HELPLESS WITH THE VICTIMS: DON'T LOOK THE OTHER WAY

I can turn off the news,

I can block out the views,

I can alter my reality,

but is that my answer to their calamity?

Help me hear what my soul says

Strength to love, strength to pray, help me amass

Help me not look the other way

And remind me as often that...

this too shall pass.

You look at the scale of devastation made by typhoon Haiyan (local: Yolanda) in the Philippines and you get lost for words. Your head struggles to absorb the reality, seems like just in a movie. For a moment, you space out. Then you start admitting to yourself it is real. You are on one end --- the observer. At the other end is this tons of people, tons of your countrymen in agony. It makes you feel so helpless for a second that you just wanna look the other away.

Each and every time you see the news about the suffering of victims of Yolanda typhoon, you feel a punch on your stomach and you feel nauseous. You cannot understand why all this has to happen and you struggle for ideas on how to help ease their pain. You start saying a prayer, begging God for mercy.

But there's another prayer that is equally important: A prayer to help each one of us not to look the other way.

Love is Doing!

Do you know what love is? It's not just a feeling in your heart, it's also something you do! Sometimes, saying "I love you" is super important. But showing love with your actions is like giving a big, warm hug without even touching! These are called concrete acts of love. "Concrete" just means real things you can see and do! Let's think about ways we can show love to our family and friends, just by doing things! Helping Hands (Acts of Service) Imagine your grown-up is super busy. What if you: Help put your toys away without being asked? Set the table for dinner? Help carry the groceries inside? When you do these things, you're saying, "I love you and I want to help!" It makes everyone feel happy and cared for. Special Time (Quality Time) Do you love playing games or reading with someone special? That's a concrete act of love! Put down your tablet and listen when your friend tells you about their day. Ask a grown-up to play your favori...

Did Prayers Ever Stop Prophecies in the Bible? The Surprising Truth

There are prominent examples in the Bible where prophecies did not take place as initially declared because of prayer and repentance. These instances highlight the conditional nature of some of God's pronouncements, particularly those concerning judgment. Here are two well-known examples: Nineveh (Book of Jonah): God sent the prophet Jonah to Nineveh to declare its impending destruction: "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" (Jonah 3:4). However, the people of Nineveh, from the king to the common person, responded with repentance, fasting, and prayer. Because of their sincere change of heart, God "relented from the disaster that he had said he would bring upon them, and he did not do it" (Jonah 3:10). This is a classic case of a conditional prophecy where a change in human behavior (repentance) led to a change in the predicted outcome. King Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:1-6 and Isaiah 38:1-6): The prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and told him, "Th...

Duterte Mocks God

Be afraid. Be very afraid. For God cannot br mocked. Rodrigo Duterte, former president of the Philippines, has made several public statements that were widely interpreted as critical of God and the Catholic Church. Here are some key instances: * Criticism of the Creation Story: * Duterte questioned the biblical story of Adam and Eve, expressing his disbelief and asking "Who is this stupid God?" for creating them only to allow them to be tempted. This critique of the concept of original sin was a major source of controversy. * Statements about God's "Stupidity": * He publicly used the word "stupid" to describe God, which caused significant outrage in the predominantly Catholic Philippines. * Challenges to God's Existence: * Duterte also stated that he would resign if anyone could prove God's existence, further fueling the debate about his religious views. * Attacks on the Catholic Church: * He ...

Have HOPE.

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