Paniwala – Your Belief

Have you been hurt before?

Have you ever been rejected by others? Ridiculed? Maligned? Gossiped about?

Have you been cheated? Betrayed? Lied to? Stolen from?

If your answer is yes, then I’m writing to the right person.

That means you have emotional wounds, and my big message for you is that there’s only one thing that can heal your wounds.

Let me start by talking about something of great cosmological and eternal significance: My bloody ingrown toenail.

Sometimes called hangnail.

Let me translate that in Pilipino: hangnail is kukong nagbigti.  Read more... (1949 words, estimated 7:48 mins reading time)

Warning: There’s a cruel epidemic afflicting our families, our marriages, and our friendships. It’s called the Relationship Drift.

It’s a very devious disease. It’s like some cancers. You really don’t know you have it until it’s fatal. And then it’s too late.

And then Relationship Drift becomes Relationship Dead.

The only solution is to diagnose it early.

But the symptoms of Relationship Drift are almost invisible to the naked eye.

Because you’re not really fighting each other.

There are no screaming matches. In fact, your home is quiet. Like a convent.  Read more... (1903 words, estimated 7:37 mins reading time)

You know what our monstrous mistake is?

We try to fix the people in our life.

Oh, I see it everywhere.

Everywhere I go, I see people complain about the people in their life.

Wives complain about their husbands.

“Bo, please talk to my husband. He eats too much.”

“Bo, can you help me? My husband watches too much TV.”

One frustrated wife told me, “Bo, please advice my husband. He doesn’t have a one romantic bone in his body. Last year, he gave me a bar of soap for Valentines Day. The brand? Mr. Clean.”  Read more... (2518 words, estimated 10:04 mins reading time)

Last week, I had lunch with a friend I’ve known for the past thirteen years.

Let’s call him Patrick Passive.

Thirteen years ago, Patrick and I were in the same financial boat. We had very little money. We lived by the day. We had zero financial wisdom.

Today, thirteen years later, we’re poles apart.

I’ve moved on. I now have 16 income streams. I’m an entrepreneur, with interest in many small businesses. I bought foreclosed properties and rent out a few condos. I also invest in the Stock Market—both here and in the US—and other Mutual Funds.  Read more... (359 words, estimated 1:26 mins reading time)

Before the wedding of Felipe and Maria began, the groom spoke to the priest.

Felipe said, “Father, I’d appreciate that during the wedding vows, you’d omit the difficult parts.”

“What difficult parts?” the priest asked.

“You know Father, just don’t say anymore the for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health thing. Just leave those lines out.”

Felipe then slipped a crisp P1000 into the priest’s pocket and walked away, smiling.  Read more... (2197 words, estimated 8:47 mins reading time)

I got sick last week. Twice.

I bet one reason was so I could write about healing today. (I’m getting worried. Everything is so personal with me. What if I write about exorcism?)

Last Thursday, after eating my breakfast, I felt an ache in my stomach.

It was my usual breakfast: A tall glass of carrot juice with apples thrown in. Plus two bananas. Or some other fruit. Been eating this way for years.

So I didn’t know why I had the sore tummy.

As the searing pain continued, I took a shower, got dressed, and rode the car. I figured the pain would disappear.  Read more... (2304 words, estimated 9:13 mins reading time)

One day in America, two people were arguing in church.
They were debating if Jesus was white or black.
“He’s white!” said one. “No, He’s black!” said the other guy. Even as they walked out of the church, they kept arguing.
Not looking where they were going, both fell into an open ditch and died on the spot. And both found themselves in the gates of heaven.
They saw Jesus walk to them and they were so happy. Both of them asked, “Jesus, can you help us answer one question? Are you black or white?”
Jesus smiled and said, Magandang Umaga.
In our current series entitled OMG!, we’re describing who God is. We didn’t describe God as black, white, or Filipino. Two weeks ago, I said He was Father. Last week, I said He was Leader. Today, I’ll tell you that God is Provider too.
The Bible says my God shall supply your every need[1]. Because I have many needs. I need food. I need a roof over my head. I need friends. I need parking spaces. I need money. Boy,I thank God He’s Provider!
Which makes me redefine what prayer is…
Is Prayer Twisting God’s Arm?
For many people, prayer means changing God’s mind.
For many people, prayer is “convincing God to bless you”.
Prayer is begging God, twisting His arm until He relents and says, “Oh, okaaaaay. I really didn’t want to bless you, but because you’re forcing me, here it is…”?
Nuts!
I don’t buy that.
I don’t believe God really needs any convincing to bless us.
Because He’s a parent.
Parents Are Providers
One day, I was in Hong Kong.
I felt so sad when I saw thousands of Filipinas there. Why were they there? To put food on the table of their families back home.
On the flight back to Manila, I sat beside a Filipina. My heart was torn when she told me she hasn’t seen her kids for 2 years. Working as a domestic helper was very hard, she said. Sometimes, it got very lonely. Sometimes, her employer doesn’t treat her well.
Her words struck me. “I can’t help it. I’m a mother.”
By nature, parents are providers.
I have an announcement to make: God is a parent. He wants to provide for us!
You don’t need to convince him to bless you.
The Bible says that God delights in the prosperity of His servant[2].
He’s happy when we’re blessed, abundant, prosperous, and fulfilled.
He loves to bless you. I believe it’s His favorite thing to do. I believe the highlight of His day is to bless you with abundance.
Not only that, but He already has provided every blessing you need. So why convince him to do what He has already done?
Are You Afflicted With Spiritual Emphysema?
I believe everything you need is out there.
Love. Wisdom. Opportunities. Money. God’s blessings are as abundant as the air around you.
So just breathe them in.
But I believe many of us have spiritual emphysema.
Let me explain.
My friend has physical emphysema.
He started smoking when he was 13 years old. He became a chain smoker, lighting up 2 packs a day, until the age of 45 when he wasn’t feeling very well anymore. But it was too late. His lungs developed emphysema.
Just to make my story more graphic, stop reading and take a deep breath. Inhale deeply for a few times. Fill your lungs with wonderful oxygen.
Do you feel great?
My friend will give anything to experience what you’re experiencing now. Because he can’t do what you just did. His damaged lungs can no longer absorb the oxygen that’s abundantly available around him.
Why? Emphysema has destroyed his lung tissue. There’s no shortage of oxygen. There’s only a shortage of his ability to absorb that oxygen.
This for me is a perfect example of what’s happening to many people who are surrounded with God’s blessings but aren’t partaking of those blessings.
Because many people have spiritual emphysema.
There’s no shortage of blessings.
Only a shortage to receive those blessings.
If physical emphysema destroys lung tissue, spiritual emphysema destroys your expectation for God’s Provision.
You see, people of faith expect to be blessed. They say things like, “I expect good things to happen to me. I expect doors to opportunity to open before me. I expect to attract the right people. I believe that blessings will flow to me like a rampaging river everyday of my life. I expect that God’s creation is conspiring to bless me, plotting, scheming, and finding ways to give me what I need.”
But when you have spiritual emphysema, you have negative expectations.  Read more... (1663 words, estimated 6:39 mins reading time)

“Bo, can I be honest with you?”

“Sure,” I answered Mandy (not his real name), a dear friend of many years.

“Please don’t be offended. But I feel you’ve lost your focus on the Lord.”

I knew it took a lot for him to say that to me. I felt his discomfort. I was also disturbed by what he said, coming from someone I trusted. Mandy is a lay missionary who has been serving God for the longest time I can remember. He was the leader of a network of prayer groups.

“I welcome your input.  Please go on,” I said.  Read more... (467 words, estimated 1:52 mins reading time)

A college student in Manila called up his Mom in the province.

“Mom, I need money,” he asked. “Can you send money over please?”

“Sure,” the mother said. “By the way, there’s a Math textbook you left here at home. I’ll send it over with the money.”

“Uh, oh yeah, Ok,” her son answered.

His mother sent the money and the book.

Later that day, the father asked his wife, “How much money did you send?”

She said, “I sent two checks. One was a P1000 check and the other was a P100,000 check.”  Read more... (2536 words, estimated 10:09 mins reading time)

If you don’t mind, let me start with an old Genie joke.

One day, a Genie appeared to a woman and said, “This is your lucky day! I will give you 3 wishes.”

“Yeheey!” the woman squealed.

“But on one condition,” said the Genie, “Whatever you ask for, your husband will receive 3 times more.”

The woman frowned, “What? But I hate my husband! He’s a despicable man!”

The Genie shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m the Love Genie. I repeat: What you ask for, your husband will receive 3 times more.”

The woman said, “Oh, okay. My first wish: Make me very rich. I want $1 Million.”  Read more... (1147 words, estimated 4:35 mins reading time)