Life

1.     Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.

2.     Work at something you enjoy and that’s worthy of your time and talent.
3.     Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
4.     Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5.     Be forgiving of yourself and others.
6.     Be generous.
7.     Have a grateful heart.
8.     Persistence, persistence, persistence.
9.     Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
10.  Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
11.  Commit yourself to constant improvement.
12.  Commit yourself to quality.
13.  Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationship with people you love and respect.
14.  Be loyal.
15.  Be honest.
16.  Be a self-starter.
17.  Be decisive even it it means you’ll sometimes be wrong.
18.  Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
19.  Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did.
20.  Take good care of those you love.
21.  Don’t do anything that wouldn’t make your Mom proud.

Dear Future Wifey:

You don’t know me but I’m Praying for you,

I think of you when I dance and crunch and curl to be stronger

…so maybe one day I can carry your burdens

I think of you when I pray

…to be a man with integrity, standing loyally beside you through everythin’

I think of you when I wash up in the morning

…is this the handsome mug you’d look forward to seeing when you wake up?

I think of you when I’m falling asleep

…you’re out there somewhere, aren’t you?

God, make me a man after your heart and help me trust that you’re providing a woman who is after your heart, too. And while we’re both chasing after you, I pray we would bump into each other along this road, stop for a while to chat, and call the rest history. 

Dear Future Wifey: You don’t know me but I’m Praying for you :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

As a single, I know that the flaring up of strong feelings on Valentine’s Day is almost unavoidable.  But we always have a choice.  It can be a fire that burns us or a fire that fuels us.  And if I could issue one challenge to my fellow singles out there (and to myself), it is to make this day a monument of devotion, not of depression. 

Aim your attention outward, not focusing on what you don’t have, but rather on what you can give — and give up — for the sake of your future spouse.

This day is a celebration of commitment, of selfless, honest, and true love; so don’t let its theme be one of self-pity or self-focusedness.  Whether you know the name of your other half or not, let Valentine’s Day be a day of joy, a day where you celebrate, commemorate, and actively — excitedly — express to him or her the length, strength, and depth of your devotion.

God will give you a "love story" far better than you could dream of :)

Because You love me first

Some things I need to know about life, I learned from Noah’s Ark.

One : Don’t miss the boat. 
Two : Remember that we are all in the same boat.
Three : Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.
Four : Stay fit When you’re 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big. 
Five : Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done. 
Six : Build your future on high ground. 
Seven : For safety’s sake, travel in pairs. 
Eight : Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs. 
Nine : When you’re stressed, float a while. 
Ten : Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals. 
Eleven : No matter the storm, when you are with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting..

Lord, I know You have good intentions when You place me in a difficult situation for I know You will lift me up with Your right hand and as You’ll carry me through the darkest streets, I know there will be something good at the end of the journey. Because You have promised me something. I know that Your plans and my plans are different, and that Your plans are greater. But Lord, please give me the spirit of patience, as I am not patient as You are. And the spirit of peace, as my heart is in knots. I put my trust in You, Lord. 

30 EXTRAORDINARY THINGS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW

  

1. A baby is taking its first few steps without falling.

2. Two people somewhere in the world, are falling in love.

3. Somewhere, someone is admiring a breathtaking sunrise, and somewhere else, a surreal sunset.

4. A soldier of sorts is diligently fighting the fight so you don’t have to

5. Someone who suffered from a severe injury last year is back on their feet.

6. A small group of people are building something that will soon make the impossible possible.

7. Somewhere on Earth a double rainbow is stretched from one end of the horizon to the other.

8. One of the next Billboard-chart-topping musical artists is patiently rehearsing in her garage.

9. A piece of literature is being written that will eventually change your perspective on life.

10. A friend is helping a friend rise above thoughts of suicide.

11. People of various religious backgrounds are in temples, churches, mosques and other places of 

     worship praying, wholeheartedly, for world peace.

12. An elderly couple is celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

13. Two best friends are laughing so hard that they aren’t even making any noise.

14. A firefighter is running into a burning building to rescue a perfect stranger.

15. Someone in your hometown genuinely wants to be your friend.

16. A new mom is lying in a hospital bed and holding her baby twins for the very first time.

17. Someone is taking a shower and singing happily at the top of their lungs.

18. There is someone out there who smiles when they think of a specific moment they once 

      shared with you.

19. An alcoholic just celebrated one full year of sobriety.

20. Volunteers in major cities all over the world are working at homeless shelters caring for those 

      who are less fortunate than themselves.

21. A high school athlete just broke their own personal record.

22. Two teenagers just received their very first kiss ever from each other.

23. Someone is hugging a friend who desperately needs it.

24. Someone just placed their spare change in the charity collection cup at the grocery store.

25. A small group of friends are sitting around a table sharing funny stories and cheerfully 

      reminiscing about the good old days.

26. Honest people are working for various government entities to help protect your basic 

       human rights and civil liberties.

27. An emergency room surgeon is in the middle of saving his patient’s life.

28. Someone is holding the door open for the person behind them.

29. Someone out there is missing you and looking forward to your next visit.

30. We are reminded that extraordinary things happen to ordinary people, and that there is 

      beauty and wonder in everyday life.

Paper Clip

A couple of weeks ago, I had a conversation with a girl that began to tell me about all of the struggles and disruptions in her life.  She shared how her parents had moved several times leaving her a trail of shallow relationships.  She talked about the death of a close relative and a strong sense of insecurity.

          After a few minutes, she told me that she routinely hurt herself by taking a paper clip and digging into her skin leaving visabily scars and stinging pain.  Although it was not a logical action, it seemed to help her deal.  Because my heart went out to her I wanted badly to help. 

           I told her that Jesus said he would willingly take the worries and cares of her life away.  I had the privilege of praying with her and asking Christ to help her deal with life.  Since that day, I have received a couple of emails from her.  Although life is still difficult, she is doing better.  She told me that God is comforting her and helping her deal with life.

          If you can relate to that young girl, you need to know that Jesus cares.  He refuses to abandon you.  If you are looking for a reason to hope…to believe that life can get better, take a moment and ask the God of the Bible to fill you with His peace and comfort. 

Never out of God's View

Do you ever sit and watch people?

Do you observe how they act, how they relate to one another?

Do you ever eavesdrop on the conversations they have?

The other day, while in the process of silently observing people in the PRC, I realized that there must be time when people watch me as well.  They examine me from afar.  Most of the time I have no idea that they are watching.  There are occasions when they watch me respond to challenges in life, aggressive and obnoxious people, and they scrutinize me as I live out my faith.  

The train of thought reminded me that I am never out of God’s view. He sees everything that I do. Hears every word out of my mouth and notices how i treat other people.  Now, I know that God loves me.  He is not trying to find fault.  But at the same time, I do want to please Him.

Since there is no hiding from God…no pulling the wool over his eyes…I want the fruit of my life to display the relationship that I have with Him.  I want everyone else to recognize the convictions in my heart…most of all, I want him to be pleased with what He sees when He is watching.

Inspection

Most of us had been experienced to be inspected by a inspector, the most common place that we can see an inspector is in the Mall, School, MRT, LRT, Private and Public Establishment.   A Metal Detector is the most commonly used on detecting that there is unusual thing inside our bags or even in our own body.

What's the next step if they found out that you are carrying a prohibited things, for sure they will do something about it, maybe a warning first depending on the protocols of the institutions.  What is the reason behind those inspections? It's for our own good and safety.

For sure we don't want to be embarrass in such an awkward scenarios if the inspector found out that you violated some of their rules.  So what will you do, you will abide their rules and act accordingly.

"God did my Inspection"

Are you brave enough to let someone come in and check the quality and  how clean is your life? I am not sure I am. I don’t want anyone checking for dust behind my picture frames.   Rules for my living space and my heart are different, however.

There is one who I willingly give permission to examine my heart.  Because I want to be pleasing to God, I have decided to pray a prayer found in Psalm 139 as often as I can. By giving God permission to search my heart and reveal anything that isn’t right, my desire is I would understand the areas that aren’t clean so that with His help, I can work to overcome them. I encourage you to invite his inspection.  Although it might be uncomfortable, only good things will come from it.

GOD BLESS YOU!