Men in Progress | October 2013

Volume 3 / Issue 10 / 2014

In This Issue:

The Builder D.A.D.S. Loving Your Children God’s Way Real Men Treasure Fatherhood

You’re the Man! A Model of Fatherhood Gadgets & Gizmos Surveying in the Age of Smartphones and Tablets

“Being a role model is the most powerful form of educating...too often fathers neglect it because they get so caught up in making a living they forget to make a life.”—John Wooden, Legendary Basketball Coach, USA

The Builder

D.A.D.S. Loving Your Children

by Revodem Avarientos God’s Way

I

t’s Christmas time and we are celebrating God’s unconditional love for mankind through Jesus. God’s love is the greatest example of how a Father’s love should be. As fathers, we need to follow His example.

Here are some suggestions for how we can genuinely express our love to our children.

D - Devote yourself to knowing God and His love. We cannot give what we don’t have; we cannot teach what we don’t know. To be a loving father, we need to experience God’s love in our lives. Only through His Son Jesus and His Word can we experience the intimacy and depth of God’s love.

A - Accept the role and responsibilities of being a father. As fathers, we are accountable for the physical, mental, social and, spiritual wellbeing of our children. We must provide for their daily needs and be willing to sacrifice everything for their sake, even our lives. We must accept these responsibilities seriously like a soldier under orders from our Commanderin-Chief, God our Father.

D - Disciple your children. As Jesus trained His disciples, we need to equip our children also. We need to teach them to live a righteous life in this world. Just like Jesus, we need to spend most of our time loving our children, mentoring them so that they will be able to live a righteous life on their own and influence their own children. Let us aim to leave a godly legacy to our descendants.

S - Seek the advice of spiritually mature fathers. Be willing to be mentored. There will be times when we will need to seek help from those who have gone before us and experienced the ups and downs of being a father. A godly counselor is an indispensable source of wisdom.

Becoming a godly father could be the hardest role we will ever have in this world, yet it may be the most rewarding. As God is our model, may we be reminded of how He selflessly demonstrated the greatest expression of love for all of us, His children.

Blessed Christmas everyone!

Real Men

Treasure Fatherhood

by Joshua Kho

Engr. Louie R. Sarmiento was a recipient of The Outstanding Mapuan Award in the field of Mining Engineering in 2005. He was The Outstanding Mining Engineer of the Year 2012 awardee of the Professional Regulation Commission and the current President of Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association. He is married and has two daughters.

Can you summarize in one word your role as a father?

Siguro, “strength.” Ako lang ang lalaki sa pamilya. I have my wife and two daughters.

Ang role ko is a source of strength for them.

They lean on me. Kapag may kailangan i-attend sa school ako ‘yung pupunta, o may gagawin sa bahay na carpentry or minor repairs, sa akin ‘yun. ‘Yung mga bata, sa ‘kin din sila lumalapit regarding sa career nila. Their mother usually agrees with my daughters’ opinions. Ako, I let them see the future kasi kapag weak ang answer mo, weak din ang resulta. Paano na lang kung lalake ‘yung anak mo?

Hindi puede ‘yung, “Sabi ng tatay ko bahala na daw ako,” kasi that is the time na nagconsult sila and they need strong opinion. So I tell them my experiences sa work and kung ano sa tingin ko ang makakatulong sa kanila.

Crucial ‘yung career so kapag nahihirapan na sila at nagtatanong na kung magshi- shift ba ng course, sasabihin ko, “Ano ba talagang gusto mo sa future mo? Kapag ‘yan ang course mo, in ten years, ito na ‘yung meron ka but you have to decide now.” I tell them to focus, “Lahat ng bagay pinaghihirapan.”

How do you show love to your family?

Sa buhay, hindi laging masaya. May time din na mainit ang ulo mo, may problema sa opisina, pagod ka. Pag-uwi, may problems din, kaya mabilis ka mainis, pero at the end of the day dapat nandun pa din ‘yung assurance ng love mo for them. As much as possible, ‘yung mga away, hindi na pinapatagal kasi ‘yung feeling nila na galit ako sa kanila, pwedeng isipin nila, “Hindi na ako mahal ni Papa,”or ng asawa ko.

Ang babae, most of the time, emotional so kung kailangan mag-sorry, mag-sorry dapat.

Engr. Louie Sarmiento with his family.

Are there some mining principles that can be applied to fatherhood?

Actually, biblical ‘yung mining profession.

You can find it in Deut 8:9. You have to do it responsibly, because it is God’s gift to mankind.

A cellphone has 17 minerals, ‘yung angioplasty, may nickel ‘yan. These are God-given resources.

Fatherhood is the same. Dapat responsible ka, hindi ‘yung nag-anak ka lang ng nag-anak, tapos pinabayaaan mo na ‘yung anak mo kahit magutom, hindi mag-aral, maging magnanakaw sila. Ang responsible mining, kapag nahukay mo na, tapos lumipat ka sa ibang area, dapat may rehabilitation plan ka para magamit pa ‘yung lupa. Irresponsible mining leads to weak occupational self-safety and health standards. It creates more industry accidents and disasters, which could lead to environmental disasters.

Sa fatherhood, kapag irresponsible ka, you would create more problems for the society.

Uncared for children can grow up with health issues, or as youth offenders, or become teenage parents. Overall, there would be a moral breakdown which will result in broken families.

Many broken families will weaken the nation.

Hindi ikaw lang ‘yung magsa-suffer…marami… pati ang bansa.

You’re The Man!

A Model for Fatherhood

by Jesse Felizardo

T

here is no school for parenting!

Thankfully, God models responsible fatherhood for us.

In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus talks about a father and his two sons. In this story the younger son asked the father for his share of the inheritance. His request was granted, and the son went abroad and squandered everything he had on vices. Totally broke, the son came to his senses and headed back to his father. He was sorry and he had a plan for restitution; he would tell his father to treat him as a slave, not as a son.

Back home, the father daily scanned the horizon for his son’s return. Seeing his son from a distance, the father ran to greet him.

Far from treating him as a slave, he restored his rights and privileges as a son.

The story contains parallel truths about how God, as our Father, deals with us. We can emulate God as we relate to our kids.

First, God allows us to experience failures, difficulties, and brokenness.

Bad and good experiences are “stepping stones” to the progressive moulding of our character. As earthly dads, we tend to be overprotective, wanting our children to be safe. It hurts when our kids suffer, but negative experiences can make them stronger and wiser. Our part is to prepare them to face the real world.

Second, the father in the story, longed for the return of his son every day. Make a conscious effort to show your children how you feel about them.

Third, in Jewish culture, men did not usually run because it was shameful and humiliating. Sometimes, loving our children will cost us inconvenience and our reputation. We should be vulnerable for their sake.

Lastly, the father accepted his son unconditionally. Since we received God’s grace, we should give grace to our children.

Fathers, lavishly share love to your family this Christmas and beyond!

Gadgets & Gizmos

Surveying in the Age of Smartphones and Tablets

by Geodetic Engr. Lord Byron E. Abriz

A

t the turn of the 20th century, Filipino and American geodetic engineers utilized sophisticated surveying instruments to measure angles and distances between islands and started to map the Philippines. Today, in the age of smartphones and tablets, the job looks different.

My typical day of fieldwork starts with computing the location of a particular lot using AutoCAD on a personal computer. I then upload the data to my smartphone, which is equipped with a Global Positioning System. This gadget makes use of satellites to spot location. Next I use an instrument that measures distance using infrared laser and my smartphone to locate the lot I am surveying. Based on this information, I prepare a map showing all the needed details by plotting it on a large format printer in my office. The whole process, takes me about five hours as compared to three to seven days if I used conventional tools like those my father had in the 1970’s.

When it comes to a presentation or a project proposal to a client, a high end tablet comes in handy, especially when I am outdoors.

With the array of apps installed on my device, I can easily show him virtually all the things he has conceived in his mind. When the client finally gives me the contract, I thank God that He created me in such a time as this.

Even though technology can survey land, it cannot survey our character. Our integrity as a Christian surpasses everything we have. It is the reference benchmark that determines who we are as professionals. At the end of the day, whichever decision we have made or direction we have taken, the bottom line is whether we measure up to the mark of a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

The Gym

Run for Your Life!

by Timothy Valientes

R

un for your life! But, hey don’t panic! No one’s running after you to hurt you, and there are no cops chasing you for a crime you didn’t commit. But, I am telling you to run to get fit!

Running is one of the cheap, yet effective ways to get fit. You don’t need a thousand-peso per month membership like when hitting the gym or spending at least 5,000 pesos for sports equipment. All you need is a good pair of running shoes and you’re good to go. But before you hit the road, here are some tips to get you started:

• Invest in the right pair of shoes - In running, we don’t just use regular shoes. The shoes you need to buy must fit your feet’s condition and structure. There are shops that have equipment that test your feet’s condition and structure and they offer the test for free. After knowing your feet’s condition and structure, they’ll show you shoes that fit you.

• Go for distance rather than speed – This isn’t a 100-meter dash event. Slow it down, be patient, and don’t worry about your pace.

Going slow is okay. Maintaining your pace is the key. Start at 3km with a 3-minute run and a 2-minute walk interval. In that way, you’ll achieve the desired distance without wearing yourself out. Later on you can take on longer distances.

• Remember that rest days are training days as well. Even God Himself rested on the

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seventh day when He created the earth. Don’t push yourself too hard. Have a break.

• Join a running group. You may find yourself bored when running solo. Find friends that are running as well and in that way, you can also get tips and be more motivated to run or you can invite your friends to join you.

• Maintain a balanced diet. Your efforts will be useless when you eat unhealthily after you run. It is a common misconception that you can eat whatever you want because you ran.

Keep eating healthy foods such as bananas, hard-boiled eggs and oatmeal. These will help you restore the energy you lost and keep you healthy at the same time.

EDITORIAL STAFF Editor Alvin Tud Layout Design Patrick Tan Distribution Johnson Li MIP/MOMS Editorial Staff (L-R): Patrick, Alvin, Evelyn, Kim & Johnson

Executive Editor Kim Snider

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