Back to Instant Coffee

There’s nothing like the taste of brewed coffee.  I don’t drink it, though, like the “real” coffee drinkers do.  They drink it black, so that they can really taste the freshness of the ground coffee beans.  But I enjoy drinking a freshly brewed cup.  It’s really different.

That’s why I was so excited when my two sisters gave me coffee for Christmas.  One was Japanese “Drip On” coffee.  You open the sachet and out comes something that looks like a tea bag, but with ground coffee inside.  You place the contraption on top of the mug and you pour water on the bag, and it drips down into the mug for a fresh cup of coffee.

My other sister got me a one cup brewer, together with 18 days old coffee beans.  Haven’t tried it yet because I want to finish the Japanese coffee first.  But it’s next in line, and I’m excited to try it.

But it’s funny how recently I’ve been looking for the taste of Nescafe’ Classic instant coffee.  I know true coffee drinkers will be ridiculing me and telling me off that instant coffee is not real coffee.  But, for some reason, I was looking for the usual taste of Nescafe’ classic again.  Because of all the stock of brewed coffee I had at home, plus the convenience of having a coffee presser, I stopped buying instant coffee.  Even before my sisters gave me coffee for Christmas someone had given me a bag of Starbucks coffee!  And so I finished that first, then started with the Japanese coffee, while the 18 days ground coffee is waiting for me to taste it.  But honestly, my tongue was looking for Nescafe’.

And so I bought a pack this afternoon from the supermarket.  As I was preparing a cup after dinner, I asked myself if it was the convenience of it being instant, or the taste, that brought me back to Nescafe’.  My answer – the taste.  I was just longing for the taste of Nescafe’ that I have been so used to, that I have been drinking ever since I started drinking coffee.

You see from time in memorial Nescafe’ has been the coffee served in our family house.  My parents drank Nescafe’ every morning.  My first cup of coffee was Nescafe’.  Of course having brewed coffee was always a treat, and enjoyable.  But Nescafe’ was always there.  I think I have gotten so used to it, that my taste buds eventually long for it.  I guess when you’ve tasted and enjoyed something for so long, you just have to go back to it.  So, for the meantime, it’s back to Nescafe’.  The ground coffee will just have to wait.

Psalm 34:8  Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

It’s interesting how God described our experiencing Him as tasting.  God cannot just be a concept, a theology, or a belief in our minds and hearts.  He has to be Someone we taste, someone we experience.  As the psalmist says in Psalm 34:8 – Taste and see that the Lord is good!

But tasting God’s goodness takes a step of faith.  We need to set aside all other things, or other sources, of goodness, of pleasure, and allow our lives to have a taste of what God can do.  It takes a step of faith to believe that God is alive, and that He can really satisfy as much as He says He can.

John 4:13  Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
John 4:14  but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

In this passage it’s about drinking, about quenching thirst.  When we drink the water the world offers us, it doesn’t really quench our thirst, does it?  It just moves us to have more.  And we end up dissatisfied.

But the water God gives us truly satisfies.  It’s a water that wells up to eternal life.  And it’s a water that quenches the thirst of our hearts, not our flesh.  That’s why it truly satisfies – because when the heart is satisfied, nothing that the body looks for matters anymore.

Oh to have a taste of the love, the thirst-quenching life of the Lord, poured out in the cross of Calvary when He died for our sins, and continuing today because He has risen from the dead!  Oh, to enjoy His ever satisfying grace, love and faithfulness…just like my instant coffee.  And even more.

Isaiah 45:22  "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”

Living a Good Eulogy

I officiated in a burial service today for the father of a church member who passed away just last December 31.  We sang a few songs, shared God’s Word, and then listened to friends, loved ones, and family members share their eulogies concerning the deceased.  Officemates, a neighbor, a “kumpare”, a niece and his daughter stood up one by one and started sharing about what a great officemate, friend, uncle, husband and father he was.  And though they were sad that he had gone ahead, and that they would not see him anymore, yet they were joyful that now he was with His Creator, in a “better place”, eternally enjoying the presence of His God.

While listening to the eulogies, it got me thinking – “I wonder what people will say when I’m gone”.  I don’t want to sound morbid, or inconsiderate, but that’s what I was thinking…what would my fellow pastors, church members, Christian friends, family members, and my immediate family say?  As imperfect as I am I did hope, in my imagination, that my friends and family would remember the good things in me. 

And it made me think – I better make sure that I live in a way that people will see the good things in me!  What I want people to say about me when I’m dead will all depend on how I have lived with each of them.  I pray that as I walk by God’s grace everyday, allowing Him to change me and mold my character, other people will be recipients of good eulogies for me in the future!  Better than that, I do pray that people will see that it was not me, but God, who molded and formed the Christ-like character that He took hold of me for.

Makes for a good new years’ resolution, doesn’t it?

Proverbs 22:1  A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

Ecclesiastes 7:1  A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.

Wasting Away but Being Renewed

2 Corinthians 4:16  Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
Our latest Christmas vacation made the verse above more real to my heart.  Both my parents are diagnosed to have Alzheimer's, although my Dad’s condition seems to have plateaued.  We would have the same conversation though every 2 or 3 minutes, asking me the same questions over and over again.  I squeeze in a little spiritual insights now and then, but most of his questions are about me, my wife and the kids.
My Mom’s condition is different.  Her vocabulary is depleting, and she cannot finish a sentence because she cannot remember the words she wants to use.  All throughout my stay she seemed to know who I was, but on the day we left she turned to me and asked “are you my son, or my brother?”.  Most of the time she would call me “Toto”, which is both the name of her brother, and a common name in the Ilonggo dialect.  She passed around a notebook to my kids, asking them to write down their names so that she would not forget who they were.

It was hard to see them this way.  It was equally hard for my two older kids who grew up with good memories of their grandparents.  It was sad to know that we would not be seeing them as they used to be.

Life changes.  Our bodies change.  In fact, they’re deteriorating.  And no matter how many herbal or natural vitamins we may drink, or place in our skin, the inevitable is happening – we are wasting away.

Of course I didn’t have to visit my parents to realize this truth.  Every new ache and pain that I feel in my body moves me to pray that it is just something minor.  Of course every time I get a good blood pressure reading, or a positive blood test result, it moves me to thank the Lord for His faithfulness.  But I know that I’m not as strong, or as healthy, as I used to be.  And they remind me of the truth of 2 Corinthians 4:16 - Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

It was a chance for me to have a family talk with my wife and kids about what is happening with my parents.  What we are seeing is what happens to each one of us.  Even though I pray that I may not go the same way they are experiencing now, or have a grave disease or attack in the future, yet one thing is for sure – our bodies are wasting away.  And so, what should we be concerned about, more than our bodies?  Our inner lives. 

We do not live forever. Our bodies wasting away remind us that we are not going to be keeping our bodies, or living in this earth, forever. So what gives us hope? Our inward lives. “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
2 Corinthians 4:18  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

How is our eternity set?  Through our believing in what Christ Jesus did on the cross for us.  Many Christians look at Jesus on the cross and wonder what He was doing there  Why did He have to suffer?  He did it for us...in our stead.  The pain, and punishment, He bore on the cross was payment for something that we sinners owed Him.  To believe in Christ as our Savior, as the One who paid for our sins, sets our eternity with Him.
John 3:16  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:17  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:18  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

What about our “new year’s resolution”?  What did we pray to the Lord for this new year?  Was it about something external, something we want to “see” or gain materially, physically or externally?  All of us, including myself, have that tendency to fix our eyes on what is seen, on what is temporary, for it gives us some sense of joy, fulfillment and happiness…temporarily.  What our minds and bodies do not tell us is that we are wasting away, and we need to focus on things that are unseen, what we will enjoy eternally – our hearts.

Should we not be praying for a stronger faith, a deeper relationship and walk with our God?  Should we not be “wishing” that we live a life of trust, dependence on the Lord, and see Him in every blessing and trial that we face?  Should we not be praying that we be more Christ-like, more like our Lord, in all our dealings with man?  Should we not be making this our priority, what we fix our eyes on?

Not just for the new year, but for every day of our life!  What is seen is temporary…what is unseen is eternal.
Proverbs 4:23  Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Driving Around

It was a Sunday night and our helpers were on their day off, so my family and I decided to eat out.  Our first choice was a place that served good spareribs at a very affordable price.  My wife and I were invited to eat there once, but the kids had not yet tried it, and so they were excited to give it a try.  But when we reached the area we could not find it.  So we decided to go to another place commonly known as “fake Bob’s”.  It was called that because the owner was a former cook of a well known restaurant here called “Bob’s”, and he served food that tasted a lot like his former employer, but at a more affordable price. Our kids had heard about that place and were excited to try it, but when we arrived it was closed.

“Where to next?” the kids asked.  So we all decided to have good old Chicken Inasal, the local favorite here in Bacolod.  So we drove off to a well known server of Inasal, a place called Aida’s, that had recently opened a new branch in a place near our house – so we thought.  When we arrived another restaurant was occupying the place!  Ok, so our next choice was “Mang Inasal”, a well known eatery that served “unlimited rice”.  We like eating in this place because we leave “busog”, filled, after eating a big piece of chicken leg or thigh, with as much rice as we want.  It’s the restaurant you go to when you feel like breaking your diet and gaining a little more weight.  Well, this time, upon arriving in the “mini mall” where it was, we couldn’t find a parking space.

When we finally found a parking space it was right in front of another Chicken Inasal restaurant called “Chicken Deli”, also well known, and that also served unlimited rice (they call it Kan-on all you can).  It’s as if a light switched on, and the a parking space was reserved for us!  And I said “hey, why not here?”.  And why not, because the chicken they serve is as good as any other Chicken Inasal place here.  So, we ordered, ate and went home full and satisfied.  After all the driving around, and all the seemingly “closed doors” we encountered, we finally ended up in a restaurant that was never in our minds at that time, but that ended up satisfying our appetites and filling our stomachs.  It’s as if God was leading our way to where He wanted us to eat.

Proverbs 19:21  Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.

Life can be so much like what my family and I went through.  We make our plans, “drive around” trying to fulfill them.  Many times we can’t seem to find the way, or we end up in a dead end, or with circumstances closing the doors to them.  Hindrances and missed opportunities frustrate us, sometimes causing us to panic.

But if our lives are in the hands of a Sovereign God, who not only controls our life, but has actually written down its events already in advanced, we know that every closed door, every hindrance that we experience, are just part of the highway He has prepared that will eventually lead us to His plan for us.  And even if His plan was not exactly like what we originally had in mind, yet in it we are satisfied, filled, because it is one that was planned by our loving and faithful God.  It is where He wants us to be.

Psalm 139:16  … All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

It’s nice to know that even if things do not go exactly the way we planned, or wanted them to be, we will eventually end up where our Lord wants us to be, where He will satisfy and fill us – as long, of course, as we remain fully trusting and dependent on our Sovereign and Loving God.

Good Memories

I was talking with a sister in Christ who had just come from the US and she was sharing with me the places that she visited.  She was talking about New York, and the statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, places that I had been to also way back 1978.  We were comparing notes, how it felt to be on top of what used to be the tallest building in the world (when I was there), and how it felt like it was moving, and how strong the wind was, and how small the cars in the street looked from the top.  The feeling she had brought back the awesome feeling I had when I visited the place.  Our talk brought back good memories of my visit way back when.

A few weeks before we also had a chat on facebook when she was in San Francisco, and she was sharing how beautiful it was – the weather, the streets, the cable car ride.  As we were chatting I could not help but remember the good times I had there with my cousins, riding the cable car, going down Lombard road, eating in fisherman’s wharf.  And when I was there ‘78 that was when Saturday Night Fever was showing, and I was able to watch it there.  Of course that lead to me and my cousins going to a disco, and “staying alive”!  I remember telling my friend that I literally “left my heart in San Francisco”. 

It’s great how we remember these milestones in life.  Our minds keep them stored for us to remember, to bring back to life.  And when we bring them back and talk about them again it brings joy, a smile to our face.

Of course we do have some bad memories, and they do haunt us once in a while.  But we overshadow them with the great memories, and remember that, though we did have some bad experiences in the past, yet they are balanced by the good.

How important it is for us to remember.  Even with regards to our spiritual life, our walk with God.  Many times our bad experiences, whether in the past or present, will fill our minds with worry and anxiety.  David had an experience like that, and he shares it in this psalm:

Psalm 77:1-9  I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. 2  When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. 3  I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit grew faint. 4  You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak. 5  I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; 6  I remembered my songs in the night. My heart mused and my spirit inquired: 7  "Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? 8  Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? 9  Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?"

Sound familiar?  Yup, I’m sure it does.  We all have these moments when we think God isn’t listening, or isn’t moving in our life, when we feel He has left us on our own to fight the battle.  But after struggling with his feelings, look what David did:

Psalm 77:10-14  Then I thought, "To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High." 11  I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. 12  I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. 13  Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? 14  You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.

David appealed to the “years of the right hand of the Most High”.  He remembered how God had been faithful to Israel and to him.  He brought back to mind, and heart, how the Lord worked miracles for them, how great He was, and how He displayed His power among the peoples.  And this was what brought back hope.

How important it is to keep track, to keep in heart, to have great memories of God’s working in our life.  This is, of course, dependent on whether or not we have acknowledged God’s working in every experience we have had, whether good or bad.  Someone who has been trusting in himself, or in other people, will not be able to see the “years of the right hand of the Most High”.  But for those of us who have prayed, have entrusted our every experience, who have acknowledged God’s hand in every area of our life, should be able to look back and see how faithful He has been to us, how He has seen us through.  And this should give us hope.

Memories of our personal experiences remind us of what has past.  Memories of God remind us that He is here and now.  God has not changed.  Who He was in our past, is who He is today, and who He will be in our future.  Let’s keep these memories of God’s faithfulness fresh in our minds day by day.  May this give us hope.

Hebrews 13:8  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Malachi 3:6  "I the LORD do not change.