A few years back, my wife and I attended a seminar about finance. We signed up because the topic felt incredibly relatable, and we knew it was just what we needed to hear that time.
When the talk finished, the host announced that there would be a breakout discussion to follow. I turned to my wife and said, “Naku babe, alis na tayo… baka ma-convert pa tayo!” We strategized our “escape”. I told her, I’ll use the toilet and will just wait for her at the door. “Miscol na lang kita. Mahirap nang bumalik sa seat, baka ma-trap tayo.”
We ran away. I had this irrational ‘phobia’ of Born Again Christians. Maybe because I’ve learned about them in the wrong way, they were always chasing us. And, I grew up as an altar boy, a lector and commentator, and even a member of the choir. I was so active in the Catholic church that I never had a window to get to know the “other Christians.”
That seminar was very enlightening, that we had a lot of takeaways. Like, I was amazed to learn that there are 2,000+ verses in the Bible about money. Since my focus at that time was improving our financial situation, the message hit me in a huge way.
At that time, we were in a season of planning our future. I was very much into self-help books, audiobooks, and seminars – some people already call me “seminarista” because of my constant attendance at these seminars.
But despite all these efforts, I felt like there was something missing. It was through these CCF events that I discovered something unexpected yet super valuable – my faith and where was it at that time.
The verse “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21)” became a personal encouragement to me to not be disheartened in case my own plans don’t succeed because God probably has got way better plans for us.
Since we had a great experience at that finance seminar, we decided to attend several other events organized by the same group – marriage enrichment, parenting, leadership, business, and other money-related talks. In short, we were easily attracted by these events because they covered every practical aspect of life; And they were very relatable.
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”
Proverbs 19:21
How I got connected to Christ
Why am I sharing this?
When I eventually started to have conversations with the team behind the talks, I never felt any awkwardness or pressure like they were trying to “convert” us. They never approached things that way. We felt very welcome.
At one point, we couldn’t help but be curious, “Why the atmosphere is so happy.? What’s with this group of people – they’re friendly, easygoing, and accommodating.”
I vividly remember at one event I was in line at the buffet when I met Jay. He invited us to join them in their small group where they meet & discuss topics similar to those covered in the seminars.
I was still quite adamant to join at that time.
We kept showing up
That was just the icing on the cake, though. As we continued attending their events, we eventually realized that what we were missing the most in our lives was a personal, practical, and genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. It was quite eye-opening.
Interestingly enough, I discovered that many of the self-help-quotes I knew and loved actually had their roots in the Bible. It was such a realization.
One of the verses that I memorized easily from those events we attended says,
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”
Romans 12:2
Fresh perspective
These events provided us with a fresh perspective on life, one that is aligned with God’s perspective. Like when it comes to our marriage, we learned about the correct order of priorities, the value of having convictions, and gaining a deeper understanding of our roles as husband and wife.
We had a shift of perspective from what the world says to what God has designed marriage to be.
In our pursuit of practicality, we discovered that being practical is actually biblical. Our interest in reading the Bible grew stronger as a result.
These events became a platform for us to crave more. That’s why not long after, Raqz and I decided to attend a CCF service in Deira. We thought it might be similar to a seminar experience.
Grabe! Sa praise and worship pa lang, iyak na kami ng iyak ni Raqz. We were going through some tough times in our marriage back then, and every word in those songs hit us straight in the heart. That was an incredibly powerful experience.
The next thing we know, we were already actively attending the small group of Jay and Van, and they eventually became our disciplers.
To make the long story short, our decision to attend those events has eventually become our bridge to discovering the gospel and all the amazing things that God is doing in our lives. Not too long after, we said YES to following Jesus Christ.
Other opportunities that help me and my family grow in faith
As personal witnesses to the amazing impact of these events, Raqz and I have made a commitment to make ourselves available whenever opportunities to be involved will come.
Just like two years ago, we were asked to host an online marriage enrichment seminar called ‘Love Lockdown.’ Although my wife had some reservations initially, it became easier to say YES because we knew that God could use us to connect more people to Him, especially those who were not yet believers.
And just last month, we had the privilege of becoming speakers, along with esteemed leaders, for the Family & Finance series. It was similar to that first event that we attended 8 years ago.
How do I lead and influence others to know Jesus?
Today, we are discipling a group of couples and engaging a few others in one-on-one intentional discipleship meetings – online and offline.
We are also attending a house church along with other couples in the neighborhood.
I’ve also integrated the concept of BRIDGING into my platform and influence – through my blog.
From writing about anything under the sun, my content has changed into something more meaningful that sparks curiosity about my family’s perspective, joy, and relationship with God. And through this curiosity, we hope to create an avenue to share the transformative message of Jesus Christ.
My name is Ion Gonzaga. And with my wife Raqz, we take pride in saying how joyous it is to be rerouted into the Godly perspective instead of the worldly path through CCF’s platform of bridging events.
Once running away from a relationship with Jesus Christ, now we’re running towards sharing the goodness of having Him in our lives.
To God be all the praise and glory!
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Thanks John, Coach Ever, Danica & Mira for the photos.
