Today's Devo

I have to be honest. I haven't done my quiet time in a while. I try to read the Bible as much as I can; and I have constant conversations with God throughout the day, but lately, I haven't set aside time alone with God to talk with Him and read His word. 

I know I have to do my devo. There is so much I want to know. I need wisdom and understanding. Before going to work today, I decided to have breakfast at the coffeeshop across the street. I was listening to John Waller's "While I'm Waiting" on loop. As I walked in, the song, "Everything" by Lifehouse was playing. I knew that God is with me. 

Here is a part of the song: 

"Find me here, and speak to me 
I want to feel you, I need to hear you 
You are the light that's leading me to the place 
Where I find peace again 
You are the strength that keeps me walking 
You are the hope that keeps me trusting 
You are the life to my soul 
You are my purpose 
You're everything."

And this is what I read in my devo: Psalm 32:8-10

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
⁹ Do not be like the horse or the mule,
    which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
    or they will not come to you.
¹⁰ Many are the woes of the wicked,
    but the Lord’s unfailing love
    surrounds the one who trusts in him.

I was reminded again that my primary purpose on earth is to glorify Him. Indeed, He is everything in my life. He is my light, my strength, my hope, my life. I know I've been a bit lost and confused lately in a lot of aspects of my life but I have to look at the bigger picture and focus on Him, not on anything else. Not on all the trivial concerns that weigh me down and wear me out every day. God is my source of strength. Also, after I read these verses in Psalm, I'm assured that God won't withhold His wisdom from me. He will grant me wisdom and instruction, all I need to do is ask and to continue trusting in Him. I thank the Lord for continuously reminding me of His presence in the midst of confusion. 

On Waiting (Part 1)

Last Monday night, I was in CCF Makati, the satellite church of CCF Main in Ortigas, where I usually attend. 

I have good memories of CCF Makati. My first visit was when I worked as backup photographer for George Padua at the 25th wedding anniversary of a well-loved couple in church. I was truly blessed by the stories shared. The posters about "love" tacked on the church pillars spoke volumes on the general message sent out to the church attendees. I was going through personal struggles at that time, and it was then that I strongly felt God's loving assurance. It was also the day before our flight to the US for a long overdue family vacation/reunion. The three weeks that followed was a manifestation of God's love and generosity. And it was the best vacation I've had in my 30 years of existence. 

This time, I went back to CCF Makati for Monday Bible Study. It's a weekly bible study group for Christian singles targeting yuppies in the Makati CBD, the same group that organizes the B1G Retreat every year. I've been meaning to attend the B1G Retreat either as participant or volunteer, but there's always a conflict in my schedule. So I planned on attending the MBS regularly, which is the next best thing.

Happy.....Birthday Kris Aquino!

If today didn't end the way it did, I would've cursed Vday forever and ever. 

This morning, I woke up at around 7:15 - which is later than the usual time I get up - and I knew the day isn't going to run smoothly. I usually wake up at 6 am, 6:30 at the latest. Our office is just a five minute drive from where I live, but I move pretty slow, and I want to get to the office a lot earlier than 8 am. I was able to get to the office before 8 am, thank God, then I attended a meeting with the boss, the big boss, and the bigger boss, together with other lawyers, to discuss something that involves a little bit of Philippine history. The rest of the officemates were celebrating Vday in a restaurant somewhere while I was stuck at a lunch meeting. When I got back to my cubicle, someone played a prank on me and turned Vday into April Fools'. I was really looking forward to running tonight while the rest of the world is on a date, when I found out training has been cancelled. Apparently, a lot of the runners couldn't make it. (I think I was the only one who can. LOL) 

Well played, universe. 

The Next Level

This is the group I train with now, headed by our super kind, motherly coach, Coach Janette Agura. I resumed training after "graduating" from Milo Apex Running School in early December

I'm not one to get emotional about...most things, but last week, I had a surge of mixed feelings as I - drumroll please - signed up for my first 21K! I was anxious, excited, worried, proud, all at the same time, although it was mostly anxiety I was feeling. Or more appropriately, panic. I wanted to shout to the high heavens and ask God, "What have I done??" :)) 

Truth is, it took me a while to sign up. I attempted to register for Run United twice at the website, but I chickened out and clicked "Cancel" on both occasions. I finally mustered enough courage to register, paid the fee using my credit card (as opposed to paying via bank deposit, where there's a chance I might just "forget" to pay), and waited for the confirmation through e-mail. 

12.12.12 and Other Random Thoughts

And I'm posting this just because. Taken at a recent wedding shoot in Boracay

Days of doing due diligence is seriously making me rethink my existence. Srsly.

One of the highlights of my "career" (career!) as a photographer is getting encouraging messages from complete strangers every once in a while, telling me that they admire my work. That doesn't happen to me very often (because by "a while", I mean 9-12 months), but when it does, I am reminded of why I do photography and why I should continue doing it no matter how busy it gets in other areas of my life. A few months ago, a random girl outside my network commended my work and told me that she wants to be like me someday. I still get warm and fuzzy every time I remember that message, but a part of me wants to warn her, that if she finds herself at age 30, unsettled, single, having an insatiable appetite for cupcakes, and having frequent bouts of financial impulsiveness, she might regret what she said years ago about me :)) 

Honestly, I'm ok where I am right now - with a steady job, photography, great friends, a loving family. I doubt I can consider this as being at my best though. But I'm ok. Everything's steady. like calm before a storm But sometimes I can't help but wonder if I'm still on the right track to where God wants me to be in five or even two years.

The Middle East in Bible Prophecy

 I've been stuck in the book of Ezekiel for so long (still stuck now hehe) but this sermon gave me a fresh perspective on the book. It was given by a Jewish speaker, Amir Tsarfati, in CCF. He relates the prophecies in the book of Ezekiel to current events. It just left me awestruck, knowing how real and relevant God's words are through the prophet Ezekiel. (The message went on for more than an hour and I didn't even notice the time!) It gave me more impetus to read God's word, as it will prevent us from speculating on the last days and would urge us to be more aware of current world events, especially those in Israel/the Middle East. I think the important thing to think about is where we fit in God's grand story. I hope everyone would take the time to watch it.

Deja Vu

 After what happened on September 26, 2009, I didn't think I'd find myself packing relief goods again for disaster victims of a calamity with the same magnitude as typhoon Ondoy. Yet today, I was doing exactly the same thing, at the same venue, for the same reason. As you all may know by now, Manila was placed under a state of calamity due to the continuous rains that have caused extreme flooding around the metro (again). I've heard for some, this disaster is even worse than typhoon Ondoy. Unlike Ondoy that lasted only for a few hours, this one has been going on for days, and the rain continuous to pour as I write. No one probably anticipated that another calamity of this level would hit the country (at least I didn't). I thought, after that fairly recent disaster, it won't happen again any time soon, and that the rain had to stop sometime. It's been almost three days and the weather isn't getting better. I haven't seen the sun in two days. The mood has been dreary all over, and it's just devastating to hear and read about flood-affected areas in the city.

Last Weekend

The Milo Apex Running Clinic QC 5k Group :D

I told myself I won't let the weekend pass without posting a blog entry. (Oh, it's the weekend again! I didn't notice :P) The past weekend (and the past week as well) just held too many blessings and I would like to write about all the things I've been so grateful for:

Working Girl v. 3.0

At present, I'm counting the days until I start with my third job. But let's start from the very beginning: 

Back in 2008, I had a real office! Hehe

Rehoboth

"The word 'Rehoboth' means 'broad and spacious.' The Lord has broadened my space. If you let God fight for you [and] you let God choose for you, oftentimes, He leads you to the best. The best of the very best: Rehoboth."

Ptr. Peter Tan-chi

CCF Service on "Practicing God's Presence"

All will be Well

Flowers in the church front yard

"All will be well." This was the prevailing message from the Easter mass I attended yesterday, when I joined my sister's family and her sister-in-law's family in a Catholic mass in Aliso Viejo, a few minutes away from where we're currently staying in Orange County. It has been a while since I last attended a Catholic mass and I could say it was very different from the ones I've attended before. It was unconventional. My sister said it had hints of a Christian/born-again service. The choir was accompanied by a band (complete with a drum, which I only see in Christian services); the message/homily was relatively longer than the usual homilies; even the church set up was very modern. The "altar" was made of a large, unpolished stone where the priest went around while he was giving his homily. At the start of the mass, he sprinkled holy water at the entire congregation and made sure that every one received the blessing. Instead of using the usual container to hold the water, he used a bunch of leaves which was more absorbent and in effect, produced a lot of water when it was waved towards the crowd. Towards the end of the homily, he gave out a giant easter egg, a chocolate rabbit, and a stuffed rabbit to three lucky recipients. The priest was very lively, the message was great, and they had good, upbeat music. The crowd was very receptive and truly enjoyed the entire mass. I wasn't expecting much from the mass, but I enjoyed it as well, and found it relevant that the priest was talking about resurrection, new beginnings, and the inevitable joyful ending, knowing that you are one with Christ. 

Blue Like Jazz

A few months ago, my ministry partner, Ate Germaine Santos, gave me a copy of the book, Blue Like Jazz, where Don Miller shares his "nonreligious thoughts on Christian spirituality." In this book, Miller narrates his experiences as a college student in Reed University, his conversations with fellow Christians and non-Christians, and his struggles with Christianity. I didn't plan on reading this book, not yet anyway, until after I've finished another book Ate Germaine gave me. But the moment I finished the first chapter, I wanted to read the rest of the book. The tone is very casual and candid, like a compilation of long blog entries, so it was very light and easy to read. It is not preachy and it wasn't really intended to give a discourse on the Christian belief, but it's interesting enough to keep readers talking about Jesus.

Last Saturday's Shoot

Killing time before we go on a tour.

Crap it's so cold. I didn't realize it would be this cold here. Anyhoot..

Last Saturday, Erron Ocampo posted on Facebook: "VIP Ninong today, CJ Corona."

Dylan of Vatel Manila replied: "Si Sec. Bert Romulo and Shalani & Roman naman here at the Farm. Pero winner kung si CJ!"

I wanted to comment: "Guess who's at our shoot today? The freakin' singer/composer of the song, Seiko wallet (ang wallet na masuwerte)":

He was really funny, like your favorite lolo. He didn't sing the Seiko jingle but he sang "It's a Wonderful World" beautifully.

March 2003

Japan Japan with college friends. Woohoo! Haha!

CCF Talk - "Ang Pera Na Hindi Bitin"

I've seen the ad on the CCF Bulletin regarding the financial talk but I never considered going since the target audience was parents with children who have special needs. Last week, I joined the L.A.W. (Lord's Attorneys at Work) ministry orientation, and we were told that they needed volunteers to act as ushers at the talk. Since I had nothing to do at the time the talk was scheduled, I volunteered. I had a shoot in the afternoon so I brought along my camera, just in case they would need a photographer. 

In His Presence

I never considered myself a leader. Growing up as the youngest child with much older siblings, I was always the last one consulted for any decisions and was likewise the last one to be assigned any responsibility in the household. Being used to this kind of setup, I generally don't take responsibility over things and I don't take initiative or volunteer help unless I'm required to. I became too comfortable with the idea that I'll always be a follower but never a leader.

11 things to be thankful for in 2011

Since 2007, I've been posting a year-end meme on my blog. I'll still do that for the sake of tradition but this time, I decided to start the year with a list of things I'm thankful for for the past year. (Pretty late to kick of the new year, I know) So here's my list, in no particular order:

Love in the Time of Camera

photo taken at ed and angel's prenup :D

I've been meaning to post this entry months ago, but I never had the time and patience to finish it until now. I've been stuck with the first paragraph for the longest time. Caveat, it's a long one, and it's probably the first time I'm writing about one of those things left unsaid for the past (almost) two years in my previous blog. 'Hope it makes the slightest sense. Hehe :)