A...B...C...D...E...Efs... :))

                Dave, my nephew just memorized his Alphabet! I was so happy for him, that at 3 years of age, he learned a lot of things already. I mean, I taught him couple of tricks already when he was young; like when I say,“Nasan ako?” He’d answer back with, “Nasa puso mo.” He calls me, “Tito Batista”, “Pare”, and now “Daddy”. But this one’s different. It’s English Alphabet! I mean, for a 3 year old, it’s like naming 26 strange lines and curves for the first time, that’s not easy. At age three, your child has the capacity to recognize letters on sight. By age four, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, 43 percent of children are proficient in recognizing letters by their shape (http://www.livestrong.com/article/105819-literacy-skills-3yearold/#ixzz1CMyjhmQx). Well, he recognized their shapes and memorized all of them in a short span of time! Even though he’s like the usual 3-year-old kid that you see at your neighbor's house – oftentimes makulit, matigas ulo, makulit, and… super makulit; he can be cute and sweet din naman. I am, and will always be so proud of him. Probably because, I became a part of his success, that’s why it made me feel as if it was also my success. In all fairness to my cousins and Tita, they never gave up teaching Dave; props to Kevin Macrohon, for teaching Dave all-day long. To think that the only thing we used for teaching was a pen and paper, no fancy books and alphabet songs; man he's quite amazing. It became even funnier the other night, when we saw Dave reciting his alphabet while still asleep! Haha!

It is always an accomplishment to see our loved ones attain success. They say once you felt happy for a person, that’s joy flowing unto you. So I encourage you to continue inspiring people and bring joy to each and every person that you know. Not only has it satisfied their hearts, but also yours.

Testimony:  Joy is far better than Happiness.

Life Lesson: Patience is a virtue.

Godly passion: Inspire people. Share a word of love.

Good news: There are so many things in life to be thankful for.

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.

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.