RODNEYGARCIA.COM » Values http://rodneygarcia.com The Official Website of Rodney Garcia Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:48:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 My first day back in the gym http://rodneygarcia.com/my-first-day-back-in-the-gym/ http://rodneygarcia.com/my-first-day-back-in-the-gym/#comments Tue, 12 Jan 2010 03:36:21 +0000 Rodney http://rodneygarcia.com/?p=118 Went back to the gym last Monday. I was there for a purpose. I had about a month to lose weight.

Now, some people say that I don’t look fat. And I think I’m not fat..as in obese fat. But I do need to lose some pounds that I gained during the holidays. It seems that my midsection area gained a few inches and my pants are protesting against the changes.

Off to the Cross Trainer. With my Pink iPod (Yes Pink! A gift from my wifey with my name specially engraved at the back. And YES…Pink!) strapped around my left arm, John Maxwell’s “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” raging in my earbuds and with level 7 resistance on the machine, I started running.

Cardio was my goal that day. I wanted to do as much cardio as I can without pushing my body too much. Remember, this was my first time in a long time in the gym and I don’t want to have a sudden breakdown. Besides, falling off the Cross Trainer would be very embarrassing.

John Maxwell starts teaching about “The Law of the Lid” (which I will talk about here soon). I took my towel and covered the dashboard that displayed my stats namely the calories that I was about to burn, the number of strides I will eventually take and the number of minutes I will be spending on the machine.

Why you may ask? I don’t want to give my mind bad ideas.

See, sometimes, these number can play tricks on your mind. When you see that you only did 5 minutes when it feels like forever, your mind starts telling your to stop. You feel tired suddenly. Then you feel like giving up.

So to stop from being tempted, I covered the console. Not to mention, John Maxwell was giving me a constructive distraction through his teachings. I think I was more concerned that I don’t miss what he was saying than counting how many strides I took.

Minutes went by and I started sweating. I was a great feeling. It’s been a while since I got drenched in my own sweat. It felt good knowing that my body was responding to the exercise. Though I may not be sweating pounds, I sure was on my way in doing so. Plus my heart is pumping and I’m helping my blood circulate better.

Little did I know that I had already been Cross Training for 30 minutes and had burned an estimated 340 calories. Not bad for my first day. I felt good.

When the Bible said that “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19), it was speaking in the context of sexual immorality. However, if the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, then the body should not just be respected but be taken cared of.

Shouldn’t we take care of God’s gifts to us including our bodies?

I’ll share more in the coming days of my new adventures in the gym. There might be some little nuggets of knowledge and wisdom worthy of sharing along the way.

Till then, I pray you lose weight this month for the right reasons and the right means.

God bless.

PR

]]> http://rodneygarcia.com/my-first-day-back-in-the-gym/feed/ 0 Meeting of minds http://rodneygarcia.com/meeting-of-minds/ http://rodneygarcia.com/meeting-of-minds/#comments Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:12:56 +0000 Rodney http://rodneygarcia.com/?p=61 I just spent four hours till 1am with a group of individuals who are committed to making an impact in the community. In a house somewhere in Bel Air Makati, Team Rockwell embarked on a historic meeting that will make a mark for Rockwell Campus. It is so big that I cannot tell you any details about it just yet.
But what I can tell you is that I am surrounded with people who are dedicated to get the task done no matter what. As I sit with them, I can feel the creative juices flowing like a river. I can sense innovation at work. I can sense everybody is just pouring their heart and soul into this project without expecting any payment in return.

I witness how people selflessly gave themselves because they love what they do and they love God more. They understand that they are offering back to the Lord their talents and abilities. In the midsts of the creative chaos, I stood back for a while and appreciated God.

“Lord, thank you for blessing me with friends and co-workers in the ministry that love to do your will.”

I am privilege to be part of a group that makes excellence a lifestyle.

After the meeting, though tired and sleepy, you know that they gave their all and did a wonderful job. I know there will be more meetings like this. Sometimes, I shake my head in awe and I smile because I am blessed to have them by my side.

Why do I share this to you? I share this because, through this blog, I want to appreciate them. Though I do not mention their names, they know who they are. I share this story to you because I want you to know that excellence can happen if you want it. I share this story to you because I want you to know that teamwork can get things done.

When people come together with one goal, IMPOSSIBILITIES become POSSIBILITIES.

And when God comes in the picture, POSSIBILITIES become REALITIES.

PR

]]> http://rodneygarcia.com/meeting-of-minds/feed/ 0 New Year. Same Fear? http://rodneygarcia.com/new-year-same-fear/ http://rodneygarcia.com/new-year-same-fear/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:11:57 +0000 Rodney http://rodneygarcia.com/?p=58 2010 is here. A New Year. Chinese say it is the Year of the Tiger. The Tiger is fierce and aggressive and many great things are expected to happen this year. But for some, they do not expect good things to happen.
When New Year comes, people typically have a sense of new hope. They expect a new beginning – a new start in their life. Unfortunately, some people still have the same fears they have from the previous year and bring them to the new year. I know it is but natural to do so. It happens. Last year’s debt is brought in this year with even higher interests. Last year’s pain is brought in to this year and we are still feeling its effects. Last year’s disappointment are dragged to this new year and we are still blaming others about it.

Now, I’m not saying that you should not pay your debts or deny the pain or pretend that disappointments never existed.

But what I am saying to you today is that 2010 is a new season for you. The new year brings new hope to all of us. Hope is something vital to each person. Without it, probably more than half of Earth’s population are now dead. Without hope, we won’t get up in the morning and start the day. We need hope and God is giving us that hope in 2010.

Let me encourage you today. It’s the new year. Don’t let the disappointments and the hurt of the past year pull you down this year. Remember that God is doing something wonderful in your life everyday. If you set your eyes in the past rather that God and the future, then you will miss it. This year, I am believing that God will do great things in your life that you will never expect. That’s just how God is. Always delivering more than what we expect.

If you have a debt last year that you need to pay, pray that God will open doors of opportunities to help you pay for that debt. Don’t run away from it. Face it and pay for it.

If you have pain carried on from last year, pray to the Lord and tell Him what you feel about it and release forgiveness to the offender.

If you have disappointments, see where you went wrong and make sure that you do not do the same mistakes.

It’s a NEW YEAR! It’s a NEW SEASON for you and me.

I know God has great plans for all of us. Just wait and see.

Happy New Year!

PR

]]> http://rodneygarcia.com/new-year-same-fear/feed/ 1 Have the HART to forgive http://rodneygarcia.com/have-the-hart-to-forgive/ http://rodneygarcia.com/have-the-hart-to-forgive/#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 06:48:17 +0000 Rodney http://rodneygarcia.com/?p=54 i have been a wrestling fan all my life. From the likes of Hulk Hogan to Andre The Giant, I have watched everything I could. In my teens, there was one that stood out – Bret “The Hitman” Hart. He was labeled “The Excellence of Execution”. Well, it was not just a label. He embodied it.
In his last appearance at the World Wrestling Entertainment, he was cheated out of the WWE Championship because he was about to transfer to the rival wrestling company at that time called World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The Montreal Screwjob (because the cheating happened in Montreal) has been one of the most controversial and most talked about events in wrestling history. For twelve years, wrestling fans around the world wondered if  there would be any closure. People said that hell will freeze first when these two will meet and reconcile.

Then, hell froze over.

Tonight, at the Live WWE Raw show, Bret Hart returned and buried the hatched with Shawn Michaels. For those who do not know, Shawn Michaels is a Born-Again Christian and has completely changed all these years since that incident in Montreal.

For twelve years, they have exchanged heated words and pointed fingers as who was at fault. However, there were no pointing fingers today. No heated words. Only words of encouragement, a handshake and a heartfelt hug. At last, there was closure.

Let me be honest – I shed a tear or two. I shed a tear because I know how it is to carry such weight and the relief of letting it go.

I was happy for both men who has carried such a burden for twelve years. Makes me wonder how we have carried the same things – bitterness, unforgiveness, grudges.

You don’t need to carry this heavy burden for twelve or so years. It’s been too long and the only one who has been having a hard time is you. Isn’t it time to bury the hatchet and let things go.

You may say that it is the other persons fault. True. But it does not change the fact that this bitterness and unforgiveness has haunted you and placed you in an invisible prison. Only you hold the key to get out of it.

It’s the new year. Perhaps we can consider forgiving someone today. Perhaps we can consider burying the hatchet. Perhaps we can let someone off a huge debt. Perhaps 2010 can be the year when you can set someone free from any guilt or bitterness.

As Bret Hart had the “HART” to forgive, maybe we can too.

After all, God forgave us first. Why shouldn’t we forgive others?

]]> http://rodneygarcia.com/have-the-hart-to-forgive/feed/ 0