Divine Shower

Do you know that King James did not take a shower? Well, there were several interpolations why he did not.
Until now, there are people who take a bath only once a week, or once a month, or just before marriage. This is very much influenced by the culture rather than the time we're in. Filipinos, for example, would take a shower once to thrice a day.


In the Biblical time as early as Moses’, cleansing was very much a part of their relationship with God.  "But if they do not wash their clothes and bathe themselves, they will be punished for their sin.” (Leviticus 17:16). Jesus Himself washed the feet of his disciples. (John 13:12)

Like any parent, God wants to see His children clean most of the time. 
A friend once  told me, "the quality of your skin is much the same as the quality of your innards." In our relationship with God, the quality of our lives only reflects the cleanliness of our soul.

God wants us to be clean both from the inside and outside. Unforgiveness, hatred, envy, doubts, guilt and sins are unnecessary dirt in our souls.  Surrender them to Him and He promised: " I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanlinesses..."  Ezekiel 36:25
Allow Him to shower you with His unconditional love and forgiveness...

Father,
Thank You for your unconditional love.
Sprinkle us with Your forgiveness
And cleanse us from our unforgiveness,
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

Don’t Be Afraid…

One of the most powerful weapons of Sauron in the Lord of the Rings is fear. He started his hideous attack on every one by instilling fear spawning despair.



Denethor's defeat was the epitome of Sauron's victory. He was widely considered a man of great will, foresight, and strength, but a series of defeat and too much knowledge of the power of the enemy melted his knees to the point of committing suicide.


King Theoden, on the other hand, had to be healed by Gandalf from mental and physical poison of despair. But after the healing, he brought his whole people with might and passion to fight the forces of Sauron.

People attack each other because of fear of being hurt first. Greedy people become greedier each day for fear of being left with nothing. Inferior personalities feel more inferior for fear of further rejection.

God knows this. God knows the grand plan of the devil. That's why, if you look at the Bible, the phrase 'don't be afraid' has been mentioned 365 times. That's a whole year round.

God wants you to trust Him with your whole being. He loves you in spite of your sins. He is greater than any sin. He wants you to feel His love now. Savor it.

Father,
Thank You for loving us
In spite of our sinfulness.
I love You, Dad, my loving God.
Amen.

photo: Movie Poster

ESP ~ Claim It Once More

If you could easily sense and respond to the emotional position of the people around you, chances are, you still have the gift of 'clairsentience.' "Clairsentience is a form of ESP (extra-sensory perception) wherein a person acquires psychic knowledge primarily by feeling" 

This is the most natural ESP which we had stronger when we're young. But as we grew older we ignored them. We refused to listen and see with our heart. We got fixated in what our eyes could see and our ears could hear.

"If you do not have a change of heart and become like little children, you will not go into the kingdom of heaven." ~ Matthew 18:3 
So how can we claim this gift back?

1. Trust ~ Trust again. Start believing in people and yourself.
2. Simplicity ~ Simplicity is a virtue. The simpler we are the less complicated we feel others. 
3. Honesty ~ We must be honest with our feelings. Don’t deny or rationalize them. 
4. Listen ~ This is clairsentience in its real form: it’s listening to what others are NOT saying.
5. Awe ~ Take time to gaze and wonder in the little things around you, you’ll be surprised.
6. Detach ~ Attachment makes us bias. We detach ourselves from people to see them clearly. 
7. Pray ~ Prayer brings us deep within where we could truly feel others. Prayer brings us deep within our being where God awaits us.

Clairsentience is a gift. If you don’t have it, you can ask for it, free...

Father,
Restore our trust in You.
Give us a glimpse of Heaven
As we journey towards It,
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen. 

photo: fairtomiddling’s @ flickr

Haunted Houses

 As I entered into the house gate of a neighbor last week, I felt right away a thick air of repugnance, gnawing and apathy. The feeling was so heavy.

No, there was no ghosts or whatsoever paranormal being. They're real people in there who lived like ghosts to each other. Every time they opened their mouths, a character was killed. They're in constant spewing of hellish words towards each other. My five minutes stay with them was like days in hell.





That was a real haunted house. The real ghosts are people themselves whose presence makes you feel like you're in hell: cold yet burning with anger and resentment.

On the other hand, I experienced so much being at home when I visited an old friend a few years back. My experience with Mickey's family made me want to stay more. Their words were gentle. The air was sweet. Every person took the effort to care and avoid vain words.

Heaven is the home where people make you feel safe, loved and accepted.  There's peace. It's heaven on earth.

The fruit of the Spirit is PEACE... (Galatians 5:22 )

Father,
Make us gentle and kind.
May Your Kingdom be with us
As we relate with our loved ones.
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

photo: fairiegoodmother @ deviantart

Thermometer vs. Thermostat

Both words share a lot in common, but obviously, one is better than the other.

The thermometer measures heat or temperature.  The thermostat, however, measures the temperature and MAKES necessary adjustments to keep its controlled environment balanced.



In the same manner, there are people who act the same ways as these machines. Some people are like thermometers. They measure the temperature and that's it. The rest is complaining; expecting the environment around them to change, to adjust to them. 

The thermostat people , on the other hand, have the abilities to size up the temperature, that is the real situation in life and then they adjust and make necessary changes. They understand that maturity is all about adjustment, not complaining and fretting and blaming others... They take full responsibility of the situations…

Which one would you be..?

Father,
Help us to mature in our Faith.
Make us ambassadors of Hope
To those we meet today,
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

photo: cartoonstock.com

Literal People

Yesterday, a student wanted to fire
a vehement argument. It was about this line I said: ' Satan's favorite song is 'tomorrow, tomorrow...' It was supposed to be along the context of procrastination. He said: 'Is that really Satan's song? Did Satan really sing that song?'

It took me 15 minutes to explain to him how figures of speech and anecdotes and context work.
Some people are so literal. They have no heart for creativity and poetry and riddles. They want straight facts. They want direct answers.

But God would oftentimes communicate with us through these manners. The Bible uses a lot of figures of speech. This is not to confuse us but to make the meaning more clear.  When His disciples asked questions, Jesus would answer in parables and riddles. ~ God wants us to think, to imagine and enjoy the process.

His disciples understood Him, but his enemies misunderstood Him; or to put it clearly: His enemies CHOSE to misunderstand Him.

Life is a poetry in itself, full of riddles and parables. Answers are given piece by piece through little things, events and people... Read and enjoy them...

Father,
You’re patient and kind.
Teach us not to be lazy
In unraveling the mystery of life.
And give us the grace of openness to Your Wisdom.
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

photo: Josh Liba’s @ flickr

The Surfer's Prayer

 
Lord God,
Let every click we make
Be a click of love and prudence.

Let every post we do
Be a post of kindness and generosity
Not of anger and empty words.


Protect us from the virus
Of curiosity and lust
To visit sites designed to deprogram our faith in You.

Be our firewall
Against the hackers of souls,
Against the corruptor of our hearts.

May our hunger to reconnect
With our loved ones and old friends
Be our way to spread and to celebrate your love.

Thank you, Lord, for this tool
It made our lives more exciting
And sharing your Words more fun...

In Jesus' Name.
Amen...

 

photo: craftytv

Emotional Quagmire

 Acceptance is a beautiful word. But most of the time, crossing the other side is like walking into a quagmire.

For 40 years Mina lived in denial, anger and depression. When I met her, she was physically half paralyzed. Our conversation ran around her grief for her son's death, and her deep anger towards her ex-husband.

The journey towards acceptance is like that of the dying people.

According to Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, people who have received their death sentence through terminal illnesses undergo the Five Stages of Dying:

1.  Denial – "I feel fine."; "This can't be happening, not to me."
2.  Anger – "Why me? It's not fair!"; "Who is to blame?"
3.  Bargaining – "Just let me live to see my children graduate.";
     "I'll do anything for a few more years."
4.  Depression – "I hate myself.”;
      "I'm going to die... What's the point?"
5.  Acceptance – "It's going to be okay.";
     "I can't fight it, I may as well prepare for it."

Sadly, some people are stuck somewhere… 

The journey towards acceptance is oftentimes naturally long. Sometimes we thought we’re already there, but not yet. The key is awareness: “which stage am I now…?”

So whether we are emotionally dying through our desire to change something, or to keep somebody, or to let go, be aware where you are… You’d know when you arrive: you’ll be at peace and ready to move on…

Jesus made it more direct when He said:
"Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies,
it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."
~ John 12:24

Father,
Set our eyes always
To the day of Resurrection,
Where one day
We’ll be all together with our loved ones,
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen…

photo: cravensworld

Beauty and Brain

 Yesterday, we talked about the power to decide. Yes, I said there is no perfect decision, nor there is a perfect time for making decisions. But, There is a GOOD decision and a bad decision. And yes, we need time to make decisions.

Lazy and coward people often make bad decisions. These are the people who don't want to think, and believe that everything will turn out fine in the end.

When Anna made the decision to marry Gary, it was for her a decision of the ‘heart.’ She was so overwhelmed with the 'feelings' of 'love'. She refused to entertain the facts about Gary: his dysfunctional family background, job hopping habit and promiscuous activities. She said, 'our love will change him'. - It never did.
There is no exact formula in decision making, but there is for making right and Godly decision:

1. Pray ~ No sound decision is possible OUTSIDE prayer.
2. Listen to your heart ~
    Always consider constructive, positive and morally correct choices.
       To hurt is not a choice. Love is.
3. Supply your heart with necessary information from your brain.
   ~ Do your assignment. Make a research. Ask around.
      Good decisions come only from an informed heart.

Option One		Option Two
Advantages for me	Disadvantages for me	Advantages for me	Disadvantages for me
1.	1.	1.	1.
2.	2.	2.	2.
3.	3.	3.	3.

4. Sink in ~ Make an initial decision and let it sink in for sometime.
    Don’t act on it yet.
5. Listen to your heart again ~ ‘Are you at peace with your decision?”
    If not, go back to step one.
6. Act on it ~ Obviously, any decision making is useless without realizing it.
7. Let God ~ Pray, sit back and relax. Let go, and let God…

 

God,
Grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen…

photo: rustychainsaw's @ flickr

Cold Feet

Everyday people and events push us to make decisions.  In some parts of our lives we need to make big decisions; like buying a house, a car, or moving out or in, or...getting married. Some of these decisions are like crossing the Rubicon; we need to decide.

Here's the term 'cold feet' comes in. It is a term which means having apprehensions or doubts strong enough to prevent a planned course of action.

When Matthew was asked by his girlfriend to settle down, he curled and refused to talk about the matter for years. His reason was 'I am not ready.'

Some people failed to decide because of FEAR.  They're afraid to fail. They're afraid of responsibilities. They're afraid of losing something. They're afraid to grow.

The truth is there's no perfect decision and there's no perfect time to decide. The point here is not to make a perfect decision, but to make decisions in spite of our fears and be ready for the consequences.

Animals can't decide. They're governed by their instinct. Only human beings have the power to decide. Let’s use this power...

Dear God,
Guide our feet
As we traverse the narrow paths of indecisions.
And make us courageous
To be response-able for the consequences,
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen…

photo: just.Luc's @ flickr

Two Ladies, Two Choices

Katrina was the acute misandrist I’ve ever met. She used her beauty to entice men to like her and eventually commit with her. Then, she would find the most painful ways to leave them. I saw some of these men crying and even quarrelling with each other, and she enjoyed the scenes. This was her response against her father’s betrayal.

Her beauty belies a revengeful, unhappy person inside. 

Last week, I asked Sharon (not her real name), a member of our life coaching program where she lived. She said, ‘it depends upon the day of the week.’ On Mondays and Fridays she goes home to her mother. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays she goes home to her father in a different house. Her father has another family.

There were tears in her eyes, but I saw sparkles of hope and love in those tears. 'I don’t know why it came to this. It pains me, but I don't hold any grudge against any of them. What I know is that I want to have a family of my own in the future, a happy one where my children would never have to experience this.’ She said as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

Two people, two different responses in life: one decides to nurture a grudge, one decides to nurture love.

Oftentimes we are not free to choose our situations, but we could choose our response to those situations...

Father,
Hold our hands
As we walk through
The dark alleys of life.
Light our path and lead us
Where Jesus is.
Amen…

photo: thomashawk's @ flickr