Ang Alamat ni Gideon

Dear,

I have been in deep thoughts recently due to what's happening around, may it be personally, locally or elsewhere. I've been praying and asking for wisdom, as He gives it liberally to those who ask in faith.

A spark. Something ignited in me. A stir. A call for me to share this. An overflow. A seed. This is specifically for you who are reading this.

This is what I believe I have received:

Many Bible verses talks about "for the sake of the Lord's Name". The most popular, Psalms 23:3, says "He leads me to paths of righteousness for His Name's sake". Other verses like Ezekiel 20:22 speaks of God withdrawing His wrath for His name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles.

"For His' Name sake": does this phrase mean that God will do good things because He wants to protect His Name or His image? At first I came into that conclusion, that He will do good things for you as He wants to protect His own good Name.. BUT, as it was revealed, it is actually the other way around. It is because of His own Name that He will do good things to you. How? Here's the beautiful part.

"For His Name's sake". Going deeper in this, the Hebrew for the word "sake" is "ma-an" which means PURPOSE or INTENT. For His Name's Sake= For His Name's purpose or intention.

In short, He is doing good things to you because it is who He really is! He is doing good things to you because it is His intention, not because He wants to protect His name but because He is the God who says, "I am"!

He will heal you for His Name's sake means He will heal you because it is who He really is, The Healer, Jehovah Rapha!

He will lead you to paths of righteousness for His name's sake means He will lead us to paths of righteousness because He is our righteousness, Jehovah Tsidkenu!

He gives us perfect peace to those whose minds are placed in Him for His name's sake means He is our very own perfect peace, Jehovah Shalom!

He saves you for His name’s sake mean He is the very salvation named Yeshua!

The list goes on and on on who really God is. I challenge everyone, including myself, to read His word more to know who He really is in your life. Hahahaha. I’m sure we’ll be amazed..

Now, this is my encouragement to you:

Whatever place you are in right now, God will do things good to you for His name's sake. God will restore relationships, strengthen lives, do great things to His body, expand His kingdom, FOR HIS NAME's sake.

What do you need to do? Simple: Just pray without ceasing, rest on His love, follow His lead and believe on the power of the Shepherd, on the Parent eagle who intends good things for you because it is who He is: the great "I AM".

Listen you oh gentle sheep, spread your wings you mighty eagle!

(c)- Painting by Yongsung Kim

Dear,

Hello, it's been a while. I had been sorting personal things out for some time: Things that pained and haunted me at night. I’ve been checking on the raging tides in my heart, battling over storms of fears and doubts for another round, and even fighting for what has already been won. "They say I need to pick my sword to fight for love, little did I know that Love had won for me", as a song goes.

I thought I’d be stuck in that tempest but finally, the clouds cleared and I was free. I later realized, I am in a process, I am being refined, I am growing.

I had this train of thought for ages: "When a leaf falls, whose fault is it? The tree that let it go, The wind that blew it away, or The leaf that got tired of hanging on?" ~Thoughts of a Real Man

The answer is… there is no one to blame for. I mean come on, these are freakin’ non-living things. Hahaha.

Kidding aside, people tend to point fingers even if everyone is equally accountable... so I thought. But, thinking over it for the longest time, there is no concrete one to blame in this tree-leaf-wind metaphor. In fact, it is but a natural process.

The real question is, why are we blaming anyone or anything to begin with? Haha. For me, as I realized it, it is all but for a greater cause. Hear me out on this:

As a tree matures, it develops leaves and bears fruits in spring. When winter approaches, the tree would shed its leaves off as it prepares for the harsh cold in order to survive. Leaves on the ground eventually become nourishment for the tree in the long run. These leaves might even promote pollination in Spring.

Like a tree, we mature and grow, we stumble upon circumstances and eventually move to another phase where we let things go. We develop leaves and fruits in the form of people we meet or relationships we cherish or habits we own or even ideals we stood up for. As winter comes, situations in life press on us. Winds and gales blow as hard as they can while we as trees sway and stand firm.

Unnecessary things like leaves are eventually needed to be let go. In my case, I would say it was difficult, but I learned it the hard way finally. These things that we let go become valuable lessons in order for us to face what’s greater ahead. Sure thing is: there is always hope.

Autumn comes where we are stripped naked and "feeling" alone but again, there is always hope: the sight of Spring.

Aaahh!, the hope: the sight of Spring: the anchor to my soul. There is an anchor: the One whom which I could not be swayed or uprooted no matter how harsh the winds may come. This hope and anchor has a name.

His name is Jesus.

To my Future wife,

I’ve come to realize, I’m one step closer to you. This might be one of the many steps but wait for me. I’m excited to see you.

Love,

Gideon, a mighty man of valor.

The Mountains of Bashan Vs the Hill, Mt. Zion Psalms 68.

Mountains of Bashan - boasts for its high and mighty peaks - rich and fruitful mountain beyond Jordan - a mountain "worthy" to be the abode of God in the eyes of man

Mount Zion - a lowly hill compared to Bashan - has greater advantages, and yielded much better spiritual fruits - a mountain where God dwells

I love that our God chooses to dwell not in the unreachable heights of glory overlooking the richest land, but instead dwells where His people can live all around Him: where God can be accessed easily and be worshiped without any restrictions.

God looks for dwelling places. A temple that doesn't speak highly of itself but a holy place that surrenders its life to God. We are the temple.

James 4:6 “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

The Beauty of the Wilderness

There are moments in life when we tend to regret certain decisions. Words are spoken out of frustration, released without reconciliation. The moment you realize you need to mend things, that's the time you end up getting hurt. You realize it's a bit too late. Regrets. Chains. Prison.

You tend to fix things on your own, knowing it's the best thing to do. According to your limited understanding you repair it but end up destroying it more. You cling to that spark of hope which suddenly vanishes on a whim. Ahh~ the flaw of man: trusting his own will above all.

There are times when you are taken to wide valleys, under the heat and dryness of the wilderness. In this experience, what you might see is the lack, what you may see is nothing but pain and the suffering.

HOWEVER, there is beauty in trials. There is beauty in pain. There is beauty in the wilderness. Its greatest beauty is when God reveals Himself in your hurts. It is when you realize that He is also the God in the valleys you are in. It is when we are broken that God mightily comforts and strengthens us~ if you only allow Him.

There is a God who truly cares, who even sent His only Son so that He'll have a deep intimate relationship with you. We might do things on our own but His plans are higher and it is for the best.

Cherish times when you're in the valley. DO NOT miss the oppurtunity to learn. God will always be a God who wants the best for you. He loves you that He's teaching you things in these times but He loves you even more that He doesn't want you to stay there.

Keep on moving forward! He is always with you.

As you might have known, my dad and I were never as close especially last million years ago.. We have our few moments and this might be one of those. Cherished. Priceless.

He might have not gone to most of our graduations since time immemorial but this one is far beyond compare: We get to graduate altogether with my mum and my sister! Ammiel, you better be in next year bro. :D

We graduated not in a course in Science nor a masteral nor a doctorate degree but from a course we'd take and share to others for eternity. Yung tipong hindi ka nag-enrol kasi uso tapos pagkagraduate, bagsak ibang trabaho. haha. Eto, for reals na.

What we graduated from is what we'll do as family, all for God, for eternity.

Bonus nalang yung magmana kay Papa. haha. All glory to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond what we ask or think!

Now we go. Go and make disciples of all nations. Team Jesus.

Dear Beautiful You,

Hi. (Long Awkward Pause) … It’s been quite a while since I last wrote. I might have been sidetracked with the busy life. I had a hectic schedule of finding myself thinking of buts and what ifs. Haha. It seemed an endless contemplation of what I could have done better. Surprisingly, in the end, I found no meaning in it. Took me a long time, but, finally. :)

I confess, I trusted myself and gave every inch of my strength into executing my ways. I said to myself I trusted God but the first thing I did was still to rely on my own. I still leaned on that familiar strength I boasted for ages: My motto of self-dependence. Guess what? I failed. Hahaha. But...

They say our life is found in hills and valleys. Hills pertain to victories and valleys are struggles we need to conquer. I had been on hills but I find myself in valleys at most times. On this note, we cannot stay in valleys forever: we can but we are not designed to dwell in it. We need to move forward. God has something better.

In this recent valley, I learned a lot. My eyes were opened into a deeper sense of the beauty of life, the hope of life: Jesus Himself. I was so self-absorbed that I forgot that there is Someone who truly cares and loves me. It felt that as if I had been carrying much weight but truth is, it’s just vapor to begin with.

Refocusing my eyes to a great and mighty God makes all difficulties seem so small, seem so easy to overcome. All of these, I count it all as loss that I may gain Christ. Surrendering to God (for reals) and breaking out of the cycle of trusting myself makes life meaningful. No longer of self-dependence but of self-denial and God-dependence.. I find it beautiful.

Value lessons you learn in valleys. I have learned to forgive even at times that I feel I’m not obliged to. I have learned to forgive myself and extend this to others in the process. I have learned to love beyond what is required of me to give.. I find it beautiful.

Others would try to tell me to take a break or to seek justice for myself but what’s left for me is to forgive and love. They could tell me I’m a fool but to still show what Jesus has given me is worth living for. Christ showed love beyond all reason, forgiveness beyond compare, I also ought to share this to all, regardless. I can finally give what I have: God's love and compassion.

I find it beaut.., no, VERY beautiful.

There will be more valleys in this journey but I truly now know I am never alone. Together we move forward, together we find life's beauty. ...

Dearest beautiful you, live...

Facebook Entry Dated: December 13, 2016

I missed those times where I could find solitude in traveling in buses. I get to see places I don't usually go to. I get to have a glimpse of the beauty of the lives of people.

On how a passenger would stare into oblivion thinking what to cook for dinner. On how the Pinoy driver would sigh on his routine after a long day's work. On how you'd greet him Merry Christmas, flashing your shiniest smile and getting a smile back in return. As if it's his first time hearing it. It dawned on him: "Pasko na nga pala!" #buhayofw

Facebook entry dated: January 2 at 9:04 am

Facebook Entry Dated: January 3, 2017 at 9:23am

By Your Spirit I will rise from the ashes of defeat. The resurrected King is resurrecting me.

Facebook Entry Dated: January 5, 2017 8:49AM

When my faith gets tired and my hope seems lost You spin me round and round and remind me of that song, The one You wrote for me: And we dance...

And I've been told To pick up my sword And fight for love Little did I know That Love had won for me

Finally ready now To close my eyes and just believe That You won't lead me Where You don't go

And We Dance: Just You and me.

Peter screamed, "Looord, save meeeee!", at the top of his lungs. That's the loudest shriek you could ever hear from a man of a macho bravado. His heart is racing at bullet speed. He could feel the freezing waters trying to swallow him. His feet is beginning to numb as he helplessly squirmed at the vast expanse of the chilling night sea.The more he looked over the massive waves hurled by the strong wind, the more he realized he was sinking.. swiftly.

"This might be the end of me!", he thought. His clothes are now starting to get drenched in water as the waves of the sea violently tossed to and fro before his eyes. Waves then attempt to open its mouth up and consume him at one gulp.The wind that night was menacing. The sea tried to devour him whole.

--

Hours before, Peter and the men he calls family were sailing in the middle of the sea. They left for the waters as their Master instructed them to do so, away from the crowds they fed. The wind started to blow, signaling an upcoming storm. The sea then attempted to rock their boat as if wanting to put them to sleep. A violent lullaby.

"It is I."

That night, as the boat was going against the tall waves, the men yelped in terror. Their fear of meeting a storm soon was fueled more by a supernatural encounter. Unexplained by human logic,they saw a figure over the horizon, walking on the waters, walking towards them.

Moments later, their Master didn't hesitate to introduce, silencing their growing fear. The men moved on to another state, from fear to a state of unbelief. "How?!"

"You of little faith."

Peter found himself walking on the water. His master called him out of the boat as he bravely volunteered to do the unexplainable. A miracle. His ancestors walked across a divided sea in the time of Moses and the prophets, but not on it. He might have been the first, apart from his Teacher. He is thrilled. He looked over the sight of his Master, full of faith, His arms extended. "Come". First step, second step, third..

Five loaves of bread and two fish equals five thousand plus. After the feeding the 5,000, Peter is experiencing yet another breakthrough. Miracle after miracle he witnessed these sights. But, he started to sink.

Immediately, a hand reached out for him. "Why did you doubt?"

__

Which is greater, the coin smaller than what your pocket could hold or the sun that could light an entire planet?

Which is greater, your problems smaller than what you are able to overcome thru Christ or Jesus who cradles the stars?

The choice is where you cast your sight upon. Even a coin can block the sun.

September Graffiti Celebration Promos Part 2

September Graffiti Celebration Promos Part 1

Your name may not appear down here In this world’s Hall of Fame. In fact, you may be so unknown That no one knows your name;

The Oscars & Youtube may never come your way But don't forget God has rewards that He'll hand out some day.

This crowd on earth they soon forget When you're not at the top. They cheer like mad until you fall and then their praise will stop.

But God does not forget And in God’s Hall of Fame By just believing on His Son, forever there's your name.

I tell you, friend, I wouldn’t trade My name, however small, That’s written there beyond the stars In that Celestial Hall,

For all famous name on earth, Or glory that it shares; I’d rather be an unknown here And have my name up there.

Words from the poem “God’s Hall of Fame” by Wall Huntley

Dear Qatar, 

You still have a lot of places I haven’t laid eyes upon.