Things I Believe

I believe life is good.
I believe God is in everything.
I believe GOD created everything we know.
I believe there is no greater love than he that lays down his life to save another.
I believe that I am a member of the Body of Christ, and that He acts in this world through our embodiment of him.
I believe faith, hope and prayers are very powerful weapons
I believe there is a soul mate out there for you
I believe we're all equal.
I believe we can help people.
I believe everyone is weird in their own way.
I believe saying smart things and giving smart answers are important. Learning to listen to others and to ask smart questions is more important.
I believe that when I meditate I feel peaceful.
I believe we should be generous.
I believe brothers and sisters should be kind to each other.
I believe that happiness is a decision and learning to make that decision is a huge part of the reason we’re here.
I believe kids should respect their parents.
I believe I should not whine.
I believe people should wake up early.
I believe people should go outside more.
I believe in nature.
I believe people should use less trees.
I believe we should CONSERVE the natural habitat and rainforest animals.
I believe people shouldn't throw litter on the ground.
I believe people should not smoke.
I believe everything happens for a reason.
I believe in magic.
I believe dogs are preferable to cats, but that kittens and puppies are equally cute.
I believe people should not give up.
I believe love is everywhere.
I believe in asking yourself, do I have enough? Do you really need more money, power, prestige, or stuff?
I believe that God helps us to have a good time.
I believe we live best in a community.
I believe in learning how to fight as if you are right and listen as if you are wrong: It helps you develop strong opinions that are weakly held.
I believe we can protect people in danger.
I believe we should help the poor.
I believe that no one should be denied health care or education for lack of money
I believe it's OK to die but not to kill.
I believe I can work smarter, not harder.
I believe you get what you expect from people. This is especially true when it comes to selfish behavior; unvarnished self-interest is a learned social norm, not an unwavering feature of human behavior.
I believe war should not have started.
I believe war should stop.
I believe we can make peace.
I believe that the best test of a person's character is how he or she treats those with less power.
I believe in the saying “Do onto others as you want them to do onto you”
I believe forgiveness goes a long way
I believe regret is a wasted emotion, learn and move on.
I believe honesty and sometimes silence is the best policy
I believe that pets are good for your health.
I believe only a dog wants a bone.
I believe I can concentrate on what I can do, not what I can't do
I believe on following through on promises
I believe sometimes the best management is no management at all -- first do no harm!
I believe indifference is as important as passion.
I believe that the weaker the argument, the louder the voice.
I believe in organizational life, you can have influence over others or you can have freedom from others, but you can't have both at the same time.
I believe "Everyone else does" isn't a reason; it's an excuse.
I believe children are not born as blank slates to write upon. People are born with their basic personality and temperament. I've seen too many good people who come from bad families, and bad people who come from good families to believe different.
I believe God put that itchy spot on our backs, just exactly where we can’t reach it, to encourage us to be nice to each other.
I believe I work to live, I don't live to work.
I believe minds are like parachutes; in order to function properly, they must be open.
I believe that the intentional celibacy is unnatural.
I believe you can't successfully nor ethically legislate morality.
I believe knowledge is power.

ULING

Haiy…Natatanaw ko na naman ang makapal na usok na nanggagaling sa bukid sa likod ng aming kabahayan. Naamoy ko ulit ang nasusunog na punongkahoy at halaman sa kagubatan. Kelan ba matitigil ang pag-uuling at pgkakaingin sa lugar namin. Hihintayin pa ba ng mga tao na magaya sa ibang lugar na tinabunan ng lupa mula sa bundok bago ito bigyan ng pansin? Kalbong-kalbo na ang mga bundok, halos wala na ring malalaking puno at tila walang ginagawa ang mga kinauukulan upang ang mga ito ay mabigyang lunas.

Pag-uuling (Coal mining via burning of trees) and Slash and burn farming or kaingin continues on the mountains of Oriental Mindoro despite the arrests and cases filed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) against those involved in the highly destructive method.

I observed the lack of forest guards as one of the reasons why the effort to prevent slash and burn farming failed. There should be one forest guard for every 1,000 hectares according to the law.

They are now having some kind of a cat and mouse game. The moment our forest guards are away, the mang-uuling and kaingineros (slash and burn farmers) will strike. They cannot sustain their presence because forest guards are very few.

Pag-uuling and Slash and burn farming is highly destructive because it burns even young trees and destruct natural resources.

I hope that after the elections, the local government office would request the national government to hire forest guards to help in forest and ecological protection.

This is my simple advocacy for Environmental awareness and Greener Philippines.

~Shernan Fajutnao Gamol

Photos taken at Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro

For FULL ALBUM details visit: 

http://shernanphotography.multiply.com/

WHAT IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES?

God’s love. We all have them. Only we don’t always act on them. How many times have we wanted to say, share or be something but just sat back and let the opportunity pass? These are some of the realizations I have all throughout the training for victory.

I really wanted to share the word of God everyday, but at the end I am no better than the person who didn’t think it and didn’t do it. In fact, I can do it but I fail to do speak not because of my inability or even lack of opportunity, but rather my lack of initiative, commitment and compassion to lost people. This training made me realized that God’s Love is within us, waiting to be shared. Sometimes our love cup is emptied, not because of overt cup emptying, but merely because no one cared enough to fill it. I know, it’s much harder to love someone than it is to merely beat them. In fact, no one ever really wins. The truth is that Love – and only Love – wins. Our love is not to be measured by the minimum of what we can do, nor is it to be limited only to those who appear deserving. Our standard for real love is that God because He first loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins and we have no reasons not to share it.

I’ve always asked God how can I impact other people’s lives through his love.  God had given me quite a strange answer to all the questions I’d been asking Him. Since then, I’ve known that it takes only one person to make a difference. That one person starts a chain of discipleship. He or she may directly impact the life of only one person, but that person may pass it on, and it can travel the world. One action is just one action. But it can light up the way of others for years. I believe that we only have to respond to the challenges to become extraordinary. The lives of countless ‘ordinary’ people who said ‘yes’ to the challenge change the course of history. By saying ‘yes’ and carrying it through, God made them greater than what they were. They became at the very least, ‘extraordinary’.

At the end of the day, I pray I could declare that “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, henceforth there is laid for me that crown of righteousness…[2 tim 4:7].

V-Ubelt Training for Victory

HAGIS BARYA

Sa tuwing uuwi ako ng Mindoro, hindi mawawala sa eksena ang mga kabataang sumisigaw ng "hagis barya" pagdaong ng barko sa pier. Mahuhusay lumangoy ang kabataang ito. Animo'y nagmamakaawa na hagisan man lang sila kahit konting barya. Hanga ako sa kanilang galing sa pagsisid ang paghuli ng barya na wari'y lamang dagat kung bumulusok paibaba sa kalaliman ng dagat.

Sa aking paghihintay sa pagbaba ng bangka, sumasampa ang ilang kabataan sa gilid ng bapor, marahil sa tindi na rin ng sikat ng araw. Halos kulay sunog na nga ang mga balat nila. Marahil, iyon na ang ikinabubuhay nila. Minsan pa nga, kasama pa nila ang maliliit na bata.
Gamit ang talento sa paglangoy at pagsisid: “Kuya, hagis barya kayo diyan!” ang sigaw nila. Namamaos na nga ang iba sa kanila. Habang ang ibang pasahero ay aliw na aliw na humahagis ng barya, naisip ko na ang baryang inihahagis mo sa dagat ay s'ya nilang ikabubuhay.

Keeping the Hope Alive

Have you ever asked yourself the question “Kaninong buhay ang babaguhin ko?" or “Why am I here on earth?”’. For me, it can only be good to open the repository of joy, share to others and refill it once in a while. Some people fear doing this kind of act because they are suspicious of the concept. They somehow believe that there are people who can do it better or they don’t simply fit with the situations, as if the very act means the abandonment of their career, duties and obligations for themselves. I’m always moved by the efforts of the many good people who have responded to the call for help of other. I catch myself choking on my tears whenever I see or read about the great suffering of many and the heroic compassionate work being done by people to alleviate the pain of others, giving them hope. It is truly awesome and inspiring.

I believe that we only have to respond to the challenges to become extraordinary. The lives of countless ‘ordinary’ people who said ‘yes’ to the challenge change the course of history. By saying ‘yes’ and carrying it through, they became greater than what they were. They became at the very least, ‘extraordinary’. Being one, do not necessarily mean that you’ll be popular, rich or whatsoever, it only depicts the fulfillment and joy that once in you life you became a blessing to other people. Di naman kailangang mayaman ka para makatulong o maging extraordinary, yung talento, malasakit, oras, at pagiging inspirasyon mo ay mas malaking bagay para mabago ang buhay ng iba. Material thing fades, but hope never abandons you. I’ll be the happiest person in the world if someday, at least one person will approach me and said “Thank you, you touched my life”. That's why I'm grateful that I have been blessed with a great circle of friends and relatives that definitely are my support system and act as my crutches in times of need. They are the “extraordinary” in my life.

I know that when I am happy, I am able to imbue situations I find myself in with happiness and even share it with everyone. While there is something good and heroic about giving and sharing to others, I know, in the end, it is simply sustainable and that’s why I will do it not just once in a while but in every situation. Because, when we replenish the well-spring of the goodness from which we shower the world with, we feel better and more empowered. And we must not forget that the hope we give to ourselves is a necessary ingredient if we are to fulfill our obligations and duties to others with joy and with constancy. I remember someone said that you can live for 30 days without food. Eight days without water, and about eight minutes without air, but never for a second without hope.

At the end of the day, we can mess up all we want and as often as we want, it’s our choice. But one thing we can be sure of is there are events, people and missions thrown our way from time to time that open our eyes and remind us that there is good in us, and in everyone. To all of you, who have made a difference in my life, thank you! To my friends and family, I don't get around to saying it much, but you know how much I love you. Ever since I decided to live up the compassion of reaching out the needy and serve others, not only I found a renewed vigor, hope and spirit in living but also an enthusiasm for the work God and found it to be joyful and priceless.

With hope, anything's possible.  Without hope life is meaningless.

Learning From Experience

When you're biking down a gravel-strewn road and you slam into a tree, you learn something. You learn for example, not to look at the cute girls or guys on the sidewalk, but instead pay attention to the road. When you're strutting leisurely along the corridors of your school and you fall flat on your butt, you learn something. You learn not to daydream while you're walking to the library.

Obviously, we can learn lots of things from our everyday experieces. it may not be everyday that we experience something extraordinary. But it's everyday that each of us is molded into what we will be tomorrow.  

Once memories have remained and years have formed every fabric of your being, you realize that growing up has served its purpose.

Somewhere in the Middle

Have you ever been somewhere you didn’t want to be? Maybe it was a job, a town, or a marriage. Maybe it was a stage in life, like singlehood, or a state in life, like a disability. It’s very possible that as you read this, you’re wishing you were somewhere else – anywhere else – living a different life, but you know it’s not likely that anything is going to change any time soon.

It’s the same word he gave a group of people when they were stuck in another country, exiled from their homeland. They’d folded their arms and said, “We’re going to wait this thing out, and when we get home, we’ll start living our lives.”

Don’t invest your energy in hopes of leaving; instead invest your energy in the people around you. The Christian martyr Jim Eliot expressed it this way: “Wherever you are, be all there.” Don’t be physically present but mentally somewhere else, thinking of the future or the past, thinking of someplace else. Our journey with Christ requires that we be fully present in the present.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer called it “this worldliness,” and said, “It is only by living completely in this world that one learns to live by faith.” This focus allows you to see that your life is centered in God and not the place you live or work, not the person you’re married to – or not married to – not how you feel or how you look.

Investing in the people around you is exactly how you find life. So it was God’s plan all along to push them to the edge of their existence, so they would end up centered solely on God.

You may feel like you’re in exile too, but God is still working in your life; and his message to you is: Dig in and fully embrace the life around you.

Center your life in God, not in your circumstances. God is constant; your circumstances are temporary. Ask God, “What do you want me to learn or to do in these present circumstances.”

Change me, God – Instead of asking God to change your circumstances, ask him to change you in the circumstances.

Practice being in the present – Today, whenever you find your mind drifting to another place, bring it back to the present, and ask God to help you stay in the present.

Determine to be a good steward of what you have, instead of focusing on what you don’t have. Make the most of what God has given you.

Whom can I serve?

Whose needs can I meet? Where can I serve? What can I give you? Why are you doing that all by yourself? Who needs something that I can give? When do you need me? Are you OK? Can I get you something?

What’s common about all these questions? They are all seeking a way to serve without waiting to be asked. We were put on earth to make a contribution, but no assignments are given out. Part of serving is looking for and finding the need so you can do something about it before it becomes an issue.

A lot of this is in how we think. It’s all about becoming other-conscious versus self-conscious. Being self-conscious is what happens without any effort. It’s the natural human way of going about our lives. Becoming other-conscious is what happens with some effort and the Spirit of God to empower us.

We were not made to go at it alone. We were made to serve each other so that in community, we all get our needs met. It’s a little like saying, “I’ll scratch your back, and you scratch mine,” but more complicated in that we are all gifted to meet each other’s needs in different areas and different ways that only the Holy Spirit could arrange.

It’s the consciousness that is the key. That and the commitment that once we become aware of a need we can meet, we will immediately do something about it.

It’s always been interesting to me that he didn’t tell us to go out and do good. He said to be eager to do good. That means we are consciously aware of opportunities to serve. If you weren’t thinking along these lines you might miss all kinds of opportunities to serve. But anyone who is eager to do something is looking for it.

If you’re eager to go fishing, you’re going to be looking for the next free day on your calendar. If you are eager to play tennis, you will be on the lookout for a suitable partner to play with. In the same way, if you are eager to do good, you will be keenly aware of opportunities to serve others as they arise. It’s all in our awareness.

You might want to go over the questions again at the beginning of this blog and see if anyone comes to mind as you go through them. Then make a plan to reach out to that person in some way. And finally, think about how you can get into an other-conscious groove. Anticipate needs. Be eager to serve. Ask God to bring these things to mind at all times, that becoming aware of those around you might become a habit you just can’t shake!

Eliminate Negative Self-Talk

Long before psychology came around, God said your thoughts determine your feelings and your feelings determine your actions. If you want to change your life, you've got to control the way you think.

Our minds are really an amazing creation. It would take a computer the size of a small city just to carry out the basic functions of your brain. Your brain contains over one hundred billion nerve cells. Each individual cell is connected with ten thousand other neurons.

In addition, you're constantly talking to yourself--all the time. Your mind is talking to you! You're talking to yourself right now. Research indicates that most people speak at a rate of 150 to 200 words per minute, but the mind can listen to about 500-600 words a minute. That's why you can listen to me and plan today's dinner at the same time.

In fact, our internal dialogue--the conversation we have with ourselves--is at a rate of 1,300 words per minute. How? Because our mind sees in pictures, and you can see a thought in a nano-second!

The problem is a lot of us are like Job, who says, "Everything I say seems to condemn me" (Job 9:20 GN). He is saying, in effect, "Everything I say puts me down." If you are typical to the human race, you are your own worst critic.

We're always putting ourselves down. We walk into a room smiling, but inside we're thinking, "I’m fat. I'm dumb. I'm ugly. And I'm always late!"

God wants us to stop putting ourselves down. When you put yourself down, who are you really putting down? When you say, "I'm fat. I'm dumb. I'm ugly. I'm no good. I have no talent," you're really pointing to the Creator who made you. When you say, "God, I'm worthless. I'm no good. I can't do anything," you're saying, "God, you blew it with me." That's why God says it's wrong to put yourself down.

How do you eliminate negative self-talk so you can become a more confident person?

The Bible teaches the principle of replacement:

"Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right . . . Think about all you can thank God for and be glad about" (Philippians 4:8 TLB).

In other words, don't think about all those weaknesses in your life. Focus on who God wants you want to be and on what God wants to do in your life. I don't know any better antidote to low self-esteem (or to facing your hurts, habits, and hang-ups) than to read God's word every day: study it, memorize it, meditate on it, and apply it in your life.
There isn't a better thing you can do to raise your confidence level than to start believing what God says about you. As I read through the Bible, chapter by chapter, I find a verse that speaks to me. I write it down on a card, memorize it, and then I start affirming it back to God. "Father, thank you that I am valuable; I am significant; I am forgivable; I am capable." Let God renew your mind because "your life is shaped by your thoughts" 


(Adapted from Purpose Driven Connection"

The Best Investment

"The best investments you ever make are investments in yourself - and your education. Those investments always pay big dividends." - Donald J. Trump


Oftentimes people ask me what is a good investment? How to invest in real estate? What business makes is profitable? I always answered back that I do not give investment and business advice because we do not have any relationships yet. I only mentor those in the core team.

In the core team we do not give cheap advice. The information we got and the system we are using can make any ordinary person wealthy and achieve time and financial freedom from zero to 3 years. We give mentoring because we have done it and succeeded.

OVERCOMING THE NEGATIVE

OVERCOMING THE NEGATIVE

Quotes to keep you going:-)

“Man's greatest actions are performed in minor struggles. Life, misfortune, isolation, abandonment and poverty are battlefields which have their heroes - obscure heroes who are at times greater than illustrious heroes.” -- Victor Hugo

"People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them." -- George Bernard Shaw

"We were not created to be eaten by anxiety, but to walk erect, free, unafraid in a world where there is work to do, truth to seek, love to give and win." -- Joseph Ford Newton

"One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself." -- Lucille Ball

Bringing Pleasure to God

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" (Colossians 3:23 NIV).

When I first fell in love with my wife, I thought of her constantly: while eating breakfast, driving to school, attending class, waiting in line at the market, pumping gas—I could not stop thinking about this woman! I often talked to myself about her and thought about all the things I loved about her. I felt close to Kay even though we lived several hundred miles apart and attended different colleges!

Just like my love for Kay transformed everything I did, love for God can transform every activity of our daily lives.

Martin Luther once said, "A dairymaid can milk cows to the glory of God." Does that strike you as a strange thing to say? How can an "un-sacred" chore like milking a cow be an act of worshiping God?

Worship is far more than church services with singing, praying, and listening to a sermon. Worship is anything you do that brings pleasure to God. The Bible says, "The Lord is pleased with those who worship him and trust his love" (Psalm 147:11 CEV).

In the Bible, people praised God at work, at home, in battle, in jail, and even in bed! Anything you do can be an act of worship when you do it for the praise, glory, and pleasure of God.

How is that possible? By doing everything as if you were doing it for Jesus and by carrying on a continual conversation with him while you do it! The Bible says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV). And then: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" (Colossians 3:23 NIV).

The Message paraphrase says, "Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering" (Romans 12:1).

Worship is not a part of your life, it is your life.

Registered NURSE na ako!!

All the glory and praises are due to JESUS who gave me wisdom, strenghts and faith to believe in the power of my dreams. I am now a step higher...

Praise GOD!!

Roll of Successful Examinees in the NURSE LICENSURE EXAMINATION Held on JUNE 6 & 7, 2009 Page:275 of 655 Released on JULY 23, 2009 Seq. No. N a m e 13651 GAMBOA, WILLETH LYCHE CRUZ 13652 GAMBOA, ZYRILLE ALLAN ATIJERA 13653 GAMBOL, CHRISTIAN CYRUS BUSTAMANTE 13654 GAMBONG, CHONA ARAO-ARAO 13655 GAMBONG, LIEZEL DAPITAN 13656 GAMBUTA, ORGEMMA GAMAS 13657 GAMELO, TIFFANY JOY FLORENTO 13658 GAMET, VON IRWIN MON 13659 GAMIAO, GHENHIS GAYLE SAGUID 13660 GAMIAO, JOMARIE BENIGNO 13661 GAMIAO, MARY ROSE NICOLAS 13662 GAMIDO, CATHERINE JOY PAREL 13663 GAMIDO, MARJOFEL ORIA 13664 GAMIER, MARIE KRYSTLE ATIENZA 13665 GAMIL, IAN CARLO VILLOSO 13666 GAMIL, LOVELYN DALAODAO 13667 GAMINO, ROELLE ABALOS 13668 GAMISERA, HERVIC FAGELA 13669 GAMIT, ALLELIE DE LEON 13670 GAMIT, LEONALDO LABASAN 13671 GAMIT, MARY JOY LACADEN 13672 GAMIT, ROOSEVELT IDMILAO 13673 GAMIZ, NELSON JR SOMERA 13674 GAMMAD, DIANA FRANCES PAGULAYAN 13675 GAMMAD, GREGG GARCIA 13676 GAMMAD, JEMAROSE PAGULAYAN 13677 GAMMAD, KRISTINE LUZ CABANIT 13678 GAMO, GEMENI MIRASOL 13679 GAMO, MARY GRACE ARMEDILLA 13680 GAMOL, SHERNAN FAJUTNAO 13681 GAMOLO, JOSEPH RYAN COSTALES 13682 GAMONGAN, CHERILYN MALAGA 13683 GAMOS, CATHERINE BAGALAY 13684 GAMOS, GUSTINE MARIE MONCADA 13685 GAMOS, MA KRISTINE LOUISE WALAG 13686 GAMOTIN, JODELLE IRISH CAGAPE 13687 GAMOZA, CHRISTENSEN DELCO 13688 GAMUEDA, RACHELLE ESPOSO 13689 GAMUL, JOURNIEL EVIDA 13690 GAMUTAN, ROSANNA NUNAG

Playing Second Fiddle

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy,

to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God

– this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1 NIV)

Next time you bite into a hamburger, I want you to think about

how your trip to the fast-food-burger-barn can become a

“spiritual act of worship.”

Yes, really.

The Apostle Paul calls us to be living sacrifices, alive in Christ –

moment-by-moment being conformed by the Holy Spirit into

]the image of Christ. Our spiritual act of worship includes grate

fully acknowledging that our heavenly Father is still on the throne

of grace and that he has the right to guide us, lead us, and prompt

us about any particular thing we do or any specific decision we

make throughout the day, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

Eugene Peterson, in The Message, paraphrases Paul’s words this

way: “So here's what I want you to do, God helping you:

Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping,

eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life –

and place it before God as an offering ….” (Romans 12:1a MSG)

In other words, your whole life becomes an act of

constant worship when you live, work, and breathe

as unto the Lord. (Colossians 3:23)

Paul’s language in Romans 12 refers to the

work required by priests to prepare the temple

for worship; he’s suggesting that the mundane

tasks of the temple are acts of worship equal to

the seemingly more spiritual moments of community worship.

Time warp into the present and think of it like this

: God can be worshiped as well when you vacuum the carpet

in the worship center as when you stand in the same

place during a worship service.

Paul continues in his letter to outline specific

and practical behaviors that can be offered to

God as acts of worship as we, living sacrifices,

move from self-centeredness to other-centeredness.

By giving up our own choices and preferences in

deference to others, we please and worship God.

Now, you may be thinking, What does this have to

do with ordering a burger and fries at the fast-food-burger-barn?

Let’s step into that answer with a confession about myself:

You could say I’m in recovery for impatience, a sin I took

my sweet time to confess before God. (Meaning God showed

patience at my impatience!) When you get honest about it,

impatience is a form of pride. It says: “I require immediate

attention (because I’m too childish to wait).” “My time is mor

important than the time of others.” “I know better than

anyone else what must be done.” “My need is urgent;

everyone else, get in the slow line.”

Yet Paul says that when we sacrifice our own choices

and preferences in deference to others – when we honor

others over ourselves – we please and worship God.

(Romans 12:1, 10) Eugene Peterson suggests Paul is saying,

“Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing

second fiddle.”(Romans 12:10 MSG)

As I read this passage, I felt the Holy Spirit’s nudging – you

know how that goes – “Hey, this passage is about you

and your impatience; now what are you going to do about it?”

My immediate answer was ... to head off to the

fast-food-burger-barn for some “comfort food.”

It was lunch time, and as I was walking into the burger barn,

I started jockeying for position, trying to get through the door

before any slow looking people got in front of me. As I grabbed

for the door, the words “Practice playing second fiddle” lit up my

French fry-deprived mind like neon sign

energized by the Holy Spirit. And in that moment,

God spoke into my thoughts: “What does it matter

in eternity if I get my Big Burger Deluxe 35 seconds

later than someone else?” I stopped and opened the

door so the people behind me could go through in front of me.

Here’s my point: Allowing others to go before me when I was in such

a rush went against my natural inclinations, but God was

telling me to sacrifice my natural tendencies, to lay

them on the altar before him so the Holy Spirit could

energize my actions. As Ian Thomas teaches, God

replaces our instincts with the Holy Spirit.

By practicing at playing second fiddle, this mundane

moment became an act of worship: “God, I have failed so

often to honor others over myself, but I want to start now.

I acknowledge you are my God, and I am submitted to you.

You are a great and gracious God, and you will take care of me,

so it does not matter when I get to the front of the line,

or if I even miss this one meal.”

This thought of worshiping God in all we do, think, and say is a

difficult truth to handle, and I am way at the back of the line in

understanding it and living it out. In fact, it seems quite impossible.

I can’t, but God can.

So what?

· Honor God in all you do – “So here's what I want you to do,

God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life –

your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life –

and place it before God as an offering ….” (Romans 12:1a MSG)

· Go with faith, not fear – As God guides you to places in your

life where you’re still not living in sacrifice (that is, being a

living sacrifice), ask him to show you what specific fear is

keeping you from the faith of your living your everyday,

ordinary life before God as an offering.

· I can’t or I won’t – When God confronts you with a natural

instinct – a portion of your life where you tend to be self-

centered instead of other-centered – ask him to show you

the difference between “I can’t change ….” and “I won’t change ….”

· Pick one behavior – Read through Romans 12:6-17 and

pick one behavior that you need to offer before God as part

of your living sacrifice. Chose an area where you are weak

but willing to submit to God’s great and gracious strength.

Don't Fear Authentic Relationships "But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:7-8 NCV).
Authentic fellowship is not superficial, surface-level chit-chat. It's genuine, heart-to-heart, sometimes gut-level sharing. It happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives. They share their hurts, reveal their feelings, confess their failures, disclose their doubts, admit their fears, acknowledge their weaknesses, and ask for help and prayer. Authenticity is the exact opposite of what you find in many churches. Instead of an atmosphere of honesty and humility, there is pretending, role-playing, politicking, and superficial politeness, but shallow conversation. People wear masks, keep their guard up, and act as if everything is rosy in their lives. These attitudes are the death of real friendship. It's only as we become open about our lives that we experience authentic fellowship. The Bible says, "If we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other . . . If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves" (1 John 1:7-8 NCV). The world thinks intimacy occurs in the dark, but God says it happens in the light. We tend to use darkness to hide our hurts, faults, fears, failures, and flaws. But in the light, we bring them all out into the open and admit who we really are. Of course, being authentic requires both courage and humility. It means facing our fear of exposure, rejection, and being hurt again. Why would anyone take such a risk? Because it's the only way to grow spiritually and be emotionally healthy. The Bible says, "Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed" (James 5:16 MSG).

We Know God's Truth Through Creation

We Know God's Truth Through Creation "But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is!" (Romans 1:19 MSG)
About thirty-five years ago, I was at a camp in the mountains. Alone in a room, I prayed, "God, if there is a God, I'm open. If You're real, I want to know You're real. And, Jesus Christ, if You can change my life, if there is a purpose for my life, I want to know it." You know what happened? I didn't get goose bumps. I didn't cry. No bright lights shown down. Nothing like that. Yet, still, it was the turning point in my life—because I was no longer biasing myself against God. I wanted to know the truth, even if it was inconvenient. Truth can be discovered, but first we have to have an attitude of openness that says, "I want the truth more than anything else." Once you choose that attitude, you can discover the truth. How? First, through creation. We learn a lot about God, a lot about truth, just by looking at nature. This is why science is so important. It helps us understand God and His universe. For instance, by knowing that there are 60,000 varieties of beetles, we learn God likes variety. By seeing a volcano, a tidal wave, or an earthquake, we learn God is powerful. From the delicately balanced ecosystem, we can observe God is incredibly organized. The Bible says, "The basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of His divine being. So nobody has a good excuse" (Romans 1:19-20 MSG). In the coming days, we'll look at how God also leads us to the truth through conscience, careful consideration, His commandments, and through Jesus Christ.