Lego House…

It’s been a rainy day today… after doing the chores and quite time… I ensconce myself on my bed listening to my music…my playlist aint eclectic. Im not in the mood for a diverse selection, I settle for a contemporary lovesong, I narrow from Ed Sheeran, Tyler Swift, Lady Antebellum, JT, Katharine McPhee, Jennifer Paige, Boys Like Girls, Christina Perri, BSB…and my mp3 shuffles these 13 songs. I think you can guess already what the possible songs are.

Patience 101: Another Confession

One more week... that short yet painstakingly long to wait. ~ mlca

Oh dear! retaking patience 101... Honestly, I’m no expert when it comes to patience... I fail most of the time. Regardless of the many forms of it...like waiting for your turn in the lonnnnnnnngggggggg queue coz the other end is slowpoke, waiting for your order coz  the cashier tries to multitask, waiting for students to submit their requirement coz they have that harum-scarum attitude and you are beating the deadline for the submission of grades, or waiting for my husband to come home especially, since it takes him 4 hours to travel home,… those sorts of waiting-- not just waiting for trivial things to go by… what peeves me and completely blows my “good-natured tolerance” off is when you set a date and your date (my spouse for that matter) arrives 40 minutes late…and come to think of it that it is a weekly thingy. There is no room to overlook, right? Yeah, this confession is something that I am not proud of…

Conviction

Conviction… it is defined as “an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence.” It is synonymous to the words like strong belief, creed, or article of faith.
I have been searching in the Bible concordance about conviction. There is no exact verse that mentions or explains what it is… So when Concordance doesn’t work, Google might help. Here is what I found when I googled the word.

Appreciation Night

One of the things that are wonderful in my spiritual family is that we know that we need each one to advance the kingdom of God… Last December 3… We had the Appreciation Night to our church volunteers and leaders who labor relentlessly in obeying the great commission… here are the photos.

Appreciation Night VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Kindness

People today are surprised when people treat them kindly and extend them favors without asking anything in return…

I normally prepare my powerpoint presentation in most of my subjects I teach… for those who do their ppt… they know that creating the slides, animating them + encoding the text are truly laborious… It is understandable that people simply do not share the ppt…

Frustration

I am human and I do feel frustrated at times. When things don’t come my way or the way I hope it would be – I am bombarded with disappointment, sometimes vexation.

How do I cope when I am attacked with this dangerous emotion? Before I share my thoughts about this one, let me exposit the context of this emotion…

Here it goes… I have been waiting for something to materialize… I know God has promised me these things… and I know He will deliver His promises – every single thing of it. However, there is this one thing I truly desire…let me call this stability… the thing is, we don’t know where our promise land is. And I am dying to settle in for good…but as of the moment, it seems like my desire is far from the horizon…and what we have right now are so uncertain, precarious, and shaky. There is no single thread for me to hold on to concerning this promise. So, I am freaking out! Then, frustration tries to sneak into my system… hoping to beat me down and wallow with depression. But I am certainly fighting for my sanity—now that is a hyperbole!

Last Tuesday… I was reading the book of Joshua… God faithfully accomplished what He promised to Moses…and like He said, He would not wipe out all those tribes for a good reason:

Here is what God exactly said:

<< Deuteronomy 7 >>

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22“The LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, for the wild beasts would grow too numerous for you. 23“But the LORD your God will deliver them before you, and will throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed. 24“He will deliver their kings into your hand so that you will make their name perish from under heaven; no man will be able to stand before you until you have destroyed them. 25“The graven images of their gods you are to burn with fire; you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, or you will be snared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God. 26“You shall not bring an abomination into your house, and like it come under the ban; you shall utterly detest it and you shall utterly abhor it, for it is something banned.

I always believe God knows what is best for us…and whatever is the delay in the completion of His promise…That is because He knows the perfect time for it. His timing is always flawless.

I know God’s promise is a done deal… It is sealed…and it is happening…I may not see it… I just need to be patient and to keep on believing and hoping. God is sovereign.

So my way of coping whenever frustration tries to outfox me (frustration is really like Swiper the Fox ) is to go back to the Word of God. This is my source of strength… a reminder of God’s faithfulness…and Frustration has no room in my nous and my heart because it is simply otiose to entertain it.

I am boldly confessing that to myself! So, I am holding on.

UnFair

Thoughts About My Scripture Reading: (MARK 10:45)

The real test in the garden of Eden is not about the "eating of the fruit"...but about "OBEDIENCE" and "DISOBEDIENCE"... and because of SIN, Life is no longer fair... If it does...then there shall never be "Salvation".

However, the beauty of life that is "unfair" is we can avail the Grace of God through His Son Jesus Christ...who is the "RANSOM" for many...

HOPE

What is hope? This four letter word is akin to expectancy, optimism, desire, wish… The opposite of hope is hopelessness… and when hopelessness sets in the heart and mind of man… it breeds depression, despair, darkness, and self-destruction.

The cure of hopelessness is God… and there is no other.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ~ Jeremiah 29:11

The Ultimate Definition of Respect

Hello there. Here's a very good read to remind us of what we ought to do concerning the issue of Authority. I know this is not your current situation, but it's nice to be reminded once in awhile.
There are instances that our faith is tested in this area... Sometimes people who direct/ manage/ supervise/ watch us are may be unreasonable, unworthy of respect because of their behavior...but still WE ARE CALLED TO SUBMIT TO AUTHORITY regardless of their attitude... we must not criticize, disparage, or malign them (as long as your employer/ superior does not ask you to drop the ball, then by all means let us yield to the authority of that person) Coz if you don't...how can you make a difference, fulfill your calling, and be the salt and the light? 
~ maLyth
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The Ultimate Definition of Respect: Submitting to and Respecting Authority
Karen Wolff
As a parent I can surely tell you that when your kids don't show you respect, it is really hard not to want to ground them until they're 30—at least. We all try to instill the importance of honoring authority into our kids. Yet, we all have more than a little trouble honoring the authority that's over our own lives.
Remember the old saying, "Do what I say, not what I do?"
We all want it. We all expect it. Yet, we want others to earn it from us. How is that supposed to work?
God's View of Authority

The truth is, God has placed an entire network of people in this world into positions of authority. I'm not just referring to our government leaders, but also to the leaders in our workplaces and in our families. Perhaps it's time to take a look at just how God views authority and our lack of respect thereof.
Coming under authority and showing respect isn't easy. Nobody wants to be told what to do or how to do it. We criticize anybody that makes a decision we don't like. It's not right. It's not fair. It's not good for me.
In our country we've taken our right to free speech to an unbelievable level. We openly criticize our leaders, our country, our values, and pretty much anything else that doesn't line up with what we want. We don't see anything wrong with complaining, whining, and showing disgust to anybody who will listen.
An open dialogue about how to solve issues is always a good thing. But some have even categorized their poor behavior as an attempt at "open dialogue." There is much to learn about how God views these kinds of situations.
Protection and Favor

When you are in relationship with God, he provides you with protection and favor. But as you belittle and criticize those people he has placed in authority over you, that protection and favor is lifted from you. The bottom line is that God expects you to respect him and his choices. He expects that you will respect the people he's placed in authority over you. That doesn't mean you have to agree with every one of their decisions, but it does mean you still need to show respect for the position, and by extension, the person who is in the position.
Romans 13:1-3 says, "Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you." (NLT)
Now, do you want to respect authority? Probably not. In reality, would you rather just tell them what you think about it? Yup. So how do you go about this seemingly impossible task? How do you submit to and show respect for the authority God has placed over you when you don't agree? And, how do you keep a good attitude while you're doing it?
Practical Steps for Respecting Authority

1. Start by reading and learning what God says about respecting authority. Find out just what he thinks and how much importance he places on your willingness and your attitude about it. When you discover that God will only give you authority over others when you show that you can come under authority yourself, perhaps things will look a little different to you.
2. Pray for those in authority over you. Ask God to guide them as they fulfill their tasks. Pray that their hearts would seek God as they make decisions. As God to show you how you can be a blessing to those in authority over you.
3. Set the example for the people around you. Show them what submitting to authority for the right reasons is supposed to look like. Don't participate in back-biting, gossiping, or criticizing your bosses or others in authority. There is nothing wrong with having constructive conversations, but there is a fine line between offering your opinion and becoming disrespectful.
4. Understand and know ahead of time that you are not going to like every decision.  If you look at the responsibility and accountability that exists within the role of your leaders, it should become clear that the scope of their authority affects more than just you and your circumstances. There are times when decisions will negatively impact you. But just remember that how you react to these times will determine how quickly God puts you in a position of authority over others.

There is no magic pill that can make you feel good about having to submit to authority—any authority. But know when you make the conscious effort to do what God says, regardless of how it feels, you are planting a wonderful seed that will produce a harvest in your life.
You can't expect a harvest of blessings from people who will respect and honor you, if you haven't first planted the seeds. So as hard as it is, start planting!
http://christianity.about.com/od/topicaldevotions/qt/respectauthorit.htm
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Prayer

Prayer is somehow thought as a discipline than a lifestyle, because some people [if not most] find praying difficult. I am not expert on this subject matter… In fact I am still fine-tuning my habit in this aspect… It is my desire that my prayer life will meet God in a higher plane… that I mean—my prayer will transude more than just talking, imploring, confiding, reaching, unwrapping, and interceding [every now and then]… I do wish that my praying is like breathing ---hardwired, involuntary, genuine, reflexive, spontaneous, unsophisticated and exceedingly wonted. That is my yearning.

I read this quote which is very solacing… it says:

Prayer is not a discourse. It is a form of life, the life with God. That is why it is not confined to the moment of verbal statement. --Jacques Ellul

Technorati Tags: pray,prayer,worship,talking to God,desire,praying,God,faith

Dark Chocolate

I have cravings for Dark Chocolate these past few days. So, my hubby bought me two bars on separate days. When it comes to chocolates, he tries to rein in my cravings because I have chronic tonsillitis, that type of tonsillitis that never subsides anymore…and this concerns him ever since.
Cravings happen when my period is nearing. This seems to be normal to me. Anyway, I read an article in the net that dark chocolates do lessen the hormonal stress or anxiety. That article inspired me to blog my conviction.

Christmas

Christmas is a season that comes at the end of the year. We all grow up wrapped with our very own Christmas culture. Attuned with this ethos, everyone motions to the usual celebration of Christmas every year- gift giving, noche buenas, caroling, parties and reunions.

But as we get into the mood of festivity, we also remember the quintessence of Christmas. That Love is the driving force why we celebrate Christmas. We heard this over and over before that Jesus Christ came to earth to display the unconditional love of the Father. We simply could not remove the basic truth of this season. This is the kind of love that moves us to love and share to others.

Without this love, we could not connect to other people with genuinely love but rather our relationship is swathed with personal motives like "spongers". But since Jesus Christ came and told us to love one another… that relationship is important than the material things this world can offer.

Christmas reminds us that family and friends are the real treasures.