On Forgiving and Moving Forward

Many people, myself sometimes included, seem to think that the way to correct mistakes and/or heal from broken relationships is to simply move forward and forget. While that may work sometimes, it's probably better to look back on the situation, evaluate the circumstances with honesty, determine the cause, humbly acknowledge faults that are your own, with equal (if not greater) humility identify the faults that were not yours, if possible and/or desired seek peace with the other person/s, and earnestly avoid the thoughts, words, actions, and attitudes that led to the rather sad and painful experience. If nothing changes in the formula, nothing will change in the results.

While I believe there are valid applications to the old "FORGIVE AND FORGET," I have also grown to believe more in "FORGIVE AND LEARN." While this could easily be interpreted as "I forgive you but I don't want to see you anymore," it is not what I mean. It is true that learning sometimes means having to cut people off from our lives, but I would take the phrase more to mean that we grow with our experiences, learning more about ourselves and about other people --our way of learning, their way of learning, how we adjust, how they adjust, how we react, how they react, how we are affected, how they are affected, our values, their values, how we can change, how we can help them change, what we want/need, what they want/need, etc. etc. and how all these can come together and help us become better than who we were -- more honest, more fair, less self-centered, more prudent, more balanced, wiser, kinder, stronger, humbler, more gracious, more faithful, more capable, with eyes that are more open to truth.

Where "I love you, you love me, let's just forget and move forward" may not work, "I love you, you love me; let's both learn and grow" just might. Come to think of it, that is the right kind of forward.

On top of all these I remember with gladness and assurance, "When God has His rightful place on the throne of the heart, the right place will be given to our neighbor." (Desire of Ages, 607)

Disappointment and Devotion

So today, things didn't exactly go my way. So of course, I was disappointed--by events, and people, my suddenly unbearably heavy bag, the overabundance of neon label stickers and the utter unavailability of plain white ones just when I needed them, and myself, mostly myself. I wasn't even halfway through the day yet, but I already felt like I deserved to take the time and "splurge" on my favorite food. And I did. Not just one, but three of my favorites. :D

As I ate, trying to enjoy every bite, I thought, "I deserve this: this bite, this feeling in my mouth, this break. This is what I'll do when I'm disappointed. I deserve this."

But then something inside me asked, "What does God do when He's disappointed, especially when He's disappointed with you? What does He deserve?"

And then the phrase, "...who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame..." (Heb. 12:2)

You know, I was that joy that was set before Him. People didn't treat Him very well when He was here. But He still calls me His joy. He still calls YOU His joy.

What does He deserve?

Certainly not this selfish, ungrateful, proud, complaining heart. No, certainly not. But you know what, He'll take it anyway. If I learn to give it up, He'll take it and lovingly, mercifully, He can make something beautiful out of it. He can do the same with yours, too.

Colossians 3:2
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Then suddenly, I was fine. Right there, over the unfinished curry, I was fine. There was a Joy set before me as well. I was fine. Thank God. :-)

Word of the Week: Collaborate

For the past seven weeks or so, I have been choosing one word that would best describe my week or what I most want achieved that week. I would write that word down in my journal/planner, at the bottom of my weekly calendar.

I thought this week would be a tough one since there's so much to do I couldn't really focus on one project or goal. But then, my eyes fell on the opposite page of my journal where I'd just finished jotting down the things I'm most grateful for this week. Almost every item on it are people with whom I have been working with on one project or another.

This may seem like something very common to some, but not to me. I have always been inclined towards working alone rather than with a partner or team. It's pretty tough for me to brainstorm with others without either clamming up or monopolizing ideas. I also find it hard to ask for help or share a workspace with others. 

Thankfully, God has been patiently showing me this weakness and helping me overcome it by giving me opportunities to share more with others.

This week has been filled with those. And the opportunities came in so beautiful a manner that I didn't have time to feel awkward about it. 

There are the moms who are sharing their resources/plans/ideas for future Child Education projects. There's the youth who helped me clean out the office. There are the church brethren who give gardening advice and gifts for the kids' sunflower project that I started. There are the youth leaders preparing for our major activity this weekend. There's the Publishing Team and all the production plans for the upcoming camp meeting. And I'd even count in all the Facebook conversations I had this week that included some sort of plans, sharing, and agreements.

So the word for this week is COLLABORATE. It's to realize that truly no man is an island, that there's beauty in synergy, and that God works in the hearts of His people to bring them together in His service, like stones framed together for the upbuilding of His kingdom.

Best of all, "For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building." 1Corinthians 3:9

God is working with me on me, building me up to become who He wants me to be. And sometimes He uses other people as instruments for that work. 

Today's Teacher: A Tiny Pink Flower

Written March 13, 2018

Yesterday morning, there were two of these. By afternoon, they were both gone. This morning, this one greeted me with a brighter pink and healthier petals than yesterday's blooms.

The lesson, I believe, is hope and faith in a God who sees what's in tomorrow and in all the tomorrows after it.

Yesterday was a beautiful time to wait---for answers, for inspiration, for the right time, for miracles. I worried, true. But I also learned to wait, and to work while I waited. Because He is faithful who has promised.

And today came answers: in the restoration of something I had almost given up on, in promises, in privileges, in work finished, in new ideas, in gifts, in loving support, in the joy of working with those who are passionate about their work, in hellos, in healing, and not at all the least in the bright pink of a teeny tiny flower that probably only has today, but is bright anyway.

#learningfromcreation #lessonsfromtheCreator

Today's Teacher: Horror Vacui

Horror Vacui. I first learned the term in an Art class in college. It means  "fear of empty spaces," "fear of the empty," or "fear of white spaces."

Today, I came across it again while working on a layout project for our upcoming camp meeting. Thankfully, another sister has already chosen the images and created the general look of the design. My job, she said, was to arrange the elements. I am no artist/graphic designer. I'm just somebody who tries to do the best she can. So over and over again, I found myself changing images, resizing, changing colors and fonts, adding and deleting elements, and stressing all throughout. At the end of all that, I sat in front of the computer, face to face with 40-50% of white space.

This is it.
The boss battle.

I tried putting back some of the images I had already deleted. I tried one background after another. Almost exhausted, I asked myself, Why do I need to fill up this space? What is wrong with this emptiness, this silence?

When God created the earth, He made it with lots of air, lots of breathing room, lots of space, lots of peace and quiet.

That was when my favorite passages from the Bible and Inspiration came to me:

"When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God." -EGW, The Desire of Ages

He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

"There is no limit to the usefulness of one who, putting self aside, makes room for the working of the Holy Spirit upon his heart and lives a life wholly consecrated to God." -EGW, Maranatha

Be silent. Be still. Do not be afraid of the quiet, of the inactivity, of rest, of what seems to be emptiness. It is room for the Holy Spirit to work in your heart.

Meanwhile, here is the promotional banner for the camp meeting. You are, of course, invited. And do keep us in your prayers. Maranatha!

What I Learned Most at the Recently Concluded Camp Meeting

These past two camp meetings, I have
been assigned to work with the children in a separate class. I spent the mornings and the afternoons teaching them scripture songs, memory verses, Bible stories, and the basics of our fundamental beliefs. This meant that I missed four of the five daily plenary sessions, since I am able to attend only the morning worship and the evening session each day.

But this has not hindered me from receiving some very important reminders from the Lord. One of them I learned through a mistake I made while teaching.

I was doing a lesson on the Judgment and the Book of Life, how we need to get our names written in that book so that we be judged worthy of eternal life. I was trying to make it easier for children to understand the requirements. I told them, “If you are good children, doing good things, helpful to mother and father, kind to other children, obedient to the commandments, your name will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”

Right? Right?

The children all agreed. “Who wants to go to heaven?” Every hand went up. “Then be good kids, alright?”

A resounding yes!

I was happy with the attentiveness and the response, contented happy. I was doing my job as well as I could. I smiled from the inside. But then I glanced at my presentation notes, and in a split second I knew I made a grave mistake.

Of the way to be registered in the Book of Life, my notes said, “Receive Jesus into the life.”

Had I mentioned that? Had I told them that they had to have Jesus in their lives so they could be obedient, kind, good kids? Had I told them they couldn’t do it on their own? Had I told them Jesus died to make it possible? Had I told them how to receive Jesus?

Just then, one child or another began to be distracted from the class and in the next split second I was losing their attention.

So I let the thoughts slip by. I had them sing songs, memorize their verses, and color in their activity sheets. I drilled them on the sanctuary furniture, and on which things are holy and which are common. They really enjoyed that. Then we prayed and I let them go to their parents.

But today, more than a week later, it still bothers me.

So this is how it happened. This is one of the reasons why when I look around me and inside me, I see “adults” who have difficulty grasping that we are not saved by our own works, that it is the blood of the righteous Son of God alone that can cleanse us from sin, that only through Him can we have righteousness, that good works apart from an intimate, saving relationship with Him (if that is at all even possible), can avail nothing.

It is what we have been taught even as children.

God help me. God help every Sabbath School teacher all over the world. God help every parent and teacher. God help the children.

What Moves the Earth?

Early this morning, as I made my routine visit to our vegetable garden, a little prayer kept running in my mind: 

"Please, Lord, help the seeds to sprout. I have no life to give them but You are the Source of all life."

I knelt low and checked the radish and pechay seedbed, and lo and behold, some seeds have already begun to sprout. One here and a couple there. Amazed and grateful, I drew even closer and saw the teeny tiny crack in the teeny tiny seed, where a white-yellowish stem had come through and struck root in the soil. And then the thought:

“But I buried that seed!” Not very deep, of course, but deep enough to cover it entirely. Now the seed has emerged to the surface, having pushed away the soil above it.

I look around at all the vegetables and flowers and the big trees. They all started this way and have continued this way - moving the earth by simply reaching higher and wider and deeper.

So what moves the earth, really?

In the garden today I realized: growth.

The development of all our powers is the first duty we owe to God and to our fellow men. No one who is not growing daily in capability and usefulness is fulfilling the purpose of life. In making a profession of faith in Christ we pledge ourselves to become all that it is possible for us to be as workers for the Master, and we should cultivate every faculty to the highest degree of perfection, that we may do the greatest amount of good of which we are capable. Christ’s Object Lessons, 329.2

Lessons the Weeds Taught Me

“Laluma paglimpisa (Make the blade go deeper),” my mother said as she came up behind me weeding in our vegetable garden. Almost immediately I recognized the life lesson in her words.

My mother is one of my two gardening mentors, the other one being my father. Between the two of them, I feel like a little child playing in the dirt: Most of the time, I get dirty, I don’t know what I’m actually doing, but I have fun anyway. Besides, gardening is a wonderful time to be alone, work my underused muscles, meditate, and learn something new.

Whenever I come to the garden, I always think, “This is my heart.” As I struggle to break the ground with a hoe, sweat streaming down my face, I tell myself how I must persevere and be patient because God is at least this patient with the fallow ground of my heart.

So when Mama said I should make the blade go deeper, I knew that the lesson for today was to allow the Word of God to take a deeper, closer search into my heart, and take sin out of my life by the roots.

The work of sanctification is not just about the dos and don’ts. It’s not just about correcting the behaviour that shows. When I’m only cutting away the weeds at the surface, it won’t be long before they come up again because the roots are still there and very much alive. The blade must go deeper. The wellsprings of the heart must be cleansed of selfishness.

Truth must reach down to the deepest recesses of the soul, 

and cleanse away everything unlike the spirit of Christ…. 

                                                -EGW, Our High Calling

The thought also led me to remember a tip that a good friend told me a couple of years ago: “When you’ve pulled out the weeds by the roots, make sure to cast them away from your garden. Don’t leave them there because they have a way of taking up root again.” This was also very true in my spiritual life. How many times have I “decided” to quit a bad habit only to come back to it later because I kept the uprooted sin close? Countless.

It’s like the time I decided to never read fiction again, but kept the books in the shelves anyway. There would be times when I’d look at the books and think, “there was that part in this one that I particularly liked.” And I’d take that book out and scan through it, find the part I was looking for, and spend the rest of the afternoon reading through to the end of the book.

Cast the uprooted weed away.

So I strike deeper into the ground, pull out the weeds with my other hand and throw them on top of a growing pile to be taken away later.

These are what I was reminded of today among the peanuts, eggplants, talong, sili, and what-nots. These are the kind of lessons I learn in the classroom that my father had enclosed with a net fence – itself another object lesson, another story. But that’s for another gardening day. Today I was only beginning to prepare the soil for planting.

I got dirty, I had fun, and I learned what I ought to be doing.God be glorified.

Whose Daughter Art Thou?

All day today, questions brewed and boiled in my head. Mostly Whys and Hows, but also Whos. I prayed to the Lord for answers, and through tonight's devotional I realized that I already knew the answer from a lecture I heard at PYC a couple of weeks ago.

My devotional tonight was about the Old Testament prophecies that pointed to the then-coming Messiah, and how they were all fulfilled in Jesus. Now this wasn't really directly related to my questions. But it reminded me to get to know my Saviour even deeper.

That was it. To know my God.

Just like that I was reminded of Genesis 24, the search for a wife for Isaac.

Among Rebekah's other qualifications, this was what struck me the most:

Genesis 24:23-25
...and said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?
And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.
She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.

Rebekah knew whose daughter she was. She knew her place in her father's house. She was confident not only of her identity in her father, but also of the kind of provisions her father is able to offer.

Whose daughter art thou? Whose daughter am I?

I have a Father in heaven who loves me. I am precious to Him. He desires my good. He is able and willing to provide for my every need, including the building up of my character. He gave Jesus for me; He gave Jesus to me.

I can only be confident of who I am when I come to truly know my Creator and Father.

And in this-- in this I find my quest and my rest.

Treasuring Up Truth

What's your most recent memory verse? Or perhaps more to the point, when was your most recent memory verse?

Most of us grew up with "God is love" and "Jesus wept" and "In the beginning God created...". And then what? What happened after Cradle Roll, Kindergarten, Primary, and Junior Sabbath School?

Well, the sad truth is that most of us stopped memorizing new verses, and therein lies our weakness.

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalm 119:11

When the devil came to Jesus in the wilderness, he could not make Him yield no matter how he lied, prodded, or attacked. You see, Jesus was armed... with Scripture. They were not just passages memorized for the sake of memorizing, of course. They were principles committed to memory and lived out in the life. They were truths hidden in the heart and flowing out in words, deeds, affections, thoughts, desires, choices, and ambitions.

The point is that Jesus took the time to acquaint Himself with His Father's words well enough that He knew them by heart and could recite them from memory - the way a warrior spends time practicing with his sword so that when the enemy comes, he could defeat him with it. Mastery takes time.

And it's time we ought to be spending committing God's word to memory.

None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict. 

The Great Controversy, 593.2

Most people just shrug and say "I'm too old to memorize anything." If you're one of them, there's a promise in Inspiration for you!

Let the more important passages of Scripture connected with the lesson be committed to memory, not as a task, but as a privilege. Though at first the memory be defective, it will gain strength by exercise, so that after a time you will delight thus to treasure up the words of truth. And the habit will prove a most valuable aid to spiritual growth. 

Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 137, 138.

Here are some ways I personally find effective in memorizing Scripture.

1. Understand what the passage is saying point by point.

2. Make the passage personal by finding applications in your own life.

3. Read the passage over and over again. Out loud, too.

4. Break it down into smaller sections.

5. Write it down.

6. Cover certain parts/words as you memorize. There's also the option to write down only the first letter of each word as memory prompts.

7. Sing it. There are lots of Scripture songs out there, especially on common passages like the Beatitudes, the Ten Commandments, etc. I love Scripture songs, and I'd be happy to share my collection with you. Message me.

8. If you have a smartphone or pc, download a scripture memorization app and spend more time on it rather than on Facebook. It will be time more meaningfully spent, I guarantee it. The app I currently use is called Scripture Typer, and is available for both ios and android.

9. Share the passage with a friend. Teach it. Discuss it.

10. One that must go with whatever method you use: PRAY. Nothing is impossible with Omnipotence.

So there. Happy memorizing!

P.S.
What methods do you use? Share them with us in the comments.

Our Leafy Kindergarten Ebenezer

So this quarter at church, I am back to teaching Kindergarten Sabbath School. To be honest, I was hesitant at first. I mean, it's been four years! But now I thank God for the privilege.

We started a little late this quarter, but we're definitely making up for it through our study of the Beatitudes. This particular subject is perfect since the adults are also studying EGW's Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing.

So what we're doing is going through the Beatitudes one by one, focusing on "Be-Attitudes" as opposed to "Me-Attitudes". Our learning device is a beehive with bees labeled according to the beatitudes. I am going to share the materials that we use for class on this blog in future posts. For now, allow me to share with you what really made me happy today.

The bigger girls (who had already moved on to a different class) excitedly met up with me after lunch to help decorate the tree branch from which our beehive hung.

We cut leaves from japanese tissue paper to stick on the branch made from felt paper. These are not ordinary leaves, mind you. On each leaf, the kids wrote or drew the things they were thankful for, like family, food, rain, sunshine, and the privilege of prayer. Even the smaller kids pitched in. While we worked, we talked about our blessings and how the trees around us should always remind us of our faithful Provider and Friend. As many leaves there are on trees are the blessings we receive from God, probably even more! We must remember to develop an attitude of gratitude.

I was truly touched when one of the students drew a girl and wrote "Thank you for our teacher who teaches us about Jesus."

That prompted another leaf from me.

This tree will be our ebenezer for the quarter. Needless to say, I had a happy Sabbath. =)

January 28, 2017

Called and Chosen - the Song

A few days before the camp meeting last April 2016, amid the flurry of preparations, God gave me the words that would become the lyrics to our theme song. The camp meeting's theme was FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS, with a special focus on the call to labor for the Lord in these last days. This song talks about God's faithfulness and wisdom shown since the Plan of Redemption was set in motion, and how today we have not just a special appointment but also a special provision. Indeed, all His biddings are enablings.

A sister in the church is also especially endowed with the gift of music, and she made the music for this song in one night. Since the camp meeting, I have made a couple of changes to the lyrics to make the grammar a little better and the message clearer. The lyrics below are the final version. I have included an MP4 recording of the song while we were learning it in its first version for the first time. The kids at church very quickly learned the music and lyrics and had a grand time singing it. Hoping to post a polished version soon. Meanwhile, may you be blessed by the message of this song.

CALLED AND CHOSEN

Your eyes pierce the future;

From the start You see the end.

The scrolls are unrav’lling,

In history I trace Your hand.

Your arm raised up workers

Just according to Your plan.

For a time such as this,

You call me and here I am.

You have called, I will answer.

I’ve been chosen; I will go

Wherever You lead me

So that others, too, might know

That my Jesus – He is coming

To take His children home.

I’ve been called, I’ve been chosen,

By Your Spirit I will go.

Everywhere You’ve brought me

I have seen Your faithfulness.

I trust provision has been made for me

For such as time as this.

Your arm raised up workers

Just according to Your plan.

For a time such as this,

You call me and here I am.

You have called, I will answer.

I’ve been chosen; I will go

Wherever You lead me

So that others, too, might know

That my Jesus – He is coming

To take His children home.

I’ve been called, I’ve been chosen,

By Your Spirit I will go.

You have called, I will answer.

I’ve been chosen; I will go,

Walk the path of the faithful,

Die to self, and live for You.

For my Jesus – He is coming

To take me home to You.

I’ve been called, I’ve been chosen,

By Your Spirit I will go.

I’ve been called, I’ve been chosen,

By Your Spirit I will go.

God be praised.

Israel and I

Free me as You have freed them
From sin and self and shame.
Lead me as You have led them
Through the Red Sea once again.
Feed me as You have fed them
With manna day after day.
Show me as You have shown them
The bitter shall sweet be made.
Till I reach some sweet morning
The gates of Canaan land,
Teach me as You have taught them -
Till like You I at last become.

2/18/2015

March to the Water

Does it seem like obeying God is like following a cloud - something uncertain, something you cannot understand, something that might make the situation worse? Does it seem like "against the cloud" is the better, wiser, more practical, maybe even only way to go? Read on; you're not the first one.

It must have been a horror. Right when they thought they were on their way to a freer, better life, they find their enemies after them, an army prepared for battle. There must have been frantic cries, mothers gathering their children, fathers trying to secure a weapon out of the common household items they carried, and a general cry to their leader, "What now?"

"Run, quickly!" Someone must have cried. But where? There was only the Red Sea in front of them, and nowhere else. 

Behind them death by the sword, before them death by drowning. Oh how they must have regretted seeking for freedom, how they must have thought that anything was better than this, anything - even a lifetime of bondage for themselves and all their children after them.

Why had they left in the first place? And why had they come through here in the second? They followed a cloud. A cloud, of all things!

But suddenly, the cloud moves between them and their enemies. And their leader stretched out his hand toward... the sea?! Okay? drowning, then? 

Yet he looked confident, peaceful. Perhaps it's alright. He has received instruction: "Go forward!" 

Alright. To the water!

How terrible it must have felt! And what a wonder it must have been! When as they moved toward the water that under normal circumstances would have swallowed them by the millions, the water parted before them, making a path of dry land for their feet.

And when they all - millions of them - have passed through the parted sea, and their enemies came after them, the water closed right back in. The trouble before has swallowed whole the trouble behind.

A miracle.

When I face the trials of tomorrow, may I be reminded of this:

A miracle's one of two requirements is the impossible. The other one is a God with whom all things are possible. Never be afraid of the impossibility, for it is only God's backdrop for a wonderful miracle. Simply trust, and obey. 

He bids them seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and His promise is that all things needful to them for this life shall be added. Worry is blind, and cannot discern the future; but Jesus sees the end from the beginning. In every difficulty He has His way prepared to bring relief. Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us, of which we know nothing. Those who accept the one principle of making the service and honor of God supreme will find perplexities vanish, and a plain path before their feet.  {DA 330.1}  

God in His providence brought the Hebrews into the mountain fastnesses before the sea, that He might manifest His power in their deliverance and signally humble the pride of their oppressors. He might have saved them in any other way, but He chose this method in order to test their faith and strengthen their trust in Him. The people were weary and terrified, yet if they had held back when Moses bade them advance, God would never have opened the path for them. It was "by faith" that "they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land." Hebrews 11:29. In marching down to the very water, they showed that they believed the word of God as spoken by Moses. They did all that was in their power to do, and then the Mighty One of Israel divided the sea to make a path for their feet.  {PP 290.1}   

The great lesson here taught is for all time. Often the Christian life is beset by dangers, and duty seems hard to perform. The imagination pictures impending ruin before and bondage or death behind. Yet the voice of God speaks clearly, "Go forward." We should obey this command, even though our eyes cannot penetrate the darkness, and we feel the cold waves about our feet. The obstacles that hinder our progress will never disappear before a halting, doubting spirit. Those who defer obedience till every shadow of uncertainty disappears and there remains no risk of failure or defeat, will never obey at all. Unbelief whispers, "Let us wait till the obstructions are removed, and we can see our way clearly;" but faith courageously urges an advance, hoping all things, believing all things.  {PP 290.2}    

The cloud that was a wall of darkness to the Egyptians was to the Hebrews a great flood of light, illuminating the whole camp, and shedding brightness upon the path before them. So the dealings of Providence bring to the unbelieving, darkness and despair, while to the trusting soul they are full of light and peace. The path where God leads the way may lie through the desert or the sea, but it is a safe path.  {PP 290.3}  

Step forward in faith on to the path of obedience. Follow that cloud. March to the water.

This post is inspired by the experience of my friend, Lorie, who refused to take an important exam because it was on a Sabbath, at the risk of not being able to take her young career forward, despite her potentials. Yet, God honored her step of faith (sometimes manifested by a stubborn refusal to budge, whatever the cost). With much prayer, she was later granted a privilege of taking a special exam alone. But the results proved that she was not, after all, alone. By God's grace, she passed that career exam. And the beautiful thing? She had passed a much more important "test" just a little earlier. God must be beaming, "Well done!"

Hold Fast

(We were asked to write poems for our upcoming Camp Meeting with the theme, "Hold Fast Till I Come")

Inspiration: Sister White's vision of the narrow way

"We have hold from above!" "God holds the cord! God holds the cord!"

The path that you are travelling
to the end soon will come.
See all the signs fulfilling,
But the battle has just begun.

You will be tried and tested;
But in Me, there is no fear.
To the narrow way I have opened,
Walk in; hold fast. I AM HERE.

Hold fast My hand outstretched to save;
Hold fast the white robe that I gave;
Hold fast the faith that works by love;
Hold fast the truth, Oh, sell it not.
Till I come - Yes, I will come -
Child, I am holding you,
Won't you hold fast too?
Hold fast till I come.

Set your love on things above;
There's nothing here you can keep.
Watch and pray; trust, obey;
Go forth in tears, and in joy reap.

Now take your cross and follow Me
Into the secret place of the Most High.
When the night seems at its darkest,
Look up, redemption draweth nigh.

All Through the Blood

"some through the waters,
some through the flood.
some through the fire,
but all through the blood."

We all go through different trials and tests. often, We don't understand what others are going through, and it seems that no one understands our troubles. Although we are all tried, we are tried in different ways. But whatever we're going through, Jesus loves us. He lived a lowly life on earth and ultimately died for us. Whatever our imperfections are, His blood covers us. We are justified through faith, and are made perfect through His righteousness. Praise and glory be to our Lord and risen Saviour.

* from October 21, 2007

Hold Fast

Hold fast faith, hope, and love - these three.
For He is faithful who has promised,
He ever shall my hope of glory be.
Hold fast, Hold fast, till He comes;
Till Love Himself descends in majesty.

Stepping Closer to Christ in Joy (sharing an audio book of Steps to Christ)

Yesterday, as I went about the everyday duties of the home life I have chosen, I was kept from straying too far into the path of discouragement by the words of Inspiration channeled to me through an audio book of Steps to Christ (chapter 13) that I had on as I worked:


         Many, walking along the path of life, dwell upon their mistakes and failures and disappointments, and their hearts are filled with grief and discouragement. While I was in Europe, a sister who had been doing this, and who was in deep distress, wrote to me, asking for some word of encouragement. The night after I had read her letter I dreamed that I was in a garden, and one who seemed to be the owner of the garden was conducting me through its paths. I was gathering the flowers and enjoying their fragrance, when this sister, who had been walking by my side, called my attention to some unsightly briers that were impeding her way. There she was mourning and grieving. She was not walking in the pathway, following the guide, but was walking among the briers and thorns. "Oh," she mourned, "is it not a pity that this beautiful garden is spoiled with thorns?" Then the guide said, "Let the thorns alone, for they will only wound you. Gather the roses, the lilies, and the pinks."  {SC 116.3}

         Have there not been some bright spots in your experience? Have you not had some precious seasons when your heart throbbed with joy in response to the Spirit of God? When you look back into the chapters of your life experience do you not find some pleasant pages? Are not God's promises, like the fragrant flowers, growing beside your path on every hand? Will you not let their beauty and sweetness fill your heart with joy?  {SC 117.1}

         The briers and thorns will only wound and grieve you; and if you gather only these things, and present them to others, are you not, besides slighting the goodness of God yourself, preventing those around you from walking in the path of life?  {SC 117.2}

          It is not wise to gather together all the unpleasant recollections of a past life,--its iniquities and disappointments,--to talk over them and mourn over them until we are overwhelmed with discouragement. A discouraged soul is filled with darkness, shutting out the light of God from his own soul and casting a shadow upon the pathway of others. {SC 117.3}
   
          Thank God for the bright pictures which He has presented to us. Let us group together the blessed assurances of His love, that we may look upon them continually: The Son of God leaving His Father's throne, clothing His divinity with humanity, that He might rescue man from the power of Satan; His triumph in our behalf, opening heaven to men, revealing to human vision the presence chamber where the Deity unveils His glory; the fallen race uplifted from the pit of ruin into which sin had plunged it, and brought again into connection with the infinite God, and having endured the divine test through faith in our Redeemer, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and exalted to His throne--these are the pictures which God would have us contemplate.  {SC 118.1}


Exactly. Christians should be the happiest people in the world. We have Christ! What more can we desire? We only need to trust that His love will never fail us. That reminded me of the quote that I put into a bookmark I made early this year.

Because we are the gift of His Father, and the reward of His work, Jesus loves us. He loves us as His children. Reader, He loves you. Heaven itself can bestow nothing greater, nothing better. Therefore trust.  {DA 483.3}

I praise the Lord for speaking to me with the words I most needed to hear at that moment. In gratitude, I would like to share this audio book with those who desire to be blessed with God's word even as they go about the needed earthly work. 

Click here to view/download all 13 chapters of the Steps to Christ audio book.




A couple of years ago, a sister said to me, "Every moment must be a moment of learning." 
Thank God for a way to do just that.


(Written with Great Controversy playing in the background.)

A Sinner's Prayer: a work finally finished

This is a piece I found as I was going through my files this morning. Apparently, I began to write it in October 2012, but didn't get to finish it until today. The parts in red are those I wrote almost three years back; the ones in blue I put in only today to finish the poem. 

A SINNER'S PRAYER

My heart is sore within me

My knees tremble as I kneel

I've had my way, I disobeyed

But I feel empty still

Lord, raise me from the mire

This is my soul's desire

Take away my guilt and fear

Wash me, this is my prayer.

I don't deserve to face You

But there is no one else.

There is no good in running,

Or hiding from Your grace.

Lord, free me from my chains

Your grace I humbly claim

I ask, save me not from pain,

But cleanse me, Lord, from sin.

What amazes me and drove me to post this piece is how much I can still relate to the sentiment expressed in the unfinished poem, so much so that I could still pick up the thought and continue it. But more than that, I am more amazed at how much more of God's grace I have come to understand by study and experience in the three-year gap. 

I think today of 1 John 1:9,"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Jesus loves us so much that the forgiveness He offers is not just a pardon from the sinful act committed, but also a cleansing from the unrighteousness within that causes the wrong act/thought/deed/sentiment. I love how Inspiration puts it in the book Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing:

But forgiveness has a broader meaning than many suppose. When God gives the promise that He "will abundantly pardon," He adds, as if the meaning of that promise exceeded all that we could comprehend: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:7-9. God's forgiveness is not merely a judicial act by which He sets us free from condemnation. It is not only forgiveness for sin, but reclaiming from sin. It is the outflow of redeeming love that transforms the heart. David had the true conception of forgiveness when he prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10. And again he says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12.

My Redeemer is indeed faithful and true. Praise God for His wonderful mercy and matchless grace!

BWF Volunteers Bonding at the Vintar Dam

After five months of waiting, the volunteers of Better Way Foundation finally had the tiny window of opportunity (and we had to make it, too!) to leave our mountain home and spend time together. We went for a river adventure rather than the usual beach, and Vintar Dam offered just the perfect place. Only about 20 minutes from Laoag City Proper, Vintar Dam offers a clean and safe spot for swimming and other water activities such as boating and kayaking. Life guards also stand ready and watching for crying kids on solo kayaks drifting off from mommy and daddy in the (mostly) six-feet deep roped-in area, beyond which are the deeper waters restricted only for more skilled swimmers (such as our Bicol boys. Carlo, Joseph, and Joshua). At the end of the day, the volunteers had more fun than expected - especially with the abundance of food heartily given by brethren and friends. It truly was wonderful hearing God speak through nature, His Word, and experience in Christian fellowship how it makes Him happy to see His children living and working in unity and harmony. Till the next bonding moment!

The perfect sunrise backdrop to morning devotional on a floating cottage.

BWF Volunteers refreshed and ready for the day's water adventures.

BWF President Emerson Zarate pedaling off with one of the Dam's attractions. 

Of course, Yeng had to try it too! :D

Volunteer Mae Monarez on a solo kayak

Joshua and Rose Jean on a kayak for two...

...or three (when the guard's not looking. hihi).

Hello, me, with the BeCool boys, Carlo, Joshua, and Joseph. :D

Jelai Fajarito and the kayaks of many colors.

Let's go boating! with Jeniflor Ramos.

Tatay Rudy with some of the Dam's other attractions.

My jogging buddies, Carlo and Anthony, at the Dam.

The BeCool boys, again. Before diving in.

View from the Dam Watchtower.