Journey to God in Small Steps

Could it be that we get lost sometimes looking at what people have and what we don't have? What is happening in their lives and what is not in ours? Is it because we fail to live our own lives with purpose? Is it logically sound that if we don't walk ahead, we eventually look around and merely react and watch? Yesterday, I've tweeted this line, " One day you don't spend doing what you're supposed to do, you've degraded yourself to reaction mode. "  I've unwittingly allowed myself to live my former mediocre life of reacting to circumstances without even going forward one step into my God-ordained purpose. I've already told God before I would let go of that life. I will not let the enemy take another step and ruin my day for all it's worth without advancing God's kingdom. It's like having an offense strategy but along the way, there's the defense as well. "No opposition will ever stop me from doing what I was supposed to...

I've seen a lot of highs and lows in 2012. I'm an avid reader of news thanks to the remarkable habit instilled to me by my bosses. I read news that shocked me and I read news that I shared in social media sites (including different versions of the stories from the perspectives of the people involved and notable ones from ordinary citizens and others). 2012 shocked, surprised, came and went. In all of it, probably one of the most that we had to deal with was the instability of some European nations at the first half of the year. It was a reality that none of us could have thought possible and a reality we wish would pass in the coming months or as soon as possible. Like many of the people in Europe, we knew reforms had to be made, not only in their countries but also in those that would be affected - the United States, China, the Philippines and the rest. While this blog is not meant to be an economic forecast  or an economic analysis of 2012, the European recession is to me ...

In marketing we learned that while positioning is establishing your place in the mind of the customer, repositioning on the other hand is adjusting the current positioning that the brand already has in the customer’s mind. Part of starting a new brand or a new product is to find its positioning but repositioning is an activity for brands, companies, names, etc. that already exist, whether the perception of them is good or bad that is in need of a positioning makeover. RH Bill may be a law but to the general public it is a service, a service or program that happens to be from the government that can also benefit from a good positioning or a repositioning. What is RH Bill’s positioning to the public lately? If it will be alright to share my views, RH Bill has an unclear positioning to the public as a result of clashes in opinions. The opinions are fine but if they are too opposing, once it gets to be implemented in the general public, it is going to be confusing. Some groups say...

Context: A life verse is a verse in the Bible that speaks to you as your personal motto in life, favorite verse or promise to claim.  Since we are on the topic of hearing from God personally and reading the Bible is a sound exercise to strengthen our spiritual muscles, why not make the first step as simple as scouting for your life verse or favorite quote - Bible style? I hope you wouldn't mind me sharing mine. :-)  My life verse for years now is Psalm 73:25-26: " Whom have I in heaven but you?      And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26  My flesh and my heart  may fail,      but God is the strength  of my heart     and my portion  forever. " In the beginning of my spiritual walk with God, this has been one of the verses that has personally spoken to me and strengthened me in all my personal trials. When I was down, I would go back to this and remind myself what's m...

We are all part of an organization. We may belong to a family, church or a community, company and so on. None of us are completely safe from receiving feedback. What I would just like to share is some of hindrances in receiving helpful feedback constructively. One is insecurity. The person bases his or her security in things like the love of people, their performance at work, their good image and so forth. If you can identify what it is they are basing their security on, it's easier to safeguard their reaction to constructive feedback when it is given. Could it be the reason why your employee cannot receive feedback constructively is because he feels insecure about his place at work or your organization? Then think of compensating for his insecurity first like he is valued or other sincere feedback or affirmation you can give him before you deal with the issue at hand. If it is the love of people he is insecure about, obviously receiving feedback from someone he feels doesn...

I heard of an unbelievable amount of comments about a young singer here in the Philippines. Her name is Sarah Geronimo . People say she is still humble in spite of her enormous success in the country as a pop star and now as the host of her own Sunday late night show. Sarah has been ranked among the country's top performers and concert artists. She had sold-out concerts, box office movies and product endorsements. This girl is at the top of her game and she's only 24 years old. Sarah Geronimo , Wikipedia This girl is it. I think what kept her grounded all these years since she won at the age of fourteen in 2002 at the  Star for a Night  competition was her humility to the authority given to her at home and in her line of work. You see Sarah was a lady who honored her parents and rare is it in the industry that does that these days. A lady who can submit to her parent's wishes can submit to the service of her fans even in groundbreaking success. A wom...

Zig Ziglar brought so much passion and encouragement into his books. If there is a gift where he is most sure to have, that is the gift of encouragement. In a world where people are pressed, deadlines have to be met, quotas have to be accomplished, Zig's words brought life, passion, excellence and purpose again to our workplace. The world with so much of life going on needed Zig Ziglar's voice. He served us well just by imparting his gift of encouragement to people in the marketplace. We have you to thank for changing our perspective and our approach to life and our careers. Zig Ziglar is a winner till the end. The blessing of the Lord is with Him forever. God bless you Sir!  "Those the Lord blesses He blesses forever"                                       - Sharon Gerlac, Marketplace Leaders    " Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, th...

Yesterday, I was reading this verse and I sense that God is confirming the call for my life. Please read James 5:7-11. " Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming.  See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting  for the autumn and spring rains.   You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming  is near.    Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters,  or you will be judged. The Judge  is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets  who spoke in the name of the Lord.   As you know, we count as blessed  those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance  and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.  The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. " When I read this part, " Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take th...

Thank you to my Church who has supported my writing all the way. Thank you to my leaders who believed in me to pull me out of a black hole of depression and together helped me overcome my hardest circumstances. Thankful to my company for providing for me the resources to write and the inspiration to keep sharing Christ to people. Thank you to my family who made me laugh all the way throughout the year. Thank you for their support and understanding. They give me a good reason to get up in the morning so I can look at their beautiful faces before I go to work. Thank you to people who accepted Christ in one way or another through the words that Jesus shared with me. Thank you for your openness and acceptance in spite of my imperfections. Thank you to a broad group of people who supported and confirmed my writing with wonderful stories of hope, change and love. Thank you to people who continue to partner with us in this ministry to share Christ to a lot more. Thank you to my victory g...

I think one of the reasons why things don't often go as fast as we want them to be is because, realize it or not, GOD wants imperfect human beings to be involved. He could have changed all the economic turmoil, the wars, the crime rates, the poverty, education, and everything in an instant Himself without our help. But the thing is God wants to partner with us. God wants to partner with imperfect governments, imperfect systems, imperfect families, and imperfect people to bring the change and glory that He desires His children to have. God waited till He died and resurrected into heaven before Peter was finally ready to take on his call to lead the Jewish church. God waited till the first 3,000 believers can come together in the same place to hear the gospel of Christ that Peter preached for salvation to finally come to the Jews. God waited for Moses' 40 years of preparation before He could use him to deliver the Israelites from Pharaoh's hand. God could have delivere...

My leader once told me, "The more you know God, the more you see how sinful we really are." That was in 2010 and I was undergoing a Refiner's Fire moment where God was dealing with my heart. Deep inside I wish she wasn't right. Like I said in my past blog post, I thought I was a good person. I don't commit crimes. I don't steal. I don't borrow and not repay. I try to do the right things which include alms for the poor, etc. etc. But you know what, she was right. The more we know God, the more we see where we miss His mark. The more we see where we do not meet His standard. Let us not be discouraged when God gives such high standards that we feel we fail and cannot comply. We are supposed to acknowledge that without the grace of God, we are sinners and need help for God to work in our lives and change us. It takes God's humility to work in us so that we avoid feeling self-righteous to be labeled in the same category as "sinners." But that...

Been watching this two-month old baby for days. He's so cute. His mommy just keeps telling him "I Love You." That's so sweet and so natural for human mothers to delight in their child. Every part of a parent wants to show their love to their children. It is the very nature of parental love. We even call it "unconditional love." If there is one reason to believe God loves you, it's with this little baby and his mommy. Even before we have the ability to comprehend God's love (which takes more than a lifetime), God showed His undying love for us. He created the earth to provide a home for the object of his affection, Adam and Eve. He created trees, birds, the great seas, all of creation. When we wake up in the morning and the sun greets us, it's as if God is saying again and again, "I Love You My Child, I have prepared for your day. I have prepared food. I give you shelter. I have wonderful things for you today." When we sleep,...

" When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness " (Isaiah 26:9) We need to revisit our view of righteousness. The following verses will be helpful for people in law, police officers, corporate people, and other organizations: Wooden Gavel " When you are on the witness stand, do not be swayed in your testimony by the opinion of the majority. And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor " (Exodus 23:2-3). " Always judge your neighbors fairly, neither favoring the poor nor showing deference to the rich " (Leviticus 19:15). " The ones who can live here are those who are honest and fair, who reject making a profit by fraud, who stay far away from bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong " (Isaiah 33:15).  " You must never twist justice or show partiality. Never accept a bribe, for br...

It is said in the Bible that " Where there is   no   vision, the people   are unrestrained, b ut   happy is he who keeps the law " (Proverbs 29:18, NASB). People need a vision of change, of hope and a good future for their country. Otherwise, they cast off restraint, get into all sorts of get-rich quick schemes, which includes unlawful ones such as stealing and bribery. The problem is they don't believe things will get better for them. They make excuses that there other people who do the same things. Why? Because they have no vision. They think the country will always be run that way, up to the generation of their sons or daughters. In the mercy of God, we don't have to believe that anymore. We can choose not to accept lies that our country will not get better. We can choose to believe the opposite. What makes good governments good? Part of it is vision. We have to be run by a vision. God's vision. A long-lasting vision. A vision that will surpass our generat...

I wrote last week about the changes that we individually and personally have to go through for us to make an impact and change our nation ( See blog post ). This time the Lord is leading me to share about changing our families through Christ, in Christ and for Christ as well. As I was thinking on the topic, I really did not know where to start. What do I know about marriage, family life and planning? I only know that God brought change in me and I am continually being changed for my family. I do know that God's vision for the family includes marriage. And that is where this topic becomes shady for me. But thankfully, we have the body of Christ. Others have worked on this area and I just have to share their learnings about God's vision for marriage. Pastor Colin S. Smith talked about  The Gospel Shaped Marriage  in his sermon during his congregation's Family Month. As I listened to his preaching, I gained a lot of insight even as a single person. I know his message ...