Notes on Elisabeth Elliot's Love has a Price Tag

Elisabeth Elliot - missionary, mom, author

I first knew about Elisabeth Elliot from the movie Through Gates of Splendor. It documented their missionary days in a remote jungle in Ecuador and how their husbands were killed by the Auca people whom they have been praying for to share the gospel with - their husbands of barely five years.

Their story convinced me more to seek God's kingdom and live my life for Him.

Keep a Quiet Heart
Then I came across my sister's book written by Elisabeth, Keep a Quiet Heart. It is a compilation of writings on various topics like family, faith, even social issue commentaries. I read it three times from cover to cover and has been greatly blessed with her views and messages. Googled her and found out about her website which featured daily devotionals - http://www.elisabethelliot.org/.

It was sad to know she has stopped writing and speaking. She is a great blessing to the country of America, even to the world. So I decided to support her by getting another book: Love Has a Price Tag: Inspiring Stories That Will Open Your Heart to Life's Little Miracles. It will definitely not be the last book I will read by her.

Notes on Love Has a Price Tag

The purpose of life is to know God Photo credit:PraisePhotography.com

1. The purpose of life is to know God - we do this on our own. Others may point us closer to Him, yet the experience is all unique for every individual, personal.
2. When God made man, He made him in His own image. When He made the animals, His imagination roamed wide and free - The Adventures of Toby is an animation series that is not only top quality but parent approved.
3. If we give out love, there is ultimately no way on heaven or earth to avoid receiving and receiving far more than we could possibly give.
4. Life is full of things we can't do anything about, but which we are supposed to do so mething with. - My take on this, my son's special needs in class is NOT a problem but a purpose - to improve myself, that I may be able to love them more, and learn to trust God more.
5. Prayer is like incense. It costs a great deal. It doesn't seem to accomplish much (as we mortals assess things). It soon dissipates but God likes the smell.
6. Let thanksgiving be the habit of your life
7. God has no problems only plans. Corrie Ten Boom

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Which events and people will you remember 2011 for? 5-minute Bible stories for kids, Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook and Recipe for successful achievements

2011 has been a colorful and eventful year.



I would summarize it to be a landmark year when it comes to web development - my work. With the release of Apple's iPad 2, tablet and mobile use has spiked so incredibly that web designers and developers have gone BUSY. Personally, I started with developing ecommerce sites and that's AWESOME.

In terms of personalities, names like Steve Jobs Kim Jong-Il, Prince William and Catherine Middleton made the year that has been emotionally stirring. Even causing others to ask soul-probing questions about life and love.

Politically, the freedom riots in the Middle East are changing how the world works. It's getting flatter by the day.

Lastly, 2011 has been full of global weirding tragedies which claimed lots of innocent lives. The Japan tsunami, Thailand flooding, and Sendong typhoon showed men's feebleness vs nature's wrath. These same events, however, highlighted men's ability to be bigger than himself when he chooses to serve others before his own needs.


Closer note
We have adopted a Tuesday and Thursday family activity of singing hymns, praying and reading Bible stories. The two kids love it! They want to do it daily.

The goal was to enforce family devotion, and provide parent-guided communication about God and faith. It was heart warming to get this Bible passage in one of my devotionals:

1 Corinthians 3:7 NLT
"It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow."

Our two kids were gifts from God, and He himself will watch over them and raise them up in a way that will please Him. Praise be to God!


Book trivia

This year, I finished reading The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, a gift to my husband from dear friends.

Here are cool tips I got from there:

• Bees moving in large masses are called swarms.
• To survive a stampede, determine first where they are headed and then get out of the way. If you cannot escape your only option is to run alongside the stampede to avoid getting trampled.

From the email, tumblr and twitter world

I confess, I love reading heartwarming and inspiring literature. And I get that a lot from my email inbox, tumblr and twitter accounts. Facebook too. Sharing with you one of my 2011 favorites:

The recipe for successful achievements:

1. Enjoy your work.

2. Do your best.

3. Develop good working relationships.

4. Be open to opportunities.

Happy New Year!

Joining the bandwagon

The talk about sexy star Katrina Halili and Dr. (though soon to be removed from his profession) Hayden Kho only brings upfront what has been there ever since. We all have scandals inside our self's closets. Yes, even the most innocent of us, because we are born with a sinful nature.

My two kids, one 39 months-old and another 18 months-old, both show their savage sides every now and then. We tried as much as we could to shelter them from prime time television because we do not want them oriented with violence, sex and materialism. Yet my 3 year old scoffs at her baby brother when he plays with her toys. Or sometimes, our baby boy would send his big sister crying because he hit her on the head for no reason at all. Yes, we really gravitate towards the me-side. We, for we are all human beings want us crowned kings of ourselves. And that is where the problem lies.

Selfishness, pride, lust, jealousy, fear, slothfulness. A lot of things fall in the category of sin. The world (advertising and media) only packages them as good and enticing that's why we're lured. But those who have been there know that a life of sex, vices and thrill is a life void of meaning. Marilyn Monroe, Howard Hughes, or to bring it closer, Donita Rose, Gary V. Ok, my celebrity examples are not that convincing, but I am 100% convinced that unless we realize that we are sinful and that we gravitate towards trouble we are doomed. Once we know who we are, helpless and mean, we must seek help.

The only genuine, victorious help comes from the Holy Spirit made clear by God's word made flesh in the persona of Jesus. Ok, you might think I'm losing it, but thanks for reaching this far. Only a life surrendered fully to God can be victorious. When I say victory, I mean the non-world, true-to-the-heart peace and joy.