Going through the motions with God
This month I am celebrating two joyous occasions. Today I celebrate my 5 year anniversary with the Lord. On August 14, 2007 I committed my life to Christ on that day my adventure began. In 4 days I also celebrate my 11 year marriage with my beautiful wife Beth who has filled my life with joy and laughter. To celebrate the two joyous events I want to share a new story with you all.
Do you remember the time when you first started dating your spouse? Do you remember the amount of time you prepared to get ready, the amount of time you spent trying to impress them? Then the big day came, they said, “I do!” And then it wasn’t long before things began to change. You didn’t work so hard to impress them. The amount of time you focused on them diminished. You got so comfortable that you felt like you didn’t have to work so hard on the relationship. You just began going through the motions of everyday life.
Yes, sadly I can truly relate to the above scenario in my own marriage. I can also say that most recently I’ve noticed it in my relationship with God.
Today I find myself examining my journey and find that lately I’ve just been going through the motions with Him. I continue to pray and read my Bible daily, I go to church on Sundays, Bible study on Fridays but at the same time my fervency in my time with Him has wavered.
There was a time in my walk with the Lord that I would rise early every day and begin praying and writing out my thoughts. God’s word was doing such a work in my life that I couldn’t wait to share what I had learned.
I look back at the last few months and realize that I haven’t been taking the time to actually sit with God. I would just go through the motions in the morning rushing to get my day started. I would pray sporadically, but I never sat down much to listen.
I’ve learned in my own marriage that I could just go through the motions and remain married. If my goal was to just be married with a subpar relationship then going through the motions would suffice. But I don’t want a subpar relationship with my wife. I want an Extraordinary marriage. A marriage filled with joy, laughter, and adventure. Because that is what I desire than I have to check myself regularly to see if I am nourishing an Extraordinary marriage. One of the main ways for me to feed an Extraordinary marriage is sitting down to listen to my wife. You see by sitting down and actually listening to her; not talking but listening; I can hear her heart. When I can hear her heart than I can win her heart.
In my attempts to get more accomplished in my day I’ve found myself skipping the listening part with God. I would pray and then on my way. I never gave God the opportunity to speak to me. I wanted God to hear my heart but I neglected to hear His.
Just as I am unwilling to settle for a subpar relationship with my wife I will not settle for a mediocre relationship with God. So today as I celebrate my commitment to the Lord I will begin again and make the effort to sit and listen to the heart of the Great I AM, the one who breathed life in me this morning.
I pray that you too choose and Extraordinary life and take the time to examine it, because it’s been said that what you can measure you can improve.
Called to farm not save lives
To this date my journey with Christ has been over 4 years. In my walk, God has asked me to do some small duties like pick up trash, put away shopping carts and even pick up underwear.
He has later asked me to do much larger tasks like pray for complete strangers, share my testimony to a crowd and then share my dirty laundry to the whole world in my book "God Made Me Pick Up Underwear, Finding Faith In Unusual Places."
With all the above activities under my belt one may assume that I've turned many to Christ. To my knowledge I'm not really sure how many have actually changed due to my activities.
In the beginning I desired to see many lives transformed right before my eyes especially the lives of my family and friends. I wanted to see a revival because of my handy work. To my dismay I found myself very frustrated when I led someone to say the sinner's prayer without any true sign of change.
I have come to realize that my job is not to save souls but to sow seed. The seeds that I sow is my witness of a changed life, my smiles, my hellos and my prayers for others.
I've come to realize that it doesn't matter if lives change right before my eyes. It is probably better if it doesn't. If it were than I may think I did it.
I've come to realize that it is not my job to save the world because I am but a farmer. Jesus Christ saves that is why He is the Savior. I am to just continue sowing seed as it is said in Mark 4:26-27:
"The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.... and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know."
The Bible Helped Me Lower Interest Rate
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7
The other day I called my credit card company and asked if they could lower the interest rate on my credit card. I got a hold of the customer service representative and politely asked for a manager. I asked for a manager because I’ve learned that the higher you go up the ladder the more likely you can get a positive outcome.
I asked the manager if he could lower my 19.9% interest rate to a rate that would be more affordable. He put me on a brief hold and then apologized because there wasn’t a program available for me. He actually told me that I would have to miss a couple of payments before they could help me. I said, “Thank you” and hung my head in disappointment.
The very next morning I called again and asked them to lower my interest rate. And you know what? They lowered my interest rate to 9.9% for 12 months.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7
One thing that I learned in my journey with God is that He wants us to be persistent. The word says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” In Galatians 6:9 the word says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” And in Luke 18:1 Jesus tells His disciples to always pray and never give up.
God calls us to ask, seek and knock. Not once but multiple times. I can honestly say the things that I treasure most are things that I persistently pursued. So don’t lose heart, in due season you will reap if you pray without ceasing.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
The other day I called my credit card company and asked if they could lower the interest rate on my credit card. I got a hold of the customer service representative and politely asked for a manager. I asked for a manager because I’ve learned that the higher you go up the ladder the more likely you can get a positive outcome.
I asked the manager if he could lower my 19.9% interest rate to a rate that would be more affordable. He put me on a brief hold and then apologized because there wasn’t a program available for me. He actually told me that I would have to miss a couple of payments before they could help me. I said, “Thank you” and hung my head in disappointment.
The very next morning I called again and asked them to lower my interest rate. And you know what? They lowered my interest rate to 9.9% for 12 months.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7
One thing that I learned in my journey with God is that He wants us to be persistent. The word says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” In Galatians 6:9 the word says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” And in Luke 18:1 Jesus tells His disciples to always pray and never give up.
God calls us to ask, seek and knock. Not once but multiple times. I can honestly say the things that I treasure most are things that I persistently pursued. So don’t lose heart, in due season you will reap if you pray without ceasing.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
I Learned to Play the Piano
I want to share a story that will amaze you. I learned how to play the piano!
Now for those who don’t know my family history I can say that my family is filled with talented musicians. My grandpa Benito played the percussion instruments masterfully. He would fill his cheeks with air like balloons and exhort wonderful melodies. My cousin Joanne Javien continues to dazzle the stage on Broadway. My older brother Kelvin played the violin and trumpet and my sister Yvonne played the violin too. I would say that my younger brother Joseph’s talent was in dancing.
For me, let’s see, I tried to play the clarinet and was ostracized by my family because I sounded like a dying seal. Then when I broke the reed I told my dad I didn’t want to play anymore. I thought I had broken an expensive piece. Little did I know that reeds where less than a dollar. I’m sure my family was thrilled that I threw in the towel. And for dancing, I don’t think so. That’s why I married Beth. She dances so good that it overshadows where I am lacking.
So what’s the big deal about me learning how to play the piano? It’s not so much that I learned but how I learned. How did learn? My little girl Jennilyn taught me.
Jennilyn’s been taking lessons now for over one year and she is growing so much in her talent. But we have a hard time getting her to practice. Every time we would ask her to practice she would give us an excuse. “I have a stomach ache! I’m sleepy! It’s hard! Or, “My legs hurt!” Oh man the whining would drive Beth and me nuts. Many times I just thought it would be better for her to quit than have to deal with enduring the never ending excuses and frustration it was causing in the house.
Then one day after reading the book “How to win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie I had an” aha!” moment. I realized that yelling and scolding wouldn’t make her want to play so instead I asked her if she could teach me. She was excited. She couldn’t wait.
Did I really want to learn to play the piano? Not really. I had many other things on my plate but if it got her to practice then I would do it. The first day she tried to teach me the notes and I fell asleep and was ready to throw that idea out the door. Then the next day she persisted on teaching me. “Daddy?” she said, “I thought I was going to teach you to play the piano?”
She got me there so I couldn’t weasel my way out. So I sat on the chair with her in my lap, she placed my fingers where they needed to go. Then I closed my eyes and asked her to push my fingers down two notes at a time. After I memorized those notes I would have her teach me another two until I completed the song. By the end of our 30 minute session she got me playing Happy Birthday! And on her 7th birthday I got to play it for my little girl.
Now that I’ve gotten involved with her learning it isn’t a chore. It is actually a moment of peace. I even find myself practicing when I am alone. When I press on the notes with my eyes closed and I can hear every note, I can feel my little girl’s love.
Now for those who don’t know my family history I can say that my family is filled with talented musicians. My grandpa Benito played the percussion instruments masterfully. He would fill his cheeks with air like balloons and exhort wonderful melodies. My cousin Joanne Javien continues to dazzle the stage on Broadway. My older brother Kelvin played the violin and trumpet and my sister Yvonne played the violin too. I would say that my younger brother Joseph’s talent was in dancing.
For me, let’s see, I tried to play the clarinet and was ostracized by my family because I sounded like a dying seal. Then when I broke the reed I told my dad I didn’t want to play anymore. I thought I had broken an expensive piece. Little did I know that reeds where less than a dollar. I’m sure my family was thrilled that I threw in the towel. And for dancing, I don’t think so. That’s why I married Beth. She dances so good that it overshadows where I am lacking.
So what’s the big deal about me learning how to play the piano? It’s not so much that I learned but how I learned. How did learn? My little girl Jennilyn taught me.
Jennilyn’s been taking lessons now for over one year and she is growing so much in her talent. But we have a hard time getting her to practice. Every time we would ask her to practice she would give us an excuse. “I have a stomach ache! I’m sleepy! It’s hard! Or, “My legs hurt!” Oh man the whining would drive Beth and me nuts. Many times I just thought it would be better for her to quit than have to deal with enduring the never ending excuses and frustration it was causing in the house.
Then one day after reading the book “How to win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie I had an” aha!” moment. I realized that yelling and scolding wouldn’t make her want to play so instead I asked her if she could teach me. She was excited. She couldn’t wait.
Did I really want to learn to play the piano? Not really. I had many other things on my plate but if it got her to practice then I would do it. The first day she tried to teach me the notes and I fell asleep and was ready to throw that idea out the door. Then the next day she persisted on teaching me. “Daddy?” she said, “I thought I was going to teach you to play the piano?”
She got me there so I couldn’t weasel my way out. So I sat on the chair with her in my lap, she placed my fingers where they needed to go. Then I closed my eyes and asked her to push my fingers down two notes at a time. After I memorized those notes I would have her teach me another two until I completed the song. By the end of our 30 minute session she got me playing Happy Birthday! And on her 7th birthday I got to play it for my little girl.
Now that I’ve gotten involved with her learning it isn’t a chore. It is actually a moment of peace. I even find myself practicing when I am alone. When I press on the notes with my eyes closed and I can hear every note, I can feel my little girl’s love.
The Gospel According to Batman
Over the weekend I watched Batman Begins with my kids and one phrase grabbed hold of me. I believe it empowered me.
From the words of Rachel to Bruce Wayne after he tells her that he was a good person on the inside, "It isn't what is inside you, it is your actions that define you."
How easy it is to say we are good people on the inside, but it really comes down to our words and the actions that we take that truely define what is in the inside.
The Bible says in Luke 6:44-45, "Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."
Our words and our actions define us. They define our faith and our beliefs. They tell the world what is growing in our heart. We may use obscene language and say it was a slip up. We may look at inappropriate material and say we fell into sin. We may steal from our employers and say it was a small thing. But the Bible says, "out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Out of our overflow we speak and as we speak we also act.
I admit, I am not a perfect man. I struggle. I struggle as a husband, father, and business man. Because I struggle, I ask my Father to examine my heart. I ask Him to reveal to me where I need to change. I then ask for strength and guidance to change. Because as a man I have no power to change others. I only have the ability to change myself with God's grace. But in the act of changing myself the world around can also be changed.
"Be the change you want to see." - Mahatma Gandhi
Orlando Javien, Jr., The Man of Many Hats
From the words of Rachel to Bruce Wayne after he tells her that he was a good person on the inside, "It isn't what is inside you, it is your actions that define you."
How easy it is to say we are good people on the inside, but it really comes down to our words and the actions that we take that truely define what is in the inside.
The Bible says in Luke 6:44-45, "Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."
Our words and our actions define us. They define our faith and our beliefs. They tell the world what is growing in our heart. We may use obscene language and say it was a slip up. We may look at inappropriate material and say we fell into sin. We may steal from our employers and say it was a small thing. But the Bible says, "out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Out of our overflow we speak and as we speak we also act.
I admit, I am not a perfect man. I struggle. I struggle as a husband, father, and business man. Because I struggle, I ask my Father to examine my heart. I ask Him to reveal to me where I need to change. I then ask for strength and guidance to change. Because as a man I have no power to change others. I only have the ability to change myself with God's grace. But in the act of changing myself the world around can also be changed.
"Be the change you want to see." - Mahatma Gandhi
Orlando Javien, Jr., The Man of Many Hats
AIM HIGH!
"The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is to high and we miss, but that it is too low and we hit it." - Michelangelo
Last Sunday while sitting in the church pews God shined his bright light on a lovely couple. With a tapping on my heart I heard God say, "Pray for them, lift them up to me!" I did so and then my curiosity got to me. Why did God want me to pray for them. Was there something they needed. So after service I approached them and asked if there was anything in particular that they needed praying over.
The couple's name was Lawrence and Linda Hurtado. They mentioned that they wanted prayer over their cousin who was battling Lymphoma and needed help raising money for finding a cure for a disease that touches many of our lives, cancer. Linda has made it her goal to raise $500,000 for the cause, she is definitely aiming high. She is willing to sacrifice her hair to reach her goal. As you can see in the pictures she has been growing it out for over 20 years.
The prayer that she asked for was to get the word out about her mission. And so I am answering that prayer by sharing this story with you all, my faithful audience.
If you feel compelled to aid in her mission please visit her website to donate. www.stbaldricks.org
To an Extraordinary Life,
Orlando Javien Jr., The Man Of Many Hats
Have You Sharpened Your Axe!
A young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job.
"That depends," replied the foreman. "Let's see you chop down this tree." The young man steeped forward and skillfully knocked down the great tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, "You can start Monday, we pay on Fridays."
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by. Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today."
Startled, the young man replied, "I thought you paid on Fridays?"
"Normally we do," said the foreman. "But we're letting you go today because you've fallen behind. Our daily charts show that you've dropped from first place on Monday to last place today."
"But I'm a hard worker," the young man objected. "I arrive first, leave last and even have worked through my coffee breaks!"
The foreman, sensing the young man's integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, "Son, have you been sharpening your axe?"
The young man replied, "No sir, I've been working too hard to take the time for that!"
Abraham Lincoln once said: "If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend the first four hours sharpening the axe".
Just to state the obvious, the axe is a tool to perform what you have to do. I can probably define the axe as `something which helps me do what I have to do faster'.
I spend a large amount of time sharpening my axe. How do I sharpen my axe? I listen to at least 10 hours of motivational messages a day; while I’m working, driving or sleeping and I read at least 15 minutes a day something positive to lift my spirits. I also have cut cable in my house.
Now I'm not a Nazi or a prude, I've just learned that what I allow into my eyes, ears, and heart can either sharpen or dull me. I don't share this with you to boast but to admit that I struggle. I struggle as a husband, as a father and as a business man. Because I know I struggle, I must sharpen my axe.
If you find yourself dragging your feet at the end of the week, ask yourself, "Did I sharpen my Axe?"
"That depends," replied the foreman. "Let's see you chop down this tree." The young man steeped forward and skillfully knocked down the great tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, "You can start Monday, we pay on Fridays."
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by. Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today."
Startled, the young man replied, "I thought you paid on Fridays?"
"Normally we do," said the foreman. "But we're letting you go today because you've fallen behind. Our daily charts show that you've dropped from first place on Monday to last place today."
"But I'm a hard worker," the young man objected. "I arrive first, leave last and even have worked through my coffee breaks!"
The foreman, sensing the young man's integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, "Son, have you been sharpening your axe?"
The young man replied, "No sir, I've been working too hard to take the time for that!"
Abraham Lincoln once said: "If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend the first four hours sharpening the axe".
Just to state the obvious, the axe is a tool to perform what you have to do. I can probably define the axe as `something which helps me do what I have to do faster'.
I spend a large amount of time sharpening my axe. How do I sharpen my axe? I listen to at least 10 hours of motivational messages a day; while I’m working, driving or sleeping and I read at least 15 minutes a day something positive to lift my spirits. I also have cut cable in my house.
Now I'm not a Nazi or a prude, I've just learned that what I allow into my eyes, ears, and heart can either sharpen or dull me. I don't share this with you to boast but to admit that I struggle. I struggle as a husband, as a father and as a business man. Because I know I struggle, I must sharpen my axe.
If you find yourself dragging your feet at the end of the week, ask yourself, "Did I sharpen my Axe?"
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