mY jOuRnEy

We need to stop blaming God for all the bad things happening to us that we brought upon ourselves. When we get sick because of our unhealthy lifestyle, our poor eating habits and our bad health choices - we shouldn't blame God when we get sick. When we lose our family because we don't spend time with them, choose our vices over them or make them feel unloved and unappreciated - we shouldn't blame God when we lose our family. When we lose our job because we don't perform well, don't come to work early or don't add value to our work in the company - we shouldn't blame God when we lose our job. When we go broke because we don't manage our finances properly, prioritize non-essential spending and don't save and invest - we shouldn't blame God when we go broke. This is so typical of us, something bad happens and then we say "This is God's will" and then we just let it go because God willed it and there is nothing else we can do about it. ...

Before I list down my wealth tips, let me just point out that wealth doesn’t necessarily mean money and finances. Many people get this wrong, in that they think that wealth is for the “wealthy” or the rich but it is not because there are many types of wealth. There are those who are wealthy materially, some wealthy with their health, some with their relationships and their families, some are wealthy with knowledge, some wealthy spiritually and so on. Some people could be wealthy in some aspects or most aspects and our ideal goal is really to be wealthy in most areas especially in the ones we value in our lives. This list is more about material wealth but it also crosses over and transcends to the different types of wealth as well. Without further ado, here is my top 10 wealth-building tips to start of this year and for the years to come! Pay yourself first. If after you receive your pay, your habit is to go to the mall to treat yourself to things you don’...

The little things we allow to take root and consider harmless can actually do more harm than good. I grew this plant (aka weed) from seed taken during my Bohol trip and when two seeds sprouted, my mother uprooted them because they were (you guessed it!) weeds. I was able to save one. I planted them because I wanted Izel to see and harvest what I called "nature's surprise eggs"! Unfortunately though, it has grown so much and was taking up space and affecting all the other "more useful" plants surrounding it. It was literally sucking up all the nutrients and my melon, cucumber and onions were getting overpowered by it. Looking at this plant that I nurtured into life and while contemplating if I should uproot it, I realized how it's actually a reminder of a great lesson in life that is also in the Bible. That weeds will be removed and thrown into the fire. There are small things that we allow into our lives because we "think"...

This lovely creature greeted and graced us with its presence this Wednesday morning when Izel and I went to look at the garden! Butterflies are my favorite and of course it inspired this post... Butterflies are one of the most amazing creatures in the insect kingdom... they don't live very long lives, some as short as 6 days while others can live as long as a year...yet butterflies have the most amazing transformation ever! They start out as eggs, then become caterpillars, then they emerge from their chrysalis into a beautiful winged creature the butterfly. Butterflies are a reminder to us that our lives may or may not last long but that we have to go through life and transform into something more that we are at first...to learn our lessons, to grow stronger, to break free from what imprisons us and be an inspiration to others. It is also a reminder to us that no matter how hard things may be, there is always something greater to look forward to. A bl...

One night, a mother and son went to a dimsum restaurant to have dinner. They ordered two steamed rice, a side of quail egg siomai and 2 bottles of water. They then started eating and since the siomai only had 3 pcs, the mother cut the second piece into two. The other half unintentionally was bigger than the other one and in a moment of selfishness and human weakness, she thought of taking the bigger slice for herself... but her motherly instincts quickly t ook over and so she offered the bigger slice to her son. The son, upon seeing what her mother had done, refused to take the bigger slice and instead offered it to his mother saying, "You can have this slice Ma, I'll take the other one." The mother then asked the son why he wanted to give that siomai slice to the mother. The son said, " BECAUSE IT IS THE BIGGER SLICE."  😍 😭 😘 DO THIS: Try to close your hands and then open them. Do you notice that its relatively easier and requires ...

The other day, when my son Izel and I rode a fully-packed and totally hot jeepney heading for Colon, I handed him the portable chargeable fan to help cool him down as he was sweating profusely. The fan gave him comfort for a short while until it stopped working due to a drained battery. At this point, I saw a perfect teaching opportunity that was too good to pass. A lesson in stewardship, proper use of our resources and consequences of actions. We had gone over to my sister's house that morning and he watched videos alongside my sister's kids and he had used the portable fan even when there was a big fan already doing the job. I told him that the fan stopped working because the battery was drained and it was a direct consequence of his actions earlier in the day. I told him that because he failed to conserve that resource earlier, he now had to suffer the effect and that meant he would have to take the heat. (literally) He had the portable fan as a ...