“Mom, remember do not be afraid!”

Kristo loves books so I took him to the Manila International Book Fair last month and the moment we got there, he was THRILLED. I wish you could have all see the look on his face when he saw just soooooo many books. We spent most of our time at the OMF Literature Booth to visit friends and `coz I know they’ve got an awesome selection of books. I had Kristo look through all the kiddie books and asked him to choose the book he liked most.

choosing a book

Kristo chose “Lost in Space”, a Veggie Tales book. Being the boy that he is, seeing pictures of a spaceship made deciding so easy. Plus, Kristo’s been really into Veggie Tales lately which I really like `coz it introduces Christian values and Bible verses in a fun way.

We’ve been reading the book almost every night before we go to bed and WE love it! Lost in Space mentions Isiah 41:10 about 3 times thruout the book, twice by the robot in the story, so when I read it to him, I try my best to sound like a robot!! So before we got to bed as I read the book, you’ll hear me go: “So-do-not-be-afraid-I-am-with you-Do-not-be-terrified-I-am-your-God-I-will-make-you-strong-and-help-you”

Last night I tried asking him to fill in the missing words from this verse, to my surprise, he recited the WHOLE verse!!!
I asked him to do it again so I could share it with you all!

It’s one thing to be able to memorize and recite a verse, it’s a totally different story to be able to know when and how to apply it…and yes, I’ve got a story about that too!

A couple of weeks ago, as Kristo and I were walking thru a semi-lit alley right outside Megamall to get to where we parked, I was praying. Kristo asked me why I was praying. I told him that I was asking God to protect us and to keep us safe. Kristo’s response was: “Mom, remember, do not be afraid, God is with us! He is with us wherever we go, right? That’s what they said in the Veggie Tales book!” After that, walking thru the rest of the alley was like a walk in the park! My son knew his Bible verse well — and he knew when to apply it and he TOTALLY believes it! Ain’t that awesome?

So guys, no matter what you’re going thru now remember, do not be afraid, God is with us, Do not be terrified, He is our God, He will make us strong and help us (and like Kristo adds to the verse) — this applies WHEREVER we go

On being stuck…and impossibilities.

No new blogs for 3 or 4 weeks! Clearly, I was stuck! You see, I decided on a topic. I was determined to write about that. Only that. I tried writing the ‘perfect’ blog about _______ for weeks…but I never really got there. (It’s still in my drafts folder, and I still refuse to publish it!) I was too focused on that one thing that I so wanted to talk about, I totally missed the part where I could write about other things first, while I worked on my masterpiece. Made me think, we’re like that a lot of times, right? Just too focused on that one person or thing that we tend to neglect the other people/things around us. A lot of times, we allow ourselves to stay stuck in that one place, when we can actually make a choice to stand up, take a few steps back to zoom out and see the bigger picture. I think that’s the key, to remember that we have a choice, to stay where we are or to do something about it. I dunno, just a thought.

**

This morning I was reading about the birth of Jesus in Matthew. We all know the story, right? So I wanted to see a different angle to the story. I wanted to discover something new…and I did, and was blown away! I was led to look at everything from Joseph’s perspective.

As the story goes, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came together, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph was a righteous man so he was determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced. While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream. The angel told him about Mary’s pregnancy, that he shouldn’t hesitate to get married and to name their son, Jesus.

photo from allposters.com

Here’s what a  devotional that talks about that story  says, “Joseph was faced with something that seemed so impossible. He must have wrestled with all that this news implied. For the rest of his life he might live with whispers that he hadn’t been able to wait until they got married, or worse, that he was raising another man’s child. The prospect of living with this shame might have been just as impossible to understand as a pregnant virgin….BUT Joseph put his doubts and questions aside and decided to accept the charge God had given him.”

I’m gonna say this again, Joseph was faced with something that seemed so impossible. What did he do? He accepted Jesus into his life…that’s what he chose to focus on.

Many times, when we believe that the situation we’re in seems to be impossible to get out of – alive, it’s probably a case of forgetting that we’ve got a Father that does not know the word “impossible” — because with Him, all things are possible. (we humans are forgetful!)

And to prove that point, here’s something that “seemed so impossible” — and it was made possible — the moment we focused on Jesus.

Before

The guy you see in the photo is Tuphe, paralized, waist down, for six years because of a gun shot in his spinal cord. We brought him to church one Sunday and our whole group prayed and believed God for his healing. That same Sunday…

After

…He was able to get up and walk! It was awesome! After Church, he no longer needed his crutches and wheel chair. A week later, he was able to walk way better and was able to raise his left leg higher – which used to be “impossible” and he could finally feel pain on his left leg!! Yipy for pain in this case, coz obviously, his nerves are now far better than what it was!!!

Before we all prayed for healing, the first thing Tuphe was told was Jesus loves him, and that Jesus wants him healed. Tuphe had his eyes on Jesus — and not on his leg!

On stories ending, love, friends and a joke :)

Missed a lot of blogging days this week…so let me try to make up by giving you a rundown of 10 of my random thoughts for the week…

1. I love how God is in control of EVERYTHING. Knowing and believing that — makes you enjoy life so much more, no matter what!

2. When a story ends in a way you least expect it to, knowing that God is in control makes you say… ‘oh wow…oh well, God’s got a way BETTER plan then….and I’m excited for what it is!

3. It never ceases to amaze me how His love is extravagant….and overflowing! *Kilig*

4. Been spending my mornings differently this week…and since the change – the rest of the day has always been awesome. First things first..time alone with God…Then, slowly wake up Kristo, my son, with hugs and kisses. NOTHING beats his arms around me in the morning. Then we do go thru his Super Devo (kiddie devotional) before he even gets out of bed — or sometimes we’d talk about it during breakfast. Then shower and dress up for Kristo’s fun learning corner (a.k.a. homeschool). We spend an hour each day putting together puzzles, reading thru his favorite books and just really talking about what’s on his mind and answering all the questions he’s got for that hour — and…it has been ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!

Photo by: Ree Soria

5. I’ll  go into the details of what we’ve been doing for home school in another blog.

6. There’s a God shaped hole in all of us…and ONLY God can fill it and He’s the only one who can satisy our souls..and when you LET HIM…sarap!

7. I look at my life and say…”hanep” what God has done..and what He can do. A year and 10 months ago, I would never have guessed I’d be going to church and reading my Bible.. If I didn’t give my life to Him August 2007…wow..I don’t even wanna guess where I’d be.  I’d probably be ‘somewhere’ – but for sure, I’d still be EMPTY. I’d rather spend all my strength thanking Him..coz contrary to popular belief that when you become a Christian, you become boring and KJ — my golly! That’s one big fat LIE! Since I gave my life to Him…it’s been such A RIDE! Don’t get me wrong, life ain’t perfect, nor is it storm free..but it’s definitely been storm proof Oh..and no, you don’t become this perfect being – but you’re a work-in-progess for sure

8. I love my mom. She’s got such a big heart. You know when someone’s got a big heart when even if she doesn’t have much – she’ll still give whatever she’s got. I thank God for such a model of great character.

9. My friends…my spiritual family. They’re the real deal. They’ll tell you what you need to hear, and not just what you want to hear. They know when to speak up and when to let God do all the talking. Rebuke is based on God’s word….and is done out of love. I love how they’ve brought out a totally different side of me! Now, I can laugh like crazy and sing my heart out too! We can talk about ANYTHING — girly stuff. apologetics. trivia (usually I contribute useless trivia). Jesus. national issues. the bible. motherhood. love. and lots and lots of old tunes and jokes.

10. Tanong: Anong hipon ang madalas maaksidente?
Sagot: Eh di, Accident Prawn! — joke  c/o Aia…posted without her permission…well, until she sees this! hehehe!

Photo from unitee.com

Told you this blog is just super random Hope you guys have an awesome weekend!!! God bless you!!

Oh, and please remember…

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8