Each Day

I dedicate this post to Cora. She's one of those who encouraged and reminded me that I should update this blog and keep writing. Thanks Cora! After 2 long years, here I am again (hoping to write more and continually encourage by sharing more of what comes out from things and thoughts around and within me). This post's for you. I hope you like this one as well. Enjoy each day, thanking God always!

The thought of writing again came while I was reading Max Lucado's book When God Whispers Your Name. I checked on my old blog site but I couldn't anymore remember my password. It's been a loonggg time. How I miss writing! I should be posting original pieces here but I cannot help sharing this part from his book..enjoy!

It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still and black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by the decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose. And so I choose.

I CHOOSE LOVE..
No occasion justifies hatred;
no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love.
Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY...
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be cynical...
the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see
people as anything less than human beings,
created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as
anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE...
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE...
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.
Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll
invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the
wait is too long, I will thank my God for a moment
to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new
assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I CHOOSE KINDNESS...
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.
Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to
the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS...
I will go without a dollar
before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked
before I will boast. I will confess before I will
accuse. I choose goodness.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS...
Today I will keep my promises.
My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates
will not question my word. My wife will not
question my love. And my children will never fear
that their father will not come home.

I CHOOSE GENTLENESS...
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice may it be only in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer.
If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL...
I am a spiritual being...
After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal.
I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy.
I will be impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God.
I will be taught only by Christ.
I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
To these I commit my day.
If I succeed, I will give thanks.
If I fail, I will seek his grace.
And then, when this day is done,
I will place my head on my pillow
and rest.

Milenyo, Me, and the Fifth Mountain

Trees lie down like tired souls, some were even uprooted. The buldings inside the compound where I work, are still without electricity. All these were caused by a typhoon that hit Metro Manila yesterday.

The city reminds me of Akbar and the destructions brought about by its fight with Assyrian war troops. So very timely was my reading of the The Fifth Mountain, the book that I've started reading many times but never finished until yesterday, while the typhoon winds hover around the city, paralyzing most of the business establishments, putting out electricity in every household, jabbing billboards and causing them to fall on vehicles whisking by the highways. Roofs were flying like it can hit anyone (scary).

With all these goings-on, I was inside the house, lit by just a small candle, sitting in a corner reading the Fifth Mountain (thanks to my booklight and spare batteries, too). At least my time was put to good use somehow.

From Elijah, the main character, I learned that if we are to rebuild something that's been ruined, it's best to forget about past failures and just focus on the good things we have done. If we think there's not much yet, then we do some more once there's a chance.

The unavoidable always happens. To overcome it, one needs discipline and patience. And hope - when this no longer exists, one can't waste his energy fighting against the impossible.

Some people go on a journey to find success yet they do not find what they they're seeking, for they carry with them the weight of earlier failures.

On the other hand, some are full of ardor. They profit from every moment of life. To these people, life is a constant triumph and would go on being one. They have wonderful tales to tell. They achieve everything they desire because they are not limited by the frustrations of the past.

As the shepherd with whom Elijah got to talk with said "If you have a past that dissatisfies you, forget it now. Imagine a new story of your life and believe in it. Concentrate only on those moments in which you can achieve what you desired, and the STRENGTH will help you to accomplish what you want."

Hardships and unpleasant circumstances may hit us like typhoons do. They may be unavoidable much like when nature takes its course and just blows and paralyzes all that we're used to having - electricity, internet access, water, lovely trees, busy streets, fast transportation, those that make living easier for us - we call the comforts of life... and then we're left idle and empty because it seems that a part of us has been stolen and is missing and we feel incomplete.

It is at times like this, when we feel helpless that we realize that which really matters. And we are reminded that we are powerless, that there is something greater than the self that occupies the whole of our being.

And then we ask, "Am I taking the right course for my life?" and then we go back to the Source and realize He's been around all along. Only, we don't listen well to the the whispers of His power...


From heaven, God smiles contentedly, for it was this that He desired, that each person take into his hands the responsibility for his own life. For, in the final analysis, He had given His children the greatest of all gifts: the capacity to choose and determine their acts.

Only those men and women with the sacred flame in their hearts had the courage to confront Him. And they alone knew the path back to His love, for they understood that tragedy was NOT punishment BUT CHALLENGE. - the Fifth Mountain

God of my longing heart
I cannot imagine a day without the dawn
Or the day without a star
Or a bird without a song
Or my life without You...



Whom have I in heaven but You?
And I desire no one earth
as much as You - Psalm 73:25