THE NEXT ACT

Start writing, I tell myself. Maybe this will get me somewhere. I don’t know—maybe it feels silly, but I keep writing anyway. Maybe it will make sense in the long run. I’m not sure. I want to shout. I want to put everything out there. I’ve been carrying these negative vibes I picked up recently, and I want to throw them away. Maybe the only way to get rid of them is to write about good things… or maybe the writing will take me somewhere else entirely. Maybe. Maybe. Who should I talk to? I don’t feel articulate enough to start a real conversation. Maybe the Lord would listen. Maybe He could make sense of what I’m trying to say. I don’t know where this is going. Honestly, it feels like it’s going nowhere. But my mind is awake. My heart is feeling something. I am alive—that alone makes this worth writing. Everything makes some kind of sense as long as one is still alive. Breathing matters. Inhale. Exhale. Even if this feels like it’s going nowhere, I think part of me believes that what I’...

 Christmas is about the birth of Jesus—about being thankful that He became one of us to show us how to live a life filled with love. It is a season of family, of being with one another, and of giving. It is not about what we receive, but about what we offer from the heart. Christmas can feel like a love song, knowing that under the mistletoe you have someone special to share the moment with. It is showing grandma and granddad that they are remembered, loved, and worth visiting. It is the beauty of a white Christmas, the glow of the tree, the decorations, and the star shining at the top. So much of Christmas is wrapped in symbolism. Even Santa Claus, Rudolph, and the elves have become part of how we imagine the joy and magic of the season. Family gatherings, special meals shared around the table, drinking beer, laughing, and being merry—these too have become traditions that warm the heart. But how do all these pieces connect to a baby lying in a manger? To Mary and Joseph searchi...

I think one of the reasons I'm not feeling fully energized is that I’ve stopped walking and dancing. I really want to experience that joy again and become active. I miss doing kettlebell workouts, but my tendency to be lazy often takes over.  Oh Lord, help me regain my fitness and give me the motivation to exercise. Perhaps you’re allowing me to take it easy because I’m not feeling well due to allergies. I realize this might just be an excuse to avoid moving and enhancing my agility. I know I’m doing a disservice to myself. A healthy body fosters a healthy mind and soul. Lord, lift me up once more.

In our journey through life, we often find ourselves grappling with profound questions about our place in the world. How should I act on this? T hese moments of introspection can leave us wondering if we’re on the losing end of a situation or if we’re simply navigating a challenging path. One thing to keep in mind is that people have their own right placements in various aspects of life. This leads us to ponder: Am I in the right placement? It’s natural to feel unsure at times. We might wonder if we’re being undermined or if we’re meant to remain in a minority position.  The Quest for Belonging Asking ourselves “ Where do I belong? ” is not a sign of distrust; rather, it reflects our desire to find our rightful place in the tapestry of life. While it’s essential to reflect on our circumstances and consider what actions we might take to sort things out, sometimes the best advice is to simply “just be.” Embracing the Moment So, where am I? I choose to believe that I am in good hands...

I realised that it is indeed overwhelming when there are so many influences around which makes them very confusing when they are  contradicting each other. Absorbing them all leads me to contradict myself and in the long run I am losing my own identity. Influences all over the place makes life not easy.  Simple things becomes difficult in the midst on many information. Fake news, social media, influencers, gadgets, technology, and engaging with digital platforms has taken me away from simple life.  Reliance is shady. Whom should I trust? Everyone"s agenda is a factor to consider in trusting. And it is hard. It makes me anxious. It"s not healthy when you always question the motives of everyone you want to cling on to if it leads to being paranoid.  In the midst of uncertainty, my contemplation leads me to one thing that is certain. The Word of God.  The Word of God is always reliable, relevant, alive and loving. It is always applicable for all circumstances. You ...

I want to revisit this subject of PRIDE by blogging another reflection about it.  I have fallen a number of times of having an attitude that rooted from being ridiculously proud. I tended to think too much highly about myself above other else. Sometimes I overestimate my value by pretending  so people may look at me above everything. That did not please My God at all. My God does not like me with that attitude.  Some people does not like me either. God hates pride. God declares war with pride when  Lucifer had fallen because of pride, when Adam & Even had fallen because of pride. Pride is the root of all sins.  I am sharing my iniquity to this blog not because I have a unique circumstance but because I believe everyone had its own way of being lured by pride. Some of us think we deserve more money. Some of us think we deserve high regard. Some us think we deserve respect. Some us think we deserve honor. Some of us think we deserve comfort. Some of us think w...

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 1 Peter 5:6 NLT I found myself more humbled when I found myself helpless and no where to go.  I ended up remaining in the deep after  I have consumed all of my strength and understanding. That's when I looked up to God. I have nothing but You, Lord but I believe that you are more than i ask for. Weariness creeps in when I try my best and when I find out my best is not enough and when I don't put in the equation that help is at hand. I guess pride is such a notorious blood sucker. It deceivingly puts me in a place where the only way to redemption is my way.  Anxeity creeps in as I work my way out and as I work my up and as I work my way to where I think is the milestone for me. Everything is gearing to my control. I made myself the navigator and the thinking machine that controls everything. Why not? I have the skills. I have the talent. Why not use it. That ...

3rd of March 2020: this is the day that I would fulfil a promise. A friend of mine in the church approached me over seven years ago and made a request that I could not refused. He told me that he wanted me to sing in his eulogy when he passed away. I found it awkward. Regardless, I said yes. He told me that he will send the music sheets of the songs that he would like me to sing. He asked my postal address so he can send the sheets. The following day it was in the mailbox. I opened the A4 enveloped and there they were, the sheets and a written letter by him. The first sheet was an American Christian song “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” and the other sheet was Sacred Hymn “Panis Angelicus”. I haven’t been familiar with those songs till that day I received the letter. And so, few of my lazy times, I pulled out those sheets that I kept from the shelves and practiced singing. The sheets stayed in the shelves for over seven years covered with amount of dust when I received a c...

Music and Lyrics by JONSAINT You sing when you won't talk. You dance when you won't walk. You draw when you won't write. You look away from someone's sight. You finished what you have started. You do the same another day. You wrap up and it doesn't matter If takes the whole day. You understand What I don't understand You look at the picture differently No more crying Coz I'm trying. To go wherever you are going. I always say Woow I say O how blessed I am Coz you are my precious one I always pray Woow I pray That the Good Angels relay What I am trying to say I love you Come what may Too much noise. Too much light. Too much thinking. Too much fright. It's okay. You'll be fine. I'm right here by your side Copyright©Jonathan Santos 2014

Life is giving you a hard time. You feel like there's no escape from being in the pit. You feel like you are caught in the whirlwind. Life is unfair. You feel sorry for yourself. You tell friends how unfortunate you have been. Ranting. All they hear from you is ranting. You feel sorry for so long that you got used being at the bottom. It is alright to cry it out but for how long? Being always at the bottom may cloud your mind From seeing that there is still goodness in life. Feeling sorry for a long time would keep you from seeing that God"s good provisions is just around the corner. You would easily miss all the good things that God has started doing in your life. Going through grief is a healthy process. We are entitled to go through it. But being in that condition for so long may put you in the mindset that you are always a victim. It puts you in the mindset that it is hopeless and you can't do anything to turn it around. You find yourself so dependent in telli...

How are you? How was your holiday? How was your weekend? How are you? Fine thank you. And you? Nice Weather. Indeed. Did you have a good weekend? Small Chat. Small chat. Blek! Sometimes i feel that way.  Can we just stop here with the small chat? I just want to get a mug a coffee from the coffee machine and i want to get back quickly to my working space.  I got lots of things to do. Sometimes i don't feel talking and it feels awkward to pretend i am interested with what he is saying and to pretend that I know that he is interested with I am saying. It takes few seconds or minutes to bump with someone and to start a small chat. Is it part of of the norm, culture? Or maybe a lot people get it why they are doing it. Maybe if i would know how I can use small chat to my benefit, it would not be so dreadful about the whole drill. And then I realize small chat is a worthwhile drill. Lol. Good first impression. Small chat can be a good ground to make a good...

Have you ever heard of Monito Monita? It is a traditional game in the Philippines particularly in December approaching Christmas where a group of individuals (friends, classmates, office-mates, etc) agree to give gifts anonymously with each other. Usually, it starts with writing down in a piece of paper each others name, roll it and put in a small box. Each takes turn to pick out a piece of rolled paper in the box. The name in the paper each has picked out is its monito/monita. The simple rule is that no one has to let each other know who the giver is until the revelation day ideally on Christmas day. In the game they will give their monitas/monitas gifts everyday with an agreed price range. There will be different theme in each day of giving such as giving, something soft, something sweet, something long and hard, something green or blue, something round, something you make /cook /bake, something pink, something useful, something wet, something made of wood/fabric, something you c...

Cacophony. What is irritating nowadays to me at least? What level of noise would I say that I would be prompt to cover my ears? We got used to too much noise and somehow we are in the loop of getting used to it. I am driving going to work, engine roaring, city traffic. I turned on my music player to listen to favorite song. I should say there are sounds I can hear but they are not irritating. I can live and they don't harm me. When in a club or a concert, I can hardly hear what people are saying when they talk to me. Does it bother me? No. I work my way in hearing it by bringing my ear closer to the speakers mouth.  There is another noise that has nothing to do with hearing and more to do in clutters in the mind and spirit. Too much thinking. Too much distractions. Noises such as worries, fears, habits, addictions. We work our way to get by in the midst of those noises. We work our brain to get used to those noises and that's how life goes on. We compromise. We t...

Obvious it may seem, many of us have regarded what have transpired over the previous year. We all had ups and downs. Some had more ups and some had more downs but I guess that will be subject to one's outlook. Opera in the Garden for me is the start of establishing my highlight of the year. Rehearsals kick started in January in preparation on the big event in March. Those were the days were I had pages of music sheets to study. I prefer that I home study in addition to what had been thought during rehearsals since it was potential that I might not catch all up. Most of the time I study before a music was thought. This Year, on the big day itself, the weather was mean that we were not given the chance to sing in the garden and so it was decided that we held them in ASB stadium. One good thing about it was that the acoustic was great. Adele concert. My wife won the Adele Concert tickets when More FM chose her submitted recorded voice singing an Adele song that I acc...

I believe anybody has something to show and be proud of. I am no exclusion in saying that I have some tricks under my sleeves worth checking. But sometimes I am not so keen on showing of. I am not alright when people misconstrue that my action is all bragging where in fact I am just happy showing what I can do. Some people find what I am capable of as a threat. And just by saying that sounds like I am full of myself. Anybody is a threat with anybody. But come to think of it I find that people who are threatened are not so quite secure in what they have. I know people who are on top of their game yet they are being demoralized by others who have something that they don't have. I'm okay with exhibiting my talent just to my pleasure. The same thing when I was doing something when I was a kid. When I was kid I did what I like doing. Sometimes, no one needed to know what I was capable of doing. I was just in my room, in my secluded place, in a small corner, sitting in a small plas...

There may be a more than one related messages from different consecutive encounters that is undeniably far from coincidence. The divine being is speaking strongly that pierces my heart. Different medium such the video that I watched, the chapter in a book that I have read, the cruelty of peers who are up to no good, the challenges at work, the situation at home are being intertwined in order to come up with a clearer understanding of the issues and solutions. What am I going to do about it? For a start, I need to reflect on them and see what messages can come up with. I know that there were small whispers that can give a big impact in my life once I deliver the message into action.  The ball in now in my court and I got to do something about. It is time for me to score some points to win. I was part of the Mamma Mia Musical show. One of the characters Sofie was trying to find who she really was by knowing who her dad was. Sky her fiance did not seem to agree that she would find ...

Another Month is soon to end the the most exciting month is ahead. That is what I look forward. Cruelty is still around the corner. I don't know how to correct it. But somehow it corrects on its own and another nuisance coming forward. It never ends. Though most of the time it's a waste time worrying about them. God is dealing with it. But it is very important that I Listen to the guidance of the Lord for there may have action to take. Prayer is powerful tool and It has been a number of times that it works in an amazing way. Holy Spirit, You are welcome here. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere. I like that line in the song. May the Holy Spirit fill with love, comfort and joy. I need to be reflective in every reading that I read. That way, it will embed more to my mind and soul.  Most of what I have read is forgotten in a way. Or it is already in my heart. It is just that I can not express them explicitly most of the time. Deadline is up at work. There are...

There were times when I was pushed and pulled down on the ground by the cruelty of people who have twisted intentions. To fight back is hard sometimes. But there is the urge to do it. When and where? Only God can tell. My strength always tells me to back off. My anxiety tells me that the storm is too big for me to handle. The Lord is asleep during the storm as if He doesn't care. The battle is on and I am not in my complete gear. I need the Lord to complete me. The Lord is asleep not because he does not care. He is at peace during the storm because no one can move Him in low or high waters. I too should be at peace with Him. I too should not be weary during the storm. My strength may tell me otherwise but Lord is too big for any Tsunami that comes my way. Sometimes all I need to do is nothing but to let it ride and trust The Almighty. Sometimes I don't need to close my fist, to raise my voice, to complain, to rant nor to curse. All the time I need to be at peace. There is ...

In the middle of sleeping at night, the Android has robbed me from a complete and very much needed sleep. My body has a nature of waking up around 3 in the morning obliging to the automatic pee alarm. After complying with the call of nature instead of trying to go back to sleep, I used to grab the Android to check Facebook, Instagram or just to gaze at the bright screen. It has been taking a while until I realized that it's time to get up to go to work. What happened? This is not a good habit, I thought. And so I tried to psyche myself not to check on my phone after pee time in the wee hour of the morning. I should go right back to sleep, I told myself. So the next 3-am pee session, I went straight to bed and right away closed my eyes to induce the sleepiness. In a few minutes I opened my eyes and waaaaaa! The bright screen of cell phone was right in front of my face. My arm has a brain of its own taking commands to grab my cell phone and put it in my face. I know that there is s...

Self-Discipline is one of the greatest means to make people achieve the level of success they desire.  Self-Discipline is everything you know you should do and sometimes or most of the time these are the ones you don’t feel like doing.  It is like getting up in bed while you still want to sleep.  You get up right away when there is no choice because you are going to be late for work.  But it is harder to get up when you have all the time in the world to stay in bed apart from one hour allotted for exercise.  “Let just skip it”, the usual reaction.  I have so much respect with people who get the hang of doing fitness.  Sometimes I come across people jogging rigorously in the morning and I have the urge to look at them and say “Respect” while pounding my chest once. But discipline is not only for fitness, military or prison.  It has to be a way of life.  It is equivalent to sacrifice.  Sacrifice is depriving oneself from comfort to ga...