Living the Kingdom

Ownership is an Illusion

Noel — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:50:44 +0000

The other day, I struggled with giving tithes and offerings to church. It bothers me sometimes because I don’t know exactly what is “my” money being used for. I can have faith that it will be used for a good cause (feeding the poor, giving homes to homeless, helping the elderly, etc) but I don’t know for sure. I prefer to give directly to charity, so that I “know” what is it being used for.

This blog is about giving; about the importance of serving others without expecting immediate reward, just what Jesus taught us in the Beautitudes (Matthew 5). But I can’t deny feeling a little uncomfortable with giving up some of my “possession” to others, especially after knowing that I worked hard to earn it. But at the same time, I think of when Jesus taught about denying the self, walking the narrow path, for a camel to go through the eye of a needle easier than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. And then I say to myself, “Self, this is exactly what the process of living the Kingdom of Heaven entails: sacrificing the selfish, giving up the natural tendencies of my body in order to serve others, and therefore get closer to God”.

When I expressed my discomfort to my wife about giving the offerings, she quoted the Bible “God provided, God took away” (Job 1:21). I contemplated on this. I then thought about it further. I concluded that I don’t own anything.

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;” Psalm 24:1. The Bible is actually full of verses that repeatedly mention that we don’t own anything. But God is the one who does (Exodues 9:29, Job 41:11, Haggain 2:8). Not even my own body belongs to me (1 Corinthians 6:19). If I think that I own the house I live in, the car I drive, the money I spend, the body that sustains me, then what do I do with them when my body dies ?(1 Timothy 6:7). Nothing. We like to pretend so much. We like to be our own gods. We like to live the illusion that what we have is actually ours. It gives us a false sense of security. The material things give us the fantasy that we can control things around us, including our selves. Not even the children that my wife gave birth to our mine! And this last statement actually hurts me a lot! I can’t deny this feeling! But the reality is, when my children grow up, what will I do to them? Trying to continue to “own” them by overprotecting them, by giving them too many advices, will actually damage the relationship I will have with them. The key is to let go, and when I let go of something, do I really own it? No.

Living HELL

Noel — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 01:39:34 +0000

I was listening on the radio today a person talking about believing in hell. He asked if the listener believes in hell, and if the answer was yes, then than meant that the listener had to make an important decision about Jesus. In other words, if I believe that hell exists, then believing in Jesus becomes crucial. I just shook my head in disbelief and changed the station. Does this mean that I must believe in the Gospel of Jesus simply because not doing so will guarantee an eternal damnation in hell? This leads me to follow Jesus out of fear, not out of love. I understand the concept of the consequence of not choosing to believe in God and living as if God does not exist. I believe that a Godless life must be really miserable. But teaching that believing in Jesus is important because it prevents me from going to eternal damnation is a twisted message.

Jesus is about unconditional love. He did talk about those that will be judged because they chose to live wicked lives. But the main message , the main purpose about Jesus is simply to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. The Gospels started talking about loving others, being humble, fighting for righteousness, forgiving, and having a pure heart more than it talked about avoiding hell. I guess the real message of love that Jesus taught is not chosen frequently because it may not motivate people as hell does. Fear can move people quicker than love can. I don’t know for sure. But the reality is that many Christians use the scare tactics to motivate people to follow their doctrines, not Jesus. It is sad. It reminds me of telemarketing. You hear a lot of messages like “Use our products and you will get rid of the wrinkles” (avoid the reminder of aging) or “Try us for a month and you will lose 50 pounds!” (avoid obesity which threatens our lives) or “Try our product and you will save hundreds of dollars!” (avoid not having enough money). Avoid this, avoid that. Fear. People respond quick to fear.

But as soon as people hear the message of “Donate blood today and you will save a life!” or “With your $1 gift, a child will not go hungry tonight!”, then they think twice about it. Not fear. But love.

Jesus’ message was more like “donate blood” and “give money to the poor” more than “follow me and you will avoid hell”.

Let us turn things around and follow Jesus for the right reasons. Let us not talk to people about avoiding hell, but about embracing love, acceptance, equality, justice, mercy, peace, community, humility, and the like. While thinking about today’s message on the radio, I thought of a nice way to turn the message of hell into a message of love.

So I just came up with the acronym of H.E.L.L. which stands for Heaven Embodied in a Legitimate Life. Heaven is where all begins, the spiritual life, God. Embodied because heaven can be manifested and materialized with our actions here on earth. We reflect the life that is lived in Heaven by following the teachings of Jesus. In a Legitimate life because we must practice the Kingdom of Heaven in a sincere way, without expecting a selfish reward (avoiding hell) but knowing that we are simply serving others (Jesus). And Life because this life is the gift that God gave us to practice Heaven. So let’s get out there and start living H.E.L.L. !!

Waking Up From The American Dream.

Noel — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 03:17:52 +0000

Have you ever had a dream? Of course you have. Dreams are usually desired things that we want to actually experience in real life. I want to be part of a community where everyone works together, peacefully, and selflessly for the common good. I dream of a society where we serve each other without expecting rewards. I dream of a neighborhood where people are not afraid of walking outside at night, everyone knows each other, and the thought of the next door neighbor’s needs are always in my mind. How about the American Dream? Does my desire for a selfless lifestyle fit the American Dream? I don’t think so. What is the American Dream? John Nestler wrote in 1973 that “Whereas the American Dream was once equated with certain principles of freedom, it is now equated with things. The American Dream has undergone a metamorphosis from principles to materialism. … When people are concerned more with the attainment of things than with the maintenance of principles, it is a sign of moral decay. And it is through such decay that loss of freedom occurs.” Is the American Dream about prosperity, individualism, success, and wealth? If so, I don’t want to be part of it. I rather be poor and live a life of simplicity, helping my fellow human beings in need. Wealth and success, to me, is a way of isolating ourselves from others. We become more individualized and selfish the more wealth we obtain. It is simply the way it its. Yes, some rich people have good hearts and give to charity. But I personally don’t want to fall in the trap of having too much, and forget about the ones who do not. Jesus said it is very difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I understand now why: the love for money blinds us from seeing others as equal. Compassion and service disappears. If I dream of having the best cars, a big house, the greatest education, and the best clothes, I am surely missing something. I rather have a healthy family, close friends, and lovely home. Is having too much money bad? That is not what I am saying, but dreaming about having the best things is a barrier to living a full life.

Radical or Regular?

Noel — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 03:50:24 +0000

Socrates, Jesus, and Buddha were not ordinary men. They were regarded as either extremist, outsiders, or revolutionaries who did not accommodate to the status quo. They refused to be faded in the crowd and rather chose a radical lifestyle. So did Abraham Lincoln, Mother Theresa, and Martin Luther King, Jr. These people made history. If it weren’t for their radical ways of life, their names would have never been recognized. But they were radical in a positive way. They were not like today’s terrorists who want to take over the world by killing those who oppose them. These famous people were hungry for righteousness. By this I mean they had in common that they strongly believed in peace, justice, end of suffering, and love and were not ashamed to voice these opinions. They had dreams of a society where people genuinely cared for each other. They wanted a better world. This is why being radical today is not necessarily a bad thing, if the intention is to unite, not separate. It is rather a way of letting people know that the way things are in this world are not how they should be. We need to not be afraid of voicing that we have experienced enough segregation. We need to unite in spite of difference of religion, social status, sexual orientation, race, and culture. However, it is a conscious choice we need to make, in spite of the opposition.

I see myself not quite like these famous historical figures, but as an individual who is not content with what occurs in this world. It troubles me deeply how people disregard the poor and continue to live their lives as if the needy are invisible. It troubles me how political figures, whom we voted for, make important decisions without considering some significant aspects such as the poor, education, and health care. It discusses me how we tend to preach so much about love, but do not practice it in our daily lives. Maybe I am naive. Maybe I don’t understand fully what needs to be known so that I can understand better why things happen. But at the same time, were Socrates and Jesus also naive, and had to pay with their lives? Was Martin Luther King, Jr., and Abraham Lincoln unaware of the full scope of politics and society and were then executed? I believe they had much better understanding of the nature of human beings, and this is why they spoke up. The idea is not to simply have the realization that justice has not been served. What matters is speaking up the realization . It takes guts to stand up and say, enough! Denying our comfortable lives and accepting persecution and marginalization comes with the package. I could simply be a regular person, and not act for justice. But I don’t feel this is right. I wish I had more bravery to stand up and help bring justice and peace to this world. But I guess it starts with a simple act of compassion. It can begin with not forgetting the poor and the needy, and start feeding them. It begins with supporting children, the elderly, and the sick. It starts with my vote, my presence in some protests, and practicing justice. I rather be Radical , like Jesus, Socrates, and Martin Luther King, Jr. were, than be a regular person. Do you dare be radical as well?

To Give Up or Not to Give Up?

Noel — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:54:27 +0000

Surrender or fight? Pick my battles or be consistent? This might be a different kind of post than previous ones, or maybe not. Me and my wife have been dealing with a difficult situation. It involves the horrible experience of having to give up a house through foreclosure. We have tried to maintain our house for almost a year. But now the bank decided we do not qualify for modification of the loan. We cannot refinance either because of no equity. Now we are facing the reality of having to move out eventually. Friends and family have suggested to fight this until the end. Appeal, hire a lawyer, try to stay as long as possible. The bank, of course, is offering a short sale, or deed four lease, which both entail giving up the house. Nevertheless ( I don’t want to make this strictly about economy and mortgages), we have looked at this situation from a spiritual point of view. Initially I thought about how much I hate having to pack all of our stuff and move to a different place. I hate moving, I have done it too many times. I hate having to go through the tedious process of looking for an apartment or renting house and move there. Having to relocate, maybe farther away from schools, a less safe neighborhood, noisy neighbors. I like owing my house (if I can say that) and taking care of the house my way. At the same time, we question ourselves “Is God giving us a fresh start? Does He want us to move on? If you have read my previous posts, you know that my main theme is about simplifying, serving others, and surrendering. Since I strongly believe in these principles, which helps me to live the Kingdom of Heaven, is God giving us this opportunity to surrender to his will of moving out of our comfortable house? Does he want us to simplify our lives by moving to a smaller, more humble place like an apartment? And are these steps necessary in order for us to be able to serve others? Does God want us to “empty ” ourselves by moving to a less convenient residence? It is strange to us that, even if we initially thought about how terrible it would be to be forced out of our house, we are now simultaneously thinking and feeling that we are not really attached to a building. As long as we are healthy and united, we will be fine. This is truly our goal. House or no house, what counts is a strong home. I say it is strange because I did not think this way, but we both are in “peace”. Is this a way for God to let us know that this is His will?

Don’t say it …Do it!

Noel — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 18:02:14 +0000

Talk is cheap. So many people say so many things, and at the end of the day, it means nothing. Why? Because their actions and their words do not match. We are hypocrites. We prefer to present a facade with no foundation. If you say you care about me, please do something that shows it. If you say that you want to help me, I need to see action. If you say that I am in your prayers or thoughts, that sounds nice, but I also need to experience an impact from you. Otherwise, you are talking nonsense. I rather you tell me that you really don’t care much about me, than you say the opposite and not show it. I have things to accomplish in this life, so I really don’t want to spend time hoping that someday, people will come to me to express some true care and concern. I am trying very hard to practice what I say. I am trying to get out of my comfort zone to reach out to others. If I don’t see this effort from others, oh well. That is their decision. I am not going to try to find them. I have tried it too many times. If they come, good. If not, that’s their decision. I have to move on. Life is too short. Whatever I have to do, I must do it today. Not just say it, plan it, and not do anything about it.

Japan Needs Us

Noel — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 02:12:57 +0000

Japan is suffering. And the whole world is also suffering. One disaster after another. Earthquake, tsunami, nuclear radiation. What would be next? Hunger? Sickness? More death? This is a reminder that we need to remain united as a family. Haiti was another reminder of how important it is to serve each other. Chile was yet another reminder. Jesus commanded us to reach out and serve these people. There are political revolutions in other countries. The price of gas is too high. But the crisis that Japanese people are currently suffering and others in the world surpasses any other. Let us remain focus on what we are supposed to do. Let us not forget about Japan.

I Hate my Family

Noel — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:16:32 +0000

Who is my family? What is my country? What is my ethnicity? What is my religion? Where do I belong? In the past, I have been taught that my family are those who are my biological relatives. Not anymore. I don’t know those people. My new family are those who willingly spend time with me and who share the same goal of serving the poor. I was taught that my country is where I was born. I no longer consider this true. My country, my land, is wherever I can peacefully settle and live with others in spite of different backgrounds. I was also taught that my ethnicity is determined by the culture where I was raised, my first language, and the color of my skin. I reject that. I don’t belong to any ethnicity, I am just human wanting to serve other humans. I was also told that my religion should be Catholic, then Pentecostal, and then non denominational Christian. I am neither of these now. I am a man who continues to doubt but continues to reflect on who God is and what He wants me to do in this life. I hate those who the world consider my family because they keep me bound to traditions and customs that keep me away from genuinely serving others. I refuse to consider where I was born my country, because I don’t live there anymore. My country is wherever I can do what I so strongly feel like doing. I reject belonging to any ethnicity, because my citizenship belongs to where my heart wants to live and I am able to serve others. I don’t have a religion, because my faith is based on being poor in heart, accepting my weaknesses, being meek, and a peacemaker, fighting for righteousness, having a clean heart, loving my neighbor as I love myself, not on a distant God or set of religious doctrines.

You think these are harsh words? Well, this is what is required to fully live the Kingdom of Heaven as written in Matthew 10:37-38 (“if you love your parents more than Me, you are not worthy of me”), Matthew 12:46-50 (“he who does God’s will is My family”), Matthew 7:21 (“not everyone who says ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven”), Phillipians 3:20 (“our citizenship is in heaven”), John 8:43-44 (“”why is my language not clear to you? Because you don’t hear me. You belong to your father the devil!”) and James 4:4 (“don’t you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?”). I learned that if I am going to truly live the Kingdom of Heaven, I must separate myself from all the traditional views about who I am and where I belong that this world teaches me.

Reflections of a Theist

Noel — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 02:37:40 +0000

Define life. This is hard. I was thinking today that this life, whatever it is, is very hard to define specifically. I can use what the dictionary says, such as maybe the state of existence, being, my heart pumping blood, growing up, or my personal experience such as having a family ,having consciousness, meeting friends, learning, marrying and having beautiful children, etc. But what is behind all of this? Are we part of a big experiment? Are we one of millions and millions of galaxies with their own living beings? Are we part of a gigantic atom that makes up another bigger world? What started it all? Too many questions without specific answers. This is why I cannot rely on my own understanding, because it is simply too large, complex, and profound. I cannot conclude there is nothing behind what I see either. God (or whatever you want to call it) is bigger than I can ever imagine. I tend to use the analogy of writing a story with characters and different environments, but the characters themselves will never have a full understanding of me, the author. They will understand only as much as I allow them to. And because I have this understanding of life, I want to be this “character” who wants to continue to seek this God who started it all. I understand and accept that I may not be able to understand God fully, but this does not discourage me from learning more. Learning more from science is yet another way of learning more about God. The more I learn about the complexity and structure of the universe, the more I appreciate the grandiosity of God. There is so much suffering in this world. There is so much injustice and disaster. But I still have the urgency to seek more. Suffering itself helps me to look for meaning. It does not make much sense to me, but it begs the question “What is the purpose of this suffering?” I hold on to the faith that one day I will understand God fully, but in the mean time, I accept my limitations and continue to seek meaning. This is why I am so thankful for what Jesus taught, because his teachings help me to have a better idea of who God is and what I am supposed to do to experience Him more. Thank you for reading.

Good without God?

Noel — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 20:17:00 +0000

Can we be good without God? Some people claim we can. Others say we cannot. The traditional Christian view is that we are not good, only God is good. We can never be good, because we are sinners, but because God is good, and He forgave us through the sacrifice of Jesus, then we can enter heaven without having to be good. Other religions may say similar things, but I am most familiar with Christianity. On the other end of the spectrum, I have read from non believers that, because God does not exist, we can still be good without the need of religion. I think that the question should be, can we still “do” good, instead of can we “be” good. As a reflective Christian, I have been pondering on this question. Can we “be” good by “doing” good? If I steal, I am doing something evil. Does this make me evil? If I feed the hungry, I am doing something good, does this make me good? Is “doing” something that is good relative? Does it depend on how we define what is “good”? Slavery was considered good. Interracial marriages was considered not good. I think that “being” good is like a title. Anybody can call themselves anything they want. What really counts is our actions. I believe that we will be known “by our fruits” (Matthew 7:16 ) and that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). Therefore, what I “do” determines not what I already am, but what I am becoming. If I hate my neighbor I am becoming less good. If I repent and start loving my neighbor again, I start becoming more good. It is a continuum state of being. What about God? Do we need to believe in God to “become” good? It depends on how we define “God.” Is God a Being up in heaven making us do good? Or is He among us, guiding us to do good? Or is He an imaginary friend or a psychological crutch that we use to feel guilty if we don’t do good? Some argue that we can choose to do good without having to believe in God. But to me this implies that we can define what is good or not.

My understanding of God is limited. All I know for sure (based on my personal experience) is that loving others unconditionally is “doing good” and, therefore, becoming more good. God, Higher Being, the common good, or whatever title you want to give it is what drives me to do good. We did not invent doing good. And I believe that doing more good will help me become more like God. My goal in this life is to know God more, and I believe that I can do this by doing good, so that I can experience God more. I am not giving myself the credit for doing good, but to God.

I may say that I don’t believe that democracy really exists. But if I vote for political candidates, fight for freedom, and try to practice equality, then I am practicing democracy. If I don’t believe in counselors, but give my friends advice and listen to them, I become more like a counselor. I can deny it with my mouth, but I am acknowledging with my actions. This is why I believe that, even if I deny the existence of God for whatever reason (there is no “proof” or I don’t want to live a “fairy tale”), I am reflecting God (Higher Power/Being, etc) by “doing good”. We are constantly becoming something, one way or another. By our actions, we are becoming more like God or less like God. Jesus said, “be perfect as my Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48) by loving our enemies. He also taught to “forgive others seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). He understood we could not forgive once and for all. Jesus recognized that we must continue to forgive over and over again to “become” more like God. We must continue to “bear much fruit” to remain closer to God (John 15: 1-10). So, can we be good without God? Well, can we serve others without being servants?