The effective Way to accomplish things

We can accomplish things with hard work but we are ineffective without God.

Graduation time!!

A weird graduation I hope the graduation 2 years ago will not happen again. I pass by this university almost every time I go to my office. On April 25, 2020, I saw this sad reality brought by the pandemic... a mother and daughter celebrating the graduation all by themselves. A different kind of graduation …

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Harassment for doing the right things

There are things that our society approves which are contrary to humanity, decency, and are absolute evil.

More than a peace-lover

If we make this our goal at each food pantry, we will be called sons and daughters of God.

Experience life the way God designed it

Our reality will be transformed, not only we will see things differently but we will experience things in a whole new way.

Regard for the weak

“the ability to get right inside the other person’s skin until we can see things with his eyes, think things with his mind, and feel things with His feelings.” - William Barclay

Desiring complete goodness

In His grace, God does not judge us merely by our achievements but also by our intentions and emotions.

The secret of receiving blessings

Their meekness allows them to be comfortable and undisturbed and thereby receive the blessings from heaven and the blessings here on earth.

Sorrows that reveal wisdom

To mourn with the sufferings of others renders us to purely serve with compassion and excellence.

Frailty that brings strength

Humility reveals our own frailty that brings us the inner strength to do the will of God.

Changing the worldview

Jesus came to our world with a different worldview. He was murdered because of His words, His faith, and His lifestyle. Literally, His perspectives in life were out-of-this-world! When He delivered His greatest Sermon on the Mount, people were dumbfounded... they were awe-struck! Even now, most of us cannot fathom the entire meaning of His …

Wishing, hoping and the certain end

We wished everyone a Merry Christmas... ... now hope for a prosperous and healthy New Year Last year, we cannot wait till 2021 was over, now, we are hoping that 2022 will be a breakthrough year. We have been through a lot these past 2 years. Many of us lived in an atmosphere of despair, …

Overused word – CHANGE

Our lives were changed forever The way we relate to each other, the way we eat, the way we celebrate, how we worship, how we work, what wear, what we buy, where we go, where we live, why we do things in new ways, why CHANGE!!! The only constant It's an old cliche but true! …

Barriers Breaker

The Pharisees and the Sadducees were very familiar about Jesus' challenging the norm. He breaks the tradition, questions the culture and breaks the barriers that we put around ourselves.

Real Food for Real Hunger, Part 2 – The Mistaken Search

Sometimes, we look for the wrong things in the wrong places...

Real Food for Real Hunger, Part 1 Learn from the Master

Five thousand men were fed. The miracle recorded in John 6:1-12 was the only miracle recorded in all 4 Gospels. John recorded the boy provided the bread and fish, Matthew recorded that Jesus withdrew from the crowd after John the Baptist was beheaded, Luke recorded the place was Bethsaida and Mark reported to have the …

The Future of Food Pantries, “It’s not about Food”

Food insecurity could be a symptom of many different challenges in people’s lives. We need to understand the deeper needs of our neighbors and then connect them with other community resources... in the process of giving away food.

Modern day Reformers – Atmosphere Changers

They see the opportunities in adversities, they challenge the status quo...

Cultural Change – Reformation

Innovation could be the opposite of status quo

Culture Change, Part 1b

Awareness of our Relationships Social media relationship is not the same as an authentic human relationship. As culture-changers, we have a tremendous opportunity to re-introduce the basics: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Relationships are the link between the false and real …

Culture Change Part 1

When there is a need or crisis, there are also opportunities to ‘quantum leap’ to the “real reality.”

Refocus

This season of our life is distinct in nature. Like the lake where boats glide over the waves during summer but now is one vast thick ice so is the phenomena of our reality.

The Ultimate miracle

The Bible tells us that Abraham and Sarah were way too old to conceive a child, in fact, Sarah was barren. Another weird story is Mary, who gave birth to a Son without any intercourse. How about the bones of dead people that came back together, grew sinews and became alive? These are absolute miracles. …

Harmony

Most of us experienced harmony in our lives. I remember a time when I was in my early teens. I was playing basketball and everything seemed working in harmony to my advantage - I scored every shot even from 3-point ranges! In my early 20's when I heard of an opportunity of working in the …

Think how you think

It was still dark when I got up to visit my garden... I noticed that one of my solar lights was already off but the other sets of solar light were still lit. I wondered it was because the solar plate was placed where it does not receive enough sunlight to recharge it. Similarly, if …

Atmosphere of faith

It is the 14th day of March and it is snowing in Indiana! Cold and snowy outside but inside my house, it is warm. My tiny little orchid thrives inside the cozy atmosphere but it will not survive outside. Faith determines the condition of our lives. Our faith directs how we respond to the world. …

Thought is powerful

A short term mission trip to Costa Rica in the early 2000's changed the course of my life. My experience was so profound I promised the local pastor that I will be back! However, due to a lack of money and time, I was not able to go back. I felt so bad breaking my …

We cannot SOLVE long-term PROBLEM with short-term SOLUTION

The first Hunger Awareness Week in Indiana is on July 20-27, 2019 where non-profits, businesses, churches and neighborhoods are coming together to help alleviate hunger. Governor Eric Holcomb proclaimed July 20-27 to be Hunger Awareness Week in the state of Indiana This is the first series of events in Indiana where businesses, churches and local …

Interconnectedness

Hundreds, even thousands of federal employees line up in charitable food distribution lines. Airport security employees receiving free meals. A restaurant chain company plans to provide free food. What's happening in the greatest country in the world? Government shutdown, anticipation, presumptions, fear, speculations... The ripple effect of the modern day (natural and man-made) catastrophes cannot …

Upholding Truth over Conformity

Many people are looking for truth. A powerful man in the past named Pontius Pilate asked Jesus for the Truth. Two thousand years later, people from all walks of life are still asking for Truth. Some may have known about the Truth but have wandered away from it because of life circumstances or what the …

Past the pain of hunger

I have not done anything like this before. When I first thought of doing it, I was apprehensive. Can I actually do it or will I quit after a few days? After all, I led the challenge to experience hunger. It was suppose to be a 7-day journey of eating one meal per day. However, …

Journey into Beyond This Hunger

Beyond giving a bag of food... It has been in my heart to help people get beyond hunger by introducing them to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good News of salvation (eternal impact), and by sharing the Good News of the Kingdom, which is the Lord's will to manifest here on earth (here and now). …

What it’s like to be Hungry

Sometimes, God leads us to uncomfortable experiences - uncomfortable places and uncomfortable relationships. Sometimes, He asks us to go through disciplines that we would not have the strength to do on our own. For 6 weeks, from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday this year, I fasted in a couple ways. I deprived myself of some …

I was hungry

I grew up in the Philippines, a third world country. The Philippines is an archipelago which means a chain of islands - 7,641 islands. I grew up on a larger island called Luzon in a small town named Nasugbu in the province of Batangas. I graduated in a small rural high school and lived with …

Happy Memorial Day

I spend a lot of time in my yard. This weekend, the birds have been blessing me with different songs they sing. They are not bothered by the chimes I have around, especially the large chime that sounds like a gong. The yellow finch likes to fly up and down as it passes near me …

The River of Hunger

It’s time to move merely from transactional to relational.

A Whirlwind

God has been reminding us of the greater things, the things that remain. The first is faith. If we do things without faith, we cannot please Him - Hebrews 11:6, ”And without faith, it is impossible to please God.” In looking for a permanent distribution center, at times we have acted without faith. If we gather the team, strategize and …

Lessons From an Oil Change Station

I had a revelation… at an oil change station. In the past when I’ve had the oil changed in my car, I have also received a free “reliability and safety inspection.” The mechanic would take time to explain their 20-point evaluation from windshield wipers to the condition of the tires. Some items would be marked …

Obedience is Better Than Sacrifice

“…Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams…” 1 Samuel 15:22 There are times when we find ourselves working hard, sacrificing our time, talent and treasure only to find out that we are disobeying …

Harvesting in Fields We Did Not Plant

March 9th, 2017 -- a special day for the seven people who accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts. During the early part of that day, at the FHL Training Food Pantry, 4 people received Jesus. Our Prayer Team Leader, Donna, had implemented something she learned from another ministry, a way to interact with people who …

A small team of 12 changed the world

Not a one-man show In any  culture, coaches know the importance of team. From a small public school to the NFL, coaches comprehend the power of building a team. Teamwork brings together the best of everyone enabling a common man to do uncommon things. Coaches have  special insight that seems foreign to some leaders, including charitable organizations such …

Greater Things Are Yet to Come

“The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and …

Doing ministry can be a distraction

Ironically, the ministry that I love becomes a pressure that causes me to lose the joy in the Lord.

…the deeper role of food pantries and soup kitchens

The different sectors of our society have been talking about ways to shorten the line at charitable organizations including food pantries and soup kitchens. At political campaigns we hear about the importance of building community and engaging the neighborhoods to solve the ever growing lines of people in need of food assistance...to uncover the deeper role …

Baby, it’s cold outside!

Almost every year, the Lord sends me a special person to help.  I received a phone call the day before we had a very cold and frigid snap in the Midwest. It was early afternoon on Thursday, Dec. 22nd when I received a call at the FHL office. A young female voice said she got …

In the Land of Plenty, people are hungry

The first of a series of American holidays is over - Thanksgiving. We have celebrated and some of us, are still celebrating with families. Many of us have given back to those in need in terms of food pantries, charitable food deliveries, gift cards, etc. We are all thankful! Unfortunately for many, holidays are not …