Trunk

At the root of every human existence lies a quest. 

Every journey involves a search for a proper way. 

Through all my wandering strides, I find that I often miss the one that leads towards my inward soul. 

I explore the outdoors at the expense of a stilled appreciation of who God crafted me to be. 

And so, I turn to the image of a tree. I am invited by the wind to sway and perhaps to break in order to find life and thus give it away. 

Such was the Kenosis of Christ. 

He emptied Himself to fill me up with Love indescribable. 

I am staggered by this.  

Sketch / David Talaguit  

Lit

My present darkness was subdued by a covenant that slices through the curse of death. 

All of my trepidation concerning God lay decimated under the sheer force of love exacted upon my wormy condition.. 

I used to groan towards Gehenna. 

Because of Christ's death, I now dash to His crib. 

The flat line is no more. 

The finish line was marked  Τετέλεσται.

Jesus Christ: It is finished.  

Aftermath

The human body moans for release every single day.  

As I ponder my age and look back in time, I find the mirage of a delusive story: I am invincible; I will never die.  

Such was the gossip in Eden.  

God redirects my distraction through His story. 

Five years ago, I was diagnosed with a condition that required surgical resection of my lower jaw. In twelve hours of involved procedure, I lost my jaw, my lower teeth, my fibula, and scraps of donor skin. I lost 25 pounds that week. I was told to expect major adjustments.  

The road to recovery was brutal. I took liquid food for three years. Depression crept insidiously.  

It was a perfect storm. 

But, if it were not for God's sanctification narrative, I would have remained detached from reality. 

I am weak. 

I will die. 

But Christ is strong. 

I will be made strong. 

I will live forever.  

Peloton

The biking platoon offers as much as 40% reduction of wind drag. The cyclist positioned in the midst of the moving pack receives the most benefit. 

In my trek of faith, I am most weak when I do solo sprints and breakaways. Inversely, I find most resilience whenever I enter into the stream of help made available.

I bike, I hike. 

I am compelled to do this amidst good company.  

Such is the blessing of community.  

My faithful cycling kicks

Yada

The Hebrew word for deep intimacy refers to the plethora of relational possibilities that leads to flourishing. 

I have been favored with a front seat view in observing the weight of this sweet contention in the marriage of my eldest daughter to a most beautiful man.  

Emeka truly knows that God solely knows. 

Nika + Emeka  יָדַע Yada

Groan

The plethora of human suffering equate to speechless cries. 

In my ministry locus, I find the tenacity of pain as most pervasive. There is not a single week where groan takes a sabbatical. 

Many minds have dismissed the existence of God precisely because of a seeming indifference to its solution. 

In my own travails, I am beginning to realize that pain is not the central culprit. It is my collective collaboration with humanity that had caused the Fall. 

It is to this fact, that Christ took on the cross to offer Himself to take the hit. 

Good Friday is good. 

The Redeemer ultimately rerouted pain towards Himself. 

📸Benny Dychangco / Nepal

Flight

Cocoy is one of a kind. He has a mind that's brilliant and a heart that throbs compassion. He is about to transition from top management at Nike to Himalayan ascent towards theological training. He is bound for Philippines to seminary studies. 

His flight from corporate to ministry is leveraged from an incessant calling. Some years back, he intimated God's gentle invite for him to be a pastor. It took him quite a few detours to find His place untouched. 

The feet of those who proclaim God's story is described as beautiful. They truly are. God wraps them in gold. 

Self-designed Kicks: Cocoy Reyes for Nike

Soma

The human body ( σῶμα) has been entrusted with a mission.

It is to this spearheaded task that one finds true and abiding joy. 

Christ once disclosed the centrality of Satan's intent to steal our grip on why we even exist: the enemy seeks to deceive, kill and destroy.

Jesus came to grant life in its fullest form. 

When this divine invitation intersects with simple faith, our bodies put on jewels that mark unparalleled resplendence.

Kara Bianca Diwa / B Scene

Clasped

The path of prayer is perhaps the most travelled yet the most misconstrued. 

The primary jargon is one of deep intimacy. It is a sweet conversation between persons twined by relations. 

As much as we think of prayer as our initiating chat with God, it is rather His unceasing pursuit to invite us to join Him in unrelenting embrace.  

God speaks first. 

As I pray, I have discovered the staggering largesse of Christ's intent to hide us under the shadow of His wings through gentle, still and small whispers.  

One-ing

 No one would have guessed. 

When my dear friend veered away, there was not an iota of hope.

He left her for good. 

He flung to a far country seeking to salve the rot in his soul. 

She stayed her course. 

She chose to contend for what was truly her blessing. 

Last week, at their re-wedding ... I asked the Beauty if she has it in her heart to kiss the Beast. 

Grace & Mercy flowed like rain. 

World Premiere / White Rock Lake: Dallas Texas

Tank

I used to refer to Papa's old car as "tank." When I was four, he showed up with the blue steed. I remember the sheer delight in taking the driver seat feigning my first drive. 

I did not quite realize that it was actually a flying carpet.  

My parents were enroute to the city when a mishap took place. Seeking to avoid a fatal head on collision, my father swerved off the road falling fourteen feet vertically from a bridge.

My Mama's instinct turned to prayer: "Lord, my children still need me ... " 

The Ford tank landed on all fours with a cracked windshield. Papa had a broken nose; Mama had compressed disc. With alien tenacity, the car restarted and took them back home to tell its story. 

Gifts

In a recent wedding reception, I caught a glimpse of blissful awareness: the gift of relations.  

I once fancied having a lovely wife and beautiful daughters. It never occurred to me that such imaginings would be eclipsed by a reality greater than my simple wish.

Yes, I am blessed with such, but staggering is God's grant of my present family. I am beyond words to describe the depth of my gratitude each time I think of the multitude of persons Christ is bringing for a tie of flourishing. 

HuChi Wedding / Brooklyn NY

© 2016 Oil and Dew Ltd