Heaven and Hell

by Paulo Coelho

A man, his horse and his dog were traveling down a road. When they were passing by a gigantic tree, a bolt of lightning struck and they all fell dead on the spot.

But the man did not realize that he had already left this world, so he went on walking with his two animals; sometimes the dead take time to understand their new condition...

The journey was very long, uphill, the sun was strong and they were covered in sweat and very thirsty. They were desperately in need of water. At a bend in the road they spotted a magnificent gateway, all in marble, which led to a square paved with blocks of gold and with a fountain in the center that spouted forth crystalline water.

The traveler went up to the man guarding the gate.

"Good morning."

"Good morning," answered the man.

"What is this beautiful place?"

"This is heaven."

"How good to have reached heaven, we're ever so thirsty."

"You can come in and drink all you want."

And the guard pointed to the fountain.

"My horse and my dog are thirsty too."

"So sorry, but animals aren't allowed in here."

The man was very disappointed because his thirst was great, but he could not drink alone; he thanked the man and went on his way. After traveling a lot, they arrived exhausted at a farm whose entrance was marked with an old doorway that opened onto a tree-lined dirt road.

A man was lying down in the shadow of one of the trees, his head covered with a hat, perhaps asleep.

"Good morning," said the traveler.

The man nodded his head.

"We are very thirsty - me, my horse and my dog."

"There is a spring over in those stones," said the man, pointing to the spot. "Drink as much as you like."

The man, the horse and the dog went to the spring and quenched their thirst. Then the traveler went back to thank the man.

"By the way, what's this place called?"

"Heaven."

"Heaven? But the guard at the marble gate back there said that was heaven!"

"That's not heaven, that's hell."

The traveler was puzzled.

"You've got to stop this! All this false information must cause enormous confusion!"

The man smiled:

"Not at all. As a matter of fact they do us a great favor. Because over there stay all those who are even capable of abandoning their best friends..."

True Friendship

Recognition

How can we find true friendship in this often phony, temporary world? Friendship involves recognition or familiarity with another's personality. Friends often share likes and dislikes, interests, pursuits, and passion.

How can we recognize potential friendship? Signs include a mutual desire for companionship and perhaps a common bond of some kind. Beyond that, genuine friendship involves a shared sense of caring and concern, a desire to see one another grow and develop, and a hope for each other to succeed in all aspects of life. True friendship involves action: doing something for someone else while expecting nothing in return; sharing thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or negative criticism.

Relationship, Trust, Accountability

True friendship involves relationship. Those mutual attributes we mentioned above become the foundation in which recognition transpires into relationship. Many people say, "Oh, he's a good friend of mine," yet they never take time to spend time with that "good friend." Friendship takes time: time to get to know each other, time to build shared memories, time to invest in each other's growth.

Trust is essential to true friendship. We all need someone with whom we can share our lives, thoughts, feelings, and frustrations. We need to be able to share our deepest secrets with someone, without worrying that those secrets will end up on the Internet the next day! Failing to be trustworthy with those intimate secrets can destroy a friendship in a hurry. Faithfulness and loyalty are key to true friendship. Without them, we often feel betrayed, left out, and lonely. In true friendship, there is no backbiting, no negative thoughts, no turning away.

True friendship requires certain accountability factors. Real friends encourage one another and forgive one another where there has been an offense. Genuine friendship supports during times of struggle. Friends are dependable. In true friendship, unconditional love develops. We love our friends no matter what and we always want the best for our friends.

Examples of Real Friendship

True friendship stories are found throughout the Bible. In Genesis 18:17-33, we read about God sharing His intentions with Abraham. Abraham responds by telling God his thoughts and feelings about the situation. God and Abraham are able to do this because they trust and respect each other.

First Samuel 20 focuses on the friendship of David and Jonathan. These two men truly cared for each other and had great trust and confidence in one another. David was running for his life from Jonathan's father, Saul. Jonathan recognized that David was innocent. Because of the true friendship they shared, David survived Saul's assassination attempts and went on to become one of Israel's greatest kings.

Real and true friendship involves freedom of choice, accountability, truth, and forgiveness. Peter and Jesus give us this example: Peter, afraid for his life after Jesus is led away from the Garden of Gethsemane, denies knowing Jesus (John 18). As He is led away by His accusers, Jesus casts a look toward Peter that says, "I knew you would deny Me, and I forgive you" (John 21).

Real friendship looks at the heart, not just the "packaging." Genuine friendship loves for love's sake, not just for what it can get in return. True friendship is both challenging and exciting. It risks, it overlooks faults, and it loves unconditionally, but it also involves being truthful, even though it may hurt. Genuine friendship, also called "agape" love, comes from the Lord. The Lord Jesus calls us His friends and He laid down His life for us (John 15).

Relationships in real life involve different levels of friendships, and that's okay. But humans are designed by God for lasting relationships. Often our isolationist society offers only vague, empty relationships. God wants us to have friends here on earth. Most of all, He wants us to be friends with Him!

God's Word tells us that a friend sticks closer than a brother, and that in order for one to be a friend, one must show themselves friendly (Proverbs 18:24). The question is: what type of friend do you desire to be?

Proverbs 18:19 in the New Living Translation says: "It's harder to make amends with an offended friend than to capture a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with iron bars." When we've offended a true friend - whether by breaking a trust or by speaking the truth with love - we risk losing that friendship. We must be careful not to break the trust. But when not speaking the truth will cause greater hurt in our friend's life, we must be willing to sacrifice our needs for those of our friend. That is true friendship.

If we sometimes offend a friend without meaning to, God's Word offers a solution. It's called forgiveness. There is no greater example than the love of God for us. It so great that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, in order that our friendship with God might be restored. He did that in spite of the fact that we have offended Him deeply. We have disobeyed His commands, turned our backs on Him, and followed our own path. So the question remains: What type of friend do you want to be? True Christian friendship forgives.

Do you need a friend? God wants to be your true friend. Are you longing for companionship? God is always with you (Hebrews 13:5). Who do you know who needs a true friend today? God wants you to befriend others. He calls us to be His hands and feet in a world starving for true friendship.

Taken from All About God, True Friendship - Trust and Time.

Paging, Ren‚‚é L from Germany!!!

Okay, I just met an interesting person on our way to Bangkok from Koh Phangan and failed to say goodbye, or exchange business cards, after 6 hours of conversation. So right now, we know about each other's interests and history except for our complete names and contact details. Those who wish to offer a good slap, forget it, my best friend's done enough.

Some info....

Name: René L------nen (about 5 to 6 syllables all together)
Gender: Male
Nationality: German
Race: German-South African (dad is German, mom is South African)
Religion: Catholic
Age: 29 (turning 30, born October 1978)
Height: 5'10" or 5'10.5"
Hair: brown, long and curly
Eye Color: hazel, beautiful...
Skin Complexion: natural tan
Recent Whereabouts: Traveling around southeast Asia (Laos-Cambodia-Thailand) for 3 months, arrived in Bangkok 16th of April (yesterday) from Koh Phangan; going back to Germany on the 20th (Sunday)

I still have until Saturday to try my luck. He mentioned about going to the weekend market on Saturday to buy some shirts and stuff, and then leaving for Germany on Sunday. Should I miss that chance, I will be needing your help, readers from Germany (or readers with German friends), if there's any.... Kindly refer him to this blog, say Joanne is looking for him. Thanks!

Crackpot Friends

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full..

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.
"I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?"

"That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them."

"For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.

Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

So, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

Forwarded by a friend. Thanks!

When You Love

You do each deed with all your heart
Moments of waiting don’t matter
You don’t ask for anything in return
You treat each day like no other

You always come up with a surprise
And give it with such loving eyes
You keep each promise that you make
You learn to give more than you take

Little by little, you learn to break
The wall that separates the earth
From your once selfish and skeptical self
That was always proving your worth

You cease to worry about tomorrow
You learn to live by the day
You always pray for the good of the other
And learn to trust in God’s way

Your heart leaps on each hello
And breaks on every goodbye
But deep within, you’ll find good memories –
Real treasures you can forever live by.

DVD

Everyday, we meet people who get to have a glimpse of ourselves which builds what we call "first impression". Rarely does it last, especially when you get to really know the person in and out.

But how sure are we that the person people see in us is truly who we are? When we look in the mirror, do we fully recognize the image staring back at us? We think we know ourselves so well, yet we are surprised by our initial reactions on matters that make us snap.

Just tonight, I was tested. I don't usually snap in front of my friends, but for some reason, I did. Bad mood got worse, and led me to push my friends away instead of keeping them a little bit longer. Over and over, they asked me what was wrong. Honestly, I didn't know why. Was I being too melodramatic? Was it just the effect of watching a drama special on dvd, which made me cry the previous night that had me blabbing about it so as to get others interested in watching it, and which for some reason, had made my friends laugh and....

Ok, wait. Maybe THAT's the reason why I got so cranky all of a sudden... A big-deal-to-you-small-deal-to-others kind of moment. I expected that my friends would see it the way I saw it. Maybe I just couldn't believe that they would make fun of it until the end. Does it have to do with pride? Or was I too immature to handle the situation? Maybe both. It did hurt a bit when they just wouldn't stop. I started thinking they were laughing at me, and not at the movie anymore. I just wish they could guess what was going on in my mind to save me from dealing with all the drama. Fortunately, we can do something about things we have control of. So I chose to be silent. Tthis too shall pass, as they always say. Haaaay... mood swings suck.

Oh, life. Friends always mean well anyway. Enough is enough. I guess I just need to sleep on it....

Chocolate

One day I had a date for lunch with friends. Mae, an older friend, came along with them---All in all, a pleasant bunch. When the menus were presented, we ordered salads, sandwiches, and soups, except for Mae who said, "Ice Cream, please. Two scoops, chocolate."

I wasn't sure my ears heard right, and the others were aghast. "Along with heated apple pie," Mae added, completely unabashed. We tried to act quite nonchalant, as if people did this all the time. But when our orders were brought out, I didn't enjoy mine.. I couldn't take my eyes off Mae as her pie a-la-mode went down. The other ladies showed dismay. They ate their lunches silently and frowned.

The next time I went out to eat, I called and invited Mae. I lunched on white meat tuna. She ordered a parfait. I smiled. She asked if she amused me. I answered, "Yes, you do, but also you confuse me. How come you order rich desserts, while I feel I must be sensible?

She laughed and said, with wanton mirth, "I'm tasting all that's Possible. I try to eat the food I need, and do the things I should. But life's so short, my friend, I hate missing out on something good. This year I realized how old I was. (She grinned) I haven't been this old before."

"So, before I die, I've got to try those things that for years I had ignored. I haven't smelled all the flowers yet. There are too many books I haven't read. There's more fudge sundaes to wolf down and kites to be flown overhead. There are many malls I haven't shopped. I've not laughed at all the jokes. I've missed a lot of Broadway hits and potato chips and cokes.

I want to wade again in water and feel ocean spray on my face. I want to sit in a country church once more and thank God for His grace. I want peanut butter every day spread on my morning toast. I want UN-timed long distance calls to the folks I love the most. I haven't cried at all the movies yet, or walked in the morning rain. I need to feel wind in my hair. I want to fall in love again. So, if I choose to have dessert, instead of having dinner, then should I die before night fall, I'd say I died a winner, because I missed out on nothing. I filled my heart's desire. I had that final chocolate mousse before my life expired."

With that, I called the waitress over.. "I've changed my mind," I said. "I want what she is having, only add some more whipped cream!"

Be mindful that happiness isn't based on possessions, power, or prestige, but on our relationship with God, which will then reflect on how we treat others and ourselves.

Live well, love much & laugh often.

Forwarded by a friend. Thanks!

Jesus Answers Your Fears

By Jon Walker

“Be friendly with everyone. Don’t be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people.” (Romans 12:16 CEV)

When we’re in Christian community, we do a lot of things right, but we still have a lot to learn about being “friendly with everyone.” (Romans 12:16) Many of us, particularly the guys, are not very good at developing deep, deep friendships.

But that shouldn’t discourage us – because we “can do all things through Christ.” As believers, we can be eternal optimists, and our relationship with Christ provides us with tremendous potential for developing authentic, transparent friendships.

The fear in all this is that, in order to truly know other people, I must be willing to be known, allowing others to get close enough to see the real me. And that sounds a little scary, doesn’t it? What if there are parts of me that I’m not proud of or need a lot of work?

These fears are common to anyone, but Jesus is the answer to your fears. Did you hear that? Jesus doesn’t just provide the answers for your fears – Jesus is the answer to your fears.

Whether these deeper relationships are with other believers who strengthen us in our faith, or with unchurched people God wants to love through you, keep two things in mind:

First, Jesus invites you to know him intimately. Jesus isn’t afraid of deep relationships. In fact, he went to the cross to ensure you could be “accepted in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:6), no matter what you’ve done or no matter how far you need to come.

Second, your intimate friendship with Jesus will help others see that it’s not so scary to know and be known. A godly community emerges when we observe, practice, and model transparent, authentic, no-strings-attached relationships.

So what?

· You have to take a risk – “Being known” by others means risk. Every time you reach out to another person in friendship, you risk being rejected or misunderstood. The risk may be even higher with non-believers because of the difference in worldviews and values.

· You can’t do it alone – Your friendship with Jesus gives you the strength you need to risk building friendships with others. For that matter, your friends need Jesus’ strength to develop a deep relationship with you!

· You need to start now – If we wait until our lives are cleaned up before we develop deep Christian friendships, then it will never happen. Growing up in Christ, and maturing as a believer, are lifelong pursuits and require a deeply loving, committed community.

· Think about it – Are there barriers that keep you from building deeper friendships? Who are the people God wants you to reach out to in friendship?

Taken from Purpose Driven Life dated 25 May 2007.

Songkran @ Kanchanaburi

I've been living in this country for years but never have I participated in the Songkran festivities. Getting wet in the middle of the street was not my idea of fun, so I had been avoiding it by flying back home. But this year, my friends and I decided to witness the highlights of Songkran -- not in the city, but in a wonderful province called Kanchanaburi.

It took us less than a week to plan the getaway. We were able to make a reservation even at the last minute, thanks to the wonders of the internet. Hotel/guesthouse bookings in provinces are usually full during this time of the year in Thailand, since most people from Bangkok leave the city for the holidays. Check out Sam's House. This was where we stayed for 2 nights.

Day 1: We were greeted by splashes of water, left and right! The songtew driver even tried to avoid the *busy* streets so we could arrive at the guesthouse safe and dry. As we enjoyed the moment, we wondered where all the water was coming from, because they were using an awful amount of water by the minute. We found out the next day that they pumped out water from the river Kwai.

Sam's House was just as we expected. Well, to cut the story short, the website pictures are the same as the actual place, hehe. We just checked in, dropped our bags in the room, then headed for the bikes. We pedalled our way across town while getting spattered by cold water and powder all over. There's no point avoiding the wet folks, they sure know how to hunt the dry ones down. We rode our bikes till sunset, right when the splashes stopped. That was truly a ride to remember.

Rain came, so we raced back to the guesthouse and had beers and chips at the back porch while waiting for dinnertime. There was something weird about dinner, though. For some reason, there was cauliflower and carrots in our tom yum... hmmm. Well, fortunately enough, we eat ANYTHING when hungry, so never mind about that. When the rain stopped, we headed for the massage parlor to relax.

Day 2: It was an early start. Got up at 7, then had breakfast at 7.30 while waiting for the tour group to pick us up. We had the day planned out for us. The tour included: swimming and trekking at Erawan waterfalls; elephant trekking and bamboo rafting; trip to Kra Sae cave (or rather *a glimpse of*) and the wooden railway bridge; train ride on the Death Railway; and, quick tour to the bridge on river Kwai. I liked bamboo rafting the most, not only due the fabulous scenery, but because my friend was having the time of her life with this mouth-watering hunk. (Well, she just sat beside him and had a little talk on the raft, in case you're curious *wink wink*)

The 400-meter hike to Erawan falls was a bit of a disaster. The national park was packed with people, and we had to climb really, really high to get a decent space of water and rocks. The water was cool, and the boulders of rocks were slippery, and two toes on my right foot are now swelling like chorizo de bilbao because I slipped and hit the darn thing. Ok, exagge. But my toes do hurt... *sniff*

Night came, and the rest is history... (clue: something to do with booze and whatever-occurs-in-this-room-stays-in-this-room kind of thing) Haha! Well, it was a fun night. Thanks to my friends, with whom I shared some good laughs till 2.30 in the morning.

Day 3: Woke up at 9.30 am, packed, checked out at 12.30, had lunch near the bus terminal at 1.10, got on the bus at 1.50 then headed back to Bangkok. We arrived 2 hours later, then went straight home to enjoy the leftover sinigang and adobo, with matching pusoy-dos.

Check out the rest of the pictures here. Enjoy!

Coffee Theory

It's only been 24 hours since my best friend left for Manila, but I already miss her. Dang.

As I was having my after-dinner cup of coffee with a friend (yes, 11pm at that), I could not help but think of the long conversations my best friend and I had over a cup of cappuccino or latte or a peach frappe. Friends wonder, "how on earth could you not run out of things to talk about?!?" 5 hours of non-stop talk is normal for us. Well, 3 straight days is still THE record to beat haha.

It's truly a blessing to witness our friendship mature, as our individual selves have. I remember the first few years we've been together. We've always been profound about lots of things -- like men, work, life, family, you name it. Usual girl talk, if you know what I mean. But now, I believe our friendship has taken a *leap of faith*. Never did we imagine that one day we'll be talking about God. Sometimes, when we reminisce about stuff we talked about in the past, we can't help but compare how much we have truly grown. Now, we reflect on things we have read (amazingly, sometimes we receive the same message on separate instances) and try to discern the message together when the words seem unclear. We have helped each other deal with our weaknesses, especially patience and pride. We have also learned to count our blessings more.

Humor plays a major role in every conversation. We can be very much into serious stuff, but we sure can laugh like crazy. It is a kind of friendship one would wish to last, till every strand of hair turns to grey, even when both have families of their own.

We have certainly made several eyebrows raise upon sharing our friendship with others, and we've always tried to ignore prejudice. On the other hand, a number of friends and acquaintances have honored our friendship, sometimes even wished they had the same. On a human scale, it is truly something to be proud of. At the same time, it is humbling, because we continuously try to submit ourselves to Him, praying and hoping that others may see the glory of God instead of ours. We tend to reach out to others, hoping to build meaningful friendships with other people, too.

Honestly, to walk by faith has been a day-to-day struggle. But when God is in the middle of our relationships with our brothers and sisters, we are assured that someone else is walking that same path, and the road definitely seems a lot smoother.

A Celebration of Love

I can't help but share a wonderful entry a friend's boyfriend posted, which I recently found while browsing though friendster the other day. It is several months old, yet it has given me great pleasure to read it. Read Making An Offer She Cannot Refuse.

Sometimes we wonder if certain guys still exist. Well, they most certainly do. To Micah and Miren, as you start your journey together as husband and wife, may you continue to walk by faith and celebrate love for the rest of your lives.

Between Friends

Accountability

Encourage each other daily....so that none of you is hardened by sin's deception. Hebrews 3:13

“I will bless the Lord who counsels me—even at night my conscience instructs me. I keep the Lord in mind always.” (Psalm 16:7-8).

He's there. Wherever you are. Whatever you're feeling. Without having to play a silly mind game or pretend something that's not real, you can just believe the fact that God is always with you, His power always within reach, His help always a word away.

But when it's late, when you've had a tough day, when a drink is sounding awfully good, or the remote control is driving your TV through a bad section of town, the features on God's face can dim a little. His invisible presence can fade into forgetfulness.

But if you've got a couple of friends you've promised to stay accountable to, if you dread the thought of facing them without a clear conscience and a good word of testimony, you can flash their faces through your mind or make a quick phone call and remember what a holy life is worth.

Look, we're all in this thing together.

Look Up
Hebrews 3:12-14

Forwarded by a friend. Thanks, ST. God bless.

A Wonderful Christmas

An eve of fullness, a morning of profoundness....





So, how was YOUR celebration?

Check out the rest of my pictures here :D

Christmas Time is Here

Kantahan. Kainan. Pikchuran. Asaran. At walang humpay na tawanan....

Princess, Stem, Icel, Len, Jan, Sally, Ariel, Jerome, John, Carlo at Chip: Maraming salamat sa pag-ampon sa akin :D At para sa mga kapwa ko ampon, Nhap at Lags, next year ulit! Hehe.






Cheers, mga kapatid! ;-)

The Ultimate Movie Marathon

Saturday, 25 November 2006

22.30 hours: Dinner, pancit bihon/sotanghon, with Manny, Nhap and Jho Taray


Sunday, 26 November 2006

01.30 hours: After two hours of non-stop kicking and screaming while watching the movie Sukob, the four tingtongs got started on the booze, este, beer lang pala. Cheers!

02.00 hours: Mild intoxication. May San Mig Light na kami dito! Weeeee!

02.01 hours: Watched All My Life (Aga Muhlach, Kristin Hermosa)... baduuuuyyyyy!!! Hahaha!


02.18 hours: Isa pang... Cheers!


02.20 hours: Nhap, emote.


03.13 hours: Going crazy on the balcony


03.15 hours: Name that tele-novela

03.16-05.00 hours: Watched another pinoy movie, and took more pics, mixed with kulitan and kahalayan, as usual.

4-hour power nap. Church at 10.30 hours. Lunch at 12.00 hours. Stroll till 15.00 hours.

15.30-17.20 hours: Watched Happy Feet at SFX, Central Ladprao. Abuso ba? Hahaha!

....some weekend :D

Turning 26

There's nothing greater than spending your birthday with special people in your life. Being away from home during such occasions could cause tremendous home-sickness, but yesterday, it felt like my family was here.

Mama and Papa, thank you for the 12-midnight call. I know it was really an effort for you to stay awake late at night. And knowing that you rarely call overseas, I am deeply touched. To Ate Jenny and Francois (plus Diane and Tristan, who were already asleep), who called me at 1.30am, and to Jon and Jia, who, even miles away from each other, managed to send their greetings together, thank you. And to Inchi, who coordinated a very memorable evening, threw me an exquisite dinner party (for 3, hehe) at the Les Nympheas Restaurant (Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel) while serenading us with her music, and also granted special requests on the piano from 1 to 2am. You’re the best, thank you!

To Sally, who’s been there through thick, and thick, and thin, thank you for the gift of friendship… oh yes, plus the comfy cushion. Weeeeeeee!

And to all my friends who didn’t fail to express their greetings, thank you! I miss you all.

Looking forward to a great year ahead…. :D