What This 500 Writing Challenge Means So Far..."

"Writing without judgment or expectation and just experiencing the liberty of it is kind of
"my cup of tea." What's helping me tremendously is the "now" time that I have committed myself
to this writing challenge. With another commitment that I have with the Daniel Fast for 21 days
of not watching any kind of t.v. except for Pentecostal church services online, and no social media
including Twitter, and my mind is just focused on succeeding both challenges which go hand
in hand is what I need to replenish my soul, body & spirit...

With the Daniel Fast, my food doesn't include anything fried, just baked. No sweets either and not
drinking coffee was probably the hardest for me to give up for 21 days. I drink coffee to keep
my adrenalin going especially I get up at 5 in the morning or even earlier than 5 am. I also love its aroma and how it feels so good going down my throat to my esophagus and to my stomach. The smell of a freshly brewed coffee to wake you up in the morning is just heavenly to me.

I'm kind of surprised with the result I'm getting with my Fasting. My mind is clear, no clutter;
I feel healthier. I no longer suffer indigestion, insomnia and my forgetfulness, impatience, and anguish have mitigated to a point where I can really be a good listener and a better communicator to people
especially my loved ones. So, that's where my writing has nudged to where I want it to be--
consistency in writing. Hoping to be that way even after these two challenges, Daniel Fast for 21 days and the Writing challenge for 31 days are over. That's the plan. But God has always the better plan for all of us if we let Him...
When the flesh starts to put nasty things on my head like discouraging thoughts that these challenges I'm doing are not going to amount to anything, God gives me His Word of faithfulness
and direct me to His promises in the Bible. When you cast all your cares to the Lord, He will straighten your path and He will be with you in the valley of trials that He already won the victory for us. For sure that you are going to be under attacks from the enemy but if you plead the Blood of Jesus on anything or anybody that tries to harm you, that name of Jesus makes the devil flee. We just
have to realize how powerful and beautiful the name of Jesus in our lives. And talking about Him
in my writing is the most fulfilling "muse" in my writing. It gives me hope, faith, love and inspiration to walk in my field of dreams...

"The Food That Makes Me Happy..."

Writing about your favorite food is today's topic. I'm Filipino all the way. If there's one thing 
I want to eagerly eat after our 21-day Daniel Fast is chicken adobo. It doesn't have to have eggs and garnished with bacon. I love it cooked the "Ilokano" way. I remember our first two days of driving going to Las Vegas with myself, my mom, my eldest sister, and her husband. My brother-in-law
brought with us a pot of chicken/pork adobo and put it in a large cooler. We ate that for two days.
What makes adobo tastes better the next day is the apple cider vinegar, kikkoman soy sauce and 
thinly sliced/cut fresh ginger root. Oh, I tell you, Filipino cuisine is one of the most savory, 
delicious food you can have. I really missed how they cook everything back home more tasty that 
you forget you're vegetarian. I can never go near good the way they prepare and cook them.
One day, I will go back home for one pleasurable goal in mind--eat with" gusto" like there is no tomorrow. It's not just the food that is so good but also the many bountiful fruit-bearing trees and shrubs of succulent green leafy vegetables. No wonder, we hardly or never had gotten sick because 
of the fruits, vegetables, fish/seafood and a very small portion of meat into our plates. I still believe that to date. 
Who would forget the late, very famous Celebrity Chef and CNN Food Critic, Anthony Bourdain?
How he loved the Filipino cuisine and most of all, he loved communing with the Filipino people.
He was hilariously enjoying his time eating fine food and drink and storytelling in all of the videos
he captured in the Philippines. That tells me that he was really a very good food critic. His level of adventure when it comes to food was amazing.
Well, I have a lot of favorites but I'm not a good cook. I can cook, very average. I love looking at laborious pictures of food but kitchen is not my domain. I'm just happy that my two sons can cook better than me. I just found out yesterday that they just opened Baskin Robins and Dunkin Donuts 
not too far away from where I live. So, that's something I look forward to when I'm done with my Daniel Fast next Monday. Funny that I'm not having withdrawals from not drinking coffee for almost a month now. Praise God. My nerves are better. Not eating red meat especially has mitigated my indigestion and stomach issues. Also not watching anything at all from tv's and social media
have given me time to introspect and think better with my conscience about Life. Just learning
that we really can discipline our appetite to eat food that is naturally unhealthy. Fasting, Praying and Praising Him will do that for you. For sure...Take it from me!

"Something About Today..."

The alarm goes off at 5am. That's when my day begins..."Thank You, Father, God for this day...
I muttered. I know it is going to be a good day. I am proclaiming and professing His grace that overflows and my steps guided by His might. Because the Lord does it exceedingly if we believe and I believe with all my heart. It may not be in the luxury and leisure of amenities but in the wealth of tough experiences/situations that He allowed me in to get through His present help to build me
strength, confidence, and faith in His faithfulness. Nothing compares to the growing saving knowledge of God, His Word, The Bible.
In the physical realm, teaching/working with special needs children today is like any other day. 
You help them with their goals which are individually designed according to their disabilities. They're very routine oriented so if there is a change in their schedule or anything that contributes
to disturb their routine, destructive behavior occurs and if you're not equipped to de-escalate the situation, you lose that battle or challenge.
Today I find myself running/chasing after one child. At breakfast in the cafeteria, he ran to the nurse's station so quick that I found him lying down in the bed with his legs crossed and a
magazine on his hand. What a marvelous sight! You can't really get mad on him after that.
I'm just thankful that he's safe. He sure knows where to go. I believe that God has prepared me especially today to watch over him. During our rotation learning time, I was facilitating the children on the computer area and also making sure everybody is where he/she should be.
Even with my eyes focused on this child, he managed to run to the door four times but stopped him before he could open it. We have a buzzer installed at the door but that doesn't prevent any child from
trying to run out of the classroom. So every transition we did today, I was on the lookout.
He tried to run in Music, & in P. E. I had a special gear somewhat for I almost knew when he was going to do it. Got my running shoes and the kind of patience I needed today.
Thank God for Fasting and praying and praising the Lord for every trial that comes my way.
While writing this I am thinking that I am fortunate enough to do a job that still impassioned me
to wake up early in the morning with hope and no back pains and migraines. 
What I'm saying is that the only way and there's no other way to be able to make it through 
the day with all the blaring noises around us without your faith that there is the God that is for us.
There is the God that fights for us and He delivers...
We may be encountering many setbacks and struggling to stay sane but I promise you with God, nothing is impossible. He's just waiting on us to run to him not away from him. He's the only one
that could love you to the infinity. Let him come in Today in your heart of heart... 

"Stretching The Truth A Little..."

Who can possibly attest as a human being, that they never lied, stretched the truth in their lifetime?
It's a yes for everybody. It's because of the sin nature that is in us. However, if you constantly lie to your teeth consciously and with the awareness of lying is wrong. The same thing with fabricating
a story putting your own twist and embellishing it with exaggeration is also wrong.

Not unless you're a storyteller or a creative director, a non-fiction writer,
maybe, you could get away with stretching the truth because it's your job to make your script/writing
full of juicy imaginations. Your readers or moviegoers will be all ears and heart. Oh, don't we feel like we live on a make-believe fairy tale of deception? That's what we want to believe so the hard realities of life don't eat us alive. The things we see, hear, feel, think, taste and smell are no longer
organic to our senses, All of these desensitize our way of life.
I think that the most stretched lie is lying to ourselves. When we don't let ourselves be vulnerable to
other people especially to our loved ones and close friends, that vulnerability deepens. I just read this book called, "The Power of the Other by Dr. Henry Cloud." In this book, "it reminds us that our successes and failures often come through others. Those who have high relational I Qs are always the most successful by surrounding themselves with the right people if we want positive results."
Many of us tell lies for good reasons. You don't want to hurt somebody by telling them the truth but sometimes they can't handle the truth so we lie. And we also lie because they beg us to lie, to cover for them for a season or for years or even that lie remains untold up to the grave. We lie about our age, our positions, our financial plight and we lie about almost anything. It's too much lies around us that we can't think straight. Lies corrupt the tenderness of the heart. It's not truly living when we befriend deception...I know what lying does. Whether a white lie or not, still a lie that is not pleasing to God no matter what reason we have in doing so. We all do.
I can't really elongate this topic we were given to write about. I already actually deviated from
it. My thoughts are just blaring to and fro not knowing how do I go writing about stretching a lie.
It makes me feel like I'm condoning white lies because we all lie about something. The only thing that would make lies become a burden for truth is when you accept that nothing good comes out
of lying. And it is a Biblical commandment to "do not lie." Although we're all guilty of it, we can
go to God and ask him to give us grace not to lie. To ask God to bridle your tongue when you're about to lie is a good prayer. To ask God what to say, when to keep silent and how to say it and give you wisdom is absolutely pleasing to His eyes...

"Persuade Me..."

Normally, persuasion is used when you strongly want people opposing you to believe your truth.

When I think about this topic, I don't have to think hard what could be the best illustration on this.

Our government has shut down. I don't really delve into politics because my mind is already made up on what to believe. Both parties, the Republican & the Democrats are both playing games on the life and security of the American people. But, whose party is really imperiling the government of the people, by the people and for the people? They're supposed to be working for us, the American people. PRIDE crept in. For me, It's been always pride that blinds lawmakers that they refuse to see the real benefits of building the wall. There is always a hidden agenda to every opposition. And vice versa. 

I am in favor of building the wall. In the first place, there was already a wall built in there. It may not be as wide and as high as President Trump wants, but it needs to be done. In my own opinion, it's not even the money that is the issue. Since our President has been elected to the highest position of the land, the naysayers to every bill that our president wants to pass get relegated, abated, and on a standstill. However, the will of God will always prevail. Now more than ever, I know that so many Christians are praying for the move of God to happen and it will happen very soon. 

One thing we have to consider is that when an intruder invades your home, harms you and your family, don't you want to protect your family and your home by installing security devices, and firing a gun as the last resort to save your life? Isn't that in parallel with what President Trump wants best for our country? Our president is against illegal immigrants coming in this country.

Not everybody that wants to come here has good intentions and that's been established and the truth 

be told. By the time I retire, I may not have social security benefits waiting for me because all of my taxes were appropriated to pay for the needs of illegal immigrants and those that curtailed it. And I work hard for every penny I get. We also have to think what might be diseases be lurking, bringing into this country.

Our President may not be the most tactful in communicating his thoughts but that is just petty compared to all the good things he already delivered to the American people and also to the nation of Israel. I have no doubt that he loves this country. And I believe that when you aim for something greater, there will be strongholds, left and right. But I'm not weary. I pray many times a day that this government shutdown is over very soon. God is on the throne. He's waiting for His sons and daughters to do the right thing and doing the right thing is shifting pride to humility.

Let me leave you with this one to ponder: 2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV) which says, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
There is a wall in all of us, a chasm within...a division that needs to be unified to the real truth of why we do the things that grieve the heart of God!

Writing About"Writing" As The Craft..."

Writing as your craft is our given topic today by Jeff Goins. It can go from why, how and when you write and everything else in between.
I'm the 4th child of 9 siblings, of the same parents. If I have a chance to do over some things in my life--this is not one of them that I wish it could be reconstructed or revised. Growing up in a big, closely-knitted family with a good patriarch and a good matriarch that taught us golden nuggets to live by and a legacy of a strong foundation of responsibilities, accountabilities as well as boundaries is noteworthy--priceless. I can tell you with so much joy in my heart that I treasure the teachings I got from my mom & dad. And nothing or nobody, not even our ever-changing global views; how distorted and appealing they are can't touch my moral integrity without repentance. 
But anyways, when I was about 7 or 8 years old, I stumbled on my dad's diary on all of us, his 9 children. He compiled his writings in a book. My dad was very creative, more like a very resourceful man as he had proven that quality as a good father and a sole breadwinner till his last breath. I didn't think it was wrong for me to read because it wasn't locked. As if it was meant for me to read it. I didn't have any qualms doing it. By the way, I just read what was mine. His narrative about me started when I was born up to 3 years old. I didn't bother peeking on what he wrote about the rest of my siblings. I just wanted to read mine. From there on, I knew why I felt closer to him than my mom. But that mutual bond and affection changed when I became a mother myself. For I love my mother more now than ever.
I believe that reading my dad's manuscript about me was the crux of the fabric of my writing gift.
I just never told him that I read his diary of me and that he was my first "muse" in my

writing, the inspiration that lights up even when he's no longer here. I've written here and there; mostly in letters, greeting cards, journals, commentaries, and short editorials. What sealed my longing to write was when one afternoon outside the Arts & Sciences building, one of my English professors entreated me to the side and told me that he sees great potential in me in the field of Creative Arts. And he was even willing to help me be an apprentice in a nearby radio station. I did comply for the sake of curiosity, just once. I did a piece of 3-minute public service information. 

It was an incredible feeling to read on the air. However, it wasn't for me. I wasn't going to do something that would alter my parents' expectations of me to become an educator, a teacher like my aunt and my grandpa which I am now... I never pondered on suppositions like what could have been if I had taken that route? People have told me that I made them cry or shed a tear when I wrote to them.
I kind of believe that or had an inkling that I love words. I read them, I listen to them, I sing them, I dream of them and I still continue to chase them...

Writing words that declare who I am is the great love I never found in the earthly relationships.
It continues to elude me but nevertheless, words do come by necessity, and there's no telling how 
your words metamorph you by God's design.
Thank You for Reading...
God Bless

Teach Something To Others--" Honor Your Body..."

You can't teach life lessons that you haven't experienced deeply. What you've read in books by bestseller authors/writers is an advantage/benefit to self-improvement. What you've listened to from people as admonitions and guidelines may affect your decision making to go forward, stay where you are or just let the course of life beat you is not teaching you any lesson but rather giving you theories, book-smart adages.

More than a decade of existing and living in this world we live in and with all the melodrama,
disappointments, griefs, deceptions, poverty, brokenness, and chasing wrong dreams encrypted 
in my brain, I have to say the best teaching I can give is one that has detoured me, rerouted me 
back to the outstretched arms of our Heavenly Father...

With so much conviction and love in my heart, I entreat you to Honor your Body. The Apostle Paul said, "I beseech you...that you present your bodies a living sacrifice...(Romans 12:1) Your body is the "temple of the Holy Spirit." Had I known what this teaching really means, I would have had preserved myself, and all that is within me for the greater purpose. You and I need not follow what culture or what society says. Because what dictates their behavior and their way of life is according to their thoughts and desires of their flesh. To women that still think that giving yourself away doesn't make men stay or marry you. Real men, Godly men actually respect you for your integrity.
As women of faith, we encourage men to respect us by not subjecting ourselves to their carnal desires. I know many women that still adhere to taking care of themselves, being responsible and accountable for the things that please God. It is hard but it can be done. Anything that
is not worldly is very hard to do but the reward is greater than your sacrifice later.
If you have the uncompromising love and support of your Heavenly Father and the only One
who will take you for who you are should be enough to trust Him your life.

To those who are still under the bondage of nicotine & alcohol and pornography,
take these afflictions to God. You can't fight it alone. It's not your fight anymore.
It's the Lord's...I have my son who struggles every day with nicotine, alcohol and unwise spending.
He tried the patch, the electronic cigarette, nasal spray, nicotine lozenges, and gum and almost
to Chantix. However, the adverse effects of Chantix are more than anyone can bear. It defeats its purpose to help you quit. It's a mother's heart that is grieving to see your son losing his
life slowly to vicious vices. This is a typical way of dishonoring your body. Cigarettes and alcohol combined are expensive. Both lead you to acquire cancer for real. God forbid. But I know God will deliver him from nicotine, alcohol & will be a good steward of the value of spending money wisely.
Thank God we have this assurance from the Lord.