A grocery list, a tough week and a sweet God

Its time to update the #35WeeksofLists again. This week is "Grocery List". 

This week was really tough. As a college registrar with no staff under me, this is one of my busiest weeks of the year. I was always asking for joy to never leave my side. The Lord has graciously provided what I needed. 

We graduated 20 students who are ready to serve as full-time pastors and church workers. While it is a joy to see them graduate, a certain pang of sadness fills my heart. I lived with these young people day in and out and one cannot evade the unhappy feeling of separation. And i have to deal with this scenario every year. 

I am looking forward to many good things in April - the celebration of the Holy week, my closest friends' wedding, and the family reunion in Manila. More than that, I am excited to turn 34! Some don't like the idea of getting old. I say there is so mcuh to look forward to when you have a God who grows sweeter everyday. 

"Oh taste and see that the Lord is good. How blessed is the person who trusts in Him." Psalm 34:8

#35WeeksofLists: Week 2 - Speeches

I dont know the category but the prompt from A Beautiful Life  told me that the list for this week 2 is Speeches.( I am a week behind, by the way.) So, I wrote down my list of the speeches that are significant for me.

1. Efren Peñaflorida's acceptance speech when he was awarded as CNN Hero of the year in 2009. I like his speech because it has all the elements of a good speech (Opening, Body, Conclusion) despite it being a very short one. I use it in most of my lectures on Public Speaking.

2. President Aquino's speech during the Global Discipleship Congress in 2013 at CCF Manila. It was a very humble speech. He talked about why there is a need to constantly pray for him. Now, I am not a fan of politics and seldom do I give comments about it, but after that speech, I grew a deeper commitment to support our leaders in the community.

3. "Single, Satisfied and Sexy". This is the speech I delivered in Davao  in 2009 during the national Humorous Speech Contest of the Toastmasters International. I won the championship trophy and my life was changed since.

Delivering the "Single, Satisfied and Sexy" Humorous Speech
at Marco Polo, Davao City in 2009.

Writing and delivering speeches are very much a part of me. I am committed to training others to be effective public speakers. Many leaders with a a good cause are misunderstood because they can not convey their messages in a way that is convincing and memorable. Words are powerful. And when you employ it to your advantage, it can usher you into so many posibilities.

Ravi Zacharias, one of my favorite authors and speaker once said, "There is a massive difference between the use of fine words and the fine use of words." 

"A word fitly spoken  is like apples of gold in a setting of silver." 

Proverbs 25:11

I am doing the #35WeeksofList

I am resurrecting this blog by doing the #35WeeksofList that my friend Emmy is also doing on her site A Beautiful Life. My hands have been full lately (excuses, excuses!) but I thought this one should at least spark my writing energy.

So, here goes WEEK 1: Books Read the Past 2 Months

These books are not newly acquired except for the last one. 

1. David and Goliath, by Malcolm Gladwell. Status: Unfinished. 

This is a book I gave my father last year. The joy about giving books as gifts is, it benefits the recipient and the giver. hahaha!

2. The Practice of Godliness, by Jerry Bridges. Status: Unfinished. 

I started reading this book in January, about five years after it was given to me as a birthday gift by my friend Jaja. 

3. The Jesus I Never Knew, by Philip Yancey. Status: Second Reading.

 I finished this years ago and I started rereading it last Christmas. This has to be one of my favorite books. 

4. Brothers, We are still Not Professionals, A compilation from Desiring God.org. Status: Unfinished. 

I downloaded this free e-book from Desiring God last month. I am halfway into the book and I find it a good read for ministers. There is one article though that I don't completely agree about - one which talks about why women should not be allowed in the pulpit. My disagreement does not stem on the fact that I am a woman. I just think that the Biblical basis the writer mentioned was taken out of context. That, or it was not extensively explained. 

Having written that, I am thankful for the ability to read, the eyes that has not failed me yet, and the love for reading that has grown in me since childhood. 

I am hoping this #35WeeksofList will not only compel me to write but will develop in me a habit of remembering God's faithfulness in my life. 

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 7:3