trust

i am face to face

with eyes that beam like first glimpse of light

in an otherwise dark night

i am cheek to cheek

with warmth that lingers

in an otherwise freezing midnight

i have almost bumped into my dream

that ends the endless imagining

i am gripped with sweetness that longs to believe

that this is already the answer to my prayer

but beyond the bend

in this solid and finite path

the light has yet to shine

and my eyes yet to blink thousands in pleasant disbelief

as they alight on whatever sight that side of the world holds

yes, my guide says whatever this is that touches my face

that warms my cheeks, or teases my longings

are only foretastes of what i simply cannot miss

Jesus Revolution Mindanao

http://bernicejoana.blogspot.com/2009/12/jesus-revolution-mindanao_26.html?spref=tw

servant to lover

what happens after "kilig" moments? the days or months when we couldn't agree with God more and we do love the things He is telling us? what happens after the morning dew has disappeared and we are left with ourselves, God's word and God Himself?

the servant in us would say, "i will still follow. i will still obey." but how far would sheer will take us? the answer is,  not very far. soon we realize that our flesh and soul are crying out for some kind of reward. on our own, we cannot really love and obey God could we? our most zealous moments, we come to realize, are actually fruits of the grace of God, manifestations of His love bubbling from inside us. it was not really "us" who were zealous, but God's Spirit that resides in us. but upon entering our valley, we come face to face with our selfish ambitions, our weakness, our stubbornness… yes, we still love God, but we must soon realize that we cannot really love God 'on our own.' we cannot really boast of our capacity to love Him! because even that capacity comes from him. so when the mountain peak begins to slope downward to lead us into the valley, we must remember to CLING to Him more tightly than ever.

rabbi

"Teacher! Teacher!" Do you remember the last time you shouted this word with excitement? You were pleading for attention wanting to be given a chance to recite, or needing to be coached in a project or academic ordeal. "Teacher..." Some of us may not have had good memories of him or her. I, for one, was never really the type of student who would develop a close relationship with my teacher. Whether in academics or sports, I was never the "querying type" who would ask for help or assistance. Why I am that way is a another story though. But I am grateful to God for the opportunities I had to be taught and encouraged by my figure skating coaches...

Setting aside the encouraging words (which are by the way very valuable as well), what God reminds me with sweetness and joy today are those moments when my coach had explained to me patiently and carefully how to do a jump, a particular spin, or dance step. I remember his clear and firm words describing and detailing technique and strategy in figure skating maneuvers. He would use analogies, physics, actual demonstrations, teaching aids like markings on the ice, the harness, a string, a dumbell, a paper illustration or what you have, just to be able to impart to me knowledge and the closest possible thing to experience... in order for me to learn and succeed in the sport. Oh yeah, if not for his patience and creativity, many things I can do not would not have been possible for me to do.

Peace (Only) in the Inconvenient

in some cases, one may call it impractical, or unwise, but in this particular case, i would call it DIS-obedience. and if this personal revelation would also be for most of my readers, then God must be calling you (as he has also called me) to recognize the fact that this is not the time to wait for CONVENIENT circumstances to come before we actually start doing the things he has impressed in our hearts.

i sense an intensified call to OBEDIENCE of a more radical kind, the one that makes people wonder why we're doing "this." and now that it occurred to me, isn't that that this is really the kind of obedience that CHANGES communities and nations? Acts of obedience that rock the boat, acts of sacrifice that make the world begin to question their level of commitment, ventures into the inconvenient that make even the fiery, question their passion. because if we do not allow our lives to be shaken, how can we shake the world?

Faith and Unsurpassed Intimacy

It was June 18 when I asked God for a word. A series of events led to it. My NBSB friend suddenly resigns from her post as NBSB club president, another close friend receives a prophetic vision about her friends (which includes me), and God seemed to be up to something that season. I had to pray. I did not wanna miss out on what God has. I prayed hard.

"What is your word for me God? Is this the season or not?" I knew in my heart that I want nothing less than what God wants. Even if it means laying down things dear to me at that time - not exactly a pleasant thought.

letter from mike bickle and lou engle

(i really wanna go. who wants to join?)

from http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=408033866&blogId=519818699

"Dear Friend,

http://www.ihop.org/Publisher/Article.aspx?ID=1000058463

We stand at a critical juncture in our nation's history. It is time to encounter God and to take action. The Holy Spirit is visiting His people with power. At the same time, the powers of darkness are raging against the moral fabric of our nation. The light is getting brighter as the darkness gets darker.

Many of you will have heard of the spiritual awakening at our Bible school. On Wednesday, November 11, the Spirit fell on a class for more than 15 hours. The word spread quickly and over 2,000 people spontaneously gathered in the auditorium from all over Kansas City, as deliverance and physical healings continued to increase. We canceled our classes for the next week so that each one of our 1,000 students and interns could receive from the Spirit in an extended way.

ALTAR

when dreams of waterfalls
turn into mountain slopes that crumble
it makes me ask again
why am i here in the first place?

speak

say it in words that i understand
not in codes, signals, or gestures
i know they mean much to you
but when they reach me
they leave me with nothing but questions