I missed my three memes and regular visits to my favorite blogs last weekend. It's a long story. But, before I dive in to that... or should I say those, because it's going to be a series of stories, I would like to post my WFW first, before I miss another meme. These two, lovely, praying angels were given to my daughter ST and son ZT by ST's godmother, Malis. There is this recorded goodnight prayer in it which plays when their tummies are pressed. My daughter memorized it already, and she is so cute trying to sound like the voice of the American girl who recorded it.


Since I enrolled myself in the school of prayer and intercession, God actively situated me and my family in circumstances that will force me to exercise my faith-lessons. It was like signing up my entire family for inevitable problems. Good thing I and my hubby have the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us in all truth. We are learning to discern how to pray and what to pray for in times of trials. To pray that God, the author of prayer, would teach us how to pray is really a wise thing to do. Testings, tribulations, troubles and temptations are typical times when we need wisdom in our prayers. When one of the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray like John the Baptist, He did not hesitate to instruct them. They were even told to ask, seek and knock, and promised that the Father will give the Holy Spirit to them who ask of Him. Writing these things down from the Bible is just so affirming!

For more inspiring pictures and Bible verses, visit The 160 Acre Woods.

Psalm 121:1-3
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber

This is an amazing week so far. I am showered with love by God through my family, my sisters in the Lord from different places, and through the Word. Today, I am tempted to be frantic with my preparations for the dedication of my son, but God nudged me to pause for awhile for my Thankful Thursday. After reading Iris' post today, I heard my sister sing in my mind --

I will lift mine eyes to the hills from whence my help shall come,
I will trust my Lord to heal and take me home.
Lord, I never felt this way before, You promised to see me through.
I could only trust you more and more, Lord, I lift mine eyes to you.

Hope floats in the hearts of those who trusted Jesus as their Savior and Lord. There is no hope in the eyes of those who have not known or heard that there is life eternal. And because of my salvation ---

• I thank God for the blessed hope that is in me, and for His ever present help in time of trouble.
  
• I thank God for giving me the courage to slow down when everything in me says speed up, and neglect my time with Him.
• I thank God for my children; they keep me sane and less self-centered.
• I thank God for my husband who rejoices with me in my successes, and empathizes with me in my frustrations.
• I thank God I am healed from LBM which was really painful last night until I fell asleep.
• I thank God for sleep. I am naturally a late sleeper with occasional insomia.
• I thank God for continually healing my coughing housemates: my kids and their nannies.
• I thank God for the willing hands from our church's Young Adults Ministry that will help us in putting the dedication event together.
• Thank God for those who prayed and are continually praying for that, too.
• I thank God for the future we are looking forward to. I am excited to be trained in the Bible school in preparation for the mission-work. But, right now, my assignment is to be here with the kids. I feel it will come very soon. God knows when I am ready.
• I thank God for Thursdays. I always thank Him, but knowing someone will thank God with me is just awe-inspiring.
  
• Lastly, though I won't cease to thank God today, I thank God for you. Your comments will surely inspire me. I can't wait to read your ThTh post, too. I'll be visiting you, Lord willing.

It's a wet, good morning here in the Philippines! Thank you very much, my sisters, for praying with us. Thanks especially to Denise, Amydeanne, Laurie Anne, Michele and Tracy Berta for taking the time to encourage me at the well. The rain is still pouring, but my kids are not coughing like dawgs, although my daughter ST, will have to take antibiotics. ZT's cough is hard, but the doctor did not hear anything through the stethoscope. That is a praise item! Thank God they do not have to be admitted in the hospital for something worse. We had that experience early this year when they were admitted together due to pneumonia. Also, their nanny's happy new year cough is getting better now. Filipinos greet a coughing person with a happy new year especially if it sounds anything like a fire cracker... that hard! We make fun of everything here in a non-offensive way just to keep things light. When the weather is this gloomy and everybody's sick, it is best to have some humor around. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers.

It's 11AM here in the Philippines. If ever you came earlier before I post my At The Well entry, please accept my apology and pray for my family. My kids: ST, my 2yo girl, and ZT, my 9mo boy, caught bad colds along with their nanny Am. It's been raining hard, and the coldness aggravates their condition. We even failed to go to church yesterday due to the heavy rain. My hubby who commutes via 4 jeepney rides going to work is also in danger of catching colds or even worse if he gets too wet before entering his fully air-conditioned office. Filipinos are used to different weather conditions, but sometimes our bodies get this frail. Times like this, we value intercession and God's grace. Hopefully, when we get home from the nearby Kid's clinic, I'll have the strength and "wind" to type down the faith-thoughts that piled up in my heart after reading Natalie's post at her IAM (NOT) blog. I was blessed at her well. Please come back to check out my post. Knowing you came by to pray and will come back after a while mean a lot. See you around. Shalom!

101 STORIES OF ANSWERED PRAYERS

You'll Never Get Away With It
By: Jeannie St. John Taylor

"Who broke the vase?" I asked.
Three innocent faces grazed up at me. Three pairs of shoulders shrugged. My heart broke. Every day of their lives, I prayed for my children to love the Lord and have soft hearts, yet one of them was lying. One of them had a hard heart.
"You may be able to lie to me," I said in a last-ditch attempt to soften hearts. They were so close in age, I never seemed able to sort out who did what - and they knew it. "But God is always watching. He knows who is lying."
Three pairs of eyes grew big with concern. Three dismayed voices protested.
"I'd be scared to lie to God," I said. Three sets of eyes unblinkingly met mine. Obviously, the perpetrator was not going to crack.,
I walked into the kitchen, my stomach churning, my eyes filling with tears - helpless to do anything more. How could my precious children have such hard hearts?
Hearing a "rhummm...rhummm," I glanced back into the family room. Ty and Tevin made motor sounds as they ran trucks over a pillow. They had returned to their play, but Tori hadn't joined them. She stood alone on the hearth, palms pressed together in a prayng position, eyes squeezed shut, lips moving in silent prayer.
Obviously, the guilty part was feeling remorse. It looked like my God had answered my daily prayer. Her little heart wasn't so hard after all. Hopefully, she'd come and confess to me, too. And she did.

"For He views the ends of the earth, and sees everything
under the heavens." Job 28:24

This week bore my firsts in CWO Meme. I met new bloggers from different memes and I am so glad to participate today in one of the memes that may just be closest to my heart. Not that the others are less enjoyable to do, but that as a professional musician and an active worship minister, sharing my meditation on the songs I love is something I need to do. Sharing makes one rehearse her lessons by heart, and so here is my first entry: THROUGH IT ALL by Hillsong. Please click the title to view the video.

THROUGH IT ALL

You are forever in my life
You see me through the seasons
Cover me with Your hand
And lead me in Your righteousness
And I look to You, And I wait on You

I will sing to You, Lord
A hymn of love
For Your faithfulness to me
I'm carried in everlasting arms
You'll never let me go
Through it all

Hallelujah, hallelujah

The first time this song was introduced in our church, I was not on stage with the Praise and Worship team. Usually, when I am assigned to serve on stage, I rehearse and perform with focus on the technicalities so as not to get too emotional which is detrimental to having a good vocal performance. It has been my rule to do the meditation part at home, and click on the performance mode when I step on the stage. If you are a singer, a speaker or someone appointed by God to stand before a crowd, you sure do understand it when I say it is just difficult to deliver the message with stuffy nose, blurry eyes, and constricted throat.

Going back to the day when I first heard this song, I was really thankful then that I was not on the spotlight to lead the people in worshiping Him. The melodies turned stringy out of my emotional well, and I just had a trance, like I was transported before the holy presence of God in the heavenlies. There I stood with shaking knees, telling God how grateful I am for my salvation; for giving me the grace to even say "You are forever in my life"; for seeing me through all the seasons in my life; for clothing me with His righteousness that I may stand worthy of all His riches which I do not deserve. I tried opening my eyes to see more of the lyrics displayed at the screen by the leftmost corner of the stage, but the tears get in the way. And so I opted to shut my physical vision, open my spiritual eyes and return to my solace state before His throne. My voice muscles buckled, and so I let my heart soar along with the chorus line. That was the release part of the song. Flashbacks of the moments when I prayed vigorously out of brokenness and remorse came to me. Each picture was like a tablow in a book page, and in every turn His loving image vividly appeared holding my hand, walking beside me, carrying me, laughing with me... and in every turn, I was in awe.

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Romans 8:35-37

Thank you, Abba, for your sweet promises. I am forever yours. Your love will NEVER let me go... through it all.

The vocal arrangement of the backup singers moved me as well. I sang the Alto part, but with my inner voice which sounds better, I suppose, after breaking down in tears. It did not matter because the song became my prayer of praise to God. I chose to sing silently, and think through my life, if it really echoed the truths of this song.

Do they see my life experiencing God?
Will they say God saw me through all the seasons of my life?
Can they see the hand of God working in me unto righteousness?
Am I really focused in looking up to Him for everything?
Will God say I really waited on Him?

The band segued to the next song, but I was left thinking and singing with my heart, dwelling on the words "...I'm carried in everlasting arms, You'll never let me go through it all". Yes, I know that truth. I just have to let it go deep down my heart, to renew me daily, to empower me in doing my everyday assignments... He is the Omni-present God. He is with me 24/7. He will never fail.

If you want to join this meme hosted by Amy Wyatt, sign up at her blog site SIGNS, MIRACLES AND WONDERS. Her Friday post is "Canine Assistants Graduation song".

Last week, Patty of GIRLFRIENDS IN GOD shared with us a psalm...

For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord, I sing for joy at the works of your hands. How great are your works , O Lord, how profound your thoughts. Psalm 92:4-5

She posed to us two questions which I intend to answer as my first GOD STOP FRIDAY entry. It is still Thursday in US, and probably, she is on her way to posting her August 1 GSF. Nonetheless, I will let her questions guide me this afternoon.
The sky is clearer after this morning till early afternoon's strong rainfall in Quezon City, the city in the Philippines where I live. God spoke to me through the changing shades and temperature of my surrounding. The weather here shifts quickly to extremes. This week, there were days when our mornings were pretty much gloomy while the afternoon skies were bright and sunny. We had something like this picture which I just downloaded from Google images.

"Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these days, He has spoken to us by His Son." Hebrews 1:1

God actively speaks. Through this picture, I was reminded of God's love etched in almost anything He and His Son has created even before mankind was born. God speaks in many ways that is why the Holy Spirit's guidance is crucial. I need for Him to make me sensitive both to His written and unwritten words. Jesus through the Bible, God's body, prayer and circumstances are all being used by God to speak to me. He speaks. He communes with me. And, I must stop. I must listen.

Hi! This is my first Thankful Thursday and I am blessed for this privilege of sharing my TREASURES in Jars of Clay. today, my CWO Daily Snippets from the Word gives a timely reminder to what I should thank God for online.
I now lay down my TREASURES before you out of my heart's abundance to God who has made me whole. I am thankful for...

• T-IME. My time here on earth is still ticking so I can live, love and soar for God's greater glory. I am grateful for my life which our Abba lengthens not for my own selfish use but for the furtherance of His kingdom. There were times when Christian life is a walk down Via Dolorosa, but His grace never failed to sustain me. What I am and what I have are all because of G.R.A.C.E. "God's Riches At Christ's Expense". Hallelujah!
• R -ELATIONSHIPS. One of my greatest riches are the lives God used to touch me and the lives God allowed for me to touch. I praise God for my family and my church which energize me to fulfill my calling, pursue my passion and carry my burden. I am a happy part of the body. I sure can never accomplish for the Lord apart from His body. Amen!
• E -ARLY MORNINGS. More than the early morning cries of my babies for their regular "milk session", I praise God for my Samuel experiences being awaken from sleep for an early Abba-child conference. I do not always open the Bible when He wakes me up because sometimes He just wants me to bask in His presence. That is priceless! He, not me, starts my day. Sweet time of refreshing!
  
• A -FFECTION. I am an affectionate person that is why I appreciate the stories in the Bible about Jesus being personal and affectionate towards women. I usually imagine Jesus carrying me on His lap, wrapping me gentlly with His arms and whispering to me His words of comfort and encouragement as I meditate on His Word. The Scripture becomes an instant balm to my tired and weary heart. Thank God for my new role as a parent that teaches me so much about our Abba's unconditional, dependable and faithful love. He does not have to put on flesh for me to feel Him. His Word says He's here... I believe it.
  
• S -CRIPTURES. The Bible is God's love-letter to me. There I see the unchanging image of His glory, the testimony of the faithful God with mortal beings like me, the reality of the Holy Spirit's existence, and all about His mercy and justice. My soul it never ceases to quench the thirst; my heart it never fails to satisfy; my mind it never misses to discipline. I am indeed like a tree planted beside the river. He makes my ways straight. His Word is sweeter than honey to me. Without it, I think I would literally die.
  
• U -NDERSTANDING. I am a product of encouragement. Not many people understand me, but to the few, they are God sent clay people who were gifted with quickness in listening and slowness in speech and anger. They stretch their understanding with mercy and season their counsel with grace. These special people reflect the love and understanding of my bestfriend Jesus, and for them I am most grateful.
  
• R -EPOSE IN THE RAIN. The Philippines is stricken with heavenly outpours. August, my birth month, is approaching, and with it comes more Typhoons and floods. But ever since I was a child, the rain's pouring sound soothens me physically, emotionally and even spiritually. It silences my noisy thoughts and weariness. It calms me, causing my restlessness to be still. In the quietness of the after-rain, I find it easier to listen to my inner self and to connect to God. Thank God for a moment of ease in the midst of clatter and busy-ness.
  
• E - NTRIES. My blogging life has just started, but I feel like I've been blogging for so long in the hearts of the few people I ministered to. There are too many stories of victories and triumphs etched in my colored heart that are yet to be written. I praise God for the opportunity to be able to write my faith-thoughts down, however limited my space entries are supposed to be, because I am able to touch some readers too whose hearts are like mine - broken and renewed. I also praise God for my new spiritual mentors on the net. Their entries echo my heart. The truth stings... but the wise will embrace it like a bosom friend.
  
• S -ALVATION. Last, but definitely not the least, I praise God for my eternal hope that is in Christ Jesus, Who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. If not for Him, this blogging life is a sheer waste of time. He did not just saved me from my wretchedness, He also called me to take part in His Master plan. He sustains my excitement in reaching more souls for Him through witnessing and intercession. I have not even fully enjoyed other spiritual blessings that come with my salvation... too many to unpack. All good gifts come from God, and I am so blessed!

Thanks for reading through. If you think you have so much to thank God for, join us every Thursday at Sting My Heart. Read Iris' thanks-filled entry today about Relationships and sign up to be a part of this wonderful Thursday meme. Please leave an encouragement for me, will you?

"Even though John called Himself the disciple Jesus loved he let Christ define him. As I move towards a relationship and not just knowledge of God I pray Christ will define me."
-God Chaser of "Broken Vessels"

"Praise God though that we serve a Heavenly Father whom, no matter what, is faithful, always perfect though we may not always see that right off and reliable."-Twinkle Mom of "Sunflower Faith"

Let’s face it; I am ugly, and I have a lot of ugly in me. There, I have said it. Ouch.
Thankfully, though, when my Father looks down upon me, He only sees beauty and perfection. Of course, he is looking at me through blood stained glasses; the blood of my beautiful and perfect Savior Jesus Christ. The blood that is my saving grace. -Chelsey of "Joyfully Living for His Glory"

Grace is the power to be the women God has created us to be! Grace empowers us. God wants our hearts to be strengthened by Grace, as it says in Hebrews. The Lord does not want us to be in bondage to failure. He does not want us to live defeated lives. He does not want us to believe and succumb to the lies of the enemy. He wants us to be free and full of joy.
-Amy of "Laced with Grace"

So if you are a woman at home, facing life struggles - take a moment out - and yes, sweep the floor. Take a look at that pile you sweep together - and if it is anything like my house, you will find sand - more sand grains than you can count - and it’s not even the beginning of God’s thoughts for you.
-Lori of "Writing Canvas"

I really wavered between ‘Trust’ and ‘Gift’ for Thankful Thursday this week, but ‘Trust’ ‘won’…Again this week I was reminded that we really can trust only a handful people this side of heaven. There are a lot of mean-spirited people in this world. -Iris of "Sting My Heart"

My lovely little darling in this picture is known for her smile, but boy that temper.. when it flares up, you better watch out!!! Something we.. my precious munchkin and I need to take to Jesus… With the grace of God we all need to “known by our actions”.
-Amydeanne of "The 160 Acre Woods"

I praise You Jesus For breaking the chains that held me prisoner for so long. You gave me wings, and let me fly, straight into Your loving arms.
-Denise of "Shorty Bears Place"

"Kulintang" is the singer gong set of the whole Kulintang ensemble composed of five other gongs [Gandingan, a set of four and Agong the father gong] led by a drum called "Dabakan". Everytime I and my bandmates play these beauties during the Praise and Worship celebration, we can't help but rejoice in the Lord with dancing. It livens up our ethnicity which truly longs to be identified in the Living God. Indeed, if the breathing creatures cease to worship Him, the Lord can make these inanimate objects sing for Him. May we not forget from whence all help comes. May we not cease to praise our Creator God! PRAISE YE THE LORD!CH

I am a mom of two vibrant kids, a girl ST (33mos) and a boy ZT (9mos). I grew up in a family of five girls including my mom, with one man, my dad. My parenting style is very much like my mom's, which makes sense to my baby girl. Our family is dominantly expressive and emotional, with lots of hugs, kisses and appreciation. But, having a baby boy suddenly made me feel unsure of the "mother-ing" I knew of. It is just a blessing to have a God-fearing husband as a teammate in this challenging quest, and to be a part of a church that biblically instructs us with the basic whats and hows of parenting.

Today, the topic AT THE WELL is about Raising Godly Boys. I will attempt to answer the following questions from the WELL hosted by Lori at I Will Take it Lord, all You Have to Give. May I glorify God in my answers.

"As a woman at the well, you'll be meeting women who are trying to raise Godly men. These boys they are raising will grow up to marry your daughters or become leaders in your community. What advice would you give to them?If you are raising boys, what areas concern you most?If don't have or haven't raised boys, what is your concern for boys in today's culture?"

What advice would you give to them?
Raising a child, whether a boy or a girl, they say is a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because you are given the privilege of shaping the life of a person who might play a very important role in his/her generation. He/She will remember you as the hands that nurtured him/her in love and held his/her fragile heart until it became strong, ready for more difficult battles in life. A curse, on the other hand, because it is never easy to be responsible for a life. Some would even say, "I can't even take care of myself, how can I take care of a child?" Parenting for a teenager, a single parent, or someone who is not ready to be a parent is really a huge responsibility to carry alone.

I remember our youth pastor who once warned me in my "youthfulness" to not be careless in the things I entertain in my mind such as to want a pregnancy out of wedlock. During those times, many Yuppy girlfriends of mine vocally say how much they dislike the idea being tied with a guy for good, but they would really like to be moms. It is good that thought like that can be caught outright to be brought unto light. Our pastor added that every child is designed to be parented by a man and a woman whom He intended to represent His parenting. There is where the wisdom of parenting lies, the parenting based on the Word. To know God is to read His Word. So, my topmost advice for parenting in general is to know our Abba Father in His Word, the Bible. The Bible was written mostly in the context of Israel, a very patriarchal society. This is beneficial to us parents who were assigned to raise future heads of their families. The Bible will never fail us.
If you are raising boys, what areas concern you most?
We might leave the country 1-2 years from now for missions, and it concerns me how he would live with two cultures (Filipino culture and the second culture of whatever nation we shall be sent to). I want to be ready to be able to teach and model the basics of Christianity and how I can contextualize it in a lesser confusing way. My kids will have to learn 3 languages: our Filipino native tongue which is Tagalog, English and probably Japanese; not to mention the two sets of alphabets - roman alphabet and Japanese characters. Only God knows how I and my husband can make it there. One thing I am certain for now, He will not lead us where His grace can not sustain us. Amen.

May I share with you a message in a poster which my mom hang on the wall couple of years ago. I have read this so many times, and it is so appropriate to post here. May we strive to meet the need of this world even just by being faithful godly mothers to our little boys.CH

The World Needs Men…
by Zachary Buckler
• who cannot be bought;
• whose word is their bond;
• who put character above wealth;
• who possess opinions and a will;
• who are larger than their vocations;
• who do not hesitate to take chances;
• who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;
• who will be as honest in small things as in great things;
• who will make no compromise with wrong;
• whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires;
• who will not say they do it” because everybody else does it”;
• who are true to their friends through good report and evil report,
in adversity as well as in prosperity;
• who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hardheadedness
are the best qualities for winning success;
• who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular;
• who can say “no” with emphasis, although
all the rest of the world says “yes.