Celebrate joy!

Connect Have you ever seen someone so passionate for Jesus? We say we're passionate but then you look at Paul and we start to rethink our answer to that question. What was the craziest, most passionate thing you did for Jesus? For Paul... he who was beaten, put in prison, faked death his way to go to yet another missionary journey... all the while writing letters to the churches, never failing to correct, encourage and build them up in the faith.

Connect When we look at the life of Paul, we are quick to see a man who is so passionate for Jesus, who lived a life worthy of the calling of the gospel... but it wasn't always like that for him. Paul (previously known as Saul) was probably the last person you'd think would follow Christ -- he was a Pharisee, a Roman nonetheless, who persecutes Christians for a living... But then God chose him, and when God chose him, there was no turning back... Word Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples.... As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" "who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied." "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." Acts 9: 1,3-6

CONNECT Trivia: Esther is the only book in the Bible that made no mention of God. Gasp!! Really? Yes!  So who is Queen Esther and what makes her so special? When I read Esther's story, it reminds me of a Disney movie -- the plot and the characters are all there -- a simple Jewish girl, a coronation waiting to happen, a supportive cousin, an arrogant villain... and in the thick of it all, is a God that weaves everyone's story to showcase His power and glory to save His people.

Connect When I was a little kid, my parents promised that we will stay in a nice hotel as a family and I was so excited as I waited on the fulfillment of that promise. Days and weeks passed, and no matter how much my parents really wanted to fulfill that promise, they just couldn’t find a common schedule to make that short trip a reality.

Connect We have heard the story countless times before and sometimes our familiarity on the gospel strips it impact in our lives. “Yes, I know the story” “Yes, he died and rose again after 3 days” – we know these things and we can recount it to others without a moment’s thought, but really what is the implication of Jesus’ resurrection? How do we live out this truth in our lives daily?

Connect The light turned red and the little girl, without even looking at the incoming traffic, crossed the street with confident strides. Seconds after, she emerged to the other side holding her lollipop with her right hand and her father's hand with her left. She didn't need to look at the traffic lights, she just follows where His father will go and she knew that she will be alright.

Connect In a sea of billions of people, it is amazing how God sees and cares for us in a personal way.  He has taken so much care in the details of who we are, even before the moment that we were born. The way we talk, the way we see things, the way our personalities are wired, who are parents are going to be, the people we will meet along the way... So it makes one wonder, how is it that the creator of the universe would care for a speck in the universe like me?

Connect What do you consider the most important thing in your life? Which is the one thing that you fear losing the most? One way to arrive at an answer to that question is to think of the things that we spend the most time on... and those that we work so hard to keep because losing it isn't an option. For most, it may be  work  or their  business which provides for their basic needs and even luxuries in life. For some, it may be their  family  who has been a source of motivation for the things they do. For others, it may be their  name  -- the legacy that has been passed down to them from the earlier generations so they try really hard to keep that name honorable.

Who knew I would be taking cue from Emma Watson and the Harris brothers? Emma Watson with her #bookfairiesworldwide advocacy and her The Press Tour project wherein the former makes her hide books in the nooks and crannies in the world with the hopes that someone will find that book and it would speak to that person.  The latter, wherein everything that she wears in public is made of sustainable materials. And I just remembered thinking, with the many things under her belt, she still has time to put together such project to check every single accessory passes the 8 values to officially coin it as sustainable?

Terrified of making a bad decision, we lay all of our choices at God’s feet and ask Him, "What is Your will for my life?"