Shine Brightly for Christ

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I know it has been ages since we posted an entry.

We have definitely been MIA on updating this blog but don’t fret because we haven’t totally abandoned our page.

If you are not aware, Nicole is currently residing in Virginia,USA at the moment while I on the other hand is halfway across the globe in the sandy place called Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Nicole is finishing up her master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology and I moved to this other side of the world to work as a flight attendant for an international airline called Emirates.

Although we are apart, we hold each other very close to our hearts. And we are always gonna be united by one common bond, our Lord Savior Jesus Christ.

There probably won’t be any blogs coming up soon,as we are currently “under construction.” A major one! By that I mean that the Lord is doing an intensive molding and testing of our faith and character.

A lot of things need to be said and shared. When the right time comes,we will definitely blog all about the trials, struggles, blessings and joy we’ve experienced for the last year.

Until then, please keep us in prayers that we might come out of this victorious and ever closer to the Lord.

 

I have no words to explain right now on how hard I am struggling deep within my heart with regards to my relationship with the Lord and all these worldly desires. The enemy is definitely attacking me on every possible corner.  

Please keep me in your prayers. For the courage to flee temptation and stay faithful to the Lord. 

I know that I am in a season of  my life right now where God is doing all the shaping, polishing, testing and strengthening of my faith. I just have to keep looking up and holding fast to the word. Because this too will pass…

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. -2 Corinthians 12:9

I want to be a woman who lives totally abandoned to the first commandment: to love my Lord, my God, with all my heart. I don’t want the reputation that I love God, I don’t want to write songs about loving God, I don’t want to talk about loving God. I want to actually love God. When I close my eyes, I want my heart to move. When I close my eyes and I look at Him, I want to feel alive on the inside. I want to look at Him with a fire in my heart and it’s real.
— Misty Edwards

Wow! I’ve been so MIA but I really want to take the time to document God’s goodness in my life. Things have been moving faster than I can keep up with these days &  not only for myself but also for Alpha. As I revisited this site, I’m reminded of why we even started blogging here. It was to document God’s faithfulness in our lives. And I’m speechless to see how far we’ve come. The Lord has been so faithful to us and it leaves me in awe of God’s infinite wisdom and provision in our lives even when we think we’ve reached rock bottom.

I’ve recently read back at my old posts (My…His plans, A chapter ending, You See Me Through the Seasons, & Be Still) from  when I was first graduating from my undergrad and still unsure of what God had instore in my life and whether He wanted me to pursue grad school or even be in this career. Then to getting rejected and feeling defeated and torn down by everything around me to finally getting the letter that I got into grad school.

It’s just SO humbling to be where I’m at right now. I feel unworthy and so emotional just typing about it because God’s grace and mercy has become so tangible in my life and parts of me feels so undeserving but beyond thankful. It’s true that if you remain faithful to Him, the the Lord will do beyond what you can ever fathom in your life. I can honestly say that none of this is done by my own merit but all through Him. I would not be here living thousands of miles away from my family and friends and pursuing my dreams without God continually showing his faithfulness in my life.

I’ve grown so much and I can’t believe it’s been almost 8 months since I’ve been out here and living my dreams. My faith has been challenged and my integrity has been tested. This has been my time to really practice what I believe when no one knows me. It’s hard and sometimes I forget that I have a higher calling than what I’m working on temporarily in grad school. But without fail I find myself always seeking to be in God’s presence to be in communion with Him. I truly find my strength and confidence in His ability. The challenges of making new friends, living on my own and feeling homesick have added on to the demanding task of getting through grad school. But when I look back and reflect, I really have nothing to complain about. The Lord continues to teach me, guide me, lead me, fill me, and pick me up & because of that I can find peace.

So even though I can’t be on here to blog as often as possible as I used to, I truly pray that this can continue to be a blessing to others. I hope that those of you that find yourself visiting for the first time or if you’ve been a regular follower knows that our God is real. He has never let me go, through my short comings and stubborn nature, God still saves me. I am who I am today because of what He’s done on the cross. I pray that this blog can continue to be an encouragement of God’s hand moving in our lives. The fact that Alpha and I are both pursuing our dreams and both living out of state is a turn from where our lives were at a year ago. That alone is a true testament of how Great He is and how Soveriegn He is.

Continue to pursue Him when things are going well, press on even when you feel like you’ve failed Him. That’s when He wants you the most. Turn to Him. Love him. Seek Him. Draw near to Him. Wait for His perfect timing.

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,

to the one who seeks him;

Lamentations 3:22-25

 

Saying ‘Thank you’ isn’t enough to express how blessed I am this Thanksgiving.

This year alone…I’ve come so far. Not by my own will, but by His.

A day never goes by where I’m not humbled by His steadfast love for me.

I’m so unworthy of any of it.

I’m so thankful for the opportunity to follow my dreams and pursue a career where He always leads, guides & directs in His favor.

Never lacking but always providing.

I never thought I’d ever be thankful for every challenge & hardship I’ve endured but because of every tear shed— I can now have a deep appreciation for my today.

In constant awe of the endless love & devotion He’s given to me through family & friends.

The amount of gratitude I have will never be able to be fully expressed in mere words.

I’m humbled and undeserving

All I can do is magnify Him.

“He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

 


Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. -Psalm 27:14

The Lord has been impressing that verse on me for quite some time now.

When he said on Song of Solomon 8:4, “Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires. He is serious about it, just like He is serious about every thing He commanded us in the bible. But I am a stubborn eager child of His who thinks that I have a better plan. But He is a sovereign GOD who doesn’t have a better plan but the best plan. As I try to pursue it, he did not hesitate on letting me know after every disappointment that I surely can’t win this battle which has been going on for almost 9 months now. Seriously, what was I thinking?

In response to the question, “Should women pursue men?” a youth pastor said, “Don’t chase a man because if you start chasing him, you will have to chase him for the rest of your life.”

Although I was not actively chasing him but in my heart, I was holding on for something that should have not been there in the first place. All the idea of “us” I have formed in my head and thoughts I’ve entertained. Things I initiated instead of waiting for him.

Is that what I want? Do I really want to settle for something like that? That road, certainly leads to misery and heartache.

Although there is no direct answer in the bible on that question (“Should women pursue men?”), God has laid out some pretty clear guidelines on how man and woman should interact with each other. Biblical masculinity and femininity: how we are to carry our God given roles. Not what the world says but what the word of God dictates.

On Genesis, God created the man first (Genesis 2:7) for a reason. He appointed Adam to work on the Garden of Eden and take care of it (Genesis 2:15). Adam is in charged of the garden and it is his duty to supervise the affairs of his God given dominion. It wasn’t after the Lord recognized the need of Adam for a helper that He created the woman from Adam’s rib (Genesis 2:20b-22). In that fashion, the man is to lead and the woman is to submit under the authority of the man (in Eve’s case, Adam is already her husband).

Note: A woman should only submit to her husband alone (Ephesians 5:22 and 1 Peter 3:1A), not to every guy she dates, she likes or she thinks worthy of her submission.

A man is to lead a woman. And if he perfectly knows his God given role, he should not have a hard time figuring that out. He is to actively pursue the woman. He is not passive but initiate things with respect to her purity and protection of her heart.

So ladies, sorry but the whole modern idea on how women should take charge just won’t fly. That is going against the role God has ordained for us to fulfill. No matter how much we like this one guy and thinks he could be the one, if he is not pursuing you, you are setting yourself for a major heartache if you try to control things in your own hand. Besides, if he really is the man God has for you, he would not keep you guessing on what are his intentions towards you. He will let you know, take charge and win you over. It is that simple! Also, by trying to act like men by doing the work for them (being the initiator, asking him out first, etc), we are taking away the chance for these boys to exercise their responsibility to lead. Remember what God said in Proverbs 31: 12 regarding the godly woman, “She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.”

Note: Preach this to myself.

As for my situation, I will continue to lift it up to the Lord. Because surely, I know that God doesn’t want me to settle for second best. As the Lord said on Psalm 27:4, “You have to wait for me, be strong and take heart and wait for me.”

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

By Josh De Gracia, founder of KnowGodKnowLove

A real man is not ashamed to declare his love for God above all things.

A real man conveys on a daily basis how valuable his wife is to him by his actions, his words and his prayer life.

A real man puts his wife slightly above his children:

1. Because that is and will always be his lifelong partner and best friend

2. Because its sets a noble example for children to aspire to in adulthood.

A real man knows the value of his woman and will do nothing to compromise their relationship.

A real man works hard at his vocation so that his wife does not have to…in that same vain…a real man sacrifices external successes, status, symbols, and position for less things in life so he and his children can have a whole wife and mother.

A real man seeks to serve.

A real man cries in front of his children, readily admits and exposes his weaknesses/mistakes so that his wife and children don’t always feel like they have to be perfect.

A real man isn’t afraid to hug other real men.

A real man trusts in God to provide for him and freely gives back in the form of time, money, and spiritual gifts.

A real man admits when he is wrong and apologizes to the person he has offended.

A real man forgives immediately when someone has the guts to say they are sorry and doesn’t later rub in their faults.

A real man always is alert for teachable moments with his children.

A real man keeps himself in good shape to:

1. Show his wife he still thinks enough of her not to let himself go

2. To show his children the same.

A real man is proactive and takes complete ownership of his actions blaming only himself for his misgivings.

A real man holds his wife’s hand in public, opens her car door, and still brings her flowers twenty years after he met her.

A real man kisses his wife and hugs her first when he walks in the door.

A real man takes the time to ask and not assume.

When a real man has to be critical, he criticizes the behavior, never the person.

A real man avoids situations that might question his integrity or character.

Don’t settle for anything less than a real man

This is what I aspire to be.

A Man of God.

Know God Know Love

The depths of what I’m feeling right now is summed up in this song. I am filled with deep humility and hope knowing that through the trials and seasons of life, Jesus’ love will never fail me.

He really never let me go….through it all.

Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

So for the past couple of days I’ve been having so much trouble sleeping. I’m graduating in about 3 weeks and my mind has been racing. I can’t suppress the feelings much longer and need to face my reality. But I do know that I only have one primary source of strength & hope that I absolutely need right now, and that’s my Jesus.

I’ve gone through life testing out the waters and believing I can do it all on my own but every single time I go running back to my stronghold. College has definitely been a time for testing and opportunities that have not only tested my character but faith. As I look back at the years leading up to this moment, I can’t help but be thankful for a merciful and all-knowing God. Although I don’t know what the future holds for me, I can rest in His sovereignty over my life.

This is a another milestone in my life that I fully dedicate and offer to Him. He’s in control, always has been & always will be. Whatever storm, obstacle, journey, or disappointment I have, I pray that I can rise above it and continue to sing of His faithfulness in everything. I can’t help but stop and think about all His mercies and feel overwhelmed with humility and honor.

So, as I approach this last stretch, I pray that I’d finish strong. Not only academically but finish strong in the Lord. My future is worth nothing without my purpose & direction coming from the Lord.

Lord, I ask that you would calm my heart and my soul & lead me into your presence filled with direction and an overwhelming sense of peace and trust in You Father.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11