Alright, so Twitter fascinated me again with another trending tag which is the #tweetyour16yearoldself thing. It's more like 99.5RT's What Will You Say To Your 1998-self thing, just a bit of age/time difference though. I'm an eternal fan of topics like these, maybe because there are a lot of things I would like to tell my old self--cautions, advices, chill thoughts, etc.
I'm 11 years away from my 16-year-old self so definitely, I've lots of experiences now, more learnings, understandings, and more mature in the manner I deal with life and all its complexities.
So what can I tweet to my sweet(?) 16 self? Here goes:
1. Stop looking and acting like a tomboy. You're not cute!
2. Stop wearing baggy pants and loose shirts. You look awful.
3. Stop stalking your girl crushes. Simply put--magpakababae ka!
4. Stop believing that Fritz Silvala will be yours because he never will. He'll get a girl pregnant even before finishing college so better stop daydreaming.
5. Don't be so idealistic. It's okay to dream but you have to open your eyes to the realities of life. But never let these realities stop you from becoming the best you can be.
6. Don't sweat the small stuff.
7. Pains and sorrows are inevitable in life so just be prepared to face them. You'll experience a lot of them in life.
8. Just the same, life is about balance. It's not always sad and gloomy. There's definitely plenty of sunny and happy days in store for you, so smile:-)
9. Stop worrying. It won't do you good.
10. Do as much as you can to fix your issues about insecurities, enviousness and jealousies. These would just make you feel miserable.
11. Your first love will die in 2004 so prepare to be crushed.
12. By the time you're 27, you'll still be single and available but don't fret. A lot of your friends are, too:-)
13. It's okay to be single. It's a perfect time for you to enjoy yourself, enjoy life on your own and with the company of your friends, and try out various things.
14. Don't get pissed during family reunions when your relatives keep asking you why you are still not married. Or at least don't show them you're pissed. It will just make you look like a loser.
15. Don't rush into love. if there's one thing that's eternally true about love, it is that God would be the one to bless you with that. You don't need to look for it or run after it. Just pray to the Almighty Matchmaker.
16. Allot a good part of your income to investing in a house or car. It's one great move.
17. Save up for domestic and international travels. It's all worth it. Just make sure you are following Cebu Pacific and PAL in twitter and you like them in Facebook so you're updated with the latest promos.
18. It's cool to go back to school and learn new things. There's a different kind of fulfillment doing that. You can even have three degrees if you like:-)
19. It's of no use being mataray to people or being warfreak. That's never a plus point in your character and you don't look dandy in that. As much as possible, always keep your cool.
20. The fights you had with the higher batch or the lower batch won't matter anymore when you're 20-something. In fact, you might even be friends with them in the future. It's better to have many friends than have a pool of enemies or you'll just get drowned in bitterness and hatred.
21. DOn't think that just because you can't find satisfaction with your future jobs/companies and you keep on job-hopping, you're already lost. Certainly NO. You just can't seem to find your own niche yet. But once you find it, it's worth the journey:-)
22. It's okay to keep a bucket list so you'll be perked up to try different things, even those that scare you.
23. Religion is only a label. It is actually complicated. It is much better to have a relationship with God than to have a religion.
24. Serving in church is a wonderful and noble act. It's very much enjoying, too:-)
25. It is superbly cool to have a Bible in your bag and read it as often as you can. Bible is not something you have to be afraid or be ashamed of.
26. Don't think that being a missionary are just for people who are saintly. You can do that, too as long as you desire in your heart to share the good news about Jesus to the world.
27. It's definitely cool to follow God and be very much proud of it.
There you go, 27 things the 27-year-old me would like to tell, or tweet, to my 16-year-old-self.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Happy 8th!
Last 10/21, i celebrated our anniversary with of course, Oliver's family:-) It's been like a tradition already and sort of a reunion since it's almost always the only time of the year when I could get to really see the other members of his family who are really close to me. Haplessly with this year's mini celebration, we weren't able to have papa Turing join us since he has work that day.
***my honey six years after***
***Oliver's family***
This year is the 6th year that I'm celebrating our anniversary alone. Oh well, I know for sure he is also merry-making this day with his angel pals in heaven, but i couldn't deny the fact that I still miss those few precious moments we spent celebrating this special day together--or at least every 21st of the month.
I would be honest to say that the manner I celebrated our anniversary this year was very different from the previous years. Well, I still went to his grave and brought him flowers, met his family lunchtime and had lunch with them, and talked about him a bit--but perhaps God has really changed a good portion of my heart on how to deal with my past, with that particular episode of my life. God enlightened me completely that what happened was His will, His perfect plan for both our lives. Back then, I was so confused and blinded of the real purpose, the reason why God let that thing happened, but I chose to be faithful and wait for that time when I could finally understand the reason why. When I found my way back to God in 2007 and started my walk with Him, I started to see the reasons behind. It's as if God really opened my eyes.
I keep saying this: God loves me so much that He let that thing happened to me. I believe that and will believe that till the day I could get to meet my Savior face to face. God has lots of great plans for me but He wants to be part of that plan as the sole Anchor that He decided to break first my hardened heart with that tragedy so He could get in. It might be hard to understand at first and some would even think of God as selfish or brutal, but once you get to know Him and understand His words perfectly, you'll feel even overwhelmed of God's love for you.
I lost one of the great loves of my life, the only man who first believed in me and saw the real beauty and treasure in me--physically. For I know that in my heart and in my mind, Oliver will always stay with me. I might have lost him but I found the greatest MAN one could ever have-JESUS!
During the first few years since Oliver died, I always tell myself that I will only open my heart and love again when I'll finally meet that guy who is deserving enough to make me take off the necklace that Oliver gave me from my neck. Well guess what? I still hasn't found that mortal guy. But someone even more special and more deserving made me take off that necklace. JESUS. Now, I'm no longer wearing that necklace. I'm now more than ready to move and let go, NOT really forgetting Oliver but more of, truly accepting the fact that he's more than happy living his life with God now and His angels and that I still have a life to live.
When I accepted God in my heart, my life became more at peace and joyful for I know that I am walking with the Greatest MAn this world could ever have.
God's been the source of my strength throughout those mourning years. He's been my shield and sole protector. If not for God, I might have long bid this world goodbye. I love Oliver but I love God more!
God made the wonderful difference in the manner I celebrated our anniversary this year:-)
***my honey six years after***
***Oliver's family***
This year is the 6th year that I'm celebrating our anniversary alone. Oh well, I know for sure he is also merry-making this day with his angel pals in heaven, but i couldn't deny the fact that I still miss those few precious moments we spent celebrating this special day together--or at least every 21st of the month.
I would be honest to say that the manner I celebrated our anniversary this year was very different from the previous years. Well, I still went to his grave and brought him flowers, met his family lunchtime and had lunch with them, and talked about him a bit--but perhaps God has really changed a good portion of my heart on how to deal with my past, with that particular episode of my life. God enlightened me completely that what happened was His will, His perfect plan for both our lives. Back then, I was so confused and blinded of the real purpose, the reason why God let that thing happened, but I chose to be faithful and wait for that time when I could finally understand the reason why. When I found my way back to God in 2007 and started my walk with Him, I started to see the reasons behind. It's as if God really opened my eyes.
I keep saying this: God loves me so much that He let that thing happened to me. I believe that and will believe that till the day I could get to meet my Savior face to face. God has lots of great plans for me but He wants to be part of that plan as the sole Anchor that He decided to break first my hardened heart with that tragedy so He could get in. It might be hard to understand at first and some would even think of God as selfish or brutal, but once you get to know Him and understand His words perfectly, you'll feel even overwhelmed of God's love for you.
I lost one of the great loves of my life, the only man who first believed in me and saw the real beauty and treasure in me--physically. For I know that in my heart and in my mind, Oliver will always stay with me. I might have lost him but I found the greatest MAN one could ever have-JESUS!
During the first few years since Oliver died, I always tell myself that I will only open my heart and love again when I'll finally meet that guy who is deserving enough to make me take off the necklace that Oliver gave me from my neck. Well guess what? I still hasn't found that mortal guy. But someone even more special and more deserving made me take off that necklace. JESUS. Now, I'm no longer wearing that necklace. I'm now more than ready to move and let go, NOT really forgetting Oliver but more of, truly accepting the fact that he's more than happy living his life with God now and His angels and that I still have a life to live.
When I accepted God in my heart, my life became more at peace and joyful for I know that I am walking with the Greatest MAn this world could ever have.
God's been the source of my strength throughout those mourning years. He's been my shield and sole protector. If not for God, I might have long bid this world goodbye. I love Oliver but I love God more!
God made the wonderful difference in the manner I celebrated our anniversary this year:-)
The Tithe is a Cursebreaker (Sharing a read.....)
This is a repost from the blog of Stefan Suarez regarding how should we view tithing. This read is such a blessing especially for those people who perceive tithing as a burden they want to be lifted up from them.
“Do Christians have to tithe? Isn’t it strictly a Jewish thing? Paul said we no longer have to be circumcised. Why in the world do we still have to tithe?” – these were my questions around 2 years ago. These questions have blessed me. Why? Because this is when I started to ask questions about the New Covenant. I wanted to know the role of the law for believers. My beliefs in this area have radically changed in the last year or so. And now I’m confident enough to share with you what I’ve discovered.
Here’s the part that raised the most questions in my heart. Pastors in many churches would read these verses:
Malachi 3: 8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me.
And they would say something like this:
“Guys, if you don’t tithe, you’re robbers. If my daughter were to bring someone into my house one day, I’ll ask him if he tithes or not. If he doesn’t, I won’t let him see my daughter because he is a robber.”
“Choose today if you want blessings or curses. If you tithe, God will bless you. If you don’t God will curse you. Do you want to rob God”
It raised two questions.
First- am I really robbing God when I tithe?
And second, am I really cursed when I don’t tithe?
How can God curse Christians?
The second question piqued my interest more. Why? Because it came in direct conflict with how I understood grace. If Jesus took our curse, how am I still cursed? For a time, I stopped tithing altogether because of this. I thought to myself – “Tithing is just like circumcision. It’s an old Jewish thing that has been abolished and non-Jewish believers (like myself) shouldn’t be bothered with it. Everytime and every place we are required to tithe we are being put under the law again – and people are wrongly brought under the curse.” So for the greater part of a whole year (2009ish) I did not tithe.
In the meantime, I still kept checking on my belief. I’d read on tithing every chance I got. Every time I came across a teaching that said people are cursed because they don’t tithe, I would dismiss it altogether because it’s usually from Malachi which I concluded was “obsolete”. I said to myself: “Show me one teaching that has text from the New Testament about tithing, and talks about the relationship of tithing and Christianity”. Like I said earlier, that question really blessed me. I kept digging and asking questions about our righteousness, the law, the cross, etc. All the while, the Holy Spirit was speaking in my heart about the New Covenant and grace, but it was all a little seed I couldn’t put in words back then.
Tithing in the New Covenant
Today I believe in the New Covenant. I believe that Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law for me. God blesses me today according to how well Jesus obeyed the law – perfectly. So as far as “tithing the commandment” is concerned – like in the law of Moses, I cannot be cursed for “breaking” that. I will be blessed as if I am perfect in my obedience of that.
But tithing is more than just a law. It existed before the law. And if it were put in a law to begin with, doesn’t it mean that it is good? The Law of the Lord is good. It was the covenant of the Law which judges us according to our obedience of the law that was problematic. God found fault with that covenant and sent his Son to rescue us from that and begin a new covenant by his blood. But make no mistake: the Law is good! Ordinances about diet and hygiene spared the Jews from plagues and kept them healthy. God loves his people!
I also believe that the spirit behind the law is Jesus.
2 Corinthians 3: 15Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
When people turn to Jesus, they begin to see him in the whole bible. They see him unveiled even in the Torah / Pentateuch. We cannot discard the entire Old Testament just because we associate it with “the Law” or with “the Old Covenant”. It was always about Jesus. He is the Spirit or the essence behind it, and when Christians see Jesus behind the law, there is freedom!
I no longer look at the 10 commandments with dread, I see it with excitement. Perfect love casts out all punishment-related fear.
I can jump off an airplane if I knew I had the Parachute. I would dare to tightrope if I knew there was the Net. Jesus sets us free from the old way we saw the law- THOU SHALT OR ELSE. Why? Because we know that even if we fall, he is there. God treats us like we did it perfectly, but invites us anyway to give it a shot. Right living is not a requirement for his blessing- it IS a blessing in and of itself, and we receive it by grace. It is true freedom to live right, doing so not because you were required to but because you want to. And that happens when we see Jesus as the Spirit behind these things.
God had always planned to give us Jesus and the New Covenant. What I’m here to tell you today is that the Tithe – just like so many things in the Old Testament – is a signpost to Jesus. It is a type and shadow of our Jesus. What do the Tithe and Jesus have in common?
The Tithe is a Cursebreaker
You see that verse in Malachi that always bothered me? It didn’t say God will curse the Jews for not tithing. It says they remain cursed because they didn’t tithe. We got the whole thing backwards.
When Adam fell, the ground was cursed because of his sin. He had to sweat and bleed to feed himself. All of creation was broken. Just like God gave the Jews ordinances about what to eat, how to treat skin infections, etc to SPARE them, he told them about tithing to spare them too! The tithe was a way out of the curse of Adam. Why? Because as far as God is concerned, when you give your firstfruits (your 10%), you’ve given him everything! And what God owns cannot remain cursed. That’s how the earth was cursed to begin with- by leaving God out of the picture. Tithing puts him back in. Everything you tithe, God co-owns with you. His protection and blessing come with it.
That’s why Tithing was around before the law of Moses. Abraham tithed when he saw Melchizidek (another “type” of Jesus – pointing to his priesthood), and we have no idea how he learned it. He just did it- probably out of a revelation from God- and because he saw Melchizidek, whom I really believe was a Jesus-apparition. He saw Jesus and his response was to tithe.
Romans 11: 16If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
Give God the root – the firstfruit – and everything is considered holy. The whole batch.
Jesus is the Tithe
In Jewish times, the “firstfruits” was the first of everything- animals in the herd, crops, even first born sons. Who is Jesus? The Father’s only begotten Son. And God gave him to us.
Just like the tithe fought against the curse of Adam, the true and better Tithe- Jesus Christ became unto us a second Adam. His mission – in the simplest of words – is to undo all the mess that Adam made. But we all know that he did more than that. We’re actually better off now!
The Spirit behind the tithe is Jesus. I believe God had his Son in mind when he told the Jews to tithe. And because the root is holy (Jesus), all of us are holy too. The whole batch!
Jesus, our Cursebreaker, who hung on the tree to take all our curses- was God’s tithe. His firstfruit. And we are in him. So we are holy. We are curse-free.
So do I Tithe?
Yes. My tithe proclaims Jesus.
I really believe that the firstfruits belong to God. He wants us to bring it to him to honor and acknowledge him. More than that, when I tithe, I proclaim that God sent his First Born Son for me!
I believe Jesus became poor so that we may become rich. I believe he took the curse, so I can receive the blessing. I am blessed because of Jesus. So I don’t tithe “so that I can be rich”. I tithe because I am already rich! Just like Abraham, I tithe to acknowledge that I am blessed and that it was God that blessed me, no one else. I tithe to acknowledge that I have a covenant with my God and I am not out there on my own – godless.
I am curse-free, but the world is not. And our money is part of the “cursed ground” of the world. Bringing it to God breaks that curse! So whenever new money comes in, I give God his share right away and I know the enemy can’t touch it. Even if I don’t tithe, God will provide and money will keep coming in. I believe that. But tithing signifies my desire to give God “access” to what is “mine”. It’s saying we co-own everything together. The tithe is really his, but he doesn’t grab it from us! He waits for us to give it, then he does his magic after that.
Looking back, I really have been blessed since this truth has been restored in my life!
Remember that it is about grace. It takes a revelation. Relax. Don’t force yourself. If you find yourself “forcing” your wallet open, maybe you need to ask God to show you more about this. It is a Living Spirit you need to catch, not some bible trivia, facts or dead rules. For me it is better not to tithe, than to tithe without grace. When God opens your eyes, it all becomes easy.
May God lift the veil for you today! The Tithe is a Cursebreaker. His name is Jesus.
“Do Christians have to tithe? Isn’t it strictly a Jewish thing? Paul said we no longer have to be circumcised. Why in the world do we still have to tithe?” – these were my questions around 2 years ago. These questions have blessed me. Why? Because this is when I started to ask questions about the New Covenant. I wanted to know the role of the law for believers. My beliefs in this area have radically changed in the last year or so. And now I’m confident enough to share with you what I’ve discovered.
Here’s the part that raised the most questions in my heart. Pastors in many churches would read these verses:
Malachi 3: 8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me.
And they would say something like this:
“Guys, if you don’t tithe, you’re robbers. If my daughter were to bring someone into my house one day, I’ll ask him if he tithes or not. If he doesn’t, I won’t let him see my daughter because he is a robber.”
“Choose today if you want blessings or curses. If you tithe, God will bless you. If you don’t God will curse you. Do you want to rob God”
It raised two questions.
First- am I really robbing God when I tithe?
And second, am I really cursed when I don’t tithe?
How can God curse Christians?
The second question piqued my interest more. Why? Because it came in direct conflict with how I understood grace. If Jesus took our curse, how am I still cursed? For a time, I stopped tithing altogether because of this. I thought to myself – “Tithing is just like circumcision. It’s an old Jewish thing that has been abolished and non-Jewish believers (like myself) shouldn’t be bothered with it. Everytime and every place we are required to tithe we are being put under the law again – and people are wrongly brought under the curse.” So for the greater part of a whole year (2009ish) I did not tithe.
In the meantime, I still kept checking on my belief. I’d read on tithing every chance I got. Every time I came across a teaching that said people are cursed because they don’t tithe, I would dismiss it altogether because it’s usually from Malachi which I concluded was “obsolete”. I said to myself: “Show me one teaching that has text from the New Testament about tithing, and talks about the relationship of tithing and Christianity”. Like I said earlier, that question really blessed me. I kept digging and asking questions about our righteousness, the law, the cross, etc. All the while, the Holy Spirit was speaking in my heart about the New Covenant and grace, but it was all a little seed I couldn’t put in words back then.
Tithing in the New Covenant
Today I believe in the New Covenant. I believe that Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law for me. God blesses me today according to how well Jesus obeyed the law – perfectly. So as far as “tithing the commandment” is concerned – like in the law of Moses, I cannot be cursed for “breaking” that. I will be blessed as if I am perfect in my obedience of that.
But tithing is more than just a law. It existed before the law. And if it were put in a law to begin with, doesn’t it mean that it is good? The Law of the Lord is good. It was the covenant of the Law which judges us according to our obedience of the law that was problematic. God found fault with that covenant and sent his Son to rescue us from that and begin a new covenant by his blood. But make no mistake: the Law is good! Ordinances about diet and hygiene spared the Jews from plagues and kept them healthy. God loves his people!
I also believe that the spirit behind the law is Jesus.
2 Corinthians 3: 15Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
When people turn to Jesus, they begin to see him in the whole bible. They see him unveiled even in the Torah / Pentateuch. We cannot discard the entire Old Testament just because we associate it with “the Law” or with “the Old Covenant”. It was always about Jesus. He is the Spirit or the essence behind it, and when Christians see Jesus behind the law, there is freedom!
I no longer look at the 10 commandments with dread, I see it with excitement. Perfect love casts out all punishment-related fear.
I can jump off an airplane if I knew I had the Parachute. I would dare to tightrope if I knew there was the Net. Jesus sets us free from the old way we saw the law- THOU SHALT OR ELSE. Why? Because we know that even if we fall, he is there. God treats us like we did it perfectly, but invites us anyway to give it a shot. Right living is not a requirement for his blessing- it IS a blessing in and of itself, and we receive it by grace. It is true freedom to live right, doing so not because you were required to but because you want to. And that happens when we see Jesus as the Spirit behind these things.
God had always planned to give us Jesus and the New Covenant. What I’m here to tell you today is that the Tithe – just like so many things in the Old Testament – is a signpost to Jesus. It is a type and shadow of our Jesus. What do the Tithe and Jesus have in common?
The Tithe is a Cursebreaker
You see that verse in Malachi that always bothered me? It didn’t say God will curse the Jews for not tithing. It says they remain cursed because they didn’t tithe. We got the whole thing backwards.
When Adam fell, the ground was cursed because of his sin. He had to sweat and bleed to feed himself. All of creation was broken. Just like God gave the Jews ordinances about what to eat, how to treat skin infections, etc to SPARE them, he told them about tithing to spare them too! The tithe was a way out of the curse of Adam. Why? Because as far as God is concerned, when you give your firstfruits (your 10%), you’ve given him everything! And what God owns cannot remain cursed. That’s how the earth was cursed to begin with- by leaving God out of the picture. Tithing puts him back in. Everything you tithe, God co-owns with you. His protection and blessing come with it.
That’s why Tithing was around before the law of Moses. Abraham tithed when he saw Melchizidek (another “type” of Jesus – pointing to his priesthood), and we have no idea how he learned it. He just did it- probably out of a revelation from God- and because he saw Melchizidek, whom I really believe was a Jesus-apparition. He saw Jesus and his response was to tithe.
Romans 11: 16If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
Give God the root – the firstfruit – and everything is considered holy. The whole batch.
Jesus is the Tithe
In Jewish times, the “firstfruits” was the first of everything- animals in the herd, crops, even first born sons. Who is Jesus? The Father’s only begotten Son. And God gave him to us.
Just like the tithe fought against the curse of Adam, the true and better Tithe- Jesus Christ became unto us a second Adam. His mission – in the simplest of words – is to undo all the mess that Adam made. But we all know that he did more than that. We’re actually better off now!
The Spirit behind the tithe is Jesus. I believe God had his Son in mind when he told the Jews to tithe. And because the root is holy (Jesus), all of us are holy too. The whole batch!
Jesus, our Cursebreaker, who hung on the tree to take all our curses- was God’s tithe. His firstfruit. And we are in him. So we are holy. We are curse-free.
So do I Tithe?
Yes. My tithe proclaims Jesus.
I really believe that the firstfruits belong to God. He wants us to bring it to him to honor and acknowledge him. More than that, when I tithe, I proclaim that God sent his First Born Son for me!
I believe Jesus became poor so that we may become rich. I believe he took the curse, so I can receive the blessing. I am blessed because of Jesus. So I don’t tithe “so that I can be rich”. I tithe because I am already rich! Just like Abraham, I tithe to acknowledge that I am blessed and that it was God that blessed me, no one else. I tithe to acknowledge that I have a covenant with my God and I am not out there on my own – godless.
I am curse-free, but the world is not. And our money is part of the “cursed ground” of the world. Bringing it to God breaks that curse! So whenever new money comes in, I give God his share right away and I know the enemy can’t touch it. Even if I don’t tithe, God will provide and money will keep coming in. I believe that. But tithing signifies my desire to give God “access” to what is “mine”. It’s saying we co-own everything together. The tithe is really his, but he doesn’t grab it from us! He waits for us to give it, then he does his magic after that.
Looking back, I really have been blessed since this truth has been restored in my life!
Remember that it is about grace. It takes a revelation. Relax. Don’t force yourself. If you find yourself “forcing” your wallet open, maybe you need to ask God to show you more about this. It is a Living Spirit you need to catch, not some bible trivia, facts or dead rules. For me it is better not to tithe, than to tithe without grace. When God opens your eyes, it all becomes easy.
May God lift the veil for you today! The Tithe is a Cursebreaker. His name is Jesus.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
October! October! Things I'm Looking Forward To In October:-)
October has been one of my most favorite months of the year. That's pre Oliver and Apple love story. I don't know why but there's something about this month that makes me feel giddy and all excited. Perhaps it's 'cause it's only a couple of months away from my most favorite season of all, Christmas:-)
This year, I once again came up with happy reasons why October is a month to look forward to. Here they are:
1. It's Oliver's birthday month! It's his 29th birthday tomorrow, October 1.
2. Escuela Legarda Field Trip at Davao Crocodile Park in Manila on Saturday, October 2.
It's going to be a fun day out with the kulitly cute kids of Escuela Legarda:-)
3. Potluck party/get-together with my since time immemorial friends on Saturday eve:-)
Okay, we're not complete in this picture but I hope we could have our complete barkada pic taken soon:-) It's chicken marshala night again to celebrate more than a decade of friendship:-)
4. Michelle's birthday treat on Friday next week:-) I hope it'll be at Conti's:-)
5. Kuya Bryan and Ness' wedding on the 8th. It is going to be a lovely day as two people will finally tie the knot with God and their loved ones as special witnesses. Church ceremony will be at Manila Cathedral and the reception will be at Villa Imaculada.
6. Our 8th Anniversary on October 21. Insane as it seems but I'm still celebrating it despite our being heaven and earth apart from each other. Like the past years, I'll be celebrating it with his family again:-) I love you Nhie!
7. My parents' wedding anniversary on the 30th. Despite Papa not being around physically anymore to celebrate it with us, this day is still something to look forward to and celebrate. After all, without this special day, my sister and I might not be here on earth and enjoying the beauty of life. I love my mama and papa so much:-)
8. Enchanted Kimbum (as what Frey said) on the 31st with the Retiro family!
I am sooo looking forward to this surefire fun day with my family!
Now that's one great fun month to look forward to!
This year, I once again came up with happy reasons why October is a month to look forward to. Here they are:
1. It's Oliver's birthday month! It's his 29th birthday tomorrow, October 1.
2. Escuela Legarda Field Trip at Davao Crocodile Park in Manila on Saturday, October 2.
It's going to be a fun day out with the kulitly cute kids of Escuela Legarda:-)
3. Potluck party/get-together with my since time immemorial friends on Saturday eve:-)
Okay, we're not complete in this picture but I hope we could have our complete barkada pic taken soon:-) It's chicken marshala night again to celebrate more than a decade of friendship:-)
4. Michelle's birthday treat on Friday next week:-) I hope it'll be at Conti's:-)
5. Kuya Bryan and Ness' wedding on the 8th. It is going to be a lovely day as two people will finally tie the knot with God and their loved ones as special witnesses. Church ceremony will be at Manila Cathedral and the reception will be at Villa Imaculada.
6. Our 8th Anniversary on October 21. Insane as it seems but I'm still celebrating it despite our being heaven and earth apart from each other. Like the past years, I'll be celebrating it with his family again:-) I love you Nhie!
7. My parents' wedding anniversary on the 30th. Despite Papa not being around physically anymore to celebrate it with us, this day is still something to look forward to and celebrate. After all, without this special day, my sister and I might not be here on earth and enjoying the beauty of life. I love my mama and papa so much:-)
8. Enchanted Kimbum (as what Frey said) on the 31st with the Retiro family!
I am sooo looking forward to this surefire fun day with my family!
Now that's one great fun month to look forward to!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Catholic BigMag Issue 2
My article in Catholic BigMag on finding life's purpose in being with children. And yes, I am a born-again Christian but there isn't any issue even if I share my thoughts in a Catholic magazine. After all, we only worship one true God and that's all that matters.
Monday, August 16, 2010
I Can Only Imagine (with lyrics) - MercyMe
I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in honour of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
When that day comes
When I find myself
Standing in the Son
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
[Chorus]
I can only imagine [x2]
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever, forever worship you
I can only imagine
***************************************
This is such a heartwarming, tearjerky song. I was having my quiet time with God last night when I decided to play this song. Few seconds later, i found myself crying intensely. I feel so overwhelmed with the thought of seeing Jesus face to face and walking beside him on the cloudy streets of heaven. Last night was one breakthrough night. I love Jesus but it was last night that I've fallen very deeply in love with Him and the thought of Him. I am crazy about Him. I am very much longing to see Him. I am just terribly in awe of Him. I hope and pray that this love will never fade--that no amount of trials or problems would take this love from Him. I am just so filled with His loving presence now. I hope that the rest of the world could feel what I am feeling right now. Intense love for the one and only Savior.
Mountain-Climbing or Mountain-moving Faith?
Mountain-moving faith is when you ask God for miracles to happen so you will be saved from whatever circumstance you may having at the moment. It is great kind of faith since you are giving your full trust to the one and only God. You are not relying on your own strength but on God's.
Mountain-climbing faith is when you ask God for maturity. It is when you ask God to do something for you and THROUGH you. You can say a mountain-climbing faith supersedes the mountain-moving faith. When you keep telling that mountain to move but it does not move, then perhaps God wants us to CLIMB that mountain. He has a different plan for us that is why He wants us to climb the mountain. It is not an easy thing to climb a mountain--literally and figuratively. It entails hard work, pain, and patience. It is however, during the climbing process that we could understand the lesson that God wants us to learn in order to develop our character so that we could be worthy of His provisions for us. It is on the top of the mountain that we could get to know and understand the real God we are worshipping. You can rest assure that when you get to the top of the mountain, you can meet God's provisions in your life.
We face a lot of challenges everyday of our lives. Some are easy to handle while some may seem too much for us to take. But no matter what, know that our faith in God will always lead us through. Do not demand from God but instead, know your place before Him. He is the ever powerful God and more than anyone else, He is the One who knows what's best for you. Just trust. just keep the faith no matter what.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)