Midweek Inspiration

Sorry for the delay in posts but it's been a very busy week for me. 
{I'll write about my experience at Planetshakers Awakening in my next post}

For today's midweek inspiration I wanted to share this quote I found in my psychology textbook:

“No man, for any considerable period, 

can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude 

without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true.”

– Nathanial Hawthorne (1850) 

Basically... BE YOURSELF! 

It's hard work pretending to be something different. Allow others to see the real you, not the 'you' you think they want to see.

Be who God made you to be, not who society wants you to be.

God bless,

Eunize 

Foodie Friday

Yep. This series will be all about one of my favourite things – F O O D! 

I don't consider myself a "foodie" or claim to have any expert knowledge about food, but I will be sharing what I know with some of my favourite recipes, my food experiments, restaurant reviews, and perhaps even get some guests (I have family & friends who are amazing cooks!) to write a little post about their food journey.

For this first post I'll simply be listing my top 5 favourite foods –

1. ICE CREAM  –  
All day, every day. 
Summer or Winter. 
Breakfast to Dinner.
Enough said.




2. MUM'S COOKING  –
So cliche, but seriously... nothing beats a homemade meal made by my mum. She is the BEST cook! She can create a delicious dish from ingredients we have in the fridge & make it taste amazing. Her specialty - Filipino food.

3. CHOCOLATE  –
Can you tell I have a sweet tooth? My favourite (by far!) is Pana Chocolate. It's Australian. It's raw. It's organic. It's handmade. It's also low GI, no dairy, no soy, no added sugar, gluten free, vegan & no preservatives! They've also got a cute little shop in Richmond where they create amazing desserts made with the raw chocolate. I'm excited just thinking about it! 

4. PHO  –
There's nothing like a hot bowl of this stuff on a cold Melbourne winter day. From the delicious broth to the smooth rice noodles, you can't go wrong with a big bowl of pho.

5. ROAST  –
Whether it's beef, chicken, pork or lamb this is an easy dinner favourite. Add in various roast vegetables & it'll always be a winner! 


Care to share your favourite?
Eunize

Midweek Inspiration

Because we could use a little motivation to get us to the weekend!

Not that I have pearls of wisdom to share with everyone, but these posts will include things that inspire & encourage me – verses, pictures, quotes, people... and I hope you will also be encouraged by them!

For my first post – wise words, indeed ;)

But seriously... 

"Faith is the art of holding on to things in spite 

of your changing moods & circumstances"

– C.S. Lewis

Someone reposted this quote on Instagram a few months ago. In an ever-changing, fast-paced, fame-orientated society where fads come and go, it reminded me to hold onto the things that really matter in life and to stay true to myself – my faith, my family, my beliefs and my morals.

Our moods and emotions are affected by our environment and circumstance. I mean, we're human! But in this case, we must hold on to the unchanging one – God. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Blessings,
Eunize

What I'm Learning

Welcome to my first "What I'm Learning" post!

I'm sure you can figure out what this section will be about, but it can be about anything from my Bible readings to things I've seen, or a life lesson that comes from my personal experience.

So in honour of my first post, I'll write about the best thing I've learnt so far in all my years on earth… SEEK GOD FIRST. 

I don't really have a favourite Bible verse but this would be close 

Jeremiah 29:13 – 

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

This verse really came to life when I was going through a rough time 

(I'll write a post about my testimony & how God helped me through another time). I never felt so far from God but I know He never leaves my side, so this meant I had stopped actively seeking God (key word – actively).

I had made myself busy doing what I considered were 'godly' things – I went to church every week, attended Bible study & prayer meeting 3 times a week, served in multiple ministries and read my Bible regularly. But I never realised I could do these things and stop seeking God in the process.

My priorities were all out of whack… but Matthew 6:33 explains it plainly –

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Fast forward to when I really understood Jeremiah 29:13. God will reveal Himself to anyone who seeks Him… but we need to seek Him! I mean, we can't find anything we're not looking for, right? 

Another verse to back this up is Matthew 7:7 –

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

Being active in regards to seeking God was a daily decision I had to make, and still do everyday. It means I need to include God in every aspect of my life, in every decision I made and applying what the Bible says to everyday situations. 

I'm constantly amazed by what God has done & is still doing in my life. Gratitude is another big lesson I'm constantly learning. But let's save that for another post ;)

God bless,

Eunize

Weekly Recap

Welcome to my first "Weekly Recap" Monday post! 
These posts will contain anything about my week – from what I did, what I saw or things I heard that I want to share with you.

So for my first post I'll actually do a recap of my past month...

First up in March – back to uni life. Nothing exciting there. But I did get accepted into Monash's Master of Teaching course so I'll be at Monash a little while longer. Glad I'm staying there (despite the long drive) otherwise I wouldn't know what to do with all my Monash gear... I love my purple Monash jumper! ;)

The 2nd week involved helping my cousin prepare for her son's 1st birthday. 

What an eventful day! 
Lots of family & friends. 
Lots of food. 
Lots of presents.

And we even sang 
'Happy Birthday' 
in three different 
languages! Fun!

Check them out at:
61 A'Beckett St, Melbourne

My cousin & friend celebrated their 36th birthday at a great new restaurant in Melbourne called B'Churrasco. They specialise in classic Brazilian barbeque in an all-you-can-eat sytle. The waiters were actually Brazilian, and they would walk around with the meats (beef, chicken, pork, chorizos) and serve you at your table. To say I was full is a massive understatement. I don't think I've ever eaten so much meat in my life! It was totally worth it but I don't think I'll ever be eating that much again.

I also had a fun adventure with my best friends at Melbourne Zoo. We hadn't seen each other in a month since we watched 'King Kong: Live on Stage' (such an amazing show!). We also went into the city and finally had dumplings (we've had to put this off for months) at Shandong Mama. 

Seacret business update: 

I love the opportunity Seacret has given me to become my own little thing. It's so cool to to hear how its helping my friends who use it... they love what it's doing for their skin! My friends using the mud soap (daily) have noticed how it's helped manage pimples. They appear smaller then disappear within a couple of days. And now they don't even turn white, since the mud soap removes the dirt & oils from their pores.

It's going slow & steady, and I have more opportunities for parties in the near future.

Bible Reading Plan:
My youth group have started a reading plan to read through the Bible in one year. It's goes through a few chapters a day, going through the New Testament first then the Old Testament. We started on April 1st, beginning with the book of Matthew. I'll include what I've learnt so far in tomorrow's "What I'm Learning" post. 

Upcoming Adventures:
• Planetshakers Awakening 2014 – I'm very excited to be going back for this year's conference. I've had so much fun, learnt a whole lot & seen so many breakthroughs from the last two years, that I'm coming expectant for God to move within my youth group. I love seeing their passion & hunger! 
• Easter Camping trip – My family are going on a camping trip over the Easter long weekend with some of our good family friends. I missed out on the last one because I had exams so I'm excited to be in the great outdoors, exploring more of Australia. We'll be doing the whole camping experience - tents, communal showers and all! I just hope the weather holds up for us.

I'll post updates on how they both went (with lots of photos, of course!) after they happen. But for now, check back tomorrow for my first "What I'm Learning" post :)

Have a great week,
Eunize

Introductions - Faith Edition

I grew up in a loving home. My parents became Christians long before they had me. Their influence & the example they set really helped me understand what it truly meant to have a relationship with Jesus. It wasn't just a title - it encompassed everything they did.

I prayed for Jesus to enter my heart at a young age. My dad prayed with my brother & I when I was 6. I grew up going to church every Sunday & I loved going to Sunday School. But it wasn't till my early teens that I truly experienced God's love. 

My favourite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11-13

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

I love verse 13. Nothing God does is half-hearted, so why should our devotion to Him be any less? I learnt this the hard way when I went through a though time during high school. Nothing seemed to be going right for me, and as dramatic as it sounds, I was becoming depressed. I may have been only 14 and you could probably say it was just me being a hormonal teenage girl, but I believe it was God's way of preparing me for what He had in store later. 

Needless to say, God helped me through. I realised I couldn't get myself out of this 'jam' and only God could make me whole again. And with that wholeness came peace & joy! There's nothing quite like the overwhelming realisation that God loves you SO much. 

In my recent study of the book of Ecclesiastes, the writer (thought to be Solomon) began with complaints. He believed everything man did was "meaningless". However, later he realised that life was meant to be enjoyed with everything God provides, no matter how great or small. And that's what I plan to do. I want to enjoy the life God has given me - complete with all the ups & downs.

I hope my faith journey will encourage & inspire you to seek God more, and to help you develop a closer relationship with Jesus. He's everything you need. Trust me.

Have a great weekend! 
Eunize

Introductions - Family Edition

I figured my first post should be something personal so you can get to know who's writing this blog you're reading. Here's a bit of my back story:

With my parents and my mum's aunt

  I was born in the Philippines
  I Australia when at just 9 months old
  I live in Melbourne 
  I have two younger brothers
  Both my parents graduated engineering
  I was never the girly type
  I have A LOT of cousins (41, actually!)

My family

Meet the people who helped me become who I am today.

My dad: Edwin
   This guy can seriously do it all.
   He cooks. He cleans.
   He creates. He's artistic.
   He plays ball. He sings.
   His significance in my life?
     - he taught me to believe in & love God
     - he also taught me to love basketball ;)
     - he encourages me to make my own choices

My mum: Eliza

   She has the biggest, most generous heart

   She's the best cook I know (everyone knows it too!)

   She's one of ten siblings

   She goes above & beyond for her friends

   Her significance in my life?

     - she keeps me grounded

     - she encourages me to persevere

     - she's a constant reminder to serve Christ

My brother: Euly
   He has a sensitive & quite spirit.
   He takes everything as it comes & rolls with it.
   He's really talented - sports, music, design
   His significance in my life?
     - he reminds me focus on the important things in life
     - I love how we've developed a real friendship
     - he challenges me to try harder & to do my best

My brother: Euzziah
   He is hilarious! Always such a comedian.
   He's my massive 'baby bro'.
   He is also very artistic & creative.
   His significance in my life?
     - he can always put a smile on my face
     - we've always been really close
     - he reminds me that we're all made different


My second family

This is my mum's eldest sister & her family. They helped my parents move to Australia and when we arrived we lived with them for a year. To say they're important to me is a massive understatement. I was pretty much their youngest child. I was in most of their family photos in the 90's. They're my only first cousins here in Australia so it was inevitable we'd end up really close. They used to babysit me as a kid... 20 years later I now babysit their kids! 

Their significance in my life?  - you can always count on family

Thanks for reading,
Eunize