Talk BRO. BO SANCHEZ: HOW many of you just had a difficult week? Raise your hand. I want you to be proud that you went through a difficult week. Why? Because life is difficult. Some people complain, "Brother Bo, I pray. I go to Mass. I'm close to God. Why is life so difficult?" I counter: "Do you pray or go to church because you want an easy life? I've got news for you. It won't happen-- whether you pray or you don't pray. You're going to have a difficult life because life is difficult. But I've got news for you. Life is difficult but beautiful. Do you know why it can't be beautiful? Not because God will make your life easy, but He will give you the strength to endure. Say this with me: "Choose your difficult." Who among here finds it difficult to exercise? Is it difficult to wake up in the morning when your alarm clock is going off, and the temptation is just to hit the snooze button? Is it difficult to wear your rubber shoes and to start walking? Yes, it's difficult. But if you do not do that, it will also be difficult to be 70 years old-- and your muscles will have atrophied. So, it's difficult to exercise, but the results of not exercising are also difficult. Choose your difficult. Last year, I gradually stopped eating ultra-processed food. It's difficult. What is ultra-processed food? You enter a grocery store. You get a product from the shelf. You look at the back. You read the ingredients. If the ingredients have lots of words you cannot understand and you cannot pronounce 75% of those words, that's ultra-processed food. What should you do? Return it to the shelf. It is difficult to do that because those foods are very delicious. Don't blame yourself. There are multi-billion companies who have hired an army of scientists who have concocted a process and chemicals to make such foods addictive. It is difficult to choose the right food. What’s Your Choice? I'm a semi-old guy. I've learned to eat simple food. I eat eggs. I eat lettuce. I eat papaya. I eat sweet potato. How many ingredients does each of those foods have? Just one. It's absolutely boring. It's difficult. But if you keep on eating ultra-processed food and extreme sugar, it's difficult not to have diabetes, not to have cancer. I'm no scientist. There is no direct link to that. Perhaps there is some connection, but I cannot prove it to you. Again, choose your difficult. Last example: To say, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" is difficult, especially if you've been doing it since 1980. May Ulanday was with me in 1980-- in that garage.* We were so young, May. We were serving the Lord. Now, we’re not very young. But 40 plus years, 45 years later, our battle cry is still: "As for me and my house, we will serve the

NAME: Feast Quezon City North Triangle Trinoma VENUE: Cinema 1, Ayala Malls Trinoma SCHEDULE: Every Sunday, 9:00-1130A.M. NUMBER OF ATTENDEES: 143-175DATE ESTABLISHED: June 5, 2022The BUILDERNAME: Marvyn GaerlanADDRESS: Amaia Series Novaliches, QC EMAIL: marvn.gaerlan@paladinslaw.org BIRTHDAY: December 7 AGE 43Bro. Marvyn Gaerlan studied at Don Bosco Technical Institute Makati, the University of Santo Tomas, and the University of the Philippines.Now a lawyer, he is a business and labor law coach, Data Privacy Compliance adviser, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) officer. He was active in a law-based fraternity.He works at the Sangalang & Gaerlan (SG) Law Firm Online.He served as an Extraordinary Minister of the Holy Eucharist at Claret Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Quezon City, as well as during daily Masses at Quezon City Hall. Ministry JourneyBro. Marvyn’s ministry journey intertwines with building his family life.Here they are, Bro. Marvyn and his wife Em with their children, from left: Matthew John Elijah; Elisha Gabrielle; David Michael; and Marijah Isaiah.With Em, Bro. Marvyn previously served with the Couples for Christ Foundation for Family Life (CFC-FFL) chapter at the Claret School, Quezon City, particularly its tutorial program on Answering the Cry of the Poor (AnCoP).Bro. Marvyn and Sis. Em then felt they needed to grow more in their spiritual life.He shares: “In 2012, we were looking for a community that can guide us in raising a family and nurturing our spiritual growth as a couple. About a few weeks after our church wedding, we walked in at the Feast Quezon City Bureau of Soils and Waste Management.”They then underwent LOJ’s trimester Love Someone Today (LST), a disciple training program founded by Bro. Bo Sanchez. They finished the training just in time for them to join and finish the LOJ Jesus Encounter, a program for knowing more about the Lord and deepening faith in Him. This was in 2013 -- a day before their first child was born.Bro. Marvyn stepped up his ministry with more tasks: as facilitator for the Love Someone Today training course; as lector under the Liturgical Ministry; engager for the Warmth Ministry; co-preacher of Bro. Ervine Pangwi, Builder of Feast Trinoma; and setting up the Feast Light Olongapo, pre-Coronavirus Disease (COVID) Pandemic.From his various ministries, Bro. Marvyn then took just one big step to be the Builder of Feast Quezon City North Triangle Trinoma. BeginningsA part of the Feast Quezon City District, The Feast Quezon City North Triangle Trinoma underwent various launching steps:On June 5, 2022: as a Feast Light (as in a smaller version of the Light of Jesus Family) at St. Michael's Chapel, Trinoma;On November 5, 2022: as Feast Quezon CityNorth Triangle Trinoma at the Cinema 6, Ayala Malls Trinoma.On January 29, 2025: The Feast Light Quezon City North Triangle Trinoma at St. Michael's Chapel, Trinoma, was relaunched.Bro. Marvyn relates: “Most of the work for reopening The Feast at Trinoma after the Pandemic was to take on what was started by our leaders, past and present, in Feast Quezon City. I am privileged to have the

   Talk THE last Talk of our series, MORE THAN ENOUGH, in this talk, I will be quoting a passage, at the later part of this talk, where we got the phrase more than enough, and it will surprise you where we got those three words.The title of my talk, You Don't Have To Tithe, will not just be the controversial one -- but the entire talk.For the new ones, we started The Feast 45 years ago in a small garage of my parents' home. We were only 20 to 30 people. We were already teaching people how to tithe. I have heard hundreds of beautiful stories about tithing.People come to me and say: "Bro. Bo, if there's one thing that The Feast has blessed my life with, it is tithing...” “When I started to tithe, it changed my life. There were material blessings, but it was my life that changed...” “Before I started tithing, I was a worrier, materialistic, and greedy. My resources seemed to be lacking, but when I started tithing, I suddenly had peace in my heart, and there was abundance in my mind..."But there would be people who would have a negative reaction to tithing. They would say: “God's word is free; hence, why does The Feast keep on asking for money?”I understand that. But believe me when I say this: Over the past 45 years that we've been in teaching and practicing tithing, there have been problems, and I'd like to correct them today. Malachi 3:8 says: “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings."Malachi 3:8 is an often-quoted verse from the Old Testament. It makes people feel that whenever they don't give 10% of their earnings, they rob God.But in the New Testament, Luke 12:41-44 talks about the poor widow's offering of two very small copper coins-- and Jesus praised her for it. The widow was offering from her poverty.There is this legalistic interpretation of tithing. Some churches teach that the whole 10% should entirely be offered to the Church and that giving to the poor or charities is not considered a tithe.I disagree with that.In the Old Testament, Malachi 3:10 says: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house."If God leads you to do that, that's great. But you cannot apply that to everybody. It's logical that you support The Feast. It's logical that you support the Church, for there are expenses.Please do give. But I will never make it a Divine law to give only to the Church -- and then whatever you give to the poor, to your relatives, or to Anawim, should be outside your 10%.That's not for me to decide. Go before God say, "Lord, what do you want me to do with your money?" At The Feast, we never taught tithing as a black and white rule-- but a broad guideline as a personal choice between you and

Blessings My Refuge By CHER CUS “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." - Psalm 46:1 I battled crippling depression and anxiety, triggered by childhood trauma including molestation, harassment, and the loss of my brother and mother. I mistakenly believed my faith meant I shouldn't feel these emotions, seeing them as sinful. Joining a church group, The Feast, and their  Light Group (LG) was a turning point. Sharing my traumatic past was incredibly difficult, causing physical manifestations of my suppressed emotions. I almost quit, but the unwavering support from my LG members, who declared they wouldn't give up on me, showed me God's embrace. Their words inspired me not to give up on myself. The Feast helped me acknowledge my pain and seek professional help. These strangers became my friends, and The Feast, my refuge. Depression is a real illness, not a sin. Jesus understands our suffering. He loves us despite our pain and will never leave us. Why Me? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9 “Why me?” Sounds familiar? Yes, those two words we often utter when we are asked and tasked to do something outside our comfort zone. I've struggled with my self-esteem since I was a child. I used to be afraid of being noticed or recognized by others. Even if I knew I would be good at something or was interested in it, I was the first person to refuse. I am my own number one critic. I often feel undeserving of value and unworthy of receiving anything. My mind is clouded with doubts and endless overthinking. But I have thrived in life and matured not just in mind but also in faith. I have agreed with myself to lessen this habit of asking "Why me?" and instead submit my life to God. Now, I see His limitless love for me and the incredible chance to be closer to Jesus through serving in His minis A Message of Hope By KIRBY ESTAYAN "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint." - Isaiah 40:31 Losing my father left me heartbroken, and a severe battle with COVID-19, pneumonia, and meningitis nearly took my life. I survived but was bedridden for six months. When a doctor told me the illness had left me with the mind of a seven-year-old, I felt hopeless. Then, a friend invited me to The Feast. At first, I came for the food. But I stayed because I felt something deeper. The messages felt personal, as if God was speaking directly to me. Even when I only had enough money for transportation, I kept coming back. Despite my struggle to walk, I was asked to serve at The Feast. I helped by organizing and taping

Talk God owns everything. So, we can say that He is a landlord. But He uses property managers -- that's us. In the Biblical term, we are called God's Stewards. A steward is someone entrusted with another person's wealth and charged with the responsibility of managing it in the owner's best interest-- not theirs. Renown Finance teacher Dave Ramsey said that stewardship is managing God's blessings in God's ways for God's glory. But the problem is that we don't think in stewardship. We think in ownership. Real stewardship is looking at all the blessings that are in your hands while saying, "These are not mine. These are God's blessings I will manage in His good ways for His glory." SIX GIFTS GOD WANTS YOU TO MANAGE We are a distracted society. But what really distracts us the most is social media. It's a blessing but it's also a burden. Once it grabs you, you can't let go. Nowadays, social media is not sociable anymore. It has become such a toxic place. It has become a platform where people show off. I'm not saying that you don't post about your blessings-- but share how the Lord is blessing you. Brag in God's name and tell people how good God is Whatever gifts that God has given to you, grow them and use those gifts to glorify Him. Your gift to Him is how you use that gift for the greater glory of God. Your family is your first ministry. If you're not serving your family, you shouldn't be serving in Ministry at all. It doesn't matter how successful you are in your ministry life. If you're not bringing your family to Jesus, you're a failure. Until we discover a way to migrate to Mars, we've got to protect our world. We've only got one planet. We're not doing it for ourselves. We're doing it for our children and our children's children. Your money is not your money, it's God's money. Each day, look at your wealth and ask: "Lord, where will I invest this?" You need the Lord's guidance on where you're going to spend your wealth. How you spend your wealth will show the world who you worship. As God's managers, we don’t just maintain our blessings but we multiply them. How? Increase your financial IQ. Learn how to manage money. Remove your scarcity mindset and think like an abundance mindset. If you do, there is a reward: more responsibilities. More responsibility is a blessing because it means more calling and more anointing. When God blesses you, He's going to empower you to be the better version of yourself and it doesn't involve money at all. It involves miracles of the Lord. This story was first published in the Feast Family Online News Magazine Published by THE FEAST (February 2, 2025)

VENUE: Chapel of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, 5/F SM City Grand Central, Caloocan City SCHEDULE: Every Sunday at 10:15 A.M. NUMBER OF ATTENDEES: 400-500 DAY ESTABLISHED: September 2016 The BUILDER NAME: Randel Joseph Serrano HOMETOWN: Valenzuela City EMAIL: randeljoseph_serrano@yahoo.com BIRTHDAY: March 12, 1976   AGE: 48 In 1991, when he was 15 years old. Randel entered the Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary, where he stayed until 1994. From there, he transferred to San Carlos Seminary. In 1998, he decided to take a break and experience the outside world. He worked as a manager in Jollibee. Then, he was about to go back to the seminary when he met his co-manager, Rowena Serrano, who then became his wife, and they are now 23 years married. They have three children. Finding The Feast A burden led to a blessing for Randel. He relates: “In 2011, things didn’t go well with our family business, so, I longed for God. “Since I was a seminarian, I was already familiar with prayer gatherings, one of them, The Feast led by Bro. Bo Sanchez, as well as the Kerygma (now called The Feast), inspirational magazine he founded. “One Sunday, I decided to attend The Feast at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) at the Manila Bay Area. After sometime, I started attending Feast Valenzuela since it was closer to our home. I served in its Music Ministry as a singer, and I also became a worship leader. “Eventually, I took up LOJ’s School of Leadership course supervised by Dean Jon Escoto. The course was for developing Feast Builders and I became one shortly after I graduated in 2016. In that same year, Feast Sangandaan in Caloocan City was born. That Feast is under the LOJ District of CAMANAVA (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela), and so, being in Valenzuela, I was appointed as its Feast Builder.” Beginnings Feast Sangandaan, which would become Feast Caloocan, started in the cinema of SM Center Sangandaan in 2016. Like most Feasts, Feast Caloocan struggled through birth pains. Bro. Randel shares: “We started Saturday evenings. We relentlessly promoted our Feast on social media. But alas, not enough people were coming. Hence, donations were also short. There was a time when we were on the verge of closing shop. But by God’s grace, we realized that people go to church on Sunday mornings. So, we changed our Feast day from Saturday to Sunday morning in the same venue. And Glory to God, people started to flock to our Feast. Feast Caloocan Flourishes In September 2024, Feast Caloocan celebrated its 8th Founding Anniversary with a joyful program with Bro. Arun Gogna (top) as guest speaker. Feast Caloocan sustains its operations through its iGivers program attracting supporters and donors. Last December, Feast Caloocan honored them with Thanksgiving iGivers Gathering (above). Hello, 2025! Feast Caloocan welcomed 2025 with an impressive line of mission events. In January, at the Flu outbreak, it promptly provided free flu vaccination for servants. This February, it is holding

VENUE: 2/F Events Place Jollibee, University of Santo Tomas, Dapitan Street, Manila SCHEDULE: Every 1ST and 3RDWednesdays NUMBER OF ATTENDEES: 40-50 DAY ESTABLISHED: June 12, 2024 The BUILDERJC Libiran is called Coach because he is an educator, preacher, and content creator.He says: “I am a certified life coach always seeing the best in others and making ways to bring out the best in people.”That must be because he himself needed to find meaning in his life and be the best he could ever be.“Life before Light of Jesus Family and The Feast was a roller coaster ride for me,” Bro. JC shares.He studied at the University of Santo Tomas. More than his academic challenges, he struggled through knowing what life’s in store for him.“I was searching for something more beyond the parish experience and my day-to-day life as a Tomasino because I knew deep inside myself that I was meant for more,” he adds.And God made a way for him to find what he’s looking for. In a bookstore at UST, he saw the Kerygma, inspirational magazine founded by Bro. Bo Sanchez.He relates: “I got to read Bro. Bo’s writings and I felt that God used his message to speak to me and give the enlightenment that I needed the most during that time.”And in the magazine, he read about The Feast. He attended the Sunday gathering and thus began his journey leading to Feast U-Belt.BeginningCoach JC served as Campus Missions director for the Light of Jesus Family from 2013-2016. Then he became an associate Feast Builder for The Feast Bay Area afternoon sessions with Bro. Alvin Barcelona for more than 10 years--enough preparation for him to be a Feast Builder.“I knew in my heart that I was ready to build a new Feast for the Bay Area District, and after going through discernment and prayer, I discerned God was pointing me to the University Belt Manila-- back to where I was before doing youth and campus missions.”Thus, the birth of The Feast U-Belt, to continue preparing the next generation of leaders and disciple makers.Coach JC recalls the beginnings of Feast U-Belt:“Our Feast started on June 12, 2024, as a gift to our Church and to the nation during her Independence Day.“Our venue may not be in a hotel, cinema, or auditorium but this was a courageous move to have it in an events place for birthday parties inside our beloved Jollibee fast food chain at the University of Santo Tomas on Dapitan Street, Manila.“Apart from proclaiming God’s Word, building a sense of belongingness, celebrating the gift of music and worship, our live event aims to feed the mind, the heart, and the tummy of our Feasters with our Yum Burger and Chicken Joy.At left, images of the happy launching. “Majority of the attendees are students since its location is near theUniversity Belt but there are young professionals and singles who have come to support and take part of this newest safe space and support community in the Feast Bay

JANUARY 2024The FEAST FAMILY online newsmagazine usually started with a message by our founder,Bro. Bo Sanchez about the Feast Talk for the Sunday when our issue would be posted.In 2024, The FEAST FAMILY began with a major announcement by Bro. Bo:Hi!We let Bro. Audee Villaraza write the Talk for The Feast January 7, 2024.Community needs to see other leaders such as Bro. Audee Villaraza and Bro. Alvin Barcelona greet them too once in a while.Thanks!May your dreams come true, Bo Sanchez Bro. Audee Villaraza announced the first Feast Talk in 2024:Based on Philippians 1Key Message: Make this year a chance for God to continue the work He began in you... Because until you allow the work of the Lord to start in you again, it will never continue.   My prayer for all of you today is that you would allow God to continue the work that He started in you on Day 1. And to allow Him to not just continue this year but to complete you this year.FEBRUARY 2024Bro. Bo Sanchez began a new Feast Talk on January 14, 2024, titledTABLE TALKS: Community Recipes of Love, about embracing our family identity, family vision, and our common strategy for fulfilling this high vision.The FEAST FAMILY February 2024 continued Table Talks. Excerpt from Bro. Bo’s intro:Faith vs. Works?FOR the past 500+ years, there’s been this old debate about how someone gets saved. Is it by faith or by works? Many people assume that Protestants believe that we’re saved by faith and Catholics believe that we’re saved by works.But that’s not true. In a very real sense, the “faith vs. works” argument is a false dichotomy. Because faith is not just believing the right doctrine. It’s not ticking off whether you mentally assent that Jesus is God. Instead, faith is trusting Jesus with your whole life. It’s a discipleship relationship of surrender. Ultimately, you follow Him forever.Here’s how I express it: “I’m not saved by faith or by works. I’m saved by Grace. And the only reason I can have any kind of faith or do any kind of good work is by His unstoppable Grace.”This perspective goes beyond doctrines.This paradigm—that “everything is grace”—overflows on what kind of church we will build in this world.MARCH 2024A new Feast Talk series: Excerpts…BRO. AUDEE VILLARAZA:We’re starting a new series today called MESSY SAINTS. We’re going to take a deep dive into 1 Corinthians-- a letter from the apostle Paul to the people of Corinth.What’s awkward about this letter is that Paul is revealing the ugliness of what’s happening in Corinth. (Located in Peloponnese, Greece, now known as Archaia Korinthos.)He’s revealing skeletons in the closet. The letter was a private conversation between Paul and the Corinth community. The community was like a home church, like our Feast Lights which has 10-30 members per home. Most probably, a total of 150 parishioners......   When everything is going wrong in the community, ministry, and life itself, the simple advice of Paul is this:“Always go back to the beginning. Always

Special Talk INTRODUCTION BRO. ALVIN BARCELONA: Research says that not all are happy during Christmas. Perhaps because some feel pressured to give gifts. To some, they need to think of what food to put on the table for the Noche Buena. Indeed, it can be stressful. What is Christmas to you? It has been said that Christmas has three stages with Santa Claus. On the first stage, we are excited because we all believe in Santa Claus. In other countries, Christmas is a SAD season. SAD is an acronym for Seasonal Affective Disorder. This is true in countries that are cold-- because they have snow-- and gloomy because the nights are longer than the days. When you're alone in a cold and gloomy place, it can really be depressing. But in the Philippines, we don’t have snow. We set up bright Christmas lights-- that’s why in January we have higher electric billsJ. But how come during the Christmas season, many of us experience SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder? Why SAD? Here are some observations: Christmas heightens your expectations. Especially in the Philippines-- because we have a long Christmas season. In September, we’re already excited for Jose Mari Chan to come out (in the media with his Christmas songs). Actually, he’s completely Christmas: season: Jose (Joseph), Mari (Mary), and Chan (sounds tiyan in Tagalog or tummy where Jesus is being conceived)J But they say the Christmas season heightens your expectations. Once Christmas season steps in, we expect to have more money and more food. If we don't, we feel miserable. We are used to family members not being around at all times. But when Christmas comes, we feel the need to be complete. If the family is incomplete, we feel sad. In addition, the hectic schedule of successive parties and heavy traffic just makes the season worse. And since we eat more and sleep less, our health also suffers. Merry, Happy It seems that we are more concerned with the less essential and we're less busy with what's truly essential. I love it when we play with words. Say: Christmas. If you remove Christ, what’s left is just mas. So, you become focused on other things, not on the birthday celebrator. The word Christmas begins with Christ. He is the birthday celebrator but more often than not, He is not being celebrated... In our school (Barcelona Academy) we teach children that the most important greeting during Christmas is "Happy Birthday, Jesus." Merry Christmas! In other countries like the United States, the Merry Christmas greeting has been prohibited especially in government offices because they deem that it's promoting a religion of Christianity that tends to discriminate other religions that are non-Christian. To be safe, they say, "Happy Holidays!” or “Season's Greetings!” It's ridiculous if you take away the reason for the celebration. That’s why, I want us to pronounce Merry Christmas as MerryChristmas. We cannot remove Christ in Christmas. That’s why I am happy with this meme: Meanwhile, an advertisement says:

Special TalkThe Lord is humbling me today. May the Holy Spirit use this message to speak to all of us today.We're taking a page, a Scripture, from one of the Letters of St. Paul to the people of Corinth. You may have heard of this before but I pray that I'm able to package this in the way that you need to receive this: "When I was a child..."That's a great reflection question. Once upon a time, we were children. I loved Saturday morning cartoons when I was a child. I loved sleeping in on Saturdays. When I was a child. we had 15 dogs...Everybody, finish that phrase: “When I was a child...” The Message TodayWe're near the tail end of 2024. When you think back of all that have happened in your life, you get to realize that you've come a long way. Imagine all you have been through to get to this moment -- all the struggles, all the mountains you had to cross, all the challenges you had to go through. The thought makes you feel that you're in a much better place now.Joyce Meyer, American Charismatic Christian author, speaker, said this:"I may not be where I want to be but at least I'm not where I used to be."I believe that you're stronger, wiser, and more resilient.But here's the key: Don't get too comfortable just yet because you may have come a long way-- but you still got a long way to go.God is not done yet with you. God is still strengthening you. He's still taking you from strength to strength, from grace to grace, and from glory to glory.You're still in beta version. God is still taking you to the better version.God is still shaping and transforming you. I believe that God still wants to see you grow up. That's the message for today.We're going to break open the word of God. We're going to lean in. Put your hand over your heart and say this with me: "Jesus, I'm here. I'm ready to listen and to be changed only by You.By Your grace, I will be transformed.”Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet And a Light unto my path.OptionsMy eldest child, Ethan, is now seven years old.One of our pastimes whenever we get bored, or whenever we need to kill time, is we play a game called Would You Rather?It's a pretty interesting game because there are no right or wrong answers. Any answer that you give would be the right answer for you. It's simple. It's where you're asked the question and you choose whichever you prefer.For example: Jollibee or Mc Donald’s? 7-11 or Uncle John's?Bini or BTS? Would you rather not using the whole day shampoo or toothpaste? Be stuck in an elevator with the noisiest high school students or middle-aged judgmental men? Go on your whole life without eyebrows or eyelashes?My point is simple. Life is full of choices. Life has a lot of options. It's easy when the choices are