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| well folks, this is it. i've always been a xanga fan... however, i'm moving on. going back to my roots...
if you wanna keep on reading my blog, go to http://hunkababelicious.blogspot.com. there you will find me again...
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| I've always had an idea to do something like the Psalms or Song of
Solomon type of stuff because they intrigue me and I like them a lot. I
think we all need to be honest with ourselves. The Christian life is
not always a walk in the park; there are times when we do despair, when
we are angry, when we are joyful, but through it all, one thing always
remains constant: God is God. He is faithful, from everlasting to
everlasting. I was at work today when I first thought of the first line
of this Song. it was in response to the thoughts that i was having. so
here, i present, the first time this work shall ever be seen... the
premiere... of the Song of Sid Chronicles.
The Song of Sid Chronicles
Song I
O, to throw off this mortal coil that binds me
The shell of humanity that seemingly binds me to this world and all its lascivious desires and perversions
Wanting to throw off this mortal husk, to glory in the presence of the Almighty
Alas, it is not yet time.
Each day, a battle is waged against the heavenlies, and the battleground is I
The destructive thoughts that silently and surreptitiously stalk my higher faculties
I am weakened, weary, wishing, wistful, waiting
Quietly, I bide my time.
Thoughts of You fill my mind, my heart, my soul, my very being
The streets of gold, the crystal sea, the angels singing haunts me
But all I have right now are trials, temptations, refining me till I am as gold
All things are made beautiful in Your time.
Why, O Lord, must I stay in this earthly prison?
How long shall I wait till I am free of these vanities that engulf me?
When shall I come out pure and holy, completely surrendered to Thee?
Thou, Who setteth everything in Your books, Why did You form me in my mother's womb?
What purpose must I serve, what purpose must I fulfill, that I may flee this shell that binds me here?
Surely Thou knowest how I long, how I yearn to be in Thy presence.
Yet, I am shackled to this existence, a stranger in a hostile land.
Revulsion and disgust fills me, to live in such a wicked and depraved generation
The longer I stay in its destructive atmosphere, the more I am infected
I must wage war constantly, unyieldingly, with utmost vigilance
I might yet be disqualified before my time.
So, I remain in this state of despair
For this is my lot
To remain alive in the land of mortal men
Angrily, I bide my time.
O, to throw off this mortal coil that binds me
With gladness of heart, would I leave it behind
But thanks be to God that He gives me strength
To accomplish His will in His time.
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| Intimatus Absolut, or a new philosophy on the sovereignty of God
Warning: This is something that I'm still in the process of thinking out/refining. It is NOT necessarily a view that I hold, but a path that I'm exploring. At this point, I don't know how it would hold up theologically. However, it is something that I started exploring while thinking of Calvinism and Arminianism.
So many times when something good happens, we attribute such goodness to God. When something bad happens, we attribute it to the fallen world we live in. When something happens that does not go according to our plans, there is a tendency for us to view our plans as inferior in comparison to the plans that God may have. This gives us a hope that everything that happens is under His control and not ours, thereby alleviating any stress we may incur on ourselves when we think our work accomplishes His will and not the other way around. In such cases, there is an appeal to the sovereignty of God to explain the goings-on in this world.
In modern Christian circles, this concept of sovereignty of God has been seriously contested by two major doctrines: Calvinism and Arminianism. Calvinism levels the argument that Arminianists are not Calvinists because they cannot fully accept the sovereignty of God and the giving up of self in the process of salvation. Arminianists, for the most part, believe that free will is involved while Calvinists say that free will is not a part of it, only God's election. I say this not to inspire debates about it, but to provide the background from which this philosophy is derived from. Whether Calvinist or Arminianist, both parties, knowingly or unknowingly, use the self as a reference point. By "self", I mean the self that Descartes talks about when he says "cogito ergo sum".
I propose something that I don't think I've encountered so far in talking within Christian circles. This is what Intimatus Absolut would propose: there is no self, and that the self we know is controlled by God. It takes the sovereignty of God to a whole new level. Even Calvinists, in their submission to the idea that God pre-destined everything, still recognizes the self. Instead of thinking that God impinges on man's free will when we say that He is sovereign, it would propose a bold thinking that says God's will is absolute and what man call free will is merely an illusion. Since God is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, He can DO everything. It does not invalidate free will because we still "exercise" it, but in the grand scheme of things, our exercising of free will has been pre-destined by God before the beginning of the world.
The word "intimatus" is the root word for "intimacy". The word intimacy nowadays deals with emotional, physical, mental, or spiritual closeness to another person. The original meaning of the word means "passing down of honest information". This is the main reason why I named this new brand of philosophy Intimatus Absolut (Absolute Intimacy) because it is done to truly examine man's state and his relationship with God in an honest way. It also proffers the idea that God's sovereignty is absolute and man has no role other than to accomplish God's plan.
The Bible often talks about God being a jealous God. It is also replete with verses and stories of how God's will cannot be thwarted by any man. He is constantly doing things that are deemed impossible by human standards. He is described as the Beginning and the End. No one created God. God created everything. It paints a picture of a cosmic deity imbued with great powers and great knowledge. He is completely out of this world and in many ways, unfathomable to human thinking. He is above humans. As well, it should be. The Creator is always superior to His creatures.
Many adhere to the idea that there is an interplay in the human will and God's will. Many also adhere to the idea that there is no interplay between the human will and God's will; it is only God's will that prevails. Intimatus Absolut holds the position that God's will prevails over the human will, but the human will exercises what it will because of what God has commanded it to do. To elaborate on this point, think of this world as the system which God has created. Each person, each thing, each event are merely variables that are put in the system to fulfill the Cosmic Design that God has built. This means that each person is not truly a self in the sense of each person has been imbued with self-awareness; instead, each self has only the self-awareness that God gives to that certain individual. This philosophy does not force the individual to have a sense of resignation that he does not have a free will; on the contrary, his reaction is something that God has already factored into that system. God ultimately provides the feelings and thoughts of each human being. Man then is truly forced to realize that he is nothing without His creator. Experientially, there may be no difference at all between how a person who acts knowing this philosophy and someone who hasn't. A person who is exposed to this philosophy will not necessarily resign himself to the fact that he cannot do anything, and in the process does not do anything when put in a place where he had to make a decision. If he resigned, it is only a confirmation of what God has already designed the individual to do.
This makes God the ultimate Value Judger. Man then cannot do anything that is either good or bad. It is only good or bad because God has deemed it to be so. For example, as Christians, we rejoice in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This event showed us that Jesus conquered death for us and defeated the Enemy in the process. However, to have a crucifixion, you need Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus so that He can ultimately be killed by the people. Even Jesus knew that Judas was about to betray him. As much as what Judas did was wrong, without this central figure in the story, we cannot have the "life abundant" that Jesus promised to His followers. I am not saying that what Judas did was right, for I am not quite willing to argue that the ends justify the means, but what I am saying is that what was evil in man's sight was necessary, in fact, downright important for Christianity. Without His death, we would not have life. Intimatus Absolut would see this not as an infringement of human will, but merely the logical outcome of a system that has already been created and pre-determined.
I know that the biggest problem that most people would have with this philosophy is the lack of free will, nay, the complete obliteration of the self as we know it. If we lose this beloved free will, are we then consigned to be puppets of the greatest Puppet Master? Yet, does the clay have the right to question the potter? Can we give an answer to God when He questions us where we were when He laid the foundations of the earth? We agree with the sovereignty of God only within the boundaries of free will. However, once we remove the crutch of free will, it is then that we can truly experience the full glory of His sovereignty. Once we recognize that there is no self, as we view self, but the self that God gives to each individual, we can appreciate the idea that our lives are not our own, but God's. The removal of self from the equation definitely changes the playing field. It fully establishes God as the Sovereign Ruler of all things and that free will, as we know it, is "real" to us only because God has programmed some people to think this to be real and others in a contrary manner. | | |
| i got a chance to read previous blog posts from last year and i am once again humbled by how God has brought me so far thus far. and i think i'll write more frequently in my blogs just to remind myself of how He is moving. or at least in my journal perhaps... =)
the last month has taught me so much about the One Whom I serve. The greatest lesson that I've learned so far is that He truly is sovereign over all things and over all people. He will use whom He chooses. This is a lesson that needed to be truly ingrained in me. And He did.
I miss my ever so frequent fellowships with my friends back in Canada. I miss meeting up with my guys as we sharpen each other. I miss being challenged by my close friends. I'm glad though that my team has provided a source of joy and challenge to me at this time. We're still in the process of learning from each other and learning how to be vulnerable and authentic. We'll get there and we'll definitely learn in the process.
This time is a time of being stretched and moulded into His image. He WILL do whatever He WANTS to do to His creation. And for once, I'm glad that I have no say about my future. His plans for me are good and will always be good. He wants me to prosper, whatever that may end up looking like, I don't know. All I know is that He is in charge... hamdu lillah!
and scene...
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| Night of Destiny
Darkness, light withheld, solitude
The road so isolated, the path so
obscure
Trusting that He has called you, the
calling so loud and clear
Only His voice reassures you, comforts
you, calms you
The voices within scream so loudly
Humiliation, rejection, threats of
failure
The fear so strong, the doubts so sure
There’s no way that you can get out
unscathed
Then the beatings begin
Words that inspire confusion, acts that
inspire destruction
Quenching the hope, obliterating the
dream
Only the Accuser comes at you, laughs
at you, throws distractions at you
Darkness, light withheld, solitude
The road so isolated, the path so
obscure
Forgetting that He has called you, the
calling so faint to hear
His voice so far away, far away, far
away
Light, darkness withheld, joy
The cloud of witnesses, the narrow road
so obvious
Answering the call, the call implanted
in the soul within
His Words leaping in our heart, a
response to its Maker
The Accuser accused
The Accuser displayed
The Accuser accursed
The Accuser defeated
If the Answer is so true, why do my
feelings feel that it is false?
If I know the Outcome of the situation,
why do I live in fear?
If the Accuser is defeated, why do I
live in defeat?
If I know the Son has set me free, why
do I still live in bondage?
The moon, the glorious orb, the night
In its light, radiant light, solemnity
envelops me
In the coolness, He breathes new life
For this night, it is the night
This night, this night, this glorious
night
Destiny reveals its purpose
Night of Destiny pt. II
The thunder rages
The lightning strikes
The rain pours
Could this be divine sorrow?
How the heathens rage
How the kings conspire
How the people rebel
Yet, the rain falls on the just and the
unjust
Your love extended
Your grace freely given
Your mercy pourèd
How long will they grieve your heart?
Sing to me of the plans that You have
Sing to me of the purpose that You have
Sing to me of Your unfailing love
Sing, lest my soul loses all hope
God of all nations, hear my cry
God of the Gentiles, I call unto Thee
God of the Chosen Nation, see this
nation's plight
May You draw us near, nearer to God, to
Thee
The thunder rages
The lightning strikes
The rain pours
But it is You, Who calms the storm
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