"Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God...For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:1-2, 5-6 NIV)

One of the things I hate most about being sick at the throat.....

Is that it gets in the way of my singing.

It makes me sound like a frog.

Kay, thanks a lot.

God Holds Our Lives Together

Even when it seems like our lives are rolling on a thread above a canyon, God still firmly holds us. When we ask, seek, and knock, God will provide. Miracles follow after faith. When we open up the doors to what God can do in our lives, the revelations of His power transcends all anticipation. When we call on God and lay our troubles at His feet, He can be our solid rock and unshakable foundation. God has our backs. He will always support those faithful to Him. ♥

Philippians 4:6-7 "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

1 Peter 5:7 "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."

Sometimes, I believe the internet eats me up and there is no time spared for good use at the end of the day.

Once you know the TRUTH about life, everything becomes different.

It's time to take the blow horn and let your voice be heard

Many people are afraid to speak their minds. A great deal of people don't know it. The generation becomes internally and sheepishly deprived. People follow compromise with the valued opinions, imposed by the world. I've seen people embolden conformity, instead of individuality. This happens to teenagers [and all people alike] everyday. It's as if there's a big voice that tells us what to buy, what music to listen to, what to indulge in, and basically wraps us around in a shape of facade. I understand that in all history, people were always encouraged to move forward, create new things, rebuild new eras of art and technology. Nonetheless, people work so hard in achieving the exterior and tend to neglect the interior. The mistake is that we focus on climbing the ladder of apparent importance, but we forget the importance inside of us. Considering how influential our surrounding society is, we've unconsciously become puppets bound and tied by strings attached to our limbs. We lose the voice within us and based on experience, that has happened to me too. Inside, life rushes through our veins and a heart pumps to breathe the soul.

Jesus said in Matthew 23:26, "Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean."

For the last couple of years, I've been so preoccupied with all this school work, but that's simply unavoidable. The part that was gradually lost in me, was the passion and inspiration to write. I became discouraged and apprehensive, that my writing probably isn't good enough, or no one will ever care about what I have to say. The reason can't simply be the excuse of the ol' classic "writer's block." Yet in the last few weeks, just two people I knew started asking me, if I had been writing. I told them the sheer truth that I really wasn't — but then they encouraged me, kindly telling me that I have a gift. They said the same exact words. I never even imagined that it could be a gift of mine, believing that my writing was bland. I'm truly grateful for their thoughtful words.

This time, I'll make sure that I give my insights on life's profound lessons, while applying the written Wisdom of my greatest Counselor; the Bible. Some writing styles are intelligent with all their sprinkled, fancy words. Now I realize, that I don't need to know every word of a college professor's vocabulary. I just need to speak from my heart. (But of course, I will need to learn more as I read on. I have yet to study SAT words.) I encourage you, to do the same. We were all given mouths and ears for a reason. :)

Now, I can only be sure of one thing. My purpose: through writing, through speech, in love and truth — is to tell the world about Jesus Christ.

Matthew 28:19-20 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

We can't ignore all the differences we're capable of making. Our age does not dictate what we do.

2 Timothy 4:12 "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."

Ephesians 4:15 "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ."

God is my leader and my author all the way.

I don't know, if anyone cared to read this, but if you read this far, I'd like to sincerely thank you!

God bless you! :')

I painted His name, in my unoccupied time.
I wanted my first timeline photo cover to be about God.
Original photo taken and credited: Joel Sjaarda

Excited to see God.

When I told my friends about the typical Christian dream…seeing God or waiting for Jesus’ return, my friend joked, “No offense, but it sounds like you can’t wait to die.” I responded, “Sure, but not in the suicidal way.”

It’s just…when you love God so much, why wouldn’t you be excited to meet your Creator face to face? I value my God so much, that He is my life. My physical life is just a limited time for a mission in line, and a step to the eternity up ahead.

Matthew 16:25 “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”

Whatever He wills for me, I shall follow. I realized that He has a whole pocket of plans for me and my life will not go uneventful or wasted. I have this enthusiasm to come home, or to witness the glorious arrival of God, but until then, I’m going to do what God calls me to do on earth. I will go through the farthest extents to proclaim Christ’s name out there and try to reach these souls to the truth. On that day, I can’t wait to fall at God’s feet in the end and just cry and thank Him for all He’s done. To see His face, His light, and His glory….what an indescribable delight that would be. ♥

Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 22:4 “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.”

My heart feels so eager...I'm waiting...I'm waiting on the hope of this miracle.

The power of God is just so overwhelming and amazing!

For as long as I can remember, I've always been praying for my closest friends who don't know about Christ. Today just seemed like another typical day where my friends and I would hang out and fool around. Two of my friends came over to my house. One of them was a new believer in Christ and the other friend was an open minded person, who wondered about faith. We anticipated on watching Netflix and making fun of horror movies. I scrolled through the Netflix page and something caught my eye. "Oh my gosh, it's the Passion of Christ!" I exclaimed. Without hesitation, I said, "We should see it! But I have to warn you that it's pretty intense and graphic." I knew Jessy would have appreciated it, but I was hoping Vivian wouldn't freak out. Over an hour passed by and we reached the scene of the crucifixion. As powerful as it is, none of us could resist crying. My dad called for dinner and brought us to Olive Garden. The movie, unfortunately, had to be discontinued. The hours passed by as we ate and hung out in a mall. Surely time wasn't wasted. God made a way through our conversations. We kept talking about dreams and the reality of life. We ended up talking about spirits and demons. I explained as much as I could about the Bible and the gospel. As my parents drove my friends home, my friend (unsure of faith) finally said, "I should get a Bible." The words rang in my ears and my heart felt like flying. I chimed in joy, "Yeah! I could buy one for you!" When my parents dropped her home, I slightly jumped from my seat in the car, while silently screaming and clapping my hands. I rejoiced because this was the gradual planting of the seed. I thanked the Lord, because He's just so good. Obviously, God would never turn down another lost sheep. He'll always manage to bring them into the Shepherd's arms. Praise God, praise God, praise God!!!

If you're reading this post now, please do me a favor and pray for my friend. I pray that through her curiosity in life beyond death and in the Bible, that she'll find the truth in Jesus Christ. Thank you in advanced. :')

The one time I confess one of my possible career choices...

My friends laugh at me.... XD Hah, I really don't blame them though. It does seem out of the ordinary anyway. How many people would ever choose such a direction? I've told my friends numerous times, that after dropping my dream of "becoming a lawyer" I skeptically told them...that I really didn't know what I want to be anymore. But for a long while now, I've always had the thought to become...a pastor, a missionary, or something in between the lines there. I love talking about God and teaching His Word never tires me out. On a lousy day, a conversation's topic on God revives me. Ever since last year, God somehow used me to start openly speaking His name on my high school grounds. When people told I should be a pastor one day, I just laughed and said, "Nah, maybe not."

For months long, I've prayed about my future. The words throbbed in my mind and heart, "Lord, I still don't know what I should be. I know no matter where I am or what I do, I'm supposed to be honoring you. I wish I can directly hear Your voice, like the people did, long before Christ. If I can hear your directly command me to pursue something, I will do it instantly without hesitation. I love You God, so much."

Just two nights ago, I felt a strong urge to turn to God in prayer. It was a long time, since I took a moment to pray aloud from my heart. I always ended up praying silently in my mind. I wanted to meditate and embrace my Bible. I just prayed to God about the current things happening and then...I suddenly cried about my unknown future. Instead of praying what I would be, I just prayed that God could take care of everything.

I started reading at Romans 10. I smiled at the verse which I had highlighted and starred: Romans 10:13. Then the next few lines...were just breathtaking. I read, "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?" (Rom 10:14) My mind shouted, "Amen!" "...And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'" (Rom 10:14-16) I started weeping even more from that point. No matter how long or short it takes, God will always answer your prayers. Be patient, because He doesn't mean to leave you hanging. He just wants to answer you at the right moment. That night, I felt like that was God's command, speaking to me from His word. God really does speak in different ways. And I feel like these are one of the many amazing moments, when God's word will directly speak to you.
Today at the lunch table, my friend Sameena said, "Well, I don't know what Dara will do, but I'm sure she'll find out one day. We never know, she might pursue something under religion." At that point, I broke all suppression and let out my confession. "Actually...I did think of something. To tell you the truth, I thought of one day becoming a pastor." Both my friends started laughing, ironically even my Christian friend (Sameena). I smiled, because I knew I'd get such a reaction. I jokingly and bluntly asked, "What?!" Then Sameena said, "Well, it's possible." Then my other friend remarked, "What? I never see any pastors who are girls. They're all men." I responded, "Oh gosh, Mabel. You don't know. The generations have changed. There are many female pastors out there today."

So the idea is overwhelming in my head. With God, you must always expect the unexpected, but always know that it is good. I don't know if I'll ever be a pastor per se, but I pray that I can do something worthwhile for as long as I'm on this earth. I feel like it's kind of awkward to call it a "career" but rather a passion. I'd gladly go to Bible school, because I know I have so much yet to learn. The Word of God is my breath and Jesus Christ is my love and life. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me one day. ♥

If you're reading this, please do pray for me. :) I know I'm growing up and still have a lot more to face in life.