When was the last time you cried? This maybe something regularly discussed by women but I’m sure that men don’t really talk about this much. Anyway, for the first time in a long while I found myself in tears today and it wasn’t about anything sad. It was a really humbling experience that I think I’ll never forget for the rest of my life. Hopefully this is the start of something good and I just wanted to share it with everyone through this blog.

I went to the usual VCF Sunday Service at Music Museum, Greenhills, which is led by Pastor Dennis. To those who are not familiar, the service starts with a worship. A live band plays and a group of people take the stage and leads the singing for the church. For this particular Sunday, Jonas was the one leading the worship and I have to say that they did a really good job. Everyone was clapping and got really involved with the songs. I was singing along casually but then there was this one slow song which really struck me. When the melody started I was already drawn in, and then the lyrics flashed on the screen and then it happened.

“Here in your presence, we are undone. Here in your presence, heave and earth become one.”

The experience was just surreal. It was like time space warp, shaider style! My voice was drowned out by emotion and every cell in my body started to rebel against the natural instinct to be conscious of my surroundings. Instead I felt myself singing louder, closing my eyes tighter, and then having this feeling of being washed over by an intense feeling of peace and calm. There was no feeling of sadness and guilt. Then I started crying. Lol. Talk about a weird experience huh?

I’ve always been a very confident person. I was always sure of myself and this was one of the drivers why I think I’m doing well at work and in business. It’s that passion for excellence. However, this is also one of my biggest character flaws. My ego has put up a shield around me to the point that I don’t really reach out for friends and even to God. I trusted myself more than anyone else.

Now everything made sense. Why did one of my early business ventures fail? Why did I lose two of my best friends? Why did I almost lose my girlfriend of 7 years? Why did I almost die due to that gunshot wound?

For years, God has been smashing those walls that have covered my soul and my being. It was a painful experience, but I’m glad that I can finally say that I’ve been humbled enough to go down on my knees and accept that there is something greater out there - that life does not end when your body stops functioning.

Thanks to everyone over at Victory for making life more meaningful.

Pic of Jonas, Pastor Bojo, and JP (Mich and pastor Mike not in pic) - dinner at Yoshinoya after service

Every Sunday I go to Victory Christian Fellowship over at the Music Museum in Greenhills. This week, the speaker was former basketball MVP Alex Compton. Initially I was a bit worried since I didn’t have a clue as to what a basketball player had to say about spirituality. However, I was really floored after hearing him speak. His talk was one of the most powerful messages I’ve ever heard in my life and I can’t help but blog about the experience.

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Other than going to VCF every Sunday, I usually have small group sessions twice a week. One is a rather medium sized group with Pastor Dennis, and the other one is with a really small group of around 4-5 people. I made an analogy last week when I was talking with Bu, our small group fearless leader, about how Spirituality is when you’re playing an MMORPG. It’s like your bonus energy - something that really gives you an extra “oomppphh!” to go through everyday with more passion and dedication. I personally feel more refreshed, excited, and energized after I come from Sunday service or our small groups. That additional energy is like the “nitro” button in most racing games - it gives you the additional boost needed to run the extra mile in a split second.

VCF Buddies: Jihan, Ryan, Carlo, Lyka, and Mich

More pictures and insights after the jump. (more…)

Did I get your attention with the title of the post? Hehehe! I would just like to take this opportunity to invite all of you to this coming July 13 (Sunday) at the Music Museum, Greenhills, for the Victory Christian Fellowship service. It’s really special this time around since the topic is one of our biggest concerns as humans - MONEY. I’ll be writing more about that in my next blog post since the series actually already started two weeks ago.

Anyway, I’d like to share a video of the speaker, Chinkee Tan, inviting everyone to come join us this Sunday. Watch it after the jump. (more…)

Last night, I went out with Level Up CEO Jane Walker, Marketing Director Jake San Diego, Level Up Brazil Managing Director Andrea, and Gravity’s Global Business Division Head, Changki Kim. We went to Greenbelt and ate at Nuvo restaurant and it was really a good opportunity to relax and unwind after the long and stressful week. What disturbed we was what Changki shared. According to him, 33% of all married couples in Korea end up getting divorced, while around 43% of children in Chile are raised by single parents. In fact, he said a lot of people in Korea view getting divorced once as mandatory. (more…)

I attended a Christian small group last night together with my girlfriend, Mich. We were invited by our pastor in Victory Greenhills - Pastor Dennis Sy. It was actually a very pleasant experience and I always find it nice to meet new people. We expected to see around 5-6 since it was a small group but there were more than 15 in the group. Anyway, the topic was about God’s purpose for you in life. One of the segments in the discussion talked about the distractions that hinder us from fully realizing what we are meant to do in this world. After everyone shared their insights, I had a rather sad realization - a lot of us today ignore our families and we try desperately to escape from our homes to avoid all the issues, problems, and conflicts that happens in the house. (more…)

I watched Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian last night and it was more of a sprititual experience than theatrical entertainment. Way back in college, I took a subject in Philosophy that talked about the how the author, CS Lewis, used the world of Narnia as a mirror to religion, more specifically Christianity. The centerpiece of Lewis’ parellalism is the lion Aslan, which really embodied all the qualities and traits of Jesus Christ as described in the bible. (more…)