A toast to the Newlyweds)
Look back to this day and know –
that love is here, today, in our midst.
Enveloping us. With its binding force as we tread the path of uncertainty.
Uniting us. Two hearts beating as one. Two bodies yet one soul.
Unveiling us. As we discover little things about each other day by day.
Love is faith as we shrug off doubts, discouragements and impossibilities.
It is hope as we hold on to the possibility of true love.
It is recognition of our hearts as we find each other amidst the sea of nameless people.
It is a choice. Vows broken; vows renewed over and over again.
It is a ban from oblivion of the unspoken promises made long ago in the deepest, most sacred recesses of our hearts.
For today merely confirms what we already know all along. That, love made us for each other; and you and I are made for love!
Friday, February 22, 2008
To Sing or Not to Sing
Most people in our place are Chanteus. That is, people who love to sing. Being a local, I hate to be on the ‘outside’. So, even though I could not carry a tune at first, I forced myself to belt out a song. To remain true to my identity, so to speak.
It didn’t take long before I realize that singing takes a lot of discipline. And no matter how much I love singing, at some point, I concede that singing does not love me. So why bother?
But my months of toil finally paid off. My voice can finally give justice to a song. Of course I’m no Celine Dione. ….. but I did my best. Just goes to show that what you cannot reap with sheer talent, you reap with sheer force! I mean determination…. :-)
It didn’t take long before I realize that singing takes a lot of discipline. And no matter how much I love singing, at some point, I concede that singing does not love me. So why bother?
But my months of toil finally paid off. My voice can finally give justice to a song. Of course I’m no Celine Dione. ….. but I did my best. Just goes to show that what you cannot reap with sheer talent, you reap with sheer force! I mean determination…. :-)
Finest Timber
We had a tour in a furniture factory when the guide called our attention. He said, “Take a look at this oak.” We all gathered to observe the piece of wood.
“This oak is the finest timber of its kind. You know why?” He asked. “The secret to its perfect graining is just this: it grew up in a place where it constantly struggle against storms.”
What an evocative statement! It speaks volumes about life.
Life inevitably exposes us to constant conflicts. Sometimes, it seems as if there is no end in sight. But just like the oak, the more we struggle and overcome; the stronger and more beautiful we become.
God uses us for a greater purpose. A purpose which is beyond our minds can possibly fathom. All we have to do is trust Him. Just like the finest oak wood reserved only for the finest furniture, God will harness us only for His finest undertaking.
“This oak is the finest timber of its kind. You know why?” He asked. “The secret to its perfect graining is just this: it grew up in a place where it constantly struggle against storms.”
What an evocative statement! It speaks volumes about life.
Life inevitably exposes us to constant conflicts. Sometimes, it seems as if there is no end in sight. But just like the oak, the more we struggle and overcome; the stronger and more beautiful we become.
God uses us for a greater purpose. A purpose which is beyond our minds can possibly fathom. All we have to do is trust Him. Just like the finest oak wood reserved only for the finest furniture, God will harness us only for His finest undertaking.
Smile!
One day, the wind and sun had a debate on which of them was the stronger.
To stop the debate, they decided to conduct a test that would settle the matter once and for all.
Along came a man who was wearing a thick coat. The wind suggested that the one who can make the man remove the coat will be judged the stronger.
The sun agreed.
It was the wind’s turn first. So he blew and blew to force the man to undo his jacket. But the opposite happened. The man only held on tighter to his coat.
Not wanting to quit, the wind blew with all his might. Much to his dismay, the man seemed bent on holding on to his coat much tighter, if possible, than before!
The wind gave up. And told the sun to do his stuff.
The sun said to the wind, “I just smile at the man. If he won’t take his coat off then I smile and smile some more.”
The sun did as he said.
The man took off his coat in no time at all(!), to the wind’s utter amazement.
Morale: The use of force is never fruitful. More can be accomplished with a smile! :-)
To stop the debate, they decided to conduct a test that would settle the matter once and for all.
Along came a man who was wearing a thick coat. The wind suggested that the one who can make the man remove the coat will be judged the stronger.
The sun agreed.
It was the wind’s turn first. So he blew and blew to force the man to undo his jacket. But the opposite happened. The man only held on tighter to his coat.
Not wanting to quit, the wind blew with all his might. Much to his dismay, the man seemed bent on holding on to his coat much tighter, if possible, than before!
The wind gave up. And told the sun to do his stuff.
The sun said to the wind, “I just smile at the man. If he won’t take his coat off then I smile and smile some more.”
The sun did as he said.
The man took off his coat in no time at all(!), to the wind’s utter amazement.
Morale: The use of force is never fruitful. More can be accomplished with a smile! :-)
Young Goodman Brown
I find Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown a truly haunting tale.
It spoke of a young man named Goodman out on the forest with the devil.
Through the covenant Goodman has made with the Devil, he has agreed to leave his wife, Faith, and walk through the forest with the Devil for one night as the Devil attempts to convert Goodman from Christianity.
Goodman enters into this task with great resolve that his survival and test of faith will not change, but the depth of his faith is fairly easily uprooted.
As Goodman and the Devil are walking, Goodman comes upon his old catechism teacher, Goody Cloyse, who is headed to the Devil’s meeting that Goodman is being led to. Goodman is stunned at the sight of her, as he had considered her his moral and spiritual guide.
This is the beginning of where Goodman’s faith fails. As Goodman continues on, he sees many of the townspeople he had respected and admired so much for their devout faith in God.
Goodman’s faith begins to crumble because his Achilles heel was the pride he had in believing he was a pious man. His faith was never based on an internal relationship with God; instead, his faith was mirrored and reflected by the community he revered. As those around him showed their true following, Goodman lost all faith, and became empty.
He did not actually convert to a non-believer as others had done. But still, he chooses an equally dangerous path. By losing his faith in everything even in his loved ones, Goodman merely exists and not lives. He believes that faith has failed him and he turns his anger to the world. He sees everything as evil and not worthy of his trust even his new bride.
The Bible tells us that it isn’t enough to have faith to be able to live life. Hope and love are necessary ingredients in a fulfilled, happy life.
Goodman Brown lives on his fragile faith alone. And his lack of faith quashes what little hope he has. His biggest loss is his inability to love. Because he distances himself from others and judges them, he fails to see them as individuals worthy of his love.
Love the sinner, hate their sins. That is the core of Christian religion. And because Goodman Brown fails to grasp the importance of love above all, he fails to live meaningfully. He ends up a failure. He dies lonely and alone. Goodman Brown was buried with “no hopeful verse upon his tombstone; for his dying hour was gloom.”
It spoke of a young man named Goodman out on the forest with the devil.
Through the covenant Goodman has made with the Devil, he has agreed to leave his wife, Faith, and walk through the forest with the Devil for one night as the Devil attempts to convert Goodman from Christianity.
Goodman enters into this task with great resolve that his survival and test of faith will not change, but the depth of his faith is fairly easily uprooted.
As Goodman and the Devil are walking, Goodman comes upon his old catechism teacher, Goody Cloyse, who is headed to the Devil’s meeting that Goodman is being led to. Goodman is stunned at the sight of her, as he had considered her his moral and spiritual guide.
This is the beginning of where Goodman’s faith fails. As Goodman continues on, he sees many of the townspeople he had respected and admired so much for their devout faith in God.
Goodman’s faith begins to crumble because his Achilles heel was the pride he had in believing he was a pious man. His faith was never based on an internal relationship with God; instead, his faith was mirrored and reflected by the community he revered. As those around him showed their true following, Goodman lost all faith, and became empty.
He did not actually convert to a non-believer as others had done. But still, he chooses an equally dangerous path. By losing his faith in everything even in his loved ones, Goodman merely exists and not lives. He believes that faith has failed him and he turns his anger to the world. He sees everything as evil and not worthy of his trust even his new bride.
The Bible tells us that it isn’t enough to have faith to be able to live life. Hope and love are necessary ingredients in a fulfilled, happy life.
Goodman Brown lives on his fragile faith alone. And his lack of faith quashes what little hope he has. His biggest loss is his inability to love. Because he distances himself from others and judges them, he fails to see them as individuals worthy of his love.
Love the sinner, hate their sins. That is the core of Christian religion. And because Goodman Brown fails to grasp the importance of love above all, he fails to live meaningfully. He ends up a failure. He dies lonely and alone. Goodman Brown was buried with “no hopeful verse upon his tombstone; for his dying hour was gloom.”
Whole Again
I was scanning thru my old files when I stumbled on a song I wrote sometime in 2002. I just wanna share it here with you.
Hope you like it.
Whole Again
I
Feeling so lost, adrift
Looking without seeing
As the dawn breaks
My mind’s cloud with worries
Wondering what fate awaits
And in these moments of uncertainties
I close my eyes
And my thoughts turn to you….
Refrain or Chorus:
Coz you are my world, my everything
The reason my heart is beating
There’s joy in living since I found you
With you there’s nothing I can’t do
And if I could make one dream come true
I just wanna go on loving you……
II
The future still looks uncertain
The road’s full of twists and turns
I don’t have all the answers
And things may not turn out right
But one thing I’m sure of
As long as you’re by my side
As long as you’re in my heart
The emptiness will subside
(Repeat Chorus)
Coda:
In my darkest hours
It’s good to know
That there’s someone I can cljng on to
Jesus- I only have to utter your name
And I will be made whole again
You heal all my pains
And make me whole again….
Hope you like it.
Whole Again
I
Feeling so lost, adrift
Looking without seeing
As the dawn breaks
My mind’s cloud with worries
Wondering what fate awaits
And in these moments of uncertainties
I close my eyes
And my thoughts turn to you….
Refrain or Chorus:
Coz you are my world, my everything
The reason my heart is beating
There’s joy in living since I found you
With you there’s nothing I can’t do
And if I could make one dream come true
I just wanna go on loving you……
II
The future still looks uncertain
The road’s full of twists and turns
I don’t have all the answers
And things may not turn out right
But one thing I’m sure of
As long as you’re by my side
As long as you’re in my heart
The emptiness will subside
(Repeat Chorus)
Coda:
In my darkest hours
It’s good to know
That there’s someone I can cljng on to
Jesus- I only have to utter your name
And I will be made whole again
You heal all my pains
And make me whole again….
Be Still My Restless Heart
There is a moment I long for
A moment my soul has craved
A stillness -
Buried deep in my heart
Unperturbed, undeclared.
Be still my restless heart
Listen and be still
For all of your deep longings
There is no cure but
A breathe of peace…
I search for peace
Wrench me from melancholy!
Be still my restless heart,
My soul won’t rest
Til I found peace in Thee.
A moment my soul has craved
A stillness -
Buried deep in my heart
Unperturbed, undeclared.
Be still my restless heart
Listen and be still
For all of your deep longings
There is no cure but
A breathe of peace…
I search for peace
Wrench me from melancholy!
Be still my restless heart,
My soul won’t rest
Til I found peace in Thee.
Socrates on Immortality
Plato’s Phaedo records Socrates last moments. Socrates explains that death is just the separation of the soul from the body. He further explains that a philosopher seeks understanding and refrains from bodily pleasures. The ultimate purification of the philosopher’s soul would be attained at the time when the soul separates from the body or in death. This is the reason why Socrates is not afraid of death or complains about it.
When Cebes asks Socrates why he believes that the soul is immortal and retains the wisdom gain in this life, Socrates explains this by recalling the principle of paired opposites. That is, “whatever comes to be comes out of its opposite or a cycle”.
Based on the paired opposites theory, it therefore follows that life ends in death and death must give way to life. Another theory Socrates in support of the immortality of the soul is the theory of Recollection. This theory is about deja vu or a feeling that we experience something before in the past life, recalled by our senses as ideas or forms. The forms are gained from experiences in the past life. They are not part of us because these ideas manifest on certain occasions. Forms serve as the basis of the doctrine of Reincarnation.
Therefore, the soul does not simply dissolve upon death. Like ideas or form it is indestructible and immortal. The ideas or Forms prove the immortality of the soul and the fact that the soul always implies life , as Socrates would have it.
When Cebes asks Socrates why he believes that the soul is immortal and retains the wisdom gain in this life, Socrates explains this by recalling the principle of paired opposites. That is, “whatever comes to be comes out of its opposite or a cycle”.
Based on the paired opposites theory, it therefore follows that life ends in death and death must give way to life. Another theory Socrates in support of the immortality of the soul is the theory of Recollection. This theory is about deja vu or a feeling that we experience something before in the past life, recalled by our senses as ideas or forms. The forms are gained from experiences in the past life. They are not part of us because these ideas manifest on certain occasions. Forms serve as the basis of the doctrine of Reincarnation.
Therefore, the soul does not simply dissolve upon death. Like ideas or form it is indestructible and immortal. The ideas or Forms prove the immortality of the soul and the fact that the soul always implies life , as Socrates would have it.
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