How Ready Is My Heart for Him?

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My heart needs to acknowledge that God made me for Himself.

I came to Mass this morning.

Our church is fully adorned with colorful poinsettias, trees, and of course, the nativity scene. Admiring the beauty in front of me, I can picture the many generous hands who gave their time in putting all these together. I can imagine the preparation, the invitation to get involved, the in and out of people, where to get the best trees and the best plants, the smiles, the exchange of ideas, and a lot more.

Then I looked at the Nativity.

All characters are in except for an important character — the baby Jesus.

Our church is waiting.
Our church is ready.

But am I ready for Him?
I closed my eyes and looked into my heart. Am I truly prepared for His coming? Is there a home for the baby Jesus in my heart?

Preparing my heart is not easy.
It needs a lot of humility.
My heart needs to acknowledge that God made me for Himself.

I should do more pausing, long enough to hear the quiet and stillness of His Voice. I should need to be more worshipping instead of worrying. Slowing down and reconnecting.

Above all, expressing gratitude for the true meaning of this season.

Our prayer for you this Christmas: may your hearts be captured by the ultimate gift — Jesus Christ.

Have the best Christmas ever!!!???

Author Ann Voskamp writes:
“We’re ready for Christmas, not when we have all the gifts, but when we are ready for Christ—when we’re ready to give all of ourselves to Christ.”

-Confe

God Didn’t Say It Would Be Easy

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God wants us to remember the goal.

Going back to school has never been in my plan. I was doing fine with my job and things are doing okay with Steve beside me. But when my youngest brother got sick that’s when I decided to wear those school scrubs again. He passed away 3 years ago and left adorable kids who are at a loss as to why their papa left so soon.

The word “death” didn’t hold nearly as much weight as it does to me now. It has left me a sting seeping into my heart the reality of one day losing the people I love or them losing me. But all things happen for a reason. When my brother died, I saw how most of my family seemed unbelievably together – cousins, relatives, and friends as well, reached out and went out of their way to be there for us. It was the time I learned to lean on to them more even if I take pride in being strong and self-sufficient.

Just like anybody else, it’s not easy as our family flipped to the next chapter of our journey without him. But one thing I’m proud of is the faith my parents showed to everyone. They got sick, too, after that. But they hold on to their faith that God is with us, no matter what. And my family continues to hold on to that promise. Promises that are sealed by the highest authority, His Word.

That is God’s promise to you, too.
If at this time you are losing something — job, finances, business, relationship/friendship, health, peace of mind, joy, hope, faith, and trust in people and the things around you, maybe God is giving you a tap on the back saying, “Hey, I’m still here!”

God didn’t say it would be easy.
But he did say, he would be with you.

Genesis 28:15
“I am with you and will protect you wherever you go, and bring you back to this land. I will never leave you until I have done what I promised you.”

“God is closer to us than water is to a fish.”-St Catherine of Sienna

7 Life Buckets

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At the start of the year, we sat down and planned out the things we want to do and the goals we want to accomplish.

The past year has been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs but through all the craziness, we continue to push forward.

By taking the time to review back, Steve and I were able to gauge on going forward to the new year.

How do we set our goals?
We create life buckets.

We’ve been doing this since we got married.
And every year, our goal is to prioritize our important life buckets.

We call them our 7 Fs and they are simple.

Here they are:
1. Faith – what we believe and why we believe. We find joy being in a faith community (aka church) in sharing what we got — time and God’s gifts to us.
2. Family – amazing people who know us better and go through in our world together.
3. Friends – wonderful relationships that are built on trust.
4. Fitness – enhancing a healthy body, mind, and spirit.
5. Finances – trying to be a good steward.
6. Fun – the simple things we love to do and enjoy.
7. The Feast – our service and ministry (www.feast.ph).

What are your life buckets?
Make them on your priority list this year.

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10 Simple Resolutions to a More Meaningful Year Ahead

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It’s a fresh new year!

And perhaps our first resolution should be to blog more since we haven’t posted here since September!

Just kidding.

A week ago, I was with my friend at the gym where her sister is doing Zumba (an aerobic fitness program featuring movements inspired by various styles of Latin American dance and performed primarily to Latin American dance music).

The gym was full-packed with guys and gals sweating out to be healthy and beating the pounds they gained after the season.  But my friend’s sister said the gym is usually congested at the start of the year.  People slowly disappear when summer and fall come in.  I am also guilty of this! Continue reading →

Kids on Technology

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pic
Is the picture above a familiar scene inside your home?

Last week, I was watching Steve Harvey Show on TV and Steve helps one dad whose family is spending more time on their phones, i-pads and video games than with each other. The father said that they are together but not connected.

Steve surprises the family by showing up on their doorstep and confiscating every piece of technology for a 48-hour tech diet!

Continue reading →

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