SOUL CARE LOVER

Alive and Kicking for 2009!

2009-01-12T15:40:00.003+08:00

After several times of thinking about updating my blog, it is only now that I have finally moved myself to write something. So many great things had happened to me in more than a month of being silent here. Somehow I regretted that I didn't push myself enough to share my thoughts and yet I'm happy that I enjoyed my moments of silence. I enjoyed the holiday season. I celebrated christmas in its real essence and I was excited to face new year with great surprises from God.

For now, I just want to let you know my dear readers, friends, co-bloggers and co-soulcare lovers that I'm still alive and kicking! I had bid goodbye to 2008 well and had enthusiastically welcomed 2009!

Let's continue to enjoy our blogging adventure together!

Breaking the Silence

2008-11-03T17:51:00.008+08:00

It's been a while that I have not updated my blog. So may be it's about time to "break the silence" by simply sharing my thoughts and reflections. I'd like to focus my sharing on how I had experienced breakthroughs lately. I would say that these breakthroughs are also forms of "breaking the silence", in the sense that I was able to go back and do things I used to do before but had not been doing;

1. I used to jog early in the morning but had stopped doing it since I went through a spiritual discipline. I always wanted to go back to that habit but had failed many times. But Lately, I'm glad that I'm beginning to push myself again. In fact I just had my jogging this morning. Added to that, I found myself really getting interested in fitness. May be I'm just being pushed by friends and people around who'd been telling me from time to time that I am increasingly gaining wait.

2. I used to enjoy visiting to our home place, refreshing myself and connecting back with people especially during fruits season. But I have not been there for almost two years because of busy schedules. But just this weekend, I was able to visit my parents' place and refreshed my memories of innocence and simplicity. It feels good to look back and reflect how the Lord brought me to where I am right now

3. I had started to have my driving practice two years ago but I have not really seen progress with my confidence. I got my first SP expired since I didn't want to have my license for the sake of having it. I got my second SP last May and I had been planning to really get back to my driving practice and face my fears. But months had passed and I have not done anything about my plan yet. However, last friday, I had finally pushed myself to start my driving practice again since it's offered for free. In fact, I had my driving session this afternoon. My instructor (who is my friend) let me drive home from our practice area. Wow that was scary I know he was scared too but I made it. We arrived home alive and kicking. Thank you Lord.

I know there still a lot to break in my life but may be not silence anymore but noise (hehe). That needs another page of reflection. Until next time. Thanks for reading.

No to Bitterness; Yes to Forgiveness

2008-10-16T18:39:00.006+08:00

In our radio program today, one listener inquired on the issue of forgiveness. Specifically, the inquiry centered on the right timing of releasing forgiveness and the right way of relating back to the offender.

These are very interesting questions. Many of us are really confused on when to forgive. A lot of us want the pain to linger and kept our hearts bitter. Of course we should be hurt when we are offended, that makes us human. It is alright to feel the pain of betrayal, disappointments and all forms of abuse. In fact, it is only when we recognize the pain that we could begin to experience the process of healing. Forgiveness is real and more meaningful when we are able to forgive despite of the pain.

It is not easy to forgive, it is not our nature. We want revenge in the name of justice. We want vengeance in our hands. We may not necessarily do it but we certainly think about it. Worst when we make plans on how to go about it and end up doing it only to realize that it's not worth it.

It's not worth our time to delay forgiveness when we can do it now. It's not worth to lost the joy peace and serenity that a forgiving heart could bring. It's worth to free yourself from the heaviness of bitterness and experience the lightness of kindness. It is worth to make it a lifestyle to enjoy God's grace and forgiveness and passed it on to others. Because it's only when we experience God's forgiveness that we are able to forgive others.

However forgiveness is not necessarily taking away the consequences of the action of the offender. The person needs to face the consequences of his or her choice. Forgiveness is not necessarily trusting again the person right away. Forgiveness can be done right away but trust needs to be earned through time. Forgiveness is not also forgetting because we can't really forget things. In fact it is when remembering the offense and not feeling its pain anymore that we have actually experience healing.

Seems difficult, right? Yes it is! That's why, we need God's grace and help to maintain healthy relationships and to make it a habit not just to say no to bitterness and yes to forgiveness but, to live by it with our whole hearts.

My Work Out Experience

2008-10-08T17:22:00.005+08:00

When my friends had started working out, they'd been pushing me to go with them to the gym and start to work out as well. Since it wasn't really my priority, I always have reasons for not going. But this morning, I finally was able to try it.

Since it was my first official work out experience, I didn't care much with the necessary things to bring. When we got to the locker, I was informed that I need to have my sports shoes, so we had to go back to the apartment and get it.(hehe)

We started our work out with 20 minutes on the cardio stepper equipment to regulate our heartbeat rate (I hope I'm right). It was a fun thing to do while watching cable TV. After that, my friend looked for an instructor for me only to find out that I have to fill up a form for guest users first.

After a while, I was finally introduced to my instructor. The instructor was helpful in directing me to the appropriate equipment for a starter like me. I enjoyed the tension and relief of lifting, pushing and stretching my body parts. ( I hope I won't suffer muscle pain tomorrow).

We ended our work out by jogging in their 200-meter area while talking about possibility of my coming back again. I think I will come back and try to make it regular. Finally, we went home after taking shower in their nice bathroom. Actually they have jacuzzi and sauna inclusive of the package.

Thanks to my friend who diligently invited me to do something with my body. (hehe) This is necessary for my wellness inside out. It's my turn to encourage you to try it too. (hehe)

Manage Your Stress Well

2008-09-30T10:11:00.005+08:00

The series of workshop on stress management I facilitated had finally been completed. For the month of September, I conducted 8 sessions among college students and 1 session among christian leaders studying in the graduate seminary. It's funny how I felt so stressed out after my first day of workshop. I went home so tired. Although, I received two invitations to go out that night, I decided to stay home and relax to regain my strength for the next day.

I felt good for my decision because I was able to take responsibility for my actions-basically applying what I was teaching. I was able to say no without the feeling of guilt. The next series of sessions were manageable. I had adjusted well and probably had started to master the flow of the workshop.

Two of the highlight activities in these workshops are the relaxation techniques and the guided meditation I facilitated. When I started doing research on these, I felt inadequate to facilitate. I was not sure if I can do it effectively. However, in my experience with the participants, I can now attest to its effectivity in relieving stress. In fact I'm aiming to practice these regularly.

There are still pending invitations for me to conduct the workshop and I'm excited about it. If you feel that your group can benefit from this kind of workshop, let me know and will see how we can help one another and work together.

Becoming a Brother's Keeper

2008-09-21T21:58:00.009+08:00

More than an hour had passed since we ended our men's network meeting in our church office but my mind still lingers on what had transpired in that meeting. It's amazing how God handpicked each one of us to be a part in this team of strugglers, adventurers and conquerors. It's amazing how the Lord provided me a lot of "brother's keeper" who are committed to journey with me in this battle of life.

Being in the battle alone can be very difficult. In fact it was never God's intention. He wants us to guard one another, to keep watching after our brother's safety. In other words, God simply wants us to be our brother's keeper.

There are great benefits of being under the cover of brother's protection. However it takes great courage for us to admit that we need each other. We are naturally independent and less relational. Nonetheless, we need to recognize and welcome the opportunities of being connected and accountable to one another.

To become a good brother's keeper, I suggest the following;

1. Be true to yourself and others. Share both your strengths and weaknesses. Don't pretend that your life is well when it's not. Share your

own experiences of success and failure. People will appreciate more when we are true and honest.

2. Be a good encourager. The best way to be an encouragement to your brothers is of assuring them of your unconditional acceptance. Don't be quick to pass on judgment but instead be a good listener. Assure them of your support and your prayer for them.

3. Be a true friend. Don't assert your authority over them but instead offer true friendship. Enjoy their company and incorporate humor. People will recognize it whether your intention is sincere or is only out of brotherly obligation. Cultivate joy in your heart and it will overflow through your conversation and connections with them.

Enjoy the blessings of being a brother's keeper!

A Half-year Adventure Across the Distance

2008-09-18T18:07:00.009+08:00

Exactly six months had passed since Pamela and I had our relationship official. As I looked back, I’m still amazed of how the Lord had brought as together last march 17 of this year.

The adventure is pretty challenging. Yes, it brought comfort and joy to my heart knowing that someone had entrusted her heart to mine. However, it also brought some uncomfortable feelings especially in those moments that I have to teach myself to guard and take care of this precious heart entrusted to me.

This half-year adventure marks an important point in our relationship. I would call it as a celebration of love and life because my life had grown as I enjoyed her love.

Six things I would like to thank God for this love and life adventure with my dear Pamela across the distance.

1. I thank God for giving me the best woman who loves me and makes me feel special

2. I thank God for giving me the best woman who believes on me and my dreams.

3. I thank God for giving me the best woman who seeks to understand and partners with me in God’s calling.

4. I thank God for entrusting to me a great woman whom I can share my love and care.

5. I thank God for entrusting to me a great woman whom I can share my hopes and my dreams.

6. I thank God for entrusting to me a great woman whom I can journey with in seasons of grace, pain and healing.

In all these things, I continue to trust God as we wait for the right time for us to be together

(i wrote this yesterday as my gift for pam)

A Hopeless Case?

2008-09-04T18:16:00.004+08:00

Is there such a hopeless case? Is there such a person beyond cure? I was reminding myself to stay positive despite of the sad and painful realities I often encounter with my clients. I want to be firm with my faith that God is able. He is able to deliver them from their problems. He is able to heal their wounds and He is able to transform their minds.

In the human perspective, it's easy to give up hope. Sometimes, we don't need to choose to give up hope because it's our tendency. But the good thing is we can always choose to be hopeful. We can always choose to stay positive despite of negative things happening around us.

The ability to choose to be positive requires faith on God. Faith that God will not give up on us because He is our hope. And if He is our hope, we can be assured that even if we give up hope, HOPE (GOD) never gives up on us.

Having this perspective helped me a lot in dealing with my clients. I see every baby steps they take towards recovery as evidences of God's hope operating within.I believe that reaching to the point of hopelessness is the beginning of new hope. Therefore, there is no such thing as hopeless case, there's no person that's beyond cure in God's school of wellness.

The Five love Langauges

2008-08-31T21:42:00.003+08:00

Do you know your love language? Do you know the love language of the people you love? Yesterday, I had a chance to talk about this topic with the youth of CCF davao. The five love languages is a book written by Dr. Gary Chapman.

Below is the content of my presentation.

I. Introduction

a. About love

 Psychologists have concluded that the need to feel loved is a primary human emotional need. For love, we will climb mountains, cross seas, traverse desert sands, and endure untold hardships.”

 Inside every person is an `emotional tank' waiting to be filled with love. When a person really feels loved, he will develop normally but when the love tank is empty, the person will misbehave.

b. The Commandment to love

 Jesus Christ wanted love to be the distinguishing characteristic of his followers

 John 13:34-35-“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

c. Discover your love language

LOVE LANGUAGE QUIZ

Please rank in order the five statements according to how you feel loved the most (1 is the highest and 5 is the lowest

____I feel especially loved when people express how grateful they are for me, for the simple, everyday things I do.

____I feel especially loved when a person gives me undivided attention and spends time alone with me.

____I feel especially loved by someone who brings me gifts and other tangible expressions of love.

____I feel especially loved when someone pitches in to help me, perhaps by running errands (photocopy, paying bills) or taking part on my household chores (or finishing my projects).

____ I feel especially loved when a person expresses feeling for me through physical contact.

II. Love Language Descriptions

The sequence of description is the same with the sequence of items in the quiz. Therefore if you have marked item number one as your rank 1 then you will have description 1 (a) as your primary love language. The one you rank no 2 is your secondary.

a. Words of affirmation

You have chosen words of affirmation as your primary love language. You feel loved when another person tells you that he or she values you as a person and appreciates your special way with the most ordinary tasks.

What are the kinds of words we can use to affirm them?

Warm-hearted

Optimistic

Real

Diverse

Specific

b. Quality Time

You have chosen quality time as your primary love language. You feel closest to another person when you receive focused attention.

How can we give quality time to them?

Totally focus attention

Involved in deep conversation

Move away from destruction

Engage in enjoyable activity

c. Receiving Gifts

You have chosen receiving gifts as your primary love language. Tangible expressions of love assure you that the other person is not only thinking of you, but that he or she cares enough to show it.

How significance gift is?

Gives Extra Worth

Imprints Memories

Fosters Closeness (Intimacy)

Touches Hearts

Symbolizes love

d. Acts of Service

You have chosen Acts of Service as your primary love language. You feel most loved when someone helps you carry out your responsibilities.

What kind of services can we give?

Accommodating

Caring

Teaching

Supporting

e. Physical Touch

You have chosen Physical Touch as your primary love language. You feel most loved when you literally make contact with another person. You enjoy being embraced and feeling another’s touch.

What are the forms of appropriate Physical Touch?

Tap in the back for comfort

Open arms for security

Unclenched fist for welcoming

Cool handshakes for celebration

Hugs and Kisses for Greetings

III. The Love Language of God

a. God Affirms us as the reflection of His image

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.

b. God Spends Time watching over us

Hebrews 13:5b

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

c. God gave His Son as a gift for us

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

d. God sent Jesus to serve us

Mark 10: 45

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

e. God welcomes us in His loving Arms

Isaiah 40:11

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

IV. Concluding Suggestions

a. Speak your love language

b. Learn to speak the love language of others

c. Experience the love of God everyday

My Wounded Feet

2008-08-19T12:18:00.003+08:00

Yesterday, I had the privilege to enjoy a free day tour at bali-bali beach resort. It was a great way to celebrate holiday with one of the families in the church who had their relative on vacation here in the Philippines.

While taking a break from a short snorkeling session, I was playing around with a kid. He was wearing his googles and trying to view what's on the deep . I wanted to teased him so I was moving my feet up near to place where he wanted to take a view. When he recognized my feet, I put it down and it hit a coral. It was painful and blood was starting to come out. It wasn't really that serious but it made me decide to stay away from the beach and do something else.

I didn't really feel any pain and had enjoyed the rest of the day playing around, swimming, singing and eating. Even when I got home, I still had managed to meet my cell group. Even when I was ready to sleep, I didn't feel serious pain.

However, when I woke up this morning, I felt a little pain especially when I wore my slippers and I could not walk straightly. "How much more if I'm going to wear my shoes?" I began to ask myself and concluded that it would really be painful. I started to entertain the necessity of just staying home.

I know that I have set some appointments in the counseling center and I need to be there. But I have decided to take a good rest today. I could not keep on thinking about others needs but deprive myself of my need to rest and revitalize my strength and energy. I could have forced myself to go out and meet my clients but at the end of the day, would suffer the pain of my self negligence. The truth is, I need to take good care of myself so I can give better care for others.

As I reflected upon this experience, I believe that my wound had served a divine purpose. It made me realized that to keep on becoming an effective instrument of healing, I need to take good care of my own wounds no matter how little they are. My wound on my feet was not really that serious but it made me decide to cancel my appointments for the day. Added to that, I may need to allow others to take care of my wounds if taking care of it alone would not bring out the necessary healing anymore.

I thank God for allowing this wound in my feet to teach me wonderful lessons in life. I know it's in the process of healing. Eventually its little scars would remind me to use my feet responsibly; to stay home when I shouldn't be moving around, and to move out and fulfill my purpose when God tells me to go.

A True Friend

2008-08-11T19:23:00.004+08:00

I am a relational type person. I love to be around with people, I love the thrill that I feel when I am relating with my friends and I enjoy the opportunity of meeting and connecting with new people. That's why people often see me moving around in a party or gathering.

One time I was asked if I ever had a best friend. I seemed to enjoy whomever I get around with, so may be I have a lot. But if it's best, then it couldn't be many. I think I had been through many "best friends" in my life at different times. Interestingly, the way I view friendship before in comparison to my perspective right now had changed.

When I was asked with the question, I had names in my mind, but I don't label them as best friends right now although they fall into that category basing on how we treated each other. I love to call them as my true friends. True friends because they were...

T-rue. They don't hang around with me just because they wanted to get something from me. They have been there for me in different seasons. They mean what they say and they say what they mean because they want me to grow.

R-espectful. They don't force me to do something or manipulate my emotions. They respect my boundaries and honor my decisions. We've learned to enjoy each others differences and we continue to desire that we will live out our destiny in God and fulfill His purposes for our lives.

U-nconditionally Loving. They were committed to love me despite of my weaknesses, failures and tendencies. They might not have expressed that verbally, but their presence and their willingness to listen to my stories had shown that love to me. We may have some fights and misunderstandings as human beings, but we seek to forgive and love one another.

E-difying. They build my life up through their trust and confidence on my capacities. But more than that they were committed to pray for me because they trust God to fulfill His best plans for me. Their commitment to follow God had also served as an encouragement to me. The care, the accountability and the warm company means so much to me as I move forward to follow God wholeheartedly.

I'm sure there's a lot more to describe how they had been true friends to me. I desire that I would always be true to them as the Lord helps me. I may not be the best of their friends, but I can be their true friend. They may not be my best of friends but their being "true friend" is more than enough for me. Most importantly, I will never lose sight of God as my ever true friend.

Coming of Age

2008-08-04T10:39:00.003+08:00

The baby is now a lady! This statement brings with it the excitement, the joy and the merriment of coming of age from being a girl to becoming a woman. In the Philippines, we call this celebration as "debut". When a young lady turns 18, the parents usually offer a special celebration for their former little girl. The celebration varies. With those who can afford an elaborate party, they usually have elegant celebrations in the hotels. Others, do the celebration in their own house, usually outside the house for bigger and open space. But still others, didn't have the chance to do this kind of celebration for different reasons.

As a young adult working with young people, I had many opportunities to witness the coming of age of our youth in the church and at times among the christian community here in Davao City. I could not count how many times I have been to debut parties. Sometimes, I came as an escort of the debutante, many times I was included in the list of their 18 roses. But lately, I didn't get those kind of roles anymore. Instead I would always be asked to be the host. Although being a host of a party can be challenging, I found myself enjoying it. I like the privilege of thinking creatively on how to make the celebration a meaningful and special one not just for the debutant but for everyone.

The last celebration I hosted was last saturday night. It was the debut of one of our youth in the church held at rancher's grill. It wasn't really an elaborate celebration but a simple and heartfelt one. The parents sincerely intended the celebration to be a "passage to womanhood ceremony" where the debutante's parents released her to womanhood with blessings and prayers. The celebration was centered on God. God was the star of the party because of the different testimonies on how God used the debutante to touch the lives of her friends. The debutant herself concluded the party by sharing her Bible reading for that day. It was so interesting because the original plan was to end with "party dancing" but it end up with praising to the Lord.

Indeed it was a celebration of life, love and God. The coming of age does not only pertains to the numbers but to the number of years of God's faithfulness of making life's existence meaningful and filled with purpose.

The Adventure of Letting Go

2008-08-02T00:01:00.005+08:00

It's not surprising for me anymore every time I hear a friend leaving or moving to a new place. I truly understood that each one has his or her own destiny to fulfill in life that only God clearly knows. But it doesn't mean that I am becoming immune to the unpleasant feeling of letting go of people who has been a part of my journey.

This week, I have two friends who will be moving out from Davao. The first one is a member of my cell group. I met him when he was in college and shared the gospel to him. He grew in His relationship with God and became one of our youth leaders in the church. I witness how the Lord had changed him and used him. However, the Lord had opened an opportunity for Him to work in the Middle east and he is now preparing his way to go there. I am happy for him. I know that as much as I want to keep him here so we can do ministry together, God has a better plan for him

The second one is like a brother to me. He has been my computer mentor especially with my macbook. I met him when he was in high school and did bible study with him and his friends. Although his spiritual feeding had been through his church, we still had kept in touch and had regularly updated each other's life journey. I also witnessed how the Lord had worked in his life and how he had become a blessing to others and to me. Now that he had graduated in college, he sensed the need to be trained so that he will be maximized for God's Kingdom. He will be leaving for manila on sunday to be trained in Campus Crusade for Christ where both of his parents are missionaries. I am so excited as the Lord is starting to unfold His great plans for him.

I thank the Lord for giving me opportunities to journey with these friends. I thank Him for the comfort I feel in knowing that He is there to lead us to where He wants us to go and grow. I thank Him for the adventure of letting go, the excitement of expecting the next He will do and the confidence of trusting Him so.

with me here is hesedel the one who will join CCC training

The Power of Words

2008-07-27T22:12:00.005+08:00

Words are powerful. It could bring life or it could destroy a person. It can make someone happy but it can also break one's heart. It can build up faith but it can also devastate one's confidence.

This week I had an opportunity to witness how words uttered carelessly had destroyed the winning atmosphere in a certain team. Audibly, I heard the cry of someone who felt judged, condemned and mistreated. I've seen the wall of defense building up higher and higher. The trust was broken and no one owns the blame. The seed of denial and apathy had started to sprout. The former happy and loving relationship had turned sour and unbecoming. The former crown had become a thorn. A source of anxiety, worries and stress. What has become of the relationship? What had brought it there?

For this person I met, It's simply the negative words uttered in the guise of care and concern. She expected to be understood, protected and lifted up on that desperate moment but instead she felt being stabbed leaving wounds of words like sword. What could be done to patch up things? How could a wounded heart experience healing?

If negative words had broken down the relationships, positive words would be the best tool to rebuild it. Positive words like "I'm sorry", "forgive me" and "I admit I have hurt you" have such powerful healing capacity. It can break down the walls and defenses. It can soften the heart, it can bring forgiveness and reconciliation.

This is what I've witness with the people I have journeyed with this week. Some were moved to shed tears while others exchanged warm embrace as a sign of a new beginning.

Words are indeed powerful. It can bring blessing or in can bring curse. That's why we need to choose to listen to the voice of God affirming us and assuring us of His unconditional love and best plan for us. It is only then that we are able to utter positive words for others when we are positive about our standing with God.

Be careful then what comes out from your mouth from now on.

Experience Stress Debriefing

2008-07-22T22:51:00.008+08:00

"I'm stressed out", I don't know how many times I heard this statement from different people I had conversations, with regards to their field of work. The percentage is even higher among students. I have to be honest that I have uttered this statement too.

Last semester, I was invited to conduct a workshop on stress management. In the process of preparing, I have learned valuable truths on how I have personally managed my own stressors and what else can I do to make it even better.

This semester, I was invited again to conduct the same workshop to around 1000 nursing students in one the colleges here in davao. It's a challenging opportunity to help our future nurses to apply self-care so that can give best care to their patients.

I'm excited on how the Lord is starting to open up more opportunities for personal and professional growth to extend my services not only to students but to my fellow help providers as well. This coming thursday and friday, I will be conducting stress debriefing and team building among the staff of RBI (Resources for the blind). Stress debriefing is more extensive than just conducting workshop on stress management. In stress debriefing, the participants would be able to process themselves with regards to the stressors that might have impede their complete functioning. It is necessary for those who are in the helping profession to experience supervision.

I found it highly important among missionaries too, especially those who are in a cross-cultural missions. They need to experience stress debriefing of their varied mission experiences when they go back to their home country. This is the thing that I am discovering. I am starting to conduct stress debriefing in one of our missionaries and hoping to let this opportunity be spread out.

You may contact me in the following numbers if you are interested to avail of this service. You may also refer this service to your company or to your friend. Thank you and God bless us all.

Adrian A. Bontuyan

09274853695

(082) 2271731

Wazzup?

2008-07-10T23:42:00.003+08:00

"Wazzup" is a coined filipino word. It's actually a spontaneous utterance of the phrase "what's up". It is commonly used by our youth today. It could be categorized as one of the slangs in the Filipino language.

I usually used this word whenever I start a conversation with someone may it be in a chat or in a face to face conversation. I also have a friend who usually asked me that question but he even shorten it into one syllable "zup". At least that shortens the effort of typing and utterance.

Well may be some of you might want to ask wazzup with my blog adventure? I confess that I have not updated my blog as often as before. I was caught with many things to do and I don't have enough time to write anymore. However I won't miss this time to answer the question wazzup with my counseling passion.

In my previous entry, I shared about the counseling room that I had begun to use and made-over. This week I had my first private client. It was so affirming when she commented how beautiful the atmosphere of the room was. She was so grateful of our meeting as well.

I'm so grateful how the Lord is causing my counseling career to start flourishing. I am receiving more invitations to speak on stress management. An NGO had requested me to conduct stress debriefing among their staff and workers.

I attribute all these opportunities to God as He is opening more doors for His love, peace and rest to be shared and expereinced by people through this counseling ministry He has entrusted to me. May we all experience God's peace and rest everyday as we fulfill His calling.

A Sense of Accomplishment

2008-07-04T22:51:00.005+08:00

This week was filled with excitement. I finally had met with some of my clients at the seminary. I had been reviewing the results of the psychological exams they've taken. I had been preparing how I could present to them the results so they would be aware of their strengths and weaknesses. It wasn't an easy task. Until now, I still am learning how to be a good communicator.

One of the things that gave me a sense of accomplishment this week was the progress of my project to make the counseling center more conducive for counseling. It made me excited as I exercise my creativity in utilizing the space and the facilities available. Below are the pictures we've taken today before I left the center. Hope you would give a visit sometimes. You need not go there as a client, you may go there as a friend.

I took that sofa from the library. Thanks to the generosity of Alne-our librarian.

The plants were taken from the garden outside. Thanks for the kindness of jun2x-our caretaker.

The Winning Attitude: The Pacquiao and Diaz Fight

2008-06-29T23:13:00.006+08:00

The entire Filipino people were filled with enthusiasm cheering up for Manny Pacquiao as he secured his victory over Diaz by a KO in round nine of the fight. Pacquiao had shown his boxing prowess as he consistently dominated each round. He certainly had impressed the crowd and all the people watching all over the world.

I am not really fond of watching boxing competitions but with Pacquio's fame, I could not help but cheer up as well every time he shows off his fast and hard punches right on his opponent's face. I sometimes raise my hands in victory when he wins the fight through a KO. I truly salute Manny Pacquiao.

I salute him, not only because of his undefeated records but mostly because of his winning attitude. He had come a long way from where he started in his town in Gensan. He was always positive about his fight and he always had paid the price of training, hard work and discipline.

I would say, that we need to possess the same winning attitude, if we are to be winners in our own battles in life. We need to be positive about our situation and condition. We need to be serious in our daily training of becoming stronger and better. Above all, we need to be people who diligently exercise discipline everyday.

The whole world may not cheer up on us as we celebrate our own little victories but we made a great contribution as we added the number of winners in this world. And as we do that, we are paving our way to our destiny. For God has destined us for victory.

Who is in Control?

2008-06-28T21:29:00.005+08:00

We were ready to load up things from our office to the venue of our IXTHUS GENERATION's YEAR 4 CELBRATION when the rain started to come. It seemed like every drop of rain from the sky was an added weight to my worry of what would become of our night gathering. I went out from the office looking for any signs of miracle. My thoughts were filled with pessimism. I thought of canceling the event. I wondered if there would be anyone who would still be interested to travel from where they are to the place of our celebration in the middle of that heavy rain..

I started to text people for prayer after I uttered my prayer to God. I can't keep myself from worrying. But then God reminded me of His word for us last night during our prayer time. I was internalizing the truth of His word that; " It's not by might, not by power but by the Spirit of God". I was declaring that By the Spirit of God, things would still turn out right.

The rain didn't totally stop but it had subsided a little, so we were able to load up things and transport it to the venue. Few people started to come and help us setting up the stage. After a while group of people started to crowd in the place. I was not concern of the number anymore, I was just so happy seeing them came and was excited to celebrate with us despite of the rain.

We were not able to start on time according to our plan but I realized that on God's timeframe, it was really the perfect time. In the middle of my talk around 30 students came eager and was excited to step in on what was happening. If we have really started on time, we could have been almost over when they arrived. But God wanted them to hear the word and see the video that caused them to reflect upon the reality of the weight of their own world away from God.

When I was about to sleep one of those 30 students sent me a text simply expressing her appreciation. This was the content of her message; "helo kuya dhrey, wala lng juz want 2 thank u kay, sekreto..hehe bsta salamat kuya drey...Gudnyt. Godblez". After I read that text message, I was moved to thank God for sealing in the truth that truly He is always in control. He is in control of nature. He is in control of time. He is in control of everything. Wow! I would never regret the choice I made to give Him the control over my life.

How about you? Who is control of your life? Would you be willing to give God the control? Think and ponder!

A New Beginning

2008-06-24T12:43:00.002+08:00

A week ago, my laptop crashed. It was a bad and sad experience. I lost all my files in an instant. I wanted to be angry at myself for being careless. I regretted so much for not making a backup for my files. But what could I do except to learn to live anew. I don't want to waste my time thinking about it anymore. It's time for a new beginning.

Before I burry the memory of this experience, I would not want to miss out the opportunity to learn from this school of misfortune. In fact, I would not call it as misfortune. I believed that what happened had served a purpose for my personal growth. In other words, God allowed it to happen for me to realize that my laptop had become an extension of my life. It became the source of fulfillment. It had started to take over God's place in my life. Thanks be to God for his divine intervention.

Though it's not easy for me to just let go of my old files considering the significance and importance of it to what I am doing now in my profession. I have to accept that letting go of it is not an option anymore. It was gone. It has dawned on me that truly, I could not rely on my past records. I need to wait upon God for fresh and new insights.

In reality, we always have to face a new beginning. For every chapter that ends in the pages of our life's existence, is a new beginning of a new story. For every seemingly lost memory, is a new space for creating new and exciting memories. For every time we choose to let go, we are freeing ourselves for a new adventure, new opportunities to build life, to build friendships and to build happy memories.

I am happy as God welcomes me to my new beginning!

I lost one treasure

2008-06-20T00:35:00.003+08:00

It's been a while since I haven't posted in this blog. It's not because I don't want to write anymore. Simply because of the sad fact that my laptop crashed last monday. It's still in the shop now.

Numerous thoughts came to my mind since I didn't have my laptop on my hand. It's difficult but it served it purpose. Will share more of it when I get time to write longer.

Please help me pray that I would have my laptop soon. Thanks

Beauty in the Ordinary

2008-06-12T23:04:00.003+08:00

Whenever I think of writing a new entry for my blog, I always think about something special. I want to highlight something extra ordinary, something that made my day beyond the usual.

My life this week was not so exciting. Nothing so big had taken place. It seems like everything was in a slow motion. I didn't feel bad but I didn't feel good either. I wanted to see something spectacular but things seems going round and round.

However most of the time, it's in the ordinary moments of my journey, that God reveals Himself special. It is when I don't have anything big to look forward into that I begin to look up unto Him with great expectation. It is when I look up to Him that I realized there's none in this world bigger than He is.

The richness and beauty of life is not dependent on how we feel about our performance. It can't be measured by the number of events we thought were so spectacular. It's not determined by the moments we considered as very special.

Life is richer, when we learn to find its beauty in the ordinary. Life is better when we find the way to be happy in spite of what we feel, what we hear, what see and we didn't see. Life is fuller, when we experience how God would make us feel special even if things around us were entirely ordinary.

In the Name of Love

2008-06-10T22:45:00.005+08:00

During our radio program today, one of our listeners sent a question asking us how many types of love do we have in this world. Is there such a a thing as "good love" in contrast to a "bad love"? This is synonymous to a question whether if there's such a "right love" in contrast to a "wrong love". We may think that it is a very simple question but it did cause us to ponder.

If we look around us, if we listen to the stories of people we know, we would begin to realize how many people have been wounded because of this thing called love. Many had unintentionally incurred pain and broke someone's heart in the name of love. Many had been victimized. The word love had been exploited.

On the other hand, we could not also disregard the wonderful stories of those who had found their true love. We could not help but be inspired on how two hearts had found its way to become one. We celebrate with them. Sometimes we even covet their joy and wish for our time to come. We begin to dream and visualize for our true love to come.

Considering the contrasting scenarios, we could rightly assume that love might really be divided into two. It is good for those who had experience its joy and pleasure. Consequently, it is bad for those who had been in pain and been victimized by its sweet promises that turned sour and bitter.

If we are going to believe and accept that assumption, we are only defining love in the worldly dimension. We need to go back to how our God defines love. If we read 1 Corinthians chapter 13, we would realize how good love is. Verse five says, "love is not rude". The whole chapter described love so positively that there was never a hint of badness in it.

The bottom line is this; love in itself is good. The one who got in loved goes from less than good to being bad and even to worst. That's who we are. Human! Frail and prone to fall and fail. That's why we need God's love to bring healing to our wounded hearts. We need first to receive His love so that we could be given to give away love. He is the perfect example of how to show love. He lay down His life for us, In the name of love.

The Strength of My Heart

2008-06-09T18:51:00.005+08:00

I woke up today with a very low energy. In fact I didn't want to wake up at all. Basically, it's because I stayed late last night. Knowing that today is a holiday, I didn't bother to care so much in getting ready for my monday appointments. I feel that I deserve some rest after a week of getting back to my busy schedules.

I always want to start my day right despite of how I feel. To make that happen, I make it a habit to pray, listen to music and read my bible before going out from my room to start a work and mingle with housemates.

Today's reading was very timely. It's in Psalm 73. Verse 26 had spoke right into my heart. It's an awesome declaration of God's sufficiency in my life in the midst of disappointments. It says, "my flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever".

I think my flesh is not feeling good. I felt that I woke up at the wrong side of the bed literally. But as I appropriate God's strength over me, I felt like he had revitalized my strength. I was also reminded to take good care of my body. To check on my eating habits and exercise.

Hy heart was also in limbo. I didn't feel any excitement about doing the things I should do. I don't want to go out. I want to be all by myself. But as I felt God's comfort and love, I also got my heart revived. It feels good to know that God understands how I feel, and that his love for me is never ending. It's not dependent on how I feel. It doesn't matter how many times I may fail. Truly, He is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

This day is almost over. I could have remained in my bed and missed out the opportunity to experience His strength. I could have allowed my feelings to dictate me and missed out the joy He had offered. But I thank God, for not only letting me get through the day, but for filling each moment with His power.

I would say it over and over that God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever and ever. Amen!

I Missed Her

2008-06-07T00:10:00.006+08:00

I was browsing through the folders of pictures in my multiply account when the feeling of missing Pamela had sank in. It's been more than a month since we have not seen each other face to face. I missed our time together. I missed the merriment of just being with her.

Below are the 10 most memorable scenes I treasured the most in my time with her here;

Sitting beside her during our worship time in the church.
Texting her to ask what's her plan for the day and how she felt about her appointments.
Crossing the road and seeing her confused as I moved to the danger side.
Answering her questions that moved me to deeply ponder.
Taking pictures to the places we explored together.
Watching her enjoying my stories and my simple jokes.
Visiting coffee shops and enjoy the coffee-talks.
Introducing her to the people around me; my family and friends.
Bringing her home after a day and a night of fun.
Praying with her about us and our future plans

How I wish that we could be together. But I lay it all to God in total surrender. He alone has the timetable and the power for the two of us to be together until forever.

Get High

2008-06-05T22:17:00.007+08:00

We've got a new song composition. I wrote the lyrics last night and we've put the tune this afternoon. This will be our theme song for our IXTHUS GENERATION's big night on June 27, 2008 dubbed as "Let's Get High".

GET HIGH

Lyrics by dre, music by ge-r and tom

Does your burden weigh you down?

Life's turning round and round?

You don't know what to do

Lost on where to go

II.

There’s a place where you can go

Where you can be renewed

God is waiting there for you

Are you ready now to go?

Pre-chorus

Come be filled with awe

Fill your life to overflow

Chorus:

Get high, get high with God

Receive His power from above

Get high, get high with God

Feel His comfort and love

Get High! Get High! Get High!

Bridge:

Tell everyone you know

Lead them where to go

(The lyrics above had been edited. The video below was our first attempt of trying to record the tunes. Enjoy our creativity... will post soon the video of the edited version)

Rest for My Soul

2008-06-04T13:02:00.005+08:00

Last night, I came home with a drained energy. I woke up early for a whole day leadership summit and I went home late from an invitation to facilitate a group Bible study. I wanted to sleep right away to revitalize my strength but my soul's longing to connect with God was so heavy.

I started to play worship songs and found my heart singing. I felt the intensity of my soul's desire to rest in God's presence after a day of hearing intense challenges in the leadership summit and a night of helping the youth group in facing their life challenges.

While continually enjoying the music, a phrase kept flashing in my mind, so I grabbed my Bible and searched where I have read that phrase before. It's in Psalms 32:8 where God said,"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you".

There are four action words in this passage that I was quiet sure God wanted me to be assured of; (1)He is going to instruct me, (2) he is going to teach me, (3) He is going to counsel me, and (4) He is going to watch over me.

I knew in my heart that those were the words I needed from God last night. I have a lot of things I knew I needed to do. I have a lot of plans that I wanted to pursue. On top of that, I have a number of people that I so desired to grow-to do what they need to do just like what I should suppose to do. But the truth was, last night I didn't know what to do.

But those words were so powerful. It reminded me that even if I think I didn't know what to do or even if I really don't know what to do, God surely knows what to do. I have to constantly ask for instructions. I have to always seek His direction. I need to persistently walk in His counsel. And I have to always believe that He will watch over me, go ahead of me and will fight for me.

As I laid my head to sleep, my heart was thankful to the Lord. My soul had found rest in quietness and trust to my God.

The Gift of Silence

2008-06-02T13:55:00.004+08:00

I'm in the library while writing this blog today. It's not totally silent here. I can hear the sound of the air-con. I can overhear other people's conversation. But at least there's a certain silence that makes me feel relax, peaceful and restful (it's a good place to sleep! I'm yawning now. hehe).

However, there's a kind of silence that's not dependent on the noise outside. It's an inward silence. We may call it the silence of the mind or the silence of the heart. I would want to describe my mind and heart today as silent. I don't even know if my description is right. When I thought about what to write on the blog, I could not think of anything. When I searched my heart for a magical feeling, until now my heart is still resting.

I'm not an alien to this kind of silence. But for the past three weeks, I realized that my mind was so engaged with life's twists and realities. My heart was so captivated with the differing emotions propelled by my reflections and contemplations.

I like to think that my life was in constant motion. My body was at rest but my mind is filled with notions. My blog had become my pre occupation. It makes my heart wander, sometimes far away.

But today, I started to enjoy the gift of silence. My mind is at peace. My heart is at rest. My body is relaxing.

Time to Play

2008-05-31T12:50:00.002+08:00

Its been a while since I haven't had a time to play sports. I'd been looking forward to play badminton again and experience the pleasure of moving around, smashing and dropping and simply being inside the court .

Finally, I had a chance to play again last night with my friday cell group. It was a very good break time. I was not only relieved from tensions but it also helped break down the walls of pretensions in my group. We got real when we're inside the court. We've freely expressed our excitements and dismays. We've learned to say sorry when we miss to hit the shuttle cock . We've learned to utter words of affirmation. We've shown gestures of love.

Since we only rented one court for the group, not everyone of us can play at the same time. So during my break time, I had a chance to talk with one of our group members who had been sporadic in joining our cell meetings. He used to be very reserved and avoids conversation but last night he seemed to be very open and lively. He started to share about his emotional condition. He relayed that he just broke up with his girlfriend a week ago. He wanted to get back to God and rebuild his ruined life. He felt like he lost his identity since his life started to revolved around that woman. But now he wanted it back.

I affirmed him for taking such courage to make that right decision. I've personally witness how the relationship had dragged him away from God and his family and I'm just happy to see how the Lord had answered my prayers that God will open his eyes. I'm excited on how the Lord will bring restoration and healing in his life and his family.

It wasn't my intention to turned my play time to a counseling time but I believe that God used our play time to create an atmosphere of openness so he can freely share. In fact he was thankful for that play because it helped him get through another day with excitement.

I went home still feeling the pleasure of the game but more than that I brought home with me the joy of being able to hear his story. Then I realized that the time to play was over...the time to pray had begun.

Easing the Pain of Transition

2008-05-30T11:12:00.007+08:00

We all go through a period of transition. When we change job, when we move to a new location, when we end and build new connections. Anyone could identify with the anxiety, the burden and even the pain of going through a life transition.

Yesterday, I had a close encounter with two friends who were in a relationship transition. It was a gainful experience to listen and reflect upon their pain and realizations.

The first one was my college classmate. We were in a coffee shop waiting for our classmates when I started to ask her how's the condition of her heart. She was honest enough to tell me that it's still bleeding inside. She's in deep pain when she found out that her former boyfriend had found a new one. Its been months since they ended their relationship but it seems like she's not yet over with the transition. Part of her was still hoping that someday she would gain back his love and affection.

However, she realized that she must not be dominated by her emotion. She must move on. She must help herself. She must let go and let God bring healing to her wounded heart.

The second friend's story came as a surprise to me. I didn't expect her to open up about her own experience of pain and realizations. I sent an inquiry on her messenger about the promotional materials I was making when she said that she needed to share something that God had told her to share to me. I was surprised but I told her I'm willing to listen. She shared about the pain and confusion she's experiencing after his cyber boyfriend broke up with her. She was so hurt that his boyfriend did not fight for her and just gave up the relationship because his mom didn't give her approval. She has loved him and was willing to work things out. But now it was all over

She could still feel the pain now but she had made the decision that she would not let it dictate her own happiness. The experienced taught her a lot of significant lessons. It helped her discovered what she is capable of. It drew her closer to God. It made her stronger inside and out.

This is the reality-we will go through different types of transition and each transition evokes and provokes different types of emotion. Some are less painful but others have left a deep wound. How then can we ease its pain?

Here are the things that might be helpful. You may add other principles, practices that you also find helpful. Thanks

1. Don't deny the pain. Admit the hurt. It's when we are real that we experience healing.

2. Talk to a friend. Share how you feel. It's when we learn to express that we find release.

3. Give yourself a break. Rest and go for recreation. Its when we learn to play that we would learn to laugh again.

4. Embrace the change. Let go. It's when we let go that we will find freedom.

5. Trust God. Pray and obey. Its when we learn to be dependent on God that we will find the strength to move on, face the new day with enthusiasm and live with great expectation.

A Day Without an Internet

2008-05-29T11:14:00.003+08:00

It has been two months since we had an internet connection in the house. Since then, it has been my habit to check mails,friendster, multiply and facebook in the morning. It has also been my practice to update my blogs and see if readers had posted comments. I also get excited to find out whose online in the messenger and customarily I send a warm "hi" to find out whose available to chat with.

But yesterday was a different one. For the whole day there was no internet connection. At first I thought it was only in the house but when I went to my school and to the office, I realized that it was all over Mindano and Visayas. Initially I felt bad because I'd been looking forward to do my stuffs on the net and connect with friends online. But eventually I found myself amused working offline for my next blog entry.

Aside from that, I realized that there were wonderful and meaningful things that took place that could have not come to pass if the internet was on;

1. I was able to get back to the book I was reading a month ago and started to read it again.

2. I was able to arrange my files in my laptop and got it ready for reformat.

3. I had enjoyed being with my housemates watching TV downstairs, drinking coffee, eating bread and killing the time.

4. I got a text message from a friend who had been asking for God's direction. Because the net was down he had plenty of time to listen to God. He texted me that he had just gotten the words he needed from God. He had been crying for an hour. God had spoken to Him like never before.

5. I had a great time for personal evaluation. I had a good time just being with my Savior.

This is what I realized; sometimes, God stops something into motion just because He wanted to get our attention. He wanted us to appreciate the value of the essentials. Being with yourself, enjoying friends and simply listening to Him.

The next time we would face a day of internet disconnection, may be God just wanted us to focus on our eternal connection. May be He wanted to deepen our communication with Him. May be listening is what it takes to get our life into the exact motion. May we not deprive God of our highest attention!

Making Fear not a Factor

2008-05-29T02:09:00.005+08:00

I had a chance to reconnect with one of my bible study contacts when I was still working in the campus ministry. He was just on his 2^nd year in nursing at that time and now it’s already two years since he had passed the licensure exams.

Just like most of the nurses I know, he too had wanted to work abroad specifically in the US. So to make that dream come true, right after he passed the board exams, he reenrolled in a review center to take his NCLEX. After months of review, he was finally ready to take the exams with much confidence knowing that he has given his best and he had prayed enough.

However, when he got the result, he found out that he didn’t pass. He felt bad but then he remained positive. He didn’t blame God nor blamed himself. “May be its not yet my time to pass”, that’s how he consoled himself.

With the continual support from his family, he reenrolled again for the review. He didn’t entertain any doubts that time. He didn’t want to fail again. After all it’s already his second time. So he was more relax and confident. He took the exam and patiently waited for the release of the results.

When he checked the net for the results, his tears fell down. He didn’t get it again. He was in pain but all that he could utter was “ok Lord, thank you. It was a humbling experience for him. He didn’t question God about it but he started to question himself and his competencies. “Was I that dumb? Was I overly confident?” It was easy for him to linger in pain for blaming himself but he chose to believe that everything happens for a reason.

When I asked him if he still planned to take the exams again, his answer was a positive yes. But he didn’t want to take it right now. He wanted to take a rest, reflect and recharge. He wanted to explore other possibilities in his field.

I commended him for having such positive attitude. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for him. If not for his faith in God he could have been leaving in bitterness and pessimism. If not for his family who loved him and supported him unconditionally, he could have lost his faith in himself. If not for his Christian friends who encouraged and prayed for him, he could have lost the power of His faith in God.

As I reflected upon his experience, I started to think about the people I knew who had lingered on the pain of their past failure. They became prisoners of their frustrations. They ceased to dream. They stopped to believe on their capacities. They lived in fear. I wished they were courageous as my bible contact was.

I also started to think about my way of addressing my own failures. I have to admit that I too am prone to linger on my past. I’m afraid to fail again. But I have learned not to let my fear consume me. I have decided not to make fear a factor. I always recognize the fear within but I strived to choose not to listen to it. I strived to listen to the voice of truth that brings hope, promises love and builds faith. That voice is from God. The God who promises to never leave us not forsake us, the God who plans for what’s best for us and the God who protects us that even when we walk through the valley and the shadow of death we will not be afraid because He is with us.

Becoming a Better Person

2008-05-26T20:02:00.010+08:00

Late sunday night, one of my blog readers who is also a spiritual brother of mine asked me if he could give a phone call and share some of the things he was going through lately. Since I was still very awake, I didn't hesitate to say yes right away. I gave my phone number and minutes after we were already starting our counseling session by phone.

Our conversation lasted for about an hour. I asked probing questions for me to understand the context of his situation. He was very clear what he wanted to become but he felt like he didn't know how to start the process. What he was sure and convinced of was that he needed and wanted to become a better person.

I felt the weight of his intention. He was getting tired of his inability to handle difficult situations. He wanted to gain control over the instability of his emotion. He simply wanted to be a "right person" in the eyes of his friends, family and God. But the challenge he was facing was how to start moving towards that direction.

I personally didn't have a comprehensive list to give him so he can start moving towards that direction. But as I reviewed our conversation, I realized that I did give some interesting directions. Below are some of the principles I shared with some additional explanations and personal reflections.

1. For us to a better person, we need to know our worth as a person. If we base our worth by the way people see us and treat us we would always end up in frustration. But if we base our worth by the way God sees us and loves us without condition, it will directly affect our self projection. If we will begin to see how valuable we are in God, we would also begin to based our happiness on God. Thus others misbehaviors would not become a threat to our inner happiness.

2. For us to be a better person, we need to guard our actions. Often times we don't realized that we have wounded people's heart by our careless actions and reactions to untoward situations. A simple gestures of dismay may heap up coals of fire on someone's head. If you will learn to guard your action, you would earn a pleasant reaction and you would save yourself from the hazards relational disruptions.

3. For us to be a better person, we need to understand our emotions. If we try to control our emotion without understanding first its functions we may end up in confusion. We must understand that we are emotional beings. Emotion serves a dynamic function in our life. It sends signals whether what we are experiencing is good or bad, favorable or unfavorable. There is no such good or bad emotions because emotions are natural reactions. It is how we handle our emotions that determines if it has served its good functions for our emotional and personal growth. The best way to handle our emotion is to surrender it to God in total submission. It is allowing God to fill our emotional love tank so that our hearts will overflow with love joy and thankfulness in whatever circumstances we are in.

4. For us to be a better person, we must be willing to take new directions. Let us not be prisoners of our past failures and successes but let us be always open for new opportunities, adventures and challenges. The task ahead of us may be overwhelming but we are sure that we are on the path of winning. Whether dealing with new people or dealing with old people the new way, taking a road less travelled or taking the same road with less baggages , what matters most is we are wiling to follow the direction God has set for us. God did not require perfection but faithfulness. As long as we are faithful in taking baby steps toward growth and transformation, God will surely bless our direction.

We ended our conversation with great expectation for transformation. In the end I realized that it was not only him who sensed the need to become a better person but I sensed my own need as well. May this same desire be passed on to you as you read this blog.

Crisis: A Blessing in Disguise

2008-05-25T18:09:00.004+08:00

This is the manuscript of my message today in the church. I hope this would help you in your journey with God.

oOo

I’d like to start today, with a cute story about the two frogs;

The Two Frogs

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them

fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit

was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as

dead. The

two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit

with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop,

that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took

heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down

and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again,

the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He

jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the

other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The frog explained to

them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the

entire time.

We could think of numerous lessons from this story from different perspective but one thing that I think so was astounding was the positive message it sent to those who are experiencing deficiency. It is true that our deficiency could be possibly be our salvation. Our difficulty, crisis and problems could turn to be blessing in disguise as the Lord allows it in our lives.

How would you feel if you will go through the following crisis?

1. You are a young professional who had been desperately looking for a job. You’ve given out more than 30 resumes but you have never been called for an interview.

2. You are a diligent nursing student spending sleepless nights with your summer major subject but your C.I. mercilessly gave you a failing grade.

3. You are a woman who failed to pass your CPA board

exams after months of intensive studies and reviews.

4. You are a parent who labored so hard to send your eldest son to college but found out he impregnated his girlfriend and thus he needs to stop his schooling.

5. You are a sweet lover who invested so much to his girlfriend but found out that she decided to stay single for life because she wanted to enjoy her gift of singleness.

6. You are a leader (SOL 2 graduate) who has been wanting, praying to start a cell group but could not find one or You are a Pastor who had been training your leaders to start a cell group but have not seen much results.

We can go on and on with the list of the things that could make us frustrated, exhausted and disappointed in life. We could even defend the validity of our feelings. But what do we do after we’ve gone through crisis in life? Others could be traumatized and paralyzed. Others could be discouraged and others would give up hope.

But let me tell you a story of a man in the Bible who refused to be traumatized by a night of fishing crisis. His name was Peter. His story is found in Luke 5:1-11

Luke 5:1-11

1One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a]with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down[b] the nets for a catch."

5Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."

6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

How Could a Crisis be a Blessing in disguise?

1. God allows crisis to create opportunity for us to know Him (vs. 1-3)

What was the crisis that Peter encountered?

He had not caught any on his night of fishing. For a fisherman to catch nothing means no income for the day. For a family man like Peter, that would be a difficult situation. It should be frustrating for Peter and the rest of the fishermen to be back at the water’s edge with nothing.

What could be the scene if Peter had a successful fishing that night?

Probably Peter could have been somewhere else. He could have been trading his fish or he could have been home remitting his income to his wife. He could have missed out the opportunity to listen to Jesus and experienced a life-changing encounter with Him.

What could we learn from here?

God allows crisis to come into our lives so that He can create opportunities for us to see our need of Him and thus we will seek Him. This is why we often hear people saying that I feel closer to the Lord when I have problems because that’s when I’m moved to pray and realized that I can’t do it on my own. It’s when we are in the crossroads that we need to hear God’s voice for a clear direction. It’s when we stumble and fall (sometimes literally) that we call on the name of the Lord.

Rick Warren in his book Purpose Driven Life said that the most profound and intimate experience of worship will likely be in your darkest days-when your heart is broken, when you feel abandoned, when you're out of options, when the pain is great-and when you turn to God alone. It is during suffering that we learn to pray our most authentic, heartfelt, honest-to-God prayer.

2. God takes care of our crisis as we radically obey Him (vs. 4-7)

We have read in the story that Jesus had taken care of Peter’s crisis. They were able to catch large number of fish that their nets began to break and they called for assistance from other fishermen. The provision was beyond they could imagine.

What brought that provision?

I believed it was Peter’s radical obedience to Jesus. What made it radical? Let’s see what Jesus told Peter to do, “Put out into the deep, and let down the net for a catch. This is how Peter responded, “Master we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” This is such a faith-filled statement from Peter. He could have responded with pessimism.

What could have been Peter’s Negative Responses?

a.) Jesus, I’m not being disrespectful but I think I know better about fishing than you do. This has been my work. As for you are a carpenter who happen to be a preacher now. However, I appreciate your deep concern.

b.) Jesus, I’m not intending to insult you, but don’t you know what hour of the day is it? Can’t you see the sun shining so bright? Don’t you realized how impossible for us to catch fish on daytime. However, I’m thankful for your concern.

c.) Jesus, we’ve worked so hard all night and caught nothing. I’m still in the state of frustration and I am already tired. May be we will do it another time. How about going with us tonight?

I admire Peter for such big faith on Jesus. I salute him for taking the risk of obeying Jesus without delay. I commend him for not allowing frustration to hinder him to obey the Lord. If he had not radically obeyed Jesus, he could have missed Jesus provision, he could have missed out Christ’s solution to his crisis and he could have stayed in the state of frustration.

What is Jesus telling you?

What is Jesus’ invitation for you today in relation to the crisis you are facing? Did you hear Jesus voice telling you to put out into the deep water and let down the net for a catch. Did you hear Him telling you to trust one more time? Is he telling you to let down the nets of frustration, disappointment and exhaustion and trust him to take care of it?

One Sunday afternoon while we were having our prayer in our mentoring session with my group I sensed a feeling of disappointment in me and probably in my group mates as well with our difficulty to start, sustain and let our cell group grow. Some of us who had been handling cell groups before felt like it’s not working so well. It seems like we could come up with many reasons why it didn’t work and we started to entertain fear and doubt if it still gonna work. While on prayer, God brought to my mind this passage where Peter trusted Jesus and have seen fruits of His trust. I felt Jesus was telling me and to us that let’s put out into the deep and cast down our nets for a catch.

Whatever crisis, you are facing right now, I pray that you won’t let yourself be clouded with frustration and fear to move on and trust God all the more.

3. God uses our crisis to direct us to follow Him (vs. 8-11)

What is the impact of this “crisis-solution” to the life of Peter?

The “crisis-solution” that Peter had encountered had become the turning point in his life. This was the place and time where he realized that he was a sinner and doesn’t deserve the Lord. But this was also the time when he experienced God’s forgiveness and love, discovered his purpose in life, heard and heeded to Christ’s calling to follow Him to become fisher’s of men.

What was the real blessing that Peter received?

In the real sense, according to one writer, the blessings that Peter received were not the miraculous catch of fish, but the glimpse he caught of who Jesus truly is. May be he thought it would be a blessing to catch some fish. But he found out , when he made the catch, that the Blessing wasn’t the fish. It was Jesus Himself. Peter left the fish, but He followed Jesus.

What is the implication of this truth to our lives?

This is also true with our lives. Most of our encounter with God took place in the desperate moments of our lives. We discovered who God is and what He wants us to do when we come to the point of nothingness and God miraculously provided. We begin to see how God allows critical things to happen in our lives to prepare us for something bigger and better. We take a step of faith to follow Him wherever and forever.

But it all starts by listening to God's voice, His voice of truth. We may hear other voices that would discourage us to move on and would stop us to live with hope and faith. But let us choose to listen to the voice of truth telling us we're on the winning side. Let's us not be consumed by our fear, but together let us put out into the deep with Jesus and let's cast the nets for a catch.

Conclusion

Four years ago, I was in desperate state of my my christian life. I was in the state of confusion and exhaustion not knowing what to do with my life. I know then that I needed to rest from the ministry. So I resigned from my ministry responsibility. I sought counsel and focused on my personal recovery.

During that time, working for ministry again was not an option. I wanted to try something new. But as my relationship with God is getting better, I felt like my spiritual senses were also getting better. It was at that moment that God has put a burden in my heart to serve Him by becoming an instrument for people to find healing in the Lord and enjoy their journey with Him.

For years had passed since that time, I am already a professional counselor now and had enjoyed the experience of being healed and being an instrument of healing for people. I am so thankful to the Lord for speaking to me and for leading me to the right path. I'm blessed more than I could ever imagine. Glory be to Him.

Let's open our ears to the Lord. Let's get our spiritual senses right. But more than that let's follow where He leads and we will reap the rewards of our obedience.

The Bible and Its Worth

2008-05-23T00:38:00.005+08:00

Lately, my mind was set on finishing my message for our worship this sunday that's why I could not focus on posting a new entry. I just thought of posting here the outline of the message I gave last tuesday on a youth camp. The title of this message is, "The Bible and its worth". I hope that as you read you will love the Bible more. Enjoy

Introduction:

Ang Celphone at ang Bibliya

Ang cellphone laging hawak at ipinapakita,

Ang Bible laging nakatago at ayaw ipakita.

Ang cellphone binibili kahit libo-libong halaga,

Ang Bible ayaw bilhin, kahit

isang daan ang halaga!

Ang cellphone laging pinapalitan ng case,

Ang Bible hindi man lang mabilhan ng case.

Ang cellphone ay ayaw magasgasan,_

Ang Bible hinahayaang maalikabukan.

Ang cellphone bihirang makaligtaan

kung saan iniwan,

Ang Bible madaling makaligtaan

kung saan naiwan.

Ang cellphone mahirap ipahiram, baka masira,

Ang Bible madaling ipahiram, kahit mawala.

Ang cellphone laging binabasa

kung may bagong message,

Ang Bible hindi binabasa

kaya hindi makita ang message.

Ang cellphone message masarap i-share,

Ang Bible verse nakakalimutang i-share.

Ang cellphone pinapakita ang lifestyle ng tao,

Ang Bible nagpapabago ng lifestyle ng tao.

Ang cellphone mabilis maluma,

Ang Bible hindi naluluma;

Ang cellphone message kung minsan ay late,

Ang Bible laging on time ang message.

Ang cellphone kailangan magload

para mag-message,

Ang Bible laging fully loaded ang message.

Ang cellphone ay mahalagang gamit ng tao,

pero ang Bible ay mas mahalaga

kung gagamitin ng tao.

Is the Bible worth our time?

1. BUILDS up our FAITH in GOD

Romans 10:17-”Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

I Peter 1:23-”For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”

2. INSTRUCTS us how to Live life at its BEST

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

3.BRINGS us to an INTIMACY with GOD

Psalm 119:9

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word

4.LEADS us to the RIGHT PATH

Psalm 119:108

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

5.EXAMINES our HEART’s CONDITION

Hebrews 4:12-

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Conclusion:

The Bible is number one

n literary publication and sales

It is number one in numbers of translations.

It is even number one in terms of criticisms.

But is it number one in your life?

Discussion Guide

1. Can you say that the Bible is number one in your life? Why?

2. How are you going to apply the truth you’ve learn about the Bible in your life as a young person?

When the Waiting is Over

2008-05-20T20:13:00.007+08:00

I was ready to sleep last night when my thoughts were filled with great anticipation of today's schedule. I was excited for the opportunity to speak in a youth camp on "the Bible and its worth" and I was also looking forward to celebrate with our college classmate's wedding day.

Tonight, as I'm ready to sleep again, I sensed that I'm getting introspective as I reviewed today's memories especially on my classmate's wedding celebration.

Our college days were filled with great memories. We were like brothers and sisters who love to play, laugh and enjoy each other. We were bunch of seekers, dreamers, and visionaries. We love to talk about our hopes for the future, our fears for the unknown and our faith on God.

Seven years had passed since we had stepped out from the citadel of our Alma Mater and entered into the challenging world of professionals. Within those years, so many things had transpired. A number of our classmates were already working and studying abroad. Quiet a number of them had already started their own family and are now raising their own kids while some are already anticipating for marriage proposals.

At last I finally realized that I'm not getting any younger. However, my determination to wait is still getting stronger. I know that our waiting with my girlfriend is not yet over. I believe that God is never too late nor in hurry but He's always on perfect time. My time to wait is a time for continuous shaping, building and fashioning me to be the best man for my best woman.

What a joy would it be when that time would finally come. What a wonderful privilege would it be to bring my best woman to the altar. I can now imagine her sweet smile, her beautiful face and her eyes telling me how much she loves me and waited for this day to come. I can now feel the indescribable joy of finally becoming one with her for the rest of my life. I can now hear the laughter, the cheers and the voices of those who will join us in our celebration of love and life.

I'm so glad to see the joy on my classmate's face and her husband's, as they celebrated with us this blissful moment of their lives. Their joyful and enthusiastic spirit moved me to keep hoping, praying and waiting until the Lord says,..."your time has come, your waiting is officially over!".

Loving the Unlovable

2008-05-18T23:58:00.006+08:00

My classmate in college posted a topic for discussion in our friendster group on how we are dealing with difficult people around us. I pondered for a moment before I started to encode my thoughts. This is my unedited reply to her post:

"Since i'm in the helping profession, plus ministry...i always have to deal with people and the challenge to learn to love, accept and and relate with them with welcoming heart...it's not always easy...naa kuy mga pipz nga dili ganahan pero i have to be careful how to deal with them...hehe....it's always God who gave me the grace to do it kay lisud...after all He did it to me maskin dili ko lovable gi love ko ni God.right?"

Interestingly, this was the same thought that kept coming back to my mind while listening on today's church sermon. The preacher powerfully conveyed to us that there is no way we can make God stop loving us! There's nothing we have done and we can do make God close the door for us to be welcomed into His loving arms. God's love for us is not dependent on our performance. He loves us because that's WHO HE IS.

However, it is sad how we easily passed on judgment to other people when they fail to perform according to our standard. We ought to remember that God didn't put judgment on us but He continued to love us and allowed us to enjoy His grace and mercy no matter how many times we have failed Him.

It is only when we come to realize how unlovable we are and yet God continues to love us that we are able to love the unlovable people around us. It is only when we understand the depth of God's grace that we will become gracious to others. It is only when we experience God's kindness that we will have the power to be kind to others.

It is truly difficult to love the people we labelled as unlovable. But if we will follow God as our example, then even if loving them might not be comfortable, it will surely be possible.

The Blessings of Technology

2008-05-17T23:15:00.005+08:00

I was on my way home tonight from our music practice when I got into a reflecting mode. I Started to think about the significant things that had transpired today. Thoughts were unfolding as I began to retract and reflect. I smiled as I imagine the faces of those I had in contact with. I could clearly recall the voice, the laughter and the different tone of conversation I had with them.

My heart then began to thank the Lord for this beautiful day when suddenly it dawned on me that this day could have been dull without the amazing blessings of technology. And so I would not want to end this day without counting the ways I felt blessed with how technology had better my day.

(1)Today marked the two-month official relationship I had with Pam. I have accepted the fact the we can not celebrate special moments like this together. It could have been difficult for us, but because of yahoo messenger and skypes we have kept our communication opened. We are grateful for this wonderful technology. It gave us alternative way of still enjoying this occasion even if we're away from each other.

(2)I needed some information for a business plan I got involve with lately. It could have been difficult to get the information right away without the help of my celphone and the availability of our new telephone (part of the package of our DSL connection). Two thumps up for the ingenuity of this package connection.

(3)Our team member who does our powerpoint, was not able to come to the music practice tonight because she needed to finish a financial report at home. If not through yahoo messengers and e-mails, it could have been difficult to exchange files of songs from the office. I could have end up doing the powerpoint myself but thanks be to the technology for saving me.

(4)Tonight was the first practice that our team mate Zara (the who left for a job in Manila) was not around. When I arrived in the office, I already heard one phone ringing. It was Zara, informing everyone that she misses us a lot. Thanks for the unlimited calls provided by sun cellular network that keeps us connected across distance.

(5) My friend who works abroad and has been my avid chat mate and enthusiastic blog reader sent a usual "hi" in my messenger. We didn't chat much because I was preparing something for our music practice. He asked me to write a new post for my blog. His request pushed me to be in a reflective mood tonight. Interesting how a simple "hi" in my messenger had moved me to begin to appreciate my day this way.

Enjoy the blessings of technology everyday

But be careful not to make it the center of your day.

Remember that God made this as a creative way

So that we can bless others even if they are far away!

A Letter from Miss Desperately Confused

2008-05-16T12:21:00.007+08:00

Hi everyone, one of the things I love to do during the week is to co-host with Pastor Love in his Young Lives program at DXFE . Yesterday, we received a letter from one of our listeners. The sender described herself helpless in her desperately confusing situation.

This once again had shown us how our world is in desperate need of people who are willing to listen and journey with them in the desperate moments of their lives.

Below is a copy of her letter.

oOo

Dear Pastor Love,

Thank God for you program that encourages a lot of people especially the young people like me.

I am writing because I need your advice about my situation.Ganito kase yon.

May boyfriend ako na nagwork sa ibang bansa. During his visit nagawa namin ang hindi dapat.

.Nong naka alis na sya I discovered na nagdadalang tao ako. Nong nalaman nga mga magulang ko

galit na galit sila sa akin. At feeling ko nga wala silang paki sa akin.NOw, It so happened that

i'm working in a company that uphold a high standard of values and my pregnancy without a husband

could be a ground of my termination from my job. Ayaw ko po talagang matanggal sa trabaho ko.

Because of this nag agree kami ng boyfriend that they will

produce Merriage Certificate by getting married in another place and since nandoon sya sa labas

at next year pa uuwi, we plan to ask someone to stand on his hehalf (marriage by proxy).

Hindi ito alam ng both parents namin.

I'm asking a friend to facilitate this plan on my behalf. Medyo hindi pabor ang friend ko dahil mali daw

Pastor Love heto ang mga questions,Tama ba itong gagawin ko? IS THERE SUCH MARRIAGE BY PROXY?

WHAT WOULD BE THE POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCE OF THIS ACT? Ayaw kong matanggal sa aking trabaho.

PLEASE ADVICE ME.

sincerely,

MISS DESPERATELY CONFUSED.

I hope by reading and reflecting through this letter, your eyes will be open so you would see the desperate need of people around you. And I pray that your heart will also be open to welcome others to help you in your own desperate moments.

Feel free to share your views about her problem. God bless us all always!

Come As You Are

2008-05-15T14:17:00.010+08:00

I didn't know what to write lately. Probably I'm waiting for an inspiration. I came across my song composition and I thought it would be interesting to post it here. The title is "come as you are". This song talks about God's invitation for us to come to Him. He welcomes us just as we are! This was our theme song in IXTHUS GENERATION (our youth movement) when we used to meet regularly. I hope this will help you be drawn closer to God and enjoy his forgiveness and grace once more. But more than that I pray that you will be a door for others to come to the loving arms of our God. God alone can bring real joy to our soul.

oOo

Come As You Are

Though I don’t know

Where I’m going now

Life seemed so far

To where I desire

Unsure if I’m still welcome

To enjoy Your precious time

chorus

Come as you are

A voice of welcome in Your arms

Though I haven’t lived Your way

You’ve never drove me away

Come as you are

I need not pretend I’m good

I just have to let You mold

My whole life into Your call

I may never be

Others want me to be

The world may hate me

Because of my faith

I’m sure I’m still welcome

To enjoy Your precious time

Bridge:

Take all of me

And let me be

A door for them

To come to You

A Startling Reality

2008-05-13T23:07:00.007+08:00

I was watching my favorite TV show when my housemate arrived in a state of sorrow. I didn't pay much attention because I was trying to relax and enjoy the show. After all, whatever he might be going through, I'm sure we could talk about it tomorrow.

However, his first statement was so startling; "naa kuy nalabyan nadung-gaban nga bata kuy, diha lang sa gawas. Nagtawag naku ug 911" (I passed by a child who was stabbed outside. I already called 911). He then continued to describe the incident with deep dismay and sympathy for the innocent child's deadly condition. I looked at him and I started to listen.

Upon hearing the siren of 911 coming, he went outside to see how things were going. When he saw the crowd of people coming and the police who were rescuing, he then went home with a tone of sadness in his voice and a trace of disappointment in his face.

I felt guilty that I didn't show the full intensity of my concern and care for what he was sharing. So I offered him a cup of coffee and I had a chance to let him share his feeling and reflection on what he had just seen. We ended up realizing that both of us were fearful of not knowing what to do when faced with a fatal situation like that. Not that we are not willing to help, but we just don't know how to help. However I commend him for his genuine initiative to call 911 for the rescue. He could have just shrug his shoulders and wish for others to do it.

It saddened us to reflect on the reality of what's happening outside our own safe world. What we have seen portrayed on the movies before, what we've read and heard on the headlines everyday had taken place right before the eyes of my housemate 10 steps away from home.

We didn't have a chance to follow up on the child's condition. We only hope and pray that he can still recover. However, the incident had given us a new sense of mission to start in deliberately engaging on what's beyond our comfort zone. It made us realized that truly, it's not just enough to talk and pray for blessings and protection.We need to begin to act upon our christian profession-to show love in action!

I may have missed to completely enjoy my favorite show tonight, but I'm glad that I didn't miss the opportunity to show love to my own housemate. A cup of coffee, a listening ear and an open heart-these are what it take for a start!

Surrendering to the Perfect Matchmaker

2008-05-12T22:39:00.009+08:00

I had heard one person commented that men find their confidence by the number of women they have persuaded to say "yes" to a relationship while women find their confidence by the number of men they have turned down with a strong "no".

Though that's not entirely true, I had seen the painful bruise and injuries it inflicted to those who had taken love and relationship carelessly. In fact I had my own share of pain and failures in my past relationships.

However, I'm amazed on how the Lord spared me from the danger of my own endeavor. I thought I was strong enough to stand for what is right and to treat women right. I thought I was man enough to know how to love and to receive love. I thought I was wise enough to decide for the right time and the right one. But I realized that I was too proud to admit that I was not ready. I felt too good to be corrected until He took away what I had invested and made my heart restless.

I came to the Lord empty-handed. I felt my life was pounded. I had nothing left for me to be still proud of. I had nothing to offer Him than a heart that's surrendered. Oh what good it was to hear that that's all He ever wanted. He quietly wanted me to leave a totally surrendered life specifically in the aspect of love and relationship.

The new seeds of trust for God and for myself had started to grow. All I ever wanted was to keep it grow. All I ever desired was to be satisfied with His love. In fact, I had come to the point that I was willing to stay single if God wanted me to be. Nevertheless I had great confidence that He will be the one to work out things for me and to bring the best and right woman for me.

Thankfully, God did honor my confidence in Him. He graciously gifted me with an inside and out beautiful woman, who loves me in return. We both had seen the traces of God's hands in bringing us together and we believe that we will continue to see His hands moving for us to be together forever. We both can testify too how the Lord would greatly reward those who live their lives in total surrender to our perfect Matchmaker.

If you want to boost your confidence level, remember that you can't get it from a any woman or any man. if you attempt to get it from them , you might regret how sad your love story may end. There's only one who can make your life better, there's only one who can make your heart happier, there's only one who can make your paths clearer to a relationship that's purer, lovelier and life-booster. He is our perfect matchmaker! Come now to Him in total surrender.

The Art of Letting Go

2008-05-12T10:58:00.012+08:00

People come and people go! This is a universal reality about people. No matter how much we want them to stay, no matter how much we love to continue the play, no matter how hardly we pray, we can never block their way.

It is not always easy to accept this reality. We always want to keep people especially those we love. There's always a sobering pain when our close friends, our family and dear ones would be away from us. But believe me, those are normal emotions resulting from our developed attachment to the person.

Attachment is so powerful that even if your relationship didn't have a happy ending, you would still treasure the happy beginning. In your mind you know that the person is not worth keeping but in your heart you still want to enjoy the feeling. However, there should be a time of releasing. We must learn to let go of the pain, let go of the person if necessary and start believing, moving and embracing a new beginning.

There is a kind of releasing that keeps life appealing. It is releasing the person who leaves, with our full blessings. It is allowing the person to keep on exploring. It is to keep believing that God will fill both of our hearts' longings and bless both our coming and our going.

After all we all belong to God and He makes it sure that just in time, we are in the right place with the right people. We may hardly pray for people to stay but still God has the final say.

oOo

This is my reflection when we did a farewell party for Zara, our team mate in the music ministry.

My Mom Taught me How to Fly

2008-05-11T20:57:00.000+08:00

Today, we celebrated mother's day in our church. Four of us were asked to share our reflections on how our mothers have influenced our lives. Below is a copy of my personal reflection.

oOo

I grew up in a mountainous area of Sta. Cruz Davao del Sur. I was raised in a family wherein our lives revolve around church community. Early in life my parents especially my mother have inculcated to me the importance of church, the Bible and faith on God. I believed that my mother's persistence in bringing us to the church has contributed a lot to what I am right now and to my commitment to serve the church.

I also believed that her loving care has touch my life so much that I'm always drawn to people who are caring and that I want my life to be characterized with genuine concern and care for people.

I admire too the inner strength of my mother. She has been through tough times in her relationship with my father, but she remained faithful and strong. We've been through tough times as a family as well, but we always rise up because she refused to give up. She and my father have sacrificed so much so that we could have the education we need- the thing that they were deprived of during their time.

In conclusion, I would say that my mother is like a hen that protects her little chicks from its prey, keep them warm, fed them and teach them to scratch for food and train them to spread their wings so they can fly to their tree of shelter and to where they can explore further.

I thank my mom for teaching me how to fly. If not, I would have not been here.

Happy mothers day everyone!

When Opportunity Knocks

2008-05-09T23:24:00.000+08:00

I was in deep sleep when suddenly I was awaken by the sound of the telephone ringing downstairs. I tried to ignore the call because I didn't want to get up from my bed yet. I was also hoping that at least one of my housemates was still around and would answer the phone . But the ringing didn't stop, so I force myself to get up, get down and pick up the phone. I said hello in a monotonous voice but the voice on the other line seems familiar. It was my brother from Cebu City. I was surprised by his call because he didn't even know our house number. I was more worried than excited when I realized that it was him. It wasn't that I didn't want him to call, it was because when he calls, he would either inform me that he is in trouble or he needs me to do some errands for him. I wasn't ready then to entertain either of my two assumptions.

However, I was still so polite to ask him how he was and what could I do for him. To that he responded with openness. He started to share his encounter with God last night. He has been asking for my prayer and opinion regarding his job preference. He prayed for a job here in Davao so he could establish his spiritual vitality. God then opened the door for him. However he was still in confusion because he was clouded with big opportunities in Cebu. I told him once that he has to make it sure if those were really opportunities from the Lord. That could be a trap from Satan. In all our previous conversations I made it clear that I can never decide for him. I can only pray that he would hear God's voice, obey God's will, and follow God's direction.

Amazingly, God did met him last night in his Bible reading. In his tone, he sounded positive, convinced and confident of God's direction. The confusion was gone because he had his truth encounter. Finally, he would be coming back here in Davao soon.

As I listened to him, my heart was leaping with joy because in my heart I want my brother to be here. But more than that, I am excited on how the Lord would continue to cause him to hear His voice, believe on His provision and walk in His direction.

My drowsiness then was over. I was ready to face the day with enthusiasm. I think if I didn't force myself to answer the phone I could have missed the chance to hear and share with my brother's reveling of God's goodness. I could have missed the opportunity to receive the amazing reward of soul-care giving.

So when your phone rings in the time you less expect it, make your best not to care less. Sometimes opportunities knock not in the time we expect it, not in the place we want it to take place and not through the people we imagine could best give it.

Care for a Wounded Brother

2008-05-08T21:22:00.004+08:00

I have been fighting for wellness lately. I hate to be sick but my body could not perform what my will dictates. I have to pamper myself with extra sleep and cancel some appointments. I planned to just stay home today, but the more hours I spent at home the more idle and sickly I became. So I decided that I am going to go out and make my day productive.

Since part of my schedule was to join the live broadcast of "young lives" at DXFE, I went there with great expectancy. It would be another opportunity to exercise soul-care on air. The program is designed to give opportunities for the listeners to share their problems, ask for advices and request for prayers through text messages, web messenger and telephone calls. This is hosted by Pastor Alan Bacus known as "Pastor Love" (Christian version of Dr. Love). He was given that name because the issues raised by the listeners revolve mostly around love and relationships.

There were many interesting and hard issues shared in todays episode. But the one that really moved my heart was the text message of a younger brother who was deeply concerned about his older step brother's traumatic condition. He relayed that when his brother was nine years old, his father was murdered right before his eyes. His brother now is already 24 years old but have not been happy of his existence. He hated life, people and probably God.

I sensed the inner desire of the younger brother to help his older brother but he feels helpless about the situation. He feels the pain and desperation as he sees his brother's traumatic condition. He is seeking, looking and praying for the right solution.

I sounded like I know what the solution is but in the real sense I know it's going to be hard. I wished there were people who helped him process his emotion. I wished there were people who assured him that his reaction was a normal reaction to an abnormal situation. I wished there were people who could have journeyed with him towards wholistic transformation.

I felt the intensity of his pain but I also felt the hope springing up from my heart when I reflected upon the deep love of his younger brother. We could never underestimate the power of one soul caregiver to facilitate healing to a wounded brother. It may not be today, but who knows it could be tomorrow? We just have to keep loving, hoping and believing that our Almighty Soul-care giver is always and forever be our Healer.

I made the right choice to step out from the house today. After all, my little body pain is not worth comparing to the pain of those who listened to us on air today. My day then was totally productive. I would say that I had a soul-care experience on air that left an indelible mark of my existence.

Love Across the Distance

2008-05-07T12:10:00.000+08:00

Today, I had a nice chat with my friend who is also a fellow help provider. I told her about my new found adventure in the blogging arena. She just commented, "maayo [that's good]". I was expecting her to keep up with my excitement but instead she started to ask questions about my LDR (Long Distance Relationship). That was exciting too but that was not the thing I wanted to talk about at that time. Nevertheless, I entertained her point of interest and poignantly told her that she's back in Canada now. That's when she started to share how difficult it is to maintain a long distance relationship because she is currently into it.

"You're not scaring me, are you?", I calmly commented on the messenger. She actually was ready to type a disclaimer that she's not scaring me. She was just trying to prepare me. She then shared her experiences and gave some advices on how I could keep the woman assured that I still love her and she still the one. I ended up pressing her to share more. It was evident in her descriptions that it was indeed difficult. But I admired her strength to honestly admit it wasn't easy.

"Yes, it's not going to be easy. I have a lot of hard works to do." that's what I told myself. But wait, isn't it that more than our hard work, God's work would ultimately bring us to our destiny? I'm not trying to minimize the importance of my role to make the relationship work. I'm just trying to highlight God's role in making the relationship works regardless of distance. I'm not implying that It's not going to be difficult for us, I'm declaring that no matter how difficult may it be, because we believe it's God who brought us together we would endure it together with Him.

The challenge now is striking the balance between my faith and my work. I think I already have enough faith on this matter. What I really need is to be generous of myself to demonstrate love, to practice honesty and to live with expectancy of knowing her more,discovering her being and appreciating her beauty inside and out.

We ended our chat with the exchange of "thank you" and "goodbye". My heart was filled with joy because someone who has been in the race ahead of me was willing to share her experience not only because she wanted me to learn from it but also because she sees me as someone who can identify with it and understands her journey.

I am convinced, It feels good to do soul-care but it even feels good to receive care for your soul. I just had one. I hope you will have yours as well. Practice mutual soul-care today!

The Cry of the Soul

2008-05-06T18:59:00.000+08:00

I had been planning to start my own blog several times but I had difficulty starting since I didn't know what I wanted to write about. Finally I have this blog now!

The name was inspired by my desire to be a part of God's mission in soul caregiving. In fact, my soul is a recipient of His loving care everyday. The desire then was strengthened with my experiences in the field of counseling both when I was still a student and now that I am so called a professional counselor.

During my practicum in my MA in Counseling, I had many opportunities to be with people whose soul were shattered; young and old, male and female, rich and poor. They share the same need, they feel the same pain, they shout the same cry! They need our care!

As a neophyte in the field of helping profession, I desire that the many unheard cries of the lethally wounded souls will be heard, and that they will receive care and experience healing. I am not dreaming of a perfect world, I only dream that people would learn to care even with the least of his/her fellow.

I hope that through this blog, my cry, their cry and your cry will be heard!

And that shouts of joy will echo wherever we go!