remembering Stephen Covey

Everything is created twice....

First, in the mind ....

then, in the physical ...

be careful on your thoughts then ...

for they make you ...

the anatomy of sin

What defiles a man?

Not what goes in ..

but what goes out …

AND I AM SAYING THE SAME LINE ...

Montessori child to the Montessori directress:

"Help me to control myself."

THEIR WORLDS HAVE CHANGED

The difference between Andres and Jose …

And the difference between Bonifacio High Street and Rizal streets of the Philippines

FORGIVENESS

The husband to the wife:

I forgive you everyday …

I love you everyday

withdrawal symptom of an addict

Sometimes there are things better left unsaid …

because they are understood more in silence …

I now understand … ? … tsk! Tsk!

What took me long so understand?

Silly me …

3 Cs TO THANK

I thank God for three Cs:

CONVICTION.

For you will never compromise convictions ...

CORRECTION.

For by that, you get sharpened.

COMPASSION.

For without it, what's the reason to live?

a story i liked recently

The Great Hill

by Daniel Errico

Before time was time, there was a Great Hill.

And on the Great Hill there lived the Yolks.

The Yolks spent their entire lives climbing the Great Hill, trying to reach the top.

Some Yolks climbed fast.

Some Yolks climbed slowly.

One Yolk in particular was a very slow climber. He was different than the rest of the Yolks.

When he climbed, all the other Yolks passed him.

It was hard for him to watch them pass by.

He felt like the worst climber in the world.

Some Yolks made fun of him as they passed.

Others didn’t.

Some Yolks wanted to help him climb, but he didn’t let them.

It was hard for him to climb. It was even harder when it rained because the ground got slippery. Sometimes it seemed like it was only raining on him.

But it wasn’t.

There were times when he felt like he wasn’t moving at all.

But he was.

Then one day he met another Yolk who climbed even slower than he did.

He helped the slower Yolk climb.

“Thank you,” said the slower Yolk.

“You’re welcome,” said the slow Yolk, “I can’t be of much help to anyone else since I climb so slowly.”

“Slowly?” asked the slower Yolk.

“Well yes,” said the slow Yolk,” I watch other Yolks pass me all the time.”

“I do not know if you are slow or fast, but I do know that you helped me, and that you are still climbing.”

The slow Yolk said goodbye to the slower Yolk, and he kept climbing.

“Still climbing,” he thought to himself.

“That is true.”

And he smiled.

So the slow Yolk kept climbing. He climbed when it was nice out, he climbed when it rained, and he even climbed when it snowed.

As he kept climbing, he got better and better.

Sometimes he would pass other Yolks, and sometimes they would pass him.

He had stopped paying attention.

He also noticed that some Yolks were no longer climbing.

When a Yolk stops climbing, it stays where it is.

Some Yolks stop climbing because they are happy with how far they have gone.

Others stop climbing because they don’t want to climb anymore.

The Yolks that had stopped climbing did not like to be passed, and they made it harder for others to get by.

But the slow Yolk kept climbing, right over them!

There were still times when the slow Yolk thought he was climbing an impossible hill, but he kept climbing. Always, always, climbing.

Do you think he made it to the top?

from my pillows to your desk: hot milk and oreos

from my pillows to your desk: hot milk and oreos

hot milk and oreos

when i feel down and worn, a good glass of milk and crispy oreos will do the job...... oreos are like friends ..... comforting

IT MUST BE MURPHY!!!

IT MUST BE MURPHY! 

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed tired from the previous day’s work. I fixed the covers, bathed and found myself running towards the Bellevue gate. The street before me looked like a Doomsday road. There were no cars, no cabs, no jeepneys, no motorcycles, no people. 

I was supposed to go to the La Granja campus. I waited for like a decade and found myself texting Leah (a friend) inquiring where the great AOS bus is. My mouthpiece is broken so it was useless to call anyone. Leah’s phone was not cooperative as well. 

The next thing I knew I was sitting behind a guy for a motorcycle ride. I HAD NO CHOICE! Leah texted that they are at SM. When I came to SM, the bus was situated in Xavier Estates. I went to Xavier Estates only to be informed that they are approaching Rosevale. In other words, I WAS CHASING THE BUS!

I was frustrated. So I walked to a place named Stonetown and found a sofa to wait for a van supposedly. It was supposed to be an exciting journey to La Granja Estates. But I found my feet headed for ALwana.

Well, it must be Murphy’s law at work. Hopefully, the day won’t end this way. For tonight is a night of worship at our church. 

The following verses were rather comforting:

They are from John 15. 

4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

14You are my friends if you do what I command.

20Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.

2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.

?

You give your hand to me
Then you say hello
I can hardly speak
My heart is beating so
And anyone can tell
You think you know me well
But you don't know me

Suman , Mangga at.....

NEVER LOSE THE "MEANING"

I was attending this seminar on "Reading Difficulties" and yes, I was disappointed. It was one of the worst seminars that I've registered myself into. Well, thanks to the school who made a foot on the bill. I found myself complaining at the way the method was made. So "old school." And there more than 300 people in the room. The speaker was reading "thoroughly" her so-called materials that were surprisingly photocopied from several books with horrible letters that some were too tiny to matter.

Good enough there was Joni, a friend from another church. I sat with Joni and we both agreed that the lecture has been sssssssssssssssssooooooooooooooooooooo "ineffective."

After a boring morning, I looked for a comfortable sofa to steal sleeping moments while having a break for it was awfully cold. (BTW, the morning activity was so full of a GTKY activity that was so non-sensible like "Look for someone who doesn't have a boyfriend?" I mean, "Who cares?")

KEBS!

I managed to continue the afternoon session. I was trying to find worth with the school money used for my registration. Joni and I were both very sleepy. Who wouldn't? While I was having coffee to avoid sleeping, Joni and I began talking about the word " meaning?"

We both realized that we needed to find meaning in that seminar. And I can't help but think about the WORD. It became a big word that afternoon. I told Joni my worries on the said word. You see, in my workplace, I worry a lot recently.

I worry that my co - teachers will not find "meaning" anymore in what they do. I worry that they will stop looking for that "meaning" because they are tired. I worry that some lost it ... in the middle of "things."

I worry about the "new" teachers, too. I worry that they will not be able to see meaning in what they do especially through training. I am more worried that they will not be able to find it.

While I was lost in my thoughts, I suddenly heard the speaker mention a poem that caught my attention finally. Though the material I was reading was crudely photocopied, I found myself mumbling words that I liked. It was Shel Silverstein's "The Zebra Question."

Here it is. I am proud to say I memorized it after one reading.

THE ZEBRA QUESTION
Shel Silverstein

I once asked a zebra,
"Are you white with black stripes?
Or are you black with white stripes?"

Then the zebra asked me,
" Are you good with bad habits?
Or are you bad with good habits?"
"Are you happy with some sad days?
Or are you sad with some happy days?"
"Are you neat with some sloppy ways?
Or are you sloppy with some neat ways?"

The zebra went on and on and on
And on and on again ...
And I said to myself,
"I will never ask the zebra that same question again?"


In our search for meaning, we find ourselves asking a lot of questions? I saw myself in the poem. And yes, why do I ask every now and then? Though my questions are important to me, I should realize that to look for "meaning" through things does not need to be hard.

There are things that naturally happen by chance and all we need to do is appreciate them. There can be things, also, that require our choices. And there are things that we simply can not control, whether they happen by chance or by choice.

sisig rules!

There has never been a day when you do not enjoy a sumptous meal like this ...

THE REAL McCOY

Lately, i had met a new person in a boy called Mac in our church. He's one those people you'd choose not to speak to because he has blades in his tongue! (Joke Mac ha!)


Personally, I had an encounter with this boy last summer camp and I cried but then his words brought me thinking - maybe I hadn't tried really well as GM of that camp.


Lately, he has been sharing a lot of his passions for Christ and for the kingdom. And young people like Mac amazes me. Why? He reminded me of my younger days - days, when like he, will bring me to radically serve Jesus.


But this is not the focal point of my post!


I think in every Christian, the real McCoy should show up - genuineness that is. This will always leave me thinking -- am I a Christian after all? Who am I when pressures strike? Who am I when the cookie crumbles?


In my hearts of hearts, i know I have the worst of all flaws (according to my standards) but in this heart also, I know that my passion for Christ has always been the same -- to be able to serve Him faithfully without reservations and limits ...


And yet I find myself not doing enough. . .


What about you?


What's the real McCoy in you?

A TALK WITH MY SLIPPERS

Sometimes we need to clean up after someone else’s mess

And we ask ourselves why?

We complain, we grumble and then we whine?

But at the end of the day we realize

God has reasons why …

To mold us, to break us, to make us shine …

(slipper moments are what i call humbling moments)

BIMBO'S SONG FOR ME ... HAHA

Billy Joel
She's Always a Woman to me Lyrics:
She can kill with a smile, she can wound with her eyes
She can ruin your faith with her casual lies
And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child, but she's always a woman to me

She can lead you to love, she can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth, but she'll never believe you
And she'll take what you give her as long it's free
Yeah, She steals like a thief, but she's always a woman to me

CHORUS
Ohhh... she takes care of herself
She can wait if she wants, she's ahead of her time
[ Find more Lyrics on www.mp3lyrics.org/bN ]
Ohhh... and she never gives out
And she never gives in, she just changes her mind

And she'll promise you more than the garden of Eden
Then she'll carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding
But she’ll bring out the best and the worst you can be
Blame it all on yourself 'cause she's always a woman to me

CHORUS

She's frequently kind and she's suddenly cruel
She can do as she pleases, she's nobody's fool
And she can't be convicted, she's earned her degree
And the most she will do is throw shadows at you,
But she's always a woman to me

THE JESUS I NEVER KNEW

I have an "ate" I call as Ate Emz. She introduced me this book "The Jesus I Never Knew." I kinda forgot the author though. But more than the book, what caught me was the words that dear Te Emz said.

She told me that the reason why Christians do not live the Christlike way is because they do not Jesus fully well. That line dropped me dead.

I am a Christian for like twenty years now and I must say I am having a hard time. IT IS SIMPLY NOT EASY. The Jesus way is not an easy road. It requires total forgetting of oneself and a total dying as well.

Lately, it has been an intimate desire to really know Jesus more. And I want to influence a lot of people. So far, the women I work closely are into that mode (hopefully!)

Perhaps it is noticed by my friends (older and younger alike) that whatever I am passionate about, I always make it a point to share. Well, they're polite enough to listen.

The teachers in Sunday School, I am also trying to influence. The children in my fold, I keep on jolting them to know Jesus more. Whenever I can, I am trying. I just need His Grace.

WHEN THE GOING GETS ROUGH

I used to believe that when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. But when I heard my pastor say another line, I found myself laughing.


You see, i think his is a better version. He said, "WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GOES TO GOD."


HERE! here!


Namastee!

JENI

nehemiah's girl

THE NEHEMIAH DREAM

There are times when it feels weird because my dreams are bigger than myself. Needless to say that the Filipino dream continues to be that of a house and a car.


But above these things, would you believe that I want to be like the old day Nehemiah? Since I am female, becoming like Joyce Meyer in my lifetime would be something nice.


I have never subscribed to be a recipient of her ministry yet but I am familiar with her personal writings.
For me, she's like Nehemiah. Her initiative on things is something that is inspiring. Her inspirational thoughts move me especially when it comes to praying.


I love sharing my insights and with the help of this blog, I'd be able to proliferate my ideas more. Whenever you find me sitting with women or friends, how I love talking about things under the sun. Life is beautiful to those who make use of it for Jesus.


In my spiritual walk, I feel that I have not explored a lot yet. To me, something needs to be done more. Something must be in store.


Yes, I love Nehemiah. I want to learn more about his sense of timing, how he connects with people and how he empowers them. I want to make a difference in the lives of people I am with - not just my spouse , my family, my co - teachers, my co - ministers, my friends, my spiritual "anaks," my spiritual "nephews and nieces" but to anyone.


May God use me more like he used Nehemiah.



Rebuilding walls, yes, that is.

THE BEST SUMMER SO FAR

I have often challenged my children, or shall I say, my students, that BRILLIANCE IS NOTHING WITHOUT SIGNIFICANCE.

Last summer, I gave my life for a cause. And how I pray I will never forget the experience.

It was a significant summer so far. It was far more enriching than my 2008 Hongkong summer.

Doing something for Jesus is amazing. Why don't you do the same. I am looking forward for another DEEP experience.

the thing that matters most

hi!

here among my pillows i do my quiet moments ...

today is July 11 ...

i started the day right ...

went out earlier to jog and praise God while watching the clouds wondering what will happen when the great day of His appearing comes - rapture, that is ...

i am about to read Matthew 9 ...

quiet time

the only way to live right is finding your solitude and silence with Christ ...

from the wisdom of my children

Bianca Pinero: Ms Jeni, is it difficult being an adult?


She hit a chord when she said this. I had to ask her, "Can you give me a hug?"

BAD HABITS


Bad habits inhibit full yield. Even for a Christian, if bad habits are not conquered, he can get destroyed. That's why the psalmist was right when he asked God, "Search me, O God ... "

THE DAY I HAD THE BITES

It was June 17, 2009 and it was an ordinary working day except that I received bites from a child in my classroom. (Actually, technically, it is not really my class, for I am just taking over since the real teacher is on maternity leave. )

I am a very reflective person and perceptive as well. But, because of the many roles that I have in my life, I do not have the energy anymore to write in a blog like this.

It’s been four years since the last time I was teaching in a Level 1 classroom, a class of young students from first to third grade. And though I am an experienced Level 1 teacher for 5 years, these are the days when it is scary to be around children who are still forming their concept of morality, justice and social behavior. In other words, behavior is of the essence for this group.

Last year, I had a beautiful experience with my Level 2 class, seeing my grade 6 graduate from the elementary program of the Abba’s Orchard. Most of them were my first graders in Level 1. Jethro graduated and I still remember the boy who had a tiny squeaky voice who taught the actions in a song, 12 Days of Christmas. AJ, who was one of my headstrong students, graduated with a lot of friends to miss. I can still remember that he would defy me with such confidence as if he didn’t need me. But, last year, he was almost my second assistant in the classroom. He was the perfect handyman in the classroom, a trustee especially in solving environment problems around my students. Jethro and AJ were, I should say, one of the most challenging students I had when I was a Level 1 teacher.

Yesterday, I met another lovely child and I need to hide his name as G. G didn’t want to eat his lunch and I had to ask my partner, Ms Icy, to make sure he eats. He decided not to and I realized that when he has made up his mind, he wouldn’t change it. He kicked the chair where he was supposed to sit and threw tantrums. It was a tough call!

I needed to bring him outside in order not to cause an embarassment to himself. On our way outside, he moved to scratch me. I was about to release a painful cry when he motioned to bite me. He was successful and I got 6 teeth bites from him. It didn’t stop there. I had to lock him carefully in order for him to calm down but he was very strong and furious. According to history, he has temper problems. Good thing, I learned TKD long ago, that’s why he wasn’t successful in spitting at my face.

He was screaming. I told him that he was making it difficult for both of us. It was a thirty-minute struggle and we were like wrestling with each other’s wits and strength.

I had to control myself from saying anything that might provoke him more but I was holding him tight. My 98 - pound frame is not that strong to hold on more. I thought I would snap! All I was thinking was that God would touch him and he would grow tired to stop.

He finally stopped and was sobbing. Moments like that would crush me. You see, in the life of a teacher, the most difficult thing is when you need to hurt the feelings of your student in order to teach something valuable in life. I heard myself saying, “G, I am doing this because I want to be your teacher. And though you do not understand yet why I am not giving in, I’d like you to know, I’ll be here to help you get through this day.”

He paused and pushed me away. He said, “Don’t touch me. Okay, I will eat.” I respected his request. But I told him I have to watch him from afar. I got his food and jug of water and watched him eat. I had to look for a mug of coffee to relax. Then I sat on a white chair facing the horizon with my newfound student, G.

Seeing that he was tired, I asked if he wanted to rest. He was not reluctant at all. Then I told him, “You can come back to the classroom as soon as you feel better.” After an hour, he came back. Thirty minutes passed and I saw him working well. Then when it was his turn to shake my hands and say goodbye, he then asked, “What is your name again?” I almost cried at that instant. I cleared my throat and said, “My name is Ms Jeni.” What a way to introduce each other!

Today, he came inside the classroom. He didn’t shake my hands when he came in especially that he was a prodded by another teacher for an embrace. But one thing is certain. He began to show respect. The day finished with him working beautifully. He was the last student to come out but he smiled and said, “I am going to work again tomorrow, Ms Jeni.”