The Splendor of the Sun

The Splendor of the Sun


Sunrise at Pamilacan Island

Just to update you people who have been frequenting my blog (or those who know about it), I've been dabbling with photography for quite some time now and I would like to just share my passion with all of you.

I've been able to capture the most beautiful sites of our country and I am hungry for more opportunities to be able to share to my circle of influence that there are things in this earth that still defy description--and those are ones which come from God. How can you say there is no God when you are bathed in a living canvas such as the one above? He is indeed the ultimate artist.

A Hike with Jesus

A Hike with Jesus

Dear Jesus,

Why is it that the more you reveal Yourself to me, the more I can't understand You? I try with all my might to comprehend Your reasons for loving a bonafide sinner like me. I feel that I've failed miserably this week because I don't think I did much to make you smile. I didn't share the gospel, I skipped my quiet times, I would run to you for forgiveness only to trip for the nth time. I imagined you were shaking Your head at me but when You spoke to me yesterday, through a song that was never the case, was it? I heard You speak in my heart of hearts that You loved me no matter what. And You told me that I didn't have to fix my act up for You to come and stretch out Your hand.

You carried me this past week because You knew I couldn't take anymore the pain that I was harboring in my heart. You knew I didn't have a chance and You took it upon Yourself to right me up; and You carried me. I imagine that the road that we went through was rocky and the sharp and jagged pebbles never touched the soles of my feet. All because You said, You'd take me through this road----this trying time in my life. And as I regained consciousness, I would look back and behind us there was a trail of blood and I could see Your feet being pierced by the sharp and jagged rocks. And when I lifted my eyes to meet Yours, You simply smiled and said to me, "We're almost there." And at that time, I knew and felt Your love embrace the depths of my soul. "Stay with me, we're almost there," You said ever so gently.

As I write this letter, I shed tears of shame and at the same time, joy. I am ashamed that I couldn't go on the journey; I am ashamed because I couldn't walk with You the whole time. Most of all, I am ashamed because You had to carry me---that You had to bleed for someone who's failed You so many times. But You said that You'd do it over and over again, if that's what it takes for me to be with You.

I remember You saying, "We're here." I remember already standing and as I opened my eyes, I only saw You. I noticed that Your robe was all dirty while mine was as clean as the hour we started walking. Your tired, weary face still wearing a smile that was there from the very start. And as my vision improved, I saw that You carried me to a gentle and placid stream surrounded by sweet smelling flowers.. This was nothing like the road that we started on. And it was then that I understood Your heart. It was then that I saw Your heart for what it really was---a heart that is overflowing with Love for me.

As I was marveling at the sights I was beholding, You then gently lay Your hand upon my shoulder said, "Take your time. I'll be here. I won't leave you."
I don't know what to say, Jesus. That was one of the best journeys that You've led me to. It was difficult and I couldn't go on yet You stayed with me throughout the hike. Your smile while you carrying me, Your love that encompasses all human understanding, Your passion for me---those are the things I cannot understand about You. Yet those are the very same things that make me want to love You back.

Frankly, I'm glad that I went on that trip that You invited me to go to. We should do it again. You said You'd do it again but I hope I make it all the way next time.

Love,
Zeus

A Valentine's Note

A Valentine's Note

A year ago, for the first time in 4 years, I celebrated Valentine's Day as a single guy. I remember celebrating it without any frills. That day went by like a breeze--only colder. This time, I celebrate Valentine's Day with much hope. I see today as another Valentine's that I am without "her". But I rest in the hope of Psalm 27:14 as I "Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Truly, God makes everything (and might I add everyone) beautiful in its own time. For now, this shall have to do.


Dearest,

I celebrate Valentine's without you beside me again. But I know there will come a time when you will be reading this and many other letters that I've written to you. I know that there will come a time when I will be gazing into your eyes and recognize the person whom I wrote all of my letters to. Just thinking about it now brings a smile to my face. Last year, I was worried about not ever finding you. But ever since I came to know who God is, He helped me and comforted me during those long nights when I still didn't know you. God changed me. And as I write this, He is making me into a better person . I'd like to think that the reason why I haven't met you is because God hasn't allowed it. But in truth, I know that God is preparing me to take care of you the rest of my life. It was probably a long wait but if you're reading this now then we both know that God's timing is perfect. This is only the beginning of my walk with God. And I know that when that magnificent day comes, as He passes amidst the crowd, holding my hand...He'll know exactly where you are and when we'll get to you. And I know that He'll find you and by the time we're both walking right with Him. He'll make us hold each other's hands--in His perfect time. Happy Valentine's.

Love,
Zeus

Love Never Fails

Love Never Fails

It's around 3 A.M. in the morning and the only lights that are open are the incandescent ones that bathe my topsy-turvy room. I can't sleep because just moments ago, as I was replying to a text message that was sent to me a few hours earlier, I experienced God. I remember the saying that went something like, God is in the details." That person knew what he was talking about. God was there. And I realized that God's love never fails. Ever.

A friend texted me 1 Corinthians 3:18 which reads, "Love never fails." I've heard it before and it was one of those truths that I only knew theoretically yet I never really stopped to consider if it was indeed true. I used to look at love as that warm, fuzzy feeling that came over you whenever you would be graced with the presence of someone special. My definition of love before was caged inside the bars of romantic thoughts and gestures. I never really stopped to think about what Paul really meant when he said to the Corinthians, "Love never fails."

As beings who know how powerful a force love is, we have been, at one point of our lives, caught in the whirlwind of emotions that make up "love". For those who have been already in romantic relationships (or even forms of it), we have seen, heard, felt and even experienced how it is to be loved by another. And the joy is simply indescribable. Recall any time when you and your special someone shared a significant moment, a time wherein both of you professed your undying adoration and affection to one another. Recall the birthday that became strangely "more special" than all of your other previous birthdays just because you had "someone special" with you that day. Recall those times and tell me if they were not intoxicating. For those who have yet to feel the intimacy and joy that a relationship can bring, it spurs them on. The thought of being romanced by someone becomes a constant in their lives. Like the slow ticking of a clock in one's room, it is always there, muffled by the noise of deadlines, soap operas and chores. But once you clear away everything. Once a quiet moment slips through our busy lives, that quiet ticking that we once did not hear is magnified a thousand times over.

We wonder with all honesty if someone will ever love us as we are. If there is someone who will actually see all of our imperfections and yet embrace us with all of their heart. We occasionally indulge ourselves with hopeful fantasies and daydreams that that day will soon come. We all think to ourselves that our waiting will stop and our "happily ever after" will soon arrive. For some of us, we know it but there are times that we long for that kind of love now. And for those unfortunate ones who have been scarred by the wounds of love, they know that whenever you court love, you also invite pain.

I now realize that as inhabitants of an imperfect world, we have become frequent witnesses to the failure of earthly love. Too often have we been subject to news that feature breakups and divorces rather than golden anniversaries. And as people of a fallen world, we have all assimilated to this kind of behavior. At times we even celebrate this type of disunity as it is covered by the media without abandon. We have become so callous to the absurdity that this type of love offers that we forget that "Love never fails." Caught between embellishments of the media and the constant put-downs from people who have failed in relationships, that one important truth is muffled in our current society. We have become used to love failing us.

The love around us fails simply because as fallen citizens of Heaven we wield it as inappropriately as a child would wield a sword. We forget that when we love, we can offer strength yet it can also destroy people when it is coupled with jealousy. We focus on the captivating part of love yet we so willingly discard the hard work that needs to be put into it when an argument needs to be settled. Experience tells us that with all honesty, love fails.

We all forget that the reason why love fails is because like an overexcited child who has just received something intricately special, we never really stopped to ask about how to use it in the first place.

As I pondered on the verse "Love never fails." I could not help but wholeheartedly agree. With tears in my eyes, the first time I realized how true it was moments ago I nodded in agreement as I recall the one and only person who made the verse come alive. When I read this verse, I remember Jesus Christ.

Here you have the Lord of the Universe realizing that I have no chance in Heaven that I'll be able to pay for all of my sins and He goes down to earth to feel my pain, to be one with my discouragement, to witness the betrayal that I've felt, to drink from the bitter cup of heartbreak that I once called mine. Jesus endured everything that I could ever endure just so I could one day feel Eden under my feet. He could have given up the first time that whip tore against His flesh. He could have let go of my hand the moment he felt the nail being centered in His palm. Yet He endured everything even up to the point of death. And he never failed. Not once did His love fail me. He waited for me for how many years until I would come back to His open arms. And now, in the early morning He reminds me, "See how much I love you." And then I hear the Father's voice that softly says.

"I did it for you."

It is true that love never fails. Jesus' love never fails. If left in our hands, we imperfectly hold a perfect gift but in Jesus' hands, love never fails. And it never will.

To my Eternal Lover in Heaven, I love you so much! I always will.

Inexhaustible Joy

Inexhaustible Joy

I just had another realization. I realized that I'm not yet ready for a relationship yet. Not in the near future. I know this because something happens when I become involved in a relationship. The last time I had a girlfriend, she became my god. I realized that when I am in a relationship, I cannot help but put her on a pedestal.

I ran a search in the Internet for that particular idiom and I came up with this:

Idiom: put someone on a pedestal (place someone on a pedestal)
Meaning: To admire or revere them extremely; to idolize them.

So there. The last time I was in a relationship, I tried so hard to give her my time, energy and effort that I never had room for anybody else in my life. Most especially God. This time, I'd want it the other way around. I mean, to some people it just doesn't make any sense but I readily surrender that part of me to my Lord. This time, I'd want to have a relationship with Him so much that I'll forget that I ever wanted to find a partner in this makeshift Eden we call life. I spent the better part of my life trying to find "Ms. Right" but I've only managed to scar and traumatize myself in the process. And when I decided to finally seek God with all my heart, He readily welcomed me with open arms, covering me with a love that can only be as high as the heavens.

Whatever God's plan is for me, I can only say that it is for the best and that he wants to bless me so much. Jeremiah 29:11 by itself can attest to that. For now, all I want to concentrate on is God. I will be waiting for His leading and His promise.

I would like to share something that I recently read.

"We should, to begin with, think that God leads a very interesting life, and that he is full of joy. Undoubtedly he is the most joyous being in the universe. The abundance of his love and generosity is inseperable from his infinite joy. All of the good and beautiful things from which we occasionally drink tiny droplets of soul-exhilarating joy, God continuously experiences in all their breadth and depth...We are enraptured by a well-done movie sequence or by a few bars from an opera or lines from a poem. We treasure our great experiences for a lifetime, and we may have very few of them. But he is simply one great inexhaustible and eternal experience of all that is good and true and beautiful and right." (The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life with God)

If God wants me to forgo having an earthly relationship so that I can even get a glimpse of His inexhaustible and eternal joy, then let's get this show on the road.

Lord, I am Yours all of my days.

A Question for the Ages

A Question for the Ages

Our generation has abandoned the idea of solitude and it has done so either
willingly or absent-mindedly. And along with its expiration, more is lost between the lines. The mind of modern man has subscribed to the idea that greater activity is tantamount to an equal amount of productivity. Sadly, this connotation has never been farther from the truth.

We currently live in a world that is chockfull of distractions. Left and right, we seemingly run into the latest fad that is sweeping Metro Manila by storm or we anticipate the forthcoming week because a good movie that stars the man or woman of our dreams will be coming out. As a species, man can never be content with what he has. And I wonder if it is simply because we long for a life that we know should exist in; that we long for a life that in our heart of hearts look for but can never attain in this physical and fallen existence. And as if being trapped in an upright crucible, we are all going down--faster than we know. We are all bound to slip into that state of physical slumber when our bodies will no longer feel the warmth it once felt nor will our eyes ever see the light of day. You incessantly toil and labor for the upcoming promotion or the next big job opportunity.

What then?

You work your way to become the top professional in your company and command the respect of all of your peers as well as your superiors. All of the people in your company would be gravely out of line if he or she did not know your name as you now have skyrocketed to unprecedented fame and status.

What then?

You find your mate and end up having the marriage that you've always dreamed of---maybe even more. You make a family and lavishly shower them with gifts and love as you provide for their daily needs. If you're fortunate enough, the word 'dysfunctional' will never be used in the same sentence with your family.

What then?

You will grow old and retire real early to enjoy an age of abundance that will see you living off your businesses' profits. You'd never have to worry about not having enough money because you've become such a success at what you do. You live like this for the remainder of your life until you encounter that last gasp. You pass away, shift states, throw in the towel, shuffle off from existence. You die.

What then? Seriously. What then?

Have you ever thought of where you were going after you're through with this makeshift Eden? And you think to yourself, maybe there is no life after death. "Maybe you just stop existing", you whisper in quiet thought.

Haven't you ever wished that time would stop at a particular moment just for the reason that you said to yourself, "This is the life."?

If you've ever been to the island of Boracay and if you've ever set foot on its trademark white sand, you'll probably know the feeling that I'm describing. If you've ever set foot on the apex of a mountatin top and stood high amongst the clouds and the lush greens all around you, you probably know the feeling. If you've ever felt loved by a close friend so unconditionally and knew that even if you blew it, nothing would ever change, you'd probably understand the rush that I'm talking about. Basking in the sun, marveling and looking down upon creation, feeling the sincere love of another friend, you say to yourself: "This is the life."

Have you ever asked how you got to that conclusion? Have you ever sincerely asked yourself, why you were able to say those words?

Our souls long for something more than the everyday clutter that we see on our office desks. Our souls are not meant to stare at a computer day in and day out for the rest of our lives. The human soul longs for that paradise that it has lost. It longs to be in that grandiose Eden and say, "This is the life." The whispers of this world reverberate when we are still, when we are quiet enough to listen to it. When we rest on that pristine beach, when we gaze upon the sunset sky and all its colors, when we rest in the safe arms of love---this is when we know something is right. It is when we know that there is a life out there that we used to know because we know in our heart of hearts what life should be.

Do you know what will happen to you at the end of your life? Do you know where you will go? Honestly now. There is a road that leads to the life that we know we're supposed to experience.I know of only One way. One truth to this ineffable question. One life which we are all invited to participate in.

Ask yourself. Do you really know where you are going?

Photoshop, I like.

Photoshop, I like

I've recently discovered that I just love Adobe Photoshop. It's just an awesome, awesome program and you could literally have me sit for a day just experimenting on the several effects that you can achieve with the program. I just love (geek alert) switching saturations and experimenting with the hues and different blending modes that are at my disposal. During the course of my experience with Photoshop, I've only learned a fraction of the program but knowing the simple fundamentals of selection and saturation has taken me a long way. I just have one problem. I sometimes can't replicate a certain effect that I did, especially if it entailed me just sitting and playing around with levels and curves. Add plugins to the equation and I'm already lost. :|

I think I just need to take down notes. Oh well. *opens Photoshop*