To Love More for the New Year

It's confirmed, my wife's pregnant with our 3rd child! I thank God for this wonderful gift of life specially this Christmas season.  Yet then as a father, a thought rushed to my head, "Everything's going to be multiplied by three from now on." I was thinking about the future expenses.  So I grabbed my handy pen and notebook and started drafting some plans.  Amidst the joy that I felt in anticipating for the coming of another Llaban into the world, I also felt fear. I'm imagining how St. Joseph felt when he knew of Mary's divine pregnancy. I would think that he also felt some fear.  Yet the Lord assured him,

"Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her." Matthew 1:20

Yes, the Lord wants to take away our fears and lead us to trust in Him more.

What do you fear for the new year to come?  Some of us are afraid that this Holiday break will soon be over and get back to a high tension, pressure cooker environment.  Amidst our celebration in greeting the new year, there is that lingering fear inside us.  And so we get our notebooks and draft some plans.  Here are some thoughts to help us in conquering fear:

1. Love drives out fear. "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love (1 John 4:18). Let us look at our future duties and responsibilities with love.  Even in the middle of pressure situations, let us do things with love. Make your plans with love, do all your works in love. Your every act should be done with love (1 Cor 16:14).  Remember that Love is stronger than fear.

2. Act on your fears.  Before your fears act on you.  We can get caught up in "analysis paralysis." We become lethargic and devote more time in worrying rather than acting.  Procrastination is one fear's favorite food. The more we delay, the bigger the fear grows.  Answer that email, do your best to pay that debt, forgive, ask forgiveness, among other things that might catch up on us in the future.

3. The Lord provides.  "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28)."  Let me stress: God works for the good of those who love Him. The Lord truly provides, we need only ask. Through earnest prayer, the Lord will open opportunities, send the right people, and enlighten our minds. In some references (whether exact or not), the phrase fear not is mentioned around 365 times in the bible. A reminder for us to fear not for each day of the year for the Lord provides.

I can say St. Joseph did a great job in raising Jesus.  Despite the overwhelming fact that he was looking after the Savior of mankind!  He loved more than he feared. That's what I plan to do, to love more.

Passion for God

Passion is a very strong word. It reminds us of two things. Christ's passion, which is His suffering and death on the cross. Also, it reminds of us of the things we love to do, the things we are passionate about.  In the dictionary, the meaning of the word passion is "any powerful or compelling feeling or emotion, as love or hate." I'd like to focus on the side of Passion, which pertains to the things we love to do.

 Passion is something God given, it is innate in us. Not all people have the same passions. Not everyone is passionate about music or art, nor are others passionate about numbers and algorithms. Since each of us have different sets of passions, we can conclude that God has uniquely planted in each of us a combination of interests and desires we can use for His purpose.

Purposeful Passion. Passion with purpose is very important. Without purpose, our passion will have no clear direction.  It can go wild and destructive, and to a certain point meaningless.  When it's meaningless, our passions often end up in sinfulness. Having a purposeful passion stems from knowing "Why we are doing what we love doing." Having a clear purpose will sustain our passion and even deepen our passion. Let's say a person is passionate about music.  This person will have then to ask himself, "Why am I passionate about music? Is there a greater reason and purpose behind my interest?"  Being able to answer this question will lead him to the enlightenment of why God planted in him the love for music.  We also have to watch out because our passion can end up having selfish intentions, like doing it only for money.  Money is not enough motivation.  You cannot derive creativity just by thinking of money.  For some this will motivate them in the beginning, but in the long run, it can become meaningless. That is why companies or organizations have vision and mission statements, so that those working will have a greater purpose and clear contribution to the world.

Powerful Passion. The result of purposeful passion is powerful passion. Power has a negative connotation, and it is often associated with greed.  But if we turn to the definition of power, we find out that in the field of science power means, "a measure of how quickly work can be done."  It is also defined as "the capability of doing and accomplishing something." God has a mission for each one of us, and he intends to use our passion gifts for this. With passion, we can get things done quickly and with greater capacity.  Passion is fuel to our purpose to be able to powerfully make a difference.

Passion for God. Having both purposeful and powerful passion for the Lord's mission is Passion for God. When we raise our hands or bow in reverence when we pray and worship, we are passionate.  When we serve Him through our God given passions, it is a form of worship. Passion for God is expressed in both prayer and action. Our passion for God is brought to its fullness with the Power of the Holy Spirit.  Often when we refer to the Spirit, we imagine fire burning in us.  Passion for God is the Spirit's Holy Fire burning in us to have the power to do our purpose.

May we discover and harness our passions for His purpose to make a powerful difference in the world.

Our Hearts as Mangers

Inside the Church of the Nativity. The star represents the spot where Christ was born

We were able to visit the birthplace of Jesus Christ, Bethlehem.  I was in awe of being able to touch the place where Christ's manger was standing.  One has to kneel and reach in to be able to kiss the area. There are latin inscriptions on the star saying, ”Hic de Virgine Maria Jesus Christus natus est” (Here the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ”).  I felt like one of the shepherds who witnessed the new born Christ.

Here are some of my reflections regarding this experience:

1. You cannot save someone without being there for them. Jesus, Son of God, out of His love for us came down to earth, became flesh, to save us from our sins.  We long to help others, but they need us to be present in their lives.  We want to help and save the poor, but we are only content with our donations.  We want to help our own family, but we do not give time to talk and heal.  The only way for Christ to save us was to be there for us by becoming human, so we can be brought to heaven with him through the saving power of His death and resurrection.

2. If we are to be like Christ, we are to be born out of humility.  My 4 year old son, Sev, can already narrate the nativity story in his own words.  He would stress that the place where Christ was born did not smell nice because there were animals around.  Following Christ is a nativity experience.  We will always be humbled and put in a "manger" instead of a comfortable or pleasant position. Truly the Lord blesses us in abundance. But without the experience of being humbled, we will never be genuinely grateful for what we have.

3. We kneel before the King to also be reminded of who we are.  We often kneel in prayer for reverence to God, but kneeling is also to remind us about ourselves and that we cannot be above our King.  When pride comes into our hearts, it is often difficult to kneel.  Although Jesus was just a baby, both shepherds and earthly kings knelt before Him.  They understood who they were in the presence of the One. Therefore the best way to know ourselves is not to psycho-analyze but to be in God's presence.  If we were to realize our purpose, we can only discover it from the reference point of God.

Experiencing Bethlehem made this year's Christmas extra meaningful for me.  I believe that what is important is that we are able to transform our hearts into humble mangers so that Christ will be born in us.  Have a meaningful Christmas season!

Pray, Share, and Advocate for Sendong Victims

Picture from GMA news network. Click pic for story

"There is a shortage of child coffins."

This is something that really shocked me upon hearing in the news about the devastation caused by typhoon "Sendong."  A few days before Christmas, and families are grieving. Many will be spending Christmas in evacuation centers with the fear of shortage of food, water, and clothing.  As of this writing the death toll is already 1,000. It's worse than Ondoy.

In a time like this, we can do the following:

1. Pray. Let us lift up to the Lord all those who died and are suffering because of the calamity.  We pray for God to comfort them, give them hope, and heal them. We pray for people to open their hearts and give generously to the victims.

2. Share. It is not enough to be thankful that God spared most of us from the typhoon, we must translate our gratitude into an act of sharing.  At any other time, in another circumstance, we could have been in their place. "Love your neighbor, as you love yourself (Mark 12:31)."

3. Advocate. Encourage others to also pray and share. Apathy has no place in a time like this.  It only takes one person to inspire another to do something great for others.

Pray, share, and advocate for the Sendong victims. Hear the Lord say, "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink...(Matthew 25:35)"

Donations are now being accepted online at www.cfchomeoffice.com/sendong

At the Lowest Point

We were able to visit Jericho (yes, the one Joshua conquered). As seen in the picture, it is claimed to be the lowest place on earth at 1300 feet below sea level. It's also the oldest city.  North west of the west side bank of Jericho is also where the Mount of Temptation is located.  It is where Jesus was tempted by the devil during His 40 days and 40 nights fast.

In life we go through low places or low points.  Some points in the past we consider our lowest or maybe at present we feel our lowest.

What can we learn from going through our low points?

1. Our life's low-points are tests of our faithfulness.  I can imagine how vulnerable Jesus was while fasting for so many days. He may have been at his lowest physical and mental state. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry (Mt.4:2)  And so the devil comes into the picture to test Him.  Just like us, at our lowest, the enemy comes and tries to deceive us. The devil offers us the deception that life apart from God is way better because of the convenience it offers.  We must remember that it is when we get to our lowest point that we must be most faithful. 

Behind us is the Mount of Temptation

2. When at our lowest, there's no other way but to go up.  When we've hit rock bottom, then we can only bounce back. We can never underestimate the Lord's mercy. If we accept His offer of love through our repentance, then our relationship with Him is restored.  I believe that there is no true success apart from Christ.  On our way up, Christ carries us along with His angels.

3. Christ restores us higher than our previous high-point.  Because of our "low-point" experience, we learn valuable lessons of faith and life. We come back with more wisdom, confidence, and strength.  It is like a line graph that dipped, but bounced back to even a higher point than the previous performance.  What is different now is that we rely on God's strength more than our own.  This is supernatural strength by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Life is a series of high and lows. Our faithfulness is constantly tested and even at times we wander away from God.  Let not our pride blind us from the love and mercy of God.  He alone restores us back to a life of fullness. Let prayer, humility, and hope be our way back to God and our way up towards our life's high points.


 

A Love Triangle with God

We had our wedding vows renewed in Cana of Galilee. Together with 17 other couples in our pilgrimage group, we experienced being where Jesus  attended a wedding feast. As we all know, it is where he actualized his first miracle of turning water into wine.  This was one of our highlights in the pilgrimage.

Here are my reflections on love and our special relationships:

For a relationship to be faithful and fruitful it has to be a Love Triangle: you, your loved one, and your most Loved One.  God has to be the third person in any relationship, your most Loved One.  There will come a time when the other can be almost unbearable to be with.  One only has to look on God and how He loves us, then we are able to understand how to love the other.  Without a relationship with God, a marriage or a relationship is bound to deteriorate and be "civil" and eventually might break up. We need God's grace to truly and fully love our partner.  True love can only flow from the One who is Love.  For God is Love, and from Him we receive love of which we give to the other.  We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).

The bible teaches us how to love. St. Paul exhorts, "Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated,it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Cor. 13: 4-7)."  This is how God loves us and more. It can be our own checklist. Just substitute the words "Love and it" to your name (e.g. Kirby is patient...etc.).  This simple guide can help us love one another.

We renew our love for another on a daily basis.  Through a couple prayer, we recommit before God each day for the strengthening of our bond and for the mission He has given us.  We need not wait to reach our Silver or Golden anniversaries for our vows to be renewed.  Special occasions can help us mark our milestones.  But our commitment to God for our relationship is a day to day renewal.  Just like Jesus turning water into wine, He makes what is plain into something sweet and special.  With Jesus, we are renewed and we are able to treat one another with sweetness and specialty. 

May God strengthen our relationships, not only to our spouse, but to our friends, family, and neighbors.  Let us seek Him who is Love, so we may truly know how to love. Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God (1 John 4:7).

The Mosaic of Life

Madaba, Jordan is famous for its Mosaics. The process of making mosaics, specially the smaller art pieces, is painstaking. The artist has to carve each piece of stone with its natural colors and fit them to the plan for the mosaic. One has to see the big picture first before working on the details.
God sees the Big picture for our lives, while we only know bits of it. He is the Mosaic Artist and our daily lives are the small pieces of stone that contribute to the Mosaic of Life. God places us on His Mosaic board to fulfill a role and make His design and vision a reality.


Let's take these lessons from the Mosaic:



1. We are a significant piece of His grand design. Some people think that they are not important or special. In God's eyes, we are so important that He sent Jesus to save each of us from our sins.  The only hindrance is that if we choose not to realize our own greatness and significance as His sons and daughters, then we become discarded stones by our own doing.  Let us choose to be a "piece" of His plan that completes His great Mosaic. 



2. Let us be willing to be used for His purpose. This is not easy. It requires full surrender. We will go through "carving off" of our attachments to vices, materialism, bad attitudes and habits.  This process is painful but necessary. With our surrender, great things will happen through us, for we serve a great God.


3. Life is painstakingly beautiful with God. Like putting together the pieces of the mosaic, putting the pieces of our lives together is not easy to comprehend.  We painstakingly go through each phase of our life, trying to understand how that phase complements the next.  But through the harshness and joys of life, we just have to put our faith in the "Mosaic Artist of Life" that He has a plan, a design, and that it is beautiful.  A plan of which its fullness might be realized in our own lifetime or in the generations to come. Abraham really never understood why God was so harsh that He had commanded to sacrifice Isaac. But then Abraham passed the test of obedience and God stopped the sacrifice.  He then became the father of a great nation. Let us go through life with obedience to God, no matter how painstaking it can get, we will later realize His purpose.


Let today be a colorful piece of God's Mosaic for our lives!


1. Recall your significant past experiences and relate it to who you are today.
2. How has God used that piece of you life to make you a better person at present?
3. Are you willing to be used for His purpose and take part in His design? Why?

God Always Fulfills His Promise

We went to Mt. Nebo in Madaba, Jordan. This is the place where Moses saw with his own eyes, the promise land. As we all know, he was not allowed by God to cross it and he died on this mountain (Deut. 34:4). To this day, no one knows where Moses was exactly buried (Deut.34:6), so the mountain became a memorial site for him.
I believe that despite not crossing over to Canaan, Moses knew what was more important. He knew that the Promise Giver was more important than the Promised Land. The authenticity of God's promises for our lives is when we are led to the Promise Giver Himself. God's promises are meant to draw us closer to Him.
Sometimes, we are disappointed with God because we think that He didn't listen to us. This is an evidence that we have misunderstood
what God's promises are for. Let us remember these when we think of God's promises for our lives:

1. God's promises give us hope. When all else fails, God does not. God says, "I will never forsake you." When we feel that God is distant, it is because we have allowed sin to separate us from Him. But if we accept Christ as our savior and friend, our hope is restored and our strength is renewed.

2. A Promise is a Two Way Street. Attached to God's promise is our promise to Him as well. If we are unfaithful, then we delay the fulfillment of God's promise or forfeit it. The journey from Egypt to Canaan should have not taken Forty years if Israel was faithful to God.

3. Our Goal is to meet the Promise Giver. Our life on earth is temporary, but our life in heaven is eternal. Let us focus on the Giver, not the Gift or the Promise. Many times, the Israelites complained and said they were better off as slaves in Egypt. They lost sight of God and worshipped idols because they were too focused on getting to the Promised land. Let us not go into tantrums when we do not immediately get what we want. God is teaching us to value Him more than anything, so we are ready to receive the blessings of His Promises.

When God reveals to us His promises, our faithfulness is required. God never promises what He cannot fulfill. The timeline in fulfilling these promises is in His hands. It may be within our lifetime, some
even beyond our own.  Let us rejoice for we serve a God who is true to His Word. May we as well stay true to our promises to Him.


"But do not forget one thing, my dear friends! There is no difference in the Lord's sight between one day and a thousand years; to him the two are the same.  The Lord is not slow to do what he has promised, as some think. Instead, he is patient with you, because he does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants all to tun away from their sins. (2 Peter 3: 8-9)"

Brewed in the Love of the Lord

I enjoy drinking coffee, specially with friends.  'Having coffee' becomes a venue to catch up with each other's lives or discuss an interesting topic.

Surely, many would agree that brewed coffee is far better than the instant ones. The process of making a cup of coffee involves roasting of coffee beans, grinding of the beans, mixing the ground beans with hot water (brewing), and separating the liquid for a cup of freshly brewed coffee.  This process has some similarities to our Christian lives.

We are like the coffee beans, we inevitably experience  heat or challenges in our lives. Sometimes we feel like being roasted and even ground with our concerns. "We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair (2 Cor. 4:8)." But it is when we go through the roasting and grinding that we are brewed in the love of the Lord.  Even if the process is difficult and long, it is the way we can share to others the flavor of Christ in our lives. "For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh (2 Cor. 4:11)"

Recall the "roasting and grinding" experiences of your life.  Share your Christ experience in these times.  Have these experiences made you bitter or sweet?

Finding Happiness in all of God's Creation

In 1226, St. Francis died while preaching Psalm141. I just find that amazing. He served the Lord until his last breath. What lead me to reflect on St. Francis is because of a statue of him that I saw in the venue of our planning in Bohol. He was among the different animals, particularly a hawk and a monkey. It was told that St. Francis preached even to birds and a particular wolf, calling them sister bird and brother wolf. " Francis preached the teaching of the Catholic Church, that the world was created good and beautiful by God but suffers a need for redemption because of the primordial sin of man. He preached to man and beast the universal ability and duty of all creatures to praise God (a common theme in the Psalms) and the duty of men to protect and enjoy nature as both the stewards of God's creation and as creatures ourselves (Wikipedia)."

Have you ever stood on an overlooking view of God's mighty creation? The scene just takes your breath away. Like St. Francis, we have to appreciate God in all His creation. By having this outlook we become grateful people. As I am writing this reflection, I am at sea on the way to Cebu from Bohol. I thank God for the vastness of the sea and the life that is in it.

Without a grateful heart, we become perenial complainers. The danger is when complaining becomes a habit for us. It's when we find fault in almost any situation or discontent with what we have been blessed. We have to develop an appreciation for God's everyday miracles. Francis' outlook was of joy and great appreciation for all of the life God created. He even referred to the sun and moon as Brother Sun and Sister Moon. There is nothing that can rob God's joy from this saint.

What makes you truly happy?

We realize that the things that give us real joy are given by God for free. For me, my heart bursts with joy when I am with my family. Happiness that is born out of greed or lust are temporary and are meant to lure and trap us. Francis found the ultimate happiness, the love of Christ. many of us have already found Christ, it is just a matter now of seeing Christ in all of God's creation.

In Condition to Face Life's Storms

After a long time, i played basketball again. I was pumped up, very excited to shoot those hoops again. In the first 10 minutes, I was 0 out of 5. I made several attempts, but my shots were either too strong or too weak. There are a number of reasons (excuses) why I did poorly. I was unfamiliar with court , it had been months since I last threw a shot, my legs were out of condition, and I was trying to catch my breath among other things.
This reminds me of something about facing our problems. Often, we pray intensively when we encounter life's problems. There can be two scenarios; a) one who faces a problem but has always prayed faithfully b) another is one who faces a problem but only prays at the time of the challenge.
Just as storms are a part of the natural course of the environment, so are the storms that naturally come in our lives. When our problems arrive, we have to be:
1. Familiar with God's voice
2. Conditioned with prayer
3. Filled with the breath of the Holy Spirit
This is experienced by those who have been already praying prior to the "storm." That is why when problems come they are calm and even at peace. I know of someone who found out that he had cancer symptoms and had to be operated on. He confessed that he was surprised that despite the shocking news, he was not afraid and he felt peace knowing that many of his friends will be praying for him. He exhibited a certain strength only manifested by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a similar case when Jesus was sleeping during the storm. "Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!"He said to them, "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?" Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm (Matthew 8: 24-26)."
Let us start to condition ourselves in the Lord through consistent prayer. Let us not wait for problems to bring us down on our knees. So when it's 'game time' we can make the important shots and not make excuses of doing poorly in handling our problems. Surely God will help all those who call upon His Name even if we have only remembered him during the crisis. But by being faithful and ready, we can overcome problems with His strength and even be an instrument to help others in their storms.

The Eyes of Faith

"When the Israelites saw Goliath, they ran away in terror. "Look at him!", they said to each other.(1 Sam 17:24)

When the soldiers saw Goliath, they compared this giant to their own build and realized how puny they were. But when David saw Goliath, he compared him to the Living God and realized how puny Goliath was.

"After all, who is this heathen Philistine to defy the army of the living God?" (1 Sam 17:26b)

That is the difference between someone who sees through the eyes of fear and someone who sees through the eyes of faith.

Today, what is your "Goliath?" How do you see your Goliath? With fear or with faith?
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In Tune With God

I was asked to play the guitar for worship this morning.  I overlooked in testing if the strings were in tune and just went right into playing. I later noticed that the 2nd string was off key. It was impossible to adjust the strings in the middle of the song. In short, the songs went on while bearing with one string that was out of tune.

Just like in our Christian living.  We can go on following Christ, but many of us still have a part of our lives that is not attuned with the Lord.  We may go on serving Him while we have issues with purity or other sins that we find hard to surrender.  The result is a service that fails to reach its true potential. We can still do the usual things we do for the Lord, but the impact of a service derived from a life fully "in tune" with God is a far cry from a service born out of a compromised or "off key" Christian lifestyle.

The product of an off-key Christian lifestyle are:
Energy leak.  Our strength is being drained by this part of our lives that refuses to yield to God.  And when we are empty, we tend to "borrow strength" from hyping up or psyching up ourselves for the work ahead or a talk or sharing you have to give.  In the end we are tired, and will even seek strength in other vice-based "unwinding."
Loss of passion. We will tend to focus on our unworthiness more instead of a God who will love us and raise us up.
Eventual backsliding. When we feel drained, empty, and unworthy, the next is to withdraw.  The devil eventually wants us to get out of our commitment to Christ and will feed us "logical" excuses like, "Without my service, I can have more time for my family" or "The money I spend in the community can be better put in another investment."

 So, it starts with a compromised Christian living and ends up in Eventual Backsliding. So how do we combat this?  I have three suggestions:

1. Tune in to God daily. One day without prayer is enough for the devil to feed us with scheming thoughts. If we tune-in to God through faithful prayer, we will be strengthened and nourished.
2. Decide to Yield. Surrender to God that aspect of your life that compromises your Christianity. It is by the strength of the Spirit that we are to overcome.
3. Be accountable to somebody you trust. Have someone that will not hesitate to correct you and tune you back in harmony with the Lord.  People who refuse correction are most prone to compromise.  Humility will put our lives back in tune with God.

It takes time to tune a guitar and it is dependent on the sound of other strings to get that off-key string back in harmony. If you are a guitar player, you will only strum your guitar strings with gusto and passion when you know that each string is in tune.  Let us serve the Lord with maximum impact by living a life fully attuned to God. 

For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him (2 Chronicles 16:9).

Build On The Goodness God Has Gifted You

There is a self-imposed pressure people set on themselves in becoming like their predecessors, specially when the one before them was very gifted. Yes it is right to emulate the strengths of previous leaders, but to be burdened by becoming like them might not be God's purpose for you.  Build on the goodness God has gifted you. 

Things to remember when God calls you to lead:
1. God has called your predecessors for a specific purpose, for a specific time, matching their specific gift.  This means God wants to accomplish something else in your term. Something uniquely matched to your gifts as well.
2. Know your strengths, and build on them.  If you are an artist, build on your knack for design and expand from there.  If you are hardworking and persevering, then build on it and grow from that quality.  If you are a visionary, express what you see and let others gravitate to the bigger picture.
3. Let love be the reason for all that you do.  Any ordinary thing done out of love becomes extraordinary.  This, I believe should be felt to the ones you are leading.  And the rest of the details will just flow.

"I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another (Romans 15:14)." 

Words That Build

A priest said in his homily, "Words lose their meaning if they are not born out of silence."  Often we neglect the value of contemplation.  To set aside time to reflect and consult our thoughts to the Lord is very important amidst the busy world we live in today.  We have heard of the saying, "Silent waters run deep."

Some things to think about before speaking our minds:
1. Do my words add value to the other person?
2. Is it necessary for me to give my opinion?
3. Have I prayed about this statement I will make?
4. Am I reacting recklessly without understanding the situation?


If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal (1 Cor.13:1).

The words that come from our mouths should be able to build up, not destroy.  We have to speak in the language of love.  Just as the tongue is destructive, it can also be very upbuilding.  Words that build have a deep foundation.  The foundation of love.

Let us honor others as often as we can and be generous in praise.  Let our words be music to the ears of God and men.

Translating Vision Into Reality

I love this definition on leadership by Warren Bennis, an American scholar and pioneer of  the field of Leadership Studies. He says, "Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality."


When leading, many of us get caught up in the details.  And usually, our energies are drained in these details that we lose sight of the bigger vision.  We need to empower people who can manage these "details" and focus on making the vision into reality.  Thus, for us to be on track in leading, allow me to share my recent learning:

1. Draw a Road Map. Begin with drawing up the vision (which is the destination of the road map), then work backwards to where you are now.  Working backwards means to continually ask, "How can the vision be achieved?"

2. Look for People who can move you Forward.  We enlist the people who can best deliver the requirements to move us forward in the road map.  Many times we commit the mistake of getting the people first and trying to match the task.  We have to define the task first, then look for the people who can achieve it.

3.  Empower Your Team. It is important that your team embraces the vision and knows exactly how they are contributing towards it.  Teamwork and trust helps us move forward faster. As Covey would put it, "The Speed of Trust."

4. Apply Kaizen. Kaizen, a japanese word means "Change for the better."  As we strive towards our vision, we seek for continuous improvement. We can apply the PDCA cycle which is, "Plan-Do-Check-Adjust."  Using this cycle, we are able to enhance our methods and advance further towards our vision.  We do all these in prayer with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus came from heaven to earth to save us from our sins, to set us free (Luke 4). This was His vision, His road map while on earth.  He called the 12 apostles and empowered them.  He died for our sins, and brought salvation to mankind. And before ascending into heaven, he tells His apostles, "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father (John 14:12). Jesus tells them that they will do greater things (like Kaizen) because the Father will send the Holy Spirit.


Christ has called us to lead with vision. Let us once again fall in love with the vision that we have and share this romance with those we lead.

What We Really Want to Happen in a Dialogue

I am privileged to have been part of conducting a Christian Life Program in the area of Saguing (pronounced as Sagayn) in Myanmar. The experience of crossing cultural and language borders to deliver Christ's message is something I won't forget. When speaking, one has to be very concise and clear since it will still be translated. There is much need to communicate non-verbally, since actions like hand gestures and facial expressions can help in driving a point.
In communicating with others, specially to our loved ones, are we clear and concise? Are we masking or postponing the things we have to say? There are many things we do non-verbally that speaks out loud, yet the words that come out are very different from our actions. The east and west have very opposite approaches to communication. The west is straightforward, while the east is more conservative about opinions.

But regardless of cultural background, we need to pursue a one-on-one dialogue. The goals being; to clarify issues, to forgive and reconcile, and to facilitate healing. Many dialogues do not end well because of pride and pre- conditions.

Let us ask the grace from God to speak clearly and concisely that will translate to healing and love. For at the end of the day, this is really what we want.

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Mother of All Virtues

October 29, 2011 (Saturday)
"Pride is the root of all evil and Humility is the mother of all virtues," a priest mentioned in his homily.
So, if there is one thing we can work on, then it is our humility. And if there is one thing we should avoid, it is pride. This approach sounds simple, yet true.

Test Your Limits

October 28, 2011(friday)
It was a mission-filled day here in Mandalay, Myanmar. We went to 7 homes and conducted Household Prayer Meetings. It was the first time for each of the families to experience a household. We started at 7:30am and ended at around 10:00pm doing a sort of a "household-marathon" around the city where the CFC members lived. I could say we were stretched to the limits of our physical strength, but the spirit is strong and alive.
I believe that in testing our limits, we will be able to achieve a breakthrough to a new level of strength. Just like how our muscles grow as we continually test the limits of the weight we can carry and the number of repetitions.
Pushing ourselves to love the seemingly unlovable, increasing our prayer time, reading more pages of a book in a sitting, and preparing extensively for a talk are but just some examples of testing our limits.
But we also realize that we are serving a God without limits. Impossible is a word unfamiliar to God. If we think we have done our best for God, there is still more strength and abilities that He has in store for us that we might just surprise ourselves.

What is God's Mission for you Today?

October 28 (friday)
The Lord chose His apostles for a purpose. Jesus wills that through them, His love and power will be known. He has set for us a mission. Let us ask ourselves, "What is God's mission for me today?."
Let us reflect on these three things that will help us in our mission today.
1. Do not forget that you are Chosen for mission.
Remember that the Lord calls each of us by name. Just like the apostles, they were called and they followed. "Remember I chose you..." The Lord anoints and equips the vessel He has chosen.
2. When Challenged, Be Faithful.
When we do things for the Lord, it will not be easy. There are challenges we have to face. Your mission might challenge you to ask for forgiveness or forgive somebody. You may be lead to be humiliated because of your mission. In some instances, you might just find the mission as impossible or beyond your capabilities. Jesus carried the challenge of the cross and was faithful until death. Our challenges will strengthen us because we will endure by faith.
3. Have Christ always in your heart.
Without the presence of Christ inside us, we will not bear fruit. We might have all the skills for mission but do not have the reason for the mission. Christ is the reason for mission. With Him in our hearts, love will overflow to the people we meet. Love is at the heart of every mission. Without love, our work is bound to fail. Only Christ brings us the true victory in our mission.

Daily, let us ask the Lord to reveal His mission. Keeping in mind that we are chosen by God to do His mission. Through our faithfulness we will overcome life's challenges and claim the victory with Christ in our hearts.

Faith is an Encounter with Jesus

October 28, 2011 (friday)
I went to a 6am mass in Mandalay and in the priest's homily he said,"Faith is not an ideology, not even a morality. Faith is life. Faith is an encounter with Jesus."
We can get caught up in the routine of service and lose the essence of why we serve or attend mass. In all we do, we are reminded to seek for an encounter with Jesus. This is what faith is all about, a relationship with our Lord.

Time to Serve

October 27 (thursday)
One of the brothers in the mission said, "There is no convenient time to serve the Lord." At any phase of our lives, we will always be busy. When we're young, we are busy with school. When we graduate, we're busy with work. When we retire, we're busy vacationing. And later at the final years of our lives we realized I should have spent time in knowing, loving, and serving God.

If you are reading this, now is the time to serve the Lord!

God of the City

Oct 27, 2011 (Thursday)
We are now in Mandalay City, Myanmar. Together with the Mission team. We went through a 9-hour bus trip from Yangon. We were humbled to have been met by the archbishop at 5:30am. On our first day, we conducted 2 prayer meetings with burmese members, a kids camp for 100 burmese kids, and met the filipino community. The whole time, we had priests translating our words. We could see the hunger of these people to know God more and have a personal relationship with him. Although we are in a Buddhist country, there is a great longing and thirst for the power of the Holy Spirit.
We've been listening to Chris Tomlin's song "God of the City."

One of the stanzas goes:
"You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation..."
The chorus goes "Greater things are yet to come in this city. Greater things are still to be done in this city."
It is true that He is the God of all, and of this city where we are. I have a 3 point reflection on this.

1. We have a Great God who will do Great things through us.
To doubt our capacity as God workers is to doubt God's greatness through us. Most of us are hesitant to lead or take on a responsibility because we feel we are ill-equipped. By submitting to God, He will open the floodgates of His graces to flow through us. Just like how some simple fishermen have become the Church's pillars.
2. God has prepared the City
"The harvest is plenty and the workers are few. Pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send more workers." We need more people to go on mission. We need harvesters. I read in a Catholic Missions magazine, "Mission is the hallmark of the Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit pushes our hearts to go to the end of the earth. I believe every Christian should experience mission.
3. Love is the ultimate language
When we give talks, we always have translators. But there are many instances during casual conversations with the locals that we have to act out what we want to say as if playing charades. But the eyes tell a lot, and they speak of love. We see the love in the eyes of others and we know what they mean to say. When we talk about God we use the language of love.
Yes greater things are yet to come! As we embark on day 2 of mission in Mandalay, we are excited of God's greatness to work through us.

The Missionary Lifestyle

We're getting ready for Myanmar! I'm with SFC Backpackers.  In the same week, there are mission teams who are backpacking to Chiang Mai (Thailand), Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.  These mission volunteers spend for their own fare and food.  They take time out from their work and give time for the Lord's work.

Is it possible for Christians of today to make Mission as part of their lifestyle? I say Yes!

Today is Mission Sunday. Our concept of missionaries are priests, nuns, and brothers.  The clergy comprises only of less than 1% of the whole Church.  Isn't it only logical that we, the lay, should respond urgently to mission since we are the rest of the 99% of the Church?

I believe that the efforts of these young missionaries will snowball into a whole new lifestyle for Christians...the Missionary Lifestyle.  What exactly is the Missionary Lifestyle?

1. A Lifestyle of Witnessing
This is everyday evangelization.  Witnessing is about living in the power of the Holy Spirit. Witnesses talk with their actions.  Others are attracted to become Christians because of the example of the witness.  A missionary lives out Christ's mission at home and in the workplace.

2. A Lifestyle of Empowerment
A Missionary is dependent on the Holy Spirit.  He is humble enough to admit that he is just an instrument and the Spirit will bring forth great results. This is as long as the missionary makes himself available. Available for God's Power. He applies this principle of Empowerment even in his work and relationship with others.

3. A Lifestyle of Great Adventure
He is willing to be sent.  He puts mission first, then leisure later.  Some are choosy in their mission assignment and puts forth many conditions.  My leader once said, "If you choose your area, then you are a tourist." A lifestyle of great adventure awaits the missionary.  He can only plan his best, but God will never fail to surprise us and bless us when we do His work.

The missionary lifestyle is a counter-culture of today's "Me Lifestlye." The missionary lifestyle talks about giving and sacrificing. While the Me Lifestyle is more of taking and self-indulging. But what we are not aware of is that the more we think only about ourselves, the more we are missing out of what life has to offer.

Let us Go Out into the World like these Backpackers! This is the new generation of missionaries. All out for God, all out for His mission!

Preparing the Heart, Home, and Society

I'm now in Bangkok and people are anticipating flood. They transferred most of their things to the 2nd floor of their house. Some homes are putting up sand bags and some even put up a 2ft high cement wall for the purpose of blocking the water.  Having witnessed the flood that affected the northern part of the county and the advisory by the government, people are preparing the best they can.

How prepared are we for things to come?  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. (2 Peter 3:10). The parable of the ten virgins also reflect on being prepared. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ (Matthew 25:3-6)


A priest asked the parishioners in his homily, "Who among you here wants to go to heaven?" (Everybody raised their hands). He asked again, "Who among you here wants to die and go to heaven NOW?" (Very few raised their hands).  This reflects our preparedness.  We are afraid to die. But surely, everybody knows that death is inevitable.

Mark Twain suggests, "The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."

The song Prepare the Way by Darrel Evans may help us on our reflection on preparedness:

Make ready your heart.  Are our hearts clean? When was the last time we went for confession? Have we forgiven?
Make ready your home.  How is our relationship with our family? Are we leading our family closer to God?
Make ready the people of God. Are we taking part in bringing others to God?

The heart, home, and the people of God talk about our individual, family, and societal preparedness.  It is not enough that we ourselves are prepared for the Lord.  We have a responsibility to do our best to renew our families and our society.  John the Baptist is the best example of preparedness.  He went out of his way and prepared others to receive the Lord. "He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie (John 1:27)."  John the Baptist was regarded very highly that when the Lord asked His disciples of 'Who do you say I am?' they said, 'Some say you are John the Baptist, some say you are Elijah..." Despite John's greatness, he did not lose focus on directing others to the Lord.

Let us prepare by directing ourselves and others to the Lord.  Let us make our hearts, homes, and our society ready for the Lord.

Mending The Net

We had an inspiring discussion on evangelization and one of our leaders shared his reflection. It goes...

If we are fishers of men, then there are three things that we ought to do:
We Cast the net. We throw our net into the "sea" and invite people to know God.
We Pull the Net.  When people respond to the invitation, we pull them into the community and engage them in a deeper formation and the practice of Christian lifestyle.
We Mend the Net. Mending our nets mean that along the way we have to adjust and see that relationships are restored, our systems improved, and our evaluations get carried.  When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break (Luke 5:6). This is what we often forget. If we don't mend the net, the "fish" will get away.  This is when a fall out of membership happens.  We reflect on our batchmates who joined community with us, and we realize that there are only a number of us who continued.  As aggressive we are to cast our nets, so must we mend it.

Image from http://www.philcusumanoart.com/mending.html

Every Saint Has a Past and Every Sinner has a Future

We were invited to watch an advanced screening of the movie, "There Be Dragons." It is a film that reflected on the life of St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei.  The setting was during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, where facists and communists were against each other. Caught up in between was the Church of which priests were killed and churches were burned.  The movie also highlighted the life of his friend, Manolo, who lived a sinful life, but finding redemption in the end. One of it's main messages was a quote from Oscar Wilde, "Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future."

There is a saint in all of us.  I don't think the saints asked, "Lord please make me a saint."  I think that for them it was a day to day decision of following Christ and obeying him until death.  Many of our Saints were also great sinners.  We have St. Paul who ordered the execution of St. Stephen. We have St. Matthew, who was a tax collector.  St. Augustine prior to his conversion joined a heretical sect called Manicheans.  Yet, the Lord, by His grace called them and they responded to God's call and were transformed by His love.  There are over 10,000 named saints and beati from history, the Roman Martyology and Orthodox sources, but no definitive "head count" (catholic.org). Let us praise God for Saints who help us in the following:

1. Intercessory Prayers
We pray with the saints in heaven. We ask them to intercede for us. In the same way, we pray for others also who requests us for prayers.  We have heard of numerous accounts of miracles wherein prayers were answered through a Saint's intercession.  I visited the the Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal where I saw literally hundreds of crutches left by those who miraculously prayed through the intercession of St. Joseph.

2. Patrons as examples and guide
We have heard about patron saints. Patron saints are chosen as special protectors or guardians over areas of life. These areas can include occupations, illnesses, churches, countries, causes -- anything that is important to us. The earliest records show that people and churches were named after apostles and martyrs as early as the fourth century (catholic.org). Our patron saints help us in our growth as Christians as we reflect on their examples.  We relate to them. It makes us think that if he or she who is human like us can do it, so can we, by God's grace.  Their life inspires us and strengthens our convictions.

In the coming All Saints Day, let us honor the faithful who have walked this earth before us. Let us call upon the help of thousands of angels, saints, and martyrs who will pray for us to our Lord Jesus.  We need all the prayers we can get so we can truly live as Christ's follower in our daily lives. Sinners as we are, God looks upon our saintly potential.  St. Josemaria Escriva, pray for us.

Sent on Mission

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. (Lk 10:1)

In two days I'll be heading to Bangkok to take part in the CFC Singles for Christ Global Leaders Summit, after which, our team will be sent to Myanmar to do mission for a week. Some mission teams will be sent to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

The Gospel is very affirming. Christ sends us. This is a very important element of mission. Being sent is an honor for Christ's servants. The dangers are real and the cost is not small. But why go on mission? I could think of three.

1. Because Christ commands it.
Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19)." " As the Father sent me, so I send you (John 20:21)." As Christians, part of our identity is to be missionary. We obey the Lord, out of love, loyalty, and sacrifice.

2. Because the harvest is ready.
He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest (Luke 10:2). Out there, people are just waiting for the good news to be proclaimed. This is God's work, it His field, He knows where to send us. We need only say yes and He will put His Spirit in us.

3. Because life is meant to be a great adventure!
In mission you will experience things you won't expect. You will be surprised how mightily God will use you. Live life to the fullest! Our abilities will be maximized, our heart for others will be expanded, our spirituality will be brought to greater dependence on God through intimate prayer. Mission will help us see beyond ourselves and lead us to a clearer purpose for our lives.

As Steve Green would put it, "To love the Lord our God is the heartbeat of our mission." We are sent because God loves us and we go because we love the Lord. Let us pray for missionaries worldwide that they may continue to be faithful and endure hardships that come their way. Let us pray that we too may find the strength to say yes to God.

Reflection on Discernment

I went to a Jesuit recollection yesterday.  The reco focused about Discernment. What struck me was it emphasized that if we are to discern, we do it in a period of tranquility.  Tranquility is defined as a disposition free from stress or emotion.  We do not decide at the height of our emotions, like coming from a spiritual high of a retreat or being in a state of depression.  When things normalize or in tranquility, we are able to make a sound judgement in weighing our options, using our all of human faculties (our mind, heart, experiences, situations, advice from others, our practical considerations).  This is yet a tentative discernment, because the final test of discernment is Discernment of Spirits. This is when God allows us to feel peace if our chosen option is His will. This is now beyond our faculties, but more of God speaking to us through our spirit. There will be times when the people around us are disappointed, yet we feel inner peace.  We are also affirmed because we are happy in that choice, although the world may not be agreeable.

Let us continue to discern for God's will. Let His peace reign in our hearts!

JP2: Church is Mission!

We visited the exhibit of the Relics of Blessed Pope John Paul II.  It was in Gateway Mall.  Many people were there, mostly surprised and delighted that there was a display about the holy objects.  But what was also fascinating were the different quotes from Homilies that he gave in different places. One of many particularly caught my attention.  The one he gave on June 6, 2004 in Switzerland.  He exhorts...

Dear friends, the Church is mission! Today she also needs "prophets" who can reawaken in the communities faith in the revealing Word of God, who is rich in mercy. The time has come for preparing young generation of apostles who are not afraid to proclaim the Gospel. It is essential for every baptized person to pass from a faith of habit to a mature faith that is expressed in clear, convinced and courageous personal choices."

1. The Church is Mission!  In my reflection we need to be going out and to boldly regain territories that have been dominated by evil. Like media, politics, and business.  Ironically at the other end of the mall was an autograph signing by a popular men's magazine that feature nudity.  We are being desensitized by the enemy into accepting evil practices as a social norm, until it becomes the law of the land as in the case of many anti-life bills.  We, the church, are called to be missionaries for we are sent to witness God's love to others and stand up for Him.  We are meant to go out and make disciples. But JP2 also reminds us that the Church itself is also a mission area.  We also need Church Renewal so we can be a strong force to battle evil in our society and the world.  One of the ways to actualize this is to be part of a prayer group, a Christian community, be active in Church service, wherein we can be formed and be sent to live out our mission.

2. We need "prophets" who can reawaken faith.  Many of us Christians are 'non-practicing.' We go through the rituals of our religion but forget to practice our faith.  There is a need to reveal the Word of God to others through the lives we live.  How can we reawaken the faith in others? By making the faith awake and alive in our own words and specially our deeds.

3. Preparing young generations of apostles. Much of my formation and conversion was when I joined CFC Youth for Christ in 1995.  There I realized that together with other young people, it is possible to live out my faith in an environment where Christ is upheld and our talents were used to serve Him. I experienced my first mission when I went to Lilo-an, Cebu to start YFC there together with others my age. Since then, mission has been a great part of my life. Now that I am in Couples for Christ, I will never forget how the community has molded me in my youth and helped me in my most trying times.  We are to capture the youth, so when they become the decision makers of society, they will carry in them the experience of Christ and apply it in their profession.

4. Clear, Convinced, and Courageous personal choices.  This is the challenge to many of us who have a "lukewarm" approach to our Christianity.  Many of us do not wish to make a stand. But the truth is that if we do not make a stand, we have already made a stand to sit on the fence and accept the crisis that is before us.  Are we really for Jesus?  Then let us take a look at our business dealings if they are for Christ.  If you are a student, take a look if you are honest and hardworking in your studies. To be clear is not to mar our lifestyle with compromises. To be convinced is to root our decisions to God's word. To be courageous to finally take action for the sake of Christ.

The Church is Mission.  Let us ponder on that. We need to strengthen those who are within the church. We need only look around us, our family, our neighbors, our city.  Let us be inspired by Blessed John Paul II's words. Let us do mission, also from within, so we can be strong, revitalized, and on fire for God's will.

Mission-Ready!

I just came from a meeting with people whose hearts are on fire for the work of global mission! I couldn't help but be set ablaze in love for God. The Holy Spirit dwells in the praise of God's people and pours upon those who truly seek and desire His gifts for empowerment.

These are the qualities I noticed of Mission-Ready people:

1. A great desire to do God's will.
Setting up the mission is not easy. Along comes many challenges, but the desire for mission always lets us see beyond a seemingly hopeless situation. To be on mission is the command Jesus gave in His great commission. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19).

2. The humility that God will use them powerfully. 
Mission-Ready people know that victory is the Lord's and that God just needs their yes for Him to work His marvelous deeds. We feel unnecessary pressure if we are too reliant on our abilities or backgrounds. Genuine confidence comes from the realization that we are merely God's instruments to do His holy will.

3. Infects others to do mission.
One thing about mission-ready people is that they are very contagious. People can't help but be drawn to be part of the mission they are passionately talking about. When we form teams for mission, many of those who come are influenced by the team leader.


4. Willingness to Sacrifice.
They set aside personal resources to make the mission possible. They also use up their limited leave of absences to do mission. There will be discomforts in mission and a lack of rest. But it is the sacrifice that makes our offering pleasing to God.

Being Mission Ready sets us up to receive God's providence. How can we receive His blessings if we are not ready as a vessel to be filled? Readiness is very impotant since God opens up divine opportunities or kairos, and we have to seize the moment or we will lose the chance to be used fully by the Lord and experience His awesome power.

Let us be like Abraham when God called Him, he immediately responded, "Ready!" (Gen 22:1)

One with Christ in a "Multi" World

The new generation has the orientation of being multi-functional, multi-optional, and multi-informational.

We now live in a digitized world with a multi-functional mindset.  With the arrival of the "apps" technology, almost anything is imaginable with our gadgets. We have not yet seen the full potential of these devices. 20 years ago, the only gadget that people carried is the watch, which tells two things (dual function), the time and date.  Now with our cellphones and tablets, you will be overwhelmed with what it can offer.  You can even strum a guitar chord with it or find your way through a GPS mapping system.  We are not anymore content, and we want more things to discover, to download, to play with, to use at work and more.  We become function addicts.

On being multi-optional, we see that the world now offers so many things. We are overwhelmed with the choices that we have to make in a day.  Even just buying coffee seems complicated. Just go to a grocery store and see the variety of soap or shampoo that you have to choose from.  Even buying medicine, we have to take time in choosing.  With cable TV, we endlessly surf channels and sometimes we don't really get to finish one program. There are just so many options.  This can be good in a sense that we can pick the best quality from among a bunch or it can be bad since it delays us in decision making or even worse, leads us not to decide at all because of being confused which is the better one.

With Google and all the other search engines online, we are now in a multi-informational world.  Just type your question in the search box and Viola! You now have the answer.  Do you need to know something about your classmates in high school? Just go to facebook and see how many kids they have and their last vacation pics and etc. Try opening your email and you'll receive lots of "info emails" about products and other junk.  The challenge is to manage information and not anymore to seek it.

So, how do we become evangelistic in a "Multi" world?  How can we introduce Christ, with all the other options and information that are being bombarded upon us daily?  Three truths come to mind:

1. Christ saves. There is only one Savior in the entire universe.  With our multi-functional orientation, only Christ has the function to save our souls.  This is what stands out and puts the other life "apps" to shame.

2. Christ is the best choice.  We have to disabuse our minds from the worldly things that distract us from choosing Christ.  Yes, career, family, friends are important, but Christ is the first choice we should make.  In a multi-optional environment, we have to be single-minded for the Lord.

2. Chirst is the Answer. In a multi-informational era, with all the questions in man's mind, only Christ brings the truth, the answer to everything.  "I am the way the truth and the life... (John 14:6)"

These truths puts our "multi" world into order and in priority. We need just to show others that Christ stands out and He is not to here to sell us something but to offer us eternal life with Him in heaven.  The song, "One Way" by Hillsong strikes a great relevance to our confusing environment. "One way, Jesus, You're the only one that I could live for."

A Perspective on Generosity

A perspective on generosity from my household head: "Generosity is about losing the fear that we will be in want."  The reason why people don't give is that they fear that they will not have enough.  Yet, the Psalmist exhorts us in Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing i shall want." And further he says, "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters..."  Tithing leads us to lose this fear, for we know that God will take care of us.  I've heard of endless stories of people who tithe faithfully and have been blessed abundantly.

When we are generous, our love for money is lessened and our love for God is magnified.  Let us give even if it is difficult at first, and let us continue to give until the fear of uncertainty is gone.

The Power of a Good Story

"A key, perhaps the key, to leadership... is the effective communication of a story." - Howard Gardener
All of us are leaders. We lead our families, our younger siblings, a group, a basketball team, employees. In whatever level, everybody is given a leadership role. Even my 4 year old son, Sev, leads when surrounded by 2 year old playmates. There are many views on effective leadership. But it is hardly mentioned that a good leader tells a good story. We can do a text book approach in leading others, but see how the mood changes once you tell a story about something or someone. A story has a way of driving a point without hard selling your view. A story has a way of touching our emotions and moving us into action.
Jesus, the greatest leader of all time, was a really good story teller. We are inspired from His parables. The story of the Israelites and the first Christian community are our references for our Christian living.
Here are some of my ideas of the elements of good story telling. I call it the 4C's of a good story.


1. Creativity with Integrity.
Be sure nothing is exaggerated or altered. The details should be truthful. A good story can stand on its own. You need only discover it and present it creatively.
2. Clear Analogy
The symbols and characters of the story must address the point you are trying to convey or the values you want to instill.
3. Concise
The story should not be long and winding. Build it up properly. A pattern can be: Before, During (turning point), After, Present, and Hope for the Future.
4. Call to Action
Upon reaching a high point in the story, when the listeners are engaged, there should be a call to action. How can the audience respond to your challenge? Otherwise, you'd end up ranting and with no solution.

A good story to tell is your own story, your testimony. If you are selling a product, be sure you're using it, otherwise you will lose integrity. Walking the talk is at the heart of motivation.
Another is to highlight best practices. There are groups or individuals in your network or field that are doing great in their way of working. Perhaps other groups will pick up and do the same.

Lastly, you can tell the story of the lessons from your prototype or template or sample group. When you have a great idea, you test it, evaluate, and refine until it is ready for replication.
Since we were kids, we were gifted by God of the curiosity and interest for stories. Just look at how the kids' eyes are round with excitement at every turn of a story. Not much has changed for us adults. Let us use the power of a good story to make us effective leaders.

Reflection:
1. When was the last time you told someone a story to drive a lesson or express an idea?
2. What's your story? Organize your personal testimony.

Are You Accountable?

How clear are our "accountabilities?" If something should fail, is there someone who is accountable? Often organizations, systems of government, and families fail because of a lack of accountability.  We hear, "It's not my fault, it's your fault" or "It's everybody's fault" or "Isn't that your job?"

This post is not about pointing fingers, but about taking responsibility. At home, we have to know who is accountable why the money is not managed well.  At work, someone should be accountable why sales are down. In an organization, someone has to be answerable why the membership is dwindling.

Here's a story that I read in my grade school days that very much relates to this topic:


WHO DID IT?


There is a story about four people. Their names are EVERYBODY, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, and NOBODY. The story goes that there was a very important job that needed to be done. EVERYBODY was asked to do this job. Now ANYBODY could have done this job but NOBODY was willing to do it. Then SOMEBODY got angry about this because it was EVERYBODY'S job to do. Well, EVERYBODY thought that ANYBODY could have done it! But NOBODY realized that EVERYBODY blamed SOMEBODY for not doing the job. Still NOBODY did it. The arguing got worse and finally NOBODY would talk to ANYBODY and EVERYBODY blamed SOMEBODY. What a shame that ANYBODY could have done the job and EVERYBODY could have helped SOMEBODY but yet NOBODY did it!


If there is something you know must be done, don't wait for ANYBODY else to do it or hope that SOMEBODY else will do it because NOBODY else will do it unless you show EVERYBODY else how to do it.



A lack of accountability can be addressed through:

1. Good communication
Having clear expectations resolves a lot of future problems. Knowing what is expected of us makes us accountable. Writing what you agreed on paper helps in expectation setting.

2. Leadership initiative
Once we know our responsibilities, our initiatives as a leader will pave the way for strategies that will address a concern.  Without leadership we will just be waiting on someone else to do it for us, when we clearly know it is our responsibility.  You may get away with the responsibility, but you will also lose relevance.

3. Sincerity

At the heart of accountability is our sincerity to accomplish our commitments.  If you are sincere, you will take it upon yourself to be accountable for the environment, our country, our society, and family.  Our sincerity is rooted from a genuine care for what we are doing.  Those who waste 'office time' are not sincere enough and often make excuses.

 From the very start God was clear on accountability.  Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth (Gen 1:26).  Webster defines dominion as supreme authority.  Therefore, someone who has dominion or supreme authority over something is accountable, regardless of how big or small it is.

Often the word accountable is associated with being liable to an accident or something that went wrong that cost some money or damage.  It is often taken negatively.  But let us take a second look on accountability.  The posture of being accountable will push us to have integrity, to achieve more, and to serve others more.  Let us remember that we are accountable to God.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable (Hebrews 4:13).  Let us give our best for Him for he has entrusted us to spread His Word throughout the world.

In Search of Clarity

Clarity is an elusive quality.  We want to be clear so that there will be no confusion. Yet, we yearn for freshness, something exciting, and surprising.  They say, "You cannot box-in the Holy Spirit."

"The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit (John 3:8)."


What if everything was laid out before us?  Just to be clear.  We would know what will make us successful, when we would die, and we would know exactly what heaven looks like.  No mystery, no surprises.  No more searching, no more praying. I'm sure life will be boring and we'd be acting like robots.

The future is not known to us for a purpose. It is hard to see the reason behind the tragic things that happen to us or to a friend.  Our faith is often challenged by the desire to know everything right away.  We ask, "Why me Lord?" or  "Where were you  Lord?" We get angry at God because we assume that He did not answer our prayers.

Yet for the Lord, a thousand years is like a blink of an eye. 

"But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years* and a thousand years like one day (2 Peter 3: 8)."


Our prayers have been heard and answered. The answers might not be what we excpect, some answers are beyond our lifetime, some answers we see immediately.

The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).


So, why did some good person get an accident or become a victim of a heinous crime? Only God knows the true reason (Jer. 29:11). Our requirement is to have faith that God is good...all the time.

Living a life in the Holy Spirit is fresh, exciting, and full of surprises. It is meant to be unclear, to be a mystery, so we do not stop seeking and yearning for God.  Those who deny God's existence are uncomfortable of what they cannot see or control. They try to box-in life, yet after thousands of years and all these so-called geniuses, no one has found the cure for the common cold.

Let us not stop asking the Lord for clarity of His will for our lives but at same time we have to keep our faith firm when we are confused and the circumstances are unreasonable. If there is one thing that is clear, it is that God loves us and He has a plan for us.

Learning from Steve

Today, it was announced that Steve Jobs passed away.  I'm a fan of his leadership and his relentless pursuit for excellence and innovation. He went through many challenges in life. He was adopted, a college drop-out, got kicked out from apple and back again, and suffered a rare illness. Yet despite all odds, through his leadership he gave us the mac, ipod, iphone, ipad, and even Toy Story through his Pixar years.  His inspiring 2005 Commencement speech in Stanford University went viral. He was a master presenter and blew the audience away with his new product ideas.  He changed technology forever.

What can we get out of Steve Jobs' life?

1. He turned defeats into victories.  He had all the reasons to quit and lose hope, but he kept on moving forward until one thing led to another then it led to success.  He knew that there was a reason for everything, evident in his "connect the dots" analogy of life (see his 2005 Stanford speech).

2. He was a master innovator. Steve would "cannibalize" his own products. The iphone could do almost everything that the ipod had to offer.  He knew how to excite the people with new ideas.  We need to be able to innovate our work, our products, or even ourselves.  Having the drive for innovation makes us lifelong learners.  Innovators always challenge the status quo and they know that there is something better than what they see.

3. He finished strong. He resigned as CEO of Apple at the height of his career. I even saw in the news at that time that Apple had more money than the US gov't.  I feel that if he lived longer, he could have given more. He was only 56. The tech world will surely miss him. A void is being felt by the tech industry.  He gave his utmost and truly finished strong.

I am uncertain if Steve Jobs was a Christian. But through his life, we can reflect on how we should live our lives. Christ offers us the fullness of life. With Christ, we can turn our defeats into victories. Jesus innovates our lives by renewing us with his love and He wants us to finish strong by serving Him 'til the end.


I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:14).

Prayer is Indispensable

We had a whole day of brown out at the office. No light, no computers, and no ventilation. We were let go early. I realized how dependent we are on electricity and on technology to get things done.

What are the things we can't live without? What are indispensable to us?

For many of us, prayer is something of an option.  It may seem that we can do without it for the day. But as one famous Christian bumper sticker says "7 days without prayer makes one weak."  A day without prayer is also tantamount to saying, "Lord I don't need you today."

What is a day without prayer?  Most would say, "I am more impatient. I easily get angry." Some say, "I get to fall into the temptation of talking against other people behind their backs." And this is just one day. Without prayer, we become calloused with pride. Prayer makes us humble and realize our mistakes.  With prayer, we become sensitive to God's will, so we are led to the right track. I think life without prayer is a formula for disaster.

Christ Himself, being God, needed to pray. "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God (Luke 6:12)." Let us make prayer indispensable.