GIVING HOPE TO CHILDREN :-)

"I AM A PERSON WHO LOVES TO TALK. LOTS OF THINGS ARE ACCOMPLISHED BY TALKING – AND I DON’T MEAN JUST BLABBING, I MEAN TALKING, THE KIND OF TALK THAT INSPIRES PEOPLE, THE KIND OF TALK THAT CHANGES LIVES. THAT’S THE KIND OF TALK THAT MOST OF OUR WORLD LEADERS DID. THAT’S WHAT BROUGHT THEM INTO THEIR POSITIONS OF POWER. I FIND COURAGE AND EXCITEMENT IN SPEAKING TO YOU TODAY, BUT I AM HERE TO SPEAK OF ONLY ONE THING – HOPE.

HOPE IT WAS THAT CHANGED THE DESTINY OF THE HOPELESS. HOPE IT WAS THAT CONVINCED PEOPLE OF A BETTER AND BRIGTHER FUTURE. HOPE IT WAS THAT CREATED STRONG PEOPLE OUT OF THE WEAK. AND I BELIEVE THAT TODAY, HOPE WILL AGAIN BE OUR SOURCE OF CHANGE.

LET ME REVEAL SOMETHING OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE – YOU CAN ACTUALLY HOLD HOPE IN YOUR HANDS. YOU ARE CAPABLE OF GIVING HOPE. AND THAT MAKES YOU VERY SPECIAL

GIVING TO CHILDREN IS SUCH A BLESSED ENDEAVOR BECAUSE YOU ARE GIVING THEM HOPE. YOU ARE GIVING THEM EDUCATION. YOU ARE HELPING THEM OVERCOME THE STAGGARING NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF POVERTY. JUST THINK OF HOW BLESSED YOU ARE THAT YOU HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF LIFTING UP EVEN ONE CHILD’S LIFE! THAT CHILD WILL BE GRATEFUL TO YOU IN HIS OR HER WHOLE LIFETIME. THIS WAY, YOU PASS ON THE HOPE THAT WAS GIVEN TO YOU.

ISN’T IT AMAZING HOW HOPE WORKS? ISN’T GIVING SUCH A MIRACULOUS THING? THAT IS WHY I CHALLENGE YOU TO AIM FOR THAT ULTIMATE BLESSING IN YOUR LIFE, TO GRAB THAT OPPORTUNITY TO BE TRULY AND WHOLLY BLESSED MORE THAN YOU HAVE EVER IMAGINED.

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PASS ON THE HOPE THAT IS IN YOU. OPEN YOUR EARS AND HEAR A THOUSAND MORE MARY ROSES WHOSE LIVES HAVE SUCH BEAUTIFUL POTENTIAL. OPEN YOUR HEARTS AND FEEL THE NEED OF THESE CHILDREN – OUR FUTURE. YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE SOMEONE’S LIFE TODAY. DON’T WASTE THATHOPE THAT IS IN YOU."

JJ Lizarondo

Here's to All Crazy Ones - Anonymous

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the trouble makers.

The round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently.

They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo.

You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can't do is ignore them, because they change things,

they push the human race forward,

and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world

are the ones who do."

Toink

Some people never go crazy, What truly horrible lives they must live.

Charles Bukowski

I am the Light (John 9:5)

He called Himself the Son of Man, establishing a connection and valuing relationship with man, and here is man, trying to find his way to God, that's religion. When Jesus called himself Light, it simply implied we are in the dark, completely blind, all our efforts to come to Him is useless. But He became man so we can be enlightened, all we have to do is accept Him and receive Him as our source of Light. Light gives life and it shows the way through the darkness, He is the way the truth and the Life, it is believing only in Him that would make us see the path to the Kingdom. Making others enlightened was His purpose, "You are the light of the world" (Matt. 5:12) The goal of man is not "doing" this and that but "becoming" like Him. The Light. Religion makes us to look but becoming like Him will make us see.

The Revolution of Love!

"People don't care how much you know,
until they know how much you care"


The Revolution of  LOVE!

 
It is easy for us to talk theology or ask people to do the sinner's prayer then leave everything up to them after that. We go then to the next poor neighbor or sinner as if we are salespeople looking for another sale, so to speak, selling "Jesus" as a product, a ticket to get to heaven.

We say that "religion" will not save them but we don't try to find a way to connect relevantly to the community or the people's culture. We don't make an effort to be sensitive to their needs and find ways for them to truly understand God's love.

Jesus dealt with people differently. He had a revolutionary way of thinking. He attracted the sinners and the sinners were attracted to Him. On the other hand, He made the Pharisees and the Sadducees crazy mad at Him because He knew their hearts. His mission was to restore our relationship with the Father. He leveled Himself so he could be with sinners without sinning. He became a human being to relate to what true spirituality is for people. Therefore, we should also be finding ways to relate to different people. We should do this not because God's salvation is weak, but because God wants us to reach out and love the unlovable, to love the scum of the earth, to love the hated ones, to love inexplicably like Jesus did.

But here we are, creating our own religion, making heaps of rituals to connect to God. In the process, we please ourselves instead of God by unconsciously acting in our own religious ways. We share the good news or do good works for religion's sake, or for work's sake, or for eternal "credit" in heaven. We want to get rewarded for the good that we do. We think of heaven as the ultimate end. God said we should love Him first, then our neighbor. That basically summarizes all the commandments. Yet, we resort to doing all these good things again because we fear that if we don't go to church or help the poor, God will punish us. We are afraid that we might experience the same fate like the "bad people." How pathetic of us to think that way! We think that doing all the good things by the book would make us "holier than thou." We were called the light of this world, and as light, we should be put in the dark to light up the dark. Our presence should "enlighten" the people who were kept in the dark for the longest time. It is only through sharing the good news that they would be enlightened and transcend in their understanding about life and God. That would make people eventually say that our God is real, and that our God is full of love. They would say, "I want the God that is in them."

We should light up this dark, poor world without aiming for eternal or worldly credit. We should do it because of love. We express love that is coming from the source of all love. God is love, and when we put love into action, then that becomes pure religion.  James 1:27 says, "a religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. " (NIV)

The scripture says, "Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

It is only with true love and good works for your neighbor that the Holy Spirit can work in their salvation. That is why we cannot say that we won someone for it is only God who wins a soul back to Him. We can only show the love of God to our neighbors, not because we are obligated but because we are full of love. Only then will you be truly sharing the real salvation that comes from God. You will do so because of love and because you love, period.

Jesus summarized the true meaning of religion in Matthew 22:37-40, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Your being good does not matter, because it is all about God's goodness flowing through you. Only then will your Father be pleased.


Jayjay lizarondo - facebook
www.hop-e.org

Looking Beyond the Storm

Typhoon Ondoy's devastation in Brookside didn't spare us. Our house was submerged in water as well as our three cars. We evacuated to a nearby school building to find refuge there. Under my lens, I took photos to document the onslaught of Ondoy. In my heart, at first I felt sadness but this was converted to an iron-will and still - positivity.

I'm looking beyond the storm. I can see that God just wants to replace the "old" with the "new." And I am happy that though "replaceable things" maybe lost our family is safe and sound as well as our loved ones. Thank you Lord.

We are still together even in the storm. And this storm didn't take anything away from us. It just added something to us. It made us more better, more closer and more secure in the loving arms of God.

These photos I took will just be a testament and a memory of how will God bless us more and greater things are yet to come, I see that. Yes, It made look beyond the storm. I am looking on the Lord. I'm looking on bigger possibilities. I'm looking for a brighter tomorrow.

The storm has passed but our determination to live postiviely will not pass.
Much more, God's favor for us will never pass away.
Let us all look beyond the storm.

This is the condition of the flood before we left to evacuate.

Brutus - our dog. We also took him for evacuation.

My Dad in the flood

Our cars submerged in the flood, hayayay

Street outside our house

My brother-RJ and Dad traversing the flood

The water continually rising, twas a scarry moment

God will give me brand new one, yipee.

My brother RJ- still smiling in spite of the flood.

Yes, crazy ones? Happiness is a choice.

My brother- Jamie

A survivor

quantum pendants giving energy. :-) .

After the storm. My room.

The TV floated and amazing after the storm, it' still functioning.

Kitchen after the storm.

The purpose in life lives on.