The Good News Blog

by Bo Sanchez

I’m terrible when it comes to picking gifts for my wife.

The first gift I gave her was a dress.

When I saw it, I thought it was beautiful. But when I gave it to her, I learned again the truth that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Because she said, “Oh Bo, I love you for giving me a dress. Thank you so much. But I suggest you stick to preaching. Your fashion sense is awful.”

I pouted, “You mean you won’t wear the dress?”

She smiled. “If I become suddenly suicidal, perhaps. In other words, I won’t be caught alive wearing that thing.”

But last month, I hit the jackpot. I finally bought her a birthday gift she really adored.

I bought her a book. But it was no ordinary book.

It was a gigantic

by Bo Sanchez

Is your Faith Toxic?

Instead of healing, it kills.

Instead of blessing, it harms.

Instead of giving, it robs.

No, I’m not talking about your Brand of Religion. You could be Catholic, Born-Again, Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu. It doesn’t matter. In each of these, you could have Toxic Faith.
It’s not the Brand of Religion, but the poisonous way you carry out your religion. It poisons you and it poisons others around you.

One of the clear signs that it’s Toxic Faith is that it fuels our hidden addictions.

I know of a significant number of religious people who are addicted to sex, alcohol, food, anger, materialism, and obviously, to religion itself.  

In recent years, sex addiction has become a huge problem among religious leaders. I should know. As a 13-year-old boy, I was molested by a religious leader.

And in the process, I became a porn addict.

I wanted to run away

by Bo Sanchez

One day, I attended Mass and the priest was in a hurry.

He either was very tired. Or had diarrhea.

Because he was going through the motions and doing it quickly.

So very different from my friend Bishop Honesto Ongtioco.

          For years, I’ve admired how the good bishop celebrates Mass. He does it with so much passion. Like he speaks every word with fire. And he acts every gesture with love.

Two weeks ago, I had lunch with this great man.

I asked him why he does his Masses this way.

He said something so profound, I’ll never forget it.

He said, “I always imagine every Mass to be my first Mass and my last Mass.”

For me, the key word is imagine.

He added, “What if I died in my sleep tonight? I really don’t know, do I?”

Today, I

by Bo Sanchez

Last week, I got a body massage that I’ll never forget.

I was massaged by “Ate Guy” (Not her real name).

I call her “Ate Guy” because though she looks like a woman, I have a suspicion she’s really a guy. In fact, she has the strength of 10 guys in her little female body. But I’m getting ahead of my story.

One of my friends recommended Ate Guy to me, praising her skill to the highest heavens. My friend said, “Ate Guy’s singular mission in life is to remove your lamig (cold). She’s obsessed. She goes berserk when she finds lamig in your body. She’ll not stop massaging you until the lamig is pulverized under her fingers.”

With that glowing description, my wife and I contracted her services.

By the way, let me educate my non-Filipino readers. Lamig

by Bo Sanchez

One day, Max, a criminal in death row was about to be executed.

          The warden was extra kind that day, so he asked him, “Max, for your last three meals, you can ask for anything you want.   What do you want for breakfast?”

          Max said, “Pancit (Local noodles). For long life.”

          The warden smiled and said, “I don’t think it will work. But here’s the pancit anyway.” Max ate with gusto.

After a few hours, the warden asked, “What’s your second meal?”

          “Spaghetti. Also for long life,” Max said.

          The warden laughed as

If you don’t mind, let me start with an old Genie joke.

One day, a Genie appeared to a woman and said, “This is your lucky day! I will give you 3 wishes.”

“Yeheey!” the woman squealed.

“But on one condition,” said the Genie, “Whatever you ask for, your husband will receive 3 times more.”

The woman frowned, “What? But I hate my husband! He’s a despicable man!”

The Genie shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m the Love Genie. I repeat: What you ask for, your husband will receive 3 times more.”

The woman said, “Oh, okay. My first wish: Make me very rich. I want $1 Million.”

The Genie asked, “Are you sure? Your husband will have $3 Million.”

She says, “Oh, never mind. What is his is mine and what is mine is his.”

“Very well then!” the Genie said, and with a wave of his hand, and “Poof!” the woman had $1 Million—and her

by Bo Sanchez

“I don’t come from a rich family,” Edward said.

I blinked hard. “For a moment there, I thought you were related to the Taipans. Sorry to say this, but you look rich.”

“Not at all,” he said, “My parents are very simple people. My mother was a school teacher and my father was an ordinary door-to-door salesman. That’s why I believe that anyone can succeed in life.”

That day, I was having lunch with the Chairman of the Board of a few mega-companies. (I never knew that this was going to be the first of many, many lunches with Mr. Edward Lee. He has now become one of my best business and life mentors.)

“I was a bad student too,” Edward said.

“No Harvard under your belt?” I asked.

“Bo, I was a failing student all my life! People called me dumb. In fact, I never finished college.”

No college degree?

At that moment, a

By: Bo Sanchez

Your future will be defined by your habits.

I’m ready to die anytime—right this minute if necessary. (I hope my wife isn’t reading this, because she hates it when I start talking this way.) My soul is prepared to go home to God at any moment.

But I also want to prepare for a long and healthy life—and that’s so possible. My father passed away when he was 88. And my Mom is going strong at 83. Studies show that the life span of human beings is getting longer. Babies born today have

I love talking to Auntie Eunice.

She’s a petite, 4 foot 11 inches, pretty Cebuano lady who lives in California. Sheloves to laugh, tell stories, and always treats me to a spicy Indian lunch every time we meet. Even if she doesn’t like Indian food! But she knows I do, so that’s where she takes me.

She’s also a very successful woman. Auntie Eunice sells houses for a living. In her circles, they call her a “Million-Dollar” producer.
But more than all these, I just love talking with Auntie Eunice because of her fantastic positive energy. She rubs it on me and I feel wonderful.

But early this year, the US Recession hit the world like a crashing meteor. So when I visited

This is going to be short.

I forgot to tell you the exact—and very inspiring—way Tita Neneng died.

Her death was as dramatically beautiful as her life. Here’s how it happened.

The Monday morning she died, she led worship in Anawim, our home for the abandoned elderly. And the last song she sang was a song I composed, entitled Draw Me.

Here are the lyrics (Reading them gives me the chills!).

Draw me now closer to thy throne,
Take me near to receive thy mercy,
Draw me deep into thy presence,
Oh lift my soul higher and higher…

Refrain: