Friday, December 24, 2010

Happy Birthday Prince of Peace!

11:29 AM 8 Comments

Merry Christmas Blogosphere!
Merry Christmas my dearest NetworkedBlogs followers,
Google followers,
email subscribers,
the Christian Women and Blogger, and blogger friends!



During a sermon last Sunday,our priest shared some interesting information about the symbols and traditions during Christmas- like the Christmas tree, the socks, Santa Claus, the gift giving, the kiss under the mistletoe and the candy cane. The latter amused me so much because I've never thought of googling the meaning of it or what candy cane symbolizes.

If you look at the candy cane like this it definitely looks like the letter J. Jesus starts with the letter J, so that should remind us of Jesus and help us to remember that Christmas is Jesus' birthday.

If you look at the candy cane like thisit looks like a shepherd's crook. In about 1670 the choirmaster in Cologne Cathedral had sticks of candy bent into the shape of a shepherd’s crook and passed them out to children who attended the ceremonies.

A shepherd uses his crook to keep the sheep from wandering away from the flock and getting lost or eaten by a wild animal. The Bible says, "The Lord is my shepherd." The candy cane should remind us that Jesus is our shepherd and he will keep us from wandering away and getting lost or hurt.

The color white in a candy cane symbolizes purity. It should remind us that Jesus was the spotless Lamb of God and that because he came to be the sacrifice for our sin, we can become as white as snow. The flavor of peppermint is similar to another member of the mint family, hyssop. In the Old Testament hyssop was used for purification and sacrifice, and this is said to also symbolize the purity of Jesus and the sacrifice he made.

The candy cane should also have three red stripes. The Bible tells us that before he was crucified, Jesus was beaten with a whip which made blood-red stripes across his back. The Bible says that we are healed by those stripes. (He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his stripes you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24 ) The stripes on the candy cane should remind us that Jesus suffered and died, so that we can have an everlasting life.

Faith never knows where it is being led,
but it loves and knows the One who is leading.


May we all remember the birth of the Good Shepherd during our celebration and give Him our love and faith as our gift. =D Merry Christmas!



Over the skies of Bethlehem appeared a star
While angels sang to lowly shepherds
Three Wisemen seeking truth they traveled from afar
Hoping to find the child from heaven
Falling on their knees they bow before the humble Prince of Peace

The sun cannot compare to the glory of your love
There is no shadow in your presence
No mortal man would dare to stand before your throne
Before the Holy One of heaven
It's only by Your blood
It's only through Your mercy
Lord, I come

We bring an offering of worship to our King
No one on earth deserves the praises that we sing
Jesus may you receive the honor that you're due
O Lord I bring an offering to you

***
ALSO!!!!
December 24

Happy Birthday Phillip!


He's one of my answered prayers. =)
I love you bro!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

After Your Heart

8:32 PM 7 Comments
Last month, I had a very crazy schedule, I worked for 24 hours every other day and I also went to school in between. It was crazy crazy crazy; I don't know how I managed to stay awake during my classes. But even though I became really exhausted, I felt the happiest during those days because I was able to provide care and share my love to somebody. However, a month after my full-time elder/patient's 100th birthday her body gave up from infection which caused her death. I was out of job after that because I just couldn't take the schedule of the other aids.

So my life is back to slow-mo...and now I realized that I don't know how to pray anymore. I just couldn't pray and be still because my mind wanders instantly once I sit. For days, aside from reading the daily devotionals, I've read the previous entries from Our Daily Bread to seek for answers, to find something to ignite the fire within me, to help me rescue my passion or just to help me figure out what's wrong.

Today, December 12, is the birthday of my mom and we just had a gathering with some friends. I think we are all tired, I am tired. However, I don't know I just logged in to check some videos on Youtube and I was led to this:





After Your Heart by Moira Dela Torre

Bring me to the highest mountains
Bring me to the widest plains
Fly me to the skies above
I'd still call out Your name

Bring me to the deepest waters
Drive me through the longest roads
Take me away from these shadows
I'd still call out Your name
I'll stand firm and pray

Cause I don't wanna go somewhere else
I wanna run towards You
I don't wanna look away
Cause my eyes are fixed on You
I don't wanna live for someone else
Cause You gave a brand new start
And these feet will keep on going
I'm after Your heart

Bring me to Your love's chambers
Bring me in Your midst
bring me to the palm of your hands

Sail me towards the rising sun
Sail me through the rivers run
Spread my wings wide
And I'll still call out Your Name
I'd stand firm and pray

Nothing else can satisfy, I'm after Your heart
To You alone, I give my life, I'm after Your heart
Cause no matter where I go
No matter what I do
these feet were made to run after You
Only You


The song just touched me, I just miss Him so much. After listening to it, I realized how my busy schedule made me had no room to be still or talk to Him. I realized that even though I do good things and I render service to other people, it will still never be enough, I still need time to be with Him.

The song reminded me of His great love and the precious moments I had with Him whenever I am in my room.

Lord, I felt really incomplete without You. I became worried because I really don't know where to start or what went wrong. Thank You for reminding me to fix my eyes on You, to keep running towards You because You alone can satisfy me.

Lord, thank You for giving me the chance to be an intern at New York Eye and Ear, I will start on Tuesday. Thank You also for my work every week, I may not be earning that much anymore but at least I am not doing it for 72 hours a week. Thank You for helping me where to start. Thank You for the song and the talent of the composer/singer. I miss You so much Lord. I love You.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

The Bridge

10:35 AM 10 Comments
I want to share this fable by Rabbi Edwin Friedman in Peter Scazzero's book "The Emotionally Healthy Church, Updated and Expanded Edition"; it's in a chapter called "Receiving the gift of limits." Kevin of Shooting the Breeze also wrote about it.

I just have to share this because this my story. Here it is:

Rabbi Edwin Friedman tells the story of a man who had given much thought to what he wanted from life. After trying many things, succeeding at some and failing at others, he finally decided what he wanted.

One day the opportunity came for him to experience exactly the way of living that he had dreamed about. But the opportunity would be available only for a short time. It would not wait, and it would not come again.

Eager to take advantage of this open pathway, the man started on his journey. With each step, he moved faster and faster. Each time he thought about his goal, his heart beat quicker; and with each vision of what lay ahead, he found renewed vigor.

As he hurried along, he came to a bridge that crossed through the middle of a town. The bridge spanned high above a dangerous river.

After starting across the bridge, he noticed someone coming the opposite direction. The stranger seemed to be coming toward him to greet him. A the stranger grew closer, the man could discern that they didn't know each other, but yet they looked amazingly similar. They were even dressed alike. The only difference was that the stranger had a rope wrapped many times around his waist. If stretched out, the rope would reach a length of perhaps thirty feet.

The stranger began to unwrap the rope as he walked. Just as the two men were about to meet, the stranger said, "Pardon me, would you be so kind as to hold the end of the rope for me?"
The man agreed without a thought, reached out, and took it.

"Thank you," said the stranger. He then added, "Two hands now, and remember, hold tight." At that point, the stranger jumped off the bridge.

The man on the bridge abruptly felt a strong pull from the now-extended rope. He automatically held tight and was almost dragged over the side of the bridge.

"What are you trying to do?" he shouted to the stranger below.

"Just hold tight," said the stranger.

This is ridiculous, the man thought. He began trying to haul the other man in. Yet it was just beyond his strength to bring the other back to safety.

Again he yelled over the edge, "Why did you do this?"

"Remember," said the other, "if you let go, I will be lost."

"But I cannot pull you up," the man cried.

"I am your responsibility," said the other.

"I did not ask for it," the man said.

"If you let go, I am lost," repeated the stranger.

The man began to look around for help. No one was within sight.

He began to think about his predicament. Here he was eagerly pursuing a unique opportunity, and now he was being sidetracked for who knows how long.

Maybe I can tie the rope somewhere, he thought. He examined the bridge carefully, but there was no way to get rid of his new found burden.

So he again yelled over the edge, "What do you want?"

"Just your help," came the answer.

"How can I help? I cannot pull you in, and there is no place to tie the rope while I find someone else who could help you."

"Just keep hanging on," replied the dangling man. "That will be enough."

Fearing that his arms could not hold out much longer, he tied the rope around his waist.
"Why did you do this?" he asked again. "Don't you see who you have done? What possible purpose could you have in mind?"

"Just remember," said the other, "my life is in your hands."

Now the man was perplexed. He reasoned within himself, If I let go, all my life I will know that I let this other man die. If I stay, I risk losing my momentum toward my own long-sought-after salvation. Either way this will haunt me forever.

As time went by, still no one came. The man became keenly aware that it was almost too late to resume his journey. If he didn't leave immediately, he wouldn't arrive in time.

Finally, he devised a plan. "Listen," he explained to the man hanging below, "I think I know how to save you." He mapped out the idea. The stranger could climb back up by wrapping the rope around him. Loop by loop, the rope would become shorter.

But the dangling man had no interest in the idea.

"I don't think I can hang on much longer," warned the man on the bridge.

"You must try," appealed the stranger. "If you fail, I die."

Suddenly a new idea struck the man on the bridge. It was different and even alien to his normal way of thinking. "I want you to listen carefully," he said, "because I mean what I am about to say."

The dangling man indicated that he was listening.

"I will not accept the position of choice for your life, only for my own; I hereby give back the position of choice for your own life to you."

"What do you mean?" the other asked, afraid.

"I mean, simply, it's up to you. You decide which way this ends. I will become the counterweight. You do the pulling and bring yourself up. I will even tug some from here."
He unwound the rope from around his waist and braced himself to be a counterweight. He was ready to help as soon as the dangling man began to act.

"You cannot mean what you say," the other shrieked. "You would not be so selfish. I am your responsibility. What could be so important that you would let someone die? Do not do this to me."

After a long pause, the man on the bridge uttered slowly, "I accept your choice." In voicing those words, he freed his hands and continued his journey over the bridge.

*****

Would you let go of the rope? Would you even accept the rope?

After reading the story, you can say that the man shouldn't have let go of the rope, that he is selfish for doing so. If I will be that man, I will surely feel guilty for letting go. However, in the story the man showed his willingness to help, he actually helped the stranger and even presented a lot of options to choose for him to be safe but the stranger kept on refusing.

I want to save the world. I want everybody to be happy. Sometimes, I unknowingly accept ropes of other people but most of the time I do this willingly. I think I am strong enough to handle everything but later on I whine because I am already exhausted and struggling to hold on. Holding other people's rope also led me to frustration and depression because I end up having regrets about not being able to do things for my self. However, I can also feel guilt for not helping all the time and all the way because I am a Christian. It's not that I feel like I am obligated to help but, I don't know, sometimes there's a part in my heart that screams that I should and I can do it.


In Ecclesiastes 3 He said, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens...He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God".


I think, helping others, even though it is what Christians should do, also needs to be prayed for. I don't do this. I don't pray if I should, I just say yes and yes even though it's not right anymore or I am not yet ready to take the rope. I know it takes time and a lot of guidance for me to change some of my ways in doing things, but I thank God for His great love. I know He can already see that I really need to be corrected as soon as possible and I thank Him for He sent me people to help me learn.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

The Mastery of Love

7:01 AM 8 Comments
Hi! I would just like to share some parts of this book that kept me company during my work last night. It was fun to read and worth sharing.

I remember making a post about how I view human relationships now that I have matured with my relationship with the Lord; (click here) however, lately I have learned that not only do I have to strengthen my relationship with my Father but also I should strengthen my relationship with myself in order for me to fully love other people. Yes, I have always claimed that I have so much love to give but sometimes, I meant always, I breakdown whenever a gesture of love is being showed to me by other people (aside from my immediate family). I breakdown not only because I am grateful to have them but also because I always feel that I am not worthy of such kind of love. I don't know why I felt that way and honestly I have never thought of it. I have always described myself as a giver. I love to give but I am not comfortable of receiving anything. I have never shared this thoughts before, maybe because I thought that I am here to give not to receive and it's just as simple as that. My mom would always tell me that I should check my self because she can see that I am vulnerable to abuse. I am afraid to say no to a request and giving sends me to euphoria. I am happy whenever other people are happy even when it takes my own happiness. I know this is not wrong but what makes it wrong is the feeling that I have whenever a similar gesture is done for me. A thank you is enough for me but I always feel that I should give more than a thank you to express how thankful I am.

Living here in New York plus the people I've met here had truly helped me learn a lot about life. It's amazing how self-discovery, self-acceptance and self-love had made a dramatic change in my life and how I view everything that surrounds me.

It's shameful to admit that I had unknowingly lied about being completely happy before. It's like you know everything is going well, that's why you should be happy and you think you don't have the right to say that something is missing because people would even say that they would gladly change places with you. It's like being ungrateful of what God had given you or being discontented about everything in your life.

I am also afraid to fail becuase I thought that to succeed all the time wouldn't give other people the chance to make fun of me. I am also afraid to fail other people's expectations about me and their thoughts of who I am. I remember making a blog post that remained to be a draft about how I love to please and make other people happy that it came to a point that I would jokingly call my self a chameleon. I wore different kinds of masks or change my colors to protect myself. I'm not sure but I think it started when being myself led me to be a subject of gossips and hatred from a school that I went before. After that event in my life, I developed a fear of socializing because my mind would immediately tell me that the one I am talking to doesn't like me or is plotting something bad against me. Oh now I get it. I love to please people so they wouldn't have time to hate me and whenever a gesture of love is done, I would be like "yay! they don't hate me."

"Of course, we have so many self-judgments that we can't possibly have any self-love. And if there's no love for ourselves, how can we even pretend that we share love with someone else?" (page 96)

So yeah, God is good! He is amazing. He sent people and had carefully planned events in my life that would lead me to different kinds of healing. I feel amazing. I feel great. I am happy even though things doesn't go my way. I am okay even though somebody gives me a bad comment, doesn't like me or doesn't agree with me. I love God even more now that I can see how His love for others is surrounding me. I love God even more now that I have realized that it is okay to be me. I am a reflection of His love, I should never be ashamed of that reflection. I should love my self because I am His reflection; loving my self means loving Him too.


"...The body is already satisfied because it has all your love. You are never lonely anymore, because you are fulfilled with your own love. Wherever you turn your face, you will be fulfilled with love, but not from other humans. You can see a tree and feel all the love coming from the tree to you. You can see the sky, and it's going to fulfill the needs of your mind for love. You will see God everywhere, and it will no longer be just a theory. God is everywhere, Life is everywhere." (page 156)


Each person is a unique

expression of God’s loving design.♥

Monday, September 27, 2010

Bliss =)

9:44 PM 6 Comments

Not long ago I was too ashamed to go home, to talk to my parents and tell them that it will take me maybe 2 more years to finish nursing school here in New York. Not long ago I spent a joy ride, went to New Jersey with my special friend right after I received my I-am-sorry-you-didn't-make-it letter sobbing about my unfortunate fate and complaining about the rocky journey I am traveling towards my dream of being a nurse while he's giving me his 1000 reasons, yes he came up with that too many reasons about why I should be thankful that I didn't get into the program. Of course I laughed in between but my heart was torn and I couldn't understand why. I pretended I was okay and by the time I got home, I have to hold back my tears in front of my parents as I was telling them I am sorry that I failed. I even failed on hiding my tears.


I am really not sure what happened after that day but I am positive that I kept praying and told God that I trust Him even though my mind was telling me that I will be spending years in devastation island.


Surprisingly, weeks after those moments I was told that I will have a permanent regular schedule at work. I will be working in a luxurious hotel for elders. I had my class schedule ready; I changed my major to Lib Arts: Math and Science. I will be in school Mondays and Wednesdays and I will work Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Fridays as an on call.


Working and doing the dirty job sends me to euphoria. I enjoyed giving care and love towards the elders. I give medicines, sponge bath, feed them or bring them to the dining hall, I also change their diapers, clean them after they went, push their wheel chair, bring them to movies or to the park, talk to them, listen to their stories, write my nurses notes...what a bliss! What I do with them doesn't feel like I'm working but instead I am having the same feeling whenever I worship God. I feel happiness beyond words can express. I always end my day with a smile and a thankful heart no matter how the day went. I was called stupid, timid and slow but most of the time I get compliments, hugs and kisses from them. I smile and thank God because this is all that I want from nursing, no more no less.


Aside from my passion for nursing, mathematics also sends me to an elevated state. I feel heaven whenever I have to do math problems. I always wish they require more math subjects in nursing when I was still in the Philippines. I love testing my patience while I do solving. I love to do logic, word problems, measuring, counting, figures, algebra...ah! Well well well... look at what I have to do now! I have to take math courses to finish this degree. I just couldn't believe how fast time flies when you are enjoying; I am doing what I love and studying what I want.


I don't know where He will lead me but it's the first time that I am enjoying the ride. I am enjoying the stops that I have to take. I am living in the present. I don't even have time to figure out what His plans for me or to foresee my future because I am happy enjoying everything. My week is always great. Plus, another bonus gift from Him are the new things that I can do because of the confidence and courage He is giving me, taught by His instruments, my friends from my church community and my family; and also because I can already afford doing it since I already have a job.


I want to pursue nursing right after I graduate from my new major, hopefully with prayers and love I will graduate next semester but of course, take me Lord wherever You want to bring me.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

I Believe There is More

1:51 PM 0 Comments
As I was cleaning the room today while my collection of Christian songs was playing, I can't help not to pause, sing along and then cry when I heard "I Believe There is More".

Father, thank You. Lord, I am amaze by how You've been slowly pouring different kinds of blessings in my life when I stopped praying for what I want and when I began to constantly thanking You, instead, for the things that I've been receiving. I love You so much Father.

Thank You for my family, my friends, my special friend, my work, the community where I belong, for the new opportunities, new experiences, new faces, new discoveries, for the goal and dream that I am having right now, for giving me the chance to be closer to You in different ways and level, for the freedom to praise and worship You, for the gifts and graces You've showered upon me and my family and most of all for my life and the kind of life that I am living right now.

Lord, thank You for allowing me to see and enjoy Your creation with friends of whom I met through Your community. I love how I can have fun with them and at the same time share our love and passion of praising and worshiping Your name.


Sky Diving





Rock Climbing




Rafting





(^_^)

I Believe There is More
-Don Moen-

You have been good to me
You have been good to me
You have been gracious
You have been faithful
Meeting my needs
Lord, it's so plain to see
You have been good to me
I have been given so much I can't even
Begin to thank You

And still I believe there is more
I believe there is more
I believe
So open my hands to receive
All that Your love has in store
Lord, I believe

Everything I have done
All that I've said and sung
Lifting Your story giving You glory
That's just the beginning
Father, I know there is more
Power to heal and restore
Miracles wonders blessings unnumbered
Love never-ending

Exceeding abundantly
More than our minds can imagine
Love overflowing
You are bestowing
Day after day after day



"If the only prayer you say in your
entire life is- 'thank you' --that is enough."
-Meister Eckhart

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

When I say... "I am a Christian"

9:33 PM 2 Comments
Whenever I say that I am a Christian, I love God, Jesus is my First Love, I go to church, I am part of a charismatic group, I am part of a community and/or I maintain a faith-based blog, I always get reactions that drives me to explain my beliefs or share my personal stories about my walk with Him.

I am sinful. I am doubtful. My spirit gets weak. I am stubborn. I get lazy. I question His plans. I insist what I want. I get mad, super mad that I sometimes make curses in my head. There are also times that I find it hard to concentrate during mass. I don't read my Bible that often. My list goes on with things that contradicts my claim of being a "Christian", maybe not exactly it is contradicting but maybe just not the way other people picture Christians.

I know that I am a sinner, however this doesn't stop me and well in fact, knowing it helps my confidence in My Father's love to get even stronger as I persevere to be closer to Him. I am a
sinner but I am like a child who commits mistakes and He is a Father who embraces me and even shows me more attention and affection after every fall. Now tell me how can His love would not be enough for me to loudly proclaim that I am His daughter, I am a follower of Christ and that I love Him so much.

I honestly don't like it when people forget about my weaknesses of being a human. I want to be called a sinner who perseveres to walk closer to Him so that nothing can come between us. I am not pure but His love can cleanse me. On the other hand, it really irritates me when people use the I-am-a-sinner-I-am-really-bad-that's-why-I-don't-want-to-get-involve-with-Christianity reason or I-will-still-sin-I'll-just-go-to-church-if-and-when-i-decide-to-stop-sinning.

My thoughts are so random. I really don't know where I am going. lols. I just found this poem from my old notes and thought of making an intro blab instead of posting it plain. hehe.

Have a blessed week! Oh how I miss blogging.

When I say... "I am a Christian"


When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin."
I'm whispering "I was lost,"
Now I'm found and forgiven.
Align Center
When I say..."I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need CHRIST to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
and need HIS strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain,
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
who received God's good grace, somehow.

~Maya Angelou~



Monday, August 2, 2010

The Bliss of Loving You

2:53 PM 0 Comments

I imagine myself sitting on a bench at the center of a meadow, where close by there is a lake. I feel the cool breeze of the wind while the sun shines bright. It feels like the air is embracing me, cuddling me like a child. It gives me comfort, makes me want to close my eyes. I am not alone. I take a deep breath and now I smell the beauty of the world, Your presence and the sweet scent of happiness in Your creation. I am smiling.

Then I let my eyes to wander and I gaze upon each beauty that surrounds me. I see beautiful flowers, that I have never seen before, in every color that I could imagine. I trace the shapes and curves of the things that I usually neglect, like the mountains, the rocks and the trees. You are very creative. You alone can make imperfect figures fit perfectly in this world.

I hear the water flowing and the birds singing as if they are choirs and the wind blowing are the instruments. The trees are dancing, as well as the green grass and the lovely flowers. I hear how the colorful butterflies court the flowers, flapping their wings around while they plan how to make more.

Then suddenly everything is on mute but it didn't shock me nor I felt afraid for not hearing anything. Instead, the sound of silence excites my heart. I hear her beating, whispering peace, happiness and love. I can hear my love for You.

I can feel... I can see... I can smell... I can hear Your love for me.

I can no longer think of anything to say nor can I remember my imperfections.

The sun is shining even brighter than it did a while ago. I see Your face but my world doesn't have the right words to describe Your beauty. I am trying hard and even harder to think of adjectives to go with Your name but every word fails to give justice to describe who You are.

Now all I can say is I love You, I worship You, I praise You, I thank You, I love You more than I have ever loved You. I am in awe. Your presence gives me happiness, I am in ecstasy. Water flows from eyes because of the joy that You are giving me. I miss You and I miss You everyday. You know how much I want to be with You, to talk to You and to endlessly say that I love You.

I love You so much Lord. Moments like this with You reminds myself to equip my brain with words and adjectives because I always fell short of things to say to You. I love You so much.


Monday, June 28, 2010

Matthew 6:34

7:17 PM 0 Comments
“Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him,
my Savior and my God.”
- Psalms 42:5


Why are you troubled? Put your hope in God.
Find comfort from your inability to do anything
about the problem and have more confidence in Him.
Trust your Father who cares for you and have peace.
Fear haunts your heart and all you ask is “What am I to do?”
Have your faith interrupt say The Lord is in control!

Why am I so troubled? I will put my hope in God.
I will find comfort from knowing that the enemy wants
to pull me away from Him by using my weaknesses as human.
I will trust You My Father and I will turn fear to faith.
As I learn to strengthen my trust in the Father’s care,
I'll gain peace that not only surpasses all understanding
but also overcomes my anxiety.

***
With confidence I pray,

Keep me safe, O God,
for in you I take refuge.

I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing."

LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.

I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.

I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,

because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

-Psalms 16

***

Philippians 4:6–7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

***
We can do this Lord!
Jesus, I trust in You.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Changing Seasons

5:14 PM 6 Comments

I've been working part time with elderly people for almost 2 months now and you just don't know how fulfilled and happy I am serving them. It is such a joy to be able to help and to take care of other people. This job is different compared to my previous experience in the hospital; I'm working with rich and not so very sick elders. I have shared how I love to take care of the poorest of poor and the sick; it gives me satisfaction and the happiness of having the chance to give back and thank Him for making me healthy enough to give care and to be the privilege one to have been educated. This job is different; it is teaching me lessons about life.

Ruth, a well educated sophisticated beautiful lady who is now 93 years old, have never missed a day of telling me how perfect and gorgeous she was when she was still young but complains of how old she looks now. "Phoebe, I'm telling you, never grow old...but grow old because I had a good life", she told me last Sunday. Whenever I'm working with her, we talk about life, her life as a teacher, skater and a muse, about education, relationships and opinions about things. I want to talk to her about Christianity but I couldn't find a way to include it in our conversation. When she told me that statement last Sunday, I thought that maybe in spite of her wealth, beauty and relationships, she still feels empty.

Anne, a well educated sophisticated beautiful lady who is now 99 years old, have never missed a day of telling me how thankful she is of her life. Whenever I'm working with her, we talk about music, arts, education, life, faith and spirituality. Her husband died years ago but she never had any romantic relationship after him. She has a group of friends whom she goes out with every Saturday to have lunch and to talk about books, news and life in general. But there are times when she also shares how tired she is of her life, "I'm tired. I think I already had enough. You know living sometimes gets boring but I will never take my own life because that's against my beliefs." I had talked to her about my faith, my personal relationship with God and my love for Him. I'm not sure what she believes in but she listens attentively to my stories. I think she's still searching because I found books about God, Jesus, Christianity and Buddhism. I really don't know.

A woman who was facing the difficulties of aging asked Bible teacher J. Robertson McQuilkin, “Why does God let us get old and weak?” McQuilkin replied, “I think God has planned the strength and beauty of youth to be physical. But the strength and beauty of old age is spiritual. We gradually lose the strength and beauty that is temporary so we’ll be sure to concentrate on the strength and beauty that is forever. And so we’ll be eager to leave the temporary, deteriorating part of us and be truly homesick for our eternal home. If we stayed young and strong and beautiful, we might never want to leave.”

"When we are young, we can’t wait to grow up. When we are old, we look back longingly to former years. But God intends that we joyfully take each season of life as it comes. Whatever our age, He imparts what we need to be all that we can be. He asks us to commit our way to Him and accept the struggles He allows and the strength He provides." -De Haan

Ruth and Anne are nice people. They enjoyed their life to the fullest but I think what's missing in their lives is the happiness that only Him can give. I believe that no matter how difficult life can be, a person can still feel peace and happiness through Him. He owns our heart. He knows how to do the twitching. We just have to ask for His grace.

I found my love, peace and joy in Him. Help me pray for them. Pray for me, so I could be an effective instrument to share that grace. =)

There’s a longing in every heart that only Jesus can satisfy.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Words

2:01 PM 5 Comments
Some people and sometimes us-who-things-we-are-not-like-this-but-truly-we-do-this easily criticize, ridicule and say strong words of dislike because of the belief that telling a person or making them feel that something's wrong about them or how they do things directly is the better option. In some cases it might be but most often, based on my experience and what I've observed, the other party will most likely to just resent because of the feeling of being unaccepted and the "i'm bad and this is who i want to be so deal with it" attitude.

My mom would always remind us (dad, my brothers and I) to encourage and appreciate each other, to find even one single simple thing that we can appreciate from that person before we nicely approach them about their mistake. Honestly, it sounds funny and it's not that easy to do. It takes a lot of self-control to hold your tongue to not to insult and criticize other people, more so to say something nice about them when they do you wrong but it actually works; you can get your message across easier and this way the other person will feel your concern. That person's confidence will be renewed and what you had projected that they are will be instilled to them.

In terms of my journey as a Christian, at times when I stumble, feel discouraged and down, I strive my best to surround my self with other believers and read more about how God had touched other peoples lives. In Romans 1:11-12, Paul said "I long to see you, . . . that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me." Surely it feels like you're dragging yourself to go to church, to worship and thank God despite of your troubles but it's an effective way to rekindle your faith and passion. I believe that it's just the enemy's work to make me feel bad and definitely I won't let it win.

Words of appreciation and encouragement are powerful.
Say it; use it more often, you'll be glad you did.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

God's Song

7:30 PM 1 Comments
A church organist was practicing a piece by Felix Mendelssohn and not doing too well. Frustrated, he gathered up his music and started to leave. He had not noticed a stranger come in and sit in a rear pew.

As the organist turned to go, the stranger came forward and asked if he could play the piece. "I never let anyone touch this organ!" came the blunt reply. Finally, after two more polite requests, the grumpy musician reluctantly gave him permission.

The stranger sat down and filled the sanctuary with beautiful, flawless music. When he finished, the organist asked, "Who are you?" The man replied, "I am Felix Mendelssohn." The organist had almost prevented the song's creator from playing his own music!

There are times when we too try to play the chords of our lives and prevent our Creator from making beautiful music. Like that stubborn organist, we only reluctantly take our hands off the keys. As His people, we are "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand" (Ephesians 2:10). But our lives won't produce beautiful music unless we let Him work through us.

God has a symphony written for our lives. Let's allow Him to have His way in us. — David C. Egner

Once we stop our own devising,
Quit the schemes of our own choosing,
Cease from all our fruitless striving,
God steps in with grace and power! —D. De Haan

God's ability is not limited by our inability.

***

I got this article from Our Daily Bread, it's an entry for November 20, 2002. I thought of sharing this because it made my day, touched me, reminded me and inspired me.

I have entries that are waiting for me to finish but I know I need to rev up my spirit first before i can do that; so please include me in your prayers as well as our upcoming final exams. Thank you. =)

May blessings be poured upon you as you say your prayers. May the love of God illuminate your life and all that surrounds you.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Love is Spontaneous

9:26 PM 1 Comments
I have read somewhere, it could be from a text, that love is a decision. I disagree. Love is not love when you have to constantly think about your actions, when you have to consistently try to prove your love for somebody. I'm not saying that you don't have to show your love in deeds but the word "trying" makes it not love because one of the characteristics of love should be spontaneity. Love is not premeditated; it is spontaneous.

"I love God and so I plan to do certain things to prove it. I have to go to church. I have to hold my tongue. I have to love my enemies. I have to do this and that..."

There should be nothing wrong about the statement above but --. Honestly, we really don't have to do anything for Him, more so are the things that we do for Him shouldn't feel like "we have to" because we love Him; it should be I love Him and as a result of that I have done, I did, I'm doing this. Love bursts forth in extraordinary ways and when we look back, we can be amazed by how far our emotions had led us, had drove us to do something.

On the other hand, falling in love could be a choice; we can help love grow. Whether you have just decided to accept the love of God in your life, a follower but had gotten weak or just plainly a curious creature who wanted to take a peek into the world of being in love with the Lord, we can help that feeling grow into a full blossoming, fruit bearing love.

Romans 5:5 reminded us that "God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit". The fountain from which love flows are in God, not in us.

Vernon Grounds from Our Daily Bread shares these points about how to grow in love:

Ponder God’s love in Christ. Take time to reflect on how He gave His life for you. Read about Him in the Gospels, and thank Him.

Pray for the love of God. Ask Him to give you an understanding of His love and to teach you how to live that out in your relationships with your spouse and others (1 Cor. 13).

Practice the love of God. Give of yourself. A newlywed told me he thinks love is practical. He said, “My responsibility is to make life easier for my spouse.” The other, tougher side of love is to challenge each other to act in godly ways.

Love will grow when we ponder love, pray for love, and practice love.

Lord, teach us the secret of loving,
The love we want to give You today;
Then help us to love one another;
For this we most earnestly pray.

Faith, Love, Hope, Shelterwood

8:18 PM 0 Comments
One of the things that I love about blogging is having the chance to see the world without leaving my room. I love to know what's going on out there, to hear stories about how God is working, changing and touching other people's lives, and to do Bible study by reading other bloggers' posts. Blogging is just an amazing way to reach out and meet other Christians.

And one of the great cause/orgs/blogs that I met is the Shelterwood of Doulus Ministries. Pete of Shelterwood left me a comment and asked if I would be interested to exchange links with them...Well Pete, I am not only interested but I am also honored to exchange links with you guys. =D

Visit their blog,which I enjoyed reading, and the site to know more about them.

What is Shelterwood?

Shelterwood is a licensed Christian residential teen treatment facility. Our counseling program is dedicated to helping troubled teenagers find restoration through Christ-centered relationships. We believe that every interaction is a therapeutic opportunity that helps teens change their behavior from the inside out. Shelterwood provides individual, group, and family therapy along with an accredited school and

mentorship program. We treat struggling adolescents that may be spiraling out of control and showing signs of:

  • low self-esteem, depression and suicidal thoughts
  • abuse, anger, oppositional defiance or anxiety
  • drug and alcohol abuse, addictions or rebelliousness
  • academic challenges, learning difficulties and school suspensions
  • low motivation, manipulation, and poor peer choices
  • family conflict and substance abuse
  • Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Restoration & Transformation

Shelterwood offers families of troubled teens a therapeutic treatment plan that is based on the teachings of Jesus including honesty, purity, humility, and self-control. To create change in the lives of troubled teens, our staff try to reflect the love of Jesus. We believe that through the name of Jesus our lives and the lives of the teens can be transformed. Most youth arrive with a great deal of anger and confusion regarding spiritual issues. We expect this hostility and understand their distrust of the religious community. We are intent on loving the students so that they feel heard and able to open themselves to growth in body, mind, and spirit.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Truth spoken in love is hard to refuse.

9:03 AM 4 Comments
Sometimes I think it's strange that I can hear discussions about faith especially when I don't have the intention of listening and when I am also busy doing something else. Strange because my ears seems to act like a vacuum, a magnet of faith talks. I can hear people talking, it's not clear but then all of a sudden certain topics can activate my super hearing ability; I can hear them clearly.

Today, I overheard a guy in my class talking to somebody mentioned "Good Friday" while I was also busy talking to my friend. Then words became unclear until he said. "I don't actually believe in God but I'm a Mexican. *unclear* religion in my country."

Funny. Events like that makes me giggle because I feel like God is adjusting my hearing capability to hear certain things and maybe do something, pray or reflect about it.

Most of us have inherited beliefs and "faith". We follow what our parents do or say that we should do for God until there will be a time in our life that doing such things become meaningless. We eventually get tired of doing something because of our inherited faith. People get tired of doing something for God because they haven't met Him in their lives.

Faith should never be foisted to other people. If you want people to see Jesus, talk to them with love, let them see Jesus in you, make them wonder and be curious why you love Him so much, share stories about Him like how you share stories about your boyfriends/girlfriends that can make your friends eager to meet him/her. Never argue when you defend your faith, be patient. Paul said to Timothy, "a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all".(2 Timothy 2:24)

Truth without love is dogma that does not touch the heart. Love without truth is sentimentalism that does not challenge the will. When truth is spoken with love, God's Spirit can use it to change another's mind. Share the word with passion and love. Be patient and willing to be used by God, to be His extraordinary helpers. Pray for them.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

To Speak or Not To Speak

10:39 PM 5 Comments


Lord, give me the grace and strength
To keep my lips close and sealed
To hold my tongue and ease my mind
When my pride gets wounded and minced

Is it futile to argue?
Will it change things anew?
If I speak up and defend
or ask what I can't comprehend?

Breathe on me, Holy Ghost
Help me discern, give me a boost
To remain silent and still
So I could understand what I feel

Do I truly know what is right?
Or is it just my superego that's in sight?
Let Your Spirit lead me where to go
It's the only solution I know

***
^_^

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Amazing Love

10:21 AM 1 Comments
I will shout to the world
and proclaim my love for You
I will not care of how loud
and how cliche I sound too

I love You
My heart is yearning to be with You
To praise and magnify Your name
To worship and adore what You do

Jesus, let Your love shine on me
Make me a reflection of Your love
With You I will soar above
My spirit is with You, I am free

I love You Jesus!
Thank You for the cross

and this I will sing to praise
Your amazing love for me...



Amazing Love

I’m forgiven, because you were forsaken
I’m accepted, you were condemned
I’m alive and well, you’re spirit is within me
Because you died and rose again

Amazing love, how can it be
that you My king would die for me
Amazing love, I know it’s true
It’s my joy to honor you
In all i do i honor you

Saturday, March 6, 2010

I Have the Right Cross

5:43 PM 4 Comments
Today's Our Daily Bread mentioned the song It Is Well With My Soul by Horatio Spafford. I googled about it and found out that Spafford had written the song after a several traumatic events in his life. The first was the death of his only son in 1871, shortly followed by the great Chicago Fire which ruined him financially (he had been a successful lawyer) Then in 1873, he planned to travel to Europe with his family but sent them ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sailing ship and all four of Spafford's daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone." Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write the song as his ship passed near where his daughters had died. Wikipedia.

It Is Well With My Soul

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Horatio Spafford




This reminds me of a sermon that I heard when I was still really really young and my faith was still triple times fold of that really in my previous young. It's about a man who had the chance to come face to face with Jesus.

The man was carrying a cross and thought that he wants to change it because it's heavy and he can't carry it well. He went to Jesus and asked him for it be changed.

Jesus, then agreed and started to show and let him try one cross after the other. The man tried to carry and walk with the cross that Jesus had given him but after a few steps, he would complain and ask Jesus to change it again.

"It's too heavy." ""It's uneven." "It feels uncomfortable." "It feels nothing, I feel useless." "It's so light, I feel funny carrying it." Then, after a several tries he finally found the perfect cross.

"Jesus, I'll take this. It's not too heavy, not too light. It fits perfectly on my shoulders."
"Really? Well, that was your original cross.", He answered.

***
I know I was still young when I heard that sermon but it remained in my memory and heart because i like it. It was a simple story but it reminds me that Jesus knows what I want. Jesus knows what cross fits me.

When I heard that story I didn't paid much attention to the "it's so light." comment of the man. Just at this very moment I wondered, why would somebody return a light cross? I think we all want to have our cross to be light.

I reflected about that part as I was recalling the story.

I think, we can compare the "carrying of the cross" to weight lifting so we can tone our muscles. Carrying of the cross is the exercise for our soul. We need it to make our soul firm and healthy. Just like exercise that can help us boost our immune system and can make us feel good, the cross that we carry can also boost our faith, strengthen our trust and detoxify our hearts. A relatively light cross can maybe produce a result but it takes time and a too heavy cross can strain us and can cause us to be too exhausted to continue walking on our journey. ^_^

****
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. —Philippians 4:7

Friday, March 5, 2010

Touch of Love

8:28 AM 1 Comments

*please ignore the images on the video and just close your eyes*


Thank You Lord for the gift of music; for it helps and guides my spirit to move closer to Your world, peaceful and heavenly. Father, thank you for this moment. Oh Lord how I love to spend time with you, for it is only through it that I can easily see and value life being at the present, no past that haunts, no future to worry, just You and me. I love how in Your presence, I can feel Your love for me overflows.

Jesus, I will never get tired of being still to stare at Your beauty. I will never get tired of thanking You for the love You have for me. Lord, I love You too.

Father, the touch of Your love made wonders in my life. The touch of Your love comforts and strengthens my weak soul. Thank You for always being there for me Lord, for Your great patience, faithfulness and understanding. Oh how I love to be forever young when I am with You My First Love. I love how I can hug You and still can freely say funny things just to say that I love You.

I love You Lord and thank You. Did I already said that I love You? Because I love You, love You, love You, love You. I miss You everyday. I miss being with You. I love You and just I love You. I can't think of anything to say but I love You.

I just couldn't believe Lord how I can be comfortable to be in Your presence and just say nothing. I love how our relationship is getting better and better everyday. Thank You because You never give up on me, we have come this far because of Your great love for me. I am here to where we are now because Your love for me is so big and strong it never fails to pull me closer to You. I love You, My First Love. Thank You.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Love Life...

3:44 PM 1 Comments
The first time I felt an attraction towards the opposite sex, which I had perceived as love when I was much younger than I am today, I felt like as if I was in a me and him against the world kind of situation. The things that surrounds me doesn't matter much because I was in love and that he completes me. I thought food tasted better when I ate it with him. The world was so much brighter because he was there. I just couldn't understand why my older brother used to laugh at me because of how I acted and decided about things, I had always included us in everything.

I was already a Christian, a believer, a follower, an active member of a charismatic group when I had my first boy friend but my faith was still young. I, instead of sharing my plans with God, had shared my plans with him. Planned and gave my best to fulfill our plans.

In every relationship that I had, I always gave my everything, the best that I can be to make it work. I, instead of ending the relationship when I can see flaws, prayed and asked God to take away our feelings for each other, to give me a big crystal clear reason to end it or to help us find ways to improve it. My ex boy friends were nice to me and they are good people; i wouldn't have said yes to them if they weren't. However, for whatever reason that caused us to end, I just noticed that all of which had one common factor-it had eclipsed my personal relationship with God.

I said and did a lot of stupid funny things just because I was in love. I easily got hurt because things didn't go my way. I was funny and I am honestly not comfortable to look back at those times. Okay, it's fine for me to look back but just don't make fun of me because I said those things. It was fun and I was funny. It's not funny because I felt crazy for them, it was funny because they became my god. That's how our young love when we don't listen to our elders can turn to-a sort of worshiping an idol kind of thing; our bfs/gfs became gods in our lives.

What I learned from my past relationships is that even the best, in our own description, kind of love will never be enough to make us happy. We constantly change our love standards, people are sinful, fickle and unfaithful, and because of that human love will never be enough to make us happy.

Security and significance are two essential elements of emotional health; and we often rely on our human relationships to fulfill those essentials. We feel happy, complete and secure once we can constantly receive a gesture of affection from somebody who we love or even just by somebody who is important to us. A change or an absence of which can easily cause an imbalance to our emotional health.

God's love for us is everlasting, it will never change. It should be enough to provide us the security that we need in our lives. His love for us should be enough to let us know and feel that we are somebody in this world.

However, God understands our weaknesses as human and that's why through His grace and love, He provided us people to help us cope with those weaknesses. God gave us family, friends, romantic relationships and strangers to help us get through with our weaknesses and also, of course, for us to be the help in their lives. It's JUST a help. It shouldn't be our everything. It shouldn't be the only thing that can make us happy. We should understand that human relationships, human love is fleeting but God's love endureth forever.

He said, "I have loved you with an everlasting love." —Jeremiah 31:3

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Make Life Easy

7:43 AM 1 Comments
One of the things that my mom had instill to me is the saying "why make it so hard, when it's actually easy?".

I make use of that saying whenever I get hurt or I did something wrong. I figure out that exhausting my self to feel the pain of being hurt because things doesn't go my way or people disappoints me is actually a waste of time. I think it's a waste of time to justify your deeds when you can actually try to listen to other people's reason of why they did such things. I believe that each of us strives hard to be the best that we can be to become a better person. Chances are big that people do something bad not because they wanted to be bad but it's just a result of them not putting their feet on your shoes. It's like if you're B and you wanted to understand A, you have to try to be an A, think like A, so you can empathize with A; but if B failed to be an A, A can try to be a B instead, so it's either they do it or you do it.

It's the same thing whenever I do something wrong, I try my best not to hurt other people but I still hurt them. And I guess, trying to defend my self and telling them not to be hurt because I didn't meant to hurt them is another waste of time. I believe the best thing to do is to accept that I did a mistake, say sorry, let go of hatred, accept the differences and then move on. It is now up to them to do the next thing, which is to forgive you.

It's easy but it takes a lot of courage to do. Pride is a big chunk to swallow at once. I am not an expert of swallowing my pride but I try my best to master that skill. It is helpful. It makes life easier to live. It makes loving other people easier to do.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Pre-lent Fasting and Praying

4:14 PM 1 Comments
How do you prepare for Lent? Or are you doing something in preparation for the Lent?

As for me, I am honestly not sure on how I should prepare for it. I tried to fast from Facebook because it's one of those things that I seem to get addicted with; I know that fasting with it would be a killer. However, since it's the first page that comes out from my url address bar, I had mistakenly opened that site instead of yahoo and seeing that I have new messages is such a huge temptation. It's like as if the red numbers on my notifications were calling me and telling me that I should open it and I was really sweating trying to resist the temptation. My hands were shaking and my feet were trying to walk away while my head remained to be glued on the screen, with my brain trying to figure out who messaged me.
= D I was expecting a reply from my best friend, but yeah, I gave in, replied, chatted and stayed for a while.

Fasting is hard! But, isn't it that it is supposed to be hard? A friend asked me if Lent was the reason for me not eating my dinner yesterday, I said no. Fasting for food is not fasting for me, that would be easy to do and something that I would LOVE to do. I believe that fasting should teach you how to resist temptation. It is in fasting that you can learn how to be still, be strong against the enemy's call, learn how to give up what you value at the moment and refocus your self to God.

I failed the fasting course but I believe that it is not just by fasting that we can prepare ourselves for the lent. Do I sound like I am trying so hard to make an excuse for myself? LOL

Persevering to pray, meditate, say the rosary and read the Bible regularly is my preparation. Just waaay before I decided to fast for something, for the purpose of Lent, I already tried to push my self to do some changes in my time of praying. I guess I mastered the talking-to-Jesus-like-a-friend type of prayer that I felt like I have to step up to the next level. The way I used to pray already makes me feel uncomfortable because it seems like I already did a lot of talking. I can feel something different, it's something that makes me feel guilty because I talk a lot.

I know that I have to be still but boy it is so hard to do! Whenever I try to be still, my mind wanders and then I'll start to say my petitions again. I'd start to whine again and again about this and that, then I'll exhaust myself from talking and thinking that I would be too tired to try to be still. Matthew 6:7 says, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetition, as the heathens do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (KJV).

I decided to do meditation and say the rosary to help me still so I can listen more to God. Saying the rosary is not a "vain repetition" prayer nor it is a prayer to worship other gods, which most of the other Christians say. A "vain repetition" prayer is something that you say to secure God's attention because you think that saying a certain prayer or petition over and over again will assure you of a positive outcome and saying it less will change God's mind.

The rosary is a prayer for meditation. It can help us to be steadfast. It helps our busy hearts and mind to calm down and prepare ourselves to be still in His presence. Saying the rosary, though it seems to be easy because it's a repetition, not a vain repetition just repetition, is still hard to do.

I had encountered more temptations when I say it compare to praying my regular prayers. I used to say the rosary with my family but I chose to say it on my own now because I like my own pace. I can meditate with my own speed. Now that I say it alone I had experienced to become too tired to understand and to contemplate on the words that I say, thus praying the rosary becomes just a blabbing; I also experienced being too lazy that I would think that praying the rosary will take time compared to saying a regular prayer, so I'll just do the latter because it's what I feel to do at the moment and sometimes my mind would be full of things that I know saying the rosary will require me to be focus r or else I will be totally lost in my prayer, so I won't say it.

Fasting is hard. Praying is hard. Temptations are all over the place. The enemy will never allow us to do anything for Him. Good thing we have a great understanding God who will never give up on us. We just have to continue to persevere and even take baby steps in doing what we have to do to be closer to Him. We fast and pray to learn how to be steadfast, to be still, so that the next time He speaks we can easily recognize that it is Him who is speaking and also focused enough to hear everything that He says.

Btw, I saw this picture/news from the Oblate Blog, it's about a dog who prays. If a dog can do it, surely we can do it too! Click here. ;-) Blessings!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Happy Birthday Superman!

11:37 PM 1 Comments

Best Dad

Happy birthday to the best dad I know,
A father I love and respect,
A dad who fulfills all his duties
To teach, to guide, to protect.
If everyone had such a father,
A really good dad like mine,
The world would be so much better,
It would look like God’s own design.

Thank you for everything Dad. You've always been our hero, a great protector and comforter. You're one of my proofs of how much God loves me; He gave me a wonderful father like you. You're my superman and I will always be your little girl. I love you so much Daddy. Happy Birthday!


Saturday, February 13, 2010

I Love Your Love

6:55 PM 0 Comments
I Love Your Love

Sometimes when I feel Your love
as I walk along the busy streets
I'll whisper Your name under my breath
And sometimes I feel Your touch
in the quiet place of my room
I sing Your name in adoration

There are times when I feel like I'm bursting
with your love so strong and so true
and in my heart I feel such a yearning
I want all the world to know to know You love them too


I love Your love gonna shout it out aloud
I love Your love wanna tell the world about it
I love Your love 'cause I found it to be true
and I live to love You too

Tomorrow's Valentine's Day-a day for hearts, a day for love. Even though I believe that every day is a day for hearts, I still think that it's great to have a day that highlights what you feel for a certain person. That's what I want to do, I want to magnify Him. Give glory to His name and praise Him for His unconditional love for me.

People may disappoint us and hurt us but He will never do it us. His love is certain and will never change. He loves us no matter who we are, what we've been through, what we have done, what we are carrying at the moment and even if we neglect to do our part in our relationship with Him.

He's amazing; his love is overwhelming.

My romantic relationships with people made me reflect about His love for me. It made me realize how great God's love is. There were times when I got disappointed with men because I gave standards on what and how they should be towards our relationship. I cried only to realize after exhausting my self that I cried for nothing, it was just because I can't accept who they are, I created hurtful scenes because I was insecure and my pride constantly tells me that I have to be pleased all the time because that's what I want and that's how I think things should be. Don't get me wrong, I believe I was a good girl friend LOL, I always give my best but definitely I have limitations. Men had their limitations. We have limitations not just in our romantic relationships but to every kind of relationships we have with people. We love with conditions. We have this some sort of a gauge on how far we should go in giving when we love.

God's love is indescribable, immeasurable and infinite. It continues to pour over us without ifs and buts.

God will still love us even when we forget to give Him a call; BFs/GFs nags when you forget.

God will open His arms wide to welcome us whenever we return; BFs/GFs will ask you tons of annoying questions formulated because they don't have trust and they doubt the reason why you returned.

God loves us even if we did a lot of mistakes in the past; BFs/GFs will constantly remind you of those mistakes.

God loves us and gives us freedom to do whatever things we would like to do but reminds us that when we do wrong He also gets hurt; BFs/GFs will give you a list of Dos and Don'ts, follow the Dos and you'll have a smooth relationship but do just one Don't and they'll make you feel unloved.

God loves us because He loves us; BFs/GFs has a list of reasons why they do and a change of one of those will be a minus point for you.

LOL I sound bitter but truly I'm not. I just want to make this a fun post for my self and celebrate God's love for me. I'm just amazed how He can accept us despite of our flaws. His love is very humbling. Imagine, He loves us no matter how many times we made Him cry. It's a slap on our face to hate people because they can't be who we want them to be but then we ourselves are not "perfect" to deserve a great love like His.

So the next time you want to fight with your loved ones, friends, family, BFs/GFs or even strangers; think of God's love for you. I am 100% sure that whatever they did to you is just a speck of a dust compared to what you have done to Him when you sum up your sins. Pray for it, forgive and forget, and persevere to follow the way of Christ. It's hard, definitely hard, to do but keep the faith and pray.

Spread the love.
I love you!