Sunday, January 25

Being tagged can be fun :P

now this is the tag response to Achie's Google Verb meme post xD

Q: Type in "[your name] needs" in the Google search.
Q: Type in "[your name] looks like" in Google search.
Q: Type in "[your name] says" in Google search.
Q: Type in "[your name] wants" in Google search.
Q: Type in "[your name] does" in Google search.
Q: Type in "[your name] hates" in Google search.
Q: Type in "[your name] asks" in Google search.
Q: Type in "[your name] likes " in Google search.
Q: Type in "[your name] eats " in Google search.
Q: Type in "[your name] wears " in Google search.
Q: Type in "[your name] was arrested for" in Google Search.
Q: Type in "[your name] loves" in Google Search.


Answers:

A: Maria Angela needs prayers [wouldn't be false xD]
A: Maria Angela looks like a model [sure :P]
A: Maria Angela says photography and soprano [seriously.. this thing knows me?! xD]
A: Maria Angela wants an attorney general of texas [not that I'm aware of..]
A: Maria Angela does photography [i'd love to :)]
A: Maria Angela hates myspace [not really..]
A: Maria Angela asks life is beautiful [lol my blog came up as the first thing xD]
A: Maria Angela likes astronomy [i love it! :O]
A: Maria Angela eats bikini [??]
A: Maria Angela wears sandals [this time i had to search on pics xD]
A: Maria Angela was arrested for friends of ours [:S]
A: Maria Angela loves Damien [i dont even know anyone called Damien xD]

enjoy it everyone xD

Wednesday, January 21

The Heart of Life

Pain throws your heart to the ground,
Love turns the whole thing around.
No, it won't go all the way it should,
But I know the Heart of life is good...


Tuesday, January 20

Unchanging

Would you like it if a person you love so dearly would always love you, whatever comes in the way? Isn't this what we all want? To be loved and appreciated by our loved ones, never having to worry whether they like us when we wake up, whether they like us when our (girls XD) eye liner is smudged, without worrying whether they still love us after enduring a very embarassing moment? wouldn't it be great if we're carefree, not worrying if the person is going to change his mind about us?

Maybe sometimes, teachers might change their opinion about you if you havent reached the high standard they've been expecting... But don't worry, "The Lord does not change" (Mal. 3:6)

Maybe sometimes, people claim to be your friends but act the contrary when they aren't around you... take courage, "Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8).

Maybe sometimes, your crush seems to like you but the next day they set eyes on someone else... Hold fast, "God's word is settled in heaven; it will not change."(Ps. 119:89)

This is true because:
"38 ...neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!" (Romans 8: 38-39)

This is what God's been showing me: that with Him, I can forget all these worries... He's unchanging and my stability can only be reached through Him. Sometimes we tend to worry too much about these, but forget that what counts most is what God thinks. We might not be perfect in people's eyes, but we're irreplaceable in God's. People's thoughts about us might change, but God will see what there is deep down in our hearts.

quoting what I put on the last post regarding God's facebook:

God is unchanging.

Going back several years, my favourite band used to sing 'Everything Changes But You'. They were singing about some girl but that's rubbish as none of us stay the same -we go up and down, have good moods and bad moods the only one we could ever say 'everything changes but you' of is God. Malachi 3.6 says 'I, Yahweh, do not change' and in Hebrews 13v8 we read that Jesus is the same, yesterday and today and forever.

Being around someone who is utterly consistent is so safe and peaceful because we don't have to worry about where we stand or what's going to be thrown our way. And that's what we have in all perfection in our God. As we approach him in prayer and worship we don't have to worry that he might be in a bad mood with us today - we know our God is unchanging, always the same.




tc friends,
and keep close to the One who loves you the most :)

Thursday, January 15

Complete?


this song just says it all!
My Soul is Complete in Jesus :)

Sunday, January 11

facebook!! xD

Well, seeing that we're all obsessed with facebook, I wanted to post something tied to it, maybe we could all understand something more about God... This might help us to learn something new or remember about something God showed us ages ago and we kinda forgot it or let go of it..maybe sometimes He seems distant, but He's also got a facebook :P so keep in contact with Him ;)

What is God's Facebook status?
Ali Martin [soul survivor]

I have to confess to being totally addicted to Facebook and particularly to reading my friend's status updates. It got me thinking; if God had a Facebook what would his status be? He remains the same, so it wouldn't be a case of one day he was feeling this and another day feeling that but what are some of the things he could put as his status? There are so many characteristics of God (you could literally spend the rest of your life looking at who God is!) I thought I'd pick eight of my favourite ones could be used as God's status.

God is faithful
As I started looking at all the references to God's faithfulness in the book of Psalms I had to give up there were literally dozens and dozens of them. This book of worship talks about God being faithful in all he does, his faithfulness being so infinite it reaches to the skies and God's faithfulness being a defensive shield.

So what's so exciting about faithfulness? It's essential to a healthy relationship but we know we're not able to stay faithful to God. Proverbs 20.6 says 'Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?' We are by nature flighty and fickle but God is completely faithful to us and that's what keeps us in relationship with him. The amazing promise in 2 Timothy 2:13 is that even if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

God is unchanging

Going back several years, my favourite band used to sing 'Everything Changes But You'. They were singing about some girl but that's rubbish as none of us stay the same -we go up and down, have good moods and bad moods the only one we could ever say 'everything changes but you' of is God. Malachi 3.6 says 'I, Yahweh, do not change' and in Hebrews 13v8 we read that Jesus is the same, yesterday and today and forever.

Being around someone who is utterly consistent is so safe and peaceful because we don't have to worry about where we stand or what's going to be thrown our way. And that's what we have in all perfection in our God. As we approach him in prayer and worship we don't have to worry that he might be in a bad mood with us today - we know our God is unchanging, always the same.


God is the rock

As we look through the Bible we find tonnes of references to God being a rock but why do we celebrate that? In the bible the words 'rock' and 'refuge' (or fortress) often go together or are used interchangeably. We talk about God being the Rock on which we stand (e.g. Psalm 20v2) meaning he is secure and dependable, a safe place of shelter and protection that does not move. The ground is constantly moving beneath our feet and things can go from great to awful overnight as well as turn around for the better in an instant. We can't count on anything but God. He is our safe ground on which we stand firm, our hiding place of security, so that while everything else is changing and moving around us we can know his peace.

God is mighty to save


This summer we saw 2400 young people become Christians at our events which completely blew us away. So who was responsible? Was it all of you who had the courage to bring your non-Christian friends? (We think you rock by the way!) Was it J John who shared the gospel so well? Was it us at Soul Survivor who can take credit? Of course not. It's only God who can rescue people from sin and give them new life and new hope. It's our God who is mighty to save, our God who had a plan for salvation right from the beginning, our God who forgives and offers mercy freely. As Zephaniah 3v17 says: The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.

God is forgiving

In Daniel 9:9 it says 'The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him' and I think this so important in our understanding of a forgiving God. Too often we listen to the lies of the enemy who will try and convince us that this time God can't forgive us as we've gone too far or exhausted God's forgiveness. But the eternal truth of the Bible, the eternal character of God is that he is forgiving and as we have seen he doesn't change. God is always forgiving.

God is patient

While God is patient, I'm definitely not. When I want something I want it now. I'm rubbish at taking the long view, at waiting and seeing, and holding on. And although I know that lack of patience is a particular weakness of mine, I think a lot of us struggle with this. But God doesn't. He can hold on and wait and give us time while we work things out, in fact 1 Timothy 1v16 talks about his 'unlimited patience'. He doesn't lose his temper when we fail, he doesn't get frustrated when it takes us a while to work simple things out: like the fact that he loves us and knows what's best for us. He isn't drumming his fingers, sighing loudly, fidgeting in his throne. If we are ignoring him, he is waiting patiently for us. If we are making mistakes, he is patient with us while we learn. If we are frustrated with ourselves he is not. As we stumble and fumble our way through life our God is and always will be patient with us. And thankfully patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit and he is able to grow it in us too!

God is compassionate

Psalm 103:8 says: The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. This means he feels and is moved by what he sees and hears. We read in the gospels that Jesus had compassion for many including the sick, the people of Israel because they were like sheep without a shepherd and even the hungry! (I like that!) Jesus shows us that our God is compassionate He engages with what is happening. He is moved by the cries of his people, by the things that trouble us. We don't pray to someone who is dispassionate, unfeeling or separate but his heart is involved.

God is perfect

Lastly, God is perfect and he is always right.

We tend to think that our view is the right view but God knows his is the right view all of the time. Deuteronomy 32v4 says: He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. Everything God has ever done is right and perfect not once making a mistake, not once compromising, not once just slightly off centre he is always right, totally perfect in all his ways and all his actions.

This is just a glimpse of the God we worship and we're hoping to cover a few more of his characteristics in other articles over the next few months. One thing I found amazing as I wrote this is that so much of the Old Testament is where we find the proclamation of who God is and so much of the New Testaments backs that up but then assures us that he is making us more like him. We see in Galatians the fruit of the Spirit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control all amazing characteristics of God and we have the knowledge that with our cooperation he is growing and developing that very same fruit in us. We belong to an amazing God and (for our last Facebook status), God is in the business of transforming us into his likeness.

Saturday, January 10




Sometimes I ask...

Sometimes I ask,
how I could change a situation,
how I could prove something to someone,
hoping that it'll never be the same anymore.

Sometimes I ask,
if I can make a difference,
be it in my life or in someone else's...
What if it's a matter of life or death?
Would I be able to say what I think,
without worrying about the consequences..
finally releasing a sigh of relief,
finally feeling a sense of peace blowing through my heart.

Sometimes I ask,
whether I'm doing what I'm asked to do,
or whether I'm escaping from what I truly want.

Would a simple word say it all,
or do I have to liberate all that's inside?
But then again, I ask if it would have been useful,
if it would have changed something, even a simple perception.

One thing I'm sure of,
it is that Word I am called to live.
All I know is this...
To keep loving with my whole self,
believing that the situation is not in my hands,
but in my Father's.

Maybe words will not change anything,
but the silent word love can change something.

Friday, January 9

2 Cor 4: 16-18

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal

Monday, January 5

Cry in my Heart


Sunday, January 4

new year!! :)

I'm so excited for this year, seriously! I feel it's like something special, something different. 2008 was a busy year full of experiences, some were heart-breaking, but some were so fulfilling and breath-taking. I thank God for all that happened, I've learnt a lot and He's held my hand all along even if sometimes it wasn't that clear to me. Sometimes it's so sad how I take His blessings that for granted. He's given me every single heart beat, and He's been so faithful and true, so genuine.. who could be as loving as Love itself? He never left my side, and now I wonder why sometimes I let myself walk alone, thinking I'd do it all alone.. and yet it's those times which make me realise that without Him I'd crumble and dissolve in all the stressful stuff of life...

Now I'm excited for 2009, I want to learn something new every single day. I feel that it isn't just another boring year, cause I know God wants me to walk with Him all along. This is what He wants us to do :) He's got so many new surprises waiting for us, new opportunities, new teachings and new experiences... This year, I don't want to get tied down by fear, but I'm going to try walk with Him even if I'd have to jump into blank space. I'm gona keep on trying and trying, I want to learn how to trust Him and delight in Him.. That's what my resolution is going to be :)

blessings friends ^^ :)
and happy new year xD