MAKE THE MOST OUT OF THE WAITING

Jonah was inside the belly of the big fish for three days. He prayed while he was WAITING. After 3 days, the fish spit him out in the land of Nineveh. Jonah preach to the Ninevites & they repented.

Paul was in prison for two years. He could have chosen to complain while he was WAITING inside his cell. Instead, he continued to share about Jesus to guards & they converted.

Mary was pregnant. She could have opted to just rest & wait at home. Yet, she chose to serve Elizabeth while WAITING. The baby in the womb of Elizabeth leaped when Mary greeted Elizabeth. At the same instant, Elizabeth was also filled with the Holy Spirit.

Are you passive in your waiting? Don't be.

Follow the example of Jonah, Paul & Mary. They made the most out of their waiting. Jonah prayed, Paul evangelized and Mary served. And because of what they did others were blessed.

Remember, there's always a BLESSING in the WAITING. 

#ADVENT 

FROM PERSECUTOR TO PROMOTER

"I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man" - 1 Timothy 1:13

Bro. Noe Dora was a radical Protestant preacher. He was determined to convert as many people as possible to his religion, especially Catholics. He hated the Catholic Church and believed that it was teaching evil, not good. He would visit the houses of his members to destroy the image and materials related to the Catholic Church.

One day, he was in the house of a newly converted follower doing his usual practice of destroying Catholic images. He picked up a statue of Mary and stared at it. He felt something strange and heard these words in his mind.

"What did My mother do, for her image to be destroyed this way?"

The odd event led him to study the Catholic faith. He secretly read about the faith, met up a priest and attended Mass. His six year study led him to receive the Sacrament of Baptism. He became a Catholic! 

Bro. Noe now travels around the Philippines & nearby countries to share his testimony. His personal is to bring back as many people to the Catholic Church. 

It's never too late for anyone to repent and change - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

http://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2017-09-15

REJOICE IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

Do you want to enter heaven?

The first key is to love Jesus. The second key is to Rejoice in your Relationships.





Huh? What?? Relationships? Isn't it about being baptized, studying the bible, going to church or immediately going to confession right after you break one of the 10?

Let's recall what Jesus said. He gives us two commandments - Love God & love others. If we follow these two then the other things I mentioned (i.e. going to mass, baptism, etc) follows as our expressions of the two commandments.

We need to rejoice in our relationships. Why?

First, because Jesus says so. Let's look at what God says in the bible.

• "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:39). Simple and direct to the point. No explanation needed here.
• When Cain killed his brother Abel, God asked him "Where is your brother Abel? He answered, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9) God was saying to him (and to all of us) you are accountable for your brother. You should take care of your relationships.
• In John 15:13 it says, No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.

There are more verses about loving others. We rejoice in our relationships because Jesus commands us. And whatever Jesus says, we follow. No matter how hard it is, we follow.

The second reason why we rejoice in our relationships is because we need each other. We need others because they will push us to do better. 

• When you feel down, who helps you to rise up?
• When you want to quit attending Church, who encourages you?
• When you think its better to join your “other” friends party that evening than your prayer meeting who calls you to remind you to attend the prayer meeting?

We need each other because we are weak.

Lastly, we rejoice in our relationships because we have a relationship with God. That alone is more than enough reason to celebrate. However, we sometimes fall and break this relationship with Jesus. It is our most important relationship yet we don't give it priority. Sometimes we ignore it. Worst, we offend God and break the relationship. How should we handle this?

Lets take a look at Peter. He was with Jesus for three years. They were friends. In fact, very close friends. He was his mentor. Jesus trusted him with His Church. But on the day Jesus was arrested, Peter denies Jesus three times. He runs away, hides and feels guilty. Too much guilt he just wanted to go back to his old ways of fishing.

Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing" (John 21:3)

Peter was going back to fishing after leaving this profession three years ago. He was leaving because he broke his relationship with Jesus. He felt alone. Maybe in his mind he thought - "I'm a failure. I'll just go back to my old self". Don't we all feel the same when fail God.

But the story does not end there. One day, they meet again. Maybe Peter was nervous. Maybe Jesus would reprimand Peter for what he did. Anyway, Jesus had every right to do so after what Peter did. 

God proves us wrong. It was nothing like we expected.

Jesus said to them, "Come have breakfast." (John 21:12)

Jesus initiates the action and invites Peter to a meal. No mentioned of the denial. No condemnation. No hate. All love.

That is how Jesus values His relationship with you. Go to Him today and talk to Him.

- alvinfabella@yahoo.com

WHAT'S THE PLAN?

Traffic na naman! Should I complain or compose a note?

I chose the latter so here it goes.

I saw a billboard along NLEX on my way home. It read "Ano plano mo? Usap tayo". "What's your plan? Let's talk." Short, catchy & direct to the point. That's the tagline of an insurance company.

Some of us love to plan. Some of us don't. Maybe you find it a waste of time specially if your plans in the past did not happen as you "planned". :-)

Pwede din yan ang tanong ng Diyos sa iyo. "Anong plano mo? Usap tayo." How often do you consult God before you proceed with your plan?

I remember, several years ago, a friend told me about a job offer that fell on this lap. He had a good job at that time. His job allowed him to provide well for his family. He love his wife & kids so he spent a lot of time with them. But the salary offer was almost double his current pay. Too tempting. Plus, it had perks that the current job did not have - car plan, performance bonus & the works. He asked me if he should take the offer. I replied with 3 words - "Pray about it". He smiled & then we parted ways.

I did not get an update from him. The days became weeks. The weeks became months, still no update.

One day I got a text from an unknown number asking if I knew an annulment lawyer. I got a followup text from the same number before I could reply to the first message. It was my friend. I was in a meeting so I simply replied with "ano nangyari?" (what happened?)

The reply was disheartening.

"I did not pray about it. I accepted the offer. Work made me too busy. Became a workaholic. Had an affair at work. Wife & kids don't want me in their lives"

Sad news indeed. I don't know what happened after our conversation. Planning is good but praying is powerful.

Remember, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says "pray without ceasing". Pray all the time.

"Usap tayo tayo." (Let's talk) That's God's message for you. Pray to Him. God misses you.

- alvinfabella@yahoo.com

A CHILD'S PRAYER

“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:3

I received a lot of greetings during my last birthday. It came in different forms such as phone calls, birthday cards, texts, e-mails, social media and other creative ways. I was overwhelmed by all the greetings. I never realized that the best greeting was yet to come.


It was already mid-evening when I received a text message. I was resting in my room and was ready to call it a day. The message came from my 11-year-old godson, Nicky. He used his mother’s phone to send his birthday greeting for me. I replied with, “Thanks. Please pray for me.”


I assumed that it was the end of our chat. Suddenly, I got a call from his mother. She said Nicky wanted to talk to me. Then I heard my godson say, “Lord Jesus, I pray for Ninong Alvin. May you bless him always and keep him healthy. Guide him all the time. Amen. Happy birthday again, Ninong! Bye!”


That was the best birthday greeting I received that day! It was a simple and sincere prayer, yet it made my day extra special. May we all pray like this child whose prayer was simple yet full of love. - alvinfabella@yahoo.com




ORIGINALLY POSTED IN http://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2017-01-15

PINOY TIME is GOOD.....sometimes

The plane arrived eight minutes early. They say the problem with being early is that nobody is there to appreciate it. :-)

And that was what happened. 

The driver who was supposed to pick me up was not yet there. So, i waited. 

The passengers in the arrival area dwindled away each passing minute. I checked my watch again and realized that I was not just early. The driver was also late. Or worst, maybe he got lost. Maybe even much worst, he forgot.

I continued to wait. I looked around and noticed that I had the arrival area all to myself. I got hold of a newspaper to pass away the time. Sadly, there was nothing good in the news. It was still about drug related killings, robberies, politicians justifying their adulterous acts and other “news” that would make one cringe. So, I decided to put the newspaper down. Then, I noticed a middle aged woman in blue uniform diligently sweeping the floor. She looked at me and greeted me. 

“Good morning sir! Baka nakalimutan kayo ng sundo niyo”
(Good morning sir. Maybe the person who was supposed to fetch you forgot)

“Hindi naman. Sobrang aga ko lang” 
(No, I just arrived tooooo early)

She laughed. That started our conversation. She shared that she had four kids. Her eldest child would be entering Senior High this June and the youngest will be Grade 3. At one point, she looked sad sharing how hard it is to raise a family of six. She had a regular work at the airport but her husband only gets hired occasionally as a driver. Then she paused for a moment, smiled and said “pero mahal po kami ng Diyos! Kasi pwede po ihatid ng asawa ko ang apat naming anak sa paaralan. Sure ako safe sila habang nasa trabaho ako” (But we are still blessed by God! Because of our setup my husband is able to personally bring our kids to school. That gives me the assurance that they are safe while I am here working)

I told her “You’re a good wife and mother. God bless you!”

“Ay sir, dito lang kayo. May bigay ako sa inyo” 
(Sir, stay here. I have something for you.)

She went into a room and returned with a cup filled with hot water. Then she handed me a sachet of instant coffee.

“Kape ka muna. Relax lang. Balik trabaho po muna ako”

(Have coffee first and relax. I have to go back to work)

I said thank you then she turned around and walked away. Her positive outlook made my day extra special. I was about to finish my coffee when I heard a voice behind me. 

‘Sir, are you Mr. Fabella? I am here to pick you up. Sorry I am late’

I turned around and saw man in a chauffer uniform. The name of the place where I would give a talk was printed nicely in his shirt. I realized that God allowed this driver to be late so that I can meet a good mother & wife. Maybe God wanted to inspire me first before I give my motivational talk in the afternoon.

I took my last sip of the coffee & then smiled at him. “You’re not late. You are just on time. Perfectly on time. Thank you!” 

I saw his confused look after I replied to his apology.

There are a lot of good people around us. We just have to look around. When we avoid “bad news”, good news will slowly appear before us. 

ALWAYS FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE THINGS IN YOUR LIFE.

alvinfabella@yahoo.com

KEEP YOUR FOCUS

"And they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified." - Matthew 20:18,19

I was on the way to Batangas to pick up my 12-year old son from his summer youth camp. The highway was almost empty because it was a Sunday and Manny Pacquiao also had a boxing match that morning. The skies were clear, the radio played good music and the scenery was peaceful. It was such a relaxing drive that I missed my toll exit. I had no choice but to make a U-turn. I lost time and money because I got too comfortable.

I changed my attitude as I re-entered the highway. This time, I was more alert so wouldn't miss the right exit. I arrived at the campsite only a few minutes late.

It's the same with our lives. Sometimes, we forget to focus and we get lost when life gets too comfortable. if you experience trials and life seems hard, simply be alert and focus on Jesus so you may reach your destination. Jesus also experienced difficulties. He was persecuted, mocked, scourged and crucified. Yet, He remained focus on His mission so that we may receive the gift of salvation. - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

http://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2017-03-15