Your Toughest Questions, Answered

Talk1: What is God’s Will For Me

In order to know God’s will for your life, listen to:

1.Inner voice – Power up your conscience by reading the  Bible, attending spiritual gatherings like The  Feast..

2. Inner values – Make your values clear so that you won’t have difficulty in making decisions

3. Inner vision. Be clear about where you want to go. God plants the purpose in you, but He leaves the how to us.

When you know the why, you will know the how.

Lead me Lord…

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The Green-Eyed Monster

Don’t envy when others receive grace because one day, you will be the one on the receiving end. – Bro. Vic, The Feast Ortigas

Photo Credits: http://yourhighestself.com.au/why-we-compare/green_eyed_monster_by_citrisblossoms/

It’s the Big Day at The Feast, concluding the 3-part Full Tank series (The Joy of Grace-Filled Relationships). As I was listening to Bro Vic talk about not having greed and envy in our hearts, I remembered an event that happened 12 years ago.

I felt so bad because Mama had taken time and effort to create a collage of my younger sister’s medal and graduation pictures. She was 4 years old, a pre-schooler at a Day Care Center at that time and I was already in 2nd year college, taking up IT. Somehow, a virus took over my mind and heart when I saw my mother putting all her effort on creating the collage. She never did that before.

I couldn’t brush off the voice inside my head that’s saying it’s unfair. That she should have made something like that for me too. Where did all my hard earned medals go? They didn’t even keep it. They’re nowhere to be found. My ego was sorely bruised. I felt so jealous. I couldn’t bear the thought that she loves her more than she loves me. I couldn’t accept that she seems to be so happy that she was able to go up the stage like it was the first time (and my gosh, for a pre-schooler?)! Anger enveloped my heart and that green-eyed monster kept whispering evil things to me. And I listened to all its ugly lies.

Somehow at that time, I had an empty love tank. And the voice inside me was screaming, ‘how about me? Why don’t you love me?!’ Don’t get me wrong, I love my sister a lot. But the selfish 18 year old me felt so much injustice at my mother’s gesture. I wanted to let her know that what she did was wrong. I wanted to hurt her because she has hurt me.

I did the unthinkable. I took the collage from the wall where my mother has hung it and destroyed it. Can you imagine an 18 year old doing such an immature act? All I could think of during that time is that I deserve more than what she’s giving to her. I deserve the attention. I deserve the praise. All I was thinking about is myself. I was totally and ridiculously selfish and grossly immature.

When Mama found out about what I did, she got furious and beat me. It was the worst fight we ever had. I have hurt her so much that it was the first time that I saw her cry. I made my mother cry! She can’t believe that I could do such a terrible and unexpected thing. I felt so guilty and sorry. We didn’t talk to each other for a week until she finally decided to send me to Davao and break the tension between us. I wrote her a letter asking for forgiveness before I left. I was worried that our relationship was already ruined and that there was no hope of restoring it. But of course she is my mother and she forgave me. Everything was back to normal after my 1 week vacation at Davao.

That episode in my life has taught me a lot of lessons about envy. About how it damages relationships. About how useless and awful it is. About how one should be careful not to listen to its lies. If you want to  have grace-filled relationships, you should not envy. Be genuinely glad when others receive grace because a day will come when you will be the one on the receiving end. 🙂

I hope you a full love tank today!

God bless! 🙂

The Feast Song: Draw Me In by EmmanuelWorship

This song touches my soul.

Draw me in to the holy of holies
To the place
where the heart knows no fear
Where brokenness collides with redemption
Where Your grace
and your glory appear

Draw me
Call me
Draw me in…

I’m stepping in
to the currents of mercy
Letting fall
all the shackles of self
Bending low,
where the cross meets the humble
And my sin
is exchanged for Your grace

Draw me
Call me
Draw me in…

LORD HERE I AM
I’M STEPPING INTO YOUR LOVE,
STEPPING INTO YOUR LOVE
FOR ME AND

ALL THAT I AM
IS STEPPING INTO YOUR LOVE
STEPPING IN
INTO YOUR LOVE FOR ME

Draw me in
to the heart of the Father
And His ache
for His image in pain
Let the fire
that You yearned to enkindle
Be the flame
that burns within me

Draw me
Call me
Draw me in (repeat)

LORD HERE I AM!
I’M STEPPING INTO YOUR LOVE,
STEPPING INTO YOUR LOVE
FOR ME AND
ALL THAT I AM
IS STEPPING INTO YOUR LOVE
STEPPING INTO YOUR LOVE
FOR ME(repeat Ch)

For me…
For me…

No eye has seen
No ear has heard
What our God has prepared for us(repeat)
No eye has seen…
No ear has heard…(repeat)

(c)emmanuelworship 2012

Jewels Challenge by Rissa: Grace to be born visit

One of the assignments given by Ms Rissa on our session 1 of JEWELS is to visit Grace to be born (aside from reading 3 chapters of the Bible everyday and tithing).

That’s why last Sunday, I and my sisters decided to have our CG at Grace to be Born. The babies were sooo cute and adorable.. 🙂

We really had a great time with the babies. I was especially attached to Nayumi. I even put her to sleep (bottom right at above pic).. It was hard for us to leave them crying and longing for our touch and affection. 😦 Bawal ma attach – warned our CG head, Camille.We became instant moms to the babies. I really love babies and kids so obviously, I had a super great time with them. I hope and pray that they find homes soon… If you are a couple, maybe you can adopt one of the kids and give them a bright future. God bless! 🙂

Financial Freedom: 7 Jar System

Two weeks ago at the Ortigas Feast, the  series entitled “Happy Healthy Holy Money” was concluded. Bro. Joel together with Mrs. Irma Lasquety, CPA, discussed about the 7 Jar System and ways to invest.

7 Jar System:

Jar 7- Emancipation Fund (20% or more)

This is also called the retirement fund. All of us have to set aside money for our retirement because it is the biggest expense of our lives. Yes, we no longer have to work during this time, but we won’t also have our monthly salary!

I personally wish that our Filipino culture regarding retirement would change. Because right now, a lot of retirees  rely solely on their pension, which is only how much? 3,000? 5,000? And, I am saddened by the fact that a number of pensioners are in debt! Their ATM cards are with lending institutions because they have used it as a “pawn” so they could borrow money. Worse, others don’t even have a pension. They rely entirely on their children for their basic necessities – food, shelter, and health care.

I dream of a time when Filipino retirees would just travel abroad, dine out, treat their grandchildren at Jollibee, get the best healthcare and just enjoy the remaining days of their lives!

Retirement is something that we should all prepare for. This is when most of us get weak or sick and we need people to take care of us. Health care would become very expensive, even if we would get Senior Citizen discounts.

So HOW would you fund for your retirement?

There are many ways..

1. Get a life insurance. There are  a lot of good insurance companies out there. But I have chosen Sunlife. Nowadays, insurance is already customizable – it can come with health care, mutual funds/stocks, accident benefit, critical illness benefit, and more. If you want to know more about insurance, I have a lot of friends in the industry. I can refer you to them.
2. Invest in stocks. Like insurance, there are also a lot of good stock brokers out there. My personal choice is Citiseconline. I have written a number of posts regarding that so you can find them here.
3. Invest in real estate. You can invest in condos, boarding house, agricultural land, or whatever real estate you please.
4. Build your business. Develop your core skills or your talents. Network. Find an opportunity.

I spend about 52% in this jar.

Jar 6 – Emergency Fund (can be 10% per month until it reaches 300% or thrice your monthly salary)

They say that you should have at least 3 times of your monthly salary in your emergency fund. This would be used when you suddenly lose your job or if there is an emergency in the family. You should put this in an instrument that can easily be withdrawn from.

I like BPI because they have this BPI Direct Saving-Up feature wherein you can set up your payroll account to automatically transfer funds to your save-up account monthly. So you never forget to set aside for your emergency fund.

Jar  5 – Everyday Fund (70% or less)

Because I am frugal, my everyday fund is only around 23%. That already includes condo rent, food, transportation, internet/call/text load, and laundry.

Jar 4 – Empower Fund (5% to 10%)

This is supposed to be spent to empower yourself like investing in good clothing, going to the spa, having your hair or nails done at the salon but usually I spend this for my family/friends (gifts).

Jar 3 – Enjoyment Fund (up to 5%)

This can be used for hanging out with your friends, eating out, watching movies, travelling, or buying new gadgets

Jar 2 – Educational Fund (5%)

We should never stop learning. Pursue your hobbies. Enroll in trainings.

I usually spend this in books and attending seminars/talks/workshops/retreats. I also use this fund to buy painting materials.

Jar 1 – Eternity Fund (10%)

Last but definitely not the least is our Eternity Fund. I have been giving to the church regularly but it has never reached 10%. This February, I prayed that I would give 10% to the Lord and challenge him to take care of my needs and bless my dreams. As if on cue, my mother texted me asking for a donation for the chapel that will be built in our community. And I would need to give 10% of my salary for 2 months.. Hehe. Well, as Sister Rissa said in her talk, make tithing a habit. In the first few months, it would be difficult. But once you get used to it, it won’t hurt your pocket anymore. And God will let His blessings overflow – that is His promise. 🙂

God, our Father, loves us so much and He wants us to enjoy our money. God bless! 🙂

I Love Life!

I love life retreat participants.
Photo Credits: JPaul Hernandez

I’ve just had one of the most awesome weekends of my life. I attended the Love Life retreat conducted by the Feast Ortigas for the Singles community at CCT Tagaytay. I didn’t only have an intimate personal encounter with the Lord, I also gained a number of new friends both from the participants and the servants.

We left Manila at 7am yesterday and arrived at Tagaytay at around9am. We were all delighted to see the venue and excited to check out our rooms. And yes, the retreat fee of 1,800 was really worth it!

Bro Jan Silas of Makati Feast gave the first talk on “Loving yourself”.  His talk really struck  me because I know that I have not been loving myself enough. I am incapable of loving others because I could not love myself the way God loved me. There are so many times when I could not accept myself for my flaws, shortcomings and failures. I have been very hard on myself. Bro Jan reminded us that God did not make junk. As the song goes, God says, “Child you are.. .more precious than silver. Child you are… more costly than gold. Child you are…more beautiful than diamonds.”

There is also a beautiful article snippet from Kerygma that I want to share with you:

 Those chains that have bound you for so long – you don’t have to settle for those anymore. Jesus has resurrection power to set you free! If you’ll commit yourself to resurrection living, you can confront those monsters from your past that have haunted you and defined you for way too long. You can face those fears, move beyond that bitterness, and throw yourself into doing some things that will last forever!

Tell Jesus that you’re tired of business as usual – that you’ve been settling for a life that’s too small, that’s only as big as you can make it. Sell out to His plans, His power. We stand by Jesus at the empty tomb that He blew away and hear Him say, “Break free from the bondage called ordinary living! Put no limits to the miracles of God in your life and ministry! Attempt big things for God. Dream big dreams. And give nothing less than your all. You’ve got the power – the extraordinary life! This is your calling!

I was really blessed by the talk by Bro Jan and by the sharing of Sister Arci. I wouldn’t spill the rest of the talks in the retreat for the benefit of those who will be joining the May session but I just want to share that the poignant message that I received from God in the retreat is to see myself that way He sees me, to love myself, and forgive myself…because He doesn’t want to allow sin to keep me away from Him. He wants me to be faithful to our covenant because He will never break His promises. 🙂

Friend, you can do nothing about your past, but you can do something about your future – Bro Vic

Here are some of our pics during the retreat. I’m really happy to have made new friends. I have isolated myself ever since I transferred to Manila and often I felt “friendless” because I left my friends in Mindanao. But I know I should also make new ones to fill up my love tank as I continue to cherish and nourish my sweet old friendships. 🙂

Our room at CCT Tagaytay 🙂

Aia.. can you be my prayer partner? 🙂

My pretty roommates and new found friends Bambi, Aia, Kaye, and May

Mahangin at super ginaw! 🙂

 

Celebrate Love!

How was your February 14?

Yesterday, it was Valentines Day for some, but just a plain Thursday for many. During our meeting at The Gathering, we were asked how we spent our Feb 14 day/night. 75% of the group shared that they spent it with their girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband/partner – eating out, praying together, watching movies, or just hanging out together. 25% of the group (including me) shared that it was just an ordinary Thursday (hehe..obviously this answer came from the singles and unattached).

So what exactly is Valentines Day?

I heard someone say that it was a Singles’ Awareness Day. Haha. Others say it’s a day for the lovers. Well, it really just depends on how you see it on your perspective. Although I am not really one of the fans of Valentines Day, I still like the idea of having one day in the calendar for love. However people seem to have forgotten that there are 3 types of love – eros, philial, and agape. Most people think that Valentines Day is only for the lovers (those that fall under eros). That’s why the day is often dreaded by the singles and the brokenhearted.

I could have chosen to feel lonely and depressed because I don’t have a special person in my life right now or because the day just reminds me of broken relationships but I chose to celebrate love on this day! Love for my friends and family, and love for God. I sent texts to my loved ones to let them know that I love them. Although this should be done not only in Valentines Day but because of our busy lives, sometimes we tend to forget this very simple thing. It’s nice that Valentines Day reminds us to be more loving! 🙂

I also celebrated love with God through prayer. It’s so timely because the day before Valentines Day was Ash Wednesday. I am reminded of God’s great love for me and that I should repent for my sins. Even if I’m already active in serving Him through The Feast, I admit that I am still sinful. And there are times when I feel very ashamed of myself, which is exactly what sin does in our life – damage our relationship with God. But I know we should not feel condemned because God still loves us.

So you see, there are endless reasons to celebrate love. So be joyful and be generous of your love. Love is something that is meant to be given away…and it will also come back to you.. 🙂

Just a short message to the single ladies like me (especially to my newfound friend, Kat):
I hope that you feel better and blessed byreading this (and attending The Feast). I know it’s really hard and painful to undergo a heartbreak. It may take time to heal and let go. But I know that this is also the best time for you to get to know yourself more…and more importantly, to know God more. Surround yourself with friends and family…people who really love you for who you are. We may not be able to comprehend it yet, but this heartbreak will make you stronger, and more compassionate. Being single doesn’t equate to being unhappy. Enjoy yourself. Have fun! The Lord says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” 🙂

God bless you sis! Let’s have fun at the Love Life Retreat! See you tomorrow! You inspired me to write this post. Don’t be depressed na… 🙂

Why Should I Tithe: My Journey Towards Abundance

Before I share to you the things I’ve learned about tithing, let me first give you a definition of tithe:

Tithe – One tenth of annual produce or earnings, formerly taken as a tax for the support of the church and clergy.

I was born and raised as a Roman Catholic. And through all those years of going to mass, I have seen people put into the offertory baskets only their loose change (in Bisaya, “sinsilyo”, in Tagalog, “barya”). I even recall my mother asking us if we have some coins so we could offer it. Back then, I thought that it was normal, I thought that was expected from us parishioners to give coins. Sometimes during special occasions like Christmas, I’d see more people dropping in 10-peso or 20-peso bills. The clink clank of the coins in those church baskets were less noisy during those special times.

When I started “exploring God” by attending different churches, I noticed that other sects gave more during their offerings. They placed their money inside envelopes and gave with a smile. I was amazed and at the same time, jealous for my church. Because without batting an eyelash, I placed a 500-peso bill in the envelope that they handed to me. And then I became a member of CFC-Singles for Christ community. There we were taught to give more back to the Lord. And I learned more about what tithing really is. And I took baby steps.

They said tithing was about giving 10% of your income back to the Lord. And I remembered, back then, I was wondering if I should base it on my gross or my net income. But that was just a passing thought because I later on bargained to God if it’s alright if I just made sure that I won’t be giving coins during mass because I am sending my brothers to college. I considered it as a way of giving back to the Lord already and I was afraid that I won’t have enough left. So I said I would give only bills during Offertory time.

During that time, there were no more 10-peso bills! Our bills start with 20 already. To give you a little background, I was still working as a university instructor and I was earning about P18,000 per month. So if I followed the 10% rule in the Old Testament, I was supposed to give about 1,800 per month. But I just gave a maximum of 100 pesos each time I go to mass. AND, I was already very proud of myself then. Because my seatmates in church would only give their “barya” or coins – others won’t even give if they can’t find coins in their wallets or pockets.

When I started going to The Feast, I learned sooo much more about tithing. Just this morning, I attended the Call Center Feast in New Horizon Hotel here at Mandaluyong – just about 300 steps away from where I live. Can I invite you? 🙂 CCFM conducts feasts at this venue at 8 30 in the morning every other Saturday. So for those who are interested to join us, you are most welcome… see you on Feb 9! 🙂

Here are some of the things that I learned today:

– You have to give until it hurts. Have you experienced that sometimes when we give..it hurts? I’d share to you my story in a little while
– One sister shared how she was able to “unlock” God’s overflowing abundance when she started giving back to God. She shared how she and her husband have agreed and committed to giving 10% (or even more) of their income to God’s temple. She has an auto-debit system wherein the bank automatically deducts a certain portion of her income and puts it in God’s trust fund. She confessed that at first she and her husband were a little “afraid” because they had mortgages to pay, kids to send to school, and all other expenses. But you have to do it afraid. Because our GOD CANNOT BE OUTDONE in his generosity. Blessings poured in, and even overflowed…because God loves us so much.
– God doesn’t really need your money, He needs your faith! Many skeptics may ask, why should God have to obligate me to give back to Him if He is the owner of the universe? Brothers and sisters, God wants your faith…and He wants you to be His partner in building His kingdom here on Earth. He also wants you to create more space so that He can replace that space with more blessings that overflows! 🙂

5Hs of Tithing:
1. Habit – You have to do it regularly. What is the difference between giving and tithing? Giving is occasional while tithing is regular.
2. Happy – Giving back to God actually feels good and it will make you happy!
3. Holy – It makes your money holy. Tithing teaches us generosity, and generosity is the opposite of greed. The only way to liberate ourselves from the greed of money is to give it back to the storehouse of God.
4. Hunger – Hunger is good! Don’t you agree? We are talking about a different hunger here. You are hungry to help in God’s ministry, to expand, and to help more people. So you will do better in your jobs or businesses because you have a “good hunger” – to serve and to give more.
5. Harvest – Tithing teaches us the abundance mindset. We believe that there is an abundance of God’s blessings just waiting for us to harvest them.

So about the 2 common questions:
1. Can I just give my money to my poor relatives and will it be considered tithing? Giving to our relatives is good, but the Bible tells us to bring the full amount of our tithes to the temple
2. Should I base it on my gross or net income? How much do you want to be blessed – based on your gross or your net income? You decide. 🙂

How the concept of tithing has changed my life:

As I said, I took more bold steps toward tithing when I started attending The Feast. I started putting in 200.. 300.. 400.. and more inside the envelope. It started last year. And I told God that I would increase and hopefully reach 10% when my brothers would have their own stable jobs. You see, I am paying a big amount of money for my condo rent and my insurances. Plus, I sent most of my money to my brothers – one was still studying nursing at that time, and the other had a family to support (including my pretty niece Nycah). So when I put those bills in the envelope, there was some kind of pain. But when I put that envelope into the basket, I feel relieved. Because I knew that I no longer have to worry about my family. I know that God will take care of them. And guess what?!

God truly, could not be outdone in His generosity. I got promoted. My brother passed the Nursing board exam and just this month, he got into a Nursing job in the province. My other brother, Jong, was accepted as a fireman in the government – he now has a stable and good paying job! I am now starting to pay for my own condo. And I got another life insurance from Sunlife. My stocks in Citiseconline are doing good, too! God is really a wonderful, loving God! He is a God of abundance. Praise God!