A Mystery

College years let me learn a lot...but some things still remain a mystery, no matter how much I might learn. My thanks to the friends who commissioned and inspired me to write this song =)

Verse:
I learn of many mysteries
Humanity has solved,
I learn of how each star can shine,
Of how the earth revolves.

I learn of how the rivers form,
Of how the oceans swell,
I learn of how each living thing
Forms homes within to dwell.

Pre-chorus:
But though I understand each part
Of mountain, sea, and land,
There's still one constant mystery
I cannot understand...

Chorus:
I cannot understand why You chose me,
Why You would for a worthless soul
Take death on Calvary.
I cannot understand how it can be,
Your love will always be a mystery.

His Present

God has blessed me with many very precious gifts in life, in the forms of both people and things. And yet, there is one that tops them all...

Verse:
Sweeter than the roses placed in tender virgin hands,
Richer than inheritance of houses, wealth, and lands,
Dearer than the teardrops shed upon a broken heart,
Is the present I received...

Grander than regalia that royalty display,
Fresher than the blossoms gathered midst the dew of May,
Softer than the teddy bear I hold against my heart,
Is the present I received..

Chorus:
The cross was His present,
Bought by His bleeding hands,
The cross was His covenant
For God and sinful man;
The cross was His gift to me,
Bought by His death and shame--
A present given lovingly...
That I can never be the same.

Shadow of the Cross

Near the end of the year 2008, I fidgeted in my plane seat, on my way home to the Philippines. And as I sorted through my hopes for the year to come, I realized that the only desire worth having would be to live with a constant awareness and assurance of Christ's redemptive sacrifice. I scribbled down these words as I went through the air...oh Lord, in every day to come, please keep me near the shadow of the cross!

Verse 1:
You are Lord of heaven,
Owner of all things,
Author of each harmony
Humankind can sing;
Yet you left Your heaven,
Came to die for me,
Paying all redemption that
I might be made free.

Pre-chorus:
Lord, You loved in such humility...
Help me now to be as You would be...

Chorus:
Keep me near the shadow of the cross,
Make my soul abandoned to its frame;
Help me count all gain to be as loss,
So I'd live to glorify Your name.

Verse 2:
I was born a sinner,
Living selfishly,
Proudly thinking I could own
Self-sufficiency;
Yet You loved this sinner,
And Your love bestowed
Grace that led my eyes to see
All that I now know.

Nothing in the World

I seldom write pure lyrics, lyrics that do not resemble poetry in any sense. But with this song, the words flowed out of me so naturally as I composed beside my cousin Theodore. I remember that evening of composition very well, just as I remember the song very well. Truly, nothing can satisfy once one has been found by the One who finds.

Time and time again,
I’ve felt a longing deep within,
Trying hard to find my place
Within this world of sin,
Time and time again,
I’ve searched my dreams all over
Saw them formed, fulfilled, and lost…

Until the day I said
I couldn’t do it any more,
His love called and restored me
To all I should be living for.

And so I found by being found,
And I was freed by being bound,
And bound to Him I’ll always be,
For in His goodness I am free.

And nothing, nothing in the world
Could ever satisfy,
For Jesus, He is everything
I’d ever want in life.

Baptismal Testimony

Reading the baptismal testimony of my friends has reminded me of my own. It has been almost three years since I started my first baptismal class, and the event of my baptism feels both remote and recent. When we see how God's hand works in our individual lives, what else can we do but praise?

I was blessed to be raised in a godly family. As I grew up, my parents taught me how I was a sinner in need of salvation. By the time I was five years old, I knew all about Jesus and consistently called myself a Christian. Deep inside, however, I didn’t understand how I was a sinner. I considered myself perfect except for fighting with my brother or disobeying my parents once in a while. Ultimately, I didn’t hand over my life to Christ.

In May 2001, I attended our church’s junior summer camp. I thought that it would be just like the countless camps I joined before; it would be fun and fleeting. On the last sermon sermon of the last day of camp, however, our speaker said something that sparked the greatest change in my life.

She told us that joining a camp was useless—unless our lives were transformed after going home. That statement made me evaluate my life seriously for the first time. I noticed I hadn’t changed much for many years. Though I had recognized Christ could be my Savior, I hadn’t made Him my Lord. The week after camp, I closed my door and prayed to God. I asked Him to forgive my sins and rule over my life. He did.

Today, I still struggle with handing every single part of my life to Him. When I remember His wondrous love and amazing grace, however, it becomes easier. I know I am still far from perfect. It seems that the more I grow the more imperfections I discover in me. But God does not make empty promises. I believe that “He who began a good work in (me) will be faithful to complete it.”

Soli Deo Gloria! To God be all the glory.

For All Eternity

This is a set of lyrics I wrote several years ago. All this time, none of my composing partners have been able to come up with a complete tune for it. Even so, however, I still hold them close to my heart. Although they may have their imperfections, I love these lyrics for their universal message. God sent His Son to save us, and now we may live in Him for all eternity.

I once believed in all the things the people taught to me.
I thought there couldn’t be a God that no one ever sees.
I thought there wasn’t such a thing as true eternity,
But should the road just end one day, what would become of me?

I heard the story of a man who died on Calvary
Who loved the world so much that He would die to set men free.
I couldn’t help but wonder why he died so willingly,
And should the road just end today, will He be there for me?

Chorus:
O Jesus, Christ, the Prince of Peace, You gave Your all for me.
You brought me everlasting life by death on Calvary.
There is no other person who will be as dear to me.
I offer up to You my life for all eternity.

The day arrived when I picked up a book I used to see,
An aged book I never thought could be a part of me.
As I read on I realized it’s teaching me to be
A child of God much better than the sinner found in me.

Today I love above the world the man on Calvary.
I know He lives within my heart where I can’t touch or see.
I know He is perfecting me to last eternity,
And should my road just end today, He will be there for me.