April 9, 2011

Desert Song

This is one of my favorite songs of the new Hillsong Album. I love to know the "story behind the song" so I searched it out. This one tells the story of the worship leader on this song. It's amazing, heartbreaking, and an awesome reminder that worship is a lifestyle. Even when we don't "feel" like worshiping God, there's victory in worshiping when we can't see the light on the other side of our situation. My prayer is that you,too, will be blessed by this song. 


DESERT SONG
by: Hillsong


VERSE 1:
This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

VERSE 2:
This is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame

CHORUS:
I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here



VERSE 3:
This is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

CHORUS:
I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

BRIDGE:
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship
(4x)

CHORUS:
I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here (x2)

VERSE 4:
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favour and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow

April 4, 2011

My "personalized" Romans 6

 Yesterday, our Pastor challenged us to personalize a chapter in the Bible and make it our personal Prayer. I am really touched by this chapter so I decided to share it to you. I am working on memorizing this so that I will never forget how God saved me from death and gave me a new and wonderful life.

Romans  6:1-14
Sin's Power Is Broken

Well then, should I keep on sinning so that God can show me more and more of His wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since I have died to sin, how can I continue to live in it? 3 Or have I forgotten that when I was joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, I joined Him in His death? 4 For I died and was buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now I may also live a new life.

5 Since I have been united with Him in His death, I will also be raised to life as He was. 6 I know that my old sinful self was crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in my life. I am no longer slave to sin. 7 For when I died with Christ, I was set free from the power of sin. 8 And since I died with Christ, I know I will also live with Him. 9 I am sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and He will never die again. Death no longer has any power over Him.10 When He died, He died once to break the power of sin. But now that He lives, He lives for the glory of God. 11 So I should also consider myself to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

12 I will not let sin control the way I live;* I will not give in to sinful desires. 13 I will not let any part of my body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, I will give myself completely to God, for I was dead, but now I have new life. So I will use my whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer my master, for I no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, I live under the freedom of God's grace.               

15 Well then, since God's grace has set me free from the law, does that mean I can go on sinning? Of course not!16 Don't I realize that I become the slave of whatever I choose to obey? I can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or I can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once, I was slave of sin, but now, I wholeheartedly obey this teaching they have given me. 18 Now, I arm free from my slavery to sin, and I have become slave to righteous living.

19 Because of the weakness of my human nature, Apostle Paul is using the illustration of slavery to help me understand all this. Previously, I let myself be slave to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now I must give myself to be a slave to righteous living so that I will become holy.

20 When I was a slave to sin, I was free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was the result? I am now ashamed of the things I used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now I am free from the power of sin and have become a slave of God. Now I do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.


Lord Jesus, You said in your Word that You are faithful to lead us on, to complete us. Lord Jesus, I'm praying that You will give me strength to overcome all temptations in my life. Oh God, give me a heart that is pure and teach me Oh Lord to deny my flesh so that I can completely follow You, Oh God. Jesus Christ, I will never stop thanking, praising and worshipping You for You have saved me when I was in darkness. I am able to love You because You loved me first. In Jesus name, I pray all these things. Amen. 

April 1, 2011

Where's No. 20?

This idea from ate Sarah is just in time because a while ago, I was thinking what to blog for this day. So, to ate sarah, thanks! :)

Honestly, I'm not into answering questions like these. :) But then, I believe this has a purpose. :)

Here goes the list of questions with my answers:

1.  If you have pets, do you see them as merely animals, or are they members of your family?

Waah! I don't know what to answer. :) I don't like pets, but if I would have, I think I'll treat them as part of the family. 

2. If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?


I would dream about living in a mansion with my family.

3. What is the one thing you hate the most?

Hmmm. I hate (AS IN I HATE!) worms, anatomy :) , and spammers. 

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?

Tithe, give to missions and start a Christian school. It is really my desire to put up a school since I am now starting to love teaching. :) Aside from that, I would manage a business, restaurant, in particular. The rest, I would save in the bank.

 5. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?

CHOCOLATES! ICE CREAM!


6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?

Both.Loving someone and being loved by that someone, period!

7. What is your bedtime routine? 

Telling stories to my younger siblings, reflecting on the things that has happened on that day, and talking to my boyfriend: JESUS. :)

8. If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner?

------------

9. If you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be?

.Konrad Zuse- Inventor of first working programmable computer 

 10. What kinds of books do you read?


Bible. Right now, I am also encouraged to read Christian books such as "I Kissed Dating Goodbye".

11. Where do you see yourself in ten years time?

managing a pre-school :) still in the Philippines but staying in one roof with my hubby and beautiful kids :)

 12. What’s your fear?

gigantic things, mannequins, statues, deep bodies of water and fear of rejection

 13. Would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to visit outer space?

a big NO! :) Let me have my potato chips. :)

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married, but poor?

I would rather be married AND rich! haha

 15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

Stretching :) Praying, then checking my inbox :).

16. If you could change one thing about your partner what would it be?

What do you want me to answer? :) I still don't know who he is. :)

 17. If you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?


Samantha Jean :)

18. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?

I can't do that on my own. That's why I'm still praying to God that He would give me that attitude. 

19. If you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be? 

ICE CREAM!!!




I'm wondering why it only has 19 questions. If I were to add one, it would be "When do you feel most loved? When your partner spends time with you or when he/she says 'I love you'?"

March 30, 2011

SEARCH-A-WORD

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.

March 21, 2011

Through It All by Hillsong




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. 



March 17, 2011

Regaining Lost Paradise

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!

March 11, 2011

Worthy Is The Lamb



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!

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