tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15391385477009022842024-03-29T11:57:45.427+08:00Salt & LightBong Manayon on Faith and PhotographyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger141125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-22801335201443054032024-03-28T01:00:00.001+08:002024-03-29T01:14:07.485+08:00And The Point Is...?Maundy Thursday 2024Pentax K-5 + SMCP FA 80-320/4.5-5.6The Gospels traditionally presents Jesus in four portraits: Matthew presents him in its theme as the King, Mark as Servant, Luke as a human, and John as … well … God. It is in the Gospel of John where we find not-so-subtle-hints of Jesus doing and saying stuff that is associated with God revealed in the Old Testament. So, when new believers Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-20454648475546528692024-01-06T15:00:00.000+08:002024-01-06T15:00:06.444+08:00Counter Culture - Excerpt from The Road From Jericho - III Posted earlier partly as Alternate Route - I and Alternate Route - II, but has recently been edited and included in Kelly Aludiugin's The Road From Jericho
The Road From Jericho
By Kelly Aludiugin
COUNTER CULTURE PART I | PART II | PART III“Epiphany” – Christian feast day commemorating the visit of the Magi.I grew up in a family that celebrated Christmas and celebratedUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-24480050862368694312024-01-05T16:48:00.006+08:002024-01-06T15:01:53.460+08:00Another Way - Excerpt from The Road From Jericho - II Posted earlier partly as Alternate Route - I and Alternate Route - II, but has recently been edited and included in Kelly Aludiugin's The Road From Jericho
The Road From Jericho
By Kelly Aludiugin
ANOTHER WAY PART I | PART II | PART III“And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way” (Matthew 2:12).King Herod’s Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-46110247950362712142024-01-04T17:13:00.002+08:002024-01-06T15:03:02.042+08:00Whatever Happened to the Magi? Excerpt from The Road From Jericho - I Posted earlier partly as Alternate Route - I and Alternate Route - II, but has recently been edited and included in Kelly Aludiugin's The Road From Jericho
The Road From Jericho
By Kelly Aludiugin
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAGI? PART 1 | PART II | PART III“Do not allow a sorceress to live” (Exodus 22:18).Or, in the classic King James Version: “Thou shall not suffer a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-5222862608077423142023-01-01T13:38:00.015+08:002024-01-03T18:34:39.674+08:00The Gospel According to Mary: An Exercise in Stating the Obvious
The Gospel According To Mary with Essays and Reflections
By Bong Manayon, Kelly Aludiugin
An excerpt from my new book in collaboration with Kelly.How obvious can it get? The Gospel according to Luke is the Gospel according to Mary! The first two chapters of Luke were virtually Mary’s story: it’s about the angel giving her the announcement, her thoughts, and the subsequent Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-40751886920922735642020-03-22T20:20:00.001+08:002020-03-22T20:23:13.386+08:00Exercise in Boredom: The Excitement of Watching Grass GrowTHE KINGDOM OF GOD IS BORING
Seriously
GRASSNIKON F2 + TAMRON 24/2.5 BBAR MC + KODAK 400TX
Ever pay attention to the parables Jesus gives in describing the Kingdom of God? At least two of them involves agriculture (Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Weeds); there are others but they are more about labor issues albeit in an agricultural context (usually set in a vineyard).&Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-58144892268127392012020-03-21T23:30:00.000+08:002020-03-21T23:31:25.053+08:00Exercise in Boredom: Forty Days
THIS IS A REWRITE OF SOMETHING I POSTED ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO. IF YOU'RE THE TYPE WHO WANTS BIBLE REFERENCES CHECK IT OUT HERE.
A DOOR OPEN IN HEAVEN
PENTAX KX + SMC PENTAX K 24/2.8 + KODAK 400TX
How long does it take to form a habit—good or bad? Most behavioral experts would say something like at least three weeks to get you hooked into one and often much longer to undo it. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-30145927023068003032019-09-17T00:11:00.000+08:002019-09-17T00:30:09.845+08:00Reading Ephesians
In The Same Way
By Bong Manayon
So, you were supposed to be reading the Bible and doing daily devotions. And…I tried—haha! Yeah. I was bad at it—I would rather run off early to a convent in Tagaytay City sit in the garden and wait for the sunrise to take a photo. And the flowers too!
FROM THE CONVENT (2004)
MZ-5n + SMCP A 35-70/4 + ELITECHROME 100
ButUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-35955578780676751002019-09-15T00:07:00.000+08:002019-09-15T00:07:54.589+08:00On Ephesus and Paul's Letter to the Ephesians
In The Same Way
By Bong Manayon
(excerpts from In The Same Way)
Ephesus was planted by Paul himself (Timothy would later come along to minister to it) and was later pastored by no less than the beloved apostle John. It was also very likely that Mary—Jesus’ mom—probably lived out her life in Ephesus as well since she was now part of the surrogate family established with theUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-792948160502317192019-03-25T08:40:00.000+08:002019-03-25T08:40:37.755+08:00Swear Words
PENTAX MX + SMCP 24/2.8 + KODAK 400TX
Swear words: it's the phlegm with which your body wraps the bad stuff that gets expectorated or coughed out. Yeah, just like phlegm, swear words can be disgusting and gross. But it gets the job done getting the anger and hate out of your system.
Of course, if symptoms persist ... you know the drill.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-48254438763378055192019-03-24T10:06:00.000+08:002019-09-14T19:49:04.636+08:00Trust
PENTAX MX + SMCP 24/2.8 + KODAK 400TX
Let your children trust you with their thoughts and feelings while they are still young (no matter how "bad") so you can trust them with their silence and secrets when they grow up.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-80730470605550534572018-08-26T16:12:00.001+08:002018-09-26T20:44:11.672+08:00Standard Deviation
S T A N D A R D
D E V I A T I O N
is an oxymoron.
A statistical term, when, taken out of its context is an anachronism.
When is a deviant "standard"?
But it is all in the stats, after all, have enough deviants around and they become the new normal.
Standard Deviation is a collection of nude photographs and musings on sex and spirituality. It weaves through psychology Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-53420953283008241152018-06-10T21:21:00.003+08:002018-06-10T21:23:31.350+08:00Nineteen
We were nineteen once: we were either maniacs or are now living in regret.
Photo taken in 1981 with a Canon AE-1 + FD 50/1.8 S.C. + Kodachrome 64
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-82452986205599107312018-06-02T20:37:00.000+08:002018-06-02T20:37:32.669+08:00Screensaver: Pretty Pictures (Part 3)
PART 3 | PART 1 | PART 2
GESTALTEN
Someone once argued with me that we should do anything to get our foot in the door if just to spread the gospel. On one level that sounds Machiavellian—the end justifies the means—but on another level it’s just being an asshole.
We should be happy that the marketplace is taking note of what is happening in the churches. Really?&Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-19400182820255879082018-06-01T18:32:00.001+08:002018-06-02T20:38:22.564+08:00Screensaver: The Marriage and Consummation (Part 2)
PART 2 | PART 1 | PART 3
URBAN WAVES
The Mac’s mystique is partly because of Steve Jobs whose force of personality elevated him to be its high priest. If Jobs was the high priest, someone had to be the evangelist. In the 1980s, Apple got Guy Kawasaki to be the Apple spokesman. He was the definitive “Mac Evangelist”. Although that title already existed before Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-45143443660813117312018-05-31T21:19:00.000+08:002019-08-04T02:49:03.676+08:00Screensaver: The Gods of this Age (Part 1)
PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3
2010
I had this talk a while back with a young friend who was also into computers. He just got hired into this outfit that uses Macs and he wanted to know what i thought. I generally have good comments about Macs having used them a few times. So we were looking at the pros and cons and compared it with PCs and so on. So he asked the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-62157818156032860792018-05-30T20:00:00.001+08:002018-05-30T20:07:04.969+08:00A Theology of Friendship: Subversive (Part 4)Part 4 | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Originally written in 2000 after the comedy “Friends” became a hit and before “friendzone” became a thing. Like, A Theology of Eating, I think that this too, needs to be brought to the front. With a little rewrite and tweak, this may be…um…subversive. Insert winky emoticon here.
Some may be afraid of change.
And friendship with God changes a lotUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-41326728362048033722018-05-29T16:59:00.000+08:002018-05-30T20:01:42.219+08:00A Theology of Friendship: Malasakit (Part 3)Part 3 | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4
Originally written in 2000 after the comedy “Friends” became a hit and before “friendzone” became a thing. Like, A Theology of Eating, I think that this too, needs to be brought to the front. With a little rewrite and tweak, this may be…um…subversive. Insert winky emoticon here.
“You are my friends if you do what I command. I no Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-20195544444055565602018-05-28T19:11:00.000+08:002018-05-30T20:02:05.539+08:00A Theology of Friendship: It's About Nothing (Part 2)Part 2 | Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4
Originally written in 2000 after the comedy “Friends” became a hit and before “friendzone” became a thing. Like, A Theology of Eating, I think that this too, needs to be brought to the front. With a little rewrite and tweak, this may be…um…subversive. Insert winky emoticon here.
“It’s about nothing.” –George Costanza (Seinfeld)
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-65360624171409897992018-05-27T22:55:00.000+08:002018-05-30T20:02:31.915+08:00A Theology of Friendship: Something Way Better (Part 1)
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Originally written in 2000 after the comedy “Friends” became a hit and before “friendzone” became a thing. Like, A Theology of Eating, I think that this too, needs to be brought to the front. With a little rewrite and tweak, this may be…um…subversive. Insert winky emoticon here.
POOLSIDE
PENTAX MZ-M + SMCP A 35-70/4 + Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-63795700808092055252018-05-25T21:54:00.000+08:002020-02-01T20:26:06.773+08:00A Theology of EatingOriginally written and posted back in May 10, 2000. It was the very first thing I posted in my blog before blogs were invented. Okay, so it was posted on my website but I eventually moved to blog form when that came around. So with a little rewrite and tweak, A Theology of Eating is back in front.
COMMUNION
There should be one—and if there isn’t any—then we should have one.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-19266658631021111392018-04-14T21:34:00.001+08:002018-05-25T21:55:12.422+08:00Enchantment
ENCOUNTER WITH ENGKANTOS
Breaking out from an urban rut, I went out with some friends to visit Jala-Jala, Rizal to shoot some landscapes.The place was enchanted in more ways than one. You can feel them. Indeed, you can hear them.
At another time and place, I would have invoked the Name of our Creator and run roughshod over whom those I considered pretenders to their own little Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-64075677446333786892017-09-10T22:03:00.003+08:002018-06-10T21:09:19.507+08:00Bowed
He who walks with his head bowed rarely steps on shit.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-46074218851907142302017-04-09T21:13:00.001+08:002017-04-09T21:13:36.872+08:00Bong Manayon's Ignatian Guide to Buying DSLRs (or any digital device for that matter)A mash-up between Photography and Faith in another level...
1. Live For Today: Do not think of upgrades or the future, buy the best you can afford today. Remember that "entry level" is a marketing term. Do not be sucked into the idea that you are a newbie or an amateur so that you will buy something that you will end up trading up for a higher spec model. If you can afford toUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539138547700902284.post-32495572856023624082016-07-12T21:09:00.000+08:002016-07-12T21:09:01.167+08:00Treasures and Pearls
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
Someone privately commented that my language is too technical and culturally obscure for the new generation of hip netizens. Like if I were to communicate my thoughts to a new generation, I should speak their language. But I do not like the direction the internet has taken: these days I would rather keep my treasures and pearls to myself.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0