Wednesday, July 31, 2013

On Growing


We are forever a child of God but we can never be forever childish. Whether we like it or not we are growing in years and so must our character and outlook in life. We need to take on more responsibilities, and though we mature and things become more complicated, still we must keep our childlike faith. Yes, childlike not childish faith.

Lord, as we grow in years, grant us the grace to grow as well in our character and outlook in life. Amen. 

by aats

Sunday, July 28, 2013

The Beginning of Love


The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image. -Thomas Merton, The Way of Chuang Tzu

Love is real and the only way for it to be so is to let others be themselves and love them as who they are. Then, because of the experience of being love, the “other” experiences a transformation for the better.

by aats

Friday, July 26, 2013

On Over-Planning


There are things that are meant unplanned. We can have the most sophisticated plan but at the end of the day we have to leave a space for the Spirit to work. In the work of the Lord we can never be over-planner. Spontaneity is important. We have to be flexible and adaptable to situations or else we will just get irritated and frustrated easily. God is the God of surprises and so let us not spoil His surprise, let us allow Him to overwhelm us.

by aats

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Carrying Each Other


All of us have this not so nice and irritating side of us. We just need to bear each others weakness and carry each others crosses. Let us make the world more compassionate, caring and understanding. The world is filled with unkindness, indifference and rudeness, so be considerate, show affection and appreciation. A little of these can make the load a little bit lighter and bearable. Life after all is good and beautiful. 

by aats

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Talking About Waiting


I remember when I was still in the university, every time I go home my Tatay (maternal grandfather) will always wait for my arrival at the bus terminal.

I studied in a different island and so it will take one ferry ride and another bus ride for me to get home. Add to that, there was no cellphone in our area at that time and the only communication was through mail sent via ferry. So I know that if I missed the ferry, my Tatay will be waiting at the terminal without knowing that I am not arriving at all.

The moment I arrive early in the morning; there he was smiling and eager to see me. I always look forward going home knowing that someone is waiting for me. It’s always good to know that someone is waiting for you. Lord, teach us to be gracious enough to acknowledge those who waited for us. Amen. 

by aats

On The Road





Lord, carry us when we can no longer carry ourselves. We can only fulfill our mission with your grace. Without you, we will be going nowhere. Guide us, lift us and fill us up. Amen. 

by aats

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Waiting For A Train


I had such a different experience this afternoon. We went on a train station and waited for more than 2 hours. First call to the hotline, they said its going be there then second call after an hour only to be told that there is no train at all. We went waiting for a train that never arrived.

Well, there are quite a number of learnings there. First, always check schedules before travelling and second, it pays to ask. But more than those practical learnings, it actually points to a reality in life, the reality of waiting. Most of the time we find waiting discomforting. Life is waiting. Parents waiting for a child to be born, students waiting for graduation, engage couples waiting for marriage and many more. There are waiting that has answer but there are waiting that has none.

There are times when we get tired of waiting and I think it’s okay, we just need to accept things as they are and do the best of the situation while waiting. A train may not arrive on the time we wanted but as long as we wait, we will have a ride eventually.

by aats

Saturday, July 13, 2013

The 3 I's of Leadership


Integrity, Initiative and Intent.

A leader of integrity is someone who is consistent in his values and actions; he is above and beyond reproach. A leader with initiative is someone who has the ability to initiate doing good things without the need to be prodded. A leader of intent is someone who has the goodness and purity of intention.

by aats

Life Is Like A Candy Crush


A way of getting something from a game that provides little distraction and joy... Life is like a candy crush. You don’t need to have perfect stars; all you need to do is level up. There will obstacles like jellies, bombs and doughnuts but the moment you finish a level, it’s the sweetest. 

by aats

Friday, July 12, 2013

Faith Is


Faith is not seeing the wind yet believing that it’s there. It is seeing rain in the clouds on a sunny day. Asking me how am I with my faith, I can say I am floating in the current and just let it lead me where it goes. What is faith to me at this very moment? Faith is holding on even if my feeling doubts. 

by aats

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

A Good Conversation


I had some conversation with a brother and the topic went on from faith to blessings. He said, “God is so good that we don’t have to do anything to receive blessings from Him, all we need to do is let go of the things that will keep us from receiving them.”

Thank you Lord for your goodness. Amen. 

by aats

Monday, July 8, 2013

Power Outage


Power just came back after almost 5 hours, everything seems to stop. I could not warm the food because the stove is connected to it. There is no Internet too, nothing I can do for online-based work (the weakness of paperless society). A brother commented by saying that this is what happened at the last day! At first it made me feel helpless, but then, remembering my home country way back when brownout was the norm, I kind of reliving the joy I had when we play outside the house in the early evening because the only light we have was the moon. It was fun being with friends, playing real and not virtual games. Power outage is good too; it pushes me to do the things that are real and not just the virtual.

This power outage is telling me how much we become so dependent on electricity. Maybe this is a good reminder to be more dependent instead to the true source of power, our Lord Jesus Christ. 

by aats

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Love God


Problems start when we start loving mission more than the God of mission. Our love for the mission should be but an outflow of our deeper love for God. Teach us Lord to love you more than the mission you have given us. Amen.

by aats