A couple of weeks ago, my dad and I were talking about how to get a new make-over for the church and we went on talking about lights, and flooring, a new stage and everything else `cause there`s really nothing yet, since we just moved into a new building and the space we`re renting happened to be an old clinic. The walls are light beige and everything is so bare and there`s really a lot of work to do.
Well, I`ve researched a bit and found out the we`ve got really cool Filipino interior designers and I`ve found an inspiration from Frederick Quesada. His Portfolio here. And I`m really loving his designs. His design for Twilo is a perfect inspiration for the kids church.
1. Big Tree—I posted on Twitter before that I`m excited about putting up a giant tree but I still didn`t know what material to use. Ate Kathy and I were thinking about making a little pixie forest with Christmas lights but I thought that was too much. And this one would just be enough. Cute yet it looks quite elegant..
2. Bible Characters Mural-- We`ve got a fine arts student in church and Viola too, who loves doing cartoons. Maybe they could team up and do the murals.
2. Story telling Corner. I thought that having a storytelling corner with a couch would be great. Looks classic and like those on children`s shows. Perhaps we would lay down a mat and the kids could sit right there. Great for Bible storytelling time.
This one`s from Martha Stewart and by the way, there are so many cool stuff over there: crafts, house design, tips, etc.
This painted mat is also from the website and would definitely look good.
3. Colorful Cabinets. Cabinets don`t have to boring. I found this colorful ideas for shelves. But I`m wondering which colors to pick!
4. Colorful Stuff. Actually, I was thinking of painting the wall plain and just put in colorful things like curtains, lamps, baskets, etc. and adding a bit of accents on the wall.
I hope I`ll be able to put all my ideas together this week so I`ll be able to draw and submit my proposal to Papa. I`m also doing another proposal for the sanctuary`s design and it`s really a huge work—with all the budgeting and creativity I need to put together.
But this is really fun and exciting. See you soon!
One thing I'm learning: Just live your life. You don't have to let the world pressure you or influence how you'll live through every day. Just make the most out of the time you've got. 
The past few days, I was worrying a lot because I`m getting older and still I haven`t finished college and I have these big dreams but they seem so far away. And I look around at people around me, and see all my friends now living on their own, working in all these top companies and reaching their dreams. And what`s worst is I see all these people living the same dream that I have and I was so pressured to achieve for myself because everyone seems to have something going on with their lives. I felt I wasn`t doing enough, or that I am inadequate. At one point, I also thought that God has left me and He has forgotten me.
But I realized that I cannot live the way people around me are living their lives. We all have a different story. I cannot look at someone`s life and compare them with my own. God has given us the privilege and responsibility of living this life, to live our lives exactly where we are. Each one us has his/her own set of circumstances. And it`s our job to live the best way that we can out of every circumstance that we`ve got, out of every opportunity, out of all the time we`ve been given. We all live because of the favor of God. Each of us are blessed with gifts everyday and we have to take notice of those things and enjoy this life.
You know, I learned that I cannot live every single day trying to accomplish something. That`s so very tiring. But I could live my life every day, do the things I love, show the people I love that I love them, do my part in this world, share, laugh, help, love, use my time the best that I can to glorify God, and just to live this life the best that I can. That perspective is very different with just trying to come up with something useful or just doing something for yourself to reach your goals. Living your life is different from fulfilling your dreams or achieving. Living your life is living your life, looking at yourself, where are you are right now, enjoying whatever it is that you`ve got and loving everything.
I`m not saying that we should be passive and go to the mountains and sit by our windows waiting for some birds to give us breakfast. No. What I`m trying to say is that it`s the perspective that we have as we live every day. There`s nothing wrong with dreaming. Nothing wrong with wanting to achieve or to make money. But when that becomes an obsession, when that becomes our life, when that robs us of the opportunity to notice how sweet our parents are, how lovely the day is, how wonderful that you have another day to live, that is where the problems come in.
If we would all be focused on living our lives and not on the things we should do or what the world expects us to do, moving towards your goals gets easier because you`re not the living for the future or the past, or for anybody, but you`re living your life today. What`s ahead is what`s ahead. What matters is your today. Whatever you do today they say is “a building block for your future”. If your living your life today, you`ve also gonna live your life tomorrow.
I realized that there are so many things I can do today, so many opportunities to make a difference. Every day holds a new opportunity to live for the glory of God and to be a used by God to display His love and glory. There are so many people around me now. So many children. A lot of work needing hands to make them prosper. If I`m gonna miss every gift around me, then what kind of fool is that? Everyday, God gives me a fresh start, a new beginning, a new sunrise. Every day, he lets the flowers bloom, the birds the to sing. He gives me a new opportunity to love and to hold a hand.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness, Oh Lord.”
You know, we just have to make the most out of the life given to us. Live everyday like it's gonna be the last. Wake up every morning unsure if you're still gonna have tomorrow. Take every opportunity as sweet blessings from God and don`t panic about your future, because God holds them in His hands. Just live today like how Jesus would live it. No moment wasted. Every second used to glorify God. Every minute enjoyed because it came from the Father, knowing He delights when you delight in Him and the things that He gives.
Life is sweet. And everyday gets sweeter and sweeter when you trust Him and when you live for Him. Nothing should be wasted for worries or fears. Life is so much wonderful that what we think of it today. But we have to live it or it will slip away. Life is short and what tragedy to realize at the end of your life that you really haven`t lived it all.
It was Father`s Day and we got to honor our dads in church. We had a short slideshow and their kids pinned them the `Best Dad in the world` button and everyone was welling up with tears and it was a really emotional time. When it was Viola`s turn, she could speak so much. All she said was that Papa was such a kind father and she goes on repeating the same lines. Papa is really a very kind father and I would go on and on if I would list down every good thing I can think about him.
I`m so happy Tito Mando came over together with his whole family. I`ve never seen him for like a couple of years now. Ate Aiz and Gladys were there too and we spoke about every story we could think of. Missed them so much. Ate Aiz is working in Makati and she goes home like only once a month and Gladys is also busy with school. She`s planning to go to med school when she finishes her degree in Biology. So we really had a lot of catching up to do. We asked Ate Aiz about her plans of getting married. She`s turning 26 next year, and if her boyfriend comes home from the Middle East, they might get married, she says.
It was also Ate Kat`s last Sunday in church. She`s leaving on Friday for Dubai and she might
be staying there for a couple of years. We`ll miss her badly. She was the speaker at yesterday`s service and she also had the chance to say goodbye to the congregation. Everyone was saddened and the girls were crying—including me. But we`re all happy for her. She said she waited for a long time for this and we`re happy that God has heard her prayers. Anyway, Papa assured her that everything will be the same; she will be welcomed and loved the same way when she left.
After the service, we went to visit Lola.
I got to speak with her for a little while and I was so amazed because her memory was like when she was younger. I asked her how she was feeling and she showed me that she`s having a hard time even to lift her feet because they were shaking. She`s also has to be connected to an oxygen tank everyday, even at home, because she can`t breath easily.
You know, my Lola and I never got so close. But I want to catch with the lost time. I am so amazed that even in her weak body, my Lola is still strong in her mind. And I realized that when people grow old, only their bodies grow old, but deep inside, they`re still the same person, they`re still the same old person who longs to be loved and to be listened to.
I just found out that my Lola is very nice to talk to. She can carry a good conversation and she`s fun! You should have seen how she smiled when we were walking away. I know she`s happy that we came. I told my sisters that maybe twice a month, after church, we could go and visit her. I missed giving her flowers. I will bring some next time. ;) She`s always loved it when we would bring her flowers.
And now, after visiting Lola, we went to Puregold to shop for groceries. The girls and I went to the bookstore to buy some supplies and my mom and dad did the shopping. On home, however, the car had some problems and we stuck in the middle of the street and somehow caused a little traffic at Almar. The enforcers helped us to move to the sides and Ava and I went home ahead of Papa, Mama, and Viola so we could cook dinner.
This was Viola`s video singing in the car. Forgive her lyrics, though. She was so trying to emote and wasn`t conscious about she was saying. lolz Only when we got home did she realize what her wrong lyrics meant.
Viola`s Love Song from Cathy Canaceli on Vimeo.
It was a long day but I`m happy that now I can both serve God and have time with my family. I`m so happy with what`s going on in my life now. ;)
I had been reading Frank Dimazio`s Delays All Leaders Must Contend With and I loved this illustration about Leah and Rachel. As we all know, Leah was the least loved of the two. Jacob was so much in love with Rachel because she was more beautiful and attractive, while Leah was kindda common and with this eyesight problem. And since Leah was more of Jacob`s apple of the eye, Leah was left in sorrow. Imagine your husband not really liking you so much. I mean, for a girl that must be sooooo heartbreaking. I could imagine Leah weeping and crying at night. And of course, the Lord saw Leah`s pain and opened her womb and gave birth to four sons.
Now, the beautiful Rachel remained childless—while Leah gives birth to baby after a baby--and the lady got so envious of her sister that she told Jacob “Give me a child, or I`ll die!”.
Frank then continues about Leah, perhaps, in her younger years must have been haughty. Well, she was beautiful and favored by Jacob. Deeply loved and thought of as precious. And perhaps, God gave her children after some delay because He wants to refine her character and teach her all these important lessons which she have learned so well. In the end of their story, Rachel gives birth to children and recognizes that her giving birth is not of her own, but is a gift from God, out the power of God.
I just looked into my own life and searched about areas where I thought that maybe I can get something or get into something with things or qualities that I have in myself. Gifts. Talents. Potential. And like Rachel, who couldn`t get away with her bareness using her beauty, I learned that I cannot manipulate or turn my future around with my own talents or abilities. My future is in the hands of God. And waiting, depending, and trusting on Him is the ultimate thing that I can do in this lifetime. My life is all about Him. My future all about Him. And I could have all these gifts, and people could have all these beauty and talent. But we are all God`s sovereignty. We are not God. We can rebel and try to do things our way, but in the end it will be worthless. God will still do the things He promised, BUT IN HIS OWN WAY. It is God who ordains and does things according to His will.
You know, surrender is a hard thing to do. But that is only if you don`t know the God you are trusting. He is faithful and good. And more than just to bless us, He desires to sanctify and purge us from all these character flaws that we have. And what He desires so much is for us to entrust to Him our lives and depend on Him for our today and tomorrow, to rejoice because we have Him, to forget about our worries because He is enough.
God intended to give Rachel children, but in His own timing. The same way, God intends to bless us and bring us to the next level of our relationship with Him. But we should know that it`s not about us. It is never about our strength, or our wits, or our own understanding.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct you paths.”
Like Rachel, she was beautiful and she`s got everything. But in the end, having a baby is all up to God and she couldn`t do it her way.
From now on, I`m gonna trust God and let Him lead me. I`m gonna stop all these things that I`ve been thinking which actually tires me. It`s tiring to have to run your life on your own when you really wouln`t need to. And my life is not my own anyway. It`s His and I`ll just follow Him and obey.
He is sovereign. And He keeps promises. I just have to trust Him for the timing, and the way it`s gonna happen, and for everything. You should trust Him too.
I wasn`t feeling so well today. It was so hot this afternoon and I got this terrible headache. I was dizzy and I was wondering if it was my migraine again, or if I just need a little more sleep. Well, I thought at first that I was hungry so I ate a lot of rice crackers, egg crackers, noodle soup, and toasted mamon. ;)
Anyway, even if I got this headache… I still had to get up `case I promised to help my Mom and Dad pick little treats for the dads in church. Tomorrow is Father`s day! I told my dad I`m gonna make a video but I didn`t tell him what it`s gonna be like because the girls and I also want to surprise him. We brought him a card earlier…the same day we bought something for his birthday, and it was really cute and sweet. Well, I hope he finds it sweet and not think we`re too corny or whatever. :p
Well, I`m so happy how this day turned out. Mom, Dad, and I got to eat together for dinner. We dropped by the girls to give them something for dinner `cause they`re sleeping over. I also got to chat a little with Ate Kat. Soooo sad she`s leaving next week. She`s gonna preach tomorrow. And I wish she could go with us to Ecopark—just to have a little bonding time.
I got to go now. Got to rest so I have to finish up everything that`s needed tomorrow. Goodnight! Catch you soon!
I haven`t written for like over a month now. And I`m terribly missing updating my blogs.
Today that I`m not in the office anymore, I`m spending my days resting at home. I guess, I`ll enjoy this for a month before I go on preparing for my future again. Some of you have known how stressful the past year had been for me with all the work and responsibilities I had. And I`m thankful that I have time now to take a break—just as I needed it.
Well, I`m still gonna write and once in a while, I`m still gonna do videos. The girls and I had been talking about a lot of things—doing music videos for the songs they`ve composed and perhaps making short films out of film scripts I have written. But most probably, I`ll be writing a lot and will put into paper all the stories I have in mind.
The girls and I are also planning to do some T-shirt designs…and do some personalized made-to-order crafts—stuff which I really love doing when I was younger. They`re so much of a stress-reliever and why not make money of it?
I`m also enjoying my time with my cousins who are serving in church. They get to drop by our house to pick up the PNW line-up and I get to talk with them. I never got to do that until now and it`s just thrilling. Ferdie, June, and Adrian are such awesome kids and I`m happy on where they are now and where they`ll be in their walk with the Lord.
There are so much pretty things going on although we have to say goodbye for a little while to Ate Kathy. She`s gonna work in Abu Dhabi and will be leaving on the 22nd. I`m sure gonna miss her--badly. But we know that God has plans, and whatever it is we can trust that he knows best. I`m just gonna miss seeing her on Sundays…and on weekdays…and her presence!
I told Micah about this, and a few closest friends that before Ava and I transitioned to Papa`s church, I was holding on a two or three people—that they`re around and that would make transitioning a lot easier. You know, the work to be done in JCOB is great and the challenge is greater than anything I have experienced in my whole life. And when you think that there are people with you...you don`t feel alone. You feel like when these people are behind you, you can stand up and the uncertain times would be less frightening.
I held on to Ate Kat`s presence in church. With her around, I felt secure. She`s one of the youth leaders who are really inspiring me. And having her around is already security for me. You know how I always dreaded being alone—or left alone. And learning that she will be leaving in less than a month after Ava and I moved in felt like crazy.
There were also a couple of people I held on to. And God just sends them away to work or move to another church. And I just felt like God is stripping me of things I`m holding on to other than Him. How I cried when I learned that these three people are leaving—to add up with me leaving my job at the office and all these uncertainties about my future.
But one thing I really learned is that we should always put our trust on the only One who promised to stand by us through everything that happens in our life. We cannot hold on to people`s presence—that we will be secure if they are around. Our security should only lie on the fact that God is our source of life and He is always watching us, taking care of us, and loving us no matter where we are. Sure, life is uncertain. There may challenges that seem too big for us. But we should trust Him completely. If he brought us to face a giant, surely, He`s going to be with us and we`re never gonna be alone.
I just thank God because He is still not giving up on me. He`s not giving up to teach me about faith and about trusting Him. He wants me to know that I can trust Him and I can`t put my trust on things or people because everything in this world is temporary. So even if I wouldn`t see Ate Kat for the next couple of years, I`m still gonna stand up and face the challenge. Because I know God is with me and He will never leave me alone. If He orchestrated all these to happen, then he might just have something coming up. And he wants me to know that every good thing that`s gonna happen is all because of Him alone—because I should hold on to Him and not other people.
