Mom, My Dearest

I love you, mom. Though I may not show it much, I really do. Though I may be stubborn at times, that doesn’t mean my honor and respect for you grows down. It never will. Though you may do you your silly dances, that won’t ever make me like you less. Though I may not be there when you need me to help you with the groceries, you still buy more than enough for us even if you have a hard time carrying it home. Don’t worry, Ma. Your groceries never go to waste with this tummy of mine and your other always hungry daughter. Thank you for assuring I’m already awake after my alarm goes off the nth time. Because if you don’t, we both know I’ll be running late. Thank you for always reminding to unplug the appliances every time and everyday. Because if you don’t, our house must have burned down already and the electricity bill must have gone up to a million. Thank you for every little thing that you’ve said and will say, done and will do. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be the person and daughter I’d be today. Happy Mother’s day!

How I Met My Father

Bible school application requrement:

We were of different faith the first time I stepped foot in New Life. That was almost 8 years ago. My mom dragged the whole family to attend a very peculiar mass. That’s what I knew how to call it back then. The songs were too loud. The message was too long. The people were weird. I saw every detail as remotely perverse. My first comment was, “I’m never going back here again.” But a child can never say no to a yielding mother. I was there the following week. I still thought the same. Then the next, and then the next, and then the next.

One Sunday, I started to get the hang of it. The words the pastor shared went through my ear and it sunk in my heart. As they began the altar call, I felt a tug in my heart. I never really took my step forward but I did pray “the prayer”. From then on, I knew. I knew that I’d be coming back to church with my head held high and I wouldn’t complain. In time, things started to appear brighter and brighter. At the age of 10, I became my school’s worship leader. Then I volunteered to sing in Generation Uprising. From then on, God began promoting and rooting in more and more for me.

At my age, God has already given me much. What more could I grasp in the future if I follow His entire will for my life? Who knows, right? Let God be God and let Him be throughout my God-journey. To God be the glory!

-Jem D.

Adrenaline Rush

LIFE CONFERENCE 2011: GET REAL

One week to go.

Worship. Worship. Worship.

Word. Word. Word.

International guest speakers.

Streams.

Holy Spirit.

God-overflow.

Fun. Fun. Fun.

More of Him, less of me. It’s all You, no more me.

The feeling of weakness and strength all at the same time.

The most wonderful feeling I’ve ever had. Earlier this morning, we had a Holy Spirit encounter. I’ve had lots of these before but this was different. So different. When you’re on the floor and you’re praying, your eyes tend to open to see if everybody else is doing the same or maybe if anybody is looking at you. This time, I never had that feeling.

Lying on the floor.

Crying my eyes out.

Wiping my tears on the carpeted floor.

Surrendering everything to Him.

Shouting in victory.

Telling Him how much I love Him.

Telling me how much He loves me.

Encouraging me to move in His perfect will.

Giving me direction.

Expressing what He has in store for me.

Wait for it. Wait for me. Wait.

Planting visions in my heart.

More of Him.

Less of me.

It’s all You, Lord.

No more me.

It’s all You, Lord.

No more me.

There’s more, I know it. I just can’t remember. Yes, that feeling, those feelings.Those things in one sitting! OVERWHELMING. It’s even over than overwhelming. Ah… How I would like to be in your courts forever, God. That wonderful feeling that only you could give. (goosebumps)

Stir it up in our hearts, Lord. A passion for your name.

A PASSION FOR YOUR NAME. Then, members of the worship team were asked to come forth and be prayed for. The pastor instructed us to join hands and start praying in the language of heaven. He said, “In the count of three, you will receive something you have never held onto before!” Those words stirred up more fire, more fire in us. All of a sudden, we started jumping up and down. “1…” This is it, Lord! “2…” I’m ready. I’m ready! “3!!!” His presence was so tangible, His wind blew us down. Boom! We fell flat on the floor. Some were laughing, some were whispering, some were crying, some were shouting. I couldn’t contain the joy I received! I started laughing. Laughing out loud, literally. Laughing a bit louder. Laughing even louder! It’s as if God had told me the funniest joke. But God did not tell us jokes… He told us greater promises, that’s why we were so joyful because He really offered us something, something we never had before.

Breathing Room For My Soul

Psalm 62:1-2 [MSG]

God, the one and only-

I’ll wait as long as he says.

Everything I need comes from Him,

so why not?

He’s solid rock under my feet,

breathing room for my soul,

An impregnable castle:

I’m set for life.

God gave me this word while I was having my loud quiet time (ironic, eh?) listening to Planetshakers and Jesus Culture. It may not be much for other people but this just made my day. Have you ever prayed for something for the longest time? Have you ever asked yourself why that certain prayer was never answered before then you start praying for it again? I had that kind of feeling in my head but the moment I read this passage, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. The confirmation. God’s yes. The yes I’ve been longing from God for so long is now here in my heart. (Sorry, I can’t contain my happiness!)

Not only did God tell me yes once but He made sure I got what He told me. Reassurance: Psalm 62:5-6 [MSG]. If you read it, it’s the same as verses 1 and 2! Now it’s confirmation much much.

“God, the one and only- I’ll wait as long as he says.” God is my everything. I would not be here today if it weren’t for Him. So if he tells me to wait, I’d wait. Who knows what reward I’ll receive if I wait on Him? Waiting for God is like the Home Shopping Network. You see an amazing offer and then the TV says, “But wait, there’s more!” When God tells you that, get excited! You’ll get even more than more.

“Everything I need comes from Him, so why not?” Why not? Why not entrust everything to him? Your life, your whole life? Give your all to Jesus, and you’ll be amazed by what wonders He can do for you, in you, and through you.

“He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul,” He never changes. He was, He is and always will be there for me. I love the phrase breathing room for my soul. When you can’t take life’s lemons anymore, you’re so close to giving up.  And the only answer you can think of is Jesus. The moment you say “HELP!”, there Jesus is to your rescue.

“An impregnable castle: I’m set for life.” Impregnable, 1. Impossible to capture or enter by force: an impregnable fortress. 2. Difficult or impossible to attack, challenge, or refute with success: an impregnable argument. The meaning’s negative but let’s see it in a different perspective. The impregnable castle for me is a home where love, joy, peace and everything that’s of God is. There, I will never lack. I’m set for life. I really am.

I Will Worship While I’m Waiting

Songs can soothe you and it can be some sort of therapy.
At least, that’s how I see it. Here’s a song that helped me through a lot. We never see answers the moment we ask it. But it never is healthy to wait in vain. This song’s related to the previous entry I did.

Listen and read with hearts wide open

While I’m Waiting by John Waller

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience
While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it’s not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting

The Right Place, The Right Time

The questions who, what, when, where, why, and how all result to an answer. We all know that. But what everyone looks for is the right answer to every who, every what, every when, every where, every why, and every how that pops into their mind. Should I or should I not? Up or down? Turn right or turn left? Sometimes the simple Yes-or-No questions give us days to find out… Funny, right? I’m not saying when we’re in a very life-changing scenario, we just rush into things, no. Not every question should be answered immediately especially if you know that decision will resound to your eternity.

When given an exam, you don’t hurriedly put answers on the blanks without even reading the instructions, right? If we do, the result will be a total mess. (Some people even recheck their answers 5 times just to make sure the answers are 100% right. Funny how I am one of those people. Ha!) Being hasty in everything doesn’t make us a step higher than everybody else. We may be racing to the top but the journey to the finish line is the real race. The right decisions with the right attitude is what keeps us keeping on in our journey.

They say, “Wait on the Lord and you shall see.” See what? See everything you’ve been wanting to see in your heart, in your dreams. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” While waiting for the right time and the right place to come to pass, we should also be joyful. Waiting in arrogance is almost the same as ignoring what you have to wait for. Whatever that may be, just celebrate His love for you. That whatever you’re going through, He’s stronger than any storm and He’s higher than the heavens itself. There’s no doubt confusion will come our way. When that time comes, we should be ready to fight. Fight the good fight. Love, joy, peace will be our armor and weapon.

An Everyday Reminder: Matthew 6:33-34 [NKJV] “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

ALL THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU. Nothing missing.  Nothing broken. Never worry, God will reveal what you need, the right place, the right time.

First Step, New Heights

Everyone goes through their life making decisions, maybe the right ones or the total opposite. You cannot walk in a decision without taking the first step. This is my first step. I’ve always wanted to speak my mind but I always blew chances away. Fun fact: My previous blog turned into a photo spree. There’s no way I’m going back there again. So now, I have decided to write, type, convey, communicate, and maybe translate what my heart has to say.

The Bold First Step: When an offspring’s first steps are seen, parents gladly cover the walk. After they take videos and numerous snapshots, they show it to everyone they could possibly know. Why? Because they have something great to boast about. And this is me, taking my first step into an abyss of love and passion.

Uncovering New Heights: The first step may be easy to make but the whole flight of stairs will be hard to battle. First of all, I’ll need all the strength I can get. Second, in each step I take, I should know how to rest. Not resting in a sense of procrastination but the real rest wherein I can appreciate where I am. And lastly,  I don’t even know how high my flight of stairs will be but I do know it goes on for a lifetime, my lifetime.

P.S. I promise this will be no silly place of anger and strife. Just how God’s love is manifested through me. This is just the beginning. There will be more. *insert smiley here*

- Jem D.