Tonight, Ting and I ate at Ling Nam Greenbelt 1 in Makati to get some chicken noodle soup. We wanted something hot to feel a little better after a long day.
After we were practically finished, Ting saw one black curly piece of hair at the bottom of her soup.
We asked for the bill and called the manager (she looked like the manager)to show her the stray hair.
After paying the bill, we didn't get an apology from the manager.
I was ready to leave a P5 tip.
"It's not the fault of the waiters naman."
Ting has a soft spot for waiters because her father (the late Eduardo Linsangan) was always generous with his tips and kind.
So we left a copy of Buhay Na Hindi Bitin and a P25 tip (would have been P50 but we didn't have any small bills left.)
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Rico Villanueva
Signed, dedicated and gave a BNHB to Rico Villanueva tonight. Not the basketball player who played for the Blue Eagles and is now in the PBA.
This Rico is a friend of my bs group mate, Boomer.
He's a banker -- he manages risk (or something like that) for ChinaTrust.
Rico was a guest at our Discussion Group on The Five Love Languages.
This Rico is a friend of my bs group mate, Boomer.
He's a banker -- he manages risk (or something like that) for ChinaTrust.
Rico was a guest at our Discussion Group on The Five Love Languages.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
For a limited time only
For A Limited Time
READ: James 4:13-17
You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. —James 4:14
On a crisp October morning, our local newspaper featured a stunning photo of sun-drenched aspen trees whose leaves had turned autumn gold.
The caption read: FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY.
The irresistible invitation to take a drive through the mountains to savor the brilliant colors conveyed the urgency of doing it quickly. Autumn leaves that are golden today are often gone tomorrow.Our opportunities to obey God’s promptings are also fleeting.
James warned against an arrogance that assumes endless days will be available to carry out our good intentions.
“You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. . . . Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (4:14,17).
Is there an act of kindness or encouragement that God has urged you to do for someone in His name? How long has it been since that first prompting?
With so many demands on our time, the urgent tasks demand our attention while the important things can be postponed. But a time will come when even the important can no longer be done.When we follow God’s urging with our action now, today will be golden.
— David C. McCasland
If God is prompting you today
To help someone who has a need,
Don’t hesitate, the time is short;
Tomorrow is not guaranteed.
—Sper
Doing what’s right today means no regrets tomorrow.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Keeping promises
Proverbs 25:14 says, “Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boast of gifts he does not give.”
Do you know people like that? They make promises but never keep them. They may say, “I am planning to do it,” but they never get around to it.Be careful about the promises you make. Have you ever told someone you would call back later and then didn’t do it? Have you ever said, “The checks is in the mail,” before it was? Have you ever promised you would pray for someone and then forgotten to? You need to be dependable when you say, “I will return soon” or “We will do it later.”
Keep your word!
Sometimes, as a parent, in a moment of weakness, I make promises to my kids just to get them out of my hair. Do you ever do that? I promise them something that doesn’t even register in my mind. Weeks later I may not remember what I said, but I have learned that my kids never forget anything. Never! When I say, “well, we might, maybe, do something,” they interpret my words to mean we are definitely going to do something. Start packing. You have to keep your promises.
Proverbs 20:25 says, “Its is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows.” In otter words, it is always easier to get in than to get out. Do you know the number one problem in parent-child relationships? Resentment. And the number one cause of resentment is broken promises.Ecclesiastes 5:5 says, “It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.”
Husbands, what promises do you need to keep? Have you promised to repair a leaky faucet or to help with a special project? What about your kids? Have you promised to spend more time together or to play baseball?When you are dependable, you don’t have to convince people that you are. You don’t have to make a big deal of it. You don’t have to say, “Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.” No, you just say you will do it, and then you do it! Jesus said to let your yes be yes and your no be no (Matt. 5:37). Over time, your track record will speak for itself. Others will feel confident that they can count on you. And God will be making careful notes in heaven.
Let us keep our promises.
Faithfulness really matters in the end. This is our purpose in life. Amen
++
From the Purpose Driven Life Blog - August 30, 2008
Do you know people like that? They make promises but never keep them. They may say, “I am planning to do it,” but they never get around to it.Be careful about the promises you make. Have you ever told someone you would call back later and then didn’t do it? Have you ever said, “The checks is in the mail,” before it was? Have you ever promised you would pray for someone and then forgotten to? You need to be dependable when you say, “I will return soon” or “We will do it later.”
Keep your word!
Sometimes, as a parent, in a moment of weakness, I make promises to my kids just to get them out of my hair. Do you ever do that? I promise them something that doesn’t even register in my mind. Weeks later I may not remember what I said, but I have learned that my kids never forget anything. Never! When I say, “well, we might, maybe, do something,” they interpret my words to mean we are definitely going to do something. Start packing. You have to keep your promises.
Proverbs 20:25 says, “Its is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows.” In otter words, it is always easier to get in than to get out. Do you know the number one problem in parent-child relationships? Resentment. And the number one cause of resentment is broken promises.Ecclesiastes 5:5 says, “It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.”
Husbands, what promises do you need to keep? Have you promised to repair a leaky faucet or to help with a special project? What about your kids? Have you promised to spend more time together or to play baseball?When you are dependable, you don’t have to convince people that you are. You don’t have to make a big deal of it. You don’t have to say, “Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.” No, you just say you will do it, and then you do it! Jesus said to let your yes be yes and your no be no (Matt. 5:37). Over time, your track record will speak for itself. Others will feel confident that they can count on you. And God will be making careful notes in heaven.
Let us keep our promises.
Faithfulness really matters in the end. This is our purpose in life. Amen
++
From the Purpose Driven Life Blog - August 30, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
What a Wonderul World (The good memories of Chava)
Always try to celebrate and remember the good memories that God has blessed you with. Here are some of ours with Chava.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Are you torturing yourself with unforgiveness?
Many people struggle with this. Including myself. We think we've forgiven our enemies or even our loved ones of the hurt they have caused us (and vice versa) -- but alas it's still there.
Joyce Meyer wrote a helpful and practical article to help us deal with unforgiveness. Read on...
Many people ruin their health and their lives by taking the poison of bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness. Matthew 18:23-35 tells us that if we do not forgive people, we get turned over to the torturers. If you have a problem in this area or have ever had one, I’m sure you bear witness with what I’m saying. It’s torture to have hateful thoughts toward another person rolling around inside your head.
Helping Yourself and Others
Who are you helping most when you forgive the person who hurt you? Actually, you’re helping yourself more than the other person. I always looked at forgiving people who hurt me as being really hard. I thought it seemed so unfair for them to receive forgiveness when I had gotten hurt. I got pain, and they got freedom without having to pay for the pain they caused. Now I realize that I’m helping myself when I choose to forgive.
I’m also helping the other person by releasing them so God can do what only He can do. If I’m in the way—trying to get revenge or take care of the situation myself instead of trusting and obeying God—He has no obligation to deal with that person. However, God will deal with those who hurt us if we’ll put them in His hands through forgiveness. The act of forgiving is our seed of obedience to His Word. Once we’ve sown our seed, He is faithful to bring a harvest of blessing to us one way or another.
Another way that forgiveness helps me is that it releases God to do His work in me. I’m happier and feel better physically when I’m not filled with the poison of unforgiveness. Serious diseases can develop as a result of the stress and pressure that bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness put on a person. Mark 11:22-26 clearly teaches us that unforgiveness hinders our faith from working. The Father can’t forgive our sins if we don’t forgive other people. We reap what we sow. Sow mercy, and you’ll reap mercy; sow judgment, and you’ll reap judgment. So do yourself a favor—and forgive.
There are still more benefits of forgiveness. Your fellowship with God flows freely when you’re willing to forgive, but it gets blocked by unforgiveness. Forgiveness also keeps Satan from getting an advantage over us (see 2 Corinthians 2:10,11). Ephesians 4:26,27 tells us not to let the sun go down on our anger or give the devil any such foothold or opportunity. Remember that the devil must have a foothold before he can get a stronghold. Do not help Satan torture you. Be quick to forgive.
I also think it’s hard to hate one person but love another. It’s hard to treat anybody right when our heart isn’t right. Even people you want to love may be suffering from your bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness.
How to Forgive
Would you like to become more successful at forgiving others? There are practical steps that must be taken. One time I asked the Lord why so many people want to forgive but aren’t successful doing it. And He said, "Because they aren’t obeying what I tell them to do in My Word." As I searched the Word, I found the following instructions:
1. Decide – You will never forgive if you wait until you feel like it. Choose to obey God and steadfastly resist the devil in his attempts to poison you with bitter thoughts. Make a quality decision to forgive, and God will heal your wounded emotions in due time (see Matthew 6:12,14).
2. Depend – You cannot forgive without the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s too hard to do on your own. If you are truly willing, God will enable you, but you must humble yourself and cry out to Him for help. In John 20:22,23 Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit!” His next instruction was about forgiving people. Ask God to breathe the Holy Spirit on you so you can forgive those who’ve hurt you.
3. Obey – The Word tells us several things we’re to do concerning forgiving our enemies:
a. Pray for your enemies and those who abuse and misuse you. Pray for their happiness and welfare (see Luke 6:27,28). As you pray, God can give them revelation that will bring them out of deception. They may not even be aware they hurt you, or maybe they’re aware but are so self-centered that they don’t care. Either way, they need revelation.
b. …Bless and do not curse them (Romans 12:14). In the Greek to bless means "to speak well of" and to curse means "to speak evil of." You can’t walk in forgiveness and be a gossip. You must stop repeating the offense. You can’t get over it if you continue to talk about it. Proverbs 17:9 says that he who covers an offense seeks love.
Who Should Forgive?
Forgive the person who badly hurt you long ago and also the stranger who stepped on your toe in the grocery store. Take those two extremes and forgive them in addition to everyone in between. Forgive quickly. The quicker you do it, the easier it is. Forgive freely. Matthew 10:8 says, …Freely you have received, freely give (NKJV). Forgive means “to excuse a fault, absolve from payment, pardon, send away, cancel, and bestow favor unconditionally.”
When you forgive, you must cancel the debt. Do not spend your life paying and collecting debts. Hebrews 10:30 says that vengeance belongs to the Lord; He’ll repay and settle the cases of His people. Let God pay you for past injustices. Do not try to collect from the people who hurt you, because the people who hurt you can’t pay you.
Also, forgive yourself for past sins and hurts you have caused others. You can’t pay people back, so ask God to.
Forgive God if you are angry with Him because your life didn’t turn out the way you thought it should. God is always just. There may be things you don’t understand, but God loves you, and people make a serious mistake when they don’t receive help from the only One who can truly help them.
You may even need to forgive a situation or an object—the post office, bank, a certain store that may have cheated you, a car that always gave you trouble, etc. Get rid of all poison that comes from bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness. And remember Proverbs 4:23: Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance...for out of it flow the springs of life.
Unforgiveness is spiritual filthiness, so get washed in the water of God’s Word to forgive and stay clean.
***This is from Joyce Meyers Website stay blessed!***
Joyce Meyer wrote a helpful and practical article to help us deal with unforgiveness. Read on...
Many people ruin their health and their lives by taking the poison of bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness. Matthew 18:23-35 tells us that if we do not forgive people, we get turned over to the torturers. If you have a problem in this area or have ever had one, I’m sure you bear witness with what I’m saying. It’s torture to have hateful thoughts toward another person rolling around inside your head.
Helping Yourself and Others
Who are you helping most when you forgive the person who hurt you? Actually, you’re helping yourself more than the other person. I always looked at forgiving people who hurt me as being really hard. I thought it seemed so unfair for them to receive forgiveness when I had gotten hurt. I got pain, and they got freedom without having to pay for the pain they caused. Now I realize that I’m helping myself when I choose to forgive.
I’m also helping the other person by releasing them so God can do what only He can do. If I’m in the way—trying to get revenge or take care of the situation myself instead of trusting and obeying God—He has no obligation to deal with that person. However, God will deal with those who hurt us if we’ll put them in His hands through forgiveness. The act of forgiving is our seed of obedience to His Word. Once we’ve sown our seed, He is faithful to bring a harvest of blessing to us one way or another.
Another way that forgiveness helps me is that it releases God to do His work in me. I’m happier and feel better physically when I’m not filled with the poison of unforgiveness. Serious diseases can develop as a result of the stress and pressure that bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness put on a person. Mark 11:22-26 clearly teaches us that unforgiveness hinders our faith from working. The Father can’t forgive our sins if we don’t forgive other people. We reap what we sow. Sow mercy, and you’ll reap mercy; sow judgment, and you’ll reap judgment. So do yourself a favor—and forgive.
There are still more benefits of forgiveness. Your fellowship with God flows freely when you’re willing to forgive, but it gets blocked by unforgiveness. Forgiveness also keeps Satan from getting an advantage over us (see 2 Corinthians 2:10,11). Ephesians 4:26,27 tells us not to let the sun go down on our anger or give the devil any such foothold or opportunity. Remember that the devil must have a foothold before he can get a stronghold. Do not help Satan torture you. Be quick to forgive.
I also think it’s hard to hate one person but love another. It’s hard to treat anybody right when our heart isn’t right. Even people you want to love may be suffering from your bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness.
How to Forgive
Would you like to become more successful at forgiving others? There are practical steps that must be taken. One time I asked the Lord why so many people want to forgive but aren’t successful doing it. And He said, "Because they aren’t obeying what I tell them to do in My Word." As I searched the Word, I found the following instructions:
1. Decide – You will never forgive if you wait until you feel like it. Choose to obey God and steadfastly resist the devil in his attempts to poison you with bitter thoughts. Make a quality decision to forgive, and God will heal your wounded emotions in due time (see Matthew 6:12,14).
2. Depend – You cannot forgive without the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s too hard to do on your own. If you are truly willing, God will enable you, but you must humble yourself and cry out to Him for help. In John 20:22,23 Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit!” His next instruction was about forgiving people. Ask God to breathe the Holy Spirit on you so you can forgive those who’ve hurt you.
3. Obey – The Word tells us several things we’re to do concerning forgiving our enemies:
a. Pray for your enemies and those who abuse and misuse you. Pray for their happiness and welfare (see Luke 6:27,28). As you pray, God can give them revelation that will bring them out of deception. They may not even be aware they hurt you, or maybe they’re aware but are so self-centered that they don’t care. Either way, they need revelation.
b. …Bless and do not curse them (Romans 12:14). In the Greek to bless means "to speak well of" and to curse means "to speak evil of." You can’t walk in forgiveness and be a gossip. You must stop repeating the offense. You can’t get over it if you continue to talk about it. Proverbs 17:9 says that he who covers an offense seeks love.
Who Should Forgive?
Forgive the person who badly hurt you long ago and also the stranger who stepped on your toe in the grocery store. Take those two extremes and forgive them in addition to everyone in between. Forgive quickly. The quicker you do it, the easier it is. Forgive freely. Matthew 10:8 says, …Freely you have received, freely give (NKJV). Forgive means “to excuse a fault, absolve from payment, pardon, send away, cancel, and bestow favor unconditionally.”
When you forgive, you must cancel the debt. Do not spend your life paying and collecting debts. Hebrews 10:30 says that vengeance belongs to the Lord; He’ll repay and settle the cases of His people. Let God pay you for past injustices. Do not try to collect from the people who hurt you, because the people who hurt you can’t pay you.
Also, forgive yourself for past sins and hurts you have caused others. You can’t pay people back, so ask God to.
Forgive God if you are angry with Him because your life didn’t turn out the way you thought it should. God is always just. There may be things you don’t understand, but God loves you, and people make a serious mistake when they don’t receive help from the only One who can truly help them.
You may even need to forgive a situation or an object—the post office, bank, a certain store that may have cheated you, a car that always gave you trouble, etc. Get rid of all poison that comes from bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness. And remember Proverbs 4:23: Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance...for out of it flow the springs of life.
Unforgiveness is spiritual filthiness, so get washed in the water of God’s Word to forgive and stay clean.
***This is from Joyce Meyers Website stay blessed!***
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