The Strength of God

Most of us live in a nation that is not at war. And though some nations may be at war with other nations, or perhaps experiencing civil war in some areas, the rest of us who are far away from the actual battlegrounds hardly feel the turmoil and danger of battle.

I love reading the book of Psalms. I love King David. I want to be like him. A huge part of his life was lived in the tension of battle. We live in a time when most countries have agreed to the primacy of maintaining peace. Thus we have the United Nations. We have international laws that promote peace and international amity. And this is all good.

Glory-Wed

Reposted from Wordpress

“what is yours is mine, and mine is yours, please say yes…will you cling to me?” — Please Say Yes, Misty Edwards

As I listened to this song, the things I have been longing for past years came flashing in my mind. A scene of me preaching the Gospel to few and many, miracles at every instance that we ask for them, the conviction of the Holy Spirit falling upon men and women and youth, souls radically delivered, lives saved from emptiness and turned to God. I saw a season so heavenly and powerful, where each believer is so filled the Spirit of God that fear has no hold of them and they preach Jesus at every opportunity, where doubts have no place in their hearts and miracles come at every instance of faith-filled prayer. And the Spirit of God is not boxed or held back by callousness or unbelief, but invades wherever, whenever…
 
And it was like Jesus is saying, if you give me everything you own, you will have access to everything I have. If you want it, come and take it. If we will have a divine exchange, your rags for my glory, are you willing? And it felt as though my Bridegroom has long been waiting for the answer to his wedding proposal. And even as I have so many times said ‘yes,’ he is still waiting for the marriage to be consummated in a complete giving in, a total surrender of my possessions and all that I hold dear, an offering of all my treasures.

It is like that moment when the newly-wed bride in the movie Intolerable Cruelties, rips the pre-nuptial contract into pieces. There comes a shattering of the walls of distrust, the barricade that spells ‘you cannot cross this line and touch these treasured possessions” is suddenly melted by the compelling invitation to be one, to be fragile in his arms, to hold nothing else dear, except His embrace.
What is mine is His, finally. so small a sacrifice. At that moment, the damn of His glory breaks and takes me into its relentless tide. This is Him sharing to me what is His. His glory, and more.

Religion, Indifference and Intimacy

at Magellan's Cross, Apr 2010

Seven months ago, I walked the city where Catholicism first docked, where venerating an image of Jesus was first introduced, and where a deep and widespread culture of religious practices and traditions had started some 490 years ago. Cebu City, the heart of the nation I fiercely love. They say that it is with the heart that we worship God. Thus, Cebu has become associated with worship. And what a man worships, he ultimately becomes. This statement is both amazing and terrifying to ponder on.

Today, I walk a city where landmarks are not limited to tourist hotels, spots with relaxing views of the sea, crab platter, satti and knickerbucker (local fruit salad) food joints -- but public establishments where bombs have exploded, fire had erupted, or where innocent people have been massacred. It is not the violence that scares me though, but the acceptance and indifference that have grown towards the things that normally should grieve the heart.

I love Blogger Stats!

Hi all! Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what to do with this blog. I am so thrilled by blogger's new improved features and it's I find the Statistics page very informative and interesting. I simply love seeing where the hits are coming from. And also the easy-to-learn template features. I love how it's so easy to post videos from youtube as widgets, change layouts, change backgrounds, etc.

But I've gotten so used to my wordpress blog already >> doubtproof.wordpress.com << that I'm having difficulty transferring here. But the funny thing is that although I don't update this blog regularly, and I update my wordpress blog 0-3 times a day (low days have 0 posts, average days have at least 1 post), the hits on this blog has caught up with the hits on my wordpress. Well at least almost. Like 90% catching up and quickly increasing. But then again those hits may be accidental hits and will not really convert into regular readers or subscribers. So there there... But since I'm not really into blogging as a profession or 'career.' It's just a hobby, I try not to think about it too much right now. Got other things to do ya know... :)

But yes, gee thanks for dropping by. I love visitors! ;)

So Loved

 

 

Jacob ‘so loved’ Benjamin that he would die of grief should this youngest son’s life be taken from him. He also ‘so loved’ Joseph that from the time Joseph disappeared and had been assumed dead, Jacob never stopped grieving their separation.
After Joseph disappeared:

He mourned deeply for his son for a long time. ³⁵ His family all tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “I will go to my grave mourning for my son,” he would say, and then he would weep. Genesis 37:34-35, NLT

Judah speaks about ‘the boy’ Benjamin:

“And now, my lord, I cannot go back to my father without the boy. Our father’s life is bound up in the boy’s life. ³¹ If he sees that the boy is not with us, our father will die. We, your servants, will indeed be responsible for sending that grieving, white-haired man to his grave…” Genesis 44:30-31, NLT (emphasis mine)

I could not help but weep after reading this last passage about Jacob’s affections for Benjamin. His life was bound up in the boy’s life, the Scripture said, that he believed he would die should he lose his son! How closely knit to a son could a father get? Certainly not closer than Jacob was to Benjamin! What tenderness and fragility in an old man’s heart! He must have adored the kid and every moment of it’s life that the thought of losing him would mean being ripped apart.

That moment, Father God came speaking to me with the same tenderness of Jacob’s heart. I love my Son this way. I love each and every son I have this way. I love each and every daughter I have created, this way. Do you understand it now Riz?


I literally sobbed feeling the intensity of God’s pain and affection, the longing of my Abba Father, to redeem his lost children, blinded by sin, unaware of a love so unconditional and tender. If you want to preach the Gospel Riza, do understand this. Do you now understand?
For the first time in my life, I think I finally began to understand. For a moment I stopped weeping and wiped my tears, then I wept again, stopped, then wept again. It felt as though God would want to reveal more but my tiny heart felt like it could no longer contain the intense passion of His pure love for His children.

O God I want to understand more, but my heart seemed so full of other things. Help me make room for more of You in my heart. Help me make room for the souls you want to save.

¹⁶“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16, NIV (emphasis mine)

My love it satisfies, my blood it gives you life. My mercy far outweighs your need. My justice never fails. My faithfulness prevails. My strength is poured out for the weak. There is a river… that never runs dry… My cup runneth over, the wellspring of life, oh it satisfies! — Wellspring by Audra Lynn

Light the Candlesticks, My Priest

by Obed dela Cruz

Strength is frail when darkness wraps the mortal frame of clay
And keeps the dream far away from thoughts of the serene.
Let this spark fail not anymore to shine like the day
And show the broken the fields of roses and the green.
Light the Candlesticks, my Priest.

They found no more pleasure when barrels of wine went dry,
Nothing left to fill empty cups of silver and gold.
Lost in their desires, they go to the streets with a cry,
The unending wail of men for heat over the cold.
Light the Candlesticks, my Priest.

And they rush towards the wedding with their lamps and oil.
Patiently they waited for their time to celebrate.
But when they fell asleep at the bosom of cursed soil,
Their blaze of passion turned cold and they learned it too late.
Light the Candlesticks, my Priest.

Worldly days are glowing dim, surrendered to the night;
Cold and silent in the absence of all the whispers,
But my heart is yearning more than tales of shining light,
It yearns warmth and hope that can answer all the prayers.
Light the Candlesticks, my Priest.

http://www.poemhunter.com/obed-dela-cruz
http://www.poetfreak.com/poet/ObedDelaCruz
http://obed-dela-cruz.blogspot.com/
http://princeobed.multiply.com/
Copyright © 2010 by Prince Obed de la Cruz
(October 25, 2010; Marikina City)
(This poem is written by PRINCE OBED de la CRUZ. To use it in a proper manner, please email him at princeobed_dc@yahoo.com)
---
I'm so proud to say I know the guy who wrote this poem. Go Obed, stay inspired and in love with God. :)

wanted: recklessness

I thought I’d browse through wordpress tonight. I keyed in these words: Christian, Jesus Revolution. I stumbled upon a blog entry (Give Me Scotland) that quoted these striking words. Just wanna share:

What is, therefore our task today? Shall I answer: ‘faith, hope, and love?’ that sounds beautiful. But I would say—courage. No, even that is not challenging enough to be the whole truth. Our task today is recklessness. For what we Christians lack is not psychology or literature…we lack…the recklessness which comes from the knowledge of God and humanity. To rage against complacency. To restlessly seek to change human history until it conforms to the norms of the kingdom of God. And remember the signs of the Christian church have been the Lion, the Lamb, the Dove, and the Fish…but never the chameleon.

Laughter

Abraham’s faith, I think, is an awesome thing. But for Sarah, the promise — although spoken by God Himself, the un-created of the universe — could not but cause her to laugh silently, literally questioning the possibility of God’s promise being fulfilled and at the same time knowing that she cannot blatantly confess her doubt because she would be showing disrespect to the Almighty God.

So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master — my husband– is also so old?” – Genesis 18:12, NLT

Many times we are like this, we think we understand that God is God, that He is Yahweh, that all things are possible with Him. We think we understand. But beneath our breathe, we are laughing silently or even unconsciously. We have the appearance of faith but inwardly we are losing our grip on God-dependence.

Sarah was afraid, so she denied it, saying, “I didn’t laugh.”

But the Lord said, “No, you did laugh.” – Genesis 18:14b, NLT

But take heart, God did not give up on Sarah! For exactly a year after she laughed, she laughed again. This time, an inward shift had changed the laughter that flows from her belly because after more than a decade of waiting, God had finally given her the promised son.

“God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me.” Genesis 21:6

This is Sarah saying, how could I have doubted God? Who would have thought this were possible? But God is God and I now understand that He is able. Until now, I did not understand. But by His grace, I see that He does love me enough to cause this miracle in my life.

But how much better it would be if we would just choose to have faith like Abraham? I am reminded of Jesus’ words to Thomas, “blessed are those who have not seen but believed” and the Bible’s words about Abraham, “Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.” (Genesis 15:6)

Because as Jason Upton’s song puts it, “When the time comes, I will be the one asking why… Why did I ever doubt You?” (When the Time Comes)

For more blog entries, check my regularly updated blog: doubtproof.wordpress.com

Your Great 'What If'

Tonight, my music video hopping has led me back to some Jon Mclaughlin poetry while listening to (and eventually reading) his song Indiana. I love this kind of poetry and music that takes you to places in your heart that straightforward words otherwise would not have been able to. We all have our Indianas. Are you still holding on to yours? What is your great 'what if' in life? We will all face battles. I just hope it is not the battle to convince ourselves that we are going to lose, even before we have tried to fight the war.

So it's probably best I stay in Indiana
Just dreaming of the world as it should be
Where every day is a battle to convince myself
I'm glad she never fell in love with me --- Indiana

Indiana Lyrics by Jon McLaughlin

The Violence of Affection-based Obedience

Note: Phrases in italics are quotes from the podcast message.

I am thinking we must put teeth to our PASSION.

As I write this blog, a myriad of things are running amok in my mind and heart. I hope I get them organized enough to be able to write something with sense. I have just listened to a highly intense and stirring podcast message from www.ibethelmedia.org 's Kris Vallontton >> Babies Are Dying To Come Out. It is basically an exhortation exposing the philosophical and spiritual roots of abortion but it also tackles in it's intro the role of the Church in advancing God's Kingdom, how we cannot and must not accept the mediocre plight of simply being "church goers" but rather we must be Kingdom advance-rs.

There is a shift that is happening and it's a shift that we must advocate, that of shifting from coming to church to being the Church. To some of you, it might sound familiar but unfortunately, to others, it's absolutely new. That is why we who have come to an understanding of this must not take lightly the task of shaking up the rest of us for us to sober up to this reality.

You will know how close you are to the palace by how you respond to injustice! I think it is not just for me but for a handful of us (more specifically those people who, like me, have shared in the revelation of Affection-based Obedience by listening to an audio preaching we have been passing around online). God has been intensifying and establishing the right concept and even theology of Agape or God's unconditional love. We are being stirred up, gunned down, all-wrecked by an Encounter with the pure Love that casts out fear. A response seems but imperative.

Stoked4Life: The Extreme Gene

Stoked4Life: The Extreme Gene: "In 2007 a student named Eric Peabody from the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo wrote an interesting article about th..."

The Heart's Rebuke

And she did it again! For the third time I think, I got stood up! Well, maybe not exactly but almost. The difference between now and before is that I checked if we're pushing through with the meeting, an hour before our schedule. No, we weren't. I was just about to hit the grocery for a few food items to serve them. Good thing I asked.

What was so frustrating about today is the fact that I excused myself from an urgent work appointment just to make time for this. I was supposed to interview a company CEO for a feature article I'm writing as a freelancer. It was an urgent task supposed to be submitted tomorrow together with the other articles for the publication but since it requires more time to prepare, it was exempted from the deadline.

Well, my young friend doesn't seem to have an idea how terrible what she did was. It was as though she thinks it's normal.

a fragment of the glory-ride

If God were into seasonal trends, then His trend in my life during the past five months always involved two things: travel and divine appointment/s. First was in Cotabato, then Bangkok, then Cebu, then Cebu again (in the same month), then Baguio. For two of these five trips (Cotabato and Cebu), I had to take a step of faith, but not without a clear and strong sense of direct leading from the Lord, which was proven by the amazing fruits those trips brought... Read more

A Vote for the Children

I'd usually avoid looking into their eyes after they place a recycled enveloped on my lap. Sometimes, I wouldn't even touch the envelope as I uncomfortably wait for them to get back for it after putting one on each jeepney passenger's lap. But always, I will not put anything inside. They must also feel shame and discomfort as I would, shame for begging. There are very few jobs that are more shameful than this. [Although their's is an evolved form of mendicancy, marked by a little more push by means of approaching their 'target' instead of waiting for them to pass by and drop a coin. Probably because the latter has lost its effectiveness. And the desperate time requires desperate measures. Truly, in this competitive age, you have to know how to make your 'product' more accessible to people.] Read more

His joy is my strength: sick tourist finds God's grace in Bangkok

I just got back form Bangkok yesterday after almost exactly 72 hours in the city (oops, minus our half-day trip to Damnoen Saduak outside town). But yes, it was 72 hours in Thailand....

More than a week before our departure, I had already been suffering from a come-and-go sore throat that has developed into a cough right before we flew out of Manila. I had also been struggling with stressful conflicts in my schedules here in Manila with the regular mini Bible studies always being canceled... Read more

Necklaces from Bangkok - for sale...

Link

Lou Engle on Voting

Hi all, these are some notes I took from watching the video Lou Engle's preaching during the One Thing Conference at IHOP. Unfortunately, I can't find the link anymore. I'm trying to look it up though at the ihop.org site Resources section. (read more)

NEW BLOG ADDRESS!

GUYS I'VE MOVED TO doubtproof.wordpress.com. Please visit me there! Thanks!!!

ako ay pilipino joins severo, salamin & rinka collective in 4-legged tour!

February 12 Saguijo
March 5 6 Underground
March 13 Mag:Net High Street
March 19 Ten02

me without you

there are more tears than words
more grief than tears
at the loss of right intentions
and the motivation to love
because love means sacrifice
so my pain is as real as my selfishness
and my not-letting-go

one hundred per cent

one time i posted this as my facebook status: 100% yours. "yours" meaning God's. minutes after my status post, another friend of mine posted a similar status: 100% Yours too. yes, he opted to capitalize the first letter of the word "yours" to remove any obscurity. I have to admit, it made me laugh. I think that statement had some pretty cool impact because another friend of mine wanted to design a shirt using those words. everybody wants to be 100% huh?

i remember the first time i used that phrase. it was while praying on the stage during a JREV night. i was on my knees and i shouted those words on the microphone. "100% Yours God! we are 100% yours." and just like any prayer or statement we make (especially the ones we utter on the microphone, or before a great public for that matter), it is bound to be tested. for months now, God has been testing that profession of love. and just when i thought i was passing the test and the intensity of the fire is already about to cool down, i found myself mistaken. just yesterday, i realized that at the root of a stubble i've been going through is an un-surrendered right.

oh yes, i am not the kind of gal who will hold back anything from my Jesus. but just when i thought that i was running with 100%, my God exposes me, and shows me that there is something that has been gripping my heart with self-centeredness.

every time i am brought to a place like this one, a place of realization and wooing (being wooed by God), i remember God's words to his beloved people Israel, "your love is like the morning dew, it quickly disappears." how my 100 per cent has leaked out so rapidly is a mystery to me. i have guarded my heart, i have been careful, i have loved crazy. but my heart is ever unequipped to match the rigorous and radical love of a Savior who does not squint even in front of death. and yes, i am satisfied to admit that my heart, every now and then, needs re-calibration and refocusing. daily it needs to offer a sacrifice to keep that fire burning. daily it has to die.

so this is my 100%. a life embracing that my weakness proves his strength. a humbled heart accepting that my unfaithfulness ever proves his. and will that is broken for the sake of surrendering every part until i am truly 100% my Jesus'.

mustard seed

dear daddy king,

it's been a while since i wrote you a note. but you know we always talk. i know that you KNOW how i feel right now. things are not as bad as before but my love for Jesus is being tested more than ever. my head already knows so much better. my hands and will are so much stronger. my heart is more discerning and desiring of things that are good for me. but the cost of obedience seem to have gone up and i find myself (once again) rummaging for something stronger than my own convictions and vows. i find myself searching where to download that faith of my very own daddy king, the faith that moves mountains. there must be more.

your riza

One Great Love

(note: it's an ultra long blog i know. but to those who will dare read it, please do not be misled by the cheesy intro. do finish this entry before dismissing or judging it. and please do not quote me out of context. thank you very much and happy blessed 2010!)

One Great Love

Is there such a thing? For as long as I can remember, I have dreamt of finding mine. Someone whose eyes I can look into without saying a thing and yet find myself fully known. Fully understood. Wholly accepted. Made whole.

(I now find myself smiling as I write these words.)

Is there such a "one" for me that was made in heaven, crafted by the hands of the Divine, and soon to be carried to my doorstep by angels blushing in excitement? Alright alright… maybe that sounds like a bit too fantastic. But for 'hopeful romantics' like some of us, we do perceive that our love-story-to-be will be nothing less than serendipitous and heaven-crafted. God sent.

bible and coffee before the ice show

turning away from beauty

this is the closest i have stood to embodiment
and the clearest view i have been given
of a dream, so sweet and pleasant
this is almost as real as happy ending
and i do not want to leave this place

this must be God's kindness
God's imagination unleashed for me to touch
this must be heaven
or a foretaste of it
this must be...