Sanctity of Marriage

Right now the Supreme Courts of the United States of America (SCOTUS) are hearing arguments regarding same sex marriage. And as a christian man and especially as a candidate for ministry I am asked as to why I support same sex marriage. I want to clarify my position.

1. The question to me was never is homosexuality a sin. When it clearly states in the bible that it is. I have not read anything that contradicts that hence I will not ever preside a same sex wedding ceremony. I will attend one and support my friends and loved ones who choose to marry but I will not officiate one. That's not supporting their lifestyle but loving those who I do love.

2. What the issue at hand really is not about same sex marriage that concerns me. Is that we the people are giving our government the authority to legislate who can and cannot get married. This is not the role of the government and I am so confused how my republican brother and sisters who oppose big government to allow this happen. This is a step forward in regulating our religious ceremonies. Which the government has no right to be part of. If we say that two same gendered individuals cannot get married then whose to say that a couple of mixed culture cannot get married? Or a couple of different heights, age etc...I choose who I want to marry and in order for me to have the right to marry whomever I chose then I must afford that same right to ALL. Freedom of Speech is not exercised when I say whatever I want. It is exercised when I allow someone else to say something in complete contradiction to what I believe. And it must be afforded to all or none at all.

3. Sanctity of marriage??? If we as Christians really want to start waving the flag of the defense of the sanctity of marriage then we must defend the whole cause not just the things that you all like. Where is the defenders when our country/society has at least 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Or how people marry not because of love but out of financial convenience or immigration? Yet there are no protest about these things because as a society we crave the stories of celebrities marrying and divorcing and sleeping around from one partner to the next. A movie starring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock starred in a movie called the Proposal where Canadian played by Bullock begged Reynolds character to marry her so she can stay in this country. While the only antagonist in the movie was the INS worker who investigated against this false union. All the while in their personal lives Sandra Bullock was going through a divorce with husband Jesse James and Reynolds was also midst of divorce with Scarlett Johansen. Now I'm not saying that they planned their divorces at a strategic moment but that movie grossed over $300 million dollars worldwide. Society has accepted this and not only is this tolerable it's now marketable. (Side note: Great movie though)

BOTTOM LINE: We as Christians have become lazy and only choosing what we want to defend instead of defending the entire cause. We have relegated our core beliefs as a buffet by choosing want we want and ignoring the rest. And I do not give the government the right to choose who I am going to be happy with. That's none of their business and neither is it yours.

I pray that we accept each other and do what Christ has commanded us to do which is by loving each other. Not judging each other.

Into Thy Hands... I lift him up - Goodbye Dr. De Lara

Into thy hands I lift him up 

by: Francis Thomas B. Serrano

He was my teacher

Educated me in compassion

Encouraged me in achieving

Empowered me to never give up

He was my friend

Stood up for me when no one else would

Prayed for me, when times looked at its bleakest

Talked to me when I need to listen

and listened to me when I needed to be heard

He IS my friend

For he showed me what a real Christian Man is

And loved me like a son when I was just a stranger

and now he prepares a place for me

for when we see each other again.

Goodbye Dr. Greg De Lara, thanks for believing...

The Necessity of Suffering

Suffering has always been a part of life.  We have all accepted this and have come up with cliche such as Pain is nothing more than to remind us that we are alive, or suffering allows us to appreciate life.

I agree with those statements, but why would a loving God include suffering to be a part of our lives to begin with?

Suffering has been at the bedrock of time itself.  It has been said that suffering is a direct result of man's disobedience to God, but going with that logic that means that suffering was not there before original sin occurred.  I argue that suffering has been present even before original sin but did not manifest itself until the sin has occurred.  In Genesis 3:3, "But from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'"  This was a warning to Adam and Eve that if they ate from the tree which God commanded them not to eat then they will unleash death.  Which can be used as some form of suffering. Since God used death in the context of consequence to an action.  Secondly when Job was asking God as to why he is suffering God's response was, "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the Earth?" (Job 38:4 NASB) God is pointing out to Job that to understand why suffering exist you must understand how God created the world.

But suffering is also God's way of communicating to to us.  Through trials and tribulation we learn what God wants from us by refining us and tempering us to be stronger and more capable of handling heavier loads.  Psalm 66:10 beautifully brings this up as David compared it to silver's refining process.

In the end suffering is a necessary element so that God's people would be needing a rescuer.  Which He does by sending Jesus to be the ultimate being to carry the ultimate suffering.  And because of this God shows us how much he is willing to suffer for his Children.

I Belong to You

I Belong To You

By: Francis Thomas B. Serrano

I am a foreigner in my own country

A stranger in my own home

An orphan to the world

I belong to you

An Enemy with no allies

I fight by myself

the Enemy surrounds me

the Shadows creep in

I cling to the sword of truth

that

I belong to you

The waves are crashing

the boat is sinking

the sail is torn

all  hope is gone

I am lost

My compass points towards the 

North Star

Reminding me that

I belong to you

And when I had breathed my last breath

When I have seen my last sunset

When my race is over

and have loved

I belong to you

A Short Story written by Me.

Underestimated

By: Francis Thomas B. Serrano

Frankie a husky teenager whose perfectly content in just slipping under the radar. Attention was something that frightened Frankie and if he could live the rest of his life without anyone noticing him he would be content. On the other side of the spectrum was Tommy his older brother. A jock and a star pupil. Attending college on a full athletic scholarship and has made the deans list every semester he’s attended. Everyone loved Tommy and everyone wanted to be with him and he was actually a good guy. Everyone except to Frankie. Tommy thinks that it is his job to push Frankie, belittle him and push him around. There was not a day that Tommy did not take it upon himself to push Frankie around. And because Tommy justified this under the banner of trying to motivate Frankie into something a lot of people including their parents went along with it. But instead of pushing Frankie into doing something they considered positive with his life it just pushed him deeper into depression. And today was no different. For just like any day Tommy is doing his best to make Frankie a tough time. The kitchen the typical hub of any family you see Tommy laying it into Frankie. As Frankie continue to play on his game console Tommy is laying on him about how he’s not making anything of his life. Only when Frankie was in tears already that Frankie looks to their mother in hopes that she would end this torture, did Frankie’s heart break even further. When his own mother condones Tommy’s actions and tells Frankie it was for his own good.

Until one day, while walking home from school another bully decides to pick on Frankie. Unfortunately bullies like to seek out the weak and they do not get any weaker than Frankie. As the bully kept pushing and pushing him it just drew Frankie deeper into himself and as his older brother walks by for the first time he needed Tommy. He thought that no matter what they were still brothers and that blood was always thicker than water. But that day, it was not the bully that hurt Frankie but Tommy as he looked at what was happening and joined the fray.

As he was walking home, bruised and crying. He decided that this was the straw that broke the camels back. As each step towards home was as painful emotionally as it was physically, Frankie could not help but feel helpless and hopeless. Until a billboard catches his attention. “DON’T GET MADD, GET EVEN...” Those five words resinated with Frankie like no other five words in the world has ever done. It was like something inside him woke the sleeping dragon and all of a sudden everything make sense.

Two nights later, dressed in a dark hooded sweatshirt and masked armed with a toy shotgun walked into a liquor store. Pointed the gun at the attendant and demanded all the money be put in the bag. Afterwards asked for a bottle of Scotch. The attendant refused due to the fact that the thief did not look 21 years old. Frankie insisted that he was and yet the attendant did not believe him. Until Frankie pulled out his wallet showed the ID and was finally given the bottle of scotch. Two hours later the police pulls up to Frankie’s house. The police officers knocks on their door and his mother answered, “What can I do for you officers?” Then the police looks at her asking, “Ma’am were here looking for Tommy.”

The Missing Element

These past few years, I started my own business. Since I was hesitant to get a job and take away a job from someone who really needed it. I decided to start teaching Filipino Martial Arts. And for the longest time I had 1 student to 2 to even 3-5. But I wasn't consistent. I tried doing some seminars and some demonstrations for organizations but yielded little to no results.

I created a website, a facebook page, myspace, friendster, twitter you name it I was on it. And no matter what I did I was not getting the numbers I was hoping to get. And as a marketing guy, I was starting to have doubts as to what I was doing. I ask my fellow school owners to see what were they doing differently yet they aren't doing anything different. Just hang in there. But I felt something missing from my marketing strategy. Some key component that without it the engine wouldn't run. I even registered my company name in Riverside County. But it was then I remembered what my Mom taught me long ago about business was that the CEO must and always be God and He must get HIS share first.

Then I read this.

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! (Malachi 3:10 NLT)

That was the missing element. God, I forgot to put God first. And I forgot that in ALL things I must place GOD first.

Now business is great and that's all for the Glory of God. Best marketing advise I can ever give anyone is to put God first. I am
now over capacity and even starting a new class and a new little warrior class.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

When do we say enough?

What do you do when you have no more cheek to turn? This has been a constant struggle for me and even more as of lately. I thought I was the type of person that has a calmer demeanor. But it is easy to push my buttons.

This weekend I find myself thinking maybe there is something inside of me that is a giant sleeping dragon that the slightest of provocation will invoke the monster within me. I must learn to control that beast. And let the true me come out