During my years in the undergraduate degree, I have always been fascinated with Marketing – product marketing, marketing management, market consolidation and so on. A simple idea can so much be influential on how we view things. I learned so many things from my professors that even today, I can still remember the concepts they shared. <Thank you Ms. Sierra, Prof. Cuello, and Atty. Teves>

I was talking to a friend few days back when we came across the Adam and Eve event in the Bible. We were talking about the first successful marketing strategy ever performed. And I realized that the serpent – more crafty that any of the wild animals the LORD God has made – was the first performer. Here’s how that keen-scaly-creature did it:

<excerpt from Genesis 3:1 – 6>

ATTENTION

The basic job of a marketer is to get the target’s attention. You see, the serpent did not command Eve to eat the fruit. There was no record of saying, “Come here and eat of this juicy fruity-patooty.” Rather he asked Eve, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” It was one simple question but it leaves one person to wonder. Attention happens when we shift our focus from stimuli to another. The serpent got Eve’s. She might have been doing something else like walking through the waters in the garden marveling at the sight of God’s immense and stunning creation. But Eve’s focus was redirected not on the serpent but on the question. There are a lot of ways to catch anyone’s attention but questioning is the best way to do it.

INTEREST

No one ever dwells on being attentive. When we listen to our class professors, we lose our attention and discover our talents in drawing abstracts or our talents in fortune telling using F.L.A.M.E.S. due to boredom. Marketers do not give a half-baked essay. We start with an introduction then to the body – then to the conclusion. We must involve our target by getting their interest. The serpent did not stop when Eve answered correctly by saying, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent could have walked away but he did not. The serpent gave Eve a point to consider. He said, “You will not surely die…” We get interested when we discover new knowledge. Our interest is the gateway to doing things. We do not do things without getting interested. Some people do random stuffs because they are interested in doing random stuffs.

DESIRE

This is the point when a Marketer must wait for the target. Desires are not imposed upon the target but it is being offered. The serpent continued on saying, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” We desire things when we see opportunities open for us. The serpent left Eve with options but Eve must response with a choice. Eve fell for the wrong option when she, “…saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom…”

ACTION

Marketers do not act for the sake of the client when an action is to be done in favor of the marketer. <Yes, the target will convert into a client when he/she decides to follow you> When we act, we pull out our wallets and turn in cash or credit cards. Marketers will not do that for you. As for the serpent, he was watching Eve, “…took some and ate it.” Actions are upon us.

The Lesson

We might learn upon this story that Marketers do stinky job. Do not be misled. Our marketing skills should be used for God’s glory. When we share the gospel, we use the attention tool, “Have you ever heard of the spiritual laws?”

The Reminder

The serpent was the first yet the worst marketer we can ever meet. He lurks like there is no tomorrow. He is Satan waiting for you to fall for his trap. He never sleeps, eats, or rests. Even in your dreams, he can put a seedling meant to harm you. But do not fret, my friend, for God is faithful. Focus our attention on God that we may resist Satan’s temptation. When the exam is hard, focus on God not on your seatmate’s answer <his/her set questionnaire is A and yours is B so stop fooling yourself>. Be interested in reading and studying God’s word. Psalms 1:2 describes the blessed man that, “…his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Desire first for God each and every day not on your crush, current bf/gf, future bf/gf, and other gods that will hinder us from seeking Him.

There are options set before us. Some options are opportunities to glorify God but some are temptations that will lead us to sin. As for Eve, she might have been attentive, interested, and desired for the serpent’s words but the CHOICE is hers to make.

The choice is yours too.

The LORD God is asking you, “Would you follow Me – the Great I Am?”

The Patient Fellow is a man's journey towards being what God designed him to be. 

This blog is dedicated to people who are, still are, and have been patiently waiting for success in life's three hundred sixty degrees of aging. As this blog is able to, I will be sharing to you my series of stories about the blessings and struggles in my academic life, family issues, personal relationships, and commitment to follow Jesus.

The Key Volunteers | HUTECH, Ho Chi Minh City | HYBRID Vietnam 2015

I have always thought of, “If God is all-powerful, why not lead discipleship groups all by Himself?” But upon seeing Jesus’ example while He was still here on earth, from the start to the end of his ministry, I knew I was called to be part of His mission. 

Before, it was really hard for me to connect with other people especially with other believers. But when I was challenged to start leading small groups, gradual changes happened. I became more confident in talking to other people. We share different experiences, personal testimonies of how we encountered God, and most especially, learn how to build our spiritual life together as brothers in Christ.

Leading a discipleship group has helped me understand the privilege to be working with God. God made it this way so that He may enable me to experience a life worth living for Him and for others. I knew I have struggles.  I have weaknesses.  I have fears but I knew this was not about me. And discipleship is all about Him. And as a response to how God has been ministering to my life, I was moved to disciple others that they may also experience what I have experienced. 

From my elementary days to my high school years, I used to be an achiever in my class. I never failed to be a class honor every grading period. I am also a former student government president when I was still fourteen. Moreover, I was the “top-or-fail” kind of student. Sounds familiar, right? However, to set standards for myself, I was used to cheating on examinations just to maintain my class standing. I am also used to compete with my classmates on major subjects. With this kind of attitude, I had limited number of friends. I pick them. If they were not smart and competitive enough, neglecting them was an easy decision on my part. All those years were my glory.

And everything changed when I studied here in Silliman University. I took Bachelor of Science in Accountancy as my preparatory course for law. The first semester of my first year turned out to be an advantage to me. I still got an academic scholarship at one point. And for me, the 3.0 above grade was my standard. However, I was still that “leather-shoe-shine-with-black-slacks” boy who never talked to classmates in class and dormmates inside the dormitory. The following semesters came when my major subject grades were now hiking down the ladder. At the end of my 2^nd year college, I failed to achieve the required GPA for the clustered subjects.

With this unexpected turn of events in my life, I felt I had been nothing. My parents even expressed their disappointment to me face-to-face. All the years I have gained and worked for were not of use anymore. I said to myself, “For what use is my achievements, certificates, medals, and all if I am not to achieve what I want to achieve at this point?” I have always dreamed of being called as, ‘Atty. Japril Diaz Cataluña, CPA’ -- the ever great, awesome, superior student. I have always dreamed of having not just good grades, not just better grades, but having the best grades. Nonetheless, these things aren’t realities anymore.

Then, that day came when I realized, I have just been living for myself and for my glory. It was just about me, me, and me. I forgot who I really am behind what I can do. I forgot who I am in God’s eyes. I realized that I have toiled and worked so much without God in my life. God told me that more than just what I can do, more than just good grades, more than just better grades, more than just best grades; a relationship with Him is the most important. God said that I don’t have to prove anything.

You know, I once thought that God would only accept me if I would present Him better grades from school. After shifting from accountancy to management, I have considered my grades not mine but of God’s. And better grades have never been better when we accept God’s better grades for us and it is a deep intimate relationship with Him.

Have you ever felt how it was like to be living a life of lie?

Have you ever felt how it was like to pretend like you are someone?

Have you ever felt how it was like to believe, that in your entire life, you are not normal?

You know, there was once a story. It was about the story of a boy but it was not about him. This boy did not have the opportunity to grow up with a father beside him.

His father died when he was still young. But he had a mother and older brothers.

However, certain needs, as what the boy had expected that his brothers would provide a fatherly love to him, was not given. This boy was even abused. Physically. Verbally. His heart was broken. Even at a young age of four, he had grown fear and hate for his brothers. He never desired to be like them.

What then did the boy do?

He searched for comfort. And he found it. He dearly loved his mother and his she-friends. He never played with young boys anymore as he was afraid to suffer the same experience he got from his brothers. At the age of 5, he was accustomed to play with young girls – which was alright but, ideally, is not supposed to be forever.

He thought it was already normal. He “thought” he was living a normal life.

And soon, as he was growing up in his teenage years, he forgot to have the chance to converse with other boys. He never knew what it felt like to grow up like a boy.

And you know what he realized? Of course we all know what the result was.

He realized he was homosexual. He had grown the desire to be with boys but he knew it was not the same like playing toys anymore.

And he said to himself, “Maybe, I was born this way!”

“Maybe, I was destined to be like this!”

“Shame to my brothers for causing all of this!”

He felt little. He felt inferior. He felt lesser. And so he compensated all of this with good grades, with achievements, and with honours. But he still failed. Sad story isn’t it?

To the end, the boy died. Yes, he died. But he did not die physically. He died spiritually. But He was made alive in Christ. As he thought it was already hopeless and helpless, God found him. God found him.

He realized it was not an identity crisis. He was always a man and always will be. Evil had just deceived him. He realized that it was just the work of the evil to ruin his life and to let him believe that gay is okay. But it was more than that.

As I said a while ago, the story was not about the boy. It was about God working in his life. How God had saved him and told him, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is My gift – not by works.”

God told him, “You don’t need to prove anything. You are my workmanship, created in My Son, Jesus Christ, to do good works, which I had prepared in advance for you to do. Now go and tell the people of the world and share the good news.”

The boy knew what God’s plan is for his life.

The boy believed that he has sinned but God had forgiven him already.

The boy accepted Christ, who saved him from bondage, to be his Saviour.

And God prepared him to stand in front of other people and say, “I am Japril D. Cataluña, saved by grace through faith, standing up for God as a lifetime messenger of His love for you.”