No One Like You

What a privilege to know a God like You
Who leave no questions unanswered
No tear unnoticed
No cry unheard

Who never leaves my side
Who never lets me go
You pursue me with love and compassion
You carry me and embrace me

You cause me to smile
And give me reasons to be thankful
You love me as if I have not been unfaithful
You welcome me as if I have not turned away from You

You give me Your unlimited patience
You show me Your mercy
You strengthen me by telling me I have something of more worth than gold
You give me hope by telling me that You are preparing an inheritance for me

There is no one like You, Father
No one that can compare
No one that can ever come close.

the one from the prophet

And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;

And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.

And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.

-from The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran

at the crater of mt. pinatubo

...all that walking and waking-up at 2am are worthwhile...


                        0300 Assembly time
                        0330 ETD for Capas, Tarlac via NLEX
                        0500 ETA Capas, Tarlac (stop-over for breakfast)
                        0530 ETD for Brgy. Sta. Juliana
                        0630 ETA Brgy. Sta. Juliana (jump-off point)
                        0645 Board 4×4 vehicles
                        0800 Start trekking
                        1030 ETA at the crater of Mt. Pinatubo
                        1200 Start return trek
                        1430 Back to the 4x4s
                        1530 Back at jump-off point. Freshen up.
                        1600 ETD from Tarlac for Manila
                        1900 ETA Manila
  • had less than one hour of sleep the night before
  • walked a total of 5 hours (2.5 hours on our way to the crater)
  • had to walk 1 hour non-stop on our way back as there was heavy rain and we were trying to avoid strong river flows and/or mudslides
  • did not bring SLR that day. i was afraid it would be too heavy.
  • no trekking shoes also, i walked all day in my havaianas which has been with me since year 2006 :)
  • i got separated from the group for a while and had to wait for almost an hour before i could re-join them
  • water was cold at the crater
  • water flowing from the small rivers, streams started to get warm as the rain poured out



fragile


"above all else, guard your heart" -proverbs 4:23

...and this is LOVE


"We LOVE because HE first loved us." -1 John 4:19

"This is LOVE: not that we loved God, but that HE loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." -1 John 4:10

Beloved, nothing shall take the love of Christ from you, or separate you from it. It does not ebb with the ebbing of your feelings; it does not chill with the chill of your affections; it does not change with the changing scenes and circumstances of your life.

Let that be enough

Let me know that You love me
Let me know Your touch
Let me know that You're near me
Let that be enough.