Colossians 1:27 says, "... Christ in you, the hope of glory".

** Very Important Note: ~~Myself as an individual is nothing~~ compared to me being blessed to be part of the Body of Christ through the love of God, the grace of the Lord Jesus, and the fellowship of the Spirit. **

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. As they say, "better late than never". I've been on Steemit since August 2017, but didn't quite have the chance to introduce myself. I never knew formally introducing myself in a post would be necessary. Just like in any other social media websites, I thought fixing up your profile with your details would be enough. But thanks to brother @yukimaru for educating us of its worth. So, here we go. :)

Having the username @maninchrist, I am Arden Camille A. Oreto, a Certified Public Accountant by profession, a sister in Christ by heart (which is actually the highest and the only real profession of those who love the Lord Jesus).

https://steemitimages.com/DQmXb38NCmhKktPNcH7Q1YCHt78zm8DaHUFLiKbtLMdU3cn/2018-01-26%2010.15.27%202.jpg

Just turned 25 last January 20th, which made me understand those who are in, what they call, the "quarter-life crisis". 90's kids are kids no more. Hahaha. Kidding. :))

To continue, I am the eldest child in the family (which you will see in just a bit). Thank the Lord for the imperfect yet wonderful family that He made me have in this age. :) Indeed, in our family is where we first felt how Christ loves us to the uttermost. We may not say or hear it too often, but we can always feel it in our hearts. :)

https://steemitimages.com/DQmcrsuMuF6tJtLvg5gAnope57n2HwBqRz9ue1cUvWF4dfa/family.jpg

( These pictures were taken in 1999, 2007, and 2017, respectively. See how my brother and sister outgrew me vertically over the years? Sad. :)) My father and mother still look beautiful after all these years. <3 )

In this post, I mainly would like to share with you how blessed I am to be surrounded by a bunch of amazing people, who are definitely for keeps. They are all amazing, I tell you. :)

1) Firstly, meet my two greatest buddies in college. Two of the reasons why I successfully managed to get out of college alive. :)) https://steemitimages.com/DQmQAsBy8pEZgSoYQ5w9KJPh7M4nxfZNjsE3UxuBr1oECiY/kamrachel.jpg

( With the yellow-orange shirt in the middle is Kamille. Beautiful, isn't she? But you might as well stop there. Cause she's now happily married with her long time boyfriend and is now residing in Australia. :) Just right next to her, the one wearing the black blouse, is Rachel. She's more than just a pretty face. She's got a big heart for everyone, too. Status? Still trying to select the most fitting among them all. Boys, you still might want to join the multitude. Haha. :D )

2) Secondly, I would like to also introduce to you, guys, my core circle of friends since college. We call ourselves, "Tambay". Hahaha. Yeah, you read it right. Actually, we didn't plan or even think about having a group name. We never were into formalities or whatever. "Tambay", or standby in English, was only a description of what we were doing whenever we gathered together at anybody's place. The same term was just instantly picked as the name of our Facebook group cause we really did not have any name at all, we had no choice. Haha. Eventually, it became a label, our label. :) And we were good with it. :))

https://steemitimages.com/DQmdjRfKPFp1gdNKiKhNEn47D6LtUtozzW9btUVBDjQtAKp/2018-01-26%2010.44.32%202.jpg

( This was our very first picture as a group. :) This wasn't even intentional. It just happened. Haha. Whenever we were together, everything was spontaneous. :) This was taken February 14, 2012. Yes, Valentine's Day, as the world calls it. We were each other's dates cause most of us were still single back then. Who said love is only limited to romantic couples? :P )

3) Now, I am very happy to present to you my family in Christ. They are part of the universal group of people who love the Lord Jesus and, though not yet perfect, are willing to be filled, worked on, and transformed by the Spirit. As I said in the earlier part of my post, being part of the Body of Christ is the highest and greatest blessing a believer can ever receive. Not only is he saved from eternal perdition, but accepting Jesus as his Lord makes a believer cleansed from his sins, obtain the life of God, and thus, becoming a son of God. A life in Christ is the best, the sweetest, and, may I say, the only life, a person could ever have. And it is only in the church, in the Body, can we fully enjoy this kind of life. Oh, what a sweet church life have we!

https://steemitimages.com/DQmS1EwxNK5WmDzHHmNAAJDiQ7Rvonf1rY6efbx5gyREmoJ/church.jpg

( These pictures were taken during different church meetings and blending meetings. The saints who were present there were from the localities of Makati, Manila, and Pasay. Nevertheless, the Body of Christ can never be limited to only one area or to only one group. The Body of Christ is all-inclusive and all-extensive, as the Body of Christ is Christ himself. All the believers of the Lord Jesus, and everyone who calls upon His Name, belong to the universal Body of Christ. )

4) Lastly, but definitely not the least, may I humbly introduce to you all, Michael, my brother, boyfriend, as they call in the world. Actually, he's not seeing this post cause he's not yet in Steemit, but I still like to share our pictures here anyway. :) It would surely feel great to look at this post over and over again. :) Thank the Lord Jesus for preserving us since the beginning. Without Christ, not only as the center but as the totality, no relationship would be able to withstand even the slightest attack of the enemy. Praise the Lord Jesus for He is our very relationship. We can only love because He first loved us.

https://steemitimages.com/DQmU6sVApWbUURDtRnma3CGZnQyPTt7n1t4e892Cp6qsmD6/love.jpg

( As the church depends on Christ as her Head, God knows that a woman also needs a strong man in Christ, whom she can rely upon, too. Praise the Lord, He gave me you. :) )

...

So, that is all. I hope it's not too much (but if it is, bear with me, please, since this should have been constructed and posted 5 months ago, hahaha).

Looking forward to sharing more life lessons, experiences, and enjoyment with you, guys.

As a final word for this introductory post, I would like to reiterate that who we are is only secondary. What's important is who is living inside of us. And I pray that Christ may be the One to live in us, make home in us, and be lived out of us. May we be able to say, "Greater is He who is in me".

May we all have a meaningful and Spirit-filled life ahead of us. May God be wrought in us all the days of our lives. God bless you all.

- Arden Camille A. Oreto, Philippines