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)