BAREFOOT… Another Slipper Story

Once upon a time in a not so far away place, there lived a guy named Nhots. He’s tall, dark and handsome as his mother always affirmed him.

That’s another side of the story.

Here’s the real story. The other year, we made a trip to the airport for my brother’s flight to China. Unfortunately, I lost the other pair of my slippers along the way. Until now, I can’t still figure it out how that happened. To avoid embarrassment, I stayed in the van. Nobody would want to walk barefooted in an airport. I can’t stand the security personnel escorting me outside the premises because of impropriety and public scandal due to walking barefooted. Hehehe…

To cut the story, the whole family drove to Rizal Park (aka Luneta Park) to give a treat to my nephews and give me time to look for a store selling slippers. (I guessed there are vendors in the park so that would solve my very big problem)…

Unfortunately again, no vendors are allowed to sell slippers in the park, only ballons and banana cues (LOL). One guy suggested that a convenient store was on the other side of the park. Since it was still early, I can now walk confidently in the park, without that embarrassment, of course, and go to that store.

T’was my first. That’s why it’s a big deal for me walking in the park with no “whatsoever” on my other foot.

Along the way, we saw a poor old man walking “really” barefooted. No whatsoever, nothing, on both feet. I told myself, “At least, I still have the other pair on my foot…”

Yeah, I still have the other pair…

Sometimes, we see the glass half empty. We see the wrong side of the situation, its awkwardness and impropriety, if the word has its appropriateness. May it be a slipper or something of another value, the message is clear, we have to look at all situations from God’s viewpoint.

We may see the glass half empty, God sees it half full. We see ourselves a failure but God sees us a total makeover from failure – a success in the making. True enough that we are captives of many negative issues in our lives. But God never runs out of good and positive issues. He even used a lost slipper to make a point…

Well, one thing I really liked about God is His humor. And He always wanted us to laugh with Him…

Enjoy the day with a BIG smile… God bless you!

GOD’S LITTLE MIRACLES

Have you ever wanted God to do miracles in your life? Maybe big time or just simple ones.

I did.

On a busy ordinary day as a home-based business guy, I went out to do some shipping jobs. (It’s where I shipped my products to my clients.) Suddenly, out of nowhere, one of my slippers snapped.

I was practically frozen under the simmering heat of the noontime sun. I can’t even move my legs because my slipper will soon detach from its flap. I told myself to never walk again barefooted especially on a busy road of Baguio City. (I’ll share a similar story soon about my lost slipper…)

I prayed to God for a miracle. Will God send me a new pair of slippers from heaven? Or a taxi cab suddenly appears and drive me home? Or will the slippers reattach itself? How about a reverse action of gravity that when I lift my foot, my slipper won’t fall?

None of that happened.

What? You might say what about God’s little miracles you were pointing out?

Let me get you there.

Still frozen in the middle on the street, God did send a little miracle… Drum roll please.

Right where I’m standing is a wire string. It’s long enough to tie my broken slippers. Immediately, I made a few twinning and bending.

And VOILA –  a newly reconstructed slipper, fully restored to serve another duty to my feet… And the story ends in the department store where I bought a new pair of Islander sandals.

God did not send a new pair of slippers from heaven, or a taxi cab, or my slippers reattaching, or a gravity defying miracle, but He did send a wire string. We may not expect miracles to be that simple but in our direst and most needs, that miracle is just enough to make the day.

Like an unexpected business transaction, a beautiful text message from a long time friend whom you haven’t talked to since the first grade, you’ve got a mail with a check in it, the laboratory results say your cholesterol level is now on the right level, the weatherman says the day is fair. The list won’t fit this mail…

Little miracles from a big God.

God cares for my little needs like a snapped slipper. How much more for the bigger ones? Let’s get confident we can get that too. The Bible says, “If we desire it, God honors it.”

Until next time… Hear from me again about my another slipper story.

Enjoy life and be blessed!

WHEN GOD SEEMS DISTANT…

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,  plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11NIV

“It’s the worst in history, a nightmare we never saw in our lifetime!”

That’s about a month ago when typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” made historical flooding and landslides in Luzon, claiming hundreds of lives and destroying billions-worth of properties and livelihood. It was so devastating and heart-wreaking to see people helplessly taken away by floodwaters, homes crushed like paper by mudslides, and livelihood washed away with the hopes of their owners. We mourned. We struggled. We questioned.

Does God care?

Looking at the Israelites’ 70-year exile in Babylon, God finally declares His promise to His beloved people. God is like saying, “Hey, guys… Don’t give me that frown; I know what I’m doing because I’m 100% sure about your future. That is, I’m giving you more blessings and I will not let any harm reach you.” A guy on the witness stand flares up with his nose smoking like a steam engine, “…with all of these, flooding, landslides, loss of lives, loss of homes and crops? Where will I ever get food?” But God smiled and pat the guy’s shoulder, confidently assuring, “I’m exactly sure what I’m doing. I’m in control, remember?…”

My family in Baguio City did not directly experience the calamities but we share the same burdens and sentiments with those who are greatly affected. And some of us are maybe experiencing different calamities. Financial disaster is not new to some anymore, with all sorts from personal to business. I’ve heard of friends and relatives who are at the point of ending their marriage with children’s future at stake. What about people suffering from terminal illnesses? People whose lives ticked as the old clock?

My dear friends, let’s go back to what God had promised – “For I know the plans I have for you…” God declares that with a clear blueprint of prosperity and not of harm, an assurance of hope and a future. Oh, what a joy knowing that promise! Let’s get more interested with the following verses, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:12, 13) Our merciful and gracious God did not say, “Okay, here’s our deal. First and foremost, come to me, seek me, and pray to me. Then, I will bless you and I will not bring you any harm…” Look at this carefully. It did not happen that way. God declared it first and blessings followed. Our faithfulness, our offers, our prayers are results of God’s love towards us. We have to realize that. Blessings happened already. It happened when God gave Jesus to the cross and conquered death.

So is God distant in these times of trouble? Definitely not. Jesus exactly knows that His disciples will fail when He commanded them to travel alone in a boat and face a storm. They are even terrified when they saw Him walking on the water. Here is Jesus’ sweet assurance to His disciples, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” (John 6:20). And before Jesus left for heaven, He did the same and said, “And surely I am with you always…” (Matthew 28:20)

Join me with this prayer:

Oh, merciful and loving God.

We thank You for giving Jesus.

Forgive us if we fail to realize that.

As we face calamities in our lives,

May you strengthen and guide us.

Thank you again for that sweet promise of hope.

AMEN.

ENJOY LIFE AS IT COMES… Rewritten

Written On: 20 Dec 2008

“With no job, no money, the business is failing, with debts mounting, and bills kept on piling, with so many lost opportunities, I’m officially broke. I’m done. Finished. I reached the end of my road. These are the times when lowly and down are the most clear words in my mind. I’m beginning to lose hope and I needed a miracle in a couple of days to serve a purpose, or else…”

This was some five years ago.

I have to deal with lots of issues. Then, God sent a whisper, “What is it that you want?” That was when I realized “I don’t really know what I want”. That is why all I’m doing are pointless, no direction, no focus. All of life is just the mediocrity of survival and letting time to pass through this lifetime. Down on my knees and eyes flooded with tears, I summoned to God’s grace. Though, I knew it in my heart that Christ is already there, I long for more of God and for this life. The sense of purpose to life is more than just job, career or money, or family and relationships, or even church and its ministries. It’s more than that.

I came to realize that it’s all about the joy we experience when we are alone and with others, the longing of joy that exceeds happiness and pleasure. This is when my “ENJOY LIFE AS IT COMES…” happened.

Many who have heard this from my mouth seem to misunderstand it in a way of being “care free, self-centered and irreligious”. Yes, non-Biblical! That’s not what I thought. They always asked me why enjoy life? Why not just be happy on whatever you do? Why we wait until it comes? Let me get you there.

Enjoy life. Being happy is not just what you do or feel. Because it’s shallow, it can go away when you stop doing what you’re doing or the happiness will go away just the same when the feeling is gone. I want more, I want to go deep. I want to go to the soul where life is everything… Don’t get me wrong. We too often interchange or equate joy with happiness. Joy is of the soul, of the inner being we see inside each person. It is joy that surpasses the euphoria, not just the feeling of being happy but the inner peace deep within each person, NO MATTER WHAT. It is joy felt when a shepherd finds his lost sheep (Luke 15:5). It is joy that abides in each believer (John 15:11). It is the joy bestowed through God’s Word (John 17:13). It is the joy that sustained Christ at the cross (Hebrews 12:2). It is joy that each of us must have and makes God smile (Numbers 6:25, Psalm 147:11).

Life has more to offer than what our eyes can really see. God Himself came that we might have life and to have it abundantly (John 10:10). Life abundant is not just material nor physical nor social nor mental (whatever “al” you may call it). It is most of all, spiritual because the One who made us is of the Spirit. I believed with all my heart that God doesn’t want me to be just happy but exceedingly happy here on earth, the joy that comes from God. He is like a father who always longs to see his children happy. God is not a “daddy” or a “tatay” who takes pleasure in seeing his children suffer. No, no. no, I’m not worshipping that god. God always wanted us to be happy and experience that pure joy. By the way, I’m always on a journey to that joy because on earth, life is a process, a continuum. Another one, is “Enjoy Life” biblical? Definitely it was. I have a few verses in Bible. Help me journey with these early next year.

As it comes. Simply put it this way, we can’t enjoy something we don’t have in our hands. We can’t enjoy yesterday or the past, only the memories of it. We can’t also enjoy tomorrow or the future, because it did not happen yet, just the hopes and dreams we long for. What we can truly enjoy is now, today. It’s like eating pizza in a diner. We can only eat the pizza when we are already eating it, with our hands in the diner. It’s not yesterday or tomorrow but the present. Master Oagway put the words perfectly to Po in Kung Fu Panda, “You are too concerned with what was and what will be. There’s a saying, yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift, that is why it is called PRESENT…”

So here are the five pillars of my “Enjoy Life As It Comes” in order of priority (without the details because they’re for my eyes only):

1. ENJOY GOD – Everything starts with God, first and foremost. When I am enjoying God, I enjoy everything else. Period.

2. ENJOY MYSELF - I can’t give the joy I don’t have. I should be labeled selfish but my point goes over the person who longs for joy, the person whose joy transcends to others.

3. ENJOY FAMILY – Our family is family-oriented. I value the family as an integral part of my being, of course my wife and my daughter and with the circles whom my family revolves.

4. ENJOY CHURCH – The church is where we grow spiritually with other believers and the refuge I cling on when times go rough and tough. The church is also where our love for God is immediately expressed.

5. ENJOY OTHERS AND NATURE – Last but not the least, the joy is completed with the people around my sphere outside the church and nature whom I see God’s expression of love and grace.

Now, you have the idea of my “enjoy life as it comes”. What I just wrote is so ideal and perfect. Yes it is. The problem is, I’m not. My daily journey is fueled by God’s grace, flowing day and night. Sometimes, if not most of the times, the journey is tough with lots of delays and detours (more on these soon), but I’m learning in every stopover that the joy we have in Jesus never fades, no matter what (Psalm 89:16). How about yours? Have you written your own “enjoy life” covenant with God? It is my prayer that you do the same, God desires you to know in your heart what you really want in life.

Start now and start enjoying life… as it comes! God bless you…

A TREE OF HOPE

A TREE OF HOPE

Written On: 26 Nov 2009

“He is like a tree planted by a stream of water, which yields its fruits in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalm 1:3

I wrote this article during our weekend stay in Bontoc, Mountain Province for my daughter’s Science Quiz Bee Competition. It is a bonus trip of having a 3-day break from the demands and qualms of life, of business, of church and of family. (Just a great news and I deserve it as proud parent, LOL; our daughter, Elize Carmela, made it to the nationals, she just won first place during the Regional Science Quiz Bee. To God be the Glory! “Children are really treasures from the Lord…”)

Back to the hotel room, the view was a magnificent expression of God’s creativity and grace. The mountains cape was a vast carpet of green trees lined along the folds of the mountains. It was an astounding scene! As I meditated on God’s Word, I noticed one particular tree on top on one of the mountain. I remembered Psalm 1:3, a verse that I held on during the times I turn to God for wisdom and strength when business and ministry we’re overwhelming.

Lately, I read many topics about tree illustrations on business or ministry which offer lots of insights we can learn from. Unless a tree is planted in streams of water (God’s Word, the Bible), it will not flourish (succeed, thrive, fulfill its purpose). Its leaves will wither, its branches will stop growing, and definitely, it will not bear fruit. And what will we expect when drought (adversities, problems, hardships) sets in? Certainly, it can’t stand the trials and eventually perish.

As I meditated more on this passage, I’m like a tree planted by the river of God’s Word but refused to sip that endless and life-giving supply of water. I stood firm and produced some leaves, grown branches but settled for whatever fruits I will bear. The Psalmist connects this insight to the wisdom we gained from meditating on God’s Word day and night. As Jeremiah 29:13 adds on it, “If you seek me, you shall find me, if you seek me with all your heart…” And what does God promises when we seek Him? “He will ADD ALL THINGS to what we already have (Matthew 6:33). A wonderful promise indeed! What the Bible mentions are not only limited to our spiritual needs, but ALL of our needs. And “all” means “lahat”- everything. Everything means our relationships in the family and to others, our health, and even our finances. Yes, I agree a lot that God cares so much about our finances. God will bless us in our workplace that He gives us joy in doing our tasks. We honor God in our business and He gives more opportunities. We may be are facing some difficulties in our finances; mounting debts, unpaid bills, school fees, and a lot more. God cares so much about these worries that He continues to give us insights everyday, 24 by 7. That’s the tree in the riverbank I’m talking about. We fail to sip the water, we dry up. And never flourish.

By the way, river never runs dry, in whatever season… ‘Til next time. Enjoy life and have a blessed day!

ENJOY THE FRUITS OF THE HARVEST

ENJOY THE FRUITS OF THE HARVEST

A Tribute to President Cory Aquino

Part 6 of the Series

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

(Gal 6:7-10 NIV)

I wrote this email to pay my respect and offer my tribute to the late President Corazon C. Aquino – not only a symbol of democracy and peace but an emblem of “true servanthood”. And also to end my SeedTime and HarvestTime Series.

There was one point in my life when I asked myself what it is that I want to engrave in my tombstone when I die, an epitaph I want to leave in this portion of my lifetime. “Rest In Peace” is so common and widely used. As I kid aside, I told my wife, it’s “A man who enjoyed life…” All of us want to leave a mark in each other’s lifetime. Whatever that is, may it be what “Tita Cory” did – a life of true servanthood.

Never in her life that she dreamed of becoming popular, much of it as the highest position of a nation. She just wanted to serve mankind as a lawyer but her duty as a housewife far outweighed her sacrifice. More of her true servanthood was shown during her term as President of the Philippines, when she stepped down in office, when limelight was no longer her stage, until her deathbed calls her home. No wonder she’s so loved and honored, no Filipino have ever seen since the death of her husband “Ninoy”.

Her legacy left in me a sense of pride and honor of being a Filipino, a patriotism I never felt since my grade school years. It is this seed of servanthood that God had planted in her heart, that heart of a servant which brings something beautiful in someone else.

Tita Cory’s life was a life described in Galatians 6:7-10. Her deep and unwavering faith in God not only changed her but also those around her. Her leadership exemplified humility and courage despite power and authority, a character no leader in this present time could ever equate. Her good deeds will never be forgotten for they are not acts of random kindness but intentional and genuine giving. Though filled with so much pain and struggles, despair and quitting are not on her list but rather increased her faith in God. All of these are what Tita Cory has sown in her lifetime with the fruits being reaped now are really worth not only a thousand fold.

May my simple tribute to President Cory be a blessing to all who read it… Our God be glorified with her life. Keep on enjoying the fruits and let’s sow more to reap more…

Enjoy life as it comes!

REAP WHAT YOU SOW… Celebrate HarvestTime!

REAP WHAT YOU SOW… Celebrate HarvestTime!

Part 5 of the Series

“…A man reaps what he sows… Let us not weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we faint not.” Galatians 6:7,9

It really takes time before the bountiful harvest. It requires lots of time and patience in bringing results to what we do. This is part 5 of the SeedTime and HarvestTime Series. Its God’s timing that I made this series months apart from my last mail. Maybe part of it was the waiting process. Another one is seeing the results from a distance which is most of the time very hard. It is looking HarvestTime with just mere glimpses and visions. With this I mean, there are no results yet or just a few successes are seen. What’s worse is when devastations or detours come along during the growing season like physical storms which hit my hometown, changes of plans, a sickness or unavoidable circumstances (Next week, I’ll be writing about this for the last part of the series). I wrote the draft of this mail before our trip to my hometown (that was two weeks ago) and be part of a volunteer mission to help rebuild the physical structures of Asbury College (a school run by the UMC) which was greatly blown down by the harsh typhoon “Emong”. So much of it, our farm was also hit. Thank God, the farmhouse was spared.

Let’s look back on our series… The SeedTime Process is to continue knowing the seeds God has sealed in our hearts. Our “gift zone” or core competencies are identified and we look forward to what we are built for. It’s like a ship built for the ocean. When we plant that seed, we enter The Sowing Process where we put our plans into action. In the process, we come to realize that ONLY GOD can make things grow. Without God, we achieve nothing. The HarvestTime comes with the sweetest reward because we’re going to reap what have sown. Come to think of the bountiful harvest in the farm where tons and tons of farm produce are hauled to the market. In our farm, I always enjoyed picking fruits from our vegetable plots and fruit trees. It’s not only me who enjoyed the harvest season but also my little girl and my nephews with their little baskets.

In Galatians 6:7 and 9, Paul talks about reaping what a man sows, a figure of speech taken from agriculture. If you sow tomatoes, you reap tomatoes. Same is true with our works; what we focus on, we get rewards and our “gift zone” increases. If you commit yourself in creative arts, then you’ll become a great artist. If it’s business, then a conglomerate awaits you. Though verse 9 particularly refers to the apostles who during those times become weary and disheartened in their ministry, we can still draw a connection in our present time. We need to persevere whatever the odds are. Waiting for the harvest needs lots and lots of toil and creativity, of patience and determination. Just like a farmer who looks forward to a bountiful harvest, let’s have the same outlook because the God of the Harvest will soon reward us.

To those of you who are already there, those who are already enjoying the fruits of their labor, share it with those who are still growing their seeds. In this way, we build God’s Kingdom dramatically. With us who are still sowing their seeds, take heart and pursue excellence. Those who have gone before us continue to cheer for us…

To all the daddys out there, HAPPY FATHER’S DAY… God bless your harvests and enjoy life as it comes!

MY FIRST INVENTION… The Sowing Process!

MY FIRST INVENTION… The Sowing Process!

Part 3 of the Series

“Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times

what was sown.” Matthew 13:8

I love Science. It’s one of the reasons my “Unica Hija” is excelling pretty well in Science (her first major accomplishment far outweighs my family’s recorded history, and she’s only 9 years old.) I like to explore the beauty inside a cocoon and view at a microscopic distance how those little roots of a plant dig down the soil. I easily get fascinated how a thing works. I mean, how an invention works. When I was 10 years old, our TV set’s antenna (we don’t have cable services in the “barrio”) got windblown. To my curiosity how it works, I went to the library, read a few books and rushed to the kitchen. You think I’m going to cook? Not a chance, though I love to cook “pa-tiyam”. From an aluminum basin, a broken umbrella, a magnet from a broken speaker, and some woodstuffs, you know what I got? Drum roll please… An instant satellite dish, mounted 24 feet above ground, that’s on top of our house. It really works; I even got a signal from some Chinese channels (no kidding, it’s really true, just ask my Mom and some friends). I maybe the first person to have successfully contacted some extraterrestrial life forms if I had a computer at that time (hehehe). I may have been awarded as “the youngest inventor of satellite dishes” (hehehe again). There’s one problem, though. Every time a vehicle passes by, just a few meters from our house, the TV set got some interference. Like a cellphone signal blurring your computer monitor when you receive a call or a text message. Well, when the typhoon struck again, my “wonder satellite dish” was windblown to another house, I didn’t consider making another one. My father brought home a “baron” antenna.

Glimpses. Crazy ideas. Dreams. Visions. Plans. We have to make them happen or they remain what they are. These are God-given plans for our lives – the “seed” God has planted in our hearts. That’s what we’re designed for. So, we better grab the tools and start tilling the soil. If you are still not sure about what God had planted in your heart, you can start by simply asking Him. Just like that. JUST ASK THE MASTER PLANNER. If it’s that simple, why do lots of people still don’t know about God’s plan in their lives? Well, I will not judge or conclude here; maybe they haven’t asked God yet. They never tried. Or, they tried to but have not asked sincerely. Or, they did ask sincerely but have not waited for results. God answers back in His Word – the Bible. At times, God uses your family to reveal these God-given seeds. Discover your “gift zone” by asking a professional in that area to get first hand encounter. And lastly, read, read, read and read. Make sure you read the right stuffs (like these email… hehehe). Better yet, try it out.

We’re done with the SeedTime Process (you can email me if you want to grab copies of Parts 1 and 2 of the Series… and my other inventions-kidding), we’re sowing now. Sowing the seeds requires careful planning and diligent execution. It’s not an overnight activity. And timing is of essential value, delay it and the season is over, sow early and you’ll miss the harvest time. Don’t also forget that patience is one key element. Like the seeds, they need water, nutrients and sunlight. Just remember: a seed grows in a good soil at the right time with the proper care (Matthew 13:3-8). More on the Sowing Process…

Sow the seeds and enjoy the bountiful harvest! God bless you.

SPARKLES… More on the SeedTime Process!

Part 2 of the Series

Yesterday, I attended the SME Speaker Series seminar sponsored by Planters Development Bank (Thanks for accommodating me; I never thought it was a by-invitation-only event. It means, only those who are invited can attend, Small and Medium Enterprises of Baguio City. If you follow through my emails a couple of months now, I’m not even considered in the Small Business Category because my category’s still yet to be named- “little mini-micro very small enterprise” if that can be considered.) OK, enough with the embarrassment! I’m so glad I went to this gathering, I had the chance to get oriented with the business sector I’m trying to fit in and observe the “BIG” personalities behind these businesses. Most of all, I got another chance to meet and have the book signed by one of my favorite authors, Francis J. Kong (Mababaw lang naman ako when it comes to writers of books I’m reading, I need it to be signed by the author, hehehe. I even dreamed of signing one in the future). If you don’t know him yet, try to visit his blogsite, just google his name……

My week’s email should be on the Sowing Season but after so much thought and reflection, I felt the need to add more of the seedtime process. Last week, I talked about the seed that God has planted in our hearts. This seed is His plan or purpose in each of us that we have to see and work on. It’s like a coffee bean. We know it’s a coffee bean that when it is planted, it will grow into a coffee plant and for sure it will bear coffee pods which matures into coffee beans. It’s the same thing with God’s plan for our lives. God leaves us with “little clues” of what’s to come, glimpses of what to become.

We go back to the original argument: How do we know God’s plan in our lives? Well, my answer is, we don’t have to. Huh? You’ll say I’m confused. It’s because the moment we really are sure of God’s plan in our lives is when God says,”Well done, my good and faithful servant…” You know where that is? I think you nodded your head. Knowing God’s seed in our lives is a continuous process, a non-stop “adventure” towards our foreseen goal.

Way back to my childhood days, my grandparents or even my parents often scolded me of “daydreaming”. Frequently I hear, “Hayan ka na naman, nangangarap ng gising…” Sounds familiar? I realized now that these daydreaming moments are God’s glimpses of the future. These are little clues being planted into our being. Agree with me? The scenarios can go from being an ordinary person to a superhero, those “figments of imagination”. I think that’s from reading too much Fantasy or Marvel Comics. Seriously, these are seeds being planted into our subconscious minds.

When we got older, we forgot about our childhood visions. But they become evident in what we do today. What’s my point? Francis J. Kong called it our “GIFT ZONE”. It’s the sparkle in everyone’s eyes. It’s the “magic” that leaves everyone in amazement, just an exaggeration. Our “gift zone” is our core competencies in things we love to do, the talents that make the adrenaline rush. I’ve read one time that to know what you love to do most is to measure how you do it. Here’s how? Think of one thing you do that no matter how hard it is, you still enjoy doing it. From cooking to gardening, to adding numbers and building houses, to writing and speaking, to sketching and programming. Whatever you do with excellence is called PASSION. You enjoy doing it, even it costs you sweat and blood.

What is your “gift zone”? What do you do with so much passion? What sparkles your eyes? I think I have to revisit my “daydreaming” moments. Unfortunately, it’s almost midnight in my time zone so I can’t daydream, just kidding.

That’s all for now… Next mail again for the sowing time! God bless you and keep on enjoying life as it comes!

JOY IN DEFEAT… The SeedTime Process!

Part 1 of the Series

I found great joy when so many replies from my last email flooded my inbox. First of all, my emails are being read (Thank you so much for reading. I really appreciate it so much when you read my mails. I also posted some of my articles at www.baguiofirstumc.org. I need your feedback very soon). Secondly, I had connected in one way or another through my personal experiences. My personal story is all about sharing what Jesus is doing in my life. (Help me reach out for more people on the web. People are asking me if they can forward my emails. ABSOLUTELY! Please do so to as many people you know. Our God will be honored when more people get to know and experience Him.) Lastly, my business is JUST TEMPORARILY CLOSED (One client immediately called me because of a pending transaction. This is the seedtime process, which is my topic for this email), and preparing for the SOWING SEASON (next email), and hoping for the HARVESTIME (more on this soon).

Ok. A few years ago, I found the phrase “the agony of defeat”. It resounds to this day as loud as the old gigantic bell on a tower. It was 2005 when I closed down my first formal and official business – Clonital Diagnostic Laboratory. Failure is inevitable to those unprepared and inexperienced. But even large and multi-national, even international, companies faced closure and bankruptcy. What more to the “mini-micro very small enterprise” like me? Do we need supernatural powers and divine intervention to stay afloat?

From this experience I found the wisdom through the SeedTime Process. It’s the simple life cycle of a plant – the time when the seed needs to die for the next cycle of its life. In the animal kingdom, some call it “hibernation”. To people, it’s called “sleeping”. (Just kidding, that smile in your face is a sign of God’s beauty.) We agonize when we face failures or when things we love so much come to an end. Self pity and bitterness sets in when acceptance is delayed. In my case, I find it pure joy. Don’t get me wrong! I’m not fond of failure and closure and defeat. They are just part of a bigger continuum that when clearly understood becomes an ally of success and joy. Defeat brings wisdom when taken from God’s perfect point of view. This is the moment when we need to stop what we’re doing, listen to God’s heed, and learn from the past.

Here’s my thought from this week. God has planted in us a “seed” He only knows. In the religious sphere, it’s called “anointing”. It means God had already destined us for something or a purpose that only “us” can do. That destiny or purpose is so much unique for each individual, no two person has similar or the same. Our God has set us apart from the world or “empowered” us to do a specific task, His will, on earth. So many Christians have failed in many areas because they have failed to see the “seed” God has planted in their hearts. It may work for a while but in the long run, it won’t thrive. Because in essence, that’s not what we’re designed for. It’s like a boat trying to sail on dry ground.

This seed is GOD’s PLAN in our lives. Many call it a mystery because it’s so impossible to decipher (BTW, an inventor will not invent something without the instruction on how to use his invention- an operations manual of some sort. It will defeat his purpose of inventing it. Same is true to our God.) While a mystery to some, I call God’s will for my life – the greatest ADVENTURE. It’s up for us to discover what that is. How? Walk closely to Him who gave you that plan. To know what lies in the future or the layout of your life is to know the Master Planner. Pray for it. Read His blueprint – the Bible. Beg for it. Work for it. Until God reveals it. How about signs and wonders? God also efforts in that way. For some, vision and “glimpses” are God’s little clues, telling us what to do in life.

I’d like to quote Jean Lim in an interview by Nelson Dy (Your First Job):

“You are a masterpiece of God. Know how God designed you. Live according to that design…. When you use talents that God gave you and that you enjoy using, you will perform at your best… Find a career that you are good at and you enjoy doing. Success will follow.”

What does God reveal for you today? What “seed” God had planted in your heart? Mine? It’s to “enjoy life as it comes”. Want to know about that? Email me…

Let’s follow the seedtime and enjoy the process. See you all for the “sowing season” God bless you…