As a child Ash Wednesday was that day when we went to mass and received ashes on our foreheads. It marked the start of the Lenten Season - which according to our Christian Living teachers - was a time of repentance and penance in preparation of Easter Sunday, the resurrection of Jesus.
In the Philippines there are people who read the bible out loud in song. They call it Passion. There are people who go out and scourge themselves in the streets - even people who would have themselves crucified in some provinces. These are called "panata", my translation of that word would be promise or devotion.
Why do we have Ash Wednesday? It is a reminder that man was created from dust and to dust we shall return. The physical world ends in dust, it is finite. During the season of Lent we are preparing our spiritual selves - the part of us that is infinite, our soul.
Jesus died for us on the cross - to redeem our sins. He died so that we can be with Him in eternal life. During Lent (actually we can do this all year) we offer our little sacrifices in repentance for our sins - praying that our little sacrifices would take away some of the pain Jesus suffers on the cross. As Lent ends with Easter Sunday, we celebrate another Christmas, Jesus comes to us again from the dead.
Cherish this Lenten Season with me. Offer what you can for Jesus - though it will never measure up to his giving of his life for our salvation - we know Jesus always appreciates a Thank You gesture.
We had our induction of officers for our church group yesterday. We attended mass and I was so grateful for my friend and co-officer, Jen, who was so thoughtful she brought tissue.
I have been called to serve before. It was back in the Philippines. The irony of it all is when I was young and really wanted to be called to serve - I was never called. Then I grew older and - at that point in my life - not really wiser. It was at the lowest point in my life after my gravest sin - when I realized the hard way that I was wrong and repented - that God first called me to serve.
I was young - fresh out of college. My parents both had major roles in our church group. They made so many sacrifices and went on so many missions that compared to them I didn't really feel that I was serving. But I did feel love from so many of my fellow servers and our sisters and brothers in Christ and tried to contribute to missions as much as I can.
Yesterday I was called to serve again. To serve God by taking care of His flock. Maybe it was because I was older. Maybe because I had missed serving so much. Maybe it was because I felt so unworthy. But in the mass, when the choir started singing "Make me a Servant" then followed up with "Lead Me Lord" - I felt so moved that I was grateful for Jen's tissue.
When you learn to love a group of people more than your aunts, uncles and cousins that they become your family and you do something for them - it never feels like a chore, it never feels like a burden. When they love you enough to nominate you to be part of the group that leads them - my heart just overflowed with gratitude and I felt so humbled.
When our names were called to serve - I felt like my heart was going to explode with joy. Although I may not tell people this, my heart longed to serve again. And I know that God knows what is truly in my heart.
It's going to be hard - most of the outgoing officers warn us about that - but many also say that it's a privilege and an honor to serve. I know I have a lot to learn about humility, about patience and about caring for others. I have to learn to go out of my shell and just get to know people more to find out where they are hurting and heal them with the love that comes from God through me.
Here I am, Lord. I will go, Lord. I will hold Your people in my heart. Please lead all of us and guide us to the right path. Amen.
This morning I saw my godmother comment about a post on this blog. I have not written in this blog for quite some time and that comment served as a reminder that it is not always just what is popular that you need to tend to. You cannot anticipate how your writing, that little task you do that seems insignificant can affect another person.
The Christmas season had been a tough one for me and my husband. Our salaries were both affected by the recession. It was Christmas! We had to send gifts to my family and to my stepkids. His siblings had disappointed my mother-in-law again by not flying her to New Zealand for the holidays so it was up to us to make Christmas special for her. And to top it off, we were asked to manage my husband's goddaughter's mini-fundraising campaign. There were nights when I just felt like crying because I didn't know where all the money for Christmas and the fundraising would come from. We didn't have enough capital to do our usual fundraising gimicks like photo calendars and photo books. There were days when I wanted to just give up and fly back home to my parents who always made things all right.
But I didn't, my husband would always remind me to pray about my worries - trust that God will provide for us. So I started praying and in my heart I found the courage to trust that God will not give us anything we cannot handle.
So I worked on my budget. I paid all my bills. I sent medicine to my mom. I sent Christmas money to my dad and the stepkids. I told my sisters about my situation and they both did not ask for anything this Christmas. We were able to take my mother-in-law on a budget vacation that made her extremely happy. We cooked holiday ham to raise funds, did favors for friends in exchange for ads and just asked for donations from people who support us constantly - and we won that little fundraising competition.
And at the end of the fundraising campaign and the holiday season - my income was restored to normal. My husband is still working on his income, but has contacted the proper authorities. All is well - I'm still not doing overtime work, but that is still a manageable budget for me. It almost felt as if God was telling me, "I was only teaching you that I will not let you down ever. I will provide for you just trust in me."
In these hard times, we must trust God a hundred-fold more. It is not a natural instinct in us, but pray, pray harder. God will reveal his plans for you just trust in His grand design for your life.
Photos of our pet parakeets, my mother-in-law (including an official one she needs to submit to the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office - yes, they do require proof of life pictures!), one of my husband's masks and one of my hand-painted plates. All taken in auto mode with the Nikon D90.
I would like to start a gratitude prayer thread in this blog. I have been blessed so much in the past month and I would like to share these blessings with you:
Thank you, Lord, for my loving husband who though I pick fights with him has an ever-forgiving heart that understands my frustrations - and loves me no matter what. Who supported me 200% and had more sleepless nights than I did preparing for the fundraiser.
Thank you for the financial blessings that enable me to reward me and my husband with little perks from time to time. Thank you for enabling me to save during such a tough economic period.
Thank you for my sister in Christ who taught me that a word of positive encouragement goes a long way.
Thank you for my old friends in the ANP who remembers me and has shown me that I have touched their lives in some way.
Thank you for my wonderful boss who shields us from anxiety and continues to fight to keep our team together.
Thank you for the many projects in our team's horizon - may we keep working to connect people to God.
Thank you for opening the door to two new business opportunities in photography and development - I pray that these two projects be fruitful as our economy continues to struggle and we need all the help we can get to make it through and persevere!
Thank you for the wonderful people who have appreciated my small sacrifice of volunteering for a fundraiser. Their gratitude has made me feel loved.
Thank you for the friends I found backstage who showed me how to have fun while you're serving.
Thank you for the people who supported me - family, friends, classmates who watched our show for me and my husband.
Thank you for my favorite staff friend - who never tires of sharing about God with me. She is truly a blessing to our chapter.
Thank you for writer friends who encourage me to continue with my passion and for the invitation to collaborate on a stage play. It is something I look forward to doing!
Thank you for the young men who inspired me by taking my advice and turning the other cheek - which I know for a fact is not easy. They have shown me the true spirit of offering what they do for God, by playing fair because they are playing for God and not just to win.
Thank you for the wonderful teachers who patiently teach us songs, chants, dances, etc. so that we could have a beautiful offering to God.
Thank you for the healing of my mother-in-law - who now is happy living independently again.
Thank you for my family in the Philippines - for showing me what it means to be loved, to serve God and to stay together to help each other out.
This is my thank you list. I know there is probably a lot I have missed. I am grateful for all my blessings. This is just all I remember at the moment.
We are singing this song tonight at a gathering in Ontario. I hope we do justice to this beautiful song. It didn't seem as beautiful when we were practicing yesterday - maybe it had been too noisy then.
Give yourself a few moments of silence from your hectic day to reflect on God's promise.
May you find peace and love today and always in God's love.
A couple of weeks ago, God gave me a glimpse of what I thought I wanted. When I thought this want was within reach, I began to feel uncertain - knowing that if I go in this direction I will leave behind my greater dream - a dream that seems so far away today... And yet, God also sent me hope in this other dream's direction - not as overwhelming as the first though.
Today I received news that what I thought I had wanted was closed to me... And at first it was heartbreaking, but I listened to my favorite praise songs and remembered that what I've been asking God since I thought I was getting what I wanted was to take the lead in my life - I let go of what I wanted and let God show me the way...
I know God knows what is best for me so I asked him to lead and I will follow. And I thought of this song, "When God closes a door, He opens a window." And it comforted me more than the other songs I've been listening to because it gave me hope - hope that the window God is preparing for me is better than the door he closed.
I have a feeling about what this window is, but I will take God's lead and follow... May this song bring you comfort and joy in your heart today and for always!
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."
His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."
They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."
This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
John 2:1-11
In this story, note how Jesus tells his mother, "Dear woman, why do you involve me? My time has not yet come." Jesus was following God's plan for His life, but at the request of His mother He turned water into wine for the wedding party.
There are times in our lives when God reveals his plan for us - and if this plan involves something we dislike, we petition God to have mercy, be lenient and change His plan for us. God is our Heavenly Father. He loves us so much that when we pray to Him, His loving heart indulges us with favors.
And this makes us happy, often times without thinking that we asked God to do OUR bidding and not His.
If we have truly accepted the role of God's servants, shouldn't we bow to God's will? Shouldn't we obey his commandments without question? More often than not preachers say, it is hard to follow God, why must we be negative about it? Why can't we just throw our pride away and submit?
Because we are humans? Because of our senses that are the gateways of temptation? Because of poor choices, using our free will and choosing our own conveniences over what is right. Often I am guilty of this. It is wrong, I know. I will try harder this time around. Let God's will be done, not my will. He knows what is best for all of us.
We are singing this song tonight at a gathering in Ontario. I hope we do justice to this beautiful song. It didn't seem as beautiful when we were practicing yesterday - maybe it had been too noisy then.
Give yourself a few moments of silence from your hectic day to reflect on God's promise.
May you find peace and love today and always in God's love.
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a]met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"
When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
- Luke 17:11-19, NIV
When my husband and I go out and help people - whether it be by bringing them food or helping them move furniture - the best gift we have ever received is the gift of gratitude. A simple thank you goes a long way for me.
During my first year on the job, I had to run our whole department by myself for a couple of weeks. My coworkers did a great job of telling people not to bombard me with requests because I was the only one working, but still requests came in. I attended to them as best as I could and every time I would tell someone the task is done they would send me a nice thank you email, which I kept in my inbox for the rainy days. Every time I felt a bit burned out or overwhelmed with the work load, I would go into my thank you folder and read people's thank you notes again - and then I would be ready to tackle more work.
I only made updates on the website, Jesus died on the cross to save us! The least we can do is say thank you to him. Thank you for saving us, please don't get burned out.
We are so blessed by God that we forget all that He has given us thinking that it is our due. How arrogant, we have become! We don't deserve all the blessings God gives us, we are imperfect beings that manage to hurt Jesus by reveling in the life we want to live instead of the life we should be living for God. And yet our Heavenly Father blesses us each and every day of our lives.
It is only right to thank God. He gave us air to breathe today, the earth is still here for us to stand on and get food from, the sun still rose this morning and we still have water to drink. We have so much to thank God for.
"Your faith has made you well," Jesus said. The man who came back to say thank you believed that it was Jesus who healed him and that was why he went back to say thank you. All the things we have in our lives, God gave to us. All the successes we achieve, God helps us attain it. Therefore, we must thank God for everything because we believe that He provides for us and he blesses us everyday - because we have faith in Him.
The gift of gratitude goes a long way - and we know from the story of the ten lepers who were healed that Jesus appreciates a grateful heart full of faith. So say thank you today and everyday - you never know how much this thank you will be appreciated!
When they hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed." For "you were like sheep going astray," but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Wives in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Rather it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
- 1 Peter 2:23-25, 1 Peter 3:1-4, Power for Life Bible (TNIV)
I was watching an interview with Full House actress, Candace Cameron Bure, last Friday. She described how she was able to make her husband believe in Jesus. She tried preaching to him, which only managed to turn him off to believing, and then she remembered 1 Peter 3:1 - "Wives in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives." And she followed what Peter had written, it took two years but her husband soon gave his life over to Jesus and believed. The verse made such an impact on me I decided to read it in context in the bible.
Unlike Candace, my husband was already a believer when we became romantically involved. We were actually both recovering from the darkest points in our lives when we began talking to each other again and we helped each other get through difficult situations that would have put us deep in sin again.
One of the sweet older women of our church came up to me a few months ago and said, "You are good for your husband, you make him a better person - even if you don't know you are doing it." That was one of the best compliments I have ever received!
My husband is a bit short-tempered, the old woman was remembering how he was when he played basketball at our church's sports fest. When she saw us working together, she loved the teamwork we had and how patient he seemed (especially with me).
My mother had advised me long before I got married to never nag your husband. "Nagging will drive him away," she stated. My mother and father have been married for thirty-three years today - it's their wedding anniversary. My mother has a very strong and dominant personality, but she curbs it and defers to my father for decisions affecting our lives. Of course, my father, being the wonderful man that he is knows my mother very well and respects her wishes. They have a beautiful marriage!
When I got married I made it a point to be a great wife. I tried my best not to nag my husband - I vowed that I would accept him for who he was and not try to change him. I respected his decisions. I never kept him away from his friends. I trusted him when he said they were just going out for a drink and let him have his personal time. I know he appreciated these and loves me all the more.
I have seen husbands (or boyfriends) who are restrained from going out with their friends or are not trusted by their significant others rebel even more. And when they rebel the trust is broken even more and the men are more tempted to betray their partners.
Most men I know are true to their words. If they promised to be faithful to you, trust them. Show them that you believe that they are great husbands or boyfriends. Do not nag them.
And do not ever be unfaithful! You must be an example. Show them with actions more than words how you want them to be. If you want a caring and thoughtful husband, be a caring and thoughtful wife.
Submit to your husband. In this modern world, that might be frowned upon by feminists and the activists for gender equality. But there is nothing wrong with submitting to your husband. In any relationship, there must be respect and if you respect your husband you trust that he is looking out for what is best for your family. So you respect his decisions.
When you humble yourself before your husband, when you forget your pride and submit to him, he becomes a better man. Because he will see how you are and how you live your life, he will strive to be better because he loves you. By your example, you are teaching him to be a better Christian, to be a better husband and head of the family. Be the light of your family, show your husband the way to be more like Jesus.
Make your inner self more beautiful by practicing humility, gentleness and love everyday. Make yourself spiritually beautiful for God. It is this inner beauty that will keep your husband committed and in love long after your outer beauty fades away. Be a good wife and guide your husband to be the best he can be. Be like Jesus, forget your pride and be humble always - entrust your life to God.
Let God be always present in your marriage and He will bless you and your family always. Peace and love to you and your family!
My husband and the men's choir of our church group sang at a mass this morning. A group of people were celebrating a quinceniera (a lady's 15th birthday). It was a very solemn and meaningful service and the choir sang so beautifully the family thanked them so profusely.
This is the closing song they sang. I found this version on YouTube dedicated to all babies who died prematurely due to illnesses, miscarriage or abortion - the little angels who touched our lives so briefly but who will never be forgotten.
