Happy Mother's Day!

Exodus 20:12 -"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you."

Proverbs 1:8 -"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching."

Proverbs 31:30 -"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."


My mother had passed away on December 28, 2000 after suffering from a stroke. She was a dressmaker who had sewn dresses with so much passion. She was also our "father" during those times that my dear father was away sailing as a Radio Operator in Greek shipping vessels.

She would wake up early in the morning to start sewing dresses until late at night. How adeptly she would cut the clothing material with precision and would create a masterpiece everytime! Much to her customers' satisfaction!

She loved going to church. All the hardships we went through as a family, she always would pour her heartaches to the Lord. She had taught me to grow up having that "reverential fear" to the Lord. Living in a country with Catholicism as the dominant religion, she went to church, guarded with the rosary beads, praying all the time or at our home, when she was done with her work. She gave her heart to the Lord in His perfect time. If she has compassion before, the more she had after surrendering to the Lord. The people who had hurt her, God made her to have a loving heart, instead of those hurt!

Yes, that's my mother, the Proverbs 31 woman who made many wonderful memories with her children. Memories that she had sewn to become masterpieces that we carry in our hearts even to this day that she's not here physically with us.

My brothers and I were so blessed to have "one of the best MOMs" here in this world. I miss my mother every day! But thanks be to God for His wonderful promise of eternal life, I know our love doesn't end here. Thanks be to God because of that, I have this hope I cling to, that we will reunite and that I will be able to hug her again and kiss her, the way she hugged and kissed me...

I was looking for the poems I had written for her which became my outlet to ease the loneliness I had after she went home to the Lord. Instead, I found this "book marker" my son had given to me when he was only 6 years old [he's 14 now] on a Mother's Day. It still brings me smiles and warms my heart every time...

front of the book marker:

back of the book marker:

God has given us many kinds of relationships: husband and wife, best friends, families, etc. But there is just something special about the bond of love shared between a "mother and her child".

God gave us "mothers" to help us or guide us, her children, grow into maturity as we live the lives God had given us in the first place. As children, we learn so much from the hearts of our mothers that endure, hearts that understand, hearts that do not see faults and are always ever forgiving, hearts that believe in our strengths and disregard the weaknesses, and hearts that truly love her children for who they are. Mothers are like a "big band-aid dressing" that just covers all the "boo-boo's" in life we sustain. At times of triumphs and successes, they are our personal "cheering squad".

I can only hope and pray that with the guidance I need to impart with my child, that he also sees God's love and wisdom through me.

So, "Happy Mother's Day" to all of you wonderful "Moms" out there! And I'm not only talking about mothers who have conceived children. I know some who don't have kids but have motherly instincts in them. I consider them as "mothers", too because I think it's not our physical achievements of giving births to babies that should qualify but of womens' hearts' abilities to love as mothers. So I remember you, as well. It takes a very unique and special person to become a "mother". Because it's never easy. But to those who commit their motherly instincts with the Lord, He will always direct your steps.

Don't take your mothers for granted. Every day is precious while they are here with you. Say "I love you", hug them, kiss them, not only on Mother's Day but every time you have an opportunity. Same thing with your children. Treat them well and always make the most of everything with them because they will always look up to you as their mothers.

This is a song I had written for my child on August 2004. As I was writing it, I remembered how the Lord has loved us first. It felt like He was singing it to me, the Author of love. No wonder that we, mothers, can learn so much from Him when we commit our ways to Him, even our ways of nurturing our children with an unconditional love.

1 Corinthians 16:14 -:Let all that you do be done with love."

Let All That We Do

You came into my life

The joy that you bring overwhelms me

It's not easy to find our way

When we face the trials that come every day

Chorus:

Let's remember, now and forever

Let all that we do be done in love

We are all loved first by God above

Let all that we do come from our hearts


As we look at uncertain times

We will be strong, we will be fine

For in perfect love, there'll be no fear

Our love will grow year after years

[repeat Chorus]

Let all that we do be done with love........be done with love......

RRRS 8/11/04

God's Message to You

I don't know what it meant that every time I would try to go back to my site from visiting another site, it would always go back to my post "The Homeless". When I had already posted 2 newer ones. That was a very meaningful post for me because I know that God wants me to let you, unbelievers, know that He wants for all of us to make our hearts His home. That's His desire, not mine.

So, if you are that one who just doesn't believe in God, I have a message from God to you. I pray that He will open your heart, open your ears, open your eyes. That is your choice [to not acknowledge His existence] and I truly respect that [for God gave us a free will], but I want to let you know, with all my love, how much your life is missing when you don't have God in your life.

So, this is for you:

Golden Heart Award

Sister Kat surprised me this morning. She had passed on a "blessing" to me. It's called the "Golden Heart Award." {God has a golden heart}. I am happy for sister Kat because from the title of her blog alone, it already reflects the love that comes from our Lord, the Author of love. I'm glad that she had gotten this blessing.
For those of you who haven't visited sister Kat, I encourage you to do so and get to know her more and more as she writes from her heart. You get to peek into her triumphs, all the joys, the trials, the laughters, the tears. But through it all, she always gets the strength and courage to move on, by always seeking the Lord's face.

My ultimate purpose when I started writing was to introduce the Lord's gift of salvation to those who are wandering in the blogosphere. I had asked the Lord that if He gave me the talent to write, then allow me to do so for His glory. Never in my imagination that He will also bless me right away in meeting wonderful brothers and sisters in His Holy Name who blog.

Though we don't know each other in person, when we all accepted His love, it's amazing that we tend to circulate that among us which is how it's supposed to be anyway. God's attribute is LOVE, so it's not surprising that His children will reflect that. It is a continuous process to learn from His heart.

But to write and put it out here, you just don't know how effective your words can be. And it's not to be noticed nor to be given awards, but to be able to reflect His love in such a way that the readers who don't know Him, hopefully will get to know His love through our writings! We are not blogging for just "Someone". We are blogging for the "Redeemer, the King, God of love!" that others still don't know.

Just like when you meet friends, when I stumble on so many great bloggers blogging for Jesus, the superficial hellos become a friendship that you just feel it in your heart, it is bonded by that love, the love that emanates from the Savior. So pure, so warm, and there is no hypocrisy!


Thank you sister Kat for passing this blessing to me. I don't know what to say except to hope that I am truly reflecting the Lord's love through my blog. I am so blessed to have met so many of you and that's one thing I'm always thankful for, to the Lord!


To accept this blessing, I must pass it on to other 5 wonderful blogs that awed me, just like how the Lord's love awes me! Accepting is always the easiest part :) but to pass it on was quite a task as so many of you truly have touched my heart with the way you write from your "golden hearts".

I would love to share this with [Don't forget to pass it on with 5 blogs who mean the most to you and leave a comment on their sites so they'd know]:

1. Sister Mary, whose smiles are always welcoming. I think you must have a golden heart to be able to smile about everything.


2. Sister Alleluiabelle, who never stops to amaze me with her heartfelt stories and struggles and triumphs in life, a life surrendered to the Lord; a life full of life and love.


3. Sister Andrea, who has love and dedication to reach out to those hurting souls, together with Sitka, an extra-ordinary furry friend.

4. Bro. Chris, who is truly a non-ceasing "prayer intercessor."

5. Sister Heather, who has passion for taking great pictures. She eyes an ordinary scene and looks at them as masterpieces. She also shares her nice blogskins for free, an act from someone who has that kind of heart -a "golden heart".

If you haven't read my latest post, please continue below and read "The Search". Thank you and God bless.

The Search

Working two nights per week in this detention facility I work with is enough to make me observe what goes on during the nights that I'm there...

A pair of dirty hands from a young man was against the wall, on top of black painted set of hands. The deputy spread his legs wide open and started searching his whole body and the clothes' pockets. Up and down his torso, the gloved hands were careful not to miss any possible hidden weapons from this young man.

Searching into one of the back pockets of his faded denim jeans, the deputy swept a small, plastic-wrapped amount of some kind of white, powdery material. The deputy dropped it on the floor as he continued to search the young man. The young man's face was terrified upon seeing what was discovered by the deputy from his pocket. He thought it was too small to be noticed. He started getting nervous.

More bodies poured in, into that area called "Search and Hold", as the other deputies started doing the same routine of searching for any items that are illegal, like weapons or drugs, with these group of newcomers. One by one, they were subjected to this thorough searching.

The young man was led to sit on the chair by the Intake Nurse's small clinic. He was interrogated by the nurse to make sure that he was medically fit to be booked in. He slumped on the chair, with a haggard look, said "no" to all the medical questions. He denied having any medical or mental problems.

The deputy then, directed him to go to a particular cell, where he was supposed to wait for his name to be called so he could be booked. Drops of sweats became visible on his forehead. His heart was pounding. He knew that the discovery of small amount of drugs from his pocket would be used as evidence for the second time now that he was arrested.

He knew this was his last chance to change. If caught on the third occasion, he would spend his life into a longer prison term. He softly mumbled, "Dear God, help me! No more. This is it!"

He cooperated and obeyed whatever the custody staff told him to do. This time, he was really determined to change. For the best!

I placed my hands together, too except my knees were bended on the floor. I allowed the "Deputy" to search me through and through - my heart! I pray that He would discover the things that were hindering my walk, things that stall the progress of my work.

The "Deputy" saw the small amount of white stuff, covered in plastic material. How did I allow the righteousness from Christ be covered with my own self-righteousness? I started getting nervous and I could hear my heart pounding.

The "Deputy" took me and made me sat in front of the Intake Nurse [Holy Spirit]. All of the nurse's questions convicted me. But I said, "no" and denied I had problem with anything.

So, the "Deputy" then brought me to a cell so I could wait for a moment until I get called.

Sweating profusely, I mumbled, "God, help me! This is it! I need You to get rid of the things or ways that I do that do not please You. I know, O Lord, that if I don't allow You to search my heart, I will be wasting everyday, not doing whatever You willed for me. I want to be able to remain "FREE". I don't want to trust my own heart but in Yours. I want to do that before I get called."

So, while waiting to be called, there I was obeying the Word and instructions..."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Psalm 139:23 -"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts."

Psalm 139:24 -"See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Romans 8:27 -"And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."

Revelation 2:23 -"Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds."