Miracles. They happen to us everyday.This is a journal of the miracles in my life. B - Blessings. Miracles that God blesses me with directly or through others. A - Accomplishments, trials I overcame and work I completed. Miracles God works within me when he empowers me. G - Good done to others. Miracles God blesses the people around me with when I allow Him to use me.
Monday, December 27, 2010
My Best Christmas Gifts
Monday, December 20, 2010
Black Sock, White Sock: A Family Christmas Guide
Thursday, December 2, 2010
A Personal Worship
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Blissful Birthday
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
A Happy Servant’s Heart
Sunday, October 31, 2010
The Agony and the Award
Monday, October 25, 2010
Don Quixote at 80: My Knight in Shining Armor
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Darkness and Light
Saturday, October 16, 2010
The Art of Extracting a Blessing
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
A Tortured Matchmaker
Saturday, October 2, 2010
My Virtual Dream Board
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The Third Wish
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Outrageously God’s Best: Website Launch
Monday, September 13, 2010
Song of Praise
“God is good, all the time…”
Last Sunday’s Feast had a special format unlike the usual worship then talk that we got used to. Worship was woven into the thread of the whole talk. After Bro Arun sang some lines of the song, he asked us to partner with someone and share why God is good all the time. “What good thing did He do for you this week?”
Beside me was Louie, the son of my Caring Group mates, Rollie and Beng. He said shyly, “Tita, I can’t think of anything.” But I persisted, “it’s impossible that nothing good happened to you this week. Think of something nice that happened.” He smiled. “There was no class last Friday.” His smile got wider. “I went to two parties and had a nice time.” “There you see, “I told him, “God gave you blessings this week.” He was beaming by this time.
“He put a song of praise in this heart of mine…”
Sometimes, we need a little prodding to recall the good things that happened. Sometimes we are only grateful for the things we see, forgetting a host of other unseen blessings. But when being thankful becomes a habit, a veil is removed from our eyes and we recognize blessings instantly. Being in a state of constant gratitude is being in a constant state of praise.
“God is good all the time…”
When my turn to share came, I recalled my many blessings for the week. My elder son was given the opportunity to train as a teacher in a school he likes to work in. He has also begun to serve in the Feast – part of dream No. 1 in my Novena to God’s Love. My younger son finished his thesis. I got to watch the Citipointe Live concert for free.
“Through the darkest night, His light will shine…”
What I didn’t have time to share was the package of blessings I got that day.
- Before the Feast started, we were checking out how the stage looked. Suddenly, I felt the floor tilting under me. The good thing was I was still able to call out that I was feeling dizzy. Belle and Myrna who were standing beside me caught me in time.
- It happened when I was already in the Feast Alabang Center and not while I was driving. I also recovered quickly, served for two sessions and felt well enough to sing and dance in worship.
- My Papa came when I texted him because I was afraid to drive home. He in turn was blessed. My dizzy spell allowed him to attend the Feast which he thoroughly enjoyed.
- Standing behind them, I was treated to the beautiful image of my son hugging my father at the Grandparents’ Day pray over.
It’s Beginning to Feel Like Home
Our new home, the Feast Alabang Center is filling up. Last Friday, there were so many people and it wasn’t even a Sunday. There were lots of things going on all at the same time.
The Youth Ministry had dance practice. My Media Ministry had a meeting then practiced for our website launch presentation. The Kids’ Ministry also had a meeting. There were two Caring Groups present for their weekly gathering. After all that was done, the center was filled with the singing of the Music Ministry.
Monday, September 6, 2010
The Gold Calling Card
What kind of man gives out a gold calling card? Not gold colored. Not gold leafed. A calling card made of one gram of fine gold. It even said so in the back of the card.
The Feast Alabang is held every Sunday. First session at 11:00 am and the second session is at 3:00. Venue is in the Feast Alabang Center, 2nd Level, X-site entrance, Festival Mall, Alabang.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Garden of Blessings
When we were planning our house, I told my architect-husband I wanted a big garden. He cut our lot in half, positioned our house on one side and left the rest for the garden.
Our garden is big enough for several fruit trees. Which we have. We have a mango tree that has grown quite huge. It is the landmark for guests & delivery boys looking for our house. We also have a duhat tree. Out back there’s chico, balimbing (star fruit), kamias and kalamansi (native lemon). We even had an atis (sweet sop) tree that loyally bore fruits with thick, creamy pulp until it got diseased and died.
In summer, we have so much fruits my family can’t eat them all. My boys don’t even like eating them anymore. I sometimes force feed my twentysomething sons just to make them taste our garden produce. They must have had too much (the mango especially) when they were small they want no more. I remember their shirts turning yellow because they were sweating out mango from eating fresh mango, mango ice box cake, mango tart, mango ice candy and drinking mango juice. Now, they’d rather eat store bought fruits.
When the fruits are in season, there’s a mad scramble to give them away to relatives, friends and even strangers. If we don’t share them, they end up rotten and cluttered in our garden.
Looking out to my garden this morning made me think that our life is a lot like owning a garden filled with fruit trees. When our eyes are open to the blessings, we pick the fruits, enjoy them and thank God for what He has given. We see the rare privilege that others don’t have and use what we are gifted with.
Other times we don’t see and appreciate the rich blessings around us. We’d rather pine for something else rather than be nourished with what we already have. Like manna that is abundant and free, the blessings that we have are sometimes taken for granted.
When the harvest is plentiful, we should not keep the treasures for ourselves. We have to share them with others who are not as lucky to have what we have. A blessing kept, like those fruits, will rot in our hearts.
We need to take care of our gifts. We have to nurture and nourish them so they will bear more fruit. Time has to be spent with God and our loved ones so relationships grow. Time has to be given to our work and our passions in life – for study and training so our craft improves. Otherwise, like that atis tree whose sweet fruit we can no longer eat, we lose a very precious gift.
It’s also nice to swap with friends who have other types of fruit trees in their house. We enjoy a variety. Like the people who serve in our community, we are all blessed with different talents and abilities. When we bring what we have to the table no matter how small, everyone enjoys a feast.
My life is a garden of blessings. In it are my three trees: time, talent and treasure. I have to nurture, share and appreciate them so my garden will grow, bloom and bear more fruit.
(Want to know how to make your garden of blessings grow? Learn the Secret of Big Returns at the Feast Alabang. Come to the Feast Alabang Center, 2nd Level, X-site entrance, Festival Mall, Alabang every Sunday. First session at 11:00 am after the 10:00 am mass. Second session at 3:00 pm before the 5:00 pm mass)
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Voiceless Worship and A Healing Miracle
COUNTDOWN TO FEAST ALABANG CENTER OPENING
Friday, July 30, 2010 (9 days to go)
Music Ministry practice. Sharp pain in my throat as I tried to reach a high note. Uh-oh. Not good.
Sunday, Aug. 1, 2010 (7 days to go)
Last day of the South Feast in Cinema 10. Excitement in the whole theater – we’re finally moving after a week’s delay. But my excitement mixed with worry. I hope I can sing at the opening. That spike-haired bug was still frolicking in my throat at worship.
Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010 (5 days to go)
Off to Divisoria with the other committee members to buy Music Ministry outfits. A hot, tiring day of walking, searching and haggling (a.k.a. harassing store owners to death.) After a quick shower, it was off to the South Feast Council meeting. My cough was having a field day – firecrackers in August.
Thursday, Aug. 5, 2010 (3 days to go)
Spent the whole day looking for South Feast servants’ pictures for the bulletin. I got a headache and was feverish. I missed Music Ministry practice.
Friday, Aug. 6, 2010 (2 days to go)
Second choir practice. I attended even if the infection had turned my voice from Alto 1 to Bass 2. I didn’t want to be clueless about the mechanics on opening day. So I lip synched it.
Saturday, Aug. 7, 2010 (1 day to go)
Jericho march at the center. Dust, dust and more dust greeted us. We must have been a sight. Bro Arun onstage with his guitar and about a hundred servants marching and singing – all wearing masks.
On to Music Ministry practice. Thank God it was just for program flow and blocking.
On to stage décor set-up. Thank God for the help. My Creatives Ministry angels: Jacq, Khaki, Charisse and Ernst who made the stage as dreamy as a wedding gown; Krisanne and Maan with their parents who made the festive balloons for the entrance. And of course, there were our ever-helpful brothers of the Facilities Ministry.
Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010 (D Day!!!)
All I could croak out that morning was a monotone. For the life of me, I couldn’t manage a string of notes that remotely resembled a tune. But I wanted so much to be with the choir in worshipping God on this historic day. So tune or no tune, voice or no voice, I decided to sing praises to my God. It was a worship of the heart.
Already positioned onstage, we witnessed the ribbon-cutting from afar. What a sight to see all our loyal attendees there dressed in their Sunday’s best for the occasion. This is our family celebrating the opening of our new home.
The enthronement of the Bible, the Crucifix and the Blessed Mother was so touching. It moved many people to tears. They were enthroned not just in the altar but in our proudly Catholic hearts.
Bro Arun’s talk was brilliant, hilarious and inspiring, as usual. His talk is the key that keeps people coming back for more. So we were secretly watching the city councilor who pinch-hit for the mayor at the ribbon cutting. Obviously not a charismatic member, she was stick-stiff even when the whole house was already jumping to the great worship. We wanted to see her reaction to the talk. It thawed her out. By the time Bro Arun asked us to sing after his talk, there she was with her hands up in the air like the rest of us.
And the worship! As I said, it was great in the morning session. But the worship in the afternoon was awesome. And that is an understatement. The Holy Spirit was an almost visible presence. He must have decided to sit and stay when Bishop Jesse Mercado blessed the center.
The excitement was as thick as the artificial haze we used for effects. Our beloved leader, Bro Bo Sanchez, was in the house with his family. With the Kerygma 5 Preachers. With our Light of Jesus elders. With the other Feast Builders.
So the spirit-led worship leaders (even those from the morning session joined in) and the whole Music Ministry were inspired to literally rock the stage. And the attendees rocked the rest of the center with singing and dancing. Someone remarked it felt like a KCon high (to the unfamiliar that’s the Kerygma Conference – our annual community gathering). A community elder complained with a big smile we made his knees hurt from dancing.
A POSTCRIPT, A MIRACLE
The following week, fatigue and inhaling more dust in the center during our Tuesday night Council meeting brought on a relapse. By Wednesday I was running a fever. I prayed that it will be gone by Saturday so I can attend to my duties at the Feast on Sunday. But by 10:00 Saturday night, I had a 37.6 temperature. I texted Bro Joey & Sis Myrna, my heads in Events, that I was still sick. I heard the text alert on my phone. Before reading the message, I decided to clear my nose. Pardon the grossness. It seemed all the infection clogged up in my head flowed out. I was surprised because I had spent a week almost bursting my eardrums trying to expel the blockage with no results. This time I breathed freely.
When I read the reply from Bro Joey, I got goose bumps. His text message read: “May the most precious blood of Jesus wash away the cause of your fever. May God heal you right now. In Jesus’ name we pray.” At that moment, I realized the cause of my fever had been washed out. I claimed healing and made a deal with God. If I wake up the next morning without a fever and my chest congestion cleared, I was attending the Feast.
Early Sunday morning after a restful sleep, I checked my temperature. To my disappointment the thermometer read 37.6. But wait, that was my temperature last night! I forgot to shake down the thermometer. I took it again – it was 36.7 this time.
I joyfully proclaimed God’s healing at the Feast. After that, every time, I took my temperature, I would naughtily remind God that I had boasted about His miracle. “Pag nabinat ako, mapapahiya tayo, Lord.” (If I get a relapse, we will be shame-faced, Lord.) I can see Him smiling indulgently as He keeps my temperature below 37.