“城造在山上，是不能隐藏的”（马太福音5：14下）。我们祈祷，求主使用小石城以马内利华语浸信会，使“这座造在山上的城”能“如日头出现、光辉烈烈”（士师记5：31），在新时代中为主发大光，照亮周围的人，使荣耀归于上帝。
我们诚挚地邀请您来参加我们教会的各项活动！让我们一同认识主，在祂的愛里彼此搀扶，共走天路。以马内利！
李春海牧师
最新信息
5/4/25牧者之言
神知道什么对我们有益
魏愛玲師母
世人对“善”的定义与上帝的定义截然不同！罗马书8:28说：“我们知道，万事都互相效力，叫愛神的人得益处，就是按他旨意被召的人。”
所以这节经文说，上帝在万事上行事——不仅仅是孤立的事件——是为了我们的益处！我们知道这并不意味着发生在我们身上的一切都是善的。在这个堕落的世界里，邪恶盛行，但上帝能够扭转一切境况，为我们带来长久的益处！上帝行事并非为了让我们快乐，而是为了成就祂的旨意。也请注意，这应许并非针对所有人，只有愛上帝并按祂旨意蒙召的人才能领受。蒙召的人是那些被圣灵感动并有能力接受基督的人。这些人（我们）对生活有了新的视角和心态。他们（我们）信靠的是上帝，而不是人生的财富；他们（我们）在天堂而非尘世寻求安全；他们（我们）学会接受痛苦和逼迫，而不是怨恨，因为上帝与他们（我们）同在。
上帝的最终目标是让我们更像耶稣！上帝是一位慈愛的良父。祂知道什么对我们有益，也总是知道我们需要什么，好让我们能够成就祂为我们预备的旨意！我们现在知道，在基督徒的生活中，这个过程绝非易事！上帝所成就的“善”远比个人的境遇更为广阔。上帝正在建立祂的国度……“使万物与自己和好”，而终极的善也包含在这过程中……
我们的天父比我们更了解我们所需要做的！祂与我们同行，让祂的生命更深地进入我们里面！这周我读了卡罗琳·阿伦兹（Carolyn Arends）的一篇灵修文章，想和大家分享一些其中的内容。
我们来看歌罗西书1:19-23“因为父喜欢叫一切的丰盛在他里面居住，既然借着他在十字架上所流的血成就了和平，便借着他叫万有，无论是地上的、天上的，都与自己和好了。你们从前与 神隔绝，因着恶行，心里与祂为敌；但如今祂借着基督的肉身受死，叫你们与自己和好，都成了圣洁，没有瑕疵，无可责备，把你们引到自己面前。只要你们在所信的道上恒心，根基稳固，坚定不移，不被引动失去福音的盼望。这福音就是你们所听过的，也是传于普天下万人听的；我保罗也作了这福音的执事。”
在我们今天早上我所用的圣经版本上说：“因为上帝乐意将祂一切的丰盛都居住在祂（耶稣）里面… 另一个翻译 NAS 说：“天父乐意将祂的丰盛体现在祂的儿子耶稣身上…”使万物与自己和好”… 耶稣在十字架上的牺牲带来了上帝与所有受造物之间的和解与和平！
这段经文的第20节使用了“全部”，但这并不意味着每个人都已经得救或将要得救！它指的是，凡愿意信靠基督的人，都有一条得救的道路！除了基督，我们的罪不可能得到赦免和除去！
灵修作家卡罗琳谈到她听了一场复活节布道，牧师说的一句话引起了她的注意！牧师说：“世间的承诺都空洞无物！但复活节的空洞却充满了承诺！”空的十字架、空的坟墓、空的裹尸布……都充满了希望！”这位名叫卡罗琳的作家对他的话感到困扰，因为“空洞”通常带有负面的感觉。她还意识到，即使在上帝的话语中，如果你不认识主并且不研读圣经，我们有时也会发现一些难以理解和接受的事情。例如……“能力是在人的软弱上显得完全”（哥林多后书 12:9）或“愚拙的叫智慧人羞愧”（哥林多前书 1:27），或“温柔的人承受地土”（马太福音 5:5），或“虚心的人得天国”（马太福音 5:3）或“若不死就不能生”（约翰福音 12:24）….卡罗琳说，在经历困难的情况下，她很难从这些话语和承诺中找到安慰。
她说，当她感到心碎空虚，而母亲又面临死亡时，很难感到喜乐和感恩。然而，当她默想复活，聆听讲道，并铭记主的牺牲时……她意识到，即使是死亡也充满希望……只要……我们相信祂是我们的救主！她祈祷并得到确据，就像我们在挣扎中祈祷并得到确据一样，她不是一个人在受苦，因为宇宙之主宰上帝披着我们的皮肤，为我们而死，永远消除了死亡的毒钩……
我最近看到一首诗，上面写着：
若非坟墓空无，我心早已空虚；
若非坟墓空无，盼望也将无依；
若非坟墓空无，生命失却真义。
唯因主坟是空，生命便被充满！
安·沃斯坎普
没有耶稣受难日，就没有复活节！我们可以看到上帝的愛和美好的计划，看到耶稣的牺牲，圣灵不断提醒我们要常存感恩的心，坚定我们的信仰，分享福音。
昨天，魏牧师在希伯来书 2:3 中提醒我们“我们若忽略这么大的救恩，怎能逃罪呢？这救恩起初是主亲自宣布的，后来是听见的人给我们证实了！”所以，我们想起主耶稣传讲救恩的信息，而上帝也藉着倾倒圣灵和祂的恩赐来证实祂的信息！所以，上帝用尽一切可能的方法来说服人们信靠耶稣，别无其他，才能获得救恩。忽略上帝赐予的救恩是愚昧又危险的！所以希伯来书2:1-2警告我们：“要越发郑重所听见的道理，免得我们随流失去”……这段经文并非教导信徒会失去救恩！作为信徒，我们只需要在基督徒生活中不停滞不前，避免自满和自以为是！让我们不断省察自己，聆听圣灵的声音，并彼此代祷！
GOD KNOWS WHAT’S GOOD FOR US
Elinda West
At Early Morning Prayer on April 24, 2025
The world’s definition of “good” is very different from God’s definition! Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
So this verse says God works in ALL THINGS–not just isolated incidents—FOR OUR GOOD! We know this doesn’t mean all that happens to us is good. Evil is prevalent in our fallen world, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our LONG-RANGE GOOD! God is not working to make us happy, but to fulfill HIS purpose. Notice also that this promise is NOT for everyone, it can only be claimed by those who love God and are called according to HIS purpose. Those who are “CALLED” are those the Holy Spirit convinces and enables to receive Christ. These people (we) have a new perspective, a new mind-set on life. They (we) trust in God, not life’s treasures, they(we) look for security in heaven, not on earth; they(we) learn to accept, not resent, pain and persecution because God is with them(us).
God’s ultimate goal is to make us more like JESUS! God IS a GOOD GOOD FATHER. He knows what’s good for us and He always knows what we need so that we can accomplish his purpose for us! We know by now in our Christian life the process won’t be easy! The “GOOD” that God is working toward is much more expansive than one individual’s personal circumstances. God is establishing his kingdom… “reconciling all things to himself” and the ultimate good is to be INCLUDED in that process….
Our Heavenly Father knows more than we do what we need! And then He walks with us in the process of letting HIS LIFE go deeper INTO us! I was reading a devotional this week by Carolyn Arends that I thought I would share some words from.
Let’s look at Colossians 1:19-23. “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in HIM, and through HIM to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through HIS blood, shed on the cross.”
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation– IF, you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. In our translation this morning it says, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in HIM (Jesus)…another translation NAS says,” It was the Father’s GOOD pleasure to have His fullness manifested in Jesus His Son…”to reconcile all things to Himself”….Jesus sacrifice on the cross brought reconciliation and peace between God and all of creation! Verse 20 in this text uses ALL but does not mean everyone has been or will be saved! It means THE WAY has been made for anyone who is willing to trust Christ to be saved! Apart from Christ there is no way for our sin to be forgiven and removed!
This devotional writer Carolyn was speaking about hearing an Easter Sermon and something the pastor said caught her attention! The pastor said, “The world offers promises full of emptiness! But Easter offers emptiness full of promise! Empty cross, empty tomb, empty graveclothes… all are full of promise!”
This writer named Carolyn felt troubled by his words because EMPTINESS usually holds a negative feeling. She also realized that even in God’s Word we find things that are sometimes hard to understand and accept IF you don’t know the Lord and study your bible. For example… “strength being made perfect in weakness” (2Cor 12:9) or “foolish things confounding the wise” (1 Cor 1:27), or “the meek inheriting the earth” (Mt 5:5), or “the poor in spirit getting the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:3) or “dying in order to live” (Jn 12:24)….Carolyn said she found it hard when going through difficult circumstances to find comfort in all these words and promises.
She says when she feels broken and empty, and her mom is facing death it is difficult to be joyful and thankful. However, when she was meditating on the resurrection, hearing the sermon, and remembering our LORD’S SACRIFICE… she realized that even DEATH is full of promise… IF… we believe in Him as our Savior! She prayed and she was assured, just as we pray and are assured in our struggle, that she is NOT suffering ALONE because the God of the universe wore our skin, died our death and removed the sting of death forever…
I saw a poem recently that said:
“If the tomb wasn’t empty, I would be!
If the tomb wasn’t empty, our hope would be!
If the tomb wasn’t empty our hearts would be!
ONLY because the tomb is empty, can life be fulfilling!”
Ann Voskamp
Without Good Friday there would be no Resurrection Sunday! We can see God’s Love and Good Plan and we see Jesus’ sacrifice and we have the Holy Spirit to keep reminding us to keep a Thankful Heart, stand firm in our faith and share the Good News.
Yesterday Wei Mushr reminded us in Hebrews 2:3 “how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard HIM!” So, we are reminded the Lord Jesus preached the message of salvation and God confirmed his message by pouring out the Holy Spirit and His gifts! So, God used every means possible to convince people to trust Jesus and nothing else for our salvation.
To ignore the salvation God has provided is foolish and dangerous! So, we have this warning in Hebrews 2: 1-2 to “pay more careful attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away” … These verses in this text do NOT teach that believers can lose their salvation!! We just need, as believers to Not grow stagnate in our Christian life, we need to avoid complacency and self-righteousness!! Let’s keep examining ourselves, keep our ears open to the Holy Spirit and praying for one another!
4/27/25牧者之言
摘自上周主日的灵修
复活节是纪念耶稣从死里复活的重要节日！
这是基督徒最喜乐、最值得庆祝的节期之一，
受难日（Good Friday）我们谈到那些妇女——她们回家预备香料和香膏，
所以在今天复活节主日的清晨，
她们见到两位穿着耀眼白衣的天使，天使告诉她们：“
妇女们起初难以置信，便跑回去把所见所闻告诉门徒。
但马利亚却仍站在墓外哭泣。忽然，她看见耶稣站在那里，
马利亚以为祂是园丁，就说：“先生，如果是你把祂移走了，
耶稣叫她：“马利亚！”
她听见这个声音才认出是耶稣！
耶稣告诉她不要拉住祂，因为祂还没有升到父那里，
抹大拉的马利亚是耶稣复活后第一个见到祂、与祂说话的人。
那天稍晚，耶稣还与两位前往以马忤斯的门徒同行，
他们起初也没有认出耶稣，直到邀请祂一同住下并吃晚饭时，
在升天之前，耶稣还向许多人显现，包括祂那剩下的十一位门徒，
那么，耶稣的复活对我们基督徒来说，有何意义呢？
耶稣的复活是基督信仰的核心真理！
若没有复活，就没有基督教，我们的讲道就毫无意义！
基督复活的教义基于这样的信仰：
耶稣在第三天从死里复活，并且藉着祂胜过死亡，
祂的复活向我们表明：那使耶稣从死里复活的大能，
若没有基督的复活，人类将活在纯粹的物质主义之中，没有永恒、
复活为基督信仰带来权威和真实性。
若没有复活，我们就没有基督教、没有永生的盼望！
保罗在哥林多前书15章14–15节说得很清楚：
“若基督没有复活，我们所传的便是枉然，你们所信的也是枉然。”
没有复活，人类将永远活在罪恶与邪恶的捆绑下！但在复活中，
复活意味着：罪不能再辖制我们，因为我们不在律法之下，
基督复活带来的最大福气之一就是：
有一天，纵然这世界充满苦难与痛苦，我们死后仍要复活，
复活节快乐！愿我们都平安、健康，满心欢喜地庆祝复活的基督！ 愿神赐福我们每一个人!Thoughts of the Day— by Santi Lalis
The devotional was from last Sunday.
Today is Easter Sunday! It commemorates Jesus’ resurrection from the dead! This is one of the most festive events among Christians because Jesus not only conquered death and sins but gives believers hope to have eternal life!
We talked yesterday, Good Friday that the women who went home to prepare for spices and oil to anoint Jesus’s body for burial were not able to finish the job because the time for Sabbath had started. So, very early this Easter Sunday morning, the women led by Mary Magdalene came back with their prepared spices and oil but found that the tomb was already opened and Jesus’ body was not there. They saw two angels dressed in dazzling white clothes and told them that Jesus was not there because He had risen! The women could not believe it so they ran back and told the disciples what they saw. Peter and John came and found only the linen cloths that was wrapped on Jesus’s body. Bewildered and confused, they went home, but Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb crying. Suddenly she saw Jesus standing but did not recognize Him at first. Jesus asked “Why are you crying! “Who are you looking for.” Mary thought He was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have taken Him away, tell me where, I will take Him.” Jesus said, “Mary.” Then by that voice, she recognizes it was Jesus! Jesus warned not to cling to Him because He has not yet return to the Father. Jesus told him to tell His disciples.
Mary Magdalene was the first person Jesus saw and talked to after His resurrection. Then later that day he joined walking with two people who were talking about what latest happening in Jerusalem especially the crucifixion of the “man from Nazareth”. They did not recognize Jesus not until He broke the bread when He was invited to spend the night and eat supper with them. Jesus, met many other people before ascending to heaven, the ones was when He met His 11 remaining disciples and told them,” Go into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.”
But what is the significance of Jesus’ resurrection to us Christians?
The resurrection of Christ is the central doctrine of Christianity! Without resurrection, there is no Christianity, and our preaching is in vain!
The resurrection is based on the belief that Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day of His resurrection and that through His conquering of death, all believers will subsequently share in His victory over sin and death!
On His resurrection, Jesus is showing to us that the power that raised Him from the dead is the same power that will raise all of us, if we believe in Him!
Without the resurrection of Christ, humanity will live in the realm of materialism!
For the believers in Jesus Christ, the greatest event in human life is the resurrection of Christ because it led to our salvation!
The resurrection gives credence and authenticity to the Christian faith. For without resurrection, there is no Christianity to talk about, there is no hope of eternal life!
If there is no resurrection from the dead, then Christ is not risen, and if Christ be not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and our faith also in vain (1 Corinthians 15:14-15).
Without the resurrection, humanity will perish under the yoke and bondage of sin and wickedness! In resurrection, we are buried with Christ in the baptism of faith as Christ was raised from the dead to walk in the newness of life! Resurrection means that sin shall not have dominion over us, for we are not under the law, but of grace! (Romans 6:14). One of the greatest benefits of the resurrection of Christ is to know that someday, despite the sufferings and anguish of this world, we will resurrect after death and live with Jesus forever in paradise!
Happy Easter to us all! Stay safe and healthy! Celebrate fully the Risen Christ! God bless us all!
4/20/25牧者之言
魏愛玲師母– 2025年4月10日早祷
魏牧师经常去我们城市的血库献血。他这样做，
祂的宝血不只是赐给一人或少数人生命，
耶稣宝血的大能是什么？我们为什么要歌颂它？
第一，耶稣的宝血赐予生命（利未记 17:11）。耶稣的宝血洁净我们，使我们与主和好。
第二，耶稣的血是必需的（歌罗西书1:20，马太福音26:
第三，耶稣的宝血赐予我们自由（启示录 1:5）。祂愛我们，并用祂的宝血将我们从罪中释放出来！
第四，耶稣的宝血是完美的（彼得前书 1:18-19）。耶稣的宝血若要发挥功效，祂必须是完美的。
Elinda West –Early Prayer April 10, 2025
The Resurrection celebration is coming, and I’ve already been thinking about and preparing my heart for celebrating the most important holiday of the year. I know you are preparing, too! Our church celebration is about worship and reminding us of what Jesus did for us when He died and then rose again! Here in our Early Morning Prayer time and in our churches, we often pray thanking Jesus for His precious blood shed for us on the cross! I’m so thankful for God’s love and grace! Can our words thank Him enough?! I don’t think so. We must live our life for Him!
Wei Mushr often goes to the blood bank here in our city to donate blood. When he does that, he is giving part of his life so that another person might live. We just read in our scripture that “the life of the body is in its blood.” If a person has no blood running through his veins, he has no life. Sometimes when there is a shortage of blood at the blood bank there will be blood drive so that people will come to volunteer to give their blood. Jesus knew that His blood would be given in a greater way than a blood drive.
Rather than giving life to one or a few other people, His blood gives life to all who accept Him. There are three favorite hymns of mine that talk about the blood of Jesus. In one of them the words say, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” Another hymn I love says, “There is power, power, wonder working power, in the precious blood of the Lamb.” The third hymn I’m thinking about was sung at my father’s funeral, the words say, “O victory in Jesus, My Savior forever. He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood.”
What is the power of the blood of Jesus and why do we sing about it? If you think about the meaning of the blood of Jesus in Christianity–it is EVERYTHING. In Hebrews 9:22 we are reminded that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. If Jesus did not die on the cross and shed his precious blood for our sins, then we have no hope of forgiveness. That means this blood that Jesus shed has POWER to wash away sins and should mean EVERYTHING to us believers! Today we look at four things the Blood of Jesus can do.
- THE BLOOD OF JESUS IS LIFE-GIVING (Leviticus 17:11)
Jesus’ blood purifies us, making us right with the LORD. It is the blood given in exchange for a life that makes purification possible. Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s Grace.”
- THE BLOOD OF JESUS WAS NECESSARY (Colossians 1:20, Matthew 26:28)
We think about the time when the angel of death was going to take the first-born sons of Egypt because Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go. Blood from a pure animal was the NECESSARY action to protect the first born from death. This was the foreshadowing of the blood that Christ would one day shed on the cross to protect all of us who accept Him…from eternal death.
- THE BLOOD OF JESUS GIVES FREEDOM (Revelations 1:5)
He loves us and has freed us from our sins by His precious blood! We no longer live under the bondage and condemnation of sin. Jesus’ blood sets us free from the punishment of sin. Because He has the victory, we who follow Him share in His victory! We have no fear of separation from God.
- THE BLOOD OF JESUS WAS PERFECT (1Peter 1:18-19)
In order for Jesus’ blood to make a difference, He needed to be perfect. And because He is fully God and fully man, He is perfect! Sinful people need a SIN-LESS Savior. Jesus purified us whiter than snow with His perfect blood. John 1:29 says, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” So …His blood gives LIFE, it was NECESSARY, it gives us FREEDOM and it was PERFECT. Because of His great love to lay down His life, we can believe and trust in Him, have Eternal Hope that we have been covered by the Lamb of God! We need to feel so Joyful, so Encouraged, so Thankful today and in the coming Resurrection celebration … for the life we have because Jesus shed His precious blood for us and had victory over death! Halleluia!!
4/13/25牧者之言
Santi 的见证
2024年12月21日，我们教会在华人超市门口举牌传福音时，
我的名字是 Santiago Lalis，朋友们叫我 Santi。
我五岁时就已经开始帮忙下田，
在我努力把握毕业时作为毕业致词代表（
我记得，在那个贫穷的小村庄成长时，因为家境实在太差，
基督信仰与宗教之间有着极大的区别。
- 问题不在于宗教，而在于耶稣基督！
- 人若不是从水和圣灵生的，就不能进神的国（约3:5）！
- 1989年，
我在阿肯色州小石城参加葛培理布道大会时回应了呼召，从那时起， 我相信我成为了一位“重生得救的基督徒”！
我在菲律宾是一名注册律师，后来移民到美国，
后来我转为全职做房地产，同时攻读护理专业，
如今我已经81岁了。我极度自豪地夸耀我的全能神，
愿读者们能从我经历的点滴中得着一点启发。
每日灵修 ——Santi Lalis，2025年4月6日
以下是一些我们每天都可以背诵、默想并在生活中实践的经文：
- 箴言3:5-6：这节经文鼓励我们完全依靠上帝的智慧和引导，
而不是依靠自己的聪明，无论在生活的哪个方面。 - 以赛亚书41:10：这节经文给我们带来安慰和确据，提醒我们：
神总是在我们遭遇困难时扶持我们！ - 诗篇23篇：这段经文美丽地表达了神的看顾和供应，
把祂描绘成牧人，引导和保护祂的羊群。建议你慢慢地读， 并默想其中的意象与应许。 - 约翰福音3:16：这是所有基督徒的“根基经文”，
强调神的爱以及藉着信靠耶稣基督才能得着的救恩。 - 马太福音11:28：这节经文为正在受苦的人带来安慰，
指出唯有在耶稣基督里，我们才能找到真正的安息。 - 腓立比书4:6-7：这一段经文的重点包括：
- 1）用祷告取代恐惧与焦虑：当我们忧虑时，
应当祷告并向神陈明我们的需要；（2）神的平安会保守我们： 神的平安是一种能力，能够保守信徒的心怀意念；（3） 信靠基督是关键： 我们的平安来源于我们与耶稣基督之间的信心关系。 - 罗马书8:28：这节经文确保我们，即便在苦难中，
神仍为爱祂的人预备最好的。 我们必须通过顺服神的话语并让自己的意愿与神的旨意对齐， 才能真正经历这应许的丰满。 - 约书亚记1:9：这节经文鼓励我们要刚强壮胆，
因为无论我们做什么，去到哪里，神都与我们同在！ 愿你们大家都度过一个蒙福的日子！愿我们全能的神一直引导、 保守并赐福我们每一个人！
我们教会将于4月19日（周六）
Santi’s Testimony
“My name is Santiago Lalis, but my friends call me Santi. I was born of the 11 siblings of one of the poorest families in one of the remotest areas in Southern Philippines. My parents were farmers (sharecroppers). My father was orphaned from an early age. He and his 2 siblings grew up with relatives who never sent them to school. My mother grew up taking care of a blind mother who did not have resources to send her to school either. My parents were denied inheritance from both sides. My parents had to buy 1/2 acre of barren land from my mother’s uncle so we could build a little hut and to have a little space for our animals to roam around. At age 5, I was already helping in the field and at the same time trying to avail myself of the basic free public education offered in the community. I remember our family had a rough time growing up, we could hardly meet both ends meet. Despite of the hardship I encountered, however, through the help of our almighty God, I graduated on top of my class in 1958! But then, I could not enroll in high school because of extreme poverty! I had to stop 6 years trying to find help even to the extent of writing to our congressman but to no avail. And when I found out the inherent impossibility, I had to run away to Manila, the capital city of the Philippines and ended up washing dishes in a marketplace little restaurant that caters food for early shoppers. I was able to enroll at Manila high night school, but I had to wash dishes for 15 hours. My high school journey was even tougher, I could not read books or use the library because of the limited time. I had to memorize everything the teachers taught inside the classroom to stay combative! And you what? It worked for me! Our almighty God let me graduate again on top of my class in 1968! After graduating as a Valedictorian, I was free to enroll in any university of my choice and the rest was my story!
In my quest to enjoy the free educational opportunities offered to me when I graduated Valedictorian, I was focused on serious studies without knowing that I did not enjoy having a girlfriend. My best friend in the college of law who was a Prosecutor in the city of Manila at the time, introduced me to the cousin of his wife named Rose who happened to be a Registered Nurse recruited by Baptist Medical Center in 1972, who was still single at the time. We exchanged communication by letters and eventually got married in Manila when we met for this first time, during her vacation to the Philippines in 1985! When she came back to the States, she petitioned me and 6 months later I joined her in Arkansas! Our marriage happened without a long courtship! Both of us didn’t plan about it! To me this is another miracle from God! My wife and I don’t have any children, but we are blessed to have a lot of nephews and nieces, some of them grew up in our house!
I remember, growing up in that tiny village, because of our extreme poverty, no one could expect that one of the 11 siblings could go to high school. But our almighty God is a God of Miracle! He can move mountains to show us His power! Who would ever think I could become a “Born Again Christian”? I thought all along I was already a good Christian and did not have to be “born again”, only to find out, among other things, that
1. There is a big difference between Christianity and religion.
2. That the issue is not religion but Jesus Christ!
And finally, 3. That unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he or she cannot enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:5)! I responded to the call of Evangelist Billy Graham during his crusade here in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1989 and since then, I believe I have been a “Born Again Christian”!
I began my journey as a licensed lawyer in the Philippines before immigrating to the U.S., where I started working as a server at the former Holiday Inn West in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1986, I was honored to be voted as the First Employee of the year. At that time, I juggled three jobs: Waiter at Holiday Inn, Waiter at Little Rock Hilton, and Realtor in between shifts.
Later, I transitioned into real estate full-time while also attending nursing school. Eventually, I became a Registered Nurse at Baptist Medical Center. During this period, I was also named co-winner of the “My Everest” challenge for climbing thousands of steps—from ground to 10th floor and back—during my break times while on duty as a nurse. One special highlight: I had the opportunity to take a photo with the future 42nd President of the United States, who was then serving as Governor of Arkansas.
Now I am 81-year-old. I extremely boast my almighty God for navigating my life this far! It’s not about me, it’s all about Him! I have grown much by numbers but feel much richer and even much younger in heart and spirit! This is my story—an illustration of life watered by tears of sufferings and perseverance, a veritable saga of human survival against seemingly insurmountable odds. Summing it all up, my overcoming the hardships and successes both in schools and workplaces was designed and ordered by the Lord. I did not do it “my way” as I claimed before. It was all through God’s grace! May the readers be able to learn something of what I have been through. I am extremely grateful for all the adversities which have crossed my path for they have taught me tolerance, sympathy, self-control, perseverance, sagacity and all other virtues I might never have known!”
Thoughts of the Day—by Santi Lalis on 4/6, 2025
Some Bible Verses for all of us to Memorize, Meditate, and put into Practice all the days of our lives:
1. Proverbs 3:5-6: This verse encourages us to RELY SOLEY on GOD’S WISDOM and GUIDANCE, rather than on our own, in ALL ASPECTS of LIFE!
2. Isaiah 41:10: This verse offers comfort and assurance, reminding us that God is always present to support us, especially in times of troubles and difficulties!
3. Psalm 23: This passage is a beautiful expression of God’s care and provisions, describing Him as a shepherd who guides and protects His flocks! Consider reading this passage slowly and reflecting on the imagery and promises it contains!
4. John 3:16: This is a “foundational” verse for all Christians, emphasizing God’s love and the gift of salvation that can be obtained only through faith in Jesus Christ!
5. Matthew 11:28: This verse offers comfort and invites those who are struggling to find relief that can be found only in Jesus Christ!
6. Philippians 4:6-7: Key Takeaways on Philippians 4:6-7:
1) Replace fear and anxiety with prayer! Meaning, instead of dwelling on worries, we are encouraged to pray and express our needs to God!
2) God’s peace as a protector: God’s peace is presented as a powerful force that guards believers’ hearts and minds!
3) Trust in Christ: The assurance of our peace is tied up to our faith with Christ Jesus!
7. Romans 8:28: This verse assures believers that God is working for their good even in difficult circumstances! We need to be sure, however, that our love for God is demonstrated through obedience to His Word and aligning our will with God’s will in order to experience the fullness of this promise!
8. Joshua 1:9: This verse encourages us to be strong and courageous knowing that our God will be with us whatever we do, wherever we go! Have a blessed day everybody! May our almighty God guide, protect, and bless us all always!
This Saturday, April 19, our church will once again go to the entrance of the Chinese supermarket to hold gospel signs. We pray that the Lord will lead us to meet more brothers in Christ like Santi, so that we may encourage and serve one another. More importantly, we pray that the Lord would use us to proclaim and share His gospel with people from every nation and every people group. In the name of Christ, Amen!