roman guevara

ROMAN GUEVARA
Daily Devotional Reading

“Sex, Lies, and Youtube”

Scripture

Psalm 34:11-13

¹¹ Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

¹² Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,

¹³ keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.

Sex………16 years of addiction to pornography.

Lies………2 years of deceiving people about an aggressive cancer.

And Youtube…300,000++ views for the hit song “Healer”, taken out of Youtube by Hillsongs.

This is now how people talk about Michael Guglielmucci, an Australian Worship Leader, Composer and Pastor, who finally admitted to the public, that he has been addicted to pornography, and that he has been lying to everyone, about having cancer.

Hindi naman ito ang first time na ma iskandalo at madisgrace ang isang kilalang Pastor.

I remember in the ’80s, isyung isyu sa mga christians at hindi christians ang pagbagsak ng isang Jimmy Swaggart. Sumikat siya bilang isang “tele evangelist.” Nakilala dahil napapanood siya ng milyong milyong mga tao sa pamamagitan ng world wide television. Kinaiinggitan din ng marami, dahil noong araw, it took a lot of money to be seen by millions on television. And Jimmy Swaggart’s ministries hauled in as many milliions of dollars in donations and offerings, as the millions that watched him. I’ve been told that he was truly a charismatic and dynamic preacher who also sang during his sermons and services.  But one day, he was caught and photographed going into a motel with a prostitute, and that was the end of his worldwide ministry.

And there were others. Pastors, Priests, Preachers. We’ve heard some of the stories. We’ve seen them on the news. We’ve read them on magazines and newspapers.

But Michael Guglielmucci is a little bit different.

For one, mas kilala siya bilang isang worship leader and composer, kesa bilang isang Pastor. At hindi lang siya nakilala dahil sa TV. Nakilala siya dahil sa bilis at efficiency ng Internet, specially through the posts of Hillsong sa Youtube.

For years, his compositions have been sung by thousands of people all over the world, specially in Australia. His group Planetshakers, is one of the more well-known worship ministries, not only in Australia, but in many parts of the Western World.

Specially sentimental to a lot of people is his latest song, “Healer”.

Sabi kasi niya in one of his videos, nacompose daw niya ang kantang ito, dahil nga nalaman niyang me cancer siya. Eventually, the song was recorded on one of the worship recordings of Planetshakers, and later, pati Hillsongs inimbitahan siya na irecord at ivideo yung kantang “Healer” sa kanilang latest worship recording.

I remember one Hillsong fan telling me, before this scandal broke out, na panoorin ko daw sa youtube yung kantang “Healer”, kasi nakaka iyak daw. Yung worship leader, si Michael Guglielmucci, kinanta with Hillsongs Band, ang kantang ito na daladala ang oxygen tank sa stage, kasi nga me cancer daw. Wala na ngayon ang video ng “Healer” sa youtube kasi tinanggal na ng Hillsong.

And this is what is so baffling to a lot of people.

He didn’t just lie to people….he lied about having cancer, and from this lie he was able to compose a beautiful song about healing.

He said in one of his recent interviews, that he lied about cancer because he was addicted to porn.

But nobody is buying it. At least for now.

A lot of people, specially those who have known him for years, even his own family and friends, have been hurt by these developments. And since he is known worldwide, countless more have been greatly discouraged by this news.

Many are asking questions.

Why did he really lie?

How could somebody like him lie and lie about something like cancer?

He didn’t need the fame and attention, because he already had fame and attention.

He didn’t need the money, because he already had lots of it.

Again, why did he lie?

How could he lie?

It’s easy to talk about scandals and sins, because….it is not our own.

Pero, “honestly”, sino ba naman sa atin ang hindi nakapagsinungaling?

Just in case na merong nagbabasa nito na hindi minsan nagsinungaling sa buong buhay niya, e, congratz na lang, at sana tuloy tuloy kana sa pamumuhay ng buong katotohanan.

But to most of us, who, at some point in our lives, have lied, be it a white lie, a small lie, or the really big ones, we know the feeling….and im sure, wala sa atin gustong magsinungaling at maramdaman ang feeling na nakapagsinungaling.

But why do we lie? Why have we lied?

Why are we lying?

How could we lie? Specially now that we are christians, some even ministers of God….How could we still say, and sometimes live in a lie?

I remember Dr. House, the lead character in the medical series HOUSE, saying in one of the first episodes of the first season, “Everybody lies”. He was referring kasi to patients in the hospital, na bago nila ti ni treat, e tinatanung muna as part of their diagnosis, tungkol sa personal history, para madetermine ang right treatment. E kaso nga lang, minsan, nakakahiya ang “true” at personal history, kaya many of his patients lie.

Does everybody lie?

Lahat ba ng nagsisinungaling, o nakapagsinungaling, e,  masama?

Should we just tell the truth?

What are the implications and consequences of telling the truth?

Can the people we love, handle the truth?

Can we handle the truth?

Michael Guglielmucci said, halos 16 years na siyang addicted sa pornography. Subtract muyan sa kanyang edad ngayon, and you will know that 16 years ago, he was only like 13 years old. Meaning? Sino banamang teenager na lalaki ang hindi naging curious about porn? And you will also discover pa, that as you read his bio, na anak siya ng Pastor, batang bata siya nung nagstart sa ministry, and at 29, he has been ministering for quite so many years already.

Maybe napagod? Maybe me pinagdadaanan ang isang taong lumaki sa isang christian family, na hindi pinagdadaanan ng ordinaryong teenager? Maybe he had struggles that many people couldn’t help him with? Maybe he had lived for so long being so strong for so many people, he didnt have time to be weak, but he was already weak, and so he fell? Maybe hindi talaga madali ang makilala ng maraming tao dahil sa ministry? Maybe, just maybe, these are the reasons why he lied?

Does that justify what he did? Does that nullify the effects of his deception?

Of course not. But we should definitely not judge him nor should we condemn him.

But knowing more about God’s grace and love, should make us, those of us who are just watching on the sidelines, better understand, why he did what he did, and ultimately forgive him, as we all have sinned, and all of us need forgiveness.

May God help us all.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Forgive us Lord our sins. Forgive us of our lies. Forgive us for judging other people. Forgive us for being proud. We have sinned before you many times. Maybe not like the sins committed by others, but then you know each of us more than anyone else. Help us Lord to live a life that pleases you. And teach us Lord to understand why others fail and fall. Cause us to be compassionate and gracious towards others. We pray for everyone who is struggling today because of some very sensitive matter in their life. Give all of us the wisdom, the courage, and the strength to overcome, by the power and blood of Jesus Christ. I pray all of these things, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.

IF YOU HAVE BEEN ENCOURAGED BY THIS DEVOTIONAL, FEEL FREE TO RECOPY, REPOST, OR LINK THROUGH YOUR SITE, THANKS AND GOD BLESS.

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