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Thursday, April 28, 2005




When You Say Goodbye to Friendship - The Song



A friend from Friendster generously, gave me the lyrics of the song, "Season In Your Path" about how God alone directs our friendships. Thanks dude, I really appreciate it.

Season In Your Path

Heard that friends are friends forever
But we don't talk much anymore
I guess that I have gone my way
And I guess the you've gone yours

Was kindness too neglected
In my list of deep regrets
In spite of distance unexpected
Can we forgive but not forget

Sometimes I think about you
Some old mem'ries make me cry
Remembering the good times make me laugh
But all in all I am richer for
The happy and the sad
And I'm thankful for the season in your path

I guess God alone deciphers
When people need each other most
Who will be the blessed receiver
Who will be the gracious host

And all a servant here can do
Is unto the Lord avail
Content at times to be the wind
And at times to be the sail

If another winter settles
On your shoulder down the road
Without a thought of what's behind us
Let me help you pull your load




Have You Heard of the Tale?



To shine, a candle must burn first. To experience His glory, you have to carry the cross.


Have you heard the tale of the aloe plant,
Away in the sunny clime?
By humble growth of a hundred years
It reaches its blooming time;
And then a wondrous bud at its crown
Breaks into a thousand flowers;
This floral queen, in its blooming seen,
Is the pride of the tropical bowers,
But the plant to the flower is sacrifice,
For it blooms but once, and it dies.

Have you further heard of the aloe plant,
That grows in the sunny clime;
How every one of its thousand flowers,
As they drop in the blooming time,
Is an infant plant that fastens its roots
In the place where it falls on the ground,
And as fast as they drop from the dying stem,
Grow lively and lovely around?
By dying, it liveth a thousand-fold
In the young that spring from the death of the old.

Have you heard the tale of the pelican,
The Arabs' Gimel el Bahr,
That lives in the African solitudes,
Where the birds that live lonely are?
Have you heard how it loves its tender young,
And cares and toils for their good,
It brings them water from mountain far,
And fishes the seas for their food.
In famine it feeds them--what love can devise!
The blood of its bosom--and, feeding them, dies.

Have you heard this tale--the best of them all--
The tale of the Holy and True,
He dies, but His life, in untold souls
Lives on in the world anew;
His seed prevails, and is filling the earth,
As the stars fill the sky above.
He taught us to yield up the love of life,
For the sake of the life of love.
His death is our life, His loss is our gain;
The joy for the tear, the peace for the pain.

Sunday, April 24, 2005




In Your Prescence



When I think of You
I stand amazed amidst of Everything,
Everything that I do not know of

When I think of You
I lie spread-eagled, falling across the sky
In a sky of Grace, you alone can give

When I think of You
I curl up like a child in moments of Solitude
Sweetest moments when I can be with You

When I think of You
I am humbled into Nothingness
And what a joy it is to know it!

Friday, April 22, 2005




Ratzinger, You're The Man!



Joseph Ratzinger


I truly trust this guy is really God's servant

ROME (BP)--Those wanting a more liberal pope likely will be disappointed by the election of German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger April 19 as Roman Catholics' new pontiff.

The 78-year-old Ratzinger, who took the name of Pope Benedict XVI, is seen as one of the more conservative cardinals who entered the conclave April 18. As head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Ratzinger was in charge of enforcing Catholic orthodoxy.

On issues from abortion to homosexuality to female priests, Ratzinger is seen as a staunch conservative.

Pro-life Catholic groups applauded Ratzinger's election.

"We thankfully recognize the staunch pro-life commitment of Cardinal Ratzinger during the whole of his episcopacy and we are confident that as Pope Benedict XVI, he will continue his strong defense of the Church's teaching on the sanctity of human life," Thomas Euteneuer, president of the pro-life Catholic group Human Life International, said in a statement.

Priests for Life -- which championed Terri Schiavo's cause during her final days -- also praised Ratzinger's election.

"For decades, [Ratzinger] has been a strong voice in favor of life, clearly articulating the Church's teachings," Priests for Life national director Frank Pavone said in a statement. "In particular, he has explained how the Church must be the conscience of the state. We look forward to working together with and under the leadership of the new Pope to advance the Culture of Life."

Pope Benedict XVI replaces Pope John Paul II, who was considered a champion of pro-family causes and who died April 2.

In a Mass that opened the conclave April 18, Ratzinger criticized postmodernism, a worldview that says there is no absolute truth. He presided over the Mass because of his senior position in the Vatican.

"How many winds of doctrine have we known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking?" Ratzinger asked. "We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as certain and which has as its highest goal one's own ego and one's own desires."

The pro-choice group Catholics for a Free Choice released a statement saying it is "deeply concerned" that Ratzinger's election signals "continued dissension within the church."

In a 1991 report Ratzinger criticized nations that legalize abortion.

"... [A] State which arrogates to itself the prerogative of defining which human beings are or are not the subject of rights, and which consequently grants to some the power to violate others' fundamental right to life, contradicts the democratic ideal to which it continues to appeal and undermines the very foundations on which it is built," he wrote. "By allowing the rights of the weakest to be violated, the State also allows the law of force to prevail over the force of law."

Ratzinger's election also drew criticism from homosexual groups. According to Advocate.com, in 1986 Ratzinger called homosexuality an "intrinsic moral evil."

In addition, a few years ago he authored a statement criticizing the move to grant same-sex couples the legal benefits of marriage.

"Those who would move from tolerance to the legitimization of specific rights for cohabiting homosexual persons need to be reminded that the approval or legalization of evil is something far different from the toleration of evil," Ratzinger’s statement read.

Homosexual activists had hoped for a pope who was more liberal than Pope John Paul II. Following the news, homosexual websites called Ratzinger everything from "antigay" to a "homophobe."

"Today, the princes of the Roman Catholic Church elected as Pope a man whose record has been one of unrelenting, venomous hatred for gay people," Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said in a statement.

But pro-family leaders were much more open to the news.

"Joseph Ratzinger represents a decisive vote for the long traditions of Catholicism. As director of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he has been the theological watchdog of the Vatican for years," said Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson. "Although he will be affable and approachable, he will in all probability continue the conservative trend in the Roman Catholic church."

James Leo Garrett, distinguished professor of theology emeritus at Southwestern Seminary, said Ratzinger’s election indeed signals the extension of strict orthodoxy within the Roman Catholic Church.

"His election makes almost certain that the disciplining of deviant theologians will continue and very likely that this papacy will be more confrontational and less interactive with contemporary culture than John Paul II’s," Garrett said. "... Those who anticipated a charismatic preacher and warmhearted pastor as the next pope may have to wait for another conclave. Evangelicals may be prone to celebrate Ratzinger’s orthodoxy on the Trinity, Christology, and no salvation outside Christ but will need to remember Ratzinger’s role in ‘Dominus Iesus’ in 2000, which said that Protestant and evangelical churches ‘are not Churches in the proper sense,’ a statement reckoned by some as a reversal of Vatican II, which implies [Protestants and evangelicals are] ‘sects.’”

Nonetheless, Garrett said, “papal history has had its surprises, and hence we must wait patiently and prayerfully to see what kind of pope the German cardinal proves to be.”

With reporting by Gregory Tomlin.


Copyright (c) 2001 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press
email: bpress@sbc.net

Tuesday, April 19, 2005




When You Say Goodbye to Friendship



I have realized that clichés such as accept your friends as who they are is a statement irregardless of the situation, a thing of the world. I have this friend once who I thought will bring me out of the darkness of self-destruction and led me to light. I trusted this friend with my whole heart and I thought this friend knows my very needs. As we both journey through this friendship, we've shared too many experiences, the fun, the war and spending boring hours doing things together. However, this friend of mine is only human as I am human. I have wronged him and he has wronged me. Until the time came as we journey in this friendship, we came across a forked road. He wants to go this way, I want to go that way. In this confusing world of worldly standards, it is God only whom we can lay down all our relationships and that includes our friendship. God shows when our friendship ends with a person in order to move forward. God does not identify us with our past and that includes the people we are involved with. God cares about out present and He molds us according to His purpose in you and along the way - some things have to be given up and some things have to be acquired and maintained as long as it is helpful for you to move on and it includes our friends.

To you my very dear friend, I miss the times that we're together but I guess that this is the time when we say, "Do I still know you?". I have always thought that it is I who only felt that way, I'm glad that God has revealed to me that you felt that way too. Truly, God only had the best plans for our individual lives. Wherever you may be, I still pray for you and may God bless you. Until then, who knows maybe our paths will cross again? God only knows.

P.S. "To my friends who had the feeling who knows this friend, please keep this message to yourself. Just leave a comment if you want to say anything."

Friday, April 15, 2005




Thanks God It's Friday



Just came from work... and I'm super tired. It has been a long day of training, finishing reports, rushing urgent tasks and extra tasks ordered by your other bosses. While almost all apprentices have gone back to Manila to refresh this weekend, I will be stuck here in Baguio. As much as I want to go back and spend all my work allowance to buy stuff, I just have a hunch that it would be better to stay here in Baguio. Tomorrow, I might hint to attend the "Cross Current" meeting here in Baguio but all my contact persons are the lamest I've known. One did not know the address, the other hasn't replied to any of my texts. I'm wondering if they really wanted participants to attend in that meeting or symposium. Anyway, I really hope I could attend that seminar for my healing.

Yesterday, I started to read M.Scott Peck's sequel to "Road Less Travelled", the "Further Ahead, The Road Less Travelled". Now, it started with a phrase, "Life is Complex" (In RLT, it was life is difficult)... The first article starts with differentiating two kinds of pain: the pain we must undergo to grow and the unnecessary pain, the one that impedes our spiritual growth. Scott Peck, speak in general terms regardless of religion. There is a light to what he's trying to say. I'll continue to read and tell you more about it.

Tuesday, April 12, 2005




A Very Long Weekend - Intramuros



After going to church at Word Community Church in Pasig, John, Frank, Peter and I went to Edsa Shangri-la Mall to have our lunch. We ate at Cravings. I ordered something small cause I'm afraid my stomach will ache again. I was planning to go to SM for an afternoon stroll before going back to Baguio but John invited me to accompany the elder guys with him at Intramuros. Peter said he loves history and was very eager to visit the place. It was a 40-minute taxi ride under scorching noon heat. When we got to the Intramuros town square, the old Manila Cathedral stood pridely in sight. It's architecture is a cross of Gothic and Baroque style and I was quite amazed with it. I have only seen buildings of this type during our classes in Humanities. When I get inside, it was breathtaking. The altar was adorned with ancient statues. You could've imagined it was like something of a Sistine chapel.


Manila Cathedral>
Manila Cathedral

Fort Santiago
Entrance to Fort Santiago


Anyway after that, we got to Fort Santiago, an ancient walled fortress occupied during the Spanish era by the guardia civil. We got to visit the old areas restored, after being destroyed during "The Battle of Manila" in 1945. Finally, we get to heart of Fort Santiago, the Rizal Shrine. Most of Rizal's work are shown on there and when we get to the prison cell. It felt creepy! Like a forlorn spirit was trapped there inside. I felt goosebumps rising on my arms, I immediately left that place. At the final room, where Rizal's last poem, "Mi Ultimo Adios" was carved in a marble stone, I learned how Rizal spent his last night before he was executed. It was a painful story, where his brothers are not allowed to see him and his sisters and his mother could not even touch, let alone embrace him. Exiting Rizal Shrine, there was a tunnel going underground. I went down on it, but it became too dark to continue, even the light from the flashlight seem to have no effect. I bet it leads to Pasig River, just a few meters ahead. After that, we saw the dungeons but their entrances were locked. Nearby, there was a huge cross dedicated to Filipinos and Americans who died of suffocation in the dungeons during the Japanese era.

It was an hours due of adventure inside the fortress so we decided to take a rest. After that we went out and toured the whole of Intramuros community, visiting the National Museum and San Agustin Chruch but I was too tired to appreciate everything, let alone to share to you the whole details of it. It was about 5 when Peter and Frank decided to call it a day and they went home. Meanwhile John and I, took an FX to Cubao. We have a short dinner at Chowking, and John prayed a for me before I went home to get my things nd go back to Baguio.

Well, it concludes my very long weekend! Good night to you all and God Bless You.

Monday, April 11, 2005




A Very Long Weekend - Tired in Westin Plaza



When we got back to Manila, we stayed at Frank's place for a while. I'm supposed to go to Megamall after that but John invited me to Westin Plaza to meet a friend. We had lunch (Nilibre ako ni John!) and by 1:30 we were at the hotel. Minutes later his friend came and we went into the office of someone's whose in-charge of the whole thing they are going to do. As I learned later, John's lady friend works for Globe and she's going to evaluate the weak signal spots in the entire Westin Plaza. First we got to the pavillion, enjoying the view of the beach and the people sun bathing in there, mostly foreigners. After the pavillion, we got to EVERY floor of Westin Plaza to survey for weak signals. On the 10th floor, I was so tired, I decided to go back into the lobby and take a nap. When I woke up, I saw John and his friend coming toward my direction. I guess they were done. I looked at my cellphone, I must've slept for an hour. We rode a jeepney to Vito Cruz and we departed with John's friend at LRT. Meanwhile John and I passed by SM Manila to watch "Sahara" starring Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz. It was a feel-good movie, I wish I could be in one adventure even if just once in my entire life. After that we have dinner and we decided to watch Closer - an eye-opening story about what is love in terms of sex and fidelity. The roles were played by starling actors like Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman, Notting Hill), Clive Owen (King Arthur), Jude Law (Alfie, Talented Mr. Ripley) and Natalie Portman (Cold Mountain, Star Wars). It was about 11 o' clock when I got back. I was so tired, my stomach aches and I really want to go flat on the mat and sleep as soon as I lay there.

A Very Long Weekend III will be continued...



A Very Long Weekend - Trip to Biñan



Last Friday night, I went back to Manila to visit my friends in BP. Just a few hours ago, John called and told me that BP will visit the ministryit supports at Biñan, Laguna. It is a "Feeding Program", where a local church would gather children from depressed parts of the community, tell them Bible stories and feed them afterwards. I arrived at Frank's place at 8 and just in time, I saw Frank, John and Peter Lane came from the elevator. Peter is Exodus Asia's director and was a guest speaker at BP's Friday meeting. Outside the hotel, an FX was waiting for us and by 8:30 we are on the road along South Superhighway going to Biñan. It was tiring journey, due to the fact that I'm still tired from yesterday's travel however, it's really good thing there's Peter around. He talks animatedly and shares his experiences while living in India, in England and from his home country Australia.

By 9:30, we arrived at the place and Bible lessons are going on. The scene reminds me of a VBS in our own church. The kids were divided according to age. It makes my heart happy, seeing these kids having a good time while you can see the sting of poverty in them - those round lonely eyes ,tattered clothes and soiled feet. I felt so humbled, I'm fortunate when I was a kid. John and I rounded the entire church area and when we got back, the feeding began. Children were eating caldereta. John took some pictures however, the cam's battery ran out so I was asked to buy some digital batteries at the market. It took me quite a while. When I got back, the children were gone but Peter wants to visit the area where those children lived. So we hopped onto the tricycle and have a short ride to the place. We stopped in front of concrete houses but when we got around them, the shanties came into view and some children who were in the church a while ago were washing their clothes, some carried pails of water. The children happily greeted us and were having a good time imitating Peter's way of speaking. (He had a British accent and man, his accent is so infectious!). Well, watching the entire scene reminds me of the documentaries shown in I-witness about families living in the slums. This is just one face of the Philippines. Anyway, it was 10:30 and we decided it's time to go back to Manila. So we got back and bought a Biñan puto specialty along the way.

Monday, April 04, 2005




I Am One of Them!



My friend, Butch Dako posted his latest pic at his friendster account and it's nice to see those pictures, collated - of all his friends. It reminds me of a compressed photo album of long lost friends and loved ones - people who touched the lives of that person. Quite sentimental, quite nostalgic. And by the way, you can see me at the bottom right. :)

Butch and Friends

The picture is really nice! Visit also Butch's blog!

Sunday, April 03, 2005




From Now on You Will Catch men



This famous statement made my Jesus Christ is found at Luke 5:10 along with the story of the calling of the first disciples in Luke 5:1-11

5 Simon answered, “Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

However, the core of my message is verse 5. Peter had said, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything,. What does it has to do with us?

Personally I have prayed to God about a dream an ambition and make it a life purpose that someday, I'll produce a large musical. A remake of "My Utmost for His Highest". It will be a grand production, involving costly costumes and props, with big stars singing the solos and world-class choir. I prayed about it day and night with so much enthusiasm and sentimentality, developing a strong hope within me. One day there was an opportunity for me to work as Production Assistant in the show business industry. I prayed to God and told him that this must be His answer to my prayer request.

I was exposed in a world of illusions - where being good-looking is all that matters, where people appear nice as they look but wolves dressed in sheep's fur, where lies, immorality and sin are the norm, where at the surface there is laughing but deep inside is the unexpressed loneliness. During those times, I struggled emotionally, feeling so less important and it makes me feel sorry for myself. However, I still worked hard, not even minding even if I have to sleep at 4 am in the morning and sleep for 4 hrs or being insulted, stepped-down by people who think they have the authority to do that. I didn't mind. This is God's will.

Financially the money was instant, I receive my "talent fee" upon agreement. I entrusted a friend, or so I thought he was with some of the show expenses with my earnings and some of the personal allowance thinking that I will get all of them back when the show is done. Many people including almost all of my friends, and especially my parents advise me to look for a more stable way to earn money but I did not listen. I even turned down a job offer for this. I'm still clinging to the perceived will of God even if at any snap, I could be ruined. To make the story short, I ended up losing a couple of thousand pesos and that friend of mine was nowhere to be found.

And so like Simon Peter, I declared, I have fished all night and caught nothing. I have worked hard to realize a dream but I was ruined. I prayed to God and asked why he let it happen. It happened because God is showing me I have the wrong motives, I was not really seeking His will. Sometimes when God acts, you experience it the hard way to knock us out of our worldliness and to focus on Him. And now I say, "But because you say so... I will let down the nets". To be sensitive to God's will, he have to set aside our worldy intentions and to focus on things that will glorify Him and only Him. Letting down the nets, means surrendering and denying yourself, letting Him to take control over your life.

Friday, April 01, 2005




Jesus' PC

-->Mayang sent me this funny forwarded email to me today. However take note of the absolute truth found at the ending. - blueswirls

Jesus and Satan have an argument as to who is the better computer programmer. This goes on for a few hours until they agree to hold a contest with God as the judge.

They set themselves before their computers and begin. They type furiously for several hours, lines of code streaming up the screen.

Seconds before the end of the competition, a bolt of lightning strikes, taking out the electricity. Moments later, the power is restored, and God announces that the contest is over. He asks Satan to show what he has come up with. Satan is visibly upset, and cries, "I have nothing! I lost it all when the power went out."

"Very well, then," says God, "let us see if Jesus fared any better."


Jesus enters a command, and the screen comes to life in vivid display, the voices of an angelic choir pour forth from the speakers. Satan is astonished.

He stutters, "But how?! I lost everything yet Jesus' program is intact! How did he do it?"

God chuckles, "Jesus saves."