forwarded message from ate edna marcelo

an encouragement...

Hi Everyone,

As you study Jesus' method of communicating you will fine this
advice:

Make it clear.
Keep it simple.
Emphasize the essentials.
Forget about impressing.
Leave some things unsaid.

Simplicity....
The difference between something being elegant or elaborate.
The difference between class & common.
The difference between just enough and too much.
The difference between concentrated and diluted.
The difference between communication and confusion.

Simplicity...
is the economy of words mixed with quality of thought held together by
subtlety of expression.

-by: Rev. Charles Swindoll


God bless us all! :p

thoughts to ponder (email from ate Edz)

SCARS OF LIFE

Some years ago, on a hot summer day in South Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His father, working in the yard, saw the two as they got closer and closer together.

In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could. Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father. It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him.

>From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs... That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his father's fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, 'But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Dad wouldn't let go.'

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go.

In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you...The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins - and if you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He did not and will not ever let you go.

Please pass this on to those you love... God has blessed you, so that you can be a blessing to others. You just never know where a person is in his/her life and what they are going through. Never judge another person's scars, because you don't know how they got them... Also, it is so important that we are not selfish, to receive the blessings of these messages, without forwarding them to someone else. Right now, someone needs to know that God loves them, and you love them, too - enough to not let them go.

Always Tell Your Family And Friends How Much You Love Them!!!

from blogger

one day the villagers decided to pray for rain.
on the day of prayer, everyone gathered,
only one boy came with an umbrella
..............that's FAITH.

when you throw a one year old baby in the air,
he laughs because he knows you'll catch him
..............that's TRUST.

every night we go to bed,
we're not sure if we'll get up tomorrow,
but we still have many plans for the coming day
...............that's HOPE.

have FAITH,
trust in GOD,
and
never lose HOPE.

taft avenue

naglakadlakad ako kanina mula u.n taft hanggang pedro gil, nakakapagod pala(^.^)

nakakapagod di dahil malayo ang nilakad ko, malapit lang u.n. at pedro gil... nakakapagod tanawin ang napakalapit na distansya ng maunlad at mahirap na pamumuhay sa kahabaan ng taft... bakod lang ang pagitan mula sa tituladong mga lugar hanggang sa pwesto ng mga sidewalk vendors at mga pulubi (wala akong maisip na magandang termino), kaunting distansiya ang pagitan ng mga kumakain sa foodchains at restawran mula sa mga nagugutom... ang sakit sa mata. ang sakit sa paningin... wala akong magawa kundi makisimpatya sa mga kapos palad na tulad nila... wala akong kakayahang tulungan sila... ang tangi kong magagawa ay ipanalangin na kahabagan nawa sila ng Diyos... Sana nga...

ilang simbahan ang nadaanan ko kanina, sana umaabot sa mga taong ito ang biyaya ng salita ng Diyos na naririnig nila mula sa mga tagapagsalita. Sana nga...

God's 26 Guards (forwarded email)

Have you ever felt the urge to pray for someone and then just put it on
a list and said, 'I'll pray for them later'?
Or has anyone ever called you and said, 'I need you to pray for me, I
have this need?'

Read the following story that was sent to me and may it change the way
that you may think about prayer and also the way you pray. You will be
blessed by this.....

A missionary on furlough told this true story while visiting his home
church in Michigan .

'While serving at a small field hospital in Africa , every two weeks I
traveled by bicycle through the jungle to a nearby city for supplies.
This was a journey of two days and required camping overnight at the
halfway point.

On one of these journeys, I arrived in the city where I planned to
collect money from a bank, purchase medicine, and supplies, and then
begin
My two-day journey back to the field hospital.

Upon arrival in the city, I observed two men fighting, one of whom had
been seriously injured. I treated him for his injuries and at the same
time talked to him about the Lord.

I then traveled two days, camping overnight, and arrived home without
incident....

Two weeks later I repeated my journey. Upon arriving in the city, I
was approached by the young man I had treated. He told me that he had
known I carried Money and medicines.
He said, 'Some friends and I followed you in to the jungle, knowing you
would camp overnight. We planned to kill you and take your money and
drugs. But just as we were about to move into your camp, we saw that
you were surrounded by 26 armed guards.

At this, I laughed and said that I was
Certainly all alone in that jungle campsite.. The young man pressed the
point, however, and said, 'No, sir, I was not the only person to see the
guards, My friends also saw them, and we all counted them.
It was because of those guards that
We were afraid and left you alone.'

At this point in the sermon, One of the men in the congregation jumped
to his feet and interrupted the missionary and asked if he could tell
him the exact day this happened. The missionary
told the congregation the date. The man who interrupted told him this
story:

'On the night of your incident in Africa , It was morning here and I
was preparing to go play golf. I was about to putt when I felt the urge
to pray for you..
In fact, the urging of the Lord was so strong, I called men in this
church to meet with me here in the sanctuary to pray for you.

Would all of those men who met with me on that day stand up?'



The men who had met together to pray that day stood up.
The missionary wasn't concerned with whom they were, He was too busy
counting how many men he saw.

There were 26.

This story is an incredible example of how the Spirit of the Lord moves
in behalf of those who love Him.
If you ever feel such prodding to pray, go along with it, you don't
know what it can mean to that person..

Nothing is ever hurt by prayer except the gates of hell.
'With God all things are possible'.

More importantly, how God hears and
Answers the prayers of the faithful.

After you read this, please pass it on and Give God thanks for the
beautiful gift of your faith,
For the powerful gift of prayer, and for the many miracles

He works in your own daily life... And then pass it on.
Who says God does not move on the earth today?

I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for you today.
To guide you and protect you as you go along your way.
His love is always with you, His promises are true,

And when we give Him our cares you know
He will see us through.

So when the road you're traveling on seems difficult at best,
Just remember I'm here praying,
And God will do the rest.

forwarded email

Why We Shout When In Anger?

A Hindu saint who was visiting river Ganges to take bath found a group of family members on the banks, shouting in anger at each other. He turned to his disciples smiled and asked.

'Why do people shout in anger shout at each other?'

Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout.'

'But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner.' asked the saint

Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the other disciples.

Finally the saint explained, .

'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.

What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small..'

The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'

He looked at his disciples and said.

'So when you argue do not let your hearts get distant, Do not say words that distance each other more, Or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return. They may end up in divorce courts, for instance.'

special thanks

i would like to acknowledge an old friend of mine who had helped me create my own blog and customize it on how it looked today. She was really eager (to the point of being pushy, hehehe) that i should always update my blog.
Thanks to you, Kar(^.^)

provider

An hour ago i was in MOA with a guy friend (or that's what i just want him to be, simply a friend. I met him through my former classmate and also a friend of mine. That time i thought i am already decided to leave all the past behind. so i agreed with my friend that i should go out and meet someone else. So we've met. He was suppose to introduce me to someone else, but he told me later that he got interested to me.) who just arrrive from bicol to arrange another wedding transaction. He invited me out yesterday to meet him today. I said yes. We dine in a japanese restaurant (i mean he dined there, i dont feel like eating so i told him to order for himself, i just asked for an iced tea) and had a few chat about our lives. He told me again that he is interested to me and interested in marrying me. Then i was speechless (not because i was surprised but because i remembered a promise i've made to someone and a promise i've made with God). I look somewhere else and realized i dont want marriage or any of his offers. I made a promise to someone that he will be the last guy on earth that i will love and the only one who can touch me intimately with love and passion. I promised God that if ever i will be needing any help, i wont run to people without asking to Him first. All these years, God never left me unanswered. He always made things possible. Despite of my family's poor situation, all members is good and well. Though we are struggling to make both ends meet, we're still able to send to school two college students, and another highschool and elementary student. So i asked myself while staring to my good friend that time, "What else can i ask for?". Haven't God showed me what He can do and gave me more than enough of what i've prayed for ten years ago? Finally i was able to think what to say to my friend. I just simply told him i'm not yet ready to enter to a new relationship and i'll just help him find a wife. Funny, he just laughed. Then he asked me if we can go out again tomorrow. I declined the offer. He asked me to go to a cruise somewhere in May, i said i will think of it. He said he wants to buy me a gift, i said no. He wants to give me money to pay for my fare i told him i can pay.

While typing the letters here, i just realized, i'm not thrilled of new things anymore, i'm not thrilled of gifts. I wonder why. Lately, i have lots of realization about changes in my life. But one thing did not change, i still do appreciate good chat and new friends, but not an intimate relationship.

BAGUIO

This was my second time to visit baguio. I had fun. We (td staff) stayed at the sanctuary for three days and two nights for free... of course not absolutely free, PBS paid everything. All we had to do is eat, play, visit baguio sites and have fun!

sharing my thoughts

What is happening with me? The more I look for myself, the more blurred vision I get. Whenever I try to figure things out, the more confusion I get. The more I trt to have a grip of what I want to be, the more uncertainties I get. But then, after realizing these things, there's always one thing I would ask from you Lord. That You will be with me. That wahatever will happen in my life in this lifetime, You would always guide me and lead the way wherever life would take me. That's the only assurance I need. Just that Lord and I will be comforted. (01-19-2010) / 16:00

I was reminded this morning that we, Filipino Christians have so many brothers and sisters all over the world who have the same faith, who believes with the same God we believe in yet do not enjoy the same freedom as we do. How lucky are we to be in a community where we are free to utter every words of praise for our Lord God! I just realized, I was privileged with this kind of freedom and yet most of the time I ignore it. I've kept this freedom and kept the word of God in me. I can't even remember when was the last time I shared Jesus? Was it because I'm selfish? or I'm too numb to feel other people's longing for Jesus? Why am I like this? This is embarrassing! Lord forgive me for I have not been a good Christian.

...I should have stayed. Maybe we could have settled things. i should have calmed myself and cleared my mind before i talked to you. i should have thought of the consequence that giving you up means letting you drip out of my life. But then, if i did not do it, i wouldn't realize how important you are. i wouldn't understand that a relationship is not merely satisfying each other but more importantly sharing your life and yourself with each other. But I failed. I did not understand. I'm sorry. (01-20-2010)

Last night i dreamed of you. I mean i had a dream and you were there. At first we are not talking. But after a moment of silence we began kissing each other and we started asking "what happened?" We asked why our relationship ended that way. Then we began confessing, clearing things between us. Then i woke up.

Isn't it ironic? I dreamed of you on the 26th of this month. Our day. Does this mean something? It was also last night that i realized I could admire other guys but still at the end of the day I would still choose you. That despite of the attraction i have with other guys, it's still you whom i would want to kiss, to hold and to love all over again. Is this too much? Am i not facing the truth that we have separate ways already? Last night i really thought it was true. Your kiss, your voice, your touch, they all seemed real to me. i really thought you were with me. But sadly, it was just a dream. (01-27-2010) / 09:20

No matter how much we struggle in this life, God will give us peace deep in our hearts. Peace that will make us go on. Peace that will make us live life.

The caregroup chat that we had just this lunch gave me the assurance that God had given me peace. And I have that peace right now. That in the midst of my solidarity, God is with me. That I am not lacking of anything. And that God hears and listens to my prayers. And all these prayers will be answered in God's time. Timely and perfect. (01-28-2010) / 13:15

light-headed

Ten years ago i dreamed of finishing college and working. Ten years ago, I asked help from God. I asked Him to make me strong for my family. I asked Him to always lead my way. I asked Him comfort, because I was down then... Ten years later, I realized just now, that He listened to me. And not just that, He answered my prayers.

Despite of the doubts i have inside me, the Jesus I knew, never turned His back on me. I may have had sad experiences in life, i may have had pain, but then, Jesus was there comforting me every now and then. He was there teaching me, and was never tired of repeating lessons I hardly learned.

I may be sad and hurting but still, God is helping me to cope up.

I'm glad i have a faithful God.

I'm glad I have Jesus(^.^)

wedding bells

january 6, 2010

olazo-balor nuptial

it was really a nice day... seeing your friend walking down the aisle. it was my first day to actually witness a wedding of someone close to me... i've been a flower girl before but i couldn't remember the details... but haydee and eric's wedding was different. i was there, seeing them and hearing their vows of loyalty and faithful love. so touching and hopeful of their future together. i almost cried. though i am happy for them, i feel like crying. i was thinking then, after this what else would change?

its pretty ironic... when you're just looking back and evaluating things that happened around you, you'll just realize that life changes so fast, but then looks so slow when you want something to happen...

...someday it would be my turn to give my vow to the man i love or maybe that someday would never come. well' i can never tell. i'll just put my hopes to God. that He had made a wonderful love story for me. Well, i'm still hopeful though, but this time there are still lots of things to be settled. first things first. (^.^)

olazo-balor nuptial

january 6, 2010

it was really a nice day... seeing your friend walking down the aisle. it was my first day to actually witness a wedding of someone close to me... i've been a flower girl before but i couldn't remember the details... but haydee and eric's wedding was different. i was there, seeing them and hearing their vows of loyalty and faithful love. so touching and hopeful of their future together. i almost cried. though i am happy for them, i feel like crying. i was thinking then, after this what else would change?

its pretty ironic... when you're just looking back and evaluating things that happened around you, you'll just realize that life changes so fast, but then looks so slow when you want something to happen...

...someday it would be my turn to give my vow to the man i love or maybe that someday would never come. well' i can never tell. i'll just put my hopes to God. that He had made a wonderful love story for me. Well, i'm still hopeful though, but this time there are still lots of things to be settled. first things first. (^.^)

another day

another day... ordinary but different...
what can i say?
i just do exactly what i just did yesterday...
proofreading...
but this time with a twist...
answering phone calls while keeping my focus on what i am doing...
entertaining visitors and callers politely...
its hard, but fun...
and i always try to put love on it...
in everything i do...
and i feel fine...
just by thinking i did something right...
nightnight....(-.-)