I have read in another blog that taking pictures is not the only way to keep a record of what has been happening in your life. Writing is another way. It’s really amazing because only a few people realize that. I hope that my words won’t fail me now in my attempt. If God would allow me to live another year, then I would want to read this entry again when 2010 comes and look back at the old me.
Today is the second Monday of June and Jessica is jobless. Hours ago, I saw my payslip from Etelecare dated January 2008. The numbers there looked really impressive! It made me long for that feeling again of having something to look forward to every 15 days. It also made me realize one thing– that He is a great provider. I have resigned from that company more than a year ago. Now, my heart is yearning for employment but my soul knows that He never left my side. Father, thanks for always being with me. I don’t know how You do it but Your ways are really mysterious and perfect!
It’s now 7:27 PM to be exact. I am waiting for results too– two to be exact. One would be for my IELTS exam and the other would be for my Schengen Visa. It’s like being in a valley– two mountains are blocking your view and you have to do some climbing. Climbing for me is fighting the urge to worry. I have read that when you worry about something that you can’t change, then that’s stupidity. On the other hand, when you worry about something that you can still change then why worry? When you can still change it. I can’t change the results now and I certainly don’t want to do something stupid. Just like the answer in the movie “Slumdog Millionaire”– it is written. Jaiho! God has everything prepared for me.
Before this month will end, I believe there will be a lot of surprises for me. I will be able to know if I did fine on the English exam and on the visa interview. But I know one thing– that He will never change. Whether it’s 2009 or 2010, April or June, AM or PM, jobless or not, approved or denied– I know that He is with me.
ISAIAH 41:10– do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
It has been written and I leave it all to the Author.
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Some illnesses get their names from the first person to describe them, such as Alzheimer’s disease, named for German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer. Others get their name from a famous sufferer, for example Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after the legendary baseball player who fell ill with the degenerative nerve disorder also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Still others get their name from their origin, like the West Nile Virus, a mosquito-borne illness that began in Africa and now infects horses, cattle and people as far away as the United States.
With influenza, there appear to be no clear rules how to name a strain, and that’s ruffled some feathers.
The most lethal flu ever, in 1918, became known as the Spanish flu. The deadly flu that initially swept across Western Europe didn’t originate in Spain, but England, France and Germany all had blackouts on news that might lower morale. They remained mum on the deadly influenza. Spain was neutral and had no such blackout. Spanish newspapers published stories about local outbreaks, giving rise to that country’s strong association with the deadly pandemic, which eventually killed 20 million or more not only in Europe but across the globe. Competing theories put the real ground zero of the Spanish flu either in Kansas or British training camps in France and England.
A few years back, when a potentially deadly flu began in Asia, it took the name of the source of the illness: avian influenza, or bird flu. People contracted the disease through contact with domesticated chicken, ducks and turkeys infected with the virus or surfaces contaminated with their waste. Hence the name. There were no outcries from the poultry industry, and the virus also known as H5N1 has kept the moniker “bird flu.”
When health officials dubbed the cause of the current outbreak “swine flu” because it contains pig genes, they sparked an uproar. The pork industry cried foul, claiming the name was misleading and bad for business (The new virus actually combines two human viruses, a pig virus and a bird virus). CNN received a flood of e-mails asking whether the virus can be spread by eating pork (It can’t). China and the Philippines stopped importing U.S. pork. Russia banned pork, meat and poultry from states where the outbreak had been reported. Egypt ordered the slaughter of that nation’s 300,000 pigs.
At an emergency Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the outbreak last week, Sen. Tom Harkin, a Democrat from the pig-rich state of Iowa, focused not only on the size or spread of the outbreak but its name.
“But why wouldn’t it be called an avian virus, if it has the avian genes as well as the swine genes?” Harkin asked Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Fauci’s response: “When it has a pig gene in it, you generally call it a swine virus. The reason why we don’t say swine, bird, human is that we don’t usually see a triple reassortment. This is a very unusual situation.”
Last week, health officials in the United States renamed the virus at the heart of the global outbreak “2009 H1N1.” H1N1 is a scientific designation describing the physical characteristics of the virus. The European Union and World Health Organization followed suit. The WHO is now calling the virus H1N1 influenza A.
Despite the name change, the initial swine flu designation may dog the pork industry for some time to come – and may give health officials pause the next time they attach a name to a virus.
SOURCE: http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/category/swine-flu/
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Last night, I slept earlier than usual. Unfortunately, I woke up in the middle of the night with a troubled heart. I don’t know what exactly disquieted me. I just knew that peace had left me and that I wasn’t all right.
I switched on the lamp near the bed while hearing my dog breathe. He too, like me, was not asleep anymore. There was a stack of books on the table but I reached out for a book that was already in my bed. It was a KJV Bible that a friend of mine gave me. Something led me to Psalm 91. Here are the verses that moved me:
Psalm 91:5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Psalm 91:9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
The terror by night woke me up but it can never rob me of my real Peace who is Jesus. In the same way, trials may come and failures may abound in my life but these can never stop me from running to Him who gives joy, protection and deliverance. The good thing is He always comes to the rescue no matter how undeserving I feel.
Psalm 91:14-15 says: Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
And for that, I thank and praise Him.
He that by faith chooses God for his protector, shall find all in him that he needs or can desire. Great security is promised to believers in the midst of danger. Wisdom shall keep them from being afraid without cause, and faith shall keep them from being unduly afraid. Whatever is done, our heavenly Father’s will is done; and we have no reason to fear.
(Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on Psalm 91)
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Imagine having a hungry stomach with only one piece of cookie left. Would you be willing to give the last piece to a hungr y woman? No, this is not about Fita’s advertisement. How about if you have all the 9 pieces of biscuits and someone is begging you for the whole pack? Would you give everything despite the fact that you’re hearing your bowel sounds even without the help of a stethoscope?
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I know it’s hard to give something so valuable when you most need it. Yes, there are times when giving is so easy. Example is when we give away things that we do not need anymore thus giving birth to the saying “Someone’s garbage is someone else’s treasure”. We also believe in the saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and so we give away things that are not anymore desirable to us. The point is, it’s easy to give when we feel that we’re not losing anything.
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But what if a person is asking for that newly bought Dell Inspiron? It’s functional, brand-new and perfectly colored!
You bought it for yourself after saving for a year and now this person who is asking you for this Dell portable happens to be your favorite brother. After contemplating, you give in because you love him and you trust him that
he will indeed take good care of it. You might even get to borrow it from him!
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So years after, you finally bought another gadget.
 It’s the MacBook Air that you have been dreaming about since time immemorial. Now, someone comes to you and tells you that he wants that from you. This person happens to be an enemy! You know that this person also has a reputation of being reckless or foolhardy. Too bad, this one and only MacBook Air of yours would just end up in the garbage bin after a few months or so. This person will definitely not value this precious possession of yours. BUT there is something that keeps on knocking deep inside you. It’s the fact that you love that person, without conditions. So you give away your precious Mac notebook. Love made a way! Love gave away! Sounds too good to be true, right? .
This situation reminds me of my Heavenly Father who gave His all for us. He had a Son, named Jesus, and He was His one and only. He knew from the very start that He will be giving Him up to a world that is characterized by careless unconcern. I am part of that world that He loved without any limits or conditions. So I am just going to speak for myself.
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I know well that I have been a sinner from the very start. I haven’t been the princess that He hoped I would be. I loved playing with fire which burned not only my fingers but also his heart. I hurt Him without any doubt. Yet, His Word tells me that He knew me even when I was still in my mother’s
womb. This reminds me that He knew all along that I was going to go against Him sooner than anyone could ever expect. I was a slave to sin who didn’t know that I was already bought with a price to be free. If I already knew about it, my heart just didn’t believe and receive a gift that sounded too good to be true.
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I lived a life of a slave, ate a pig’s feed
and slept with a pillow made of rock. I chose those things for myself by simply going against Him. I loved my ways and hated His. He knew all those things well and it made Him bleed. It made Him send His Son to save me. Was it easy for the Father? Was it easy for Jesus?
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Just imagine giving up that cookie, that Dell laptop, that MacBook Air, that very life of yours to a criminal. Would that be easy? NO! But what could be the only reason for you to just give in? The reason is LOVE. Nothing less.
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For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
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So, this is what we are called for. One verb to summarize our purpose– to LOVE.
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Difficult? YES. Impossible? NO.
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One verb to summarize His will for us– to be LOVED.
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The purpose of this article is to remind myself of what God has done for me. I knew it even before I came to know Him personally but I was too calloused to care. Even now, I sometimes get insensitive to His call to be like Him. Everytime I forget this truth, I would feel dead, when I should be feeling alive for all that He has already done for me two thousand years ago.
Finally, I wish to share about the depth of His love for us. It is so great that we can never imagine any other reason for His surrender to us. Only love could make it so tangible and real. Only love could make a way.
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Posted by: biojessic in poem
It has been a long time since I last wrote a poem. Maybe that was years ago when I was still in elementary. So I am composing one now and needless to say…. it’s like one of those poems made by grade 4 students. No fancy words here… only a heart that longs to glorify one person who loved me so much.
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A faith that fades and disappears
A love that is not sharp enough to pierce
A life that is here today and gone tomorrow
A heart that experiences sorrow
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Those lines describe eveything that I possess
I have nothing to boast if you care to reassess
This world is temporary and so am I
Let me emphasize that one day I’ll also die
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What is my point in this composition?
It is to remind me of my real position
Before the Lord, I am nothing but dust
Like a cheap iron, I am bound to rust
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But He came to my life and reminded me
I love you Jessica, I love you dearly
Who am I Lord that you care to speak to me?
Jessica, I am your Creator. I will set you free
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Here I am still as vulnerable as I can be
I have no one else to give me security
I only have Christ to assure me everyday
That His love for me will last for eternity
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So I thank You with all of my heart, mind and might
I long to one day join You when the time is right
I am the worst of all sinners yet you cared to see
The beauty that you crafted especially for me
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Let me end this by saying I LOVE YOU TOO
I am not poetic but that is true!
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Posted by: biojessic in Story, tags: love
Lt. John Blanchard was in New York City at Grand Central Station, and he looked up at the big clock. It said five till six. His heart was racing. At exactly six o’clock he was going to meet the girl whom he thought he was in love with, but had never met. This is what had happened… He had been in Florida for pilot training during World War II, and while he was there he happened to go to a library and check out a book. As he flipped through the pages, he noticed that someone had made notes in the margins. Reading the insightful observations in beautiful handwriting, he said to himself, “I would love to meet whoever wrote these notes-they seem so kind, gentle, and wise.”
He looked in the front of the book and saw a name, Harlyss Maynell, New York City. He decided to try to find her. With the help of a New York City phone book, he found her address and wrote her a letter. The day after he wrote her, he was shipped back overseas to fight in the war. Surprisingly, Harlyss answered John’s letter. They soon began to correspond back and forth throughout the war. “He letters were just like the marvelous notes she had written in that book,” John recalled. “She was so comforting and so helping.”
One time John had confessed in a letter that he had been scared to death when they flew over Germany. Harlyss had encouraged him, “All brave men are afraid at times. Next time you are afraid, just say ‘Yeah, though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for God is with me’. As they continued to write, John began to realize that he was having romantic feelings toward Harlyss. He wrote, “Send me a picture,” and she replied, “No, I won’t. Relationships are not built on what people look like.”
Still, he was intrigued by her and longed to meet her in person. Finally the day came when he was to return to the States on leave. He mentioned in one of his letters that he was coming home and would like to take her to dinner. She had arranged to meet him in New York City’s Grand Central Station at 6:00 P.M. under the big clock. “You’ll know who I am because I’ll be wearing a red rose,” she told him.
At last the day had come. John waited nervously to finally meet the girl he thought he loved. Here is how John described his first meeting with Harlyss Maynell:
“A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. She had blonde hair that lay back in curls from her delicate ears. Her eyes were as blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in a pale green suit she looked like spring-time come alive! Excitedly, I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a red rose. As I moved her way, she noticed me. A small provocative smile curled her lips. “Going my way, soldier?” she asked coyly. I took another step closer to her. It was then that I saw… Harlyss Maynell with the red rose in her coat, walking directly behind the girl in green. My heart sank. She was a woman well past forty. She was plump. She had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. Her thick ankles were thrust into low shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I had to make a choice. Should I follow after the beauty who had just spoken to me? Or stay and face poor Harlyss Maynell? I made my decision and I did not hesitate. Turning toward the woman, I smiled. Even as I began to speak, I felt choked by bitter disappointment. “You must be Miss Maynell,” I said, extending my hand. “I’m so glad you could meet me. Will you join me for dinner?” The older woman’s face broadened with a smile. “I don’t know what this is all about, son,” she replied, “but you know that young woman in the green suit who just went by? I met her on the train. She begged me to wear this rose in my coat. She said that if you should ask me to dinner, to tell you she’s waiting for you in that big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of a test.”
Conclusion: The amazing and romantic story of John Blanchard and Harlyss Maynell is an incredible example of a young woman who was willing to wait for a man with true integrity– and a man who was rewarded because he did not follow his fleshy desires, but responded to the character of Christ.
From: WHEN GOD WRITES YOUR LOVE STORY by Eric & Leslie Ludy
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When some doors swing open all you see inside is darkness. Only when you get inside that darkness do you realize that the light you’ve been given is on the inside. (theedgeradio.net)
One will never appreciate the cleanness of winter without first going through the rustling leaves of fall… just as one would not appreciate the colors of spring without first breathing in the whiteness of winter. (davidabc13.multiply.com)
It is not what I do that matters, but what a sovereign God chooses to do through me. God does not want worldly successes, He wants me. He wants my heart in submission to Him. Life is not just a few years to spend on self indulgence and career advancement. It is a privilege, a responsibility, a stewardship to be lived according to a much higher calling, God’s calling. This alone gives true meaning to life. (Elizabeth Dole)
Knowing that I am not the one in control gives great encouragement. Knowing the One who is in control is everything. (Alexander Michael)
Can anything appear in us that was not anticipated by One who before taking us for His own possession sat down and counted the cost? Is there not comfort in knowing that your keel is caught by a current which emanated from the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will, and is bearing you towards His heart? Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements, and His ways past finding out! (Frederick Brotherton ( F. B. ) Meyer)
Friendship not only takes time, it takes a willingness to drop false expectations, of ourselves, of each other. Friends - or lovers - are not always available to each other. Inner turmoils can cause us to be unhearing when someone needs us, to need to receive understanding when we should be giving understanding. (Madeleine L’Engle)
You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so you learn to love God and man by loving. Begin
as a mere apprentice and the very power of love will lead you on to become a master of the art. (Francis de Sales)
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I just took my NCLEX last Thursday, February 5. I woke up very early since I was staying with my relatives in Quezon City. I arrived in Makati three hours before the time! I was not feeling well because we went to a wake the night before the exam. I slept at around 10:30PM and woke up 4AM. To those who will be taking the exam, please don’t follow my example.
So I stayed in Yellow Cab, People Support Bldg in Makati. I tried to read some facts in my small notebook but my heart was saying STOP. So, I stopped reviewing and just prayed hard. I knew the Lord was always with me. I knew He told me to just rest and leave it all to Him.
My friend said that I should just wait for 8:15AM before going to the exam site. I did what she said. When I arrived in Trident Tower, I was surprised that a lot of people were forming a line already. I had no choice but to wait and just leave it all to Him… again.
So everything went smoothly and I was done one and a half hours later. The computer stopped at the 75th question. I was so relieved and praised God the whole time even though the result was not out yet.
Just last night, I arrived from Manila and checked Pearson Vue. The result was not out yet. This morning, I read Psalm 23 while I was still in bed. THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT WANT. I smiled because that was the verse that I wrote in the book that I used in reviewing. I checked Pearson Vue again after eating breakfast and there it was– quick result was ready. I paid for it and I saw it:
STATUS: PASS
Praise the Lord! I had no review center but I had HIM. I stopped studying two weeks before the exam yet He provided enough wisdom. I was not in perfect shape during my exam because of lack of sleep yet He became my strength. I studied for less than three months, yet those months were very precious for the Lord. We spent those months together answering questions and reviewing. There were disappointing scores and confusing topics yet His grace was enough. Indeed, all glory goes to the Lord! Apart from Jesus, I cannot do anything.
JESSICA ANNE P. YGUINTO, RN, US-RN
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One of the most influential persons in my life just passed away this week. What we had was not close to being perfect but it was with a purpose. I came to know Jesus because of him. He was more than a friend and a classmate. He was a brother in Christ to me.
The last time we saw each other was last November in the hospital. We prayed and shared our faith just like what we did when we were still together in college. Indeed, God has a great way of turning a mess into a message. And that message will always be in my heart forever because it was not just Ron’s message to me… It was Christ’s.
As an encouragement, I’d like to share this devotional to everyone who has experienced losing someone in their lives.. I received this in my email a day before he left this world. I know it was so timely and I did realize that it was God’s hands that were comforting me. I just can’t write here everything that happened to me before getting this email and after receiving the news. All I can say is the Lord is just amazing! He not just takes away our sins… He also wipes away the tears. Indeed, Ron was instrumental in my relationship with God and I am forever thankful.I know they’re both together now… happy and free.I know it’s hard to say goodbye but letting go is always a beautiful thing most especially when you know where the person is going. And yes, I am very sure that he’s in better hands now. I know we’ll meet again someday. See you!
The Devotional that I’d like to share:
GOD’S PERSPECTIVE
by Max Lucado
“We want you to be quite certain, brothers, about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope” (Thessalonians 4:13 JB).
The Thessalonian church had buried her share of loved ones. And the apostle wanted the members who remained to be at peace regarding the ones who had gone ahead. Many of you have buried loved ones as well. And just as God spoke to them, he speaks to you.
If you’ll celebrate a marriage anniversary alone this year, he speaks to you.
If your child made it to heaven before making it to kindergarten, he speaks to you.
If you lost a loved one in violence, if you learned more than you want to know about disease, if your dreams were buried as they lowered the casket, God speaks to you.
He speaks to all of us who have stood or will stand in the soft dirt near an open grave. And to us he gives this confident word: “I want you to know what happens to a Christian when he dies so that when it happens, you will not be full of sorrow, as those who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and then came back to life again, we can also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him all the Christians who have died” (1 Thess. 4:13–14 TLB).
God transforms our hopeless grief into hope-filled grief. How? By telling us that we will see our loved ones again.
Isn’t that what we want to believe? We long to know that our loved ones are safe in death. We long for the reassurance that the soul goes immediately to be with God. But dare we believe it? Can we believe it? According to the Bible we can.
Scripture is surprisingly quiet about this phase of our lives. When speaking about the period between the death of the body and the resurrection of the body, the Bible doesn’t shout; it just whispers. But at the confluence of these whispers, a firm voice is heard. This authoritative voice assures us that at death the Christian immediately enters into the presence of God and enjoys conscious fellowship with the Father and with those who have gone before.
Where do I get such ideas? Listen to some of the whispers:
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far. (Phil. 1:21–23 NIV)
We don’t like to say good-bye to those we love. But if what the Bible says about heaven is true, and I believe it is, then the ultimate prayer, the ultimate answered prayer, is heaven.
It is right for us to weep, but there is no need for us to despair. They had pain here. They have no pain there. They struggled here. They have no struggles there. You and I might wonder why God took them home. But they don’t. They understand. They are, at this very moment, at peace in the presence of God.
PS: I have a lot of things to share but I can’t seem to write it down yet. One thing is certain: I am forever grateful for his life that changed mine.
RON ANTHONY VERANO PARADELA
10/06/1986-01/26/2009
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…AND I NO LONGER LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME.
GALATIANS 2:20
JESUS
you’re
all
this
heart
is
living
for.
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