Love...

I love you.

Three simple words that mean a whole lot.

Three simple words NOBODY EVER takes lightly.

Three simple words that warm a person's heart, puts a smile on their face, and makes their day.

And this isn't just romantic love. This is love in general: love between friends, family, etc.

I was sitting on my desk after just finishing my Reading exam and I was double checking my answers when I cam across the question asking us about the two Sonnets we just read. Both present love in a different view. Then I began to wonder: what is love? What is it really?

I was brought back to November of this year when I was in Malaysia during the Renewed Experience Camp. Pastor Simon Eng was teaching us about the causes of spiritual dryness and one of the causes he gave was being married to an unbeliever, at which my friend, Jecca, asked "But what if you love the person?"

I answered "That's just your emotion."

As I thought about the word, I began to realize that love is so much more. It's not just emotion. It's not just butterflies in your stomach and a warm fuzzy feeling.

I remembered the meaning of peace. Peace is not the absence of calamity nor danger nor troubles, but it is being calm and collected and having faith that you'll see it through in the midst of calamity, danger, and troubles.

The same goes with love. Love is not just something you feel for a person when he or she does what you want, is pleasing to you, or is beautiful. When you truly love someone, you stick with them whatever their faults. You go through their goods and bads. You forgive them and comfort after they did something bad to you and they apologized. You forget their mistakes and you forget their faults.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5It is not rude, it is not self–seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. - I Corinthians 13:4-8

Nothing else defines love better than the Word. And no act better describes love than God sending His own Son to die for us on the Cross. If you just think for a moment about how awesome God's plan was of redeeming us. Even while God banished Adam and Eve, He already knew what to do. And for the thousands and thousands of years that passed God's plan slowly came into formation. Prophecies came about and talked about it.

And soon, one night, it came. Love, finally, came to us in flesh. In a manger lay the Savior of the world: the perfect expression of God's love for each and every one of us. 

The baby on the manger and the man on the cross. Two very different images with only one message: God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.

We may fail at love. We may say 'I love you', but not really mean it. We may get angry, irritated, or annoyed with somebody we promised we loved. 

But though we fail, God prevails. And when God said 'I love you' to me, to you, to the whole world, one thing's for sure: He meant it. And He showed it through His Son.

This Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of Christ, let's remember God's love... and let's share it with everyone we meet!

Have a merry Christmas everybody. God bless!

 

"It's in You" - Original Composition

An original composition of mine. All glory to God!

Will post lyrics and chords if requested :)

Joy in Persecution

This is something that's pretty hard to get, even for Christians. I'm pretty sure when Jesus said "Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you," He made heads turn and shoulders shrug. However, this is something I finally learned in the past year and something I now truly appreciate.

First thing's first, persecution is NEVER easy nor is it ever fun. Duh. I think that's pretty obvious. And mind you, persecution today can be as light as people mocking you to people physically torturing you. Thank God I haven't experienced the physical yet.

But why is it that we should be HAPPY during persecution? Isn't it obvious we're not supposed to be HAPPY when people are hurting us? I mean, who's happy when they're hurting?

I learned that we need to realize that in fact, when being persecuted, God has found us worthy to be persecuted. Moreover, the Devil has found us a threat, someone to be reckoned with, and is scared, which is why he persecutes us. He's angry at us and that's something we should be awfully happy about! During a time when I was being persecuted, my leaders congratulated me. They said, "You're a certified Christian!"

And now, the year hasn't even ended yet and we in CRUX, the youth group, are already experiencing hard times and persecution. And you know what? I'm VERY EXCITED and HAPPY. Why? The very fact persecution is coming before 2010 means that God has something BIG planned for us and the devil is doing his very best to keep us away from it. By faith, I believe God is gearing us up to reach our 100 mark by 2011!

So are you experiencing persecution? SOmeone mocking you and giving you a hard time?

Rejoice! God has found you worthy and Satan isn't happy with you... and he shouldn't be!

Post-Thanksgiving SCG

I can't let this day pass without blogging about the Thanksgiving night. It was truly a joyous and awesome experience and though tiring, I can truly say it was all worth it.

I'm really glad that everybody coordinated so well and put so much effort in this event. It truly paid off in the end. I'm very much looking forward to the rest of the Thanksgivings we'll have in the next coming years. It was really fun gathering together with the whole Filipino family as well as our "adopted" Filipinos to celebrate what God has done for us in 2009. I also think this event was to declare that by faith, God has something more for us in 2010.

So it's getting kinda late and I have to go to bed, but all I can say is that it has been a truly awesome night. To God be the glory and praise.

2010, here we come!

Pre-Thanksgiving SCG

Okay, first of, sorry for not updating my blog. I'm busy with church and school and during free times I get too caught up on Facebook. Don't laugh at me, you're the same too...

Anyways, tomorrow is the Filipino Group's last SCG and it will be a Thanksgiving party. After all, God has blessed us so much this year it's just fitting that on our final service, we give Him all the glory and honor and thanks. Moreover, we should give Him our best, thus the semi-formal attire. And yes, this concept was borrowed from the guys over at S'pore. We've borrowed a lot of stuff from S'pore cuz they do stuff so great. Faith believing, we'll be like them someday!

So tomorrow will be like any other Filipino party - music, games, fun, and of course, FOOD! My mom was cooking six leche flans for tomorrow when I left and I'm pretty sure the other CGs have something delicious in store for everybody too.

So as I look back at the year and I look at how much effort we've put in for tomorrow, I think it's just right - and maybe not even enough - that we put all this effort like staying up 'till early morning to attach a video (like i'm doing right now, though it's just 11) for God since He has been so faithful and gracious to us 24/7.

So tomorrow, we do not celebrate the Filipino Group, nor do we celebrate our achievements... but we celebrate God for making Himself so visible to us.

Tomorrow's gonna be a blast!

I'M HOT

I'm hot. No seriously, I am. What? NO I DIDN'T MEAN THAT!

Anyways, I meant i'm hot as in sweating and not that hot... i prefer to think of myself as cool... lol.

So yes, it is blazing hot over here in Thailand but this "hotness" has allowed me to realize something.

After the Sunday Service today, I had to go home alone which meant I had to take the subway. Now I like to walk whether it be a hot or cool day. So anyways, I had to walk from the hotel where my church is held to the subway which takes about a good 15 minutes I can say.

But it was indeed hot and I was sweating profusely once I got to the station. It's a good think the subway trains here in Thailand have great air-condition! However, once I got off at my stop I still had to walk to my house which takes about 3 minutes.

I found myself a few more - I dunno, feet? maybe inches or meters or kilometers - away from my house and I started running. I couldn't take the heat anymore! I quickly fished out my keys, opened the door, turned the aircon on, changed my sweaty clothes, then sat directly at the aircon savoring the cool air. We usually say 'Home, sweet home'. It couldn't have been any truer.

But as I sat there in front of the air con I finally realized one thing I sometimes forget: I am blessed. I then began to thank God that there are kids out there suffering the same heat I did when I was walking but they don't have a home to shelter them from the heat, let alone and air con or fan to cool them.

This is what I love about God. He's really personal. And He talks to you when you don't expect it... and talks to you in the little things you sometimes take for granted or think don't matter.

I AM BUSY!!!!

Okay this is gonna be short.

I'm terribly busy for the past few weeks and probably the weeks to come to. Basically, I think February will be a busy time for me... And adding the fact that my exams are coming up on March doesn't make me feel any better :(

So let me narrow down my business:

• My school's Science Fair is on February 27 and I have to constantly keep up with due dates.
• I have a paper I need to write on Franklin Delano Roosevelt for History. Due on March, but my teacher wants updates every Friday... and March isn't that far away!
• My History teacher has given me another project on Darwin's Origin of Species. Another paper to write!
• I need to write a script for another "sheananigan" production... And I have to film and direct it too. (This isn't for fun. It's my Computer class project)
  

• And add to all those the regular Math homeworks I get along with some Thai and occasional other subjects!

Anyways, I have to go back to work! GOD GRANT ME STRENGTH!