Filipino Christian Dad Blogger Buys a Brand New House from Van Metre

 

It was pre-drywall inspection last Wednesday and we finally had a close look of what our new house will be like inside and out. We recently purchased a brand new house and we've been very excited about it these past few weeks. We picked a decent size end unit townhouse (3 bed/3 bath) for our first major real estate purchase in the 12 years we’ve been married. We waited for years to jump in the housing market and we’re glad we waited. We got the house just in time when housing costs and interest rates are at its lowest.

Remembering Chuck Colson

Yesterday, April 21 was the 1 year death anniversary of Chuck Colson. To commemorate this event, I'm re-posting an article I published about Chuck and how he influenced my life. The article was also published around this time last year immediately when Chuck died. Continue reading below for the entire article. It's an honor and a blessing to work alongside my boss and mentor Chuck Colson. I was personally drawn to Chuck because of his personal connections to my personal hero, Ninoy Aquino (I think they also look alike).

Waiting in Wonder Book Launch & iPad mini Giveaway

My friend and former colleague at BreakPoint, Catherine Claire Larsen has a new book, "Waiting in Wonder: Growing in Faith While You're Expecting.” She is also giving away a free iPad mini to celebrate the book's release. "Waiting in Wonder" is a devotional journal inviting women to embrace the spiritual journey that awaits as they prepare for the high and holy calling of motherhood. This is a good spiritual preparedness book ideal for your wife or any female friend or family member who's expecting a child. I hope you get a copy.

I also recommend Catherine's other book As We Forgive, a collection of reconciliation and forgiveness stories from the Rwandan genocide. Click here to get more details on Waiting in Wonder and to enter the iPad mini giveaway.

Lessons from Steubenville: Teaching Boys to Be Kind and Brave

In the months since the news broke about the horrific case in Steubenville, Ohio, the nation has been reeling from it and the attempts to cover it up. The questions about what’s been called our “rape culture” are flying around: “How was this situation allowed to spiral out of control?” “How could two high school boys so heinously assault, humiliate, and exploit this girl?” “Why didn’t anyone try to stop it?” “How could the victim be the one shamed by both adults and kids in her community?” And, what does all this tell us about ourselves and our culture?

Reasons for the Media Blackout on Kermit Gosnell Trial

It's hard to ignore the horrifying details coming out of the Kermit Gosnell trial. If you don't know who Kermit Gosnell is, don't feel bad. The mainstream media has been silent about reporting such heinous crime because of its so-called "liberal" agenda. Dr. Gosnell is an abortionist from Philadelphia who is facing the death penalty if convicted of performing medical procedure without license, and the intentional killing of infants born alive during abortion procedures. You can read more details of the Gosnell trial here.

What added to the horror of what is already a disturbing story is the mainstream media's silence on the issue. To date, ABC, NBC, CBS and major print publications has not reported the story. As a believer and a dad, I've always been open with my pro-life convictions and have taught my kids to respect the human dignity of the unborn. Rarely does news make me too sick for words - the Gosnell trial and the media black out does. Now, I plan to make more opportunities to talk to my two kids about babies and the humanity of the unborn. No way will I allow anyone to convince them that children inside the womb are blobs of tissue or somehow less than human because they are small. I want them to see abortion the way I see it - not as a "rights" issue, but as a "moral" and "ethical" issue.

Filipino-American Dad Blogger Goes to Final Four 2013, Atlanta

Thanks to the great dads of Dad 2.0 Summit and the champions of freshness Dove Men+Care, my wife and I had a chance to attend the NCAA Final Four game last weekend in Atlanta, GA , where the Louisville Cardinals beat Michigan Wolverines for the 2013 NCAA Championship title. We're winners too. It was our first time to win an all-expense-paid trip out of town and "bonus round" winners because we have an entire 5 days-4 nights stay at the fine Sheraton Atlanta Hotel without our kids to bother us, and boy did we have a blast. The pictures below are proof of our exciting, relaxing and “finally-just-the-two-of-us-have-fun-while-it-lasts” trip to Atlanta.