"Lifehouse Everything"

The Skyline Christian Fellowship Club (SCFC) never fails to brighten my day. This past week has been a stack of tribulations for me. I was worried over various family matters, busy with school, and just stressing about my personal life in general. But God never lets me forget His grace, nor does He ever abandon me. I cannot thank God enough for surrounding me with a family of believers who constantly remind me of His love.

My SCFC Family

Today I attended SCFC's Praise and Worship service. I usually go to the Thursday Bible Study group, so it was my first time to meet some of the Tuesday members. It was a pleasant experience; different people, but the same God. There is nothing better than coming together to seek the Lord. Like Jesus has promised, "For where two or three come together in My name, there I am with them" (Matthew 18:20). We are so blessed to be in His presence.

Join us for a night of inspiration!

Our Christian Club has a special event on Friday, March 2nd, entitled "An Evening to Remember". It will be held at the Skyline Theatre at 7:00 pm. We are collaborating with the Point Loma University Choir and Mountain International Dance Academy, hoping to convey God's love and spread His gospel to the audience. Additionally, SCFC has also prepared a short but moving skit that we are stoked to share with everyone. It is our rendition of the well known "Lifehouse Everything" drama. SCFC has worked really hard to perfect this play, so we only desire that God will be glorified through the show.

Jesus protects us from the enemy.

"Lifehouse Everything" depicts the beauty of salvation. Jesus Christ only yearns to cleanse us and spend time with us. Yet we fall into temptation, back slide, and shy away from God. Nonetheless, He does not forsake us. God sends His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, that we may have a second chance in life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). He never gives up on us. He incessantly fights our battles and guides us to the light. All we have to do is accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He is just waiting for us. "Lifehouse Everything" brings a powerful message: God's love is redeeming, self-sacrificing, and perfect. 

Jesus wants a relationship with us.

Listen to "Everything" by Lifehouse here:

☮ and ♥

Everlasting Solution

Feeling empty and stoic about my life, I remind myself that: "We can lack nothing, because Jesus died so we can have it all". My brother Freddy texted me these words some time ago. The message is brief and simple, yet its content impressive and powerful. I have known the reality of God's love since I was officially saved in 2002. Unfortunately, like many Christians, I tend to forget the significance and value of His truth. We have been blessed with the greatest Gift of all, Jesus Christ, by the grace and mercy of God. Yet we incessantly count on ourselves to fix situations, when He has already provided us a permanent, everlasting Solution.

A lot of things have been boggling my mind lately, random thoughts and questions about circumstances that are out of my control. These although do not involve me directly, hurt me, because I see my loved ones suffering. I take the problems into my own hands instead of lifting them up to God, and this has not helped me or restored the issues at all. I communicated my advice and opinions about their broken relationships, marriages, and teenage misbehavior management. However, without consulting God's Word first.

I was overwhelmed with unease. Hence, I tried to find immediate resolutions myself, when I should have sought for God's answers. Philippians 4:6-7 says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Oftentimes, we fail to remember God's love and grace. When faced with strife, we react impulsively, and take action on our own. While God is only waiting for us to approach Him.

Jesus is inviting everyone who is weary and burdened to come to Him, and He will give us rest (Matthew 11:28). We can easily be stress-free if we choose to surrender our worries to God. But the ball is on our court to give up our cares or not. Troubles are inevitable, but when we leave them with Him, they become less arduous to handle. As a matter of fact, we may even stop feeling the whole weight of the tribulation.

I am still concerned about my loved ones' well-being. However, I have decided to relinquish my concerns and distress to God in prayer. At this point, there is really nothing I can do. The reasonable and better choice is to trust in God and leave the driving to Him. I am uncertain as to where my loved ones' predicament will lead to, but I believe God's will will prevail above anything. And with Jesus Christ, the everlasting Solution on my side, I am assured everything will turn out fine in His time. Like Freddy said, "We can lack nothing, because Jesus died so we can have it all". Letting go and letting God.

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My Constant Struggle to Glorify God

Glorifying God is not as easy as it seems. It is not simply saying "All Glory to Him" when we receive a compliment, nor is it exclaiming "Praise God!" when we attain success. These are good outward displays of our appreciation and thanks for Him, however, what matters most in God's eyes is our hearts. The enemy is constantly lurking, waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack us and postpone God's perfect will. While our purpose may be selfless and our desires are innocent, we can never avoid the temptation of taking and enjoying the credit that is rightfully God's.

For the past year, I have made it a point to go beyond myself for other people each time I have the opportunity. I made it my personal goal to give back as my response to the numerous blessings God constantly showers upon me. I co-coordinated a successful service program for our honor society called CLICS (Computer Literacy and Internet Competency for Seniors) for our local community, where we provide senior citizens with one-on-one computer instruction. I volunteer my time to help fundraise for various nonprofit organizations like UNICEF, Make-a-Wish, and the American Cancer Society. And I tutor a partially blind student for most of my free-time, hoping to positively impact her academic and educational journey. People tell me I am such a kind soul, and that I deserve all the good things in life. However, I find myself questioning my motives, and become bothered with the same problem over and over: Am I doing this for God's glory, or for the personal gain of feeling pious and receiving praise?

I spoke to one of my good friends about my inner struggle. I shared how it has disturbed me immensely, as glorifying God becomes difficult when the issue of pride and self-esteem enters the picture. Thankfully, I communicated my concerns to someone who shared the same struggle. He told me how all of us are blessed with talents and gifts, whether it be in the form of singing or a giving heart, to bless others back with God's love. My friend has always been complimented for his angelic voice. He sings at his church choir, and is well-admired for this talent. Each time before he sings before the congregation, he prays that God be glorified through his service. It is a constant struggle to give the spotlight to God, when it is effortless to just embrace the glory. The enemy will always aim to confuse our intentions and muddle our thoughts, yet when we perseveringly seek God amidst all this cloud, we are assured that His purpose will always prevail.

My conversation with my friend has reminded me to consult God first before pursuing any endeavor. Good works are great, but when they are God-centered, the results will be to a much more significant extent than we could ever realize. I remember the story of Cain and Abel. Both of them had given their burnt offerings to God, Cain brought fruit and ground, while Abel sacrificed the firstborn of his flock (Genesis 4). God was happy with Abel because this was the offering He had asked for. Unfortunately, though Cain's offering was well meaning, this was not what God wanted from him. No matter how much I give back to others, if these deeds are not what God calls me to do, then I am pleasing myself and not God. Knowing and understanding God's design for our everyday lives will not be as complicated if we only focus on building a relationship with God. Develop a friendship and kinship with Him first, and all the answers to our cares will follow.

Glorifying God completely is still a battle for me. I want my actions to be inspired and moved by the grace of God, that others may see His love when they see me. It is easy to publicly proclaim glory be to God, however it is difficult to magnify His glory through our beings if our intentions are not fixed upon Him. Our chief goal in life should be to glorify God, and I will not stop praying that God overflows me with His love and presence. So that "now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death" (Philippians 1:20 NIV). Giving back is commendable, but to give back as driven by the Lord is amazing.

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Fruit Jam

Fruit Jam: Orange, Strawberry, Apple, and Green Grape, (missing Purple Grape)

After 30 years, since its conception in 1982, Fruit Jam has officially called it quits after Apple's demise. The group had been the biggest band Skyline College had ever seen. They were on top of the world, on top of the Skyline. Fruit Jam had got along well until the fame finally caught up to them. The band consisted of five fruits, Apple the lead singer, Strawberry and Purple Grapes as the guitarists, Orange the drummer, and Green Grape on bass. There is hearsay that the band members became more dependent on High Fructose Corn Syrup as they became more popular. Hence, it is under investigation whether Apple's death was a homicide or due to Fructose overdose.

Apple, Purple Grape, and Orange getting some 'Tose.

The High Fructose Corn Syrup addiction had been going on for awhile. The public only saw their success, while behind the scenes, they had already begun to break apart because of Apple's pride and impossible ego. Purple Grape could not stand his arrogance, Green Grape hated his attitude, Orange blamed fame, and Strawberry thought it was the 'Tose.

Apple posing with her 'Tose

The chaos that surrounded the band almost made it impossible to think that they were actually happy together once. Since their rise to fame in the 80's, their relationship had gone downhill... ultimately leading to Apple's demise.

Fruit Jam partying it up for the last time.

The Happy Days

Apple was last seen with Purple Grapes and Orange on the second floor of Building 7. The case is still being analyzed.

The last few minutes before Apple was spotted dead.