A different ball game for BJ Manalo

Posted on October 30, 2008

By Sherryll S. de Luna

He was tagged prince of the hard court. No goal in basketball, whether at the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) or the professional league, was spared by the winning points brought by Benedict Manalo Jr., better known by basketball fans as BJ Manalo. But for some reason, he opted to have a different goal this time around.

Gone were the days when basketball was what he considered his life. BJ was the star player of De La Salle University Green Archers when he was still playing for the UAAP. At that time, he considered his basketball years fulfilling and rewarding. On top of that, he even had a showbiz career, doing commercials and TV hosting. Everything was going his way.

BJ was already earning millions at a young age. One time he bought a brand new car that only a few could afford to buy, thinking it would make him happy. After two days of driving it, he thought “Ito lang pala ‘yon. (So this is all there is to it.)”

Back then, despite his success, he was already feeling a deep sense of emptiness which he couldn’t explain. He thought he was living the good life. He considered himself the religious type but there was still something missing in his life.

A terrible court accident resulted to serious knee injuries, which resulted in tears in his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL). He feared it was the end to his illustrious sports career.

But it was this injury that paved the way for him to discover the things that really mattered. During this time, he could not do anything but reflect on why God allowed this to happen to him. While God was healing his injury, he felt he had nowhere to go.

This was the time he decided to hear from Athletes in Action, a group of fellow athletes who were Christians, about what they had to share to him about the God they talked about a lot of times in the past. He then found a deeper faith, based on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

From then on, BJ decided to play the real game he was created for and follow the real coach of his life-Jesus. Today, he is now in full time ministry with Athletes in Action, a ministry under Campus Crusade for Christ.

Nowadays, BJ disciples athletes in the college, national, semi-professional, and professional levels, most of whom are basketball players. His goal is to help them reach their full potential as athletes but with a holistic view of life. The Athletes in Action ministry, which works hand-in-hand with the Sports Ministry of Christ’s Commission Fellowship, also holds Bible studies in campuses, a great mission field indeed, as this allows volunteers to reach out to teammates, classmates, and friends.

Aside from his newfound purpose, BJ now also has a new role-a husband to his wife Diane and father to daughters Cailin and Ava.

BJ knows the Lord wants him not just to be the best basketball player he can be but also to be the best husband, father, and missionary to fellow athletes that God wants him to be. For him, there is only one way for anyone to reach his potential: “Put God first and include him in all your plans because God has a wonderful plan for your life.”

larry fonacier's testimony

--eto yung mga pakiramdam na ayaw ko..
yung hindi ko maintindihan ang sarili ko,matutuwa o magagalit, maiinis o tatawa na lang
sabi nga nila, wag na ko masyadong magdrama...pero, i don't think its just another drama for me.
sana PMS na lang to o kaya drama nga, pero baka dahil nalulungkot lang ako,,
alam ko kasi maraming mawawala saken..
alam ko rin its all about spirituality, my committment to the LOrd, my responsibilties to the people around me..
there must be no reason for me to have this 'kadramahan'... i have no right..

good thing, i've watched this video..

i'm really inspired by this guy,
nakakatuwa kasi i never really liked him though he was really a good bball player, ngayon ko lang nalamn ang story nya, and great kasi its his story of how he came to know Jesus Christ...so brave,,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlLvEQjddGg


ayan, no more drama na on my side,hehe....

tiLEs

..last friday, november 21, sumakay ako ng bus going to LRT gil puyat station,that was my first time… umattend kasi ako sa crossover (gathering ng working men and women sa aming church)…naku, super heavy the traffic was,grabe talaga…after 30 mins.,nasa ayala ave pa rin kami…pahinto-hinto,,ng matagal…hanggang sa matigil kami sa rcbc tower…nasip ko kung gaano kaya katagal yun tinayo,kung gano kalaki yung ginastos para dun…haay,milyon-milyon malamang,,,umandar na naman ang pagka negosyante saken,sabi ko, ibig sabihin, kelangan ko mag-ipon ng milyon milyon para makapagpatayo ng mas mataas at mas magandang building para sa negosyo ko in the future. Natawa na lang ako sa naisip ko,hehe. Gaano pa katagal yun?… Tapos, napatingin ako dun sa mga tiles sa labas, ang laki nila, magkano kaya bawat isang tiles? Baka isang sahod ko sa isang araw ang presyo ng isang malaking tiles…pinilit kong bilangin kung ilang tiles meron dun para malaman ko kung ilang araw ako dapat magtrabaho para sa tiles pa lang. Hmp, di ko kinaya,mataas pa kasi, di na abot ng tanaw ko…umandar ulet ang bus,napalapit ng husto sa gilid ng building,, dun ko nakita ng malapitan yung mga tiles…hahahahehehe,napangiti ako,pero deep inside tumatawa ako,hindi pala tiles yun.ewan ko ba kung ano yung mga yun,kung ano tawag dun. Para kong ewan, binibilang ko ang bagay na hindi naman pala totoo sa paningin ko. Para akong nangarap sa maling pangarap…hmmm, never mind na lang on my part. Buti na lang wala akong kasama, kundi pahiya ako..
ang tagal pa rin ng bus..

nakatulog na ko, mananaginip na sana kaso bumababa na silang halos lahat,baka LRT na, hindi ko pa man din alam…
waha, nakaabot pa ko, hindi pa nga tapos ang Wildsons(gathering ng youth) eh..

Crossover…

topic: SMALL BEGINNING (Zechariah 4:10)

..though we started as small, we will end up big because we have a big God..

hayun, great things come from small beginnings. Kahit nipa hut muna magsisimula ang business ko, God will make it bigger. Kahit employee pa ako ngayon at simpleng staff,payroll processor (na as of now eh wala pang account,hehe) at hindi sure sa future ko sa company, I know God has great plans for me. Basta all i have to do is to trust Him and do my best,walang reklamo, kasi this is my way of worshipping HIm. Joyful lagi dapat for He always understand our situations..

fiRsTs

weeh,,,this week na yata ang may pinaka marami kong firsts..as in first time kong ginawa at first time kong naexperience…

second job ko..hihi(un lang ang hindi first)..

first time ko magpa-medical exam ng totoo..yung may dugo, ganun,may specimens and everything, hehe..

first day ko sa work…

• 
  hmm..wala kong ginawa, hehe.. gusto ko pa naman may ginagawa ako, i want to be paid because i did something,, pero ok lang, ganun talaga…
• 
  hmm ulet..kasi first day ko and i think im late,hehe,not good…
  di naman hmm..kasi i met new friends, my new officemates na mabait at approachable…konti pa lang kilala ko,,memory check…mam jemma, sir larry, mam janice(not sure pa),jr,julius,joyce,shane,diane(byebye),jaimie,apple,rose,toni,maggie,ephraem(syempre classmate),ung iba ako lang may kilala,hehe..ayun,at dadami pa sa susunod,,for now, tahimik muna ako, di muna nila dapat malaman na madaldal din ako, hehe…
• 
  sa second day ko…naka-maong pants..patay,hehe,,lagot kay william shakespeare(guard)…di ko po uulitin!

first time ako masingil ni tita flor sa boarding house, hehe…

frist time ako managinip sa loob ng 12 mins. at gumising dahil nakakatakot ang panaginip (kung bibilangin, 6 na kwento,nakakatakot lahat)

first time makakabisado ng isang mall…(robinson’s galleria)

first time maka-6 hrs sa internet..(at ngayon yun)

first time magka-crush sa isang ______…churvaaa lang… secret na,baka malaman nya,hahaha…(though di pa ko sure na ganun nga,hehehe)

basta,yun lang naaalala kong firsts ko,hehe…dami noh?..

madami pa…

antok na lang ako…

from anonymous....

last night, i just received a forwarded text quote from someone i don't even know (his/her number was not registered as one of my contacts)...



actually, i've received the same quote several times before but it only got an impact to me just last night...



here it goes...

"Sometimes you just want to quit when things start hurting you. You want to
leave everything as it is before the pain gets worse. But once you remember how
much you've prayed, how much you really wanted it and why you were fighting in
the first place, hope comes back into your heart and maybe, just maybe, it is
worth going this far."


i really wanted many things in my life...i want to help my family in terms of finances, that's why i really wanted to have a job...i want to be a successful cellgroup leader that's why i really take so much effort in reaching my spiritual daughters...i want to be a good wife someday that's why i'm really trying so hard to fix my life today...i want to be worthy to be called God's princess that's why i'm doing all these...



maybe hard for some ordinary people...but i'm not an ordinary woman,i'm a woman of God...no quitting,,,just obey...it is better than sacrifice...