On The Verge

When several years has gone by
The feeling of giving up is nearby
When the feeling of emptiness is always there
Messing around daily making life hard to bear
When the thought that nobody is there to care
The feeling of being alone is beyond compare
When thoughts of having someone
Is haunting for quite some time
When life would have been easier
With somebody to wipe away a tear
When who you are with is sensitive enough
Who would tap your shoulder and be tough
When who is with you is a comfort in life
The load of burden is out of strife
When bitterness and anger reside in this heart
Somebody someday will break it apart
When thoughts of being sick and tired of this life
Stabbing this heart hard with a knife
When nights through the years has gone by
That no more tears is left to dry
When you can no longer find a reason to smile
Because you have been crying for quite a while
When all you have been asking is what is your purpose is life?
And why do we have problems in life?
When answers to these questions abound
But you never found it around
When sanity hangs by a thread
Wishing life is over is a dread
When going away is a relief
Don't give up on this belief
When on the verge of letting go
God's loving grace has always been there years ago!

An Empty Tomb

AN EMPTY TOMB

As christians, we are called Easter people.  Easter is a Christian church festival that celebrates the return of Jesus Christ to life following His death. (Merriam Dictionary). This day commemorates the resurrection of Christ from death, with the proof that the tomb where He lay was empty!  What does an empty tomb mean? Based on the scriptures it tells us:

1.          Don’t Be Afraid.  Human as we are, we fear a lot of things that surround us.  Some of it we are able to overcome, some of it we dread. 

a.         Health – as we grow older or as we lack rest from our daily activities, we face problems in our health.  This fears some of us, as it may cause us expenses, broken relations or even death.

b.        Wounded soul – as individuals, we are prone to sins.  We sometimes fail to reconnect to God and thus cause us wander away from the comforting hand of God.

c.        Emptiness – when we have nothing, maybe money, time, relationship, successes, we may feel we have no value at all in life.

d.        Life’s situation – where we are, and who we’re with is a situation in life we are afraid of.  We may want to escape from reality, because we feel burdened and we cannot deal with it.

2.       Believe He is Not Here – Like Jesus, who was ressurrected from the grave, God will be able to let us out of the tomb of hopelessness, self-centerdness, sinfulness, sickness and our worries. Believe that Jesus did not remain in the tomb so what besets us will not be here.

3.       Go and Tell – Jesus Christ’s resurrection reminds us to share His goodness, His power and victory over death to others!  (with points from HEC’s minister’s sermon – Pastor Nimrod Morales)

In life, we may feel empty, that is, having nothing or the feeling of no value to others or we feel we are valued for just a simple reason and we are buried with problems in life’s  situation that we are in.  Just remember, an empty tomb is Jesus’ triumph over all trials, just so with Christ we will be resuurected from the tomb of problems in life.  Believe and Share.

The CROSS

The cross may be a noun, a verb, a person, a symbolism or whatever we describe it, is a relevant symbol this Holy Week.  As defined, a cross is a long piece of wood with a shorter piece across it near the top that people were once fastened to and left to die as a form of punishment, the cross on which Jesus Christ died.(Merriam Dictionary)

The cross is not just an object, it may mean something to us in a lot of ways:

Pain.  The cross we bear everyday of our lives be it physical, emotional, mental or spiritual is pain.  Whether we experienced a fatigued body from work, overworked mind of thinking or worrying, or spiritually pained of sin. Pain is a prominent cross to bear – a heart ache, a loss, a feeling of being alone and left out. But pain with a purpose is heartwarming. Jesus Christ suffered a lot of pain, but He continued to carry the cross to save us all from sins. Our responsibilities may sometimes seem to be a cross of pain for us, but that is a pain with a purpose.

Guilt. The cross we carry when we keep on sinning. We ask God for forgiveness and yet again we keep on coming back to our old self, with a lot of weight on our hearts and minds for what we have done to others and to God.

Agony. The cross of distress that we may be feeling for the need of help when troubled by daily cares, a difficult situation of not having enough of what we needed, a desperate need of somebody to bear the cross with. Jesus was helped while carrying His cross, a brief relief from agony. That is what we want in life when we are in agony, someone who will carry the cross for us.

Joy.  The cross we bear daily may be a source of happiness to someone, a blessing. Although it may seem absurd to be glad with bearing a cross, but who knows others were looking at how you handled the crosses in your life – with patience, contentment and praises to God.  Joy, that despite of all the problems in life, God is always there to carry our burdens with us.

Hope. The sacrifices we bear as we carry the cross everyday brings hope, a desire with anticipation of a better life, that pain will go away, guilt will end, agony will be over and joy will be obtained. Hope springs eternal. The cross of hope will lead us to our eternal home.

Whatever cross we bear today, believe that we can carry it through! Our crosses, our burdens were lifted at Calvary’s cross…

A Perfect Father

Father's Day: a less celebrated event than Mother's Day, I suppose.  But because our church will be celebrating it this Sunday, I was tasked to give a tribute to fathers.  So I wrote a poem to share to the web before I deliver it on the pulpit... 

A perfect father that is what we imagine to have

Somebody who will give all that we want in life

A person with strength just like Samson imbibe

One who can resist the charm of Pharaoh’s wife.

Just like what we learn in school since our childhood days

Our father should be the pillar of strength through all the years

The example of love, care and inspiration in despair

Someone in this world beyond compare.

A perfect father should bring out the best in his child

Willing to make a colorful robe to show he is proud

Can raise a king out his humble and simple life

A wise father who knows his own child’s strife.

Situations may change our view of a perfect father

When he may not agree to what we are after

Those times we feel that he is not there to care

Since he is not around when we feel  the scare.

The longing to be asked what’s going on in our lives

Is as important as watching the basketball game live

The tap on the shoulder, the noisy talk over dinner

Is the time for us to get closer to every family member.

Someone who is proud of his wife, is a perfect father to have

Who exudes loyalty, support, respect, care and love

We may not expect our father to be perfect in our entire life

But we are sure, there is a perfect father  in heaven above.

Yohoo!!

                           You who saw my cries at night, while others had seen me laugh
                           You who heard my every prayer, while they saw me murmur  
                           You who lie in bed with me, while others are with somebody
                           You who I can hug on so tight, while others failed to do so
                           
                           You who bear witness to every tear I shed through the years
                           You who bear my murmur of giving up
                           You who bear my snore of tiredness
                           You who bear my gasps of pain
                           You who bear witness to my weaknesses
                           You who bear with me...

          Everyone has that endearment to something, be it a toy, pillow or anything.  That something that you can't leave behind, that something that makes your sleep or travel incomplete, that something that gives glee to any situation.
          My niece, Daphne, has her "baby green" for years as her companion  (ehem..given by me in her infancy years) .  
          Mine is Beary, my furry bedtime buddy..(thanks bro Eric for letting me meet him)
     

                                                        my you, my who...yohooo!!!
     

SOF hurdles distance and heat: Plants Trees!

      Despite the heat of the late morning sun and the long walk to the hilly planting area, 130 Iloilo NHS-School Of the Future students and 13 teachers were able to plant 1200 seedlings of kansulog (common name: bagalunga) trees within the two areas of Sitio Sambag, Barangay Dagami, Maasin Iloilo last August 8, 2014, Friday.

      The tree planting activity of the SOF BioPhyChem club was finalized after meeting with Mr. Apolinario Corbal, Forrester 1 of DENR-PENRO, Iloilo last July 24, 2014.  To survey the area, Ma'am Luz and I set an appointment for a site visit in Maasin last August 7, 2014 together with Nerissa and Mr. Jessie Cequina of DENR.

    Last year, the SOF planted 500 seedlings along Radial Road in Leganes and poster making on the theme "SOF cares for the environment".  The club also spearheaded the "Life-saving seminar during emergency cases" with the Iloilo NHS Medics.  This year, along with the tree planting activity, is the poster making contest for each section in the SOF with the theme:  Handog Punla ng Kabataan Para sa Kinabukasan".  

         The tree planting activity kicked off with an orientation and the long walk started towards the tree planting sites.

 

     

        The tree planting activity was supported by Mayor Mariano Malones Sr, and SB member (and SOF AdHoC officer) Dr. Innocencia Velasco by tapping the Philippine National Police headed by Officer Benedicto Masculino.  PO President fo Dagami Association for WaterShed Protection (DAWP), Mr. Romeo Capilitan facilitated the availability of kansulog seedlings.  Two local folks (for two sites) helped us in preparing holes for planting and during the tree planting Mr. Hernani Montefrio and Mr. Jose Lagunday monitored the correct planting of seedlings.

      The Club is trying to make tree planting an annual activity in compliance with Executive Order No. 26, section 3.1- "All students shall be individually required to plant a minimum of 10 seedlings per year.."  and  acting on one of the visions of the School Of the Future "To be Stewards of the Environment". With this activity, students, teachers, parents and the community will be aware to care for the environment and our government.

Blessings

Paul says that as Christians we can rejoice even in tough times because we have hope and because we know that God is working in our lives.- Rick Warren, God's Power To Change Your Life

One tough time passed by but still etched in my memory, Typhoon Frank and the immense flood in June 21, 2008.  That time when we were surprised by fast-rising, raging flood water devouring the first floor of our house.  That time when fear, sadness and helplessness clothed the entire household and Iloilo as well.  That time when many people thought its the end of the world, as they say 666: F is the 6th letter of the alphabet, it happened in the 6th month of the year and devastated Region 6!

Quite unreasonable to recall that happening, but yesterday as heavy rains poured and the sky was dim, I was actually thinking of Frank! Classes were suspended due to flooding in school and sadly when I got home, flood welcomed me! Now I have time to write since classes were still suspended today.

Even with the water-surrounded environment in our demolished house, I have hope of a better environment surrounded with care.  Last night, my boss/my friend,/my sister in faith offered a room for me and my family, a warm welcome, a sincere concern and that I am grateful.  Indeed God is good! A blessing...

God will not permit any troubles to come upon us, unless He has a specific plan by which great blessing can come out of the difficulty. - Peter Marshall