Monthly Archives: January 2019

How Can We Not Love God?

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Yes, how can we not love God? When in the desert, He showed you an oasis. When in the wilderness, He gave you a clear path to tread on. When in battle, He gave you an armor.

Such is the case with me. And I can only thank God we have a God who walks with us in every given season. 🙂

So was it because I am more favored than others? Was it because I have great faith? Or I prayed more fervently and consistently this time? Or all of the above?

I can’t really say but all I know is that it’s more about aligning our free will to God’s will that makes things around us seem like they’re conspiring with one another. It couldn’t be luck or coincidence but it can well be a matter of fate and faith.

God Rewards Our Acts of Faith No Matter How Big Or Small | Keeping the Faith

Day after day, He reveals more of Himself to each and every one of us in different ways – our personal walk with the Lord. As I do my quiet time and read the Bible when I wake up, I see God in a whole lot of different ways. Yes, I never fail in reading the Bible and in writing down the verses even if I am not using the usual planner anymore. I’ve been using this particular planner for 6 years now but it’s out of stock since December and I believe God has a good reason for it. Through these devotions, we can discover that right they are when they said that our human minds can never fathom the glory and the greatness of God.

For instance, my siblings and I were placed on a standstill with the developments for the family project. And yet, instead of losing hope and letting go of the vision that we had, we held on to the fact that God’s in control and it’s His timeline that we’re following, not ours.

True enough, I got to understand why. As much as we would like to think that we’re ready in other aspects of the project, we still lack a lot of things and God’s the only one who knows what we need and provides them in preparation for what we will do. What is our current need? The most obvious that I can state is education on the matter-at-hand – business development, marketing, agribusiness, etc.

While experience is the best teacher, head knowledge and knowledge acquisition are all but essential. This need is now slowly being filled in one at a time for every area. Such as the opportunity I stumbled upon on the website of Ateneo De Manila University Graduate School of Business.

Well, back in my college days, it’s common to hear the term “university/college rivalry.” And my alma mater (UP Diliman) and Ateneo are on top of the list. But being a born-again Christian gave me a different perspective when viewing this university culture – no maroons, no blues, no greens, no yellows, and all other colors can hinder the body of Christ from worshiping God altogether. So, I am looking forward to being a part of the “Blue Eagles,” soon. That is, if God wills it. 😉

I’d like to share what I found on their website because it’s exactly what my siblings and I need in this particular season for the family project. The title of the seminar is “Family Factor and Succession Planning in Family Businesses From Setting Up to Stepping Up: A Family Business Management Series.” It’s part of a series of seminars on entrepreneurship that deals primarily on managing family businesses and being successful in doing so.

If you and your family are running a business, you might like to attend this one, too.

My only question was, “Lord, how come I only got to encounter this opportunity now?” 🙂

But after semi-thinking/semi-blurting that question, a lot of answers came pouring in which made me regret I asked it in the first place. For one, my current situation doesn’t allow me to take on this opportunity, not yet. But God already showed me a vision, a goal. He led me to a path which will then lead me towards achieving that goal. So, this explains why developments on the property are put on hold – by God. God delayed it in the form of extensive paperwork, unavailability of equipment, weather, and health conditions.

I also just finished reading the first of three books written by Sir Dodong Cacanando, the speaker of the first agribusiness seminar that my brother and I attended last year. When I finished reading it, I can tell that God sent the right mentor for this project.

I highly recommend this book to would-be and agribiz entrepreneurs.

After his seminar, I actually asked my brother if he would like us to approach Sir Dodong and ask about some things. But he and I both hesitated. 😀 Ah yes, Lord, that’s also what I’m praying for now – please give us the courage to build connections with people who will play an integral role in our project. Because I know we will be needing lots of people for the project to push through because this will also be for the benefit of a lot of people.

Speaking of opportunity, I’ve also had this one prayer that”s included in my faith goals since last year. I’ve been constantly praying about it for months but God always says “no.” I have hints why but instead of seeking for it confidently and patiently, I admit I came to the point that I started losing hope. But, thankfully, the faith is still there. Even if it’s smaller than a mustard seed, like a sesame seed perhaps? 😀

But it’s a sincere faith and I just thank the Lord for honoring that small sesame-seed-like faith of mine that He already gave signs without me noticing them until now. An example is this building that caught me and my brother’s attention while driving around. Who would’ve thought I will be staring at it while in the middle of a crossroad and it ended with a good result? This was shown to us last December and yet the fulfillment took place this January.

With every new season, I always lift everything up to God and ask Him for leading and guidance. Though I am not fully a ‘signs and wonders’ type of person, it became a habit of mine to request from God that if this is His will, then may all things be smooth-sailing. But if it’s not, then may He do everything in His power to lead me out of it.

I am in the middle of a conflict. I am in the middle of a desert. I am in the middle of the wilderness. But God showed the oasis, showed the path, and equipped me with the right armor.

Which way to go, Dad? 😀

The prayer and fasting in the church at the beginning of this year, my new spiritual family, and last but not the least, my own family helped me seal my faith and hope in God even if my circumstances proved otherwise. I cannot say that it might be because it’s already God’s perfect time for the start of the fulfillment of His promises or it can also be a result of my sincere faith or maybe both.

But I firmly believe it is both. 🙂

There goes the clear path.

Here’s my encouragement to all of you my beloved sisters and brothers reading this – some, most, or none of your prayers may be answered and your faith may start to dwindle to the size of a font 12 period but believe me, KEEP THE FAITH. Do not turn your back from God, but pursue Him even more. Even if you’re placed in the middle of a desert, a wilderness, a war zone, keep the Lord’s promises close to your heart:

“Commit your actions to the Lord and your plans will succeed.” – Proverbs 16:3

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11

“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:19

“Sing to the Lord, for He has done wonderful things. Make known His praise around the world.” – Isaiah 12:5

God never fails and He is always with us. Trust His leading, not the circumstance, not the process, and not your situation. I am sharing this to pay it forward because some people also took the time to encourage me when I was at my weakest. ❤

Always in awe of His endless love,

P.S.

Again, I am not a ‘signs and wonders’ person but during the Super Blood Wolf Moon, I read an article that some Christians described it as a phenomenon where something big will happen afterward. I am neither superstitious so I took it with a grain of salt but the next day, something big indeed happened. If you will ask me what it is, I’d like to keep it between me and God. And this post is too long already. 😉

Farmers & Traders: What Really Goes On In The Rice Farming Industry

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How the agribusiness industry fared throughout the years can be attributed from the bargaining that takes place between the farmer and the trader even before the products leave the farm gate. My family and I have been in the agribusiness, palay production in particular, for decades already. But it was only just recently that I ran a thorough analysis of the business processes involved in farming from the particulars in expenses to the actual farm tasks done.

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I asked Dad to give us a rundown of all the marketing processes involved but he told us we’ll learn along the way. I guess this is his way of saying that we conduct due diligence as far as agribusiness is concerned. 😉

From the data I gathered on Dad’s documents, what caught my attention is the market price of palay listed in one of the receipts (16.50php/kg). I asked Dad who dictates the market price and how did it arrive at that figure. He only smiled and said, “The traders dictate the market price.” My follow-up question was, “Based on what?” He answered, “Based on the market trends.”

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So, this is just like stock trading on a certain level. But here, if you’re a trader, you have the market power to set the price you desire. Depending on how you conduct your dealings as a businessman, this can either be a good thing or a bad thing as far as fair agricultural trade is concerned. Are traders really fair in dictating the market price for a particular agri product in the region? Does it follow regional market rates or the national market rates?

I haven’t taken any business education courses but I really would love to and if God wills it, I plan to take up a short course on Market Research. For the meantime, I’ve been doing my homework on farmers and middlemen and how the theory of bargaining works in the farming industry. These are the questions I came up with:

  • Are farmers actually getting the profit they should earn from the entire production?
  • Can a digital economy change the agricultural landscape in the coming years and provide better marketing opportunities both for the farmers and traders?
  • Will agricultural innovations and agritech industries promote a brighter future for the farming sector i.e. lower transportation costs, high-yield production, etc.?
  • How can a government-mandated price ceiling affect the overall trading setup between the middlemen and farmers?
  • Can contract farming and direct selling be viable marketing alternatives?
  • How can we prevent the exercise of “monopsony” in marketing rice/palay?

If you’re in the agribusiness industry and are interested to venture in palay/rice production or any crop production, these articles can provide some insights on the current market setup of farming and agriculture in the country:

https://business.mb.com.ph/2017/10/30/pinol-wants-to-liberate-farmers-from-middlemen/

https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/174795/2/agec1999v020i002a001.pdf

https://businessmirror.com.ph/government-needs-to-increase-its-palay-support-price-but-by-how-much/

https://www.untvweb.com/news/dti-da-to-impose-price-ceiling-for-traders-middle-men/

https://psa.gov.ph/content/costs-and-returns-palay-production-0

I’ll be sharing more information as I go along with my market research/business analytics during my free time. Please bear with me if I’ll confuse you a bit with some of my questions since I am also on “tabula rasa” mode when it comes to business developments and the likes. 😀

But if you have any insights to share, please don’t hesitate to drop me a message. I’d love to hear your feedback/suggestion. Thanks in advance and for reading this article. ❤

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11

Is The Church Ready For A Bigger Harvest?

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This came to me as a vision last year when my siblings and I have decided to utilize a piece of property previously owned by our great-grandparents and grandparents. While I was writing down our targeted goals, it included the retreat house. Or that was what it seems to me at that time – unclear and yet the idea was there.

God’s Mission Remains The Same

Until the first Sunday of January when I attended the church service at our mother Protestant church. We have this church tradition to celebrate the first Sunday of the month as “everybody’s birthday.” This is a way for the congregation to consecrate to God the new year asking for guidance, wisdom, and provisions. This tradition is celebrated by going to the church pew kneelers in front of the pulpit and kneel or stand while the pastor says a prayer of benediction when your birth month is called.

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For this particular year, I had a hair-raising thought while our pastor was laying his hands to say his prayers and blessings upon us. I know this wasn’t just a passing thought because any thought during a pastor’s laying of hands accompanied by the raising of hair all over me literally isn’t just a regular calling by the Spirit.

This time the image was vivid – build a church like this one, a big one. Build it in the “land the Lord, Your God, is giving you.” If you have been reading some of my previous articles such as this and this, you may already have an idea which land I am referring to. This land was acquired by our great-grandpa during the pre-World War II and now being handed down from generations to generations.

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The passing thought was too vivid for me I couldn’t keep it to myself that I shared it with my sister who’s also with me on that Sunday. It was also a communion Sunday on that day so that afternoon, we went to my grandma’s place so she can still partake in the communion officiated by our pastor.

My grandma is already bedridden and her place is close to our farm – the farm where I got the vision to put up the church. So my sister, Dad, and I took the opportunity to check on the current developments at the farm – laying down of the boundary markers which we call as “mohon” to specify the delineations of the property. For the particular vision of the farm agribusiness-wise, I’ll share it in another article.

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After sharing my vision to my sister, she told me that we can donate a portion of the land to the church. I told her that I thought about building a bigger church since the farm is strategically located to cater most of the members of our church’s congregation who came from the barrios. Then the current location of the church now will serve as the building for the administrative functions of the church and also as a guest house for visiting pastors and seminarians.

A Promise from Generation to Generation

Our pastor now is also a descendant of one of the first ministers of the church – a great-grandson. I see him as having the gift to make more disciples being able to encourage the youth in our church to study at the seminary and raise future leaders of the church. One close family friend and also an elder of the church told my sister way back that the bloodline of our pastor now still continued in retaining the mission that God has for them – serving the church. She encouraged us that maybe we should also have one representative (a family member to become a pastor also) to represent the line of our great-grandpa who’s also one of the first ministers in the church a hundred years ago.

This year, our mother Protestant church will be celebrating its 110th founding anniversary. I told my sister and my brother that the mission of God for the descendants of our great-grandpa never changed though nobody in our generation pursued being a pastor. Well, if I am not a writer or a teacher, I’d love to be a Bible woman or a pastora. 😉 But here we are, still fulfilling God’s calling that has been started by our ancestors. That is, being gifted with an abundance of property which will be our contribution to the body of Christ and in expanding God’s Kingdom.

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I shared with my brother that this foresight/vision was already revealed by God to our forefathers, our great-grandpa and grandpa who were both active members of the church, through the acquisition of properties. And some may think of it as a means to become richer, but no, I actually see it as God’s way to prepare us in the fulfillment of a promise to His people in the coming days. Our great-grandpa and grandpa obeyed God, just like Moses, to fulfill their tasks with great faith even if they don’t know what were they intended for later on.

Now, in the generation of my siblings and I, the vision is clear. Although I still need to consult with my other two sisters since they are also my coheirs to the property (and God’s Kingdom), but I know they, too, will agree to my proposal since they are also devoted Christians. Ah yes, the benefits of having an entire family who is devoted to serving the Lord – truly a wonderful blessing.

As everything else dawned on me now, I told my brother, this is the reason why the enemy’s attacks are getting stronger in every coming season. Bishop Juray Mora shared the same thing during the last prayer meeting that I was able to attend for this year’s start-of-the-year prayer and fasting. This is in the other church where I attend services here in Manila. He said, “The bigger the vision, the bigger the enemy’s attacks. The bigger the task, the bigger the challenge.”

Why? Because God is preparing for a big harvest. Is the church ready?

And yet,

“You can make many plans, but the Lord ’s purpose will prevail.” – Proverbs 19:21

So let Your will be done, Lord. ❤

Remaining true to the calling,

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P.S.

It isn’t also a coincidence that I invited my Norwegian brother-in-law and sister to attend worship night with me during their stay here last December. We got to pray for each other and I wasn’t prepared to see them shed tears while it was my turn praying for them. And then another vision came through me, Every Nation – Norway. 😉

My brother-in-law and sister can be used by God to expand His kingdom there. They can welcome missionaries to their home when the time is ripe for planting an Every Nation church there. And yes, 2019 is all about preparations for expanding the Kingdom of God.

On the side note, the New People’s Army is becoming more active in our place engaging in gunfights with our local policemen. Our home is near the police station and everyone else is just scared for their lives. And we also noticed that calamities such as floods are getting higher every year in our town. I thought, just like in Israel, these circumstances happen as God’s attempts to win His people back. Because it is in times of peril that the people will look for a Savior, a higher, all-knowing, powerful God, a Rock whom they can cling to.

Thus, when this happens, people will be flocking the church as they start to look for the Source of Hope. But then again, is the church ready when that happens? I believe God has already prepared and is preparing us for it. 🙂

P.S. 2

I am targeting to earn a Guinness World Records title as having the longest postscript. lol Please bear with me. 😀

The 3 Not-So-Ordinary Kids I Met

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Last night, I had the urge to eat out at one of the popular fast food chains in our place. When I arrived, all the seats downstairs were taken so I went up and was glad to see lots of available seats. I took a look around and chose the perfect spot for me to eat and stay for a while. It’s a seat which overlooks an intersection and where most of the traffic activity in the place converge. There’s also a glass window which gave me the opportunity to observe people behind me through the reflection.

I never really had an idea why I chose that spot but something in me told me about this word – story. Yes, the reason why I love observing people and activities is that I can get a lot of stories from them. As a writer, these scenes are an opportunity to come up with new and fresh ideas and concepts. They also propose a different take on a lot of things.

I believe God placed me in that seat to write this story.

Being seated at the end of the room, I can see from the reflection in the glass window if someone is approaching me. This night, there were 3 scenarios that came into play featuring 3-not-so-ordinary kids.

Scenario 1

The first kid who approached me was a street kid in rugged and dirty clothes carrying 5 pesos with him and drinking a soda from that fast-food chain which I believe was given by someone who also ate there or he could’ve bought it from the money he was able to gather from begging. The first thing he asked was if I can give him coins enough to buy him a meal for that night. I looked at him and though I normally don’t give out money to beggars, something in his appeal made me do so. I gave him a couple of coins but told him to buy it dinner. He then thanked me and went towards the next table.

Scenario 2

Another kid came by but this one’s different. He’s carrying a basket of packed marinated milkfish. The boy sounded like a young salesman with his bubbly sales pitch that almost sounded like an advertisement you hear on television. I thought it was entertaining and true enough, I wasn’t the only one who was entertained. He approached a couple eating at a table with his bubbly pitch and also joked around with the guy. He was able to hook his client – the guy took his offer to buy 3 pieces (1 set) for 120 pesos. Then the guy started asking him like who prepared the milkfish to which he answered that it’s his aunt. The guy actually tried to haggle saying he wants to buy 1 piece only. But the boy didn’t give in and smilingly told the guy that he only sells a 3-piece set and that he needs to be home soon because he will be going to school early the next day. He didn’t approach me although I was tempted to buy, too.

Scenario 3

Then, a few minutes later, another boy came in carrying a basket, too. But this time, the contents of his basket are polvoron. The boy approached me with a very sad introduction and offered his products almost to the point of begging. He already had around 60 pesos placed on top of the items. I looked at the boy and I declined his offer. He still wouldn’t budge until a high school student seated behind me called his attention saying he wanted to buy one.

God Calls For His Children

Most likely you will think of my actions as unfair. So why didn’t I buy from the last boy? I am unsure how the polvoron was prepared and I couldn’t cook it to make it safe to eat compared with the marinated milkfish. Although honestly, I feel sorry that I didn’t buy some because I really felt that I should. So I am praying to God I’d still have another opportunity to see this kid and I’ll buy what he has to offer.

Some will agree that it’s better to buy from kids than to give money to those who just beg. I also agree with this and that we need to empower them to strive instead of encouraging them to depend on other people for their needs by begging for money. I believe this will help solve the poverty mentality – that everyone has the opportunity to make a living as long as you have the discipline, perseverance, patience, and will power.

But this is not always the case. And this is why I gave coins to the first boy who begged me to give him some. Why? When I looked at the boy, the first thing I thought was, where are his parents? He looked as if no one’s taking care of him. So this means, he’s alone fending for himself trying to get by with whatever he has and what he can get from begging. But what I also thought is that he’s in need of a mentor, someone who can usher him towards the right opportunities to make a living like working in a car wash shop for example as a washer boy, etc.

Compared to the other two boys, they sure have parents or relatives who care for them because they have items to sell in the first place. They already have the means to make it out of poverty and there are people who are guiding them what to do and how to earn a living.

The Other Side of the Coin

Looking at all 3, it can give us the different facets of human life and the different kinds of people:

1.) Trying to live life with no support system – living by grace.

2.) Trying to earn a living with the help of relatives and enjoying it – a positive disposition.

3.) Trying to earn a living with the help of relatives but with a disgruntled heart – discontentment.

These are all hasty generalizations based on the different scenarios I have witnessed and I have no idea what really goes on in their lives or what they went through on that day. And yet each one of them carries a hope that all of us try to live out each day trying to make meaning out of what we do and why we do things.

I am praying for these kids and other kids like them. May God continue to guide them as they go about with life’s atrocities. All may come from different backgrounds and may be given different opportunities, and yet the gift of God is free for all and that is all that matters. I pray that is what they will experience and hold on to wherever fate would bring them as they get older. ❤

‘May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.’ – Numbers 6:24‭-‬26

Transitioning From 2018 To 2019

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So the WordPress holiday hibernation for me is finally over and what kept me tied from sharing here is none other than this – family. 🙂

@CYMA: Pre-Christmas get-together with our eldest sister and her family because they can’t visit our hometown. 🙂

This year though has ended with not-so-good moments in some areas of our lives and yet what is important is being grateful for what we have and not counting what we have lost.

I am praying and mourning with my fellow “kababayans” who lost so much during the tropical depression Usman. Even my family and I weren’t exempted from its wrath. Just 2 days before New Year’s Eve celebration, we experienced nonstop heavy rains. The bad part here was that it coincided with one of the highest points of the high tide.

There were only 4 of us left at home – Dad, Mom, my 3rd sister, and me. I would’ve chosen to go back to Manila for New Year’s Day celebration but something compelled me to stay. And I thought this must be it – my parents needed the extra pair of strong hands when Usman hits home.

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Can you guess what our “lady hands” were able to carry? 6 sacks (not less than 50 kgs each) of rice from the first floor to the second floor through a spiral staircase! How’s that for instant Super Women? Yes, adrenaline rush made it possible. 😃

And of course, my life verse:

“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:13

Our town was placed under a state of calamity and there were 2 reported casualties due to a landslide. It was a sad way to start a new year and yet in a time like this, Job’s story always gives me the strength and the hope to keep on praising God amidst all the trials.

Are we all like Job? Can we still praise God when we lose everything? Or we begin to be overpowered by grief, despair, and hopelessness?

I may have gone through several storms (literally and figuratively) for the last quarter of 2018. And yet I am not letting them become the reason why I should never move on and do the things that I have control over – the things that God has given me control over. For the things that I can’t change, I am leaving them all to God.

For the happy memories of 2018, I count the family as one of God’s most wonderful blessings. Though imperfect, it is the best support system anyone can have. I am beyond grateful for the times spent with them albeit short because they also reminded me about the brevity of life. So all the more we should cherish moments like these that are priceless and before we know it, will soon be gone.

Home, sweet home with the beloved parents. ❤

Christmas cooking can be very challenging but Philippians 4:13 always. And when it is done with love, nothing can ever be too tiring. 😉

Christmas loot and sweets. Thanks, beloved siblings and relatives! 😉

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2018

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December 25 @ our mother Protestant church where my great grandpa was among the first pastors. I am praying for more of God’s leading and provisions to be upon this church and be able to make more disciples.

All in all, I thank God for both the good and the bad moments of 2018. If God allows bad things to happen, that is not because He is cruel, but because that is how the world we live in, the enemy’s turf, works.

The incidents could’ve gotten worse but God may have already intervened and what we experienced are only the ripples of what was supposed to be a catastrophic event orchestrated by the enemy.

Whatever kind of moments we may experience this year, may we all hold on to these verses and keep in mind that still, God is good and He always will be:

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

“They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” – Acts 14:22

So I say, cheers to 2019 and whatever it may bring! ☺

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Saying “goodbye” to what was and saying “hello” to what will be,

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