all around me

"His banner over me is love."

   - Song of Songs

"His faithfulness sings over me."

   - Hallelujah

"The Lord your God is with you
he is mighty to save.
He takes great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."

   - Zephaniah

Amazing

Amazing
by Aerosmith


I kept the right ones out
And let the wrong ones in
Had an angel of mercy
To see me through all my sins
There were times in my life
When I was goin' insane
Tryin' to walk through the pain

And when I lost my grip
And I hit the floor
Yeah, I thought I could leave
But couldn't get out the door
I was so sick n' tired
Of livin' a lie
I was wishing that I would die

It's amazing
With the blink of an eye
You finally see the light
Oh it's amazing
When the moment arrives
You know you'll be alright
Yeah it's amazing
And I'm saying a prayer
For the desperate hearts tonight

That one last shot's a Permanent Vacation
And a how high can you fly with broken wings
Life's a journey - not a destination
And I just can't tell just what tomorrow brings

You have to learn to crawl
Before you learn to walk
But I just couldn't listen
To all that righteous talk oh yeah
I was out on the street
Just tryin' to survive
Scratchin' to stay alive

It's amazing
With the blink of an eye
You finally see the light
Oh it's amazing
When the moment arrives
That you know you'll be alright
Oh it's amazing
And I'm saying a prayer
For the desperate hearts tonight


"So, from all of us at Aerosmith
To all of you out there, wherever you are.
Remember- the light at the end of the tunnel
May be you. Goodnight!"

for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes

"I thank You God for this most amazing day,
for the leaping greenly spirits of trees,

and for the blue dream of sky
and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes."

- e.e. cummings :)

And a special thanks to Aspen Corp. of Caloocan City, which used that quote on the notebook I'm currently using. :)

Not all who wander are aimless

Not all who wander are aimless

especially those who seek truth

beyond tradition

beyond definition

beyond the image.

- from "Mona Lisa Smile"

How often must my heart be broken?

My heart is broken

(once again),

how many times must this happen?

As many times

(I felt Him say),

as you chase your false heavens

You see, when you run after what's fleeting

You lose your very soul

But the more you give your heart to Me

The more you receive it, whole

officially empty

Today, October 4 2010, I am officially wiped out.

!

I have just done the modern-day equivalent of jumping off a cliff, or walking into a coliseum of hungry lions.

I am completely in God's hands now. Well, am I not always? But now, in the eyes of the world, where security is measured by one's bank account, I am in deeep trouble. (Perhaps the world would advise me to pray.)

My feelings betray me. So I still worship money, it seems. Because I am not afraid of sharing my faith in "restricted" nations, but I am afraid of losing my wallet. Because I need to claim God's covering as my security, when it has been there all along. Because my act of faith did not really lie in my being parted with my last peso, but in my attitude - do I trust God now, when I am completely, for the first time in my adult life, penniless?

Gah! Jumping off a cliff or walking into a lions' den still feels like an adventure, but not this. But why not? Why shouldn't it be an adventure? :)

I just came from the housewarming party of newlyweds Mark and Love Llena. I remember them testifying of how God provided for them, for big and small expenses cropping up even during the wedding... 

Specifically I am encouraged by Mark's words: "I wonder how God will meet this need..."

That's it. God helping me out is a given. (To ALL who ask, it shall be given.) He has already given me the security of eternal life while giving me fullness of life right now, He is restoring me to reflect His glory even more, He is revealing His plans and giving me strength to obey them. And yes, time and again, through different people and circumstances, He has given me money.

What's so different about today, and this area of life?

(Nothing.)

So I shall go to sleep, with my heart resting in my God. And tomorrow, I will work. God is great, God is good, God is in control... And God will provide.




And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
"Give me a light, that I may tread safely into the unknown!"
And he replied:
"Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way."

So, I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night
And He led me toward the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.

So, heart, be still!
What need our little life,
Our human life, to know,
If God hath comprehension?
In all the dizzy strife
Of things both high and low
God hideth His intention.
 
- Marie Louise Haskins, "The Desert"

With my heart and with my wallet... I trust in the Lord.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord. - Colossians 3:23a

In God We Trust. - United States money

Yes, yes, I will trust in God.

I will trust in God as I work. (!)

I will trust in God as I not earn money. (!)

I will work with all my heart and with all my mind, trusting that God will provide.

(Aaaaaah!)