Throwback Memories!

                    When I was in college, my Philosophy teacher challenged my faith since he used to be an Atheist. I remember, he always asked me mocking questions that talks about my faith. Until one day, he asked me to write a short thesis or term paper about EXISTENTIALISM, ATHEISM and my Bible-based-FAITH. From then on, I started to have an in-depth study about Atheism and Apologetic. I used to go to University of the Philippines Atheist Circle or UPAC to observe them. Until my final day ends, I need to submit my paper defending my faith over Atheism and Existentialism. 

                    Defending one's faith is not easy but yet simple if you have God. That day was the boldest day of sharing the gospel for me. Not hesitating if I fail my subject. But God knows our heats. After the defense, my professor asked me to share the gospel for him in our class. (Those were my best memories in college). That is why, Philosophy is my favorite subject.

                    On my quest to know Atheism, I randomly read this mind blowing story, and I want to share it now.

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First story:

                An Atheist Professor of Philosophy was speaking to his Class on the Problem Science has with GOD , the ALMIGHTY. He asked one of his New Students to stand and . . .

Professor :Do you Believe in GOD ?

Student : Absolutely, sir.

Professor : Is GOD Good ?

Student : Sure.

Professor : Is GOD ALL - POWERFUL ?

Student : Yes.

Professor : My Brother died of Cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal

him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn't.

How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

(Student was silent )

Professor : You can't answer, can you ? Let's start again, Young fella. Is GOD Good?

Student : Yes.

Professor : Is Satan good ?

Student : No.

Professor : Where does Satan come from ?

Student : From . . . GOD . . .

Professor : That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student : Yes.

Professor : Evil is everywhere, isn't it ? And GOD did make everything. 

Correct?

Student : Yes.

Professor : So who created evil ?

(Student did not answer)

Professor : Is there Sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these

terrible things exist in the world, don't they?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor : So, who created them ?

(Student had no answer)

Professor : Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son . . . Have you ever seen GOD?

Student : No, sir.

Professor : Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?

Student : No , sir.

Professor : Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD , smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?

Student : No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.

Professor : Yet you still believe in HIM?

Student : Yes.

Professor : According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.

Professor : Yes, faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student asks and professor answers

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Professor : Yes.

Student : And is there such a thing as cold?

Professor : Yes.

Student : No, sir. There isn't, 

(The Lecture Theater became very quiet with this turn of events )

Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, super heat, mega Heat, white Heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There was pin-drop silence in the Lecture Theater )

Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Professor : Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?

Student : You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something.

You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light . . but if

you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness,

isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it is, you would be able

to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?

Professor : So what is the point you are making, Young Man ?

Student : Sir, my point is your Philosophical premise is flawed.

Professor : Flawed ? Can you explain how?

Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a Good GOD and a Bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Professor : If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going)

Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class was in uproar )

Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?

(The class broke out into laughter)

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? . . .No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures,sir?

(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable)

Professor : I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.

Student : That is it sir . . . exactly ! The link between MAN & GOD is

FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving. 

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Here's another story:

There was a professor of philosophy there who was a deeply committed atheist. His primary goal for one required class was to spend the entire semester attempting to prove that God couldn't exist.

His students were always afraid to argue with him because of his impeccable logic. For twenty years, he had taught this class and no one had ever had the courage to go against him.

Sure, some had argued in class at times, but no one had ever really gone against him because of his reputation. At the end of every semester on the last day, he would say to his class of 300 students, "If there is anyone here who still believes in Jesus, stand up!"

In twenty years, no one had ever stood up. They knew what he was going to do next. He would say, "Because anyone who believes in God is a fool.

If God existed, he could stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and breaking. Such a simple task to prove that He is God, and yet He can't do it."

And every year, he would drop the chalk onto the tile floor of the classroom and it would shatter into a hundred pieces. All of the students would do nothing but stop and stare. Most of the students thought that God couldn't exist. Certainly, a number of Christians had slipped through, but for 20 years, they had been too afraid to stand up.

Well, a few years ago there was a freshman who happened to enroll. He was a Christian, and had heard the stories about his professor. He was required to take the class for his major, and he was afraid. But for three months that semester, he prayed every morning that he would have the courage to stand up no matter what the professor said, or what the class thought.

Nothing they said could ever shatter his faith...he hoped. Finally, the day came. The professor said, "If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up!" The professor and the class of 300 people looked at him, shocked, as he stood up at the back of the room.

The professor shouted, "You FOOL!!! If God existed, he would keep this piece of chalk from breaking when it hit the ground!"

He proceeded to drop the chalk, but as he did, it slipped out of his fingers, off his shirt cuff, onto the pleat of his pants, down his leg, and off his shoe. As it hit the ground, it simply rolled away unbroken. The professor's jaw dropped as he stared at the chalk. He looked up at the young man, and then ran out of the lecture hall.

The young man who had stood, proceeded to walk to the front of the room and shared his faith in Jesus for the next half hour. 300 students stayed and listened as he told of God's love for them and of His power through Jesus.

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                        After this, I realized how important to really know who God is. GOD IS NOT DEAD. He is ALIVE. Well, so thankful to my professor who challenge me and because of that I know who my GOD is. To my professor...thank you sir for letting me share the gospel to you. So thankful that you opened your heart and hear the Word of our Lord. I am happy seeing you involved in campus ministry and even in music ministry. From your atheistic philosophy to bible-based faith principles.

                         Upon remembering our philosophy class story, we're both laughing. Like yesterday, he told me..."Ivy, mukhang gusto ko ulit marining kung panu mo ako pinahiya at ung atheist belief ko nun...ulitin kaya natin? Iba ka talaga, imagine ako professor mo pero ikaw nagmentor sa akin para maggrow kay Lord. Salamat sa walang sawang text about God at sa prayers mo." 

                      Haha, hearing this means happiness but of course, the best credit is due for the Lord Himself. To Him is all the glory!

                       To date, we're both exited to watch the movie that talks about God...GOD's NOT DEAD movie...soon.

#throwbackArticle #PhilosophyClass #faith #friendship #GNDmovie

LOVE IS

Once upon a time there was an island where all 
the feelings lived; happiness, sadness, knowledge, 
and all the others, including love. One day it was
announced to all of the feelings that the island was
going to sink to the bottom of the ocean. So all the
feelings prepared their boats to leave. Love was the
only one that stayed. She wanted to preserve the 
island paradise until the last possible moment. 
When the island was almost totally under water, 
love decided it was time to leave. She began 
looking for someone to ask for help. Just then
Richness was passing by in a grand boat. 

Love asked, "Richness, Can I come with you on
your boat?"
Richness answered, " I'm sorry, but there is a lot of
silver and gold on my boat and there would be no
room for you anywhere."

Then Love decided to ask Vanity for help who was
passing in a beautiful vessel.
Love cried out , "Vanity, help me please."
"I can't help you", Vanity said, "You are all wet and
will damage my beautiful boat."

Next, Love saw Sadness passing by. Love
said, "Sadness, please let me go with you."
Sadness answered, "Love, I'm sorry, but, I just
need to be alone now."

Then, Love saw Happiness. Love cried out, "
Happiness, please take me with you." But 
Happiness was so overjoyed that he didn't hear
Love calling to him. Love began to cry.

Then, she heard a voice say, "Come Love, I will
take you with me." It was an elder. Love felt so 
blessed and overjoyed that she forgot to ask the 
elder his name. When they arrived on land the 
elder went on his way. Love realized how much 
she owed the elder. Love then found Knowledge 
and asked, "Who was it that helped me?"
"It was Time", Knowledge answered.
"But why did Time help me when no one else
would?" Love asked. Knowledge smiled and with
deep wisdom and sincerity, answered, "Because 
only Time is capable of understanding how great 
Love is." 

WASTED

I'm done being nice and minding other people's feelings!

This time I need to put myself first and start caring about what I really want. I gave up something important more than twice! And sacrificed a lot because I wanted to protect something really precious.

This time it ain't gonna happen again.

Be happy. I hope it lasts. I shouldn't have been too nice, it doesn't mean that I made you happy the last time I was happy too.

You made a choice and so I'm making one too, don't expect that everything would still be the same, this would be the end of everything between you, me and everything else for the first time I think I had wasted my time, what a waste.

Optimism

We’ve all had our share of disappointments in life. We have all been discouraged and have thought of giving up. That reflection that used to stare at you from the mirror, straight in the eye; standing so tall and proud now hangs his head low.



In pain from the betrayal of people you used to trust and vowed to serve with all your life and might. In anger from not being able to take things into your own hands. In frustration from things not going as you planned them. In shame for your failure to achieve what you came to do.



Discouragement is not an easy thing to deal with. With discouragement comes depression; something that I have come to be fully acquainted with. But the former things; my past hurts and pains has taught me a lot in dealing with discouragement and also with my depression.

Cliche as it may sound, thinking positive still does the trick. Optimism is the key.



Having a clear mind on what to do next can actually help you get through any barrier that disappointment, discouragement and depression burdens you with; that is actually better than letting all the negative things just bury you six feet underground.



But above all, nothing and no one can get us out of all the shitty things that we can get ourselves into except the powerful arms of the one who loves us so much; the one who made us to be more that what we think we can be; the one who begs to disagree when all the world sees you as someone that you’re not; the one who wonderfully and fearfully made you for his purpose…it is our God who got me through…and I believe that He will continue to in the days to come.



So when you feel discouraged, hold on. He who began a good work in you will continue to complete it in you and through you. Do not give up on doing good, especially when you feel like not doing good, for you will receive a great harvest at the right time if you do not give up.

 Press on. You are blessed.

LIVE LIFE. LOVE LIFE!

"When you accept that hurting and healing are part of living, you can give up the fantasy that being thin controls your happiness."

Let's call his name as Superman, and I was crazy in love with him. Every breath he took, every word he uttered seemed as if it was designed to crack my heart open. I wanted to spend my life with him, grow old with him, have more children than Angelina Jolie with him. The only teensy problem was that he didn't feel the same way about me.

I was certain I could persuade him to love me, that he wasn't seeing clearly, that it was my job to show him that we were meant for each other. I was also certain that when I finally lost the 10 pounds I'd been losing and gaining for a hundred years, he'd be smitten.

And so I pulled out all the stops. I developed a sudden fascination for arts (his field), I baked cakes, I dyed my hair medium blonde (his preferred color). And most of all, I starved myself. I ate nothing but Grape-Nuts without milk for six weeks (don't ask). I chipped a few teeth, leached most of the calcium out of my bones, and probably depleted my muscle mass by half, but I did finally lose those 10 pounds. A few months into Project Superman, he fell in love with a size 16 brunette and moved away.

Most of the people are convinced that loves and losses can be titrated in pounds. That if only they were thin or thinner, everyone who didn't love them would love them. Life would be magical, easy, illuminated. In other words, they believe what many of us believe: If we control what we put in our mouths (and the size of our bodies), then we can control everything else. So we spend our lives focused on losing weight, believing that thinness will provide invincible protection from rejection, grief, and sorrow.

But as you probably have already guessed (or experienced firsthand), when you are as thin as you can ever imagine, the people who didn't love you before will still not love you, and the people who did love you before will love you still. People will come, go, leave, and die, no matter how much you weigh.

Talk about busting childhood myths. As children, we all believed that it was in our power to make our parents happy. If our mother was depressed, if our father was absent, if our parents fought incessantly, we were convinced that it was in our power to make things better. It wasn't. But how we self-medicated those hurts with food was, and still is.

"Well, I may not be in a relationship now, but when I get thin, I will find the perfect partner," you give yourself the illusion that you're in control. You may not be happy now, you tell yourself, but someday soon you will make a change and Prince Charming will suddenly show up at your door. You fool yourself into thinking that you have total control over when your unhappiness will end and perfect happiness will begin. And it has something to do with your weight.

How heartbreak can lead to overeating. It's the nature of hearts to break. It's in their job description. When a heart is doing what it's supposed to be doing, it holds nothing back. And sometimes it gets broken.

The hard part of emotional and compulsive eating is that in trying to avoid big heartbreaks, we break our own hearts every day. We eat more than our bodies want, we binge on foods that make us sick, we carry weight that makes it hard to move around. We tell ourselves mean stories about our thighs, our arms, our bellies. The cost of having the "when I am thin, everything will be fine" fantasy is that we end up trading the heartbreak of being alive for the heartbreak we cause ourselves.

And it's all to avoid something that can't be avoided. While we are postponing our joy for a future time when everything will be perfect, life is going on with or without our consent and we are missing it. People come and go, pain comes and goes. But so does joy. And if our hearts are closed because we don't want to suffer, they won't be open enough to recognize the joy as it flies by.

Hearts are made to be resilient. Think about it: Is there one thing that's happened to you that you haven't survived? Here you are, right now, reading this article despite all the heartache you've had in your life. Something in you is still awake, alive, eager to learn, ready to be moved.

And once you know that your heart is resilient, once you accept that part of being here on earth is, as a friend of mine says, living among the brokenhearted, then you can take in the huge streaks of delight, joy, and happiness as well. Once you understand that everything will end, you can finally let your life, the one you already have, not the one you imagine you'll someday lose.

JUST

I find that one thing I dislike the most is being left out.  Come to think of it, I'm not sure if I'm okay being upset about being left out of things.  I mean, technically when I'm invited places I often don't attend...so I get invited fewer places.  That makes sense.  It's logical.  However, I think a lot of the reason I don't attend is because I don't trust people and I feel odd.  I have this innate feeling that there's something wrong in me, or something wrong-er in me than others...like I have a target that people are waiting to pounce.  I doubt it's true, but I can't seem to shake it.  How do you shake that feeling?  Do you just hang out with more people and learn to fake it?  Do you eventually learn to be with people without that feeling at all?  Maybe it takes me getting to know individuals on a one-on-one basis first before I can trust.  I wish I knew.  It sure would save me a lot of trouble!

I mean, what comes first, the chicken or the egg?  Do I get left out because I cause myself to get left out?  Or do I get left out because they left me out first and then I responded by declining further offers to not be left out?  Does anyone out there understand what I'm saying?!  If so, can you please explain it all to me too!

I think I'm just tired of feeling like I'm the least on everyone's list.  I know I'm probably exaggerating, but whether or not its true, I still feel this way.  I assume someone would tell me that I'm feeling this way because of the abandonment I felt as a child and how growing up poor and being made fun of caused me to feel like people made fun of me all the time no matter what...blah, blah, blah...I suppose it's partially true.

One day I will be healed.  One day I'll learn to trust.  Or maybe it doesn't matter as long as I trust who matters...?  Or, maybe I don't even know how to trust them?

It's so so hard to cope up especially if you were a victim of bullying since childhood.

I was about to break down the other day...so I got out a piece of paper and wrote.

I just wrote and wrote and wrote.

I wrote down my fears, my irrational thoughts, my arguments within myself, and I wrote.

A Taste of God's Faithfulness

“Great is the LORD and most worthy ofpraise; his greatness no one can fathom.” Psalm 145:3

                Who can imagine travelling with a limited budget and all girls getaway?

                 We departed Cubao, Quezon City, Friday,May 17, 2013 at exactly 10:30am. Road an ALPS bus and headed to Lipa, Batangas.I must admit, we really don’t know each other personally, (came from all walks of life) but our hearts became one and united because of one cause-to have fellowship in Christ. From Lipa, we transferred a bus heading Nasugbu, still in Batangas. Then, blessings started to pour out.


            On our way to Nasugbu, a young boy named Jude came to our lives. He is just 12 years old but very friendly and have a golden heart. We really don’t know theplace we are going to but God sent this man to help us. At first, I personally doubted this young boy, a hesitant heart knowing the situations in thePhilippines but then, God let me see His goodness through this young boy. He helped us get a good bus though we were a chance passengers, but there were good samaritans offering us good seats and enjoyed our trip to their towns. We traveled almost 3hours going to an island, we didn’t have our lunch yet and tired from work before that trip, if only us, we might ended up sleeping but this boy who’s really chatty talked a lot, we laughed and listened to him without noticing that finally we’re on the place already.


            This instant tour guide became our companion during our trip. His goodness really ablessings to us. He cooked our food, he gathered stones, dried leaves to makefire, he even guided us in swimming, he shared stories even made us laugh. He even brought us pillows and mat to sleep. Truly, God is working through him. Even though, his adopted father got mad because he didn’t personally ask permission to stay with us, this young boy did a lot of good things to us. What I like about him is his open heart about Jesus. I believe God has a plan for his life and it’s not an accident that we’ve met him.

            On our day 2 of stay in that island, as early as around 8am, God allowed us tomeet a pastor from Wawa Community Christian Church together with his churchmates. Truly, God blessed us. Ptr. Rodel Alveyra made our day 2 stay such a memorable one. They have church activity in the island but he didn’t leaveus, he even toured us in another beach and let experienced the goodness of God. He even talked to us and ministered to us by sharing his faith and testimony that made us realized many things. I personally felt how blessed I am to have Jesus Christ in my life. Until he treated us with good, simple and delicious-fresh lunch. It was my first time to eat “ADOBONG OCTOPUS WITH GATA”, at first, I was hesistant, but when I tasted it, superb, I even forgot my diet and had my 2 rounds of plate eating in full.


            Another blessing came to us when we met our tricycle driver and we called him “tatay”. He is a christian and his stories blessed us. He drove us safely from Wawa to Brgy. Calayo.


                The name itself said so, Calayo. Yes, travelled almost an hour before going to another place but instead of us whining, we appreciate the greatness of God thru His nature.

            Finally,our trip has come to an end but not in spirit. We headed back to Manila but what we experienced there will always be our special memories.

          “Job 9:10 He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles thatcannot be counted.”

                 I’m running out of words so let me havethis moment to share my composed song when we’re on our way back to Manila.

Mighty
Lyrics and Music by: Princess Ivy Fernandez (Faith)

Verse 1:
I am at this age and time
When I’m figuring out
How to spend the rest of my life

Verse 2:
I think of the life that You led
As I learn about everything You did
And all that You said

Pre-Chorus:
And sometimes when I feel like I’mfalling apart
I get on my knees, close my eyes, andopen my heart
To all that You are

Chorus:
Because I can fly across the world
Travel on for so long and so far
Take the sky to touch the stars
Oh I can fly across the world
Stray away from the orient pearl
But no matter where I go
You will always be the mightiest Saviorthat I (they/we) will ever know

Refrain:
So I’ll sing, I’ll sing of Your love
In the hopes that those lost as me
Will follow the sound
And I know I can never find a betterway
To wake these young souls who areslowly going astray
And find brighter days
 
Repeat Chorus