Non-Negotiables For 2010
Another year has ended. A new year is about to begin.
Today, I’m writing my last blog for 2009, this is my first year of blogging, by the way. And I’m blogging as a way of sharing some of my insights, information I learn, ideas I think of and inspire people who might be down and out at times.
While some people write down their usual list of New Year’s resolutions, I have here several important, or should I say non-negotiables going into 2010.
Here they are:
- Relationship with God. I wouldn’t be where I am today apart from God’s guidance and leading daily. For the last 17 and a half years that I’ve been a Christian, I always thank the Lord for His love, compassion, mercy and grace for me. My relationship with Him is something I wouldn’t trade Him for anything else because God is my Source of life, my True Security and my Big Daddy.
- Relationship with Ava. We celebrated our fifth year anniversary last December 9. It’s really fun and in five years, I’ve learned to be more and more patient, learned to be more, gentle, learned to be more loving and learned to communicate better. Thank God for Ava! Before walking down the aisle during our wedding day, I told everyone present that Ava is my one and only love and my best friend. I pray everyday that my love for her will grow deeper as the years would pass.
- Time with kids. God has blessed us with two wonderful and beautiful kids. Bea is fast turning out to be an artist. She loves to draw, and draws well for her age (she’s turning four this January 16). She also loves to sing, dance, act and be a cook (with her cooking show toys). On the other hand, David (who just turned two last November) is intelligent, can now read and count and has the making of a great singer someday.
Ava and I always pray that the Lord would teach us how to raise up our kids in His standards while imparting the long-lasting values that they could stand and live on till we are long gon
4. “Lost” people. Like myself, I used to be someone who was at a loss in this pain-full, spiritually hungry world. But I thank God for using my elder brother to introduce me to Jesus. I grew up thinking that I’m a loser and won’t really amount to anything because that was my environment back then. But as I read and meditated
on God’s word daily, I got a revelation that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. I admit being lost for years, wandering aimlessly in life, but after surrendering my life to Him in 1992, God found me and I found purpose and meaning through Him. Now, my life’s mission is to tell every person I encounter that in Christ, He can remove the old, defeated life in us and bring in newness and freshness that only He can bring (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Okay, I’m still human and there will be days in 2010 that I won’t feel like doing these “non-negotiables”, but here’s what I realized—the God who raised Jesus from the dead is the same God who lives inside of me.
So get ready and be excited for 2010. Let God lead you!
Challenging Our Present Condition For 2010
One of my all-time favorite people in history is none other than Walt Disney.
Everyone knows Walt Disney b
ecause through his brilliant artistry and rich imagination, he was able to produce globally renowned cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, Goofy, among others.
He was said to be a man who was way, way ahead of his time.
His works—be it cartoon animation or other fantasy movies, transcended his generation, making them all classic and enduring till this day.
And as I read his life and works, one common characteristic I like about Disney was the way he challenged the present.
He wasn’t contented with what he had achieved. He wasn’t’ contented seeing Mickey Mouse and the gang strut their stuff through television.
He kept improving his craft. His desire was to improve the quality of American life by providing the best entertainment for the family.
So came Disneyland in the 1950s, followed by the Walt Disney World Resort that included the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida that opened in 1971.
I believe as 2010 comes along, we can take the route Disney took—by not being contented with where we are.
That we wouldn’t just stay where we are and say, “I’m happy with where I am, right now”. That we’d be willing to challenge the status quo.
That we’d take steps of faith, knowing that Jesus isn’t a fickle-minded God because as the author of Hebrews would say: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
One step of faith (taken daily for 365 days in 2010) can produce a faith-filled, God-dependent life.
My wife and I are excited for our family time out tomorrow and January 1. It’s our time to seek God and ask Him to put His fingers in areas of our marriage and family that we need to improve on for 2010.
Photo Source: http://www.justdisney.com
God Of All Seasons
Typhoon Ondoy, the ongoing political turmoil, the economic crunch that dragged the confidence of 85 million Filipinos today and the seemingly uncertain future ahead of us–these all sum up 2009 for the Philippines in general.
Relief goods pile up in heaps during the Victory U-Belt relief operation last September.
Tons of bad news if you may say so.
Yes, they all were bad news that a mere mention again would bring “nightmares” or unpleasant memories for most of us.
However, in the midst of all these uncertainties and bad news, the Bible has something to say to bring life and sustenance to our faith.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1)
Circumstances may often make us grumble and complain but the truth of the matter is, God is good, and His love endures forever.
Seasons may change and circumstances may change, but God remains the same. He will never change. He is the same God who is good, merciful, full of grace and always willing to fulfill His plans of prospering us and not harming us, giving us hope and a future.
The fact of the matter is, there will always be trouble–trouble in your family, in your school/ academics, in your office/ business or in your faith.
But the truth of the matter is, God is good, and His love endures forever.
When my wife and I got involved in the relief operations in the aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy last September, I was reminded once more how blessed we were compared to the ones who completely lost their homes, their livelihood and every other valuable thing they have.
Have you ever wondered how did they celebrate Christmas this season?
While most of us probably are jumping from one party after the other every other day this December, these people most probably are wondering where they could start all over and face 2010 with renewed hope.
I was really encouraged by the attitude of Ava’s sister during the Typhoon Ondoy tragedy.
Though the massive flooding reached the second level of their three-story house in Marikina City, she and her husband still managed to offer help to their surrounding neighbors, rescuing drowning kids at the height of the heavy downpour and flood.
They also helped clean up the thick mud that covered their subdivision a day after the flood receded.
Jesus did say that in this world, we will have trouble, but he ended his statement in John 16:33 by saying: “…But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Maybe you’ll face 2010 with the same old problems you have in your family, your career, your academics and your relationships with other people, but we can find security from God because He is good and His love endures forever.
The Ultimate Rejection Became The Ultimate Acceptance
Have you ever been rejected before? By your family members? Friend? Your crush or person you’re pursuing? By your dream company?
Watching the NBA Stories this afternoon at Basketball TV, the program featured unknown players who were fighting for the 10th, 11th and 12th spot in the NBA team roster after figuring in a tough Summer Camp where head coaches from 29 different teams have a glimpse of the pool of talent they could choose from and—who to drop at the 11th hour.
In the NBA Stories I watched, they featured two teams—the Denver Nuggets led by head coach George Karl and New Orleans Hornets coach Byron Scott (who incidentally was fired early this season).
Both coaches shared their insights and observations on the pool of talent they handled during the critical month of October before the NBA’s new season unfolds.
At the same time, the program focused their cameras on several young, potential players, who, after banging their bodies, sweating it out for weeks and pumping the iron to bulk themselves up—still end up failing to make the final lineup.
Toronto Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell, a former star of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 1990s, shared how difficult it is for him as a coach to break the bad news to a few players, who fail to make the team after working hard to try to reach their NBA dream.
Put yourself in the shoes of these aspiring NBA players, and you’d feel the ultimate rejection if you fail to make the grade or earn the nod of the coaches.
How would you feel if, after giving your very best during the Summer Camp, the coach would take you by the side and break the hard-to-accept news that your best wasn’t good enough?
As I consider the stories of the harsh realities aspiring NBA players go through each year, I thought of God once more and His completely different standard in dealing with us (sinners).
Considering that the Bible says there’s no one among us who is righteous (see Romans 3), the Lord still considered us for his “team”, His Kingdom.
I wouldn’t have made the cut in God’s “dream team” if He’d look at my unimpressive resume–because I’m imperfect, ill-tempered, incapable of changing for the better and a man who possesses a filthy tongue and mind.
Yet, through God’s initiative, that of sending His Only Son Jesus Christ more than 2000 years ago, imperfect people like me got a chance to be reconciled to Him, thereby bringing the ultimate bridging of the gap between man and God.
Through one man, Jesus, my life was changed from the pit of sin and defeat to a life marked by Christ’s amazing grace and love.
I’m forgiven, being changed daily and being renewed inside and out.
This, I believe, is the true meaning of Christmas. It’s not about parties, not about fun and family reunions, but it’s about God’s abundant love and grace demonstrated through Jesus Christ.
This may sound familiar, but Jesus is the ultimate reason for this season.
Photo Source: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3602/3325300257_102b003df0_o.jpg
Christmas And Heart-Rending Stories
Year 2009 is the third straight year we’ve hosted a couple of student-athletes just before Christmas Day. It’s been part of our family tradition, which we value and expect each year.
From left to right: King (with my son David), John, Ken, Anthony, Esmael and Tim
On Tuesday (December 22), we treated Tim, a church mate of ours and six athletes from Far Eastern University’s taekwondo men’s team came over to our place in Mandaluyong for a lunch and merienda (meal in-between lunch and dinner) as well as viewing time where we watched National Treasure starring 
It’s fun to have them around and just share a meal with them. At the same time, listen to their stories of their family background, their experiences at FEU and what drove them to aspire for sports.
Honestly, Ava and I find their stories are heart-rending especially since four of them were driven to Manila in search for greener pastures because of their financially hard-up families.
One athlete, by the name of Christopher (see second photo extreme right), a boyish-looking FEU junior college student, is reed-thin but can’t be taken lightly because of his lightning speed in the arena of athletics.
Chris won the top honors in the 5K men’s event of the McDonald’s-sponsored Fun Run special event on November 30.
Running developed not because he wanted to but because it was a necessity for him to run in order to earn a few hundreds of pesos to survive back in the province—his parents parted ways even before he went to school. So he ended being taken cared of by his grandmother.
However, by age 10, Chris, encouraged by his friends in Tangub City in Misamis Occidental, had his first taste of running the shorter running events.
Chris recounted how he had to support himself literally to survive, at times, having to satisfy his hunger pangs by drowning it with several glasses of water before continuing to run in events like 5K and 10K.
I can’t imagine myself running in 5K or 10K with my stomach crying out for food.
But Chris, survival all in his mind, could only think of persevering through such tests.
Now, he is earning a few thousand pesos during the weekend on various circuit running events to ensure he continues to supply his basic needs while staying inside the athlete’s quarters provided by FEU.
On the other hand, John and his brother Anthony, were also teammates of Chris engaged in the short-distance events like 110m hurdles and 400m.
John, the elder brother, at times, goes back to his native province of Bacolod City to join bodybuilding competitions to earn additional income.
Chris, John and Anthony, who are athletic veterans of FEU, have recently transferred to taekwondo because of sharp disputes with their head coach.
Another athlete, by the name of Esmael, joined FEU’s taekwondo after coming out of the national training pool of wushu.
He could have been a strong addition to FEU in the men’s taekwondo on 2009, but he broke his lower leg while in action against a UE jinn on September’s UAAP competitions.
Now, he is recuperating from a recent operation and will resume training sometime after the end of the first or second quarter of 2010.
Currently, these four athletes are part of our small group where another teammate of theirs, King Borlongan, helps me facilitate and lead them to know God more.
Hearing them share their own personal stories and struggles in life, all the more intensified our desire to teach them to know God better.
For in God, they can find hope, peace that surpasses all understanding and the security that nothing in this world could offer.
