Come out and support.

 

Blessings.

SC

Currently i have artwork work being displayed at two library locations.  The first is at the Hawaii State Library in conjunction with the Boom Boom Brown event, showcasing filipino talent.  Works will be taken down at the end of October.

 

Secondly, I have a painting displayed at Makiki Libary in conjunction with the event Urban Makiki.

 

I ya’ll can check it out when ya’ll have the time.

 

Blessings.

SC

“Let me explain the problem science has with religion.’ The atheist

professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of

his new students to stand.

‘You’re a Christian, aren’t you, son?’

‘Yes sir,’ the student says.

‘So you believe in God?’

‘Absolutely..

‘Is God good?’

‘Sure! God’s good.’

‘Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?’

‘Yes’

‘Are you good or evil?’

‘The Bible says I’m evil.’

The professor grins knowingly. ‘Aha! The Bible!’ He considers for a

moment. ‘Here’s one for you. Let’s say there’s a sick person over here

and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you

try?’

‘Yes sir, I would.’

‘So you’re good…!’

‘I wouldn’t say that.’

‘But why not say that? You’d help a sick and maimed person if you

could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn’t.’

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. ‘He doesn’t,

does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he

prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you

answer that one?’

The student remains silent.

‘No, you can’t, can you?’ the professor says. He takes a sip of water

from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

‘Let’s start again, young fella. Is God good?’

‘Er…yes,’ the student says.

‘Is Satan good?’

The student doesn’t hesitate on this one. ‘No.’

‘Then where does Satan come from?’

The student falters. ‘From God’

‘That’s right. God made Satan, didn’t he? Tell me, son. Is there evil

in this world?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Evil’s everywhere, isn’t it? And God did make everything correct?’

‘Yes’

‘So who created evil?’ The professor continued, ‘If God created

everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to

the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.’

Again, the student has no answer. ‘Is there sickness? Immorality?

Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this

world?’

The student squirms on his feet. ‘Yes.’

‘So who created them?’

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his

question.. ‘Who created them?’ There is still no answer. Suddenly the

lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is

mesmerized. ‘Tell me,’ he continues onto another student.

‘Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?

The student’s voice betrays him and cracks. ‘Yes, professor, I do.’

The old man stops pacing. ‘Science says you have five senses you use

to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen

Jesus?’

‘No sir. I’ve never seen Him.’

‘Then tell us if you’ve ever heard your Jesus?’

‘No, sir, I have not.’

‘Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelled your

Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or

God for that matter?’

‘No, sir, I’m afraid I haven’t.’

‘Yet you still believe in him?’

‘Yes’

‘According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,

science says your God doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?’

‘Nothing,’ the student replies. ‘I only have my faith.’

‘Yes, faith,’ the professor repeats. ‘And that is the problem science

has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.’

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of

His own. ‘Professor, is there such thing as heat?’

‘ Yes.’

‘And is there such a thing as cold?’

‘Yes, son, there’s cold too.’

‘No sir, there isn’t.’

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested.

The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain.

‘You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat,

unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don’t

have anything called ‘cold’. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero,

which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no

such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the

lowest -458 degrees.’

‘Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits

energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit

energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see,

sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We

cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat

is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of

it.’

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom,

sounding like a hammer.

‘What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?’

‘Yes,’ the professor replies without hesitation. ‘What is night if it

isn’t darkness?’

‘You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence

of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light,

flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing

and it’s called darkness, isn’t it? That’s the meaning we use to

define the word.’

‘In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were, you would be able to make

darkness darker, wouldn’t you?’

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This

will be a good semester. ‘So what point are you making, young man?

‘Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to

start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.’

The professor’s face cannot hide his surprise this time. ‘Flawed? Can

you explain how?’

‘You are working on the premise of duality,’ the student explains..

‘You argue that there is life and then there’s death; a good God and a

bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite,

something we can measure. Sir, science can’t even explain a thought.’

‘It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less

fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is

to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive

thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.

‘Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved

from a monkey?’

‘If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man,

yes, of course I do.’

‘Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?’

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes

where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

‘Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and

cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you

not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a

preacher?’

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion

has subsided.

‘To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student,

let me give you an example of what I mean.’

The student looks around the room. ‘Is there anyone in the class who

has ever seen the professor’s brain?’ The class breaks out into

laughter..

‘Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor’s brain, felt

the professor’s brain, touched or smelled the professor’s brain? No

one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of

empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have

no brain, with all due respect, sir.’

‘So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures,

sir?’

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his

face unreadable.

Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. ‘I guess

you’ll have to take them on faith.’

‘Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with

life,’ the student continues. ‘Now, sir, is there such a thing as

evil?’

Now uncertain, the professor responds, ‘Of course, there is. We see

it every day It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It

is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world.

These manifestations are nothing else but evil.’

To this the student replied, ‘Evil does not exist sir, or at least it

does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is

just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe

the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of

what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart.

It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness

that comes when there is no light.’

The professor sat down.

The student was Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein did write a book

titled God vs. Science in 1921…

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

I found this intriguing post through my friend Eukarezt’s FB page.

I hope this blesses you in some way.

Peace.

SC

University of the Philippines Visayas. Lahug, Cebu City, Philippines.

June 2006.

June 2006, will forever be a milestone time for me.  It marked the first time I left Hawaii, and my first missions trip.  While in Cebu, our missions team made its way onto the UPV campus and we walked around the campus with our local friends and campus ministers.  We had the opportunity to meet and befriend a bunch of students there.  During our walkthrough we stopped to rest, I quickly and curiously peeked into a classroom and didn’t see anyone inside and I took a picture.

I uploaded all of my pictures to my computer when I got home to Hawaii from my missions trip two weeks later.  And low and behold, this picture I took of the “empty” classroom had a young girl sitting by her lonesome in the farthest corner.  IMMEDIATELY, I felt God speak to me, “This was you.”

At that moment, I flashed back to three years earlier- sitting in my art class at Leeward Community College alone.  At that time, I was very introverted and emotionally scarred.  I was not a Christian then.  I was far from God and had the typical liberal college student mindset- being anti-church and anti-missionary mindset.  And at the same time- a stubborn, selfish, prideful artist mindset.

Then I came to my senses. Humbled.  Filled with grace and gratitude toward Jesus and my God, for changing me from the inside out.  For the first time ever being a Christian and walking with the Lord for three years, I realized that I am not who I once was.  This anti-church and anti-missionary artist kid, became a Christ following, church-going, missionary artist adult.  And I’m grateful to my God for rescuing me from the overwhelming loneliness of my past, forgiving me of my sins, healing me from my past hurts, redeeming my life from the pit and crowning me with love and compassion.  “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Thank you God.

Blessings.

SC

boom boom brown flyer

Im excited to be part of this event.  Here is a detailed write up of the show…  I hope yall can make it  :D

Blessings.

Shaun

…………….

In observance of October as Filipino American history month, Boom Boom Brown! A Celebration of Filipino American Youth Culture, featuring Hawai’i’s young and talented Filipino American visual artists, poets, music ensemble and dancers, will be held on Saturday, October 17, 2009.  The public is invited to this free event, which begins at 12:00 p.m. at the Hawai’i State Public Library.

“In the Filipino community, people are concerned that many young Filipinos are lost and disconnected from our roots.  That’s not true.  We do take pride in our Filipino American culture, heritage and identity.  We know about our history,” said April Bautista, event co-chair.  She added, “The youth and young adults featured at the event not only express their pride through the creative arts, but they do it in various genres.”

Boom Boom Brown! showcases the works of visual artists Christopher Aradanas, Calvin Bagaoisan, Shaun Castro and Elsie Simpliciano; poets Jessica Ladera, Melanie Medalle and Faith Pascua; and musicians and dancers from Mahalohalo Kolintang Ensemble and Tekniqlingz Dance Crew.  This diverse group of participants represents the depth and scope of talent found in Hawai’i’s Filipino American youth.

The year 2009 is the second year that the State of Hawai’i is officially celebrating Filipino American History Month.  The Hawai’i State Legislature passed legislation in 2008 designating the month of October as Filipino American History Month to annually commemorate the contributions of Filipino Americans to Hawai’i and the United States.

Boom Boom Brown! is sponsored by the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) Hawai’i, the Filipino American Historical Society of Hawai’i (FAHSOH), and Friends of the Library.  NaFFAA Hawai’i is a non-profit, advocacy organization committed to empowering the Filipino American community by working with college students through its workshops, conferences and other events.  FAHSOH is a non-profit organization whose mission is to foster an appreciation for the heritage and experiences of Filipino Americans in Hawai’i.

PARTICIPANT BIOS

Visual Artists

Christopher Aradanas

Christopher received a bachelor’s of fine arts from the University of Hawai’i-Mānoa with an emphasis in photography.  Christopher’s works were featured in the Hawai’i Craftsmen’s Fiber Hawai’i 2006 Juried Exhibition at The ARTS at Marks Garage and at the Contemporary Filipino American Artists of Hawai’i Exhibition at the Contemporary Museum in the First Hawaiian Bank Downtown.  Christopher enjoys working with youth and is currently a paraprofessional educator.

Calvin Bagaoisan

Calvin is currently a student at the University of Hawai’i-Mānoa majoring in fine arts and minoring in the Ilocano language.  He is part of the Timpuyog Student Organization at the university and was its former vice president.  Calvin won the 2008 Honolulu Magazine Photo Contest and recently performed at the Filipino Fiesta in May.  Calvin continues to volunteer in the Filipino American community to help perpetuate the culture, heritage and history.

Shaun Castro

Since 2003, Shaun has had his works in numerous exhibitions around Hawai’i and California, including local venues such as Prototype in Pearlridge, Studio 1 and the Ground Up art shows at the Chinatown Courtyard.   He received his bachelor’s in fine arts from the University of Hawai’i-Mānoa.  Aside from being a painter, Shaun is also a youth minister and has done mission work in the Visayas region of the Philippines.  His Christian faith and love for hip hop culture are dominant influences in his work.

Elsie Simpliciano

Elsie took art classes from the University of California-Berkeley and her works have been featured at Soul Signature Tattoos, the 2002 National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) Global Conference in San Francisco and in Maganda magazine.  Elsie is the co-vice chair of NaFFAA Hawai’i.  She honors her heritage by working within the Filipino American community and helping Filipino youth develop an awareness about the culture and history.  Originally from San Francisco, Elsie is a literacy resource teacher with Kamehameha Schools.

Poets

Jessica Ladera

Jessica was trained under poet Travis T. of Youth Speaks Hawai’i and was a member of Farrington High School’s first slam poetry team.  She has competed at the Youth Speaks Hawai’i   InterSlams in which the Farrington Slam Team won second place in fall 2008 and first place in spring 2009.  Jessica is currently a freshman at Leeward Community College pursuing an associate’s degree in teaching.  She hopes to get a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Hawai’i-Mānoa or from Nevada State University and become an elementary school teacher.  Jessica is also a youth leader in St. Theresa’s Youth Ministry in Liliha.

Melanie Medalle

Melanie is a graduate student in the departments of Women’s Studies and Political Science at the University of Hawai’i-Mānoa. She works with the Gender Equity and Civil Rights Advocacy Office at UHM, and is co-chair of the women of color collective CEJE (Collective for Equality, Justice, and Empowerment).  Melanie has performed at various community actions locally and abroad, and is published by PAWA Inc. in Field of Mirrors: An Anthology of Philippine American Writers (2007).  Her political, personal, and artistic practice aim to analyze, understand, unlearn, and undo racism, patriarchy, and all forms of oppression that deny our full humanity and bring pain to the earth and ourselves.

Faith Pascua

Faith is currently a sophomore at Farrington High School and is with Youth Speaks Hawai’i.  She is the vice president of the Farrington Slam Team and was a former T-Shirt Theatre performer.  In addition to her creative extracurricular activities, Faith is also involved with her class council in student government.

Music Ensemble and Dance Crew

Mahalohalo Kolintang Ensemble

Founded in October 2008, the Mahalohalo Kolintang Ensemble is rooted in the traditions of Southern Philippine and Malay gong cultures. Mahalohalo is grounded in scholarship and decades of teaching and performative experience, while allowing space for innovation and playfulness. The group has performed in numerous events including the ANAK! Festival at the Hawai’i State Arts Museum, Pasko! at the Hawai’i Filipino Community Center, the Puja Dance Concert at Paliku Theatre and the Pan Pacific Festival.  In July 2009, ensemble members conducted fieldwork in North Borneo, Malaysia with Bajau music and dance practitioners.

Tekniqlingz Dance Crew

The Tekniqlingz Dance Crew was created in spring 2008 as an offshoot of the tinikling dance workshops held by the Katipunan Club of the University of Hawai’i-Mānoa. The crew has performed at various events such as National Night Out, the Filipino Fiesta, and A Taste of Kalihi. Members also teach the tinikling dance and give demonstrations in various schools and at the Filipino for Kids Summer Program.  With its foundation based on modernizing traditional Philippine folk dances

 

 

I began writing this at 203 am, half an hour after writing my Easter Experience blog, and wanting to go sleep, and realizing I can’t because I have way too much things going through my mind.  So much things that I have to write about it before I could get some rest.  Finished writing this morning…

 

Well, Here I am.  I have been sick for 4 days straight now.  I am lying here on my bed wondering, “How the heck did I get to this point?!”  I look back on my weekend I think I’ve found the culprit.  Last friday night I stayed up the ENTIRE night working on my latest painting and in the morning I picked up the youth and headed down to set up for the Button Mashers show.  Needless to say, that time of staying awake longer than 50+ hours does screw up your body clock and throws off your health for a loop.  But praise God that the show was a success and God truly sustained me throughout the entire day.

 

Backtracking just a bit, I actually planned out my pieces weeks before hand but chose to wait till the last minute to start painting.  You know the little saying, “Ehh, I get em.  I’ve done this so many times.  God pulled me through for me many times before…”  Little did I know that little pride became the precursor to my weary health.

 

But going down a bit deeper, and cutting myself open (figuratively), I realized as I lye here in bed, that the reason I’m in the place where I am, is because I have NOT ordered my private world!  In hindsight, I knew that I should have started to paint earlier and that I should NOT have procrastinated.  Procrastination is such an artist trait, but be it as it may, I have to choose to NOT conform any longer to this pattern/trait of the world.  In Romans  12:2, it says…

 

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

 

So after going through the fire (of a 100 degree fever and irritating coughing spells).  God’s discipline was in line and was put in my place of repentance before my Lord.  

 

In Hebrews 12:5 a word of encouragement is given…

 

 ”My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
      and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
      and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

and it goes onto say from the same chapter, from verses 11-13…

 

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. ‘Make level paths for your feet,’ so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.”

 

So I am thankful that my God loves me enough to discipline me of my shortcomings.

 

And also, it says in 2 Corinthians 7:10…

 

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”

So I choose to own up to my foolishness and bad decisions, but as the Word says… a harvest of righteousness and peace, and healing would come about it.  So God, I claim your promises… heal me and transform me…

 

So when repentance is in line, it all ties in to a simple thing called Lordship.  Spending my time wisely and making the most of every opportunity. 

 

I hope that through my foolishness, it would turn others to making right decisions and not give in to procrastination, in order to be 100% healthy…

And to encourage myself (and to all who may read this), I am reminded of a book I read called Life You’ve Always Wanted, written by John Ortberg that best describes what it means to be under the Lordship of Christ… (the emphasis are mines…) 

 

“Paul writes to the church at Colossae, as the climax of instruction on transformed living: “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

What does it mean to do something “in the name of Jesus?” Generally speaking, in the Bible a person’s name has to do with his or her character.  So doing something in “Jesus’ name means to do it in his character.  It means doing it as Jesus himself would do it if he were in your place.  This flows right out of our understanding of discipleship.”

But what is striking here is the comprehensive nature of what Paul says: “Whatever you do…” Lest there be any confusion, Paul explains what he means: “Whatever you do in word or deed….” That covers it all.  But again, in case we are tempted to allow for loopholes, Paul says it once more: “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything….”

 

 

Then Ortberg gives us questions to think about that is worth pondering over… and they are…

 

“What would it mean for us to “wake up in Jesus’ name?”

 

“What would it mean for us to drive in Jesus’ name?”

 

“How do we watch television in Jesus’ name?

 

“What does it mean to do household chores in Jesus’ name?”

 

“How do I work in Jesus’ name?” (pause)

 

“How do we spend money in the name of Jesus?”

 

 

I encourage ya’ll to humbly take stock of your life, and really see what areas of your life do you have to surrender to the Lordship of Christ… 

 

… and as we do so, lets “do life in Jesus’ name.”

 

I know that it is way past Easter, but I finally had the time to write this, and I am excited to shares this little story of mine.  Well, for Easter, Grace Bible Church Honolulu planned to do something special.  We planned  our most creative service, consisting of an awesome Word from Pastor Gregg regarding how God is creating a masterpiece in our lives, an art show (including my work and the children at children’s church),

 

a touching testimony from Brandon Tucay, and me painting on stage while Pastor Gregg and Brandon shared his testimony.

 

 

As one would expect, A LOT of planning had to be done, but the Holy Spirit really guided us.

 

 

Previously, I had the privilege of doing my first preaching on how we are God’s masterpiece at our youth service in Honolulu.  By God’s grace I was able to preach and paint my illustration.  The illustration was originally 2ft x 3ft.  Then fast forward to Easter weekend, the pastors asked me to do the same illustration for the Easter sunday service.  So that week, i was honestly unsure of how everything would turn out.  Since Honolulu has 2 morning services and more people than our youth service, I had to make 2 pieces, and I had to make it bigger at 3ft x 4ft each!  So the week went on, I started painting the panels (it took over 3 hours to “complete” one panel),

 

 

 

also, I coordinated with Pastor Billy on the logistics of setting up the art show, and asked Uncle Mark to build an easel to hold the panel (and he made it in one day! Thank you Uncle Mark!). 

 

 

When Easter sunday came, I was excited to see how everything would turn out.  I remember getting there at 6am to help setup the work with Uncle Barry and family and a few others.  When the services rolled through… everything went by smoothly!  The preaching was solid, Brandon’s testimony was touching, and the painting illustration went really well.

 

 

I remember coming home that Easter afternoon.  Tired yet fulfilled, I looked down at my hands I noticed this…

 

 

 

 

 

 

…Crazy!!!  I really was humbled knowing that all the labor was not done in vain.  What I felt was a sacrifices of my talent, treasure, and time- painting these two big panels and coordinating/setting up the art show, wasn’t much of a sacrifice at all.   My so called “sacrifices” can’t even compare to what Jesus did on the cross for you and me. Crazy how God would speak to us in the most simplest of moments… After looking at my hand, I couldn’t help but say, “Thank You Lord for the opportunity to use my giftings and talents to glorify You and help bring others closer to a deeper understanding of who You are…”

 

 

I hope my little story encouraged ya’ll in some way.

 

 

 

God bless.

Shaun

 

 

(Thank you Living Stones for the great illustration.)

Finally updated my website.  I’ve been meaning to add these pages for a while now, but I had to be hella sick in order for me to do so… but its all good.  Im glad to have finally posted my Ministry and Prayer Requests pages.  Feel free to check out how God has been moving in our youth in Kalihi.  

 

God bless yall.

Shaun

Please come out and support our epic youth camp fundraiser show…

 

Stomping Ground

I’ll be displaying a few of my newest paintings at Tattoolicious.  I finished setting them up at the spot and I gotta admit… this place is FRESH!!!  Please come out and support my fellow artists and musicians.

 

Blessings.

Shaun