Rex Mendoza

Inspiring You to Live a Fantastic Life

A Wayward Son Finds His Way to God’s Embracel Help! I’m Drowning in Credit Card Debt

No. 228 Vol. 19

MAY 2009

Change Your Money Habits and Work Your Way to Financial Abundance

PAID!

How to Achieve Financial Freedom By Bo Sanchez

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Don’t Settle for Just One — Create Multiple Income Streams Are You Holding on to False Money Myths?

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Inspiration, comfort, information, fun — these and more, people find in Kerygma, where highly spiritual topics are discussed in down-to-earth fashion and ordinary life issues are given deeper meaning and value. A magazine you will treasure for life!

Ladies, Be Impatient No More! Find grace in waiting, just as Rissa Singson-Kawpeng did. In her first-ever book, Confessions of an Impatient Bride, Rissa shares her funny, tear-jerking or sometimes downright embarrassing experiences as a woman finding her place in this world. These originally appeared in her “Just Breathe” column in KERYGMA, the country’s no. 1 selling inspirational magazine. Rissa’s struggles and victories as a young woman serving the Lord and at the same time “impatiently” waiting for the realization of God’s promises to her regarding marriage and family life can be a source of grace and hope for women still in the “waiting” stage. New moms can relate to her stories, too.

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ne day,

my wife Marowe was interviewed on TV. Bishop Tagle’s show on TV5 wanted to ask her some questions. So they sent a TV crew to the house, complete with lights, cameras and a truckload of stuff. Obviously, that doesn’t appeal to her at all. Being interviewed on TV is as appealing to her as being trapped in a steel cage with a thousand giant scorpions crawling all over her body. She doesn’t like the spotlight. She has never given a talk in her entire life. (OK, that’s not true. Once, she was asked to give an eight-minute talk to kindergarten kids. Two weeks before that talk, she was so stressed, I couldn’t talk to her.) In the TV interview, she was asked a question that she has heard a hundred times before. “How is it like being married to the Bo Sanchez?” The following day, she was so relieved that the interview was over, she hugged me and giggled, “Bo, doesn’t anyone ever ask you, ‘How is it like being married to the Marowe Sanchez?’” “No one,” I smiled, “but if someone were to ask me, I’d say, absolutely wonderful and phenomenal and fantastic.” It’s really true. Not just my family life though. My whole life is really wonderful. Today, it’s popular to be a little angsty. “Teenage angst” is very “in” today, even among 40-year-olds who still think they’re teenagers. And you see it in how they look — black nail polish, black circles around their eyes, and a cigarette between their black lips. You’d rarely see them smile. (Don’t get me wrong. It’s not the style that

boss thethe boss bo sanchez

bothers me. You can wear black all you want. It’s the negative, surly, snobbish attitude that steals a lot of life from them.) Some Christians have their own version of holy angst. These good-hearted people like to focus on their sufferings as a way of pleasing God. They like to moan and groan about how difficult life is, thinking they earn brownie points in heaven. Sheesh. Well, excuse me, but I don’t have any angst. I’m happy with my life. Each day, I wake up expecting miracles to happen. I also expect the sun to rise, the day to be lovely, and my friends to be terrific. And most of the time, that’s exactly how it happens. Sure, once in a while, it doesn’t happen that way. Hey, I can’t win all the time. That’s OK. All I have to do is wait for the next beautiful morning. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve got problems. But here’s the key: I don’t focus on them. I acknowledge that they’re there. But I move on and focus on my blessings instead. Because I believe my mind is a magnet. Thoughts attract. If I always think of my blessings, I attract more blessings. If I always think of my problems, I attract more problems. Dear friends, I pray that you attract more blessings in your life today. May your dreams come true.

How to Live a Wonderful Life

Yes, You Can Make Blessings Happen Every Day

Watch Bo Sanchez in a new Internet Show MONDAY to friday at www.preacherinbluejeans.com

KerygmaMay2009 { 1 }

mailroom Thank you for your great magazine. People coming to our house, including our mission rector, can hardly leave because they read and read the accumulated issues we love to display. Do continue to inspire us.

C. Valera Kalinga Province

KERYGMA serves as an inspiration every day of my life. I feel the presence of God and I look forward to reading the monthly issue.Thanks, KERYGMA, for shining through my dark nights.

I consider KERYGMA a blessing to me and my family because you help us to realize that God is everywhere, even in the simple things, and to learn how to appreciate Him more! God bless you!

Ace Polomolok, South Cotabato

Galileo Gervacio Binangonan, Rizal

Thanks to KERYGMA magazine because when I read it, it gives enlightenment to both my mind and my heart. More power and God bless!

Donna Davao Hallelujah! I really want to thank KERYGMA for changing my life, for helping me have a close relationship with God, and helping hopeless people to realize how much they are needed in this world for God. God bless you!

From

I love reading KERYGMA magazine. It’s so inspiring and it adds to my knowledge, especially that I give Pre-Cana seminars in our parish. More power!

Naomie R. Labalan I am really inspired by reading KERYGMA magazine. I am blessed to be one of the KERYGMA Shepherds spreading the goodness of God.

Keziah Agura Dipolog City I always make it a point to buy this super magazine. I just hope Bo and company can visit Cotabato City.

Corazon S. Reyes You’re such a great speaker, Bro. Bo, and I most especially like your illustrations and stories. They touch the inner core of my being. Thank you so much.

Ding Estaniel Cotabato

We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected], text at 0917-800-5535, or write to The Editor at 60 Chicago St., Cubao, Quezon City. You can also reach us by becoming members of KERYGMA Family (www.kerygmafamily.com). { 2 } KerygmaMay2009

Members:

Ruben

L

just breathe

ong before Patrick Dempsey landed his role in the movie, Made living by grace of Honor, I had my very own. It was there printed rissa singson-ka on my wedding invitation for wpeng all to see. I had a matron of honor and a man of honor. The latter was Randy Borromeo, the big guy — literally and figuratively a-Borromeo, (L-R) Rissa, Thessa Barj — behind the TV shows of peng Kaw s Chri Randy Borromeo and Shepherd’s Voice. He’s also the director of all those cameras at The Feast, our Sunday gathering at the Valle Verde Country Club Ballroom. I’ve known Randy since we were teenagers. I was already serving in our Catholic community when he attended one of our prayer meetings. Many years later, he would confess that the reason he was enticed to keep going back to the prayer meetings was because he saw many pretty tisays there. his dreams. It was so cool that evening — it felt like the But no matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t remember whole garden was air-conditioned. any tisays attending the prayer meetings. Pretty girls, yes. KERYGMA preachers George Gabriel, Alvin Barcelona, (Ahem.) Obet Cabrillas, Jon Escoto, Arun Gogna and Adrian We could only conclude that it was the Lord at work. Panganiban were there to lend good music and humor to Knowing Randy’s weakness for tisays, God tweaked his the occasion. eyesight to bait him to attend the community gatherings. It was a memorable, fun wedding. While our friendship goes way back, Randy and I Weeks later, Randy told me how much they had spent became close when I experienced a major life crisis. At a for their wedding and marveled at how he was able to time when I desperately needed friends and all my closest earn all that money. ones severed ties with me, Randy was the only one who’d What can I say? call and listen. God provides. Always. We’d talk through the wee hours, sometimes hanging Whether it’s a friend in time of need, a woman of your up only because the sun was about to shine. dreams, a rainless day, or money to pay for your perfect One Christmas, he was hired to direct a presentation at wedding. an office party. There, he saw a pretty tisay dancing with a The works of God are all of them good; every need when it comes friend. This time, God played no tricks. She was a gift from he fills. (Sirach 39:33) heaven named Thessa Barja. Last January 10, the day Randy married Thessa, time Email me your reactions/comments at [email protected]. stopped — literally. (To match my gown and shoes, I had to wear a gold watch and the only one I had wasn’t working. I wore it anyway.) All of creation cooperated to give the WHAT TO EXPECT TH IS MONTH: couple the most beautiful wedding possible. If you can’t wait to find The day before the wedding, it was raining. A worried out what life has in sto re for yo u, grab my hot-off-the-pr Randy called me to ask for prayers. The reception was ess book, Confessions of an Im pa tie nt Bride. Yes, this is my fir going to be in a garden and he had no more budget for a st book ever to be published and it’s alrea giant tent. “Lord, take over,” we prayed. dy a bestseller — as so on as all KERYGMA readers buy the ir own copy! It’s the pe The next day, the sun was out. The newspaper also rfect read for women waitin g to find their one true announced that the biggest and brightest moon of the year love and young wives starting on the family way. Laugh, would be out that evening. cry and be inspired by life lessons from one woman’s heart So under the canopy of stars and a large, radiant moon, to yours. Available in bookstores nationwide or call (02 )725we celebrated the union of my best friend and the girl of 9999.

MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING

Rissa’s clothes courtesy of Limited Couture. Available at Greenhills Shopping Center; HP at Power Plant Mall, Rockwell; Festival Mall, Alabang and SM City, Bicutan.

God provides. Always.

Listen to Bo Sanchez’s PODCAST! Audio and Video available! www.preacherinbluejeans.com

KerygmaMay2009 { 3 }

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publisher BO SANCHEZ editor-in-chief RISSA SINGSON-KAWPENG managing editor TESS ATIENZA staff writers NOVA ARIAS JOY SOSOBAN creative director STIMPY CORTES graphics director REY DE GUZMAN contributing writers ALVIN FABELLA JUDITH CONCEPCION JANE GONZALES CECILLE LIM DINA PECAñA photographers ED SANTIAGO DANIEL SORIANO columnists ROSANNE ROMERO ARUN GOGNA chairman of the board BO SANCHEZ marketing director JOSEPH MARTINEZ KERYGMA. A Greek word meaning Proclamation of the Gospel. It is a Catholic inspirational magazine. It aims to be an evangelistic tool to all nations, providing Scriptural, practical and orthodox teachings to Catholics, particularly those in the Catholic Renewal, as an alternative to present-day magazines. It is also committed to fostering the renewal and unity of the whole Christian people. Philippine copyright Shepherd’s Voice Publications, Inc. 2009 No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission. KERYGMA is published monthly by Shepherd’s Voice Publications, Inc., whose editorial and business offices are located at 60 Chicago St., Cubao, 1109 Quezon City. Tels: 725-9999, 725-1115, 725-1190, 411-7874 Fax: 725-1230, 7275615 Email: [email protected]. ph Website: www.shepherdsvoice.com.ph

may

vol. 19 no. 228

columns

the bo files

special section

03 35 37

01 The Boss {How to Live a Wonderful Life} 30 Heroes of Faith {Rex Mendoza: The Good Influencer} 40 Point of Contact

17 {Paid! How to Achieve Financial Freedom} 18 {Change Your Money Habits} 24 {Create Multiple Income Streams}

Just Breathe {My Best Friend’s Wedding} Kitchen Scribbles {Disdain Not Thy Thumb} K Preacher {One Plus One Equals Two}

testimonies 22 {Victory Over My Debts} 28 {Money Myths} departments 02 Mailroom 06 New You 07 Anawim 08 Dear Kerygma 10 Real Stuff 11 Feast Snapshots 13 It Happened: {From a Fool’s Life to a Full Life} 33 Gawad Kalinga 39 {I Was Prepared for My Death, But God Had Other Plans for Me}

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J

osephine Anne M. Agustin isn’t immune to money problems. Recently blessed with a baby, Jopay is getting accustomed to the financial demands of raising a family. But faith and trust in God run strong in the Agustin household. Jopay and husband, Marvin, are active leaders of Bukas-Loob sa Diyos Community’s young couples’ group.

KerygmaMay2009 { 5 }

new you new you

tips for personal development

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inances

HOW TO CUT DOWN ON REGULAR BILLS

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ant to cut down on regular bills? Before you reply with, “How could you ever do that?” check out the suggestions below. 1. Install compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. They have a longer lifespan and use up less electricity. 2. Do you have any electrical devices that you rarely use but have kept plugged in? Unplug them. Most electrical devices constantly use a small amount of electricity called a phantom charge. Eliminate this by unplugging the appliances. 3. Look for inexpensive entertainment options. Instead of malling, why not lend your time to a local volunteer group? 4. Cook and pack your own meals. This will reduce the cost of your lunch. Going out has a tendency to increase your expenses. 5. Strongly reduce or eliminate travel. This will significantly cut down your expenses. Be open to inviting family and friends over to your place instead.

Source: www.thesimpledollar.com

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eauty

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ever worried about your skin?

Then this is not for you. But for those regular gals out there, here are some tips for common skin problems: · Conceal breakouts. Use a concealer that’s specifically formulated to cover and to treat blemishes. A treatment concealer or an oil-free foundation will stay on the trouble spot without migrating. You should concentrate the pigment right on the pimple by tapping the product on the blemish. Then follow this with a light dusting of powder over the entire face to set your makeup. · Even out skin tone. Apply foundation over the whole face, then treat the dark patches with a full-coverage concealer. These are usually labeled as providing medium, full or heavy coverage. Warm the concealer in the palm of your hand to make it creamier then blend it over the trouble zones using a dry sponge. · Soften fine lines and wrinkles. Makeup that’s too heavy can build up and cake in fine lines, so apply a light layer of a sheer foundation to prevent this. Add concealer, but only on the dark areas under the eyes. To increase the sheerness of the concealer, mix it with a pea-size amount of eye cream before gently tapping it on with either a brush or your fingers.

Source: www.realsimple.com

QUICK HEALTH TIP: The following foods are excellent sources of dietary fiber, which help fight constipation: raspberries, mustard greens, cauliflower, collard greens and broccoli.

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aith & Doctrine

BEING RICH AND LOVING THE POOR

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oving the poor is incompatible with excessive

love of riches. When we attend to the needs of the poor, we actually give them what is theirs, not what is ours. More than performing works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice.

Source: Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 2445-2446

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TIPS FOR COMMON SKIN PROBLEMS

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ealth

SURVIVAL TIPS IN DO-OR-DIE EMERGENCIES (Part 2)

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ere’s a continuation of last month’s article on what to do when you’re in a do-or-die emergency. Note down these survival

tips: · Cramps. If you’re in deep water, take a deep breath, lie on your back and float. If you have muscle cramp, float face down, grab your toes and pull them toward you, stretching your calf until the pain goes away. If it’s a stomach cramp, lie on your back, spread your arms and legs, and float until you can swim back to shore. · Poisoning. If you inhaled something (like bleach or ammonia), get away from the toxic area. If it’s something that got on your skin, like a cleaning product, wash it off, then call a hospital and follow the doctor’s advice. · Severe bleeding. Use your hand or a clean cloth, paper towels, a scarf or any fabric you can grab, and push down on the wound until the bleeding stops. Don’t use a tourniquet. · Trapped in a burning building. Enclose yourself in a smokefree room and place a wet towel underneath the door to prevent any smoke from entering. Then lie low on the floor, where you can breathe and see better, until help arrives. If you’re in a house, get as low as you can and crawl outside as fast as possible. Don’t stop until you’re well away from the fire. Source: www.rd.com

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elation ships

SAY “HELLO” TO STRANGERS

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KERYGMA challenge to improve your relationships: Say “hello” to strangers daily for at least one month. Set your own quota and then try to build on that. Here are some reasons why you should practice this. ake the

·

It is an acknowledgment of existence. Saying hello is a pause, however brief, to affirm another person’s worth. In return, you become a person to them, too. · It can raise productivity. A study on this subject had middle school teachers greet their students individually every month. The brief interaction raised the students’ productivity by 27 percent. · It can save your m a r r i a g e . C o m m o n courtesy isn’t that common. When did you last say hello to your spouse? And don’t forget to say hello each morning to the person who needs it most — yourself.

Source: www.rd.com

MOISES SU-AMAR: Still Adventurous at 77 By Tess V. Atienza

“I

— just to walk around the town proper and then go home, on foot.” Lolo Moises does that not only for his regular exercise. At 77, he still loves to walk and explore places. He wants to reach whatever his eyes could see on the horizon. go out almost every day

Where He Came From

His mother died when he was two; his father when he was in grade two. He and his siblings grew up far from each other. Lolo Moises lived with his grandmother in Miag-ao, Iloilo City. His siblings lived with their adoptive families. Very early in life, Lolo Moises learned to fend for himself. In the morning, he went to school; in the afternoon, he tended to the store of his aunt. Eventually, he moved to Manila, got a college degree and then worked in Saudi Arabia for five years. Upon coming back to the Philippines, he was hired as a caretaker in the home of Mr. Gartland, general manager of US Life Insurance Company. The Gartlands treated him like family, but they had to leave the Philippines when the company closed.

The Path that Led to Anawim

After his employment with the Gartlands, he only had shortterm jobs and depended on friends for help. He remained single by choice. In his early 70s, a friend of his brought him to a home for the aged in Manila. In 2006, he was brought to Anawim.

Life at Anawim

“It’s funny,” Lolo Moises relates, “the social workers here remind me to come back whenever I go out for my morning walk. Why won’t I come back? Anawim is my home now and probably until death.” Still, he wants to visit his hometown one last time and see his brother Samuel and sister Francisca Su-Amar-Derla. He wishes, too, that well-meaning visitors at Anawim would invite him to spend a day or two in their houses. “For a change — and to see other places before I die,” shares Lolo Moises. Indeed, age has not changed Lolo Moises. Adventure is still in his blood.

Lolo Moises is one of the 55 abandoned elderlies that Anawim cares for. To continue caring for them, we need your support. Contact Anawim at (632) 7105273 or visit www.anawim.com. ph for your donations. You may also join the monthly pilgrimage to Anawim and make the lolos and lolas happy with your presence. KerygmaMay2009 { 7 }

dear K K dear My Vocation or My Family

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’m 26, single, have a job and staying with my family. Just recently, I had a sudden feeling of wanting to pursue my vocation. The truth is, when I was 16 years old, after I graduated high school, I entered a convent to become a nun because that had been my dream since grade school. Unfortunately, I failed to continue my vocation because my homesickness ruled over me and I realized that I wasn’t totally prepared that time for the religious life. I went out, pursued a college degree, graduated and found a job. But all the time that I was out of the convent, the lure of the religious life kept coming back. But then again, after I graduated, I felt that I had to find a job and help my parents. To leave my parents after all their hardship in sending me to college stopped me from re-entering the convent. I want to provide for them now that I have a job. But in my heart, I know and I feel that I still want to be a nun and offer my life to God. I am confused. Shall I choose a life with my family or a life of service and being with God as a religious? I’m really weighing things out because I want to make sure that if I chose to re-enter the convent, it would be for good this time. But I have to consider my parents, too, because I want to make sure that they’re OK before I leave them. Can you please help me to weigh things? Thank you. Vhanie

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Dear Vhanie, What you are experiencing right now was the same thing I went through when I was discerning whether to enter the religious life or to pursue a career and be with my family. Discernment brought me to a “win-win” solution. I finished college, worked for five years and helped my family before I joined the congregation. I also realized that becoming a nun is more than a childhood dream — not a career to pursue — but a call to live a different kind of life, one that is devoted to God through prayer and service. Your case is quite unusual because you entered at a very young age and then left the congregation. It is like getting married early — the chances of broken commitment are prevalent. I can understand your situation. You don’t have to choose between your family and the religious life; you can have both. When I entered the religious life, I never stopped becoming my parents’ daughter, although I cannot anymore give what I used to give them — material things. But they appreciate much my presence during special family gatherings and simple occasional visits. With my community’s permission, I took care of my sick mother when she was hospitalized. I am also called to facilitate dialogues among family members. And my nieces and nephews express how they look up to me as their role model. There is so much that you can do as a daughter and a sister to your family. Vhanie, you are still young. You still have time to spend and serve your family in case they really need your assistance. There are congregations who accept candidates in their early 30s. I suggest that you get a spiritual guide to journey with you as you search for where God is calling you at this time of your life. I can be one. Sr. Gemma Dinglasan, RGS

It took Sr. Gemma Dinglasan, RGS, several years to finally face her true calling. An accountant by profession, she worked hard to help her parents send her younger siblings to school. Later, when the one next to her graduated and took on the responsibility of sending the younger ones to school, she was left with a void: what to do with her life. She searched and she found what she was looking for: the Pearl of Great Price. Sr. Gemma is now the vocation directress of the Good Shepherd Community in the Philippines.

How Do I Deal with My Atheist Friends

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a hard time dealing with atheists in my life. I love them but they don’t believe in Christ. I also have friends who are Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. Will they also be saved? How do I introduce Christ to them without offending them? I love them and so I want them to be saved, too. am having

Rosan Dear Rosan, Your situation is a common one but not necessarily easy to deal with. I think it is important for us to realize that no matter how well we might think we know and follow God as His disciple, there is still a great mystery surrounding the nature and mechanics of the work of salvation. Ultimately, it is God who will decide who is saved or not and I think

it is important that we remember that God is a God of mercy. I am sure that He will not expect people to live as though they are disciples of Jesus if no one has ever proclaimed the Gospel to them. God will judge us fairly and with mercy and love. Secondly, I think we should first focus upon our own salvation and ask ourselves whether we are doing everything that we can to proclaim the Gospel through our lives and through what we say and witness to others. The Vatican II documents remind us of this when they talk about our duty to live and proclaim the Gospel. Thirdly, we must be sure that we both live and proclaim the Gospel to the best of our ability while at the same time recognizing that each person is free to choose whether or not he or she will respond to the Gospel once it is heard. The critical point here is that each Christian ensure that the witness of their life is true to the Gospel and that we do not deny any truth of the Gospel for fear of offending someone. The Scriptures are very clear that it is the truth that sets us free (John 8:32-36) and thus we never do anyone a service by denying them the opportunity to know the truth about salvation. Having said that, it is equally important that we are guided by the Holy Spirit in the work of evangelization and wait for the appropriate time to proclaim the Gospel to those who need to hear and respond to it. In summary, I think you should live your Catholic faith to the full without any apology for doing so to your friends, while at the same time being watchful for an opportunity to share the Gospel when it arises. I hope and pray that the Holy Spirit would use you to bring your friends into a relationship with Jesus and thus win them for the Kingdom of God. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL, is the spiritual director of the Light of Jesus and Elim Communities. Fun-loving and ever ready for anything, this Australian cleric is presently the parish priest of St. Benedict’s Parish in Don Enrique Heights in Quezon City.

Email your questions to [email protected]. Or if you need to talk to someone, call 7264709 or 7266728 to contact a Light of Jesus counselor. Telephone counseling is 24-hours from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and 6 a. m. to 10 a. m. on Sundays. Face-to-face counseling by appointment. For correspondence counseling, email [email protected] or go to http://supportskerygmafamily. com.

725-9999

Or Call Pregnant? Confused? Abortion is not the answer. Contact Sr. Pilar at Pro-life. KerygmaMay2009 { 9 } Call 422-8877 or email [email protected].

real stuff real staff VATICAN NOW ON YOUTUBE

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ant to be updated on what’s happening in the Vatican? You can be updated through video now. The Vatican has launched a new channel on YouTube. The site, which is found at www.youtube.com/ vatican, was launched in January in time for World Communications Day. The Pope said, “Undoubtedly, wise use of communications technology enables communities to be formed in ways that promote the search for the true, the good and the beautiful, transcending geographical boundaries and ethnic divisions. To this end, the Vatican has launched a new initiative which

MEDIA AND YOUR CHILDREN

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f you’re a parent with young children or adolescents, better

check this out. According to the conclusion of a series of 10 short papers by the journal Children and Electronic Media, media can be a positive influence in the lives of these children. The papers, which are summaries of research carried out by The Future of Children, a collaboration of the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University and the Brookings Institution that promotes policies and programs regarding children, said that the average modern child spends a total of nearly 45 hours a week using various forms of media, including the television, movies, magazines, music, Internet and video games. According to the study,advertisers are moving to the Internet because marketing to children online is far less regulated than television. Methods include embedding ads in games and using online chat forums to promote products. The paper also concluded that when children view media violence, they often act aggressively, experience fear, develop unrealistic perceptions concerning the violence that exists in the real world, or develop less advanced moral strategies. Another aspect of media usage is that between television and sexual activity. The study found that teens who watch a lot of television featuring flirting, discussion of sex and

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will make information and news from the Holy See more readily accessible on the world wide Web.” He added, “It is my hope that this initiative will enrich a wide range of people — including those who have yet to find a response to their spiritual yearning — through the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ whose message of Good News the Church bears to the ends of the earth.” Source: www.zenit.org

SAINTS AT A GLANCE WHO: St. Bernardine of Siena BORN & DIED: September 8, 1380, Italy – May 20, 1444, Italy NOTABLE FACTS: Descended from a noble family, he joined the Franciscans after prayer and fasting about it. He played a great part in the religious revival of the early 15th century. A tireless worker, he once preached every day for seven weeks in Siena. He became vicargeneral of the Franciscan Order in Italy in 1438.

sex scenes are much more likely than their peers to get pregnant or get a partner pregnant. They also found strong connections between a negative health outcome and media hours or content. “Be aware and be involved” was the paper’s recommendation to parents. Awareness includes understanding the various forms of media and types of content that their children are using. And involvement means monitoring the type of media being used by children, and also the amount of time being devoted to media use. Source: http://www.zenit.org

SAFE BROWSER FOR YOUR LITTLE ONES

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wreaking havoc on your computer or going to an unsafe site? Then Kidrocket is for you. Kidrocket Kids Browser is a free stand-alone Windows application that’s both an activity center as well as a browser. It can be locked to the desktop to prevent your kids from unwittingly wreaking havoc on your computer. It includes a web browser that operates off a pre-selected white list of kid-friendly sites like Crayola, Cartoon Network, Sesame Street and others. There are also other activities that your kids can do like an interactive math flash cards and a simple paint program. For older kids, you can enable a basic email client and create a safe list for your child to email to. orried about your child

Source: lifehacker.com

NEW UNIVERSITY FOR TOP MINDS

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hat would happenifthe world’s top minds came together to establish a university? Now we have a chance to find out. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Google have teamed up with leading science and technology entrepreneurs to open Singularity University (SU). Housed on the NASA Ames campus in Silicon Valley, the university will open this June and will offer a nine-week graduate level program along with several executive level programs aimed at helping current leaders adapt their businesses to up-and-coming technologies. The university seeks to compliment existing programs in a variety of subjects including biotechnology, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, law, ethics and finance. The university hopes to foster collaboration and innovation “in order to address humanity’s grand challenges” and to gather “the next generation of CEOs, University Deans or Presidents and government leaders” to begin networking and collaborating. SU’s founders include Pete Worden, the director of NASA Ames, Dr. Ray Kurzweil, author and futurist and Dr. Peter Diamandis, chairman of the X Prize Foundation. Source: http://www.popsci.com

FE EA ASSTT F NA AP PSSH SSN HO OTTSS Bacoor, Cavite Holds Local Feast

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avite may not be that far from Pasig City, where The Feast happens every Sunday at the Valle Verde Country Club, but many Caviteños (especially those from Bacoor) choose to have their own local Feast and enjoy a more intimate community gathering. Every first and second Friday of the month, from8to10p.m.,theLightofJesusCommunity’s Bacoor Chapter gather at the Addas Chapel in Addas IV Village in Mambog. Of course, they welcome whoever might want to join the worship, Gospel sharing and reflection and to listen to Bo Sanchez’s video talk. On the average, 40 people regularly attend the Bacoor Feast. Anyone who wants to participate may simply go to the venue on the mentioned schedule or may contact Bro. Peter Fariscal at 0929-722-7080.

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was living a double life. During the day, I studied while working part-time as an appraiser in our pawnshop in Ormoc. I earned extra money apart from the allowance my parents gave me. Having so much money in my hands made it easier for me to indulge in my vices again, which I wanted to get rid of in the first place. Listen to Bo Sanchez’s PODCAST! Audio and Video available! www.preacherinbluejeans.com

From a Fool’s Life to a Full Life A Wayward Son’s Journey By Romeo “Junjun” Ocampo, Jr. as told to Dina Pecaña

Another most memorable day in Junjun’s journey was the day he married Vannie

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My health suffered because I totally gave up exercise and sports. My frequent drinking spree also affected my sleeping pattern. It came to a point when I could no longer sleep without getting drunk. I would drink beer and take shabu simultaneously and that kept me awake for two days. Unknown to me, my parents, who were renewed Christians actively serving in the intercessory team of the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP) in Ormoc, were fervently praying, in union with their community, for my conversion. Soon, the Lord answered their prayers for my conversion — but it was also to prepare us for the trials that were about to come into our lives. The Good Life I have to admit I was spoiled. I got everything I wanted while I was growing up — be it a TV for my room at the dorm, the latest sound system, a new Junjun now works as tennis racket and a financial consultant rubber shoes, and for Pru-Life UK an allowance that was more than what kids my age received. I guess that came with being the youngest child, although my parents were caring and generous to my siblings as well. From their humble beginnings, they worked hard to establish our retail store and family’s pawnshop business in Ormoc. The business grew and prospered and enabled my parents to send us to good schools and give us a comfortable life. I should have been grateful or, at the very least, content with having a happy family life. But I was not. I chose to live a wayward life in spite of the love and support of my family. Entangled in Vice During my freshman year at the University of San Carlos in Cebu, I became part of a barkada (gang or { 14 } KerygmaMay2009

group of friends) that led me astray. Instead of focusing on my studies and getting good grades, I got entangled in a web of endless partying, alcohol and drugs. I picked up the vices merely out of curiosity and a compelling need to be accepted by my friends. My freshman year was one of the turbulent times of my life. But even then I was sensible enough to free myself from the vices that enslaved me. I decided to go back to Ormoc after the second semester, thinking that I could start over if I stayed away from my friends. I was wrong. I only sunk deeper into my vices. Life-Changing Retreat I wasn’t expecting anything from the retreat — I only attended it as a requirement for my Theology class. But during one of the talks, I sensed the Lord telling me, “My son, I love you.” Then it dawned on me how my parents cared and prayed for me all these years, how they continued to love me even though I was a “bad” son to them. I realized how deeply the Lord loves me through my family. This realization opened my life to the powerful love of the Lord that would change my life forever. God transformed me gradually. First, He separated me from my “vice buddies.” Next, He gave me the desire to know, love and serve Him. That inner desire moved me to become part of our parish youth ministry. I sang in the choir and helped organize retreats and other youth activities. As I immersed myself in service, I still struggled with my vices. Through much prayer and with the help of my Theology professor, Cris Fernandez, who was our speaker and facilitator during my most unforgettable retreat and the one who invited me to serve in the parish youth ministry, my craving for alcohol and drugs diminished slowly but surely. Indeed, God’s grace is sufficient! I finally joined my parents in BCBP during my last year in college. Soon after, our family underwent another trial. Financial Crisis In 1995, our country experienced a serious economic crisis that affected our family business. We were forced to close our pawnshops and the proceeds from the sale were used to pay off outstanding debts that ballooned to almost P10 million. We had to sell our car and home. It was a difficult time — so hard in fact that there were times when my mom did not know where to get our next meal. We went through a test so grueling that the strength of our family’s faith was challenged. Want more Frappr.com friends? Add us! www.frappr.com/kerygmafamily.com

My dad, being the head of the family, was hit hardest by this family crisis. He sunk into depression that lasted for three years. He could not accept what happened to our family and he felt that he failed us miserably. He withdrew from everyone and confined himself at home. This was also the lowest point in my life. It was hard to see my idol — my dad — so down, helpless and on the brink of giving up. Seeing him this way, a broken man, I felt lost. I questioned my own identity. If my dad felt he was a “nobody,” then who was I? Simple Living Though difficult to bear, our family crisis taught us valuable life lessons, starting with having a faithful relationship with God and living simply. In the midst of our problems, God called each one of us to a personal relationship with Him and led us to actively serve in our community. I developed a more loving relationship with my parents and siblings. My mom committed to faithfully pray for our family and her example encouraged the rest of us to pray just as she did. Our family prayer time became our source of hope, strength and unity. Though our once carefree and comfortable life changed drastically to one of hardship, pain and uncertainty, we gained a new life in Christ. As we surrendered our lives to the Lord, He eventually restored to us what we had lost. He allowed my parents to reopen our pawnshops; my mom was blessed to work in an insurance company that enabled us to buy a new car. Mom and Dad humbled themselves as they went to each person to whom they owed money. They asked forgiveness for not being able to pay their debts and the same time gave their commitment to pay no matter how long it takes. The Lord must have touched the hearts of the creditors because they only collected from my parents the principal and no longer applied the interest that would have compounded significantly over the years. Loving God More Deeply and Following Him More Closely From my service in our parish youth ministry, to becoming part of BCBP, the Lord opened opportunities for me to serve Him and His people through Ang Lingkod ng Panginoon Community where I served as the very first and the youngest branch leader of the Ormoc branch. It did not end there, though. My desire to serve the Lord deepened to the point that I joined the Servants of the Word based in Quezon Want more Frappr.com friends? Add us! www.frappr.com/kerygmafamily.com

City, living among lay brothers who were singlehearted for the Lord. For three years, I learned to live out the virtues of chastity, simplicity and obedience. I was happy with this life and I truly believed that to live single and dedicate my life to the Lord’s service was my highest calling. Meant for Marriage Little did I know that God had a different plan. During Lent 2005, on my third year at the Servants of the Word, my heart was stirred Finding God’s best by a desire for him was one of for marriage Junjun’s blessings as I prayed. I in life was confused. I sought the advice of my mentor and fellow brother, Ken Knoecker, who advised me to be open to it, to pray more and to investigate it. After days of prayer, it became clear to me that God wanted me to get married. I left my brothers in Servants of the Word and joyfully anticipated the unfolding of His plan. In due time, God revealed His plans for me. I landed a job as a supervisor in a gas station in Ormoc and later as a financial consultant in an insurance company. Then in one of Lingkod’s activities, Vannie Siloterio, my good friend and former co-worker at the Lingkod office, came to Ormoc to be with the women members of our community. Seeing her and being able to spend time with her once again reminded me of the essentials I wanted in a woman who was to be my wife: a deep relationship with the Lord, unconditional love for her family and a heart for mission. It was then that I decided to pursue her. On December 16, 2006, Vannie and I got married. For over two years now, we have been living a serene and simple life in Ormoc while still happily and actively serving our brothers and sisters in BCBP and Lingkod. It continues to amaze me how God has transformed a wayward son to become His faithful servant. KerygmaMay2009 { 15 }

By Bo Sanchez

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PAID!

HowtoAchieveFinancialFreedom by bo sanchez

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when you were taught by your parents to drop a coin or two every day in your piggy bank? Gone are those days, right? Today, most people complain that their monthly take-home pay is spent before they receive it. Why? Because they are trapped in the vicious cycle of borrowing for every need and then working to pay for their debts. Why are many people stuck in poverty and in never-ending debt? Because they spiritualize their financial difficulties — they want God to do what they can do themselves. And that’s what ails many people. Now, listen: God won’t do what you can do yourself. Because the essence of human life is growth — and we won’t grow if we won’t take responsibility for our lives. And that includes managing our finances, raising our financial IQ, learning new habits and being totally free from the enslaving power of money — or the lack of it — in our lives. Friends, God wants you to be prosperous but you have to do your part as well. Start now. emember the days

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KerygmaMay2009 { 17 }

Change Your Money Habits

and Work Your Way to Financial Abundance by bo sanchez

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long time ago, when I was still single, I led a retreat for a group of college students from an exclusive girls school. Before the start of the retreat, I was alone in my room preparing for my talk. Suddenly a cockroach entered my room and hovered above me. Ziinggg! Zinnggg! I looked at it and said, “In Jesus’ name, come down!” And then it hit an invisible wall and crashed to the floor, dead. I was amazed! Then during my talk, the granddaddy of the cockroach I killed entered the room with vengeance and it started zooming and shimmying and zapping around the room. You can just imagine the reaction of the students in front of me. They were shrieking and covering their heads as the cockroach continued to zoom up and down the ceiling, the walls and all around the room. I didn’t know what to do until I remembered what I did an hour ago. So I said, “In Jesus’ name, come down!” And again the cockroach hit an invisible wall and crashed to the floor. Bang! All the ladies in front of me exclaimed in awe. And there I was, cool as a bee, as if it was something that happens to me every day. After the talk, I entered my room. As I was resting, I saw the cousin of the first cockroach crawling up the wall. (By the way, I will not tell you what retreat house it was). I sat on my bed, looked at it and said, “In Jesus’ name, come down!” It continued to crawl. “In Jesus’ name, come down!” It still kept crawling. For the third time, I said, “In Jesus’ name, come down!” It didn’t. There’s something wrong, I thought. And then I felt God speak to my heart, “Hey, get your slippers and kill the cockroach!” I learned an important lesson there: that there are times when God will not lift a finger because He wants us to do it ourselves. If you want to be prosperous, He’s not going to give you wealth just because you obeyed Him, or just because you gave tithes. Many do that. They blame God for being poor. They say, “I go to Mass, I serve God, I give tithes, I attend prayer meetings — but why am I still poor?” It’s like asking, “Why can’t I play the violin? I serve the Lord, give tithes and attend Mass and prayer meetings.” The answer is simple: Because you didn’t study how to play the violin! Don’t over-spiritualize your problems — your dilemma may not have a spiritual cause. It might be due to your lack of knowledge. Will God prosper you if you obey Him and if you are faithful to Him? The answer? It’s not yes or no.

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The answer is, “It depends.” Why? If you do not do something practical about your finances, such as living simply, nothing will happen. No matter how much you give to God, if you do not live within your means, if you do not save, you will not be prosperous. God wants you to prosper but He won’t do for you what you can do for yourself. Because the essence of human life is growth. You need to keep on growing and the only way to do that is to take responsibility over your life, including your finances. Many prosperity preachers have spoken and written about steps to prosperity. They’re good — they tell us to obey God, be faithful to Him, give tithes and so on — but I feel there are some things lacking. They don’t speak about the practical steps one can take on the road to financial freedom. Six Steps to Financial Freedom “Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land, and take the fifth part of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plenteous years. And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and lay up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine which are to befall the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.” — Genesis 41:34-46

Step 1: Change Your Internal Money Programs This never fails: If you want to make any improvement in your life, change your behavior. But if you want to make giant leaps in your life, change your beliefs. If you’ve always been poor or short of money, your belief system might be the culprit. I hear poor people say, “My parents have been poor. We’ve always been poor. I think I’ll grow old as poor, too.” That’s your mental conditioning — and that’s what will happen because that’s how you perceive your life to be. Change what you believe in and change will happen in your life. Because what you believe in, you act upon. All the other steps to financial freedom will be useless unless you change your beliefs about money. It won’t matter how much you save or whether you get into 10 businesses. You will not prosper if you do not change your internal money program or if you don’t expand your psychological wallet. You have to believe that you can earn more than you are earning right now — and that’s the key: believe that it will happen and it will! KerygmaMay2009 { 19 }

Step No. 2: Get out of bad debt. What is bad debt? What is good debt? Good debt is when you borrow money to buy a thing that will put money in your pocket. For example, you borrow money to buy an apartment that will earn money for you later. Bad debt is the opposite — instead of putting money in your pocket, it takes away money from it, like when you buy a TV set or a pair of shoes or when you use your credit card to buy those things and pay only the minimum each month. That’s bad debt. Bad debt is detrimental to your financial health so get out of it as soon as possible. Here’s what I do to avoid it: When I want to buy something, I tell myself I will save for the next six months to be able to buy that thing. You know what happens? Before I even reach the third month, I no longer want to buy the thing. If you train and discipline yourself, this is what will happen. The important thing is to get out of bad debt. How? 1. Create a strategy and a deadline. For example, your goal is to get out of bad debt within two years. Make a plan and a strategy on how to achieve that goal. 2. Face your creditors. Let them know you won’t renege on your debt. Keep in touch with them. Don’t wait for them to call you; you call them or visit them. Negotiate for a restructuring of your debt. Be persistent. Don’t be intimidated if you are dealing with a bank. Remember, people manage banks and bank policies are made by people, too — people like you and me — so don’t be afraid to appeal to their good nature. As long as they see that you earnestly want to pay your debt, they can be flexible. 3. Pay high-interest loans first. If you have two loans where one charges one percent and the other 10 percent interest a month, pay off the latter first. Why? Because that equates to 120 percent a year! 4. Work for money instead of borrowing money. Here’s a common attitude among poor Filipinos. Let’s say there’s going to be an occasion next week, for example the graduation of one’s child. You know what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Where to borrow money to spend for the celebration. Instead of this mental circuitry, why not think of what you can do so that next week you’d have money to spend? And that means doing things you’ve never done before, like selling something or taking a part-time job. Do you know that the quickest way to earn within a few days is to sell something? Step 3: Apply the “Save First, Spend Later” Principle. The common Pinoy’s spending habit once he receives his salary is like this: pay bills, buy that, watch movie, eat out and then save whatever’s left. { 20 } KerygmaMay2009

We need to invert the whole thing. When you receive your salary, give 10 percent to the Lord, save 20 percent, and then live on the remaining 70 percent. According to the Bible, Joseph told Egypt, you have to save the fifth part (or 20 percent) — and that’s how Egypt was spared from drought and famine. So save 20 percent of your income and you, too, will be freed from lack. People would tell me, “Bo, how can we survive with 70 percent? We can’t!” So I tell them, “That’s why you need to increase your cash flow, your source of income.” Step 4: Get Protection. Tell me if this is true. When you get near an insurance agent, your first instinct is to slowly move away from him, right? We’re allergic to the word insurance. But you know, whether you like it or not, you need insurance. It’s your protection if something happens to you and you don’t have passive income. What will happen to your family if you suddenly die of a heart attack or are debilitated by cancer? And even just to protect yourself from estate taxes, you still need to get insurance. The Bible says, “A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, like a high wall protecting him” (Proverbs 18:11). This means that the ultimate goal is to be self-insured. You have to work so that you can do this until you reach a point when you don’t need insurance anymore. And the way to do that is to have multiple income streams. Step 5: Create Emergency and Retirement Funds. From the 20 percent you save from your salary, aim to build up an emergency fund equivalent to six times your monthly salary. This will serve as your cushion if you have a sudden need for extra money, like unscheduled repairs, illness or, worse, if you suddenly lose your job (a common occurrence these days). After the emergency fund, your next goal should be a retirement fund. Strive to save at least 20 percent of your savings from your income to form your retirement fund. Where do you put your retirement fund? You have many options: banks, time deposit, mutual funds, money market, etc. Improve your financial literacy so that you will not only be able to help yourself but you’ll help others as well. Step 6: Create Multiple Income Streams that Give Passive Income. At this time of economic recession, to rely solely on one’s employment income is no longer advisable. You need multiple sources of income — sell something or put up a small business on the side; invest in a mutual fund, money market and other financial instruments. A word of caution, though: learn all you can before getting into any of these. Get a mentor. Read up. Attend

seminars. And don’t be afraid to fail. (More on this in the next article.) Where are you now in your financial life? Do you still carry in your mind unhealthy financial beliefs? Are you deep in debt? Are you on your way to building your emergency fund or retirement fund? Or does your money work for you now through your passive income? Whatever stage you are in now, never forget that the real purpose of money is to love. (For comments and reactions, email me at bosanchez@ kerygmafamily.com.)

Bo’s Action Steps: 1. Assess your financial life. Based on the steps mentioned in the article, what do you need to do to achieve financial freedom? 2. Set your financial goals for the rest of the year and for the coming five years. 3. Create a strategy and define action plans that you would pursue to achieve your goals.

Laughingly Yours Question and Answer from the Bible: Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth? A. Ruthless. Q. Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in the Bible? A. Moses. He broke all 10 commandments at once. Q. Why didn’t they play cards on the Ark ? A. Because Noah was standing on the deck.

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ord God, I also want to proclaim your goodness to me through a financial breakthrough.” I wasn’t in a financial crisis when I said that prayer but I used to envy people in my community who testified to how God blessed and pulled them out of their financial difficulties. In my heart, I also hoped that I would be able to give such testimony. A few years later, something happened that turned my financial life upside down. Little did I know that this experience would pave the way for the Lord’s answer to my prayer.

Irma, no longer enslaved by plastic money, now pursues her life’s goals peacefully

Victory Over My Debts: How God Raised Me from Debt to Financial Freedom By Irma Francisco as told to Judith Concepcion

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“Debt” Sentence I worked as a food technologist in a snack and noodlemaking group of companies. My salary was enough to provide for my personal as well as my family’s needs and wants. I was just contented in having a job and receiving a reasonable amount of income every month. As long as our needs and wants were met, that was good enough for me. Savings and investments were not part of my vocabulary. As one of the breadwinners in the family, I provided for the groceries every 15th and 30th of the month. All my purchases were on cash basis. I didn’t have a credit card because I feared having debts. But when I transferred to a sister company where everyone had credit cards, I was somehow influenced by the culture and found myself getting not only one but two credit cards. And the delay in the receipt of our salaries justified my need to have a credit card. I paid only the minimum amount due every billing statement, unaware of its repercussions. In 2003, our company closed down. Although I received a separation pay, I didn’t prioritize my debts. I availed of a cash loan promo offered by the card company as a way to pay off my debts and to have extra cash when I was broke and didn’t want to borrow from people. But this only worsened my situation. My outstanding balance ballooned due to finance charges and interests. When I defaulted on my payments, I received calls from the credit and collection agent of the card company almost daily. After each call, I felt pressured, harassed and embarrassed. I had no more peace because of the guilt, fear and humiliation I suffered for many months. But it never crossed my mind to run away from my obligation. I applied for an amnesty for both credit cards but my application was denied. Free at Last! On my birthday, I received a gift from my prayer partner — a Bo Sanchez book, Simplify and Live the Good Life. The

practical tips given in this book on how to simplify one’s life especially in the area of credit cards led me to a decision to cut my Visa card, which had a higher credit limit. It was liberating. I prayed and through my journal, God spoke to me: “Be not afraid. I have allowed this crisis in your life to teach you an important lesson. But I will help you pay your debts. Just have faith in me.” It took me over a year before I found work. I had some tutoring jobs and through the help of a sister in Christ, I taught part-time at the Lorenzo Mission Institute (LMI). Then a big opportunity came. Through the sale of a real estate property that I brokered, I earned a huge commission that was more than enough to pay for all my debts. In October 2007, I was finally debt-free. Financial Freedom The experience was an eye-opener for me. I realized that I was a financial wreck and financially illiterate. Though I wasn’t a credit addict or a shopping addict, I didn’t plan my purchases. I didn’t know a thing about budgeting, managing of finances, savings and investments. I have learned my lesson the hard (and costly) way. I am now prudent in handling my finances. Before entering into any financial transaction, I plan ahead, consult people who are knowledgeable in a particular venture and pray a lot; I make God my

partner. I am now serious in saving and investing my earnings. I still have credit cards but I use them only for insurance premium payments and when I treat clients or hold business meetings over lunch or dinner. Other than that, all my transactions are in cash. I now pay the total amount due in my credit card so there won’t be any charges. I have made a commitment never to allow myself to be enslaved by debt again. I have not used my credit cards since the start of 2009. I also have multiple income streams now. I still teach at LMI and work as a real estate agent-broker. I am in the process of discerning what kind of business to put up for my family. The Lord has blessed me abundantly, more than I can ever imagine. In return, I try to manage wisely whatever He has entrusted me. I am only His steward; all that I have belongs to Him. An Answered Prayer It amazes me how the Lord answered the prayer I made several years back. I only wanted to witness for Him about His faithfulness and goodness to me in terms of financial blessings by sharing my experience with my community. But the Lord’s answer was more than I had ever wished for. He made it possible for my story to reach a great number of people through KERYGMA. He, indeed, is a God of surprises — and He listens to every prayer we utter.

Laughingly Yours A new pastor moved into town and went out to visit his community. He came into a closed house, but it was obvious that someone was home. He knocked several times but no one answered. He took a card and wrote at the back, “‘Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me’ (Revelation 3:20).” The next day, he found the card on the offering plate. Written below his message was, “‘I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself’ (Genesis 3:10).” A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. She said that Jonah was swallowed by a whale. The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human being because even if it was a very large mammal, its throat was very small. The little girl said, “When I get to heaven, I will ask Jonah.” The teacher asked, What if Jonah went to hell?” The little girl replied, “Then you ask him.” SEND US YOUR JOKES! Text 0917-800-5535; Email: [email protected] Want daily Bible readings and Didache reflections in your email? Join www.kerygmafamily.com

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f you had a mango seed, would you eat it?

CREATE MULTIPLE INCOME STREAMS —

DON’T SETTLE FOR ONE

by bo sanchez

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Of course you wouldn’t, and you can’t, unless you’re some weird creature. But if you plant the mango seed and wait for a few years, you will have a full-grown tree that will give you about six thousand fruits in its lifetime. And if you again plant those 6000 seeds, you will get a bountiful harvest. But while waiting for your trees to bear fruit, what happens to you if you get hungry? You need something to eat. You need other sources of income. The sad thing is, majority of our countrymen are satisfied with just having something to eat. They do not bother to plant seeds that will bring them a bountiful harvest in the future. This is a situation we call “man working for money. “ But there are two stages higher than this. The next stage is “man works for the money, which in turn, works for man.” But the ultimate goal is when “money works for man” — meaning, a person has multiple income streams that create passive income. This is sound financial advice that even the Bible advocates. Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. Divide your portion to seven or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth. — Ecclesiastes 11:2 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good. — Ecclesiastes 11:6

The Miracle of the Passive Income: Linear versus Exponential Income The analogy of the mango tree is an example of a source of passive income. You do something once — plant the seeds — and after a while, you begin to earn. You continue to earn even while you’re asleep, doing your regular work or having a vacation. Let’s say you were looking for a job. Somebody approaches you and says, “I am putting up a new business. Can I hire you? I know you’re honest, faithful, dependable and a person of integrity.” Because you need a job badly, you’d say, “Yes! But how much is the salary?” The man says, “I can give you P30,000 a month for three years.”

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You get excited. “Yes, I’ll take the job.” But the man makes a second offer. “I can give you one centavo on your first month. But I promise to double it on the next month.” “You mean I’ll get only two centavos on the second month?” you ask. “Yes, and on the third month it will be four centavos. I’ll double your salary every month. Which do you prefer?” the man tries to convince you. First Option

Second Option

Year

Monthly Salary

1

30,000.00

30,000.00

0.01

0.01

2

30,000.00

60,000.00

0.02

0.03

3

30,000.00

90,000.00

0.04

0.07

4

30,000.00

120,000.00

0.08

0.15

5

30,000.00

150,000.00

0.16

0.31

6

30,000.00

180,000.00

0.32

0.63

7

30,000.00

210,000.00

0.64

1.27

8

30,000.00

240,000.00

1.28

2.55

9

30,000.00

270,000.00

2.56

5.11

10

30,000.00

300,000.00

5.12

10.23

11

30,000.00

330,000.00

10.24

20.47

12

30,000.00

360,000.00

20.48

40.95

13

30,000.00

390,000.00

40.96

81.91

14

30,000.00

420,000.00

81.92

163.83

15

30,000.00

450,000.00

163.84

327.67

Monthly Salary

Accumulated Income

16

30,000.00

480,000.00

327.68

655.35

17

30,000.00

510,000.00

655.36

1,310.71

18

30,000.00

540,000.00

1,310.72

2,621.43

19

30,000.00

570,000.00

2,621.44

5,242.87

20

30,000.00

600,000.00

5,242.88

10,485.75

21

30,000.00

630,000.00

10,485.76

20,971.51

22

30,000.00

660,000.00

20,971.52

41,943.03

23

30,000.00

690,000.00

41,943.04

83,886.07

24

30,000.00

720,000.00

83,886.08

167,772.15

25

30,000.00

750,000.00

167,772.16

335,544.31

26

30,000.00

780,000.00

335,544.32

671,088.63

27

30,000.00

810,000.00

671,088.64

1,342,177.27

28

30,000.00

840,000.00

1,342,177.28

2,684,354.55

29

30,000.00

870,000.00

2,684,354.56

5,368,709.11

30

30,000.00

900,000.00

5,368,709.12

10,737,418.23

31

30,000.00

930,000.00

10,737,418.24

21,474,836.47

32

30,000.00

960,000.00

21,474,836.48

42,949,672.95

33

30,000.00

990,000.00

42,949,672.96

85,899,345.91

34

30,000.00

1,020,000.00

35

30,000.00

1,050,000.00 171,798,691.84 343,597,383.67

36

30,000.00

1,080,000.00

85,899,345.92 171,798,691.83 343,597,383.68 687,194,767.35

I’m sure many of you would prefer the first option — the P30,000 monthly salary. But you know what? The table on the left shows that, over time, the second option would give you a higher income than the first. The first option provides you with a linear income while the second option gives you exponential income. Linear income is like a piece of bread. When you eat it, your stomach becomes full. But tomorrow, you’re hungry again and you don’t have any more bread. You have to look for bread again. Exponential income is like the mango seed I illustrated to you in the beginning of this article. But to have a healthy financial life, you need to have both linear and exponential income until such time that the latter is big enough to take care of you and your family’s needs, and allows you to share more blessings with others. Two Sources of Linear Income 1. Job Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men. — Proverbs 22:29 Would you like to serve before kings? By that I mean not in the manner that would make you a servant or a slave, but in the sense that you would be so blessed in your jobs that you’d rise up and become promoted and get all the bonuses and commissions. But that isn’t usually the case. You do not decide when you will get a raise or how big it is. You have a boss who decides on such matters. What you need to do to be successful in your job and earn a huge linear income is to have an entrepreneurial mindset or spirit. You must feel as if you are a part-owner of the company. How do you do it? Approach your boss and say, “Boss, give me more work.” Create an image of doing things so fast and so efficiently so that the higher-ups would notice you and trust you with more work and responsibilities. As you go up the ladder, you get rewarded. 2. Self-Employment Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands. — Deuteronomy 30:9 KerygmaMay2009 { 25 }

When you set up your own sari-sari store, you are selfemployed. If you are a doctor and you put up your own clinic, you are also self-employed. In both cases, you are your own boss. This is a good step but it’s not a real business. It’s what you call a “glorified job.” There is no exponential income. A real business is where you hire people working under you such that you multiply yourself. When you open up another store and hire someone to work for you, you earn exponential income. So don’t be content with having a linear income — aim for exponential income and continue to earn even while you’re on vacation. Some Examples of Exponential Income In exponential income, money works for you. This is where passive income starts. a. Retirement Fund And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. — Mark 4:8 I asked people who bet on lotto how much they normally spend a week in buying tickets. They said around P50. For many Filipinos, lotto is no longer a game; they look at it as an investment. You see them lining up every week, hoping to win the draw. But do you know the probability of winning in the lotto? It’s like being hit by a lightning twice on the same spot. What I want and pray for is that every Filipino would have a retirement fund. Do not depend on what your company will give you when you retire at 60. Depend on your own retirement fund. Get a P50-bill from your pocket. Look closely at it. Would you believe me when I say that inside the P50 you’re holding now is P50 million? You want me to prove it to you? If you invest it at zero percent, it will never become P50 million. If you invest it at three percent a year, it will become P50 million in 468 years; at five percent a year, in 284 years; at 15 percent, in 99 years. And so on. It might appear absurd — to wait for decades and centuries for your P50 to become P50 million. But hey, you don’t have only P50 in your wallet, right? So start building your retirement fund now while you’re still young.

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b. Business When you hear the word“millionaire,” who comes to mind? Maybe the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Bill Gates, Kris Aquino and other big-name celebrities, right? But do you know what the surveys say? Only one percent of millionaires are famous people. Five percent are salesmen working for companies. Ten percent are top doctors and lawyers. Another 10 percent are top executives. The rest of the 74 percent are entrepreneurs. Isn’t that amazing? You can’t be a Bill Gates or a Kris Aquino, but can you be a businessman and start a small business in your backyard? That’s my challenge to you — even if you fail! I’ve failed eight times in business and lost a lot of money. But guess what? Every time I fail, I pick myself up and say, “It’s tuition month. I’m learning something new.” But you see, when you lose in business, you lose money but you earn in financial wisdom. Now, I have 11 income streams. I earn a little here, a little there but if you collect them all, guess what? It amounts to something substantial. My goal is to have 20 income streams, so I’m halfway there. c. Real Estate Real estate is a good exponential income source. It’s exponential because you can have as many lands and properties that you want. Just have the knowledge. Buy a property without using your own money. d. More Aggressive Paper Assets There’s the stock market, commodities trading, etrade (I haven’t tried this. If you don’t know anything about it, study it — even if it takes one year). You see, the key is not money. The key is knowledge — knowing what you’re going to do. The Next Steps To increase your income you need to increase your value. How do you do this? a. Learn about money. Listen. Attend seminars. Read all the books on money that you can find.

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b. Talk and teach about money. Whatever you learn after reading my articles on money, share it with your spouse, kids, friends and officemates. Teaching is the best way to learn. c. Change your regular conversation partners. If you constantly talk with people who are interested only in show business, believe me, you won’t learn anything about money. Why don’t you talk about money and business? Every time you see a successful businessman and entrepreneur, tell him, “Can we have coffee? I want to know how you made your business a success.” Pick his brains for the price of a capuccino. Ask questions, take down notes and learn all you can from him about money and business. d. Look for business opportunities. Keep your eyes open for opportunities. Start by selling anything — yes, just anything. Selling is a very important skill. If you do not know how to sell, it would be difficult to succeed in your business. You may say, “Bo, I’m shy. I can’t sell.” Hey, I know a lot of people who are shy and soft-spoken, but they do well in selling. Why? Because the bottomline of any selling activity is relationship building. It’s not how good you are as a speaker. What’s important is the sincerity of your heart. And people smell that a mile away. If you’re someone that they can trust, they will buy. But you need to have the drive, that goal, that dream that you’re working for and you’d be able to sell. So sell anything. e. Dream big but start small. Start very small. I started by selling butong-pakwan (watermelon seeds). And then learn along the way. After a while, you’ll be selling jewelry. Maybe you’ll be able to sell something on the Internet. Sell all sorts of products for the experience. Start small but dream big. Do you think I’m a happy person? I’m happy not because I have passive income. I’m happy not because I have multiple income streams. Every morning when I wake up, I say, “Lord, I’m going to bless people today.” Every single morning, I say that. And the Lord allows me to do that — and that is why I want to be truly rich: to be able to bless and help more people. Let that be your dream, too. (For comments or reactions, email me at [email protected].)

Bo’s Action Steps: 1. Assess your present sources of income. What kind of income do you have? 2. Define your goals for your income streams. How many income streams do you want? What are these? 3. Create a strategy and action plans, together with a timetable, to achieve your multiple income streams. 4. Work on one income stream at a time.

Laughingly Yours A religion teacher announced to her class, “Our lesson for today is liturgy. Can anybody tell me what liturgy is in your own words?” Twelve-year-old Pedro proudly stood up and said confidently, “That’s the letter after F.”

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When you lose in business, you lose money but you earn in financial wisdom. KerygmaMay2009 { 27 }

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about money but let’s just just focus on the common ones. They can be represented by the acronym M-O-N-E-Y M-Y-T-H-S for easy recall. As you read, check your own beliefs — do you subscribe to any of these tales? You may not be aware of it, but some of these myths may be hurting your financial life. here are lots of myths

How the Myths About Money May Be Hurting You By Alvin Fabella

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M – Money is the root of all evil. This is one of the oldest myths about money. I Timothy 6:10 says, “… the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” The verse clearly states that the “love for money” is evil and not money itself. Money is neutral and can be used for either good or bad. Money makes a terrible master but is a good servant when used by those who serve God. O – Only those born rich can have money. The 40 richest Filipinos included in the October 2008 issue of Forbes magazine showed almost the same names from the past years’ editions. Except for changes in ranking, it’s easy to anticipate the names of Ayalas, Tans and Sys in the list. Does it mean that money is restricted to their families only? If you believe in this myth then the probability of you staying “poor” increases each day. Mark Zuckerberg (CEO and founder of the popular social networking site “Facebook”) is only in his mid-20s and is the youngest member of US Billionaires list. There are a lot of first generation millionaires who are slowly sneaking into the elite list of various countries (Philippines included). This just proves a point that rich people are not always from rich families. N – No money = Holiness According to Luke 18:22, Jesus told the rich young man, “Sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me.” Does this mean that if you have money you are not holy? Not exactly. Spirituality or holiness does not equate to poverty. God cares for the poor out of compassion but you do not get extra points from God because you remain poor. Your wealth or poverty does not determine your spirituality, but your service to God and others will certainly do. E – Everything you buy in a sale gives you savings We need to qualify this myth because it depends on the reason why you are making the purchase. If you need something which happens to be on next Friday’s mall sale, then it’s worthwhile to buy it. However, it would be a different scenario if you go to a sale, buy something because it has a big discount but later realize that you don’t need the item. As much as possible, avoid going to a sale

just to window-shop because the discount tags might just influence you to buy wants rather than needs. Y – You project God’s blessing with money. The book of Deuteronomy 8:18 says, “Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” It is good to recognize that all your blessings (material items included) are from God. However, it is not the best way to promote God to others. Max Lucado, in his book entitled It’s Not About You, encourages Christians to be God’s promoter here on earth by showing our triumphs over trials. It’s always better to show off our godliness by loving our fellowmen and loving God regardless if we own a big house or drive the latest car. M – Money makes the world go round. Sometimes we confuse money with what is actually more important. Money is not the most important thing in life but it affects everything that is important in our lives. You need money to give your family both a comfortable house and food to eat every day. But there is a big difference between being concerned about money so you can be a good provider versus being obsessed with it. Y – You have God’s approval if you have financial prosperity. We know that not all rich people acquired their wealth through lawful means. We cannot measure God’s approval by the size of one’s house or bank statement. If you are blessed with such material wealth then you should be thankful and find ways you can help others with it. Your wealth is not a sign that God favors you more than a lesser fortunate brother or sister.

T – Tithing is the only requirement of God. Don’t assume that when you tithe regularly you are free to do what you want with whatever is left. We should recognize that all our blessings come from God and we are accountable as to how we spend our money until the last centavo. Another myth on tithing is when you promise to give more only when you receive (or make) a bigger income. Some people vow to donate a significant portion of the lotto prize if God allows them to win. You cannot give a bigger amount later if you do not practice tithing with what you have now. H – Having insurance or pension is only for “old” people who are retiring or sickly. Young people tend to avoid anyone who sells insurance or pension because of the above myth. They should always consider that premiums for insurance tend to be lower while one is young because there is lesser risk for the provider. It is always best to get an insurance or pension plan while you are young and healthy. S – Saving in the bank is enough. The answer to this myth is very simple: inflation. Philippine inflation for the past two years has been ranging from six to ten percent. This means that our money loses at least six percent in purchasing power every year. Majority of banks offer saving accounts which pay only two percent interest per year (tax deduction of 20 percent on the interest still to be applied). This means that your savings now, no matter how big, will just continue to decline in value. There is a need for one to consider other investment vehicles like bonds, stocks, mutual funds and others. It should not be a problem looking for a friend who can help you in this area. How we deal with our money is important. The above myths will affect your decisions in money management. Always make sure to learn the facts and make proper use of your money. (For comments or reactions, email the author at alvinfabella@yahoo. com)

You cannot give a bigger amount later if you do not practice tithing with what you have now.

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KerygmaMay2009 { 29 }

I

talking to Rex Mendoza. Sure, he’s a self-made man and quite successful. But Rex wants more — he aims for significance. His purpose is to make a difference in other people’s lives. Just doing the interview with him made an impact on my life. Know why? Listen in on our conversation. absolutely love

REX MENDOZA:

The Good Influencer His Purpose Is to Make a Difference An Interview By Bo Sanchez

{ 30 } KerygmaMay2009

Bo: You’ve been giving talks to people about financial management. You seem very passionate about it. Rex: Yes, it has been my advocacy to make people learn about money management. After my talks, people would approach me and say, “The money’s really not enough, Rex. There is nothing to save.” And I ask them, “When will it ever be enough?” The point is for you to really take something out of your take-home pay and then, whatever is left, you try and make it enough. As your income grows, continue setting aside a part of it and then before you know it, what you’ve set aside can already work for you. I think I remember telling you about “man at work, man and money at work, money at work” — the three stages of money consciousness. Maybe 95 percent of Filipinoas are in the first stage of money consciousness. They study, grow up, get a job, have a family, get that car, try to get that house and then they retire — that’s it! But if you have this consciousness to save and invest, you can have man and money at work at a certain stage and you can enjoy life because you’re not hard-pressed to earn money all the time. You can enjoy your work without having to look at the money side. What I’d like to happen is for people to be conscious of those three stages because the dream should be to get into the money-at-work stage so that you can stop working or just do the things you love to do. That’s the reason why I admire people who, at a certain stage in their lives, just become philanthropic. From success, they switch to significance. For now, at my age, I’m still looking at more success but I see that side of me that says there has to be significance later. You don’t become a person of legacy with only success. There has to be significance. Bo: You have a very good theory about the lotto. Can you share on that a bit? Rex: Do you notice that wherever there’s a lotto terminal, there’s a queue? Those guys are probably thinking, “It’s time to hit that jackpot.” Many of them are already thinking about what they’d do in case they win. They’re already planning for something that’s not bound to happen. Why? Do the math. In lotto, your chances of hitting that jackpot is 1 out of 14 million. If that doesn’t sound so absurd, let me describe it to you in a picturesque way. It is like getting An interview Byit hit by lightning twice on the same spot. That’s how odd is. Bo Sanchez

At your age, Bo, have you been hit by lightning? Not yet. But supposing you were struck once, then you have to stay there and get hit a second time. That is your chance of hitting the jackpot. Now, look at our countrymen — instead of setting aside the money, they bet on chance. Bo: That’s right. Rex: They’re actually projecting their future based on chance. It’s largely culture-based. A lot of poor people say, “That probably is what God wants for me.” That’s a defeatist way of looking at things. As far as I’m concerned, God gave you the freedom to decide. He probably knows what will happen, yes, but you still have the freedom to decide. So would you like to live your life based on chance? Or would you like to put up the building blocks that will be the foundation of real wealth? As I was telling my driver, P20 in my pocket is more secure than putting P20 into that lotto. (I haven’t bet my money on the lotto and I take pride in saying that.) Others would rationalize that if they don’t win in the lotto, at least they’ve given something to charity. Well, if you want to give, you have to do it as charity itself, not through lotto. When you try to win a jackpot on a regular basis, that’s investing. You just chose a bad instrument. Why? People line up with a small sheet of paper with the numbers they regularly bet on. Some people even bet on the same numbers for years! If you set aside P10 to P20 a week for lotto, hoping to make a withdrawal one day, that’s investing. But obviously, 99.99 percent are not going to have that payback. Bo: And then they hear stories of really poor people winning the jackpot — a farmer, for instance — so the more they put their hope in the lotto. Rex: They want to be emancipated from their lot. But that’s not what they need. What is necessary is a mindset shift — that their future, their life, their destiny is in their hands. If you have the talent and you can harness it, why not use it to improve your situation? But some poor people even spiritualize their poverty and point to that verse in the Bible that says, “It will be

His family is the reason why Rex does what he does and why having a secure financial future is a must for him. They deserve nothing but the best in life. Above photo shows his real treasures in life: eldest daughter Peevee, wife Anna, youngest child Reanna (front) and only boy Enro.

One thing Rex is passionate about is teaching people to be responsible for their financial lives.

easier for a camel to get through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” I think it’s OK to get rich as long as you have the right purpose. So, in my case, clearly it’s not only getting rich but also providing a template for people that says, “Hey, follow this track because it works.” I’m still young, my dad’s still alive (my mom just died a few years ago), but they lived in my house for the past 12 years because my mom had a stroke and I asked them to move to my place where it’s safer. What am I trying to say here? I’m pushing the idea that, “Hey, I’m not getting any inheritance. I’ve worked for the money I have. I never really got anything from anybody that says, ‘OK, Rex, this is your capital.’” I started working with a company that paid me P1800 a month. Everybody started off that way. The reason why I’m energized to share this story is to tell people they can do it, too. Anybody can do it. You just need discipline and you have to be really grounded with your purpose. If you’re just looking for money, not purpose, you can be successful but it’s going to be short-lived. Because as long as you don’t have a sense of purpose, you’re not going to be grounded. And if you’re not grounded, you’re going to do the wrong things. That is very crucial. Bo: What is your purpose, Rex? Rex: To make a difference. I feel that I have a way of linking up with people that can move them. I have the gift of gab. I will not be humble about it. But I use that not to con people into something but to teach and educate well. I have taught in the graduate school of business of a big university for a long period. It’s a matter of throwing back, breeding a kind of idealism into the young guys. Making a difference for me is on the influence side. I know I’m a good influencer. Somebody did a psychological exam on me and it’s very enlightening. It revealed that I’d rather believe the purpose of a task than the money it’d bring in. You know what I told them? “Hey, that’s what brings in the real money.” (Email the author at [email protected].) KerygmaMay2009 { 31 }

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All Catholic Charismatic communities, prayer groups and ministries throughout the Philippines

5th

“Spirit-Filled Communities Growing Together as the Body of Christ”

National Catholic Charismatic Congress

Date: Venue:

May 28-31, 2009 Cebu International Convention Center Cebu, Philippines

Spiritual Directors, formators and key leaders are specially exhorted to attend. REGISTRATION FEE (includes meals, kit and handouts) On or before February 15, 2009 – P 800.00 February 16 to April 30, 2009 – P 900.00 May 2009 & On-site Registration – P 1,000.00 For information, contact the Congress Secretariat: Nacing Gonzaga: Telafax No. (032) 256-0659 Cell. No. 0917-752-3244 Rhea Mantuhac: Tel. No. (032) 516-4749 Cell. No. 0927-631-5865

Log on to: www.catholiccharismaticcongressphil.org

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Be a Shepherd today. Bo Sanchez Catholic Lay Preacher and Bestselling Author

{ 32 } KerygmaMay2009

Call 725-9999

By Jonathan Rickard

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he village of GK Baseco has in recent years been renowned both in the Philippines and around the world for its transformation from hopelessness to hope, from despair to dignity. Visitors from diverse backgrounds have graced the village — from the president of Singapore, to students from Manila’s universities, to employees and executives from multinational corporations and government departments. In turn, residents of Baseco are often found building houses for others in remote areas of the Philippines as part of GK’s Bayani Challenges.

New life emerges for Baseco residents

Baseco GK Caretakers Giving Care

A Difficult Transformation Such are the manifold success stories of Baseco that it’s easy to forget how difficult it is to achieve transformation. For Project Director Jun Valbuena and his Caretaker Team, the struggle has been a labor of love forged over the last four or so years of their lives. Many of them have worked alongside the villagers in Baseco since the start — when GK Baseco was resurrected from the ashes of a fire in the slum area in 2004. And given the many obvious changes, Jun Valbuena is startlingly circumspect. “After four years we’ve seen a little change,” Jun says, surprising those who see the incredible before-after contrasts. “You cannot change the people overnight. But we’re experiencing some changes, some transformation in the people.” “Habits of a lifetime can be hard to change,” Jun says, especially for adults who have lived most of their lives in a slum. And GK works hard to prevent their villages from slipping back into the slums. Still, over four years, things have progressed significantly. Renewal of Minds and Spirit “Little by little we’re transforming the people,” Jun says. “Each Monday for the last four years, we have a prayer and worship session at 8 a.m. We pray together and talk about their problems and challenges.” Where in the past, GK provided leadership to a community struggling to face life’s trials, many residents are now forging their own way forward. “They’re the ones bringing the solutions (to problems),” Jun relates. “We just talk it over with them.” Looking for a friendly Internet forum for advice and fun? Go to www.kerygmafamily.com/forum

Caretaker Team’s Presence When asked what makes the biggest difference in Baseco’s ongoing transformation, Jun has no hesitation in crediting his caretaker team. “It’s the presence of caretakers!” Jun exclaims unreservedly. GK’s strength over the years has been the presence of couples, singles and youth from Couples for Christ, working alongside the residents and witnessing to them with their hands, not just their words. “It is showing them the love that we share with them,” Jun notes, sounding a word of caution. “I would say that whenever we see a site that is deteriorating in any way, it’s because of an absence of caretakers.” Conversely, the most significant transformations have come about as a result of doors opened by the work of addressing poverty. “We’re able to invite people into our community — to witness to them — because they see something good in us.” “We run the Christian Life Program (a Catholic renewal seminar) here because we want the GK residents to be protected. If there is no one to take care of them, to mentor them, they will go back to being in a slum again. The survival mode is very hard to leave.” For Jun Valbuena and his team, commitment to the residents of Baseco arose from positive change in their own lives. “For me, I’ve been in our community for the last 24 years. There was a big change in my life since I joined and I want to share it with the people, with the couples here. I am encouraged to do even more to show them our love when I see transformation in the lives of the residents.” He smiles and says, “I think for every GK worker it is like this. That’s why we stay — it’s because of love! We want to share the love that we’re experiencing in every GK site.” “It’s bringing glad tidings to the poor,” he affirms. And walking around Baseco meeting children with a future brighter than ever before, visitors can see the legacy of the caretakers’ love taking shape day after day, step by persevering step. KerygmaMay2009 { 33 }

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kitchen scribbles by rosanne romero

Disdain Not Thy Thumb

T

another one of those articles about little things we take for granted. I’ve already written similar articles in past issues, so if you’re sick of it, email the KERYGMA editor two polite words — “Point taken.” Or write me two words (“Quit it”) on my blog (rosanneromero. wordpress.com). I want to focus on that small, fat and short finger we call the thumb. You’re thinking, “What’s the big deal?” Some months back, I lost the use of my right thumb. At first, it just started getting weaker. Later, it became stiff, inflexible and painful. It was hard for me to make people see why this was upsetting me. After all, I still had four fingers left, right? Without a thumb, there would still be four fingers functioning and with four fingers there are many things you still can do. Like? Flush the toilet. Switch off a light. Pat your dog. Scratch your head. Put your hair back in place. True. But listen to this — when Julius Ceasar waged war over Gaul, he ordered his men to amputate the thumbs of all the captured warriors so that they would go back to their homeland and never be able to bear arms again. See that? So, verily I say unto you: “Disdain not thy thumb.” (That’s in Fake-lesiastes 78:19.) Other than bearing arms for war, there are unpolitical, everyday tasks that become maddeningly difficult without the thumb. Try frying anything with just your four fingers — hmmm. Try buttoning a shirt — tsk! Try pulling a zipper up or down — double tsk! Use a nail clipper — sigh! Get bills from your wallet or get a coin from your coin purse — darn! Hold a bar of soap? What the…! Turn a doorknob? Grrrrr. Tie your shoelaces? Double grrrr. Try holding a toothbrush. Arrrgh. Try flossing your teeth! Double arrrrgh! You can drive without your thumb… if you can get the key in and start it with four fingers — qwjd!!#nchfgiuhvj@#! The thumb is quite a big deal. It’s not an insignificant body part. It only seems insignificant because yours functions normally. Go over all the things you do in one day that requires using your thumb. If you suddenly lost it, you would have a better appreciation of it. This is why I write about these little things I suffer on account of my multiple sclerosis (MS). I want my life to honor God — this life now — the one that has a problematic thumb, wobbly legs, slightly deteriorated vision, etc. I want this life of mine to honor God. And I honor Him by bringing to fore the little blessed things we rarely thank Him for. his is going to be

(Email the author at [email protected])

KerygmaMay2009 { 35 }

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Leading online stock brokerage firm CitisecOnline (COL) is helping raise up a new breed of investors ready to make the most of opportunities offered by the stock market. As part of its commitment to help Filipinos achieve their financial goals, COL has launched a simple yet effective investment program that has generated a stream of inquiries, many of which were from investors who have little or no knowledge of the stock market and at the same time, may have minimal funds to invest initially. The COL Easy Investment Program (EIP) employs an effective and proven investment method called cost-averaging that minimizes risks in the stock market while offering the benefits of wealth generation through investments in any of the pre-selected list of Premium Growth Stocks. The cost averaging method is an established wealth-building tool employed by many individuals as well as some financial institutions worldwide. According to Dino Bate, President of CitisecOnline, "We’ve simplified and aided the investment process by automating the cost averaging method and providing additional features in our online platform to make it convenient for all investors to access and invest in the stock market”. COL customers simply have to choose from a list of pre-selected companies carefully qualified by COL’s seasoned financial analysts. They can schedule their investments by setting up a fixed amount to be invested at regular intervals through COL’s online platform. Customers will be reminded through email prior to their scheduled investment dates and they will be able to track their portfolio over the internet anytime and see how their investments are

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performing. “The beauty of this program is that customers direct and control their own investments by deciding on the amount of money you want to invest and for how long with the help of COL’s platform and stock selection”, Bate adds.

would often be interrupted by telephone calls from his other clients. Moreover, it would take a while for her broker to buy and sell stocks for her so she would often not be able to trade at the prices she wanted.

Through COL’s EIP, customers need not have determine when to buy or sell and what stocks to invest in. COL VicePresident and Head of Investor Education Juanis Barredo explains that online trading has made it a lot more convenient for customers to enjoy the benefits of cost averaging. "We have simplified the process so that even firsttime investors can profit from it." The COL Easy Investment Program pares down the choices of investors to a preselected list of Premium Growth Stocks. These companies with a proven track record and posse’s qualities that will continue drive shareholder value in the long-term.

“I can trade on hard data, not on speculation.“

To help first-time investors learn about the stock market and to get started trading online, CitisecOnline launched the COL Investor Seminar Series, which offers various seminars and briefings, free-of-charge to all interested investors. Over the past two years, over 10,000 Filipinos nationwide have attended the COL Investor Seminar Series. People from all walks of life, including employees, students, entrepreneurs, overseas Filipino workers and policemen learn about how to spot opportunities in the stock market. Until recently, investors like Billie Syling, who with her husband runs a family business supplying industry mills and heads the Alumnae Association of Immaculate Concepcion Academy, used to rely on a broker for advice and to execute trades. She found it frustrating when her conversation with the broker

BILLIE SYLING BUSINESSWOMAN & HOUSEWIFE

The internet which provides information and automated access to the stock market changed all that for her. Through COL, she now gets company and stock market information real-time. She appreciates that she can check issues traded, volume of transactions and ever find out who are buying and selling. She says, “I can trade on hard data, not on speculation. When I hear of good buys from my friends, I can check the hard data myself and use that to back my decisions.” Catholic lay preacher and best-selling author, Bro. Bo Sanchez was one of those who took up COL’s challenge to learn more about online stock trading even if he did not have any financial training. He attended a COL seminar in March 2007 and since then has been buying selected shares from what he believes are solid, enduring and growing companies.

Continued on page 38.

k preacher by arun gogna

M

y one-year-old daughter,

Helene, is a math genius. When you ask her, “One plus one?” She will answer, “Two!” But you may say that there are a lot of one-yearolds who can answer that simple question. However, when you continue to ask her a series of math questions, you will agree with me that she is really a whiz kid. We tried to do that and it blew our minds away. “Helene, four minus two?” She blurts out, in her same high-pitched tone, “Two!” “How about ten minus eight?” She answers, “Two!” So we continued. “One hundred divided by fifty?” “Two!” And now we ask the hardest one, “Square root of four?” Without batting an eyelash she answers, “Two!” She’s a genius (like Daddy)! Seriously, let’s get to my point. I was thinking about this one day — how it is so amusing that she can answer every single math equation we ask her with just one number. Then it dawned on me: Life could be as simple as that. We may have a host of questions about the cards life deals us, but to it all we can only supply one answer in order to live serenely. The answer? “Jesus, I trust in You!” Living day to day could be a great challenge, especially nowadays, but there is only one key answer: trust. Did you just lose your job? Say, “Jesus, I trust in You.” In times of sickness or confusion, find the strength to utter, “Jesus, I trust in You.” If friends or family abandon you, just pray, “Jesus, I trust in You.” Always remember the phrase, “Jesus, I trust in You,” when you are in pain. When you are questioning everything that is happening to you, just believe in this one mantra — “Jesus, I trust in You.” Even when (and especially if) God seems to be silent, cry out, “Jesus, I trust in You!” This simple prayer was prayed by our great saints in their deepest time of tribulation. That is why they were victorious. That is why they are holy. If it is prayed from the heart, the phrase will give us enough faith to face not just your day but your lifetime. “Jesus, I trust in You!” Let’s make it a habit. It doesn’t only answer the “math problems” of life, but every possible life subject we can think of. So, what is our answer if we want to be a genius in this course called life? Yup, you got it, “Jesus, I trust in You!” It’s simple really! Take it from my Helene. One trusting heart and one all-loving God equal two.

One Plus One Equals Two!

Helene’s a real beauty like her mom, Lallaine

To invite Arun in your events, contact Creative House at 401-8238. Also check his website at www.arungogna.com. KerygmaMay2009 { 37 }

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Learn to invest successfully through online stock trading.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Bro. Bo takes five to ten minutes each day from his busy schedule as a leader of a large Catholic charismatic community, international speaker, TV host and family man, to check his stocks. “I take a peek to see what’s happening. I buy about once or twice a month, and much more when prices are down.” Having delved into stock investing at a time of market volatility, Bro. Bo is adding on to his portfolio of quality stocks as he sees this as an opportune time to invest in these companies. He intends to cash in on his investments at the right time and encourages all to become financially literate through programs like COL’s education seminars. Like Bro. Bo and other investors who are very busy with their own schedules and are just starting to invest in the stock market, Bate says that the COL Easy Investment program is an ideal entry point to the stock market for all investors. "This program caters to all even if they do not have the time and experience to invest in stocks. As investors become more confident in the stock market, they can avail of the greater opportunities offered to them by online trading."

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“I take a peek to see what’s happening. I buy about once or twice a month, and much more when prices are down.” BO SANCHEZ CATHOLIC LAY PREACHER & BEST-SELLING AUTHOR

CitisecOnline posted a 22% growth in net profits in the first half of the year to Php73 million. COL conducts free one-hour briefings every week on the Easy Investment Program and twice a week 3-hour sessions for the Basics of Stock Market Investing at the COL Training Center, 24-F Philippine Stock Exchange Center in Pasig. Learn more about CitisecOnline at www.citiseconline.com or call (632) 6-333-777.

one last story caño

By Raymond C. Eli ly

The Elicaño Fami

A

s I prepared my farewell letters to my wife and children, I recalled a prayer I said almost 20 years ago when a senior executive in the company I worked for died of cancer. “Lord, I pray that when I die, it would be of cancer so I can prepare myself spiritually.” Convinced that God was granting me one final blessing by allowing me to contract cancer, I started preparing myself spiritually before I went under the knife to remove a 7.6-inch cyst (19 centimeters) in my left kidney. Despite my wife’s reluctance, we made legal preparations in case I didn’t survive the operation. What I wasn’t prepared for was how God, through Our Lady’s intercession, would answer my prayer. Falling Ill Around February 2008, I started experiencing pain in my left rib area and lost more than 20 pounds. On August 14, 2008, during my annual executive checkup, a cyst almost the size of a small watermelon was found in my kidney. It was so big that it completely engulfed my left kidney so that the kidney was barely functioning. It pushed aside the organs in my abdominal cavity and compressed my left lung so that it couldn’t expand fully. In addition, the cyst was beside the aorta, making the operation to remove it somewhat risky, giving me only a 50 percent chance of survival. The urologist said that 90 percent of all cysts larger than 10 centimeters are malignant. An oncologist said that treatment for kidney cancer is long and painful and, again, the survival rate is only 50 percent. All these prognoses led me to prepare myself for death but not without losing hope in God’s love for me and in our Blessed Mother’s intercession.

I Was Prepared for My Death But God Had Other Plans for Me

The Sweet Scent of Roses My brother Mike, a devotee of Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Graces, encouraged me to make a pilgrimage to the Carmel Monastery in Lipa, where our Blessed Mother Mary appeared in 1948, accompanied by showers of rose petals. The shower recurred in 1991 and my brother got one petal with an image of Jesus. He lost his petal a few years ago. Miraculously, my brother’s wife found it the day before my operation and she immediately brought it to me. On August 19, weak and in pain, I made a pilgrimage to the Carmel Monastery. While praying in the vigil room, I smelled a very strong scent of roses, which I attributed to what I thought were real roses adorning the walls of the prayer room. I felt being embraced by so much love that it moved me to tears. Comfort During Surgery On August 26, 2008, I went through a radical nephrectomy, lasting for 8-1/2 hours, to remove my cyst, left kidney and adrenal gland. Just before I was brought into the operating room, I smelled a faint scent of roses although there were no flowers in the room. This comforted me greatly and I felt peace. Anticipating heavy blood loss, the doctor advised us to prepare seven blood donors. Everything went smoothly during the operation. I recovered quickly and this surprised my doctors. Two days after the operation I could walk around the hospital room. Rare Finding A team of six pathologists from the National Kidney Institute and Asian Hospital examined the cyst. After more than a week of careful examination and research, they concluded that I had a very

rare condition called cystic nephroma — and that means my cyst was benign. Only around 200 such cases were documented in the United States since it was first identified in 1890. A pathologist said that my condition was so statistically improbable that it was like I had won first prize in lotteries and sweepstakes several times over! Deep in my heart, I firmly believe that through intense prayers and the intercession of Our Lady, Mary Mediatrix of All Grace, my operation went successfully and the cyst was rendered benign. The scent of roses that she sent my way gave me strength to survive the operation and quickly recover from it. The Best Preparation But more than the physical healing, the miraculous occurrences before, during and after my surgery led my family and me to the path of spiritual renewal. We have become more prayerful and cognizant of the many blessings that God has given us. My wife and I have committed to contribute to church and other worthwhile activities to help the poor and the needy. And that, I guess, is the best preparation of all!

KerygmaMay2009 { 39 }

point of contact point of contact bo sanchez

I pray that you receive your miracles in Jesus’ name! I pray that God lift your trials, heal your diseases, bless your problems and direct you to the path He wants you to take. I pray that God remove your fears and give you the courage to surrender your burdens to Him. So place your hand over my hand, and let’s pray with trust, together with our prayer team of intercessors praying for you right now… This page is our Point of Contact, our spiritual connection. Say after me… In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Lord, I surrender to You my worries and anxieties. I surrender to You my needs, my problems, my trials. I place them all in Your big hands! And I open myself to all that You want to give to me! On this day, I say yes to Your love, to Your blessings, to Your healing, to Your miracles! And Lord, specifically, I ask You for the following miracles for my life... I believe that You answer my prayer in the best way possible! And I thank You in advance for the perfect answers to my prayers. I also ask for the special intercession of Mama Mary. I pray all this in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen!

SPECIAL INTENTION FOR THIS MONTH:

Bless the readers of KERYGMA, Lord. Plant in their hearts the desire to be truly rich in all areas of their lives — spiritual, emotional, social and financial. Inspire them to study and learn all they can so they would grow and be fully alive. Purify their hearts of any wrong motivation for desiring wealth. Let loving You and blessing Your people be their ultimate goals. Grant them courage to stand up again when they fail or lose in their endeavors. May they find their true blessing in a rich relationship with You. Amen. Praying for you, Email your prayer requests to me at [email protected] or write to me at Shepherd’s Voice Publications, #60 Chicago St., Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines 1109. Let me know, too, if your prayers have been answered.

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