the Word of God has spoken
as an ecclesiastical body
a community of believers
followers of Isah
this is what we have to wait for!
not and never will it be
the words of this world
the lure of relevance
the call of the lost
this is the bottomline
and will always be...
have we allowed the ways of the world to creep into our midst? can we allow the lure of relevance to seduce our faithless hearts?
or do we need to speak up as prophets of our times, mourning over our own deaths, in sorrow at the death of our call and distinctive as a movement, as an IFES, called to be servants of and to the Cross?
we came and responded to the call of simplicity and utmost surrender, as staffworker, with Isah as our only possession, giving up our rights, everything we have, with Him and the Cross as our only vision.
now, are we going to change that? are we going to replace our vision of the Lord Isah with policies, with the lure of a PhP 15K or PhP 20K (or more) salary just to be at par with the world's standard? are we replacing our call to sacrifice with the seduction of relevance, joining the worldviews of rat race, convenience, with solutions to problems, thus, reducing our call to mere programs and projects?
far be it from us
to heed riches
or man's empty praise
to replace our gaze
with programs and
relevance
after a sleepless night and never a dry eye moment, the Word has clearly spoken, the song has clearly shaken the core of our being... and no matter what others say and will say, we ought to stand tall, to respond, to get loud!
our emotions matter, after all, we are human beings and not human doings! this is what we teach because we affirm our createdness and our Creator! we affirm the tears of the greatest teacher Isah when he lived here once upon a time. he once was a feeling person and will remain to know and understand such feeling as well as ours. he once felt the pain of death, he once mourned over a death of a good friend.
these things have the least of its bearings on me, if i may say...
as i can leave anytime now
after all, i am due for sabbath
i am single, still young
(according to the UN definition of youth)
professionally skilled and experienced
can work or find a job
or if i may wish
find a rich young ruler
who can be a good 'papa.'
but i cannot do that... it is not an option as i see my colleagues in pain and anguish over some stupid policies... i cannot tolerate the option of simply bowing to policies created by the same authorities we ourselves have prayed for and 'chosen' (elected) to be there, entrusted and mandated to be our protector and allies.
now is the time, then, not to sit down as the One has spoken.
now is the time to catch the wave of what the One is saying and doing in our midst. let us speak up. let us get loud! let us affirm, as an ecclesiastical community, if this is where the One is leading us, if this is what he wants us to do. or else, let us altogether refuse to allow this to come to us and let the next generation suffer of our silence (!), of our refusal to speak out, of our fear of what the authorities will say or do to us.
let us speak up, my friends and family!
i do not do this without the readiness, though, for a possibility, maybe a natural consequence, or maybe an affirmation, that it is me who has to go. that maybe the time has come for me to bid goodbye, to move on and seek the next assignment from the one who called, who is calling, and will be calling.
the One true love of my life, the One in my heart, is my only vision... is our only vision! no one and nothing else!
lest we loose the substance, the essence of all these coming and going, these doing and having, these expressions of love, loaylty and service!
(after one powerful privilege speech... after one turbulent shaking... after that fateful BOT releasing of bombshell... and after 1 Corinthians 9)
dozing and snoozing you,
the point of no return... no more turning back...
~meeh