I'm sorry I haven't been writing lately, as, frustratingly, the internet's been down at home for ages now (and the company is taking their sweet time to fix it, too). I'm making this quickie blog post at a nearby internet cafe.
Any idiot can create offspring, but it takes a REAL man to father. Furthermore, it takes a GREAT man to father in a way that develops excellent, God-loving, and responsible children. I often fail in this area, but by God's grace, I will father in this way.
Last month, 130 children had a fantastic time of games, fun, crafts, dance, and song—all while learning about God’s goodness and how to live a victorious Christian life. CCF-Cagayan de Oro, the church I go to, and its NxtGen children’s ministry, held yet another successful DVBS, this time it was called Studio GO!
One hundred and thirty kids!!
The DVBS is usually NxtGen’s biggest event of the year, and while I wasn’t in the thick of the event this time around, I did see a little bit of what went on and let’s just say that I was very pleased. In fact, it is a testament to what happens when you invest in children, which is the theme of this blog entry.
Praise God for that awesome week. This blog entry serves as a big THANK YOU and congrats on a job well done. It also serves as a word of encouragement to those readers who, in their own ways and in their own organizations, volunteer to serve children and youth. Your efforts go a long, long way. Now here we go.
It’s super rewarding to invest in children; and it’s such a big, big, MUST for churches to do so. Of course, I’ve always known this, but it was so evident to me during Studio GO!
The vast majority of the volunteers were teenagers, and I mean young teenagers on the lower end of the teen scale. What’s so awesome to me is that many of these young’uns were DVBS participants when they were little. Now, I get a bit teary eyed that they consider it an absolute joy to give back by volunteering, blessing the next generation of kids the same way they were blessed many years ago.
As an example, here’s a picture of my daughter, Lynn, and a longtime friend of hers, Anya, during a DVBS many, many years ago...followed by a pic of the DVBS of this year.
I do find it cool that the world has decided to give us one day a year to celebrate our fatherhood. As I often do on this site, I’d like to enjoin all dads out there to use this day to reflect on how we are doing as fathers. We cannot fall asleep at the wheel here, men, as faulty fathering is devastating.
However, I’m not above posting the occasional “wish list” for us dads. One of the great mentors of my life once said, “We’re entitled to our own vanity.” Of course, he didn’t mean that it’s ok that we take duck-lipped self-portraits. He meant that we are entitled to treat ourselves every now and then…and Father’s Day is one heck of an excuse to be treated like a king.
So, Father’s Day is around the corner. Here’s some ridiculously great discount gifts for us, dads; thanks to Amazon.com’s Father’s Day promotions.
I’m a bit embarrassed to post wish lists up, but what the heck. Also, I think I am a man of good taste, and so I hope this post gives a good reference point for those of you who read this looking for a gift for the special dad in your life.
Okay, without further ado – LESSONS OF A DAD’s Wish List for 2013
(IMPORTANT NOTE:Click on the pictureif you want more information on the product, as text links are not working for some reason)
(This post is on the video-heavy side. Before reading, I suggest you scroll ahead and hit play and then pause on all the vids so that they start loading while you read the text here.)
I live in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. While I love the place, there are drawbacks. One such drawback I will focus on here, with my version of a solution.
You see, we’re a small provincial city in the 3rd world…and when it comes to concerts, of course the local population cannot afford the big names in the international music world. So what do we have to contend with? Well, if international fare is your thing, you’re gonna have to contend with 60’s, 70’s and 80’s old-timers that have had their heyday before some of us were even born. Good thing if it were The Rolling Stones or U2, but…no. You’ve seen the billboards of the usual fare we’ve had, and with the exception of Color Me Badd and All For One, I am SO not a fan (The Lettermen? Please…).
My suggestion? Event organizers take note: if you guys can get CCM artists over to Cagayan de Oro, that would be the awesomest thing ever. What’s CCM? Well, I’m not gonna tell until the end of this blog entry. Let’s just say that they’re not big-time mainstream artists, so they would likely not fetch the steep price tag. They’d also have a captured audience with many people not only here in the city, but in the Philippines as well, so for sure you’d fill up the Limketkai Atrium if ever you’d have them around. CCM…what’s that? Ah-ah-ah, I said I’m not telling yet.
What I AM gonna do, however, is make a list of THE TOP 10 CCM ACTS THAT I WISH WOULD COME TO CAGAYAN DE ORO. CCM spans many sub-genres, so this list is a mix-up of rap, rock, and soulful tunes…and I’m sure you’ll get what CCM is by the time you reach the end.
So, without further ado: CDO event organizers, if you guys can bring these CCM artists over here, you guys would rule my world!!
What I forgot to mention was that today, May 19, 2013, Nick Vujicic gave the Sunday messages in the CCF Center as well. What a treat that was to the congregation there. The previous two events I mentioned are ticketed events that charge for admission. But the one today? Hey, that’s just going to church…and the one giving the Sunday message is one of, if not THE most inspirational speaker on the planet.
And CCF, delivering its usual awesomeness, already has the video up on youtube. Boy, that was quick! And so, for those of us who missed it, and those who want to be inspired, here’s the video of Nick Vujicic’s Sunday message in the CCF Center in Manila. Enjoy!
Check out Nick’s book, Unstoppable, as well as his other books. He truly is an inspiration to us all. Thank you so much, Nick Vujicic, and congrats to CCF for a job well done.
(This blog site, Lessons Of A Dad is mostly about parenting, marriage, and other topics aimed to develop the reader’s mind, body, and soul. I’d consider it an honor if you’d follow or subscribe to this site. You can also go to my Facebook page here, and I’m also on Twitter at @lessonsofadad)
One of the most popular and powerful inspirational speakers on the planet, limbless Nick Vujicic is live in Manila starting this Saturday! Got your tickets yet?
This Saturday, May 18, he will be in Christ’s Commission Fellowship or CCF for short (if that sounds familiar to you as a follower of this blog, it’s because I go to CCF-Cagayan de Oro, and I often blog about the activities there). On April 20, Nick would be in the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Here’s his promotional video of his upcoming Manila visit.
If you haven’t heard of this guy yet, you must be living under a rock. For the past few years, he’s been taking Youtube by storm. His videos have been giving hope to over 100 million viewers.
One of the most frustrating things that parents have to deal with when it comes to nutrition is that even thoughwe can be vigilant in providing high-quality, nutritious food at home, when our kids are away, the outside world has very few wholesome choices to choose from.
Be it malls, fast-food joints, and school canteens (this is the most frustrating one, because we leave our kids in this place 5 days a week with a whole lotta trust), we really can’t avoid junk food, fatty food, a huge lack of green stuff, and sugary drinks.
So what are you gonna do, homeschool your kids and keep them in the house 24/7 under lock and key? (No offense to homeschoolers. I think home schooling is great.)
Well, when it comes to unhealthy, artificially-flavored sugary drinks, a friend and neighbor of mine proposes a solution that I think schools, school canteen owners, and small entrepreneurs should take note of: Natural sugarcane juice – truly a sweet alternative to unhealthy drinks.
He (my neighbor) invited us to try some of the stuff out (we sometimes call it tubo juice, tubo being the Filipino word for sugar cane), and my kiddos and I love the stuff immensely! I must’ve imbibed a gallon worth—without fear of health consequences, which I will explain later.
Check out the video below, which I took when my kids tried out the tubo juice. (There are different varieties of the machines. This is one of the bigger ones, but there’s a tabletop version too.)
Now, if you want one of these bad boys so that you can set up some health-promoting drinks in your establishment for a change (school canteen owners, please consider this), then contact me by email at lessonsofadad@gmail.com.
I shall now use the rest of the blog entry to discuss to you some of the great health benefits of sugarcane juice (info from the flyer). Even though unhealthy table sugar comes from the same thing, you’ll be very surprised that this (far less processed) product has wellness written all over it!
If you’re a parent of young children (4-11 years old), and you live in Cagayan de Oro City, allow me to ask you a question.
Do you want your kids to have great fun over the summer, and while doing so, he or she would learn more about God and biblical principles? I don’t think any church going family would say no to that, right? Well, here in the Philippines, most families are church-going families, but the vast majority of the churches Pinoys go to usually do not have much in terms of programs that disciple and nurture children (which is a shame, really).
Well, if you’re a follower of my blog, you’d know that I’m a proud Lifeshaper volunteer of my church’s NxtGen Ministry (the name of my church’s children’s ministry), and every summer, we have the biggest NxtGen event of the year. Consider this blog entry an invitation, and I suggest you register now to get the HUGE early bird discount on this great children’s summer activity!
What I’m talking about is our yearly summer DVBS, and this year’s theme is called Studio GO! For one week, May 6 to 11, 2013, children from ages 4-12 (although, honestly, I notice most 12 year olds prefer JZone as compared to NxtGen) will enjoy three hours of games, stories, skits, snacks, and crafts…all the while learning about Jesus and life-changing Biblical principles. Here’s a video that was aired at church last Sunday, to show you what we mean.
If you follow my blog, you may have read an article I did a few months ago about the plight of a sweet little girl, Cherubim. If you haven’t read it, allow me to use the next paragraph to put you up to speed.
Cherubim has a kidney disease that would require an operation to save her right kidney (see their story here). Her parents, being quite resourceful, opted to sell Save A Kidney mugs to Cagayan de Oro residents to help fund the operation. Even if both parents are working, the cost of the operation to save Cherubim’s life is quite insurmountable, and their goal was to sell 1,000 mugs as soon as possible.
It’s now April, and this update also serves as a second plea to help this family during this darkest of times. No more buying mugs this time, I’d like to help them out by bringing to you the link to their paypal button, so that donations can be made there.
The family is now in Manila filling out some requirements for the operation and trying to get help there. I was told that they were not even close to garnering the 1000 mugs needed to help them out, and recent visits to the doctor have shown that Cherubim’s case is quite complicated and the operation must be done the soonest possible time.
They have to raise P200,000 to give their baby girl the treatment she needs. Like I said, just about nothing is more painful for a parent that to see his or her child suffer…and I cannot leave them alone in their plight. I have met the mom and the twins when she delivered our mugs. The girls were adorable (I wish I took their picture).
So, here I am, asking you guys once again to help them out. Click this link so you can go to their paypal account. Also, please pass this along to your friends. P200,000 may be an insurmountable amount, but together, we can make a difference.
“But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:17-18)
(This blog site, Lessons Of A Dad is mostly about parenting, marriage, and other topics aimed to develop the reader’s mind, body, and soul. I’d consider it an honor if you’d follow or subscribe to this site. You can also go to my Facebook page here, and I’m also on Twitter at @lessonsofadad)
After a lot of soul-searching this Holy Week, I had to make a very hard decision.
You see. Time is really my enemy, and I'm getting worn out juggling too many responsibilities. I've come to the conclusion that I have to de-clutter. I have to unload one of my activities...or else I'd go crazy.
And I've decided that the burden I have to unload (and I say this with a very heavy heart) is Lessons Of A Dad.
I love blessing people with my work, but I'd be a hypocrite if I wasn't after the monetary benefits as well...and my blog hasn't earned me a penny. Therefore, I need to move on to more, um, lucrative endeavors. So, I'm gonna have to say goodbye. And this is really goodbye.
What I forgot to mention was that today, May 19, 2013, Nick Vujicic gave the Sunday messages in the CCF Center as well. What a treat that was to the congregation there. The previous two events I mentioned are ticketed events that charge for admission. But the one today? Hey, that’s just going to church…and the one giving the Sunday message is one of, if not THE most inspirational speaker on the planet. 
They have to raise P200,000 to give their baby girl the treatment she needs. Like I said, just about nothing is more painful for a parent that to see his or her child suffer…and I cannot leave them alone in their plight. I have met the mom and the twins when she delivered our mugs. The girls were adorable (I wish I took their picture).
