Category: Journal

Sometimes, God Affirms in the Most Unlikely Places

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A funny thing happened last Saturday while the four of us were grocery shopping. Landmark was closing and we had to rush, so my husband and I had to split, him with Dawn and me with Rain.

So as I was pushing my cart through an isle of biscuits, a tall guy approached me. It would have been really creepy if he wasn’t carrying an adorable baby girl. He asked me, “Hello. Are you the one on Instagram, the one who’s selling Passion Cards?” I stared at him blankly with a dozen questions in my head, but his wife, standing behind him with their two other kids, jumped in to say “Hi, I’m Patti. I ordered some passion cards!”

The oddity of her recognizing me and Rain, and of us being in the same place at the same time was just, crazy. Good for her, she didn’t have to make a trip to the bank, she just paid me for the cards she ordered right there and then. Good for me, though it started out a bit weird, it ended up to be an affirmation that this *thing* is really going places! It reminded me that my labor is not in vain, and encouraged me to reach out and inspire more people with His Word and for His glory.

Hello, Patti, if you’re reading this. It was great meeting you, even in the weirdest of ways :)

Trust, Hide, Rest, and the Brook of Cherith

Rhiza2 Comments

There were a lot of unusual things that happened today. Like, actually resting on a Sunday, staying home, trading our Sunday best to pairs of pajamas, not working. I cooked lunch, D gave the girls a bath, we changed their diapers, fed them, sang them songs, watched Big Hiro 6, and when it was time for an afternoon nap, rubbed their tiny feet (just one of their many weird habits) until they fell asleep.

I spent some time in front of my laptop while the girls and their daddy napped, and I’m proud to report that I didn’t check my inbox or did anything related to work at all.

The four of us were feeling a bit under the weather the whole week. Some cold virus has come upon this house—first the twins, then their Daddy, and hopefully the cycle ends with me.

This day of rest did us good.

Although I feel like I disappointed some people, failed to show up where I was expected to show up, missed some deadlines and most likely a couple of emails too, I’m glad we made a deliberate choice to rest and be still today. To be quiet and allow God to speak to us, not from the church’s pulpit, but with His quiet reassurances throughout the day—

I am here. I’m with you. Wait on me. Trust in me. Rest in me. Be healed.

Time and time again I am reminded that there’s wisdom in being away from where the action is, taking the opposite direction, saying NO to many so that I can say YES to what truly matters, choosing rest over work, less over more. It’s one of the hardest lessons I had to learn since I became a wife and a mother. I had to make hard choices, unpopular ones, the kind that not a lot of people understood.

Truth is, I’m still learning. Admittedly, sometimes God has to knock me down with some cold virus so that I would be forced to rest, to listen.

Few years ago I learned about this place called “Brook of Cherith”. God instructed Elijah to go to a place of solitude and confinement and without a moment of hesitation, Elijah obeyed Him. That story wrecked me. Elijah was, after all, one of the greatest prophets ever told, and aren’t prophets supposed to be in the frontline and not in some hideout?

The Brook of Cherith totally changed the way I see obedience. It dawned on me that obeying God doesn’t always mean going into battle, doing BIG things for Him, meeting expectations.

Often, obedience requires quite the opposite—

Step away from the spotlight. Swim against the tide. Say NO. Trust. Hide. Rest.

Pray, He Listens

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itstimetogetonyourknees

It’s easy to forget to pray, but time and time again I realize how brilliant praying to God is. Seriously. Praying is not just spiritual, it’s also in a way, practical.

I can’t anymore recall the number of times I have so much to do and I would feel paralyzed and helpless and unmotivated. I would spend time in prayer (or sometimes spend time in silence just listening to what He has to say, knowing that the Spirit translates those thoughts that are too deep for words). And then I would feel strengthened and inspired to carry on with the tasks for the day. Works every time.

So Pray! Pray even when you’re so busy.. *especially* when you’re so busy. He listens. He responds. He speaks.

Currently 02: Crepes, Tea, and Stories of Faith

Rhiza2 Comments

La Creperie Moderne

Crepes, tea, dreams and stories of faith—Those are exactly what we feasted on when I met up with Karen, Bea, and Kat one Monday afternoon at La Creperie Moderne in Makati. It was one week after the first gathering of Pursuit Manila, and because Bea and Kat couldn’t make it to the launch, we thought we’d have our own little after-party!

Aside from our love for crepes and tea and great conversations, we share the same love and passion for God, and the same desire to create so that we can reflect back to our Creator His work in us. Karen and I only met Bea and Kat that afternoon, and yet somehow, it felt like we’ve known each other for a while. I guess being around kindred spirits really does that to you, like you speak the same language or something.  Continue reading “Currently 02: Crepes, Tea, and Stories of Faith” →

My One Word for 2015: Pursue

Rhiza13 Comments

pursue

I knew what my word was going to be few days before 2014 ended, and the first few days of 2015 brought me major affirmations that this, indeed, is THE word.

But first, let’s talk about passion.

Last year I faced my fears and chose a word that kept me on my toes the whole year: passion. I told myself I was done with just settling with what’s convenient, or forcing myself to do things just because people expected me to do them. It was time to purge my life with the word “passion” as my *breathe* ultimate qualifier.

So 2014 was the year I rekindled my passion for everything that God has called me to do in this particular season of my life—as a wife, a mother, a breadwinner, a homemaker, a daughter, a sister, a friend (in that order, too!). It was the year I started to pursue things that make me restless at night, things that wake me up early in the morning eager to start the day. Anything short of passion was not good enough.

Which also meant I had to let go of things that held me back from spreading my wings, stuff that boxed me up and conflicted with the values we want to uphold as a family, commitments that were not bad at all but essentially were not the best for us. Others may not have understood some of the choices my husband and I made last year, but we turned to God for direction and His affirmations kept us going and made us strong. In the end it gave us more time and space for the things that truly matter, for family, and for His true calling for us.

And now, this passionate pursuit continues.

PURSUE

This year my one word is PURSUE. I intentionally picked a verb because I want this year to be a year packed with action. Now that I’ve identified my passions, my God-given calling and skills, the industry I find myself relevant in, the work that I really enjoy doing, and the relationships that matter, it’s time for me to pursue them (or to keep pursuing them). I’ve had a lot of planning and dreaming already, and now is the time to get the ball rolling, to translate those plans to action, and to make those dreams happen.

This year I’m going to..

Pursue God more.
Pursue my calling.
Pursue my passions and dreams.
Pursue what truly matters. 

Continue reading “My One Word for 2015: Pursue” →

Currently 01: Arts, Crafts, and Discovering 10a Alabama

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10a Alabama

D and I went to 10a Alabama for the first time last August 3, and although it was just a quick stopover, I came home with a smile of a girl who just discovered a secret, magical place. I’ve heard a lot about 10a Alabama so it was quite a treat when we finally got a chance to go, and during a Handmade Arts and Crafts fair no less.

I say, you can’t come out of a place (or an event!) like that and not feel inspired to create something beautiful. The last two frames in the collage above are some of the things I took home with me—a notebook and a set of buttons from Ella Lama, some washi tapes from Hey Kessy, and a bag of ground beans from Cordillera Coffee.

Here are some independent artists at the 10a Alabama Fair that caught my attention:

Cordillera Coffee. Surprise, surprise, a college friend of mine (Iona) and her husband were manning the booth, and aside from the mini reunion we had back there, I also took home a bag of ground coffee which I love love looove. Best of all, by buying and drinking their coffee, you support native coffee growers in the province of Cordillera. Double win.

Ella Lama has the most adorable notebooks and buttons and post cards. All her designs are hand drawn and you can really tell they are made with love.

Nikita‘s line of handmade jewelries are sooo adorable I actually regret I didn’t purchase that one necklace I really loved!

Gawa ni Femi is one of the reasons I wanted to go in the first place. I wanted to buy some succulents but her products were sold out by the time we got there! Crazy.

These Bags by Rubbertree are awesome.

And well, Hey Kessy needs no introductions.

Check out these independent artists and support the handmade movement here in the country!