road trippin'

there is always something so majestic about being on top of a mountain and looking out to a great expanse of greens and sky and sea. 

the great minds in mcof combined powers and decided that we should do our annual retreat in negros occidental. i immediately opposed the idea for two reasons:

first, i am from negros occidental!  if we are going on a tour it should be on a place i've never been (selfish self is of course subtle. saying things like, "we cannot travel typhoon is coming!)

second, i am still recovering from a mini pneumonia and still feel weak even though i already have missed work for more than 5 days.

i was thinking, maybe a nice resort around the island would be good or a quick over night stay in some place outside the city. no chance.

we left for bacolod city at 1 am. some of us did not sleep at all. we did all the crazy stop over stuff on top of don salvador mountains and take crazy amount of photos and then went directly to campuestohan highland resort. we headed down to civilizations again and rest for an hour, then eat dinner in diotay's place and head to a carnival area in the city and stayed there until 11 pm.  i was already a walking dead. i was swaying as we find our way to the car. 

when my body hit the bed, i was out but when i opened my eyes it was morning already! not fair!

when all my complaints is done, i would say that we had a really super good time together. relationships deepen, laughter comes easily, conversations are abundant to the point where someone has to do referee duties for everyone to have their time to express opinions, ideas or just 

fart/burp. 

a windmill. a prominent stracture in campuestohan higland resort

pretty girlfriends

hand holding walks

paddle time on a small lagoon. 

spring water meeting with salty huge one

spotting a cacao fruit after many many years.

the amazing view of cebu city from a million miles away.

what i get excited about

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.[a] 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you[b] free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law,weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,[c] he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us,who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

romans 7:21-25 to 8:1-4

Jesus is really amazing. 

first, he established the law so people can live up to his holy & righteous standard.

but then the flesh is weak. it cannot wholly follow the law that God has given us.

so...

then, Jesus was sent to us so his death and resurrection can set us free from the law of sin & death and we will not be condemned anymore because his death and resurrection has already satisfied the righteous requirement of the law!

thank you Lord. 

what i can do is always trust in the Lord. be super grateful that God is full of grace and that he loves me to death. literally to death. people can tell me they love me to death but only Jesus' love were able to do that. and he did do that. so i can have the life of freedom. 

free to love

free to serve

free to be peaceful

free to fully enjoy his favor

free to serve his purpose and get really giddy and excited about doing it.

"if i claim to be committed to the eternal truth of the Word of God, the it must be reflected in my values, in what i prize, in where i put my time and my money, in what i get excited about.

so what do you get excited about"?

asked howard hendricks in his book, teaching to change lives.

now, i am excited about two things in my life. 

change & growth.

not just with me but also with the people surrounding me.

God is always showing himself strong and powerful in everything. not just nudging my heart but breaking it open slowly and sometimes painfully so i can not just be aware but fully awake in witnessing his presence and his hands at work.

He is lovely as my chosen song of worship.

despite my seemingly perpetual tiredness this past 3 days i was still able to go third wheeling with my sister and roy.

if roy takes the picture, you can be sure it's either blurry or weird. lol

sneaking in a cr selfie for the husband