without words

Have you ever experienced a time when you wanted to say something but could not find the words? have you ever felt that sometimes your heart just does not seem to connect to that part of your brain responsible for processing your thoughts and feelings into words thus you are unable to express yourself no matter how hard you try?

It is when we feel intense emotions - when we are taken by surprise; when we are nervous; hurt or weighed down by our own anxieties, worries and fears that the mind just cannot seem to grasp the gravity and plethora of emotions we are in that our lips are silenced.

Incidents like this are not limited to conventional social situations but can occur during our personal prayer times as well.  We pause and say our prayers but they somehow feel uninspired and routinary.

Quite ironic isn’t it? Just when we desperately need to commune with God are we unable to reach out to Him. We falter with hearts feeling disconnected with what we are saying that our personal prayers seem like empty words as we struggle to tell God how we feel.

We often think of prayer as a verbal conversation with God but it does not have to be.  Without words we can commune with God by listening to worship songs and just getting lost in the music and lyrics; by offering our daily tasks for His glory; by reading inspirational books and the scripture…

… by simply spending sometime alone, finding beauty in our surroundings and focusing only on Him – by using all our other senses to connect with Him because drawing close to God means reveling in His presence, feeling comforted by His warm embrace and finding peace in silence.

When we stumble with the words of our prayers may we learn to pause and rest in knowing that God hears the silent cries of our hearts and before long, mouths will again proclaim God’s greatness and glory.

For all of this May God be Praised.

unity not uniformity

Striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace – Ephesians 4:3

We all have different personalities and yet we are all together in peace and unity in the SFC Community. What binds us together? Our father, St Agustine, wrote, the members of Christ are united among each other by the charity of unity, which at the same time unites them with their Head, who is Jesus Christ.”

From our formation, we are taught that it is an act of love to keep our unity with each other. It is love that unites us. Unity, not uniformity, is the name of the game.

Reflection: do you belong to a Christian community? How do you practice loving each other?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, make us one as You and the Father are one. Only Your grace and Your Holy Spirit can do this in us, Lord, and we pray that You will be with us always. Amen

Nobody is perfect... despite being in the SFC community for a couple of years now, there are still times that our own shortcomings, flaws and emotions get the better of us. Despite all these may we all look past each others’ imperfections without judgement but with genuine care and love as we continue praying for each other to be guided, empowered and molded into the person God wants us to be.

Let us be united as 1 under God’s loving care despite our personal differences as we learn and watch out for each other. Amen.

dream big

“Your faith has saved you.” – Matthew 9:22


I believe God has no problem blessing us. The question is, how much are we willing to receive? The answer lies in how much faith we have. Sometimes we pray for things but we don’t believe enough that we will receive them. How can God place big blessings in small containers?

If we’re willing to settle for small blessings, that’s all we’ll get. But if we want big blessings, we need shopping cart-sized faith.

 

Reflection: What are you praying for? Does your faith match the size of your request?

Prayer: Lord, I choose to believe — big time.

 

let us dream big, pray hard for it and work towards it with the grace and guidance of our God – nothing is impossible with Him!!!!

 

DREAMBIG, HAVE FAITH, OPEN OUR HANDS WIDE AND RECEIVE GOD’S SHOWER OF BLESSINGS!!!

de-clutter

“Because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly…” – Genesis 22:16


In this world, there is God, and everything else is “stuff.” Stuff can be money, work, ministry or family. Stuff is neither good nor bad. It only becomes bad if it hinders us from worshipping and loving God.

Oftentimes, we are too attached to stuff. We make it the sole reason for our happiness and meaning. In turn, we feel dissatisfied and empty because we seek happiness in the stuff of God, rather than the God of stuff.


Unstuff today. When you do, you leave a space for God to stuff you with better things.

 

Reflection: Stuff should lead you to God and His purpose for you, not away from Him. Is there any clutter in your life that needs to be unstuffed?


Prayer: Lord, may I have less stuff, and more of You.

 

While God has abundantly blessed us with ways and means to have a comfortable life – may we not forget Him in the midst of all life’s pleasures and seek more of Him, using what He has blessed us with to focus more on Him and be led to our purpose and meaning in life – may we also open our hearts and hands more to bless others as well…

 

We are blessed to bless!

handmade with love

  "Let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth" 
-  1 John 3:18

     

Handmade with love - bookmarks for Chapter A1 brothers and sisters

soar

... May our faith carry what is written on these paper planes to God as we surrender to His will and allow Him to take control over our lives...

"bahala kna Lord"

“it was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give you.” – John 15:16

Cruise controls or auto pilot in cars and planes make it easier to travel long distances.

Just like our journey through life, we can trust that our cruise control – our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, will make our way smooth.

Reflection: Is your life messed up and too complicated? Simplify it. Go to Jesus!

Prayer: Jesus, you are the wind beneath my wings that make me sour over difficult situations.

  

The tagalog phrase “bahala kna Lord” (it's all up to you) seems simple but when you think about it, it’s a prayer of full trust isn't?

We put all our troubles in God hands and trust that no matter the situation He will see and help us through.

“bahala kna Lord… take control over all our worries, anxieties, daily stress and shortcomings, may we not let all these things put us down as we keep in mind that these trials, hurts, rejections and persecutions help refine us and mold us into a beautiful person who will be pleasing to You.Amen.

For all of this May God Be Praised!!!