Special Episodes: The Transition

Again I say goodbye to this year.

It was just like last year. Well, not really like last year.
This year was fruitful.
This year was dark also.

It was a year of pruning and constant changing.
And it was really hard for me at the start.
The scars of the past and burdens are still there.
And until now, it keeps on making me fall.

I was focusing too much on the concerns of this world and myself, that I forgot how to build upon my influence and God’s influence in my life and the world.

I forgot many things, just because I focused on the problem too much.
Being given a mission is not easy, all the more that it is not when we focus on the problem too much, and even more that it is really not that easy when we forget that we are not alone in this task.

I almost completely got lost.
But the Lord is good. He knows what’s happening. And He sure is too stubborn enough not to let go of me.
Now, I’m taking baby steps again… and some big leaps… to get back on my feet. The gravitational pull of the past is really great, but I have in my heart the constant hope and with the constant help that I get from God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, and my family and friends, I know someday… I can make it… maybe this following year, or the next, or the next-next… or the next-next-next…

So I bid farewell to this year. And just like what I read awhile ago from some message from my friend, I bury the mistakes I made, and create a new benchmark for my success this year, and hope to get my goals the following year.

Thank you to all of my family, my friends, my sponsors, and everyone who are in between for the support and Love you have given.
For this, in return of your Love, I will struggle more in loving you all with the best that I can.

As for my OTL (One True Love), whoever you are, be prepared because I’m preparing myself for you. If we see and get to know each other this year, that’s good, if we don’t get to see and know each other, then I’ll still be preparing for us and be hopefully waiting the following years.

As for my plans, because of the renovation and some lessons I took up this Christmas vacation, I completely forgot making some plans for the following year, so I’ll do the planning for the first quarter of this year’s 2008 by January 2, and I’ll post it here if I got time later.

Whew, I’ve written too much, got way past my supposed mark for myself. Well, as I hug this coming New Year with delight, may God bless us and bring new and prosperous fruits for us to share with each other.

God bless and Happy New Year :D

Special Episodes: Nothing to write this Christmas

Oh well, let’s just say I have to give in.
This is my first Christmas where I don’t have anything to give.
I didn’t text others (like I used to…)
I didn’t buy any gifts for others…
Talk about sharing…

But anyway, I had a lot of fun moments this Christmas.
I made quite a lot of new friends this merry season, like the children animators at the STCJP parish, and also being able to be part of the “Kakaibang Panunuluyan” play of the Christmas Midnight Mass.

I got a lot of rest also. And some time again to read some of my books. And write again.
And felt God’s love in some way that I can’t explain… and shared it also to others… that is not expressed in texts or gifts…

Well… As I have said… I have to give in…
I don’t know what to write today.
So this will be my “special episodes” where I will just write what’s in my head…

I just wish you all a Merry Christmas today. And I have to say, this day is not really about Jesus alone. But us receiving God’s Love for us through the incarnation of His Love, the Word made Flesh, the birth of His only Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

God bless you all :D

Rebirth of All Series: Crash and Burn

My last entry was September.

It has been a long time since I last written an article for you guys to read (except the CCC part, which was last October)

Anyway, just as the title suggests: Crash and Burn

For the last 2 months, my life went haywire, being caught up by the aftermath of the recent events and happenings starting this year. Figuratively, my life crashed and burned.

Although, on the outside, you can see me as a-ok, inside, is empty. Although I attended a lot of seminars and stuff, I’m still lost inside.

I seemed too detached to the people around me. And I almost totally forgot all my writing and my works. I was on the thin line between sanity and insanity.

But now, is recovery time. And I have so many things to tell you. Those 2 months of force-retreat gave new meaning. The flame from the crash intensified. And now, a phoenix rises from the ashes.

So, just before this year ends, I want to celebrate the rebirth of this site. Although the façade looks the same, I do hope my stories that I will share will give more inspiration to love the people around you.

More faith, more hope and more love.

CCC Prologue - Part 1: The Life of Man - To Know and Love God

Catechism of the Catholic Church Reflection Series

(Because of copyright issues, I'll just include here links that will bring you to the readings for the given topic... Please READ the given readings so as to have knowledge of what we are discussing here :D

I'll include my personnal notes and quotations from the readings as my added reflections about the text)

Prologue

Link: Prologue

Added Resources:
John 17:3
1 Timothy 2:3-4
Acts 4:12

I. The Life of Man - To Know and Love God

Link: Prologue - Part 1

Added Resources:
Matthew 28:19-20
Mark 16:20
Acts 2:42

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Personal Notes:

"FATHER,... this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." - John 17:3

- This is Eternal life. I exhort you to know more about God and about Jesus. It's not enough to just worship every week or go to mass. Know more about our Faith. Know more about God. Our relationship with Him does not stop at baptism or just being a Catholic (and for some of us at our YLSS), being intimate with Him is knowing Him more. And that is eternal life.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" - Matthew 28:19

- This is our ultimate vocation. To evangelize. To spread the Good News.

"All Christ's faithful are called to hand it on from generation to generation, by professing the faith, by living it in fraternal sharing, and by celebrating it in liturgy and prayer." - CCC #3 /C.f. Acts 2:42

- We are ultimately called to witness His Good News with our lives. It is not enough to know and to teach it. Rather, we live it day-by-day.

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That's all for now, share your thoughts or questions :D

Introduction to New Series: CCC Reflection Series

This will be my introduction for my new reflection series of the book Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC).

The topics will be taken from the said book.

So any blog entry will be under this series will be titled CCC Reflection Series: [title of the topic]

Unlike the other blog entries, there is a topic outline for this series. It will be inline with the CCC Table of Contents. You can find the topic outline (and the readings also) here.

Link: CCC Topic Outline

Again, thanks for reading and God bless :D

Love Blog Series #6.3: I Will Love Today

"Not next year, not next month, not next week, not even tomorrow...

I will Love today..."

I once said that line in a forum... I can't remember where or why but I said it and will say it again:
I will Love today...

It's been quite long after my last post and all thanks to the time I need to muster that strength to write this simple but fruitful article.

It's so simple I don't know how to explain it.
Why? Because internalizing how to love is a behavioral habit that will start simply like this...

When we we wake up, just feel the presence and love of God (even if you feel groggy). Say a little prayer (and maybe read the Word of God), thanksgiving, ask for what we need today... then smile (even if you don't feel like it) and say "I will Love today"...

It is a behavioral habit that will go on like this...

For the next few hours until night time (8 to 12 is few), when we meet a person we ask ourselves, "How will I love this person today?". When we get irritated we ask "How will I love this person today?". When we are betrayed, lambasted, and rejected by people around us we ask "How will I love these people today? (Really!!! How do I love these people?!!! My ghullay!! hehehehe)". When we feel loved and cherished by someone we ask "How will I love these people today?" We will always ask these question... every time... everywhere...

Lastly, it is a behavioral habit that will end like this...

Before you go to bed and sleep, feel the presence and love of our God (even if you feel tired). Say again a prayer (and maybe reflect), thanksgiving and ask for guidance tomorrow... then smile (even if the day is some what "subjectively" bad)... then say "I did Loved today"... then go to sleep...

Simple... to say...
but to do... it will take quite a while.

But it will become a habit. Just take the first step... then the second... then the third... then the fourth... until you can walk on your own.

I do hope I've inspired you to love always... to always remind ourselves to love... and be loved.
And always ask for the guidance of love of God. He was, is, and will always be the source of Love. You will never be empty when we ask for that Love.

I did Loved today.


PS1. Next topic in our series: Loving God

PS2. Watch out for our next set of topics: Being Complete

Timeless Specials #2: Love does not wait

Yes... Love is not for tomorrow... it is not for later... it should be done now! In every moment and opportunity... love must be done today at this time.

This is a lesson I will never forget.
I was supposed to help in the mini-seminar about worship and I want that my sister attend the seminar. So I "texted" her of her location because she was not there yet.
And then she replied that she will not come. But because I want her to be there, I replied and it sounded a little bit angry, which is somehow true. I felt a little bit irritated then that my sister is passing up an opportunity to learn and maybe share it to others.

She replied back that she will attend the mini-seminar. But I know it is just because I got "angry". So I didn't reply back to her because I may end up fighting with her.

But the unthinkable happened. My mommy and daddy was out then and was planning to go to the seminar by jeep. Then, she collapsed just before she left and was rushed immediately to the hospital. I got the news a little bit later from mommy. She knew what my last reply to my sister because my sister texted her about my text. I asked if was it my fault but she assured me it was not because before my sister left, she was telling mommy that she's a little bit sick. But it didn't help, the burden was with me and I can't concentrate on preparing for my talk.

I was thinking what if my sister will not wake up. It may be partly my fault that she collapsed because of my "persuasive" powers in my text to her. I may not have the chance to say sorry and make amends. But what really burdens me, was that I didn't try to understand her situation before I get irritated. I was not loving her as a brother to a sister. I was not doing my mission. And now this happened that she collapsed without her doing something strenuous. I stormed the heavens and the airwaves (by texting) to pray for my sister.

My prayers were quickly answered because she recovered immediately right after she arrived at the hospital and mommy and daddy was also there. And it was right before my talk that the news arrived. The burden was lifted and I gave out a sigh of relief.

And I reflected upon it while giving my talk (yeah, I was doing two things at that time...) I realized that love does not wait on you. You must always love everybody and you must always do it now... there is no other time to do it but now. People you love may be gone in a flash and you may regret not loving them to the hilt. It was my mission: to learn to love and to show love. And I am not doing it!! That's why I am so burdened that time. I was not doing what God is telling me to do. I still am going back to my selfish self. I still get angry to my parents, I still get a little bit irritated with my brother and sisters. I still am a little bit snobbish to my ministry friends. I still get irritated to people that doesn't follow God. I still get too righteous... And by doing that, I lose every second of opportunity to show love even to the people close to me. I'm not showing God's love to them...

May it be that I remember this day. So I will have the constant effort to love them as I love myself. I may falter, fail, fall, sin... but I will still struggle. It's better to love than to preach how to love. It's better to love than to teach them doctrinal and Catholic truths. They will never understand the truths of the Universal Church if there is no love. They will never understand the teachings if there is no love. They will never learn if there is no love. For even if there is faith, hope, gifts of the Holy Spirit, friends, family, teachings, ministry, great songs and the like, if there is no love, it will be noisy gong or clanging cymbal. Even if I perfected my craft in preaching, in business, and in other things, if there's no love to my family, friends and neighbors, I will have nothing and I will not gain nothing.



For all these things exists; but the greatest of these things will always be love.



PS1. back to our next topic in our subseries: I Will Love Today

PS2. Watch out for our next set of topics: Being Complete

Love Blog Series # 6.2.3: Loving You

Do You Know God's Name?
I found this site by Pastor Ahyh (www.yhwh.com) and I asked permission to use some of his explanations about God's name.

Now before we begin... How will this be connected in loving your neighbor, your enemy, your friend, your loved-one, your boyfriend, girlfriend, family, mother, father, etc...?

You'll soon find out. Now let's have a special verse that will connect your question to God's name:

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." - Matthew 25:40

Let's start off from where I ended last topic. We have discussed before that we need to love God not because God needs our love but because it is more of a response to His love. It is also for us to learn how to really love. And in loving someone, one thing we must know is that person's name. So what is God's name?

From the bible, we can find the answer from Exodus 3:13-14. This is when Moses actually asked God His Name.

13Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?"

14God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" - Exodus 3:13-14

God's Name is not God. It's not Lord. It's even not Jesus. Yes, His name is Jesus when He was on earth. But before being called Jesus, He said His real Name also:

"Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.'" - John 8:58

So God's Name is I AM. Now, this is the translation (or meaning in English words) from the Hebrew texts originally written many years ago. The transliteration (or using the same letters of the English alphabet) of "I AM" is YHWH or YaHWeh. So in Hebrew language, God's Name is Yahweh.

Now in using the Hebrew language, YHWH becomes
is Y meaning Yod, rhymes with "rode"
is H meaning He, rhymes with "say"
is W or V meaning Vav, like "lava"
and another H.

Now, the Hebrews wrote it from right to left making it

But God didn't wrote it left to right or right to left. He wrote it from top to bottom. And He didn't use a pen and paper to write it. He used something else (YES!! He's the Most Creative Writer I've ever known...)

He wrote His Name like this:



You!! He wrote His Name in our very existence and in every existing human being. His Name is you, your neighbor, your enemy, your friend, your loved-one, boyfriend, girlfriend, mother, father, etc... Just look: The Yod is our head, the 1st He is our arms, the Vav is our torso and the last He is our legs. This supports the reason that what we do to the least of our brothers, we do it unto Him. Because His Name is us!! He created us not only in His image and likeness, we are His very Name!! Isn't that amazing?

That's the reason why we need to love others... That's the reason why we need to also love ourselves. We are His very Name. And because we love Him also, we also ought to love others as we love ourselves. It's also a response to His love. Thus, making the only true, logical and basic reason why we love others is because we love our Lord, YHWH (See Love Blog Series #3: True Love Has One Reason Alone).

So, this ends the "knowing" part of this topic series. Now will get into the "internalization" part. Tune in next time for our next topic.

PS1. Sorry for the delay. It's been 2 weeks, I know. I have to ask permission from Pastor Ahyh (Thanks for permitting me to spread the word!!) I also have to "connect the dots" so to speak to make a point :D

PS2. Next topic in our subseries: I Will Love Today

PS3. Watch out for our next set of topics: Being Complete

Love Blog Series # 6.2.2: Does God need my love?

Have you ever asked this question?
Why did God "commanded" us to love Him?

Does God need my love?

I mean, He, our God, King of kings, Lord of lords, Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, Creator of heaven and earth, commands us to love Him above everything and with everything that we got...

Our minds, our hearts, our bodies, our souls, our strength... He wants us to love Him. Why? What for?

He is the epitome, source and the very meaning of Love. He is Complete. He will not be sad like us when we are not love. He can erase the very existence of His creations if decides to. He will not feel incomplete even if we don't love Him. He is everything.

So why did He commands us to love Him in the first place?

Here is the reason: The command is for us, not for Him.

You don't get it? The reason He gave you that commandment is for our own good. It is not for Him, it is for us. He didn't create that 1st greatest commandment for us to love Him so that He will be loved and feel being loved just like us. He is the very source and epitome of Love and He is Love Himself thus He doesn't need to be loved just to be loved. The 1st greatest commandment (which encompasses the 1st three commandments God gave to Moses) is meant and created for us.

I can give you three (3) reasons why this greatest commandment is good for us.

1. We are wired, hard-programmed, and created to love... and in this commandment, Him. We search for love in all places. Why do we search it? Because love brings us joy. All of us has also this common reason of loving someone, it is because we are loved. And because we felt love we have joy. Man has the capacity to love because he felt loved first. The problem comes when we ourselves confuse the Giver of Love to something else and then we focus on that something else, we love this "something else" because we thought they give love to us... which brings me to the 2nd reason...

2. God does not and will not leave you... Period. Everything else will leave you, may it be your girlfriend, boyfriend, parents, loved-one, dog, cat, computer game, PC, cellphone, friends, work, academics, grades, bar, beer, money, and even that sexy woman over there... They will leave you. These "something else" will not be there for you always. In truth, The phrase "I'll always be here for you" will not be true always because I, too, also can leave you. So, If you love these things above everything else and give to them all you got... There is 100% even 200% guarantee, no-questions-asked, and pretty sure of it that they will leave you.

Isn't that truth destructive? Devastating? To love "something else" and to give this "something else" everything that you have only to find out that this "something else" will leave you alone... having an unrequited love? Only to find out that this "something else" does not and will not love you until eternity and will just again... leave you alone?

That's why God wants you to love Him... with everything that you have... To focus on Him alone. Yes, you can love your family, friends, work, boyfriend, girlfriend, pets... but they are only second to God. You give everything to God. Because He will never, ever, leave you. Believe me. Your love for Him is secured. Your everything is secured. And you will have fullness of joy until eternity because He is Eternity... He is Infinity. Your world will not crumble because He will always be there for you. Come to think of it, if You love Him, He will be your everything. Now, the reason why He will not leave you brings me to my last reason...

3. God loved, loves and will always love us... In the first place, we will never exist or even cease to exist if He doesn't love us. Because we are formed because of His love. Even everything else exists because of His love. That's why we are wired to love, because He loves. He is love. And in Him we are complete. We attain fullness of joy. That's why our everything is secured in Him because He is Everything.

And because He has loved us first, our response is to love Him back. It is now not a command but an act. A response to what is truly given to us. Because He wants you to be more like Him... Because He created you in His image and likeness... And Because Jesus is also the Father and the Father is also Jesus... and Jesus loves the Father... then we are to do the same... for this response of love to the Father is for us... He gave this so that you can have fullness of joy in His Love.

PS1. Watch out for the next topic in the series: Loving You

PS2. Watch out for our next topic series after this: Being Complete

Love Blog Series # 6.2.1: What's Love Got to Do with This?

"Hayyyyy... Love..."
But before we get mushy in this article... let's discuss the definition of love.
What is love anyway?

In the world today, there are many, many, many definitions pertaining to love. Most of them equate love as an intense surge of feelings or emotions. And many people would also say that it is irrational, does not have any reason, and simply a magical thing that people feel.

It may sometimes be connoted to love of country, romantic love, friendship, sexual love, love for thing, and even love for God. And many will say that these vast definitions of love are very unique to each other and are very different from each other. Many would say that these different kinds of love have different intensity of feelings also.

All in all, these boils down to one thing: Love is a feeling.

Pope Benedict, through his encyclical letter entitled: "Deus Caritas Est", wishes to address this very definition of love. Is it really a feeling, much like the Greek word, eros? Is love or true essence of it be ideal and almost impossible to grasp due to the many definitions and intensities to it? Is romantic love very different from the religious love or love for God? Can we be able to do the commandments?

What is really the definition of love?

To have a basic knowledge of it, we will have to use the sentence many of us will say in many different languages to express our love to the other:

"I love you"

Using basic English, this simple sentence represent two parts: A subject and a predicate.
The subject here is the word "I". The predicate here is the phrase "love you" which can be subdivided into two objects: A verb and a direct object. The direct object here is "you" and the verb word is "love".

By the very definition of verb as an action word, the word "love" can be connoted as an action.
We cannot express love if is not an action. And by the very definition of it... Love is an action, the doer of the action is "I" and the receiver of the action is "you".

By receiving the action means receiving the action word "love". And love cannot be received if it is not been given to the receiver.

So what is this love that is to be given? By the meaning of the title of the letter "Deus Caritas Est", it means: God is love. We are to give God as an action to the receiver. But how do we do that?

Looking at the first chapter of Genesis, we can see that we ourselves are made from the image and likeness of God. Thus, in action, we only not give our God... we ought to give ourselves.

Thus, the very essence of the true meaning of love. It is an act of self-giving... of self-sacrificing. This is agape used in the New Testament. Then, what are feelings then?

Feelings, the intense emotions that well up inside us, is a byproduct of that love. That is the pursuit defined by eros, supreme infinite happiness often equated to romantic love. Rather than a warped and destructive form of eros that is intoxicated and seeks to reach "divine happiness" for the purpose of feeling the pleasure of being "divine", true eros becomes pure and true when in pursuit of this kind of happiness we ought to give ourselves. Eros and Agape, although different, becomes one in the whole definition of love.

Love becomes one essence but in different manifestations. It is whole. It cannot be gauge into different intensities. It's either you give it whole, or you give an imperfect one. We cannot separate it into different things for if we separate it, we only get an impoverished form of it. And a "half-baked love" is not love at all.

People need love... We need to be loved... and the only thing that quenches that thirst is only through true and perfect love.

Thus, true and perfect love, again, is an action... an act... to give oneself to another... to sacrifice for one neighbor... to serve, give time and effort generously... and its byproduct will always be joy, peace, and love. The feelings that we get when we give generously.

For the more we give and share this love, the more we receive true and perfect love given and acted upon us by our generous God, who gave His Son Jesus, who died for us... just to ultimately define what true love is.



PS. Sorry for the late post, I have to read just part one of the Encyclical letter of the Pope just make this post more understandable and have more "meat" so to speak.

PS2. Watch out for the next topic in the series: Does God need my love?

PS3. Watch out for our next topic series after this: Being Complete

Timeless Specials #1: High School Reflections

(Note: Timeless Specials are special blog entries aside from the series for the moment... It may or may not be connected to the series being discussed about at the moment... The use and anything about Timeless Specials will be posted after the "Two Simple Instructions" subseries special of the Love Blog Series)

After almost 4 years, we met again.
I met with one of my high school friends after 4 years of not seeing each other.
It was really a "semi-unplanned" moment.

Just a little background, I was just attending a seminar about How to be Truly Rich by Bo Sanchez when I thought of arranging a meeting with that friend of mine. The reason I arranged a meeting with her (Oooopss... Yep, she's a girl...) was because I promised her that before her birthday, we'll have a "chit-chat" as a gift. But because of schedules, we postponed it, then postponed it again... then another... until we had a chance (and time) to meet up. So we met at National Bookstore at Katipunan, QC and ate at Red Ribbon.

It was unplanned actually. The whole plan was to meet her but the thing is, I don't know what to talk about. All I was thinking then was to convince her and have a small team to start a reunion plan for our batch this coming "5-year reunion" next year and then that's it. On the other side, she was thinking of convincing me to come and watch the Pisay (Short for Philippine Science... Yep...) Movie entry at Cinemalaya at CCP.

Anyhow, so we ate and had our little talk and went off to CCP. But before that we need to get tickets at TicketNet. Thus, we took a ride at LRT2 to Gateway, Cubao and looked for tickets.

At this point, we had our adventure. We had so much fun talking starting from Red Ribbon to Gateway that we didn't realized that at some points we were actually a little bit lost. But what surprised me the most is how we reacted when we got to the TicketNet booth and said that all tickets were sold out for that day's show.

We traveled from Katipunan to here and was lost a little bit and all we got was a dead end... We couldn't get tickets for the show that we should be watching right that moment.
But we laughed... Not a sarcastic laugh but a heartily and joyful laugh. We laughed and was also astounded as how the movie got so much publicity that on the first day of showing, all tickets were sold.

We don't have plan B that time. But we had an instant plan B and headed for Starbucks (this was the first time I entered the cafe of Starbucks and the 3rd time I bought their product...)... And for at most I think 1 or 2 hours we stayed there talking and sharing our lives.

From simple things like "how are you" to things like "love life" to things like "how's our common 'bestfriend'" to her dad, to my work, to coffee, to cake, to her lifestyle, to my lifestyle, to our past high school memories, to God...

And we didn't stopped there, we circled around the mall and stayed there for another hour or so at the National Bookstore and talked again... and again... and again...

And we again left and went to the Food Area of Gateway and bought and shared NYFD (french fries brand) and talked again... and again... and again...

And it hit us... We are now here... sitting and eating and talking. We realized that much of what we have learned and shared while we were together was because of the years and experiences we had in our high school days. Those were the days that the topic for the day will always be "love life" and "drama mode". Those were the days that we thought of love as a feeling. Those were the days that we live our lives in a competitive world. Those were the days that a "tampuhan" is a big issue then. And now we are here, talking about our reflections and realizations about our silly mistakes and lessons as if we were still together.

It's like we are "growing together alone". Together in a sense that still now we move as one... going forward... but because of certain things like distance... we move "alone".

Meeting with my friend that day was like having a big reunion. A reunion of dreams, hopes, aspirations, realizations, reflections... And I treasure these moments... Unplanned moments...

I had a great time. And I'm writing this down... well, my plan is to share it to you what happened that time. But now, the unplanned thing is... I'm writing this down so that you may realize this very thing.

Treasure every good moment. Some of your moments may be bad but it's ok. They will work out into a good thing after.
Treasure every person you meet. I'm glad I had a great "date" with my friend.
I do hope there will come a time that you will meet (or date) with one of your close friends before and will have yourself a reunion of thoughts... a rekindling of your passion before... a pursuit of your dreams... It maybe today... tomorrow who knows... :D

Anyhow, for 6 hours... we just talked about a part of 4 years. I think we still may need to do some catching-up. :D

(Again... Back to our next topic in our subseries: What's Love Got to Do with This?)
(Watch out for our next set of topics: Being Complete)

Love Blog Series #6.1: Two Simple Instructions (Subseries special #1)

Did you ever tried NOT to follow the instructions in your test papers?
Deliberately or accidentally?
I did many times and all I got is a zero if not a minus five in my exam or quiz.
Just because I did not follow simple instructions in my test papers.

My topic for this entry is about two simple instructions. Just two.
And yet these two are the most disobeyed instructions since ancient times.
Do you know what are these two?

1. Love God
2. Love others

Simple isn't it? And most of the time, for at least 2000 years... and even before Christ was born, these two instructions were the most disobeyed, often taken-for-granted, and misinterpreted instructions in the world.

I have a hunch that most, if not all, of the unnecessary problems and worries today and even before are due to lack of love. It is due to not following these two simple instructions.

Crime, murder, war, failing the math exam, heartbreaks, divorce, occultism, ouija, rape, population booming, economical crisis, corruption, sin, adultery, bitterness, horror, accidents, blame...

The Greek word used for sin in the New Testament books is called "hamartia" which means "to miss a mark". Thus, by missing the mark or not hitting or obeying these 2 simple instructions actually makes you sin. And sin causes all kinds of unnecessary and useless problems and worries to man.

The whole point now is how do we avoid "missing the mark"? How do we do these instructions? Ultimately, how do we love?

To answer these clearly, We will have to know the problems why we can't easily follow these 2 instructions. There are three reasons why we fail to follow these instructions...
1. We do not know
2. We do not internalize
3. We do not do it

1st, we do not know what love is and why do we need to love. The problem with us today is that we ourselves twisted the very meaning and form of love and corrupted it just to fit into our own selfish needs. Knowing what true love is and the real reasons why we need to love God and others will help us have concrete reasons for us to love them. I believe that in loving you need to know why you love (see Love Blog Series #3: True Love has One Reason Alone). We will discuss it later in our next set of topics what love is and why we need to love.

2nd, it is not enough to know it by mind. We need to know it by heart. Everyday we must internalize and condition ourselves to do the 2 greatest commandments. Again, a full discussion for this part will be done later.

and lastly, after knowing love and conditioning yourself to love, the last important thing is to actually do it. Every preparation will be in vain if not done in action. So here, some of the answers in how to love will be given here.

This topic will be subdivided into parts to answer how can we love God and love others more effectively and then actually "avoid missing the mark". So watch out for our next issues :D

(Next topic in our subseries: What's Love Got to Do with This?)
(Watch out for our next set of topics: Being Complete)

Love Blog Series #5: Extension to the Theory of Equivalent Exchange

Remember this theory?

The theory states that "for the exchange to take place, the two key players of the relationship must be somehow complete first before they give it to each other. As for this, they will take what the other has given and the cycle goes on. Because of their completeness, and their readiness, the give-and-take cycle becomes a natural process, like breathing and eating."

(for more explanation, see Love Blog Series #1: The Theory of Equivalent Exchange)

There's an extension to it, which will encompass all other relationships as well.

You may think that when a person gives his whole self to his partner, the partner is fulfilled and is complete from that love being given by her partner. Now I will disagree with that.

Because people are imperfect. We can't give perfect love... remember my last paragraph? That you can't give without being complete... and by being complete you must ask from God to give you first His complete and perfect love so that you can share it to others especially to your partner...

The receiver of love is not really receiving a perfect love from her partner if the love given does not come from God and the giver is not really giving himself and his love completely if the giver doesn't have the love from God.

Thus, the reality of this theory is that the reason behind the completeness of a person inside the cycle of love is not because of the love being completely given to us by the giver but because of the love being given by our Lord.

The cycle really becomes a natural process when we share and give that whole love from our Lord.

Our fulfillment of our needs is really not because of the person who give us love, but because the Lord fulfilled us first our needs (that is why we should be complete first before having a relationship... at this point, we will discuss it in our next topic: Being complete).

And in loving relationship, the Lord uses our partners as His instruments to show His perfect love for us again, and again, and again.

Making us complete again, and again , and again...

And having that kind of reality, we don't need to look after ourselves. Thus, we have more time to look after our partners needs... Because we ourselves are instruments of God to show His love for our partners.

Although this reality looks like that we fulfill them, it is really the Lord using us to love them completely. Isn't that amazing?

To conclude this topic, if you really love... or if I rephrase it: If you really want to love the person you are loving right now (may it be your parent, child, boyfriend, girlfriend, special some-one, spouse, friend) don't just give your imperfect love...

Ask for God to give you first His perfect love to you so that you could share and give His perfect love to others... remember this equation:

Perfect love tenfold = imperfect love from you + perfect love given to you from God

Don't worry about the cycle... you don't need the cycle for the fulfillment of your needs from your partner. Why? Because your needs are met by God's love! (I said it before and I'll say it again... you being complete will not come from your partner... period) The cycle will come and be a natural process after.

God's love is ought to be shared :D It makes His love increase tenfold :D

(Watch out for our next topic in our series: Two Simple Instructions)

Love Blog Series #4: Standard Specifications

Have you ever thought why do we need to know the specifications and standards of the products we buy?
For us who buy software or games that can be played in your own PCs, you know what I'm talking about.
Before we buy any game or software, most of us look not only on its reviews but also the minimum requirement specifications or standard it needs for it to be played.

The requirements can be a list like:
-Can run on Operating Systems that are XP,ME,2000,98...
-Should have a memory of 256MB
-Should have a video card supporting 3-d graphics
etc... etc...

and then knowing our own PCs, we see if our own PCs has achieved the minimum requirements or standard specifications of the CD so that the software or game be at least usable or playable if not smooth and efficient in terms of speed (in other words, the PC doesn't crash).

Now what is the relevance of PC requirements to Love life?

For us to have a smooth relationship, we need standards. A list of "Minimum requirements" and "For best performance" to have a workable and smooth relationship with each other.
(I got this from Bo Sanchez and Josh Harris, minimum requirements equals to no-compromise stuff or non-negotiables.)

For many of my friends, they say that we do not need standards because we break them when we found the "one" (even my mom said it to me).
Again, I beg to disagree.

Take note of the premise and the example above, it is for having a workable and smooth relationship.

When you stick to your standards for a partner, you have advantages (and of course disadvantages but that later on). You eliminate at least half of your conflicts in your relationship. Guaranteed!! Well, for the least, you could have eliminated the unhealthy conflicts.

In a relationship, there are conflicts, yes. But not all are healthy, especially the ones that results from misunderstandings that has the same story over and over and over and over and... you know what I mean (and worse, we do not learn from these conflicts).

The reason why we have these unhealthy conflicts with the "wrong" partners is because of many factors (different beliefs, different likes, dislikes, different lifestyles, religion, etc...)

Now I am not much against with "opposites attract" because it is still possible but I can tell you, it is quite hard. Well, not really quite, but very hard. Adjusting to each other differences for too much can be spiritually, emotionally, and physically draining.

Speaking of adjusting, as a human person, we can't adjust too much of ourselves, more so for our partners who "wants" us to be what they "want" us to be. Because the danger of adjusting too much is we can disregard the real plan for us by our Lord. The problem with adjusting too much also is that we change our definition of ourselves not because as the Lord wants but as what our partners "wants". Another problem is we become a liquid, a blob... no backbone... no identity. Our identity is just formed because of the container of "wants" of your partner.

Now I go back to my topic, why do we need standards? When you dive into a relationship, you just don't go diving in without any reason. You just don't love a person just because the person is beautiful, with money, etc... The reason why you decided to love the person for the rest of your whole life and dive into an exclusive relationship is to serve God through this person (See Love Blog Series#3: True Love has One Reason Alone).

A relationship becomes one entity where both of you serve and give more than when you serve and give as two separate individuals. Again, you cannot give what you do not have. If your relationship is not healthy, you can't serve and give healthily. If your relationship is healthy, you can serve and give healthily. A healthy relationship doesn't mean it is void of conflicts, but it means that you have accepted each other's individual identities and has fulfilled a "basic requirement" to make the relationship work, have a purpose and reason why you love each other, and its (the relationship's) center is God and His love.

God created you uniquely, you have needs and wants. You have your own set of standards, know them clearly. and stick to it... You'll never regret this decision.

Because you're a child of God, You deserve the best for you.

Love Blog Series #3: True Love has One Reason Alone

One day I got a text message from one of my friends in the ministry. The message asked if there is a reason behind loving a person.

Then it was followed by a series of premises that if the reason for loving the person is because he or she is funny and he or she makes you happy, what if the person stops being funny at all? Will you still love the person?
What if your reason is because the person is beautiful? What if the person suddenly becomes ugly, will you still love the person?
What if your reason is because the person can provide you with your needs? What if the person suddenly loses its job and can't provide for you, will you still love the person?

Then it was followed that love defies all reasons, when you love, you just do...

Ask me if I agree to that last line a year ago (2006), I would say a resounding yes... I said that many times to the last exclusive relationship I once had.

Ask me now, I will beg to disagree.

Why? Because I now firmly believe that when you love, you just don't love blindly, like you don't know why you love. You just don't do it without any logic and reason at all. I don't believe that there's no logic behind love.

True Love has only One Reason Alone, and it is logically sound also.

How can that be?
Is there really a reason why you love a person?
Yes!!

To prove that, I'll tell you 2 theological premises I got from my preacher friends.

1st Premise: Everything has a reason and purpose under God's presence.
2nd Premise: Nothing exists outside God's presence.

Thus, if everything, including love, has a reason under God's presence and nothing exists outside His presence, then I could say that love has a reason after all. That when you love a person, it has a reason.

Now why is it that there is only one reason? Why not many?
When you love, to be genuine and true, a person has to base it on some good foundation.
Getting the premises of the text message from my friend, I could say that those reasons are not good foundations because they can change in time and nature. If your foundation changes without prior notice, it is like building your house of love in a sandy land: It gets destroyed by the winds, waves, storms and floods of problems and uncertainties.

The point here is you can't base your love with reasons that are not good to withstand any problem that could brake your relationship. You should base it on solid ground. And there is one solid ground that cannot be shaken even if magnitude 9 happens.

Are you ready for that reason? Because it has shaken every belief that I had before about love. And this had become one of my core beliefs in this world.

You love this person because you want to serve God, you want to love God more in serving and loving him or her.

That's the basic idea, the basic reason, the only reason why you love or you should love a person. Because you are loving God. And when you love God, you obey His commandments. And His 10 commandments which is compressed into two are to love God with all your heart, mind and strength and to love others as He has loved you. The former can be seen in the 1st three of the Gospels and the latter commandment can be seen at all four Gospels.

See? This is the basic and solid foundation, and your love for that person will never fail because of this.

It's a lame excuse to say that you love a person without any reason... that when you love a person you just do. It means only that you really didn't love that person truly.

I know, been there... done that. And it is a bad thing, because when shaken by problems... your love, and all of its "foundations" (actually there are no foundations when you just love... when you just do it), will just crumble down into ruins (and may actually be just a feeling after all... that's why you don't have any reason at all...)

That's why...

You do not love because she is beautiful, because beauty fades.

You do not love because he has met your standards, because he might fail to live it at some point in time. (but you still need standards, more on this on the next topic of our Love Blog Series on why we still need to have standards)

You do not love because he provides for you, because he still might lose his job.

You do not love because of the feeling, because feelings fly away the way they just come in, unnoticed and often times uncontrollable. (this is what you call, falling-in love and falling-out-of love... other words: infatuation)

You do not love because the person loves you back, because you may not feel that person's love at times (but there are many ways to feel and make the other person feel your love. We will also discuss the most discussed topic about the languages of love on another topic in our Love blog series)



There is only one reason why you love, and that is:

You love because you love God, and by loving this person you are loving God more.
And this is what you call genuine and true love.

Love Blog Series #2: Sweet Tooth

A 500-peso gift given by a guy to his girlfriend.
An extravagant gift saying "I really really love you" in beautiful word-art and is given to a girl.
Three 1500-peso bouquet of roses given to a girl by her suitor for "breakfast", "lunch" and "dinner".
A 3-paged letter saying all things about love and life with her and how happy he is to actually meet and be with her and is given every monthsary to his girlfriend.
Bought a stuffed-toy, a dog, and gave it as a Christmas gift to his girlfriend.
Prepared a surprise for his "crush". Contacted a local coffee shop for reservations, bought a bouquet of the girl's most favorite flowers, bought a teddy bear, created his own card, prepared the place, and totally surprised the girl.

These are 5 different situations. Maybe 5 different sets of people who have done these things. What do these 5 situations have in common?

Common point: All has gifts being given. Outwardly expressing that the guy loved the girl.

Sweet right? Not quite.
Ask me that question at the time when I was 18 years-old and I would totally go into "kilig" mode and say... "Wow!! How sweet!! Grabe astigin!!"

Ask me now, I'm sorry to shatter your sweet tooth, but I'll say "Not quite... Not sweet enough"

Not long ago, a friend of mine got an extravagant (when I say extravagant, it means something that is nearly out-of-reach to be bought by a non-working student because of financial matters and stuff... i.e. a 1500-peso gift bought by a 4th year highschool student... if you know what I mean) gift from his boyfriend. Another friend of mine was there when she got it and was amazed on how the guy really "loved" the girl. Contradictory to what my friend said, my left eyebrow is lifted and said in reply "You call that love? My dog could do that." (Ok, I didn't said that last sentence but I did just put it here just for a laugh).

My friend said in reply, "Why? He's so sweet!! Giving that thing..."
"O come on, that is sweet? You call that sweet?!!" In my mind, candy was sweeter than that.
"Yes it is!! It is because your standards are too high..." my friend replied in defense for that gift.

Standards? Well, I guess my "standards" are too high... Sweetness for me is when couples love each other. For me, it is when they show each other true love in real and simple ways like hugging each other, saying "I love you" 7 times a day (and he means it when he says it), fulfilling each others needs, doing things together, serving each other, loving each other, sharing each other's lives... Yes, these are my standards of sweetness: When they genuinely express the Love of God to each other that it is so contagious even their friends feel it when they are together.

It's not the gift...
It's not the beautiful "I love you"s in artful letters...
It's not in the roses...

It's in the couple's everyday lives, serving and loving each other, that makes their sweetness profound and felt to the bone by others around them and they themselves.

I didn't feel the love from the gift given to my friend that day. It's just once-in-a-blue-moon event. No follow-ups. No fulfillment of needs. No real service. Just feelings... In other words, "Love" for them was just a matter of feelings and not really an action that should be taken seriously.

True Sweetness is a by-product when True Love is felt. True Love is felt only by self-giving. In a relationship, you do not have time to think of your needs. Because your needs is automatically fulfilled by your partner. Thus, you use the time to fulfill your partner's needs by self-giving. This is what you call "The Theory of Equivalent Exchange" in relationships (See Love Blog Series #1: The Theory of Equivalent Exchange).

It's not a matter of how many gifts he or she has given you...
It's not even a matter of how much each gift costs...
It's also not a matter of how many "I love you" sentences he or she has blurted out to you...
Not even on how many kisses you have made...
or even on how long you have been together...

Sweetness cannot be found there.
As long as there is no quality... All these are fake.
As long as there is no service and self-sacrifice... All these are fake.
As long as there is no True Love... All these are fake.


Sweetness can only be felt when you truly love each other; when you truly serve each other; when you truly feel God's Love surrounding both you.

And that what's sweetness is all about.

Love Blog Series #1: The Theory of Equivalent Exchange

I have this relationship theory that I've been thinking about.
Although this theory is primarily built on the premise of a romantic or loving boy-girl relationship, It can also be used in friendship, family and other kinds of relationship but in a different level.
But for this, I'll have to focus on the boy-girl or in a matured sense, man-woman relationship.

My theory is entitled: "The Theory of Equivalent Exchange". Based on the classic law from the Anime series, Full Metal Alchemist.

This theory is not of my own in the first place. It is because that it was unconsciously done by (veteran) couples and although the foundations of this theory was discussed by preachers and speakers before, I would like to just name it just for the sake of giving it a name for establishment.

The theory states that "for the exchange to take place, the two key players of the relationship must be somehow complete first before they give it to each other. As for this, they will take what the other has given and the cycle goes on. Because of their completeness, and their readiness, the give-and-take cycle becomes a natural process, like breathing and eating."

Do you understand the theory? I'll explain further...
In simple terms, realistically, to have a good start in a relationship (and also a good flow in a relationship), you have to be ready and complete, maturity-wise in terms of physical, spiritual and most especially emotional, before you dive into a relationship. You cannot give what you do not have.

Now why give? To answer that, I have to make an example. An immatured relationship would have two people always after their own good, their own selves. An immatured relationship would be composed of at least 1 person who is immatured.

And an immatured person (although this is just a part) is always not complete and not ready. In a way, one doesn't know one's self. Thus, making him "incomplete" and often times finds someone who could "complete" him or her.

If one knows one's self, he finds completeness and contentment. If one finds himself complete and content, he finds joy. And by sharing joy equals more joy. That is why we need to give one's self. Because it is really not the need to complete you but the need to share your complete self, your joyful state that you feel more joy.
Also when one knows one's self, he knows what he needs. Thus, finding the right partner (without quotation marks) will be easy because you know what to find for a partner. Thus, once you found that partner, only little and minor adjustments will be made for a good, realistic, exciting, joyful, steady and loving relationship.

Given these, if the 2 key players in the relationship are matured enough, one will not feel the need to look after one's self if he or she is fulfilled. Why? Because their needs are fulfilled unconsiously by their partner who gives themselves to them, leaving them more oppurtunity to give themselves to their partners more and vice-versa. This often overlooked phenomena was the reason why people stick together. It is because it becomes a natural process for them to give rather than to look after themselves and their needs. It becomes natural to look after their partner's needs because they are confident that their partner will look after their needs. That is where the cycle of love happens. You give what you have, you get what you the other gives. Equivalent exchange.

The last thing is why take? To take is to appreciate what is given. Appreciation is a response. Which is also to give. To take something is to give a response of saying 'Thank You for giving your Love to me." By saying that, the giver is more energized to give you more of that. Because you gave the giver due praise that he deserves. Which is true for that person because the giver becomes the reciever when you also give your love in return. You will be giving if the reciever appreciates you and praises you.

So now, we have discussed the semi-nitty-gritty-stuff of this theory. complete-give-take topic. To end this, I will end it in full circle. Before we are to be complete, we have to ask for help from someone to complete us. And that Someone is here. He is Big. He is Strong. And He is Complete beyond reasonable doubt. He will give you Love. This Love, when felt by your heart, brings joy. And this joy you will want to share, right? Especially to the one you love... that special someone in your life. Always ask the Father for that Love in all your relationships. Make Jesus your first Special Someone, so that when he lavishly and generously gives you His overflowing Love, you will not contain it that you have no choice but to share it to your special someone... your partner in Christ.

Window Series #1: New Life Reflection

This was my reflection at the YLSS shepherding session/worship where the topic was about New Life and the gospel readings were about Jesus' Ascension.

This reflection is now the edited version of the talk.

Let’s have a look first at the readings to make a short point in my reflection

From: Luke 24:49a
And [behold] I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; (but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from high)

And from: Luke 24:51
As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven.

There are 2 points in this reflection that I do hope you will see before mag-tuluy-tuloy tayo sa worship.

1. Promise
2. Parted

Let’s define these 2 points:

Promise – a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do something in the future
Parted – go one’s own away; move apart; separate (physically, emotionally, etc…)

Now that we have defined the 2 points I will ask you a weird question.

“Do you have a friend, family, relative, loved-one, love-team today?”

But that is not my weird question... This is the real question:

“Do you have a friend, family, relative, loved-one, love-team that parted from you (or you parted from them) by any reason may it be physical by distance or something, or you don't have the same wavelength anymore, or problems arose, or anything... The thing is you have parted from them or they have parted from you?"

Isn't is sad?

Your family or loved-ones or friends may be your “foundations”… People you look up to; people you look or talk to when you have seemingly big rpoblems in life; people who fulfills you; manages to handle you as you are; companions;

And then at one point you get separated... just like in the gospel, Jesus was the disciples’, foundation. Then he went up to heaven.

But I will ask you to look at it at another point of view, what if this parting that you had with your friend or your family member or your loved-one or for some of us here, special someone, is a means to have something new in life?

Let's say there is a need to have a new life… A new perspective maybe? A new look? Maybe a new habit? part of personality? new chapter in your book?

Something new to look forward to…

“How can it be that there is something new in my life when what really happened is that we got separated?!! What will I look forward to? What's NEW?!!"

Before we get into a new soap opera here, I will tell you the answer.

It is because of the promise…
the promise that God will give us something new…

In the gospel, Jesus promised to send the Paraclete before He parted from his disciples. He promised his disciples so that they can look forward to something new.

For us, God is also promising you something new… in every parting that will happen in our lives, God is promising something new… may it be spiritual, emotional maturity, physical, a new friend, a new perspective, a new way of life… and every parting may not need also human partings… but may also include parting from old habits… vices… sins… bondages… hurtful relationships… abuse… sexual desires… desires of the flesh…

God is promising new… if someone or something parts or is separated from you… or if you need to part from that person or from that thing or habit… and you have a prodding that you need to let go… let go… let go…

Remember this line guys… “Let go and let God…” (for those who attended the Summer Camp 2007 will add this “take over our lives… amen…”) but what I’m saying here is Let go and let God… because He is in control and he promises you something new.

To end this reflection, I will share you one last story…

Just a backgrounder, i have this close friend where I've shared this reflection before I wrote it down. This close friend of mine was the same person whom I've shared a similar instance of this reflection way back when I was 2nd year college and I was courting someone back then.

I said to her when we were riding at a swing “Alam mo, siya na…” (You know, I think she's the one)

Guys… I was 18 years old back then… and I've said many things that now I've come to realize it is something off and somehow a little bit stupid

“nasa kanya ang lahat ng hinahanap ko… close kami… masarap kasama… blah-blah… pero alam mo… kung hindi man siya… kaswerte ko na…”
(She got the things I'm looking for, for a girl: We are close, She's fun to be with... blah-blah... But you know, If she's not the one... then I'm very lucky)

She was confused by my statement. “Bakit?” (why?) She asked.

“kasi kung di man siya… may mas maganda pa kaysa sa kanya… “ (Because if she's not the one, Then there's someone out there for me who is more beautiful than her)

That is how I percieved God's promise for me… But somehow I forgot that promise when I was "dumped"…

But every parting has something new in my life... new haircut… new place to eat… new habit… new perspective… new set of friends…

That's why I believe that the promise will happen… The promise of something new.

This is the real story.

I have this very, very close friend of mine and somehow we get together all the time. But for some reason, we need to part ways. Not in the sense that we are angry at each other or misunderstandings or the need to change places… Let's just say there are some reasons where I have decided to part ways for awhile… still friends but part ways… It was a painful ordeal… To think our friendship was then blossoming into a great one and then poof... we need to separate. And I can’t stand when that person began to cry… My heart was crushed and I asked the Lord, “Kelangan ko ba itong gawin? Pwede bang ayusin niyo na lang ito without us having to part? Yung gigising ka na lang isang araw… tapos wala na!! ok na!!” (Do I have to do this? Can you just fix it without having us to separate? Like we will wake up one day... then it's gone!! We're ok!!)

I remembered that the Lord doesn't move that way. But he gave us a promise. He promised us to look forward to something new… may it be that the Lord will mold us into something new, or may it be a new perspective, a new friend that will keep our sanity intact, or someone to still keep us company, or a new mission in life, or still maybe a new way of life... and maybe… just maybe… if things are good and the Lord wills it… maybe we'll see each other in the future… or have a nice chit-chat for awhile… and we’ll look back at this moment where we were changed… I don’t know…

All I know is that the Lord has a promise... And He will do it at His perfect time… sabi nga sa 2nd reading, Hebrews 10:23,” Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy”

We still see each other every once-in-a-while… still friends… but that's it… Just like we said to each other… things happen :D

That's why for us (yep, including me) that is still looking at the sky asking God “Why now??!!” with matching drama effects… Let us take note what the 2 angels said from the 1st reading “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?”

We may be stuck here looking at the sky for so long… I think we may need to not look at the sky and ask… but we need to look forward to a new life that God has promised us… and we need it to claim it for ourselves… right?

Introduction to New Series: Window Series

Another series will be introduced here.

It will be all about my reflections, my thoughts and about me.

This will be called the Window Series...

From the metaphor "window of my soul", the blog entries written under this series will be make you see and maybe know more about me and my life, what I see and also what God sees in me.

So any blog entry will be under this series will be titled Window Series: [title of the topic]

Again, watch out and thank you for reading :D

Introduction to New Series: Love Blog Series

This will be an introduction for my new series of blog entries about a certain topic.

The topic is about Love. Yes, the ups-and-downs, the left-and-right, the right-and-wrong.

The title for this series will be Love Blog Series...

And thanks to some of my friends inspiring me to create this series (although they didn't know that I am really creating this... Only just one of them did know about it... and she knew also my first topic to be written in this series).

So any blog entry will be under this series will be titled Love Blog Series: [title of the topic]

If you have any question or anything that you want to ask about love, just write in my guestbook at multiply and I'll try to research upon it and maybe I could put it as another entry for this series :D

Again, thanks for reading and God bless :D

Serendipity anyone?

For the lovers, romantics, hopeless romantics, feeling hopeless, people who fall in love easily, people who were hurt, always hurt, and would not dare again take another chance because of being hurt by a magical, powerful word called love...
And for others who just wants to read, this is for you...

"Sana nangyayari yan sa totoong buhay, no?" (I wish that happens in real life, no?)

It was the very statement I heard while watching the movie Serendipity in a little cramped room with 9 people inside (that includes me).

And all I could think of is a statement that was running and racing inside my head.
A truth that could maybe blow-away even myself. A truth so powerful, I could only say, "My gosh, why is it that people don't notice this truth?!!"

So as to understand this whole article, I will give you just a gist of the movie. Don't worry, no spoilers here... or I think...

Anyway, the ultimate gist here is that 2 people just met a few years back and got to know each other a little too well. But for some reason, they relied on "fate" and put their names and telephone numbers on a 5 dollar paper bill and at the first page of a book. Then, they never got to see each other again. Little did they know that after a few years later, the same 5 dollar paper bill and book will land in their hands... I guess this will be the "spoiler" part, they met again because of the 2 "magical" things and have ever-since stayed together... or so I think...

To a once-hopeless-romantic like myself, I would say the same statement my friend blurted out as we watched that movie... "Sana nangyayari yan sa totoong buhay"

It is because if I would just look at those two events where they write their numbers in common things and when they got it back, it really is a gazillion-to-one chance and they will be really really really lucky to experience that. That will be a once-in-a-lifetime "LOVE" affair...

But what makes this movie so magical is not those two events. Nope. Sorry to shatter your magical moment but it's not. These two are just the back-ups for the real magic. "Palamuti" (decoration). Icing in the cake.

The real magic of serendipity is.... guess what? It is so mundane, so normal, so ordinary that many people missed it.
The real magic is the will of the two characters of the story to find each other. The key-decisions they made, the opportunities they took, the risks they took, the will-power they have. That's the real magic.

It is not really destiny leading them. But rather, they chose to cut a path a create their destinies.

We people (yes, I myself included) has a knack of looking and focusing on one part of the whole picture. In this case, we often look at the 5 dollar bill and book in the movie that makes the whole story so "magical". But we often overlook the bigger picture that makes this story really magical. Thus, the effect is we get disillusioned, hopeless, downhearted and worse, devastated when these so-called "signs" don't happen in our lives.

We don't see the whole picture that we ourselves, most of the time, create the signs. We create our destiny. Try to ask this, what if they decided not to look for each other after they got the 5 dollar bill and book? Or worse, what if they decided not to look for the 5 dollar bill and book? Or even worse, what if they decided not to even write their names in a 5 dollar bill and page in a book? You get my drift? They themselves controlled their reactions to these happenings. It's not fate that is controlling them. It is them controlling fate. And they will it. They want it to happen. Thus, Serendipity happened.

Which makes me conclude to one statement that I ever preciously held-back so as not to shatter the magical moment.

That serendipity happens in real life.

It's true! That it may happen to you, to me, and everyone else. Just as long as you see the whole picture of it. Just as long as you will it... it will happen!!

"Come on, it's just a movie... a mushy movie..."

You don't believe me? Then ask my parents how they met and how they get married...
It's a serendipitous affair!! Why?

Here's a backgrounder (Sorry mommy and daddy for not asking permission for this), they met in their highschool years. Had a "serious" highschool-type girlfriend/boyfriend relationship in their last year and got separated in college. My father decided to take Civil Eng somewhere in Manila, and my mother took Ag Eng here in UPLB. They had boyfriend/girlfriend relationships while they were separated. But guess what happened now? They are happily married with four handsome (ahem, ahem), beautiful, intelligent and God-fearing kids (and I'm their firstborn).

What happened? They got separated and now they are together. The secret? Because they willed it. They willed that they be together. Even if they were kilometers apart. And it took many 5 peso (sorry, have to use Philippine setting) bills and many books about Engineering to make them together. Not to mention, the many "divine intervention" that happened which makes the icing for the cake.

Well, as for me, my serendipitous affair will come in His Perfect Time. And as I have said to one of my friends inside that room, "It will happen to me, one day... and if that day happens when we are ready for marriage... Whoever she may be... I will find her. Pursue her. Court her. And I don't care how many 5 dollar bills or books I have to find just to find her. God will make a way... For now, I'll just have to prepare myself for her. For that serendipitous affair."

Hey, maybe Serendipity is just a part of the bigger picture that is yet to unfold...

Question number 1 to God and His Answer

Have you ever thought of questioning God when you die?
Well, for me, I have a series of questions for God...

and this is my first question I thought just recently while watching video documentaries about excavations of the dead sea scrolls and the proofs of God or Jesus' existence in this world

Why did Jesus leave the world without leaving behind any traces of existence like a handprint or the cross or anything that would blatantly tell the researchers and excavators "Jesus wuz here!!"?

And lo and behold, he did have an answer while I was watching... come to think of it, He did have a point...

"I have left many traces for all mankind to see and believe but they did not believed. I have performed miracles and they did not believed. I taught and told the people about my existence and they rejected it. I have my disciples wrote it in a book and they didn't read it. Even if I leave many marks or even if the cross where I was hung was preserved and kept inside any structure, if the person does not want to believe then he will not. Again I say to you, blessed are those who believes but does not see."

Yep, that's what He said... So I have come to believed... and these excavations will just be back-ups for my belief. Why? Because I know I have personally met Christ...

and it didn't even need a sort-of "time-travelling" device to meet Him...

I just do hope for us next generation disciples, we can share this experience and spread the original proof the 1st apostles told us... "I have seen the Lord... We have seen the Lord"

Operation: Second Flight

You may ask "Why second flight? Why not first?"
For me, this is my "re-awakening".

My first flight is when I was born.
This is my second, when you have the feeling that you are starting to find that very thing, that very mission that you are supposed to be doing.

And although I could just see it from afar, and somehow blurred, I could now see it like I could say "There's land!! Captain!! We found a land!!" after searching through the high seas.

This is my second flight. The second start of my life. A life of service to God and to men. This Good Friday was indeed good... because it dawned on me what my mission in life is.

Oh how enriching it is as I constantly update myself and learn about the needed teachings thanks to Bo and his online community Kerygma Family and his daily reality TV show Preacher in Blue Jeans

Oh how good it is to feel the blessings of God as I kissed the cross saying, "Thank you Lord for choosing me again as your servant..."

And the last push was the song composed by Christine in her video blog, it really inspired me.

It has started, and before I finish this entry I want to share with you what my percieved mission in life is...

I quote the Vision statement of a ministry that I am a member of and very, very proud of, The Bukas Loob sa Diyos Youth Ministry San Pablo District, as one of the basis for my own mission in life:

"Let no one look down on you because of your youth, but be a continuing example of love, faith and purity to believers..." - 1 Tim 4:12

Now my mission:
"To be a loving person to others, showing and teaching the world especially the youth what True Love is through my profession, actions, works, and life..."

I do hope we could help each other in reaching this mission and your mission also. Pray for me as I pray for you so that we could glorify the Name that has given us so much blessings and the Creator of all, our Lord, our King, our God, Jesus Christ.

Operation: Second Flight
:D

Plug-in #1

I just want to share this song from Christine, the person behind the HappySlip Productions.

Be inspired and be very blessed

(click or copy)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUDDAyT3FnY