Saving Grace

I think one can never call one’s self a Christian if that person has never experienced God’s saving grace. A Christian’s turning point is when he realizes that God, through all his imperfections, loved him and decided to extend to him the gift of salvation that he will NEVER deserve. And with this realization, God ultimately changes how we lead our lives. If previously we see our principles as absolute, logical and correct, now we only see God and His infinite goodness producing in us a resolve to live our lives in thanksgiving to Him. THIS is how we start to be a dispenser of grace.

To be honest, being a Christian is not a walk in the park. It is not easy to conquer evil by doing good (Rom. 12:21b). How can we when all we can see from others is how they took advantage of us, how they look down upon us, how they disrespect us, etc. A part of us will always want to seek the justice we think we deserve that we end up serving it ourselves. But, see, we were not called to judge, we were called to extend grace.

Grace is understanding (and acting on that understanding) that everyone has their good side no matter how worse their committed sins are. It is realizing that other people’s action for a moment does not define who they really are and thus, gives us no right to nullify their lives. Grace is seeing that you and them (no matter how good you think of yourself and how bad others actually are) is one and the same: all supposedly hopeless but all redeemed.

I do not claim to be an expert of grace. If anything, I have only begun to see the tip of it. And I desire to know more of it because it is the starting point of my life in Christ: God's saving grace.

Supplier Review: Bridal Wear

So I decided to continue my reviews even if its been months since our wedding. We're now into our 8th  month and a lot has happened and a lot is still happening. :) After someone commented on my first supplier review, I'm suddenly encouraged to continue on with this, no matter how late this maybe. After all, this post could still be of use to other bride-to-be's out there, especially those that doesn't want to sacrifice the quality because of the budget-constraints.

BRIDAL WEAR: Couture House
GRADE: 8/10

First of, I really believe that what a bride wears on her wedding day is her personality... gown-ified (if ever such a word exists...) What I mean is whatever the bride wears is a reflection of who she really is. Yes, the supplier is the one who actually creates but the final output is really more of the bride's concept. That is why it is very important that more than anything, a bride should get a couture that understands her: taste, budget-constraints, concerns, etc. With that said, here is a picture of my gown:

We got Couture House for a number of reasons: accessibility, friendliness of the staff (Ms. Leni the store manager) and willingness to work with my budget and design. I'm giving Couture House an 8 because I never expected the service I got for the budget I have. Seeing the finished gown, I can see that they did not skimped out on the material. Add to that the fact that they adorned it with more rhinestones than I expected just to give the gown the right sparkle to highlight me as the bride. They also provided me with on-the-day services that other suppliers don't provide when they're working on a very tight budget (a budget way below the usual amount they work on...) The add-ons such as bridal pouch and veil were also of quality.

The 2 points I took off the perfect score was for the fit of the gown. My gown was not snugly fit to me. I admit that part of it was my fault since by my 3rd fitting, scheduled a month before the wedding, I gained weight so the Couture House staff advised me to go on a diet while also promising that they would make some adjustments to the gown. No more fitting followed and on the day itself, the gown was a bit loose on the waist area, but not so loose that it would actually show in the pictures.

Overall, I was satisfied in getting the services of Couture House. They understood me and exerted a more than satisfactory effort on my gown.

The Misadventures of O and J : Prenup

We approached our prenup shoot differently, O and I. Having nothing but an idea, a makeup artist and a photographer, I was nervous in anticipation of the day while O viewed it excitedly as an adventure. You see, we both agreed that we wanted our shoot to be something that displays who we really are so we wanted it to show (as much as possible) our daily routine as a couple. The problem is our daily routine involves a lot of MRT rides and walks in Makati.

For people who has planned any kind of photoshoot, they'll most likely agree that Metro Manila is not the friendliest place for photographers. To be able to capture something with your DSLRs you have to have permits and permits costs you money, sometimes, A LOT of money. With our "practical sides" kicking in, we went ahead with the shoot with no permits whatsoever, just a vaguely cooked plan :P 

We started D-day at about 9am. After I got made up and O got powdered up, we made our way to our first pitstop/location. After seeing Gail, O's talented brother and our photographer from Foreveryday Photography, O said a quick prayer for the day's events. We then started the shoot. 

The day brought us a lot of nice and quirky revelations. O and I both learned that we are capable of smiling at the camera while on the look out for people who might tell us off. We also learned we are all capable of acting, especially if it will prevent you from being caught. I realized that passersby are the coolest background for a "dramatic" shot. O sensed I get stressed out by strangers looking at us while the shoot goes on while I pointed out to O that he gets a bit conscious when he knows the cameras are snapping away. The greatest find however is seeing that O and I still manage to bring out the nicest smiles and sweetest looks even with the things that surround us JUST because we're with each other. 

More of our one-of-a-kind adventure/prenup here :)

The Misadventures of O and J: MRT Street-Preachers

J (with matching kalabit) : Kuya, medyo kulang kasi… baka kelangan mo idagdag ung Romans 6:23…

O : Hindi parang ung sa showtime na lang… Hmmm… Nakita ko naman ung passion kaso parang nakulangan ako sa message. Kulang ung Romans 6:23. At dahil dyan, ito ang score mo (with matching pindot sa invisible score board)

THIS is O and I’s conversation during a supposedly mundane, sleep-fulfilling MRT turn back ride became a preach-filled ride from Taft all the way to Boni (or was it Shaw?).

On our way home yesterday, O and I encountered street preachers in the train. No, they’re not the ones that would give an envelope in the end just to ask for money. These street preachers are the hard core, hard after GodHISHSdgs, shame-shattering ones that just strike anywhere in the hope that people will listen and think and ask and finally, come. With their loud voices filling the coach, naturally, they got my attention so much so that O and I ended up having a discussion about what they actually preached and how we think they could improve our teaching. (Oo… critic ang peg namin :P)

At one point in our discussion, we actually dared each other to tell one of the preachers about our feedback. I thought of giving the preacher a letter or discreetly telling him about what we think but, as we were both shy, we opted not to. And thus, my entry here... I decided, I would tell them in a letter that I would write here:

Dear MRT Street-preachers,

First off, allow me to say I was blessed by your presence yesterday while I was going home. It’s my first time to encounter people sharing God in a public place with no money involved. It somehow reveals to me a level of purity in your heart.

I can’t imagine just how much you must overcome to talk about God to a coach full of commuters who may or may not give a damn. I respect you for doing what you do given that it’s actually hard for me to randomly share it even to the closest people I know. We’re opposites you and I but your boldness has given me both a challenge and an inspiration. But no, I still can’t do what you do.

Anyway, I actually wanted to write because I wanted to be of help (if this is any help at all… ). I don’t know how to break this in any manner so I guess I’ll just tell it to you straight. I think you have missed out the most important verse of all. Romans 6:23 will help you greatly. It’s the verse to note for evangelistic purposes.

It was a great speech, the one you gave yesterday. But, I think, you have missed out the greatest thing of all: salvation. Yes, you talked about the greatness of God’s love and yes, you talked about the days to come. But, you forgot to talk about WHY Jesus is the way and WHY people need Him. My husband and I believe you should have started with Romans 6:23 and from there branched out to your speech.

I hope you don’t get offended by this. We really, really just want to help. After all, it’s the lost we’re all after.

I hope you continue on what you do. And we will send a prayer your way.

May God bless you in your ministry.

Regards,

J

------------------

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord – Romans 6:23   

Of Dreaming and Making Them Come True

When a dream…

 

 

 

becomes a reality…

 

 

I can’t help but be amazed at the ONE who truly made it all come true.

 

Yes, O and I are now living in our very own house. But it is not the fact that we are living in our own house that amazes me but how He has turned everything into reality. Never in my wildest dreams have I imagined that at this point in time, O and I will be owners of something that we actually can’t afford (basing on the state of our finances) but then again, His thoughts are higher than my thoughts so perhaps, His dreams (for us) are wilder than my dreams… :)

 

If you ask me right now how we were able to find and afford such a house, I actually wouldn’t know how. But God made it possible so maybe you should ask Him… in other words… pray ;) One thing I’m sure of, it worked for us.

 

On Loving

I guess it will always be a point of misunderstanding for a lot of people but this is what I know: I, as a Christian, was called to love. I was called to love with an active kind of love. Jesus did not die for me that I might lounge around everyday seeking every comfort life has to offer. NO. I was blessed with so much love and grace and mercy that I might stand up and do the same to others.

The truth is loving, with a Christian perspective, is tricky and at times, hurtful. Why? Because God did not call me to love with a passive acceptance of people for who they are and what they believe in. God challenges me (and everyday for that matter) to love actively, beckoning people to the truth, one that would set them free and enable them to live life to the full. God calls me to love people with the same kind of love that He gave me: the transforming kind of love.

Perfect Kind of Love

“But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” – Romans 5:8

I thank God that He loved me with so much love that while I was still this wretched human being undeserving of anyone’s love, He already died for me. As a selfish being by nature, I admit it is hard for me to understand why He would choose to do such a thing. But this much I can grasp, it is not for me to try and understand every bit of God’s love, rather it is for me to follow it.

This is what I know: God, in all his holiness and mightiness, gambled His life for me in the hopes that one day I will come to hear of what He did and ultimately, change me from the inside out. He walked on this earth sharing His teachings to everyone who would listen but did not force it on anyone’s throat. He loved everyone alike: he loved the fishermen and tax collector enough to call them as His disciples; he loved the prostitute enough not to condemn her; he loved the criminals on the cross enough to forgive one and accept the decision of the other to mock Him; he even loved the Pharisees enough to answer their questions [even if answering them is futile].

Love according to God’s actions is complicated and hard but it is the perfect example of love. His love is a love that is based not on the character of the beloved but rather on the character of the lover. God’s love emanates from Him because He is hopeful that the people He chose to die for will turn back to Him and lead a victorious life. His actions are not based on their current situations but on His dreams for them, on what He sees they can possibly be. And, this kind of love is the love that produced a lasting change in me.

I thank God that He loved me with so much love that while I was still this wretched human being undeserving of anyone’s love, He already died for me. I thank Him because He did not give up on me then and is not giving up on me now. I may be far from who God wants me to be but I know, His love will sustain me until I meet the person God sees in me. I thank God that His love is the hopeful, optimistic kind that doesn’t stop on who I am right now [physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally] and I believe, this same kind of love is the love that can change anything: a person, a situation or even, a nation.

And in His love, I will remain hopeful…