A three-year-old prayer was answered four days ago. Here’s the story behind that.

Back in 2006 I was a few months into being a Christian, and volunteered as one of the church service coordinators. Being part of that ministry gave me the opportunity to interact with a lot of people, both volunteers and full-time church staff. One day, while waiting for the next service, I crossed paths with one of the worship team members I work with. Small talk ensued.

I found out that he worked for Every Nation Productions (aka ENP), which handles the communication needs of our churches here in the Philippines. My tiny eyes sparkled. I was still fresh out of college then, and had the biggest desire to work in the creative field–I was a Communications major, after all. I asked ten million questions all at once: what they did, how everything worked, etc. I told him I was a writer trapped in a (tired, overworked, and under-slept) call center agent’s body. He encouraged me to pray about it and submit a resume.

And that I did. I prayed about it, and tried my hand at applying for the position roughly a couple weeks later. It didn’t work out the first time around. Meanwhile, I remained in the call center industry. From my vantage point, things seemed to be so impossible in terms of my career. I thought I was stuck in the cycle of making calls, getting little sleep, receiving cusswords from customers, and getting sick. In spite of all that, I still prayed, and waited for God to answer. I knew that the call center thing wasn’t gonna be for long.

True to his nature, God proved himself faithful. Early this year, I was given a chance to write in a corporate setting. To be writing for a living was a twelve-year-old dream of mine,  and I was so ecstatic to do what I had always wanted to do. For the first time in a long time, I was actually happy with what I was doing. But that hope to be in full-time ministry still remained in my heart. Things went pretty well, until . . . another opportunity to apply as a writer for ENP presented itself.

I submitted my resume again. I was interviewed again. Then I prayed. And waited.

. . . and just last Monday, I received word that my application was accepted. :)

While SMS-ing some friends of the good news, I was so in shock that I actually began to space out and wonder if everything that happened was indeed real. It had been three years since I first heard of ENP, and had three jobs that helped me learn so much about so many things.

God proved himself faithful once again. He makes the impossible possible. We can never really take credit for everything that happens in our lives. And at the end of the day, he deserves all our praise. :)

I’ve been reminded of how God heeded Abraham and Sarah’s desire to have a son, in spite of Sarah’s barrenness and the couple’s old age.  Isaac was born twenty-five years after God first told them that they would have a son. They went on to become the father and mother of multitudes, of generations. That was what God promised, after all–that they would have descendants as numerous as the stars. (Genesis 15:5-6)

What are you believing God for? Whether that’s the salvation of your family members, a major financial breakthrough, healing from a long-time sickness, or a personal prayer concern, God hears you. His word says that He makes everything beautiful in its time. As we submit ourselves to him and make him our delight, surely–He gives us the desires of our hearts.

And that, my friends, is well worth the wait.

I am learning to appreciate a lot of new things lately, and to be honest I want to list them down and compile them together just for kicks. I guess it’s also a healthy reminder for me to be thankful for new things in my life.

So without further ado, ze love leest:

1. Exercise. I’ve been brisk-walking since November started as part of the fitness regimen, and I am seriously, seriously enjoying it. My initial routine was doing the walks twice a week, but surprisingly enough my body has been craving for more body-moving stuff, so this week I decided to brisk-walk thrice a week. We’ll see how it goes :) I just had some exercise this morning, and while it was really tough waking up this morning, I knew that the effects of my walk will pay off in the future.

2. White meat. Call it odd but thanks to the change in diet I have been craving for protein-laced stuff, such as chicken and fish. I’ve been eating roast chicken like crazy, LOL. I don’t think I can ever get sick of it, even.

3. Google. I am a nerd. I like–LOVE–information. I love how everything I need can be so easily found on the internet. Google, I heart you.

So there. What are your current loves?

Unrestrained – Mandisa

Most holy Lord
You have my attention
You know my thoughts
And all my intentions
I want to honor You in every way

I pour my love on You
My whole life belongs to You
I worship You completely unashamed
I give You my heart unrestrained

Almighty God
You have my devotion
With all my mind and all my emotion
I want to, God, I want to know You more

I pour my love like oil from this broken heart
I give myself away unrestrained
I let myself go
You have set me free
I surrender my soul

I bow my heart in worship
Completely unashamed
I give You my heart unrestrained

I had a heavy brekky and not-so heavy lunch. I had luncheon meat and rice, and a tuna sandwich on wheat bread, respectively.

Aside from that I’ve also had 2 cups of organic coffee, half a banana, six fiber crackers, a teeny triangle of Toblerone, and a liter (or so) of water. I will have a semi-heavy dinner tonight, and am contemplating of skipping the rice.

I’m always hungry. :(

Methinks my body is starting to adjust to the changes I’m letting it go through.

So. Today, November 4th, I am officially deciding to make this official. LOL.

I shall make it my goal to be weighing 128 lbs by March 2010.

Currently, I weigh more than that. A LOT more. According to the food fitness planner that I have been using, my ideal weight should be around 107-141 lbs. In relation to my height, on the other hand, the most ideal weight should be 130 lbs.

In order to achieve that, I’ve made some calculations, and I’ve realized that if I made it my goal to lose 2 pounds a week for the next four months, I would be losing a huge chunk of my weight, and in effect, reach my goal of the aforementioned 128 lbs.

I’ve started by doing brisk walking twice this past week. Today I’ve also written down the stuff that I ate, and I realize . . . Oatmeal is the best thing to eat for dinner later XD

I plan to do more of the exercises, as well as watch what I eat. That also includes denying myself *sniff sniff* of a lot of things that I love so dearly.

I’m also thinking of putting up a separate blog to document my journey from XXX to 128. :D

Wheeeee~! This is gonna be so exciting. ^_^

after more than a year’s hiatus i decided to take a more active role in our church’s youth ministry again, and last night i felt like i was re-initiated into the ministry scene. i was asked to write a script for a skit that would be acted out at tonight’s youth service.

truth be told, i was skittish about doing the whole thing. various thoughts filled my mind. i knew that i could write, but a part of me didn’t want to, because i felt that scripts, conceptualizing, and all that stuff weren’t my thing (which was a crazy thing to say considering that i did a major chunk of this in college!). i was just on the verge of backing off from doing the whole thing when a good friend talked sense into me and told me to stick to my commitment. which i did. :P

prior to last night’s writing process, i prayed. hard. not because i didn’t want to do it, but because i wanted to want to do it–to set all my fears and emotions aside and simply lean on God.

and whaddaya know. the ideas, words, and thoughts poured in. i had just spent nine hours processing information prior to that moment, and my brain was still cooperating and functioning well. my brain was refreshingly . . . refreshed. lol

i also realized three things about the whole experience:

1. i actually was able to produce output. in the same way, we don’t have to look down on ourselves at all. God already delights in us and loves us. the gifts he gave us are for his glory, and he wants us to use them according to his purposes. after all, he didn’t give us a spirit of fear–only a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. (2 tim 1:7)

2. the script in itself did not have to be perfect. admittedly, i was being hard on myself because i wanted it to be seamless and flawless. after last night’s hoopla i realized that it didn’t have to be perfect–it only had to be excellent. i was reminded that excellence is different–waaaaaaaaaaay different–from perfection. God is the only perfect being there is, and i am not God, duh. what’s more, God, in all his perfection, loves each of us even if we are far from being perfect. :)

3. being part of the ministry is not about what you can do or what you have–whether you lead a gargantuan small group, sing on the worship team, or create crafts. it’s all about serving God. he gave us all these different talents so we can serve him and bring further glory to his name. “Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.” (Psalm 115:1)

at the end of the day, it is all about him. nothing else compares to that. not even our fears, insecurities, and limitations can separate us from that fact :)

today i have officially fulfilled my obligation as a filipino citizen to register in the 2010 elections. (naaaaaaaaaahhhhks!) i may not have been able to fulfill that duty six years ago–for reasons i honestly do not remember, and truth be told, i’d rather not dwell on that–but i am glad that i’m able to exercise my right to vote this time around, and finally be able to make a stand in my own small way.

if you are qualified to vote and haven’t gone to your local city hall’s COMELEC office to register, you only have ten days left to do so. the offices are also open daily–yes, monday to sunday daily–on regular office hours. as far as i know, some organizations have also opened satellite voters’ stations for our convenience. all you need is a pen and a valid ID card. there’s no registration fee, too.

a few fun pointers for first-time registrants
now take note that i am not about to give you some real information on voter stuff and whatnot, because there are other blogs that can help you out better in that area, like this one. the following are some practical things i’ve learned on today’s experience:

1. it pays to be there early. i was the first in line when the office opened, lol! it was pretty worth it, too, because i didn’t have to wait so long to get everything processed accordingly.

2. if you’re the type who hates waiting in line, make sure to bring a book or something to amuse yourself with.

3. the city hall in my area wasn’t really hot or stuffy, but i suggest bringing a fan and some bottled water, especially if you register in the afternoon. on the other hand, if you register in the morning, make sure to have breakfast before you leave home (i forgot this part and regretted it eventuallly).

4. fill everything out legibly and completely, and make sure no spaces are left blank. i had to wait a little extra longer than necessary because i had no idea what my barangay was (LOL!), and i left some spaces in the form blank.

5. it always pays to ask and be polite. :) and it beats to pretend that you know everything. haha!

so there! if you guys have also had first-time voter experiences, share your thoughts here. :D

i’ve noticed that a lot of us have gotten extra paranoid whenever rains come. i guess it can’t be helped because of the onslaught that ondoy and pepeng caused on our nation.

when it rains, it pours indeed, and when the rain started pouring yesterday, a lot of status updates on my social networks also poured with messages of worry, fear, and anxiety.

i really can’t help but think–what is there to be afraid of, when Jesus himself was able to calm the storm when it came?

here’s the account, from luke 8:22-25:

One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

Jesus himself was able to do this, and more. if we decide to fix our eyes on him and put our faith in him–not in our circumstances, not in the past, present, or the future, not in things that really don’t have eternal consequences–then no storm will break us, no flood will drown us, and nothing will withstand us. nothing, in fact, will ever separate us from his love.

he himself has overcome the world, and he has made us more than conquerors. “and the house on the Rock stood firm,” john ortberg writes. are we then setting our foundations on the Rock who is Christ, or are merely relying on our emotions that are but flimsy and easily swayed?

so, the question begs . . . where does our faith lie?

no introduction is usually necessary for these kinds of things, so without further ado . . .*drumroll* hahaha!

1. a brand new Pink Chic HP 110 Mini XP laptop. ideal for note-taking and random surges of writing. kikayness and techy-ness in the same package! ahluvet.

2. a Maxwell Leadership Bible. i’m a nut for reading and learning new things, and a different version of the Bible is always refreshing for me. i like seeing different perspectives on various things, you see. this version in particular is chock full of wisdom, which is why it’s one of my picks.

3. a point-and-shoot Nikon Coolpix digital camera. i’ve always wanted to have a DSLR in the past but i realize that i really wouldn’t be using it that much because i don’t really want to make photography a long-term hobby; thus, a DSLR wouldn’t be maximized to its full potential. that is why i’ll be happy with a simple point-and-shoot digicam.

now my list technically ends here, but just for the sake of pahabol-ness and random-ness. . .

4. fruitcake. a lot of people hate it, but i don’t. so if a well-meaning friend or family member gave you an entire slab of this that you probably wouldn’t eat anyway, i’ll be glad to accept it and eat it with all my heart. :D HAHAHA

so, there. i don’t know how to end this blog. Merry Christmas? hahaha!