Penny Moments

I've been slacking with this blog thing, primarily because the semester's over (or has been over since 12/11) and since then, I've been slacking in general. Just relaxing to the max, possibly way too much though!!

Anyways, the title of this post came from a video shared at the Sabbath School that I attended last semester. Even though it was directed toward married couples, giving advice on how to keep one's marriage strong and meaningful, it was nevertheless useful to me. By "penny moments", the couple was referring to "small" moments, which may seem often to be worthless but can add up and make huge differences in one's marriage/relationship. The analogy was made between walking around and finding a penny on the ground. Can one penny really make a difference? (actually, it definitely can lol....I remember going to a store and was short ONE penny, and I couldn't find a penny anywhere!!!) However, once you start collecting the pennies, they really begin to add up right? Just the same, setting the tone when you arrive home and reconnect again by simply saying a meaningful "hi" or "good evening" does make a difference.

Anyways, I thought it was a powerful and beneficial message not only to married couples but also to everyone. In a world of uncertainty and full of surprises, making use of these penny moments can make a world of a difference to one person and your relationship with others.  You may never have that chance again in the future to compensate for that time lost.

I've made it a point to take full advantage (as much as I possibly can) of these penny moments .  Don't pass them up!! Be aware that time waits for no man, whatever difference you can make now, make it!!


happy holidays!!!!

no, no, no, no....i don't wanna grow old!!!

A couple days ago, I was studying with one of my  [older] classmates--attempting to help him/her with understanding and remembering the class concepts for our upcoming exam. After going over it and explaining, I asked to re-explain the concepts back to me....

Classmate: oh Lydie Lydie...*sigh* I can't remember
Me: C'mon, you can do it....{providing hints that would help)
Classmate: *shaking head* I can't. I can't. {pause of reflection)..."man. I am getting old....I don't want to get old...having people take care of you...I don't want that...."

Watching his/her facial expression when s(he) made that comment, made my heart drop......

This small (and possibly irrelevant to the classmate) portion of our interaction was definitely something that stood out to me. Departing that day, all that was going through my head was "man, IIII don't want to get old either!! Why must we grow old?..Is there a way to escape this or are there things that one can do to avoid having to depend on someone to take care of when one grows old?!?!"

Then it dawn on me. The fear of growing old stems from the dependence factor. Wow it's just powerful the similarities between "growing old" and developing spiritually.

You know when you're a "child", fresh and coming, you are okay with dependence. We don't mind depending on our parents for our needs, and wants. It's just natural. In fact, we love it soo much that we usually tend to take complete advantage of it... kind of similar to one's beginning relationship with God. Dependence is natural. It's great..You feel like you're on cloud 9...believing all things, hoping all things; but as you start getting older, and you begin to experience things and  learning/gaining the tools to "take care" of yourself, you get tempted to believe that you can do it all by yourself, like being old enough to be considered an adult, being able to drive, getting a job and making mula. When you get there, you feel like you don't need anybody to help you...you've got this!!  Similarly, spiritually, as you learn more about God, as you begin to see things clearly, know Biblical facts, gain wisdom to deal with life's circumstances, are able to say a powerful prayer, preach, witness, it's easy to start thinking that you're in control and that you no longer need to be so dependent anymore.

Eventually however, you start getting old, you know, physically you're becoming weak, mentally you're becoming weak, cognitively, psychologically, etc...you begin to realize that pretty soon you'll have no choice BUT to have the faith of a child and the trust of a child to allow someone to take care of you. In other words, you'll have to re-learn how to depend AGAIN--wholly depend in some circumstances. Case in point, Muhammad Ali... (love the man), back in the days he could float like a butterfly and sting like a bee and he did so impressively! He was a beast but today, when you look at him it's just hard to believe he is indeed the same man.

During your spiritual walk, you'll go through situations and challenges beyond you, where you'll feel like you are helpless and lacking everything; and you'll be required to have that child's faith and trust in God to see that light at the end of the tunnel. Of course it's going to be hard because you've been trying to be so independent and you've been relying on your strength for so long, but you're going to have to re-learn to wholly depend again. --> As Mark 10:15 clearly states,  "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein."

Don't get me wrong, I still don't necessarily want to get to a point where I'll have to wholly depend on anyone, but what choice do I have?! Time won't stop for me, and it won't stop for you either. So can we do anything to help with growing older? Maybe, start cherishing your days (aka the present) and learn from your experiences  as you grow older...

Random fact: Fluid intelligence decreases around the age of 30/40 but crystallized intelligence increases with age (well at least up until 65 lol)!. word up.

PS......I'm done with all my exams. PTL (Praise the Lord!)!!!--> HAPPINESS.

smile :)

So as some may know, I was taking a break from youtube and stuff this week. guess what? It's over....and what perfect timing!! Received a call today, which brought my spirit a tad bit down? [so confused :=/] ...soooo guess what I did!??!?!

I CHECKED THIS VIDEO OUT!!! 

I am smiling again :) lol.


Today was beautiful. Loved it. The choir PREACHED. The welcome person PREACHED...The Tithes and Offerings person...PREACHED. The pastor PREACHED x3. Boy, it felt like everybody who was on the pulpit at some point, PREACHED. Wow. I left the church feeling so blessed. Words can not even express. The pastor preached on Matthew 2, the birth of Jesus. Deep points:

--> God didn't need His so-called people to do what He had to do. He used an animate object (the star) to lead the pagans (the Magi) to the Lord and Savior!!!. While his church was sleeping, the Lord was using others to preach the word. King Herod was a mere 6 miles away from Bethlehem, yet this was his order "Go search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that IIIII may come and worship him also". (vs. 2).
-->As church, we may have lots of information, but not inspiration (which leads to action). What the church could not do, the star did.

You just had to be there to understand how deep the message was :)

Anyways, it was great to fellowship with others afterwards.



Happy Week!!

excellent,...... just excellent.

I thought I'd note this in the blog too, for those who didn't receive an email about it.

It was exactly one week ago, a friend of mine and I were texting each other (yeah I know), and casually she mentioned that she was fasting and increasing the number of times she prays, for the upcoming week. When she mentioned it, I felt like it was an answer to prayer, because I've always wanted to do that (especially after reading "The Incredible Power of Prayer") but could never quite motivate myself to do it and do it consistently. So, I texted back "I'm in. Are there specific times throughout the day? Are we going to be praying for specific things?"....She answered back "Nope. No specific times. Just four times." For more than one reason I was happy that there were no restrictions, and that it was really up to me to choose when and what to pray for.

Once I started the 4x/day prayers (and fasting from things that were taking up too much of my time...or my thoughts), I realized just how beneficial it was to me...Realizing this, I thought "why not share it with others?!" I started first with my sisters and told them about it...and then I thought to myself, "I shouldn't just share this with only my family....why not go beyond it? ...that'll be so cool and helpful to many" ...and there it is. bam! :)

Just an excellent idea that started with a casual text and making its way to this blog.....So I am inviting YOU, dear reader to join in...just for two days? three days? one week? two weeks? Whatever you want....All it is....pray 4x/day. If you experience the same things I've been experiencing (as well as those who've joined in), you might decide to stick with it for awhile ...This could definitely be a good way to start preparing for the new year that is creeping up...*GASP* :). It's pretty simple, for instance: Praying first thing in the morning, last thing at night = 2 already. Praying before starting something, and after = another 2. Praying before driving (for safety) and arriving (safe travels)...= another 2....I found it to be very refreshing when you acknowledge God in and throughout your daily activities.

If you decide to join, I KNOW you'll see a difference. it's a guarantee! Quote me on that.

[Taken from: http://afeatheradrift.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/praying.jpg]

>>Psalms 62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.<<

Your Last Day on Earth. How will it be?

Yesterday, Thanksgiving holiday, a body from our own community-- a 20-year old  missionary was brought back on US land. Murdered while jogging in the morning, she was never to see another day. Next week would've been her 21st birthday. There's so much to wonder, so many questions to ask, but at the end of the day, death is a powerful reminder of our sinful nature, the promise of  the second coming of Jesus, and our temporary life on earth. Your last day.....how will it be?





Mi Ultimo Dia (My Last Day)--I will attempt to translate this on my own....: :-/

As if today was my last day,
I will live life, love sincerely
I will show my loved ones how much I love them

As if today was my last day
I will fight for my dreams
Living without fear
And every minute, I will live it intensely (to the fullest)
I will not wait until tomorrow
If it's the present that I have.

As if there's no more time (as if there's no more time)
I will cherish the moment (I will cherish the moment)
I will show that I love you
That I am happy that I  have you
As if your happiness depends on me
I will give it all for you and I will make this day the best that I could live


As if it were my last chance
To see you again this moment
The most important.
Of you I remember.
In the stress of life (in the stress of life)
We escape the details (or little things in life),(we escape the details)
Of a place ahead [or further on], regret we forget [I am sure there's a better interpretation....:)]
Sometimes [it makes] it difficult or impossible to recuperate [or fix it]


As if there's no more time (As if there's no more time)
I will cherish the moment (I will cherish the  moment)
I will show that i love you
That I am happy, that I have you
As if your happiness depends on me
I will give it all for you
And I will make this day, the best that I could live
To enjoy those God has blessed me with
My friends, family and love
And I will make this day the best that I could live
And I will make this day the best that I could live...

Amen.

THANK YOU!!!!

Thank you God for.................

1. Being who You are. the GREAT I AM.
2. Family. Especially my PARENTS [[!!!]].
3. My uncle, whom You used to save me from downing at the age of 3 or 4!{can never forget that...if you're 3 or 4 years old reading this lol, don't disobey your parents!!}
4. Church Family!!
5. Friiiieeeennnnnndddds. yay. :)

6. People who care.
7. Always placing a light at the end of the tunnel.
8. Experiences- good AND bad.
9. Embarrassing moments lol.
10. Challenging situations and circumstances.
11.  Mastering the art of procrastination.
12. Being able to sleep, and get good hours of sleep.
13. Being able to walk, talk, hear, smell, taste.
14. Always caring.
15. Always showing OUT when You didn't have to.
16. Seeing past my weaknesses.
17. YOUR LOVE.
18. Not getting sick at all this semester!! (not even getting a cold...PRAISES)....[at least, not yet].
19. Food ingredients and knowing what to do with them....ha ha ha.
20. Sense of humor that You've given me.
21. Optimism
22. Always giving me a reason to SMILE. aww :)
23. A piece of wisdom and understanding. Can't wait to get more :-D
24. Your Word and showing me what Love is all about!!
25. Giving me constant opportunities to serve.
26. Awesome room/apart-mates.
27. Experiencing a broken heart. worst and best experience. ever!!
28. Good news.[any, all...]
29. A great experience so far in grad school.
30. Funny people.
31. [Other people's lol] Adorable children!!
32. Good and inspiring music.
33. My car. {Praises}
34. Once in a lifetime opportunities.
35. the SUN that shineesss.
36. Beautiful weather
37. Motivation and Determination.
38. Strength.
39. Ability to think and reason.
40a. My parents!! (did I say that already? lol)
40b. My amazing students...esp those who keep in touch :)
41. Wise people, esp. elderly.
42. A song to sing.
43. Satisfying life so far.
44. Happiness and joy.
45. Peace and laughter.
46. Diversity.
47. Cooperation
48. Unity and love.
49.Being able to read and write
50. For LIfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffE.

LOVE YOU, JESUS.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!!!! :-D

Let's Celebrate :)

My way, or. The highway.

Let me just begin this post by saying that over the last year, I feel like I have been to a million health seminars...so coming here, you know, I was trying to have the right "type" of ingredients in the kitchen, as well as trying to keep the other important aspects of health together (spiritual, physical, mental, intellectual, etc). When it came to the food, however, brown rice and I just couldn't get it together (and dang. brown happens to be my favorite color too!!). So, to make a very long story short. Brown rice and I couldn't get along because of one simple reason, it required patience, and I didn't have it. {Cooking when you're hungry = negative}. Start the cooking before you get hungry!! lol. In other words, I wanted to keep cooking the rice, but only MY way, and not necessarily how it should be cooked. Needless to say, White rice and I are back together!!! :-D. And you know what, so far, it's been a good ride. In fact, today I cooked a meannnn lunch, and I know it was mean because not only was I fully satisfied, others loved it too!!.I even craved it later on. I was so proud of myself that I even called my mother.....[only those of you who know my story would understand why I would have even mention this lol]

ANYways, thinking of my rocky relationship with my brown rice took me back to the sermon I've been wanting to share since forever (check out my other blogs) when I went to the Spanish church earlier on this semester.  I will quickly summarize the message: Using the story of Cain, the pastor illustrated--well, many things, but essentially- the importance of following God the way He wants us to, not the way we want to. Even though Cain did use the best of the best to offer his offerings, it wasn't enough, it wasn't pleasing to God, because it wasn't what the Lord asked. Cain offered his offerings "out of generosity, not obedience; out of independence, not dependence." When we look at our own life, we should understand. How many of us would accept the best apples, oranges, strawberries in place of $1,000 that someone owed us? Be serious. You wouldn't. How many of us would give a student an A for giving us a sheet of perfectly responded calculus problems if we asked for a one-page reflection paper? I wouldn't. You wouldn't either. Same principle applied across.

So really, thinking of my experience with that Brown rice (still have some left lol), it really would've been easier to hit the highway. It would've been an easier, faster, and less challenging road compared to my wacky way. Similarly, taking HIS highway will most likely save us all from quite a few unecessary challenges, and trials and tribulations that are messing us up. Think on that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of Highways, I was reminded of a poem that I wrote a couple of years ago. aww. It's a bit long and I'm trying to keep posts short. So if you want to check it out: .CLICK HERE!!.

Til next week.  (I'll be sharing my top 50 things I'm thankful for. Totally appreciate Thanksgiving, though historically, I think it's kind of bogus. Wish there were more Native Americans around.....)

It's Hard Out There for a Sistah {Pt.1}

Poem #1 [pretty sure there'll be more to come....]
                 co-signed by another sistah. :-D

You know it's hard out there for a sistah

When one of the brothas from the smaller half

taken from the half of the right-side bigger half.....lol :)

[the "smaller half" = sda, single, good-looking, mature, ambitious and smart men category],

comes along,

pulls out the best moves,

at all right times,

under the right conditions,

Only to find out that he is X years your junior....

whoaa!!

"??????!!!?!?!?!"....you are right!

But undeniably impressive at the same time.

This is when everybody say: "MerCCYY!!".

C'mon now, say it with me, "merrccccyyyyyyyyyyyyy"

Take your time on the "cy", it's well worth it....lol [ha.ha.]

So, yup. It's hard out there for a sistah.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


On a different note...I've been meaning to share this song FOR WEEKKKKKSSSS now. It's my new favorite (ok, one of my new favorite) songs right now... Listen to it. Enjoy it. Love it. [I totally know you will] 

WHATEVER you may be going through, this is/should be YOUR song.

Make it a good week!!!

Just. Be. YOU.

Four reasons why you should: 1) Be happy of who you are 2) Appreciate yourself and 3) Love yourself.

Scenario:

You hang with a dynamic group of friends...let's say three. One of them is a very quiet for the most part, the other one is very funny, and the third is super talkative...and then, there's you. You happen to be the outspoken and spontaneous one. Last week, while hanging out with them, you went on a loop and said something totally random and did something spontaneous. At that time, you were in the moment and so it didn't bother you much,  you were having fun, but now looking back at it, you're thinking "man. Why do I allllways do that? I am always the one making a fool out of myself."

Aside from the over-generalization thinking (always, never) and possible magnification of the situation...I thought it'll be good to remind you of a few things:


4. Genetically speaking, according to research, "heritability estimates from behavioral genetics studies show that about half of phenotypic (observerable) variance in most temperament and personality traits is attributable to genetic variation in a population" Damon, 2008, pg. 63 (Child and Adolesecent Development: An Advanced Course). In other words, there are some things you are just born with, and although the environment, and self can influence your temperament and personality traits for the better or worse, there is a limit to how much can be done for complete alteration. For instance, not anyone has the capability to go from an average of 10 pushups a minute to 400 pushups. For some, they may be just capable of going from 10 to 100 with lots of practice, and for others the range may be higher...So, stop beating yourself up...it's not all YOUR fault :) ha ha. *Don't lose hope, however, there is a God who can do complete make-overs..*.

3.  There's always a reason for responding a certain way to a certain thing/person. This could go for anything. For instance, someone said something to you that was very demeaning (could be significant other), and you got mad. You shouldn't feel sorry for that afterward. You responded that way because you felt you were disrespected, as an example, and you thought you deserved a lot better of a treatment than you received. And if that was the case, you should feel that way...because you do deserve better. [[however, that doesn't mean you have the right to take it further and act unprofessionally or unethically---....*cough cough* <--right on. [[So glad to see her arrive at that stage of development. Some serious learning experience. Follow her lead if you're experiencing this right now..guy or girl.]].

2. Isn't it interesting that it's easier to accept someone for who they are, and not yourself for who you are?....Be fair to yourself. You are AS cool as whoever you THINK is cool. We are our worst critics because we know ourselves way too well. Most of  the time, the way we interpret our behaviors is rarely interpreted by others the same way.  Life is 10% of what happens and 90% of how we react to it. *smile* :). Don't you think that others experience the same, but unlike you--maybe-- they don't spend time beating themselves to death about it? Chill. You're good.

1. Finally, I am sure you already knew this but meh, it's good to end with this:  You are beautifully and wonderfully made. When God made you, He took His time. Stop criticizing His creation. You couldn't have done any better :-D

After all is said and done...remember: there's always room for improvement. If your behaviors are not healthy, do something about it. Bad habits are not what's hott. Keep it real, but make sure it's pleasing God, above all.


Have a FANTASTIC weekend [cause I'm planning on it, myself]!! lol

Your wish. His command.

Can't believe it's November alllllll ready. whoa.

My Sabbath was pretty fantastic. Good company, outreach with a solid group, church social events and hanging outs are always icing on the cake. Hope yours was  fantastic as well!!

Have you ever prayed so hard you were left with no strength by the time you said "Amen"?
Have you ever asked God for a sign, or direction, or what so ever you wished, hoping for answer ASAP?

but then when you realized that it was going to take longer than you expected or wanted, you began to
doubt.
question.
take action.
better yet, began to speak of the impossible...
and sure enough, your prayers weren't answered
and you started blaming God?

but little did you know it was probably your own fault.

Check this out
After all that God had done for Israel (delivered them from slavery (Egypt), led them through the Red Sea, provided them with food and the necessaries they needed, along with guiding them with His pillars of clouds (so COOL!!!) by day and by night, these people could NOT stop complaining, and kept speaking of the impossible (read Numbers 13, 14)...and so when God saw how little of faith the children of Israel possessed he told Moses, "Say unto them. As truly as I live as YE have spoken in MINE ears, so will I do to YOU" (Numbers 14:28.

You can't pray and doubt the power of your prayer...[James 1: 6b,7 state], "for he that wavered is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall received anything of the Lord".

So next time you get on your knees to send a Jabez Prayer :), BELIEVE....and be patient :) and you just might see the impossible become possible...that is, if you keep your mouth from speaking the impossible!! :)


Happy WEEK!!!!


ps. Post inspired by last week's super  POWERFUL Quarterly Lesson "From Complaints to Apostasy" . This week's lesson is on "Planning Ahead". Check 'em out. holllaaaaa lol :-D

Oh be careful little ears what you hear:

So I can't help but post another blog.

See back when I was in middle and early years of high school, I couldn't help tuning in to my favorite hip-hop and r&b stations....You'll find me in my room, doing homework, and listening to Eve, Eminem, Brian McKnight, Nelly, etc....My parents would repeatedly tell me to stop, and I eventually sort of did and moved on to "pop".  I knew hard rock & roll was horrible.  My spirit just couldn't settle well with all the clashes of sounds..but hip-hop, hip-hop,...hip hop was just catchy, and lively....and all that. I'd bypass the cuss words, and try to keep up with the beat... but eventually I began to analyze the words...(there's always more to it, not to mention those degrading women, right?). Once you start listening to the words, everything else starts falling apart...there's no way I could condone this when my standards were far above it. Even POP is questionable. For the most part, I have given it all up, except for a few artists that I listen to every now and then...even though sometimes it's hard to listen with a "blind" ear. Anyways, it's beyond obvious, I think, that devil is using music in general to destroy us, humans,  mentally, intellectually, and physically, not only as a people, but also as individuals. There's nothing no longer fun (ny) about it.That's why I find it a step to victory when I see that more and more people beginning to catch the drift...the reality drift...Check this out:.

Disclaimer: Although I don't agree with every blog posted by the following blogger, I came across this while doing a research and thought that this was a pretty interesting revelation.

http://thelatterdays.blogspot.com/search/label/beyonce



Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.- 1 Corinthians 10:31.

IF

I remember when I was young, my dad wanted me and my elder sister  to memorize this poem....To motivate us, he even told us he'll give us mula.....too bad, I wasn't interested =( but I came across it again: Love it.  I don't forget special moments/memories easily  =). I'm thankful for family...I am thankful for my [oh so wise] parents.

If ... by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

& this is what makes me mad.......

Okay, so I am on the phone with a person. Smart high school student...high GPA, right? Went to the school counselor to ask some advice about his/her :) future....and tell me why the school counselor advised him/her to GO to a community college (not even mentioning other options)?.....k, before I go further, I'd like to say that there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with community college, at all. In fact, I wholly value the education and the choice of going there. HOWEVER, here is where my problem comes from:

1) The field in which that person wants to go into is not fully available in that community college...just like with any types of colleges (2-year, 4-year, university), if the college does not have a solid program, why spend money going there?

2) The reason she told him/her to go into that field was not because the COUNSELOR herself VALUES the community college education, but because [and she blatantly said this]
                  a) the classes are easy and it's convenient....but excuse me? Who says s(he) was looking to go to a college to take EASY classes, first of all (and mind you, she's making the feeble assumption that community college courses are all easy! wow.)?
                 b) what about all the other schools in that area that DO have a good program in the field?....and would you believe she told him/her that the school s(he) was considering was TOO ADVANCED for him/her.....!??!?!!?!?!? These assumptions and stereotypes offend me...

see, this is what makes me mad.......(lol now you know what makes me mad!!:))


Institutionalized-prejudice (my own term based on Carmichael's concepts) that is still present but are happening on the down-low.

Funny thing is, one of my sisters had a similar experience...Smart and producing the grades...yet when she went to her counselor, she was also told to consider going to a community school (didn't even provide other options) and even went on to encourage her minority friends to get a job after graduation (what happened to high expectations?? what? minority children can't succeed in college? are not capable of applying to "prestigious" schools that you are advising the other students to apply to?). When my sister told me that, I was THIS close to going to the school and having a talk with that counselor as well as the principal. NO joke. Too bad time would not permit.....bummer. :)

Anyways, LOW expectations and stereotyping are what are affecting our minority children today. Of course, there is definitely much more to this, but I think I can safely say from these anecdotes that school counselor positions are undermined and rarely investigated. I think it's extremely important that all school counselors be evaluated and assessed before being placed in a diverse environment. Lack of understanding and knowledge and pre-conceived beliefs are factors preventing some counselors from doing their job and doing it effectively.
That being said, schools should have more than one counselor and/or at least ONE to represent the minority groups in that school.

That is why I sincerely WISH that students would take serious responsibility of their own education and that parents would play greater roles in supporting and maintaining high expectations for their children and their successes. I  know that there are many students out there who are not that naive and can see beyond these words, but still the fact that it's happening under the DL frustrates me because I know that there are many others who are victims.

I strongly dislike it....................but I should add that I do acknowledge that not all counselors from the majority group are like that. My counselor was awesome!! I liked her...she was a very supportive, helpful and encouraging counselor!!...[besides, I don't think she would've gotten away with it even if she fell under the other category though, ha ha :)]

On a HAPPIER AND POSITIVE NOTE:  Mid-term week is over and I think  am sure I did well. YAY. God is awesome!!! :)

The Leading Man.

King David. I dedicated this past month to re-reading the books of Samuel (encouraged to do so after hearing a sermon on 1 Samuel 14 awhile back). For the longest, I've always held King Solomon and Joseph as my Top Leading Men of the Bible (aside from [King] Jesus of course :)); however, after re-reading Samuel again, Mr. David made his way up to possibly being my #1 Leading Man (though it may change since I'm back to re-reading Kings....where King Solomon enters the picture again! :)).

Anyways, King David's story is intriguing. Although David is famous for fighting the Giant (Goliath) and for his beautiful psalms, the truth and the reality is I feel as if his unbelievable faith in God throughout his entire life is not emphasized as much as it should, aside from him and Goliath. There's more to David. David, in my opinion appears to have had an 'arrogantly' beautiful and humble soul that deserves a long overdue spotlight. Sounds contradictory? Maybe, but I found arrogantly to be a suiting word for now. Read why. I'll try to make it short, though. Finally, it was obvious that the relationship David had with God was unique.

Check this out:

 1. Faith/Fear of God:

         a. When Little David heard the words of Goliath "defying Israel", instead of losing courage and being terrified like the rest of Israel (1 Samuel 17:11), David responded, "Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (Verse 26b). Be reminded that David was the youngest of them all.....In other words, David was saying "Are you serious? How can you allow a man like this, who is not even part of the chosen people of the living God, to talk to us like this!? You've GOT to be kidding me!" Solid Deepness #1. [Continue reading the chapter and the book, you'll find more Solid Deepness of his Faith]. [Message to us: If you believe that you serve a Mighty God, show through your words and actions]

2.  Personality

        a. Looking back at his story, I'd say that the reason I would describe his character as being beautiful, would be because of his genuine and respectful personality that resulted from his fear and faith in God. As you may know, it did not take too long for Saul to start envying David's status (Chapter 18 now). King Saul became furious at David because of his accomplishments (in modern day's word, we would call him a "hater" and righteously so). To make a long story short, King Saul spent the rest of his life pursuing David, seeking to kill him. Yet, watch this, when  David had the chance to take revenge and kill Saul,the Bible says "[after cutting a corner of Saul's robe] Afterwards, David's conscience bothered him because he had cut off the corner of Saul's robe. He said to his men: I swear before the Lord; I would NEVER do such a thing to my Lord, the Lord's anointed. [I will never] lift my hand against him, since he is the Lord's anointed" (1 Samuel 24: 4-6). David knew to respect the Lord's anointed (even though, the Lord regretted that He made Saul king over Israel, 1 Sam.5:34). He left King alone. After all, didn't God say "revenge is His?!"  [Message to us: Respect your parents, elders, teachers, people period.  Respect should be required from us, not given based on how we feel. It won't hurt you, I promise. In fact, it will do you MORE good than you think or even expect.]. Solid Deepness #2.

And surely God proved so. If you noticed, after reading the books of Samuel...All of David's enemies--even though he cared about all of them, respected them and didn't even want them to die--the Lord blessed Him by wiping out all his enemies. When God is for you, who can be against you?. I guess instead of a beautiful character some might consider David to be a coward (or weak) now that I think about it...maybe? not in my opinion. I believe all of these were a product of his faith and trust in God.

In addition, because of his humble and genuine character, King Saul's own son (Jonathan) loved David SO much that the Bible said that he loved David even more than he loved his own self. Isn't that powerful? As Christians, Paul advised us to (can't remember the verse) always do the right thing so that no one will find any unjust things to say about us. Solid Deepness #3.

3. "Arrogantly" Beautiful Soul and Faith

      a. Finally to conclude, towards the end of his story, we find David singing praises to the Lord. 2 Samuel 22 (read it first!!). Okay, so I was reading the chapter, I caught myself re-reading verses 22-25. Had a triple take. I couldn't believe it. I was thinking to myself, "How could you boldly say something like that, David? Weren't you the one who slept with someone's wife, then staged his murder so that he wouldn't find out that you impregnated his wife? and and weren't you---" Then I caught myself. ha. Unlike me, apparently, [Praise God I am  not! the Judge], once David sincerely repented, he believed in the power of forgiveness (aka the Power of the Cross). His sins were washed away, never to be found again. He came boldly before the throne of God to obtain mercy and grace. He knew he was a sinner, but he also knew of God's grace and mercy. Solid Deepness #4.

How far is the East from the West? From one scarred hand to the other.....[Casting Crowns]

What can we learn from David? A whoollllle lot. In three sentences: As children of God, our actions and words should testify  our love and faith in our Lord. If we follow  and believe His words, He will never fail us. Don't let your past sins overshadow the Power of the Cross.

Happy Friday!!!

How many kings would give up their sons?

If I ever doubted this verse for a minute, shame on me!...............Mark 10: 9. [Praises.]

Ok, I really dig the Prayer of Jabez and I have been praying like Jabez for real. This week is definitely going to be an interesting one. Why is it that when there's a break...I actually take the BREAK? it's a trap, and I fall for it everytime....*sigh*....Your prayers for me this week would be amazing.

I heard this song last week, and fell in love with the words :).  yeah yeah it's suppose to be a "christmas" song...but "christmas" should be everyday, right? right!

Don't focus on the video, just listen to the words.





On a totally different note:

So I have in my possession the "More George W. Bushisms" little book....[do not ask why!!!!! k you can if you want :-D]

So here's the quote for this WEEK! This will be my motivational quote. BELIEVE me.

Beyond Belief--- "I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe--I believe what I believe is right"-- Rome, Italy, July 22, 2001.

re: Tithing LOANS!?!?

The title of my previous was a bit misleading in the sense that it was a mesh of 3 thoughts/questions put together;1) thinking of whether or not one should tithe on loans 2) me wanting to give/ "invest" and 3) focusing on the gains of giving tithes and offerings....HOWEVER,

I do want to take the time to thank PC for sharing the following regarding my previous blog because I know this topic may be a topic that many have/have been/are possibly wondering too!:

Publish Post

Many a Christian - including Seventh-day Adventist Christians have pondered the question you mentioned about tithing on loans. I am one of them. Did you discuss that question with anyone who might be knowledgeable about the topic?

Since the Bible teaches that we are to give a tenth of our increase - and that increase seems to be referring to earned income - it doesn't seem technically, Biblically possible to tithe on a loan since it is not earned income. Of course you know that a loan in borrowed money that you have to pay back plus interest. We essentially would be returning a tithe twice plus interest. I say that because you have to pay back the amount borrowed plus interest out of money that you earn later. And you will return a tithe on the money that you earn later. If you give 10% of what you borrow to the church then you will be giving 20% on it when you earn the same amount and then pay off the loan plus interest. No matter what anyone says you can only tithe once since that is how God set it up - anything above 10% on earned income is an offering. It is a problem when people talk about giving a double tithe. It usually reeks of pride and boasting. There is no such thing. We are welcome to give as much as is reasonable as cheerful givers in the form of offerings.

Consider these thoughts from some random person's blog:

Homeowners do not give out of their mortgage (ie. give a proportion of what the bank lends). Car owners do not give a sum to "cover" the finance they take out on a car. And surely no one, when taking out a personal loan from a bank, would straightaway give a proportion to their church. There is nothing stopping those people doing those things. But they understand the Biblical principles enough to know that it would be an entirely upside-down way of doing things. Could they give in this way if they so desired? Of course! But the reality is that they won't. Surely the student loan question fits into this same category. 

The person who wrote that doesn't believe in tithing at all but the above examples are good ones.

You could choose to give money to the church/ God from your student loans but it would have to be considered an offering and you should know that you would essentially be giving it twice plus interest. From a stewardship perspective that might not be best.

Tithes on Loans?!?!??

So I have been thinking for a while now....(yeah I tend to think alot...more than I should?)...."tithes on grad school loans?!?!"

Hear me out....
If it weren't for God, I wouldn't have good credits for loans (and scholarships too!), correct?
If it weren't for God, I wouldn't have made it to grad school, am I right?
If it weren't for the God-given breath, brain, hands, feet, ears and all that good stuff, I wouldn't be here, there with me still?


Listing out just a tiny bit of His blessings, this is nothing. 


With that said, I am definitely considering tithing on my loans...well, more like, I am considering putting aside a month's rent for tithes and offerings....scratch that. I am not "considering", I am going to go for it.

What have I to lose compare to what I have to GAIN!?

Money? Well, I definitely almost threw $20 in the trash today, thinking that the envelope was empty. So I just found out that I am $20 richer than I thought :)... I mean, really? I'm already a broke student, how much worse could it get? challenges/denials are great. lol.... PLUS the money will actually be doing something good (helping someone out!!), right!?.


Check out my potential gains though!!:

• Good health? YES, I'll definitely take that! [You know HOW MUCH HEALTH CARE COSTS?] getting sick will definitely be worth more than a rent's check.
• Safety? FOR SURE, I'll take that too....e.g. car accident cost > a rent's check.
• Saving money? Yes, there are many ways money can be wasted. Have you ever found yourself trying to save money, right? and then all of a sudden, everything started going wrong and you ended up spending mad money!! I may have more than one too many examples. :-/ .... :)
  
• Peace? I love peace!!
• FAITH!? yes yes yes please.
• ....and this could go on and on and on and on and on.

Bottom line is: I am going to take that challenge. join me? yea, you should!!! :-D

So, in other news:

1. I brought my Jaci Velasquez concert ticket this week. Yeah! Night of  January 30th, 2010 here I come...............

2. WISE words from my awesome professor: "if you feel the need to discriminate against an individual or a certain group of people, it's because you're struggling with your own identity." AMEN

3. Procrastination is not cool.

4. Praise God for FALL BREAK.

5. Tomorrow, I am suppose to accompany a friend to the Korean church. lol.........can't wait.

6. Praise God for Productive Fridays: did laundry, cooked somethings (yea yeah......), currently working, but room/apartment/car are in the process of being cleaned (will finish it when I get off work!).

7. My computer's on a break. :( Will be back "in commission" next week.

8. Praise God for the SABBATH.

 QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances."-Thomas Jefferson.

 ~Patience works miracles.

I made it!!!!

 Today was unbelievable.

• A debate to prepare for (One of the first two to debate in that class).

• A presentation to prepare for (One of the first two to present).

• 2 papers to write.

• {Excluding all the readings and other things}.

I didn't know how I was going to get it all done (read my last post), and do EVERYTHING with QUALITY and FASHION.

But I did.

PTL. [Praise the Lord]

My New Fav. Song.

AWWW. I am so happy Whitney Houston's back. Now, I should totally  go get married and have her sing at my wedding....[yeah right. i wish :-/]...Anyways, yay for getting back on her feet again, and I am sure her mother's proud of her. I've been wanting this lady to come back since forever.

This week = happiness :)

This semester's crazy but I making it through successful. Hopefully that'll keep up.

For my nightly devotion, I have been reading the books of Samuel (I just started 2 Samuel about 2 days ago). David's faith (in 1 Samuel) ~ amazing.

man, I love powerful sermons.....

Last week, I checked out the Spanish church. The message focused on how it is essential that we worship God the way He wants us to, not our way(powerful powerful)! The pastor started from the sacrifices of Cain and Abel and all the way to the New Testament...I promise I will take sometime in the future to summarize it...I have to!!

Today, I checked out the French church....powerful message too...(man. I love sermons if you can't tell.....:)) Buuuuuuuuut before I get there, I HAVE to share the message from vespers last night =)!

At first I was so caught up in how much work I had to do for this upcoming week, that I began to lose motivation and didn't want to go to vespers. Instead, I wanted to stay at the apartment and spend time alone....(lol I know.. when a person is in the process of losing movitation, s(he) should go hang with people so to forget the problem.. and not stay home and dwell on it!! it makes it worse...). Anyways, but my friend called me to pick her up and attend vespers with her. I couldn't say no since I promised earlier that I would go...So I did. It was awesome!!

The Word was given by a student. I am trying to make this blog entry as short as possible. I would always use the names "Jesus" "Saviour" "Lord" so interchangeably that I never paused to think about the meaning of either one of them until....last night. Since I don't have my Bible near me, I can't recall the verse but to sum it up: We often think of Jesus as our Saviour because He came and died for us to save us, but not necessarily as our "Lord" so much. Yes, we're thankful that He saved us, but for many, we feel like we don't need to listen to Him and His  Word...as one with Authority and POWER. Check out the definition of "lord." Jesus is BOTH our SAVIOR AND LORD. We shouldn't look at Him as one and not the other, or the other without the one because we'd be stripping Him of either His sacrifice for us or His authority. Catch my drift? ....if you do, how true is that!?! Before, when I think of the Word, automatically I think of GOD, not necessarily Jesus though I would acknowledge Him as the living Word--an example for us!! (even though He clearly states that He is the Word of Life).... I would subconsciously put Him a little lower than God the Father (well more like I think of Him MORE as a SAVIOR than "our Lord", because you know...God is the Father....Isn't it funny? [We humans can't live without categorizing, organizing things in hierarchies, huh?] I mean think about it: when we pray we pray to the "our Heavenly Father"... We pray expecting Him to grant our wishes THROUGH the Son. But you know, the Son has as much power as the Father...After all, He IS our Judge...right? Well, you don't realize that you're doing something until you're called on it! Couldn't believe that...mind you, I've read the New Testament like a bijillion times...wow. Simple things like that, we tend to take for granted since we've heard/read it so many times, right!?!

But anyways, back to today. So I went to the French church and the pastor focused on this verse: 1 Chronicles 4:10! [Prayer of Jabez] Four main points to summarize:

• Petition: Come to God in prayer and talk to Him like a friend, a father.  

• Benediction (Blessing): Ask God to bless you!! there's nothing wrong with asking God to bless you!!  

• Augmentation: Don't be afraid to ask GOD for things...He told you you can ask and it shall be given unto you!! (as long as you're doing His will, and it is His will...He will shower you with blessings!)

• Protection: Sometimes when we get more, we get carried away (pride, egotism, selfishness etc) so ask Him that He will protect you from evil as you ENJOY His blessings. 

Now that you know I love powerful sermons/messages...if you'd like to share powerful words with me..feel free!!.

Check this: I love this song.

you wouldn't believe this!!

Watch this! Well, the first part of it!!






Would you believe this if it were a real scenario? Whether or not it was the case....the principle still applies. You wouldn't believe it, but it's true.....people do react to many situations like this- stand there and wait for someone to do something without even attempting to find ONE solution..in this case, TWO people...ha ha.

Speaking of Problem Solving today, my Psych Testing prof showed this clip (the first part of it! not the advertisement & such). I couldn't stop laughing but the moral behind it is deep.  For every problem, there are thousands of solutions, you may not know 99.9999% of them, but God does.....but still, don't just stand there, DO SOMETHING-- if you are capable of doing it-- and trust! You have hands, feet, eyes, brain, and all that good stuff for a reason! Click on this: Prov. 4: 5-8. I guess this can say something about our society too, huh? ;)

shedded tears.

Looks like I wasn't the only one ready to shed some tears last week while sitting in the library, typing a paper for one of my classes. I had everything under control, I felt...but I just wasn't feeling it. I needed some motivation and words of comfort or SOMETHING...you know what I mean? I was so close to it that if I knew enough people in that place, I would've gone up to them and asked them to give me a hug. Actually, I was planning to do it whether or not I was close to anyone---an acquaintance would've worked.  =)  I did the next best thing however, picked up my phone and texted a few people the following "today, not a good day....say something funny." lol, the responses were hilarious. I am thankful to know and have met funny people in my life. =)

It was Week 3 and apparently "everyone" I have talked to had a similar moment. I had it good, apparently. I was THIS close to shedding some tears, but "everyone else" actually cried......more than once.


Each individual is wondering whether or not s(he) will make through these upcoming  years and finish his/her program. My apartment-mate who's here for three years as well wonders the same. Whether or not I am subconsciously wondering the same thing, I refuse to let it be known.  I am here to MAKE it, and I WILL by God's grace. I am not sure I am ready for the harder challenges ahead, but I am choosing to take it one day at a time.

I was having a conversation with my godfather last night, and ended up going over all the work I had to get done in the next couple of weeks....and he reminded me, "millions have made it before you....you can do it" right after he told me of his challenges in grad school. While chatting and encouraging my apart.mate today (her program IS tough....lots of memorization), I passed along the words of my godfather and she laughed. Apparently her dad told her the same.


I will never forget the words of a man who came to the Youth Rally in St. Louis (I believe very early this year) and who was leading a discussion group. He asked us this question "Why do you think I want YOU to succeed?" Everyone attempted to find an answer to his question, but I definitely was taken back by his unique answer, "because I believe that if everyone would've been concerned about everyone else's success in life, we could have already found the cure for cancer . Maybe you (pointed to someone) have the ability to find the cure to a life threatened disease ...maybe it's you, or you....but we'll never know until everyone does his/her part to succeed in life."

Very deep, don't you think?....really, think about that.

On a different note, I went to the Spanish church this past Sabbath. I had no help with translation (yay!) and the message was deep! maybe I'll post something about it some other time, I don't want this blog to get too long.  Afterwards, we went to the beach and relaxed by the water. Beautiful weather. Sabbaths are awesome.


"The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you."

I am determined to succeed by God's grace. You should be too. And I want you too. I'll totally be your #1 fan.

who is she!?!?

Who AM I? [this blogger.]

I initially started this post to keep everyone I left back home updated, because I knew that once school started, It'd be hard to keep in contact with everyone :(. For those of you who know me, you know that I can write....alot. sometimes. However, more than anything, I really aim to encourage others in everything I do. So when I was asked to share my blog with the wiiserve community a couple days ago, I gladly gave my permission. I plan to keep this blog authentic so don't expect any alterations (don't worry...it'll still be good stuff).

For those of you who have NO idea who I am, or do not know me personally, I am currently taking a 15 minute break from my studies and I thought it'd be a great idea to tell you a bit about myself with the help of an online All About Me survey (c'mon you know you've done one before all you myspacers and facebookers...:)) and a visual.
  
1.Name: LyDiE

2.Location: Somewhere in the Midwest

3.Birth-date: August 30. Year? Here's a hint. Born on the Sabbath. :)

4.Siblings: Yes, three sisters. love 'em [possibly too much].

5.Height: Apparently, I am 5'5 !! I rebuke the devil. He is a liar. I believe I am still 5'6.5''.

6. Hair Color: brown.

7.Eye Color: light brown.

8.Do you wear contacts: :(

9. Right or Left Handed: Righty. There was a period I wanted to be a lefty so badly though. :)

10.My interests/passions:

• 1. God [eternal life]- can't nobody do me like Jesus. He's my bestest Friend. [Psalm 139]
• 2. Family (friends included:))!
• 3. Equality in education.
• 4. Service. [Proud AmeriCorps Alum!]. Check it out!! Missionary Work. Still looking for a good one.
  
• 5. Children. (on my way to become a school psychologist....word). {Child Advocate!}.
• 6. Anything that deals with psychology and political science (my undergrad degrees).
• 7. Proving that christians CAN live a happy life without conforming to societal pressures. [Matt 7:13]
• 8. Staying busy/multi-tasking.

Since I am on here, I'd like to share the following with you. So here is something to think about, taken from one of my prof's lectures: Speaking of James Marcia's 4-stages of psychological identity development. After explaining the second one "Identity Foreclosure" where an individual makes commitments hoever has no life crises to confront, he states, "the test of your strengths is to go through crises. Life with commitment and no crises = impaired development ".

Think on that...then check out James 1:2-6. God knew that already. =)

btw, please feel FREE to comment on any blog entry- agreeing, disagreeing, agree TO disagree, advice, suggestions, questions, answers to questions, etc....totally welcome.

[i shall be the one on the left.] SMILE!!!

ugh.

So even though I feel like I have been completely unproductive today and should really be doing my homework due tomorrow (or finishing them up)...I really can't seem to move forward without debriefing on something that happened today. Okay, this can be a long story that I don't have time to get into, but i clearly was not happy with a grade that I just received....who in the world takes a complete 2 points off EACH for capitalizing "King" and musician David, and "Word" of God? ....that's 4 POINTS!!!...seriously? wow. I am totally not happy...it wasn't a bad grade at all, but when you feel strongly that it COULD'VE been HIGHER, your mind can't stop thinking about it. 4 points do make a difference.....especially when you don't know what the future holds. wootsie. Lord, help me move pass this.

When life doesn't seem fair, recite the following (though it'll be hard to really mean it when you recite it): Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding (Prov. 3:5). lol funny thing (10 minutes later), when i started writing this post, I really was not happy...but then I realized just how minute this is to the larger picture at hand, I had to laugh.... It's a learning experience for future reference. I guess I am over it now.....:) writing does help you reflect on the importance (or lack of) and relevance (or lack of) of topic at hand....ummm. 1-hr update: yeah. I am TOTALLY over it. It was clarified. only 2 pts were taken off.....MERCY. Don't I feel a bit slow? yeah. totally. *hides face in shame*....next time, I'll just mentally build a bridge and quickly get over it....................MER.CY.

"Labor Day" Weekend....

....more like Labor Weekend. It's only Week 3 and already I am forced to plan my schedule on a hourly basis---which class to focus on when, which assignment to do first, how to do it efficiently and when to move on to the next one. Planning is actually one thing I like to do, but geesh week 3 already? I guess. [[No complaints no complaints...]]. Week 2 of school wasn't too bad. I was able to get everything done on timely quality fashion, but am in definite need to ensure that I get my 8-hrs sleep time, BEFORE midnight. That's the goal for this week. We'll see how it goes. Friday night was pretty awesome.

Every month, there is a vespers service called Fusion (where all the vespers or ministries on services join together to do 'vespers'). The speaker was phenomenal. She was a female pastor from California whose topic was on Matthew 14 starting with Verse 22. She explained these verses in a way that I've never heard before.

Verses 22-23 [when Jesus left his disciples in the ship to go spend time in prayer]:

--> Sometimes you just need your time alone with God, even Jesus needed time alone with God. After constantly being followed by the crowd and his disciples, Jesus needed to just go leave his "homies" and "close buddies" to spend sometime with His father. Quality time with self is important, quality time with self and GOD is essential.

Verses 24-27 when the disciples on the ship began to experience heavy tosses and turns and Jesus DECIDED to show up on the FOURTH watch.

-->Sometimes in life, you're going through so much. It's not like you did anything wrong...you were actually doing God's work.... You call on God. No show. You're trying to work things out and call on God again, this time louder. It's now the third watch. You've tried everything you could. You waited as long as you could. You're this close to give up but you try again..."LORD, PLEASE hear my cry!!".....still no show. You're mad, frustrated, tired, helpless, hopeless. You are this close to given up, THIS CLOSE...but you know He is the only one you can call on and finally you get on your knees and call on HIM....He answers (CP time anyone?) But you know why sometimes he takes ETERNITY TO SHOW UP? Because God wants us--- after trying EVERYTHING you can to solve the situations, finding people to solve the situations and getting to the point of helplessness-- to give ALL the credits when it is all said and done. That's all He wants. Us to recognize his power and glory, because sometimes we forget that He's even there with us. We loooove to take credits for things we had nothing to do with.

Verses 28-29: when Peter tested Jesus.

-->Out of all the disciples only PETER had the audacity to test Jesus. He said "Lord if it is you, command me to walk on water" [SOOOO MUCH TO WRITE HERE BUT] When we feel the calling to do something for the Lord, or we're in a situation when we're not sure what to do, don't be afraid to TEST God and ask him to do the IMPOSSIBLE. you know, everyone can say that they've walked with Jesus but only ONE can say "he walked on water with Jesus"...POWERFUL, no? I definitely think so.

Finally, Verses 30, 31. When Peter doubted and cried out to Jesus.

--> She didn't even bother to mention his lack of faith but rather said]...sometimes when you make it to the middle of the water, (away from the boat and "far" from Jesus) you'll feel LONELY. Don't be afraid to cry out His name. Jesus will come in a second, bend down and reach out to you. It was even more powerful to hear because so many of us, including myself was wondering how the student who just graduated last May from the seminary...How he felt the calling of God to go out and preach the gospel abroad...only to be found lifeless days before his return to the US. Why would God allow his life to be cut so short? Well, sometimes, she reminds us, we will have to sacrifice our life when we are called to do God's will. ummmm [think on that].

Although there is so much to say about this weekend , I think this definitely topped it all. Such a powerful message that I wish I had time to expand on. In any cases, I hope that the little I shared could be of an encouragement to you. Remember that when you're answering the call of Jesus, it will be a lonely road, but in the end it'll be worth it. Only ONE can ever said He walked on WATER with Jesus. Test Him. Stop living your spiritual life vicariously through your friend, elder, pastor, or whatnot. Get your own experience.

[ back to work now...break time over! :(]