face to face...

I'm actually busy doing something at the moment, but I wanted to include this in my blog. It's a song titled Face to Face...


FACE TO FACE

I call to You
O God Almighty
I seek Your love
Your joy and Your mercy

I run to You
O Prince of Peace
My hope is in You
My comfort and ease

(chorus)
And I wanna see You face to face
'Cause I just long to give You praise
I want to stand before Your dwelling place
And worship You for all of my days

"Oh Lord, I love You," this I'll say.

I turn to You
The Great I Am
I know that I'm safe
In Your loving hands

And I look to You
the King of Kings
I'll serve You alone
Above all things

(back to chorus)

I wrote this back when I was around fifteen or sixteen years old. It's just a simple poem, but I meant for it to be a song. I still remember the way it was supposed to sound like...as if I had just recently composed it. However, because I don't remember how to read notes, I don't know how to read chords, and I don't know how to play a musical instrument, I couldn't put anything else except the words...

I look back at this song and I treasure the words that I wrote because they express a great desire for God that I never had until recently, when the Lord revealed Himself to me in ways that I cannot describe. I love my God so much. And eventually, when that time comes, I will definitely see Him face to face...

That's pretty much it. Just wanted to share this. :)

pensieve...

For those who read Harry Potter, you'll know why I titled my latest blog entry as such...I'm just going to plunge into my memories and thoughts simmering in my mind...thoughts and memories that have wanted to be set free for a number of weeks already...So forgive me if this particular entry shows a neglect of coherence in my part. This is free-writing...

First of, this has got to be the most restless term in my entire stay in college. I'm blaming it on the fact that I never got to enjoy summer vacation last summer because I was required to take classes in Curriculum Development and Guidance and Counseling...haha! All of my hard-working attitude has steered away from my school-work and has focused instead on my ministry in church. As Jaga told me, we have the tendency to have an academic low during a spiritual high. Of course, any person would say, "You still have to balance it." I know that. But what I'm just saying is that it is something difficult to do. I'm a kind of person who likes to think about one thing at a time, and not an overload of things at once. Overloads make me cranky...

Thank God practicum is over, and for all my hard work, Ms. Eda gave me a 4.0! I'm not going to be boastful, but considering all the work and efforts I put on this practicum, I have to say that I thoroughly deserved that 4.0 grade...

No matter how much I refresh and edit my second blog entry, the font just doesn't seem to change and match the sizes of the fonts in my first and third entries...I wonder if there's something about my second entry that the Lord wants it to just simply stand out among the rest...either that or this blog is playing tricks on me...

I'll have to say that, for a first-time-ever play by my alma mater, Saul of Tarsus actually went pretty well. And I'm going to admit that I noticed performers who stood out during the play because of their stage presence and/or acting performance. It's about time that the school actually focused on tapping the students' artistic and theatrical skills-- something that was really lacking during my time as a student...

Speaking of that Saturday (March 18), I was so happy that I got to spend the evening with Marc, Jade, Erica, Jaga, and Micah. The time we spent with each other watching Saul of Tarsus and cheering (or should I say "hooting") for our fellow OWLS--Pam, Vini, and Philip--is just too valuable to forget. It was just sad that we couldn't have dinner together as a team because it was already late and the younger OWLS had to go home. It wasn't a total loss, though. Even if the other OWLS weren't with us, Jaga, Micah, and I decided to eat dinner at Pizza Hut and talk about certain matters regarding the youth ministry. It was an enjoyable time and I (or rather, we) didn't want it to end. But eventually, we had to part ways--my brother was waiting for me and Micah's and Jaga's folks were waiting for them. I guess it was during this evening that I had the confirmation of a close friendship between the three of us, something like what Jonathan and David had...

April 22...This is the scheduled date for the Praise and Worship Revival Concert. I'm looking forward to it for several reasons. First, I see it as the ultimate event that will tie the youth praise and worship team together, something that we feel is needed. Second, I am hoping that, as theme itself states, it will be a revival--a spiritual explosion that will just break down all barriers and just allow the youth to focus on the one Person who deserves all the glory and honor. Third, which is just trivial, is that I'll get to be a worship leader. This was something that has been a desire of mine now that the fire to serve God has been ignited once again...

Selecting a lineup is so hard...it had been a while since I did it, so when Jaga, Micah, and I decided to meet up last March 21 to select the songs for the lineup, I guess I was just so grateful to God that I had free time on my hands that day. It took us more than two hours to pick out a tentative song lineup. But it doesn't matter. I think the time I spent with Jaga, Micah, and even with Jabba during the earlier part of the evening was worth it. I'm really thankful to God I was given the chance to spend some time again with two of my closest friends...

Now that I'm more involved with church work, I'm seeing the need to live a bit closer to the church...

I love UNLIMITXT...but it's not enough...I still use up my load so fast...

My golly...all my pants don't fit as well anymore...they're all so loose! I guess this is what results when you miss meals for several days because of your practicum . Now I'm left with two decisions--either I eat a lot to gain back a little stuff in my waist or I buy myself pants with a smaller waistline...decisions, decisions...

Themes for the past few days: Friendship and Teamwork...

I can't wait for summer...

I want to go to EK...

more power...more of You in my life...

I hadn't expected things to turn out the way they did, but they have; and I am just extremely excited to find out what else will come my way!

After a great Spirit- and fun-filled time at Tagaytay Haven last February 24-25, my friends and I left the retreat unaware that in just a matter of days, we would be experiencing an intense fire burning so deep within all of us! And, ladies and gentlemen, it is happening now. A fire so strong and so great that we are still so amazed by what it's doing in our lives at present. My friends and I have formed a team known as the OWLS. Actually, it started out as a description for people who just didn't know when to go to bed during the praise and worship retreat. Now, however, the name carries significance to all of us. OWLS can mean a lot of things, but I personally feel that the best description for us would be "Obedient Workers for the Lord's Service." Why? Because, in all honesty, that is what we are: servants of the Lord. And that's no small thing! Being servants of Jesus Christ is the greatest honor that I can think of. And I am honored to know, with full confidence, that I am one of them.

It has only been a week since the retreat in Tagaytay Haven, but if you could just see our reactions when we see each other in church, you'd think we hadn't seen each other for months!

I cannot speak for my fellow OWLS (they're probably experiencing God in a different way), but I can speak for myself. In just one week, my life has completely changed. COMPLETELY. First of all, I just have to have my devotions every morning now! I used to be so lazy to have my devotions. Now, I'm just so hungry for God that I look forward to opening my Bible and taking notes with a pencil and paper. Yes indeed! Big change! Want to hear more? Well, I've never heard the Lord speaking to me before in the same way He is speaking to me now. Yes indeed. I sent some text messages to the OWLS last week, but these were messages that I had never sent to anyone before. Heck, these were messages I never wrote before. And yet, when I sent these messages, they were overflowing with the Lord's power. I knew from that moment on that the Lord was speaking to me in such an awesome way... and He continues to. Yet, another change in me is that I am impatiently looking forward to worship times in church (both youth and in the afternoon service where I'm a backup vocalist)! I used to do this more out of obligation and because of the fact that I can sing, but now, it's just a heart of worship that's driving me on!

I am convinced that the Lord is about to use the OWLS in such a powerful way! I'm prophesying it right now. We are going to be used in such a tremendous and awesome way that I'm going to be so surprised and overwhelmed when I see with my own eyes what we'll do in the very near future! So to my dear OWLS (Vini, Micah, Jaga, Jade, Erica, and Pam), get ready because we're going to be used as instruments for God. Our lives will never be the same...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last Saturday, my favorite and only sister was released into womanhood. What does that mean? Well, I don't know exactly. But let's put it this way. She has been officially blessed by my parents, us, and her friends with the blessings that the Lord would want to bestow upon each and every one of His children. She has now been given the blessing of my parents to pursue her dreams and find the man that the Lord has planned for her. I was teary-eyed after the whole thing. Even though I had to give up 3 hours with the OWLS for this, I soon saw why God the Lord made it clear that he wanted me to spend those 3 hours with the rest of my family and see how my sister's life was changed forever. It was just disappointing that I had to give up one good thing for another.