when God reminds you of someone

with just my title alone, i get goose bumps all over. let me share to you an amazing story i experienced first hand...

last night while reading the new book i purchased, "God's Power to Change Your Life" (yes, i purchased another book without finishing my other lined up books - yikes!) nway, for some odd reason i couldn't comprehend what i was reading and had to go back to the beginning at least 3x only bcoz my sister's best friend and his family kept lingering my mind. have you had those moments when someone out of the blue just pops in your head? well anyway, that's what happened to me last night and so i had to stop reading coz i felt the need to pray for them. i may not know whether they're doing well or not, but ever since God saved me i'm easily touched with compassion for others (i'm already emotional, but i think God doubled it.. hehehe). so anyway, after praying for them i went about my business.

early this afternoon, i received a reply back from the email i sent in regards to "God's turn to ask questions" ... well to my surprise it was from the wife of my sister's best friend. she was just saying thanks and wanting to let me know that the inspirational emails i would send really helps her and others. i replied to her saying, "i'm glad that God's word are not returned void. how are things? i thought about you & your family last night... hmm, it was strange, but for some reason i felt the call to pray for you guys. hope everything is doing good in God's name. take care...." then she replied back saying that she and her husband just separated and that her daughter lives with her and is doing well in school.

honestly, i couldn't help the tears run down my face. i praised God right away for nudging me to pray for them. of course it was not my place to give her an advice, but as a follower of Christ, i gave her encouragement hoping that forgiveness will pour in their hearts and God's healing will come to place, in His time.

as i was sharing this story to my husband, telling him how good the Lord is when He uses us. he asked me, where you listening to 90.1 last night? i said, "no." then he said, "there's another amazing scenario that adds to what just happened to you ... " last night when he was on his way home, he heard the last few words of a segment on the radio (wmbi/ 90.1 fm) that "God sometimes reminds us of someone out of the blue and that when we do get those reminders, we should pray for them, for we may never know whether they're in the midst of a great trial." now, how amazing is that?

it's a great feeling to know that God is watching over us and that He uses ordinary people like us to console others in prayer. i thank the Lord for those little, but powerful nudges!

so to you my readers... when you're reminded of someone, whether your experience with them was good or bad, take it as an opportunity to pray for them. on another note... if you're one in need of prayer, send me an email and i'll be delighted to pray for you. anonymous or not, i'm here.

blessings to you all!

satisfied customer

hi all! yeah! it was a total shock for me. i never knew rich can pull of a surprise for me. i either find out by snooping around or out of the blue someone will slip. i was clueless and speechless! lovely, the video was breath taking. the perfectionist type you are, i'm not surprised what other ideas you can come up with.

let me tell you how rich planned the whole thing. okay, since we're both golfers, he brought me to river bend. ahh! loved it! played with some of the old timer, professional golf players in town. rich felt like a rookie! after hours of golfing and laughter, we freshened up and got ready for supper. let me tell you, it was second of the best romantic dinners i've ever been with rich, his proposal being the first. as soon as i walked in the restaurant, the pianist was playing our favorite song "it's your love". ooh, baby! i was fallin' in love once again! okay, the best part... while i was looking at the menu, the waiter went ahead and started setting up, what i thought was our appetizer, but when he took the lid off of this beautiful stainless steel decorated plate, to my surprise it was a dvd player. by this time i was totally confused. bcoz for a moment there i thought i was being punked or something. but anyway, rich turned on the dvd player (honestly, i was pretty embarrassed already while this was happening since all eyes were on me). as soon as i saw the menu screen i was in tears already and yes, as soon as i saw the walk2remember intro i was like "ah! no wonder lovely kept asking me those silly questions weeks ago." again, thanks for being so sneaky lovely. and of course thanks to my soul mate, rich for loving me more than i've ever dreamed of. i love you, babe!

okay, i think that's it for now... i just wanted to share my unforgettable, heart melting anniversary moment with my hubby dubby (he hates it when i call him that, but oh well! i know he still loves me)

thanks again mrs. miranda - from a one satisfied customer - ciao! =)

Colossians 1:22

He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.
Colossians 1:22/NIVVerseoftheday.com

Thought... "Christians aren't perfect; they're just forgiven." We know we are not perfect. We know our weaknesses, inadequacies, sinfulness, pettiness, immaturity, cowardice ... But Jesus demonstrated his love for us on the Cross as he offered his body and shed his blood. His sacrifice means that God looks at us as "perfect." Jesus' sacrifice means we are holy, without blemish, and without chargeable offense in God's presence! Jesus' perfect sacrifice has brought us perfect reconciliation with God!

Prayer... Forgive me, Almighty God, for my sins. I get sick of them and frustrated with my own inability to completely overcome them. Strengthen me, dear Father, so that I will have more fortitude and courage to face temptation victoriously. Thank you, God of glory, for sharing your perfection and glory with me by sending Jesus. I praise you O God, my Rock and my Redeemer, for you have made me your child! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

I just had to share this here.. I really like this one.. Thanks for letting me share this with you all

May all your days be Blessed!

Char = )

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

Jesus Christ was the ultimate example of a friend. The disciples called Him Master and Lord, but He was also their friend. Jesus served them humbly, willingly, and cheerfully in the utmost of ways. He encouraged them to grow in God, and prayed for them and with them. He corrected them with the openness and concern of a friend when they strayed and continued to encourage them. He expressed how He expected some of the same selflessness in return when He asked them to keep watch for Him while He prayed in the garden. And even after they let Him down three times, Jesus still met them with compassion and forgiveness. We can learn a lot about how to approuch relationships in our own lives through the example Jesus set for us. Even though we're not as perfect as Jesus, we can still strive toward the standards He set in compassion, grace, mercy, patience, love, and at times the boldness for correction.

"A friend loves at all times..." Prov. 17:17

God is awesomee!

Char Char =)

needed to...

Love pretty much filled you guys on how awesome this past weekend was, I gotta hand it to her; she really pulled it off with getting us gals together... It was so much fun! My candle party went well, better than what I thought or expected it to be. Unfortunately, not everyone attended, but I am so thankful for those that did come and esp. (on-time) heehey! Thank you =)

Anyway, I needed to get away for a minute and just take my mind off the nclex books, grrrrrrr! I have less than two weeks and I feel like I am having anxiety attacks. It's actually sinking in now, (Lord willing) I will have a grown up job and I will be able to work and do what feels right. I am so excited! I haven't worked a full time job since 1999. craaaaaaaaaazy! I've had part-time jobs and externships in between school and the kids, but I can't remember what it feels like to work outside of home. Oh goodness!

OK, I guess I better not stay away from the books too long... hehey! So, I will check in periodically...Keep em coming! I enjoy the blogs=)

Blessings!

poor bebe

my little chubby bebe was constipated yesterday morning till after church. i knew it! my sis fed her banana that's why she's having such a hard time. poor bebe. food is yanna's best friend you know, but we could tell she wasn't feeling good coz she just held her fries on her chubby hand and stared at it while she puts her head on her dad's shoulder. =(

after church, i had a taste for thai food so i dragged my fam to thai haus in hoffman estates. my bro-in-law bought seedless grapes for yanna and i made her drink tea... thank God it worked! in a matter of minutes she was able to let it out. of course she was in tears, but she knew she was safe with mom and dad. i changed her in the van, watched barney for a few minutes and asked her if she wanted to eat and she looked at me with her big, round sparkling eyes and said "yeah!" with a big smile. aw! she was on for another round of food to digest hehehe she was a happy bebe once again! she ate and ate and ate some more... she's so independent that lately she's been wanting to feed herself. well, she did it again and was able to prove everyone that spicy food does not face her also... lolz!

our house is a full house once again... it's spring break so all the kids (incld. my niece & nephews) are staying over. i love it! even if our bills go up when everyone's at our place - yikes! - i'd rather be happy than worry about money... don't you think? didn't get to do our last weekend of spring cleaning. hmp! what to do? what to do?

nwayz, special thanks to my girlfriend, marge for inviting us to her partylite party last sat. enjoyed it very much! i was tempted to buy more, but i felt so guilty spending more for a candle rather than putting it to project HOPE. i'll make sure to enjoy what i ordered. can't wait to try out that body scrub! anywayz, i enjoyed the game and desserts ... and of course the company. it was great to see some lovely faces =)

thank you Lord for another wonderful weekend!

mission accomplished

i'm here at the holiday inn hotel with my fam. we stayed overnight coz the kids wanted to take a dip in the pool. couldn't sleep well coz i still wanted my own bed. waaaa - i was more concerned about the kids. be and i kept wakin' up trying to make sure the kids are ok. gotta get ready to bring c to her ice skating class. plus, i gotta make sure i get to continue my spring cleaning when i get home... still lots to get rid of but my girlfriend, marge, has a partylite party later so, we'll see...

nway, my mission was accomplished yesterday. see, the last time my girlfriends and i got together was last Christmas. since then everyone was just too busy. my best friend char, sent an email 2wks ago wanting to see everyone's schedule, but again everyone were busy with fam, work, kids' activities, etc. so around tues or wed, i decided to email them individually asking to have a dinner with me (just me.. hehehe). well, lo and behold... they all responded and are willing to meet up for dinner on friday. i was pretty worried coz they might end up talking amongst each other and find out my plan. so anyway, a couple of them kinda did, but good thing it was that same day. hey at least out of 12 of us, 9 made it! it was great to see big smile on their faces when they finally saw each other. well, we had nothing but good laughs... we were laughing so hard, we got in trouble... yikes! (first time that ever happened... so embarrassing) but i admit, we were loud - so sorry - we just missed each other so much, we didn't realize we were at a public place hahahaha


for all its worth... it was great to see everyone again. but we missed lean, tal & lissy... hmmm, gotta come up with another plan!

faithful servant

wow! i'm absolutely blown away by paul's faith. mind you, paul's name prior to knowing Christ was saul, the one who persecutes Christians before. because God has an amazing purpose, He showed mercy to saul and gave him a chance. God revealed Himself to saul through the blinding of His eyes and His voice coming out of the brightness of the sky. God then called him paul.

i finally finished 1st & 2nd timothy. the purpose of the book was to warn us about false teacher and instruct us on how to live faithfully for the Lord. it talks about God's grace and mercy to paul to fulfill God's eternal purpose through paul. i find this book very encouraging, for God really can use any ordinary person to bring about His amazing plans for each one of us. paul also encourages us to devote our time in studying the word of God, to preach and to teach others. it is important to keep watch of our lives aligning with our doctrine so that as we persevere we can save ourselves and others.

part of this book talks about how we must pray for one another, not to love money, but to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. paul faithfully trusted Christ's promises. he suffered persecution, but persevered in following God's direction. he did this not to praise himself, but for God's own purpose and grace. paul was in prisoned for preaching the word of God and even with that he was not ashamed, but yet stood firmly for what he believed. he knew that the Lord is with him and that God will save him from every evil attack and in due time God will bring Him home safely to His heavenly kingdom.

what an amazing faithfulness paul had for Christ. and the best part, God was there for Him throughout the whole journey. through paul's suffering, God knew what good can come out of it. See with us, we're no difference... God sees our potential. He gave each one of us unique gifts, talents that we sometimes neglect to see...

friends, if you think your life turned out not the way you had hoped for, i want you to know that there is beauty to it -- not what you had planned or expected, but beauty with peace and the knowledge that you, too, have weathered storms.

for me, as i look back, i do not doubt that God was there with me, through it all. i am grateful for God's care and guidance, then and now. i know that God is always with me, and i am looking forward to God's presence and guidance in changes that will come in the future.

you can rest assure that this is one of His promises to us: I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. -Isaiah 41:13
and so just as God was with paul in bad times and in good, we can walk into the future expecting God to be there as well.

be blessed!

tired and lazy

hi i'm back! rich and i went to pa for a weekend getaway. we were well accommodated at our friends' beautiful 2 story house with a view of the mountains in the guest room. it's a much needed short vacation for me and rich. oh! by the way, i'm liking this, typing with no caps... suggested by the queen of arts and crafts, lovely ;)

anyway, of course i went to the outlet mall! are you kidding me? the key is to bring an empty luggage and fill it up with shopping bags before you head back home - hehehe that's what i do every time we go there. rich is so used to it, he gets my empty luggage ready when he packs his stuff. what an understanding husband... he makes my heart melt all the time!

wow! can i say "hats off to you, margery!" captivating, that's deep! although i don't have kids (i have a puppy, does it count?), i can say i'm going to need that book sometime soon.

i actually felt like blogging when i was in pa... but rich made sure i didn't bring my laptop and kept me from getting near my friend's computer. i guess it kind of helped because it was definitely worth the relaxation we needed out of the stress we both get from work.

i missed my bouncy though. have to make sure i pamper her this weekend. i was going to do it today since i'm off, but like i said... i'm still tired and so so so lazy.

okay, that's it for now! 'till next time!

Captivating

Every woman was once a little girl. And every little girl holds in her heart most precious dreams. She longs to be swept up into a romance, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, to be the Beauty of the story. Those desires are far more than child's play. They are the secret to the feminine heart. And yet- how many women do you know who ever find that life? As the years pass by, the heart of a woman gets pushed aside, wounded, buried. She finds no romance except in novels, no adventure except on television, and she doubts very much that she will ever be the Beauty in any tale. Most women think they have to settle for a life of efficiency and duty, chores and errands, striving to be the women they "ought" to be but often feeling they have failed. Sadly, too many messaged for Christian women add to the pressure. "Do these ten things, and you will be a godly woman." The effect has not been good on the feminine soul. But her heart is still there. Sometimes when she watches a movie, sometimes in the wee hours of the night, her heart begins to speak again. A thirst rises whithin her to find the life she was meant to live-the life she dreams as a little girl. The message of Captivating is this: Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation. The desires you had as a little girl and the longings you still feel as a woman-they are telling you of the life God created you to live. He offers to come now as the Hero of your story, to rescue your heart and release you to live as a fully alive and feminine woman. A woman who is truly captivating.

I just shared with you a brief summary of this book I've been reading and I encourage everyone to one day read it. John & Stasi Eldredge are the author's to the book Captivating. The author goes on to say, Eve was created as the crown of creation, the image-bearer of an intimate, passionate, and captivating God. This book is an invitation to become that again, become the woman you truly are, Just as Cinderella was invited to the ball, God is inviting you to a great Romance with Him. "The eyes of his heart are ever upon you. The King is captivated by your beauty."

So I encourage you to take a journey with us, a journey of discovering and healing. For your heart is the prize of God's Kingdom, and Jesus has come to win you back for himself-all of you. We pray that God will use this book in your life, in your heart, to bring healing, restoration, joy and life! And if God does that, it will be cause for a wonderful celebration. With teacups and china. Or paper plates. Whatever. One day, we will celebrate together. In anticipation and hope, may this little book draw you closer to God's heart-and your own.

friend of sinners

ok, where do i begin??? had a busy weekend... for the past couple of days i feel like i worked out for hrs and never stretched - lolz!. my hubby and i just finished cleaning our closets. gosh! we started at 4p till 10:45p - why that long? well, part of that was coz we would make silly jokes, sweet dance and laugh at each other so much that the time really just flew by... oh and of course... we snacked here and there hehehe. nwayz, can't believe how much clothes i have! i disposed tons of them already, but it still seems like i didn't take out anything. my living room is full of boxes labeled for keeps, trash, donate & garage sale. yup! i decided to do garage sale to add the proceeds to project: HOPE - i read that it's one way to raise funds. so hope it'll be a success! i finally counted my shoes (to keep) and i have 42 pairs left. i also counted my bags and i have 42 to keep also (i use them all year round anyway)... i mean not to mention the ones i disposed hehehe - i kinda felt guilty though right after lookin' at my closet and kept thanking God for all this material blessings. i remember when we had our house blessing, our pastor suggested to lay our hands on our closets for God to fill it with His blessings! God is good!

nway, let me back track for a sec here... k, friday night we went to see my niece performed at the ECC singing contest and it was fun! although, the whole production team weren't quite prepared, i loved watching the contestants sing their hearts out. for a moment we felt like we were at the american idol. however, i thought we were gonna be able to vote, but nah! it was strictly the judges only, hmp! nway, my niece, nicole, didn't make it. but i sure am proud of her for being the only one who showed sportsmanship out of all of them. she was happy for the winners, approached them right away and gave each one of them a hug, but the rest, you could tell they wanted to yank the judges out of their seats hehehe - love u nix! you definitely made mama proud once again!

saturday, after bringing c to her skating class, we went grocery shopping for my sis' ingredients to make her famous lumpia (veggie spring roll) - magnific! esp when you dip it with vinegar, garlic and soy sauce... yummmmmy! when we got home, my be and ayre were getting a head start on our spring cleaning weekend. we were able to pull stuff out of every storage we possibly have and just sorted them out. put them in their designated boxes and pretty much just kept the ones we really really use. hey! i can sell the new ones at the garage sale you know. i'd go really cheap to get rid of them fast. c and ayre were assigned to clean their respective rooms, that also involves disposing whatever clothes & toys they can't possibly wear or play with anymore. later that afternoon, be and ayre had to go to our friend's bday party all the way in the south. i couldn't leave our mess so i just had the 2 of them go. besides i work faster when he's not around. only because when he's helping (which i appreciate), he would ask me 10mil times "be, where do i put this?" c & my sis took care of my lil' princess while i was cleaning. ugh! i can't imagine how much laundry we have to do still.

today at church, one of my best friends came with her 3 lil' cherubs. i'm so happy she loved willow! she was amazed with all the resources it has to offer to people from all backgrounds. i gave her a tour by the way. out of all that though, one thing really struck the 2 of us... "the message"... how Jesus loves sinners! for the next 4 weeks we will explore the teaching pastors' favorite play lists and how the messages on each of their favorite songs brings to light the message God wants us to know. today's topic was "How to Save a Life"... sorry, totally forgot the song related to this. i'm so horrible with titles that's why. nway, the highlighted verse is Mark 2:17. the message was so strong that i felt like God was talking to me and girlie. it is true that us sinners need God. and to experience the mercy and grace of God deeply in our hearts, we need to be nudged by God and just surrender our lives to Him. however, to a person like me, who had already accepted Christ Jesus as my Lord and Savior, i too, still need some nudging every now and then. part of being a Christian is being aware of what is pleasing to God and what is not. however, many of us lack to realize that we sometimes isolate ourselves in plain godly manner, which is not bad, however, Jesus teaches us that He did not come for the righteous, but for the sinners... He is a friend of sinners! meaning we Christians need to be available for the ones that are still loss. we can enjoy our families, do our church chores and bury ourselves in reading the word of God, but if we lack to show others God's love (God's way), then how can others know how good of a God we serve? no need to bombard them with our beliefs, but to just make them aware of our presence in spite of our differences. this means that it's ok to be surrounded by unbelievers and be at a place where it seems uncomfortable to us. it is not our place to judge them nor to change them, but it's God's. we always have to wait by the door for people who longs to find the truth... so that we can easily open the truth of God for them and with them. as much as God loves sinners like us, we should also follow His ways by loving the ones who are not in the same beliefs as we are. we cannot keep treating them as if we never made those wrong turns before.

you know, girlie and i were both crying during our closing prayer. i praise the Lord for talking to me once again and for touching girlie's heart that moment... i knew the Holy Spirit was working on her coz when the pastor was praying for the people who have yet to receive Jesus Christ in their lives, girlie gave me a hug and kissed me. that moment i felt God telling me... lovely, just be a friend to her and i'll do the rest. tears were pouring down our faces and believe me... once again, the Lord hit the bulls eye of my life. i thank the Lord for making each of His messages so meaningful and filled with His pure love.

God, you are amazing in every way! and to you my friend, i leave you with this: "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)

Encouragement for Today

Hi Everyone, just want to share this message I received this morning. I sincerely hope that you will be blessed and encourage by today's message.

The Marriage I've always Wanted

Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate. Mark 10:9 (NIV)

If you were to describe your ideal marriage, what are some things you would include? Engaging conversations, romantic dates, fun adventures, shared responsibilities, financial security, passionate intimacy, and a partner to pursue dreams together would be some of mine. As I walked down the aisle on my wedding day and mindlessly repeated the vows the pastor instructed us to say, I toted with me all these expectations of my ideal marriage. I thought our marriage would just have these things built in and all this would naturally come as part of the package.

I soon discovered, however, that a marriage is like that wonderful toy that you get on Christmas morning. You rip open the attractive packaging and go straight for the on button. When nothing happens, you feel confused and very disappointed. You are so sure that getting the toy will result in instant happiness, so when it fails to meet your expectations, you set it aside and move on to something else.

If only Id taken just a moment to read the instructions, I would have discovered three little words that could have made all the difference: batteries not included.

Had I read the instructions I would have realized that I can only get the toy to meet my expectations when I take the time to put energy into it. Having a great marriage is a matter of choice, not chance. Leaving it up to chance is saying, Well I just hope well have good communication, great sex, romantic dates, and share the responsibilities of life. Unfortunately, the realities of life dont lend themselves naturally to these things. We get busy, stressed, distracted, and before we know it, weve neglected our marriage for years. We keep pushing the on button hoping to get more from our marriage, but without putting in the batteries, well never really experience all that it can be.

I dont want to leave my marriage up to chance. I want to make the choice each day to invest wisely in my marriage. If I want good communication, then I have to set the scene for times that my husband and I can really talk. Not just debriefing about the events of the day but taking time to dream together, plan together, laugh together and grow together. If I want romantic dates, then I have to educate my husband on what this means and discover things we can enjoy doing together. If I want my husband to long to come home at night, then I ask him to define the word haven and make sure our home reflects that.

When I invest energy into my marriage, suddenly it starts working the way its supposed to. I must also remember the real power-source for my marriage comes from getting into Gods Word and letting His Word get into me. Gods Word is the ultimate marriage instruction manual!


Dear Lord, help me to put aside my pride so I can hear You whisper to my heart things I can do to improve my marriage. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Application Steps:

Set a date for you and your husband to go out and have time to really talk.
Ask your husband to define what a haven is to him.
Identify the areas of marriage you are struggling with and look up verses in Gods Word that address each.
Commit to memorizing these verses and refer to them often.

Reflections:

Whether youre a seasoned spouse or a newlywed, you have at some point realized that after every wedding is a marriage. Marriage is not a fairy taleits a reality. What helpful advice or wisdom has God given you about the reality of marriage that you could pass along to single women or brides-to-be?

Power Verse:
Romans 12:9-10, Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. (NIV)

Thanks and KEEP THOSE WONDERFUL SMILEZ GOING

Charisma SantosArmour Of God International Ministrieswww.aogim.orgCome visit us and join us http://charisma-armourofgod.blogspot.com/

The Spirit

Hi all:

This is so cool, thanks sis for inviting me to blog my thoughts and share with all on how God's arms are not too short and how His hands are not too small to carry us through this life journey.

Anyway, my lil one (Maxwell) has had a low-grade fever for a few days and extremely irritable, so I just assumed that it was a late reaction from his 1yr immunizations from almost 2wks ago...So I didn't think it was necessary to bring him to the Doc's. Of course my husband and I had been praying for him and yesterday we noticed some dryness/crust on his left ear and every time we would touch his ear to clean it he would cry. At this time, I was still saying oh it's nothing, maybe it's just old earwax or something...because there were no other signs of an ear infection. But the spirit say to me, "go take him to the doctor" here I am trying to talk my way out of it, oh it's nothing, it's a drive, it's a hassle to wait bcuz I don't have an appointment, etc.

So let me tell you, it is so important to be obedient to the spirit! Maxwell ended up having an ear infection and it got to the point where the "little bubble" in his ear protruded (burst) and the crust was coming out and that explained the crust on his ear. My poor baby!

So, I feel better now. Maxwell is taking an antibiotic and an ear drop, but immediately after giving it to him last night, he slept...which means I slept! =)

I guess to others it may have been obvious to go to the doctor's, but bcuz I am in the medical field, I have a tendency to not be so paranoid so to speak to run to the doctor's every time my children get a fever. And one might argue that it wasn't the spirit, but because we had been praying for Max, I believe that God allowed the protrusion to occur, so I would listen and and be obedient and finally take him in, so his infection could get treated.

It's so awesome to rely on His spirit, but also to be obedient is even more awesome!
Have a great weekend, can't wait to blog again =) thanks for listening/reading...you know what I mean!

calming down

Whew! My day didn't start very well than anticipated. I had a bad encounter over the phone with one of our lenders and I'm telling you, I almost blew up. Good thing my co-worker called her resources and got my request taken cared of, Otherwise I wouldn't yanked the person over the phone if I can.

I'm so bad! I was so mad I wanted to blog about it! HAHAHAHA - I guess it's better than letting out my frustration to my husband or someone else. I have to calm down and I think by blogging it'll help.

Lovely, you're so lucky you'll be able to do your spring cleaning already. Rich and I should do that too before my in-laws come over, next month.

The Y-me thing sounds awesome! I wish I can join you, but we already have plans for our moms this year. Hopefully next year if you're still doing it, I'll be able to fly and race with you. Oh! Don't worry, Rich & I will donate. It's the least we can do. :)

Okay, I think I'm calm now... back to work! Oh! by the way, Hi to you too Charisma! Nice name by the way. Till next time!

father & son bonding

totally forgot to tell y'all how proud i am of the 2 men in my life. my hubby, be and my son, ayre went to see the bulls game last tues. it was part of the father & son day ideas of our home church, willow creek. ayre could not sleep mon. night thinkin' about it. he kept thinkin' where he put his bulls shirt or jersey. lolz!
i bought some tix for my bro-in-law n my nephews so they can have their bonding moment as well. it was a hit! good thing the bulls won that day hehehe another way for them to celebrate that night. kids didn't even sleep the whole ride home coz they kept talkin' about the game - so cute =D too bad i'm not a sports fan, but i love to shop! hehehe who doesn't right?

nwayz, i began putting together our project HOPE web page and i tell ya, tears started running down my face while typing away. since we have exactly a year from now before this project goes live, we gotta get ourselves ready for the fundraising. the only thing i'm worried about when people would ask who to write the check to, we would have to say "just write to cash", coz it will be hard to open an acct if we're just starting without a registered organization, you know what i mean? i was told to start out small first and let God work His way around it so of course part of it is not jumping to register a non-profit org. - i mean we will still be opening an acct strictly for the HOPE project only. besides, most of the funds that will be used is coming out of our pockets first and so we started putting money aside already. i'm so excited for this proj n most esp for the people. so again, please continue to pray for us - that God will lead us to the right resources and for people to respond exceedingly in Jesus' name.

by the way, i've loaded the y-me race info in our "outreach programs" page. i sure hope y'all will visit and take a step of faith in extending your donation. you sure can join our team too if you'd like - i'd love to meet you!

nwayz, what happened to the weather today? goodness graciousness! it's ccccccold! heard it's gonna snow this weekend. hope not, jeez! we're planning to do our spring cleaning this weekend coz the extra garbage are free this month - hehehe i'm cheap like that! hey gotta take advantage of the free stuff ya know! k gotta go... have a blessed night lovers! muah!

overwhelmed

wow! i'm so overwhelmed and grateful for all my readers who responded to me in regards to yesterday's odb "You're worth something!". i received an amount of response to the many situations these people are going through and God does know our needs way before it happens. the Lord continues to amaze me. yesterday's odb meant a lot to many who are currently in a tough situation and i'm grateful that they were blessed with the message as much as i was.

i'm actually getting ready to leave work right now and i just thought i should blog first since i might now have time later.

nat and char, thanks for the kind words. i look forward to reading your inspirational and silly blogs and i pray that with it, many will be blessed as they face the daily stages of life.

nwayz, don't you both worry... y'all will get used to blogging. it's fun and exciting to get to know more of each other as we progress. and i'm sure you all will be able to lift someone's spirit as you share your own experiences.

nwayz, i'm studying the book of timothy. i'm not done analyzing what God is telling me in this passage so once i'm done with my notes i'll share them with you.

before i sign off, i'd like to thank everyone who responded to yesterday's odb, i'm sure the Lord knows you needed some sign to let you know He's right beside you. so take heart, God is good all the time and He will not leave nor forsake any of us. also, i'd like to say thanks to my bros and sisters in Christ who lifted my sister in prayer in regards to her job... well God once again answered our prayers and her employer decided to keep her instead of being laid-off... praise God for all this!

and so i leave you with this note: no matter what happens to us, we have this assurance: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (found in Psalm 46:1). Open your eyes and your heart. He is there.

Thanks for Inviting Me =)

Good Morning Lovable,Thanks for inviting me.. This is fun =) So, I can write as much as i want now and make silly kwento ( story).. Oh no! I guess I have to translate all Filipino words to English now... Aight then -- I have to get my dictionary ready..lolz.. Well Love, God has blessed you with many things-- u are very good in computer, crafts but most importantly is sharing HIS words to everyone.. Isn't a wonderful feelings that we can tell HIS stories to others. Well, I gotta get back to work.. We'll chat later.. Oh! and H there Natalie =) Welcome to the site... Also, please continue to pray for my friend Mary who just went home last week from the hospital- recovering from breast cancer surgery. I will be visiting her sometime this week.. Enjoy the rest of your sunny day..=)I will write more later.. okie dokie.. Vavoo Amigas =) **** WHOOOOO! it took me at least almost 2 hrs to figure this out but it's all worth it...lolzz.. But hey, i learned new things everyday*** Thanks sistah =)

Char

inspired

The ODB continues to inspire my husband and I. He says you're a heavent sent. Keep up the good work! You said it yourself, even if it would just be one person to read your Daily Bread, you won't stop. Well honey, there's two of us. So you better not.

I just got home and I'm just waiting for Rich so we can have dinner together. I've been coming home late and I know I need to spend time with my hubby dubby! I like the blog about communication. I second emotion! I know without an open communication with our spouse, we can never know where our relationship would lead to nor what we're lacking as a partner.

I told Christy about this blog and she was laughing bcoz she knows I'm not really good at this, but I told her I can get use to it.

Okay, I think I should sign off. But before that, I want you to know that you're doing such a wonderful job. We all look forward to the next ODB so keep it coming! I'm sure just like Rich and I, there are people out there who goes through the deep waters of life and hearing an encouragement will certainly give them hope.

'till next time! Hope to see you soon!

happy family

it was a weekend of laughter and relaxation. my siblings along with the entire fam went to our house last sat. our eldest sis, cooked her infamous spaghetti, bought bags of sam's club's awesome bread rolls, mixed our sat feast with filipino snacks... yummy! there goes my diet! hehehe

that's not it though. went to church yesterday... great message once again. it was about james 5... the power of prayer. you and i both know we all take that route when we're at our most weak moment. i, myself find prayer as my way of releasing all my worries to God. it is when God gives me a new set of eyes to see a new perspective and a hope filled with His love. nway, after church we went to the cemetery to visit my ever dearest, mama. we had to take out the flowers and decorations coz they will do spring cleaning this week. afterwards, we went to my sister's place coz my dad also just came back from phils and he wanted to see all of us so there we are enjoying another set of food - waaaaaa i was bloated by the time we got home.

but all is well! we had a wonderful time talking about silly stuff... nothing but laughter i tell yah. hey! it's good for your soul as well as our physical body.

the best part though, we were able to put more ideas together for the HOPE project. unfortunately though, our trip was moved to last week of march 2008. since we have a big family, 19 to be exact, but only 17 might be able to go... leaving this dec 07 will be too expensive. not only ticket wise, but Christmas gifts alone to our huge clan in the phils will be too much to bear - yikes! although we will be setting aside funds for the HOPE project, we still want to make sure we have emergency funds just in case our expectations for the needs of this children will be greater than expected. my sis, already warned us that it will be so hard to say "no" to the less fortunate once we get there.

so again, please pray for all of us and more so for the project.

i will be uploading the tsunami video we donated for the lyon's foundation tsunami fundraising event, sometime soon. hope you will be encouraged to extend a help to the many people who are still affected by the tragedies of life.

God bless you all!

communication

what a great word! COMMUNICATION: activity by one organism that changes or has the potential to change the behavior of other organisms.

i love to communicate with different types of people. it's part of me! i'm not the type to just sit there and mope around. i admit, before i was pretty much in the serious side, but i still love to laugh with friends and family.... more so now that i have the fullness of the spirit through Christ Jesus.

nway, i just have to blog about this. i had a wonderful long conversation with my husband on the phone early this morning while we were both at work. first, we were discussing our plans for the HOPE proj. then it led to our own walk with God. it feels so good to just have an open communication with our spouse, you know. we not only learn from each other, but we develop a good communication level, respect and trust as well as great example to the kids in our lives. we believe marriage is a lifetime of adjustment... we continue to grow together and get to know each other. we cannot say we know everything about each other coz that doesn't leave space for change. change is good as long as it goes to a good direction... mainly, God's direction.

nway, i encourage all married couples out there... to put God in the center of your marriage... He will not only direct your path to a better relationship, but it will bring you security through faith in God. focus on the specific job God directed you (read 1 Peter 3 - to be more detailed).

i know many couples who struggle with this part of their marriage, but i encourage you... replace all the negative thoughts you have with positives and never give up nor don't loose hope... cry out to Jesus. He knows what you're going through.

- keep your eyes unto the Lord and smile!

be safe than sorry

hello! i'm just about to leave work and thought of checkin' my email and blog. to my surprise i received an email from one of my odb readers, it was in regards to the odb i sent with the subject, "be safe than sorry".

here's what it says:
Hi, this I had to read twice because I have been there. I have done some horrible things in the past and I have asked for forgiveness and I am still begging for forgiveness everyday. I do wonder if I am forgiven and if HE forgives me. The reason why I question this is because before I did my wrong doing I thought twice and I had a guilty conscience. So, that means that I did not obey God. My conscience was HIM and I ignored HIM. I think am so horrible now because of this reading. Do you know that when I did do wrong I had enough nerve to do it over and over again?
I know that someday my actions will catch up with me and it has been on my mind every now and then. I am just hoping that if there is a price to pay I am able to stand strong and deal with it. Or am I even aloud to stand strong because I deserve whatever happens to me--because I was truly wrong. Can you advice? Thank you so much! By the way my Pastor enjoys your Daily Bread.

from me to you:
hello friend,

sorry for the delay, our system was being upgraded here at work that's why it took a while for me to check my email. first, i am humbled by your choice of emailing me. although we haven't met, i am grateful that the Lord is using this daily bread to touch people like you.

the Lord's mercy is new every morning. if you have asked for forgiveness, but still feeling guilty and despair, please remember John 1:9, "it means that if we confess a sin, God forgives it, no matter what we've done, no matter how bad we feel. God doesn't make exceptions. all your sins can be forgiven." many of us are pretty stubborn when it comes to the things we want and how we want it, believe me you're not alone. but if your heart is willing to be right with God, He gives us chances. now take that chance ones again even if it takes great sacrifice or it's not aligned with your desires. remember, the Lord works for our good... He loves us dearly. all of our wrong doings have consequences, but the Lord is still so good to us that He does not give us anything beyond what we can take. none of us are exempt from the consequences of our wrong doings. but because God forgave you, even when a storm enters your life, you will be at peace knowing that the Lord will carry you through it.

so i advice you to flee from what's causing you to keep on falling to this temptation. stand more firmly and cling more tightly to God's truth. i assure you that He's the only one that can clear our record. He'll restore your joy and help you overcome sins that trouble you. be also encouraged that the Lord hears you as you were typing this email. He delights your honesty and your sincerity to be forgiven. trust the power of God's grace and know that you are forgiven. temptation will always break loose to deceive you and keep you away from Him. all you need to do is surrender it to the Lord. you are His child and the battle is His. God loves you and He awaits for you to refresh your relationship with Him.

be blessed! email me anytime you need someone to talk to.

-Lovely

i thank God for being near to the broken. i know from experience that He pays close attention to our pain and He never leaves us unattented. let's draw near to God and He will draw near to us.

back home!

finally, my sis & fam are back home. got lots of pasalubong... didn't expect it to be 1 balik-bayan box (international shipping box). no complains i love everythin' we got.

can't wait to go this december. before anything i gotta make sure everything's settled with our HOPE project first of course.

just got back from ayre's bball practice and i'm in pain. i walk & run while he's practicing... the track is right up the gym that's why. nway, walked too fast and now i'm regreting it - yikes! i was trying to walk up to 3miles, but i guess i still wasn't fast enough coz i only did 2miles and 1 lap for 45mins. i need to get used to it since i've joined the y-me race for breast cancer this mother's day. another outreach i'm trying to reach this year. noel did his climb to support the kids of children's memorial hospital last january. he climbed up to the top of the aon bldg. he didn't think he was gonna make it coz he was ready to give up at the 35th flr., i kept reminding him that the goal was for the cmh and not just to make it to the top to gain self-praise. well, lo and behold! he made it to the 80th flr. woohoo! all that for the patients and family of cmh.

k, gotta go watch with the kiddies now.

a day of reflection

just put the kids to sleep. have church tomorrow and i can't wait to hear the next message. it's about james 4 this time. i have this journal book from willow creek (my home church)that we're working on for 5 weeks and i was reflecting on james 1-3, earlier. i thank God for talking to me through His words in the Bible. it got me thinkin' hard. it made me realize so many things i neglected to see about me. one thing's for sure... we all need God's nudge from time to time, otherwise we will all be off track without knowing it.

here are my memory verses for the past 3 weeks:
1) do not be merely listeners of the word and so deceive you. do what it says! (james 1:22)

2) my brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism. (james 2:1)

3) out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. my brothers, this should not be. (james 3:10)

btw, ayre's team won yesterday and today... still undefeated! hubby said ayre worked hard today. no wonder he was exhausted when he got home, fell right asleep in my bed. c on the other hand learned new moves in skating today. so proud of her =) we went shopping afterwards. love it! it's one of our many mother & daughter bonding moments. can't wait for my lil' one to join us.

my b and i were working on our mission statement for our outreach project to be launched this summer (Lord willing). we sure hope you all will come and support us. just to give you an idea, the project's name is H.O.P.E. - Helping Out People Everywhere! this project will first take place in the philippines, but we will be raising funds here in US. please include this project as well as all the people involved in your prayers. we're gonna need it.

james 3

i've been studying the book of james. i read james 3 again last night and wrote some notes. i believe the book of james was written for me. there are so many things i need to learn and need to keep reminding myself and this part of the bible really hit the bullseye of my life. although there's just no way for me to level with Christ, i know He still wants all of us to work our way in following His examples. it's amazing to me how God can do everything He has done even if we turn our backs on Him. how He still loves us inspite of our ughs in life.

try reading it yourself, ponder and take notes. if you want, give me your own thoughts!

off the topic here, but i'm so excited for my son, ayre. his team, "magic" has been undefeated! can't wait to watch them again tonight! my daughter, c, has been wanting to watch her lil' bro, but she has ice skating class the same time as his games on sats. she's finally gonna be able to, tonight. hooray! the whole fam will cheer him on!

my sis and her fam will be coming back from phils on sunday. can't wait to see them as well as my pasalubongs (tagalog for gifts or items given by one arriving from a trip) hehehe. ok, enuf! gotta get back to work!