grateful

Today, I thank God for..

The friend who told me he misses me, because that means that he treasured our friendship.

The Chinese taxi driver who played English RnB songs when he realized that I am a "way guo ren" (foreigner). I really enjoyed the beat, then my phone rung, and even without me signaling him to lower the volume, he immediately did. Sweet!

That little boy in church who asked people to pray for his daddy who's going through medical treatment. "Please pray for my dad so that he can play with me again." That's why Jesus loves children, their eyesights are not blurred and hazy, they know what matters and their needs are simple.

For my friend, John, who doesn't get pissed by my jokes (well, I really hope he doesn't. lol.). After church, I asked him if he is going to join us (me with great Indo friends) for lunch. He said he can't cos he is going to join a friend for lunch. So I asked if he is going with a girlfriend. "No, it's a boy!" I guess John noticed my face turned from a smug glow to a teasing grin.

"So, you're going to have lunch with your boy friend?"

John has been very patient with me when I make fun of him. He is not a funny guy, quite serious actually. For one who is studying Chinese Traditional Medicine for three years, I would say who wouldn't be serious? But the good thing about John is that when I strike a joke at him, or when my fun-loving self gets the better of me, he knows exactly what to tell me, "time for your meds, granny!"

For Indonesian friends. They are happy people - Henny, Helen, Kristine, Iwan, Henry, Ronald and Denny. In the past weeks that I meet with them every Saturday for the Bible study, I've been utterly blessed by how their hearts have been so open for the love of Jesus. And it shows even without them telling me. They are filled with joy. They easily laugh, which makes my time with them very cozy cos I don't have to pull some teeth to make them laugh at my jokes.

I'm thankful to God that I met them. It started in church when I sat behind them and they turned to me and asked if I am from Tianjin University. And the rest, as they say, is history. (By the way, the lunch we had today was fun, we should do it again. Iwan's treat? lol!)

For Suffi. Though we did not see each other today, we kept in touch by sms. I'm thankful for her because God spoke to me many times through my friendship with Suffi.

There was a time when I had my hair cut short and she was with me. I complained about how I don't like the style, et. al, and she asked me, "You don't like changes, do you?" I was speechless because that time God has been speaking to me a lot about changes, and I guess her question confirmed what God has been trying to tell me - to accept changes, to let go of things that I've been holding on so much because though they are not bad in itself, but I don't need them in my journey anymore; to be open for changes in directions because if I'm not then God could never take me to experience new roads and adventures.

It's amazing, I have so many other things to be thankful about, but I couldn't write it all here cos they are soooo many, and my time is running short (it's 12:34 in the morning --- good morning!)

And I realized one thing - a blessed person is a thankful person. I should be writing more here about the people/situations that I am so grateful to have in my life.

Well...sooon.

P.S.

And how can I not thank you - yes, YOU, the one reading this blog right now. If you have gone this far in the blog, then I am blessed by your patience. I am not an engaging storyteller, but you have gone this far to read my thoughts. I am blessed by you!

pic labels (above):
1. Me, John and Suffi. The pic was taken last Summer at church.
2. Bible study with Helen (front) 2nd row - Kristin, Ronald, Suffi, Denny, Iwan, and 3rd row - Henny, Henry and yours truly. ;)

today...

There are moments in life when it feels so good to cry, or mourn. Moments when you long for your true home with your Savior where you are assured that He will wipe away all the tears from your eyes.

You cried hard, and tears were like raindrops at its utter abandon. At this point, you cannot say any other words, your heart is simply speaking a language of its own. Unfathomable words that only the Maker can understand.

Today, I realized that there is a place in my life, a character in me, an inner court in my heart; where only the Creator can understand. My complexities is known to Him, and nothing is vague in His eyes.

Today, I had a pain in my heart, and I cried and mourned...yet my Anchor remained strong. Steady as a rock.

David and Goliath, and Maricar...

This maybe a little late already, but who cares.

Last September, my sister, Maricar, took the Philippine Board Exam for Teachers (in the Phils.). I'm not really sure if she was so confident about it, or ready about it, cos for one, she self-reviewed. Others who took the exam spent months in review centers, not to mention paid lots of money for it.

Maricar reviewed at home where our mother could be so talkative at times, or our pet dogs - Aslan and Summer - would take her focus from reviewing, or the internet connection on the living room which can lure at anytime, or some random neighbors who'd buy stuff from the little store we have. Those, and more.

"All glory to God!" my sister said in our chat early this week.

This reminds me so much of the David and Goliath story in the Bible. I was studying and re-reading this story for days now because I'm thinking of sharing this in the Bible study we have here in Tianjin, China.

Goliath has been a fighter from his youth. From the story, I imagine Goliath to be one of those giants we see in wrestling matches - buff, muscular, intense, experienced, overly confident, and invincible.

On the other side of the spectrum is David, a young shepherd, about 16 years old - ruddy and handsome, and haven't had any experience in battle except those animals he killed for carrying sheeps from his flock.

When David approached Goliath, Goliath felt insulted, or so it seems, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks? (1 Samuel 17:43). Goliath cursed David's God and said, "Come here, and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field."

But what made all the difference was David's faith that the battle is the Lord's.

"You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I
come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of
Israel, whom you have defiled. This day, the Lord will hand you over to me, and
I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today, I will give the carcasses of
the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the
whole world will know that there is a good in Israel. All those gathered here
will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle
is the Lord's and he will give all of you into our hands." (1 Samuel
17:45-47)

You probably know the ending. David strucked Goliath using a sling and a stone, no sword or spear.

And that's the great thing about a relationship with the Living God. It gives you confidence in every battle, no matter how shattered your heart is, no matter how small other people think of you, or how huge the task at hand - the battle belongs to the Lord.

It's not that you don't do your part, in fact, it should encourage you to be confident and do your best because your battle is His battle.

In John Mason's book, An Enemy Called Average, he mentioned the difference between David's view of Goliath to that of his brothers. " The brothers looked at the obstacle and figures it was too big to hit, but David looked at the obstacle and figured it was too big to miss."

And so last Sunday, probably a month and a half of waiting for the result, Maricar sent me a message on my mobile saying that she passed the board exam! Great!!!!

I was so happy! I sent messages to all my friends here in Tianjin who helped me pray for Maricar when she was reviewing and when she took the examination.

Congrats, Maricar. All glory to God indeed! He is faithful, and will forever be with you in every battle, in all circumstances. Your victory is His victory...and I'm sure He rejoices over you.

a must-read! --- The Shack

The book's back cover reads:

"Mackenzie Allen Philip's youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted
during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered
is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years
later, in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspcious note,
apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

Against His better judgement he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon
and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change
Mack's world forever."

I cannot remember having cried so hard over a novel as I did with this one. Well, you may not be like me whose tears are so easy, or whose heart can be so sensitive to the "touching" things around her, but I assure you, you will shed a tear or two (or morrreee!) with this novel. You can bank on it.

About this time last week, I was on my way to my room when the receptionist called me and handed a package. I was speechless. I looked at her with an "are-you-sure-this-is-for-me?" look (that's the best I can do until now, hehehe). So then I read the sender, and indeed the package was for me. It was from a friend in California, and inside the package was this book with a dedication from the author itself. I was soooo happy!

"Catherine, joy will find its way - Paul (William Young)"

An article about this novel, The Shack , had been published in New York Times, and indeed this book is a # 1 New York Times bestseller with over one million copies in print (and counting) already.

And you know what? I finished the book in just 3 nights, well, it could have been just one day if I weren't working. Obviously, this book is really good, otherwise I wouldn't have devoured it in just 3 nights. Nights when I could have snored early. Every page is worth it, the tears I shed were tears of freedom, understanding (about God) and prayer.

I'm not gonna give away the plot of The Shack here but let me just encourage you a little bit more about this book, and share to you what happened to me after flipping pages from beginning to end...

You will never look at God the same way again when you read this book. This book has the capacity to free the captives, and insult the religious. This book will dig truths about life and God, deeper and deeper it goes until you realize that the questions of the main character Mackenzie Allen Philips (about God, life, problems, tragedy, et. al.) were also your questions, and you will cry because his healing is your healing; and his victory is your victory.

And to quote one part of the book:

"Seriously, my life was not meant to be an example to copy. Being my
follower is not trying to 'be like Jesus,' it means for your independence to be
killed. I came to give you life, real life, my life. We will come
and live our life inside of you, so that you begin to see with our eyes, and
hear with our ears, and touch with our hands, and think like we do. But,
we will never force that union on you. If you want to do your thing, have
at it. Time is on our side." (-Jesus, The Shack)

So now it is my prayer, that I may be His hand, His eyes, His ears...that I may always be - HIS.