RANDOM THOUGHTS (International Blog): 2008

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Yes, There Are Still Angels In The Internet

Despite the growing cynicism of the times where people tend to be more greedy and avaricious; despite the widespread distrust of man against his fellowmen; despite the turbulent situation of the world's economy; yes, and despite the coldness of man against his fellowmen, it is heartwarming to note that, yes, there are still angels in the internet. No, it is not the winged kind with glowing halos on their head. These are faceless angels I have met in the internet in the course of my blogging activities. It just so happened that I made an innocent comment in one of the post of a Christian blogger friend from the Philippines about how the verse she posted- Proverbs 3: 5-6 ("Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths."), came to me like a sudden burst of spring shower in the desert land I was in, facing a financially gloomy Christmas. She asked for my paypal account address. I said no, she needed the money herself because of a very recent and expensive major operation of her mother. But she insisted and I finally consented. Yesterday she deposited a generous amount to my account. It was heaven sent and what could I say but thanked the Lord for the generosity of this lady angel. I will not mention her name lest a beeline of opportunist bloggers come knocking at her door. Suffice it to say that I prayed hard for her that the Lord will return back to her a thousand fold what she gave me.

Another blogging friend from Canada who is suffering from multiple debilitating and painful diseases offered to send me a custom built cane that functions as a seat as well. I gently declined the offer, citing her own need for the medicine and treatment cost of her diseases and the exorbitant cost of shipping it from Canada. I can't believe that there are still people out there whose hearts are gold and still beating with love and tenderness for their fellowmen. May your tribe increase. Yes Virginia, there are still angels in the internet.

Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Angels, Internet, Blogging, Heart of Gold, Uplifting, Feel Good, Good Samaritan, Generosity, Blessings, Philippines, Canada, Disease, Healing, Faith, Love, Joy, Peace

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational/Feel Good

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Warmest Christmas Greetings To All My Friends

A very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year to all. May
you receive countless blessings from the Lord the whole year through. May He grant you all of the secret desires of your heart. God bless you all.

Joy To The World

Tags: Christmas, Yuletide, Jesus Christ, Joy, Peace, Joy to the World, Gifts, Season's Greetings, Santa Claus, Merry Making, Family, Silent Night, O Come O Ye Faithful, New Year, Celebrations, Shopping, Christmas Tree, Food

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Greetings

Saturday, December 20, 2008

An Emergency Re-Post

This is an emergency re-post of Bluebirdy's post at her blog. Please pray for her, for her healing and those of her mother and brother too. Please pray that God will send a godly person to take care of their physical needs and angels to take care of their spiritual and emotional needs. And if you have money to spare, please help her financially. I would appreciate it very much if you could visit her blog and leave comments of encouragements and prayers. THIS IS THE TRUE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS- TO GIVE LOVE ON CHRISTMAS DAY. Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year to you all. May the Lord shower you all with showers of blessings from His great storehouse of blessings. God bless you all. I love you all with the love of the Lord.

Warmest regards,
Mel Avila Alarilla

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

LORD Please send angels, physical ones and spiritual ones!

I am so tired! It feels as if I have been in labor for 6 days. How many women can do that? With my second daughter, I was in labor for 3 weeks straight. She was 2 months premature and they had IV medicine going into both arms trying to stop her from coming too early. That was VERY hard, but I did not have to push her out every couple of hours, like this illness is acting like. Every few hours I push uncontrollably as if I am giving birth to a baby or to some part of my body. Too weak to even shower or bath or change clothes or think or get something to eat or talk on the phone or to think of a solution. I just lay here and pray and listen to the TV to try to get my mind off the pain. Too weak to go get medical help. Have no one here to help me, my mother is upstairs very sick too. She needs to go to the Dr. in 12 hours and I have to think of how to get her there because I can't take her. There is no way to explain how tired pneumonia makes a person, and how tired childbirth makes a person, and I am experiencing it many times a day. Lupus has almost the same degree of fatigue...and I'm running out of adrenaline to keep pushing myself on. My brother is having what seems like a nervous breakdown and I am too weak to even understand his feelings or to encourage him. I always thought God made me his sister so that I could help him with his heavy weight in life, and I have failed him too. I am useless most of the time. I feel half dead. I want to go "home" if this is how life will be. You are not "living" unless you can be "doing" something. This is not life. It took me an hour to write this. I hope the saying is true that says "It's always darkest just before the dawn". That would mean that things will turn around soon. Depression stinks! Please don't tell me to just snap out of it or just cheer up. Things like that do not work when a person is too weak to breathe or eat or change clothes for days. Too tired to know what to pray for, so I will ask the Holy Spirit to pray for me. I'd cry if I had more strength.

Blessings...

whoever I am. lol

Posted by Bluebirdy at 3:20 AM 5 comments Links to this post
Reposted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Humanitarian

Monday, December 15, 2008

Where Eagles Soar

WHERE EAGLES SOAR
All of God's creatures including men seek shelter when there is a storm. No creature can withstand the fury of a raging storm. All except the eagle. As all the animals on air, land and sea seek shelter when a storm rages, the eagle actually welcomes the storm. He revels in it not by fighting it but by using its mighty wind to soar above the storm and reach far away places with nary an effort. High above the storm is calm air where the eagle love to soar and glide. Such is the outstanding qualities of this creature that God has use it to illustrate God's mighty provision and protection for man when the storms of life come crashing down on him. God says that He carries His children on eagle's wings and fly them through the raging storms of their lives and soar with them above the storm where they can glide in safety.

Think about that and picture it in your mind. God bringing you over and above the storms of your life to the relatively peaceful air above the storm where He carries you in peace and tranquility, borne by His mighty wings of love and protection. If we put our trust in Him, that is what He will do for us. He will shield us from the onslaught of the mightiest storms in our lives. He will bring us to the rarefied and tranquil air above the storm where we can glide in safety and joy. He promised us that no one can separate us from the love of Christ so long as we seek shelter on His wings.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8: 35-39) So let us soar with God like eagles above the storms of our lives.

Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Eagle, Soar Above The Storm, Storms of Life, Struggles, Problems, Deliverance, Protection, Love, Peace, Joy

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Forgive In Order To Be Forgiven

FORGIVE IN ORDER TO BE FORGIVEN
Are you holding on to grudges and pains in your heart because of broken relationships caused by betrayal of trust? Are you still feeling the pain of a bruised heart because you were left alone by the love of your life for somebody else? Did you feel cheated when a close friend spilled out to others the secrets you confided to him/her? Is the spirit of unforgiveness and bitterness lingering in your heart causing you sleepless nights, unnecessary tears and sickness of body and soul? Learn to forgive and forget. The Bible says, forgive so that your sins maybe forgiven also. Yes, I know how hard it is to forgive as long as we are still feeling the pain in our hearts. But we can do the act of forgiveness by saying it orally that we forgive the person who hurt us and pray to God that we can also forget the bitterness it brought to us. Try not to get even or to equalize things on your own. This might lead to revenge which is sinful. Turn over the person's wrongdoing to God and relate to God all the pains and heartaches you are suffering due to that person's wrongful act. Ask God to resolve the conflict between the two of you and rest your case to God. In due time, your wounds will heal and you can actually forget the wrong that was done to you. It will be easy to forgive and forget if we keep in our minds that we also hurt other people before. We are not clean ourselves. If we can still ask forgiveness from the person we hurt and if we can restitute the damage we have done, then maybe that person may forgive us and we can have genuine reconciliation and peace of mind. Never dwell on past hurts and pains. Surrender them all to the Lord. Focus on love, forgiveness, joy, reconciliation and peace in your mind and you will experience a more pleasant and blissful life. Did not God say that the kingdom of God is in our hearts?

Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Forgiveness, Key To Joy and Peace, Reconciliation, Happiness, Love, Kingdom of God, Peace of Mind

Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao Annihilates Oscar dela Hoya at Round 8

The Great Triumph Of Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao

Tha Pacman Made A Punching Bag Out of De la Hoya

He Really Can't Pull The Trigger Anymore

Manny Pacquiao, the greatest Filipino and Asian fighter ever and the number one pound for pound boxer in the world just made boxing history when he completely outclassed the pathetic Oscar de la Hoya. Manny peppered de la Hoya with all kinds of punches in all eight rounds where he won each round convincingly. The so called height and weight advantage of de la Hoya was nowhere to be found when Pacquiao gave him a neat lesson in top notch boxing. De la Hoya surrendered at the end of the eight round by stopping the fight before the ninth round began. It went on record as an eight round TKO win for Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao shamed the boxing experts and pundits and even some of his countrymen lawmakers who wanted to stop the fight because they said it was a mismatch and Manny could get hurt or killed. Shame on Bruce Mc Tavish and Carlos Padilla Jr. for publicly proclaiming that dela Hoya will annihilate Manny Pacquiao. Shame on Bernard Hopkins who taunted, dared and shamed Manny Pacquiao at the official weigh in before the fight. It's an early Christmas gift by Manny Pacquiao for all Filipinos all over the world. MABUHAY KA MANNY "THE PACMAN" PACQUIAO.

Video of Manny Pacquiao's Victory Over Oscar dela Hoya

Tags: Manny Pacquiao, Pacman, Oscar dela Hoya, Dream Match, TKO, Golden Boy, Top Rank Promotions, Golden Boy promotions, Boxing, Great Boxers, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Freddie Roach, Bob Arum, Manny Wins By TKO, Philippines, Gen. Santos City, Filipinos

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Sports/Entertainment

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Manny Pacquiao - The Man of Destiny (A Lesson In Humility)

The Dream Match - The Best Pound For Pound Boxer vs The Pay Per View King and Record Holder

Again, it's the Philippines vs Mexico (and USA)

The Epitome of A Compleat Boxer in Earnest Training
With Legendary Trainer- Freddy Roach

Manny Pacquiao - The Filipino Whose Heart Beats With Love
For His Country and His Countrymen

Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao (born December 17, 1978), known simply as Manny Pacquiao, is a Filipino musician, actor, host and professional boxer. He was born in Kibawe, Bukidnon, Mindanao and resides in his hometown of Gen. Santos City, Philippines. He is currently the WBC Lightweight champion. He was also the former WBC Super Featherweight champion, Ring Magazine's super featherweight and featherweight champion, world champion at IBF Superbantamweight, and WBC Flyweight divisions. Manny is the first Filipino and Asian boxer to win four world titles in different weight divisions. He took over as the Ring Magazine pound for pound number one ranked boxer in the world on June 9, 2008 after Floyd Mayweather, Jr. announced his retirement from boxing. Pacquiao is scheduled to face Oscar de la Hoya on Saturday, December 6, 2008 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Manny Pacquiao is a lesson in humility. He never forgets about his humble beginnings and shares with his countrymen the blessings that the Lord has so graciously showered on him. He is also very religious, donning a rosary on his neck in every fight and kneels down and prays before every fight. He is courageous beyond compare and has a shark's instinct in going for the kill. As merciless as he is atop the ring, he is a gentle and kind person away from it, offering words of comfort and encouragement to those he had vanquished. That is the reason why all his opponents whom he has defeated have only kind words for him.

Manny Pacquiao is a modern day phenomena in the Philippines, a heaven sent rain to this spiritually drought stricken country. He galvanizes the entire nation during his fights- from the President of the country down to the least street cobbler and the indefatigable peasant at his farm. The world is at a standstill in the Philippines whenever Manny Pacquiao fights and a cascading multitude of prayers bombard heaven's gates from the hopeful Filipino nation.

Manny Pacquiao- the man of destiny because of his abject humility and his open declaration of God's glory.

Tags: Manny Pacquiao, Best Pound For Pound Boxer in The World, WBC Lightweight Champion of The World, Champion at Four Different Weight Classes,
People's Champion, Idol of The Filipino Nation, Philippines, Gen. Santos, Oscar de la Hoya, Pay Per View King, Pay Per View Recordholder, The Dream Match, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, Fight of The Decade

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Sports/Entertainment

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Childlike Innocence

CHILDLIKE INNOCENCE
The Lord said, "unless you be like these little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of God." Why, what qualities of children make them qualified for the kingdom of God? That quality is childlike innocence and the capacity to trust their parents to provide for all their needs. Did not God want us to treat Him as a loving Father who would lavish His children with all the good things in life? Have you seen the faces of children? Their angelic and innocent faces are full of love, warmth and affection for everyone. Their laughter are engaging and contagious. They play games with complete abandon. They love their parents and never worry for anything they want since they know they will be well provided for. Teach them about God, the love of God for men and Christ provision for salvation and they will readily understand them. It is as if they know all of these things by heart. Children love flowers, love to play under the sun. Even when it rains, they shriek in sheer delight for the wonderful provisions of nature. They are as curious as the cat and would ask you endless questions about everything under the sun. They appreciate beauty and nature far beyond what adults could appreciate. They bask in the magnificence of the morning sun and marvel at the dawning of the setting sun. They love to smell the fresh scent of flowers, of new mown hay, and love to hear the bellowing of the cows. Who would never get tired of playing their favorite pets of cats and dogs but little children? And the pets love them too, sometimes even more than their own kind. There is a bond between children and pets that no one can fathom. And at night before going to sleep, you will hear the most solemn and fervent prayers uttered to God for the blessings of family, friends and pets. Truly, if we could imitate the innocence and trusting attitude of children, then the door of heaven becomes wide open for us.

Tags: Children, Innocence, Child Play, Playing Under The Sun, Playing In The Rain, Beauty, Love, Joy, Sunshine, Provisions, Pets, Friends, Parents, Kingdom of God

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Rejoice! We Have Eternal Life!

REJOICE! WE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not persih but have eternal life." God has promised us something that is truly remarkable. If we believe in Jesus Christ by accepting Him as our Lord and savior, and by surrendering our lives to Him, we are assured of eternal life. This promise was repeated in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Isn't that amazing? Here I am laboring with all the burdens in my life and all the pains in my body and my face must have looked so somber as I walk daily to and from the market to buy our daily viands and to exercise my frail body. I am always preoccupied with how I would be able to budget our meager finances to cover all our expenses not to mention the sicknesses that befell some of my kids. My second eldest has a persistent cough for over a month now. I have spent quite a sum in buying him medicines including antibiotics. And my youngest son, after a bout with cough, was hit with chicken fox. We have to isolate him so that our youngest daughter might not catch it from him. We have to transfer again because of some trouble with our old cranky landlady. With all these, my face would normally reflect the severity of our situation until I heard this sermon from our Sunday pastor- "Rejoice always, I say it again, rejoice." This was from Paul in the book of Philippians. He said this while he was imprisoned with a vision of death hanging over his head.

And why should we rejoice? Because we are assured of eternal life through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. With that He paid the full price for our sins. All we have to do is accept Him. As I meditate on this promise, my heart was flooded with exceeding joy. Yes, whatever situation we are in right now does not matter. What matters most is that we will enjoy eternal life in the blissful kingdom of our God after our earthly life is over. Now I rejoice with all of my heart.

Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Rejoice, Joy, Love, Eternal Life, Grace, Salvation, Peace

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Smile And Be A Ray Of Sunshine To Others

SMILE AND BE A RAY OF SUNSHINE TO OTHERS
Smile to everyone you meet and be a ray of sunshine to others. When you smile to others, it warms their hearts and dissipates whatever gloomy mood they are in. And when they smile back to you, you feel that warmth of sunshine radiating back to you and you feel happy and light hearted. Do not wear that frown on your face since you will just communicate your somber mood to others and they too will feel whatever bad moods you are in. There is such a thing as transference of spirit for everyone. Never be with people who are whiners and cry babies who pour out litanies of their woes. Yes, you can listen to their tales of woes but guard yourself from absorbing any negative spirits from them. Do not be with people who gossip and find fault with everybody. Sooner or later, you will be like them if you do not distance yourself from these negative people. As the saying goes, "birds of the same feathers flock together" and "misery loves company." Sure, there are so many things wrong in this world, but why focus on them? Instead focus on the positive aspects of life and radiate that ray of sunshine and positive outlook in your life.

Go ahead, smell the flowers in the fields. Enjoy the sweet singing of the birds. Watch the beautiful sunset at the bay. Feast your eyes on the full moon in the skies. Let the tiny drops of rain in your roof sing you a lullaby that will lull you to sleep. Life is so wonderful and so are you. Be a ray of sunshine to others. Always smile.

Tags: Smile, Ray of Sunshine, Wonderful World, Be Happy, Love, Joy, Happiness, Warmth of Sunshine, Wonderful Life

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Are We "gods" in The Making?

ARE WE "gods" IN THE MAKING?
One thing that Gnosticism and ancient Greek philosophies have taught us is the doctrine of emanation and cyclical evolution. From the spirit plane, the spirit travels
down to mater to experience material existence. From the densest physical matter, the spirit evolves into mineral, vegetable, animal, human and demigod forms until it is reabsorbed again into the spiritual world to become a god. This is the reason why Greek philosophers insist on humans to know themselves. Greek philosophy and other religions also teach us about the doctrine of dualism, that there are always two opposing forces in creation contending against each other- the good and the evil, heat and cold, light and darkness, the human and the divine, and so on and so forth. Other religions even adore god in his dual nature- both benevolent and destructive. Thus we see in their temples pantheons of all sorts of gods including sinister looking demigods with horns and fangs or with animal representations. Other philosophies outrightly deny the existence of a personal God insisting that the real god is just a force, a light or divine energy from which the whole universe was created. There are spiritual books of all beliefs, some dating back to antiquities, like the Mahabharatas and Vedas of Hinduism, the Four Noble Truths and Eight Fold Paths of Buddhism, the Koran of the Muslims, the Egyptian ancient writings like the Egyptian Book of The Deads, the Buddhist scrolls of Tibet including the Tibetan Book of The Deads, the Kabbalah of the ancient Jews, the Torah of Judaism, ancient manuscripts, esoteric writings of the Essenes, the Druids, the Parsis, Zen Buddhism, Shintoism, teachings of Confucius and Lao Tsu, the Rossicrucians, Masonry, the Knight Templars, Theosophy, the New Age, etc., etc.

Some say that the gods were actually spacemen who visited the earth in its infancy and has taught primitive men what would be the precursors of modern day amenities as desbcribed in the book- Chariots of the gods by Eric Von Dainiken. They explain that these gods built the Pyramids in Egypt and South America, the Stonge Henge, the massive structures at Easter Island, even the unmistakable ancient landing strips in South America and other parts of the world.

Then some believe that God revealed Himself to men through divine revelation and through the person of Jesus Christ. What to believe? Your choice is as good as mine. The Bible says, "you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." I will always readily believe the words of God as contained in the Bible. There, I will stand and fall in my beliefs.

Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Myths, gods, Chariots of the Gods, Eric Von Dainiken, Gnosticism, Greek Philisophies, Emanation, Dualism, Spirit, Mater

Posted by:Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

Thursday, November 6, 2008

The Myth Of The "Self"

THE MYTH OF THE "SELF"
One thing the world view has taught us is to uphold and protect the interest of the self. This world view teaches us that what matters most in this world is the preservation of the interest of the self. Thus, we are taught to strive for the highest achievement of the self. We see people competing and striving hard to elevate one's self. We hear of self esteem, pursuit of happiness, the good of one's self, even the myth that the self is an emerging god. We are told to seek pleasure because that is the goal of the self. People seek recognition and acclaim from others to elevate one's self. We can see this with the efforts of people to establish records of all sorts as attested by the Guinness Book of World Records. People climb the highest mountains, swim the deepest seas, explore the uninhabitable frontiers of the earth, even strive to conquer the whole universe in their efforts to establish the highest achievements in life. All of these in the mad quest to establish the self. But is this what God wants us to do? People who pursue the quest to elevate one's self has denied or at least push God out of the equation of life. To them, what matters most is the human mind, the human experience and the human challenge to conquer the unknown. But God said, "apart from Me, you can do nothing" (John 15:5b).

Silly that mortal man should fall into the trap of Satan. To insist in pursuing the human will, instead of obeying God's will, is the goal of those who project the self as the end-all and be-all of everything. They insist that the self is "the captain of the ship and the master of the soul." But in the end, those who pursued these same goals have perished in defeat, isolation, loneliness and destruction. FOR THE WILL OF GOD REIGN SUPREME OVER ALL OF HIS CREATION SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL TO THE END OF THE AGES.

Tags: Self, Ego, God, Myth, World, World View, gods, Self Esteem, Pursuit of Happiness, Guinness Book of World Records

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Portent

THE PORTENT
These are the signs of the times. There is global warming and the weather of the world becomes very erratic. Strong typhoons, devastating hurricanes, cyclones and massive snowstorms have wrought havoc to many countries causing so much destructions to lives and properties. It's either extreme heat or extreme cold. The polar caps are melting and soon low lying islands will start to submerged in water. We have now seen the beginning of the collapse of the world economy on a scale never seen before. Not even a package of $ 700 billion from Washington could stem the tide of world wide recession and panic selling of stocks and properties. Values of world currencies are on a tailspin. Big and prestigious companies have collapsed or declared bankruptcies. Governments have to shore up the financial images of big banks or there will be massive bank runs. There is melamine scare from Chinese milk and milk products. There are ever present dangers of terroristic attacks that have produced horrible sufferings from innocent civilians and bystanders. There are prevailing presence of so many exotic and dreaded diseases that are incurable and extremely painful to the sufferers. Earthquakes and massive tidal waves or tsunamis have claimed the lives of so many people. There is widespread apostasy in the world where personality cults abound. There is evil and moral degeneration in mainstream society as if sinning and wanton living are the mode of the times.

Are these signs of the times not a portent of things to come?

Tags: Signs of the Times, Portent, Global Warming, Global Financial Crisis, Depression, Recession, Terrorism, Exotic Diseases, Apostasy

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla

Philippines

Inspirational/Motivational

Monday, October 27, 2008

Dial P.R.A.Y.E.R.

DIAL P.R.A.Y.E.R.

Are you at the very bottom of your life and have nowhere else to go? When you call up your most trusted friends and relatives to seek solace and comfort from the heavy burdens on your shoulders, do you always get a busy line or an answer from an answering machine? Do you feel that there is nobody in the world that you could talk to, to whom you can unburden yourself? Why not try God? He is always available 24 hours a day. There is no busy line in His hotline and He is always available to attend to your most pressing needs or your most troublesome burdens. His hotline? Just dial P.R.A.Y.E.R. and you are connected immediately no matter wherever you are or at what time of the day you call up. He loves it when you pour out all the anguish, the pains, and the frustrations of your soul to Him. And He will not be readily judgmental. He will wait for the perfect time when you will see your own faults and repent them all and turn a new leaf in your life by surrendering your life to Him and accepting Him as your Lord and savior. And what does He give you when you do all of these things? Nothing much really. First, He gives you peace of mind and joy in your heart. You will feel as though the pressing load of a heavy rock was lifted up from your chest and you breathe again freely. Secondly, He will take away the hardened scales in your eyes so that you can clearly see the spiritual truths of His words. Then, He will comfort you in everything that you will do and you will be aware of His very presence in your life. Then He gives you eternal life. Then, oh I don't want to be a killjoy. YOU WILL FIND OUT ALL THE GOODIES HE HAS IN STORE FOR YOU WHEN YOU TALK TO HIM IN HIS HOTLINE.

Tired of always having a busy line or a mechanical answer from an answering machine whenever you call up your close friends and relatives? Why not try to call up God's hotline. You just dial P.R.A.Y.E.R. and you will get an instant connection to God. HAPPY DIALING!!!

Tags: Dial P.R.A.Y.E.R., Prayer, God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Busy Line, Answering Machine, Problems, Frustrations, Heavy Load, Joy, Peace of Mind, Eternal Life

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla

Friday, October 24, 2008

The Eternal Thief

(Addendum: I have to repost this article for lack of showing days because it gave way to an emergency post. I apologize for those who made previous comments in this post like sis Emmyrose, Christina and Tey. I'm sorry that your comments were inadvertently deleted. God bless you all)

THE ETERNAL THIEF
Have you worked out the deal of your life that would have rewarded you with a handsome sum only to see it fizzled out at the last minute? Have you been so happy in your life that you felt as though you were on top of the world only to see yourself in a whirl of problems later on? Have you felt the love and warmth of your family then later on found your family on the verge of a major breakup? Have you been so successful in your work that you could almost attain the highest level of corporate success only to find out that you were unceremoniously eased out of the coveted position because of intrigue? You may feel that fate has handed you a bad deal in these scenarios but is that the real situation?

There may be something else here than just pure luck or a bad day. Somebody, since time immemorial, has stolen all the blessings and happiness of mankind. In fact, he was cast down to earth and he continues to seethe and foam in his malevolent intent to do mayhem and destruction to mankind. The Bible says that "the thief comes but to steal, to kill, and to destroy." He is the eternal thief who steals everything that is good from mankind. His fate has already been sealed. He is doomed to suffer everlasting death and he wants mankind to lose its divine patrimony which is eternal life. He is a master deceiver who masquerades as an angel of light to deceive the unspiritual and the spiritually puffed up.

But his nemesis is the Holy Spirit. The covering of the blood of Jesus protects us against all his wiles and malevolent intents. He was already vanquished at Calvary. All he could do is to deceive mankind. He is now the lord of the world adored by those who cling to all forms of godlessness and sinful living. Would you let him steal all the blessings intended for you, especially your eternal life with God?
Tags: God, Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, The Devil, Eternal Thief, Godlessness, Blood of Jesus, Eternal death, Eternal Life

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

SOS - An Urgent Request For Massive Prayers For Sis Emmyrose

May I request from all my readers to please help me pray for Sis Emmyrose of Just Let Go who is confined right now suffering from lupus flares. I am reproducing here her latest post in her blog Just Let Go. You can also visit her site to give her words of encouragement. I am hoping for your very kind response to this post. God bless you all.

This is her post.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Weekend Snapshot #32

I wish I could post a more cheerful snapshot but I've been sick for almost three weeks now and this is where I spent the last two weekend that had passed.

Labels: meme, personal, weekend snapshot

Tags: Sis Emmyrose, Just Let Go, Lupus, Flares, Fibromyalgia, Pain, Suffering, Hope, Grace

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Do You Dare To Be Different?

DO YOU DARE TO BE DIFFERENT?
Do you dare to be different? Do you dare to swim against the current of popular world views? Can you stand for your principles and for what you feel are the right things to do when everybody else is doing the opposite? Can you maintain your scruples and principles amidst the darkness and permissiveness of the world? It is easy to go along with everybody else and be comfortable with the popular and accepted views. It is easy to justify a morally warped principle and way of life when everybody else is doing it. After all, did not the popular maxim says, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do." Yes, it is so easy to swim with the popular current of worldly living since almost everybody else is doing it. Anyway, no one gives a hoot as to what we do with our private lives. Or is there really nobody who cares for what we do? But at the end of the day, when the life of our individual candle is snuff out, we will give an accounting for each and every thing we did, said and thought while we were alive in this mundane world. We did not sprout out of nowhere and we will not be extinguished forever like a flame of a burning candle. There is an existence beyond this present life and we will be giving an accounting to our Creator after our mundane lives are over. So to those who live for the day in excessive pleasures and wanton living, disregarding the norms of morality that God has prescribed to the world, there will be judgment that they will never forget for all eternity. They will rue the day that they disregarded the dictates of their conscience and instead live for their own selves in excessive and profligate living. They had their own "rewards" while they were still living.

Tags: Dare To Be Different, Principles, Going Against The Current, Morality, Excessive and Profligate Living, Conscience, Just Rewards

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Teach Us To Number Our Days

TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS
How do we look at our lives? Do we look at it as one straight line to nothingness, or do we fill it with purposeful living? Have we brought sunshine to the lives of others? Have we put smiles on the faces of those we met? Have we become an instrument of God in bringing peace and harmony to our surroundings? Have we filled the world with love every day of our lives?

The Bible tells us to number our days so that we can be aware that life is but a transient experience. It is not the end all and be all of our existence. One day we are alive and healthy, and the next day we may be gone. Numbering our days makes us also aware of our total dependence on God for everything. Hence, we are grateful for each day, each hour, each minute and each second that we are alive. When we awake each morning, we thank God for another day of life to serve Him and please Him in everything that we do. We join with the whole of creation in giving Him praise and worship because of His glory and greatness. Look at the birds. They never fail to sing and glorify God every morning. The wind, the blades of grasses, the bubbling brook, the majestic mountains, the clear sky and the dawning of the sun- they never fail to give glory to God each day since time immemorial. And so we breathe the fresh air in our lungs and savor God's all encompassing glory and splendor in the morning.
Like dew that refreshes all plants, God gives us His tender mercy and love as we awake each morning. And so we learn to number our days to spend them to please Him and give glory to His name.

Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Number Our Days, Glory of God, Whole of Creation

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

We Live By Faith Not By Sight

WE LIVE BY FAITH NOT BY SIGHT
What is the difference between living by faith and living by sight (senses)? Let us illustrate the examples of each one to see their differences. To live by sight (or senses) is to live in this physical world with all its physical realities. We use our five senses, our own strength, our own resources, our connections, our human intelligence and our inter social activities with other people. We live by the standards set forth by man. When we get sick we see our doctor and take the prescribed medicines. We breathe, we live and die by the standards of men.

Not so with those who live by faith. They live by the standards of God. They cling to God's promises even if the physical reality says otherwise. They cling to the very idea that all things are possible with God. They have surrendered their will to God and have let God have a free reign in their lives.

Let me illustrate this with my own personal example to see how God works with individual persons. My eldest sister had recurring hypertension for just a little over two years and had diligently taken her prescribed medicines. When her finances got strained, she failed to take them for about a week. She got a massive stroke that almost resulted in her death. She was confined at the intensive care unit of a hospital for two months. Lately when I visited her, she was so emaciated and could no longer talk. She had her eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. I have a brother in the province whom I was not even aware had diabetes like me. It was probably very recent only. I was shocked to hear that his right leg was already amputated because of his diabetes.

Then I consider God's protection and guidance over me. I have hypertension for more than 20 years now and diabetes for about 10 years and have been in the valley of the shadow of death so many times that I lost count already. It has been two years since I last saw a doctor although I am regularly taking my prescribed hypertension and diabetes medicines. I was scheduled for three major operations two years ago which did not push through due to some problems. After all those years, I am still alive and relatively healthy to give glory to God and becoming a living testimony to His goodness and grace. Not that I commend myself for what I am doing but I am giving all the praises and glory to my living God who provides for all my needs and have never left me nor forsaken me. TO HIM BE GLORY, HONOR, PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING FOREVERMORE.

Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Living By Faith, Live By Sight, Living Faith, Grace, Trust in The Lord

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Climb Every Mountain

CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN
Are you facing a mountain of problems right now and you feel so helpless and alone? Are you traveling in your own desert of trials right now, thirsty and forlorn for your long sought after deliverance and the advent of your own promise land? Is your back against the wall and you feel that the whole weight of the world is crumbling down upon you and you have nowhere else to go? Are you so sick that you could almost smell the scent of death lingering around your bed and you feel that there is no longer any hope nor remedy for your illness? If you are in these kinds of situations right now, cast off your long faces and rejoice for your deliverance is at hand.

Yes, you have now felt the full power of God bearing down upon you. He permitted these things to happen so that you will humble yourself before Him and finally acknowledge that you are totally helpless and that apart from God you can do nothing. Remember, these situations were a result of your own making, when you casted out God from your life in your mad quest to be your own "captain of your ship and master of your soul." They were caused by excessive pride and self glorification and the total disregard of God in your life. It is a good thing that God has given you a last chance to turn a new leaf on life and retrace your steps back to His loving arms once more. Let us surrender our lives to God and cast all our burdens to Him for He cares for us. Let us trust God that He will deliver us from all our predicaments and trials in life. Did He not promise, "Seek you first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33) All things are possible with God to him who believes and trust in his unfailing love. So next time that you are confronted with a mountain of problems so high, just go ahead and climb it, for the Spirit of the Lord is with you and you will surely succeed. GO AHEAD AND CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN.

Tags: Climb Every Mountain, God, Mountains of Problems, Back Against The Wall, Trials, Desert Experience, Promise Land, Deliverance, Kingdom of God

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

Thursday, October 2, 2008

"The Kingdom" (A Short Story)

He surveys his kingdom from all directions. His kingdom extends far beyond his eyes could see. There is so much abundance in his kingdom. Supplies are plentiful.
Here, he reigns sovereign over all his subjects. His subjects love and respect him so much that there is nothing they will not do for their king. He walks leisurely refreshing his lungs with the pure air that he breathes. Ah, how lucky can he be. He is almost on top of the world. Here, he reigns supreme. There is no rival nor opposition to his kingship. Here, his loyal subjects obey his every wish and command. All kinds of sweet and delectable fruit bearing trees abound his kingdom. The majestic flower beds in his numerous gardens are unmatched in beauty and perfection. He even has a harem of of beautiful and subservient wives. What more can he ask for? A majestic mountain with a perfect blue top stands majestically guarding his kingdom. Birds of all kinds fly in the air resonating with their melodious voices. Even the animals in the forest beyond his kingdom are tame. They would willingly and leisurely saunter in the yard of the king. Music wafts melodiously in the whole kingdom as though a dozen symphonies were waxing their classical repertoires. Yes, it is a perfect kingdom, fit for a sovereign king such as he.

He sleeps peacefully knowing that all is well in his kingdom. Suddenly, he heard a buzzing sound in his ears as though a bee was surveying his ears as a possible hive. He awakened and was startled to see a barren and desolate isle with nary a sign of life nor activities. Now, he awakens from his delirious stupor. Yes, he is in a desolate island alone. He was shipwrecked and was carried ashore by giant waves. He has been there for three weeks with no food and in his weakened state, he dreamed of his beloved kingdom. He gingerly sleeps again to awake no more.

Tags: The Kingdom, Dreams, Sovereign, Loyal Subjects, Castles in the Air

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

Sunday, September 28, 2008

God's Perfect Time

GOD'S PERFECT TIME
Are we so anxious for the answer to our prayers that sometimes we feel that God is not listening to us? Do we sometimes teach God what to do to answer our petitions? Church Fathers say that God has only three answers to our prayers: yes, no and later. We may wonder, why later? Could not God give us what we ask for now, at this very moment when we feel we need it most? The Church Fathers also teach us the doctrine of God's sovereignty over all His creation. We can never question God nor His motives for everything He does, for He is God. God gives us what we need and not what we want. And God answers our prayers in His own perfect time and not when and how we want it to be. God is also dramatic. He is fond of pushing us to the very edge of the cliff where we have nowhere else to go, and at the very last moment, He delivers us with dramatic and unmistakable effect that we can never deny His divine intervention and providence.

God's intervention and providence are greatly influenced by the degree of faith by the petitioner. The Bible says, "it is impossible to please God without faith." Faith is the language of the spiritual realm. Who among us would readily sacrifice the life of his beloved son if ordered by God to do so? But Abraham did. And God rewarded his faith and credited it to him as righteousness.

When we pray, let us humble ourselves before a sovereign God who created everything visible and invisible, and let us trust in His unfailing love that in His own perfect time, He will answer our petitions. Prayer with unshakable faith can move mountains.

Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, God's Perfect Time, Divine Providence, Faith

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Divine Providence

DIVINE PROVIDENCE
Have you ever been so financially short in your life that you worried about where you will get your next meal? Do you find it harder and harder to make both ends meet? Do you always find yourself always in debt and your expenses always outstrip your earnings? Do you sometimes feel like your pocket has holes in it and that money is so easily lost? Have you worked yourself to death only to find out you still have no security for your future? Stop for a moment and survey your life, your thoughts and your philosophies in life. We must first accept that money will never be enough. As long as we are slaves to our cravings for material things, then we will always be short of everything. We must first take stock of ourselves, what we can do, the talents we have, what we are good at, the connections we have, the opportunities on hand and how we value money in our lives.

The Lord said that by the sweat of our brows shall we live. That means all must work to earn a decent living. Paul said in the Bible that, "those who do not work will not eat." So God taught us the value of hard work and honest living. But He also taught us to pray for our daily bread. He did not say for our weekly, monthly or yearly bread because God wants us to focus on our immediate needs and entrust the future to Him. To those who worry about what they shall eat or what clothes they should wear, He told them that the birds in the air neither sow nor reap yet your heavenly Father feeds them in time. And the lilies of the field neither spin nor weave yet not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like them.

We must acknowledge first that every good thing comes from God and God will always help those who help themselves. We must live simple lives always contented with what we have and always expectant of the very best from our heavenly Father. He said, we must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all things else will be added to us. We must first enrich ourselves with heavenly treasures before we strive for worldly treasures. Those who seek only the riches of the world at the expense of their soul will find death so terrifying because they are so bankrupt of the riches of heaven. Trust the Lord and His divine providence. "BUT MY GOD WILL SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEEDS ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES IN GLORY BY CHRIST JESUS." (Philippians 4:19)

Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Divine Providence, Trust in The Lord, Heavenly Riches

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

Saturday, September 20, 2008

A Reprint From Judie (Please Read This Post And Let It Melt Your Heart)

REMEMBERING ALETAIn the late evening hours of January 7, 1968 a star was born. Two minutes later, another star was born. And from that moment on my life was catapulted into the hectic days and nights and months and years of raising twins, along with their older sister, the first star.

And the first-born twin was Aleta. She was beautiful, with eyes that sparkled and twinkled, a laugh that tinkled, and a hearthat went out to anyone in need...her family, eventually her children, her patients. For she became a nurse and she was much loved. Once, in college, she went to where there were homeless people and talked with them, trying to understand why their life seemed so hopeless. She loved fiercely.

Excerpt from a teen letter to mom while she visited her older sister: "Dear Mom, Hello! I love you alot and boy do I miss you. I just thought I'd write to let you know how much I love you and that I'll never stop thinking about you. You're the best mom anyone could ever have!............... "

Several years ago she became a single parent. She worried about her children all the time. Having grown up in a single parent home, she had emotional needs I never knew about until she was grown and told me. My heart loved her even harder then.

A pre-teen little league cheerleader

Once a hopeful bride.

A beautiful young lady.

One of her children was Lindy, and Lindy had Down Syndrome. She called Lindy her little shadow and chuckled when she said it. She took Lindy everywhere: shopping, swimming, camping, working with her one-on-one, teaching her to sign, teaching her about life. A wonderful mother.

<>If you walk through a park and see a lady sitting on a bench with her hands over her face, shoulders shaking, that's me....grieving. I lost her on Sunday, May 4 in a freak ATV accident in the mountains in the Tahoe area. I never liked it there, even when she first took me there years ago. She loved it. She thought those God-forsaken, ugly, Nevada/California mountains were so beautiful. Not me. She never had a chance as an adult to see the wonders of the Blue Ridge mountains, the Shenandoahs, the Poconos. So she settled for the shale-covered, barren, whatever mountain range that is. Those mountains took her from me, and I hate them. But it's where she wanted to be.

<>If you hear a loud, haunting wailing in the darkness of the night, that's me, calling for my child to be returned to me. Or perhaps it's her twin, searching for the spirit of her other half.

<> Exerpt from an email I received on Mother's Day, 2006: "Happy Mother's Day Momma! I want to take this minute to explain that it is because of you that my life is so great. I have taken all your words of wisdom and am practicing them now. It's working just fine. Thank you so much for guiding my life the way you do. I miss you so much. Check your mailbox this week to grab your surprise. It may be late but at least I'm consistent, never without you in my mind as the best momma for me!!! I love you..........God Bless you......Rainbow."

That was her nickname. Rainbow. And she was.

The thoughtful one.

Always a talker.

Aleta, a hero. She saved her daughter's life before she lost her own. When she was on that icy incline, she put the child off and told her to wait while she got back to a safe place. That's where Aleta's fiance found Lindy - standing by the road waiting for her mommy to come back up that mountainside she slid over, that heavy machine on top of her.

Things she loved:

- Those mountains
- Guinea pigs and bunnies
- Family
- Especially her twin
- Camping and Quadding
- Her precious two boys and one girl
- Her work as an R.N.
-Her fiance
- Life
- Smiling

Excerpt from a note she left me July 2001: " I love you so much....I'll take care of you forever whenever you need me......(heart, heart, xoxo) Dr. Black, BSN, RN"........We always called her Dr. Black!

Her fiance told me she woke up that morning in the campsite and said" Isn't it wonderful to wake up next to someone you love?"

The week before the tragedy she went to see her twin, and when she got home she sent her beloved twin a bible and a picture of Jesus, with Matthew 5:3-12 marked. She wanted her sister to apply these lessons to her own life. There is a heaviness inside me that won't go away. One third of my heart is broken off, and though it will eventually heal over, it will never be repaired or replaced. And how can a twin left behind ever heal? There is no creativity left in me. All my paints are now put away. I am colorless.

ALETA GAYEL BLACK

Just like a beautiful flower. She grew, she blossomed, then she was cut from the stem of life and perished. I am grateful only that she found her spiritual self before she left. I love you my child.

Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.THIS BLOG IS CLOSED.