CCF's msg: Practice True Freedom

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Here's the link of one of those striking messages I've ever heard this year by Ptr. Peter Tan-chi. :) He defined true freedom as not what you think you feel like doing. It's the ability to say "NO" to sin and "YES" to God. Thank God for I've realized that most of the times, I've fallen either on the sin of legalism or sin of licentiousness. A total eye-opener message and a change of heart afterwards. 

experiencing the heart of Jesus

Have you experienced being accused by a crime you didn’t commit? I just did but the most comforting fact on it was Jesus also did. He was condemned for a crime and yet He accepted it in order for us to reconcile with God. Recently, I was accused by my patient as a thief after changing her bed linen. Since there’s no one in her room and she’s inside the comfort room while I’m changing her bed linen, I have no one to defend my side. Only God knows. She claimed that she left her mobile phone at her bed before I changed it. She said that I’m the only person she knew would be liable for the loss. She threw harsh and hurting words to me and the worst, she asked my co-nurses to inspect my things. After a long search, my senior nurse found her phone at the side rails of her bed. After the incident, I didn’t hear any apologies from her and tears keep running in my eyes; not just because I was being mistreated but because I experienced the heart of Jesus. I was reminded of His love, grace and forgiveness. I was able to say, “Forgive her, Father, she doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.-2 Cor. 4:8-9

one sunday :)

Whew! Ngayon lang ulet ako nakapag-blog and I’m back! Haha :)

Last Sunday, I got a privilege to lead our dgroup (discipleship group). Dgroup are followers of Christ meeting regularly to have fellowship and accountability. I’m so blessed to have them as my sisters in Christ who constantly cared and prayed for me. When my discipler handed me the book “Woman of Faith” and asked me to lead, I really felt nervous besides that it was my first time to lead, I thought that I can’t impart anything to them. But God reminded me that it is His works not mine. I prayerfully chose Mary of Bethany to discuss and one of my sisters-in-Christ shared a pointer to me that every time I need guidance, I make an arrow prayer like this, “Your wisdom Lord please”. What I shared to my dgroup, please allow me to share it here too. I chose Mary of Bethany to discuss. So who’s Mary of Bethany? Actually, I really don’t mind her at the bible before but when I thoroughly study her account and character. I really appreciated her. She is totally devoted to Jesus and unafraid to express her love to Jesus. She remarkably anoints the body of Jesus with oil. Her accounts can be seen at Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, Luke 10:38-42 and John 11:1-12:11. First, I asked my dgroup if they have any comfort foods? Personally, I considered ice cream and siomai from siomai house as my comfort foods. And then we discussed why Mary of Bethany is crying, how God reacted to her grief, how Jesus turned her grief into joy and if there’s any circumstances in our lives where we are also deeply troubled that turned into joy or a blessing in disguise. Her extravagant gesture to Jesus seems so controversial. She went at the feet of Jesus, listened to Him and anoints His body with oil and wipe it with her hair instead of doing household chores like her sister Martha. In their culture, it was expected to women to do household chores and also, they are not allowed to show their hair in public. Judas and the others were really shocked in what she did but God defended her because she knew the heart of Mary and the depth of her love. He said, “She has done a beautiful thing for me.” He told them that the fragrance of this perfume would linger on His body while He hung on the cross and when He was buried in the tomb. We ended our discussion with the following realizations on Jesus:

♥ He is the source of our comfort. He was moved by Mary's grief and shared it.

♥ He can be pleased.

♥ He is not distant. We can build an intimate relationship with Him.

♥ He defended Mary's devotion when others rebuked her.

How about with Mary of Bethany? Why we should follow her?

♥ She loved Jesus with all of her heart.

♥ She is willing to give everything she has for Jesus.

♥ She is unafraid to express her love and devotion to Jesus.

Life’s application: [may ganun…haha.. oo!may ganung factor! :)))) ]

♥ If we are hurting from trials and problems of life, we need to worship at the feet of Jesus. Surrender everything to Him. Instead of trying different alternatives in solving it, go to God! :)

♥ Worship extravagantly and worship Him with all of our best. (With all of our heart, mind, soul and spirit) I told them to prayerfully ask God their purpose and their ministry. Who knows? Just because out of love and obedience, they might fulfilling a prophesy like Mary of Bethany.

-TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!-

21@21 :)

Think On these Things:


Rise Above Unexpected Challenges
By: Whitney Hopler

Life rarely turns out the way you’ve planned. An unexpected diagnosis, a sudden layoff, a surprise relationship breakup, an accident-all kinds of challenges can come into your life at any time and blow your best plans. When that happens, you have a choice. You can allow your circumstances to bring you down and try to survive in a miserable state. Or, you can decide to rise above your challenges so you can thrive despite them.

Here’s how you can rise above unexpected challenges:

See the potential that exists. Whenever your old dreams die, there is the potential for new dreams to be born. If you entrust your situation to God, He will bring something good out even the worst circumstance. Every disappointment can be turned into appointment to trust God’s plan. God is a redeeming God who is weaving greater, more eternal picture than you can see right now. Place your hope in Him.

Realize that you’re not alone. Every woman experiences disappointments in life, to some degree. Common types of disappointments women experience include disappointments with marriage, kids, self, others, circumstances, religion and God. If you’re disappointed you’re in good company with many others in our fallen world. So don’t isolate yourself. Find some other women to talk with, and support and encourage each other as you deal with your disappointments.

Cast your cares on God. God has promised to always be with you and act in love toward you. Even when you can’t sense God’s presence with you, believe His promise. He knows what you’re going through, and He cares, While you may not understand why God has allowed certain challenges to come into your life, you can rest assured that His loving comfort and help is available to you at all times. Pray honestly about your thoughts and feelings related to your challenges. Don’t hesitate to express anything to God; He already knows anyway, and He wants you to draw closer to Him when you’re struggling.

Grieve your losses. Face the fact that you’ve lost something valuable to you, rather than trying to ignore the hard reality or sugarcoat in some way. Cry if you need to cry, journal about your loss is that helps, talk with a counselor or trusted friends, find solace in God’s word, and do whatever else helps you grieve your losses. Accept your situation, and begin to work through it honestly. But don’t get stuck in a rut; once you’ve expressed your grief, start to move on. Steer clear of winning, complaining and self-pity. Allow your grief to take its course. Then let go of your old dream and look forward to what God has in store for you in the future. Stop reviewing your mistakes; give up regrets and ask God to show you what He wants you to learn from your mistakes so you can grow beyond them. Take your eyes off the past and turn them toward what God is planning for the rest of your life. Pray for guidance, and step out to follow Him wherever He leads you.

Give thanks. Although this may be the last thing you feel like doing right now, it’s vital to give thanks to God in all circumstances (not for all circumstances, but in the midst of them) because doing so makes you notice what God is doing in your life and strengthens your assurance that He does care for you. Make giving thanks a daily practice. Pay attention to even the little ways that God provides for you each day-from a good meal, to a caring friend who takes the time to call and ask how you’re doing.

♥♥♥ I’ve found this old note from my stuffs and I was encouraged after reading this one. I turned 21 today. Yikes! I thought that this is the saddest birthday I’ve ever had. I felt that I have no reason to celebrate. But God reminded me of His faithfulness and love for me throughout my 21 years of existence. There are things that are happening in my life right now that I can’t explain. But I know in God’s time, He’ll reveal to me all His reasons behind it. I trust Him that in this journey, He’ll sustain me. I’m rest assured that even though I don’t know what the future holds for me, I know WHO holds my future. I always think of what author Bright said: “Knowing that heaven is our real home makes it easier to pass through the tough times here on earth. I have taken comfort often in the knowledge that the perils of a journey on earth will be nothing compared to the glories of heaven.”

YEY!!!! I'm already 21!!! Thank God!!! :)

election 2010

“Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.”
-Exodus 18:21

Today is a crucial day for the Filipino people. And I made sure that I will be a part of this Philippine History. My vote has been counted! :) I’m really excited to vote besides that I’m a first-timer voter; it is also an automated election. I’m slightly disappointed with the system of the election because I waited for two hours for my turn to vote under the summer heat of May but 2 hours waiting in line is nothing compared to 6 years of positive change. Here’s my picture as a proud registered voter with an indelible ink:

By the way, I chose a leader whom I think had the best potential to lead the country and a man of integrity. I supported yellow and blue tandem! I chose them not because of popularity and the likes but because I saw their selfless love towards the country. They responded to the call of the people for real transformation. And their tandem was shown in one of my dreams. (literally speaking!) The tandem is very young, aggressive and reformist. They are political royalty. I believe that Mr. Aquino will keep the heroism of his parents alive in this country-Love of God, country and people.

“There is no greater nation than our Motherland. No greater people than our own. Serve them with all your heart, with all your might and with all your strength.” – Ninoy Aquino in a letter to his only son Noynoy

But most importantly, let justice and truth prevails.
God bless our country.
Let His will be done! :)

Love Letter from God ♥♥♥

This is absolutely amazing! :) The greatest love letter ever told. Thank God! What a joy and peace You brought in my heart after reflecting on your words. Iam Yours God! Love you sOoooo much! ♥

the termination experience

Unexpected.Unnotified.Unexplainable.

Grabeeee… kakaiba talaga pinagdaanan ko last week. I’ll give you a brief flashback. Here it goes:

I didn’t expect that March 31, 2010 will be my last day of duty at AGH. It was really a mind-boggling experience for me. I still have a schedule for the month of April last March 29, 2010. Then I don’t know why on the next day I can’t find my name on the schedule. It was changed.
I was terminated.

In tagalong-natanggal,dinispatya,pinatalsik.. And what made my heart sank was the fact that I’m not aware what was my mistake. I went home with a heavy heart but God impressed me with three verses on my devotion and it was very timely.

“The person who loves God is the one God knows and cares for."

-1 Corinthians 8:3

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

-1 Peter 5:7

"You need to remain calm; the Lord will fight for you."

-Ex. 14:14

Then I wrote my resignation letter, I cried. Before the ink can reach the white paper, tears keep falling from my eyes.

Even if you've fallen, even if you've failed, even if everyone else has rejected you, Christ will not turn away from you. :)

Then I headed for my last duty. I received words of encouragement and support from my colleagues. We reminisced the good old duty days and what they heard why all of a sudden I’m out of the list. My colleagues have no complaints against me and that’s why I really can’t understand why all of a sudden I was removed. “They owe you an explanation!!!” as one resident doctor said. He adds, “kaya nga ako tumagal dito kasi sa samahan..” Exactly! That was also my reason why I stayed. I will always treasure the memories and the friendship I have found.

I thanked God for this heart-warming message from my sister:

sissy..take heart..baka your getting comfortable na sa kasi sa AGH..eh iba n plans sa iyo ng Lord..di ba we are praying for better opportunity for you...I'm thinking baka possible yan na ang answer ng Lord...pra mas magsipag ka na to look for a new job..Ung mga friends mo naman will still be there for u kahit ala ka na sa AGH..diba friends for keeps sila..diba sabi...all things work for the best for those who love Christ ;)

I got a phone call from my head nurse. I asked for the primary reason then she answered “hindi ka kasi feel ni ****!” Ang babaw ng reason, right? My head nurse can’t do anything because it’s the management’s decision. But it’s not important to me anymore for God allowed this to happen because He has a purpose. I think it’s better left unsaid. I was also reminded by the bible character named Joseph the dreamer.
He experienced persecutions from his own brothers but he ended up victorious. For the complete story, read Genesis Chapter 37 onwards. His story was very inspiring that we must cling to our faith in all circumstances of our life. Like Joseph, we can also dream great dreams and live up to our fullest potential. The whole termination experience showed me how faithful God is. I thank God for His word
 and He also used people to encourage me. :)

I cried. I prayed. I forgave.

Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse.

-Romans 12:14

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

-Romans 12:19

I’m sOooooo excited to the next mission field that God will assign for me. Praise God! :)

my little friend :D

Meet my little friend-Sheayen. We called her ayen. She and her family lives besides our house and our house is like her extended home. She is like my own little sister and my parents treated her like their own grandchild. How time really flies! I can’t believe that she just turned four this year. We saw her growing up and she amazes us today the way she thinks and reasons. Just like other bibo kids, she always showcases her talents to our family. Besides of singing and dancing, she looooooves to eat! She is part of the samahang bata-na-napagiwanan-sa-kusina. hahahah. This kid really brings joy and laughter to our house.

And this is what we do when boredom strikes…

I do love kids. And no doubt that my future ministry will involve kids! :)

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."-Matthew 19:14

"I am a Christian"

When I say I am a Christian — by Maya Angelou

When I say ... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say ... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say ... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say ... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say ... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say ... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say ... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow

woman's stuff O_o

I received this forwarded email from a sister-in-Christ. :)
Thanks cess for sharing this one!

What makes me weak? My fears.....

What makes me whole? My God.

What keeps me standing? My faith.

What makes me compassionate? My selflessness.

What makes me honest? My integrity.

What sustains my mind? My quest for knowledge.

What teaches me all lessons? My mistakes.

What lift's my head high? My pride, not arrogance.

What if I can't go on? Not an option.

What makes me victorious? My courage to climb.

What makes me competent? My confidence .

What makes me sensual? My insatiable essence.

What makes me beautiful? My everything.

What makes me a woman? My heart .

Who says I need love? I do.

What empowers me? My God & Me.

Who am I? I AM A PROUD WOMAN!

For all the ladies out there, STAY BEAUTIFUL inside and out! :)

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

for God's glory!

Whew! It’s been almost 4 months since I worked as a volunteer nurse at a 35-bed capacity hospital near our village. I still vividly remember that one year ago I’ve been busy preparing for my board exam. I really missed those days where life was not as complicated compare today. There were a lot of people who asked me why I took up Nursing. They asked this question a hundred times since this course is really popular. To be honest, I really don’t know. Today, it is still in demand but not on my own country. If you will answer to the question why you took up nursing because of humanitarian purposes, people would not believe in you. Oh well, I can’t blame them if they perceive nurses as servants after money.

Hospitals today required us to be trained as a volunteer nurse before you can become a staff nurse and some of them have training fees. Because of the “backer” system here in the Philippines and the tremendous supply of nurses, it’s really tough to get a job at the hospitals even volunteer jobs. That’s the reason why many of them pursue jobs at the call center industry. It’s frustrating, right? *sigh*

I thought that after receiving my college diploma and get my license, everything will turn out good. But there is really no easy way in climbing the peak of the mountain. There are a lot of rocky roads that registered nurses have to face including me! Here are some: No income as a volunteer nurse (free meal only or none at all for some hospitals), there are a lot of seminars and training required for us to attend before applying in a hospital (so what for is our 4-yrs stay in college?..hmp!), no assurance to be hired as a staff nurse (not until someone will resign or you have a backer) and so on and so forth. But God comforted me with His words found at Psalm 46:10—Be still, and know that I am God.

In the middle of trials, I have two options as what my senior pastor used to say. It’s either to be bitter or better. So I chose to be BETTER. My experiences today in the hospital is still a blessing indeed. I just want to enjoy every moment as a nurse and be the nurse that God wants me to be. :)

I summed up the things I gained…


*experiences
-first time to have a graveyard duty (11pm to 7am)
-straight duty (graveyard till the morning shift)
-cute little angels at the ward (pedia patients.. some were uber duper naughty and I remember that one boy used to call me “monkey girl!”.. err :l toxic ang swero nila kasi galaw sila ng galaw but still they are precious kids)
-PGH patients (please go home patients :)) bantay sarado baka makatakas, d pa bayad..haha)
-dead-on-arrival cases (DOA) at the ER (it helps me to appreciate my life more and other lives as well. And it’s a constant reminder from God that I need to share His love and grace to others before its too late)
-emergency and a not-so emergency cases (nerve-wracking..hahah!)
-a sincere smile and simple “thank you” from my patients and their relatives (it really makes my duty worth it)
-demanding patients or their companions (yay! it helps me to become more patient..hehe)


*skills (somehow)
-prioritization
-hmm.. i don’t want to include medical terms here but I’m pretty sure that I’m more confident now in dealing with my patients compare when I was a student nurse.


*FRIENDS
-IRclub
-bonding moments
-laugh/food trips
-pictorial sessions




My realizations these days:
**God is my backer . I know that in His time, I’ll be able to work in another hospital that will provide me an opportunity to grow in my field and will offer a good compensation.
**God is my boss. BAWAL TAMAD! Haha :)

So whatever is happening in my career, I want to use it FOR GOD’S GLORY!

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
-Psalm 37:4
"My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord.'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways,And My thoughts than your thoughts."
-Isaiah 55:8-9

i'm God's princess :)

"Do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases."
-Song of Songs 8:4

hmm.. I can't sleep. Dunno why.. it is because of the incident happened at the church or the story told by my friend?

I keep reminding myself nowadays that if it is God's will, it will happen! :)
My heart's prayer is that God will give me the patience to wait for my God's best and He will give me wisdom to counsel my friend/s regarding heart issues. By His Spirit, I will know what to say and what not to say.

I'm currently reading "What to do until love finds you". I'll promise that I will share the highlights of this book at my blogs. It will be coming soon.. hehe. Allow me to finish it before the month ends. ukie?!:)

I'm God's PRINCESS.
I'm His child.
I'll keep trusting Him for my PRINCE. :)

Love God, Love People

It hurts.. I don't know why there are some people as if they existed just to pull you down, down and down.. and they'll never stop hurting you. But you know what hurts more? If those people are the people you're really close with.

People will hurt, annoy and disappoint you in some point of our lives. But whenever I think of God's grace, I realized that these people needs grace too. Grace is God showing His love to you even though you don't deserve it.

Aside from the physical wounds, God can heal heartaches.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
—Psalm 147:3

I can't change them but God can. What I can do is to show them the love and grace that I have received from Him.

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:27-28).

What if you're enemies didn't apologize?

Let us follow Jesus' example: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34).

And let us not be carried away by our emotions easily because maybe we just misinterpret that person too. That person might be on a personal crisis, exhausted, busy and distracted. These past few days, I can say that I'm getting 'manhid' na because what my friend finds offending from someone else's words that was being thrown to me.. deadma lang sa akin..d ko na kasi pansin e..hehe.. :D

The reason behind it...
Love God, Love People.
It's love month anyway. :)
But even if its not the season of hearts,lets love in every season. ("v")

white flag

Thursday is my 2nd favorite day of the week. (next to sunday) :)

I'm off to duty every thursday and my typical thursday is rest, rest and rest. I don't know for today why all of a sudden I want to start making blogs. Maybe because I've read a lot of blogs and was inspired to have my own or maybe I was a frustrated writer before. I remembered that I want to be a writer in my school's newspaper when I was in highschool. Guess what happened? I failed. My teacher disapproved the articles I submitted. Since then, I realized that writing is not for me. Oopps... my first entry should not be about frustrations..haha but rather surrendering. It seems that both were negative. But what I meant here is surrendering to God. To His CALL. To His PLAN. To His WILL. It's like raising the white flag in a battle. So because its the first month of the year, my first step is to raise my white flag to God. My white flag represents my plans in life and my future. I don't know what might happen to me on the future but one thing is for sure.. I have a God that is faithful and all-knowing. Raising white flag doesn't mean your weak or your resigning but instead you have a willingness to accept what God sends with open hands. And you keep on trusting Him to drive the wheels of your life.

Here's the lyrics of the song "Trust His Heart" and may we always be reminded to trust His heart.

All things work for the good

Though sometimes we can't

See how they could

Struggles that break our hearts in two

Sometimes blind us to the truth

Our Father knows what's best for us

His ways are not our own

So when your pathway grows dim

And you just can't see him,

Remember He's still on the throne

God is too wise to be mistaken

God is too good to be unkind

So when you don't understands and

When you don't see his plan

When you can't trace his hand

Trust His Heart

He sees the master plan

He holds the future in his hand,

Don't live as those who have no hope,

While our hope is found in him.

We see the present clearly

But he sees the first and last

And like a tapestry He's weaving you and me,

To someday be just like him

He alone is faithful and true

He alone knows what is best for you.

And here's a verse to remember:

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

-Jeremiah 29:11

Some people said that writing is a form of schizophrenia.(schizophrenia is a mental disorder)

But let me assure you that I'm not schizophrenic but a believer in Christ and still under God's construction.



How about you? Is there's any white flag in your life?

Pause.Think.
Pray about it.
Trust His heart.