It’s true. With a tap, swipe, and an Internet connection, the iPad is changing the world in how we consume information. Being a Christian for more than 20 years and soon-to-be a decade old Pastor, believe it or not but my iPad brought me closer to the Lord.

Ever heard of the often stated, “God works in mysterious ways.” shtick? Well, this is one of them.

When I got my iPad, I was excited with the limitless possibilities this thin touchscreen tablet can offer. I’m not an impulse buyer. I don’t buy for the sake of buying. Being a technology junkie, I have carefully studied the pros and cons of getting an iPad considering that it does cost a significant amount. But I believe it was a worthy investment.

As a pastor, I do a lot of things. Plenty. My calling is similar to a doctor: On call. 24/7. Without the big paycheck. But I’m good. God is taking care of me.

But, to be honest, I sometimes neglect what is vital for every Bible-believing Christian: a daily meeting with God.

Not just praying a short prayer asking for guidance throughout the day. But an actual allotted time to open His Word, meditate, and pray.

Shocked that this pastor skips devotionals sometimes? Unintentionally, of course. But skips nevertheless. I’m coming clean. Forgive me?

Deep inside me, I yearned to hear from God daily. But perhaps life passes by like a speeding bullet, you get caught in the urgent v.s. important bouts. But I had to decide. I knew reserving a time with God was both urgent and important. It’s a one-sided contest. No debate there.

I prayed. Pleaded. Lord, help me spend time with you. Reveal to me in a way I can understand. God created us, you know. And He knows how we tick.

You know what he did in me? Ask me what.

One day, I woke up, opened the cover of my iPad, and read God’s Word. A Bible App called YouVersion was installed in my iPad. It’s been a few weeks since I visited it. I tapped on the icon and, behold, the Word of God in digital form. For those who are purists would say that the reading the Word of God on paper is the most sincerest way of scripture reading. However, it is not the medium that makes the Bible Holy but the words written on it. God’s Word is God’s Word because of God’s Word. I think there should be no debate on that.

And so I read. For the next few minutes, I read the digitized Bible without thinking if this would be a great sermon series or not. I ate it like a starving person hungry for bread. I was having devotions.

Later on, I visited a few websites, which I know would help me with my reading. Some blog posts from pastors I admire. I watched snippet videos of sermons. Even the simple “Our Daily Bread”, which got a lot of new Christians started in Bible reading became part of my daily regimen. Consider it the appetizer before the main course.

Now, I’m not saying that you need to get an iPad to get closer to God. You are missing the point. The point is that God can use something you have now to bring you closer to Him. God is not hard to find. He doesn’t play hide and seek. If you truly seek Him, you will find Him. And He will find a way to make it happen.

If you jog, use the time and listen to God’s Word with your iPod or mp3 player. If you take breakfast in a coffee shop somewhere, use that to read the Bible on paper or on a computer. Commuting to and from work? That’s a great opportunity to dive into His presence even if you’re stuck in traffic.

It was the decision I made that brought me closer to God. My longing. My yearning. If it can happen to me, it can happen to you too. You can have the iPhone, iPod and iPad but do not have the iHeart to do it. If you “mean” to be with God, then He will take care of the “means”. Get it?

God is not limited. He can make things happen; even using a piece of technology to bring you closer to Him.

So I write this account using the same iPad I use to read God’s Word daily. Come to think of it. It has been a long while since I sat and wrote something this lengthy. God uses the iPad to encourage someone in the world? Perhaps. But that… is another story.

Welcome to DAY SIX of my SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE. Imagine that. I’m on my second to the last day of the challenge. I couldn’t believe it too.

One of the things I’ve noticed these past six days is that I developed a certain passion for blogging. Not that I didn’t have it before (since I’m one of the first who tried blogging way back when dial-up internet was cool) but I’ve found a new sense of passion for it today. I think that is what happens when you spend time on something. Passion begins.

Being able to do a challenge is quite hard. It means that you have to get out of your way from the usual routine and make time to do something more than just normal. I wanted to develop a good habit of blogging everyday. Like what I mentioned in previous blog entries, it has become very therapeutic for me. At times, I get lazy tapping or typing away. But because I promised myself to stick with the challenge, the passion is alive.

Passion is developed. It grows over time. It slowly starts like a small fire on a matchstick then engulfs an entire forest ablaze. During the SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE, I could feel the passion beginning to enlarge; an effect that only comes when one decides to take a challenge seriously.

Of course, when a person is passionate, he just doesn’t make mediocre things. Passion always pushes you to bring your best foot forward. Your “A” game. No room for “good enough”. When I blog, I don’t just throw words together and make up a paragraph. Every word is well-thought and well-written to the best of my abilities. I mean, what else can you do if you gave your best, right?

So, what does this do with you?

Perhaps you are in a situation now where PASSION does not exist. Or maybe it was there but left and never came back. Passion needs to only be activated. ACTIVATE IT NOW. Flip the switch. Turn the key. Push the button. Do something. For me, what jumpstarted my passion was this SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE. Perhaps you need to make a SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE of your own.

Why not? Do you have anything else to lose other than seeing your life slip you by?

I am ONE DAY away from completing my SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE. When I’m done, I’ll just have to repeat it twice to complete 21 days. Then, I have a good new habit inside my system.

Take courage, my friend. All is not lost. Take up a new challenge and see the PASSION inside you SWELL UP.

You are reading DAY FIVE of my SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE: Blogging for seven days. For those who are reading my posts, thank you. It is a quiet way of appreciating what I do although it would be nice if you would comment.

On this fifth day, I would like to talk about PURPOSE. When starting a good habit like this, you do need to define WHY you are doing it in the first place. Is it to prove a point? Are you doing just because its fun? Or is there something bigger?

I have always thought that whatever we do must have a purpose. Any action done out of pure unconsciousness can destroy anything that comes into its path. And there have been people who have used their influence and power irresponsibly. Shame on you for your callous judgement.

My purpose is simple: I want to create in me a new good habit. I want to restart something that has faced an abrupt halt. Maybe I’ve wasted a lot of time or permitted other people to stop me from pursuing my passions. To blog is to restart myself. And this is just the first step.

Call it personal. Call it selfish. Call it what you want. But PURPOSE must be a main ingredient in developing a good habit. Your habit. My habit.

Five days and I’m into blogging because I’m driven by purpose. This is no ordinary hobby, my friend. This is a pursuit of passion. This is me going after a long missed date with destiny. And today I make up for lost time.

DAY FIVE is PURPOSE. A challenge will never mean anything unless there is PURPOSE.

Nothing.

Welcome to DAY FOUR of MY SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE.

With three blog entries under my belt and this one being the fourth, I can say that I am halfway with my challenge. And with that, my mind is starting to play tricks on me. That part of my brain where it starts telling my entire being to start being complacent. Ever hear that small voice (which is very different from that small voice that you know comes from God)?

“You’ve already done three. Why not take a rest today.”
“Skip this one. It won’t hurt.”
“You could always start over, you know.”

Even as I type this, my eyelids are not cooperating. It’s getting heavier by the keystroke. Seems like distractions are kicking in. And, this is part of the whole process of starting a good habit.

It is never easy to start a good habit especially something that that you started with a good pace. Yesterday, I spoke about consistency. Surprisingly, today, I feel like not being consistent. Am I just being too honest to you? I have too because you will likely go through the same thing. And if you are not careful, you might just start paying attention to that small voice with bad intentions.

Complacency often creeps in when you are doing very well, showing consistency, and getting the hang of things. Don’t stop now. You are almost there. Don’t just think about being halfway but set your eyes in going ALL THE WAY.

If you joined me on your own SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE and your feeling lazy, don’t be. If you’re on your fourth day without a puff of cigarette, good for you. Don’t think about celebrating with a victory cigar. If you’re kicking the bottle, kudos to you. Now don’t tell your drinking buddies about it. They might just give you a round.

Complacency is a silent killer. You could be drowning in mediocrity without you even knowing it.

Take steps in battling this foe. Find someone you can accountable with. Write your plan in a big piece of paper and post it on your mirror. Do something.

I’m ending this article with words of encouragement: Never let down your guard especially against complacency. He might just win the war.

Welcome back. This is DAY THREE of the SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE.

Three straight days with an entry each. For a guy who hasn’t been blogging for months, I’m doing pretty good. Apologies for giving myself a personal pat on the back but it is something to be commended. And everybody is asleep as I type this so no one can pat my back for me.

Blogging for the next seven days will never be a reality unless you have CONSISTENCY.

A habit is formed when you do something consistently; whether it’s a good habit or a bad one. Consistency dictates the momentum. In my case, it dictates my blogging. It’s like a metronome – a constant beat that ticks in between gaps of time. Though there may be spaces in between, they are not far from one another. And the ticking produces a tempo that a band follows. Unison happens when there is consistency.

When we develop an attitude of consistency, we fall into a rhythm of doing things at a certain pace. The rhythm helps us move along the habit formation. When I took the first step, it felt a bit awkward. You don’t know where to start. It’s like trying to jump into an already in-motion skip rope hoping you won’t get caught in the bands. But consistency starts to develop once you go on after the first and second day. You become hopeful and see the potential that this can actually work.

In order for this SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE to SUCCEED, I need to be CONSISTENCY. My consistency determines the pace of my success. If I become consistent, I have a far better chance of success.

Now, this is not just about m blogging. Your SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE to SUCCEED could be about anything: kicking the habit of smoking, finish reading a book, starting your daily devotions, losing weight. Anything. If you took the first step and be consistent, then you are on your way to succeed.

As for me, I do feel that I’m on my way to develop a blogging habit. I really do. And I thank you for being with me on this journey. Now, I don’t have to do it alone. You can join me develop a good habit by doing your own SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE to SUCCEED.

My parting shot: CONSISTENCY IS A BIG LEAP TO A GOOD HABIT.

Thanks for taking the time reading my current journey of developing a good habit in my SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE. I’m on DAY TWO. Believe it or not, I was really looking forward to this time. I think I’m typing a lot more faster than yesterday. I don’t know. Information is flowing like a river. Was it the coffee that I just had? Is the coffee talking, so to speak? No. It is me. It is all me.

My SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE is for me to start blogging habitually again. Yesterday, I started my “journey of a thousand miles” by taking the first step of blogging entry number one on my website.

And for DAY TWO, I’d say that there is a sense of excitement. In a challenge like this, when you want to grow in you a new habit, you need to be excited. I’m not sure if this is a phase. I’ll write about it for sure. But to just address the current situation, I love the feeling of excitement as I blog.

In creating a new habit, you need excitement. You need to be excited in what you do. Being excited is a good sign that you are either starting good or are doing good. Excitement has become the fuel to take this monster truck called GOOD HABIT OF BLOGGING from the terminal to the destination. I’m excited. That’s a good sign,

Then, you look forward to put your thoughts into words. Like what I said in the previous blog entry, I feel a sense of release when I type. I am sure a lot of people feel the same way. Not convinced? Check out your friends network on Facebook. Who among them put rants, complaints, and criticism as their status?

“Had a bad day. Boss is evil.”
“I hate the food in our cafeteria.”
“My life sucks.”

After they put it there for all to see, they feel lighter. Only to suffer the consequences of their online rant. That’s not the stress released I’m looking for. Anyway.

DAY TWO looks to be a good day for my habit-forming challenge. Excitement is keeping the challenge moving. And as should our life as a whole. We may not have a celebrity or a famous person’s life that we often call exciting but our life has a lot of exciting things going on, right?

The people you can meet, the possibilities of helping someone, the little or big surprises that can spring up, and the list goes on. You can have an exciting day if you mean it to be an exciting day.

Blogging, for me, is exciting. It gives me the opportunity to publish what I think and share it to the world with a press of a button. What was once a frustration (as I had wanted to write and publish something) is now a reality.

This SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE is breathing life into me. Not that I’m lifeless but it does give a little kick. It’s giving me that extra “umpf” at the end of the day. We all need an extra “umpf” in our life, right? Why not do your own SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE?

As DAY TWO draws to a close, I peg the keyword “EXCITEMENT”. It is the fuel that throttles the first step towards developing a worthy life habit.

What does DAY THREE hold? I do not know but it does sound exciting.

I have decided to do something AT LAST. For quite some time, I have been planning to go back to blogging; to write my thoughts about my life, my ministry, the revelations and personal lessons, and everything in between. And when I mean “quite some time”, it is more like “months ago”.

It happens. When you have a lot of things to do that has more priority, you do them first and leave the rest behind. You become busy. There goes that word again – BUSY. Then you want to do some things that are not really a priority but are just, well, fun to do. But you can’t do them because you would rather use the time you can spare to either make more money or do other priorities in advance. Sometimes, you feel guilty just having fun.

Would you agree with me?

However, life is too short. And for me to just focus on things that need to be done and not give time to things that are fun and cool will make me either unhappy or, worse, cranky. We work more. Have fun less. Then we ask why we are unhappy.

So I decided to do something about it. I made a BOLD STEP to involve myself in a personal SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE. For the next seven days, I will be allotting time for something that I enjoy doing. I want to create a new habit; a new system, if you will, in my life.

Why seven days? People say that, in order to form a habit, you need to do something consistently for the next 21 days. So how come I’m just doing seven days? Simple. If I can do something consistently for the next SEVEN DAYS, then I just have to repeat it three times. Then, I’ll form a new good habit. Isn’t it much easier to look at it that way than be overwhelmed with 21 days?

So my SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE is that I will start blogging my thoughts, revelations, feelings, and the like online.

One of my favourite saying is that “A journey of a thousand miles begin with the first step.” My thousand mile journey begins today and this is my first step. And, believe me, the first step is often the hardest.

Doing this blog was hard. “How hard can it be?”, you may ask. It is true. It is not as hard as it seems. To be in front of a computer and type or take an iPad and start tapping away anything that makes sense seems easy enough. True. But with business to attend to, projects to finish, bills to pay, a house to renovate, frequent visits to the hardware store, checking and withdrawing of funds, helping your son with his homework, being a father and a husband, always a 24/7 Lead Pastor of a thriving church called THE ROCK CAMPUS, and squeezing meals and bathroom breaks, the best option for some spare time is my head on a pillow.

But today, I take time to sit, tap and type on m iPad, and reflect.

And, in all fairness, I feel relaxed. It is therapeutic. Seeing my thoughts and feelings on text is relieving. Tapping so slightly on the keypad feels like releasing stress without the force. Then, as I scroll back up and review what I have written, I realize that someone out there might be going through what I am going through.

That they want do something that means a lot to them but don’t just have the time or energy.

May I encourage you today: If I can start making time to do something I love, I am sure yo can do it too.

Hopefully, as I take this SEVEN DAY CHALLENGE, it will develop in me a new good habit. But may this personal challenge also become a catalyst for others and inspire them to do the same. Yes, it can be done. You just have to take the first step.

And, THE FIRST STEP IS OFTEN THE HARDEST.

Today was no ordinary day. It was ONE SUNDAY: the first anniversary of the Sunday Worship Service at The Rock Campus; the church I have been pastoring for two years. Leading to this today, I could not help but reflect on the journey how we got here. Truly, it was a step of faith.

This was around March 2010; the same time I was officially released as an Associate Pastor of Word for the World Christian Fellowship in Valero, Makati and was transferred under WWCF’s Outreach Deparment. I remember gathering with a few of my friends whom I worked with in a previous ministry. With only two months to go, we were about to embark on something none of us went to school for. We were about to start a Sunday service.

Now, this was not just a small ministry we’re talking about here. This was a big responsibility. We knew what we were getting into. Once we start a weekly Sunday service, it was a proclamation that the The Rock Campus will become a full-pledge church. There was no turning back. Though the future was uncertain, we were determined to realize the vision God put in our hearts. Yes, we lacked a lot of things. But God provided. If its His WILL, it’s His BILL.

May 23, 1010. Sunday. We rented a place that can comfortably fit around 100 to 120 people. If we can fill even half this place, its good for us. We set-up our equipment. Some bought. Some borrowed. Lent by a pastor-friend from another outreach, the band was doing sound check. The staff prepared everything they could prepare. This was it.

Three hours passed. The Rock Campus had successful launched its first Sunday service. The place was so packed that some people had to remain standing during the service. It provided the momentum we needed to begin this church.

Permit me to be honest. When we started the Sunday service, we did it all in faith. Unlike other church-planting initiatives, we didn’t have a lot of money. It was just enough to keep us going for another Sunday. We didn’t even know if we would be having a service two weeks from now or even reach 6 months. We had limited manpower and we didn’t have the expertise most seasoned church-planters have. We just decided to follow God’s vision and trust Him that He will make it work.

And did He deliver.

Since we started the Sunday service, The Rock Campus is self-funded. From the tithes and love offerings given by the faithful attendees of the church, we use it to pay for different expenses such as rentals, purchases and pastoral support. And from these funds, we give tithes to the mother church. We were able to have a steady attendance and have water baptized some of them. We were able to raise new leaders and bring more people to Christ. We’ve witness lives turned around and changed. We’ve seen people start a new beginning. The list goes on and on. God is at work at The Rock Campus.

A year passed, we’re still here. And God has been faithful all this time.

We share these to you not to boast our abilities and talents but boast that God is faithful. We would not have done all these without Him. And we will never take the glory away from Him.

Like Don Moen’s Song goes, “Thank You LORD! I just want to thank You LORD!”

At this time, please give me the opportunity to express my gratitude.

To all those who supported us through prayers, finances and encouragement, thank you very much. You have truly touched countless lives through your support.

To all the volunteers of The Rock Campus, thank you for giving your time and energy unselfishly. You are not merely workers but partners in shaping this church for the better.

To the people who walk through the doors of RC, we hope you continue to feel the warmth and sense of family in the church. The doors of this church is open to EVERYONE. Thank you for letting us nurture you in your walk with God.

To our mother church, Word for the World Christian Fellowship, God has used you as the training ground to prepare us to lead The Rock Campus. Thank you so much.

To the unnamed faces who continue to believe and pray for what this church does, thank you so much.

To The Rock Campus Core of Leaders, thank you for trust and confidence in me as your pastor. I’ve always said this: It is not often one is given the opportunity to start a church with your friends. I value your friendship and your love.

And I just say this to all who attend RC: your Core of Leaders are passionately working and praying hard to make sure the church continues to do God’s work. We work as a team with one heart and passion. I am in very good company. Continue to pray for us.

On a personal note, I want to thank my daddy,Jun, my mommy, Lulu, and brother, Rainier. You mean so much to me. Thank you for your invaluable love and support. I love you all!

To my wife, Aida, and son, Rafa. Both of you make me want to be a better husband and father. Thank you for believing in me. I love you both!

And, finally, to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you for everything. Every single thing this church is about is all because of YOU. WE LOVE YOU, LORD!

And so we end one year and prepare for another.

What does God have in store for The Rock Campus in the coming year?

Whatever it is, all I know is that it is going to be AMAZING!

Are you ready to ROCK? MAKE SOME NOISE!

First and foremost, I am a pastor. I preach. I teach. But sometimes, I do get the opportunity to sing even during the service. But this time, it’s different. I’ll be singing an entire fast and slow set of worship songs like what worship leaders do every week.

In a warm room full of musicians and singers, we went through the line-up for Sunday: a mixture of new songs and old hymns. That’s something we do in RC.

Let me tell you, it was not easy.

A lot of people think that worship leading is easy. You may think that it is just singing a song or two, putting them together and that’s it. You’re wrong. It is more than that.

Making a worship line-up takes skill. It’s not just putting three songs together but making sure they jive in tone, beat and thought. Worship leaders need to know the essence of the songs. Does it speak to the heart? Do the songs complement each other? And more.

For the band, they have the big responsibility to make the songs sound good. It is more than strumming a guitar, hitting a snare drum or punching the keyboard. It is making music that reaches the highest heavens.

Putting this together, it is the worship team ushering people into an attitude of worship.

I went home tired and exhausted. I felt like wrestling The Undertaker in Wrestlemania. It’s not just singing a song. All your senses are working: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

I will be just doing this one time. Worship leaders do this every week. Even before, I have had a tremendous amount of respect for worship leaders. Now, it is much greater.

We are so critical with our church singers and band. We criticize if they botched a song. Some even call them and discourage them for not doing “their best”. But we don’t realize that what they do is very difficult.

Folks, let me say this: On Sunday, please approach your church’s worship team (band and singers) and appreciate them. Give a word of encouragement. A pat on the back. Even give them a gift. They are putting their all on the line to lead you and I in worship.

Worship teams around the world, KUDOS to you all.

As for me, it’s preparation time. See you on May 8 – Sunday at St. Giles Hotel, Makati ave., Makati City for THE ROCK CAMPUS Mother’s Day service.

To my wife, Aida, of 11 years (this year), I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

And to all, Happy Valentine’s Day.

- – -

By the time you read this, I would have done something I have wanted to do for 10 years – propose to my wife.

You see, before I got married to my wife (Aida), I didn’t know much about romance and how things worked. Yes. I was cuddly and showy with my feelings. But there are just some things a guy doesn’t know about love.

Ten years ago, in a Starbucks Coffee in Makati, I gave my wife an engagement ring. Unfortunately, I gave it in the most stupidest way. No music. No flowers. No nothing. How unromatic, isn’t it? Yup.

And for years, my wife had longed to have a proposal that is truly worth remembering. Every time she saw something like that on television or in movies, she wished he had that too. And I wish that for her as well.

Today, I get to change everything. I’m given a second chance.

By the time you read this, I would have already swept her off her feet in surprise.

She doesn’t know that I will be singing to her today or giving her flowers or proposing in front of a crowd with a ring in tow. Yes. A ring.

So I hope that as I write my next post, I have photos and video to show you all.

Frankly, I’m scared to death. But I’m willing to do this because I love my wife. I have been with her for 14 years. Married for 10 years. We’ve gone through a lot.

I want to give her something I neglected to give her – a proper proposal.

And today, we start again. Anew.

I love you, Aida. Hope you like my surprise.

Rodney