Thank You Lord For A Very Merry Christmas...

 

Now I know how my mom feels beyond exclusively overjoyed especially @ Christmas, New Year's, Thanksgiving, Mother's Day & Birthdays when she's surrounded with her children. There is nothing more perpetually important & beautiful than having your loved ones, your family, enjoying the blessings of health, the abundance of food, the sentiments of love, and the shared challenges that made us stronger and wiser--all because we believe that "the deepest wounds can be the very catalysts that cause us to reach toward Him and that He is for us and not against us...

Merry Merry Christmas

It's Christmas Eve...In less than two hours it's Christmas. It's funny that I'm writing this post in my garage table where your thoughts could be hovered with images of special kind of junks that are stored...For the first time I wanted to try the unorthodox setting to write not jut writing in your most special niche, the master bedroom all the time. Tonight, it feels natural, more like organic, down to earth atmosphere. Beautiful weather, too, for a wintry December. What about 68 degrees, my kind of weather.

Let me share with you what happened in the wee hours of this morning. My son's new sport's car was broken into. His passport, his ticket to Amsterdam for Monday were stolen. His Master's Degree graduation money from last week and his 6 valuable watches were also taken. And for all we know, it could have been a more than one man's job.  One grabbing for stuff and one on the look out. The Ring captured a man sitting on the front passenger's side but it was blurry. You may be wondering why the alarm did not go off. 

There are many speculations. May be even tremendous warranted guilt of what ifs' and should haves' suppositions on my son's behalf. I'm so sorry for this to have happened and I love you son were the only things I told him. Did I have any inkling? No, but at this time of year especially at this Christmas, I've heard so many car thieves, home invasions and packages getting stolen even in broad daylight. 

However, these suppositions may seem irrelevant now. I thank God that my son had a very strong sense of moving forward and getting over unprecedented event rather than mulling over it senselessly. It's just money and physical valuables that he worked for diligently. I pray that the culprits be convicted and will return the passport and everything that was not theirs. Is that a dreamy, farfetched prayer? No, because God does miraculous transformations on the human heart. And if not, the valuable lessons alone outweigh the evil deeds. God has a way of returning it back to you what was taken. Never leave valuables, cash, or any electronic items in your car no matter how tired you are. Deposit your checks and money the day or the next day you received them. And never forget to mutter a prayer, silent or unspoken on your way out...

Most of all, don't let the devil sway you from celebrating the greatest gift of the Heavenly Father to us, His son, Jesus...

God will promote you, will protect you when you don't let circumstances circumvent or beat you.

From my Family to Yours, Merry Merry Christmas to you All!

God Bless

 

" Give Thanks Unto The Lord..."

 

In every circumstance, challenge, and ordeal that we go through this life, new revelations and learning experiences walk our path. We just have to wear the right lens of God's perspective, what He says about all these events, chartered and unchartered territories in our lives unexpected, uneventful...

My best friend was in ICU on a ventilator, in a dormant state for two months. Visitations are only for families so I was excluded. I was left in the dark that the only thing I could do was to pray for God's miracle. I do believe that God still performs miracles for "He is the same yesterday, Today and Forever."

While waiting for God's heart to move from all the prayers and fasting from hundreds of saints everywhere, there are moments when the enemy encamps my mind showering me with doubts, fear, insecurity so I may be led astray from going to church to praise and worship the Lord Jesus.  The devil whispering those lies in my soul that my best friend has long been gone in the physical realm did not pull a string in my heart for I know my God, what He's able to do...  But you know, when satan starts to bewilder you with accusations and try to reframe your thoughts, please know that He is the father of lies, and don't you ever forget that he is "the devil that wants to devour our lives keeping us from the joy of living in a relationship with Jesus. His plan is obviously to steal, kill, and destroy one's life. And God calls us to be alert and of sober mind, watching out for the schemes of the devil who prowls around like a lion looking for someone to make his move."

So, last week, my prayer was answered; not just mine but many of those who prayed for healing over my best friend's situation. She woke up cognizant of her surroundings and her family by her side. I may have not witnessed such an incredible move of God but it gives me overwhelming joy that I still have her to continue this friendship that God bestowed on us. She can't speak yet but I know that in God's marvelous ways of loving us, that day will come very very soon.

November is my birthday month...and it's around Thanksgiving week. My heart is full of gratitude...

May you see what I see; may you feel what I feel and may the Grace of God abounds in your life because it's only through Him that we truly live...

 

I find solace in the changing of seasons...

October is when I start to feel whimsical with a dose of nostalgia and utmost gratitude. My eyes can see beyond the colors of the season. My ears can hear the tweeting of the birds sitting on the electric wire high above my home. I could smell the crackling and the crumbling of the warm comforts of food...the crisp peach cobbler, cinnamon roll pancakes, creamy lentil stew, homemade fried chicken marinated in soy sauce, lemon, and pepper & salt, and don't forget the hayride or stroll down to the picks of the pumpkin patch. It's a wild, dreamy thing for me...

The sprawling showcase of vibrant colorful pumpkins of different kinds of shades and texture engulfs me in awe and wonder. And, yet a traditional orange carving pumpkin brings me delight.

There's autumn excitement in my daily walks. 

I get to my school campus an hour early in the morning so I can walk around the school building 4 times which is roughly equivalent to a mile or so for a half-hour, from Monday to Friday. The only time I trail the parks is on the weekends since I take good care of my mom after school. There are five of us siblings that pitch in with our time to take good care of our mom. This is the only way that she wouldn't live in a nursing home. Besides, for all mom's quirks and idiosyncrasies, she won't last a day in a nursing facility. There are days that this schedule is taking its toll on us. But the love for a mom or for a loved one justifies the sacrifice...God is mindful of our hearts.

So here I am... taking a solo venture that I have yet to discover the unfolding of a life that is unprecedented and punctuated by uncertainties. Would there be an intimate rendezvous on the horizon?

God is faithful...All things are possible with Him to those who believe. I'm counting on it!

Happy Fall.

W

''It's Time For Me To Be Vaccinated..."

 

                          After contracting Covid 4 months ago, I swore that I will get the vaccine. But let me tell you some things I experienced physically and spiritually: it was very dreadful to face it knowing I got it on Mother's Day and also my mom's 86th birthday, both of which I planned to celebrate with family but life had other plans for me. I have had gotten so many narratives about how Covid turns into a death sentence, a horrifying and debilitating affliction it is to you if you get it. But until you experienced Covid which I never wish for my worst enemy to have, you don't have an inkling what sickness or disease means.

Before the inception of Covid, I was very confident that my immune system is strong enough to battle the virus. Never in my life that I was so wrong about my physical health. I thought I would be spared from it, maybe even an exception but I did get it even with ardent prayers to God every day. I had chills and fever that stayed with me for 72 hours; I had pinching-like pain and pressure in my chest for a night and lost my sense of taste and smell for a month. My energy was very low that all I wanted is to lie down and sleep. The weakening of my body was too much to endure. And when I was about ready to go back to work after 10 days of quarantine and with a negative Covid result, I sprained my left leg by doing strenuous body exercise. Thus I stayed another week. Another lesson learned: learn to take it easy and be patient and be accepting that growing old entails simplifying your life. 

But even then that I was so sick experiencing all the symptoms listed if you have Covid, I know somewhere deep down in my soul that this virus is not going to be my cause of death. With the help of my very supportive and loving family and friends and most of all God's covering on me, I knew that I will regain my strength, recuperate with fortitude and run this challenge with the ingrained promise of God in my life. Amidst the precipice of things, I wasn't about to give up on the path that God has led me to take. Because only in God's presence you can have joy forevermore.

So, this morning, I finally got my first dose of the Moderna vaccine. I was adamant about taking it for I still see it as an experimental drug but some things just corroborated into making me decide that it's okay to take the chance for a lesser risk to be in an intensive care unit. I prayed that this vaccine will serve me right and to those who put their trust in these vaccines. So far, I only have a mild sore over the spot where they put the needle in. Praise God.

Oh God, I pray that this Covid 19, Delta variant, and any other virus that the enemy will plague us will cease and will have no power over us. In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Hello September Rhythm Of The Wind...

 

You Are Not Alone...God Loves You.

 

We're blazing another round of tumultuous period of an onslaught to Delta Variant. Masks are required again. We were just having a breather and people are really enjoying this freedom until another so-called strand popped to threaten our livelihood. And we ask, when will this charade be over? That's just my opinion. 

I can't help to implore the question, "Who's benefiting the most from all of these? I'm sure that crossed into the forefront of your mind. Who and what are we giving the fidelity and the integrity of our constitutional rights to? 

Each day I grow weary and perplexed of how this beautiful, blessed, and most powerful country in the world is not holding up against tyranny among those we put into power to protect the people but instead we, the people are constrained in a box. Again, it's just me and my thoughts. We don't really get the real substance of media reporting. It is disconcerting that I no longer watch the news of any kind...I read up on articles though by trustworthy writers and re-read them again with punctuations and notations. 

It's a crazy world we live in, so they say... However, we can be more informed, equipped, and prayerful so "we may not be destroyed and perished because of lack of knowledge." We, the people of God have that opportunity to learn what the Bible says about all of these. "All Scriptures in the Bible is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

"Take Joy In The Journey..."

 

Good, inspiring music is at our disposal...We get it for free anytime, anywhere in the U.S.

Beyond Blessed for the freedom to choose what we want to listen to and thank God for raising up artists, musicians, and songwriters to help reach people know that they can call upon God for mercy, grace and forgiveness.

There is undeniably millions of people hurting here in Earth. I must say, all of us--just in different ways. For how deep the pain is, no one can measure except that when you have Hope in God's sovereign power and unconditional love, living each day becomes "a purpose driven life."

"Taking joy in the journey" as this song echoes, will eventually lead us to believe that we will have the victory in the end. This very narrow road to our eternal home is very hard to travel but we will make it and try to bring as many souls as we can with us for Heaven is real--that's the greatest commission...God instructed us!

"Say, I Won't..."

"Scars in Heaven"

"God Bless The U.S.A."

 My favorite patriotic anthem...

"Proud to be an American and I love this land..."

Only in America where the very heart of freedom is lived Today. I'm talking our freedom to worship a god of the Pharisees or the son of God that died for all of our sins so we may be reunited with Him in eternity. Once our religious or Christian beliefs are curtailed, controlled and ceased by the government, then we're no longer the "land of the Free and the home of the Brave."

However, I doubt that will ever happen not with the revivals that are taking place here in America. Christianity is still very much alive... Prayer is still a lifeline and a weapon against weariness & hopelessness.

Thank God for His faithfulness, for holding darkness that we deserve and that He never gives up on us if we fix our eyes on Jesus. Let not your heart be troubled. Seek Him for wisdom and guidance. Accept Him today as your personal Savior and Lord and your life will no longer be filled with constant fear and agitation. Oh, how He loves you and me...

Happy Father's Day!

God is Faithful...

 It was forty five minutes past noon when I heard like a loud collision while I was leaving my driveway. Dare me, I wasn't looking at my rearview mirror! I knew I hit something. I didn't sound like I just ran over a bump. 

Sure thing, I got out of my car and here comes a guy maybe on his late twenties or early thirties looking furious and told me, "Are you not looking?" I just said, I'm so sorry." There was no need to defend myself or make excuses to what it seemed to be an admission of guilt on my end. But I did tell him that this was my first accident that I caused in 34 years that I have been driving. Now that I'm lying down my bed at night, that remark doesn't have any bearing to my negligence for not looking in the rearview mirror while backing up.

The guy was driving probably a 2019 or a 2020 vehicle. I still drive a 2003 vehicle. What swirled into my mind was that I'm going to drain my savings just to fix his new car. But I know that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is faithful...

Before I turn on my car, I say a very simple prayer-- "Thank you God for your traveling mercies, for your hedge of protection over me, and thank you that you're always with me wherever I go and for your faithfulness I'm always in awe..." That fervent prayer saved me that very moment. And this car incident happened for He is worthy to be praised and glorified. 

I call this a miracle car accident. I'm a big believer on God's exceeding Grace, and He is still performing miracles if we allow ourselves to see it- God's way.

So I and the other driver walked around to the back of his car because I knew I hit his fender or anything near his trunk. He must have been shocked to see that there was no damage, not even a tiny dent or scratch. He tried to look at it again and I would think that he, too, was relieved. The God that I serve erased what was there. I was telling the guy that it is God's doing and I prayed over his car and I gave him a hug and he said it's okay.

That was an opportunity for me to share the faithfulness of God. I pray that what he witnessed today is a revelation of God's working power. And a lesson for me to be more mindful of my surrounding We sometimes grow complacent of not looking through the sideview mirror and rearview mirror because we think that we got it covered at this time already. But...thank God for "He make all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Romans 8:28 (KJV)

Your Greater Purpose...

I had a dream at 2 am today. It was about someone in my past that is probably the most influential trajectory of my life. I know he didn't have an inkling of how much he impacted my life. He will always be my rescue to my writer's block, and probably a very crucial reason why I still write and strum my guitar. More than anything, he's that someone I would keep praying to be saved...

As he was my greatest challenge, he was consuming me to a point where my covenant with God was perturbed. But with all the shifting happening in my mind, the heart knows when to let it go and give them all to the Heavenly Father. I stop fighting and chasing a dream that will never be mine till eternity. That was a decade ago...Time has its fortitude. This was mine to shake it off the dust.

Many of us cling to some things that are never a part of ourselves. If they did, they would have come to pass. And even if they did happen in your timeline, there's no telling it could have worked. It's not worth risking but there was that moment in time that I was going to risk it all. But God intervened...

I will close with this: "To love and be loved is a beautiful thing. To know your purpose and fulfill it is a priceless thing. But to know God and be known and loved by Him is better than life itself. It is life---"eternal life." (John 17:3).

"Hold On To Me..."

A new song you hear on the radio catches your attention especially if you kind of know the sound of that artist. Lauren Daigle.

I will let you be the judge of this song. I can only tell you that it threw me off for a second. I had to stop what I was doing. Immediately I went to youtube and just typed in a couple of words that I remembered and there it was. It's called, "Hold On To Me..."

Walking to a Hopeful Spring...

 "Your job as a writer (of any genre) is not to make readers imagine things as you see them but to trigger the theaters of their minds... Give them just enough to engage their mental projections, that's where the magic happens."  Writing For The Soul by Jerry B. Jenkins

Every season begins with a morph in mind. How you put your signature or your emblem to that visceral, deep, best feeling towards Spring should shimmer with Hope.

Yesterday I went to Hobby Lobby with books on my mind to buy. I just read Nerves of Steel by Tamie Jo Shults and Writing for the Soul by Jerry B. Jenkins, both last week. I also watched Captain America (Chris Evans)1 & 2 last night. I figure that it's better to learn to deviate from my keen interests in non-fiction. This anomaly will surely gain me more knowledge in honing my writing from blockages. The less I encounter writer's block, the better the flow of what I'm trying to elucidate teleporting messages that are Springy and memorable.

As I gathered 4 books together, it didn't dawn on me that these books I purchased were not in any way on my radar within the scheme of things in my life. One of the books is called The Power of a Praying Grandparent by Stormie Omartian cannot fully connect with me because I'm not a grandmother yet but I can read it and take away the nuggets of wisdom in that book and gift it to a friend that is a grandmother. Another book I bought is authored by Stephen and Alex Kendrick in The Love Dare. Skimming just the preface tells me that marriage is always priceless and worth fighting for. I thought for just one moment that just may be if I had read this book when my marriage was on the brink of inescapable divorce, just maybe surmountable. But no...thinking about it with no substance at all remains in the past of no return. But then again, this might encourage a couple to never underestimate the strength in not giving up in both parties concerned. The third book I picked to read is "Defined" by Stephen Kendrick & Alex Kendrick. I didn't need to browse the pages. The title itself conjures messages that may be worth sharing. God is the only one that gave us the absolute definition of who we are. There should be no confusion of your identity for He only created a man and a woman, Genesis 1:28-29. Anyone who wants to dispute that truth will have to seek God's heart of wisdom.

The last book I decided to get is Karen Kingsbury's "Someone Like You." This one I didn't even turn the page. The caption #1 New York Times Bestselling Author must have convinced me to add to my reading list this Spring. I have to pinch myself to remind me that this is a novel that it cannot give me fixations, squabbles on matters that have already framed my soul and heart to rest. The Bible tells us that this is the only book that gives us all we need to know. And I totally know that truth.

Stepping into Spring for me is doing what gives you a deeper understanding and appreciation of what we call life. It's your decisiveness, resolute habits that won't let you squander your God-given gifts. For me reading books, magazines, the newspaper gives me an edge to a place of wisdom, grace, peace, and clarity. It's a threshold. It doesn't matter what season I'm in but in the Spring I tend to get more purposeful and steady. Of course, I do have other activities that move me...I just wish that I could travel and see the world for what's their worth not only in the adventures of reading them but actually subdue their magical beauty for there is always a fairy tale behind every fascinating continent especially the island of the seas...

I love dolphins, polar bears, penguins, the exquisite birds and flowers in the field, and the green pastures God has provided for every living creature, the towering bamboos, and places where you most experience Heaven on Earth!

 

One breath at a time, one life, and One Creator. My Spring!

Opportunities, Chances: Blindsided of Them or Taking them Fearlessly?

 I'm writing with so many conjuring thoughts circling the hemisphere of my brain...Spring Break is just over. I failed my list of short term goals. I didn't organize the clutter in my garage neither discard the over-piled boxes of Nintendo magazines and the gadgets relative to playing Mario Brothers owned by my eldest son who refused to throw them away even when they're all savaged by time and space. What could be their worth? To my son's perspective, they're his legacy of being a gamer, an artist, and his threshold. To me, their physicality must be in their rightful place--to the large bin to be picked up on garbage day. My take is that, you already have the treasures of experiences and memories locked in your mind and heart then you don't need to save them and let them rot obviously...

Well,  during the inception and evolving precedence of COVID 19, I was binging on food since I was confined at home. I didn't really realize that up since stepping on that weigh scale and the numbers don't lie. I have had developed unwanted layers in my belly which to my surprise, I kind of denied the imperativeness of losing the 12 lbs. I gained because I see that compounding pounds to almost every human being in my circles of friends, in the family and my co-workers. Everywhere I go especially in the grocery stores, I see a lot of people maybe have the same issues like mine. It didn't really scare me at first. I subjected myself with identifiable reasonable excuses. I told myself, "you're still within the range according to the periodic table of height, weight, age factors. And then I just started experiencing heartburns, bloating after eating and severe insomnia and maybe even panic attacks. I became what I haven't contemplated to be one...heavy and thick; fat and obese especially when all of your life, you were identified as slim or just right physique. 

Oh well...what am I going to do about it? First, I accepted that it is a problem that is affecting my confidence and my over all well being. I know it's just 12 lbs. but if I don't do anything about it now, that number will quadruple and then who's to blame? Myself and no other factors...

So, this past Spring Break, I made at peace with myself. I'm not going to do the list of household chores but instead work squarely on what's keeping me to feel alive and well again. Without my precious dogs with me anymore, walking has been stifling. It just stayed on my mind. It didn't flow in my system. But then an epiphany surmise: what would happen to my advocacy of staying healthy through regiment exercise shared with others? I have a son that has struggled obesity all his life and now that he's finally driven to lose weight, here I am, had fallen off the wagon. This should be more than enough to hit the trails again and throw away incompetence...

The other day, I was walking at Lions' Park where I took Cocoa & Tootsie when they were still here...An older man just passed me effortlessly. I said to myself this can't be happening that someone much older than me just swinging not too shabby. Although I was jealous of him outwalking me, I kind of respect and admire the tenacity. I feel my body out of synchronicity. I feel heavy, the weight of extra lbs. are deterring me to walk/jog swiftly. Not a good feeling. But this is accountability: it just didn't happen overnight, weeks, but in months of undisciplined overeating.

But...I'm here Now to redeem myself. Losing 1 lb. just last week is a congratulatory week for me. I also started learning to play the keyboard. Thanks to my brother-in-law and my sister for blessing me another musical instrument to learn. Google, it is to help you accomplish that skill. Learning another skill confronts idleness. We have to be proactive and fight the cravings for unhealthy food. Most of all I thank the Lord God Almighty for being so faithful in my life whenever I was ready "to throw in the towel" to losing my heart...God says, in Matthew 28:20 "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."

Don't we all need God? I do, for without His mercy and grace, Heaven may be unreachable for me and you to call our Eternal Home...God Bless

"What TIME Is It?"

 "TIME was passing like a hand waving from a train I wanted to be on... I hope you never have to think about anything as much as I think about you."      --Jonathan Safran Foer

Many times I wonder if I had got on a flight whether it's land, sea, or air transportation to see you would have changed my life...

In a wintry day like now impassioned me to one more time think how elusive the chase of loving someone so deep but loving you back unrequitedly. In these moments of  flashbacks, I kind of smile and feeling human that I had these memories to go back to--a reminder that it is still cool to think of you like that every now and then...It's not a bondage or some form of escape and denial. It's is purely the heart that gives way to a thing in the past...

So, what time is it? Metaphorically, it's that time again to mend those thoughts to a higher ground. But realistically, time is fleeting. 

A Divine Reconnection...

God's grace abounds...

There are truly people in your lives that gets a chance to get reconnected to you. It's not a happenstance especially if you're both in the faith. You just have to thank the Lord that he orchestrated every detail of the divine encounter.

I met Noreen when I was in my senior year in college and she was a sophomore in 1980. We went to the same university and we were both members in the university G-Clef. That was one of my highlights in the university where we get to sing as an ensemble to different venues , mostly in grand hotels. Even though we didn't get paid for the performances but the exposure and the camaraderie and budding friendships that are built and developed during rehearsals and live performances were worth the taking...

However, the greatest fulfillment I ever did with Noreen together was the time I invited her to a Christian fellowship where there was praise and worship, Scripture reading, and shared testimonies. I know that this was foreign to her, even overwhelming at that time but I believe that, that night would be the beginning of a threshold in the spiritual sense.

Aside from being a nurturing soul, Noreen has always been resilient, witty, and very respectful. She knows her domain, where she stands on things and issues. Her pretty face accentuates her expressive eyes and amusing dimples that's why when she smiles, you reconcile with that smile and smile back.

After 40 years of not having heard her voice, tonight was the epitome of serendipity. How amazing these moments are when you realize that four decades is ancient but the memories are like revival in your spirit. We talked for nearly two hours and encapsulated these moments in the presence of God. We both feel that God's grace abounds and how God made it happen tonight was very surreal. 

My heart is full of gratitude... I feel very Blessed in God's will!

Thank You Lord for the Blessing.

'Thank You Lord For Your Faithfulness..."

 Day 21 of 2021

Worship service tonight to celebrate our victory for completing 21 days for the Daniel Fast...

It was very surreal--it couldn't have happened on a perfect night like tonight. To be worshipping the Lord for one hour and a half without any interruption was so refreshing to the soul. The songs sang tonight were in no doubt led by the Holy Spirit because you could feel it. The atmosphere was purely the work of His presence amongst us. I didn't want it to end but it has to for now. There will be a time when worshipping and glorifying God is all we do...in Heaven.   

This Message Permeates My Soul...Truth Be Told!

 Day 20 of 2021

Courtesy: Google Content...

God-speed, President Trump...

 Day 19 of 2021

One day at a time...Looking back, in retrospect, President Trump gave voice to the unborn children who will never have a chance to live out the will of God for their lives. He strongly supported Christian religious beliefs and stood for Israel as a nation. He accomplished the majority of his promises when the people elected him as the President in 2016 and we may never know what really happened in the November 2020 presidential election because that freedom and liberty to find out the truth of it all was curtailed and stifled during the Capitol riot. I may be an ordinary citizen of the United States of America but I love this country. But I am a child of God first. Every child of God must occupy until the Lord comes. Our greatest commission is to share the good news that God is coming back for his unblemished church. And that we should live each day, vigilant of his coming and testify what Jesus Christ did for us, how our sinful lives were transformed and redeemed by the precious blood of the lamb...I heard one pastor said that if every Christian can lead one unbeliever to a sinner's prayer and make Jesus their personal Savior & Lord, this world will become a Christian world. And I felt so guilty because I haven't done that in years. If I'm only good at writing about it but not actually leading one for the kingdom of God, then what good would I be if I'm not winning souls?

God Bless You and Your Family, President Trump. You were a good vessel that God used to make America great again...I pray that God will continue to use you wherever you are. You will always be a strong pillar of the Christian faith!

" I believe..."

   

Day 18 0f 2021
  It's an old song favorite of mine...But Robin Herd's version of this song makes it more timeless with Randy Knaps and on the piano, Brian Heney!

Psalms 91: 1-16

 

Day 17 of 2021

Since the inception of Covid 19 and every morning when I get up, I am on my knees praying Psalms 91:1-16 to myself, my children and families, and my brothers and sisters in Christ. I believe it in my heart that reading the Word, praying the Word, believing the Word of God, and sharing the Word with the right people that don't carry suspicion and doubt are effective ways to combatting this so-called virus.

Another thing that we should remember wisely that to me it all comes down to how strong your immune system is. How do you take good care of yourself? Spiritually and physically. It's a lot of work to keep you and me healthy and strong. But that's the way it is: nothing in this life is easy. God did not promise us not to have tribulations but if we're truly wise, we ask him to guide us and lead the way. We'll get through anything with God on our side. He already had prepared the Way before us. 

It is just so important that we keep our trust in Him and not what our eyes see in the natural. That is what you call Faith & Hope. Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)says that Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. However, we must continue to have our Faith in the right direction. We can't put our trust in our politicians or our government officials especially if their policies don't align with the Word of God. Our shield, armor is the Word of God. What men say is fallible but God's Bible is infallible. Take heart that you know...

"Evidence of God's Goodness..."

 Day 16 of 2021

Today was a ray of sunshine...not only in the physical sense but spiritually, too. 

My son's car's tire was so flat & overblown that an air pressure machine that he owns can't do the job. From my vantage point, it looked like the tire can't be fixed or patched. I was so sure that it's not a nail that punctured that tire. I even thought it was slashed by some jerk but my son said that they really tried to do that they could have done the back tire not the front tire. I don't dig that argument. Because if a bad person does commit a bad deed, he or she wouldn't be very picky. They just want to commit a crime.

The car dealer place where my son bought his car is closed on the weekends especially the repairs dept.

So I called my brother-in-law who was a retired car mechanic from the Army. At least I wanted to see if the tire can be patched so we know what other options we have. So, my son and my brother-in-law worked together to put the donut tire while he went ahead and took the tire with him to patch it up. By the way, it was a nail punctured. He even let me feel the air that was coming out of the hole. 

What a good coincidence that my brother-in-law wasn't busy today. He came to help out on very short notice. That was a good favor Lord that you sent a family member to help another family member. Definitely, that was a problem solved for the day.

I also put 3 new window blinds this afternoon. I thought putting them will help keep the house stay warm in this cold season. I did the first two blinds without any major hassles but when I did the last one, I couldn't seem to anchor the mini blind holder to the wall. You think by now it's easy but it wasn't anything wrong with the hardware. It was on how I drilled the window- blind holders. It was backward. I was getting tired perhaps that I didn't notice it right away. But God is good, He's in every little detail in everything that we do, if you let Him be your guide.

"God is good...All the time and God is good..."

"The Devil's Advocate: Division Among Us...

 

Day 15 of 2021

What we're watching now in our nation is the result of masqueraded lies that satan has been working in the media, in politics, and in every which way we turn. Many of us have already been victimized by the facade of his dominion of lies. We can't even admit that it even sabotage the presidential election up to a point where Christians have lost their equilibrium on things that really matter to God.

Vengeance belongs to God. We wash our hands on any ploy or tactic that the evil is so subtle to manipulate our mind through the things that we see, hear, read & speak. No filter, no wisdom, no guilt, and no conscientious effects of such beliefs imposed by the enemy. Peter 5:8 " admonishes us to be sober-minded and alert for our adversary, the devil, prowls like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 

We eventually cater to the affluence of slavery into our minds and shackled our feet from going to places where we could be ambassadors of His Word. The devil is so creative in diverting us from the Calvary Cross where Jesus already finished it all for us. This absolute truth should have been more than enough to follow Him. Should Jesus tarry soon, it will be all too late for unbelievers...

"Today is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it. The joy of the Lord is our strength. We can do all thing through Christ who strengthens us."

God Loves You...

"One Day, We will see the Promised Land..."

 Day 14 of 2021

We need to renew our Hope to a higher, deeper level. We need to hope against what we see in the natural. I know I have...through incessant, fervent prayers.

"God Will Turn It Around..."

 Day 13 of 2021

God is never late; neither too early to answer your call. God's timing is perfect. Perfection only belongs to God. We can't use the adjective perfect to a person's accomplishment or to put somebody on a pedestal as if he /she is unreachable and can't be tainted. That's ludicrous.

I'm already so fed up with what the majority of the Democrats and some Republicans plus the media are so obsessed with taking down our President. This is the only thing that matters to them. They never truly cared about the well being of the American people. Because if they ever did, they would have had considered looking into this fraudulence during the presidential election. President Trump shortsighted the magnitude of what his enemies can do. No matter what he says or does, the indictment by the foes has been already been ruled out to their hearts' content. 

The irony and the saddest part of it all is we watch darkness unfold into different phases and layers that have become so confusing, alarming, and overwhelming that many of us just accepted it. Our voices have been penetrated by whose power is heard the loudest. If you keep on hearing the same mind-blowing frantic news 24/7 you might start to believe what you hear because your brain is getting fed bombastically. That's why I have decided 8 years ago not to watch the big networks to keep my sanity intact. I get my news from Christian channels. At least, it is much much more credible than all of the networks combined.

I believe in the Sovereignty of God, his omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent powers...He is the only one who can turn this around. He is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble.

Psalms 46:1 (KJV)

What A Difference A Day Makes...

Day 12 of 2021

My school had many shared stories about their families especially their children's goofy experience in the snow last Sunday. Me...I just watch by my window how the flurries got thickened as hours went by. I knew then that by the next morning which is Monday, schools will be closed. That alone ushered my heart to a flutter...An extra day off school is just fantastic...

I say, what a difference a day makes because after that 3-4 inches of snow in your surroundings, the next day is a ray of sunshine all over again. In retrospect of the rare event of snow here in Texas, that moment watching it fall to the ground makes you  think and hope it stays for days or even a week. But Nature decided that the showers of snow will only last for a day...So, you better do something about celebrating it, outside your box of doing things the usual way. 

Today as I look around my dwelling place there were residues of snow drips in my driveway, outside my car and in my doorstep. Those images leave me fastened my thoughts of how the hands of God can just create something out of nothing. He's the Creator of all things. He's the beginning and the end. He's infinite. That's a marvelous threshold of our being. We need to reconcile that. Otherwise, we'll always be left staggered, thorn, adrift, and forlorn in pursuit of truth to our life's purpose. 

God Bless

God, You Are My Champion...

Day 11 0f 2021

I took the liberty to share this song... It's kind of nice to lift you up from the inundations of life. It reminds me that amidst everything that is going on in the world especially here in America there is only one champion that has championed it all...In our finite minds, we think that we hold our tomorrows even when we know that's an outright lie. 

Could that be that we let our sin nature, our alter ego manifest on its own? But always remember that God has given us the will to choose what path do we take...Hope, you choose God's will which is for you to have eternal life with Him forever. When that trump sounds and you haven't chosen Him, you won't be in the most awaited time to be joining the Rapture of His church, His people. there will be no use of you thinking of whatever you have amassed here on earth for you can't take them. That's why our ultimate goal in life is to take the greatest commission to share that Heaven is real and Hell is complete darkness where suffering, pain and torture never ends. And your spirit can't die even when you want to die. That's a forever judgment. Just know that God is just. He has afforded us everything we have to know about eternal life in HEAVEN with Him...

This world that we live in is just temporary. We've heard it so many times about this life being a dress rehearsal, and that we're just passing through... I have always believed that to be true and nothing and nobody can change  what is truth. That truth can never have other half truths of it or relative meaning to it. Only the Word of God is an absolute truth. His Word is infallible. "Everything withers but His Word will never pass away...God Be Praised!

"It's Snowing in TEXAS"

"It's snowing

in Texas" exclaimed every family member of mine. These are my favorite pictures that they shared in our group text. If my precious dogs, Cocoa & Tootsie were still alive, I'm very sure that they'll love the purity of the snow, and how it tickles their paws and its texture just find themselves frolicking in the yard...However, I'm only sharing one of mine that I took a picture of my cars. The next one is my gorgeous niece and her dog Appa. Appa didn't look like he was feeling the cold. It was 27 degrees! My brother-in-law also joined in the welcoming of the snow while my sister made herself a snow angel, her first-time experience! Then, I have Blessing, my other sister's dog in their yard probably wondering and wandering in the snow. He looked like he's going to trail it like a real trooper. The next one is my great-nephew. I gotta give it to him...As soon as he woke up this morning, all he wanted to do is to have his first experience of snow in Texas. Then my last entry is my brother and his wife taking a picture in the middle of the park where it is so close to their house.

"Finding Comfort In God's Word Of Promises..."

January 9th...

Thinking of my good friend Senaida today. Her mother passed in her sleep today. She was in her late 8o's. She lived in a nursing home for about 5 years. It wasn't easy for everyone involved especially my friend Senaida. She wanted to take her mom and live with her but her apartment is not accessible to a wheelchair and no one would watch her mom while she goes teaching the ESL kids at school. Thus, it was a unanimous decision to put her in a nursing home.

Last January first, I asked my good friend if I could tag along to see her mom. We've been good friends for a decade now and I know her mom only through constant stories about her and pictures through the years. For some inevitable reason, I wanted to go. And so we went...

Since the inception of COVID 19, nursing homes and churches are the most targeted places to shut their doors for open visitation. How would you deal with this scenario? I believe that is the hardest to take not to be able to touch, hug, and kiss your loved ones. How much more on them, those that were kept inside waiting when is the next time for their loved one to visit? 

When we were there, I had witnessed before my eyes a pure love between a mother and a daughter. Mind you, it was a four-hour drive, back & forth. But that didn't seem to bother Senaida. She goes to visit her mom 2-3 times a month.                                                                                                                    I knew that we won't be able to go in but it didn't dawn on me how on earth that this is even allowed to happen on our Christian watch? There was this window with the curtains wide opened and there Senaida & her mother exchanged their affection towards each other with gestures and words that will forever be etched on my friend's mind & heart. She brought her mom's favorite snacks and beverages and the attending nurse gladly picked them up at the doorstep where we left the goodies.

 It was cold that early evening. We had to wait in the parking lot until the nursing home residents are done with their dinner. (in their room) For sure, that moment will remain with me in the deep recesses of my brain. So when Senaida told me that her mom passed after exactly a week that I saw her on that window, I thank God that He let me be a part of that sweet moment before her appointed time with the Lord. My friend was talking to me Thursday night, on her way to visit her mom again because she found out that her mom caught pneumonia. I believe God put in my friend's heart to go see her mom immediately as if to say goodbye. And she told me that night, that she was ready and already embraced that possibility. She was at peace of her passing in her sleep and not to suffer any longer. And their greatest comfort in the midst of grief is knowing where their mom went to reside forever. She is with the Lord... 

"The Climb..."

 I know that I've been posting songs that are very close to my heart. I hope that you find this song another treasure from my heart to yours...

"As The Storm Passes By..."

 We Praise The Lord,

We Glorify His Name, Jesus,

And We Worship Him in Prayer, In Songs, In Fasting, In Giving, In Tithing, and in all of our Ways, Till we hear from Heaven's Door...God Be With Us!

"In Such A Time As Today..."

 Day 6 of 2021

The images that happened in the Capitol Building this afternoon are a testament to how we are as a Country--no longer the United States of America. It is very heartbreaking that we can't bring this country to a common ground. Not even evangelicals and the fivefold ministries and Christians all over this nation can pray for a breakthrough for they themselves, not all of them, but the majority of them are not pressing on preaching the Word of God uncompromised. Many pastors just don't want to involve in politics for they believe that's not to be discussed in the pulpit. 

T become a pastor and fulfilling that call of God in your life is the greatest commission and the hardest job on earth. Shepherding your congregation entails so many colossal responsibilities. You may delegate some of your responsibilities but the burden of taking good care of your congregation, making disciples out of them solely falls on you. However, if you are really seeking God for wisdom and provision, God will be there for you. He not only provides but already puts people in your path to help you if you put your faith and trust him in your life.

What happened today is no longer a shock to everyone especially me. It wasn't a surprise for me because there's so much hatred perpetuated by everyone involved. They hate President Trump even before he became our President. They don't even address him right. They just call him Trump or Mr. Trump. How do you feel if they cut you off while you're on a microphone, disregarding that you are the Commander-in-chief? The worst part and the most unreasonable of all is when he gets to be the pawn, and be blamed for everything. Nothing that he did right was acknowledged but deemed forsaken. And yet his spirit is a very strong force to reckon with. They've been trying to impeach him since the day he was inaugurated. Many times they tried even today but to no avail. This is the greatest disgrace in humanity: shamingly impeaching a president that God has put in the White House for such a time as this...

I am nobody but I know that President Trump has done great things for this country especially for the nation of Israel. What can the enemy purge and squeeze from him? They already made him like a fool but not a coward. Realize that what you maliciously do to a human being is on God's vengeance. It could be that since we turn our backs on God that he doesn't intercede until we seek his face for forgiveness and flee from all our iniquities and unrighteousness and wickedness. We have put more trust in men than God himself who made Heaven and Earth and who made us all in his own image. He also gave us his only begotten son, Jesus so we may never be in the lake of fire and in forever damnation. But we're callous and ungrateful in our ways. So how do you reconcile with him? John 3:16 (KJV)

"Truth Be Told..."

 Day 5 0f 2021

May this song minister to you...

"While Taking Down My Christmas Decorations..."

 

Day 4 0f 2021

There's an immense emotion of sadness whenever I take down my Christmas decorations which I think too many for the size of my house. I know that's overwhelming to some but for me during the Christmas season, there's no such thing as too many decorations. It is the most wonderful time of the year so you want your home to be festive up to the point where everything you see is red, green, and gold and your house smells like scented candles and baked cookies. 

My eyes are fascinated with watching people shop for Christmas gifts. The majority of my family ordered their Christmas gifts via amazon. The word is convenience. The package is delivered to your front door. You don't have to wrap it and no personal card attach to it. Just like that...Times are really changing astronomically. I can't hardly cope up but I gather that I need to be a part of these changes; otherwise, I'll remain feeling defeated and bored.

It dawned on me today that life is a cycle of seasons. It repeats itself. It's either an upgrade or a downgrade. And the choice is always our burden of truth. Taking my decorations down felt like a surge of uncertainty. Putting them down to their respective boxes or containers is like storing them for a season or two then open them back up again. Why can't we just keep them up the whole year, at least those are not so obvious ones? Because we live in season; out of season. You can find the expansion of that in the book of Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 (KJV)

Oh, what is this Nation coming into? I was watching President Trump's rally at Dalton, Georgia tonight. I was amazed at how detailed and compelling his argument with the obvious fraudulence in the last presidential election. Why can't the news networks out there be credible and truthful in their reporting? I don't see how they have peace sleeping at night knowing their news reporting was arbitrarily biased? 

Who am I to say let's cast our votes again. But if that's what it takes, then, so be it. Oh, Father God, we only not seek your hand but also seek your face-- to expose those that were a part of injustice during the presidential election and that this country will always be under the influence of, "In God we trust." Have mercy on us Lord... May we never experience the ills and dominion of socialism, Marxism, atheism, and communism in America. 

A New Year's Resolution...Did You Make One?

Day 3 of 2021

 

Since I have been doing good with eating healthy and do exercise regularly, the things I want to improve on how to be more of a free-spirited soul like my sister in the picture who's always happy all the time.

I'm not bashful but I always maintain a degree of couthness. I don't know, I just don't see myself letting it all go...But if you ask me to give my input on a subject matter, then I wouldn't squirm a bit. Or if you ask me to say something to an open microphone then I can swing it and build up what's at stake.

Of course, I intend to read more not anything on social media but hardcover books, writer's magazines, and try to cook more food that I don't usually cook. Yup, another thing that I would like to do is to be better at praying for people who ask and do it right there and then and not wait for tonight or any other time to pray for someone. The same thing when you're doing a chore and all of a sudden the Spirit of the Lord just propels you to call someone and just ignored it or waited for a day or two to respond. 

I remember on one weekend of last year that God has prompted me to text or call a friend of mine. I even looked over our pictures during the 5 k's run, staff pictures, and when he had his first book signing event. For some reason, I waited for more confirmation, I guessed. Two days after that, one of our assistant principals called me and the other 4 staff members to her office. I know for sure that I wasn't in trouble. The assistant principal's face was forlorn of hope. In a muttering voice, she said that my friend that I was going to call committed suicide early morning on Tuesday. It didn't register in my brain how sad that was, the way he ended his life. Did I ever have an inkling that he was in deep depression? I'm not going to lie. I saw and felt that he wasn't himself sometimes and when he quit his teaching job and just did full-time writing without a solid income was a red flag for me.

Would my phone call make a difference at that time that he was in complete darkness? I will never know. But I do regret not doing especially when it was prompted in my gut. I do miss him. He was like my younger brother who was always listening to my impression of books we've both read. That was a bad call from me...I admit.

Well, I'm still making resolutions of which I only wish to learn how to live with hope and courage to give these resolutions many places to stay in my heart...

"Be a Prolific Writer..."

 Day 2 On My End...

That's what I want to be for 2021--a prolific writer, one whose words bring resonance or enlightenment, and most of all, one that will affect you at the deepest layer of your soul...

Call me sentimental. sensitive, and a romanticist, and I will receive that with all my heart.

As I was packing my laptop, iPhone, chargers, new journals & pens in a bag, this new-found drive to write again feels like "something life-altering wonderful." I left my house with an empty belly but I know I'm gonna be okay with just one bottled water.

Barnes and Noble has always been a very sweet home to my reading pleasure. Once there, I settle into a two-seater table by the bay window as the rays of the sun seep through it, and warm my eyes. I think I captured that in the above photo past 12 noon. It's a splendid thing to be able to sit unjaded from what is conforming to the Nation right now and just savor this moment.

So, I got a stack of writers' magazines and some home decorating magazines to neutralize and balance the weight of reading words and then truly understand what the writer is trying to invoke. When my understanding starts to dwindle I switch to reading home decorating magazines and my heart is to a flutter seeing pictures of beautiful furniture arrangement and an array of vines, shrubs, trees, and flowers blossoming in the winter.

And to help me hone my writing, I jot down the thoughts and ideas of other writers and come away with a clear understanding that to be a prolific writer, you must be always hungry for reading literature and poetry of different genres, themes. I'm learning how to appreciate now the works of other writers not known to me before. I don't just skim-read pages and pages of their work anymore. If I do that I might be missing out on the real juice of their craft and regret it later. 

Thank God's mercy that endures forever...His presence is in every detail of my work because I ask him to be in it. Otherwise, there's no essence of what I'm doing. He is the only one who can make my words scintillating and wise. Prolific.

Till tomorrow...

"Happy New Year"

 Celebrating New Year's Eve with my eldest son, Josh & two of my sisters with their families at church sets the tone of how will it be then in a few hours where we have to do the countdown & ring in the New Year...

While at Church, my eyes veered from left to right then to the back. Many people are missing in the pew...Covid, the infamous virus is sure to be blamed, for the most part. I heard that others just grew weary and perplexed and decided to go to another church. Good luck with that because a number of churches are still closed and have been struggling to reopen. Thus, I don't blame Covid for churches that remained to be closed. For that reason, they should leave their ministry and get another trade for not fighting to do the work of God.

Just like everybody else, I didn't write down my goals this year. I didn't join the Corporate Daniel Fast for 21 days. Not that I can't do it but I had a paradigm shift. It felt like I have been doing this as a religion like a tradition. I believe in cleansing your body from fasting from food that is not healthy for you. But what about what really cleanses your soul? What happens after 21 days? Of course, many will turn their backs on continuing to eat healthily. So you just joined in to be a part of a tradition because you fall back to your old ways...That's when I decided not to do any of that. However, I will do what fasting really is to me Today.

Fasting from sabotaging thoughts--we all are guilty of this for one reason or another. You think you don't deserve to be happy because of guilt, unconfessed sins, big ego, and fear to fail. These are just some of the many limiting factors that we do to sabotage ourselves from being happy.

So I did something today. I called my best friend if I can go with her to visit her mom at the nursing home. It's a 2.5 hour- ride. Usually on New Year"s Day, I stay home journalling, organizing, and just chill. This time, I want to break that cycle. I "m very glad I went out of town.

Now I saw a glimpse of a very intimate & loving relationship between a daughter and her mom. My good friend Seny drives for 2 and a half hours just to see her mom in the nursing home for 15 minutes and then leave the facility. They're still not accepting visitors to this point. I had witnessed a very sweet mother and daughter relationship. I captured it on video and in that clip, tears begin to form and their voices became faint. No Covid power can let these two succumb to restrictions but instead showed the world that the power of love prevails. And I thought how blessed I am to have my mom still living in her own home with us sisters taking turns helping her live a decent life.

I'm also fasting from rigid procrastination where making excuses is a given. Managing time is one quality I uphold but lately, I found out that managing the focus of your time is much more important.

There are things that we can fast on... Our wrong attitudes towards others and to ourselves. Don't take things too personally; neither ignore them completely. Remember to be always at peace with yourself. Ditch some of your friends that need to go and things that are pulling you down. You know what I'm talking about...