Entries for March, 2005

March 2nd, 2005

Candles of Truth


kikomontesena
By Robert J.Morgan, ("Candles"- orig.title)
Book: "From This Verse" Copyright 1998 by Robert J.Morgan.
Adapted from Candles Behind the Wall by Barbara Von Der Heydt
* jgat

CANDLES OF TRUTH

On August 1991, Communist hardliners in Moscow, angry with their loss of
Eastern Europe, seized control of the Soviet government while Michael
Gorbachev was in the Crimea. Boris Yeltsin and the Russian parliament were
trapped in the parliament building as thousands of brave citizens gathered
outside, forming a human barricade. Tanks and troops ringed the building,
and the world held its breath.

Here's what the newspapers didn't report. According to Barbara Von
Der Heydt in her book Candles Behind the Wall, when news of the coup broke,
Iven Kharlanov and Anatoly Rudenko of the Bible society in Moscow discussed
how to persuade the troops not to fire on protesters. They called Bible
Societies around the world asking prayer, then plotted a bold scheme.

Just as the storming of parliament appeared imminent, they showed up
with a truck loaded with New Testaments. Christians went from soldier to
soldier and from tank to tank, handing out the Scripture and quoting Exodus
20:13. One woman, Shirinai Dossova, walked over to one of the tanks and
knocked loudly on its side with her knuckles. She continued until the
baffled driver opened the hatch and appeared. "It says in this book that
you shouldn't kill," she said, thrusting the Bible at him. "Are you going
to kill us?"

The young soldier looked confused, He took the Bible, saying, "We're
not intending to kill anybody."

Almost all the soldiers accepted the proffered Testaments. Some
tucked them in their pockets while others began reading at once. Many had
always wanted a Bible but had never seen one. And with each Bible came the
question, "You're not really going to kill us, are you? This book says,
'Thou shalt not kill.' "

The coup collapsed, the Communist empire crushed to the ground -- and
historians are still pondering why the expected attack on the parliament
building never materialized.

--------------------------------------------------
* Lord, thank You for Your Holy Book,
Our constant protection and guide;
Inspire me daily to spread Your Word--
Eternal candles of truth it provides.
--------------------------------------------------


Posted by kikomontesena at 08:16 AM | 1 comments

March 3rd, 2005

Comparisons


kikomontesena
y Lens Wood
excerpted from "Life Application Family Devotions"

COMPARISONS

It's not easy being the kid brother of Carol Aswell.
Carol is a brain. She's never made a B in her life. Her teachers
love her, and they remind Barry of that fact all the time. (He would be
thrilled to make all Bs)
Carol is multi-talented. She plays piano and sings really well. She
can also act and cook. Barry on the other hand, is talented primarily in
the area of playing video games.
Carol is going and popular. She's always being elected "class
favorite" or "class secretary," and belongs to a number of clubs.
Not Barry. He's painfully shy and has only two or three friends.
Barry's parents try not to compare him to his sister, but sometimes
they can hardly help themselves.They just wish he would get excited about
something.

Why do we compare people? What are the dangers of being compared? of
comparing ourselves to others?
When you do your best, you feel good about the results. There is no
need to compare yourself to others. People make comparisons for many
reasons. Some point out others' flaws in order to feel better about
themselves. Others simply want reassurance that they are doing well. When
you are tempted to compare, look at Jesus Christ. Ask only whether you are
striving towards His goals for you (Galatians 6:4). Set your sites on His
example. This will inspire you to do your best, and His loving acceptance
will comfort you when you fall short of your expectations.
There is no great revelation, but every child is different. Each one
is a unique masterpiece. Our goal as parents is to help our children be the
people God made them to be...
Posted by kikomontesena at 07:54 AM | Add a Comment


kikomontesena
mag-isa na naman ako dito sa parisukat kong opisina. Malayo nga sa ingay pero kung anu-ano naman pumapasok sa kukote ko. Ni hindi magampanan ng maayos ang trabaho dahil may kumkiliti sa utak ko na pwedeng gawin kapag mag-isa. Hay nakupo, puro kalibugan na naman umaandar dito sa pesteng berdeng utak na ito.

Dadaanin ko na lang sa tula. Dito ko lang naiiwas ang sarili sa pagsasariling sikap kapag mag-isa bwahahahahhaahaha. ang haly halay ko na. Pasensya na sa papasyal dito.
Posted by kikomontesena at 11:03 AM | Add a Comment

March 7th, 2005

Enjoying friends


kikomontesena
ENJOYING FRIENDS

"Friends are an oasis on life's island." -author unknown
[img:541629]
I awoke today to find an email from a friend. Numerous times I began my day
in this way, with a cup of coffee in one hand, and my computer mouse in the
other, but this morning it really dawned on me how enriching
friendships can be to our life. How nice it is to know that someone thinks
enough of you to want to share their thoughts with you. What a good feeling
it is to see that another human being is praying for us, and wishing us the
best life has to offer.

As the above quote conveys, like an oasis, godly friendship can assist our
life by quenching our need for social interaction, which, in essence, is
the connecting of two individuals who enjoy and care for each other. A
healthy friendship may also assist by providing the individuals with a
support system of sorts, and when one friend is in danger of falling, the
other person is there to gently guide him back to safety. Friends should be
a safety net, not a threat.

While some relationships can be draining and emotionally or spiritually
unhealthy, it is important we chose our friends wisely. Friendship should
be edifying, and allow both individuals to seek higher levels of godliness.

During my numerous years on the Internet, I have had the honor of making
several good friends who have made lasting impressions both on my life, and
in my spiritual walk. It took time and effort to sift through the weeds in
order to find the flowers, but the sweet fragrance of true brotherhood
shined through. I use the term "brotherhood" because if a friendship is an
honor, and not a displeasure to God, then can not friendship be likened
unto the uniting of brothers and sisters who are all members of the family
of God?

I say, "yes," and this is why I encourage you today to reevaluate
relationships in your life, and to ask yourself if they are drawing you
nearing or farther from the Lord. While you are considering that, won't you
also ponder the importance of a relationship with your Creator? If we
desire healthy associations who we can regard as brothers and sisters, then
let us first belong to the same family. The body of Christ.

Contributed by Melanie Schurr, Copyright © 1998 Melanie Schurr

Posted by kikomontesena at 12:32 PM | Add a Comment

March 8th, 2005

The Right Word for SEX


kikomontesena
" THE RIGHT WORD FOR SEX "

Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to
Cain. She said, "With the help of
the LORD I have brought forth a man." (Genesis 4:1)

It's amazing how creative parents can become when it's time to explain the
facts of life to a child, especially in the vocabulary they choose. A
parent says to their child, "This is your chin. This is your neck. That's
your stomach. That's your ...oogieboogiewagaboogie!" I've really heard some
pretty funny names for human anatomy - words invented by red-faced parents,
but not recognized by any doctor on earth. Of course, they're better than a
lot of the words our children come home from school asking about. But when
it comes to sex, it's important to use the right words - especially one.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "The
Right Word For Sex."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the Inventor of sex, who
is, of course, God Himself. Our world seems to have forgotten who invented
sex - and that the Inventor knows best. In the first experience of sexual
love in human history, Genesis 4:1 (our word for today from the Word of
God) says, "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived." Now this is sex
as it was meant to be, still unspoiled, still the best. And the word God
uses to describe it is "know."

When two people come together physically, it's designed to be the ultimate
knowing. When two people have sex that isn't an expression of a deep,
intimate friendship and commitment, they aren't going all the way - they're
only going a small part of the way. That's not ultimate knowing!

The Hebrew word for "know" here is "yadah." It conveys the intimacy of two
people who know each other as they really are - a deep, personal, intimate,
experiential knowledge of another person. That's why God designed this kind
of bonding to be for a lifetime commitment, confined within the protective
fence He calls marriage.

Ironically, when you take sex out of marriage, it actually slows down the
knowing process. The physical tends to take over the relationship. The
relationship becomes more self-centered. A couple stops talking and focuses
on the physical. And, as a result, too many people end up married to a
stranger -- someone whose body they know, but not their heart. Because so
many relationships between men and women have been so physical, a lot of
those relationships are strangely lonely. With sex dominating so many
relationships, a lot of men and women have never developed a friendship --
and maybe never will.

When the physical starts to take over, it often masks serious weaknesses
and dangers in the relationship -
hormones make you blind. Consequently, many people have married the wrong
person because their passion blinded them. It actually kept them from
really knowing their partner. And they made a lifelong mistake.

Remember how the Inventor designed sex: two people bonded in a lifetime
knowing experience, expressing it through the unparalleled intimacy of sex.
Anything less is a cheap, twisted, ultimately disillusioning counterfeit.
If you've made that mistake, there's a Savior who died for every sin,
including our sexual sin, who will forgive it if you'll repent of it - and
He'll begin to restore your emotional and spiritual virginity. Don't settle
for anything less than Designer love where the right word for sex is
K-N-O-W. Know - as in knowing your best friend forever.

Posted by kikomontesena at 08:13 AM | 3 comments

All About Acceptance


kikomontesena
Body: A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home
after having fought in Vietnam.He called his parents from San
Francisco.

"Mom and Dad,I'm coming home,but Ive a favor to ask.I have a friend
Id like to bring home with me."

"Sure,"they replied,"we'd love to meet him."

"There's something you should know the son continued,"He was hurt
pretty badly in the fighting.He stepped on a land mind and lost an
arm and a leg.He has no where else to go, and I want him to come live
with us."

Im sorry to hear that,son.Maybe we can help him find somewhere to
live."

"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."

"Son,"said the father,"you dont know what your asking.Someone with
such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us.We have our own
lives to live,and we can't let something like this interfere with our
lives.I think you should just come home and forget about this
guy.He'll find a way to live on his own."

>At that point,the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing
more from him.

A few day's later, however, they received a call from San Francisco
police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were
told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents
flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify
the body of their son.

They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered
something they didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parentsin the story are like many of us.We find it easy to love
those who are good-looking or fun to have around,but we don't like
people who inconvenience us or make us fell uncomfortable.We would
rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or
smart as we are.Thankfully, there's someone who wont treat us that
way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us
into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.

Tonight, before you tuck your self in for the night, say a little
praer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people
as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who
are different from us!!! There's a miracle called Friendship. That
dwells in the heart You dont know how it happens or when it gets
started but you know the special lift it always brings and you
realize that Friendship is God's most precious gift! Friends are a
very rare jewel,indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to
succeed they lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they
always want to open their heart to us.

A human is like a box sometimes it's very colourful and beautiful
from the outside but empty from the inside,sometimes it's not so
beautiful from out side but the iside it's full great feelings and
it's up to a wise person to choose.
Posted by kikomontesena at 09:58 AM | 1 comments

Patwa lang


kikomontesena
>BREAK KA MUNA D'YAN MS. BEAUTIFUL!!!
> >
> >Q: What's the difference between LIGHT & HARD ?
> >A: U can sleep with the LIGHT on but u can't sleep w/a
HARD on !
> > _____
> >Q : Ano ang pagkakaiba ng SANITARY NAPKIN sa BRA ?
> >A : Sa Sanitary napkin parang wala kahit meron,
samantalang sa bra
> parang meron kahit wala !
> > -------
> >ANAK : Tays ! kakains nas tayos !
> >TATAY : Hoy ! Tigilan mo yang kalalagay mo ng ' S ' sa
mga sinasabi mo
> ha ! Ano ba ang ulam ?
> >ANAK: BANGU na may KAMATI, ARDINA na may IBUYA !
> >-------
> >BISAYA 1 : Unsay ibig sabihon ng " cooling place " ?
> >BISAYA 2 : Pag-naga ring ang fon, sabihin mo " Hilow, hus
cooling place ?
"
> > -------
> >A man wanted to buy bra for his wife but doesn't know the
size.
> >SALESGIRL: " Is it as big as papaya ? "
> >MAN: " No "
> >SALESGIRL : " an apple "
> >MAN: " No "
> >SALESGIRL : " ahh..an egg ? "
> >MAN: " YES , but fried ! "
> > -------
> >GIRL 1 : Halata na tiyan mo, bakit di pa kayo magpakasal
ng BF mo?
> >GIRL 2 : Ayaw ng pamilya niya eh !
> >GIRL 1 : Sino may ayaw, tatay o nanay niya ?
> >GIRL 2 : yung misis niya !
> >-------
> >BF : Sweetie, pwede ko bang ipasok ang aking pag-ibig sa
butas ng iyong
> pagmamahal ?
> >GF : Sobra ka namang magsalita.nakakabuntis ka ng
damdamin !
> >-------
> >SweetHearts making love ..
> >GF : " Luv, alam mo ikaw lang ang naikama ko "
> >BF : Sweet mo naman luv !
> >GF : Oo, kasi, yung iba, sa CR, Sala, Kusina at kung saan
saan pa !
> >-------
> >MAN: I want a birthday present for my wife.
> >SALESLADY: How long have u been married sir ?
> >MAN : 22 yrs !
> >SALESLADY: Bargain basement is on the left.
> >------
> >MAN 1 : Kinakausap mo ba misis mo habang nakikipag-sex ka
?
> >MAN 2 : Hindi ah ! pinapatay ko nga celfon ko para di
niya ako matawagan.
> >
> > -------
> >BOY 1 : Why did u run away from the naked lady ?
> >BOY 2 : coz' my mom said that if I look at a naked lady I
will turn to
> stone
> > & a part of me was already getting hard like stone.
> >-------
> >Q : Ano ang pagkakaiba ng mag-syota at mag-asawa ?
> >A: SYOTA - " Excuse me, lalayo tapos uutot " !
> > ASAWA: " Uutot muna, lalayas tapos wala pang " excuse me
"
> > ------
> >Q:How can I spell s_ccess w/o " U " ? or c_te? or h_mble?
or f_ck ,
> s_cker, p_ki ? haaay. p_tang ina.
> > What will I do w/o " U " !
> > ------
> >GUY 1 : Noong, nakaraang buwan, isinama ko syota ko sa
bahay ng lolo
> kong milyonaryo para makilala nito.
> >GUY 2 : Anong nangyari ?
> >GUY 1 : Lola ko na siya ngayon !
> >------
> >Tarzan & animals went to the river to take a bath.
> >When Tarzan took off his clothes, all animals laughed
> >When Tarzan asked " WHY ? "
> >Animals said : " Ur tail is in front! "
> >------
> >JOE : Kumusta bakasyon boy ?
> > BOY : Masama, sabado pilay manok ni tyong, ulam namin
tinola..
> >linggo pilay baboy, ulam namin litson, kanina napilay si
tyong, ulam
> namin hindi ko inalam,
> >kain ako sa labas
> > ------
> >2 wives are buying gulay at a local market .
> >WIFE 1 : Everytime I see potatoes naaalala ko ang itlog
ng mister ko.
> >WIFE 2 : Wow ! ganyan kalaki ?
> >WIFE 2 : Hindi, ganyan kadumi !
> >-------
> >Q: Why do women wear black panties ?
> >A : For the memory of those who got buried inside !
> >Q: Why do men have to wear white briefs ?
> >A : To pretend that it's pure & never been buried !
> >-------
> >PRESCRIPTION :
> >For Headaches : UNTOGMODON
> >For Toothaches : TIISCYN
> >For Unfaithful Husband : FUTULYN
> >For Maniac : CAPONYN
> >-------
> >KOSA 1: Ganda kotse o Siguro kay meyor yan!
> >KOSA 2: Dili, bay!
> >KOSA 1: Ah, kay Warden.
> >KOSA 2: Tunto! Kay Father yan, nakasulat na nga sa likod
" SAFARI "
> >-------
> >Farmer ordered a MILKING MACHINE ..tried it on his
> >penis & had a wonderful orgasm but couldn't remove
> >it so he read the manual & fainted. It said " AUTO
RELEASE AFTER 2
> GALLONS !"
Posted by kikomontesena at 03:13 PM | 1 comments

March 10th, 2005

Of Desperation and Choice


kikomontesena
just a thought: of desperation and choice

You just have to bounce back..you simply have to.  

Living today's world could be a trying ordeal. It is never too easy to remain optimistic when our society seems so bleak and dreary. The economic slump, chaos and political disparity among many other things, are just too much. Let alone handling things that a teenager goes through altogether.That's why it is not surprising to find so many people, including teens, going wayward and ending up lost in desperation. Some even taking extreme measures of cutting their lives short.

Everyone is faced with different sets of challenges. Everyone feels the pain and hardship. We only experienced them at varying degrees and different severities. They are all valid. But they are never reasons enough for us to fail to look for those silver threads that line our dark and heavy clouds. They are never reasons for us to give up the fight; to stop living.

Easy for me to say huh? If you think that I have lived my 24 years in a bed of roses, then you thought wrong. I had more than my fair share of midnight. And I, too, attempted to take that "desperate measure". But I lived to write. And for that alone I am grateful.

I would at least have a glimpse, an insight on what goes on in the head of one who would want to stop his breath and sleep for eternity at will. Again, it's not because I am assumptive, but because I have once entertained similar ideas...

Apparently, not everyone gets to snap out of it. The feelings of helplessness could be as addicting as morphine. It creeps in and eats you up unknowingly, ever so slowly like a cancer. That is if you let it!.
There is one strong thought I have kept playing in my head for years now. And it has kept me going. That thought is that  "I HAVE A CHOICE."  And so do you. You could choose to be helpless or you could choose to help yourself and eventually help others to help you.  You could choose to be a victim or a survivor.
You could choose to live life and see its beauty despite the many events that obscures the scenic view. You could choose to respect pain and knowledge and then choose again to move on. Or you could choose to allow in depression, rot and be consumed by emotional and spiritual maggots. You could choose to accept the things that happen; choose to let go and look ahead to a brighter tomorrow. Or you could choose to droop your head and let your spirit plummet onto doom.

And if you are in despair, you could choose to snap out of it. you could make that choice right this very moment. If you think you are too weak to make that choice, then that is your choice. But you also have a choice to change your mind. It all begins with one thought. A single thought, a single choice could create a myriad of difference.

More often than not, the negativity that surrounds us, influences us to shun the amazing occurrences in our lives. There is no small or big part in the great big drama called "life."  We are all students in this big school we call universe; we are all learning. and should difficulty arise, dropping out is never the solution.
All that we need is all that we are. Everything that we longed and searched for have always been a part us, our truest selves.

Perhaps, you'd say that this is rubbish and that you are too young to understand. Then at least, know that you are never too young to appreciate. Rekindle the emotions of marvel and awe you had when you were a child so innocent. The joy that you felt when you first experienced the beach's sands beneath your feet; the sensation of your first scoop of ice cream, your spine tingling first kiss perhaps?

Hold those thoughts for a few moments more. Then let me leave you these questions for you to ponder upon: Aren't they the best that life offers for free if not for a minimal fee?  Aren't they enough reasons for you to keep your head up and face each challenge with knowledge that you'd survive?  Are you not the fastest and ablest among those millions of other sperms which vied to fertilize the ovum? Does taking your life really make you a winner?  Or the loser?
 
Again, your answers are coupled with choices.  And your life is too precious to waste.  So choose wisely. I made my choice....so what's yours?
Posted by kikomontesena at 08:12 AM | 2 comments

Bday sign ko ito. malapit na.


kikomontesena
Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 20)
A warrior at heart, you thrive on challenges and any strife and dramas, you are tempted to stir things up, just to keep yourself happy. You are also rather intolerant of mistakes and don't have patience for weakness or failings in others. And sometimes, you can be quite a snob as well you like to be seen at the right places or wear the right clothes. And you're also prone to bossiness. Your restless nature may make you quit a project suddenly if you can't sustain the interest.

Advice:
Get off your high horse and pay your dues before people will accept you. Learn to be more tolerant of others and try to see the other person's side of the story. If you believe in what you do, you can move mountains.

Posted by kikomontesena at 04:12 PM | Add a Comment

March 15th, 2005

Learning to Run


kikomontesena
* From Louis C. Lim

                         LEARNING TO RUN

The two-year old likes to run.

It warms my heart when I see his funny movements as he runs.
It also scares me because young children have a tendency to fall
very easily.

I was out shopping with my sons when the two-year old started to
run.

He fell.

If you are a parent, you completely understand the phrase,
"It hurts you more than it does them." There is something that
pain is worse than physical torment -- to see your little one hurt.
He skinned his knee and elbow. He cried for a few minutes and
finally with the soothing of Daddy, quieted down.

We are like my two-year old.

There are so many areas of life where we must run:
some by choice, some by the force of circumstances.
There are so many new things.
There are so many times when our steps are unsure and we are not
experienced runners.

The older I get, the more I understand how a Divine Father can
let us go through some things and fall. I was tempted to stop
my son when I saw him run. I knew that sooner or later, if not
that day then one day, he would fall.

I also knew that if he was to ever learn how to run, he must
fall, and often I had to watch him do it.

I fell in business several times before I was able to run.

I fell in relationships several times before I had sense enough
to stop looking for perfection and know that we all have faults.

Even your second child is reared differently from the first
because you learn some things from falling with that first one.

I fell off of my bicycle.
I fell off of my motorcycle.
I fell on skates (roller and ice).
I even choked a few times while learning to swim.

We often fall when learning to run the things of life.

Too often bruises stop us from ever trying to run again.
We are afraid that we will slip and get hurt.
We are afraid of the pain.

My son runs much better now. I still wince when I see him run
on a hard surface but he won't stop running.

At only two, he has one of the keys of life.

He won't stop running just because he fell.

Your bruises will heal, you will get up,
and the path will still be there.

Though at times you may not think it so,
the Divine Father is still watching over you.

He just knows that he has to let you fall,
if you are ever to learn to run.
Posted by kikomontesena at 07:44 AM | Add a Comment

March 16th, 2005

A Word Can Do it


kikomontesena
    SOMETIMES JUST A WORD CAN DO IT *

Just a few words can make something better or worse.

In the country church of a small village, an altar boy serving at Sunday Mass accidentally dropped the cruet of wine. The village priest dismissed the altar boy in a gruff voice, thinking the boy wasn't taking his role seriously, "Leave the altar." The altar boy grew up to be Tito, the Communist leader.

In the cathedral of a large city, an altar boy serving the Bishop at Sunday Mass accidentally dropped the cruet of wine. With a warm twinkle in his eyes, the Bishop gently whispered, "Someday you will be a priest." That boy grew up to become the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

Think of the fantastic power of words. This is not to say that the entire life pattern for these men was set by the incident at the altar. Much more goes into making a life. But it is true that life can turn on a hinge of words spoken. With the words we speak, we can add to the burden of life or lift the cares from the shoulders of another. Handicapping often occurs because we have allowed others to dictate our future or, by our own words, have hindered those to whom we speak. The blind golfer had worked to overcome his handicap and, in fact, turned it to an advantage.
                                                        
How about lifting someone's burden this fall with a kind, encouraging word? Who knows whom you may be talking, or who they may become because of it!

-------------------------------------------
If someone sees the best in me,
I make the best my goal;
His faith that God will strengthen me
Encourages my soul.**
Posted by kikomontesena at 08:09 AM | Add a Comment


kikomontesena
Important list

       The most destructive habit.........................Worry  

       The greatest Joy...........................................Giving  

       The greatest loss.........................Loss of self-respect  

       The most satisfying work.............Helping others  

       The ugliest personality trait......................Selfishness  

       The most endangered species........Dedicated leaders  

       Our greatest natural resource......................Our youth  

       The greatest "shot in the arm"....Encouragement  

       The greatest problem to overcome.....................Fear  

       The most effective sleeping pill........Peace of mind  

       The most crippling failure disease........Excuses  

       The most powerful force in life.......................Love  

       The most dangerous pariah....................A gossiper  

       The world's most incredible computer.....The brain  

       The worst thing to be without...................... Hope  

       The deadliest weapon..........................The tongue  

       The two most power-filled words.............."I Can"  

       The greatest asset...................................Faith   
 

       The most worthless emotion.....................Self-pity  

       The most beautiful attire............................SMILE!  

       The most prized possession....................Integrity  

      The most powerful channel of communication 
                                               
       ..........................Prayer

       The most contagious spirit...................Enthusiasm  

       The most important thing in life.......................GOD   
 

       Everyone needs this list to live by...pass it along!!!

Posted by kikomontesena at 08:30 AM | Add a Comment

March 18th, 2005

Beauty Secret


kikomontesena

BEAUTY SECRETS

"Rachel was lovely in form and beautiful." (Genesis 29:17)

Rachel was, in today's parlance, a head turner, a beauty queen. She

quickly caught the eye of Jacob, who found her so desirable that he agreed

to work seven years for her father in order to marry her.

And yet, if we look beyond Rachel's figure and face to her underlying

character, we see some unattractive qualities. First, she is portrayed as

jealous and demanding. When she learned she was unable to bear children,

her complaining and accusing sent Jacob into a rage.

Second, she is pictured as desperate and conniving. Rather than trusting

God to provide her with children in His timing, she tried to "help God out"

by sending her servant girl to bed with Jacob. She is seen stealing

religious artifacts from her father and then lying about her involvement in

the theft. All in all, the Scriptures do not point a pretty picture of

this pretty woman!

The lesson of Rachel is especially relevant to people who live in a culture

obsessed by youth and glamour. Keep in mind that outer loveliness quickly

fades. Inner beauty is far more critical to God, and He makes that

character available to anyone who is filled with the Spirit of God. The

longer and closer we walk with God, the more attractive we become.

It's possible to be good looking and not very attractive at the same time.

______________________________

Beauty does not last in a pretty face,

For outer loveliness, in age does fade;

But inner beauty, as time goes by

Stays lovely in the beholder's eyes. *
Posted by kikomontesena at 08:27 AM | 1 comments

March 22nd, 2005

How to be a friend


kikomontesena

How To Be A Friend

Read: Proverbs 27:6-17

A man who has friends must himself be friendly. —Proverbs 18:24

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

----

Our daughter Melissa had many friends during her high school days. One of

her best friends was Katie. After Melissa's death in a car accident, Katie

told us how they had become friends.

Katie was the new girl in school in fifth grade, having transferred from

California. She felt alone and awkward and out of place—until one day early

in her first year. That's when Melissa noticed her sitting alone on the bus.

Mell got up from her seat, sat down next to Katie, and started asking

questions. They sat next to each other every day from then on and became

inseparable friends for the next 7 years.

Our world has so many people who need just one act of love to change their

lives. These people may not think they fit in, or they may be facing turmoil

that makes them feel all alone. Sometimes all we need to do is extend a

hand, offer a smile, or speak a word of encouragement. As believers, we know

and experience the love of God (1 John 3:16), so we are especially able to

reach out to people and share that love.

There are enough people to go around so that everyone can have friends.

Let's take the initiative to make sure no one is left out. —Dave Branon

 

I went outside to find a friend

But could not find one there;

I went outside to be a friend,

And friends were everywhere! —Payne

When you see someone in need, be a friend in deed.
Posted by kikomontesena at 10:24 AM | Add a Comment

March 28th, 2005


kikomontesena

" I'VE GOT TO GET RID OF IT "

Dear God,

Please help me overcome jealousy. It's like a sickness, it torments

me, and yet there is an awful fascination about it too. I almost crave the

pain and that's what scares me. I've got to get rid of it, God, or my life

will be ruined.

I'm jealous of my sister, all the attention she gets, her popularity.

I'm jealous of my friends, I don't want them to like each other, only

me. And this boy,--I'm so jealous of him I could die.

I know that's why I lost him. I was so scared, so suspicious and

possessive I made us both miserable. And now that he's dropped me for

another girl my heart is stabbed. When I see them together I feel choked,

my voice shakes--and my knees. I do stupid things, I talk and laugh too

loud to call attention to myself. Or I sulk, knowing my bitterness is

showing in my eyes.

Don't let me be like this, Lord. I hate it in myself and know it

makes me hateful to others. It's driving away the very people I want to

love me!

Cure me of this ugly sickness, please. Maybe just confessing it will

help me to understand it better, be the first step toward being free.

Is it because I don't like myself enough to think that other people

can really like me? Is that why I'm so scared of losing them, Lord,

because I feel unworthy? Whatever it is, help me to get over it, starting

now. Give me a cheerful, healthy self-respect so strong I won't have to

stoop to jealousy.

I feel better already. I feel relived, reborn, almost gay.

Thank You for freeing me, I hope, forever, from jealousy.

By Marjorie Holmes,

Book: Nobody Else Will Listen
Posted by kikomontesena at 12:58 PM | Add a Comment

March 29th, 2005

Being a writer


kikomontesena
A Writer's Real Worth Is Inside
By Howard Fast

     How did I become a writer?  That can be answered in one line - the back of my seat to the seat of the chair.  Why did I become a writer?  That's a little more complex.  I became a writer because I was a writer, because wherever I looked there was a story I had to tell.  Sometimes, I think it started in the womb, but that's a bit too far back for me to remember.  I began to tell stories by the time I was three, and I suppose it drove my poor mother crazy.  Her recourse was to teach me to read, and by the time I was five, I was reading quite fluently.
     I had two brothers and a sister.  My sister was the oldest, and she informed me that my stories were lies.  I responded that they were stories.  It didn't matter that things had not happened; the point was that they could have happened.
     When I started school at age six, I encountered my first and most daunting difficulty: I was and am left-handed.  My teacher, as with all teachers then, insisted that I write with my right hand, and since I was not at an age where protest by a six-year-old mattered, I attempted to do as she said.  The result was my handwriting, which, at best, would be marked deplorable.  To this day, almost eighty years later, I still write with my right hand - if I use my left, it does mirror writing - and reading back what I have written is very difficult.
     I must say at this point that one day, many years later, I encountered Norman Corwin, who gave form and meaning to radio drama, sitting on a bench in Central Park, with a large pad on his lap and a pencil in his hand.  He was writing.
     "Norman," I said, "you are doing what I always dreamed of."
     "Which is what?" he asked me.
     "Sitting in the shade on a spring day and writing with a pencil on a yellow pad."
     Ah well, such were my dreams.
     At that time, not when I met Corwin in the park, but when I was a six-year-old, engaged in the very difficult business of growing up, we were poor.  My father, with six mouths to feed, when he was working and not laid off, brought home between thirty and forty dollars a week.  Then my mother passed away when I was eight years old, and my sister took over.  And then the Great Depression came.  It was very difficult, and it is almost impossible today to comprehend what "poor" meant in the thirties.
     At eleven, I got my first after-school job, delivering the Bronx Home News; and between then and the time I was married, in 1937, I always managed to find some kind of job: delivery boy, library page, road work, cement work, factory worker.  Perhaps because of these jobs, I came to the conclusion that I had only one way out - I had to be a writer who was paid for his work.
     I began the process at age twelve.  I read magazines in the New York Public Library, and I wrote stories and sent them to various magazines.  I wrote in pencil on notebook pages, but of course, even the most charitable of editors could not read them.  I wrote about everything; all was grist for my mill, and at long last, I received a note from an editor: "Listen, kid, get a typewriter."
     I was fifteen by then and earning five dollars a week.  Good money, considering the times, but never enough.  We had too many hungry mouths.  Nevertheless, the future called, and I went to the typewriter shop and asked what a used Underwood Upright cost.
     "Twelve dollars, kid."
     Out of the question - way beyond my horizon.  Twelve dollars - we could live on that for a week, and often enough we lived on less.
     I knew about my handwriting.  I knew that I would never sit in the park and write on a yellow pad - still a dream today.
     "Do you rent them?" I asked.
     "Fifty cents a month."
I had exactly fifty-five cents in my pocket, and I plunged, signed all the papers, and lugged that big Underwood home.  I couldn't wait to sit down in front of it and try that beautiful, wonderful machine that translated my dreams into proper words that anyone could read; and here I must say something about the Underwood Upright.  Not only was it the most wonderful endurable machine on earth, but like the Deacon's One Horse Shay, it ran nearly forever.  When I married in 1937, I bought a new Underwood out of our wedding money.  In 1981, I retired it - because typewriter shops could no longer cannibalize parts.  Meanwhile, I had turned out at least eighty books, at least one hundred short stories and newspaper columns beyond numbering.
     But, to get back to my story.  How did I find time for school, after-school jobs, and the Underwood?  The answer is that I have no idea, but I did, and the stories poured out.  For the next two years, I sold nothing, but I kept on writing, and then, at age seventeen, I sold my first story to Amazing Story Magazine, for thirty-seven dollars.  By God, I was a writer!
     No, it's not as simple as that.  I had to learn how to write, to punctuate, to understand the shape of a story.  I had to learn an art - one of the most difficult arts known to man; and I had to learn it well enough to consider it a profession - and not have to haul bricks and cement to stay alive.
     I came to understand that art and creation is not simply another profession, but a reason for being alive on this earth.  I had to listen to people and learn all the subtleties of language, the cadence and rhythm that distinguishes one from another.  This is a process I am still engaged with, and that will be for the rest of my life.
     Today, I am eighty-five years old, and I still write.  A day without writing, for me, is a day lost, tossed away.
     So if I were asked the question, "What must I do to be a successful writer?" I would answer that you must want it more than you want anything else.  Whether you write for a magazine or a newspaper or as a novelist or playwright.
     Most writers do not make much money, and in this world where money is the measure of everything, or I should say almost anything, you must find another measure.  There are writers who make millions, and there are other writers who earn a mere pittance, but that is no measure of worth.  The real worth is inside of you and can only be measured by your understanding of the human condition.  Learn to think clearly, understand your medium and understand people.
     I might add one thing to this.  Read the writers you admire most, unravel the net of words that they spin, and let them be your teachers.  You can learn a great deal about the mechanism of writing in school, but the real picture lies in your understanding of the human heart.  No school can teach you that.  Only your own ears and eyes.

Posted by kikomontesena at 04:04 PM | 1 comments

March 30th, 2005


kikomontesena

A Life That Matters (orig. title)

Sent by Leandro G. Cruz

 

" SO WHAT WILL MATTER? "

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.

All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will

pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally

disappear.

So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks

you lived at the end.

It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.

Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built.

What will matter is not what you got, but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success, but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or

sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate

your example.

What will matter is not your competence, but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will

feel a lasting loss when you're gone.

What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in

those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for

what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.

It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

____________________
Posted by kikomontesena at 02:46 PM | Add a Comment

March 31st, 2005


kikomontesena

HE NEEDED A SON

The nurse escorted a tired young man to the bedside of an elderly man.

"Your son is here," she whispered to the patient. She had to repeat the

words several times before the patient's eyes opened. He was heavily

sedated because of the pain of his heart attack and he dimly saw the young

man standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand and the young

man tightly wrapped his fingers around it, squeezing a message of

encouragement.

The nurse brought a chair next to the bedside. All through the night the

young man sat holding the old man's hand and offering gentle words of hope.

The dying man said nothing as he held tightly to his son. As dawn

approached, the patient died. The young man placed on the bed the lifeless

hand he had been holding, then he went to notify the nurse.

While the nurse did what was necessary, the young man waited. When she had

finished her task, the nurse began to offer words of sympathy to the young

man. But he interrupted her. "Who was that man?" he asked. The startled

nurse replied, "I thought he was your father?"

"No, he was not my father," he answered. "I never saw him before in my

life." "Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?" asked

the nurse.

He replied, "I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here.

When I realized he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, I

knew how much he needed me.

"Do to others as you would have others do to you. If you love only those

who love you, what kind of graciousness is that?...do good...[even]

when there is nothing to expect in return. Then will your reward be great

and you will be sons of the Most High." (Luke 6:31-33,35)
Posted by kikomontesena at 04:26 PM | Add a Comment
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