That Little Boy

Christmas...a season of hope, love, giving, and joy. As I was contemplating what Christmas would be like for me this year, I thought of other people instead...

As a growing Christian, I know and have always believed on the true reason why I celebrate Christmas, but then what about others? Will they live the same truth? When there is hopelessness, poverty, illness, and other miseries!

I think of the kids on the street, with nothing to eat, and with no home to be on Christmas day. I feel for my friend who's mom is in the ICU who just had brain surgery. I feel for my friends who won't be with their parents and complete family during Christmas day. I wonder what will be Christmas be for them...

But then when I think of the pain that these people go through, the loneliness they have to endure waiting for their loved ones home, the cold of the night that the kids would have to endure...i think of that boy...who was born in a manger, cold, where no inn would accept them, where no family would be willing to help them, and soon enough where people would soon crucify Him.

I think of that little Boy...who came to give everybody HOPE. Who gave the reason for all of us to celebrate. That despite the sufferings, we believe that one day will come He will wipe every tear in our eyes, and every torn that caused pain He will remove.

I don't know how those people would celebrate, but I wish that they would think of that little boy...

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Life's Crisis

Life, some say it's unfair, some say it's worth having, some treasures it so much that they refuse to lose it, and for some a toy that they can play with any way they want.

A lot of people today visited their dearly departed in cemeteries, I always wondered how they lived their lives. I wonder why, after years of being lost, they are not forgotten. Will I be forgotten?

It's a long weekend because of the holiday and I just came from a retreat with a lot of young people from Cross Reign Ministry Church and I had a retreat my self too. It's my first time to be really be a part of a team that would really handle a retreat coz before I was this boy who just participates and be led. Now it's my turn, time has turned the tables on me.

During our first night, I was able to have a slight of background of those kids. Some were recently suspended from school because of drinking inside the classrooms, by the way, did I mention they're just in high school? So yes, some of them were dysfunctional, they're going through stuff that I think I was in back then.

So being there for these kids, it was a very BIG opportunity to be in the team, it was a time for me to personally minister to those kids in a timely crisis. The crisis of life...

When I was at their age, I really did not have a full understanding of living a Christian life, I never really felt the need to understand it as well, I think I was doing OKAY...

My prayer is that, whatever they learned during the retreat, I just pray that they choose and really decide to treasure it, the response might not come overnight, but I do hope that they get to walk along with it.

And to those who have already decided how to do with their lives, I hope they remain faithful, I pray that they would really press on and not give up. Life is wonderful with Jesus. I wouldn't trade it for anything else.

I really like to write about it a lot more but I felt like, I just have to sit and wait for God's hands to work. I did what He told me to do...now i'll leave it all up to Him.

May God bless us all, let us continue to press on and not give up.

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Creative God

In the evening of Friday 2009 AD, the Philippine Independence Day, I was able to attend a prayer meeting that uhm...well not the usual setup but tonight was something meaty and chunky. After the prayer time, two missionaries shared their testimonies in the congregation.

One is a Filipina, she was able to serve the Lord in the mountains of Nepal the other was an American, a pastor who is training young people and those young at heart for missions.

I decided to write this here because it was memorable...God spoke to me tonight. In His own creative way...

I am overwhelmed...

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Questions

Answers...I always have thought these could close a question, that it could actually solve a dilemma but these past few months I have come to realize that it really doesn't give you relief but rather opens its way for another question, thus the loop goes on.

Questions like "How Are you?", seemed complicated and hard to answer, it was like a part of you says that your OK and the other not really so. For some who have recently asked me...sorry if i just gave you a grin. Last night, a couple of young people faced the the same question and i wasn't really that happy to know the answer.

When you are in an ocean of questions and there aren't answers that you could really fish out, sometimes it's better to embrace the tide and flow with the current. You'll never know where the current will ead you to. When I was talking about this with a really really dear brother, Jarrett, he said that..."in part, questions are wonderful because they keep you moving somewhere, they keep you continuing forward and looking for something more. If you were given final answers and there were no more questions... then there would be no more need to progress and discover..." he adds, "the more that I have them..the more I realize that I don't know but the hardest thing is to rest in that..."

And the moment he said that, i have come to realize that, questions really aren't there to confuse you but rather to guide you, and yes maybe to a new set of questions...like they say, only dumb people don't ask, though I really don't believe that dumb people exists...only questions.

Questions are like dots in your head and that you need some line, called answers to connect them and somehow distiguish their realtionships. Maybe if you look into the details you just see a never ending loop of dots and lines but when you see the bigger picture...a painting, a new work of art is made. It's like zoomin in on a painting of picture and all you could see are pixels and dots of paint....

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Composition #5

Composing...one of the things I do to vent out emotions. It's 10.45PM and my brother's sleeping in my bed, while listening to Josh Groban's songs, I am hoping to come up with a good or better piece. So here goes...

My Rest
by Admiral Ato

In my silence, I find peace
In my clamor, I find release
In my quest to lose myself
I seek no other but Yourself

My selfishness engulfs me
Thy presence humbles me
How long! How long! Shall I rest?
Put an end to my restlessness!

Like sheep, stubborn and complacent
I find humility, Oh when shall I see Your debasement
Will I be ready? Will I be weary?
When without Thee, I toil, I grow jaded...

Just as the heavens await
So shall my spirit anticipate
For You to come, for You to conquer
Vanquish my pursuit, for there's no need to wrangle

When will I leave?
With You...no more shall I cleave!
My benevolence, compassion, and affection...
Take hold of it, for I don't want them, because You are here,
Alive and near...

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Losing Weight

It's been three days now since I started working out and burning some calories. The gym's pretty near my house and it doesn't cost too much at least not for now...

I decided to attend gym classes for the reason that I don't have any sport that i could do everyday...or just to be precise, I don't know any sport (and yes not even "shatong"). I felt like I never enjoyed my chioldhood coz I don't know how to play basketball nor drive a bike! I've been pretty much at home when I was I kid and lived mister goody-two-shoes.

Reluctant to go to the gym, I decided to join former office mates, Henry and Rodney at the gym. Don't really plan to build big muscles or 6 packs of abs, I basically want to sweat just like other guys who play various sports. I don't exercise nor do I engage into any sport and my work needs me to be in front of the computer for like at least 9 hours so I really thought I need this.

Since it's my first time to ever attend a gym class and work out I was surfing through the net of some helpful tips for people like me, here's what I've had so far (src: Eight Time Saving Work out Tips):

Do exercises that use multiple muscles, called multitasking. For example, a squat uses the front and back of your legs as well as your butt. After each squat, add an overhead shoulder press using a light dumbbell and you will hit even more muscles.

Focus on your big muscles. Working your biggest muscles burns tons of calories and will give your metabolism a good boost. These muscles are your butt, thighs, back and core i.e., lower back, abdominal and oblique muscles.

Intensify your aerobic workout. By doing so, you can get results in half the time. For example, instead of doing forty minutes of walking, jogging or low impact aerobics go on a bike or treadmill at a high intensity for twenty minutes. If you have been working out regularly for at least a month, you could try doing intervals.

Exercise at a level that to you is hard, or very hard for two minutes Then, lower your effort -- but keep moving! -- for one minute. Repeat this cycle for twenty minutes.

Double up your exercises. Rather than resting between sets, use that time to work a different muscle group, preferably a complementary muscle. For example, alternate one set of biceps curls with one set of triceps dips. Alternatively, do a set of seated leg extensions with a set of leg curls. These are super-sets and they nearly double the number of exercises you can do in a short time.

Incorporate circuit training. Circuit training combines aerobics and strength training in the same workout. Doing this type of work out gives you calorie-burning benefits along with strength gains. For example, do a strength exercise for one minute. Without taking any rest, move on to another. Every two or three exercises add one minute of jump roping or your aerobic activity of choice for one or two minutes.

Before your morning shower and breakfast, or during your lunch hour, squeeze in two sets of ten of the following bare-essential moves: crunches, pull-ups, push-ups, squats and lunges. These calisthenics target and tone most areas of the body but do not take more than a few minutes to do. Short bursts of exercise add up. If you can accumulate 30 minutes of physical activity in a day in short bursts, you will get the same benefits you would if you did it all in one session.

Try something different every so often.Monotony in an exercise routine leads to boredom, which will ultimately lead to no exercise. A change in the type of aerobics, or your specific weight training routine will avoid this problem and will give you greater fitness benefits. You will burn more calories and stimulate muscles in a new way, accomplishing more in a shorter period. Try activities you truly think you will enjoy or you will defeat the purpose and get more frustrated and bored.

I'm not sure if I could follow all these tips but at least I know what to do.

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Me and my Cancer

The "ME" attitude has been around since I was born...spiritually and physically. It has consumed my thoughts and my life to be exact! Not until my eyes were opened on the true reasons why I was really born. I had no idea I was living in this God forsaken attitude...it's a cancer, a spiritual cancer.

For my five years in walking in the "born again" road I have never thought that I had this cancer, it's been feeding thru my bones and my soul. I always thought that I was doing theRIGHT THING but after stumbling onto a huge rock, and getting a slap in the face and got diagnosed...I wasn't doing what God wants me to do...

In my whole Christian life I have always served and got involved in church ministries and alike, singing in the choir, teaching Sunday school, ministry there...and everywhere. After doing all that...I couldn't help but ask my self, why...why am I doing all these? Trying to do everything, and at the end of the day I feel...burned out, with no more strength to do other things. Serving the Lord should be fun, refreshing and more so...relaxing.

I sought for help, prayed to be exact, asked the Lord, "am I really pleasing You in what I do? are the things I am doing are the things that You want me to do? or am I just doing all these because of guilt, and self comfort? " And when He truly reveals to you the real things He wants you to do..the questions would be more scary...

Most Christians nowadays have schedules that are way out of control...speaking engagements, bible study groups, and the like. Schedules that satisfies the human soul...not really Christ. We tend to control our own schedules and place as many "christianly work" into it but really forgetting what is necessary. We are drawing far away from God rather than drawing close and near to God...being intimate. We sacrifice so much with our intimate time with Him with our own selfish efforts.

I could remember myself one time complaining that most young people are not ready to listen to God's word or be at Sunday school because they are always late...for me it was a sign of disinterest. But I realized that it was my cancer who was talking...worst it was ME talking! God's work...is God's work. No need for me to complain or comment on what others are showing or even doing.

We need to separate ourselves from God's work. God is sufficient...no fabrication, no more additions, no more side dishes, no more decorations...just God.

It's a struggle, to have this cancer...but God is still the God who heals, who is full of mercy and of grace. So I need to let go of the things of what He says is not what He wants me to do. Schedules will be changed. I have to let go of the things that pleases me and leave behind the things that really pleases Him and gives Him the glory...no more fabrications.

Missions? teaching Sunday school? singing? leading bible studies? G12? I have nothing against these...but I would ask my self, "Am I glorifying You Lord when I'm doing these? ", let God be the real author of our schedules and much more...the real author of our lives.

A broken spirit and a contrite heart...God will not despise. Nothing more..nothing less. He is enough.

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