Jan
7
2010
Family By Rich | Comments

What We Desire For Our Kids…

ava and kids rob

One of Bea’s most awaited times, of the day was before her sleeping time.

I see to it that I put her to sleep each night, tickle her feet, which is part of our playtime at night, before laying my hands on her to pray a prayer of blessing.

Ava and I are happy that she is beginning to pray simple prayers like praying for our meal, point to David (my youngest child) that Jesus lives in her heart and is starting to ask more questions about God.

Even before we had kids, Ava and I had been praying that they would know the Lord and have a genuine relationship with Him even at a very young age.

It’s every parent’s dream to see their children grow up with a deep yearning for God rather than just for the material things this world has to offer.

It’s still a long way to go, but our life-long prayer is for our kids to grow up with an all-out devotion for Jesus, unafraid and unashamed to declare their faith in this fallen world and speaking life and hope wherever God brings them.

This world may be in chaos now. But wait! There’s hope. Our kids, your little brother or little sister, your little cousins, your neighbor’s toddlers—they all represent the future.

Let God use you and me to lead these precious kids to a growing relationship with God. It’s not too late.

Jan
6
2010
Changed Lives By Rich | Comments

The Crowd Is Back!

crowd

I took the Metro Rail Transit yesterday afternoon going to Every Nation Fort. One thing noticeable was the crowd is back now that the Holiday Season is over.

I normally take the middle part of the train coach of the MRT or the LRT going to Manila, but surprisingly, at 2:30 in the afternoon, the Southbound train (that is going to EDSA-Taft station) was packed with commuters like me.

Honestly, I hate crowded places–public transports like trains, buses or jeeps, but these things I mentioned will NEVER RUN OUT of people because they all are public transports.

As I reached Ayala station in Makati, a huge group of people filed out of the train, giving commuters like me some breathing room and finally, enjoy the train’s cool aircondition.

Jesus’ encounter with the crowd was normal for his everyday ministry life.

Matthew 4:23-24 gave us a picture of what a day was with Jesus.

“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases.”

The crowd was there when he went up on a mountainside to preach. There were around five thousand men when Jesus broke the five loaves of bread and few small fish and had them multiplied miraculously.

It would have been easy for Jesus to just turn the crowd away in times he was physically exhausted after teaching for days, skipping meals or spending little time to rest and sleep.

It would have been easy as well for Jesus to reject the crowd because he could discern their dark, sinful past, their motives and intentions.

Yet, Jesus took the time to be with the crowd to teach them, to love them and heal them.

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)

The crowds–you’ll see them everywhere–public places, shopping malls, government buildings, hospitals, universities and colleges–they are all there.

In God’s eyes, each individual that collectively form the large mass of people are valuable to God.

And what’s valuable to God should be valuable to us, too.

Let’s go and make disciples.

Jan
3
2010
Family By Rich | Comments

Kids’ New Year’s Celebration Experience

fireworks 1fireworks2We just came back from a three-day-two-night stay at Citadel Inn Makati where we checked in to celebrate the coming of 2010.

It’s been part of our family tradition to check in a hotel a few days before New Year’s celebration, not just to avoid the smoke and noise from firecrackers, but more so as a time to celebrate God’s faithfulness and goodness for the year that’s about to pass.

We may have had some ups and downs during 2009, yet, one verse that God reminded us throughout 2009 is Psalm 136:1, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”

Bea and David are fond of fireworks, so just minutes before 12 midnight (of December 31), we took them up to the roof deck to finally get the broader view of the Makati-Mandaluyong area.

It was really fun to watch the kids just enjoy every moment 

dy fam 1

with other kids on the roof deck. Check out some of the pictures we took.

A God-filled New Year to everyone!

Dec
31
2009
Changed Lives By Rich | Comments

Non-Negotiables For 2010

Man_Thinking_On_Sofa

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!

Dec
30
2009
Changed Lives By Rich | Comments

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 bwalt7ecause 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

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