Getting It Done

Discipleship is a lot like social networking in modern times except that the former is Christ-centered and the latter talks about anything under the sun. In social networking, topics could range from anything to anywhere whereas with discipleship, the topics could be about anything too except that the conversations all have one common major theme and everything is being related to God.

But what is most common between the two is that you establish a relationship with different people. This brings me to my current situation now. I used to wonder or let’s say I far too often wonder why circumstances have brought me to a position wherein I am not in a cubicle or a room doing an office work or I am not following a certain routine though I am and I consider myself a young professional.

Priorities and circumstances never went as clear and as smooth as they can be. There always are conflicts, heavy decision making and a lot of pondering. But then again, through all those myriad of swimming thoughts came the answer that I never considered before: God wanted me to do something at this point which would require me to be flexible in terms of time and commitments.

It was clear to me what my mission was: to share. If I am tied with an 8-hour job, I’d have no time to share all of these. And in my case now, I can only maximize social media. But then again, it was social media that brought me opportunities wherein the possibilities of networking is endless. It is like there is no stopping it once you get started. And I see those opportunities as a wonderful avenue to connect with people online and offline using my faith and introduce them to it.

Tin Ginete

Step 1: Choosing the subject/finding your mission.

Right now my water loo is in the area of relationships. It is the cross I am carrying daily and yet I know I cannot let it hamper the mission set out for me. I cannot let it occupy my thoughts 24/7 because I need to focus on my mission and get it done.

But I know too that my water loo was given to me for a purpose and this purpose is exactly this mission I am set out to complete in His perfect time. I want to give God the glory because if it is not because of Him, I will still be the Tin who is so generous in giving curses, the Tin who is so full of sarcasm, who speaks nothing else but mostly of insults, the Tin who is quick-tempered and the Tin who is nothing but a cynic.

My fiance knows this kind of person. And I know why God gave a person like him to me. My fiance would remind me that I am a completely different person when my old self would come back at times that there is a conflict. It jolts me back to reality, the Spirit convicts me using my fiance and it sets me back on the right track again. I repent, pledges a re-commitment to change by His help and I would tell my fiance that if it wasn’t for God, the person he witnessed is the kind of person he gets to deal with every single day.

Because I cannot change on my own. That is why I surrendered my life to Christ because I needed a Savior who will take me out of the darkness. I’ve tried it on my own but I failed. I needed someone who is powerful enough to overcome anything, even death and there is only one person who can do that: Jesus Christ.

Tin Ginete

Step 2: Do the actual sketch after putting the basic lines/in the process of doing the mission refining what needs to be refined.

I am just grateful I was already saved, my past no longer has a bearing and I am no longer stuck in it. I may slide back every now and then but the conviction is already there. And it is this conviction that made me seek for forgiveness instead of letting pride win. God uses people to change you and apply what you learned from Him. Without these people around you, there is no basis if indeed you have changed or not. It is only through God that the flames of the darkness within you can be extinguished.

Putting out that fire is the drive that you will now use to continue your mission and you now know that there is no stopping you from getting it done. And that is because of God’s love and your love for Him. You cannot go out in the world if you don’t have it in you.

I took the risk, I accepted the challenge, I signed up for the mission not knowing what will transpire nor having the assurances I’ll be successful. All I know is that God will prepare me along the way.

I just have to and I should always keep in mind the task laid out ahead of me and consider getting it done by all means. I challenge you too as my beloved readers to seek God’s mission for you and stand up for it, pursuing it by all means.

And I repeat. Getting. It. Done. 🙂

Tin Ginete

3. Getting it done.

TRES AMIGOS Boracay: A Mexican Delight

I have to apologize, yes. For this post is long overdue. But it came in timely as it is the start of summer now and beach getaways are on top of the list. 🙂

Tin Ginete

Beach Essentials

Tin Ginete

Pure white sand, the hot sun AND our feet. *wink*

I was supposed to write this over the holidays. But well, the holiday season is just the busiest in our calendars – vacations, getaways, dining out with families and friends. But this article is not about the holiday getaway with my fiance and his family last December 2014 at Boracay Island in Aklan, Philippines. Allow me though to post some photos of our holiday getaway there:

Tin Ginete

Boracay 2014

Tin Ginete

Fairways and Bluewater Resort

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Infinity pool.

Tin Ginete

ATV fun with the Rome family.

This post will be a food review about one of our favorite type of cuisines – Mexican. We found one at the heart of Boracay inside D’ Mall exactly on our last day – Tres Amigos. Indeed, it was a nice way to cap off our island experience in Boracay.

Tin Ginete

Tres Amigos Boracay

Tin Ginete

Tres Amigos’ Menu

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Table centerpiece.

My fiance ordered chimichanga while his brother and I ordered beef burrito and quesadilla.

Tres Amigos’ beef burrito is one of their best sellers. And I can tell why. It has that smooth blend of Mexican spices that are not too overpowering and mixes well with the mango salsa. Of course, the perfect aroma of Mexican spices never fail to tease my palate.

Tin Ginete

Beef Burrito

For the chimichanga, it is similar to our beef burritos except that it was fried. When I saw the crisp sides of the dish, my mouth just melted away I just went ahead and indulged myself over a good crispy, crunchy portion.

Tin Ginete

Chimichanga

The quesadilla will surely melt your heart away. Every part of it was melted to perfect goodness and the smooth texture of the beef and cheese just complemented well with the overall texture of the pita bread.

Tin Ginete

Quesadilla

I forgot to take a photo of the refreshing mango shake, the perfect all-natural fruit drink to pair with the tasty Mexican dishes we had.

So if you are headed towards Boracay this summer, you might want to try Tres Amigos if your appetite is craving for that Mexican delight and yes, at a very affordable price too. Bon appetit! 🙂

Tin Ginete

The Mexican lovers. 😉

Imperfect But Keep Trying

My sharing the gospel is intentional. It is not for popularity nor to appear as the good, blessed, perfect girl. I am not that. Because my Fb, Instagram and Twitter accounts all serve as a testimony of my walk in faith through ups and downs. Not just the good stuff. 🙂

Bible verses and quotations on faith rarely get people’s attention. That is our culture and that is why the more that faith should get a voice on social media.

If you are a believer, share your faith. What we are afraid of is that when we make a mistake again, we might not be credible enough in sharing the gospel anymore.

But here is my challenge:

Did God tell us that our mission is to back down when plans fail and things go bad? Would God want us to hide behind the sins of our past and live in fear and condemnation? What if our failures are the work of the enemy to hinder us from fulfilling God’s mission for us? Who will we give the glory, God or the enemy?

 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

I Was Convicted

Yes, I was convicted by the Spirit. Yet again, for the nth time. 😉

I woke up today and remembered it is our 14th monthsary with my fiance. I greeted him and he did the same. But I was vying more on how the world defines celebrations – gifts, dates, cards and flowers. Those were my expectations.

The question is: what if my fiance did not meet my expectations?

That exactly happened. For it is human frailty to set worldly expectations and I am guilty of that. But does that mean that he loves me less? Should I feel bad that it appears I am unappreciated? My initial human emotional reaction was to feel exactly all that. But when I opened my devotion for today, that was when the rebuke happened:

“Contentment springs from trusting God as our supplier and gratefully accepting what He provides.” – ODB

And the Spirit guided me to the following bible verses:

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” – Matthew 6: 31-33

“I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.” – Philippians 4:12

What God wanted me to learn is to be content in everything so I won’t become selfish and greedy. For it is in discontentment that the selfish nature of humans arise – the need to have more and more and more. Be patient and be grateful in anything and in everything that the Lord gives us.

I have to look at the things that are far more valuable that my fiance was able to give me and continues to give me. I have to look deeper into their intrinsic values and remember that my worth and his love for me can never be measured by the material things I receive from him for only God defines both.

Unconditional love, time, patience, forgiveness, acceptance, understanding, sacrifices…I began counting all the other things that he did for me and I realized he has given me so much more than I deserve, more than I needed and yet I barely even appreciated them until now. They were these kind of things that my fiance continues to give me each and every single day which keeps our relationship going that are far more valuable than material gifts, lavish dates and “romantic” stuff.

These are things that I should be extremely grateful for. Because they are the things that exemplify what matters to God most. It is not about my fiance pleasing me, nor me pleasing him but it is about pleasing God.

To love is to be selfless, and to demand is to be selfish. Be content, be appreciative and be happy in God and His blessings. It is always about giving your most valuable assets that are far beyond incomparable to material possessions and yet the hardest to give and never all about receiving that we learn to love others.

And I believe that is all that matters. 🙂

“Eureka!” Moment

If you have read my previous posts, this article will prove that my dreams have a different meaning. 😉

BUT it is such a big relief on my part and I am extremely grateful we have a God who saves. After I got back from the trip, I went inside the house overwhelmingly relieved and found a surprise waiting. Our God is not just a God who saves, but He is also full of surprises.

I found two miniature bicycles that my brother purchased as a memorabilia from his Vietnam trip just last week. And these bicycles were “parked” prettily on our center table. Then, there went my “Eureka!” moment – alas, it is perfect for my Barbie doll. 😀

Tin Ginete

Red tricycle rickshaw from Vietnam.

Please don’t get me wrong, I am no longer playing with them. I now use them as models for my fashion styling from anything I could recycle. Like for the outfit below, I used an old hankie for the top which I just folded and Barbie’s hair accessory used to be an origami rose given by one of my students during my practicum.

Tin Ginete

Barbie and the black tricycle rickshaw.

Barbie girls are always as pretty as ever and it is by dressing her up where I find ideas for my own fashion statement too. Not that I don’t have a mirror. *wink* I just look for clothing patterns and textures that combine well and when I already have the perfect outfit combination, that’s when I go out on a “fashion hunt.”

But I think my brother will not be too proud of this – that is, using his memorabilia as my photo shoot props. 😀

Amazing Grace

(I have learned all about the song since I was a kid but I never got to read the entire poem by John Newton where the lyrics of the song were lifted from. The acapella version of LeAnn Rimes never fails to stir my soul. I hope this will help you reminisce how it feels to be saved by Grace.) 🙂

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

(Source: http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Amazing_Grace/)

 

2nd Year Anniversary Special: Going Classic on Meat via a VINTAGE Meat Grinder

I am no sweetie pie. 

I may look like one but definitely not like one. In fact I am a “beautiful monster” as Rihanna would put it. lol Kidding of course. 😉 I am just not your ordinary sweet girl for I am very strong willed to the point of being stubborn and hard headed and someone who is always on the go. But by God’s grace, I am now learning slowly but surely how to listen, how to wait, how to be gentle and how to submit. I am a good follower especially if you are a good leader. 🙂

This post is not about me per se but about something that I was so interested to try ever since I was kid but only had the opportunity to do it now that I am in my late 20s – grinding pork’s meat in our vintage meat grinder.

Tin Ginete

Universal Vintage Meat Grinder

3 questions:

1. Why the need to try it?

2. Why now?

3. What’s the correlation between a meat grinder and a sweetie pie? (I know this one sounds funny.) 😉

First, ever since I was a kid, I got fascinated by how it works every time Daddy would ask me to help him scrape the ground pork off the opening of the grinder where it goes out. I would usually watch how the process goes from putting the raw pork cubes inside the feeder, the one with the big opening, as you slowly turn the handle clockwise then to the slicing, cutting and grinding part when it reaches the disk until the last part where the ground meat comes out . As you continue to turn the handle, pork cubes will slowly be sucked underneath and you’ll hear a gritting sound. A sound that I find interestingly amusing. And I don’t know why. 🙂

Tin Ginete

Universal Vintage Meat Grinder

I love anything vintage not because it’s classical but because of the story behind each of them. Mom told me that one of our great grandpas used to own it before handing it over to them. I also did my research and found out that the meat grinder is one of the inventions of German Baron Karl Drais during the mid 1880s who also invented the Laufmaschine or what we commonly now know as the bicycle (encyclopedia.com). Isn’t it amazing to still use stuff that is way, way older than you. I feel like calling it “grandpa meat grinder.”   😉

Seriously, the mechanism of the meat grinder is very simple. And neither it is that complicated to operate. All you need is a wooden plank where you can rest it on and there is a screw underneath to tighten and secure it in place. It is easy to clean as well and very portable as it can fit even on a shoe box. Except that it is a bit heavy, around 8.5 pounds since it is made of cast iron.

So if you intend on using one at home, you have to prepare your arms for some muscle workout when you turn the lever because you’ll have to pull a little harder when it gets to that part of the pork meat that’s a bit tough. Just a tip though, cover the feeder with your left hand because oftentimes pork cubes tend to fall out as they go up and down during the grinding.

Second, I got to try it just now as it requires extreme muscle strength to be able to finish the process altogether. Daddy won’t still allow me if I didn’t insist. He thought I am far too weak to finish the task. But I was up for the challenge anyway, so there went adrenaline rush. *game face on*

The handle of our meat grinder is supposed to be covered with wood but I guess it got broken a long time ago. So there’s the tendency for your grip to slip off from the handle at the middle of the grinding process as more grease are coming out from the ground meat.

And lastly, what’s between a sweetie pie and a meat grinder? 🙂

Well, it is a kitchen equipment best used by Dads or any male. I am no sexist but if you are frail, trying this out might be a bad idea. You’ve got to toughen up for you to finish an entire bowl of pork cubes. It was my passion for learning and experiencing new things that urged me to try grinding the meat myself with the help of my sister (she scrapes the ground pork for me). And another thing, we have a scarcity of males in the household. lol My Dad and my brother are the only men at home they wouldn’t be able to do all the tasks that require great strength all by themselves, thus, this is where my sisters and I come to the rescue.

Tin Ginete

My sister (left) and I (right) doing our arm muscle workout. 😉

This was one simple experience that I have pretty much enjoyed I just can’t wait to go home and try it again. Besides, it is a fun way of working out too. So no, I don’t just sit pretty and be a sweetie pie. 😉

This article may seem a bit odd from topic to beginning to plot and ending but this is actually a tribute to something classic in celebration of my 2nd anniversary here on WordPress as a blogger. Thank you so much to all my followers and readers who have shared their wonderful adventures, ideas and experiences as well making my 2-year experience in the WordPress community worthwhile.

And definitely last but not the least, thank you to you my Father God for the gift of sharing. 🙂

Tin Ginete

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

Tin Ginete

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

 

 

Cheers to more blogging experiences with you my fellow WordPress writers!

Lots of love,

Tin 🙂

The 10 Books Challenge

Tin Ginete

E-book, PDF, paperback edition – for as long as it is something I can read, I’ll read it. 😉

I was dared by my cousin Nadja and friend Nina for this 10 books challenge which I really had a hard time doing as I LOVE BOOKS aside from the fact that I have a bachelor’s degree in literature and making me choose among the 100+ books I have read is far too tasking. But I was more than glad to join the ride, thus challenge accepted. 🙂

Here it is:

“Friends, you need to list down 10 books that have stayed with you in some way. Don’t take more than a few minutes and don’t think too hard. They don’t have to be “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you. The idea is to instill the nostalgia of vintage books in the online community. Tag 10 friends including me so I can see your list.”

1. THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY by Oscar Wilde
2. LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott
3. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen
4. JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte
5. A NEW EARTH by Ekhart Tolle
6. THE LITTLE PRINCE by Antoine de Saint – Exupery
7. A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeline L’Engle
8. THE ART OF WAR by Sun Tzu
9. THE DEVOTIONAL STUDY BIBLE
10. THE PURPLE BOOK by Steve Murrell & Rice Broocks

P.S.
11. BRIDA by Paulo Coehlo
12. THE WISHSONG OF SHANNARA by Terry Brooks

I made it 12 because I just can’t make it to 10. Sorry, I really am that deviant. What is in your list? 🙂

 

“Blanket of Love”

Together

(Just another poem by yours truly for you. 🙂 )

Joy it was to know you,

Oh sweet you are it is true.

Such a thing of beauty,

Entranced by you so deeply.

Praise to Him for this Grace,

He has shown me steps to trace.

Back to an old feeling,

Racing heartbeats, never ceasing.

I wished it to be real,

A love to hold and to feel.

Now I’d have to believe,

Good things we are to receive.

Romance just has its thrall,

On you and me after all.

Made it right through that call,

Enough…enough to make me fall.

He and I Communicated

It usually takes me 2 days after I have written an article or even a post like this one to publish it online. Those two days are usually for editing i.e. grammatical errors, sentence construction redo, delivery of ideas, etc. That’s why I have a Word file saved in my laptop where I write my thoughts down or a pen and paper beside me for those impromptu thoughts and ideas. I do a lot of editing and just plain technical editing. But that was before. Now, these two days aren’t just the usual editing, because the editing done comes from God. How and why?

I guess I need to tell you too that being vocal about my thoughts and making a lot of ‘noise’ on social media about my faith brought me to people calling me names such as a hypocrite; banal na aso, santong kabayo; Ms. Goody Two-shoes and a whole lot of other names. (Mind you, I am not offended, I am just amused.) I can go by a lot of nicknames pala. 😀

Nah, kidding aside, there comes a point wherein I do ask God before I post an article or a status update if it is the right thing to “say.” Did I write it too outlandish? Or was it too vulgar? Or did I use the proper words that were meant to be understood and not meant to ruin someone else? Do I sound too prying or too imposing? Did I share those words/thoughts in a manner that You wanted me to share it? Am I making the message across just right when it comes to faith and God? Or I’ll just deactivate my Facebook account, or I’ll just delete my blog site, or just do it altogether?

Of course, no matter how tempting deactivating is to me, which I actually did a hundred of times already way back when I wasn’t a Christian yet, it was one of my commitments to never do it again when I got saved. I just felt that I should not. Not again. Not anymore.

Because I love writing.

I love expressing my thoughts through words.  Not verbal, not in front of a crowd, but with a pencil and paper or in front of a computer screen.  I hate public speaking, I am not good at it. I stutter, my thoughts get lost as fast as it comes. My spoken words are all a jumble.

So yes, I have been praying over a lot of my posts lately here on social media. I have prayed earnestly up to the point that I asked God to talk to me in my dream, tell me directly what He would want me to do with my love for writing and is there a way that I could have done it better. I asked Him not to give signs and let me do the guessing if it is from Him or not. I fell for that trap when the enemy used it to his own advantage.

I woke up the next day, did my daily routine and opened my Twitter account. Guess what I read in my news feed?

This:

“Don’t give up on what God has called you to do. The end result is worth the pain.”

God's Daughters

God’s Daughters

To think that I wasn’t even a follower yet of this profile (upon reading the post). So I thought, “how did it get in my news feed and how come it is the only thing I saw in my Twitter page?”

I have no idea.

Read it again, this time in the profile of God’s Daughters. Okay, I got it. It is the answer to my prayer – timely, accurate, and concise. All I could blurt out was: Hallelujah! I will always be Your follower may it be on Twitter or everywhere. Now happy to serve You. 😉