The Color of Our Prayers..

While my home country is still trying to recover from the devastating typhoon, here is yet another natural disaster in other parts of this globe (in south pacific ocean)...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090930/ap_on_re_au_an/as_pacific_earthquake_23

We might find it difficult, somehow, to comprehend why we (esp. those in affected areas) are experiencing these heartrending events. But the scripture says such things are bound to happen. And God expect us to take courage over these (Jn16:33). He promised that He will never leave nor forsake us (Heb13:5).

Earlier this morning, as I recollect the troubling aerial photos of the after effects Ondoy has brought, I couldn't help but imagine our Heavenly Father also looking down from above and seeing the actual scene similar to the aerial photos I'm browsing. Then I remember the story my friend shared (actually just a snippet from the book "Embraced By The Light" by Betty Eadie). The author said, as she shared, that when people prays it produces light.. a light that our Sovereign God sees. And the light our prayers will emit depends on the sincerity of our prayers. Following that idea, in these trying times I believe a simple utterance of "God please help me" or "God please help them" will surely send forth bright lights to heaven. If we all pray continuously, I'm picturing God seeing not just floodwaters.. but floodprayers!

With that in mind, we can consider looking at these trials as.. "God wants to unite us through prayers" So I encourage everyone to continue sending bright lights to heaven.

God bless you c",)


My Heart Will Trust
Artist: Hillsong United

I'll walk closer now on the higher way
Through the darkest night will you hold my hand
Jesus guide my way

O you mourn with me and you dance with me
For my heart of hearts is bound to you

Though I walk through valleys low
I'll fear no evil
By the waters still my soul,
My heart will trust in You
My heart will trust in You

O You counsel me and You comfort me
When I cannot see,
You light my path

Though I walk through valleys low
I'll fear no evil
By the waters still my soul,
My heart will trust in You
My heart will trust in You

My heart will trust in you.


Here's how I visualize the color of our prayers.. just like the earth lights at night :)

(image courtesy of www.almostsmart.com)

Lift Me Up...

Rich or poor, male or female, young or old.. all that won't matter when calamity strikes. I still feel depressed seeing aftermath pictures of the typhoon Ondoy. They said its Manila's worst flood in over four decades. Though the storm has abated, there are still a lot of houses submerged in already-polluted rainwater. I was so worried when I learned last Saturday afternoon that my brother together with his wife & 2 kids were already on the roof of their rented place, drenched and has nothing to eat as the terrible storm sprang up in an hour. I'm just glad they're okay now. But we're still praying for comfort and protection, not just for them but for all other families that were directly affected by the flash floods as well. I'm delighted to know that there are a lot of people volunteering to help.

This disaster is really traumatic. Saying a prayer for them is the best help we can offer. And if, apart from prayers, your heart would like to bless these victims by other means, you can do so as there are various institutions organizing fund-drive to help our Kababayans, like these (just click to visit the link, and God bless you as you help):

VCF Philippines
GMA-7 Kapuso Foundation

Let's continue to help one another and lift each other up in prayers.

"The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving." (Ps28.7.NIV)


Flood
Artist: Jars of Clay

Rain, rain on my face
It hasn't stopped raining for days
My world is a flood
Slowly I become one with the mud

Chorus:
But if I can't swim after forty days
and my mind is crushed by the thrashing waves
Lift me up so high that I cannot fall
Lift me up
Lift me up - when I'm falling
Lift me up - I'm weak and I'm dying
Lift me up - I need you to hold me
Lift me up - Keep me from drowning again

Downpour on my soul
Splashing in the ocean, I'm losing control
Dark sky all around
I can't feel my feet touching the ground

[Chorus]

Calm the storms that drench my eyes
Dry the streams still flowing
Cast down all the waves of sin
And guilt that overthrow me

[Chorus]

Lift me up - when I'm falling
Lift me up - I'm weak and I'm dying
Lift me up - I need you to hold me
Lift me up - Keep me from drowning again


(Here are some heartbreaking pics during and after the storm)

Love Song for a Savior

Third Day sings with Jars of Clay.. cool!
I dunno if you know these bands, but if you like pop alternative you'll love their songs.. not to mention the stories behind the song lyrics :)


(vid courtesy of ccmconcertlover)


(and this vid courtesy of zachornsey)


Love Song for a Savior
Artist: Jars of Clay

In open fields of wild flowers,
she breathes the air and flies away
She thanks her Jesus for the daises and the roses
in no simple language
Someday she'll understand the meaning of it all
He's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens
As close a heartbeat or a song on her lips
Someday she'll trust Him and learn how to see Him
Someday He'll call her and she will come running
and fall in His arms and the tears will fall down and she'll pray,

"I want to fall in love with You"

Sitting silent wearing Sunday best
The sermon echoes through the walls
A great salvation through it calls to the people
who stare into nowhere, and can't feel the chains on their souls

He's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens
As close a heartbeat or a song on our lips
Someday we'll trust Him and learn how to see Him
Someday He'll call us and we will come running
and fall in His arms and the tears will fall down and we'll pray,

"I want to fall in love with You"

It seems too easy to call you "Savior",
Not close enough to call you "God"
So as I sit and think of words I can mention
to show my devotion

"I want to fall in love with You"

"my heart beats for You"

TechLife: So you like foosball..

Do you wanna play foosball while waiting for your coffee to be served? That is, if someone's sweet enough to make you a cup of coffee, haha.

This coffee table is made of solid poplar, stands about 20" high, and comes with a built-in foosball game. Isn't that great? I think this is ideal for your living room so your guests will have something to keep 'em busy with while you're in the kitchen preparing coffee :)
Just make sure you don't place the coffee on this table while playing the game, otherwise it'll be a very messy game once the players starts to become competitive, nyahaha!

Faith that assures..

One of my favorite chapter in the scripture is Ps.23, as it talks about..

Contentment
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

Comfort
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

Restoration
He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Conquering Fears and Reassurance
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Strength and Victory
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Provision and Promise
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

So whenever I feel like I couldn't hear from Him.. I try not to get disheartened. Instead, I read through my favorite verses like these from Psalms. I learned that stillness and reading through His words allows me to hear His voice.

..God talks to us through the scriptures :)

Have a blessed night c",)


The Valley Song
Artist: Jars of Clay

...

Chorus
I will sing of Your mercy
That leads me through valleys of sorrow
To rivers of joy

When death like a gypsy
Comes to steal what I love
I will still look to the heavens
I will still seek your face

But I fear you aren't listening
Because there are no words
Just the stillness and the hunger
For a faith that assures

I will sing of Your mercy
That leads me through valleys of sorrow
To rivers of joy

Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia

While we wait for rescue
With our eyes tightly shut
Face to the ground using our hands
To cover the fatal cut

Though the pain is an ocean
Tossing us around, around, around
You have calmed greater waters
Higher mountains have come down

A Reason To Believe

Who can turn water into wine?
And sadness into joy?
And weakness into strength?

Heavenly Father, we thank You for your love and the amazing things You can do.
Hence, we don't need to find any reason to believe..
...for You alone can turn something normal into something beautiful.

G'nyt! c",)


Something Beautiful
Artist: Jars of Clay

If you put your arms around me
Could it change the way i feel?
I guess I let myself believe
That the outside might just bleed its way in
Maybe stir the sleeping past
Lying under glass
Waiting for the kiss
That breaks this awful spell
Pull me out of this lonely cell

Close my eyes and hold my heart
Cover me and make me something
Change this something normal
Into something beautiful

What I get from my reflection
Isn't what I thought I'd see
Give me reason to believe
You'd never keep me incomplete
Will you untie this loss of mine
It easily defines me
Do you see it on my face?
That all I can think about is how long
I've been waiting to feel you move me

Close my eyes and hold my heart
Cover me and make me something
Change this something normal
Into something beautiful
Into something beautiful
Into something beautiful

And I'm still fighting for the word
To break these chains
Can I still pray when I look in your eyes
Stare right back down
Into something beautiful

So close my eyes and hold my heart
Cover me and make me something
Change this something normal
Into something beautiful
Into something beautiful
Into something beautiful
Into something beautiful

TechLife: Apple - will you take a bite? (part2)

What's the first thing that comes to mind when somebody says "Apple?"

A fruit? ...perhaps if that question is asked some 10 or 15 years ago. But the word "Apple" has evolved from a fruit to becoming a tiny icon that you'll find engraved in todays music players and mobile phones. Well, it's the digital age! So now when you say "apple" you'll hear people responding.. "iPod?" "iPhone?" "iTouch?" aiyooh! Steve Jobs found a way to infiltrate the new generation's mind with apple innovations! That's probably the reason why he got listed as the most powerful businessman a few years back by Fortune Mag. I guess I can say Steve did his Job! haha.

I'm particularly amazed how they made the ipodshuffle so tiny (as small as the Bic ballpen cap) that you can clip anywhere on your clothes while maintaining its classic look. The only external controls you'll see on the player is the power/shuffle button. They designed an earphones with remote that communicates with the shuffle. Hence, you'll ONLY be able to control the volume or jump through tracks using the dedicated apple earphones. So to apple you'd be nitpicking if you get upset simply because your favorite (3rd-party) earphones is flawed when used with the shuffle. C'mon! It's a marketing strategy, yet effective :)

Now you know why Apple has that logo. More and more people are tempted to bite the apple! =)

For this MP3 player, out of five I'll give it 4.5 stars.

Here's their latest edition..

Looking for signs (?)

I remember watching an interesting Amazing Race episode one night as I came home from work. The task was... to be able to drive around the city in a taxi and bring the passengers (who will give the next clue) to whichever destination they choose. We can easily deduce it's a simple task. But wait.. they're in Japan! In Japan most of the cities have road names written in plain Japanese! (Not tourist-friendly huh? Well, they might've thought that visitors aren't gonna "drive" around their busy streets, haha). Imagine being in a foreign land where everything you see and hear are foreign. Well, most will surely end up gettin' lost.

Signs, I mean lucid signs, are essential on roads. Otherwise, it'll cause us to ruffle or get on somebody else's nerves, hehe. And in order for us to get to our destination, somebody or something (like guidebooks) has to decode the signs for us.

In life, do you look for signs? How do you interpret them? Well, admittedly, I used to look for signs until I sussed out that signs can be misleading. I don't know about you but whenever I receive one previously, I use it as a confirmation. Thanks be to Thee that He made me understand that studying His word by reading through the scripture is far better than just asking Him for signs.

The occasions where we can find some people seeking for signs is when they're having a difficult time deciding. A typical example could be, someone maybe planning on resigning from his/her job. Instead of seeking God's will by studying the scripture (and being led by the Holy Spirit), yes some do seek signs from Above but only to see and get a hint if it's okay to leave their job. Yet another example is when a boy pursues a girl (or a girl is being courted), either of 'em might ask in prayer, "Lord, sya na ba? give me a sign, pleassse?"

Well, some people tend to ask God for signs in hopes that they would get quick response from Him. Chances are, they read certain situations/circumstances as a sign for them to proceed on what they perceived to be the right leading. In the scripture, Jesus himself was so surprised when the Pharisees came to test him by seeking signs from heaven. In which He replied, "Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation." It's kinda intriguing why they asked Him for signs because if you read through the same chapter, you'll find that what has transpired prior to the scene where the Pharisees were seen testing Jesus was when He fed four thousand people. So what kind of sign were they asking for?

I discovered that signs are for the roads! And if you need to get to your destination without much of a hassle, plan your trip. Moreover, I learned that when I'm presented with difficult situations, it's a "sign" that I need to seek and study His word :)

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Mat.6.33.NIV

G'nyt! c",)

He is building a house for you

This is the first time I'm doing this.. blogging-on-the-go. Actually I only write when I'm inspired. Perhaps I can say I am inspired to blog now because I'm heading to Vivo excited to hear God's message.

A long time back I remember standing inside a record bar and I saw a new album entitled "When Christ Comes." I then said to myself, "Is this a soundtrack of the book I'm presently reading?" Curious, I grabbed a copy. The album has a lot of inspiring songs from various artists. And in between songs are Max Lucado's narration lifted from his book of the same title. "It was indeed a soundtrack!" I exclaimed. Anyway, one of the narrations that went and registered itself in my head is this...

Just look at the gifts He has given you: He has sent his angels to care for you, His Holy Spirit to dwell in you, His church to encourage you, and His word to guide you. You have privileges only a fiancée could have. Anytime you speak, He listens; make a request and He responds. He will never let you be tempted too much or stumble too far. Let a tear appear on your cheek, and He is there to wipe it. Let a love sonnet appear on your lips, and He is there to hear it. As much as you want to see Him, He wants to see you more.

He is building a house for you. And with every swing of the hammer and cut of the saw, He’s dreaming of the day he carries you over the threshold. “There are many rooms in my Father’s house; I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you may be where I am” (Jn.14:2-3).


Have a blissful day! c",)

What Are You Doing About It?

(Ang pagbabalik ni Juanito at ni Pidro)
Pidro: Pari, lam mu ba gosto ku talaga maging pilutu
Juanito: So what are you doing about it?
Pidro: Wala nga ih, kasi litu ako dahil balak ku rin mag duktor sana
Juanito: What are you doing about it?
Pidro: Ih matanda na kasi aku para magaral ulit. Kaya ngayun gosto ku na lang sana magbisnis
Juanito: Ah.. so what are you doing about it?
Pidro: Midyu lake kasi pohonan kaya inisip ku mag-abrud mona sana pari.
Juanito: Ah mag-abroad.. what are you doing about it?
Pidro: Tika nga, wala ka na ba alam itanung kunde "what r yo duwing abawtit? Naeenis na ko pari ha, gosto na kta kotosan ih.
Juanito: What are you doing about it?

I guess you know what happened next =)


A friend of mine presented me this question back in 2000. She told me someone asked her the same question. It's the type of argument that prompts you to act on something, she added. When you desire something you can ask yourself, "What am I doing about it?" You see, the moment you utter these words, creativity follows because you also begin to ponder what will be your next course of action.

In fact, this question is applicable to almost anything you desire or plan to achieve.
If you want to own a house, a car, or even a new puppy. Notice that when you pose this question to yourself it'll prompt you to, perhaps, start allocating portion of your earnings to acquire 'em.

Do you want to be healthy? Then what are you doing about it? Exercise and watch your diet.
Do you wanna be able to dance Wonder Girls' Nobody? What are you doing about it? Practice! (I know some who does.. haha)
Do you wish to learn new things? So what are you doing about it? Explore, Enroll, Study.
Are you expecting a miracle from God? (or you maybe waiting for God to answer even your simple request). What are you doing about it? Pray without ceasing.

I always get motivated when I ask myself this question. Yes, not all the time I get the result I'm expecting. But realising that I took the initial step somehow brings me joy and a sense of fulfillment. More so when guided by Him. It's always good to seek counsel from the Lord. Paul said, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." So we can simply ask Him this question instead, "Father, what should I do about it?" And He will surely grant you the wisdom you need to fulfill your dreams. As Paul concluded in the next verse following the text I quoted above, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." ;-)


"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you"

Have a good night and God bless!

c",)


While organizing my stuff, I found this note inside one of my books. So I blogged :)
This note was from the same friend I mentioned above =)