A Worm Named Sylvester (by Bo Sanchez)

Just want to share one of my favorite articles I've ever read. It is written by a lay missionary named Bo Sanchez. Lately, I was so impressed by the way he delivers messages of God.

Marami akong natutunan sa article na 'toh at kahit paulit-ulit ko sigurong basahin 'toh, hindi ako magsasawa..
It's for you to find out why..

Mind you, sa lahat ng hayop sa mundong ibabaw (syempre bukod sa mga wild animals) takot ako sa uod..yes..uod..worms! Sounds funny, isn't it? But totoo..whew! I remembered my closest friend in High School (ahe! my crush, i must admit..ayiih!) when he made fun of me during our "gardening subject". Alam nyang takot ako sa mga uod kaya yun..imagine nilagyan nya 'yung likod ko ng uod? "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!" I scream so loud that even to the principal's office it reached. Gosh! Know what? Buong taon kog hindi pinansin 'yung supposed to be.. (hmp! wag nalang!) Ayon..dahil lang 'yun sa uod..ganun ako katakot NOON (or so i thought) sa uod. Haaaay! Well, so much for that..but this article is far different from that though it has something to do with "yuckness" I felt when it comes to worms.

Here it is..

A Worm Named Sylvester (by Bo Sanchez)

It was a worm. A wriggling, blackish, slimy, slippery, ugly worm. I was praying one day in our backyard, feeling very sad - for I had just committed a sin against God. (You know, one of those sins of that age: robbing a bank; burning a school; torturing my sister...) I even feared that perhaps I wouldn't be able to enter heaven because of my sins... How could I?

That was when I say this yucky thing slither up a green leaf. And then, I felt God whisper into my heart, "Bo, do you want to become a worm?"

Wha...? I was petrified. "Lord, did I sin that bad?"

"Bo, give that worm a name," He asked me.

Quickly, I thought of one that was farthest from mine. "Uh... would Sylvester do?"

"That will be fine. Let's say that Sylvester has a soul, and that he is a bad worm. I would therefore need someone to tell him that he has to change, or else, he won't go to heaven..."

"You want Sylvester to go to heaven?" I inquired.

"Of course. Let us say that I love him..."

I made a face. "Double yuck. Triple even." We are talking about a real live ugly worm here! And a bad worm at that.

"Sshhh. Let me continue. Now, in order for Sylvester to understand Me, My messenger has to be a worm as well. A human will not be able to speak his language."

"So that's why You want me to be a worm! To save him? But why me?"

"Only for a few days, Bo. Want to volunteer?"

"Lord!" I vehemently cried in disbelief. "Even if Sylvester was the most handsome worm in this universe - I still wouldn't do it! You're kidding me, right?"

"At one point in history, I wasn't kidding. I did ask a similar request of someone else, and He said yes."

I gasped. "Poor guy... you zapped Him into a worm?"

"On that very Christmas Day, My only Son became a human being, a helpless infant - so that He could save you..."

"But Lord, that's different! It's okay to be human..."

"That's because you don't know what it means to be God. Before that day, My Son was glorious, powerful, eternal..."

That was the last line I heard that day. And I thought the conversation was over.

But a few days later, when I went to a church for Christmas Eve - at the altar I saw the Babe in the manger.

And everything about it screamed to me, "I love you, Bo."

Yes, my God has become Sylvester. For me.

I smiled and quietly shed a tear.

How to Fight the Relationship Drift

Have you ever felt that something was wrong..

may kulang..

'yung tipong parang hindi ka na masaya gaya ng dati..
'yung parang minsan you don't care anymore with those people that were once became your world..(or so you thought)
'yung parang may namamatay na 'something' (ano kaya un?) sa'yong puso..
'yung tipong you always felt emptiness, loneliness, hopelessness, at lahat na ng mag negatibong bagay na may "ness"..(haizt!)


I must confess..naramdaman ko na 'toh minsan..and I'm quite afraid now..that I'm beginning to feel this way...again....

I think I'm starting to be a fan of Bo Sanchez now..ahe! Just want to share another article he made, it gives me a lot of inspiration, encouragement, strength and above all..it draw me closer to God..

Here it is..

Fight The Relationship Drift

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

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

And then Relationship Drift becomes Relationship Dead.

The only solution is to diagnose it early.

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

Because you’re not really fighting each other.

There are no screaming matches. In fact, your home is quiet. Like a convent.

And there are no pots and pans flying in the air.

And there are no bloody court cases.

But little by little, your hearts move apart.

Intimacy is gone.

Joy is missing.

In marriage, sex only happens every time Haley’s comet passes planet earth.

You take each other for granted.

One day, you know the disease had run its full course because you wake up one morning not caring for the other person anymore.

Let me give you examples of the Relationship Drift:

The father who doesn’t have heart-to-heart conversations with his kids anymore. Or the wife who doesn’t enjoy her husband’s company anymore. Or a couple who talk to each other functionally, not deeply. Or siblings who no longer laugh together, play together, and eat together.

Here’s why: We live in a busy world.

Where bills need to be paid.

And cars need to be repaired.

And kids need to be fed, vaccinated, and neutered, er, I mean nurtured. (I know of parents who want to administer this little medical procedure to their kids when puberty comes along.)

My point? It’s natural that you drift apart.

You don’t have to be a bad person. You don’t have to be Adolf Hitler or The Joker. You don’t have to be obnoxious, selfish, or evil to cause the disease called Relationship Drift.

Let me give you an analogy.

Two people in a relationship are like two little boats floating on the sea.

Problem: There’s a current that will slowly pull the two boats apart. Before they know it, the two boats are miles away from each other.

Friend, there’s really only one way to fight the drift: Paddle!

If you don’t want to drift, you’ll have to go against the flow and paddle your way to each other. You’ll have to work hard, muscle your way, sweat like crazy and fight to be together.

I believe that the only antidote to Relationship Drift is to bond constantly.

If you don’t, the effects can be disastrous…

When We Don’t Fight Relationship Drift

In a previous article, I already shared these statistics from David Perdew.

David Perdew wrote this about “fatherless kids” in America. According to statistics, children from a fatherless home are:

· Five times more likely to commit suicide

· Thirty-two times more likely to run away

· Twenty times more likely to have behavioral disorders

· Fourteen times more likely to commit rape (this applies to boys)

· Nine times more likely to drop out of high school

· Ten times more likely to abuse chemical substances

· Nine times more likely to end up in a charitable institution

· Twenty times more likely to end up in prison for a long period of time

David Perdew says we either pay now or pay later.

And when you pay later, it always costs more.

My suggestion is to pay now.

Fighting the Relationship Drift is very difficult. But it’s easier paying now than paying later.

Here’s how to do it.

Time Management Isn’t The Answer

Do you want to spend more time with your family?

Time Management is not the solution.

I know a company who charges $759 per person for their Time Management Seminar. Let me save you $759 right now and tell you it doesn’t work.

These guys will teach you how to become experts in multi-tasking.

While you shave, mentally plan for your day.

While you drive, record your things-to-do in an MP3 recorder.

While sitting on the throne of life, make your phone calls.

While talking with your boss, floss your teeth.

I don’t believe in any of that.

Though I must admit, I’m guilty trying all of them.

Except for the flossing. (I don’t have a Boss.)

And believe me, these things don’t give you more time.

Worse, they take away your peace.

Here’s a principle you can take to the bank: Anything that takes away your peace won’t work in the long run.

Instead of Time Management, I teach people Biggies Management.

What Are Your Biggies?

If you really think about it, you can put everything happening in your life into two categories: Biggies and Smallies.

If you manage your Biggies, you manage your life.

It’s the secret to great success.

What are your Biggies?

People who don’t know their Biggies will be ruled by their Smallies. They’ll be lost boats in the sea, being pushed and pulled in various directions.

Your Biggies consists of the 4 most important parts of your life:

1. Your Family

2. Your Health

3. Your Mission

4. Your Spirit

Everything else are Smallies.

If you want to be successful, focus on your Biggies.

When you make your Weekly Schedule, write down the Biggies first.

Each of these Biggies can be broken down. But today, I’d like to share with you the Family Biggies that you need to do. These are the powerful ways to paddle against Relationship Drift.

Are you ready?

Create A List Of Untouchables

My romantic date with my wife is an Untouchable.

I told her that we’d have a romantic date every Tuesday night unless these three things happen:

1) President Obama calls up to consult me on high-level issues such as terrorism, global warming, and nuclear disarmament; or…

2) The Pope calls me to discuss some murky theological question that only I can answer (like “Did Adam have a belly button?”), or…

3) If a comet rams into earth, burning the entire planet’s atmosphere, and human life as we know it ceases to exist.

Aside from those three scenarios, nothing can touch my date with her.

Seriously, there are weeks when I’m travelling and we can’t date. But I see to it that when I fly back home, the first thing I do is spend a day with my wife and two boys.

Frankly, I love my romantic dates with my wife. She’s my emotional home. She relaxes me. (Okay, I confess that one time, I was so relaxed I dozed off when she was still talking.)

My weekly date with my 2 boys is an Untouchable too.

So is my twice-a-month lunch with my mother.

And twice-a month dinners with my extended families.

I also have regular dates with my Friends. (We call them Caring Groups in my spiritual family, Light of Jesus.)

Friend, the only way to paddle against Relationship Drift is to create your list of Untouchables.

But before you invite your kids to a date, let me tell you how not to do it.

How To Have Dates With Your Kids

One day, a teen-age boy approached me and said, “Brother Bo, can you please tell my father to stop having dates with me? I think he got the idea from you.”

I later learned what his father did last week.

First, he invited his son to have a burger. But the moment they sat down in the restaurant, the father said, “Son, I want to talk to you about your poor grades.”

After a mini-sermon on “study well because I work so hard to pay for your studies,” the father jumps to another sensitive topic. “Your music tastes are terrible,” he said to the lad, “It’s loud, noisy, and disgusting. I think you should listen more to classical music.”

The father goes on to other topics, such as the length of his hair, the late night phone calls, and the obscene amount of time he spends playing computer games.

Poor kid. He didn’t know what was coming that day. He didn’t realize he was attending a multi-track conference.

After their meal, the father told him, “Son, I enjoyed our date. Let’s do this weekly!”

His son must have had an epileptic seizure right there. Can you imagine going through this torture for the rest of his teen-age life? That’s when the boy asked me to rescue him from a life of purgatory.

So I called the father and said, “Parental sermons, homilies, lectures, and full-scale multi-track conferences are banned from your dates.”

“Why?” the father asked.

“Because the date isn’t for you,” I said. “It’s for your son. You don’t have to enjoy it as long as he does.” I told him, “Play billiards. Play bowling. Go fishing. Ride bikes together. Anything your boy wants to do.”

Let me explain why this is essential.

When the relationship is close, kids listen. Their hearts are supple and open.

But when there’s already a Relationship Drift between the parents and the kids, their hearts are far apart. So no matter how much the parents shout, their kids don’t hear the message.

So the first goal is to bring your hearts close to each other.

How To Bond As A Family

Another Untouchable you need to create is a Weekly Family night.

The goal is to do something fun together.

Rent a movie and cook popcorn for a family movie night at home.

Or take a Family Walk around the village.

Or play a game together. Monopoly. Pictionary. Patintero.

Or read a book out loud.

Or just order pizza and ask everyone to share around the table.

When you do this each week, you’re creating memories that will last a lifetime. Life is about moments. And believe me, your grown-up kids will never forget these special bonding moments as a family. It will be their anchor. It will be their source of emotional stability. That amidst the sea of change around them, they know there are just some things in life that don’t change.

Like the memories of being together as family.

Here’s one more tip before I end.

Invite Your Kids’ Friends To Hang Out At Home

You’ve got to be the cool Mom and Dad–Even if you’re not.

How? Make your home the preferred hang-out place for your kids’ friends.

I know it’ll cause a little dent on your budget.

Okay, I lied. It will make your life savings disappear.

A group of teens are like a pack of piranha. They will eat anything that looks like food in your kitchen cabinets. And if your kids come home all tired and sweaty from a basketball game, be forewarned. That is a perfect storm. You will become poor overnight. You can buy all the food in your city and it won’t be enough. They’ll just burp and ask for more.

But the rewards are incredible.

First, you’re with your kids more.

Second, you know where your kids are.

Third, you get to know their friends—and counsel the troubled ones. If they lack parenting, you can re-parent them. (I’m sharing you a powerful secret: One of the best ways of influencing your kids is to influence their friends.)

Fourth, because of all racket your guests make, you and your neighbors will not be in speaking terms. So that’s one or two people dropped from your Christmas shopping list. Savings!

Two Choices: Drift Or Paddle

I can hear you now.

“Bo, this is a lot of hard work! Weekly dates with my wife and kids? Feeding a pack of piranhas? And re-parenting the friends of my kids? My gosh!”

I warned you. It’s going to be rough.

But let me repeat what I said at the start: You really only have two choices in life. You either Drift or you Paddle. You either pay now or pay later.

I’ve decided to paddle. I’ve decided to pay now.

Believe me, I’m enjoying the benefits.

My relationships are deeply satisfying.

Friend, it’s your turn.

Start paddling.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

Minsan frustrating talaga pag dumarating 'yong time na mararamdaman mong laging may mali sa buhay mo...at hirap na hirap kang intindihin bakit kailangan mong pagdaanan ang mga ito.. whew! Just want to share this article na nabasa ko written by Bo Sanchez..

The Odd Piece In The Puzzle

One day, while working on a jigsaw puzzle, I remember getting frustrated. Because one piece didn’t fit. This one piece didn’t make sense. This one piece had a different color. This one piece was even ugly.

“Perhaps the manufacturer made a mistake,” I told myself. “Perhaps it doesn’t belong to this box…”

But sure enough, later on, I found its place in the jigsaw puzzle. It belonged to the box, after all. Without that piece, the big picture wouldn’t be complete.

Friend, there are events in your life that are so painful, they don’t make sense. These are like odd pieces in the jigsaw puzzle of your life that don’t seem to fit.

Your miscarriage, by itself, makes no sense.

Having cancer, by itself, makes no sense.

Being retrenched from your job, by itself, makes no sense.

Your daughter getting pregnant out of wedlock, by itself, makes no sense.

Your son getting into drugs, by itself, makes no sense.

Your child dying of dengue, by itself, makes no sense.

In your tears, you asked, “Where is God in my trial?”

Where Is God?

Let me tell you where: He’s holding the other pieces of the puzzle. Taken in isolation, your trial makes no sense. But Romans 8:28 says that God will work all things together for your good.

Where is God? God is working.

He’s on His knees, connecting the pieces of your life together, and making the jigsaw puzzle.

The cross, by itself, makes no sense.

Good Friday, by itself, makes no sense.

The death of Jesus, by itself, makes no sense.

But if you put together the cross and the empty tomb, it makes total, complete, glorious sense.

Friend, you may be experiencing Good Friday today.

And deep in your heart, you’re crying out to God for an explanation. Why is this happening to you?

I want you to believe that your Easter Sunday is coming.

Don’t Be Anxious

Let me tell you why you become anxious.

Because you isolate your problem.

The reason why you don’t understand is because you’re not holding the big picture. Who is holding it?

God is holding the top of the jigsaw box.

God is holding the big picture. It’s a beautiful picture. He’s busy making the jigsaw puzzle of your life look glorious. He’s busy making all the separate, seemingly disjointed, seemingly senseless pieces work together for your good.

An inspiring story na nabasa ko lately.. nakakatuwa.. It tells something about the simplicity of Life na ginagawang complicated ng mga tao kaya kadalasan marami tayong complaints sa buhay..whew! Hope you like it..

The Businessman And The Fisherman

One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out into the sparkling blue surf.

He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish.

About that time, a businessman came walking down the beach trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He noticed the fisherman sitting on the beach and decided to find out why this fisherman was fishing instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family.

“You aren’t going to catch many fish that way,” said the businessman to the fisherman, “you should be working rather than lying on the beach!”

The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, “And what will my reward be?”

“Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!” was the businessman’s answer.

“And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman, still smiling.

The businessman replied, “You will make money and you’ll be able to buy a boat which will then result in larger catches of fish!”

“And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman again.

The businessman was beginning to get a little irritated with the fisherman’s questions.

“You can buy a bigger boat and hire some people to work for you!” he said.

“And then what will my reward be?” repeated the fisherman.

The businessman was getting angry. “Don’t you understand? You can build up a fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let all your employees catch fish for you!”

Once again the fisherman asked, “And then what will my reward be?”

The businessman was red with rage and shouted at the fisherman, “Don’t you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living again! You can spend all the rest of your days sitting on this beach looking at the sunset. You won’t have a care in the world!”

The fisherman, still smiling, simply looked up, nodded and said: “And what do you think I am doing now?”

An Interview with God

I dreamed I had an interview with God.
"Come in" God said. "So, you would like to interview Me?"

"If you have the time," I said.

God smiled and said: "My time is eternity and is enough to do everything; What questions do you have in mind to ask me?"

"What surprises you most about mankind?"

God answered:

"That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.

"That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health.

"That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither for the present nor the future.

God's hands took mine and we were silent for awhile and then I asked...

"As a parent, what are some of life's lessons you want your children to learn?"

God replied with a smile:

"To learn that what is most valuable is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives.

"To learn that there are persons that love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings.

"To learn that money can buy everything but happiness.

"To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it totally different.

"To learn that a true friend is someone who knows everything about them...and likes them anyway.

"To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they have to forgive themselves."

I sat there for awhile enjoying the moment. I thanked Him for his time and for all that He has done for me and my family, and He replied,

"Anytime. I'm here 24 hours a day. All you have to do is ask for me, and I'll answer."