Reminiscing Truths ⚓

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1 (ESV)                     I have been pondering upon this thought since early last week when Hapi and I were choosing the hymns for the upcoming Sunday (yesterday). Abba has been preaching a mini-series on Christian Service for some Sundays now. When we were told that the sermon for yesterday would be about the personal application of Christian service, the  Take My Life and Let it Be  hymn immediately came to mind as a fitting hymn of preparation. I'm not sure whether the hymn had a similar scriptural reference, but it turned out to be really such an appropriate hymn to what the sermon discussed. The text was in Romans 12. This topic, of course, has already been preached several times before. It was highlighted in the mini-series on Biblical...

Today marks the last day of SGC’s stay at Intersekt. We have used the place for seven full years; years of witnessing God’s great goodness to such undeserving sinners as we are; years of seeing Him at work—up close and mightily. It was while we were in Intersekt that I personally transitioned from being an idealistic incoming college student to a more sober, calmer, and grace-reliant adult. That building has witnessed so many drastic changes—not just in my life, but in the life of the church as a whole. We were in that building when we’ve lost friends and loved ones; we were there when the Lord has so graciously added new friends and loved ones into the fold, too. Seven of the Youngles were able to stay at Intersekt for our last overnight there yesterday to pack things up and designate which box goes where. I was super privileged and blessed to have been able to come (thanks to Euma for picking me up AND taking me back to my place which is an hour drive away). It was an all-nighter kin...

        I love the fact that the Bible never runs dry of "wonderful words of life." No matter how many times a Christian finishes through the whole Bible, it's always, always  sweeter the next reading. And somehow, there is always something... new.  New, not in the sense that I've never read this part of the Bible before. But it's more of a fresh perspective on the truth that has been there all along. And that's what makes His word even sweeter every time.        And such is Psalm 116 for me. I have always loved the Psalms, even as a kid, but it's only for these past three years that the psalmists' words resonate so deeply with me. The writer of Psalm 119 wasn't exaggerating when he said (v. 71-72), It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.  Truly, the more that we are disciplined in the School of Grace, the sweeter...

          I started week 2 of ECQ (that rhymes!) with a mental bargain. Or more like, brace-yourself-if-this-happens kind of thought process. If the cases rise to a thousand at week 2, I told myself I need to prepare for the possibility that this enhanced community quarantine would stretch for more than just. a month. Needless to say, there is already in me a heart that is almost ready to throw the towel and give up even before the real situation comes. As of today, PH's COVID-19 cases have gone up to 1546. And statistics predict that so far, this trend is only going upward. I'm bracing myself that this extremely abnormal, immensely uncomfortable, and, in many ways, painful situation will stretch on indefinitely.        And indeed, when one focuses on all the things that seem wrong and out of place, the heart suddenly has a wide space for complaints and grumblings. On the other hand, if we truly tune in our hearts to the word of God an...

Pililia Wind Farm, 2019 “I don't mind close-ups, I like them, but they're kind of forceful - you see a lot, you get a lot of information in a close-up. There's less mystery.” —David Duchovny When I saw this quote online, it got me thinking. Do we really lose the “mystery-ness” of things when we get more information about them? The sense of awe and wonder—do they fade as you see the things you admire at a closer perspective? Surely, with the imperfect and the flawed, the trend of feeling lesser awe as one sees more is set. Not necessarily because of the mere fact that you’ve seen more of it—but because, being imperfect, when we see more of something, we inevitably see more of its flaws. More depths to the beauty we have initially perceived, yes, sometimes. But the flaws, scars, dents, and imperfections that were so carefully hidden before are also now brought to light. In a different light, this fallen world, and everything in it, becomes less appealing. N...

A friend once told me that I should write more often my life lessons so that when I look back at this point in the years to come, I’d gratefully say, “God’s glory.” And I realized he’s right. In my years of keeping journals and blogs, I have often reminisced and reread God’s mercy and revelations that refreshed my soul in ways more than one. So here I am, writing. Or rather, trying. The past year has been so full of lessons so drastic, deep, and life-altering. Every day offers new experiential knowledge of who God is and how insignificant I am before the Almighty Father. But also, things happen so fast, and these lessons have been spinning ever so swiftly around and about me that my writings couldn’t keep up with them. A month ago, I went up to Tagaytay on my own for three days to have time to pause, reflect and meditate on all the lessons and occurrences the Lord is impressing upon me. (I’ll be sharing my raw writings in a different post.) I thought 2017 was a rough year. Th...

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion."                                                         (Psalm 84:5) Those who walk uprightly, who love the habitation of His temple; to those who long, yes, faint, for the courts of the LORD--those people are blessed. They will go from strength to strength until they appear in Zion, before the God in whom they delight. And even as such a man goes through the Valley of Baca--that is, the valley of weeping ( emeq ha-Baka )--he asks but one thing of the Lord: "Oh LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer... Look on the face of your anointed one." (vv. 8-9) Nothing else. Nothing more, and nothing less, than for God to look at him in his distress and assure him of His presence. So where does he go? To the courts of the Lord, where His presence is promised. To Hi...