Never lost, always found (25): Return, rest, remain

Encouragement and invitation from the Lord:

My love for you is bigger than your worst sin.

My love shines forth to erase the darkest corner you hide in.

My love is more nourishing than the world can ever pretend to be.

My love is sufficient, more than you can ever imagine, hope for, pray for, plead for, desire for.

Return to My love, rest in My love, remain in My love.

I have sought you, pursued you, wooed you, waited for you.

Come fill the void in My heart which only you can fill.

Return to Me, remain in Me.

(Journal entry 22 March, RPM sharing 29 Mar)

Never lost, always found (24): Of dads and driving, God and GPS

Never have I had so many encounters with the GPS- global positioning system- than we took long drives the last time I was in the United States with my parents.




Given the dizzying, criss-crossing multitude of highways, signs, and lanes the US road interstate network has, the GPS is indeed God-sent. It allows the driver to drive in peace, having a guide that tells him or her where to go, where to turn, where to exit onwards his or her final destination.



In this sense, I thought to myself while experiencing the myriad conveniences of the GPS, this tool is a lot like God and our relationship with Him.

Plans
Before my dad starts any trip, he keys in to the GPS the address of the, say, hotel or tourist attraction which we want to visit, trusting fully that the GPS will get us there with the best possible route in the shortest amount of time.

Similarly, we lift up to God our plans, our intentions, basically our lives, buoyed by the fact that He will take us there, in places and circumstances where we will blossom and thrive. This trust in the Lord has been one of the earliest and most enduring life lessons given to me by my parents, that “In everything we do, put God first and He will direct and crown our efforts with success.”


Directions
And so we launch out of the garage and into the main highways. The GPS screen gives a visual representation of the road ahead, with appropriately labelled roadways, exits, and landmarks. Alongside the visual representation, there is also an audio component that gives intermittent guidance on where to go next, which side of a fork in the road do we take, etc.

In like manner, God has provided for us visual and auditory reminders of His love through constant guidance. He has given us the Scriptures, our clergy, our lay leaders, even everyday folk to serve as representations of His presence in our lives. Through these, through them, He is helping us see the horizon of the possible, guiding us towards the path promised of unending joy.


Detours
But as is wont to happen, the GPS is at times ignored. Seeming familiarity to a better parallel road will at times tempt the driver to veer away from what the GPS is indicating to be the road. At times we reject the GPS directions and heed the reminders of family and friends to take this exit or that freeway instead because the last time they did so, it cut their trip by half an hour or half a day even- only to find out that doing so now would actually double the hours on the road because of repairs. The GPS was right all along.

And so, too, do we fail, when we rely on our own devices, when we give in to the jeers and taunts of the crowd around, despite these being contrary to God’s will. We take on the easy expressways, we swerve onto reckless routes, and we tread on tempting turnpikes in search of shortcuts which turn out to be more costly. We reject God because we think we know better.


U-turns
However, with each wrong exit taken, the GPS seems to move ahead of the driver, re-visualizing the road ahead, and gives off this repetitious, at times irritating, but almost always welcome reminder: Turnaround when possible. It will proceed to give alternative routes to enable the driver to go back to the original route, even if the latter will keep on ignoring the GPS reminder. Sooner or later, especially when the driver accedes to the GPS direction, s/he will find him/herself again on the right track.

Respecting our free will, God seemingly allows us to stumble, wander, and eventually be lost in the maze of our own making. But in His infinite wisdom and mercy, He will give us second chances to get back on the road towards what is best for us. He will use any person, situation, or tool to rally us to what is good, what is right, and what is just. If only we will allow Him to do so.

Teamwork
It goes without saying though that the GPS cannot solely bring us to our destination. It takes a good vehicle, a competent driver, and a host of helpful travel gadgets and worthy road trip companions to make each destination merit the journey. No matter how hi-tech the GPS is, without the driver and his/her companions’ cooperation, they will never reach where they are supposed to go.

While with a snap of His finger God can all bring us to Him, He does not do so. He allows us to go to Him not out of fear of being punished but out of full knowledge and understanding of the immenseness of His mercy and love. He is showing us the way; it is but right that our response be to take the journey and persevere in the adventure.


Finish line
When we get to our destination, the GPS is turned off to conserve power. We may need to hook it up to our PCs to update its software. We need to be careful with it, lest the screen be scratched or worse shattered. Depending on our subscription, the GPS may not work in other countries. So in a way, the GPS can only take us so far.

Not our God, though. His power has created the moon and the stars. This same power perfectly crafted each grain of sand on the earth. His power has parted the Red Sea. This same power can relieve our anxiety before a job interview. Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His is a love that is all-encompassing, never fading nor failing. He is around us, anywhere, everywhere, crossing through political borders and language restrictions. His love and mercy are eternal, always fresh, available, accessible.

Our life’s True North Star, Inspiration, Guide…


For my Pop, who's taught us to drive, thereby giving us wings. Happy Father's Day =]

Never lost, always found (23): Five loaves and two fishes

After being in the same project for more than 18 months, facilitated trainings with local government health professionals from 14 of the 17 regions of the country, and spoken to not a few local and international guests and experts as regards our work, I still catch myself doubting the relevance of what I do. It gets especially worse when I succumb to the worst trap of all- comparing my self with others.

Good thing in these trainings, the Lord has a way of somehow reassuring me that I’m on the right track- or at least shaking me back to the right path when I seem to stray. One such way is through the opening prayers that are said before our trainings begin.

(Forgive me for saying this, but coming from a state university where prayer is not common practice in public gatherings, it is refreshing but at the same time a wee bit disconcerting that prayer is not only tolerated but expected to be a part of events/proceedings…)

In the last training I joined in Bukidnon province, this video below was shown in lieu of a formal prayer. Both the message and the timing could not be any better, especially for doubters like me.

CORRINNE MAY - FIVE LOAVES AND TWO FISHES LYRICS
A little boy of thirteen was on his way to school
He heard a crowd of people laughing and he went to take a look
Thousands were listening to the stories of one man
He spoke with such wisdom, even the kids could understand

The hours passed so quickly, the day turned to night
Everyone was hungry but there was no food in sight
The boy looked in his lunchbox at the little that he had
He wasn't sure what good it'd do, there were thousands to be fed

But he saw the twinkling eyes of Jesus
The kindness in His smile
And the boy cried out
With the trust of a child
He said:

"Take my five loaves and two fishes
Do with it as you will
I surrender
Take my fears and my inhibitions
All my burdens, my ambitions
You can use it all to feed them all"

I often think about that boy when I'm feeling small
And I worry that the work I do means nothing at all

But every single tear I cry is a diamond in His hands
And every door that slams in my face, I will offer up in prayer

So I'll give you every breath that I have
Oh Lord, you can work miracles
All that you need is my "Amen"

So take my five loaves and two fishes
Do with it as you will
I surrender
Take my fears and my inhibitions
All my burdens, my ambitions
You can use it all
I hope it's not too small

I trust in you
I trust in you

So take my five loaves and two fishes
Do with it as you will
I surrender
Take my fears and my inhibitions
All my burdens, my ambitions
You can use it all
No gift is too small

LyricsBay | CORRINNE MAY - FIVE LOAVES AND TWO FISHES LYRICS

Everyday Easter

#gratefultobeYours

Never lost, always found (22): Just be

Last Sunday's Second Reading is one of my all-time favorite passages from the Holy Bible:

Brothers and sisters:
What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?
No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35, 37-39


It is St Paul's enduring reassurance of God's love, for those in transition, for those choosing to stay put. It is a perfect overarching cloak of love, especially if you'll choose to espouse The Holstee Manifesto below:

Never lost, always found (21): Passion

Lately, as I review my blog entries (or the lack thereof!), I see how closely it mirrors a number of what I hold dear in my heart. Lately, my entries become less personal, in the sense that I just don't talk about me and myself; rather, I am still revealing bits and pieces of what makes me tick or pissed in the form of advocacies and issues I blog about. Still, I see myself as a myopic, unfocused individual who seems to be flailing about.

This wandering feeling is even highlighted when I encounter people like:
Harvey Milk, staunch defender of civil rights in San Francisco;
Christopher McCandless, who walked away from the world's excesses in order to find himself and what is essential in the wilderness of Alaska;
Margaret Moth, CNN camerawoman extraodinaire, who didn't let canons nor cancer get in the way of covering a story.

Theirs is a single-minded doggedness that is oblivious to pain and discomfort, all in the pursuit of what is important and true for them. In fact, they didn't really have to do it, their individual exploits. But because of their desire to make a difference, our lives are somewhat better now.

Oddly enough, they remind me of Jesus' life- His zest for God's Word, His focus on service, His unparalleled obedience, His unwavering sense of mission despite humanity's unworthiness. He really didn't have to do all that He did, frankly speaking; but He did. And boy, did Jesus endure a lot!

In Paul's Letter to the Philippians Chapter 2, he recalled:

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Now THAT is PASSION.

In the face of all my wandering and restlessness, I just pray to the Lord to please grant me clarity of purpose- why am I really here, what do I have to do, where should I really be in. I pray to the Lord that when He guides me to that spot that is my earthly niche, that He empowers me with all that I need. And if where I am now is where I am really supposed to be in, that I continue to find comfort, contentment, and peace with all I encounter =]

May God evolve my wanderlust into His Son's Passion...

Never lost, always found (20): Almost there

At times my to-do list is just too long that it seems endless, even pointless. At times I stare so long at that list that I end up NOT ticking anything off of it- which just adds more stress to an already inundated life. I just have to stop though, take a deep breath, and be reminded of what God says through St. Paul-

...I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it
until the day of Christ Jesus...

And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ...

Philippians 1:6, 9-10

It will soon come to pass. It will be worth all the trouble. It will be far better than whatever I can ever imagine because it is by God's design that it will come to fruition =]

Never lost, always found (19): Go, get set, ready

Amidst all the talk of uncertainty, of dangers and perils that awaits us due to climate change or in the upcoming national and local elections; in spite of the seeming victory of the wicked and the vile; in the face of personal struggles and communal sorrow, I remain confident and put my faith in the Lord, defer to His wisdom, and embrace His kindness.

The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will fulfill the promise
I made to the house of Israel and Judah.
In those days, in that time,
I will raise up for David a just shoot ;
he shall do what is right and just in the land.
In those days Judah shall be safe
and Jerusalem shall dwell secure;
this is what they shall call her:
“The LORD our justice.”
Jeremiah 13:14-16

Never lost, always found (18): Inconceivable... and yet possible

We watched the World Pyro Olympics yesterday at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. Despite the rain, thousands came to witness what was touted to be the ultimate face-off of pyrotechnic masters. And the two countries who dueled last night- Germany and China- did not disappoint!



I tried my best to capture the fantastic works of art in the sky with my trusty camera; but for some reason, the pics I got did not quite measure up against how grand the effects were as captured by the naked eye and recorded by my brain.

I just can't help marvel at the wonder of the human body. I remember having the same thoughts as we were working with a cadaver during our Anatomy class in medical school: how the seemingly fragile assortment of fibers and skin and layers can make a person walk, talk, feel... In spite humanity's best efforts, we can only attempt to approximate the power of God made manifest through the workings of the human body.

And so we place our trust not in human frailty but in God's strength, mercy, wisdom, peace, and love. When all else fails, He won't.

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has ever conceived the glorious things He has prepared for those who love Him. (1Cor2:9)

--==+==--

Another example of God's overwhelming grace:

Congratulations to Efren Penaflorida from the province of Cavite in the Philippines! He has been chosen as the CNN Hero of the Year!

Here's to true heroism we can all emulate and be truly proud of!

Never lost, always found (17): Tongue in check

Moses, however, said to the LORD, "If you please, LORD, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past, nor recently, nor now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and tongue."

The LORD said to him, "Who gives one man speech and makes another deaf and dumb? Or who gives sight to one and makes another blind? Is it not I, the LORD?

Go, then! It is I who will assist you in speaking and will teach you what you are to say."

Exodus 4:10-12

I had a major presentation last week in the huge ballroom of a top Manila hotel. In it were dozens of physician colleagues, past and present teachers, and many kindred souls who took time out (and shelled out serious money) to listen to updates in the field of Family and Community Medicine. The latter's presence ought to have made the presentation a comfortable ride. However, a couple of hours before my scheduled talk, I was so nervous I thought I would pass out.

At the height of my anxiety and self-doubt, I requested a colleague to pray with me. We found a quiet spot at the back of the hall and he began to pray with me in earnest. And as expected, as soon as he uttered "Amen" a great wave of peace began to quiet my troubled heart. While awaiting my turn to speak, I quit fiddling with my slides, I stopped surfing for answers to any and all possible questions, I closed the ten or so web browser tabs I was nervously juggling and jotting notes from.

Soon after, I was called to the stage and I began my presentation. I did my best to convey the message I was assigned to deliver- Preparing for Outbreaks and Epidemics- in the time alloted. I struggled a bit during the open forum part but I would like to believe that I was able to more than just "wing it." Then, before I knew it, I already had to descend from the stage to give way to the next speaker.

In my confusion, God is my clarity. In my anxiety, God is my peace. In my folly, God is my way forward.



(A bonus after the presentation, seeing this amazing sunset over Manila Bay just across the hotel's parking lot =])

Never lost, always found (16): Beyond death

If God is for us, who can be against us?

He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?

Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones? It is God who acquits us.

Who will condemn? It is Christ (Jesus) who died, rather, was raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.

What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?

As it is written: "For your sake we are being slain all the day; we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:31-39

--==+==--

In the depth of winter I finally learned that there within me lay
an invincible summer.
(Albert Camus)

Thank you, Father, for the blessing of fond memories and happy moments with our departed loved ones while they were still with us. Thank you for comforting us in our time of grief then when they passed on, and now, when our hearts intermittently ache for them. Thank you for taking them home to a much, much, much better place. Thank you for the promise of seeing them again, soon =]

Never lost, always found (15): Timely, timeless

Tired? Tortured? Tormented?

Here is a timely, timeless reminder of God's love-


...[A]nd say to the faint-hearted, 'Be strong! Do not be afraid. Here is your God, vengeance is coming, divine retribution; he is coming to save you.'

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed,

then the lame will leap like a deer and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy; for water will gush in the desert and streams in the wastelands,

the parched ground will become a marsh and the thirsty land springs of water...

Isaiah 35:4-7, First Reading for Sunday, September 6th.

Cue: Handel

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said-

If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.


My sister is no street sweeper, but heaven knows how much of my earthly and figurative mess she has taken care of. For that and the myriad other blessings God coursed through her for our entire family, she deserves a lengthy celestial standing ovation coupled with rapturous hoots, applause, and choral singing.

Happy birthday to my favorite sister (by default, no competition)!

I love you dearly.

(Pierce Brosnan and Ces Drilon extend their greetings as well.)

When "I Love You's" turn to L-Abuse

A very good friend from way back asked that we meet last week. I offered to have dinner with her on the evening of the same day she texted but she replied that she can't; she was meeting her lawyer. Oh wow, was my only reply. Secretly, I was making a happy dance inside my head.

Finally.

For almost a year, she has been enduring the physical, verbal, emotional, psychological, economic abuse inflicted on her by her husband. But she just wouldn't budge. She wouldn't leave their home, she just can't seem to let go of him. In spite of everything. She was still hoping he'd come back to her, to the way things were previously.

Her friends and family tried almost every tactic in the book- from calmly reasoning with her to giving her the cold treatment to wooing her to threatening to cease being friends with her. To no avail.

"But I love him" was the argument she always put up against all the wise counsel she received.

Until she woke up one morning, black and blue, her body and soul was. She just told her mom- "I'm tired. I don't want this anymore." As moms are wont to do, she and her mom made the rounds of all relevant government institutions and within about a week, her husband received the notice that he was being sued for violating the law related to Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004.

Her case is still being heard right now. God-willing, she'll be freed from the shackles of this dangerous relationship. Please pray with us- that she remain strong and unwavering in her conviction to seek the justice due her, in the face of her husband and his family that remains to be a threat to her physical, emotional, psychological safety.

One day, may she be able to recite what is written below, with ease, confidence, joy.

The Survivor's Psalm

I have been victimized.
I was in a fight that was not a fair fight.
l did not ask for the fight.
I lost.

There is no shame in losing such fight
Only in winning.
I have reached the stage of survivor
And am no longer a slave of victim status.

I look back with sadness rather than hate.
I look forward with hope rather than despair.
I may never forget
But I need not constantly remember.

I was a victim.
I am a survivor.

To be slapped or kicked once by your spouse or husband is to be hurt one time too many. Call the Philippine National Police hotline 117 or visit their police precincts' Women's Desk for immediate help.

Thirty-four and counting

For the first time in almost three years of blogging on this platform, here's a post that is a collaboration between myself and another human being. To celebrate the 34th wedding anniversary of our parents (who are now in the United States), my sister and I have come up with top-of-our-head favorite memories, thoughts, lessons, realizations, private jokes, recollections related to our Pop and Mom noted down verbatim.

The odd-numbered items on the list are mine (Ian's) and the even-numbered ones are my sister's (Chiqui's). We hope you'll write a similar list and make it known to your own folks, if you haven't done so =] Enjoy the ride!

1. Our house has always been filled with books. Mom and Pop cultivated (unwittingly or not) our love for reading- freeing our minds to wander beyond the realm of the possible.

2. Falling in love with Japanese food. Actually, being obsessed with it!

3. Thanks for the moles on the soles of our feet (the Filipino sign of being wanderlust!). They’ve scrimped, saved, splurged rightfully so on travel- near and far, for two-day or two-week journeys- knowing fully that travel is one great teacher.

4. Learning a favorite mantra: Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Hint for Ian, from Ate: fix your stuff.

5. In connection with travel, trusting us with any and every car we’ve had. Dents, bumps, flat tires and all. We love you NTW-8*1, PAC-7*4, PJE-4*5, WBH-7*7, WSB-5*9 =]

6. “Family airtime” during road trips, short or long- our talks on all topics under the sun when you drive us to school, to work, pick us up from dorms, the hospital, ROTC, among the myriad other conversations.

7. Treating us as adults, or as persons more matured that our actual years. Allowing us to speak our minds and hearts, allowing us to “reason” (as long as it’s within “reason”). Really Listening To Us.

8. Huge fights that we laugh about years later- e.g. don’t argue with your mom the day before your wedding over a mundane thing like getting your nails done. It really does look pretty in pictures when your deceased fingernails are revived via a manicure.

9. When you are supposed to do something, do it immediately because there is a HIGH chance and probability you WILL forget to do it.

10. DO NOT LIE. You will always, ALWAYS get caught. The best cover-ups are no match to your CSI-trained parents.

11. Sorry for the 100 or so umbrellas, jackets, shirts, jungle bolos etc we left in school, campsites, taxis, etc. =[

12. Looking forward to power outages because we can play- SCRABBLE!

13. Being extremely active in my high school Parents-Teachers Community Council (our PTA) – proof being, you Pop were the PTCC Class President and you Mom were the PTCC Class Secretary =] A feat never heard of before or since!

14. Yummy pasalubong (take homes!) from the wet market every Saturday morning- palabok for Ate and spaghetti for Ian.

15. While on vacation and Mama says “Pose. Smile!,” do it! Posterity records your tantrums forever- but, boy, is the background truly a killer view!

16. The only person we know who coughs when she uses Q-Tips is _____. Guess who!

17. Beware the typhoon announcements- someone will race through the grocery and buy every canned good, battery, candle, and junk food available =]

18. Even if when you’re in college already, you have to open your bag before leaving the house to prove that you did really bring your umbrella and jacket =] And hours later, when it starts to pour, you breathe a sigh of thankful relief.

19. No school activity is too uncool, too tiring, too boring, too far, too tedious to go to regardless of the size of our participation in that event (eg Boy Scouts, quiz bees, proms, press conferences, pageants, Igorot dances, etc etc)

20. Wednesday novenas are hard habits to break.

21. Loving whom we choose to love (among our boyfriends or girlfriends) to the extent of buying our gifts for them.

22. Comfort food from home, the mere mention of, brings a smile to our faces: papaitan, spaghetti, dinuguan, Sunday nilagang baka, champorado, siomai, hardinera (yesterday, today, and tomorrow), the almost-transparent gelatin, salmon belly, Klondike, shrimp cocktail…

23. Giving in to many of our whims, but tempering it with wise, prudent financial advise (mahal yan anak).

24. They’ve always been respected in their industries, their work ethic is a dream come true for both their bosses and staff.

25. Your almost daily early morning chit-chats as soon as you wakeup even before you get out of bed about life, us, work, showbiz, politics…

26. Ian got his stubbornness, ooops “firmness”, from you-know-who, and Ate her pangugulit a.k.a. persistent reminders from you-know-who.

27. TV is generally a friend, except on Saturday mornings when you have to do your chores.

28. Remember Amber? Our piano teacher from hell, who used to correct our wrong finger positions on the keyboard using a chewed Mongol no. 2? Good thing we are great music lovers despite her =]

29. 50s, 60s, 70s music! From ABBA to The Carpenters to The Beatles to Englebert Humperdink! Proof: our 100+ cassette tapes at home- a time warp to the golden days of music =] We ALL loved Mamma Mia!

30. I like that they lived many facets of their lives on top of being great parents: there’s Kiwanis, REACT, Lectors and Commentators Guild, Ushers and Collectors Guild, Mother of Perpetual Help Organization, Couples For Christ… They have time for us, for the families they’ve come from, for their friends, our neighbors.

31. They’ve allowed us to live our lives the way we’d like to, even if it means departures from paths they may be secretly wishing for us to tread on. From clubs, to choice of friends, choice of schools, college courses, clothes (almost always!)- we’ve been our own bosses, with them at arm’s reach conveniently.

32. I’ve learned that the best advices really come from our parents. They DO know best. Even now that I’m almost-as-old-as-the-number-of-years-you-have-been-together-as-a-married-couple. I find myself running to you during difficult times and always ALWAYS I put down the phone feeling recharged and ready to take on the challenge.

33. Our parents have the kindest, most generous, most giving, most selfless hearts.

34. We’ve been handed excellent roadmaps for life, from our detailed atlases and encyclopedias, to the regular welcome torrent of concern and advice. But the best gift we’ve received is the gift of prayer and faith, which can be traced as the source of every blessing that is always ALWAYS more than what we need – thanks to the excellent example of the life being lived by our prayerful, faithful parents =]

35-36-37 (The following shall be equivalent to the three years they were together and only they know of…)

If the assignment of parents were made through a game of chance, we really hit the jackpot with whom God gave us- we won in the parents lottery =]

Here’s to you, Pop and Mom! Happy 34th! Or should it be 37th? (*wink wink*)

Never lost, always found: Happy New Year 2009!

I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.

Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will answer you.

You will seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart.

Yes, I say, you will find me, and I will restore you to your land. I will gather you from every country and from every place to which I have scattered you, and I will bring you back to the land from which I had sent you away into exile.

I, the LORD, have spoken.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (Good News Bible)

The next time we worry about passing an exam or how a relative will get well from an illness or when we will find a job that will make ends meet, let's remember that God loves us so much He has even given His own Son to save us. So there is no good thing that He will withhold from us. Everything will happen according to His perfect plan and timing. His generosity and faithfulness can NEVER be matched by anything or anyone.

Let's all have a blessed, grace-filled, Jesus-centered year!

Never lost, always found (13) : Everyday IS my lucky day

Team Hoyt is a father (Dick Hoyt) and son (Rick Hoyt, b. 1962) in Massachusetts who compete together in marathons, triathlons, and other athletic endeavors. Rick has cerebral palsy, caused by loss of oxygen to his brain at birth because his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. Dick carries him in a special seat up front as they bike, pulls him in a special boat as they swim, and pushes him in a special wheelchair as they run.

Thanks to his parents, who ignored the advice of doctors that he would live life in a persistent vegetative state, and Tufts University engineers, who recognized that his sense of humor indicated intelligence, at the age of 12, Rick was able to learn how to use a special computer to communicate, using movements from his head. The first words he typed were, "Go Bruins!", and the family learned he was a sports fan. They entered their first race in 1977, a 5 mile benefit run for an injured lacrosse player who was a schoolmate of Rick's.

Dick is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard. Rick earned a college degree from Boston University in special education, and now works at Boston College. They continue to compete in races, and are also motivational speakers.

As of January 31, 2008, Team Hoyt had participated in a total of 958 events, including 224 Triathlons (6 of which were Ironman competitions), 20 Duathlons, and 65 Marathons, including 25 Boston Marathons.[1] They have also biked and run across the USA, in 1992 — a 3,735 mile journey that took them 45 days.

When asked what one thing Rick wished he could give his father, his reply was "The thing I'd most like is that my dad would sit in the chair and I would push him once."

(From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Hoyt)



The past few days have been hectic to say the least. There are times I'd wish that the clock would magically last 26 instead of 24 hours. Or that I'd have 2-3 clones of myself to accomplish all that is in my checklist. But no matter how much I wish for these to happen with all my might, they haven't happened. They never will. Despite that, I still tried to do things with just my best, relying too much on my own energy, swimming against the current, racing uphill alone. Things seem pointless. Defeat is imminent.

Then my father sends me this via email.

a a a a a a a a a a a a a I am broken into a million, million pieces... *sniff sniff*

Thanks, Pop, for this very timely reminder: that on this earth I can rest undoubtedly assured of two things: your love and God's.

I know that at times, a kid with physical disabilities would be far easier to deal with than me. But thanks for putting up with my... quirks. Then again, who would have I inherited them from? =] Thank you for being a pillar of strength, ardent fan, most welcome critic.

I always, always thank the Lord for you, you and mom =]

And to my Father in heaven, I am at your disposal =]

The Lord Is Risen! Happy Easter!

If God is with us, who shall be against us?
If He did not spare His own Son,
but gave Him up for us,
how will He not give us all things with Him?

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Will it be trials, or anguish, persecution or hunger, lack of clothing,
or dangers or sword?

No, in all of this we are more than conquerors,
thanks to Him who has loved us.

I am certain that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor spiritual powers,
neither the present, nor the future, nor cosmic powers,
were they from heaven or from the deep world below,
nor any creature whatsoever
will separate us from the love of God,
which we have in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

(Romans 8:31-32, 35, 37-39)

(Photo: "The Ascension" from the Benjamin West Collection of the Bob Jones University Museum and Gallery)

BAGETSS for Lent, for the Holy Week, and beyond

NO- I am not prescribing that to atone for our collective and individual sins, let's do self-flagellation in the form of a screening of the erstwhile quintessential Filipino youth flick, BAGETS.

BAGETSS is a list that contains tips and reminders for us Christians to experience a fuller Lent and a more enriching Holy Week. Rest assured the items below will never be deemed baduy (not chic), will never go out of style. The items below somehow helps ensure that we'll always be 'in'- in God's favor.

B - Balik Panginoon, Return to God. In the midst of our daily toil, it is always fitting to allot a portion of our day to the Lord, moreso this season of Lent and the Holy Week. Attend church activities, go to confession, read the Bible, pray. He is just waiting patiently for us.

A - Alis galit, Be rid of anger. Anger is that slippery slope which leads to an almost endless litany of hurt, pain, and sin. Let go. Let God.

G - Gawa mabuti, Do good. Sincere acts of kindness for family members or strangers alike, when they become part of our system, ought to solve many of the world's ills. Let's start today.

E - Express love. A door held for an expectant mom, a well thought of comment on a blogger's article, biting your tongue as your dad scolds you for the nth time for hogging the phone. What we do to least of our brethren, we do it to the Lord.

T - Tanggal bisyo, Be rid of vices and bad habits. From smoking and excessive drinking, to gossiping about co-workers, to tardiness, to not flushing the toilet after use. If it kills your body's cells or it gives a reason for other people to kill you- kick that bad habit out of your system.

S - Sakripisyo, Sacrifice. Here are my Lenten decisions: no TV after 12 midnight and no late-night fastfood deliveries. They help me save money, get enough rest, be healthier. More than that though, these simple personal decisions allow me to somehow, no matter how feebly, be united in the Lord's sacrifice. Bearing our own crosses helps us remember, appreciate, and celebrate God's love for us, this great love that even prompted Him to give us His only Son...

S - Smile. A smile is often an outward manifestation of inner happiness. Inner happiness stems from finding satisfaction and contentment in blessings big and small. Blessings big and small have only One Source. A smile is therefore a symbol of God working miracles in our lives. Be a blessing yourself. Smile always!

May all of us encounter God in a very special way, this time of Lent, and always. His love endures forever. His love for us will never fade and loving Him will never go out of style.

(Thank you to Fr. Emil SDB for sharing with us this list during one of Lingkod Manila's First Friday masses.)

Never lost, always found (12): In God's hands, as always

I’ve just come home from a two-day Lenten retreat with brothers from the Ang Lingkod Ng Panginoon (The Servant of the Lord), my Catholic community for single young professionals. It’s arguably one of the most intense 24-or-so hours I’ve been with/for the Lord. And in the course of the retreat sessions, He has made His presence felt and His directions clear(er).

The past weekend came all too soon after the massive February 29th interfaith prayer rally in Ayala Avenue, which we joined, along with other concerned members of the health sector and academe. Despite the encouragement of retreat facilitators to leave outside cares at the doorstep as we, well, retreat to God, I guess He wired me differently to the point that the first questions I asked of Him were precisely those related to the goings on in the Philippines-

What’s happening to my country, God?

Whose prayers have You answered or are answering?

With all the simultaneous masses being offered by either side of the political fence, plus the prayers being said by our Islamic brothers and sisters and other Christian denominations, I’m endeavoring a guess that heaven must be as crazy as the air traffic control tower of, say, Heathrow, Schiphol, or JFKIA days before Christmas. Maybe Malacanan’s prayers will be heard first and the truth will NEVER come out… Will the request of the 80,000-plus crowd in Makati last Friday and those of the millions all over the Philippines be granted? When? How?

True to His nature, the Lord responded to my prayer for wisdom in no uncertain terms:

I will bring my justice, it is not far away; my salvation will not delay. Is 46:13

I don’t know what’s there around the corner, but it’s enough that God knows. (Retreats are a treasure trove of one-liners whose brevity is inversely proportional to its ability to enlighten. This last one I cited is a prime example…)

Let’s all continue to pray for our country. As Jun Lozada, a main resource person in the unraveling of the ZTE-NBN controversy said in his short message last Friday, let’s pray and act for truth and justice to prevail in our land not because we hate the person/s in power but because we love our country.

That He is the God of Grace and Perfect Timing is more than sufficient for us. We are in His hands. As always.

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Special thanks to Joseph and other Lingkod brothers and sisters who wander into my blog and take time to read my random rants and raves. I do hope to hear (read?) your thoughts as well. God bless you more in the days ahead!