Praise Him

See the Lord’s goodness

No matter the situation

His love surrounds me

For that, I’ll praise Him

Bask in God’s faithfulness

No matter the season

His grace sustains me

For that, I’ll praise Him

I’ll praise Him in the morning

I’ll praise Him in the evening

All day long, I’ll praise Him

He is Yahweh, the same

Yesterday, today and forever

For that, let us praise Him

Fight the Good Fight (of Faith) this Elections

It’s less than a month before the presidential elections and social media is on a frenzy. Everyone has their stand on all these national, moral and social issues and almost everyone are over enthusiastic to share their sentiments over FB. Who can blame them? It’s the one time where we feel we are given the right (and responsibility) to do something for our country that will directly affect it so I guess, the season is bringing out this zeal from everyone.

Sadly, the discussions in social media have taken quite a detour from the intellectual. I guess it’s safe to say that, lately, all of our FB feeds has had posts insulting (and name calling) the candidates, judging the supporter’s of a candidate, criticizing other people’s choices, questioning the morality of others and other disheartening matters. DISCLAIMER: This is not what I want to post about but I can’t help but write… Isn’t it ironic that in our quest for a better Philippines we have focused at the worst in and showed our worst to others?

Admittedly, this election, out of all the ones I have participated in, has the most disappointing roster. Ever since November last year, I knew I was going to take a long time in deciding who to vote for as I have my reservations with each presidential candidate. That is why, I prayed to God for wisdom as well as tried researching each candidate’s platform so that I will be able to make a decision I will be able to live with.

I already have a candidate I am voting for but, unlike others that have made a choice, I honestly don’t mind if the one I voted for doesn’t win and another candidate does. More than a fight for a better Philippines, I view this election as a fight of faith – the good fight of faith.

Firstly, it takes a great leap of faith in deciding who to vote for. We can analyze each candidate’s platform and character over and over again but really, there’s no perfect candidate and no guarantees on what one will be able to do during his or her term. Proverbs states that, “In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” (16:9). The promises these candidates make are approximations of a future we’re not sure will happen. In reality, all we have is a vision for this country and we vote for the candidate we feel shares (or represents ?) that vision with no guarantees that that vision will come to pass.

Also, it takes faith to participate in this election. Truthfully speaking, we all acknowledge the possibility of cheating and vote buying that we sometimes joke about it nonchalantly. There are people in my circle that has become jaded with the whole election process that they have decided not to vote. But for those who keep on participating, the decision is because we have this faith that the voice of the people will not be muffled by the resources of one candidate or group, that the election process really works.

It takes faith as well to see that we, as a nation, are composed of individuals with a sound mind who have come at their conviction through critical thinking. Doing so will save this country from going down the drain as we refrain from tearing each other apart simply because we disagree. Having faith enables us to defend our stand rationally, not resorting to judging and mudslinging.  

But most of all, it takes deep faith to submit ourselves to the will of God – that is, to submit ourselves to the authority God will establish. I have seen people passionately criticize other candidates that it seems to me they would rather die than be under that particular candidate’s rule. The Bible says in Romans 13:1, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” If you’re a Christian, what then does this verse mean to you? But, in a more practical manner, what are you planning to do when the candidate you dislike wins? Are you going to jump ship and leave this country to the dogs and ignore this passion that made you participate in this election in the first place? Or will you respectfully submit to the governing body, commending them for their good projects and voicing out reason against their bad decisions?

We all dream of a better Philippines, or at the simplest level, a better life. A lot of the people I know are sick of what’s happening to the Philippines and I believe, that’s a good thing. As more and more people become aware of the true state of our society, I see more and more people willing to act for the betterment of this country – whether it be by praying for this nation or gaining technological/theoretical knowledge to advance the country or educating others or standing up for what’s just and right. And, through all these things that are happening, I am reassured that God has a plan for the Philippines – plans that will all give us a hope and a future.

Book Recommendation: Vanishing Grace by Philip Yancey

I have read many Philip Yancey books, all of which spoke to me strongly during various seasons of my life. This book, however, not only did that but also sealed him as my favorite Christian writer.

I don't do reviews, I'm not equipped to bring justice to whatever it is I read, good or bad. But, this book called out the way the Christians' message of grace is being carried out at present in a very gracious manner that, I feel, is where the power of this book lies. The way it was written showed that Yancey practices what he preaches.

I have always been fascinated about the topic of grace. Whenever I share it to others, I always tell people that I see my 'experience and knowledge' about grace as just the tip of the iceberg and there is much more I haven't seen hidden under the water. But, this book is simply not about grace. It is about how we, as Christians, have muddled the message of grace along the way. In this book, Yancey calls everyone to reflect on how we personally carry the message of grace by addressing the fact that "... many people do not hear our message as good news".

Anyway, I do not wish to write a pitch about this book. I really just want to celebrate such a great book by writing about it. But, if ever you see it in a bookstore, I suggest you pick it up. It's not the lightest of read because every chapter will bring you to a reflection about yourself but reading it will give you a lot of learnings, written and not, to a point it's life changing.

God of Hope

Don't need the answers or know it all

'Cause You're the compass for my wandering heart

Ushering in 2016

It’s the second week of 2016 and our church has just finished prayer and fasting the week before. It has been an annual activity for O and me to join our church in our start-of-the-year, corporate prayer and fasting. Along with that, we write down our faith goals for the year before the start of prayer and fasting. Personally, for me, this gives our prayer and fasting more direction as we bring to mind the things we, consciously or subconsciously, individually or as a couple, aspire for.

For the past years, when I pray and fast, I read God’s Word as much as I can and from there, piece out what God is saying to me. This worked for me for the past prayer and fasting activities because as I get to understand the true meaning of God’s written word, I realize things about myself that I need to pray for. That is why for our 2016 prayer and fasting, my expectations were pretty much the same as the previous years: write down faith goals, fast, read the Bible, get what God is saying in His word, pray about our faith goals.

As I started my fast, I read God’s word hoping for realizations to come. However, on the first night, after reading Job, I decided to spend actual quiet time and seek out God. I decided to do so because I wanted to hear a direct word from Him, something not written in the chapter I just read.

As I closed my eyes, I cleared my thoughts and started praising Him. Now, clearing my thoughts wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to do, random things crept in and out of my mind continuously. Still, I decided to meditate on Him and found myself asking for a word from Him. This lasted for a while: praising God, fighting back my thoughts, disciplining myself to meditate on Him and asking for a word.

God, however, did not give me a word or a bible verse as encouragement for the things I am praying for that night. Instead, He led me to lay all the things I want to happen in my life before Him, making me let go of my faith goals that has always been somewhat of a baggage that I bring whenever I pray to Him. He made me realize that what I really need to do is to learn to seek His presence, not for anything, but for His presence alone. He showed to me that with His presence in my life, everything else would follow. He told me that for 2016, I should seek more of His presence before anything.

Whenever it's the season of prayer and fasting, I have always heard my pastors and churchmates say “to seek God”. And, as I hear it over and over again, I guess it has become a cliché for me. Yes, there is always that part of seeking God but how much of the time I spend with God do I really spend seeking Him and how much do I spend itemizing to Him the things I want to happen in my life. This is what God made me realize (and corrected with me) in this year’s prayer and fasting: to see that His presence is the sweetest prize I could ever hope to receive.

This is how God set my 2016. And it somewhat makes me excited.

Chorus

My King, my Lord, my Savior
You have filled my heart with wonder
You have lived and died for this soldier
Now I live to honor You

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Not much of a songwriter but this echoed to me over and over again during my quiet time. If I had a complete song, this would be the chorus.

Celebrating Valentines

Credits to whoever owns this :D

I don’t. Celebrate, that is. If by Valentine’s, we define it as the bouquet giving, chocolate exchanging, date place reserving stress of a holiday, then yes, I am absolutely sure that I don’t celebrate that. Now, for those who do, don’t be offended, I’m not criticizing. We just see things differently  - what you see as a celebration, I see as a stressful situation.

Yesterday, I was asked this question (out of the blue), “Do you celebrate valentine’s as a Christian?”. Surprised, I ended up saying after shrugging, “Huh? Okay lang naman.” without any additional explanation. Thinking back, I was a bit disappointed with the way I answered but I guess, that’s all the situation asked for. Honestly, I never thought my being a Christian would dictate if I celebrate valentine’s (or not), pwede pa siguro ung pagiging kuripot ko o ung sakit ng ulo ng nakukuha ko kapag sooobrang dami kong tao na nakita sa isang lugar – but my being a Christian?

I understand the question meant to probe me on my beliefs. Valentine’s day is of pagan origin (so they say… haven’t really done my research about that ) and being that I should not be celebrating pagan rituals – am I or am I not celebrating valentine’s? Well, in things like these (celebrations springing up from pagan rituals), this is where I stand: it’s all in the state of the heart. You see, we are surrounded by a lot of things that are of pagan origin and if we bother ourselves trying to identify each and every thing that is of pagan origin, I think, besides becoming a history buff, we would also be wasting a precious amount of our days. But, if we do something or use something that is of pagan origin and consecrate it to God, He will be able to redeem those things and use it for His glory. In the Bible, Jesus said “It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; your are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth” (Matt. 15:11). This is what I believe He is trying to say: the outward things do not have power to make us unworthy but rather, the things inside our hearts – love vs. anger, compassion vs. hatred, respect vs. slander.

So, about the celebration that started this article – Valentine’s, this is what God showed me for today’s reading time:

“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” – 1 John 4:16b-18.

If you ask me if I will celebrate valentine’s after this, I will still say no – mainly due to the stress. But, for those who will, my hope is that when you celebrate, you celebrate by enjoying your time together with your loved one/s as well as remembering the One who blessed you with the capability to love, taught you how to love and showed you the perfect kind of love.

Happy valentine’s day everyone ;)

GV Friday

Iʼve gotta let You know that Iʼm so thankful

For everything You have done
The way You lifted me, and turned my life around
Now in You I am found

PRE CHORUS:
So put your hands up, everybody give Him glory
Hands up

CHORUS:
Everybody shout your praise aloud
And sing with everything
Give Him all the glory, for our God is worthy
Whoa

BRIDGE:
If you love Him donʼt stop praising, put your hands up
If you love Him donʼt stop praising, put your hands up
Everybody give Him glory, put your hands up
Put your hands up
Put your hands up

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Put Your Hands Up by Planetshakers

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Lakas maka-good vibes! :) Kung wala lang ako sa office, malamang sumasayaw na ako sa saliw ng awiting ito. :D

Waiting

It wastes a lot – time, effort, hope and there’s nothing you can do. You realize you’re stuck where you are and you strain yourself trying to catch a glimpse of whatever ‘that’ is. You try to move in your own little space, trying to dispense that energy building up inside you. But, you’re mind is still focused on ‘that’ and you know, disappointingly, that you are where you are – not where you want.

The thought of where you are supposed to be somehow bothers you. Yet, you accept the fate that is before you – there’s no point in resisting. You stop looking ahead and stare at what’s around. You look at what’s in front of you, it’s beautiful. You soak in the details of every nook and cranny. Where you are is not so bad after all. Then you’re mind wanders to things past and suddenly, you’re jolted about stuff - a thing to do, a lesson forgotten, a moment enjoyed.

Waiting.

It’s really all just about perspective. The season of waiting is something that can either break us or make us. For a time where there is not much happening, we can always choose to focus on the thing we are waiting for and grow frustrated OR on what’s around you at the moment and realize things to the point of gratefulness. What’s yours?

Gloat or growth?

Ecclesiastes 3:11

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end - Ecclesiastes 3:11


There are things that happen and then, there are things that happen but we wish never happened. We wish these particular incidents never happened at all because we feel it has damaged something in us; it could be our innocence, our dream, our hope, etc. But the fact is, they have already happened and no matter how much we would like to take things back that is not an option. What we can do is to not let these things take hold of us that we end up yearning for a beautiful past while living a wretched present.

No matter how we view an event in our life remember that God is ALWAYS in control. God can turn an ugly event into something beautiful by giving it a purpose in your life. He may not necessarily reveal what the purpose is but if you just let all the negativity flow and offer it up to Him, He will use it for your betterment.

The thing is we tend to see life in terms of milestones and we often feel that if we have not attained a particular milestone, we are a failure. God is much, much, much (MUCH) wiser than us. He knows that we can only truly enjoy a particular achievement/milestone/season if we have the right attitude for it just like a lover's declaration can only be enjoyed if you think you are indeed lovable, a baby's presence can only be enjoyed if you can see beyond the stress of taking care of them 24/7 or a wad of money can only be enjoyed if you are mature enough to know what amount goes where.

Do you have something you yearn so long for? Don't lose hope. At some point, you may get frustrated to the point of broken-heartedness. When these times come, pray and believe God has made everything beautiful in its own time. And rest assured, He will surely make this one, this particular thing you are yearning for, beautiful in its own time as well. :)

Life's Anthem

The day You answered was the day You made this song the anthem of my life.

May I always be where You are.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You gave it all for me
My soul desire, my everything
And all I am is devoted to You

How could I fail to see
You are the love that rescued me
And all I am is devoted to You

And oh, how could I not be moved
Lord here with You
So have Your way in me
Cause Lord, there is just one thing
That I will seek

This is my cry
My one desire
Is to be where You are, Lord
Now and forever
Its more than a song
My one desire
Is to be with You
Is to be with You, Jesus

The one thing, the one thing I ask is to be with You 

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One Desire by Hillsong

Motherhood 101: The Detour

Marriage spelled a new chapter in my life. New dreams; new plans; major decisions to come up with; a new me to unfold right before my very eyes. Yes, I somehow believed that there will be ups and downs but never imagined the magnitude of the down parts could be great that they would actually end up redirecting some of our plans. Naively, I thought, a newly married couple's bliss would be a cycle of petty fights followed by a succession of dreams coming to life one after another. I guess this was how I subconsciously spelled out happily ever after.

Two weeks after my D&C procedure for my second miscarriage, I'm realizing the down times are not simply composed of petty fights. Some down times can be large inkblots on a page they have the potential to destroy the promise of a beautiful story. I guess, if life was a book and this miscarriage is an inkblot in a page and I choose to stare on it again and again, I could conclude that the book is indeed ruined. But, I'm choosing to turn the page.

Some may think it's tragic or that we're kawawa or it's depressing that a year and a half into marriage and this is what we are encountering as we try to grow our family. I won't deny that. It would be a lot better if I could get pregnant easily and carry our baby into term and see our family grow without getting heartbroken because of these miscarriage encounters. But, the fact is, things happened otherwise, we need to accept the circumstances and move on.

Tomorrow will be another page for us. My OB says I might need some workup and she's already recommended me to a colleague specializing in infertility to work on my case. I surely never expected I would be meeting with such a doctor in my lifetime. Well, I never expected a lot of the things that happened in the past few weeks. This is certainly life-curbing... Nevertheless, tomorrow will also mark a major moving on for us. Our inkblots are already there, un-erasable and undeniable, but I have faith that the promise of a beautiful story is also there, un-erasable and undeniable.


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

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" 

A Note To Self

“Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise Him,

my Savior and my God” – Psalm 42:11

The prescription to a discouraged soul is casting everything that your heart feels to God and choosing to praise Him amidst what you are feeling. Your emotions may feel real right now but they should not redirect your future. Cry if you must but do not engage in self-pity. Shout if you must but do not hold on to the anger. Rest if you must but do not be content with inaction. The important thing is that your source of joy remains to be the God who has saved you over and over again.

Let's Go 2014

What are you hoping for this 2014? I'm sure we have something we're looking forward to this year and to help you have a more positive outlook, allow me to share these 3 verses God gave me during last week's PnF:

The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established. - Proverbs 16:1-3

 .. and this is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. - 1John5:14-15

Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass - Psalm 37:4-5

God is NO genie who will grant your every wish but for hearts who are sincere in loving, seeking and worshipping Him, He is more than willing to bless you beyond your imagination. And this is why it is my sincere hope that everyone will come to know and have the right kind of faith and relationship with God.

What are you hoping for this 2014? Whatever it is, I pray you put your hope in the one and true living God.

Do You Love Me?

Have you ever thought what would have happened to the church of God if Peter or Thomas or Paul lived today in our times? Do you think it would have greatly advanced like before if they lived now? Sometimes, I feel, maybe not.

Peter was a denier, Thomas was a doubter and Paul was an executioner and in these times where the Christians pronounce judgment left and right to believers and non-believers alike, I’m thinking that we could have greatly discouraged them. Truly, the greatest critic of the body of Christ is not the world but themselves.

 

As our walk in Christ deepens, we deepen in the knowledge of how to be a better person for Him. We strive to apply this knowledge, strive being the operative word. But, sometimes, I feel, we greatly misuse this knowledge in that we end up using it as a measure for our brothers and sisters in Christ. The knowledge He reveals to us does not give us the license to judge others but empowers us to share His word.

We are still imperfect beings even though we have come to know God. But, our imperfections and others’ imperfections is not the one that determines who gets to go for God and who does not. It is our heart. Jesus emphasized this on John 21:15-19. It is in loving Him that we are propelled to serve Him not our character or our tenure or our maturity or our trainings or anything in between.

Saving Grace

I think one can never call one’s self a Christian if that person has never experienced God’s saving grace. A Christian’s turning point is when he realizes that God, through all his imperfections, loved him and decided to extend to him the gift of salvation that he will NEVER deserve. And with this realization, God ultimately changes how we lead our lives. If previously we see our principles as absolute, logical and correct, now we only see God and His infinite goodness producing in us a resolve to live our lives in thanksgiving to Him. THIS is how we start to be a dispenser of grace.

To be honest, being a Christian is not a walk in the park. It is not easy to conquer evil by doing good (Rom. 12:21b). How can we when all we can see from others is how they took advantage of us, how they look down upon us, how they disrespect us, etc. A part of us will always want to seek the justice we think we deserve that we end up serving it ourselves. But, see, we were not called to judge, we were called to extend grace.

Grace is understanding (and acting on that understanding) that everyone has their good side no matter how worse their committed sins are. It is realizing that other people’s action for a moment does not define who they really are and thus, gives us no right to nullify their lives. Grace is seeing that you and them (no matter how good you think of yourself and how bad others actually are) is one and the same: all supposedly hopeless but all redeemed.

I do not claim to be an expert of grace. If anything, I have only begun to see the tip of it. And I desire to know more of it because it is the starting point of my life in Christ: God's saving grace.

On Loving

I guess it will always be a point of misunderstanding for a lot of people but this is what I know: I, as a Christian, was called to love. I was called to love with an active kind of love. Jesus did not die for me that I might lounge around everyday seeking every comfort life has to offer. NO. I was blessed with so much love and grace and mercy that I might stand up and do the same to others.

The truth is loving, with a Christian perspective, is tricky and at times, hurtful. Why? Because God did not call me to love with a passive acceptance of people for who they are and what they believe in. God challenges me (and everyday for that matter) to love actively, beckoning people to the truth, one that would set them free and enable them to live life to the full. God calls me to love people with the same kind of love that He gave me: the transforming kind of love.

Perfect Kind of Love

“But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” – Romans 5:8

I thank God that He loved me with so much love that while I was still this wretched human being undeserving of anyone’s love, He already died for me. As a selfish being by nature, I admit it is hard for me to understand why He would choose to do such a thing. But this much I can grasp, it is not for me to try and understand every bit of God’s love, rather it is for me to follow it.

This is what I know: God, in all his holiness and mightiness, gambled His life for me in the hopes that one day I will come to hear of what He did and ultimately, change me from the inside out. He walked on this earth sharing His teachings to everyone who would listen but did not force it on anyone’s throat. He loved everyone alike: he loved the fishermen and tax collector enough to call them as His disciples; he loved the prostitute enough not to condemn her; he loved the criminals on the cross enough to forgive one and accept the decision of the other to mock Him; he even loved the Pharisees enough to answer their questions [even if answering them is futile].

Love according to God’s actions is complicated and hard but it is the perfect example of love. His love is a love that is based not on the character of the beloved but rather on the character of the lover. God’s love emanates from Him because He is hopeful that the people He chose to die for will turn back to Him and lead a victorious life. His actions are not based on their current situations but on His dreams for them, on what He sees they can possibly be. And, this kind of love is the love that produced a lasting change in me.

I thank God that He loved me with so much love that while I was still this wretched human being undeserving of anyone’s love, He already died for me. I thank Him because He did not give up on me then and is not giving up on me now. I may be far from who God wants me to be but I know, His love will sustain me until I meet the person God sees in me. I thank God that His love is the hopeful, optimistic kind that doesn’t stop on who I am right now [physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally] and I believe, this same kind of love is the love that can change anything: a person, a situation or even, a nation.

And in His love, I will remain hopeful…  

J-E-S-U-S

My last entry here was one joyful moment for O and I. And since then, a major thing happened that didn’t exactly shook my faith but somehow reminded me of my ever growing dependence on God. Isang MALAKING PASASALAMAT talaga kay Lord and how He changed my forever nega attitude. Siguro kung nangyari ito sa akin ng hindi pa ako Christian, mukmok to the highest level ang drama ko at mega-iyak sa tabi thinking na AKO NA ang pinagkaitan ng langit at lupa. To which I say to my old self, “O sige… ikaw na!”

I’m sure everyone had his/her fair share of nega moments. And, might I say, those moments are really just the worst. We live the moment THINKING of all the ‘bad’ things that happened, FORMING this belief that the world is out to get you, CHOOSING to be sad because (of your so-called truth that…) the world is indeed out to get you and BELIEVING that you’ll only be happy when the world undoes what it has done to you. Eventually, yes, you will get better but by that time you have missed so much that it feels like you’re starting point involves a lot more things to do than you originally expected which sets you back a time or two.

THIS, friends, is the long road to recovery and you know what, I know of a shortcut. It’s spelled… J-E-S-U-S.

The fact is we all need time to recover. It’s not called a process for nothing, you know. The only difference with all of us, however, is the length of time it takes to be okay and the actions we choose to do while we are not okay. This is where Jesus changed me. He gave me a renewed point of view on things.

Bad stuff happens but the world is not out to get me so there is NEVER a reason to despair. I may cry for a while but there is no reason for me to frown the succeeding days. My story does not end on my failures. Because God never promised that He will leave me to fail. God’s promise (as my life verse states…) is:

“For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” – Jeremiah 29:11

So how can I allow myself to spend time in such a tragic season of self-pity and negativity? If this is God’s promise, then I want to be there. THERE where prosperity, hope and my future awaits. THERE where He will turn my mourning into dancing and my sadness into joy. THERE where the purpose of everything will be revealed. THERE where His glory is proclaimed.

With all this revealed, I cannot imagine how to live life apart from Him? Jesus is the complete therapy. He is my strength during the times I’m not okay. He brings me hope while I am still down. He brings me joy, confident that His plans for me will prevail and are the best. ;)   

Redeemed

More than being victorious, I would like to be called redeemed.

I have always been reminded that as a Christian I have been made victorious. In the course of its repetition, I realized the danger this statement contains. In hearing this again and again, I have reduced its interpretation by running after the successes in life believing that the promise of victory is Christ's way of beckoning people to follow Him.

But, the Christian way of life is not of pure victories. Any Christians' story is a story of redemption. I am not victorious but rather I was redeemed by a victorious God. Christ invites us to follow Him because only He is victorious and that in Him we will find our redemption. 

More than being victorious, I would like to be called redeemed because I would like to be reminded over and over again that I cannot be anything of value apart from the victorious God who saved me.