She shared her testimony very briefly - from her coming from a very competitive family atmosphere, to how she got into showbiz, to how she met Gary, how they fell from grace [premarital pregnancy], to how she came to know the Lord and, from there, how He has turned her life around.
It was quite the testimony!
But then, she got into her teaching. "Practical Christianity", her topic was. Seemingly elementary stuff, right? Wrong.
This woman blew the lid off of any expectations we may have had and just took her teaching through the roof! I for one was blessed by her simple yet powerful way of sharing her insights into God's Word and ways.
You could tell that the stuff she was sharing were not spoonfed, pre-chewed snippets of other people's teachings and sermons. Rather, these were rock-solid Truths that had been fleshed out and tempered in the furnace of everyday, work clothes, roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-your-hands-dirty, rubber-meets-the-road kind of Faith!
She covered everything from the need to balance one's body/soul/spirit to wives submitting to their husbands (with some really funny stories about her life with Gary V!) to fleshing out your faith in an industry that is not exactly conducive to such.
Want a "fer instance"? How about the night Gary V almost did? Apparently they were both in Pasadena, CA for a show. For some reason Gary got really tired after. Around 3am, Angeli woke up (she said an angel woke her) and saw her husband, Mr. Pure Energy, on the floor in the fit of a violent seizure!
What does she do? She administers first aid by putting glucose in his mouth then calls a lady friend and asks for her help. When this friend comes to help she sees Gary's condition and goes, "Oh my God!"
When Angeli hears her say those words, she looks at her and says, "That's not the right way to call on Him!" Then she begins to call upon the Name of the Lord! She sees her husband turn blue. And then, from all appearances, she sees him die right before her eyes.
What does this woman of faith do? She digs in her faith-heels and rebukes the spirit of Death! Next thing she knew, Gary, who had been unconscious all this time, suddenly moves as if he were spitting something out of his mouth...and he revives. By now, he is surrounded by their production team.
Someone asks Gary, "Where are you?" He says, "Manila." And Angeli simply thanks God that Gary was speaking at all, without a slur, as seizures can damage one's brain activity! All this happened in the midst of their showbiz friends. And everyone saw the mighty Hand of God deliver her husband from death!
Listening to her, I was all the more convinced that "there is no such thing as darkness, only the absence of light."
Just her testimony of how, when Gary became part of the Sunday morning show ASAP, he was practically the only outspoken follower of Christ there, and how, in a few years time there are now about 17 of them - Jericho Rosales, Piolo Pascual, Sam Milby, and others whose names I either don't remember or didn't recognize (I am old!). And how many of these are talents of their company, Genesis Entertainment. Talk about advancing God's Kingdom in a darkened place!
I was truly blessed. And honored.
Listening to Anglei's testimony and sharing of God's Word I was amazed and encouraged that, indeed, one man, check that - one woman of God can make a huge difference even in a faith-hostile place like showbiz.
Praise You, Lord for raising up women and men alike who will boldly stand up and speak out in Your name and for Your Kingdom's sake!
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