Tag Archives: bible

Praise The Lord!

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It’s that time of year again when everybody will be busy – I am always busy, though. 😀 But because I feel the “tugging” to update this blog, I am writing this article even though I am physically exhausted. When I am too tired, it’s just hard for me to tap into the creative part of my brain.

Before we all get caught up with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I thought I’d share with you a song that I feel should be the “anthem” for this month. I first heard it last year, sang during the youth service of a church beside my apartment. The song is entitled “Praise” by Elevation Worship.

PRAISE (feat. Brandon Lake, Chris Brown & Chandler Moore) | Elevation Worship

Let’s clap, one, two, hey
Oh, yeah

Let everything
That has breath
Praise the Lord (you got it)
Praise the Lord
Let everything (let everything)
(Hey) that has breath
(Hey) praise the Lord
(Hey) praise the Lord

I’ll praise in the valley
Praise on the mountain (yeah)
I’ll praise when I’m sure
And praise when I’m doubting (yes, sir)

I’ll praise when outnumbered
Praise when surrounded
‘Cause praise is the water
My enemies drown in

As long as I’m breathing
I’ve got a reason to

Praise the Lord
Oh, my soul (c’mon)
Praise the Lord
Oh, my soul (hey)

I’ll praise when I feel it
And I’ll praise when I don’t
I’ll praise ’cause I know
You’re still in control

Because my praise is a weapon
It’s more than a sound (more than a sound)
Oh, my praise is the shout
That brings Jericho down (oh)

As long as I’m breathing
I’ve got a reason to

Praise the Lord (c’mon)
Oh, my soul
(So I’m gonna) praise the Lord
Oh, my soul (oh)

I won’t be quiet, my God is alive
So how could I keep it inside?
Praise the Lord
Oh, my soul
(Praise the Lord)

Come on, let me see that dance
Put a dance on it tonight
If you’re grateful
Come on, aye, aye (eh)

I’ll praise ’cause You’re sovereign
Praise ’cause You reign
Praise ’cause You rose and defeated the grave
I’ll praise ’cause You’re faithful
Praise ’cause You’re true
Praise ’cause there’s nobody greater than You, I’ll praise

I’ll praise ’cause You’re sovereign
(You reign) praise ’cause You reign
Praise ’cause You rose and defeated the grave

I’ll praise ’cause You’re faithful
Praise ’cause You’re true
Praise ’cause there’s nobody greater than You

Praise the Lord
Oh, my soul (come on, come on, come on, come on)
I gotta praise the Lord
Oh, my soul

Praise the Lord
Oh, my soul (yes, my Lord)
Praise the Lord
Oh, my soul

I won’t be quiet, my God is alive
How could I keep it inside?
(Oh, I won’t be quiet)

I won’t be quiet (my God)
My God is alive (how could I?)
How could I keep it inside?
(Oh, I won’t be quiet)

I won’t be quiet, my God is alive
How could I keep it inside?

praise the Lord
Oh, my soul

Let everything
That has breath
Hey, hey (praise the Lord)
Hey, hey (praise the Lord)

Let everything (let everything)
Come on, come on (that has breath)
Come on, come on (praise the Lord)
Come on, come on (praise the Lord)

Let everything (let everything)
If you got breath in your body (that has breath)
If you got breath in your body (praise the Lord)
Praise the Lord, come on (praise the Lord)

Let everything (let everything)
That has breath (that has breath)
Praise the Lord (praise the Lord)
What? (Praise the Lord)

A busking rendition of it also appeared on my Facebook news feed as performed by Ms. Kate Torres, who’s also an Autism advocate. Please do check out and follow her page through this link: https://www.facebook.com/katetorrestv/about. I am praying she’ll include Bicol in her future live performances. I’ll definitely be in all of them, even as far as Catanduanes. 😀

I love busking so much (playing the guitar is also my favorite hobby) because it is raw and simple music, highlighting only the artist’s voice and the musical instrument. I find this type of music very calming, uplifting, and soulful.

It is also my prayer that worship busking will become a regular, not just inside the malls, but also in parks, offices, hospitals, and just literally EVERYWHERE. Here are some of her Facebook videos and reels performing live in my favorite hangout place in Manila – BGC. Because BGC is near our condo, and there are a lot of music artists busking there. 😀

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/177L8eQ8gs/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1D8Vv6oRaB/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1KKQCbB5wA/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Tama ang sa Bible verse na, “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” – Matthew 18:20

I also encourage you to make this your dance number at your Christmas parties. 😉 You can check out the dance videos below for inspiration.

The energy in this first video reminds me of my spiritual journey in Victory GT Toyota and Victory Katipunan – churches near the Ateneo de Manila University and my alma mater, the University of the Philippines (Diliman) – from 2013 to 2018. I was a young professional back then, and being in a congregation of jumping worshippers composed mostly of students (youth service) during praise and worship is contagious. I am not that expressive when singing worship songs, but with an ecstatic crowd, you can’t help but join in the fun. 😀

I am not promoting any church, by the way, because I actually came from a family with diverse religions. For me, as long as the center of the church is Christ and you are spiritually growing, be in that church.

This second dance video has more complicated footwork and hand movements, but still not too difficult to execute.

And this third video is for “Zumba Titas,” me included. 😀

I would have to skip videos #1 and #2 because all the jumping is so “makulog” sa aking likod. 😆😆😆

In case you didn’t notice, I used 3 languages here – English, Bicol, and Filipino respectively.

If I have a kid, he’d most likely go, Moooooom, you’re speaking “chop suey” language again?!?!?!

Well, sweetheart, that’s the advantage of having a Mom who’s a Bicolana, a Filipina, and an English Studies major. How about you? Can you try the “pinakbet” language, too? Kay yaadi ka sa Bulan, mag-Bikol ka. 😆

Seriously, though, I don’t encourage using this kind of language. When I was a student in UP Diliman, there was a particular department notorious for using this “conyo” language (it’s from the College of Science 😁). I observed that culturally it represents the language of the elite, though I can’t really pinpoint how. I guess it’s similar to how branded clothes, muscle cars, or pets with specific breeds become a form of status symbol. I support the “Adopt, Don’t Shop” advocacy, by the way. It just so happens that my husband gave me a ginger Exotic British Shorthair as a surprise gift.

Society’s norms dictate that if you have these things, then you are now culturally accepted as “can afford” or “maykaya,” especially when you live in the province. Some of our English professors describe the “conyo” language as a total abuse of both the English and the Filipino languages because it awkwardly breaks your sentences into fragments, making it difficult for your listeners to process and understand. So in our department, this language sort of became an object of sarcasm and was made into a joke.

But now, when I hear people talk or write using this language, I have to remind myself that “to each his own.” And that, as a born-again Christian, these prejudices should no longer dominate my relationships with other people. This means I will no longer make fun of the “conyo” language, but you won’t hear me using this language either. Unless…um…never mind. 😁

To end this article, AI can create music, poems, and visual art. But AI can’t replicate the collective experience that you’d get when artists and creatives come together. It’s just plain mesmerizing and at the same time overwhelming when you are physically rejoicing and celebrating with the body of Christ. Ramdam na ramdam mo ang presensya ni Lord. I guess that is the power of fellowship as expressed through praise and worship.

I believe this song is just right for the season – let’s praise the Lord because we survived 2025, and here we are still hoping AND giving hope moving forward. ❤

“Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wondrous works!” – Psalm 105:2

P.S. I am posting several versions of this song because I want it to be your last song syndrome for a month. lol Because God indeed deserves all our praise for sending His son, Jesus Christ, so man can be saved – this should be the only reason for celebrating the season. 🙏

Here’s another version featuring Tiffany Hudson. ❤

Officially A Teen: Happy 13th Birthday, The Journeyman’s Moments!

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This blog turned 13 last October 21 – it’s officially a “teen.” 😄 To celebrate this milestone, I thought about writing a letter instead because I need to write this quick.

We have had no internet connection for 2 weeks now, despite following up with Converge. I’m currently using my cellular network’s data just so I could post this – thank you, Globe. Still, God is good all the time. 🙏😊

To my dearly beloved The Journeyman’s Moments,

You were born in 2012 out of a need to clear my name from a painful past. I never thought that you would become an online journal for my spiritual journey.

I also wasn’t expecting that I’d be able to post here regularly. And yet, the weekly posts turned to monthly posts, and eventually, to posting every year.

You bear witness to my every rise and fall, to my every tear and laughter – a testament of God’s saving grace day in and day out, year in and year out.

As my experiences grew, you grew with it. When I became wiser, your words became better. I changed, you changed, too.

You are more than an online journal for me. Because you are my constant reminder of a life lived in full despite the changing seasons.

When I need a good laugh, I come back to the old memories here. When I need encouragement, your words give me renewed hope and comfort.

But I guess the most important reason as to why you’re one of God’s greatest gifts is that because of you, a deeper sense of accountability was instilled in me over every single word I post here.

You are my testimony on how living by faith does not happen by mere words alone, but by living it out and letting it be known through you for the whole world to see.

My dear, we still have so many stories to tell – I have more than a hundred drafts. lol You know what that means, we have a lot of work to do for as long as God is still working in us. 🥰

You are me, and I am you. Thanks be to WordPress – our memories will be preserved for future generations to laugh with, to cry with, and to be inspired by.

So, with internet or not, we will find a way to make our stories seen and heard – God will make a way. 😁

Always your creator made by another Creator,

Christine ❤️

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10

Why I Am Keeping This Blog AI-Free (I Do Love AI)

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When I asked AI just out of curiosity what was its fondest memory, I wasn’t surprised by the answer: “I have none.” It offered to provide me instead with other people’s memories it was able to gather online.

Humans vs AI

And this is how I will start this blog article – work on the premise that writers have been debating about lately – whether AI will replace writers or not. My answer is that “No, in my opinion, AI will not replace humans. It still relies heavily on human creative input in order for us, humans, to get our desired output from them.”

Will AI have complete autonomy in the future? Maybe, if it can replicate all the intricacies of the human mind to the point of eliminating all that is undesirable and coming up with a perfect program/algorithm that doesn’t commit a single error. Basically that is what makes humans human – errors. As the adage goes, “To err is human…”

Just like what I am doing now in this blog, I am not using AI to write every post in this blog. And now, I feel like I should not edit my articles, too. 😃 Why? Because again, to err is human. Basically that is how you can differentiate an output nowadays, if it’s made by human intelligence or artificial intelligence based on the mistakes committed and how perfectly made it is. The human mind was created to commit errors. Whereas AI is designed with the goal to eliminate errors.

Do I love AI? Yes, I love AI. There is so much to learn from it in the same way that AI can learn so much from us. I use it, but I use it sparingly. I don’t want to rely on it too much lest my creative thinking skills will wane.

I’ve read an article on LinkedIn which described how too much reliance on AI will result in a sort of muscle atrophy in the brain. Because when we use AI, we no longer use so much of our brains to decide and analyze since AI can do them for us already.

Maybe we can utilize AI only after we did our usual and regular tasks. For now, AI can only function to provide assistance and support, such as simplifying processes and creating new systems that will lessen the workload of a worker. But a majority of the input will still come from us, humans.

Keeping Memories Intact Digitally

I started this blog in October 2012, and the concept of Artificial Intelligence was just a far-fetched thought back then. It was the age when computers, IT, and the world wide web were just starting to gain attention.

I was tinkering with website designing through Wix (made a fan website for Maja Salvador who’s my fave Pinoy actress) when I stumbled upon WordPress, I chose it over Wix because it’s easy to use. My goal was to write and not to be a web designer. lol And since 2012, I have been enjoying my blogging journey or online journaling as I call it.

Fast forward to 2025, a lot has happened in the digital sphere. It is as if every year there is something new in IoT that we need to adopt in our daily lives. In a sense, it disrupts our routines, but somehow in a good way. Though I see no other way of going back to how our parents and the generations before them have lived – without IoT.

We can reminisce, but their days were long gone. And we have to embrace where the digital age is ushering us into. As a millenial, I got to experience this shift in technological advancements and yet still get to observe the traditions and practices of the olden times. I do not want to compare generations because I believe every generation has a particular purpose and tagging who’s the worst and who’s the best is useless.

IoT And Where It’s Headed

What is IoT for a millenial like me? We all know it’s a tool that we can utilize in so many ways. It provides us with a long string of benefits, and yet it has its disadvantages, too. While the IoT is now integrated in almost every area of our lives, I admit that it still has its limitations. And this is why I aim for this blog to be AI-free until the day when I can no longer write.

Again, AI doesn’t have memories and this is the one thing that AI can never clone from humans. Because every person experiences things differently from another person. In other words, AI can only present us a memory based on the memories it can gather which are posted by humans through the internet such as this blog of mine.

This is actually the purpose of my blog – to digitally preserve my memories in written form as Christine Lailani and The Journeyman’s Moments because given that we are in a climate emergency already, keeping a physical journal or diary is no longer an option. The chances of it getting destroyed in a fire or floodwaters are very high and your memories along with it, too.

I believe that even if we have a major digital meltdown in the future (as some have predicted), remnants of the digital world can and will still be retrieved. Or maybe I just watched a lot of Sci-fi movies (my favorite) and the possibility of it happening is far from real. lol But if digital data will remain uncorrupted, this blog will give the future generations a glimpse of what life was like during our time. That is, through my perspective as a writer, an artist, and a creative.

Creative Thinking Has To Fluorish

As they say, you cannot separate a creative work from the artist who made it whether as a poet, a painter, a writer, or a musician. Their works of art depict what their society was like during the time that they were created. This is basically how we do our critical analysis of literary works. The personal lives of the author (in the case of poems and novels) will always be included on how we review a literary piece.

Although I believe “art for art’s sake” is an adage that will remain from one generation to the next. The creative talent of an individual cannot be assessed by a set of standards. There is no criteria for judging so to speak. You view a creative output as is and respect an artist’s point of view on how he rendered his artwork as such.

My only hope now is for AI creators to make a “clone” of my brain through this blog so my memories as a writer will be immortalized. 😅 Now, this is the kind of legacy I would like to leave behind. And who knows, my memories might be worth millions how many centuries later and you can just imagine how much WordPress will earn given its huge database of billions of memories from every person who owns a blog.

And so I end this blog with these 2 quotations lifted from a Sunday preaching of Pastor Patrick and a TEDx Berkeley video of Guy Kawasaki’s presentation on “The Art of Innovation.” Innovation is at the forefront and the major drivers of our global economy now. We don’t see any other future than one that is headed to more digitization and automation of a lot of processes in every area of our lives. And if my assumption is correct, it is for the goal of simplifying our lives and making them more convenient.

And yet this is also the part where I will share what Pastor Patrick said in his preaching:

“Convenience can also be a form of idol.” – Pastor Patrick

Which of the two, do you think, has the final say? As for me, I am using and will be using technology to fulfill this Bible verse:

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” – Matthew 24:14

P.S. I do not intend on editing this article for any errors anymore. So please do correct me if you see a lot of mistakes, BUT convince me first that you are not a robot. lol 😅

P.P.S. I wrote this on an Easter Sunday. This post might not be about the Cross and yet I can’t help but reminisce all that was sacrificed by Jesus on behalf of humanity. There have been a lot of challenges lately and yet I was reminded again that if we face persecutions and sufferings in school, at work, at home, or anywhere else, take heart that Jesus has finished it already.

We can now have this peace knowing that God sees and hears all. We can trust Him even when trials become too much to bear – He has raised Christ from the dead after suffering for a while. We, too, must carry our own crosses until such time that God’s will has been done over our lives. In fact, despite every setback, God has been blessing me and my loved ones abundantly for me to say that God is indeed more than enough and I should be more than grateful. 🙏

“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”. – Romans 12:19

It Can Be Done Because He Holds All Things Together

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After hibernating here on WordPress for a month, which seemed like years to me already, it feels good to be back. I have a lot of stories to share, but I decided to keep most of them private because the memories were just too special. I prefer to keep them hidden deep down the recesses of my soul because there are things that are meant to be shared only between you and your God. 🙂

For this article, I will be talking about what holds things together and having the can-do attitude, and how these two concepts are always correlated with one another as far as problem solving is concerned. These concepts will also best describe the season I am going through now. And I know it is not a coincidence that this was also the topic in one of the worship services in the church. God has a good reason and purpose for this, and there’s just no coincidences in God.

I Can

Have you met people who have a can-do attitude? If yes, don’t you just love being around them often? These are the people whose first response when they encounter a problem is “We will find a way.” I admire these people a lot. Not only because they are resilient, but because they don’t see the obstacles as stumbling blocks, but as opportunities for learning and growth.

And if one of these people happens to be your mentor, you have found a rare gem. One that only becomes more precious as time goes by because of the wisdom they have accumulated through years of constant learning. 

These people are thinkers and also doers. And yet they do not have the solution to every problem. In the process of looking for solutions, some of them learned something along the way. What they learned can be totally unrelated to the problem, but can be used in the future or in another problem.

This is why I don’t call them as problem solvers per se. Because I know they can’t solve every problem out there, but their can-do attitude is sometimes enough to help another person get out of the rut he’s in, for example. Then they show that person a fresh perspective, a different angle to tackle a problem, most especially when his situation is deemed hopeless.

The Goal

I am hoping to be one of these can-do people one day driven by my life verse, which is Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” And yet my journey to becoming one led me to discover that when a problem seems impossible to solve or I run out of moves and am helpless, or I’m in those moments when I feel like I hit a “wall” and it wouldn’t budge, or I am feeling the urge to do things my way (diskartehan kahit alam nang tagilid 😃), it is still God who holds all things together.

I am 39 years old, I haven’t accomplished much, I still fail (a lot), and yet God holds all things together for me. And I believe it is only His grace that gives us this can-do attitude because when it is God’s will, then it can be done, and it will be done. 🙏

[But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”] – Matthew 19:26

P.S.
This article is unedited, I’m just having a quick break from my multitasking duties. I mean, you know me. 😅 I’ve been helping my sister take care of my 84-year-old Dad as he’s been unwell lately. I am thankful for the privilege of taking care of my Dad though it can also be a bit disheartening at times seeing him age and get weaker each passing weeks and months. 

There’s this part of you that wants to do more for our aging parents and make them as comfortable and as joyful as possible as they journey towards old age making sure their remaining moments here in this world are peaceful. My Dad has lived life in full circle already, and I know he misses Mom every single day. 

Mom and Dad, by the way, celebrated their 50th Golden Wedding Anniversary on June 2023, and then by the end of that month, Mom was hospitalized and passed away in August of the same year. It’s like she just waited for their 50th Golden Wedding Anniversary. 

My parents’ journey as a married couple wasn’t a smooth one. There were a lot of tough moments as much as there were happy ones, and yet I am a witness to how their commitment towards each other was as solid as a rock for 50 years. It is just like when you put your faith in God who is immovable and who is a firm foundation through every season because He never changes. He is the Alpha and the Omega, and He is the same God in the past, the present, and the future.

It truly is a blessing to have witnessed a love story as inspiring as that of my parents, but all because God made it all possible for both of them to remain committed to one another until death parts them both. 🙏

“What Sorrow Awaits”

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“What sorrow awaits you who are rich, for you have your only happiness now.

What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now, for a time of awful hunger awaits you.

What sorrow awaits you who laugh now, for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.

What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds, for their ancestors also praised false prophets.”

– Luke 6:23-26, NLT

The Lord Is My Shepherd

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PSALM 23

(A Psalm of David)

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

Bible Verse Of The Day: 4/23/2020

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Let us claim this promise each and every single day. 🙏❤️😊

Bible Verse of the Day: 05/19/2019

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A call to lead and to be the salt and light to the next generation. 🙏

A blessed Sunday, everyone! ❤

Paul, In Love

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“We give advice by the bucket but take it by the grain.” – Tom Stoppard

It is easy to learn the theories but it takes EVERYTHING to practice them right. I consider Paul as the greatest love guru giving the most practical and sensible yet challenging advice about love. An advice on love and marriage is best lifted through the bible which is God-breathed. What the Word contains withstood time and remained relevant until now.

You might be wondering why I put up this blog and I did mention in my previous posts that this blog will serve as my “megaphone” for my faith. When I first started it, I actually have no idea how to run this blog, how it’ll turn out and what I will be writing about. It took some time before I finally got the instruction – trust the Spirit’s leading in whatever season you are in.

“And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.” – 1 Corinthians 2:12

It is as synonymous as trusting God’s leading just like what happened to me and my husband one time. It did come to that point wherein we were financially tight that we were wondering where to get the money to provide for our needs without asking our families for help. My husband did think about borrowing money and as for me, I know I need not worry because God does not want me to worry for as long as I put my complete trust in Him. Neither do I want my husband to worry because of my worries too. I have faith that my God is bigger than anything and that He makes the impossible possible.

Days came wherein my husband and I were already dreading the worst days that we could possibly encounter from not having enough finances and I was tempted to count our cash on hand and worry how to fill it up but I thought again, I need not worry because God is with us. Lo and behold, on that same day where I got tempted to do my budgeting again but did not do it, my husband happily texted me from work that we are going to eat out.

I jokingly told him that will not be possible because of the financial constraints we were facing. On that day, I was reading bible verses and making these faith-based articles for posting while listening to worship songs. I was actually surprised to find myself feeling so “light” and happy not knowing yet what the good news is. Yes, hubby did not fill me in with all the details for his “happiness.” 😉

When he got home, he kissed me and took out his wallet and showed me something – paper bills more than enough to help us through the month. He got it from work along with the rest of his team mates from a boss whom I believe God used as an instrument of blessing to us at just exactly the right time.

At that time, these verses came to life for me on a deeper level simply because God has proven it to be true, out of His love for you and me. All He wanted to know is how far we are willing to put our faith, hope and trust in Him that He is God, that we have nothing to worry and to wait patiently in His timing. Always. 🙂

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” – Matthew 6:25

“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.” – 1 Timothy 6:6-8

“Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.” – 1 Timothy 6:17

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” – James 1:12

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” – James 1:2-4

I actually consider every moment of waiting as some sort of fasting, a delayed gratification process. Contrary to what most people think about waiting as idle time, there is so much that goes on actually while waiting. It is a period wherein your soul wrestles with your sinful nature because you get and have enough time to contemplate internally and reflectively. There is a battle within between what this world asks of you and what God expects of you. It can be agonizing most of the time since it’ll reveal your deepest weaknesses and yet so much is being forged in the period of waiting because the battle happens within. Patience, discipline, trust, endurance, and most of all faith come into play. That is why I referred to it as fasting in a way because it is the Spirit who accompanies you in those moments of waiting. 

True enough I got the bigger picture of it all now. In the same way that the apostles like Paul have done in “recording” their testimonies about God and Jesus through their own tests of faith which is now the bible, the blog is the modern version of our testimonies about how to live with God in our generation. I interpreted it to be its main purpose.

I thought to myself that even if I die, for as long as WordPress exists, my website will be up. I am actually overjoyed to see that Facebook came up with the Legacy Contact in the Account Settings (check photo below). This allows any Facebook account holder to pass on his/her “legacy” by choosing someone to oversee his/her account when he/she dies. So I guess this even suggests greater responsibility on us social media users. We don’t want to pass on the bad/negative stuff to the next generation, do we? 😉

FB Legacy

For as long as these social media sites are running, our legacy will be up for the whole public to see or for our friends and mutual friends to see. The great question that we should ask ourselves is this – what kind of legacy/imprint are we leaving behind? Another follow up question would be this – what does your life say about you when people look at your social media accounts? And last but not the least – are you inspiring them to live life in wisdom towards the Truth?

I believe there is a Paul, a Peter, a Timothy, a Matthew, and all other disciples in each and every one of us. It is about time we do what God has called His disciples to do – out of His love for us, our love for Him and our love for others. Yes, it’always been about love. ☺

“Commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.” – Deuteronomy 11:18-19

“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” – Proverbs 22:6

“And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” – 1 John 4:16

So I end this article with those questions which I did ask myself too and one of my favorite Christian songs of all time. ❤

(Featured photo: ilovehdwallpapers.com)

Year 2017: Everything Made New

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Vindicated is the world’s term for it, redeemed is how faith coins it.

This article was sitting as a draft since November. But I only had the urge to finish writing it today because a lot more happened after November. So for the month of December I didn’t publish any article – a moment of solitude and immersion in faith. 🙂

There’s social unrest in the decision of current president of the Philippines, President Duterte, and the supreme court to allow the remains of a dictator and former President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani or be given a hero’s burial. It was an unfair decision to most considering all the human rights violation committed, plunder and social injustice in all forms when the country was placed under martial law during the Marcos regime.

It doesn’t seem such a reasonable, sensitive and acceptable answer by comforting the victims of martial law and their families by the statement “forgive and move on.” If you are to ask my side, I chose to settle it with God instead – not my terms but His.

I went thru a similar situation myself about two months ago, so please bear with me if this part will be a bit sensitive and emotional. It was just one of those heated disagreements between me and hubby. Through this challenging situation, it was heartbreaking to hear your spouse renounce his faith and even curse God which made me speak against my faith too. Yes, it was a very sad moment between us which turned into something worse that our families needed to meddle to stop the damage from getting bigger. Hubby and I decided we live separately for the meantime for our own safety and for the sake of saving our marriage.

When I went to the province, I was given the wrong ticket for the first time in my entire 15 years of traveling back and forth going home. Can you guess what was the wrong ticket amount?  It’s 888. 😀 Yes, I interpreted it as an assurance that the Lord, our God, is indeed with us we need not worry.

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How ironic it is though that my husband’s surname is Rome. Jesus’ number one persecutor is none other than the Romans. 🙂 They tried to gain control over Jesus but in the end they were the ones defeated when He overcame death. Jesus symbolizes the church, if not, He is the church. In a marriage, the wife is the church.

This clearly illustrates how man tried to separate from God/church/wife because of the sins and that only Jesus can bridge this gap so the relationship between man and God will be restored. This is just like when Israel rebelled against God and how God tried to make them turn to Him.

What happened was this, God made my relationship something to learn from and yet just like the martial law victims whose rights were violated, God will be the only one with the authority and the power to judge anyone.

They say that when you are deeply hurting, God is creating something wonderful in you and He is veering you away from possible destruction. Yet, it always starts with humility and forgiveness. Just like in this quote from my Our Daily Bread daily devotion, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. – C.S. Lewis”

For the two months that we have been apart, I persevered in assuring my husband that tho I have agreed we live separately for the time being, it doesn’t mean I am giving up on him and our marriage. It is indeed true that for all that we have been through, not once did I give up on our relationship and our marriage and I never will. The first thing that came to my mind during this season was the “love dare” from one of the greatest Christian films I have watched about marriages which is Fireproof.

Just like in the movie, I too am extremely grateful right now that God gave me a family whom I deeply appreciate being mentors in this ordeal who lead me to God and towards the right path. It was difficult to hear and choose from a lot of different prespectives but they did help a lot in widening my mindset about a lot of things through the Spirit’s guidance.

It wasn’t God’s goal that He’ll give you the perfect spouse because your husband/wife will fail you in the entire course of your marriage. This is not because God wants to see us suffer but He wanted to see how we will honor our commitment to Him and to our spouse, how will we continue fighting for our faith towards the beautiful promises that He has and last but not the least, to love unconditionally in the same way that He has loved us. We were born sinners, we are imperfect and we have been saved only by GRACE – something that we did not deserve but was given as a gift out of His great love for us.

I remembered a few years back when a male colleague actually confronted me with a startling confession, “Tin, no guy will ever be a match for you. You are talented, beautiful, almost everything.” I couldn’t give him a fair answer except that I wasn’t created by God to be someone’s or anybody’s rival. I was made as a man’s partner, as equal and as unique as everyone else.  I, as a woman, do not have high standards or maybe I do but it doesn’t matter because what matters is that we have a God who has REALLY high standards and these are the standards that we ought to meet – not mine, not yours, but His.

So for two months I can say a lot have happened. But for the general feel of those two months, I can describe it as very painful and yet it was life-changing. As expected, I got a new Paulo Coehlo planner during the start of the year. This is my brother and sister-in-law’s consistent Christmas gift for me which, I must say, I appreciate a lot as my spiritual journey won’t be complete without it. This planner and I shared a lot of memories and it records all of my prayers, requests, letters of gratitude, revelations and daily bible verses from YouVersion and Our Daily Bread apps.

We also have a prayer and fasting in church at the start of the year and I must say too it was during this time that I had the greatest revelation from yes, the book of Revelation itself. 🙂

At first I did find it funny. I mean, even before, God’s ways are always amazing. He is so full of surprises. Most often these surprises will make you cry in awe – I always do. But it also made me humble – humble enough to acknowledge how could I have questioned God’s plans. It’s as if I am hearing Jesus when He said to His disciples, “you who have such little faith.”   Well, when prayer time comes and I do get to talk with God, I feel all too guilty of this. However, His love and grace remain steadfast and true – it sets you free and it gives you a new chance in life always.

I shared this testimony exactly after the prayer and fasting ended. When I went home to my province last December, no one was left to tend my little garden. I just have faith that God will take good care of them for me in the same way He takes care of the wild forests. When I came back in January, true enough, my plants were flourishing except for one – the oldest plant I have since 2005 which is a calamansi plant. It doesn’t bear any fruit probably because there’s no other calamansi plant around that can pollinate it.

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All the leaves of my calamansi plant were curled and dried up. My sister was the one who noticed it first and asked me what happened. We both could not explain as the rest of my plants were thriving. So she said maybe a fungus attacked the roots and I thought that it could very well be the reason. She suggested I throw the plant away. I thought it best too as it’ll be absurd keeping a dead plant in your garden. 😀

But on second thoughts, I have decided to keep it. I did water it for a day or two after we got back but when I saw that the leaves are really all dried up and they were starting to fall off one by one, I stopped watering it for about 2 weeks except for the occasional rainshowers but still chose to keep it. I just don’t know why I still kept it. 🙂

Anyway, for the month of November the character trait in my planner was patience, December was determination and January 2017 is tolerance. Nope, it is not an irony these traits are exactly what I needed to learn in the season I was in but I believe they’re all part of His plans. I have remained hopeful and faithful for the time when my husband will be saved and for the time when we will be together again. Ah yes, those grueling two months of being apart and you felt that your life was in shambles and what you have with you is nothing else but faith.

I asked God for forgiveness, that He would change me and yet I asked Him for strength and courage too. I know God is changing my hubby too. It is always between God and the person and that the people around are used only as vessels for God to allow that change to take place. I was claiming that the year 2017 will be the start of a lot of positive changes for all even if we seem to have lost everything. I am believing too that more unbelieving spouses will rise in the calling that God has for them to be Godly husbands and wives and Godly parents to their children. I am praying that the generations to come will learn from the generational curses that have been set and passed on to them by their ancestors and they will break free from them through the Cross.

As much as I’d want to share every single detail of those two months that I can say God was purifying me thus made me choose a white dress for Christmas day (see photo below), I would like to share the following bible verses, quotations in my daily devotion, articles I came across and questions I have asked God wherein I have felt much of the Spirit’s presence in what I was and am going through until now. I hope you will be blessed by them too in whatever season you are in. These verses came one by one consistently everyday. 🙂

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P.S.

Don’t forget to read the last part – I have good news to tell. 😉

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding..” – Proverbs 3:5

“For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:9

“Give your burdens to the LORD, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” – Psalm 55:2

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” – John 15:4

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” – Hebrews 12:2

Lord, teach me how to carry my own cross and how to carry it well.

“This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands. For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.”- 1 Peter 3:3‭-‬6 

“God is at work to make us who He intends us to be.” – Our Daily Bread

“Hear the word of the Lord.” – Jeremiah 7: 2

“I am making everything new.” – Revelation 21:5

“The word of the Lord never fails.” – Luke 1:3

“But seek first the Kingdom of God and live righteously and He will give you everything you need.” – Matthew 6:33

“Only Jesus can give us new life.”  (John 14:19)

“Christ will never leave His wife. Ever. There may be times of painful distance and tragic backsliding on our part. But Christ keeps His covenant forever. Marriage is a display of that! That is the most ultimate thing we can say about it.”

– http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/staying-married-is-not-about-staying-in-love-part-1

A display of His greatness.

I often wonder if my life was patterned after every devotion I am using – every bible verse, every Godly wisdom shared, I felt applying them all for real for they were all timely in every event that I am going through.

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor.” – 1 Peter 5:6

Why choose me, Lord?

Who am I to question God and His ways?

“Let others see your testimony as well as hear it.” – Our Daily Bread (2 Corinthians 4:7)

For I prefer Lord for my faith to be tested like iron is being forged in fire. For I do not intend to be lukewarm in my faith.

“There is no risk in abandoning ourselves to God.” (Romans 12:1)

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. – C.S. Lewis”  (Romans 7:14)

“But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.” – 2 Thessalonians 3:3

“Christ holds all things together.” (Colossians 1:17)

Now we’re on to the last part of this article which I was referring to previously. So what’s the good news? Well, God’s grace made it possible for our marriage to be restored and we are on to an absolutely new chapter of our lives as a married couple. A new chapter indeed because we are finally deciding to relocate to a place near his work, I am going back to the work force and I just felt real change within me and my spouse. At first I was apprehensive about this change but if God brought us here, then He will help us go through it all as well.

As my husband put it (yes, my husband. 😀 ), God is good. 🙂

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Oh and yes, remember the plant that died which I still kept? After 2 weeks, this is how it looks now – new leaves. It’s alive!  “The old is gone and the new has come and I am making everything new” indeed as what the Lord says. All it took was FAITH. 😀

To end this article, I’ll share this bible verse which was from my laptop’s screensaver yesterday (it displays a different bible verse everyday). Yet another revelation from the book of Revelation:

“Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.” – Revelation 3:10

Oh how I love my God. ❤ *insert wide smile here* 

Continue fighting the good fight of faith my dear brothers and sisters. 🙂