Thankful Thursday

I thank God for:

• Everyone who prayed and still prays for my husband.
• His healing. The rashes on my legs and arms are now healed!
• My parents who still send me food once in a while. I know that sounds kinda weird, funny maybe, but I thank God for my parents.
• The good night sleep I have every night.
• For keeping me safe everyday.

Happy Birthday, Babe!

It's my hubby's birthday today.

May I request you to say a little prayer for him... that he turn his face towards our Heavenly Father again and back home.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABE!

"And that Jeric will come to his senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken him captive to do his will." 2 Timothy 2:26

Your Will Be Done

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without
money and without cost." Isaiah 55:1

For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say." Luke 12:12

Two verses God gave me last Thursday during my one day fast. I was asking God for three things. He answered two. The other one I'm putting on hold until God speaks to me about it. Aside from the three things I was asking God for, God impressed in my heart about something else. I'm not quite sure how to do this yet. It's about helping young couples whose marriage are hurting. I said, "God, how am I gonna do this? I'm having problems with my own marriage." I told my small group leader about it and she got so excited. She said, "Yes! It shall come to pass!"

God said that His words will not go back to Him empty but will accomplish the purpose for which they were sent. Somehow, at the back of my mind, I'm thinking that maybe He's letting me and my husband go through this rough road so we will be able to say that yes, we know how it feels because we've been on that same road. Well, I know that God has great plans for us.

Lord, I pray that Jesus will be glorified in my life, in my husband's life and in our marriage. Lord, not my will but your will be done.

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Toni. First meme for the year 2008.

1. What is your occupation?
It's a new company so I do sales and marketing; customer service and a few others when needed.

1a. Do you enjoy it?
Yes

1b. Preferred job?
I honestly prefer to run our own business.

2. What color are your socks right now?
I'm not wearing socks now.

3. What are you listening to right now?
Gun shot sounds from the other computer. Haha!

4. What was the last thing that you ate?
Mee sua (Chinese noodles)

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
Yes

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Blue

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
Jamir, my officemate.

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Oh, yes! We haven't met in person but Toni is such a sweet, godly young lady.

9. How old are you today?
34

10. Favorite drink(s)?
I'm such a plain jane. Water!

11. What is your favorite sport to watch?
None. But when our boxing champ has a match, I watch it on TV. Go Pacman! Haha!

12. Have you ever dyed your hair?
Yes

13. Pets?
None. Used to have cats at home. My dad loves cats. It saved his life when he was a little boy.

14. Favorite food?
Bitter Gourd.

15. What was the last movie you watched?
Hmm... I can't remember. I haven't watch a movie in a long time.

16. Favorite day of the year?
I have two - our anniversary and Christmas day.

17. What do you do to vent anger?
Slam doors... No, just kidding. Talk to God and I cry sometimes.

18. Favorite toy as an adult?
None. But I love coloring books, are those considered toys?

19. What is your favorite: fall or spring?
Uh, I wouldn't know because we only have rainy season and summer in Manila.

20. Hugs or kisses
Both!

21. Cherries or blueberries?
Blueberries

22. Living arrangements?
Renting a condo unit

23. When was the last time you cried?
Last week

24. What is on your closet floor?
Nothing.

25. What did you do last night?
Talked with my friend Mags from church the whole night.

26. Favorite smell?
Citrus Basil cologne from Bath and Body Works

27. What inspires you?
Great testimonies from men and women of God. Just shows how faithful and mighty the God I serve.

28. What are you afraid of?
Roaches!

29. Number of keys on your key ring?
Two

30. Favorite holiday drink
Hot chocolate on Christmas Eve

31. Favorite holiday?
Christmas!

Anyone is welcome to do this meme. Would love to hear from you. Please leave a note if you participated. Have fun!

Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer Contest

A Cowboy’s Wife is having a contest on her food blog! You can win a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer and she’ll ship anywhere so everyone is eligible!

Thankful Thursday

I thank God for:

• The trip I had in Baguio. Although it was just a short one, it sure was a breather.
• The grace He provided me during my fasting.
• My dad who went and got my package from the post office for me.
• The lovely package I got from Barb.
• What I'm going through in life now because I know this is just temporary. My beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will my future be. (Job 8:7)

Day 7 - Breakthrough Fasting

Yesterday was our last day of fasting. We went to church to worship the Lord and prayed for our heart's desires. It felt good that we all made it! Singing worship songs was so heartfelt, it almost felt like I was singing in front of the gate of heaven. I was extremely moved during our breakthrough prayer. I guess everyone in the room were. It was so powerful.

During my fast I was lead to so many promises of God, but I'll share two verses which I hope will encourage you too as much as it did me.

Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men." Joshua 6:2

...For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land." Joshua 8:1

God has said to Joshua the words "I have delivered." Past tense. Done. Even before the actual handing over of Jericho and Ai happened. When Joshua obeyed, he received what the Lord had promised him.

We have to obey what the Lord's telling us to do.

And the God we serve is faithful to fulfill everything that He had promised.

To God be the glory!

My Packaged Has Arrived!

I finally got the package!!! Barb, thank you. I love what you sent me. Never mind if I got the package a bit late for Christmas 2007. I'll just keep them neatly inside the Willow Tree Angel box and have them ready in time for Christmas 2008.

Look at those Santa Stars and the Nativity Ornaments. I think they're really pretty! Barb made them. Isn't she amazing? And the Willow Tree Angel, it's simple yet gorgeous! I love 'em!

I loved the way Barb packed them so neatly too.

Barb, thank you so much for these. (((HUGS)))

Day 2

I got all sorts of mocking from the pit of hell. Rude comments were thrown at me.

"Are you crazy? Why do you have to fast?"

"What have you done that you have to fast?"

"Is that a religion thing? Crazy! I'll never join your religion if that's the case"

"Is that about religion? Forget it! Grab a plate and eat!"

"LET'S GO EAT!!!" (All eyes were on me while they chant those words)

I just smiled at them and didn't say a word. I figured that it's useless to argue with these people anyway. My heart was breaking. I just said, "Lord, help me. I don't like to take offense. They don't know what they're doing."

I knew something like this was going to happen. But God kept me strong.

We're back in Manila. I survived Day 2... only because of God's grace.

Day 1

We're on our way to meet up a client in Baguio so we're going out of town in a few hours. It's Day 1 of our fasting and I'm pretty much aware how the enemy tries to ruin things for me since last night. Anyway, we still have an hour or so before we leave and I want to spend it with the Lord. I guess it's bye-bye for today. God bless!

Prayer & Fasting

I finished the book This Present Darkness by Peretti last night. Hit the sack at around 4 a.m. I know this sounds crazy but I just couldn't stop reading until I finished the remaining pages. Anyway, I enjoyed the book a lot.

Tomorrow is the start of our annual seven-day prayer and fasting. This is my first time to participate in this annual event in our church. I'm excited to what God is going to reveal to me. I'm also believing God for my breakthroughs. So last night, my friend and I made a list of our faith goals for 2008. Then we put it in a small box and tied it with a green ribbon. We prayed over it then I put it on top of my cabinet. It'll be opened on January 7, 2009 to see how many of our faith goals God answered. Sort of like a time capsule.

As a spiritual family, we begin each new year with seven days of prayer and fasting. It is our way of humbling ourselves before God and consecrating to Him the upcoming year. It is also the time when we corporately come into agreement and believe together for breakthroughs in our personal lives, families, finances and churches.

I'll be writing down what I have learned, what God has revealed to me and my breakthroughs in the coming days.

Lifting up year 2008 to God almighty!

Random Thoughts

Happy New Year!!!

I read my email real fast last December 31 just before midnight. I saw a message from Nise' and it says I won a book by Sharon Dunn, Death of a Garage Sale Newbie on her book giveaway. Yey!!! Thank you, Nise'. I'm really excited to read this next.

I'm currently reading This Present Darkness by Frank E. Peritti. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the unseen world of spiritual warfare and the power of prayer.

Yeah, I'm into books again.

Anyway, I want to share with you a story I heard shared by Joyce Meyer that tells about what most Christians go through in life. It was like this story was written for me. I'm sure you can also relate. Very inspiring. Here goes:

The Tea Cup

There was a couple who took a trip to England to shop in a beautiful antique store to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.

They both liked antiques and pottery, and especially teacups. Spotting an exceptional cup, they asked “May we see that? We’ve never seen a cup quite so beautiful.” As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke, “You don’t understand. I have not always been a teacup. There was a time when I was just a lump of red clay. My master took me and rolled me pounded and patted me over and over and I yelled out, “Don’t do that.” “I don’t like it!” “Let me alone,” but he only smiled, and gently said; “Not yet!”

Then. WHAM! I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. Stop it! I’m getting so dizzy!

“I’m going to be sick” I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, quietly; ‘Not yet.’

He spun me and poked and prodded and bent me out of shape to suit himself and then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked and pounded at the door. “Help! Get me out of here!”

I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head from side to side, ‘Not yet’.

When I thought I couldn’t bear it another minute, the door opened. He carefully took me out and put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. Oh, that felt so good! “Ah, this is much better,” I thought. But, after I cooled he picked me up and he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. ‘Oh, please, Stop it, Stop, I cried.

He only shook his head and said. ‘Not yet!’.

Then suddenly he put me back in to the oven. Only it was not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I just knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. I was convinced I would never make it. I was ready to give up. Just then the door opened and he took me out and again placed me on the shelf, where I cooled and waited and waited, wondering “What’s he going to do to me next?”

An hour later he handed me a mirror and said ‘Look at yourself.’ And I did. I said, “That’s not me; that couldn’t be me. It’s beautiful. I’m beautiful!”

Quietly he spoke: “I want you to remember, then,’ he said, ‘I know it hurt to be rolled and pounded and patted, but had I just left you alone, you’d have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn’t put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn’t done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any color in your life. If I hadn’t put you back in that second oven, you wouldn’t have survived for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. Now you are what I had in mind when I first began with you.”

The moral of this story is this: God knows what He’s doing in each of us. He is the potter and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us and expose us to just enough pressures of just the right kinds that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing and perfect will.

So when life seems hard and you are being pounded and patted and pushed almost beyond endurance; when your world seems to be spinning out of control; when you feel like you are in a fiery furnace of trials; when life seems to “stink”, try this … Brew a cup of your favorite tea in your prettiest tea cup, sit down and think about this story and then, have a little talk with the Potter!

Lastly, don't forget to drop by Praise and Coffee for its monthly giveaways. Check it out!