New Chikka commercial. Hands down again to Ramon Bautista... so funny. There's another one of this.

Total Wreck

New music video from Radioactive Sago Project featuring Ramon Bautista and Strangebrew's Angel Rivera and Tado directed by RA Rivera. The video pays tribute to Lino Brocka's Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang of the 70s. I still not into the song, but love the video.

A little fatigued right now. I already slept too early this morning because of a work project. Today I went to UP to print our APAW posters, drop by the office to get materials for my discipleship group, lounged at Starbucks Katipunan in front of Ateneo to pass time before I went to school for my Hebrew class. First time I experienced headache with coffee, it hurts til now. Throughout the one and a half hour class my eyes were already dropping. After class, went to Binondo to meet up with one of my youth for dinner and coffee (again). It's not obvious that I'm trying to collect the stickers in the Starbucks coupon to get that cool leather bound planner. It was a productive day though and I thank God for that. I need to sleep now.

I'm also preaching on Sunday. Please do pray for me :)

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

by Andy Williams, in 3/4 jazz waltz (listen)

It's the most wonderful time of the year | With the kids jingle belling | And everyone telling you "Be of good cheer" | It's the most wonderful time of the year

It's the hap-happiest season of all | With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings | When friends come to call | It's the happiest season of all

There'll be parties for hosting | Marshmallows for toasting | And caroling out in the snow | There'll be scary ghost stories | And tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago

It's the most wonderful time of the year | There'll be much mistltoeing | And hearts will be glowing | When love ones are near | It's the most wonderful time of the year

+++

I'm feeling senti-Christmas mood right now. I'm thinking of doing a compilation of classic Christmas songs...

• It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams
• It's Christmas All Over the World - Sheena Easton
• Merry Christmas Darling - Karen Carpenter
• Have Yourself A Merry Christmas - Karen Carpenter
• The Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting...) - Karen Carpenter
• Christmas in Our Hearts (The whole album) by Jose Mari Chan
• Christmas album of Ryan Cayabyab

Any suggestions?

First day of class and I wasn't able to wake up on time. Gr. I wasn't able to advise my folks to wake me up. But later I'm going to Makati to pick up some bread (yum!) and off to Marikina River Banks... magpapakain si Kuya Sur! Hehe.. Then gonna sleep at Ate Dayang's place in Las Pinas for my morning class in Lighthouse in Alabang... Looks like it's gonna be an adventurous week.

Listening to:



A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi Trio

1. O Tannenbaum
2. What Child Is This
3. My Little Drum
4. Linus And Lucy
5. Christmas Time Is Here ( Instrumental)
6. Christmas Time Is Here (Vocal)
7. Skating
8. Hark The Herald Angel Sings
9. Christmas Is Coming
10. Fur Elise
11. The Christmas Song
12. Greensleeves

New Season

by Martha Munizzi

[+] It’s a new season, it’s a new day | A fresh anointing is flowing my way | It’s a season of power and prosperity | It’s a new season coming to me

The devil’s time is up, no longer can he bother me | ‘Cause the Controller of the universe, He fathers me | And it’s transferable; your children’s children will be free | It’s a new season!
If you don’t know, but now you need to know it’s Jubilee | My debts are cancelled and your children walk in victory | It’s all available to you right now just taste and see | It’s a new season!

The new millennium presents a new horizon and | No greater time for us to make a choice and take us and | All that we need is resting safely in the Master’s hand | It’s a new season!
All that was stolen is returned to you a hundredfold | Tried in the fire but you’re coming out, go! | Cling to His hand, “yes” to every promise take a hold | It’s a new season!

I'm currently reading this book I found while I'm in APTS called The Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. I have already seen it before at the ASCM library when a friend pointed it out to me and had made such impression that I knew I would read it soon. When I saw it in APTS bookstore it was the last one and as I flip through the pages an excerpt on simplicity immediately caught my eye. Indeed, how does one celebrate discipline? It seems those two words are contradictory. I believe I will soon discover. Reading through the pages, there are great insights from this seasoned disciple.

Foster gives a fresh perspective on working in and out our righteousness (salvation for Rick Warren). He calls it objective and subjective righteousness. Latter being righteousness achieved by discipline and the former achieved by grace alone. The two are inseparable. Even the new testament had little distinction between the two because it was already understood that they come in one package. I liked how he explained that achieving righteousness is like growing a plant.. God alone can make it grow (grace) but it's the job of the farmer to cultivate it, water it and create the condition for its growth (discipline).

Going back to the YA event. There had been tons of memorable insights from all the sessions of the event. We had this speaker who went in as a sub for an absent speaker but Tom Bohnert's message perhaps penetrated deepest to the heart of the people. He talked about the love of God. I'm struck at how one could make an organized thesis from what seemed a basic, even diluted, topic. His insight on the healing of the leprous man by Jesus captured how we often judge ourselves so strictly and we would ask God "if" He want to make us clean when in fact He is delighted and readily willing to do it for us, because He loves us. He loves us because He is our Father. Sometimes we project our impression of Him through our perception of our earthly fathers and other people, but hearing that as a Father, God loves still love us even if we get into mess. Now this should not be grounds for abusing His love. Paul talks about how Freedom should make us love Him even more. Foster talks about sin that it is something that cannot be scored, that sinfulness is a state of being. Therefore God doesn't keep score of our sins when in fact our whole being is sin, until Jesus made Himself as sin in our place. I believe in order to worship God, one must know and discover His being first. Even though it wouldn't be possible to fully unfold His glorious Being, understanding and experiencing His Fatherly love alone satisfies that "God-shaped" hole in our being.

I just came back last night from Baguio for the young adults convergence of the national youth of Philippine Assemblies of God called "Work in Progress". I'm still in the process of dislodging my adrenaline rush and I couldn't stop making kuyakoy. Part of the rush is because I was part of the organizing team whom I am very privileged to be working with. Nevertheless I learned so much from our sessions and talking with some people (Though most people would think I never spoken a word!) The event helped my to reevaluate my walk as a follower and leader.

I'm here at Baguio in Asia Pacific Theological Seminary for a young adults retreat. The area has been almost zero visibility because of the fog, except for this morning when finally the sun showed up. This I think is my first time to come up here during the "-ber" months and indeed this is the coldest Baguio I've experienced. The sessions are great that gears toward young adults in the workplace.