The average person usually spends over 40 hours of their waking hours in a week at work. That is the equivalent of over 160 hours in a month. Compare that to the fewer than two hours we spend in a week in worship.The hours we spend at work entail meeting different kinds of people as well as acquiring different kinds of life experiences, both positive and negative. Yet, many of us are unsatisfied a...  Read More

It’s been said that, “It takes a village to raise a child.” But even with a “village,” you may still find yourself alone with the responsibility of teaching your child in the way he or she should go. Parenting, in any case, can be overwhelming.Eventually, our children will make their own decisions. But studies show that parents are quite influential in how children turn out. While there are a lot ...  Read More

It is no secret that the Philippines is jammed with traffic problems. This is due to an increasing number of vehicles, infrastructure issues, and more and more people venturing to large cities. James 1:19-20 says that we should be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,” but we all need to admit that being stuck in traffic or encountering different troubles during our commute can be in...  Read More

Embarrassment is an agonizing emotional state of humiliation that varies in magnitude – it could come from a fall from the stage, or a range of other perceived failures.Believers are not exempted from being embarrassed. In fact, when a humiliating moment occurs there can even be a tendency in some to think that God failed them because the embarrassment happened.God, however, has no interest in any...  Read More

Many a young person today shows signs of low self-confidence. A particular person may spring to mind right now. Sometimes, even, that person is us.Confidence is anchored in self-worth and the feelings around being accepted. Low self-confidence is a correlation to one’s belief or feeling of low self-worth. That inner belief one may have of low self-worth can stem from a range of things, including b...  Read More

Matthew 5:16 shows how God calls people to shine their “light” before others. The “light” is the spirit of Christ that believers acquire once they have come to accept and receive saving faith in Christ. Indeed, it is God’s love in us that radiates from us like, well, a light. Jesus’ words in the Matthew verse then are an imperative, as well as an encouragement, to practice Godly, motivated good de...  Read More

Of course, we want good things to happen in our lives– may that be advancing in our work, obtaining some greater measure of stability, or finding someone with whom to share life together. These matters usually take time to develop and come to fruition. But many people, not excluding believers, worry. We tend to worry that these things won’t happen according to our timeframe, or worse, they won’t h...  Read More

By Edric Uy, UCM Youth Ministry DirectorI grew up going to youth for a good three years as a high school student. I actually only started going after I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior in a youth camp I was invited to by my close friend in high school. As my discipler would say, I am an actual testimony of “the youth who was saved because they were invited to a church event.”After graduating ...  Read More

Who are you? This is not an easy question to answer.. Most often, we think of our identities based on our upbringing, experiences, relationships, and dreams. But when we turn to Scripture, we discover a different standard for defining who we truly are.God knows youFirst, our lives and identities are gifts from God. When we were born into this world, we were given a set of unique characteristics an...  Read More

To ask why we worship, even while in the middle of a church service, could happen to anyone, especially for those new to it. It’s not a bad question, either; if anything, it can be a step toward gaining a deeper understanding of why we lift our hands, sing our hearts out, listen to sermons, and engage in church services.If you just recently met God, or you are grappling to understand what worship ...  Read More

These days many people without romantic partners often find themselves feeling lonely, especially when most or all of their friends or family members have their own romantic someone.Singleness… is not reserved for, or dedicated to, certain groups of people. In almost any community, there are young adults who’ve never had a romantic partner, people who’ve never married, people who’ve split up with ...  Read More

Worship through music is an essential part of a service that brings people closer to God.If you are a worship leader, first it’s essential to grasp that worship is more than singing and making music in front of the congregation– it is a divine appointment.Union Church of Manila, a Christian church in Makati, offers these 7 tips for worship leaders so that their worship leadership will be both plea...  Read More