L - O - V - E

 

http://knowgodknowlove.com/

 

-Alpha Pallarca: Team KGKL and co-founder of Shine Brightly for Christ

Follow the crown not the crowd.

Remember that as God’s chosen people, we are of this world but we are not of this world.

As Christians, we are aliens and strangers in this so called earth. This is not our home. We should not feel comfortable in this place. Our citizenship is in heaven.

We should not be indulging ourselves with all the pleasure that this world has to offer. We should not be lusting over materials things that can’t fully satisfy our heart’s cravings.

Look at the cross. Fix your eyes on heaven.  That is where your heart should be.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:21

As for me, I am constantly trying to defy the ways and allure of this world. 

“Lord, I chose you over the world. Because You’re all I need.”

An Ideal Woman

She is a woman of God; an embodiment of all that is feminine and beautiful.

She is conscious of her health and well-being as she disciplines herself to be a good steward of the life and body she has been given.

She is very teachable and never stops learning.  She reads—a lot, and enjoys having deep conversations over coffee or tea.  Her letters are still handwritten.

She values each and every moment; watching the sunrise and the sunset; going for long walks; making the most of the rain.

She can appreciate any type of music for what it does for the soul.  She sings in shower, in the car, and anywhere else not caring who is listening.

She dances the night away and sees the art in all of life.  She would always go to a play or musical before going to the movies.  She would rather play a board/card game than go to the mall.

She is bold and adventurous; a traveler who is experienced and cultured to the world.

She is down to earth; a hard-working hippie who’s is completely on fire; real, genuine, authentic; not fickle, dramatic, or materialistic.

She loves kids and teaches young boys and girls what true womanhood is all about; she will wake up early on a Saturday morning to be with these kids, set an example, and pour into their lives.

She worships with freedom, expression, and passion; completely abandoned to herself and those around her.  She is fully in the presence of the King.

She is a visionary.  Her dreams are high and lofty.  Others are inspired and challenged by her ambitions and aspirations.

She is a nonconformist of this realm who holds strong to her convictions.  Her methods may be unorthodox and unconventional, but it is best that way.

She is driven and burdened to do good, conquer kingdoms, administer justice, obtain promises; to be a light shining in the darkness and a voice of change—a peacemaker.  She will change the world, turning it upside down of which it is not worthy of her.  She is overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit and her passion is infectious.

She has a gentle spirit and a kind heart.  Her beautiful soul illuminates brightly.  All can see her radiance.  Her fragrance is a sweet, pleasing aroma.  Her voice is a soothing lullaby.

She is well-known and well-liked because her spirit is just so attractive.

She is an encourager and supporter; always cautious with her words and speaking in wisdom, patience, humility, and forgiveness.  She is honest with herself and others.  She is not afraid of communication.

She holds to faith, hope, and love.  She is joyful; an optimist who finds her security in Christ, trusting in the good and the bad; the easy and the tough; for richer of poorer; for better or worse; in health and sickness.  She is a whole person—content, healed, redeemed, and complete in Christ.

She is not one to freak out or force control.  She is not anxious or worrisome, but seeks the Lord in all things.  She is brave.  She takes comfort in her Savior and rests easy.

She is absolutely and irrevocably in love with Yahweh.  Her prayers are intimate and the Scripture indwells her heart.

She allows herself to be vulnerable when necessary for the sake of others.  She is available.

I will pursue her, rescue her, woo her, and romance her.  I will hold her, cherish her, protect her, admire her, esteem her, and offer her all my strength and security.  I will be her mighty warrior poet and defend her honor.  I will fight for, live for, and die for her in any way called for.  I will be her hero.  I will be her man.

She will be my best friend, my partner in crime, my teammate, my roommate, my playmate, and my beloved darling.  We would have a righteous jealousy for one another, learning from each other, and sharing all of life and ministry together.  We are to be bonded, united, joined, intertwined, and interwoven together; to become one flesh—inseparable.  We are no longer our own, but belong to the other as one.

But most of all, as Eve was for Adam, she will be my helpmeet—my life-saver.  We will add value to each other’s lives that would not be there before.  As Christ is the center, the totality, the completeness, the all surrounding, and the all encompassing, we are first in each other’s lives.  We make, show, and lead one another to be a better man and woman—husband and wife.  We draw each other closer to God.  I cannot imagine my life without her.

From YES! Magazine

1. Savor Everyday Moments

Pause now and then to smell a rose or watch children at play. Study participants who took time to “savor” ordinary events that they normally hurried through, or to think back on pleasant moments from their day, “showed significant increases in happiness and reductions in depression,” says psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky.

2. Avoid Comparisons

While keeping up with the Joneses is part of American culture, comparing ourselves with others can be damaging to happiness and self-esteem. Instead of comparing ourselves to others, focusing on our own personal achievement leads to greater satisfaction, according to Lyubomirsky.

3. Put Money Low on the List

People who put money high on their priority list are more at risk for depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, according to researchers Tim Kasser and Richard Ryan. Their findings hold true across nations and cultures. “The more we seek satisfactions in material goods, the less we find them there,” Ryan says. “The satisfaction has a short half-life—it’s very fleeting.” Money-seekers also score lower on tests of vitality and self-actualization.

4. Have Meaningful Goals

“People who strive for something significant, whether it’s learning a new craft or raising moral children, are far happier than those who don’t have strong dreams or aspirations,” say Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener. “As humans, we actually require a sense of meaning to thrive.” Harvard’s resident happiness professor, Tal Ben-Shahar, agrees, “Happiness lies at the intersection between pleasure and meaning. Whether at work or at home, the goal is to engage in activities that are both personally significant and enjoyable.”

5. Take Initiative at Work

How happy you are at work depends in part on how much initiative you take. Researcher Amy Wrzesniewski says that when we express creativity, help others, suggest improvements, or do additional tasks on the job, we make our work more rewarding and feel more in control.

6. Make Friends, Treasure Family

Happier people tend to have good families, friends, and supportive relationships, say Diener and Biswas-Diener. But it’s not enough to be the life of the party if you’re surrounded by shallow acquaintances. “We don’t just need relationships, we need close ones” that involve understanding and caring.

7. Smile Even When You Don’t Feel Like It

It sounds simple, but it works. “Happy people…see possibilities, opportunities, and success. When they think of the future, they are optimistic, and when they review the past, they tend to savor the high points,” say Diener and Biswas-Diener. Even if you weren’t born looking at the glass as half-full, with practice, a positive outlook can become a habit.

8. Say Thank You Like You Mean It

People who keep gratitude journals on a weekly basis are healthier, more optimistic, and more likely to make progress toward achieving personal goals, according to author Robert Emmons. Research by Martin Seligman, founder of positive psychology, revealed that people who write “gratitude letters” to someone who made a difference in their lives score higher on happiness, and lower on depression—and the effect lasts for weeks.

9. Get Out and Exercise

A Duke University study shows that exercise may be just as effective as drugs in treating depression, without all the side effects and expense. Other research shows that in addition to health benefits, regular exercise offers a sense of accomplishment and opportunity for social interaction, releases feel-good endorphins, and boosts self-esteem.

10. Give It Away, Give It Away Now!

Make altruism and giving part of your life, and be purposeful about it. Researcher Stephen Post says helping a neighbor, volunteering, or donating goods and services results in a “helper’s high,” and you get more health benefits than you would from exercise or quitting smoking. Listening to a friend, passing on your skills, celebrating others’ successes, and forgiveness also contribute to happiness, he says. Researcher Elizabeth Dunn found that those who spend money on others reported much greater happiness than those who spend it on themselves.

It is Finished

Before Christ gave up His spirit, He was given sour wine to address His dehydration since He said that He was thirsty. The last taste that Jesus ever had in His mouth was sour.


Many times in our lives, "sour stuff" happens to us. We go through experiences which leave bad after-tastes in our mouths. Broken relationships, rough seasons, family difficulties, work problems, and even death in the family. So many times, we get so caught up in these things thinking that "it is the END". 


When Christ said, "It is finished", it didn't mean it was the end. It didn't mean that He was finished. As we all know, it's the beginning - a beginning of a glorious Christ-filled existence for us.

When tough things happen to us, let's remember that God is still working in our lives. It's not the end for you. Do not give Satan the opportunity to control us -- the control that he desires. Satan wants us to dwell in the momentary sourness which shouldn't be! If we do this, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to encounter Christ and His majesty. We let go of the chance to experience how it's like to have the Christ help us when we are in need, how it is to have Christ alleviate all our burdens completely.

We must learn to rely on Him and not our own short-sighted thinking.

Excerpt from Rob Bell's Sex God

“

You don’t need a man by your side to validate you as a woman. You already are loved and valued. You’re good enough exactly as you are. Do you believe this? Because it’s true. You have limitless worth and value. If you embrace this truth, it will affect every area of life, expecially your relationship with men. You are worthy dying for. Your worth does not come from your body, your mind, your work, what you produce, what you put out, how much money you make. your worth does not come from whether or not you have a man. Your worth does not come from whether or not men notice you. You have inestimable worth that comes from your creator.

You will continue to be tempted in a thousand different ways not to believe this. The temptation will be to go searching for your worth and validity from places other than your creator. Especially from men. But you don’t have to give yourself away to earn a man’s love. You’re better than that. You’re already loved.

When you give too much of yourself away too quickly, when you show too much skin, you’re not being true to yourself. When you dress to show us everything, then in some sense we have all shared in it, or at least been exposed to it. There is a mystery to you, infinite depth and endless complexity. As the woman says in Song of Songs, “My own vineyard is mine to give”. In the ancient Near East, a vineyard was a euphemism for sexuality. She is saying that she doesn’t give herself to just anyone. She is fully in control of herself, and she is not cheap and she is not easy. Your strength is a beautiful thing. And when you live in it, when you carry yourself with the honor and dignity that are yours, it forces the men around you to relate to you on more than just a flesh level.

You are worth dying for.

If you’re dating someone, what kind of man is he? Does he demonstrate that he’s the kind of man who would die for you? What is his posture toward the world? Does he serve, or is he waiting to be served? Does he believe that he’s owed something, that he’s been shortchanged, that he’s gotten the short end of the stick, that life owes him something? Or is he out to see what he can give? Does he see himself as being here to make the world a better place?

These are the big questions that you need to ask yourself.

Take him to a family reunion. Do some sort of service project with him. See how he interacts with people he doesn’t like.

Does he have liquid agape running through his veins?

when a woman is loved well, she opens up like a flower

What does he expect of you? Does he expect you to sleep with him when he hasn’t committed to you forever? Does he want all of you without his having to give all of him?

Can you tell him anything? Is he safe? Can he be trusted?

Can you open up to him, allowing yourself to be vulnerable, knowing that he will protect, not exploit, that vulnerability? Are you opening up like a flower?

”

"When everything 

seems to be going against you, 

R E M E M B E R 

that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it."

How God Changes Us

Reference: Acts 9 : 19-31 / Galatians 1: 13 - 24

"Anyone who encounters Jesus Christ will never be THE SAME again." - Philip Yancey

If one's encounter with Christ is genuine, he will persevere and move on to greater heights in his relationship with the Lord, whatever his past. Saul the persecutor became Paul, the preacher; Saul, the murderer transformed into Paul, the missionary. So, how does God change us when He comes into our life?

1) God changes your ability / attitude  as you follow Him [v. 20]
2) God gives  you a new life / power as you follow Him. [vv. 20, 22]
3) God gives you a new promise as you follow Him. [Gal. 1: 16, 23]