Monday, November 28, 2011

Fashion Week is over..now it's Advent

Fashion week is finally over..at least in my city
All the glitz and glam
All the social networking
All the beautiful and eccentric creations
I can't help but praise God for all the lovely designs..after all, He's the ultimate Fashion Designer. He is after all the first to cloth mankind with leaves..remember Adam and Eve?
Although I must say there are still many obscene and offensive designs during Fashion Week..God, forgive them for they know not what they are doing...

Well, well..it is finally Advent..
How are you preparing for the coming Christmas?
Would you be so caught up in gifts, food and celebrations that you would forget to spend quality time with our beloved Lord?

Advent is a precious season to contemplate and enjoy while waiting for Christmas to come..
Look beyond the glitz and festive celebrations, all the merry-making and parties but look inward towards that holy, sacred sanctuary that the spirit of God will want to dwell..

Here's wishing you a holy, fruitful and wonderful Advent!
God loves you !

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Christmas Dreams over Headaches

Headache splints every second,
Traffic bustling like mad horses,
Christmas songs jingles to my brain,
Rubbing on the nostalgic holiday memoirs,
Raining non stop like heaven's crying,
Hoping they are tears of joy instead

My head is spinning with endless tasks,
Official and non-official with neverending lists,
A waiver of magic wand I hope to get,
A whimsical dream of reverie unannounced,
Fantasies only to soothe my ringing bells,
In my brain they continue to juggle and dance

Christmas is indeed coming very soon,
A glimmer of hope of a mountain of ashes,
Piles of to-dos overflowing from Santa's bag,
Goodies, puddings, candies, presents, carols,
Most of all a serene night with loved ones
Alas to still my raging headstorms
Definitely way better than Panadols Hoping Santa will drop by this Christmas ;)

Monday, November 14, 2011

Lover of My Soul

There is only one person who truly loves your soul, even more than you do..
That's God.
In fact, the only thing that matters is your soul..
Your flesh may die but your soul lives forever

John of the Cross said,"If you are seeking after God, you may be sure of this:
God is seeking you much more. He is the Lover, and you are His beloved.
He has promised Himself to you."

"You are in the Beloved...therefore infinitely dear to the Father,
Unspeakably precious to Him. You are never, not for one second alone." - Norman Dowty.

Take time to seek Him and spend quiet times with God. Nothing matters more than being with
Your Father; feeding your soul communing with Him.

'Time passed in silence with God is time spent growing in relationship with Him.
And time spent letting His love flow through you to others is an investment in eternity." - Amy and Judge Reinhold

Do the things that matter.
May God, the lover of our souls bless ya!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

What do you do with Your Talents?

Many of us are blessed with so many talents and gifts in life. Some more and some less..
Regardless of how many we have, what do we do about it?
Do we even recognize it?

What are the talents that you have that will bring you closer to God? What are the talents that you have that will bring God's love to the community around you? Are you clueless?
Think, ponder and use it.

The talents that are given to you are not for your own pleasure. It is meant to give life to others. Helping others, reaching out to others, creating beautiful gifts to others to remind them of God's beauty.

That is not all. Your very life is a mirror of God.
The faith  that you carry. The words that you use. All these are talents.
The love you put in the little things that you do.

Some of us have the gift of speech. Evangelize. Speak words of comfort to a distressed soul.
Some of us have the gift of singing. Sing for your choir. Glorify God with your beautiful voice.

Some of us may think we do not have talents. That is SO UNTRUE!
Each of us is given our 5 senses and maybe less for some. Use them. We can pray for the those who are going through tough times. All of us need intercessors. If you're a student staying with your family, you can help your mother to cook and clean to lessen her burdens.
There are so many things that you can do.

Most of all, do them with Love and be faithful in the little things. As quoted by the late Mother Teresa,

"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies."

Won't you want the Lord to say to you at the end of the day when you finally meet Him,

‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Read Matthew 25:14 - 30.

Here is a good commentary based on this parable. Below is the link.

http://afriarslife.blogspot.com/2011/11/use-it-or-lose-it.html

God bless you and may He enlarge your territories and multiply your talents!

A Tribute to Gabrielle Coco Chanel

Les Amants de demain,
Edith Piaf jazzy voice playing,
On my lap sits a breaking book,
That of a woman behind a great legend
Possibly crossed paths with Edith Piaf

Gabrielle Chanel was a gift to a peasant family,
No royal blood nor extraordinaire genes,
She lost her dear mother at a tender age,
Her tiny broken heart slashed even longer,
As her father left her to an orphanage

She left the guardian of her caring nuns,
Vigorously working and sewing with passion,
Dappled in singing and nicknamed Coco,
She met the flamboyant dashing Etienne,
A mistress she became but unlike any other,
She knew her passion lies elsewhere

Many a dozen gorgeous hats she invented,
The work of her hands exuded pure creativity,
An artisan unlike the designers of her time,
Driven both by feminism and brokenness
She chose not to be dictated by men
Designing clothes to liberate women

Encouraged by charming Boy Capel,
Etienne's friend but turned Gabrielle's lover,
She poured her heart into her creations
Her inventions and romance blossomed
Boy Capel became the love of her life

Inspiration from her humble origins,
Motivations to rise beyond the heirs of luxury
An inventor she was to first use jersey
Discarding corsets and restricted clothes
Practicality and comfort she introduced

She soared as a woman of freedom,
Her success flourished even amongst men,
Intimidation yet admiration from them
A genius to fuse menswear into womenswear,
A call none would have dared to attempt

A rising star in the eyes of many,
Her unmended heart pierced without ending,
Boy Capel married an aristocrat beauty,
Still she clung on whatever's left of his affections,
Till the day he met an accident and parted for good

Gone was the great love of her life,
She plunged her sorrows into a cocoon,
A cocoon she built with her whole being,
Heart, body and soul she dived endlessly,
Dressing women she made her first priority

A grand butterfly her cocoon became,
Mirrored staircases as her beautiful wings,
Chanel No 5 parfum her intricate antennas
A couture house her garden to roam and fly
She took flight in the world of fashion

Tirelessly she toiled neverending hours
Impeccable taste and surprising luxury
She broke every rule known to fashion
A genius from every sense of couturiers
The work of her hands the mention of all

An easy escape from her lifelong pain
A mask she created to hide the little girl
Abandoned by those she loved most
Expressions of her life flowed into her hands
Forming a legacy now known as Chanel

A sad tale though her life seemed to had woven,
Her surviving spirit was what filled me with awe,
Neverending passion fighting for what she believed,
Creating what most would have never dreamt of,
We owe her more than just clothes and fashion



p/s: I would like to pay tribute to Gabrielle Coco Chanel not just for changing the way women dressed and her endless contributions to fashion and women's rights' movement (through fashion) but for her passion in the work of her hands..never giving up till her last breath. Look beyond her many misdeeds, my heart goes out to the broken little girl in her and may her soul rests in peace where it never did in this world

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Alone with none but thee, O God

Alone with none but thee, my God,
I journey on my way.
What need I fear when thou art near,
O King of night and day?
More safe am I within thy hand
than if a host should round me stand.

My destined time is known to thee,
and death will keep his hour;
did warriors strong around me throng,
they could not stay his power:
no walls of stone can man defend
when thou thy messenger dost send.

My life I yield to thy decree,
and bow to thy control
in peaceful calm, for from thine arm
no power can wrest my soul.
Could earthly omens e'er appal
a man that heeds the heavenly call?

The child of God can fear no ill,
his chosen dread no foe;
we leave our fate with thee, and wait
thy bidding when to go.
'Tis not from chance our comfort springs.
thou art our trust, O King of kings.



Words: Attributed to Columba (521-597);
translator unknown; text in The Hymnbook, 1971



Ancient it is,
but this hymn remains one of my favourite,
Although an old hymn, it still rings true to us of our fate,
Those of us who calls God Abba,
Although we feel alone and probably none walks with us on the path that God has chosen for us, we need not fear or dread our future for God is with us. He holds us by our hands and we need only to trust Him like a little child clinging on to his father's hands.
You know how it was said that Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away
It must be true also to those words and lyrics inspired by the Holy Spirit..
Just like this hymn that has been written long before you and I was born..
But today we still read the words if not sing it
And it still speaks of a prayer many of us embed in our hearts but unable to express
Thank you Lord for your writers, singers and lyricists

God is always with us

You shall cross the barren desert, but you shall not die of thirst. You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way. You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand. You shall see the face of God and live.


These are few of the verses from my favourite song, Be Not Afraid.

Many are the persecutions and unseen spiritual warfares that we have to face each day but we need not be afraid.
God is always with us.
He will never fail us.
He will never forsake us.

You may think you're going through all these persecutions alone but you're not.
The heavenly saints and angels are cheering you on.
Many prayer warriors are with you in this world though you do not know them.
So do not give up the fight.
You are not alone.
God loves you very much.
God is always with us.

Be Not Afraid.

Monday, November 7, 2011

A Goodnight Prayer

We praise you, Father for your gift
Of dusk and nightfall over earth,
Foreshadowing the mystery
Of Death that leads to endless day.

Within your hands we rest secure;
In quiet sleep our strength renew;
Yet give your people hearts that wake
In love to you, unsleeping Lord.

Your glory may we ever seek
In rest, as in activity,
Until its fulness is revealed,
O Source of life, O Trinity.


Some of you might have come across this beautiful ancient hymn
It's a great good night prayer
To praise Our Father and let Him watch over us as we lay down and sleep
Here's wishing you a well-rested night!
May He send His angels charge over you!

Psalms 4:8
I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
for you alone, O LORD, make me lie down in safety.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Message from Heaven..

Medjugorje Message 2 November 2011


“D⁠ear children, the Father has not left you to yourselves. Immeasurable is His love, the love that is bringing me to you, to help you to come to know Him, so that, through my Son, all of you can call Him ‘Father’ with the fullness of heart; that you can be one people in God’s family. However, my children, do not forget that you are not in this world only for yourselves, and that I am not calling you here only for your sake. Those who follow my Son think of the brother in Christ as of their very selves and they do not know selfishness. That is why I desire that you be the light of my Son. That to all those who have not come to know the Father – to all those who wander in the darkness of sin, despair, pain and loneliness – you may illuminate the way and that, with your life, you may show them the love of God. I am with you. If you open your hearts, I will lead you. Again I am calling you: pray for your shepherds. Thank you. ”

Saturday, November 5, 2011

A letter to Our Father

My dearest Father,

I’ve been so ungrateful, acting as if I am an orphan. With loving hands, you made me and with no fault of yours, I was cast into the fallen world. I have forgotten how much you paid for me to redeem me. You bought me with a price, by the precious blood of your only Son Jesus Christ. Yet I ran away again and again even after you freed me.

I chased after the world with its dreams and desires indulging in sins of the flesh. I have forgotten that I belong to you, the King of the universe. I have succumbed to the world’s lowly ways when I should be embracing your Holiness.

You love me so much and gave everything to me yet I forget that all the time and squandered the many graces you bestowed on me. I took for granted the blessings you showered upon me. I deceived myself again and again saying I am good but you know my heart. My heart is full of hypocrisy and selfishness.

I have forgotten that my real home is in heaven. I am just a pilgrim on earth yet I try to be like the rest of the world building chains on myself on the road to perdition. I am deluded by the illusions of wealth and pleasures on this earth which you clearly reminded me again and again that this kingdom on earth is not yours and that my real home is with you in heaven.

I boast in fake humility what talents and great deeds I have done but in fact, all I have comes from you. How can I self-glorify myself when indeed, the true glory belongs to you? You are the maker of all things. Without you, I am nothing. Just a speck of dust but you breathe life into me.

You love me so much that you send people and circumstances to speak to me. Yet my stubbornness and self-will is so strong that I refused to listen. Many times I put other priorities over you because I am lazy and could not be bothered. How can I be so indifferent to the love you poured on me?

I said I love you again and again but my actions speak otherwise. I ignored the cries of my neighbours of whom you have asked me to love. I brood in my self-love and vanity when I should be reaching out to others.

Yet above all these, you still love me. Nothing separates me from your love , you said.

Father, I am truly sorry. I have nothing else to say except I am sorry. Forgive me.

Love,

Your beloved child



Do you find yourself in this letter to God, our Father? Do you feel the words resemble exactly how we are? Many of us can relate to this letter. Many of us claim to love our Father in heaven but when we look closely at our lives, are we any different from the world? We are so caught up with matters of the world that we have forgotten we have been redeemed and freed from the chains of this world. We live like we are orphans when we are not. Read that letter again. Know that nothing separates you from the love of God. All He wants is a repentant heart. Draw close to Him and He will draw near to you.

God, your Father loves you so much. Jesus has prepared a place for you in heaven. Never forget that! Start living like His child!

God bless you and keep you close to Him!