A Walk in the Clouds...

...or more specifically, a view from outer space!!!

        While exploring the various services that Google has to offer, I stumbled upon Google Maps, a service of Google that features an extensive map database of USA complete with zoomed-in, up close satellite imagery.  Just type any US address in the search box and Google Maps will search for that address with pinpoint accuracy and display a map of that place... you can click on the "satellite" button and you can actually see the rooftop of the house (or building) that you are looking for.

        Hmmm, have they mapped the Philippines also?  There's only one way to find out...  Zoom out the map to view the entire world, click on the tiny speck of islands at the left side of the Pacific Ocean to center it, and then zoom in to view the entire Philippines.

        Unfortunately, a large portion of the Philippines is still in low-resolution imagery.  Only a small portion of Cavite, Bulacan and Pampanga have been photographed in detail but the satellite photos seem a bit dated.

        Here are a few interesting high-resolution images...  you can actually see some cars along the highway!

1. Petron Gasoline Station in North Expressway


2. Shell Gasoline Station in North Expressway


3. Angeles Exit, North Expressway (interchange is still under construction)


4. Dau Exit, North Expressway (flyover is still under construction)


5. Sta. Ines Exit, North Expressway (the north endpoint of the expressway)


6. Bamban Bridge in the "Lahar" River


7. Bamban Bridge 2 (the suspension-type bridge - you can see its white supporting beams)


8. Clark Centennial Expo (beside the lahar river)


9. Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (can you see the airplane?)

        Sadly, Metro Manila is still in low resolution imagery.  But even then, you can see how "un-green" Metro Manila is with its apparent lack of vegetation compared to the surrounding countrtyside.

        Baguio City, true to its idyllic nature, is shrouded in clouds.  Tsk, sayang!

        But how about this image map of a riverbed in South Africa?  Can you see the image of a man's face?  =)

        Happy exploring!

 

 

The 12 Days of Christmas

        "On the first day of Christmas my True Love gave to me..."

 
        Most folks, I believe, are familiar with the Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas". If you listen to the words carefully, it seems like nonsense set to rhyme and music, fit to be sung by children.  The lyrics even sound like a silly love song sung by a single woman, whose "True Love", a man, sent her gifts for twelve days during the Christmas season.  (If you wanna know what happened between Agnes and John, the couple featured in this song, click here.)

        However, the song was actually written with a serious purpose.  Some have suggested that it is a song of Christian instruction dating to the 16th century religious wars in England, with hidden references to the basic teachings of the Faith.  It was actually a mnemonic device, a memory aid, to teach the catechism to youngsters, thus they could sing the song without fear of imprisonment.  The authorities would not know that it was a religious song.

        The "True Love" mentioned in the song is not an earthly suitor, but refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person who is part of the Christian Faith. Each of the "days" represents some aspect of the Christian Faith that was important for children to learn.

        Let's sing the song now. 1... 2... 3... ready sing!

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On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me... 

 

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on December 25, the first day of Christmas. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, recalling the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so..." (Luke 13:34)

 

 

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

 

 

Two Turtle Doves

The Old and New Testaments, which together bear witness to God's self-revelation in history and the creation of a people to tell the Story of God to the world.

 

On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

 

Three French Hens

The Three Theological Virtues:  1) Faith, 2) Hope, and 3) Charity (1 Corinthians 13:13)

 

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

 

Four Calling Birds

The Four Gospels: 1) Matthew, 2) Mark, 3) Luke, and 4) John, which proclaim the Good News of God's reconciliation of the world to Himself in Jesus Christ.

 

On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

 

Five Gold Rings

The first Five Books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch:  1) Genesis, 2) Exodus, 3) Leviticus, 4) Numbers, and 5) Deuteronomy, which gives the history of humanity's sinful failure and God's response of grace in the creation of a people to be a light to the world.

 

On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

 

Six Geese A-laying

The six days of creation that confesses God as Creator and Sustainer of the world (Genesis 1).

 

On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

 

Seven Swans A-swimming

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: 1) prophecy, 2) ministry, 3) teaching, 4) exhortation, 5) giving, 6) leading, and 7) compassion (Romans 12:6-8; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11)

 

On the 8th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

 

Eight Maids A-milking

The eight Beatitudes: 1) Blessed are the poor in spirit, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure in heart, 7) the peacemakers, 8) those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. (Matthew 5:3-10)

 

On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

 

Nine Ladies Dancing

The nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit: 1) love, 2) joy, 3) peace, 4) patience, 5) kindness, 6) generosity, 7) faithfulness, 8) gentleness, and 9) self-control.  (Galatians 5:22)

 

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

 

Ten Lords A-leaping

The ten commandments: 1) You shall have no other gods before me; 2) Do not take God's name in vain; 3) Remember to keep holy the Sabbath Day; 4) Honor your father and mother; 5) Do not kill; 6) Do not commit adultery; 7) Do not steal; 8) Do not bear false witness; 9) Do not covet your neighbor's wife; 10) Do not covet your neighbor's goods. (Exodus 20:1-17)

 

On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

 

Eleven Pipers Piping

The eleven Faithful Apostles: 1) Simon Peter, 2) Andrew, 3) James, 4) John, 5) Philip, 6) Bartholomew, 7) Matthew, 8) Thomas, 9) James bar Alphaeus, 10) Simon the Zealot, 11) Judas bar James.  (Luke 6:14-16).  The list does not include the twelfth disciple, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders and the Romans.

 

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

 

Twelve Drummers Drumming

The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles Creed: 1) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2) I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3) He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. 4) He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into the dead. 5) On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6) He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7) I believe in the Holy Spirit, 8) the holy catholic Church, 9) the communion of saints, 10) the forgiveness of sins, 11) the resurrection of the body, 12) and life everlasting.

 ---------------------------------------------------------- 

        This season, may we all find love, peace and happiness in our True Love's gift to us, a Partridge in a pear tree... Jesus Christ... who has been born into this world to save us and to give us the gift of eternal life!  =)

        Here's wishing a Blessed Christmas to one and all!

 

 

 

1.. 2.. 3.. Jump!

        While looking for some articles on skydiving on the Internet, I recall that sometime in the year 2000, someone tried to hijack a Philippine Airlines flight from Manila to Davao, wearing a ski mask and swim goggles.  He pulled out a gun and a grenade and announced that he was hijacking the plane. Apparently security is a bit lax at the Davao City airport.

        The hijacker demanded that the plane return to Davao City but the pilots convinced him that the aircraft was low on fuel and so they continued on toward Manila.  The hijacker, undaunted, robbed the passengers of about $25,000 and ordered the pilots to lower the plane to 6,500 feet.

        When a lunatic with a gun orders you to descend, you descend.  Meanwhile, the hijacker strapped a homemade parachute onto his back and forced the flight attendants to open the door at the rear and depressurize the plane.  Apparently he knew something about skydiving and parachuting.

        He probably intended to jump, but the wind was so strong that he had some second thoughts about jumping when he saw how high the plane was flying.  Finally one of the flight attendants helpfully pushed him out the door, just as he pulled the pin from the grenade.  He threw the pin (oops!) into the cabin, and fell toward the earth carrying the business end of the grenade in his hand.

        Ground witnesses reported that they saw the parachute go one way and the man go the other when the parachute opened.

        The impact of him hitting the earth at terminal velocity had little effect on the earth's orbit.  All that remained aboveground were the hijacker's two hands.  The grenade turned out to be a dud.

    Lessons learned:

1. Don't throw yourself out of a perfectly good airplane.


2. If you feel compelled to violate Lesson 1, at least don't roll your own... parachute, that is.

Unburden Thyself

        I never thought picking up the phone to call another person could be so hard.

        I was stuck midway while reading the book "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren.  I couldn't proceed further than Chapter 21 because the previous chapter kept calling me back and I had to read and re-read that chapter just to be able to digest what it really meant to say.

        Chapter 20  of the book was titled "Restoring Broken Fellowship".  This chapter talked about how God wants us to value relationships and make the effort to maintain them instead of discarding them whenever there is a rift, a hurt, or a conflict with another person.  Conflict with another person blocks our fellowship with God and keeps our prayers from being answered.

        So now, the ballgame has changed.  Instead of trying to avoid conflict or running away from it and pretending it doesn't exist, I am now held accountable for restoring broken fellowships.  The ball is now in my side of the court.

        One time during those rare occasions where I watch television, I saw Boy Abunda (of all people!) talking about peace and reconcialiation and telling the viewer to call up someone they have an rift with and make amends in the spirit of the Christmas Season.  What timing nga naman!

        I knew what to do.  I also knew whom to call.  I only had to pick up the phone, dial their numbers, talk to them, say sorry, forgive me, I forgive you blah blah blah and get it done and over with.

        That's easy to say.  The phone felt like it weighed 100 pounds that I couldn't even pick it up.  And when I finally got the strength to pick up the phone and dial the numbers, it was as if my thumb and the "send" key were magnets with like poles opposing each other...  I couldn't bring my thumb to press the send key!  I had mixed feelings actually...  I was afraid, scared, shy... I even felt like I was belittling myself as I tried reasoning out with my pride and my principles.  Aarrrggghhhhh!

        But I knew, too, that there was no way out of my predicament.  I had to do it or I get stuck forever in this rut (and I couldn't continue reading the book).  With nothing else to do, I prayed for guidance, "ventilating vertically" as Rick Warren called it.  I also prayed for those other persons I had conflict with so that God might touch their hearts and appease their feelings when I call them up.

        Finally I was able to pick up the phone and press the "send" key.

        First call got answered.

        "Hello?".

        Ok here goes...  nothing much to talk about so I just went straight to the point.  I said my piece: "I'm sincerely sorry, etc. etc." and after all's been said and done with, and good-byes were said, a great feeling of relief came over me.  Wheeeewwwww!  Ang saya saya!

        It's time to call more people, so I picked up the phone again and dialed the number of the next person on my list.

        No answer...  Nothing but ring ring ring.

        Ok, no problem, dial another number.

        Again, no answer.  Nothing but ring ring ring again.

        What the...???  I sure hope they're not ignoring my call because they know it's me.  But it's 10PM already so they could be asleep that's why they aren't answering my call.

        The next morning I called again.

        No answer!  %!&*%@!

        I used another phone that had the caller ID suppressed so that they won't know that it's me calling.  Still no answer.  Aaaarrrrrgggghhhh!  What now???

        I called the next day and still I wasn't able to talk to them.  Oh no, I'm stuck!

        Two weeks passed and I tried to call them a few more times but still no success.  My fear of calling them was now being replaced with frustration.  Were these people were avoiding me or what?

        It was then that I accidentally found out that I still had some load left in my Sun Cellular phone.  I immediately dialled their numbers.  BINGO!!!  They answered!!!  What used to be fear of talking to them gave way now to feelings of elation that they finally answered.  It was a bit of an awkward talk at first but gradually things warmed up, I apologized for my earlier actions, and finally we were on good terms again.

        Whew!  It does take a great deal of energy to restore a broken "relationship".

        But what a pleasant feeling it was to have finally buried some hatchets.  It was like something heavy got lifted off my chest and I can now breathe freely again.

        I still have two more people to call.  They're not in the Philippines, though, so I will have to "invest" a few minutes of IDD talktime.  But I know it will be well worth every Peso spent.

        I can now go back to reading my book =)

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"Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody." --Romans 12:18

All in a day's work

A photo story...  I found this somewhere on the net.  It's all in a day's work for these people =)

hmmm... whatzup over there???

oh, it's a car that fell into the pier...  poor guy...

easy now folks...  the truck is tipping...

splash!!!

waaaaaaaah!!!

Let's use a bigger truck this time.  Look at how BIG the boom is!

easy does it...  poor car.

finally, the car is out of the water.  Next up is the small truck, hmmm...

the boom is holding strong and the side supports are doing their work...
WAIT!  what's the banana peel doing over there?  Someone might step on it and slip.

see???!  wahahahha  :-D

Lola! Lola!

I overheard this at the jeepney terminal for Pateros in Guadalupe yesterday:

        An elderly lady, possibly in her 60s and with graying hair, climbed with difficulty aboard an obviously full jeepney, trying to look for a vacant space along the seats where she can squeeze herself into. 

        But the jeepney was full already.  The old lady just remained inside, half standing, half stooping, as if waiting for some kind soul to offer her a seat.

        The dispatcher called out to her from outside the jeep, "Lola! Lola! Wala na pong bakante diyan. Sa harap na lang!"

        She just remained inside as if she did not hear someone calling to her from outside.

        The dispatcher repeated what he said: "Lola! Lola! Wala na pong bakante diyan. Sa harap na lang!"

        The old lady didn't move.

        The other passengers were becoming impatient.  A bit irritated now, the dispatcher again called to the old lady in a louder voice: "Misis! Misis!  Sa harap na lang po ang bakante.  Wala nang upuan diyan!"

        Nothing happened.

        So again, "Misis! Misis! Wala na pong bakante diyan. Sa harap na lang!"

        Finally, the old lady turned her head towards the dispatcher and slowly climbed down the jeep.  The dispatcher again said "Sa harap na lang po ang bakante misis."

        As she alighted the jeep, she looked at the dispatcher from head to foot with menacing eyes.

        She took a deep breathe, and, as if summoning all her strength, she blurted out "Hoy, MISS pa ako noh!!!"

        All the passengers inside the jeep laughed out loud. 

        Bwahahahahhaha!  =)

Forks in the Road

(Left mind rules over the right mind... this is the result, hehehe)

        From time to time, the path ahead divides in two, and we have to face that rarely-simple, usually-procrastinated and uniquely-excruciating decision... this way or that.  Being a bit of a fence rider and a person who generally prefers living in shades of gray, I can't imagine any situation I'd rather avoid. But try as I might, those moments still come, inevitably.

        It was easy when I was younger.  I just deferred as long as I could, then I took the easiest course.  I went with the flow, the path of least resistance.

        So simple.

        So what if that easy choice could lead to years of gnawing dissatisfaction which might then flower into outright depression?  Who cared if it might ultimately require painful, drawn-out backtracking?  At least the initial way was easy.

        Nowadays, it's agony.  The choice at the fork never seems easy any more.  I suppose that's one of the curses of growing older.  I don't have the comfortable luxuries of ignorance and inexperience to fall back upon.  Things are beginning to look eerily familiar, and patterns that have formed over the course of my life are starting to become obvious.  Not to imply that a matured clarity has taken the place of youthful blindness...  I'm just as capable of self-deception now as I've ever been.  If anything, I might be better at it, as my rationalizations become ever more convincing and better argued.

        It's all so exhausting...

        I'll move on.

Patatawarin Po

"How to Forgive"
    -- from Lolo Dexter's Tips and Advises archive

        Forgive and forget, let go and lighten your load. A grudge can be a heavy weight to bear...

Steps:

1. Think about what happened.


2. Acknowledge all of your feelings. There is often anger lurking behind any hurt or sadness you might feel.


3. Express your feelings - write them out, talk to a friend or simply allow yourself to feel what you feel.


4. Accept responsibility for your own emotions. Although you were wronged and your emotions may be justified, it is still up to you to decide when you're ready to stop feeling angry or upset.


5. Talk to the other person about the behavior that upset you and how it made you feel. The odds are that you won't feel truly ready to forgive until you know this person has heard and understood your perspective.


6. Try to understand the other person's perspective, even if you don't really agree with it.


7. Rebuild trust in the relationship. Make agreements about acceptable future behavior whenever appropriate.


8. Make the decision to forgive, and communicate your forgiveness to the other person. Once you've done this, make every effort to move on and let it go completely.

Tips:

1. You can forgive someone without condoning his or her behavior; forgiveness isn't the same thing as approval.


2. Avoid a defensive reaction by first venting your emotions outside the presence of the wrongdoer - this will help the interaction to be more productive.


3. Wait until you are truly ready to forgive. Respect your feelings and take all the time you need.

Tips from other people:

Put your pride aside
Don't let your pride hold you back, especially if you really intend to forgive. Know that you're not perfect and (obviously) neither is the other person.
- Jewel E.

Why forgive?
Let go of any ill feelings toward anyone, for your own gain if not for the other person. The main person who hurts when you have ill feelings toward someone else is yourself. You owe it to yourself to forgive and let go.
- Deedee

Forgiving equals forgetting
If we truly forgive, we also have to forget. We cannot take it from our memory but when we truly forgive it should never be brought up or used against that person, thats what true forgiveness is. If we continually bring an issue up, we have not forgiven.
- Lisa C.

Forgiving
Forgiving doesn't mean you allow the same offense to be repeated over and over. If the offense has stopped you can forgive, if not then learn to either live with it or move on.
- Christine S.

Decide either way
If you don't make the decision to forgive, your relationship is never going to improve. It might take some effort to forgive and not think negatively, but if you want the relationship to continue, it's something you have to do. If you don't want the relationship anymore, then make that decision and make it easier on everyone, instead of waiting for it to hit rock bottom.
- Maccoolit

Things worth having are often hard to get 
Getting to a stage where you can forgive and forget is not easy. Three years after breaking up with someone, I still feel hurt, angry, and sad at times. Recently I was out for a meal with friends and suddenly started thinking about the past, it made me cry (again). I talked things through with my friends. The next day, one of them said to me "You are one of the most forgiving people I know, so why haven't you forgiven yourself yet?" Forgiving yourself is often the hardest thing to do, but I know I'll get there in the end.
- I'll G.

Forget 
I have learned that forgiveness isn't just saying that it's OK. It's also making sure that the topic never comes up again. If you find yourself constantly bringing up the thing you supposedly forgave them for, then you still have some issues with the problem that need to be worked out. Don't forget that you can love the person, but not love what they did. They are two separate things!
- A-boy

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"Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting."  -- William Arthur Ward

What's in a Name?

        OK. So my name's FLORENT.

        It's not such a big deal. Really.

        But if not for the fact that I've never met (or known) anyone who carries the same name as mine, I wouldn't fuss about me having such a "unique" name. My parents said that they named me after a close friend that they knew back then, someone named Father Florent, a Belgian priest who used to teach in Saint Louis University in Baguio City and who later became the president of Saint Louis College in San Fernando, La Union.

        Anyway, Tuesday afternoon found me hitching a ride with a client to do a project in Agoo, La Union. It was a looooooong boring ride as the client, a distinguished gentleman in his 70's, who was to be my host over there, slept all throughout the journey, even snoring loudly most of the time. His driver was just content with playing Schumacher with the buses on the highway, never saying a word lest he lose his concentration and the car ends up in a ditch.

        Hohuumm! I couldn’t sleep with all that snoring! It didn't help also that I was told off by someone "Huwag kang mangulit ng taong nagtatrabaho!" while texting.  It was like a slap in the face. Aaarrgh! She could just have told me "I'm busy" or "brb" or "gtg" or "bye" or something less distressing. Oh well, baka busy talaga siguro perhaps hopefully sana. Life goes on...

        So the project got implemented smoothly and by Wednesday evening we celebrated by eating pancit maki bihon in one of the eateries downtown where the Rotary Club of Agoo holds its regular Wednesday meetings. While we were eating the Rotary Club members slowly trickled in. My client-host, living up to his "distinguished" status, was greeted by almost everyone who came in (although he wasn't a member of their club). He is really well known in that place.

        My client saw an old caucasian guy at the opposite end of the restaurant and he got up from the table to approach him. He came back with this guy and he introduced us: "Florent, meet Florent", he said.

        Guess who he was?

        (Drumroll!!! ta-ta-taraaaaan!!!) He’s the one! The only! The cute and handsome like me: FLORENT SALS.

        Live and in the flesh!

        Florent Sals was so friendly and obliging and he wore that effervescent smile all throughout our conversation. He is already retired, probably in his 80s, and he has also ''opted out" of priesthood already as he introduced me to his wife and to his grandson who were eating at a nearby table . For a while, I had forgotten that I was with my client. I was ecstatic. I had planned on trying to look for him sometime so that I can personally meet him while he is still alive. And here he is now standing right in front of me! It was like a dream come true (ang babaw ko no? hehehe..)  He gave his regards to my parents, whom he hasn’t met in a long time.

        He also mentioned that there's another Florent from Agoo, a godson of theirs whom his parents also named after him. What???  Oh no!  So my name’s not unique after all. Darn!

        Here's our pic together.

        More proof! Here's the pic of his rotary shirt with his name embroidered on it.

        Wow! Thank God for Father Florent. If it weren’t for him my parents would've named me FROILAN FLORA and the Japanese and the Chinese would be twisting their tongues to death right now trying to pronounce my name.

Simply... Amazing!!!

        Six months ago, I was fortunate enough to have been given a copy of a book that's been on the bestseller list of some local bookstores for many months since the start of this year.  I've seen it displayed on the bookshelves of National Bookstore with the words "over 16 million copies sold" prominently displayed on its book cover.  I even saw one of my officemates bring a copy of this book to office and upon seeing it, I nonchalantly said ''That's a good book!" even though I haven't actually read it yet.  The book was just given to me by someone I didn't know albeit I was just a guest at this church service in Makati, where I gave in to a friend's invitation out of curiosity more than anything else because I had nothing else to do during that weekend.

        I did a quick browse of the book and I instantly saw the words "God" and "Jesus" in almost every page of the book.  "Oh no!" I said to myself, "It's another book on religion and spirituality!"  After that, I didn't bother opening the book again.  I just took it home and set it aside among my other things where it promptly got lost in a pile of documents lying in some corner of the house.

        Fast forward to today:  That same book now has dog-eared pages, some phrases and sentences are haphazardly underlined with black ink, and notes in my very own chicken scratch handwriting are casually written on the margins and in between sentences and paragraphs.  This is the first time I "desecrated" a book like this; any person with a melancholic temperament would posthaste burn at the stake if they saw what the kind of "torture" I did to that book.

        I've no regrets doing what I did to this book though.  I am now midway through reading "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren and I must say that the timing was just right for me to have started reading the book.  If I had read it then, I wouldn't have appreciated what was written on it.  Let's just say that God purposefully "hid" the book from me... perhaps He knew I wasn't ready to read it yet at that time.

        I just accidentally "found" that book sometime in October (or maybe it was the book who found me?) only after I had ''Quenched My Thirst" and was yearning to know more about who my Savior was.  But even when I had found the book already, I still couldn't find time to start reading it.  I always had a ready excuse: "Sorry. I'm busy…"

        Enter Singapore…  'Twas the time of my life, spending vacation and reunion time with the family after so many years of being apart due to my work.  Needless to say, I was still "thirsting" for Him.  I still didn't know what to do next even though I knew that I had already accepted Jesus into my heart and into life.  I kept asking ''What next? How should I live my life now? What should I do???"  Still, so many questions remained unanswered in my mind.

        And so He intervened again...

        A friend of some friends who I met during my stay in Singapore gave me a small booklet by the same author entitled "What on Earth am I Here For?"  It's just a small 4"x6" booklet, 70 pages thick (or thin) and it's quite easy to read it in just one sitting.  "Ah! Finally, here's something that I can finish reading quickly!" I said to myself.  I didn't have any excuse anymore not to read the booklet.  I opened it up and started reading.

        Would you believe it if I said that the answers to all of my questions were revealed right there in that one small booklet?  I was touched!  I had been asking questions repeatedly and He provided the answers. 

        It was simply... Amazing!

        Indeed… everything, no matter how small, happens for a reason -- His reason.

        And true to my inquisitive self, the answers I got led to more questions.  But this time, I knew now what to do next... I picked up the book that I "found" and started reading the introduction to "The Purpose Driven Life".  Not knowing it, I had commenced a new journey -- a 40-day spiritual journey that will enable me to discover the answer to life's most important question: ''What on Earth am I Here For?"  I started devoting at least an hour to read just one chapter each day and to reflect and meditate on His word.  As the author has written, by the end of this journey, I will know God's purpose for my life and I will get to understand the big picture -- how the pieces of my life all fit together.

        It's true… Each day I know (and feel) that I am getting closer to completing this journey.  The answers slowly reveal themselves, but not in the book anymore.  This time the answers are revealed in life -- in real life.

        "Seek and you shall find".  Again it's really... Amazing!!!

        And like any journey, it is better when it is shared.  I haven't got anyone joining me in reading the book... yet (the author recommends joining a small reading group) so I just oftentimes call up or text some friends to bounce ideas off each other.  Like teamwork, relationships and community produce spiritual growth.  So I thank God
for the privilege of having these friends. They are indeed a wonderful blessing to me.

        With grace and guidance from up above, I know this is a journey I will not fail.

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"I love those who love Me; and those who seek Me early shall find Me." --Proverbs 8:17