Happy new year everyone!

I just wanted to thank you guys for following my blog and commenting once in a while. You’ve been a big, big encouragement to me! I praise God that He has enabled me to bless people through this site. Indeed His plans are great! And I enjoy blogging a lot! Thank you for all your kind words, your thoughts and your support!

Thank you for 2009! Excited for 2010!

Looking forward

I’m very excited towards the year 2010! It has been great having you guys last year but it’s exciting what can happen on the days, months and years to come! I’m so glad to have known you and to have you share your thoughts here in my site or as my Facebook contact or wherever. I’m so blessed to know you guys! Thank you!

You know who you are

I’ve developed great relationships in this blog. I got to know people more and I got to bless a lot of lives in teaching and imparting wisdom. My thanks to Dani Payawal, Anj Bargan, Austin Takahashi (my disciple), Kim Manalili, Charles Chan, Lean Sze (my best friend), Geosh Ngan (Kapitbahay!), Vince Chang (Pinsan!), Joel Fresco, Zack Martinez and to many others!!! You all know who you are and you know you’ve been such an encouragement to me. May God bless you more and may you always love wisdom. Always be humble enough to learn from other people. Always put God first in your life!

There’s a new “Show Top Commenters” spot on the sidebar. Frequent commenters who are REGISTERED with intenseDebate will have their names there. Please do register as an intenseDebater to be featured there!

Vision to reach out

I hope and pray that this blog will be the output of the learnings I go through in my life. I hope and pray that people will get to see and read the entries here so that they would know these things and may it help them in their walk with God and in their lives. Pray for me. May I be steadfast in my beliefs, may I be wise in my ways, may I be humble and may I always have my focus on God.

Thank you!

Thank you, everyone! You have made this blog worth writing! It’s where God allows me to preach even if I’m not a pastor. It’s where I’m free to share my opinions and beliefs to the world. It’s my testimony. It’s my blessing from Him. It’s my blessing to you. Thank you so much!

By: Austin Takahashi

If you’ve ever ridden a jeepney before in your life, I believe you’d recognize the spot behind the passenger’s seat of a jeepney. It’s where a person with a large baggage would usually sit so other passengers wouldn’t have a hard time getting off of the vehicle.

Pinoy Jeepney

There was a woman, probably in her mid-20’s, who was wearing a pink shirt. She was average-looking: dark-skinned, not to tall, you know, the usual. Next to her was this dude who was a bit younger. He was wearing fashionable clothes and was good-looking. For about 20 minutes, the guy wouldn’t stop sneezing.

I noticed that the woman was looking for something in her bag. She got a small pack of tissue and offered some to the guy to help him with his cold. The guy whispered “No, thank you” without even looking at her. The lady puts the pack of tissues back in her bag and minds her own business.

I know that story isn’t even close to the story of “The Good Samaritan”, but from that incident, I was able to discover some things about myself. You see, I like to look at strangers and “analyze” them when I’m by myself in public. Mostly, I do this to make myself feel better by simply choosing to see what’s negative about them.

By seeing someone else’s faults I forget about mine. When I see someone smoking, I feel holy because I don’t smoke. When I see a classmate’s test score that’s lower than mine, I am relieved knowing I am not the worst. When I turn on the news and hear of a person murdering his family, I feel that I am a good person because I don’t commit murder.

And then I realize that when I just focus on all the bad stuff in this world, I lose faith in transformation, and I get that, “What’s the point?” feeling. Seeing that woman do that selfless act of kindness made me see that my problem isn’t with people, it’s with my own point of view and how I choose to use them.

I have been looking at people through my sinful, imperfect eyes that are full of pride and judgment, when I know that I should be looking at people through the eyes of God: full of grace and love. My eyes have caused me to deceive myself and develop a hate for people by simply taking a look at them – how they act, talk, think, feel and otherwise.

However, the eyes of God see flaws with love and compassion. And those who choose to live through His Word, through His perspective of people. Through His eyes we’ll see people that are blinded by sin and are in need of a Savior who can take it away. Pride is a dangerous thing. A proud person is so busy at looking at those below him, he fails to see who’s above him. So if you’ve never ridden a good, old-fashioned, Filipino jeepney, try it – it may do you some good.

Christianity –what comes into your mind when you hear the word? What is Christianity for you? For the world today, Christianity is a religion. A set of rules and traditions that teaches how to get to heaven, or at least how not to go to hell. Christianity has become a religion that is feared and at the same time looked down upon by people because of the long set of rules they think they have to mindlessly follow and because most of the people who call themselves Christians aren’t showing the grace we should be showing. Instead, Christians are either self-righteous or disobedient to what the Bible says.

A lot of people don’t care what it is because they don’t see it in the lives of the people who call themselves “Christians” the evidence of being who they profess they are. Why become a Christian when there’s no seeming difference anyway?

Sometimes we make Christianity as simple as the way we think we can go to heaven. Well, let me tell you that it’s not. It is not even a set of rules and traditions we have to follow. It is a relationship with God. A relationship with someone whom you confessed to be your “Lord” and your “Savior”. Many people confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior but don’t act like they have a Lord at all.

When you call someone your “Lord” it is only logical that you obey what that person says. Now if you only fear that person you call “Lord” just for the heck of calling him your “Lord”, then you will only obey him to the extent that you think he will see you or find out. But if you can get away with it, then you’ll try to slip by.

But when you confess Him as your “Lord” from your heart – meaning you really mean it because you love Him, then you will obey even in the little things you think you can get away with.

Christianity is a relationship. It’s not a set of rules you have to follow. It isn’t ruled by fear but by love. If you really love God, you will obey. If you only fear Him, chances are you will compromise and try to get away with the little things you think won’t matter.

How does a relationship grow? Through communication. How does God communicate with you? Through His Word. How do you communicate with God? Through prayer. Read your Bible and Pray everyday. It’s cliché I know, but it’s the only way you will grow in your relationship with God.

Christianity was never about how to get to heaven or how to avoid hell. It’s a relationship with God. See the difference?

“There is wisdom in silence.” I love to say that to talkative people. It is a very good advice – even to people who are good communicators. There will always be a flaw in our way of speaking not because knowledge is flawed in itself but because our attitude and pride defiles the output of our knowledge as we convert it outwardly - it sometimes turn into cunning and slyness instead of wisdom.

There are some things better left unsaid
Some things better left unknown

The Knowledge Option

Maybe that’s why God didn’t want us to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil because He knows that we can’t know it all. Some things will harm us or at least cause more harm than good. God in His awesome Glory spoke through the prophets something that boggled my mind. He said “…it didn’t even enter my thoughts…” he said that about human sacrifice – the sacrificing of babies to wooden idols they call “gods”

In life, this can be also true. There are some things that when you start to know, it will bother you and slowly eat you up, especially when you let yourself dwell in it. When you start to think about it. Those things are dangerous to know. They work like poison in the mind. And even worse than poison, they make you change your point of view to a worse direction. There are things better left unknown.

Why do we always want to try to know everything. Is it because we want to glorify God? Because of curiosity? Because of pride – wanting to know more than others so you can brag about it? Or just because…? Knowing everything is not important. It is how you apply and use what you know – in wisdom for God’s glory.

It is a Discipline

Some things are better left unsaid – that is taken for granted by our generation today. Especially the “Emotional” people. They tend to voice out what they want to, either in action or in words. We tend to say the things we want to say because it “feels” good. But emotions are fleeting, and you will be accountable of every word you say.

Controlling your tongue isn’t an easy thing to do. It might even be the hardest discipline you can apply to your life – but it is a discipline that people will respect. It is something that will help you through in life. Know when to speak, know when to let other people know and know when to be silent and hold your tongue.

Even people in church have a problem with this. Even I have a problem with this. We all fall and fail. We have to manage our disciplines in life. This is one of the disciplines that I know will help me through. I know it’s true for me. And it will most probably be true for you too.

Maybe you’re wondering “What the heck does stumble on God mean? We can never stumble on God…” Can we? It means exactly that.

(Note: This story is told in my personal version to make it easy for readers to understand)

There was a time in history when John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod. And John told his disciples to ask Jesus: “If you are indeed the One, then what am I doing here in prison?” What John is saying is: “If you are indeed the Messiah, then why don’t you get me out of prison? I’m doing everything for you! Can’t you see that? I can do more when I’m free from here so get me out!”

So they did – they went to Jesus to ask this question.

What Jesus answered shook me in my thoughts

Jesus said: “The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the gospel preached to them. Blessed is He who does not fall away on account of me.”

What Jesus is clearly telling John is: Do you not see, John? I HAVE THE POWER. I HAVE THE AUTHORITY. DO NOT STUMBLE ON ME!

Sometimes we think about why God allows things to happen in our life. It doesn’t seem to make sense. We love Him, we put our lives in Him, we praise Him, yet why are we in the positions we are in? Why are we sometimes held in the prison of trials and problems?

We forget that God is God.
We ask Him, are you who you claim to be? Because if you are, why am I here? Why is this problem happening to me? Why all this crap in my life?
We lose faith and trust in Him. And we stumble on God whenever He let’s us go through some troubles for Him to shape our character. Hopes and dreams will be shattered and dashed to pieces. Faith and trust will be shaken. Precious things in life will be taken away. But don’t ever think that God has forgotten your situation even in a moment.

God has a perfect purpose and plan for you. And if you know and accept that completely, then you will trust Him 100% no matter how painfully, devastatingly, excruciatingly hard it is for you.

Up to the last moment of our breaths, our character is being changed. The way you will die and the moment your soul is detached from your body – it’s all in God’s mind. Your character will never stop being refined by God. He wants your character to be stretched as far as He know it can go.

My special thanks to Ravi Zacharias’ podcast “Mind the gap”

I believe that a person is made up of beliefs. Everything that a person is, is built from his beliefs. Everything he says or do is rooted on his beliefs. A person is built on his beliefs.

There are people who believe very awkward things, such as superstitions, or maybe traditions or feng shui or even religion. Even atheists believe something, they believe that God doesn’t exist. We are creatures of belief. It is part of us. Beliefs are an essential part of our lives. For example, I believe that God can still use dreams to communicate with us, why? Because the Bible says (He says) that He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. And the methods that He used before, I believe He can still use today. Although some people don’t believe that, even pastors, and I respect them.

And isn’t it wonderful how we as people sometimes cling to beliefs as much as to die for them, and isn’t it a mystery that some people change their beliefs in a blink of an eye. There are just different kinds of people, different kinds of beliefs – but we as humans are all designed to believe.

There’s a reason for that, as everything holds reason. A world without beliefs is a broken world, a marred one. Where there are no stories, no conviction, nothing. Without the power to believe, we humans will be moving in a world where nothing will ever happen. Everything in this world is changed by beliefs.

Now think about it, we humans are creatures of believing, but what if we can already see the future? God can see the future. Do you think God can believe?

Let me tell you what I think. I think God believes. That’s why Jesus Christ died for you. Because God believes in you. He believes in the change you can effect in this world. He believes you are significant. He doesn’t only believe, He believes it wholly, whitout a doubt. He is assured of it. He KNOWS it.

And He also knows that we will all sin and fall, He knows that we WILL hurt him. But even then, He loved us. He died for us while we were still sinners. And He knows that we will keep on sinning, but He believed in us.

Everything in this universe is built on believing.

God believes in you, so why shouldn’t you believe in yourself?

A repost from my multiply site
It was September 24, 2008  as I went home on the bus, tired from school as usual, my thoughts swirled around what I was talking about earlier at campus with my friend. We saw this person who was physically impaired. I mean, that person was really impaired! And that person that suffered from an abnormality really woke up pity in my heart. But not too long after as I was still walking with my friend, he started telling me how he would hate to be born into this world we now live in with a physical condition like that.
He explicitly told me that if ever he would have a child born with that abnormality, he would rather not have that child. And what he said really had me thinking.

It’s really tough being born unlike all the others – especially physically. Anyone around you can easily pick on you and call you names and other demoralizing and hurtful words. Even behind your back, sometimes it matters to us as human beings.

Looking at this person and his/her life (I use his/her because do not wish to reveal even the sex of the person) I was really encouraged and blessed by how this person perseveres with his/her studies and life. I even think that that person’s life is better off than most of the people I know, even myself at times. Why? Honestly I have no idea what gives that person the will and courage to persevere but I would think that it would very much have something to do with the way that person perceives things.

And how about us? We are in this good condition and in the right side of sanity, but when I see some of the people I know, their lives are more messed up than this physically impaired person. How and why is that? Well I think it’s all a matter of how we see things as human beings. I’ve learned a lot about point of view and decisions, and those two things make up most of our lives and mold us into who we are today. (I will tackle the third thing that make up ourselves – which I believe, is Belief – on another blog post)

Problems only become problems when we think negatively of our responsibilities as human beings and as roleplayers in the events of our lives. And this struck me, because lately I had a very negative mindset about almost everything! And I was having “Problems” here and there, or at least I thought I had – until I looked at it from another point of view. A BIGGER point of view… A person who believes in God – a Christian’s point of view.

And I thought, “Hey, if there would be problems in this life, why am I not giving it to the one who knows how to solve all the problems that the universe can muster?” I was making all the little problems I had bigger because I put God out of the picture. Then I realized – God will make your problems smaller because He is God and He created everything. Problem is, we oftentimes shrug Him aside and we want to handle all the problems on our own. We never even tend to think about God anymore. And for several reasons too – it might be because we hear how our friends or other people solved a problem similar to yours and you think “Maybe I ought to just do what he did…”

Problem is, your friend is also just as problematic as you and he is just as human as you are. So the solutions that we can make can only be so good. But God’s solution will always be the best.

From now on, when I have problems, I will ALWAYS turn to God first and then react within God’s parameters. If that person can face his/her problems (physical or not) with astounding perseverance, how much more you and I? We who are blessed with good and healthy bodies?

That person reminded me of a priceless thought in life and he/she does not even know how his/her imperfection have greatly influenced a person like me. People will be people no matter how imperfect they are, and God will use them no matter how they look like, how they feel or who they are.

“Little things matter a lot, particularly when people are suffering.” - L.E. Modesitt Jr. (My favorite fantasy fiction writer next to Tolkien)

Persevere through the troubles, you have a BIG God behind you!

I’m one who loves fantasy stories. My favourite Bible stories are those of a supernatural account. My favourite movies are the Lord of the rings trilogy and Stardust. I love reading books about fantasy and fiction. All in all, I’m one heck of a fantasy guy.

Was reading an article in time magazine entitled “Moon Walkers” and it talked about men who’ve been on the moon. They had different experiences in their space travels and in their time being on the moon and exploring its physique. These men have been to a place other than Earth. In all of history, they’ve never imagined of attaining such a feat. But now something which used to be impossible has been achieved.

Going to the moon used to be a fantasy. And in the minds of these men, they’ve done something which only was possible in the fantasy of their lives. The article then talks of what happened when they got back. And they explained about how they shot up in fame, getting movie directors make a film about them and their lives and their adventures. But back on Earth, they realized, “What am I doing here?”

They were back from their place of fantasy. They were back in reality. In Earth, where you have to work for money, where you have to eat to live, where there are other people who don’t know you, who don’t care, where fun is temporary and where everything is always busy. They were back here on Earth and that’s the first question that shot up in their minds.

Made me think: What if… What if we were like them. We achieved the fantasy of our lives. We got to where we wanted to be. I don’t care if it’s real or not. But then, even after we have achieved it and have come to the place we wanted to be, wouldn’t we, sooner or later go back to reality? At least to the reality of age and death?

It’s a sad thing, to see the picture of Neil Armstrong when he was young and strong and had all his dreams and goals ahead of him, and now he’s 75 and he’s here on Earth and he’s old and the new generation has come up and his generation is fading. What will matter in all he did? Will his landing on the moon matter forever? Will his achieving his fantasies matter when he’s old or even when he’s dying?

It just made me think. And it made me realize that we really have to focus our hearts on the things that are eternal. Even fantasies have an ending – happy or not. But the things that are eternal will never come to pass.

We’re all moonwalkers at some point in our lives. But the important thing about it is, what do we do once we get back to our Earth? What happens when reality hits us in the face and we’re leagues away from that fantasy life we’ve dreamed?

Think about it.
Please don’t hesitate to leave comments =) I would greatly appreciate it and would like to hear your thoughts and engage in a conversation with you.