To prepare for his role as dictator Idi Amin in the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland, Oscar Best Actor, Forrest Whitaker, gained 50 pounds, learned to play the accordion, and immersed himself in research. He read books about Amin, watched news and documentary footage, and spent time in Uganda meeting with Amin's friends, relatives, generals, and victims; he also learned Swahili and mastered Amin's East African accent.
An excerpt from his acceptance speech, “And finally, I want to thank my mom and my dad. I want to thank my wife Keisha, my children, my ancestors, who continue to guide my steps. And God, God who believes in us all. And who's given me this moment, in this lifetime, that I will hopefully carry to the end of my lifetime into the next lifetime. Thank you.”
Attending the Spiritual Direction Workshop by Ms. Eva Galvey a few weeks ago, I picked up from one participant who shared this question that we need to continually ask God, if we are to become true followers of Christ: “What more can I do for you?”
Remember US President John F. Kennedy's famous speech - “Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.”?
Wouldn't it be appropriate sometimes for us Christians to be told - “Ask not what God can do for you; ask what you can do for God.”
Being members of Magis Deo: “What more can I do you?” is really a more emphatic question.
************************************************************* From the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith, Will Smith's son in real life and his son in the movie:
Christopher: Hey dad, you wanna hear something funny? There was a man who was drowning, and a boat came, and the man on the boat said "Do you need help?" and the man said "God will save me". Then another boat came and he tried to help him, but he said "God will save me", then he drowned and went to Heaven. Then the man told God, "God, why didn't you save me?" and God said "I sent you two boats, you dummy!"
Kind of the reverse of the reading in Matthew 25:31-40, where the sheep and the righteous ask the Lord: Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And, when was it that we saw a stranger….”
We are too busy and distracted with our problems and challenges in daily life that oftentimes we fail to recognize God or even simply the hand of God, solving the very problem we are worrying about.
You're looking for a job and then someone from out of nowhere requests for your resume. That must have been God who called you. You're sick of something and a friend talks to you about her business on health products. Must be God sending you an angel. Your job is threatened and you feel like resigning. Then, a friend calls you complaining to you about how difficult it is trying to get a job. Must have been a messenger from God. Your marriage is going thru some rough times. Suddenly, you're in front of a poster shouting at you “When Was The Last Time You Made Love?“, a catchy invitation to a marriage encounter weekend on March 9-11!
More often than not, we look for miracles in our life. But, if we have an on-going relationship with God, we would know that there are miracles every single day.
As God, alias Morgan Freeman, in the beautiful movie, Bruce Almighty (starring Jim Carrey, Morgan Freeman and Jennifer Aniston) said to Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey, after Bruce tries his newfound power, as God, with his soup):
“Parting a soup is not a miracle, Bruce. It's a magic trick. A single mom who's working two jobs, and still finds time to take her son to soccer practice, that's a miracle. A teenager who says "no" to drugs and "yes" to an education, that's a miracle. People want me to do everything for them. What they don't realize is *they* have the power. You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle.”
Courtesy of a very close friend of mine, I had the privilege of attending a Christian Lighthouse Service at the Alabang Town Center (Movie House no. 1) one Sunday, and Pastor Clavo appropriately described how some of us Christians treat or practice our Christian Life.
We enjoy drinking beer but since we don't want to easily get drunk or get intoxicated, we order for San Mig Light. Enough to be viewed as a social drinker. But not too much as to be viewed as alcoholic or simply not risk our driving.
We like soft drinks but since Coke has too much sugar, we get Coke Light. Enough to get that soft drink taste. But not get too much sugar.
Some of us Christians practice Christianity Light. "Have God enough...to feel religious...but not too much as to force us to commit to more things in the practice of our faith..."
Reminds me when we attended the ME Weekend 13 years ago. After the weekend, we had to go thru the bi-monthly reunions, and then the LSS, then the SDR.
One of our classmates in ME 29 (or, it must have been me) complained: Sobra na eto. Isang weekend lang ang commitment ko. Bakit masyadong madalas na!.
Two years later when we were already BCGG members and we started attending the weekly prayer meetings, one of us said, jokingly: Nalulong na tayo. (We are addicted!)
I wish and pray that all of us will forever be addicted to God.
******************************************************************************* To this year's batch of graduates, my unoriginal message to you:
Courage must come from the soul within, The man must furnish the will to win. So figure it out for yourself, my lad. You were born with all that the great have had, With your equipment they all began, Get hold of yourself and say: "I can."
- Edgar A. Guest, "from the poem "Equipment"" (Recited by Dr. George Washington Carver during his commencement address at Selma University, Selma Alabama on May 27, 1942)
************************************************************************ * From the bible: Do not be afraid!
To the person – aged 13-21 – who can email me (by March 31) at (What's with the 99? Must have been the first time I got an email address? Or, I felt like 99 years old trying to learn the internet at that time. Don't ask.) the most number of passages that has “Be Not Afraid or Do Not Be Afraid in the bible, citing the number of the chapter and verse of the passage, I will send you by email a free – no delivery charge – a nice story.
*************************************************************** I have not passed the licensure exams yet on this and I am not qualified to give a Lenten message. But, I got permission to lead you to one. Check this out: http://www.guidelines.org/radio/eng/20070201.asp
It is entitled, There Is Forgiveness. “Albert Speers was a man whose name will long live in infamy….”
Spiritual Tidbits & Humor 
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