To you, my friend...

in the sudden moment of it all, you come along, with no advanced notice. all of a sudden, you take residence, you took over. after leaving me breathless, you made me lifeless. You are cruel! Then, in a moment's time, I thought you left. and long after, you came back again, because you are a traitor! Okay, you've got me alright, you own my body; my entire life, you cut short. But one thing for sure, You can't take my spirit within me, Because "SOMEONE"else owns me. I know where I'm headin', and where I'm going, you can no longer follow, You lose after all, and I certainly win!

what? 52??

I know, I can't believe I am now 52 yrs old. 10 more years and I can retire, if I want to and if there's enough $$ to sustain us for our daily needs, haha... I am just thankful to my Creator that I got to where I am now. I don't have the riches of this world, but my riches lies in my relationships with my family and friends. Every passing year, a lot of things have become clearer and clearer as to how Jesus is ordaining my life. Not all pleasant, and yet, it is those that taught me so much in life. There's a bridge in a song that Ria gave me in a CD and it goes...

"Lord, let me take your Word and shine it all around, first let me learn to live it, Lord. And when i do it well, help me to never seek the crown, for my reward is giving glory to You.

And that is how I want my life to be, that it will not matter much about me, what I want or what I desire, but that my wants, my desires be what He wants for me.

As I thread the mid-life, I still aspire some things though, but I want it with no pressure, only as I please and when I can. I can't say this is what I want to accomplish this year, but something along the highway of my life...sort of a bucket list:

1. To learn to play the guitar and be able to play and sing for my Bible/prayer group meetings. Realistically, this will take me a while, but for now, to just learn the chords and to practice regularly. 2. To write. Anything, short story, fiction/non-fiction combination, but with me putting my heart into it. I recently connected to an old classmate and he's one among the few that I got an encouraging word, just write! All along, my husband and daughter kept saying that to me but I felt like I don't have the depth when I write stuff...but I will, I really will. 3. To attend a reunion of any of my class, elementary, high school or college. Just one reunion will do. This one seems to be the most feasible, as it can happen soon, maybe this year.

how blessed are we?

This morning, I was so tempted to take a picture of this lady in the train station that I ride with ocassionally, but I remembered what my daughter always tell me that I just can't take a shot of people. Well, let me describe her then to you readers. She's in a wheelchair because she has no feet and no hands. She only has her torso, and her arms length is only up to her elbow, maybe not even. In her electronic monitored wheelchair, she has her prosthetic arms behind in her chair. As I watched her from behind, I couldn't help but think of what goes through her mind every time, when she is outside, maybe when she goes to work? or maybe en route to go home? I really do not know and my limited mind can't grasp what it is that goes through her head. It just makes me wonder what makes her go through the day. I wonder if that is me in that kind of predicament, what kind of hope will I have day in and day out? Would I even be hopeful? motivated to live? or just wish I'm dead and give up?
But that's when God's word comes in, His promises, His assurances to us, particularly His line in Matthew 28:20b, .."and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." I know this verse speaks about the Great commission to go and share His word of salvation, but I find so much comfort in those lines, that no matter what we go through, He is Emmanuel, the God who is always with us, that He never leave us nor forsake us, that He is the God that never change, that He is the same, yesterday, today and even tomorrow. Isn't that wonderful? So Assuring and comforting? It gives me a sense of security in my position in Christ.
Stanley shared today in his devotional that if we call Him the Soverreign, All Knowing, Powerful God, do we really believe in what we declare? Do we really believe and trust that HE IS ALL THAT? I hope you do, because I DO! Everyday, I have to transform my mind and have it renewed so that I can attest and justify WHO I truly believe IS ALL that! Jesus my God, my Saviour, my helper, comforter, forgiver, my guide, source of my hope and life, and my eternal destiny! My refuge and my rock, my source of joy and content in this adventurous life journey!
I hope you know how blessed you are, because I DO! My prayer for that lady is that in God's special ways and time, she will know Jesus intimately and enjoy a wonderful relations with the greatest hero, companion of all.

The David in Me...

Cast me not away from your presence O Lord, take not your Holy Spirit from me...Psalm 51:11

Though I get lost in the ocean of confusion and just be drifting, save me, O God.

Lead me ashore, toYour solid ground where I can stand firmly; for You are my refuge and my strength.

Lead me to the Rock that is Higher than I am, Jesus, the Rock of my salvation.

I will dread the day if and when I lose my discerning between evil and good, bad from right, God forbid. Though I may have offended you thousand times, over and over, please, forgive me and never ever leave my side.

Keep the conviction in my heart to choose your righteousness, rather than my selfishness.

O Jesus, I love you dearly. Thank you for Your saving grace.

That's why we keep reading the WORD...everyday!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

We, however, have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16 TEV)

"If you imagine discipleship as a physical journey, then you can easily see that the more time you spend with Jesus, the more you will begin to understand his way of thinking."
(This devotional is by Jon Walker, editor of the Daily Hope Devotionals and author of Costly Grace.)
When Jesus calls you, he expects you to begin thinking like him. Pastor Buddy has been teaching us how important this is in order for God to enable real, lasting change in the way we make choices and the way we behave.
Learning to think like Jesus isn’t as impossible as it sounds because the Apostle Paul says we have been given the mind of Christ: “As the scripture says, ‘Who knows the mind of the Lord? Who is able to give him advice?’ We, however, have the mind of Christ.’” (1 Corinthians 2:16 TEV)
The issue is in accessing the mind of Christ as you mediate upon God’s Word and listen to the Holy Spirit, who is your guide into all truth. (John 16:13) If you imagine discipleship as a physical journey, then you can easily see that the more time you spend with Jesus, the more you will begin to understand his way of thinking.
As you walk with him day in and day out, you will become intimate with his likes and dislikes; you will see what he sees and hear what he hears. You will know what he cares about and you will know what he considers insignificant, petty, or distracting.
You will witness how he responds to problems, criticism, truth, exhaustion, excitement, expectations, disappointments, hunger, poverty, love, laughter, accusations, manipulation, sorrow, sin, tension, distrust, redemption, rejection, legalism, ritual, religion, hypocrisy, happiness, joy, and you will learn what he thinks about your future.
All of this is will teach you to think from God’s perspective, to engage the mind of Christ available to you through the Holy Sprit.

whooaa, where did January go???

really, where did January go? All that's stayed in my thoughts was mom arriving, bringing her to the dr's and the ER because of her back pain, diagnosed as sciatica and then back again to the dr's for her acidity and pananamlay...one trip she had that's taking quite a bit to recover. seriously, i need to think of saving as much so she can stay in a warm location during winter season here in the US. hhhuummmmm, now ria and andrew's idea of moving to maui kinda seems getting to be a good idea huh? see this view? that's the maui coast, wonderful huh?

if you guys have not noticed, time is really, surely flying real fast-er than before. Sometimes, it just makes me relaize that we should really be getting ready for anything. All the events in the world is just appalling, weather wise, snow storms/blizzards, hurricanes, drought, war in the middle east, starvation, health scare issues, illnesses one has not heard of from before, it's distressing! But the good news? We have a Great and Mighty GOD who knows everything and if we choose to just submit to His Lordship, we'd be fine, no matter what!

so, as we thread February, let's see what's wonderful and hopefully, what's slow in it that we can savor, for the days of the "love" month. Cherish your love ones, your parents, your siblings, your children, and friends... Just like in Deut. 28:2 that says, " and all these blessings shall come upon you (us) and overtake you (us, meaning not to get away but to add up, be given back), if you (we) obey the voice of the Lord your God!

what tomorrow may bring...are you really ready???

This early morning, i walked to the train station with this lady i see everyday and she said that she was late yeterday beause of the frost in her car adn she had to wait 5 minutes to get her car rolling. She said that 5 minutes cost her to miss her train, the doors shut down on her while on her last step of the stairs trying to catch it. Wow, and it dawned on me, that is comparing it to the unfortunate realization of being not ready to meet the Lord Jesus when He comes back again.
I got reminded in 2Cor 13:5, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?" It is quite necessary to from time to time to do some self examination, jsut to make sure.
My friend whose husband is stricken with cancer is having a scare again and it's very natural to be afraid. I keep telling her that Jesus is interceding in our behalf and just like what He said to Peter in Luke22:32 , "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not." Jesus have done it already; He have gone to court and entered a counterplea even before an accusation is made." O Jesus, what a comfort it is that You have pleaded our cause against our unseen enemies; countermined their mines, and unmasked their ambushes. Here is a matter for joy, gratitude, hope, and confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ.
As my prayer for the year is to the One who remains constant in our lives, is the ONLY Christ who is the same yesterday, today and forever more...