Womens retreat

Happy Monday morning everyone!

I attended a Womens retreat last Friday and Saturday and I was so blessed. The Lord spoke to my heart and I just can't help but cry in His presence. The speaker talked about the following ;

1. Spirit filled life

2. Developing Christ like attitude and

3. Unlocking your legacy

We were asked to reflect on how are we living our life at the present, it was a sort of realization if you really are living the life of purpose? If you really are doing what God's will is for you.

And I know from the bottom of my heart that God wants me to do something which I have no idea what it is. All I know is just He is prompting me to OBEY.

Hubby and I discussed it (because he was there at the retreat also-leading us in worship) and he said I should obey God. No matter how hard and vague it is for us we just have to trust HIM.

So we are trying to make new plans and re adjust our lives in line to God's direction for us. Hubby is planning o go to school and study something that we ca use if ever God send us out in an overseas mission field. I on the other hand has plans to enhance some of my gifts. I do plan to work part time at home so we can still have resources. sales training and seminar on event organizing are on the top of my list.

God will surely not leave us nor forsake us and we are holding on to HIS promises.

Thankful Thursday- the still small voice

"As you think about your Thankful Thursday post, consider your heart. Write about obedience or hearing the voice of God. Be Blessed, Lynn"

Quoted that from Lynn's post.

THAT STILL SMALL VOICE...

I know we don't hear it too often, specially when we get too busy with what's going on in our life. When we are too engrossed with our ministry, when we are too concerned with things we need and things that surrounds us.

I was taking a shower yesterday morning and I knew I heard that voice.

Yes, sometimes God speaks to us in silence, not only thru reading His words or hearing sermons and preachings. And I know in my heart it is Him who spoke that morning.

And he wants me to do something. He wants me to give up and resign from a certain ministry which I am very involved with. I mean I am one of those who pioneered that ministry. I belong to the core group leader of that ministry.

But why would He want me to give that up? That I do not know.

but Psalms 32:8 says

" I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you"

I also remember last January, God told us He is giving us new direction. So I wonder would this be it? Should I leave all the ministry I am involved now because He is leading us to new direction?

I thank God for His voice, His words. Though it is not easy for us to give up something that is dear to us we still should be thankful in hearing that still small voice. Obedience is not easy. but obedience is better than sacrifice.I hope I will obey my God whatever it is that He is asking me to do.

So what are you thankful for this week? share it with us. God bless everyone!

Just sharing!

1. Give God what's right -- not what's left.

2. Man's way leads to a hopeless end! -- God's way leads to an endless hope.

3. A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.

4. He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.

5. In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma--but never let him be the period.

6. Don't put a question mark where God puts a period.

7. Are you wrinkled with burden? Come to the church for a face-lift.

8. When praying, don't give God instructions - just report for duty.

9. Don't wait for six strong men to take you to church.

10. We don't change God's message -- His message changes us.

11. The church is prayer-conditioned.

12. When God ordains, He sustains.

13. WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning.

14. Plan ahead -- It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.

15. Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory position.

16. Suffering from truth decay? Brush up on your Bible.

17. Exercise daily -- walk with the Lord.

18. Never give the devil a ride -- he will always want to drive.

19. Nothing else ruins the truth like stretching it.

20. Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.

21. He who angers you controls you.

22. Worry is the darkroom in which negatives can develop.

23. Give Satan an inch & he'll be a ruler.

24. Be ye fishers of men -- you catch them & He'll clean them..

25. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Been busy

It’s been a busy week end. I was not able to sing in our church service yesterday because I woke up with a headache. I didn’t even finish the whole service. The whole music team did not have any time to practice to for the service.

I coordinated a wedding of a special friend and when I do that I usually get busy. This wedding is special because the couples are both Indonesian, the girl has been here since her childhood, her father was a missionary in Mindanao. And she at present is serving in International Teams as office volunteer and a full time missionary. It was a Filipino-Indonesian wedding. Praise God it went well and the guests had fun. Though we encountered some problems which I hope to blog in another posts all in all it was still good.

I mentioned in my last post that our computer crashed in the middle of heavy loads of work I’m doing last week. Praise God it’s ok now. Thank God!

So I am back to blogging now and of course I’m excited to read some new posts too.

But before I go, has anyone here tried buy.com? Would anyone know about Circuit City? Well, never tired buying online but this site has so many good products. Would love to hear any feedback from them.

Thankful Thursday-Nature

First of all, I am thankful our computer at home crashed yesterday in the middle of loads of work I have to finish up until Saturday. I wanted to scream and get mad at hubby but I'm sure that won't help. So the best thing to do? GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES...I pray it would go back and work again tonight ( I left hubby at home trying his best to figure what went wrong and fix it. God bless him!)

Today, Lynn of spiritually unequal marriage talked about nature. I love the flowers she posted on her post.

My husband and I are both nature lover, he loves to be in the mountains, I love beaches and blue skies and I have tons of pictures of them. I so agree with Lynn, that you feel closer to the Creator when you are with nature. I always stand in awe in the beauty of His creation. Am posting also several photos of our nature trip here. Hope you all enjoy it!

this was taken from my last trip to the beach (May 10, 2009)

hubby took this photo of mine last New year, I'm having my devotion alone in a wide beach line. So great!!


hubby with our two Canadian missionary friends, they climbed up a nearby mountain beside the beach also taken last December 30,2008

view from the top of the mountain

SET YOUR DAY

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

“Set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth”
(Colossians 3:2, AMP)

TODAY'S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Have you ever been laying in bed in the morning and out of nowhere you’re reminded of all the mistakes you made yesterday and all the problems you have in your future? That’s the enemy trying to set your mind for a negative, defeated, lousy day, but you don’t have to fall into that trap.

The Scripture says, “Set your mind and keep it set on the higher things.” This tells us that we have to be proactive. We have to stay on the offensive. When you get up in the morning, have the attitude that David did in the Psalms and say, “This is another day the Lord has made! No matter how I feel, no matter what the economy looks like, no matter what the medical report says, I am choosing to rejoice. I am choosing to be happy this day.” You know what you’re really saying? You’re saying, “I’m not going to let other people steal my joy today. I’m not going to let disappointments and setbacks discourage me. I’m not going to focus on my problems and my mistakes. I’m making up my mind to embrace everything the Lord has in store for me!”

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, I choose to set my day by setting my mind on things above. I choose to shake off the cares of yesterday and focus on everything You have in store for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Ephesians 3:14-21

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Thankful Thursday

It's thankful Thursday once again!!

Thank you Lynn for hosting, for the ladies who wants to join you may visit her site and see more thankful souls there also.

For this week, I am thankful for the following :)

1. My mom and dad is already here in Manila, Praise God they arrived safe and sound.

2. For the physical strength -I am tied again with so many responsibilities, a wedding and a birthday party next week and I still have much to do but Praise God for the WISDOM to know my priorities and finish tasks one at a time.

3. I thank God for the conviction of the Holy Spirit. He loves me so much he doesn't want me to be away from His love.

4. I am also grateful for our worship team, May the Lord keeps on using us to bless souls, we have heard so many nice words for this team, prophecies that we will not only sing here in the Philippines but other countries as well and we believe it is God's promise to us. Our team is a bunch of guys who did not even go to any music school nor anyone had a formal training for a certain instrument but God blessed us with His mighty presence. It is very uplifting to hear people say that the very distinction of this worship team is the presence of the Lord, the flow of the Holy Spirit as we sing praises to HIM.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!

When someone you love lets you down - again

From : A better life
February 14, 2006 - by Dr. John Townsend

Have you ever been disappointed by someone in your life - your spouse, loved one, or friend - not just once, but several times? It could be something as small as them forgetting to bring home a quart of milk. Or it could be as massive as them breaking a vow of faithfulness to you.
However it happens, when we are let down in a loving relationship, it can be a very painful experience. This is because it works against an essential ingredient of life that we all need - hope.

All relationships need hope or the positive anticipation that our connection to this person will be safe, fulfilling, and growth-producing. We envision a bright and loving future with that person. But when there is a pattern of let-downs, the result is that hope deferred makes the heart sick (Prov. 13:12). And over time through many disappointments, hope - and love - can be seriously injured inside us.

One positive aspect of this sort of hurt is that it is a sign that your relationship is still alive. Your care and investment in the person causes you to be vulnerable to their behavior. Though they cause you pain, if you felt nothing it would mean that something has died. So that sort of hurt is a signal to you that this person still matters deeply to you.

If you have experienced being let down in a significant relationship, there are steps you can take that can go a long way to help you and the other person redeem the time and heal the wounds. Let's take a look at them:

Take the beam out of your eye. First, make sure that what you are concerned about is reality. Sometimes we mistake someone's directness for unkindness, or someone's forgetfulness for a lack of love for us. We can also be oversensitive to the imperfections of others or even judge others.

Pray about it and talk to safe and honest friends to make sure you have truly been hurt by an infraction. Ask, "What is my contribution to this?" "Am I seeing things in the light of reality?" Let them see your heart. Talk to the person about what they did that let you down. Don't blame or nag; rather, speak from your hurt and from your vulnerability. Let them see how they affect you when they let you down.

Often this brings out compassion and remorse inside the other person that helps them change. It takes humility and love to have this sort of dialogue instead of anger and fingerpointing. But it has a far better chance of reaching the other person.

Talk about patterns, not single events. Don't let the conversation get sidetracked into an argument about what happened on a particular date. Talk instead about patterns. For example: "It would be no big deal if you yelled at me once, everyone makes mistakes. But this is the third time, and that is a pattern. It's not OK, and I need to have things change." Patterns are a sign of character, so stay focused on patterns.

Ask for specific change. Let the person know in a loving but direct way that you need for something to happen: a promise to call beforehand if they will be late; to take responsibility for gossiping about you and apologize to the parties involved; a commitment to involving you in the family finances so that there is no impropriety. Specific requests get specific responses, and vague requests get nothing, so be clear with your person.

Determine your next move based on their response. After this, if your person responds positively and changes, celebrate and be grateful! You are seeing progress! If not, still keep persevering on the issue. But ultimately, if they refuse to change, you may need to put some limits on the relationship, depending on how severe the situation is.

Forgive. Regardless of how severe the situation and of the person's response, always take the path of forgiveness or canceling the debt they owe you. Forgive each other just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (Eph. 4:32) Forgiveness frees you, allows you to move on if you need to, and helps you accept realities that are difficult in grace and in love.

When someone lets you down, though it hurts, it is a signal to get to work on the relationship. Be a redemptive force, and take the first steps to reconciliation.

God bless you.

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Hope you are all blessed by this article I found in my file a while ago.Have a good day everyone! I'm off to search some liporexall review and then later make a birthday card for our missionary friend who is celebrating her birthday today, we will give her a surprise party tonight. I know how lonely it can be when you are away from your lovedones especially on occasions like this so we want to make her feel she is loved.

Randomness

1. What are you looking forward to in the next month?
Church Anniversary, fund raising event for our scholars, hubs going to school

2. Where’s the last place you went besides home?
Market

3. Would you ever change for a boy/girl?
Nope. I am happy with who and what I am.

4. Is there anyone that you wish was out of your life?
None. I believe that all the people I met along the way of my life's journey are included in God's sovereign plan for me.They're on the blueprint of my life.

5. Were you happy when you woke up today?
Yes, who wouldn't? when you are awaken with your love ones' kiss :)

6. Happiest moment of 2009 so far?
The many outings with friends, family gatherings.

7. Have you ever asked a boy for advice?
Yes i did.

8. Do you have a gay friend?
Yes, and he's the one insisting on this weightloss pills

9. Do you lie about your age?
No.

10. Describe your life for the past month in one word?
It's not as peaceful as the sea, not as perfect as the painting on the wall but it is always GREAT. To live with the Lord at your side..such a great and wonderful life! Trials,hardships are there but of course we are conquerors right?

Story of strength and faith

How can you handle 11 miscarriages? I don’t know if you can but this lady endures such pain and agony and yet she speaks of God’s faithfulness and still trust in the Lord. What a beautiful heart she has.

I am blessed, encouraged, humbled as I read her blog today. Please visit MY CHRISTIAN DIARY for a story of a mothers’ strength and faith.

I hope and pray I’ll be as strong as she is.

I have yet to be pregnant; I don’t know if I’ll ever be but if I do I hope we can carry on full term. To be pregnant and lose it soon is more painful than being not pregnant at all I guess.

I still dream of having my own child someday, I dream of having this child with us when we go to church, when we go to parks, when we attend gatherings and family reunions, I dream of buying gifts for my child, giving her the best I could.

I dream of being a mom. And I hope I will become one soon.

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Well, for those who are already moms, here’s a site you can visit, you can find lots of baby stuff here from safety and babyproofing your home, to blankets and strollers. I love their Bob stroller and the hand woven sling.

Worried?

I just want to praise God for giving us this promise. When everything seems not right, when your life seems a failure, when you seems to have made the wrong decision, when you think you can no longer put food on the table. Just go back to this promise our Father has given us. It is very re-assuring, very encouraging, very uplifting. In this trying times, there is GOD up there who knows whats BEST for us. He has already laid out His good plans for us. We just have to trust HIM.

So don't you worry with the high insurance rates, high cost of needs such food and shelter. Our father has something BIG for our future!!

Praise HIM!

Office outing

Last month, hubby left me alone for 3 days for the youth camp, now it's my turn. I am leaving him alone only it's not for 3 days, just for the night, I'll be back tomorrow. I am going to our office outing, It has been 2 years since I last join an office outing , I did not have any plan of attending now but because my friend which I also recommended is administering the team building I am obliged to go.

So he's going to the ministry site (feeding) without me tomorrow and that's very rare. I am supposed to be the teacher, good thing someone will take over to teach while I am away.

We are actually leaving in a while, we are just waiting for the bus. Thank God I managed to sneak in and post while waiting. I'll also am going to check this organic weight loss pills that my friend is selling. She said it is good but I am still hesitant though it is pure organic. I still have to study and check it.

Bye for now and thanks for dropping by.

Thankful Thursday -Mother

Today, the thankful ladies are talking about Mothers, of course this is because it's mother's day on Sunday and It is but fitting to have one dedicated thankful topic for them. Thank you Lynn for hosting again this month.

I am not a mom yet as you all know, we are still praying and hoping for that. But I want to share with you how thankful I am for my mom, here in my side of the world we call her "NANAY".

NANAY is turning 70 this October and I'm hoping we can give her a beautiful birthday party,she never had parties before but since she is reaching 70 I think we should have a big celebration for that. After all..very few are blessed to have reach such age.

Being the youngest in the family, I had a hard time separating from my NANAY, I remember still sleeping besides them when I was already like 12 years old. And even when I was in college and I had to stay in a boarding house, I would often go home on weekdays because I just can't live apart from my parents.

She's so hardworking, she worked really hard to give us good life. She worked harder to send us to school. And even now at her old age, she take care of her grandchild and loved to help us.

She instilled in me moral values that I would also love to instill to my future children, My parents taught us to respect people,she taught us to love and support the family whatever situation we maybe into.

I hope I can be with her this sunday but even If I can't, I'm sure she knows how important she is to me and to my siblings. I used to give her cakes on Mothers day but this year I wish I could bring her somewhere, I would want to give her a vacation before maybe I can't afford an out of the country trip like an Outer Banks vacation right now (but I'm praying for that too and I know there is no impossible with our God) I wish I could bring her to the beautiful places in our country too. She love the beach, i remember we used to spend a summer outing as family when we were still kids.

I love you Nanay! and I miss you so much!

Picture taken during the renewal of their vows (5oth wedding anniversary)

My thoughts

I just want to thank all the beautiful ladies from Thankful Thursday meme, Thankful Thursday have been an outlet for me, not only with what I am thankful for but also with what I am praying for. And I never fail to get an encouragement every time I participate in the said meme.

Last week I talked about husband’s sister and the current problem we are having with her right now. We are bringing her to the health center this afternoon to have her first pre-natal.

I guess life will not stop but we have to make changes and adjustments.

One good thing this trial has brought us was that it caused us to draw more nearer to the Lord as He is the only source of our strength.

I already talked to a friend with regards to how I feel about this and I am feeling a lot better now. I understand that I don’t have to feel guilty about her, yes, she’s lived with us but I can not control her actions and her thoughts, we can only give her advice and our prayers. There’s no point in making my self guilty.

With regards to our ministries,

Hubby is still leading the worship team of our church and I think he has a renewed passion for it. I want to praise God for that. The LJBC worship team will be leading a Pastors & Christian Leaders Conference on Wednesday and it’s a privilege.

We will be having another “hygiene day” outside Metro Manila and we are all excited with that. Please be with us in praying for a van (those rv vans are nice!) as we need it badly for the ministry, especially if we will push trough with the mobile hygiene.

We will be accepting applicants for the scholarship soon and I pray for God's wisdom in selecting the deserving students. Please pray also for the provision and for more supporters of this ministry.

Thanks again for praying and being with us in our ministries.

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!