Love, Abi

04/01/2025

January 4, 2025

"So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;" James 1:19

Nunchi literally translated as "eye-measure", is the Korean traditional concept of heightened social awareness to discern how to act harmoniously in order to connect. Too much; you might be unhealthily practicing being a people-pleaser or a pushover. Not enough; you can come across as rude and lacking sensitivity. Koreans don't say someone has "good" nunchi, but rather "quick" nunchi, because Nunchi is the ability to swiftly understand and adapt to constantly changing social cues.

We are all naturally selfish. It's part of our default operating system as soon as we are born. But Christ tells us to Love our neighbors like ourselves (Mt. 22:39), and Paul told us to "esteem others better than ourselves" and to also "look out for the interests of others." (Phil. 2:8-9) Biblically practicing Nunchi is "carrying each other's burdens" (Gal. 6:2), reflecting Christ's perfect example of humility and agape love attentively towards others ultimately because this is well-pleasing unto the Lord! And guess what? It doubles the joy! In this world deprived of true connection, doing a little-- is much when God is in it!
Prioritize: J-Jesus, O-Others, then Y-You. In the wrong order, you will be miserable. Keep in mind that a little consideration can go a long way!

Love,
Abi

03/01/2025

January 3, 2025

Dedicated to Angeljoyce

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬

"Padayon" is basically just "patuloy" but in Cebuano (the word is also shared with other Visayan languages like Waray and Hiligaynon). Its root word is "dayon" which has a variety of definitions. It can be used in the same way as "tuloy" is in Tagalog (e.g., Tuloy kayo = Dayon kamo = Come in; Tutuloy kami bukas = Modayon kami ugma = We will push through with the plan tomorrow). There are some nuances with the root word though that are present in Cebuano's dayon that is not in Tagalog's tuloy. Dayon can be used to mean "immediately" (Tag. agad). It can also mean "eternal" as an adjective (e.g., kinabuhing dayon = eternal life). But "padayon" simply means "to continue, move forward"

Third day of the year. The clean plate we have long awaited for can suddenly become so messy to the point of no hope. But we should not limit the redemptive qualities of the precious blood of Jesus only in the day of Salvation “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is HIS faithfulness!” (Lam. ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭23‬)
Newton’s first law: An object in motion will stay in motion… Stay in motion, pressing on, Looking ONLY unto Jesus, because you can be “confident that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ There’s so much more than just life on earth. Look up, my friend!

Love,
Abi

03/01/2025

January 2, 2025

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 6:14-15

"Forgive (863) (aphiemi from apo = prefix speaks of separation, putting some distance between + hiemi = put in motion, send) conveys the basic idea of an action which causes separation. Literally aphiemi means to send from one's self, to forsake, to hurl away, to put away, let alone, disregard, put off. It conveys the basic idea of an action which causes separation and refers to total detachment, total separation, from a previous location or condition. It means to send forth or away from one's self. It refers to the act of putting something away or of laying it aside. In secular Greek aphiemi initially conveyed the sense of to throw and in one secular writing we read "let the pot drop" (aphiemi). From this early literal use the word came to mean leave or let go."

We like to "forgive but never forget" or "bury the hatchet but leave the handle stickin' out." But is this concept Christlike?
Bitterness not only hinders our spiritual growth. An unforgiving heart robs you from many joys. You can't be a receiver and channel of blessing when there's bitterness blocking the way. It's a spiritual disease that can also physically affect you! [https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/forgiveness-your-health-depends-on-it]
"...be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. (Eph. 4:32)

Before going head on towards goals and resolutions, Try to do a Spiritual Checkup first!

Love,
Abi

01/01/2025

January 1, 2025

Ecclesiastes 3:1
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: "

The Japanese idiom Oubaitori comes from the names of four spring-blooming trees: cherry blossom, plum, peach, and apricot. Each tree blooms in its own time, reminding us that everyone grows at their own pace. It encourages us to focus on our own journey, avoid comparing ourselves to others, and celebrate what makes us unique.

I used to have high expectations of myself, and sometimes I still do, which causes me great frustration and extreme annoyance. I also have a bad habit of acting too impulsively and having a discontented and hurried spirit. But that is not the way.
God has created each one of us uniquely -created with much care and wonderfully so! (Ps. 139:14) And He has a timeline for us. But we have to do our part. Let us strive to focus on consistent tiny growths of delighting in God's laws daily, instead of big immediate results that the world imposes on us. And sooner or later, we'll be "like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth fruit in season!"

Do you have a New Year's Resolution already?
Instead of "I have to be this or that...," Maybe we should ask, "What does God want me to be at this time?" "Should I be in the season of Giving? Of Praying?"

Wishing you all a 'Prosperous' (Psalm 1:3) New Year!

Love,
Abi

30/12/2024

Happy New Year!

Looking forward to the year 2025!
As a gift, I am giving you the 2025 planner that I designed.
Here's the link for free: https://bit.ly/PlanBee25
..but if you want, I created this account [raket.ph/abeezana]
and was hoping that it could get traction.

19/04/2024

What actions have you taken to pursue peace?

Anxiety vs Peace. It’s also a choice. It’s a default of the majority (including me) to blame surroundings and situations. But we need to be reminded that Peace doesn’t just come, it is pursued.

13/09/2021

Nawa po ay Pagpapala!
https://youtu.be/_DFtilNSGuM

30/07/2021

Hi, I'm on Spotify!
May this be a blessing.

Love,
Abi

04/07/2021

A Reminder...

Piano: Raia Lorenzana

25/07/2020

"Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk."
John 5:8

Pls. continue to pray for me. I was rushed to the hospital last night because I lost strength but I still have consciousness. Parts of my body were either numbing (mouth) or cramping (jaw, neck, and shoulders), and some parts of my body felt like I have bruises in the joints... so I had difficulty breathing. At the ER of one hospital here, they said I have a high fever and have Covid (even without even doing proper tests). I feel sad for the medical world because they are skipping protocols because they have this biased thinking in their minds that everyone has either covid or not. It's infuriating. But a lot of people were praying. I myself have been praying and singing inside my head. after a few moments, I somehow felt energy rush through my body once more. And heard a still small voice. "Rise up, and walk." So I did. Everybody was surprised. My fever was also gone. All they had given me was an effervescent tablet. Ngan, our advanced student was with us when this happened. She said she can't believe it and said that it must be a miracle. That's because it is. We were told to move to another hospital, but we went home instead where I had another nerve therapy. The therapist said it was because I hadn't been sleeping well (2hrs of sleep in 50+ hours even on sleeping meds) and still continuing activities that I had a partial paralysis. I am losing control over my nerves that's why recently I haven't been walking properly, my body is shaking, especially my right leg, and have trouble with bowel movements. There was a time as well when my eyes and mouth twitched and I fear Bell's palsy. Last night, the therapist diagnosed me and said I have many 'blood clots' (c/o Google translate) in my brain and blocking the path from the brain to the nerve that's why I had partial paralysis. Thank God for his mercies endure forever.
.. when we got home and felt alright, I did Get my own bed to sleep in another room. 😅

15/07/2020

Self portrait with highlighters @ Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam