'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...