Your Cross is a Symbol of Life

Are you having difficult time right now?  Do you feel that you’re carrying a cross at this point in time? 

Don’t feel too low Dear Friend, God can transform your difficulties to grace!  

In today’s Gospel, Jesus challenged His disciples to collaborate with His mission by carrying their cross. 

In our life, we too are called to carry our cross and to follow Jesus. 

That cross which is a symbol of life and of our being saved. 

“We will not die forever bec we do not belong to death, we belong to God.” — Fr. Erwin dela Cruz

The call is for us to keep on trusting our God — for if we do, nothing could keep us apart from Him. 

Walang pagsubok at paghihirap na hindi natin kayang paglabanan because our weapon is the ressureccion of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Paying this forward, to you dear friend,  as inspired by Fr. Erwin Dela Cruz’s homily during the Mass @ The Feast SM Sta Rosa this morning, July 2, 2017. 

Photo credits: Earl Pascua, The Feast SM Sta Rosa

6 Ways to Be Your Own Best Friend

Hi, Friends, sharing with you again in gratitude, my personal notes on the 3rd Talk of the Series: MAGNETIC by our Feast Builder Bro Dreus Cosio @ The Feast SM Santa Rosa, Cinema 1,  two weeks ago.  

Sorry for posting this late; I just had to accomplish a lot lately — but  I don’t wanna miss this chance because being a mother of three daughters, I dearly hope this would be something they can always go back to when they come to the RIGHT TIME of finding their “Mr. Right”.  I sure do hope that this would also help a lot of parents out there while they fervently desire for their child’s best future. 

SERIES:  MAGNETIC

How to Attract The Right Person Into Your Life

Talk 3: The Bond

When you try to look for the right person,

“Hanapin mo yong taong gagawin kang priority, hindi temporary.”

Basically, both men and women — some, if not all — do not really know how to attract the right person in their life. 

Why? — because people are getting confused in their love story and with the way they look at themselves.  

Unconscious as they are, there is that tendency to carelessly submit or comply with the  3 Laws of Romantic Attraction:

  

1st law.  You don’t attract who you deserve.  You attract who you think you deserve.

Subconsciously, you see yourself in a very low way.   You’ve got to consider that your perception is your reality.  If you perceive yourself as somebody who is broken, you will be looking for another broken person. 

The perfect formula for a toxic relationship is a toxic self.

2nd law.  You don’t attract who you want. You attract who you are.

A wounded person will attract another wounded person. An emotionally healthy person will attract another healthy person.

3rd law.  You don’t attract how you want to be treated.  You attract how you treat yourself.

Long before he treated her as garbage, she already treated herself as garbage.To her, abuse felt like love.

Broken people attracts broken people.  “If you don’t do the inner work to heal yourself, your unhealed wounds will attract another wounded person.”

 “If you don’t heal your own wounds, you’ll go into a relationship, seeking for someone else to heal your wounds.”

credits to http://www.lightfam.com/images/talkslides/Magnetic%203.pdf

You get attracted to many wrong people because you don’t really think of your self too well.  

TO ATTRACT THE RIGHT PERSON, you’ve got “WORK ON YOUR SELF FIRST!”  Unless you have a healthy relationship with yourself, you’ll never have a healthy relationship with others.

Its ok for you to declare that you are wonderfully made.  You have to love yourself!

photo credits:  amendesigns.com

 

You’ve got to BE YOUR OWN BEST FRIEND! 

How? 

Here are these 6 WAYS  to be your own BEST FRIEND:

1. Forgive your faults.

    Imagine yourself at the end of the day and forgive yourself.

2. Fix your fences.

    Fix your defense system — your boundaries.  Protect yourself from meanness. 

3.  Feel your feelings.

    All emotions are valid but not all expressions.  Affirming your feelings is respecting yourself. 

    Put a gap between emotion and expression. 

4. Focus on your fantasies.

    What do you picture in your mind? 

    Stop thinking about the bad stuff that’s happening in your life.  

5. Follow your fun.

    Don’t take yourself too seriously. “tumawa ka naman!” 🙂 

    Laugh more often! 

6. Find your flow.

    Go on, pursue your passion as a person!

    If you find your flow — your “zone” — you feel alive. 

                  

Go back to yourself.  Be comfortable with one thing in life — be comfortable with God’s love.

The bond simply means you have to fix your relationships at home by fixing your self first.  You have to love your self every day.  You have to feel good about yourself because it all boils down on how you see yourself!

Bro Dreus concluded with this advice:

“Everyday, start declaring the wonderful characters that you are!  Couples as well, you could start to embrace your differences and start fixing your relationship.”

Pwedeng may part ng buhay mo na hindi ka sanay

But you need to be comfortable in that place— how? 

Magpamahal ka kay God.

Allow God to tell you how much He loves you! 

#sunset

https://gailmontero.blogspot.com/2017/06/6-ways-to-be-your-own-best-friend.html

 

Don’t Dilly-Dally

Cor Dei 1.  3^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Pls Read God’s Silent Message: MT4:12-23

 “the people living in darkness have seen a great light…” — Matthew 4:16

photo credits: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com

CHANCES … grab or drop it! 

Once in a while we’ll first have to be despicable before we’d realize that we’ve already missed a chance!  Sometimes we fall short of foresight that we overlook what should have been done at a certain required time.

I was recently bereaved by a friend who had been sick. I wasn’t able to visit her again when I started battling against mine.  I had her in my mind several times last December. I planned to call her up too, but scheds and events had just piled up until I ended receiving that sad news; Facebook feeds were filled with posts, mourning for her.  I felt so guilty; I should have told her, “let’s fight together!”; I should have made her feel stronger knowing that she’s not struggling alone. I cried hard in regret; I was just consoled when a friend told me, “marami pa kami!; we also want to hear from you!”

When you come to that breaking point that you wouldn’t want to miss chances, your only choice would be to MAXIMIZE TIME! Each time we wake up for a day, God is giving us “that invitation” to come after Him and leave our comfort zones of excuses.

Friends, today let’s IMPLEMENT that decision: REACH OUT, DO NOT DELAY!

Days may be dark at times, but if we will only consider God’s calling to “come after Him”, we will surely see the LIGHT that will mark the turning point in our life. More Dreams & Plans will materialize which will make our BEST YEAR EVER! #sunset

==========================================================================Published in FeastSMStaRosaBulletin. Series of 2017. Issue #2, 22 January 2017. Light of Jesus’ BEST YEAR EVER: Imagine Your Future Now Series. Talk 3: Implementation

also posted in: http://gailmontero.blogspot.com/2017/01/dont-dilly-dally.html?spref=fb & https://profgail67.wordpress.com/2017/01/24/dont-dilly-dally/

“True Character is who you are and what you do — even when no one is watching you!”

Imagine your Reality!

photo credits to http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/22/03/7c/22037cdc1ce0132654bf67ca9f401309.jpg

You’ve been pained? … You felt small? Once, twice, so many times? and Somebody caused it?

BOUNCE! Be harder than you never thought you would be!

The person who caused you the pain could be the ground you fall in. But the harder you are, You will just bounce and never will stay where somebody made you feel down.

Strive to IMAGINE …

Paint a beautiful picture of you, overcoming that “feeling small”. No one could really bring you down if you wouldn’t allow yourself to feel so low!

Plan how to produce the dream that God has placed in your heart and trust that God’s anointing would eventually heal the pain of being belittled. Imagine your dream becoming a reality!

Claim that 2017 will be your BEST YEAR EVER!

#payitforward from #feastsmstarosa #thankyouBroDreus #gratefulgail #bestyearever

How to Shift from Poverty to Prosperity Mindset

photo credits: https://www.instagram.com/brotherbosanchez/

 

In gratitude, I would like to share with you my personal notes on our Feast Builder Bro Dreus Cosio’s Talk @ The Feast SM Santa Rosa, Cinema 1, 9:00am & 11:00am Sessions.

SERIES:

Money Pakyaw:  Knocking Down Your Biggest Financial Problems

Talk 2: Prosperity.  I Have Everything I Need

ONE BIG MESSAGE: “Blessings are chasing after me.”

 

Psalm 23 : God’s message of prosperity & peace to us.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

We have everything that we need.

When we recognize that we are complete, there is peace.

We’ve got to know the difference between our wants & needs.

We have to weigh our  financial capacity and discern to buy only what we need without struggling “just to conform” with “what’s IN”.

“He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.”

People who thinks they are poor “feels the lack”.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

God wants to bless us forever.

We have to know that God’s goodness & love will be with us all our life.

The causes of poverty are multidimensional!
There should be a shift from Poverty Mindset to Prosperity Mindset!

We need to BREAK that “feeling of lack” in terms of:

Psychology

Don’t reinforce poverty mindset
Poverty mindset pleases people.
Prosperity mindset loves people.
Our psychology about money matters.

Theology

How do you see money?
How is your “Psychological Wallet”? We have to be comfortable in earning bec we have to be comforted in giving.

God blesses people to bless people
How do you see God?

Economy

When you start believing that blessings are chasing you, you become rich.

While there are times in your life that things are difficult, believe that God can transform any problem into the biggest blessing in your life.

The purpose of  money is love
God is our model of generosity.

Be a blessing builder!

A Psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 

3 He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I will fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

6 Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

“True Character is who you are and what you do — even when no one is watching you!”

Let God Direct.

Pls Read God’s Silent Message: Luke 19:1-10

photo credits: machano.blogspot.com

Have you ever thought of the truth na kung minsan “ang tigas ng ulo mo?”

And have you ever had that feeling na minsan you dread yourself for caring less sa mga bagay na dapat ginawa mong mahalaga pero binalewala mo lang?

After all these years, I had to come to such realization … “how could I have focused a lot on certain things, yet actually “care less” on more important things?”   I’ve done all the “one-act-play” of making things perfect as I give my best; yet, I came to the point of sacrificing what could have been best for my health. With all the might of sleepless nights, I strive accomplishing more than a lot; only to regret the days that I could not even put a check mark on any task in my “to-do-list.” How could I have been so stubborn justifying on things that I want to get done with the vindication that I am actually doing it for a good cause?

With all these FLAWS, all the while I was a “Jonah”! — who had a small heart for God’s directions, yet whom God saved!–

For all a period of time, how dare me for not really being passionate about what was entrusted to me. I had to go through some dark episodes in my life, not wanting to loose what I did not take care of for the longest time — before I could realize how insensible I was to God’s love and silent messages.

Buti na lang, ang buhay, parang isang pelikula.

There could be some occurences na kahit minsan parang “series of unfortunate events” ang pinagdaanan, pero pwede pa din maging “epic” ang flow that would lead to an impressive ending.

BUT HOW?

… only if we could be HUMBLE ENOUGH to ALLOW GOD TO DIRECT the story of our life! Bawal “matigas ang ulo” kahit na ikaw pa ang main character ng istorya mo! The way we submit ourselves to our Life Director, while we submit ourselves to God in PRAYER would make a lot of difference which would make our story a BLOCKBUSTER to those whose lives we’ll touch — because we chose to empty ourself to God’s love & mercy while we strive to overcome our flaws. #sunset

==========================================================================Published in The Feast SM Sta Rosa Bulletin October 23, 2016 Issue. Light of Jesus Family BLOCKBUSTER Series: Epic Stories That Changed The World. Talk 4. Finding Jonah.

Stethoscope your Greatness

Cor Dei 35. 24^th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Pls Read God’s Silent Message: MK 8:27-35

                            Jesus’ “I AM” in SAM!

@SLMH, September 6, 2015.

She’s in that hospital bed – but with DevComTheories handouts, laptop & other “to divert stuff” with her on such bed. She was vomiting, but laughing all the way with Al-Dub’s organic-naturally “kilig-fun” magnetic stream.

And this, I found: “a stethoscope” of her own!  

— an instrument used for listening to sounds produced by the body. It is also used to listen to blood flow in peripheral vessels…

“She’s currently in pain — but she manages to smile; she’s been too brave to capture the procedures she had, and yes, with her own stethoscope, SHE LISTENS to her own blood flow to make herself ON-GUARD against any untoward clotting & misalignments.

“If a man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and follow in my steps.” — Jesus

It’s never easy denying any pain when you’re in the midst of battling for your NOW and for your future — but because our very own Sam Timbreza, one of our Youth Leaders here in The Feast SM Santa Rosa, has been all throughout affirming her personal answer to the question raised by Jesus in today’s gospel: “who do you say that I am?”, SHE IS even STRONGER at her weakest point!

Such greatness! — through the eyes of faith.

With the gifts of family & friendships and because she listens to what’s on the inside, SHE IS DETERMINED to be “that salt” that will fulfill her God-given mission not only until she gets well but even now that she’s still striving to get SAVED by all means with her OWN INITIATIVE TO BE WELL and with the most POSITIVE CLAIM that she will find a KIDNEY DONOR even before that time-framed transplant six months from now.

Hopefully “this makes us PINOY” our dear Brothers & Sisters – may we relate with Sam’s story & inspiration & may we be that instrument that would answer our prayer for Sam & for her family, specifically for a “kidney donor”! Let us share this Identity of love for one another as we ENTER God’s Kingdom down here! ©sunset

 posted in The Feast SM Santa Rosa Weekly Bulletin. Issue #35.13 September 2015.  Inspired by the #LightofJesus September Series T.G.I.F.: Thank God I’m Filipino. Talk 1: No ID, No Entry.