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The “Ceppo”. A Christmas Thought

A ceppo is a Christmas decoration used in Italy. It consists of a wooden frame filled with symbolic gifts. Typically, the frame exists in three tiers.
Bottom Tier. Manger scene, representing the gift of God.
Middle Tier. Fruits and nuts, representing gifts of the earth.
Top Tier. Items representing the gifts of man.
Topping the ceppo is often a pineapple representing hospitality, or a star, representing the star of Bethlehem.

It is good to be thankful at Christmas… and in fact, year around. The gifts of man are nice… but they are unreliable, as man is just as good (if not better) at taking as giving. The gifts of the earth are wonderful and more reliable… but nature’s bounty can also be temperamental and can bring destruction as well. However, God’s gift is a sure thing… that’s why it is at the foundational level. We can count on God’s gifts, and hope for the rest.

Christmas Break

We are taking a bit of a break for the Christmas holidays. We will start things up again starting January 4th with Pastoral Care training at USI, and personality testing it IHM-La Trinidad the following week (with some others of us at Lide-Walker).
NOTE: Slots for CPE I (March 21 – May 28) are filling up fast. God to the ARTICLES section of http://www.bukallife.org and download the CPE application form now if you want to be considered for chaplaincy training.

Psychometric Testing Started

After months of planning, we have started. We began doing psychometric tests with a local school and in partnership with University of Cordilleras Thursday and Friday (Nov 10-11). We have a couple of more lined up. Looking forward to seeing how this will go.

Web Connections

Reminder for our related sites.

1. http://www.bukallife.org. This is our main website. I includes other ministries that are part of our vision but does not fit into the more narrow understanding of pastoral care and counseling.

2. http://www.facebook.com/bukallife. Our Facebook site. This probably gets updated the most frequently.

3. http://missionmusings.wordpress.com. This was set up by Bob Munson (our administrator) to discuss some various topics within the context of missions and Christian ministry.

Psychometric Testing Now Available

We now are able to provide psychological testing services an evaluations to individuals, schools, and other institutions in the Baguio City Area. Details at https://bukallife.wordpress.com/psychometric-assessment/ (or just click on Psychometric Assessment)

A Thought for You

Gordon Kaufman in “The Theological Imagination: Constructing the Concept of God”

“We are social beings to the deepest recesses of our nature. The attachment of infant to mother and of mother to child, of members of families and other intimate groups to each other, and later the wider loyalties to community, guild and nation, are expressive of our fundamental interdependence as human beings. …the real human being exists only in community, in a network of relationships which sustain her or him biologically, psychologically, or culturally and without which he or she could not exist.”

Supertyphoon Juan (Megi)

Supertyphoon Juan (Megi) is bearing down on Northern Luzon Island. It is taking a path across Isabela Province and then across the Cordilleran mountain range. These same areas were devastated by Typhoon Pepeng (Parma) last October. It is a fast moving storm and, prayerfully, it will pass by too fast for great destruction. However, many people still feel the hurts of the losses from Pepeng.

Please keep people in these areas in your prayers. To keep updated on this storm, pleas look at http://www.typhoon2000.ph/