teleport to heaven  

Alexander the Great.
Warrior. Conquered his known world.
Died at age 33.

Jesus Christ.
Inspired people. Healed the sick. Saved the world.
Died at age 33.

Arnold Gamboa.
Confused. Broken. Depressed. Doubting. Alone.
Good as dead at age 33.

As a birthday gift to myself, I will return to blogging next week after 3 months of hiatus. But this time, I will carry a different tone. Not preachy, may not be encouraging as before. This blog will now be extremely personal -- walled, but personal. 

I love blogging. It has been my online self for more than 7 years now since I started my first blog. For some personal reasons — where I found myself confused and disoriented in life, I’m going to have to take an indefinite blogging break. I will have an online (and offline) personal solitude, an isolation.

So, to my readers — if there’s indeed any — I will be gone for a while but hope to come back blogging again, not very soon, but sure will return.

God bless you all.

Arnold

Lesson #4: There’s no place like home

After 5 hours of dark road, loneliness and creepy self-talk, I was finally home. The cliche “there’s no place like home” took its new meaning that night. Indeed, home feels safer, lovelier and happier than any road trip.

I have a favorite song when I was a kid. It says, "This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through."

Come to think of it, the reality is, this world is just 65 years (or less) for me. I'll be spending my entire eternity somewhere else.

We just finished a message series at Grace Place, our "not your typical" church in Makati, called "30 days to live". It challenged us to live a life as if you only have 30 days to live because "life is just a breath" and "a mist that goes in an instant".

If my life is just a preparation for eternity, I should not waste it. I should say the words God wants me to say, do the things that God prepared for me to do, and live the life that God expects me to live.

Sometimes, when I encounter problems, I feel like I want to just disappear. Be a "Jumper". Teleport to heaven -- where disappointments, heartaches and discouragements were just a word in the dictionary. But then again, pain and sufferings are temporary, come to think of it. Heaven provides hope. The hope that when everything is said and done, Jesus will welcome me one of these days saying "Well done, my good and faithful servant".

Are you excited to be home? If not, you should know why. 

Lesson #3: Silence speaks a thousand words

This road trip is the first where I drove without turning on the radio. My cellphone was turned off, too. It’s just me, myself and God. And the sound of the tires. And the engine. For 5 hours, it’s silent.

During these hours alone with God, he spoke to me in a bunch of words. Ok, it’s not like a creepy audible voice from heaven, I don’t even want to experience that. But it’s like God speaking and conversing to me through my heart and spirit. I can feel his presence comforting me, teaching me, filling my thoughts with his thoughts. I talk to him. I listen. This thing do not happen every time.

This experience reminds me the importance of being silent. In the city where noise is part of the lifestyle -- TV, movie, mall, car stereo, the internet at work and at home -- it’s almost impossible to be quiet and listen to God speak.

God said, “Be still and know that I am God”. Most of the times, the reason why we found ourselves helpless and far from God is because of the noise around us. Literally and figuratively. The noise distracts us. We don't have time for God. We have a bunch of reasons not to be in the presence of God. The reality is, whatever religious background you found yourself growing into, our situations are similar -- we consistently run away from God while he consistently run after us.

Silence speaks a thousand words. If we will just shut up and listen, we're realize how passionately in-love God is with us. He'll tell us that he moved mountains just to reach for us. No, I meant he moved heaven and earth. That's what Jesus did when he, being God became a man just so man can relate with God.

Shutting up may mean distorting your routine to accommodate God. You can read the Bible and pray in the morning or come with fellow believers and worship God on weekends. Whatever it is, just shut up and listen. You'll hear God. Ok, not the audible voice. But you'll see, just try it.

Lesson #2: Don’t let fear cripple you

A few kilometers after I felt alone and scared on that part of North Luzon Expressway, I saw that what I’m afraid of can really happen.

The cars were slowing down. I realized that in the midst of that long, dark road, an accident happened. It seemed to me, I was just a few minutes late of being part of that accident. It was fresh. A collision between a Saulog bus and a van had just occurred. The van was totally wrecked and I know somebody must have died inside. The bus filled with passengers ripped its front.

The scene suddenly crippled me. I was terrified. I slowed down. I couldn’t take the left lane when I should be overtaking. Fear hand-tied me.  It took a while before I realize that I’m going too slow that cars behind me are honking already.

When fear of failing sets in, what do you do? When you see that somebody who did it just failed, will you try for your self?

We encounter these questions in a lot of different ways. It can be a decision to leave your job and start your own business. Or a career shift. Or a spiritual decision. Or for some, marrying. Failures in the past, prospects of failing in the future, failures by people we know -- these things scare us.

Some mushy quotes says, "It's better to love and fail than never love at all". Ahwww....

Really, it speaks of lot of truth, not only on being in-love. It's better to try new things and fail than regret it for not trying for the rest of your life. Some people might have failed, but why can't you do better? You may have failed in the past, but sure you learned from it. And -- this one's so me -- the future is a whole lot scary. The fear of the unknown. But what the heck -- who knows the future except God!?

Speaking of God knowing the future, he also knows what's best for us. So, if you think that God is leading you to do what's best for you, go for it. Don't let fear cripple you. And me.

A friend told me about the fun involved in a road trip. Just ride a bus -- any bus, without knowing where to go -- and just enjoy the ride. So one dark evening, I did just that.  I turned off my cell phone, filled my car with gas and drove north -- alone.

I’d like to share this week lessons that I learned from this particular road trip. Join the ride.

Lesson # 1: In this life, you need road signs

If you haven’t been to North Luzon Expressway these days, let me say that you’ll enjoy traveling with it’s wider, smoother and well-lit road. Or at least half of the way.

The first half of NLE is safe and enjoyable. You feel secured. I can see the road clearly. Vehicles are predictable. Everyone seems happy. I was enjoying the ride. Until...

Just before Sta. Rita exit, around 60 kms north of Manila, lights disappeared and roads tighten -- from 4 lanes to 2 lanes. I suddenly felt afraid. Darkness everywhere. I felt security was suddenly stripped away from me.

What kept me company though are the road signs.  Even it’s dark and I was alone, the road signs tell me where I am and where I’m going. It tells me that I can have help if I needed one. There is a sign that tells me that there is a gasoline station ahead where I can take a stop and pee (oh, yeah!), there’s a sign that tells me I’m near San Simon exit where I plan to make a U-turn. Road signs kept me company in the dark.

I can summarize life into two phrases-- smooth sailing and darkness stricken. There are times when everything seems right -- relationships are flourishing, finances are stable, health is a-ok. But there are times when disappointments, heart breaks and frustrations abound. In times like these, we need road signs. Signs that will direct us in life. Signs that will tell us that we're still on the right path. Signs that will assure us that we still have company.

What are these road signs? From experience, I can list some practical suggestions.

Friendship, one this is real, is a road sign. A friend that loves you enough that he would rather loose you by telling the truth about your situation than see you go through the dangers of life. A friend that, as the Bible says "sticks closer than a brother".

Your past experience is another. It's ok to fail. In fact, it's good to fail (if you're not failing, you're not trying new things). But to fail twice of the same thing is another. Learn from experience. Make it a notch higher -- learn from somebody else's experience. You don't want to commit somebody else's mistake, do you?

I'm thinking of the Bible right now as the best way to provide road signs in life. Some of us may follow world views of our choosing. But as far as I'm concerned, the Bible is not only for theological debates or for converting people to someone's religion. It is for everyone who needs directions in life. It is filled with principles that we can use in our daily struggles.

When darkness in life abound, look for road signs. 

Rick Warren
Who is he? If you have gotten hold of his international best seller Purpose Driven Life as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago, you know this guy. Rick Warren is, first and foremost, the founder and lead pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California. He first became popular among pastors all over the world through his book Purpose Driven Church. Early this decade, his book The Purpose Driven Life became an international best seller selling 40 million copies worldwide. He is a passionate leader, teacher and innovator. His passion is to teach young leaders and minister to the poor through his P.E.A.C.E Plan.

How has he created an impact in my life? My first encounter with Rick Warren is through his book Purpose Driven Church. During that time, I was a discontented member of the church where I grew up . I find no purpose in going to church. I see church as a boring place, an activity with no meaning except for pleasing an angry God. Through his book, I learned that church can be exciting, relevant and life changing. I started to dream of a church where people are excited to come to, lives are being changed and everything from music to the message to the weekday activities are culturally relevant. I should say that our church in Makati, Grace Place, is a product of that dream.

What I learned from him? Aside from the dream that he helped developed in me, I learned a very important leadership principle from Rick Warren: Its not about me. These very words are the very first words of his PDL book. It is, by nature, our goal to protect ourselves, to do things to satisfy ourselves. But if we'll discover the very purpose of our life, we'll realize that it should all start with God. It's not about me, it's all about Him. Then it goes down to the people around. It's not about me, it's about others that I should take care of as God would. This very principle is not only applicable in leadership, but also a great starting point in our quest in finding the purpose of our life.

How has Rick Warren helped you discover your life's purpose?

I'm a freak on improving my leadership knowledge and skills these days. I guess demands at work, the church in Makati where I'm involved with and family are reasons behind this. This week, I'm going to share with you leaders that I admire and how they have created an impact in my life. It is my hope that you'll learn from them, too, through this week's series of posts.


Peter Tanchi

Who is he? Peter Tanchi is the founder and senior pastor of Christ's Commission Fellowship. This organization has grown from a few friends meeting at their garage in the early '80s to thousands of members today. He is a great, engaging public speaker and a very strong, passionate leader.

How has he created an impact in my life? During that time I consider as my personal "grace awakening" sometime 2001, CCF was my haven. In that time of pain and confusion as I break away from my religious heritage, Pastor Tanchi provided answers and inspiration. When I was ministering to Joy, I brought her to CCF. Peter Tanchi was one of those that God used as she gave her life to Jesus.

What I learned from him? While planning for birthing Grace Place, we would usually attend his seminars. I will never ever forget this one principle I learned from him: The kingdom mentality principle. He said that (in the context of the church), knowledge is never meant to be kept rather it should be shared. In the midst of the diversity among Christian churches, he also reminded us that "we're on the same kingdom, on the same team. We should work together in expanding the reign of God in this earth". As a result, even if we are not part of the CCF network, he provided free resources (something that they built through the years), free seminars, and even invited us to see how they do things hands on. This same principle is what I'm using as I lead my team at work and as part of the leadership of Grace Place.
`
If you know Peter Tanchi, can you share how he impacted your life?

Blogs all over on how to celebrate Valentine's day. I'll take the other side where no one seems to notice: a valentine's day for the loveless. If you don't have a partner to celebrate the day with, or have been broken hearted recently, I have two things for you:

* You still have you friends. In fact, you can invite your single friends for a group date. Deo and his grace group together with some friends at Grace Place, our church in Makati, are going out tonight to watch a movie.

* You still have God. He cares for you. He loves you more than any man or woman can. In fact, you are the apple of his eye.

As for me, I have a date today. I'm dating my former girlfriend, with whom I have a son.

My mind is kind of cluttered right now. So let me dump what it has on you. :D

* I've gotta be more vigilant on how I use my time. With a lot of things going on, I need to work on proper time management.

* Johann woke us up last night -- at 2 am -- whining for a cheap toy he wanted yesterday. He didn't get it, so he woke us up to remind us. And now, my head aches. My boy needs lesson on proper resource disposal.

* Books to read are piling up. On queue: "Fusion: Turning first time Guests into Fully-Engaged Members of your Church" by Nelson Searcy, "Going all the way" by Craig Groeschel, "Next Generation Leader" by Andy Stanley. Plus, I'm a couple of days behind my 1-year Bible reading plan.

* Next week, I'm going to make a series of posts on "Lessons from a road trip". It's going to rock.

* Grace Place, a "not your typical" church in Makati is moving it's services to 4 pm Sundays starting March 2 to accommodate the yuppies who likes to stay late on Saturdays.

This picture (courtesy of Dos) paints a thousand words. Let me share some:

While I was speaking at our celebration at Max's, Johann is doing his own "conference". You can see in this image that my audience is listening to me. Actually, most of the time, they are not. They would rather listen to him.

Truth be told, when he speaks, people listen. Intently. He can make his audience captive. He can engage his listeners even with his broken English. His voice is clear, loud, and, the tone quality -- really good. His body gestures correspond to his emotions -- even his body speaks.

With guidance, this boy is going to be a better public speaker in the future than his dad. And I'm not jealous about it. Proud is the right term.

This theme is very dear to me. The past years of my life, I've been busy with a lot of things. Prioritizing isn't part of my vocabulary. I just do things as if I own 70 years of my life.

Grace Place, a non-denominational, non-sectarian Christian church that I'm involved with right now, is starting a message series (4 Sundays) that simply talks about life, its real essence and how to maximize it. I'm personally inviting you to come.

Here's the official announcement.





What if you learned you had just 30 days to live? How would your life be different? Is it possible to make the most of every day, right now?

Join us for "30 Days to Live," as we meet several brave people who had faced or are facing life-threatening illnesses. Once you hear their stories, and experience God's truth, you'll never look at life the same.

February 3, '08 - LIVE IN THE MOMENT
February 10, '08 - LIVE FOR ETERNITY
February 17, '08 - LEAVE A LEGACY
February 24, '08 - FIGHT FOR PEACE

For more information, call (02) 710-6651 or text 0920-9518075 or please send us an email to 30days@graceplace.ph.


WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS THIS SUNDAY!

Visit 30daystolive.ph and answer the question, "If you have 30 days to live, what ONE thing would you do?"

GRACE PLACE is a non-sectarian, non-denominational contemporary Christian church that meets every Sunday, 10:30 am, Tiara Oriental Hotel in Makati City.

As I was thinking about this question, I thought about the 3 most important aspects of my life: family, church and business.

I thought, what would I do with Team Sparrow if I only have 30 days to live? Shall I train more programmers? Shall I check if sales are hitting targets and make sure that they will even after I die?

And then I thought about Grace Place, the "vehicle" that God used for me to release my passion to tell others about the unconditional love of Jesus. Shall I train more leaders? Shall I finish up the manuals and the leadership materials that are long overdue?

The more I keep thinking about these, and try to fit these things in my last 30 days, the more I realize that, in as much important as these are in my life right now, these will only overwhelm my schedule. Then I thought about my family.

I realized that if I only have 30 days to live, everthing boils down to how important my family is. The business will run without me, it can auto pilot. The growing ministry at Grace Place will run without me. In the first place, it is not MY church, it is GOD'S. God will place great leaders, better leaders to run his church when I'm gone.

My last 30 days will be spent with my wife, my son and my folks in the province. I'll spend every minute of my life bringing Joy and Johann to the best places that they want to be. I'll bring them to every mall in the city (FYI, malling is my family's past time), I will fix my eyes on whatever they do and fix my ears on whatever they say. I'll spend some of the remaining days with my dad and mom and siblings. I'll tell them how they have greatly impacted my life, how they have become an inspiration and a driving factor in my pursuit of excellence.

What's yours?

After we launched 30daystolive.ph last Tuesday, a bunch of guys have already submitted their "plans" for their last 30 days. Here are my favorites:

Spend last days (a week, perhaps) at the beach, with my whole family.  Hopefully, my sis can come home from New Zealand (or I can go there!!).  Go swimming, running, painting, dancing – weeeeeee!!! - Gayle

I will resign from my job to prepare everything (for my family). - Liza

If only I have 30 days to live I would make everyone around me happy… - Infinity

I will talk less and listen more. investing my life to people. - Glenn

lahat ng oras nsa tabi aku ng mga anak ko..mag lalaro kmi hangang mkatulog cla..rerecord ku sa video lahat ng gagawin nmin..paparamdam ku sa kanila na mahal ko cla… -Mhike

I've noticed that when it comes to using the last days of our lives, the focus becomes less of ourselves and more of our love ones.

I'm going to discuss more about this later this week and next week. For now, keep your thoughts coming. Think: "If I have 30 days to live, what ONE thing would I do for the rest of my remaining days?" and post it in our website 30daystolive.ph

You have 30 days to live. What ONE thing would you do?

Answer the question and read others' answers at 30daystolive.ph

Oh, talking. We looovveee talking. I mentioned yesterday that we crave attention, we want to be heard -- always. This is also particularly present in a love relationship. When you are on a date, you try to open up as much information about your self as possible. The more you  share information, the more the relationship gets deeper.

Unfortunately, though, in our love relationship with Jesus, this is almost always not present. "But I do pray -- during meals, before I sleep, and sometimes the rosary"

My wife once asked her friend during a discussion about her problem, "Do you pray?"

Friend said, "Yes I do."

"Do you pray as if you are talking with a friend?"

Silence, and then, "No. How do you do that?"

Apparently, our general view of prayer is an organized, repetitive and sometimes flowery set of words. I grew up in a very traditional church where prayers include words such as "thou", "thee", "thou art", "speaketh"... As if we were praying to impress God with our old English!  Most of you can also relate with the rosary. I once studied in a Roman Catholic school in high school. We were taught how to make and pray the rosary.  While I sincerely and honestly doesn't have anything against praying the rosary, I just think that there is a better way to pray than saying memorized, repetitive words.

Prayer is like a friendly talk with Jesus. You tell him your life's concerns, your dreams, your struggles, your heart aches. Prayer is not just about telling him what you want and what you need. It is also the time where you unload yourself to him. While others may suggest a format in your prayer, I would say, just start with a sincere talk with Jesus. Imagine him sitting beside you -- because he is! -- and start talking to him.

While the Bible is his way to talk to us, our prayer is the time when he listens to us. In your quiet time today, tell him about your successes and your failures. Ask for directions, unload your burdens to him. If Jesus indeed rose from the dead and is alive today, he is literally listening to your every word in prayer.

Listening, they say, is an art. It's almost always hard to listen. Our nature is to crave to be heard. In a relationship though, listening should be a major component. Need I explain more?

In a love relationship with Jesus, listening to what he wants to tell us on a daily basis is very important. We can hear his voice in a lot of ways:

Through a friend. Oh, yes, it happens a lot. You have a problem then suddenly, your friend drops a line and you thought it came from heaven.

Through a Sunday message. The priest or the pastor delivers a wonderful homily/sermon that strikes your heart in the middle.

Through life's circumstances. You've been running away from God. Then suddenly, you were fired at work or got sick or your broke up with your girlfriend. You have no one to turn to but God. God spoke through your life's circumstances.

While I believe that these things are actively being used by God to communicate with us, they are all subjective. How can you be sure, and I mean, really sure that your friend's advice is correct? Or your pastor didn't misinterpret the Bible as he delivered the message? Or whether your life's circumstances is a message from God and not something that you just occasionally mess up?

There is one voice that comes from God -- never subjective, always objective. The Bible. We Filipinos are aware of what the Bible is. But the question is, do we read it or do we just display it in the altar for some good luck?

I would like to suggest that reading the Bible is not only the most exciting way to listen to God as he speaks, it is also the most important component of our love relationship with Him. When we read the Bible, we get instructions from God himself. We'll know how to deal with relationships, how he loves us unconditionally, how to be blessed and bless others. It's like a Mercury Drug -- you can pick a particular medicine that corresponds to your life's disease.

Here's a challenge for you today. Yesterday, I asked you if you can spend at least 15 minutes of your time each day with God. If you have agreed and faced the challenge, I will encourage you to grab your Bible (If you don't have one yet, we can give you one when you visit Grace Place one of these Sundays, or you can grab one at the nearest National Bookstore. I suggest newer versions such as the New Living Translation). Download this 1-year Bible reading plan. If you follow this plan, you will be able to read the entire New Testament in one year. You only need 15 minutes a day to do this.

If you don't want to follow a schedule and just be free flowing, it's alright. I suggest starting with the gospel of John, then to the other gospels until you read the entire New Testament.

God wants to communicate with us. And we should listen. That's how we can grow in-love with Jesus even more.

Time together

It's called a "date" -- when two lovers spend time together strolling in the mall, eating out in a restaurant or watching a movie.  It's fun, really. In fact, I always look forward to Monday night when I date my wife, Joy. It's a perfect time for a couple, whether married or still dating, to know more about each other. This is the time where a relationship becomes deeper -- when you laugh together, cry together, share your plans and dreams with each other. In a fast-phased life we have in this city, a special time together, not just "being together" such as a married couple, is very essential.


I mentioned yesterday that Christianity is not about following a set of rules. Christianity in its real essence is simply falling in love with Jesus. Today and in a couple more days, I'm going to suggest practical ways to fall in love with Jesus on a daily basis. For today, I'm suggesting a time together.

Just like human couples, we need to spend time alone with Jesus. "But I'm going to church every Sunday. I even have a small group meeting or a Bible study group on weekdays. Isn't that considered a time with Jesus?" Yes, it is. And in fact, continue doing those because those are good.  But what I'm talking about is a time with Jesus "alone". It's you and Jesus, no other witnesses around.

Distractions are all around us. We become busy with work, relationships, even in our ministry in the church. That's why we need to set aside a time in our day where we can be "still and know that he is God". This is the time of the day when you can cry alone, listen to God as he speaks to your heart, make some life plans. This is also a time when God reveals your mistakes, when you promise to work things out according to his grace.

When I am faced with a tough decision to make, I will wait the next day for my time alone with God before I make that decision. During this time, I almost always get convictions on what to do and on what not to do.

Some people call it "quiet time", others call it "devotions". Whatever you want to call it, it simply is an allotted time for God in your schedule. It can be in the morning before you start your day or in the evening before your mind "closes shop". You choose. Some are morning persons, some are evening persons. I suggest that you choose a time of the day where your mind is most active.

How long is a typical quiet time? It depends. The more, the better, of course. But for a start, don't burden yourself. A quiet time is developed as a habit. Don't feel unspiritual if you are allotting less time at this point of your love relationship with Jesus. He understands. You will grow eventually and your time with him will increase naturally. My suggestion is, you start with 5 to 10 minutes.

Where? In a quiet place. No distraction. Just you and Jesus. It can be in your room, inside your car, or even in your bathroom! Where ever it is you chose, it just have to be a quiet place.

Here's a challenge for you today. Think of a quiet place and a 5 to 10 minute time of your day and start your quiet time with Jesus now. Just for 7 days, try it. Make it consistent. Let me know how it works out.

Tomorrow, I'll discuss some components of your quiet time that can make it more exciting.