2.28.11

I drafted this letter to Norrie, today's birthday celebrant, on January 17, 2004.
I am not sure if I sent this or not, or if he received this or not.
But to ponder the celebration of his day and the thoughts of that day seven years ago, here it is:

nori dearest,

maligayang bati sa inyong paglipat. panibagong mga kasaysayan na naman ang mabubuo at magwawakas sa apat na dingding ng bago mong bahay. ilan na naman kaya ang mga bagong panauhing kakatok? maninikluhod para sila’y iyong tapunan ng oras at ligaya? ilang mga sandali na naman ng katahimikan ang babasagin ng tinig ni josh groban, habang ikaw nama’y inaanod sa paninimdim? ilang pagbubuo ng mga balak at pangarap na naman ang mangyayari sa loob at labas ng mga silid ng bahay?

mabuti at sa pag-iisa ay nagkakaroon ka ng kalayaan. kalayaang makapag-isip, makadama, makadilat. kaya lang, nami-miss kita. lalo na sa mga panahong pagod ako at gusto kong may karamay at kakuwentuhan at ka-lakwatsahan. kahapon, maaga akong lumabas ng opisina dahil masama ang pakiramdam ko. may ipinakiusap sa akin si harry na gawin para sa kanya, kaya pinagbigyan ko. dumaan ako sa metropolis alabang. yung lugar na siya mong pinag-aabangan ng sasakyan pauwi sa sunshine tuwing sunset. tapos, pumunta ako sa southmall para manood ng KILL BILL volume 1 na ang bida ay si uma thurman. alam kong magugustuhan mo ang bakbakan na ang bida ay babae.

mas gusto kong manahimik ngayong mga araw na ito sa kabila ng napakaraming problemang dinadala ko sa ngayon. at sa mga pasanin ng tatay at nanay na pasanin ko rin naman. hindi na rin ako nakaka-exercise, kahit na gusto kong mag-tennis. a week ago, nagising akong medyo masakit ang kaliwang bahagi ng balakang ko. naaalala ko tuloy yung time na immobile ako for a week because of the same pain. ang huling hawak ko ng raketa ay noong naglaro tayo sa citadella. nandoon pa rin ang interest ko, kaya lang ang pinakarurok yata nito ay noong nasa kasikatan ang pagiging magkaribal ni steffi at monica. nang masaksak si seles, sinaksak na rin ang interest ko sa tennis. bantayan mo si maria shaparova at si ashley harkleroad, maliban sa muling pagbabalik ng mga williams na nasa #3 at #11 positions sa ngayon, at sa pag-iisnaban ng magkababata at magkababayang justine at kim. ikinasal last year si justine. ikakasal naman this year si kim. sa mga lalake, ano pa ang pupuntahan ng tennis matapos magretiro ni pete at wala nang panapat kay andre? wala na rin si goran. mahina na ang palakpak kay guga. tumuntong lang sandali sa hagdan ng #1 si marcelo at bumaba na ulit. kahit sabihin pang namamayagpag si roger sa kanyang tagumpay sa wimbledon at si juan carlos sa roland garros, parang kulang sila sa luningning. agree ka ba?

marami pa rin namang gustong makipagkaibigan. may mga tumatawag. may mga nag-iimbita. may mga nagte-text. kaya lang, wala akong panahon na maibigay para dito. ewan ko ba. ganun ko siguro pinagbubuhusan ng panahon ang pagtatrabaho nang sa ganoon, malibang rin ako sa gitna ng kaabalahan. tinatanong mo kung ano ang ginagawa ko pag nalilibugan ako? ha-ha-ha!!! ano pa ba ang dapat gawin kundi manalangin. at nagpapamasahe pagkatapos.

dalawang gabi na ang nakararaan, medyo naligalig ako. habang pasakay ako ng tricycle pauwi sa augustus, itinanong sa akin ng driver kung saan ako ihahatid. for a brief 10 seconds, hindi ko maalala ang street name at blangko talaga ang isip ko. it was a short span of time but it seemed forever. hindi ko alam. talaga kayang papalubog na ang araw ko?

J
january 17, 2004

And six months later, eto pa ang isa:

dearest nori,

read your story. i can relate to the ambivalence of being in the midst of letting go and moving on or staying put and going with the flow. but i guess you made the overly overdue right decision. what is there to be afraid of? the unknown future is held in the palms of a known God who knows you and loves you in turn.

i pray the forthcoming chapters will be filled with new life-sized characters, gripping plots, exciting twists and turns that will make you wonder why you have not thought of walking the yellow brick road in the first place. make the most of this -your whole new world!

all love,
joey
july 13, 2004

quite honestly, i can't remember the context.

happy birthday, norrie!


REFLECTIONS
Joshua 4-6

Joshua 4:23-24
For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.

* Is the Jordan a validation of the Red Sea episode under Moses designed for the doubters?


Joshua 5:13-15
Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” 15The commander of the LORD’S army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

* Is this a reprise of the Lord’s encounter with Moses in the desert of Haran?


Joshua 6
The Fall of Jericho

* Another reprise of the wars led by Moses?

2.27.11

A page from the past.
A thank-you letter to people who ministered to me.
Including the one who celebrates his birthday today, Kuya Rollie.


I am taking a few moments to reflect amidst the busyness of my day-by-day routine.

The first thought that comes to mind is kindness. Perhaps, it was warranted by the theme of a Bible Study I conducted a while back: the Shunamite woman’s kindness to Elisha – inviting him to lunch and constructing a fully-furnished upper room for him.

I will not claim to be a man of God Elisha was. I will not even suppose I come close. But with all humility and sense of wonder, I am grateful at the chance I was afforded to be of service in God’s vast vineyard.

I am grateful too for the insuperable amount of kindness I receive from people touched by God to be supportive of me. Kuya Ed Manalo. Kuya Jun Manalang. Kuya Harry Tria. Kuya Rollie Reyes. Kuya Rene Perlas. You never fail to remember me whenever you come home for a brief holiday, even if sometimes I fail to acknowledge your presence or even find time to give you a good time.

Let me be more specific. When I look at my URIAN book and the garden landscape at home, I am reminded of Kuya Ed’s generosity; when I delighted my parents with a wrist-watch set, I know they were courtesy of Kuya Jun’s “lunch money”; when I inspect my closet and find toiletries and perfume and clothes and CDs of classical music and other entertainment packages, I go teary-eyed and thank God for Kuya Rollie; when I see a creamy rolled-carpet, a CD case, a portable discman, a leather bag and other small what-nots, I am reminded of Kuya Harry’s thoughtfulness; and when I see some of the mind-and-heart-changing books in my library, I know Kuya Rene had me in mind even when he was buying them.

But the list does not stop there. Ate Irma and Ate Mila forward text loads to me every so often. Kuya Hermie from UAE sends bottles of perfume as does Kuya Ruel. Dom, too. Amir, in spite of. And Karlo.

Like the Shunamite woman, you gave kindness out of the wellspring of your heart. Like Elisha, I feel honored. And I am left with a fervent wish that I could somehow reciprocate your kindness.

Hopefully, here and soon.

Happy Birthday!


REFLECTIONS
Joshua 1-3

Joshua’s turn to be awed by God’s promises and wishes:

Joshua 1:5
I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Joshua 1:8
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.

To a fledgling leader and the multitude of responsibilities that lay before him, what could “Be strong and take courage” mean?

Joshua 2
Rahab – the lying prostitute!!!
And yet, she received favors!
Now, I do not want to make a sport of the fact that prostitutes and liars can be given favors – but this only proves that God is sovereign. He only can decide – and wisely – on a case-to-case basis.

Joshua 3
Another miracle crossing the Jordan.
However scientific incidents like this (e.g. Red Sea, etc.) are explained, my heart maintains that God is completely capable of making miracles and miracles being what they are require no explanation.

2.26.11

Is it possible, given this day, that not even a single fleeting thought knocks at the doors of the mind?

For each day devoid of pain and rid of regret
without a tinge of fear and anxiety
sans trouble or sickness
lacking in grief and worry
short of the extraordinary load or burden
no emergencies nor exigencies
none of the drama of the heart
not even the sting of unmet expectations
a day so regular and common
exclusive of sordidness and meanness
God,
this is a beautiful day
where one can bask in the glory
of ordinariness.

And yet,
how can one trivialize
the God
who resides
even in the mundane!


REFLECTIONS
Deuteronomy 32-34

Deuteronomy 32:46-47
Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.

* And the words mostly dealt with idolatry. No other god but God.

Deuteronomy 32:51-52
This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. 52Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.”

* Moses’ shortcomings:
- he broke faith with God in the presence of the Israelites.
- he did not uphold God’s holiness among the Israelites.

Moses’ punishments:
- he will see the Promised Land only from a distance.
- he will not enter the land God is giving to Israel.

Tribute to Moses

Deuteronomy 34:10-12
Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

2.25.11

My pastor’s musings on his 56th birthday as delivered on “True Love Sings” tonight.

Life is Not Short

Life is not short nor long.
God ordained its length so it must be just right.
Life becomes
short and vexing only when throttled full-speed on needless business;
long and tiring when slow-motioned in idleness.

With the right deed, place, and time
there should be no big need to longingly look backward nor forward:
no putting on hold and wasting a very present, cash moment
only to wallow in the very spent past
or gaze at a very distant, promissory-note future.
Living the moment would do.

So when earthly time is up,
the heart won’t fear nor regret
but would only gratefully, graciously, gladly yield this present breath
to inhale the next in a yet another life in another place and time.

Minimize pain.
Maximize pleasure.
Do the most good.

Get a life!
Live life to the fullest.
Then gladly meet your Maker.


REFLECTIONS
Deuteronomy 29-31

Compare
Deuteronomy 29:4
But to this day the LORD has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear.

Deuteronomy 29:29
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

* The Lord decides what we can and cannot learn/understand in this lifetime?
Does this mean, he has designated also those who can and cannot?
Therefore, he decides who becomes matalino and not?

* The “secret” things have also been revealed to those who he likes to reveal them to? But are the secrets of God really knowable?
Or do people only perceive to know what they think they know?
Kasi, if they know the secret, hindi na secret yun.

And granting that the secret is shared by God to a chosen few, does that mean God
wants these chosen ones to share the secret with anyone? Or is there an exclusive
club of truth-seekers and secret-keepers?


The Viability of Obedience

Deuteronomy 30:11-14
Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

Deuteronomy 31
Key Words: Be strong and take courage!!!