I Want To Date A Girl Who

“Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

            Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

            She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

            Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

            It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

            Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

            Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

            Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilightseries.

            If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

            You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

            Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.”

Rosemarie no longer has an active blog, but she can be found on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=585211028 To see the post about how she was found, please go here. Thanks to Booksnbrew  for searching!

When I Am Weak

In times like we are giving up, there are so many things that comes into our mind. QUIT NOW. STOP IT. DON'T GO. DO NOT FINISH.  It's easy to stop, quit, and even don't finish the race, it seems that you are putting so much effort on the things that you feel there is no reward at all.

We face all the trials in our life but what really matters is that on how you will see the positive and a purpose why you are being tested.  Maybe now we will not see what is this all about like questioning WHY ME?

But folks it's about putting our trust in Him for He promise that you are more than a conqueror  "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" Romans 8:37

When I am weak I know God is bigger and stronger than I ought to be.  He knows all the details of my life.  I surrender everything in His holy name.  Nothing could separate me from God.  Nothing.

Sometimes it's hard to understand life like we think that life is unfair but you know what folks I learned that God's plan may not be the easiest plan or the most popular plan, but God always has the best plan.

Same article I posted in Truth on-air visit this site also.

Fear Not

          
               It's been 2 months since I am away from my home literally away what a euphoric experience for the first days or weeks.  But suddenly it came to a point where I feel so helpless in the country where i am new a strict country I should say. Why not to call for a help to ease my sadness but unfortunately nobody out here that i can run to.

               Until I realized that I have a Father above who is willing to ease my loneliness.

            Is there an area of your life that you need God's help in?  A lot of times, it's easy to think that we're not supposed to ask for too much, but the scripture enocurages us to go to God with all of our needs.  He longs to give you the desires of your heart and pour out His favor and blessing on you.

            In fact, Jesus said, "You have not, because you ask not." When you step out and ask for God's favor, His blessings and His increase, you are activating you faith.  And when you pray, make sure there isn't anything in your heart that would block your faith. 

          Begin your prayer by surrendering every thought and attidute to the Lord.  Ask Him to purify your motives and show you if there is any unforgiveness in your life.  When you release those things to the Lord, it opens the door for Him to move mightily on your behalf, and you will move forward into the life of blessing He has in store for you!

Don't be afraid, for I am with you.  Don't be discourage, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Determination

          There are time like I'm giving up in every situation in my life, yes I do lose hope, faith, patience and even determination in life.  

         My personal life has been compromised in so many ways, sometimes I feel like giving up and sometimes I want to turn my back against somethings.

          I attended a Youth Service in my home church, the youth Pastor's message was so simple yet full of reflections in life,  we had a short video clip about determination an inspirational video worth watching for.

          It's true that every accomplishment starts the decision to try. Don't worry if lose the race what matters is you passed the finished line.  Don't worry if the expectations for you is high what matters is you tried.

          We have different race tracks in life but one thing is for sure that we have similarities ... We all have finish line to reach guys.  When you don't give up... You cannot fail.

          One  of my church-mate Rox said "It's not how you started the race... It's how you finish!" a cliche word for me but so meaningful and a word to live by for me.

          What caught my attention is that when his father ran to the racetrack just to accompany his son, what a heartbreaking scenario. This reminds me of unconditional love that Jesus gave it to us.  Jesus will never leave us in times of difficulties and in times of trials. 

          When faced with mountain, I will not quit! I will keep striving until I climb over, find a pass trough or simply stay focused in your goal and everything will follow with God's help. 

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them.  For the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you"   Deuteronomy 31:6

Facing A Storm

         Today maybe you are facing a storm and can't quite see way out.  Maybe you're not sure what the answer is.  All you have to do is to take it one step at a time by saying.

"God, I know You have a good plan for my future."

"God, I am doing better today than I was yesterday."

"God, I know You are guiding and leading me."

          With every step you take, know that God is doing a work in your life.  Know that HE is with you, and He will comfort you.  Keep moving forward.  Keep taking those steps of faith and keep walking trough the storm into the place of victory HE has prepared for you!


         " Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.  I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4, NIV)

Humbleness

     I may not be worthy in your sight but still you are their to understand me and more than that is You love me unconditionally, sometimes I question a lot of things that comes my way maybe because it is not what i wanted to happen, but as i look deeper into my situation i realized that everything is planned by your time frame, i may not understand everything but still my trust is in You Lord.


     “Being humble is not a matter of pretending to be worthless, but is a form of realism, not only 

regarding the real badness of one’s sins and stupidities and the real depth of one’s dependence on God’s grace, but also regarding the real range of one’s abilities. 

     Humble believers know what they can and cannot do. They note both their gifts and their limitations, and so are able to avoid both the unfaithfulness of letting their God-given powers lie fallow and the foolhardiness of biting off more than they can chew.”

     As what i have notice, one of the lyrics from Hillsong United's All For Love said  ...how many times have I broken your heart, still you forgive if only I ask... this lyrics is very striking to me seriously.

     Lord I may cause you so much pain, but still You are there beside me continuesly loving me unconditionally, what more can i ask for?  I am so blessed to have you in my life so blessed.

Where is God now?

           He is standing right there in the rubble suffering with those who suffer, and weeping with those weep and binding up the hearts of the broken hearted. God is there in the strength of that torn nation’s strong, resilient people.


           God is there in the presence and efforts of every soldier, aid worker, and other participant working to cope with the initial stages of recovery in this disaster. God is there in the funds donated to aid organizations to individuals around the world.  God is there in the prayers and concerns of those individual and others.

           If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

What a simple and great promise from our God.

Life

          Life isn’t about keeping score. It’s not about how many people call you and it’s not about who you’ve dated, are dated, or haven’t dated at all. It isn’t about who you’ve kissed, what sport you play, or which guy or girl likes you.


          It’s not about your shoes or your hair or the color of your skin or where you live or where you go to school. In fact it’s not about grades, money, clothes or colleges that accept you or not. Life isn’t about if you have lots of friends, or if you are alone, and it’s not about how accepted or unaccepted you are. Life just isn’t about that.


         But life is about who you love and who you hurt. It’s about how you feel about yourself. It’s about trust, happiness and compassion. It’s about sticking up for your friends and replacing inner hate with love.


         Life is about avoiding jealousy, overcoming ignorance, and buidling confidence. It’s about what you say and what you mean. Its about seeing people for who they are and not what they have.


          Most of all, it is about choosing to use your life to touch someone else’s in a way that could never have been achieved otherwise. That is why the good Lord placed us here on this beautiful earth. These choices are what life’s about.”

Enjoying the Situation You're In

I must admit, sometimes we like to question God saying why, why have we been put into this situation - it is so uncomfortable, so not needed in our life right now, so time wasting. We always hope for the good coming towards us, and never the bad. We just want the blessings, and not the other stuff.

Aren’t we selfish beings?

In Genesis 13, Abraham and Lot were having an argument so Abraham told Lot that perhaps it’s best to separate.

Lot was given the first choice of where he would like to go. He looked at Jordan Valley which was well watered, so he made his decision to settle there.

Abraham went the opposite direction, and did not complain that Lot had chosen the ‘better’ land.

Lot’s decision is sometimes like ours. Sure, things may be pleasing to the eyes - but the choices we make tend to be human like choices. And by that I mean: our choices are flesh dependant. We feed what our flesh wants, and not really care what our spiritual side wants.

Abraham didn’t complain because he knew that what God had planned for him was far better than the situation he was in. God ended up giving the whole land that Abraham settled in to Abraham and for his generations to come. God promised that he was going to be the father of all nations! Who wouldn’t want a blessing like that?

So today, let us not complain because the situations we are coming across is ‘uncomfortable’, for these are the times that God will bring awesomeness in your life. And let us make our decisions based on the decisions that God wants us to make, and be less reliant on our human flesh to decide what we want to do or what’s most comfortable for us. Let us humble ourselves before God :)

Digital Mask

          "To be nobody but yourself, in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting." E.E. Cummings

            It can take a lifetime to figure out who you really are, but a good test is to see how you act and who you become when no one else is around. How are people influencing who you are?

So true. How are we acting when there are other people around compared to when we're alone? Shouldn't we be the same person through and through? 

Sometimes we tend to be a people pleaser, acting like we are good enough in the sight of others.

I've been hiding, hiding for so long right behind my digital mask
I've been trying to be someone I'm not
All these perfectly fake people push us to insane ideals
They're nothing more than counterfeit images

                                      Kutless: Beyond The Surface

The drive that cause people to be who they don't want to be is the mentality of "pleasing-others" as the primary purpose of life.   People lose their true identity and are living a deceptive mask of who others want them to be. We should stop the pretending business and be who you are, a rich, blessed, hopeful, and full-of-love being that God created and redeemed out of his abounding, everlasting love for us.

Let us be true to ourselves, Being true to ourselves is one of the greatest feelings that you’ll feel.  God is right there to accept who we are and what capabilities we have.

Don't give up in to everything the world around tells you to be.  Open up your mind release yourself.  Stop the lying, stop comparing who you are to what you see.  Never let fear hold back you to change.

God's Plan In Finding Your Mate

         
          Lord, I am about to be ready to commit myself to someone I fell in love with. Could I take her now? I have prayed for her for quite a time now.

          But the Lord answered. No, not until you are satisfied, fulfilled and content with being loved by me alone. You need to give yourself totally unreserved to me because in me your satisfaction is to be found. And when you learn to commit yourself to me alone then, only then is the right time for you to be capable of perfect human relationship that I have planned for you long you thought at it.

          You will never be united with another until you are united with me. You will never learn to speak and understand the true language of love until you hear me speak it. You will never learn how it is to love and be loved until you feel the tender touch of my LOVE.

          I want you to stop planning. Stop wishing and allow me to step in and give you the most surprising and exciting plan that you can imagine.  You are my child. I want you to have the best. Please allow me to bring it to you. Fix your eyes on me and expect the greatest things as you watch.

         Keep experiencing the satisfaction that I AM. Learn all the things I tell you and be patient.  Just wait. Don’t be anxious. Do not worry.  Don’t look around and feel at the things others may have got. Yours will be different because I LOVE YOU.

         Don’t look at things you think you want. They may not be the things I want for you. Look up straight at me because you might miss what I want to show you. And then, when you’re ready. I’ll surprise you with a lover far more wonderful than what you would ever dream of. But I won’t let you have it until you are ready and the one I prepared for you is ready, until you are both satisfied exclusively with me and the LIFE I have prepared for you.

I Am Thankful

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary, because it means you’ve made a difference.

It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

Because God is Good all the time!

Why Worry?

          

         So many people today are living uptight, worried and anxious about the future, filled with frustration and concern. In the natural there may be good reason, but understand, living that way is not God’s best. God doesn’t want us to be filled with anxiety and frustration; He wants us to live in peace. You can find rest in Him knowing that no matter what is happening around you, God Almighty has His hand on you.

          The next time you’re tempted to worry or be anxious about something, remember this verse. God invites us to come to Him. In fact, the Bible says He rewards those who diligently seek Him. 


        But notice, we can’t just come to Him any old way. He wants us to come to Him with a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving. Begin by simply saying, “Father in heaven, thank You for the privilege to come before You. Thank You for hearing my prayers.” As you come to Him with an open and humble heart, He will hear you and fill you with His peace and joy to live free from anxiety all the days of your life!

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God”
(Philippians 4:6, NASB)

You Will Be Great

Understand that God likes to outdo Himself. He wants to open doors for you and bring out talents and abilities that you didn’t even know you had. We serve a God of abundance! He is the God of more than enough. Not only does He want to meet your needs, He wants to give you enough to bless other people. That’s living in the fullness of the blessing.

            Today, don’t settle where you are. Your destiny is not determined by the economy, your past or what anyone else thinks or says. Your destiny is determined by Almighty God. He wants you to tap into a greater measure of His power so you can live the abundant life He has in store for you!

God is always good, and He always wants the best for you even if you're facing a difficult situation.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:1-6, KJV.

Small pebbles

Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain.

What small stuff are you tripping over that's preventing you from accomplishing your goals? There may be obstacles that others put in your path, but how many are you adding to your own?

Sometimes we just ignore every little thing in our life, believing that those littlie things in our life have no impact at all.

We are not invincible in every problem that we encounter, at some point in our life we fall and stumble.  It’s not a big deal if we fail, what really matters is on how we stand up with head up high after those failures.  Maybe those pebbles represent struggles, heart aches, pride, family problems, hurt, and unforgiveness. 

We are reminded by God that you don't have to worry about tomorrow or even the next five minutes! Sometimes you may find that you worry more about what you can't control than what you can. There are some circumstances that you can't change and others you will need to ask God to help you accept. The key is to take every worry to God first.

“Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain”

Mother's Hands

Sharing a positive and uplifting note to you guys is really the thing i really love to do, and in my simplest way i know i can minister to you, i want to share to you this story that i read while browsing my Facebook page, for sure some of you had read this article and touch your emotions in some ways, I would like to share this again to you guys, i give credit to the person who wrote this story you did a great job.

One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.   He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the last decision.   The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score.

  

The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?"

The youth answered "none".  

The director asked, " Was it your father who paid for your school fees?"

The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.

The director asked, " Where did your mother work?"

The youth answered, "My mother worked as clothes cleaner.

The director requested the youth to show his hands.  The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked, " Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?"

The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.

The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.   The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.   This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.   After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.   That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.   Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: "Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"

The youth answered," I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes'

The Director asked,"please tell me your feelings."

The youth said, Number 1, I know now what is appreciation. Without my mother, there would not the successful me today. Number 2, by working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done. Number 3, I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship.

The director said, "This is what I am looking for to be my manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.

Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.   A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would develop "entitlement mentality" and would always put himself first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others. For this kind of people, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel sense of achievement. He will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying the kid instead?   You can let your kid live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it. After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person. The most important thing is your kid learns how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the ability to work with others to get things done.  

Who are we supposed to be?

Who are we supposed to be? What a question! 

Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.

We all struggle with purpose and direction in life - but maybe the question isn't what we are supposed to be doing, maybe the question is who are we supposed to be? So often we end up failing others because we are trying to fit into their desire, or thoughts for, what we should be.  Instead we should just get comfortable with who we are and work from there.  Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

We don't always need the courage to stand up for others and defend what we believe, sometimes the best thing in the moment is to pay attention. It can be the best example of your faith and an easy way to share your beliefs when you are the one doing the listening.

To Save A Life

          I just watched a movie today entitled “To Save A Life”. It is a very inspiring movie about a teenage boy who regretted not helping a friend in need get through life who later ended up committing suicide. And so as to not make the same mistake, he attended Church and did all he can to help those who feels like they are alone and at the mean time tries to find answers on why they think of dying and that life isn’t worth it. But life isn’t easy for him as well when he found out his parents are divorcing and his girlfriend got pregnant.

         I was so touched by this movie that I can’t help but cry. I’ve always complained about my problems, about life and even about the most simplest things that even I couldn’t believe I complained about. And then I watched this movie and found out there are a much more bigger problems other people have to face and they couldn’t let it out like I am. They just kept it to themselves, no one to ask help from and feeling all alone. My problems aren’t really as big as the ones in the movies. Now that I think about it, they aren’t really big enough to be worried about. With such small problems, I feel so alone, so helpless. What more if I were in their shoes? What more if I were the pregnant girlfriend? Or if I’m the one whose parents are divorcing or is getting a divorce? What if I were the one who didn’t bother to help a friend in need and caused him to commit a suicide? Honestly, I don’t know. But one thing’s for sure, I will feel remorse and alone.

          One of the cast Roger Dawson deliver this line with full of depression in his eyes, I realize that there are so many young people who is going through this kind of dilemma.

“I feel so alone. Like no one in the world feels this way, and it doesn’t even matter. It’s not important. It’s not important, maybe because.. I’m not important. I’m screaming out, doing everything in my power to be heard, yet even my silence is louder than my screams. What else can I do to be heard but to tear down my world, break apart my life? Die. I just want somebody to listen and not be angry that I’m not content, because I’m not. You know, I’m not happy. I feel like I’m stuck in a world where no one wants me, in a world where I’m so completely different. I can never fit in or be understood. I can scream as loud as I want to but the screams will always fade because no one really knows how to listen. Well, maybe this will show them.”

Roger Dawson,

          This movie made me realize that I want to help others. I want to be their counsellor. I want to talk to them, to help them with their problems. True enough I may not be able to really give the best advice, but I can lend an ear. I may not know what they are going through

          “Life is a journey, not so much to a destination, but a transformation. Looking back doesn’t sometimes feel like our richest times come right in the midst of our hardest? But God made us to life in community, to laugh and cry. To hurt and to celebrate with each other, no matter what we’re going through. And transformation is tough, and we don’t always end up where we think we will. But we have to remember, that even when we struggle to believe in Him, He always believes in us. He fills our lives with purpose and passion, if we just let Him. And the best part of the journey, is that the God of the universe, sometimes allows us to play a part in changing the world. Isn’t that a trip?”

—	To save a life (2009) I'll be glad to pray for you: Prayer Request