Soulfood by Bo Sanchez

Soulfood by Bo Sanchez - Is there an area in your life you want fixed? Repaired? Overhauled? Friends, go find your emotional and enormous purpose. If you find a big enough reason to change something in your life, you can change absolutely anything. This 2012 I'm praying that God will do a massive overhaul in your lives - that God will make you brand new! See you at the feast on Sunday! Don't let the mistakes and disappointments of the past control and direct your future. -- Zig Ziglar If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears - Glenn Clark Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go. Herman Hesse Wherever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision. - Peter Drucker Don't start your day with the broken pieces of yesterday. Be strong now because things will get better. It might be stormy now but it cant rain forever. - Hailee Courage is not living without fear.Courage is being scared to death and doing the right thing anyway.- Chae Richardson

Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience lifes deepest joy: true fulfillment-Anthony Robbins The time is always right to do what is right. - Martin Luther King, Jr. Success means we go to sleep at night knowing that our talents and abilities were used in a way that served others-Marianne Williamson Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish muchBlaise Pascal Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless-Mother Teresa Seek to do good, and you will find that happiness will run after you - James Freeman Clarke Soulfood by Bo Sanchez: Grateful people get more of what they're grateful for. If we're grateful for love and friendships, we get more love and friendships. In the same way, if we grumble about our problems, we'll have more problems. Friend, remember to be grateful even when our life is far from what we expected it to be. See you at the Feast! Soulfood by Bo Sanchez: I've realized I grew most, not when everything was going my way but in times of intense trouble and pain . Because that's when God stretched me. Friend, trouble is the birthplace for your

greatest growth. Let's be grateful for the blessings behind our trials. Have a glorious 2012. Dont limit yourself. Youre bigger than you think you are. I believe that love is limitless. It has no boundaries. I do what I do because I want to love people.... Wake up each morning and ask, How can I bless the world more? -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich Friend, let me ask you: What kind of debts do you have? If you have a bad debt, make a goal now to get out of it and give yourself a specific deadline. Face the mirror and shout out loud: Im going to be financially free! Make it your goal, make it your prayer, make it your battle cry. -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich God wants you to be the Scriptwriter. Create the life you were meant to live. By the way, you might be asking: Where is God in the movie? Hes the Producer. -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich Have you ever wondered why you do not get what you want? There are two big reasons why you fail to get what you want. First, because you dont really know what you want. That means, youre confused with what you want.... The second big reason for not getting what you want is that we dont want it bad enough. -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich

I believe that one of the biggest reasons why we dont receive Gods blessings is because we rely on Him too much. We surrender to Him what He doesnt want us to surrender: our stewardship. Have you relied on God too much? -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich God designed us to work and trust not simply to trust. -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich Soulfood by Bo Sanchez: Friend, remember that you will always have more blessings than problems. Problems seem more because you count them, measure them and you analyze them everyday. But when you count your blessings, you will realize that your blessings outnumber your problems. Always! Heres my belief: Unless you love yourself, you cant love anyone else. -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich When there is no clarity of purpose, no great thing will be achieved, -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich What you subconsciously want, you will get. And what you subconsciously do not want, you will avoid. -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich Im not content with earning enough. My heart is too big for that. I want to earn more than enough so I could

bless the poor. -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich If you want to make small incremental improvements in your life, change your behavior. But if you want to make dramatic, quantum leaps in your life, change your beliefs. -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich Enlarge your psychological wallet. The poor have tiny psychological wallets. God wants to give them more but their psychology cant handle the blessing. -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich Failure usually happens not in one dramatic event. Failure happens bit by bit, one negative act after another negative act, done consistently overtime. Youre the product of your thoughts, choices and habits. -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich When you choose your thoughts, you choose your psychology. And when you choose your psychology, you choose your behavior. And when you choose your behavior, you choose the consequences of that behavior. Which includes wealth or poverty. Bottomline, you create your wealth and you create your poverty. We do it. So let me ask you: What kind of thoughts do you have? -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich If you want to get out of poverty, nothing can stop you. Not your corrupt government or you family lineage. Stop

blaming your family for your poverty. -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich Blame robs you of your power to determine your life. Remember, the quality of your finances is determined by your choices in life. And unless you stop blaming others and start taking responsibility for your poverty, youll always remain poor. -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets if the Truly Rich Friend, dont be shocked, but you have the power to create the life you want. Heres the truth: You created the life that you are living now. So if you dont like your job, youre responsible. -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich Friend, dont be shocked, but you have the power to create the life you want. Heres the truth: You created the life that you are living now. So if you dont like your job, youre responsible. -- Bo Sanchez, 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich Worry is about the future. Today, God will open up to you a whole new world. That world is called Now. When you live in your Now, you dont worry. Instead, you relax in His love. One of the most useless regrets is rushing through life. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die Soulfood by Bo Sanchez: December 9, 2011 I believe God doesnt want you to bring people to Jesus.

God wants YOU to bring Jesus to people. How? By being Jesus to somebody. This is Gods battleplan - for people to get to know Him through YOU being like Jesus wherever you are. Friend, you dont have to be perfect like Jesus to somebody. I believe that the ability to love others is the only high standard you need. We just need to love them. Everyday. When youre making a decision in life, ask your older self for advice. Older people are wiser. Because theyre looking back at their lives. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die Give love even if they dont respond. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die The only way to prioritize your relationships is to learn how to be grateful for your loved ones. There is no other way. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die Just one idea can change your life, Earl Nightingale. Soulfood by Bo Sanchez: December 3, 2011 What you say to yourself matters because your words are prophetic. I know many people who put themselves down with their words and shame themselves. They dont understand that they are creating their world by their words! Friend, make a decision today to bless yourself with words. Complement yourself. Say, Im blessed. Im anointed. Im a wonderful person. I am a Champion. Your

words will change the quality of your life. Speak Gods words and change your world. See you at the Feast! Our most painful regret is that we didnt love enough. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die How to take risks: Leave your Comfort Zone, get into your Courage Zone, but never go out of your Core Zone. Your Core Zone is the area of your core gift. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die Friend, has God given you a dream but youve not been doing anything about it? Have you been living in your Comfort Zone? Have you been held back by fear? God is saying, I am filling your heart with courage. I will be with you. I will never forsake you. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die If you want to succeed big time, you have to act (and act and act and act) before everything becomes clear. Obviously youll make lots of mistakes. But thats great! Because through your mistakes, the path will become clear. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die Everything you want in life is just outside your Comfort Zone. Al success is found in your Courage Zone. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die Never focus on your problems. Focus on your possibilities. The problems will pull you down. The

possibilities will push you up. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die Every raw material you need to do His work is already there within you. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die God doesnt want you to have regrets in your life. God doesnt want you to die with your dreams still unfulfilled. In fact, God gave you those dreams so that you can make them happen. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die If youve been far from God, God has never be en far from you. Hes pursued you, chased after you and Hell never give up on you. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die Comparisonitis is a spiritual disease that has become an epidemic. Its the cause of much unpeace in our lives. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die Soulfood by Bo Sanchez God doesnt define you by what you have done. He defines you by what He has done in you. Friend, your future is out-of-this world beautiful. Believe that God will walk into your open door and change everything. It may not happen overnight, but it will happen. Just keep that door open. Just never give up. Think Gods thoughts. And youll never be the same again.

Perhaps, people around you are looking down at you. People around dont believe in you. And all they do is point out your weaknesses. You have a God that doesnt do that. He never compares you to anyone else. He loves you as you are. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die I have not lived perfectly. But Ive tried to live deliberately. When confronted with choices, I try to be awake. Not a zombie. Not asleep on the wheel. I invite you to do the same. Live deliberately. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die Life gives you tests. Sometimes, you fail those tests. You make the wrong choices. You fall. You stumble. You sin. But failing in one test doesnt mean youll fail in life. I should know. Ive failed in many of my tests. (Many, many, many of them!) But Ive never given up. Ive got a word for you: God is the God of Second Chances. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die We all make mistakes. All of us do! But God says, I dont look at your mistakes. Stop condemning yourself. Move on. Stand up again. I can still make your life beautiful. I can still fulfill your dreams. Ill be here to supply all that you need to create a new life. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die Friend, God created you with a special gift. And only you can give this gift to the world. If you dont become true to yourself, if you dont give this gift to the world, the world

becomes a lesser place. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die "In all your trials, there is a hidden purpose, a hidden blessing. Even if you can't see it yet, trust that it's there, and thank Him in advance. Lord, give me the inner strength to persevere, To hold on, to never let go! Give me the courage to always love no matter what happens, ... In Jesus' name, Amen!" -- Bo Sanchez, 40 Stories of Passion "Relationships are like wind-up toys. If you don't wind it up, the ballerina stops dancing and playing music. When your relationships aren't working, it's because you've not been winding them up. What am I saying? Relationships need renewal or they die. And dead things can't give you love and heal heart wounds." -- Bo Sanchez, How to Build a Happy Family

"Never define yourself by your mistakes. Define yourself by your divine destiny." -- Bo Sanchez, How Your Words Can Change Your World "Faith Declaration #3: Claim Your Health and Healing Say with conviction and boldness: "With long life, He satisfies me and shows me His salvation. I'm getting better and better every day. I am getting stronger and stronger every day. The power of healing is flowing through my body, mind and spirit. New health, new joy, new peace and new hope are increasing within me. In Jesus' name!" When God looks at you, He doesnt look at your failures. God doesnt look at your mistakes. He looks at your beauty, your goodness, your holiness, buried deep inside. He believes in you. He trusts that youll rise from your fall. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die "Reason for Giving #4:

"By opening yourself to blessing, by working on it, pouring your energies into it -- the conspiracy of grace begins to work in the background. I repeat: God created a universe that will conspire to give you what you need." -- Bo Sanchez, My Conspiracy Theory

When you give, you get blessed. Because it's a law built into this universe. ... If you want to live a life of miracles, learn to sow in time of famine. Happy giving, my friend! -- Bo Sanchez, How to Live a Life of Miracles

"Reason for Giving #3: When you give, you grow in love. If you give, you don't have to love. But if you love, you have to give." -- Bo Sanchez, How to Live a Life of Miracles "Reason for Giving #2: When you give, you gain an abundance mentality. Giving takes you out of your scarcity mentality -- and makes you realize that we live in a generous universe. Giving breaks your poverty thinking -- that you are not poor after all." -- Bo Sanchez, How to Live a Life of Miracles "Reason for Giving #1: When you give, you're happy. Show me a giving person and I'll show you a happy person. The happiest people in the world are givers." -- Bo Sanchez, How to Live a Life of Miracles "If you want to live a life of miracles, unforgiveness is one thing that must be thrown away." -- Bo Sanchez, How to Live a Life of Miracles

"Faith Declaration #2: Claim that God is Bigger Than Your Mistakes Say it with all your heart. Confess your faith. Let your words define your reality: I may have messed up, but this is temporary. I may have made mistakes in the past, but my future is brighter than my past. Today, I come boldly into God's presence to receive mercy. I reject condemnation. Because of God's mercy, my best blessings are yet to come. Each day is a new beginning for me. Each day, I shall live a new life. Each day, I shall live in abundance. Each day, I shall walk in God's favor. Amen!' When God looks at you, He doesnt look at your failures. God doesnt look at your mistakes. He looks at your beauty, your goodness, your holiness, buried deep inside. He believes in you. He trusts that youll rise from your fall. -- Bo Sanchez, 5 Things You Need To Do Before You Die CONFESS THIS OUT LOUD... I declare Ill have a super-blessed life! I claim a life of amazing abundance. For the rest of my life, I shall receive more love and give more love. I shall experience more joy, greater generosity, dreams fulfilled, financial increase, open new doors, new opportunities, divine connections,

super natural appointments, great miracles, answered prayers and exponential growth. In Jesus name! "Believe that You'll have a super blessed life!" - From the Book Your Words Can Change Your World by Bo Sanchez Confidence is the result of hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication. It is always better to be loved for the person that you truly are than who you are trying to be. No matter how steep the mountain - the Lord is going to climb it with you.- Helen Steiner Rice Where hope grows, miracles blossom. - Elna Rae You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. -Buddha A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are. When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others. Bo Sanchez Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched ... but are felt in the heart.-- Helen Keller Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.-Kahlil Gibran Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical. -- Sophia Loren Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. William Arthur Ward Don't let the shadows of yesterday spoil the sunshine of tomorrow. Live for today. Nandina Morris quotes Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. -Plato The less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers.- Deepak Chopra In the midst of movement and chaos,keep stillness inside of you.-Deepak Chopra Be happy. It's one way of being wise. -Sidonie Gabrielle When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.- Unknown

Live as if you were to die tomorrow.Learn as if you were to live forever. -Mahatma Gandhi When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us - Helen Keller The price of hating other human beings is loving one's self less You must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy. When you put faith, hope and love together, you can raise positive kids in a negative world.- Zig Ziglar Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. - Suzanne Somers Be kind to unkind people - they need it the most Ashleigh Brilliant Kindness is a language which the deaf can h ear and the and the blind can see - Mark Twain Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. - Helen Keller The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government. - Thomas Jefferson

Go for the moon. If you don't get it, you'll still be heading for a star. Willis Reed A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success Hope is not a dream but a way of making dreams become reality. When you say a situation or a person is hopeless, you are slamming the door in the face of God.-Charles L. Allen In all things it is better to hope than to despair-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise Oscar Wilde Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in othersPlato "A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can work wonders and accomplish miracles." -William Hazlitt An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity."-Winston Churchill

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." Ralph Waldo Emerson "A healthy attitude is contagious but dont wait t o catch it from others. Be a carrier." Author Unknown "Correction does much, but encouragement does more."Johann Wolfgang von Goethe "If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again. -Flavia Weedn "Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can." Author Unknown If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it. -Mary Engelbreit The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand&be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.R.Nichols Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results. Willie Nelson

It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not. Author Unknown It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else's eyes. Sally Field "The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible." Author Unknown Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same. -Francesca Reigler Try to want what you have, instead of spending your strength trying to get what you want.- Abraham L. Feinberg Don't envy. It wastes time and energy. - Abraham L. Feinberg Stop worrying. Worry kills life. - Abraham L. Feinberg There is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness."-Lady Marguerite Blessington "The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it."Richard David Bach

"Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking." Marcus Aurelius Antoninus "You have to find happiness in yourself before you can find it with someone." Anonymous Be helpful.When you see a person without a smile ,Give him yours. Zig Ziglar "Happiness is the art of never holding in your mind the memory of any unpleasant thing that has passed."Anonymous Happiness is often the result of being too busy to be miserable." - Anonymous For every minute you are angry, you lose 60 seconds of happiness."Anonymous Begin each day with a prayer. It will arm your soul.Abraham L. Feinberg The greatest magnifying glasses in the world are a man's own eyes when they look upon his own person Alexander Pope A strong, positive self-image is the best possible preparation for success. Dr. Joyce Brothers

Love yourself first and everything falls into line - Lucille Ball Don't worry so much about your self-esteem. Worry more about your character. Integrity is its own reward. To establish true self-esteem we must concentrate on our successes and forget about the failures and the negatives in our lives.D. Waitley Believe in your dreams and they may come true; believe in yourself and they will come true To wish you were someone else is to waste the person you are. To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness. Robert Muller quotes Little deeds of kindness, little words of love,Help to make earth happy, like the heaven above.-JULIA CARNEY, Little Things If you&I are having a single thought of hatred against anyone in the world at this moment,we are contributing to the wounding of the world The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. NELSON MANDELA,

Soulfood by Bo Sanchez: Do you believe that Gods blessings are falling on you everyday? Do you wake up every morning believing theres abundance everywhere? If you are desperate for God, youre open to rece ive more! Friend, there is no shortage of blessings. There is only a shortage of readiness to receive those blessings. See you at the Feast. Real kindness seeks no return. No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. Faith and prayer are the vitamins of the soul; man cannot live in health without them. Mahalia Jackson Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. Mother Teresa The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. ~Mark Twain Nobody really cares if you're miserable, so you might as well be happy. ~Cynthia Nelms Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow.-Mary Radmacher There are no failures - just experiences and your reactions to them. -Tom Krause

A true friend sees the good in everything, and brings out the best in the worst of things. -Sasha Azevedo quotes Soulfood by Bo Sanchez: Life is a marathon. You dont just start strong, you finish strong. Strengthening your relationship with God isnt a sprint, its a marathon. If an angel appeared in front of you and told you, You will die tonight, how would you live your last hours? Would you act differently and be a person of character? Will you be the most excellent, most loving human being you can ever be? Friend, be a person of character. Finish strong. We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future. - George Bernard Shaw Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility. Dietrich Bonhoeffer If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams. - Les Brown All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. -Walt Disney Losers make promises they often break. Winners make commitments they always keep. Denis Waitley Integrity is what we do, what we say, and what we say we do D. Galer

In times of great stress or adversity, its always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive-Lee Iacocca The true test of a person character is how they stand during test of adversity - Unknown Adversity is a fact of life. It cant be controlled. What we can control is how we react to it. Unknown The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity. Seneca I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders. Jewish Proverb A problem is a chance for you to do your best. Duke Ellington Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. Unknown God's whispers: If you want to expand your territories, first expand your thinking. Dont let fear steal your dreams away. Soulfood by Bo Sanchez: How many times have you rejected God? How many times did you choose someone or something else?Sin?

Materialism?Pride?Addiction? Yet God doesnt walk out on you. He doesnt abandon you. He never says, if you dont like me, I dont like you too. Instead, God waits. And He wont stop waiting. He waits until you allow Him to love you. He waits until we allow Him to become a Hero for us. Thats why He ended up on a cross for you. Friend, God is your hero. See you at the Feast. You can never be happy at the expense of the happiness of others. - Chinese Proverb Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the doorbell. If you want to feel rich, just count all of the things you have that money can't buy. The best leader brings out the best in those he has stewardship over. - J. Richard Clarke One of the things I keep learning is that the secret of being happy is doing things for other people. - Dick Gregory Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something. ~Author Unknown Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own. H. Jackson Brown, Jr. quotes

Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were. --Cherie Carter-Scott Joy is not in things; it is in us.- John Wagner Be Grateful Even When Its Difficult Once upon a time, in one of the islands of the Philippines, there was a young tree. It was the only tree in that island. This lovely tree had long branches with leaves too many to count. It was a happy tree. It liked looking at the green plains below and the blue sea surrounding the island. But one day, the tree noticed that one of its leaves was turning brown. What was going on? This was the first time it happened. It never experienced it before. The tree began to panic. Soon, more leaves became brown. And then the impossible happened: One brown leaf snapped off its twig and fell to the ground. The horrors! Soon, more leaves fell. He counted them. Gasp! He couldnt believe it. In one day, 6 leaves fell off from his branches. The next day, another 9 fell. The day after that, 12 more fell. On and on they kept falling.

He was losing so many leaves each day, he blurted out, Im dying! Everyday, with great anxiety, he stared on the growing mound of brown leaves gathering around His roots. He began to lose hope and wanted to end his life. That was when a bird flew by Three Messages From The Bird The feathered creature perched onto one of the trees branches. The bird asked, Whats wrong? Why are you so sad? The tree said, Im dying. Why do you say that? the bird asked. Im losing all my leaves! Ive lost 94 already The bird was taken aback. You dont know do you? He looked around and realized why. You havent seen another tree in your life. Youre all alone here. My dear friend, what youre experiencing is something that every other tree in the world experiences. Huh? The bird smiled and said, I want to give you three messages today. Im listening, the tree answered.

1) More Blessings Than Problems First, you say youve already lost 94 leaves. You count the number of leaves that youve lost. Count now the number of leaves that are still on your branches The tree went about counting. 1, 2, 3, 4. When he reached 300, he said, I cant count them. I have too many leaves! The tree wasnt crying anymore. Then youre learning a very important truth. Remember that youll always have more blessings than problems. Problems seem more because you count them, you measure them, and you analyze them everyday. But when you count your blessings, youll realize that your blessings will outnumber your problems. Always! May I interrupt this story by another story? I was reading about Roger Crawford. When he was born, he had a genetic defect. He was born without two hands and without a left leg. But despite his disability, he became a professional Tennis player in America. He became a champion? How could he play Tennis without two hands and a left leg? I dont know. But he did. You see, Roger never complained, Lord, why dont I have hands and a left leg? Instead, he said, Lord, thank you for what I have. I have arms and I have one leg. What will you do with what I have?

Roger didnt bother counting the leaves that fell off his branches. He celebrated the many leaves that remained in his branches. Lets go back to my story 2) More Space For New Blessings The bird said, Heres my second message. I want you to look at your branches. Specifically, at the empty space where your leaves fell from. Do you see them? Yes. Are they really empty. Yes, theyre empty. A leaf was there before Look closer, said the bird, because its not really empty That was when the tree said, Well, I see tiny leaves sprouting in the same place where my old leaves fell from. The bird nodded, If your old leaves didnt fall, there wouldnt have been space for new leaves to sprout in your branches. If you want better things to happen in your life, some older things will have to go first. I now understand, the tree smiled. Let me interrupt this story again and tell you that this is how life works. Thank God for empty spaces in your life.

Perhaps a relationship ended this year. Perhaps a boyfriend left you. Thank God and believe that someone new, someone better, will be walking into your life. Perhaps you lost your job this year. Perhaps your company folded up. Perhaps you were retrenched. Thank God and believe that youll get a better job and company very soon! I remember two women whose husbands left them. Both of their husbands found another woman and walked out of their lives. Both were devastated. But both had a very different attitude. One followed the grumbling path and the other followed the grateful path. One woman cried, My husband left me. My life is now over. But the other woman said, My husband left me. My life is just beginning Like this woman, dont ever give up. Dont say, My life is over. Say instead, My life is about to begin. Because new growth happens only if there are empty spaces in your life. 3) More Nourishment From Your Growth The bird chirped, And now for my last message. Do you notice what happens to your brown leaves? the bird asked.

They rot, the tree shrugged, looking at the mound of brown leaves around its roots. Yes they do, but for a purpose, said the bird, because in due time, these rotting leaves will become part of the soil. These leaves will enrich you. Your roots will drink their nourishment. Causing you to grow and sprout more leaves You Need Trouble To Grow Bo, I cant be grateful for 2011. This was the year my husband left me. Or This was the year our house burned down. Or This was the year I learned I had cancer. Or This was the year my father died. I understand. But the Bible says, Give thanks in all circumstances. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Yesterday, I was looking back at the year that passed. I realized something very important. I realized that I grew the most not during the times when everything was smooth. Or the times when everything was going my way. I realized that I grew the most during the times when there was intense trouble. Intense pain. I grew the most when I was attacked from all directions and I couldnt breathe anymore. Thats when God stretched me.

I have one word for you about trouble: Get used to it. Because trouble is the birthplace for your greatest growth. Be grateful for the blessings behind your trials.

I looked back at last year and couldnt help but say, Wow. I cant say anything else. Because when I think of the year, I feel overwhelmed at what God has done in my life. Choose: 2 Weeks Or 40 Years? There are two ways of living on earth:

Gratitude Is A Magnet Heres my message today: If you want to receive more blessings in 2012, you need to be more thankful for blessings you received in 2011. Because gratitude is a magnet. Let me ask you a few questions. Did you have food on your table last year? Thank God. (From the way I see you, you had too much food.) Did you have clothes to wear last year? Thank God. Did you sleep well at night last year? Thank God. Did you have work last year? Thank God. Did you earn money last year? Thank God. Did you have friends last year? Thank God. Did you serve God last year? Thank God. Open your eyes to see that you were swimming in an ocean of blessings last year.

You can grumble or you can be grateful. Both habits are powerful. (Ill explain in awhile.) Do you know how long the Israelites travelled from Egypt to the Promised Land? The Bible says it took them 40 Years. I find that weird. Do you know how quickly it should have been? The distance from Cairo to Jerusalem is only 391 kilometers. That should have only taken the Israelites 14 days to travel from Egypt to Israel. But why did they take 40 years? Let me tell you one major reason: They followed the grumbling path instead of the grateful path. And the grumbling path is much longer than the grateful path. 40 years longer Think about it. They were rescued from 400 years of slavery. But they werent grateful. They saw 10 mindboggling miracles, from water turning into blood, and a

staff turning into a snake, and frogs leaping out of the lake But they werent grateful. They crossed the red sea on dry land. But they werent grateful. A pillar of fire accompanied them by night and a pillar of smoke accompanied them by day. But they werent grateful. I dont know about you, but I want to enter the promised land quickly. And the way to do that is to learn to be grateful. What do you have that you did not receive? Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! (1 Corinthians 4:7-8) Marriages Cant Be Strong Without Gratitude Do you know why married people have affairs? Its not because of sex. Its because they grumble instead of being grateful. Your spouse has 90% of what you need. But because youre not grateful for that 90%, you search for that missing 10% in a mistress. Someone fresh. Someone prettier. Someone more affectionate. Someone who smells nice. But when you go home, your wife smells of paksiw. She isnt affectionate because shes tired, taking care of the kids the entire day. So you have an affair. At first, its exciting. It makes you feel wonderful.

But one day, youll wake up and realize youre holding Miss 10% in your arms. Youve lost your Miss 90% to get Miss 10%. Gratitude Attracts Blessings I know some people who cant be grateful today. Theyre waiting for something big to happen for them to be grateful. Some people say, Ill be grateful if I win the Lotto Or Ill be grateful if I get promoted Or Ill be very grateful if I have a baby Or Ill be grateful if I marry someone like Brad Pitt, or John Lloyd, or Bo Sanchez (I apologize for my hallucinations.) Dont wait to be grateful. Be grateful now! Why? Because both grumbling and gratitude are a magnet. Grateful people get more of what theyre grateful for. If theyre grateful for happiness and love and friendships, theyll have more happiness and love and friendships. If theyre grateful for financial blessings, theyll have more financial blessings. In the same way, grumbling people get more of what they grumble about.

If you grumble about your problems, youll have more problems. If you grumble about lack, you have more lack in your life. Be grateful. And receive more blessings this 2012.

So we speed through. Zoom! Missing out on magnificence. Something in us likes looking at whats wrong, not whats right. Were drawn to messes, not magnificence. Today, God wants you to focus on your magnificence. Sure, youve got car wrecks in your life. Youve got parts of your life that are so terrible, you want to hide them from everybody. But theres also a sunrise within you. Something so beautiful, itll take your breath away. Focus on your sunrise! Thats what God does. Thats why theres Christmas. 2000 years ago, God left His celestial throne, unrobed Heavens glory, and became a helpless, hungry, crying baby in Bethlehem. Why? To tell you, Youre worth it. Youre worth the trouble. Youre worth this visit to earth. This manger. This cross. Because to me, youre as magnificent as the sunrise. Merry Christmas! By the way, just want you to know that I agree with God. Youre as magnificent as the sunrise!

Youre As Magnificent As The Sunrise! I dont have a 12-page article for you today. Just a few lines to greet you. I heard Darren Hardy, publisher of Success magazine, give this wonderful illustration. He said when an accident happens on the road, traffic builds up. Not because of the accident. But because motorists like to look at the accident. We like gazing at the car wreck. Why? Human beings have this tendency to look at what went wrong. We like to look at the mess. But if theres a magnificent sunrise on the other side of the road, so utterly majestic and beautiful, with shafts of sunlight piercing the clouds a masterpiece by the Divine Master do we look? Nah. We dont even notice.

Change Your Vocabulary You need to learn a new kind of vocabulary. Instead of saying, I have some failures, say, I have some lessons. Instead of saying, I have some problems, say, I have some hidden blessings. Instead of saying, Im going through a crisis, say, Im going through a transformational experience. Instead of saying, I dont have money, say, Im temporarily broke but the blessings are on the way. If you want to change your life, you need to change your talk. Everyday, a tidal wave of words flow out of your mouth. Studies say that men speak 20,000 words a day. And women speak 30,000. (I didnt invent that. Just reporting the facts. But Im sure you know of some exceptions. There are men who speak 50,000 words a day, like Preachers like me.) Dont be shocked. If you live until 90, a typical person would have spoken 730 million words. If someone just recorded all that you said, and put them in book form, you would have written 14,600 books. Pretty amazing, right?

But its not the quantity of words thats important. Its the quality of the words thats important. The quality of your words will determine the quality of your lifeincluding the life of the people around you. Do your words bless or curse? Do your words heal or cause disease? Do your words give life or give death? Do your words nourish or poison? Do your words lift up or lower down? Do your words encourage or discourage? Be careful with your words 3 Kinds Of Bread You know this alreadyGods Word is like bread. It always nourishes. (Matthew 4:4) But heres something you may not know: God designed your words to also become nourishing bread. But in reality, our words arent always nourishing. In fact, I compare our words to three kinds of bread: wheat bread, white bread, and waste bread. Wheat Bread has all the nourishment intact. It has vitamin B6, vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, folic acid And

fiber. (Thats why its chewy.) Fiber prevents heart attacks and sweeps your intestines clean. White Bread tastes nice and soft and delicious. But it doesnt nourish. It doesnt make you healthy. Because white bread is made of white flour, and its stripped from all vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Waste Bread is bread that is stale. Its already covered with mold and bacteria. It can actually poison you and make you sick. Our words can be like one of these three kinds of bread. Let me explain 1. Wheat Bread God wants your words to be like Wheat Bread. They nourish you and they nourish others. The bible says that what we say should be good and helpful and encouraging (Ephesians 4:29). If its not good and helpful and encourage, dont say it. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24) One day, I was going through a crisis. Correction. I was going through a transformational experience. It was a time when both my ministries and businesses were going through a tough time. I felt

beaten. Defeated. Worn out. I exhausted physically and emotionally. Right after the Feast, a woman came up to me. And she said, Bo, you dont know how you changed my life. Spiritually. Emotionally. Financially. Thank you so much Ive heard those lines before. Many times. But at that particular time, when I felt discouraged, those words healed me. But lets admit it. Many times, our words dont encourage at all 2. White Bread Many of our words are like White Bread. We speak without purpose. We speak without love. They dont discourage, but they dont encourage too. We speak uselessly. Jesus says, You can be sure that on the Judgment Day you will have to give account of every useless word you have ever spoken. (Matthew 12:36) What is the Bible saying? Dont waste your words. If you have an opportunity to encourage, to inspire, to lift up, and to coach someonedo so. Because people are hungry for nourishment, wisdom, and love. Dont waste your time by speaking empty words. And whats the worst kind of bread of all?

3. Waste Bread Like Waste Bread, your words can poison. Your mouth is a deadly weapon. Your words can destroy your children and their future. Your words can destroy your families and your friendships. Your words can destroy your world. One day, I was talking to a young man who was messed up. He didnt finish school, he didnt have a job, he was taking drugs. In other words, he was really lost. And then we began talking about his father. That was when his face began to grimace in pain. He said, Brother Bo, Im 23 years old. In all those years, Ive never heard my father say nice things to me. Not once did he say he was happy with me. Everytime he talked to me, it was always to tell me I was wrong. And he kept telling me, Im ashamed that youre my son! Youll never amount to anything! Words killed his future. Because words can be poisonous. Everytime you open your mouth, you can choose: You can cure or you can curse. Its up to you. Let me tell you a true story.

There were two altar boys who lived in two different cities serving in two different churches, but both of them wanted to become priests. And both of them had the exact same experience. One altar boy was late for Mass. Because he was in a hurry to do everything he needed to do, he accidentally hit the chalice that contained the wine. After the Mass, the priest called the boy and shouted, Get out of here! Youll never serve as an altar boy! At another church, the other altar boy was also late for Mass. And he too hit the chalice that contained the wine, pouring it onto the red carpet. After the Mass, the priestwho happened to be a Bishopcalled the altar boy and said, Hey, everybody makes mistakes. Im clumsy too. So you know what? Maybe youll become a priest too and he chuckled. 30 years later, that altar boys became Archbishop Fulton Sheen, one of the most loved religious leaders in America. The other altar boy? He became Joseph Tito, the ruthless dictator of Yugoslavia, and an atheist. Words are powerful. They can heal. They can bless. They can encourage. Or they can also curse. They can destroy. Let me give you four examples.

Complement Or Complain Admit it. Every child is part monster and part angel. What part will win? It depends on what part you pour attention to Behavior is the plant. Attention is the water. If you tell your son a thousand times, Youre a monster! Youre so disobedient! youre pouring attention into the monster part. And that monster part will grow, pushing out the angel partuntil your child becomes all monster. Instead of complaining, do the opposite: Complement! It sounds nuts. But try it out. For many parents, their preoccupation is to catch their kids doing wrong. Change that. Be preoccupied catching your kids doing good. If he cares for his baby brother, Son, I love the way you take care of your younger brother; Im so proud youre my son; If you find him happy in your family meals, then tell him, Thanks for enjoying our time together as a family; it warms my heart that youve grown up to be a loving boy.; Words like these will change your son.

Remember, your words can bring out the best or the worst in others. It depends on what words you choose. Why? People will treat you the way you treat them. If you keep complaining about their bad behavior, youll get more of that bad behavior. If you complement them about their good behavior, youll get more of that good behavior. Thats just how life works. Heres the principle: Your words create your world. Which brings me to my second example Correct Or Criticize Dont get me wrong. You should correct. Thats part of love. You just need to know how to do it. You can correct to love or you can criticize to shame. Love is both the motive and manner of your correction. And always correct within the context of a deep relationship of trust. Dont correct someone when the relationship isnt strong. But sometimes, we go to the other extreme. Even within a close relationship, we dont correct. Because we want to be popular instead of loving. Its true: Like Wheat Bread, correction is difficult to chew. Its not as easy to eat

as Wheat Bread. But thats why you have to do it, because its nutritious. Heres a third example Refresh Or Ridicule When I was a kid, I was never good in Sports. So I dreaded Physical Education. Whenever I had P.E. class in the afternoon, Id already be wishing Id get sick that day. So that Id have an excuse not to attend P.E. Because almost every class, kids would ridicule me. It didnt matter if it was basketball or volleyball or soccer. I was a klutz. I couldnt seem to hit or catch the ball. I couldnt understand why I was so uncoordinated. When I was 9-years old, my P.E. was baseball. And I was even more terrified. True enough, at practice, I couldnt catch the ball even if I had that oversized glove. I was so bad at catching, the Teacher assigned me to the farthest spot in the field. And with his booming voice, he told everyone, Try to hit your ball towards that kid over there, pointing to me. Because he wont catch the ball, and youll get a home run! He laughed loudly,

slapping his knee many times. And all the kids laughed with him. I pretended to laugh too. But my little heart was crying inside. For the next 15 years, I never joined any sport. When my teacher ridiculed me, something broke within me. Because my Teacher was a person of authority. In my mind, I told myself, He must know what hes talking about. Hes my teacher. He says Im worthless. Im the most worthless kid in the universe. Be careful with ridicule. Be careful with negative humor. Heres my realization: Nothing hurts more than words. The Bible says, The words of the reckless pierce like swords. (Proverbs 12:18) If you punch someone really hard on the jaw, the swelling subsides after some days. If you cut someone with a knife, the cut heals after some weeks. But if you say something deeply hurting, the damage can remain for the rest of your life. Society values humor so much, for the sake of making people laugh, we ridicule other people. (I believe negative humor and poking fun at others has a place between very close friends.) But I realize that nothing can be more hurting than humiliation. I wish kids would come with a big sign that

says, FragileHandle With Care. So that we wont be careless with our words. Dont ridicule. Dont shame people. Use your words instead to refresh others. Last example Gossip When you want to gossip, bite your tongue. It will hurt you, but it wont hurt your friends. Someone asked me, But Im not spreading gossip. Im spreading truth. She really is selfish and rude! But even if youre right, dont do it. People are cruelest when they know they are right. There are people who enjoy pointing out the mistakes of others. Its almost a hobby. It has become second nature. They love sitting down in judgment and telling the world about peoples weaknesses. Hes a good speaker, but hes full of air. Shays pretty but not very bright. My boss is a total jerk. Barry looks like a retard. Are you going to say something nasty?

Just stop. And if someone is about to tell you something nasty about someone else, excuse yourself. You can say, I dont want to color my opinion towards that person. If you have no choice but to listen, tell yourself, Im not going to believe this one-sided story. Ill suspend judgment and give the other the benefit of the doubt. Instead of gossiping about the garbage, gossip about the good. Spread the good qualities of the people around you! Gossip Is Difficult To Undo One day, a young woman spread gossip about an old woman living beside her house. And the old womans reputation was tainted forever. After a few months, the young woman had pangs of guilt for what she did. With much courage, she knocked on the door of the old woman. When the old woman saw her, the young woman said, Ive done you wrong. Ive come to ask for forgiveness. Im sorry The old woman said, Come in. Sitting on the couch, she told her younger neighbor, I forgive you. But can you do something for me? Its a special ritual She stood up and entered the room and the kitchen. She came back, bringing with her a pillow and

a knife. She handed them to the young woman and said, Please go up to the roof of my house and stab this pillow and rip it. The young woman was perplexed. But she did what she was told to do. She went up the roof, plunged the knife into the pillow, and instantly, feathers flew far and wide, carried by the wind. When she went down, she returned the torn pillow and knife to the old woman. The old woman said, I have one last thing I want you to do for me. Go out now into the street and collect all the feathers A tear escaped the young womans eye. She knew her neighbor was trying to tell her something. Im so sorry, but that cant be done, she said. Theyve scattered into different directions. The old woman nodded. Im not angry with you. Im just giving you a correction in love. From now on, please only speak good words. If you have nothing good to say, dont say it anymore. Because your words will be carried by the wind in every directionand you wont be able to take them back. And the young woman softly wept. Friend, you can still gossip. But only gossip about the good in others. Broadcast the wonderful qualities of others to the world.

Conclusion: Whats Your Order? So far, Ive been talking about your conversations with others. But remember, the most important conversation youll ever have in your life is the conversation you have with yourself. What you say to yourself matters, because your words are prophetic. Because life is like a restaurant. And the universe is like a waiter, with pen and paper in hand, waiting for your order. What you constantly say, that waiter will deliver to you on a silver platter. I know many people who curse themselves with their words. I know people who put themselves down. They belittle themselves. They shame themselves. Ive heard people say, I cant do it, and Im no good, and Ill never be successful. They dont understand that theyre words are prophetic. Theyre creating their world by their words. Ive heard poor people say, Im poor, and I have no money, many times a day. Their words make their experience permanent. Make a decision today to bless yourself with your words.

Complement yourself. Say good things about yourself! Many times a day, announce to the world, Im blessed. Im anointed. Im favored. Im a champion. Im amazing. Im a wonderful person. Im rich in every possible way. Im the beloved of God This truth applies when you speak to others too. Because youre the first listener. If you speak encouraging words to somebody, before you encourage that person, youre actually encouraging yourself. But if you speak discouraging words to somebody, before you discourage that person, youre actually discouraging yourself. Speaking is like holding a knife without a handle. If the knife is sharp, it wounds you first before it wounds others. Let me repeat: The quality of your words will change the quality of your life. Speak Gods words and change your world!

Transformation starts with the renewing of your mind. (See Romans 12:2) I believe God has a great plan for your life. He wants to pour greatness in you. But God cannot put great things into a small mind. When your mind is small, you cannot think great things. You need to enlarge your mind. Enlarge your thinking. You need to think Gods thoughts for you to experience Gods things. Your thinking is so important, because whoever wins in the battlefield of your mind will win in the battlefield of your life The Bible says, For as he thinks in his heart, so is he Thoughts Are Things Quantum Physics says everything is energy. The ground that youre standing on, the chair youre sitting on, the sky above, even your human bodyall these are really bundles of vibrating energy. A solid brick wallin its subatomic levelisnt solid at all, but largely empty space filled with energy. And heres the shocking part. Quantum physics says thoughts are also energy. Scientists say theres really no big difference between a thing and a thought. In one very real sense, thoughts are things. Thats why thoughts are powerful.

Transform Your Thoughts, Transform Your Life Do you want to change your life? It all starts with thinking Gods thoughts.

Today, Ill talk about how your thoughts create your reality; How your thoughts create your destiny. Heres the truth: Youre a product of your thoughts. You are who you are because of the thoughts youve allowed to fill your mind. If you transform your thoughts, you transform your life. A Shocking Story Let me tell you a true story. Many years ago, after giving a talk, a Filipina and an American walked up to me. Ill call them David and Bathsheba. (In a minute, youll know why I chose these fictional names.) They acted like they were a couple. But there was something odd about them. Not only because David was American and Bathsheba was Filipina. It was also because David was tall, handsome, and young. (More or less like a writer I know. Ahem.) But Bathsheba was not so tall, not so young, and not so beautiful. And believe me, Im being very kind when I describe her in this way. If I wasnt kind, then Id describe her as really short, really old, and really ugly. But I wont say that. (Although I already did. But imagine I didnt.)

As I looked at them, I was guessing the guy was 26, at most 28, and the woman was 42. Bathsheba was the first to speak. She said, Brother Bo, I love your talk on Gods Love. I can identify. Can I share our story with you? You can imagine I was all ears. We sat down and she started talking. Bathsheeba said, I was a prostitute in Olongapo. I was a prostitute for 20 years. I have two kids from two different fathers. Prostitution was the only way I knew to feed my children. But I was so tired of what I was doing, one day, while I was at home, I knelt down. I prayed, Lord, Im going to ask something that seems impossible. Im ugly. Im a prostitute. Ive got two kids from two different fathers. But I need you to rescue me. Please give me a husband. And if possible, give me an American I wanted to tell her, Lady, youve got guts. Can I continue the story, Sweetheart? David interrupted. Of course, Darling, Bathsheba smiled. At that exact time, David said, I was walking on the street when I noticed a house with an open door. I looked through the doorway, and I saw this woman kneeling down, crying. As I looked at her, I began to cry too. I didnt know why I was crying. I walked through the

door. And I noticed, Brother Bo, that the woman was very beautiful I wanted to say, Are we talking of uh, her? Or did your tears, uh you know, block your vision? Obviously, I didnt say that. I just nodded my head, realizing once again there are certain mysteries in the world that we cannot solve. The Bermuda Triangle. The Prophecies of Nostradamus. And why David calls this woman beautiful. David went on. I introduced myself. We started talking, we started dating, and 6 months later, we got married! Miracles happen, I said. Tomorrow, Bathsheba said, were all going to the States. Hell be introducing me to his parents. I wanted to say, God have mercy on you. My goodness, those parents will need extra-strength grace! Why I Tell You The Story Even if this happened many years ago, Ill never been able to forget this story. I share with you this story not to teach single women to pray with their door open, in the hope that a potential husband will pass by. Thats not the point and what happened to Bathsheba was absolutely strange.

I share you this story to tell you about the power of thoughts. Let me ask you. Was Bathsheba ugly or beautiful? To everyone else, she was ugly. People called her ugly. People mocked her on the street. Being a prostitute was bad enough. What was worse than a prostitute was an old prostitute selling her old body at 85% discount. Even to herself, she was ugly. But one day, someone walks into her life and says, Youre beautiful. What is reality? Reality is essentially a product of our thoughts. Imagine if you think Gods thoughts? Right now, you may be like Bathsheeba. You feel ugly. You dont like yourself. And other people dont like you too. But Im here to tell you that God thinks youre amazing. God thinks youre beautiful. And that shift of thought will transform your life forever. When you think Gods thoughts, three huge things will happen. The first thing that will change will be 1. How You Think About Yourself It reminds me of another David

When God was looking for the next King of Israel, God asked Samuel the priest, Im choosing a King from the sons of Jessie of Bethlehem. So Samuel visited the house of Jesse. Where are your sons? the priest asked Jesse. And so the old man called his sons to line up in front of the Prophet. The eldest was Eliab. The Bible describes Eliab was tall, with the body of a body-builder, and good-looking. In other words, he looked like a king. But God told Samuel, Not this one. Im sure Jesse was a little bit disappointed. He called his next son to stand in front of Samuel. And God told the priest, Not this one either. Jesse called the next one. And the next one. And the next one. For every single one of them, Samuel heard God tell him, Not this one. Samuel was confused. So he asked Jesse, Youve shown me your seven sons? Yes, Jesse said, my seven sons are in front of you now. Samuel asked him, Dont you have any other sons? Jesse said, I do have one more son. But hes just a boy. Hes out with the sheep

In other words, David was the runt. The youngest. The gofer. The errand boy. Uneducated. Untrained. Rough. Filthy. Smelly. With calluses on his hands, mud on his feet, and sand on his hair. And he doesnt wear the right clothes. What Jesse really wanted to say was, Why bother looking at him? You wouldnt like him. But Samuel said, Call him anyway. He was called. The boy stood in front of Samuel. And God told Samuel, This is the guy Im choosing to be King. Think about it. Davids father didnt admire him. His brothers thought he was a pest. But thats because they were looking at him thinking their thoughts. They werent thinking Gods thoughts. Today, people around you may overlook you. People around you may take you for granted. And if people notice you, they only notice if youve done wrong. How youve failed. How youve messed up. How you fell flat on your face. But God thinks about you differently. He doesnt major in your mess. He majors in your magnificence. He doesnt focus on your fumbles, He focuses on your fabulousness.

Read the Bible and you see this exact thing happening again and again. God called Gideon a mighty man of valor when he was a coward hiding from his enemies. God called Peter the Rock at a time when Peter was a stumbling, lying, denying fisherman. And God called David King when he was but a boy smelling of sheep poop. Why? Because while youre still wrestling with your history, God is already talking about your destiny. While your thoughts are still mired in the quicksand of your past, Gods thoughts are already constructing your future. The Power Of Labels When you think Gods thoughts about yourself, people wont understand you. People want you to remain the same. People want you to be consistent with the poor image that they have of you in their minds. You see, people look at you, and theyve made already a prediction of what will happen to you in your future. And they want that prediction to be fulfilled. People have already labeled you loser and failure and mediocre and hopeless. And they want you to be consistent with these negative labels they have given you. They dont want you to shake up their picture of reality. I want you to stand up and announce to the world, Im not the labels youve given me. If God says Im a champion, then Im a champion.

Your Existence Means You Won By the mere fact that youre alive, youre already a champion. Why do I say that? Think about it. God pre-selected your sperm cell. Your sperm cell out-swam the millions of other sperm cells to connect to the egg cell. At the very moment of your conception, you already won. Youre a champion! This ordination, this Divine pre-selection isnt based on the good that youve done, on whether youve been faithful in your prayer time, or whether youve been doing your Bible reading, or whether youve been going to Mass, or whether youve been a good boy or a good girl. Because before you were in the womb of your mother, you werent praying yet. You werent doing any good yet. And yet God already saw something good in you. The Bible says, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations. God spoke that to Jeremiah but I believe He says the same words to you. Today, God will re-introduce you to who you really are. He will lift the curtain, the veil that separates you and who you really are deep in your soul.

People around you will say, Thats not you. Ive seen you before. Youre weak. Youre a failure. Youre a nobody. Youre a wimp. Youre a jerk. Youre a coward. Youre a liar. Youre a hot head Youve got to tell them, Yes, that was me. But let me introduce you to the new me. Your definition of me is based on past information. My definition of me is based on Gods thoughts about who I really am And if you think Gods thoughts, something else will change 2. How You Think Of Your Problems One day, I was facing a huge problem. I felt so troubled, I didnt know what to do. I was already having sleepless nights. My wife would wake up at 3am and shed find me still awake, tossing and turning in bed. So finally I called up one of my Mentors. I described the problem. Every detail I could remember, I shared to him My Mentor was very patient listening to my story. And then he said something that Ill never forget. He said, Is that all? Bo, thats nothing! That problem is so small, youre bigger than this. Youre so big, that problem is like dust in your shirt. Like lint in your clothes. Like mud on your shoes. Youre so much bigger! And Bo, youll have more of those tiny problems. Theyre so small, just flick them

This wasnt a nice friendly counseling session. He was my Mentor and he had my permission to be brutal with me. His words changed me. That night, I slept like a babe. Because he made me realize I was a giant! Why be bothered by tiny problems? And soon enough, those problems that I thought were gigantic blew away like mist. I troubled myself for nothing. Heres what I learned. The reason why we think our problems are big is because we think were small. But when we change the way we think about ourselves, we change how we think about our problems too. And remember: To God, all your problems are small. The Bible says, Weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning And finally, when you think Gods thoughts, you also change one last thing 3. How You Think Of Your Future I love this message because this is my story. Who would have thought that a victim of sexual abuse would be writing this to you now? Who would have thought a porn addict of 20 years would write 25

bestselling books, publish 8 magazines, and preach around the world? This can only be Gods doing. God doesnt define you by what youve done. He defines you by what He has done in you. When God talks about you, He prophecies of things yet to come. Friend, youre future is out-of-this-world beautiful. Perhaps youre like Bathsheeba. Perhaps you feel this is a dead-end for you right now. That all hope is gone. But believe that each day, God walks into the open door of your life and says youre future is beautiful. He will change everything. It may not happen overnight, but it will happen. Just keep that door open. Just never give up. Think Gods thoughts. And youll never be the same again.

How To Be A Peacemaker Today, Ill talk about how you can have more peace in your life. Mind you. Its not easy. From the beginning of time, war was there. My parents grew up during World War II. When they got married, bombs were falling from the sky. Ten million

people died because of World War II. Because of that war, in Europe alone, there were 13 million orphans. When I was growing up, it was the Vietnam War. Two million people died in that war. Heres the truth: No one wins in a war. Any war. Even the so-called Victor of the war is really a Loser too. But where do wars begin? Inside us. If theres war inside you, that war will flow outside you. If you dont like yourself, you wont like anyone else. If youre angry at yourself, youll be angry at the world too. If you dont accept your weaknesses, you wont accept other peoples weaknesses. And if you feel unworthy, youll be looking to others to fill your need of worth. Which is downright impossible. And you start blaming others for the mess in your life. When there is no peace inside you, there can be no peace outside you. The war that rages outside you is merely a reflection of the war that rages within you. Why do you fight with your friend? With your sister? With your spouse? With your parents? Sometimes, because you dont have peace within yourself. Heres what I learned. Peace flows to the people around you. Im a realist. I dont believe we can remove all the conflicts from our lives.

You see, there isnt only one kind of conflict. There are three 3 Kinds Of Conflicts People create many problems in their lives because they dont know the difference between these three conflicts. To save yourself from many problems, know the difference between them. 1. Conflicts You Shouldnt Avoid Carol and Pam have a thriving jewellery business. Carol owns the items while Pam sells them. Unknown to Carol, Pam sells it at a higher price but tells Carol how times are hard and how she sold the jewels for a bargain. When Carol discovered the deception, she figured that in the past couple of years, Pam has milked from her two million pesos. Carol called me up and asked, Brother Bo, what should I do? I tossed the question back, What do you want to do? A part of me just wants to let it be. To forget about it. Anyway, I still earn from the business. And besides, Pam is a friend and I dont want to lose the friendship. But Carol, I dont think theres a real friendship.

I knew my words stung. Carol remained silent at the other end of the line. Carol, let me ask you a question. Do you care for Pam? Yes, I do. Then fight her. Dont let her remain in sin. Confront. Be angry. Present the evidence. If she repents, then the friendship may be repaired. If not, in one sense, you dont lose anything. It was already lost the moment Pam started deceiving you. This is what I mean by necessary fights. When your husband is beating you up, either physically or emotionallyfight him. Get out of the house. Seek help from a temporary shelter. Never come back until he seeks help for his violent nature. Why? Because you love yourselfand you love the person who is abusing you. If you dont fight, youre tolerating his or her sin. Thats not love! Jesus said, If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. (Matthew 15:18) I repeat. We need to correct because we love. A wise man once said, If you enjoy correcting someone, dont. We correct someone not because of revenge or a desire to punish or humiliate someone. We shouldnt enjoy correction. Its always painful to do so. But we do it because we love.

And then theres the second kind of conflict 2. Conflicts You Cant Avoid Someone asked me, Bo, what if you move heaven and earth to heal a broken relationship, but the other person doesnt want to? Then at least you tried, I told her. Youve tried to reconcile. God sees your effort. The ball is in the other court now. In the Bible, David had a love-hate relationship with King Saul. David loved Saul, and he wanted to play music for him. He wanted to slay his enemies for him. And he wanted to give him a few cute grandchildren. (Yep, Saul was his father-in-law.) But King Saul was jealous of the young mans growing fans club. The old man was terribly insecure and saw him as a threat to the crown. This love-hate relationship was so absurd; David had to be skilful at playing his harp while dodging low-flying spears thrown by Saul in sudden fits of insane jealousy. Now thats what you call a flexible musician. Thats why St. Paul says, If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.(Romans 12:18) Read that inserted phrase again: As far as it depends on you I love Paul for putting that in. Because there are some conflicts in our lives when it doesnt depend on us anymore. If youve tried to reconcile,

but the other person insists on fighting you, live your life. Be happy. The Lord will fight for you; you have only to be still. (Exodus 14:14) And if he finally comes to his senses, offer your love anew. And now for the third kind of conflict 3. Conflicts You Should Avoid This is the bulk of our conflicts. And this is where I want to dwell on for my message today. I believe that you can avoid 99% of your potential conflicts. Personally, I dont want to have a single unnecessary conflict in my life. If I can avoid it, I will. Why? From experience, a single conflict drains me, saps my energy, robs my attention, and wastes my time Energy, attention, and time that I should be spending in achieving my dreams. Its a no brainer, really. Ill avoid conflicts because Im conserving my resources. Theyre needed in more productive projects! No wonder so many people cant move forward towards their goals. They have no resources left. Follow my advice. Choose your battles. How do you avoid 99% of your conflicts? You do it by following 4 powerful strategies of a Peacemaker. 1.Be Faithful 2.Be Forbearing

3.Be Flexible 4.Be Foolish Today, Ill discuss the first two StrategiesBe Faithful and Be Forbearing. (Next week, Ill discuss the other twoBe Flexible and Be Foolish. Plus an extra Bonus fifth Strategy.) Heres the first Strategy of avoiding unnecessary conflicts. 1. Be Faithful I first read about emotional bank accounts from Stephen Covey. And the insight is genius. We have an emotional bank account with each person we relate to. Like an ordinary bank account, we make deposits and withdrawals to that account. When we show we care for that person, no matter how small, we deposit to that persons emotional bank account. But when we take that person for granted or when we offend that person, we make withdrawals. But if there are sufficient deposits in that relationship, the account or relationship doesnt get closed. We all make mistakes. Mistakes are forgivable. Its when the withdrawals outnumber the deposits, thats when the account is closed or the relationship breaks down. Conflicts happen when the friendship is neglected. The best defence is still offence. My wife and I have a fantastic relationship. One reason: Each day, my wife and I work at our marriage. Each day, we make deposits to our emotional bank account.

A great relationship requires great work. It just doesnt happen. Let me give you another example. The top leaders in my spiritual family, Light of Jesus, dont just have business meetings. We do three important things to work on our relationships. Each week, every Tuesday, we have very long, very inefficient business meetings. We meet from breakfast till lunch. Thats five hours. Yes, its insane. Business gurus will call it a major time-waster. All the Business books I read today call for short business meetings. In their eyes, we fail miserably. Because in our meetings, theres lots of laughter and banter not related to the business at hand. But I like keeping it that way. Because were not just about the work. Were about building lifetime friendships that will last until Heaven. Because our relationships are our mission. Our relationships are our message. People will know that were His disciples by the love that we have for one another. And every two weeks, top leaders meet in small groups (which we call Caring Groups) and share our personal storiesour joys and sorrows. That way, were friends first before were co-workers. Aside from that, we do something utterly crazy something that I havent heard anyone else do. About four times a year, we take an extended trip together. Last month, we hopped on a huge bus and took off to Baguio for four days. No business meetings. We just wanted to bond as brothers. Sometimes, we take our families in these crazy trips.

What are we doing? Were making regular deposits of love to each others emotional bank accounts. Be faithful. Heres the second strategy 2. Be Forbearing If you want to avoid unnecessary conflicts, you need to learn how to accept others weaknesses. My wife has learned to live with my many weaknesses. Example? Im totally clueless when it comes with directions. I get lost inside my house. Sweetheart, wheres the toilet again? Okay, thats an exaggeration. But Im clueless where the North, South, East, and West are. Shes accepted that as a fact of life and lives with it. She doesnt get frustrated when we get lost on the road. Im also not good working with my hands. I can change a light bulb, yes. But dont expect me to do anything else. My wife knows that. Shes totally given up the stereotypical expectation that husbands can fix stuff around the house. Today, she insists that I stay away from any malfunctioning equipment, lest I end up destroying it even more. Another weakness? I tend to forget where I park my car. I can memorize an entire Talk verbatim with 8 major points and 63 sub-points, but I canteven if my life depended on itremember where I parked my car in a parking lot. Crazy but true. And my wife has learned to live with that. When I ask her, Sweets, where did I park the

car? she doesnt get angry. She just smiles. She knows shes married to this one-of-a-kind human being. Thats forbearance. Ive learned to live with my wifes weaknesses too. And if you think Ill talk about them here, youre wrong. Talking about my wifes weaknesses has been proven to be hazardous to my health and endangers my existence in this universe. But I forbear. When her weaknesses show, I just smile. Actually, theyre not weaknesses. Theyre just part of who she isand I love the entire package. Thats why we avoid a lot of conflicts in our marriage. St. Paul says,Forbear with one another (Colossians 3:13) and Therefore, accept one another (Romans 15:17) Next week, Ill share with you the third and fourth strategy of avoiding unnecessary conflicts in your life, plus a Bonus strategy. May your dreams come true, Bo Sanchez Do You Have Happytudes? Today, Id like to talk about how happiness is an attitude. Heres the truth: Happiness doesnt depend on your external situation, but on your internal disposition. Your happiness doesnt depend on whether you get a pay increase or not. It doesnt depend on whether youll

be able to lose 10 pounds or not. It doesnt depend on whether you have an iPhone or not. It doesnt depend on whether the stock market is up or not. It doesnt depend on whether you have a boyfriend or not. As shocking as this may sound, your happiness doesnt depend on any external thing. Your happiness depends on only one thing: Do you have a happy attitude? Do you have happitude? For the next 4-weeks, Id like to share with you how to be happy. In this series, my prayer is that youll develop stronger happitudes. My prayer is that youll be a happier person, no matter what is happening around you. What Are Your Rules To Happiness? Where does happitude come from? Your attitude, whether happy or unhappy, is based on your personal rules to happiness. Anthony Robbins says each person has his own rules to happiness. We set them up. Wechoose them. We design them. We craft them. And we write them in our hearts. Let me introduce you to two friends. Lets call them Ernie and Bert. (Any resemblance to two characters who live in a street named after a seed beginning with the letter S is purely coincidental.) Ernie and Bert are very different from each other. Bert is rarely happy. Hes always complaining about something. He complains about the food he eats, about the bed he sleeps in, about his neighbor who happens to be a vampire who likes to count (Any similarity to actual characters is purely coincidental.)

Ernie is totally different. Ernie is almost always happy. Everywhere he goes, he has this big smile on his face, hes humming a tune. He loves life. He loves people. Why are these two men different? Think about it. They live in the same apartment. They eat the same food. They have the same neighborhood. They have the same friendsa giant bird, a green frog, and a female pig. (I repeat: Any similarity to actual characters is purely coincidental.) They have the same external situation. But Ernie and Bert have very different internal dispositions. Ernie has lots of happitude. Bert lacks it. Why? Because of their personal rules to happiness. Perhaps these are Berts rules to happiness: Ill be happy only if the temperature is exactly 78.26 degrees Fahrenheit. Ill be happy only if my fried egg for breakfast is half-cooked in the middle but is brown and crisp on the outside. Ill be happy onlyif I marry a woman whose vital statistics is 36-24-36, has won an international beauty contest, is a gourmet cook, is a multimillionaire, speaks French, has the singing voice of Celine Dion, and is insane enough to fall in love with me. Berts rules make it very difficult for him to be happy. Why? Because he set up very complicated rules to happiness. Perhaps these are Ernies rules of happiness.

Ill be happy if I laugh with my friends over pizza. Ill be happy if I pray. Ill be happy if Im able to take a walk on the street and chat with a furry monster addicted to cookies. Ill be happy if I watch a movie. Ill be happy if I can get a good nights sleep. A little side note: I always call the Feast, our weekly spiritual gathering,The happiest place on earth. Why? One major reason: Because the people who go there are happy people. Even before they step into the Feast, theyre already happy. They brought the happiness with them. The preaching, the music, the worshipthese are all a bonus. Just by the mere fact that theyre there already makes them very happy. Thats what you call a happitude! Nothing has to happen for them to be happy. Theyve chosen to be happy, period. Dont get me wrong. I always teach you to have big dreams. But even before you reach your dreams, youre already happy. In fact, Ive realized that if you wont be happy before you reach your dreams, youll never be happy after you reach them. Let me ask you a question. What are your rules to happiness? Create simple rules for you to be happy! Set them up in such a way that its easy for you to be happy and difficult for you to be unhappy. Dont complicate your rules to happiness.

Friend, the choice is yours. Allow yourself to be happier more frequently. In the next 4 weeks, well go through 4 powerful Happytudes based on the Beatitudes of Jesus: Be open, be hopeful, be pure, and be peaceful. Apply these attitudes into your life and your life will never be the same again. Heres the first Happitude. Happitude 1: Poor In Spirit Jesus said, Happy are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:3) What does poor in spirit mean? I know many are confused by that phrase. Heres a common misconception: Being poor in spirit means someone who is far away from God. Thats not true. (How can that person be happy?) Heres the best definition for poor in spirit I know: Someone who is desperate for God. Someone who knows that he needs God and sees Him as the source of all His blessings. For years now, I love sharing this story. One day, a younger monk searched for an elderly monk up in the mountains. For months, he searched for him. Finally, hidden in the forest, he found his small hut. He knocked on the door. When the older monk opened it, the younger monk knelt down and asked, Master, what is your secret of holiness? I cannot tell you. But I can show you, declared the older man. Follow me. Both men walked in silence until they saw a huge river. The older monk held the young mans arm and walked into the river.

When the water was waist deep, suddenly, without any warning, the elderly man grabbed his disciples head, and dunked him into the river. In the water, the young monk panicked, his arms flailing wildly. He couldnt breathe! But the older man kept holding him down. Finally, when the young fellow was turning blue and was about to say hello to St. Peter, the older man pulled him upand the young fellow frantically sucked air. Even before the look of terror could leave the young monks face, the wise monk looked him in the eye and said, If you can be desperate for God the way you are desperate for air right now, youll be holy. Lesson is over. Class dismissed. 3 Postures Of The Heart Do you want to be happy? Let me say it again. Happiness doesnt depend on your external situation, but on your internal disposition. In other words, happiness depends on the posture of your heart. There are 3 common Postures of the Heart: Proud, Pitiful, and Prepared. Imagine a crazy scenario. Imagine a plane loaded with crates of newly minted money. All of a sudden, two of its engines burst into flames. The pilot realized that the only way to save the plane was to unload its precious cargo. So at mid-air, they throw away the crates of money. So on a particular area, it began to rain thick wads of cash.

There happened to be three people standing under that very unique rain: Mr. Proud, Mr. Pitiful, and Mr. Prepared. 1. Mr. Proud Mr. Proud was a boastful man. He acted as though he had everything. (He didnt know that he was the most insecure fellow in town.) Mr. Proud had a favorite posture. He always stood with arms crossed in front of his chest. Always tight. Always stiff. Always closed. So when it began raining P1000 paper bills all around him, he just looked. Im not poor. And Im definitely not a beggar. Why will I get that money? Maybe its dirty. Maybe its counterfeit. So he kept his arms folded across his chest looking smug and didnt catch a single paper bill. There are people like that. I say this often, but let me say it again: Theres no shortage of Gods blessings. There is only a shortage of readiness to receive Gods blessings. Recently, I was talking to a friend who was asking for prayers for his son. Hes been jobless for a year, he said. No job offers? I asked him. The problem isnt the job market. There are many jobs out there. The problem is my son. Hes too proud. He wants to start as a manager! Oh no. And he doesnt want to work too far from the house. Because he doesnt want to be seen riding the bus. He said if I want him to work far away, I should give him a car.

I shook my head. In other words, your son isnt desperate. And only desperate people become great successes. Hmm, I wonder. Are you still feeding him, housing him, and giving him a nice monthly allowance? With a loud sigh, my friend said, Yeah. Hes too comfortable. The only way for your son to go out there and eat humble pie is if he becomes desperate. I explained, Desperate people do desperate things. Desperate people work as a janitor if necessary. Desperate people work two hours away. And desperate people ride the bus! The Bible says, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6) I dont believe God actively opposes the proud. Pride has its natural consequences, and I believe He passively allows the natural consequences of pride to catch up with the proud person. In reality, its the proud person who opposes the blessings that are meant for his life. 2. Mr. Pitiful The second person under that very unique rain was Mr. Pitiful. Mr. Pitiful always felt sorry for himself. His mind was obsessed with the problems in his life. What was his posture? His eyes were cast downward. His hands were limp on the side. Because of his posture, Mr. Pitiful doesnt catch any money falling from the sky. In fact, he was so absorbed thinking of his own miseries, he didnt even see money falling from the sky. Recently, I met another jobless person. He told me, God doesnt love me. Nothing is happening in my life.

He said so many things were going against him. He said that he didnt finish college. And he was already 46 years old. And he was also sickly. I asked, Have you ever tried applying for a sales job? He said, I dont know how to sell. I dont think I can sell. Have you tried applying in a Call Center? I heard some companies accept people your age. He shook his head. Ill feel out of place. Everyone there is very young. How about starting a small business? Ill probably fail. Oh, you will fail. No question about it. Thats entrepreneurship. But you just have to start again. I cant take failure. I give up too quickly. It was impossible to talk to him. He didnt like solutions. He just wanted someone to pity him. Friend, get rid of self-pity from your life. See the blessings that you already have and the blessings that are coming your way. Take on a grateful heart. And youll receive even more blessings! And now the third posture 3. Mr. Prepared Mr. Prepared was a man who liked looking up. When he saw the money falling from the sky, he opened his arms really wide, catching a lot of money. Do you believe that Gods blessings are falling on you everyday? Do you wake up every morning believing theres abundance everywhere?

If youre desperate for God, youre open to receive more! One day, someone came up to me and said, Bo, I believe God plays favorites. Why do you say that? I asked. He said, Take yourself, for instance. Youre spiritual life is strong; Your ministry is growing; Your family life is tight; Your businesses are expanding. It only means one thing. God plays favorites and youre one of them. I told him, I dont believe that God plays favorites. The Bible says that the sun shines on both the bad and the good and the rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45). God doesnt play favorites. We play favorites. I dont get it. I explained. One of my earliest spiritual mentors was a nun by the name of Sr. Angelina Lim. When I was 13 years old, she taught me that Gods love is like rain that falls from the sky. Some go out into the rain bringing a cup and get a cup full of rain. Some bring out a pitcher and get a pitcher full of rain. Some bring out a pail and get a pail full of rain. Some bring out a drum and get a drum full of rain. Some bring out a swimming pool and get a swimming pool of rain! The container represents the opening of your heart to God. I get it, my friend said. But Bo, I still think youre lucky. Yes Im lucky. But I define luck in a different way. My friend Dean Pax Lapid says, Luck consists of Preparedness and Opportunity. I see the opportunity because Im prepared.

Most of my financial mentors started poor. They went through a lot of pain and humiliation. But they became wealthy because the pain and humiliation made them desperate. And desperate people do desperate things. One of my mentors told me a story. He said, When I was a young man, Id go door-todoor selling window blinds. In one of my sales calls, I visited a businessman, and gave him my proposal written in a letter. The businessman looked at my letter, smirked, and threw it on the floor. Thats terrible, I said. He didnt have the decency to simply return the letter to him. The man threw it on the floor just to insult me. It was so painful. Do you know what I did? What? I picked it up and said, Thank you, Sir. I walked out and knocked on another door. And another door. And another door. I ate humiliation for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Today, 32 years later, my mentors companywhich still sells window blindsnow sells over a billion pesos each year. How come? Because once upon a time, my mentor was desperate. He explained to me why. Bo, when I started, I had no choice. I was kicked out of college. My grades were very bad. So having a job and climbing the corporate ladder wasnt an option for me. The only way open to me was to build my business. I love this passage: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your

ways acknowledge Him, And He shall directyour paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Be humble before God. And you too will receive the blessings of God like a downpour. God Waits For You May I share with you a love story? A true love story. This happened recently. In March 16, 1521, when Magellan came to the Philippines Just kidding. Let me skip a few centuries and fast forward to 1910 (Recent is relative.) This is the love story of Tomas and Magdalena. Tomas fell in love with a beautiful young lady named Magdalena. (If this happened today, theyd be called Tom and Maggie.) Magdalenas father was a full-blooded Spaniard.

Being half-Spanish, she was a mestiza. And her family spoke only Spanish. Tomas was the total opposite. He was a brownskinned fellow who couldnt speak a single word of Spanish. Perhaps thats an exaggeration. He spoke the few words that we know. Like Pastillas de Leche. Agua Oxenada. And of course, Poso Negro. But he was in love. And he decided to pursue her no matter what. Even if he didnt know how to speak in Spanish, he decided that hed just say the three words he knew. When he knocked on the door of her house, it was Magdalenas father who opened the door. He almost died. The old man said, Buenos dias, Tomas. Tomas swallowed hard and said with a trembling voice, Si. (Okay, he knew four words.) The father pointed to the couch and said, Sienta. Tomas said again, Si. Magdalenas father then asked the young man, Que quieres comer? (Meaning: What do you want to eat?).

Tomas didnt understand a thing he was saying. So he just smiled and muttered, Pastillas de Leche. The older man wondered why Tomas was so specific about what he wanted to eat. He then asked him, Que quieres beber? (Meaning: What do you want to drink?). Tomas was again totally lost. He blurted out the second word he knew. Agua Oxenada. Magdalenas father scratched his head, wondering what kind of bafoon he was talking to. He asked, Donde vives? (Meaning: Where do you live?) Of course, he had to say the last word he had in his vocabulary. Poso Negro. Im exaggerating. What really happened was Magdalenas parents told her, Tomas isnt one of us. From now on, Tomas cannot enter into this house ever again. During that time, a parents word was the final word. Poor Tomas. Broken-hearted, he went to Hongkong to work in a PNB branch there. He wanted to forget the pain of losing Magdalena forever. A Marriage To Another Man

Pablo was a Doctor. More importantly, he was mestizo and spoke Spanish. And he was accepted by Magdalenas parents right away. And in a few months, Magdalena married Pablo. But soon, Magdalena woke up to a very harsh reality. She discovered that her husband Pablo was a hopeless womanizer. He would have many, many affairs. His infidelities would wound her heart again and again. And after 13 years of a very painful marriage, tragedy struck. One day, Pablo was in his clinic. And a man barged into the door. In his hand was a long knife. And he screamed, I will kill you! Pablo recognized the man. He was the husband of one of his patientsa woman he was courting. Pablo ran to the streets. But he wasnt fast enough. In a busy intersection in Manila, Pablo was stabbed to death. This crime appeared in the newspapers at that time Love Is Sweeter The Second Time Around

A new suitor comes into the picture: Pablo.

A few days later, Tomas was in Hongkong reading the newspapers. He read about the stabbing and said, Poor guy. He looked at the name of the man who was killedand it sounded familiar. Suddenly, he realized who the man was. And he packed his bags! Even after 13 long years, he was never able to forgot Magdalena. He took the next ship back to Manila. Straight from the port, Tomas went straight to the house of Magdalena. On that fateful morning, Magdalena couldnt believe her eyes when she opened the door. It was like a scene from the movie of Bea and John Lloyd. Imagine it. Framed in the doorway was a familiar figure. It looked like Tomas! At that moment, time stopped. Everything became a blur. Was it really him? The sunlight was behind him. Magdalena looked closer. For a long time, no one spoke. Finally, Magdalena said, Tomas? Tomas smiled and said, Magdalena There in front of her, on her doorsteps, was a man she once loved many, many years ago.

But for Tomas, it was very different. He had never stopped loving her. So he courted her again and serenaded her again. And he won her heart. One year after, they got married. They only had one child. And they named her Pilar. Pilar grew up, got married and had 6 children. And named the 6th child, Bo. Grandpa Tomas Is A Little Bit Insane If youre single, Im not talking to you. I dont want you to be like my grandpa Tomas. If your beloved chose someone else, move on. You see, my Lolo was a little bit insane. Who would wait for 13 years when the person you love chose someone else, married someone else, and had a life of her own? (Magdalena had one child with Pablo.) But Im not speaking to singles. Im speaking to everyone.

Because my grandpa Tomas reminds me of God. God is also a little bit insane.

God loves you more than He loves Himself. Thats why He ended up on a crossfor you. God is your hero.

How many times have you rejected God? (I know Ive rejected his call many times.) How many times did you choose someone or something else? Sin? Materialism? Pride? Addiction? Yet God doesnt walk out on you. He doesnt abandon you. He never says, If you dont like me, I dont like you too. Instead, God waits. And He wont stop waiting. He waits until you allow Him to love you. He waits until we allow Him to become a Hero for us. God Is Your Hero Remember our definition of hero? Someone who loves somebody more than himself. Friend, thats a perfect description of who God is.

God Will Use You If You Say Yes Today, Ill talk to you about a woman named Rahab. Who is Rahab? Shes a prostitute. Shocked? But thats our big message for today: God will use anyone who says yes. The Israelites, under commander Joshua, sent spies into Jericho to scout the area. Out of all the thousands of people in Jericho, God chose a prostitute to help them. (See Joshua 2:1-12) Let me summarize the story into two points: 1. God chose Rahab. 2. Rahab said Yes. Thats it! Think about it. What if Rahab said, Not me, Lord. Im a bad woman. You cant trust me. Ive done bad stuff you cant even imagine. This wont work. Why dont you talk to my neighbor, Liza. She goes to church. She doesnt have a tattoo on her arm like I do. She doesnt wear miniskirts like me. She reads the Bible everyday. She plays Christian music on her iPod. And most importantly, she hasnt slept with 854 men like I have!

Right now, you may be saying the same thing. You may be saying, Im not worthy. Let me clean up my act first before God will use me. But thats not how God operates. Heres the truth: You cant clean up your act on your own. Just give yourself to Him, and both you and God will clean up your act together. Heres one of my favorite passages: God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27) Bad History? No Problem. One day, I was reading the ancestors of Jesus. Because Jesus was Jesus, His Genealogy was quite impressive. It had the heavy weights of the Bible in that list. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, But in that Genealogy, inserted in various places were 4 surprising characters: Tamar, Bathsheeba, Ruth, and Rahab. Tamar slept with her father-in-law. The story is so distasteful, I dont want to write it down here. (See Genesis 38.) The second woman is Bathsheba, an adulteress. While her husband Uriah was fighting in the battlefield risking life and limb, she was lying on Davids comfortable king-sized bed making a baby.

Not a very good wife, if you ask me. Next was Ruth. She was a Moabites widow. That may mean nothing to you. But to the Jew, she meant bad luck. Let me explain a bit about the Jewish mindset. In their thinking, a foreigner was not saved. Not chosen by God. Not favored by God. To top it all, Moab was a sinful place. It was like Sodom and Gomorrah. Plus the fact that she was a widow. And finally, there was Rahab. A prostitute. Oh my gosh. Four women. Not very good choices at all. Heres my question: Couldnt God have selected better women to be in the bloodline of Jesus? Perhaps a woman who didnt cheat on her husband? Or a woman who didnt sell her body for money? A woman who was responsible, disciplined, mature? But thats how God operates. If God found these 4 women good enough to become the blood ancestors of Jesus, He can really use anyone.

God isnt interested in your background. Hes not interested on where you came fromHes interested in where youre going. Hes not interested on what you didHes interested in what youre going to do. Hes not interested on how youve failed Him in your past, Hes interested on how youll serve Him in your future. He can use me. He can use you. In Gods equation, your past doesnt define your future. This Is How God Works Ive always wondered why God chose Peter. He was temperamental. When some soldiers came to arrest Jesus, very impulsively, he pulled out a knife and cut one of the soldiers ear. Yet a couple of hours later, in front of a lowly maid, all his guts vanished. The girl asked, Arent you with that Jesus guy? Arent you his disciple or something? And this brave man said, Je what? Jesus? Uh, I havent heard that name before. No, Im sure youre with him, the woman said. Peter said, Gee woman, youve got the wrong number. I dont know what youre talking about. Lets review. Peter was temperamental. Peter was impulsive. Peter was violent. And Peter was a coward. And yet Jesus still chose him to be the leader of the disciples. He in fact became the first Pope of our Church.

Thats how God works. He chooses imperfect people all the time. What am I saying? You have no excuse not to serve God. You Have No Excuse Go through the Bible and youll be shocked to see others who how were also unfit to serve Godyet ended up serving God. Abraham was too old. Jeremiah was too young. Gideon was too fearful. Elijah was too ugly. Moses was too un-eloquent. David was too frail. Deborah was too plain. Zacchaeus was too greedy. Mary Magdalene was too sinful. The Samaritan woman had too many husbands. Bartimaeus was too blind. Lazarus was too dead. Mother Mary was too unknown.

And yet God chose every single one of them and made them serve Him. Perhaps you have been giving excuses so you wont serve God. Im too bad. Im too sinful. Im too impatient. Im too selfish.

 Im too poor. Im too ungifted. Im too uneducated. Im too quiet. Im too sick. Im too young. Im too old. But if God wants you to serve Him, your weakness cant stop Gods plan for your life. Your weakness, your fault, your sin, your flaw dont disqualify you from Gods wonderful plan for your life. God Will Not Waste Your Weaknesses Dont be discouraged by your weaknesses. God will use your weaknesses to bless the world. Just look at some of my friends who serve with me. Pio Espanol had a weakness. He was a womanizer. As a married man, he was maintaining 3 girlfriends. Once upon a time, his marriage was on the brink of separation. But today, Pio and his wife Bebot have healed many marriages. (Once upon a time, he was maintaining 3 girlfriends. Today, hes maintaining 3 Feast areas Singapore and Canada and the entire province of Rizal!) Roy Pasimio had a weakness. He had all the vices of the world. For many years, Roy Pasimio would be rarely at home. Hed always be going out drinking and womanizing. God has changed this man. Today, you still cant find him at home. Because he has become a missionary. Roy, together with his wife Rorie, go to different countries, building Gods Kingdom. Roy started mission Feasts in London, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Middle East

Their weaknesses went away. But what about weaknesses that stay with us for a long time? Can God still use us? Alvin Barcelona has a weakness. Fourteen years ago, he had cancer that almost took his life. Even if that happened a long time ago, sometimes, he tells me that he still feels afraid that hell die tomorrow. Some self-righteous person might ask him, Alvin, where is your trust in God? How can you preach? But thats his present weakness. Yet Ive seen how God has used Alvinin mighty waysto bless people who have the same fears. Arun Gogna? This tall, big man has a phobia for flying. How could someone who has faith in God be afraid of flying? But thats his present weakness. When I flew with him, I felt his fear, and I was tempted to hold his hand. But that would look awkward. Today, this preacher combats his fears anddespite his fearflies around the world proclaiming Gods Love. My weakness? I had an addiction that lasted for 20 years. Thankfully, my pornography addiction is gone. But I have other addictions. I continue to battle my approval addiction. Everyday, I need to differentiate between pleasing others vs. loving others. (I have many more weaknesses. Give me an entire day to tell them to you.) I wish I had more time to tell you about my other fellow-preachers. Because all our leaders have weaknessesand theyre open about it. In fact, a very important credential for all our leaders is the ability to confess their weaknesses to others. We Welcome Anyone In Our Spiritual Family

We accept anyone who wants to join our spiritual family, the Light of Jesus. Anyone can be a member. The wounded. The broken. The sinful. The immoral. The irreligious. Why? Because Jesus didnt come to huddle with the holy. He didnt come to seek the saintly. He came to love the lost and save the sinner. I believe God created the Church not for the perfect. God created the Church for the imperfect. (If youre perfect, you dont need the Church. Or God for that matter.) And heres something that shocks a lot of people: We accept anyone who wants to serve in our ministrieseven people who dont have it all together. Because we believe serving has a way of healing you and making you grow. For example, we accept people struggling with pornography or alcoholism or adultery or premarital sex or homosexuality in our various ministries. Some of those greeting at the door as ushers, or some of those serving in musicthey dont have it all together. Some are still broken. Some are still wounded. But thats okay. The Church is for them. One day, someone came up to me and said, Im not married with my partner. Im separated from my wife. My partner is separated from her husband. We cant get married because our previous marriages havent been annulled by the Church. But we want to serve God

I hugged them and said, Welcome! Come and serve the Lord with me. Ill guide them to get those papers in orderand pray that theyll get married soon. But Ill make them servants today. Why? I believe that it is God who will transform people not me. And transformation isnt an event but a journey. And I will respect that journey. I will walk with them in that journey of transformation. (Note: Obviously, there are degrees of service. Not everyone can serve as a leader. Leaders will have to be a bit more advanced in that journey of transformation.) But anyone can serve if hes willing to serve. My friend George Gabriel loves to say, Ang walis, maski madumi, nakakalinis. Youre like a broom. The broom is dirty. But it still can clean. Even if you dont have it all together, if youre still struggling with various things in your life, you can still serve God and be a big blessing to many people. Say Yes to God today. He will do the rest. My Lack Was Gods Opportunity Im not just talking of moral failure.

Others failures dont disqualify you to serve God too. This year, my eldest son is graduating Grade school. So last week, my eldest son was filling out an application form for different High Schools. He asked me, Dad, did you have to do this? I said, Yes I did. I smiled, I was rejected. Why? he asked. Because I failed the entrance exam. And these High Schools only accepted black and white report cards. My report card was very colorful. They wanted a boring report card, not an exciting one like mine. Why did God choose me? I had no credentials. I wasnt intelligent. I wasnt good in school. Today, I realize I have no other credential except one: I said yes to God. Thats it. And that was enough for God. Have you failed in the past? And are you asking now if God can use a failure like you? All you have to do is look at me. I was a failure. I was not very intelligent. Yet God decided to use me. If God can use someone like me, God can use someone like you.

Because what stands in between you and your dreams are your fears. Read carefully: Your fears can either be a Wall and a Way. For many people, fear is a Wall. When they smell fear, they run away. They give up their dreams. For some people, fear is a Way. Its a door to a whole new world of abundance and blessing. When they smell fear, they know that abundance is near. All they need to do is walk through the door of their fear. Thank God For Fear! Does being courageous mean not being afraid? Not at all. God gave us fear for a purpose. That purpose is to take us out of danger. For example, I thank God Im afraid of snakes. If I see a cobra in front of me, I wont stand here and say Hi. I wont go religious and pray in tongues and cast out the spirit of snakeness from the snake. Youll see me running away as fast as I can.

Do It Afraid Today, Id like to talk about courage. If you want to fulfill your dreams, youve got to have courage.

Thank God for fear. But be careful with fear. Because when fear becomes overwhelming, itll control you. When it does,

fear wont only take you away from danger and death and destruction. Itll take you away from your dreams too. Youve heard this many times. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is doing the right thing in the midst of fear. When your heart is pounding. When your knees are shaking. When your sweat is dripping. And you do the right thing anyway. Thats courage. Last week, I defined commitment as Doing the hard stuff. Today, I define courage as Doing it afraid. Unless you do it afraid, youll never achieve any success. Perhaps youve failed in your business. Perhaps youve been rejected by people. Perhaps youve been booted out of your job. So right now, youre afraid of being rejected again. My word to you? Do it afraid. Trust God and go out and try again. And believe that God has something great in store for you. Are you single? Perhaps youve been hurt by a man before. Perhaps he used you, walked out on you, and chose someone else. Right now, youre afraid of being hurt all over again. My word to you? Do it afraid. Learn from your mistakes. But trust in God and open your heart to the new person that He will give you.

Once upon a time, there was a woman who did it afraid How A Woman Saved A Nation Let me tell you the story of Esther. Esther was a beautiful Jewish woman who became the wife of the King of Persia. But Persia had a wicked Prime Minister named Haman who wanted to kill all the Jews. He was like an ancient Hitler who wanted to wipe them off the face of the earth. The Jews only hope was Esther. She was the only one who could stop the massacre. Married women might say, Oh, thats easy. All she has to do is tell her hubby to throw out the prime minister. Or its the couch for him tonight. It didnt work that way 2500 years ago in ancient Persia. They had this crazy law: It was a crime against Persian law for anyone to appear before the King uninvited. Even if youre the queen. Anyone who does so will be executed. But Esther was a woman of courage. She told the Jews to fast and pray for her. She said, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. If I must die for doing it, I will die. (Esther 4:16) In fact, this was what almost happened. When the King saw Esther in front of him uninvited, he got very

angry. But he took pity on her and asked her to come to him. When Esther told him about Hamans evil plan, he had Haman executedand the Jews were saved. God says to you, Be determined and confident. Do not be afraid of them. (Deuteronomy 31:6) What Are You Afraid Of? Think about it. The same person, the King of Persia, could execute her or save her people from annihilation. The King was both the source of her fear and also the source of her freedom. Remember my lesson earlier: See your fear as a door. Its not a Wall, but a Way. Walk through the door of your fear and youll walk towards your dreams. Everything that you want in lifehappiness, friendship, abundance, blessingsis right after the door of fear. Let me say it again. Esther didnt get rid of her fear. She just did it afraid. She did the right thing even when she was still afraid. But thats the secret to overcoming fear and achieving great success. Esthers love for her people was bigger than her fear. Thats why she faced the King of Persia at the risk of losing her life.

In the same way, make your love bigger than your fearand you can do anything. You can reach your dreams. When your fear is the biggest thing in your life, you get stuck. You dont grow. You remain there for the rest of your life. Do you feel as though nothing is happening in your career? In your spiritual life? In your relationships? Do you feel stuck? Find something thats bigger than your fear, and youll be able to walk through the door of fear. What Is Bigger Than Your Fear? In my preaching ministry, I had to do it afraid many times. The first time I had to talk to 10,000 people at the Araneta Coliseum, I was afraid. I was 16 years old. While waiting for my name to be called, I was literally shaking in my knees. My heart was pounding in my chest so loudly, I wondered if the people beside me were hearing it. Uh, excuse me, those bongo drums youre hearing is just my heart beating. I was behind the big stage, awed at the massive audience around me. I didnt help that at 16, I looked like a malnourished refugee. I was so thin, if the fan blew in my direction, I had to hold on to something.

I asked myself, What am I doing here? What was I thinking saying yes to give a talk to this humongous crowd? For crying out loud, Im 16 years old. I have nothing to tell them! But I remember what I told myself that day. I said, Im here to love them, not impress them. Let them laugh at me. Let them boo me off the stage. Its okay. Im here to love them. My name was called. I stepped on stage. I did it afraid and loved them. Before I knew it, my fear was gone. The secret to courage? Make your love bigger than your fear. Make your dream bigger than your fear. Make your God bigger than your fear. That wasnt the last time I did it afraid. There were many more occasions in my preaching ministry. The first time I spoke to an international audience (it was in Canada), I did it afraid. The first time I gave a talk to a roomful of Executives, I did it afraid. The first time I gave a talk to roomful of Judges, I did it afraid. (They looked so stern. And none of them were laughing at my jokes! It was like they were, uh, judging me.) The first time I gave a talk to a roomful of Bishops and Priests, I did it afraid. I asked myself, What did I know that they didnt know? Whatever Ill tell, they already

studied about during their 4 years in Philo and 4 years in Theo! But each time, I stepped on stage and told myself, Yes, Im afraid. But Ill love them. Heres what I noticed. God expanded my ministry to the degree I was willing to do it afraid. Its the same with all of life. Your life will only grow in direct proportion to your willingness to do it afraid. You cant even follow God if you wont do it afraid. It Takes Guts To Be Good Courage is the basic ingredient for any virtue. Without courage, you cant follow God. It takes guts to be good. Without courage, you cant be loving, or loyal, or humble, or honest, or committed, or faithful Let me give you an analogy. If the different virtues are different flavors of ice cream, courage is the milk in the ice cream. You cant have ice cream without milk. Its in all flavors. In the same way, you cant have virtue without courage. Courage is in all the virtues. He Said, Ill Do It Gods Way

My friend Tom was a Med Rep for a Pharma company. Tom told me that in his province, it was S.O.P. that Med Reps drank with the Doctors and gave them women. In fact, his own Boss told him that he wouldnt succeed in his job if he didnt drink with the boys and offer girls to his clients. Being the rookie in the job, he felt ashamed to decline. Even if in his conscience, he knew it was wrong. So he went along with the drinking. Hed try to drink only two or three bottles at the most. And while his companions would take their bargirl to a motel, hed j ust talk with the bargirl the entire evening. But one day, he asked himself. Am I more concerned about loss of face or loss of soul? Mustering enough courage, he went to his boss and said, Sir, I wont join you and the guys tonight. And Ive decided I wont be drinking and offering women to my clients anymore. His boss was shocked. He asked, Are you crazy? Why? He said, Im a Catholic. The Boss said, Im Catholic too. But this is our job. Tom said, Im a renewed Catholic. I cant go against my faith. Mark my words, he told Tom sternly, Youll lose your job. Tom said, Watch how God will work.

The next day, Tom gave Kerygmamagazine to the Doctors. The next day, DidacheBible Guide. The next day, Companion Bible Journal. He also worked doubly hard. Result? In three months, Tom became the topselling, top-performing Med Rep in the entire region. Simple Examples Of Courage Without courage, you cant even do something as basic as tithing. It takes courage to give 10% of your income to God each month. And then believe that God will stretch your money to meet your needs. When I was earning P10,000 a month, I found it easy to give P1000 a month. But when I started earning P50,000 a month, I had to swallow hard when I put P5000 in my tithe envelope. I wasnt used to giving P5000! Through the years, I kept tithingand saw my income go up. It takes courage to volunteer in a ministry, sacrifice your timeand believe that God will multiply your time. It takes courage to disciple someoneloving the person until the person grows in his spiritual life. It takes courage to die for someone. It takes courage to live for someone Love Even If Youre Afraid I love telling my favorite story of courage.

When I was 16 years old, I won a trip to Jerusalem from a Bible Quiz on national TV. Not the Trip to Jerusalem where kids circle around chairs. (Thats how Filipinos call the game musical chairs.) I really won a trip to Israel. It was the first time I was going to travel, and I was going to travel all by myself for 41 days, visiting 20 cities all over Europe. Obviously, as a 16 years old backpacker, I was scared and excited at the same time. My mother sewed a hidden pouch on my socks and inserted my dollars there. Because they were very few. Her instructions to me, Dont stay in hotels, stay in convents. Dont eat in restaurants, buy your food and eat on park benches. My first stopover was Athens, Greece. I sat in the airport, waiting for my flight to Israel, when a somewhat plumpish woman (okay, really plumpish woman) came walking towards me carrying two huge suitcases. I ran to help out. I said, Madame, can I help carry your things? She didnt understand a word I said. I knew a little Spanish, so I asked, Puedo llevar tus cosas? She also didnt understand.

Being charismatic, I was tempted to speak in tongues. But decided against it. Instead, I used the universal language. I held up my hands as though I was carrying two suitcases. Immediately, she understood. She handed me her suitcases, thinking perhaps I was a porter. I then moved my hand like it were a plane, made the whoooo sound, and said, Jerusalem. Her face lit up. She did the hand action of a plane, the whoooo sound of a plane, and said, Jerusalem! We were going to the same place. We walked to the airline counter. I gave my ticket and the kindly gentleman gave me my boarding pass. I was ready to fly. It was the womans turn. She handed her ticket with a smile. The man read her ticket, shook his head, and said, Im sorry Maam, this is an invalid ticket. You cant ride this plane. Lord, What Do You Want Me To Do? She couldnt understand him. They had to get a translator, what language I have no idea, to tell her that she had to buy a new ticket if she wanted to fly.

Tearfully, she told them that she had no money. And that this was a stop over for her too, so she was stranded. The man behind the counter raised their hands in surrender, telling her they couldnt do anything about it. She picked up her suitcases from me. She walked to a corner of the airport, sat down, and wept loudly. I watched her from the distance. How could I leave her like this? But what could a 16 year old kid do? So I prayed, Lord, what do you want me to do? I learned that was a very dangerous question to ask. Dont take it flippantly. Because in my heart, I felt God tell me, Buy her a ticket. It was absolutely nuts! Didnt He know that my dollars was in my socks? I walked up to the counter guy and asked, How much is a ticket to Israel? He said, $256. Gulp. But I knew in my heart that I had to do it. A Miracle Happens I walked up to the weeping lady. Through sign language, I told her I was going to buy her a ticket. (I tapped my back pocket and did my plane hand action again.) She understood me immediately. She

literally jumped for joy and hugged me. I disappeared in her embrace. Gently, I brought her down. I checked for broken bones and found none. We both walked to the counter. Sir, I announced, Im buying a plane ticket for this lady. The man gasped. He asked, Do you know her? No, I dont. I just met her here. He shook his head. Are you rich? I smiled. No. But my Father is rich! He didnt want to sell me a ticket. He called his big boss. In a few minutes, the man marched in and they both argued our situation. Finally, when our flight was about to go, I thought I heard the big boss sighed in exasperation and said, Okay. Let the lady fly. But dont let this stupid guy pay! I couldnt believe it. They were letting her have a free ride. My dollars remained safely in my socks. Both of us boarded the plane. We even sat beside each other and prayed together. I was sixteen when this happened. All through my life, there have been many times when I did it afraid. I believe its the secret to all of my breakthroughs. My friend, do it afraid.