p a s t o ♛ e j

The reason why I stand
The answer lies in you
You hung to make me strong
Though my praise was few
When I fall and bring your name down

But I have found in you
A heart that pleads forgiveness
Replacing all these thoughts
Of painful memories
But I know
That your response will always be

[Chorus]
I'll take you back always
And even when your fight is over now
Even when your fight is over now
I'll take you back always
And even when the pain is coming through
Even when the pain is coming through
I'll take you back

You satisfy this cry
Of what I'm looking for
And I take all I can
And lay it down
Before the throne of endless grace, now
That radiates what's true

I'm in the only place
That erases all these faults
That have overtaken me
But I know
That your response will always be

[Repeat Chorus]

I can only speak
With a grateful heart
As I'm pierced by this gift
Of your love

I will always bring an offering
I can never thank you enough

[Chorus Two]
You'll take me back always
And even when my fight is over now
Even when my fight is over now
You'll take me back always
And even when my pain is coming through
Even when my pain is coming through
You'll take me back always

Even when my fight is over now
Even when my fight is over now

You'll take me back always

Even when my pain is coming through
Even when my pain is coming through

You'll take me back

cry in my heart

WHY NOT tell the TRUTH?!

Lying is an issue.
Revelation 21:8 says, "but cowards, unbelievers,
the corrupt, murderers, the immoral,
those who practice witchcraft, idol worshippers,
and ALL LIARS--their fate is in the
fiery lake of burning sulfur.
This is the second death."
White lies or dark ones will lead us to hell.
Who among us hear have never told a lie?

What is a lie???
-any bearing of false witness
is a lie (Exod 20:16)
-anything untrue
-any changed or twisted thought
-flattery
-lack of information
-absence of words (when you can speak the truth)
-falsehood
-lake of fire
-misleading impression
-fib
-stories
-distorted thought
-triviality
-front

WHAT DO WE CALL A PERSON WHO LIES? a Liar.
How many times does a person have to lie
to become a liar? ONCE.

we have become very good at lying.
WHO TAUGHT US ANYWAY?
Psalm 58:3 = These wicked people
are born sinners;
even from birth they have lied
and gone their own way.
We don't have a subject on Lies in school
yet we learned it so well.
Some of us are majors on
Bachelor of Arts in Lying
(pwede rin Bachelor of Science in Lying).
Terrible.
Jeremiah 9:3 = My people bend their tongues
like bows to shoot lies.
They refuse to stand up for the truth.
They only go from bad to worse.
They do not know me," says the Lord.

It's scary when we don't know
how to distinguish truth from lies.
It's scary when we do not know how to tell
the truth anymore!
1TIMOTHY 4:2 = THESE PEOPLE ARE HYPOCRITES
AND LIARS,
AND THEIR CONSCIENCES ARE DEAD.

WHY DID WE LIE? (WHY DO WE LIE?)
-to protect someone? and that someone
is usually ME.
-we feared the Truth;
or that the Truth is painfully true.

Does the Truth really hurt?
Or we were hurt more when we were deceived by lies?
Lying is like collecting garbage.
Chronic lying makes us become beautiful garbage bins.

WERE THERE LIARS IN THE BIBLE?
ANANIAS & SAPPHIRA- they told the Apostle Paul
that they gave 100% of their lot proceeds
when they didn't. They were immediately killed
after telling a lie.
GEHAZI, Prophet Elisha's assistant--lied about asking
for a set of Naaman's royal robe. He got leprosy after lying.
MICHAL, King Saul's daughter & King David's wife--lied
by keeping his husband's mock body on bed
ABRAHAM & SARAH--lied that Sarah is Abraham's brother
REBEKAH--taught his son Jacob to lie about his identity
JACOB--lied to his father that he is his brother Esau
ISAAC--lied to Abimelech by telling him that his wife
Rebekah is his sister (just like Abraham did)

Lies bring guilt.
It's more hurting to tell a lie.
We hurt people. We hurt ourselves.

The truth sets us free from
A. GUILT
B. SHAME
C. CONSEQUENCE(S) OF LYING
(leprosy, death, bad reputation,etc.)

WHERE CAN WE FIND THE TRUTH?

The Truth is found in Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the Truth.
There is so much Truth in Him and His Word
that lies become bitter anymore!
John 14:6 = Jesus said, I AM THE WAY,
THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.
NO ONE COME TO THE FATHER
EXCEPT THROUGH ME.

THERE ARE TOO MANY LIES
AND TOO MANY LIARS.
IT'S TIME TO STAND AS BEARERS OF TRUTH.
THE HEALING BALM FOR BEING A CHRONIC LIAR
IS STARTING TO SPEAK THE TRUTH
(no matter how hard it is).

Let's draw close to the Cross
and allow Jesus to change us; to heal us.
***

If the world has
Commercial Model-turned-Actresses
TV Reporter-turned-Politicians
Actor-turned-Businessmen, etc.

then I am a LIAR-TURNED-CHRISTIAN LEADER
(I'm an ex-liar)
WHAT'S YOUR NAME TAG???

my valentine birthday

okay, i know this is a late blog.
but i have to try to document
(though it's almost impossible to do so!)
how special was the day i turned twenty-six.

a bunch of twenty-five red roses
was delivered at the middle of our
usually Monday staff meeting.

the mysterious guy who brought them
got all the girls so kilig.
the whole room was filled with what sounded
as a choreographed shouting...
they hated it when i kept saying it's from a gal pal...
no, i think they're from my girls... Eagurlz!!!
the love note gave me clues...
Prov18:22 and one other verse...
from the Fuego de Dios network kaya?
James who was present commented that
the handwriting is Val's.
(actually, it's Langga's)
the cute little note ended with
from: 26th rose bearer.
i joked at Juvy, "what if this is from Dacs?"
hahaha... it left us all lol-ing.

we all tried to continue with the meeting
since the Women's Encounter is at hand.
yet, we all could not keep away from wondering
who's up to this?
i kept asking Chemis, "you know about this, right?"
"how much did you pay for this?"
hahaha, her guilty eyes couldn't lie!
Kilet came to meet her pre-enc girls,
we also bugged her with questions!!!
she was successful at spilling nothing!
Chairman Ating was the most kilig in the group.
and her kilig virus ran up to Ate Emma and Juvy..
but Ate Jingle insisted that they're from girls...
she examined the roses,
felt it with her chest...
scrutinized the note
and the words on it!
haha, she just knew when flowers come from a man
or from girl friends!

so we waited for sundown
for Mr. Twenty-Sixth Rose Bearer to come.
we were supposed to have our
Primary Twelve Women's Close Cell,
but mamams opted to have it at
Chicken Ati-atihan for some chicken cut grabbies.

meanwhile, the girls were planning to come to church
but Chairman Ating--who acted like innocent,
and was very very convincing,
was actually part of concocting the birthday surprise--
texted the group to switch plans.
The connivance almost messed up but
I believe she queued them to go to Chicken Ati.
While dining, she was acting like
telling Lalai to tell the full throttle
of the Rose Bouquet Mystery
while the girls were readying
for the greeting salvo!!!
While Ate Debbs, Juvy, Ate Jingle were listening,
the girls came with fuchsia and purple balloons,
along with happy and loud greetings!!!
All the Ati guests looked at us
since we filled the place with shouts...
Bemboy, who drove us there waited for his queue
and stood to hand me the rose!!!
we all shouted in surprise
and i kissed my favorite brother!!!

awww... how sweet!!!
Papaps could have been the One...
yet he missed the victimizing surprise!
and so Bem played the part...
Ate Emma came late and gifted me
a red heart box.
She asked if Mr. Twenty-Sixth Rose Bearer
already came... we told her yes
and that he already went home!
She can't concentrate with her dinner
at kinukulit kami kung sino...
they told her the clue is "B" and "J"
a) BenJie???
b)Balbino Jr? (hahaha--c kuya dodong)
c)Brylle John (blessy's younger bro)
then, we told him
it's "Bemboy" or "J.Salem"
hahaha....
(bem, u really made the night so special & fun!)

almost all the young people at church wondered who's who.
we came home facing a lot of querries.
ang sarap makipaglaro, but kawawa naman
ang susunod na mabibiktima...
super fun talaga ang day!

thanks to the Eagurlz Doce who planned it,
and you, miss Rizza Jean Rivera a.k.a. Langga
who masterminded it!!!
hahaha, you're super creative!
thanks sa barkada mo who came to deliver it
because of a Burger meal bribe! hahaha!!!
thanks to all who signed the birthday greeting compilation!

thanks to Mamams
who did not tire of picturing me! hehe...
Twenty-six na jud ko Mams...

yet the photos resemble my photos in high school
(wait til i get to scan them,
just to compare...Asus!)...
ewan ko bah, i'm so trying hard to look my age!!!
i really want to look like i'm twenty-six!
parang high school lang ako noh??? wahehehe....
joke lang!!!

i then closed the day counting all the SMS greetings
in my phone and replying to the Fster msgs...
ang saya pala maging twenty-six.
hehe...
here's the official reply to the 100+ SMS greetings:
Thx _____! I thk God 4 fnds lyk u ;)
Thx 4 taking tym 2greet!
Special thx 2d best parents n d wrld:
Ruffy & Merlyn Lagat...
Sissie Lai ug Bro Migz..
Eagurlz..
Reload..
BCC..
Ug xmpre, I wnt 2 thk
my ever faithful
Producer, Manager,
Director & Boss:
GOD ALMIGHTY
4 wo Him,I am super nothing.
(Hhha, feeling artEsta!
Dats bcos u made ds day
xtra spxal 4me! Weee!)
thku.

again, THANK YOU, everyone
for remembering! ;D

through the lenses

my second try in photography
for my speaking engagement tomorrow
at Reload Cafe.
these photos will be used for the msg slide
and then, one of it will be the main
screen back drop...
for now, that's the plan...

model: Amor
make-up artist: me!
costume design: me? was it amor? uhm, oh, yeah,
we agreed on it!!! so, both of us! haha...
pray for me, as i speak!
thx...

women's encounter batch 14

184 women gathered to encounter God. (well, the number includes us, speakers and guides *wink*)forty-three are Eagurlz plus nine who volunteered as guides (that makes fifty-two of us). the biggest delegation since the network was born! and, oh, we are in hope of adding to the number *wink again*
Exhausting as always--since it's a battle in the spirit--yet we all emerged victorious! i admit, i grappled at the very opportunity laid before me last night--you'd ask, what is it? well, something that makes one wince, "ooooohhh...sleep!"
and so... sleeping beauty indulged! hehehe...
now collected and composed, i'm heading off to grab some balloons and feathers for tomorrow's reload cafe! bye-bye.