Excerpts from the book Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris:

The evil in our desire typically does not lie in what we want, but in that we want it too much. God mercifully uses the difficult experience of having this desire denied to show us that we want it too much. We should just trust in God for our ultimate satisfaction.

Letting go of relationships is not easy, especially if the emotional attachments are strong. Can we change our feelings and emotions? Yes, we can. But first we need to change the way we think about the person. Then our emotions and feelings will follow.

Clair says, “For two years I’d been thinking of him as my potential husband rather than a brother in the Lord. I had to renew my thinking and release my ‘claim’ on him. When feelings for him would resurface, I could usually pinpoint the cause as wrong thinking.”

Things didn’t change overnight, but slowly Claire’s feelings for him subsided. “God used that time to teach me to trust Him with my heart - to believe that if the relationship with this person wan’t his plan, He would help take it away and change my heart. And He did. He took the feelings away.”

(Philippians 4:6-7) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

“God, I don’t want to be anxious about this area of my life. I present my requests to you. But I’m trusting Your Word, which says that Your peace, which transcends understanding, will guard my heart. I want Your peace, not the peace I attempt to create.”

If we just allow God, He will change us. Even though we’re not aware of it, even though we feel sometimes that our life is on hold, God is steadily doing an important work in our hearts. We should grow to trust God more than our own meticulous planning. We should bring our requests to God with joy and thankfulness instead of desperation or complaining.

Aaahhh… Twilight. I actually saw the books first on display in a bookstore before I knew there was a movie about it that’s about to be shown. I read the synopsis at the back of the book and it was about a human girl in love with a vampire. It intrigued me, because I’ve never read a book that has that plot. It didn’t even bother me that people were saying it’s for teenagers. I mean it didn’t stop me from reading Harry Potter (and I loved the series), when it was supposed to be for kids! I wanted to get to know the characters properly, Bella and Edward, as well as the Cullen family. So when the movie came out, I was psyched to go watch it. It didn’t bother me that some people in online forums criticized it and said it was a high school musical about vampires. I had to see it for myself. So we watched it and I actually really liked it. No matter what other people say, I think they did the casting pretty well. Though that was probably because I watched the movie first before I read the books. But nevertheless, I think the casting couldn’t get any better than that. Seeing the movie made me even more excited to read the books!

I finally got hold of the four books and I eagerly started to read them. In summary, Book 1 (Twilight) was nice, Book 2 (New Moon) was boring, Book 3 (Eclipse) was full of action, and Book 4 (Breaking Dawn) ended too soon.

Book 1, for me, did a pretty good job in introducing the whole series and the characters. It made me curious about the whole vampire world and whether or not a romance between a human and vampire could actually work. Book 2 was boring in my opinion because well… I’m team Edward. And for the most part, the second book focused on Jacob and Bella. And I don’t know, it’s just not the same without Edward there. So I guess that made the minutes seem more like hours, when I was reading it. Anyway, Book 3 was better. It was mainly about Victoria and the fight with the army of newborn vampires she’s created. But Edward was definitely back, so I was more interested. LOL. Though at some point of the book, I really hated Jacob Black. Book 4 was essentially about Bella becoming a vampire and giving birth to a half-vampire, half-human daughter. But the book ended too prematurely for my taste. It could have done with a bit more epilogue in my opinion. But hey, it’s all good because it was a happy ending nonetheless. I guess it just left me wanting for more.

Overall, I would recommend the Twilight Series. Stephenie Meyer, the author of the novels, did a good job. The target audience is largely teenagers, but I guess it has an appeal for adults too. Try to read the whole four books and watch the movie too if you can. I think it’s safe to say that the series deserves all the mania and hype that it’s experiencing now.

Copyright©2008angel

Which do you think is the more selfish sex, male or female? What about the more sensitive and understanding sex? Men are viewed as tough on the outside, while women are viewed to be more sensitive and emotional.

Have you read the book, Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus? It’s a great, informative book that discusses the individual differences between men and women, and it gives concrete examples about the way we each deal with things. Women think men are selfish because all they think about is themselves, work and other guy stuff. But according to the book, men are just wired this way. We all have different fulfillment desires, men and women differ with regards to this. But just because we need different things doesn’t mean we can’t meet halfway and reach some kind of compromise.

If women knew the drives of men and the fulfillment they need, then it would be easier to understand them. In the same way, if men knew and understood the ways of a woman’s mind and her drives, it would be easier to deal with them. The key is to know what each sex needs and wants.

It’s pretty unfair for both sexes to put the blame on each other when we don’t even understand ourselves in the first place. It’s easy to say, “My man is so selfish, all he does is work and he doesn’t have time for me.” But if you understand that “feeling successful” is one of the basic needs of men, then you’ll know how to deal with it. The same with women… if guys knew what drives a woman to be emotional, and what goes on with their roller coaster of emotions, they’ll be more understanding and sympathetic, and the world will be a much nicer and better place. Read the book guys, it’s really helpful.

Copyright©2008angel

Bkk Fan wanted to know about my favorite books, so I’m writing this post. There are more books that could go into my favorites list but I’m just picking 6, and here they are:

Boy Meets Girl - I love this book. And it came to me at a timely manner too. I was badly in need of God’s guidance in my relationship, and this book taught me so much. I cried with this book, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. You guys should check this out, it’s basically about courtship and it contains a lot of valuable lessons that teach us how we should lift up our love lives to God, because He knows what’s good for us. It helps to know that no matter how many heartbreaks and frustrations we experience in our search for the ONE, we can trust that God is working behind the scenes to come up with the perfect love story for us. Totally worth the read!

The Purpose Driven Life - Another inspirational book that will forever stay in my conscience. It talks about life and how we should live it with purpose. I was able to gather a lot of footnotes while reading this book, and I kept it in a notebook that I still read from time to time to remind me of the most important points. It also teaches us that everything happens for a reason. It’s really a life changing book.

Harry Potter - Well, what can I say… Harry Potter Books 1-7 really got me addicted at one point. These books brought back the child in me, as I explored the world of magic, friendship and love with Harry and his friends. These are the books that had me laughing and crying every time I read (and reread) them. It was a mixture of relief and sadness when I got to the last book.

Who Moved My Cheese? - I wrote a review about this book in one of my earlier posts. I still stand by what I said, this book caused such a change in me, that I’ll forever be grateful for it.

The Alchemist - Actually, I just read this because it’s popular and I wanted to know what it’s all about. Turns out, I enjoyed it. Pretty boring at certain points, but when you look at the overall plot, it’s good, and it actually makes you think about LIFE. It talks about DREAMS, and how we have the power to follow them and make them come true if only we have the patience and determination to do it. I particularly love the way the story ended.

Twilight Series -I finally was able to finish all 4 books! I love the series, I just didn’t like that ending was a bit rushed. But anyway, the most important thing is that Edward and Bella had a happy ending. Read my twilight book review to know what I have to say about the series.

Books I Want To Read (but haven’t yet):

• My Best Friend’s Girl - Dorothy Koomson
• The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
• The Secret - Rhonda Byrne
• The Shack - William Paul Young

What are your favorite books?

Copyright©2008angel

Let’s talk about books. I think they’re just great. One of my favorite hobbies is reading. I could read a good book for hours and hours. I love them because books are capable of bringing me into a whole new different world. As I read every story, every plot, I see myself drawn and taken into another world, and it’s a great feeling. That’s what books do to me, they allow me to explore another life, another reality, and most of the time, I get so carried away with a good book that I experience all these different emotions and change of perceptions, it’s incredible.

The first books that I loved to read were Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High, Enid Blyton’s Books, R.L. Stein, and Love Stories. Looking back, I remember I was really hooked! I particularly enjoyed “The Magic Faraway Tree” by Enid Blyton when I was in elementary. That’s one book that I really enjoyed back then. I would always be in the library and read and read. I even got a few awards in school just for reading. I was given the “Reader of the Month” award a few times when I was a kid. Reading has always been a comfortable refuge for me. I love the feeling of being like “one of the characters”, being with them through their adventures, learning about the things they learn, getting a glimpse of their lives which can be very different from mine, falling in love, building friendships, and so much more.

When I got older, I began reading novels, thicker books, and more complicated plots. I began reading Harry Potter when I was in college, and the Lord of the Rings too. I also read inspirational books and self-help books. I don’t read non-fiction as much, I prefer fiction books that talk about love, loss, suspense, horror, magic, adventure… pretty much anything that interests me, depending on my mood. I don’t have a particular all-time favorite though, there’s just so many that I love. I love reading books that I could learn something from, and of course, those that have a really good story, especially those that really touch the heart and can make me cry or laugh.

I love a well written book. Apart from the story itself, I love to look at the writer’s style. Is it funny, witty, carefully thought out, delivered in a good manner with careful twists and just the right amount of suspense? All these things, make up a good storyline and makes for a book that I can read and reread again and again. Now, I don’t read books as often as I would like to, but I still read every time I come across a really interesting book. I’m constantly looking for great books to read, and there are just so many books out there that I haven’t read yet. Do you guys have recommendations that I could look into? I will find more time to read, that’s one of the things that I promised myself. Reading is one of my passions, and it always will be.

What’s your all-time favorite book?

Copyright©2008angel

I happened to read this great book today, entitled “Who Moved My Cheese?” and I have to say it really made my day. It’s a motivational book written by Spencer Johnson about dealing with CHANGE in our work and in our personal life. It’s a fairly short book with only 96 pages, you can actually read it in an hour or so. A friend of mine suggested I read it, and I’m so glad I did, because I learned a lot! I can totally relate to the story.The story revolves around 4 characters, two mice named “Sniff” and “Scurry”, and two little people, “Hem” and “Haw”. They live in a maze and are constantly looking for cheese (a representation of happiness and success). The story reveals profound truths about CHANGE and the different reactions of each of the characters. Actually, after I finished reading, I could say that I’m been more like “Hem” in the story, who’s resistant to change and refuses to get out of his comfort zone.

You have to read the story for yourself to appreciate its meaning. I highly recommend this book to anyone, even if you’re already open to change or has been resisting it all your life, you can benefit from the simple but wonderful truths this book has to offer. It’s a beautifully written story, in a very simple context, but the message and lessons you get are remarkably clear.

Here are the footnotes I’ve jotted down while reading the book. These are the things I want to remember and remind myself often:

• When you’re afraid to change, you are holding on to the illusion of something that’s no longer there.
• When you can laugh at the wrong things you’ve been doing, that’s the time you’re ready for change. The fastest way to change is to laugh at your own folly — then you can let go and move on.
• Sometimes, things change and they are never the same again. That’s life! Life moves on. And so should we.
• Think about what you could gain instead of what you’re losing.
• Whenever you start to get discouraged, remind yourself that what you’re doing, as uncomfortable as it is at the moment, is in reality much better than staying in the cheeseless situation.
• Fears only make things worse. Ask yourself, “what would you do if you weren’t afraid?” Let go and trust what lies ahead, even though you don’t know exactly what it is.
• When you’re not afraid, you feel good!

I urge you to get this book, and read it if you want to experience a profound change in perspective. The challenge is to be able to interpret the story and apply it to your own life. If you’ve read the book, please do share your insights. I’d love to hear your opinions.