My 39th Birthday

November twenty one nineteen seventy,

the 1st day of my seeing the earthly sun.

39 years after, in the central part of italy,

In a hospital room i found myself

Taking care of a maiden 90 yr ol’

Night duty service from eight to eight

Having only a rattan chair with no cushion

Connected to one plastic folding seat.

I laid on my side with a blanket made of cotton

Trying to grab some “rooster” sleep.

I was supposed to be at a party,

That a relative of mine wanted to give me;

Yet i chose to work to earn a little money,

To solve a bit of my financial duty.

Anyway, i seldom celebrated as i can remember,

Only once, i guess, i wanted a banquet to gather,

Friends and classmates, as a teenager (@ twelve!),

Then all these later years

Friends and beloveds prepare

A banquet for me…

It makes me smile and warms my heart

For their thoughtfulness and care

But it isn’t really necessary.

Got some concepts regarding celebrations

Strange to some

Strictly “fundie” to some

For a time i tried to abstain from one and all

Then @38 i was taught about

Superficiality and laws of men

Traditions and restrictions…

Just shadows of realities in Christ.

But most of all, I am taught

Freedom in the Lord Jesus is about -

To do what is right and just

For the welfare (well-fare: “to do good”)

To fellowmen… for spiritual food..

Notes:

In the Scriptures, there are only two birthday events narrated:

1) Pharoah’s (Genesis 40:20-23)

2) King Herod’s (Matt. 14:3-12, Mark 6:21)

What lessons do we get from there?

Italian SSS – INPS

It’s been a while that I wait
four months of 2008
three months of 2009
Gli arrettrati!

The Patronato says
there are some delays
“Motivi di controlli!.

Dove vanno a finire i fondi?
Sanno soltanto rispondere i biondi…
E che sono???
Sono del nord?
E del sud….
non se parla nemmeno…
Purtroppo….

Ignoranti ci consideranno…

Ma Italia, dove stai andando???
Non vedi come stai affondando?

Sei incantata…
viziata, ubriaca e sfruttata…
Quando ti sveglierai???

Amore della mia anima….
Svegliati….

Floating Asea

I row through troubled waters
In autumn rains.
I put the oars left and right
The waves get coarser and roughter
Till i dont have the might.

Lord, you put me asea
You told me to put the sails
And to your ears, i shout my wails;
My fears, my fails…

You tell me to be still…
and wait….

Your hand will calm the waters
Your hand will silent the winds

Yes Lord, I wait.
In you I take refuge.

Let me see the lighthouse
And land safe and secure.

The Woman-child and O’Nail

Daughter of Jezebel!
You were warned:
You were given word and signs,
You were given time.

Yet,
You refused to see
You refused to listen
You refused to understand
You are oppressive and greedy
You continue with your shrewd ways.

The Lord, my God is great.
for He saved me from your wicked schemes.
And you fell into the pits & traps you prepared for me.

Repent and change your ways!
For the day of judgment is coming -
The day of the Lord’s wrath on the rich oppressors,
The day of the Lord’s favor on the oppressed.

I thank you, Lord Jesus for making me whole again,
I thank you, for the strength during my “co-mission”.
I praise you Lord, for your awesome deeds:
the practical teachings about how the devil plays
- THE DECEPTION -

It had been a hard test for me.
Yet again, you saved me
From the venom and grasp of evil.

Father, I pray for O’Nail, your precious child,
One of my spiritual descendants,
whom you sent me to meet and bless in your name.

O’Nail, son of mine,
borne of a “lost virgin”, now a serpent/woman-child
God has sent an angel to take care of you.
(AH TAG-A = Bisaya imperative, TO CUT)
The precious stone beside you for a time
The compassionate and sacrificing mother
in King Solomon’s court of justice.

Who endows WISDOM?

My MULTIPLY Campsite

What does the LORD require of YOU?

Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud,
but humility comes before honor.
(Proverbs 18:12)

With what shall I come before the Lord

and bow down before the exalted God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

with calves a year old?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

with ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,

the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To ACT JUSTLY

and

to LOVE MERCY

and to WALK HUMBLY

with your God.
(Micah 6:6-8)

…. Fear God and keep his commandments,

for this is the WHOLE DUTY of man.


For God will bring every deed into judgment,

including every hidden thing,

whether it is good or evil.
(Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

Time and Chance

There will be a time for every activity... a time for every deed.

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
at time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
(Ecclesiates 3:1-8; 11)

The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.

Every moment,
a turn…

for ME,
for YOU,

or

for HIM / HER,
for THEM,

or

for US
together

as

ONE FAITH,
ONE HOPE
ONE LOVE

in the

LORD JESUS CHRIST.

The Hand of the Sovereign God, our Father Almighty who is enthroned in heaven is in full control over everything and everyone in the universe. Whether you like it or not and you choose to acknowledge Him or not, He is in control of your life and there is no way to escape from Him. You may not know Him now, yet you are known by Him for He created you fit for His Divine Purpose and Will. And one day in this lifetime, if you are called to be Christ’s disciple, the Lord Jesus Christ will reveal Himself to you and tell you plainly His purpose of your existence, who you are and what a special creature you are in His sight. You will see God’s glorious righteousness and holiness, His love, compassion, grace, mercy, wrath and justice for  humankind. And for the first time in your whole life, you will humbly and tearfully bow down to the ground with trembling and bent knees and worship God in truth and in spirit. You will be taught the “Reverent Fear of the Lord” which is just rightfully so.