A Good Writer

A good writer is like an artist - he/ she paints a picture in the reader's mind using words."

Elisabeth Elliot

Maturity starts with the willingness to give oneself.

Book: Let Me be a Woman

A heart that loves is always young.

-Greek Proverb

Kindness is always fashionable.

Every time we open our mouths, men look into our minds.

Age is An Issue of the Mind

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
-Mark Twain

Keep on Learning

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.
-Henry Ford

On Giving Up

When giving up becomes less painful than holding on, that's the time to let go.

Move on, but don't move away.

On Beginnings

Beginnings are usually scary, and endings are usually sad.
But it's everything in between that makes it all worth living.

Human Beings are Funny

Human beings are funny, they long to be with people the love but refuse to admit openly.
Some are afraid to show even the slightest sign of affection because of fear, fear that their feelings may not be recognized, or even worse, returned.  But one thing about human beings, that puzzles me the most is their conscious effort to be remotely connected with the object of their affection, even if it kills them slowly within.
-Sigmund Freud

Leaders are Visionaries

Leaders are visionaries with poorly developed sense of fear and has no sense of the odds against them.

Failure

Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.

Don't Let Anybody

Do not let anybody have the power to drag you down to their level of immaturity.

Have the Earth Shaken from Under Us

Sometimes, we need to have the earth shaken from under us.
This is so we may know the difference between standing on sand and
standing on rock.

When We Smile

When we smile even when we feel like dying just to support others mean strength.

A Great Man

A great man is always willing to be little.

When People Talk Negatively About You

When people talk negatively about you, live in such a way that no one believes them.

Live and die, die and live again.

True Leaders, True Leadership

True leaders do not maintain followers, they produce leaders.
True leadership focuses on producing leaders, not followers.
-Myles Munroe

Well Done is Better than Well Said

People may doubt what you say, but they will always believe in what you sincerely do.
Remember, well done is much better than well said.

Productivity, above all...

Productivity, above all, is an attitude of mind,
it seeks to continually improve, what really exists,
it is based on the belief that one can do things better today
than yesterday and better tomorrows than today.

Love now...

Love now...
or the moment passes you by.

Till I Met You

Until I met God, I never thought someone could love me far beyond the measure of love I thought I deserve. -- Nights of Coffee

Jeremiah 31:3 NIV

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;

 I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

Beautiful Mind: Windows of Princeton

When I think about my life… how I began, my today and how tomorrow will unfold, I remember the words of Mr. John Nash in the movie… “I’m terrified, mortified, petrified…stupefied by you.” 

          Certainly, there were days when I try to study and see what will become of me.  I’m facing a lot of challenges, my relationships with the people around me, my career, my flight in the graduate school, my church and what I really want to happen in this short time…my passion, I sometimes get scared.   Because for a fact, no one really knows.   But Mr. Nash lived his life, walked freely around the campus and even wrote calculations on the windows of Princeton, based on his perception on how to live.  He did, not what he needed to accomplish but what he really wants.  And that is to solve mathematical problems - the mystery of numerical equations.  He believes in it.  And was not afraid of it.  He had the courage to dig deep within the unknown.  He faced life and all of its imperfections because that is the only way he knows how.  He has faith in his God-given talent that he can.  He knows what his purpose is, and that’s exactly what he did.  He has the freedom and courage to dare the world to listen to him.  And I want that in me.  Now that I am trying to complete my graduate degree, his life inspired me to give all that I am for what I have chosen.  To continue and never give up.  Not be frightened. And allow the valor living inside us surface as we venture the undefined horizons.  Once in a while we all live and die, but in this life all we can do is to die and live again.

           

            As an MBA student, his story made me value education more.  I became utterly grateful of the fact that I am educated and have a chance to broaden my horizons by entering this course.  In addition, John’s contribution to his country inspire me to help, through the best of my abilities whatever there is I can offer for the betterment of our nation.  I want to use the knowledge I gained from years spent in this institution, not just for my own advantage, but as well as for the common good.  And even if I may not be as intellectual as him nor any of his colleagues in Princeton, I believe I can do my share to help establish a better and stronger republic through educating others.  This is one of the reasons I applied for graduate studies. To be an educator like most of the people I admire.   Help the next generation of eager minds understand that we still have a chance to lift up the economy, low as it may seem, by first embedding good values to their fresh mindsets.  As well as emphasize the weight of staying within the borders of our beloved country rather than eloping for better, greener pastures.

            Some may think I am opposing the reality and vying the impossible, but if John Nash showed that when we do believe in something, together with the faith we hold in our souls… we can make things happen.  Mr. Nash did not let himself be confined within the very corners of his dormitory, nor the pessimistic impressions of his friends and superiors.  But he tried, even pushed himself to the limits to make something greater out of him. 

            He influenced me to be professional, in every aspect of the word, to work with my fellow classmates and associates.  Grant them the respect they deserve.  Value their uniqueness, perceptions and judgments.  His life taught me to aim for something more remarkable than the usual, which is not just for my sole benefit but for those around me as well.

            Mr. John Nash’s life was not easy like the rest of those who breathe.  He studied, worked, was hurt and felt betrayed by his own exquisite mind.  But he continued.  And his will to survive against all the odds which emerged before him was worth all the pain he needed to endure.  And it speaks to me.  That no matter who you are, how wealthy one may become or how many diplomas one may obtain in his lifetime, it boils down to one fact - we are not perfect.  And we cannot stand alone.  And for Mr. John Nash, he needed the unconditional love and compassion of his wife.  It reminded me of the people who had, are and have always supported me.  My family.   Like Mr. Nash, his wife held on to him during the most difficult scenes in his life.  Her words saying, “ …but when I look at him and I force myself to see the man I married and he becomes that man.  He is transformed in this man that I love and I’m transformed into someone who loves him”, inspired me to love my family, above all things which exist, because I know they are and will always be my home, my refuge and my strength.  I also believe that the role played by his wife was one of the greatest reasons how he was able to get back on track.  She had a very profound and exceptional part in his struggles and I believe that was the most important miracle in his life.  Again, her courage helps me understand more the depth of the words “unconditional love”.  She truly is the one behind the success of John Nash.

           

            Knowing great people and recognizing how astonishing their lives have been encourage me to understand life further.   In that way, I may deserve the word professional, or an MBA graduate.  But let us still remember the essence of King Solomon’s famous words of wisdom… truly everything is meaningless.  I may have tons of degree, I might even get a doctoral course like my mentors, or be one of the greatest businessmen in Philippine history… but those are just titles embellished with beautiful frames.  Those do not fully define who we really are.  Achieving a Nobel Prize is just a bonus, we should always be reminded to look beyond the most-desired award, and that is a better spirit which sprang in us because of the decades of hard work and devotion, accompanied with the shedding of blood through our  hearts, lessons learned from failing now and falling again, rising from life’s hurdles, how lost one can become, and most importantly how we found the road home -- is the achievement and victory in itself, grand in its simplest form and still undoubtedly immeasurable.  

Empire Hotel

I sat beside a legacy of a smooth

     brown intriguing mystical box.

It is by the window, looking beyond the beach.

I opened and touched those white bars of enchanting tune.

Those skinny pieces of wood invited me to

      have a peek, to touch and feel them.

And discover the legend of the notes that were once played.

The hidden story behind the music of passion.

Their cry for reliving that moment when they sang the

      most wonderful piece of music ever created.

Begged for that immortal song to be played once more.

For the last time, before the immortality

      fades into darkness.

The shining white bars magnetized

      my fingers to touch them.

The power inside it taught me how to snap my fingers gracefully

      above those enchanted slender branches.

I felt I was dancing through the wind. It made me feel so light.

Heavens opened and the box immersed to the

      sky while I play the last part of its life.

We raced up in the air like eagles swaying our long wide wings.

I played those last notes as if it will never end.

We stayed up there while the sun gave its brightest light.

Make the best out of this fantasy.

I know this will never be a reality.

As the clouds beneath my feet

      carried me out of this world.

For once I escaped the complexities of

      living with my feet on the ground.

I took off the blanket that kept me from moving.

But I know I have to put it back when I go down.

When I touched the last bar for the last note, the cloud suddenly disappeared.

I fell slowly from the sky down to earth like a leaf from a tree.

Then I just felt a single tear dropped from my eye, I didn’t know why.

The box magically closed the last chapter of the book.

Not a single note will ever elude, nor a word will ever whisper from it again.

The story did end.

After that dream, I woke up with that same mystical box in front of me.

It's Okay to Choose

 The righteous choose their friends carefully,
   but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

Proverbs 12:26  New International Version (NIV)

As We Choose To Be

We will only be as intimate with God as we choose to be. (J. Oswald Sanders).

It’s always the person’s choice, to stay close or to stay at a distance. Where you are right now is where you want to be. As with hell and heaven. We choose to go to hell and it’s our choice to go to heaven. It is your choice and God does not have favorites. But as he has promised in Jeremiah 29.11, He will be found by those who really seek Him. Come near to God and he will come near to you. (James 4:8 NIV).

We pray not to feel but to accomplish.

Prayer can do everything God can do.

I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false and to incur my own abhorrence.

Philippians 4:12-13

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

"God is jealous." (Nahum 1:2)

from: support@lists.biblegateway.com

Your Lord is very jealous of your love, O believer. Did he choose you? He cannot bear that you should choose another. Did he buy you with his own blood? He cannot endure that you should think that you are your own, or that you belong to this world. He loved you with such a love that he would not stop in heaven without you; he would sooner die than you should perish, and he cannot endure that anything should stand between your heart's love and himself. He is very jealous of your trust. He will not permit you to trust in an arm of flesh. He cannot bear that you should hew out broken cisterns, when the overflowing fountain is always free to you. When we lean upon him, he is glad, but when we transfer our dependence to another, when we rely upon our own wisdom, or the wisdom of a friend--worst of all, when we trust in any works of our own, he is displeased, and will chasten us that he may bring us to himself. He is also very jealous of our company. There should be no one with whom we converse so much as with Jesus. To abide in him only, this is true love; but to commune with the world, to find sufficient solace in our carnal comforts, to prefer even the society of our fellow Christians to secret intercourse with him, this is grievous to our jealous Lord. He would fain have us abide in him, and enjoy constant fellowship with himself; and many of the trials which he sends us are for the purpose of weaning our hearts from the creature, and fixing them more closely upon himself. Let this jealousy which would keep us near to Christ be also a comfort to us, for if he loves us so much as to care thus about our love we may be sure that he will suffer nothing to harm us, and will protect us from all our enemies. Oh that we may have grace this day to keep our hearts in sacred chastity for our Beloved alone, with sacred jealousy shutting our eyes to all the fascinations of the world!

Philippians 4:4

[Final Exhortations] Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

** In good times and bad, there's a reason to rejoice in the Lord.

Let your goodness be the only fault they can discover in you.


-- http://www.biblegateway.com/

"Do not listen to voices of accusation for they are not from Me." - GOD

Isaiah 48:17

This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.


** He knows the BEST for US.

His Last Words

I came across the story of this extraordinary man. You changed the history of the world through his life. The greatest thing about him was he lived to fulfill your purpose in his life. On his deathbed, the very last words he uttered were “It is well…” In an amazing way, those words ministered to my spirit. I felt such peace, such deep remarkable peace… and it’s all because of you. Whatever life brings… waves and turbulences, satisfaction and triumph, pain and tears… I will say it all over again in worship to your name….”It is well.”

I am at this point where I feel empty… at a blank. Clueless is a better word for it. But knowing that we are in-love… that wherever life brings me, I will always have you as the love of my life. Help me remember “us.”

2 Corinthians 4:18 (New International Version)
18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

I know that this race is towards you. The promise that we will be together someday is worth the miles of running. At times I chase my breath. You’re worth every drop of blood from heart. You’re worth every heartache and tears. I just want to say that I love you. I will not regret choosing you and loving everything about you. Sometimes, waiting is a wonderful ally.

Martin the Dreamer

When people are pressed down by injustice and stripped-off their selfhood, they may plunge down the grave, but faith and hope which are heaven sent will resurrect their lives and make them climb up from the pit of despair and inequality. The hope they breathe flowing with the breeze in the morning while waiting for the new sunrise will help them gather courage which is found in every heart determined to face and fight not just for oneself, but for everyone who has the right to be treated as equal, not just flesh and blood, but as human -- with soul, body and spirit.

Sir Martin was the embodiment of greatness found in every soul, converged into a person with deep convictions who is willing to fight not with violence but with a noble and valiant heart prepared to sacrifice one’s life for the redemption of everyone. Truly, his moving speech entered the lives, not just of those who were present in that fateful day, but dwelled in the minds of those who heard his words carrying the spear and fire of wisdom. I believe God did not plan such violence and oppression against his highest creation, that is why He would send people of higher calling to subdue this shockingly dreadful cruelty. His time here on Earth was not wasted. The words flowing from his heart became alive and gave stronger revelation rooted with passion and love for freedom and equality. The message was not just for the people in North America, but it represents every person who is under such disparity.

He lived by faith and not by sight. His heart was looking directly at the future, when his children will no longer be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. He may not live to see the fulfillment of his prophetic dream, but his children did and so his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and that is -- his life’s purpose… undoubtedly completed and remarkably divine. His life was a blessing to history. The life of Dr. King carries the fragrant atmosphere of freedom, that when people start dreaming, indeed, it will come to fruition. It may not happen in our time, but trust that in God’s time it will.

Fearlessly Loyal

Faith is believing beyond God’s ability and purpose. When the great king of Persia summoned the three prayerful wise men and ordered them to worship the idol he established for himself to worship, the three boldly refused. Faith gives us the freedom to adamantly stand up to what God has placed in our hearts. It would take a man full of faith to repudiate the king’s order. They did. Their prayerful lives made them as such. Prayers conceal us from unfaithfulness. It builds thick walls to shield us from fear. It stands as our defense from arrows of doubts. It establishes our knowledge and covenant with the Almighty. Their faith even gave them the wisdom to witness and prove God is God, and there is none like Him. They poignantly proclaimed that even if God will not save them, they will still not bow down and worship the idol. Such deep faith. Deep convictions. Their words sprang life and consumed the king’s delusion. Faith brings fire. It erases false apprehensions. They were able to pronounce that even if God will not deliver them from death on earth, nothing will separate them from their loyalty to the Only King. The three wise men did not see God in their lifetime, but they believed God existed even before time. Their great enactment of faith would make us ask ourselves this question…. What made them so fearlessly loyal that even death could not steal their faith? I deeply believe it is their relationship and experience with God. They knew who God is. They have a deep understanding and relationship with the God they serve. They prayed incessantly. That was after all the reason they stood in the kings great court. Faith does not only move mountains, it changes lives. They proclaimed their faith, and it made the king bow down to their God instead. Faith turns everything around. Perchance, they even thought that what they will be doing does not actually measure to what God has given them. Love and peace which transcends all rationalization. They love Him even if they have not seen Him. Faith.

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

He's not the type.

Romans 8:32

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?


He is not stingy.
He's not the type.

Who's the One?

The great question for all single ladies (because they are more vocal than guys) is...

Is there someone created just for me? 


God, the Almighty, Sovereign in Power and Authority knows everything. He knows our past, present situation, and future. He knows what we are planning to do later this evening, and what we will have for breakfast at a near by fast food restaurant. He will not be surprised with the words that our lips will utter, and knows the hand stroke of our signatures. Nothing escapes his knowledge. Going back to the question...


If we know who God is, He will help us understand everything. 

Facing the Giants

I seldom have the time to watch movies these days. But there is this one extraordinary film what would speak to my heart whenever I need comforting words to pacify my soul.

In the movie Facing the Giants, one special character would utter the words every believer needs to hear. At the edge of her hope to conceive a child, she then again failed. It seemed as if she was at rock bottom when she softly said the words "I'd still love you, Lord." Amazing.

This is the kind of God we serve. His love through Jesus Christ penetrated the hearts of the redeemed, that even in the midst of dark valleys and haunting shadows, God's love would shine and bring darkness into light. His love is always pure... hence, the beloved is rest assured that His presence is more than enough for her to sing songs of love to her Almighty... whatever life brings.

Still on the Throne

Part of being human is the ability to feel and hope at the same time. We feel dismayed at times when failure sets in our hearts. But God is above all and is always in control. No matter how confusing situations appear to be, He is God and is still on the throne.

Writing About Him

Writing is a gift. Write from the heart. Write to glorify God's Name. Write about Jesus Christ.