Feast Bay Area Morning Bulletin for Jan 12, 2020

PICC AM
12 JANUARY 2020 | SUNDAY
Philippine International Convention Center
Pasay City
WHY DO YOU
FOLLOW GOD?
THE FINAL SAY
When I was growing up, I remember that when it came to big
family decisions, my mom would always say, “Let’s wait for your
dad. He has the final say and what he says, we will follow.”
We were at the mercy of his decision. And depending
on his decision, we either reaped the benefit or suffered the
consequences.
I’m grateful we have a heavenly Father who will always
have the final say. He always has our best interests at heart.
Get ready for another amazing Feast.
I’m a semi-old man who has lived more than half-a-century on
planet Earth, so I can speak with authority: Friends, Life is unfair.
The earlier you accept this, the better.
Banish from your mind any false, hyper-faith expectation that
says, “If I follow God, life will be fair.”
No, it won’t. As long as you’re a human being living in this
broken world, life will be unfair, whether you follow God or not.
You don’t follow God to escape problems; You follow God to follow God.
Today, you’ll hear this message: Life is unfair, but God will have
the last say and it will be good.
Have a super inspiring Feast today!
May your dreams come true,
BO SANCHEZ
The Feast, Founder
In Him,
You will be blessed today.
AUDEE VILLARAZA
The Feast PICC AM, Builder
THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Birth of The King
Talk 5: God will Have the Last Say
“After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, “Herod will be looking for the child in order to kill him. So get up, take the child and
his mother and escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave.” Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left during the night for Egypt, where he
stayed until Herod died. This was done to make come true what the Lord had said through the prophet, “I called my Son out of Egypt.” When Herod realized that the
visitors from the East had tricked him, he was furious. He gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its neighborhood who were two years old and younger—this
was done in accordance with what he had learned from the visitors about the time when the star had appeared. In this way what the prophet Jeremiah had said came
true: “A sound is heard in Ramah, the sound of bitter weeping. Rachel is crying for her children; she refuses to be comforted, for they are dead.” —Matthew 2:13-18
continued on page 2

This Is
My Story
After failed romantic relationships, suicide
attempts, drug and alcohol addiction, and
suffering abuse from her partners, Marie Loresto,
36, is fighting her demons and will soon be a
Recovery Coach. MK Mañozo writes her story.
Marie says,
“Jesus is my rock,
my refuge and
my guide.”
I am bipolar. Depressive. Delusional. Suicidal. My doctor said so.
At the same time, I am also God’s beloved. His beautiful daughter,
His wonderful creation. The Father says so. I found out about this truth,
thanks to The Feast, my family and my second family at the Bridges of
Hope Rehabilitation Center.
It is not an easy journey — this path to healing that I continue to
tread today. Let me start from the beginning.
The Destructive Beginning
At the age of 16, I was raped. It happened at a party. Helpless in the
hands of a friend’s cousin, nobody heard as I screamed for help.
That ruined my life. My boyfriend left me. I became depressed and
attempted suicide through pill overdose. Good thing, I was rushed to the
hospital in time.
Thus marked the period when I became dependent on romantic
relationships and became a victim again and again.
The Abusive Pastor
In college, I had a boyfriend I was so in love with. Upon his dictate,
as a pastor, I converted to his religion. We lived together for six years. On
our sixth year, we got married. The following year, we separated. And it was
for my own good.
I was a battered girlfriend-wife. I allowed him to abuse me physically,
emotionally and mentally. One time he hit me so hard I fell down the stairs
and had a miscarriage. My love for him turned to fear, fear that led me to
leave him.
The Bad Boy
My next one was a classic bad boy. He taught me to take drugs. We
got high all the time.
A time came when I wanted to stop but he encouraged me to go on. I
gave in and followed his lifestyle — a lifestyle my son was born into.
Later on, thinking of my baby, I escaped and got out of the
relationship.
Life in Bohol
In 2009, I left the city and went to live anew in Bohol. But no sooner
than later, I was back in misery and had relationships, mostly for fun.
I felt lost, in the dark. I did crazy things like stealing money and
things from my family. I took our family car and drove off to Palawan and
Boracay.
Concerned for my welfare, my family sent me to a psychiatric facility
where I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. I stayed there for two
months.
Undaunted, I went back to my usual ways — a new relationship,
experienced abuse from the hand of my lover, took alcohol and drugs.
Around this time, another doctor pronounced me with bipolar disorder —
a mental illness marked by extreme mood swings —mania or highs and
depression or lows.
My Baler Adventure
My last relationship is the worst I ever had. I say this because we were
wrong for each other. While enjoying surfing in Baler, we led a sinful life.
Because of drug abuse, I became delusional. One day, I had this
delusion that singer-composer Bamboo Mañalac and I were soul partners
and that we were going to get married soon. I even went to ABS-CBN
studio to see him in person. My mother sent me back to the psychiatric
ward again.
To cut a long story short, I escaped but my family intervened and had
me confined in the facility again.
The Turnaround
I stayed for more than two years at the Bridges of Hope receiving
treatment and eventually, I came out victorious.
I loved the program and dreamed of working in a rehabilitation
center to help others recover from their addictions.
Finding Myself at The Feast
Overjoyed by my progress, my father, brought me to The Feast where
he serves as a prayer warrior.
At this prayer event, I had the chance to get to know who I am and
how much God loves me. I signed up for a Light Group (LG) to get into a
deeper relationship with Jesus. At my LG, I met people whose love for the
Lord was infectious.
Wanting to heal further, in June 2019, I joined the LoveLife Retreat
for singles where I learned to love and value myself even more.
This Winner’s Life
By God’s grace, I have won! I am now free from addictions. With
my mental illness, I still become delusional when under pressure. But unlike
before, now I know that I can run to God’s arms anytime and start anew. I
now serve with my dad at the FBA Intercessory Ministry.
I still go to the Rehab Center, but this time, to testify to God’s love
and the healing I received. I’m also a volunteer and undergoing training to
become a Recovery Coach. In March, I’m hoping to take up a degree to
become a Certified Addiction Professional.
My son is now 12 and is a fifth grader. Instead of getting into another
romantic relationship, I am spending time with my family and strengthening
my bond with them. I am now truly enjoying a wonderful life because I
have Jesus in my heart.
Got an inspiring story to share? Email us at
iamblessedatthefeast@gmail.com.
continued from page 1
PERSONAL REFLECTION AND GROUP DISCUSSION:
• Share your experiences on the 3 Reasons Bad Things Happen To Us:
1. Mostly Our Fault
2. Partly Our Fault
3. Not Our Fault

SCENES
from last
Sunday
“God can turn every defeat into
a victory, every loss into gain,
every weakness into strength.”
- Bro. Audee Villaraza
poison
“Get rid of the poison
of insecurity.”
- Bro. Bo Sanchez
prayer
prayer
King Jesus, I accept you
as my Lord and Savior.
Come into my heart. I
repent of all my sins.
Forgive me. Today, I
receive your forgiveness
and I receive a new
relationship with You. On
this day, I follow You. And
for the whole year 2020,
and every year after, until
the last day of my life here
on Earth, I will follow
King Jesus. Amen.
RECAP
HOMILY
The Gospel According to Matthew 2:1-12 // The Feast of the Epiphany
“Kahit kailan di tayo
pinagdamutan ng Diyos.
Ibigay natin ang ating
best para sa Kanya.”
—Fr. Joseph Quicho
In biblical tradition, the three wise men gave gifts to the King —
gold, frankincense and myrrh — to model how we should give our best to
Jesus. . Let us not settle for puwede na yan, makaraos lang, or okay na yan. Ask,
“Ano ‘yung kaya nating ibigay o isuko para kay Hesus?”
The life we live right now is the only pleasing gift we can give to
Him. If we are going to give ourselves to God, is it wrapped with a beautiful
wrapper and a ribbon or is it covered with sinfulness? Let us live our lives
intentionally. Live every day with a loving and understanding heart that is
open to those in need.
“Be the light of Jesus shining
the light of hope to the hopeless.”
—Fr. Titus Mananzan
In celebrating the Epiphany, we are called as
missionaries to reveal and manifest how the Lord loves us.
It is our mission to shed the light of hope to others and
show the goodness of God through doing good for others.
TALK SERIES: Matthew
Birth of a King
TALK 4
Big Message: You already won.
The Feast of the Epiphany. Epiphany means God’s manifestation or
revealing Himself. In the Bible, Wise Men from the East paid homage to
Baby Jesus. This story was considered scandalous by the Jews —God’s
chosen people — back then since the Messiah revealed Himself to the
Gentiles or non-Jews.
Two Kings. How different are the two kings — Herod the Great and Jesus
Christ? Herod was considered great because of the structures he built in the
city, but he was insecure causing him to murder many, even those close to
him.
Jesus, on the other hand, came humbly to the world in the form of a
baby —small and vulnerable. His true nature is revealed through the gifts of
the Magi —Gold symbolizes His royalty, His being King; Frankincense
symbolizes His divinity, His being God; Myrrh represents His ultimate
sacrifice.
In the end, we know that Herod the Great fell and lost his throne,
while Jesus Christ won and reigns forever.
You’re a Winner. Don’t let insecurity rule your heart. This will lead you
to destroy yourself and others. In the battle of Herod vs. Jesus in our minds
and hearts, choose Jesus. Surrender to His Kingship.
Because you have the Lord in your life, you’ve already won.
Everything you’ve lost will be nothing compared to who you have —Jesus.

ENHANCE YOUR
FEAST PICC AM EXPERIENCE
THE FEAST BAY AREA LEADERS
Builders: Bo Sanchez, Alvin Barcelona
and Audee Villaraza
Council Heads: Loie Alaba, Tine Duran,
Jhay and Lhei Jatap, Edwin and Rezza Soriano
THE FEAST BULLETIN STAFF
Media Head: Anne Sanchez
Editor in Chief: Rhoda Osalvo
Managing Editors: Zelle Flora, Meg Gonzales
Editorial Assistant: Imy Eulin
Writers: Jen Go, Mae Sayo
Chief Photographer: Jayr Purisima
Asst. Chief Photographer: Cherrielyn Bansale
Photographers: Dahlia Bagatsing, Trey Bagatsing,
Ranelyn Budlong, Jim De Ramos
James Esparas, Joriz Espino
Layout Artist: COL