CHRIST COMMISSION FELLOWSHIP : FEEDING THE POOR OR ITS EGO ?

Christ Commission Fellowship is currently erecting a 3.5 B peso building along C-5 in Pasig City. I am disgusted with this matter as I maintain that the huge amount of money could be used instead to fund a feeding program, build classrooms for poor students, create livelihood projects for slum dwellers or build a hospital that caters to the needy. Instead, the 3.5 billion peso fund is allocated for a ” training center for students, young professionals, lay people and pastors to become dynamic leaders.”

One thing that makes me say that it is a complete waste of funds for CCF to construct such a training center is the fact that CCF is lacking in biblical expertise. How can a church with limited biblical knowledge teach people about scriptures correctly ? In its most recent campaign concerning end times, CCF encountered problems precisely because of its limited knowledge in eschatology. To extricate itself from the mess, CCF simply answered in the following :

This FAQs article is not intended to be exhaustive nor dogmatic. CCF has its own perspective on the end times based on our understanding of the Scriptures. Our view is more broad than many churches and denominations. We understand that other churches, groups and individuals have different ways of interpreting the same passages. We respect them and will not force our interpretation on them. We hope they will stop forcing their interpretations and views on us.
Our mission is very clear – to make disciples of all nations. This includes bringing the good news of salvation to as many people as we can and disciple them to Christ-likeness. This is the reason why we came up with this campaign. It is not to impress people with the exactness of our eschatology. We make no such claim. At the end of the day we realize that we will be answerable to God, not for how much we know about the end times, but how we lived as followers of Jesus.

Finally, I cannot find a single verse in the bible that instructs Christians to build expensive buildings. What I do find however are instructions from Jesus Himself to feed and help the poor. It just makes me sick to the core that CCF would rather feed its ego with an expensive and majestic building than feed the poor that this country has a lot of.

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JAPAN : ON ITS WAY TO WORLD CUP GLORY

Japan earned an impressive victory over Cameroon to score its first ever victory outside Japan in the World Cup. With the win, Japan merely needs to draw its next two matches to secure a place in the next round.

While the victory of Japan comes as a big surprise, one cannot deny the fact that the Japanese team is very capable. The Samurai Blue has five players in its fold who play in tournaments outside Japan. Keisuke Honda, who scored the winning goal, plays for CSKA Moscow. What is definitely going for Japan is the presence of young athletic players in its line-up. The youngest player for Japan is merely 22 years old.

But the most potent weapon of the Samurai Blue is the tremendous support of the Japanese people for the team. Despite the losses suffered by the team in its tune-up games prior to the World Cup, the Japanese people have remained consistent with their support for the team. With the continuous support of its fans, the Samurai Blue might just surprise everyone and give glory to Japan in the process.

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CHRIST COMMISSION FELLOWSHIP REFUSES TO ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE

To this day, CCF members refuse to accept my offer to accompany them to CBN Asia to watch the video that clearly reveals the lobby that their pastors made in Malacanang for Israel. A lot of fanatics have written offensive comments in my blog, all saying that what I write about CCF and its pastors are pure lies. But no one dares to take action to discover the truth about what is being written about in my blog. There seems to be a conscious effort to dismiss the accusations outright and leave the truth undiscovered.
It just saddens me to know that otherwise intelligent individuals can be so blinded with their loyalty to their church. Instead of investigating the issue, these fanatics merely resort to denials and dismissal of serious accusations. Worse, they attack the accuser and call him a pathological liar, a lousy writer and a fool. I can’t help but be dismayed that educated people can throw logic and common sense out the window just to protect their lying and deceitful pastors.
What is more telling is that the pastors of CCF choose to remain silent in the face of the accusations. Perhaps, the pastors are fearful of digging their own graves once they dare to issue an official statement. Perhaps to this day, the pastors cannot offer a possible and logical explanation for a political lobby that they made five months ago.

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JAMES YAP : AS A PRIME COMMODITY

Whatever one’s opinion of James Yap is, the fact remains that he is the heart and soul of Derby Ace. Despite the presence of an import, James Yap remains as the go-to-guy of the team during crucial moments. Plays are specifically designed for Yap to score the winning basket. More often than not, James Yap rises to the occassion.

What I don’t approve however is the PBA’s obvious attempt to capitalize on James Yap’s popularity for its political and financial survival. The PBA, currently in its lowest point in terms of popularity and financial standing, desperately pushes Yap into the limelight at every chance it gets. Note that most of the provincial games feature the Derby Aces and James Yap to ensure large crowds at the venues. While Ginebra remains the biggest draw among the teams, Derby Ace, I dare say, is a close second. And James Yap is in a league of his own when it comes to player popularity. Yap has the most number of commercial endorsements to clearly indicate his tremendous popularity and influence.

With two PBA teams rumored to be on their way out, it is quite understandable for the PBA to desperately capitalize on James Yap as a prime commodity. Desperate times after all call for desperate measures.

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WORLD CUP 2010 : SOUTH KOREA OFF TO AN EXCELLENT START

The Red Devils of South Korea just earned an impressive victory over Greece at the World Cup in Johanessburg. While the victory has surprised a lot of soccer fans, I totally expected South Korea to play well and earn a victory. For one, its top player, Park Ji-Sung, is playing without any injury. Second, four other players in the team have been playing in tournaments outside Korea. Third, the team is in peak form as it has not lost a single match during the Asian qualifiers. But more importantly, the tremendous support of the South Korean people for the team contributes much to its success .

Could South Korea duplicate or even surpass its 4th place finish in 2002 ? With all the ingredients present to make the team succeed, the Red Devils might just do that.

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THE ROLE OF EVANGELICAL CHURCHES IN THE ISRAEL-GAZA CONFLICT

I merely wanted to expose the lies and deception of a pastor at first. Now, my writings have spilled over to the Israel-Gaza conflict. At first glance, the transition can be considered extremely stretched. But evangelical christianity has made it possible to shift from a local to an international concern.

As I have previously written, evangelical churches are the culprit behind the defiant and stubborn stand of Israel concerning the Gaza crisis. Evangelical churches promote the false doctrine that Israel must be loved, protected and preserved by all Christians which emboldens Israel to defy international laws and treaties with impunity. In fact, Israel has the most number of resolutions issued against it by the U.N.. No other nation in the face of the planet has violated so many international laws and treaties than israel.

But what really disturbs me the most is the utter lack of compassion of Israel with the people of Gaza. I find it absolutely ironic that Jews, who experienced unspeakable suffering during WW2, can oppress and deliver nearly the same suffering to another group of people through war. More than international laws, it is the law of Christ that must be put in the hearts and minds of Jews. But then again, I do forget that Jews do not believe in Jesus as the Messiah. Perhaps, evangelical churches can convert Jews to Christianity to somehow offer a solution to the current conflict. After all, the main purpose of evangelical churches is to make people believe that Jesus is indeed the one and only true son of God. Then perhaps, love from knowing Jesus can make the Jews realize that the Gaza people have the right to lead lives free from war, hunger and oppression.

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CAN JAMES YAP WITHSTAND THE TALK AND TEXTERS RAMPAGE ?

Just when I thought that James Yap would win the season MVP uncontested, five players from Talk and Text are putting up a gallant fight for the honor. Ranidel Ocampo is currently on top of the MVP statistical race. Mac Cardona, Jimmy Alapag, Kelly Williams and Harvey Carey are likewise in the top 10 in the statistical race. What is working for the five Talk and Text players is the fact that their team is earning victory after victory to cement its current #1 team standing.

What might work against the five players is the division of votes. With the said players all bunched up in one team, voters might be divided on who to vote for should Talk and Text emerge as champion. This will work to the advantage of James Yap who is currently at 10th spot in the statistical race. The five players too do not have the same charisma as that of James Yap. Ranidel Ocampo may be leading in the statistical race but his personality is like that of a driftwood. In fact, I do not know of anyone who will vote for Ranidel over James Yap. Add the fact that Yap has Kris Aquino and Noynoy Aquino on his side.

I believe that it will take no less than a miracle for any of the Talk and Text players to snatch the MVP award away from James Yap.

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ISRAEL AND EVANGELICAL CHURCHES : AN EMBARRASSMENT TO CHRISTIANITY

In the midst of international condemnation, Israel has the audacity and shamelessness to spoof the flotilla raid where several innocent civilians were killed. I personally find it totally offensive and completely unaccaptable that a serious and critical matter can be made into a  spoof. I am personally shocked at how callous Israel  can be. But then again, the whole raid which it perpetrated reeks of callousness on the part of Israel. To add insult to injury, evangelical churches to this day, refuse to condemn Israel’s action. These churches pretend as if Israel has not committed a crime against humanity. Indeed, the hypocrisy of evangelical churches and the callousness of Israel defy true Christianity.

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THE REASON WHY THE PBA IS DOWN

As I think of a PBA player to write about for my next assignment, it just occurred to me that not a single player strikes me as interesting enough to merit an article. I initially thought of Willie Miller who was recently traded for a reason everyone knows but refuses to talk about. But Miller declined my request for an interview. I guess he wants to play it safe by keeping quiet about the whole issue. And this is where, I think, the problem of the PBA starts. The players’ propensity not to rock the boat has made the PBA the uneventful sports program that it is today.

The PBA enjoyed its greatest success during the 70’s and 80’s when Crispa and Toyota reigned supreme. The fans would literally die for Crispa and Toyota during those days. Interestingly, the players of both teams were extremely vocal and candid about their true sentiments. I remember Abet Guidaben publicly saying that Fernandez intentionally hacked him on the head to inflict certain injury. I also remember Jaworski mincing no words about Fernandez’ desire to become the new leader of Toyota, igniting their much-publicized feud. Those honest and revealing statements generated great interest in the PBA among the fans and spectators alike. More than the controversies, the statements revealed the players’ true nature in front of the people who patronize them.

Nowadays, the PBA tries hard to sell some of the players as basketball heroes yet fail miserably to do so. The players are just so afraid to speak out and reveal their true sentiments for fear of getting a bad impression. Money has become the driving force for some of the players that it fails to make people see their human side. As a result, fans and spectators find it hard to identify with these players resulting in poor patronage of the games. T.V. viewership has deteriorated as people see the players merely play for the big bucks and not for the love of the game and the people who watch them.

Unless the PBA players become the players that fans can truly identify with, the PBA might soon die a natural death.

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WORLD CUP 2010 : THE MAGIC CONTINUES IN SOUTH AFRICA

The World Cup 2010 unfolds in South Africa Friday. The whole world expects the latest edition of the sporting event to be the most exciting yet.

Brazil and Italy, I think , remain the teams to beat. Brazil is a perennial favorite while Italy is the World Cup defending champion. Nigeria and South Africa are the sentimental favorites with the Africans solidly behind them. But South Korea remains as my favorite team. Ever since it finished fourth in 2002, I have become an avid fan of South Korea’s Red Devils. Being an Asian, I can’t help but root for an Asian team as well. This year, the Red Devils boast of ten players who play in tournaments outside Korea. With good chemistry among the players and the unwavering support of the Korean people as well as other Asian nationals, South Korea might just pull some surprises.

But the friendships among nations that the World Cup generates is the main reason why I truly enjoy its games. During the World Cup, the whole world seems one in spirit. I can’t help but appreciate the magic that the World Cup weaves. What international summits and treaties cannot achieve, the World Cup easily does. Let the games therefore begin.

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