What is it with MARRIAGE?

Well, my whole great family is overjoyed because of the upcoming wedding of my cousin. We did the engagement ceremony several weeks ago and her wedding is to be held this coming October. In a sense, everyone is relieved now that one of us will actually tie the knot. :) I'm happy for her!!

Now, talking about all the detail preparations...my Mum just couldn't help herself but to brag about me, the one event organizer, the multi-task gal ...the wondergirl of the family...They bought her words and called me up for a meeting.

Voila...they appointed me to be the coordinator for the whole event. I was thrilled. I mean, I did this for others, why wouldn't I wanna do it for my own cousin, right?

So, anyway ...we began the many meetings to discuss details, site visit, making layout, tailored the whole rundown and things. I offered to make the short movie clip for their reception. They were thrilled, of course.

MARRIAGE

As I was sitting and having dinner with my cousin's family, I couldn't help but noticing how easy and light they took this whole thing. Well, to call it a preparation..as far as i observed, they were busy preparing for the event, the venue, the menu, decor, the pre-wedding photo session and all. I was wondering whether they have taken the time to prepare themselves on the essence. I mean, venue, menu and decor were all important, but there is something else that is more important, even the most important...well, at least, I believe it is for me though. 

Wedding, I believe is just an event, a ceremony. It's a one time thing. It's a one day happening. 

As for MARRIAGE, it's a legal union of a man and a woman. Yes, marriage is a legal institution between two parties. But not only it is a legal institution (which is protected under the law), but also a spiritual institution. 

Marriage was the first institution that was ordered and introduced by God to mankind. The idea of marriage didn't come from some soap story of Romeo and Juliet, or some Hollywood producers. It didn't come from any Ken and Barbie doll story. It was originated from the very heart of God Himself. 

I find it very romantic, when God purposely put Adam to sleep while He worked His wonder and formed Eve out of the bone of Adam. Then when He was done, He Himself brought and presented her to Adam - not by some kind of middleman effort or some TV show version of today's TAKE HIM OUT.

Turning on my sanctified imagination, I saw God holding Eve closed by His side, walking her by the isle and presented her, unblemished, pure and without spots, to Adam. I think, based on this ancient truth that today’s fathers would walk their daughters by the isle to be presented to the grooms.

Why marriage?

Some people I know have their marriage life easy. I mean, there were some occasional rough rides, but overall the family stay together, finances are in tact, their kids grew up ‘normally’ – as most people would say.

But then, what is normal?

One of the definition given by the Webster Dictionary of the word normal is:

a.       according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, or principle

b.       conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern

So, who’s standard are we using to be able to label some marriage as ‘normal’? Into what kind of type do we conform ourselves in the area of marriage? Are we just calling it normal because of some regular pattern that we see in society?

What was His idea of Marriage?

There is this one ancient quote that I could not shake in reference to marriage. In the book of Malachi, it was revealed that God wanted a godly offspring from the union of man and wife.

A godly offspring.

Picture this. The idea of a godly offspring doesn’t only imply as merely ‘good’ boys and girls. I’d like to picture this as the prophet Joel described, a young generation that would be able to see and prophecy. A generation that would speak things into existence. A generation that would be sensitive to the timing and season of God. A generation that would walk in the authority of God the Almighty.

I believe even the best wedding organizer in town would not be able to construct this kind of result. Not even the best building and catering nor the best pre-wed photographer would be brilliant enough to prepare you for this. It takes God Himself to walk us through the isle up to the altar and all through life for us to have this kind of offspring. It takes humility from our part to acknowledge His blueprint as a standard of living, as a constitution in which we based our judgment as normal living.

As I help out in preparing my cousin’s wedding, I say a prayer in my heart for her and her future husband. May their union together be blessed by God. May they have godly offspring who will walk in the power and authority of God. 

Message In A Bottle

Message In A Bottle stars Robin Wright Penn as Theresa Osborne, a writer for the Chicago Tribune. While her son visits her cheating ex-husband, Theresa goes on a vacation by herself. One day, while running on the beach, she finds a bottle washed up on the shore. She opens it and inside finds a love letter unlike any she's ever read.
Captivated by the author's words of love, she returns to her job at the Tribune where she convinces her boss to run an article about the mystery writer, known only as "G." He approves, and Theresa begins her hunt. Scrutinizing every physical detail of the letter and the path the bottle may have taken, she eventually locates Garret Blake (Kevin Costner), a North Carolina boat-restorer who has not been the same since the tragic death of his beloved wife Catherine.
Since her death, Garret has written several letters to his dead wife, put them in a bottles, and let them loose in the sea. As Theresa spends time with Garret, she quickly falls in love with him, though she neglects to tell him she knows about the letters. Garret, prodded by his cantankerous, no-nonsense dad, Dodge (Paul Newman), emerges from his shell of grief and develops an interest in Theresa as well. Theresa returns to Chicago and Garret soon visits her; he meets her son, Jason (Jesse James), but also discovers her knowledge of the letters. Eventually the two, who have both lost love, must cast off their emotional baggage and decide if they will pursue love even if it can't always last.

***

What a love story!!  A Movie like this would sure entice many young women (and ummm… many 'love crazy' men, too) to drool over and search for the love of their live. An emotional awakening was purposely put together by Nicholas Sparks to portray a romantic search for the romance of life - though in most of his stories have bitter endings.

Now, don't get me wrong yet (put down the stones, please…hehehe). In my opinion, searching for true love is quite normal. Who am I to judge that if a person desire to have a lover, he or she is off track?

I believe we're all born with a longing for a true love, that as human, we not only have brains but also have hearts. We are capable of both THINKING and FEELING. That way, we are born with a capacity to love and be loved. We are created and born with the capacity to be romantic :) It's in our DNA.

In a matter of fact, the whole story of creation began with a LOVE STORY, a divine love story.

The whole first chapter of the story was dedicated in portraying how this unique Person was thinking, planning, creating and making into existing, a beautiful Garden for the lover of His heart. This was far more greater than the Hanging Gardens of Babylon that was built by King Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife.

In all the mystery of universe, He created men that were capable of both thinking and feeling, to receive or to reject, to love or to hate - all in their own FREE act of will- toward Him. He was not creating robots that were pre-programmed to love Him back, nor a toy that He could carry around silently.

He was creating a companion, a mate, a partner for life…for Him.

Then…sin came into that beautiful garden and destroyed the relationship, the beautiful romance that had sprung.

Men died. He lost a lover and it grieved Him.

After so many messages and letters through the ages, in search for His lover, He finally sent His greatest love letter. The difference with Sparks’ letter, His didn’t come inside bottles. His didn’t come in a form of white paper, but in flesh and blood. The whole embodiment of the message was not wrapped in an envelope, but in human skin and bones. This love letter was not written with ink but with drops of blood that dripped and wetted the brown rocky soil. His greatest love letter was nailed on a rugged tree.

This is crazy love, you may say. Yes, I agree. This Supreme Person was and is and continues to love men passionately. He is madly in love with men.

As you read this, look around you…

And when you see the bright morning sun smile at you

When you feel the gentle breeze of the wind caressing your face

When shower of rain asking you to dance in the street

When the beautiful color of the wild flowers greet your way

And the little sparrow hops by your office window

You know Somebody is whispering a gentle message in your heart…

“I love you.”

How To Find Your Unique Talents

Talent need not to be related only with intellect. It can be artistic, technical and physicalas well. Not every talent requires being profitable, it just needs to be useful in a positive way. Many of us are still in search of the talents that are hidden within us. Finding the talent that sets us apart from the crowd can be a long process, often tricky also. It needs observation and analysis of one’s own self. If you want to learn how to find your talents, the tips provided in the following lines will surely come handy.

Finding Your Hidden Talent

Find Your Interests
The first step towards finding your talents is to know your interests. What sorts of things do you like to read about, watch or do? What are your favorite shows on television? Which column of the newspaper and magazines do you like to read?

Try Out Different Things
If you want to find out your dexterity in each of the things that interest you, then try them out. Carry out experiments and explore things. Locate a safe environment, where you can try out different things without anybody’s interference.

Find Your Passion
You may be a person of various interests, but there will be only a thing or two, which you are passionate about. What is the one thing that you love to do the most, with utmost enthusiasm? Get the answer for the question and you will come to know what exactly you are passionate about.

Improve Yourself
After you come to know about the areas of your interest, it is the time to improve yourself. Read lots of books and learn from people. One of the best ways to learn something is to teach. Therefore, teach what you have learnt. This will help increase your depth of knowledge. In this process, you will be able to discover all your hidden talents and skills.

Know Your Limits
In the process of finding your strengths or talents, you should not ignore your weaknesses as well. Know your limits. Find out the things in which you are not a pro or lag behind. Know what makes you struggle. You will then come to know about your talents as well as the areas that you need to work on.

At the end, as we find our own unique talents, there won't be any need to compare ourselves with others and be insecure for the rest of our life. Instead, life can be so colorful because each one of us bring and spread our own unique color to the canvas of today's world.

When are You Gonna Settle Down?

"So, when are you gonna settle down?" I heard my friends ask me. Well, to be frank, this is not the first time somebody ask me this kind of question. I've grown accustom to sound of it. Heard it in family gathering, old friends reunion and small group family dinner. The exact words might vary but the ultimate curiosity of these well-meaning friends and family is...they wanna know when will I decide to 'settle down'.

What is this idea of settling down? To get married, have kids, start a family...?
It is as if by being single would mean that you haven't got there yet. That you are still somewhere there up in the ozone.

Seems like life is not complete yet, like you have not live your life... NOT COMPLETE ...yet.

Uhhh...I could not shake this thought. So bothering me!

Does it mean, as long as you are not married - you only live half way of the portion of joy, enthusiasm, exuberant life you suppose to have?

To be honest - I feel quite satisfied with my singleness. I'm not lacking anything. God supply me with all the joy I need. If I do get married one day, it won't be for the reason of fulfilling the emptiness in the heart, NOPE!

Because being single with the Lord, with friends and family that love me - I'm quite full. My cup runs over with passion and joy. I'm excited of being me - being the single woman I am, the person I am, created in the image of God, to do the good works according to His great pleasures.

(behind the steering wheel on a hot, dusty Saturday)

My 'Trimming' Season

It was said, 'You can not be the Jack of all trades' - the master of none. I decided in the few weeks approaching the end of December to evaluate and examine the way I've walked my journey so far. I came to find out that I've wasted most of my energy doing things that is not in alignment with my gifts and talents, things only based on assignments, things I didn't find enjoyment doing, burdensome and boring. Things that brought me to my knees and drove me to the wall. Things that pinched my nerves.

So, I began my trimming session. I trimmed branches that bore me little and almost no fruits, activities and connections that is not producing much, and decided to only concentrate on the little few that I can cultivate. These little few are the ones God placed in my hands. He entrusted me with those - like the master gave 5 or 2 or even 1 talents to the servants.

Cultivating and aiming to be excellent in what He called and designed you to be, will make you a unique individual. You will be irreplaceable - just the way He wanted it to be. There won't be anybody in the face of this earth that can be like you. ... hmm, just this thought is already comforting :)

I know that time will come when He will ask of my accountability.

I don't want to stand shy before Him, ashamed that I have not produce anything of those few talents He gave me.

So, 2010 is my trimming season...

When God interrupted your thoughts

I was reading an article posted by Lee Grady about the 'famous bus ride' of 4 days a pastor took in order to meet him, so he would come to his country, a country that has treated women so badly...
when suddenly a thought slipped in my mind...
hey...what have i done with the many friends i have listed in my facebook account? what am i waiting for now...? an opportunity? a voice from heaven or a sign - before start engaging and doing something to bring salvation to them?

time flies and they can be lost one by one...

I feel restless...

how come...this thought has never occurred before??

in such a busy traffics going on in my brain...this thought of how my friends would spend their eternity slipped by...

God what are you telling me?