A few years ago, I spoke to a couple who hit a bump in their relationship.  They’ve been together since college and have been dating for several years.  They’ve been both losing interest in each other and no longer know where to take it.

After hearing them out, we’ve realized that they’ve hit a lid in their relationship.  The time they’ve spent, the experiences they’ve shared, the ‘kilig’ they’ve felt has hit a lid.

They needed to make a decision – either bring it to the next level (marriage) or make a decision if this is really what they want.

Someone said indecision becomes a decision with time.

I don’t know exactly how long is long but being in a relationship too long may not exactly be the healthiest. Intimacy wise, you cannot bring it to where you’d like to since you’re not yet married.  And the temptation becomes even more intense.

Breaking up is difficult because of the ‘sayang’ factor.  You’ve been with together for years and then that’s it?

But staying in a relationship just because you’ve been together for a long time is not the best reason to stay.

WARNING: Unsolicited advice…. (Don’t continue to read if you might not like the next statement.)

Guys, if you’re in a long term relationship and the relationship is getting stale, I suggest you take it to the next level – either get married or break it up. Why? Because the lady you are in a relationship with may be stuck and for all you know God has someone else for her but you’ve held her captive in the relationship you’re in.

But if it’s a go, then get married. Trust God for provision. Believe God for the best. He will never leave nor forsake.

Ladies, don’t let anyone take you captive in a relationship. You do know that you can make the decision to move on. You’re not married yet. And if he is not ready to back up his claim with a ring, then he has no business asking you to give your all to him.

By the way, you may ask what happened to the couple I spoke to years ago? They did get married, eventually. Now they’re living life to the fullest, enjoying all that God had promised in a marriage submitted to His will.

Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find? (Proverbs 20:6)

My site died and now it’s been resurrected!

Sorry for the delay in bringing it back up.

Thanks so much @dannyvanommen for your help. May the odds ever be in your favor.

We had dinner with my younger sister, Meg, last night who works for an airline as a flight attendant.

She told us many stories about her experiences – some funny, many were interesting, others scary and horrific.

There was one when she had a passenger who was seated near the emergency exit. Because she was where she was, airline regulations won’t allow her to have a bag in front of her, more so, on her lap.  In cases of emergency, the emergency exit will need to be clear of any obstructions.

This passenger had her bag on her lap and was asked by my sister to stow it on the overhead bin. She refused. And refused. And refused. It came to a point that the altercation reached a point when she needed to call the captain and security.

She unwillingly surrendered her ‘precious cargo’ (her laptop) to be stowed in the overhead compartment.

On her way out, she screamed at my sister, grabbed her arm and told her, “I hate you… Ako ang nagpapasweldo sa yo. (I’m the one paying for your salary.)”

I was so proud of my sister for not retaliating and just replying, “Have a good day, ma’am.”

Now it is true that the lady paid for her fare. (Probably a ‘piso’ fare.)
But to say she’s the one that pays for all the cabin crew’s salary is off the wall.

I tell you this story not to get us all upset at the lady passenger but to make us realize that we are all capable of doing something stupid like this and fall into ‘entitlement.’

When we’ve been in a company that long, or in a team for some time, or leading the organization for a while, or working for your boss for all these years, this dangerous attitude called entitlement can creep in.

King David, after serving God for many years and serving his nation battle after battle had this to say…

“Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign LORD? ²² “How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you!  (2 Samuel 7:18-19, 22)

David could’ve listed down all the things he has done for God.

But instead, he starts listing down all that God has done for him.

And this is one way to destroy entitlement.

Starting July 10, worship services at the Victory Fort will have a few adjustments.

This is to give our Taglish service a morning option.  It will also give our English services a later option in the morning.

Thus, our services will be

8 AM – Taglish
10 AM – English
12 NN – English
2 PM – Taglish
4 PM – Taglish
6 PM – English
8 PM – English

Here’s a promo for our 8 am services.

Remember, this schedule change will happen July 10.

I had a lump in my throat and sweat in my eyes.

This morning, I sat listening to these facts…

• 1.2 million children around the world are taken for child trafficking for the purpose of exploitation, prostitution and servitude.
• 1 out of 10 are Filipino children.
• Every 12 minutes, a Filipino is trafficked.
• $31.6 Billion dollar ‘business.’

Called To Rescue, a non profit organization launched it’s efforts to go into all out war against child trafficking this morning at Victory Ortigas Center.

Dr. Cyndi Romine explained what the problem was and what needed to be done.

Cecille Obando related what we can do.

Something has to be done.

But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. (Matthew 18:6)

(with Dr. Cyndi Romine (President), Rina Filart (Director), Bishop Ef Tendero (PCEC Gen. Sec.), & friends from the Body of Christ)

We have become so self absorbed that we don’t even notice it anymore.

Often enough, when we glance at a group picture, whose face do we look for first?  If you’d be honest, you look at you first.

Have you ever had an argument with someone after which you rehearsed in your mind over and over what you should have said and not said so that you could’ve won the argument?  Probably.

Next question – how many of you conjured a rerun of that same argument in your mind wherein you lost?  Not very many I suppose.

D.A. Carson puts it aptly when he said,

“Our self-centeredness is deep.  It is so brutally idolatrous that it tries to domesticate God Himself.  In our desperate folly, we act as if we can outsmart God, as if He owes us explanations, as if we are wise and self-determining while He exists only to meet our needs.”

Scarily truthful.

If you are in high school, college or you have a heart to reach out to the next generation (or even just ‘feeling’-youth), you can’t miss out on this conference.

Ignite 2011 is on May 26-28, 2011.

See you there!

I was eating breakfast with my kids one morning. We have devotions over the breakfast table everyday before I drive them to school. We were talking about being careful not to compare ourselves with others.

The problem with comparing is that one will always come up better. This ends up with either pride or a poverty mentality. Pride causes us to compare ourselves with others while poverty causes us to compare others with ourselves.

The solution? A heart of gratitude.

Reading Robert Morris’ The Blessed Life made me realize a few things…

When you think about your situation in life…
Pride says, “I deserve more!”
Poverty says, “I should feel guilty.”
Gratitude says, “Thank you!” (Gratitude is an attitude of thankfulness that always acknowledges God’s provision.”

When someone says, “Wow, you have a nice cellphone!”
Pride says, “I have 2 other nice ones at home.”
Poverty says, “I got it at 50% off.”
Gratitude says, “Thank you!”

When someone says, “That’s a nice car!”
Pride says, “It’s just my everyday car.”
Poverty says, “It’s a company car.”
Gratitude says, “Thank you.”

When someone says, “That a nice shirt.”
Pride says, “It came from Europe.
“Poverty says, “It was on sale.”
Gratitude says, “Thank you.”

Pride wants people to think that we paid more.
Poverty wants people to think we paid less. (Yikes, I fall into this trap all too often.)

Gratitude doesn’t care what people think; it only cares what God thinks.

“Godliness with contentment is great gain.” 1 Timothy 6:6