033124

The Joy within me is a flowing river
And I can’t deny the Source.

If I die young —
I’m sure He’ll remember me…
And every anthem of my soul
Shall weave the letters to portray His love.

I consider myself a dust —
One day, I’ll leave this shell
One day, I’m no longer a vessel
But a dust without His breath.

He holds the future I have never imagined,
My plans will always fail without Him
And I know that.
But my faith, it’s unending —
By grace, I shall live…

For today, I’m a vessel of His love,
Tomorrow, I’ll die too
I’ll die and be forgotten
But I hope they remember —
That Jesus lived within me
And that what matters the most
Then my purpose was done.

You found beauty in ashes
Out of nothing, You create
Dust no longer is lifeless
In Your breath is existence.

You're the Potter, I'm the clay
Mold me, life You declare.

Heaven is in Your presence
Death steals but You save
With all the love, You create
Rescued us, grant us as heirs --
We are Yours forever.

02042021

Write —
As if the sky wasn't blue
And every day
Is as upside down as the next.

Write —
In colors,
Then write
In black and white.

Write —
Because you can;
It’s your freedom.

Write novels that span pages upon pages Bound together by leather
Or some short words.

Young Christians* crave for *experience
But matured ones became *expectators

"It is not my agenda that matters; it is God's."
- **XL

My hands were stretched horizontally
There were no waves
But the water runs fast
I'm about to sink.

My hands reached the Sky
"I'm gonna reach You,"
I told the Heaven and I was heard.

For a moment,
I felt the land moves upward
Of course, including me.

As I look at my feet,
I wonder,
"How come?"
The ocean has reached me
That fast, I was about to be drowned.

060821

Namuo ang mga luhang walang awat na nagpararamdam,
At sa kabila ng paghilot sa katauha'y
Daragsa ang hindi maintindihang elementong bumabalot sa liwanag.

Una,
Nasilayan ko ang larawan ng mag-inang minsang naging kabahgi ng akingnakaraan,
Kung saan naging bukas ang kanilang pintuan
Para sa mga kung anu-anong okasyon,
Mga pagpupulong na wala sa usapan,
Mga tawanang walang kabuluhan.

Ipinagkait ng pagkakataon ang paalam
Na sana man lamang ay naging harap-harapan.
At ang paalam na ito'y hindi malaman
Kung kailan ang simula at katapusan.

Pangalawa,
Sa pagitan ng pag-aaral at paghahanapbuhay
Ay namuti ang pangarap na lisanin ang kinasanayan.
Ngunit sa mismong araw ng kanyang paglilitis
Ay iba na pala ang nasa linya't nagbitaw ng mga salitang,
"Wala na sya."

Kinitil ang pangarap ng tadhana
At tuluyang naglaho ang alaala ng kanyang katauhan.

Pangatlo,
Sa apat na sulok ng pag-uusig
Ay naging bukas ang pagsalasat ng katotohanan buhat sa magkabilang panig.
Ang kanilang mga hain ay higit pa sa poot
Na may panghuhusgang bitbit at sigaw sa pula at sa puti.

Naubusan sila ng mga salita at nagtapos sa paghihiwalay
Ang kanilang mga ngitian at halakhakan,
At ang minsang pagbubunyi ay naging palitan
Ng liham ng paalam at katapusan.

Pang-apat,
Sa pagpunit ng bawat pahina ng kalendaryo
Ay nagwakas na rin ang kanilang pagkikita
Ang lihim ay idineklara't nagpaubaya na lamang sa Langit
Ang dalamhating tugon sa pag-ibig
Na sana'y may bukas at makalawa pa.

050224

In the palms of Time,
She hears the thumping of her longing heart.
She, who loves to knit her own white dress
And her well-braided hair with dewy flowers
Became her crowning glory.

She waits with her head lifted to the Sky,
She waits knowing that He remembers her name.
And every single day, she writes her own story
And these stories are not all good
But these pages built her soul —
Found and nurtured by her Lover’s deep affection.

The Sun has left the curtains in the skies —
And her Groom kept His promise to her…
He returned… Oh yes, the Groom has come!
He has finally come!

And He wiped her tears before it fall
For the bride was meant to live
more than a lifetime
And to spend eternity with her Lover
Who gave her vows…
Her Covenant Maker, her Promise Keeper!

They will dance in the courts of Heaven
Where darkness cannot enter
And where death has no power.

The most awaited feast indeed
Was granted before their eyes
All the witnesses will enter
The rest they all have been longing for.

The bride was dancing
With so much praise in her lips.
She shouted and leaped for joy!
And it was overflowing!

And that’s the last dance she’s been waiting for
The only dance her soul searched for years.
She loved Him that’s why she waited
But He loved her first —
Her waiting was worth it!

020123

Even the oceans welcome me
To be drowned in the depths of Your majesty.
You are the King of Peace, the Lord of lords
And you don’t just sit down
In my mind palace
But you dwell in my innermost being…

I breathe as my lungs dry out
I have no words to utter…
No thoughts to ponder…
But every bit of me
Is like puzzle pieces
Of your masterpiece within me.

When I do good, I recognize it is Your heart
And it isn’t all about me…
My life is not my own…
Every trial makes me human
But Faith turns me back to You —
To surrender in the Ocean’s infinite…
And see that Your way is the best…
Because it always points out to You!

The peace you leave in my heart
Like a tattoo that reminds me of who You are,
And Your Words are not empty…
It is life for those who find it…
The only hope that we can ever boast.

The pain, the loss, the disappointments
I can’t count one by one
But just one word from you
Is enough to bounce me back…
In You, I found my identity
For I know You call me Your “beloved.”

The victories, the joy, the peace
Everything good
Makes Your Name claim its place
A place of Your throne, a place of Your own…
You make a home within me —
Not a tenement, but a temple.

All things depict Your glory
And even the darkness loses its power.
The dead air and the crispy sounds of every fallen leaf…
The melody of hope ignites
As the fire turned to blue…
I am nothing without You,
And I can’t do anything without You…
Bury me in Your arms, Lord…

Where I escape —
All that is real.

On both sides of the water,
Strange shadows meet
To greet the ****** yet hiding moonlight,
I reflect unknown,
Thrown in the waves,
The water never gives up,
It just takes.

As it flows
With painful motion,
As I run down,
Carrying my sorrows
As all I have,
I run to my Lover:
The dearest Solitude.

"If we claim to live with Jesus, we must walk the way Jesus did."*
- **XL

022524

Everyone holds their own containers
And the Day 1 of your life
Will make your cup overflowing —
You will be so, so full of life.

But when the Time comes
And the Overseer checks what’s in your hands…
Will He be pleased that you left nothing for yourself?
Or be dismayed coz you’re still full of yourself?

How will you measure yourself?
What is your standard?
Will you pass the testing?
Will you pass the fire and be the purest gold?

092020

Faith isn't about competition,
We don't run this race to compare one's self to one another,
We don't run and bump each other.
We're not to offend those who fall and backslide,
We don't condemn people as the Spirit brings conviction.

But instead, we give a hand to the lost,
We should be building up each other
Instead of tearing each other down.

We run from the very beginning
'Coz we know what kind of battle we're facing,
And it's a battle against ourselves --
A battle with our own flesh
That will also soon die
And shall return into dust.

We live by grace
And we don't need to pretend we've never lied,
For in this world, everything is permissible
But not everything is beneficial.
So we choose our battle wisely,
We aim the target of not falling away
And remaining in what we've started --
Remaining in faith.

We fall and we rise;
But we are forgiven,
We are in Christ.
So we should no longer live in sin,
For sin has no hold on us
When Jesus becomes enough for us.

And like Jesus whose eyes are fixed on the Father,
We challenge ourselves each day,
To live a life with purpose,
With meaning and with hope --
That one day, we'll also rise
As we always proclaim by faith;
We'll also rise as Jesus did!
Glory and honor and power to the One who we're exalting!

A child was born
And he was crying
Until he heard the voice of her Mama
It was a breath that beats like his.
And for the very first time,
He looked into someone's eyes.

On the other side,
The boy heard a husky voice
With a low tone and suddenly,
It was a voice of an expert.

A loving yet not so tender like the first one.
The boy gazed at him
As he carries him
It's as if he's facing his likeness
And it's kinda weird
Having some hair on some areas of his face –
It was the first time he saw that.

012922

Everywhere is a trap
Rages of fire against me,
Taunting me and haunting me,
Everywhere I go,
Enemies surround me.

I look up at the Sky
For it’s the only place I can hide.
I look up with my heart out,
With this heavy feeling, I surrender.

Invisible in my eyes
And yet I continue to believe
And I won’t stop believing
That my God will rescue me.

My soul may be devoured for now
But I will be set free
Their bows they will let go,
Their arrows will not touch me.

The threats they speak against us
Are made known to my Master
I will never back down
Because my God is with me.

0919

I looked up at the mountains
And saw it was the same
When I expect it to move,
Wasn't it faith that should've moved it?

One day, I strolled again
And I was sad —
"For it's all the same,"
From the beginning of times
To the end of my eyes,
I keep asking myself,
"How long shall I wait?"

And then I heard a Voice like thunder,
"Move again!"
But that Voice became a whisper
As I yearn to listen for more.

So there, I ran over
I was searching for that small Voice —
Searching for its Source
Until I was caught off guard!
I was silenced
With how little things and even the simplest things
Have the greatest value
More than a lifetime!

As I opened my eyes,
It was a sea of clouds!
And I have never seen this even once!
I was mesmerized by Its radiance
The black thick sky was gone —
And it's as if I was about to lose my sight,
"It's a Hidden Glory!"

Even in my heart, my reasoning was ceased
With a moment of silence,
I know it was that Voice —
That same Voice from the very beginning
And it was Him who brought me here.

At times, I worry too much
With how the mountains will move —
Even with the time of the falling of the leaves.
Should I tell it to move?
Should I tell the birds to stop chirping?
Or should I be the one?
To move forward instead?

So here's the thing is:
A simple thing that will put everything aside
And will focus you on the Greatest upon the greats.
For while you seek that Voice,
You'll learn to stick with grace
Which is out of this world
And it will just unfold before you.

And your heart shall be stilled
With why most of the time
You need not actually understand everything —
And you're never required to worry.
You need to stop asking for answers
Even in the toughest circumstances.

This time, you are invited to rest in His love:
You are commanded to pursue!
You are enabled to walk!
You are anointed to speak!
You'll know when the time is right!
For the Spirit is there!
The Spirit is here!
The Spirit is your guide!

Who then shall bring down your walls?
Who shall stop you from declaring?
If you are commanded to prophesy...
God will light up even the darkest nights —
And yes, in that mountain; in those mountains,
You're gonna create an altar for God!
Coz every mountain is a mountain of God!
He shall deliver to you!
He is now delivering to you!!

And may it never be the same for you —
Your life shall never be the same
As you'll have that Encounter.

I tell you —
There are truths that this world does not know
And there are things you thought of as "truth".
But with that genuine heart and desperate cry,
You'll find out soon
What your soul is really searching for!