Secret Whispers

It is well into the season of fall, and the inevitable cold of winter is soon to come. As for me, it seems to get harder and harder to endure the cold. I do enjoy the festivities of winter, Christmas and New Year’s, but as a child, I think snow was one of the most anticipated events: making snowmen, rolling around in the snow, and sliding down with just about anything on a hill. The most satisfying part of seeing snow was, however, seeing school get cancelled early in the morning. Hot chocolate never tasted better. 

It was so much fun waking my brother up to the good news. I wanted to talk to all the students out there. The joy of spreading around the good news was too good. It was like a secret that you were allowed to spread around. Well, there were always a couple of guys that you wish did not hear about the news and went to school. Of course, you wish for him to have just wasted time, but not really get in an accident.

It was so easy sharing secrets and good news to friends when young, but for some reason, sharing got more difficult. It is as if these secrets were keys to staying ahead, making more money than the next guy, as if this was the solutions to staying happy. At the end of the day, though, it never does satisfy completely.

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Philippians 4:12

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

There are two types of secrets: secret from not knowing and secret from not understanding. Truth will shine light to both.

I thought about the secret of Paul, and I have come to the conclusion that his joy was from knowing that what he was doing, no matter the outcomes, was indeed what God had wanted him to do. It was the blessed assurance coming from the understanding of the Scriptures, of the LORD. It was the truth that set him free, but the truth of God did not stop there.

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing your inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory” Ephesians 1:13-14

Of Dogs and Men

My first experience with a dog was not a pleasant one. For the dog, I mean. The first pet dog my family ever had was when I was a little kid. Back then, I had no concept of respecting life. I remember how I put the dog in a little net and swung it around. Yes, I know; I was an awful child, but I will have you know, this only happened once.

 

We ended up giving the dog away when moving to the States. My brother seemed to miss it a lot. After a while, he even started volunteering for the humane society in high school. I tagged along and helped him out occasionally. I had to go through several lectures to learn how to train dogs. It was nothing too difficult, but it was amazing how some dogs could be trained to have the utmost loyalty.

 

I do not get to see too many dogs these days. It is probably from having lived in dorms and apartments for many years. Whenever I do get to see one, I really do enjoy its friendliness. Occasionally, I see dogs that are well-behaved, but more often not. There are dogs out in the wilderness starving to death, and yet here are dogs that just do not know who their owners are.

 

Then again, I am humbled as I see how I have no regard for my own Creator. Being loyal seems to be the hardest task. I guess this is why I really enjoyed the “Jurassic Bark” episode from Futurama, seeing a dog that waits patiently for its master outside, sitting quietly, listening intently, and yearning endlessly.

Verses on Isaiah

Here are some verses of Isaiah that I found rather thought provoking.

“The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” Isaiah 29:13

“People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you.” Isaiah 30:19

“say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.’” Isaiah 35:4

“And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.” Isaiah 35:8

It is very encouraging to see that God has such intimacy in the lives of humanity. He speaks directly into the hearts in doubt. He calls for our reckoning and repentance. He calls for love, he calls. 

Marks the Spot

O, where has love gone?

Gamers Unite!

I'm not sure if I said this before, but I enjoy listening to sermons online. I was listening to a sermon excerpt by Francis Chan just now, and he really got me fired up for God.

In my desire to stay active, I was looking into volunteer opportunities, as it was one of the promises I had made to God when coming back to the States. One that had gotten my attention was called Extra Life. It was basically charity by gamers. They made their website really well, so I'll spare you the details.

In any case, it was really heart warming to have seen such a group. Too many people have the notion that playing video games is a waste of life. I'm sure that may be in some cases, but like all God has made, it had its wonders.

"For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer." 1 Timothy 4:4-5

Tools will be tools. Drugs are medicine in modest dosage. Knives are at the heart of a good cuisine. Money in itself is not evil, just a matter of how we use it.

Our lives are the pipelines through which God pours out his love. I wish to be used in the best possible way imaginable. 

Living Water

“To him who is thirsty, I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life” Revelation 21:6b

Water. I always found such peace in water. I feel calm simply watching water flow. I love the fancy fountains that spring forth clear sounds. I also enjoy sitting in a hot tub with a bunch of friends, watching snow fall around midnight. I love to feel the waves move about the sand, not to mention my passion for drinking refreshing cold water after a hard workout. Hot showers wash away all my fatigue while water balloon fights wash away my worries.

In the small space of a room, I dreamt of endless fields, a rich environment, nonetheless a spiritual desert. Clean water to the nations, living water to the lost!

I do not know what I will end up doing in this life. As much as I had enjoyed blessings from God in the form of nature, I would not mind being a deliverer of the same blessings. I am trying really hard not to limit myself to what job I have. One title I really do want, however, is being called a peacemaker.  

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” Matthew 5:9

“Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness” James 3:18

Life is not a Game

I have been attending a new church for the past few weeks. I also decided to join a small group. To tell you the truth, I was not completely comfortable making all these decisions, all these new beginnings, but I guess no one is completely confident in reaching out to new territories. On the way down, though, I pretty much ran into a hanging chain and ruined the front tire of my bike. I even thought about heading back home after the incident, but I figured the devil would have liked that a lot. Naturally, I decided to see through what was put in my heart just a little longer. It took a littler while for me to get to the meeting place, but, all in all, I had such a wonderful time. It had been a while since I talked to a lot of people, so I was rather quiet during the meeting, but by the time I was home, I was very much encouraged. Just the fact that there were people gathering together to simply read the Bible, sharing their struggles to live a life of a Christ-follower, was very refreshing. I wanted to be a better man. I was actually having doubts to my decision to move on from the church I had originally attended, but I guess there really are no answers in life, simply choices.

I always had in mind that there were objectives that needed to be achieved for me to move on with life. Maybe it was from all the video games I had played, but I felt the pressure of needing to get something done. I feel like I lost a lot because of this. 

I try to stay away from clichés, but something worth mentioning was that there will always be an end in this life. Instead of shying away from the pain of departure, I feel like I should treasure the moment all the more.

Start to an End

If He's the alpha and omega
We're all betas and some gammas
maybe a little chi and xi, so then I ask why
All that I do, what does it amount to?
An end is where He'll send, awaiting to ascend
in the meantime, aside all crime
I know He has a plan.
It wasn't the ku klux klan or the wars in Afghan.
Visions of communities, amenities, not the limelight celebrities.
I'm speaking of love without all the dove
Not some false blind affection,
I'm talking about total dedication.
Why do you shout, "lust or bust"
when you can have more than just dust
Ask for the grand master scheme, the highest dream
Hover with the Holy Spirit, see where you fit
The perfect puzzle piece
Culmination of all, the cross, and the son of man
Jesus Christ

Life for Life

Systematic metropolitan life has reduced dramatically the sight occurrences of death. Unless you are directly related to the matter, it is hard seeing death come sweeping away. Death was so unfamiliar to me, yet the Bible is filled with it, almost to the point I fail to recognize the gravity of the situation. 

Here is Saul and men gathered around Stephen, stoning him to death. I guess it was like a public execution. There would be blood on Saul's hands. 

“Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.” Acts 7:60

However, a sacrifice never seems to go unnoticed to God. 

“But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.’” Acts 9:15-16

Life for life. It is as if Stephens sacrifice was directly related to the calling of Paul. From life to death, yet life after death. Though Stephen would no longer be breathing, it is as if his life has transferred onto Saul, changing him into Paul that many now know. 


"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." John 12:24

Growing Up Growing Old

Life is not as funny as it used to be. Recognition of responsibility has opened my eyes to see actual pain and even death as a direct consequence of my actions. Life and happiness of others as well as mine are in my hands as given by God. Maybe this is why kids always whine about their parents being boring. Life and its seriousness

Of Forgiveness

"'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.' Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, 'See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.'" Isaiah 6:5-7

God forgives us

Scientific Thought

If facts lie in scientific basis, and science deems repetition and reproducibility as necessary, would an occurrence that happened once in a matter of eternity that is beyond human ability still be factual?