Book Review: "Present!" by Grace Chong

Ever wondered why the youth are inseparable from their gadget? Ever wondered why the youth get bored easily with tasks? Ever wondered why the youth check their phones every minute? If you ever had these questions, Present! answers these questions. 

Book Review: "Why Wait? But Why Not Wait?" by Dr. Harold Sala

We are in a time where we see romantic relationships and promiscuity promoted left and right. Most of the time, the youth are being pressured to have a boyfriend or girlfriend of their own because of the good feelings they get when they watch such shows or movies.

Because of this pressure, we see a rush in teenagers to have a partner of their own. Some singles are being labeled as "hopeless romantics". On the other hand, we also see boyfriends and girlfriends as young as 13 years old.  Sometimes, this puppy love results in pre-martial sex and early pregnancies.

The book Why Wait? But Why Not Wait? tackles this issue. We have heard "true love waits" a million times, but what does it really mean? In this small book, Dr. Harold J. Sala invites us to get the answers to the questions "Why Wait? But Why Not Wait?".

Book Review: "Crazy Busy" by Kevin DeYoung

Kevin DeYoung is at it again in giving us practical wisdom for our every day lives. After Just Do Something, OMF Literature released another DeYoung book last year entitled Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book About a (Really) Big Problem and here's what I think after reading this wonderful book.

Kevin DeYoung outlined his book in a pattern (3-7-1)--three dangers to avoid, seven diagnosis to consider and one thing you must do. This pattern made the flow of the book easy to follow and easy to remember.

With his witty yet serious style, it's easy to get soaked reading this book and hard to put down.

My first Incredibulk

Last April 17, OMF Literature launched their anticipated Incredibulk Sale and I am very excited because I can now participate in the sale!

When I first saw the poster at the OMF Lit's Reader's Bulletin (which you are free to join), I was very excited and already set a schedule to visit their bookshop.

PHASE ONE

April 18th, I grabbed a friend to join me in this quest to buy and carry a load of books. I brought a big bag and some eco bags so I can carry the books easily when we're done.

After my work, we went straight to Boni and looked for the OMF Literature Bookshop. When we arrived at the bookshop, I was excited because it's my first time to go there, considering I missed a lot of past events I wanted to attend that was held there.

I took a basket and went to the stacks of books and took the books I wanted to buy that were available. Unfortunately, most of the books that I want to get were out of stocks, just 1 day after the sale started! I also asked for assistance from the staff who generously helped me find the books even if it was not successful. They are very kind! So, I browsed through all the shelves and looked for interesting books that were not on my list.

At the end of our 1 and a half hour search, we finally completed the 20 books. 10 for me, 6 for my friend and the other 4 are gifts for my boss and grandmother. I bought inspirational, devotional, leadership and bible reference books, and they were hard to carry. :))

PHASE TWO

I took a second serving of the Incredibulk sale at OMF Molito, where I previously bought books during their book fair sale, and I am glad that most of the books that I was looking for that are not at the Boni shop were there. YEY!

I quickly took Dug Down Deep, Cupidity, Disappointment with God, The Apprentice Series, Boundaries, and others. I availed the 10 for P800 this time because I already bought the other books at the first one. I am a certified happy kid.

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The Incredibulk Sale concludes today, May 3 after its 2-week run. I guess we can look forward to another Incredibulk Sale at the Manila International Book Fair on September. Hopefully!

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Looking Back

I picked up my journal from 2012 and read some entries. My heart jumps when I am reminded how God has been good to me throughout the years.

Yes, my penmanship is similar to the one in the photo.

I read about what I was feeling, what I was doing, who I am with and what we (my friends and I) talked about on those journal entries and it puts a smile in my face every time a flashback of that day comes into my mind as I read the entries. The praise items were the best parts to read, of course. It brought back the feeling when I was in that moment. Experiencing the presence of God, the goodness of the Lord, seeing and tasting what the Lord has done. Who wouldn't get chills?

There's this entry when I get to completely tell my life story with no hesitation and transparency to my friends and Pastors; the day that I get forgiven with what I thought is an unforgivable offense by a friend; when I was used to be a channel of blessing to God... and others. Woah.

The entries with encouragements were great, too. It reminds me that these same words that I read in a book or a text message from a friend are the very words that God used to help me get through the tough times and help me get to where I am today. I wonder if those words were not spoken to me that time? 

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I am a 3-year old Christian, and it's a roller coaster ride. I've been up and down. The spices of life are sprinkled on me. Conflict/Reconciliation. Sickness/Healing. Lacking/Contentment. Goodbyes/Hellos. Mistakes/Lessons. Sadness/Happiness. Pain/Joy. Fear/Love. I know. I know these 'spices' happens to everyone but what makes it special is I know it did not happen accidentally. That these situations/feelings/experiences did not happen accidentally. That these situations/feelings/experiences occurred for my own good. It's God's work in my life. It may be good or 'bad' in my eyes. It's part of the real life Jesus that promised He will give us (John 10:10). We get the two sides of the coin.

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For Christmas, I get to receive gifts. What a blessing. I got 3 journals. There's 2 big ones and a small one. 1 is a diary type planner, 1 blank journal (the ones where you can doodle) and a small Papemelrotti mini notebook. It's cute. I think I should return to writing and documenting what's happening in my life. I didn't get these stuffs for nothing. :D Maybe someday I'll blog about the stuffs I'm going to write in these journals.

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Before I end this post, I want to share this entry from my journal from July 24, 2012. I don't know what I am going through at that time but I knew I needed to read/hear these words (and I also need to hear/read these words now). I can't remember which book this paragraph is from but credits to whoever wrote it.

July 24, 2012

"When our will is weak, when our thinking is confused, and when our conscience is burdened with a load of guilt, we must remember that God cares for us continually; His compassion never fails. When friends and family desert us, when co-workers don't understand us and when we are tired of being good, God's compassion never fails us. When we can't see the way or seem to hear God's voice, and when we lack courage to go on, God's compassion never fails. When our shortcomings and our awareness of our sins overcome us, God's compassion never fails."

In light of the  encouraging entry from my journal, my hope and prayer for my soul and to your soul is that may we always remind ourselves to hold on to God's compassion and unending love. It's the only thing that will get us going in this imperfect world.  Let's leave behind our burdens from the past, give it to the Lord and strain toward what is ahead. It's not as easy as it sound but we are all a continuing work of Christ. If we're not dead, we're not done.

Never give up. God loves you. God is watching over you.

Happy New Year. Have a blessed year.