A Tremendously Successful 2019 Linggo ng Kabataan in Barangay BF Homes by the BFSK

August 20, 2019September 4, 2019carlocarrasco

A Tremendously Successful 2019 Linggo ng Kabataan in Barangay BF Homes by the BFSK

20190817_094310 — *From Left to Right were Barangay BF Homes Sangguniang Kabataan (BFSK) kagawads Irene Juanico, Anne Corre, chairperson Mariel Tumang, SK kagawads Jerry Dalmero and Stephani*e *Sebullen*.

As far as the Barangay BF Homes Sangguniang Kabataan (BFSK) is concerned, August 17, 2019 will be remembered for a long time as their 2019 Linggo ng Kabataan event held at the Phase 1 gym along Pilar Banzon street, BF Homes subdivision, Parañaque City turned out to be tremendously successful in terms of youth turnout and participation.

According to BFSK chairperson Mariel Angela Tumang (read my exclusive feature interview of her here), the turnout was bigger than the two hundred and fifty youth they anticipated. For a whole day, youth from around Barangay BF Homes (Masville, Sampaloc Site 1 and 2, Clinic Site, and others) engaged in lots of activities such as parlor games, group performances, Tagalog literary contest, the Trashionista competition (models wearing gowns made out of recycled materials) and more.

20190817_081125 — *Barangay BF Homes Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson Mariel Tumang (left) herself handled the registration of the many youth who lined up early.*

20190817_081007 — *Many youth in line on the morning of August 17.*

“The turnout and participation of youth to our Linggo ng Kabataan event went beyond our expectations. We targeted around two hundred fifty youth but by the time our initial count ended, it reached at two hundred and ninety-four. Then even more joined in pushing the count beyond the three hundred mark,” Tumang confirmed. “We are surprised and very delighted with the better than expected turnout.”

Filled with happiness, Tumang declared their Linggo ng Kabataan event a very successful one and no less than Barangay BF Homes Kagawad Rocel Espino expressed her admiration for the event (see below).

It should be noted that Tumang and the SK Kagawads Alma Galindo, Roselyn Regis, Jerry Dalmero, Kelly Haboc, Irene Juanico, Anne Gabrielle Corre and Stephanie Sebullen as well as their SK secretary Darrenz Fabros and SK treasurer Jefferson Ching worked long and hard on organizing the event from the decorations to the registration of youth and implementing the program of the day.

Engagement and Achievements

These youths posed for me.

Waiting for the registration to end and the program to start.

Youths about to start the Zumba activity.

Another batch of youths posed for me.

SK Kagawad Jerry Dalmero watches along with a group of youths.

Along the way, the youth also engaged with each other through socializing when they had their meals and breaks. Early in the day, I found time to approach some young people to get their perspective about the activities.

“I’m excited mainly for the parlor games,” said 16-year-old Hazel.

“The Trashionista looks exciting. I’m really curious as to how our fellow youth will prove their creativity on making gowns using recycled materials,” said Maria, also aged 16.

Another youth (age 18) I interviewed named Mark revealed that the socializing aspect interests him the most as he has always been excited to meet youth from other areas of the barangay through the BFSK’s organizing of events for them.

The activities include Palarong Pinoy which was composed of a variety of parlor games participated by teams and these games really dominated the day which gave the participants a lot of fun and socializing along the way.

20190817_113857 — *A group performs during the cheering contest.*

20190817_190830 — *One of the candidates wearing a gown and a crown made of recycled materials answered a question during the Trashionista.*

Trashionista was a fashion show and pageant-like activity highlighting dresses and accessories made out of recycled materials emphasizing creativity, recycling and usability. The Tagalog literary contest of poetry emphasized the use of spoken Tagalog along with the participant’s creativity and ability to express himself/herself.

By the evening, as the final activities took place, it was pretty clear that the youth were enjoying the action and themselves. The Tagalog poetry contest drew a lot of cheers from the youth-dominated audience and I noticed that many youth were still energetic and excited even at around 9PM.

“When we planned the poetry contest, we never anticipated that it would generate a lot of interest from the youth. After making the formal announcement and starting the search for candidates, the response from the youth wanting to join in was overwhelming,” SK kagawad Jerry Dalmero said during my interview with him.

20190817_203621 — *This young lady’s poetry performance drew some cheers.*

20190817_185916 — *Little Miss Las Islas Filipinas 2019 winner Miarah Ysabelle Licardo poses with Barangay BF Homes’ Zeny Pascual. Licardo is a resident of Masville.*

20190817_204045 — *Another poetry performance.*

Ultimately, the achievements of youth – both individual and by groups – were acknowledged and awarded accordingly. The achievers per category are as follows:

Tula (Spoken Poetry)

1^st place – John Paul Albiola

2^nd place – Gia Fortes

3^rd place – Francis Francisco

Trashionista

1^st place – Francis Francisco

2^nd place – Charlon Salazar

3^rd place – Julie Betania

4^th place – Leonel Rosales

Palarong Pinoy

1^st place – Team Gray

2^nd place – Team Blue

3^rd place – Team Orange

BFSK praised by Barangay Kagawad Espino

20190817_111415 — *Barangay BF Homes Kagawad Rocel Espino. She leads the barangay committee on education.*

Barangay BF Homes Kagawad Rocel Espino, who leads the barangay committee on education, graced the Linggo ng Kabataan event and stated she was really happy to see a large turnout of youth participating.

“I congratulate our Sangguniang Kabataan council for organizing this special event for our community’s youth and I am impressed to see the high turnout we have,” Kagawad Espino said on the stage. “I am so delighted to see so many youth who are not only attending but also are eager to make themselves heard.”

During my chat with her, Espino revealed it was very hard to reach out to the community youth and even harder to convince them to participate to events or activities meant for them. There were times that activities meant for youth empowerment got organized but attracted very few youth participants.

Furthermore, Espino announced that a youth seminar will be held for the young people of Masville on August 31 at barangay hall. It will start from 8AM and last until 3PM. She also announced the “Proud to be Drug-Free” project with a school in Masville which will be a one-day event.

What is Linggo ng Kabataan?

For the newcomers and the readers from overseas reading this, Linggo ng Kabataan in English stands for Week of the Youth (or Youth Week for short). The celebration is not limited to the local community but in varied communities around the Philippines which have the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK).

According to item letter A on Section 30 (Chapter VI) of Republic Act Number 10742 (Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act of 2015), every barangay, municipality, city and province shall conduct the annual Linggo ng Kabataan on the week where the 12th of August falls to coincide with the International Youth Day. The Sangguniang Kabataan, in the case of barangay, and the respective LYDC in cooperation with the Pederasyon ng mga Sangguniang Kabataan, in the case of municipality, city and province, shall take the lead in this observance.

Item letter B states: The observance of the Linggo ng Kabataan shall include the election of the counterparts of all local elective and appointive officials, as well as heads of national offices or agencies stationed or assigned in the territorial jurisdiction of the local government unit, among in-school and community youth residing in the local government concerned from ages thirteen (13) to seventeen (17). During said week, they shall hold office as boy and girl officials and shall perform such duties *and conduct such activities as may be provided in the ordinance enacted pursuant to this Chapter.

The Linggo ng Kabataan event in Barangay BF Homes was a special project of the Barangay BF Homes Sangguniang Kabataan supported by Barangay chairman Paolo Marquez. Unsurprisingly, the tremendous success of the event drew praise from the youth participants and already there are many who are hoping for another edition of it to happen.

We’ll find out in twenty-twenty.

Finally, here are scriptures from the Holy Bible that youth and all of you, my readers, will find uplifting.

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in the word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

1 Timothy 4: 12 (NKJV)

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, and will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus

Philippians 4: 6-7 (NKJV)

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenor is still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Christian Music Appreciation: The Potter’s Hand

August 11, 2019December 14, 2019carlocarrasco

Hello everyone! Welcome back to the latest installment of my Christian Music Appreciation (CMA) series which puts focus on songs that are not only great to listen to but are also holy and worthy of praising the Lord with.

Today, we take a close look at the song The Potter’s Hand which was released in 1998 by Hillsong Worship with words and music by the great Darlene Zschech. This is truly a beautiful song and at the same time, its lyrics are very meaningful and should make you reflect about your purpose and your existence.

Here are the lyrics…

Beautiful Lord, wonderful Savior

I know for sure all of my days are held in Your hand

And crafted into Your perfect plan

You gently called me into Your presence

Guiding me by Your Holy Spirit

Teach me dear Lord, to live all of my life

Through Your eyes

–

And I’m captured by Your Holy calling

Set me apart, I know You’re drawing me to Yourself

Lead me Lord, I pray

–

Take me

Mold me

Use me

Fill me

I give my life to the Potter’s hand

Call me

Guide me

Lead me

Walk beside me

I give my life to the Potter’s hand

–

You gently call me into Your presence

Guiding me by Your Holy Spirit

Teach me dear Lord, to live all of my life

Through Your eyes

So what does the song mean?

In my honest opinion, the clearest meaning behind the song relates to the creation of humanity done long ago by God and the purpose He prepared. In the song’s title, the word potter was used to symbolize the creator. The potter is the one who creates pots using raw materials and special skills (molding, timing, estimating, shaping, etc.). It was God, not some accidental phenomenon of science, who created the human race. As such, we need to go back to the very beginning in the Holy Bible starting with the Book of Genesis.

It was written on Genesis 1: 26-28 (NKJV):

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Take note that on verse 26, God’s words were “Our image” which turned out to be the Holy Trinity as explained in the New Testament. “Our image” most likely refers to such qualities as personality, reason and intellect along with the abilities to hear, see, speak and relate. In short, the human race was created with God’s characteristics and He really had a plan on establish the earth as a world filled with His creations that carry His traits. This truth alone is worth reflecting when we ask ourselves why God created us in the first place.

Part of humanity’s creation was for man to be God’s kingdom agent on earth. Man was meant to rule and subdue the rest of creation, including the aggressive satanic forces. God said, “let them have dominion,” which gave man the authority to execute and maintain His rules on earth. In return, it was expected that man be always obedient to Him for He is, after all, the Creator of everything. Man’s power to reign in life will extend only as far as his faithfulness to God’s law.

God’s creation of man and woman formed the foundation of the house of the Lord. Through them, He intended to manifest His character and authority, express his dominion over the earth, display His indisputable power over the works of darkness, and subdue His archenemy Satan. It was clear all along that God had plans for humanity. Those plans were created before each and every one of us were even born!

From the song was the line I know for sure all of my days are held in Your hand followed immediately by And crafted into Your perfect plan. These two lines strongly reflect what God intended when He created the human race. As such, evil human traits like racism, extremism, discrimination, killing, idolatry, unfaithfulness, destruction, rebellion and abuse are clearly wrong and completely in opposite to God’s plans for humanity.

As recorded in Genesis chapter 3, humanity failed when Eve was tempted by the serpent (the evil one) into eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil which she gave to Adam who ate it. Adam, who was specifically commanded by God to never eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2: 15-17), committed rebellion against Him which led to an enduring series of chaos (wars, genocide, fascism, murder, crime, abusive governments and the like) in our world even until now.

Generations later, God sent to us His Son Jesus. It was Jesus who performed miracles, made people aware of God’s plan and love for them, set examples in accordance to God being a just creator, and ultimately redeemed humanity from Adam’s rebellion (refer to Hebrews 2: 14-15, Romans 8: 38-39, John 11: 25, Romans 6: 3-5, Galatians 3: 13 and Revelation 20: 6).

Clearly God had planned to save the flawed human race with Jesus! His own Son was sent to not only bring hope but also give humans the good news that God cares, loves and is willing to welcome them into His kingdom…and all it took was having faith in the Lord!

Jesus, who died for people’s sins, came back from the dead, made His return felt to several people and eventually rose to Heaven, achieved the most tremendous victory for humanity through redemption. He truly is the Messiah, the Redeemer and the Son of God whom we should all be thankful, faithful and obedient to. Jesus is the one we all should look up to for all time in our lives. Jesus is also God in the flesh which alone makes it important for us to reflect upon our creation. Creation itself is what The Potter’s Hand reflects.

To truly connect with Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, it is essential to be born again (this includes receiving the Holy Spirit into your heart) and this means breaking ourselves free from the chains of religion (along with its idols, teachings and rules that hinder people from establishing relationships with God) as well as the chains of unbelief. Being religious is NOT the same as being faithful to the Lord. Christianity is not religion but a way of life complete with faithfulness and a living relationship with the Lord. There is more to the personal relationship with God than there is to religion, and this is the truth that religious people don’t realize or have refused to accept as they allowed themselves to be trapped by religion. By becoming born again and receiving His spirit, you will truly become a child of God as well as a saved soul.

Trust me. I know! In my old life, religion ultimately led me to ruin and becoming lost. I was even hostile to Christianity during my lost years. After becoming born again, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and then a series of positive changes plus blessings (including love) followed. Thanks to Jesus, my life has moved forward by leaps and bounds! My true purpose in life has been realized and my faith in the Lord will never fade away. I have been saved, reformed and redeemed!

As Lord and Savior, Jesus is the true reformer and redeemer for humanity. Reform to be worthy of becoming part of the Kingdom of God is only possibly by having faith in Jesus. Reform led by Jesus is way beyond what any man could ever achieve. A man living in today’s age of social media and smartphones can arrogantly present himself as a reform-minded savior (or “reformer”, a fake one at that) and attract some fans (some of whom become obsessed by his charm and even commit idolatry) by using technology but ultimately he will NEVER match the impact of Jesus! People who seek salvation don’t need idols, don’t need to worship people and don’t need religion. They need Jesus!

Remember these very powerful words Jesus said in John 3: 3 (NKJV)

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Going back to The Potter’s Hand, take note of the following lyrics.

You gently called me into Your presence

Guiding me by Your Holy Spirit

Teach me dear Lord, to live all of my life

Through Your eyes

–

And I’m captured by Your Holy calling

Set me apart, I know You’re drawing me to Yourself

Lead me Lord, I pray

As His children, God called us and He has plans for each and every one of us since before the beginning of time. The true purpose of being Christian includes humbling ourselves, submitting ourselves to the Lord, learning and re-learning His lessons with deep dedication (this means intense learning from Him through the Holy Bible), realizing His plan for each of us, repenting our sins directly to Him, being faithful to Him, following His lead and meeting His High Call. The above lyrics symbolized these elements.

Truly God created us all with very solid purposes. By realizing our true purpose as Christians, we acknowledge the Holy Bible (not rituals, not traditions, not idolatry and not religion) is the ultimate authority as it is the true path to Lord, having faith in the Lord is sufficient for salvation, having a personal relationship with God is essential, spreading our Christian faith to help save the many unsaved souls.

All these lessons as confirmed by Holy Bible make The Potter’s Hand truly a very holy and meaningful song. As such, The Potter’s Hand is worthy of praising the Lord with, especially on Sunday worship at church.

Trust the Lord with all Your Heart! Don’t Hesitate and Just Do It!

July 27, 2019May 19, 2022carlocarrasco

I want to share to you a valuable lesson I learned during Sunday worship service at church.

The lesson was all about putting our trust in the Lord.

It clearly makes sense. As I learned from attending prayer sessions, holy seminars, Sunday worship, listening to our pastors and reading the Holy Bible, God is a just god who loves us, who cares for us, who is gentle with us, who is merciful and, at the same time, He is NOT a tyrant. God gave us His begotten Son, Jesus Christ, so that we can all be saved and truly find salvation.

Those truthful descriptions about the Lord are some great reasons we need to put our trust in Him.

Why settle for less at all when we have the Lord? Why put our trust elsewhere or to someone who is inferior to the Lord?

Going back to the church lesson, the scriptures emphasized were in Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NKJV).

Let’s start with Jeremiah 17:5-6 (NKJV) which states:

Thus says the Lord:

Cursed is the man who trusts in man

And makes flesh his strength.

Whose heart departs from the Lord.

For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,

And shall not see when good comes.

But shall inhibit the parches places in the wilderness

In a salt land which is not inhabited.

Here is my take….we should always take the words of the Lord very seriously. In the above scriptures, it is made clear that people like us will not prosper nor find happiness, satisfaction, peace and harmony if we trust in people instead of the Lord. As His creations living in the flesh, we need to have the Holy Spirit in our hearts and realize our true purpose under the Lord. This brings me back to what I mentioned before: people need to be born again and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

We live in a really chaotic and screwed up world. There are indeed many unsaved souls living around us and among them are secularists, atheists, agnostics and others who prefer to ignore God believing that they can live greatly and happily without Him. There are also those who are trapped by religion (many of them even propagate religion helping it trap others and prevent them from establishing a true relationship with God) and they have yet to realize their souls need saving. There are also people who don’t realize they are spiritually unsaved or even spiritually lost. Clearly there is a curse when people don’t trust the Lord and instead trusted their fellow humans.

Be aware that as you trust in people instead of God, God Himself is watching you all the time and there definitely is no hiding from Him (Proverbs 15:3 NKJV). Don’t even think about running away or using the latest in technology to cover your tracks because God is almighty and you are better off coming out in the open, repenting to Him directly (this means NO HUMAN MEDIATOR and NO HUMAN INTERVENTIONIST between you and God) and surrender yourself to Him.

With regards to making flesh our strength, there are lots of people out there who end up being consumed by worldly developments. Instead of accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, there are those who prefer to become part of social or political movements (look at all those rallies that disrupt society, the activists who appear on TV spreading their ideology, etc.), or engage in crime, or engage in obsessive acquisition of money and/or things (under the influence of covetousness), or engage in the endless wave of news generated by corporate media organizations whose agenda is to manipulate people instead of informing them properly, etc. And there are those who allowed themselves to get lost by exploring social media.

Without the Lord, we would end up suffering, get lost, experience frustration and make the world even more chaotic. This is the cursed life the Lord warned us about when we trust our fellow man over Him.

There is however hope for people who choose to trust the Lord and He Himself is hope! Learn from Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NKJV) which states:

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

And whose hope is the Lord.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,

Which spreads out its roots by the river,

And will not fear when heat comes;

But its leaf will be green,

And will not be anxious in the year of drought,

Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

It is indeed true that a person who trusts the Lord gets blessed by Him. I know! I myself experienced that. Since becoming born again and placing my trust in Him, I have been blessed by the Lord a lot and, gradually, a lot of positive things happened to me personally not only financially but also socially, morally and within the family. I now have my own website, a new job, new business clients for freelance projects and I have prepared myself better for the future with regards to financial planning. Things have gotten better for me under the Lord and for as long as I remain faithful to Him, trusting in Him, honoring Him and applying His Word in my life, the blessings and favor from Him will continue to happen.

This bring me to my next point – the Lord cares! He is loving, gentle and absolutely blesses His faithful followers abundantly. All it takes to be blessed a lot by the Lord (and have a happier future complete with prosperity) is faith and the first step you need to do is to be born again and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Trust in the Lord is truly essential and the scripture above confirms that. Do not be deceived by others out there who would teach you the wrong lessons about trust. Do not allow yourself to be fooled or manipulated by taking inspiration from sources other than the Holy Bible. In my old life, I used to take inspiration from watching movies, reading comic books and playing video games. The result was a life of confusion, hardship and frustration for me. I certainly do not want these past experiences of mine to happen to you.

It took a very dear friend of mine to invite me to attend a holy seminar at her church and as the pastor emphasized lessons from the Holy Bible, I saw the light, and just a few days later, I repented and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

In my experience, trust in the Lord really started a series of positive changes in my life. It is normal for me to read the Holy Bible (applying lessons into my life), pray in tongues, practice faith by the heart, avoid worshiping idols (man-made objects and people), avoid doing repetitive prayers (religion’s deceptive practice), pray privately in my room with the door shut, give back to the Lord cheerfully, doing my part as a member of the spiritual family at our church and worship the Lord with them on Sundays. Becoming born again is truly the greatest change in my life.

Trust in the Lord and you will be reformed and get blessed. You trust the Lord, then chaos, curse and frustration will not affect you. Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV). There is no denying that!

Eventually after that, you will realize the happiness that comes being blessed and being a blessing to others. This is part of true Christian living and I confirm to you, my readers, that I got blessed and became a blessing to others.

With Jesus and God’s kingdom in you, you will be blessed and become a blessing to others. With God on your side and with the Holy Spirit in your heart, nothing is impossible.

Here is another verse from the Holy Bible about trusting the Lord.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5 (NKJV)

See? We are all better off trusting the Lord who created plans for each and every one of us before we were even created! Our true purpose in life is not about religion but it is all about the Lord! God has a high calling for us to realize, prepare ourselves by having faith in Him and to ultimately reach.

Don’t trust religion and other elements that will hinder you from connecting with Him. Go ahead to trust the Lord with all your heart and be more direct with Him because each and every one of us has a personal relationship with Him.

There is more to your personal relationship with the Lord than religion.

Let me end this piece with another significant verse from the Holy Bible for you all.

So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Acts 16:31 (NKJV)

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/

Christian Music Appreciation: I Need You More

July 7, 2019December 20, 2019carlocarrasco

We all need the Lord. We all need God and His Son Jesus. After all, the Lord created us and we were granted dominion over the earth as written in Genesis 1: 26 in the Holy Bible. If course, we humans living in the flesh who have the power to shape the world we live in can never achieve true happiness, goodness and holiness without Him.

As written in Psalm 115: 16, the heavens belong to the Lord while He gave the Lord to us. Man was created to rule over the earth in communion and fellowship with the Lord. To rule the earth without God is meaningless and will only lead to chaos, disatisfaction, frustration, sadness and even to the traps set by the devil.

All the more reason we need the Lord!

This brings me to another beautiful and very holy song. A song worth of praising the Lord with. A song that will move your inner feelings, especially when you have the Holy Spirit in your heart as a result of accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior.

That song is I Need You More, written by Kim Walker-Smith.

Below are the lyrics for you all.

I need you more, more than yesterday

I need you more, more than words can say.

I need you more, than ever before

I need you, Lord, I need you, Lord.

More than the air I breathe, more than the song I sing

More than the next heartbeat, more than anything.

And lord, as this time goes by, I’ll be by your side

Cause I never want to go back to my old life.

I need you more, more than yesterday

I need you more, more than words can say.

I need you more, than ever before

I need you, Lord, I need you, Lord.

I need you more, more than yesterday

I need you more, more than words can say.

I need you more, than ever before

I need you, Lord, I need you, Lord.

More than the air I breathe, more than the song I sing

More than the next heartbeat, more than anything.

And lord, as this time goes by, I’ll be by your side

Cause I never want to go back to my old life.

I need you more, more than yesterday

I need you more, more than words can say.

I need you more, than ever before

I need you, Lord, I need you, Lord.

I need you more, more than yesterday

I need you more, more than words can say.

I need you more, than ever before

I need you, Lord, I need you, Lord.

[x2:]

We give you the highest praise,

We give you the highest praise

We give you the highest praise,

We give you the highest praise

I need you more, more than yesterday

I need you more, more than words can say.

I need you more, than ever before

I need you, Lord, I need you, Lord.

More than the air I breathe, more than the song I sing

More than the next heartbeat, more than anything.

As a Born Again, I strongly relate with the song. I know what it is like to be a lost soul and I assure you readers that having no faith in the Lord is simply wrong and makes life empty, even makes a person more vulnerable to temptations and wickedness.

Thanks to my dearest friend in life, I got invited to a holy seminar at her church. So there I was, a non-believer and lost soul, entering the church surrounded by lots of people who are faithful to the Lord. I just behaved myself and observed the proceedings and worship. My dearest friend gave me her old bible. After witnessing the playing of Christian worship music, the pastor went to the podium and started preaching with lessons from the Holy Bible. As I listened, I started to see the light from what turned out to be God’s kingdom.

It was the Lord’s call for me to return to Him. That holy seminar had a deep impact on me personally and just a few days later, I realized…..I need the Lord! I realized that I need to restore my faith in Jesus and God the Father. My life back then was hollow and limited only to just surviving financially and focusing only on making ends meet without even aiming to better myself and rise. I realized that I could never improve myself and move forward a lot without the Lord. So shortly after realizing I need the Lord, I believed in Jesus again, repented and accepted Him as my Lord and Savior and strive to be faithful to Him for the rest of my life. That was when I became Born Again, a saved soul and entered the Kingdom of Light. I have been very blessed by Him too and now I know that He has a plan for me (created even before I got created) that I must follow to meet His High Call.

When it comes to the lyrics of I Need You More, the following lines resonated with me a lot:

And lord, as this time goes by, I’ll be by your side

Cause I never want to go back to my old life.

Those lyrics only reminded me of my renewal under God and Jesus. Becoming Born Again is truly the greatest miracle, the greatest change and the greatest moment in my whole life. For the Lord saved my soul through the help of my dearest friend (the Lord’s Holy Instrument), I will forever be faithful to Him and as a new creation my true purpose has been realized.

Having been born again, I will never go back to my old life. The old life that includes being trapped by religion and being treated like a prisoner, losing faith due to religion and living a very hollow life as a non-believer. Those days are over and nobody will fool me nor manipulate me to go back to my old life. As a Christian who received the Holy Spirit, got reformed and blessed a lot, I dedicate myself to the Lord. Reading the Holy Bible, understanding its lessons deeply, praying in tongues, spreading my faith and doing what I can to save the unsaved souls are now normal to me.

The truth is undeniable that we all need the Lord! If you have not been born again, then you must do it. Read John 3: 3 as well as the subsequent verses. Learn from the words of Jesus: Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and He will forgive you, accept you, reform you and you will realize your definitive purpose in life. True reform happens under the care of Jesus and God’s grace is something we can receive.

You will need the Lord even though you may not realize it now. Perhaps local society and occupations made you too busy and wore you down. You became so exhausted with duty and varied appointments, you ran out of energy to even reflect upon yourself and your faith. I encourage you to listen to I Need You Lord and check out the following lyrics.

I need you more, more than yesterday

I need you more, more than words can say.

I need you more, than ever before

I need you, Lord, I need you, Lord.

We all need the Lord! We cannot deny that and we cannot ignore God and Jesus! If you have been lost and frustrated, it is not too late to be born again to be with Jesus and become part of the Kingdom of Light.

Transformers at Toycon 2019

July 6, 2019carlocarrasco

During the recent Toycon at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, I took time out to take a look at the displays of the Transformers.

To be clear, the Transformers I got oriented with as a youth was way back in the 1980s when the animated series (specifically Generation One) was released which also saw the rise of the popularity of the accompanying toy line. I also have fond memories of the 1986 film The Transformers: The Movie.

Frankly speaking, I’m not too fond of the modern Transformers that appeared in the movies directed by Michael Bay. As such, I took pics of the Transformers at the exhibits of Toycon with nostalgia in mind.

To enlarge, just click the pictures.

*Generation One Transformers mixed with characters from The Transformers: The Movie.*

*Devastator (Constructicons), Dinobots, Insecticons plus some Autobots and Decepticons on display.*

And then I found more Transformers on display for sale (along with other figures) at one of the vendors at the main exhibition hall during Toycon.

Going back to the exhibit, there were two sets of the Transformers that really caught my attention as they expressed strong messages.

In ending this, I’d like to read a verse from the Holy Bible for all of you readers.

So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16: 31)

To the guys who prepared the Transformers carrying messages opposing drugs and expressing God’s love during the exhibit at Toycon this year, you did the right thing! Praise the Lord always! Believe in Him! Never let your faith in the Lord weaken!

Christian Music Appreciation: The Heart of Worship

June 30, 2019April 2, 2020carlocarrasco

To truly connect to God and His Son Jesus (our Lord and Savior), one must have a genuine heart of worship and deep faith. In this piece, let me discuss with you the beautiful and holy Christian worship song The Heart of Worship (written by Matt Redman) which was part of the album Intimacy.

We start with these two YouTube videos.

Below are the lyrics for your reference.

+++++

When the music fades

All is stripped away

And I simply come

Longing just to bring

Something that’s of worth

That will bless your heart

I’ll bring you more than a song

For a song in itself

Is not what you have required

You search much deeper within

Through the way things appear

You’re looking into my heart

–

I’m coming back to the heart of worship

And it’s all about you,

It’s all about you, Jesus

I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it

When it’s all about you,

It’s all about you, Jesus

–

King of endless worth

No one could express

How much you deserve

Though I’m weak and poor

All I have is yours

Every single breath

I’ll bring you more than a song

For a song in itself

Is not what you have required

You search much deeper within

Through the way things appear

You’re looking into my heart

–

I’m coming back to the heart of worship

And it’s all about you,

It’s all about you, Jesus

I’m sorry, lord, for the thing I’ve made it

And it’s all about you,

It’s all about you, Jesus

–

I’m coming back to the heart of worship,

And it’s all about you,

It’s all about you, Jesus

I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it

And it’s all about you,

It’s all about you, Jesus

–

It’s all about you

–

It’s all about you

–

I’m coming back to the heart of worship

And it’s all about you,

It’s all about you, Jesus

I’m sorry, lord, for the thing I’ve made it

And it’s all about you,

It’s all about you, Jesus

+++++

Clearly faith is meant to be done by the heart and not by the mind. There are verses in the Holy Bible about the heart of worship. Here are some for your reflection and enlightenment.

I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore.

(Psalm 86: 12)

speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

(Ephesians 5: 19-20)

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

(Colossians 16: 3)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

(Proverbs 3: 5)

And Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ (Matthew 22: 37)

Going back to The Heart of Worship, in my view the song emphasizes a person’s return to the Lord Jesus Christ with the will to worship Him. Lines like I’m coming back to the heart of worship, And it’s all about you, It’s all about you, Jesus, make this clear. It also acknowledges that the Lord looks into a person’s heart to determine if it is a heart of worship or not. In other words, there is no hiding on the part of people from the Lord.

This brings me to the lesson that worship is not limited in the form of words about a promise to worship but rather it is about dedication to worship the Lord, to trust in Him, to thank Him for His blessings, love and care, and live life with continued faith in Him. In short, worshiping the Lord is an essential part of genuine Christian living.

The song and the above bible verses strongly resonate with me for I had gone through the frustrations of religion-based living, descended into living in darkness (caused by religion), became a lost soul (for years I stopped believing in God and Jesus) before finding my way back to Lord by accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Being Born Again and being part of the Kingdom of Light, I received the Holy Spirit in my heart and I worshiped the Lord a lot more than my entire old life. My faith, my trust and my dedication to the Lord are stronger than ever before. This is my experience about living with a heart of worship.

It is indeed true that religion is not essential because the personal relationship with God matters more which requires faith (certainly not religion). As such, you need to be born again and I encourage you to read John 3: 3-7 in the Holy Bible.

Do not forget that you should only worship the Lord. Avoid worshiping idols, both living and non-living. Don’t worship people. For true Christian living, your heart of worship and faith are truly meant for the Lord only.

Christian Music Appreciation: You Are Holy

June 12, 2019April 1, 2020carlocarrasco

I love worshiping Lord Jesus and God the Father at church on Sunday worship along with our local community of very faithful and prayerful Christians. As part of our worship, our church’s musicians perform Christian songs using a combination of vocals, drums and electric guitars.

Before, I explained in detail why I love the song Happy Day which sometimes gets played at our church. There are many other Christian songs that can be admired, be enjoyed and be used to worship the Lord. One particular song that caught my attention lately is You Are Holy.

Released in July 1998 as part of the Hillsong Worship album Touching Heaven, Changing Earth, You Are Holy was written by Reuben Morgan and, to this day, many millions of Christians around the world listened to it and praised the Lord with it during Sunday worship. The late-1990s Hillsong Worship performance of it is available in video through YouTube which I recommend you watch and listen. Oh yes, Darlene Zschech‘s leading of the vocals is great.

To understand the essence of the song, posted below are the lyrics for you all.

You are holy, holy
Lord there is none, like You
You are holy, holy
Glory to You my Lord

I sing Your praises forever
Deeper in love with You
Here in Your courts
Where I’m close to Your throne
I’ve found where I belong

You are holy, holy
Lord there is none, like You
You are holy, holy
Glory to You my Lord

And I sing Your praises forever
Deeper in love with You
Here in Your courts
Where I’m close to Your throne
I’ve found where I belong

The lyrics clearly emphasize holiness, praising the Lord, glorifying Him, loving Him and the faithful Christian’s dedication to Him. Lines like I sing Your praises forever and Lord there is none, like You are understandably powerful. The lines Where I’m close to Your throne, I’ve found where I belong perfectly conclude the song.

The holiness aspect of the song easily reminds me of my relationship with the Lord and my true purpose in life. I should say that as long as we Christians keep being faithful, keep learning from His teachings and achieve whatever tasks the Lord assigned us with, we will ultimately be rewarded by Him accordingly (Revelations 22: 12) and God is always the righteous judge (2 Timothy 4: 7-8, Deuteronomy 32: 1-4) whose decisions are final, just and definitive. As faithful Christians who already accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we all should look forward to judgment because it is our opportunity to be found faithful.

Going back to the song You Are Holy, I love listening to it. Going beyond appreciation for it, the song really helps me praise the Lord in a very personal way. Truly You Are Holy is a holy song! As such, I recommend to you readers to take time out to listen to it from start to finish. You can order the album right here and here. Don’t forget to read the Holy Bible and pray in tongues to the Lord afterwards.

In closing this piece, I must tell you, my readers, to resist and disregard the propaganda being spread online emphasizing that the use of drums and electric guitar for playing music at church on Sundays is inappropriate to the Lord. That is simply false and whoever composed such propaganda are pawns of people who have narrow views about what church and Sunday worship music should be. Do not let those people fool you and instead of wasting time on them, focus on your relationship with the Lord and do not let religion get in the way. Back to music, the use of drums and electric guitars for Sunday worship music at church is actually fine and legitimate, and also useful to help Christians praise the Lord and connect to Him spiritually. Christian rock music is okay and so is having a band at church. Now we can move forward to the Lord!

Beware of Covetousness

June 2, 2019June 1, 2019carlocarrasco

In previous times, I discussed that the Lord rewards the faithful abundantly in return for their faith and accomplishment of assigned tasks.

As I learned from our pastors during bible study sessions at our church, the Lord truly rewards His faithful followers and He truly wants each and every one to prosper. In His Kingdom, there is indeed kingdom wealth and this clearly shows that there is no lack and no poverty.

For as long as we put God first while we live in the flesh being faithful, we can enjoy riches, the good stuff, the luxuries and other forms of profit plus even more so that we can afford to give to others. As I discussed before, the profit, luxuries and good stuff we enjoy here on Earth is only a fraction of the kingdom wealth that awaits us in Heaven.

While we the faithful enjoy rewards from the Lord, we must never lose track of Him. It is a fact that it is impossible to worship both the Lord and mammon. At the same time, we the faithful must be aware of covetousness and its corrupting effects.

In the Holy Bible, covetousness is a sin directed towards the acquisition of more possessions. This means wanting to acquire more things (while living in the flesh) and this is ultimately self-defeating and futile. Earthly things that are acquired without prioritizing the Lord are clearly not blessings from Him.

Covetousness is clearly emphasized in Luke 12: 15 which states

And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

To understand the whole story, Luke 12: 13-21 was about the Parable of the Rich Fool. Our Eternal Savior Jesus was speaking to a crowd when a man said to him “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus asked him who made Him a judge or an arbitrator over him, then he told the crowd about covetousness.

Jesus then spoke a parable to them…the parable of the rich fool. The rich man in the parable wondered what to do with his crops as he no longer had any room left for storage. Then he said he will pull down his barns and build greater so that his crops and goods will be stored. As he was focused on his possessions, he would say to his soul that with many goods laid up to last for many years ahead, take ease, eat, drink and be merry.

Then God said to him: Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided? (Luke 12: 20)

“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12: 21)

God called the rich man a fool because he was so short-sighted with his life, he focused only on his wealth and possessions living in the flesh. Clearly that rich fool did not prioritize the Lord and only cared of his own interest. Covetousness will not only lead to a hollow life, it will also lead to greed which itself leads to conflicts, crime, being self-centered and carrying other negative things of life.

The acquiring of more possessions under covetousness is not limited to material things and wealth. To covet also means getting someone and this is made clear in the Ten Commandments. Here’s a scripture for you and the words are from God.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s. (Exodus 20: 17)

And then there is also the coveting of the false god or idols. Long ago, God warned the people of Israel to not covet the gods of other nations. The coveting in this case on the part of the Israelites was about them coveting the freedom to commit sin that other nations had incorporated into their worship of gods or idols of pagan origin. Heed the words of God below…

You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it; for it is an abomination to the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 7: 25)

So it is clear. Put the Lord first, be faithful to Him, accomplish the tasks He assigned you with (note: God has a plan for each and every one of us) and then you will enjoy riches and the good life. What could be greater than abundant rewards coming from the Lord Himself? Think about that!

Jesus said, “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.” (Revelations 22: 12)

You don’t put the Lord first, then you are not rich towards God, you will be consumed by covetousness, and you won’t really enjoy your life and even your accumulated wealth. Trust me. There are rich people, in different parts of the world, living a sad and empty life. Covetousness is to think about or desire something so much, you will go to unreasonable measures to get it. To covet tells the Lord that you are not satisfied with what you have been blessed with. This, of course, blinds you of good judgment and what really matters most in your life.

Look at the different societies around the world. Covetousness clearly and negatively affected the lives of people and it is not limited towards the rich. Look at those bank robberies in which the robbers armed themselves, threatened people and even used tactics to break-in, disable security and organize planned getaways with the goal of escaping with a large stack of money or very valuable metals? The sad thing here is that these robbers are determined to harm and kill just for money! Think about that! Armed robbers would disregard other people’s lives for the sake of coveting wealth that they don’t even deserve!

Look at impoverished people who, during night time, go to a small business joint (or a family home), break in through the windows (or through a vacant aircon opening on the wall) then steal whatever valuable items they find inside. I’m talking about trespassing, damaging property and then stealing involved.

And then there are those “crime-less” acts of covetousness that get committed. A person can strive hard to earn money and/or find ways to get discounts all for the sake of buying the most anticipated video games for his gaming console. A person can go as far as exploiting the discounts of a big online sale ordering so many items that are not even needed. Along the way, the people committing covetousness can also harm himself/herself with the next bad thing – overspending!

Covetousness, again, is about desiring something or someone so much, you will take extreme measures to acquire successfully.

Clearly the Lord does not want people to commit crime or commit any bad deeds to gain something. The Lord knows fully well that criminals and other people consumed by covetousness are indeed foolish and sinful. The Lord is watching us all on how we spend or use the blessings He gave us, how we react on what is made available for acquiring within the flawed world system we are living in and what we do with what was acquired.

To really enjoy rewards from the Lord, you need to have faith in Him, repent to Him, prioritize Him and accomplish His assignment for you. This means opportunities to become a Kingdom Investor which I will emphasize in the future.

Clearly, you can enjoy riches, luxuries and the good life that the Lord will bless you with for as long as you prioritize Him and be faithful to Him. Don’t forget to discipline yourself with the money and other forms of blessings you received from the Lord.

What I have discussed with you here is not religion…it is the Biblical Truth. In my old life, there was never a single religious leader who ever warned me about covetousness or how we should handle the blessings we receive from the Lord. Religion did not help me connect to the Lord.

Religion will trap you. Religion will frustrate you. Religion will even corrupt you and lead you to greed and covetousness. The truth from the Holy Bible and having faith in the Lord and worshiping Him directly will set you free. I know! Because I experienced these in my life. I have been saved by Lord Jesus through His Instrument (a very dear friend of mine). Religion in my old life was darkness. As I learned along the way, it is better to be faithful to the Lord than to be religious.

There is more to your personal relationship with God than religion. You also need the Holy Spirit. You need to be born again and become a new creation in Jesus. Those are all true and you will realize it all eventually.

Are you a lost soul right now? Have you been living in darkness? Were you corrupted by covetousness and greed? You can still be saved and you have the power to decide to truly reform yourself! Reform does not happen because of a pretentious idealist who rants a lot on Facebook. Reform truly happens with the Lord and with His Spirit in your heart.

If you seek salvation now, learn that the first step is to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Clean yourself of the religious values that prevented you from connecting to the Lord.

Then pray the simple prayer in one of my past Christianity articles. It’s located at the end of my article Trust in God, Disregard those Idols and you only need to click here.

Remember that the Lord always blesses the faithful abundantly and He really wants us, the faithful ones, to prosper, be happy, be good and be able to give to others. Along the way, we ourselves have responsibilities to handle and we are still responsible over our circumstances just as we receive love and blessings from the Lord.

Resist the devil (whose tools include covetousness, lust, the frustration caused by religion and wickedness) by always being faithful to Jesus whose victory we should always remember.

With faith in the Lord and the Holy Spirit in your heart, you can be victorious, prosperous and happy eternally. Also never forget what Jesus said in Revelations 22: 12 in the Holy Bible.

Thank you for reading. If you find this Christianity article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenor is still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

My Observations: Mang Pandesal in BF International

May 27, 2019May 27, 2019carlocarrasco

In recent times, I spotted a new business at the corner of Tropical Avenue and El Grande Avenue in BF International, Las Piñas City. It was Mang Pandesal and their store was easy to spot with its red and yellow colors.

*Mang Pandesal is located at the corner of Tropical Avenue and El Grande Avenue in BF International, Las Piñas City. It is along the way to the nearby Village Sports Club.*

To put things in perspective, especially for the foreign readers viewing this, pandesal is a common roll of bread in the Philippines composed of eggs, sugar, flour, salt and yeast. It is found in many places all over the country from the rural areas to the commercial joints along city roads.

On the small business joint Mang Pandesal, simplicity is the best way to describe what they offer. The first time I went inside, I saw the counter and behind it was the space where the pandesal was orderly stored and there was an oven. They bake and sell small-sized pandesal at a very affordable P2 each. That’s it! Simple as that! Take a look at what I had the first time I bought a pandesal there.

*The lady carefully puts the freshly baked pandesal into a paper bag after I ordered some.*

*This is the small pandesal sold at P2 each.*

*The other freshly baked pandesal just waiting to be bought!*

After receiving the pandesal I bought, I opened the paper bag and looked inside. These small pandesal pieces look really cute. Then I pulled out one and ate it for the first time ever. It tasted good!

Clearly, Mang Pandesal’s bread really lived up to the Tagalog sign outside that said, “Masarap at malaman kahit walang palaman.” That loosely translates to, “Delicious and satisfying even without filling.”

One pandesal gave a good taste. Consuming two or more pieces means more of the good taste plus the satisfaction. Don’t forget the low price of each pandesal for sale which makes it ideal for buying by the bulk for the family or friends.

And then there was a holy scripture at the counter – 1 Corinthians 10: 31.

According to the New King James Version (NKJV) Holy Bible I’m using, 1 Corinthians 10: 31 goes as follows:

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

That scripture truly meant something. The next few times I passed by Mang Pandesal, I saw the store had a line of customers (some with their cars parked nearby) waiting to be served. There was a time when the customers were buying the available pandesal by the bulk.

And there was another time when there were customers ahead of mean just standing in line waiting for the next batch of pandesal to finish baking at the oven as the available supply of pandesal ran out!

From time to time, I failed to buy a single piece of pandesal there but I have no regret.

In fact, I can say out loud that Mang Pandesal in BF International is a blessed business by the Lord! They have the Word of God with them and it is truthful that the Lord blesses the faithful abundantly!

There is no poverty nor lack in the Kingdom of God. For as long as we are faithful to Him, we pray to Him, we follow and do His Word, and honor Him, the Lord will bless us and prosper us.

Going back to Mang Pandesal, I highly recommend buying pandesal from them whenever you pass by their store at Tropical Avenue corner El Grande Avenue. They are a blessed business and what they sell is unsurprisingly good.

Praise The Lord and Be Faithful To Him Eternally

May 26, 2019April 25, 2023carlocarrasco

Today is Sunday, the day the Lord made. Every Sunday, we go to church with our family members and our friends. We gather together not merely as a community of people but as faithful worshipers as well as a large spiritual family dedicated to praise and worship God and His Son Jesus.

Why go to church every Sunday? Is it because we do it as a tradition? No! Is it because we do it as an obligation? No! Is it because we practice religion? Absolutely not! We go to church on Sunday to praise and worship the Lord, learn the lessons from the Holy Bible (the ultimate authority filled with holy scriptures!), realize our true purpose as members of God’s Kingdom and be always faithful to Him! The praise and worship to the Lord are meant to be eternal!

Being faithful to the Lord is different from being religious. Religion, by nature, will frustrate you, will trap you, will limit you and will hinder you from truly connecting to God and His Son Jesus. I know! Because I experience that in my old life! To end the darkness and break away, I decided to truly reform myself by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Truly there is more to your relationship with God than there is to religion. To realize your true purpose under God, you need to be born again (read John 3:3-7). You need to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and only then will the Holy Spirit come to you and place Itself in your heart. You have the power to decide and make it all happen. What could be better than entering the Kingdom of God and be recognized as one of His children and be blessed with Kingdom Wealth, love and peace?

If you are a lost soul or a religious person whose soul remains unsaved, it is not too late to be born again and truly receive the Holy Spirit. Upon realizing your true purpose under the Lord, you will become a new creation. You will learn to pray in tongues (praying with the spiritual language), read the Holy Bible and understand it and live with it, do tithing, singing praise to the Lord with Christian worship music performed by the church band (complete with drums and electric guitars), engage more with members of your spiritual family (as Born Again, you are all children of God and members of His Kingdom), learn more from the pastor (who communicates with God), learn a lot from the ministry, and then you will realize how essential praising and worshiping the Lord directly really is.

As a new creation, you will realize how unnecessary religion truly is. You also will realize the futility of worshiping idols, both the living and the man-made non-living idols. You don’t need religion to connect to the Lord…you need faith, be born again and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. You can break the chains of religion and get rid of all those idols! Get rid of those statues and those images of the living and non-living idols because they are not worth of worship. Certainly those idols are not worthy of praise!

If you want to be saved, refer to the prayer at the end of my faith article Trust in God, Disregard those Idols (published April 17, 2019).

Going back to praising the Lord directly, learn from the holy scriptures of Psalm 150 (Let All Things Praise the Lord) I prepared for you below.

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary!

Praise Him in His Mighty firmament!

Praise Him for His mighty acts;

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet,

Praise Him with the lute and harp!

Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;

Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

Praise Him with loud cymbals;

Praise Him with clashing cymbals;

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord,

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150:1-6 (NKJV)

In concluding this piece, I embedded below the YouTube video of You Are Holy performed by Hillsong Worship. This is an example of praising the Lord with the performance of Christian worship music done by a band with singers playing with true holiness.

May you have a very blessed Sunday and keep strong faith in the Lord.

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