Anger!!!!!!!!!

"In your anger, do not sin." I've always found this verse quite difficult to do. When it's that time of the month, or when I'm stuck in traffic, I get this urge to blurt out in dismay and just complain till I turn completely red. There are moments when I would hear some things from other people that would just tick me off, like, what in the??! Or silently before I would say, "madapa ka sana!" or say whatever quiet curse I could think appropriate for that moment.

I later realized that anger is a choice that one person can make. It says in Proverbs 15:1 "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger". There! Isn't all a matter of choice? You can choose to respond in a well-mannered way OR you can reply with one big blow of profanity. Which do you think can yield more of a solution? Violence, endless cussing won't solve anything. Like the more I yell at my kids when I'm having a bad day, the more inattentive they become. But once I apologize to them and I am calm, the kids feel sorry for their behavior too.

I used to get offended by small things said against me. Even just a dispensable comment about my driving can make my eyebrow raise. But I'd rather be called a wise man rather than a fool. "A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control", Proverbs 29:11. Choose not to take offense. Choose to find a positive angle in the situation. Of course you wouldn't draw to become a martyr or something like that, but God has given us the right mind to decipher situations and circumstance. I'm glad that I'm progressing on this. Thank God!

Anger leads only to evil. Sure, yell at your spouse, friend, sister or brother and get the results that you want. But you will only be planting hatred in their hearts. Sure you can be condescending to a friend who's not earning as much as you are. But money is not confined alone to measure wealth and success. Sure you can punch your neighbor in the face for taking that parking slot but it only leads to... yes, you guessed it right, more fighting. Sure you can give that "maangas" look and "mansindak" all you want, but it only is "JUST THAT" at the end of the day.

LOGIC should supersede anger. Hey, even the Bible says that. I know we're only humans, we are not perfect, we will always fall short. But our God is a loving god. It is working fine for me, to having to pray continually, and for sure will work for you too. Anger - and how you will respond to it will always be a matter of CHOICE. We may be having the worst day of our lives but ANGER won't make it any better. You may have been hurt so bad that you feel the need to take revenge, but ANGER will not turn back time. Are you having a difficult time dealing with your anger but is so sick and tired of it? Maybe it's time you focus more on God instead of your circumstances. Maybe it's time to look to Him for your troubles instead of dwelling too much negative, unproductive, angry thoughts. Now, it's time for you to make that choice.

Thank you, Jesus!!

Ok, this post is for someone who's very, very special in my life. In fact, He's what I'm here for! I'd like to say thank you - Jesus. We all wouldn't be here if you weren't born into this world and if you didn't die for our sins. It was the ultimate life-saver for us all. Imagine swimming in the fiery lakes of hell.. the thought just gives me the creeps. But PRAISE GOD. The world lives. We live. We breathe a breath of new fresh air everyday. All BECAUSE. It's funny how some people look at me as if I have a disease just because I'm a born-again Christian. What gives? Do we pray to a different GOD? At the end of the day, no matter which religion we belong to, God will not ask you, 'so which hood have you been at?' .. He will ask, 'did you believe and live for my son, Jesus Christ?'. If you love Jesus and believe that He died for your sins, start living a life of love and service to God. Live a lifestyle of worship. Love your neighbors. Bless your enemies. Enough with slander. Hey, I'm not perfect. No one is. Do you know that we are all works in progress? We are God's workmanship. He ain't done with any of us yet. What matters is we progress in our faith, in our walk and in our obedience in His Word.

Again, thank you Jesus for your unconditional love. I pray that everyone will realize the importance of what the hoola is all about this Christmas. I love you to bits! :-)

Your Best Life Now

I'm reading this book, "Your Best Life Now - 7 Steps to Living at Your Potential" by Joel Osteen - Lakewood Church's Senior Pastor, and oh I strongly recommend you to read it too! It got me glued after reading the first few pages on amazon.com. Praise God for technology, I immediately got myself an e-book copy and downloaded it right away. I'm not done reading the entire book yet but it has a handful of uplifting content that can boost your spirituality. Take seven healthy tips to take your family, relationships and career to greater heights!

Why should you read this book? If you've said any of these comments before ..... "I can't do it", "I wasn't born that way", "I'm not an eloquent speaker", "I just can't seem to get it right all the time", "I'm never going to achieve my goals", "Life sucks", "I'm no good, I'm never getting that promotion".. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? These are the very things that hinder our success. If you've been down and out for the last couple of months or years, and if you feel as if God doesn't care about you, think twice. Joel Osteen narrates verses and stories from the Bible and presents what God thinks about YOU and YOUR situation and how God is so excited to bless you!

Where to get your copy:

OMF Literature
Along Boni Ave. Tel. 531-0141
* stocks to arrive only on January or Feb. 2006.

Amazon.com
* takes about 2-3 weeks to ship to Manila; and this is direct to your local post office.

Mobipocket.com
* If you've got a PDA/Pocket PC, PDA phone or a device that supports Symbian 60, 80, UIQ Sony Ericsson P800 or P900 series, download the Mobipocket Reader for free and purchase the e-book online and install to your device.

Can't Wait for 2006!

Perhaps for the first time this holiday season, Oli, myself and the kids finally braved the gift-frenzy crowd and tried to shop for Christmas. We checked out Tiendesitas. Bought a few items each for ourselves and went around enjoying this morning's cool christmas breeze. Had lunch at Casita's and it was fun to exchange dreams with the kiddies. Tristan was aiming for 100 million bucks when he grows up while Tiff was okay with 70 million. They said they wanted to have money to be able to provide jobs to other people, and of course, to buy their dream cars. It was actually surprising for me and Oli to hear them "want" to bless other people. Wow, they understand the teach-a-man-to-fish concept. We decided to bump off to Eastwood as the kids were aching to buy themselves a toy. Praise God these little ones know how to work around the "allocated budget", we seldom get tantrums with the buy-me-that-now syndrome.

As the kids were shopping for their toys, Oli was drifting in his thoughts and blurted out that it was his plan last year to "shop until he drops" in Christmas 2005. Well, here we are, trying to work around a budget, and planning carefully what to spend for, Oli gave a sheepish smile, somehow a little disappointed, that he couldn't actually make his 2004 plan a reality. Just as I was about to respond, he immediately turned the other direction and said, 'well, God has pruned me quite a bit this year, and yes, 2006 will be THE year for us!'. Yeah!! That's the spirit. God has built up our faith so much in 2005 and we are sure of the things we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

You see, last year, if you were to see me, I was the type who'd always appear positive and show that can-do attitude with family and work. I was trying for myself to build an image of strength, hoping to encourage the people around me. It is true as the Word says, out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. I was never really an encouragement (well, maybe a little..hehe). My heart was doubtful, unsure and was on a weak foundation. It wasn't any different from Oli as well. We shared the same sentiments. We thought that life was "just like that".. and whatever comes, comes.

God has done awesome and wonderful things for us this year and He was gracious and sweet to teach us to look at ourselves as the person He designed us to be. God sees us (and you!) as overcomers and victors. He did not plan for us to settle for mediocrity. God is a god of increase! He wants to see us ever increasing in all areas of our lives. 2005 was an icebreaker for Oli and myself - and this is the year we've come to realize that God wants to bless us... over and abundantly! 2005 is the year that God said, 'enough of those negative, weakling, i-dont-see-myself-successful thinking! It's time to get it on!!!' This is the year we've come to discover our God given talents and gifts. The year we've come across new God-fearing friends; the year of open doors and opportunities, and the list goes on. The good news is, it doesn't end here! It's going to be an exciting new year ahead!!!

Of course we couldn't just laze around and wait for blessings to come. It's not like it's going to rain peace, forgiveness, love, provisions in just one prayer. God has done and will do His part, but we will do OUR part as well! ...........So, 2006, here we come!!!

A Word of Encouragement

The other night, I felt such great encouragement with how Oli prayed. He's a very straight-forward man, concise and direct. His prayers are short but sweet, not wordy but clear. You can just imagine how funny he looks when I start praying. We're complete opposites! I would say I'm ma-chicka in my prayers, trying to cover everything that I've gone through the day. I'd nudge him sometimes to tell him to wake up (hehe).

After our prayers, we had a quick chit chat about how the day went. Oli shared with me some new opportunities for business and gave our two cents for each topic. Just as he was speaking, I received a word from God. Amazing. I wasn't even sure, until I told Oli... God started with, 'Rache, look at your priorities, iron out the folds, and keep on seeking me'. Then He continued, 'I will raise Oli to be a great leader, someone like Robert Kiyosaki. But tell him I want him to know Me more.' Whoa. I couldn't believe it. Was it just my head? Was I hearing voices? Am I out of my mind? I paused for a few seconds.. Ok, checklist. Was it encouraging? Yes. Was it pleasing? Yes. Was it good? Yes. Did it give you peace? Yes! I tapped Oli on his shoulder, sat up and told him, 'Baby I just received a Word from God!'. He stared at me (probably thinking I was out of my mind.. hehe) and said nonchalantly, 'how? what?' I proceeded to narrate how it went. Oli looked up and said, amazed, 'well, actually.... I was thinking about that this morning! I was pretending to have the skill set of Robert Kiyosaki, trying to help and encourage people.' We both felt so uplifted. We actually slept with a smile.

God speaks to us daily, yes He does! Through situations, other people, circumstances, problems and even dreams. Oftentimes, we're pre-occupied with what we want, how we want to think about things, or we simply choose not to listen. I remember those faint voices in my head telling me don't do this or don't do that, go here or go there, etc. That's God. He speaks to you and me at any given time, if we know and choose to listen. How? Tune in to His channel by praying continually, enter His presence, seek Him at all times. Be blessed!

20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:20-21

Christmas Convergence 2005

Yesterday's Christmas Convergence for all Victory Churches in the nation was an awesome event! It's amazing how more than 15-thousand people can come together to worship, pray and bless the Lord with all their hearts and minds. God's presence was so powerful that it moved everyone, almost teary-eyed with every song and prayer. Oh we thank God for all the blessings He has not withheld from us this year.. and we look forward to a bright new year - 2006!!

*Photos from Pastor Steve's blog*

Starbucks

'Twas a so-so day with a lot of the usual stuff. What thrilled me most (however shallow this may seem) is that Starbucks (finally) found it feasible to ground a store along Congressional Ave. Good thing my bondage with coffee has worn off quite a bit; but I still look forward to girlie talks with my friends, bonding with my sisters (and in-laws), art time with the kids, tingling conversations with my hubby and relaxing moments to talk about God and His amazing love with my family and friends. One tall cafe mocha please! :-)

My Hiding Place

Psalm 91:2
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

This verse speaks of David, declaring that God is his fortress and refuge. God was his sanctuary, a shelter from danger or hardship, a hiding place, the safest place we can ever run to. Can you picture it?

When problems come, putting our trust in God seems easier said than done. Learning to trust in God takes persevering practice - and a lot of it! Sometimes, even the littlest setbacks put us down.. but these circumstances enable God to sharpen us until we are sharp enough to take life's blows and realize that He is always by our side. And it doesn't stop there. God is saying, 'I'll take you in!', 'I'll save you!'...

We all have this privilege. No one is exempted. When trouble comes and you have no where to go, be confident that you can get through that storm. Why? Because God wants to save you and keep you safe in his abode. All you have to do is call on Him. Your head's beem telling you that you're not ready or perhaps not 'good enough' to come to God? It's a lie. Jesus came to call the sinners - us! You have faith? Nurture it. You have problems? Cry out to Him. You need a shoulder to cry on? God is ready to listen. Are you tired? God is the perfect sanctuary. Don't let yourself go through the storms alone. God is just here, waiting for you.

What saddens me......

It saddens me sometimes why other people would:

1) rather have all the money in the world than to be loved..
2) rather have all the great stuff money can buy but is lost spiritually, emotionally..
3) rather attend parties and gimmiks and spend very little time with God through prayer, going to service or hearing mass..
4) rather talk about senseless, pointless gossip than speak positive things about other people..
5) rather look at the wrong at other people when they themselves have a lot to fix in the first place..
6) rather fight and create a hostile environment than seek and promote peace..
7) rather mope, complain, whine about their life problems than pray to God for a solution..
8) rather talk about other peoples' problems when they don't even have intentions of helping..
9) try to justify pornography, fornication, abusive and offensive language and try to cover it up by doing acts of kindness to the poor..
10) try to avoid talks on God or spirituality plainly because they think it's not cool or it's too weird, but cries out to God when they've got problems..

I pray that sooner or later, people would see how beautiful it is to live one's life for God. After all, whatever it is we're enjoying now is a blessing from above; and even the problems we face are meant to make us better people. Don't you think it's time to make that paradigm shift and look at things in another perspective?

Praying as One Family

For the first time last night, we learned to pray together as one family. Often times Oli and I would be caught up with our busyness and forget to pray with the kids but it's a nice feeling when we can all come together and feel God's presence among us. Tiff did a great job praying for guiding Oli and me as we work everyday, Tristan was so cute as he prayed for his classmate, Angelo, that he may improve his reading skills. Sure they weren't super behaved, but we finished praying for each other one by one, and that alone is a great accomplishment - and a start - for us to come together and glorify God for His goodness. God binds families, heals relationships and places an impenetrable hold to those who seek Him earnestly. This is something that I pray, would be a regular act of worship that we can do every night before going to sleep.

Respect

Last Saturday, my friend Shiela had her bridal shower. She's one of the people I admire for her kind heart, bubbly stance and sincerity. Best wishes to her and Dexter for their upcoming wedding on the 17th at Bataan!

Anyways, the bridal shower party was composed of Shiela's buddies in the industry - it was a cute mix, a gorgeous group (ehem) hehe. Charm and I are thankful for their understanding (especially Shiela's) when we chose to stay in the coffee shop when the "highlight" of the party came. It's great to be around people who knows how to respect their friends' decisions and not judge them for it. It's nice when people you have known only for a couple of minutes, reach out and try to understand you for who you are. Wouldn't it be great if we had more people like them walking around this planet? Having fun means a whole great spectrum for all of us. Not taking offense and accepting people for their choices is a gift. I'm blessed to have great friends like them.

Blog Make-Over

A couple of minutes ago I was browsing through Day 28 of the Purpose Drive Life book by Rick Warren and it was about a person's growth and maturity in his Christian walk. It is never an easy road to walk away from your "old self", old habits, old ways of thinking, or simply put, your past. Rick Warren suggested creating some sort of a daily journal, an account of "things learned" as we take that big step to let God do the work in us, in our lives.

This is the reason why I've thought of reformatting my blog; making it indeed an account of what God has impressed on my heart as I let God shape me and my life to how He wants it to be. I hope that you can also find some great insights in my blog, and I respect that you don't have to agree all the time.. After all, this is a personal reflection of my Christian walk with our Creator. Be blessed!