"Write In Someone Else's Voice..."

My most recent reading influences meaning in Today's version, are Dr. Henry Cloud's
Necessary Endings & The Power of the Other; Mark Buchanan's Spiritual Rhythm and
Jeff Goin's Real Artists Don't Starve. However, my real source of personal/intimate writing
style comes from the Holy Book where revelations of the truth of the "I am" is the real creator of the masterpiece of immoveable words, lyrical writing, and the greatest storyteller we will ever know.

The Holy Bible is the only book that is breathed with the help of the Holy Spirit that is accounted
for by the apostles of Christ. That is why it has to be read with spiritual wisdom that is
beyond our mental capacity. The only one that can help us achieve that is the Holy Spirit.

With Jeff Goins, Dr. Henry Cloud & Mark Buchanan's style of writing is off the charts.
Their voice evokes their personal relationship with the Lord and you see that in their writing.
Mark Buchanan's Spiritual Rhythm is the book that I read every changing season because "it teaches us to respond 
to the weather of the heart, whether we are flourishing and fruitful, stark and dismal, or cool and windy. In comparing spiritual changes to the seasons of the year, Mark Buchanan shows us what to expect from each season and how embracing those rhythms allows our spiritual lives to prosper.''
Thus, I connect emotionally with Mark Buchanan's voice in writing. 
With Dr, Henry Cloud, his expertise in fostering personal and professional growth had given
me good insights moving forward. His "Necessary Endings" book has taught me " to know 
when to have realistic hope and when to execute a necessary ending with a person or
group of people. And how to stop wasting resources needed for the things that really matter."
In short, when to say goodbye and move on!
Jeff Goins' first published book, "Wrecked," on August 1, 2012, was the very first book
I read when I started Blogging. I've read all his books. I had attended his free video conferences on line. Not all of them but I did. His choice of words is heartfelt, honest and engaging.
Reading his work is like I'm in a conversation with him up close and personal. His writing is so dynamic and relatable, easy to understand, as it flutters to the heart. I can't wait to read his next book which is in the making.
Each of us has that creative gift as a storyteller. How we tap it and hone it is real work
that has good benefits, fulfillment to the core of your being.Hope you guys consider reading
my favorite authors' gifts to your soul.

"While In The Waiting..."

Waiting requires patience and more patience and understanding depending on the quality or
the result you're waiting on. It may even require a leap of your faith just to be done waiting...
Everybody waits for someone or something for the most part, for the right reasons; sometimes for all the wrong reasons. And what constitutes waiting? Time & your heart. Time is golden and valuable. Your heart determines how you spend your time waiting. But while waiting, for the
meantime, you need not consume all your energy waiting. As they say, we have the in-between 
pauses or downtime to preoccupy ourselves with other stuff that also needs our attention. This
 may be kind of mundane to you guys but I eagerly wait for 3:00 o'clock pm. I'm not guilty of it because when I'm working I facilitate growth learning strategies and goals effectively
to all children I teach and work with my time. I'm strong or big on time management. I'm
just saying that I look forward to going home."My home is where my heart is. "I know this is true to everybody...We despise anything that hinders our coming home on time like the heavy traffic, the uneventful road accident, the flat tire...But how about the waiting that seems endless which makes you quiver or cry because somehow you know your waiting may be a waste of your time. Your
bucket list of wishes you would want to accomplish and go places you've never been and people
you want to see one more time seem painful for time doesn't carry your dreams and desires.
You are waiting and praying for your sons to know the saving knowledge of God and hoping their lives be a living testimony of serving the Lord. But they have other earthly plans. In the physical realm, that is frustrating. However, we need to learn how to be steadfast on the things unseen that God has promised us. Even in the waiting...
I would like to leave you tonight with Psalm of David 27:1-3,14 
"The Lord is my light and salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamps me against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arises against me, yet I will be confident. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

"Pick A Fight..."

I believe in the very sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. It is more than a written
agreement or promises they have for each other till death do they part. And let no man put that in asunder. It's God's covenant...
Every fiber of my being believes in what marriage stands for. I come from a very traditional family. My parents were married for more than fifty years. It could have been more if my dad didn't pass away fourteen years ago. And my mom remained a widow. It was her solemn choice and we respect and admire that loyalty and the love my mom has for my late dad. The same sentiment or creed that followed in the lives of my siblings. The eldest one has been married for 40 years; the next one is 39 years, and the rest 25 years of marriage and above. Mine survived for 15 years and I, too remained a single mom that dedicated my life to raising my kids. I believe so much in marriage that I pray every night for every marriage in America to get strengthened in the laws of God for there is no broken or hurting relationships that God's grace and mercy cannot restore and heal. We just have to be willing to run to God for our struggles and pains. I think about the children who are crying for their absent parent in their lives. No one can take the place from a mom or a dad to a stepdad or stepmom. It doesn't have to be like this. The real dynamics should be the family God has set for us
in the very foundation of the world. I'm not even gonna say anything about the enemy that attacks
the very core of marriage. He is pitiful and the father of lies and if you fall into his prey, you'll
regret it for the rest of your life. he got nothing to offer you except deception, fairy tales, and a hell of fire and gnashing teeth. So, I say that if you're married, love your spouse as you are commanded to do so according to the Word of God. Every one of us will stand before the judgment day by our Creator with everything that we did and we failed to do....

" Hope Flickers But Never Dies..."

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HOPE  is never vague...nor passive.

Even when we can't see it coming to pass in our concept of time. That's the beauty of the heart that trusts in the waiting of the fulfillment of such a strong expectation. We persevere in praying that we never lose hope. It is in the spirit of hope that breathes and gears perseverance & endurance in the pursuit of life everlasting.
"Hope gives us the power to live courageously, to be all God has called us to be in Christ." 
I'm not talking about the hope that many people have staggered it to idleness, a drifting phase, an escape from reality, perishing, which is all a temporary sojourn. 
A Biblical Hope, The Blessed Hope, the Eternal Hope is what I'm talking about. It gives us joy and peace; protection, boldness, and confidence even in the face of death. This is not a cliche'. 
I just read an article about Hope this late afternoon and it says," God is called the God of Hope, meaning, He is the source of all real hope and our hope must come from Him for he alone has the power to give it. It continues to say that, "If you are without Christ, you are without God and without hope. And without God's wisdom which gives God's hope, our hope will be in the wrong thing and it will be cut off. Now may the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
I agree that our Blessed Hope changes what we value, in life. Do we continue to lay up ourselves treasures upon this earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in or steal for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also...Matthew 6:19-21.
The other night I watched this incredible man of God preached a message of Hope. For me, he is the epitome of an extraordinary example of Hope. He may not have arms & legs but he said that 
he doesn't need his circumstances to change and that he has the wings of the Holy Spirit holding him up. He elucidated hope as hope when you compare your suffering to the infinite, immeasurable love and grace of God. You all know him as Nick Vujicic. 
I know God has not forgotten our pain. The Blessing of Hope is your hope that you know who you are in the eyes and in the heart of God. 
God Loves You...

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...