The Crown of Creation (A Blueprint Extended edition)

I must admit, when I heard that Victory Metroeast was having a men's meeting entitled "USAPANG LALAKE", my head thought, "Isn't that unfair? Why do the men get the chance to meet and talk about being men and women were nowhere in the picture?". So when I got to church today and saw that they were extending the BLUEPRINT series, it got me thinking, "What about Men have they not discussed yesterday as they held the Usapang Lalake meeting?" But they proved my thoughts wrong as soon as Pastor Marc Constantino walked up the stage and started to introduce the preacher for today. No, they weren't extending it for the men, but they were extending the series for the WOMEN. Thank God!

So here's the verse that is the heart of the preaching:
Genesis 2:18;20-23
¹⁸ The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
²² Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib^[c] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
 ²³ The man said,
   “This is now bone of my bones
   and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
   for she was taken out of man.” 

Now here are the things I learned from the preaching:

1. We are created feminine. (Genesis 1:26-27)
-If you are a woman, you are God's idea. You are not a mere chance.
-We don't look to our dysfunctional family or cultural background to find our feminine identity.
-THERE IS NO NEED TO BE INSECURE. (This I think is one of those things that women should know by heart. There is no need to be insecure towards other women. We are created uniquely. We are created beautiful and magnificent.)
-The more feminine we become, the more manly in the Biblical way they become.

2. We are designed to be a SUITABLE HELPER. (Genesis 2:18)-Suitable means perfect fit.
-Wives, there is no suitable wife for your husband other than you. God designed your life and his to compliment and to fit each other.
- Woman is a man's source of strength and support.
-Women, as a wife, you must RESPECT your husbands and SUBMIT to his leadership. HUMBLING YOURSELF AND SUBMITTING IS NOT A SIGN OF WEAKNESS. If you have that mindset, that submitting to men means you are weak, then you are listening to the lies of the enemy right there. We become wiser when we submit to their leadership.
-The men in our lives cannot fulfill the work God has called them to do without our support and respect.
-MEN, DO NOT ALLOW YOUR WIVES TO TAKE CONTROL BY BEING PASSIVE AND IRRESPONSIBLE.
-We must show respect to all the men in our lives.
-WHEN WE RESPECT OUR MEN, THEY ARE EMPOWERED.

3. We are intended to nurture. (Genesis 3:20)
-God gave us the ability to carry inside our wombs a baby, to give birth to it after 9 months and hours of labor because God created us to nurture. Just imagine what the world would be like if all the mothers would raise their kids the right way, in the way that is proper in the Bible. Just imagine what kind of society we would have if all the mothers would nurture the next generation in a good and godly way.
²⁰ Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

and lastly,
WOMEN ARE CREATED IN GOD'S IMAGE TO GLORIFY HIM BY FULFILLING HIS DESIGN IN OUR LIVES. 

Now here's an excerpt from the book Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery to a Woman's Soul that will add knowledge to us women:

It is nearing the end of the 6th day, the end of the Creator's great labor, as Adam steps forth, the image of God, the triumph of his work. He alone is pronounced the son of God. Nothing in Creation even comes close. Truly, the masterpiece seems complete. AND YET, the Master says that something is not good, not right. Something is missing... and that something is EVE.

And the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the human, and he slept, and He took one of his ribs and closed over the flesh where it had been, and the Lord God built the rib He had taken from the human into a woman and He brought her to the human. (Gen. 2:21-23 Alter)

She is the crescendo, the final, astonishing work of God. WOMAN. In one last flourish Creation comes to a finish not with Adam, but with Eve. She is the Master's finishing touch. Eve is... breathtaking.

Given the way creation unfolds, how it builds to ever higher and higher works of art, can there be any doubt that Eve is the crown of Creation? Not an afterthought. Not a nice addition like an ornament on a tree. She is God's final touch. She fills a place in the world and no one else can fill. 

Thus, we are the crown of creation. Sadly most women now seems to have taken for granted their worth as a woman. They SETTLE for JERKS when they should PATIENTLY WAIT for the ONE GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THEM. They let their abusive husbands beat them up like a sack of potatoes or hurl insults at them like they are worthless. Now I URGE you women, take a stand once more as the crown of creation. Do not let your worth be diminished by the world's twisted view of things. You are God's most magnificent creation, made in His image and likeness and given His emotions. Do not let the world abuse you and take way your beauty. You are, after all, the most beautiful creation God has put in the garden.

                                            (credits to the original uploader; source:Google)

<3

Hard Fought Peace

Peace, by definition, is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the establishment of equality, and a working political order that serves the true interests of all. In international relations, peacetime is not only the absence of war or conflict, but also the presence of cultural and economic understanding and unity.There is also a sense of tolerance in international relations for the realization of true peace. (Source Wikipedia)

What brought about this blog I am about to write? Read this link.
(http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/nation/regions/10/19/11/19-killed-basilan-encounter)

For those who did not find time to read that link, let me just relate to you the content of that link. 19 Filipino soldiers were killed in an encounter in Basilan. 6 of them, if my memory serves me correctly were butchered after they were already down and gunned.

The culprit: MILF says the military.

Who are they anyway?

The MILF or the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is an Islamic group from southern Philippines who was once part of the MNLF or the Moro National Liberation Front. As of today, MILF has been charged with a lot of bombings and killings down south in Mindanao. Most recent is the "ambush" of the special forces of the Army in Basilan which killed 19 soldiers.

What are they fighting for anyway? Let's take a trip down history first for you to understand the situation.
 The MNLF was formed because of the Jabidah Massacre. Here's a brief background of what happened with the Jabidah Massacre:
In 1963, the resource-rich island of Sabah, which had been under British control since the late nineteenth-century, formally became part of the Federation of Malaysia. The Philippines, however, protested this, claiming that Sabah had never been sold to foreign interests, and that it had only been leased (padjak) by the Sulu Sultanate and therefore remained the property of the Sultan and by extension the property of Republic of the Philippines. This dispute led the-then Philippine presidents Diosdado Macapagal then later on Ferdinand Marcos to establish special military units tasked with fomenting dissent amongst Sabah's non-Malay ethnic groups, namely the Tausug and Sama, two groups closely aligned ethnically and culturally with the Bangsamoro. The code-name of this destabilization programme was "Operation Merdeka" (Operation Freedom), with Manuel Syquio as project leader and then Maj. Eduardo Abdul Latif Martelino as operations officer. The end-game of this is the annexation of Sabah to the Republic of the Philippines. The plan involved the recruitment of nearly 200 Tausug and Sama Muslims aged 18 to 30 from Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and their training in the island-town of Simunul in Tawi-Tawi. Simunul was where the Arab missionary Makhdum built the first mosque in the Philippines in the 13th century. The recruits felt giddy about the promise not only of a monthly allowance, but also over the prospect of eventually becoming a member of an elite unit in the Philippine Armed Forces. From August to December 1967, the young recruits underwent training in Simunul. The name of the commando unit: Jabidah. On December 30, 1967, 135 to 180 recruits boarded a Philippine Navy vessel for the island of Corregidor in Luzon for "specialized training." This second phase of the training turned mutinous when the recruits discovered their true mission. It struck the recruits that the plan would mean not only fighting their brother Muslims in Sabah, but also possibly killing their own Tausug and Sama relatives living there. Additionally, the recruits had already begun to feel disgruntled over the non-payment of the promised monthly stipend. The recruits then demanded to be returned home. The sole survivor of the Massacre, Jibin Arula, recounted how the young Moro recruits were taken in batches of twelve to a remote airstrip where they were executed with machine gun by their military handlers. Arula, who was wounded in the left knee, managed to attach himself to driftwood long enough to be rescued by fishermen from the nearby island of Cavite. Though there has never been an official count, the number of dead ranges from 28. As of 1980,some of the axe-bearing military trainers of jabidah were even in the active service, particularly in the 2nd Army (sep), 2nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army wearing the Jabidah pin. (Google)

Thus, MNLF was born. And in 1981, the MILF separated from the MNLF. This new group was supposedly a more conservative one.

Why am I blogging about this? No, I AM NOT AND WILL NEVER BE AGAINST MUSLIMS. I respect their religion and beliefs even though I was once a Catholic and now I am a born-again Christian. I will never hate or generalize my statements just because they are of a different religion. For I was once, almost, became member of their religion.

Reading the news and seeing them on TV these days brought back memories of the past. Memories I would rather not relieve yet I know that whenever news down south would reach me, I would still be concerned. Not for the man I once gave my heart and soul to, but for his people. Yes, you read that right. I fell in love once, a long long time ago, with a Muslim prince. (But for the sake of the promise I gave him, I will never mention his name on any blog or online post I make.) But more than the love I felt for him, I fell in love with his people. Not because of their religion and traditions but because my heart yearns to bring them one thing that all of them yearn for - PEACE. The war and the conflict down there has long been in their lives, starting from the Moro Wars that started in the time of the Spaniards until today, when Noynoy Aquino, the second Aquino to hold office, is stating that he will not give the go signal for an all out war. 

Peace, they say, is not the absence of war. It is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. And peace is something that is lacking down south. Among many other things. They lack good education, a good health system, proper housing and a whole lot more of societal problems that every new set of government officials failed to address.

When God gave me the word that He is sending me to the nations and someone confirmed my visions of where He is preparing me to be sent, all I could say was, "Oh God, surely you have prepared me for this long time ago. You really made the bad things to turn into good because you have prepared my heart for this mission long before I walked in Your light." Guess where He is sending me? Yes, I am being sent to the race that will always have something against my belief. The land of hijabs and mosques. I have totally forgotten about this mission I received until recently, when the news showed the bodies of the soldiers being carried into a truck, to be taken to the hospital or the morgue. My heart cried. Not only for the soldiers, but for the people who are caught in the middle of all these. The women, elderly and children and the innocent ones who are caught in the middle of all these conflicts in Mindanao. Where's the peace? Where is the product of the so-called peace talks? I want to know. I sacrificed the love I felt for one man just so he can reach for his dreams for his people - a safe and conflict-free environment, wherein there is the presence of peace. Now that part of me is asking, where is the peace? What are we doing to bring forth peace? Please let me know. It may be a far-fetched dream for a lot of you but I know, someday, down south, there will be PEACE. Hard fought it may be, not be guns and ammunitions, but by prayers, Providence, and the desire to bring forth peace but PEACE WILL FLOURISH.

Women and Girls Should Know Their Worth.

                                                                  (Photo from Google)

On the way home tonight (Friday around 11:30PM) while I was riding the bus, I was unfortunately seated in front of a guy who talks so loud on his mobile phone. It was getting on my nerves already because it was so loud plus the fact that he was on a public vehicle yet he was chatting with someone over the phone. No, it wasn't your usual "Yeah I'm on my way home." call. It was a personal conversation between him and a girl (based on the one-sided conversation plus the slightest sound of a girl's voice that I heard). Here's a few snippets of their conversation:

Guy: "Kasasakay ko lang ng bus." (I just got into the bus.)
Girl: ... (couldn't decipher what she was saying so I'll just put ellipses on her parts)
Guy: "Eh wala na kong load eh. Paloadan mo ko." (My phone doesnt have prepaid credits left. Load me up.)
Girl: ...
Guy: "Susunduin??! Eh malayo pa nga ako jan. Pumunta ka na lang samin tapos dun na lang tayo bumili ng ice cream." (Fetch you from your house??! It's far from where I am. Just go to my place, let's just buy ice cream there.)
Girl: ...
Guy: "Eh wala na nga akong load. Loadan mo nga ako." (I dont have prepaid credits anymore. Load me up.)
Girl: ...
Guy: "Bumili ng bag tsaka tsinelas." (Bought a bag and flipflops.)
Girl: ...
Guy: "O sige na sige na pumunta ka na sa amin. Tsaka loadan mo na ko." (Okay okay go to my place. And dont forget my prepaid credits.)
--End of conversation--
P.S. I'm pretty sure the whole bus heard that.

So, the call got ended huh? Thank God I said. But wait!!!! His phone rang again. Now this time it got interesting. Here's how their conversation went:

Guy: "Hindi pa nga umaandar yung bus. Nagpupuno pa." (The bus has not moved yet. They're still waiting for passengers to fill it up.)
Girl: ...
Guy: "TANGA! Malayo pa nga ako!" (STUPID! I'm still far.)
Girl: ...
Guy: "San ka ba manggagaling?" (Where are you coming from?)
(they discussed the way to his house from where the girl was and I got lost with his directions knowing I know the places they were talking so I wont mention it here. and so for the continuation...)
Guy: LECHE!  (P.P.S. in spanish Leche means milk but in Filipino it's something foul.)
Girl: ...
Guy: "Sinabi ngang pumunta ka na lang sa min pauwi na ko." (Told you just go to my place, I'm on my way home already.)
Girl: ...
Guy: Oy yung load ko! (Don't forget my prepaid credits.)
--End of conversation--

In their earlier conversation, I was just annoyed because it was TOO loud. On their second phone call, my annoyance turned into DISGUST and ANGER. Anger that is not in a rage kind of way. Why? Let me repeat the words that turned my annoyance to disgust and anger.

(1ST) Guy: "TANGA! Malayo pa nga ako!" (STUPID! I'm still far.)
(2ND) Guy: LECHE!
(3RD) Guy: "Sinabi ngang pumunta ka na lang sa min pauwi na ko." (Told you just go to my place, I'm on my way home already.)

I wouldn't have minded had it been a buddy of his that he was talking to. A guy buddy for that matter. They can be foul-mouthed for all I care. What pissed me off is the fact that HE WAS TALKING TO A GIRL. But what enraged me more is the fact that the girl just seems to take it all in. She even agreed to go to his house.

I can still the remember the last time (I think it was the only time) that someone said curse words and foul words towards me. Oh and yeah he is a guy who got hurt because I chose another guy over him. He sent those words to me via text messaging and boy! my anger hit the two hundred percent mark. I wanted to go to where he was at that time and just punch the hell out of him.  Thank God i did not pick him right? Now going back to this guy and girl talking. For all I care right? He's not my friend nor acquaintance and so is the girl. They are totally strangers to me and yes I shouldn't bother with their affairs. But let me give my 2 cents on that certain topic both for BOYS and GUYS and for GIRLS.

BOYS and GUYS:
Wondered why I used 2 nouns for you? Because there are 3 types of male on this world- one is a BOY who acts like a child when he is no longer one, another is a GUY who thinks he is man enough yet he still crosses the line between MANHOOD and being just a boy, and my favorite type of male, the MAN who knows how to be a man in the real sense of it and respects everyone most especially women and the elderly. So for you BOYS and GUYS, let me give you a piece of my mind. NEVER EVER TALK TO A GIRL LIKE THAT. NEVER EVER CURSE AT HER. NEVER CALL HER STUPID, MORON, ILLITERATE, DUMB OR WHATEVER IT IS THAT IS IN THE DICTIONARY THAT YOU WANT TO CALL HER TO SIMPLY IMPLY THAT SHE HAS NO BRAINS OR COMMON SENSE. AND NEVER EVER LET HER TRAVEL LATE AT NIGHT FROM HER PLACE TO YOUR PLACE WITHOUT YOU PICKING HER UP FROM HER PLACE IF THERE IS REALLY A NEED TO SEE HER.

GIRLS:
Instead of using the noun WOMAN, I opted to use the noun GIRLS. Sadly, a lot from the female population does not know their real worth. So for these girls, here's a piece of my mind. NEVER EVER LET A BOY TRASH TALK YOU. NEVER EVER LET HIM CURSE YOU OR CALL YOU STUPID, MORON, ILLITERATE, DUMB OR WHATEVER IT IS THAT IS IN HIS DICTIONARY THAT HE WANTS TO CALL YOU TO SIMPLY IMPLY THAT YOU HAVE NO BRAINS OR COMMON SENSE. YOU ARE NOT THAT. YOU HAVE BRAINS AND YOU HAVE COMMON SENSE. NEVER EVER LET HIM HIT YOU TOO. AND PLEASE, LET THE GUY PICK YOU UP WHEREVER YOU ARE AT NIGHT BECAUSE THE WORLD IS NOT SAFE ANYMORE.  AND NEVER GO TO HIS PLACE AT NIGHT WHEN YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS TO BE THERE. IF YOU REALLY NEED TO TALK, LET HIM COME TO WHERE YOU ARE.


KNOW YOUR WORTH.
:D

No Other Woman

here's my reaction to latest Tagalog movie that people are talking about. Starring Derek Ramsey, Christine Reyes and Anne Curtis, the movie is entitled No Other Woman. (P.S. There's a 1933 movie of the same title with the same lesson: Success does not bring Happiness.)

"No Other Woman" is a story about an extramarital affair and stars Anne Curtis, Cristine Reyes and Derek Ramsay. Curtis plays the role of Kara Zalderiaga, a beautiful socialite. Although she has many boyfriends, she is emotionally detached to love while Ramsay plays the role of Ram Escaler, a dedicated husband to Reyes' character Charmaine Escaler. (Yahoo.com)

Since I think most of you have seen the movie, I wont discuss much of it. What I'll be blogging is my take on a few things, most especially the lines of the film. Here goes my 2 cents about the movie.

KARA (Anne Curtis)
She portrays THE other woman. Beautiful, rich, schooled in New York, liberated. She doesnt believe in love... Until she met Ram who is unfortunately married. Here are a few of her lines and my take on them.

“You will only be called a mistress when there’s an emotional attachment. I’m not a mistress."
*It does not matter whether or not there is an emotional attachment. The mere fact that something is happening between her and a married man is already considered cheating and she is already considered a mistress.

“You can call me whatever you want,SNAKE, BITCH or OTHER WOMAN, but I promise you,
I will never be a PATHETIC and BORING housewife."
*She called Christine's character a pathetic and boring wife. I might say yes Christine was somewhat boring as a wife because she's a plain housewife who's only got stitching and yoga as her hobby. She dresses plainly and dresses up in the same way everyday. In a way, Christine forgot to cultivate the moment she got married. Being married does not give any woman the license to dress sloppily and to be plain and boring. It is not for the husband that the wife should dress up, but it should be for her own confidence. Men would love to see their wives dress up and be all made up once in a while.

“Paano mo naman malalaman na masarap pala pag di mo titikman?
Kahit alam mong bawal, labanan mo cos’ eventually your body will just get used to it."
* We dont have to try everything to know what's right and what's not. The bible has a set of commands we should follow because the One who created those commandments know better than us. And one of those commandments is "Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife." and in this case, thy neighbor's husband.

CHARMAINE (Christine Reyes)
She is the wife of the lead guy. She came from a nouvo riche family. Plain Jane.

“Ayoko na! Ayoko na! Alam ko naman eh, ang sakit lang, ang sakit sakit lang
nung marinig ko. Hindi ko dapat ginagawa to pero ginagawa ko to dahil mahal na mahal kita!

*She was trying to be all dolled up and sexy and pretty because she was trying to compete with Kara. What's wrong with this is that she was doing it for another person, not for herself. A woman should beautify herself not for her husband or for any other human but for herself. Fixing up one's physical appearance would help boost a woman's confidence in herself thus she would not feel insecure and inadequate.

Here is another character's line:

 “Ang mundo ay isang malaking Quiapo, maraming snatcher, maagawan ka, lumaban ka!"

*It's true. There are a lot of women out there who would do everything to get something that is already taken. Someone who is already committed. And vice versa. There are a lot of men out there who would do everything to get something they can't have. 

As a whole, here's something that you guys should ponder on. MARRIAGES NOT FULLY SURRENDERED TO GOD IS REALLY BOUND TO FAIL. TEMPTATIONS AND PROBLEMS WILL REALLY EAT UP THE FOUNDATION IF THE FOUNDATION IS NOT GOD. A HUSBAND WHO IS A MAN WHOSE HEART IS FULLY SURRENDERED TO GOD WILL NOT CHEAT ON HIS WIFE BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT HIS WIFE IS A GIFT FROM GOD AND THAT HE WAS GIVEN THE COMMAND TO LOVE HIS WIFE AS CHRIST LOVES HIS CHURCH. AND THAT WAS AN UNCONDITIONAL, GENEROUS AND FAITHFUL LOVE. 

:D