A Goodbye Welcome

Another colleague, a kabayan, at APL Emirates is saying goodbye to us. She will be joining British Airways at their Dubai office.

Personally, I am so happy for her. She has been offered a good compensation package, better than she is currently receiving. I know she deserved it.

On July 30, 2008 (yesterday) all the kabayans were having lunch together at our pantry's office. After which, Elena read the farewell card that everyone wrote some farewell notes for Sharon.

There was mixed emotions among the group in the reading of the notes as Elena mimicked the voices and some trademark habits of the person to which his or her note was read. Some of the girls shed tears, then laughed out to their lungs with the comical Elena.

What was most memorable for me on this day was not just the farewell lunch and the reading of farewell notes. Before we parted ways at end of office hours, I was able to share the Gospel of Jesus to Sharon. Praise God for another soul has received the grace of Salvation.

Still on tears, I prayed over Sharon and release blessings upon her and her family.

As we stepped out of the mini conference room of the office I embraced her saying goodbye and welcome to her new life in Christ. What a sweet goodbye not only to her officemates at APL, but to her old life whitout Christ as her Lord and Savior. For the Bible declares that once you accepted the Lord Jesus as your peronsal Lord and Savior, the old self is gone and a new one emerges.

"Who U?"

"Who U?" hahaha. A very familiar text or sms message. More often than not, people use this reply when one receives a message from a number not listed in his or her mobile's phonebook.

That was in the world of texting. Different people receiving the same message may differ in their reception of this type of a message. How about giving some serious flavor to this question. Who you or me really is ?

I am not referring to your name. Neither do I refer to your strengths and weaknesses, just like most questions in interviews. I want eveyone reading this piece to ponder upon as to who or how you and me are formed to be what is now called man.

The human race has tried to find answer to the question of who really man is. In fact, as mentioned in my previous blog, there was this Darwin's theory of evolution. It postulates that man evolved from monkeys or apes.

Of course, being a Christian, I do not buy that theory. It is such an absurd idea.

I remember a story told of Pastor Audie of Word International Ministries-Al Ain. It goes like this:

Child: "dad, how and where do we come from?"

Dad: "well son, we evolved from monkeys or apes."

This time the dad is relating to his son the theory of evolution. In most probability this man is not a Christian.

The child not satisfied with his dad's answer went to his mom and asked the same question, thus her mom replied.

Mom: "my son, the bible says that God created you and me. He took a dust, carefully and wonderfully formed, and finally breathed into it the breath of life and it became a living soul." (Gen 2:7)

Son: "are you sure mom? why did dad tell me that we came from apes?"

Mom: "ahh. (mom thinks for a few seconds). well son, he was just relating to you his lineage."

Hahaha. My wife almost fell to her seat laughing at this joke.

Now if you are confronted the question "who u?' what would be your answer? You have only two options here. If you are a Christian and believe in every word of the Holy Bible, your answer would be based on the biblical perspective.

Or if you believe your forefathers are hairy and lovers of banana, then you state the theory of evolution. Are you once an ape, moy?

Ahhh!!! Man?

Ahhh!!! Man?

By: Malloy Cabahug

When I was just a little kid, I always wonder what I was made of aside from my skin and bones and everything that I could see on the mirror or touch with my bare hands. Was there such a thing inside of me? That was the very question that lingered on my mind then.

My innocent mind was so filled with colorful imaginations regarding my body and my soul. As I recall, I would even imagine my soul separating from my body and spy for evil plans of gangsters in the town. This was of course triggered by watching movies and hearing a lot of ghost stories.

Elementary days in school introduced a new concept to my innocent mind regarding the origin of man. Though enrolled in a Christian School (my school was ran by catholic nuns), our science subject introduced to our young and innocent minds Darwin’s theory of evolution. This theory postulates that human being is a product of evolution from apes. It was taught to us as if it was a fact.

Until now, I believe that this Darwin’s theory of evolution is still taught in the schools worldwide. I just hope and pray that Christian schools are no longer introducing this topic to the innocent school kids. Rather, they should thoroughly inscribe in their minds who man is as presented in the Bible.

Even before becoming a born again Christian, I had already dismissed Darwin’s theory of evolution. No ifs or buts on my part, I just considered this theory as impossible. I just could not imagine myself having come from apes, do you? It was really my belief that man is a created being by a sovereign personality who is God.

There were so many instances in the past were I am confronted with questions on the origin of man to what composed the human being in some of the drinking sessions with friends. While writing this piece, I remembered one of my drinking buddies whom we fondly call “Butch”. He is usually the initiator of this type of a topic to debate on as the group passed around drinking glass filled liquor. As the drinking session progresses, we just realized that we are getting drunk faster with the debate than the liquor we drank.

Looking back, I now realize that learning the nature and origin of man relying only on human intelligence is a futile exercise. You will only get drunk, as me and my friends were, discussing round and round so many information and views from so many sources. The best source to know the nature and origin of man is the Holy Bible. Read it and with the aid of the Holy Spirit, you will know who and what you are? Where you come from? And where you are destined to?

This is what our church, Word International Ministries – Al Ain, embraced as a theme for the month of July 2008, “The Doctrine of Man.” I hope and pray that starting August 2008, the rest of our church members will have a straight answer when confronted with questions regarding the nature and origin of man. No one should utter this word of hesitation AHHh!!! MAN?

God bless.