Bad Eye Day

This week I have an infected lower eyelid. Last week it was the upper lid of my other eye. I'd love to show some pictures but, let's keep those disturbing images to ourselves  ;)

So what's the cause? Allergies? Fatigue? Malnutrition (!) ?

Sin?

Filipino folklore says a person gets an eyelid cyst or sty from peeping around. So I'm already used to someone cracking that joke when they see me with a "bad eye". Then I'll come up with a witty retort...

But these past few days I do feel God drawing me gently towards Him again. Thank God I still feel Him. Thank God He does not let go but He does not force anyone to love Him either.

I've been busy. But that's not an excuse. One's hands can be busy but still have a heart, mind, and soul connected to God, our One True Love. It's humbling to admit that I have to be "forced" to STOP moving, to experience the lack of joy in going after anything else, before turning back to Him. 

I had to apologize, and I need to claim His forgiveness. 


"Your eye is the lamp of your body. 
When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. 
But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. 
See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 
Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, 
it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you."
--- Jesus  (Luke 11:34-36)


Ultimately, God the Son says we just have to do two things: Love God, and love one another. This season, both my relationship with God and with others needed a major reboot.


"Do not judge, and you will not be judged.
Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven... 
For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
--- Jesus  (Luke 6:37,38)


I've heard the above passages many times and really taken them to heart. I think. Lately I've been seeing more of the depths of my evil nature, which makes my physical condition a very appropriate (ironic? sublime? gentle? funny?) reflection of my spiritual condition.

Continuing from the same passage above:

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye
and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’
when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye,
and then you will see clearly
to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."
--- Jesus  (Luke 6:41-42)


These days my eyes burn with tears, and it's not because of the dust around me. I'm filled with shame and sorrow for the filth inside of me.

But tears cleanse and purify.

On my way home tonight, I was surprised at how CRISP and clear my vision was. I still had my cyst, and that offensive nature... but I can see much clearer now.


"For judgement I have come into this world,
so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind...
If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin;
but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains."
 --- Jesus  (John 9:39,41)


For some people, it might seem like a miracle to be finally made aware of their own sins! (*Ouch!*) But it's still not enough. There is no use realizing you're on the wrong way of a one-way road, if you don't do anything about it.
 

"This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you:
God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.
If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness,
we lie and do not live out the truth.
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, 
we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned,
we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us."
--- John  (1 John 1:5-10)


To have healthy eyes, they must be kept clean. Feed them with the right nutrients. Don't make them suffer in darkness; keep them in the light.

Take care of your eyes and they will keep on showing you the truth about your surroundings, and even about yourself.

And now, to take care of my eyes by going to sleep. Good Night!

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

 

http://blog.yogaonehouston.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/forgive.jpg

From the book "Boundaries" by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend:


"Many people have a problem determining the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation...

"The Bible is clear about two principles: (1) We always need to forgive, but (2) we don't always achieve reconciliation. Forgiveness is something that we do in our hearts; we release someone from a debt that they owe us. We write off the person's debt, and she no longer owes us. We no longer condemn her. She is clean. Only one party is needed for forgiveness: me. The person who owes me a debt does not have to ask my forgiveness. It is a work of grace in my heart. 

 

https://iheartinspiration.com/quotes/to-be-a-christian-means-to-forgive-the-inexcusable-because-god-has-forgiven-the-inexcusable-in-you/ 

"This brings us to the second principle: we do not always achieve reconciliation. God forgave the world, but the whole world is not reconciled to Him. Although He may have forgiven all people, all people have not owned their sin and appropriated His forgiveness. That would be reconciliation. Forgiveness takes one; reconciliation takes two.

"We do not open ourselves up to the other party until we have seen that she has truly owned her part of the problem. So many times Scripture talks about keeping boundaries with someone until she owns what she has done and produces "fruit in keeping with repentance" (Matthew 3:8). True repentance is much more than saying "I'm sorry"; it is changing direction.

http://watchusplaygames.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/first-to-apologize-is-bravest-first-to-forgive-is-strongest-first-to-forget-is-happiest.jpg

"You need to clearly communicate that, while you have forgiven her, you do not trust her yet, for she has not proven herself trustworthy. There has not been enough time to see if she really is going to change.

"Remember, God is your model. He did not wait for people to change their behavior before He stopped condemning them. He is finished condemning, but that does not mean that He has a relationship with all people. People must choose to own up to their sin and repent, then God will open Himself to them. Reconciliation involves two. Do not think that because you have forgiven that you have to reconcile. You can offer reconciliation, but it must be contingent upon the other person owning her behavior and bringing forth trustworthy fruits."

http://favim.com/image/245062/

"God has done all this. 

He has restored our relationship with him through Christ, 

and has given us this ministry of restoring relationships."

--- Paul, 2 Corinthians 5:18

Why I didn't go to church today

I didn't go to service today because something was not right.

Jesus quoted from the ancient prophet Isaiah: These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

My heart wasn't right before Him. Surely, public worship and catching up with my church friends could remedy the situation, right? Well... sometimes.

If my relationship with God is not doing well, ultimately, it's God and I who need to communicate. Other people can inspire me and teach me, but I can only apply what I learned when I finally spend time with Him.

So today, I decided to stay home after all. And blog. And think. And rest.

My heart is still some distance away from His. But at least, it's closer compared to yesterday.

http://www.suvic.org.au/wp-content/uploads/wpsc/product_images/Time%20to%20come%20home.jpg

P.S. I believe this post balances and complements this one. ;)

In case of emergency

Is this how we think of God?

 

http://thestressedmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/in-case-of-emergency.jpg

Yes, God is "our refuge and strength in times of trouble"... but what about the other times? Do we treat Him like a fire extinguisher, collecting dust (at the back of our minds) until the next emergency?

Our God is bigger than any emergency. I've been a Christian long enough to observe that whenever something feels like it's a CRISIS, it's because I've lost sight of CHRIST. My universe was revolving around something else, such that when a problem appears, I panic because my new god can't really do anything about it.

In case of emergency, I find myself running to God. Which makes me realize how *far* I've drifted from Him. But that's OK --- what matters is we're back together. :)

 

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumblarge_645/13204491657P868u.jpg

In case of emergency, I need to break my heart. And put Him back inside.

Work! Worry... Worship.

The last three labels (tags) in this blog are:

Work
Worry
Worship

How funny. In that order even.

This season I am called to work. And working leads me to my old lifestyle of fussing over everything, multitasking, rushing on a caffeine high...

In other words, doing things in my own power --- being my own god, life before *the* God.

And then I worry because of the tons of problems that pile up. Or is it me who's just shrinking? And drowning? And I panic because I can't do it and I'm done for, lagot, messed up, in so much trouble...


And then...

I remember God.

I remember that it is He who started the good work *in* me, so it is *He* who will finish it.

That it is *He* who causes me to *will*, and to *act* accordingly.

That *nobody* is perfect but Him alone, and nobody can boast before Him.

That He calls me to obey, to please Him, to bless others, and to bring glory back to Him... And that this is an invitation, not to go back to workaholic Teci, but to let God be God in all aspects of my life.

Because all things are possible, through God, and only through God.


Worship is where we lay all our troubles down and remember what --- Who --- is really more important. The One before Whom we and our petty little issues fade away. But it's OK. Would we rather degenerate squabbling over foolish insignificant matters, or be filled with the God of All Things?

Worship is the start of a new, deeper, fuller relationship with our God.

Let us begin. :)

Worship.

Worship takes my worries away.

Keep away from gossip. Go back to Worship.

Worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (NOT me, myself and I!)

What am I listening to? Self-glorifying music, trash talk, appeals to lust and greed and laziness... Go back to worshipping the One True God.

Yesterday I was late again for church. I've been regularly missing the part where people sing to, praise, worship, and celebrate God.

But yesterday, thankfully I stayed behind to catch the worship part in a later service. Now I know what I've been missing.


"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."


Remembering the greatness of my God,
celebrating Who He is and What He is doing,

makes living my life --- nay, the life He lent me ---
so much easier.


Have a great week, everyone. :)

That's why we call it "change".

We have a tendency to look for flaws in others... especially if those others are associated with a so-called perfect God.

When something goes wrong (and it will), we find ourselves saying, "Well, well, well... not so holy/good/righteous/perfect (etc.) now, are we? Tsk, tsk..." --- in sinister sneering tones, the condemnation from Satan himself, whose name literally means "enemy".

But should Christians even claim to be perfect? Jesus Himself said, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone." (This passage is further explained here.)

What we follow, we become. The Bible says, we can be transformed more and more into the likeness of God Himself, as we follow Him in Spirit and Truth (the power of the Holy Spirit and the Truth of God's Word).

We don't become gods, with His powers and perfection; rather we become more godly, with His characteristics and character.

There's this common (mis)conception that some people are holier-than-thou: no problems, no fears, no temptations, no sin. Raised on a pedestal impossibly high, the natural tendency is to fall, and the devil laughs.

Yes, we are human, but our God is superhuman:

• "For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone."
• "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
• "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Following the righteous and holy God means turning away from what is unrighteous and unholy.

• No hypocrisy --- Yes, sin can be fun but it slowly kills; while living for God can be difficult but is fulfilling and rewarding. If we say God is our God, and we don't follow, isn't that what constitutes hypocrisy?
• No claims to perfection --- We can only follow Him by His transforming power in us; we can choose to follow, and it gets easier. (The wise man hears God and builds His house of faith on the foundation of obedience.)

That's why Christ is called the Redeemer.

The Cristo Redentor in Brazil. Image from here.

He transforms, He renews, He reclaims the original design.
He forgives, He cleanses, He enables us to draw closer to Him.


We're not perfect. But that's why Christ redeems. That's why we call it "change".

This Cristo Redentor image is from here.

God's love is patient

How long, O God, is the foe to scoff?

     Is the enemy to revile your name forever?

Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?

     Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them!

Yet God my King is from of old,

     working salvation in the midst of the earth.

- Psalm 74:10-12

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness,
but is patient toward you,
not wishing that any should perish,
but that all should reach repentance.
- 2 Peter 3:9

Revived; Single-minded. :)

The apostle James tells it like it is. He starts his letter with:

Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Charles Swindoll elaborates on this in his "The Quest for Character" (thanks to Andy for the recommendation):

I suggest we take this passage literally. "Unstable" means unstable. "Driven and tossed" means driven and tossed. Not receiving "anything" means just that. God deliberately holds back when the double-minded person prays. I call that serious.

How much better to be single-minded! No mumbo-jumbo. No religious phony-baloney. No say-one-thing-but-mean-something-else jive. No pharisaic hypocrisy where words come cheap and externals are sickeningly pious. The single-minded are short on creeds and long on deeds.

They care... really care. They are humble... truly humble. They love... genuinely love. They have character... authentic character. 

Mr. Swindoll also includes the following poem (thanks to Nelly for the more reader-friendly format):

Psalm of Single-mindedness

by Joseph Bayly

Lord of reality, make me real

Not plastic, synthetic, pretend phony

An actor playing out his part, hypocrite

I don’t want to keep a prayer list

But to pray

Nor agonise to find your will

But to obey what I already know

To argue theories of inspiration

But submit to your word

I don’t want to explain the difference

Between eros, philos and agape

But to love

I don’t want to sing as if I mean it

I want to mean it

I don’t want to tell it like it is

But to be it, like you want it

I don’t want to think another need me

But I need him, else I’m not complete

I don’t want to tell others how to do it

But to do it

To have to always be right

But admit it when I’m wrong

I don’t want to be a census taker

But an obstetrician

Nor an involved person, a professional

But a friend

I don’t want to be insensitive

But to hurt where other people hurt

Nor to say I know how you feel

But to say GOD knows

And I’ll try, if you’ll be patient with me

And meanwhile I’ll be quiet

I don’t want to scorn the clichés of others

But to mean everything I say

Including this

Truth as fresh as clear living water. I was and am suddenly revived... Matters clearing up... Single-minded. :)

Heart guarded, eyes forward, feet straight

Keep your heart with all vigilance,
     for from it flow the springs of life.
Put away from you crooked speech,
     and put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward,
     and your gaze be straight before you.
Make level the path of your feet;
     then all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
     turn your foot away from evil.
- Proverbs 4:23-27

Are you a Forerunner?

I got this from the poweful book "Forerunners: The Emerging Messengers in the Last Days" by Haavard and Carina Sand (only PhP250 at Philippine Christian Bookstore). God bless you more!

============================================

As you read this, you may ask, what about me? How would I know if I am called to this? As I studied the life of John the Baptist, one thing that stood out for me was the statement that the angel said to Zechariah (the father of John the Baptist). The angel said, "...for he will be great in the sight of the Lord..." (Luke 1:15a). One thing is sure: forerunners are not individuals who will receive recognition from men and are given the credit for what they do. Most of the time, they will not be remembered for the contributions they worked for. They will be hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). The constant wilderness of forerunners is their hidden life because their greatness is not intended for man to see, but only for God. Many times, their flesh will cry out for appreciation but they will find comfort in the fact that Jesus is increasing while they are decreasing.

You may also have a passion for justice and strong compassion for the poor and the oppressed. Within you resides a burden for them that leads you to make intercession on their behalf and to minister to them. It is so, because this is one of the main agendas of God in the last days: to make wrong things right. Thus, pure religion is based on taking care of the orphans and the widows. However, this is not merely humanitarian work, but a burden born out of intimacy with God to bear His burdens and passions for the less fortunate majority.

You may also have within you a strong sense of the urgency of the hour with the perspective of the Lord's Coming; a heart of intercession for the Church and the nations of the world. God specifically would place in us a desire to see His Church mature and be a catalyst for change to prepare Her for the Lord's return as His spotless and blameless Bride. God may have given you a prophetic gift to become the voice for the voiceless and to call people to repentance.

Perhaps, a strong passion for change resides in you. You are able to discern not in a judgmental way the things that are not right, and you earnestly desire to usher that change to correct people's understanding and mindset. Furthermore, your spirit despises passivity because there is a knowing in you that something must happen in the Church to impact and influence the world. To pioneer or to start new things has mostly been the pattern in your ministry. Either you yourself initiated it, or you are involved with it.

You could also be someone whose life's journey has been fashioned by God with surrender in a very special way. You have this feeling that God often takes away from you everything that is precious to you --- your loved ones, your ambitions, your comforts, and that He deals more "strictly" with you than with others. Consequently, you feel like you are alone in your battle like Elijah (1 Kings 19:10).

Certainly, there are other passions in your heart that God uniquely put in your heart to partner with Him as He unfolds all the events relating to His return. Needless to say, the forerunner calling is not limited to some elite group of people. It is a call available for everyone who is willing to announce His return and embrace the lifestyle uniquely attached to it, like insatiable hunger for God's presence, death to self, prayer and fasting, humility, love for God, and the radical pursuit of the Sermon on the Mount lifestyle.

The call is going forth to anyone who is called as an evangelist, pastor, prophet, intercessor, singer, writer, musician, artist, missionary, and even to those called to the marketplace. It is a call to announce the Second Coming of Christ. Will you heed the call?

Why did You let them die?

Whenever we are faced with death and dying, whether it is a loved one getting a terminal disease or a massive disaster like yesterday's tsunami, we might find ourselves asking why. "Why did You let them die?"

But God doesn't want anyone to die. He'd rather everyone return to Him.

God's Word says,

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.  

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming." (2 Peter 3:8-12a)

A clear, in-depth analysis of this passage can be found here.

We cannot control nature and many other circumstances. We cannot avoid death and dying. But we can choose to trust fully in the One who is in control, the One who is Lord of both the living and the dead, the One who died and rose again. 

God is patient with us, giving us countless opportunities to return to Him before our life's candle finally snuffs out. With Him, there is salvation and fullness of life in every way. Without Him, there is only darkness and despair and death, even before one's last breath. Back then, I was dead but didn't really know it. Life --- meaning, purpose, destiny --- only began when I dedicated my life to Him.

What are we waiting for? Tomorrow might be too late.

Coming Home

I just love this song from a much older and wiser Diddy, "Coming Home". It's so repentant yet triumphant at the same time. The original video is here. Below are some of the lyrics :)

I'm coming home, I'm coming home

Tell the world I'm coming home

Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday

I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes

I'm coming home, I'm coming home

Tell the world that I'm coming...

I'm back where I belong

I never felt so strong

I'm back and I 'm feeling there's nothing I can try

And if you with me put your hands high...

What am I s'posed to do when the club lights come on?

It's easy to be Puff, but it's harder to be Sean
What if the twins ask why I ain't marry their mom?

Why? Damn! How do I respond? 

What if my son stares with a face like my own

And says he wants to be like me when he's grown?
Shit! But I ain't finished growing
Another night the inevitable prolongs

Another day another dawn
Just tell Keisha and Taresha I'll be better in the morn'
Another lie that I carry on
I need to get back to the place I belong...

I'm coming home, I'm coming home

Tell the world I'm coming home

Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday

I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes

I'm coming home, I'm coming home

Tell the world that I'm coming...

Is a house really a home when your loved ones are gone?...

But you felt it and still feel it 

And money can't make up for it or conceal it
But you deal with it and you keep ballin'...

Baby we've been living in sin 

'Cause we've been really in love but we've been living as friends
So you've been a guest in your own home
It's time to make your house your home
Pick up the phone, come on

I'm coming home, I'm coming home

Tell the world I'm coming home

Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday

I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes

I'm coming home, I'm coming home

Tell the world that I'm coming...

"Ain't No Stopping Us Now", I love that song 

Whenever it comes on it makes me feel strong
I thought I told y'all that we won't stop
'Till we back cruising through Harlem, Viso blocks
It's what made me, saved me, drove me crazy
Drove me away then embraced me, forgave me
For all of my shortcomings
Welcome to my homecoming
Yeah it's been a long time coming

Lot of fights, lot of scars,
Lot of bottles, lot of cars,
Lot of ups, lot of downs,
Made it back, lost my dog
I miss you B.I.G.
But here I stand,
A better man
Thank you Lord
Thank you Lord!

I'm coming home, I'm coming home

Tell the world I'm coming home

Let the rain wash away

(Feels so good)

All the pain of yesterday

(Feels so free)

I know my kingdom awaits

(Ain't no place like home, baby)

And they've forgiven my mistakes

(Ain't no place like home)

I'm coming home, I'm coming home

Tell the world that I'm coming...

I'm coming home

on a day when tears flow like rain

Right now, i just rejoice in the fact that GOD is strong where i am so weak. i also rejoice in the fact that He is stronger than any of our pastors, friends, or family. Para sa Kanya talaga ako tatakbo kapag finally naaalala ko uli na hindi ko kaya. (So that it is to Him i'll run to when i finally remember that i can't handle it all.)

Restoring force: F = -kx. The farther i drift away, the bigger the force (yet it's the gentlest, most gracious kind of force!) that He uses to draw me back.

"I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love." (Hosea 11:4)

That's all for now. Take care everybody :) Continue to snuggle in God's embrace. :)

turnin'...whoops too much, turn back...again...

ALL OF LIFE IS REPENTANCE
From: http://www.downshoredrift.com/downshoredrift/2007/07/all-of-life-is-.html

(Excerpts below. The article also includes some practical, Bible-based steps to repentance. Hope you can check them out :) )


True repentance means that we turn AWAY from sin and turn TO faith in Jesus.

Repentance means to turn around. A man might say, "I was headed for a cliff, but I repented. I turned around and went the other way and lived."

Repentance is more than just being sorry. It means that we turn around - we forsake our sinful thoughts and activities. It is not a burdensome thing, but rather, it is extremely lifegiving. When we repent, we step into who God has truly made us to be as we place our faith in Jesus.

Who needs to repent? Paul, in Acts 17:30 says that repentance is for everyone...Turn around from the direction you were going and turn to Christ. Even Christians.

We all need to be in an attitude of repentance all the time. We never become so holy or perfect that we do not need to continually realign ourselves with God's work, will, and purposes taking place around us. Who do we think we are?

Well, I am here to confess that I need continual repentance. I need to consistently realign my life with God's will and purposes. I am not ashamed to admit that, because that is a place that I find refreshing, life giving, living water from Jesus. Sometimes it is difficult for us to admit that we need to keep turning our lives over to God, but it is true. And, there is life in recognizing the we still need a Savior each and every day.

Finding Hope in the City Park :)

SIX FIND HOPE AT QUEZON MEMORIAL
November 05, 2007 04:50:00
by Jeannette Andrade
Philippine Daily Inquirer


MANILA, Philippines -- For six people, the Quezon Memorial Circle is more than a park smack in the middle of busy, exhaust-choked Elliptical Road in Quezon City. Thanks to the kindness of strangers, it is a place of hope and new beginnings.

A simple admission to a social worker of Child Hope Asia Philippines that they had stolen cell phones in the park changed the lives of Jeffrey and Bernard (not their real names), aged 16 and 18, respectively.

The social worker told a colleague who informed Quezon City Parks Development Foundation Inc. (QCPDFI) chair Charito Planas.

Planas was touched by the boys’ brave admission and asked to meet with them. She felt hope for them because they still had a conscience and helped them go back to school.

Now, Jeffrey is at the top of his high school sophomore class at the Culiat Annex school, while Bernard is taking a vocational course in air-conditioning repair.

“We now have plans for our lives,” Bernard says in Filipino as Jeffrey nods in assent.

In the past, the boys worked as jeepney barkers at Philcoa and Tandang Sora avenues in Quezon City.


So much distrust

Jeffrey says they used to hate the rich because “they distrust us so much. We go near them and they avoid us.”

In one incident, he overheard an overprotective mother tell her young child: “‘Get away from him. He’s a snatcher.’ We were always insulted by the rich and looked down upon.”

Jeffrey says the few coins they earned as barkers they used to buy solvent or a bowl of rice swimming in beef or chicken stock. If they were still hungry, they would steal food from tables inside fast-food restaurants momentarily left unattended by customers.

Bernard says they usually slept at the circle.

Asked where in the park they used to sleep, he answers in jest: “We have a very big mansion here,” gesturing at the vastness of the park.

Their aversion toward the “rich” was somewhat reduced when they met volunteer social workers from Assumption College.

“We used to insult them. We told them that they should avoid us like the other rich people. But they did not give up. They showed us that not all rich people are snobs,” Jeffrey says.

It was the Assumption volunteers who introduced them to Child Hope, a nongovernmental organization helping children get off the streets.

Faith Elahe, Child Hope social worker and street educator, met the boys early this year.


Touched by sincerity

Jeffrey and Bernard were so touched by the apparent sincerity of Child Hope, they expressed remorse and confessed to having stolen cellular phones from visitors to the Quezon Memorial Circle. They said they did it to help a third accomplice, who needed the money to buy medicine for a sick parent.

“They really wanted to return the cell phones but since [they had already sold the phones] and had no means of [getting them back] or returning them [to the owners], they said they wanted to change,” says Elahe, who arranged the boys’ meeting with the QCPDFI chair.

Planas asked the boys what they wanted out of life. Jeffrey said he wanted to finish high school, while Bernard said he wanted to get a job.

Planas learned from Elahe that Jeffrey came from a dysfunctional family and was forced to stop school because his parents could no longer afford his education.

She offered to send him to Culiat Annex. During the first few months, she discovered he was a smart boy.

“His grades were not that high then but I told him that if he pulled up his grades, I could get him a scholarship and put him through college,” Planas says.

At the end of the third grading period, Jeffrey went to Planas’ office with his report card. He was at the top of his class.

“I want to take up civil engineering, then maybe buy myself a mansion,” Jeffrey says. Bernard dreams of getting a job and starting a family.

Second chance

Misfortune hounded Michael Burgos, 31, and his common-law wife Jill Cruz, 18, and their 9-month-old daughter Maria Crystal before life gave them a second chance at the Quezon Memorial Circle.

Burgos used to work as a security guard but lost his job because the agency he belonged to turned out to be operating illegally.

“I could not find a job that could help my family survive. I tried construction work and ended up being a scavenger because without papers, nobody wanted to employ me,” says Burgos, adding that the fly-by-night security agency refused to surrender his credentials.

Neither could the couple return to their families who were strongly against the relationship.

“I love my wife and I cannot bear being separated from her,” says Burgos, adding that Cruz’s family was willing to take her back on condition that she left him.

So they moved from place to place, their belongings in plastic bags, reaching as far as Pasay City. At one point, they were sleeping at the Luneta where most of their possessions were stolen, prompting them to find a safe place to stay.

After Maria Crystal was born in February, they moved to the circle. They begged for alms in the day and slept in the park at night. They did this for three months until a park employee convinced them to approach Planas.

The QCPDFI chair initially offered Burgos a job with the barangay (village) but eventually told him to rent one of the rest rooms in the park as a concessionaire.

Planas also allowed the homeless family to live in the men’s rest room near the park’s food court until they could find a place of their own.

“I now have a source of income and a place to live … until we can bounce back,” Burgos says.


Mama Planas

Samantha Grace Planas Maceda was abandoned by her mother at the Quezon Memorial Circle when she was just 2 months old. This was in 2000.

Maceda now considers Planas her mother.

Planas says the child, now 7 years old, has grown up to be a well-rounded individual who is wise beyond her years.

The QCPDFI chair says that although Maceda is not interested in going back to her biological mother, the little girl is curious about the identity of her parents.

“I told her I know the name of her mother but I cannot tell her because I made a promise,” Planas says, adding that the child’s mother had called up the QCPDFI at least three times.

Maceda’s mother had asked Planas for one thing: “Please take good care of my daughter.”

This is something Planas has been doing since Maceda was left in her care.

“She can carry her own in a conversation with adults and is never shy talking with public officials, including Mayor (Feliciano) Belmonte,” Planas says.

She adds that Maceda once told her: “Mama, I will be president.”


© Copyright 2007 INQUIRER.net, An INQUIRER Company

i was made to love...YOU!

MADE TO LOVE
by TobyMac



The dream is fading, now i'm staring at the door
I know its over cause my feet have hit the cold floor
Check my reflection, I ain't feelin' what I see
It's no mystery
Whatever happened to a passion I could live for
What became of the flame that made me feel more
And when did I forget that...

I was made to love You
I was made to find You
I was made just for You
Made to adore You
I was made to love
And be loved by You
You were here before me
You were waiting on me
And You said You'd keep me
Never would You leave me
I was made to love
And be loved by You

The dream's alive with my eyes opened wide
Back in the ring You've got me swinging for the grand prize
I feel the haters spittin' vapors on my dreams
But I still believe
I'm reachin' out, reachin' up, reachin' over
I feel a breeze cover me called Jehovah
And daddy I'm on my way
'Cause I was made to love...

I was made to love You
I was made to find You
I was made just for You
Made to adore You
I was made to love
And be loved by You
You were here before me
You were waiting on me
And You said You'd keep me
Never would You leave me
I was made to love
And be loved by You

Anything I would give up for You (nanananana)
Everything, I'd give it all away (nanananana)

I was made to love You
I was made to adore You
Made just for You

God unrestricted in music, 1: cool and devout :)

I got this from here and here and here :)


"(AP) SAUDI ARABIA MAKES FIRST MUSIC VIDEO
And the unusual message is: You can be cool and devout"
By DONNA ABU-NASR
Associated Press Writer
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates
August 13, 2007, 12:30 pm


The Arab world's hugely popular music video industry often features sexy performers in revealing clothes crooning about love.

But the first clip to be fully produced in Saudi Arabia has a message of a different kind: You can be cool and devout.

The video is unusual because it was made in a country where the religious establishment considers music un-Islamic and bans it in public places. And the main cast includes a Saudi woman, something rare in a work produced inside the kingdom.

But in a sign of Saudi mpatience with the restrictions, "Malak Ghair Allah" or "You Only Have God to Count On" was a hit when it was launched at a popular mall in the western seaport of Jiddah last week. Hundreds of people showed up to watch it on a giant screen in the mall's main hall.

"People didn't stop clapping. Some had tears in their eyes," Kaswara al-Khatib, the video's director, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

In this photo released by FullStop Advertising, a behind the scenes photo shows the production crew and actors near a mosque in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia during the three days shooting of the music video clip 'Malak Ghair Allah' or 'You Only Have God to Count On' in July, 2007. The Arab world's hugely popular music video industry often features sexy performers in revealing clothes crooning about love. But the first clip to be fully produced in Saudi Arabia has a message of a different kind: You can be cool and devout. (AP Photo/FullStop Advertising/HO)


The video is expected to air on most of the Middle East's more than 30 music satellite TV channels this week. Despite fears among the Saudi clergy over the corrupting influence of music videos, the clip had implicit government approval. The credits thank "those who helped make this work a success," including the Information Ministry.

"You Only Have God to Count On" uses upbeat music to tell the story of a successful man who had strayed from the path of true Islam. He smokes, flirts with women even though he's engaged and doesn't join his colleagues at work in performing the five daily Muslim prayers.

Things slowly start to go bad: He has a flat tire and problems at work and his fiancee leaves him when she sees him talking to another woman. He then has a serious accident while recklessly driving his motorcycle. After herecovers, the man starts to pray, stops smoking, wins back his fiancee and excels at work.

Significantly, the man sports a hip goatee and doesn't grow the big, bushy beard favored by fundamentalist Muslims. He still wears T-shirts and jeans and sticks to his old friends, including a man who favors the much-frowned-upon ponytails.

"I wanted the youths to understand that it's not the looks that count. It's what inside that matters," al-Khatib said.

"The video also has this message: Don't give up and think, 'I sinned, therefore I'm going to hell,'" the director added. "Think that there's a God and he is always there to help you."

While there's no lack of production crews, dancers and singers in Lebanon, Egypt and other Arab countries that produce music videos, things are different in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom follows the strictest school of Islam that bans the mixing of the sexes and all forms of entertainment, including music in restaurants, concerts and movie theaters.

Al-Khatib, 37, who heads an advertising agency, has previously produced music videos, but this is the first that is an all-Saudi work. It was filmed along Jiddah's boardwalk on the Red Sea, a popular hangout for youths.

The lyrics of the song, performed by Muhammed al-Haddad, say in part: "If things go bad ... if your dreams have been lost ... you only have God to count on."

Al-Khatib said that for the lead female part, he had to get permission from the parents of Ruwaina al-Jihani before he could cast her in the role of the fiancee.

"They consulted with the extended family before giving their consent," said al-Khatib.

Al-Jihani appeared covered in the traditional black cloak and headcover, with only her face showing. One shot showed her all in white at her engagement.

Al-Khatib said that while music is controversial in Saudi Arabia, he has heard fatwas (religious edicts) from non-Saudi clerics who say music for a good cause should not be illegal.

Plus, al-Khatib said he wanted to give Saudi youths an alternative to music videos produced abroad but popular on satellite TV.

"The problem is not the music. It's how you utilize it," said the director.

"We wanted to talk to them in their own language," he added. "Instead of saying, 'Don't listen to music,' we're saying, 'Listen to music that's good for you.'"

___

On the Net: http://www.youtube.com/watch?vzotWQdYCRIM
Copyright 2007 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

please come home...

What follows is something i posted in the website "A Christian and An Atheist"; the atheist was previously a conservative Christian. He wrote, "I was certain that I could never deny my faith, and following Jesus was the first and most important thing in my life." Anyway, he posted his "deconversion pictures" detailing his objections against God and/or Christianity: essentially, how can one be sentenced to eternal torment just because he/she happened to pick the wrong religion? Below is my reply.

=======================================

Whoa.

First off, those are very striking, dramatic drawings. i've always wanted portraits/realism paintings to be as "realistic" as possible (if i'm using terms i just invented forgive me, i hope you know what i mean), but these are too real-looking they're disturbing.

Like others i wanted to know why Emery left Christianity, and i've checked out losingmyreligion.com already. But i think these pictures speak best. Well up to now (that i'm a Christian) it still seems unfair (to put it mildly) that a child or anyone would pick the wrong religion and BANG! But (1) can i speak for the rest of the human race when i barely knew how sinful i am? (2) The Bible speaks of God's justice (fairness!) and while i do not know about the fate of unbaptized babies or people in places where the Gospel has not yet been preached...i can see God working in my own life.

i was an agnostic/humanist for around 15 years; i "did what was right in my own eyes." But when i was supposedly at my highest point, having all i thought i wanted --- studies, money, love, career --- all these culminated in a decision that led me to lose all my principles, one by one, and left me to become such an awful person that, for the first time, i hated myself. It was so ironic that the big and small choices i made that were supposedly "right" turned out to be wrong, for me and the people around me. It was a long time before i realized that i used to define "right/good" as "what i want to do": because i saw myself as a good person there was no dilemma (i thought) between what i "want" to do and what i "must" do.

Like most Filipinos i grew up Catholic, but only heard about Biblical Christianity in snippets. Sometimes i would hear the "Good News", starting with "We are all sinners," and i would not hear the rest of it. "Excuse me," i thought, "you might be speaking for yourself but how dare you call *me* a sinner," i would think. But when i reached what turned out to be the lowest point in my life, it was quite "easy" to admit my faults; after all, i had no one else to blame for my decisions. (Of course it was quite hard to admit that i was not as good/moral/righteous as i always thought i was; but then again there actually was a time when, i tell you, it was as if my conscience vanished. :( To be honest, it was when i was seriously bent on a particular decision, and i resolved not to yield to my conscience --- God's voice --- anyway.)

Maybe Biblical Christianity is perceived to be "easy" and filled with blessing, but Jesus actually promised persecution, suffering and even death for His followers. For my case, my turning point in going back to God came when i needed help in forgiving someone; i really did not want to, and it took years for me to be able to do so, but even i knew that it was the right thing to do. Nowadays i am continuing to realize how much effort God made in reaching out to me (through that still small voice that i ignored to the point when i thought it vanished, books, family, even concerned strangers), all the time i was questioning and even dismissing His existence; not just to show that He is true, but to protect me from my right-in-my-own-eyes tendencies and decisions.

What i can conclude (even from my own life because i don't know that much about anyone else's) is that God simply does not hang around waiting for the next victim in His divine moustrap. If anything, He was doing all He can to show me that i can only live a worthy life if i was born again in His Spirit --- all the while being "unfair" only if it was for my behalf and everyone else's.

i still do not know about the fate of unbaptized babies and so on; but knowing how God moves in my own life leads me to trust in His goodness and mercy. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen."

Another point is that, as Creator, doesn't God have the authority on how to "run" things as He wants to? We "demand" that God be just, consistent, and so on, but to paraphrase, do we even have the power to add an inch to our height or make one strand of hair white or black? i believe Emery when he said that it was a tough decision for him to leave Christianity; but *with all due respect*, can this be seen as leaving any organization just because the boss is not running it the way he wants it to be run? Emery mentioned ethical and logical consequences as the cause; i think both can be chalked up to misunderstanding. (A) Ethical: not seeing God as good and perfect, or as this site says, being exposed only to the fundamentalism that focuses on the 'truth' in the "speak truth in love" passage. (B) Logical: failing to understand God fully; but does this mean God (particularly, the God of the Bible) is not true? We can try to grasp God based on His revealed Word and actions, but if we say we completely understand God, maybe He should not be called "God" after all.

Thanks for your time, and God bless and be with us all :)

teci
http://tecigurl.blogspot.com

away with the things of old

"he was appealing to my past life."

(a) he was bringing up or invoking the old me

(b) he was attractive for the someone like the person i used to be

away, devil. (devils.)

like what i told a dear friend, "i know my weakness and my weakness knows me."

am i glad that even if my heart's literally not into it, i could ask help from God to do the right thing. am i glad that even if i'm a bit sad that things did not happen the way i wanted them to --- exactly because God answered my prayer for help --- God's ways are best. it's just a matter of time...and faith.

this morning we went to an English worship service in the midst of Beijing, the capital of communist "there-is-no-God" China. what a wonderful surprise to see many non-Chinese singing and praying to God side by side with the locals. truly God is great. truly God is sovereign in the affairs of kings and men.

the key verse for the service was Hebrews 11:1:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.



ouch, ouch, triple ouch.

:)

oh, man. ever gracious, God doesn't rebuke me except in the gentlest, most loving of ways. i kept on thinking that i just needed patience (to hold on until the right one comes along, yihi!), self-control (i indulge too much), and focus (i need to work, plus i need to "distract myself from my distractions").

but all this time i've been lacking faith.

sorry God.

please give me more faith.

:)

and lead me not into temptation.

You, i, and the devil know i'm not that strong...

...yet...

...though recent events have shown me triumphant (thank God!)...

...(triumphant despite myself!)...



away with the things of old. i'm not the person i once was. and even now that i have to admit, shamefully, that part of me wants to go back to my old ways (15%? 10% 5%), the fact that i am now experiencing a moral and spiritual dilemma just shows that --- at the very least! --- God is changing me for the better.

i've told people (i think) that the U-turn is the hardest part. someone on a one-way street may finally realize that he was going the wrong way, and turn back to move in the right direction, literally.

i've already made that U-turn. but sometimes i see friends happily going the wrong way still, maybe even making fun of me (ironic isn't it?). and the pull of my friends plus the appeal of the wrong direction (is the one-way street upward? is it way easier to slide down the wrong direction?) makes me slow down...

have i stopped? have i gone backwards, or turned back completely, returning to error and peril?

i know better now.

the Bible says,

Taste and see that the LORD is good. (Psalm 34:8)


yup, i have tasted and seen :) and nothing else can compare with the One True God. :)

away with the things of old.

spending time living my new life as a child of God makes it all the more easier to do so.

:)



p.s.

by the way,

To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)


to all. i hope you think about that. i hope you do something about it. away with the old life. :)