This puzzle caught my attention after having the practice for Sunday's service. Although it took me several minutes to find all the 30 books, I enjoyed the time haunting for those books. :) And what I love the most is the fellowship time with my church mates. :) With that, I decided to get a copy of it and share it to everyone. I suggest you put a timer so that you could really test how fast can you find those books. :)

There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours.He enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some friends... One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it that she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving. She brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During our recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chroncicle surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "the books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight". Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus, there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God bless.

You are forever in my life

You see me through the seasons

Cover me with Your hand

And lead me in Your righteousness

And I look to You

And I wait on You

I'll sing to You Lord

A hymn of Love

For Your faithfulness to me

I'm carried in everlasting arms

You'll never let me go

Through it all

You are forever in my life

You see me through the seasons

Cover me with Your hand

And lead me in Your righteousness

And I look to You

And I wait on You

I'll sing to You Lord

A hymn of Love

For Your faithfulness to me

I'm carried in everlasting arms

You'll never let me go

I'll sing to You Lord

A hymn of Love

For Your faithfulness to me

I'm carried in everlasting arms

You'll never let me go

Through it all

Everlasting Father, I love You

Ever living Savior, I love You

Everlasting Father, I love You

Ever living Savior, I love You

I'll sing to You Lord

A hymn of Love

For Your faithfulness to me

I'm carried in everlasting arms

You'll never let me go

Through it all

     This song really touches my heart. It reminds me of how faithful God is to us who are sinners. He never lets us go. Even though we always keep on committing sins, He's still there for us and just faithful to forgive us. One way of paying His love back, we could just sing a hymn of love. But what's important is the heart that is willing to give praise and honor to Him.

       Our God is a Merciful God. I know I am not worthy to receive Him, but you know what He did? He gave us His One and Only son, Christ Jesus, to pay for our sins. All we have to do is to Admit that we are sinners, to Believe that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and to Commit our lives to Him. 

At last! Exam week is over! :) (But still we can't enjoy our vacation) :( Anyway, I just want to share this speech that I have created for my finals in my subject "Speech Communication". Honestly, I'm not good in English, but I believe I can master it through practice. :)

The title of this speech is "Regaining Lost Paradise". I have composed this out of the care for my Mother Earth. It took me six days to finish this piece. Just in time before I deliver this in front of the class.

Here is a copy of it:

"Regaining Lost Paradise"

I have a dream- a dream for my land and my people, where I see the world in its fullness governed by God. I see a dream- a dream that needs to be fulfilled; where the dead barks of Cedars would rise again as reborn spirit, yielding its leaves raising it up a creation reaching the Creator above. 

On the land where my dream rests, rises the sun with its bright royal cape. His flames rejuvenate every soul while his light fills every empty shadow on the land. The offspring of both Lion and Lamb plays together. The tiger nurses the young cattle, while the bear gives milk for the little wolves. The trees enthroned on the plains were mighty and majestic. The grass covers the valley like a bride adorned with her bridal dress. The goodness of the Lord fills the earth while the heavens declare His righteousness.

This is my dream! Yes, a dream. A dream maybe of fantasy, but a dream given by God as a foretaste of what HEAVEN is like; a passing dream maybe, but a dream results to vision and vision ignites the passion towards reality.

We live in a world deformed by inequity and corruption. Humanity's selfish desires created the faces of every menace that haunts God' majestic creation. From the highest tip of every mountain, down to the depth of the sea, manifests the trace of uncertainty born from man's ill will.

Dying people, hungry children, global warming, banishment of species, contaminated waters, poisoned rivers- these are all elements of annihilation.  All of these form one devious enemy that when it strikes the first half, may cause for us a MURDER! These are but once a nightmare. Now they are REAL.

How come nightmares came into being while the dreams we long to see remain slumbering?How can the phantoms that corrupt our world prevail while the dreams rested hastily into their graves? who can fathom such irony? What dreams may come? What more do these nightmares would bring?

Each passing day, the sun grows dim. The children were always filled with hunger and anxiety. The leaves of oaks and pines slowly detach themselves from their mother branch. The skies tremble with fear for what is to come. The once mighty king of icebergs and frost now melts on its throne. See how awful the signs are. What dreams may ascend to overcome the gates of hell? Who can covert these nightmares to the harbors of rebirth/

My soul, why are you down? Why are you troubled lonely spirit? Grieve not stones of Adam for the horror of our transgression nor creep no more, oh daughters of Eve. THE LORD HAS TAKEN, THE LORD WILL RESTORE.

Dream dreams. Have dreams where the taste of paradise is at reach for power was given to us, for God crowned us with glory and honor and have made us little lower than the angels. He has put as in dominion overall creation.

We, the heirs of the earth and ambassadors of creation,we, who has the power to destroy! We, though claims the guilt but takes the chance to renew our vows. It is we who weave dreams and dreams for us to be put into reality.

However, like the gushing waters of the spring, stones within the water push it back from running down. There will be trials in my life before I will be able to reach my dreams.As the calamities in our country come one after the other, the light of my dreams slowly begins to fade, and as the problems build up, I suddenly felt the cold wind of sadness.

The dirty waters has now spread out the clean waters just as diseases like Influenza AH1N1, spread like wild fire in the forest. Typhoon Ondoy recently killed thousands of people an in the end, many students cannot study because schools became evacuation centers and books became scarce. Everyone is poisoned in a state of hopelessness.

I, as a youth and as a student, will reach out a hand and help lessen the catastrophe. Little by little, we can bring forth a big difference and conquer the challenges that we face.

From simple segregating and throwing of garbages in their proper receptacle, in school, in our homes, and in everywhere we go, we help make our surroundings clean. It is also a big help to advocate the 3R's: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle day to day spoils. We must help and stop people from living alongside riverbanks for their safety and keep them from littering in the area. 

We should always keep our environment clean and green. Let us avoid throwing trash away to prevent drainages from clogging. This can keep us from flash floods. 

As a student and a proud Filipino, we should support the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals. Join programs set by our barangays like community clean-up drive, so that we could inspire other youth to help out as well. We should bring back what has been lost, plant more trees, use compost pit for biodegradable trashes, and help clean Ilog Pasig. Let us use proper shopping bags or baskets in the market instead of plastics. Let us aim for a "Zero-Styro Campus" in our schools.

These are just mere seeds of ideas sprouted from a simple student like me. I believe that if we unite together as one, we can do anything, and only if we put our minds and hearts into it.

Yesterday is a history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is gift from God that's why it is called a present. The future of our country and our world is not only in my hands, but ours. It's not too late for us. Let us join hands and together build a magnificent future for our Mother Land.

Dreamers arise! Carne your dreams on the pillow of every generation, for through our care for Mother Earth, that we may heal a world so torn with polluted desires. Once more, I dream that these nightmares were gone. The trees shall open their mouths and sing with the mighty song of the seas. The oceans and rivers shall clap their hands as the leaves dance with man, Yes, a song to be sung again like the first day of creation And the sleeper shall not ever slumber again, for together, we shall proclaim from pole to pole. 

Make dreams real for our world to be healed! All together, let us REGAIN OUR LOST PARADISE!

WORTHY IS THE LAMB

Thank you for the cross, Lord.
Thank you for the price you paid.
Bearing all my sin and shame, in love you came
And gave Amazing Grace.

Thank you for this love, Lord.
Thank you for the nail-pierced hands.
Wash me in Your cleansing flow, now all I know
Your forgiveness and embrace.

Worthy is the Lamb
Seated on the throne.
We crown You now with many crowns
You reign victorious!
High and lifted up
Jesus, Son of God.
The Darling of Heaven, crucified...
Worthy is the Lamb.

I will be forever thankful for the life and the love God gave me. Honestly, I'm undergoing a lot of stress due to my problems and trials. But as I listen to this song, I realized that my God is BIGGER than all my circumstances and problems. And even though I don't feel like worshiping Him, I am always reminded that God deserves all my praises. He is WORTHY! He reigns VICTORIOUS! He is HIGH and LIFTED UP!

 We can rejoice in the Lord today because HE IS WORTHY of our praise!

        The month of March is normally the start of hot weather in our country. Many might observe that gone are the days of the cool breeze of December. The scorching heat during the day generates, on almost anyone, sweat as that of an athlete in action. Since the later weeks of last month, the rise in the temperature of the wind touching our skin has becomes noticeable.

          In line with this month's celebration of being the Fire Prevention Month, I have come up with this blog post. Below is a list of some tips on "do's and don'ts" to prevent fire. These are just mere ideas sprouted from a simple student like me, but I'm hoping that this list would be helpful to you.

SIMPLE HOME FIRE PREVENTION MEASURES

1. If you are in a habit of smoking, crush your cigarette and cigar stubs thoroughly before discarding them. Provide yourselves with ashtrays. Do not smoke in bed.

2. Oil and gas and other native lamps should be placed away from curtains and other objects that easily catch fire. Do not put them where the wind, children, cats or other moving being may topple them. Put out the flame before going to bed.

3. Do not store any flammable substance or any volatile liquid in the kitchen. Cover the flammable container tightly.

4. Extinguish all live charcoals and embers or concentrate them in the middle of the stove after being through with kitchen chores. Make it a habit to inspect the kitchen before retiring. Most fires in the home occur at night.

5. Keep matches and lighters away from reach of children.

6. Clear the concerns and nooks of the house from rubbish, rags, and other waste materials.

7. Remove the accumulation of leaves in gutters and other parts of the roof and wood shavings and litters in the attic.

8. Quantities of flammables, such as gasoline, oil, benzene, naphtha, alcohol, and other highly flammable materials should be kept in dwelling houses.

9. Rubbish burning should be done on the stove or in the yard away from the house wall. Every smoldering coal left from bonfire should be extinguished. Be careful that no flying embers from bonfire would alight on the roof of the houses.

10. Do not use open flames for decorations in the houses,

11. Combustible objects, such as firewood, waste paper and rags should not be indiscriminately dumped or strewn in the house. Boxes should be regularly cleaned.

12. Kerosene and oil stoves should be checked for leakage and they should be regularly cleaned.

13. Regularly check for leaking liquefied petroleum gas.

14. Check regularly your electrical installations, and have all frayed wiring, damaged sockets, switches, and other defective electrical fixtures be changed or repaired promptly.

15. Do not overload your electrical circuits by using too many lights and appliances.

     If we don't want our houses and our properties to be transformed into ashes, let us always be alert and prepare so that worse things will not happen. Aside from the awareness the Fire Prevention Month brings to the people, I believe that our government must also be aware of the need to equip or re-equip our firemen for them to be effective in their fire-fighting tasks. :)