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Last Wednesday… we headed back to Rosario, Cavite to resume our regular weekly Team Revival Nights. We didn’t hold one the previous Wednesday since it was Holy Week.
Well, I’m glad (and relieved) to see that a good amount of kids have started coming back to attend service. Seems like the “body organ snatching syndicate” (for lack of a better name) have died down a bit. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t around… they just probably wanted to lay low for the moment.
The syndicate have not been caught yet… but how could they if the authorities themselves are the ones who are first to ignore the cries of the helpless victims? The police and government agencies have quickly dismissed the issue as rumors and make believe.
I have already delved on that issue “in depth” on one of my previous posts so I won’t go another round at it for now… my story is about the kids who have come back.
It was like a breath of fresh air… seeing the little children playing all around the Marian Hall before the start of service. The noise that we were used to… the laughter and tiny happy shrieks of boys and girls all around the venue gave renewed hope to the dwellers of our that love ever abounds and that the Lord always triumphs over evil.
We pray that the horrible incidents of the past weeks are now over and behind us. And though some people may say that since our authorities have discounted these reports as nonsense… there is nothing we can do, I would be quick to disagree.
There is something we can do. Pray. True and effective prayer. In fact, it is the only effective means of battling and overcoming every form of affliction and adversity. It is something most people have taken for granted… a way of life that has now been degraded to some sort of ritual… a personal relationship with our Almighty God that has been traded for a life of uncertainty.
This is our wake up call. God is our first resort… not our last. If he isn’t first in your lives… then a reevaluation is in order.
Be like the kids in Rosario… learn from them… See their faith. Feel their faith.
It is what brings them back to service… back to the Lord… again and again. No matter what the cost…
…even their lives.
“The best place any Christian can ever be in is to be totally destitute and totally dependent upon God, and know it.” - Alan Redpath
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For those who may have hurt us in any way, past or present… I forgive you.
For those who may have spoken ill of us at any given time… I forgive you.
For those whom we once thought to be friends… I forgive you.
For those who indirectly inflicted pain to us… I forgive you.
For those who hold grudges and cannot let go… I forgive you.
For those who have selfishly placed themselves ahead of others… I forgive you.
For those who are consciously inconsiderate to every concern… I forgive you.
For those who refuse to understand… I forgive you.
For those who take pleasure in other people’s suffering… I forgive you.
For those who just simply refuse to cooperate… I forgive you.
For those who can make a difference but refuse to do so… I forgive you.
For those who won’t take responsibility… I forgive you.
For those who simply point at others… I forgive you.
For those who find it difficult to look in the mirror… I forgive you.
For those who simply won’t do anything… I forgive you.
For those who won’t forgive… I forgive you.
For those whose lives are riddled with compromise… I forgive you.
For those who politicize everything… I forgive you.
For those who always expect something in return… I forgive you.
For those who deceive others… I forgive you.
For those who just don’t care… I forgive you.
In forgiveness there is peace.
In forgiving… I, too, am forgiven by my Lord.
May those whom I have forgiven be able to find inner and spiritual peace as well as they ultimately learn to forgive themselves as well as others.
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Ama… a tagalog word meaning “Father” in English. This was the title of the song I wrote just a few days ago for the Lord and which I performed for my community () just this evening.
It was a Valentine’s celebration for the Lord and the theme of the entire show was “Love for God”. So I composed a song just a few days ago which spoke of my awe and devotion to my Heavenly Father.
I prayed that through my song, God would bless each and everyone seated and listening… that they would feel the lyrics and relate to the emotions conveyed by the music.
The musical work talks about surrender… it speaks of overwhelming love… of following God’s will and his divine plan… of trusting the Father at all times.
I praise the Lord for he has blessed me with the gift of song… that he has entrusted to me a voice that can sing out loud to Him… to glorify, praise and worship Him.
My achievements are not for me… they are a testament to how the Lord works through people and individuals in order to bless others. May the Lord be glorified all the more through my music. For I am merely a willing instrument to be used by my Saviour anytime he so chooses.
Praise be to God forever.
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My faith is being tested. So many trials the past few days… I try not to have it affect me but the “enemy” has a twisted way constantly reminding me of my current predicament.
I take comfort in the fact that I can tell when I am trying to be manipulated by the evil one. And I battle him with a barrage of prayers.
My problems have not gone away yet… but my prayers and my Saviour are much stronger than my struggles. I just thank the Lord for these tests and obstacles for it is in these times that I can fully prove to God how much faith I have in Him to single-handedly help me overcome my worldly troubles.
May the Lord be glorified through my trials and afflictions.
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I just remembered a few lines from the song, “Hosanna”, performed by Hillsong which affects me greatly everytime I listen to it.
“Heal my heart and make it clean,
Open up my eyes to the things unseen,
Show me how to love like You have loved me…
Break my heart for what breaks Yours,
Everything I am for Your kingdom’s cause,
As I walk from earth into eternity…”
Such powerful words… very meaningful… and the essence of what every Christian’s desire should be.
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My wife and I decided to do our fasting today. As you might probably know, there are different kinds of fasting… of course the most common of them all and the first that comes to mind is the practice of either (1) not eating meat; or (2) abstaining from food altogether.
But what if the individual who is to fast doesn’t really eat meat? Or probably is a vegetarian…? Then that particular mode of fasting would be all for naught. Fasting is a form of “self-death” and that death to self would be impossible to achieve for someone who engages in a manner of fasting that is ALREADY his/her way of life.
So, there are other ways to fast… television fast, water fast, sleep fast, and more… I’m sure you could think of other ways to sacrifice.
As for me and my wife, we decided not to eat from morning till late in the evening. Just one single day… and that’s saying a lot about my wife since she’s one to start shaking and turning pale just a few hours past her regular mealtime.
Of course, our fasting day is laced with regular, interspersed prayer times… intimate times… private times with the Lord. Surprisingly, my wife was able to endure 1 whole hour of prayer without her noticing it! Praise God for that! She was surprised herself… I am happy for her.
Months ago, I never thought I’d see her become this deep in her faith… but true enough, in God’s time, everything is made unto good.
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This particular Christmas of 2007 was probably one the least spent on in terms of money as far as I could remember. Not by choice but by circumstance… and yet, it was THE best Christmas we, as a family, have ever had!
It gave us an opportunity to truly focus our hearts and minds to the true essence of this season… to reflect on the sole reason why we all celebrate this joyous occasion. We went to our around 6pm and had our Christmas Mass there. Wonderful presentation! The 1st and 2nd “readings” were performed… not just read aloud. The Gospel and all the other parts of the mass were spectacularly executed…! I’ll bet nowhere else in the metro could have probably topped the Christmas mass Elim prepared for us dwellers and family.
It provided for an air of hope and love for the coming of the Savior that evening. The choir (music ministry) and their instruments (complete with timpani, strings… the works!) helped lift the spirits of everyone in the Auditorium… it gave me goosebumps all throughout the event.
And even though we didn’t really have much… it seemed as if there was actually more for all of us! More gifts under the tree… blessings of food… provisions from the Lord who is never late.
Indeed… only when we are truly empty can the Lord our God fill us up entirely. That is what exactly happened this Christmas… everything was made unto good once we surrendered everything to Him.
A little before Christmas eve, we went back to our center since we were invited to celebrate with close friends and dwellers. We had our “Noche Buena” (Midnight Dinner) there and a small program was prepared to the delight of everyone who attended.
Christmas never felt this good. Christmas never had such real and deep meaning to me till this year when I renewed my faith.
I have a whole lot to be thankful for… and it’s all because of the Lord. This new found personal relationship I have with Him has made me truly realize what is and isn’t important in life… what aspects of my life should take a backseat and which He desires that I put more importance to.
We may all know the Nativity story wherein Jesus was born in a manger during this most glorious night… and though I may have celebrated Christmas every single year of my entire existence… only this year has Christmas been truly born in my heart for Christ to rule and reign absolutely over my life.
May you experience the same revelations that the Lord has opened up to me…
May you develop a deep and personal relationship with our God… the kind of relationship that Jesus has so very much longed for from us…
And may everyone realize that the Christmas spirit is experienced not just in December, but each and everyday by those who truly embrace the Lord’s unconditional love.
May Christmas happen in your hearts now and for all eternity.
“Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
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I was talking to my wife over dinner before taking her to work… and I somehow noticed that no matter what our topic of conversations start out with, we always end up talking about the Lord… isn’t that great?!
We always manage to unconsciously find means to relate and incorporate even our simplest of small talks to God.
She even mentioned last night that whenever I start talking about the Lord and express how I am so much in awe of His presence, my eyes suddenly light up and it’s as if I am a crazed person… desperately in love.
What a wonderful way to be…! Crazily in love with the Lord!
Praise God for this feeling.
