Received this email today. Removed name of the ISP lest they lose customers:

Dear user of e-mail server XXX,

Your e-mail account will be disabled because of improper using in next three days, if you are still wishing to use it, please, resign your account information. For further details see the attach. For security purposes the attached file is password protected. Password is "23473".

It always makes me cringe when people in customer service make flagrant mistakes in grammar. Shouldn't a good grasp of written English be one of the requirements before getting hired? Better yet, maybe they should use Filipino. I'd prefer a grammatically-correct email in our native tongue than one written in English with the construction of a 5-year old.

And to set the record straight, I wasn't using my account improperly. How could I when I haven't sent an email using their servers in over a year? Here's the reply I sent:

Please check the headers since I'm sure those emails aren't originating from me. Those headers are forged. I discontinued my XXX account more than a year ago and haven't been sending any email although I still continue to download them.

* I am single. I am happy. I am dearly loved by the people around me. My worth as a person does not need to be reaffirmed by one man.
* Contrary to what most people think, single people aren't miserable, lonely or incomplete.
* I have the best Matchmaker in the universe. His timing is perfect; my job is to wait on Him.
* I will not compromise my values, beliefs and faith in the pursuit of a relationship. Nothing and no one will ever take the place of God in my life. He will always be first.
* I will follow in obedience His will for my life, whatever it may be. Contentment can only be found by being in the center of His will.

Letter from God on Divine Human Love

Everybody longs to give himself completely to someone; to have a deep soul relationship with another; to be loved thoroughly and exclusively --- but God to a Christian says:

No, not until you are content with living --- loved by Me alone. I love you my child, and until you discover that only in Me is your satisfaction to be found, you will not be capable of the perfect human relationship that I planned for you. You will never be united with another until you are united with ME ... exclusively of anyone or anything else, exclusive of any other desire or longing.

I want you to stop your frantic planning and to stop wishing, and to allow Me to give you the most thrilling plan existing --- one you can't imagine. There are things you may not understand now, but I allow things to happen because I want you to have the BEST. Please allow Me to bring it to you.

Don't struggle with Me because I am pursuing you to bless you. Just keep watching Me, expecting the greatest thing --- keep experiencing satisfaction in knowing I am. Keep learning and listening to the things I tell you. You must wait.

Do not be anxious. Don't worry. Don't look around in envy at the things you think you want. You just keep looking off and away up to Me, or you'll miss what I want to show you. And then when you're ready, I'll surprise you with the love far more wonderful than you would've dreamt.

You see, until you're ready and until the one I have for you is ready (I am working on both of you even this very moment to make you both ready at the same time) and UNTIL you are both satisfied exclusively with ME and the life I have prepared for you, you won't be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with Me.

I want you to have this most wonderful human love. I want you to see in the flesh a picture of your relationship with Me, and to enjoy materially and concretely the everlasting union of beauty and perfection of the love that I offer you with Myself.

Human love is a faint shadow of My love for you. Know that I love you and that I am God Almighty.

Believe and be satisfied.

I will never look at Ricky Martin's song She Bangs in the same light again after watching William Hung perform it on American Idol. While he lacked the vocal acrobatics the judges were looking for and danced like a constipated robot, he had humility and grace to more than make up for his short supply of talent. After being told he couldn't sing nor dance, he replied, "I already gave my best, and thus I have no regrets at all." Although he didn't make it to the next round, he sure won the hearts of many. His website gets a million visitors a day and there is an ongoing petition to get him back on American Idol. I hope those who've signed the petition seriously want to see him on TV again because of his winning attitude and not to make a laughingstock out of him.

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I came across another review of The Passion of the Christ in one of my mailing lists:

I really did not know what to expect. I was thrilled to have been invited to a private viewing of Mel Gibson's film "The Passion," but I had also read all the cautious articles and spin. I grew up in a Jewish town and owe much of my own faith journey to the influence. I have a life long, deeply held aversion to anything that might even indirectly encourage any form of anti-Semitic thought, language or actions.

I arrived at the private viewing for "The Passion", held in Washington DC and greeted some familiar faces. The environment was typically Washingtonian, with people greeting you with a smile but seeming to look beyond you, having an agenda beyond the words. The film was very briefly introduced, without fanfare, and then the room darkened. From the gripping opening scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the very human and tender portrayal of the earthly ministry of Jesus, through the betrayal, the arrest, the scourging, the way of the cross, the encounter with the thieves, the surrender on the Cross, until the final scene in the empty tomb, this was not simply a movie; it was an encounter, unlike anything I have ever experienced.

In addition to being a masterpiece of film-making and an artistic triumph, "The Passion" evoked more deep reflection, sorrow and emotional reaction within me than anything since my wedding, my ordination or the birth of my children. Frankly, I will never be the same. When the film concluded, this "invitation only" gathering of "movers and shakers" in Washington, DC were shaking indeed, but this time from sobbing. I am not sure there was a dry eye in the place. The crowd that had been glad-handing before the film was now eerily silent. No one could speak because words were woefully inadequate. We had experienced a kind of art that is a rarity in life, the kind that makes heaven touch earth.

One scene in the film has now been forever etched in my mind. A brutalized, wounded Jesus was soon to fall again under the weight of the cross. His mother had made her way along the Via Della Rosa. As she ran to him, she flashed back to a memory of Jesus as a child, falling in the dirt road outside of their home. Just as she reached to protect him from the fall, she was now reaching to touch his wounded adult face. Jesus looked at her with intensely probing and passionately loving eyes (and at all of us through the screen) and said "Behold I make all things new." These are words taken from the last Book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelation. Suddenly, the purpose of the pain was so clear and the wounds, that earlier in the film had been so difficult to see in His face, His back, indeed all over His body, became intensely beautiful. They had been borne voluntarily for love.

At the end of the film, after we had all had a chance to recover, a question and answer period ensued. The unanimous praise for the film, from a rather diverse crowd, was as astounding as the compliments were effusive. The questions included the one question that seems to follow this film, even though it has not yet even been released. "Why is this film considered by some to be "anti-Semitic?" Frankly, having now experienced (you do not "view" this film) "the Passion" it is a question that is impossible to answer. A law professor whom I admire sat in front of me. He raised his hand and responded "After watching this film, I do not understand how anyone can insinuate that it even remotely presents that the Jews killed Jesus. It doesn't." He continued, "It made me realize that my sins killed Jesus." I agree. There is not a scintilla of anti-Semitism to be found anywhere in this powerful film. If there were, I would be among the first to decry it. It faithfully tells the Gospel story in a dramatically beautiful, sensitive and profoundly engaging way.

Those who are alleging otherwise have either not seen the film or have another agenda behind their protestations. This is not a "Christian" film, in the sense that it will appeal only to those who identify themselves as followers of Jesus Christ. It is a deeply human, beautiful story that will deeply touch all men and women. It is a profound work of art. Yes, its producer is a Catholic Christian and thankfully has remained faithful to the Gospel text; if that is no longer acceptable behavior than we are all in trouble. History demands that we remain faithful to the story and Christians have a right to tell it. After all, we believe that it is the greatest story ever told and that its message is for all men and women. The greatest right is the right to hear the truth.

We would all be well advised to remember that the Gospel narratives to which "The Passion" is so faithful were written by Jewish men who followed a Jewish Rabbi whose life and teaching have forever changed the history of the world. The problem is not the message but those who have distorted it and used it for hate rather than love. The solution is not to censor the message, but rather to promote the kind of gift of love that is Mel Gibson's filmmaking masterpiece, "The Passion."

It should be seen by as many people as possible. I intend to do everything I can to make sure that is the case. I am passionate about "The Passion." You will be as well. Don't miss it!

The Passion of the Christ is the only film I'm looking forward to this year. Seeing the stills sent shivers down my spine. I rarely cry when watching movies but I feel this one will be the exception. Here's an email forward I received from someone who's seen the movie:

Last night I attended a private screening of Mel Gibson's movie at Ricky Skaggs' church in Hendersonville. There were about 200 people in attendance.

I am speechless, moved beyond words and sobered by what I saw last night.

The movie was in a rough cut version but still I thought a very finished state. Special effects had not been added yet, nor was the music complete. Still it brought uncontrollable weeping from everyone. I couldn't stop crying through the whole movie. And when the movie was over, there was complete silence in the church. I wanted the story to go on and on for another two hours. I think the movie was about two hours long. Every moment of the movie was captivating, breathtaking.

The beating and suffering of Christ was almost unbearable to watch. The scenes with flashbacks of Jesus when he was a little boy and a scene of his mother running to comfort him and then cradling him in her arms after he had fallen down about the age of 4 or 5 was interlaced with scenes of him falling to the ground carrying his own cross, so bloody and unrecognizable and then her holding him in her arms after he had been taken down from the cross. Her face then stared into the camera while she was holding him and you could just imagine the things she was thinking. Every parent who was seated near me fell apart.

The nails being hammered into his hands was the most real thing I had ever seen. One scene of Jesus and the interaction with his mother just reminded me of every 20-year old man/child and mom relationship. Where she's trying to get him to come to eat and has to remind him to wash his hands before eating. She brings water to wash his hands, and after washing, he gently splashes water on his mother but then wraps his arms around her and kisses her on the cheek -- and takes off running to the food.

There was a question and answer period last night with Mel himself. I asked about the miracles we had heard about on the set. He began to talk about so many I couldn't keep track. One of the actors was hit by lightning twice yet walked away from it with only smoking fingertips. Healings, conversions on the set. I especially remember him talking about a two-year old child's hearing and sight being restored. And he said, "You know you can't fake that when you're two."

He was asked about spiritual warfare on the set, and he said, "Oh yeah! Just being in Italy alone was enough warfare." He said it was intense.

Mel said that the the reason for having these small private screenings is to get the word out and to start a grass roots campaign to support the movie.

Ricky Skaggs asked how we can pray for Mel, help him, spread the word, etc. He said that "prayer was the most powerful thing. And not to pray for all our enemies to have warts grow on their faces (laughter) but to pray for our warring angels to fight against Satan's angels, because the people don't know any better, they are clueless and they are just being used by Satan."

"Possessing a rare combination of wisdom and humility, while serenely dominating your environment you selflessly use your powers to care for others. Even the smallest person can change the course of the future."

Humble and wise? I doubt. These are traits I've yet to develop. I wish I could say each day brings me closer to these qualities but alas, just when I think I'm finally learning, something happens to prove me wrong. It's a daily struggle with more failures than victories.

The most difficult question to answer in the quiz was, "In a criminal justice system, it would be preferable to: (a) let a guilty person go free. (b) convict an innocent person." I chose "A" because convicting an innocent person seemed the bigger injustice. On the other hand, one who escapes due punishment in this life will certainly receive it in the next unless he seeks forgiveness from the Lord.

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I'm loving the color pink right now so you'll have to pardon me if this blog is too girly for your liking. I thought I had outgrown the color but it seems it was waiting in the wings, lurking for the opportune time to come out of hiding and remind me of childhood past: Barbie in pink, dresses in pink, watches in pink. I had eliminated the color from my wardrobe most of my teenage and adult life because of pink overload as a child. I now watch, seemingly helpess, as the number of my pink clothes increase. I hadn't really noticed until I saw them grouped together, standing out amongst the blacks and whites. So pink it is, until the next color comes along.