Bucket List

We never accomplish the goals we don't set. And it's always wise to do so in writing.

Hence, this list of life goals.

When I posted "Full," Nong Roy mentioned about his bucket list. I thought it would be cool to have one as well - or at least one that I can see and really believe God on.

With a little guidance from Mark Batterson, I was able to come up with these as well.

Family Goals
1. Run an organic farm business/restaurant with family
2. Treat folks and siblings on a trip to Hongkong or Bangkok
3. Get my family debt-free, save and invest
4. Record and album with my brothers
5. Start a foundation to help family and relatives

Travel Goals
1. Backpack in Europe
2. Attend a Hillsong Conference in Australia
3. Worship in New Creation Church, Singapore
4. Visit the Holy Land
5. Witness autumn in New England

Experience Goals
1. Speak fluent Mandarin and Japanese
2. Learn French, Spanish and German
3. Get an MBA
4. Learn Muay Thai in Thailand
5. Study in IHOP-Kansas

Physical Goals
1. Reach 170lbs at 15% body fat
2. Bench press 200 lbs
3. Dive at Palawan
4. Sky Dive
5. Ice Skate

Influence Goals
1. Write a book on grace
2. Do a mission trip to China
3. Volunteer in an international NGO
4. Be a professional photographer
5. Start a grace revolution

Here's my list. What's yours?

Truth be told, I'm really not excited on reaching them. What thrills me more is knowing that God could give us beyond what we ask or think.

Now that's something to be psyched about!

Read more...

Full

I was in a queue waiting to pay for my groceries, but my mind was elsewhere.

Earlier today I woke up to see a friend had posted pictures of his recent travel to Europe. I was green with envy! How I wish I had the means to do the same, to visit places in the world at my every whim.

Then I asked God, "Am I gonna do the same someday?"

Silence.

"You see, I never thought of being able to travel the Philippines like I am doing so now," I continued my eyes showing excitement. "Sure, it's not much, but in the first 2 decades of my life, I've never even been in a plane!"

Still no reply.

"I'm sure I'll get there someday," I convinced myself. "You have great plans for me. Didn't you say goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life? Didn't you promise life to the full?"

"You have Me," was the only reply.

And it was enough.

I realized that Life is a Person, and when Jesus promised life to his disciples he actually was offering himself to them. To us, too.

Life to full is simply an invitation to the infinite abundance that is in Christ. It may include a backpacking trip to Europe but then really, Life is so much more than just that.

Read more...

Grace Pastor

I remember 2 years back when I was on a sickbed with nothing to do but watch TV. For most people, watching TV the whole day could be a dream job, but for me, it was very frustrating.

I wanted to be productive - complete my reports to avoid backlogs when I get back to work. But everytime I use the mouse to do just that, blood would start to come out the dextrose they attached on my right arm so I have no choice but to stop.

I remember one morning I woke up early and for lack of anything else to do, I turned on the TV and flipped channels until I came accross a preacher with a weird accent. While his accent seemed familiar, I couldn't tell the whole time I was confined where he was from, not until I got out and was able to download and even buy his teachings.

Needless to say, his teaching on grace revolutionized my life. The gospel didn't make a lot of sense until that day. And it's because of this preacher of grace: Pastor Joseph Prince.

Imagine my delight when I came across this site where someone posted his teachings! When I found this out, not only did I post it on my Facebook Wall, I emailed a whole lot of people about it. My only desire is that they would take the time to listen. And so, here I go again, making this post. To those who stumble upon this blog, please refer to the sidebars. I placed a widget there where you could listen.

Please do. Intently and prayerfully.

God forbid, we could go on living our lives thinking we are Christians but never know the gospel of grace at all.

Read more...

The Noticer by Andy Andrews

I am not the type of reader that would randomly pick a book in my visit to a bookstore . I usually select reads one author at a time at a subject which is reflective on whatever season my life is in.

So given a list of random books to choose from, I hesitated at first but finally chose The Noticer.

Who wouldn’t “notice” it? Apart from the interesting title, someone apparently deemed it the best book she has read in her life! Hence, my decision.

And I was not disappointed!

In the next few hours I found myself glued to it reading chapter by chapter on the wisdom of an old man named Jones. His talent for noticing things seemingly unseen and neglected by most is remarkable; his knack for making the complex simple is extraordinary. But what totally won me over, is his humor.

A few weeks back I wrote an entry entitled “Perspective” and I thought this was exactly what I had in mind – only way better. I realized that this book fit perfectly in this phase of my life and no one could more eloquently put it into words than Andy Andrews – its author did.

Because indeed, sometimes all we need is a just little perspective. And it’s amazing how a little can go a long, long way.

Read more...

Tenses

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. - Hebrews 11:6  NAS

When I read the Bible, I wonder what impact it will have on what I understand (or what I think I understand of it,) when I consider that the very Person who inspired its writing, is in fact, beyond time.

What happens to all the verbs that we see here and there?

What do we make of Jewish history taught to us as stories in Sunday School? Of ancient prophecies? Of the promises we were taught in church to claim as our own?

Perhaps, this time, we can understand better.

When both past and future converge to become the eternal present, history becomes personal. It's not simply THEIR story but OURS too. It's not just his loss but mine as well.

And most of all, tomorrow's promises become today's norms.

Maybe, just maybe: this is what it means to have faith in a God who IS.

Read more...

In Love

I'm surprised I didn't see this before, but not to spoil what I've found, I am glad I do now.

When an old friend asked me if I was "in love" because of the current shoutout I have on Facebook, I answered with an astounding YES!

Not because I am in anything romantic with anybody, but simply because we all are.

Isn't it amazing?

We literally are IN LOVE.

A universe spoken into existence with a Heart beating for one thing: You. A sky painted anew each day nothing like the days before with one single theme: I love you. An earth created in such intricate detail to make sure that from the tiniest to the enormous, we get to live each day somehow seeing the message, getting a glimpse of the picture.

We live in a world soaked with the love of God. Our every day drenched with his mercy.

So why don't we keep our umbrellas of pride, our raincoats of apathy - and get wet in the Rain?

Read more...

Weep

I wept.

Watching the three short clips on "The Forgotten People" by CNN so gripped me, knocked me helpless that I am left with nothing to do but weep.

Here I was worrying when the next big sale in the mall will be, and there they were beaten by Thai military, disowned by their own government and unaccepted by their neighbors.

You know why it hurted so much? Because from each of their eyes I could see Jesus - who was left to die a criminal's death, beaten over and over, rejected by His own people. But this isn't some 2,000 years ago.

This is 2009.

But what are we doing? What is the church doing?

Here we are so busy with keeping up with the world, debating who's got the purest doctrine, competing who's got the best worship team, subtly battling who's got the biggest Sunday attendance.

Here we are busy beating up people with laws and more laws ignoring the fact that we if we got saved by grace, we continue to live by grace.

Here we are occupied with popularity and addicted with people's praise.

Here we are caught up with church splits and quarrels forgetting that out there, maybe not even too far away, people are dying. Literally.

And so they die into an eternity darker than the ones they experienced here because we've become too concerned with lesser things than the One Thing.

Oh may God comfort the troubled and trouble the comfortable!

Read more...