heaven was waiting...

for my uncle who went to be with the Lord last night @ 11:45p. people wonder if we were surprised since he was suffering from lymphoma, pneumonia & tuberculosis, however, for me, since i've gone through this same situation with my mom, you don't really find yourself leaning towards departure, instead you hold on to every moment you have. no matter how bad the circumstances is in front of you, you can't really ready yourself to face your loved one's departure... however, i can speak for my cousins and my aunt (who are also believers in Christ) that the experience and every moment was worth it. my uncle received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior during his battle and although we grief for his passing, i can certainly attest that his departure was not in vain, instead we rejoice for his new life eternally with Christ, our Lord.

i'm a firm believer of matthew 8:36... "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" yes! in life it all comes down to one decision, that is if you want to gain everything in this world and lose your soul, or you won't have everything this world brings, but you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? at the end of the day, it is what it is... we will depart this world, but we just don't know when, but i'm glad to say that I AM SAVED and i just look forward for the day i will finally be with my King! how about you, do you know where you're going? don't be too arrogant with your good deeds, for we are not saved coz we do good works, but bcoz of His love and mercy, He died on our behalf. His free gift of salvation was made available to us which can only be received through faith. now, when you love Christ, that's when good works follow.

so, going back to my uncle... i'm glad i was able to spend time with him when we went to VA, but i'm most delighted to hear that he received Jesus' gift of salvation right on time! to God be all the glory!!!

ahhh! it feels so good to be at peace with everything! though trying moments come my way, i'm so glad i have the Lord to turn to and share my deepest sorrows. if you're interested in finding out more of how you can have "THE BEST' relationship with God, please feel free to shoot me an email i'll be glad to pray for you and with you.

i've been sick since last week. i loss my voice 3days ago and i'm having such a hard time sleeping at night coz of my severe cough. i just thought i'd log in real quick before i hit the bed. i've been cleaning like crazy (even if i should be resting) coz we're hosting thanksgiving this year. thank God we're able to even if we're in the midst of a financial crisis. God is good and there's no way i would decline celebrating thanksgiving and Christmas... it's about my Savior we're talking about here for crying out loud!

nway, last sat, i met up with my girlfriend for brunch and tried the restaurant in arlington heights called "uptown cafe"... it was both our 1st time there and we both tried something new hehehe. we're glad we did. every food we ordered deserved 5 stars. thank God for metromix i discovered this restaurant! oh gosh! i'm getting hungry just thinking about it. too bad my girlfriend totally forgot a few hrs won't be enough to catch up on things, but i'm glad to see her and blessed to have that opportunity with her. looking forward for more!

so, what's for thanksgiving? well, besides good food and many laughs, i look forward to hearing everyone's testimony of what they're thankful for. oh btw, i volunteered to cook. oh my! is that a good thing for my family? hahaha maybe not, but oh well, they don't have a choice =)

k signing off now! may you all have an awesome night and a blessed tomorrow!

You think you know?

It's amazing how I started to realize how different we are everyday. I never really thought of this 'till I started playing around with the mood character i recently uploaded. Yesterday, I felt so lazy and bored, but today I have so many things I need to work on that's why I picked "busy" as my current mood for the day... it's pretty much a combination of feeling fired up, organized, & accomplished. But believe me, there are also days when I question Him about my situation and I learned that it's ok to do that. And I kid you not, I'm always in awe of how many times He puts me back in the right track.

I'm really grateful that the Lord gave me a chance to read the book I'm currently reading, it's called, "10 things you should know about God & Life". It gives me a better understanding of how life works and how the Lord truly desires for us to prosper through an absolute, really one on one relationship with Him. Understanding the difference between really trusting God and just saying that you trust God. I'm learning so much as I carry this load of job loss.

I don't know how He does it, but whatever magical thing He does, He never fails to give me new hope. And so with amazement, i just sincerely put my trust in Him. I mean, why wouldn't I? He's blessed me more than I deserve. He changed my life when I thought there was no other way around it. I know that He understands what I'm going through regardless I say something or not. But see, I finally figured it out that the reason why He wants to hear it directly from us is because it's for our own benefit, if you haven't realized that by now. I don't know about you, but for me, it helps me to get a better understanding of my situation when I vent out, either to a friend or a family member... it brings peace in my heart. I really think that keeping it in will make matters worst, not only for yourself, but to your loved ones. And so, what better way, but to let it out to the One who understands it all... our One and Only heavenly Father.

I've seen people panicked like it was the end of the world for them when dealing with a difficult situation. Sometimes, the problem comes when we rely too much on our own perception of the situation. Like with my situation, there were times I felt so disappointed due to numerous turned-downs I received in a week. I just couldn't imagine why the Lord would allow something like this? But yet again, I remember the verse in Proverbs 3:5, "Never rely on what you think you know." And so time after time, I hear the Lord gently telling me that out of a seemingly bad situation can come good. (Romans 8:28 - All things work together for good to those who love God...)

That's why I'm so grateful to say that I know that the Lord will be glorified during this waiting time in my life. In the meantime... I will continue to hold on to His promises and be obedient to whatever He wants me to do. I may not fully understand His plans, but what matters is I trust His results and I know that God is enough at the end of the day.

So friends, when you encounter hardship, I encourage you to be honest to the Lord and pray that He will remind you not to rely on what you think you know is best for you. Believe from the beginning that God will bless you in the experience. Let's walk by faith, my friend, and not by site.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. -Proverbs 3:5

Have a JOYFUL day!