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.

Dare To Trust

To trust is not as simple as it sounds. Trusting is an act of faith.  It involves risk.  But in exchange of the risk we take in trusting others, there is a heightened sense of empowerment for the entrusted.  Jesus exemplified this when he said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father (John 14:12)."


The same is said in one of General Patton's quotations:

 Once in Sicily, I told a general who was somewhat reluctant to attack that i had perfect confidence in him. To show it, I went home.
Never tell people what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. (General George S. Patton)


Imagine. God entrusts us fully to continue the work He started. He even went home to His Father.  Whether at home or at work, how do we build trust with the people God gave us under our leadership?


T - Train with them
To give someone such a big responsibility without preparation or adequate training is like letting your friend pilot an airplane without going to flying school. It's bound to crash. With the training comes the discipline and expectation. With this you are positioning them to be trustworthy.


R - Respect their gifts
Each of us are endowed with talents.  By acknowledging a person's strength and matching it to the right task will help build up confidence.  By respecting their God-given gifts, they will do better than expected.

U - Understand their situation
Genuine empathy will help them realize that you care.  As John Maxwell says, "They don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."  To doubt the validity of their reasons for being absent or failing to deliver is an indicator of a weak foundation of mutual trust.

S - Space to grow
Give them room to initiate and innovate. If you are there to meddle at every step of the way, they won't feel that they have achieved something.  Without creative space, there is no true empowerment.  A smaller tree cannot grow under the shade of a bigger tree.  Trees are planted at a distance from each other so they can have sufficient sunlight and water.


T - Time for bonding
The more time you spend with the people you trust or hope to trust, the deeper will be the foundations of trust.  Time is also about attention.  It makes the other person feel important and listened to. Trust is built over time. Recall a person you trust.  Your cherished memory of this person will most likely be your times of bonding.


More than 2,000 years after Christ's death, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, Christianity continues to grow because the He entrusted to us His mission to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations... (Matthew 28:19)."  He also said, "As the Father sent me so I send you (John 20:21)."


Jesus trusted His apostles like no other.  Although some of them betrayed Him, His love for them remained unchanged. Let us dare to trust like Jesus trusts.

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.

Listening Builds Trust

Today me and my wife spent the day listening to each other. Over coffee and cake, we had a pleasant afternoon revealing how we feel without judging or being defensive. Listening builds trust (B. Tracy).

Some tips I learned from Brian Tracy:
1. Do not cut the other person's sentence, instead pause after he/she speaks before you reply. This way the person you are talking to knows that you are thinking about what was said. And you actually get to sink in what was expressed to your heart and mind.
2. Ask Questions. To clarify by asking who, what, when, and where helps in getting the message right. It also signals the one you are listening to your genuinely being attentive.
3. Paraphrase. In your own words, tell the person what you have understood. Through this, he/she is convinced that you understand the explanation or the narration.

The ratio of listening to speaking should be 2:1, since we have 2 ears and 1 mouth. This way, we care, we learn and we gain wisdom.

Is our listening to others sincere? How much time do we spend listening to God?
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Sowing Friendships and Nurturing Trust

I'm back! Yeah, back to my hobby of growing vegetables and herbs, particularly lettuce and mint. It never ceases to amaze me how such small seeds, with the right nurturing, grow into something so useful. Everyday, I watch their development, noting each leaf that comes out day by day. It fills my heart to see them grow, anticipating the day of harvest.

In bringing people to God, many of us expect a harvest without sowing the seeds and nurturing them along the way. We expect that once we invite people to join community, they will readily accept our invitation. In 1995, I joined CFC Youth For Christ because a good friend invited me. This friend, sowed good friendship and nurtured trust. When I was invited to join the entry camp, I easily said 'yes.'

We desire to bring many people closer to God, but we need to be good workers in the Lord's vineyard. Let us not be content that only the announcement streamers and flyers will do the evangelization work for us. We need programs and initiatives that will give us the opportunity to sow friendships and nurture trust. Through this, relationships will grow and in time we will gather a great harvest of renewed people in the Lord. And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold (Luke 8:8).