Hello Folks,

I notice that one of the most common topics of the messages in Station One for the past few months is about the poor and the downtrodden of our society, and what the church is to do about it. I like how Bill Shaw began his message with pointing out that following Christ and helping out the poor does not mean reaching a philosophical place in our heads and not doing anything about it anymore. Following Christ begins by doing! Getting off our comfort zones and going out there, getting elbow deep in the muck of the masses.

Bill Shaw and his wife, Deb, saw the poor in the Philippines and couldn’t stand not to do anything about it. They didn’t set up a shelter or a feeding program or a foundation though, instead, they made a magazine. A very well-made magazine, if I say so myself, in the tradition of the street papers from all over the world and called it “Jeepney Magazine.”

A street paper is actually a magazine that communicates the voice of the poor, tells their stories, and is sold by street people. (Street people– the ones who live on the streets, homeless, or make their living from begging.) The people who sell the magazine get 50% and 50% goes to the publication of the magazine. This way, they are given jobs where they can actually earn a lot more than they would by selling cigarettes, newspapers.

While the Jeepney is a great idea to help the poor by giving them a job, and telling their stories at the same time, the idea still has to catch on. The Jeepney is on its third issue, but Bill and Deb are having difficulty distributing it. For one thing, street vendors are actually illegal in Metro Manila. The magazine is only P100, and it’s still kinda expensive for most people. They need a way to make the magazine sustainable. (Speaking as someone from the magazine industry, it is difficult to get people to buy magazines– hard to believe, considering there are LOTS of magazines out there, huh?)

Jeepney Magazine is a good quality magazine. Seriously. There are samples of it on the front table at Station One and browse through it. The pictures are exceptional, the layout is clean and the articles are interesting. The paper is nice! They are stories of people the society tries not to think about because they don’t have money to buy their goods! Hence, there is no advertising in Jeepney, except for a sponsorship ad at the back. It’s not just something put together haphazardly just to make a buck, a lot of thought and heart are put into every issue. We need a magazine like this out there amidst the fashion, beauty, sex, society magazines that people are buying (and i work for those kinds of magazines… *sigh*).

So what can we do to help? That’s the question.

1. Contacts— corporations that we can introduce the Jeepney Magazine to for sponsorship– not for ad placements, but as a corporate social responsibility thingy (heh).
— contacts or connections with the MMDA and the local city government that we can lobby to to make Jeepney Magazine vendors legit
2. Placements — of magazines and vendors (which is closely connected to the above item)
3. Sustainability — sponsorships, Bill and Deb are publishing this magazine out their own pockets! They need a way to have this magazine paying for itself, at least. This is not   even for profit, per se… it takes a lot of money to print a magazine.
4. Buy Jeepney Magazine! — when one of their vendors approach you, it’s better to buy a magazine from them than just giving them money. It’s their job to sell the magazine, let them do it.

And if there’s anything else you can think of, just do it!

I got a story to leave with you guys, I hope you don’t mind. It’s about my friend and her boyfriend,  one afternoon, they were standing on a hill overlooking a residential development surrounded by the shanties of squatters area somewhere in Quezon City. My friend, a professor in UP Diliman, looked at the sight before them and shook her head. She said, “How can anybody live like that?” Her boyfriend, a son of a well-off businessman and a UP graduate student, nodded his head, and replied, “Yeah. Can you imagine living in rooms that small?” He was looking at the residential development with its tiny units, while my friend was looking at the squatters’ area.

Who are the poor that we’re looking at? I’m sorry to point out the obvious, but UCM is a rich church, with rich church members. Not all of them, of course, but most. I’m not from UCM, but I go to Station One, and seriously, UCM has nice stuff. The sanctuary is gorgeous, Basement 2 sactuary is more than a lot of churches hope for. Station One even has people in uniforms to set up the chairs and light the candles every Tuesday night! Sometimes we’re surrounded by all these nice things that the poor that we look at are just the ones who have less than we have, and not the ones who actually have nothing.

We need to cast our sights farther, beyond our “comfort zones” and see the ones who sleep on the benches in our parks, in the doorways office buildings, on the sidewalks, and DO SOMETHING to help.

“With the poor around us, I don’t know how the church can stand it,” Bill said.

Time to get out of the box people.

Sincerely,
Stef

p.s. See you at Station One tonight! It’s every Tuesday, 7:30pm, Basement 2, Union Church Manila, cor. Legazpi and Rada St., Legazpi Village, Makati City

Wow… I think I missed a whole month’s worth of weekly summaries of what was said in Station One… I’m really sorry about that. I’m not going to make excuses anymore.

But September was pretty interesting, it being Open Mic: Young Adults Speaking to Young Adults. It was such a blessing to hear from people our age, who are going through nearly the same stuff that we’re going through right now. We got to hear what it is that needed to be said to our generation. So here are the summaries of each message last September. The same summaries will come out in the October issue of Plug In– the Station One monthly newsletter, available at Station One, every Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. at Basement 2, Union Church Manila, cor. Rada and Legazpi St., Leagazpi Village, Makati City.
WHAT WE LEARNED IN SEPTEMBER

Sept. 2
Dior de Leon
Matt. 7:15-23

Being a Christian isn’t just in the name. It’s about holiness and a changed life. If a head-on encounter with a truck leave you indelibly marked—if you’re still alive, that is—how much more would an encounter with the God of the universe change you? We must not live by the standards for holiness set by man, but by the standards of God! By our fruit, we are recognized for who we are. If you’re a Christian, Jesus is in you, and your life would surely show it.

Sept. 9
Atty. Law Aritao
Eph. 1 onwards
Seek Justice

God has equipped His people well. He has given us the grace, the strength to change the world. These blessings are not for show, but it’s to bring about justice in this world. What’s keeping us from reaching out and helping the people who are in need around us? Time to leave behind falsehood! Throw away the useless things that we hold so our hands will be free to do God’s work. We can live safe or live courageously, choose the way of the Gospel, or go down the other wider path that leads to destruction.

Sept. 16
Jason Quick
Gen. 37-46

What do you want to be when you grow up? You are the same person as the day before! The truth is, you will become who you are now. If you look at the life of Joseph, he was the same person throughout his story—even as his circumstances changed, his character still remained the same. You can’t grow up over night. This is the key to your future: chose to be the person you want to grow into NOW. Who are you going to be today that will change your life tomorrow?

Sept. 23
Ro Peñaranda
Acts 14

What does it mean to fight for your joy in Christ? Fighting for joy is found in sharing the Gospel to others. The pursuit of joy implies the hatred of sin because sin destroys joy. Fighting for joy in Christ is loving God for all He is. That means the overflow of God’s spirit in our lives should overflow in everything we do, especially telling people about the truth about our loving God, whether they would want to hear the truth or not. Where’s your joy? It’s not found in people’s approval—it’s already in Christ! You just have to fight for it.

Sept. 30

Kristoph Sun
Isaiah 55:3, Isaiah 40, John 7

Where is your heart today? Are we just striving for godliness, piety, and looking good for the sake of the people who are watching us, our are we really hungry for God’s Word? If you’re wondering about what you can do for God, smell out what God’s doing at the place where you are now, and do that. Our Father is always at work, and we must be working with him. Have hope in what God’s about to do and what He’s already doing. This always makes for a great story.
See you guys at Station One!

Stef

Station One
Sept. 2, 2008
Speaker: Dior de Leon

You will know the tree by its fruit. Calling an orange tree and apple will not make it bear apples. This very simple and very obvious statement likewise applies to Christians.

Being a Christian isn’t just about the name– it’s about holiness and changed lives! One of the biggest heresies in church is praying a prayer of acceptance without repentance! There has to be repentance, a complete turn-around away from your old life and on to the new life in Christ.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matt. 7:15-23)

A genuine Christian has been given a new nature. He cannot continue to live in sin. This doesn’t mean that you would automatically stop sinning, but you will walk in the path of righteousness. Whenever you stray, God will discipline you and put you back on track.

Because if you’re a Christian, your life has to show it! If a man meets a truck head-on, he would be left unarguably marked (and possibly irreparably/fatally damaged), how much more if you meet God! If you say that you’re a Christian, but your life doesn’t show, then there’s a definite chance that you’re not a Christian at all.

Looking to others and pointing, “But what about him? I’m just as good a Christian as he is!” doesn’t really mean anything. We are not being judged by the standards of man, but against God’s.

Are you living a life based on the Word of God?

So examine yourself—there’s nothing wrong with that. You have nothing to lose, but everything to gain! Because being a Christian is having a burning desire to walk as Jesus walked!

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Cor. 13:5)

So, do you have Christ in your heart, just as you had prayed that he would be, or not? Read the Word of God and find the answer there. While it’s not too late. Because you can say that Jesus knows you, but what’s more important is that He knows you!

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (1 John 3:3-6)

See you guys at Station One (Every Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m.) in Basement 2 of Union Church of Manila, cor. Rada and Legazpi st., Legaspi Village, Makati City.

Cheers,

Stef

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

In the conclusion on the series of Abraham, what struck me the most about this message is about owning one’s faith. We say that we have faith in God, but how far does it go? When God tells us to do something that seems– not impossible– but unreasonable, how fast are we in getting up to obey? And to what end do we follow Him?

The story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac is a classic. God promises Abraham descendants as many as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore through his son, Isaac. Then one day, God tells Abraham to go sacrifice his son– his one and only son, the one whom he loves– to Him! Didn’t make sense, but still, Abraham obeyed the very next day. The story ends well, it was just a test! God provided a ram in the place of Isaac. Abraham proved that he witheld nothing from God.

See, God doesn’t want any competition in our lives. Just as He weaned Abraham from his love for Isaac, He would wean us from anything that could take His place in our lives. It was a hard test for sure, but God tests us not because He wants us to fail, but because He knows that we will succeed. Abraham had a lot of years of walking with God before he went through this test. His faith matured as he walked closely with God, just as ours would if we do the same.

So why does God put us through these tests? Well, for one thing, we have to learn to give up control! It’s easier for us to give up control if we understand why God gives us trials. These tests are not for His benefit, but for ours, and for the cloud of witnesses that surrounds us. Tests not only help us know ourselves better, but they also help us assess our relationship with God.

Abraham passed God’s test because God was the only object of His faith and His love. Abraham knew that God would not fail him. Belief has to be a settled conviction. Without trials, belief would be just a creed. With trials, we put our faith into a test, we learn to give up control.

Faith is not an intellectual assent! We have to own our faith and imbibe it into the very core of our being.So thank God when He puts you into a test, because that gives you a chance to put your faith into good use in the real world.

Join the conversation on this topic here.

See you guys later at Station One, it’s every Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. In the bowels of Union Church of Manila (basement 2), cor. Rada and Legaspi St., Legaspi Village, Makati.

With faith, hope and love,

Stef

Any of you guys control freaks out there? Well, last Tuesday, at the conclusion of our faith trek through the life of Abraham, Rainier talked about giving up control to God. Because, God’s not really supposed to be just the co-pilot in our lives, He wants to the Captain!

We didn’t have the time to break up into small groups on that night, but here are a few questions from Rainier, and we can discuss right here!

1. What is the motivating factor in your relationship with God? Is it God himself or the hopes and benefits he offers us?

2. Are you withholding anything from God? Any territory in your life that is still off-limits to Him?

3. Giving up control is never easy, but do you think we ever had it in the first place?

4. Is there anything God wants you to give up right now for His glory? If so, what is it?

Let’s talk about it.

Ciao!

Stef

As One looks at Genesis 15 to 17, one might expect that they can see Abraham’s patience.  Having to wait 25 years for a “promise: [i.e. a son] from God, must be tedious and overwhelming.  However, if that’s all we see from this story, getting something from God by our will-power and good luck, then this is no different than a “self-help” remedy.  However, when reading Scripture, we must be reminded it’s not about “how we can better ourselves,” but more how we “See God [His Character] in light of momentary set-backs.”  That life is not really about me but God.

Through our study last week, We See God as a Faithful God to Abraham, even though he tried to help God gain a son through Hagar, God did not stop being “faithful” and “patient” with him.  The point of the matter, is the main Character is God in the Bible, and we like to make the sub-characters the main star, and forget how God changes people when we put our trust and faith in Him.

When having a “High-View of God” it really changes your perspective in life.  It’s not about being or attaining “patience,” but seeing more of being Faithful to Him, which produces fruit [i.e. love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, etc.].  Realizing in the end, it’s not about being patient with God per se, as much as it is “GOD BEING PATIENT WITH YOU AND YOUR WALK WITH HIM BY FAITH.”

~God Bless,
Ro (Youth Director)

join in the conversation here. http://ucminterface.com/archives/38
See you all at Station One tonight for the conclusion of our series on Faith Trek: The Life of Abraham, 7:30 PM at the Basement 2 of UCM.

Blessings!
Rainier

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

Dear People of the Lord,

How are you? Where are you now? What are you feeling?

Last Station One (the week before the last. Heh.), Rainier talked about stepping out of our comfort zones? What is a comfort zone anyway? I suppose, it’s whatever situation or status quo that you are in where everything feels safe, in control, predictable and comfortable. Kinda, like sinking into a soft couch with everything that you need within your reach. It’s warm and comfortable and safe. You don’t want to have to leave, ever. Not even for the bathroom—well, for as long as you can hold it. Hehe

Seriously though, staying in your comfort zone is never good. But we don’t usually get out of this zone because it causes us “unnecessary stress, just getting off your butt is a lot of work. But think about all the stuff that you’re missing! I guess some people have thought about it, but decided that they’re happy just where they are.

Abram (before his name was changed to Abraham—father of all nations)begun his own trek outside of his comfort zone when God called his family out of Ur. His father Terah, originally set out for Canaan, but pitched his tent in Haran where he worshipped other gods and eventually died. (Genesis 11:27-32). In Genesis 12:1-5, God called Abram out of Haran and into Canaan—out of his comfort zone and farther and farther away from the land of his fathers.

Why are we scared to get out of our comfort zones? And what’s wrong with comfort zones, anyway?

The thing is, not just because something is familiar and we’re used to it, it doesn’t mean that it’s good for us. We define what is real by what we know—so if a person who’s only known fear, pain and abuse all his/her life, normal would be that, filled with fear, pain and abuse. But we know that it doesn’t have to be like that. Even the place that we feel trapped in is our comfort zone. Got a pet sin? A lifestyle that you know isn’t right in the eyes of God? They can be comfort zones, just because we’ve gotten used to them that we don’t want to change anymore.

We can’t grow if we don’t get off our couch, out through the door and into the wide wild world. There’s a big world out there, filled with opportunities, experiences and new people to meet! By staying in our comfort zones, we’re missing out on enjoying life to the fullest. Comfort zones only breeds fear.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV)

Abraham obeyed and left his homeland even if he didn’t know where he was going—or what he’s going to do when he gets there. This isn’t really blind faith, because he knew the object of his faith is worthy.

Perhaps the worst part about comfort zones is it ruins us spiritually. Faith becomes just religion. Faith is all about cultivating a relationship with God, but religion tries to box God in an effort to make Him more predictable and manageable. We come up with activities that give us the appearance of being close to God when we are really not!

We cannot put God in a box! The mere attempt is ridiculous! And. Yet. We. Still. Do. It. Because God can really get uncomfortable sometimes, and even seemingly crazy. We cannot predict what He does, or even dictate His actions.

The danger of trying to keep God within the confines of the comfort zone is we end up shrinking our faith. Because, whoever said that following God leads to a safe place? Comfort zones are not for us! It’s not only for those who pitch their tents and call this world their home. We are called to engage the world—to march into a strange and hostile land. This isn’t our home! Home is heaven people!

So, if you find yourself just settling into your comfort zone, wake up and get up!

Sorry for the super late summary, guys. Things have been really crazy for the past two weeks. Talk about getting out of your comfort zone… hahaha

We also have some discussion questions related to this sermon here: http://ucminterface.com/archives/37. Check it out! It’s never too late to put your two cents in.

See you at Station One (Every Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. Basement 2 of Union Church of Manial, cor. Rada and Legaspi St. Legaspi Village, Makati City.).

Cheers,

Stef

I missed the last Station One, but I heard that it was awesome! Ro talked about God’s faithfulness, and how Abraham waited for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

Well, I wasn’t there. So I’m not going to talk about what I don’t know… But I do know this- waiting is hard! And for most of young adults, especially the singles, things still feel unfinished, like we’re standing on the brink of something big, but it’s just not happening yet.

We have to wait.

So, here are the questions for this week’s Real Life Conversation:

God’s promised Abraham to give him a son in his old age. The fulfillment took many years to happen. If you were in Abraham’s shoes, would you doubt God’s promise? What are you waiting for right now that God seems to be taking forever to answer?

You know what I’m talking about. Let’s discuss.

Love,

Stef

]]> http://ucminterface.com/archives/38/feed http://ucminterface.com/archives/37 http://ucminterface.com/archives/37#comments Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:06:16 +0000 taguan http://ucminterface.com/?p=37 Hi Guys,

I don’t know about you, but whenever I’m at Station One, I usually come out a bit shellshocked (and also rather hungry because it takes us a long time to decide where to eat afterwards). Well, shellshocked because God’s Word really hits you hard, if you let it. It doesn’t just give you answers, but raises a lot of other questions as well. What’s even more awesome is, it’s so relevant to who, what, where we are and how we are living in this life.

I love talking about the message afterwards with other people. We’re all created unique from each other, but we have one Creator, shaping us, working on us, as we go along in this life. It would be interesting to share each other’s insights and lessons in our own journey, and learn from each other.

So starting this week, hopefully, every Wednesdays, we will be posting discussion questions on this site based from the Station One message. Don’t feel bad if you didn’t get to attend, we post the summaries here anyways, and the forum is always open to you.

Do take the time join in the conversation. Leave your comments and even questions. You’re in a safe place here.

Ready?

Here are the first questions:

1. What would you consider to be your comfort zone?

2. Is God calling you to do something but you just can’t leave your comfort zone?

3. Will you take the step of faith and entrust everything to the Lord?

Can’t wait to start talking about this with you!

Cheers!

Stef

Guest speaker: David Gutierrez

Pressure is a reality in the marketplace.  There is pressure to perform… and peform well; pressure to survive and keep your job.  But how has the Church responded to equip its people to handle these pressures in a Biblical way?  Sadly, the Church has failed people in the marketplace in this regard.  What are the problems and possibilities of the marketplace?  What is healthy theology of and for life at work?  What understanding of creation and stewardship is the church giving its people?  These are just some of the relevant workplace questions that have remained unanswered by the Church.

The challenge for the Church today is to equip its people and empower them to proclaim the Gospel in a manner that is relevant to the contemporary world.  Are we challenging our people to be faithful in living for God, whereve we are, and take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone?  Do people come to church to worship the living God so that their lives are transformed?  Or do they come to church as if they are watching a concert?  Do people hear the Word of God?  Or do they hear a motivational speech? Do people worship as a community? Or do they worship alone?

The health of our church life tells a lot about how we will choose or not choose to impact our world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

See you at Station One tonight at 7:30 in UCM basement 2 as we start a new series entitled “Faith Trek, The life of Abraham.”  Tonight’s theme is “Stepping Out Of Our Comfort Zone.”
Blessings!
Rainier