Bottled ※ Brain

My copy of Alice Munro's A Wilderness Station: Selected Stories, 1968-1994 arrived in the mail three days ago. It was literally through the mail—the PhilPost, not through FedEx or LBC—just around the time when I had come to terms with the real possibility that the parcel may have been burned in the Great Manila Post Office Fire . The postal man rang the doorbell and thereupon caused Paul to welcome him with a bark, jolting the neighbors who were perhaps resting after their morning ritual of sweeping dead leaves on the street. The Il Postino  ( a great Italian film, by the way ) brought the secondhand—rather pre-loved—copy from Thriftbooks, via Amazon. I had placed the order last March but I was repeatedly notified that the delivery was going to be late, as in most cases with secondhand books. I have pre-loved, loved, and will post-love this copy. (I imagine that Kuya John D, who was initially lukewarm towards Lola Alice, will be amused at my ghastly play of words.) Alice Munro del

I love the imagery of transformation to Christlikeness that the apostle Paul allows us to behold in 1 Corinthians 3:18. For such is the goal of the Christian life: to be more like Christ. The transformation is enabled by the Holy Spirit, who indwells every believer and pushes forward the process of sanctification. But there is another sense in which the believer must exercise spiritual disciplines, trusting in God for strength and wisdom, to reach that end. In this passage, Paul alludes to the fact of our incomplete knowledge of God's glory, as if saying, "God is infinitely more glorious that you can ever think or imagine." I love the translation of the New King James Version here that I had to rewrite it using a Blackwing Palomino (Pearl) that Sean and Hannah gave me.  I therefore begin this Sunday by reminding you of the exciting prospect for God's children. We will behold His glory soon, and each day brings with it experiences, interactions, problems, and joys that

In the morning, you can hear birds singing in the front porch. These creatures do not have a care in the world. They enjoy making nests and playing around before high noon, when they would rest under the shade. Why worry about life, then?

Pure, child-like wonder along the shores of General Luna, Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte. 

Last night, Manong asked, "Did you hear about Tim Keller?" Tim was one of our favorite preachers. He was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. He had been doing fairly well and had even published a book in the interim. Until recently, the cancer had made a comeback. A Twitter update mentioned that Tim was transferred to hospice care.  This morning, I wake up to the news of Dr. Tim Keller's passing . I mourn the loss of a friend and mentor, although I never got the chance to meet him face to face.  I've been listening to Tim's preaching on my long drives to work. I follow the Gospel in Life podcast and listen to at least two episodes weekly . I can recite to you the opening and closing spiels, even the short commercial segment that interrupts the preaching. Tim's exposition from the pulpit, recorded from many years ago when he was senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, mined the inexhaustible riches of God's Wo