There was a class of young people that no teacher was able to handle. Two or three teachers had been run off from school this year by these young people. Finally a young man out of college heard about the class and applied to the school. The principal asked the young man "You do not know what you are asking for, no one has been able to handle these young people, you are just asking for a terrible beating." After a few moments of silent prayer, the young man looked at the principal and said "Sir, with your consent I accept the challenge, just give me a trial basis."
The next morning the young man reported for class. He said to the class, "Young people, I came here today to conduct school, but I realize I can't do it by myself, I must have your help."
One big boy, they called Big Tom, in the back of the room whispered to his buddies, "I'll not need any help, I can lick that little bird all by myself."
The young teacher told the class if they are to have school, there will have to be some rules to go by. He also added that he will allow the students to make up the rules and he will list them on the blackboard. One young man suggested, "NO STEALING". Another one shouted, "BE ON TIME FOR CLASS."
Pretty soon they had 10 rules listed on the board. The teacher had then asked the class what the punishment should be for breaking these rules. Rules are no good unless they are enforced. Someone in the class suggested that if the rules were broken, they should receive 10 licks with a rod across their back with their coat off. The teacher thought that was pretty harsh, and asked the class would they stand by this punishment. The class agreed.
Everything went pretty good for two or three days. Finally Big Tom came in one day very upset. He reported that someone had stolen his lunch. After talking with the students they came to the conclusion that Little Jim had stolen Big Tom's lunch. The teacher called Little Jim up to the front of the room and asked him to remove his coat. That little fellow came up the aisle with a great big coat on. Little Jim approached the teacher and said, "I am guilty and am willing to take my punishment but please don't make me take off my coat."
The teacher reminded Little Jim of the rules and their punishments and asked him again to remove his coat and take his punishment like a man. That little fellow started to unbutton that old coat, and the teacher saw that he did not have a shirt on under the coat. The teacher asked Little Jim why he came to school without a shirt on. Little Jim said, "My daddy's dead and my mother is very poor, I don't have but one shirt and my mother is washing it today. I wore big brother's coat to keep my little body warm."
That young teacher stood and looked at the frail back and wondered how he could lay a rod on that little back without even a shirt on. He knew if he didn't enforce the punishment, the children would not obey the rules, so as he drew back to strike Little Jim, Big Tom came down the aisle. Big Tom asked, "Can I take Little Jim's whipping for him?"
The teacher agreed and Big Tom ripped his coat off and stooped over and the teacher began to lay the rod on that big back. But for some strange reason after only five licks, that old rod just broke in half. The young teacher buried his face in his hands and began to sob. He heard a commotion and looked up to find not even one dry eye in the room. Little Jim had run and grabbed Big Tom around the neck, apologizing to him for stealing his lunch, and explained that he was so very hungry. Little Jim begged Big Tom to forgive him. He told Big Tom that he would love him till the day he died for taking his whipping for him.
Aren't you glad that Jesus took our whipping for us, that He shed his precious blood on Calvary so that we can have eternal life in Glory with Him? We are unworthy of the price He paid for us, but aren't you glad He loves us that much?
==== end of story. that really inspired me, u know.
first off, let me share with my reflection upon reading a devotional book. i wrote this last march 31 and contributed to [url=http://nonstandardized.com/oi...]oikos[/url].
my best friend offered to lend me the book "Secrets of the Vine," a devotional by Bruce Wilkinson. i am now in Day 3, with the topic "What is Fruit?"
when someone says "fruit," we think banana, apple, mango, orange... but what is bearing fruit? bearing fruit in the life of a Christian?
fruit is God's picture of eternal results stemming from ourlives. fruit is the yield of our lives. fruit is leading others to the Lord - and much much more. fruit is teacing and encouraging other believers. fruit is helping or giving. fruit is genuine worship. fruit is the beautiful outward expression of the inward work of the Spirit in our character to make us more like Christ. fruit is any good work that brings glory to God.
yet most people think that they are producing fruit when they are doing their best to reach their goals, what they want. yes, we do that, assuming that we are living according to His will. this is what's happening to me. i still need to find out what God wants for me, not what i want for myself.
i've learned through the book that to bear spiritual fruit, our goal should be God's goal for us. with "Secrets of the Vine" as my guide, i am on my way to discovering the abundant life that awaits me.
i can't wait. i want to have an overflowing basket for God.
============
to all believers of Christ out there, i'd like to invite you to [url=http://nonstandardized.com/oi...]oikos[/url]. it's an online fellowship created by ate [url=http://nonstandardized.com]pao[/url] where we can share our daily devotions, reflections, testimonies, and other insiring stories. sign up now at [url=http://nonstandardized.com/oi...]oikos[/url] : brothers and sisters in Christ.
whoa, i haven't been blogging for so long. why? i just wanted some people to gimme some advice. why doesn't anyone comment on my entries, anyway? i wanted a little advice for my junior high worries. oh well. i guess i'll be okay. i'll just have to learn to balance time and studies and the pc and the net and all my activities. i pray that God will guide me all through my high school life... and beyond.
what's been up with me? oh, i just spent the Holy Week at Roxas City, Capiz. my whole family went there, and we visited my grandma (mom's mother). i got to be with my cousins too. well this happens every year. every holy week, that is. we were there for 3 days.
ok, so my mom keeps on telling me she'll unplug the modem, coz she doesn't want me to surf the net. that's why im minimizing the use of it. i made a sked of when i'll surf the net. hopefully i can follow that sked. we have a plan account at a local server, and every month we spend over a thousand pesos for internet bills. from this day, i'll make it a goal to just consume at least P500, or more.
anyway, if you guys wanna check out the wallpapers and artworks i made, go to http://starlightmaiden.devian... <---my deviantArt account. gotta go. im bored. i dont really feel like blogging these days. nothing exciting is going on with my life. all i do this summer is face the pc. what's up with that? duh. > note: maybe i wont be changing my mood. see? im still in love! haay... geez, maybe i will. bored.
time flies so fast, doesn't it? at 13, i am now an incoming 3rd year high school student. my mind went fast forward, and now i feel worried. i see a hard life ahead of me. i am so sure that our junior year will be so difficult and exhausting. studies will be keeping my sked so hectic that i don't know if i'll have extra time to surf the net, have fun and relax. for sure, i'll come across that Research teacher everyone is afraid of. i'll be buried in books that i'll feel like my head is gonna break.
how am i going to take all this? i want to study. i want to get back to the honor roll like i was in my freshman year. i want to be the smart one again, but all the same, i want to spend time with God. i want to get my physical therapy for scoliosis. i wanna surf the net, do some graphic design, update my webbie. i wanna sing. i wanna write. i wanna do all these things. im supposed to do all these things. im supposed to be the acheiver i was before when i was in elementary and first year.
could i be strong enough to stand in the midst of this storm? could i be brave enough to face these fears and challenges? could i be smart enough to get all those lessons in my head? could i be flexible enough to balance my activities with time? could i be faithful enough to trust in the Lord and get to spend every moment with Him?
everyone sees me as a weak little girl. because of this, i want to be strong inside even though i look weak on the outside. i want a better life. a better future. a better me.
im scared. i feel like crying. i am crying. i dont know what to do. :cry:
i feel blessed to have a best guy friend. i feel close to him, coz this one's the type with whom you could share your deepest feelings and secrets and trust him. he's a very friendly guy. he does not mind hanging out with girls. i enjoy the time i share with him. this friendship makes me happy, but it's hard at the same time.
i have to admit, since the first day of high school, the very first time i met him, i instantly had a crush on him. i never told anyone my secrets, until maybe august or what. he's my classmate, and since then, i looked forward to seeing him in school. i loved his big brown eyes. any girl would fall for those eyes. he was so handsome. anyone would say so. he was even chosen to be the freshman candidate for the school's pageant. i was staring at him all night, cheering for him, and he won 1st runner-up, though he deserved to be the champion. (i mean really. we all say so.)
i can't remember how we became friends. the school year was about to end when we became close friends. everytime we'd talk to each other, i'd get those jitters. well, i was in love with him. we're sophomore's now, and we grew closer than ever. i remember him telling me his secrets. and those secrets broke my heart. he was in love with a friend of mine, and the girl was also in love with him, and that they're gonna have a serious relationship soon. that hurt me. he even let me read the girl's letters to him. that hurt me even more. and i used to ask him how he feels when he read those letters. he always said he felt like the luckiest man on earth, even though some of those letters say the girl is disappointed or whatever. that made me cry. i even wrote a song about what i felt, titled "if only".
time healed those wounds, and even though i knew the love affair going on, he was still my best boy bud. i wouldn't forget all thos kilig moments i had whenever he's around. and what i would really not forget is the day at the beach with him and my friends who knew i was in love with him. sigh...
i said to myself i'll only be in love with him and i won't change what i felt for him. i don't know what got into me, but i even prayed that he's the one for me. for less than two years, i was so in love with him. until a stupid, ugly, corny, torpe guy revealed he liked me, and then i learned to like him, and then we had that stupid fling, ugh. i let the feeling go. it wasn't my best boy bud whom i loved anymore. when i had that fling, i used to see him as a boastful guy and i hated him. after 11 months, i broke the stupid fling, i lost a stupid "friend", and i became closer again with my best boy bud. he knows my current crush, we go to net cafes together, i even tell him about the kilig moments i had. we have a lot in common too. we're both the eldest in our families, he's the youngest guy in and im the youngest girl in class, we love to face the pc, surf the net, our fave branch of science is astronomy...
he never knew that i was in love with him. i just don't know if my stupid "ka-m.u. noon" told him that. i hope not.
he once told me that the biggest thing that would make him cry is when she leaves him. though i am happy to have him as a best boy bud, i am scared that i might fall in love with him again. right now, i have this little itsy-bitsy "crush" on him. i wouldn't want to fall head over heels in love with him, because, well, he's in love with her, she's in love with him, they're both very good friends of mine, and i can't interfere with their love life.
but what if... what if they break up, i fall for him, he falls for me, and...
i don't want that to happen. i hope it would not happen. that's the trouble in having a best guy friend. you might end up falling for each other. it's hard to fall in love with your best friend.
q & a q: Do you pay for your blog here at tBlog? cause its really cool and im just wondering. Peace! -PurpleSkie a: no, i don't. i just customized the layout.
*edit*
q: How come your blog format is very similar to Dre of OWS Forum? the icon before every entry... -OWS Lurker a: it all lies on my host tblog. i am currently in a demo tblog pro account, so the icon thing is one of the functions available to pro users. it won't be available by the time my demo pro account expires.
we just had our division acheivement test last march 15. it was tiring. we had 8 exams all in one day.
you could imagine the smile on my face that day. before i could get into school, i was praying that i'll see even a glimpse of [i]him[/i]. he's my inspiration, and when i see him, i get happy and lively and i feel ready to take on the day. some minutes before our tests, we went to the canteen to buy some snacks. we got out of the canteen, and a friend of mine (who knows my secret) called me so i can see him. and i did. our eyes met.
before lunch, i wished i could see him again. and again, i did. he was at his family's store. i was looking towards that direction, and he saw me. his head turned as the tricycle i rode passed (i was riding at the back).
after the exams this afternoon, i watched him playing basketball in the court in our school.
my best friend and i were walking out of school. and then i saw him again riding in the back of a tricycle.
my best friend offered to give me a ride in her family's car, and i headed to my fam's store. we passed by his family's store, and i thought i saw him coz the hair seemed familiar. i then rode a tricycle heading to the bus stop. i was about to go home then. i passed by the store, and i was right. it was him. this time, he was outside the store, getting something from the fridge.
i went home with a happy disposition. i was smiling all day. i felt so blessed because i've been praying that i'll see my crush, and God granted my wishes. God once again proved that His love for us is endless.
============
[b]march 17...[/b]
i don't know why i have to feel this, i didn't feel this way before, at least when i fell for him, even though i knew the girl crushing on him.
when i heard that from my best friend, i didn't mind the fact that this girl has a crush on him and he likes this girl too. it didn't bother me. i'd see her and it comes to my mind that they have this "mutual understanding", but i didn't feel any jealousy. i only had a crush on him, and i didn't let anything bother me.
it was only yesterday afternoon. i turned my back and saw him, and i couldn't help but smile and laugh and blush that a guy classmate told me "crush mo si _____?!" oh my, nakakahalata na ako!
then, we walked, and met "the girl." my best friend teased her coz the guy was passing by. "the girl" doesn't know that i know she has a crush on him. she doesn't know that i have a crush on him too. "the girl" laughed. she was so [i]kilig[/i].
that's when i started to feel different. i don't know what happened to me. instead of smiling, i frowned. i couldn't listen to our choir teacher. i felt nothing was happening around me. i was thinking of "the girl". i absolutely did not want to feel jealous. but i did. i couln't deny that i was jealous.
=http://img23.photobucket.com/... this is my 5-year-old sister pebbles. she's the youngest in our family. cute huh?
=http://img23.photobucket.com/... my best friend ena. she's beautiful inside and out!
it's "me" time!
=http://img23.photobucket.com/... happy! shalala... it's so nice to be happy!
=http://img23.photobucket.com/... hair, yeah!
=http://img23.photobucket.com/... smile? :lol:
haay... i am so happy today. really really happy. extremely happy! u know why? oh my God, i saw him! my crush "draco"! and, not only did i see him, he was so near me. and i mean [i]really[/i] near. so close! he was next to me as ena and i walked! we were from a program at a grandstand for the celebration of our province's 87th anniversary. say what, they were given recognition plus P700 for winning in the west visayan athletic meet. unfortunately, forgot my digicam at home coz i was in a hurry. darn it. it was my chance to take his picture! ugh.
and here comes the fun part. while we were walking, i asked a guy friend of mine (who was an athlete) where they were going. he said they were eating lunch for free in a restaurant, and he asked me to come with them. so i did. i dragged my best bud to a long walk so she can come too, but she didn't. so i walked with the athletes. it was quite a long walk to the restaurant, and when we were getting near it, i found out the free lunch was for the athletes only! :lol:
but, my feet didn't get tired. it's amazing when you're in love, right? i may have took that long walk, but i got to walk with him! aaah!!!
[b]q & a[/b] q: u said u are a christian, but why do u believe in zodiac signs? -rica a: actually, i don't believe in zodiac signs. i just put them in my profile, so that explains i was born in june. [does that make sense? haha!] i find them fun though. :lol:
i am so happy! really happy! extremely happy! :lol:
daddy just came home from the usa, and he bought me a digicam! haay... it was on my wishlist, and my wish has come true....
today, i attended a bible study seminar (for free!), and through it, i have learned how to listen to God. i've learned that in observing a passage, you should not ask yourself "what does this mean?:, but you should ask God. many passages will have only one correct way to be interpreted. studying the Bible enables us to develop our relationship with the Lord, to become more like Christ, and to know God's will and to obey Him.
we studied Ephesians 1:1-14...
i wouldn't have gone to that Bible study if i haven't met my best friend. i know God wanted me to be there. He wanted me to know Him more. He wanted me to develop a personal relationship with him. He wanted me to realize His love for me is so lavish, and that I must love Him above all else. i realized that everything happens for a purpose. He sent my best friend to me because it is His will for me that i will live a true Christian life.
most people think a Christian life is boring and serious. they think it's all filled with prayers and worshipping God, that we have time for anything else. but it's not like that actually. di ba we can talk to God while keeping busy? we can talk to Him while walking, while working, while doing anything, but it would be better of course if we could spare even a few minutes of silence to communicate with God. we can still have fun without destroying our spiritual life, and we can live out our Christian life without destroying fun. in fact, we would be happier when we realize God's love and His plan for us.
He has again proved that His love is extravagant. my wish for a digicam came true. He knows... He knows...
:wink:
*edit* oh, and by the way, i just took this neat quiz. Congrats! Your a Pure Angel! Angels, as far as most of them go, are all compatabile creatures, but Pure ones simply are symbols of God. Pure Angels always appear when a child is born, when a rainbow is seen, or when someone shares their first kiss. They never grow old, an can appear in the shape of a naked woman with white, bold wings. Pure angels are the carriers of god, and show their love to everyone in the world.
hi! well, i'm back from manila! i had a blast there. i didn't win in laguna, though. but im still the happy me! :lol:
wow, i saw him lots of times since yesterday and the days before yesterday. he was near me, but... i didn't talk to him. i didn't even congratulate him for winning! but i sure am so happy he won. he is such an amazing athlete.
but what's gotten into me? why didn't i talk to him? i am so stupid. well, maybe because i was too happy that he was near me. i couldn't talk. i couldn't move. my heart was beating so fast that i couldn't breathe.
i've got a new crushie!!! actually, i fell for him ever since my fling was about to end...
anyway...
it's been days - no, WEEKS - since i haven't seen him in school or anywhere else. He's been really busy practicing for the west visayan meet. (u know, sports and cultural contests and stuff). i pray that he'll win.
i won't be able to see him for a week coz this saturday, that is, tomorrow, i'll be leaving for laguna to participate in the national schools press conference in feature writing. im the 2nd placer in the rspc, so i'll be representing my school, my province, and the whole region 6 in the nspc. im one of the official delegates. :D
right now, im staring at a pic of draco malfoy. he so looks like draco. still, i want to see him. i want to stare at his face and get butterflies in my stomach everytime i see him. :wink:
im officially missing him. :cry:
so who's this guy? it's different now, ok? im in love with someone else. someone so handsome, smart, thoughtful, kind, friendly, funny, [i]makulit[/i], perfect. he truly is my ideal type of guy. let's call him "draco" coz, as i said earlier, he [really] looks like draco malfoy.
...
my song for the moment would be "half life" by duncan sheik. it cant be appied to me coz i dont have a boyfriend, but it does feel like a half life when im missing him. i need to see him again. :(
[b]Half Life - Duncan Sheik
I'm awake in the afternoon I fell asleep in the living room and it's one of those moments when everything is so clear
before the truth goes back into hiding I want to decide 'cause it's worth deciding to work on finding something more than this fear
It takes so much out of me to pretend tell me now, tell me how to make amends
maybe, I need to see the daylight to leave behind this half-life don't you see I'm breaking down
lately, something here don't feel right this is just a half-life is there really no escape? no escape from time of any kind
I keep trying to understand this thing and that thing, my fellow man I guess I'll let you know when i figure it out
but I don't mind a few mysteries they can stay that way it's fine by me and you are another mystery i am missing
It takes so much out of me to pretend
maybe, I need to see the daylight to leave behind this half-life don't you see I'm breaking down
Lately, something here don't feel right this is just a half-life is there really no escape? no escape from time of any kind
come on lets fall in love come on lets fall in love come on lets fall in love again
'cause lately something here don't feel right this is just a half-life, without you I am breaking down
wake me, let me see the daylight save me from this half-life let's you and I escape escape from time
come on lets fall in love come on lets fall in love come on lets fall in love again[/b]
as i said, i wont be online for a week coz i'll be in laguna. i'll be blog whenever i can find a net cafe in that place i've never been too. im excited! i'll visit enchanted kingdom, and if i could scan some pictures, of course i'll post them here.
i'll be right back by february 29! :D
guys, please please please PRAY FOR ME... please help me pray that somehow, i'll win even in 10th place. many people in school expect a lot from me, and they want me to bring honor to our province and our school.
80-90% of the koreans are true Christians. (those who have received Christ through faith). they love God more than we filipinos do.
well, i love God above anything else. i have received Him. i am now a true Christian. thanks to my best friend who shared those stuff with me.
so, koreans came to our school. they gave amazing presentations. it's really good to know that they use their talents to spread God's love with the world. they presented dramas and songs - all about God's unconditional love.
and to the filipinos, believe it or not, their director was the director of the famous chinovela "endless love". yup, the direk is a Christian!
they even got many students to receive Jesus and be saved!
wow. :shock:
God's power has been working upon us. it is His desire for us all to be saved from our sins, and we can do so by receiving Him through faith. pray. praying is talking to God and Him "talking" back. ask Him to come into your life and make you whole. save you from your sins. rule your life and make you the person He wants you to be.
i have received Christ, and i want you to receive Him too. belive me, if you receive Him, He will come into your life like He promised and He will save your soul. if you receive Him, someday we'll meet each other in heaven...
once, a guy had a crush on me. i didn't like him then. we kept on texting each other until we became close friends, and he finally revealed that he was in love with me.
two months after, i learned to like him, and i told him. that was the start of our m.u. (mutual understanding)
he wanted to court me, but i couldn't say yes coz we're just in 2nd year high school. we're too young, and my parents would never allow that. (well, his parents would, coz he already had a girlfriend by the age of 12!). so we agreed that when we turn 18, we'll have a relationship.
he wasn't really handsome. i didn't find him attractive in any way. he was only a friend once. but still, i fell for him. i don't even know why.
we'd text each other, and mom would scold me coz i spent more than a thousand pesos on cellphone bills. so she switched my phone to a prepaid account. sometimes, he'd send me a P100 cellcard just so we can text each other. i still remember what he said: "i can't stand it when i can't text you." texting was his only way opf saying how he really feels. i wanted us to talk face to face, but what can i do? he's a really shy guy. we talked about how we fell for each other, when he first had a crush on me, the reasons why he loves me, some stuff about his ex-girlfriend, and so on...
when i had to go to bacolod city for the regional schools press conference, we always kept in touch with each other. he'd text me and call me. of course, i couldn't forget to bring something to give to all my friends. i gave him a ring with his name on it.
during our xmas party, i planned a surpise for him. i slipped a crystal figurine with an etched "i love you" into his bag. to my surprise, i found a card from him on my bag. that was so sweet...
weeks later after our xmas vacation, i just fell out of love with him. it wasn't because i found someone else, but it just happened that i didn't feel anything for him anymore.
i had to tell him. i didn't want to break his heart, but i couldn't just let him think im still in love with him, that we still had a "mutual understanding". so i did tell him. he said it was ok, but i knew he was hurt. he returned the gifts i gave him to me: the crystal and the ring. (the ring is broken now. i don't know where i put it, but it can be trash.) i tried to give them back, but he wouldn't accept em. i just let my best friend keep them for me, coz i know i'll have the chance to give that crystal to someone else.
after that happened, things went too different. i asked him if he was mad at me. he said he wasn't. it was weird. he was so different. he treated me like he never knew me from the start.
a month later, (last week) i texted him again. it was then that he told me he was angry with me. why? coz he felt i just played up on him and made him look like a fool.
how could he assume that?! i loved him. i never played up on him. and besides, it was a mutual understanding which means we had a crush on each other. but he took it so seriously that it seemde he was my boyfriend. all this time i thought of him as one of my best friends, but saw me as his enemy. how ironic.
we're ok now. friends again. i just realized that he wasn't worth it. an ugly, lovesick, "torpe" guy like him will never be loved by me again. not my type.
anyway, i feel lucky i had that experience, because he thanked me for bringing him closer to Jesus. well, i shared those wonderful stuff i knew with him. and i also feel lucky coz i got the experience of loving and being loved in return.
here's what i wanna say about the pic. tom is really cute! cute cute cute! he looks like my crush! emma is gorgeous, but just look at those shoes! ugh! see? i like the top though.
[b]my desktop pet[/b] =http://img23.photobucket.com/... isn't the cute little kitty cute? aww... the screenshot was taken at [url=http://onewickedsoul.com]dre's website[/url].
[b]keepin in touch[/b] anyway, i got an aim account today. if you wanna contact me, my screen name is [b]starlightlocket[/b].
[b]thoughts n more[/b] now, let me share a little part of the book i read today titled "teen esteem". it's a self-help book.
[i]We have seen a lot of teens handle such tough choices by being assertive. Assertiveness is taking charge of your life: speaking clearly and honestly, asking for whatyou want and saying no to what you don't want. It is learning to feel valuable, capable and powerful. In other words, it is really caring about yourself. But, the assertive person helps others feel good about themselves too, by treating them in loving, caring, kind, thoughtful ways.
Assertiveness helps you acheive your goals - but it won't tell you what your goals should be.[/i]
