The people who hate us.

I cant understand what makes a man hate another man help me understand. These are lines from a popular Tears for Fears song. I have to say that I can relate with the composer of this song cause I have experiences in my life where people would just hate you for unknown reasons. I'm sure that I am not the only one who has felt the chill in the spine whenever we would come across people like this. Even people whom you have never met in your life will even treat you this way the moment they first laid their eyes on you. You'll know the signs almost immediately; they won't talk to you even if you try and break the ice, they would gossip about you, they don't make eye contact. I mean, what is it with this people? Why can anyone be so mean?

These kind of people are everywhere you go, in the office, in the gym, in school, their everywhere! It's a sad fact that they exist and I can never understand why they act this way. Is it just paranoia? I don't think so; the bible says that you should treat others as you would want them to treat you, I guess that they just haven't heard of that or they just completely ignore it. No matter how irritating they are because of the way they treat you, we are still to love them because Christ loved us first and He still does. It's hard to love difficult people but are we not difficult ourselves when it comes to God's standards? Think about it; we have fallen short of God's glory. Romans 3:23. God also commanded us to love one another as it says in 1 John 4:7. If people hate our guts then let us just pray for them and continue to show love as the Lord commands us to do no matter how difficult it is. God knows I am trying my very best and I do want to love others the way Christ loves me.

A long weekend of rest for most Pinoys

It's been a relaxing day today for most Filipinos as we take a break from work because of  Bonifacio day. It's a long weekend and I woudln't be surprised if a lot of people took advantage of it by going out of town with their families. I can't say I blame them cause they all work so hard and needs a break. For somebody like me though who is no longer part of the corporate world, I really don't look forward to holidays anymore. Not that I am a bum, I actually have the best job in the world as a servant of Jesus Christ by spreading the love of the gospel. I guess, I just really enjoy what I'm doing now compared to when I was a slave to someone else. Because I enjoy what I do so much I don't feel stressed anymore, but just like any other human being; I also need rest.

I wanted to go out and ride my bike today but nobody from my cycling buddies had any plans today so I just decided to stay home. I didn't do much today except go online and slept and watched the movie 300 on my computer. It has been such a lazy day for me I don't often get to do this. I have a feeling that the following year would be busy for me in terms of ministry work. But like I said, I enjoy what I am doing now and I do it because I love Christ and want others to know Him as well.

Pushing ones self to the limit

As an athlete; I have encountered a lot of situations in my life that makes me give up because of different reasons. I always say whine by saying: this is just to much work, I can't take it anymore, I'm to tired. Sounds familiar huh? I have also seen the same excuse in other athletes. We all want to succeed in out athletic endeavors but we always go for a shortcut in achieving success. Sports, just like life is not about shortcuts. We have to push ourselves to the limit by working really hard. We have to make a solid commitment, we have to undergo tremendous pain and sweat it our really hard. I am writing about this as I was facilitating a series on what we call The Total Athlete for the University of The Philippines Judo Team. Our lesson last night focused on overcoming the barriers that would hinder an athlete from performing his best. Several physical barriers were brought up including a weak upper body, lack of stamina, pain etc. We also paid close attention to preparation. Making the necessary preparations and training to overcome those physical barriers. Preparations that are hard but necessary nevertheless.

As we were talking about those things that would prevent us from achieving athletic excellence, I was reminded of my own weaknesses and how I give up so easily when the going gets tough. God reminded me on what I need to do to accomplish certain things and that there is no easy road to take. No shortcuts to success. The Bible says that faith without action is useless. James 2:17. We cannot take things easily just because we are Christians and that God would see us through. We keep praying and asking God to help us and that we put our faith in Him. No! Faith must be supported by action! Remember the old saying? God helps those who help them selves. I guess this holds through because we just can't sit back and let God do everything. That's not the way he works in our lives.


Not all athletes may become a national champion but a total athlete will make the most of the talent that he has and give God his best. A total athlete will always have God's best interest at heart because he loves God. The Bible says that whatever we do, we should do it wholeheartedly and do our best as if working for the lord and not for men. An athlete's life is never easy, he will often encounter barriers along the way, barriers that could either make or break him. Are you trying to get pass each barrier by working hard or are you giving up? A Christian lives by faith and not by sight because what we see can often stop us from reaching our goals. Check out this video to understand what I mean.

Keeping your eyes on your goal can be good but it can also be bad if you let it affect you negatively because you seemed overwhelmed by the great task ahead of you. In this video, the coach challenged his team to have the right attitude. Not just in training but in life as well. Brock, the guy in the blindfold who is carrying someone on his back wouldn't have made it to the end zone if he didn't have the blindfold on. he would have stopped because his mind and body would tell him that it is impossible. With the ongoing encouragement from his coach, he made it! In the same way, God is also motivating us just like a good coach would, our lives here on earth may be difficult but are you going to let that affect you by throwing in the towel? Keep going and work hard, never give up but always push your self to the limit.

Night Rides on my Mountain Bike

One of the things in this world that I enjoy doing is riding my bike. I bike almost everywhere I go and I hardly take public transport anymore. I ride my bike in almost any kind of weather and time of day but my favorite time of day to ride my bike is in the evening. Yup, you read it right., in the evenings. Riding my mountain bike at night gives me such a wonderful feeling which makes me really enjoy my night rides. Here are the reasons why I love night rides: The air is cooler, less cars on the roads, plus; I can go fast without feeling tired. The only thing that I have to deal with are the big bullies of the roads; Trucks! There are enough trucks out there to take on an entire road and bring danger to others but I manage to avoid them anyway. I am extra careful whenever I would ride my bike out in the concrete jungles of Metro manila cause drivers can be pretty unpredictable. I'm just glad that not many cyclists gets into accidents.


I ride my bike home in the evenings at least three times a week alone. Sometimes I would have the company of friends on a group night ride down here in the south just to have fun and ride like the wind. One of these days I'm going to organize a night ride going out of town to places like Tagaytay or Laguna with interested people. We leave at dawn, stay there to wherever we're going till late in the afternoon and ride bike home. I don't know how soon can I make that happen but all things come to him who waits I guess. For now, I just need to be content with my weekly night rides and enjoy it like I always do.

Lessons in patience

All of us I'm sure has experienced situations that would dampen our spirits. Circumstances that would rob us of our joy  and turn it into a rage that can get ugly and make us control. We deal with things like this everyday when we go out on the road to school or work, our friends and collegues and sometimes even our family. It is simply unavoidable and I guess what matters most is our attitude. Do we roll with the punch or do we fight back? Attitude is everything. How we deal with our everyday nerve racking experiences will greatly say something about our character. The bible commands us in James 1:19 to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. And then it goes on to say that man's anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Tough one huh? Believe me when i say that I am struggling with this just like everyone else.

So why am I writing something about patience if I my self don't have it?  Well...  I believe that I am a bad example and I want people to learn from me on "what you should not be doing", I am hoping that those of you who are reading this will do the right thing. I blow my top easily. I have a very short fuse for people who are irresponsible, inconsiderate, childish and so on. The list is long. If there is one thing that I have learned in dealing with situations and annoying people is that fighting fire with fire does not work. You get angry and then the fire will grow big. next thing you know you have a full scale war on your hands.

It's funny but we often pray to God to give us patience. When he answers our prayers we complain. The only way for God to answer our desire for patience is to put us in situations wherein we can develop our patience. We just don't have the right attitude in dealing with difficult situations. You already know how I respond but have you ever asked yourselves how you respond? Does your attitude show the kind of person you are? Are we loving enough to forget whatever bad thing came our way or do we retaliate with a force so powerful to start a war? I have prayed to God a lot to grant me patience and he is more than willing to help out. Just not in the way that I hope he would but he knows what is best. Who am I to say Lord, I have a better way. I guess, the most important thing to consider is are we learning to be patient in difficult situations. What did we learn and what areas of our attitude do we have to develop. Dealing with it on our own won't work. It is only by asking God for his strength to work in us. Are you about to blow your lid off? Ask God for help and have a genuine love for others. That's what I should be doing.

Christ being introduced to the lives of Judokas.

I started my ministry with the University of the Philippines Judo Team yesterday with fourteen people in attendance. It is always a joy to share Christ to other people especially to my fellow athletes. Athletes, just like anyone else needs to hear the good news of the gospel and a good way to share this to them is through the ministry of Athletes In Action which can help them maximize their potential as athletes. To become champions not just in sports but to become champions in life as well.

I am so happy that the good news of Jesus Christ is finding it's way to the hearts and minds of the Judo Team. I am  praying that the gospel would really make a huge impact on their lives and influence others with a life that is lived for the glory of Christ. I am also praying that there will be more judo clubs in the Philippines wherein we at Athletes In Action could partner with and eventually lead the entire Philippine Judo Federation in a mighty spiritual revival. I am thankful for Coach Wowell Jingco for opening the doors of their dojo to us so that we can minister to them.

The Bible contains a lot of concepts and truths which are hard to swallow for many. Topics such as murder, sexuality, stealing etc. strikes a nerve with a people who just refuse to believe that a supreme God would just make laws that would rain on their parade. Even people who claims to be Christians are saying that not everything in the Bible is meant to be taken literally. However, it has been my observation that these people would only listen to what they want to hear. They filter the scriptures according to their own liking. God is a God of love, that is very true but God also hates sin. No where in the bible where you would find a passage that says that we must tolerate sin. No! Romans 12:9 says to "Hate is is evil; cling to what is good". This passage already tells us that God hates sin but he loves the sinner. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. In no way God is saying that we should tolerate sin in any form. Just like Christ, I love the sinner but I hate the sin. when somebody heard me say that, she said that I can't have the sinner without the sin  nor sin without the sinner. She even went further by saying that even Jesus taught tolerance and acceptance. In one way she is true but Christ never said that we should love sin. I guess some people just can't handle the truth.

I have also heard from others that we should be bearer of good news as they quoted from the book of Isaiah 52:7 "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who brings tidings, who proclaim salvation. They are right about that. But, we also have a duty to tell others about God's wrath against sin and those who commit them and that they are to repent just as God has called the prophets as his ambassadors to warn people. As I've mentioned earlier; people only hear what they want to hear. They only want to hear of God's love and not his wrath. This can be very dangerous because they shun the gospel and doesn't want to be told to changed their ways. Scripture says that satan is like a roaring lion seeking someone whom he can devoir. The enemy is desparate to bring us down with him and will try just about every tactic to accomplish this. Including manipulating and twisting the true message of the gospel.

It is a sad fact that so many individuals are corrupted in their ways and doesn't want to see the truth because they want to do things their own way without God. The question is; are you going to be like those people or are you gonna turn from yourself to Christ? The choice is your my friend. You can turn to God by asking Him to come into your hearts and take control of your life. Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into him. - Revelations 3:20 Accepting Him into your life is a matter of choice and of course, trust.

God's Chisel

It is my prayer that this video has ministered to you just as it had to me.

For the love of biking

It has already been more than a year since I took my interest in cycling to the next level. I have ridden in trails, went for long distance rides but more importantly, my bike became my preferred mode of transport. Yes, I am a bike commuter and I love every minute of it. Some of you may wonder why I would be willing to risk life and limb by hitting the perilous streets of Metro Manila, the answer is fairly simple really; it is cost efficient, it gets me to where I'm going and believe it or not; it is a lot safer than any motorized transport. There are a lot more accidents out there involving, cars, truck, motorcycles and what not.

I have saved a lot of money ever since I started riding my mountain bike to work and everywhere I go. Not to mention of course the fact that I always beat traffic. I lost a lot of weight as well; because it is a good form of exercise. Biking in the city still has some setbacks unfortunately. Lack of bike lanes and proper bike parking facilities are just two problems that we have to deal with. Since I love riding my bike so much, I don't let these set backs deter me from riding. If there's a will, there is always a way.


In today's society, a lot of people tend to look down upon people who commutes by bike. They think that it is unglamorous and not practical. They would think that you don't have money. If only more white collared people would ride their bikes to work everyday then the negative image that people have of bike commuters would drastically change and make a bigger impact. Don't get me wrong though; I have nothing against cars, and in some ways it is necessary for people to drive them. As for me though, I do what I can to promote clean air by saying that I am one less car. It is my dream that the Philippines would become a bike crazy country and have clean, breathable air for the generations to come. I can only hope for the better. So why do I ride my bike? Because I LOVE IT!

The Tough Truth About Conflict

The Tough Truth About Conflict

Where do you draw the line between judging others and exposing sin? This is a question which I have been asking my self for quite some time now. People always quote Matthew 7:1-5 where it says "Do not judge". This has got to be one of the most misused bible scriptures. people throw this passage a lot when they would hear somebody say something against someone or what that someone did. People like these only see one part of that bible passage. Verse 5 says "Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye: then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye." What this means is that we should not judge other people when we our selves are doing the same thing. Let me give a clear example: Let's say I saw someone who has stolen and I say to that person, Your a thief! It is wrong to steal but yet, I my self is doing the same thing. Now that is hypocritical! The bible says that we should judge our selves by God's standard first and repent from our sins before we can help others in dealing with their own sin.

There is a fine line between exposing and judging. Ephesians 5:11 says this: "Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead EXPOSE them." How can people be aware of what they are doing is wrong if we don't tell them? Take a parent for example; if a child does something wrong a Parent would always tell that child that what he or she did was wrong so that they won't make the same mistake again. A child wouldn't know the difference between right and wrong unless we tell them. People would rather hear about God's love rather than his wrath against sin. If this is the case then we would be liable to God him self because we didn't tell others about the curse of sin. Issues like homosexuality, adultery, coveting etc. are topics that would offend people when they hear some preach against these things. They would say, "who do you think you are to tell me that I am wrong or how dare you judge me". The truth hurts but the truth will set them free if they listen to it. have you heard of the saying "the slap of a friend is sweeter than the kiss of an enemy."?

God called us into this world to be his light, and light exposes darkness. As Christians, we have a duty to Christ to be bearers of good news but we must also expose the works of satan in this world. Judging is not a sin if we judge ourselves first according to God's standard.

Aiming to run.

Running was the very first sport that I was introduced to by my Dad when I was a child. Unfortunately, I wasn't the athletic type back then and I was to lazy. I easily got tired and could barely run even just a kilometer. I am now an adult and because of my fondness for sports, I am willing to give running another shot. This time though, I am determined to succeed. A good friend from church gave me a pair of Asics running shoes which I intend on using to get me started. I am just so fascinated by people who could run long distances and I often imagine my self doing that someday, Of course I really have to train and have the discipline and will power to do it. I am a cyclists and I can ride my bike in long distances. I figure that if I can do that on a bike, then I can also do it on foot.

I wish that my Dad was still alive and give me pointers now that I am determined to do it. My Dad was a runner and became a coach as well back in the 80's. I remember him joining a lot of marathons back in those days and would always finish it. My Dad was already old then but what admired me most was his ability to finish no matter how long it takes despite of his age. I want to become like him. I may not become a famous runner by finishing first, second or third, but my goal is to conquer my self and finish the race.

It's Monday again and the start of another week and an opportunity to minister to the national karatedo team. Today, the team learned the value of prayer in for their personal life and how to make it effective. Kuya Totie facilitated the discussions with supporting bible verses. It was such a joy to see a group of karate athletes pray for them selves as well as for their team.

The team also shared things on what they are thankful for in their lives. The Bible says to give thanks for everything, and that is exactly what these athletes did. They shared their joys and their set backs. Coach David Lay also mentioned the challenges that he is facing this year as a coach and as a son to his Mom who has stage four cancer. Despite of the predicaments that he is facing, He is still able to give thanks to Jesus and continue to put his faith in Him. Coach Maricar also shared some of her thoughts and feelings as a female coach which led her to tears. It is so amazing that athletes such as them are able to express what is in their hearts. Trully, the Lord works in ways you can never know and you will just be in awe at how He works in the lives of people, and that includes the national Karatedo Team.

The Pastor Steve Ruetschle Chocolate Bar

I was so delighted yesterday when someone handed me a chocolate bar with pastor Steve's picture on the wrapper. This is actually a token of appreciation to the people who ushered during the Songs for Steve Concert last October 25, 2010 at Onstage Greenbelt One.

It's another wild Sunday for most Filipinos as they watch and scream over the fight of the year. As I am writing this blog, the world outside is going crazy over Manny Paquiao's fight against Margarito. Whoops! I just got a skype chat from my friend Craig who told me that Manny won. The crowd who was watching the match in out neighbor's house is starting to disperse already which signifies the end of the bout. I guess you're wondering why I am not one of the many who is watching. I'm not really sure why. maybe I'm just  tired of all the hype that people like Manny gets. Don't get me wrong though, I'm always happy every time a Filipino makes it big and brings honor to the country.

I'm an athlete my self and I love sports. Boxing is just not my cup of tea. I don't like the attitude that goes with the sport. Call me whatever you like but I am not one who would go crazy and be amused at people who mocks each other in pre-fight interviews. I guess I'm just so hooked on the respect that comes with traditional fighting arts like my sport Judo. My sport is so much different from boxing and mixed martial arts. It's probably the reason why I am not a boxing fan. It could also be my up bringing as a person. My parents always taught me the value of respect and honor as a child and that is something that I have always valued. Or there could be other reasons which I just can't point my finger to. Oh well. Congratulations, Manny Paquiao! You did it again! Now back to earth.

I had the opportunity yesterday to visit the American Memorial Cemetery with my friend Arthur Duffy from who is here in the country from the United States. Arthur or Arty as we call him wanted to go there to visit the grave of his great uncle who fought for and died for his country during world war II. I don't really like going to cemeteries or any places that has to do with the departed but there was something different in that place compared to other grave yards. The American Cemetery is a memorial to soldiers who gave their lives in service to their country the United States of America. The place was actually beautiful even from the outside, It has a lot of white crosses on the grounds with the names of soldiers who were layed to rest there a long time ago.The cross includes their name and service number. In the heart of the cemetery is a memorial wall which contains the names of thousands of American soldiers who were missing in action. The wall states their branch of service in the military with their names and ranks. Certain names would be highlighted in gold which means that they have won the distinguished medal of valor which is the highest honor that a soldier could receive.

This is my friend Arty with his great uncle's tomb stone. Arty really looks proud of his uncle and I can understand why. He has never met his great uncle of course since he was killed way before Arty was even born, nevertheless, Arty was able to get close to a family member.

This is one unforgettable highlight from my experience as a volunteer for the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).

http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=4617&pst=228749

Today officially marks my fifth day of being stranded at home because of an irritated eye that really got me paralyzed and unable to do things that I would normally do. However, I am happy to announce that my eyes are better now and things will be going back to normal starting tomorrow. First thing on my agenda is to get back on my bicycle saddle and enjoy a ride and go to the gym to pump some iron. I was unable to function properly not just because my eyes were red and hurting but also because I couldn't wear my "expired" contact lenses and unable to see clearly. My contacts by the way were the reason why my eyes got infected in the first place (my bad).

My eyes are well now and I am so thankful for my friend Jennifer who was kind enough by buying me new lenses and dropping it off at my house. I feel so blessed to have friends like her who would go out of their way to help someone in need. Jennifer is one of the kindest people that you will ever meet. I feel like I'm starting the week late because of my temporary set back but you know what they say; Better late than never. Watch out, world! I'm back!