READ AND PONDER

[joshgroban]

note of suicide talaga hehe... di ba heartahces muna...

[joshgroban]

Are We Not Saved if We Struggle with Sin?

Ray Pritchard

If a believer continues to struggle with any sin after confessing it to God and asking for deliverance, does that mean he was never saved?

The answer is no.

Struggle with sin is the common experience of Christians everywhere. James 3:2 says, "We all stumble in many ways." Romans 7:23 speaks of a "war" going on inside the believer, and Romans 8:13 commands us to "put to death" the deeds of the flesh. Galatians 5:17 tells us that the flesh and the Spirit are continually at war with each other. Christians traditionally have spoken of three great enemies they face: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world is "out there" and all around us. The "flesh" is inside and loves to answer the call of the world. And it seems like the devil is everywhere, like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:.

No wonder the Bible says that "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). And that's why Paul told Timothy to "share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:3).

Your struggle with sin will continue in one way or another until the day you die. And that struggle, painful though it may be at times, is one of the best indications that you are truly a child of God. If you didn't care at all about your sin, that would be a very bad sign indeed.

Fight the good fight of faith, and when you fall, by God's grace get back up, put on the armor of God, and keep on fighting in Jesus' name.

Taken from "If I Struggle With Sin, Does that Mean I'm Not Saved?" by Keep Believing Ministries (used by permission).

[joshgroban]

 Loving others requires us to express our liberty wisely. In other words, love must rule. I'm not my own, I'm bought with a price. My goal is not to please me; it is to please my Lord Jesus, my God. It is not to please you; it is to please my Lord. The same is true for you. So the bottom line is this: I don't adapt my life according to what you may say; I adapt my life according to the basis of my love for you because I answer to Christ. And so do you.

[joshgroban]

       
A Cavalier Culture
by Charles R. Swindoll

There is a friend who
sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24

A hurry-up lifestyle results in a throwaway culture. Things that should be lasting and meaningful are sacrificed on the altar of the temporary and superficial.

The major fallout in such a setting is the habit of viewing relationships casually. This cavalier attitude cripples society in various ways:

Friends walk away instead of work through.
Partnerships dissolve rather than solve.
Neighbors no longer visit and relax together.
The aged are resented, not honored.
Husbands and wives divorce rather than persevere.
Children are brushed aside rather than nourished.

Relationships! Never sell them short.

If we'll slow down the hurry-up lifestyle for a moment and pause to catch our breath, we'll realize the need to call a halt to our throwaway culture.

[joshgroban]

Commentary
Love letter to Filipinos
By David H. Harwell
Philippine Daily Inquirer
11:39 pm | Sunday, February 17th, 2013
2239 55.2K 52K
I am writing to thank Filipinos for the way you have treated me here, and to pass on a lesson I learned from observing the differences between your culture and mine over the years.
I am an expatriate worker. I refer to myself as an OAW, an overseas American worker, as a bad joke. The work I do involves a lot of traveling and changing locations, and I do it alone, without family. I have been in 21 countries now, not including my own. It was fun at first.  Now, many years later, I am getting tired. The Philippines remains my favorite country of all, though, and I'd like to tell you why before I have to go away again.
I have lived for short periods here, traveled here, and have family and friends here. My own family of origin in the United States is like that of many Americans—not much of a family. Americans do not stay very close to their families, geographically or emotionally, and that is a major mistake. I have long been looking for a home and a family, and the Philippines is the only place I have lived where people honestly seem to understand how important their families are.
I am American and hard-headed. I am a teacher, but it takes me a long time to learn some things. But I've been trying, and your culture has been patient in trying to teach me.
In the countries where I've lived and worked, all over the Middle East and Asia, it is Filipinos who do all the work and make everything happen. When I am working in a new company abroad, I seek out the Filipino staff when I need help getting something done, and done right. Your international reputation as employees is that you work hard, don't complain, and are very capable. If all the Filipinos were to go home from the Middle East, the world would stop. Oil is the lifeblood of the world, but without Filipinos, the oil will not come from the ground, it will not be loaded onto the ships, and the ships will not sail.  The offices that make the deals and collect the payments will not even open in the morning. The schools will not have teachers, and, of course, the hospitals will have no staff.
What I have seen, that many of you have not seen, is how your family members, the ones who are overseas Filipino workers, do not tell you much about how hard their lives actually are. OFWs are very often mistreated in other countries, at work and in their personal lives. You probably have not heard much about how they do all the work but are severely underpaid, because they know that the money they are earning must be sent home to you, who depend on them.  The OFWs are very strong people, perhaps the strongest I have ever seen. They have their pictures taken in front of nice shops and locations to post on Facebook so that you won't worry about them. But every Pinoy I have ever met abroad misses his/her family very, very much.
I often pity those of you who go to America. You see pictures of their houses and cars, but not what it took to get those things. We have nice things, too many things, in America, but we take on an incredible debt to get them, and the debt is lifelong.  America's economy is based on debt. Very rarely is a house, car, nice piece of clothing, electronic appliance, and often even food, paid for.  We get them with credit, and this debt will take all of our lifetime to pay. That burden is true for anyone in America—the OFWs, those who are married to Americans, and the Americans themselves.
Most of us allow the American Dream to become the American Trap. Some of you who go there make it back home, but you give up most of your lives before you do. Some of you who go there learn the very bad American habits of wanting too many things in your hands, and the result is that you live only to work, instead of working only to live. The things we own actually own us. That is the great mistake we Americans make in our lives. We live only to work, and we work only to buy more things that we don't need.  We lose our lives in the process.
I have sometimes tried to explain it like this: In America, our hands are full, but our hearts are empty.
You have many problems here, I understand that. Americans worry about having new cars, Filipinos worry about having enough food to eat. That's an enormous difference. But do not envy us, because we should learn something from you. What I see is that even when your hands are empty, your hearts remain full.
I have many privileges in the countries where I work, because I am an expat. I do not deserve these things, but I have them. However, in every country I visit, I see that you are there also, taking care of your families, friends, bosses, and coworkers first, and yourselves last. And you have always taken care of me, in this country and in every other place where I have been.
These are places where I have been very alone, very tired, very hungry, and very worried, but there have always been Filipinos in my offices, in the shops, in the restaurants, in the hospitals, everywhere, who smile at and take good care of me. I always try to let you know that I have lived and traveled in the Philippines and how much I like your country. I know that behind those smiles of yours, here and abroad, are many worries and problems.
Please know that at least one of us expats has seen what you do for others and understands that you have a story behind your smiles. Know that at least one of us admires you, respects you, and thanks you for your sacrifices. Salamat po. Ingat lagi. Mahal ko kayong lahat.
David H. Harwell, PhD, is a former professor and assistant dean in the United States who now travels and works abroad designing language training programs. He is a published author and a son of a retired news editor.

[joshgroban]

Aligned to God's Will
by Charles R. Swindoll

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and he who is wise wins souls.
Proverbs 11:30

If we were asked to respond with yes or no to the question, all of us would say, "Yes, I want to know will."

But doing God's will is another matter entirely, because almost without exception it requires risk and adjustment and change. We don't like that. Even using those words makes us squirm. Experiencing the reality of them is even worse.

We love the familiar.

We love the comfortable.

We love something we can control—something we can get our arms around. Yet the closer we walk with the Lord, the less control we have over our own lives, and the more we must abandon to Him.

To give Him our wills and to align our wills to His will require the abandonment of what we prefer, what we want, or what we would choose.

[joshgroban]

Fun Findings about Sex

Are your feet too cold for climax? A study by the University of Groningen in The Netherlands looked at brain scans during orgasm to see which parts light up and which turn off. In addition to findings on their original purpose, they also reported an interesting result: Both men and women had an easier time reaching orgasm with their socks on, with a 30% increase in climax among those couples who kept their feet cozy.


How cool is the penis? I recently watched a TED talk from research scientist Diane Kelly, who studies "the evolution of copulatory systems and sexual differentiation in the nervous system." Don't worry; I'm not sure what that means either. Except that she has specifically studied mammalian penises and discovered that they are constructed in a unique way. The penis is stretchy like a worm but can also get hard. The general explanation is that blood flows into the penis, causing it to expand and stiffen. But blood flow alone doesn't cause that stiffness, just like a worm can expand but not stiffen. Kelly studied cross-sections of the mammalian penis (go ahead and cringe, guys) and discovered that the fibers in the penile wall were arranged in a way that scientists had never seen in any other "skeletal" structure. In fact, "If the wall around the erectile tissue wasn't reinforced in this way, the shape would change, but the inflated penis would not resist bending and erection simply wouldn't work." The upshot: The penis is uniquely designed by God not only to expand in size, but to maintain the rigidity necessary for intercourse...and no other skeletal system is designed in this way.

Does size matter? While flaccid (aka "limp") penis size varies greatly, erect penises stay pretty much in the range of 4 to 7 inches (10-17 cm). A study by Psychology of Men and Masculinity reported that 68% of men are between 4.6 and 6 inches, and a mere 0.4% are above 6.9 inches (17 1/2 cm) when erect. How much of that can a wife feel? Aroused women have about 4.25 to 4.75 inches (10 1/2-12 cm) of vaginal length, and the most important area for sexual response is the outer one-third...so you guys are just fine.

Penis size among men, by inches.
Want proof that women were meant to enjoy sex? Let me introduce you to the female's clitoris. The clitoris is a knobby bit of flesh above the vagina that is particularly sensitive to touch. The only known purpose of the clitoris is to provide pleasure. It does not assist in reproduction, urination, or menstruation. In fact, the clitoris is the only sex organ devoted solely to hmm-that-feels-so-good. God did not include the clitoris as an afterthought; clearly, He wants us wives to enjoy the gift of sexuality in marriage.

Can't get rid of your hiccups? Try sex. A 1999 case report by Drs. R. and A. Peleg related the incident of a 40-year-old male who was struck with intractable hiccups. After four days of trying everything to get rid of them, he had sex with his wife. The case study stated, "The hiccups continued throughout the sexual interlude up until the moment of ejaculation when they suddenly and completely ceased...." So the next time that glass of water or standing on your head doesn't work, suggest a "sexual interlude" with your spouse.

Feeling down? Maybe you need a natural antidepressant. And that antidepressant would be...semen. Yep. A study by two evolutionary psychologists at the State of University of New York found that women regularly exposed to semen had better mood and fewer depressive symptoms. Apparently, the seminal fluid has mood-elevating compounds (endorphins, estrone, prolactin, oxytocin, thyrotrpin-releasing hormone, and serotonin) and the vagina is very absorbent.

[mang juan]

You Can't Get Through Your 20s Without A Best Friend
OCT. 15, 2012 By RYAN O'CONNELL   

My best friend Caitie has really amazing hair. Like, if she could insure any part of her body, I'm sure she would choose her hair because it's just the most beautiful, natural shade of red I've ever seen. Strangers compliment her on it almost daily. Girls wish they had hair like hers and men want to have sex with it.

When I met Caitie almost ten years ago in our sleepy hometown of Ventura, California, her hair was the first thing I noticed about her. Back then, it looked more like the color of strawberry blonde and it hung low and plain on her back but it was still stunning. Even when she made the unfortunate decision to chop it all off and put bleached blonde chunks in it during our senior year of high school, it still managed to maintain a certain level of beauty.

If you're fortunate enough, you will find a person who sees this world in the exact same way that you do. The second I met Caitie, back when we were both juniors in high school, I was like, "Oh okay, this is a done deal. This person sees things how I see them and will be in my life forever and ever." And I've been right. Together, we've survived break ups, breakdowns, college, traveling Europe, and finally, living together in New York City. I've always had a decent amount of close friends but Caitie has been the one constant in my life. Recently, the term "friend" has become so bastardized that it seems to have lost almost all of its meaning for me. In the immortal words of Fern Mayo in Jawbreaker, "What is a friend anyway?"

To me, a best friend is someone you can take ecstasy or mushrooms with for the first time and guarantee that you won't have a meltdown. A best friend is someone you can take anywhere and rest assured that they'll get along just fine. A best friend is someone who sticks by you even when you do something stupid like date an asshole or become a vegan. A best friend is someone who will tell you honestly when an outfit you're wearing makes you look twenty pounds heavier. A best friend is someone you can be silent with. There should be no pressure or anxiety. All of it should feel effortless.

Caitie is all of those things and more. In the past decade, we've done almost everything together, despite having lived in different states for most of our friendship. After being close friends for only two years in high school, she went to college in Long Beach, California, and I went to school in New York. Somehow though, we managed to still be in each other's lives. I visited Long Beach a few times a year and spent most of my summers in Los Angeles. During the times we'd be apart, we'd talk on the phone constantly. I never felt like I missed out on anything in her life. Even though we were often 3,000 miles away, I still felt like I was right there with her experiencing everything.

A year after we both graduated college, it was decided that Caitie would move to New York and we'd get our own place together. I'm aware that it's usually a bad idea to live with your best friend but I knew Caitie and I would be fine. We had just traveled Europe side by side for two months with little to no incident, so if anyone could survive living together in a cramped apartment in the East Village, it'd be us.

We've lived together for almost a year and a half now and it's been amazing. Sometimes living with a best friend feels like you're having a mirror being reflected back at you. I feel my age with Caitie. I feel every change, or in some cases, the lack of change. Shortly after moving to the city, Caitie found herself in a serious relationship while I put all of my energy into writing. At a superficial glance, it may have seemed like our paths were diverging for the first time but that simply wasn't the case. Caitie could become a born-again Christian and we'd still be BFF's. None of that surface stuff matters with us. However, her relationship did start to make me hyper-aware of my own lackluster love life. One dynamic I've always consciously avoided is the unhealthy Will & Grace-esque friendship. I don't ever want to be the needy gay best friend who gets jealous when their best friend finds a boyfriend. We're not 19 anymore. We're in our mid to late twenties — a time when people are getting into solid relationships and planning their future together. The "roomie culture" of college is long gone.

After dancing around the subject for quite some time, we decided that when our lease ends, Caitie will move in with her boyfriend and I will find my own place again. The decision was basically mutual. I've been thinking more and more about moving back to Los Angeles and Caitie has been spending less and less time at the apartment. Logistically, it just makes sense for us to part ways. That being said, I'm still devastated. Our lease isn't even up till June and I'm already mourning the loss of her. I mean, I know that I'm not "losing her." I know she will always be my best friend no matter what but still, moving out undeniably signals the end of an era. She'll move in with her boyfriend and possibly get engaged and then married while I... continue what I'm doing. I feel like I'm her father walking her down the aisle and passing her on to her boyfriend. "Take good care of her or else!"

I'm ashamed that I feel this way. I'm ashamed that I'm so sad about the prospect of us no longer living together. It makes me feel like a pathetic Mr. Lonelyheart. Plus, I happen to love her boyfriend and their relationship. After dating a string of "WHATEVER" dudes, Caitie has found the peanut butter to her jelly and for that, I'm so, so happy for her. Legitimately!

It's still difficult though. Change usually occurs subtly over time but having your best friend move out to live with her boyfriend is a clear unavoidable sign of "WE ARE GETTING OLDER!" One of my greatest fears is being left behind and this transition clearly feeds into that. There's nothing pretty about it. It's just hard. The key here though is to just not dwell on things and just accept them. You can't fight against change. If you do, you'll just get a black eye.

Caitie and I have seen each other go through everything and this is just another phase of her life that I'm privileged to witness. It's crazy to think of the two us when we were 18 years old and crying about the lame boyfriends we had in high school. It's crazy to think of us being 21, wasted in Vegas, and doing things like going to a male strip club and being too drunk to be let into the nightclub LAX. It's crazy to think of the first night we spent in our apartment, ordering take out, getting stoned and watching a movie. It's crazy to think of how much we've changed as people and still maintained solid common ground.

At the end of the day, I just feel fortunate to be able to go through this life with someone who gets it and will always get it. Life is so messy and difficult. The best you can really hope for is that you have a friend who anchors you and makes you feel safe. It helps if this friend has really great hair too.

source: http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/you-cant-get-through-your-20s-without-a-best-friend/

[joshgroban]

i enjoy reading some articles here...

[joshgroban]

 4 Reasons to Hit the Hay Earlier Tonight

Functioning on six or fewer hours of sleep might be the norm for you, but consistently not getting enough z's can affect your mood and your health. Here are four reasons to make an earlier bedtime a priority.
To avoid weight gain: You wake up groggy from lack of sleep and reach for some kind of edible pick-me-up. Chances are it's sugary or high in fat, which means it's high in calories. Fatigue encourages mindless snacking and more calories consumed, which can lead to an expanding waistline. That coupled with skipped workouts from lack of energy means even more weight gain. A foggy head can also impair your judgment, making you more likely to give in to cravings. If you're trying to lose weight, getting enough sleep can make all the difference.
To prevent heart issues: Lack of sleep raises your blood pressure, putting unnecessary strain on your ticker, which puts you at risk for a heart attack or stroke.
To strengthen your immune system: Your body needs an adequate amount of downtime in order to function normally and to be able to fight illnesses. Getting about eight hours of sleep a night boosts your immune system and can reduce your risk of getting sick.
For a long life: Staying at a healthy weight, preventing heart problems, and having a strong immune system are all linked to living a longer life.

[jelo kid]

nice blog..

http://definitelyfilipino.com/blog/2012/06/04/blog-job-alay-sa-mga-fresh-graduates-na-naghahanap-ng-trabaho-kasalukuyang-nagtatrabaho-at-puro-reklamo-sa-trabaho/

[joshgroban]

Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God.
Matthew 5:8

What is meant by blessed?

Some say it is little more than a synonym for "happy," but it is much deeper than that.

The Greek term that is translated "blessed" was used to describe two different conditions. First, it was used to describe the . . . wealthy who, by virtue of their riches, lived above the normal cares and worries of lesser folk.

Second, the term was also used to describe the condition of the Greek gods who, because they had whatever they desired, existed in an unbelievable state of well-being, satisfaction, and contentment.

[joshgroban]

            
Today's Insight from Chuck Swindoll



Solitude and Serenity
by Charles R. Swindoll



Make your ear attentive to wisdom,
incline your heart to understanding.
Proverbs 2:2



An inner restlessness grows within us when we refuse to get alone [with God] and examine our own hearts, including our motives.

As our lives begin to pick up the debris that accompanies a lot of activities and involvements, we can train ourselves to go right on, to stay active, to be busy in the Lord's work.

Unless we discipline ourselves to pull back, to get alone for the hard work of self-examination in times of solitude, serenity will remain only a distant dream. 

How busy we can become . . . and as a result, how empty! We mouth words, but they mean nothing. We find ourselves trafficking in unlived truths. We fake spirituality.

How easy to fall prey to meaningless talk, cliché-ridden responses, and mindless activities! It was never meant to be that way; but, more often than not, that's the way it is.

To break the habit, solitude is required. The hard work of self-examination on a recurring basis is absolutely essential.

[joshgroban]

The kingdom of God is a life of faith based on hope and energized by love.

[joshgroban]

In his time shall the righteous flourish; *
     there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall
     be no more.....in his time ....