The Builder

Trusting Fate?

Toto, my friend, always resorts to ‘bahala na’ when he is faced with desperate situations. He either does nothing or rushes blindly

whatever the risks. Toto’s attitude typifies this Filipino value. The Bible admonishes us to live by faith and not by sight. It means

stepping into uncertainties while believing and depending on God, assured that everything will work out for good. In contrast, ‘bahala na’ attitude is often self-dependent and leaves God out of the picture.

In The Book of Daniel, faith in God even in imminent death is described in the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezar, the king of Babylon, decreed that people worship the idol he created. Anyone who refused and worshiped other gods would be thrown into a blazing furnace. The three friends did not buckle down to the king’s edict but believed God would deliver them. But even if God would not, they would still not bow down. Infuriated by their stance, the king had them tied up and thrown into the furnace which was heated seven times. But the God whom they obeyed and worshiped appeared in their midst and rescued them. As a result, the king was convinced of the greatness of the God of Israel.

In daily life, we have to make decisive actions. Either we weigh the risks and act believing God’s purposes will happen, or blindly follow whatever fate brings us. With ‘bahala na’ mentality, the temptation to compromise for financial gain is indeed difficult to reject. I know of someone who was shortsighted when he entered into a deal which later ruined his entire career. Likewise, Toto’s mind set of “come what may” led to fathering seven children resulting to financial difficulties affecting the family’s health, children’s education and self-esteem.

Like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, if we claim God’s promises for our needs, our faith-filled responses to everyday situations will be manifested. People, even “kings” or influencers, may be convinced as they see God working in us. Faith glorifies and pleases God.

So when things are difficult, trust God and act according to His will.

In This Issue:

The BuilderFate? or Faith!

Real MenFree and Secured

You’re the Man!Man, Are You Serious?

Gadgets & GizmosHotwired

The GymEat Right for A Better Body

by Jesse C. Felizardo

“Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.” - Proverbs 9:9

Real Men

Free and SecuredMr. Francis Tan is a Filipino-Chinese businessman, who grew up in bondage to tradition and

superstition but later on found freedom and security in Christ. He lives in Caloocan City with his wife and youngest adult son. His oldest son, now married, is a missionary.

Interview with Mr. Francis Tan by Alvin Tud

My paternal grandmother used to bring me to Buddhist temples when I was young. There I learned Buddhist traditions and rituals. I came to think that life depended on the “gods”. You have to abide by them, attend feasts and rituals, bringing offering so that you will have prosperity in life. “Ang pag-iisip ko ay talagang na-mold sa sistemang ito.”

I also learned feng shui. The Buddhists have lots of other “gods.” There are idols you put in your room or the stairs. This is to counter negative vibes in your life. Usually in the morning, my grandmother would ask me to kneel and bow three times before the Buddha, that’s how we worship.

These things had tremendous effect on me. My grandma would always tell me to chant the name of the “gods” as I go out of the house so that I will be protected from harm. We pray to many “saints” just like Filipino saints. “…nabubuhay sa fear… may fear na baka may mangyari so ‘yun ang ginagawa ko to protect me…” Before I started my business, I went to the temple for consultation. “…kasama ko yung lola ko There’s a bunch of sticks… These sticks will give you the answer to your questions whether the business will prosper or not, or whether you are compatible with your partners or not. There was also an idol you put in your altar at home called Thotikong, where you religiously place offerings on the 1st and 15th of the month or 2nd and 16th of the month. If you neglect to do this, your business will not prosper. Many Chinese do these things until now.

When my uncle, who taught me the printing business, got seriously ill, my auntie turned to the old Filipino religion and became a devotee. There are also many rituals… may padasal…ako mismo pinapadapa tinutuluan ng kandila sa likod, talagang titiisin mo lahat eh…para sa ikagagaling ng uncle ko…that time wala naman tayong alam basta sunod lang tayo ng sunod…after a few years namatay rin ang uncle ko. When we jumped into this Filipino religion, nothing actually changed. We even consulted a medium, an “espiritista” when my first son was always sick. My wife said at that time that we always went to church but there was something missing in our lives.

In 1991, we were invited to a Filipino-Chinese Christian worship service but didn’t go back for almost a year. Then the following year, my brother-in-law invited us to a Christian retreat in Baguio City. We were very hesitant to go but because he was persistent, we obliged. The Lord touched my wife on the third night of the retreat and she gave her life to Jesus…pero ako hindi pa, medyo matigas ako ‘nun eh. But I got curious about what happened to my wife. I wanted what she experienced. In June that year, I surrendered my life to Jesus and received Him as my Lord and Savior. After a few weeks I experienced the power of the Holy Spirit. The Lord removed my desire for alcohol and other vices, and my love for non-Christian music.

The thing that really changed my life was accepting Christ as personal Lord and Savior. I knew him when I was Buddhist but I didn’t have a real relationship with Him. Surrendering your life completely to Him, reading the Bible and worshipping with other believers are also very important.

In my old life, there was no real guidance. All was by chance, hoping that bad luck would not strike. In Christ, you have this real assurance. It’s like you are leaning on a very strong wall. I believe that God is faithful. He keeps His promises. We were also set free from bondage to tradition and superstitious beliefs.

Francis Tan with his wife, Lilia

You’re The Man!

Man, Are You Serious?

“What? Badluck? You believe that stuff? Man, are you serious?” Superstitious

beliefs vary from place to place. Some superstitions are trivial like refraining from cleaning the house at night. Others are so deeply embedded in religion that they seem like legitimate teachings, such as not eating meat during Lent. The word superstition which means “false notion” betrays itself. We must not pattern our lives on untruths.

Superstitions are meaningless. Most superstitious beliefs are related either to good or bad fortune. They tell people to do things so that good luck will come, and warn them not to do other things or go certain places otherwise bad luck will strike. Superstition’s aim is to place our lives at the mercy of the hands of lady luck. People think that they can become successful by adhering to the rules of luck - superstitions. Actually, it is actually hard work that multiplies honest hands’ labors. God designed us to live with His power as we follow his directions by faith. Faith is real and sensible. Superstitions are exercises of willful blindness.

Superstitions have no reference in Scriptures. At best, they are hasty misinterpretations of the Scriptures, if they are at all related to a verse. I Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right” (NLT). Our rule of faith must be the Scriptures and not just mere unfounded beliefs.

Superstitions, in reality, imprison us. They become burdensome restrictions that deceive us. When you visit a friend and a black cat crosses in front of you while on your way, that shouldn’t stop you from proceeding. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. Fearing things like that rob us of the joy of living a life of freedom and courage. The Scriptures says Jesus came to set us free, and in Him is true freedom. So we must faithfully receive God’s direction through his Word on a daily basis. Through that, God’s Spirit will enable us to live powerfully. “For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17

Gadgets & Gizmos

Hotwired

New improvements in gadgets and gizmos are flooding the market. Did

you know that a typical laptop today has more computing power than the super computers built 20 years ago? As technology exponentially develops, it has invaded almost every aspect of our lives. The whole world is captivated by technology.

The reason we are so m e s m e r i z e d is that the applications we get from these devices feed desires that are hotwired to our being. Here is what I mean:

The need to escape – There is no greater escape for the person who is addicted to video games and other forms of interactive media. With gadgets having better graphics, games and movies can easily pull us to a virtual world and feed our fantasies. They ultimately rob us of our attention to the real world.

The need to socialize – While socialization is good, over socialization like all other things is not. Some people become fixated into other people’s lives and how other people view their own. They spend hours logged in to social networks.

The need to be informed – Information is power, and some people just can’t get enough of it. Because of these gadgets we can get almost any information anytime anywhere, although it’s good to know many things, not everything is worth knowing.

If left unchecked, these factors can lead us into addiction. While the use of gadgets is not bad, overdependence and misuse will make us miss God’s purpose for our lives. We buy these things for us to own, not for them to own us. It is only He who should own us, as we devote ourselves to be men in progress – men whose hearts are set on God.

by Rone August Dollesin

by Revodem Avarientos

Published quarterly by Asia Pacific Media MinistriesUnit 2608 Raffles Corporate Center, Emerald Avenue, Ortigas Center, 1605 Pasig City, PhilippinesTelephone: 914-9767E-mail: mip@apmedia.orgReproduction of photos and articles is prohibited without permission.

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EDITORIAL STAFF

Editor Alvin Tud

Layout Design Patrick Tan

Distribution Johnson Li

Executive Editor Kim Snider

MIP Editorial Staff:Alvin, Johnson & Patrick

Phot

o by

Don

Dav

id

The Gym

Eat Right for A Better Body by Rizaldy S. Guevarra

Being healthy is one of the best investments you can make. To be healthy is a two part

process. First, you need to invest your time working out. Exercising is only half the battle of attaining a healthy body. The other important thing is to nourish your body.

Watch your calories. If you eat fewer calories each day than you burn off through activity you will lose weight. If you eat more you’ll gain weight. For the body change or to gain weight you’ll need to eat between 2,500 and 3,000 calories, especially when you workout. (The USDA recommends adult males eat between 2,000 and 2,500 calories. These recommendations are the minimum for healthy living.1)

Eat the right stuff. When deciding what to eat remember this simple rule: keep it natural. Processed foods-biscuits, cakes, ready meals-tend to be high in calories but low in essential nutrients. Eat whole foods (are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible, before being consumed.2), low glycemic index (is a numerical scale used to indicate how fast and how high a particular food can raise our blood glucose (blood sugar) level3 ), high fiber foods ( fiber was considered that substance found in the outer layers of grains or plants and which was not digested in the intestines. High fiber are foods that contain a large amount of fiber in it, examples are vegetables and fruits.4).This includes unpolished rice , fruits as guyabano,

pineapple, etc., and vegetables such as ampalaya, alugbati leaves, etc.

Eat at the right times. When you’re training hard you want to eat about an hour or two before your workouts, and again immediately afterwards. Your snack should include both carbs (Scientifically, carbohydrates are organic compounds that contain a saccharide (sugars) 5) and protein (is the building blocks of all the tissue in the body, and is made up of amino acids that are linked together.6) to help restore glycogen levels in your muscles and repair muscle tissue.. For the rest of the day, eat small meals and regular intervals of two to three hours, with the aim of having some protein with every meal.

Get enough water. When you work out you sweat a lot. Replace that fluid loss with water. Always ensure that you hydrate yourself before you get thirsty, not afterwards. Dehydration will have an impact on your performance in the gym and can affect the way your body stores fats and repairs muscle. Take a water bottle with you to the gym and sip from it every few minutes.

What about people who want to work out and can’t go to the gym? Read the book by Nathan Jendrick, GYM-FREE and RIPPED “Weight-Free Workouts That Build and Sculpt”, from The Penguin Group, 2011.

Note: See “Men in Progress” at www.apmedia.org for “Eat for a Better Body” article with complete references