This prayer tag is with regards to the MV Princess of the Stars tragedy and was started by Rocks (thanks again for this tag! ). My heart goes out to all the victims - those who survived and those who were not lucky - and to their families as well. I also offer this short prayer to all the other victims of Typhoon Frank, which include the fishing boats that sank off Aurora, the sad fate of MV Ocean Papa and the provinces that were badly hit.

Here goes . . . . .

Prayer for the MV Princess of the Stars fatalities and survivors.

Dear God, we pray that you comfort each bereaved family everyday as they grieved for their loss, we pray that you will supply all their needs, we pray for the survivors that they may have a good life after the tragedy, that you will bless them and let them know in the deepest part of their heart that in spite of what have happened, you LOVE and CARE for them. This we pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen

I encourage everyone to keep the prayer going.
LET’S P.U.S.H.
PRAY UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS.

WE PRAYED :
1. Through The Rain 2. God’s gift 3. Only in Silence 4. YOUR SPOT

I’m encouraging all my fellow Filipino bloggers to join. And everybody else too, Filipino or not. Thanks, people!

Seven things you should say to your kids – and seven things you shouldn’t
by Cynthia Dermody

The buzzer sounded in the gym and the basketball game was over. Even though 12-year old CJ Givens’s team had lost, his aunt Melanie was nonetheless ecstatic. CJ had scored every single one of his team’s 24 points – including a couple of three-pointers. As he loped over to his family waiting in the bleachers, the hugs and compliments started flying: ‘You were awesome!’ ‘Way to hustle for all those points!’

Then CJ’s aunt said, ‘Now, if you could just help your teammates play as well as you do, you guys would be unstoppable!’

What do you mean?’ CJ said defensively. ‘I did the best I could! What didn’t I do right?’ His aunt couldn’t understand the boy’s reaction. She’d just finished showering him with praise.

‘The message CJ got was that he didn’t do enough,’ explains child psychologist Vicki Panaccione, PhD, founder of the Better Parenting Institute in Melbourne, Florida. ‘His aunt was telling him he was fabulous, he could be a mentor to his teammates. But that’s not he heard, because of the words she used.’

A parent, or anyone else who interacts regularly with kids, knows that communicating effectively with them can be difficult.

In CJ’s case, his aunt simply explained herself and the boy later calmed down. But common words and phrases, no matter how well-intended, can do a lot of emotional and psychological harm. Young brains are still developing through the teen years, and kids can’t be expected to process words, context and nuance (sarcasm, for instance) the same way that an adult’s brain does.

If you want children to grow up into the best possible versions of themselves, it’s crucial to replace damaging words in your vocabulary with alternatives that help build character. Some of the things parents say to kids seem harmless or even constructive on the surface, but experts say, they may hurt more than help. Here are seven of these common phrases, and alternatives to get your message across in a better way.

Read the rest of this entry »

On the first day, God created the dog and said:

” Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.”

The dog said: “That’s a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I’ll give you back the other ten?”

So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said: “Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I’ll give you a twenty-year life span.”

The monkey said: “Monkey tricks for twenty years? That’s a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?”

And God agreed.

On the third day, God created the cow and said: “You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer’s family For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.”

The cow said: “That’s kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I’ll give back the other forty?”

And God agreed again.

On the fourth day, God created man and said: “Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I’ll give you twenty years.”

But man said: “Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?”

“Okay,” said God, “You asked for it.”

So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you…

Another great story for you, people!

My husband is a Bank Examiner by profession. I love him for his steady nature, and I love the warm feeling when I lean against his broad shoulders.

Three years of courtship and now, two years into marriage, I would have to admit that I am getting tired of it.

My reason for loving him before has now transformed into the cause of all my restlessness. I am sentimental and extremely sensitive when it comes to relationships and feelings. I yearn for the romantic moments, like a little girl yearning for candy.

My husband is my complete opposite. His lack of sensitivity and the inability of bringing romantic moments into our marriage have disheartened me about love.

One day, I finally decided to tell him my decision, that I wanted a divorce. “Why?” he asked, shocked. “I am tired; there are no reasons for everything in the world!” I answered.

He kept silent the whole night. He seemed to be in deep thought with a lighted cigarette at all times. My feeling of disappointment only increased - here was a man who can’t even express his predicament. What else can I hope from him?

And finally he asked me, “What can I do to change your mind?”

Somebody said it right; it’s hard to change a person’s personality, and I guess, I have started losing faith in him.

Looking deep into his eyes I slowly answered, “Here is the question. If you can answer and convince my heart, I will change my mind. Let’s say, I want a flower located on the face of a mountain cliff, and we both are sure that picking the flower will cause your death. Will you do it for me?”

He said, “I will give you my answer tomorrow . . . . .” My hopes just sank by listening to his response . . . . .

I woke up the next morning to find him gone, and saw a piece of paper with his scratchy handwriting, underneath a milk glass, on the dining table near the front door, that goes . . . . .

“My dear, I would not pick that flower for you, but please allow me to explain the reasons further . . . . .”

This first line was already breaking my heart. I continued reading . . . . .

“When you use the computer you always mess up the software programs, and you cry in front of the screen. I have to save my fingers so that I can help to restore the programs.

“You always leave the house keys behind, thus, I have to save my legs to rush home to open the door for you.

“You love traveling but always lose your way in a new city; I have to save my eyes to show you the way.

“You always have the cramps whenever your “good friend” approaches every month; I have to save my palms so that I can calm the cramps in your tummy.

“You like to stay indoors, and I worry that you will be infected by infantile autism. I have to save my mouth to tell you jokes and stories to cure your boredom.

“You always stare at the computer, and that will do nothing good for your eyes. I have to save my eyes so that when we grow old, I can help to clip your nails, and help to remove those annoying white hairs so I can also hold your hand while strolling down the beach, as you enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful sand… and tell you the color of flowers, just like the color of the glow on your young face . . . . .”

“Thus, my dear, unless I am sure that there is someone who loves you more than I do… I could not pick that flower yet, and die . . . . .”

My tears fell on the letter, and blurred the ink of his handwriting . . . . .
and as I continue on reading . . . . .

“Now, that you have finished reading my answer, if you are satisfied, please open the front door for I am standing outside bringing your favorite bread and fresh milk . . . . .”

I rush to pull open the door, and saw his anxious face, clutching tightly with his hands, the milk bottle and loaf of bread . . . . .

Now I am very sure that no one will ever love me as much as he does, and I have decided to leave the flower alone . . . . .

That’s my husband, Dario, showing off one of his ‘macho’ poses.

And this is me giving him a ‘come hither’ smile

January05 is our anniversary date. And as if God was trying to send me a message, the Daily Bread story for that day was entitled The Waiting. All my readers know that I share some good reads here from my Our Daily Bread 2008 diary which was given to me by a friend. The reason why I was not able to post this on the day of our anniversary itself was that this blog started on February – a month later. Anyway, if you have read this post, you will understand what this is all about.

The Waiting
(Abraham) believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. – Genesis15:6

Any mother can tell you that waiting to give birth is an experience that builds patience. But pity the poor mother elephant. It takes about 22 months for an unborn elephant to mature to birth! The shark known as the spiny dogfish has a pregnancy duration of 22-24 months. And at elevations above 4,600 feet, the Alpine salamander endures a gestational period of up to 38 months!

Abraham could have identified with these examples from nature. In his old age, the Lord made a promise to him: ‘I will make you a great nation’ (Gen12:2). But as the years passed, Abraham questioned how the fulfillment of the promise was possible without even the basic bulding block of a son (15:2). So God assured him, ‘One who will come from your own body shall be your heir’ (v.4).

Despite his advanced age, Abraham believed God and was called righteous (v.6). Yet he waited 25 years from the time of the initial promise for Isaac to be born (17:1,17).

Waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled is part of trusting Him. No matter how long the delay, we must wait for Him. As the writer of Hebrews reminds us, ‘Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful’ (Heb10:23). – Marvin Williams

Not so in haste, my heart! Have faith in God, and wait;
Although He seems to linger long, He never comes too late. – Torrey

God always performs what He promises.

(Also read: Genesis15:1-6, Genesis13-15, Matthew5:1-26)

A sweet little tag from Ruby of MicahDavid.com. Thanks, Ruby!

*end here*

I’m giving this rose to Alranga53, Cold Silence and to everyone!

Am I smarter than a fifth grader?  Well, I am! Haha! If you have doubts, here’s the result:

How about you? Are you smarter than a fifth grader? Click the link and find out (and brag about it if you must )

Have you also wondered ‘How will I die?‘

Or you may have taken a Personality Quiz too.

More fun quizzes at GoToQuiz.com or go and create one.

Our Daily Bread for today is about the environment . . . . .

Use it Wisely
The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness. – Psalm24:1

God gave us an incredible gift – the beautiful world in which we live. Naturally, though, as we share this planet with so many others, we run the risk of seeing its beauty diminished and its resources depleted.

While we have every right to use the resources God placed in and on earth, we also need to recognize our responsibility to respect the earth as His and to preserve its resources for future generations.

In Genesis, the Lord told Adam (and, by extension, all of us) to ‘tend and keep’ the earth (2:15). Because we don’t know when Jesus will return, it would not be responsible stewardship to leave our children and grandchildren without the resources that God provided for them as well.

We might think our individual efforts to preserve God’s world aren’t valuable. But we can all work together to do our part. Buying and consuming less, simplifying, repairing instead of replacing, reusing, and recycling are all good stewardship practices.

One way we can testify of our love for God and to express our gratitude for what He has done is by tending and keeping the earth and all that it offers. Until the Lord returns, let’s use our world wisely. – Dave Branon

The natural world that God has made, Is given to us and must be shared;
May generations yet to come, Be thankful that we cared. – D. DeHaan

God created the world and placed it in our care.

(Also read: Genesis1:27-31, Nehemiah10-11, Acts4:1-22)