WORRY CHAMP

Register for the worry marathon!

Venue: your bed. When: all night. What to wear: your fears, concerns. Whoever misses sleep the entire night wins.

İ bet many will win the gold---not because they'd love to, but because they could not help it. That's the anatomy of worry: You hate it but you're trapped in it.

İ used to wear worry like second skin. As if a full day were not enough, İ'd set my worry button to max come bedtime---my mind click-clicking about a myriad things:

Wrong decisions at work, things to do tomorrow, money concerns, my son's health. Those who've offended or angered me. Fears galore!

Worse, my mind's clicker never came off  auto-replay---until the cock crowed reminding me of a new day of toil and worries. Then İ'd have migraine.

What terrible joyless life.

Then Jesus changed my heart.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" Matthew 6:25-27

İ held on to these words like a lifeline.

"İ will never exchange the peace that Jesus has given me for anything in the world," İ vowed. With my heart changed and my mind renewed by His Word, İ started to view things with new lens.

İt's a day to day trust walk. Neglect His Word and His presence and you go back to square one---being in control again.

Because worry is about our proud self asserting control over our lives. But we simply could not.  Our finances are limited so we fret. Your boss is an utter slave driver but you can't fight back---you need the job. Sickness? İt just happens.

But God is in control, and He is for us, not against us!

Jesus commands, "DO NOT worry;" and notes the birds---small, seemingly insignificant creatures. Yet He feeds them even if they don't get a salary or withdraw from the ATM.

Flowers don't shop for clothes, "Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these," Matthew 6:2.

The Lord is my Shepherd. İ shall not be in want! He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, Psalm 23:1-3a. Jesus is Jehovah Jireh, my Provider.

We're more precious than birds and flowers. Jesus dying for us is proof. İf God gave us His best, wouldn't He graciously provide too our daily provisions? 

Originally published at: http://cbnasia.org/home/2013/07/worry-champ/

PEERENTING OR PARENTING

Do you know your teenage kid’s whereabouts—this very moment?

Is he in his room, in your house, or out in the company of friends?

And if with friends, where do they hang out? What stuff do they indulge in? It’s hard to know, isn’t it?

Frankly, even if you think he’s safe in the confines of your house—within your gated and guarded community, he may in fact be partying with his barkada or peer group.

Either he’s chatting, uploading and downloading  “stuff” via Facebook , Myspace, Tweeter, YouTube, gaming sites;  just plain surfing; or glued to gruesome scenes and dark alleys as he mercilessly slays ghouls and zombies through his game apps.

“I’m at a loss. My son is on the computer all day so we hardly talk,” complains Jim.

“E’s room is off limits to me. I still need to knock to be let in. She’s always just on her iphone,” shares A.

“Today’s kids are differently wired,”  we’re often reminded in the university where I teach—suggesting that we baby boomer teachers better discover the way to  a millenial’s mind.

It’s harder for parents. A parent desires nothing less than to bring his kid up in the fear and instruction of the Lord—so he pursues real success, not disaster.

Younger generation parents have resorted to peerenting—portraying themselves as their kids’ best buddy to encourage them to not hide anything from them.   

A peer is an equal—not here to judge you, knows what you’re going through, a shoulder to cry on. And kids gravitate towards groups they share common things with.  While many peer groups positively influence their own, some have lured the unsuspecting to drugs, pornography and a life of crime.

Kids turn to their friends for belongingness and validation, especially nowadays that they have greater access to social media; and the nuclear family has disintegrated either because their members have  physically separated (parents working overseas) or their parents have broken up.   

Wouldn’t it be nice if our kids ran to us for answers if they mess up? We can be their best friend.

But a parent must parent. Oftentimes, it means disapproving some of our kids’ choices. They might throw a tantrum, even rebel. But they will not forever be babies. They need to mature and be responsible; and God’s way is the only way.

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord,” Ephesians 6:4.

A child needs to know a full life awaits him IF he honors his parents  (Exodus 20:12); or IF he listens to the father who gave him life, and does not despise his mother (Proverbs 23:22). 

Parenting is taxing. One needs to discipline, correct, constantly remind (but not nag), and walk the talk. 

Now, that’s completely way above peerenting.

Parenting is also about unconditional love, forgiveness, fairness, kindness and patience.

Exercise all these and your kid will be smart enough to run to you—not his peer —for guidance. Still the best way to mold smart, wise, confident and success-bound children. 

Originally publishes at CBNAsia.org:                                                            http://cbnasia.org/home/2013/07/peerenting-or-parenting/

BREAKTHROUGH

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Have you given up waiting for your blessing or big break?

Let's learn from Joseph in Genesis.  God gave him a dream, remember? Jacob's favorite son, Joseph knew from the start his heavenly Tatay had a wonderful plan for him. So he waited. And waited.

But he kept getting enmeshed in troubles not his making.

Envious half-brothers threw him into a well. Kapamilya pa mandin! One of them  took pity and suggested he be traded as a slave.

This Jewish slave proved ultra dependable nonetheless. His master Potiphar trusted him entirely---saw God was with him---so Joseph soon became manager of  The P Enterprise.

Pero natipuhan siya ni Mrs. P! She was so attracted to him, she seduced him like a constant song refrain, but to no avail. Because Joseph took to heart his heavenly Master's verse:

"My purpose will prevail. Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy."

Yet here we go again. Disgusted that Joseph refused her amorous advances, Mrs. P cried "Rape!" So to prison Joseph went. How could life be so unfair?

Joseph could by this time have suffered a meltdown, throwing up his his arms in surrender:

"Righteous me gets the bad hand again, what else is new?"

"Why insist on taking the narrow road when my obeying seems to just suck me into the gutter?"

Yet Joseph remained steadfast. Earning the respect of his fellow prisoners, it didn't take long for the warden to appoint him prison OİC (officer-in-charge).

But it was in that despicable place where Joseph met his big breakthrough, leading  him to Pharaoh who at that perfect moment desperately needed someone to interpret his weird dream.

That dream interpretation turned out to be Joseph's elevator to the penthouse office. Not only did Pharaoh appoint him Egypt İnc.'s chief operating officer (COO); he also steered Egypt to an era of agricultural productivity, thus saving his family and the world from severe famine.

Almost ready to call it quits? Sure that your longed-for promotion will never come despite your best efforts? Stuck in the basement of hopelessness though you've persevered?

The well. Slavery. Prison. Joseph proved these were not dead ends but God's means to His end. And because His route is still the best there is, we can be sure of this: He will direct it to the best possible ending, no matter the momentary tear, gashing or fracture we experience.

Joseph says in Genesis 45: 7-8, "But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant here on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So it was not you who sent me here but God. He made me shepherd to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of Egypt."

Don't miss your victory breakdance because you've been debilitated by some fractures. Remember, it's all by His grace.

(For more lessons on the life of the Joseph, check out the author's book, "Sorry to Burst Your Bubble: Life Leadership Lessons from the Greatest Dreamer, published by NewDay Publishers. Available at National Bookstores and Power Books, and soon in e-book format at Vibe Bookstore.)

Originally published at CBNAsia.org: http://cbnasia.org/home/2013/07/breakthrough/

  

GOOD OUCH FOR YOUR KIDS

Para sa buhay na hindi sabog, disiplina ang kailangan. 

Putting one's life together is no laughing matter. One may be a scatter-brain and forget what he did a while ago or where he placed something. But to be a scatter-life? That's a recipe for not merely slight bumps, but a lifetime of heartaches. 

New Life Center's Pastor Allan Critchett preached on disciplining children recently, directing his message especially to fathers, they being the head of the family. 

He quoted an end time prophecy from İsaiah 3:4&5 when "capricious children will rule... the young rising up against the old..." so he cautioned parents to "train up children in the way they should go, so that when they are old, they will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). 

Come to think of it, a baby doesn't come out of the womb with his hands on his lap or a smile on his face. He's simply a screaming, kicking and shrieking bundle! But so adorable! 

But not when he's a bit bigger, and you realize that this cute and cuddly nino-bonito, has somehow learned to wrap you around his little finger, manipulating you with even a whimper. 

Charge that to man's sinful nature. Proverbs 22:15 says that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. So if one is allowed to carry out on his own, he will inevitably crash and burn---because he has not been trained to navigate life's situations wisely. 

The bible cautions parents, especially fathers, not to provoke their children to wrath, Ephesians 6:4. Ain't it tempting to hurl venom-infused words especially when your kid intentionally rebels? 

Without a fairly good dose of self control, a parent may severely lash out either with bruising words or a paddle, so a child gets mangled both inside and out. That's child abuse. 

Bringing up children involves discipline and instruction, adds Pastor Critchett. He used to wield a spatula as his rod to discipline his daughter---not so hurting if you come to think of it. But even when he was just getting ready to use it, his daughter would already be wailing and contorting like she was already being spanked. "İ'm sorry, İ'm sorry, İ won't do it again, waaaah!" 

My daughter disciplines her son by barking, "Go to your place!" He would cry and agonize as if he'd been flogged a million times, screaming the same line, "İ'm sorry, İ'm sorry, İ won't do it again, waaaah!" 

Don't discipline your kid when your blood is still boiling. Simmer down first, cautions Pastor Critchett. And balance discipline with instruction so he understands the need for discipline. 

Discipline and instruction cushion children from the ouch of God, he says. As they grow into adulthood, they will be disciplined too inside as they commit their lives to the Lord. 

A little ouch is like band aid. Once plastered, it will give your child such relief, he wouldn't want to part with it.

(Originally published at CBNAsia.org)
Photo credits: elizabethpulie.wordpress.com

Bragging Rights

Bragging Rights

LOVE GROWN COLD

İ surf TV channels a lot, oftentimes coming across reality shows on animal lovers and their pets. 

A recent program featured animal hoarders---their lives turned upside down by unlimited numbers of pets which have made their once houses-of-humans, landmines of stink, barf, poo, pee and even animal corpses.

Analysts say animal hoarding is a disorder brought about by the sufferers' traumatic relationships with humans. They turn to animals like cats and dogs which, according to one, "are more loyal and won't hurt you." "Pitiful" and "sad" were the only words that came to mind. 

İn our country, on the other hand, we see children roaming the streets like stray cats and dogs, with not much of us paying attention to them. They knock on car windows but are most of the time shooed away. 


Count me guilty. Sometimes İ gave. Other times İ didn't, especially when İ'd realize giving to pan-handlers was against the law, or that behind these children were syndicates and lazy parents making these kids their palabigasan (source of livelihood). 

Why all this erratic behavior and our indifference? God's startling and all too piercing answer: "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold," Matthew 24:12. So many unfortunate things happening around us have caused even believers to remain quiet or afraid to be involved. 


Somehow, we've gotten used to just staying on the sidelines even while tragedies march in front of us. Isn't that the equivalent of a heart grown cold? 

Ah Lord God, forgive us. Let the Holy Spirit search our hearts. May we be sensitive to those who are alone and abandoned, and have turned to creatures or things to fill their emptiness. 

Help us not to slip into the same kind of defeatist or dysfunctional attitude. May we invite not just the animal protection agency to come into their situations, but to ask Jesus into their lives along with your compassion to help see them through. 

More important, may we be filled with love and compassion for helpless street children who have been abused by their parents and others who have lured them to a life of sin. 

We surely cannot solve all the abuse and poverty around us, but we can do something about every situation we encounter everyday. We can either turn a deaf ear or we can turn our head in their direction and have bread ready for them, along with a prayer for Jesus to save them. 

May we have the wisdom to do whatever little we can do with the little that we have. "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke 12:48a) 

Or you can plan on having a more profound and lasting impact. Operation Blessing and World Vision are two of the more trustworthy organizations you can support to make sure your help for children, needy families and communities reach their intended beneficiaries: 

http://obphil.com/v2/  http://worldvision.org.ph/

Originally published at CBNAsia.org

photo credits: twolittlecavaliers.com, theseedoflife.wordpress.com, www.bluenc.com, deepwaters82.wordpress.com

THE APP THAT MATTERS

“I want to design apps,” my grandson Joaqui recently told his mother Lucci.

Joaqui  earlier declared he’d be designing cars. Quite smart—excelling in both Math and English (he devours books), he’s a ten year-old fifth-grader who’s determined to win.  

He could fly to the moon if he wanted to. Of course, that’s me, Lola (grandmother) speaking! Believe sa apo!

But when Lucci shared Joaqui’s new dream, this Lola’s brain started pole dancing with dollar figures.

Well, because I recalled this recent UK news that 17-year old Nick D'Aloisio created an app which was reportedly bought by Yahoo for a cool £18m: “Nick’s app provides bite-sized summaries of content from news and other sites. He joins an elite group of teenagers who have become internet millionaires.”

If Nick can do it, so could my apo!

App, for the uninitiated (grandmothers like me), is “application” abbreviated. In compu-speak, apps are software to make computing tasks easier—meant to make ordinary mortals’ lives like moi rosier.    

If you ask me, the more apps I’ve needed to use, the more confused— hilo—I’ve become. And the more confused I’ve become, the more thankful I am that I’m old—no longer working full time, needing to keep up with nerdy stuff.  

But my old soul grieves. Young people nowadays are so smart especially with techie things. Yet they’re reading less and less, or interacting superficially with others, and spending more intimate time with their unfeeling companions—social media and games. 

Oh yes, they’re fast and agile with their cellphones and computers, sharing more photos, videos and ha-ha stuff.  But why are so many young people disconnected? Why their seeming lack of vision and direction?

I’ve been teaching college students for many years. Every year, I seem to be facing bigger roadblocks trying to reach them. I get more blank stares and empty minds—not a sign of empty hearts I hope. But I’ve sensed that too.

As parents, we should give our kids a daily dose of the apps that matter.  Just like the vitamins you give them regularly for good health. I’m glad Joaqui and his sister Charlize get a lot of them.

The Word of God, the greatest app of all!

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deutoronomy 11:18-19

The app to success? “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” Proverbs 1:7. All other apps follow suit.  

Joseph, in Genesis, rose from slavery to be Egypt’s second most powerful man—because He feared God, so He always went with him—even when trials seemed inevitable.

His Word alone, revealed in Christ, ensures greater victory over life’s many glitches. Did I say Joaqui loves this app better?

(Originally published at CBNAsia.org)

Photo credits: digitaltrends.com, blog.wordofgracechurch.com