Your Love Oh Lord

I had been thinking about Paul's prayer when I wrote about being rooted in God's love today. Lord, I just want to thank You for loving us first.

I had originally wrote this song [no title yet at that time] back in November 25, 2004, during Thanksgiving Day and wanted to thank the Lord that day. I could never grasp or fathom the amount of love He has given us and continue to give us. Lord, I feel that everyday since surrending my life to You.

Then, almost 3 years later, on June 20, 2007, the Lord had inspired me to rewrite the song and this time He gave me the title, "Your Love, Oh Lord".

I wanted to share this with all of you, never forget that when we feel that we are unloved, it's not true! There is always Someone Who had loved us first! And Whose love remains faithful and that's for eternity. Glory to God! May God bless you all and may you all discover this love awaiting to be accepted. Christian friends, I pray that we will keep growing more and more in His likeness. Thank you all for your kind comments and visits and prayers! I love you all in Christ's Holy Name.

Your Love, Oh Lord

I can never understand the way You love every man

On the cross You died and You called us friends

I can never comprehend the sacrifice and all the pains

But even on the cross, You welcome us with open arms

Chorus:

And Your love is wide........wider than what my eyes can see

And Your love is long.........it endures for all eternity

And Your love is high.........higher than the skies and the heavens

Your love is deep................deeper than the rivers and the seas

[Your love, Oh Lord...]

Help me be like You in all of my ways

Dwell into my heart, only in You I have faith

I wanna' be rooted only in Your love

So I can begin to understand....

That Your love is wide.........wider than what my eyes can see

And Your love is long............it endures for all eternity

And Your love is high............higher than the skies and the heavens

Your love is deep...................deeper than the rivers and the seas

Your love, Oh Lord....[Your love is wide...]

Your love, Oh Lord.....[Your love is long...]

Your love, Oh Lord....[Your love is high...]

Your love, Oh Lord....[Your love is deep....]

May Our Roots Go Down Deep in God's Love

Good Tuesday morning from sunny California everyone!!!! Good morning to you, Christian friends! It's amazing that when we have a personal relationship with the Lord, He helps us appreciate everything, even the littlest blessings...

So, I opened the side door, and saw all these beautiful flowers that came out from our dwarf "cherry tree." Last year, though it gave us a few fruits because it just started to grow, the fruits were sweet. I didn't think my hubby and I did anything extra-special to make the fruits sweet. So, the quality of the soil must be suitable for the cherry tree's roots.

Last year, when the tiny red fruits came out, we discovered that some of them had some kind of little bites, not sure if it was a squirrel or the birds who loved the taste [wahhhhh...before I got to taste!]. I won't let them do that to me, I thought to myself. So, I researched online and saw that if we put some kind of reflective ribbons that would move a lot when winds blew, it might sort of scare them. So, that's what my hubby did. And the other remaining fruits seemed to be spared from whatever was eating them [hurrahhhhh!]. You can still see one reflective ribbon remaining:

Spiritually speaking, we are like that "cherry tree". We will only yield "sweet fruits" if our roots are rooted deeply in God's love. Sometimes, some of us are being eaten or snatched away by our spiritual enemies [John 10:10- Jesus said, "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness"]. We need that reflective light [God is light] to help us prevent the enemies from pulling us away from our good Lord [Ephesians 5:1 -"Follow God's example in everything you do, because you are His dear children." ; Ephesians 6:10,11 - "Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil."].

Let me end this post with Paul's prayers from Ephesians 3:16-19:

"I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God." -Life Application Bible.

I will Never

When my father had gotten so ill since being diagnosed with colon cancer back in 2007, my brothers and I were stuck with wanting to help him financially versus going home to see him. Back home, they don't have medical insurance like we do here in America. So, everyday, though expensive to be hospitalized, of course, we wanted all the best comfort my father could have physically. When he knew that he wasn't improving, he opted to go home and remain in our house. I agreed. This was one of the situation that being a nurse helped yet, at the same time, having that knowledge was causing me too much pain, knowing how much suffering my father was in, physically. During the last few weeks of him with remaining strength, 3 brothers of mine from Europe and I decided it was best to visit him while he was still here with us. We knew then that would be the last time we might have with him. I wasn't afraid. But what would I do, I didn't have extra money to go home? I didn't have enough leave at work. I silently prayed. With tears, I gave everything to the Lord. I knew in my heart, if He meant for my brothers and I to be with my earthly father, then, there would be a way. My husband was trying over that weekend to get me a ticket. To no luck! But who said "it's impossible with God?" I trusted in the Lord and I knew, whether I would be able to go home or not, I had the comfort that my father had opened his heart to the Lord's gift of salvation. That was what mattered to me...

I got a call Saturday that he wasn't looking well. Sunday morning, so tired coming from a busy night's shift at work, my husband shouted with joy as he was able to buy me the last ticket. But where would I get my pocket money? We applied for a loan via online with our bank. Within 15 minutes, the loan was approved [in which the Lord had provided for me to be able to pay it off in a very short time]. At work, my supervisor was very supportive of giving me all the time I needed for the trip despite the short notice.

The following day, Monday night, I was bound to the airport to go home for a 13 hour flight. Wow! There was no traffic which was weird knowing the roads were usually jammed going to Los Angeles International Airport. Reaching the counter way early, the lady told me we would be in our destination at 5:30 am. I told her, you must have a mistake. That was only the time of arrival where we were supposed to have a stop-over. She replied, "Ma'am. For the first time, we decided to fly non-stop again starting with this flight that you're in." Was it good luck? No!!! It was "divine intervention." Everything was a blessing from the Lord when He willed something. Of course, it was a great reunion with my father. Together with my brothers, we had created more memories, though bittersweet, we knew they would be in our hearts forever.

Why am I writing about this? It's because I want to thank the Lord and tell you, how important it is for us to continue to trust in the Lord, no matter what circumstances we're in. Some things we don't understand but the Lord knows it all. If our prayers are answered, thank Him. If our prayers are not answered, thank Him still! Because He knows what's best for us. If our prayers are taking a while, still thank Him despite the long wait, because there is always a great reason for that. Everything happens in His perfect time. The Lord is good! And He loves us all! Do you love Him? Do you know Him? If you don't. you're missing so much in this lifetime, walking everyday without the Lord is like being lost in that valley.

I wrote this song on 1/17/07 to thank the Lord for His goodness.

I Will Never

I will never be lost
For You always make a way
You give me light and You guide
My dark and wrong ways

I will never be afraid
For You're always by my side
You hold my hand and draw me close
Nearer to You

Someday, I will understand
All the things will be clear for me
As I live for now, all I know
Is that I must....trust in no one but You

I will never die again
Because You gave Your life on the cross
You welcomed me with open arms
And called me Your friend

I will never understand
The kind of love that You have shown
I received Your gift of grace
Because of Jesus

Someday, I will understand
All the things will be clear to me
As I live for now, all I know
Is that I must..trust in no one but You

Is that I must...[I will never]...trust in no one.....but You...

Spanish Darts Award

Wow! I can't imagine getting passed on with another award from Sitka. God does pour His blessings but if we learn to share His blessings, we bless others as well. "Thank you Sitka for always remembering my blog."

The last time Sitka gave me the "furry-blog-award", I almost forgot to include what went with the award. So, not this time...

As what Sitka had explained, "Spanish Darts Award" is also known as "Premio Dardos", which means "Prize Darts" in English. It's given for recognition of cultural, ethical, literary and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing.

There are important things that went with this award:

1. Accept the award by posting it on your blog along with the name of the person that has granted the award and link to his/her blog.

2. Pass the award to other blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgement, remembering to contact each of them to let them know they have been selected for this award.

Accepting the award is the easiest thing to do...Passing it on is the hardest as there are so many encouraging blogs I have encountered. There are so many interesting blogs out there in the blogosphere but for me, 2 stood out from the rest right away as I have read and visited their blogs time and time again. I still get that kind of excitement whenever they write a new post and makes me feel as if I have never been to their blogs. Their writing encourages me in return and helps me so much with my own spiritual growth.

Without a doubt, I would love to pass this award to:

Alleluiabelle, whose writing will make you feel that you're right next to her and that as if you have seen the things she wrote about. You'll feel the triumphs of living with Christ in the humblest possible way, despite the odds she had to endure and face daily as if you're going through such trials with her and overcoming them with God's strength.

Andrea, another sister in Christ, who is a writer as her profession. But whenever she writes, she knows how to engage her readers and make them realize what it means "when she chose to stand up to write for Christ".

+ Christ = Eternal Advantage

Back in 2006, as I was exercising, I had this image of the "cross" in my mind...In Math, the symbol "+" also looks like the cross. Suddenly, I realized, when we "surrender" to the power of the cross [because of what Jesus had done], we gain so much in our lives just like the "addition symbol" - we gain "pluses" in our lives:

with our spiritual hunger + Christ = Bread of Life [John 6:35]
with the darkness we're in + Christ = Light of the World [John 8:12]
with our spiritual death + Christ = eternal life [John 3:16]
lies + Christ = Only Truth [John 1:14; John 8:32; John 14:6]
religion + Christ = Only Way [Proverbs 12:28; John 14:6]
sickness + Christ = healing [Proverbs 3:8; Isaiah 19:22; Malachi 4:2]
blindness + Christ = able to see [2Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 4:3]
bondage + Christ = freedom [ Galatians 5:1; Romans 8:2]

Surrender....a scary thing to do...But not to surrender to Christ...It is to gain something of eternal value, of everything that God has offered to give us another chance to be with Him and not be separated from Him. Romans 10:9, 10 -"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved."

I Just Want to Pray

I still have this lingering coughs and when I thought I was ready to go to work last night, last minute, I was dialing the charge nurse's desk and had called in sick despite me not having enough sick time. I was more eager to recuperate than to earn. What good is it to have money and not enjoy the health? The Lord does help us put things into better perspectives. He is the only One Who truly changes our hearts. Not even ourselves can't do that kind of change, to be a better person. Without Him, we are truly nothing.

Lord, today, I want to talk to You. And to write my prayers down as a way of making others see Your love, Your grace. Please use me Lord and may many more turn to You because I know that You want all of us to be saved. May the people who will happen to peek at this site and at my other brothers and sisters' [in Your Holy Name] blogs discover the invitation You have been extending all along - Your gift of salvation.

Lord, please forgive all of our sins. Please help us learn to walk in Your righteousness. Thank You for Your unfailing love and mercy, Your gift of salvation ["To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace"-Ephesians 1:6,7].

Please grant us the true peace that only comes from You. Help us learn not to worry in our everyday struggles, knowing that You truly care for us and You're always there for us. ["Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" -1Peter 5:7]. ["Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body and be thankful." -Colossians 3:15].

Lord, help us at times of temptations. Keep us away from evil thoughts, so that we may not say evil words and not do evil things. ["Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you."-James 4:7].

At times, we want to explode and feel so angry because of any circumstances that make us feel that way. Remind us that You, Yourself, is slow to anger, for angry feelings lead to foolish thoughts and actions. ["Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret-it only causes harm."-Psalm 37:8].

When we feel afraid in any situation, calm us Lord and take away our fears, for we know that fear does not come from You. ["In God, I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" -Psalm56:11]. ["The Lord is my light and salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this I will be confident." -Psalm 27:1,3].

Forgive us at times that we forget You, when we are caught up with our own worldly happiness and think that it will never end. We forget to thank You for the blessings that You always give us, out of Your mercy and love. ["If we had forgotten the Name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a foreign god, would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart." -Psalm 44:20,21].

Please comfort us in times of loneliness, when we remember those loved ones who had passed away. ["God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." -Revelations 21:4].

Thank You Lord. Thank You for Your kindness. Thank You for Your unconditional love, Your gift of salvation. Thank You for dying on the cross. Because of Your death, we live when we choose to believe in what You had done. Thank You for Your friendship. Thank You for always believing in me, despite my weaknesses, it's Your grace that always sustain me. I love You Lord. In Jesus' Name. Amen....

Don't Worry About Anything! Pray! Thank Him!

Every time I go through trials of my own, I always meditate on my favorite verse from Philippians 4:6,7 -"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

How great is that, that I can just give all my worries to God and in return, He gives me His peace that no human minds can understand. But what I love about that verse aside from us needing to PRAY, is to THANK Him for all He has done.

Utilizing that wonderful knowledge from the Lord's Word, years ago, I had shared with my son during our morning devotions together, that instead of whining about things, we should start thanking the Lord and lifting up others who are in need, always in prayers. And we had kept that to this day [glory to our good Lord!]. For example, if the weather is hot or too cold, I didn't want us complaining "Man! it's too hot! or it's too cold!". Instead, in prayers, we say, "Lord, thank You that we have airconditioner that keeps us comfortable in this very hot weather or Lord, thank You, we have this heater that warms us up in this very cold weather. Please protect those homeless people and other hurting ones who don't have the means to either keep themselves cool or warm..." Of course, our prayers are always powerful when uttered in "Jesus' Name".

When my father was diagnosed with colon cancer back in 2005 and during one of his hospitalization, where he was connected to a breathing machine and name all the tubes that could enter our bodies' orifices, [I couldn't imagine what pain my father had gone through physically], it was that verse that I had meditated on which gave me peace despite that trial I had to face. There were many oceans that separated my father and my siblings and I apart, but it was the Lord's love that connected us all and bridged that gap in between us. Through prayers and with thankful hearts, the Lord made my father recovered and lived for a few more days and prior to him leaving us, we had spent some time together, though short was equivalent to a lifetime of sharing love and being one as family. I thank the Lord for that time we had with our father and giving us that opportunity of being together. Despite the odds, we were able to visit him and the Lord did provide for the things we needed!

Sometimes, when I want to praise the Lord, He Himself gives me the words to my head. And in a matter of few minutes, I have this song I can play with my guitar to worship Him. How awesome is that? Just like on July 11, 2005, in a dreamy-like state, I had the chorus part of a song already playing in my head. I wrote this song to praise the Lord and thank Him "for all He has done". Thank You Lord, most of all, for sending Your only Son, Jesus, to be the sacrifice for all of our sins so that in return, we can have a relationship again with You. Thank You for loving us unconditionally.

I Want to be Where You Are

I know that You give me the strength

You're the One Who put this hope into my heart

Day to day I must learn to completely trust

And obey Your Word and believe what You had done

Chorus:

I want to be where You are

And worship You forever

I want to see the face of my God

To hold and kiss...Your pierced hands

Draw me close to You and hold my hand

As I travel in this foreign land

Someday I will go home where You are

I will sing this song to You with all of my heart

Blogging friends, thank you all for your encouragements and I pray, for us all to not be weary in writing what the Lord puts into our hearts so that through these blogs of ours, many more people will come to know the Lord. Pray! Thank Him! Pray! Thank Him again and again! God bless you all. I enjoy your visits...

Change and the One Who Doesn't Change

The nearby lake was full of water, until the long periods of drought made the water level drop faster than it should...They predicted rain today and talked about a big storm to drench California. Welcome rain! We need you so bad!

I remember the sudden hailstorm we had on May of last year. It caught everyone by surprise! I thought I was only hearing noises like some rocks were falling on our rooftops. Because the sun was still out. Then all of a sudden, dark clouds covered the sun and hailstones just poured! It was over in a matter of 3 minutes. Seasons come and go. Weather changes just like that.

I remember the "eroding sand" when my family and I were taking a walk by the beach. I hope there would still be more when we plan to go back for a holiday. The tides are not even that powerful but it surely takes so much sand with it as it rolls back to the briny sea.

Most of blogging friends I had met here will probably notice how often I change the templates in my blog or the fonts and colors. Nothing really wrong but I just like to experiment sometimes and make changes .

CHANGE! It's all around us! It transforms us, scares us, encourages us, dares us. Sometimes, we can control, most of the time, we can't.

But spiritually speaking, there is a change that we must do. That is.....to turn away from our sins and turn to God! [Acts 3:19].

Giving your heart to Jesus Christ is the greatest change you'll ever want to make in your life. Your life will never be the same. With Him, there is no more fear even if so many changes in your life come along. You will have His company all the time and He will direct your steps if you allow Him to mold you.

Romans 12:2 -"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is."

You know what's neat on top of this? While CHANGE may abound all around us, it is God alone Who doesn't CHANGE! The only eternal consistent God!

Malachi 3:6 -"I am the Lord, and I do not change."

Hebrews 13:8 -"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever."

James 1:17 -"Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, Who created all heaven's lights. Unlike them, he never changes or casts shifting shadows."

I Am With You Always

Who wants to get sick? I don't think the categories "sickness, pain or suffering" are welcome in any one's vocabulary...

So, my son was just a little ill since last week. Just with slight coughs and it is the usual "allergy season" for both of us, now that Spring is here.

Then, yesterday, my husband started not feeling well, too. Between them two, I was their private nurse who lovingly doted them with nurses' famous "TLC".

I had spent sleepless nights checking on both of my patients. During the days, I was busy cooking soups that nourished them and made sure they were drinking lots of fluids and getting lots of naps.

Tonight, I didn't feel good. I felt the extreme alternating changes in weather this week and my immunity just gave up to the invading unseen viral enemies. So, I called in sick so early. Knowing how we are always short of staff at the correctional facility where I work, I was still thinking of my other co-workers because I didn't want them to be overwhelmed if I didn't show up. I had gobbled the biggest bowl of soup I made earlier, the melt-in your-mouth beef with lots of veggies like cabbage, green beans, carrots, potatoes, ginger,etc... I started feeling better already. Later, I might make some lemon tea with honey, that is, if sleepiness doesn't dawn on me first.

You know what? I'm not going to be in a sullen mood despite my illness. No! I'm going to take advantage of this "recuperative period" fellowshipping with the Lord [my private Nurse]. I'm not going to lay down just to moan. Instead, I will rejoice in His presence knowing that He is here with me. The more I am feeling better already as I write now.

Not only when you're sick, but every time you feel alone, remember that you are never by yourself.

Romans 5:3-4 -"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us - they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation."

Proverbs 17:22 -"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength."

Malachi 4:2 -"For you who fear My Name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture."

I wrote this song on July 23, 2004 as an inspiration of His promise [Matthew 28:20]:

I'm With You Always

When you feel the weight of the world

And you have no one to help you in any way

You may not know, you may not feel

But I've loved you from the start, I always will

I'm with you always...you're never alone

I'm always by your side...no matter the season

I'm with you always...keep this thought with you

Just call on Me, I'm always here [2x] for you

You can be heartbroken but I'm Someone you can trust

You can fall on your knees, just reach for My hand

You can cry, every tear I will wipe them dry

You can feel just existing but I can give you life....

To God be the glory! Take care of yourself....

We are Wise..."Not!!!"

Weird weather! It was in the 60's then all of a sudden, went up to 90's 2 days ago and yesterday! This dramatic change just makes you feel "tired and exhausted". Wheww...



Anyway, I noticed my son dressed up in longer sleeve yesterday. I just don't understand why he would dress up in thin shirts when the temperature is really cold, and now, this, dressed up warmly in a sweltering heat! "Teenagers! They think they know everything!" [I think I was like that, too during those times....Wow! Has it been that long?...]. Just like when he was coughing and thought he could tough it out. After a few days, realizing things, I don't even tell him to drink medicine or extra fluids nor take a nap, he just does it on his own. He now knows that what I told him was true. He's feeling much better.



No! don't get me wrong! My teenage son is a sweet kid and also loves the Lord! [glory to God!]. He's always respectful of me and my husband and that of others. But just like an "eaglet" needing guidance before they can open their wings and fly, as parents, my husband and I need to do so...



I think we are all the same spiritually. We don't listen to our heavenly Parent Who always just wants the best interest for us. No! There's nothing in our worldly ways that will please Him because He is not of this world. We think we know everything when we don't. Or maybe we don't want to believe because we want to continue our ways that bring us pleasure though we know that they are not pleasing to a Holy God? We don't want to heed His Word because His Word penetrates our hearts, bones and marrow and because obeying Him will mean that we have to stop doing our own ways and we are just not yet ready to give up those things that give us pleasure...Or do they really?



For you who happens to peek at this post, I am praying that you will really consider your spiritual status right now and stop making fun and not believing in God. Just like the apostle Paul from Romans 1:16,17, I am feeling what he felt and not until you surrender your life to the Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will never understand what I'm writing about. This verse says, "For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes-Jews first and also Gentiles. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, " It is through faith that a righteous person has life."



You're still making fun of me and my post? You still think that you know everything? And I am not saying it in a sarcastic tone. I am discussing it with all the love in my heart because I only care for you. Be careful! "Don't be misled. Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow!" -Galatians 6:7.



God has been offering His friendship to all of us. He wants us all to have eternal life, that is, if we choose to believe in Him. Revelation 3:20 says, "Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends." My friends, this is the ultimate friendship you will ever know and this is a kind of friendship that is faithful and lasts forever. When you are ready to accept the Lord as your Savior and surrender everything to Him and let Him lead you in this life's trek, open your hearts to Him and pray this prayer from this post. I pray God will remove all the hindrances that make you not want to do it as you read my post and that you will start to realize that we are dependent of God. The truth is "we don't know everything."



This was a song I had written back on June 6, 2003. It reminds me of the Lord's faithful friendship when I came to know Him. I'm so thankful that He made me see and hear His offer of friendship. I was once a "smart aleck" like you....Well, I was wrong....but it's never too late.... God bless...and may you grow in the love and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A Personal Prayer

Today Lord, I don't want to write about anything in my life's journey. I want to just focus on You. For without You, I am nothing. I want to thank You Lord for giving me a renewal with my faith in You. I know that You have given me another head-start with my life. No more unfamiliar roads. No more dark roads. No more confusing pathways. No more fears even with new roads that come along. Because now I know that You are always with me, Your hand guides me.

I don't deserve all these blessings I receive daily yet through those, You are constantly reminding me of Your endless love and mercy. I thank You for all the wisdom You give me. I ask that I may be able to share Your love and wisdom not only with my loved ones, but to those who will happen to pass by this site. A welcoming friendship I extend to them, because that's what You did on the cross. You died with Your arms wide open. You welcome all of us, who will believe. And friendship You offer and a promise of eternal life.

My heart cries with the pure joy that only comes from You. There is nothing glorious than to be identified that I am Your beloved child and that You are always here with me in this life's journey.

I pray for your other children who are blogging for Your glory. Help us Lord by guiding us with Your wisdom. Speak through our hearts so that we may write Your wisdom in return. May many more people happen to peek through our sites and be able to know Your love and grace as they do so and may they open their hearts to You, O Lord and accept You as their only Savior.

Thank You for today Lord. Thank You for Your love. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Come and Seek the Lord

I try to post once a week given the time, or when I feel that there is a very important topic that I need to write about and I don't want to forget to share it through my writing.

A special sister-in-Christ comes to mind right now [please check out her site and please pray for her and her family]. As I lifted her up in prayers, I had this urge to post about how each of us are going through different trials of life. There are so many roads that are uncertain. Sometimes, we are trapped and we can't either go back or move forward. Sometimes, the roads are too confusing. There are so many unfamiliar roads that we are just totally lost right away and just don't know what to do...

But glory to God! Because of Him, we can just look up and ask Him for His guidance and strength as we travel on roads that lead to mountains of trials. He is the One Who never leaves us nor forsake us. Jesus said, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows, but take heart because I have overcome the world!" [John 16:33]. What a beautiful promise of how the Lord never leaves us, especially when we are going through trials.

I would like to request each and everyone of you, brothers and sisters in Christ, to pray for each other. We need that kind of encouragement. We might not know each other personally, but thanks be to God, we are One in Spirit!

For those of you hurting out there, my prayers go out to you. For you, dear sister-in-Christ, I want to share with you this song I had written on June 19, 2003:

Come and Seek the Lord

No matter how tough the trials that come your way
No matter how much they break your heart today
Fill your heart instead with joy
Knowing Jesus is there for us all

Come and seek the Lord [3x]
For He had overcome the world

No matter how much pain and suffering
No matter how heavy the burden they bring
Trust in the Lord it'll be okay
For He will show us the way

Blessings and Thanks

Wow!!! It was great to have been chosen by Sitka and her mom Andrea as they passed on the award Sitka got first!

God also pours blessings on us. His blessings are not meant to be kept but instead, when we share them with others, we bless others as well. Funny how when we share His blessings, they never run out and instead keep growing... Remember Jesus' miracle [Matthew 14:17-21] when He fed 5,000 men, not counting children and women, with only 5 small loaves of bread and 2 fishes? My, oh my! There were even leftovers...

So, I'd like to give the award back to Andrea . You deserve it, too. Please check out their blogs and you'll be encouraged, I guarantee! I also want to share the award to Inbox Ministry. Thank You Lord for Your blessings that each of us enjoy and use to encourage each other as well.

Addendum:

Wow...sorry Sitka. I didn't play by the rules with the award you had shared with me. Not that I forgot, but it's hard to share it with 5 deserving blogs, knowing that many deserve it. Now I know what you and your mom mean...So, if it's not too late to excite you by making you bark louder and wag your tails endlessly, here are the 2 rules with the "fabulous award":

Confess 5 things you're most addicted with:

1. the Bible of course, for it's a way of how our dearest Lord speak to our hearts

2. coffee, decaf or regular [I'm not picky]. There's something so magical when the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee whiff all over the house.

3. time with my husband & our precious child. Hubby is my greatest support [after the Main Man]. My world had changed dramatically when our son was born. It was that kind of change that no words could ever express nor money can buy. He is the meaning of "quality time" in my own dictionary.

4. time with my best friend. I'm so grateful and forever thankful and blessed to have met her in this pathway of life. Honesty and trustworthiness defines her character.

5. guitar. I have 3. I learned some chords on my own, write a song and with the guitar, worship my Lord anytime. [Glory to God for the talents He give us].

And now, the other rule; Pass this award to other deserving bloggers:

1. Check out Andrea 's blog [did I hear you bark so loud Sitka?]. A very inspiring writer who has a way of making her readers feel her day-to-day appreciation of God's love.

2. I was truly touched by "Alleluiabelle", a special sister-in-Christ who pours her heart out in her words, along with God's powerful promises that will make us feel that immense "joy" despite the turmoils of life we encounter.

3. I got excited when I had my first contact with other bloggers and I was awed by the way InboxMinistry explain God's Word. I hope everything is okay with you, Inbox Ministry, keep posting...

4. Sonya, another sister-in-Christ 's site worth visiting over and over. Her "what might seem an ordinary life", she turns into extra-ordinary when she incorporates what she learns from our Mighty God.

5. As I believe that "it's better to bless others than to be blessed," I want to give this award back to you, Sitka. With your special blog, humans will be able to experience of what you go through and you are a blessing to a lot of people in ways that no humans can do.

A Time To Cry and a Time to Laugh; A Time to Grieve and a Time to Dance...

We will all have to pass through a difficult trek of loved ones' death, whether expectedly or not, or that of our own. It is the road we don't want to take but the truth is...it's inevitable.

My mother had passed away almost 9 years ago. I was truly devastated when I had to go back home, along with one of my brothers to be there and at the same time, be a support to my father [who also had passed away a little over a year ago]. It was a totally different scene back in my parents' house during my mother's wake. My eyes were blinded by the lights illuminating her peaceful and beautiful sleep-like state. But I wanted my mother, "the very own light in our home". Without her, our home feels just like a "house", dim and lifeless. I hated the smell of flowers around that seemed to announce her unexpected departure as someone walked in by the front door. No! I would rather smell her wondrous cooking whenever she prepared the delicious foods, whether it'd be our daily meals or a welcoming feasts to guests. I stared at the pair of cold lips that used to smile a whole lot and was always painted on her face. Her smiles were infectious and would always make you smile back. Oh how I longed for her warmest hugs and kisses, only to be hugged and greeted by people mourning with us...

When God had found me wandering aimlessly as I traveled and either made right or wrong choices in selecting the roads to take, God was the first One to comfort me and reassure me that everything would be okay in this unfamiliar road I had to walk on.

As we were about to bury our mother, there was a flashback in my mind about a caterpillar that needs to die before becoming a beautiful butterfly. I had never felt a sense of peace and relief until that moment as if God was hugging me and wiping my tears of sorrows. He has tremendous ways of showing His love and making His presence known in our hearts.

To me, this world is a big school with all of us as students. We all have to graduate someday but before doing so, we have to overcome a lot of learning experiences but in order to pass with flying colors, we must learn to unconditionally love others and do everything with love. We must look up to the Greatest Instructor Who will teach us things we don't know about. He will be there to constantly encourage us and give us His wisdom. So, it is our choice whether we want to learn from Him or not.

Isaiah 25:8 -"He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears."

Psalm 30:11,12 -"You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothe me with joy, O Lord my God, I will give You thanks forever!"

2 Corinthians 1:3 -"All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God Who comforts us."

Revelation 21:4 -"He will remove all of their sorrows and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain."

Father Knows Best

I just smile every time my teenage child says "no" whenever I tell him to take some medicine that will help him for his cough. He had gotten sick last week. 5 minutes later, he would change his mind and sip the orange-flavored medicine, despite his earlier protest. Then, he was thankful because he started feeling better and he wasn't coughing as much. It was fine with me to observe him and let him make his own decisions but I told him, sometimes, "mommy knows best". And that he needed to trust me.

We are all sick, too, spiritually. Sick from all of the sins we have been carrying since we were born. But we have a spiritual Parent "Who knows best" what would help us recover...He sent His own Son, Jesus, to be the sacrifice to pay for all of our sins. His blood is what we need to sip when we learn to trust Him. He is the only One Who can save us all and restore our spiritual health. Figuratively, we drink that medicine by trusting Him first and asking for forgiveness for all of our sins, even this simple prayer will do, if you mean it with all your heart:

"Dear God in heaven, I know that I have sinned against You and ask for Your forgiveness. I do believe that Jesus Christ died as payment for my sins. I believe He rose again to prove He is able to save. I place my faith in Him alone to save me. I now receive Him as my personal Savior. From now on, help me to turn from my sin and live a life pleasing to You. I pray this in Jesus' Name. Amen."

Hebrews 12:9 -"Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever?" [Life Application Bible].

I wrote this song on 6/14/03 to thank our heavenly Father Who loves us all unconditionally.

A Song For Father

Thank You Father for breathing me this life
It's not easy here to survive
Please let me live according to Your will
May I be like Christ in everything

Thank You Father for giving us Your Son
This life is worthless if He didn't come
Through Jesus, You and I are one
Thank You Father for Your perfect plan.

For you who happen to visit this site, I pray that the Lord will prepare your hearts to make you know His love and grace. God bless.

The Light of Life

Spiritual Baggage

"Try clicking on the image so you can read it better. Thanks for passing by..."