Book Review: Breaking Through – A Man’s Journey to Fruitfulness

Book Review: Breaking Through – A Man’s Journey to Fruitfulness by Jose Ferron "Dodong" Cacanando

It takes me weeks to draft this post for I am personally afraid that I may not capable of giving a fair and just review that this book deserves. But thank you Lord for the guidance and the opportunity to share another post today. To God be all the glory.

It was January 2015 when I received this book from CBN ASIA.  With the book title itself, I had interest to know the author’s journey being a successful businessman and God’servant.

It was a timely gift to read where our monthly sales amount then had marked down as compared from the previous quarter. Just like with other businesses, sales are low during off-peak season probably because the Christmas season had just ended, where most of our buyer’s capital were spent out during the holiday.

As I read this book, it's amazing to know how God provides us with people and circumstances as source of His provision.  With a grateful heart, we learned to appreciate things that comes and go and realized that everything comes as a blessings and with a purpose. As the Lord bless us through known and unknown people around us, we may also be a fruitful blessings to people we meet every now and then.

It’s so amazing how Sir Dodong Cacanando had share his struggles, perseverance, strong faith and success being God’s steward. From business executive of Hewlett-Packard to a farmer of Mt. Moriah Farm at Bukidnon. In this book, he had share his story very well, all about his prayers and how God answered them in perfect time. His acts of leadership and motivation to ordinary men to be God’s obedient children by following His commandments.

With this book, I had learned and understand the value of having a personal relationship with God. The influence of starting your day reading a Bible verse and daily devotion – to seek God’s grace, guidance and blessings. To allocate QUITE Time with Him to find inner peace, grateful heart and soulful mind. What a wonderful day to start off before facing our day to day circumstances. He explained that prayer and obedience must always go together because it is our obedience that makes our prayer effective. I highlighted this words in the book where he emphasize that Christian life is a good life. Living a life of intimacy and obedience towards God is the best life anyone can have.

Truly this book had gave me an idea of what God’s stewardship is all about. It is an inspiration to find out how his faith, hope and trust to our dear Lord who richly and timely provides us with everything we need. He clearly specify that “We are not the owners of our business because God is the true owner of our business. We cannot claim ownership of anything we have because we did not work for these things; they were just entrusted to us in special way”.

Let us be careful and humble in handling success that God gave us. As we enjoy His blessings in our family and business, keep in mind that we are an instrument in the hands of the Master.

This books also allows me to understand what the Bible teaches about tithing and the out pouring outcomes in obeying His commandment. To faithfully set aside 10% of our earnings to "bring back" for His ministry - a portion He asked for - because He is the owner of everything. What a wonderful verse posted at Sir Dodong's Facebook fanpage

Tithing is a form of worship in which we show God respect, acknowledging Him that He gives everything to us by giving a 10^th back to Him. We need to understand this important facet of our relationship with God as our actions reflect the attitude of: “I will give Him my heart, I will give Him my praise, I will give Him thanksgiving and I will give Him financial support for His works”.

As he said, the greatest form of worship is to recognize that God is the Owner of everything we have, bit aside the fact that He is the Father who wants the best for us.

It made me realized that what I had gained now are not out from my personal power, effort and might. The Lord gives us power, wisdom and wealth; we need to be humble and grateful for everything that He had entrusted to us. Everything we have today, may be taken away in a span of a minute or may grow as fast beyond our imagination. The author share his story in faithfully giving his tithes as well as how he required his people to do the same by offering to whatever church they belong. Much more than their expectation, God bless them the abundance of everything.

As I finished reading the book, there was no other words to say than “Wow, they are truly blessed more than anyone else”. How I wish I was one of them or should I say I want to be like them. As I seek God’s grace, I find myself praying for personal commitment just as Jacob promised God that “of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You” (Genesis 28:20-22)

I want to experience God promises that renewed obedience in tithing will result in a blessing from Him – so abundant that “there will not be room enough to receive it”. God is serious about His laws and His commitments to us and about our commitment to Him. 

As days passed by, I realized that tithing is a matter of faith, to give thanks with a grateful heart to the Great Provider. As Jesus said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), “Freely you have received, freely give”. 

He wants us to willingly share and cheerfully give to others what we have received from above. Let us not be afraid to "bring back" for His ministry and share anything we can afford to the elderly, sick and/or needy, for He will surely give us much more than we ask for. As it works in them, I knew it will works to me, to all of us.

My personal commitment was merely out of my fear that I cannot sustain our family needs since I had no regular work that will compensate to our needed resources. But God allows me to manage My Little Angels Online Shop as source of His provision. In good faith, I am committed to keep tithes and offerings out of our monthly earnings. It is a promise that I want to keep for life. May He continue to permits me to be His steward and bless us all so we can all be a blessings to others we may encounter sooner or later.

The Lord never promise us an easy life, we have our own struggles to persevere more, be stronger and wiser than before and to continually dream big for a better future. But as I face my daily life, I am truly grateful for everything: for my family, daily bread and shelter, health and wellness, works to do and the opportunity to meet new and repeat buyers who gives their trust with My Little Angels Online Shop. They are truly much more valuable than money earned, for they are wealth that cannot be measured.

I knew that reading this book was not an accident, it has a purpose. I had gained new learning opportunities, spiritual guidance in managing a business, remain humble, live a simple life, and be fruitful to others. My everyday endeavor leads me to experience pitfall and tears but knowing He will provide for everything, I feel contented.

May you have time to read “Breaking through” so you may also experience what I had share at this post. For this book will surely impart us something to become a better person.

In the coming day, I wish I may had a chance to read his second book that was recently launched entitled "Keeper of His Garden". 

Thank you for your time. May God bless us all more than we ask for.