A New Way in Christ

While in Batanes, I was introduced to a new way of eating, using the "Kabaya." It's a leaf of a breadfruit tree. It is thick enough to even hold water and use it as a cup. Folding the leaf in the manner shown in the picture makes it easy to handle while eating. It was new to me but it proved to be a useful and effective plate substitute.

When was the last time that we tried something new? When Christ taught the disciples about "loving your enemies (Mt 5:44)" it was a new concept since they were raised to believe that it should be "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth (Mt 5:38)."

How open are we to change our old ways and embrace the new ways of the Lord? How can we start to adapt the new things our Lord is teaching us?

1. Pray for Renewal from the Holy Spirit.
Through His power, "be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self (Eph 4:23-24)." Only by desiring God's transforming love can we become new in our ways. It will help to join a Christian Life Program.

2. Form a New Habit
Making God's ways as a part of our lifestyle will not be easy. We will have to make it a habit to say no to the things that destroy our souls and say yes to the things which leads us closer to Him. Like food, the more we eat cholesterol and fat, the more probable that we will get sick. But if we are in the habit of eating nutritious food, then we will become stronger. Let us have the habit of nourishing our souls with God's daily bread for us, the The Word of Life.

3. Teach others about the New things you have learned.
One of the best ways to imbibe a new way is to try teaching it to another. In community, I fully understood and internalized the talks I received, when I started giving them. It's like Math, when we tutor others, we bring it upon ourselves to fully understand it so we can be effective teachers. Giving is a way of mastering the new things we have learned.

Praying for renewal, forming a new habit, and teaching others can help us to be transformed in Christ and to embrace His new ways. Let us be open to the new things our Lord is teaching us today.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Cor 5:17

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Train to Gain

My son was gifted with a new bike for his birthday (Thanks Lolo Art and Lola Mel). He was so happy. He was already biking inside the mall. Oh kids, they grow up so fast. I even thought the bike was big for him. But he was able to manage pedalling it like a big kid.  His bike still has training wheels, because my son still needs to learn to balance, and I'm going to teach him just that.

In life, we need some of those "training wheels" and we need a good trainer. In doing something new, we need to train to help us cope and balance.  Everyday is training, for each day is new. There can never be a replay of yesterday or a preview of tomorrow.  So how do we train for this life's challenges? How do we keep on moving forward? How do we keep from falling?

T - Trust in the Father

Although Sev has his training wheels, it's me who's going to teach my son how to ride the bike. And  it's me who will say its time to take off the training wheels. But when I do, Ill be ready to catch him if he falls. If I, an earthly father can do this for my son, much more can the Heavenly Father do for His children.

R -  Reflect on the learning

It's not about how fast you get through the training, but how much learning you have absorbed.  When we make mistakes, let us reflect more instead of regretting. Surely, when we were learning to ride a bike we had some knee wounds or some bruises. It's these little accidents that make us remember what we did wrong and help us do better the next time.

A - Appear for training

Show up. If we are lazy, we will not learn. Nobody learns to bike if he won't show for practice.  When we do not show up, specially  in our prayer time, we might just miss out on what God would have been excited to tell us for the day.  The more we procrastinate or postpone, the longer will we move forward in life.  Consistency and diligence is important in learning.

I - Instructions should be followed.

What the trainer says is important. I'll be coaching or instructing my Son in balancing so he can avoid more mistakes.  In life, we get our instructions from the Bible.  I read somewhere that Bible can also mean Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.  Through His prophets and anointed writers, God has revealed how we are to live our lives.

N - New things come everyday

Even to the last day of our lives, there will always be something to learn.  We need to adjust to situations and  be ready to learn and respond better in the future.  In biking, not every turn or hump is the same. We have to know how to keep our balance and get through the obstacle.  The basics of training will help us in dealing with these new things.

My goal as father trainer is to take off the training wheels when the time comes.  But I'll always keep watch. God our Father, in His love for us, wants us to learn to be strong in faith.  By giving us free will, He lets go of us, trusting that we will call on Him when the road gets rough and when we're about to fall. God, with His mighty hand saves us. He trains us, so we may gain life eternal with Him in heaven.


Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. 1 Cor. 9:25

Entering A New World

It was Kaitlyn's first day of school yesterday.  We took some time off from work and brought her to school. The feeling of sending our child to enter a new world of friends and mentors is exciting and frightening at the same time. We want the best for our kids, but we are also aware of the elements of the "outside world." Well I guess, as they grow older they become more and more detached and independent from us.  I praise God that our daughter is starting to engage in the world of education, even just at the play level.

What "new world" have we entered lately? New work environment, new school, new classmates, new friends, new business?  Entering into these can be both exciting and frightening. Exciting because of the break from the usual and the learning we can get from the endeavor or the environment.  Frightening because of the idea of change, and we are afraid that we might not cope or live up to it.

What can be our posture in entering "new worlds"?

1. A posture of trust in the Lord. Peter when walking off the boat, entered into an impossible situation, a new kind of world where one can walk on water.  He was frightened, but his trust in the Lord was more than his fears, so he stepped off the boat and into the water.  If we are centered in the Lord, we will dare do things that is beyond our capabilities.

At once [Jesus] spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I;* do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Matthew 14:27-28

2. A posture of reaching out. Peter sank when he heard and felt the rushing wind. But the Lord held Peter's outstretched arms and saved Him.  When we are caught in the middle of things and feel desperate, we have to reach out in prayer.  We can sink into being paralyzed with too many work or dealing with our own lack of self-confidence. Christ will save us bring us out of our fears and move us into action. 


 But when he saw how [strong] the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith,* why did you doubt?” Matthew 14: 30-31


3. A posture of thanksgiving. With God as our strength, we will overcome and be victorious. Let us thank God for all our blessings and successes.  Sometimes when we achieve progress, our dependence on the Lord will loosen up.  We tend to think that we did it because we earned it by ourselves and because of our innate abilities. If this happens, it is because our pride has reached our heads.  By thanking the Lord each day, we are brought back to the humble posture that all glory is His.


After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” Matthew 14: 32-33


As we enter into new worlds, let us not be overcome by fear for the Lord wants us to grow in faith and He is there to save us.  Our challenge in life is to dare great things in His name.