Dispatches by Adrian Conoza

“I may not be where I need to be but I thank God I am not where I used to be.” ― Joyce Meyer, speaker and author That quote finally had made an impact on me at this point of my life. Why is it so? Let me explain. Picture credit: www.the-spearhead.com In the past days I've been writing about my life during my third year in high school, which I've centered around my unsuccessful leadership as the elected president of the section where I was in. I've sought my journals to weave a draft day by day. As I've read through my (almost) daily accounts, recollecting sudden happenings in my life made me reflect how hard life has been at that time, and how much I learned from the year-long burden. My eyes and heart, undergoing an ongoing "coming-of-age", were opened to many things, especially the reality of life. "Hand to Face 1" by Tim Patrick Picture credit: http://www.timpatrick.co.uk/ Among those realities, this stands out: leading is not an easy job, especia

"Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done."—Psalm 9:11(NIV) "Wherever and whenever we meet in the name of Christ, we should consider him as present in the midst of us."—Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary(Matt. 18:15-20) In a Wednesday evening the night sky encircled Araneta Coliseum. Crowds lined-up and gathered inside the dome, and soon they filled it. While I and my fellow people from the church settled on our seats in an upper box—enough to see the stage where all that happened that night would take place—people continued to group in the boxes above and the floor below. That scene seemingly appear, as our youth pastor noted, that many Filipinos now are aflame towards God, that many Filipinos are gaining an interest in Jesus Christ. For that night was a night of moving and empowering praise to God. That night, the famous contemporary Christian music band Hillsong United came to Manila to perform their first o

2 years ago, I wrote a piece here , where I depicted 2 different Christmases: one that was a joyous celebration, and one that was not that joyous. Days before Christmas that year, Typhoon Washi, or Sendong, struck Mindanao and parts of Visayas and Palawan. As long as I can remember, the pictures and videos showed a very tragic aftermath. One picture that I put there in the post set my mood down. I did wonder: how they'll spend Christmas when there's nothing left? When their love ones were carried away from them? This year, I felt the same again. History repeated itself, but now in a stronger level. Typhoon Haiyan, or Yolanda, is seen as the greatest storm yet. It brought damage in Visayas and parts of Minanao. It turned Tacloban and nearby places into "ghost towns", like that in The Walking Dead , or Cell . Seeing on the TV screen what was going on there pulled me in awe. I felt compassion. I was saddened suddenly. I wondered what can I do to help. And so I wrote the

I have three words for Haiyan, or Yolanda, which  deeply  struck the Philippines, actually Visayas: strong , short , but most of all saddening. For the first time I felt a heavy sadness and awe when I saw the pictures of destruction, the piles of debris, and the agony of people in Leyte and Samar on television. Really depressing.  After the typhoon, lots of help came, from both the local and international. Telethons are held. Concerts happen for the cause. Celebrities auction their things. Foreign aid, which amounts to billions, is given (we hope that they wouldn't go nowhere).  But how about me? , I thought last Sunday. Shouldn't I give something? Shouldn't I give to Red Cross or somewhere else? Shouldn't I donate? I lament the situation, but shouldn't I donate? Yet, unlike others, I don't get much money, though I admit I have savings.  Thankfully, last Wednesday our school called for donations.  But at that Sunday evening, the thought crowded my mind. What co

"If I could change I would take back the pain I would Retrace every wrong move that I made I would If I could stand up and take the blame I would If I could take all the shame to the grave I would" —Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, from "Easier To Run" "When you feel my heat Look into my eyes It’s where my demons hide It’s where my demons hide" —from "Demons", Imagine Dragons At the end of October and the beginning of November, people celebrate Halloween and remember their loved ones who have passed away. Many of us also celebrate around horror characters and anything else that will scare us, maybe wearing "scary" costumes and engaging in Halloween parties. When these days come, horror doesn't only come to mind. There are also the mythical creatures, ghosts, monsters and zombies (aren't those horror too?). And since there's All Saints' Day and All Souls Day, there come the subjects of death and the dead. Graves, tombs, cemet

    It has been Holy Week.People took a break from their jobs.They either leave their homes and had leisurely or spiritual vacations-whether it's Baguio or Boracay or any other place;or they'll just stay at their homes,entertaining themselves on Internet,cable TV,or DVD.The radio stayed silent for a while,beginning on Maunday Thursday,though other stations turned somber or calm as they continued playing soft music.Some local television stations on free TV temporarily left the airwaves beginning on the same day-including the People's Television(the station of the government).Most of the stations remained on air,although they began signing on at a later time and broadcasting special programming,showing cartoons,movies,and religious specials,and documentaries.Thanks to cable,I can have more entertainment and information to watch,not waiting for the stations to sign-on.When I was a very young child before,I thought radio and television stations acted this way because it's H

Author's Note: This post is based on my faith, on what I believe, and on what the Bible say.  Still, I wrote this for you, my readers, that you may know what's right, and what God says in the Scriptures. Thanks. Courtesy of Inquirer.net Last January 9, a big news made the headlines. It's an event that showed Catholic faith, maroon shirts, and what else but crowded roads. "The Feast of The Nazarene", as they call it, went again. But it's different this year than the previous years, as I saw it on TV and on print throughout the years. Crowds are larger, making incidents and injuries on some. Vast devotees were around the Quiapo church, around Plaza Miranda and Quirino Grandstand, and throughout the procession. Most of them crawled and struggled to go through the icon that they believe to bring miracles, and they either put their towels on it or say their prayers. They shouted the usual “Viva! Viva!”. They even defy alerts of plotted terror attacks announced by t