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Lessons Learned in 2011

This year-end post is rather late, but you can consider it for the Chinese New Year. It's nice to look back on the highlights of 2011. However, much of the things that struck me were the lessons I've learned from last year's experiences, may they be good or bad.

5. Give yourself a deadline.
Planning is one thing, but starting it is another. It's very easy to list down the things we want to accomplish, but do we really want these things enough to get us out of our comfort zones and make sacrifices to make them happen? I've learned that if we don't give ourselves deadlines, we won't achieve anything. Chances are we would just put off the items in our checklist and forget about them eventually.

Deadlines also work for knowing when to stop. I have always believed that quitting is not always a sign of weakness and it was three years ago when I've come across an article online that impeccably voices out my sentiments. It takes a lot of wisdom to figure out when to put a halt to our serious efforts on something (or someone) that proves our commitment futile. As human beings, we can only do so much and we have to learn how to determine when it is wise to put our resources and energy on other things that could be more fruitful.

4. Appreciate as many things as you can.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8

I am also guilty of taking things that we already have for granted and stressing ourselves out on things that we keep on desiring. I guess at times, we must step back and realize that what we have now are the things we used to want. We must also be thankful for the unexpected blessings that come our way. They may not always be tangible objects, but all the little things that make our lives more fun, more delightful and more meaningful are blessings that we should always be grateful for.

Lessons Learned from Puss in Boots

With all the films that are coming out, Puss in Boots is a breath of fresh air being a movie with substance. It came to me as a surprise that we can learn so much from a simple, yet entertaining kid-friendly movie. I guess the producers are becoming more sensitive to the fact that a lot of kids are going to see the movie.

To start off, I never acquired the taste for 3D movies. I don't know if it's the 3D glasses or the effect itself that gives me a headache. I still prefer the conventional films. Nevertheless, I still got to enjoy the movie. I just had to remove the 3D glasses once in a while.

From the characters of Shrek, the guys from Dreamworks made the right of decision of choosing Puss in Boots as the lead for the spin-off. He has a strong, spontaneous personality, but maintains his adorable side, and has a penchant for adventure!

As I've said earlier, what I really liked about Puss in Boots is that they were able to incorporate lessons and values in a very simple, yet visually appealing movie.

Here are the lessons one can learn from the movie:

1. Always strive do the right thing.

2. If you fail to do so, admit it.

3. Make up for the wrongdoings.

It is very challenging to always do the right thing and is very easy to give in to temptation. I am not perfect myself. I admit that I also find it difficult to do all three lessons I've enumerated, but with God's guidance, it's never too late to change and follow Him.

I hope that we all come to the realization that...

I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.
Ecclesiastes 3:12

Image courtesy of Movie Poster Shop.

Climbing Mt. Sinai

Mount Sinai (and Saint Catherine Monastery) was the last stop in our Egypt tour. When I first found out that climbing Mt. Sinai was part of the trip, I quickly obliged. I was all up for it. It's nothing close to what Moses did, but to experience the same the mountain that he conquered at God's command is quite an adventure.

The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up.
Exodus 19:20

On the bus to Morgenland Village, Fr. Arlo oriented us about the climb. He made it sound like it's an easy quest. Thinking that it was just a leisure climb up a significant mountain in the bible, I imagined it at first as a relaxed walking tour while marveling at the rich vegetation of the mountain and encountering various creatures I've only seen in pictures and on TV. Totally wrong. Mount Sinai is a rocky mountain or a huge rock mountain. Plants were rare and the only animals I saw were camels! Climbing wasn't easy at all. It demanded physical strength and endurance to tread on rocky paths, and the patience to wait hours until we reach the top.

We stayed at Morgenland Village. The place is huge yet simple with its wooden furnitures. They have a swimming pool (which we didn't get to enjoy due to time constraints) and the mountains that serve as the backdrop of the whole place added the needed spectacle.

Morgenland Village

We woke up at around 2:00 in the morning to start our climb. My roommate Andrew and I were the last ones to meet with the rest of the group. With all the traveling that we've been doing during our trip, sleep was the only thing in our minds.  We met with our Bedouin guide Fawzi (which means winner in Arabic), and all the other climbers at the hotel lobby and had some coffee to keep us awake. That's actually the first challenge - to wake up in the wee ours of the morning and to stay awake.

Walking Along the Streets of Old Cairo and Stopping by Marah

The next day after visiting the pyramids of Giza, we walked along the streets of old Cairo visiting biblical sites and coptic churches like Saint Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church, which is more popularly known as The Hanging Church. It's called as such because basically, the whole building doesn't have a foundation.

This is one of the very few churches wherein they allow pictures to be taken. I was thrilled to see the beautiful patterns carved in the walls and doors of the church.

The Hanging Church houses one of the oldest icons. This depiction of Madonna and child is actually older than the Mona Lisa:

Another holy place we visited was the Abu Serga Church, which is believed to be where the Holy Family stayed when they arrived in Egypt from Bethlehem.

By the entrance of Abu Serga Church

Before having lunch at Soiree, we stopped by the Ben Ezra Synagogue. It's our first peek at one of the praying practices of the Jews - women have an area for prayer separate from the men. The synagogue has two floors. The lower floor for the men and the upper floor for the women.

Outside the Ben Ezra Synagogue

After lunch, we started our very long journey to Sinai. Along the way, we stopped by Marah which is referred in the bible as the land of bitter water:

When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter.
Exodus 15:23

The kids at Marah are really striking and beautiful and anyone would want to have their picture. However, they know it for a fact that foreigners would die to have their photographs. So, the kids charge a dollar to have their picture taken.

Here are the rest of the pictures:

Pastor Dennis Answers My Question

I asked Pastor Dennis of Victory:

Where do you draw the line between being pessimistic and being realistic?

He answers my question through his blog entitled Clueless Church Planter.  Check it out here.

 

The Most Destructive Force to Mankind

I think pride is the most destructive force to mankind because it welcomes other forces that corrupt humanity such as greed, selfishness and apathy. The exessive regard of one's own self worth makes a person forget that we live in this world together with other people and must uphold the dignity of one another.

We hail from different origins, thus we have different personalities, habits, and beliefs. If we all think of ourselves as superior from the rest, then there can be no unity and worse, we act in the pursuit of our own selfish desires, forgetting about the welfare of other people. With pride in our hearts, we cannot learn and let ourselves grow because we think that we are already the best and we do not need the influence of anyone.

Seeing others as inferior to ourselves also plants ill-will against other people. And there lies the thin line between nurturing evil thoughts and realizing them into actions. We think that we have the right and the entitlement to destroy other people's lives for our own advancement and comfort.

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18

 

 

 

If I Could Say Anything without Consequence

To every person with living parents:

Love your mother and your father. Show them how much you love them every chance you get. You owe them your life. Yes, God is the ultimate giver of life, but He also gave human beings free will and the liberty to make decisions. And your parents chose to give you the right to live and experience the wonders and complexities of life so that you may create your own path and lead a life that will bring out the best in you. With that fact you should love your parents, let alone the sacrifices and efforts that they have made to provide you with the best things in life that they can give.

Parents, like any other person in this world is not perfect. They have their shortcomings and faults, but it does not give you the license to disrespect them. You may not agree with everything that your parents say or do. Disagreements are inevitable, but expressing yourself in a clear and respectful manner is always possible.

Your mother and your father are the two people in this world whom you should love and respect constantly. Again, show them how much you love them while you still can. You'll never know when the time is up.

Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
Proverbs 23:22