The Long Way Up

There’s like ten thousand mountains to cross And I haven’t even started climbing one All these musings lead to a far off place To a future that’s already been surely won Today feels lost in such a sluggish pace Clouds cooperate too well to set a mood One, an ambience of ominous blatant drabness Another, of veiled hope — depending on attitude Plateaus on hills flood the vision in my eyes A backdrop of grays enshroud the muted greens I’m looking far ahead, only as sight permits But that’s as far as I can traverse, or so it seems First step has been taken: too little, too late? A minuscule dot on the map, unnoticeably etched October winds blowing steadily — hoping southbound Filling out lines of eternity effortlessly sketched Finite, obscured, and oh so elucidated flesh Sitting atop the tower; thinking; perhaps abscond? Infinite, visible, and unmistakably, undeniably true Condescend, take control, penetrate soul and beyond

Since the dawn of human history, mankind has always had the inclination to want to know as much as they can about many things… important things… everything! There seems to have always been an insatiable hunger to attain awareness pertaining — and even peripheral — to whatever exists under the sun, occurs on the earth, and eludes logical explanation. In fact, in centuries of human civilization, the accumulation of cognizance has always been equated to the aggregation of might, and those who have gained vast amounts of awareness have more often than not inclined toward brandishing and wielding information to their own advantage and success. The old adage, ‘ knowledge is power ,’ has — for better or for worse — been proven true time and again throughout history. One does not even have to look into recorded historical facts of how Adolf Hitler’s knowledge of the theory of evolution and ‘the survival of the fittest’ led him and the Nazis to discriminate, segregate, and terminate thousands o...

Don’t think about it too much Just write your thoughts on the page as they come You know they’ve been piled up, scattered all over, and cooped up in your brain Let them out; let your mind breathe; give your thoughts more space Acknowledge everything that has been and release them Give your emotions exposure to the light of day Who knows what might come your way once you do You’ve thought about how much you’ve missed going to movies With friends like Archie, Mike, or one of the men you’ve mentored You’ve pondered about life perhaps not ever going back to what it used to be Certain that you do not want to revert to some of the old things Unsure of letting the others go You’ve thought about the utmost importance of times of solitude Especially when spent in the presence of God You’ve realized even more how valuable face-to-face interactions with people are The priceless moments you’ve invested into the lives of others way before all this happened And the future times you’ve yet to spend o...

I find it so amazing that some of the spiritual insights I got from the Lord from a decade ago still resonate (loudly and strongly) with me to this day; perfectly speaking into the current season of my life. God's Word is indeed timeless! - - - - - REST from January 11, 2008 "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him... Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him." [Psalm 62: 1, 5] There has been so much striving in my life. Striving to overcome sin. Striving to resist the devil and take authority over him. Striving to get more blessings from God. Striving to become a better Christian. Striving for more anointing. Striving to grow. Striving to be closer to the Father. Over the past four years of my life I went through many seasons in the Spirit that exposed me to these areas in my life where I strived instead of finding rest in the Lord. There's always been this part of me that wants to do all I can to acc...

There are only two factors that remain constant in this life: CHANGE . And GOD . No matter how hard we try to avoid either, we will always collide with one or both. No matter how hard we deny these two truths, we will always find ourselves surrendering to them -- willingly or otherwise. Regardless of race, culture, political view, economic standing and religious affiliation, change and God will permeate and dominate every aspect of our human existence. IF WE LET THEM! CHANGE is inevitable . Like the seasons in nature, which take their turn coming and going -- winter, spring, summer, fall -- change may happen without asking our permission or taking into account our personal preferences. Change may often happen in cyclical fashion with a certain degree of predictability. All we can really do is prepare for them in anticipation of their arrival, and walk through them and make adjustments in response to the length of their stay. We can't escape change. CHANGE is indisp...

My two nephews recently got their circumcision done during their vacation here in the Philippines. It was quite a stressful time for me and the adults surrounding them, mainly because the younger of the two boys -- the eight-year-old one -- was getting paranoid about the discomfort and sensitivity of the wound and freshly-exposed skin, and reacting to it like he was being butchered, when in fact what was being done to him was for his own good. Despite our repeated efforts to pacify him, to let him lay still, and tell him that the procedures we were about to do on him would not lead to mutilation or death, he still allowed his fear of pain and of his "demise" get the better of him; thus making the circumcision and subsequent putting on and removal of bandages very laborious, and physically and emotionally taxing for all involved. From the cutting of the skin to the second and third dressings, his screams of "horror" caused my blood pressure -- and those ...