Brake Before You Break

The past two weeks have been very demotivating for me... I found myself suffering from the dreaded writer's block and felt as if something has been snuffed out. I couldn't somehow put my heart into any of my writing and couldn't put more than two words together effectively. I just had to take a time off from writing to re-evaluate myself.

During that time, I remember coming across something from the Sunday funnies where a famous female mouse named Minnie was complaining to an even more famous male mouse named Mickey... Poor Minnie can't drive her car in the garage without scratching the sides.

Unsinkable

I think we're all familiar with a vessel named RMS Titanic, a passenger liner that struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City and sank on April 15, 1912. A total of 1,517 lives were lost that day.

The RMS Titanic was the largest passenger steamship in the world and carried 2,223 people on her first and last journey. Enormous pride was put into building the ship, and experienced engineers used some of the most up-to-date technology and safety features available that time. The great ship was thought to be unsinkable, yet four days into her crossing, she went down...

Staying Positively Alive Part 2 – Loose the Anchors

"There are two types of people – anchors and motors. You want to lose the anchors and get with the motors because motors are going somewhere and they're having more fun. The anchors will just drag you down." - WYLAND

As embarrassing as it is for me to admit this, I'd have to tell you that I was bullied – and more embarrassingly, by a female. The attack wasn't at all physical, but emotional and psychological. I could have done something to put an end to it sooner, but I was afraid of losing not really the friendship, but the dependency towards such a person.

Forgiveness is not Only Good for the Soul

I have to admit, forgiveness may perhaps be one aspect of my faith where I struggle the most with. Even when the Bible tells us that if we forgive men when they sin against us, our heavenly Father will also forgive us (Matt 6:14), I still have a tendency to be choosy as to whom I forgive. According to my point of view, there are those worthy to be forgiven and those who are not.

However, did you know that forgiveness may just be for our own good than that of others? Spiritually, yes, we have a duty to forgive our wrong doers, but it's been found that forgiveness can also benefit our psychological and physical well being, so...

Not a Lot of BULL Running Around

In Francis Kong's post Choosing the Right Bull, he tells the story of a young man who wished to marry the farmer's beautiful daughter. He went to the farmer to ask his permission. The farmer looked him over and said, "Son, go stand out in that field. I'm going to release three bulls, one at a time. If you can catch the tail of any one of the three bulls, you can marry my daughter."

Staying Positively Alive: Part 1 – Taking Responsibility

In my post, Positively Christian, I did mention that I'll be sharing some techniques I use to stay positive, so this will be my first post in a series. Please understand that I don't claim to be an expert, and what I am about to share with you are mostly what I have learned from various books as well. However, I have put what I'm writing into practice, and I find them to be working. So here's the first and probably the most important technique to staying positive – Taking responsibility.

In his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey simply defines responsibility as “response-ability” - the ability to choose your response. And it really does make sense, since you can give exactly the same thing to two persons and expect two very different responses. Well, even God can give the exact same situation to two people and get completely different responses. The thing is, we don't have direct control over outside factors and most certainly other people, but what we can control is ourselves and the way we respond to them.

We are All Gifted... Just Not as Gifted as Others!

“But let each one prove what his own work is, and then he will have cause for exultation in regard to himself alone, and not in comparison with the other person. For each one will carry his own load.” - Galatian 6:4 – 5

Yes, not all men (or women) are born equally gifted, but it may not be something to rejoice or despair about. The world runs better on interdependence - each one utilizing each one's strengths, so just stop looking at what others have that you don't... Chances are they do not have what you have either! Let us focus on our strengths rather than our weaknesses... The world needs them more.

Positively Christian

This post was actually already posted last April 26, 2011 as PositiveThinking Christians – Be One! However, it was mainly for audiences in my home country, so I did some editing for the international readers...

As Christians, do we really have an idea what positive thinking is? A friend of mine claims that they practice a “no negativity” rule at home, and I was almost convinced she knew what she was saying until I heard her conversation with my sister. Honestly, I forgot the beginning part, since I wasn't listening too well. But the ending part sure did get my attention.

Chewing Life One Bite at a Time

The best selling book Chicken Soup for the Soul may have sold over 8 million copies in over 39 languages, and Times magazine called it “the publishing phenomenon of the decade,” but did you know that it was less of a publishing phenomenon and more of a phenomenon of persistent effort..? Thousands of individual activities by authors Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen added to that one large success of the book.

What You Should Know About Paradigm and Sharing the Gospel

Paradigms are interesting, two people can see and experience exactly the same thing but will have two completely different interpretations of it. Our own paradigm makes us see the world not as it is, but as how were conditioned to see it. It's brought about by our past experiences and our own set of principles.

Just last night as I was riding a jeepney¹ home, and when almost all the streets were flooded because of the heavy rain, a lady was knocking repeatedly on the roof of our vehicle to signal the driver that it's her stop and that she wanted to go down. However, we were right in the middle of an intersection of two major roads, and traffic was heavy.

How a Strange Dream Struck Reality – by Rianne Kee

It was a week when I wasn't sleeping too well. My pillow seemed to be wanting to go everywhere except under my head, and my entire body wanted to just slip off my bed even when it's size is enough for my five feet five inches frame. Whenever I finally do get some sleep, I would wake up within an hour or two thanks to Canada's cold weather.

On the night of this year's April 21st... I had a strong urge to sing to God, which was something that never happened to me before... There was something entirely different that time.

Last Night was Tempting but I Kept a Good Reputation for God

Well the title is may be a bit controversial, but read on anyway to find out why...

Last night, I met up with two lady friends of mine whom I haven't seen for a while, and after a long chat, we bode farewell to each other and went our separate ways... Well, one of us went her separate way because the other hitched a ride with me.

In the Father's Eyes - Remembering How Dad Brought Out the Best in Us

When we were young, remember how somehow we performed better in sports or anything we did when dad was there cheering us on? Somehow we get that sudden surge of energy or intellect or even talent just because we know dad is watching.

I would like to share a touching story I got from www.rogerknapp.com about a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart. Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere. At all the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played.

Enviously Inspiring - by Johanna Tacus

“And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” -- Ecclesiastes 4:4

When I read this verse, I reflected on my goals and on the general direction of my life. Did I truly want to achieve these things, or was it because I saw someone else do it, and then I wanted to do it too? Which desires can I point out as my own, and which ones were there just because I envied someone else?

For Jesus had Bad Days too

A few hours ago from writing this, I found myself indulging in memories of past hurts and wrongs done to me and so accused God of being unfair. I began questioning why He allowed such things to happen and became impatient as to the rate of my purpose's revelation. I would have gone on and on about it when I remembered something Nick Vujicic said, that “There is a greater purpose for each and every storm in our lives.”

How could I have so easily forgotten when I even wrote about it on a recent post? I soon felt calmness spread through me and asked God to forgive my recent drama - It was a bad case of self pity.

Buy a Lottery Ticket - by Maybelline Ting

Re-posted from http://maybs555.wordpress.com/2011/06/05/buy-a-lottery-ticket/ 

As Christians, we tend to use the words faith and God's will a lot to mask our true reasons for staying in our comfort zone, when in fact what keeps us from moving forward is just plain laziness or cowardice. I love my sister's take on the subject of faith accompanied by action. 

It's all in the RISK

From the moment we wanted to learn, we took risks... Like the time we first walked, we took risks falling down. And every time we landed on our butt, we stood up, walked some more, and risked falling down again.

What happened to us since then? Are we really that much wiser now by avoiding risks, when in fact it's already all around us? We risk getting hurt when we get into a relationship, we risk losing money when we do business, and we risk getting ran over when we cross the street. Heck, we even risk choking when we eat!

Apocalyptic Predictions and How They're Shaping People's Hearts - by Aileen Sy

 A common question we ask as Christians is this: If people already know what will happen during the end times, and how they might be contributing to its fulfillment, can they choose to change their decisions and thus change the course of our destiny?  For example, if the Antichrist knows that there will be an Antichrist who

It is Not What God Has Given Us: An Article Inspired by Nick Vujicic

If God gave you a glass filled halfway with water. Would you describe it as half full or half empty? Would you constantly complain that God never gives you more, or would you be thankful for having enough and constantly trust Him to give you your fill?

The Cross That Gets You Across

In my article If God Answers Prayers, Then Why Can't We See Them, I mentioned that God's answers could already be events that have come to past... Events that equipped us to pull through our present moment of struggle, I also included an old Jewish proverb that goes,  “I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders.”

'Cause Baby You're a Firework - and God Lighted You

You just gotta ignite the light                         
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July

Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Yes, Katy Perry's song, Firework¹, was the inspiration behind this article. It was only during a recent trip to the family KTV when I was able to see the video and catch the lyrics - and I think it's pretty well written, especially the parts mentioned above.

The Willingness to Believe - Stephen Baldwin's Testimony

God may send you people and circumstances, but in the end, it's your willingness to believe that sets God's plans for you into motion...

Through the Honeycomb Maze

If you grew up in the Philippines and watched television during the early 1990's, then chances are, you know a Japanese game show called Takeshi's Castle¹.

It aired on IBC-13 and featured the Japanese actor Takeshi Kitano, in the role of a count who owns a castle and sets up ridiculous challenges for players (also known as a volunteer army) to get to him. It was like a Super Mario Brothers video game coming to life!

Letting Go to Grow

I once had the opportunity to save a life. Not in a big way, but empowering all the same. It was the life of a small bird, and it happened some years ago...

I used to have my office in Makati¹ then. Me and my partners rented a small unit on the twelfth floor of a building to serve as base for our design firm. And it was a magical office - all sorts of insects manage to find their to our window and land there for a bit... We even had moths larger than a full grown man's hand!

Don't Be Tethered to an Ass - by Jessica M

 from http://ascendingthehills.blogspot.com/2011/04/dont-be-tethered-to-ass.html

"There is a story from the middle ages of a preaching friar who had long distances to travel. Because of this, a wealthy merchant gave him an ass on which to ride. It was with pleasure that the preacher set out on his next journey. When he arrived at the church he tethered the animal outside. But throughout the service his attention was drawn to the ass. Was it properly secured? Had he left it in a safe place? What if a thief had come along and had stolen it? This went on until the service ended, the preacher was all the time distracted. When he came out afterwards all was well, the ass was where he had left it. But he knew that a new danger had entered his life. He untied the ass, slapped its flanks and drove it off. Then he walked away in the opposite direction. He was heard to say, 'God forbid that my soul should be tethered to an ass.' He was determined not to give himself to a lesser purpose than was his aim."
                       ~ David Adam, The Eye of the Eagle p. 133

A Mother's Love

 from http://woman4virtue.blogspot.com/ posted May 6, 2011

A Mother's Love is calming and soothing, she protects all those who come to her. She never ask for much but is always willing to take those extra steps to see you make it. A Mother's smile is priceless, just the smile upon her face when she looks at you says she love you so much. A Mother's touch speak volumes in our hearts, when we have a bruise or a bump on our finger she is always there to bandage us up. A Mother's words are for correction and when she corrects us she does it in love.

May every women in the World have a very blessed Mother's Day, Lord may you grant them all the love each and everyday of their lives, we don't always get it right we miss the mark but we do our best all because we love them. Thank you Lord for giving what you have deposited into a Mother's Love for surely there are many things we can say to our moms and may be show our love in words and in actions. God bless you Mothers in all that you do for us. Happy Mother's Day to ALL Mother's In the World

Make A Change - by Peggy Reeves

from http://peggyreeves.com/prblog/

Make a change! Make it happen. What is holding your back? What is the worst thing that could happen…it doesn’t work? You try it and it wasn’t what you expected! You learn from it!

Positive Thinking Christians – Be One!

“Think positive, kaya mu yan! (Think positive, you can do it)” Aren't we too familiar with these words, that they are almost our programmed response whenever we want to encourage someone?

Yet do we really mean it when we say them, and do we really understand what positive thinking is?

A friend of mine claims that they practice a “no negativity” rule at home, and I was almost convinced she knew what she was saying, until I heard her conversation with my sister. Now I forgot the beginning part, since I wasn't listening too well. But the ending part sure did get my attention.

How A Chat Can Change Your Life Forever

From Bo Sanchez's April 18, 2011 newsletter 
  

One day, Jesus chatted with a woman.

And that chat changed her life. Forever.

That little encounter happened by a well.

In Samaria he came to a town named Sychar, which was not far from the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw some water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink of water.” (John 4:5ff)

If you were drawing water from the well, would you do it at noon—when the sun was really hot? 

The Prodigal Son Hits Home

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is perhaps one of the most told and re told tales from the Bible. But it was only until recently as I was doing my cell group assignment, did I see an added dimension to the moral of the story.

And believe me, it does hit home.

For those who may have forgotten or don’t know the parable yet, here’s an overview…

Are You Known By Your Kindness?

by Bo Sanchez

Do you want to be truly happy?

       
          Be kind.

         Let me tell you a story.

One day, a plane hit a storm and was about to crash. The problem was there were 4 passengers and only 3 parachutes.

       The first man took one parachute and said, “I’m a brain surgeon and my patients need me.” And he jumped off the plane.

       The second man took the second parachute and said, “I’m a rocket scientist, one of the smartest men in the entire planet, and the world needs me. And he jumped off the plane.

       The third man was Pope Benedict. He took the last remaining parachute and gave it to the fourth person who was a young boy. The Pope said, “Son, I’m an old man. I’ve served God enough. Go ahead and take this last parachute.”

Jaeson Ma Spruces Up God's Message of Love

With all the garbage the media feeds us. It's refreshing to hear a song that brings us back to the basics and foundations of LOVE.

Inspiring?

Jaeson Ma, the artist behind the song Love, has an equally inspiring story about his transformation...

Jaeson Ma came from a broken home and spent his teenage years in San Jose, California. He did everything that was out there on the streets. Whether it was drugs, partying or fighting.

And although he hasn't completely brushed off Jesus that time, his game plan was to party hard first, then give his life back to Jesus when he gets old... Like ninety nine old! Church for him was a set of rules and rituals, and he wasn't that interested because of all the don't do thats, which he felt would restrict him from being himself.

By the time Jaeson Ma was in high school, he was dealing a lot of drugs and got arrested on several occasions. Yet he was still able to land a good job at a clothing store selling Armani and Valentino suits, where he was in charge of the inventory.

He would then, steal the suits and sell them... And although he made good money with the drugs and the suits, he still felt empty inside.

His lucrative business came to an abrupt halt when the police showed up at his house one day, with a warrant for his arrest.

Before facing the police, Jason Ma had a word with his mother. He asked, “What do you think Jesus would do?”

His mother sighed silently and said, “You know, Jaeson, Jesus would probably turn himself in, to get rid of the sin, so he could start his life over again.”

Those words convicted him. He decided to get things right with God right then and there. Even if he had to go to jail. He decided to turn his life around to Jesus.

He repented, asked for forgiveness from Jesus and his mother, and turned himself in. He also brought with him, all the suits he had left, and turned them over as well.

Over the next six months, with several court appearances, the judge was amazed at Jaeson Ma's honesty and evident change of heart, so he was set free.

As a free man, he diligently sought out God.

He also worked hard to earn a college degree in Business and in Theology.

Now, Jaeson Ma ministers to colleges in over 20 campuses, his family was restored, and he believes in the power of a praying mom.

In his own words, he said, “If you wanna have passion for Jesus, you have ta study His passion for you... How much He loves you, how much He suffered and died for you.”

God really has something beautiful in store for each one of us, no matter how bad our present may be, or no matter how undeserving we think we are.

God bless!

__________________________
For more of Jaeson Ma videos, links and bio, you may visit his official website at: http://jaesonma.com/ - I would like to thank my wonderful friend, Candy Gan, for sharing with me this awesome link.

For reference to this article, I used the video on this link.

If God Answers Prayers, Then Why Can't We See Them?

In the 2006 film, The Pursuit of Happyness¹, Chris Gardner's son, Christopher, told a story that goes something like this: Hey dad, you wanna hear something funny? There was a man who was drowning, and a boat came, and the man on the boat said "Do you need help?" and the man said "No thanks, God will save me". Then another boat came and he tried to help him, but he said "No thanks, God will save me", then he drowned and went to Heaven. Then the man told God, "God, why didn't you save me?" and God said "I sent you two big boats, you dummy!"

I never forgot this story since I saw the movie. I didn't get to finish the movie, but I love this story!

In a way, we are very much like the drowning man. We pray to God for help, for Him to answer our prayers. But we miss those answers because we're too focused on what's “ideal” for us, and we ignore what's already being sent our way. For some of us, we see pass the simple answer because we're expecting something extravagant. While for others, the answers may not be what we wanted. So we ignore them deliberately and wait some more. Only to become frustrated afterward.

I believe, however, that our God is a practical, as well as a miraculous God. And His timing is always perfect.

I remember one time when I was engaged in business with a group of people, a partnership which I felt wasn't working out for me anymore. It got me to the point of praying “God, if it is your will for me to continue this, please give me strength, if you have something better for me, please give me an exit.

In a few minutes, my exit came in the form of a partner's phone call. We had a conversation, I saw a clear sign from that conversation, and I gave my resignation that morning.

Still clueless as to what my next career move would be, I received a phone call from someone that afternoon, he asked how I was, I said I resigned, and he told me that the actual reason for his call was to ask me if I wanted to hop aboard his company.

You see how God's perfect timing and provision are at work!?

Other times, His answers could already be events that have come to past... Events that equipped us to pull through our present moment of struggle; It may be our ability to discern what is right and wrong; Or it may even be gifts that we had since we were born.

In a sense, God may have already answered our prayers long before we even knew what we would pray for. And perhaps, we should keep in mind that it is not God who fails to answer prayers. It is us who fail to see the answers!

Most of the time, what we ask from God are shortcuts, anyway, and not really the solution to our problems. Like when we want a million bucks. Wouldn't we be happier if He just dropped the money on our lap, instead of Him giving us a hundred bucks and a way to grow that money to a million?

Well, some of us may really deserve that instant million. But for most, it would mean missing the chance to build our character while we get to that million. Hence, the old Jewish proverb “I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders.”

And wouldn't it be easier if we just learn how to be grateful for whatever God sends us, instead of trying to manipulate His answers? He knows what's best for us anyway...

Let's not try to be dummies!

¹ For more information about the movie, visit http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454921/ or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pursuit_of_Happyness

The Path Back Home - A Christian Testimony

My journey back to the Christian faith was like taking a wrong turn during the rush hour in Manila traffic. It took forever to make a u-turn (or left or right for that matter). And, being the manly driver that I was, I hate to stop and ask for directions. I even ignored the turn signs and kept going straight. Hoping that I'll get to somewhere eventually.

You see, It was around my fourth year in St. Stephen's High School when I decided to become a Christian. But back then, it was purely for friendship and fun. I never really had a personal relationship with the Lord. And it was only a matter of time before I got tired of the faith, and began looking for other means of fulfillment.

Also, what discouraged me most from going to church then, was hearing about politics among Christians in the church, and seeing an elder Christian deliberately encouraging my friend to lie to her parents just so she can be with us. Now, I don't want to be self righteous, because I've had my own share of successful escape missions from parents. But for me, if I can't be discouraged from doing what I am already doing wrong, then what's the point of staying?

It was during the next few years after that, when I became good at being bad. And by that, I mean doing bad and insensitive things. I played around and didn't care if I've hurt anyone's feelings. There was a tiny sense of guilt after each encounter, but I soon learned to ignore it. I was also good at cleaning up the evidence, so I didn't get caught... Well, not until one of my sisters spies on my cellphone and gets to read a surprising little message that I haven't deleted yet, that is. But that's invalid evidence because of the illegal nature of it's acquisition. Hahaha!

I also looked for other faiths in other churches (or temples to put it more correctly). They were attempts to put direction into my life. Because no matter what I did, whatever endeavor I took, I always ended back in square one. Honestly, I don't really believe in tiyanaks1, but I felt like natiyatiyanak ako!2 I was going in circles!

I can honestly say that it sucked to be me that time. I was inviting all the wrong people, and all the wrong circumstances into my life.

It was during a “non-denominational” service as part of a business seminar agenda around 2007 when God called me back. The “non-denominational” service turned out to be a Christian service, and the speaker's message was about God calling out to His children to come back.

I don't know why, but there was a burden in my heart to heed the call. I was already crying the time we got to the closing prayer.

Now, I had a church going girlfriend that time, who, upon hearing the good news, encouraged me to go to church with her during Sundays, and instilled in me that habit.

So anyway, long story short. Girlfriend cheated on me, girlfriend gone, habit stayed, don't want to go to her church, tried other churches, and finally found my way back to St. Stephen's Parish. But don't get me wrong, though... St. Stephen's Parish was not my last choice. It was here where I finally felt most at home with.

And in my walk now, I also figured that it's not really what God gave you, but how you react to what is given to you.

Lastly, think about this: We may have gotten angry with God for giving us hardships, or sending the wrong people or circumstances to us. But if we haven't experienced those wrongs, we wouldn't be closer to the right us now. That's why we're a work in progress.

Be strong in the Lord and thank you!

_________________________________

1 A small monster that makes you lose your sense of direction

2 I'm losing my sense of direction because of the tiyanak