CHAPTER 1
LOST IN THE SEA OF GOLD
4.3.17, 5:48 a.m., SLC Airport
Many opportunities promise wealth. Many paths have been shown. Many testimonies are born to the success of man. My eyes have wandered into the sea of gold. But only one is the promise — the path and the true testimony of man giving in to the spirit of truth and revelation.
DANGER BY THE DOOR
8.4.10, 11:32 a.m.
As I was walking outside of Taxi's door, Taxi is a friend of mine. I noticed a black widow with eggs in a nest. An unchecked lifestyle and sin will be like this. It will multiply itself, and one of these days someone will be bitten — maybe not only physically or mentally, but the most destructive of them all is being bitten spiritually. The good news is that if you are bitten, it will cause you to seek for help and remedy, therefore leading to a cure.
Do your best to eliminate evil, or it will eliminate you.
LIFTED UP BY FIRE
Don't we need trials and fire to lift us up? To grow and reach new levels of understanding? A higher view? A different prospective?
How is it when the one who suffered the most, tends to help the most? Did not Jesus Christ suffered for all?
DAY IN AND DAY OUT
As I was watching a bunch of dirt diggers doing their job, I noticed that the pile of dirt was as large as a mountain. As the dirt diggers dug up dirt and placed it in a dump truck, I had the idea to write this. The process kept on going. Day in and day out, the same old routine. To the naked eye, it didn't seem much progress. After a few months, all the things that the dirt digger went to do got accomplished.
It could be a goal, a task, or a project. Keep digging at your dreams, for one day, your dreams will become a reality.
BUBBLING THOUGHT
2.26.15, 9:45 a.m.
Bubbles are like minds. When they are joined together, they will expand.
Inspired by my nieces Lexi and Thalia while playing with bubbles.
MISSING BUTTON
6.30.10, 8:40 a.m.
So I was at my lab today at WyoTech in Fremont. I noticed that my uniform had a missing button, causing it to be off just slightly. I thought of the buttons of my life that were missing, or in other words, I tried to figure out those missing pieces. I woke up one morning and had a feeling something or someone was missing out of my life. I thank my Heavenly Father that He gave me this to ponder, and ponder I did. Button up.
WINDING ROAD OF LIFE
July 17, 2010
In life, there will be winding roads full of mist and fog. The difference between now and later is that we have the chance for the fog and mist of our lives to be cleared up, for soon, the time will come for the fog to pass over us and stay with us, there will be no more light but darkness continually.
YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT
3.24.15, 9:13 a.m.
Lexi and Thalia were watching a video of a song called "Happy" by Pharrell Williams and Alex Boye online. They started to sing, and all of a sudden, it paused and froze. Instead of being happy, they were unhappy. Now one of the girls kept on pressing the Play button over and over, causing it to stall even more. The other girl said, "You'll just have to wait." The more she pressed play, the more impatient and upset the other one got.
We can't force the playtime on life, but we should wait patiently for it to buffer so we can enjoy the video happily.
STATIC UNDER THE BRIDGE
3.8.17, 10:37 a.m.
I was listening to K-LOVE Radio in my car. As I went underneath the bridge, the music became static. Knowing that the red light would last a few minutes, I wanted to change to a station that I know would get a better reception. I was hesitant, knowing it might be a station that played worldly music. I knew I must stick to my goal in listening to positive music, and I knew that the static and interference would only last a minute or two.
When giving the chance to face the music, we have to be true to the tune of life. Don't change your tune, but be true to it.
MOSQUITOES ON THE STILL
6.28.10
We were in the Capitola state park in California, and when I was walking on the trails with Tim and James, I noticed that we had to move around. We couldn't stay still for too long or else the mosquitoes would bite us and take away our blood from us. The Bible says that we should not be idle. If we are, then poverty shall come upon us.
About a second ago, I just heard one buzzing right next to my ear. And guess what? I saw just now a good-size mosquito following me. So I always have to be on the move, and my body and my mind have to be in constant motion. It is a friendly reminder that if I'm still for too long, my body will show the bites. I just got bitten two times already. OK, just get on the move to the next parable. I'm so excited! When you get bitten, not only is the blood taken out but infection or disease will enter. Sin, please buzz off! What will happen to you if you slumber for a season or two? Have you ever seen a pack of mosquitoes looking for blood? Maybe it's yours; maybe it's not. Be very careful of the wilderness — not only in the mountains but mostly in the cities.
Oh my, I just saw one walking beside me, stalking me. I really like this quote: "Even though you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just stand and do nothing."
PS: Have I told you the story about the mosquitoes' best friend, Mr. Tick? LOL.
FOUR-CORNER BEDSHEET
4.13.17, 12:01 p.m.
I was fixing my bed because the covers came out and looked wrinkled. The first three sides were easy to fix. The one at the very corner was the hardest. I pondered about the things that I find easy to straighten up and the hardest things that I'm still working on. I'm just glad I had made my bed today.
TAKING THE EXTRA STEPS
7.20.10
So I was at my friend's house. There were never any parking spaces next to his house. So I found parking a couple of blocks away. As I was parking there, I thought to myself that it would be a good time to have a Bible study with my kids and their friends. But as I got to his house, I realized that I forgot to get the book in my car. So I stayed inside the house and watched movies. As I was pondering about getting the book or not, the Holy Ghost told me to go back and get the book, so I did. Though I had considered that it would take me at least twenty to twenty-five minutes of walking, I was willing to sacrifice a little to get a lot.
There has been studies that show about two groups of people — one parking as close as they can at the mall parking and the others as far as they can away from the mall. What they found out was that the group that parked far had lost weight and their health improved, while the other group that parked closest to the mall did little to improve their health. How about you? What extra steps are you taking to be more physically and also spiritually healthier?
PLENTY OF ROOM UPSTAIRS
7.30.10, 1:00 p.m.
So there I was, on the fourth floor at the Milpitas Library. I wanted to park there because of its view. I'm usually the only one up there, and it was a spacious parking lot. After I was done with the library, I went up to my car and ran to the edge of the parking lot to get a better view on life. As I drove back down, the light became darker. The farther I drove down, the less light I saw, and the view thereof was limited versus the view that I had seen on top of the parking garage. I'll just pull over on the second floor to write this upon my car. At this moment, I was inspired to write the things that to me are important.
Whenever I strive to live righteously, my views on life were on the fourth floor or the top floor. They were crystal clear, and everything was in harmony with me and the world. And every time I transgressed the laws of my Heavenly Father, my life was like the bottom floor, for it was dark, packed, congested, and full of chaos. People fought over little things such as parking spaces and whatnot. The good thing was that at the bottom, there were tons of people in my shoes. The bottom floor tended to be more packed than the top, so I wasn't lonely, or was I?
Will you join me in a new height? From the bottom to the top, darkness to light.
But remember, with every blessing, there must be effort in it and sacrifices. Yes, my car will use more gas to go upward, and my brakes will be used more when going downhill. But the sacrifice I make will be for the better good. But as always, this is where faith comes in. The next or third step could be the one that will take me to the very top, and if I don't listen to the prompts, I will be led to the very bottom. Please take that extra time to turn things around to your favor. In time, we try to reach up, but there will always be something holding us back. For instance, I was going to the top floor, and guess what? I had to wait on three cars backing up. So there I was, waiting patiently because I know that one day, my time will come. Don't be discouraged about the traffic or situation that you will face, for all of your affliction is for your gain. Keep your head up, and there will always be plenty of rooms upstairs. Take that road that hardly anyone travels on.
PARABLE OF THE THREE FROGS
This is the first parable I made at the age of sixteen. It's about life — not only for the frogs but for people too.
Once upon a time, not too far, there lived three frogs in their own land. There was a red frog and a blue frog, but the wisest of them was the green frog. Somehow the red frog and blue frog had been at war since birth, and the green frog was a neutral one. The red frog and blue frog would always fight for any reason, such as land, territories, and girls — but most of all, colors. They all schemed of things like hustling and finding out ways to ensnare each other. The green frog — since he was the wisest — was friends with them both, and he loved them. He would always find ways to keep the peace, for he saw the red frog and blue frog as his brothers. He always asked them, "Why do you two fight? There are plenty of lands and territories for all of us, and food is in abundance, and we are but one flesh. Just because our skin color or where we came from is not the same doesn't mean that we are any different 'cause deep inside, the color of our blood is green." They would hop around and love to eat flies and other insects, but the red frog and blue frog were too busy being tough and prideful because they were raised in the tradition of their fathers.
One day, while the green frog was on a journey, he noticed a commotion. Lo and behold, the red frog and blue frog were at it again. As always, the green frog tried his very best to keep the peace, but as he hopped to them, an eagle came out of nowhere and grabbed the red frog and blue frog. And that was the last of them. The green frog escaped. Because of his camouflage, he was safe. He did his best to mind his own business and take care of it on his own. Sometimes he would defend himself when it is called for.
The green frog lives in each and every one of us. His question to you is, What frog color are you?
MOUNTAIN OF ROCKS — THE UNSEEN DANGER
9.7.10 2:00 p.m.
This was a beautiful day, so my friends and I decided to go to Daven Port Beach. It was Ricky, Panda, Chris, Jason, and me. As we were hiking on the trail, we got to the bottom that led to the beach. We were close to the mountain, which had little sharp rocks sticking out of it, so I took some off. My friend started to take and hit some off too, and we all did. We were having fun, not to mention a blast. Little did we know that there was more than what we saw. I said, "Be very careful and take a step back and look what could have come down upon us."
So they looked and said, "Oh, this is very big."
"This is sin," I said. "You think it's small or harmless, but what happens if you took a small piece out and then all of a sudden the whole weight of it comes crashing down? We would have gotten injured or even killed because we only saw a little bit of dirt. But as we took about five steps back, the larger one was the real danger because it was hidden at the time we took the small pieces."
Even I was amazed at what we discovered. What a great lesson we all learned from this. Remember, be it a single person or a group like ours, the walls or the mountain will come crashing down if we continually pick at it. How many small pieces of rocks will it take until the whole world falls upon you? Time is the answer to this question. Now would you please stop punching out the rocks.
ONE MINUTE
10.01.10
The sun — one minute it was there, the next minute it was gone. I just turned my back for a moment. Though the sun is down and darkness has arise, I know it is for but a short moment. I should have faith that the sun, one day, will rise again.
UNPLUG YOURSELF
Unplug yourself, cell phones, TVs, distractions. The media and the world will drown you.
BREAKING POINT
10.3.10, 11:15 a.m.
This was on my auntie Kolab's car.
If I were to sin in one area, say health, would other areas in my life be affected? The answer to this is yes. Just like a house built on sandy foundation and a part of it begins to erode. Will only part of the house fall, or in time, will the whole house fall? Likewise, take a good look at this picture of a windshield that was hit by a small pebble. One hit and it causes many cracks. Each line would be a different aspect of life — anything you want it to be. Some people go on weeks and months and sometimes years before they get help in fixing that which is broken. Some see it, but they ignore it. Some of us don't even care.
HOW I LEARNED FROM A TIE
3.15.15, Sunday, 9:30 p.m.
Charmaine wore a tie today for church, but later on that day, she somehow undid it. I was a little bit upset because we didn't know how to tie a tie. Instead of getting upset, we decided to go on YouTube. Later, the problem was solved.
Though things may become undone or may come apart, we always have the choice to make it right.
SPAGHETTI STAIN
10.26.10
My mom was cooking spaghetti, and the sauce spilled outside the pot. I just saw it drip down and hit the stove. I found out that the sauce that was closer to the heat became darkened and harder to scrub off than the one farther from the heat. I knew that in time, if I would leave it alone, it would be all crusty and much more difficult to clean. The key is to clean it right away and with the right tools.
Sin is like the stain. If left unchecked, it would become harder to take off, but the faster you notice the sin, the faster you can clean it up. Hey, did you eat spaghetti? No. Why? Because I see stains every. LOL.
NETTING ON THE GRASS
1.7.10, 3:56 p.m.
It helps to guide the grass grow in the right places and also the right direction — not on the concrete of life where it could be damaged or even destroyed. It is like a safety net — not to step out-of-bounds. We, too, have nets in our lives. Laws, commandments, and so forth have been set before the foundation of the world.
BLIND MEN
So I was at downtown Los Angeles, at Chinatown. I saw two blind men walking past me, so I wrote this thought down. It goes like this. Walking by two blind men for they see, I am blind for I see, I see the things of this world.
Jewelry
Women
Lusting
Envying
STARFISH
5.5.10
I was inspired while I was at my friend's place of business, Vichet.
I saw a live starfish. I saw very small legs or hands — kind of like a centipede's, but it's a starfish. A starfish has all parts working together slowly but surely, making it cross any destination in this life and the next one to come.
CURRENTS AND THEIR WAVES
7.4.10, 5:45 p.m.
How did I end up like this? A place of discomfort. By the currents of life that pulled me into situations of sleepless nights full of confusion, where every bitter thing is sweet. Just like the parable of the spider, it pulls you in by a bad thought and action, and the end result entraps, entangles, ensnares us. If we swim next to sin, it will pull us in, and we will become weaker and weaker. In time, we will drown in our sin. Like the current of the ocean, there are strong forces that will pull us in and knock us off our feet. Hell's mouth will be open and ready to consume us. So stay on course, even though you wear a life jacket, which does help but does not guarantee you will not drown. Be wary of the unseen currents and waves of life, for in their midst, though they appear gentle and innocent looking, they can cause a man to drown in dry places.
