QUOTES

Knowing what is right is nothing. Doing what is right matters. Action is everything.

Block out the loud voices and listen for a whisper.

We have a passion for something greater than us, that's how we stay together.

-BONO U2

BEAUTY OF THE UNKNOWN

God is moulding us, teaching us new things through all situations and circumstance for something greater..a greater time than this..a time that is of obvious, present mystery. His plans are good plans..better than ours..by nature, always the best. So until they unravel, we need to be faithful, ever trusting & believe..we just need to be patient & wait upon His perfect time.

He takes us through these deserts so that WHEN we are indeed blessed with what we need and fulfilled with what we once longed for, hoped & dreamed of, we would have great value & gratitude for things..for people & appreciation for freedom..for love & value for all good to come..He takes us through the wilderness, that we may begin to see beauty in the ordinary & great purpose in small things that once just passed us by ..and this value we would never have if we didn't go through the testing and waiting..the times of lack & pain. Perhaps..we wouldn't treat people the way they ought to be treated, neither recieve blessings with the preciousness they deserve to be received with..nor see things from a deeper perspective..one of gratitude and realisation.

And through this time of nothingness, even little is much..small is great and simplicity is beauty. Now, birds depict freedom & clouds symbolize a heavenly realm, our scars resemble stars & God is absolutely alive. Before the desert, perhaps we wouldn't see through so deep: Birds would just be birds and scars would be awaiting transformation. But now we know that beauty lies in what we make of who we are in the reality of what we do not have yet & that depth lies in what has become of our character & heart: one of great reproach, well set, alive..tried & tested..strengthened & taught to appreciate every little thing that deserves appreciation..preparing us to be in awe of every awaited blessing to come.

All along ,we are being prepared for times of refreshing, joy & fulfillment.. for "our" day. As for me.. as I move towards the beauty of the unknown I hold on to hope, faith & peace to get to where I must..never giving up..always moving forward even if the darkness seems never ending or the valley ever deep..I hold on to His love, preparing my heart to fully appreciate my coming promise..my coming day.. whether in this lifetime or Eternal home.

* For Paul..for Jesus and all those who simply live in the hope of the future.

.......

I feel myself fall
Falling through my pitch black pain
I try to hold on
But my fingers keep slipping
Sliding off the meek gripping,
the niches that infested the dark wall
I scream, I cry
My eyes can barely see
the far off light - a tiny dot in the overwhelming distance
Silence engulfs me
I am now surrounded
The familiar voices, the images in my head
taunting, pointing accusing fingers at me
I drown in my guilt, my shame, my ignorance
I try to breathe but I can't find air
I tear at myself, bleeding and desperate
I strive to cry - an outlet for the pain
My screams for help become louder
But they bounce of the walls of my dark prison
The pain doubles, I'm bent in agony
All the while, still falling deeper
deeper into the darkness, my depression
My cries, slowly, fades into feeble moans
and the niches become lesser and smaller
From within my heart
A new cry emerges, a quiet cry that does not escape my lips
It pulls every atom of my being towards one direction - one last cry for help
A moment of absolute quiet seizes me
it engulfs my ears, dimming the voices in my head
In the next breath, the one I fear to be my very last
My soul bursts forth in its cry to its Creator
to take, to hold, to heal
It screams with the last bit of strength
to the God it knows - the Almighty Father
Air rushes through my lungs
bringing my body back to life
My soul is born again, refreshed
Hope is renewed within me
Love is all I can feel
The voices in my head are drowned out by songs of love
The images are blurry and begin to fade into nothingness
All I can say is a single word
The most precious, the most beautiful Name of them all -
Jesus!

_______________________________________________________

There times in all our lives when we feel like we have no choice but to let go because the pain is unbearable - but i want to remind all of us (including me) that God is faithful - He never breaks His promise! But sometimes, unless we are pushed into a corner, completely abandoned by the world, we won't let Him take over. We need to let Him have full control - it's hard but its not impossible. May God be our absolute and only strength. Love You Father and thank You for some awesome God-people in my life.

- Miriam
Friday, March 13th, '09

MY STORY

Once upon a time there was a sad little girl who felt unwanted. Everyday she searched for somebody who could make her feel loved. She searched everywhere - on the tops of every mountain, in the depths of every ocean, in the quiet of every valley; yet she found no one who ever loved and accepted her. She met people who had easily fooled her into believing that they cared only to leave her alone. She felt miserable and worthless. She wondered why she couldn't find the love she saw shared between others. After months and years of pondering she decided that maybe she didn't deserve love - that she was too wretched to even wish for it. The sad little girl concluded that without love there was no meaning to life and to living and she made her way down to the high cliff that overlooked the deep blue sea. As she took long deep breaths, preparing herself for the final leap, a gentle voice breezed through the calm around her. She turned around hesitantly to face a handsome man with a kind face. He was dressed much differently from her and the others she knew and had the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. Before she knew it, the man ran towards her, arms outstretched and embraced. She was shocked to see tears pouring down his cheeks - tears of joy he explained. She didn't understand what or who or why but she felt her restless, hungry heart grow peaceful within her. It suddenly dawned on her that before her stood all that she had been looking for - somebody who would love her and she could love in return. Within her she felt hope renewed and joy restored. He held His hand out to her, the most beautiful smile graced his face. As she reached out to him she noticed a scar on His palm. Seeing the questioning look in her eyes he simply said - 'A small price to pay to get to you, my love.'
_____________________________________________
I thank the Lord for loving me so much and considering my soul to be priceless. I'm so grateful to Him for staying with me through thick and through thin - for never giving up on me even when i had let go. I love You, Father.

THROUGH IT ALL

Even at our hardest moments may they see "You" in us. Through our fears, uncertainties, shame and blame let our lives radiate Your light, Your spirit, Your love.. Through the valleys let our words encourage & in suffering may we yet be able to bless.

walk-away

when we do something wrong for so long it starts looking right.but that doest make it right.
Whatever we do we may think we can escape unNoticed Only To DiscoVer later That The Sin Has Been Quietly Breeding Serious cOnsequEnces.
-His a Just God he hates sin but loves the Sinner-
So!
He punishes those who continuely play-hide n seek around with what disgustes him.

Faith.

:---its a Magnetic Force

That Attracts God.

THE TRUE CHURCH

We were created to strive for excellence, to attain the mind of Christ and the heart of God. We were born not only to be holy and set apart but also to truly follow the ways of Christ, for ourselves and for the world.

However, in our attempt to be excellent like Christ, we have fallen short, trying to become a God itself, showing off our perfections and not His.

And we are also the Church, a home to the broken and a refuge for the sinners to run to. We are called to love people and to speak life: to show Christ. Yet we manage to chase the prodigals out and from us, the sinners want to run away. How, we wonder. 

Our highlight is this: that we so often testify to imperfections only of yesterday and deny our struggles of the present. We adapt super Christianity and forget to be real people with stories that others can actually relate to. In fact, all we ever do is try to earn points as if we can fix everything, denying our own battles and making believe that all in our lives is without flaw. To expose our weaknesses and struggles is unthinkable. So, we hide our failings and draw attention to the sins of others. We are judgmental about everyone except thy self. Moreover, we begin to manipulate lives using God’s power and we sell Christ only for Church sales. Before we know it, fragile hearts are exposed to Christian hypocrisy and the gospel of Christ is far from being told. 

And to this finale have we dawned, that as the Church, grace is only spoken of but never given and that sin can only appear to be our past but never present. Instead of being true, we have some how been drawn to put up a façade. Besides, we rebuke more than we love, govern more than we understand, we wound those who long to be healed, reject those who need acceptance & strive to be God instead of His people. So, now we appear to be kings on a pedestal whom people cannot reach out to neither live by and God Himself knows that our human eloquence has lost its love and luster. 

Thus, the call is to take off the masks that we ourselves cannot breathe in & to renovate our artificial principles that choke human hearts. The need is to be real for Christ for we are not only his ambassadors but were first his creations, beautiful as we are. The need is to realize that God is in us and that the world sees him through us, in our love and our response. In fact, how we respond to people and their ways, to sinners and their sins decides if God is seen as black & white or color. 

The cry is to truly understand the beauty of grace without ignoring nor manipulating it.. to have the courage to be real as the Church and as a person without exploiting this gift by finding reason to purposely indulge in sin and frolic games. 

That we could run the race together, striving for excellence, knowing that there is no condemnation in Christ is what will be the difference. That we would use Our freedom in Christ to win hearts and to speak Grace is what will make us the true Church and that we would testify not of our cleaned up versions but the parts of our lives that we sweep under the rug, the parts that no one has loved, is what will make us world changers.

Let us be what's missing. Let us be all that we are truely meant to be..

* Based on reality. Inspired by The Ragamuffin Gospel, Blue Like Jazz & Purpose For the Pain.

Fresh Aesthetics

THE UNSEEN

Beneath us all is an underlying force of young hearts. They are a relentless army of living sacrifices, a chosen generation set apart to save and empower lives. They are unseen but they are there, powerfully there. They rest on the strong foundation of God’s undying love and lead with radical faith, striving to walk in His wisdom. Harmed and bruised, broken yet beautiful, they hold on desperately to the hand of God to be the pillars that hold His undying dreams. And even though they are possibly imperfect, they are indispensable to God and His people. 

They are a generation’s army for tomorrow and they testify to yesterday, now leading those who once led them. Paralyzed by test and pain, they yearn to give up yet they must not for they are the very difference. They live on a life machine called grace; walk on water through the storms & prepare for every battle to keep the fire burning and the Kingdom alive. They toil and dedicate when the eye cannot see yet are all deserving of esteem and appreciation.

They exist as a harmonic bond that cannot be broken, entwined by love that cannot separate. Holding you on pedestal, to see your life changed, they prepare a sanctuary that you call home. They are unseen… but they are there. They are there. 

INSPIRATION

Lord you inspire us to love beyond feelings, beyond emotions.. to love those who we would rather love to hate..to love not just in words but in action. You show us how to accept hearts as they are.. to forgive beyond human reason and to endure those who hurt us, even through the hurt, for the cause of Your glory. You hearten us to run the race until the end and when we tire You run with us..You give us Your eyes to see the world as You see them and Your SPIRIT to replace our very own. You inspire us to live set apart.. To live for a greater cause.. A cause that defines your love & beauty.. You inspire us to live for You. 

QUOTE

We loose our lives that others may find theirs. 

HEALER

To say that one situation at a time causes much pain would be a lie, for the truth is that our cup of suffering is already full from battles once fought: Those of trust, fear, dominion, hate & complexities. And as the pain accumalates, we react less on the outward as much as it burns inside. And as the cup overflows our world continues to close up on us. Silence prevails. Empty tears flow.

Immense violation can cause us to be numb for we are still in the aftershock. And if it was not for You, we'd only die inside. Now, we are past the stage of outward expression, past tears and now only a storm of pain can shake us, else only the power of love.

And so the world begins to see us not for who we really are. In fact we are often stero-typed as emotional or emotionless, dead or weak when either way we are both. But You see us for who we really are. You make the best out of our worst. You make all the difference for You are our friend and comfort. Even more You are our Healer.

IN GOD ALONE

In my God alone can I find the strength to see me through all things,

in His love alone do I find constant and eternal acceptance.

Because He loved me first, I will praise His Name, I will give to my King my everything till my last breath!

For I have no reason to live if not for my King.

-Miriam

BE THE DIFFERENCE

We constantly blame God for all that goes wrong around the world and in our lives. Shamelessly, we ask Him to fix everything while we, His children, His vessels, do nothing. We complain ceaselessly about the millions who are straying away from His word, both believers and unbelievers alike. We point our fingers at God, defying Him to prove His existence to us, mere mortals. We talk about poverty and suffering, about corruption and malice while we do nothing about it.
But today, a new breed of believers are rising. A generation that screams from the very atom of their souls 'Here I am, Lord. Send me!'. A generation whose passion for God knows no bounds. A generation whose sole desire is to fulfill their spiritual and sole purpose: to serve their Almighty God. This generation will no longer sit back but will put on their spiritual armor and move against the enemy. This generation will be greater than any other before it. Because this generation will prove to the world that their God lives!

"But YOU are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do His work and speak out for Him, to TELL OTHERS of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted."
- 1 Peter 2:9 (The Message)

- Miriam

YOU ARE

The difference

The future

The revolution

The new dawn

The movement

The change

The solution

The miracle

The walk

The talk

The high

The generation

YOU ARE..

His ambassador

His excellence

His pride

His inspiration

His joy

His passion

His purpose

His song

His heartbeat

His victory

His brilliance

His work of art

His hands

His feet

His voice

His legacy

You are God's own.. child of the Most High.

GOD BELIEVES

God believes in us more than we often doubt ourselves.

YOU SHALL BE

What you think you're not,
God says you are,
And that you shall become

EVERY BLESSING

Your every blessing speaks deep intimacy, making it certain that it is indeed a gift from above. No matter how small or great it is, You capture our hearts in personal way. You could make the birds fly or dedicate a sunrise for us.. And we just know, that very moment is especially ours,

from You. Selah.

YOU

You use the unloved to love beyond words.

You use the broken to make lives whole.

You challenge the weak to be another's strength,

That we may die to ourselves

That we may live for a friend.

That in our tears me may make someone smile

And through our pain we may save a life.