Tag: change

The Magnet Story

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Last 2014, I asked my friend, Xenia to share her God-written love story. It took me two years to be able to publish it here in the blog site, for some reason I don’t know. 🙂

But, it’s never too late to share a great story authored by God. Hope you enjoy a glimpse of Xenia’s journey.

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Written February 2014

Rockwell and I have only been married since August 24th of last year. We are still enjoying the honeymoon stage.

I met Rockwell during the March for Jesus 2000 worship event at Bacolod City. At that time, he was a complete stranger to me. I saw him holding a banner and dancing to the song “Mercy is falling like sweet spring rain”. It was like magnet. My heart fell in love with how his soul loved Jesus while dancing in the rain in front of over a hundred people proclaiming the worth of Jesus. At that moment, I couldn’t help but utter praise and prayer. My prayer was that I wanted to worship the Lord like he did.

Little did I know, I was prophesying him to be my future husband (haha). In college, he was president of the student government in Riverside and I was his secretary. But I never mentioned this fact to him—about that worship event, and the prayer and the hoping. I had a long term relationship during that time and even after college. The prayer that was spoken for him to be for me was forgotten because of the circumstances that happened that I thought I could not control. I took the wrong path when I came here to the States. I got influenced with the worldly lifestyle. God became the last of my priorities. Having a good career and the praises of people were the ones that mattered to me the most.

As I chose to live my life freely, I continued to sin and to forget God. I was making a black hole in the depth of my soul that none of the material, physical or emotional factor can satisfy. The more that I drew farther from the Lord, the more that my life became very meaningless and hopeless. I reached to the point of giving up. I realized that it was not the life that God intended me to have. The life that He promised me was a life that is full of hope and a future. God reminded me that all good gifts come from Him because He is my Dad. I did not deserve the second hand things that I chose to settle with. As He promised, I deserved the fullness of life. When I asked God to take my calloused heart and make it new, it was like He breathed new life to my desert soul and dry bones.

After 14 years, God finally honored my prayer during that rainy event, having a heart that was so raw and open. Rockwell came back into the picture after I sought God’s purpose for my life. I did not beautifully wait for him. But God still turned my wasted life to a beautiful story when He rescued me and I was able to find fullness and grace again in Him. Isn’t God amazing?  He remembered every detail! He gave me the gift of a husband that I did not deserve.

Indeed, a life of worship and prayer is the key. God alone is good and faithful to His promises! He is full of mercy, grace and love for all of us. Our life should never be focused on the gifts that He gives us but our life should be all about who He is and His worth. How could a God still love us and still want us despite the things that we have done and will do which are not pleasing to Him? That’s our God!

Many are the plans in a man’s heart but only the will of God prevails.- Proverbs 19:21

It is not someone or our husband or wife that will complete us. The fullness of life can only be found in Jesus. I am blessed to have a husband whom I can see Jesus in him. It’s an opportunity for me to be able to love him with grace and mercy just like Jesus loves me. To be wired to Jesus, the Only Source of unconditional love, is how we are able to truly love someone unconditionally.  I believe that we can never give what we do not have. To be an overflow of love, we need God’s love to overflow in our life.

xenia & rockwell

Xenia & Rockwell Bennett

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I am 30.

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I did something drastic on my 30th. I had my hair trimmed short. Well, it should have been more short but the stylist told me it’s too drastic. So, I let him decide for the length. (Pixie, short hairstyle became an “in” thing recently.) And so here it is…

changeIt felt so light and really refreshing! heheheh…

I don’t look 30, right? 🙂

But I’m grateful to even reach 30. It’s a blessing to be able to live 30 years. Just imagine living another 30 years, really long right? Life is indeed a blessing. But to live a fruitful life is much much more. And I owe everything to God who truly has been faithful in allowing me to live an abundant and fruitful 30 years.

The best gift God has given me this year is the opportunity to go back to Canada and start a new life there. It is a granted dream and answered prayer. Indeed, God does not withhold good things to those who love Him. Why would He? He is good and generous. He gives the best and He is the best Giver.

The best gift God has given me in my whole existence is His love and grace through Jesus Christ. That, I can never trade for anything, even my dream. I’m totally sold out to Jesus. I can’t imagine living another 30 years without Jesus in my life. I just can’t. Indeed, His word is true that apart from Him, I am nothing.

The second best gift God has given me are people. I am grateful to be able to see other parts of the world, experience the good things – but those would be worthless if I didn’t get to share those with different people that God has put in my life. My 30th year got sweeter because of the relationships that God has sustained and for new people that He has added into my life. They say that the only thing you can bring to heaven are people. And so, I’d rather invest on people than on material things. I want to see them all in heaven.

I’m looking forward to an exciting journey as I enter a new phase in my life. I’m just comforted with God’s promise that in this journey, He is walking beside me, ahead of me and behind me.

I am 30. I am forever secure in His presence.

To God be all the praise and glory!

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Cheers to all 30’s and beyond!!

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A Volunteer’s Journal

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If you look back at your life 12 months ago, will you be able to say that you’ve changed a lot as a person?  Every end of the year, some might say time flew so fast or to some the year seemed so long. Truth is, how the days passed by 10 years ago or thousand years ago had no difference to how they passed by a year ago. Looks like how we view it is always relative to how we have lived our lives.

Last year, just a week before this weekend, I participated as one of the facilitators of the Singles@Work Conference entitled, “Pursue Love”.  God revealed Himself during that conference by teaching me to be more trustful and to be humble. He used different situations that time to remind not just me but I believe all the volunteers the importance of prayer and humility.

And just this weekend, I had the same privilege of serving God as a volunteer again for another S@W conference entitled, “Purpose Driven”.  If I compare this year’s conference to last year, I must say that this year has really improved a lot and is much better.  Though somehow, that should always be the goal. To always improve.

But then, I realized that comparison should not be based on how the event had turned out. What should be compared is how the volunteers have changed.  How the event was implemented was really because of the condition of the heart, mind and soul of God’s workers because God never changed.

This conference is no different to the other events that the ministry has organized. Because every event has one purpose and that is to make Jesus known. And as we all share our own gifts to God’s work, we get to see how God could really orchestrate every detail for His work.  The differences that each volunteer had were used by God for His perfect plan. And to be able to see that as I worked behind the scene was truly amazing.

My main take home for this conference was really to see the heart of each volunteer that I’ve never seen in the previous events that we had. I can’t speak for how each one has prepared for this event or even how much was changed in them as compared to last year or in every event organized. I can only speak for myself.  I’ve become more patient, more trusting to the Lord, more loving and more prayerful.

As for the rest of the volunteers, I don’t know what changed but all I can say is I’ve seen growth. I’m truly blessed to serve God with brothers and sisters in Christ who are so passionate for the Lord. As I ponder last night how amazing the event has turned out, I realize that God was not just working in the hearts of the participants but as well as in every heart of the volunteer.

All glory to the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!

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Ministry: Singles@Work – https://www.facebook.com/singlesatwork