Sunday, November 16, 2014
I've Moved to Wordpress
It's a new day for my blog in this new season of motherhood.
Give the day a chance to start with me on Wordpress:
posted by mari_elle at
16:44
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Spring Is Here
It's been eons since I blogged, and now that I have a window of opportunity, let me give a quick update on how things are going.
As I type this, I'm staring at a cheeky, chubby pinkish-white, brown-haired, beautiful twelve-week old baby boy (who's sleeping soundly at this moment), and I almost can't believe he's mine. I count his ten fingers and ten toes and say to myself, "God, I can't believe how perfect he is. Thank You!"
After losing Brooke Gabrielle two years ago, Michael and I are so grateful at how healthy our Blake Elisha is. Our darling baby girl, Brooke, had several congenital anomalies that made her incompatible with life. God blessed us with three wonderful days with her, but of course, it broke our hearts knowing that we would never see her first smile, hear her first words, or walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. Now that we get a chance to raise our boy, Blake, we treasure every day that grows bigger and bigger, every pedia visit that confirms that he's ok, and every moment that shows us that he's developing perfectly. Without God's grace in our lives, we would not even have the faith to believe that we could ever have healthy children after what we went through. But because God is faithful and true to His word, we can now enjoy the blessing of this new season.
I remember crying myself to sleep missing my baby girl in those first few months of losing her, but even in that cold and dark season of winter, God reassured me that spring would come, and indeed, spring DID come. Spring IS here.
Thank you, God, for Your faithfulness in every season.
The steadfast love of The Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)
Meet Blake Elisha D. Manahan, proof of God's love and faithfulness in our lives.
posted by mari_elle at
11:33
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
This Love Goes Beyond "I Do"
Last October 11 and 12, Michael and I got to attend our very first Couples' Getaway called
Beyond I Do. It was pretty special for us because in the almost three years that I've been working in
Victory Ortigas, we were finally able to attend a couples' retreat.
Aside from the fact that it was a great time to meet other married couples, a rare occasion to dress in famous couples costumes, and a perfect excuse to spend quality time with the hubby, Michael and I learned so many things that definitely will help us build strong foundations for our marriage.
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| Couples, costumes, and cuddles |
In a nutshell, here's my key take away:
Marriage is about giving, giving, giving. Most, if not all, of us get into a relationship for what we can get get get from the other person. "This person can make me happy. This person can give me security." Yada yada yada. And that's not bad. It's simply human nature. But marriage is about giving--giving of one's self. As both husband and wife keep giving, both are able to receive love, understanding, patience, and sacrifice (to name a few) from one another.
This is something I've known intuitively, but makes so much more sense to me now that it's articulated. I'm so thankful for retreats like these. Can't wait for the next one!
Labels: church, inspiration, love
posted by mari_elle at
22:12
Sunday, October 06, 2013
Amazing Grace for the Perfectionist
"I dwelled on my failures and brooded over my momentary
successes. In short, I was spending way too much time thinking
about me and what I needed to do, and far too little time thinking about Jesus and what He had already done for me. What I
discovered was that the more I focused on my need to get better,
the worse I actually got—the more neurotic and self-conscious
and self-absorbed I became. And so God took me up on my
unwitting invitation to the congregation and gave me the gift I
never meant to ask for: He gave me the gift of suffering. God did
not rescue me out of the pain; He rescued me through the pain!" Excerpt from Glorius Ruin by Tullian Tchividjian
I'm admittedly a person who tends to be too hard on myself, especially when I fail or fall short on something. Whenever I'm given any criticism, whether constructive or destructive, I seem to react in the same way--which is by berating myself for not measuring up. Then I fall into a vain pursuit of perfection and human acceptance that quite frankly, doesn't do me any good. In the end, I just feel like I've chased after the wind.
Pastor Tullian's book is really helping me to see how He is present in every kind of suffering--yes, even the kind that is brought about by our failures. The excerpt I mentioned above is making me realize that my reaction to criticism is a failure on my part to understand that everything that I do is all about Jesus. It's not about me, my excellence at work, the pat on the back I can get from my bosses, or even the sense of satisfaction that comes with doing something great. It's about serving Jesus, doing the best I can, and then going back to Jesus all over again.
Failure is not the end of the world, and yes, I'm talking to you, my fellow perfectionist. Failure teaches is that only our Savior, Jesus Christ, is perfect, and that as His perfect grace works in and through us, excellence will follow in all that we do. And even when we make mistakes, that doesn't make us any less of a person. That just gives us an opportunity to tap on God's unfailing grace even more.
Labels: faith, work
posted by mari_elle at
00:08
Monday, September 23, 2013
Influence Starts in Small Doses
I recently attended a
Digital Influencers Marketing Summit at the SMX convention center lastSaturday (September 21, 2013). I signed up for the event with my colleagues for the sole purpose of using whatever I'd learn there for my job as a Communications person. What I gained from the summit was far more than just tips and tricks on how to maximize our church's online influence, but also, a realization that I, too, am a digital influencer as a person with my own Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts--not to mention this inactive (or should I say "hibernating" blog).
I've always thought that all these online accounts were just a means of self-expression and a medium to socialize with friends. But what I gleaned from the summit is that we can all be influencers, be it small scale or big scale. And as influencers, we should leverage on that not for popularity or attention, but to be a source of positivity and good in an age of negativity and blatant criticism. (If you disagree with me, simply read YouTube comments.)
In a generation where there's just so much noise and where there are far too many external things that influence people in a not-so-uplifting-way, we can make that positive influence one person, one click, one post, one comment at a time. It's high time I personally step up in this area, and maybe this blog will have more entries in the weeks, months, and years to come.
Labels: digital influence, Influence, social media, work
posted by mari_elle at
11:03
Sunday, September 16, 2012
My Hope in the Youth
Yesterday, I had the chance of attending Victory Ortigas' Saturday 2:00 PM youth service not as a member of the admin staff, but simply as an attendee. I can no longer be considered part of the youth since I'm already in my late 20's, but I was there to accompany my sister-in-law Mona, who is still in her teens. After having experienced that youth service, I'm simply blown away.
Here's a group of young people faithfully getting together on a Saturday afternoon when everyone else is either at home lazing about or out in the malls enjoying the weekend. When I was their age, I opted to have fun with my college friends and spend the whole Saturday doing nothing. Seeing their commitment to go to church, sing worship songs to God, hear the preaching, and deepen their faith through small group meetings, I couldn't but have a new sense of hope that our nation will really prosper in the years to come.
Yes, I believe that the next generation will play a vital role in building our nation. Yes, I have no doubts that even the young people I saw yesterday will one day take positions in the government. Yes, I even believe that many of them will effect positive change in their own little way, and it would translate to bigger things for our country. I have faith that they can do all these things because they got these things right: their fear of the Lord and full devotion to Him.
The worship team led by Ralph sang and danced with all their hearts, as if only God was watching.
And of course, this hope encourages me to keep praying for children, and to raise them to honor and fear God. If I didn't get in right in my teen years, I pray that my children will.
posted by mari_elle at
16:08
Friday, July 06, 2012
Physically Back on Track
Over the past several months since my OB gave me the go signal to work out, I've been trying really hard to get back into shape. By "shape", I don't mean simply shedding the excess baby weight. I'm referring to overall physical wellness. If my hubby
Michael and I are planning to have another baby by next year, we have to make sure I'll be physically ready.
Slowly but surely, I started running again. After almost a year of NO EXERCISE whatsoever, I found this to be pretty challenging. The farthest distance I can go now is a walk run combination of 3 kilometers, but my target is to be able to run 10 kilometers again without feeling like dying at the finish line. As advised by my personal coach and sister
Noelle, I also have to strengthen my core. A small gal like me needs all the core strength she can get when she carries baby number two! So, I attempt (emphasis on that word) to do at least 100 crunches and 100 lower back exercises a week, and steadily increase that number as I get stronger.
My numbers are not at all impressive, I know, but with my game face on and with the perseverance to train regularly, I'm sure I can be more fit than ever. Hopefully, sooner than later...
Of course, it's not all about output; it's also about input. I've been conscious about what I put in my body as well. I try to eat in moderation of everything, making sure that I get enough iron, folic acid, protein, carbs, etc.. I DO have to steer clear of fastfoods and processed meat. I can't seem to give up bacon, hotdogs, tocino, and canned goods. Nonetheless, I pride myself in the fact that I've been able to give up softdrinks and coffee 100%!
The quest to physical wellness can be fun and energizing. And I have God to thank for my health and the capacity to invest in improving it even more.
Labels: fitness, food, health
posted by mari_elle at
15:46
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