Having a personal relationship with God is great… it’s probably the best feeling there is… but you shouldn’t think that your life serving God stops there.  Praying to the Lord and cultivating a productive and effective prayer time IS NOT enough… remember, it isn’t ever about YOU… it never should be.  It’s all about HIM.  What does He desire for all of us?  It is for us to strive hard to become disciples… followers… to become instruments of blessing and to be fishers of men.

Our mission here on Earth is not just to know God… not just to understand His word… not just to connect with our Creator… it is to be a part of something far far greater than ourselves… to be able to spread the Good News to every corner of the world.  To let Christ be known everywhere.  In our own little way, we can minister and share God’s love to others… be it your neighbor, your classmate, your friend, officemates, even your enemy.

Has God touched you in a special way?  Has he performed miracles in your life?  Perhaps, a blessing or provisions that he has showered upon you?  If so, don’t keep it to yourself… share your story, chronicle it and testify as to how the Lord has changed your life… let every event in your life serve as a means to glorify God… every event… everything.  Yes, everything… including your struggles.

How you may ask?

By overcoming these difficulties through God’s grace and power, people can see how the Lord works in your life… ultimately, it is the Lord who is lifted up and glorified.  Through every achievement, every recognition… praise Him.  Praise God for everything that comes your way… fade into the shadows and let Him be the one to take center stage.

Serve Him with all your heart.  Put Him ahead of everything else… regardless of how important other matters may be to you… nothing but nothing comes first BUT the Lord.  Especially when he calls upon you to serve… or to act upon something.  You’ll never know when He’ll seek to use you but when He does… we should all be ready to drop everything and respond faithfully.  This is where we are tested.  Can you actually do it?  Really?  What if you’re supposed to work on something that client requires which is supposed to merit you a substantial financial gain in return?  Can you forego something like that to heed God’s call?

Worldly thinking would consider this to be stupid.  What if I desperately need the cash?  What if client gets mad?  What if my boss doesn’t understand?  What if…?  What if…?

Don’t expect them to understand… just simply follow the Lord.  Blind faith.  Total surrender.  Godly surrender.  Respond.

As the Good News says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all else shall be given you besides".  Nothing… nothing else comes first.  Do not allow anyone to tell you otherwise.  Individuals inclined to worldly thinking would be quick to disagree… naturally.  Worldly ideals… matters and crooked morals that have been embedded into our culture and materialistic way of life would be quick to question how one can sustain a life of true discipleship.

But it IS more than possible.  It is life’s best reality.  And it is only ultimately comprehended once you actually engage in the practice of this kind of surrender.

The first step is always the hardest… but the Lord asks this of us all.

To blindly surrender all worldly norms… and live under the norms of true Godly spirituality.

The norm under which the Lord intended for all of us to live by.

Stumbled upon a video that was kinda hilarious… ummm… well, yeah… actually, it was really funny!  It seems to be a video of a birthday party of some kid and all of a sudden there appeared SPIDEY!  Yeah… Spidey dropped by to show off a thing or two of his superhero talents…

This guy probably got too much into character that he forgot he was only a mascot and that not much was expected of him by the guests.  He’s better off selling replacement windows or any other job that doesn’t require flipping and jumping which is obviously isn’t good at!  Hahaha!  Well… you’ll see in the video.  Enjoy!

I just remembered a few lines from the song, "Hosanna", performed by Hillsong which affects me greatly everytime I listen to it.

"Heal my heart and make it clean,
Open up my eyes to the things unseen,
Show me how to love like You have loved me…
Break my heart for what breaks Yours,
Everything I am for Your kingdom’s cause,
As I walk from earth into eternity…"

Such powerful words… very meaningful… and the essence of what every Christian’s desire should be.

Technology… it has advanced by leaps and bounds…! And you thought Bluetooth technology can only be found (and used) on cellphones and similar gadgets?

Think again…! Check out this video featured on CNN.com.

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It’s true that you can’t realize how fortunate you are in spite of all the hardships and trials you go through… UNTIL you see others who are in worse situations than what you’re in.

You think the world has conspired against you… that the walls around you are crumbling… that you cannot bear any more problems than what you are already trying to endure.

I have been recently serving at “Elim Missions”… and Rosario, Cavite has been the location assigned to me.  This has been a total eye-opener and an awakening experience.

Let me just tell you… things are pretty bad over there.  And when I say “pretty”, that means “very”!  Each child over there has a different story to tell… mostly sad and tragic ones.  Elim Rosario dwellers mostly come from “Dreamland” (the dumpsite area far from the commercial real estate district of Rosario) which was recently devastated by a super typhoon) and other places nearby that house indigents.

The kids gather around us and once you carry them and hold them in your arms, they literally don’t want to let go.  You can tell that they lack a great amount of love from their parents and relatives.

I met this one kid, 13 years old, in the care of the parish priest of that town… he saw his father shot to death in front of him… his mother soon after joined another man… and he’s been maltreated and frequently thrown out the window by his stepfather… totally abandoned and forgotten by his mother.

Tell me now… do you still think the world has ganged up on you…?  Do you feel like you can’t take any more?

Look around you… the reason you’re probably able to read this blog entry is because you either have your own computer and Internet connection, surfing in the comforts of your own home… or you’re seated in an Internet cafe and can afford to pay the hourly surfing fee to check your mail.  Either way, you’re better off than most of the kids I’ve been meeting during our mission service… way better.

So, if you’re one who loves to sulk in your own private corner, feeling pity on yourself… thinking of how you can’t seem to comprehend life’s “so called” injustices on you… try reevaluating your situation through the eyes of those kids who would do anything just to have a little taste of the life YOU ARE IN.

Did you know that there are people still out there who actually help others without expecting anything in return?  I’m not talking about relatives and family members, ok? …that’s a given.

I’m talking about friends… distant acquaintances… even strangers… people who are, in one way or another, also in need… sometimes even in dire desperation, but actually go out of their way to still help others.  Individuals who extend assistance even when they themselves are inconvenienced.  I’ve always believed that the best help is when one is able to reach out to another especially when the person helping makes a conscious effort to really reach out.

I know very few of these people (you know who you are)… and I am blessed to know them.  These are persons whom I pray each and every day for.  These are souls used by God to bless others.

I only wish that one day, the Lord in turn, may use me as well to bless these individuals and others who are also in dire need (Mediterranean cruises for everyone, maybe?  Hahaha!  Who knows!).  Praise God for everything.

Overnight sensation and YouTube Superstar, Renaldo Lapuz, who stole the show during this week’s American Idol audition episode held at Texas, was already interviewed over at the FOX Network and… well… listen to what he has to say…

Geez… even before he came out to actually sing, he had “PINOY’ written all over him!

To all my foreign readers… No, we pinoys don’t enjoy wearing these kinds of outfits… and NO, we don’t dress in getups like that to impress… cause it doesn’t…! Hehehe…

Enjoy the Fox interview below.

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My wife and I decided to do our fasting today. As you might probably know, there are different kinds of fasting… of course the most common of them all and the first that comes to mind is the practice of either (1) not eating meat; or (2) abstaining from food altogether.

But what if the individual who is to fast doesn’t really eat meat? Or probably is a vegetarian…? Then that particular mode of fasting would be all for naught. Fasting is a form of “self-death” and that death to self would be impossible to achieve for someone who engages in a manner of fasting that is ALREADY his/her way of life.

Let’s make this clear… Fasting is not done for the intention of losing weight alright?  Go back to your weight loss pills if that is your intention.  Fasting is a form of “self-death” or a “death to self”.

So, there are other ways to fast… television fast, water fast, sleep fast, and more… I’m sure you could think of other ways to sacrifice.

As for me and my wife, we decided not to eat from morning till late in the evening. Just one single day… and that’s saying a lot about my wife since she’s one to start shaking and turning pale just a few hours past her regular mealtime.

Of course, our fasting day is laced with regular, interspersed prayer times… intimate times… private times with the Lord. Surprisingly, my wife was able to endure 1 whole hour of prayer without her noticing it! Praise God for that! She was surprised herself… I am happy for her.

Months ago, I never thought I’d see her become this deep in her faith… but true enough, in God’s time, everything is made unto good.

Two new images have been released earlier today for the upcoming and much anticipated Marvel live-action movie, “Iron Man”, starring Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and more.

This film is fast becoming one of the most eagerly awaited motion pictures this 2008 together with the Batman Begins sequel entitled, “The Dark Knight”.

Enjoy the “Iron Man” photos below. Click image to enlarge.

Can’t wait to have this on DVD in the future!  Watching it in a home theater with my kids with home theater lighting and Dolby Digital Sound (or DTS for that matter) will be breathtaking!

Some people get the misconception that once you have a renewed and more intimate relationship with the Lord, all your problems go away. On the contrary, they don’t. Obstacles, challenges and struggles are still part of everyday life… what actually changes is the way you look at them… how you attack those hurdles.

Things are placed in perspective and trials of all kinds (even BIG ones) are merely perceived as small potholes and bumps on the road towards reaching the Lord.

I’ve been through a LOT of tests… all forms of oppression… in fact, some of my greater battles have happened when I renewed my faith… and understandably so.

For it is written in Sirach 2:1-6…

“My son, when you come to serve the LORD, prepare yourself for trials.
Be sincere of heart and steadfast, undisturbed in time of adversity.
Cling to Him, forsake Him not; thus will your future be great.
Accept whatever befalls you, in crushing misfortune be patient;
For in fire gold is tested, and worthy men in the crucible of humiliation.
Trust God and He will help you; make straight your ways and hope in Him.”