“Christ has no body now on earth but ours*,
No hands but ours;
No feet but ours.
Ours are the eyes through which the compassion
Of Christ is to look out on a hurting world.
Ours are the feet with which He is to go about
Doing good
Ours are the hands with which He is to bless now.”
–Attributed to Saint Theresa of Avila
(*instead of ‘yours’)
OUTSIDE my apartment in Chapinero, Bogotá, parked a covered push cart. Every morning I see a man coming out from the cart, and in the evening, he seeks refuge in his indecent mobile house.

I was in an international youth conference in Asia and was part of the service team. During game preparation, while we went over each rule, the game master suddenly said, “For the Around the World, you may put all countries except the Philippines,” and blurted a huge laugh. The rest of the team laughed along, but not me. I was the only Filipino in the group and since it was our first meeting, they thought I was Singaporean or Malaysian. I was so mad that I made a loud cough and walked out. Continue reading →

Text: Luke 13:10-17

AT SUNDOWN fisher folks normally prepare to sail for the night, but not today—not for the next three months.

Peter, father of one of our kids in church, said there are 352 others who depend on the sea every single day to feed their families and send their children to school.

On August 16, 2013 a passenger and cargo ship collided in Cebu, affecting the towns and two small islands nearby and causing oil spill. Floating bodies were also found after the incident, where there are more than 50 people who died from the 700 passengers. The bad weather and miscommunication of the two captains caused the collision, which until now is still under investigation.

The oil spill has paralyzed fisher folks, wet markets, and entirely the local communities. The Local Government Unit (LGU) has prohibited fishing in these areas for three months. Continue reading →

For the first time in three years of my stay in Manila have I encountered a taxi driver listening to a non-commercial Christian radio. I was on the process of rewriting a message (in my mind). While traversing the busy highway, manong (respect for elderly) and I had a fruitful conversation about our faiths. He was so passionate to share about his ministry as a taxi driver and he even gave me “points to remember in making a sermon.”

How many of us care to talk with the people we encounter every single day? Do we talk only to those whom we know? Or do we also accommodate conversations with new people?

(For complete blog post, go to World Methodist Council Youth and Young Adult Devo)