Kairos

Filipinos probably celebrate Christmas the earliest of any culture in the world. For us, Christmas begins as soon as the months of the year ending in “-ber” (e.g., Septem ber , Octo ber , etc.) come around. This is evidenced by the Christmas carols already being played in the malls and Christmas decorations already being put up and sold in many stores in the Philippines. My mother absolutely loved Christmas. Earlier today, my father and I were sharing this bitter-sweet memory of how, around this time of the year, Mama would have already started preparing her Christmas decorations. Mama would sort them and hang them one- at-a-time each day. Today, this memory has brought tears to my father’s eyes. Si mply put, Papa misses Mama, and the thought of putting up a tree this Christmas seems unbearable. Christmas is a special season of celebrating the Lord’s birth, bringing in good tidings and cheer. But for my family this year, Christmas will be a time of remembering and missing Mama, who ca...

First of all I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude for all the sympthay, words and acts of kindness for me and my family during this difficult time in our lives. Please continue to lift us up in prayer because I can still see many obstacles ahead. But these obstacles are opportunities for the Lord to work in my family, and Joe and I want to see that happen. As for our trip --- after many hours of flight, little sleep, and non-gourmet airline food ---we arrived in Cebu, Philippines earlier this afternoon. We were greeted by my friends Karen and Salome, Karen’s daughter Nicole, and my beloved pastor from Maranatha Church, Pastor Joe DiSarno. They were gracious enough to transport us to my parent’s house across town. The viewing (wake) will be a week-long event, and as has been the custom in my family for many years, it will be held at our home. Our house is the ancestral home that my father inherited from his parents. This house has already hosted three wakes: my grandmother (198...

A few hours ago I learned that my mother, Celia Sibal-Cañedo, passed on to be with the Lord (around Sept 20th, 5:00 AM, Philippine time). If you’ve been reading my blogs, you would know that she had been undergoing treatments for breast cancer and had been fighting as hard as she could until her body finally gave out. Everything happened so very fast that I still could not believe it. It was just two days ago when I was on the phone with her. I know she was trying hard to speak inspite of pain. We only spoke for maybe a minute but during that brief moment, I was able to tell her that I love her and to hold on to Jesus. Cancer may have ravaged her physical body, but I know that victory ultimately belongs to her. She is now in a better place - with Jesus - with a glorified body free of pain and suffering My only regret is that I was not with her during the last days of her life. I would have wanted to be with her, to hold her. This is the most painful thing for me to deal with right now....

I was cleaning the house today when I began reminiscing the times I had with friends when I was in the Philippines, remembering the occasional weekend getaways we used to take. One particular trip was to Santander, located south of Cebu island, Philippines (where I come from). Dolphin sightings have begun to attract tourists there at that time, and of course, it was the perfect excuse for a weekend rendezvous. So off we went on a motorized boat to see those Dolphins at around 5:00AM. The guide took us to the middle of the ocean around where the Dolphins usually choose to show themselves. We waited for hours in anticipation, but alas, the Dolphins decided to take a leave of absence that day, much to our disappointment. Oftentimes we forget that we have a limited view of life – because we are limited beings. We do not see what God sees. That’s why it’s hard for us to understand what is happening around us at times, especially when we are in the midst of a difficult circumstance. The situ...

I’m sure you’ve had paper cuts on your fingers that you were totally oblivious to until you washed your hands and you felt the sting from the soap. And then you wonder, “when did this happen?” All you know was that you were going through some of the files earlier that day, but you never felt the paper cut through your flesh at all. Well, that’s kinda what happened to me this week. On Thursday afternoon when I left the office, I discovered there was this huge scratch on the front bumper of my car! I can’t recall hitting anything, so it must have been done by somebody from my office. From the damage, it looks like the car was either pulling in or backing out of the parking space right next to me. I was indignant, totally outraged at the thought that someone could just take off after having done this. This damage isn't negligible at all! Of course, I had to face the “wrath” of my husband that night…LOL.. Seriously, he handled it pretty well. Of course, he was frustrated at the thoug...

Over the past few weeks the evangelical community has been shaken to the core. Two of the most prominent, popular couples pastoring mega-churches here in the U.S. have decided to file for a divorce. The first couple being – Rev. Thomas Weeks III and Juanita Bynum, second being Bishop Randy and Paula White. I don’t know much about the husbands, but I do know a little bit about Juanita Bynum, and a lot about Paula White. Both women’s ministries have affected my life somehow. I’ve seen both of their shows on TV, have their CDs and read books written by Paula White. Both of them seem to have all that a woman can wish for – married to husbands who are serving the Lord and ministries that span all across the globe. It seemed that both women are living the calling that God would have them do. They’ve got it all together. Or so it seemed. News about their divorce has really disturbed me. This has led me to think about so many things, some of which I am going to write down here. But before that...

It’s been a good Sunday, so far. We went to Flamingo Road Church (Doral) again today. And I’m glad that we did. The worship today was exceptional. It moved me deeply and met me at the point of my need, where the Holy Spirit was able to do His ministry within me. I was touched at the core of my spirit and was able to release to the Lord the dam of emotions within me, laying them down at the foot of His cross. The Lord does not despise a broken spirit and a contrite heart - and broken and contrite was I today. During worship, tears were just streaming continuously down my face uncontrollably. I was a child weeping at the bosom of my Abba Father, my Daddy God and it seemed like His strong arms were around me and He was w hispering to me softly “it’s alright, my beloved”. I felt secure. Oh, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is indeed freedom. A heavy burden was lifted off of me today. How wonderful it is to be in His presence. To the worship team lead by Heredes , kudos to you guys. ...

You may have come across a YouTube video in the internet – that of prison inmates dancing to Michael Jackson’s thriller, Black-Eyed Pea's music, or to the song "I Will Follow You" popularized by Whoopie Goldberg's movie, the Sister Act. This is not a joke, this is for real. This particular prison is located in the city where I come from - Cebu, Philippines. (I've been to this prison many, many years ago having done prison cell ministry in the past). This phenomenon, if you may, is revolutionizing the concept of "rehabilitation". Apparently, the music and dance-exercise have lessened the violence inside the prison walls and have been showing positive psychological/emotional effects on a lot of the detainees. No less than 1,500 inmates both men and women alike - and serious criminals at that - are "catching on the tune" and have been able to put up huge dance productions such as what you see in the video attached to the article below. Their vid...

Another rough night yet again. I had another agonizing conversation with my mother last night. I was practically sobbing on the phone, begging for her to agree to be taken to the hospital. She was weeping herself, telling me that she doesn’t want to go to the hospital. She doesn’t want needles poking her, nor does she want to be subjected to all kinds of tests anymore. She is tired. She knows that she is nearing the end of her journey. And the incredible thing is, instead of me consoling my mother/parents, they are the ones encouraging me. In the midst of their seeming gloom and utter despair, my father and mother are still thinking about me, about my well-being. They want me to be brave, not wanting that I should worry so much, lest my health and my job be affected… Wow. Talk about unconditional love. Reminds me of Jesus, when at the brink of His death on the cross, still had the strength to intercede for us and cry out "Father, pls. forgive them for they know not what they are d...

Have you ever walked through a situation that you thought you’d never have to walk through? Have you ever been in a circumstance where it seems like there is no way out? Have you ever been confronted with your very own fears? Well, I am in all of the se situations right now. I am in a crisis that seems hopeless and helpless and where I am left with no choice but to face my greatest fear: DEATH – that of losing my parents. These past few months, I have been forced to deal with my parents’ mortality. With both of my parents having cancer, and especially with my mother’s health deterioration – I have been compelled to deal with the fact that I will one day lose them…… and that one day may be drawing closer and closer. You see, my mother’s health hasn’t improved at all. Her last oral chemo treatment was two weeks ago, but ever since she started that treatment, she had become weaker and weaker. She can hardly move, she has lost her appetite, half of her face has started to swell, her eyes ...