Our minds can store about a hundred trillion facts and yet most of us only think about ten thousand thoughts a day. That’s about three and a half million a year and we only use about ten percent of our minds ever. Our mind is a special gift from God.

How do we stay mentally fit so that we’re alert and bright so that all of our lives we can make the most of this gift that God has given to us — our mind?

Guard your mind. Control what you allow into your mind. As they say in the computer industry: “Garbage in, Garbage out.”

2 Corinthians 10: 5 says, “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…”

We must guard our minds from material like poison (pornography, witchcraft, trashy novels or movies, etc.).

Romans 16:19 says, “Be wise (excellent) in what is good, and simple (innocent) concerning evil.”

I read before that the average television is on seven hours and seven minutes a day in the average home. If you’re an average person, you watch about 1000 hours of TV a year. That means if you live to be 65, you will amass nine and a half solid years of TV viewing.

On the other hand, if you went to Bible study — Sunday School — every Sunday of your life from day 0 to day 65 that would only equal four and a half months of Bible teaching.

We also must guard our mind from “stuffing”. These are things that are not necessarily bad for us but they are not necessary.

1 Corinthians 10:23 says, “”Everything is permissible”-but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”-but not everything is constructive.”

What we must allow into our minds are things that we call “brain food” (things that inspire you, teach you, help you grow, teach you a skill, make you a better person) and, of course, the Word of God.

Joshua 1:8 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

We have to realize that we have to decide what we’re going to fill our minds with because it’s going to come out of our lives.

Also, if you want to be a mentally fit person you must have a “never-stop-learning” attitude. You must be open to new ideas, humble (teachable) and enthusiastic. If you want to be mentally fit you wake up in the morning with the attitude, “Lord, teach me something new today. Help me to be mentally alert. Lord, I realize that there are some tremendous experiences in life that You’re going to create and design just for me today. Help me to learn from those things.”

Some practical things to do are:

1. Schedule some time to think each week. Sit down, get alone, get quiet, and think. A lot of times we’re just too busy to think. But if you’re a leader — in your home, business, if you have that responsibility, you ought to be spending a minimum of ten percent of your time thinking about your job. Not working at it, but thinking about it — how to do it better, ways to improve.

2. Develop a personal reading plan. Even the apostle Paul continued to read in prison. Paul was making the most of his time. He was a bookaholic. We must also do likewise.

2 Timothy 4:13 “Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come — and the books, especially the parchments.”

3. Spend time with wise people.

Proverbs 13:20 “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.”

There’s the power of association. You can’t fly with the eagles if you’re going to run with the turkeys. You’ve got to get next to people who will build you up, who know about the things that you want to know about.

4. Learn to ask the right questions.

Proverbs 20:5 “Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.”

In the heart of everybody there’s something you can learn, there are some insights you can use because we’ve all had different experiences. A lot of times they’re not there on the surface, you have to draw them out — like drawing water out of a well. How do you draw people out? How do you draw the insights you could use out of people? Ask questions. It’s a wise thing to do.

5. Write down your ideas. The U.S. Air Force did a study and they discovered that we forget 90-95% of everything we hear within 72 hours. Taking notes can help reduce that percentage. The only way you can continually keep growing is to write things down, take notes, so you don’t keep forgetting it.

6. Take advantage of opportunities. There are times that you’re driving to and from work, times when you’re getting ready in the morning, when you’re waiting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, when you’re exercising — when you’re awake and alert but your mind is not in gear. You could memorize scripture. Make use of conference calls if possible. If you’re sitting in an office, carry a paperback book with you. Use those spare minutes, snatch those fragments of time, make use of them. Read a book. Listen to tapes. Take advantage of the time to keep alert. Don’t just sit back, come home at night, flip on the tv and put your mind in neutral and listen to or watch the TV.

God, when He gave us our minds, gave us one of our greatest gifts. We are responsible to use it and develop it and keep it sharp. It is literally limitless in what we can do if we’ll simply begin to use it and develop it and begin to think. Everything, including how God wants to transform us begins in the mind.

Romans 12: 2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Having a handful of questions about “Fasting,” the book on it by Scot Mcknight was my default pick from the number of books available for review via Thomas Nelson. It is the first book I have read on “fasting” and I appreciate the biblical truths shared within. I have learned a lot of things about this particular spiritual discipline that was practiced back in the Old Testament times.

The book “Fasting” by Scot Mcknight inspired me right from the introduction where he mentioned about the fasting our early Christian fathers have practiced. To mention one, a writer about the Psalms, John Goldingay, tells about David on Psalm 35:13-14, “The psalm assumes that merely to feel sadness is not enough; because we are physical creatures and not just minds and spirits, it would be odd not to express sorrow in abstention from food and then afflicting one’s spirit and one’s self.”

Chapter after chapter, Mcknight reiterates the A–>B–>C Framework of fasting. It begins with A, the grievous sacred moment. That sacred moment generates a response, which is B (fasting). Only when the sacred moment is given its full power does the response of fasting generate the results, which is C. But not always. Simply put, fasting is a response to an encounter with God – whether it be of repentance from sin, a yearning for supplication or out of a grieving heart.

While I am no scholar to these things, as I went to read through the book, I have encountered examples of fasting brought about by a sacred moment, but not necessarily grievous. And while I do agree with the A–>B–>C framework that Mcknight shared, being not much of a fan of legalism, I am more compelled to believe that fasting should be a response to a sacred moment, God’s leading of a person to fast.

Allow me to close with what Scot Mcknight mentions in page 11:

Fasting is the body talking what the spirit yearns, what the soul longs for and what the mind knows to be true. It is body talk – not the body simply talking for the spirit, for the mind or for the soul in some symbolic way, but for the person, the whole person, to express himself completely. Fasting is one way you and I bring our entire selves into complete expression.

My encouragement is to make sure to have your Bible with to reconcile teachings as you read these kinds of books. Scot Mcknight’s book on Fasting is a thought provoking one and it sure has satisfied a lot of my questions pertaining to this particular spiritual discipline.

Disclosure: I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

As we look back, the year 2010 has been nothing short of amazing and we thank God for everything! We would not have thought that God will pick us up the way He did after the devastation of Ondoy in 2009. Ondoy posts: here, here and here.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”                       2 Corinthians 12:9

Our 2010 Christmas tag that we got printed via hp printers.

God’s grace, while our family has experienced it time and again through the years, was never quite as evident and tangible as it was when He threw His grace right in front of us just when we needed it most.  It was almost tangible to miss it and not be amazed.

For those people who have been instrumental to God’s provision and grace, we thank you from the bottom of my heart. I believe in my heart that it was not an accident that a client, Christian at that, contacted me a couple of months after Ondoy and became instrumental for us to bounce back.

It was also a time of having our faith tested.  If we would still give God what is due His despite our lack and He was true to His word through and through.

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.    Malachi 3:10

There is nothing more evident of faith as to giving despite our lack. I am personally challenged by the lesson of the Widow’s Mite:

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.  “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.  All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”               Luke 21:1-4

It really is not a matter of giving God to bribe Him to give us more.  Giving is an act of worship.  This is a challenge that I hope to leave you with. Trust Him with your resources and you will never want. That’s a promise to hold on to.

There were also not so good things that happened. Disappointments. But with the Lord filling our cups to overflowing, there is just no other way but to be gracious to these people who have offended us. Fact is, people like such will be there to challenge our faith, probably for as long we live. We just have to live with it. It is God who appoints and not man. We just rest in the fact that the Lord knows our hearts. We are continually encouraged with this verse that the Lord has put in our hearts…

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

To all readers and followers of Marriage and Beyond, we pray that you have the loveliest Christmas this year and God’s grace to abound you and your family in 2011!

If you haven’t yet given that driver seat over to God, you might want to read about LIFE CHANGE.

Have a Blessed Christmas!!!

Did I ever mention that I grew up singing hymns in church? Although our church has long transitioned to singing Contemporary Christian Music (CCM), hymns will always stay close to my heart and I still hope we get to sing them from time to time.

When Thomas Nelson made Robert J. Morgan’s Then Sings My Soul book available for review, I requested it right away. Leafing through the pages drove me back to my childhood days. In 1985, as a 9 year old child, to be exact. When I accepted Jesus Christ in my heart as my personal Lord and Savior. These were the first worship songs I sang to my Savior and as young as I was, I already knew it was Him I was singing to.

the jagged edged paper, gives the book a classic feel

Robert J. Morgan’s Then Sings My Soul will be a great Christmas gift for the hymn lover like my mom is. I really have to apply for a credit card

. So I could shop via Amazon soon. Lots of great books!

Aside from being a wonderful devotional companion, Then Sings My Soul offers a lot of fun facts and stories behind these hymns of faith.  I learned from this book that the hymn “When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder,” was inspired by disappointment. This is also the same song that comforted a group of traumatized children in the Japanese concentration camp in Chefoo, China.

I also learned that the tune to “Jesus Loves the Little Children” was written as a Civil War battle song and that Handel wrote the Messiah in twenty-three days. There are so many insights and fun facts included in this book. Then Sings My Soul by Robert J. Morgan can also be a wonderful devotional tool packed with Christmas,  Easter and All-Time Favorite hymn stories.

Disclosure: I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

It was last night when it dawned on me that today is going to be a year since Typhoon Ondoy. You will find my posts here and here about what happened to us and our family last year.  I cannot help too but look back with utmost gratitude at God’s faithfulness to us.  It is one of those times that God has affirmed that His grace is truly sufficient.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Typhoon Ondoy taught us a lot of things. The very first being is for us not to ever rely on material things. Anything at all can just be washed away by whatever the Lord allows in His omniscience. He is God and we are not.  Nothing in this world is permanent. Everything is on borrowed time, even our very lives.  The Lord’s faithfulness during that time in our lives were sent through friends and loved ones who saw us through. Remembering God’s goodness to us through you overflows our hearts with gratitude.

A lot of things had happened since. Things that I would not have thought would have been at all possible in the midst of the storm.  During the toughest of times and we cannot, in our finite minds understand, it is this verse that ministered to us.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 47:10

Even in the social networks that the husband and I are a part of, I have never seen God being called as much as during that time. And now people are back to regular programming, as they say. The vanity of it all. We are a bunch of souls that are too easily get distracted.

But here’s what I have to say that I saw for myself – things happen when we give our lives at His disposal. We are better off under His care than everything grand all insurance companies combined can offer.  Proving that He is the One who will uphold His own with His right hand. As for the moving on after the storm, the Lord has since sent His provisions in numerous ways, one of which is the client that I am working for until now.  A strong Christian at that. What else can that be than God’s hand upon our family?

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Ministry wise, we are seeing God maturing more people in our wings.  There are still concerns which can just about overwhelm us. But seeing God work all these years, especially through the destruction that Ondoy brought us, there is no reason in the world that we should at all doubt Him.

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:10

I am one grateful soul. Although I have been working online for a few years now, it was only recently that I decided to venture into a virtual assistant job. The Lord has allowed for me to have the most wonderful boss from across the globe, that I cannot be more convinced that it is God who has sent this person to minister to our needs.

We are thankful for the generous souls who have reached out to us to get the car that we’re using fixed after it got submerged in the flood during Typhoon Ondoy.  Although it got back to working again, it has had hiccups since and more and more stuff came up that need to be fixed and replaced.  Truth be told, this 1989 Nissan car is screaming for retirement.  All the things that need to be done to get the car fixed will cost more money collectively than if we get a brand new one.  It’s air conditioning system also cannot anymore cope with our extreme weather.  Aside from the fact that it has had a problem for as long as we can remember with its fan and electrical issues.

A replacement car is what we have been praying for for years and after seeing God’s hand over our hearts’ desires that we place under His feet, we did not waver in our faith that things will happen in His time.  The Lord has used my current boss to allow us to save all of my earnings from my VA job (after tithe) for us to be able to save a great portion of what we need to purchase a better running car. Although what I do now is nothing like the  jobs in administration that I got used to but I am blessed nonetheless as it ministers to our family’s needs.  My boss is awesome in his generosity and in giving me the chance to learn what I need to learn as I go through.

One thing we have seen and tested the Lord in is in giving.  There is just no way we will ever be able to outgive God. Tithing is not expected of us because God needed the money. He requires this of His children for our own sake.  And we are one grateful family for His daily provisions and more.

Bible discounts at OMF Lit Bookshop branches

Mandaluyong, Metro Manila (January 21, 2010) — OMF Literature joins in the celebration of National Bible Week by affirming the Bible’s value to everyday life and encouraging daily Bible reading.

On January 25-February 6, the OMF Lit Bookshop offers 30% off all imported Bibles. Customers also get a free devotional for every P1,000 single receipt purchase that includes a Bible.

OMF Lit hopes to help revitalize the Bible reading experience of many through these promotions.

The OMF Lit Bookshop offers a variety of Bible translations and designs for different audiences. For those who have already read the Bible, different Bible translations can shed new light to familiar verses. For pastors and church workers, study Bibles contain more information for deeper study. For young readers, new cover designs can excite and motivate.

Some of the Bibles available at the OMF Lit Bookshop are:

NLT Study Bible (New Living Translation) – Php2,150
NLT Large Print Compact Edition Bible (New Living Translation) – Php1,950
The Maxwell Leadership Bible (New King James Version), with leadership lessons by John C. Maxwell – Php1,600
Expressions of Me Bible (New International Version) – Php1,000
The MacArthur Daily Bible (New King James Version), with notes from John MacArthur – Php1,100
New Men’s Devotional Bible (New International Version) – P2,300
For deeper study of the Bible, suggested readings based on Bible prophecy are New York Times bestselling books by Joel C. Rosenberg.

An author and communication strategist with extensive knowledge on Middle East issues, Rosenberg was recently ni Manila for a series of conferences on the global implication of Middle East events.
Epicenter (Why the current rumblings in the Middle East will change your future), Php275
Inside the Revolution (How the followers of Jihad, Jefferson, and Jesus are battling to dominate the Middle East and transform the world), Php325
The Last Jihad (Book 1 of Rosenberg’s political thriller series), Php300
The OMF Lit Bookshop has branches in Mandaluyong, Parañaque, Cebu, and Davao. For more information, call 531.6635 or 531.0141, email Inquire@OMFLit.com or visit www.omflit.com.

The Philippines has been celebrating National Bible Week and National Bible Sunday every last week of January since 1979, as per Presidential Proclamation no. 1923. This year, National Bible Week is on January 25-31, with activities spearheaded by the Philippine Bible Society.

OMF Literature is the country’s leading publisher of inspirational Christian books. OMF Literature celebrates more than 50 years of publishing life-changing literature, including bestsellers The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren, I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris, This is My Story, a collection of testimonies by Donita Rose, Gary Valenciano, and more.

Time. This is what I have been hoping to have more of. More time to be able to squeeze everything in my schedule. After having met with five of the girls that I disciple in church last Sunday, I still have a few that I wasn’t able to catch up with. Being online most of the time, I encouraged them to update me via email and so far this is also working for us.

While it is a given that there is no way that I could extend an hour to my day, I know I should get better at juggling my time to be able to do everything and be effective while I’m at it. I honestly cannot help but feel tired sometimes. Being a work from home mom is never  walk in a park. What, with the things I do from homeschooling, article writing, the endless house chores and things in between.  I pretty much have a valid reason to go nuts, but I choose to enjoy and love what I do.

What alone gets me going, is my daily time with the Lord, get that out of my schedule and I’m out of sorts. Although I happen to believe that I have valid reasons to get worn out, I would still find myself drained and even fuss over petty irritations. It is my default when my heart is not in tune with God. Everyone around me suffers too. Fretting and toiling over things that don’t really matter and the unimportant cares of this world can easily get the best of me, when I don’t spend time with my first love.

Having said that, it makes me really happy that despite some frustrations over the things that I can’t squeeze in my schedule and even the things I hope I could do better at, I was still able to go back to working out last week. Yay! It makes me grateful because I never knew there was any way I could go right back to the ellipticals, let alone go back to doing yoga and aerobics. But I was able to do it, even just for a day. I realized that this is a part of my being that I cannot take for granted. Sitting on my workstation several hours a day, with breaks to do some chores in between is killing my body and causing some stiff and stressed muscles here and there. It drains me and I cannot afford to feel weak, even physically. It compromises all the things that I have lined up in my schedule.

I wasn’t able to follow it through the next days because my body ached really bad after my first day of workout comeback. I should take note to keep the first day of workout no more than 10 minutes. I worked out a little over 30 minutes and I got sore all over. It was a failed attempt, all right, but at least I know better what to do next time. Before I stopped working out last March, I did an hour’s workout everyday without fuss. With that out of the way and with my plan to getting right back to a more regular workout next week, I’m so looking forward to a long birthday weekend over at the cool mountains of Baguio with my family.

This is SBC-Makati’s brand new church sign. The framed tarp (18ft x 5ft) has been on display for three weeks now. This does mean that our local church is not transferring to a brand new address just yet. After a lot of  searching throughout Makati, the Lord has led us to decide to stay in the same location.

The owner of the building allowed us to lease the place for another year for less than ten thousand pesos on our monthly rent. That is more than two hundred dollars savings per month and that is a huge deal for our local church. Although packing stuff into shipping boxes will not be a major concern for the time being, we are still praying for God to lead us to a better location for next year.

Yesterday, one of our members and I were discussing about praying for a more permanent location – SBC-Makati’s place of its own. By God’s grace, this will come to pass. Our core leaders put it upon themselves to meet regularly (weeknights) in our church for devotions, prayer and fasting.  This has been a great encouragement to us even as we saw them grow spiritually.

SBC Makati is turning 6 years old this month and we are thankful for God’s faithfulness all these years.

I am so amazed about the Bible and how it is so unique. With its cover as common as other books, because of its content. However, it is not just like any other book. It stands alone among millions or even billions of books ever written.

The Bible is unique in so many ways. But I am amazed by its continuity, to think that it was written over a 1,500 year span, which is over 40 generations. It was not written by one man, but it was written by at least 40 authors who come from the most diverse walks of life.  It was also written in different places, at different times and written in three languages. Its subject matter includes so many subjects that are considered controversial topics like adultery, homosexuality, sex, abortion, war and many others.

But from the fall of the first family, their wearing of animal body wraps that shows how sin was covered through the shedding of the blood, to the choosing of Abraham and a nation, to its disobedience, to the coming of the Messiah who came to earth as a baby with swaddling clothes as body wraps, to His living a perfect and sinless life, to his betrayal, death and resurrection, to the zeal of His followers who were martyred up to the written prophecies of how everything in this world will end – everything is so amazing.

With the facts mentioned about this book or should I say, this library of books, I am in awe that the Bible’s content, and despite its diversity, has harmony and continuity. It shows one unfolding story and that is God’s redemption of the human race.

It was during the first year that the hubby started pastoring the church in Makati when we started with the couples bible study group. It was the most interesting time for the both of us. It was a challenge, because our marriage was young back then, but the Lord was faithful. He used that time for us to learn while ministering to other married couples.

The Lord led us to use wonderful materials on marriage. Most of which were gifts from my uncle who is also a pastor in America.  The one thing that stood out to be a big issue in marriage is surviving an affair. Others would even ask, does a partner even have to survive an affair at all. Unfaithfulness is hands down, the most devastating experience a partner can ever go through in marriage. Even after everything has been dealt with, it will take a real long while before the feeling of betrayal can ever pass. Sometimes, even never, especially if you try to press on without the kind of support that you need. It has its tendency to continually hunt you and your marriage. This is why in the sessions we have had, we work on the foundation, communication, everything that will keep the couple bonded to each other.

There are a handful of tell tale signs of infidelity. But it is not until the partner has confirmed it that it starts to really hurt endlessly. The thing is a partner only has to go through it once to be convinced that there is nothing more devastating than to be betrayed by your own husband or wife. The scope of infidelity in marriage goes beyond the surface of a wife drowning herself into all the weight loss pills that she could get, justifying her husband’s philandering ways. Thinking it was her fault all along, because she is too big. It even goes beyond the issue of co-dependency.

Although our God is the God who restores what the locusts have eaten, no marriage would want to go through that road of infidelity. I cannot even begin to type the words of devastation that goes along with it. We have always believed that we should at all times be vigilant. We encourage men and women in our church to guard their hearts and minds. In fact one of the favorite books that I use in my discipleship with women in church is Every Woman’s Battle. We cannot focus on repairing broken relationships without zeroing in first on how we were wired and define how the Lord has designed us. Created after His likeness and purposed for His glory.

And just when you might be led to think that this kind of lifestyle is utter boredom, think again. Without all the complications of moral damage, a marriage can enjoy the freedom that no bondage of immorality can ever but fleetingly give.

Emmanuel. King of King and Lord of Lords, came down to earth, before the cross and paid for our sins.

“You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold… but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” 1 Peter 1:18-19

Well, who is this angry man I see
In the mirror looking back at me?
It’s a man who’s tired, a man who’s weak
And it’s a man who needs a Savior 

And who is this fearful little child
Crying out for home, lost in the wild?
With a lonely heart that’s fading fast
It’s a child who needs a Savior
A child who needs a Savior

And what is this longing in my soul
That I get so scared and angry?
I need more than just a little help
I need someone who will save me
Come and save me
I need someone to save me
Who will save me?
Come and save me

And who is this one nailed to a cross
Who would rather die than leave us lost?
He’s come to rescue us, come to set us free
Hallelujah, hallelujah
It is Christ the Lord,our Savior

This is the outline of Jeff’s message last Sunday, A Closer Look at Jesus’ Death. Nothing can be more appropriate for the season.  Be blessed.  

Why was there so much blood?

Luke 22:20 Jesus said, “This cup is the New Covenant in my blood which is poured out for you.”

 John 6:53-54″…Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood, he has eternal life.”

Leviticus 17:14 “The life of every creature is in the blood”

1. Jesus shed His blood because of our sins

Hebrews 12:4 “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”

2. The blood means that Jesus sacrificed himself for our sins

Exodus 12:7″…Take blood and put it on the side and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.”

Exodus 29:12 “Take some of the bull’s blood and put it on the horns of the altar in that temple, with your finger, and pour out the rest of it at the base of the altar.”

Hebrews 7:27 “Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins and for the sins of the people.  He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered Himself.”

Hebrews 9:25 “Now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”

3. Jesus saved us from our sins

John 3:17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

What exactly happened on the cross?

Wrong Idea:

 *Jesus was dying just to give us an example of how we’re supposed to live for others

Biblical truth:

*Jesus’ death was a complete sacrifice

What does the blood of Christ mean to each of us personally?

*It means forgiveness

Hebrews 9:22 “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

*It also means ownership

Acts 20:28 “Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood.”

*It means reconciliation

Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.”

John 1:12-13 “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” ¹³children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

One of the more prevailing things that I discuss with my youth counselees is of the nature of dating. Most of them are over their dating issues but it does not mean the struggle is non-existent. There are even issues that can be persistent, but we are happy that they find the support system from our church family to be able to wind up as victors through it all.

With a sexually charged society that we have, the young people are actually fooled into the fantasy of the dating game– a game that gets a whole handful of hearts broken, at the end of the day. It is important to be aware how to conduct oneself while dating. It is actually a good indicator of the kind of commitment that you want to have in your future relationships. The race towards engagement rings is really overrated. What are you going to do with a wedding, when you end up getting divorced sooner than you got engaged?

So far, I am happy with the progress my girls are showing since I started seeing them. If you knew the community in Makati that we are serving, you will be surprised that a big percentage practices common-law marriage. This erodes morality a great deal and if nothing is done, they will inevitably follow that path.

It blesses my heart to see they want better lives, after suffering the cruelties of dysfunctional families. As true as the world is but imperfect, the fact remains that God’s grace is sufficient and this is the core of whatever it is we share with them, whatever circumstance they are in.  There’s nothing like dating God’s way. 

For most of us Hallowe’en is nothing more than just a day filled with ghost stories and scary creatures. People all over the world carry with them varied versions of the tradition but how did Halloween really come about?

October 31st came to be known as All Hallows’ Eve basically because the day after, which is November 1 is All Saints’ Day. “Hallow” means “saint.” It was in 988 that November 2 was made All Souls’ Day. It was a feast to honor the dead and not only those who were regarded by the church as saints. These events must have been measures to be part of an attempt to Christianize the old Eve of Samhain and to wean people away from the old pagan ideas and customs. The probability that people might remember more to pray for the dead rather than pray to them and focus their attention on the lives of saints of the pasts than spirits, whether good or bad.

During the Reformation, there was a serious attempt to cut out some of the ideas, particularly concerning prayer for the dead. There is clearly nothing in the Bible which encourages us to pray for the dead; they are in the hands of God and their eternal destiny has been determined by their response to God in their life on earth. So praying for them cannot alter their condition. As a result of this, All Souls’ Day was removed from the church’s calendar, and wasn’t restored until 1928.

“What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?”

This is the message I sent to the universe at OperationImmortality.com which, according to the site will be archived in the Immortality Drive being sent into space in October, together with all other messages posted before the end of August this year.

I chose this motto, which you can check using my message ID which is 471, because this is the truth, uttered by a great man named Jesus, who claimed, both directly and indirectly, claimed to be immortal and to be God. He was tortured and killed for these claims but His resurrection backed His claims and the world was never the same again.

By His grace I try my best for this truth to be witnessed in my life. Having chosen a profession based on a calling and not on any other temporal reason I try to live this truth and encourage others to take a step back and look at their lives in light of this truth.

Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

The world loves beautiful people and many people would do anything to become one of them. In Asia, our country, the Philippines, is the number one market for whitening creams according to some report I saw on the television a few weeks ago. The rise of many beauty clinics that offer whitening services, cosmetic surgery, warts removal and facial services show the great demand for beauty services. More and more people are finding ways to improve their looks and their self esteem as well through these methods.

Not to say that wanting to look better is wrong, but too much of anything can be dangerous. My wife uses products that make her more beautiful and I appreciate her knowledge in that (she even has a blog about it) and I myself use some products that my wife introduced to me. So there is nothing wrong with desiring beauty.

However, there is something more important than outer beauty. I believe that every person, not only women, should focus first on the inner beauty or what is in our hearts. In 1 Samuel 16:7 it says that “the Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” More important than getting the approval of the people around us is the approval of our Master. Having a mindset that we live for the audience of one can radically change the way we interact with people and the way we look at ourselves. Just some thoughts to ponder on.

In whatever endeavor, we should give our best. Whether it has something to do with your spouse, your children and family or your work and your business we should always give the best we can offer. Wherever the Lord has put you, always give your best.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24

Even in the web business, being the best isn’t a bad goal. A charlotte web design company offers a Professional Suite of Connected Services that can help any business become more successful. It specializes in internet marketing, web/ email hosting services and professional web design services.

So give them a try and give your best in your endeavor. Bloom where you’ve been planted!

Almost a week has passed since our Baguio trip. We are most thrilled having been able to getaway from our usual routines. But we are more thrilled that we were able to travel possibly a total of 500 kilometers (to and fro) aboard our trusty old car which honestly requires more than just a dent removal procedure.

 

A couple of days back the hubby handed me a Suzuki leaflet with quite an affordable downpayment and monthly schemes. Seriously with the way things are going with our finances. Being down by health and medical expenses, plus a lot of bills to pay and have settled, it is just not happening in the near future. But it sure is something to pray about even as the hubby got his legs wet again when it rained yesterday. It usually pours as well on his side of the car when it rains hard.

 

The car has behaved this way for the longest time despite the repairs hubby’s father funded some years back, which is not cheap, for the record. The cost to have that fixed was around a hundred dollars. It stopped pouring for a while, but before we knew it, it came back with a vengeance on a different location (the driver’s side this time). The pouring used to be where the rear view mirror is installed. I am convinced that this Nissan California is yelling out its retirement on us, but we are still thankful for its trusty engine. Its reliable mechanic, Roger, from a nearby Petron gas station assured the hubby that it can still travel up to Baguio and back and swears by its good Japan made engine, and we are glad just glad.

 

These days even as the Lord has proven His grace towards us through tangible and intangible things alike, I know even this is no biggie for Him. We just choose to trust Him in everything and give Him back the glory every time. There is just no way for us to ever outgive Him. We are plain grateful and we press on doing what we do for His glory.

 

Philippians 4:19

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

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