Running The Race. . .

Sean and The Box of Chocolates

2011-01-09T00:56:00.001+08:00

Tears rolled on Sean's soft cheeks as he hangs up on a friend over the telephone. Pretty soon, the tears were not simply rolling anymore, they were flowing. And Sean wasn't simply crying this time, he was wailing, wailing like a little child. But after all, he was a little child, a boy probably no older than you. Oh, how he cried! He cried and he cried. He cried until he could no longer breathe. He has never cried like this before. By this time, he was already groaning, tears flowing seemingly endlessly from his eyes. Yes he was in sorrow. Indeed, he was. But it was not the kind of sorrow that weakens you. It was the sorrow of a kind that gives you strength, the sorrow that inspires you and causes you to want to become a better person. In my own words, I could describe it as the sorrow that doesn't make someone sad -because that's what it is -a joyful kind of sorrow.

"What kind of people are they?" he shouted almost incomprehensively to himself. By now, everyone was already asleep inside their small apartment save for Sean. It was dark inside his room, for unlike other children, Sean doesn't like sleeping with the light on. The cold Christmas air filled his room and the sound of rustling tree leaves could be heard from where he was sitting. It wasn't a silent night at all. The sound of snoring could be heard from the bedroom next to his. Apparently, his father had a busy day. "What kind of people are they?" -he repeated his own question to himself as if really expecting someone inside his room to give him an answer. "How could they care so much? Where does all that care come from? How in the world could they care so much?" By this time, you could no longer understand any word he was saying, for he was crying and groaning louder than before. It was a miracle that he didn't wake his father on the next room.

Sean has known the Beverlys for a long time already, and he knows enough about them to conclude that they are different -"one peculiar family", he would always say. They have very different practices compared to Sean's family, and if you would ask him, he was just too glad he wasn't one of Mr. and Mrs. Beverly's "weird" children. "All those singing, and dancing, and hugging, and chanting, and bouncing ---it makes me sick!" --he once said. It would therefore be reasonable and logical to conclude that what Sean expected at the least was the desire for something from the Beverlys, or anything that has to do with them for that matter. But as unexpected as it may seem, that is exactly what is happening to him now. He was desiring something that the Beverlys possess. Of course, when I say that he was desiring it, I also mean that he doesn't have it. For it would be impossible to desire something you already have. Now, it may have come to your mind that what Sean was desiring was a whole box of chocolates, as majority of 12-year old boys would have desired -and with watering mouths too. A box of chocolates with all sorts of chocolates that you could think of: dark chocolate; milk chocolate; milk chocolate with almonds; milk chocolate with coconut and almonds; chocolate filled chocolates; round chocolates; square chocolates; house-shaped chocolates; chocolates shaped like pyramids; and yes, even a chocolate ginger-bread man! It would have been easier if this was what Sean desired. All he had to do was wait for the Beverlys to go on their long vacations (as they often do) and sneak inside their "creepy" house through the front door which the Beverlys always leave open, as Sean found out one day, "quite by pure accident, of course" -as he has claimed. Then, he would simply have to reach out for their refrigerator and grab that dreamy box of chocolates! But as what you would find out, what Sean wanted wasn't anything like that. Indeed, it wasn't anything like that at all. For what Sean desired cannot be seen by human eyes. It was invisible, as you may call it, and on second thought, I guess it could after all be likened to a box of different sorts of chocolates. Different from each other, yet all are the same in a sense that they are all sweet and mouth-watering! These things, as Sean has found out are: Love; Care; Attention; Peace; Gladness; Joy; Happiness; Care; Contentment; and Respect. And to tell you the truth, one doesn't simply sneak into a "creepy" house to take those things away.

to be continued

Copyright, January 2011
by Karl Zion M. Remojo

The Gift

2010-06-10T00:13:00.000+08:00

To dream upon the breath-taking sight of the Clear Summer Sky, teeming with shining white clouds patrolling the Great Blue Expanse as Great and Royal Ships from the East sail the sea, bringing unexplainable hope with her Brightness, pleasant expectations from her Shining Whiteness!

To be as the Great Ancient Mountains -unshakable and unmoved, firmly standing in their Ageless Beauty -the Sure Witness of every Century's glory; towering high and unconquerable; concealing mysteries, secrets and enigmas of old, awaiting silently for their appointed times of revelation.

To soar as the Strong and Mighty Eagle of the North, every faithful to her Role and Calling, never tiring, daily fulfilling her destiny with each flap of her Heavenly Wings. Rising above each storm, gliding over every tempest; riding on instead of struggling from the fierce wind that's beyond anyone's control.

To walk in pride as the Great Golden Lion whose head is forever unbowed, shaking the earth with each step, pounding the soil with every leap. As the King of the Beasts, it fears no one, protecting its pride with its Strength and its Glory.

To walk upright as the sons of men, the most grand among all creation, the very representation of the Creator, and the outgrowth of the Mind of the Maker. With wisdom, he explores the Blue Expanse and conquers the Ancient Mountains. With wisdom, he surpasses the flight of the Mighty Eagle and tames the strength of the Golden Lion. He was made lower than the angels, much lower than the cherubim, yet he remains the envy of all creation. In all of these, he must remember that everything he has is but A Gift. . .a Beautiful Gift!

Secret Window

2010-05-05T02:00:00.000+08:00

I have been a fan of Johnny Depp since high school. I really like watching his movies. For me, he chooses his movies rather well. His are those "unusual" movies and "eccentric" characters making it unusually beautiful and exciting to watch. There's Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Pirates of the Caribbean (I,II & III), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

One particular movie of Johnny Depp that I want to talk about is Secret Window. It is a story of suspense where in we will meet Mort Rainey, a writer who found out just recently that his wife was cheating on him. Six month after this traumatic experience, Mort finds himself in an escalating conflict with John Shooter, a man from Mississippi accusing Mort of plagiarism, an accuse that Mort strongly denied. This conflict gets out of hand as Shooter goes to extreme means to get Mort to do what he wants --to finish the story with his (Shooter's) preferred ending.

The first time I watched this was when I was in fourth year high school. I found it to be, not just very exciting and good to watch, but really very interesting as well. Being a high school student that time, with little knowledge of psychology and psychiatric disorders, I simply enjoyed the plot of the movie, and the main character. When I became a college student, I appreciated the movie all the more as we studied psychology. Now, being a student of psychiatric nursing for almost two years now, I realized that the closest specific psychiatric disorder that the main character in the story experienced is Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder). It is amazing what traumatic experiences and repressed anger can do to a person, especially if that person persistently avoids to face his/her fears and refuse to accept his personal weaknesses. The movie is a thriller and no one could have done it better than Johnny Depp. I think it would be a while before I get tired of watching it.

" 'I know I could do it' ,Todd Downy said, helping himself to another ear of corn from the steaming bowl. I'm sure that in time, every bit of her will be gone. And her death will be a mystery, even to me." (Depp)

Indeed, some windows are better left unopened.

Don't you think?

Drug-Dependent

2010-03-27T02:02:00.000+08:00

One thing to be noted in drug-addicts is that they virtually cannot do anything without drugs. They cannot start their day without drugs. They cannot be happy without drugs. They cannot work without drugs. Likewise, you probably know a person who -in his ordinary mode -is very shy and very timid, probably one who cannot even find the courage to speak. But this same person, when he is under the influence of alcohol becomes the exact opposite: he becomes confident, becomes talkative, expressing everything that his mind finds to think about. When he wants to say something, for example: he wants to express a hidden anger he has with a friend, or he desires to confess his love for a girl, this person deliberately gets himself drunk because he knows he cannot do it without alcohol. That is why he is called an alcoholic -an alcohol dependent. He is dependent on alcohol for courage; dependent on alcohol for confidence; dependent on alcohol for virtually everything.

As Christians, that should also be our attitude when it comes to God and His Word. God called us to be dependent on Him. How long will we realize and accept the truth that we cannot do it by ourselves. I, personally, as I mature more and more in my relationship with God, I all the more come to realize the ever increasing list of things that I could not do, and things that I do not have control of. In other words, I become more aware of my limitations. But this awareness causes me, drives me, and makes me more determined to seek God and find my strength in Him. It causes me to be more dependent on Him, because through Him, I can do all things (Philippians 4:13). The more I grow in God, I become more and more of an addict to His Word! I simply could not start anything without Him and His Word knowing that there are very few things that are under my control. The wisest thing to do is to lift up these things to The One Who controls them.

One more benefit of being dependent on God is that it takes you away from the desperate search of finding dependence on people. You see, no matter how your truest of friends desire to be there for you always, they won't, because they can't. They can't be with you 24/7. They can't be with you round the clock. Being dependent on people is foolishness. I am not saying that we should not have friends, it's just that we should not put the dependence that is due to God on them. When I feel that those who I refer to as my closest friends grow cold, and when I really cannot feel their care and concern, I get angry, I get sad, and frustrated at the same time. When they don't reply to my text messages or to my calls, I get the feeling that they're not there for me, and I get angry and sad. But from what I learned from these instances, I now start to thank them, because had it not been for those experiences, I would not have been in this level of dependence on God that I am in now. Because the help I am expecting to get from men was deferred, I started looking for it in the Right Place -from the Word of God. My friends are treasures, but my dependence is not on them.

I could very well relate to the psalmist when he said:

I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."

Psalm 16:2, NIV

If some are called drug-dependents, I am proud to say that I'm a God-Dependent!

How Do I Live Without You?

2010-03-27T01:34:00.000+08:00

Without You, there'd be no sun in my sky;

there would be no love in my life;

there'd be no world left for me.

And now, I do not know what I would do

-I'd be lost if I lost You. . .

And tell me now: How do I live without You?

But I Won't Last A Day Without You

2010-03-22T15:17:00.001+08:00

I can take all the madness the world has to give,

But I won't last a day without You.

I can begin a day without this, or without that,

But I would not dare start a day without You.

I can finish a day without this, or without that,

But I won't spend a day without You.

THE REASON

2010-03-15T22:29:00.002+08:00

Everything in life (i.e. problems, events, situations, missions), no matter how hard and difficult, becomes joyfully bearable when you know why you are doing/ undergoing it, and when you know the reason and to what purpose you are toiling. Conversely enough, everything in life, no matter how easy, becomes agonizingly unbearable when you see no reason why you are doing/undergoing such.

" All of my life, in every season,

You are still God,

I have a reason to sing

I have a reason to worship."

(an excerpt from Hillsong's "Desert Song")

To Think or not To Think

2010-03-15T22:16:00.002+08:00

Sometimes, the key to victory lies not

on our ability to think,

but rather --on our ability to keep

ourselves from thinking.

For out of man's heart come all kinds of evil imaginations: murder; adultery; sexual immorality; theft; false witness; slander.

(Matthew 15:19)

Therefore, guard your heart.

(Proverbs 4:23)

. . .and you cannot guard your heart by yourself. Only God can do that.

(Jeremiah 17:9-10; Romans 8:26-27; II Corinthians 12:10; Isaiah 40:29)

So put your heart in God's Hands, and also your whole life.

(John 14:6; John 3:16; Jeremiah 29:11; John 10:10)

GRACE

2010-03-15T21:37:00.000+08:00

Grace not only has the ability to wash

you and cleanse you after you sin,

It also has the great power to keep you

from sinning in the first place.

More about Grace

The Power of Grace

2010-03-15T21:27:00.001+08:00

To give a brief definition for those who aren't familiar with the biblical definition of the word -Grace is undeserved mercy. Grace is undeserved love. Grace is undeserved forgiveness. In other words, Grace is something [good] that you and I definitely do not deserve, but has been offered to us for us to receive it.

As Christians, an initial knowledge of Grace will make us aware that through it, we are saved from the consequences of sin (i.e. spiritual death, eternal death, punishments). Grace will save us and cleanse us after we sin. It will give us hope even after giving in to temptation, knowing that God's Love is everlasting (Jeremiah 31:3), and He has promised forgiveness for our sins (I John 1:9). In other words, Grace will help us survive our Christian Lives as it would save you from the punishments for sin.

However, as you grow deeper in your relationship with God, and as you read His Word more, you will find out about the NEW power of Grace. I call it NEW simply because it would be new to you (if you have not known it before, that is). Actually, it has been there from the beginning, but it is only now that you are starting to understand this power (once again, that is if you have not known it before). Grace not only has the power to cleanse you after you sin, it also has the power to keep you from sinning in the first place! Grace could not only save you from the deepest corners of hell, it also has the power to take you the highest of heaven! It will not only help you to survive the Christian Walk, it would also empower you to live it [to the fullest]!

The bible warns us from having a form of godliness but denying its power (II Timothy 3:5). Those people who continuously speak about Grace but at the back of their minds, believe it simply as an excuse to sin and as a means to remain in their weaknesses, and also a reason to stop growing and maturing as Christians, are clearly in the wrong. No one could correctly and completely identify these people because only God can see the heart. But if you have assessed yourself as such, then it's high time to grow in the new knowledge of Grace and its power. It's time to get updated to the latest news. Read your bible and find out. Check this out: If God says that you could do all things through Him (Philippians 4:13), then you can do all things through Him! You could succeed over temptations through Him! If God says you have the ability to love your enemies and bless those who curse you(Matthew 5:44), then you can love your enemies and bless those who curse you! If God says that you are an overcomer (John 16:33), then you my friend, are an overcomer!

Grace gives us freedom. And to be honest with you, no matter how many times you may have fallen to sin, God's Grace is always more than enough. But you must not forget one thing: Freedom is to be regarded as a means, and not as an end in itself.

The Christian Life is not difficult my friend, it is impossible! God's standards are impossible to be reached. But because of Grace, which came through the death of Christ on the cross, the impossible has been made possible. If God says you can, then who are you to tell yourself that you can't? You can!

That's the power of God's Grace! :-D

The Sweetest Chocolate

2010-03-13T21:58:00.000+08:00

Once you have tasted the sweetest chocolate

And its sweetness has already attached to

your tongue's taste receptors,

Then all other delicacies, no matter how sweet,

Shall to you become rather tasteless.

The Lovely Rose

2010-03-12T01:29:00.000+08:00

I was happily, joyfully, and contentedly walking down the road. Then I saw a rose. It was a lovely one but it wasn't until I have walked a couple more meters that I realized this. When I did, however, I immediately walked back to pick it. I knew exactly what to do with it. I would bring it home, water it, and look at it all day. However, I found out that it wasn't going to be that easy. When I tried to pick it up, I was pricked by its thorns. My fingers bled. They said that the reddest and most fragrant roses have the most number of thorns in them. But being the ignorant man that I was at that time, I still decided to take it home. How I wish I had not, for every time I would gaze on it, I would be so lost in its beauty that I could not help but touch it, and every time I would touch it, there was not one instance that I did not get my fingers pricked! For what a number of thorns it has! It was the most beautiful and most thorn-full rose that I have encountered on my walk down that road. The bleeding and the pain got worse on every prick. I really wish I had not picked it! How I strongly wish I had not! And what's more, how better it would have been if that rose had not been there in the first place! Come on! There were a hundred other roads that could have been the place of that rose, so why this road!? Why my road!? Oh how I wish someone came there before me and picked it up! I really wish I did not pick it! But what could I do? I didn't know any better at that time? Could I really blame myself for picking up that rose? For not a few times have I decided to throw it! You bet I did! But its beauty is very captivating. The number of times I threw it was the same as the number of times I picked it. I must confess that never in my life have I exhibited such double-mindedness. I therefore decided to place the rose in a room. I then locked the room and threw the key away. I did this, not just for me to avoid getting my fingers pricked, but also, to prevent the rose from deteriorating -because being the very lovely rose that it was, I'm sure that if it were a human being, it wouldn't want to be the cause of someone's pain. Someday, I'm going to break the door of that room, but not now, not today, someday.

Life is complex, and how I wish --

How I wish I'm not like this.

But to tell the truth, and this I dread:

I'm anything but simple-minded.

HONESTY & HIDDEN TRUTHS

2010-03-12T00:36:00.001+08:00

Honesty, to say the least,

Is worthy to be possessed;

But I do believe there are some truths

Which are better left unsaid.

YOU ARE

2010-03-04T21:31:00.000+08:00

You are my completion,and my strength, my very present help in trouble. You are my source and my life, my joy and inspiration. You give me strength and energy, hope and courage. You whisper truth to my ears, and say it loudly to my face when I could not hear them. You block my ears from hearing lies, and give me opportunities for victories. You continually raise me up. You carry me. You lead me in green pastures. You feed me. You satisfy me, and there is nothing my mouth lacks. You are my shepherd, and I shall never want. You took me from darkness and have led me every step of the way. You were with me yesterday. You are with me today. You will be with me tomorrow. Oh what is this, that even in my failures, You were there! In my darkest moments, You never left me. When I let go of my grip on You, You did not let go of Yours. When I was untrue, You remained true. When I became unfaithful, You remained faithful. You are my encourager, and the giver of motivation. You know me inside and out. You know my tendencies. You know my weaknesses. You know my strengths. You know my potential. You gave me my potential. You are my life. You are my all. You are my friend. You are my brother. You are my father. You are my mother. You are my Lord. . . And You are my God.

A Thing About Battles

2010-02-15T01:30:00.003+08:00

D.N.B. Entry #2010-0029

15-Feb-2010, 0130H

BATTLES ARE UNIQUE IN THAT THEY ARE THE ONLY OPPORTUNITIES FOR VICTORIES.

THOSE WHO SURRENDER WITHOUT ACTUALLY GOING TO A BATTLE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE WEAK; WHEREAS, THEY ARE THE COWARDS, AND THE NEGATIVE-THINKERS, PESSIMISTS --EXPECTING DEFEAT WITHOUT EVEN TRYING.

FURTHERMORE, THERE IS AN INEVITABLE THING THAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO REPEATEDLY SURRENDER WITHOUT GOING TO A BATTLE

. . .THEY ALL EVENTUALLY BECOME SLAVES.

Dalawang Dekada

2010-02-10T23:00:00.000+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Today is the tenth day of February two thousand and ten. It is my twentieth birthday. Dalawang dekada na akong nabubuhay sa mundong ibabaw :-D

In the bible, the number 10 signifies perfection of divine order. It is one of the four perfect numbers in the bible (i.e. 3,7,10,12). It represents completeness of order - nothing lacking, nothing over. For example: The 10 Commandments summarizes all that is necessary to be fulfilled; the 10 plagues of Egypt represents the complete circle of God's judgment on this idolatrous nation; and also the tithe (the tenth) that God requires in Malachi 3:10 represents the whole of what was due from man to God, as marking and recognizing God's claim on the whole. Moreover, check out your own anatomy, a complete set of fingers and a complete set of toes both refer to 10 phalanges (10 fingers & 10 toes)

The 10th day of February is also the 41st day of every year (beginning from January 1). Number 4, in a way, represents a new beginning, as it follows the biblical number 40. The 40th day of Jesus' Fasting marked its end, the next day (day 41) was the beginning of His Ministry. The 40th day of the rain in Noah's time marked its end, the next day (day 41) marked the beginning of the receding of the flood.

The number 20, on the other hand represents a period of waiting and expectation: Jacob waited for 20 long years to have his wives and his properties (Genesis 31:38,41); The nation of Israel waited for 20 years for a deliverer from Jabin's oppression (Judges 4:3); The Ark of the Covenant waited for 20 years at Kiriath Jearim; King Solomon waited for 20 years for the completion of the two buildings/houses (I Kings 9:10). All these people (and the ark) waited, and got what they waited for because they were full of expectation on the Sure Promises of God.

And true enough, right now, as a recent 20-year old, I am full of expectation on God's Sure Promises and His Goodness. Just a few weeks ago, during one of our nursing board exam review classes, when I re-realized that graduation is very near, I had these doubts and (I guess) fears regarding the future. I asked God a number of questions: "What now after I graduate?; Anong mangyayari sakin?; Anong magiging buhay ko?; Anong pinaka-maganda kong gawin?; Sinong mapapangasawa ko?; etcetera, etcetera." It was right here that God seems to have squeezed my heart (it was how it felt) and it was like I pictured God smilingly say "Ano ka ba anak? Just trust Me." And it was at that very moment that The His Holy Spirit reminded me of a verse I have already read for not a few times, and I immediately took out my (electronic) bible from my pocket to look for it. . .

Psalm 139:16
"All the days ordained for me were written in Your Book before one of them came to be."

After reading this, I instinctively/automatically reviewed the events of my life, just like in a flashback. And I was convinced that indeed, this verse is very true. I saw how God planned my life. I didn't plan to take up this course (not once in my life did I dreamed of being a nurse), or to study in this university (not once did I dream of studying in UST) but I saw how God has blessed me through it and has taught me priceless life lessons during my stay at the UST College of Nursing --lessons that I would not have learned elsewhere, I believe.

Moreover, I never planned to become a Christian! No sir, na-ah, not me. It was all corny & baduy to me! But God arranged the circumstances, and moved the pieces, causing the very foundations of my life to be shaken -yes they were, they were shaken so badly and they broke, they were shattered, and on the night of June 11, 2006, I was faced with the inevitable decision and great offer of accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior. The rest is history. I didn't plan these things, but God set me up! He set me up. It was definitely a set-up.

What am I to fear? My path has already been laid out for me. It was hidden, but now, it is lighted. God has given me visions of what is to come regarding my walk with (not simply for) Him, and it is very exciting. I must not forget it. I must always bring it to remembrance. I must always remember it.

Deuteronomy 4:9
"Be very careful not to forget the things your eyes have seen. Do not let them slip from your heart. Remember them always."

Jeremiah 29:11
" 'For I know the plans I have for you' says The Lord. 'Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope' "

So Zion, whenever you're having doubts, fears or any destructive emotion, always remember. . .

Maliwanag ang Bukas

"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn

--shining ever brighter till the full light of the day."

Proverbs 4:18

WELCOME TO THE BEGINNING OF THE

THIRD DECADE OF YOUR EXISTENCE

THANK YOU LORD FOR

MY TWENTIETH BIRTHDAY

Si Blackie at si Brownie

2010-01-31T09:15:00.000+08:00

Mahilig magpalaki at mag-alaga ng magagandang aso ang aking ama --isang bagay na tila likas na sa kanya. Mahal ko ang mga aso ni ama, at itinuturing namin silang bahagi na ng pamilya. Gayunpaman, isang hindi inaasahang bagay ang nangyari. Kung ito man ay maaaring napigilan o hindi, ay hindi ko alam. Nalugi ang dalawang negosyo ni ama at nabaon siya sa maraming utang. Kinakailangang magtipid ng pamilya, at labag man nang todo sa kanyang dibdib, nag-desisyon si ama na isa-isang ipagbili ang kanyang mga alagang aso. Una, dahil kailangan nga namin ng pera, at pangalawa dahil wala na siyang mapakain sa mga ito. Oo, mahal ni ama ang kanyang mga aso, ngunit hindi sa puntong mas mahal niya ang mga ito kaysa kay ina at sa aming magkakapatid.

Bawat linggo, isa sa mga alagang aso ni ama ang kinakailangang mamaalam. Sa puntong ito ng aking buhay, dalawang partikular na aso ang ninais at pinag-desisyunan kong layuan: si Blackie, dahil masyado na itong napapalapit sa akin; at si Brownie, dahil masyado na akong napapalapit sa kanya.

Nakita kong hindi naging manhid sila Blackie at Brownie sa ginawa kong pag-iwas. Naging malungkutin sila. Hindi na sila nagtatatakbo sa hardin gaya ng dati, at napakadalang na nilang makipag-laro sa isa't isa.

Bagama't si Brownie ay isang aso lamang, nakita ko sa kanyang mukha ang tila isang itsura ng pagtataka, na para bagang nagwiwika sa kanyang isip: "Bakit bigla na lang nagbago ang pakikitungo ng amo sa akin? Ano ba ang aking nagawa?" Napakasakit para sa akin ang makita ito, ngunit alam kong magiging mas masakit para kay Brownie, kay Blackie, at sa akin kung hindi ko ito gagawin.

Nilayuan ko si Blackie upang sanayin siya sa pagkawalay niya sa akin, at nilayuan ko si Brownie upang sanayin ang aking sarili sa pagkawalay ko sa kanya. Matapos ang isang linggo, pinagbili na rin ni ama si Blackie, at isang linggo pa matapos nun, ay si Brownie naman. Ako'y tumangis. Ngunit matapos ang aking pagtangis, ako'y napangiti, dahil alam kong balang araw, sa pagyamang muli ni ama, bibilhin ko pabalik si Brownie, sa eksaktong panahon na iyon, muli ko siyang susuyuin at malayang makikipaglaro sa kanya. At hindi na kami kailan man maghihiwalay.

A Carabao with a Cart

2010-01-28T02:06:00.001+08:00

Kish: Oh kuya, carabao with cart lang pinagawa ko ah. . .

Me: Sorry di ko mapigilan eh, ;-P

**hugs**

Sa Aking Minamahal

2010-01-25T22:12:00.000+08:00

Iniibig kita, na sa'ki'y nagturing

Na iyong sintang, pinuspos mo ng ningning

Iniibig kitang sa 'ki'y umiibig

Pagmamahal mo nga'y daig pa ang langit

Binigyan mo ng buhay, isip at diwa

Pinalaki't matiyaga mong inaruga

Binigyan ng paang may lakas tumayo

At kamay na kayang humubog ng paso

Kinukupkop mo ako't tinutulungang

Maging marangal at laging tangan-tangan

Pangakong pag-ibig na 'yong isinulat

Nasa isip ko't sa puso'y, walang tinag

Sa ating taimtim na pagmamahalan,

Malimot ka'y napakadalas nga naman

Ngunit ito'y 'sang bagay na sa 'yo'y hindi,

'Pagkat sumumpa ka na hindi babawi

O anong sarap ng iyong mga yakap

Bawat araw, ito ay aking pangarap

Na ang mas malaking bahagi ng buhay,

Sa piling mo magugol, 'wag nang mawalay

Ano itong pag-ibig na iyong taglay?

Sadyang 'di maubos ang tangan na saysay

Hindi lang libingan ang iyong sinisid,

Agwat ng lupa't langit, siya ring tinawid.

"Kung Buhay pa si Rizal. . ."

2010-01-19T15:00:00.003+08:00

"Kung buhay pa si Rizal, malamang ay na-impluensyahan na rin siya ng mga kasamaan ngayon." --iyang ay isa sa mga katagang nasabi ng aking kaibigang tsuper na si Sir Eddie (60 taon gulang) nang aming napag-usapan ang tungkol sa korupsyong tila wala nang pag-asang mawala at ang patuloy na pagbagsak ng moralidad ng sangkatauhan.

Sa totoo lang, ako ay nagulat at natigilan sa aking narinig. Marahil kasi ngayon ko lamang narinig ang katagang yaon.

"Noong panahon ni Rizal..." -ang dagdag pa niya. "Wala pang mga night clubs, o mall, o sinehan, o ano pa man na maaaring pagka-abalahan. Pagdating niya sa bahay, eh ano pa nga naman ba ang pinakamaganda niyang puwedeng gawin kundi magbasa nang magbasa, dahil isang gasera lang naman ang meron noon sa kanyang silid. Walang telebisyon, walang radyo. Kaya ang tatalino ng mga tao noon eh!" --ang patawang sabi ng aking kaibigan.

Ang katagang nasa taas ay isang katagang haypotetikal. Walang maaaring makasiguro kung totoo ito o hindi, gawa ng simpleng kadahilanang si Rizal ay patay na. Ngunit isa ang masasabi ko tungkol sa aking kaibigan --May punto siya. Kung sa bagay nga naman, buong pagrespeto sa ating pambansang bayani, si Dr. Jose Rizal ay isang babaero, at ang lahat ng mga historyan niya ay sang-ayon dito. Sinong makapagsasabing kayang layuan ni Rizal ang mga tukso ng mga pubhouse, night clubs, at bars na meron tayo ngayon? O 'di kaya'y sino ang makapagsasabi na si Rizal ay hindi mauunahan pagsuko at tuluyang kawalan ng pag-asa kapag nakita niya ang korupt na gobyerno natin ngayon? Isang gobyernong pinapatakbo --hindi ng mga dayuhan-- kundi ng sarili niyang mga kababayan. Sinong makapagsasabi kung magkakaroon pa ba siya ng pag-asang ipaglaban ang tama o mapapanghinaan na lamang ng loob at sasabay na lang sa agos na siya nga namang mas madaling gawin?

Ngunit ang punto dito ay --Hindi ito panahon ni Rizal eh! Hindi niya ito problema. Ginawa ni Rizal ang kanyang mga magagawa noong panahon niya, oras naman upang gawin natin lahat ng ating magagawa ngayong panahon natin.

Maaari ngang masamang tao na rin si Rizal kung sa mga panahong ito siya nabuhay, at maaari rin namang hindi. Walang nakakaalam, at walang nang maaaring makaalam. Ngunit ang puwede nating malaman ay kung ano ang mangyayari kung nabuhay tayo sa panahong ito... dahil totoo namang nabubuhay tayo sa panahong ito. Minsan, palihim kong naihihiling sa aking isip na sana'y nabuhay na lamang ako noong panahon ni Rizal --noong mga panahong ang mga tao'y marunong pang magpahalaga sa mga bagay na totoong mahahalaga ,at marunong pang magbigay puri sa mga bagay na totoo nga namang kapuri-puri. Gayunpaman, sa mga pag-iisip kong ito, laging pumapasok sa aking ala-ala ang isang usapan sa pagitan ng dalawang pangunahing tauhan sa isang paborito kong nobela:

Frodo: "Sana'y hindi na lang nangyari ang mga bagay na 'to! Sana'y nabuhay na lamang ako sa ibang panahon!"
Gandalf: "Hindi para sa ating mga nilalang ang mamili kung saang panahon tayo mabubuhay. Gayunpaman, ang maaari nating piliin ay kung ano ang ating gagawin sa panahong ipinagkaloob sa atin."

Huwag nating ikumpara ang ating mga sarili kay Rizal. Dahil may sarili siyang panahon. Tulad ni Rizal, gawin din natin ang ating maaaring gawin... sa ating sariling panahon.

On the Maguindanao Massacre

2010-01-14T16:50:00.001+08:00

The Magindanao Massacre that occurred on November 23, 2009 killed Esmael Mangundadatu's wife, his sisters, his lawyers, and at least 34 journalists who were to file Mangundadatu's certificate of candidacy. The mass murder shocked not only the Filipinos, but the whole world. It has been in the news since then. The main suspects for this carnage are the Ampatuans, believed by many as the masterminds of the hideous crime.

It fits perfectly, now doesn't it? Esmael Mangundadatu is the main challenger of Andal Ampatuan Jr. for the gubernatorial position in Magindanao and the Mangundadatus and Ampatuans have been political clan rivals for quite a time. The motive is clear --in order to threaten Esmael Mangundadatu and secure the gubernatorial position, the Ampatuans had Esmael's relatives and lawyers killed. It's that simple. Perfect! However, I would say that all of these assumptions are based on the premise that the Ampatuans are stupid narrow-minded, dull-planning imbeciles. Why would they commit a crime that would obviously (and I repeat and emphasize, obviously) identify them as suspects. The crime itself was done in a town called Ampatuan. Now, doesn't that ring a bell? Either they (the Ampatuans) were really dumb as to forget that they are the biggest rival of the Mangundadatus and the ones most prone to be suspected as masterminds, or they are just too confident that they could simply hide the death of 57 people and hoped that the media probably wouldn't smell it (ah, those unsuspecting and ignorant media people) or. . .as GMA's allies, they were really confident that she would bail them out --which by the way would make them all the more dumb as GMA's term as the highest commander in the country would end in seven months. Either of these three, makes them really, really fit to be called stupid narrow-minded dull-planning imbeciles! That is, if it was indeed them who planned the massacre.

This scene in our history actually reminds me of a crime also committed in Philippine soil more than two decades ago --the day when Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino was shot dead at the Manila International Airport. Everyone pointed out President Ferdinand Marcos to be the mastermind of the killing. Ninoy was Marcos's biggest critic, and Marcos aimed to silence his greatest enemy. Once again, it fits perfectly --there's the mastermind, and there's the motive. But once again, this assumption (or should I say, condemnation) is based on the premise that Marcos is a stupid narrow-minded dull-planning imbecile, which I really doubt because for me, no stupid narrow-minded dull-planning imbecile could remain in power for more than two decades.

The above premises lead me to ask:

"What if Esmael Mangundadatu ordered the mass murder himself in order to press down his biggest political rival?"

Actually, I first heard this assumption from a batch mate of mine, and initially, it seemed really funny (and at the same time improbable) to me. "Why would you kill your own wife and sisters?" But come to think of it, I realized that history testifies that politicians would use extreme means (as in extreme means) to secure their political positions and achieve political ends. Who could say that the Ampatuans are hungrier for power than the Mangundadatus? I am not pro-Ampatuan nor pro-Marcos (I wasn't even born when he died), but what I am saying is that the Ampatuans could have planned the crime, and they could have not. Likewise, Esmael Mangundadatu could have planned the murder, and he could have not. In this case, I could say that only God (and the murderers themselves) know(s).

My First High School Reunion

2010-01-03T20:52:00.000+08:00

Ahh... High School! There is nothing like it! So unique in colorful experiences, various experimentations, lasting friendships, and not to mention --cheesy puppy loves! ;-P

It was spontaneously planned, quick in duration, and undoubtedly memorable --yan ang aming high school class reunion nung December 30, 2009! It was set at 10am. I arrived at 10:15am (and I thought I was late!). Surprised to find out na ako pa pala ang early bird! And guess what --11am na nagdatingan ang iba aber (parang hayskul lang ah! haha!)

Walang katapusang beso-beso at batian! Tuksuhan blues! Kuwentuhan to the max; at siyempre --kainang walang kasing sarap! Parang minagic ang mga dala-dalang siomai ni Pranz na napakabilis naubos! (okay, inaamin ko, ako ang salarin, hehe!) At siyempre, what's a party without some games!!? Games na kahit walang mga premyo ay sobrang enjoy laruin! Nico, Pranz & Mark --galing niyong mga gamemasters!

Sobrang saya! Great quality time with old friends :-) And all of these without the help of alcohol. I mentioned that because just a day before our HS reunion, a college friend told me about theirs. Nung tanungin ko siya kung ano mga ginawa nila, he told me they did it the typical way --"Ayun, inuman" he said. Well, in this reunion, I just realized how fun, enjoyable, exciting, awesome, and meaningful a gathering could be KAHIT walang alak, or should I say. . . LALO NA KUNG walang alak. Totoo ang usapan, genuine ang tawanan, maayos ang samahan. Then finally, it was time to say goodbye :-(

What a memorable day :-) Honestly, I never thought that I would miss my high school classmates this much. You guys seem to have changed in many ways, and grew in a lot of ways, but as what I saw during our reunion, you're still my good old friends & classmates :-)

Walang alak sa party na 'toh, but I could say that friendships are like wine: the older, the better. :-)

Till our next reunion Genesis '06!

Missing you all,

Karl/Idol/Achi

(Maraming salamat Nico sa pag-organize at pagpapagamit ng inyong napakaganda at napaka-aliwalas na bahay)

"Ipinanganak para Mamatay"

2009-12-29T00:19:00.000+08:00

Mga mahal na kaibigan at kapatid ko kung ituring at tingnan, saan kayo nakakita ng isang taong ipinanganak ng may isang layunin --ang mamatay? O dili kaya'y kaninong tao niyo narinig ang mga katagang "Ang nais ko at layunin ko sa buhay ay mamatay." nang inyo siyang tanungin tungkol sa pangarap niya sa buhay. Sa aking buong buhay, ako'y wala pang nakitang taong ganito ang pananaw. Gayunpaman, mga mahal kong kaibigan at kapatid, ganitong ganito ang ginawa ng isang taong nagngangalang Hesus, mahigit dalawang milenyo na ang nakalilipas. Siya ay ipinanganak sa ating mundo dala-dala ang isang layunin --ang mamatay! Bagama't isang Hari, ipinahintulot ng Kanyang Ama na sa sabsaban siya ipanganak na dala-dala ang iisang mithiin --ang mamatay. Dahil sa bagay na ito, at sa iba pang mga dahilan na kulang ang oras upang aking isa-isahin, tinitingala ko ang taong ito na kung tawagin ng Kanyang mga disipulo ay Kristo. At hindi lamang tinitingala, kundi iniidulo (kung tama man ang aking pagkaka-gamit sa salitang "idulo")! At hindi lamang iniidulo, kundi --sinasamba! Oo, sinasamba ko Siya. Mga kaibigan at kapatid, ako'y hindi na magugulat kung inyong aakalain na ako'y isang baliw. Pagkat may magandang dahilan kayo upang tawagin akong ganun. Pagkat ako'y naniniwala, umiibig, at sumasamba sa taong ito na narinig ko lamang sa mga kuwento, nabasa sa mga libro, at kahit kailan at ni minsan sa aking buhay ay hindi ko pa nakita. Ano pa't hindi ko lamang Siya pinaniniwalaan, akin ring inilagak sa Kanya ang buo kong pagtitiwala. Siguro nga'y baliw na talaga ako. Gayunpaman mga kaibigan at mga kapatid, kung hindi naman din kasama sa listahan ng inyong mga pangarap sa buhay ang mabaliw, ipinapayo kong tanggalin na ninyo sa inyong isip ang taong ito na nagdadala ng Pangalang Hesus, pagkat gagawin lamang Niya kayong mga baliw sa pamamagitan ng pagpapaniwala sa inyo sa mga bagay na hindi naman nakikita ni nahahawakan, at minsan nga, ni hindi nararamdaman. Gayunpaman, sa ganang akin, lubos ang aking kagalakan na Siya ay aking nakilala.

To A Highly Esteemed Friend

2009-12-28T20:03:00.002+08:00

My Very Dear Friend,

Oh, does not our God delight in you? For you have placed Him above the things you value. And yea, even above the things you esteem greatly. Therefore He has given you the oil of gladness above your companions. Moreover, has He not blessed you with a wisdom beyond your years? Indeed He has. For I have seen many who have been offered the same poison, the same intoxicating drink, and did nothing to resist, but gave in to what seemed pleasurable at the moment. But not you my very dear friend. For it has pleased our God to keep you from evil and your feet from stumbling. All your needs, He has satisfied, that you should not hunger nor thirst for anything else, and for anything less. Many have done well, but you my friend exceed them all.

A fruitful vine you are, a fruitful vine beside a well. Hold on to what you have and by all means, pause not. For to him who overcomes, our Lord will make a pillar in His House and he shall never leave it. Indeed.

Giving Glory to God for your life,

Your Friend

To The Apple of My Eye

2009-12-28T20:00:00.001+08:00

My dearest son,

Oh my son, my beloved son, the apple of my eye! Has not The Lord shown you the secret beauty of obedience, humility and submission? Indeed He has, for He delights in you, and it has pleased Him to anoint you with wisdom and love above your brothers.

Servant of the Most High, you are, under the leadership of, and supported by The Great Lion -The Lion of the Blessed Tribe of Judah. Following Him has made you a lion yourself. A roaring lion to your enemies and a gentle lamb to specific people.

Can I not call myself the most blessed man that people refer to me as your father? Yet, you and I have One Father. Hold on to what you have and by all means, stop not. For you will sit beside our Lord Himself if you choose to overcome.

I am most certainly, and in no doubt whatsoever, blessed to be your friend.

Lovingly yours,

Your father

A Letter to a Friend

2009-12-27T14:35:00.000+08:00

My dear friend,

I know that ever since you were a child, you have been taught that determination is a virtue, a worthy thing to pursue. Your parents have repeatedly inculcated this in you through the stories they tell and the actions they show. However, my dear friend, there is a certain time when a person has to admit that what he or she is trying to attain cannot be attained; that what he or she is aspiring is not actually for him or her. There comes a time when the best option would be to give up. Or maybe, the better word to use would be - surrender. There comes a time when the best choice one can pick is to surrender. What I am trying to say here, my dear friend, is that, maybe, just maybe, you need to let go already. Yes, I know your efforts, I know of your sacrifices. I know how you have tried and how you have given it a shot. . .and a worthy shot it was. But in this letter, I ask you to reconsider.

Moreover, my dear friend, there are a lot of beautiful words in this world. However, each of these beautiful words is still not exempt from the power of time. They have their own time, place, and situation where and when they should be spoken. And furthermore - the certain specific person to which they should belong. By keeping this in mind, you will help every beautiful word fulfill the purpose of its existence. I take it that you get what I am trying to say.

Life is beautiful. God made it to be such. There are a lot of other options out there. I know you will find it. God has a better thing in store for you, one that would fit you, and fit you perfectly for that matter. I cannot give you what you seek, but God can. You are certainly, and with no doubt whatsoever, valued by me. God bless.

Very truly yours,

Your Friend

2009-12-26T16:37:00.002+08:00

A self-centered life

is an empty life.

Hehehe!

2009-10-24T15:04:00.000+08:00

"It doesn't matter whether you win or lose...

as long as you come out there first."

--Coach Tugnut

(Even Stevens)

2009-10-24T00:44:00.001+08:00

"I believe that you must not just work in order to make a living...

you must live for your work."

--Pat Riley

(NBA, Head Coach)

The Conclusion of the Matter

2009-10-24T00:35:00.005+08:00

"In the making of many books, there is no end

And too much study is wearisome to the flesh. . .

Now that everything has been said and done, let us here The Conclusion of The Matter:

Fear God and keep His Commands,

For This is Man's All.

For God will bring Every Work into Judgment,

Including Every Secret Thing,

Whether Good, or Evil."

--King Solomon

(Ecclesiastes 12:12-14)

A Time For Everything

2009-10-23T23:08:00.005+08:00

My Own Version of Ecclesiastes Chapter III. . .

To everything there is a season,

and a time for every purpose under the heaven:

A Time to hang out with your friends, and a Time to be alone;

A Time to watch the T.V., and a Time to refrain from watching;

A Time to make jokes, and a Time to get serious;

A Time to get tired, and a Time to relax;

A Time to blab, and a Time to listen to someone blab;

A Time to study, and a Time to rest;

A Time to eat, and a Time to fast;

A Time to praise, and a Time to reprimand;

A Time to remain silent, and a Time to speak;

A Time to repress feelings, and a Time to express them;

A Time to blog, and a Time to refrain from blogging;

A Time to agree, and a Time to disagree;

A Time to enjoy being single, and a Time to fall in love;

A Time to sleep, and a Time to pray;

A Time to die, and a Time to rise.

WHAT ARE WE TO MAKE OF JESUS CHRIST?

2009-10-22T15:28:00.001+08:00

Taken from the book God in the Dock

'What are we to make of Jesus Christ?' This is a question which has, in a sense, frantically comic side. For the real question is not what are we to make of Christ, but what is He to make of us? The picture of a fly sitting deciding what it is going to make of an elephant has comic elements about it. But perhaps the questioner meant what are we to make of Him in the sense of 'How are we to solve the historical problem set us by the recorded sayings and acts of this Man?' This problem is to reconcile two things. On the one hand you have got the almost generally admitted depth and sanity of His moral teaching, which is not very seriously quetioned, even by those who are opposed to Christianity. In fact, I find when I am arguing with very anti-God people that they rather make a point of saying, 'I am entirely in favour of the moral teaching of Christianity' - and there seems to be a general agreement that in the teaching of this Man and of His immediate followers, moral truth is exhibited at its purest and best. It is not sloppy idealism, it is full of wisdom and shrewdness. The whole thing is realistic, fresh to the highest degree, the product of a sane mind. That is one phenomenon.

The other phenomenon is the quite appalling nature of this Man's theological remarks. You all know what I mean, and I want rather to stress the point that the appalling claim which this Man seems to be making is not merely made at one moment of His career. There is, of course, the one moment which led to Hid execution. The moment at which the High Priest said to Him, 'Who are you?' 'I am the Anointed, the Son of the uncreated God, and you shall see Me appearing at the end of all history as the judge of the universe.' But that claim, in fact, does not rest on this one dramatic moment. When you look into His conversation you will find this sort of claim running throughout the whole thing. For instance, He went about saying to people, 'I forgive your sins'. Now it is quite natural for a man to forgive something you do to him. Thus if somebody cheats me out of five pounds it is quite possible and reasonable for me to say, 'Well, I forgive him, we will say no more about it.' What on earth would you say if somebody had done you out of five pounds and I said, 'That is all right, I forgive him'? Then tere is a curious thing which seems to slip out almost by accident. On one occasion this Man is sitting looking down on Jerusalem from the hill above it and suddenly in comes an extraordinary remark - 'I keep on sending you prophets and wise men.' Nobody comments on it. And yet, quite suddenly, almost incidentally, He is claiming to be the power that all through the centuries is sending the wise men and leaders into the world. Here is another curious remark: in almost every religion there are unpleasant observances like fasting. This Man suddenly remarks one day, 'No one need fast while I am here.' Who is this Man who remarks that His mere presence suspends all normal rules? Who is the person who can suddenly tell the School they can have a half-holiday? Sometimes the statements put forward the assumption that He, the Speaker, is completely without sin or fault. This is always the attitude. 'You, to whom I am talking, are all sinners,' and He never remotely suggests that this same reproach can be brought against Him. He says again, 'I am the begotten of the One God, before Abraham was, I am,' and remember what the words 'I am' were in Hebrew. They were the name of God, which must not be spoken by any human being, the namen which it was death to utter.

Well, that is the other side. On the one side clear, definite moral teaching. On the other side, claims which, if not true, are those of a megalomaniac, compared with whom Hitler was the most sane and humble of men. There is now half-way house and there is no parallel in other religions. If you had gone to Buddha and asked him: 'Are you the son of Bramah?' he would have said 'My son, you are still in the vale of illusion.' If you had gone to Socrates and asked, 'Are you Zeus?' he would have laughed at you. If you had gone to Mohammed and asked 'Are you Allah?' he would first have rent his clother and then cut your head off. If you had asked Confucius, 'Are you Heaven?', I think he would have probably replied, 'Remarks which are not in accordance with nature are in bad taste.' The idea of a great moral teacher saying what Christ said is out of the question. In my opinion, the only person who can say that sort of thing is either God or a complete lunatict suffering from that form of delusion which undermines the whole mind of man. If you think you are a poached egg, when you are not looking for a piece of toast to suit you you may be sane, but if you think you are God, there is no chance for you. We may note in passing that He did not produce that effect on any of the people who actually met him. He produced mainly three effects - Hatred - Terror - Adoration. There was no trace of people expressing mild approval.

What are we to do about reconciling the two contradictory phenomena? One attempt consists in saying that the Man did not really say these things, but that His followers exaggerated the story, and so the legend grew up that He had said them. This is difficult because His followers were all Jews; that is, they belonged to that Nation which of all others was most convinced that there was only one God - that there could not possibly be another. It is very odd that this horrible invention about a religious leader should grow up among the one people in the whole earth least likely to make such a mistake. On the contrary we get the impression that none of His immediate followers or even of the New Testament writers embraced the doctrine at all easily.

Another point is that on that view you would have to regard the accounts of the Man as being legends. Now, as a literary historian, I am perfectly convinced that whatever else the Gospels are they are not legends. I have read a great deal of legend and I am quite clear that they are not the same sort of thing. They are not artistic enough to be legends. From an imaginative point of view they are clumsy, they don't work up to things properly. Most of the life of Jesus is totally unknown to us, as is the life of anyone else who lived at that time, and no people building up a legend would allow that to be so. Apart from bits of the Platonic dialogues, there are no conversations that I know of in ancient literature like the Fourth Gospel. There is nothing, even in modern literature, until about a hundred years ago when the realistic novel came into existence. In the story of thw woman taken in adultery we are told Christ bent down and scribbled in the dust with His finger. Nothing comes of this. No one has ever based any doctrine on it. And the art of inventing little irrelevant details to make an imaginary scene more convincing is a purely modern art. Surely the only explanation of this passage is that the thing really happened? The author put it in simply because he had seen it.

Then we come to the strangest story of all, the story of the Resurrection. It is very necessary to get the story clear. I heard a man say, 'The importance of the Resurrection is that it gives evidence of survival, evidence that the human personality survives death.' On that view what happened to Christ would be what had always happened to all men, the difference being that in Christ's case we were privileged to see it happening. This is certainly not what the earliest Christian writers thought. Something perfectly new in the history of the universe had happened. Christ had defeated death. The door which had always been locked had for the very first time been forced open. This is something quite distinct from mere ghost-survival. I don't mean that they disbelieved in ghost-survival. On the contrary, they believed in it so firmly that, on more than one occasion, Christ had to assure them that He was not a ghost. The point is that while believing in survival they yet regarded the Resurrection as something totally different and new. The Resurrection narratives are not a picture of survival after death; they record how a totally new mode of being has arisen in the universe. Something new had appeared in the universe: as new as the first coming of organinc life. This Man, after death does not get divided into 'ghost' and 'corpse'. A new mode of being has arisen. That is the story. What are we going to make of it?

The question is, I suppose, whether any hypothesis covers the facts so well as the Christian hypothesis. That hypothesis is that God has come down into the created univers, down to manhood - and come up again, pulling it up with Him. The alternative hypothesis is not legend, nor exaggeration, nor the apparitions of a ghost. It is either lunacy or lies. Unless one can take the second alternative (and I can't) one turns to the Christian theory.

'What are we to make of Christ?' There is no question of what we can make of HIm, it is entirely a question of what He intends to make of us. You must accept or reject the story.

The things He says are very different from what nay other teacher has said. Others say, 'This is the truth about the universe. This is the way you ought to go,' but He says, 'I am the Truth, and the Way, and the Life.' He says, 'No man can reach absolute reality, except through Me. Try to retain your own life and you will be inevitably ruined. Give yourself away and you will be saved.' He says, 'If you are ashamed of Me, if, when you hear this call, you turn the other way, I also will look the other way when I come again as God without disguise. If anything whatever is keeping you from God and from Me, whatever it is, throw it away. If it is your eye, pull it out. If it is your hand, cut it off. If you put yourself first you will be last. Come to Me everyone who is carrying a heavy load, I will set that right. Your sins, all of them, are wiped out, I can do that. I am Re-birth, I am Life. Eat Me, drink Me, I am your Food. And finally, do not be afraid, I have overcome the whole Universe.' That is the issue.

Reference:
Hooper, W. (1971) God in the Dock: Essays on Theology by C.S. Lewis. Great Britain: William Collins Sons & Co Ltd, Glasgow, pp 79-84

'The Trouble With "X" ...'

2009-10-22T14:22:00.006+08:00

Taken from the book God in the Dock

I suppose I may assume that seven out of ten of those who read these lines are in some kind of difficulty about some other human being. Either at work or at home, either the people who employ you or those whom you employ, either those who share your house or those whose house you share, either your in-laws or parents or children, your wife or your husband, are making life harder for you than it need be even in these days. It is to be hoped that we do not often mention these difficulties (especially the domestic ones) to outsiders. But sometimes we do. An outside friend asks us why we are looking so glum; and the truth comes out.

On such occasions the outside friend usually says, 'But why don't you tell them? Why don't you go to your wife (or husband, or father, or daughter, or boss, or landlady, or lodger) and have it all out? People are usually reasonable. All you've got to do is to make them see things in the right light. Explain it to them in a reasonable, quiet, friendly way.' And we, whatever, we say outwardly, think sadly to ourselves, 'He doesn't know "X".' We do. We know how utterly hopeless it is to make 'X' see reason. Either we've tried it over and over again - tried it till we are sick of trying it - or else we've never tried it because we saw from the beginning how useless it would be. We know that if we attempt to 'have it all out with "X" ' there will either be a 'scene', or else 'X' will stare at us in blank amazement and say 'I don't know what on earth you're talking about'; or else (which is perhaps worst of all) 'X' will quite agree with us and promise to turn over a new leaf and put everything on a new footing - and then, twenty-four hours later, will be exactly the same as 'X' has always been.

You know, in fact, that any attempt to talk things over with 'X' will shipwreck on the old, fatal flaw in 'X's' character. And you see, looking back, how all the plans you have ever made always shipwrecked on that fatal flaw - on 'X's' incurable jealousy, or laziness, or touchiness, or muddle-headedness, or bossiness, or ill temper, or changeableness. Up to a certain age you have perhaps had the illusion that some external stroke of good fortune - an improvement in health, a rise of salary, the end of the war - would solve your difficulty. But you know better now. The war is over, and you realize that even if the other things happened, 'X' would still be 'X' and you would still be up against the same old problem. Even if you became a millionaire, your husband would still be a bully, or your wife would still nag or your son would still drink, or you'd still have to have your mother-in-law to live with you.

It is a great step forward to realize that this is so; to face the fact that even if all external things went right, real happiness would still depend on the character of the people you have to live with - and that you can't alter their characters. And now comes the point. When you have seen this you have, for the first time, had a glimpse of what it must be like for God. For, of course, this is (in one way) just what God Himself is up against. He has provided a rich, beautiful world for people to live in. He has given them intelligence to shoe them how it can be used, and conscience to show them how it ought to be used. He has contrived that the things they need for their biological life (food, drink, rest, sleep, exercise) should be positively delightful to them. And having done all this, He then sees all His plans spoiled - just as our little plans are spoiled - by the crookedness of the people themselves. All the things He has given them to be happy with they turn into occasions for quarrelling and jealosy, and excess and hoarding, and tomfoolery.

You may say it is very different for God because He could, if He pleased, alter people's characters, and we can't. But this difference doesn't go quite as deep as we may at first think. God has made it a rule for Himself that He won't alter people's character by force. He can and will alter them - but only if the people will let Him. In that way He has really and truly limited His power. Sometimes we wonder why He has done so, or even wish that He hadn't. But apparently He thinks it worth doing. He would rather have a world of free beings, with all its risks, than a world of people who did right like machines because they couldn't do anything else. The more we succeed in imagining what a world of perfect automatic beings would be like, the more, I think, we shall see His wisdom.

I said that when we see how all our plans shipwreck on the characters of the people we have to deal with, we are 'in one way' seeing what it must be like for God. But only in one way. There are two respects in which God's view must be very different from ours. In the first place, He sees (like you) how all the people in your home or your job are in various degrees awkward or difficult; but when He looks into that home or factory or office He sees one more person of the same kind - the one you never do see. I mean, of course, yourself. That is the next great step in wisdom - to realize that you also are just that sort of person. You also have a fatal flaw in your character. All the hopes and plans of others have again and again shipwrecked on your character just as your hopes and plans have shipwrecked on theirs.

It is no good passing this over with some vague, general admission such as 'Of course, I know I have my faults'. It is important to realize that there is some really fatal flaw in you; something which gives the others just that same feeling of despair which their flaws give you. And it is almost certainly something you don't know about - like what the advertisements call 'halitosis', which everyone notices except the person who has it. But why, you ask, don't the others tell me? Believe me, they have tried to tell you over and over again, and you just couldn't 'take it'. Perhaps a good deal of what you call their 'nagging' or 'bad temper' or 'queerness' are just their attempts to make you see the truth. And even the faults you do know you don't know fully. You say. 'I admit I lost my temper last night'; but the others know that you're always doing it, that you are a bad-tempered person. You say, 'I admit I drank too much last Sunday'; but everyone else knows that you are a habitual drunkard.

That is one way in which God's view must differ from mine. He sees all the characters; I seel all except my own. But the second difference is this. He loves the people in spite of their faults. He goes on loving. He does not let go. Don't say, 'It's all very well for Him; He hasn't got to live with them.' He has. He is inside them as well as outside them. He is with them far more intimately and closely and incessantly than we can ever be. Every vile thought within their minds (and ours), every moment of spite, envy, arrogance, greed and self-conceit comes right up against His patient and longing love, and grieves His spirit more than it grieves ours.

The more we can imitate God in bot these respects, the more progress we shall make. We must love 'X' more; and we must learn to see ourselves as a person of exactly the same kind. Some people say it is morbid to be always thinking of one's own faults. That would be all very well if most of us could stop thinking of our own without soon beginning to think about those of other people. For unfortunately we enjoy thinking about other people's faults; and in the proper sense of the word 'morbid', that is the most morbid pleasure in the world.

We don't like rationing which is imposed upon us, but I suggest one form of rationing which we ought to impose on ourselve. Abstain from all thinking about other people's faults, unless your duties as a teacher or parent make it necessary to think about them. Whenever the thoughts come unnecessarily into one's mind, why not simply shove them away? And think of one's own faults instead? Fof there, with God's help, one can do something. Of all the awkward people in your house, or job, there is only one whom you can improve very much. That is the practical end at whick to begin. And really, we'd better. The job has to be tackled some day; and every day we put it off will make it harder to begin.

What, after all, it the alternative? You see clearly enough that nothing, not even God with all His power, can make 'X' really happy as long as 'X' remains envious, self-centered, and spiteful. Be sure there is something inside you which, unless it is altered, will put it out of God's power to prevent your being eternally miserable. While that something remains there can be no Heaven for you, just as there can be no sweet smells for a man with a cold in the nose, and no music for a man who is deaf. It's not a question of God 'sending' us to Hell. In each of us there is something growing up which will of itself be Hell unless it is nippled in the bud. The matter is serious; let us put ourselves in His hands at once - this very day, this hour.

Reference:

Hooper, W. (1971) God in the Dock: Essays on Theology by C.S. Lewis. Great Britain: William Collins Sons & Co Ltd, Glasgow, pp 74-78

To God

2009-10-06T19:09:00.000+08:00

You're all I need
Right now, You're all I want
Seek me Lord, and find me

Everything has left me
My desire for other things has left me
and now, more than before,
I am convinced
that You are more important than all

You are all I need
Thank You very much
for letting me know You

Right now, I could not
imagine myself far from Your Truth

By Your Grace,
do not let me fall
and from stumbling, keep me
For I wait on You.
Amen.

The Only Worthy Thing

2009-10-02T11:16:00.000+08:00

Lord Thou hath picked me for no logical reason
Thou hast picked me out of Thy Love
Before I was even born, Thou knowest me
Before I was made, loveth me, Thou hast

The Best, Thou hast given me- Thyself
No good thing hast Thou withheld
To this unworthy soul Thou hast grant
--The Greatest Love. To his understanding -beyond

Yet for some reason, or a couple of them
This soul has strayed, from Thy Presence
To find its way to its own desires
And follow his heart, 'cause it seems right

But through the years, this soul foundeth
That Thy Love is Firm, better than anything
This soul however, knowest not what to do
For far from Thee, he has gone through

Wept, this soul hast, till tears were none
It cried out loud till its voice was gone
"Bring me back to Thee" --it uttered and begged
Thou Art The Only Worthy Thing –it said

My sins are many, my faults countless
Hypocrisy and pride, I, they consumeth
Come like a flood, and sweep Thy servant
Thy Peace and Joy: to anything –more than

Tasks are many; special people, abundant
Distractions are plenty and responsibilities, important
But I’ll leave it all, and in Thy Secret Place, sing
For Thou Art The Only Worthy Thing!

My Personal Jonah Experience

2009-09-09T21:14:00.000+08:00

It’s exams week at the UST College of Nursing. Originally, our exams was scheduled from Monday to Wednesday, but due to GMA’s declaration of Monday being a non-working holiday (Ka Erdie’s burial), it was moved to Tuesday. Since Monday pa, puspusan na ang pag-aaral ko. I need to be able to read and re-read all my pages. I don’t want to take the tests unprepared. I was so caught up studying that frankly, I had little time to pray, little time to have quality and quantity talk with my God. Our 2 exams for the first day went well (I think). I’ve read the answers to majority of the questions, and I think I did pretty well. When I got home, aral ulet. Aral, aral, aral. “Mamaya na lang ako mag-dedevotion” I told myself. I ended up falling asleep after I finished studying. When I woke up, Wednesday na. Konting pray, tapos aral ulet. That morning, sa CR, it was as if The Holy Spirit squeezed my heart reminding me not to forget my First Love. Joyfully, I got rebuked. The conviction was strong, but so is the joy, for I know very well that The Lord rebukes those whom He loves. Immediately after that, I decided to spend one hour of my time, exclusively to God and His Word (I remember saying, “Lord, miss ko na mga revelations Mo.”). My carnal mind was totally against it and kept telling me “Mag-aral ka na lang, sayang yung 1 hour oh.” But my decision is final. So there, I spent time (not actually an hour pa nga eh) to read God’s Word, and simply talked to Him, surrendered everything to Him, especially my exams. I actually had this devotion sa jeep, paalis na din kasi ko nun. Kasama na sa expertise ko ang reading while riding, been doing it for almost 4 years now. I reminded myself of His Past Great Works in my life. I got encouraged all the more to trust Him in this. The Holy Spirit led me to read the Book of Jonah. It’s a very short book and I have read it before, but there was conviction to read it again. When I finished, I had to pause to consider God’s Illogical love for His creatures, no matter how evil/dirty they have become. Check this out (The Lord speaking). . .

“And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than 120,000 persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left – and much livestock?” (Jonah 4:11)

-This last verse gave me a Selah moment. I got reminded of God’s Compassion. The Kind of Compassion that even angels and demons could not understand.

After these, I went to our school’s central library to study (again). From 8am to 11am, I was there reading and preparing for my exams scheduled 1:30pm. Then at around 11:15am, I started receiving text messages announcing that classes are suspended due to the heavy rain. I kind of felt bad a little, kasi nag-prepare nga ko di’ba? But okay, no harm done, ‘di naman masasayang mga inaral ko. I decided to just go home, and probably get some sleep, then study again. On the way home, sa jeep, Christian, my best friend called me sa phone. There was an unusual excitement in his voice. What he told me, shocked me: “Karl! Karl! Alam mo bang cancelled na class!? Sobrang ‘Thank God’ kasi mali pala yung nakopya nating sked! Bukas pa pala dapat yung mga inaral natin!” –upon hearing that, ‘di ko alam kung matatawa ba ko, o maiiyak sa tuwa, or sisigaw sa galak, hehe, pero ang puro nasabi ko lang sa kanya over the phone were the words: “WEH!?”; “GRABEH!!”; “WOW!”; “MIRACLE!”; “THANK GOD!”. After we talked, I paused to consider what happened. . . Kung natuloy ang exam kanina, at the least, siguro pasang awa lang ang mga nakuha ko, because I really didn’t review for the subjects na ipagte-test pala namin that day. I reviewed for the wrong day, at kung nagkataon, anong mangyayari sa ‘kin. Upon this realization, Great Peace and Joy flooded my heart. Of course it would be foolish to think na ako lang ang dahilan kung bakit hinayaan Ni Lord ma-cancel ang klase, but looking at it through a personal viewpoint, I got amazed by the fact that God manipulated even the weather and the minds of the CHED officials (hehe!) just so He could save me from flunking my exams (Once again, I am looking through a personal viewpoint). But actually, as I continue to process what has happened, I realized: It wasn’t actually the suspension of classes that made me glad, and to be honest, not even the fact that I just got recently saved from devastating exam results . . . It was the knowledge and awareness that God is watching over me and causing all things to work for my favor! It was that assurance that God is with me that gave me so much Joy! God manipulated even the weather just so He could bring me back to an awareness of His Will. That sort of intervention reminds me of a certain prophet. Guess who – Jonah! God caused a storm just so he could bring this prophet back to the Center of His Will. It was also like a Nineveh experience to me of some sort because after I talked to Christian, I was so overflowed with Joy that I immediately want to share it to my co-passengers (even though I totally don’t know any of them!). When God prompted me to do so, I simply couldn’t say “NO”. When I left that jeep, I trusted The Holy Spirit to continue the message. Great Joy and Peace was upon me. “Thank Your Lord” I said.

Red Seas & Jordan Rivers

2009-09-09T20:57:00.000+08:00

Twice every month, we, the JCSGO youth, are having what we call yUtNITED™. It’s a two and a half-hour Christian youth gathering held on Fridays wherein the youth get to bond with each other and praise God together, and enjoy His Word. For this week, I was the assigned speaker. I was really hesitant to accept the assignment at first knowing that my hectic BSN schedule would probably not allow it, especially during our present shift that time wherein we’re scheduled to have a duty from 12pm-6pm on Fridays (yUtNITED™ starts at 6:30pm, and the trip home usually takes an hour). But well, I told myself, “Surely, God would make a way.” I realized that if it was really God’s Will for me to speak, then He would make a way.

I asked Kuya Allen (our youth pastor) to make a letter to my clinical instructor requesting if I could just have the duty from 7am-1pm instead so I could be on my speaking assignment on time. The details were explained in the letter. I told this to my clinical instructor and explained it to her. She told me to have my letter signed by the dean. I totally have no idea why the dean still has to sign it. She (my clinical instructor) has authority over me, and if she really wants, she could just arrange my schedule with me without consulting the dean. Yes there is a hierarchy, but I think that in this situation, it was unnecessary for her to consult the dean (in fact, that was what the dean said when I talked to her). But being an obedient student, I waited for the dean. I waited for 1 full hour for this dean only to find out that she is NOT gonna sign my letter. “This is a personal request, not covered by academics, I won’t sign this. Talk to your C.I. about this.” she told me. “But ma’am, she said she won’t approve it unless you approve it.” I told her. “Kayo na lang mag-usap.” She responded further. “Okay, thank you po ma’am” I answered sadly. I then texted my clinical instructor about it. “I won’t approve it unless it was signed by the dean.” she told me via sms. When I pushed further, she ended up being mad at me. “Ano ba talagang gusto mo? Di na ko magrereply.” she texted. After that, I smiled and said “Thank You Lord for giving me very considerate superiors. Bless them Lord. BLESS THEM!!! (arghh!)”

That 1-hour wait caused me to miss my most favorite part of the service that Thursday night –the Praise & Worship. Come to think of it, naghintay ako nang ISANG ORAS para lang malaman na hindi din pala pipirmahan ang letter ko! Perfect! Simply perfect!.

The next day (Friday), of course I have no choice but to come to duty from 12pm-6pm. In my course, one cannot simply absent himself during duty days, because you will pay for the hours you missed. . .double! Absenting myself that day would have given me 12 hours of make-up duty, and with our present schedule of 6 days per week, that is very difficult to complete. I performed my duty assignments, and at around 3pm, I had the guts to make a request to my clinical instructor (again) if she could dismiss me earlier, probably at around 5:30pm so I could have a greater chance of making it on time for our youth gathering. Miraculously enough, she conceded. Well the irony here is that at around 5:25pm, one of my two patient’s NGT (naso-gastric tube) got displaced so we have to reinsert it. It was my duty, I could not simply leave it. So there, I had to wait for the staff nurse to look for the materials and to prepare them, and then I went with him to reinsert the patient’s NGT. The waiting and the insertion took about 30 minutes all in all! So instead of leaving at 5:30pm, I ended up leaving at 6:15pm to be exact! I immediately ran outside the ward, running like there’s no tomorrow! I took the LRT (I only use it for emergency purposes) and reached Anonas Station at 6:45pm! During the whole trip, I was saying “God will make a way, I won’t be late. God will make a way! Yes He will, yes He will”. When I reached the station, it was raining real hard! I had no umbrella and for the FIRST TIME in 4 years, I had trouble waiting for a Cubao Ali Mall jeep in Anonas!! At this point, I was like saying “God will [You] make a way??” (hehe!)

All along, even when my letter wasn’t approved, I had absolute faith that God will make a way. I mean, He assigned me to speak, so He will also provide the way for me. But during this point of time, when I found myself in that place, soaked by the hard rain having no umbrella and no jeep (not to mention not enough money to ride a taxi), there came the temptation to indulge in self-pity. Had I focused on myself that time (the thing I am really being tempted to do at that moment), I would have thought of things like: “Kawawa naman ako, eto basa na nga, wala pang jeep, at walang perang pang-taxi.” It even crossed my mind for 5 seconds to simply text Kuya Allen if he could just take my place because I can’t make it. I was tempted to give up, and to simply rest my very very tired body. That time, I was really tired physically and emotionally. Finally, I could not bear it anymore finding myself in that situation wherein I wanna obey God but it seems that everything is against me –even God (silly thought huh), so I said: “Lord naman, nasan ang suporta? This is Your event na pupuntahan ko, bakit ganito? Sinusunod ko naman will mo ah, bakit parang ayaw Mo ‘kong papuntahin on time? Ano ba talaga Lord?” Believe it or not, The Lord’s Answer came rather quick. . .”Ano ka ba?” I seem to hear Him say. “Hindi ka pa nga dinudugo sa pagsunod mo sa ‘Kin, sumusuko ka na.” Immediately, I got reminded of the prophets, pinuputulan na ng paa, ng kamay, kahit ng dila, pero nagpe-preach parin! Yung iba pinutulan na ng ulo ayaw pa ring paawat! Okay exagg naman na ata yung last example na yun (hehe!). Pero diba, kung sila nga ganun na nangyayari, tuloy pa rin, eh ako pa kaya na tubig ulan pa lang ang kaharap. Right there and then, I also got reminded of a beautiful part in the Bible wherein a prophet also seems to have trouble with how God is handling things, God answered Him by saying. . .

“If you have ran with footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?” (Jeremiah 12:5)

That was enough for me to regain confidence in my God’s Promise and for my smile to return. Great Peace and Joy overflowed in my heart and a few minutes after I received this revelation, a Cubao Ali Mall jeep came! Wow! Thank God! (this was about 7pm already). But my Red Sea & Jordan River crossing, as I have found out, was not yet over. Pagbaba ko sa kanto, guess what! Baha! It was a literal Jordan River that I have to cross (haha!), the only difference is that I think I need to cross it wet (haha!)! But by this time, my heart is so much saturated by God’s Joy, and I didn’t mind crossing Red Seas and Jordan Rivers to fulfill His Will. So with all courage, I decided to run through that flooded street (in my nursing uniform)! It was like in a movie! (haha!) “FOOOR yUtNITED™ and FOOOR GOD!!!” I screamed as I ran! I reached the church at around 7:10pm (Of course that screaming part was only a joke).

I ran straight to the youth office to change. Good thing I was prepared. Before leaving the office, I paused for about half a minute and sighed “Haaay :-D, Thank You po Lord”.

Third song na of the Praise and Worship yung inabutan ko. Before my turn to speak came. I told The Lord: “Lord, gusto kong makita ang result that You INDEED used me tonight.”

It was very smooth. The youth were attentive and participative. After yUtNITED™, when I got home, I received a text message from a co-youth leader: “Zion thank you ha.” “For what?” I asked him “Yung tatlo kong mga in-invite na first-timers kanina told me that they really got encouraged sa message, at natamaan. Hehe, kaya thank you. Thank God.” Upon reading that text message, I paused again and said “Glory to You Lord!” Sulit lahat ng Red Sea at Jordan River na aking tinawid. I realized that nothing is more satisfying than finding yourself being used by God. Indeed at the whisper of God’s Call, no Red Sea or Jordan River could stop you. They will all make way, indeed, even oceans will part.

For The Enemy Has Been Defeated

2009-09-02T01:56:00.000+08:00

Entry 09.18.08

When he was still living in darkness, Satan delighted in him. “This one’s mine, I’m gonna use him” – he said. He (Satan) was so sure of it and has already made plans and arrangements on how he’s gonna use the boy. But Jesus intervened, He (Jesus) called the boy and the boy responded with surrender. Satan believed he could take the boy back. “How hard could it be?” – he said. “After all, this one tried to change many times, yet failed. He’ll return to me sooner or later; sooner or later he will”. So from that day on, Satan wasted no time; he did everything to draw the boy’s soul back to him. He tried this and that, used this and that. The boy gave in to his temptations a couple many times, but Satan never saw him returning whole-heartedly to him, unlike before. “WHY?!!” – Satan said almost impatiently. And then, when he finally realized that he could do nothing more to bring the boy back to him, he said: “Well if I can’t use him, no one can!” So at this point in the story, Satan focused all his energy in destroying the boy’s leadership talent – the leadership talent he dreamed to use. So Satan bombarded the boy with everything he’s got, and the boy felt every blow. This was unlike anything before; the boy cried in agony. After some time, Satan succeeded. . .or so he thought. “Alas!” That would do it!” – Satan said. “Hah! Okay, he’s Yours now. Good luck trying to use him now!”. Satan thought to himself: “Okay, this one’s going to heaven, but at least he won’t take anyone with him, now that his leadership is destroyed”. A smile formed on Satan’s old and ugly face, and he felt contented. However, in the heart of his heart of hearts, there was the shadow of fear. Deep in his heart he knew he’ll be frustrated in the end. Deep inside he knew that Jehovah could pull it out. . .again. Days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months. Time passed and as it turned out – he was right; his fear, that is.

Buhay: Sa Pananaw ng Isang Jeepney Drayber

2009-08-07T23:42:00.000+08:00

Ako'y isang jeepney drayber, kumikita ng humigit-kumulang P3000 kada-pasada. P800 dito napupunta sa boundary, P2000 sa gasolina. Kung sinusuwerte, nakakapag-uwi ako ng P100- sapat na upang pansamantalang papayapain ang bibig ng mahal kong asawa. 'Pag malas naman, kulang pang pang-boundary ang aking kinita. Sa buong araw kong pagbababad sa trabaho, ako pa nagka-utang, hehe.

Sa tuwing masikip ang trapik at hindi halos gumagalaw ang mga sasakyan, nabibigyan ako ng pagkakataong tumulala upang mag-isip at magmuni-muni. Pero sa mga pagkakataong iyon, pinipili ko na lang 'wag mag-isip. Dahil sa 'king pag-iisip, lalo ko lang nakikita ang aking kasawiang palad, ang kahirapan ng aking buhay. Kaya dinadaan ko na lang sa tawa, at itinatago sa ngiti. Tinatawanan ko lahat ng puwedeng tawanan, kahit ang mga pinaka-hindi nakakatawang mga bagay. Basta makatawa lang.

Pero sa bawat paimbabaw na ngiti at mga pilit na tawa, may nakapanghihinang kalunngkutan, na kahit kailan, sa sarili ko'y 'di ko maaaring ikaila.

eto ang problema,
ano ngayon ang solusyon?

“Lakad lang nang Lakad. . .”

2009-08-07T23:34:00.001+08:00

There would be times na umiiral ang pagka-masokista ko and instead of taking the P20, 2-ride trip home from my school, I would opt to take the P10 1-ride and 2,000-step trip home. When I would ask myself: “Bakit ka ba kasi nagpapakapagod maglakad!?” Myself would rationalize by saying “Para makatipid.” But I know for sure that there’s a deeper reason. Well, I guess, I just like pushing myself to the limits. As illogical, unreasonable and stupid as it may sound, I would often bring only P20 going to school. P10 papunta; P10 pabalik – that way, wala akong magiging choice kundi maglakad (eh wala na ‘kong pamasahe eh). It is somewhat a way of teaching myself discipline.

However, one time, it seemed that I underestimated what a day could bring: had my duty from 8A-6P; pagod; gutom; uhaw; walang pera pambili ng pagkain at tubig; kinakailangan pang manghiram ng napakabigat na libro sa library; nakauwi na ang mga kaklase; walang load para magpasundo; walang telepono para makatawag sa bahay. Ang tanging meron ako: dalawang limang pisong barya – saktong pamasahe pauwi. Sa aking kauhawan, sumagi sa isip ko for one second na ipambili na lamang ito ng Sarsi at mag-wantutri (1-2-3) sa jeep. Pero gayunpaman, simula ng naging Christian na ko, and pag-wantutri became an impossible option.

Sumakay ako sa jeep at ibinigay ang nag-iisang dalawang barya ko sa drayber. “Boss, Cubao po, estudyante” ang sabi ko. Pagdating sa babaan, oras na para maglakad. Bigla akong nakaramdam ng panghihina nang maisip ko ang layo ng aking lalakarin. Lalo itong nadagdagan ng maalala ko ang aking twenty-pound bag and ten-pound book na dala-dala (seriously, I weighed them). Bumuntong-hininga ako and took my first step.

Now, in order to encourage me, Myself told me: “Sige lang, lakad lang nang lakad, mararating mo rin yan.” I immediately understood what Myself was trying to say (that’s why I love talking to myself). He made me realize: “Oo nga noh, one step takes you closer to your goal. Truth is, it doesn’t matter that much how close it takes you. What matters is that it makes you closer. Closer than before, closer than the minute ago, closer than yesterday, closer than last year. If you’ll focus on the length of the journey, chances are, you may get tired without actually getting tired (gets?). But taking it one step at a time takes you closer and closer, and closer, at hanggang sa hindi mo mamalayan- AYUN! Nandun ka na! You just need to savor every step.” I really got encouraged by this, and true enough, as I was enjoying each step, hindi ko namalayan, nasa bahay na ko, with a lot of energy still to spare.

Kung ikaw man ay nasa posisyon kung saan parang walang nangyayari sa iyong paglalakad, at ika’y nagsasawa na; Kung pakiramdam mo’y you are meant for something greater at sawa ka na sa kinalalagyan mo; Kung napapagod ka na. . .THEN ALL THE MORE you need to keep walking, keeping in mind that each step (i.e. each day, each effort, each seemingly vain effort) takes you closer to your destiny.

Everytime I get discouraged, I remind myself of what I continually tell other people: “It doesn’t matter whether it is a run, a walk, or even a crawl, the most important thing is that you are moving forward. . .in faith." Kaya lakad lang. Lakad lang nang lakad, makakarating ka rin dun.

Lies unltd.

2009-03-22T23:23:00.000+08:00

They say that it’s the small but frequent things a person does that make up his character. I don’t think I’d be the best person (or the right person for that matter) to write on the issue of lying. Nevertheless, I’ll take the job.

An Assortment of Lies

Just like McDonald’s Happy Meals, lies come in different shapes and sizes: some are gigantic, and some, microscopic; and boy would you believe it?! They come in different colors too! Great isn’t it? ;-D There are white lies, yellow lies, purple lies, fuchsia lies, indigo lies, and even transparent and invisible ones! There’s a whole bunch of them for heaven’s sake! You name it! :-D

Lies also have a variety of uses too! Some are used to get a job, while others, to run from them. Some are used to avoid problems (who would want to have a problem anyway?), and some are used to avoid people. The more popular brands are used to acquire a girlfriend, still others – for more grown-up stuffs: lies used to get out of prison; to win a case in the court; or to simply get rich! There are also the multi-purpose and all-purpose lies – guaranteed to function whenever and wherever to whomever. These are ‘one-lie-does-it-all’ types. A neighbor of ours uses this type, you know. . .

. . .nah! just kidding! What they do use are the old-fashioned ones

. . .kidding again! Now seriously. . .they do

. . .not use any of those (at least that’s what my innocent heart wants me to believe, hahah!)

But regardless of their size, color, shape, name, or purpose, these lies have one thing in common – THEY’RE ALL LIES :-D

Why Exactly Do We Lie?

Whether it’s an innocent six-year old child or an experienced government official (if you know what I mean), the most common reason why people lie is to defend their reputation, to protect their image. Am I correct, or am I correct? Yes of course, there are other reasons why people lie: to spare others’ feelings; to quicken things up; to make someone feel happy, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. But our most (I said the most) common rationale for lying is to defend our reputation.

Reputation is NOT synonymous with Integrity. The latter is defined as who we are in front of ourselves, when “nobody’s” looking; whereas, the former refers to who we are in front of the people. Maintaining our reputation involves being what we think is the best of who we think we could be in front of the eyes of our friends, teachers, or partners, even if it entails lying a little (after all, it’s just a little). Integrity, on the other hand, means being true to ourselves, to our conscience, with or without the eyes of those significant persons.

In a funeral service, it is easier to believe someone saying: “This man was a man of good reputation” than it is to believe someone say: “This man was a man of integrity”. Moreover, a man with a good reputation may not necessarily be a man of integrity; and likewise, a man with integrity may not necessarily have a good reputation, especially if the community where he lives in does not value this so-called integrity that he so passionately protects. True enough, sometimes, it feels better to have a good reputation though without integrity than to have integrity but without popular reputation.

That is why we people try so hard to protect our reputation, even if we have to lie a little to do so (just a little ;-P ).

The Liar Becomes The Lie-ee

One thing interesting about the art, science, and principle of lying is that: one lie increases the tendency of a person to lie again. the more you lie, the easier it gets. Cool, right? :-D

Another very interesting thing to note is the great possibility for a liar to believe his own lies. This my friends, is the dangerous and scary part for the liar. The person who keeps and keeps of telling false stories or false answers will – sooner or later – believe those things himself. When this happens, he can no longer distinguish between fantasy and reality. The liar has become the lie-ee.

Have you ever experienced (and I think you have) that feeling when you cannot tell whether an even really did happen or was it just a dream? It’s the same thing! The liar will come to believe his own deception; his own invented stories, and may even fight for it with his life, that it really happened.

One more disclaimer on liars concerns the issue of trust. I would not want to be with someone who keeps on lying and twisting the truth. Man! I will not be able to tell whether he/she is already telling the truth or still lying. Consistency breeds trust; consistency in lying breeds mistrust.

What Lies Ahead?

So what lies ahead for a person who lies, lies, and keeps on lying? Well, he has a variety of career options: he could choose to become a Registered Liar (RL), a Certified Master Liar (CML), or if he’s persistent enough, he may even become a De. D. – Doctor of Deception. Or. . . he could become a lie-ee, just like what we’ve talked about in the last part.

But just in case he gets too tired of lying, then there’s always another option – he could choose not to. The most effective and proven way to break the habit of lying is for a person not to lie. ;-D One may have tried doing this, then ended up returning to his habit. But friend, unlike in arcade video games, we live in a world where it is free to try again, no tokens needed.

If you have started and failed, start again. . .and again. . .and again. But also, you must not forget to assess yourself. If you keep on starting over and over and over and over again, then maybe there’s something wrong. Maybe you are starting at the wrong starting point. Why not begin with what they call the bible? After all, they say it’s filled with instructions on how to live rightly – and eventually (as they say) – happily. Besides, many have claimed to have been actually changed by this wonder-book. How can you be so skeptic to say you're not gonna be any different when you try?

When it comes to character-formation, the Best Time to begin is NOW. “The hardest thing to do is to begin”. But after that, things become easier. Just as one lie makes it easier to lie again, then one truth makes it easier to tell another. So go ahead. . . Tell the truth :-D

What is “Truth”?

(What would you do with a link that says "do not open"?)

An Invitation

What is. . .

2009-03-22T00:12:00.000+08:00

What is Courage?

Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage means continuing to fight bravely in the presence of fear.

What is Strength?

Strength is not the absence of weakness. Strength means continuing to walk and move forward despite of weakness.

What is Love?

Love means giving. Giving, not out of one's excess; but out of his nothingness.

What is Faith?

Faith doesn't mean denying reality and disregarding the facts of a situation. Faith means seeing the impossibility of your dream, and yet, daring to believe it will happen.

What is Hope?

Hope is not expecting what you can see. Hope is looking forward to that which you haven't seen yet.

Coldness is the absence of Heat
Darkness is the absence of Light
Death is the absence of Life
Hell is the absence of God's Presence
- that is why one can actually have hell on earth
- but one can also have heaven on earth

The statement that says
Life without Jesus is not worth living
is not as true as the one that says
Life without Jesus is not Life at all; Life without Jesus is hell

What is Life?
(What would you do with a link that says "do not open"?)

© 2009, Karl Zion M. Remojo

A Sonnet to The King

2009-03-18T18:27:00.000+08:00

As Hope runneth out and Faith groweth thin,
Gray Clouds hover on top of Green Meadows.
Darkness took away all reasons to sing;
Anguish falls, the ground was wet with sorrows.

Lo, a Voice in the Garden is crying
- Not unto Help, but to them that suffer.
Faint not beloved, with all thy strength, cling!
Dawn is near, the night is nearly over!

Be it very far for kings to give in.
‘Tis not for them to say: “My strength is gone.”
For in His Throne in The Highest Mountain,
There, the hearts of them are held by The Son.

With Thousands of His saints, The King Will Come,
‘Tis as sure as The Rising of The Sun.

Isang Lihan

2009-03-18T18:04:00.000+08:00

Ika-7 ng Mayo

Mahal Kong Ikaw,

Kamusta na? Mangilan-ngilang buwan na din nang huli akong makatanggap ng liham mo. Marami tayong kailangang pag-usapan.

Tinanggap ko na ang proyektong ipinapagawa ni Karding (‘yong ikinukuwento ko sa’yo matagal na). Tila iyon na lang kasi ang tanging paraan. Sabi niya dapat ko daw itong matapos sa loob ng dalawang linggo. Kalahati pa lang ang natatapos ko sa ngayon.

Kamusta na nga pala iyong mga binilin ko sa’yo? Natanggap mo na ba yaong kahong ipinabigay ko kay Rita para sa’yo? Nabuksan mo na ba ito? Ingatan mong mabuti ang laman niyan at hangga’t maaari, huwag mong hayaang may ibang makaalam. Balak kong pumunta diyan sa isang buwan. Hay, kung alam mo lang, ang dami kong nais sabihin sa’yo; ang dami mong kailangang malaman, ngunit gaya na rin ng payo ng itay, hindi pa ito ang tamang panahon. Ihanda mo ang iyong sarili sa mga posible mong malaman, ‘pagkat ito’y mga bagay na hindi pangkaraniwang naririnig ng mga tao. Ipagpaumanhin mo kung pinasasabik o pinag-aalala man kita. Hindi ko lang nais mabigla ka sa mga darating na pangyayari.

Alam mo bang buhat nang umalis ka’y hindi kakaunti ang mga problema’t suliraning bumisita dito. Kung mahina ang loob ng isang tao, maaaring siya’y sumuko na sa kanyang mga naranasan sa lugar na ‘to. Gayunpaman, kitang-kita ko naman kung paano siyang nagpupursigeng magpatuloy sa paglalakad.

O anong rami ng aking mga pangarap at nais mapangyari! Gayunpaman, nararamdaman kong wari’y hindi ko na aabutan ang karamihan dito. Kung tama man ako o mali – panahon lang ang makapagsasabi.

Maraming balitang nalalapit na daw ang kanyang pagpunta dito sa ‘tin. Siya umano ay nasa Bansang Hapon sa ngayon ayon sa mga nakasaksi, at ayon sa usap-usapan, paparito siya sa Pilipinas sa Agosto.

Huwag mong limutin ang aking mga bilin. Gaya ng aking pangako, pupuntahan at susunduin kita diyan sa Hunyo. Tapos, sabay natin siyang kakausapin.

Hintayin mo ‘ko.

Lubos na Nagmamahal,

Ako

P.S. Makatutulong nang malaki ang iyong mga dasal.

Ang Dulot ng Kasalanan

2009-03-12T14:55:00.000+08:00

‘Lang dulot ang kasalanan
Hatid lang niya’y kalungkutan
Lungkot na nagpapabigat
Na sa buto’y pampahina

Uubusin ang ‘yong galak
Sisimutin pati lakas
Hanggang matira lang sa ‘yo
Ay tila mumog sa lapag

Wari ba’y ‘yong pagpapalit
Ang Buhay na matiwasay
Sa sinisigaw ng laman
Na sandaling kaaliwan?

Kayrami na ng natumba
Kayrami na ng bumagsak
Lahat nga sila’y patunay
Kasalana’y pumapatay

‘Di mabilang na kalul’wa
Daang mal’wang tinutungo
Paglalakbay- anong saya
Ngunit destinasyo’y impiyerno

Sa Diyos ng ‘yong kabataan
Ibaling ang mga mata
Nang ngiti ng kapayapaa’y
Muling gumuhit sa mukha

Karunungan ay sa Kanya
Pag-intinding ‘lang sing taas
Kagaya Niya’y ano’t wala
Hatid Niya’y Buhay na Wagas
© 2009, Karl Zion M. Remojo

Bukang Liwayway (Tula 258)

2009-03-12T14:41:00.000+08:00

Sa ‘yong mga mata, aking saksi
Ang mga bagay ng hinaharap
Mga Sinag ng Bukang Liwayway
Na siyang patuloy ang pagliwanag

Sa ‘yong mukha’y nakikita sila
Mga perlas na tunay nga’y atin
Yamang hindi maikukumpara
Sa kahit ‘no mang sa mundo’y galling

Maganda ang nasa hinaharap
Maliwanag ang dala ng bukas
‘Di malayo ang yaong pangarap
Tago man kabuuan ng landas

Kung ikaw nga ay para sa akin
Ang Diyos lang ang makapagsasabi
At kung ikaw nama’y sadyang hindi
Ano pa’t layon Niya ang mangyari

Detalyeng buo’y lingid sa ‘king diwa
May mga bagay na ‘di mahinuha
Ang Kanyang Daan ay lalakaran ko
At sa Bahay Niya – ako’y magtutungo
© 2009, Karl Zion M. Remojo

An Imperfect Human in an Imperfect World

2009-03-10T18:34:00.001+08:00

As I walk this lonely road called life
And see the things the world calls right
I figure out there’s not much really
That I can do to change things here

I know my wrongs; I know my weakness
I know how prone I am to lose
But when I see that there’s more than these
I fix my eyes on what matters most

The repressed loneliness inside
Manifests itself outside
So come now quickly, clean me up
Scrape the dirt that holds me back

I will run to You and finish the race
I will run to You, it’s the Only Way
With You I could fly, in You I will soar
I will stay awake, and witness You Lord.
© 2009, Karl Zion M. Remojo

Unlucky

2009-03-10T18:21:00.000+08:00

I tried to reach them
I reached out my hands
But for one reason or another
They have repelled Thy servant
Yet it was not I they repelled
But it was You, Whom they have refused.

How can I remain my peace;
How can I hold my joy
In the middle of war?
But only through Your Spirit
Because little do they know,
I have the greatest security of all.

The people who did not
Shed blood themselves
But eat, drink, and laugh with him who did
Are as guilty as their friend
The blood of the innocent
Shall be demanded of them.

Let me never be away from Thee
Let me never feel unlucky
Because in the whole truth
You are my Father
And there is nothing more,
Nothing more I could ask for.
© 2009, Karl Zion M. Remojo

Another Day to Remember

2009-02-28T18:34:00.000+08:00

Miracles and Blessings are becoming an everyday thing in my life. If I am to make a blog for every single day, I don’t think I really can (hehe) at this point of time. It may sound like boasting to some. But in fairness to what those other people think – they are right. If it is just a question of boasting – then I say – I am indeed boasting. I’m boasting of what This God of mine – whom I keep talking about – is doing in my life. It would be a shame if I would not share this to you. This is a story about a day named Saturday. Sayang kasi padating pa lang yung brand new Nikkon digital camera ko, kaya wala pang pictures.

A Bright Saturday

I woke up at 5:30 am, and after washing my face and brushing my teeth, I went up to the rooftop to enjoy the sunrise God painted. Being on that place in that particular hour is for me, like attending a Christian conference! It tells a lot about God. The sun, the sky, and the wind in that place reveal a lot about God and His Splendor, as any conference could. I stayed there for 5 minutes and went back home to get ready for our basketball ministry at 7am. Then, after the basketball ministry, it was part of my plan for that day to attend the Rise Up Sing Pinoy Conference – a seminar for Christian people in the Praise and Worship Ministry. I was lucky blessed enough to have been one of the beneficiaries of a free ticket. I’d like to thank Ate Evelyn Doce – our very beautiful, generous, and kind worship team head in the 3 o’clock family. Thanks Ate Eve! You don’t know how grateful I am for it, even now. Thank God.

What happened on the Guard Post

By 6:45am, I was already at the church. I decided to stay at the guard post near the gate to wait for the disciples of the basketball ministry in order for me not to miss them. Doon lang naman sila puwedeng pumasok eh. Then, after a few minutes, a white Pajero entered the church premises. My eyes were not actually looking on it, but my peripheral vision saw that the driver was doing something, and then later I realized that he was waving; and then a little more later, I realized he was waving at me; and a little more later again, I realized that it was Pastor Roni Valencia – JCSGO Quezon’s pastor.

Pastor Roni signaled me to come to him. He stepped out of the Pajero, and four male youths followed him. They were the delegates of the JCSGO Quezon youth for the Rise Up Conference. “Paki-alagaan muna sila ha, may pupuntahan kasi ako.” Pastor Roni said So Pastor Roni introduced us to each other. They were Genesis (keyboardist, 13), Paulo (guitarist, 15), Gerald (worship leader, 17), and Moses (drummer, 18). Pastor Roni endorsed them to the head of the church canteen telling her to just charge his boys’ lunch to him. And guess who got included in that privilege of a free lunch? Yes! Me! It wasn’t really part of the plan, but of course, who am I to resist? Hahahahaha! So there you go, my ticket was free, and my lunch was free! But wait. . .there’s more!

Basketball Ministry

But first let us go back 5 hours prior to eating my free lunch. Well, the disciples in the basketball ministry arrived at 8am. There were only 5 of them. They cannot start a game because they were lacking one player. And of course, who else is going to fill that spot but me!? Me!? Ako!? In my conference-ready get up!? Weh!? Maglalaro ba ‘ko!? I was wearing my best pair of shoes (bought by my lolo and lola last September 2007); my most expensive pair of pants (gift nila mommy and daddy last Christmas; my newest and very beautiful orange polo shirt (lolo’s gift for my 19th birthday); and my favorite sunglasses (bigay ng aking paboritong tita – Tita Gi). So. . . . I took off my sunglasses, brought out everything from my pocket, and played basketball! It was a sacrifice indeed! Once again – it wasn’t part of the plan! But as the bible says: “All things work together for good to those who love God.” I didn’t regret it. I, for one, had such a fun and exciting game! I can see that my companions had such too. After the games, we had our bible sharing. Eventually, another disciple came, so there were all in all 6 of them who came. One was a first time. Six was a rather small number compared to what we had last Saturday. But even before I came there, I promised the Lord that I’m going to give my best in everything today – in big things and in small things. I’m going to do everything excellently for Him (even the act of writing and typing this blog). Besides, it is a great privilege to share God’s Word in a creative way to these young people. You see, not all people are open to the gospel. I told them a story regarding the need, importance, and benefits of confessing our sins to God and asking for forgiveness. Our topic was about freedom. The story goes like this. . .

There were two brothers –Pedro and
Julio. Pedro was
older. They live with their grandfather. One day, when
Pedro was practicing with
his slingshot, he accidentally hit the duck that
their grandpa loves so much.
The duck died. Guess who was there to witness
the whole scene? It was Julio.
Pedro knew how punishing their grandpa could
become, so Pedro begged Julio not
to tell anything to their grandpa. Julio
agreed.

The next day, the
grandfather asked his two
grandchildren if they have seen his favorite duck.
Both of them shook their
heads in response. One day, when it was Julio’s turn to
wash the dishes, he
was like: “Ahh, ayoko muna maghugas ngayon. . .” Pedro, being the
kuya, answered: “Ano!? Hindi puwede ‘yan ah! Responsibilidad mo
‘yan.” Upon
hearing this, Julio cast a sinister look upon Pedro and
said: “Kuya, ang pato. .
.” Pedro remembered his sin and how angry
and punishing his grandpa could become
especially if he hears his favorite
duck is dead. With these things in mind,
Pedro conceded to
Julio.

The day after that, their grandpa asked
Julio to water
the plants. “Ikaw muna magdilig Kuya, tinatamad ako eh.” Pedro
was
furious when he heard his brother’s illogical unreasonable reason. But once
again, the sinister gaze of Julio came to Pedro with the phrase: “Kuya,
ang
pato. . .” Pedro had no choice but to obey.

For two weeks, this was the cycle: Julio
would simply
remind Pedro of the duck and Julio would get out of his
responsibilities.
His big brother became his slave. This was the situation for
two
weeks.

At last, when Pedro has had enough, when he could not
take it anymore, he summoned every bit of courage from his gut and although
afraid, he approached his lolo. He was hesitant at first, but then he
realized
that it was the wisest thing to do. “Lolo, natatandaan ni’yo po
ba yung nawawala
ni’yong pato? Natirador kop o kasi ‘yun. Ako po nakapatay
sa pato ni’yo.
Patawarin ni’yo po ko." The grandfather was
silent for a few seconds. Then, what
happened next sursprised Pedro. His
grandfather took Pedro on his arms, smiled
and said: “Nandoon ako nung
napatay mo ang aking pato. Nakita ko lahat ng
pangyayari. Hinihintay lang
kitang umamin.” Tears flowed from Pedro’s eyes as he
hugged his grandpa
back. He was not simply forgiven. He was set free! Julio no
longer has power
over him!

“If we confess our sins, He is Faithful and Just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
- I John 1:9
“Who The Son sets free, is free indeed!”
- John 8:36

Rise Up!

Let’s go back to the Rise Up Conference. Moses, Gerald, Paulo, Genesis and I, together with other JCSGO Central leaders went to the dome. Man! Halos ‘di mahulugan ng karayom ang JCSGO Seed Dome! Ang daming kabataan! Hanggang sa uppermost bleacher, ang dami! These are youths from different parts of the nation – mula Apari hanggang Jolo (hehe). Pastor Roman Guevarra – the main speaker – is a dynamic pastor! He could really relate to the youth and the youth could very well relate to him. Mapapangiti at matatawa ka na lang on your seat kasi makaka-relate ka sa mga pinagsasasabi niya. There were things in his preaching that I did not agree with, but on the whole, God used him to make me realize a lot of things. Napaisip talaga ko sa mga sinabe niya. In one of the altar calls, I just stood there, humbled before God sa lahat ng ginawa, ginagawa, at gagawin Niya sa buhay ko. I was surprised to hear myself say the words: “Now I know You have called me.” Then I came to realize, that indeed, every Christian has a calling from God, a destiny specific for each one. It’s just a choice of either believing and embracing that destiny, or running from it. This God is becoming more and more personal; more and more real; and more and more beautiful each day. You know, it is a crazy thing to believe and to love someone you cannot see nor touch; and all the more crazy to believe that that someone loves you; so to all those young Christians out there (and to all Christians regardless of age), Pastor Roman has a message for you: “SAMA-SAMA TAYONG MAGPAKA-BALIW!!!”

The conference ended at 5:30pm.

The Surprise Pin-Button

When Angelo and I were checking some cool Christian pin-buttons, Kuya Allan – one of the guards in the church – approached me and told me the same thing he kept telling me the whooooole day (this is another story). Nahihiya (or I think, the more appropriate description is “feeling undeserving”) na ko dahil naririnig na ng lahat ng youth na kasama naming, so para maiba ang usapan, biniro ko siya: “Kuya Allan, bilhan mo naman ako ng pin.” I could honestly say na hindi talaga ako seryosong magpalibre, but the man took it seriously (hehe). At nang talagang sobra na ang pamimilit niyang bilhan ako ng pin, nahiya na talaga akong tumanggi, so I picked one, and he paid for it. In-explain pa niya sa mga nagtitinda kung bakit niya ko binilhan. Hahahahah! It is indeed a very humbling experience to have someone share a testimony of theirs involving me! Glory to God! Dahil sa experience na ‘to, I remembered nung biniro ko si Tita Gigi that I desperately need a new guitar. One month after - just before Christmas – she went home carrying a new guitar! Hahaha!

Cell Group on the Move!

Now, let us go back to my new-found friends. Sinamahan namin sila ni Angelo na hintayin si **tooot** - itago na lang natin siya sa pangalang A.G. (I’ll explain why later, sana walang makahula kung sino ‘to, hehe). When I introduced my new-found friends to my old-friend Angelo, and vice versa, it was as if they have known each other for years: kuwentuhan, kuwentuhan, kuwentuhan; sharing, sharing, sharing. You know what, Angelo later on referred to them – and this one really made me laugh, I don’t know exactly why – as an “interesting bunch” of youth! Hahahaha! “interesting bunch”!? Gusto ko ‘yun!” I replied. “Oo nga noh! They were an “interesting bunch” indeed!" Hahaha! Nice one Gelo!

A.G. texted me na matatagalan daw siya kaya ipasyal ko daw muna sila. So. . .his/ her wish is my command.

And so, we left the church. Everyone was rather excited. Pasyal. . .hmmm, oo nga naman. It’s definitely better than just sitting motionlessly and waiting there. We went through Ali Mall, and then through SM. At grabe, kahit habang naglalakad kami, sharing lang kami nang sharing. Hindi matigil ang usapan. Eh pa’no ba naman, tanong nang tanong sila Moses at Genesis. Those boys were thirsty for knowledge of The Word; hungry for revelations; and I was equally excited and energetic to share to them the things that I have received. After an answer to a question, they would pause for a while (selah moment) and then Moses would ask a follow-up question! Hahaha! Nakakatuwa. Ang talagang maganda sa kanila, matanong sila. Ang dami nilang gusting malaman. A good listener is a good learner. Plus, ang sarap mag-kuwento sa taong interesado (masarap din magkuwento sa taong ‘di interesado, kasi challenging, hehe). At a later part of that day, I realized that we were actually having a cell group/ bible study by doing that. I call it – a walking bible study.

Finally, we reached Gateway. Tumambay kami sa tapat ng cinema, and continued our delicious conversations there. This is where the most exciting part of the day (for me) happened. We didn’t actually realize it immediately, but we were already having a bible study in the middle of the crowd also sitting in that area. What made me glad to see, was that two others were listening attentively while we were discussing. One on our left, and one on our right. How did I know that they were listening attentively? Well, they were looking at me as I speak. Kaya nga ako parang nahiya, I realized medyo malakas pala boses ko (hehe). But then again I realized: “Man! This is the Word of God they’re hearing, who am I to be ashamed of it!?” honestly, medyo nilakasan ko pa lalo boses ko, and it just inspired me to be more excellent in speaking the topic. Besides, wala akong ginagawang masama kaya walang wala akong dapat ikahiya. When the Holy Spirit made me realize these things, I became more confident and bold in doing what I am doing. We left the place. I told my friends what I have observed, and they were glad. You know what, I do not know what happened to those two youth who were listening to our bible study, but I am pretty sure that the Holy Spirit influenced them – one way or another – I am sure of it.

Free Dinner?

Finally, A.G. texted: “Puntahan ni’yo ko sa Speedo.” So to Speedo we went. Parang nakakalungkot kasi it seems that the time to say “goodbye” has already came. Gelo and I were getting ready to leave when A.G. said: “Dinner tayo.” When someone like A.G. says those words, it also means, “Libre ko na kayo.” (hehe, yeah really) That’s the reason why I don’t want to reveal who this mystery person is, because the first time he/she treated me (last last year pa, but I would not forget it), she emphasized: “Huwag ni’yo na lang pagsabi na nilibre ko kayo, partly because mag-expect ang iba, and partly because, I want my reward to come from God, not from other people’s compliments. (e.g. Uy ang bait naman ni A.G. Galante!”). To make the long story short, nalibre kami ni Angelo ng dinner nang ‘di oras (hehe). Thank God and thank you A.G.! Call me childish pero ganito ko matuwa 'pag may nanlibre sa'kin. Hehe! Nakakatawa kasi habang kumakain at habang pinag-uusapan naming yung Rise Up, yung mga nasa katabing lamesa pala naming ay galing ding Rise Up! In-okray pa naman namin yung mga musicians! (joke!). One more reason kung bakit lubos ko talagang ikinatuwa ang pagyayaya ni A.G. na kumain ay dahil matutuloy pa ang kuwentuhan naming anim, at ngayon, kasama pa si A.G. It was a blessed fellowship indeed!

Sinamantala na ng apat ang punta, at pagkatapos ng dinner, ay naglaro pa sa time zone. At tapos, nagpaalamanan na sa isa’t isa.

Almost Over

Akala ko tapos na ang araw. I was almost ready to call it the day. But the favor of God and His Spontaneous leadings just kept flowing. 10 o’clock na kami nakaalis ng gateway, at nung dadaan na dapat ako sa ali mall for a short cut going home, aber, eh sarado na pala! So that only means one thing, I need to take a longer walk home. Haaaay, eh pagod na ko. Well, God seem to have read my mind (DUH!), at sa hagdanan ng SM, aking nakita si Ate Rose (a churchmate) na nakatayo at wari’y may hinihintay. Actually, siya pala ang unang nakakita sa akin. Nilapitan ko siya, at dahil overflowing, pati tuloy siya nabiktima ng aking mga kuwento. Patapos na lang ang araw, nagkaroon pa ko ulet ng yet another blessed conversation. At hindi lang yan, it turned out na ang hinihintay pala niya ay sila Ate Sheila at Ate Malou, at pareho naman din ng route papuntang house nila, kaya imbes na maglakad, nakalibre pa ko ng sakay pauwi! Once again, it wasn’t part of my plan. But obviously, it was part of my God’s plan. As I was inside Ate Sheila's car, I could not thank God enough for letting His Favor flood over my day. Libreng ticket-libreng lunch-libreng pin-libreng dinner-libreng ride home-libreng revelations-libreng joy. It is true that it is better to give than to receive; it is also true that the best things in life are FREE. I said goodbye and thanks sa mga naghatid sa akin. Then I went home, told my mom everything, wrote it on my devotional notebook, thanked God with all my heart, and then slept just before the clock strike 12.

ZZZZZzzzzzzzz

*********

To hell with BFDD!!! Ang aking litanya…bow!

2009-02-27T23:05:00.001+08:00

Note: I (KZion) did not write this blog. i got the permission of a friend if i could post it on my site. here's the link

i was actually thinking of writing an article like this before, but since my friend already made one, i just posted it on my page. grabeh, i couldn't agree more sa mga pinaglalagay niya dito. isang pahabol bago magtapos ang love-month!

this is dedicated to all the girls (and boys) na sobrang nahuhumaling sa kanilang mga kasintahan. walang masama magka-crush. it's very normal. BUT DON'T OVERDO IT, okay? for your own sakes. c'mon - balanse lang! i hope u get my point. hehe. man! ang hirap ipaglaban ang tama! hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!

here it goes. . .

Past my reviewing of other people’s thoughts displayed on words, I am now freaking out with the fact that there are some girls who just can’t get enough of their boyfriends!!! I know I can be a bastard…hell, I know I AM, hahaha…but it just irritates me so to realize how some girls can be overly attached to their boyfriends that they can’t talk about anything else but their mate! It’s a syndrome I call BFDD (Boyfriend Dependency Disorder).

Come on! Don’t you girls think you deserve a life? I mean a life apart from your lovebirds? It’s not like you’re going to live a half life if you tried to, that’s a lie if you believe that. Man, it’s just sick to think that you can’t live without this certain person, regardless of whether he is a significant other or what…it’s sucks, and it’s pathetic, so wake up. It’s a fallacy, see- do you actually die when you are forced to tear yourself away from the company of this person whom you think is THAT significant to your ADLs (activities of daily living)?

Well of course it’s an exception if you’re blessedly married, since it’s the real thing and you are, after all, already bound together by God, and I love that, no problem with it.

But with boyfriends and girlfriends…do you not see how futile it is? I believe having one especially at an early age is just a load of bull, since it is a relationship wherein you just pretend to be husband and wife to each other (yeah, it’s NOT real!). It’s almost like a nursery kid’s version of playhouse wherein there’s a mom, a dad…but the situation gets more real with the age and the consequences are REAL…you get the drift.

Here’s where I apply my frequent line: "You can’t manage yourself…so why manage other people’s lives (or even try to)?" A blind man cannot lead a blind man because that would certainly bring more harm than good (the good book says so, too). This pathetic waste of time and precious ATP adds to my pile of rage.

And here’s another major issue…girlfriends who become too attached to their respective boyfie bastards tend to act like a satellite…the moon, for instance…and their guys plays the role of the rotating earth. I call this the lunar trend. These girls do not realize that there are other dimensions of the universe to see in the form of people they love…they just go dancing around and around their respective "earths" as much as they want. They got friends, got family, got studies…all these become one big load of nuisance for them in this spin that they have chosen to stick with.

Gravity, gravity…the law of attraction? Ay, load of bull…a good reason to call it the "lunacy trend." Hahahaha.

Experiences…

I have a friend who’s told me about his pain with this, that whenever he has female friends who develop boyfriend-girlfriend relationships and get overly attached, he takes the backseat, becomes forgotten like old furniture in the basement and later on realizes that he has to take a hike since he is (or feels) no longer needed.

I have felt this way a few times, and I hate it- it sucks to have to take the backseat when you want to sit with the person out front as you always did! There are instances that I picture myself to be that whining kid who insists on taking the front seat of love instead of the newcomer whom I’m undeniably jealous of! (A bout of jealousy is a given especially when you know you can do better that he can! Hahaha!)

"You’re just a bitter, inexperienced bitch." or is it, "Oh, Anni you need a new source of insight (to change that)."

First of all I am not bitter (my shot comes later, if God wants to give it to me). And NOT inexperienced (well, yeah technically I am, given that I just renewed my NBSB (no boyfriend since birth) membership for this year, thanks), but then knowledge will suffice for now). And most especially I don’t see the need for new source of insight in the form of a guy- how sick can that get?

Similarly people have accused me of being such a bastard in my opinion about premature relationships (aka having a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship at this early age- and take note, I’m turning 21 next month as I write this, hahaha). They try to show me that I am just being this way because I have not experienced the thrill of relationships…having someone to carry your stuff, having someone who’s gushing mad to see you everyday…to have and to hold, to hug and to kiss *feigns fainting and kiligers to the max* And all those things hollywood keeps feeding us through the big screen…hahahaha.

Yah, that’s just unnecessary. At least last time I checked, it is, all a waste of time…time which can rather be used for nurturing relationships and productivity.

The mix-up theory-

I have read somewhere that the highest rate of failed marriage started with intensity 100something relationships (as in sky-rocket, passion-all-the-way). I say that’s not really surprising…as infatuation (intense attraction) is a counterfeit of love. We are caught in the mixup of that which is similar to love (and what do our young minds know about love, but…hahahaha), but beware that, "infatuation in a minute smolders you whole, yet love forever warms the soul."

Another dimension of the mixup theory is the attraction, the camaraderie and the commitment. Somehow people have a knack for messing with the lines drawn between these three things (even I admit I do). Attraction occurs when one is taken by one aspect of a whole personality (mostly the source of infatuation and sky-high passion). Camaraderie occurs when one yearns to constantly interact with another soul and in the process becomes attached to him or her in the name of mutual friendship (which may at times also be mistaken for something different). Commitment is a decision wherein a person finds this one lone mate whom he or she wants to spend a lifetime with- and mutually commits to them.

All involve some kind of love. All involve giving time and ‘commitment’ to keep them alive. But they are three different things. They can be mixed up. There are people who are only attracted. There are people who are in friendship. There are people who are attracted and in friendship. And in the rarest circumstance, there are a few who are attracted, in friendship and can commit for a lifetime. Beware of counterfeits! And based on my presented definition, there is no such thing as sole commitment- that is a lie. How can you commit without the steadfast foundation of friendship? Likely it is attraction thought to be commitment.

And finally, the conclusion-

In the end it just saddens me to think that beautiful opportunities and nurturing relationships around us are wasted with something that only glitters like gold but is NOT actually worth as much…not even worth anything…not even worth the time. I feign being bastard here, but I am seriously lamenting for those people who fail to see how big the world is…if they only allow themselves to come free of their shallow concept of the world somehow…they would surely find more than what they think they already have.

You know what? Screw deception. Screw knowledge deficit. Not the girls…just the sad fact that they are stuck there and are prone to learn of their mistakes in due time…in the hard way past the experience.

OH DIBA? HEAVY!

Moses' Despair: Part the First - His Disobedience

2009-02-27T21:56:00.000+08:00

Moses was 80 years old when God called him to lead a large noisy squandering complaining ungrateful ambivalent crowd of 1 million Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land – Canaan. For 40 years, he strived with them, stretching his patience to uncommon limits. Yet when the time came when the Israelites were just about to reach Canaan, when they were just a stone’s throw away from the Promised Land, the Lord – Moses’ Friend – reminded Moses: “Sorry friend, you cannot go with them.” Heartbroken as he was, Moses knew the reason why. This can be traced from an earlier part of the journey where in Moses disobeyed God’s command (Numbers 30:1-13). Here’s the story. . .

When the Israelites were at Kadesh, in the desert of Zin and when their supplies of food and water were already depleted, they were pretty darn tired and thirsty to the bone. So they did what they do best; they did the most effective and most logical thing to do for them; with one voice, they grumbled against Moses and Aaron saying: “Why the heck did you bring us up from Egypt to this terrible place!? There’s no food to eat and no water to drink! D*mn it!

So Moses and Aaron consulted the Lord. The Lord commanded them to speak to a particular rock, and that rock will pour out its water. However, when Moses and Aaron faced the mob, the pressure brought about by the people and the hot temper of Moses got the better of Moses. Instead of speaking to the rock to yield its water, Moses raised his staff, and hit the rock instead. The community was able to drink, but the Lord was not pleased. He was not pleased at all.

As a verdict, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: “Because you did not trust Me enough to honor Me as Holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” So to make the long story short, the next generation of Israelites – under the leadership of Joshua – did reached the Promised Land. But as for Moses and Aaron – with that single and seemingly simple act of disobedience – they never got a taste of Canaan. Moses was not able to reach his dream land.

With these thoughts in mind, I asked the Lord: “Is it actually possible that Moses died with despair? Can a man of God die with despair?"

The answer came rather quick. . .

continue. . .

An Invitation

Moses' Despair: Part the Second - A Man of Weaknesses

2009-02-27T21:45:00.000+08:00

Part I
If one will look at it on a natural point of view, compared to other bible characters like Joshua, David or Paul, Moses was the least (no offense Sir Moses). He was timid. He was shy. He was fearful, hot-tempered, and incapable of exercising his authority over the people. He wasn’t as brave and daring as Jonathan; he wasn’t as intelligent as Joseph and Daniel, or as tactful as the apostle Paul. Naturally speaking, he was a failure.

But what is actually the measure of a leader’s success?

You see, a leader’s success – or anyone for that matter – should be looked upon based on the thing he sought, the thing he looked for, his goal, his purpose. If Moses’ goal was to be the most beloved and respected leader of Israel; or the most famous bible character; if his ultimate desire was to step on the land of Canaan and maybe even kiss it, then I say – Man! He indeed died with despair!

But this was not the case. Moses lived to love God. He lived to please Him – and with that, he was quite successful according to the bible (Exodus 33:17). Why did God Almighty delighted on Moses so much? It was because Moses was weak! God’s Glory is made perfect in weaknesses, and man! The guy had a lot of them! No wonder God delighted in Him so much – so much that He (God) even gave Moses what he did not ask for. Moses did not ask for fame. But look at how the Pharisees in Jesus’ time would defend their arguments by saying “Moses said. . .” or “According to the law of Moses. . .” Look at the children’s bibles in our days – the front cover is almost always an image of Moses leading the Israelites in crossing the red sea. Moreover, the story of Moses is one of the first stories told by Sunday school teachers to their pupils, and one of the first bedtime stories told by parents to their children. People from different parts of the world, and of different religions know Moses. In the long run, Moses did become one of the most beloved, respected and famous bible characters. God gave Moses what he sought, and much more.

continue. . .

© 2009, Karl Zion M. Remojo
An Invitation

Moses' Despair: Conclusion

2009-02-27T17:48:00.001+08:00

previous
When he left Egypt to run away from Pharaoh, Moses was already as good as dead. This argument is strengthened by the fact that when God called him, he was already 80 years of age! His life was as good as over. This knowledge made Moses even more grateful. He knew that he couldn’t have gone far without God. He was an ordinary person who could have lived an ordinary life with an ordinary job as an ordinary shepherd, and died an ordinary kind of death, but he knew he got lucky, or more rightly put, he got called. These experience and encounter molded Moses to develop an attitude of gratitude.

You see, it matters a lot to have the right attitude. According to Pastor John Maxwell, a leader can indeed succeed even without having the right attitude. But the difference is that he would not be able to enjoy his success as a leader with the right attitude would.

You may call this person, or that person successful; you may call him/ her a failure. But all of that depends on how you define failure and success. That depends on whether that person was able to reach what he sought for or not. Our friend Moses reached what he sought for.

With the above premises, I therefore conclude that in the issue of fulfillment, and in the decision between ego integrity and despair, good old Moses did not die with despair. He left the earth rather satisfied. Indeed, full of hope and gladness, he slept.

An Invitation

Let Go; Let God

2009-02-27T07:19:00.000+08:00

Let Go. . .

What’s interesting about this day is that I heard messages about “letting go” for three times, from three different persons (Last Tuesday, it was the phrase “lead by example” that I heard for three times from three different people). The first message - I heard (actually I didn’t hear it, it was a text message, so I read it) from my big brother (but not by blood) Kuya Allen. The second message – I heard from our truly unequaled professor in Literature – Sir Hibek. The last one – I heard from actress Ms. Cherry Pie Picache – we had an open forum with her after watching an alternative movie featuring her. But this blog isn’t about stars or being starstrucked but speaking of stars, this same day, I met (or more likely – nakasalubong) Pen Medina in Gateway Mall. He wasn’t really that tall, that’s all. Okay, so back to the true topic. . .hehe

Regarding Memories

Memories play a key role in the lives of Homo sapiens. Imagine living a life without memories! According to our beloved and very ~~eccentric~~ unique professor in literature, memories – whether good or bad, happy or sad – are a blessing. Then he asked the class: “When does a memory become a curse?” When no one inside that cold, dark, and dirty classroom could give him a satisfying answer, he did what any sensible teacher would have done – he answered his own question: “A memory becomes a curse when you cannot let go!” he said. “We forgive, but. . .do we forget?”. And indeed the old man is right. How exactly could we really forget!? It is definitely easier said than done. You see, the pain of letting go arises from the fact that unlike unused or unwanted files in a computer – memories cannot be erased or deleted simply by clicking the delete option. In fact, typically speaking, memories cannot be erased at all. They can only be repressed, or buried in our subconscious, or in our unconscious mind.

How to Begin

There is only way to start the process of letting go. We must learn to face the reality of the situation, the reality of the memory. We must desensitize ourselves with what happened. It is not gonna be easy! No way! It could make us cry, weep, and feel bitter, but we must not give up trying to accept what happened. You see, we cannot always prevent ourselves from having false expectations or hopes, and we do not always want to face and experience the frustrations and disappointments that come with those false expectations. But the challenge in being a human being is learning to accept that this is an imperfect and evil world, and yet, being able to hope for good, beautiful, and happy things.

The Solution

One very effective way to be able to let go and face the frustration that came from false expectations is to place our trust in God – the kind of trust that places God’s Standards higher than our standards. You see, we may have a particular job, type of life, or future, or person in mind, and when we do not get it, we feel bad, at worst, we feel angry towards God. But Genuine Trust helps us to believe that God has the best in store for us. It may not be evident at the moment, that’s why it requires faith. Besides, there’s really not much we could do about it, so might as well leave it to God. You see, if you know God and if you have a relationship with Him, then your future’s already decided man! So go on. . .Let go

. . .and Let God

An Invitation

Oceans Will Part

2009-02-27T07:14:00.000+08:00

As God opens your eyes to what He can really do, and as you continually and desperately ask Him to show you His Glory, you will see oceans parting, you will see rivers stopping on their course, you will see mountains dividing to make way for you. And as you walk the path he intended for you – the path that only you can cross – you will witness nations coming, and multitudes gathering before you; asking you to tell them of this God you keep talking about.

Maybe, just maybe – this is the beginning of the revival that we have all been asking for. . .

Based on the song ‘Oceans will Part” by Hillsong United

An Invitation

Overflow

2008-11-13T12:14:00.000+08:00

Writing is the overflow of the soul. You can never give what you do not have. It is difficult to write about something you do not actually feel and very hard to say what you do not actually mean. It is like being forced to sing when you do not feel like singing, or to dance when you cannot find any reason to dance. Our professor in literature spoke to us saying (it was something like this):

"When you feel lonely, sad, forsaken, depressed, mistreated, ignored or rejected, and when all you want to do is to kill yourself, then go to a corner, get a blade get a pen with a blade and paper and pour your heart out as you write, wriTE and WRITE! Before you know it, you have created a masterpiece! A work of art!"

After all, that was the very way how Hamlet was born. And Hercules. And Oedipus. And the sphinx. That is how Pygmalion and Galatea came to life. That is how the face that launched a thousand ships came to be. Through it, Snow White found her Prince Charming, and Juliet lost hers. This is how Prince Cor (Shasta) regained his kingdom and how Macbeth lost his. This tells us why Smeagol (Gollum) killed his best friend for a ring, and why Sinbad (almost) gave his life for his best friend. And what else? For time would fail me to tell you of the minotaur, or of Zeus and Hera, or of King Arthur. They are all the expression of man's creative mind. The overflow of his soul - of his dreams, ambitions, of his anger, his love, and his fears. Our hearts (not our physical hearts of course) have a limited capacity to contain things (both hatred and joy). When this capacity is filled, our hearts tend to let out the excess, via tears, screams, dancing or writing. Now, this excess needs to be let out, otherwise, it can be dangerous, and oftentimes, fatal. A certain Man once said:

"Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." (1)

Still, another wrote in a certain place at a certain time:

"I believed, therefore I spoke. . ." (2)

It is therefore understood that your written words are your thoughts made flesh. Now I hope that I have made it clear by now that writing is the overflow of the soul, as words are the overflow of the mind, tears-the overflow of either extreme grief or joy, and screams-the overflow of anger or hatred. Now, let me tell you of a Man. He is also an overflow as the ones that we have been talking about. But unlike them, He is not the product of man's creative thinking or imagination. Jesus Christ is His Name-the overflow of God's Love. Not just the excess, but the whole of it. He Himself is Love Personified (3). Okay, you may take His Story as "a myth working on us in the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference - that it really happened!" (A) ". . .and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" - John. (4) My friend told me that a friend of his once told him: "You know what, it is crazy and sane to think that there is a Being beyond nature, a God, and what's more, a loving God. The very thought of it gives me goosebumps."

Well then, Call me CRAZY!

Footnotes: (A) God in the dock by C.S. Lewis, 1979

© 2008, Karl Zion M. Remojo
An Invitation
Isang Paanyaya

Remind Me that I Can

2008-10-30T09:41:00.000+08:00

When I'm tempted to see the lesser part of me
When all I can view are my inadequacies
When both my past and my future condemns
Remind me that I can, remind me that I can

When distraction and darkness cloud my senses
When all I could look at is the world's wicked judgments
When the most logical thing is to give up my dreams
Tell me, tell me, tell me that I can

Give me the Eyes to See, and the Faith to Live
Oh, I dare to hope, and I dare to believe!
When all kinds of reason for hope being gone,
Then I will hope in Faith, and in Faith I will stand

Why do you weary yourself with the things that you do?
Cast your cares upon Me child, didn't I tell you?
Live under My Grace and understand this:
You can't, but I can, so now you can too!

Grace is where all your hard work ends,
It is where True Love and True Power begins,
For Faith is birthed when ability dies,
Very few know this. Is it that hard to realize?

I told you to trust Me with all your heart.
Just stand believing - that is all your part.
And if you have forgotten, then I'd tell you again:
My child, my precious one, Yes! You can!

© 2008, Karl Zion M. Remojo

An Invitation
Isang Paanyaya

Ang Buhay ay parang Tong-its: Kabanata Uno

2008-10-25T14:25:00.000+08:00

Aking narinig dati (o nabasa 'ata, 'di ko na matandaan), na ang buhay umano ay parang isang Rubik's Cube - magulo ngunit may solusyon din at posible pa ring mabuo at mailagay sa ayos sa huli.

Sa aking sariling pananaw naman, ang buhay ay parang tong-its - isang laro sa baraha. Sa tong-its, hindi mo maaaring piliin ang mga barahang makukuha mo, at kapag nagsimula na ang laro at nailagay na ang mga pusta, wala nang atrasan. Gaya ng sinabi ko, hindi mo maaaring piliin ang mga barahang mapupunta sa'yo.

Tulad din sa tong-its, malaki rin ang papel ng 'suwerte' sa buhay. Ang salitang 'suwerte' dito ay nagsasabing hindi natin kontrolado ang lahat. May kasabihan nga sa Ingles na: "Mas mabuti nang maging masuwerte kaysa matalino" ("Better to be lucky than smart"). At minsan, tama nga naman! May mga bobong mayayaman, at may matatalinong namumulubi.

Ngunit hindi lang 'suwerte' ang may malaking papel sa buhay, meron pang isa, at sa aking pananaw, mas malaki ang papel na ginagampanan nito. Ano ito? - Desisyon.

Ang buhay ay puno ng mga desisyon. Punong-puno talaga! Ayon sa mga pag-aaral, ang isang ordinaryong tao daw ay gumagawa ng humigit-kumulang 2,500 na desisyon sa isang araw. "Anong isusuot ko?; Saan ako dadaan?; Babangon na ba 'ko?; Magre-reply ba 'ko sa txt nia?; Saan ako kakain?; Papasok ba 'ko ngayon?" - 'yan at ang ilang libo pang iba't ibang desisyon ang mga kasama natin sa araw-araw. Bawat desisyon at aksyon ay may hatid na reaksyon. Parang sa tong-its: "Ibababa mo na ba ang bahay mo? Eh pa'no kung masapawan? Bubunot ka ba o pupulutin mo ang tapon ng kalaban mo? Eh ikaw, anong tatapon mo?" - mga simpleng desisyon na gaya nito ang magdidikta ng tindi ng pagkapanalo o pagkatalo mo.

Ngunit hindi gaya ng tong-its, ang buhay ay hindi isang laro. 'Yan ang pagkakamali ng marami, ginagawang laro ang isang bagay na hindi biro. Isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit napaka-halaga ng Buhay ay dahil isang beses lang natin ito maaaring gawin. Isang beses lang tayong puwedeng mabuhay. Sa bidyogeym, may 'Play Again' o 'Try Again' kapag na-game over ka. Pero walang ganito sa layf. Ang game over ay game over. Patay, tepok, dedbol, dedz. Period.

May mga bagay na isang beses mo lang puwedeng maranasan: isang beses mo lang siyang puwedeng yakapin; wantaym mo lang siyang puwedeng isayaw; isang beses mo lang silang puwedeng makatawanan; isang beses mo lang siyang puwedeng ngitian. Ito'y maihahalintulad sa pagpunta sa isang ilog. Bawat agos ay kakaiba. Ang isang agos ng tubig na dumaan na sa'yo ay hindi ka na dadaanang muli. Gustuhin mo man itong balikan, hindi mo na ito puwedeng habulin. Isang panibagong agos naman ang darating, tapos panibago, at panibagong muli.

Kung nagbabasa ka ng mitolohiyang Griyego, makikita mo doon na kina-iinggitan ng mga imortal na mga diyos at mga diyosa ang mga mortal na tao. Bakit? Dahil hindi tulad nilang mga imortal na maaaring gawin ang kahit anong bagay sa pamamagitan ng kahit anong paraan, sa kahit anong oras nila gustuhin, ang maaari lamang gawin ng tao ay tanggapin kung ano ang binabato ng tadhana sa kanya. At isa pa, ang tao ay maaari lamang mabuhay sa loob ng kulang-kulang sampung dekada kaya mas alam niyang namnamin ang bawat sandali at maging masaya. Ang katotohanang ito na ang buhay ay maikli at na isang beses lamang tayo puwedeng mabuhay ang nagpapataas sa presyo at halaga ng Buhay.

Ang Buhay ay parang Tong-its: Kabanata Dos

Nakumbinsi ka ba ng iyong mga nabasa?

Were you convinced by what you've read?

Ang Buhay ay parang Tong-its: Kabanata Dos

2008-10-23T15:22:00.000+08:00

Ang Buhay ay parang Tong-its: Kabanata Uno

Balik tayo sa baraha. Kung papaanong hindi tayo maaaring mamili ng mga baraha sa tong-its, kadalasan, sa buhay, hindi din tayo ang namimili ng ating mga responsibilidad. Maaaring habang binabasa mo 'to ay napagtatanto mong tama ang sinabi ko: Ikaw ba ang namili ng kasarian mo? Ikaw ba ang namiling maging panganay ka? Ikaw ba namili ng kurso mo at ng paaralang ginagalawan mo? Ikaw ba namili ng pamilya at lugar kung saan ka pinanganak? Ikaw ba namili ng tatay at nanay mo? Ikaw ba namili ng mga kapatid mo, o 'di kaya'y ng mga anak mo? Ang wikang kinasanayan mo, ikaw ba namili nian? Eh ang ilong mong pango, ang mata mong nakabural, ang kulot mong buhok, ang balat mong sunog, ikaw ba namili ng mga 'yan? Ginusto mo ba yan? Kitam, hindi naman ikaw namili ng mga 'yan 'di ba?

Ang mga bagay na nabanggit sa taas ay ilan lamang sa mga patunay na hindi lahat ng gusto natin ay masusunod at hindi lahat ng mga pinlano at pina-plano natin ay mangyayari. Nakakainis 'di ba? Nakakainis tuwing hindi nangyayari ang mga bagay na gusto natin: Huling episode na ng pinaka-paborito at pinaka-inaabangan mong tele-nobela o anime, tapos biglang nag-brown out sa baranggay nio, ayan tuloy 'di mo napanood; o 'di kaya'y finals na ng liga nio at talagang atat na atat ka nang maglaro, todo warm-up ka na at sobrang sabik nang biglang umulan at hindi natuloy ang laro; o 'di kaya'y may one-time, big-time exam ka kinabukasan at halos 'di ka na natulog para lang tapusing basahin ang sing-kapal ng haloblaks mong libro sa Chemistry para lang marinig ang prof mong magsabing:

"Okay class, canceled exam natin. Enjoy your
vacation!!!"

Oh. . .Matutuwa ka ba o magwawala sa galit? Nakakainis hindi ba? Ngunit kahit gaano nakakainis ang mga bagay-bagay na ito, ito pa rin ang realidad eh. At ito ang dapat nating tanggapin. Isang babala lang mahal na kaibigan, dalawa lang ang kinahihinatnan ng mga taong 'di kayang matanggap ang realidad - maaaring sa sementeryo (suicide) o sa Mandaluyong, sa 'loob' (mental hospital). Kaya kung mahal mo ang buhay mo at mahal mo ang mga mahal mo sa buhay at ang mga nagmamahal sa buhay mo, dapat mong matutunang tanggapin ang realidad na hindi lahat ay kontrolado mo at hindi lahat ng gusto mo masusunod.

Ang isang lumalaking bata o sanggol ay may isang napakahalagang bagay na natututunan. Sa umpisa, kanyang nadidiskubre na napaka-makapangyarihan pala ng kanyang iyak, isang iyak lang niya at ang buong bahay ay taranta na. Isang iyak lang niya at meron na siyang masarap na pagkain o gatas, bagong damit, o bagong laruan. Ngunit habang tumatagal at habang lumalaki siya, kanyang napapansin na humihina ang kapangyarihan ng kanyang iyak. Unti-unti niyang napag-aalaman na hindi lahat ng gusto niya ay kayang ibigay ng kanyang mga magulang. Napag-iisip isip niya na kahit magwala pa siya nang todo-todo, maglupasay sa sahig at magpagulong-gulong, wala pa rin siyang magagawa. Kanyang natututunang tanggapin ang mapait at hubad na katotohanan -

"Hindi lahat ng gusto ko, masusunod."

At sa kanya pang tuluyang paglaki, hindi niya namamalayang kanya na palang ipinapamuhay ang isa sa pinakamahalagang aral sa buhay - Ang Pagtanggap.

© 2008, Karl Zion M. Remojo
Ang Buhay ay parang Tong-its: Huling Kabanata
Nakumbinsi ka ba ng iyong mga nabasa?
Were you convinced by what you've read?

Ang Buhay ay parang Tong-its: Huling Kabanata

2008-10-22T15:58:00.000+08:00

Ang Buhay ay Parang Tong-its: Kabanata Dos

Paubos na ang mga baraha sa mesa at paubos na din ang aking mga sasabihin - ang buhay ay hindi biro. Alam kong alam mo na 'yan dahil sinabi ko na ito nung simula. Ngunit hindi porke hindi laro ang buhahy, hindi nangangahulugang hindi na ito puwedeng tawanan. Ang totoo nian - masarap mabuhay. Mahirap - oo, pero masarap at masaya.

Imperpekto ang mundong ito - sa tingin ko, hindi na lingid sa'yo yan:

Maraming masasamang tao ang malayang gumagala, at maraming inosenteng tao ang nakabilanggo.

Maraming mga gahaman at pusakal ang nakaupo sa puwesto at maraming malilinis ang puso na nasa maruruming lansangan.

Maraming mahihirap ang inaapi at maraming mapang-aping hindi naghihirap.

Oh ano? Naiinis ka na ba? Naiinis ka na ba sa mundong ito? Imperpekto talaga 'yan kapatid. Wala namang nagsabing madali ang buhay. At hindi mo rin maaaring sabihing madaya ang buhay. Bakit, sa tong-its ba, masasabi mong dinaya ka porke walang pare-pareho at magkakasunod na numero sa mga baraha mo? Hindi naman 'di ba? Ganoon din sa buhay.

May nakapagsabi sa akin dati na ang pinakakaawa-awang tao raw sa mundo ay 'yung mga walang inaasahang maganda sa buhay. Ngunit mas kawawa ka kung ang lahat ng iyong pag-asa at mga inaasahan ay nasa pangkasalukuyang buhay na ito lamang. Mayroong mga tao ng kung makapag-plano at makapagpayaman, akala mo, isang milenyong mabubuhay at titira dito sa daigdig, ngunit sa aking pagkaka-alam, wala pang nakakagawa nun, at walang makakagawa nun.

Ang buhay natin ay tila isang munting patak ng tubig lamang sa gitna ng isang malawak na karagatan, isang butil ng asukal sa buhanginan. Selah (pagbulayan). Balang araw, ang ating buhay ay magwawakas, ang mga baraha'y mauubos, ang laro'y matatapos at ang lahat ng ating mga pinakamamahal (tao man o bagay) ay maglalaho at mawawala. Kaya ano ang pinakamagandang gawin? Enjoyin ang sarili habang maaga at "unti-unting lunurin sa kasiyahan"? Maaari, oo. Maganda nga din yun at walang masama dun. Ngunit alam naman natin na kahit paano mo enjoyin ang isang laro ng pustahan sa baraha, iisa lang pa rin ang maaaring maging masaya sa huli, at 'yun ay ang nanalo. Ang maaari lamang gawin ng mga natalo ay magmukmok/malungkot, o magkunwaring masayam, upang magmukhang bale wala lang sa kanila ang lahat.

Ngunit mayroong magandang balita dito. Dahil hindi gaya ng tong-its, ang buhay ay hindi naman kailangang mgaing sugal. Hindi na natin kailangang mabuhay nang walang katiyakan at walang kasiguraduhan. Maaari na tayong sumuko habang maaga. Sumuko - hindi sa laban ng buhay - kundi, sa may Bigay ng ating Buhay, isuko ang ating buhay sa Panginoon. . .

Oh. . .bakit nag-iba ang mukha mo? Nakakagulat bang isipin na ang sulating ito ay tungkol sa Kanya? Hindi mo ba ito inaasahan? Okay lang 'yan, ganyan din naman ang pananawa ng marami. Ewan ko ba, pero tuwing pinag-uusapan na Siya, ganoon na lang maka-react ang iba. Heheh, 'wag kang mag-alala, hindi sermon sa misa 'to, isang paalala lang naman. Paalala na ang magulo, marumi, at bulok na mundong ito ay hindi dapat pumigil sa 'tin sa pagtawag sa ating Manlilikha. . .

Dahil sa gitna ng isang masama at imperpektong mundo, kung saan ang lahat ay
walang katiyakan, mayroon tayong Mabuti at Perpektong Diyos, na ang hatid ay
kasiguraduhan.

Libre lang tumawag sa Kanya. Walang mawawala sa'tin sa pagtawag, ngunit maraming mawawala kung patuloy tayong magbibingi-bingihan. 'Nga pala, 'eto hotline Niya. Personalin mo na Siya, dahil personal din Siya sa'y

"Ang paggawa ng mga libro ay walang katapusan, at ang sobrang pag-aaral ay
kapaguran lamang sa katawan. At ngayong ang lahat ay nasabi na at nadinig,
atin
nang pakinggan ang buod ng napag-usapan: Mahalin mo ang Diyos at sundin
ang
Kanyang mga utos, 'pagkat Kanyang hahatulan ang lahat ng mga gawaing
ginawa dito
sa lupa, maging ang mga bagay na ginawa nang patago, mapa-mabuti
man, o masama." (source/pinagkunan)

Oh. . .Pa'no ba 'yan? TONG-IT na ko!

Nakumbinsi ka ba ng iyong mga nabasa?
Were you convinced by what you've read?

Everlasting: Part Two

2008-04-29T17:30:00.000+08:00

Last year (I really want to share this to you - sa'yo na parang gusto nang sumuko) mga May 2007, nung nabalitaan ng tito ko (Tito Felix - the one who shared to me the Gospel) na 2 weeks na 'kong 'di nagchu-church, tumawag siya (from Florida). So we talked and I told him the reason why I have been avoiding church. That conversation, I will not forget because it was there that I learned one of my most important and treasured lessons in life. Tito Felix told me:

"Hindi binibilang Ni Lord kung ilang beses kang nadapa, ang mahalaga sa Kanya, kung ilang beses kang babangon at susubok ulet".

Upon hearing those words, my heart jumped! It's like hearing your teacher reschedule a very long exam on which you have not studied for! I was given new hope! An opportunity for a new beginning. Actually, there is a scriptural verse to support the statement above, and here it is:

Philippians 1:6
"He [Jesus] Who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the Day of Jesus Christ."

Wow diba!? Once again I wish I could say that after this, hindi na ko pumalpak evah, but once again, it's simply not true. But as I look back, I am not who I used to be. God has taken me, molded me and carried me to new heights, to new levels that I have never imagined. As King David said: "Who am i O Lord God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?" [2 Samuel 7:18] and "What am i that You [God] are so mindful of me?" [Psalm 8:4].

As the psalmist pondered:

"Your Love is better than life"

Life without Your Love is not life at all.

Now I understand, who shall separate me from Your Love [Romans 8:38-39]

I want to leave you with these two songs - Love Songs.

Everlasting: Part One

2008-04-28T23:51:00.000+08:00

Ilan sa inyo ang pumalpak na sa buhay? Or maybe, the right question to ask is: Ilan sa inyo ang 'di pa pumalpak? I think it would be like asking: "Ilan dito ang 'di pa nakakatikim ng tubig?" That's because all of us have failed and have been disappointed in ourselves at least once in our lives. Wala naman sigurong perpekto dito, kung meron, pagdasal mo kami. Ang isang sanggol na nag-aaral maglakad, ilang beses natutumba at laging nadadapa. But will that keep him/her from learning to walk? Did that keep you from learning to? (Don't answer that question just yet)

I have failed many times. . .
so many times. . .
so many countless times. . .
a lot of so many countless times.

Even when I became a Christian, I was consistent in one thing - failing. I was consistently inconsistent. That's why you really can't call anyone inconsistent. Because even the most inconsistent person is consistent in being inconsistent. Get it? Ang mahirap kapag inconsistent siya sa pagiging inconsistent. Heheh! Ang gulo niyo! Okay, enough, I'm getting side-tracked off my topic already. Sooo, where was I? Oh yah - Failure. When I became a Christian last June 11, 2006. The day after the day after that (June 13), I failed my first test in godly living! Wow, right!? That's gotta be some king of record. Wala pang one week, palpak kagad! You can just imagine my frustration and disappointment on myself. You see, I had this false assumption that when you become a Christian, you will be instantly, completely, miraculously, and magically changed overnight! Satan placed thoughts in my mind telling me: "Whooo, paiyak-iyak ka pa nung Linggo (June 11), oh tingnan mo ngayon, babalik ka din sa akin, bwahahahaha!" (Haaay, ang mga kontrabida talaga, pangit na, bobz pa!). It would be nice to say that that was the first and last time I failed God's test. But it's simply not true. Back then, many times I would text my big brother messages like: "Kuya Allen please pray for me, I did it again." I remember telling him: "Di ko na talaga kaya! Ayoko na! Ang hirap magpakabanal!". I remember - I would often walk to my classroom feeling completely weak and discouraged because of a mistake I've committed, and then I would feel like that, and be like that for days. . .even for weeks. I would have given up. It would have been easier, right? But as I have mentioned in my previous posts, and I will gladly mention again and again: The Love that God has for us is So Great and unimaginable that He doesn't want us to remain defeated for long. And indeed, where can I go from His Presence? Lagi Niya 'kong hinahabol. Isipin mo yun! Hari ng mga hari! Panginoon ng buong universe, naghahabol sa 'tin! W-O-W!!! Bakit kamo? I dunno, but I believe! (God doesn't require us to understand all things, He just wants us to trust Him). His Love is unconditional, unparalleled, unending, everlasting, illogical, unfathomable and unimaginable! Can you imagine that?

- No you can't! unimaginable nga eh! heheh

So this is how it happened. Last year. . .

(to be continued)

How Do I Love Thee?

2008-04-25T22:50:00.000+08:00

I remember a poem back in highschool entitled How Do I Love Thee by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. In this poem, she tells of how much she loves her beau Robert Browning as "she counts all the ways"

I am sure all of us have experienced being in-love, or at least infatuated once in our existence. A person in-love doesn't care much of what others think of him. The only thing that concerns him and is significant for him is what his beloved [girl/lady] thinks of him. May sariling-mundo ika nga. All else simply become shadows in the light of their love (oha!). Lahat ng pagkaing nagpapaalala sa kanya sa kanyang mahal, sumasarap! Kahit mapait. Lahat ng lugar na pinuntahan nilang magkasama, kahit mabaho, nagiging masaya! At lahat ng tao nagiging maganda! Parang ang sarap tuloy mabuhay! Sabi nga nung isang kanta: "Kay sarap ng may minamahal". Yan ang in-love! Laging sabik! Magkasama na nga maghapon sa school, magka-text pa magdamag. Ang isang taong in-love, late matulog at sobrang aga magising kasi laging excited! Ang isang taong in-love napagkakamalang baliw kasi bigla-bigla na lang napapangiti. In short - hindi ito maitago-tago! Personally, wala akong naging crush na hindi nalaman/nabuking ng aking mga magulang at mga kapatid, totoo un! heheh. There's so much to talk about when it comes to this topic, we can talk about it all day.

One night (or midnight rather), Tito Felix (my favorite uncle) and I were talking. Nakarating ang conversation namin sa "second-coming" of our Lord Jesus Christ. He told me: "Zion, alam mo bang sa rapture, maraming Kristiyano ang maiiwan". To show him I know something (hihi), I responded: "Opo, kasi may mission Si Lord para sa kanila diba?". Then he said: "Bukod dun". So I asked him: "Ano po ibig niong sabihin?" He answered: "Kasi ang kukunin lang Ni Lord ay ung mga talagang in-love sa Kanya. It's the marriage of Jesus (bridegroom) and His Church (the virgin bride). Hindi ka pwedeng magpakasala kung 'di ka in-love". Those words immediately prompted me to think. "Oo nga noh" I said. I asked The Lord: "How much do I love Thee Lord?" Tito Felix added: "Malalim ang issue of idolatry. Hindi lang mga rebulto ang mga idols. Anything or anyone that steals God's Throne as Front & Center in your life is an idol". At this, napa-isip ulet ako so I asked: "Eh pa'no nio po maa-assess kung mas mahal nio na ang isang tao kaysa Kay Lord?". He answered: "I-kumpara mo, kung ang mga bagay na ginagawa mo para sa tao o bagay na yan ay ginagawa mo din Kay Lord, dapat higit pa dun ang para Kay Lord." At this, napa-analyze na talaga ko nang husto at nagtaka: "Why am I not as excited in my devotion as I am with playing NBA Live? Why am I not as excited in reading God's Love Letter (The Bible) as I am in reading certain people's blogs, friendster comments or text messages?" There's something wrong. It seems I'm forgetting the first and greatest commandment (Matt. 22:37).

But as I have mentioned previously, The Love that The Godhead (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) has for us is so Great that He doesn't want us to remain off-track.

God gave me a revelation of His Love yesterday, sa C.R. pa. hahah! Tawa ako nang tawa sa banyo as He made it clearer and clearer to me. Try to picture this: Imagine your girlfriend/boyfriend/crush so in love with you that there's nothing, absolutely nothing you can do to make him/her love you less. Imagine him/her leaning towards you and listening eagerly and attentively to what you have to say, to Your thoughts. That is how much our God loves us. That is how excited He is for us. Understatement pa nga yan kung tutuusin eh. In fact, He's so crazy for us that when His fellowship with us on the Garden of Eden ended, hindi Siya matahimik. He said: "OVER MY DEAD BODY (literally). I WON'T SPEND A DAY WITHOUT ZION, OR WITHOUT MARK, OR WITHOUT GRACE (put your name there)". This is where the phrase: JESUS, LOVER OF MY SOUL comes in (and is the front page of my devotional notebook right now). You see, if we would realize how much The God of the universe Loves us and how undeserving we are of That Love, then we would never have to feel unwanted or insecured ever again. This one single reason is for me, more than enough reason to eternally praise and worship This God.

So Go On. . . Don't be shy. . . Be in-Love!!! with The Author of Love Himself

- JESUS CHRIST

Pre-Camp Special: Part II

2008-04-20T05:35:00.000+08:00

[This is a follow-up article to the entry entitled Supernatural http://kzovercomer.blogspot.com/2008/04/supernatural.html]

Another form of shakening satan threw on us was on doubt. At the beginning of the preparations, some doubted whether we could raise up enough funds in such a short span of time. But as Kuya Allen said - The Lord will provide. Everything is by Faith.(I will talk more on this on the following entries) God intervened (we praise You Lord). Ang mura ng na-arkila naming bus (air-conditioned) and the funds for the camp-Huwell, sumobra lang naman, to the point na ni-refund pa ang P500 ng staff dahil sobra talaga ang nalikom naming kwarta. Yun ang OVERFLOW! hahahha, natatawa na lang talaga ko tuwing naaalala ko. Buliliaso na naman plano ng kaaway. hahahaha!

You will be hearing the word spontaneous from me more often, because that is what God is - spontaneous! He is Free! I experienced this first hand on the last Saturday befor the camp. I went to church because I know there was gonna be a practice for the Final Camp Promotion on Sunday. Ang Huling Pasabog as Joshua dubbed it. I went there to be a participant. What I didn't know was that I was gonna be one of the 3 people to lead the practice and to write part of the script. With God's help, na-memorize namin ang lines with the corresponding actions. We want to give people an unexpected-kind of presentation. For sure they would be expecting a dance number or a play (ganun kasi lagi ginagawa eh) so we came up with a Sabayang-Pagbigkas (speech choir) presentation na may rap sa huli. I cannot say that the presentation was perfect, dami nga naming mali eh, heheh, (di'ba Trish,) we had very limited time to practice kasi eh. But we can all definitely say that we all had fun. Pakapalan ng mukha sa mga actions. ;-> Biro ko nga sa kanila: "Minsan lang naman tayo sa isang taon mapahiya, samantalahin na natin!" and our motto was: "Nandito ka na lang din, i-todo mo na!!!" All those words, I think really helped motivate us, heheh.

Dito ko din napatunayan ung nasa Psalms 84:7 "from strength to STRENGTH". We presented the sabayang pagbigkas on all the 5 church services, round-the-clock, from 6 to 6, just as Tito Felix preached on all the services, sinabayan namin siya, hehe :-), ewan ko lang kung sinong mas pagod

Kung wala sa 'yo ang Holy Spirit, you'll definitely burn-out and complain. But the Joy of The Lord is our strength kaya hindi alintana ang pagod. And the best was really saved for last. Every service, paganda nang paganda ung naging presentations. We made the necessary adjustments that when we presented it on the last service, it was close to perfect na, :-)

Besides, before every presentation, corporate prayer muna, that's what made it successful, and then after everything, we just offered God a thanksgiving prayer for what He's done all throughout the day.

Haaaay, kala nio tapos na. . . akala ko nga din eh, pero we stayed pa sa church until 10:30pm to finish the final groupings of the tribes para sa Youth Camp kinabukasan, and then woke up early for the sunrise assembly,mga 5:30am lang naman, hindi naman gaano maaga, hindi naman, hehe. Salamat Lord sa strength.

Next stop. . . Lingayen! Whooo! :-)

Pre-Camp Special: Part I

2008-04-20T04:57:00.000+08:00

[This is a follow-up article to the entry entitled Supernatural http://kzovercomer.blogspot.com/2008/04/supernatural.html]

For me, one of the happiest part in any event is the preparations time. Sometimes, it's even more exciting than the event itself. Kumbaga, ung event, epekto na lang nung preparations. Agree ba? May nagsabi nga sa 'kin, sa isang boxing match daw, pagtapak pa lang sa ring ng dalawang boksingero, may panalo na - and that is the one who is more determined to win; the one who has spent more time and energy practicing and training, in short, the one more prepared.

This entry will not focus on how we prepared for the Summer Youth Camp, but more on the hindrances satan put on the staff team and how God enabled us to overcome them. Yup! Hindrances! Shakenings sabi nga ni Kuya A. Kahit nung simula pa lang ang dami ng issues of pride, pagmamalaki, at pangmamaliit. In short, the core team was not [yet] united. Si ganito may issue kay ganyan tapos si ganito naman 'di kumportable kay ganyan, etcetera, etcetera. Maging ako 'di na-excempt. In fact, it was during this period that I experienced one of the worst emotional bombardments in my 18 years of existence sa mundo. May kinainisan/kina bad-tripan/kinamuhian (heheh) akong tao,

hindi lang basta tao,

- youth

hindi lang basta youth,

- youth leader

hindi lang kung sinong youth leader,

- best friend ko pa sa church.

GANUN KATINDI !!!

I was confused, totally broken. This guy did not do or say anything [hurtful,etc] to me pero sobra siyang sinisiraan ni satan sa mind ko (demonyo talaga yang satanas na yan, hayop yan, wag kayong sasama jan), yan ang epekto 'pag kulang sa spiritual awareness, that we are in constant spiritual warfare, kaya mag-pray tayo, :-). It was very devastating to me. I don't know if you know how it feels. It was very hard 'coz I don't want to hate the person, but I just can't stop hating him. Hirap na hirap na ko to the point na wala na kong ginagawa sa prayer time ko kundi umiyak nang umiyak that God would bring back the innocence of our friendship. It really was an unwanted feeling. Dito ko nakitang mas mahirap palang maging may kinaiinisan kaysa maging kinaiinisan, gets? In english: It's harder to hate someone than to be hated by someone.

But God is so good that He doesn't want His children to remain under the yoke of slavery, so through God, the problem was resolved. Do you want to know how?

Really?

You wanna know?

Okay,

After praying, kinapalan ko mukha ko and I talked to the person. You really shouldn't keep a problem, hatred/bitterness to yourself. You need to open it up to God and to people. You shouldn't try to keep and hide it kasi lalaki yan. Ganun ako dati but taught me. Okay so back to the story. I opened it up to him, all out, not holding anything back. Usapang lalaki, usapang Kristiyano. I can say that our conversation was orchestrated by the Holy Spirit, kahit tanungin nio man ung tao.

As I let it out (fyi, wala pong iyakan na nangyari, kala ba naman nung isa kong kaibigan meron, ngek), great peace filled my heart as our friendship was renewed. Now I understand, satan is jealous and threatened by our tandem. This blessed person and I are partners in the Faith. We have done a lot of things together, and apparently satan is not happy, so he's trying to attack our relationship. That is so like satan, walang magawa kundi to steal, kill and destroy (Pesteng kaaway!). Actually, this person (not satan ha) was the one who discipled me when I first joined the 3:30 family. I partly owe my spiritual growth to him. Naturally speaking, wala kong kuya, but I look to him as my Big Brother in the Faith.

That is just one of the issues overcome thru and with God. When we, the camp staff had our corporate prayer and fasting 3 days before the camp, there was an overload of testimonies, mga kuwento ng mga struggles na napagtagumpayan, apparently hindi lang ako, heheh. Lam nio, we should really be joyful and glad in the midst of trials and problems, simple lang kasi eh- no battle, no victory. Ayun!

God gave me a lot of Golden Revelations in this experience, two of them are:

that we are in constant spiritual warfare. In a battle, you must always be ready to fight, you can't afford to close your eyes or even blink, kundi tepok ka! Same thing with our spiritual life.
Through God's Eyes - look on yourself and on others the way God sees you and them. Do not focus on imperfections. Do not look for perfect people,that's a foolish thing to do, you'll only be disappointed. Eyes on Jesus.

May God give you deeper revelations on this one. :-)

SUPERNATURAL

2008-04-20T02:38:00.000+08:00

Anak ng. . .(heheh). Lagpas 3 weeks na pala kong 'di nagba-blog. Honestly 'di ko talaga napansin. Time passes quickly talaga when you have a lot of things to do, and even more quickly when you're enjoying the things you do. Agree?

Okay. . .Hello!!! Mabuhay!!! Coming off from a blog-fast, what better way to break the silence than by telling you of the wonders. . . . .what!? Yup! WONDERS - that our God did this Summer Camp '08. Because if I would be asked to describe this year's camp (even though it's pretty close to being indescribable, :-> ) in one word, it would be: Supernatural! Well maaaring sabihin ng iba: "Whooo, ang babaw naman ng kaligayahan mo". Maybe, maybe not, I dunno, all I know is I was amazed of what my God did. God moved, God intervened. He came, He saw, He conquered!

I think it wouldn't be a good idea to compress all the testimonies/stories in a single entry, baka mainip lang kayo, tapos 'di nio na balikan 'tong site na 'to, ayoko namang mangyari un diba, ;-) so I will make it 1-2 story/stories per post.

And as I write/type every word of every entry, I pray oh God that You would lead me that I may narrate Your works the way You want it to be narrated, nothing more, nothing less, that only Your Name be lifted up, amen.

Here goes:

The official youth camp preparations started about the last week of February. Spongebob. . .I mean-Kuya Allen :-) was the appointed and anointed camp director for this year (I call him King Allen). Say "Hi!" Kuya A! The theme of this year's camp is Jesus' C.R.Y. - The Call for Radical Youth. Pastor Allen came up with the title last December 2007. Actually, he has been teaching me about being radical simula nang ako'y bagong salta sa JCSGO. Glad to know na buhay na buhay pa rin ang revelation sa kanya, ganun dapat.

This will be my second youth camp and I'm just blessed and truly privileged to be chosen as part of the core team-the staff, and to work with such very talented, hardworking, and humble young people (ahem! hehe). Allow me to acknowledge them because they deserve it:

Camp Director: Allen Elefano

Asst. Camp Director: JB Cortez

Finance Committee:

Kecia Llanita

Melvin Escalora

Jocelyn Alcantara

Head Counselors:

Karl Zion Remojo

Ruby Rose Resuello

Registration:

Micah Reyes

Josephine Dimalanta

Program Committee:

Chari-nelle Flores

Micah Basco

Arlo Llanita

Logistics:

Jhomar Lim

Ma. Ysabelle Flores

Darrell Navarro
Promotion Team:

Meg Rentoria

Miriam Joshua Fulgencio

Emmanuel Mamaril

Worship Team:

Aiza Llanita

Rodlyn Biag

Marlon Alcantara
Kyle Caneta

Food (Committee):

Grace Valencia

Sila ang mga taong nagbuhos ng pawis, laway, salapi, lakas, oras at dugo (yup, meron talagang mga dinugo, nagkasugat-sugat, nosebleed, etc) literally. :-)

As an introduction to the stories to follow: I "SAW" (it's one thing to know and another thing to see) that the Holy Spirit is FREE, we really can't and shouldn't try to put God in a box, in other words - pangunahan Siya or else, we will only find ourselves fighting against God Himself. Very spontaneous is His movement that we need to adjust to Him, modify our plans to let His Power flow. We should adjust to Him, not the other way around. During the camp, the set program was not totally followed, not everything happened as planned. We could plan all we want pero ang katuparan ay sa Diyos pa rin.

That was just an appetizer. Now seat back, relax, bring out your popcorns and may these [true] stories boost your faith that Jehovah may be Glorified.

DAY 2

2008-03-27T00:49:00.000+08:00

2nd entry:

hmmm, thank goodness! it was just a harmless animal, though i don't think i have seen something like it before. it was too big to be a rat, but too small to be a cat. or maybe, just maybe, 'twas juz my imagination, never thought i still have one. hmmm, it must be the mist, it's all around the place, a strange mist indeed.

it's the second day now that mother's not in the house, thankfully enough, we survived another 24 hours. once again, i hope i cud say the same for the next ones.

nothing seems safe around here. we had nothing but froglets for breakfast, lunch and supper. no sign of any fat boar. dad cooked it, (don't let me describe it, you won't bear it). though it was better than nothing.

this afternoon, in search for a brook, spring, or river, i took a walk along the forest while dad and kim stayed in the tent i wish i had stayed in the tent too, o how i wish i did, but then again, i would have died of curiousity had i not ventured into the unknown woods.

as i was walking on the thick grass, i stumbled on what seems to be a tree root, though the closest tree was ten meters away. whether it was a tree root or simply a cut branch, i don't know. and whatever it was, it was gone now. i then found myself lying on a very unnatural turf. unnatural in a sense that the grass in that area was colored purple.as if by some enchantment, i was attracted to its color. i don't know how long i have been staring in it, but as i did, i felt a variety of "difficult feelings". i found it hard to breathe as is something is squeezing my heart, i felt angry, though i don't know why. i felt lonely, sad, yet elated. i desired to feel contentment and happiness, but in that place and in front of that strange grass, i just can't, i simply can't. i remembered that SomeOne once told me not to dwell in those kinds of feelings. i tried to stand up, it was hard! it would have been easier to remain lying there. it would have been easier to give up trying to stand, or walk, i felt so exhausted. i closed my eyes, and finally, managed to stand, i'm on my two feet again!

i walked for what seems an hour. then, i was definitely lucky to find a small pool. but it was no ordinary pool, a strange pool it was, the strangest one i have ever seen. 'coz when i looked down into it, instead of seeing a reflection of my face, i saw things, past things, past events that my heart seems to long for, i saw a friend, a friend whom i wish i could have back. i also saw a loved one, she seemed to have changed, it made me wish i could talk to her, but she was very far away, yet in the pool, she seems so real. i looked to the pool for hours and hours, i can't take my gaze from it. it made me remember past things, things that i have forgotten, it made me long for them. but the more i long for them, the more i feel sad and lonely. i tried to drink from it but the water was very bitter-bitter as a sugarless coffee. that's enough to turn me off.

it was getting dark by now so i decided to go back (kim and dat would be disappointed if i tell them i found no water) it was a miracle though that i didn't find it hard to return to the tent. it was strange, but i'm just glad to be back. i feel so tired. but gotta stay watch until 3. ahhh, my stomach aches..............

DAY 1

2008-03-26T00:35:00.000+08:00

Shhhhhhh. . .

Quiet. .. .

Let me tell you something. . .

My mom's not around, she's not home, and won't be back 'till Sunday afternoon. She and Kish went with my aunt to Alaminos.

Shhhhhh

I know,

It sounds cool, right? But I realized that living in a house without mom is like camping in the wilderness and can be very dangerous.......tsk,tsktsk, very dangerous indeed

Any minute, we could run out of water to drink, or food to eat, or. . . or. . . or wood to cook food,
not to mention the wild animals. . .lurking. . .waiting for us to go to sleep. . . and then. . . . . who knows!

Hmmmmm, so far we made it thru one day, I hope I can say the same for the remaining days. Our food supply (the ones mom left) are almost gone, and who's gonna cook? dad? forget it!, we need to hunt for food, there's probably a wild boar in this woods and not too far from the camp, uhhg! we need to get up early tomorrow, try to find it, and if we're lucky, a well, or a spring.

I wonder if there are any savages in this part of the woods, hmmmp, better stay watch, dad and I are taking turns you know, I'm up until 3.

shhhh,

do you hear that?

a sound in the grass. .. . a sound of. . .. . of footsteps,

shhhh, it's coming closer, it's a. .. .. . it's a . .. .

Youth Camp '08 Counselor's Training and Other Matters

2008-03-25T23:20:00.000+08:00

The Youth Camp participants will be divided into 20 groups called tribes with 7-8 members each. The tribes will be governed/led/ruled (heheh) by 20 outstanding, radical and hand-picked leaders known as Counselors.

Of course they would first have to undergo a strict, pain-inducing, bone-breaking, mind-twisting, extensive military training....er something like that. :-)

The Training Session

The first training session was held last Friday, March 21, in which I was the speaker. My partner Ruby and I prepared a "get to know each other" game to break the ice. It was fun! Two of the girls emerged as winners (mahiya naman tayo boys!heheh).

And then it was lecture time. I started by defining what a counselor is and what he/she should be. Secondly, I talked to them regarding the Dos and Don'ts of a Counselor - "The 10 Commandments of Counselling" as I dubbed it. Lastly, I shared to them the difference between a Leader and a Boss.

It was exciting. Exciting in a way that I get a chance to share all what I have learned on my last year's camp experience, being a tribe-counselor myself at that time: Nandyan ang mga members na pasaway and others that are just plain-KJ, iba't ibang scenario, etc, etc. It was a perfect opportunity to share to them what I have learned. Glory to God!

What made it more exciting was the fact that these are a new breed of counselors, and you can see and feel the excitement (at the same time nervousness) in their faces. Ang pinakamasarap talagang turuan- mga first timers, kasi willing na willing silang matuto because they know that they know nothing yet.

I'm so blessed to have spoken in front of this group of young people (btw 11/20 came): the high-spirits of Alvin; the heart of Anthony; the enthusiasm of Poi; the humility of Ghil, Joy and Edison; the talent of Kate; the obedience of Kim and Mai-mai; the passion and submission of Pau; and the great faith of Rodney (yup, Great Faith!).

It was a blessed crowd of people. . . of leaders. . . of young leaders. Each with a great potential, each unique and everyone - I believe, yes I believe - ANOINTED.

What happened before that

What happened before the session itself was far more important and it would be a shame if I won't share it:

When I have finished rehearsing my topic, I felt sure and confident enough - probably over-confident - that I could deliver it well. As I walk to the church (it's hardly a kilometer away from our house), I felt excited to deliver "my" topic "my" lecture, the one "I" have prepared for. But as I went to the Evangel Hall, I felt rather different. I felt a general weakness come over my whole body and felt as if there were indeed butterflies in my stomach. In short - KABA! Yup, bigla po kong kinbahan, at pinagpawisan ng malamig. I quickly rushed to Ptr. Romy's office to compose myself, relax, tumikim ng air-con and to pray. As I was talking to my God, I realized that I depended on my own strength. It's as if I heard God say: "Kitam, kung 'di ka pa kinabahan, 'di ka pa lalapit sa 'Kin". I quickly remembered what Kuya Allen said, and this was roughly exactly how he said it (heheh): "Accdg to psychologists, ang konting kaba is healthy and helpful." Well it was pretty helpful to me! God also reminded me of one of my most favorite verses ( I have a lot of favorites): Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path". With that, I found courage and headed back to the hall. And guess what! Nakasalubong ko si Ptr. Romy, and so I told him what I feel: "Ptr, kinakabahan po 'ko". At ang nakakatuwa dito, he told me the same things that God revealed to me in his office, only this time, I heard the words loud and clear. He told me: "Zion, maganda yang ganyan para 'di ka sa lakas mo magtiwala. 'Pag 'di ka na nakakaramdam ng kaba, dun ka kabahan!" . Hahaha, oo nga noh! It was very comforting for me to know that Ptr. Romy and I are united in spirit, mag-ama nga talaga kami! (spiritually speaking). So he prayed for me right there and then. Now my courage was doubled and my confidence- UP again! Only this time, it's in the right place na, or rather, Right Person. The session started, the result - Testimonies for the Glory of God. (I think I'll just post them on another entry, baka mainip na ang nagbabasa nito, hehe)

ONCE AGAIN, ANO PA NGA BA - TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!

(awww, my first blog entry with pictures, very touching, nakakaiyak, i'm so proud of it, hahahaha, nyak!!!)

The First Step

2008-03-19T02:29:00.000+08:00

In basketball (and if you're a basketball player, you probably know what I mean), we have what we call "the first step" wherein the offensive player (the one with the ball) looks straight at his defender, apparently reads his mind, and then in a flash, leaves him using a quick first step to drive to the basket for a lay-up.

Kanina lang, God reminded me of the importance of the first step as he gave me that analogy on basketball. We have all heard of that famous saying na madalas sinsabe sa mga speech ng valedictorian: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". We have also heard of the popular slogan: "The hardest thing to do is to begin". Alam ko gasgas na 'tong mga quotes/sayings/one-liners (or whatever they are) na 'to but they are indeed very true. I can say that based on experience.

I heard God's voice clearly in my mind saying: "Sa'yo ang first step anak" . I was immediately challenged! Natauhan ako! It was like He was telling me: "Hindi ko gagawin yan (first step) para sa 'yo. I'm not going to spoil you, trabaho mo yan". The first step, only the first step, is ours. The rest belongs to God.

I have experienced this so many times before. First, in making my assignments. Naranasan nio na ba ung ayaw niong umpisahan ang isang homework, di nio masimulan kasi parang kukulangin kayo ng time para matapos un, but when you begin to do it, and afterwards finished it, you realized that it wasn't as hard as you thought. In fact it was enjoyable pa pala.

Secondly, sa chores. Dati (a long long time ago, hehe), when I was supposed to clean my room because it was so disorganized, parang ayokong simulan kasi parang 'di kasya ung araw. But when I started to put this here, and to place that there, etc,etc, parang ayokong nang tumigil. And when I finished, I was like: "O ano, nasan pa, ano pa gagawin?" hahahaha.

Huwell, that's the Law of Momentum my friends (accdg. to John Maxwell). Momentum is the leader's best friend. But momentum, just like anything else, doesn't just come with the stroke of a wand, it is achieved, using the first step of course.

Then finally - with my prayer life (I say this to all Christians out there). Many times I have told myself: "Magpe-pray ako, Magpe-pray ako, Magpe-pray ako, but actually ended up sleeping and then waking up, realizing . . .wahahaha!!! (I hate those times). That was due to my lack of determination to do the first step. Yun na nga lang gagawin ko, 'di ko pa magawa. Kasi, as God made me realize, the moment you take that first step to sit/kneel/stand quietly alone with God, and start to open your mouth to sing/pray to Him, Holy Spirit na ang bahala sa following events. Tuluy-tuloy na un! You will find yourself praying for the things you didn't even know you should pray for.

"Draw near to Me, and I will draw near to you" (James 4:8) Remember the Jordan River incident, when the Israelites crossed over Jordan on dry ground? (Joshua chapter 3) The river stopped flowing only after the priest stepped into the rushing current. The piling up of the waters (defying the laws of gravity) was God's doing, but the step of faith was man's work. See.

I wrote this primarily to remind myself of this revelation, secondly to help others who in a way , has the same struggle. May God give you deeper revelations on this one. :-)

P-R-A-M-I-S

2008-03-15T11:24:00.000+08:00

Kanina I was checking out the award-winning blog site of one of my most favorite NBA Superstars -Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards (yeah! mabuhay ka Agent Zero!). Man! Ang dami niyang blogs, tapos nakakatuwa pa mga entries niya! I love the way he narrates his views. Then it occurred to me, tutal may blog site na din lang ako dito sa blogger.com, why not make the most of it diba? Lakas talaga ng impluensya ng mga NBA players sakin, hmmm, buti nga naging Christian na ko, kasi before I even IDOLIZE them! hahaha, oo, I talk, walk, dress up, and act the way my favorite players do. Tapos nalaman ko masama pala ung idolatry, hehehe, BADJUN!

Okay so anyways, I started blogging in this site last July 2007, with the invitation of my long lost. . .and found childhood friend-Jezreel, who is by the way, currently/as of now/sa kasalukuyan my one and only reader in this site,excluding myself of course, heheh (hello Jez, kamusta ka jan?wazzup wazzup?hahaha). Since then, nakapag-post ako ng TUMATAGINTING na PITONG blog entries! hahaha, o diba san ka pa! Tapos un nga, "bakit di ko pa samantalahin?" sabi ko sa isip ko. Di kasi ko mahilig magbukas ng net, ewan, kakatamad. But I realized that aside from the fact that blogging can be very enjoyable and fun, it would enable me to reach more and influence more people for Jesus. The world wide web is really a very effective medium. If a lot of people (including me BEFORE) use it for evil purposes, why not use it for the Glory of God diba? DIBA!? YEAH! JESUS ROCKS!

Kaya simula ngayon, I, Karl Zion M. Remojo, promise to publish at least one post per week in this blog site, whatever the circumstances are, so help me God, hehehe.

Do you think I can do it? Can I be consistent and faithful to my vow, hahaha, I think I can, 1 post per week lang naman eh.

That's it for now, this is Kei Zee Remojo, reporting live from blogspot.com. :-)

"Dang"

2008-03-14T22:35:00.000+08:00

I told y'all this is gonna be a great day! Via LRT, I arrived at UST at around 8:30am for my final duty in the hospital as a second year student. One week na lang 3rd year na ko! Awooooooo! Actually, this was a make-up duty (make-up as in to "make up" for a deficiency, hindi make-up na blush-on and lipstick ha, hehehe, corny!), haaaay tayo talaga gumagawa ng mga problema natin. But anyways, I was assigned to the Out Patient Department, Pediatrics Division (puro kidz), wherein the nurse's job is to get the health history and vital signs of the patient and then hand it over to the doctor afterwards. So I did a couple of interviews with a couple of parents, grandparents, etc, etc, bla bla bla, chu, chu, chu, eklaber, chubaekek.

And then I found this girl sleeping with her head on her mother's lap. The child was skinny. I approached the mother and found out that the child's name is Maria Crizzalynne Regacho, nicknamed "Dang" (anong konek?hehe). She has a Koch's infection (this is a bacterial infection, TB, parang ganun). I checked her vital signs (heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature). They were all within normal range. Tapos tinimbang ko siya and MAN! 19.6 kg! BTW, she's 9 years old and that is NOT the normal weight of a 9-year old girl. Ako nga nung 9 ako, 40 kilos na ko eh, heheh. She's definitely malnourished. Eh kaya naman pala, eh ang hirap daw pakainin sabi ng nanay. So I talked to the kid, at first, she was unresponsive and seemed a little bit shy. Pero later on di ko narealize, nakikipagkwentuhan na pala ko sa kanya, in a very casual manner! I laughed, she laughed, smiled, giggled, etc. Nalimutan kong 18 na ko, heheh. I then found out that she's studying in a Christian school, third grade. I'm from a Christian school myself (nursery-kinder) so I asked her some questions on Bible characters and Bible verses which btw, she was not able to answer. Eh kaya naman pala, wala daw silang Bible sa bahay, so I promised to give her a Children's Christian Book tomorrow, and she was so excited, her face evidently brightened up when I told her that :-). Then I also found out that she loves to surf the net and was very fong of youtube and friendster.com. SUSMARYOSEP na bata 'to! 9 years old , daig pa ko sa kompyuter, hmmp! heheh. "Aba'y ala eh, mga bata nga naman talaga sa kapanuhan ngayon" ehem, hahah. So we exchanged e-mail addresses. "Add mo ko ha" - I told her.

As her nurse, I was shocked when I found out that she HATES vegetables. "Ayoko ng gulay!" sabi niya. I asked: "Bakit?" "kasi nung kumain ako ng gulay, nagkasakit ako eh :-(" she responded. So I told her: "Nagkataon lang yun, 'pag kumain ka ng gulay, lalo ka pang gaganda kasi pampaganda ng skin at hair yun. Tsaka pano ka magiging nurse nian diba?" Tapos tumawad pa: "Carrots lang. . ." tsk! batang ire! hehehe.

Her tuberculin test was NEGATIVE, thank GOD! Then it's finally time to say "goodbye". Hmmmp, I hate "goodbyes", I really do! When I first saw her, she was sleepy/drowsy and a little gloomy but as she leaves, she was walking gracefully as she was singing. "Thank you kuya" she said. I waved at her and headed to the library to blog about what happened.

Well I realized that God has given children: infants, toddlers, preschoolers and schoolers alike, something they haven't asked for and what most people (I think) desire the most - THE GIFT OF INNOCENCE. :-)

ARE YOU MAN ENOUGH?

2008-02-13T18:21:00.000+08:00

What makes a man? What is The Measure of a Man? When can you say that someone really is a MAN?

Back in gradeschool, I often feel insecure everytime there's someone smarter, more good-looking (thank goodness there was none, mwahaha!) or someone better than me. Lalo na kapag yung lalaking yun ay napakahilig kausapin at dikitan ang crush ko, (hmMMPPPP!!!)

I ask some of my friends about their opinions regarding the question on the first paragraph. One said that a man is measured by his COURAGE, still another said by his TOUGHNESS, and another (a girl) by his TRUTHFULNESS (nakz!). One very intelligent (ehem!) classmate of mine answered (probably trying to avoid any biases): "A man is measure by the kind of woman who loves him." Grabeh ang tindi, 'di kinaya ng powers ko yun ah.

Pero pa'no nga ba talaga nasusukat ang isang lalaki, ito ba'y. . . . .

- base sa kung gaano kalaki ang mga mus-kels niya?
- base sa kung gaano karaming girls ang kaya niyang paiyakin?
- base sa kung ilang hollow-blocks ang kaya niyang tibagin?
- base sa kung ilang barako ang kaya niyang patumbahin?
- base sa kung gaano kalaking barbell ang kaya niyang angatin?
- base sa kung gaano siya ka-talented, kayaman, o ka-sikat?

Before you answer those questions, listen to. . . or rather, read this song first (hirap makahanap ng downloadable complete version ng song na 'to sa net eh,soir):

THE MEASURE OF A MAN

This world can analyze and size you up
And throw you on the scales
They can IQ you and run you through
Their rigorous details
They can do their best to rate you
And they'll place you on their charts
And then back it up with scientific smarts
Bur there's more to what your worth
Than what their human eyes can see

CHORUS
Oh I say the measure of a man
Is not how tall you stand
How wealthy or intelligent you are
Cause I found out the measure of a man
God knows and understands
For He looks inside to the bottom of your heart
And what's in the heart defines
The measure of a man

II
Well you can doubt your worth
And search for who you are and where you stand
But God made you in His image
When He formed you in his hands
And He looks at you with mercy
And He sees you through His love
You're His child and that will always be enough
For there's more to what you're worth
Than you could ever comprehend

CHORUS

BRIDGE
You can spend your life pursuing physical perfection
There is so much more, more than ever meets the eye
For God looks through the surface
And He defines your worth by, what is on the inside

Ang ganda 'diba. . .

Therefore, a man is measured:

- by how firm he is in sticking up with the Truth, at the same time humble enough to admit his mistakes

- not by how many women he can induce to fall in-love with him, but by how much he can love the woman of his life and be faithful to her forever

- not by his Personality, but rather, by his Character

- not by his Eloquence, but by his Truthfulness

A man is measured not by what he thinks of himself or what others think of him, but by what God tells of him. . .

Now let me ask you (if you're a male):

ARE YOU MAN ENOUGH!?

i tHinK i'M iN LovE.....aGaiN?

2008-02-12T12:34:00.000+08:00

BakiT bA kiTa LaGinG iniiSip LaTeLy?
BAkIT ba LaGi aKonG maSaYa paG iniiSip kiTa?
BakiT ba napApAnGiTi AkO EveRyTime gNagaWa Ko uN?
bAkiT guSto kOnG kinAkAusAp kA LaGi?
BakiT guSto KoNG tiNitinGnaN LaGi PiCtuReS mO?

SiGuro in-LoVe aKO saYo, SiGuRo LanG, ewAn, maYbe, DuNnO, sLighT, no, TotaLLy, uHHhm, cgE 70%, no, 80, . .. . 50 na Nga LanG

Ano Ba DapAt KonG gaWin:

Am I suPpoSe tO GiVe in anD faLL foR you?
Or maYbe I shOuLd waiT tiLL iT's TimE?
Or mAybe i SHouLD juST foRget AbouT thiS feELinG (foRget The feELinG, not yOU) anD preTenD iT diD noT hapPen? BeFoRe tHinGs geT comPLicaTed anD uGLY (juSt LikE whAt haPpENed The LasT tiME)

PeRO baKit iBa ngaYon?

No, seRiouSLy, iBA taLaga!

ProMiSe!

kAsi eVeryTime i ThinK oF u, LaLo akoNG nai-inSpiRe maG seRve KaY LORD (alThouGh i don'T waNT to bAse my TruE FaiTH anD inSpiraTion in u-thAt caN coME fROm GOD aLonE), TaPos tuwinG iniiSip kiTa LaLo koNG ginaGanaHan mag-AraL aT maGsiPag,

yoU maKe mE waNnA Go To sLeeP exTra Late, and Then MaKe mE gEt uP on My feEt veRy eArLy. yOU maKe mE waNnA iMproVe mySeLf anD be BEtTeR. don'T knOW hOw u Do iT, buT u dO.

BakiT ba KO nae-ExciTe eVeryTimE wE taLk,?etc.
baKiT ba Ko naE-eXciTe haBanG tina-tyPe ko 'To?

baBaSahiN mO kaYa To?
oR kuNG maBasa Mo mAn, makaka-seNse ka KayAng iKaW 'To?
maLaLamAn mO kaYanG iKAw 'To?
paG naLamaN mO kaYa, maTuTuwa, maGagaLit, maba-boTher, maiiniS o masha-shoCk ka KAyA?? o deDma LanG.??

heHE, CgE na Nga NeXT tiME na LanG uLet, paGod na Ko mAgtyPE, tsaKa nExt SubjEct na NAmiN, hehe, baBAY!!!

The Warrior is a Child

2008-02-11T12:25:00.000+08:00

When my Christian friends and churchmates talk of me, they say things like: "Yang si Zion, spiritually mature"; "strong in the faith yan"; "malakas Kay Lord". My best friend at school told me once: "Buti ka pa, lakas ng faith mo, tatag mo". Even my tribe mates last camp view me as a strong leader and my sisters often complain that I'm an authoritarian "daw"!

Huwell, that's how they see me. I see myself quite the opposite. Ayoko sanang magdrama dito (because the truth is, sa harap ng Diyos ko lang talaga ako umiiyak) but I want to make this known because. . .

They don't know that I come running home when I fall down

They don't know who picks me up when no one is around

I drop my sword and C.R.Y. for just a while

'Coz deep inside this armor, the warrior is a child

That's who I am-a weak child, a crier, a sobber, a Christian and . . .

When I say I'm a Christian, I'm not saying I'm perfect,

I'm wretched, that's why I need a Savior

I'm poor, that's why I need a Provider

I'm weak, that's why I need Jesus

I will boast of one thing though, and I will boast about this with all my heart. I boast of God's Grace in me, His unconditional mercy and love, His patience and faithfulness in me, not because of who I am, but because of what He's done, not because of what I've done, but because of who He is! At dahil jan, I will gladly boast of my weaknesses!

2007-08-28T16:39:00.000+08:00

Okay, since this is my first blog entry in this site, i'm gonna make it as good as possible. hahaha. I can't think of a better strory to tell than this one (i'm gonna try to write it in "pure english" so please bear with me, mwahahahahaha). This strory is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. (so help me God)

August 27, 2006 was the day, no classes (thanks to our beloved president, MABUHAY KA GLORIA!) to give way for the celebration of the National Heroes Day (although i think nobody really did celebrate it, how sad). The night before, Kuya Allen and I decided to celebrate his success in retaking the nursing board exam (due to the leakage issue) by evangelizing to "lost souls" (hahaha). I quikly suggested that we visit the malls and start preaching the word of God there.

What's more exciting about this plan was that Kuya Allen and I admitted that we're still afraid and not that bold in preaching God's Word, especially on a place like a mall!! We don't have anything except God's promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us. So, knowing and believing God's Word, we swallowed our fears and doubts and just obeyed. Hallelujah! this is so exciting!

After praying,we took off to "take the plunge". After all, what's the worse that could happen? I admit that I was a little bit discouraged at first, with the first few people that we talked to and tried to convince. The first person I talked to was so unresponsive, even to a question answerable by nothing but "yes or no". But we did not lose heart, not to mention that we were rejected twice.

We met different kinds of people, with different ideas and with the Power of the Holy Spirit at work, we told them about God's Love (Hallelujah, this is so exciting!). The longer we stay in the mall to evangelize, the braver and more courageous we became, we started to feel very very confident because God is with us and believe it or not, we don't wanna stop. The best part was talking to young people like us, youths. It was really exciting because we can relate to them. We invited all of them to our church and prayed for them (not minding all the people staring at us). We left the mall at 5pm and our hearts are overflowing with joy and a sense of victory. It's as if our spirits our saying (where's your power now, spirit of shame?!) God really is fatihful to his promise 'cause the mission was a success.

I've learned a lot that day. I learned that God will use you and train you where you are weak because His Strength is made perfect in our weakness. As we speak with the people, i can't help but laugh deep inside, being amazed of what's happening, how we are able to do this. By ourselves, we couldn't have done that, no! no! no! But the power of God is just too Great. To Him be all the Glory

(never again will i attempt to write a blog in pure english, hahaha, at least not for now)

Mr. Bean -he's more than just a funny man

2007-08-28T16:34:00.000+08:00

We all know him, he never cease to make us smile, lagi na lang natin siyang pinagtatawanan, nilalait madalas, kinaiinisan din minsan. ung mamang may malaking nunal sa pisngi tapos parang di nagbibihis, laging may hawak hawa na stuff toy, tapos nakiatira sa isang simpleng apartment at may kotseng ubod ng cute! o kilala niyo na?? cguro naman noh, ksi nasa title na! hehe

But behind the innocent and sarcastic smile of this man, lies a very amazing lesson and realization. Consider him, he has no friends (except Irma and teddy). He also doesn't seem to have a family anymore. He lives solo in a little apartment and we don't even know where he gets his cash. But look at him, he's always happy, aren't you wondering why. He never fails to find happiness and joy in almost everything, no matter how small or complicated they are: from a non-living teddy to the queen of England.

Think about it, he always see the value and importance of things. Also, he always have good intentions- remember when he tried to recover a stolen painting and rescue a mole from being smashed? And his ideas, they're brillant! ikaw ba naman makaisip gumawa ng lobster from a set of carrots, o kitam!

He's not the most talented guy, not even the most thoughtful person, and definitely not the most good-looking man. pero totoo siyang tao. tahimik lang yang si mr. bean pero pag nakilala mo yan..hmmmp. heheh

Anyways, sana may natutunan tayo sa kanya,. i would love to hear your comment about this, kung talagan mahal mo xa. . . . ngek! bwahahahahah