School demands have been impossible lately, or maybe you're already on the workforce and your boss has been piling work on your desk non-stop.  You've had a million things to do, and 24 hours never seem to be enough.  It's only Tuesday, and the only thing that keeps you going is the promise of rest on Sunday.

No phones, no deadlines... just you and your sweet own time.


The fast pace of life has taken a toll on all of us at one time or another.  And we treat rest as our privilige, our right, OURS.

But if we are to worship with our life, shouldn't that include how we spend time resting?

Kuya Kevin tackles the importance of rest (don't worry, it doesn't mean you'll have to slave off yourself at church) and how we can turn this time into worship.  Catch his message on Rain & Rest by clicking here or by visiting our music uploads page.

Kuya Bob's intro to our sem's topic, Worship with your life, is now up on the Music page.  We weren't able to record music from the Opening and first PURE for the sem though -- sabi ni miki sira daw ang ilang cords    That's what you get for using old -- really old -- equipment.  Hopefully, we can fix that before the sem ends.

It's just another reason for you to drop by the Cup every Friday, innit?

The good book urges us to 'worship with our lives' -- but what exactly does that mean?  How is working on a desk, 8 hours day after day supposed to please the Lord?  What about stay-at-home moms?  Struggling students?  Youth leaders?  How do I dedicate every breathing moment of my life to the Lord?

Join us this Friday at 690 Real St. Intramuros on July 13, 2007, 7:30 pm.  Live your life to the fullest. Worship with your life.

yep, it's tomorrow (july 6)already!

featuring
Broken
Emanwel
Ardent

so tell your friends, classmates,
teachers, neighbors, co-workers,
acquaintances

fullcup cafe
690 real st intramuros manila
730PM

FullCup Project will be one of the guest bands in the opening of Upper Box at the Kalaw United Methodist Church this Friday, June 22, 7 pm.

See you there! :)

What a way to end summer!




FullCup gathered its friends for a funfunfun end-of-summer jam last May 18, and it turned out quite a night!

First off, we're truly sad Banana Island wasn't able to make it -- we were really looking forward to that particular reggae groove Banana Island is keen on.  Sayang pare, feeling jamaican pa naman kami

Fortunately, God had other plans in store.

Converging Resonance jammed with us and had a good run with their songs.  JD, like always, was tinitilian.  And who was that other girl who did the vocals?  Maybe she can sing again in FullCup's acoustic night?
Alab was, at always, great.  Especially with Ailene's... interesting rendition of popular tunes. As my visiting cousins pointed out, "ang galing nang boses!  at original ang pagkaka-kanta"

Apo Jun and his gang wowed the crowd with their excellent pieces.  Wala talagang kupas ang Emanwel.  These guys take their music seriously, without forgetting who gave it to them in the first place.  Ang galing talaga.

Then we had other guests, Neenster, the forever crush-ng-bayan nang FullCup, and Annex, Apo Jun's wife and a very good friend.  Neens was gracious enough to offer a couple of songs to our God despite the relentless attention of the boys (tsk tsk).  Annex, on the other hand, was unbelievable.  As Ailene mentioned in her multiply account, no one should be able to sing Better Days that magnificently -- especially without practice.  Iba talaga tong si Annex.  Ida (kahit nakaupo) also sang with her in Hands to Hold.  Buti na lang andun si eeeeeeeda.

John also outlined the changes that would happen to FullCup this year.  That we'll have FullCup nights every first and third Friday of the month and pure Worship nights in between.  It's what you wanted, so we're giving it to you -- all for the glory of the Savior.

For more Summer Jam pics, you can click here or visit our photo albums.  Additional photos are also available on JD's multiply page here.  Neens also posted her pics here.

As for the songs... hehe. If I remember to download it from church this Sunday, I promise to upload it on Monday.

Sorry, my bad

Praise songs sung at the last FullCup PURE are now up here on the site.  Click here or visit the "Music" Section

It's been our topic for the whole year -- Who on Earth Was Jesus Christ?  And all those fridays aside, we still have a lot to learn about our Savior and Lord.  Good thing we have eternity to get to know Him better, right?

Kuya Moks leaves us with a parting shot on an aspect of Jesus we wish you to remember -- Jesus, the lover of betrayers.  Click here to listen or just head over to the "PURE" playlist at the Music section.

Our pictures are already up! Rhealyn was good enough to send it to us yesterday through email.  Check it out here.

And don't miss FullCup's new gem of a find -- Jay & Mark from PUP.  Leah and Babylene are all giggly with admiration on how these two guys sang.  Listen to "Space in Between Us" and "Remembering You" here.

John is still arranging the tracks of the Praise songs, and we'll post it here once they're ready.  For a sneak peek, click here to listen to John and Babylene sing "All for Love" of United Live.

It's hardly news -- two or three centuries after Christ's death, various stories have already sprouted either adding, modifying, or altogether denying what happened in the Gospels. Sometimes the stories are merely whimsical -- such as finding the nail used to pin Christ to the Cross which people found to be miraculous -- but sometimes the stories are scandalous and vulgar such as stating that Jesus was just a gothic invention of the Roman Church.

The most famous of these stories in recent years is Dan Brown's novel, the Da Vinci Code. The novel gained renown for making fantastic claims about Christ -- such as his divinity being decided by humans or actually having human descendants. Precisely because people rarely bother to study what they claim to believe (Jesus), they were easily confused even as the book was clearly labeled as fiction.

There's another one of these stories circulating around -- Discovery Channel's "The Lost Tomb of Jesus." Like other stories before it, they present outlandish claims that they say 'prove' the gospels wrong.

Gnosticism, apparently, will never end as long as there are people who don't want to be bothered verifying what they claim to believe. The Da Vinci Code, The Gospel of Judas, and this 'lost tomb' is just its latest incarnation.

Believers need not be bothered by these 'revelations' -- time and again, the Church has found strength in the Gospels because of its reliability. The Church is not composed of blind idiots following God just because a piece of paper says so -- they have verified, found proof and experienced the truth of the Gospels. This reliability has enabled the Church to withstand the onslaught of these stories throughout its history.

Stories that are contrary to what the Gospels say aren't new -- they've been around since the Church's toddler years. We can expect to hear more of these fabrications as we get older, and it is our duty as believers to verify the things we believe in -- so we can stand firm against the enemy's machinations.

To listen to Kuya Kevin's explanation why Discovery Channel's 'lost tomb' is a dud, click here

The token white dude -- everybody's Kuya Kevin -- would be on the radio TODAY! Listen to him talk about relationships, ministry, and whatever they come up with on DZAS.

Click here to listen to them online

We've talked about how revolutionary Jesus was -- how He was a social reformer or as the crucified one or as the feminist -- but who was Jesus stripped of all the hoopla and all the hype brought by his miraculous actions?  How was he deep down; who was He as a friend?

We assume He's a good one, but how do we know?  Was He generous? Was He supportive?  Was He domineering or demanding?  By looking at how he treated His friends and the things He offered to them while He was here, Ailene talks about Jesus as a Friend at the Cup.

To listen to ailene's lively sharing of this side of Jesus, click here.

Kim Cruse comes to us all the way from Batangas to share her most passionate views on how radical and ground-breaking was Jesus when He was on Earth. By going back to select stories from the Gospels, Kim brought to life just how different Jesus was compared to everyone -- religious leaders or even the common man.

Grace was found in everything that Jesus did -- from purposely seeking the sinners and outcasts to show them His love, to His outright unwillingness to blast His enemies to oblivion. It seems that this man who lived two thousand years ago didn't come only to raise a new religion, but an entirely new way of life. To listen to Kim's light-hearted but incisive message, click here.


Music

It was a sweet and smooth acoustic night last friday! We had a couple of performers who brought joy with their wonderful renditions of popular songs.

Ailene started the night with her 'smoky' songs "Ewan", "Just the Way You Are", "Someday", and the ever favorite "Tattooed in My Mind." Unfortunately, our tech guy was so smitten with the performance that he actually forgot to press the 'record' button. We were groaning with frustration after the Cup upon learning this tidbit, but hey, that's just another reason why you guys shouldn't miss FullCup every Friday, right? We get lotsa goodies you won't find anywhere else.

The Chiral Center -- or as the crowd quickly dubbed them: the Desperados -- quickly came on board after that. This young group of very eager musicians serenanded the Cup with a fun "Fixing a Broken Heart" rendition. Babylene, as always, was brilliant. Her covers of "Stranded" and "Tabing-Ilog" was well-received, but it was her "What Can I do to Make You Love Me?" that got the crowd cheering enthusiastically. Para kanino nga ba yan, belen?

Jopay, together with Babylene and later on, Shy, composed the UE Attack of the night. This young lass from Convergence wowed the crowd with acoustic regulars "Don't Know Why" and "Till They Take my Heart Away." Shy surprised me. I never knew this girl had that silky, sexy voice. She sang "Out of Reach" and the edgy "Mata."

The last act that made everything worth waiting for was FullCup's favorite little ninja, Neena Juan. This former beachbabe/current worship leader has performed at the Cup several times before, but that hasn't dulled her magic even one iota. Men and women alike were enthralled by what can only be described as a luminiscent performance -- with the spotlight giving her a 'glow' we couldn't take our eyes away from, Neens sang "Sulat", "Hiling" and "My Only Hope". Not a few from the audience asked for the young woman's number after that, I tell you -- presumably to congratulate her on such a captivating set.

Krisna was the only one who sang in our open mic. This wasn't due to a lack of volunteers -- we just had an overflowing of goodies that time became a concern. Well, there's always next time, right? Maybe we'll hear more than Krisna's fresh "I'll be Over You" and "Panalangin".

For a complete list of mp3s you can download from last Friday's acoustic night -- including worship samplers such as "All I Need is You", "Forever", "Hungry", "Jesus, Lover of My Soul," "My God", and "Salvation is Here", visit the FullCup Acoustic Album by clicking here.

Next week, Ardent visits the Cup once again!

Pictures from the Feb. 9 FullCup are available at Kat's site. Check it out!

We'll also have mp3s of FullCup's acoustic night in just a little while (i'm uploading it now) hintay lang!

It's easy to think of Him as a friend -- someone whom we can tell all our secrets.  He is easy to imagine as the great comforter, the Healer, even the Provider.  But the crucified one?  For one reason or another, we get uncomfortable seeing the Master of the Universe nailed to that piece of Roman wood.

Yet, Kuya Mac (or Ptr. Mac as he walks in Baguio) stresses that this is the core of Jesus' ministry.  Without the crucifiction, Jesus will just be a great moral teacher, a faith healer, a psychic with powers.  He would have been someone who did great feats, but without the cross, He would not be the savior.

Jesus came here not to teach a new philosophy or form a church, or gather a few followers.  He came here primarily to die.

To be the lamb that was slain.
To be the redeemer of all creation.
To be the perfect sacrifice.

Listen here to Ptr. Mac as he explains why the cross is the center of our belief.


Band:  For some reason, we had three bands last night at the Cup.  Wheee!

Converging Resonance was a pleasant surprise as they offered their emo music at the Cup.  An orginal composition (sino sa inyo ang taga-Lucena? Kabayan!) and a funfunfun cover of the old "Nothing's Gonna Stop us Now" got the Cup laughing and cheering for the Band.  FullCup friend Dopamine Surge treated us to a glimpse of what the main band for the night had to offer.  They rocked their praise to the Lord in metallic fashion.

For the main band, Reaching Out for Christ the King, or more popularly known as R.O.C.K. maid the Cup jump up and down with their thick, masculine music.  Testosterone oozed out of the place as not a few girls sighed their way into R.O.C.K.'s no-nonsense set (right ,Anne? :p).   DJ Jordan of NU 107 and the rest of R.O.C.K. has been a reliable FullCup friend for the past couple of years.  It was great to have you back guys.

Pictures would be up once Kat manages to email me the photos she took.  A couple more pangungulit to Kuya Dong and he may finally relent and let us buy a digital cam of our own. 

Next week: Acoustic Night!

[To listen to Kuya Kevin's preaching, click here]

An omniscient God learning stuff may sound like an oxymoron, but that is precisely what Jesus did when he went down to Earth and became human. The Word that began and sustains all things had to learn specific syntaxes and grammar. The fingers that sculpted mountains had blisters and cuts while learning his earthly father's trade. While Jesus had the whole cosmos at his beck and call, he took the time to earn a living, to make friends, to actually live exactly like humans do.

This is our God -- He did not cheat His way into the task given to Him by the Father. As scripture tells us, He was both completely human and completely divine -- a dualism impossible to all but the one true Christ.

Blasphemous? Hardly. This is a critical truth in our belief of Jesus -- that He is our perfect priest, able to raise our cause to the Father because He himself experienced everything that we do. Not only did the son of the Most High become human, he had to learn the ways of humans. This is the extent of our Savior's love -- no hardship is too much, no human endeavor too lowly in his quest to redeem us.

[to listen to john's sharing, please click here]

When asked on his opinion on Jesus, John Lennon was reported to say, "Jesus is alright. It's his followers who ruin it for me."

This quote, accurate or not, tells us so much about how the world views the Church. Somehow, in the 2000 years after the founder of our faith left the earth, sinners started running away from us instead of towards us, as our leader used to inspire the fallen to do.

Being the only perfect man to ever walk this Earth, it is amazing that Jesus never had a problem forgiving those who have sinned. No matter who came to him, he never turned anyone seeking redemption. The self-righteous are wary of who they associate with, but the holy one actually seeks these outcasts out.



Music: Without A Trace rocks!!!! For a first-gig, they sound amazing. And jorem was good to give messages interspersed with the songs. I didn't know he's that talented. He sings, he plays, he shoots great pics, he's rich, he has a gorgeous girlfriend.

Some guys have all the luck :p

In any case, we at FullCup hope that Without A Trace would come rock the house again!

Friends, Strangers from distant lands, Seers of the various realms... the 1st Fullcup Audio file is up and ready for downloading (cue thunder and lightning!).

Kidding aside, it may not be a big deal for some, but we're pretty excited for this small accomplishment.  Our buena mano is Kuya Kevin with the message he shared last January 12, "Jesus the Religious Reformer." Click here to listen to the token white dude.

[Editor's tip: use a free download manager software such as this to ensure you don't lose your downloads.]

Unfortunately, we're still fixing the recording and uploading the songs of the bands who play in Fullcup.  To be honest, the files we have sound rather... raw.  The mixing's still messed up and we're hoping John could fix that real soon.  [yes bro, i'm talkin' to you].  So if you guys want the songs uploaded soon, hound john and don't stop nagging him. (hehe).

In any case, today's another friday and tonight we'll have Without A Trace at the Cup.  If you've listened to Jam For Breakfast before, I guarantee you'll like Without A Trace -- simply because some of their members belong to Jam too.  So join us tonight at the Cup.  John's going to speak by the way -- something about how Jesus is the paragon of real forgiveness.  I'm not quite sure, for some reason he's keeping it vague.

See y'all tonight!

UPDATE: Kuya Kevin's audio file is up. Click here to listen.


(Editor's Note: For some reason, Kuya Kevin can make a crowd sit up and listen -- and it's not just because he's the only white dude in the room. The logical structure of his words and comfortable way of sharing scripture to all sorts of people make his preaching not only informative and relevant, but also enjoyable.

So instead of reporting about his sharing last Friday at the Cup, we'll post his actual text so that you guys could read it for yourself.)

One of the most intriguing things about Jesus is the relationship he had with the religious establishment of his time. Jesus did not get along very well with the religious leaders (Pharisees and Sadducees). He showed incredible compassion for those who were considered “sinful” (prostitutes, etc). On the other hand, His comments to the Pharisees and Sadducees were incredibly harsh. Consider some of these lines from Matthew 23 (New Living Translation):

vs. 13 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! . . . vs. 15 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! . . . vs. 16 Blind guides! What sorrow awaits you! . . . vs. 33 Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?

From childhood I have known that the Pharisees and Sadducees were the “bad guys.” Knowing this, I’ve always tended to identify myself with Jesus or the disciples—the “good guys.” Now, however, there’s something I wonder about as I try to look at the Bible with a fresh perspective. I have to ask myself this question: do I have some of the same negative qualities that the religious leaders of Jesus’ time had?

If I am brutally honest with myself, I will see that I already have some things in common with these religious adversaries of Jesus. For example, I have a strong “religious” background. I grew up in a Christian home where we attended a wonderful church. Christianity, in fact, actually goes back at least three generations on both sides of my family. My maternal grandfather was a lay preacher. My paternal grandmother was a strong church leader. Two of my uncles are preachers, and many others in my family are deacons (including my dad and older brother). I have formal religious education/training. None of these things are bad—in fact, I’m eternally grateful for my Christian family, my church, and my theological training. Having said that, I have learned that I am susceptible to the “trap” of living like a Pharisee.

Last time I spoke here at Full Cup, I talked about Jesus: Religious Reformer. As I studied Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees, I’ve seen some truths that I can apply to my life. Thinking about these things helps me to get rid of the “Pharisee” in me. I think understanding these truths can help all of us to see the difference between genuine faith and false religion.

Truth #1—It is very dangerous to confuse religious traditions with God’s word.

Matthew 15:1-3 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!" Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?”

Here we have an account of Jesus being challenged about hand washing. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were offended that Jesus’ disciples did not wash their hands before they ate. Noticed that it is described as the “tradition of the elders.” Here’s why: there are no Old Testament commands about washing your hands before eating. They had confused God’s word with man-made traditions. Jesus proceeded to tell them that they were actually breaking God’s law in their lifestyles (you can look it up in the Bible for more details). In other words, the Pharisees had it backwards—they should have paid more attention to God’s word than to the tradition of the elders.

Here’s another verse related to this truth:

Matthew 16:6 "Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

This particular warning was given by Jesus to his own disciples. If they needed to be warned, I believe I also need this warning. It only takes little pinch of yeast to affect a whole batch of dough. In the same way, a little bit of tradition may get mixed in with God’s word and begin to ruin our faith. Little by little, it is possible for us to begin confusing our traditions with God’s word.

Key Question: What traditions do I treat as sacred even though they are not written in the Bible?

Truth #2—True Christianity reaches out to people right where they are.

Matthew 10:12 . . . Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”

Above is another of Jesus’ response to his religious critics. They complained that he was spending time with “sinners.” Jesus explained that he wanted to help people who were “spiritually sick.” In order to do that, he needed to go where these people where—he met them where they were.

A few months back, I had lunch in a small student canteen outside one of my target campuses. The ground floor was packed, so I had to eat upstairs. Once I climbed the stairs I realized that the second floor was the smoking section. I really didn’t want to eat there—I didn’t want to smell like smoke. I had no choice, so I reluctantly sat down to eat lunch. I then noticed that some of the “smokers” were students from my target campus. I eventually introduced myself to them and we had a nice talk. Here’s the point: I almost missed an opportunity to meet them because I couldn’t “see past the smoke.” It was hard for me to see beyond the things I didn’t like.

If we want to follow Jesus, we have to be willing to approach people that are different from us—people who perhaps have serious problems.

Key Question: What could I do to reach out to people who are not like me (different spiritually, culturally, etc)?

Truth #3—God is not impressed with appearances

Matthew 23:25-26 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”

What if I gave you a cup of coffee with a huge cockroach swimming in it? Unless you were competing in that Fear Factor show, you would immediately turn it down in disgust. It wouldn’t matter how nice the outside of the cup looked.

Jesus used a similar analogy when talking about the Pharisees’ lives. They tried to look religious for the sake of appearance. I think all of us have been guilty of this at some time or another. All of us have practiced religious rituals even when our hearts were not really in it. It is important to understand that God is not impressed with empty religious rituals.

Key Question: When have I been guilty of just “going through the motions” of religion for the sake of appearance?

Truth #4—Our “righteousness” is not enough to please God.

Matthew 5:20 “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”

This quote is surprising when you consider that the religious teachers and Pharisees were considered the best that religion had to offer. A modern-day version may sound something like this: “Unless you are more righteous than the Pope, Gandhi, and Jose Rizal combined, you will not go to heaven” (keep in mind this is just an example—I am not criticizing these three people). That’s pretty intimidating, huh? Sounds like none of us can make it to heaven.

Well, we cannot make to heaven by our own efforts. If we could make it to heaven through being religious, Jesus would have praised the efforts of the Pharisees. Our efforts to be righteous on our own are just as useless as the Pharisees’ efforts.

Jesus came and died on the cross so that we could have a completely different kind of righteousness. The righteousness that man can attain does not compare to the righteousness which God freely gives. If we will simply ask God to come into our lives and change us, He will give us a righteousness that we could never attain on our own. This is the only kind of righteousness which God truly accepts.

Key Question: Do I understand what it means to trust Christ alone for salvation, or am I trusting in my own efforts?

I pray that all of us will learn to have genuine faith—the kind of faith that Jesus spoke of. Let’s not accept cheap substitutes.

just to say this once and for all, i wish we had a digital camera. then these darn stories would be easier to tell. so to any of those blessed people who actually own 2 or more, won't you consider? (hehehe)

ok, now kidding aside, fullcup project (the cafe's worship team/band/merry group of misfits) had a (sorta) busy holiday schedule. we were invited to 2 events this past december, and again, i wish we had pics to show for it. =(

the first event was just before Christmas in Marikina, at the Riverbanks Mall Entertainment Area (you know, where all the bumper cars are). it was called ROCK the CRADLE, and the band was part of a huge lineup of Christian rock bands playing that night - R.O.C.K., Bushfire, Bought by Blood... to name a few. the project went fun and alternative and did covers from vertical horizon (everything you want), dishwalla(counting blue cars), lifehouse (hanging by a moment), and just for kicks - stonefree (kapag nawala ka). of course, we had our doubts that all of the crowd enjoyed it like they did the head-banging music of R.O.C.K... they were uhmmm, a bit on the young side. we did see a few heads nodding and a few people waving their approval. hopefully, they got the meat of the songs. (Jordan, if you're reading this, ain't there pics dude? can you email me if ever?)

the next invitation was in late december, to lead worship at the Quezon City District - United Methodist Youth Fellowship Christmas Institute (whew!) - a post-Christmas youth camp happening throughout the world where there are United Methodist Churches around. This particular one was held a bit further north than Marikina - Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija (check your maps if you dunno where it is. we had to.) Of course it was all fun leading the young kids to worship, but there were added complications, like the worship leader having bouts of fever right in the middle of the worship set. but it was all good. we knew that somehow, we were helping instill into those young minds and hearts a passion for worshipping the Living God. (Ailene, if you're reading this, ain't there pictures? if you can, kindly email, so we can share here.)

So there, a nice holiday sked. Hope you guys had good ones too. Remember, if ever you want to get involved in the worship ministry team at the Cup, be sure to approach any of us from the band or crew. We always need musicians and singers around. Also, we are starting fullcup in a few days time, so be sure to invite your friends (yourself included) to worship with us at the Cup.



uploaded by: the graceaddict

FullCup welcomes 2007 with much gratitude from the Lord Almighty for the countless blessings and for pulling us through in 2006. Plans are also being drawn for improvements this year so that we can serve the Almighty better and provide a greater place for worship for y'all.

We'll start the year this Friday January 12, with our ever-reliable Kuya Kevin as he speaks about 'Jesus, the religious reformer.' This is in line with our two-semestral run of the theme "Who on Earth was Jesus?" Emphasizing characteristics and traits of Jesus while He was here on Earth, so that we could know better this guy who actually walked the deserts of Israel about 2000 years ago.

TALITAKOUM would also grace the Cup this Friday. With a name that means 'wake up!' and was used by the Christ in resurrecting the dead little girl, we could expect a lively and meaningful music this Friday.

We'll also have a surprise for all of you on the 19th... but we'll keep a mum on that till the plans are cemented and ready to roll.

So clear your calendars every friday, and let's spend some time at the Cup



Blog Update: The promised music uploads are coming together, and hopefully, we'll put it up real soon. Pictures have also been added, by the way, thanks to the cutie-boy Marti-boi.