cost. And the question correctly recognizes that true worship is costly to …
