My Personal BIG TEN of 2010 Fart II :))

Okay! Might as well start this right away before we turn into terrorists. LOL.

4.) Church-hopping last December 19, 2010. It was a blast! I have been blessed enough to attend VCF Zamboanga's Sunday Services, and more blessed to have attended the newly planted Church in Dipolog. That is why it got me really excited to go back to Manila this Christmas Season and do such thing since I've never been to any VCF Churches in Manila back then. I have visited 4 different Churches in just one day. I know it sounds funny, attending similar services at different churches; but what the heck? I only got limited days in Manila, and I wanted to experience attending on different churches. First stop was at Victory Center Malate, where the great Pastor Nixon preached. The next stop was at Victory Center Ortigas, where they say superstars have been attending (though I haven't seen any. LOL). Then the next stop was at Victory Center Pioneer, where I witnessed the talked-about Praise and Worship of that Church. Well, having Barbie Almalbis and Jose Villanueva on their Worship Team, what do you expect? And last but not the least was at Victory Center Fort Bonifacio, which is, I guess, their largest center here in the Philippines. At the end of the day, I realized that even though these churches have similar messages, they delivered it differently... and that's totally AWESOME. :)

3.) Victory Christian Fellowship. At long last, I found a place where I can worship, praise, and honor God the way I wanted to. I can still remember entering a room at the 3rd Floor of Unichan Building, Veterans Avenue Extension, Tumaga, Zamboanga City. It felt like God brought my feet in that place. You see, Christianity  it is not just a Religion, it is a Relationship with God and other people, and I found that in this community. That is why I believe, there is nothing more important in life than Honoring God, and Making Disciples.


2.) Joy. No, it's not really the Joy, as in the everlasting Happiness. But I suppose, you can also put it that way. I'm actually pertaining to a person that has been and is still making a great impact in my life. She helps me become the best that I can be. She is like my Walking Christian Google. I can ask anything, especially on how to live as a Christian. She really is a blessing to me. She's one of a kind, and I am happy to have her around. I just wish I can still have her for the next coming years.

1.) Jesus. The reason why I live. I am just so blessed to encounter Him this year. I can no longer imagine myself doing the things I used to do in the past years- reckless, abusive, and living a life with no direction. He died on the cross to save us from our sins. I will forever be thankful for everything He's done for me; and for that, I will devote my life for Him and Honor Him for the rest of my life. I live to please Him, nothing else.

These are my Big TEN in 2010. All I have to do is do more for next year! More achievements, more adventures, more friends, more experiences, more success in life! I'm so excited for 2011. I even wrote a list of my New Year's Resolutions. Having a look back on the things you've done this year would give you a hint on how to start next year right. I hope you had a wonderful 2010 too. Now, let's start 2011 with a bang! :)

My Personal BIG TEN of 2010 :)

Whew. It's been a while since I last posted an entry on my blog. My charger was broken and I had a hard time buying a new one. Whew! Good thing my sister let me borrow her laptop. And for that, let me give a shout out to Rio Malaluan! :)) Thanks for letting me use one of your precious possessions. LOL. Anyways, the year's about to end and it's just nice to reminisce everything and think of how fast time passes by. It has been a heck of a ride for me this year... a lot of unexpected things happened but I'm happy that I experienced every bit of it. I will never forget that this was the year that I encountered Christ.... and from then on, I experienced life to its fullest.

I was privileged enough to watch the BIG TEN in 2010 of VCF and I was inspired with all the achievements that they've done this year. So many churches have been planted, missionaries reaching out across the globe, and people helping each other for the glory of God. And then I thought of making my personalized Big Ten in 2010. Well, with all the things that happened to me this year, wouldn't it be great to just relive the memories and feel the happiness once again?

10.) I passed the Board Exam! Yeah! I  had almost given up on my dream with all the frustrations and disappointments that I had back then; good thing God never gave up on me, or should I say, for me.  I studied on the land of far far away, and made some adjustments on my own. God never left me, He was always there whenever I needed someone to lean on. Yes, you're right; He is the only one who keeps promises, especially when He tells you "I will never leave you." 

9.) Lost someone, but gained a new perspective. My love story with a special someone ended. It was hard; for months, it seemed like I will never move on with all the memories thought to last forever. It was really not that easy moving on, especially if you felt that she was already the person that you would spend the rest of your life with. But just like what they say, "There's always a rainbow after the rain." God never let me drown from tears, He held my hand and picked me up from sorrow. He made me realize that there is more to life than this. That hurt has been the turning point of my life; at that time, I no longer have anybody to turn to but Him. He made me realize that sometimes you just have to be broken in order to be whole again.

8.) One is a Whole Number Singles' Retreat at Dakak! I can say that this was one the most unforgettable experiences of my life. I learned a lot, gained new friends (tons of them), and enjoyed every scenery in Dakak. From there, I learned that being single would only happen once in our lives, that's why we should grab this opportunity to give the Lord honor and praises. God made me realize that I can be happy being alone.

7.) Urvan Community. This group has been formed for a purpose. We have different personalities with different walks of life. I was so lucky that our paths have crossed in Dakak, and from there, a strong bond has been formed. Terris and Jen, Ryan and Cathy, Maricor, Anne, Anna, Rhia, and Troy - they are my spiritual family. I never thought that I would belong to such an amazing group. I strongly believe that as long as I have these people near me, I will never lose track on my path to salvation. I just hope that we will continue to prosper and help each other out with God in the center of our friendship.

6.) Soslow is now a book lover. Yes, believe it or not. I can still remember the time when I started reading Purpose Driven Life and how it amazingly fed my hungry mind. Actually, I was never into books. I tried reading Twilight and other stuff, but to no avail. I got easily bored that's why I always skipped to the ending chapters. But there's something in that book (Purpose Driven Life) that got me really hooked up. Probably for the fact that just by reading that book, I became much closer to God. After I finished that book, I then started to find another one... and another one... to satisfy my hungry mind. There even came a time that whenever I didn't get to read a book, I felt like there's something lacking in me causing me to lose focus on my day-to-day activities. Now I am reading 4 Books (Wild at Heart as the most recent one), and I am so pumped-up with all the beautiful ideas I get from them. Just like what C.S Lewis says, "We read to know we are not alone."

5.) Soslow opened 6 new social networking accounts. Namely Formspring, Blogspot, Twitter, Youtube, Flickr, and Tumblr in chronological order. My objective was to use these accounts to spread God's word and be a blessing to everybody. I have never imagined that I would be doing these stuff. But this just showed that whenever God called you to do something, you are expected to do even the unexpected things for the glory of Him. Now I have 7 active accounts, including Facebook, and I'm happy with it, it's like a win-win situation for me. I fulfilled my mission and somehow inspired other people.

Let me end this part right here, and continue the remaining four on my next entry. Hope you enjoyed my blog. It would be great if you could also do the same thing for yourself. What are the 10 best highlights of your 2010? It's nice to remember the things that you've accomplished. Try it! It's gonna be legend.... wait for it.... wait for it..... dary. :))

Go and make disciples of all nations...

Go and make disciples of all nations...

Jesus

BB

It has been a while since I last updated my blog.  I’ve been away for a week and HP’s charger’s broken so it was just recently that I got a hold on my laptop. At first, I felt an awkward feeling that I’m a bit lost and behind of all the happenings in my world; moreover, I felt like I enjoyed too much of my time off that I kind of forgot what my mission was. Ugh, that guilt feeling was killing me. I was like, “What to do? What to do? What would Jesus do if He were in my position?” So I started reading some literatures. I tell you, you must read the Bible. It helps a lot. There’s nothing better than listening to God’s words every time.  It’s better to refer to the Bible than ask for someone’s help if you have problems; for it is true, unbiased, and reliable. I bought a Bible just weeks ago. And because I’m used to name my things, I named him BB. Every time I have problems, issues, or just want to have wisdom, I turn to BB and he never failed me… not even once. That’s why I got back on track, thanks to BB and God’s wisdom.

“After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for.” – Ecclesiastes 12:13. Suddenly, everything just flashed back at me – the reason why I’m writing these blog posts and everything. I remembered my purpose. I was made for His pleasure; I live to please God. And I have no intentions of changing course or doing things other than that. Every time we have life group meetings, I always ask my brothers to pray for me, that I may discover the path for me that was chosen by God. At this point of my life, I’m just thankful that I am able to do the things that I wanted while waiting for my time. I’m happy that I get to share my experiences and spread His Good news with you, blessed that I am able to express all my feelings and live a life with purpose; but if God wants me to be something more than that, so be it. I really enjoy every little thing I do for Him – when I worship and praise Him; when I sacrifice things that I want for Him; when I prioritize Him above all. It satisfies my soul and entices me to do more and more. His love is my drug… so addictive.

“Behold! I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.” – Revelation 22:7. In His second coming, everything on earth will be wiped out… not even a single thing left, and only those who are saved will have the chance to go with Him. Do you know the reason why Christ is not yet coming back? It is because there are still people who need to be saved. He wanted everyone to be saved and didn’t want anyone to be left out. Now can you see how much God loves us? He’s so merciful He wanted everyone to go with Him to heaven.

Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20. That is why I encourage you to spread the word and save lives so that we can all be together with the Lord in heaven. Make a difference. Be a blessing. Start now.

Testimony:  God is the ever merciful Father.

Life Lesson: Never indulge on earthly desires.

Godly passion: Spread the word. Save lives.

Good news: Parousia.

I'll Put You in Front of Me

I'll Put You in Front of Me

Bruno Mars

Couple of days ago, I was searching for Bruno Mars’ Count on Me when I saw this beautiful video on Youtube . I got intrigued for it has millions of views so I checked it out, and snap! I suddenly fell in love with this song. It describes what love really is, explains how the Bible described love, and shows how God expressed His love on us. I really liked how he arranged this song considering it is Hip Hop (not my type of genre). I’ve been enthused with a lot of worship songs nowadays and I enjoy singing them as well, and I can say that this one has been one of my favorites. “Love is God and God is love” – love is God’s Good news. He wants everybody to experience love before He comes back and save us. For more information about Jaeson Ma, please visit his site http://jaesonma.com/.

Love

by Jaeson Ma Featuring Bruno Mars

Now Hollywood wants to make you think they know what love is.

But I'm a tell you what true love is.

Love is not what you see in the movies.

It’s not the ecstasy, it’s not what you see in that scene

you know what I mean? I'm telling you right now, true love is sacrifice.

Love is thinking about others before you think about yourself

Love is selfless not selfish. Love is God and God is love.

Love is when you lay down your life for another

Whether for your brother, your mother, your father or your sister

It’s even laying down your life for your enemies,

That's unthinkable, but think about that

Love is true

Think.

Chorus

I'll put you in front of me

So everybody can see

My love, this is my love

I know that I'll be alright

As long as you are my guide

My love, this is my love

Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast

It is not proud. Love is not rude, it is not self-seeking

It is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs

You see love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, it always perseveres

Love never fails. Love is everlasting

Its eternal, it goes on and on, it goes beyond time

Love is the only thing that will last when you die

But ask the question why? Do you have love?

Chorus

I'll put you in front of me

So everybody can see

My love, this is my love

I know that I'll be alright

As long as you are my guide

My love, this is my love

There is no greater love than this than he who lays down his life for his friends

Now are you willing to lay down your life for your friends?

You're probably willing to lay down your life for your mother

your father, or your best friends

But are you willing to lay down your life for even those that hate you?

I'm going to tell you who did that

The definition of love is Jesus Christ. He is love

The nails in his hands, the thorns in his brow

Hanging on a cross for your sin my sins

That is love he died for you and me while we still hated him

That is love

God is true love, and if you don't know this love

Now is the time to know, perfect love

Chorus

I'll put you in front of me

So everybody can see

My love, this is my love

I know that I'll be alright

As long as you are my guide

My love, this is my love

(Repeat)

I’m really amazed on how God intervened with his life. I can really relate well on what he experienced. There came a time that I thought I was alone, with no one to turn to. And then I felt like He reached out His hand to me, as if saying, “Come here, my child, I am with you and will forever be by your side.” Spread the love!

Check out this link about an interview with Jaeson Ma and his passion (http://www.youtube.com/watchv=iuLsLqwCkaQ&feature=fvw).

Testimony: Love is true.

Life Lesson: Love never fails.

Godly passion: Love is eternal.

Good news: God is love.

Jesus Christ is the most exciting person who ever lived…

Jesus Christ is the most exciting person who ever lived…

Norman Vincent Peale

            “…The most lovable man who ever walked the earth, the greatest brain that ever entered into human history, and the most incredible personality who ever came among us.” said Mr. Peale. Now, how would you feel if He shared a little bit of Him to you? This is the last part of my series 9 Fruits and I am delightful to receive positive feedbacks from most of my readers. I just want to grab this opportunity to thank you guys for reading my posts. You guys are my motivation. Your flattering comments fuel me to continue making better posts in the future. These past few days have been oh-so splendid for me; every day I felt like God was really blessing me with all the unexpected incidents that have happened. All of my problems suddenly evaporated right in front of my eyes leaving me in state of shock. That’s why I’m so inspired right now; I’m so excited I want to finish this thing right away, for there are more things that I want to share with you guys aside from this.

Faithfulness

For we live by believing and not by seeing. - 2 Corinthians 5:7

Do you believe in God, do you believe that God and Christ are with you and that They will help you? Do you believe in yourself and in life? Belief in a few basic realities is the important factor in building faith. When a desire is soul deep, when it is longing in depth, all of the inner forces of your nature conspire to bring about the realization of the desire. But when what you want is superficial, it remains as a frustration, for there is no gathering of inner power to achieve it. If with all your heart is the principle of attainment. If with all of yourself you want a strong faith, one that can move mountains, overcome the impossibilities and stand up to all; difficulties and lead you into the basic joys of this life, you can have it (Faith Builders: Guidepost by Norman Vincent Peale). Faith is a fight against disbelief and a struggle against doubt. I remember my instructor Sonny Laylo. He was the one who introduced me to Christ. That was way back when I was in Grade Four. My parents thought of entering me in a private Martial Arts lessons and Sir Sonny was referred to us by my Ninang Volet. Then it all started there. He taught me not only martial arts, but also things about God. I can still remember that moment when he said, “Will you accept God with all your heart?”

“Yes, I will.” I replied.

“Well then, from this day onwards, you are now a child of God; you have been resurrected and now you’re saved.”

            To tell you the truth, I never really understood what happened back then, but that has been one of my experiences that I couldn’t forget. Probably it was because it gave me the belief that I will be saved when that time comes. Faith was there. Even though I have no idea what was happening; I still believed in the thought that I will be saved. Sir sonny made me believe. No, I guess it was me all along. For up until now, I still have that faith in God.

Gentleness

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. - Philippians 4:5

            Gentleness is the value and quality of character. To be gentle, in its most basic sense, is to be mild, calm, and tender. Being gentle is like being kind and good; however, it focuses on the attitude and outlook of an individual to life. I believe being gentle is a good start of everything. You can have peace by being gentle; be loved by being gentle; be trusted by being gentle. Elaine is arguably the gentlest person I’ve ever met. For me, she’s as gentle as the wind. For one, I have never seen her get mad or even say foul words, ever. Moreover, for all the years that I’ve been with her, she never got mad at me, ever. She was so gentle she didn’t even say anything when we decided to end things between us back then. She’s not capable of hurting anybody, and I really admire her for that. That’s why she’s so loved by many. Such quality is really something to be envious of. Not only will other people love and gravitate towards you more if you learn how to walk in this quality – but you will be at much more peace since you won’t always have to be fighting and striving with others when trying to help them out. Surround yourself with gentle people, and you will certainly have a peaceful and tranquil life.

Self-control

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. - 1 Peter 1:13

            We all live in a self-centered and materialistic world today. Many of us have a very weak sense of control – ruled by earthly desires rather than by the Holy Spirit. If you do not have God’s self-control operating through you – you will have very little victory over such things as bad tempers, judgmental and critical spirits, an unforgiving spirit, and vices such as smoking and alcohol abuse. Self-control is Discipline; and when I hear anything about discipline, I can only think of 3 words – Rodel Recinto Malaluan. He is the epitome of self-control. I have always been proud of my father. He was a naval officer. As I can remember, he entered Military School at a young age of 17. He told me numerous stories about his experiences there; unfortunately, forgot most of them. LOL. We know how it works in military academies. He told me one must have a good sense of discipline, for it is the key for survival. I experienced quite like this when I entered MP (Military Police) back in High School. I can still remember shouting out loud words such as, “What you see, what you hear, when you leave, leave it here!” and “Sa, wa, lo, pat, ma, nim, to, lo, yam, pu!” That was one of the highlights of my career. LOL. But I am proud to say that good sense of discipline made me excel and become one of the top candidates to be the Head of our squad. This specific quality is one of the major keys in being able to get any kind of victory over some of the lusts and desires of our flesh.

            These 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit not only have the ability to help you change, transform and sanctify you, but also have the ability to touch all those around you. If the Holy Spirit starts to release His quality of love into your personality, but you start refusing to walk and operate in that love in your words and actions to others – then He will start to pull it back from you after a reasonable length of time (http://www.bible-knowledge.com). Just a piece of advice, let the Holy Spirit flow voluntarily into your life and expect to see miraculous things coming. Whew! I'm almost done, but I felt kind of sad for I am now on my closing statement; nevertheless, I hope I gave justice to all these 9 fruits and wish you learned something from them. Good night! Always remember, God is with you!

Testimony: Gifts of the Holy Spirit are for free and are very powerful.

Life Lesson: Believe.

Godly Passion: Faith can move mountains.

Good News: Love will show you everything.

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails

Proverbs 19:21

                This is the sequel of my 9 fruits trilogy. I decided to chop it down into three parts because discussing all of these 9 fruits would probably take me years and drain my poor mind in an instant. Now let’s get this thing done, for I’m so excited to finish this series. As an introduction, I cited three different people on this one. First one’s yours truly, the second was my favorite Preacher, and the last was the first Pastor I’ve met. They are with different fields and levels, but all posses gifts coming from one Mighty Giver, The Holy Spirit.

Patience

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. - Psalm 40:1

                Patience is a virtue. If you have patience, you will realize how important time really is. Actually this is one gift that I’ve just discovered recently when I got closer to God. Again, patience is not the act of waiting, but it is how you act while you wait. Then I realized I have so many things to be patient with: His coming, the right person for me, and my future, to name a few. Just last week, my friend, Rence, and I met up to continue my one to one. Before that, He said we’d meet up at around 3:30 PM at the Center. I arrived at the Center earlier than expected, probably 15 minutes earlier, for I don’t want him to think that I’m acting sort of like a VIP. He wasn’t there yet. At first, I was like, “O.K., wait ka lang, papunta na rin ‘yun. Masyado ka kasing maaga pa.” So I waited for more minutes until I noticed it was already 4:00 PM. Then I giggled and said, “Lord, are you testing me?” After that, I thought of doing something while waiting for his arrival. I was a kind of hungry that time so I decided to find somewhere to eat and perhaps stay there while waiting for Rence. Luckily, there was a bakeshop downstairs and I ate siopao while waiting. Minutes passed, I noticed it was already 5:00 PM and he’s not yet there. One of the service crew’s already cleaning up my table, LOL; But still… I waited. After hours of waiting, he finally came and said sorry for he had some things to finish at work. What a relief! For the record, that was almost 2 hours of patiently waiting. What’s funny was I never got irritated waiting. Maybe it was because of my desire to continue my one to one so badly. God waited for that moment when I surrendered myself to Him. Almost 20 years of waiting for me to come back to His arms. There is no doubt that I will do the same for Him. I will forever be patient in Him.

Kindness

It is more blessed to give than to receive. - Acts 20:35b

                A friend told me the difference between kindness and goodness. I thought they were the same, but they’re not. The way she understands it, kindness is the way you treat others; if you’re polite, respectful, or helpful. It has something to do with others. On the other hand, goodness pertains to your soul; somewhat like your obedience to God; righteousness per se. I received a beautiful quote from a friend that says:

“We won’t always know who we inspire with our words… or who gets encouraged when we smile… or who’s strengthened by our presence. But let us keep doing them anyway; for we won’t always know it but sometimes we deliver a SLICE of HEAVEN to someone’s life.”

It is true. Never waste any opportunity to do good to others. Kindness makes a huge difference. Joyce Meyer has been challenging every people to make a commitment before God to do at least one thing, everyday, for somebody else. One day she felt like God wants her to pay for a lady’s earrings. She has no idea who that lady was. She even thought that the lady might think she’s crazy for doing such thing. Nevertheless, she got a 50 dollar bill in her hand and said, “Listen, I’m a Christian, and I just felt like that God wanted you to be blessed with. He wants you to know that He loves you, so this is to pay for your earrings.” Months later, that lady actually was with somebody who knew Joyce was and watched her on TV. And this lady had a neighbor who has been telling bad things about Joyce Meyer. Then the lady said, “Oh no, she’s for real. Let me tell what she did.” Then she told the story of Joyce paying for her earrings, and eventually that guy started watching Joyce Meyer’s ministries and ended up getting saved. Our simple kindness can even lead to their salvation. We can do good things in many simple ways. Honestly, I believe this is the easiest thing to have of all the 9 gifts. I have been challenged by Joyce Meyer, and now I challenge you. Would you sincerely do at least one thing for somebody else everyday?

Goodness

Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. - Psalms 25:8

                I attended last Sunday’s worship service and it was about the Goodness of God, Part 2 of the series Awestruck – the Greatness and Goodness of God. It said that the source of everything is God, and everything changes except for God. That is why we have to just trust Him in three things – in His words, His promises, and His plans and purposes. Always remember that God is good all the time. This goodness is just like righteousness. And by trusting in these three things will certainly lead you to the path of righteousness. If you can obey the 10 Commandments of the Lord, then you can consider yourself a good person. Pastor Rommel is probably my best example on this one. Aside from the fact that he is a Pastor, I can see that he does everything God wants him to do. He obeys every command, and trusts in Him completely. Can you imagine devoting your whole life and family to the Church and fulfilling what has been tasked for you to do – Honoring God and Making Disciples? That is not as easy as it seems. Since I met him, I learned so many things about life and God. Every insight or experience that he shares gives me this delight that God really is so good. If goodness is a disease, it is contagious; and it is the only thing that I am willing to be infected with.

                I hope you enjoyed reading this one. It’s kind of long though, but I couldn’t think of any way to make it short, yet beautiful. I want this to be special, for it is God’s gifts that I am talking about. I hope you have been enthused enough by this one to wait for my next post about faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – the last installment of my trilogy. LOL. Until next time, I have to dress up now and get ready for my small group later. God is with you. Stay safe!

Testimony: Patience is a test of Faith.

Life Lesson: Cherish every God-given gift that you have.

Godly Passion: Goodness is contagious.

Good News: Honor God, Make Disciples.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control

Galatians 5:22

            It has been a week since I finally updated my blog. I am having a hard time with this one. I have other things in mind that can be much easier to write down, but I still wanted this one. I just thought that it would be nice if I discuss these 9 fruits on my 9^th post. Actually, I’ve already started writing this thing down days ago, but I ran out of words to elaborate this topic. Well it is because I don’t really possess all these fruits, so I can’t easily relate. However, I believe having a piece or two of these amazing gifts is really awesome. As what the verse said, these fruits came directly from the Holy Spirit, not from us. So imagine living each day of your life being blessed by God by imparting His qualities right up into your soul and personality. Praise God for this one. Since I don’t exactly have all these qualities, I decided to name few people that I remember possessing each of these 9 fruits. This is going to be exciting. For one, probably most of the people that I’ll be mentioning are not aware of their God-given qualities, but it is sometimes better that way. For these gifts are not given to be boasted; rather, to be nurtured and to be shared as well.

Love

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16 

            I wish all of us can remember this verse, for this has been the reason why we are saved. Before Christ was born, people kill animals and put them as sacrifices to the Lord whenever they commit sins. But this trend has already been washed away since the day that Jesus sacrificed Himself and saved us from all our sins. Can you imagine yourself today burning and sacrificing animals or whatever in repentance for your sins? That’s why we are so blessed. All of the sins of our forefathers going back to the sins of Adam and Eve have all been forgiven by Jesus’ Death. God so loved us that He sacrificed His only Son for the Greater Good.

            Love is defined as: Unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the well being of another. The only person that I can think of having these qualities is my mom. She is my real-life Wonderwoman. Unselfish – for all she ever wanted was to see us happy, nothing more, nothing less; loyal – for she has always been faithful to us; benevolent – for she has always been concerned not only to us, but also to other people. I admire my Mama and Papa for being so generous and concerned with their employees. I can still remember there came a time that the food and shelter of their employees have been somewhat like for free because they made it so cheap. I said, “Ma, hindi naman pwede palaging ganun.” Then she replied, “Hayaan mo na.” They never thought of doing things for their own good. Love is truly one awesome gift.

Joy

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. – Psalm 13:5

It is far better to seek "joy." Joy is related to happiness, but it is a deeper experience. In the search for happiness the individual focuses upon himself, but joy moves a person out of a self-centered preoccupation and provides an orientation towards others. Joy is an experience which connects us to that which is "Greater" than we are. It connects us to the creative power that is more than the "I" or ego. Joy gets us out of ourselves and in contact with this "Other" and with others. Joy can sustain us throughout the four phases of life. If we are willing to give up the search for happiness, we may find joy. It exists near the center of the wheel where happiness and suffering meet and intermingle (http://www.lessons4living.com/joy.htm)

All I thought joy has the same meaning with happiness. But it is not. Now I got this understanding that if you are happy seeing other people happy, that was joy flowing into you, not happiness. This is what God wants us to have – a better, deeper feeling than happiness. It is one great gift to have Joy overflowing into your soul in an early stage of your life. Only few people I know have this unselfish quality. But the first person that came into my mind was Ma’am Neneth Canizares. She was my professor in Leadership, Management and Research back in College. I really admire her, for she is highly respected in the institution. Some may fear or hate her for her snobbish look and strict persona; but if they would only have the chance to know her better, they will see how caring and loving she is to her students. I can still remember before beginning every meeting, each one of us was tasked to read and reflect to the Word of Day. She wanted us to learn from each other’s experiences. I was always excited when it was already my turn to read and reflect, for I always wanted to share my experiences with my classmates. She always checked and asked about our performances on our Nursing Audit. She encouraged us when we were down. She listened to our troubles and problems. She always puts an effort with her works.  She was not our adviser, but she acted more of like a mother to us. She was always happy with us; even though she was not so vocal, we felt her love and care through her actions. She is really one of a kind. Most teachers are like that. They are proud to see their students excel and become successful in their respective lives. They have this joy of knowing that they became part of their students’ lives.

Peace

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. - Colossians 3:15

            Blessed are the Peacemakers. Jesus said, “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called children of God.”  There is a huge difference between people who work for peace and those who are in peace. That is why peacemaking is a difficult task for not only you seek for peace, but you actively seek to resolve conflict as well. Most of us, to attain peace, avoid conflicts. That is not what God wants us to do, for that is cowardice. He wants us to extend our hands to everybody, resolve conflicts and restore any broken relationships. Always remember that Love is God’s Good News. He wants us to relate and love one another. Honestly, I couldn’t think of any person having this mentality. Even I am guilty of not having this gift. Many that I know of can be considered as persons who love peace, but working for peace, as what I’ve said earlier, is really far beyond just seeking for peace. I am happy that I don’t have any problems with anybody right now. However, there are still few people that I have broken relationships with, and I want it to be restored… maybe not today, but I am hoping that it won’t take forever for us to rebuild and renew what have been lost. I want to be a peacemaker; though it is not that easy, I know I can because God is with me.

            Sadly, I think I have to cut the long story from here and continue the rest of the 9 fruits to my next posts. At least, I can finally publish this one. LOL. I hope you and I will discover all these 9 fruits eventually. Always remember that these gifts have been given to us by the Holy Spirit. We should treasure them and use them to touch other lives as well. They are very powerful weapons to fight evil and live a life in a Christ-like manner. Alrighty then, I got to go. Waaa. I’m going to be late again on my worship service! Till next time! Have a blessed Sunday! God is with you.

Testimony: If it weren't for Him, I couldn’t easily forgive those who have sinned against me.

Life Lesson: Cherish every God-given gift that you have.

Godly Passion: Love your neighbor.

Good News: Live a Christ-like life.

Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?

Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?

Bryan Adams

          What is the feeling of being in love? How does a man differ from woman when it comes to loving? How far would you go for love? These are just some of the FAQ’s of love.  As human beings, we are born to love and be loved. It is a great gift from God that separates us from all of His other creations. We have the ability to love; while obviously dogs, cats, or even the said to be closest to us humans, the monkeys, can’t do such thing.  It is also one of the most precious treasures that we have; for without it, we would be living a lonely and boring life just like Toy Story’s Lotso.

Falling in love was God’s idea. He was the one who made us capable of experiencing romantic feelings… Why did He do it? For the same reason that He made sunsets and mountain ranges and fireflies! Because He’s good. Because He wants to give us a million different opportunities to see just how wonderful He is. – Boy Meets Girl (Say Hello to Courtship)

The mentioned book was written, as said by the author, to celebrate God’s way in romance. I think it’s a good book. It can be helpful for those who are single, seeing someone, or in a serious relationship. Actually I haven’t read the book yet; I just browsed through it and saw this beautiful line. But I promise to read it once I’ve finished reading all of the Guideposts booklets. This is why when Jesus was asked to name the greatest commandment; He gave two – to love God and to love others. They cannot be separated. When we serve others, we’re serving our Lord (Matthew 25:40). This is how important loving is to God. Learning to love others is the second purpose of our lives.

I’ve felt love several times already. Since childhood, there was never a time that I felt loveless in my life. With a family like mine, who wouldn't? However, there came a point in my life that I began searching for a different kind of love, a love that is unique and rare. It is like what Adam has for Eve, what Popeye has for Olive, what Mickey has for Minnie. For how many years I’ve experienced and learned so many things from relationships. Though not even one ended up in a happy ending, I will still treasure each and every memory built from them.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. – 1 Corinthians 13:4

          Actually, I have a shirt that has this verse printed on it. I never thought that it was a Bible verse, but I really love the shirt, plus it has a sentimental value to me of some sort. This verse is in contrary to what my friend, Uno, has told me that, “Matutunan mo lang mahalin ang sarili mo kapag natuto ka nang manumbat.” Although he has a point, because for some reasons we tend to give everything to the one we love, to the point that we have been taking ourselves for granted already; thus, having a failure relationship in the end. However, love is not about measuring; it is not about comparing what you give from what you receive. Rather, I believe it is the feeling of accomplishment to yourself wherein you can truly say that you had loved whole heartedly and unconditionally. It is about giving. You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving (Purpose Driven Life). I will always choose to love rather than be loved, for loving someone makes me remember that I was made in God’s image.

I become all things to all people, whatever it takes to win them. - Paul

My friend, Davic, once told me, “Palagi mong iisipin, palaging tama ang babae.” At first, I was like “Hell NO! I didn’t plan to have a dominant partner in the future!” But then I found out the secret of his message: Understanding and Respect. It really takes a lot of these two for you to have a peaceful and harmonious relationship. We are egotistic in nature; since birth, we always have been selfish. In addition, we are different from each other. Even twins are not with the same personalities. So it all boils down to respecting and understanding each other. Just what Joyce Meyer said, “We need to spend a lot more time to understand and know the people that we have a relationship with.”

Any relationship involves times of closeness and times of distance. – Philip Yancey

I believe the greatest gift that you can give to your partner is time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back (Purpose Driven Life). Whenever you give your time, you are making a sacrifice, and sacrifice is the essence of love. Building a relationship takes time, and lots of patience. It is like having an investment. There will come a time that both of you will be tested, but do not falter, for it is only God’s way of teaching you to blend with each other and work things out. It is even said that it takes the brain 4 days to start building a new wave of behaving, and another 21 days to establish a pattern of that new behavior (Communication Complex Part 2: Joyce Meyer).

Just like what Rick Warren says, “The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now.” Do not waste your time. Love as if it is your last day with him/her. You have no guarantee of tomorrow, so I suggest that you grab every opportunity you have with him/her and make the most out of it. I always asked God to provide the right person for me (with specifications and statistics). Probably that’s the reason why almost all of my relationships were epic fail. All of them were great, but it was me that’s lacking. Now I learned from what Pastor Rommel had shared to us. That I shouldn’t be asking God for the perfect one; instead, I should be asking Him to have me prepared until the right one comes along. Romance will never be an accident, but a destiny in the making.

Testimony: God taught me how to love.

Life Lesson: Love is like an investment.

Godly Passion: Love is never proud.

Good News: Love.