Energy-givers / Light-reflecters

I have at a time in my life that there were energy-drainers around me and I have learned to run from them, since I felt exhausted every time I had been with them for just a few minutes.

I am just reminded recently how I'm surrounded by so many energy-givers and light-reflecters. Those that you feel up-lifted and encouraged just being with them for a few minutes.

There's a women's group called Embrace Grace, who minister to single pregnant women. We adopted a couple of women to give them a baby shower. So, we hosted a baby shower at Kim's house for the 3 ladies in Embrace Grace on Dec. 6.

I was completely overwhelmed when the sign-up sheet for the baby shower gifts were filled up the first day we passed it around. Some even signed up for multiple gift items, during this time of the year when we all spend so much on gifts for friends and family...here they are committing to buy gifts for total strangers. On top of that, we had a lady that were giving beautiful jewelry to make the mother-to-be's feel special, and one even hand-made matching hats for moms & babes. We also had women bring food for the shower a couple of days prior because they would not be able to come.

On the day of the shower, I was moved by the love showered on these women, who were honored as God's precious daughters, not condemned as the world often see. We see them beautiful like their Father sees them. We have loved them before we even met them, we have prayed for them and their babies. We have prepared for this special day to make them know how much they are loved and our Father has divine purposes for the little ones they were giving birth to.
We came together in worship and in prayer. It was a sweet time in God's presence. They were in tears, aside from the gifts, that they were so honored by so many and more importantly, they felt their Father's love.

I have women whom I call friends, who often ask when they see a need in someone, "What can I do to help?", "What do they need?", "Is it okay for me to bless them with...?" One lady I know even gave away her ticket of the church Christmas dinner party to a nursery worker and offered to work her shift, just so that person would be blessed with a fun evening with her friends. These women are shining the light of God, showing God's love to others for no reason other than they've experience God's love and they can't help but to give it away and share it.

I have seen extravagant giving in this season like no other times. God honors giving, especially extravagant giving since He's the first Extragant Giver, our life-giver!! When we give Him our hearts, He fills it with Him!!

I believe 2009 is going to be a year of God's ourpouring love, goodness and revelation. "Every good gift and ever perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures." - James 1:17-18
Are you ready to give Him your all? Your heart and everything you are and everything you have. When you do, get ready, He's been waiting to pour out into your life everything that's amazing. He is AMAZING!!!

Holiday yummy food suggestions

We had our women's group over for a dinner party the other night, ladies and husbands. We had a blast!! Great food and conversations!!

I wanted to share with you what we had for food, it may give you some ideas for upcoming parties.

Cheese spread with crackers
Cheese spread -- President rondele's spinach cheese spread and pumpkin spice cheese spread, the pumpkin one is delicious!!! - from Sprout Farmers Market
Crackers -- good multi-graine ones from Cosco.

Potstickers (chicken with vegetables)
This is my favorite thing to keep in the freezer. Follow the instructions and cook them, they are everyone's favorites!!

Nathan's lil' smoked sausages
This is another easy item to make, just throw them in a small pot with some BBQ sauce and a little water and let cook for a little while.

Thin-crusted frozen pizzas-tomatoes and basil (I forgot the brand, it's from Cosco)

Gia Russa's Whole Wheat Rotini pasta (or Barillo) with fresh chicken basil sausage in Pesto Sauce
Bake 4-5 Chicken Basil Sausage (from Sprout) for about 1 hour until internal temp reaches 165 degrees, let cool, cut into small slices. Can be done a day or 2 before.
Saute chicken sausage slices until heated, add some crusted garlic, chopped tomatoes and red or orange bell peppers, then 1/3 jar of Kirkland's 22oz. Pesto sauce (in Cosco's cooler section, already made pesto sauce can be found elsewhere but can be pricey)until mixed well, then add cooked 16oz. (1 lb.) pasta, then mix until everything is heated through, add salt and pepper to taste.

For dessert, there's the Bumble Blossoms from Cosco's freezer section. These are puff pastries stuffed with apples and mixed berries and they look like blossoming flowers. So beautiful and delicious.

I hope you'll get to try some of these delicious items, they also make wonderful everyday treats too.

The Holiday season...

Every year I try to be relaxed during the pre-holiday season. I ask God to give me grace to deal with those stressed ones around me, that I wouldn't be affected by the craziness.

I went to Macy's 2 weeks ago to exchange something on a Saturday morning, without the knowledge that there was a morning sale going on. With people waiting in a long line and each person was buying at least 20 items (for the bargains), when it came to be my turn to pay, I couldn't help but started to sweat and felt so much under pressure to get my transaction done as soon as possible since every person behind me was staring me. I ended up having to go back to the cashier twice after that because I got so nervous. There... the JOY of the holiday... I just took a deep breath and moved on.

I have been doing our holiday shopping throughout the fall, so that has been done pretty much 2 months ago. Then, I did my gift-wrapping marathon for 3 nights last week and got that done. I have intended to post something on this blog 2-3+ times a week, but have found myself pre-occupied with gift-wrapping, greeting-card-writing and parties, and here I haven't been writing as much as I have intended.

Anyway,am I the only one on the planet that is not on Facebook? I feel like I am.

I have resisted to get on Facebook fearing that would suck up the little free time I have. It looks like I may need to open an account soon since everyone seems to be putting up their latest photos and news on there. I'll let you know how it goes.

I can't believe Hanukkah and Christmas is coming up next week. The kids have been asking every day when Hanukkah is, since we celebrate Hanukkah (that is this upcoming Sunday at sundown). I set out all their presents in the living room already, so they've been waiting to open them. In the meantime, we keep reminding them Hanukkah is about honoring God as our LIGHT and to remember how we have dedicated our lives to Him.

There's always an opportunity for a lesson when it comes to raising kids... a lesson for them and a lesson for me. So much I have learned about my Father's love for me as I parent.
I realize that I lack NOTHING. I mean...I really have everything I need and more. Psalm 37:25 says, "I have been young and now am old; yet I have not seen the rightious forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread." God is our ultimate provider. He supplies all our needs according to His riches in Glory.

I remember last year when my mother was visiting here, we were watching my kids play with their daddy. My mom was so touched by the scene, and said, "you know you are so blessed, though you don't have millions of dollar, yet you lack NOTHING!" I know what she meant, no matter how she or I or my sister has underminded life without a father, deep down inside we long for him to have been there.

My mom was at one point baffled at why I would want to stay home to be a "housewife" rather than continue to pursue a career after all the time and money invested for my education. Then, later, she told me how she felt bad for children that rarely get to spend time with their mothers and was glad that I had made the choice to be home. Although I have learned to look for approval from my heavenly Father, I surely am glad that my mother has come around to see His will for my life.

I am at an incredible place where I am so content!!! I have been content for quite some time, it's a gift from God. I don't desire much. As a matter of fact, I told my son, "if I get no gift this holiday season, I am completely fine with that, I don't need anything!!! NOTHING!!" I need nothing and I don't even want anything. It's a great place to be!

Lesson of a temporary voice loss

I got a sore throat a few days ago, then I consistently took vitamins and xylitol to fight off whatever thing that tried to start in my body. Well, the sore throat left and I started to lose my voice. I guess between a sore throat and a voice loss, I'd choose no pain any day.
So, though the painlessness did not bother me, I had to whisper most of the time, sound just would not want to come out of me... which brings me to not be able to raise my voice at my children, whether it be "don't climb on that!" or "come over here." were not said but in a whisper in my children's ears.

God is teaching me a valuable lesson through this which He wouldn't be able to otherwise, my words are effective even when they are not spoken loudly. When all you can do is whisper or speak with a horsey voice at best, you come across much gentler and it makes speaking with grace much easier also.

Even when I have to give my children warning before a discipline is necessary, I have to get very close to them and whisper into their ears, "You will get your discipline if this continues." And then a few times, I had to do what I'd promised. Boy, my gentle words whispered became so effective.

I was raised that in order to get someone to listen to you and to get their attention, you must scream. I came from a fairly loud family. They speak loudly and many times louder than someone with a microphone. I have gotten softer-spoken over the years. My sister is worried that I'd get pushed over with that change. Once at a family gathering, my husband wondered what the fight was about, I had to explain, "they are not fighting, that's just the way they talk."

I have prayed for some time that God would teach me to consistently speak with grace and gentleness, especially to my husband and my children (since we do that most of the times with friends and aquaintences). Well, I think I got the lesson.

Mourning over a lost friendship

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

As I realize there are seasons of friendships, some are meant to be for just a short little while for us to learn a lesson, some are for a lifetime (those are sweet - I have some dear sisters like that), and some are in our lives for just a season (well, a season could be several years). It's especially hard when the season ends before we would want that to or at an unexpected time.

Thank God for sweet friendships, we are given the freedom to choose our friends. We learn to accept our friends for who they are. When we open up our lives to our friends, we accept their talents as well as flaws. We share our thoughts, and as God instructs in the bible that we are to speak truth into one another's lives.

I am mourning over a lost friendship. As painful as it is to see a friendship go, not according to my own will. Father reminds me that sometimes He has certain relationships distanced for my own protection. I have to trust in Him, even though I have done the best I could to keep and to rescue a relationship... God is in control!

Paul and I have met people that they just didn't like us, we had done nothing wrong toward them. It was for our protection... later we found out that these people caused so much trouble to some people that they had finagled themselves into their lives.

God has so many times blessed me with new friends to take the place of those whom I had grown to love and lost. He is faithful and I am thankful for many new friends He continues to bring into my life as great blessings.

You (who is reading this) are probably one of them. Thank you! I do count my blessings, I've gained more that I've lost.

Seek the Kingdom of God

Jesus said in Luke 12:29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."
Okay, God says that He would give us everything we need, EVERYTHING, and we are not to worry!!!! So, all we have to do is to seek the Kingdom of God, how do we do that?

We recently took a class on the parables of Jesus, though with some background of Jewish history and traditions; the fact that I am married to a Jew, the class was eye-opening. Of course we know that Jesus is the GREATEST RABBI EVER LIVED, morever, He came as a Jew and lived as a Jew and taught as a Jew. All of Jesus' parables, without exception, were not original. They came from some previous rabbis, sages or the talmud (the Jewish oral law).

I want to share with you what I learned about "Seek the Kingdom of God".

Seeking the Kingdom of God is to go after God in everything we say and do, with "glorifying and pleasing God" in mind, knowing that He has full control over our lives. He is all powerful over everything, everyone and every circumstance. Seeking the Kingdom of God goes beyond seeking God, it is seeking His power, reign, rule, authority and dominion over our lives...that is we are to submit and surrender our everything to our ONE TRUE GOD, and acknowledge that we are NOTHING apart from Him, in complete humility.

As we submit to the King, we become more than conquerors and overcomers, and have been given all authority. So, what else do we have to worry about?

Experience His Love Songs for you

In our women's group, we have been studying the God's Amazing Love through the Song of songs written by Gaye Moss (it's so wonderful!! Everyone needs to do that study, it'll transform your view on God's love for you as your bridegroom!). How the Lord pursues us in such an intimate way!

Here, I have put a couple of love songs on the top of my playlist playing here.
Yes, God can speak through any songs, not just worship songs.
I invite you to close your eyes and experience the Lord as your loving bridegroom through these love songs to you...

He wants to take you (His princess - for the women that are reading) to a whole new world that you can't and don't even want to go back to where you used to be.
And, as you are dreaming that your love would be right here with you, He already is; you never dreamed that He'd notice you... well He does and He sees you beautiful no matter where you've been, what you've done, even where you are, what you look or feel like. He loves you, period!

I pray that you'll experience Him and His longing for you as I have through these songs.

Organizing...

Some people are born organizers, some are trained. I was neither. Oh, boy! I never realized how important that was until children came into our lives. If things are not in their places, life is a lot more stressful.

Over time, I will share with you tips that I have learned. I love clear plastic shoe boxes because they are easy to stack, label and they are transparent.

How about the big purses that we can stuff everything in? Do you find your husband and children stuffing their books, toys, and snacks in there too without your knowledge until it gets to be too heavy to carry or starts giving you shoulder-ache?
Periodically cleaning out your purse helps you see what you actually have in there. I like using medium-size zip-block bags to organize and sort my possessions, like one bag for snacks, and one bag for individual antibacterial wipes, vitamins, coupons. That way, I just put one bag out and can find things easier, rather than dumping the whole purse out in the most inconvenient time.

Anyway, hope this helps!

My Take on Skincare products

As you know by my previous blog on makeup, I use all natural, clean skincare products without preservatives. Some of the brands I recommend are Aubrey, MyChelle and Kiss the Face. I know that at Whole Foods and Sprouts, you can ask for samples and booklet information of MyChelle based on the skin type you have, they can give you their recommendation.

Myra Michelle Eby, who founded MyChelle, had worked for Aubrey previously. Aubrey products are mostly organic and great natural products, but they are not very effective in targeting problem areas, such as acne and aging issues. Therefore, Myra started her own company after doing her own research and mixing and matching natural ingredients.

MyChelle has a line of fabulous products. I experience some acne issues as an adult and somewhat oily/combination skin. Here is the list of what I am using in case you are interested: the White Cranberry cleasner, Clear Skin serum, Cranberry Mud Mask, Pumpkin Peel, Oil-free Grapefruit lotion, AND MOSTLY IMPORTANTLY the SPF 28 Sun Block for the face!! They all smell yummy, except for the unscented sun block, it does not smell like anything.

I'd suggest if you like anything, check out www.vitacost.com first before making purchases at Sprout. However, Sprout and Whole Foods have good return policy. Whole Foods' is 30 days with receipt and Sprout's is whenever with a receipt, granted that there is still good amount of product remaining. I had to do a fair amount of returning before I found what works for me.

Prices on Vitacost.com are much better than other retail stores, except for vitamins at the Vitamin Shoppe, but Vitamin Shoppe does not carry makeup and skincare. MyChelle tends to run high on prices, but the little amount of products goes a LONG way, and they use only quality ingredients. It's worthy it. The Cleanser especially last a while since you only use a pearl size of it each time, a small pearl size. Aubrey's are good too, if you don't have much skin problems to tackle. I started out my natural skincare adventure with Aubrey and it helped me tremendously to turn things around with my previous problematic skin, extremely sensitive skin and dry patches.

Watch for 20-25% off during line drive at Sprout, they discount for a whole month the brand that they are promoting. You should know by now I am a big fan of Sprout:)

Journey to the center of the earth

A few nights ago, we went to see "Journey to the center of the earth" at the "dollar movie theater". It exceeded my expectations if there was any. It's a fun movie, full of surprises.

Without giving away anything, there is a scene in which the characters were on a canoe in the ocean, the hand-made sail that helped sail the canoe was about to be blown off, the child reached over and wanted to grab and secure it tight. The other 2 characters screaming in warning, "Don't touch it!!" He didn't listen and grabbed it, then he was blown away with the sail by the storm.

What a profound lesson of disobedience that we came away with!! When we tell our children to be obedient is for their own safety and protection, just as the Lord has meant the law for us in the Torah (the first 5 books of the bible). When we tell our children to not touch the electrical outlet is so they wouldn't get hurt. When children are young, most of the consequences of their disobedience seem insignificant, like spilling a drink, or getting cuts and bruises. But if they are crossing the road, and a car is coming and we scream, "STOP!" and they don't listen, the consequence of their disobedience could be deadly.

When our children understand that the rules we ask them to follow are for their own good, and they comply not nessisarily having to know why, that can save them lots of trouble in life... AND the Lord said that blessings will come on us and overtake us simply because we obey. (Deuteronomy 28)

Wow, who wouldn't want to have blessings to come and overtake us and our children? Let's commit ourselves to teach the next generation the nugget of obedience and show them the joy of obedience which brings blessings from God!

Encourager - Messenger of Heaven's kisses

I was raised by a very loving mother. Though she was a single-working mother, she always made sure that we had everything we needed growing up, we felt that we lacked nothing.

In the Chinese culture, physical touch is not a big thing to express love within family. I got many kisses from mom when I was young, hugs are not an everyday thing, "I love you"'s are not said often, not even occasionally, you just know that you are loved... you just have to know and believe it without it being said.

I knew that my mother was very proud of me by what her friends told me. Whenever I did well in school, she'd give me smile and said, "Now, you can do better next time!" Even if I'd made a hundred! I could do "better"?!

Now that I am a mother, I try to make sure that my children know that I love them, they don't have to assume or guess. They know it by the "I love you"'s, our kisses and hugs, our words of encouragement that they receive daily. Our Father is a loving father, He sends us those loving kisses and hugs too. We have to learn to recognize them, ask for them, receive them as such.

REMEMBER... there's no coincidence...

Earlier this Spring, there was a time I was feeling like a bad mother. Frequent calls for discipline with our children was wearing me out and I regretted the times that I was impatient and ungracious. I didn't like how I had handled those situations.

And then... one day, I was in a restaurant having yummy lunch and great conversations with a good friend of mine and my sister-in-law. during the over-2-hour-period that we were there, my children were getting restless. I had to take them outside and talked to them a few times and asked them not to whine. Then, as an elderly couple were making their way out of the restaurant passing by our table, the lady stopped and proceded to speak to Matthew (I had Matthew in my lap at this time -and I thought to myself, "she must want to comment on how cute my Matthew is... which is not uncommon"). The lady looked Matthew straight into the eyes and said, "I have been watching you. I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you. You are becoming such a good little boy. I am so proud of you, and your mother is doing a great job raising you.” I looked at her the whole time as she was speaking those words, and I was soaking in every word out of her mouth and knew immediately that she was a messager sent by my Father to bring me encouargement and showed me love. That was one of the kisses that my Father gave me that day.

I am so blessed by every little thing God does to show me His love. It's overwhelming at times! Father has taught me to be His messenger of His kisses for others as well, especially for my husband and my children. Paul and I are teaching our children to look for and recognize these hugs and kisses from our Lord.

Have you gotten any kisses from Father lately? Have you asked Him to show you where they are? Has He asked you to be His messenger to deliver His love today? God's love is life-changing!!! I pray that as you are reading this, Father is bringing to mind those loving hugs and kisses He sent you and those heartfelt embraces He encircles Himself around you that you know beyond a shadow of the doubt that YOU ARE LOVED!

Not all mineral makeup are equal!!

If you are like me, I love playing with makeup and play with samples whenever I have the chance. I was once in the cosmetics industry for several years and learned a few things about skincare and makeup.

A few years ago, my skin started doing some crazy stuff, like easily irritated by conventional beauty products. I heard that is common being that we women have ever-changing, uncontrollable hormones that control our bodies... especially before and after pregnancies, menstrual cycles, menopause, ...,etc.

Anyway, I was forced to look into natural products, like chemical-free, fragrance-free, preservative-free type of products. I started shopping for skincare and makeup at Sprout(my favorite place)and Whole Foods. I discovered some wonderful brands of products like Aubrey Organic, Kiss the Face, and now my favorite Mychelle (pronounced as "my-shell").

I was using some very popular brand of mineral powder makeup for over a year, then, one day someone educated me about mineral makeup that shone new light on it.

There are 3 things that we need to stay away from in mineral makeup: bismouth oxychloride, talc, and paraben. I have learned to not just take someone's word for it but to do my own research when I am told something.

Bismouth Oxychloride is a mineral and one of the most common ingredients found in mineral makeup. It's used as a filler but advertised as something that gives you that glow, which it does. However, it could irritate senstive skin and cause irritation when you sweat.

Talc is found in asbesto, which could cause lung cancer when inhaled. Morever, it can also clog pores and thus cause acne. I once called a cosmetic company and asked why they'd put talc in their mineral makeup to be their #1 ingredient. Their defense was that it was a cosmetic-grade talc and it doesn't really penetrate into skin, only lays on the top layer of skin. That's not true! Our skin absorbs about 60% of everything we put on, that means even toxins.

Paraben is a preservative with estrogenic properties, there are a variety of parabens like methyl-paraben and propyl-paraben. It is an inexpensive way to increase shelf life. Parabens can cause cancer due to their estrogenic activities. It is very commonly used in skincare, body care, cosmetics, and so on.

That's why reading labels are so important as sassy consumers. Just because you are in a "health-food store", don't assume that everything in there is good for you. Just because a brand calls itself "natural" and "healthful" doesn't mean that you can take their words for it.

Mychelle has an incredible stick foundation which I love. It's a big pricey but since a little goes a long way, it seems to last quite a while. Aubrey has a pressed silk powder make up, similar to the mineral, but it's pressed silk (doesn't it sound so delicate and fancy already), and it is fairly priced. I love their makeup and the blush as well.

Since we put lipstick on our lips, it goes directly into our digestive system. I feel that we especially have to be careful about that. Some lipstick carries lead, which is toxic for our bodies. Whole Foods has a makeup brand called Mineral Fusion. They have some good lipstick and lip gloss selection that would be safe to swallow.

Hope this has been helpful for you. I will give you more tips as I get new information. :)

A Lie - being demolished one blow at a time

One of the biggest lies in the world is that a fetus in the womb is not a person until he/she is born.

I remember at my very first OB appointment when we found out we (well, I) were pregnant and heard our baby's heartbeats, he was a real person, alive and well, a precious life given by God. I remember going back to work that day sharing my uncontained joy with my co-workers and baffled at how anyone could say that this is not a life in the womb. God said to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." God knows everything about you and has loved you before you were even conceived. That's amazing!

I used to be one of those that said, "A woman should be able to do whatever she wants with her body." How wrong was I!! We are not our own, our bodies belong to God.

That was all changed when one day my best friend, Karen, from high school told me one day shaking and said, "I will NEVER have an abortion!" I was surprised at such a statement and asked her what had happened. That day in school, they showed a video on what happens during an abortion, which changed her view completely on the subject, which subsequently changed my mind as well. Karen briefly described to me how gruesome an abortion procedure is in ending the life of an unborn.

God is the ONLY life-giver, and should be the ONLY life-taker. He does not make mistakes, even babies with disabilities carry special purposes to be here on early by our Father King. Some over 70% of down-syndrome babies are aborted because they were not wanted. I have also heard numerous stories of misdiagnosis; so how many "normal" babies were aborted because of doctors' mistakes.
These so-called "unwanted" babies to be aborted, healthy or not, are desperately wanted by many, many couples that would love to adopt them but are not given the opportunities.

The saddest story I have heard on this was from a nurse named Jill Stanek in Christ's Hospital in Chicago, IL. She had no idea that abortion was a routine procedure done when parents-to-be agreed to the procedure after being told that their baby had down-syndrome. One day, Jill saw a nurse carrying a 20-week-old baby in the hall. She asked the nurse where she was taking the baby. The nurse was taking the baby to the utility room to leave him there to die. This was a baby that survived an abortion, and by law, no medical treatment was required to save his life. Jill was shocked and asked if she could hold the baby for the rest of his final moments. Jill held that baby for 45 minutes until he breathed his last breath. That changed Jill's life forever. She became a pro-life activist to help save unborn babies. She led a legislature called the Born-Alive Act, which would require doctors to provide medical care should a baby survive an abortion, and failed in opposition to then State Sen. Obama.

What kind of society have we become? Some people wouldn't even think about treating an animal this way, and we are doing that to the littliest ones.

God has put this burden on my heart and on so many to pray to see the end of abortion.

A national campaign "40 Days For Life" is held annually across the nation, which just ended Nov. 2 this year. This year, there were over 170 cities participated, thousands upon thousands fasted, prayed, held prayer vigil outside abortion clinics. Over 500 babies' lives were saved, I am sure there were also many more we don't know about.

If you are reading this, perhaps the Lord is stirring that compassion within you as well. I invite you to join me in prayer and fast on a regular basis, whether it be skiping a meal (or fast without TV, or anything that you'd hate to miss) once a month, or once a week to bring yourself closer to God in prayers to petition for the lives of the little unborn babies. www.40daysforlife.com also gives you details on what they are about. They are going to have Spring campaign coming up.

James 5:16-18 in the bible says, "an effective and fervant prayer of a rightous man avails much. Elijah was a man with nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit."

God has a purpose and destiny in His divine plan for EVERY PERSON. Even when a man and a woman get together and make a mistake, a life is formed, God does not make a mistake. That little person could very well be the next Albert Einstein, the next Billy Graham, the scientist that finds cure for AIDS, the person that God has called to bring revival to the world.

Let's press on and pray, and watch our Father work! Jesus said that with faith as small as a mustard seed, we can move mountains. I am excited to see people's hearts change and honor the lives given by our Creator. Let's share the truth with everyone we know, and demolish this lie, one blow at a time.

A Love Story

Where do I begin... to tell the story of how great love can be...

Every woman enjoys a romance story. And our very own story began over 13 years ago….

The day after graduation, I drove myself in a U-haul, with everything I owned in it from Knoxville, TN to Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital to start a new chapter in my life, entering into the workforce. That was the first time I’d ever driven there. As I was driving by the Washington Monument and the Pentagon, it took my breath away. I was finally there!

Prior to that day, I had flown there to visit a couple of times. During my last trip visiting a friend, I had a few job interviews with some of the largest hotels in the city (I had always been taught to dream big, besides, I had nothing to lose.). I was surprised when I got a job offer as a food and beverage manager at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, one of the biggest and oldest historic hotels in D.C. That was divine favor.

The day after I arrived in the city, I started my new job. My new boss took me on a tour around the hotel and introduced me to everyone. This place was enormous, glamorous like a palace. We were walking through all the back ways, and service areas of the hotel. I thought I would never learn my way out of the maze. As my boss was taking me through one of the kitchens, I was introduced to Chef Paul. He was stirring something in the stock pot, we shook hands and he said, “Oh, you are the new manager, great! I’ll have to get your input on the new menu we are putting together.” I thought to myself, “Wow, do I feel important or what? This chef wanted my input on the new menu.” I was impressed with my new position already.

With Chef Paul, it was not exactly love at first sight. I had sat through many meetings with him, and the last thought on my mind was finding a man in my new wonderful job. We had our fair share of workplace conflicts, such as our criticism on one another’s staff. There was even a shouting match on the staircase in the kitchen between us about how my staff disliked his staff and his disliked mine.

Hotel work hours are long. You become like family and the closest friends with the people you work with, not by choice. You spend weekends and holidays together, more so than with your own family and friends. I began to lose the handful of friends that I had because I was the only one that worked odd hours. Paul and I began a friendship. He was serious and uptight at work, and I encouraged him to loosen up. I even told him about a date I was going to have with a very gorgeous and good-looking guy. He didn’t seem too thrilled when I was describing how wonderful and incredibly handsome my upcoming new date was, someone I met through a friend.

While working at the hotel, I had to wear a fake diamond ring just to fight off some indecent proposals and unwanted suitors. Strangely some people travel with that perverse thinking, “what happens there stays there” mentality. As for Paul, the “pick-up” line he heard often was, “So, when are you going to cook for me, Chef?” Our friendship grew to be more, and I even found myself asking him when he was going to cook for me too. Although we tried our hardest to keep our workplace romance under the lid, the chemistry between us was undeniable. We were beginning to get nick names, like John Smith and Pocahontas at work. I even passed up possible dates with politicians and diplomats because I had already realized he was the one.

After a series of failed long-term relationships and declining of marriage ultimatums, Paul realized I was the one for him also. At this time, he was no longer working with me. He was asked to move to the Midwest with his company, and his answer was he would go only if his girlfriend would go with him. And my answer was that I would only go as a wife (I‘ve seen way too many tragedies when women moved somewhere for their love interest, thereafter, only to find themselves in a strange environment, alone, after a breakup).

So, Paul and I decided to get married.

I remember that before our wedding day, I told him that I was not sure if I could marry him since he was not a Christian. This is odd because I had known him for over 2 years by now, so the fact that he was a non-believing Jew was not exactly a surprise. But that fact just dawned on me. Nevertheless, we went ahead with our move and wedding plans. We were married by a Justice of Peace in Ohio while she was taking a break from hearing cases of traffic violators. That was hilarious!

Over the next few years, although I was happy, at times I also struggled being married to someone of a different faith. I prayed, pleaded, begged, repented, pushed, pulled and did everything I could to bring my husband to church to find Jesus. Little did I know, God had a different plan. Paul finally got saved after meeting some Jewish believers from New York, who came from a similar background as his.

Now, as our love grows deeper and stronger in the Lord, we grow closer to one another - sort of like a triangle. (God at the central pivotal point, we draw closer to one another as we both move closer to God). God is faithful and I know He answers prayers in His time. In our love story with each other, Paul and I find our love story with our Savior, the one that grafted the wild branch into the olive tree. Our marriage displays the portrait of how God joined a Jew and a Gentile together, as one.

Well, this is our love story. Many more fun and exciting chapters are being written as we seek our loving Father each day, with 2 beautiful Chinese Jews that our Father has blessed us with.

So, how about an easy meatloaf recipe?

I haven't made meatloaf in a LONG time... so, the other day, I found this amazingly easy recipe and it tasted so good. I have to pass it on, so here it is.

Turkey/Beef Meatloaf

1 1/2 lb. Ground Turkey/Beef
1 egg
1 onion, chopped
1 cup milk
1 cup Bread crumb
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all of the above and pour into a loaf pan (slightly sprayed with oil), then spread the mixture of the following on top.

2Tbsp Brown Sugar
2Tbsp Mustard
1/3 C Ketchup

Bake meatloaf at 350 degrees F, for one hour. Poultry needs to reach internal temperature at 165 degrees when done.

Tip: YOu can mix everything in ahead of time, then refrigerate it until when it's time to bake.
leftover meatloaf is great for sandwiches. Pan-fry sliced meatloaf with a little oil. They are delicious.

Now We Stand!

The following article written by Kerby Anderson, Christian Radio Show "Point of View", gives us perspective and hope on where we are as a nation ---

While we may disagree with his stand on many of the issues, we need to acknowledge the historic accomplishment of Barak Obama as he becomes the first African-American president in our nation's history.

We applaud the man for his achievement and respect the office but we must still stand for our values. This is not the time to become discouraged but to seize on the opportunities that present themselves to us.

Yesterday, three states voted to pass amendments to their state constitutions that will protect the sanctity of marriage. Two of those states chose Barak Obama as their president. In all three states a large number of people voted for amendments to protect marriage while voting for Obama who opposed them.

The clear message is that the majority of American's still believe in traditional values and will support them when given the chance. As we stand for the values we hold dear, we know that the majority of the people still share those values.

In his campaign, Obama made promises to enact legislation that will run in direct opposition to our values. However, many commentators feel that he is concerned about overreaching early in his administration, having learned from the mistakes President Clinton made in his first two years in office.

That indicates he will listen to us on these issues if we speak loud enough. In his acceptance speech, he promised to listen to the concerns of those who did not vote for him. Let's work together to hold him to that promise.

Even though the 110th Congress was led by the most radical elements of the Democratic Party, we did see them respond to the voice of the people when enough of us spoke up on an issue. Though the ideology of those in power now runs contrary to our values, we still have the opportunity to make a difference.

We are a government "of the people, by the people, for the people" and as long as we remember that and are willing to act, we can still make a difference for the future of our nation.

God is GOOD...ALL THE TIME!

God is good, not based on circumstances... it's an unchangeable fact that He is good at ALL TIMES.

Psalm 125 tells us that "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jesrusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people frim this time forth and forever."

Yesterday, the Lord led me to Isaiah 45:3 before all the election results came out, the verses go, "I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I the Lord, who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel.""All things work together for those who love God and those who are called according to His purposes." The essence of our faith is hope, hope that is not found in this world, but in our Lord in heaven.

As most of you last night, I watched America elect our first black president. I had mixed emotions. It was a historic moment, that's for sure, now where do we go from here... There is only one person who holds the answer... our KING. The King that is over all things and all people, the King that we know and have access to through Christ Jesus, the King that has promised to protect and provide for us.

As my friend, Teresa Roy said once regarding concerns over this election, "My plan B is the rapture." Now, that's the Kingdom-perspective. I am rejoicing not over circumstances, but for whom I put my trust and hope in.

As we are called to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks always, today is a new day. We have prayed, pleaded, decreed, and I believe that our Father has heard our prayers. We don't stop praying, the battle belongs to God, He is Victory. The end of the story has already been written. Jesus overcomes!

My friends, let's not grow weary while doing good, for in due time we will reap what we sow. God's plan is ALWAYS BEST. Yes, we've prayed for His will be done, so we have trust that His plan for us has a hope and a future.

As in the 40 days for life campaign (which ended Nov. 2 for this year),to pray until we see the end of abortion in our land, people are committed to continue to pray and fast and spread the word throughout the year, the work continues on...

Let's add Barack Obama and every leader in our government in our prayers. Let's pray the Lord's supernatural wisdom, protection over them, and that there will be genuine and life-changing encounters between them and The Savior. Let's pray that God will guide our nation to restore the moral values established when she was founded. God can do ALL things, no matter who is king or president.

Let us never forget the enormity of our gift of salvation/eternal life in Jesus Christ and by our Father. And, that's the joy we celebrate each day!

God is GOOD, ALL THE TIME! Yes, His glory is seen today!

A Fun trip to the Art Museum

Pink Impact Women's Conference 2009....

Pink Impact '09 will be an incredible women's conference. Our very own pastor, Robert Morris, will be one of the speakers. This is one of the very few events you will see him address at a women's conference. He will have a very poignant message for us women, so please do not miss it. The other 2 speakers are Marily Hickey and Holly Wagner, who represents the mother generation and daughter generation. Marily Hickey has a worldwide ministry and is an anointed teacher. Holly Wagner is the author of "GodChicks", has a passion to see women become who God has designed them to be. She is a thirty-something mother of 2.

Make sure you register at pinkimpact.com for $70.00 before December 31, 2008 before the rate goes up.

I am organizing the team that will hand out gifts to attendees, please let me know if you are interested in being a part of it. Who wouldn't love you when you are handing out "free" gifts? There is a discounted rate for volunteers also. Childcare will be offered for the first time. All the details can be found at pinkimpact.com.

My great-grandfather was killed by the communists... and I say "no" to Marxism, socialism and the like...

As many of you, I've been reading and listening to what's going on regarding the election. Let me just share something here about redistribution of wealth.

When Barack Obama says that people should spread their wealth around to help the poor. Well, it's nice to have someone offer the needy help out of his/her own heart, it's another when the government "taxes" (merely taking it from the people, another word "confiscates"), that becomes the problem.

I've seen some of the laziest workers in China when I traveled there growing up. They got paid the same whether they worked hard or not, absolutely no incentive nor motivation to strive for better. They simply don't work more than the minimum required. They've become robotic, hopeless and bitter at the fact that the rich are the priviledged, and therefore some have believed they should be punished.

My great-grandfather was a bourgoise in China, which is one of the groups the Communists persecuted simply for their wealth. He was also a high government official at one point, a very educated one. So, that's 3 strikes against him. The Communists ended his life by confiscating everything he'd owned and made him and his wife walk on broken glass on his knees until he died. It was one of the common forms of persecution. When I try to picture that today, I crinch everytime I hear this U.S. Presidential candidate, Barack Obama, say that the government should have to right to spread the people's wealth. That's essentially what the Communists did to my great-grandfather, his wealthy taken for government use.

Jesus says in the book of Matthew, chapter 25 verse 29, "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away." referring to what we do with the resources God has given us. As Paul (my husaband, not the apostle :) ) says, if you take away everything from Warren Buffet, he'll be a rich man again sometime soon because he knows how to make money and invests; but if you give a poor man a million dollar, he'll be poor again soon. As the saying goes, "Give a man a fish, he's fed for a day, teach him how to fish, he'll be fed for a lifetime."

How profoundly true that is!! When we start taking responsibilities for our own actions, that's when true transformation begins. When those that moan and groan all day "Woe is me!!!" and are always looking for a hand-out, they'll never look into themselves to grow out of the current situation. It's a vicious cycle, and a very sad and empty inheritance they pass onto their children.

I do not wish to teach that kind of unproductive and toxic thinking to my children. They'll always know and understand the principle that the Lord teaches us in the Good Book, "You reap what you sow!"

And like how we don't believe when the telemarkers call to tell us, "You have won an extravagent vacation! A million dollars .....!" (since there's no free lunch!!), don't believe for a second when a politician promises everything under the sun because ...there is a price to pay... sooner or later.

New beautiful banner for my blog

Thanks to my friend, Michelle Bentham, I now have a new beautiful banner for my blog!!

Chef-approved Banana Muffins....Yummy!!

Okay, I am in my baking season again... I get that periodically; just so drawn to bake, usually the easy stuff, that won't get my hands too dirty. I prefer the "not even have to get my mixer out" type of baking. I was tired of buying over-priced and un-nutritious muffins, and decided to make some healthy ones that are good enough to be healthful breakfast...


Well, here it is-- truly Chef-approved!! :)

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Mix all 4 wet ingredients:
-- 4 large (or 5 medium) ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 C sugar (I use evaporated cane juice... sugar, better for you)
1 egg
1/3 C butter, melted
Mix all 4 dry ingredients:
-- 1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C flour (healthier version: unbleached wheat flour, replace a few teaspoons of flour with flax seed meal to give you some good Omega 3)

Then, mix the wet and dry mixture together. Add in 1/2 to 1 C chopped nuts if you'd like. Line medium-sized muffin tin with muffin liners. Pour muffin dough into muffin tin, and bake for about 20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean when you stick it in.

Voila! You have some amazing banana muffins. My kids and husband can't get enough of them. They are really easy to make, let me know what you think.

Shalom to you all....

Here's an article by David Silver, that I came across about the Hebrew word, "Shalom". It's so rich, it helps us to begin to understand the richness of one of Jesus' names -- "Sar Shalom" -- The Prince of Peace... So, read on...

The Hebrew word SHALOM is understood around the world to mean peace. But peace is only one small part of the meaning of the word SHALOM. Here in Israel, even though we don't have much in the way of peace, we use the word SHALOM on a daily basis. We use it to greet people with, and we use it to bid farewell to people. However, SHALOM means much more than peace, hello or goodbye.

Strong's Concordance 7965 - Hebrew Shalom ..... A word study in the New King James version for SHALOM says: Completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord.

Shalom comes from the root verb Shalom meaning to be complete, perfect and full. In modern Hebrew the obviously related word Shelem means to pay for, and Shulam means to be fully paid.

Sar SHALOM (Prince of Peace) is one of the descriptive names the Bible uses to indicate the ministry and personality of the Messiah: Isaiah 9:6 - The Son of God is completely perfect in all things.

So in essence, when you speak out the word SHALOM - you are not only proclaiming peace, but all the above meanings of the word over that person - that's a mighty blessing!!!

Remember what the word of God says - "there is life or death in the power of the tongue".

We recently heard someone on a Christian TV program say: "No wonder the Jewish people are so blessed, because every time they say Shalom to one another, they are also allowing the full meaning (see above) of SHALOM to be pronounced over them. He humorously proceeded to say that this greeting word would be much more beneficial to the American people if they greeted each other with SHALOM instead of their usual "Hi" or "Howdy" greeting. As Josie and I adapted to life in Israel, we adapted to the SHALOM habit over the "Hi" habit....As Messianic Jews, we are called to bless you and we take that very seriously, by praying for you and by greeting you with SHALOM. Therefore, from now on, when we or someone says SHALOM to you, you should receive it as a tremendous blessing. And bless them back with a hearty SHALOM!"

Numbers 6:24-26: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His face upon you and give you SHALOM. In the name of SAR SHALOM - the Prince of Peace.

Our M & M's

I'm blogging!!!!!!! Knowing my Father...

I am finally bringing myself to start writing here. I hope someone is reading it. I'll be writing on what's been going on in our lives, and all the new tips I find from cleaning to skin care. So, tune in...


Well, it's all for my Father's glory. Some of you know that I didn't grow up with a father, so the term "father" was foreign to me for quite a while.

Seeing my friends' stories of how their parents fight and didn't get along, and having distant relationships with their fathers, I was relieved that I didn't have one. I only needed to go to one person, my mom-my hero, to get permission for something. I never had to hear fights between my parents, I merely had one. Not until recently that God has shown me how deeply buried my emotions were about my father. And I have a loving Father in Him, and He's always been there for me and will always be. He has helped me understand what a father's role is designed to be by giving me the best father I know (Paul) to be my husband to model for our children. Some of the world's bad models of fatherhood should not destroy what God has intended fatherhood for His children on this earth.

I was a foreign exchange student in the little town of Tuscumbia, Alabama many years ago, which is how God brought me here into this country from Hong Kong where I grew up- that changed the course of my life.

My best friend in high school was Karen Jones, and I got to stay with her and her family through some parts of my college years. Her mom and dad, Debra and Dwight, became my surrogate parents here. Dwight taught me how to drive, helped me purchase my very first car (paid for by my mother), and they were there for me after every car accident I had, and there were quite a few (talk about staying away from the Chinese girl on the road...well, half of them were not my fault), and talked to as a father to a daughter.
Nevertheless, that was my experience of seeing a father's love firsthand.
Our Father is amazing, ask Him to show you how He loves you as a father, and truly experience Him in that role. He is faithful and will change your life, He has changed my life forever!