Taste of Inspiration

Here are some of inspirational text messages I received this week:

Sooner or later, start taking yoursel seriously.
Know when you need a break.
Know what to get worked up about and what to get rid of.
Do something that makes you stronger and more complete.
Because it's never too late to have a life and never too late
to CHANGE one!

Life is full of uncertainties.
We'll never know when our time on earth is up
'til it's over.
So, take many pictures, laugh much, take time
to look up at the stars, sing loudly, feel the cold wind,
SMILE A LOT, and LOVE like you've never
been hurt because every 60 seconds you spend
is a minute you will never get back!

Sometimes we know the answer to our questions
yet we still ask WHY?
It's because the answer we know is the one
we can't bear to ADMIT

If it takes great courage to fight for something...
Sometimes it takes even greater courage to
just walk away and leave things behind.

The point of prayer is not always to get answers from God,
but to have a perfect and complete unity with HIM.
So endure life with prayers!

Have a great weekend everybody!!!

Don't QUIT

When Things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road youre trudging seems all up hill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

REST if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As everyone of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about

When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don't give up, though the pace seems low;

You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than

It seems to a faint and flatering man,

Often the strugler has given up

When he might have captured the victor's cup.

And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out;

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems afar;

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit;

It's when thing seem worst that you mustn't QUIT!

(A poem i used to memorize during my training as COCC in our school... i post this out of inspiration to Hye's recent write-up "YOU ARE NOT THE BEST PERSON YOU CAN BE" thanks, Hye!)

Love is Acceptance

Our relationship with our partner shapes who we are, who we love, and why. It can be our greatest strength and our greatest weakness. How we find our relationship depends on how we perceive, handle and value it. If there’s one thing I learned about love, that is ACCEPTANCE. Love is not only merely sacrifice but also acceptance.

“A man is a man. He is not a woman. A woman is a woman. She is not a man!” (Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot)

We should appreciate the mystery of our personhood and the one we love. Love is at its best when we accept the fact that we are who we are and that we love someone for who they are.

No human has ever been, and no human will ever be perfect. It is a blessing to be imperfect, because it is a blessing to be human. Errors are natural. Mistakes are inevitable. Embarrassing moments sometimes happen. When we accept that complete perfection is impossible, we can accept ourselves, others, and the world, exactly as is. Why should we be afraid of this freedom? Only out of such acceptance can we can actually make positive changes, because positive changes only come out of a loving heart. We don't deserve love by being perfect.

I love a man, a person, a human who is not perfect and will never be. Just the same as Joel loves me; a woman, a person, and a human!

Love Languages

Five Emotional Love Languages:
by Dr. Gary Chapman, Christian counselor and author of The Five Love Languages

1. Words of Affirmation

This is when you say how nice your spouse looks, or how great the dinner tasted. These words will also build your mate's self image and confidence.

2. Quality Time

Some spouses believe that being together, doing things together and focusing on one another is the best way to show love. If this is your partner's love language, turn off the TV now and then and give one another some undivided attention.

3. Gifts

It is universal in human cultures to give gifts. They don't have to be expensive to send a powerful message of love. Spouses who forget a birthday or anniversary or who never give gifts to someone who truly enjoys gift giving will find themselves with a spouse who feels neglected and unloved.

4. Acts of Service

Discovering how you can best do something for your spouse will require time and creativity. These acts of service like vacuuming, hanging a bird feeder, planting a garden, etc., need to be done with joy in order to be perceived as a gift of love.

5. Physical Touch

Sometimes just stroking your spouse's back, holding hands, or a peck on the cheek will fulfill this need.

An Inspiring Speech

I found this wonderful speech of Nelson Mandela. On 10th May 1994, he became the first democratically-elected President of multi-racial South Africa. In his inaugural speech as South African President, Nelson Mandela said:

“Our biggest fear
is not that we are inadequate;
our biggest fear
is that we are powerful
beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves:
‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous’
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
You’re ‘playing small’
doesn’t serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened
about shrinking
so that other people
won’t feel insecure around you.
We are born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just within some of us
- it is within everyone!
And as we let our own light shine,
we consciously give to other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence
automatically liberates others.”

Intelligence or Wisdom?

I found a very wonderful site about prayers and I thought of sharing this one:

One of France’s greatest scientists was
Louis Pasteur, who lent his name to the
process of “pasteurising” milk. He became
well-known in his lifetime, receiving
national honours in recognition for
his scientific achievements.

One day he was travelling by train and
was reading the Bible to himself. The
man who happened to be sitting next to
Louis Pasteur did not know who he was,
but saw that he was reading about Jesus
feeding 5,000 people with five loaves and
two fish. The man said to him: “You don’t
believe that story, do you?”

“Yes, I do believe it,” said Pasteur. The
other man, not knowing who he was
speaking to, said, “Well, I don’t believe
it. I’m a scientist, you see, and that story
doesn’t fit in with science.”

At that point the train slowed and the
man was about to get off. He said goodbye,
giving his name. He was more than
surprised to hear in response, “And my
name is Louis Pasteur.” The man, claiming
to be a scientist, had been very dismissive
of the religious beliefs of Louis
Pasteur, one of the world’s greatest scientists.

Let us pray:

Lord, I ask for the gifts
of knowledge and wisdom
and understanding.
What I pray for
I intend to work at,
so that I may develop
an open mind,
a thirst for knowledge,
and a wisdom that makes good use
of my knowledge and experience.
I know that any gifts are useless
if I do not also have
love and concern for others,
and so I ask that you inspire me
to live in such a way
that I am caring and compassionate
and promote understanding
between people.
May others respect me, Lord,
as much as I respect them. Amen.

Knowing The Right One

Knowing the right one to marry is probably the hardest part of marriage. Most of married couples would say that “you will never know the person not until you live under one roof.” Discovering the right one is a process not only during pre-marital or engagement stage but it goes on until marriage.



Some pointers may be helpful in choosing the right person to be with:

1. You will know you are marrying the right person when you feel support and encouragement about your own growth both emotionally and intellectually. The right person will want you to be emotionally healthy and able to stand on your own two feet. When you are with the right person you will feel good about yourself, safe, and fulfilled.

2. The right person will not be negative, selfish, wishy washy, silent, embarrassing, critical, or a slob.

3. You will know you are marrying the right person if your future spouse says "I love you" not only in words spoken, but by loving actions. We define loving actions as doing things such as noticing when you are tired, remembering your birthday, wanting to spend time with you, listening to you, showing you respect, calling if you are running late, showing you affection, being patient with you if you don't understand something, kissing you hello and goodbye, and hugging you for no special reason.

4. You will know you are marrying the right person if you are sexually compatible with one another. If the two of you view sexual intimacy differently, your marriage relationship will suffer.

5. The right person is someone who you like and who is your friend. The right person will enjoy spending time with you. Your love and your marriage will slowly fade if the two of you are not friends.

6. The right person is kind, considerate, and polite. Little things in life such as saying 'thank you' and holding a door open may seem old fashioned, but they do reflect the amount of caring and kindness in a person.

7. Having different likes and different opinions is okay as long as the two of you agree to disagree. Although you may not always agree with one another, conversations with the right person will be interesting and not boring. The right person will communicate thoughts and feelings with you and will not keep hurts and concerns bottled up inside.

8. Understanding that the only constant in life is change, the right person is willing to discuss marriage issues, questions, and topics with you both before and after you get married.

9. The right person will encourage you to make decisions to live a healthy lifestyle by eating healthier foods and getting exercise. The right person will want to work with you to balance your work and personal lives.

10. Feeling as if you are the only one picking things up around the house or taking care of the kids can get old. The right person is willing to share in the responsibilities of your home and future children.

11. Finding the right person doesn't mean that the two of you won't have difficulties or differences to deal with. However, with the right person you will know that the two of you will be able to work through the issues that could hurt your relationship.

12. The right person will trust you and not monitor your phone calls, or computer usage, or limit the amount of time you spend with others you care about. You will know you are marrying the right person if your future spouse does not try to isolate you from your family and friends. You not only need to belong to family, friends, groups, etc., you have the right to do so. The right person in your life will not try to control your life but will want to share a life with you. The wrong person will make you feel as if you have to walk on egg shells in order to keep peace in your home.

13. You shouldn't have to defend wanting privacy or time alone. You will know you are marrying the right person when you are not questioned about your need for time alone or personal space.

14. The right person will trust you and not spy on you. Feeling as if you have to justify your every move will become a very heavy burden.

"What you are as a single person, you will be as a married person, only to a greater degree. Any negative character trait will be intensified in a marriage relationship, because you will feel free to let your guard down -- that person has committed himself to you and you no longer have to worry about scaring him off." (Josh McDowell - Secrets of Loving)


"The kind of marriage you make depends upon the kind of person you are. If you are a happy, well-adjusted person, the chances are your marriage will be a happy one. If you have made adjustments so far with more satisfaction than distress, you are likely to make your marriage and family adjustments satisfactorily. If you are discontented and bitter about your lot in life, you will have to change before you can expect to live happily ever after." (Evelyn Duvall and Reuben Hill - - When You Marry)

"Marriage -- as its veterans know well -- is the continuous process of getting used to things you hadn't expected." (Tom Mullen)

"Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones we marry." (Tom Mullen)

"Marriage - when two people are under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions. They are required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition continuously until death do them part." - George Bernard Shaw

"The middle years of marriage are the most crucial. In the early years, spouses want each other and in late years, they need each other." - (Rebecca Tilly)