Today is Black Saturday. Here is something from Our Daily Bread 2008 diary.

Written in Blood
God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. – Galatians6:14

In the twisted wreckage of a Metrolink train crash, firefighters from Los Angeles Fire Station27 found a message that brought tears to their eyes. A survivor of the crash, thinking he was dying, had used his own blood to write on the seat in front of him that he loved his wife and kids.

Normally, we use the words ‘written in blood’ in a less literal way. It usually conveys a willingness to stand behind our words with our life.

As Paul ended his letter to the Galatians, he was in a figurative sense, writing his story in blood. He wrote a message of love and grace that would arouse the anger of other religious leaders. He knew he would be hated for honoring the death of Christ above the ritual and moral law of Israel. He would be punished for teaching that Christ’s death and resurrection were more important than the law of circumcision that represented the whole Mosaic way of life. His suffering for Christ would literally include shedding his own blood (2Cor11:23-25).

Paul wasn’t willing to play it safe. He knew the crucifixion of Jesus was the center page of history. Putting his own life on the line, Paul proclaimed the inexpressible heart of God, who gave His Son to express the ultimate words of love, written in blood at the cross. – Mart De Haan

The Father wrote His autograph, Upon a cross of shame,

With pen divine, all dipped in blood, ‘Forgiven in Jesus’ name.’ – Bosch
To show His love, Jesus died for me; to show my love, I must live for Him!

(Also read: Galatians6:11-18, Joshua10-12, Luke1:39-56)

I don’t cook. But it won’t stop me from sharing this to those who DO.

It’s no fun trying to slice a tomato with a blunt blade. Bill Brown of cooksknivesshop.co.uk has these expert tips for top performance in the kitchen:

• Invest in quality. A good set of knives can be costly, but if looked after they will last a lifetime.
• Store away from other metal objects, on a magnetic rack or in a block, to avoid nicks and scratches.
• Hone a little and often with a steel to realign the blade. Hold the steel on a board, start with the blade vertical with its end furthest away and pull towards you. Steels come in two versions: for Asian-style knives and European-style knives.
• Sharpen old knives. Some cook shops offer this serviceor you can buy an electric sharpener.
• Clean by hand. Harsh chemicals and stacking in the dishwasher can damage the knife. Dry straight away to avoid watermark.

source: Reader’s Digest Mar2008 issue, pg140

It’s our grandmother’s 88^th birthday today! That’s her over there with my son. The photo was taken few months ago.

What is she up to at 88? Well, Lola, as we Filipinos call our grandmas, still cooks for us and loves her little garden. She likes flowers so much, especially the roses. She has the pink ones, the red ones and some yellow roses. Jeff is somewhat sharing her interest and sometimes asks her about gardening.

So, to you Lola, a very happy birthday!

other March celebrants: Happy birthday to you, too!

- Pareng Ruel (my husband’s friend) on Mar13

- Tito Ruben (my uncle (’Tito’ is ‘Uncle’ in Filipino), my mother’s older brother) on Mar14

- Pareng Bitoy (my husband’s friend) on Mar28

A good read for Good Friday from Our Daily Bread 2008 diary.

The Great Divider
When they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him. – Luke23:33

When Jesus died on the cross, He paid for the sins of the human race. Only those who belive on Him, however, can receive His loving provision. The sacrifice of Christ is sufficient for all, but it is effective only for those who place their trust in Him.

As the Lord Jesus hung on the cross, two criminals were crucified next to Him. One of those men is now in the place of the lost – his doom in hell forever sealed. The other is with Christ – his place in heaven assured for eternity. Their contrasting attitude toward the Man on the center cross made all the difference.

One of the criminals railed at the Lord in unbelief. The other cried out in faith, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke23:42). To him, Jesus said, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (v43).

We are all represented by one of those two men. We either belive on Christ or we reject Him. Our eternal destiny depends on our decision. Jesus said of Himself, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already” (John3:18).

On this Good Friday, let’s thank Jesus for paying for our sin. If you haven’t trusted Him, do it today! In dying on the cross, Jesus became the Great Divider. – Richard de Haan

We may not know, we cannot tell, What pains He had to bear;
But we believe it was for us, he hung and suffered there. – Alexander

At Calvary’s cross, we stand at the crossroads to heaven or hell.

(Also read: Luke23:33-43, Joshua7-9, Luke1:21-38)

This Holy Week, let me share with you few pages from Our Daily Bread 2008 diary. Also, let me add two of my favorite quotes about our tongue:

- A gentle tongue can break the strongest bones.

- Soft words hold stronger than hard hands.

A Word from the Wise
Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles. – Proverbs21:23

James, a ‘pillar in the early church’ (Gal2:9), recognized a great destructive power and the danger of an uncontrolled tongue. He was not alone. Men and women in many cultures have warned us about the need to guard our speech. This bit of verse by an unknown writer says it well:

“The boneless tongue, so small and weak, can crush and kill,” declared the Greek. The Persian proverb wisely saith, “A lengthy tongue, an early death.” Sometimes it takes this form instead: “Don’t let your tongue cut off your head.” While Arab sages this impart: “The tongue’s great storehouse is the heart.” From Hebrew wit, the maxim’s sprung: “Though feet should slip, don’t let the tongue.” A verse from Scripture crowns the whole: “Who keeps the tongue doth keep his soul.”

Is it any wonder that James likened the tongue to a little fire that sets a great forest ablaze, or to the very small rudder that turns a mighty ship in a storm? (James3:4-6).

O Lord, help us to learn a lesson from the wise. Help us to hold out tongue and not let it slip. – Haddon Robinson

There are some silent people, Whose praises would be sung;
They preach a mighty sermon, By guarding well their tongue. – Posegate

Wise is the person who knows what to say and when to say it.

(Also read: James3:1-12, Joshua4-6, Luke1:1-20)

It seems that every time I post an email scam I got from my Spam folder, a new one arrives. Though I wanted so much to post the third one, I am not doing it today. It’s because after the first and the second, I don’t want to get anymore fraud mails in my email account. So please be careful when you get such mails or text messages, guys. You are all old enough to know the difference between curiosity and stupidity.

Happy long weekend, everyone!

Noong araw, ang ating mga daliri ay magkakadikit o magkakalapit. Ang pinakamaliit ay si Kalingkingan at ang pinakamataas naman ay si Hinlalato. Halos magkasintaas sina Hintuturo at Palasingsingan. Tanging si Hinlalaki ang mataba ngunit pandak. Ang magkakapatid at tulong-tulong sa mga gawain maliban kay Hinlalaki na madalas ay tumatakas sa mga gawaing-bahay.

Isang araw, habang si Hintuturo ay naglilinis ng bakuran, katulong si Hinliliit, ay napansin niya na may natutulog sa ilalim ng punong mangga.

“Hinliliit, sino ang naroroon sa ilalim ng puno?” tanong ni Hintuturo.

“Ewan ko,” tugon ni Hinliliit. “Nagluluto si Hinlalato at naglilinis ng bahay si Palasingsingan.”

“Kung gayon, kung hindi ako nagkakamali, si Hinlalaki iyon,” wika ni Hintuturo.

“Alam mo, madalas na hindi tumutulong si Hinlalaki sa ating mga gawain,” sumbong ni Kalingkingan. “At pag oras na nang kainan, siya ang unang-una sa hapag.”

“Halika, tawagin natin sina Hinlalato at Palasingsingan,” yaya ni Hintuturo.

Nag-usap ang apat na magkakatid. Lahat sila ay nakapansin sa ugali ni Hinlalaki. Napansin din nila na sa kanilang lima, tanging si Hinlalaki lamang ang tumataba.”

“Paanong hindi yan tataba, bukod sa puro pahinga, ang lakas pang kumain,” wika ni Hinalalato.

“Mula ngayon, humiwalay na tayo sa kanya,” mungkahi ni Hintuturo. “Kailangan din na sa lahat ng ating gawain ay tulungan niya tayo. Bigyan din natin siya ng isang trabaho na siya lamang ang gagawa.”

“Anong trabaho iyon?” usisa ni Hinliliita.

“E di, magtiris ng kuto,” patawang wika ni Hintuturo.

Masayang nagkasundo ang mga magkakapatid. Buhat noon, hiwalay na si Hinlalaki sa kanyang apat na kapatid.

source: Sigay4, pg190

I read this somewhere: The times are changing, and we are changing with them.

Obviously, this also applies to scammers who keep up with the times. Here’s another obvious scam from my spam folder. Please be aware.

Read the rest of this entry »

Is that you, B3?

This was taken last week when we went to the mall. We were on our way to the cinema to watch The Water Horse when we chanced upon the Bananas.