Fling Wide by Misty Edwards lyrics

Here are the lyrics to a beautiful, beautiful song by Misty Edwards from her album of the same title, Fling Wide.

I tried to transcribe the lyrics myself, so I'm not sure if these are the exact lyrics because I may have heard some words wrong. Apologies to Misty Edwards for that.

This song is a new favorite song of mine now. We always like to receive winds of refreshing, but winds of testing also arrive. God is God in times of refreshing and times of testing. Do we welcome testing when we come face to face with it? Do we embrace it when it's there? Sometimes we forget that it is in the times of testing that refreshing comes because that's when we learn to depend on God and God alone.

Let's remember Psalm 23...the Lord is our Shepherd in the quiet waters and green pastures as well as in the valley of the shadow of death.

You may listen to this song on Misty Edwards' MySpace music profile

Awake, awake o north wind,

Awake awake o south wind
Blow over me

Come o winds of testing
Come winds of refreshing
Blow over me

Awake, awake o north wind,
Awake awake o south wind
Blow over me

Come o winds of testing
Come winds of refreshing
Blow over me


Let the winds blow(15x)

Fling wide the door to my soul
Open up the door to my heart
Have your way, have your way
Have your way yeah

I won’t be afraid
I will face the wind
I won’t be afraid
I'll embrace the flame

Let the winds blow(15x)

Fling wide the door to my soul
Open up the door to my heart
Have your way, have your way
Have your way yeah

Fling wide the door to my soul
Open up the door to my heart
Have your way, have your way
Have your way yeah

Take me through the fire
Take me through the rain
Take me through the testing
I’ll do anything
Test me try me prove me refine me
Like to gold, like to gold

Fling wide the door to my soul
Open up the door to my heart
Have your way, have your way
Have your way yeah

Fling wide the door to my soul
Open up the door to my heart
Have your way, have your way
Have your way yeah

Take me through the fire
Take me through the rain
Take me through the testing
I’ll do anything
Test me try me prove me refine me
Like to gold, like to gold

Merry Christmas!

This pic is an artwork by Gary B. Clark, entitled "Adoring God's Love"

It can be ordered on the internet, as greeting cards.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." Isaiah 9:6-7...Jesus is the Reason for the Season. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

"Bewer" of Dog

This rusty gate in our city (Marikina City) reads "Bewer" of Dog. If you look closely you will see a faded "E" at the end, on the other panel. So it turns out it says "BEWERE". The spelling's still wrong. Haha. There seems to be no dog either. Every time we pass by we just see a lot of trucks parked inside. (I took this picture myself on Nov. 18, 2009.)

Funny Cartoon: Ikea Employee Job Test

Just found this on the internet at freshome.com . An IKEA employee commented on this cartoon on the site I got it from: "Dude, we don't do this. It's a wonderful place to work." :-)

The "Cleaning Tower" of Pisa

If you put hot water on it, it becomes a "hot tower"!

This is an example of wrongly-spelled labels on stuff coming from China. I took this picture myself.

The Governor and The Kiss of Death

Last week I saw in the news a U.S. governor who went missing but it turns out he had an escapade with his mistress.

It reminded me of my previous blog entry, "The Kiss of Death". His affair probably started out as flirting, and look where it brought him.

In that governor's life, Proverbs 6:32-33 came to pass:

But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.
Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away.

Just like former US President Clinton brought shame on his nation and himself for his shameful acts in his office with a White House intern, this governor brought shame on his State and himself. Of course President Clinton's case was worse because what he did in secret was known to the entire world, with matching DNA evidence. But that doesn't make the governor's case any less sinful.

The Kiss of Death

I recently stumbled upon an article on "10 ways to flirt" (or something like that) on Yahoo's links. Being married, and happily married at that, I just read it out of curiosity, because I thought, I should be very careful not to do this, and not to respond when it is done to me. I realized that these "flirting tips" are dangerous traps for married people if they respond to the flirting of another person (not their spouse). They are "The Kiss of Death". They are not exciting, they are lethal. The flirting tips I read were all about body language, meaning letting your body movements speak your "intention". Married people should run away from such things! Why? Because that's where the sin of adultery starts. Flirting with other people is not harmless.

When I was single I had always wondered what the meaning of the Lord Jesus' teaching on adultery was:

Matt 5:27-28
"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

What it means is that the very start of adultery is "the look" of lust, where one just sexually desires the other person who is not one's spouse. That may be when one looks and stares with sexual desire at another person, whether "within reach"(meaning someone you know or meet) or not. When one is looking lustfully at an image or a video of a person who is not physically present before you, it is still adultery. But when that person is physically present before you, and "within reach", so to speak, flirting is the expression of that desire.

Someone may try to flirt with you, whether you are a man or a woman. It may be a co-worker,or an equal. It may be that you are the one in power (the boss or the superior) or you are the subordinate. The subordinate may be attracted to the power or intelligence of the boss, while the boss may be taking advantage of a subordinate. Remember, flirting is NOT HARMLESS. It is THE KISS OF DEATH.


How will you be victorious? Through God's help.

Submit to God AND resist the devil, who comes to steal, kill and destroy. The devil is not out to just tickle or annoy you. He is out to kill and destroy you. And he means business 'cause he hates God so much.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7

Always be wise in the Lord's wisdom, always apply God's wisdom in your life.


Proverbs 2:16-19 has this to say about wisdom:

It [wisdom] will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.

"Seductive words" sounds like flirting, right? And that goes for spoken words or words in text messages! The word of God says that the adulteress' house leads down to death.

Keep God's commands in your heart, for they will guide you and keep you from immoral people. As Proverbs 6:23-26 says:

For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life,
keeping you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of the wayward wife.
Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes,
for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.

"Smooth tongue" sounds like flattery in flirting, and "captivate you with her eyes" describes the "body language" of flirting. Yet the word of God says that the adulteress "preys upon your very life". He or she may present himself as an emotionally needy person, but in reality your very life is the devil's target here.

The verses following give a stern warning on the consequences of adultery:

Proverbs 6:27-33
Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?
Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?
So is he who sleeps with another man's wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.
Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.
Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away.

" Life or Death: Choose Life! - Lessons from Deuteronomy"

Moses , the same person who told God in Exodus 4:10 that he has never been eloquent and that he is slow of speech and tongue, gives the longest sermon in the Bible, the book of Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy Moses repeats the Law and in Deuteronomy 30 he gives one of the greatest challenges in the Bible:

Deut 30:15-20
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.
For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them,
I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.
Now choose life, so that you and your children may live
and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

I gave a message on this subject and I posted the powerpoint presentation on Scribd. You may view and/or download it at this link:

Life or Death: CHOOSE LIFE! - Lessons from Deuteronomy

"Lessons from 2 Timothy, Paul's Farewell Letter to His Disciple"

a painter's idea of Apostle Paul (this depiction may be
"sanitized", the prison was probably much filthier
and Paul didn't have anything with him in prison,
much less a sword)

If you knew you were going to be executed for your faith in Jesus in a few days or weeks, what kind of letter would you write to your closest disciple? I would certainly like to learn from the farewell letter of Apostle Paul, who considered "all things a loss compared to the surpassing glory of knowing Christ Jesus." In the book 2 Timothy, Paul tells Timothy how to love and remember Christ always and stand firm in the face of apostasy and persecution.

Here is the link to the powerpoint presentation of the message I gave in January 09. I uploaded it on Scribd.

"Lessons from 2 Timothy, Paul's Farewell Letter to His Disciple"

Harvest Time!

me with the pineapple before we harvested it (the proud gardener!)

just right- all yellow (this was planted from a Dole Tropical Gold pineapple top)

just a few twists and off it went

above: my husband slices it up

we had eight slices - 4 gone, 4 to go!

my younger son enjoying his pineapple slice

"The Disadvantages Of Backsliding"

I would like to share this powerpoint presentation of a message I shared a few months back. I posted it on Scribd. It's called "The Disadvantages of Backsliding:Lessons from the Life of Solomon".

Some Christians think that they can "schedule" backsliding...like "test the waters for a season" or "jump over the fence for a few months". Then afterwards they'll "repent" and "go back to God" after the said period of "testing the waters". They don't realize that backsliding, even for a short season, has its far-reaching, life-altering, sometimes life-ending, consequences. What's worse is when one is King of Israel and he backslides, and brings the whole nation along with him. Here I gave lessons from the life of Solomon.

Funny Pic from the Internet: "So Near, Yet So Far"

I just saw this in a powerpoint presentation of a dental professor in the US.

It had no title, but I would like to give it one: "So Near, Yet So Far". Or "Poor Doggie". :-)

Lyrics of Baptize My Heart by Misty Edwards

If there is one song that will surely shake you, this is it. Baptize My Heart is a song of submission, obedience, and hunger for Jesus. You will ask yourself: am I in love with Christian "stuff", Christian people, Christian fellowship and its trappings and blessings, or am I in love with the Lord Jesus Christ? This song is all about Jesus, and Misty's cry to follow and serve God's heart and to be in love with Jesus and Jesus alone, even "when it's all coming down".
_________________

And I can hear the song
Of the Creator singing over creation:

I played the flute ...did you dance?
I sang the wedding song over you ...were you romanced?
And I played the funeral dirge...did you lament?
I told you My judgments were in the land ...but did you, did you repent?
For even children know when to dance!
And even children know when to lament

And I played the flute for you ...did you dance?
And I sang the wedding song over you ... were you romanced?
And I played the funeral song ...did you lament?
I told you My judgments over the land ...but did you repent?
Repent, did you repent?
For even children know when to dance!
And even children know when to lament

What shall I liken to this generation,
Like children in the market place
They sing:
We played the flute…you did not dance
We played the funeral song, you did not lament

Oh God
Teach me how to dance
How to lament
Show me what You’re looking for
What kind of response You’re asking of me, oh

Baptize my heart with Your fire, desire,

Come and baptize my heart with Your fire, desire (Repeat 3x)

’Cause I don't want to be offended,
No I don't want to be offended
No I don't want to be offended
When it's all coming down

No I don't want to be offended
I don't want to be offended
God I don't want to be offended
When it's all coming down

Baptize my heart with Your fire, desire,

Come and baptize my heart with Your fire, desire (Repeat 3x)
’Cause I don't want to be offended,
No I don't want to be offended
God I don't want to be offended
When it's all coming down

I don't want to be offended,
No, no, no I don't want to be offended
God I don't want to be offended
When it's all coming down

Once again You are going to shake everything that can be shaken
Jesus desire of the nations
The only, only safe place is on the center of the flame
The only, only safe place is in You

Baptize my heart with Your fire, desire,

Come and baptize my heart with Your fire, desire (Repeat 3x)

’Cause I don't want to be offended,
God I don't want to be offended
I don't want to be offended
When it's all coming down

I don't want to be offended,
I don't want to be offended
God I don't want to be offended
When it's all coming down

‘Cause I wanna be for You not against You
I wanna be with You where You are

I wanna be for You not against You
I wanna be with You where You are

God I wanna be for You not against You
I wanna be with You where You are

And I wanna be for You not against You
I wanna be with You where You are

and I pledge my allegiance to Jesus, to Jesus
and I pledge my allegiance to the Lamb
(repeat 3x)

When the nations are raging against You
The nations who are at ease
When the nations are raging against You
I wanna be with you where You are God

I don’t want to be swept away with the wicked
And their wave of delusion
I wanna be with you where You are
With you where You are

So baptize my heart with Your fire(the only safe place), desire,
Come and baptize my heart with Your fire, desire,
Baptize my heart with Your fire, desire

Cause I don't want to be offended,
God I don't want to be offended
I don't want to be offended
When it's all coming down

I don't want to be offended,
NoI don't want to be offended
No I don't want to be offended
When it's all coming down


To the son of David
To the Jewish carpenter from Nazareth
When it’s all coming down
And when the nations are raging against Him

I pledge my allegiance to Jesus Christ of Nazareth
The Jewish King
The Son of David
The Slain Lamb
Oh for I know that He is the Magnificent obsession
And He is the desire of the nations
He’s gonna turn it all around
Its just a matter of time . . .
I am going to choose this day to love Him, to serve Him
I am going to choose this day to cling to him and him alone

For I pledge my allegiance to Jesus, to Jesus
And I pledge my allegiance to the Lamb
When it’s all coming down

Once again You will shake everything that can be shaken
Oh Righteous Judge of the nations
Beautiful Bridegroom
Lover of my soul
Do what you have to do
Just come

Come make the wrong things right
Come make the darkness light
And turn the world upside down, `cause
There is no peace until You come back Jesus

until You return Return,
return, return,
Return, return,
return, return, return
Jesus please come back

Creation is groaning and waiting, waiting and groaning, groaning and waiting,
waiting and groaning, groaning and waiting
For your return
You are the only Man of Peace
That we want
You are the only King that we cry to come again
Return
Jesus come
Come again Jesus

_________________

Baptize My Heart is on iTunes
View Misty Edwards' MySpace Music page

Listen to it on imeem:

Baptize My Heart - Misty Edwards

Watch Me Grow: Pineapple Plants Batch 2 (May 1 '09 pics)

These are recent pics of my new pineapple fruits in my parents' backyard. My last post about them was dated April 10, 2009.


Above: My pineapple plant #1

Above: I am holding Pineapple #1. I have Size Small (latex examination glove size) hands so you can have an idea how small the pineapple is.




Above: Pineapple #2 . The fruit showed up later than Pineapple #1 so it is still small.


Above: You can see that Pineapple #2 is so small compared to my hand!

From an Email: How You Catch Swine Flu ;-)

FYI: This picture above is a FUNNY picture, not a true case. I just received it through email.

BUT:
Here is a link to real advice, which I also received from an email. I put it in Google Docs.

The Swine Flu Outbreak: What It Is and What to Do by Jacob Goldstein

Lyrics of Always by Hillsong United ( Reflections as I Looked at the Sunrise)

This is another one of my all-time favorite songs. It's a love song to the Lord. Last April 3, I was listening to this song as I was looking at this sunrise on the beach in Sariaya, Quezon, on the eastern coast of Luzon Island, here in the Philippines.

Who are we that the Almighty God thinks about us? Yet the Lord always shows His love to us in many ways. Like through this beautiful sunrise.

As I looked at the ocean, the Lord also brought to mind Job 38:16 "Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?" The Lord Almighty who loved me and died for me and was showing me a beautiful sunrise as I worshipped Him is also the one who walks in the sea trenches. Wow.

Below: sunrise over the Pacific Ocean, Sariaya, Quezon

_________________

Did You rise the sun for me?
Or paint a million stars that I might
Know Your majesty?
Is Your voice upon the wind?
Is everything I've known marked
With my maker's fingerprints?

Breathe on me
Let me see Your face
Ever I will seek You

Chorus:
'Cause all You are, is all I want, always
Draw me close in Your arms
Oh God, I wanna be with You

Can I feel You in the rain?
Abandon all I am to have You
Capture me again
Let the earth resound with praise
Can You hear as all creation lives
To glorify one name?

_________________

Watch Me Grow! : My Pineapple Plants (batch 2)

Last February 9, I wrote a post about a new pineapple fruit on one of the pineapple plants I planted in my parents' backyard.

Last March 22, 2009, I found yet another pineapple fruit! So that's two pineapples for this 2nd batch.

Here are some new pictures:

Below:Pineapple #1(pic taken Mar. 22 '09)

Below: Pineapple # 1 (pic taken today, April 10, 2009)


Below: Pineapple #2 (pic taken Mar. 22, '09)


Below: Pineapple #2 (pic taken today, April 10, 2009)

Lyrics of Everlasting God

These are the lyrics of "Everlasting God" written by Brenton Brown and Ken Riley, recorded by Brenton Brown, originally.

(This song was recorded later on by Chris Tomlin and Lincoln Brewster.)
_



__________________

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary

You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles

Listen to this song on Brenton Brown's MySpace Music page
_______________

What makes this song even more significant is that if you read Brenton Brown's bio on his MySpace page, he suffered with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome when he was in the UK. This song was probably written as he was trusting the Lord for strength in the midst of his fatigue.

Indeed, we get tired and weary but the Lord never does!

This song is based on Isaiah 40:26-31

"Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Because of God's mighty strength, not one star is missing. He does not grow tired nor does He become weary, like we do! But, He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak! And those who wait and hope on Him will renew their strength! They will run and not grow weary, because God's strength is now in them.

My Reflections as I Reached the End of My Strength Last Saturday

Last Saturday(April 4), I drove for 4 long traffic-filled hours from Sariaya, Quezon(around 100km) to South Luzon Expressway with my two kids in the backseat. Two hours into the drive from Sariaya, I suffered an asthma attack and just "puffed" or inhaled a dose of my anti-asthma inhaler.I began to feel fatigue already. I had to just drive along because my two young kids couldn't drive for me, though they wanted to. They were in the backseat praying to God to give their mommy strength for the trip. As I drove through all the traffic, I kept on praying for God's grace in my weakness.

I was so exhausted that I had to stop at a gas station before proceeding to Manila to drive for another hour. My strength was at its end when I pulled into the gas station.I was able to rest at the gas station at the South Luzon Expressway. Then off we went to Manila(around 30 kms). I made it to Manila so my husband could meet us. However, after 10 minutes driving away from the City of Manila, I had difficulty breathing and I couldn't talk anymore. I knew I had to have nebulization. So we took a u-turn to go to the hospital where we work, Medical Center Manila. I had nebulization at the Emergency Room and felt better afterwards.

Last Sunday at church we sang this worship song, "Everlasting God". God spoke to my heart through it. Even if I was exhausted and weary, God wasn't. He does not faint or grow weary like we do. I felt that I was able to withstand what I went through because God lifted me up on wings like eagles. I was weak, but He was strong. I knew God was with me every minute of the way as I drove, protecting me with His angels. I thank God for being with me in spite of my shortcomings. Even if i was angry at some inconsiderate drivers who drive counter-flow on two-lane highways so they could get ahead of you and end up stopping the traffic altogether, I felt God speaking to my heart to forgive them. I did, even if they didn't apologize to me. I forgive because I was forgiven too.

I thank God for my two thoughtful sons, praying and interceding for me as I was losing strength.Thank you God for answering my sons' prayers. Thank you Lord that I didn't suffer the severe difficulty of breathing as I drove alone. That would have been absolutely terrible. Having an emergency along the highway and not being able to talk. I thank you Lord that all the hairs of my head are numbered by You and You know everything I go through. Thank you Lord that my way is not hidden from You.
___________________

These are the lyrics of "Everlasting God" written by Brenton Brown and Ken Riley

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary

You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles

(Listen to this song on Brenton Brown's MySpace Music page)
_______________

"The Prayer" slideshow

I would like to share with all my blogroll friends and readers this slideshow I made for an invocation at a seminar, in 2007.

Click on the link below to see it/download it:

"The Prayer" Slideshow on Scribd

This is a powerpoint presentation that I made of the lyrics of "The Prayer" by Carole Bayer Sager and David Foster (and 2 other Italian lyricists), together w/ pictures of the Lord Jesus. You may download it & use it for invocation at your events,conventions, lectures, etc. so it'll be"interactive" ,w/ visuals & the audience can sing along. You should have an audio CD of the song. then get someone to click the powerpoint presentation as the song plays.

Here is a screenshot of the slideshow:

13 years of God's mercy and faithfulness!

Today is our 13th wedding anniversary!

I thank God for the husband He gave me. I thank God for our kids. We have had our rough times, and difficult times, but God is ever faithful and merciful to us. His grace has always been there to sustain us. Where sin destroys, God restores. Where darkness casts a shadow, God turns it into light. Where fear is, God's perfect love casts it out.

Prov 19:14 says:
Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.

This verse means I am God's gift and inheritance to my husband. I am from the Lord! :-D Woohoo!

But I would also like to say that my husband is also God's gift and inheritance for me. Yay!

God's provision is greater than Solomon's splendor

picture of a lily from the website of the Ohio Lily Society

2 Chronicles 9:22 says that

"King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth."

But what did the Lord Jesus say?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. "(Matt 6:28-29)

Luke 12:27 puts it this way:

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

King Solomon may have been super-duper-ultra-rich, but the Lord Jesus says that Solomon was not dressed like the lilies of the field. The lilies were dressed with God's provision. The lilies looked that beautiful because God gave them their "clothing". God designed them like that.

Sometimes we are not grateful for the provision God gives. We don't love what God has given us. We complain that it's too small, too little, too bland, not enough, too ugly, poorly located, etc. Yet the Lord says, the lilies were dressed better than mega-rich splendidly-dressed King Solomon.


In Luke 12:28-31, the Lord Jesus goes on,

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

There was a time I whined to God (around 2005) about why we didn't have money to buy a need, yet some people were so rich they could buy any luxurious thing they wanted. The Lord spoke to my heart to read Matthew 6:28 and the verses following. The Lord asked me, in my heart, "what is the most luxurious place or thing you can think of?" I answered the Lord, "the Burj al Arab in Dubai, the 7- star hotel." The Lord said, "Solomon's splendor was greater than the Burj al Arab's splendor. But my provision is greater than Solomon's splendor."

When I heard that, I felt so ashamed for whining to God. His provision is greater than Solomon's splendor! Wow! No luxury can compare to what God has provided for me! Why should I look in envy at what other people have or what they can buy? What I have is the best because God gave it. I desire what God provides for me because that is the best. I don't want what someone else has.

I didn't whine anymore after that. I love what God has provided for me. It's better than Solomon's splendor. :-D

Where were you when God made the earth?

Many times, like Job, we like to complain to God and ask why certain things happen to us. I say give up the right to know why and instead trust God that He will give you the grace to stand during your trials and to withstand the fire.

Asking and questioning God if brought too far will lead us to doubt and anger toward God, which is the most foolish thing to do. God is our Creator, He is all powerful, nothing is ever a surprise to God 'cause He knows everything. And all His plans for us are for our good and not to harm us.

In Job 38:1-4 God answered Job's complaints and questions:

"Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:
"Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?
Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.
Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand."

In our finite minds we cannot understand what we are going through. But our Infinite LORD, our Father, sees and knows everything. In Job 38 and the passages following God asked Job a whole bunch of rhetorical questions. God made everything;the mountains, fields, sun and moon and stars, and every animal, He knows everything, we are more important to God than animals.

Luke 12:6-7
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

So in telling Job about how He knows and cares about creation, God was telling Job how infinite He was compared to Job's situation.

Job had accused God. He had justified himself instead in trusting in the Rock of Ages; he had discredited God's justice because of his situation. But God answered him:

Job 40:1-2,7-8
The LORD said to Job:"Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!..."Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. "Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?

How did Job answer?

He recognized his unworthiness...and promised to stop complaining.

Job 40:3-5
Then Job answered the LORD:
"I am unworthy-- how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.
I spoke once, but I have no answer-- twice, but I will say no more."

He recognized his sin in what he said- how he had insulted God in questioning God, which was basically "darkening God's counsel". Job did not understand what happened, yet he dared question the One who understands all things.

Job 42:1-6
Then Job replied to the LORD:
"I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.
'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.
'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.'
My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.
Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."

Has this ever happened to you? It recently happened to me. I discovered lumps in my body, and thought of the possibility it could be cancer. In all the turmoil in my thoughts following the discovery, the Lord spoke to me in my heart: "Were you there when I laid the foundations of the earth, when I made the sun and moon? Watch and see what I can do in your situation."

A day later, lumps turned out to be benign cysts. But even if they were cancerous, I KNOW the Lord is TRUSTWORTHY. I will trust and love the Lord no matter what happens to me.

Lyrics of Made for You by Matt Gilman

We were made to love God. This is what Matt Gilman's beautiful love song for the Lord expresses.

Before, I thought God was just meant to be admired in His creation. No, you can look at creation and admire its beauty, but it is a super-far, far cry from knowing the Lord HIMSELF truly and deeply. David said in Psalm 63, Your love is better than life. Knowing the Lord and experiencing a taste of how wide, how deep and how great His love is, IS better than life itself. Truly, better is one day in His courts than a THOUSAND elsewhere(Psalm 84). One day in God's presence is better than 2 years and 9 months elsewhere. That's the comparison.

Listen to it on Matt Gilman's MySpace Music page

It is from the album "Holy".

It is also available on iTunes
_______________________
Lyrics:
I will abide in You
Oh come, abide in me
For without You, I can do nothing.
For without You, I can do nothing.

Chorus:
To walk in the cool of the day with You,
To gaze on the beauty of all You do,
To meditate on Your glorious splendor,
I was made for You.

On You I meditate,
And pray both night and day,
Oh Lord, that I would be with You, where You are.
Oh Lord, that I would be with You, where You are.

(Repeat Chorus 2x)

To become a lover of God,
To speak face to face
To know all Your thoughts
To abide in Your love,
In Your love in me
To keep Your commands,
that I may be filled with joy.

(Repeat Chorus 2x)

I found these lyrics on the blog In The Now

Lyrics of "My Beloved" by Kari Jobe

This is a beautiful, beautiful song.

They are God's words of affirmation to His people. He calls us beautiful. Through the blood of Jesus, we are made stainless and blameless in His sight.

Did you know that in the book of Song of Solomon (Song of Songs), the Lord calls the Beloved "beautiful" 23 times? Yes, 23 times! (I counted them.) Add to that the many descriptions and comparisons of beauty that the Lover (God) uses to affirm His people (the Beloved) in Song of Songs.

We always look for love, affirmation and acceptance from people, but ONLY THE LORD can satisfy our deepest longings for love and acceptance. That's because He is our Creator.

This song is the Lord's love song to His people.

You may listen to it on Kari Jobe's MySpace Music page.

You can also buy it on iTunes.
___________________

Lyrics:

You're My Beloved
You're My Bride
To sing over you is My delight
Come away with Me My love

You're Beautiful to Me
So beautiful to Me

Under My mercy
Come and wait
Till we are standing face to face
I see no stain on you
My child

You're Beautiful to Me
So Beautiful to Me

I sing over you My song of peace
Cast all your care down at My feet
Come and find your rest in Me

I'll breathe My life inside of you
I'll bear you up on eagle's wings
And hide you in the shadow of My strength
I'll take you to My quiet waters
I'll restore your soul
Come rest in Me and be made whole

You're My beloved
You're My Bride
To sing over you is my delight
Come away with me my love

Seen at the Mall: funny t-shirt

It reads: "I'M NOT BOSSY, I JUST HAVE BETTER IDEAS"

Recycling Those Long Dairy Queen Spoons

Every time we eat a Blizzard ice cream treat at Dairy Queen, we keep the long spoons that are served with the medium and large sizes of the Blizzard. They are useful for mixing juice drinks in tall glasses, mixing hot coffee, and getting jam or peanut butter from the bottom of a bottle. They are sturdy and it's such a waste to throw them away.

Plead My Cause: The Unborn Baby's Prayer

I want to share another version that I made of "The Unborn Baby's Prayer" pro-life picture which was based on Psalm 35:1-2 (NKJV). I simplified it by just placing the first few words of the verses.


This is the Spanish version(NVI):

'What you have is better than what you don't have': Life lesson from my 10-year old son

We wanted to encourage our kids to save up for a PSP(Play Station Portable) instead of telling them outright that we would not buy them one. We told them, if they wanted one, they should save up for it. So last Christmas my two kids emptied their piggy banks and put their money together to start the ball rolling. They were able to come up with around P1000(US$21). My younger son was so discouraged that they had to save P13,000(US$278) more (the PSP in the department store was P14,000-around US$299). But we told them it would take a year or so of saving so they could buy the PSP. He was really determined to raise the money. He even bargained with me to contribute P100(US$2.14) a week to their PSP fund. My sister Donna even gave a birthday gift to my younger son that went to the PSP fund.

Then one day my younger son told me as we arrived home from school , "Mommy, I don't want us to buy a PSP anymore."

I said, "Really? Why?"

He explained that they had class "devotions"(Bible study and prayer) that morning and that their teacher shared with them during devotions time that "what you have is better than what you don't have."

He told me, with a smile on his face and with no hint of sadness, "Mommy, we already have a Game Boy, so since what we have is better than what we don't have, I don't want us to buy the PSP anymore. Let's just buy new cartridges for the Game Boy. Then just put the money we had saved in the bank."

I was pleasantly surprised and relieved at the same time, but most of all, it also showed me how God, through the teacher, taught my son to overcome covetousness(the controlling desire for something you don't have but want so badly) and greed, to distinguish between needs and wants and to be content with what one has. His happiness didn't hinge on getting the PSP. He was happy even if he wouldn't have one anymore.

There is nothing wrong at all if your kids have a PSP or if you bought them one. What I'm trying to say in this note is that my son taught me a valuable lesson on contentment and covetousness.

In Luke 12:15, the Lord Jesus said:
"Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Another Pineapple Fruit from A Pineapple Top I Planted

Several months back (March 2008) I posted about a pineapple fruit that grew from the pineapple plant in my parents' backyard. (The plant came from a pineapple top.) I had several posts on how it grew:

post #1- April 2008, post #2- April 2008 post #3 - May 2008

and when it was harvested : post #4- June 2008

Yesterday I was at my parents' house and lo and behold, I saw another pineapple fruit on another plant! It has been so long, I had stopped looking. I think this plant was planted June or July 2006. It came from a pineapple top! ( A Dole Tropical Gold pineapple- the small and really sweet ones.) It took 2 and a half years to bear fruit! (No chemical fertilizer was used.)

Online BMI Calculator

I would like to share this link to those who want to know their body mass index (BMI). The normal BMI should be your target for weight loss. What I did was I typed in different weights until the BMI became 24.9. The weight at 24.9 should be your target weight. However, if you're of Asian descent, the normal BMI upper limit is 23. For American women it is 24.9. So I need to lose more pounds to get to 23.

Calculate your BMI - Standard BMI Calculator

Sunset Pictures at Vivere Azure in Anilao , Batangas

I love sunsets! The island on the horizon, if I'm not mistaken, is Sombrero Island, a famous dive spot. (I don't scuba dive, I just heard it's a famous dive spot.) Anilao is a dive-resort town in Mabini, Batangas, on the southern coast of Luzon Island in the Philippines

Infinity Pool at Vivere Azure in Anilao, Mabini, Batangas

Last Nov. 29-30, the clinic where my husband works as a consultant had a "team-building/strategic planning" workshop (read: clinic outing) at this beautiful resort (Vivere Azure) in Anilao, Batangas, south of Manila, on the southern part of Luzon Island.

While my husband was at the strategic planning workshop, the kids went a-swimming in the tiny infinity pool. I looked after them while sitting in the shade of the welcome hut/front lobby of the resort. This was a real infinity pool, the edge of the pool was parallel to the horizon and there were no trees in the way. There was a sheer drop at the edge of the pool. The view was breathtaking.

39 Years of Mercy: My Life Testimony

I turned 39 today! As I look back on my life, the only thing I can say is thank You Lord for 39 years of Your mercy!

I received the Lord in my heart when I was 16, through a gospel tract that a high school friend sent me. However, when I was in dental school , I backslid in my relationship with the Lord because back then, when I was "getting close to the Lord", I had this feeling that God was going to "call" me into "full-time ministry". I didn't want to become a lady minister or pastor, I wanted to be a dentist. So I cordoned off the "career" part of my life from God. I foolishly told Him, "my career is off-limits to You". So this rebellion led me farther away from God, and it showed in my life: I was full of bitterness, anger, revenge, unforgiveness, hatred, slander. I did not "walk my talk" and was a mean-spirited, bitter, cynical person. I fought with people and made many enemies. I drifted so far away from God, He seemed like a super distant voice already. My anger consumed me, and finally around 1999 the anger caused my body to develop an autoimmune disease. My own immune system began attacking my body
, and I developed tendinitis, synovitis, skin lesions, and fatigue. I was placed on oral steroids intermittently for 3 years to combat the inflammation, then on the immune suppressant azathioprine, until I saw another doctor who changed the medication to methotrexate, a cancer-chemotherapy drug that is also a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug. When I was on methotrexate, I reached rock-bottom. Methotrexate tasted like poison, and I felt I
was dying with each tablet. I developed depression and had to be placed on anti-depressants.

In my rock-bottom experience, I cried out to God for mercy. That is when I felt His hand pull me up from the "miry clay",as Psalm 40:2 says. Literally. The Lord found me "on the broken road" as the song "Where the Love Lasts Forever" says. Then I heard Him say, through a song ,"prepare the way of the Lord". What happened in the following days is the Lord drew me closer to Him...I hadn't read the Bible for months then. The Lord used devotionals at first to teach me, then later on I began reading the Bible. The Lord began to gently teach me in His word all that I had disobeyed and how I had hurt Him by all the acts of disobedience that I did. I felt so ashamed for my backsliding...I had hurt my Lord more than I had hurt myself! I told the Lord, Lord, from now on I will do whatever Your word says. I will follow what You want in my life, even if You "call" me into "full-time" ministry. Even if You send me to Africa. I will say Yes, Lord." I removed the "cordon" I had placed on my career and my wants and dreams, and let God be the Lord of ALL my life.

Slowly, the Lord began to teach me from His word. I began to grow closer to the Lord again. I remember the Lord speaking to my heart, "Remember this day, I am bringing your knowledge of My word back to zero, like a slate wiped clean. Everything you will learn about My Word from now on is from Me, so you can never boast that your wisdom and knowledge about My Word is from you."

After a few months, the Lord gave me three promises in His Word for healing of depression.

The first was Psalm 38:9:

All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.

All my sighs were heard and seen by God!

The second was Isaiah 51:11
The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Gladness and joy will overtake me! The sorrow and sighing will flee away!

The third was Isaiah 53:4:

Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted.

The Lord carried my sorrows! The Lord took up my infirmities!

I received the promise on Aug. 31, 2002.

I was healed on October 1, 2002. I was just sitting in church and someone was singing "His Eye is on the Sparrow". Then I distinctly remember God speaking to my heart, "receive your healing". I didn't feel anything different. I just pondered on what I heard. Then I said, if my fatigue is gone tomorrow morning, I know I'm healed. The fatigue was gone the next day. It never came back. Two weeks later the tendinitis/synovitis symptoms slowly disappeared.

I was completely healed.

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
Psalm 40:2-3

I live today because the Lord rescued me. By His great mercy, I live.

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-- of whom I am the worst.
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Timothy 1:14-17