Out of sight, out of mind

It didn't work with me.
And I don't know it will ever work.

Everything still seems so real and so latent.
Everything seems a nightmare where I am still hoping to wake up one day
and say everything is fine.

When I saw the old couple at the restroom of the JFK airport,
I realized that everything I thought was noble was a fake,
a lie by which I was totally fooled.

When I saw the love of God manifested in their pains and sufferings,
I saw His holy glory and His goodness.
When I saw God's presence in the hands of the husband
helping his wife on the wheelchair,
my soul was placed in guilt and despair.

I burst into tears and cried for His redemption and healing.
I am still begging for His redemption and healing.

내 안에 여전히 흐르는 당신에게

우리 영혼이 흐르던 강물은 이젠 나뉜다

고통스러워 요동치는 두 갈래이나

하늘이 닫은 문을 누가 열 수 있으리요

저쪽으로 흘러가는 네 모습은 서서히 멀어져가고 

찢어진 내 삶에는 절망이 머문다

언젠간 그 바다에서 다시 만나리라 소망하면서 

사랑하는 만큼 너를 축복하고 싶다

네 곁에는 넓고 푸른 숲이 무성하여라

생명이 샘솟고 영혼이 씻기는 목마른 자들의 쉼터가 되어라 

하나님의 복이 흐르는 기쁨의 강물이 되어라

아직 내 안에 흐르는 건 우리가 함께한 영혼의 강

그 바다에서 다시 하나될 때 기쁨으로 널 알아보리라

그의 생각

하나님은 너를 만드신 분
너를 가장 많이 알고 계시며
하나님은 너를 만드신 분
너를 가장 깊이 이해하신단다
하나님은 너를 지키시는 분
너를 절대 포기하지 않으며
하나님은 너를 지키시는 분
너를 쉬지 않고 지켜보신단다

그의 생각 셀 수 없고 그의 자비 무궁하며
그의 성실 날마다 새롭고 그의 사랑 끝이 없단다

하나님은 너를 원하시는 분
이 세상 그 무엇 그 누구보다
하나님은 너를 원하시는 분
너와 같이 있고 싶어하신단다
하나님은 너를 인도하는 분
광야에서도 폭풍 중에도
하나님은 너를 인도하는 분
푸른 초장으로 인도하신단다

그의 생각 셀 수 없고 그의 자비 무궁하며
그의 성실 날마다 새롭고 그의 사랑 끝이 없단다

비 시원하게 온다

절망하고 있는 아브라함에게 하늘을 보라고 하신 하나님.
그 말씀은 하나님의 비전, 복의 약속이었다.

이번 주 간절히 기도한 소망.

나에게도 하늘을 보라고 하셨다.
시원하게 쏟아지는 비, 모든 것을 씻어내리는 비.
아, 반갑다.


빈들에 마른풀같이 시들은 나의 영혼 주님의 허락한 성령 간절히 기다리네

반가운 빗소리 들려 산천이 춤을 추네 봄비로 내리는 성령 내게도 주옵소서

철따라 우로를 내려 초목이 무성하네 갈급한 내심령 위에 성령을 부으소서

참되신 사랑의 언약 어길 수 있사오랴 오늘에 흡족한 은혜 주실줄 믿습니다

가물어 메마른 땅에 단비를 내리시듯 성령의 단비를 부어 새생명 주옵소서

You raise me up

When I am down and oh my soul so weary

When troubles come and my heart burdened be

Then I am still and wait here in the silence

Until You come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up

so I can stand on mountains

You raise me up

to walk on stormy seas

I am strong when I am on your shoulders

You raise me up to more than I can be

내 영혼 지치고 피곤할 때에

근심 걱정 내 맘 짖누를 때

난 잠잠히 주님을 기다리네

주님 내 곁에 오실 때까지

주 날 위해 저 산 위에 세우네

거친 바다 위 걷게 하시네

주만 의지할 때 강함 주시네

크신 능력 내게 부어주시네

나는 그 사람이 아프다

지금 생각해도 가슴 떨려
수줍게 넌 내게 고백했지

내리는 벚꽃 지나 겨울이 올때까지
언제나 너와 같이 있고 싶어

아마 비오던 여름날 밤이었을 거야
추워 입술이 파랗게 질린 나, 그리고 그대
내 손을 잡으며 입술을 맞추고
떨리던 나를 꼭 안아주던 그대

이제 와 솔직히 입맞춤보다 더
떨리던 나를 안아주던 그대의 품이 더 좋았어

내가 어떻게 해야 그대를 잊을 수 있을까

우리 헤어지게 된 날부터
내가 여기 살았었고,
그대가 내게 살았었던 날들

나 솔직히 무섭다
그대 없는 생활 어떻게 버틸지
함께한 시간이 많아서였을까
생각할 수록 자꾸만 미안했던 일이 떠올라

나 솔직히 무섭다
어제처럼 그대 있을 것만 같은데
하루에도 몇번 그대 닮은 뒷모습에
가슴 주저앉는 이런 나를 어떻게 해야 하니

그댄 다 잊었겠지
내 귓가를 속삭이면서 사랑한다던 고백
그댄 알고 있을까
내가 얼마나 사랑했는지
또 얼마를 그리워해야 그댈 잊을 수 있을지

난 그대가 아프다
언제나 말없이 환히 웃던 모습
못난 내 성격에 너무도 착했던 그대를 만난 건
정말이지 행운이었다 생각해
난 그대가 아프다
여리고 순해서 눈물도 많았었지

이렇게 힘든데, 이별을 말한 내가 이 정돈데
그대는 지금 얼마나 아플지

나 그대가 아프다

Just the way you are - Bruno Mars

Oh, her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining
Her hair, her hair, falls perfectly without her trying
She's so beautiful, and I tell her every day

Yeah, I know, I know, when I compliment her she won't believe me
And it's so, it's so, sad to think that she don't see what I see
But every time she asks me do I look ok, I say

When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing, just the way you are
And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while
Because girl you're amazing, just the way you are(yeah)

Her lips, her lips, I could kiss them all day if she let me
Her laugh, her laugh, she hates but I think it's so sexy
She's so beautiful, and I tell her every day

Oh, you know, you know, you know, I'd never ask you to change
If perfect's what you're searching for then just stay the same
So, don't even bother asking if you look ok
You know I'll say

When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing, just the way you are
And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while
Because girl you're amazing, just the way you are
The way you are, the way you are
Girl you're amazing, just the way you are

When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing, just the way you are
And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while
Cause girl you're amazing, just the way you are. Yeah

-----

That's it.

Nothing else.

The only reason for the only purpose.

My goal in life

I don't want accomplishments or acquisitions or positions or actions.

I'm not trying to win or succeed or conquer.

I want to learn to totally surrender.

You light me in

Twinkling little stars from the dark sky

have sparkled a light in my heart tonight.

And a delightful spring colored wind

gently waved me good night.

Swimming

Carry nothing

Think of nothing

Just your body and the water

Just your breath and the air

Many images flash into your mind

Many feelings come into your heart

But nothing ties you up

Your body only needs water to keep on moving

Your breath only needs air to keep on going

It's just this simple

Just your body and the water

Just your breath and the air

Instantes (Jorge Luis Borges ?)

Si pudiera vivir nuevamente mi vida,
en la próxima trataría de cometer más errores.
No intentaría ser tan perfecto, me relajaría más.
Sería más tonto de lo que he sido,
de hecho tomaría muy pocas cosas con seriedad.
Sería menos higiénico.
Correría más riesgos,
haría más viajes,
contemplaría más atardeceres,
subiría más montañas, nadaría más ríos.
Iría a más lugares adonde nunca he ido,
comería más helados y menos habas,
tendría más problemas reales y menos imaginarios.

Yo fui una de esas personas que vivió sensata
y prolíficamente cada minuto de su vida;
claro que tuve momentos de alegría.
Pero si pudiera volver atrás trataría
de tener solamente buenos momentos.

Por si no lo saben, de eso está hecha la vida,
sólo de momentos; no te pierdas el ahora.

Yo era uno de esos que nunca
iban a ninguna parte sin un termómetro,
una bolsa de agua caliente,
un paraguas y un paracaídas;
si pudiera volver a vivir, viajaría más liviano.

Si pudiera volver a vivir
comenzaría a andar descalzo a principios
de la primavera
y seguiría descalzo hasta concluir el otoño.
Daría más vueltas en calesita,
contemplaría más amaneceres,
y jugaría con más niños,
si tuviera otra vez vida por delante.

Pero ya ven, tengo 85 años…
y sé que me estoy muriendo.

Servir a Cristo - Migdalia Rivera

No nací para ocupar un lugar
Ni un espacio en la esfera terrenal
Fui creada para ser un servidor
Un instrumento de servicio al Señor

No nací para obtener ni adquirir
Fui creada para dar y servir
El propósito en mi vida cumpliré
Y a mis hermanos en el reino ayudaré

Servir a Cristo, servir a Cristo
El modelo a seguir
De servicio, entrega, amor y santidad
Grande es su bondad

Por Jesucristo, por Jesucristo
Vivir sirviendo a los demás
Contribuyendo con los dones que El me da.

Time

Time heals all wounds and the deepest scars.

It explains the incomprehensible and the mysterious.

It reveals intimate secrets and the cleverest lies.

Time dulls past memories but makes real the dullest visions.

It eternalizes instants but vanishes long histories.

It revives the forgotten and forgets the arrogant.

It encourages the weak and humbles the powerful.

It covers infinite space, yet it enslaves minds and bodies.

But time is not fair and much less compassionate.

It's too fast or too slow. It's too short or too long.

It's a chance and a test. It's a luck and a disgrace.

It doesn't show mercy in moments of repentance.

It doesn't reward whatever hardwork and perseverance.

It's said to be the most precious, but in fact it's commonly wasted.

And people try to conquer though it never lets itself be managed.

It's said to be divine, and bad timing becomes an excuse for failures

while good timing is attributed to the lucky one's power.

It's not people who pursue times; it's time that comes.

It's not people who get ready for the right time; it's time that prepares.

And now time has come to me, the time I have cherished for so long.

It's telling me to stop, so that I can start.

It's telling me to leave, so that I can go.

A heritage worth leaving

"Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." (Rom. 8:26~28)

There is no more word I could say to what the scripture has promised me. It comforts my soul and makes into good the stupidities I have committed. It raises up the weak and the poor. It nullifies all our masterpieces and wisdoms we have proudly accumulated. It makes us all bow before the infinite and amazing grace that was given to each of us.

Nothing on this earth and beyond this universe can be explained without the Cross and nothing grand can explain the true meaning of it. A small faith is just enough. Life vanishes in an instant and legacies are useless, but faith is a heritage worth leaving to next generations.

Hilarious! Click the image.

The power of the Word

TEDxSeoul inaugural event is finished. Now I guess it's time for what I really have looked forward to: the TEDxSeoul action, an environment where diverse people share ideas, inspire one another and work together to actually change the world we live in. That's it. An idea worth spreading finds a channel through which it gets verbalized, visualized and shared with others. And pam! It is when shared that it gets really powerful, powerful enough to create new waves across nations and unite people no matter what religion, no matter what race.

I was astonished by the excitement and passion of the audience and the glowing face of each of the attendees. I was again surprised to see that there were so many people willing to realize their sacred dreams and deliver valuable changes to the world. I could feel that the six hours of the event were, in some degree, helpful to those that needed to satiate their thirst.

This morning a question popped into my head as I was waiting for my train to come. Does it feel like this when people hear the Gospel? I guess it should be even more exuberant as it concerns with life and death matters and the ultimate salvation. Then a second question came to my mind: have I seen a similar excitement and joy when talking about God recently? Then an array of unanswered questions continued flowing inside my mind.

So I stopped there. I couldn't bear the thought that my faith was not even half of a mustard seed, too weak to set fire. I stopped there because I knew it would drag me to the ocean of remorse and self-pity. So I prayed. I prayed my faith, my passion and my dreams come from God, the true origin and the final end of everything.

Useful

One of things that many people learn very fast at school is to swear. I was no exception. By the time I was a teenager, swearing became the official dialect through which my friends and I candidly communicated. So no matter how evil the purpose of an enemy was, I wasn't pretty much bothered by what he or she said. I had this great ability to pay them back with a much better eloquence.

There was a time when I did get flatly embarrassed. I heard a classmate call a person 'useless'. I was deeply hurt by what a third person had said to another third person. The word literally paralyzed my brains for five minutes, enough to meditate about the emotions it had provoked on me. It hurt me so much that I decided not to say this word to anyone. I couldn't let my perversity go that far. I definitely did not want to kill any soul.

Almost fifteen years passed and, although very rarely, I was exposed to environments where people 'had' to use this term to describe those they scored incompetent. I felt so offended that I politely asked them not to say the word. It was not out of an heroic act, but out of personal need.

I don't think this pseudo-traumatic experience influenced on my renewed life-purpose (to be useful), but I find it funny to see the somewhat coincidental relationship.

Don't worry, Be happy

Two businessmen were talking about the economy:

Jack: “I’m about to lose my job and our house is in foreclosure, but I don’t worry about it.”
Bob: “How can you not be worried?”
Jack: “I’ve hired a professional worrier. He does all my worrying for me. That way I don’t have to think about it!”
Bob: “That’s a fantastic idea. How much does it cost to hire a professional worrier?”
Jack: “$50,000 a year.”
Bob: “$50,000! Where are you going to get that kind of money?”
Jack: “I don’t know. That’s HIS worry!”

My first and longest love story

Last Sunday of October 1986.

It felt already summer in Buenos Aires.

My dad, mom, my sister and I headed to church early in that morning.

We had arrived Argentina the day earlier.

The only thing I remember is that the church had a big blue gate

in front of which I immediately started to play with my first love.

He, Pablo, was my age and had an older brother.

My sister and I used to play with them all the time.

There was nothing special about him.

Well, he was funny, but that wasn't the reason I liked him.

I liked him because I had no other alternatives.

His brother was too old for me.

One day, a new girl and her little brother came to church.

Competition started and got fierce as time passed by.

But we became instantly best friends

as she confessed me she liked Alejandro, Pablo's brother.

Pablo was too young for her.

You couldn't imagine the relief I felt.

My love towards Pablo grew but I never told him.

I wouldn't hurt my ego and be vulnerable to this stupid boy.

He was so mean to me that many times I felt deep hatred.

It sounds a cliche but he was so lovely and hateful at the same time.

His dad passed away when we were eleven.

That Sunday was the first time I saw him silent.

I didn't know what to do.

I couldn't do anything.

I just sat where he couldn't see me but I could watch him.

And prayed with my eyes open looking at him,

but I didn't know what to say in my prayer.

So I kept silent, too.

That was the only way to keep his company, I thought.

It was along that year that I realized that my crush was over.

Yeah, after five years of deep and solitary romance

I got to know that it had faded away.

I don't know the exact reason for this slow ending.

Maybe, I gave up as I realized he was very popular among girls.

Maybe it was because I found more interesting boys.

As we became teenagers, we somehow managed to be friends.

And until today, my unsuccessful first love story became my oldest and dearest friendship.

Thanks God we are just friends.

Now we can't imagine our relationship to be something else.

Our friendship turned 24 years this year,

and he and I both know it will last for much longer.

I'm happy to have him as a good friend of mine.

And I'm pretty sure he is grateful, too.

I am a good friend to him.

---------------------

Side story.

Three years ago, when I visited my family in Argentina,

I got to know that the crush had been mutual.

He confessed about his long and painful first love story like this:

I was the first girl he met in Argentina,

so he had no other choice than liking me.

It sounded very familiar, haha.

And once again I realized that

you fall in love because you just... simply... have no other choice.

What business are you in?

Mark Johnson:

"Roger, you have such a profound voice. You shouldn't be playing music here. There'll be thousands of studios wanting to work with you. What are you doing here on the streets?"

Roger Ridley:

"Man, I'm not in the music business. I'm in the JOY BUSINESS."

Biography: Roger Ridley and his music embody everything that music is : soul, perseverance, and talent. He has often been called "the voice of God" by the other street musicians on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California. His dedication to his audience is clear, traveling from his home in Las Vegas, Nevada to his spot in Santa Monica every Saturday and giving his best performance before returning home that night. It was Roger's performance of Stand By Me that sent Playing for Change off on its mission to connect the world through music by adding other musicians to his recording.

- from www.playingforchange.com