Thanks to Rickey, I’ve learned that Perez Hilton and Ain’t It Cool News both think my favorite American Idol of all time, Jennifer Hudson, is spectacular in Dreamgirls, having caught the pre-screening and issued Hudson glowing reviews.

Hilton says, “This has to be the most unexpected performance I have seen in like years. This is one of those newcomer performances that comes along in a blue moon. Everything the queens came to worship the character of Effie for are beautifully realised by [Jennifer] Hudson. She yells, she screams, and she tells Jamie Fox to shut up (what most of us want to do but haven’t plucked up the courage). One of the best scenes in the film involves her finding out she has been kicked out of the group, in favour of Bee. She rants, she’s practically about ready to punch Beyonce and Jamie Foxx out, and then they abandon her…. and the song comes… yes the song that everyone was wondering “Could she do justice to it?” Well she does and then some. Every word, every note, is so perfectly created it’s just thrilling to watch…. this is gonna get her an Oscar nomination.”

Meanwhile, Nightmare of Ain’t It Cool says, “Jennifer Hudson is absolutely Academy-Award level.”

It’s what we’ve been saying all along, y’all. I’m so happy Jennifer Hudson is finally going to get the props she deserves. Go J-Hud!

Based this meme on a post from Writing As Joe.

1 Favorite comfort food: Cathy’s salmon belly sinigang (sour tamarind soup with salmon belly) or my mom’s shrimp thermidor. Both best when it’s raining outside.
2 Food that makes the best noise: Popcorn. Real popcorn, the type you pop in metal pots coated with corn oil or butter.
3 Favorite food lyrics: There was milk and toast and honey and a bowl of oranges, too/And the sun poured in like butterscotch and stuck to all my senses (Joni Mitchell, Chelsea Morning)
4 Least favorite food lyrics: My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard (Kelis, Milkshake). Ugh.
5 Best food smell memory: The smell of minced garlic in butter in a skillet, ready to be mixed with fresh asparagus or peeled shrimps.
6 Most likely to eat for lunch: BurgerKing burgers. Tsk tsk.
7 Least likely to eat for lunch: Crab.
8 Saturday night food: Peanuts while watching Iron Chef America with Cathy.
9 Favorite wild foods: Fresh lychees.
10 Favorite medicinal food: Papaya for constipation.
11 Food that reflects my heritage: Adobo.
12 Food most like me: Chips! Noisy and fun to have around.
13 Favorite raw food smell: Again, papaya, freshly cut into two halves. Makes my mouth water.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Tina challenges me:

I challenge you to go to Shepherd’s Staff at Greenbelt, pick a book that you might want to read, pick a CD that you might want to listen to and then on your way out, pick up one of those little messages on their little chest by the door and blog about all three.

So this afternoon, I went to Shepherd’s Staff Greenbelt and had myself a blast. I always enjoy hanging out at Shepherd’s Staff in Greenbelt because I feel I don’t have to worry about my eyes landing on anything that could lead me to sin (bounce the eyes!). The music’s always a blessing and the staff at Shepherd’s Staff Greenbelt are always friendly and accommodating.

[I chose not to take photos.]

For a CD, I picked this one up, Kirk Franklin’s Hero. I actually have heard the first single off Hero, a slammin’ jam titled Looking For You, absolutely spectacular, and I think I’ll save up for this one. His new single, Imagine Me, is doing well on Billboard too. I wish Praise Music would bring John David Webster’s debut CD, Made to Shine, though; that album’s first two singles - Miracle and Now - rock my socks!

For a book, I found Stormie Omartian’s The Power of a Praying Parent of particular interest. Lately, I’ve taken to praying over Nathan in his sleep, and there’s nothing like a parent’s earnest prayers for his children, yes? I claimed his success in Jesus’ name, to be a million times better than me, and for him to have that relationship with Jesus, and for him to become a mighty man of God who He will use to bring many more people back to Him. I prayed for his future wife, that her parents would raise her well and have her know Jesus too, and that together, they would raise up generations of God-fearing Filipinos who would do their best for God and country…

This book could help, I imagine.
Finally, the verse I picked out from the treasure chest is Ezekiel 34:11, very appropriate for me since I recently started a covenant relationship with an officemate: This is what the Lord God says: I, myself, will search for my sheep and take care of them. Truly, God will take care of those He loves, and He loves you and me equally. Praise God for His merciful and loving heart.

Thanks for the challenge, Tina. I loved it!

I was so inspired by the fresh slant of Toni’s Getting to Know You meme because it allows your (blog) friends to pose a challenge to you. She’s been having so much fun fulfilling those challenges that I figure I’d like to give that a shot. So here’s how it works:

First, using the Comments section:
1. Write something random about me.
2. Challenge me to try something.
3. Pick a color that you associate with me.
4. Write something you like about me.
5. Share your first/clearest memory of me.
6. Tell me what animal I remind you of.

And then, also using the Comments section:
1. I’ll respond with something random about you.
2. I’ll challenge you to try something.
3. I’ll pick a color that I associate with you.
4. I’ll tell you something I like about you.
5. I’ll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
6. I’ll tell you what animal you remind me of.
An addendum, though: while the operative phrase is ‘try to answer all your challenges,’ I request all y’all not to pose challenges that go against my faith or are harmful to me or my family. Okay? I’ll post my replies in the comments section as well.

A week before Victory Weekend, I cut soda from my system. To those of you who know me, I was a soda freak through and through. It was like my coffee, and I didn’t start my day without it. Pepsi Max, Coke Light, Mirinda… a day would not be complete without at least a can, and if you count two or three cans throughout the day, that’s more than a liter of soda in me.

At the same time, I ate a LOT of junk food. I was an emotional eater, and I would eat at my desk at work, stashing away potato chips, corn chips, and other little munchies (even with a no-eating-at-your-desk policy! I repent!!). In short, I was subscribed to this RSS (really stupid steps) for obesity, and I was a basket case.

Over the course of the weekend, I was reminded - yet again! - that it is not God’s will for me to be fat and unable to break the system, so I claimed victory over softdrinks and chips in Jesus’ name.

It’s been more than a week since I stopped drinking soda, and no harsh withdrawal effects have taken place. This means I now chug approximately 16 glasses of water a day, thanks to my Lug-a-Jug. I’ve also stopped eating at my desk (which means no in-between meal snacks!), and I can feel the effects of my relatively healthier eating (e.g., oatmeal in the mornings, and lunch and dinner viands with only a cup of rice each, because I don’t necessarily want to shock my system).

Cathy said the effects are already starting to show, with my pants becoming slightly looser around the thigh area, and my stomach is feeling a little less compact.

My daily prayer always includes victory over obesity, and I believe God is making it happen slowly but surely. None of these are through my own real individual effort, so all these great things in my physical life are happening because God is blessing me so. Score yet another point for the power of prayer.

In 2000, a book titled The Prayer of Jabez, written by a Christian man named Bruce Wilkinson, swept its way to the top of the bestseller lists. This book revolves around the account of a man named Jabez (whose name, ironically, means ’sorrow-maker’ or ‘Oh the pain!’), whose powerful prayer was answered by God. This is the full story of Jabez (1 Chr. 4:9-10, The Message translation):

“Jabez was a better man than his brothers, a man of honor. His mother had named him Jabez (Oh, the pain!), saying, “A painful birth! I bore him in great pain!” Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: “Bless me, O bless me! Give me land, large tracts of land. And provide your personal protection—don’t let evil hurt me.” God gave him what he asked.”

In just two verses, we can learn so much about how to claim victory in our lives. Take a look:

Jabez was a man of honor who prayed to the God of Israel.

Jabez was no Sunday church-goer; he practiced what he preached and believed in (’he was a man of honor’). This man had a relationship with God. The NIV translation reads ‘Jabez cried out to the God of Israel.’ When we run to people we love and trust in earnest to ask for something, like a child to his parents, we cry out, don’t we? This was Jabez running to God, and we know we, like Jabez, can run to God confidently, approaching his mercy throne, when we have that intimate relationship.

Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: “Bless me, O bless me!”

Jabez’s prayer resounds with the earnest persistence of a man who just won’t quit. Not one ‘bless me,’ but two. Back in those days, this is what it meant to be blessed by God, and God did bless those who really wanted it, for some, even turning their lives around completely (e.g., Jacob, who was a liar and cheater before becoming Israel).

“Give me land, large tracts of land.”

The NIV version says ‘Enlarge my territory.’ What’s wrong with wanting more territory? God wants to prosper you and give you land, i.e., BIG THINGS. Big, grand, wonderful things that you can use to bring glory to His name.

“And provide your personal protection…”

Jabez asked for God’s personal protection. What are the implications of that? It means Jabez asked God to be with him. Always. That kind of close, intimate, personal relationship that means God will always provide, which we are also assured of in Phil 4:19.

“—don’t let evil hurt me.”

Jabez asked God to keep us free from all harm, which is also part of the prayer that Christ encouraged us to pray in Matthew 6:13. There is nothing wrong in asking God to help us remain healthy and holy.

“God gave him what he asked.”

No explanations. God just did it.
After the breakthroughs I experienced last Saturday, I have full faith in God’s power and desire to answer your prayers. Call upon Him and pray a similar prayer daily. That was part of the deal - don’t give up, storm the gates of heaven with prayer from a sincere heart. Start clean with Christ (here’s how), and walk in God’s way (Here’s how).

Starting tomorrow, I claim victory over many things in the name of Jesus, crying out to God to bless me, to enlarge my territory, to protect me, and to not let evil hurt me. Each victory will receive ample coverage in the ‘Jabez Journal’ category. I strongly encourage you to try it out too, to claim what is rightfully yours, in the name of Jesus, and see how God can work absolute signs and wonders in your life.

Got this one from Bene Diction:

If you’re not familiar with blogtipping, it works thus:

• Choose three or more bloggers you admire and link to them;
• List three reasons why you admire each one; and
• Add one tip for each blogger.

• Dan of Journey Inside My Mind
  • I love his passion for podcasting for Christ and how he’s so good at it
  • I love how he encourages other people with his ‘Official’ titles
  • I love how he wears his heart on his sleeve, and I think more people should be more open like him
  • Tip: Time to design a new website, man; Blogger templates don’t do you justice.
• Toni of Wifely Steps
  • I love how she looks at the world with wide-eyed wonder; her blog is one of the most refreshing websites I’ve ever seen.
  • I love how she greets every new visitor with genuine friendliness.
  • I love how she goes out of her way to do the challenges her friends posed on her website.
  • Tip: I don’t have any tips for you, dear heart. You’re doing fabulously on your own. No, wait, I do have one tip: don’t ever change.
• Pam of Nocturnal Angel
  • I love how she doesn’t hesitate to take photos, whether they look good or not
  • I love how she’s so passionate about Havaianas
  • I love how she balances her work with her social life
  • Tip: Girl, more funny posts! you have a wry sense of humor that lifts me up out of the doldrums on a busy day. I hope to eventually meet you.

Hi friends! How was your weekend?

I’ve had an incredible two days. This morning was Day Two of Victory Weekend, and I’m all pumped up. It was a good two days, and I can tell you this: my life will never be the same.

Until today, I never claimed victory, as in, spoke out and claimed it. Well, today, I did. I claimed victory in all areas of my life in the name of Jesus. I declare that I’m a man who loves God, and it’s time to stand up and stop the pretending. Real men love God, serve Him, and aren’t afraid to share with others how God has changed them. All my life - even for the past seven years as a Christian - I’ve been running away from my potential, from my destiny as a child of God. Well, no more. Today, I claimed my victory in Christ because I will no longer subject myself to self-condemnation.

I’m coming away from Victory Weekend with seven mindsets in place, that I’m actually posting on my website so all visitors and regular readers can hold me accountable:
1. I am addicted to food, but I renounce this addiction in the name of Jesus!, because God is more than enough for me! God can satisfy me the way food never can. 1 Cor 3:16 says Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? The Temple of God deserves to be treated well, and I renounce unnecessary eating, binge eating, junk food and soda, in the name of Jesus. The Holy Spirit and my holy wife hold me accountable.

2. I am a victim of the delusions of self-pity, and I will no longer allow the enemy to convince me I am worthless. John 1:12 says Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God… I believe in Christ Jesus, I have received Him in my life, He sits on the throne of my heart, and I have no reason to feel sorry for myself. Fact: Christ died for me. My life is valuable to God, so I should see myself as valuable.

Likewise, God loves you too. Why feel bad about yourself when you have the Creator of the Universe on your side?

3. I will no longer joke about myself, because I renounce identity cursing in the name of Jesus! This one struck me deep. All my life, I was told I was fat, and I would never really become thin. Even when I lost 50 pounds, that was only temporary, and I gained it back. I realize now that I was cursing myself to fail! When I made self-deprecating jokes about my weight, I was cursing myself. When I told myself I would never amount to anything greater than what my friends were achieving, I was cursing myself. Romans 8:31 says What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? No more. I am a victorious man in the name of Jesus, doing great things to bring glory to His name.

4. Hurt people hurt people, so I renounce the easily-offended spirit and the untamed tongue in the name of Jesus! I don’t hold grudges, but I do get hurt easily, and I hurt people easily in the name of a cheap laugh. I will seek forgiveness from these people (if ever I’ve done it to you, email me and I will arrange a meetup with you if you want, and I will apologize to you personally over a cup of coffee, my treat), and I forgive those who have offended me. I renounce the troubled tongue in the name of Jesus! For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks (Luke 6:45), and no more, by God’s grace, will I blurt out without thinking, because my heart is joyfully ruled by Christ.
5. I renounce fear in the holy name of Jesus Christ! I am reminded that God is my protector. He is my Jehovah Rohi, my shepherd, who watches over me and protects me. He is my refuge in times of trouble (Nahum 1:7, ang walang kamatayang encouraging verse ng buhay ko, LOL.) Millions of people have chronic and/or occasional money problems, health problems, difficulty at work, and personal struggles, among many things, but I have a great and mighty God. What do I have to be afraid of?

If anything, I declare victory over all the abovementioned struggles in Jesus’ name, and what a powerful testimony that will be when God carries my family and me to success. Praise be His and His alone!

6. God is not my last-minute option. He is my only option. I was stunned when I realized how little people depend on God, myself included, running to Him only when the medicine doesn’t kick in, when the paycheck runs out, when the girlfriend/boyfriend leaves, when the loved one dies, when the contract doesn’t get signed. All these things are earthly, and they will pass away. Matt 24:35 Heaven and Earth will pass away, but [God's] words will never pass away. Why rely on something temporary, with no power to bless? God will be first option always in my life, and to create a lifestyle of prayer is to create a lifestyle of victory.

7. I am doing this all for hundreds of people. Wanna know something? If you have problems in your life, take a look and see if similar problems are present in your family. Is there a family history of disease? Suicide? Broken relationships and marriages? If someone starts something extremely negative, it is highly possible that pattern may be repeated in future generations (sukob!).

Well, I am not letting any of those curses pass on to Nathan and Nathan’s kids, no way! By God’s grace, we’ll nip the problems in the bud. When I realize that I am responsible for the future of hundreds of people down the line, I am awed and even more determined to rely on God to make my line victorious and God-serving.

That was my weekend. How was yours?

On Friday, August 2, 2006, I join the Victory Weekend for Men at the Every Nation headquarters at the Fort.

What is Victory Weekend? Victory Weekend, according to the Victory Christian Fellowship website, is “a seminar and retreat that includes times of worship, Bible teaching, prayer, and personal ministry. Victory Weekend helps Christian men understand and walk in the victory Christ purchased on the cross.”

I always look forward to retreats at church. It’s like we’re cars, and we need to gas up everyday (reading God’s Word, meditating on it, and, of course, talking and listening to Him) to remain in good spiritual shape. Of course, to stay in even better spiritual shape, we should get spiritual checkups, and a retreat is a great time to get that.

Did that analogy work? LOL

I’m bringing a whole platter of issues with me this weekend, and I’m ready to lay them down at God’s feet and claim victory over these issues in the name of Jesus. By next week, hopefully, by God’s grace, I will finally be able to deal with my demons and really become that iron man He can use to really bring glory to His name.

If you can say a quick prayer for me and the other men attending Victory Weekend, I would be very grateful and blessed.