update on nico...

today, the TEKNON kids had their Nutrition Month program. this year's theme was about veggies. after the various presentations, including a little talk from our school nurse, Ross Arco, the children worked on coloring their headdresses. i was SO pleased and surprised to have this reaction from nico when i went to take his picture. he has really come out of his shell and i could NOT be happier...

it just hit me...

my preference for my dad's next wife would be someone who knew my mom, respected her and even liked her. this way we could have shared memories of someone who was very significant to me. she might even have stories about my mom that i have never heard and that would make me like my dad's second wife even more. alas, that's not going to happen... the woman my dad plans to marry next month is a TOTAL stranger to me and to our family. she has NO knowledge of my mom and she doesn't even pretend to appreciate who my mom was to us. i can't really blame her because my mom is just someone who is from my dad's past. but, it doesn't make it any easier to deal with this new woman in my dad's life... i told my dad recently that i always thought he was a one-woman man, but, boy, was i wrong! i guess even the best of men still feel they need a wife to feel complete, fulfilled. i mean, why else would an 80-year-old man remarry?????!!!! i guess this just goes to prove that, deep down, men are really polygamous and one woman will never be enough for them...

this morning, one of our TEKNON nursery 2 students came to register for the new school year which begins on june 13. his name is nico aycardo and i've been watching him grow and mature for the past 4 years. when i first met nico, he was SOOOOOOOOOOO shy, he wouldn't even raise his head to look at you. when his class had to perform during our TEKNON programs, he wouldn't open his mouth. but, in the past two years, he has become more confident and outgoing and has really come out of his shell. i like to think it's because TEKNON is a school that truly cares for the kids. not only that, the kids care for each other. we're really like FAMILY here! so, it's always so gratifying to me as the school superintendent when students return for the next school year. nico was in nursery 2 last school year, but because he's already 5 and in the new Philippine school structure of K-12 which begins this year, he should already be in Kinder 2 so that he will enter Grade 1 when he/she is 6, i decided to accelerate him to Kinder 2 this school year. he will have to work a little bit harder with the material, but i think he can do it. i'll be watching him with great interest to make sure he doesn't get too overwhelmed. this reminded me of an experience from my childhood. back in the 1960s, you had to be 7 in order to enter grade 1. my parents waited until i was 7 to enroll me in grade 1 at karuhatan elementary school. my best friend at the time, frances, was a year younger than me, so imagine my dismay when her parents changed her age from 6 to 7 on her enrollment form. this allowed her to be in the same grade as me!! i still don't understand how a pastor and his wife could do that!! shouldn't they have known better???? my dad was already a pastor at this time and he and my mom would never fudge on an enrollment form. when we emigrated to the states after i finished 3rd grade at karuhatan elementary school and i enrolled at bannockburn elementary school, i was a year OLDER than everyone my age because in the US, you started grade 1 at the age of 6. even in high school, i was one of the eldest in my class!! thank God for college, however, when folks of ALL ages are enrolled and nobody thinks twice about it... but, in your elementary years, sometimes kids can be so cruel and make a big deal if you're older than the rest of the kids in your class. because of all the negative feelings i experienced during my childhood, i was happy to accelerate nico to Kinder 2 so that he won't suffer like i did!! needless to say, i'm excited to see nico's progress this coming school year!

"Good Things Ahead" by Holley Gerth

this is too important not to share...

I open my email. I glance over my to-do list. I look at the appointments on my calendar. It seems like it will be an ordinary week. And yet... Something inside me, something inside you, longs for extraordinary. I tend to think that those kind of moments just aren't part of our day-to-day. What if it's more that I'm not always looking for them? Or that I sometimes rush past them even when they're in my path?

I think of the story of Moses and the burning bush. Moses is in the middle of the desert tending sheep, the equivalent of being in the middle of a work day for us today. Yours might happen in a cubicle in your kitchen with toddlers around your feet, in an airport. And right there in the middle of that ordinary, God shows up.

I love what comes next...

"When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush...." Exodus 3:4

When Moses stopped to pay attention.

When he took time to notice the extraordinary.

When he turned aside from his to-do list...

God changed everything.

Yes, there are seasons when we're simply called to be faithful, to do the simple and even unnoticed. But you just never know when it's going to be your time for a burning bush moment. You never know when God is going to step in and do the gloriously unexpected. We don't have to make it happen. We only have to be watchful and then willing.

It makes me smile to write these words.

Because our burning bush might be just around the corner.

Maybe today.

Maybe tomorrow.

Let's keep watching, keep waiting--God has more than we can even imagine ahead!

--Holley Gerth

(photo is a stained glass at Sacred Heart, Jersey City)

[near] drowning

Isidros with the Evenden Family
Ontario, Canada
1968


this morning, i remembered an incident during the summer of 1968 that could have turned tragic. our family was in ontario, canada visiting the family of aunt janice evenden, my mom's penpal from her high school days. one day, we went to lake ontario to swim. there was a deck that was at the edge of the lake and the rest of the kids were jumping from the deck into the lake. i had no idea the lake was so deep and i totally forgot that i really don't know how to swim!! when i jumped into the water, i instantly felt myself sinking to the bottom. i also remember thinking, "i'm going to die here!" i might have come up for air at least one time, but, after that, i really have NO recollection of how i was rescued.

maybe it was ruth, aunt janice's daughter, who saw my struggle and came to my rescue. to this day, i have NO idea how i made it back on to dry land. if i had died then, that would have been such a sad ending to our famiy's canadian vacation...

i'll have to ask my brother or sister if they remember this incident. and, if i ever find ruth evenden who became MY penpal for several years after that visit, i will also ask her if she remembers anything about that day. but, more than anything, i would really just like to thank that person for saving my life!

my meditation on TALENTS given to the High School students at Philippine Christian Gospel School

Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Philippine Christian Gospel School (PCGS)
Junquera Extension, Cebu City
High School Chapel @ 3:50pm


I understand the theme for your chapels this year is I Am Making A Difference For Jesus. And today, I’ve been asked to speak on “talents” and using them for God. I thought it would be interesting to see first what people have said about “talents.” Maybe you’ve heard some of these:
Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God. Leo Buscaglia (author, motivational speaker, and a professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Southern California)
I believe talent is like electricity. We don’t understand electricity. We use it. Maya Angelou (poet, novelist, educator, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist)
Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work. Stephen King (American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction)
Balance, peace, and joy are the fruit of a successful life. It starts with recognizing your talents and finding ways to serve others by using them. Thomas Kinkade (American painter)
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best. Henry Van Dyke (American author, educator, and clergyman)
The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German poet, play-wright, novelist, and natural philosopher)

Which one of those quotes resonated with you? For me, it’s this one from Winston Churchill--To every person there comes in their lifetime that special moment when you are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to you and your talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds you unprepared or unqualified for work which could have been your finest hour.

The word “talent” as we understand it today is defined as “a recognizable innate ability,” such as being artistic, being musical, being intelligent, good with numbers, good in sports, good in public speaking, anything that is considered a natural endowment or an ability of a superior quality. Synonyms for the word “talent” include aptitude, flair, genius, a gift, a knack. All of us are gifted with at least one talent, although I believe that everyone has more than one talent.

I asked my friends on Facebook to tell me what their talents are and how they are using those talents for God. Here’s what my Auntie Becky Brion wrote: ‘singing, speaking in public, counseling, writing. Not to mention mothering. Other talents are either gifts or developed.”

Another friend sent me her list which included:
• Leading: I am the SS Principal; I disciple young mothers
• Singing: I sing in the Women's Choir
• Teaching: I teach in the SS: Adult Class
• Counseling: I am tasked to counsel when the need arises; some members come to me for advise, consultation, and/or counseling.

Some of these talents are natural abilities, but we can definitely have more talents if we work at developing them.

This parable that is found in Matthew 25, verses 14-30 is the passage that is often used when the topic of “talents” is discussed.

FIRST, A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON THIS SCRIPTURE PASSAGE
In the previous chapters in the book of Matthew, the Lord Jesus has been answering a recurring question from His disciples. That question is: when are you coming back? And five times in chapter 24--verses 36, 42, 44, and 50 and then in 25:13, He says, “No one knows the day nor the hour.” The Lord, however, has given them signs of what will happen just before His coming. He's given them many details regarding the events around His Second Coming, but regarding the exact moment and the exact day, He has not told them because that information is not His to tell. It’s actually only God the Father who knows when that will happen.

Another reason why the Lord doesn’t tell His disciples is because He wants all men to live in anticipation of His coming. The Lord expects everyone to always be on the alert, ready at all times for this great event to occur. In other words, the Lord was calling them to constant readiness. Or, to put it in terms that we can relate to in our present day and age, especially with the ever present danger of terrorism, we would say: We should be on high alert! It’s really just that simple: “Be ready.” That was the Lord’s command to His disciples and this command is still true for us today.

So, in chapter 25, He calls for constant readiness and He does this by telling two parables: the parable of the virgins in verses 1 through 13 and the parable of the talents in verses 14 to 30. Both of them basically have the same message: be ready! With the parable of the virgins, however, the emphasis was on waiting—-that internal attitude of the heart that is longing for the coming of the Lord. With the parable of the talents, the emphasis shifts to that of working until the Lord comes. The Lord is reminding us in this parable that while we are waiting, while we are watching and looking forward to His return, we should still be serving. That means that we should be making the most of our God-given talents and abilities and opportunities for stewardship and witnessing that will come our way.

This parable of the talents is also for Christians—those who are born again; those who are assured of their eternal destiny because they have given their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ.

At the beginning of the parable, Jesus tells us about this man who travels to a far country. In those days, when one traveled, they could be gone for a year, two years, maybe more. But, before he goes away, he calls his servants and gives them their talents.

These servants were really his stewards. He trusted them with his property and his business. He tells them that he will be gone for a long time and he wants to make sure that his business is taken care of properly; that his investments will earn and not lose. He’s giving these servants responsibility to take care of everything that he cares about.

He then proceeds to give them their talents. The word “talent” in this parable means a “variable unit of weight and money” and this talent could be either in gold or silver.

Because the master has varying levels of trust with these servants, you will notice that he doesn’t give them all the same amount of talent. In verse 15, we read, “unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to each according to his own ability…” What the servants received was probably a bag of silver coins weighing 5 talents, a bag of silver coins weighing two talents, and a bag of silver coins weighing one talent.”

Notice also that he gave the bag of talents to every man “according to his ability.” The master felt that the man who received a bag weighing 5 talents had more ability than the man who received a bag weighing 1 talent. That doesn’t mean that one is more superior than the other. It just means that we are created differently from each other. We have different mental capacities. We have different verbal capacities. We have different skills, different talents. Not only that, but we have also been exposed to different situations. We have differing family backgrounds which means we have different privileges, different opportunities.

All of this is God’s design. It’s OK to be a one if that’s how God designed you. He could just as easily have designed you to be a five or a two. All of this is simply part of God’s plan for you. God has given each of us a bag of talents which is based on our capability.

Looking at servant #1 with the bag of 5 talents, we can really see how much he loved his master. As soon as he gets the bag of silver coins weighing 5 talents, he immediately goes to work. He responded instantly to the challenge from his master. The Bible doesn’t tell us what he did. Maybe he bought a field and cultivated it and produced the crop that he harvested from that field earned him a bagful of coins worth 5 talents. Maybe he bought a piece of land, then turned around and sold it. Whatever he did, what’s important is what we read at the end of verse 16, "He made..." The Greek word for “made” is kerdaino which means “to profit.” In other words, He doubled his master's money. That shows maximum commitment on his part. That's the point the Lord is making--Servant #1 made the most of his opportunity, of his talents.

The same is true with servant #2—the one with a bag of silver coins weighing 2 talents. He also took advantage of the privileges and opportunities that were given to him to make a maximum return on his master’s investment in him. He also demonstrated his ability to be a good steward of his master’s money.

Servant #3, however, was a different story. In verse 18, we read that he dug a hole in the earth and hid his lord’s money. Back in those days, that was a very common practice if you wanted to save your money. They would find a good spot to bury their money and they would map out the location with x number of steps from a tree, so they would be able to remember where their money is buried.

But, can you see what the problem was with servant #3’s decision? It was a bad decision because he did absolutely NOTHING with the bag weighing 1 talent. He wasted his opportunity. He wasted the trust that his master had in him. He wasted the privilege and the challenge that the master had given to him to give back a full return on the master’s investment.

Even if we have only been given 1 talent, we’re still responsible to use that 1 talent, to improve that 1 talent, to be a faithful steward of that 1 talent. The point is not that people with 1 talent are less talented. That is not a fair nor a true statement! The real point here is that we’re responsible to give to God a return on that tremendous opportunity or talent that He has given to us.

What happens next in the parable is called “the reckoning.” We can find this in verse 19: “After a long time, the lord of those servants comes and reckons with them.” The word "reckon" is a commercial term and it means to compare accounts. The master has finally returned and he wants to look at his books. That's the way it's going to be when the Lord returns. He's going to come back and take a look at the books and see what we have done with our talent. He wants to see if we have really given the Lord a whole life of service in return for the talent that He has given us.

So, what happened in the reckoning? Verse 20 says, “He that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, Lord, thou deliverest unto me five talents, behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said to him, Well done thou good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I'll make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord. And he also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliverest unto me two talents, behold, I've gained two other talents beside them. His lord said to him, Well done good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I'll make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

Two out of the three servants gave their master a full return on their talents. And what was their reward? The Lord tells them that they will become rulers over many things… God will give them even more responsibilities because they have proven they are trustworthy and that they can do the job.

There’s something else that the Lord told these two faithful servants. He said, “Enter thou into the joy of the Lord.” Not only did they receive a verbal commendation from the Lord, but they will also enter into the joy of the Lord Himself. It’s inconceivable to us how awesome this joy will be because our finite, human minds cannot wrap itself around what “incomparable joy” would look like, what it would feel like, but, we are told that we will experience this “joy of the Lord” some day when we see our Lord Jesus face to face.

It would be so nice to just end the parable here, wouldn’t it? A nice, they-lived-happily-ever-after ending. But, unfortunately, we still have to look at the third servant, and his story at the reckoning isn’t as pretty as the other two. He told his master, “I just received one talent… I knew you were a hard man… I was afraid and went and hid the talent in the earth.” So, servant #3 gave back the one talent to the master. And, in response, the master didn't say “well done good and faithful servant.” Instead, he said, "you Wicked and slothful servant."

Servant #3 told his master that he was afraid. He probably meant he was afraid that if he tried to invest that one talent and lost money, he would get punished. Then he says to his master that even if he did gain something from the investment, the master would take it from him anyway. In his mind, it was a LOSE-LOSE proposition. And because of this fear, he thought his only option was to hide the bag of silver coins weighing 1 talent in the earth and deliver the bag as is when his master returned.

After the Master said to servant #3, “You wicked and slothful servant,” in verse 27, He says, "If you knew that I was such a hard man, you should have put My money to the exchangers and then in My coming I should have received Mine own with interest.” “Exchangers” is a word for bankers. If servant #3 had given the bag weighing 1 talent to these “exchangers,” the chances are that he could have added a little bit of interest to the 1 talent he initially received. It wouldn’t have been a full return like five on five or two on two, but it would have been something.

During the time of reckoning is when our service to God will be evaluated and the Lord will find out who His true servants are. Those who have used their talents and given God maximum return on His investment will not be ashamed at the coming of the Lord. Those people will actually be quite excited because they know they have something positive to show to God. They know that God will not be disappointed. These are the people who will say to God, “Thank You for the trust you placed in me, for the talents you gave to me to invest for Your Kingdom. I am pleased to present to You, my Lord, the return on Your investment.”

At this time of reckoning, the good and faithful servants received more privileges, more opportunities for service. The one who earned another bag weighing 5 talents was given the bag weighing 1 talent from servant #3. That’s because servant #1 showed he could handle all that responsibility given to him with excellence and God rewarded him with more!

As for servant #3, the master ordered that he be cast into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is, of course, a picture of hell. It is a place that is far away from God. It is a place of torment as described by the phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth” which gives the picture of pain that will continue for all eternity.

SO, WHAT CAN WE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS PARABLE?
The Lord’s point is very simple: Be faithful to maximize your talents, your God-given abilities. Give back to God MORE than what He has given you. Give Him a FULL return on His investment of you as His child, his faithful steward.
So, what can we do to make sure we are doing all we can with the talents we have been given? May I suggest the following:
1. Make a list of the things you do well—-chances are, those are the talents with which God has blessed you.
2. Then, use those talents and abilities that He has given to double the Lord’s investment in us so that when we stand before Him one day, He will also say to us, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”

When we come to the end of our life here on earth, wouldn’t it be great to look back and say that we have given back to God more than what He initially gave to us? How wonderful if we are able to give God 10 talents from the initial 5 that He gave us! Imagine how pleased God would be to get back more than what He invested!

This parable is also a reminder that we need to be always alert, always ready and prepared for the Lord’s coming again. But, until He comes, we need to be diligent and faithful in serving Him, using the talents He has given us to the best of our ability.

I mentioned earlier than this parable is for those who are already saved, who have made a personal commitment of their lives to God. If you still haven’t made this decision, you can read about why this is so important and how you can have the assurance of salvation that will give you the promise of life eternal in heaven with God. We will pass out the tract entitled “God’s Plan of Salvation” as you leave this afternoon. This tract was written by my dad, Dr Gadiel Isidro, and after reading through it, just pray the prayer of commitment, sign your name and give the tract to Mrs. Gigi Changco who will collect them for me. After we have collected the signed prayer of commitment, we will send you a Certificate of Second Birth to serve as a reminder of this important day in your life.

ALLOW ME TO CLOSE WITH THIS PERSONAL NOTE
On January 2, 2010, my mother, Dr. Marge Alcala Isidro, went home to be with the Lord. She was 27 days shy of her 80th birthday. In many ways, my mother was a very talented person. She was an educator, a professor at the college and seminary levels. Her expertise was in the field of Christian Education. She was a very creative writer who had a wonderful way with words. She was artistic—she loved to do pencil drawings, especially when she was younger. She was also very good at keeping her home in tip-top condition. She had a green thumb and was very passionate about her flowers, her vegetables and her fruit trees. She also loved animals. But, her greatest passion was her love for the Lord Jesus. Everything she did had to be done with excellence because she knew she was doing it for her Lord!

She was probably one of those people to whom God gave 5 talents and she took those 5 talents and gave God a 100% ROI (return on investment). I know that God was pleased with her efforts and when she entered into heaven, I’m sure she heard the words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your Lord!”

No matter how much talent God has blessed us with—whether it’s 5 (like my mom), 4, 3, 2, or only 1, what’s important is that we do not hesitate to double God’s investment in us. We must find ways and means to use our talents for God—to bring glory to Him and especially to bring others have to a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s remember Winston Churchill’s words: To every person there comes in their lifetime that special moment when you are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to you and your talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds you unprepared or unqualified for work which could have been your finest hour. And let’s add to that, “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

So, starting today, let’s resolve in our hearts that (1) we will use our talents for God and (2) we will give God a 100% return on His investment in us!

A Tribute to my Mom, Dr. Marge Alcala Isidro

A TRIBUTE FROM KRISTINE FERNANDEZ
EL Church-Forest Hills Vesper service
January 2, 2011 -- the 1st death anniversary of Dr. Marge Alcala Isidro


Good evening, everyone, and thank you for giving me this privilege to pay tribute to a grand lady, Dr. Marge Alcala Isidro.

I had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Marge for 10 years. For most of that time, she was my CE teacher. CE here at EL Church-Forest Hills is serious study of the Bible. Dr. Marge made sure of that. Some years back, she made a long-range plan for our CE classes that would go through the books of the Old and New Testaments, covering about 17 years. We asked each other, “Do you think she’ll live long enough to see all these implemented?” We were just kind of apprehensive, but we never doubted her wisdom in doing so because we were awed by her dedication and faithfulness in teaching God’s Word. She made it clear to us that our faith should be taught and passed on to the grass roots level; that individual lay persons be grounded in God’s Word in order for them to stand against the “wiles of the devil” and against false teaching.

Dr. Marge’s CE class was called the Berean class. I think it was because when the apostle Paul went to Berea (Acts 17:11), he found the Bereans to be “fair-minded – they received the Word with readiness and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

And search we did, when Dr. Marge assigned us to report on whole chapters of the book of Amos. We were in the Minor Prophets when Dr. Marge left. She would give us quizzes and exams and she’d make us participate in class discussions and encouraged us to ask questions.

My fondest memory of Dr. Marge was her use of maps—maps of Biblical times and of Israel’s history, the time of the judges, the kings of Israel and Judah, the time of the prophets—in whatever time and event we were studying. She showed us where it happened on her maps. I was just amazed at how well she would pinpoint those places. These maps made our study realistic. It strengthened our belief that these stories in the Bible are not mere literature, but they happened in history. [It was] when I came to EL and had Dr. Marge as a teacher that I realized that maps are precious tools for study.

Dr. Marge came to class ready, having done her research and hand-out notes—every single time. She carried along her maps and pinned them to the board while we were still taking our snack (after the morning worship service). Other times, she would write on the board the Hebrew words which we would be studying, not to make us Hebrew scholars, but just to widen the scope of our knowledge. She’d even incorporate English and speech in our studies, introducing new words to add to our vocabulary. And, she would correct our pronunciation. Like, I used to say Heh-broo and Heh-broos. She had to correct me about six times before I was able to pronounce it correctly—Hee-broo and Hee-broos.

Our CE class always ended in prayer. We would stand around in the circle holding hands and Dr. Marge would pray for each one of us.

She stirred us to want to learn more so that a good number of us were encouraged to enroll at EL Theological Seminary (EL-TS), taking up a subject or two. Some even went on to full-time study.

My best subject under Dr. Marge at EL-TS was Theological Foundations of Christian Education. I was really blessed with that study. I hope that one day, Dr. Marge’s lecture notes on this subject will be published in book form so that many could benefit from it.

The verse that, for me, would best describe Dr. Marge’s commitment is 2 Timothy 2:2—“And the things you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

Yes, I miss my CE teacher. But, more than missing her, I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to be Dr. Marge’s student. I would very much like to tell her, “Thank you, Dr. Marge, for gracing my life.”