Opportunity and Change

   Warning: this article has a tendency to be profound

Lately, I’ve been telling people to pray that I may and will love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. The Lord has made me realize that there are many things hidden under the rug, many issues to be uncovered and dealt with. I seem to miss the days of "spiritual high." Instances wherein I was more often than not, ready to face the fallen world.
    Maybe I’m trying to do things on my own. I admit that I am frail. The warrior is indeed a child. I think that sometimes, I just go to the battlefield with only my helmet. I’ve been lacking discipline in most, if not all areas of life. Or maybe I’m just sick and tired of inconsistency with respect to time.
     "Ang buhay ay parang gulong, minsan, nasa taas ka, minsan, nasa baba." True enough, but it seems confusing when the wheel rotates too fast. It makes you dizzy. It’s irritating to think you’ve solved your problem only to find out that you’ve just scratched the surface, and there is another layer behind it.
    As for me, there is only one solution: Continue to trust in the Lord to give you wisdom and perseverance until all the layers has been scratched. Suit up, pick up your sword, get the biggest shield you could find, and endure till the end.

    I’m glad my hope is in Christ, and I know that he will be faithful, until that day that I come to Him face to face, and share in His glory.

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts."
                                                                      -Deuteronomy 6:4-6

I Just came home from State Varsity Christian Fellowship Diliman’s (SVCF-UPD) impromptu retreat, held in Brgy. Kaybagal, Tagaytay City from April 2-4, 2007. It seemed that the venue stuck true to its name. As it was, time there seemed so dragging, and yet the days seem to go by too fast without much activity.

For the most part, we seemed like a group of 11 people taking a year-ender vacation, doing nothing but eating, cooking, talking, and taking pictures. You may ask how what we did qualified to be a retreat, and not a "rest-treat."

The theme was on resting, and so, being true to its theme, we abolished and adjusted most of the schedule, making it flexible and rest-filled. We had a single talk on the theme, and most of the activities were what church people would consider secular, if not neutral.

Well, as for me, I learned a few lessons from the first leg of my nationwide trip:

• A retreat need not be filled with the "heavy stuff" and all those things regarding contemplation
• sometimes you can’t help but be ‘Martha’ instead of being ‘Mary’
• Nakakainsulto pala pag ikaw yung timekeeper tapos nauuna sila magising
• Masarap kumain kapag matatakaw ang mga kasama mo
• masaya magdrive ng sasakyan na di sa iyo sa lugar na di mo kabisado
• Hindi lang pala ako burger monster, suman monster din! (I ate a total of 4 burgers and 6 suman within 4 meals)

Mga kabaliwan ng ESBI:

• Ang "panginoon system of naming"
• Lamierda sessions
• Paano mamick-up sa dry market
• Nagbo-ballroom nang naka-tsinelas sa isang sosyal na bulaluhan (with panginoong sinipa)
• Lite ace-stuffing contest (11 kami sa loob)
• Sleeping in the terrace under hostile cold winds
• formulating new novelty dances (care of panginoong may unan)
• cooking tilapia flambe’ (care of panginoong kaybagal)

and lots of other stuff for you guys to figure out.

———————————————————————–
Quote of the day:
"Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God" -Jim Elliot

I Just came home from State Varsity Christian Fellowship Diliman’s (SVCF-UPD) impromptu retreat, held in Brgy. Kaybagal, Tagaytay City from April 2-4, 2007. It seemed that the venue stuck true to its name. As it was, time there seemed so dragging, and yet the days seem to go by too fast without much activity.

For the most part, we seemed like a group of 11 people taking a year-ender vacation, doing nothing but eating, cooking, talking, and taking pictures. You may ask how what we did qualified to be a retreat, and not a "rest-treat."

The theme was on resting, and so, being true to its theme, we abolished and adjusted most of the schedule, making it flexible and rest-filled. We had a single talk on the theme, and most of the activities were what church people would consider secular, if not neutral.

Well, as for me, I learned a few lessons from the first leg of my nationwide trip:

• A retreat need not be filled with the "heavy stuff" and all those things regarding contemplation
• sometimes you can’t help but be ‘Martha’ instead of being ‘Mary’
• Nakakainsulto pala pag ikaw yung timekeeper tapos nauuna sila magising
• Masarap kumain kapag matatakaw ang mga kasama mo
• masaya magdrive ng sasakyan na di sa iyo sa lugar na di mo kabisado
• Hindi lang pala ako burger monster, suman monster din! (I ate a total of 4 burgers and 6 suman within 4 meals)

Mga kabaliwan ng ESBI:

• Ang "panginoon system of naming"
• Lamierda sessions
• Paano mamick-up sa dry market
• Nagbo-ballroom nang naka-tsinelas sa isang sosyal na bulaluhan (with panginoong sinipa)
• Lite ace-stuffing contest (11 kami sa loob)
• Sleeping in the terrace under hostile cold winds
• formulating new novelty dances (care of panginoong may unan)
• cooking tilapia flambe’ (care of panginoong kaybagal)

and lots of other stuff for you guys to figure out.

———————————————————————–
Quote of the day:
"Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God" -Jim Elliot