The End?

I've been ... distracted these past months. As a Royal Priest I haven't mentioned the name of the Lord unless in a desperate, whispered prayer for... mercy. That got me. Mercy during my office hours? A holy request for kinder customers and lower talk time? Some priest I became.

But then... Christ didn't stand out until he was about 30 years old. Up to that point he was "the carpenter." Until he stepped out for 40 days in the wilderness, he also had his share of kind customers.

The Wilderness.

That's where I need to be. In fact, that's where I'm being compelled to be. Like Jonah and the sea creature, my efforts face a storm of protest. No one is being saved, and I'm veering for the wide gate to Hell. I worry, I'm weak, I'm tired. I'm too content with earthly happiness I lose sight of the big picture.

The Fall of Man. Jesus triumphing over Satan. Heaven. Hell. The Second Coming of Christ.

As a Royal Priest, I have fallen by the wayside - a seed that fell on rocky ground, taking no root. I want to be the tree planted by the waters again, filled with the Holy Spirit, waiting and watching for God in every moment. Loving God always, never tiring, neverending.

My best advice for those who want to be a Royal Priest? Discouragement. I remember the harsh reality of all God's elite. The cross is the symbol of a Christian's life. Born again in the Holy Spirit, life becomes similar to a newborn child repeatedly stumbling, learning to walk, while lifting a cross.

I need to find God again. I want to find God again. I will find God again, because statistically we all will face God in the end. The only question is, what will God face - a friend or an enemy?

As I look forward to my time in the Wilderness, I remember a song during my elementary years that always brought a tear to my eyes:

Even though we might be weary

Don't be discouraged

In your weakness God is strong

Remember this

He'll never leave you

He won't forsake you

He's your strength and He's your song

So sing and start to say

I'm climbing a mountain step by step

I'm climbing a mountain day by day

I'm climbing a mountain all the way

I'm climbing a mountain

I'm going to make it

One step at a time

One step at a time

One step at a time

I'm climbing a mountain

One step at a time

The Skittle Prophecy

"Pick a color."

"Uh... red?"

Three Skittles fall out: blue, red and brown.

She squints, almost disapprovingly, and says, "You won't get what you want... at least not yet."

= = =
February 22, 2008

6:00 AM

We wake up, breathing heavily and sweating. My best friend is leaving, and my girlfriend walked out on me after a disagreement. Since I am attached to both women, last night was an emotional upheaval, to say the least. Hugging, (possible) crying, convulsions and palpitations, etc. etc.

God kicks me in the proverbial nads by reminding me that this life is not the end of the story. The happy ending doesn't happen here. Not yet. Not now. Afterwards.

"Honestly, God, kill me now. Like I didn't ask for this before..." I mutter, unfocused. Life as a resident of the 32nd floor of PBCom Tower has been an adventure, but I still get winded when bad news arrives at our door.

And God flashes the cross in front of me. New perspective: Mary, mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene at the foot of the cross. Two girls separated from me out of divine intervention. I breathe easy, my heart is calm. Jesus is here. Thanks, bro.

The Year of Work

"It's just good business."

These were the last words of Lord Beckett, the villainous entrepreneur of the film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Spoiler alert! At the final battle, his intricate plans to eradicate his economic competition (the pirates) fall apart as the hero Will Turner replaces the immortal Davy Jones. With cannon and cutlass and all manners of metal fury, the legendary ships The Black Pearl and The Flying Dutchman obliterate the battleship of the East India Trading Company.

What's my point? Nothing. I was just reviewing my itinerary for 2008: job referrals, ube and leche flan sales, and an Unlimited Network of Opportunites. Oh, that AND my normal 9-5. 2008, the Year of Work. No cannons to blow our brains out, but the steady static of our headphones hum gently. No cutlass to pierce our hearts, just the silent sting of rejections from corporate comrades.

We take a moment to look away from the battlefield to our Lord Jesus, the Maker of Tough Love and Work. "Look to the bloody, splintered cross that has the weight of the world's sins." We look. "Now," says the Lord, "compare your burden to that workload." We look at Him, and smile. Our cross is always smaller in relativity. Our business became His business the moment He lifted the beams. This year may be the defining point, the year I am tested in fire and stretched to the limit. Good. The faster this "tent" wears out, the sooner the "temple" can rise. Time to work!