Have you ever been rejected by others? Ridiculed? Maligned? Gossiped about?

Have you been cheated? Betrayed? Lied to? Stolen from?

If your answer is yes, then I’m writing to the right person.

That means you have emotional wounds, and my big message for you is that there’s only one thing that can heal your wounds.

Let me start by talking about something of great cosmological and eternal significance: My bloody ingrown toenail. 

Sometimes called hangnail. 

Let me translate that in Pilipino: hangnail is kukong nagbigti.

Anyway, would you believe my ingrown toenail lasted for two years? Because the nail kept re-growing, puncturing my wound again and again. The wound got infected and my entire toe was filled with foul-smelling yellow pus. (I apologize for grossing you out. I’m actually doing it on purpose and having fun.)

This is my claim to sainthood. If St. Francis of Assisi had his stigmata, I had my two-year old bloody ingrown toenail.

After two years, my mother scared me to death and said if the wound doesn’t get well, they might have to cut off my toe.

I loved my toe.

So I visited a doctor. And he said he had to pull out half of my toenail. I fainted.

I still remember that fateful day. The anesthesia didn’t work because of the pus. So I felt like San Lorenzo Ruiz who was tortured in the same way. (Please mention this tiny detail in my sainthood application.)

Here’s how the Doc did it.

Step 1: He pushed his scissors in between my nail and my toe, all the way to the very end. The pain was so horrific, I was ready to recant anything he told me to recant. Even my love for peanut butter.

Step 2: He cut my entire toenail into two. “Snap!”

Step 3: He got his metal pliers and yanked out half of my toenail. Blood and pus spurt like a little fountain.

But it worked. 

My wound was now free to heal itself. What lasted for two years took only a few days to heal.

Why am I telling you this gory story?

To tell you that your emotional wounds are just like physical wounds. Bitterness is like the ingrown—it keeps the original wound alive by puncturing it again and again. So your emotional wound doesn’t heal.

And your soul gets infected.

If you’re not careful, the emotional wound can grow until it amputates parts of you, slowly killing you.

I’ve met people like these.

I pity them so much. They’re like the living dead. They are alive but they’re dead.

Like Minette, for instance.

Pressing The Rewind Button Again

       Minette’s husband left her three years ago.

But when you talk to her, it was like it happened yesterday.

       Adultery is one of the deepest wounds a human heart can have. After entrusting your entire life to one person, that one person betrays that trust. 

But I believe even the emotional wound of adultery can be healed. I’ve met many wives whose husbands became unfaithful—and they were able to move on by the power of forgiveness.

       But Minette couldn’t forgive.

       Because everyday, she pressed the “Rewind” button of the most hurtful scenes.

Today, Minette has cancer. It doesn’t take a psychologist to connect the dots. Her bitterness was eating up her body as well.

       But it doesn’t have to be this way.

       I should know.

I Forgive For Selfish Reasons

       I was sexually molested twice, not by strangers on the street, but by an older cousin and by my own youth group leader. William Blake said, “It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.” That’s so true.

Those traumatic events warped my thinking, opened my life to addictions, and gave me self-contempt that would affect my entire life. I hated myself. I was ashamed of myself. Oh yes, my wounds were deep.

Yet in my heart, I’ve forgiven them. Totally.

I’ve released the bitterness in my soul.

Why? 

Because of a very selfish reason.

Remember: Forgiveness is first of all a gift you give yourself.

I forgave because I wanted peace.

I wanted to move on with my life.

I wanted to get rid of the emotional baggage.

I wanted to be free.

And today, I am!

Let me share with you one more personal experience…

When You Forgive,

You Bless Your Future

Many years ago, I started a tiny business with a friend. I was the investor and he was the guy who ran the show. 

One day, I saw him with a new cell phone. A really cool, top-of-the-line thing that had everything you could think of—camera, video-cam, GPRS, missile guidance system, and an umbrella.

“Wow, that’s a great cell phone,” I said.

“This is a gift. Someone gave it to me,” he said.

The next time we meet, he brought a new laptop.

“That’s really nice,” I said.

“Oh, this is also a gift…,” he said.

A few months later, the business collapsed.

After looking at the records, I realized I was the one who gave them to him! 

He was stealing from the business.

A year later, he came to me and asked for forgiveness. I forgave him even before he asked for forgiveness. 

Here’s the reason why I forgave him. 

Again, I did it for selfish reasons. I didn’t want to waste any of my time and energy trying to get the money back. Instead, I wanted to use all my time and energy to earn ten times what I lost. I used my frustration to create more wealth. I wanted to focus on the future, not the past. I wanted to focus on my dreams, not my wounds.

Imagine if you lost one peso. And you have two options: Spend one hour looking for that one peso or spend that same hour earning P100 somewhere else?

A bitter person will choose the first option. Crazy but true.

Today, let me report to you: I’ve earned many, many times what I lost from that tiny business.  This is the power of forgiveness. It heals your wound and blesses your future. That’s why I believe forgiveness is one of God’s greatest inventions!

Let me tell you how to forgive…

Stage One: Get Angry

Forgiveness is not a one-stage process. 

It’s a two-stage process.

Here they are…

Stage One: Get angry.

Stage Two: Release the anger.

That’s it.

Don’t be shocked, but anger is the first stage of forgiveness.

You have to admit the hurt.

You have to acknowledge the pain.

You have to say, “What he did to me was wrong.” 

Some people think forgiveness is pretending nothing bad happened. That’s not true. If you’re angry, feel the anger.

But you must express your anger in a non-hurtful way, without screaming or attacking. Bring your anger before God. Share your pain to a few trusted friends. Ask for prayer. Go ahead, cry. Offer your tears to God.

Anger heals because it’s about loving yourself—and love always heals. Anger means you’re standing up for you. As an abuse victim, I had to do this. Anger is needed to rebuild my broken personal boundaries.

How long should you stay in Stage One?

Not too long.

Because anger has an expiry date.

How Long Have You Been Angry?

Here’s the truth: Bitterness and anger is one and the same thing. But Bitterness is anger past its expiry date.

Let me illustrate.

I love spaghetti.

Served hot, it’s wonderful. 

But left on the kitchen counter for a whole day, it may still be good but be careful. 

After two days, you may get an upset stomach. 

After one week, there’ll be more germs than spaghetti. At that point, the plate of spaghetti has become poison

Just like anger. 

If anger stays too long in your heart, your anger no longer heals but kills. When anger turns into bitterness, it’s poison.

The Bible says, “the sun must not go down in your anger.”

I believe it. Except perhaps for severe wounds (like abuse, adultery, betrayal, etc.), I feel Stage One should not last for more than a day. I’m talking about the regular hurts we encounter everyday. Before nightfall, move onto Stage two.

But deeper wounds may need weeks or even months of anger and grief. For deeper wounds, I believe there’s no clear divide between Stage One and Two. There’ll be an overlap. But your movement must be towards Stage Two.

       Because that’s where the real magic happens.

Stage Two: Release Anger

In Stage Two, you decide to forgive. Key word: Decide.

It’s not about feeling, but about willing. The feelings of anger can linger (that’s normal) but the decision has already been made in your heart.

Remember, Love is a decision, not just a feeling. If forgiveness is love, then forgiveness is a decision too.

But here’s a very important footnote: Forgiveness isn’t necessarily bringing back the relationship to where it was before. If you caught your boyfriend cheating on you, what should you do? Forgive him! But that doesn’t mean you have to get back with him again. That’s all up to you.

Let’s say you caught your boyfriend cheating on you twice. What should you do? Again, you have to forgive him. Now, do you get back into his arms? If you’re a psychotic with sadomasochistic tendencies, go ahead. Your desires will be granted.

Forgiveness is also not opening up yourself to more hurt. For example, if your alcoholic husband beat you up, you still need to forgive him; But do you back into the house? No way. You run away and never see him until he gets counselling and stops drinking for 6 months.

Forgiveness Heals The “Enemy”

The cousin who molested me has long been dead. So forgiving him in my heart was enough. 

       The youth group leader who sexually abused me is still alive. After 30 years, I have yet to face him. You see, I reported his name to a Bishop, asking that he be barred from doing any religious work until he gets help for his perversion. I had to protect other young boys who may be working with him. He has yet to come to me to ask for forgiveness. But even if he does not, I’ve forgiven him—and sent that “spiritually” to him.

       The guy who stole money? As I said, he asked for forgiveness, and I was able to say to him, “I forgive you.”

       When you forgive someone, you also offer healing to that person. Whether he accepts it or not is not your concern.

And by some magic, you don’t only heal yourself and the other person. You also heal all your loved ones.

Forgiveness Heals Everyone In Your Life

Imagine a room of ten people.

And one person there stepped on poop. (Sorry, my article is really gross today—about ingrowns and poop. But bitterness is gross.) Slowly, everyone in the room smells the awful stench. Only one person has the poop, but everyone is affected by it.

Bitterness is like that.

It wounds everyone. Your family. Your friends.

Bitterness is an evil spirit and people feel it. They smell the poison. They sense it. They want to run away.

Sometimes, when I enter a home filled with conflicts, I feel the collective wound of the family. You cannot breathe.

But when a person forgives, he’s like opening a window in a smelly room because one person stepped on poop. Fresh air comes in. If bitterness wounds everyone, forgiveness heals everyone too.

       My last story is a story that I created, adapted from other sources. Be blessed as you read it.

The Son Who Hated His Father

       “Hi John,” the priest greeted his favorite nephew.

       “Fr. Chris,” the young man said, his voice betraying his troubled soul.

       The cleric felt so much pity for the teen. “I heard you’re having problems with your father.”

       A frown formed on John’s face. “You know him. He’s your brother. You know he’s impossible to deal with. He’s so selfish. He’s so cruel…” He fought back his tears.

       “Tell you what, son,” the priest tried to sound encouraging, “let’s pray for him.” He stood up and pinned the photo of the boy’s father on the wall.

       “What’s that?” John asked. The sight of his father’s face stung him. He clenched his fists.

       The priest said, “It’s just a way to help us pray for him. It’ll be our visual connection to your father.”

       “But I don’t want to pray for him!” the young man shouted.

       At that moment, the phone rang. “Excuse me, son,” Fr. Chris said, “let me answer this call and I’ll get back to you right away.” He left the room.

       John found himself alone, staring at the photo of a man he despised with his entire being. Seething with rage, he saw a knife on the kitchen counter. On impulse, he grabbed it and ran back to the photo of his father. “I hate you!” he screamed, and stabbed the photo many, many times.

       That was when Fr. Chris ran back. “Oh my God…,” The priest said, as he could only look in horror.

His energy spent, John thrust the knife into the photo one last time.

He took one step backward, panting.

“John, I had other photos there,” Fr. Chris said.

“What?” The young man looked at the priest. 

Fr. Chris walked to the wall and removed the damaged photo.

John couldn’t believe his eyes.

Because underneath it was John’s photo. Also torn.

The priest explained. “After praying for your father, I wanted to pray for you, John.”

The young man looked at his damaged photo. His face was torn, punctured by the same stabbing he himself made.

Tears rolled down his cheeks.

       But even as his vision blurred, John noticed that there was something else behind his torn photo.

He pulled it off the wall.

       Underneath his photo was the picture of Jesus, His face, also torn, also wounded.

And John collapsed on his knees, and wept for a long time.

— 0 —

This is the ultimate reason why we forgive: Because even if we sin against God, He still forgives us. We don’t deserve His love, but He loves us anyway.

       Heal yourself, my friend.

       Forgive anyone who has wronged you.

       May your dreams come true,

       Bo Sanchez

PS. If you want to get to know others who love God too, sign up at www.BoPlanet.com now. It’s like our private Facebook.

PS2. Larry Gamboa and I will give the Think Rich Pinoy Seminar this November 21 at the Philamlife Building in UN avenue in Manila. Larry will discuss his unique Real Estate methods, buying foreclosed properties and turning them around for passive income. You’ll also get to play Robert Kiyosaki’s CashFlow Game and learn! To attend, click here now.

My 84-year old mother and sister are there too. 

I would have loved to join them.   But I couldn’t. I had to lead a pilgrimage in Europe. Oh, I miss them soooo much, it’s painful.

I know. You must be laughing. Because we’ve been separated for only three weeks and that’s nothing compared to what other families go through.

Yes, I know. Still, I miss my little family.

By the way, I warned Marowe: The moment she arrives at the airport, I’m going to run to her and kiss her for two straight hours in front of everybody. I won’t let her go. The guards will have to carry me away if they want to.

So if you see in the front pages of the newspaper, “Preacher Disrupt Airport With Indecent Behavior” you’ll understand. Just in case, please visit me in prison and bring some food. My favorite is peanut butter.

I’m now writing this in my bedroom.

All alone.

I look out the window and see the dark sky.

I close my eyes. And I imagine. I imagine my heart flying around the planet and to embrace my most important treasure in life—my family. 

I now realize that God was right when He said in the Bible, “It’s not good for man to be alone.”

We need family. Friends. Community.

We can’t do it on our own.

To all the Filipinos out there who are separated from your families, I dedicate this short piece to you.

Perhaps I’ll never understand how it feels like to miss parents, spouses, children for one year, two years, five years, ten years… The pain must be unbearable.

I pray for you today.

I pray for God’s Love to embrace you.

Friend, I made a virtual family especially for you.  

To be your family wherever you are.

It’s called www.KerygmaFamily.com   It’s an international, borderless, non-physical community where you can receive a mountain load of spiritual nourishment. 

Even if you’re thousands of miles away, we’ll be connected through the internet. You’ll receive daily Bible reflections and monthly Kerygma magazines sent via email to you—to inspire you and enrich your life. All Free! (Donations to the ministry are totally optional. You don’t have to donate anything. But if you so choose to donate, we’ll thank you by mailing you the physical Kerygma magazine and special surprise gifts from me, all to bless your soul.)

Even through the internet, I’ll be your family.

Wherever you are.

Go to www.KerygmaFamily.com now.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

PS. For those who are already members of the KerygmaFamily, thank you so much! It’s an honor to me to be related to you.   If you’re not yet a member, this is my personal invitation to you. Join me. Let’s be a family. And receive the mountain load of spiritual nourishment for your soul. Grow closer to God. Go to www.KerygmaFamily.com now!

A moustached guy offered it to me while walking in a busy street.

Wow. Didn’t Rolex watches sell at $5000 each?

Because he thought I was interested, the man opened his jacket and displayed other designer watches—such as Patek Phillip, Cartier, and Omega. “Choose what you want. $20 only each.”

That was shocking. I knew some high-end Patek watches cost $200,000. So how in the world could this man be selling them for $20?

Too bad for the watch guy, I don’t use watches. Stopped using them 25 years ago. To know the time, I look at the sun. On a cloudy day, I look at someone else’s watch.

But my buddy bought a $20 Rolex. It was a steal, he said.

Hey, it looked like a Rolex. It worked like a Rolex. It felt like a Rolex. But it wasn’t a Rolex.

Five months later, my friend was sad because his watch broke down. I told him, “What did you expect?”

Let me use this to explain why we have problems in our relationships.

How To Do The Great Switcheroo

Why do so many marriages have problems today?

Because many couples built their marriage on a pirated version of Love, not Love. 

The pirated version of Love is Infatuation.

There was a time when I thought Infatuation was only for pimple-faced teenyboppers. Not true. Old fogies like myself aren’t exempted.

Not that Infatuation is a bad thing. It’s totally normal. Infatuation only becomes a bad thing if a person thinks it was Love. 

I repeat: Infatuation is like a pirated copy of Love.

       Foolish people think the pirated copy is real. When it breaks down, they panic or get depressed. They realize it’s fake. And their whole world crumbles.

Wise people know Infatuation is a pirated copy. They enjoy it while it lasts, but they know it was brittle and wouldn’t last. So secretly, they also bought the genuine article. (Note: Pirated versions are given; Real versions are bought. I’ll explain later.) So when the pirated version breaks down, the wise person does the great switcheroo. He pulls out the real thing. 

Today, I’ll tell you how to spot the genuine from the fake.

I’ll describe the real deal—and how it’s the only thing that can save your marriage. But not only your marriage, but every other relationship you have.

Oh yes, so many people have relationship problems with their parents, or children, or siblings, or friends—because they don’t know what Real Love is.

       I’m going to explain to you that Real Love is about dirty hands, not beating hearts.

       Let me explain how this great switcheroo works…

“Ngooorrrk!”

       “Father, we want to get married.”

When the engaged couple went to the priest to schedule their wedding, their hearts were beating for each other. It was so loud, the priest could actually hear it. “Dubdub. Dubdub. Dubdub.”

But he’s seen this before. How sweet lovebirds end up almost killing each other a year after the wedding. So he warned them, “As you know, feelings of love won’t last.”

       And the couple said, “We know Father.”

But at the back of their minds, they’re saying, “We know Father that feelings of love won’t last for everyone else. But not for us. How can this feeling be fake when it’s as strong as a roaring volcano? It is as clear as the noonday sun, as eternal as the waves of the sea, as beautiful as the stars in the night sky.”

       After the wedding ceremony, they have their honeymoon.

       On their first night, the new husband watches his bride asleep, the moonlight streaming from the bedroom window onto her lovely face. He gazes at her long eyelashes, her pinkish cheeks, her parted lips. All of a sudden, she snores. 

“Ngooorrrk.”

What does he say?

“How cute.”

       Six months later, it’s the same scene. 

They’re at home. The guy sees his wife asleep, with the moonlight streaming from the window onto her face. All of a sudden, she snores. 

“Ngooorrrk.”

What does he say?

“How gross.”

What happened? Infatuation, the pirated version of love, disappeared. Real Love must now kick in. 

But only if he has it.

       Let me give you another example.

From Gazing To Gossiping

How do you know if a couple in the restaurant are not married? 

Easy. 

If they’re physically close, touching each other, hand to hand, eye to eye, nose to nose, bad breath to bad breath—they’re not married.

Look underneath their table, and if their legs are intertwined and they’re playing footsies together, they’re not married. 

If they don’t look at anything else but each other, they’re not married. 

If nuclear bombs fall right beside them and they won’t even notice, they’re not married. 

If a flash flood engulfs the entire restaurant and all the guy could say was, “Sweetheart, I love the color of your eyes as it reflects the brownish floodwater around us,” you can bet your life, they’re not married.

       And how do you know if a couple in a restaurant are married? 

Easy. 

If they’re seated far apart, so far a part, a six by six truck could pass in between them, they’re married. 

If they look bored, they’re married. 

If the whole night, all they do is talk about other people, they’re married. The wife whispers, “Don’t look at her, but the woman behind you is wearing fake eyelashes, fake jewellery, a fake Coach bag, fake anatomical parts, and a fake husband.” Being dense, the man turns around and asks, “Where? Where?”

Once upon a time, they had eyes only for one another.

Now, they barely look at each other.

What has happened? Infatuation, the pirated version of love, disappeared. Real Love must now kick in.

But only if they have it.

Spot The Difference

Let me now share five clear-as-daylight differences between Infatuation and Real Love:

1.    Infatuation doesn’t require a decision. It just happens. You see a girl and boom—your hormones kick in and you want her. You don’t know why. It’s her dress. It’s the way her hair falls on her shoulder. It’s her smile. It’s the way she bites her fingernail. That’s why I said that pirated versions are free. But Real Love doesn’t just happen; Real Love requires a decision. That’s why Scott Peck says Real Love can only start after one has “fallen out of love.”

2.    Infatuation, no matter what you do, lasts only for a season. You have these feelings of love swirling within you until something happens that breaks the spell. Maybe she’ll open her mouth. Maybe she’ll reveal her fangs. Maybe she’ll pick her nose. Maybe she’ll spend your money. Maybe she’ll introduce you to her mother. Maybe she gains 30 pounds. It could be anything. Infatuation can last for a few days or for a couple of years. But Real Love can last forever precisely because it’s a decision.

3.    Infatuation is directed towards a figment of your imagination. You’re not attracted to a real person. You’re attracted to a projection of that person from your own imagination. Like Infatuation itself, you’re in love with a fake. But Real Love is directed towards a real person. You now know her strengths and weaknesses, and have accepted it all.

4.    Infatuation is a spontaneous collapse of your boundaries. You get lost and you merge with the other. You’re enmeshed. You can’t survive without each other. But Real Love requires strengthening of both your boundaries; You actually don’t need each other, but you choose each other because you want to serve.

5. Infatuation is all about feelings. Dubdub. Dubdub. Dubdub. Cold palms, giddy spells, dazed looks, and feet on the clouds. But Real Love is about dirty hands. You don’t have to feelanything to love. Love is a verb, not just a feeling. Love is an action, not just a state. Let me repeat my message: I believe love is about dirty hands, not beating hearts. The essence of love isn’t feelings but service. Scott Peck says it so well—the opposite of love isn’t hatred; the opposite of love is laziness.

Your Physiology Affects Your Psychology

Here’s the thing.

I’ve found out that only mature people can love. Only mature people can do the great switcheroo when the pirated copy fails. They just pull out the genuine article.

Why? Only mature people have love within them.

Real Love has very little to do with the other person. A loving person can love because he is a loving person, not because the other person is lovable.

You may be asking me, “But Bo, is love dry? Isn’t there room for feelings?”

Of course, there is.

Here’s a secret mature people know in their hearts even if they don’t know it cognitively: Your physiology affects your psychology. Your feeling follows your action.

If we keep on doing acts of love, we increase our feelings of love. The more we “dirty our hands”, the more we find our “hearts beating” for the other.

To make this practical, let me share seven simple ways of dirtying your hands. They are (1) Help, (2) Prayer, (3) Presence, (4) Touch, (5) Words, (6) Gifts, and (7) Boundaries.

1. Help

Love means giving practical help.

If you’re a mother, I’m sure there are days when you wake up feeling blue and you don’t want to enter the kitchen. But fifteen minutes later, where are you? Cooking in the kitchen, because some little people will get hungry. You don’t feel like doing it. But you do it anyway. That’s love.

If you’re a husband, I’m sure there are days when you go home tired from work. But you see your kids. And even if all you want to do is lie down on the couch, you decide to play with them. You don’t feel like doing it. But you do it anyway. That’s love.

       If you’re a child whose parents are older, I’m sure you want to help them. Sure, you’ve got your own problems now, but doesn’t stop you from serving them. You don’t feel like doing it. But you do it anyway. That’s love.

2. Prayer

Love means praying for your loved ones.

Perhaps your father was a horrible man. And you hate him. But you decide to pray for him.

Sooner or later, God will answer your prayer. God will change him, but He’ll change you first. Your father gets blessed, but you get blessed too. Ultimately, you become a more loving person.

You pray whether you feel like it or not.

That’s love.

3. Presence

       Love means spending time together.

       Not just being physically together, but also being emotionally together.

       That could mean a father playing with his kids. Or a daughter visiting her aging parents. Or siblings going shopping together. Or friends laughing over pizza. Or a couple taking a walk.

       There’ll be times when you won’t feel like bonding together.

       But you do it anyway. That’s love.

4. Touch

Love means physical affection.

One day, a couple walking to work noticed a man passionately kissing a woman. “Why don’t you do that?” said the wife.

“Honey,” replied her husband, “I don’t even know that woman!”

       People aren’t machines. They need to be touched. Holding hands, pats on the back, shoulder rubs, hugs, and kisses nourish and heal people more than you can possibly imagine.

Again, there’ll be days when you don’t want to kiss or hold hands or hug. But you do it anyway. That’s love.

5. Words

       Love means verbal or written expressions.

       When was the last time you told your husband, “Thank you for working so hard for our family”? When was the last time you told your wife, “Thank you for being a great mother to our kids”? When was the last time you told your mother, “Thanks for serving me all these years”? And when was the last time you actually said, “I love you”?

       You might argue with me and say, “Bo, I don’t want to be a hypocrite. When I say it, I must feel it.”

       Here’s my question: Are you just your emotions?

       Or are you much more than your emotions? Are you also your spirit, your soul, your mind, your imagination, your will?

6. Gifts

Love means giving tokens—or symbols of love.

To you, your gift may mean nothing. But to another person, a small, inexpensive gift from you could mean the world.

7. Boundaries

Love means respecting the boundaries of the other. 

Love means giving space to the other and letting the other person grow on her own. Love also means letting the other face her own responsibilities. 

I like it when my wife goes out with her girlfriends each week. I like it when she takes up other interests. I like it when she grows and flourishes as an individual. I like it when she tells me, “Bo, I need some alone time. I’ll just go window shopping for awhile.” So I pray over her, “Lord, I claim in faith that she’ll be faithful to those words, that she will indeed go ‘window’ shopping only. Thank you, Lord, for this miracle!”

Love Is Service

I dedicate my last story to all those living away from their loved ones today—Overseas Filipino Workers, Migrants, etc.

Many years ago, I met Alice, a Filipina teacher in Brunei.

She was my host and took care of me while I was there. When I woke up early one morning, I noticed that she was on the phone. But she wasn’t speaking.

She explained that it was her beautiful ritual of love to her husband. Years ago, her husband suffered a stroke and he became paralyzed. So she went to Brunei to work for the family.

And what was this ritual of love? Alice would wake up at 4 in the morning to call her husband. (This was before the days of cell phones and text messages.) But because they could not afford long distance calls, they agreed that the husband was not to answer the phone.

Instead, the husband would allow the phone to ring. 

And ring. 

And ring.

He would allow the love of Alice, symbolized by the ringing, to fill their house and to fill his heart.

For 8 years straight, Alice did this beautiful ritual without fail.

Until he finally passed away.

That’s what love is.

Not like feelings that come and go.

Not like moods that are here today and gone tomorrow.

Love is simply done, day in and day out.

Because it’s eternal.

Constant.

Faithful.

It was Mother Teresa who said, “Service is a fruit of love”.

If you love, you will serve.

Go now, and like Mother Teresa, dirty your hands.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

PS. Do you now enjoy my GodWhispersClub? It’s Free. Thousands have already joined and are receiving GodWhispers twice a week. And they love it. Go to www.GodWhispersClub.com now.

Warning: There’s a cruel epidemic afflicting our families, our marriages, and our friendships. It’s called the Relationship Drift.

It’s a very devious disease. It’s like some cancers. You really don’t know you have it until it’s fatal. And then it’s too late. 

And then Relationship Drift becomes Relationship Dead.

The only solution is to diagnose it early.

But the symptoms of Relationship Drift are almost invisible to the naked eye.

Because you’re not really fighting each other. 

There are no screaming matches. In fact, your home is quiet. Like a convent.

And there are no pots and pans flying in the air.

And there are no bloody court cases.

But little by little, your hearts move apart. 

Intimacy is gone.

Joy is missing.

In marriage, sex only happens every time Haley’s comet passes planet earth.

You take each other for granted. 

One day, you know the disease had run its full course because you wake up one morning not caring for the other person anymore.

Let me give you examples of the Relationship Drift:

The father who doesn’t have heart-to-heart conversations with his kids anymore. Or the wife who doesn’t enjoy her husband’s company anymore. Or a couple who talk to each other functionally, not deeply. Or siblings who no longer laugh together, play together, and eat together.

Here’s why: We live in a busy world. 

Where bills need to be paid. 

And cars need to be repaired.

And kids need to be fed, vaccinated, and neutered, er, I mean nurtured. (I know of parents who want to administer this little medical procedure to their kids when puberty comes along.)

My point? It’s natural that you drift apart. 

You don’t have to be a bad person. You don’t have to be Adolf Hitler or The Joker. You don’t have to be obnoxious, selfish, or evil to cause the disease called Relationship Drift.

Let me give you an analogy.

Two people in a relationship are like two little boats floating on the sea. 

Problem: There’s a current that will slowly pull the two boats apart. Before they know it, the two boats are miles away from each other.

Friend, there’s really only one way to fight the drift: Paddle!

If you don’t want to drift, you’ll have to go against the flow and paddle your way to each other. You’ll have to work hard, muscle your way, sweat like crazy and fight to be together.

I believe that the only antidote to Relationship Drift is to bond constantly. 

          If you don’t, the effects can be disastrous…

When We Don’t Fight Relationship Drift

          In a previous article, I already shared these statistics from David Perdew.

David Perdew wrote this about “fatherless kids” in America. According to statistics, children from a fatherless home are:

·        Five times more likely to commit suicide

·        Thirty-two times more likely to run away

·        Twenty times more likely to have behavioral disorders

·        Fourteen times more likely to commit rape (this applies to boys)

·        Nine times more likely to drop out of high school

·        Ten times more likely to abuse chemical substances

·        Nine times more likely to end up in a charitable institution

·        Twenty times more likely to end up in prison for a long period of time

David Perdew says we either pay now or pay later.

And when you pay later, it always costs more.

          My suggestion is to pay now.

          Fighting the Relationship Drift is very difficult. But it’s easier paying now than paying later.

          Here’s how to do it.

Time Management Isn’t The Answer

Do you want to spend more time with your family?

Time Management is not the solution.

I know a company who charges $759 per person for their Time Management Seminar. Let me save you $759 right now and tell you it doesn’t work.

These guys will teach you how to become experts in multi-tasking. 

While you shave, mentally plan for your day. 

While you drive, record your things-to-do in an MP3 recorder. 

While sitting on the throne of life, make your phone calls.

While talking with your boss, floss your teeth.

I don’t believe in any of that.

Though I must admit, I’m guilty trying all of them. 

Except for the flossing. (I don’t have a Boss.)

And believe me, these things don’t give you more time.

Worse, they take away your peace.

Here’s a principle you can take to the bank: Anything that takes away your peace won’t work in the long run.

Instead of Time Management, I teach people Biggies Management.

What Are Your Biggies?

If you really think about it, you can put everything happening in your life into two categories: Biggies and Smallies.

If you manage your Biggies, you manage your life.

It’s the secret to great success.

What are your Biggies? 

People who don’t know their Biggies will be ruled by their Smallies. They’ll be lost boats in the sea, being pushed and pulled in various directions.

Your Biggies consists of the 4 most important parts of your life:

1.     Your Family

2.     Your Health

3.     Your Mission 

4.     Your Spirit 

Everything else are Smallies.

If you want to be successful, focus on your Biggies.

When you make your Weekly Schedule, write down the Biggies first.

Each of these Biggies can be broken down. But today, I’d like to share with you the Family Biggies that you need to do. These are the powerful ways to paddle against Relationship Drift. 

Are you ready?

Create A List Of Untouchables

          My romantic date with my wife is an Untouchable.

I told her that we’d have a romantic date every Tuesday night unless these three things happen:

1)    President Obama calls up to consult me on high-level issues such as terrorism, global warming, and nuclear disarmament; or…

2)    The Pope calls me to discuss some murky theological question that only I can answer (like “Did Adam have a belly button?”), or…

3)    If a comet rams into earth, burning the entire planet’s atmosphere, and human life as we know it ceases to exist.

Aside from those three scenarios, nothing can touch my date with her.

Seriously, there are weeks when I’m travelling and we can’t date. But I see to it that when I fly back home, the first thing I do is spend a day with my wife and two boys.

Frankly, I love my romantic dates with my wife. She’s my emotional home. She relaxes me. (Okay, I confess that one time, I was so relaxed I dozed off when she was still talking.)

My weekly date with my 2 boys is an Untouchable too.

So is my twice-a-month lunch with my mother.

And twice-a month dinners with my extended families.

I also have regular dates with my Friends. (We call them Caring Groups in my spiritual family, Light of Jesus.)

Friend, the only way to paddle against Relationship Drift is to create your list of Untouchables.     

But before you invite your kids to a date, let me tell you how not to do it.

How To Have Dates With Your Kids

One day, a teen-age boy approached me and said, “Brother Bo, can you please tell my father to stop having dates with me? I think he got the idea from you.”

I later learned what his father did last week.

First, he invited his son to have a burger. But the moment they sat down in the restaurant, the father said, “Son, I want to talk to you about your poor grades.” 

After a mini-sermon on “study well because I work so hard to pay for your studies,” the father jumps to another sensitive topic. “Your music tastes are terrible,” he said to the lad, “It’s loud, noisy, and disgusting. I think you should listen more to classical music.”

          The father goes on to other topics, such as the length of his hair, the late night phone calls, and the obscene amount of time he spends playing computer games.

          Poor kid. He didn’t know what was coming that day. He didn’t realize he was attending a multi-track conference.

          After their meal, the father told him, “Son, I enjoyed our date. Let’s do this weekly!”

          His son must have had an epileptic seizure right there. Can you imagine going through this torture for the rest of his teen-age life? That’s when the boy asked me to rescue him from a life of purgatory.

          So I called the father and said, “Parental sermons, homilies, lectures, and full-scale multi-track conferences are banned from your dates.”

“Why?” the father asked.

“Because the date isn’t for you,” I said. “It’s for your son. You don’t have to enjoy it as long as he does.” I told him, “Play billiards. Play bowling. Go fishing. Ride bikes together. Anything your boy wants to do.”

Let me explain why this is essential.

When the relationship is close, kids listen. Their hearts are supple and open.

But when there’s already a Relationship Drift between the parents and the kids, their hearts are far apart. So no matter how much the parents shout, their kids don’t hear the message.

So the first goal is to bring your hearts close to each other.

How To Bond As A Family

Another Untouchable you need to create is a Weekly Family night.

The goal is to do something fun together.

          Rent a movie and cook popcorn for a family movie night at home.

          Or take a Family Walk around the village.

          Or play a game together. Monopoly.  Pictionary. Patintero.

          Or read a book out loud.

          Or just order pizza and ask everyone to share around the table.

          When you do this each week, you’re creating memories that will last a lifetime. Life is about moments. And believe me, your grown-up kids will never forget these special bonding moments as a family. It will be their anchor. It will be their source of emotional stability. That amidst the sea of change around them, they know there are just some things in life that don’t change.

          Like the memories of being together as family.

          Here’s one more tip before I end.

Invite Your Kids’ Friends To Hang Out At Home

          You’ve got to be the cool Mom and Dad–Even if you’re not.

How? Make your home the preferred hang-out place for your kids’ friends.

I know it’ll cause a little dent on your budget. 

Okay, I lied. It will make your life savings disappear.

A group of teens are like a pack of piranha. They will eat anything that looks like food in your kitchen cabinets. And if your kids come home all tired and sweaty from a basketball game, be forewarned. That is a perfect storm. You will become poor overnight. You can buy all the food in your city and it won’t be enough. They’ll just burp and ask for more.

But the rewards are incredible.

First, you’re with your kids more.

Second, you know where your kids are.

Third, you get to know their friends—and counsel the troubled ones. If they lack parenting, you can re-parent them. (I’m sharing you a powerful secret: One of the best ways of influencing your kids is to influence their friends.)

Fourth, because of all racket your guests make, you and your neighbors will not be in speaking terms. So that’s one or two people dropped from your Christmas shopping list. Savings!

Two Choices: Drift Or Paddle

I can hear you now.

“Bo, this is a lot of hard work! Weekly dates with my wife and kids? Feeding a pack of piranhas? And re-parenting the friends of my kids? My gosh!”

I warned you. It’s going to be rough.

But let me repeat what I said at the start: You really only have two choices in life. You either Drift or you Paddle. You either pay now or pay later.

I’ve decided to paddle. I’ve decided to pay now.

          Believe me, I’m enjoying the benefits.

          My relationships are deeply satisfying.

          Friend, it’s your turn.

          Start paddling.

          May your dreams come true,

          Bo Sanchez

PS. I have a new book coming out very soon. It’s entitled, How To Turn Thoughts Into Things. You can grab it soon at all major bookstores in the Philippines. As an author, I feel that this book is very special. In this book, I share the Law of the Harvest and how you can apply it to achieve success. By the way, I’m giving away the Ebook version of the book to TrulyRichClub members for free. It’s just one of the many free gifts I give to the TrulyRichClub members. To gain more abundance, log on at www.TrulyRichClub.com now!

We try to fix the people in our life.

Oh, I see it everywhere.

Everywhere I go, I see people complain about the people in their life.

Wives complain about their husbands.

“Bo, please talk to my husband. He eats too much.”

“Bo, can you help me? My husband watches too much TV.”

One frustrated wife told me, “Bo, please advice my husband. He doesn’t have a one romantic bone in his body. Last year, he gave me a bar of soap for Valentines Day. The brand? Mr. Clean.”

But husbands complain about their wives too.

“Bo, please talk to my wife. She’s gastadora.”

“Bo, help me with my wife. My wife is always hysterical and historical. She remembers all my past mistakes, including date, time, and place.”

One husband told me, “My wife is so talkative. If the universe paid 1 centavo for every word she said, I’ll be the richest man in the world today.”

Another man said, “My wife is always angry. When she’s angry, she causes global warming and the melting of the ice caps in the North Pole.”

Parents complain about their kids too.

“My kids are too messy.”

“My kids can’t focus on their studies.”

One mother said, “My kids are so lazy. If given a chance, they’ll ask someone to breathe for them.”

And everywhere I go, I also hear many kids ask me to fix their parents.

“My parents are too strict.”

“My parents are too corny.”

“My parents are too kuripot.”

One girl told me, “They allow me to swim only if I wear a long gown.”

All over the world, people want to fix people.

Let me tell you why…

Are You Sick Of Comparasonities?

First of all, you want to fix people because you love them.

But sometimes, our motives aren’t pure. Sometimes, we want to fix our loved ones because of shame. We’re ashamed of what other people will say about our kids, our siblings, our spouses, and our parents.

Another reason of our “fixing other people” tendencies is we’re afflicted with the disease called comparisonities.

Humans like to look to the other side of the fence to see if it’s greener.

Someone told me that marriage is like going to a restaurant. After you ordered your dish, you learn what the other table ordered, and suddenly regret what you ordered.

Believe me, this urge to compare causes so much misery in marriages.

If you always compare your wife’s body with Beyonce or Angel Locsin, she can’t compete. Or if you compare your husband’s salary with Manny Paquiao’s earnings, he can’t compete.

          Many times, we compare our spouse to someone who doesn’t exist. For example, we fantasize about Hollywood stars who aren’t real. Because all their blemishes were removed by photoshop and a huge PR company.

Even the pretty officemate who seems so gorgeous on the outside may actually be your worst nightmare the moment you live with her.  You really don’t fall in love with her. You fall in love with a projection of how you imagine her to be.

Even parents are guilty of this.

Motivate Your Kids In Other Ways

          We have a tendency to compare our kids with other kids.

          We even verbally share our comparisons in the hopes of motivating him.

          I overheard one mother tell her little boy, “Junior, why can’t you get good grades like your sister? She gets straight A’s in all subjects. But you’re highest grades are Recess and Lunch.”

          Parents compare their kids to their classmates, their cousins, and even to themselves when they were young. Their sermons begin with this famous line: “When I was young, I wasn’t like you…”

Kids cannot flourish in an environment where they are being judged. Kids flourish in an environment of appreciation. They need to know that their parents accept them for their uniqueness.

Parents, stop comparing!

And there’s also another disease that causes us to fix people.

The Virus of Criticalities

          I’ve met people who have a strong critical spirit in them.

          I pity them so much. Once afflicted, they become very miserable people.

These people think God created them to criticize others. All day long, they look for the faults of the people around them.

          But behind this critical spirit towards others is really a critical spirit toward oneself. In fact, the critic pulls down others so that he can hide his own failures.

          Let me now tell you what you should do.

Question: Do You Want Less Stress and More Joy?

          Do you want less stress in your relationships?

          Do you want less fights?

          Do you want less wrinkles?

          Do you want more joy?

          My solution is really simple: Stop trying to fix others.

Big clarification: In my message today, I’m not talking about the big sins. Like marital abuse, alcoholism, adultery, and all the other major violations against the Ten Commandments. I’m also not talking about tolerating the sins of your kids. I’m not teaching you to say, “Wow son, you’re very good in stealing. Perhaps you can be a Congressman one day.” (I’ll talk on “tough love” on the sixth instalment of this series, Relationship Reborn.) 

Today, I’m talking about idiosyncrasies, eccentricities, personalities, and persuasions that make your loved one very unique.

If you’re not going to fix people, what should you do?

Appreciate them.

          I’ll now explain a mystery.

What You Like And What You Don’t Like

Maybe One And The Same Thing

I have mixed feelings about my cellphone.

My relationship with my phone is ambivalent.

I like it and I don’t like it.

There are days when I think it’s the greatest invention since peanut butter. And there are days when I want to fling it into the mouth of a volcano.

Here’s what I noticed: The very features that I like are the very same features that I don’t like. Absurd but true.

Why do I like my phone? I like the fact that I can call up the 954 people in my phone directory anytime. Useful when I have a flat tire, when I need a prayer, or when I’m on the rooftop because of Typhoon Ondoy.

Why do I not like my phone? I don’t like the fact that these 954 people can call me up at anytime—even when I’m lying on a hammock in a tiny island far out in the Pacific Ocean.

Why do I like my phone? Because I can bring it everywhere I go.

Why do I not like my phone? Because I can bring it everywhere I go!

Question: Have you ever had the absurd experience of leaving your cellphone at home and having to make a U-turn to come back for it? Nuts, right? Cellphones are now like one of our kidneys. You can still survive if it gets lost, but it’ll be risky.

I repeat: The very things that I like are the very same things that I don’t like.

Funny, but this is also true with our relationships…

Why Did You Fall In Love?

          Don’t be shocked, but the very thing that made you crazy for a person will be the very same thing that will drive you crazy in the years to come.

          I’m not kidding.

          If you fell in love with your wife because she was bubbly and the life of the party, today, you want to zip her mouth so that there would be world peace.

          If you fell in love with your husband because he was quiet, strong, and steady as a rock, today, you want to curse him for being so cold and unresponsive—like you’re talking to a rock.

          If you fell in love with your wife because of her stunning beauty, today, you find yourself pulling your hair in the car, waiting for her because she takes 3 hours just to dress up and put on her make-up.

          Remember: Every strength has a weakness.

          My friend Jon Escoto says that “a weakness is really a strength applied inappropriately.” (As another friend loves to say, “You’re right in the wrong way!”) You can’t have only one side of the coin. You have to have both.

Why My Wife Married Me

One day, I had a very serious talk with my wife.

“Sweetheart, I want you to be completely honest with me,” I said to her. “Aside from the fact that I look like John Loyd and Piolo Pascual put together, what else made you marry me?”

After laughing out loud and rolling on the floor, she finally said, “Sorry Bo, your looks weren’t the reason why I married you. I married you because you have such a big heart for God.”

But I bet if you ask her today, “Marowe, what are the difficulties of being married to Bo?” she’ll tell you, “Because Bo has such a big heart for God!”

She will explain to you, “Our schedule isn’t normal. Our entire married life isn’t normal. Bo runs 9 non-profit organizations. He’s constantly stretched. He travels a lot.” She’s accepted that as her lot in life.

Here’s something she’s also accepted: When we have our weekly dates, she already expects it to be interrupted. Many times, a total stranger would approach me, cry on my shoulder, and ask for prayer.   In the middle of the busy mall, I hold an instant mini-healing rally—because the moment people see me praying for one person, people fall in line.

She’s come to accept this reality as part of the set package called Bo Sanchez.

She’s accepted the fact that when she married me, she also married the people I love—the flock I care for.

Why am I telling you all these?

Stop Trying To Fix People

To repeat my million-dollar point: If you want to have happy relationships, you’ll have to stop trying to fix people and start appreciating them.

Jesus said, “Love your neighbor”; He didn’t say, “Fix your neighbor.”

Two reasons why you need to stop fixing people. 

First, you can’t. 

Second, I’ve realized that people are like old houses. If one thing gets fixed, another thing gets broken. 

Let me tell you what I mean by appreciate.

Two Levels Of Acceptance

          The first level of acceptance is tolerance. 

The second level is appreciation. 

          Let me tell you a story.

Jean came up to me one day and said, “Bo, can I share something with you? My story might help women you talk to.”

Jean said that her husband is addicted to watching basketball. She told me that it drove her insane. “Brother Bo, there was a time when his passion for watching basketball made me so angry. I would nag him, I would throw pots and pans in his direction, I would hide the TV remote control—just so he can’t watch.”

She told him, “I think basketball has become your god. And the churches you attend are NBA, PBA, PBL, NCAA, and UAAP. All you talk about is basketball.” And her husband would answer back, “Foul yan.”

“But after a couple of years,” Jean said, “I just gave up. I realized that nothing was going to happen. That he will never change.”

That was the day when Jean began to tolerate her husband’s passion for basketball. Whenever she saw him sitting in front of the TV watching a game, she felt less irritation in her heart.

          But one day, Jean had a bigger epiphany. 

That fateful morning, Jean’s best friend called her up crying hysterically on the phone. Through many tears, she said that she discovered her husband was having an affair. After an hour of trying to comfort her, Jean’s friend said, “I wish my husband was like your husband, Jean—so faithful to you.”

That one sentence was like a slap on her face.

She woke up.

Jean realized she was blind to the great blessing that her husband was to her.

Because she was so focused on his basketball addiction, she never appreciated how faithful her husband was to her. 

She also began to count the many ways he was a wonderful husband: He was hard-working, he loved the kids, he went with her to her prayer meetings, and he was sweet in his own manly, clumsy way.

Today, she sometimes joins him watching basketball. 

She still doesn’t appreciate the game. She told her husband once, “Why don’t they just give one ball to each team?” But she enjoys being with her wonderful husband now.

That day, Jean moved from tolerance to appreciation.

And that was the day her marriage became very happy.

Are You A Judge Or A Painter?

What I’m sharing with you is so earth-shaking, I should be charging you a million for divulging this secret to you.

Believe me, if you apply this secret into your life, you will change your entire life—radically. You’ll have less stress. You’ll have less fights. You’ll have more peace.   You’ll be more joyful. You’ll feel and look younger by ten years.

It was Dr. James Dobson who said that before you get married, you should have both eyes wide open. But after the marriage ceremony, close one eye.

What does he mean? Before you get married, you should be very careful in evaluating your future spouse. Check everything. Values. Background. Preferences. Reactions. Beliefs. Examine everything!

But when you get married, stop evaluating. Stop critiquing.

It’s now time to stop fixing the other person and start appreciating the entire person in his totality.

Remove the robes of the courtroom judge. Instead, put on the robes of a painter capturing the beauty of a scene. An artist simply accepts what is and nurtures a gratitude for what is there.

When you accept the other person and become grateful for him, a great miracle happens: The person learns to accept himself too and thus bring healing of his Heart Wound. Changes begin to take place spontaneously.

          You can never fix anyone.

          Because fixing is an inside job. Never forced from the outside.

          Yes, you should inspire. You should guide. You should teach. But you cannot force.

          At the end of the day, the only thing you can do is to love the person by creating space for the other person to fix himself.

Your Assignment

One of the ways to show gratitude is to simply to say it.

Here’s your assignment for this session: Go to 1, 2, or 3 people in your life and thank them for the blessing that they are to you. 

Be specific. Write them a letter of gratitude. 

Thank your wife for the small things she does for you. 

Thank your husband for going to work everyday.

Thank your mother for the way she serves you.

Thank your child for being a wonderful child.

The next time a loved one presses your clothes, or takes out the trash, or fixes the car, or takes care of the baby, appreciate them in your heart and in your words.

          I promise: Gratitude will be like oil in the engine of your relationship.

          Your relationship will function in a whole new level.

Final Story:

“I Love The Perfection Of Your Imperfections.”

          Let me end with one of my favorite stories.

          One day, a wife came to her husband with a magazine in her hand, “Darling, this article is wonderful. It describes a little activity that we can both do to improve our marriage. Can we do it together?”

          “Sure,” her husband said.

          “It says here that for one day, each of us will separately write a list of what areas we want the other to change. Little annoyances, little irritations, etc. And then tomorrow, we share this list to each other. Deal?”

          “Deal!” the husband smiled.

          That day, the man sat on the living room with paper and hand. The wife went to the bedroom and did the same thing.

          The next day, over breakfast, the wife said, “Game? Can I start first?”

          “Yes,” the husband said.

          The wife pulled out three pages. Single spaced. Font 8. It was a long list. She began to read her list. “Darling, I don’t like it when you do this…” On and on, she read the little ways her husbands annoyed her.

          The man felt a sting in his heart. The wife noticed this and asked, “Do you want me to continue?”

          “I can handle it. Go on,” the man said.

          So the wife continued to read.

          Finally, the woman said, “Okay, it’s your turn.”

          The husband pulled out his piece of paper and said, “Yesterday, I asked the question what are the changes I want in you. But hard as I tried to think, I couldn’t think of one thing.” He then showed to her the empty piece of paper in his hand. “Because to me, you’re perfect in your imperfections.   I’ve accepted who you are—strengths and weaknesses. And I love the whole package. I love the mix. You are a wonderful person and I love you so much.”

          The wife began to sob, rolled up her three pages in her hand, and beat her husband on the head, “Bwiset ka!” And hugged him tight for a very long time.

          May your dreams come true,

          Bo Sanchez

PS. Do you need more spiritual nourishment? You can get a mountain load of it when you join our international, virtual, non-physical community called www.KerygmaFamily.com   To receive this spiritual nourishment, log on at www.KerygmaFamily.com

PS2. My newest book is almost out, How To Turn Thoughts Into Things. As an author, I need to tell you that there’s something very special about this book. I know it’ll change the lives of many people. The book will be available in all the major bookstores around the Philippines very soon. (By the way, I’m giving away the Ebook version to all my TrulyRichClub and GodWhispersClub members.)

November 7, 2009, 8:30am to 12:00noon

Mandaluyong, Metro Manila

Last week, I had lunch with a friend I’ve known for the past thirteen years.

Let’s call him Patrick Passive.

Thirteen years ago, Patrick and I were in the same financial boat. We had very little money. We lived by the day. We had zero financial wisdom.

Today, thirteen years later, we’re poles apart.

I’ve moved on. I now have 16 income streams. I’m an entrepreneur, with interest in many small businesses. I bought foreclosed properties and rent out a few condos. I also invest in the Stock Market—both here and in the US—and other Mutual Funds.

In the meantime, Patrick has remained stuck. Over lunch, he told me that nothing has changed since the last time we met thirteen years ago. He said, “I’m still in debt, Bo. My income is still barely enough to get by. I still don’t have financial freedom.”

I felt the heaviness in his heart.

Patrick asked me, “Bo, what did you do that I didn’t do?”

“Just one thing, Pat. I failed and you didn’t.”

“Huh?” He looked at me like I was talking Martian.

I explained. “These past thirteen years, I’ve attended many seminars that were a total waste of time. I started 8 businesses where I lost a ton of money. I got into investments and got burned big time. I’ve succeeded more because I failed more.”

Patrick nodded. “In other words, you acted and I didn’t.”

I also discovered other obstacles in his thinking. I sensed that Patrick was comfortable with his poverty—because that was what he was familiar with. He was trapped in his fear. He saw himself as a poor person. He even felt that God wanted him to be poor.

I also met old habits that were sabotaging his prosperity. How he saved for his future (yes, he was saving, but in the wrong way). How he paid his debts. How he spent his money.

When we parted, I felt a greater passion to give my seminar again, How To Be Truly Rich Seminar. I want more people to gain financial freedom. I want more people to learn how to prosper. 

Join me on November 7, 2009.  

For more information, click on at the link below.

Tell me more about the How To Be Truly Rich Seminar

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

PS. After you join the How To Be Truly Rich Seminar, you can then joinmy powerful two-day Truly Rich Financial Coaching Program on November 13 and 14, 2009. My mentors and I will help you create multiple income streams. But I’ll tell you more about that later. First, get into my How To Be Truly Rich Seminar. Change your financial life. Click on the link below:

Tell me more about the How To Be Truly Rich Seminar

           Before the wedding of Felipe and Maria began, the groom spoke to the priest.

          Felipe said, “Father, I’d appreciate that during the wedding vows, you’d omit the difficult parts.”

          “What difficult parts?” the priest asked.

          “You know Father, just don’t say anymore the for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health thing. Just leave those lines out.”

          Felipe then slipped a crisp P1000 into the priest’s pocket and walked away, smiling.

          During the wedding vows, the priest looked at Felipe and said, “Felipe, do you take Maria as your lawful wedded wife for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, serving her breakfast in bed everyday, washing the dishes and doing the laundry everyday, cleaning the house everyday till death do you part?”

          Felipe appeared like a train ran over him. With a very weak voice, he croaked, “I do.”

          After the wedding, Felipe walked up to the priest and asked, “Father, I thought we had a deal?”

          The priest slipped back the P1000 into Felipe’s pocket and said, “Sorry, your new wife gave me P10,000.”

Change Your Life

By Changing Your Relationships

          Today, I start a new 7-week series entitled Relationships Reborn.

          Here’s why you need to take this series with me: I believe that if you change your relationships, you change your life.

          Because if you squeeze out the essence of life, you realize that life is all about relationships. Your happiness, your success, your health, and your dreams depend on relationships. Give me a person with very happy relationships and I’ll show you a very happy person. Give me a person with miserable, dysfunctional relationships and I’ll show you a very miserable person.

          Felipe and Maria had great vows, with some very unique amendments.

          But would vows help them?

          Not unless they renew them everyday.

          I’m going to spill the beans here and tell you the central message of the next seven weeks: Relationships need renewal or they die.

          In fact, not only the relationship will die, but a part of us will die. Why? Because you have a Heart Wound that can only be healed by love—a love that can only be found in relationships.

          So you want to change your life, keep reading.

Are You Malnourished For Love?

        Have you ever seen a malnourished child?

I believe you have—you just didn’t know.

Here’s the problem: When you hear the word “malnourished,” you automatically think of the starving kids in Africa you see in pictures. A child living in a famine-stricken dessert that has absolutely nothing to eat.

          But there’s a second type.

The person could be your next door neighbor. He doesn’t look malnourished. He could even be fat. And yet, amazingly, he is malnourished.

Because he’s eating the wrong type of food.

          Let me stoke your imagination.

          Let’s say you love cotton candy.

And you decide you eat nothing else but cotton candy.

Cotton candy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

What would happen to you?

Your hunger will disappear. You’ll probably have lots of energy from the sugar. But over time, you’d be killing yourself. Because you’ll be terribly malnourished.

        Spiritual malnourishment is very similar.

          If our bodies hunger for food, our hearts hunger for love. 

Food is the fuel of the body. And love is the fuel of the soul.

Without food, our bodies die. And without love, our hearts die.

        There are people today who feed “cotton candy” to their souls.

        I want you to look at this list below.

         What is common among these people?

·        Judy Garland (47)

·        Jimi Hendrix   (27)

·        Janis Joplin     (27)

·        Marilyn Monroe (36)

·        Elvis Presley (42)

·        River Phoenix (23)

·        John Belushi (33)

·        Heath Ledger (28)

·        Michael Jackson (50)

        Two things are common among them.

        First is that they’re all dead.

        Second is that they all died of a drug overdose.

Most of them were taking either illegal or prescription drugs for years.

          Most of them had the world in the palm of their hands. They had everything—money, pleasure, fame, cars, homes, and excitement. They had fans that would worship the dirt on their shoes. I remember 4 years ago, someone bought the used chewing gum of Britney Spears on Ebay for $514. (That’s P25,000 for someone’s spit.)

          But that’s not the love that will fill a human heart.

          Again, that’s like eating cotton candy the whole day.

          Your heart won’t get nourished.

          Let me tell you why.

The Wound In Your Heart

        Every human being has a Heart Wound.

        We’re all wounded people.

We may look strong on the outside. But deep inside, we have a Heart Wound that must be healed.

Note that some people have a deeper Heart Wound than others.

Perhaps they had an alcoholic father or a very selfish mother.

Perhaps they came from a broken family.

Perhaps they were abused as kids.

Don’t be shocked, but filling up your Heart Wound is the most basic motivation of all that you do. It’s also the reason why people are addicted to drugs and alcohol and money and sex and power and food and fame and romance.

        Let me tell you three tragic stories.

The Crazy Things We Do

Because We Want To Fill Our Heart Wound

        Zeny (not her real name) is a twenty-seven year old beautiful and intelligent woman. She’s a brilliant marketing manager in her company. But her superior IQ and brilliant logic flies out of the window when it comes to love. 

She jumps from one romantic relationship after another. The moment her boyfriend breaks up with her, she gets hooked into another relationship. Zeny will grab the next guy available, like a woman drowning and gasping for air. Even if that guy was a serial killer. 

If there’s no guy available, she’ll get a girl and get into a lesbian relationship. Because Zeny just can’t stand being alone. But despite having all those guys and girls chasing after her, she’s terribly unhappy.

        Why? Because all that is cotton candy.

        I also remember Jake, a forty-eight year old multi-millionaire. Jake has many companies under his name, many beautiful cars, many beautiful homes, and many beautiful girls.

        But Jake is terribly unhappy. 

        Why? Because all that is cotton candy.

        My third example is more confusing.

Not All Religious Activity Can Nourish The Heart

    When you mention the words “spiritual malnourishment”, people instantly think about people who don’t receive God’s Word—because they don’t attend religious activities. 

Well, what about Yolly?

Yolly is a forty-four-year old woman who is immersed in religious activities. She goes to Mass in the morning, reads her Bible during lunch, and attends her prayer meetings, doctrinal classes, and novenas in the evening. In between, she prays the rosary.

But unfortunately, Yolly is one of unhappiest people I know.

One day, I realized why. Because everytime Yolly prayed, she always heard God tell her, “You’re a sinner. You’re wicked. You’re dirty. You’re not worthy of my love…” Yolly was projecting her own self-hatred onto God. Her God was judgmental and always angry. All her spiritual activities were her way of appeasing this God.

Friend, your Heart Wound won’t be healed by religious activities. Your Heart Wound can only be healed by an experience of God’s love found in these religious activities.

In other words, it’s love found in a relationship.

What Your Heart Wound Is Longing For

          When we fill up our Heart Wound with sex, with money, with drugs, with romantic relationships, they don’t work. Because there’s only one thing that will heal your Heart Wound.

As corny as this may sound, that thing that we long for is love.

          That’s why another term for Heart Wound is “Love Tank”.

If you want to function well in life, your Love Tank must be filled.

          When I meet someone who has problems handling life, it’s usually because the person has an empty Love Tank.

          It could be the jobless person who doesn’t have self-worth.

          It could be a millionaire who doesn’t have friends.

          It could be a people pleaser who has no backbone.

          It could be a guy controlled by his fears. 

          It could be a person who is having marital affairs.

          It could be a drug addict.

          It could be a girl who jumps from one jerk to another jerk.

          It could be a greedy politician who has come to believe in his own lies.

          I’ve realized that all these people have empty Love Tanks.

          They’re desperately finding a way to fill up their wound and are doing it in the wrong way.

          Let me tell you now how to heal your Heart Wound.

What Kind Of Love Can Heal The Wound?

          At the end of the day, the love that can heal your Heart Wound is love that is found in relationships.

          Your relationship with God.

          Your relationship with yourself.

          Your relationship with others.

Friend, your relationships will determine your happiness and success in every area of your life.

So let me ask you a big question: How are your relationships today?

How is your marriage?

How are your relationships with your parents?

How are your relationships with your kids?

How are your relationships with your siblings?

How are your relationships with your friends?

How is your relationship with God?

How is your relationship with yourself?

If you tell me that your relationships are happy and deep and blessed, then in my book, you have everything. 

No doubt about it. You’re one very successful person.

Why You Need This Series,

Relationships Reborn

Some of you may be saying, “Hey Bo, I’ve got lots of relationships! But why is my Heart Wound not being healed? Why is my Love Tank not being filled?”

Here’s the big problem with relationships: They’re organic. They’re not inanimate objects. They’re living, breathing things. 

Let me give you an analogy.

There are two types of toys: Battery-operated and wind-up.

Some people make the mistake of thinking that relationships are like battery-operated toys. They think they could just slap a double A battery in their relationship and viola, off it goes, humming its tune forever.

But that’s not how relationships work. They don’t go on autopilot.

Relationships are like wind-up toys.

If you don’t wind it up, the ballerina stops dancing and playing music.

When your relationships aren’t working, it’s because you’ve not been winding them up.

What am I saying? 

Relationships need renewal or they die. 

And dead things can’t give you love and heal Heart Wounds.

          In the next seven weeks, I’ll lead you into a brand new series entitled Relationships Reborn. Each week, I’ll email you an article on how to renew your relationship and thus heal your Heart Wound and fill your Love Tank.

          I know it’ll bless you immensely.

          Let me end with one last personal story.

Death Will Tell You What Is Most Important

          Three weeks ago, I flew to New York.

          Reason? I was invited to the 64^th General Assembly of the United Nations.

          I know, it sounds like a joke. But it isn’t.

          I’m in the harvest season of my life. For 30 years I was planting, and I’m now receiving a deluge of blessings. This was one of them. A giant one.

          Being inside United Nations, seeing the Presidents, Emirs, Sheiks, and Prime Ministers of 192 countries blew my mind.

          Not only that, but I stayed in Waldorf Astoria, one of the most luxurious hotels in the world. And guess who was staying with me in the same hotel? President Barack Obama and a few other Heads of States.

          Of course, they stayed in humongous suites found on the upper floors. Mortals like myself stayed in regular room.

          For breakfast, I got the buffet of bread and fruits which cost $38. I also ordered one soft-boiled egg which cost an astounding $8. My gosh.

          The experience was surreal. I was in the cusp of luxury, staying in the centre of the world, seeing Presidents of the world, and eating $8 eggs!

No doubt about it, that trip was definitely a high point in my life.

          And yet, here’s my reflection: I’m totally sure that on my deathbed, I won’t remember this experience. At all.

I’ll remember instead the hug that my son gave me, his little fingers at the back of my neck.

I’ll remember the times I dated my mother in her old age, the drive going to the restaurant, the two-hour conversations we always have.

I’ll remember how early on in our marriage, my wife and I had our romantic dates in cheap fast-food joints—and still had to choose with care what we ordered because we couldn’t afford all the items there.

I’ll remember how I took care of orphaned children for a year, living with them in a bamboo hut.

In other words, I’ll remember those moments in my life when I gave love and received love.

Because at the end of the day, that’s what life is all about.

I’ve realized that if you fail in your relationships, you fail in life.

That’s why I’m inviting you to work on your relationships…

Assignment: Pick One Relationship In Your Life

That You Want To Renew and Refresh

Reading this article will do nothing for your life.

But if you apply what you read, it’ll create miracles.

Therefore, I’m giving you an assignment.

I want you to choose one relationship in your life that you want to deepen and strengthen. Perhaps it’s your relationship with your mother, or your sibling, or your husband, or your child, or a friend.

Here’s what you do: Go right up to that person and tell that person, “I want to strengthen my relationship with you.”

In the various FEASTS here in Metro Manila, we gave away a small “Gift of Renewal” Card to each attendee. I asked them to write the person’s name on the Card and give it to that person. The Card stated, “I want to deepen, strengthen, and renew my relationship with you.” It was just a simple tool. It gave people courage because they don’t go empty handed.

Hey, you can make the Card yourself. Or write a short note.

When you do this, you might get shocked looks, questions, laughter, or even ridicule from the other person.

Or you might get a hug or some tears.

It doesn’t matter. 

Just go out there and tell someone your prayer for a relationship reborn.

          May your dreams come true,

          Bo Sanchez

PS. Living in Singapore? We now publish a Singapore edition of Kerygma magazine. Isn’t that cool? For more information, go to www.kerygmasingapore.com   You can also call Jimmy Cruz at (65) 6466 7718 and (65) 93852 912.

PS2. Get a mountain load of blessings for your spiritual life. Join www.KerygmaFamily.com now and get daily Bible reflections.

PS3. Learn how to gain abundance. Join my last How To Be Truly Rich Seminar for the year on November 7, 2009. Create a new financial life! For more information, click here.

A job? A relationship? Material things stolen from you? 

Many of my friends lost many things in the recent flood.

My friends lost homes. My friends lost businesses. With tears, my auntie said, “Bo, I lost all the material things I’ve collected over the past 50 years of my life!” Some friends told me that what was most painful was loosing all their photographs—the memories of a lifetime.

Friend, I’ve got a message for you today: Believe that every storm will end. And after the storm, a new morning begins.

          Remember that every loss is temporary.

If you lost a loved one, that loss is temporary. In heaven, you’ll see your beloved again and your reunion will last forever.

If you lost photographs, believe that in heaven, God will give back to you DVD copies of all the sweetest memories you’ve had in your life. (I’m not sure what video version they use up there, but I’m sure it’ll be the most modern. Perhaps it’ll be a virtual reality video!)

If you lost material things or opportunities or relationships, believe that God is creating room for something better to come your way. 

How will this “better” happen?

Start being grateful.

That’s not a typo.

In the midst of your loss, be thankful.

I know you’ll complain, “Bo, there’s nothing to be thankful for! I lost half my life!”

Well, be thankful for the other half that you still have.

          Don’t focus on what you lost, focus on what you still have.

You’ve got too many good things happening to you to be down!

          Say this with me, “I’m too blessed to be stressed.” (Not original from me. Got it from a bumper sticker.)

          Why be grateful?

          Because you attract what you focus on. I’ve said that before so many times, but I’ll keep saying it until God calls me home. Because it’s so powerful.

          When you become grateful, you attract more of what you’re grateful for.

          Gratitude is a blessings magnet.

My Business Loss

Many years ago, I lost a lot of money in a businesses venture.

It was a big loss for me. At that time, I lost almost my entire net worth.

I was tempted to mope, to sulk, to carry a heavy burden for a long time.

Actually, I allowed myself to grieve for awhile—which was very healthy.

But I decided not to grieve for too long, or I would be stuck forever.

After some time, I declared, “God has something better for me.”

I chose to smile. I chose to look at the brighter side. I chose to believe that better businesses would come my way. In fact, I began declaring the unbelievable. I said, “I’ll earn ten times what I lost!”

Later that week, a friend asked me, “Is it true that you lost a lot of money in that business?”
          I said, “Yes, I did.”

“It happens to you too, huh? And I thought people like you are exempt from these things. So why are you smiling?”

“Because I believe God is redirecting me to a better business. And I know that I’ll earn ten times what I lost.”

It was a big claim and some friends couldn’t understand why I was so relaxed.

But a few years later, what I declared happened. 

I started new businesses and I began to earn ten times what I lost. What I lost—my savings for years—I earned in a few months. Today, my new businesses are multiplying. I ask myself sometimes, “What if I didn’t fail in that business? I would still be stuck in that business! I wouldn’t have the new business that I have now.”

And imagine if kept moping and sulking—would I have seen the new opportunities around me? Imagine if I kept mourning my loss—would I have had the energy to venture into something new?

Friend, don’t focus at the problems in your life.

Don’t focus on what you loss.

Instead, focus on two things: look at what you still have and look at the new things that God will give you.

And be grateful.

Where Is The Real Storm?

Typhoon Ondoy came and went.

But the real storm is not out there.

The real storm is in your mind.

Do you believe that great things will happen to you?

Imagine a party balloon.

At first, it’s bright and fat and goes up to the ceiling.

But after a few days, it becomes deflated.

It stays on the floor.

We’re like balloons.

What keeps us up is hope.

But life happens, and everyday, we leak hope.

Especially when big trials come, we surely leak out a lot of hope.

And we’re deflated.

Here’s what you need to do: You need to refill your heart with hope.

So that you can rise up again.

          Dispel the storms in your mind.

          It may be stormy on the outside but it shouldn’t be stormy on the inside.

          The only way to dispel the storms is to be grateful for what you have today and what will happen tomorrow.

          God is redirecting you to something better.

          Sit up straight. Out loud, say this declaration with me…

I’m strong in the Lord. I’m blessed. I’m forgiven. I’m protected. I’m redeemed. I’m equipped. I’m anointed. Healing flows in my body. New doors will open before me. I’ll meet the right people, the right opportunities, at the right time, at the right place. I’ll regain ten times what I lost…

In Jesus name!

          May your dreams come true,

          Bo Sanchez

PS. Be part of the fun! If you have not yet done so, join the thousands who have joined www.BoPlanet.com   It’s like our private Facebook. Meet people just like yourself who want to love God too. Log on at www.BoPlanet.com now!

I have a confession to make.

Last Monday, I didn’t have a plan to help Flood Victims.

We were flood victims ourselves.  Water entered our home and damaged books and school records.  My wife and our helpers were busy cleaning.

As I sat at my couch, reading text messages from friends who lost homes and loved ones, and reading the newspaper about the hundreds of thousands who have been displaced—I was paralyzed.  What can I—a single person—do in the face of such a massive calamity?

But it was my wife who said, “We need to help.  Where do we go?”

I didn’t answer her.  I didn’t know what to say.

But that was when my friend, Sonia Lozada, called up.  She said she already cooked and distributed 500 meals to flood victims in Marikina—and asked if I wanted to help.  Her words woke me up.  Yes, I said, I’ll join her.

Instantly, my paralysis was gone.  I could do something!  I stood up from my couch and began raising money for our massive feeding program.  So far, we’ve given away thousands of meals and distributed a ton of relief goods in Marikina, Montalban, and Pateros.

So honestly, I’m feeling very small now.

Because I’m surrounded by huge heroes. 

Check the photos below of our massive feeding program for Flood Victims.

          Yes, I’m the guy in the yellow shirt, my arms crossed, doing nothing.  Some people think I’m the Producer–the guy who spends and gives out the money.  Ha.  If they only knew.   As you well know, the money didn’t come from me.  You gave it to me, remember?

So what have I really done?  Nothing much.  Except perhaps get awed that I was standing amidst heroes.  Which is why I’m showing you these photos.

          Below is a photo of some of those heroes, packing meals.  My friend Sonia Lozada, the large woman in the center (you can see her face only), is my big hero.

Sonia owns Trinity restaurants.  Without her, our massive feeding program wouldn’t have happened.  Trinity doesn’t only have great food, they’ve got great people.  Her lovely children and her wonderful staff are the ones cooking, packing, and delivering the food.

Can you imagine how many large pots of adobo were cooked?

Sonia also invited her fellow restaurant owners to help–and they did.  I met those generous people too.  (I never knew how creative we Filipinos name our restaurants until now.)   Here they are: Aling Tonyas, G-Squred, Yatai Ramen, Seazar, Dad & Mom’s, Superwok, Julies, Igmaan, Dulang, Kaymig, Claire de la Fuente, Marinold, Wok with Joe, Sharmila Sisdang, Stardish, Aling Masha…  Thank you so much!  And my friend Rex Robillos who owns Buns and Pizza donated 5000 bottles of mineral water.  Thank you!

Here are photos of the people lining up to get food.

          Check out the photo below.  Do you see the happy smile on the woman’s face on the right?  This woman lost everything—her house and all her material things—and she can still smile.  Filipinos are just incredible.

On this night, we brought 3000 meals—but there were 6000 people in the relocation site.  So people had to share with others.  Just like you.

          We also gave food in three sites in Pateros (see below), still underwater 5 days after the storm.  It’s horrifying, but some Barangay officials predict floods may last for 6 months in their area.  Pateros is the poorest municipality in Metro Manila.  I learned that their annual budget is smaller than the annual budget of one exclusive subdivision in Makati. 

Here are the people going home after they got the food from us, walking in blackish water.  I couldn’t stand the smell, but they lived in it.

          Here’s the crowd of people waiting for the food.  I’m at the back just watching everybody, totally useless.

Another team was led by my friend Jodean Sola and other Light of Jesus members.  They went to Montalban.  Through your support, Jodean and his team gave blankets, clothes, candles, and food.

As you can see, their first need was drinking water.  And that’s what Jodean gave them.

Here’s Jodean praying for the Flood Victims.  More than food, they need to regain their hope in God.

This week, aside from distributing more relief goods, he’ll be back doing the difficult work of repairing their homes.

Through your generosity, we also gave funds to my friend Sigrid Aragona and the UP Mountaineers who went to Marikina (Nangka and Tumana), giving away a very precious bag to each hungry family.  Each bag contained 1 kilo of rice, noodles, canned goods, biscuits, and a pouch of milk.  They also bought medicines for those who needed them.   Here are three young volunteers packing the relief goods.  I guess when you give yourself selflessly to others, you have the right to wear those beautiful smiles.

My friend Chito Manaois and his Light of Jesus chapters in Bulacan were also feeding people in relocation sites for two straight days.  Thank you my friends!

And I’m so sorry, I don’t have more photos to show you about all these other projects.   So many nameless heroes!   So many Light of Jesus members who just went around cleaning homes.  They went around carrying rugs, mops, and pails—volunteering to clean flood-damaged homes.  It was an incredible sight to see.

This week, aside from our existing teams, we’re creating new teams to do relief work.  My friend Alvin Barcelona and our Light of Jesus team will be doing relief work in Marilao, Bulacan.

Hey, just to make it clear.  I’m not the hero in this story.

My friends are.

You are.

Because of your love and support, we’re able to do the work that we do.

          May your dreams come true,

          Bo Sanchez

PS. Yes, you can still donate to our Fund Drive for Flood Victims.  You can click below.  (Note: My paypal account was closed by paypal itself.  They say I can’t accept donations.  Sorry for that.  But there are other ways you can send your donations below.)

Yes Bo, I Want To Help!

PS2. If you want to donate goods of any kind, but can’t get out of your house, you can call up Sigrid and she’ll have her team pick them up from your home.  (Metro Manila)  Text Sigrid Aragona at 09228231022 now.

   I’m sending out an appeal to the world.

          As I write this article, thousands of people are still trapped in the floodwaters of typhoon Ondoy—or in relocation sites that have no food and drinking water. (Just in case you don’t know anything about what’s happening in Metro Manila and Rizal province, here are photos of the storm: http://fiveprime.org/hivemind/Tags/ondoy.)

My friend, Sonia Lozada, is owner of Trinity restaurants. Since yesterday, her five restaurants have been cooking like crazy and sending packs of cooked food to devastated areas. 

Sonia was right about cooked food. Because if you’re trapped in floodwaters, uncooked food is useless. You can’t cook anything. Sonia has also been delivering cases of bottled water—but they weren’t enough. One bottle of water was shared by three people.

With our financial support, Sonia’s team will continue to feed people today and tomorrow. I will personally be there, giving out food and drinking water to Flood Victims today. My team will be there as well—all of us who can help.

But cooking food today and tomorrow is only an emergency measure.

          In the next few weeks and months, the real work will begin: All our organizations—Light of Jesus, KerygmaFamily, etcetera, will do the hard work of helping people rebuild their homes damaged by the floods—thus helping them rebuild their lives. It will be a long and difficult work—but we’ll be there for them.

          This is what Jesus wants us to do.

          Friend, you may not be here physically to help, but you can be our spiritual and financial support. First, pray for the victims. Pray for strength that they regain their hope. Many are devastated emotionally. 

Second, if you can, make a donation and help them.

          If you want to be part of our efforts to help Flood Victims, you can make a donation. Any amount will do. You can make your deposit online or through a bank. 

Click below to help our Flood Victims now.

“Yes Bo, I want to help!”

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

PS. I know God will bless you abundantly. He will reward you for your kindness! That’s for sure. To make a donation, click below.

          “Yes Bo, I want to help!”