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Things left unsaid will bite you back twice as hard. By then, there will be neither second chances nor redemption left to make the people we love stay. Speak before time runs out. We don’t have forever.

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Truth is God, my heart is broken and tired. I know, I know, everything happens for a reason and I should have grasped that by now, but it’s not sticking this time.

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JAIME GABAO

Dear James,

You matter. You’re worth more than you understand.

-yang.

WHOSE BOOK IS THIS

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.”

-2 Timothy 3:16

“Mommy, whose book is this?” the question came from a little girl who had just discovered a black, dusty leather-bound volume on a table. The mother looked up and smiled, “Why, that is a Bible, God’s book.” “Well,” said the little girl, “Why don’t we send it back to Him cause we don’t use it around here.” The innocence of a child sometimes prods deeply into our lives.

Whose book is this, made up of sixty-six separate books, stamped in gold, “Holy Bible?” Is it merely man’s? Or it is more than this? If it’s more than man’s wisdom, then it offers eternal guidelines for living. If it just another book, then let it take its place on the library shelf alongside Homer and Shakespeare, Milton and others.

The Bible is the most unique piece of literature in history. It took sixteen hundred years from the day Moses first started to write until John finished the last book of the New Testament.

Think of the continuity of thought over the long period of time. The Bible is unique in that there is one theme weaving through it down through the centuries. It is the story of God’s grace and love, the story of a changeless God in a changing world. Only God could give to men such a book.

Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:15).

Have you discovered what the Bible has to say about your life? Why not start today and discover why the Bible is the world’s best-selling and best loved book? Teddy Roosevelt once said, “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.” Read it and discover guidelines for living.

God Bless YOU..

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WHERE’S THE PICCOLO

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”

1 Corinthians 10:31

The next time you feel that you don’t count, please remember the time Sir Michael Costa was conducting a rehearsal, the person playing the piccolo began thinking that amidst all the noise of drums, trumpets, violins, and so forth, his lowly contribution didn’t amount too much. So he continued to keep the instrument at his lips, but he stopped playing. Moments later the conductor shouted, “Stop!” and exclaimed, “Where’s the piccolo?” and the piccolo player thought that he made no difference.

There are lots of piccolo players! You will find them in every church as well in schools, service clubs, and organizations – the person who thinks “I don’t matter. Nobody notices what I do. Nobody every says, “Thank you!” like the piccolo player in Costa’s orchestra, they show up for a while, going through the motions of holding their instrument, and then finally quit.

A powerful question which makes you a self-continuing piccolo player is simply, “What’s my motive? Am I doing this because of the compliments which come my way or because I believe that, whether my part is small or great, it counts because I’m doing this as unto the glory of God!”

Paul addressed this issue when he wrote to the Colossians saying, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23,24).

When you are tempted to quit, listen carefully, and you will hear the still voice of God asking, “Where’s the piccolo?”

God Bless YOU..

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WHAT DID WE DO TO DESERVE THIS

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will never pass away”

-Matthew 24:35

After lying dormant for 600 years, Mt.Pinatubo in the Philippines began to rumble as small tremors gave way to more violent quakes. Then with an awesome force, volcanic ash mingled with smoke and fumes began to spew with a fury which seemed to come from hell itself.

The issue was personal for the thousand who saw their homes destroyed as volcanic ash mingled with rainwater swept across towns, houses, and buildings even causing bridges to collapse from the weight.

One farmer whose fields has been destroyed reflected the pain of his fellows as he asked, “What did we do to deserve this?”

Was God punishing the people whose lives were disrupted, whose belongings were destroyed, whose meager resources were blighted? Or did this just happen?

If I could answer the farmer’s question, I would explain that it was not because of what he or anyone did. It was the travail of a weary old earth which spews its molten ash and lava in an imperfect, broken world awaiting the return of Jesus Christ.

I’d also say, “Friend, listen to Mt.Pinatubo for it reminds us that Jesus Christ came to give us a hope of heaven, a security which goes far beyond the limitations of our earthly dwellings.”

Earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons and hurricanes are natural phenomena. They remind us of the fragility of life.

Yet, here is life beyond this life for those who look to Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Remember His Word at the grave of Lazarus, “I Am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.” (John 11:25).

God Bless YOU..

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STANDING AGAINST THE TIDE

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!”

John 16:33

Do you ever feel as if you stand alone, misunderstood and out of step with your colleagues? If you even faintly understand what it is like to feel like that then you must know, in a small way, how Jeremiah felt long ago. Called by God to be a voice crying against the wrongdoing of his day, it seemed that he was always paying the price for the faithfulness to God in the currency of loneliness and persecution. Accused of treason because he prophesied Judah’s defeat by the Babylonian, he was thrown in a dungeon. And Ethiopian – not even one of his own race of culture – rescued him.

Old Jeremiah was an individualist, whose character was a forceful as the men of his day were weak and cowardly. Though he was hated with a passion, people knew that Jeremiah was right. He thundered forth the truth which they didn’t want to hear.

In spite of his cry of doom, Jeremiah’s message was laced with hope which comes through turning back to God. “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

Tradition has it that five years after Judah was overthrown by Babylon, Jeremiah was stoned by his own people, yet he lives on as a man who dares to stand by his own convictions. As evil increases in the world, so will the isolation that people who stand tall and hold on the truth experience.

God Bless YOU..

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RESPONSE TO CRISIS

“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.”
Nahum 1:7

People in danger are always an interesting study. Take for example, the evening that violinist Isaac Stern was featured in a concert in Tel Aviv, Israel. The Persian Gulf war threatened the peace of the day yet thoughts of canceling the evening were put aside.

Sure enough, right in the middle of the concert, sirens began to wail, signaling an attack of Scud missiles. Concertgoers and members of the symphony rose to their feet and headed towards the nearest exit. Then Isaac Stern picked up his violin and requested the audience to be seated. The magnificent strains of a Bach prelude began to fill the air, and as a warm tones of the master’s violin filled the hall, people were quietly seated, and the concert went on. One observer wrote, “With his steady hand and lone violin, Stern demonstrated courage – and leadership.”

How do you respond to crisis? Is there an inner strength that helps you to remain steady in the storm? Or are you driven by fear and worry?

It was in a time of crisis, long ago, that a man cried out, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him” (Nahum 1:7). Nahum lived at a time when the nations of the world were engaged in a deadly conflict. People wondered why God had forsaken them but Nahum learned to turn to the Lord for strength and help.

Have you experienced that calm in the time of stress? Go back to the Bible, friend, and learn of God’s care and concern in times of crisis.

God Bless YOU..
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PRESSURE

Do not be dismayed for I Am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

Pressure will either make you or destroy you – it depends on how you react to it. The principle of pressure results in many of nature’s wonders. Carbon deposits in the depths of the earth respond to intense heat and pressure to produce diamonds. Many accomplishments in this century are the direct result of pressure; for example your automobile tire and the suspension bridge that spans rivers. Life itself depends on pressure – from the thrust of the unborn infant as he is born to the pressures that drive a businessman.

Some pressures are harmful. Pressures inflates the automobile tire, but too much destroys it. Pressure applied at the right stops bleeding, but pressure at the wrong place can take a life.

How about those intangible pressures in life? Hundreds of letters come to me telling about pressure – pressures in the business world, pressures that cause marriages to disintegrate and pressures that cause teens to throw good judgment to the wind in order to be accepted by their peers.

The pressures of life can either make you or break you. They can destroy us; but when we put pressures behind us, they can drive us closer to God.

God is not a crutch for weak people who cannot take the pressure. He is a loving Father who helps strengthen us to stand the press of life. Do not pray for less pressures, ask God for greater strength to bear them. All progress in life – physically and spiritually – would come to stand still apart from pressure. Put it to work for you as you take God as your partner in life and face the pressure.

God Bless YOU..

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MENTAL SUFFERING

“The Lord knows the thoughts of man.”

Psalm 94:11

Newspaper Bob Corgett recounts the joke about the cowboy with the arrow sticking through his chest who said, “It only hurts when I laugh.” It is an old story and for doctors it is even older problem, “Pain.” Pain and suffering fall into two basic categories – physical and mental.

Where does God fit into the picture of suffering? Is He disinterested? Has He left man to his own fate?

The Bible tells us that God is vitally concerned with you – as a person made in the image of God. God demonstrated His concern for you in Jesus Christ, whose suffering was not only physical but mental as well. Have you forgotten how Christ sweat as it were great drops of blood in the Garden.

Suffering strips us of hypocrisy and it lays our souls bare. It is as such a time we can experience God’s help and the presence of Christ in a very real way. Sometimes suffering helps us to see ourselves as we really are.

I have heard people say, “When suffering came an I ended up flat on my back, I realized that I had cut God out of my life.” If you are like that, the first step is a personal commitment of your life to Christ. Remember how He suffered? He knows what you are going through.

Suffering will either drive you closer to God or it will drive you further away. It depends on where you put yourself in relationship to suffering. Put it between you and God and you are the loser – put yourself between suffering in God and it will drive you closer to Him. Let it be the doorway to fellowship with Christ as you trust Him as your Lord and Master.

God Bless YOU..

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LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS

“Lo, I Am with you always, even unto the end of the world”

Matthew 28:20

After 16 years in Africa, the missionary-explorer, David Livingstone returned to his native Scotland and was asked to speak at the University of Glasgow. A hush crept over the students who listened to this man, realizing he was no ordinary person. “Shall I tell you what sustained me amidst trials and loneliness of my life?” he asked. “It was a promise, the promise of a gentleman of the most sacred honor; “Lo, I Am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20).

At Livingstone’s death, beside his bed, a small, well-worn New Testament was found open at Matthew 28, and beside verse 20, was this notation: “The Word of a Gentleman.”

You may be thinking it is alright for someone like David Livingstone to have that firm conviction, but what about me? Can I have the same confidence? In the New Testament, you learn that Jesus made the promise, which David Livingstone personalized, to His disciples. The question is, “Can I, as just an ordinary person, believe this?” The answer is an unqualified, “Yes!”

There’s still a big question. Why don’t I feel His presence? There are some things which must be taken by faith. If this great promise is the Word of a Gentleman, as Livingstone puts it, you don’t have to depend upon feelings; you can take it as a fact.

The fact is, that promise has your name attached to it. With that confidence, you can face the battles of life and be assured He will never desert you in the heat of battle.

God Bless YOU..

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JEREMIAH

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”

Jeremiah 1:5

If ever a man was called by God to fail, that man was the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah lived a pretty normal life until he heard God calling him to a mission which wrote his name in history.

Jeremiah was about 20 when God said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). Was Jeremiah excited? “Ah, Sovereign Lord,” he replied, “I am only a child,” but Jeremiah’s concern was put to rest with a great promise, “I am with you and will rescue you” (Jeremiah 1:7). And then God touched his mouth with a coal and sent him to call God’s people to repentance.

The life of Jeremiah is a study of vivid contrasts – dark days penetrated by the brilliant light of God’s intervention. First, God called him to a tough task: to convince his own nation that they were headed for destruction by resisting the growing powers of Babylon. For at least 20 years before the nation finally collapsed, Jeremiah thundered forth diatribes of doom. He was one of the most hated men of his day.

Yet a study of this man reveals a sensitive, deeply caring person who loved his country and far more, loved his God. He was a man who was consumed with the mercy of God, absolutely convinced that if Israel would only grasp at the straw of God’s mercy, they would be saved from destruction.

Nonetheless, Jeremiah without wavering held to his position that destruction was absolutely certain unless God’s people did a reverse about face and repented of their sinful wrongdoing.

God Bless YOU..

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HOW RELEVANT IS THE BIBLE

It is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God..

Luke 4:4

We were flying at about 40,000 feet. I had just started reading and I noticed that the bearded youth beside me was reading along with me. His interest in my book amused me but I said nothing. Finally he said, “What are you reading?” I replied, “It is a commentary on the Book of Revelation. A Book almost 2, 000 years old, but as relevant as your newspapers. In it, God tells us of the future and what is going to happen. It is like history pre-recorded.”

For centuries, the Bible has been a trustworthy record of God meeting the needs of men and women. The question that is in the minds of many is this, “How do I know that the Bible is not just another Book?”

Let me share with you one thought – the Bible endures the passing of the centuries as no other book ever written. There are more than 13,000 manuscripts in existence today containing all or part of the Bible.

On many occasions, men have decided to put away the Bible once and for all. King Jehoiakim tried to burn the manuscripts. In 303 A.D., the Roman emperor Diocletian ordered every Bible to be burned in the Roman empire but 10 years later he died and his successor Constantine made Christianity the faith of the empire. In the Middle Ages, the institutional Church attempted to keep the Bible from the common man. Agnostics and infidels railed against, but yet it stands.

No other book every written makes the claim that it will endure always but the Bible says, “The Word of the Lord endureth forever.” (Isaiah 40:8).

God Bless YOU..

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EMPATHY

“All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”

-Matthew 7:12

Christ said, “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets (Matthew 7:12). These words from the Sermon on the Mount are the basis of the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”

It sounds simple but does it work? In the children’s wings of the Grace New Haven Hospital, the play-therapy program was having a problem. The janitor was angry with the children when they dropped paint and clay on his clean floors. One day, the head nurse watched the old man as with his back bent, he scrubbed and polished the floors. She discovered he had been scrubbing the floor for years, until he had rubbed something of himself into it. She carefully explained to the old fellow just how the children’s activities were helping them to get well. Now when he wipes off paint and clay, he is proud of his part in a child’s recovery.

The Nurse put Christ’s word in action – psychologists say she used empathy. She learned to appreciate the old fellow’s feelings and yet not become so emotionally involved that her own sense of judgment was affected. To put ourselves in someone’s shoes means that we have to forget ourselves, and that is a pretty hard task.

Have you ever asked God to help you see the other person’s viewpoint? Have you ever prayed for the person who irritates you? Let me share you a secret. If you can drop to your knees and ask God to help you love a person that seems so unlovable, you will be able to see his point of view much easier. Read the Bible, and practice its principle into your life. Make faith in God’s Son your guidelines for living.

God Bless YOU..

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ELIJAH

“Then the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now I know that you are a man of God and that the Word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”

1 Kings 17:24

Spurgeon called him, “The Iron Prophet!” Ahab, the king of Israel, called him, “The troubler of Israel” (1 Kings 18:17). His contemporaries call him things even a great deal less complimentary. His name, Elijah, meant, “Yahweh is God,” or “Jehovah is God,” and certainly his life demonstrated that he believed that with no wavering.

Henry Halley in Bible Handbook, offers this tribute to the man saying, “Elijah’s rare, sudden, and brief appearances, his undaunted courage and fiery zeal, the brilliance of his triumphs, the pathos of his despondency, the glory of his departure, and the calm beauty of his re-appearance on the Mount of Transfiguration, make him one of the grandest and most romantic characters Israel ever produced.

From these grand words we might assume that Elijah was no less than the iron man which Spurgeon alluded to, yet the fact is what made this man so great is that he was human as we are, filled with the same emotions yet had a heart for God which separated him, not only from his contemporaries but from the generations of history as well.

Read the story of his life in 1 Kings 17 through 2 Kings 2, and see the highs and lows of a man who experienced the gamut of human emotions.

Elijah is the champion of the common man. He tells you that God will hear your heart cry and will honor the desire of your heart to seek and to serve the Heavenly Father with all of your faults and failures. Thank God for Elijah and take heart. The God of Elijah is not dead nor does He sleep. The God of Elijah is the Everlasting Father who will meet you today.

God Bless YOU..

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DO YOU LOVE ME

For this God is our God for ever and ever

Psalm 48:14

One of the ways we are made in God’s image is in our ability to communicate and to express the feelings of our heart as thoughts. That ability to communicate is further complicated by the nuances of meaning which different words have. For example, the word LOVE.

After His resurrection Jesus said to Peter, “Do you truly love me more than these (meaning the rest of disciples)? (John 21:15). Jesus used a word that conveyed the idea of love as being a deep commitment. Peter answered, “I love you” but he used different word; he was saying “I love you” but more as a brother, not such a deep commitment as the first word.

Again, Jesus asked the question receiving same answer, and the third time; but this time he used the same word as Peter used asking, “Do you really even care about me as you have indicated?”

“How much do you really love me?” frankly, I see but three responses to that question. One is rejection – “I don’t really love you!” which would be a frank but honest response. Another is the response of indifference – “Lord, I suppose that I could say I love you, but only as long as it doesn’t interfere too much with my lifestyle.”

The third possibility is the response of commitment where by you declare, “I do love you with a commitment to care, to stand by your side, and to be counted when the going gets tough!” that is the only response that counts.

To be in His presence is to know Him, and to know Him is to love Him. You can’t have one without the other. How would you answer that question, “Do you really love me?”

God Bless YOU..

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BITTERNESS

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger. Be kind and compassionate just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:31,32

Bitterness, says medical doctor S.I. McMillan, is a killer. It is not the object of the emotion that gets the brunt of the damage rather it is the person whose heart is bitter.

Revenge does not eliminate the hurt, but forgiveness does. Yet, forgiveness never comes easy. Take for instance, the friend who wrote, “You said that forgiveness is treating the person as if something had not happened. How about this? My son was brutally killed in a dorm. I easily forgave the boy who did it – he was not responsible, but the officials who were supervising the home were negligent. I can’t drop it as though it had not happened.”

Here was a situation where those who were responsible allowed alcohol to be consumed in a home for troubled young men – the resulting alteraction cost the life of a resident.

How do we learn forgiveness? Jesus gave us a model when He prayed for His executioners on the Cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Here are guidelines which will help eliminate bitterness and help you learn to forgive.

1.To forgive is to follow the example of our Lord, who forgave even His executioners.

2.Forgiveness is a necessity in the light of God’s forgiveness.

3.Forgiveness is a matter of the will first, then the emotions.

4.God helps you learn to forgive if you seek His help.

The two most difficult words to utter in any language are the humble words, “Forgive me, I am sorry.” Forgiveness is an alternative to the devastation of bitterness. It is the only real solution.”

God Bless YOU..

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WOMEN I LOVE AND ADMIRE

The women whom I love and admire for their strength and grace, did not get that way because shit worked out. They got that way, because shit went wrong, and they handled it. They handled it in a thousand different ways, on a thousand different days, but they handled it, those women are my superheroes..

-elizabeth gilbert

God Bless YOU..

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WHEN YOU HAVE A STRONG MOTHER

..you are smart enough to see that crying doesn’t equate to weakness. You understand that even the bravest people break down sometimes. That even the toughest girls can feel like their world is falling to pieces in front of them.

When you have a strong mother, you never feel alone. No matter what, you have someone who will pick you off the floor when you struggle to stand. Someone who will remind you that you are badass enough to get through your darkest days. Someone who will push you to follow your dreams because you are smart enough to reach success.

When you have a strong mother, you never give up on yourself. You get off your ass after you fall and try again. You tell yourself that you can do this, that you are good enough. You never accept failure as an option. You keep trying until you get what you want.

When you have a strong mother, you have a best friend for life. You have someone who you can talk about whatever has been bothering you. You have someone who will help you fix anything that you find broken. You have someone who will be there for you whenever you need her, because she is only a phone call away.

When you have a strong mother, she is your inspiration. She is your role model. When you have a strong mother, you grow into a strong woman yourself.

God Bless YOU..

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MOTHER

You are my my voice of reason

Story teller

Advice giver

Hand holder

Partner in crime

Shoulder

Shopping buddy

Supporter

Broken heart healer

Teacher

Chef

Right hand

Psychologist

Nerve calmer

Angel

Sunshine

Heart and soul

Problem solver

Comedian

Doctor

Peace keeper

Cheerleader

Twin

Confidant

And my BESTFRIEND..

God Bless YOU..

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MOM

For all the times that I forgot to “thank you,”

For all the special, little things you do,

For all the words that sometimes go unspoken,

I need to say, “I love you, Mom, and I do..”

I love you for the way you stop and listen,

And for your kind support throughout the years,

For teaching me the meaning of compassion,

And sharing in my triumphs and my tears..

And, if at times, I may have seemed ungrateful,

I want to say, “I truly hope you see,

That nothing you have done has been forgotten,

And day by day you just mean more to me..”

God Bless YOU..

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