2011

As the years have gone by, I’ve grown so much in my relationship with God. So much so that it has come to this point where I’ve just recently broken out of the phase of “emotional faith” and I’m just learning, growing, and experiencing the lessons of faith where I simply examine what I’m DOING, what I’m FEELING, and I simply just CHOOSE to follow Him. 

So far, life has been like when I first met Him, except I feel like I understand so much more about my faith. Not so much the facts or the feelings of it, but the divinity of it. 

The area of faith where it isn’t because of human reason or emotion, but the simple complexity of faith based on Him. Faith as a gift from Him. Like how the Church is not held up because of the effort of humans, but by God’s grace. 

Not because I love Him.. but simply because He loves me. 

To be honest, I’m not too sure if I love God as much as I think or hope I do. Heck, I’m not even too sure where my faith is going. 

But I’ve simply chosen to stay despite all the tests He’s brought me through and I persevered through all the hurtful truths, and I have to say 2011 has been a crazy roller coaster ride. 

I’m looking forward not just to a new year, but to an ever changing and growing life that is renewed in Christ every day. 

I choose to love. I choose God. Simple as that. 

Decide that in your heart and God will take you to heights (and battlefields) you’ve never imagined. 

True story. :)

Men

"St. Joseph is the prime example of a man. All because he has the fear of the Lord. He loved his family so much, that he was willing to die for them. He was quiet, and the Bible didn't have much to say about him. But that's because a real man doesn't need to be bragged about." -via Annie Au

Simplicity

"Pray, Hope and Don't Worry." -Padre Pio

Why Complicate Life?

Missing somebody? ... Call
Wanna meet up? ... Invite
Wanna be understood? ... Explain
Have questions? ... Ask
Don't like something? ... Say it
Like something? ... State it
Want something? ... Ask for it
Love someone? ... Tell them

Women

"Satan fell because of his beauty. Now his heart for revenge is to assault beauty. He destroys it in the natural world wherever he can. He wreaks destruction on the glory of God in the earth like a psychopath committed to destroying great works of art. But most especially, he hates Eve. Because she is captivating, uniquely glorious, and he cannot be. She is the incarnation of the Beauty of God. More than anything else in all creation, she allures the world to God. Satan hates it with a jealousy we can only imagine. And there is more. The evil one also hates Eve because she gives life. Put those two together—that Eve incarnates the Beauty of God and she gives life to the world. Satan’s bitter heart cannot bear it." -John and Stasi Eldredge, Captivating

Success

"Success is peace of mind that comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming. No one can do more." -John Wooden

"When success is defined as being one's best rather than competing with others, people can focus on and enjoy their own improvement and accomplishments...they are more likely to experience intrinsic motivation and enjoyment of the activity. They also persist in the face of difficulties, select challenging goals, and exert maximum effort." -Dweck, 1999; McArdle & Duda, 2002

"If you make winning basketball games a life-or-death situation, you're going to have problems. For one thing, you'll be dead a lot." -Dean Smith

"For an ego-approach person, experiencing personal improvement or knowing that one did his or her 'best' would not in itself occasion feelings of success or competence. Indeed, knowing that one tried hard and failed to outperform others would cause an ego-oriented person to feel especially incompetent. If ego-oriented people begin to question their ability to compete successfully with others, they are more likely to reduce persistence and avoid the challenge at hand." -Nicholls, 1989

Religion

Jesus did not die to give us religion, He died to give us love.

Dependence

"We don't get our lives together and then give them to God, but rather, we give our lives to God and then things start coming together." -via Erin Tangco

Luke 23:34

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”

Sometimes the people we care most about, our family and friends, hurt us in ways they don't know. Usually they're oblivious, or they can't understand that certain things they do actually hurt when it comes to other people or yourself.

Either way, it can be frustrating and a good place for the seeds of hate, anger and discord to grow when it seems that all they do is go on their merry way doing whatever it is that hurts you, from jokes that hit the weak spot, to abandonment, to neglect, to betraying their values, to losing their faith, and so on. And in the end, they're either happy doing what they're doing, or oblivious of what they're doing, and you're there, observing everything, being hurt, and seemingly alone.

When you're hurt and seemingly alone, it's easy to get that pride up. It's that pride that causes you to disconnect from them and to leave them. It's that pride that says, "THEY should apologize for what they've done. THEY should be the first to make a move because THEY were the ones that hurt me, neglected me, betrayed me, and abandoned me." Now with our head walled-up with that pride we cut off that love towards them and before you know it, with that absence of love, all there is left is hate.

And hate sucks. It sucks the life out of us. We take beautiful days for granted. We forget how much we're loved by God, our family and especially those friends who are still there for us. We could be living life so much more fully without the heavy burdens of grudges. And so what do we do? It all comes back to that verse up there: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”

As being who we are, children of God, we're called to love each other just as God has loved us. Likewise, we are called to forgive, just as He has forgiven us. Sometimes people do things that hurt us, but they don't know it. Other times, they know they've hurt us, but they just don't know how deeply they've hurt us. But in the end, just as we never truly know all the times we've hurt God or how deeply we've hurt Him, He forgave us and loved us and so we too must forgive them and love them.

And through all the hurt, maybe you'll grow closer to understanding what exactly God meant when He said He loves you unconditionally. And maybe you'll gain more wisdom in truly knowing what true love is and what true forgiveness really looks like.

True Love is Faithful to the End

Acts 3:1-10/ Gal 1:11-20/ Jn 21:15-19

Love, they say, makes the world go round. But what is it? Those warm, mushy feelings that well up inside us? Those tears that flow when we watch our first communicants walk up the aisle in the little white suits and dresses? No, those moments are charming, but they’re not love. They’re sentimentality, which comes and goes faster than we’d care to admit.

Love has a different shape. It’s a determined desiring of the best for the other, and a willingness to do whatever is necessary to make the best happen. In sum, true love, by definition, is faithful and has no limits.

In today’s gospel, Jesus — in the time after His resurrection — asks Peter three times whether he loves Him. The repeated question was an echo of the three times that Peter had denied even knowing Jesus. How those questions must have seared his heart!

But those three questions are for us too! They’re probing the seriousness of our commitment to the Lord. It’s highly unlikely that any of us will be called to witness to our faith by martyrdom. But every one of us is called to witness our love for Jesus daily by being true to the mission He’s given us.

-Errol Tangco

Perfection

"I’m perfect? Imperfect rather. The only way to be perfect is to take away the “im”, or “I’m.” Human beings are imperfect, and it is only once we take away ourselves, and realize it is only by Him, that we can begin to seek perfection. That perfection is not found in “I” but in Him. By taking away the “I am” or “I’m” or rather, by completely giving ourselves, and realizing our frailty as human beings, are we able to truly seek perfection. Let us remember it is not us who are perfect, it is only He. And perfection is found when we empty ourselves of our own wants, our own desires, our ” ‘I’ this, and ‘I’ that.” It is only once we humble ourselves, and accept that we alone cannot attain perfection are we able to discover the perfect image He created us to be. It is through Him that we are to the find perfect happiness, fulfillment and content in our lives. I am a perfect image in His love, we are a perfect image in His love, do not taint this image with our pride by believing perfection is found in ourselves. Our Lord does want us to seek perfection, however the only perfection that is to be shown, is Himself within us. Let us rejoice and be glad, for although we are weak, by simply giving ourselves, He may illustrate us to this world, as the perfection that we are meant to be." -Isaac Guevera

Everything

"You can have everything, just not all at once." -via Erin Tangco

Of Sewer and Excrement

“I was reading an article on BBC about how archeologists are extensively studying the remains at Pompeii, an ancient Roman City buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. They are starting to study how the Romans lived 2,000 years ago. The most useful part of the study was found on the largest excrement ever unearthed in the Roman world. The archeologists says the sewer helps them understand the lifestyle at that time, what they eat and even there health and jobs. They even called it unprecedented! Well, indeed it is! Imagine finding the lifestyle of people living thousand years ago in an excrement.

Isn’t it ironic that sometimes the only way to solve the riddle of life is through the lowly excrement! Nothing is wasted indeed, even the considered dirtiest place like a sewer can hold an answer to so many questions. Life is like that, the lowest and indescribably sewer like situation has its use too. Our hurts, pains, feelings of betrayal, losses, our seemingly unending excrement, our sewer life, can actually be useful. When we learn to face our excrement, unearth our sewers and faithfully reflect upon it, we can actually get the most astonishing discovery. The discovery of our very self! The vulnerable yet indomitable self! Nothing is wasted!” -Kuya Gelo

Redemption

"There’s a pattern here: New life is found in Jesus.

Giving our lives to Jesus means we are made new. Our hearts, our minds and our stories are forever changed. The past is no longer the defining factor in who we are - Jesus is. And the past does not decide our future - Jesus does.

That’s why Paul was also able to tell the Philippians, ‘One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.’

Redemption happens the very moment we give our lives to God. But wounds heal slowly, and the enemy’s lies are hard to forget. That’s why it’s a process - Sometimes it takes a while before we start to really feel it and believe it. But that doesn’t make it less true.

And we’re not alone in that process. But the whole reason Jesus died was to free us from those wounds and lies - to free us from the past. He’s in it with us to the very end." -skripture-sketches

God Alone

"God will sometimes break the strongest bone in your life when you think you are very strong. So that from now on you will say that the strongest part of who you are, is not your job, not your education, not your pleasure, not what you attained, not your family, not your friends, but God alone." -Errol Tangco

Worship

"As worship begins in holy expectancy, true worship only ends in holy obedience. Holy obedience saves worship from becoming an opiate, an escape from the pressing needs of modern life." -Richard Foster

Be True from the Inside Out

Acts 1:1-11 / Eph 1:17-23 / Mk 16:15-20

Buried somewhere in our high school memories is a novel that was on everyone’s reading list, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. It’s the story of a pious young puritan clergyman who becomes secretly involved with a beautiful young woman, Hester Prynne. Nature takes its course and the woman gives birth to a child. But no father is in evidence, and no marriage vows have been pronounced. So the tight little Puritan village in which she lives labels her “adulteress,” and casts her out of church and friendship and out of all kindly contact. She is alone, with the scarlet letter “A” sewn upon her dress.

Meanwhile, her secret lover, the Reverend Dimmesdale, continues to rise in the esteem of his people. From far and wide they come to marvel at the purity of his soul, and to listen to his beautiful words. But he has no words for Hester and no embrace for his fatherless child. The years pass. Hester and her child survive — alone. But Dimmesdale slowly crumples from within, crushed by the weight of the lie he is living. At the height of his career he is dying. At the very last moment — with the whole town gathered round — he takes Hester to himself and for the first time embraces his little child. Then he dies.

And what moral are we to take from this long, sad story? Hawthorne sums it up in two words — which he repeats three times: “Be true. Be true. Be true.”

I wonder if that isn’t the essence of Jesus’ last words to us before ascending to heaven. “Go out to the whole world,” he says to us all, “and tell the good news.” Now in its literal sense, telling means using words, talking. And who can deny that talking is important if we want to share good news? But talk is cheap; and, as Dimmesdale reminds us, it always has been. So if we have any hope of following Jesus’ command to proclaim the good news, we’re going to have to do a lot more than talk, a lot more than just tell the truth. We’re going to have to be true. Be true on the inside. And from that truthfulness on the inside will spring forth not only words that are true, but deeds that are true. Deeds that, in their rightness and goodness, shout to the whole world what really matters, deeds that proclaim to the whole world that God is here, living in the hearts of his people.

God has given us an immense mission, telling his good news to all the world. So we truly need to pray for one another:

May God help us become true on the inside, so that every word and deed of ours may speak his good news till that day when he will speak it to us all face to face. Amen.

-via Kuya Gelo

Darkness

"I loved you at your darkest." -Romans 5:8

Arise

"Arise! For this matter is your responsibility, but we will be with you; be courageous and act." -Ezra 10:4

Why is it that when PEOPLE let us down we're so quick to turn our backs on God?

"People will choose to walk out of our lives, boyfriends and girlfriends will come and go, bestfriends will sometimes become enemies and in some cases even family will turn their backs on you when you need them most. But isn’t it truly amazing to know that GOD never never will. “….Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5). Forsake means to quit or leave entirely; abandon; desert. God is never going to abandon us, NEVER! He is the only constant in this crazy thing called life. It took me too long to come to that understanding. It was my belief that people, money, and material things could take His place..and was I ever wrong. There is absolutely nothing comparable to GOD’s love. He can't be replaced, substituted, or duplicated. Don’t ever punish GOD for other people's failures. He is the ONLY one that can and will be there for you always." -Adriana Maravilla

“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” -Psalm 118:8

Lifeline

"If your God’s on the sideline, you won’t be happy, I promise; until you understand that God is the lifeline." -Lecrae

What does it mean to "Trust in God"?

"This means that we must have absolute trust, that through love we can overcome all obstacles. We must relinquish all control in our own lives and allow God to order and lead us without doubt, fear, or worry that things may not work out in our best interest. We must believe that love can break all barriers and change human hearts. To believe in him is also to have absolute trust in his love, mercy and wisdom. To believe in Him therefore, is not a feeling or an emotion or mere recognition that God is Lord of our life (because even the devil knows that); rather, it is a combination of conviction and action. If we recognize that we are sinners and accept God’s help by trusting his decisions, then even if our faith in Him is as small as a mustard seed, He can help us to make it mighty enough to move mountains.

In order to trust God we need humility. Humility clears our heart of pride, and opens it to the word of God. When we accept His word, we have trust in him. This brings us peace. His word also brings us wisdom; because, he is the source of all wisdom. We can therefore, never have true wisdom or peace without humility.

When we do not get what we ask for or receive the opposite of what we asked for, we doubt God. However, we should remember, that he has already given us the only gift we really need, namely, the gift of his own life. Furthermore, he always answers our prayers. He answers them in such a manner, that in the long run it will make us a people with greater faith and love. Because of this, He may not give us exactly what we asked for, or He may delay granting our petition, or may even allow tragedy to come upon us (like He did to Job). If we accept God’s help by trusting His decisions, He can help us by doing what is best for us. We should accept His will without even knowing what it is and (in our heart) allow Him to do whatever He feels is right. When we distrust his plan and want only our own plan, we reject his help."

-man-of-god

Competition

"Winning doesn’t matter when we’ve already won God’s love." -Kim Nguyen

Please

"I still try to please people around me too much and often times, I lose focus on who I am TRULY supposed to please. I get caught up too often in what other people think and spend less time asking God what He thinks." -man-of-god

Hypocrisy

"If you like our Christ but not our Christians, then follow our Christ and not our Christians." -Josiah Terrence Prezkuta

Karma

"But I realized after that God doesn’t always work with karma. Just because I didn’t do anything wrong doesn’t mean I don’t deserve to be taught a lesson. Maybe my life was yearning for more knowledge therefore God gave me an obstacle for me to learn from. And I really did learn." -Kim Nguyen

Ask

"Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ¹² So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." -Matthew 7:9-12

10 Timeless Truths

1. If you feel far away from God, guess who moved?
2. Fear knocked. Faith answered. No one was there.
3. What you are is God’s gift to you. What you become is your gift to God.
4. I am God’s melody of life and He sings His song through me.
5. We can never really go where God is not, and where He is, all is well.
6. No matter what is happening in your life, know that God is waiting for you with open arms.
7. God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
8. Do your best and then sleep in peace. God is awake.
9. God is love. Therefore anything separate from God, is simply not love.
10. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.
    

Best Friend

That search for my best friend. That deep need for a friend who will always be there, who will always want to chill with you, who will always call you up, and you always call up. Who never lies to you, who always believes that you deserve the truth, who doesn’t pressure you into betraying your values and what is right, who wants you to grow even if it hurts, who pushes you to succeed, who pushes you to win. Who isn’t afraid to lovingly correct you, who’s patient with you even when you’re hard to love. Who knows when you just need an ear to listen to, and always talks to you like nothing ever changed.

That search for my best friend who’ll be with me everyday and always wants to know if I’m doing okay, who appreciates who I am, and who will always be there for me unconditionally and enjoy my company genuinely.

I found Him.

Jesus is my best friend. And I’m certain He’ll teach me how to be a good friend.

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” -John 15:12-15

Loving Correction

"It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends." -Albus Dumbledore

"For whom the Lord loves, He corrects." -Proverbs 3:12

Reason

"The heart has reasons that reason cannot know." -Blaise Pascal

"The Christian on his knees sees more than the philosopher on tiptoe." -D.L. Moody

"A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it." -Rabindranath Tagore

"My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z, so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be part of the show, find myself in such violent reaction against it? A man feels wet when he falls into water, because man is not a water animal: fish would not feel wet. Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too-for the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my fancies. Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist-in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless-I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality-namely my idea of justice-was full of sense. Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be a word without meaning." -C.S. Lewis

Fly

"God stirs up our comfortable nests, and pushes us over the edge of them, and we are forced to use our wings to keep from falling. Read your trials in this light, and see if your wings are being developed." -Hannah Whitall Smith

"You have to learn to fly if you want to go to heaven." -Father John

Lent

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." -Matthew 6:16-18

Charity

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. ² When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. ³ But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. ⁴ Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you." -Matthew 6:1-2

Narnia

"She felt sure that it was a call, and that anyone who heard that call would want to obey it and (what’s more) would be able to obey it, however many worlds and ages lay between." -The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

"Creatures, I give you yourselves…I give you forever the land of Narnia. I give you the woods, the fruits, the rivers. I give you the stars and I give you myself. The Dumb Beasts whom I have not chosen are yours also. Treat them gently and cherish them but do not go back to their ways lest you cease to be Talking Beasts. For out of them you were taken and into them you can return. Do not so." -Aslan, The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

"…that is why all the rest are now a horror to [the Witch]. That is what happens to those who pluck and eat fruits at the wrong time and in the wrong way. The fruit is good, but they loathe it ever after." -Aslan, The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Aslan: Son of Adam, are you ready to undo the wrong that you have done to my sweet country of Narnia on the very day of its birth?

Digory: Well, I don't see what I can do. You see, the Queen ran away and—

Aslan: I asked, are you ready?

-The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Thrill

"People get from books and plays and the cinema, that if you have married the right person you may expect to go on “being in love” forever. As a result, when they find that they are not, they think this proves they have made a mistake, and are entitled to change. Not realizing that when they have changed, the glamour will presently go out of the new love just as it went out of the old one. In this department of life as in any other, thrills come in the beginning and do not last. The thrill you feel on first seeing some delightful place dies away when you really go to live there. Does this mean it would be better not to live in that beautiful place? By no means. If you go through with it, the dying away of the first thrill will be compensated for a quieter more lasting kind of interest. What is more, it is just the people who are ready to submit to the loss of the thrill and settle down under the sober interests, who are the most likely to meet new thrills in some quite different direction

This I think, is one little part of what Christ meant by saying that a thing will not really live unless it first dies..It is simply no good trying to keep any thrill: that is the very worst thing you can do. Let the thrill go—let it die away—go on through that period of death into the quieter interest and happiness that follows—and you will find you are living in a world of new thrills all the time. But if you decide to make thrills your regular diet and try to prolong them artificially, they will all get weaker and weaker, and fewer and fewer, and you will be bored, a disillusioned person for the rest of your life. It is because so few people understand this that you find many middle-aged men and women maundering about their lost youth, at the very age when new horizons ought to be appearing and new doors opening all around them." -C.S. Lewis

"There’s gotta be more to life

Than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me." -Stacie Orrico

The Devil

"Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God." -2 Corinthians 4:4

"The devil will bring distractions to stop you from pursuing God the way you're supposed to. It is up to you to shun him and his works, fix your eyes on your Saviour and chase after Him with everything you have." -Anonymous

The Cellphone vs. The Scriptures

"I wonder what would happen if we treated our scriptures like we treat our cell phones? What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we spent an hour or more using it every day?

What if we used it to receive messages?

What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?

What if we gave it to other kids as gifts?

What if we used it as we traveled? What if we used it in case of an emergency?

This is something to make you go….”Hmmm..Dude.. where is my scriptures?”

Unlike our cell phones:

One Plan does fit all.

Unlimited usage. No roaming charges.

You always have reception.

You can use it in the mountains and in a tunnel.

It’s free with no hidden costs,

AND you don’t ever have to worry your scriptures being disconnected because CHRIST has already paid the bill!"

-via Matthew Furtado

Balance

Find the balance between letting go for the good, and fighting for the good.

Change

"Sometimes God doesn’t change your situation because He is trying to change your heart." -Anonymous

Student

Dear Student,

I see that you’re tired. I tell you, drop your books and rest for a while. Why worry too much about the fight? Smile. Be confident. All you have to do is to prepare well and be in school. Then against the hundred questions that tried to destroy you, there I’ll stand and rescue you. Passing the course requires not only Me nor only you, but rather Me and you. Just do your best and I’ll take care of the rest.

Your Teacher,
Jesus.

-Anonymous

Righteousness

"We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It’s one thing to feel that you're on the right path, but its another to think that yours is the only path." -Paulo Coelbo (via Erin Tangco)

"We can only know God well when we know our own sin. And those who have known God without knowing their wretchedness have not glorified Him but have glorified themselves." -Blaise Pascal

Beauty

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." -Proverbs 31:30

"Beauty is transcendent. It is our most immediate experience of the eternal. Think of what it’s like to behold a gorgeous sunset, or the ocean at dawn. Remember the ending of a great story. We yearn to linger, to experience it in all our days. Sometimes the beauty is so deep it pierces us with longing. For what? For life as it was meant to be. Beauty reminds us of an Eden we have never known, but somehow our hearts were created for. Beauty speaks of heaven to come when all shall be beautiful. It haunts us with eternity. Beauty says, there is a glory calling you. And if there is glory, there is a source of glory. What great goodness could have possibly created all of this? What generosity gave us to this behold? Beauty draws us to God." -via Lorryzel Badajos

You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God." -1 Peter 3:4

Choice

"Think about it. There are many things in life we can’t choose. We can’t, for example, choose the weather. We can’t control the economy. We can’t choose whether or not we are born with a big nose or blue eyes or a lot of hair … but we CAN choose where we spend eternity.

The big choice, God leaves to us." -Max Lucado

"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in My name the Father will give you." -John 15:16

"When something bad happens you have three choices. You can either let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you." -Anonymous

"Sex, drugs, liquor, food, etc. Just because you get to choose your master doesn't mean you aren't a slave." -Lecrae

Leaders

"The test of a preacher is that his congregation goes away saying, not ‘What a lovely sermon’ but, ‘I will do something!" -St. Francis de Sales

"God measures your leadership by how you serve, not by how many you serve." -via Katrin Licas

"And I would say this, too, if there are pastors listening to this: Pastors, your job is [to] set the tone in this regard in the church. I meet so many people who go to a church where their pastor has never openly said he’s done anything wrong. And that’s kind of an old school concept that we have in church that, “He’s our leader and therefore he’s infallible.” And the Bible just doesn’t teach that. It does teach that we [pastors] have to live up to certain standards (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1), but we are to lead and be the lead repenter and be transparent. Your church is either a safe place to be clean or it’s not. And I would put that burden upon whoever’s leading it. You lead the way. And if you find that your people aren’t coming to you regularly and they’re not interacting with each other and really being transparent about where they’re falling, then there’s a real problem there that probably starts with you.

“We set the tone as pastors when we don’t openly confess our sin and repent of it.”

I think a lot of times we dismiss too quickly the criticisms that non-Christians have of Christians. I think we should really listen more. Because oftentimes, even though they tend to be generalistic and stereotypical, they’re spot on. And I think if you went outside the studio today and talked to as many non-Christians as you could and said, “What do you think about Christians?” they would all probably throw out the word “hypocrite,” and there’s some truth in that. And I think that we set the tone as pastors when we don’t openly confess our sin and repent of it." -Mars Hill Church

Understanding Him.

"The God of the Old Testament didn't change, humanity's understanding of God evolved over centuries of experience." -The Rev. C. Douglas Simmons

"How is it that my view of the unchanging God is forever changing? Why is it that whenever I think I’ve got God figured out, He reveals Himself in a whole new way? He is perfect and complete yet my learning of Him never ceases. I think for all eternity, I should have the grandest time just trying to know EVERYTHING there is to know about my God." -Rev. Eli Lopez “The God of the Unexpected”

"I had dinner with a good friend, John. What one would notice about him is his passion for his craft, photography. I could feel his love for it. He can endlessly tell you about his discoveries and learnings about the art. During a wedding photo shoot, I felt that he was very excited of every pose, every possibility of a perfect shot. He has invested much in it; his resources, time, sweat, and energy. He has attained much success in the field of photography, yet he tells me that he is still barely scratching the surface. "There is more to learn," he says.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;

it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them (Ephesians 2: 8-10).

I've realized that Christ is passionate about us. We are His masterpiece, His handiwork. He is interested about us and is continually excited to hear how we are doing in our lives. He awaits upon us in prayer. Jesus wants to speak to us, endlessly and passionately, if we listen.

We are His craft, His favorite creation. All through our lives, He wants to mold us to perfection. We respond through our free will, inviting Him to shape us to His intended design, even if painful at times.

Many of us might have known our Lord through school, talks, or prayer meetings. Yet, we are barely scratching the surface of what we know about God. He is a divine mystery. There's still much much more to learn about our great God.

May we be passionate about God as much as He is passionate about us." -GodisEnoughForMe

Clothes

"In my closet hangs a sweater that I seldom wear. It is too small. The sleeves are too short, the shoulders too tight. Some of the buttons are missing, and the thread is frazzled. I should throw that sweater away. I have no use for it. I’ll never wear it again. Logic says I should clear out the space and get rid of the sweater.

That’s what logic says.

But love won’t let me.

Something unique about that sweater makes me keep it. What is unusual about it? For one thing, it has no label. Nowhere on the garment will you find a tag that reads, “Made in Taiwan,” or “Wash in Cold Water.” It has no tag because it wasn’t made in a factory. It has no label because it wasn’t produced on an assembly line. It isn’t the product of a nameless employee earning a living. It’s the creation of a devoted mother expressing her love.

That sweater is unique. One of a kind. It can’t be replaced. Each strand was chosen with care. Each thread was selected with affection.

And though the sweater has lost all of its use, it has lost none of its value. It is valuable not because of its function, but because of its maker.

That must have been what the psalmist had in mind when he wrote, “you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

Think on those words. Your were knitted together. You aren’t an accident. You weren’t mass-produced. You aren’t an assembly-line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on this earth by the Master Craftsman."

-Max Lucado

Eros & Agape

Eros is “being in love” and even though it is a good and noble feeling, like all feelings it will come and it will go. That is why we shouldn’t base our relationships on Eros but instead base it on the more mature and deeper love: Agape. Agape is not only the feeling of love but the will to love. Just because you cease to be “in love” does not mean that you cease “to love.” There is a fine line between feeling in love and choosing to love.

"Agape

Even if they lied. Even if they said they would never leave you. Even if they ignored you. Even if they annoy you. Even if they treat you like crap. Even if they betrayed you…

Love them anyway.
Love them anyway. because the greatest sign of love is to love someone even when it’s hard. loving someone when it’s easy isn’t very difficult. anyone can do that. But loving someone who is difficult to love… requires so much patience, kindness, respect, courage, wisdom…. and that is what makes you a better and stronger person.That is what makes you different. because when you overcome all those obstacles for the sake of someone else? What better way to show love than to love when you don’t want to? Because hating someone is so much easier. Pointing out someone’s flaws is so much easier. Because being angry, jealous or hateful towards someone who’s hurt you is so much easier than loving them instead.

“agape” is a rare word in Greek that refers to the kind of love that doesn’t serve itself, but extends itself for the sake of another.

so, my resolution for 2011?
love the unlovable. agape." -Lanie Valencia

Cleanse

"When my daughter was a toddler, I used to take her to a park not far from our apartment. One day as she was playing in a sandbox, an ice-cream salesman approached us. I purchased her a treat, and when I turned to give it to her, I saw her mouth was full of sand. Where I had intended to put a delicacy, she had put dirt.

Did I love her with dirt in her mouth? Absolutely. Was she any less of my daughter with dirt in her mouth? Of course not. Was I going to allow her to keep the dirt in her mouth? No way. I loved her right where she was, but I refused to leave her there. I carried her over to the water fountain and washed out her mouth. Why? Because I love her.

God does the same for us. He holds us over the fountain. “Spit out the dirt, honey,” our Father urges. “I’ve got something better for you.” And so he cleanses us of filth; immorality, dishonesty, prejudice, bitterness, greed. We don’t enjoy the cleansing; sometimes we even opt for the dirt over the ice cream. “I can eat dirt if I want to!” we pout and proclaim. Which is true—we can. But if we do, the loss is ours. God has a better offer." -Max Lucado

The Barber

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. They eventually touched on the subject of God.
Barber: I don't believe that God exists.
Customer: Why do you say that?
Barber: Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn’t exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can’t imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things.
-------
The customer thought for a moment, but didn’t respond because he didn’t want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again.
Customer: You know what? Barbers don't exist.
Barber: How can you say that? I am here. I am a barber, and I just worked on you!
Customer: No! Barbers don’t exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.
Barber: Ah, but barbers DO exist! That’s what happens when people do not come to me.
Customer: Exactly! That’s the point! God, too, DOES exist! That’s what happens when people do not go to Him and don’t look to Him for help. That’s why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.

30 EXTRAORDINARY THINGS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.

1. A baby is taking its first few steps without falling.

2. Two people somewhere in the world, are falling in love.

3. Somewhere, someone is admiring a breathtaking sunrise, and somewhere else, a surreal sunset.

4. A soldier of sorts is diligently fighting the fight so you don’t have to

5. Someone who suffered from a severe injury last year is back on their feet.

6. A small group of people are building something that will soon make the impossible possible.

7. Somewhere on Earth a double rainbow is stretched from one end of the horizon to the other.

8. One of the next Billboard-chart-topping musical artists is patiently rehearsing in her garage.

9. A piece of literature is being written that will eventually change your perspective on life.

10. A friend is helping a friend rise above thoughts of suicide.

11. People of various religious backgrounds are in temples, churches, mosques and other places of worship praying, wholeheartedly, for world peace.

12. An elderly couple is celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

13. Two best friends are laughing so hard that they aren’t even making any noise.

14. A firefighter is running into a burning building to rescue a perfect stranger.

15. Someone in your hometown genuinely wants to be your friend.

16. A new mom is lying in a hospital bed and holding her baby twins for the very first time.

17. Someone is taking a shower and singing happily at the top of their lungs.

18. There is someone out there who smiles when they think of a specific moment they once shared with you.

19. An alcoholic just celebrated one full year of sobriety.

20. Volunteers in major cities all over the world are working at homeless shelters caring for those who are less fortunate than themselves.

21. A high school athlete just broke their own personal record.

22. Two teenagers just received their very first kiss ever from each other.

23. Someone is hugging a friend who desperately needs it.

24. Someone just placed their spare change in the charity collection cup at the grocery store.

25. A small group of friends are sitting around a table sharing funny stories and cheerfully reminiscing about the good old days.

26. Honest people are working for various government entities to help protect your basic human rights and civil liberties.

27. An emergency room surgeon is in the middle of saving his patient’s life.

28. Someone is holding the door open for the person behind them.

29. Someone out there is missing you and looking forward to your next visit.

30. We are reminded that extraordinary things happen to ordinary people, and that there is beauty and wonder in everyday life.

You've already won.

I lost a game today, and I wanted to win so I could end the night with that. We were so close to winning but everything turned around and we lost.

I was legit pissed a bit and halfheartedly saying to myself: "It's okay, just a game."

And then that voice in my head said: "You've already won what matters most."

Me: "What?"

Voice: "Do you believe in God?"

Me: "Yes."

Voice: "Do you believe He forgives sins?"

Me: "Yes."

Voice: "Then you've already won."

...wow.

Speech

"For whatever is in your heart determines what you say." -Matthew 12:34 (MSG)

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
- Proverbs 18:21

"When people think of war, they usually picture guns, bombs, artillery shells, and weapons of mass destruction. But almost every battle is started by words. Actions may speak louder than words, but words are also bullets than can kill as good as any gun. Proverbs 18:21 mentions that, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” The book of James compares the power of tongue to a fire: A great forest can be burned to the ground with just a small spark. The words we say, no matter how carelessly they were said, has the power to make or break a soul.

Jesus said, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” - Matthew 12:36-37. However, He also said that those who use their tongue properly will “eat its fruit.” You can grow good stuff with your words by being uplifting and positive. If you speak loving and honest words, it’s like you’re walking around in a garden with rich soil and spitting watermelon seeds. Every time you spit a seed, you grow a watermelon. So will you grow a melon patch or just weeds? It depends on what you plant." -Lorryzel Badajos

Seek Him while He may be Found.

Because in just a little while more, He will be unsearchable. The salt of the earth will no longer exist, and the dead will no longer rise. The sick will no longer be cured and the sun will no longer shine. Seek Him now while He may be found.

Miracles

"Our Lord says to stop asking for miracles because your lives are miracles. A true miracle is a child in the womb; a mother’s love is a miracle; a forgiving heart is a miracle. Your lives are filled with miracles, but you’re too distracted by material things to see them. Jesus tells you to open your ears to hear his messages and open your hearts to receive his love. Too many people have lost their way and walk the easy road that leads away from God. Jesus says to pray to his mother, and the Blessed Virgin Mary will lead you to God Almighty. The Lord has come to you with messages of love and the promise of eternal happiness, yet you ask for miracles instead. Stop looking to the sky for miracles. Open your heart to God; true miracles occur in the heart." -Segatashya, Our Lady of Kibeho

Drunkenness

"People who drink to drown their sorrow should be told that sorrow knows how to swim." -Ann Landers

"The difference between men and pigs is that, pigs don't get drunk and act like men." -David Vickery

Brothers

"Do not worry on finding the right woman, concentrate on becoming the right man." -via Rocky Nguyen

"You don’t love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her." -via Monica Ponce

"If we are not strong enough to hold a door for a sister, or not strong enough to pick up a bag for her, then we are not strong at all." -Rovi Papa

Treasure

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -Matthew 6:19-21

2010

2010 was an interesting year. And I cannot praise God enough for it.

Seeing as 2008-2009 were probably some of the best years of my life (those were the years that I first truly met Him), God made 2010 a year of tearing down.

Wow, wow, wow, stop! You must be thinking: “Gabe, why the negativity?!” But I’m not being negative at all. :) I’m being truthful and honest, and I don’t think 2010 could have been done in any other way in God’s grand plan for my life. Certain routines and connections in some of my closest friendships were “torn down” you could say, but in all honesty I see why God did that, and it took me a year and a half to figure that out haha!

But enough about all that, I just really praise God for 2010 as much as I have for 2009, 2008, and so on. The thing about losing something of yours, about why certain things like our best friends, our girlfriends/boyfriends, or our achievements and successes, are taken away from us is because we sometimes forget that we still need to grow and expand. Like a crop that has already been producing a certain fruit, sometimes it’s time that we start learning new things in life that God wants to show us. The crop is “uprooted”, “plowed”, and prepared for a new seed. And what kind of fruit this newly improved crop will produce and what kind of tastes and nutrients it will bring are a mystery that only God’s timing can tell. But for sure, that new fruit will be better than the last.

2010 has taught me so much in its process, and I can say that I have gained so many new closer friendships with people I never knew I would and I have strengthened so many other relationships that I had, unfortunately, never really taken the consideration to before.

2010 taught me what hate, jealousy and expectations really were and what they could do to a person and the relationships around them. What they could do to your relationship with God.

2010 taught me what it meant when they said that faith took more than just your emotions, but your reasons as well. It taught me what it really meant when God said, “offer ALL that you are to Me.”

2010 taught me a whole lot more about forgiveness. About how forgiveness is not forgetting, how forgiveness is not ceasing to feel the pain, and about how forgiveness is not a onetime event.

2010 taught me about God’s other most gracious F gift other than forgiveness: Freewill. It taught me what God meant when He said, “You have the choice.”

2010 taught me what “Let go and Let God” really meant.

And finally…

2010 taught me, and started me on this journey, of finding my true self.

I think 2011 will be a year for that, and maybe a couple more years for that as well. Who knows! But in the end, I know I’m still learning and growing, even with these “2010 taught me’s,” I’m still going to be learning more about them too. I feel like there’s a lot to keep up, but I know God has my back.

Anyway, Happy New Years everyone! God bless and take care!

Love your brother in Christ,

Gabriel

Promises.

PS. To future self: Ha, you read your old 2010 post. How different do you feel? ;)

Praise God.