One Word 2012: GENEROSITY

If you are curious, visit this website. 

It says: 

 One word can change everything. 

Forget New Year’s Resolutions. Scrap the long list of goals that you won’t remember three weeks from now anyway. Choose just one word. 

One word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live or what you want to achieve by the end of 2012. 

One word that you can focus on every day, all year long. 

It will take hard work, and will require intentionality and commitment. But if you let it, your word will shape you and your year. It will guide your decisions and help you grow. 

Discover the big impact one word can make. 

One word. 

365 days. 

A changed life.

When the last week of December 2011 was unfolding, I searched. Searched my heart. Looked for the voice for my Father. I needed to make sense of the toughest year of my life.

2011. Hard. Tough. Difficult. Painful.

Moving to a new city unexpectedly required so much out of me.

Not being able to say goodbye to family and close friends.

Leaving everything I owned behind.

Missed my spiritual family -- people I shared my life with intimately for years.

Awkwardly trying to build new relationships.

Yearning to fill an empty new home.

Losing two grandparents in a matter of three weeks and not being able to be with family during this time.

Juggling the demands of a full-time job, building two different ministries (middle school and high school), staying on top of running a household and managing finances that seem to keep on declining over time.

My conversations with God pretty much consisted of cries and selfish declarations of feeling forgotten.

I knew in my mind that I had to "consider it pure joy" when I faced these different trials. And yet my heart ached with pain rather than with hope.

And then one morning, as I was asking God "Why is this season so difficult?"

He spoke to my heart so loud and so clear. He lovingly responded back.

"If I made this year easy for you, then you would not have seen the depths of My faithfulness."

His voice was undeniable and my heart started leaping at the thought of how deeply faithful He truly was.

We got blessed by a car. Found an apartment in a safe location. It was once empty and yet today we have everything we need. Skype. New friends who took time to get to know me. Having that one friend I can run to in times of heartache. Craigslist. Outpouring of support (in finances, gifts, words, and prayers) to help us stay encouraged. Travel opportunities. Our marriage is the strongest it has ever been and it just keeps on getting better and sweeter.

 Barbara Mouser in 'Five Aspects of Woman' said it so beautifully:

"God is good, & life is worthwhile in spite of its pain. I am regaining the joy of giving by accepting the pain & struggle. I do all I can to alleviate my sufferings & those of others. But even when pain & death do hold sway, I am not utterly quenched or without hope. At the depths of suffering, I keep finding Christ who is there before me."

The second sentence kept on resonating in my heart.

I am regaining the joy of giving by accepting the pain & struggle.

I am certain that God is challenging me this year with this one word:

GENEROSITY

And I humbly accept the challenge.

Sowing and giving sacrificially have never been personal struggles. But I am certain that God wants me to take it to a whole new ridiculous level. 

The kind that hurts. If it is not painful, then I am not giving enough.

The kind that leaves me hanging by a thread and only God can make a way to provide.

I sincerely desire that even when resources seem to be scarce, I will give crazily.

He wants me to be generous with my money, my things, my time, my words, and my acts of service.

"And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me." (2 Corinthians 12:9 NASB)

Please pray for me that this verse rules over my heart every single day of this year. I cannot do it without Christ's grace and without your prayers.

Share with me today:

What is your 'one word' for 2012?

 

Endurance

It's funny how you hear from God at the most random places and in the middle of the least "spiritual" activities. It happened to me last night at my Zumba class.

Photo Credit: http://jessielah.wordpress.com/

My favorite instructor was on leave. Heard about her being on the road with her touring musician husband.

Therefore, an couple of alternate Zumba instructors were doing the classes as substitutes. I personally find it difficult to adjust to new teaching styles every time I attend a class -- whether it is a fitness class or just a regular learning environment.

Last night was especially hard to adjust to. The instructor was the sweetest, nicest lady but I just could not get my rhythm on with her teaching style.

I was messing up on every routine. I am a bad dancer to begin with. While my favorite instructor had basic, high-impact, non-stop dance moves, last night's routines were a little more complicated.

Needless to say, I was struggling in keeping up with the class. Halfway through it, I was contemplating whether to leave the class or not. The indoor track at the gym looked way more appealing. And truthfully, going home, making some dinner, and watching the latest Parks and Recreation episode seemed the most appealing.

And yet I couldn't. It started becoming an issue of endurance when facing a difficult, almost unbearable situation.

I do not mean to "Jesus Juke" (after all it is just a Zumba class and I can't stand Jesus Jukes) but Romans 5:3-4 immediately came into my heart. It also happened to be my morning devotional Bible verse.

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope ..."

I started challenging myself quietly. If I cannot endure the difficulty of the remaining 30-minute class, then how will I respond when I start training for charity runs? How about when I am faced with really unpleasant leadership while working on a project? Or even on merely having to wait for 30 more minutes until a really bad conversation is over?

I knew that my character is not the best when it comes to endurance. I cannot stand long periods of suffering. In fact, I am terrible at it. I admire people who know the difference of what situations to endure and those that are clearly just a waste of their time.

I want to be able to withstand an uncomfortable situation. I want to someday run mile after mile and feel great every step of the way. I want to be able to discern events I have to put up with and the ones I can clearly walk out on. I want to be able to patiently wait on the promises of the Lord even if it is taking years to be fulfilled.

I do not know how long it will take for me to get to that point but I wanted last night's class to be the start.

Tell me:

Describe a time when you had to endure something so unpleasant. 

What was the Lord's revelation to you?

 

Let It Go ...

Someone driving ahead of you forgot to use a turn signal.

Let it go.

A guest failed to use a coaster for his glass.

Let it go.

The husband left the toilet seat up.

Let it go.

The person ahead of you is taking forever to order her food.

Let it go.

You chose the most thoughtful gift and you never got a thank you note.

Let it go.

Someone took two parking spaces.

Let it go.

When something you have "discovered first" suddenly becomes mainstream.

Let it go.

You sent an invitation for a meal in your home and never get a reply.

Let it go.

Your name was mispronounced.

Smile. Graciously correct. Then let it go.

You want to use that little blank status bar on Facebook as your current venting ground and hopefully get that message across to the one who offended you.

Just let it go.

If you want to be a forgiver of big offenses, be a forgiver of the little ones.

I am so glad to be back. How have you been?

Why does God take us to the mountain?

I really enjoyed the message in Bethel Franklin last Sunday, May 22nd. It was the first part of a three-week series called 'Double Calls.'

'Double Calls' are about stories in the Bible where God called the names of specific people twice. Last Sunday was about how the Lord called Abraham twice as accounted in the book of Genesis 22.

Genesis 22 tells the story of when God called Abraham to the mountain. To be honest with you, when I first read and studied this chapter, the words of the Lord was very unsettling.

"Take your son, your only son -- yes, Isaac, whom you love so much -- and go the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will point out to you." (Genesis 22:2)

Reading this passage brought me to another Bible verse -- Galatians 3:6-7 -- saying that we are also descendants of Abraham. Suddenly, the story of Genesis 22 became more profoundly personal to me. It made me realize that as Abraham's children, we all had to go through our own personal climbs to a mountain.

Why does God take us to the mountain?

I started looking at Hebrews 11:17-19 and it says,

"By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[a] 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death."

Why does God take me to the mountain? 

Because He wants me to know certain things.  

Things that I believe to be true but only through a climb I will know to be true.

I believe His love for me is far deeper than I have ever imagined. 

Through a climb, I know that this is true.

I believe His grace is far wider that I can ever comprehend. 

Through a climb, I know that this is true.

I believe His power is the only source in overcoming any obstacles.

Through a climb, I know that this is true.

He calls me to the mountain so I will know what I would not know otherwise.

Sleeping Longer and Better

Sleep.

It is good for you. 

Get seven to nine hours of it daily.

We have heard this health advice over and over again throughout the years.

I am a total believer of getting enough sleep.

This is the one thing I intentionally do for my health every single day without missing a beat.

I wasn't always like that.

I knew I had to do something about my sleeping pattern when I finally admitted to myself that:

I was often tired.

I was heavily dependent on caffeine to get through the day.

I woke up in the middle of the night and chose to indulge in some form of media.

I woke up with very little energy.

I got drowsy during the day.


Today, I regularly sleep at 10pm and wake up at 6am.

It took me a while to get there. I had to enforce changes with the way I approached sleep.

These changes are so worth it!


Here are some of the things I did (and continue to do) to sleep longer and better.

Develop the discipline of a sleeping at the same hour every night. I knew that my body was desperate for consistency and I had to nurture that need.

Minimize the intake of caffeine. I used to drink at least three cups of bold coffee everyday. I am now down to only 1 cup a day, in the morning.

Give importance to hydration. Water is the only liquid our body truly needs. I have vowed to take better care of myself by drinking at least eight glasses of water every day. I promise that you will feel more well-rested if you follow this one rule.

Exercise daily. I totally swear by exercise as the best way to relieve muscle tension. I also make sure I include a good amount of stretching. One thing you must keep in mind: it's best to exercise in the day time instead of in the evenings. Late physical activity makes me stay up later than usual.

Carefully schedule "social time-outs." I love being in touch with people I care about. I love opportunities of spending time with them.

However, there is a bit of a dilemma. I have A LOT of people that I care about. I am also married to a wonderful man who loves people just as much as I do (if not more).

This results in a jam-packed schedule. I consider time with people a blessing. But I am going to admit to you today, a hectic calendar sometimes physically and mentally wears me out.

I get less sleep. I become more cranky.

Because of this, I periodically enforce "social time-outs" in order to allow my body and mind to catch up. When I get a few days of disconnection time, I feel like I connect better with people when I am available. Thankfully, my friends completely understand that I am this way. Which makes me love them more!

Invest in a comfortable bed. There is no question about it -- a good mattress matters when it comes to getting a good night's sleep.  It is important to look for a mattress that allows you to relax but that also supports the normal S curve of your back.

There is no one perfect mattress for everyone. You will need to take some time to try as many models as possible and see what best fits you.

Understand why God wants all of us to rest.  I strongly believe in sleep as an act of giving God the time to do a work in us. Sleep is when God can reach our spiritual being and provide instruction and insight.

Resting every day also reminds me that I do not need to perform for my Father in order for Him to be pleased with me. He loves me regardless of what I do during my waking hours.

Matthew 11:28

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Working From Home: Minimizing Interruptions

I consider it a blessing that I have a job that allows me to work anywhere I want to. I do not take this for granted.

My preferred place of work is my very own home. This is where I feel most comfortable, undisturbed, and it saves me the most money.

However, I have established several disciplines in order to do my job efficiently. Working in a home office demands a different kind of work ethic and commitment because of the available distractions a household demands.

Here are five things that I intentionally do.

1. Create a clean, clutter-free workspace. I make sure that my desk is clear. I take out any objects, office supplies, reading materials that have nothing to do with my tasks for the day.  I also set the temperature of my room that makes me most comfortable.

2. Carefully schedule times of communication. This applies to e-mails, home phone, mobile phone, social networks, and instant messaging. I look through my e-mail inbox twice a day. I turn on my phones during breaks and in the evening. I appear 'visible' on my instant messaging only to important work contacts during the week day. I log in to Facebook only during my lunch break and after 5pm. I know this sounds extreme to some, but being intentional about this helps me stay focused on my tasks.

(Note: I have a private way of being reached by my husband any time of the day.)

3. Set specific times of being available to others. I love spending time with people I care about. I also appreciate moments that I get the chance to know new people better. However, I like going on about this with undivided attention. Therefore, I carefully manage my schedule  of being available for people outside of work hours. I like to be strict about this. When I receive an invitation to leave my home office when I know I have important work deadlines, I usually offer an alternate time.

4. Snack on food that keeps me energized throughout the day. My favorite energy-boosting snacks are yogurt, almonds, and walnuts. I used to eat a lot of starchy foods during my work hours and I always ended up feeling really lethargic.

5. Give importance to hydration. I always keep a glass of water beside me at all times. When water runs out, I immediately stand up and refill the glass -- a great excuse to stretch throughout the day. I have discovered that dehydration results in a headache, which is one of the biggest work interruptions out there.


I also feel that it is important to add that when interruptions do occur, it is best to handle the situation with a spirit of joy.  We can always aim to do our best in handling our time and that is great. However, if something comes up that is beyond our control, this is an opportunity to display an extraordinary amount of grace.

Financial Wisdom and Maturity

The most recent weekend here in Nashville was a productive one for me and Robert. A couple from church gave us two tickets to watch Dave Ramsey Live! in the auditorium downtown.

It was a blessing in every sense. People pay a lot of money to see Dave Ramsey and more money to get a personalized financial makeover from his team. A lot of families can attest to the freedom they have experienced from following his money management principles. It couldn't have come at a better time: we just started permanently living as married couple in the United States. Money is an issue.

There was so much wisdom gained from that 6-hour live show. Dave talked about very practical baby steps in order to get our finances together. Good thing we do not have much debt (I thank the fact that Robert and I lived in a cash-based Philippine economy for years) and that we only currently live on debit cards! We feel so inspired to apply the lessons without feeling a lot of burden.

There was one thing that Dave said that completely captured me. A statement that I felt examines the true motivation of a person's relationship with money and how he spends it.

"Maturity is the ability to delay pleasure."

When I really thought about it, isn't that addiction to instant pleasure that makes us spend money we do not have? Or maybe we do have that money; but it does not necessarily mean God wants us to use it in that manner. How many times have we overlooked asking Him because we want that instant gratification so badly?

That instant pleasure we all feel when we get that newest car, gadget, or shoes the moment it is released in the market. Or travel to that new fancy destination. The desire to be considered 'cool' by letting people know we are the first to own fancy things. Our self-confidence is dependent whether or not we have what our friends have. Or worse, we want to have what our friends don't have so that we can say we were the trend-setter in our own little circles. We go out of our way to acquire things so that we will be envied.

Doesn't it take a more mature and secure person to not want all these things? Isn't it exhilarating to be completely content with everything that God has given us and not covet anything more?

God has been teaching me this since I moved to Nashville barely a month ago. I looked at our empty apartment and it is so easy to make a checklist of what we need. Then that checklist became real funny-looking. Suddenly, the items listed as 'needs' were actually 'wants'.

I threw that list away. Instead,  I asked Him to allow me to enjoy the process of building our home as slowly as possible. I asked for grace in that area and He is faithfully meeting me there every single day.

Today, when I look at our home, I am amazed to see how much we don't really need. I have a great bed to sleep on (which friends thoughtfully gave to us), a pantry stocked with food, a breathtaking view, and an amazing husband who makes me laugh!

Thank You Jesus that You are teaching me how to be mature. Thank You that by asking me to wait, I am learning more and more to be dependent on You and not on myself.

Identifying Emotions in Marriage

One my most cherished times in this season of exploring, discovering and learning is being a part of a "journey group" for married couples. Robert and I have always wanted study God's Word with other like-minded people who acknowledge God's standards for marriage. We are really grateful that we got the chance to complete a series called "Staying in Love" by Andy Stanley for the fall semester.

Today, I want to share with you the biggest lesson that I learned from this Bible study series.

Don't you think it is interesting that no couple wants to fight and yet we have not met anyone who has completely avoided it? And it seems like the failure to communicate and address these disagreements leads to another fight, and then another fight, and then another fight ...

And the next thing you know, a married couple who used to be head over heels in love are now growing apart and has completely given up on any kind of resolution.

Unintentional or not, we all bring emotional baggage from relational hurts in our pasts. It is only inevitable that our spouses will say or do something that will trigger an unpleasant emotion that will consequently generate anger in our hearts.

I just love how the Bible warns me on how this is likely to happen in our marriage:

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." (Proverbs 4:23)

Andy Stanley's commentary on this Bible verse proves to be even more helpful:

"We need a proactive strategy for doing this. We're good at monitoring our spouses' behavior, but we're horrible at monitoring what's really happening in our own hearts."

GUILTY AS CHARGED!

I have come to the realization that when I get angry, I often blame my husband for being the source of that anger. I have since learned that my default reaction should always be a thoughtful examination of the condition of my heart.

As a married couple, both of our hearts must be anchored on God for us to be in an emotionally healthy place. If we proactively "guard our hearts," we can address disagreements with civility and a genuine determination to resolve issues so that it does not creep up again and again.

When you find yourself starting to get heated up that can possibly brew a fight, I recommend taking these steps.

1) Calm down. Have a seat. Take a couple of deep breaths.

2) Pray. Pray hard. Ask for the power of our Great Counselor, the Holy Spirit to navigate through your feelings and thoughts.

3) Identify what causes the anger. It is not enough to vent to your spouse, "I am mad" or "I am frustrated with you." It is also not healthy to express these feelings on a social network status because you need to let it all out. Or worse, you just keep it all in and let it kill you inside. It will not resolve anything. Go into specifics. Communicate these emotions. Think of words that precisely describe your feelings. Looking for sample statements?

"I am frustrated at the fact that you leave your clothes lying around. When you do that, I feel that you disrespect the work that I do to keep our home clean."

"Your lack of affection leaves me feeling undesirable. And that makes me resentful. The more I resent, the angrier I become."

"Sometimes I feel like you are too bossy and controlling with me. When you do that, it reminds me of sad memories of childhood when I watched my father do that to my mother. Remembering these days hurt me deeply."

"You do not have to question my decisions all the time. I feel belittled. I wish you can trust me more and know that my reasons are always of good intentions."

"It makes me mad when I see you spend almost all of your time caring for our children. I think you are a wonderful mother but I cannot help but feel neglected."

"I feel really judged when your parents are around. Their actions make me feel like a terrible wife/husband. I wish you would stand up for me more and honor me in their presence."

"When we spend time with these group of people, I feel so left out. I would love it if you were more intentional about filling me in some of the details so that I feel a little more included."

"I need help. I need some form of assistance. I thought I could do it all but I am too prideful to admit it. I don't want to keep on pretending because it just puts anger and frustration in my heart."

Do these statements sound familiar? I am sure most of us have felt this one way or another. However, we overlook the desire to be deliberate about identifying the source of the anger.

The more specific we get in identifying our emotions, the better we communicate our feelings to our spouse.


If you find yourself needing to communicate something to your spouse:
"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ." (Ephesians 4:15)

If you find yourself on the receiving end of something that is being expressed to you:
"Christ uses critics to guard our souls from self-destructive tendencies. We gain ears to listen to others when we gain ears to listen to Him. Critics, like governing authorities, are servants of God to you for good." (Romans 13:4)

Let us challenge ourselves with this concluding statement from Andy Stanley:

What's inside of you is coming out. And it's not coming out because of who you are with, but because it was in you to begin with. If you want to stay in love, you have to pay attention to what is in there, so that you can own it. You have to have a plan to guard your heart--a plan that begins with thinking about and identifying specific emotions and then communicating them. Will you commit to this plan?

Do you want to know more?

Watch this video.

Lessons in E-mail Management

Maintaining a very public online persona has been an incredible blessing to me. It has also opened doors to a lot of people wanting to communicate with me through electronic means.

I created my very first e-mail address back in 1996. I probably had only two friends at that time who had e-mail addresses as well.

Fourteen years later, e-mail is now my primary tool to communicate with family, close friends, people I work with and connections made through online spaces.

It sounds almost made up but today, I receive about 200-300 e-mails in a day. Some of them personal, others work-related, a lot are notifications, and many of them are newsletters of information that I have signed up for at one point or another.

I do not want e-mails to be my daily enemy. But I knew that if I continued on placing all these new e-mails in one place, I am going to dread my future.

E-mails should be a great thing. I clearly knew this was a powerful tool if I can develop a strategy in mastering e-mail management.

Here is what I did. I wrote down the different 'types' of e-mails I received on a daily basis. The list looks like this:

Personal

Work (external)

Work (internal)

Social Media / Community Profiles

Ministry

Blog

Newsletters

Banking / Online Shopping 

My next step was to create an e-mail address for each list. Here is a breakdown of how each e-mail inbox looks like and how often I check it.

E-mail #1: Personal
These are e-mails from family and friends. People I have an ongoing relationship with. Very few people know this address and I intend to keep it that way. I love this inbox because this is where I see thoughtfully written letters. Frequency: weekends.

E-mail #2: Work (external)
These is the e-mail address I place on my business card for freelance work and business networking. I rarely use it because right now I am not in a position to accept any extra jobs. My full-time job and this blog keep my hands full. However, this address will come in handy when opportunities arise in the future. Frequency: biweekly.

E-mail #3: Work (internal)
The busiest inbox that I currently have. This displays all the correspondence that I have regarding my full-time job. Includes customer e-mails, task assignments, and work issues. Frequency: daily/all the time.

E-mail #4: Social Media/Community Profiles
I use this e-mail address when I sign up for social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. All notifications go to this inbox. I find this the 'noisiest' out of all my e-mail addresses and the one I care for the least, honestly. Frequency: once a week.

E-mail #5: Ministry
My husband is in full-time ministry and I love teaming up with him; being available to many people. This e-mail address is used for ministry updates, missions correspondence, and prayer requests. Frequency: Tuesdays and Thursdays.

E-mail #6: Blog
This e-mail address is intended for correspondence made through happysammy.com. I also use this when I need to get in touch with possible contractors for blog improvements. Frequency: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

E-mail #7: Newsletters
This is a content-rich e-mail inbox and I knew that if I mixed it up with all my other e-mails, it can easily get lost or it might distract me from other messages I need to address immediately. Putting them together in one place helps me schedule a specific time to digest all the information. I use this for blog subscriptions, online newsletters and sign-ups at conference exhibits. Frequency: biweekly.

E-mail #8: Banking/Online Shopping
Most of you know that online shopping transactions can get really spammy. Useless e-mails that come when purchasing an item can bring a lot of stress to other e-mails that needs to be taken seriously. I highly recommend that every online shopper should have an e-mail address devoted exclusively to this. Frequency: once a month or only when I buy something online.


You might be thinking: 8 e-mail addresses?!? The thought of being on top of addresses this many can be overwhelming.

I have found that dealing with 8 different types of e-mails in one inbox and having to look at them all daily can be much more stressful and eventually makes me less efficient. I used to color code and label each e-mail for better management but I found it that this very task is also counter-productive.

I am now in a much better place separating them in different boxes and setting them to different check-in frequencies. Starting them all up is very tedious but the work has paid off since. My current sanity has made it all worth it!

Worth checking out: 
Blogging Pitfalls: How to Avoid E-mail Overload
Michael Hyatt: Yes, You Can Stay on Top of E-mail

What I Learned from Cassie Bernall

Two evenings ago, I found myself in a really unfamiliar place. Pastor Corey Demmel, the youth pastor of Bellevue Christian Center (the church that we go to here in Bellevue, NE) invited Robert to share a 5-minute message at REVOLUTION -- a mid-week worship service for high-school age kids.



I was planning on dropping by for a quick minute -- to record Robert's message. After that, I had my heart set on finding a couch somewhere in the building and read a book. Needless to say, my plans didn't push through -- all for many great reasons!

First, the energy of high-schoolers were just contagious. I felt like 17 again! I couldn't help but join in the worship. And I am glad I did. There is nothing like going all out in worship of my Father!





The service's message was about leaving a legacy for Christ. I was moved by one example that was shared that evening.

Many of us remember the massacre that took place in Columbine High School in 1999. I was 23 years old back then and I was already a follower of world news and current events.



I heard about the story of Cassie Bernall, one of the victims of the shooting. I didn't know Jesus at that time so I haven't really given much thought on what took place as she died in the hands of the assailants.



That evening, I was re-introduced to her story. One of the killers (I personally don't know which one among the two), asked her if she believed in God.

She boldly responded "yes."

Moments later, she was shot dead.

This encouraged me to take a hard look at myself and see how I would respond in the exact same situation. Sure, I can proudly proclaim right now that I can do what Cassie did.

But really, when a gun is pointed to my head and be asked who I stood for, will I really boldly declare that I am willing to die for Christ? I welcomed this moment to be completely honest with myself.

(Side note: Watched a similar fictional situation in last night's Grey's Anatomy season finale. A man was on a shooting rampage in the hospital and seemed to target surgeons. With a gun to her head, he asked Dr. Miranda Bailey if she was a surgeon or a nurse. Fearing for her life and the son she will leave behind, she said "nurse.")

It is a sobering self-examination for me. It opened a conversation between me and Jesus. I asked Him (I actually begged) to give me the power of the Holy Spirit and enable me to be as faith-filled as Cassie -- at all times. I want to filled with a pure desire willingly die for Him if I am faced with that situation.

Then the conversation moved to situations more real in the present time. Do I take advantage of every opportunity to proclaim Christ every chance I get? Do I really have to wait for a life-or-death situation to let people know who stand for?

How about in the little choices that I make? Do I choose the one that glorifies my one and only God?

How about in my reactions to situations that upset me? I am pretty good at reacting graciously on the outside but how about my heart? Is grace found within me? Do I truly love from the inside in the same way my external actions do?

Today, I choose to be that person who says she loves Jesus Christ with all her heart.

Today, I choose to continue to witness and share what He has done for me.

Today, I choose not to strive to be what I am committing to be. He has paid the price and He has declared victory in all of my battles. I will allow Him to empower me. His power is made perfect in my weakness.

Romans 1:16-17 (The Message) says:


"It's news I'm most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God's powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God's way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: "The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives."

Standing By

We were set to leave about a week ago for Omaha, Nebraska. Little did we know that God had other plans.

Seats on Delta Airlines have been oversold in the past week. Since we got our tickets from a Delta employee, we were pretty much the first to get bumped off the flight.

We tried getting into 6 different flights for 4 consecutive days and still no success. There were a couple of really crazy close calls but it still didn't work out.

The volcanic cloud of ash from Iceland closed pretty much the entire European airspace; which added to the volume of passengers trying to reroute their itineraries.

I cannot even begin to describe the complex emotions Robert and I have experienced in these past few days. I have been able to cope with this matter fairly well (despite the occasional tears of fatigue and frustration) but it does break my heart to see my husband make that daily telephone call to his parents to let them know we didn't make the flight again. It is so difficult to add stress to them when our very intention of going to the States is to serve them and make their life easier.

However, I just needed to share with you what God has been doing in me and what He has been teaching me as we wait on His perfectly-timed flight. The one thing that made me realize through this time is that Jesus is all I really need when He is all I've got. My dependency on Him has a reached a level that I have never been on before.

I have had moments of faithlessness and feeling like I am unable to hear His will. I had to battle this weakness every second and rely on the truth that He is able and that His reasons are always perfect.

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

Having spent so much time with Him and seeing how everything unfolded, God gave us this assurance that He is protecting us from something that will harm us. I am convinced of this 100%.

I have absolutely no idea what it is that can possibly cause us pain but He sure does know! I am so comforted knowing this. He will reveal what it is in time.

There are two things that I am so thankful for on this experience.

1) This is really making our marriage stronger. I am amazed on how God filled our character with so much grace during this time. During moments when we thought we would lose our cool, we chose to be patient, understanding and gracious. Only our Father can make our weaknesses perfect through Him! There was no way we could have been this kind to each other if it weren't for His power.

2) You really know who your true friends are during this time. I am so touched by the hospitality, phone calls, text messages, e-mails and comments that we have received these past few days. You know who you are! I just want you to know that every kind word put a smile on my face. God really showed Himself through you.


Please continue to pray for us as we patiently wait for God's plans to unfold. We are still looking forward to fly at the soonest possible time; but we are open to change our plans if that is His will (although at this time, I still feel like He wants us to go). I am fervently praying for supernatural favor as we try to get on a flight again.

Please stand with us as we "cast the whole of our care [all of our anxieties, all of our worries] on Him, for He cares for us affectionately and cares about us watchfully." (1 Peter 5:7)


Thank you for reading this. You are a blessing to us.

Last of Two Parts: Our Third Wedding Anniversary

Thank you to everyone who greeted us on our third wedding anniversary! I never had the habit of greeting couples on their anniversaries but I have been taught by these very loving people that it is such a sweet gesture. I hope to start keeping track of my friends' anniversaries this year.

Yesterday I shared what we did to celebrate three years of being married. Today I am hoping to list down most of the important lessons I have learned these past three years of being Robert's wife.

I am, in no way, the most trusted expert in marriage but one thing I am sure of: God has been very loving and patient in guiding me to always become the best wife I can be to my husband. He has shaped me into the spouse that I am today because of experiences and through the examples of other women who love Him.

What God Has Taught Me About Being Robert's Wife

1) Everyday, I make a deliberate effort to look great for my husband. I have made a promise to him a long time ago that I will never let myself go no matter what. It takes so much work to stay and look good but Robert's response is always worth it. Not only is he visually stimulated, I can feel that he is much more confident when we step out and know that we are both well-groomed.

2) I choose to trust him at all times and know that his relationship with God enables him to be trustworthy. I used to be in relationships where it was difficult for me to feel secure. Now I know how important it is to be married to someone who loves God so much and abides by His high moral standards.

I found this also important: verbally expressing to him that I trust his decisions and will support them no matter what. Robert has affirmed to me so many times that this act gives him the confidence to go on about his day.

3) I do everything I can to create a house that is pleasant to go home to. Our apartment is tiny and our current budget does not really allow us to splurge on nice things for the home. However, I have learned to be creative in making our place a loving, safe place that Robert looks forward to enter at the end of the day. It is also important that my joyful attitude covers it all.

4) I find opportunities to intercede for my husband all day, every day. I am blessed that this is something I can freely do because I work from home full-time. There are just so many things to pray for: his safety on the road, his health, his reputation, his attitude, his confidence, his decisions, his engagement with other people and so much more!

5) I always pray for men to always speak life into my husband, and that Robert may always have the humility to receive them. I find this very crucial in his spiritual growth. I am grateful that my husband intentionally seeks these men. His humility in seeking wisdom is something I pray this will always be in him.

6) I used to fight hard with people who have said unkind and discouraging things to Robert. Today, I often choose to release my battles to the Lord and have Him stand up for my husband.

7) We believe in taking advantage of opportunities to improve our marriage. We are blessed to belong to a church who runs excellent seminars that help marriages work better. We do not wait for something bad to happen to start asking for help. We are not too proud either to ask for help when needed.

8) I go out of my way to anticipate what my husband will need during the day. When it comes to serving him, I just go ahead and do it. Sometimes it is great to ask but most of the time I discovered that my husband feels really loved when he doesn't need to ask for what he needs (he doesn't express it much anyway). It communicates to him that I have lovingly thought of him and that I take delight in meeting his desires.

9) I love speaking highly of him all the time. And it's not just lip service. I am married to an honorable, kind man. He sees the beauty in every person and every situation. There are just so many things about him that inspire me to be a better person.

10) We choose to joyfully maximize each season of our relationship. Love stories are written differently. I am so glad ours worked out the way it did. We throughly enjoyed every season of our relationship. We were best friends for more than two years. Dating for one year. Engaged for another year. And now married for three years!

There is just something so amazing in totally soaking in each season and reaping the benefits of each. The spirit of not being in a hurry proved to be something that built the strength of our marriage.

And it continues to grow and stay solid. Right now, we absolutely love still going out on dates, watching movies, long dinner conversations, and impulsive runs to undiscovered places.

We understand that parenthood is the next season and we are completely content in waiting for God's right time. We are doing our best in being physically prepared but at the same time knowing that there is nothing to be anxious about. Sometimes it feels like other people are rushing us to into the next season which is completely understandable. But we know what God promised to us and it is only a matter of time that He allows our dreams to pass. In the meantime, we are enjoying this season of quality time together!


I am not, by any means, the perfect wife. There are days I just don't feel like looking pretty or sometimes I am just too tired to tidy up our home. I continue to make a lot of mistakes but through my dependence on the real source of my strength which is God, I learn something new every single day. He gives me the grace the actually love doing what I committed to do for this marriage.

Today, I truly know what it means to intentionally put Jesus in the center of a marriage. His love for me and my husband is what keeps us going.

The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" (Lamentations 3:22-24 NASB)