The Five Finger Prayer

This is so neat. I had never heard this before...This is beautiful - and
it is surely worth making the 5 finger prayer a part of our lives.


1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those
closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved
ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach,
instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They
need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep
them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders.
Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and
administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion.
They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact
that this is our weakest finger; as any piano teacher will testify. It
should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain.
They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all which is
where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the
Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie
should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for
the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective
and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

RICK WARREN's Purpose Driven Life

Last November and December, I went through a 40-day hiatus from dating and decided to take the Purpose Driven Life Book by Rick Warren. I did it with a close childhood friend of mine, Lelet. It drew us closer and I find it very helpful to have found someone I can share my walk with God.


Here we are in one of those PDL nights. She was also the one who invited me to attend the Victory Christian Fellowship church which eventually led to looking for a small Bible Group. I have since grown in my relationship with God and I am truly grateful for all the changes that are happening in my life.

I used to be very worried, self-centered and depressed about life and now, I have learned to trust and lift them all up to God. He has changed me in so many ways and even confirmed that an emotional healing is underway. How do I know? Early this year, I joined VCF's Corporate Prayer and Fasting and one of my faith goals is a complete emotional healing from my separation/divorce. This was confirmed when I was assessed by my friend Gerry Sy of Hilot Express (Check out his website at www.hilotexpress.com) who is an iridologist. If in reflexology, nerve endings found in your palms and soles are connected to your organs, so are the nerve endings in your irises. I guess the old adage that says "Your eyes are the windows to your soul" now extends to the eyes as also windows to the past, present and future state of your health. Anyway, Gerry told me as he was looking through my left iris, he said, "A few years ago you went through some emotional trauma, didn't you?" I said yes and asked how he knew. He said that he noticed nerve endings connected to emotions as having pus but he says that they are now healing. I was taken aback because I was at the end of my fasting day. He continued, "I know that it is healing because there is some kind of a protective film that is covering the nerves which is very rare. I now believe that you are now healing from this trauma." Praise God! I was totally speechless! God has created a miracle and I am forever grateful! I actually feel much happier, more joyful, content and friends have confirmed that they can sense that I am stronger emotionally now than ever. I shall forever praise God for all that things that is creating in my life. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! :)


Anyway, going back to Rick Warren I came across a story about him that I would like to share with you: An Interview with Rick Warren (REMEMBER, HE WROTE 'PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE')


You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren,'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

People ask me, What is the purpose of life?

And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not
made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body--
but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of
years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants
us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't
going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming
out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than
your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in
making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life.
The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest,
with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark
time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that
anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like
two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and
something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad
that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something
good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems:

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is
my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of
pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands
of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has
been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character,
given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn
her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance,
this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it
made me instantly very wealthy..

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before.
I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you
to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and
influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to
do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our
lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the
church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to
plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and
educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I
started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to
serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am
I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I
don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You
better God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more
interested in what I am than what I do..

That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.

Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.

Painful moments, TRUST GOD.

Every moment, THANK GOD..

If you do not pass it on, nothing will happen. But it will just be nice to
pass it on to a friend...just like i have done.

God's Blessings to you and your family.

MAGNETIC POETRY

As I was doing my Christmas shopping this season, I came across a box of magnetic poetry. Inside the box are pieces of magnets with words. The objective is to create your own poetry using the words that are available. I first place them all on my refrigerator door and later on moved them to a magnetic bulletin board I have in my living room. Here are the poems I came up with:

The Benefits of Gratitude

Hey guys! You have all probably heard about the book The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne. It basically sums up all the secret there is to acheiving a happy, succesful and abundant life. It came out with the video that is even better than the book. Do find time to read

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret

The greatest thief of human happiness and abundance is ungratefulness. Any lack in our lives - whether in money, health, or relationships - is simply the evidence of a lack of gratitude. If you focus on lack you are not being grateful, and that will bring more lack into your life. Yet the simple state of radiating gratitude summons everything to you.

No matter who you are or where you are, you can change your life with gratitude, but you must feel it with your whole heart and radiate it from every cell. Gratitude is not a mental exercise, and in fact, if you simply use your mind for gratitude it will have little or no power. True gratitude comes from your heart! You must think gratitude through your heart, speak gratitude through your heart, and feel it intensely in your heart.

Then practice gratitude relentlessly. As you practice gratitude you will attract more thoughts and feelings of gratitude. In a short time your entire being will be saturated with it, and you will experience a happiness that is beyond what you can imagine. This is what is ahead for you when you choose gratitude as your way of life. And if you can really live in this highest state of gratitude, you will never have to ask for anything. Everything you want will be given to you before you even ask, because gratitude is the magnetic substance that opens every single door in the Universe.

This Thursday is Thanksgiving in the United States. To celebrate Thanksgiving, I want to share an excerpt with you from The Secret Daily Teachings, which is being released in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia on December 9th. This excerpt presents an easy way to start using gratitude and integrate it into your life by making every Thursday "Thank You Thursday." As you "Thank your way through every Thursday" you will open the most powerful receiving channel within you.

From The Secret Daily Teachings - Thank You Thursday

"Today is Thank You Thursday. Today and every Thursday is your day to say and feel "Thank you" in as many ways as you can.

Write a list of all the people and events you want to give thanks for.

Return thanks today to those who have done things for you.

As you walk say "Thank you" in your mind with each step you take.

As you drive, make each time you stop your cue to say "Thank you."

At various times in the day, think and feel "Thank you" inside you seven times in a row.

Look for every opportunity to say "Thank you" to other people, and say it with so much meaning that the person looks right at you.

Thank your way through every Thursday, and make "Thank you" your predominant thought, feeling, and words of the day.

"Thank you" - two words, inconceivable potential power, and all they need is you to put the power into them by expressing them.

Thank you!"
. . .

May the joy of gratitude be in your heart,

Rhonda Byrne
The Secret... bringing joy to billions

SPOTLIGHT ARTISTS WORKSHOP

In the past 3 months, I have been attending integrated acting, writing and directing workshops facilitated by renowned stage director and movie critique, Nestor Torre at the Spotlight Artists Centre, that is being run and operated by the performing couple Robert Sena and Isay Alvarez. I will have to say that it was a very interesting workshop where we got to learn about techniques in integrating acting, scriptwriting, and directing in order to become a better artist. Last Oct 29, 2008, the workshoppers decided to culminate the activities with a showcase of talents we called "Works in Progress". I did a comedic molonogue about a tips on becoming a beauty queen written by Reign Loleng. Today, Nestor Torre commented about my acting on his Showbiz and Style article on the Philippines Daily Inquirer. To read the article, click here. Robert also upload pictures on his multiply site. To view, click here. So what do you think? Do you think I will have bright career in acting? What kind of roles would you like to see me do?

US Elections

In the past weeks, there has been a lot of flack against the McCain and Palin tendem and it is beginning to be clearer to a whole lot more people that McCain has questionable credibility and that Palin is not prepared to be Vice President. In contrast to these criticisms, I was going through all the different videos on You Tube and chanced upon Barack Obama's ad to change America. One of them even told about his track record in helping to make a difference in people's lives. Another one talks about Obama's plans for America. As of this writing, Yahoo election coverage indicates polls are at 50.5% for Obama and 43.6% for McCain. The few of days before the US Elections leaves the whole world waiting with bated breaths as to the results of America's vote. When America sneezes, the whole world get a cold and whatever happens to America obviously has an effect on the rest of the world. I really do hope that America will choose the right candidate to be President this time around.

I LOVE MY NEW HAIRCUT!

After a whole year of deliberating, I finally decided to get a new makeover yesterday. Jas Lisbona and Chrissy Calderon of Hairworks Salon on 108 Legaspi Street, Makati ( Tel. 8884819) suggested that I have my hair layers and colored with some highlights. The pictures above were our pegs for the kind of cut we would like . I spent 4 hours of coloring with Chrissy using some black shine and L'Oreal's newest shade: maple rose for the highlights followed by Jas Lisbona's wonder scissors. In total, I was at the salon for 6 hours. Imagine that! Anyway, here is how I looked before and after. (Hey, I know the after picture could be better if only I wore some makeup but this is as fresh as it could get after all that work.) What do you think? :)

ESCADA OPENING

ESCADA store just opened in Greenbelt 5. It was attended by quite an illustrious set of guests. Wine and hors d'ouvres were flowing. I came in a graduated pink draped tube dress by Rhett Eala. Johnny Litton hosted the event as the guests await the Fall & Winter 2008 Collection fashion show. When the models finally came strutting, everybody gasped at the classy designs and elegant cuts of the outfits. Predominant colors were purple, orange, fuschia, lime green to brighten the darker winter days, all against a neutral/black canvass and heeled black boots. Yum! I love dressing up for the fall. Escada showed fuschia suits and classic cut dresses. St. John's collection was mostly evening dresses. I love, love, love this bronze evening dress from St. John and this white jacket from Escada Sport.

TULAAN SA TREN

There opportunities to be seen and known on the spotlight and there are opportunities for people who are known to shine a light on causes they feel are worthy of the light. Here is the latest project of the National Book Development Board (NBDB): Tulaan sa Tren. This is the latest addition to the Get Caught Reading Campaign of the NBDB.

Several celebs were invited to read poetry that were written by Pinoys. These were later broadcasted on MRT trains all over the metro at certain times of the day.

It was quite interesting to be reading those poems as I feel that it required a whole lot of understanding of the writer's intentions for writing those poems. I found myself being drawn the into emotion of whatever was required by the writer, even to the point of tearing up.

YOU ARE ALWAYS FREE TO START OVER

Here's an article I came across three years ago that has caused me to change course when I thought I didn't like the direction I was headed. I am once again on the same road, not as drastic a move as I did back then. Nonetheless, this article is still very apt and I hope it could enlighten some of us who are looking for a fresh start.

YOU ARE ALWAYS FREE TO START OVER. No matter what your problem, when something is not working, you can decide to stop playing. If you are experiencing friction or feeling resentment, your soul may be calling for you to end this ... so you can start that.
This does not mean that you cannot succeed, but your soul may be telling you that the direction you are going is not taking you where you want to be. And by admitting that an aspect of your life is not working, you are freed to begin moving in a new direction that will work.
Before deciding to start over, you may want to explore any personal fears that are motivating the need to begin again. Resentment is a fear-based emotion obviously based upon you wanting someone else to be the way you want them to be. Is that justified? And know that if you are holding on to a past hurt, the other person is keeping you a prisoner in the here and now.
Assuming you can release any fear-based emotions (especially blame) relating to your wanting to start over, the best place to begin self-processing is to explore what is true for you. Being true to yourself is more important than your fear of consequences? When you are not true to yourself you are living in fear.
You also do not want to live in fear of what others might think about you starting over.
Once you have decided to start over, it will be time to stop explaining yourself to other people. It is your right to offer no excuses or justifications for your decisions or behavior. You may want to explain why you have acted in a particular way to those with whom you share a close relationship, but you do not owe anyone an explanation. Excuses and explanations weaken your position.
We all find ourselves in positions in which others imply that we owe them an explanation. Most of us are so well trained that we react automatically and comply with their wishes without thinking. All too often we explain ourselves even when no one has asked "why." It is often hardest not to offer an explanation to a good friend, but why should a friend force you to explain your actions? If your friend is incapable of accepting your rights then maybe she is incapable of relating to you on any basis but manipulation.
To start over also means leaving behind your old ideas about yourself.