Quote of the day

via

XOXO,

Lindsay

The Tim Tebow's Factor

I am a proud CHICAGO BEARS fan, always will!

Since Jay Cutler's (Bears QB) injury, their games had been tough and really hard to watch. But, a true fan will always support their team through good times and bad times. Its a matter of loyalty and faith. The Bears is a strong team, their defense is one of the best in the country (then again, I am a die hard fan, so if you do not agree, it is your own opinion lol). The Bears had best years and it has been fun to watch them play.

The Bears have won nine (9) NFL Championships (eight pre-merger, and one Super Bowl). The Bears hold the NFL records for the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with 27 members, and the most retired jersey numbers. The Bears have also recorded more regular season and overall victories than any other NFL franchise. The franchise recorded its 700th win on November 18, 2010. (Source: Wikipedia)

If you NEVER live in Chicago, then you will never understand why we love our sport teams so much. Chicagoan is a fanatic sport fans. They make their voices heard when it comes to CHICAGO BEARS, CHICAGO BULLS, CHICAGO CUBS and well..CHICAGO WHITE SOX!. Its a tradition to love the Chicago sport teams if you live in Chicago. Even when we move to another country, state, or city, we will ALWAYS support our teams. It is a fact that everywhere you go, you will notice a Chicago sport's team bar. We have our pride, love and support for our city!

Last Sunday, we watched the BEARS vs Broncos game. It was a slow game in the beginning since both teams were scoreless. Then, toward the end, things got better. Marion Barber scored a touchdown and add score for the Bears, and then he made a huge mistake that cost the Bears lost that game to the Broncos. Its actually a team's lost, not just Marion Barber's, but he happened to be the guy who scored for The Bears then caused The Bears to lose their game that day. He became the most loving player to the most hated player of the day for the Chicago's fans. Remember, we are fanatic sport fans. We love them then we grilled them when they caused our team to lose. Its the human side in each of us to love someone then hate them. We tend to see only the mistake and forget the goods that they did. Its hard to please people. It was a bad day for Marion Barber! He was one of the trend in Twitter and people saying really hurtful things toward him. I understand the pain of losing as a Bears fan, but to attack Marion Barber's personal life, including his faith to God, is just senseless and pathetic. Criticize his performance based on the game, but do not attack his personal life/faith because that is between him and God. As a true fan, we can criticize them, but we are not the one on the field. Everyone made mistake on their job, including Marion Barber. Just because he got paid a lot of money, does not mean, he must never made mistake. We got paid for our job and we made mistakes. In a perfect world, perfect would be the only option and result.

The fact that people attack Marion Barber's faith is because the Bears was playing against the Denver Broncos who have Tim Tebow as their quarterback. Readers, let me introduce you, Tim Tebow, the man who made highlights in every sport channel, magazines and social medias as "God's quarterback", "Saint Tebow", "God's favorite" and the list goes on.

Tim Tebow is an outspoken Christian and the Christian people loves him. The Broncos fans loves him because he brings his team to one victory to another. The media likes to talk about him because he is the All American Boy!. He is a young athlete, quarterback with good performances, a role model, humble, unashamed of his faith. He is the good guy :)

In 2010, a new rule for the next NCAA football season, dubbed "The Tebow Rule" by media because it would have affected him, banned messages on eye paint.During his college football career, Tebow frequently wore biblical verses on his eye black. In the 2009 BCS Championship Game, he wore John 3:16 on his eye paint, and as a result, 92 million people searched "John 3:16" on Google during or shortly after the game. Additionally, later, when Tebow switched to another verse, there were 3.43 million searches of "Tim Tebow" and "Proverbs 3:5-6" together. Tebow stated of the searches "It just goes to show you the influence and the platform that you have as a student-athlete and as a quarterback at Florida". (source: Wikipedia)

OK, so last Sunday, they were two men who made a huge trend on twitter. There was Marion Barber, the most hated man in Chicago and there was Tim Tebow, the most loved man in America (or so it seemed like on that Sunday Twitter's trend lol). People started to write things like, "God loves Tebow and hates Barber", "God hates the Chicago Bears", "Tim Tebow's God sucks", "God has a favorite" or "God is too busy taking care of Tebow and neglect the starving kids in Africa", or "Marion Barber is an atheist and that is why he screwed up" and the list goes on.

I am a Christian, proud and unashamed of my faith. I am also a Chicago Bears fan. I love Tim Tebow as a brother in Christ and proud of his unashamed faith. However, I am kinda annoyed by some Christians who made Tebow as the only athlete in the world and God is against everyone else. God only love and favor Tebow. It could be a very dangerous message to send to other believer and unbeliever as well. Because it caused people to think that God only help/love a "certain" people and hates the rest. It shows no compassion, no love, and against God's character as love himself. It is great to share your faith, it is even greater when people blessed by your everyday life's testimonies. Action will speak louder than just words. Of course God will help those who trust Him and obey His words. Don't get me wrong, God will never agree or help you doing some evil, wrong doing things that will caused hurt to others or yourself. It is time for us to take responsibility of our own actions and decisions in life. God helps us through it all, but He will never help you accomplish bad things.

This is another fact that I'd like to share of another Christian athlete. That athlete is Marion Barber (surprise..surprise..). He is also a strong Christian man, who is not ashamed of his faith. His twitter account shows how much he loves God and shows his personal relationship with Him. This is the link about Barber after the game. In fact, in Chicago Bears itself, there are a lot of very strong Christian athletes. Devin Hester, Anthony Adams, Matt Forte, Major Wright, Israel Idonije, Charles Tillman and the list goes on. There is a great article about them in this LINK.

My point is this, Tim Tebow is a great man of faith and he is also a great athlete. There are also a lot of other strong Christian in the NFL that most Christian don't know, because they might not show it the way Tebow does. Everyone has a different style of worship, minister and how they share their faith. God has given each one of us a unique ability, talent, creativity and ways to share our love, hope and faith in Jesus Christ. But, that doesnt give us the right to judge other people's faith, or to say that God favor/love Tebow more than He loves Marion Barber, for example. God has blessed each of us in different ways, times and favor. God is just and fair. All He ask from us is to love Him by being obedient to His words.

My point in this blog is that everyone has their own unique ability to share the gospel. Please do not make God seems like a mean, unjust and unfair one. Just because Tebow wins and the other lost, does not mean that God hates the other team LOL. It is a football game! Winning and losing is a part of the game. Some mistakes are worse than others and some winning are better than others. There is a time for EVERYTHING! Do not judge other people or comparing his faith to the other one when you do not even know the truth about any of them. Encourage them, pray for them and love them. Yes, they are professional athletes who got paid a lot of money. Yes, they are pro athletes who gets use with compliments and critics or even cursed. But, they are still HUMAN, just like you and I. Criticize them based on their performance as an athlete and stop making assumption as if you know God and this is God's will and that is it! Get to know the other athletes faith, and you will be amazed. God is in our lives, each of us. He works differently, He use different people, different way and time. God loves Marion Barber as much as He loves Tebow. Marion scored the ONLY touchdown for DaBears that day!

I do admire and love athletes like Tebow, Hester, Barber, Kurt Warner, Forte, etc, who glorify God in every aspect of their lives and unashamed of it.

Just to be clear though, as much as I love Tim Tebow, I still love my Chicago Bears more ;)

GO CHICAGO BEARS! BEARDOWN!

Images are from my own collection and www.google.com

xoxo,

Lindsay

Christmas is the merriest and loneliest time of the year

Christmas decorations is all over the city. Christmas carols is all I have been listening to lately. Christmas gifts' list is almost done. But somehow, I feel lonely and sad.

The Christmas season is killing me. I am not a Christmas hater, in fact I love Christmas with all my heart. Its just that I miss my family so much and they are all the way in Indonesia. I have nobody here and holiday season is starting to affected me in a negative way. You know when people says that Christmas can be a merry, happiest time of the year and also the most depressed, loneliest time of the year. I am one of those lonely and depressed person during Christmas time.

Christmas is still my favorite time of the year. I love the tradition, the decorations, snow, food and family time. I come from Manado, Indonesia, and in that city, Christmas is a HUGE deal.

We started baking our homemade Christmas cookies since October and Christmas carols is starting since October as well. On Christmas eve, people usually gathered with their family in their house, pray, eat and go to church. The 25th-26th are going to Church day as well. Then you can visit anyone's house in that city to wished them Merry Christmas, eat and just enjoying the holiday moment.

Christmas started on the 24th night and ended in January 2nd LOL.

Every household will have at least 4 kinds of cookies, all homemade. Each household will cook a lot of foods to entertained whoever visited their houses. Mostly families, friends, relatives, and neighbors. But, our doors always open for strangers as well.

When I got here, Christmas has become a "shopping" season and lost its meaning as a day of joy, hope and Christ as the King. It has become so commercial that people is more concerned about what to buy than the moment of hope itself. People dont even say MERRY CHRISTMAS anymore. It has becomes the day of gift exchange, santa, the day of sleep because work awaits on the 26th, the day to get drunk, a day of loneliness for some people. It is a totally different experience for me and it kills me, slowly :(

I do love the gift exchange and all, but I also want to go to Church and see some family members. Too bad for me, I don't have all of that in here. Now, I understand why some people chose to spend their Christmas working late or getting drunk.

The fact that you are alone while some people "seemed" happier than you with their loved ones. The fact that nobody care enough to wish you a merry Christmas or to invite you to their house, is not a fun feeling in holiday season. The fact that you have to work the next day is also not fun LOL.

I am still excited for Christmas even though it is not the same anymore. I keep my eyes on why we have Christmas itself. It is a day of celebration. Its the day to remember why Christ came to earth.

He came for us to receive Him, to get saved and to have hope in Him. It is more than just a day with family, friends, gifts and all that. It is a joyful occasion. Do not let anyone or anything take that hope away from your heart. I am talking to myself as well :)

I just want to remind all of you who have a family member in here to cherish the moment. Enjoy your time with your family and love ones, because for people like me, that is the most wonderful moment of Christmas that I will always remember forever. I wish my family lives closer to me, but since they are so far away, I can only close my eyes and remember every moment I have with them in Christmas time. It puts a smile on my face :)

via google 

xoxo,

Lindsay

Happy Thanksgiving

As much as we love the thanksgiving feast, the day off, family time (and the drama that comes within it), the black friday's sale, etc. We must not forget to give thanks for God's blessings in our lives. Sometimes, we are taking advantage of the everyday's blessings in life. Little things, everyday stuff that we enjoy, is also a blessing. Count your blessing and you will be amazed :)

Be thankful for your breath today, your children, food, house, clothes, family, friends, job, car, new project, creativity, pet, health, ideas, beauty, strength, wisdom, internet, fresh air, beautiful flowers, blue sky, and the list goes on and on. Notice that a lot of great, beautiful things are free (for example : the moon, stars, sun, sky, nature)

Give thanks for yesterday's lessons, bad or good. Give thanks for today's moment, bad or good. Give thanks for a hope to a better tomorrow. God might work in a mysterious way, the ways that we often do not understand, but He is still a great good God.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
From our family to yours..xoxo,

~Lindsay

MAN UP!

http://www.manup116.com/

via

via

MAN UP

116 CLIQUE

Lecrae:

Momma want some Obama in me

The hood want PAC hip-hop wanna see the common in me

And since it's a senseless contradiction

I end up a misfit trying to fit in

This is when I stand up

And see the hands that are standard

Holy is The lamb huh(holy is the lamb)

Now we holding you to man up

Cause we were made in his image start looking at what you came from

KB:

Right after Adam every atom in our anatomy's Adamic adamant after what Adonai is against

Let me take you back to the tree in Eden

If you read it, you'll see that Eve was deceived

But Adam is the one who let her eat it

Instead of leading, No we ain't leading - we bump that

Basically li'l boys with muscles and a mustache

To femininity...we need a remedy

The God-Man: 100% masculinity

Trip Lee:

We the last.....

Where the men at, seems like they all lost

None of them are on the scene, seems like they died off

They extinct but my dream is to rise up

We chasing the prize of the King the divine boss

But we fell away, now we ungodly

We lose and we really got the blues like Na'vi

I want to celebrate the dudes that's beside me

Fellas let's elevate, we through with the lobby

Tedashii:

Go ahead say boy get your shine on

And if a sucker try to block you get your 9 homes

That's what I heard you gotta do to be a man now

Stand up for yourself so I took it in my hands now

And that's the problem man we busy trying to solve it

All the while we walking dead, man somebody bring the coffin

Voice drop peach fuzz now you think that your a man cause you feeling yourself

You need to man up!

Sho Baraka:

There's many things

Man is chasin' after

They got some questions

We got some answers

Sex and models and tipping bottles

Pack a pile of excuses right next to your bottle caps

A roll of decks filled with names that you aim to please

Next to the stack of money building up a heart of greed

Ice on his neck, givin' jokers the cold shoulder

You drunk off pride plus you loving the hangover

You gotta whole lotta stuff that won't amount to gain

Life will never make sense(cents) because you never made change

PRo:

We got it twisted, sick like a fever

Lil man live to stack dough, Keebler

Man up!

Get up out of that treehouse

Leave the cookies alone it's time to eat meat now

Trying to show you a new way to live now

No charge, you can call it a freestyle

Without Christ you wont know what a man is

You a boy in a man's body like Tom Hanks in Big

Andy Mineo:

Being a man got nothing to do with age

You can be a boy til the day you lay in your grave

None of us behave in the image of who we're made

Cause we fallen the ways it's better known as depraved

Running from responsibility really we crave

The easy way out of places that call us to pull our weight

Man they blowing through everyday decisions are made

Responding to the call God's giving em from the...

All:

Man Up!

Andy:

Let the process begin, separate the boys from the men

All:

Man Up!

Andy:

It don't matter how you started, partner, it's about how you end

All:

Man Up!

Andy:

Jesus is the model follow us we gon follow him

All:

Man Up!

Andy:

We the- we the last of a dying breed

It's time that we

All:

MAN UP!

♥ ♥ ♥

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
Proverbs 3:5-6

♥ ♥ ♥

"The man of integrity walks securely, 
but he who takes crooked paths will be found out."
Proverbs 10:9 

♥ ♥ ♥

"A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, 
and a man of understanding is even-tempered."
Proverbs 17:27

♥ ♥ ♥

"A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, 
but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth."
Proverbs 17:27

♥ ♥ ♥

"House and riches are the inheritance of fathers:
and a prudent wife is from the LORD."
Proverbs 19:14

My Version of a good man:

Self Control, Integrity, Love,

Respect, Even Tempered, 

Protect, Provide,

Discipline, Leader, Listen,

Wise, Humble, Good Teacher,

Role Model as a son, husband, father, 
and as a person,
a real man,
acts like
one!

Everyday is a battle ground,

Everyday is a fight,

Everyday is decision time,

Everyday is a learning time,

Learn. Live. Learn.

LIVE IT UP!

xoxo,

Lindsay

My quote of the day

God sees beyond the tears, 

He hears beyond the desperation,

and He loves us beyond our own understanding.

(Sunset in Manado' 2010)

XOXO,

Lindsay

Song of the day

GUNGOR.

I love them! Check them out :)

Have a great weekend, beautiful people!!

via

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Taste the beauty of love and fall in love with it, hide in it, clothe your heart with it, until there is nothing left but love within you.

xoxo,

Lindsay

Broken Dreams

Sometimes it takes a broken dream to have a hint of reality. So wake up dreamers, leave the broken pieces and live a new life. Start dreaming a new one, something that will benefits your future.

Dreams are made for us to have hope,

Dreams are made as a hiding place to escape reality,

Dreams are made for us to be anyone, anywhere and anything but ourselves at this present moment.

Some dreams are just dreams. 

Some dreams are ambition, goals and expectations.

In other word, dreams are something that we imagine, we want, we eager to have in our life because we do not have it yet. 

But, the sad part is that many of us have been dreaming for way too long and fell asleep. 

Then, one day we woke up and realized that it is all just a dream, nothing real. 

Some of us are doing something to make the dream comes true and some have succeeded, 

while others did their best only to witnessed their own dreams became 

nightmares.

This message is for those who did their best, struggled and failed. 

I am one of those people and I am here to say, "Wake up and let's move on!". 

As much as we wanted to live that particular dream, 

sometimes it takes a broken dream to have a hint of reality. 

Some dreams are not too late, 

some are way too late and way overdue.

Today is the day when we said, enough!

Today is the day when we said, move on!

Please stop pity yourself and comparing yourself to others who might "live" your dream. 

Stop the hate, the jealousy and the nonsense. 

Life offers us so much more than just a broken dream. 

We HAD that dream, 

now let's dream some more that will benefits our future.

Good luck dreamers..awaken your soul!

xoxo,

Lindsay

(Images are taken from tumblr)

Beyond The Tears

God hears our prayers beyond our problems,
God sees our hearts beyond our loneliness,
God understands our thoughts beyond our limitation,
God speaks our languages beyond our understanding.

God hears our cry beyond the walls that we built,
God knows our sadness beyond the barrier that we built,
Walls and barriers that we built our whole life,
To prevent hurts, lovers and enemies to cross that line..again!

God moves our faith through it all,
God increases our strength through our weakness moments,
God lifted our hopes up in the midst of chaos,
God stirred our compassion in the middle of crisis.

Why?

Because God knows what works,
Because God cares,
Because God sees beyond the tears and the walls and the barrier and the problem and the chaos,
Because He is the same God who introduced love, hope and faith in human race.

xoxo

~We Remember 9/11~

9.11.2001

September 11th 2001 was the day that changed America and its people. It was the day of sorrow, sadness, evil, and darkness. It was the day where Americans and those who hates evil, united in prayers, helping, sharing, and strengthened one another in hope for a better tomorrow. It was the day that God cried and so did America!

"The city is going to survive, we are going to get through it, It's going to be very, very difficult time. I don't think we yet know the pain that we're going to feel when we find out who we lost, but the thing we have to focus on now is getting this city through this, and surviving and being stronger for it." 

-Rudolph Giuliani-

“Terrorism against our nation will not stand.”

-President George W. Bush –

"Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger."

-President George W. Bush-

“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children. “

-President George W. Bush-

Our enemies have made the mistake that America’s enemies always make. They saw liberty and thought they saw weakness. And now, they see defeat.

-President George W. Bush-

"The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example."

-Benjamin Disraeli-

"Heroism feels and never reasons, and therefore is always right."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson-

“Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend–even a friend whose name it never knew. “

-President George W. Bush-

Videos are taken from www.youtube.com

It has been ten years since this tragedy took place in America. We had seen tragedy, death and wars. We have seen life, death and those who challenged evil to the end. We have seen courage and coward. We have seen good and evil. We have seen attacking and defending. We have seen triumph and loss.

We forgave, we moved on with our lives, we survived. Yes indeed! But, we will not forget those who laid down their lives, made the ultimate sacrifices so that others may live. WE will not forget the families who lost their loved ones on that day. The friends who lost their buddies because some evil doers believe that killing is the right way to control the world. We will not forget what happened on 9/11, we learned and we prepared.

We forgive and we move on, but we have seen everything and..

WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

My heart, prayers and thoughts for the victims families and friends. For the heroes, the fallen and the brave, you are gone but not forgotten!

"You can be sure that the American spirit will prevail over this tragedy." 

-Colin Powell-

xoxo,

Lindsay