Early this year, Dad and Mom expressed their desire to spend more time with us, kids. One of their action steps was to schedule a “Date Night” with each of us. Alright! Free food! Hahaha. I’m just kidding. But anyway, I recently told them how much I appreciate it because making time for family really is a blessing, especially since we only get to see each other early in the morning, late in the evening, and on weekends. Not much time is spent on getting to know each other and building each other up. But, thankfully, my parents initiated this family project and last Thursday night, they asked me out on a date. Woohoo!
We had dinner at Lee Hak Korean restaurant, along Pioneer St., Mandaluyong city. The place was huge compared to the other restaurants nearby and the food was really good. Every time we eat at a Korean restaurant, I always enjoy a bowl of hot and spicy noodle soup and a lot of meat and vegetables for grilling. Yum!
My parents and I spent the rest of the night talking about random things like how I was at home, at work, at church; any struggles I’ve dealt with and am currently dealing with; dreams I have been praying for; goals; my relationships; guy friends; and other family matters. It was a privilege for me to hear insights and encouraging words from my parents and at the same time, share with them what God has been teaching me lately. There were also times when I cried while I was sharing to them what was in my heart. But, I saw them listen attentively and it really blessed my heart and encouraged me to be more open to them.
I praise God for the heartwarming date night that I had with my folks. They weren’t stingy with kind and sincere words and I saw how they truly wanted to honor God by spending time with and mentoring me (and my siblings on their date nights with them).
My dad and mom aren’t perfect, but I am humbled to see them walk closely with God and am truly blessed to witness them lead us closer to Jesus too.
Proverbs 22:6 says “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
Thank you, Dad and Mom! ‘Til our next date! :)
They treated me with a Banana Mango Frapp from Starbucks too!
For the past few months, I’ve been praying for God’s direction for me in ministry. Specifically, if it is His will for me to continue serving Him at CCF Makati’s Friday Night Light (FNL) and be a facilitator at the True Life Singles Retreat or to serve in another ministry. I was praying for this because I was struggling with managing my time and resources since I get off from work late and I don’t live near CCF Makati. For the longest time, I felt like God was so silent about this, but by His grace, He gave me an answer three weeks ago.
Last August 3, I had my quiet time with the Lord at home. I poured out my heart to him again, humbled myself before him, and told him: “Lord, I want to hear your voice more than anything else right now. I’m listening, Lord. Please speak to me tonight. Please give me direction. Thank You…” After writing that, I stared at space for a few minutes and when I was about to write some more, I noticed this…
The word “You” was on the next page and it was the only word written there at that time. God was showing me that life really is all about Him. It’s all about Jesus. Ministry is about Him and not about my comfort, or my skills in serving Christ, or about the number of girls I handle, or where I’m active in ministry, or who I’m friends with in ministry, etc. It’s all about “You”, Jesus.
Photo taken by Flonnah Valencia
I spent the rest of the night reading the first part of Genesis 12 and it was about the Call of Abram. He obeyed God when he was instructed to go the land that God will show him. And one of the things that struck me in that chapter was verse 7, where God said “To your offspring, I will give this land.” It made an impression on me because a few verses before that, I read that Sarai was barren. And now, God is telling Abram that he will give that land to his offspring.
It was encouraging because it reminded me of God’s sovereignty, faithfulness, and power even in the midst of my weaknesses and “impossible” & difficult situations. Abram built an altar after God said “I will give this land” and it was also nice because it showed that Abram acknowledged God’s presence at that time and in that place. I was encouraged to trust in God again.
After having my quiet time, God prompted me to read through my old blog posts, to remind me of my moments with God for the past year. I then happened to read my blog post about S’more Cookies & last year’s FNL teambuilding (https://encouragingtreats.com/smore-cookies/) and while I was reading it, it seemed like I was a different person back then. I was so full of encouragement, light, peace, and joy.
Jeff serving the S’more Cookies (Photo by Jill Bantang)
I even wrote this: “Maybe God gave us the sticky situations/rollercoaster ride to remind the FNL team that in the future as we serve Him in ministry, we may also encounter similar sticky situations and even sudden changes in our plans. However, I’m learning that sticky situations actually encourage us to focus on God’s grace, faithfulness and love. They are opportunities for us to seek Him more especially as we make decisions. Also, they help develop our hearts and character as we trust in His sovereignty.”
God humbled me that night as I read through my old blog and He encouraged me to be like the Nicole who blogged about this last year. She didn’t worry about her struggles and concerns in ministry. She was focused on Jesus.
Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
At the end of the blog post, I noticed something that struck me. “Did you know that the original name for “S’more” was “Some More”? This is because when the people tasted S’mores before, they constantly asked for more! Similarly, in our teambuilding experience, I realized that although we didn’t ask for more, God decided to give us some more problems and sticky situations for His good purposes. I’m glad He did! :)”
And that was it. God spoke to me. I honestly believe that God answered the prayer of my heart that night because when I read S’mores or “Some More” in my blog, I remembered this year’s True Life retreat which was entitled “Something More”. By faith and by His grace, I went to the retreat last weekend. :)
Photo taken by RJ Magno
I praise and thank Jesus for the privilege of serving and knowing Him more in the True Life Singles Retreat. I’ve witnessed so many changed lives and hearts surrendered to Him and I know that it was only by His grace. It really was a humbling experience for me because I was reminded of God’s indescribable grace and love for me.
I really cannot imagine my life without You, Jesus. You have been and you will always be everything to me. I just can’t explain how you’ve changed and renewed my heart, mind, and life. Thank You so much for dying on the cross for me so that I can spend eternity with You in Heaven. Thank You so much for being with me and for being my Risen Savior, Lord, and best friend.
Jesus, You are worth my every cent, every second, every breath, and every step. :)
Photo taken from Flonnah Valencia’s cameraMy wonderful ladies at the True Life Retreat. Photo taken from Flonnah Valencia’s camera
“Too much to make sense of it all
I know that Your love breaks my fall
The scandal of grace, You died in my place
So my soul will live
Oh to be like You
Give all I have just to know You
Jesus, there’s no one besides You
Forever the hope in my heart.
It’s all because of You, Jesus.”
[Scandal of Grace by Hillsong]
Flonnah publicly declaring her desire and decision to follow Jesus. :) Photo taken from Flonnah Valencia’s cameraPhoto taken from Flonnah Valencia’s camera
And if I may just add, the food committee served s’mores in the retreat. When I saw those treats, my heart melted and I smiled because I remembered how God encouraged me to step out in faith and serve Him in this ministry. Thank You, Lord! :)
Photo taken from Flonnah Valencia’s cameraPhoto taken from Flonnah Valencia’s cameraMy new BarCARda. :)
Thanks for dropping by. I’ll be posting about my next food treat soon, hopefully tomorrow (Tuesday), since I am currently working on a special project. But, before you go, I’d just like to share one of the verses that deeply encouraged me this past week.
It says in John 14:27:
“I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So, don’t be troubled or afraid.”
I just love how God emphasized in this verse the fact that the world can never give us the gift of peace that God gives. It reminds me so much of the security that I/we have in Christ… and not in the world’s applause or our own achievements and comfort.
From godizcandy.blogspot.com
This verse amazes me because it shows how Jesus still had peace despite his situation. At that time, He knew that he was going to leave His disciples soon. He also knew about the suffering that he was going to face. (Four chapters later, we see Jesus being arrested already.) However, in spite of the pain that He felt and the situation that He was in, He was still able to honor God with his obedient heart. Moreover, He was able to comfort and guide His disciples before He left earth.
“Why was Jesus able to do these things??” I asked myself.
And God helped me to realize that it was actually pretty simple. JESUS HAD PEACE. That was it. He had peace knowing that His Father still is God. He had peace knowing that His Father’s love for Him will never change. And, He had peace knowing that His Father was in control of the situation He was in. The peace that Jesus had wasn’t based on His circumstances, it was based on who God is. :)
Is there anything that’s troubling you today?
Find peace in the presence of God. Rest in who He is.
I’ve always been fascinated with our digital camera’s macro mode. I like how it lets the camera focus on the main subject and sort of blurs the rest of the things behind or beside it. For the past blog entries that I’ve posted here at Encouraging Treats, I’ve used our digital camera to capture the memories I’ve had with the treats I’ve baked and cooked. However, to my dismay, I found out last Saturday night that our one and only camera wasn’t working anymore. I couldn’t believe it.
I was supposed to make my treat last Saturday night, but, I hesitated because I didn’t have a camera at that time. I remember telling God: “Lord, I can’t use my phone to take photos of the next treat. It doesn’t have a macro mode. It’ll only produce mediocre photos, and I can’t use mediocre photos in this food blog…” I sighed and eventually called it a night.
I didn’t realize how I stubborn I was until the next morning at church. Pastor Vince Burke shared about fixing our eyes on Jesus and focusing on Him in every situation. God convicted me while I was listening to His word because I clearly focused on the wrong thing. I focused on what was less important: having good pictures for this food blog.
After the service, I spent time with God and confessed what was in my heart. I apologized for my behavior and for focusing on the appearance and presentation of the food/treat, than on the ultimate encouraging treat: God’s Word.
I told God, “Sorry, Lord, that I didn’t want to blog this Monday just because I didn’t have a good camera. It was very foolish of me. I know that even without a camera and without photos of the treat, You could still use me and this blog to encourage others to know You more… if it’s Your will. Sorry, for not focusing on You. But, I thank You too, because I still have a camera phone to use.” :)
A few hours later, on our way home, I got a text message from my mom and she informed me that she had our camera fixed. I couldn’t believe my eyes! What a privilege! What an awesome treat! I immediately thanked God for His grace. Despite my stubborn and distracted heart, God still gave me another chance to use a good camera. More importantly, He gave me another opportunity to focus on Him and on His Word.
I spent the rest of the night preparing and cooking a batch of shrimp tempura. In the process of doing so, I decided to use both my phone and our camera (in macro mode) to take photos of the shrimps. It was interesting because I was able to compare the photos taken from both gadgets. Those taken using the camera (in macro mode) were indeed better and clearer than the blurry ones from my phone.
“Wow, Lord!” I told God. “Ang galing talaga ng macro mode sa camera! It really focuses on the main thing and blurs its surroundings. Because of this, I get to enjoy the clear, bright, and beautiful photos of the tempura! Thank You!”
Right then and there, I learned that God wasn’t only letting me appreciate the photos taken using the camera. He was also encouraging me to learn and apply this spiritual principle in my life as well: Just like how the macro mode in the camera allows the lens to focus on the main thing, we must fix our eyes too on the main thing. We must fix our eyes on Jesus.
It says in Hebrews 12:1-2
“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
“We fix our eyes on Him, even if we are in pain.
We fix our eyes on Him, even when our hearts break.
We fix our eyes on Him, even if we stumble and fall.
We fix our eyes on Him, because He is in control.
We fix our eyes on Him, whose love for us never fails.
We fix our eyes on Him, whose mercies are new each day.
We fix our eyes on Him, whose grace will see us through.
We fix our eyes on Jesus, who is faithful, right, and true.”
-Yours Truly
Have we been fixing our eyes on Jesus?
By God’s grace, I know that we can.
And I pray that we won’t take our eyes off of Him each day. :)
My name is Nicole Obligacion and I started this blog because I was inspired by Hebrews 10:24 and Hebrews 3:13. I love to eat, cook, bake, read the Bible, and encourage. :)
