Marriage Mystery Revealed Part 1

Living with a person who is an opposite of me is  not easy. Imagine putting two different individuals in one roof. Two individuals each with their own unique characteristics who came from different family backgrounds and make them stick together till forever.

My husband and I have been married for ten years and we have gained a handful of very special married friends too.  These couples who have been married longer than us have become our spiritual mothers and fathers. I could not count the number of blessings God has given us because of these friends. And one the best blessings we got recently was a one-day marriage retreat. This was totally unexpected from a couple we just met not so long ago.

I would like to share part 1 of the Marriage Mystery Revealed Retreat last July 28, 2012 at CCF Las Pinas.

¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper^[a]suitable for him.” ¹⁹  Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the ^[b]sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the ^[c]sky, and to every beast of the field, but for ^[d]Adam there was not found a helper ^[e]suitable for him. ²¹ So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. ²² The Lord God ^[f]fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. ²³ The man said,

“ This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh;
^[g]She shall be called ^[h]Woman,
Because ^[i]she was taken out of ^[j]Man.”

²⁴  For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.  Genesis 2:18-24

• God is not only the designer of marriage, He is also the builder. It was God who instituted the first marriage between Adam and Eve and His plan was wonderful. Until the serpent deceived Eve which led to their sin against their creator.


• The principle of "Leave and Cleave". When marriage happens, the husband and the wife must leave their previous relationships, which refer to the relationship with their respective parents. This simply means when the couple agrees to get married, whatever decisions they make must be dependent on each other and not on the decision of their parents. Parents can only give advice but the final say should be from the couple themselves.


• To cleave to one another or to join connotes commitment to develop a deep and loving relationship with one another. It becomes a commitment, a pledge and a decision to stay together no matter what.


• Because they become one flesh, they should not be separated. God hates divorce, he says so in Malachi 2:16.

3  In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, ² as they observe your chaste and ^[a]respectful behavior. ³  Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; ⁴ butlet it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. ⁵ For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; ⁶ just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right ^[b] without being frightened by any fear.⁷  You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with ^[c]someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. 1 Peter 3:1-7

• Wives being submissive does not only connote following the husband and submitting to whatever he says. Submission also means respecting the husband. By not talking down to him. By not using sarcasm to make a point. By being careful in our speech.


• Husbands should not look at his wife as someone inferior because he is God's appointed spiritual leader instead the husband should care for the welfare of the wife. He should make sure she is protected, she is loved and is growing spiritually. If he choose to ignore the needs of his wife, it says in 1 Peter, his prayers would not be heard.


• God is the architect of marriage and husbands and wife should refer to the architects blueprint, the bible in order to complete the marital journey.


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How We Won an iPad at the Philippine Homeschool Conference

If we built a school from the ground up based on how children learn best, we’d build a HOME. – Debra Bell

The Homeschool Association of the Philippine Islands (HAPI) recently concluded the 4th Philippine Homeschool Conference last May 19, 2012. Throngs of homeschooling dads and moms along with prospective homeschooling families flocked the 5th floor of St. Francis Square to attend this blessed event.

Hubby and I arrived a little after 8 am and we saw most of the seats at the plenary occupied already, good sign  As we headed to the registration, I saw a glimpse of  a mini  orchestra of homeschooled kids on stage serenading the delegates.

I was surprised to find out that the DepEd representative, Mr. Tonisito Umali, also homeschooled his son while transitioning from the United States to the Philippines. He believed that the parents have the responsibility of delivering the basic foundation of their children’s education. He narrated some of the programs of the department that addresses the issue of lack of classrooms, which is somehow patterned to homeschooling.

Catholic Filipino Academy founder, Bo Sanchez, delivered his message with wit. While sharing his personal experiences on homeschooling his kids, he encouraged the delegates by citing that children receive worth, wisdom and the Word when they are homeschooled. He added that the highest priority of the parents is to develop a relationship with their children and homeschooling is the best environment to do that.

Pioneer homeschooling mom and author of the book, “The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling”, Debra Bell, affirmed our family’s decision to homeschool four years ago. She talked about why homeschooling works. She said that kids learn best when they are able to process things using their five senses. Homeschooling caters to the multi-sensory approach in learning as they experience first hand the lessons taught at home. Homeschooling works because of its academic advantages such as independent learning, acceleration if need be or remediation. She added that homeschoolers have the advantage of being mentored by adults and  influenced by positive older peers.

As my husband and I listened intently to Ms. Debra Bell, we acknowledged that there is still A LOT more to learn. Though we have been doing this for four years, we need talks like these to be better parent-teachers. The old way of doing homeschooling in our family simply does not work and it only wears us down. With new insights and wisdom from the Lord, I am looking forward to the next school year. We pray that our home and the world be the best classroom for our kids.

On the aside, after pre-registering for the conference, I found out that four iPads will be given away. As much as we want to get one for the family, it’s not on our NEED list but on the WANT list. Since enrollment is just a month away, purchasing this tablet would be on hold indefinitely. I shared to the hubby and the kids that iPads would be given away at the conference. So daily, we prayed that God does not give us only our need but also our want.

The day of the conference, my husband and I were both pumped and just excited to learn more. Towards the end of the program, minor prizes were being given. My husband won a tumbler and a USB from TMA. After announcing the winners minor prizes, the hosts went up the stage for the grand prize. Three names were called and everybody was cheering for the winner. I almost lost hope for the iPad, I said, it’s okay Lord, maybe it’s not for us. When the lady slowly shouted the winning ticket number, “4…0… ( My heart was pounding at this time, please say 1 or 2, 1 or 2) and then 2! Wilfred Agbayani!”

I jumped from my seat and grabbed my husband. I even hugged the person in front of us, who we just met. What a way to end the day, indeed! Thank you Lord for this bonus for the family! We would surely use it for our homeschooling.

first win of the day, 2 movie tickets at any ayala cinema



won another minor prize, TMA tumbler and 2G USB



and the winner is ticket number 4…0..2!!!