I had trouble sleeping the whole week. I started with a full list of to-do’s, but for some reason, a lot of it was left unchecked by the weekend I thought maybe it’s the weather. According to research, gloomy weather triggers anxiety by disrupting your brain chemistry, comfort, and routine. When we are not careful, our mind can easily sink deep into the well of confusion and anxiety. And we instinctively hold on to our fight-or-flight mode to keep us afloat, while we face ano

A busker was playing a very familiar bass line on his guitar looper. Maybe it’s the crowd, maybe it’s the time of day, or maybe it’s his song choice of Sting from the 80’s, but no people were stopping by to enjoy the nice jazzy guitar solo that I think was perfect for the gloomy afternoon. He changed songs after a few bars. We left and headed out for dinner. After a couple of hours, we passed by the guitar guy again. In front of him was a lovely couple dancing and singing alo

Kuya B has been repairing our watches for a few years now. And last weekend, I brought him my 20-year-old watch. Kuya B: "Your watch looks pretty old." Me: "Yes. I still use it for sentimental reasons." Then he quietly put down my watch on his desk, opened the drawer, and pulled out something from it. Kuya B: "I also have an old watch. I've had this for almost 50 years." It was a beautiful gold watch, clean and polished. Then he started sharing his watch story. He bought that

Last Saturday was supposed to be a well-planned day. I checked on my mental to-do list and reminded myself that if I leave the house by 12:45pm, everything will go as planned. But then a flat tire happened. So I grudgingly changed the spare tire, quickly drove to the vulcanizing shop to have the flare tire checked, and hoped I can still do my grocery errands on time. The tire guy showed me a tiny staple wire struck at the side of the wheel, too small that he almost missed it.

Since kids are receiving their report cards for the school year, I decided to dig up mine from high school and show it to my son. “Daddy, why are there red numbers?” I looked at my wife, then we both laughed. “Those are failing grades,” I replied. “That’s the time I didn’t study well in school.” My son paused for a while. Then he also laughed. Now we’re all laughing. I remember the first time I had red marks on my report card. And how scared I was to show it to my parents. An

We waited half an hour to get out of our parking slot because some lazy driver decided to double park in front of our car and do his grocery errands. An admin officer came and took photos of the vehicle. The mall PA system kept announcing the guy's plate number. Guards were on their radios. When the driver arrived, he quickly opened his trunk, loaded his groceries, and just said, “Sorry, pasensya na.” Adding a little remorse and an excuse would have made it less insincere, I

I did a quick turn towards the remote parking lot where the church shuttle van would fetch us. When we got there, the shuttle was about to leave. Thankfully, the driver stopped when he saw us. We quickly alighted our car and ran towards the van. A nice gentleman gladly opened the vehicle door. All smiles, he greeted us, “Good morning!” making us feel like we just came at exactly the right time. The sermon was about the Rapture. And one thing that stood out to me was when the

"No matter how long we look at this, our brains are not processing this image in front of us. It is absolutely spectacular, surreal. I know there’s no adjectives. I’m going to need to invent some new ones to describe what we are looking at out this window," Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman said. The past couple of months was crazy. Global war Economic crisis Health challenges The list can be overwhelming. But I hope we can find encouragement while basking at the greatness of

I saw a lady get out of an SUV, walk towards an empty parking slot, and started signaling to the driver to slowly back up. It took her countless hand signals and going back and forth just to get the car in between the yellow lines. After that, she stepped a little farther from the vehicle, pulled out her phone, and snapped a photo of the perfectly parked car. Then the driver got down and walked towards her. They all smiled and happily walked away. Parking is not for newbies.

Nothing is scarier than being stuck in traffic and seeing your gas tank sensor light up. Thankfully, I saw a road sign for a gas station just a few meters ahead. Instantly, my heart rate slowed down just like the traffic. And the blinking gas sensor didn’t bother me anymore. At that moment, all I cared for was finding the nearest gas station. Seeing the road sign gave me the assurance I needed that there was one nearby. I believe that our faith is always based on assurance. W

While waiting in line at the cashier, the man paying in front of me was trying to use GCash. But unfortunately, he can't scan the qr code. Turns out his cellphone camera is broken. The cashier told him the only way they can accept GCash payment is through the qr code. He told the cashier he didn't have enough cash with him. Since I was next in line and I have a few spare cash, I offered to pay for his items in cash, and then he could just GCash transfer me the amount. He happ

If life is a journey, then this year was definitely a rough and broken road. It started like an uphill run. Then, a few meters ahead, you could see the pavement breaking apart. With all the cracks and fissures right at your feet, you have a bad feeling this will not turn out well. But as you look closely, you find something interesting along the cracks. You see signs of life growing right in between them. And it's a reminder that beauty can grow out of brokenness. Like con

The church service has just ended and I’m pacing my way out as quickly as possible. A few meters away from the gate, somebody stopped me and said, “Glad to see you at church today, and by the way nice shirt.” I was wearing my The Doors shirt. I gave a quick thanks. Then quickly left. Only a handful of people knew me. And I don’t intend to make friends for now because anonymosity takes off the pressure of being judged as a new church-goer. Except today when you’re wearing a sh

I attended a conference last week about the story of the Bible. And part of the message that stuck with me was the story of the fall. When Adam and Eve fell into sin and God came looking for them, their response was to hide. Then God called them and said, "Where are you?" And here is the part that intrigued me. After telling them the consequences of what they did, God made garments of skin and clothed them. God could've ended it all. But He didn't. Instead, He sacrificed an a

“Lord, iligtas niyo po kami sa bagyo na kagagawan mo.” This was a facebook post a few months ago while our city was battling what could...

I hate going to jobsites. That’s until I met a guy who always wore dirty shoes. He was my boss. Every afternoon he goes to the office...

A group of demons were checking out what’s trending in the world today. They noticed that posts and topics about Christianity are on the...

I don’t know who needs to hear this. But there was a time this year you’re worrying about that "one thing." It scared you for days. And...

Two men were invited to a wedding. One man prepared his best suit for the event. “My friend is getting married and I’ll be there to...

He was an old frail man who would timidly walk back and forth outside our job site. He carries a small sack with him, which he fills up...