Breaking out of a rut

I hate being stuck in a rut, and yet, it's so hard to get out. For some reason, I often think that being stuck in a rut is like being stuck in quicksand. I'm afraid of making any moves because I think things are just going to get worse. ©iStockphoto.com/DNY59 I know I'm not the only one with this problem. Why do we let ourselves stay stuck? Maybe it's because once upon a time, we made a move and we got hurt. Maybe we're just paralyzed by the fear of making a big mistake. Maybe we're just too numb, too overwhelmed, or too tired. Maybe it's all of the above.

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Is it possible to be faithful and foolish?

Recently, I started reflecting again on the story of Abraham. I’ve always admired Abraham’s faith. Hebrews 11:8 says that “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” Have you ever wondered [...]

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Seeing the beauty in every season

It’s Memorial Day here in the US, which marks the transition from spring to summer. I arrived here in the winter and now it’s already summer? I barely had the chance to enjoy spring! Oh, how time flies! At the beginning of the year, when I prayed about it and I decided to settle down [...]

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The Best Place on Earth

Right now, I’m sitting in a peaceful library, staring at the serene rose garden outside the window on this beautiful sunny day. The rays of light are shining in between the trees, and the water in the pond is sparkling. I ask myself, “How did I get here?” And the only answer I can come [...]

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I’ll take one grande cup of strength and an extra-large serving of courage, please!

“Be strong and courageous…” - Joshua 1:6 Don’t you just wish you could go to Starbucks and get some strength and courage to-go? I do. But as we all know, our favorite baristas may be skilled enough to whip up a tall half-skinny half-1 percent extra hot split quad shot (two shots decaf, two shots [...]

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Comfort in the Uncomfortable

Sometimes I listen to myself and I cringe. Too much worrying. Too much whining. Too much complaining. Too many questions. Too many excuses. Too many doubts. Sometimes I'm like a child who refuses to jump into the swimming pool for the first time. [...]

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On waiting… (again)

Waiting can really bring out the worst in people. I’m not very good at waiting, and this is proven by the fact that I am writing about this yet again (if you missed it, I first wrote about it here). When I find myself in a situation where I have to wait, not only do [...]

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The Soundtrack to Our Lives

I like listening to film scores. The music tells stories, just as much as the visuals do. I specifically like listening to the first and final tracks. The first tracks are usually played in the beginning of the movie while the opening titles are appearing–there’s that feeling of hope and anticipation and excitement. I love [...]

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Don’t you love surprises?

When I don’t know what to write, it helps to go back to my old diaries and blogs. It’s kind of like a treasure hunt. There are lots of random stuff, there are lots of stuff that are better off staying hidden, but there are also a lot of memories, thoughts, and insights that are [...]

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Never Say Never (A guest post by David Bonifacio)

This is a guest post by David Bonifacio. I am constantly amazed at how David balances all the things that he has on his plate. But companies and job titles aside, I know this to be consistently true: he is a gifted writer and artist, and he composes music, too. He’s one of my favorite [...]

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What you need to know about living a great story

The “-ber” months are just around the corner! I was feeling a little nostalgic lately, so I was prompted to look back at my blog archives (on both LiveJournal and WordPress) to see what happened at this time (last week of August to 1st week of September) in the past years. I found two things [...]

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Practicing Leadership, Integrity, Faith, and Excellence at Work

The other day, I blogged about practicing what we preach. And if you missed it, I highlighted the importance of walking and working with other people. (If you want the breakdown, you can read the post here) With that in mind, I want to share a resource with you that I recently discovered, which I [...]

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Faith and exercise

You’ve heard it all before: to be healthy and fit, we need to exercise. To sleep well at night, we need to exercise. And lately, since I’ve been lacking sleep and eating more, my mind’s been sounding the exercise alarm. The thought of exercising has been hounding me lately, so I wasn’t surprised when I [...]

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