As we gather here today for this occasion, we come before you with grateful hearts.
We thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate during this Christmas season. We are reminded of the love and hope that He brings to our lives.
It is said in your Scriptures :
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. – And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us ”
“So when he came into the world, he said, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.”
We pray for harmony in our village, that we may come together as a community and support one another. May our interactions be filled with kindness, understanding, and compassion. Help us to embrace the diversity within our neighborhood and create an atmosphere of unity and acceptance.
Lord, we also ask for your peace to be upon our children. Protect them from harm and guide them in the paths of righteousness. May they grow in wisdom and understanding, and may their hearts be filled with joy and love.
We also want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for the dedicated admin, maintenance staff and security personnel who tirelessly serve our community. They work diligently behind the scenes, ensuring the smooth operation of our neighborhood and the safety of our residents.
We thank you for their commitment, professionalism, and unwavering dedication. Bless them abundantly, Lord, for their hard work and selfless service. May you grant them strength, wisdom, and protection as they carry out their responsibilities. We are truly grateful for their presence in our lives.
Thank you o Lord for the joy, fellowship and the food we will be partaking tonight. May you be our unseen special guest in this gathering tonight – to bless us and grace us with you presence.
Finally, We lift up our families to you oh Lord. We ask for your watchful eye and protection over them during this season. Keep them safe from any harm or danger, and surround them with your love and grace. May this Christmas be a time of joy, laughter, and cherished moments with our loved ones.
In the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ , we pray. Amen.”
We come before you this afternoon with grateful hearts, thanking you for the opportunity to gather with our precious children. We thank you for this wonderful event that brings us together to celebrate your love and hope.
We also want to thank all the moms, dads, and children in attendance. May you bless them with your love, peace, and joy.
Let us stretch our hand over them…
We want to thank you for the beautiful weather today, and for the safe environment in which our children can participate in this event. We pray that you continue to watch over them and keep them safe throughout the day. May they have so much fun and create lasting memories with their families and friends.
We ask that you bless the activities (and games) that they may create an atmosphere of joy and unity among all who participate.
We pray that children will find happiness in today’s event and experience the warmth of your love.
We are grateful for our HOA President Ruel and BOT Secretary MeAnn Tala, members of the Events Committee the Admin Staff, and all those who have helped make this event possible. May you bless them for their dedication and hard work.
Lord, as symbolized by this event , may we thank you for the hope that you gave us through the resurrection of your son, Jesus Christ. As your word says in John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.”
May we always remember the hope and new life that we have in Jesus.
We pray that you bless this event and all those in attendance. Lord, we ask also for your guidance throughout this event, so that everything will go smoothly, and most importantly, that your name will be glorified.
May your love and grace shine upon us and unite us in faith and love.
who are the most important people here today, guests; ladies and gentlemen.
Pastor Abet leading in the Opening dedication of the gym.
It is a pleasure to be here today, and I thank you for the opportunity to officially re-open your La Residencia De Starosa Village gym.
I pass on the apologies of the Pres Ruel who unfortunately is unable to attend this inauguration today as his wife has a medical appointment, VP Ric with a sudden business call, Sec Mary Ann Tala -with an early family trek to North of NCR, and Treasurer Ed who is still with his wife at Japan.
The re- opening of your new gym today is a culmination of dream that we can use this new equipment while inside the comfort and protection of our village, near our homes.
Though we are still finalizing the details on how to use it; like the use of the treadmill which needs an AVR or surge suppressor -or maybe a need to hire a fitness trainer, It is best for you to be able use most of it now.
However, your valuable inputs are still welcome for us to properly maintained and benefit from them.
Gyms like these provide a balance in our work-family-personal axis. Feel free to inquire, register and try out this facility and give us your feedback on how we can serve you better. I am sure that this facility will be a wonderful asset for our village – long into the future.
I would also like to acknowledge the previous board in starting this and would like to ask some of them to speak briefly on this ( none were present though ):
Former President: Susan Herrera V. President: Noel Noma Secretary: Allan Paolo Zerna Internal Auditor: Theodore Martin BOT Member: Criselda Pantaleon
We shall now go into the blessings and prayers for the building, to be lead by Pastor Albert Nazario; Discipleship pastor of Christian Home Baptist Church, Biñan; Member of CCF and Life Coach of Crossover.
It now gives me great pleasure to officially declare the LA Residencia De Starosa Gym -re open .
It is an alien concept . Grace is given only to a child of God – but never mentioned that those who persist in living their own way, away from God – experience it- unless God Himself made an effort to find and rescue him /her.
Some said – because He send his prophets and messengers to rebellious people – it proves that Grace is common to all people .To them preaching , proclaimation or teaching is the equivalent of Grace .And yet grace always saves – and restores the broken relationship between God and man.And yet no preaching of the gospel ALWAYS saves its hearers.
In fact – the Lord Jesus warned his disciples , -in the parable of sower – that some will seemingly accept His message , but will not bear fruit nor persevere until the end.
This doctrine just came up in history because Arminians wants to escape the horn of Pure Pelagianism – i.e. Grace is not necessary for man to be saved – since man has no fallen nature. He is just influence by the influence of his parents or his environment .
Also, to escape the Fatalism that is more like of Islam than Christianity’s Augustianism / Calvinism.
That man is merely automaton, and Fate is a depthless abyss – not related to other communicable traits of the Godhead. Nor related to the Lord Jesus Christ.
And so they have a halfway doctrine – not supported by Scripture. Most verses are as clear as the sun – that the persuasion ,the drawing , the conviction to sin , the inducement to believe – all references is to the one who truly believes in the Lord Jesus for his salvation.
To them – it is necessary but can go only so far.
Now who made us to differ in our response then ?
How much prevenient grace does God apply to each individual -before he responds favorably to his promptings/inducements? The just answer for an Arminian -would be “equal for every man” -or they will be back at the horns of effectual/invincible grace. Or they can say -in proportionate to the natural inclination of the particular person to the general revelation. However -once they use this kind of reasoning -they are now inserting the concept of works, merit or natural inclinations into the equation of salvation – consciously or not.
The doctrines of grace were not there -to defend the Sovereignty nor the Justice of God -He does not need to. But these teachings about grace are there to protect the doctrine of salvation -that it is all of Grace. It is free, unmerited, -not conditioned in any qualities or lack of in a man. I still don’t understand why ministers and pastors of the Word would not like to defend such a teaching -which magnifies the salvation which wholly of Grace? Without the details of Definite atonement and Irresistible Grace coming to the discussion– I believe that every truly converted Christian knows in his heart that -salvation is wholly and totally by God in Jesus Christ alone.
How do then God apportion prevenient Grace to the mass of mankind -prior to their conversion? Will it be based on their family background? Education or lack of it? sincerity or hardness of heart? susceptibility to God’s Word or future effectivity in missions? Every time we mention human or earthly factors – we are nearing the possibility that salvation is based on human merits or demerits -instead of God’s purpose and grace alone. Even if we start with an equal amount of prevenient grace, we will be going to the drain of human contingency -that only human background, actions, inaction, or tendencies can settle or be determinant -on who will believe after they received the so-called prevenient grace.
Whether equal or proportionate – the horns of faith plus works will enter the salvation equation. Instead of relying on the mystery of God’s own Wisdom and Free Choice – we have opened it to the danger of the Council of Trent or Semi-Pelagian view of salvation – an amalgam of Grace and Man’s works.
Sa buhay , kung minsan dapat kang sumakay Sa estribo ng jeep na punuan Kung gusto mong makarating sa paroroonan.
Di masarap at kung minsan tagilid Pero umaarangkada pa rin Kaya kumapit lang Kumapít ng mahigpit At pasa saan ay darating ka rin .
May oras na umuulan na , wala pang masakyan Ang meron lang ay punong punong bus at jeép. Kung hinde ka sasakay ay baka maiwan ka sa ulan at baha Di makapasok sa susunod na araw
Di madali at kung minsan delikado Pero ikaw ay umaarangkada pa rin Kaya kumapit lang Kumapit ng mahigpit At pasa saan ay aabot ka rin
O kababayan , tandaan may humahawak Sa atin . Sa ating kamay at sa ating likod . Di mo man napapansin,andyan Sya. Kapag tayo ay nasa estribo ng buhay. Madulas o maka bitaw Mayroon hahawak ng mahigpit sa atin
Para tayo makadating at magawa natin Ang pagkatawag sa atin Mahigpit ang Kanyang kapit At pasa saan tayo ay aabot din .
In the TV series Numb3rs, the brother of an FBI agent -a mathematician from a university -is used as a consultant -to solve crimes – to predict the actions of the criminal, or to map out the area of his safe zone during his crimes or his victims, And it takes a lot of factors in order the proper equation to work. Time, place, acceleration, speed, frequency, and such. And this is needed to predict or trapped a criminal in his next move.
The TV Series about the Eppes brothers
In a game of chess – besides being proficient with your defense and offense strategies -one must know the habits and favorite strategies of the opponent -and his favorite teachers -current or historical. Using both his imagination and logical and mathematical intelligence -one can beat his opponent – 2 or 3 steps or more ahead of the actual game. There are many Ai machines created to simulate the inner workings of humans’ minds -to beat the greatest living grandmaster of the game. Another proof that mimicking and predicting the human mind is not an easy feat. Not just in the realm of pure math.
Garry Kasparov against AI-Deep Blue
I will not go into a comparison of foreign survey companies or the historical records of survey companies like Pulse Asia, Octa Research, or even Social Weather Station for the past 20 years or so. Some are more reliable than others -but most cannot explain the surge on the day of the election – so they use post-election exit surveys -which we cannot verify 100% if this is based on live or ground data or just following the result of the votes counted, or their methods, or their source of answers. We need them to be more transparent in their methods and the raw data they gathered -and I don’t see these organizations doing it willingly in the future.
As in social media platforms -like Google, Facebook, Twitter -there should be legislation to regulate -not ban, the use of election surveys -which is not just about the freedom of the press and the electorate -but is now meant to defeat the sovereign will of citizens -by being brainwashed by the bandwagon effect. Instead of leveling the playing field -these politicians and their public relations experts are weaponizing surveys and statistics against their opponents. We can start by requiring them to publish their questions, methods, identity or at least pictures of their interviewers, sponsors of such surveys – and print in 2-4 major newspapers . So it is not just charts and numbers -but something that all cans scrutinize and learn from it. This will immediately stop the mindless bandwagon effect -since citizens will be using their critical faculties in analyzing the data . Unless this is done -said surveys are just tools to fool our countrymen.
Zuckerberg appears in Congress as Facebook faces bipartisan hostility
And as I said before -2400 or 3000 persons surveyed in our archipelagic nation -will never reflect the will of 55M to 65M voters. If it is true -then why go through the electoral process with its cost? It will be cheaper to just get a survey -and decide on our leaders through it. But you know that this is absurd and mocks the idea of representative government -a republic. Some surveys are being used by those with autocratic or elitist tendencies. They envisioned a society where their kind will know what the mass of people needs and govern accordingly -without their consent or their ideas on how to solve the nation’s problems.
As for the bandwagon effect -yes, we do ask our barangay officials and friends and associates – and we weigh in their answers and advice -but it is not the blind reliance on the pseudo-omniscience of the surveying organizations. We can verify their suggestions based on our experiences in the local situation. Not on supposed achievements created out of thin air or grabbed from others.
Following the majority is not always safe
It is true that we do use surveys -especially for understanding historical trends and hope we can deduce from that -future consumption or preferences of people. This is how producers of hamburgers, laundry powder, soft drinks, beauty soap, or cars use this data in their marketing and their business plans. But it still depends on the type of questions asked, factors considered in the questions, and the source of the data. Mere thousands of people do not reflect the freedom of a million people.
That is why marketing strategies are still not 100 % exact. They do allow a 3-5% margin of error -based on the previous pattern. They are all mental constructs by men trying to have a grasp on the choices of millions of consumers. The better the mind who created the survey and its questions, format, and factors -the better the survey result will be of utility for the marketing company or arm of the manufacturer. We must understand -that many manufacturers do not rely on these marketing surveys in creating their products. They directly ask their customers what they exactly needed.
Some companies use surveys to protect or improve their product and services -so that customers or consumers will have fewer negative experiences and avoid future transfers to their competitors. However -if the surveying company did not make a pre-survey meeting or conference with their client -they might ask the wrong questions or frame them differently which will lead them astray from their intended focus. It can give them interpreted data -that is shallow or clouded.
Marketing research that helps companies to engage productively with heir customers
I am more concerned about the question of the freedom of man and God’s sovereignty over temporal matters. Especially in civil government. It is easy for surveying companies to simplify their questions and thus neglect other factors that citizens of a country consider when voting for their democratic leaders. Most populist politicians hope that they can reduce the competition to a single issue -like drug wars, crimes, labor wages, and similar topics. This is gross manipulation and a marketing ploy so as not to address the multi-faceted problem in nation-building. We need no Messiah -for there is only One. What we need are world-class socio-political managers -that will handle the details of the law, justice, inequities, economics, sustainability, and peace and order in our nation with the help of the local leaders and citizens.
The image that launch the 3-6 months promise of a drug-free Philippines
By the relentless attacks of the politicians and their surveyors on said strategy -the sovereign citizen is dragged as a herd toward a view that does not respect their freedom as image-bearers of God. But even so – it cannot still factor the contingency of the human act -based on many factors, not included, ignored, not known, or even not understood in such strategy. Those who disdain the sovereignty of God tend to manipulate men in their use of their freedom. If they can get them to be emotional or irrational -as long as they choose the ‘good’ that these Pelagians deemed important -it is right for them to use these methods
And this is here where God and His Sovereignty are also ignored. Men will rely on their horses, chariots, and numbers and discount the spontaneity of men and other beings and materials of this universe-which God have decisive control. God is omniscience and omnipotent. He knows all factors and knows all possibilities and agencies -and He is approachable through the sincerity and faith of humans who believes in His existence, power, and holiness. Holiness -that men cannot approach on their own -unless they regard the righteous lordship of Jesus Christ. But men and even Christians would like to think that politics and surveys are amoral activities and thus not under the Lordship of Jesus. Math and politics are neutral areas -where their god – ‘science’ (in fact pseudo-science) reigns supreme.
So, should we stop doing surveys? No. there are many uses for them within the limits of understanding of what happened to a representative sampling – of actual historical data -like how many died in the Spanish flu, when it started and how long it took for it to peter away; but assigning omniscience or prophetic or seer’s value to such -is idolatrous and sort-of numerologies similar to those used in masonry or hidden knowledge societies. We must peel away the secrecy of said activity -by having it publish in major dailies with the concurrent information we discussed above ; and limit it for the prudent use of resources of political groups only and not to divert or focus it in brainwashing the masses into a bandwagon mentality by its pre-digested results.
Eto lang expectations ko sana sayo bago ka tumakbo sa pagka-presidente :
Aminin publicly na nagkamali ka sa pagsuporta kay D30 sa kanyang marahas na drug war-mas lalo na ang mga Death Squads at EJKs nya.
Tuligsahin si D30 sa pagmumura at pagsalangsang sa Ngalan ng Ama at Hesu Kristo. Irenounce ang pagiging Mason mo o kung ano aman yuong ginawa sa States with the Masons.
Huwag mangako ng libreng pabahay na walang pagkukuhanan ng pondo kungdi sa utang o sa buwis ng bayan.
Tapusin ang totoong 4 na taong College Degree o yung 2 years na Masters of PUblic Adminstration
Utusan ang asawa na tumigil na magpost ng magarbong pamumuhay. MAs mabuti siya ang manguna sa mga sociall amelioration agenda mo.
Kumuha ng matapat na Evangelical Chaplain , Civil Engineer, Accountant at Lawyer na matapang at di masisindak sa yaman mo.
Ayusin na ang kulang na buwis mo sa BIR – mag settle ka na at idiscuss mo sa media yuong gagawin mo para maayos ito.
Suportahan mo na lang muna ang matuwid at di bumigay na kandidato sa pagka-presidente . May panahon ka pa. Pwede sa 2028 o mag-run ka as Vice President para lumakas tyansya niya.
The Cruz brothers have a successful life. both engineers – the oldest , A mechanical – called Niko , is a genius when it comes to motors and bolts.
He is employed by a big Japaneese automaker before he went in his own – both selling and repairing cars.
The younger is in chemical , employed by the Gongshai’s in their dangerous chemical plant. He is call Demokrito – from the ancient Grecian politician.
But both are lovers of the Bato mountain – they are resting at its foot . After this day -they are planning to rest for awhile in the city -before going back to metro Manila
Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Concepcion
Zamboanga City has always been Catholic. The city was made a fortress against the Moro pirates and the influx of Islamized Tausugs. There were manoy Subanen there when the conquistadores ‘discover’ the Philippines for the Spanish king.
But Muslims influx from Sulu and nearby places continued to pour on . The Archibishops of that city made sure that evangelization continues while continuing a precarious balance amongst the Muslims in their archdiocese.
Usually the mass was given by the Archbishop…and this day was not different. Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral was full, for it is its feast day.
Packed with 300 parishioners or so …the 9 o’clock mass was always ecpected by the masses.
While Archibishop Romero is in his homily – about the faith of Mary and how we should emulate her …the ground moved.
It was intensity 7. Epicenter is in the sea – just near the city.
This happened during the end of the rainy season. After Typhoon Helen had ravaged Davao, Cotabato and Pagadian cities.
It is both a howler with heavy rains. And most people scathed by the typhoon are still in the evacuation centers.
He is the son of the governor of a Visayan province. His name is not only chosen from Castilian surnames , but of Castilian lineage.
His father died in the hands of the Japanese Imperial forces. While his uncle – whom he considered as second father – was incarcerated during the dark years of the New Society.
They are five in the family. And he chose instead the quiet life of an accountant, or so he thought – bred in one of the universities in Manila and then in the States.
Then he met his wife, Annalene De Guia – who will finished law in another university and then served for a law firm with Asian connection.
Their courtship started in court case. He, representing his client as their witness while she for her own . Then for awhile they parted ways due to their professional goals.
Gerardo dela Cruz is his name.
His brother was the politician but he was branded as a communist sympathizer -when he was not. And so he died while leading the flag ceremony at the town hall plaza.
So he run as a mayor and won. But before that he was a secret consultant for Interpol dealing with banking fraud and flow of jihadist money.
Then knowing that is not enough , he became a Congressman, then a Senator in just a decade and a half.
Now he is the number one rival for the next election of the current president’s family – Ronualdo Hapayhari.
Walk by Grace thru Faith 