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.

Are You Raising a Narcissist?

Every time my daughter leaves the house for school, I always whisper to her, “You’re special and beautiful.” However, someone once told me that I should not tell her that because it could put ideas in her mind that she is entitled or above everyone else. My daily words of affirmation to my daughter in short can turn her into a narcissist. In the culture that my daughter lives in, more people will be telling my daughter she’s unattractive and not-good-enough.

The media’s obsession with beauty and perfection sends her the message that to be accepted, she has to keep up with celebrities and trends she sees on TV and the internet. That’s why I truly believe that as dads, I need to tell my daughter that she is beautiful and one-of-a-kind. Not better than anyone else, but not less than any other, either. Just beautiful the way God made her to be. I honestly don’t think that complimenting my daughter’s appearance builds an unhealthy and grandiose sense of self-importance.

Our Character Can Be Measured By What We Laugh At

I don’t stay up on the world of rap music, but it was hard to ignore the recent media storm caused by an “artist” who goes by the moniker “Lil Wayne.” His recently leaked song was so over the top that even the hip-hop industry—known for its casual use of sex and violence—reacted. The song, referencing a sex act and a part of the female anatomy, contained the line, “beat that [blank] up like Emmett Till.” His recording label apologized. Apparently, although violence against women is commonplace in rap lyrics, it’s still taboo to mock the Civil Rights movement.

Many musicians, such as Stevie Wonder, took the rapper to task, as did Till’s family. Said Till’s cousin, “He wouldn’t even be out there rapping these stupid lyrics without the sacrifice Emmett made.” If you’re unaware of what she’s referring to, Till was a 14-year-old African American boy who, in 1955, was savagely beaten, tortured, and killed by two white men in Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a white woman. My wife’s grandfather was one of the prosecutors in the trial, despite the great risk to his life and livelihood as a white man prosecuting a black lynching in deep Mississippi. The jury, in a kangaroo court, acquitted those men, who later confessed. But it was the courage of Till’s mother to hold an open casket funeral that finally exposed the deep evil of racism in the south. The horrific images of Till’s body were published in Jet magazine and provided a major spark for the Civil Rights movement.

Oz the Great and Powerful: A Powerful Tale of Good and Evil

Here's an excellent review on the new move, "Oz the Great and Powerful" from a colleague and posted in my work website, BreakPoint.org. The movie is a powerful tale of good and evil and a nice film for older children. My kids might be too young for it and may find some scenes too intense to watch in the big screen. We'll just wait for it in DVD. But I like the main theme the movie presents, that goodness is better than greatness - a theme that our culture today needs to understand. It's good to know early what the film is about so I have a head start of what to discuss with my kids. I can't wait to have this discussion with them! "Oz the Great and Powerful" is produced by Disney and features James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis. Now in theaters.

Free Copy Giveaway, “American Sniper: Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S History” by Chris Kyle

I just finished Chris Kyle’s book, American Sniper: Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S History. It is an excellent read on a great American hero. Unfortunately, we lost Kyle recently when he and a companion were shot and killed last February by a fellow veteran, who Kyle had taken to a gun range in an effort to help him with post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite of his tragic and sudden death, his active service as a Navy Seal sniper and the self-sacrifice he displayed to save American lives will always be remembered. Kyle was straightforward not to take sole credit for his accomplishments but gives credence back to other military service men who also sacrificed their lives for the mission. These men got shot, lost their vision, lost their limbs and ultimately their lives to protect Americans from those who hate the country because of freedom and allegiance to Christianity.