Life's Shellfishes
The title somehow captures the expression "selfie." Here, 'selfie' doesn't necessarily mean all about "the self" but more on sharing things that could give some form of inspiration. It also speaks about how life could be like the ocean which is full of colorful things. Life is not so much of what you can give but how much you can receive waves after waves of life's blessings not to horde it for selfish gain or greed but so that it can also overflow to the lives of others.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
JACOB
Jacob
Through the friendship and the covenant
between God and Abraham, God’s abundant blessings flowed continually throughout
his descendants. Even though they were taken to distant lands and start again a
new life, God prospered the works of their hands. They also inherited moments
of divine encounters like that of Abraham who became God’s friend and
confidant. The descendants of Abraham continually (both spiritually and
biologically), from Isaac, Jacob down to the present age), encounters God, His
Angels and some Holy Saints and messengers.
When Jacob encountered God in his
dream, he vowed to make Him Lord over his life once He fulfilled His word upon
him. Indeed, it came to pass, that the word of the Lord was being fulfilled
throughout his lifetime so that he continually revered the Lord and kept His
word holy. This became evident when God was making him successful in everything
he did so much so that those around him perceived that the hand of God was
working in and on his behalf and even became fearful of him.
Jacob knew and experienced the
blessings of God upon His life and upon his forefathers before him. He also
knew that His blessings and gifts are all irrevocable. So on one occasion, upon
his return to his country of birth, he again encountered God. He took it as an
opportune and appointed time that he should not let it pass so he insisted that
God would bless him to the point that he even contend with God (through His
Angel) for his blessings which he eventually received it. Imagine, a mere man
wrestling with God’s messengers and triumph in the end. Although God knew this
would happen, He made himself vulnerable to the desire of man and allowed him,
according to his faith, whatever he believes to be done unto his life.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
RELIGION: Intimacy with God
There was not much written about this man in the Bible but the words that described him suffice it to explain why he was considered to be one of God’s beloveds and favorites. It was written, he ‘walked’ with God (Gen.5:21), meaning, he became so intimate with Him. So much so that the entire Heaven entreated him to be there in one whole piece, body, soul and spirit. So there he was taken up to heaven before his time here on earth ended (the first human who went to heaven without dying). God took him to be with Him for he loved God so much and God likewise loved him much as well. He modeled how people should commune with God to become also His favorites and intimates.
But
what does it really mean to walk with God? We can’t over spiritualize this
matter for it is as simple as literally walking with God. God commune with Mosses
from time to time in Sinai, why can’t He not walk with Enoch from time to time?
Imagine Enoch walking with God (and entirely not an imaginary friend) anytime
and anywhere they agreed to meet.
There was a story of a dear brother by the name of
Lawrence who in his years of service and ministry for the Lord became
unsatisfied in mere causal or ‘shallow’ relationship with the Lord in that he
wanted to be more intimate with Him. So every day, he set a special time to
commune with the Lord and just be with Him conversing or enjoying His presence.
For months or even years, I may not get the whole story straight but he never
failed to do this and one day Jesus showed himself up literally and told him if
he would continue this kind of practice, He promised him that He’ll show
Himself up every time he would commune with Him. He never failed even once to
do this so Jesus continued to be with Him literally. God honors such insatiable
thirst and hunger and will never ever leave it unquenched. That’s walking with
God!
Have you ever had a very close friend, the very best
friend at that? Your communication is entirely different as compared with the
ones you have with your ordinary friends and acquaintances, isn’t it? Your
communication involves more of the nature of disclosures or the divulging of
the important matters in life, secrets may be, major decisions and other
intimate things. That’s how most probably the dialogue goes between Enoch and
God. It is as if both their hearts became entwined as they share and reveal everything
to each other. They became one that God made it a point that he should always
be on His side forever, so He took him away with Him.
Saturday, June 6, 2015
When Little Things are Big
Simple or little things are the main things and the main things are the little or simple things. They might be as tiny as a little key but they meant real big.
One will come to know the importance or significance of little important things when they lost it. Twice, I went somewhere within the city of Phnom Penh to take a little tour and for each time I lost my key chain. At times, when we have some little tiny things we tend to become careless in handling them. We even just juggle or play them with our hands. It slip out from our mind their importance until such time that we lost them. They became just the normal little things we become accustomed to and tend to take them for granted. There are many things like that in our lives.
As for me, fortunately, I was able to find it for each instance. But going through the hustle was somehow a waste of time. Or so I thought. But for each time, as I pondered why or what's even the purpose of it having to lost something as 'profoundly' significant as keys, I thought that it has some benefits. Far be it that I am trying to rationalize things. May be yes or may be no. But for each instance, I was able to connect and form a relationship with these significant people, first to my landlady who went through my trouble sharing her precious time with me to solve my seemingly profound, very important and pressing matter at hand, looking for my lost key. Second, to my neighbors and friends who helpped me wransacked my door and retrieved my key inside. For each time, I am profoundly and exceedingly gratelful the events turned out, to the people involved, and above all to God almighty. The word says, everything works together for good and the things that the enemy tried to use to harm us, God will turn it into our favor, advantage and for our own good.
The morale here is that:
1. Little things have profound impact to our lives no matter how we view it. At times, no matter how seemingly miniscule and little they are, they are still the main things and the main things are the little things. (This is entirely different from the notion of being pesimistic or too negative or magnifying something much less a problem). As this was exacting the saying, 'The sum of the parts is not greater than its whole itself.' We need each things that directly affects our living no matter how small we view them (except the problems of course). Like for instance, Jesus thought the disciples to value the "left overs." Now, left overs are not that so important as to make them the presents or to feed others (far be it). It is just that, we should value them as not to waste the grace we received. The world is fast becoming pre-dominantly on the "non-recylable" and "fast-food-type" phase of environment. In some affluent countries, they produce so fast that which they could not consume and would just turn out to become waste. Or we buy or accumulate to many that which we can not use. And we tend to despise and even become ungrateful to the little things we have or we have received. And so much more application of this idea such as when it comes to conserving our environment (our perishable herritage).
2. Spiritually speaking, all things work together for good even the seemingly little or insignificant aspect of our lives (as we see them). And whatever the devil intended to use against us to harm us, God uses it for our own good.
God cares for us even the smallest detail in our everyday life. God cares for the simplest things from the minute we were conceived in our mother's womb. In fact from things such as protecting our skin from the scorching heat of the sun to major things as giving us jobs; from having conducting or celebrating an occasion to letting marry the right woman and living at the right specific place; from granting providing our daily needs to fulfilling our desires and dreams.
So, whatever we have, whatever we receive we should be grateful, learn to value them, we should maximize them at an efficient state, we should simply be careful, ....
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Life's Shell-Fishes Blog
The blog was
entitled as such to capture or at least get a sense of the expression
"selfie." Here, 'selfie' doesn't necessarily mean all about "the
self" or the blogger's "selfishness" of speaking mainly about
his life but more on sharing life's escapdes, insights, ideas, experiences or
words that he hope could give some form of enlightenment, inspiration, instill
hope, give encouragement etc. The title also speaks about how life could be
likened to the ocean or to some life forms in it.
Life
could be as colorful as the ocean floor which is filled with assorted life
forms like the multi-colored corals, fishes, shells and the like. Sometimes it
could be as hard as a shell but no matter how tough it might be you just have
to suck in the marrow of it to end up in a nice feat.
Or like the seashore forever
swayed by the waves of the sea, it is not so much of what you can give but how
much you can receive waves after waves of life's blessings not to hored it for
selfish gain or greed but so that it can also overflow to the lives of others.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
INSPIRATION
In life,
whenever you ask the question, "What would you like or want in life?"
People would almost always wanted to answer, "I wanted to become
successful." Most guru, teachers, leadership speakers and motivators would
agree that there is no short cut to sucsess but there are ways, principles or
laws as most of them call it that you can follow in order to become successful.
One of the principles to ensure one can attain success came from Ralph Waldo
Emmerson when he said, "Nothing great was ever achieved without
enthusiasm." But where does enthusiam comes from? Is it just merely a
feeling or a part in us wired in the fiber of the human soul that you can just
click whenever you want or like it? Given you can muster the sense of being enthusiastic
whatever situation you are in, where else can you pull such a resource if ever
you find yourself devoid of energy and seemingly could no longer go another
distance or when the going gets rough and tough? I believe the answer to that
question comes from the things we hold dear in life - from the things that
inspire us.
But what is
inspiration in the first place? My personal definition of it is, the things
that we look up to and tightly held dear and treasure in our hearts and that we
look forward to. It could be your family, your spouse, your children, your
friends, the people you love, your future, the dreams and aspirations you have
and so much more. At times, you might find yourself hitting rock bottom or at
the worst kind of scenario. I had several worst things that happened in my life
but trying to look back at them just makes me grateful to God at how I got out
from each one of them. If ever you tried running a marathon, at certain points
in your run, you will experience searing pain that would make you give up. At
those times, quiting sounds a good option, a temptation which never leaves the
mind. Then you would encourage yourself that you can do it or that you’re doing
it for something or someone important to you. Now that’s what we call
inspiration. It gives you a sense of elation, extra strength to go one more
mile.
So whatever
might be you’re going through right now, maybe you’re at your wits end or at
the end of your rope. Fret not. For there’s always a way out in everything. After
the night comes the morning light that shines brighter throughout the day.
Friday, May 22, 2015
The Adventures of Kourga and Kayan I: The Awakening (Chapter I)
ISBN-13: 978-1514219904
ISBN-10: 1514219905
Still weary, sleepy and disturbed as he was, Kayan, slowly opened his eyes and turned his head to look around, being partially blinded by the shimmering rays of the morning sun, he rose up from where he lay and checked where the noise was coming from, which he could hardly distinguished. As soon as his head went out from the bushes that seemingly hid him, he was taken aback by what lies before him.
Shaking his head once more to
wake himself up, lo and behold, myriads of different birds from different
families swarmed the entire bank near his new found home. It’s unbelievable, the
place became speckled with different sort of colors. They had flocked and
surrounded his teeny tiny Islet which became seemingly the center of the place.
There were pink and white Flamingos, black and white Herons and egrets,
multi-colored Kingfishers, Cranes, Curlew, Gadwall, Plover, Snipe, Stint and
many more but much to his surprise not a duck was in view. It was all too
glorious to behold, a miracle at that. Overjoyed by the sight that was before
him, he moved out from there. Kayan jumped out to his feet into the water
saying, as he always does, “Quack, quack, quack!” That was just his way of
expressing himself when a jerk of an illation knocks into Him. He was too excited
to join the flock as if he belongs in such a crowd. He glided slowly his
flappers into the river as not to disturb the other birds. Closing in on each
group, he tried to discern whether a certain group was the right one to mingle
with. He then moved around from place to place wandering while playing around
at the same time wiggling his fair-feathered-tail signaling others to join him.
He did this all day long but found no company of birds interested enough in his
seemingly worthwhile activity.
The night came in and it was now time for him to retire again to his new
found haven, a place inside the Islet of bushes where he made himself a straw
nest though it’s far from being finished. Tired as he was from the game he
played, he went around it, sat as to lie down, bended his neck, inserted his
beak inside his wings and then closed his drowsy eyes.
Even the night jungle seemed to have synchronized itself to its
inhabitants as though it’s one big living organism making all things in it to come
alive as it breathes and sleeps when darkness falls upon it. It’s one
mysterious place indeed, turning the tame into wild and the wild wilder.
It was summer time in that part of the region, even though it was dark,
any bird could make out the silhouette of things near it as it was dimlighted
by the big and wide open dome above it that was filled with stars and their
constellations and the moon smiling down upon the whole land of Tosolang.
As the night went deeper still, while Kayan was fast asleep, he had a
dream. In his dream, he found himself surrounded by his Duck family in a lovely
place, a wonderland, that only indescribable beauty could be used to describe
it. He also saw himself dancing with his bride although he could hardly
described her appearance which was like the Mona
Kiki. He was captivated by her angelic beauty – She had sweet, tamed-brown
eyes, sparkling like the precious gemstones of the east. Her body shines and was
as smooth as the nard oil of Arabica. Her red beaks glistens as she bids upon
him full of smile that gladdens his spirit and brings him joy forever more. As
they dance together, glistening silver and gold dust rain down from heaven. He
was filled with the knowledge that when he will meet her sooner or later, he
will know, beyond all doubt that she is the one meant for him. It was a moment
filled with life’s bliss of happiness that he never felt in his entire life. It
is a moment that no one could ever take away from him. But suddenly, in the
middle of his dream, he was awakened by the sound of wagging wings, fluttering
and flustering bird as it shrieks not far from where he was. But his mind was
still being dozed off into slumber, wanting to go back from where he left off
in his dream. So he went back to sleep again ignoring what disturbed him,
discounting it as maybe just some of his bird mates annoyed by the uncomfortable
high and humid temperature of the summer heat in the suburbs of the river.
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