Are you normal?

Unconventional—this was my first thought about this Baptist church in Montreal.

I noticed the ceiling in the packed auditorium was much lower than I expected for a big church, and the front-row seats were placed uncomfortably close to the pulpit. I thought the congregation was overly enthusiastic and the untimely yelling, laughing, and Amens were all unnecessary.

I was busy noticing the superficial until the first preacher opened the Bible and delivered his message for the evening. I was struck. His sermon focused on revival, as that was the whole point of the conference.

He made statements that piqued my curiosity, and I began to wonder if he was right. My mind questioned as I sat close to the back row, but I waited to let him finish so I could understand him better.

The guest speaker shouted in his preacher voice, “We don’t need revival every day!”

At the back of my head, I honestly thought we do. I thought that if the Lord’s mercy renews us every day, then revival should work the same way. But he explained that if we’re living our Christian life the way it ought to be lived, then we don’t need revival.

I thought that made sense.

Later, he mentioned the “biblical normalcy” of a Christian. I don’t think I have heard of this before. He explained that holiness and joy are a big part of a normal Christian life, and that revival means going back to biblical normalcy.

Then he looked to the mixed congregation and asked, “Are you normal tonight?”

During the invitation, the senior pastor added some stirring questions that pushed me to reexamine myself and how I perceive things.

I realize I have forgotten that Christianity ought to be joyful and that expressing genuine joy and yelling Amens, especially in the church, ought to be a natural thing to do. Sadly, it came off as unnatural to me.

The psalmist requested, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit… O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.” (Psalm 51:12, 15).

I was instantly reminded of my personal need for revival. I need to revive that joy of my salvation. I want to openly express how grateful and blessed I am to be saved by the blood Jesus Christ shed.

As a child of God, I need to get back to normal.

I have heard people call out a fellow believer for being “too holy” or “too faithful.” Isn’t that God’s call for all of us? Think of Noah, Job, Daniel, or Joseph. Can we say they were being “too holy” or “too faithful?” These men of faith stood out to God for their unwavering faith. For Christians, that ought to be normal.

They seemed foolish and different to others, but really, there is nothing wrong with being normal.

Watchman Nee described in his book “The Normal Christian Life” how we must approach God not by our own attainment or abilities to worship him but through the natural power of the Holy Spirit that drives us to worship the Lord.

Nee wrote, “If we have to exert so much effort in our Christian living, it simply says that we are not really like that at all. We don’t need to force ourselves to speak our native language.”

Whatever is natural for all of us will soon come out naturally.

We may fool people by what we show on the outside, but God always pondereth the hearts. He knows our thoughts and our intentions. He knows exactly when we are normal, and when we are not.

Have hope.

A few days ago, I woke up to an alarming message from a friend asking anyone to reach out to a young man from the Philippines who posted a disturbing note and images on his Facebook account suggesting a plan to take his own life.

As I rushed to open his page, I saw a familiar face.

I suddenly remembered taking the guy’s graduation photo at a college some years ago. I can barely recall a personal interaction with him other than when he sat in front of my camera and smiled as I took his portrait. It all happened in a split second, but that moment built some kind of connection between him and me, a man who’s now feeling disconnected from God, hope, and life in general.

Hopelessness is a grave issue. Giving up on life and everything you lived for is a serious phase that needs to be faced—not with our own strength, but with God's strength and wisdom, and with the help of good counsel and genuine compassion from the people around us.

The Bible says, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). God knew from the beginning that we all needed one another, or at least another one. He designed us to be social beings. Every day, we engage in either personal or online conversations. We build bridges to people we want to connect with, and great walls against those we choose to avoid.

Golden Gate Bridge opening day, May 27, 1937. (Credit: Prelinger Archives)

On May 27, 1937, San Francisco's towering suspension bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, officially opened to the public after four years of construction. Today, more than ten million tourists visit the “most beautiful and most photographed bridge in the world” every year, averaging 27,000 visitors per day.

San Francisco, January 1, 2023 | Photo by Kevin Lendio

But beyond this powerful steel structure and its undeniable charm lie the broken and devastating stories of lost souls who came to commit suicide by jumping off the bridge.

According to The Times, the Golden Gate Bridge is the most used suicide spot in the world. Within the first seventy-five years after it opened in 1937, an estimated 1,400 bodies were recovered. Some died due to internal fractures after an impact from the fall, while others drowned or did not survive the intense freezing water.

Recently, local authorities have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to install suicide nets on the side of the bridge and put up anti-suicide warning signs and special telephones that connect to crisis hotlines.

Wherever we go in the world, no matter how rich or poor the country is, we can see the global poverty of hope creeping among us. If we’re not careful, we ourselves may fall into the enemy’s pit of deception.

The work of Satan has always been to lie and distract us with the worries of life and influence us to forget the promises of peace and hope that God offers in His Word.

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

— Hebrews 10:23

“Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.”

— Psalm 31:24

“By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:”

— Romans 5:2-4

As children of God, let us always remember to call on the Father, who can restore the joy of our salvation when we face challenges. Don’t ever run to drugs, alcohol, pride, anger, or death for solutions. These worldly ideas of relief are detriment to our mental health, our personal growth and to our spiritual revival. As believers saved by the grace of God, we should know better about who or where to run. Enter your closet and take a quiet moment with the Lord as you pour out your heart. Just you and Him.

Talk to a friend, a family member, a pastor, or a mature leader from your local church. A deep, heartfelt communication is one of the strong bridges God built for us to connect with one another.

A man from San Francisco who died after a jump had left a suicide note that reads, “I'm going to walk to the bridge. If one person smiles at me on the way, I won't jump.” A small gesture of kindness could have made a big difference to this man.

Communication is powerful. Communication can reignite hope. Communication proves we are not made to be alone.

It's great to create.

Hello, friend!

I know. We just embraced a new year, and again, we are in that season when billions of people around the world think of new ways to better themselves over the next 365 days.

As you can see, getting back to writing blogs is definitely on my list. It’s been a while.

What’s frustrating about this routine is how many of us would be so fired up at the beginning of a year-long commitment, but due to the undisputed cycle of human forgetfulness, busyness of life, and loss of dedication, we would end up putting down the hammer and chisel and not finishing the goal we diligently sculpted for the first half of the year. It’s a busted reality.

“What are your personal goals for 2023?”

“What are you looking forward to doing?”

I asked my nieces, who arrived from Montreal to spend Christmas and New Year with my brother and me. They were caught off guard by the question’s spontaneity. They tried to ponder for answers, but they struggled to say a word.

It was New Year’s Eve, and we were on our way to Downtown LA to visit the Last Bookstore. The rain was pouring hard, but I kind of liked it. I loved the fire it ignited in my artistry. It’s my conducive weather.

Still trying to keep the conversation going, I asked them again to describe, in one word, what they wanted to do. The older one began talking about her upcoming wedding, while the other shared her plan to start a small business. Marriage and business both sounded positively risky and life-changing to me. And I could not have imagined them saying those words when we were playing as kids back in the Philippines.

Time has flown. They have grown.

As their uncle, with a relatively short age gap, I was reminded of the bold decisions I made at their age. I left the comfort of my home, started traveling and living abroad at twenty-one. But behind all those adventures, God was there the whole time, guiding my direction, protecting me, and leading me to the people who impacted my life.

It’s hard to sum up my desire for the next twelve months in one word, but the one sure thing I want to do is to create. To be more productive than I have ever been.

God has been gracious to me over the past years. He faithfully provided for my needs and expanded my resources. But I feel like I haven’t done justice to His provision. I don’t want my days to pass and be less productive. I’m sure God doesn’t want that either.

I’m motivated to write this down as a personal note and a friendly reminder to many of us who need more encouragement to use our skills and talents for the Lord.

“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16)

On that New Year’s Eve, I found no better way to kick-start this plan than to soak up creative inspiration at an art exhibit in a historic library.

When the owner, Josh Spencer, founded the bookstore in 2005, he thought the business would fail because of the declining interest and popularity in the book industry—hence the name “The Last Bookstore.” But years passed, and what was once a tiny loft grew bigger than he imagined.

It became a haven for creative souls and exploring minds.

It’s always inspiring to see people who discovered their voice through art and spoke candidly about the world around them.

Some seemed strange, and some even stranger.

As a child of the Creator, creating should not come as a mere option but an opportunity to grow. As this year progresses, may we learn to use the time, blessings, and gifts God has given us.

It doesn’t matter if you feel like you started the year with a bad stroke. Life is a masterpiece in its own right. Every color and element in our painting, good or bad, completes the symphony of our existence.

Keep creating while you can. Because we never know; today may be our last.

The Last Bookstore is located at 453 S Spring St – Ground Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013.

They are open every day from 11AM to 8PM except Christmas and Thanksgiving.