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Monday, July 07, 2014

The Faith of a Child

 
"Do not put new wine into old wine skins."

Matthew 9:17



In Jesus' day, newly made wine was put into 

new pouches of goat's leather.
There it would ferment, bubble, expand,
and the leather would expand with it.
If new wine was placed into an old pouch,
the wine would release gases
and the leather would burst at the seams 
and the wine would spill out.

Jesus got into trouble with the Pharisees
and a lot of other Jews because His teachings
were the "new wine", which they tried to fit in 
the "old wine skin" of their traditional
way of thinking. It didn't mean the old wine 
was bad. It just meant we should 
always be making new wine!

We started our business in a little shop
along Tomas Morato. We were very content there.
After some years, the owners wanted us out,
and this made us anxious and perplexed
about what to do next.
We were able to find a place along Roces Avenue,
where our building stands today.
Looking back, we know it was God, 
with His big plans and a new vision
for our business which 
wouldn't fit in the small location.
He was pushing us out 
of our "old wine skin" mind set!


 The Holy Spirit is always doing something new

and fresh in the Church. We shouldn't allow

ourselves to be too set in our ways
that we are blind to God's Spirit that
always wants to renew the face of the earth.
Let us embrace God's BIG vision,
be open to moving with Him in
this pilgrimage towards the New Jerusalem. 
I'm sure it's going to be exciting all the way!


 "You have revealed these things to the childlike."

Matthew 11:25



What are these things? 

Things that faith opens doors to.
Money or gold is worth nothing in heaven.
We can't come to the pearly gates 
with bags of diamonds and rhodium
and expect to get in.
What is legal tender in heaven?
FAITH. The faith of a child.

I always say my dad is like a child.
At 88 years old, he has not lost
his sense of wonder.
He says the age of the internet,
where you can learn so much,
is exciting and amazing.
He hasn't lost his bright-eyed optimism.
He's always thinking of a new
business venture or new equipment
to tinker with.
He's not afraid of the future.

We need to approach our Father 
in Heaven with the same optimism,
excitement and wonder.
We need to trust that all is well
because our lives are in His hands.

If we are beset by doubt, worry, pessimism,
we miss out on God's best for us!
Father, help me to have the simple faith of a child,
who knows her father loves her very much!


 "A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years 
came up behind Jesus and 
touched the tassel on his cloak. 
She said to herself, “If only I can 
touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” 
Jesus turned around and saw her, 
and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” 
And from that hour the woman was cured." 
Matthew 9: 18-22

 Even the holiest of men can't explain
why some people get healed and some don't.
I've personally wrestled 
with my thorn in the flesh
for several years now and have confessed
every Bible verse about healing.
I am sure Jesus SEES me,
just like he saw the woman who was bleeding.

What I know is this,
because I sought the Lord and keep seeking Him,
He has answered me.

C.S. Lewis wrote in his book, The Problem of Pain: 
"God whispers to us in our pleasures, 
speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain, 
it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

I believe it is God's will to heal us,
but meanwhile, if we are in pain
or discomfort, if we listen,
He will speak to us and teach us
more than we could ever learn without the trial!

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Friday, July 04, 2014

PPF: God in a Box!

 Ever since I can remember,
my mom would take things
that other people would throw
into the trash,
and she would transform it into
something useful, something she could sell
or something we could play with.

Scrap cloth would become stuffed toys.
I particularly remember a Santa Claus
with a bag full of gifts and miniature toys.
A toilet paper roll would become a doll.
A plastic bottle a piggy bank.
Seeds and twigs picked up from the ground
would transform into a beautiful wreath
someone would want to buy.
She taught us to look at things and see their potential.

 As Jesus passed by, He SAW a man named Levi.
He was a tax collector, and when other
people saw him, they despised him.
But Jesus SAW what Levi could become.
Jesus said, "Follow me."
Matthew 9:9
Levi followed Jesus and became
Saint Matthew!

Jesus sees our potential too!
He sees what we can become.
It doesn't matter what we or others
think of ourselves.
If we follow Jesus we can become saints too!

 "Unless I see...I will not believe."

John 20:25
How many of us are like St. Thomas, 
the doubting apostle?



The other day, a fire started 
in the restaurant just across 
our gift shop in Ali Mall.
I prayed and asked my 
Facebook friends to pray.
Many responded. Many prayed. 
My staff said when they left
the building, it was filled with smoke. 
I was filled with doubt. 
Was there any chance
God would spare our store?
That He would answer our prayers? 
Sometimes I have doubts
that God hears me.
But like Thomas, we need
only to come to Him with our doubts. 



Fr. Anthony of St. Mary Orthodox Church, 
said in his sermon,
"Doubts are the inevitable result
of faith growing beyond the
containers we put it in. 
God cannot be boxed or contained 
in concepts, words or dogma 
or anything, but we try so hard
to contain Him."


"I believe Lord! Help my unbelief!"
I am ecstatic that God answered our prayers
and the very next day, we were able 
to open our store!
No water damage, no smoke damage,
no nothing!!!
Thank you Lord, that even when I doubt,
you answer my prayers!!!


Linking with

So many WONDERFUL blogfriends 
to discover here!

Thank you for dropping by!
You are appreciated!

Patsy

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Wednesday, July 02, 2014

WOYWW: Let Justice Surge!

Happy desk hopping!
There is nothing remotely interesting on my desk...

except maybe this brush 
which has served me well.
It used to have a really sharp point
but now as you can see,
I'll have to use it for something else!

For WIYLRW, or
What's in Your Living Room Wednesday,
I'm showing and telling my sister Peggy's cat,
Truffles, watching the France- Nigeria 
football game on the living room wall!

 I made a lot of backgrounds last weekend
to replenish my stock and to
exchange with someone's gelli plate prints.
Unfortunately, I am so mixed up
and disorganized, I cannot remember who!!!
I am hoping she wanders her way to my blog
and reminds me!!!

 Today I read from the prophet Amos.
"Let justice surge like water,
and goodness like an unfailing stream."
Amos 5:24

 We have seen how water,
even a trickle, can erode rock.
6 million years ago,
the Colorado River started flowing south
through rocky Arizona on its way to the ocean.
The water broke away bits and pieces
of sun baked soil and rock,
and along with wind and ice,
formed the Grand Canyon.
That took a loooong time.

Sometimes, when we do something good
it takes forever to see some results.
When we follow Jesus,
we have no choice but to be like water.
Maybe a trickle, maybe a surging river.
We have to get involved in other people's lives
because there is so much around us 
that needs to be done.

Usually we get involved when there's a calamity,
but how about afterwards?
How about helping the man 
who just got out of jail
after being falsely accused of raping 
a mentally handicapped girl?
How about a man who can't afford 
to have dialysis once a week?
How about a neighbor who is lonely?

 If we think about how much 
need there is in our society,
or even in our neighborhood,
we can be paralyzed by inaction.
Let's just think of ourselves like 
the trickle of water that erodes hard rock
and brings freshness and life into parched land!

"You alone have I favored, more than all the families
of the earth..." but this line continues,
"therefore I will punish you for all your crimes."
Amos 3:2

This is what God said to His chosen people, Israel.
This reminds me of the complaint
of St. Teresa de Avila about God's treatment of her.
God said, "Teresa, whom the Lord loves,
He chastises. This is how I treat all my friends."
And she replied, "No wonder you have so few!!!"

I find the history of Israel fascinating.
The story of how it became a nation in 1947 is a miracle
as so many were against it.
The Philippines cast the deciding vote in the U.N. 
in favor of Israel's statehood.

In the 1800s, Israel was a desolate land. 
Mark Twain called it, "repulsive and dreary, barren."
But just as the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah
and Zechariah prophesied, Jews from all over
have come back to their homeland,
and its deserts are blooming, 
its wastelands are like the gardens of the Lord.


"Israel will bud and blossom 
and fill the world with fruit,"
Isaiah 27:6. 
Israel which has been barren for centuries,
now exports not only fruit, but also technology 
to many countries of the world.

But most importantly,
it is the birthplace of Christianity.
And yes, faithful Christians, 
pruned and chastised by the Lord,
have filled the world with fruitfulness!!!




Blessings!
Patsy
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