BEYOND THE FAMILY Archives - Page 2 of 4

God Values You (Especially for the Singles Out There)

October 8, 2017 by Tina

I don’t know how many of you reading this are still single but I thought I’d share this episode of Gabay sa Biblia on Radyo Veritas846, where my husband filled in for one of the regular anchors. This video was originally posted as a Facebook Live video on the .

I hope that this video will remind you that God values you very, very much. He loves each of us dearly! This message is applicable whether you are single or not, in my humble opinion, so I pray that this will bless and encourage you somehow!

Did this post encourage you in any way? Please feel free to share it with others!

Wrap Yourself in God’s Word: A J.E.W.E.L.S. Experience

August 28, 2017 by Tina

Have you ever heard of Bible Journaling? I would often see it on social media, usually in the posts of my friends from other Christian denominations. I thought it looked like a worthwhile thing to do, because their posts were so inspiring. So when I learned that the next J.E.W.E.L.S. Feast Valle Verde gathering would be a Catholic Bible Journaling workshop, I jumped at the chance to attend it. And I am so glad that I did!

The workshop was facilitated by Tita Ditas Español (pictured below) and Ate Fides Reyes, our sisters from Feast Ortigas, which is where J.E.W.E.L.S. originally started. (By the way, for those who don’t know, J.E.W.E.L.S. stands for Jesus in Every Woman Empowered to Love and Serve.)

God used them both to teach, inspire, and refresh all of us at the workshop in a special way. They shared their own Bible Journaling experiences with us, and gave us practical tips on how to get started with our own Catholic Bible Journaling journey.

One of the things that stood out was the W.R.A.P. method:

W stands for the Word of God.

Read the Bible and reflect on the verses.

The Word of God was written for YOU and for me! 🙂

R stands for Reflect.

Reflect and write down the verse or verses that struck you. Ask yourself: What is God trying to tell you with the verse? What does the verse tell you about God? What does it tell you about how God wants you to live your life?

A stands for Action.

The Word of God will not be effective if we don’t take action. Once we have reflected on God’s message for us, we must commit to His one big message for us. This is where we draw, write, trace or doodle whatever represents that message or course of action we are willing to take.

(We workshop participants had so much fun doing this part, especially because Tita Ditas and Ate Fides had brought so many journaling materials for us to use — colouring materials, stamps, etc.)

P stands for Prayer.

Pray for guidance and the grace to become the person that God intends you to be. (Pray for others, too, that they may hear His Word through you!)

I’m sure I’m not the only participant who came away from the J.E.W.E.L.S. gathering feeling renewed and “full” of God’s Word. May ALL of us — women, men, and children alike, young and old — commit to WRAP ourselves in God’s love every day, especially by immersing ourselves in His Word!

Note: This article was originally written for the Feast Valle Verde Bulletin. Please do come and join us if you can every Sunday — you can choose between the 10 a.m. session or the 1 p.m. session. 🙂 More info via the . May the Lord bless you abundantly in every way!

3 Important Lessons from the Feast Valle Verde Servants Gathering

August 4, 2017 by Tina

Image credits: Erika Mendoza

It was my first time to attend the Servants Gathering of (FVV) last week. To be perfectly honest, I was tempted to skip it. I actually did not feel “worthy” enough to go, because all I do as a “servant” is help with social media and, whenever I can, edit the FVV weekly bulletin. But I still went, out of obedience to the Lord, with four kids in tow, while my husband Anthony was at The Feast Bay Area for the Kerygma Conference Launch.

And I’m so glad I did. Although I was not able to stay inside the Servants Gathering venue the whole time (my three older kids kept going in and out, and I had a toddler who refused to stay in the room with me because his siblings were outside), I thank God that I was able to glean three important lessons from the Gathering. I’d like to share them with you, in the hope of encouraging you somehow:

1. God doesn’t call us to be successful; He calls us to be faithful.

This applies not just to our service but to our lives in general. Are you a parent like me? A sibling? A child? Do you work at an office? Run a business? Work at home (like me)? Do other forms of work? Be faithful. Keep on keeping on. Offer it all up to Him.

2. Love is the reason for everything we do.

Erika Mendoza, or Ikay as we fondly call her, emphasized this in her passionate talk at the Gathering. We do what we do, as excellently and diligently as we can, out of love for God and for others.

3. People need the Lord.

I’ve been in the Charismatic Renewal for around 26 years now but not all of those years were spent truly living for Jesus. It’s only by His grace alone that I’m still here, trying to serve Him in my own way. And one thing I was reminded of during the Servants Gathering is this: People really need Jesus. We need to bring Him to them.

I pray that we remember these lessons as we go about our daily lives. May we bring the Light of Jesus to all who need it. For His greater glory!

P.S.

Sharing this invitation with you. Hope to see you at Feast Valle Verde!

Join us for Mass with Bishop Mylo at 10am and Fr. Steve at 1pm this Sunday at Valle Verde Country Club. Plus, watch out for the powerful comeback of our favorite feast builder Bro. Obet Cabrillas as we introduce a new talk series at this Sunday’s Feast sessions at 11am and 2pm.

Admission is FREE.

Get ready to be blessed this Sunday! See you there!

On Giving Back: One of the “Secrets” of the Truly Rich (and Blessed!)

July 18, 2017 by Tina

Here on Truly Rich and Blessed, one of my goals is to inspire others to “discover and grow the riches they already have.” Believe it or not, if you’re reading this, you’re actually a lot richer than you think! You are actually already blessed in so many ways!

Being truly rich and blessed is not primarily about the material aspect of our lives (though being rich financially and resource-wise isn’t a bad thing, of course!). It’s more about having an “abundance mindset,” which is something I learned about from Brother/Kuya Bo Sanchez and from being a member of the Truly Rich Club.

But what is an abundance mindset in the first place? Well, in my own words, it’s really just about believing that there is already an abundance of blessings around us — all we need to do is to wait expectantly (and work hard, if we’re talking about financial blessings 😉 ) so we can receive them! We need to claim in faith that, yes-indeedy, we are #TrulyRichandBlessed!

Connected to having an abundance mindset is having a generous heart — which is one of the “secrets” of the “truly rich,” according to Kuya Bo. Yes, if you want to receive more, you should give more. Give back, especially to those in need.

I must admit that my family and I have a long way to go in concretely putting this into action. We have been involved in different causes over the years but we have yet to commit to a cause that we regularly give back to, whether in terms of time, talent or treasure (or all three!). I’d like to share what the aforementioned causes are here though, in the hope that maybe some of you out there would also like to help out somehow:

1. Concerts for a Cause

Since our eldest joined the a few years ago, he has performed for three fundraising concerts so far. As his parents, we have also been part of the concerts somehow, helping in whatever way we can. Our most recent “concert for a cause” was for the medical needs of Kuya Arnold Candelaria, a fellow homeschooler who had a traumatic brain injury and had to undergo brain surgery.

As of this writing, he actually still needs our prayers — and any material assistance for his home care needs would be a huge blessing, too! Here is a short video about Kuya Arnold, which was made by a friend of the Candelarias, Marita Pierce (this is publicly posted on ).

If you feel moved to help the Candelaria family out in any way, please feel free to contact me.

2. Kalinga: Caring Is Our Business

Last year, we had the opportunity to make ‘s annual All Saints Day celebration more meaningful by collecting and packing items for the beneficiaries of the run by the Society of the Divine Word (SVD).

A post shared by on Oct 27, 2016 at 4:40pm PDT

The Center is run by Fr. Flavie Villanueva, SVD, who happens to be one of the priests we used to serve with in Timor Leste. (You can read more about the Center, and Fr. Flavie, here.)

Fr. Flavie has actually asked for our help to raise more funds for the Center. I’ve been thinking of how to do so — maybe we can organize a fundraiser or something like that soon — what do you guys think?

3. Grace to Be Born

Grace to Be Born Maternity Home and Orphanage is just one of the Mercy Ministries of the Light of Jesus Family. It is a ministry close to my heart because it helps pregnant women in crisis, and their babies, too.

We have yet to visit the actual premises of Grace to Be Born but I thank God that we were able to contribute financially to their cause last year.

A post shared by on Oct 1, 2016 at 4:47pm PDT

God used our trials last year so He could be glorified even more, I believe, and we were able to donate even more money to Grace to Be Born earlier this year, just before Titus had his operation. We responded to His call to give more from the funds we had raised for the surgery — something that may seem strange to others, but again, this is our response to His kindness and generosity. I pray that more and more people will be moved to give to the Lord in different ways, whether through Mercy Ministries like Grace to Be Born, or directly to the Church, which has many other ministries!

4. The Parenting Emporium

Before I end, I’d like to mention that over at The Parenting Emporium (TPE)— a retail social enterprise near and dear to me and my family, there are also different ways in which one can help those in need. I love how every purchase made at the TPE store benefits their Advocacies and Beneficiaries!

In photo: Maricel Cua (second from left) and Beng Feliciano (third from right), the founders of The Parenting Emporium, pose with different influencers along with Fabien Courteille (the only guy in the photo) and Erika Ng Wong (second from right). Fabien and Erika are two of the people behind Plush and Play and , both of which are “Proudly Filipino with Love,” social enterprises that benefit families in Bulacan. You can read more about how The Parenting Emporium gives back to others here.

Well, these are just a few causes to which one can practice “giving back,” of course. I’d like to hear from YOU about how you practice giving to those in need, or if you haven’t started yet (and that’s perfectly all right — it’s never too late), how you plan to do so.

So go ahead — leave a comment and share how you give back to others. 🙂 Hope to hear from you!

The Power of Pentecost

June 4, 2017 by Tina

Source: Wikimedia Commons

One of the things I love about being Catholic is that we get to celebrate Easter not just for a day but for 50 days! And we even get to celebrate the birthday of the Church — our birthday as a Church — together every year on Pentecost Sunday.

Pentecost is, in fact, the feast of all feasts. And it is when we recall the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are reminded of how great Jesus’ love for us is — SO great that He did not leave us “orphans,” but gave us the Holy Spirit to be our Advocate, Guide, and Helper.

I love what is said in the Sequence every Pentecost Sunday Mass, and I pray that, as you read the words below, and maybe even watch the video below, you will discover (or rediscover!) the amazing power of Pentecost!

Veni, Sancte Spiritus

Ascribed to Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury (+ 1228)

Holy Spirit, Lord of Light,
From the clear celestial height.
Thy pure beaming radiance give.

Come, Thou Father of the poor,
Come, with treasures which endure;
Come, Thou Light of all that live!

Thou, of all consolers best,
Thou, the soul’s delightful guest,
Dost refreshing peace bestow.

Thou in toil art comfort sweet;
Pleasant coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.

Light immortal, Light divine,
Visit Thou these hearts of Thine,
And our inmost being fill.

If Thou take Thy grace away,
Nothing pure in man will stay;
All his good is turned to ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour Thy dew,
Wash the stains of guilt away.

Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.

Thou, on us who evermore
Thee confess and Thee adore,
With Thy sevenfold gifts descend.

Give us comfort when we die;
Give us life with Thee on high;
Give us joys that never end.
Amen. Alleluia.

Happy Birthday, Church! 🙂