october thoughts, part 2...

i. Tonight is the annual overnight youth service at church, and I will be part of the praise and worship team again this year for the third straight time. Time does fly extremely fast. I can still recall the praise and worship two years ago when I sang with Micah, Tina, Kim, and Janine, all of us (or at least, Micah, Janine, and I) jumping to the beat of Romans 16:19. Speaking of which, it was during the practice for this particular overnight that I got to meet Jade, Erica, Dino, and Anton for the first time.

ii. I've still got cough and colds-- souvenirs from my very full schedule last Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. During those three days, I didn't even sleep at home. Come Tuesday early morning, as I was about to sleep after saying goodbye to Erica and Jade in NAIA, I felt the ever familiar and dreadful itchy sensation in my throat. I dunno, but I think I have this tendency to get sick during overnights for some reason. Yikes! Anyhow, my condition's gotten better so I'll be able to sing tonight. I've got to have tissues ready though.

iii. I'm finding myself battling different thoughts gnawing through my head. They're pretty disturbing to say the least and they're almost always there before I go to bed at night or even sometimes during the day. Okay, I won't say anything more because I'll be forced to say names. Just lifting it all up to God now.

iv. To all those who sent me testimonials in my Friendster this month, thanks! Hehe! Opening my account and reading what you wrote about me made me smile, and I definitely mean that. May God bless you in the same way that you have blessed me!

v. Still waiting for the payments for the house to be completed. I'm not sure if the worst is finally over, but the fact that my parents were able to acquire a vast sum of money to pay for the house keeps me reassured that God is in no way abandoning my family in our time of need. From the very start that the decision to move house materialised, we all knew that it was going to take a miracle for us to leave our present house and move into a new one. Well, no doubt that we've already got the great miracle-worker with us 24/7. Thank you Lord.

vi. Leo, Lakan, and I finally got to go out again--something that we hadn't done as a trio for about six months or more. We went to the arcade (I got hooked on a particular versus game, but I can't remember what it's called) and then hung around in Starbucks where Lakan challenged himself to drink one shot of pure caffeine. After drinking it, it took awhile before he could speak tangibly because it seemed as if his mouth was just shooting off everywhere whenever he tried to talk. Ah, the wonders of coffee...hehe!

vii. Ever notice how I don't seem to have one fixed style in the way I blog my thoughts? Haha! Hmm, not that it bothers me though. It's just interesting.

viii. Church anniversary practice is coming up really soon. This time, I won't only be participating in the praise and worship (this is going to be my 4th year!), but also in the hand mime production of the Children's Ministry a.k.a. the Sunday School Teachers. Oh, and speaking of Sunday School, the retreat is this Friday and Saturday. I'm looking forward to having a rather interesting time.

ix. Time to start looking for a school to teach in! Although it's going to be several months still before I'll be going to full-time teaching during the start of the next school year, I feel the need to already begin scouting for the school that would give me a decent pay, a decent workload, and of course a beneficial teaching-learning experience. In addition to this, I also need to brush up on world literature in preparation for the LET which I'll be taking next year along with Micah and Ate Madel. And I've also got to review again my lessons in FOUNED 1 and 2 as well as CURIDEV since the theories aren't concretely in my head yet. So much to study for.

x. Well, I suppose this concludes my October thoughts. Goodbye October, hello November!

for Jade and Erica...

I am putting "October thoughts, part 2" on hold for this special entry which I dedicate to two young ladies who have made such a big impact in my life.

As I write this blog entry, Jade and Erica--two fellow OWLS who are really close to me--are now on a plane destined to take them to the place which they will now call their new home: Canada. I am going to miss them so much. Going to church and not being able to see them anymore seems to be, at the moment, an impossibility, since I see them in church countless times every week. However, the truth will undoubtedly sink in once I go to the services this week and realize that they really are gone.

It is with a smiling face full of tears that I bade Jade and Erica farewell.

Can't help but look back at the times I spent with these two young ladies the past months. I have known Erica and Jade for a couple of years already, but it was actually just last February that I really got to form a really tight bond with both of them; it's a bond that has lasted for several months and one that I expect to last for years to come. And when I say years, I mean several decades.

Lord knows that their absence will greatly affect also the Praise and Worship Team in church. We're now short of one keyboardist, one alto, and one tenor (Tito Art, their dad). This is not to be a pessimist. I'm just being honest. It is extremely difficult to find replacements who are not only equally talented, but also equally on fire for the Lord.

Speaking of being on fire, I'm going to have to hand it over to Jade and Erica for being partly responsible for my return to the youth service after several years. As I have already told Micah during a particular chat session some months ago, it was when I saw these two young ladies passionately worshipping God during the praise and worship in the retreat that God started telling me that the flame of worship among the youth of Bread from Heaven was still there. It was through them that I felt the need to know God more intimately in my life.

It is with a heavy heart that I look forward, not to things that will happen, but to things that will not happen anymore: the grouptext goodmornings and goodnights, the cellphone picture takings, the crazy stories and insane laughter, for instance. No more hello and goodbye hugs from them. No more after service jammings with them. *sigh*

Right, let me try to change the mood of this entry before I get all depressed.

To Erica: Dude! I'm really looking forward to seeing you again. Thanks so much for all the really fun times and memories. It's too bad that we weren't able to push through with the EK gig that you had in mind. Don't fret though. God obviously has something greater in store for you there. I have always seen His goodness in your life, so I pray that you don't lose sight of His plan and purpose for you. Believe me, you'll make an awesome worship leader someday. I love you! God bless!


To Jade: Thank you so much for entrusting me with your problems and concerns. I may not always have been able to help you with some of them, but I hope that just by listening to you and comforting you, I was able to make you feel better. You are definitely not just one of my best friends. You have always been and continue to be like a younger sister to me. I pray that you'll continue to be in love with the Lord Jesus Christ and that you'll follow his every direction in your whole life. I'm surely going to miss my keyboardist when I worship lead this Saturday. I love you so much Jade! God bless! (Oh, and thanks for keeping my secret!)


I don't intend to make this entry any longer than it already is, so I suppose I'm going to end it right here. To Tito Art, Tita Malu, Jade, Erica, Elisha, and Arthon, I wish you all a safe trip and a joyous time in Canada. ^_^

october thoughts, part 1...

Let me begin this blog entry with an announcement: I have finally graduated. October 14 marked the day that I climbed up the stage as a form of declaration that I have finally obtained my bachelor's degree in secondary education. As my dad and my grandma put it, I am now a professional. I can't help but feel grateful to the Lord for the great blessing of having spent a bit more than three years of my life in college, meeting new people and actually obtaining highly useful information. So here's to the conclusion of one adventure and the introduction of the next in my life.

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Just started reading a book that discusses the Chronicles of Narnia. Since I finished reading the entire collection last year as my goal for READCUR, I have been constantly on the lookout for books that explore them from a literary or Biblical standpoint. I haven't quite finished it yet, but allow me to share the content of the first few chapters:

Ever imagined how Creation could have happened? Genesis 1:1 gives an outline of Creation according to what was created in a span of about a week. We know. We've read or heard it at one point in our lives, and even if we usually forget what was made first, the point remains that God created all things and that it was all good. In The Magician's Nephew, C.S. Lewis tries to capture a fraction of what could've possibly been one, if not the most, incredible things that happened in all of history. Imagine for a moment how, in pitch blackness, light just seemed t0 emerge and sweep in and reveal the invisible. Imagine how plants amazingly sprouted out of the ground and how their branches and leaves seemed to dance. Imagine how space suddenly seemed to be dotted with bright shining stars and designed with the wonders of the celestial bodies. Imagine how flocks of birds suddenly appeared out of the mountains and flew across the grasslands with their immortal songs. Imagine how animals came out of caves and holes and brushes, blinked at the morning sun that greeted them, and cried out in worship to their Creator. You'll realize that even our imagination would probably be inferior to the actual event that happened all those years ago. What happened wasn't just the creation of creatures and plants and light and heavenly bodies. What happened was probably the most awesome worship concert that ever took place. Think about it. Just like any concert, it begins with light to reveal the awesomeness that is about to happen. The stage and stage design in the form of well-shaped mountains, grasslands, and flowing streams of water are later on revealed. Visual effects in the form of stellar bodies dot whatever is left of the darkness. Finally, all created beings come forth, each with their own version of praise and worship according to how they were created by God. I think God did more than just rest during the 7th day of Creation. I think he watched a concert.

A few weeks ago, the Sunday after Milenyo struck Metro Manila, I attended a worship concert in Marikina. There were different musical performances, ranging from contemporary worship to classical music to rap to Jewish music. It was the first time in a long time that the beauty of worship captured me so intensely I actually cried, especially when Ted was already singing "Take Me Lord." It was refreshing to say the least. And what was the theme of this said concert? "All Creation Worships."

All were made to worship. It is when we do what we're made to do that we worship.

I wish I could have seen just a glimpse of that greatest worship concert ever all those years ago...

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Jade and Erica are leaving for Canada next week. I've got mixed emotions. I'm excited for them since this seems to be a new adventure for them in their life. I'm happy for them, because at least now they'll get to spend more time as a complete family. At the same time, I'm dreading having to say goodbye to them. It's not going to be easy, considering the past few months I spent with them. If it weren't for the retreat, I probably wouldn't have known them as much as I do now. Oh well. I'll make the most of it. There are still a few precious days left to spend with them.

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"My life needs a rewind/erase button." - Calvin, Yukon Ho!
"And volume control." - Hobbes, Yukon Ho!

Know why I included such quotes in this entry? Because they're true...

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Why am I still up at midnight? I guess I really do have weird sleeping habits...