Learnings about movement-making in Chi Alpha

This week I was asked to share the morning devotion. I thought of a few topics that I could share, but as I prepare my exhortation, one message became clear. I felt that I need to share my learnings about serving in Chi Alpha Philippines. The following message was given to youth leaders last National Youth Leaders Summit of PGCAG on January 29, 2014.

This year is my 10th year serving in youth ministry as a youth minister. And I still remember in April 2004, fresh from graduating in UST architecture that I was struggling about my calling. I was 22 years old at that time. I found myself going up to Baguio to go to AIYS (Asian Institute for Youth Studies, 2nd batch). I took up Institute of Campus Ministry, not knowing what I was in for, because I always wanted to try something new (I’ve been serving in the youth leadership for some years now, but not as youth pastor). There I met Kuya Sur, Ate Merla, Ate Afel, and Brian Lopez. And as they say, the rest was history. I received confirmation from God to be minister of the gospel. Never did I know that was the beginning of my journey in serving in Chi Alpha.

God gives each person a window of opportunity to fulfill what he was made for, not to bring glory to himself, but to God. We often call it now as a “kairos moment” or a time of opportunity. In the Bible, God invites ordinary people to take part in doing something extraordinary for God. I remember when Esther found herself in her make or break situation, God spoke through her uncle Mordecai saying, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14) And like Esther, you are here because God raised you up to do something special for Him in this season. The question would you be bold enough to take that window of opportunity to be used by God for His greater glory. Would you be faithful to take the movement to the next generation?

Here are five things I’ve learned about movement-making as I served in Chi Alpha. This is not an exhaustive list, it may also be incomplete, but these are some principles that could help someone who are serving in movements.

Your Blueprint for Success

Last Friday Life Gathering, I shared about the importance of setting goals and creating action plans to achieve them. It’s still the first month of 2014, and you don’t just want to breeze through this year then realize it’s the end of 2014 and nothing much has happened. God has prepared breakthroughs for us this year, but we must understand that each of us have a part to play in order to experience God’s breakthrough in our lives.

Growing up, I am fond of playing legos. I didn’t own legos as a kid, but we have a neighbor who did. And every afternoon, my friend and I would play together with this bricks. All lego sets all have a "finished product", like a house or a car. In order to build the “finished product” you must not miss that “blueprint” that goes with the lego box, giving clear instruction on how to build what you’re trying to build. Same is true with your goals for 2014. You need to have a plan of action steps in order to make this goal into a reality. Anoine de Saint-Exupéry (Author of the Little Prince) was right to observe that “a goal without a plan is just a wish.”

God Himself had a plan. He said, “For I know the plans I have for you …” (Je 29:11). God had a clear set of action steps in reconciling man back to Him. And believe it or not, God wants you to succeed. He goes on to say that these plans are “… plans to prosper you and not to harm you.” God has set in us the ability to dream and set the courses of actions to reach that dream.

For this article, I surveyed the book of Proverbs (whose writings came mostly from none other than the wisest king who ever lived) about the topic of setting goals and plans. And from these verses I found four prescriptions for wise planning.

Embracing who you are in Christ

While growing up have you ever doubted your effectiveness as a witness for Christ because your conversion story is not "spectacular"? Or have you felt insecure because it seems that God has gifted other people more than you? This is one of the concerns I addressed in one of my DGroups this week.


Jean Grey Complex

In one of the X-men movies, Jean Grey felt that she didn't much have to offer to the team because she considered telepathy and telekinesis as passive superpower compared to the superpowers of her teammates. This led to insecurity and depression, which ultimately led to her demise (She would become the bad Phoenix in the next sequel). I've felt the same way too growing up. I questioned God about my testimony and my gifts. It seems that other people's story of how they met God were more spectacular than my story. They would share, "I was a drug addict then ..." or "I went from one relationship to another ..." or "I killed someone ..." And the young me thought, "God, I wish my story was like that." I thought that if I started off as a bad person, far away from God, my conversion story could be more convincing, more vivid, and can be much appreciated by the hearer. Instead, I was just normal, a good and unassuming guy.

Celebrating Our Fourth

Last Wednesday, Netty and I celebrated our fourth year anniversary. Someone said, "the days are long, the years are short." That's how it feels. I can still remember our wedding like it's yesterday. I'm so thankful to God for giving me such a lovely and loving wife. Today, I can't imagine my life without her, for reals. She knows which buttons to push, when I'm happy, when I'm sad, or when she needs me to do something for her (insert Billy Joel's She's Always A Woman to Me). I have to remind myself more often of what I heard Ptr. Chris Long say--"Happy Wife, Happy Life"--because this is so true!

Anyway, we sort of had a pattern going on now. The first and third year, we celebrated our anniversary out of town (Singapore & Hong Kong). The years in between we just celebrated at home base. So to celebrate, we had a wonderful lunch date at Yabu, the Japanese tonkatsu place in Glorietta 5. Both of us were looking forward to try it because it's been a buzz last few months about how good the food here is. So everything's tonkatsu--pork, chicken, seafood etc. You get into some ritual of making your own tonkatsu sauce. The tonkatsu was so soft, it was so good. Overall the resto was okay, something you would reserve for a special occasion.

After lunch, we walked around the mall, did some grocery shopping and finally went home to watch some movies. I'm excited for what God has in store for us this year ... a baby perhaps? :) In God's faithful time.

"An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels." (Proverbs 31:10)

Take Them Further: Raise Disciple-Makers

This is the first week in 2014 that I ministered in the campus, and it's great to be back after almost a month of holiday rest. This semester I'm leading groups of young guys throughout my days in the campus. And it's a privilege and blessing to invest in their lives.

The thing about discipleship is that when you disciple students, don't just envision them to become good Christians. Take them further. Envision them that in the future they will also become disciple-makers. I think having this mindset calibrates the way you prepare and equip them. Are you just training them to be disciples, or disciple-makers? A quote from Andy Stanley, "It's not what you do, but who you raise."

The photos below were from last Wednesday, one of my leaders discipleship group.

True Devotion

It's an event I always forget, being too close to the Christmas and New Year festivities, and it springs up to you while you're wearing out the holiday hues--the Feast of the Black Nazarene. Every year it gets bigger and bigger, so big that in the past few years it shuts down the city. Twitter-verse say that the "devotion" of the people is truly awe-inspiring, you could call it an affair of biblical proportions. And yes, I get goosebumps watching it.


Truth rather than tradition

But tradition doesn't always mean it's the truth. I believe we share the same authoritative book, the Bible.

Ten Commandments (Exodus chapter 20 verses 4-6, quoted from the Catholic Bible - http://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=2&bible_chapter=20

4 'You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth.
5 'You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God and I punish a parent's fault in the children, the grandchildren, and the great-grandchildren among those who hate me;
6 but I act with faithful love towards thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Another quotation from Isaiah 44 - http://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=29&bible_chapter=44

8 Have no fear, do not be afraid: have I not told you and revealed it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God except me? There is no Rock; I know of none.
9 The makers of idols are all nothingness; the works they delight in serve no purpose. And these are the witness against them: they see nothing, they know nothing; and so they will be put to shame.
10 Who ever fashioned a god or cast an image without hope of gain?
11 Watch how all its devotees will be put to shame, and the men who made it too, who are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forward and feel both fear and shame!

From these two verses, it is clear that God, our God, abhors the worship of idols and carven images.


Disciples rather than devotees

Instead of worshiping representations of God, God wants us to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. No substitutes. Jesus is looking for more than devotees, He is looking for disciples who would follow Him daily, not once a year ... Disciples who would follow Him after the big party, even if it boils down to just you going against the flow of the world. Jesus is looking for disciples. "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Mt 4:19).


Symbols rather than objects of worship

You might say that, "The statues are there to remind us of God," or as I have heard many times from the clergy, "It is not meant to be worshiped, it's the masses who worship it." On the latter, as shepherds of God's flock, we are responsible to lead and teach our sheep to know what is right. On the former, yes, we may have different symbols of faith, but again, let them only be symbols, and not an object of worship.

At the seminary, I made a paper on the Devotion to the Black Nazarene on our Asian Theology class. And what I found out is that what makes the Black Nazarene so popular among many is that the suffering image of Christ carrying the cross resonates with many of us in a people whose majority is still living in poverty. But more than that, I hope this image will remind us of the work of atonement Christ did for us. He died and paid for our sins (instead of us receiving the punishment of eternal separation from God), so that we can have life. Far be it that we forget the work of Christ on the cross. But the story doesn't end there. Jesus conquered sin and death and He was raised to life and is living today. Jesus' story is like our story as a nation, our story doesn't end in hopeless despair, but in faith, I believe we shall rise above it.


Love and respect rather than condemnation

I saw on Facebook how one person who posted a Bible verse (about how God hates idolatry) got lambasted for his "inappropriate" comment in the observance of this event.

For the student of God's Word and the follower of Christ, we are accountable. God told to Ezekiel that as God's representatives in behalf of the people, that as watchmen we are accountable to sound the alarm and to warn the people of God's judgment:

But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman’s hand. - Ezekiel 33:6

Yes, we are accountable, we are responsible. But truth and love should be sides of the same coin. We should not lose sight of the purpose of proclaiming the truth, not to win an argument, but to lead a person to a right relationship with Christ. After all, (1) we are all sinners, and everyone is eligible to receive God's grace and forgiveness, and (2) rarely do you win friends by trying to win an argument, how much more trying to win an argument over social media and the masses, that doesn't happen. We are also not to shut up, but participate in a healthy dialog.

I believe the best way to be heard is through relationship and our testimony. You don't win masses, you win individuals. I think you respect others' belief by not always talking, but listening to what they have to say. Loving the individual, even when you two have opposing views. That doesn't prevent you from praying for them, and grabbing every opportunity to love them and show them the kindness of the Lord. Jesus' did command to love those who are opposed to you.

New Year with Family

Yesterday was the Cadimas new years lunch at the house. As usual there were great food and lots of people. Being an introvert, I dread with too much people at the same time. I realize, it helps to get your mind prepared before meeting a large group of people. Something that I haven't intentionally done in the past.

Before the meal, Jewel read a psalm to ponder on God's faithfulness. Then my mother in law shared a very short exhortation and then she led us all in prayer. I realize, believers should never be ashamed of their faith, they should even take the lead when it comes to this.

I think I stuffed too much food, because they were so delicious. After lunch, I felt so full that I wanted to doze off, but there were people in my bed.

In the afternoon, the cousins went to the mall to watch another MMFF movie. It has become a tradition, that Nette's cousins would go to the movie house on Christmas and New Year to watch a movie, sometimes one after the other.

Last Christmas, we saw Kimidora and yesterday we saw, Vice Ganda's movie. While both movies packed much laughs, they had their own share of chirping crickets because of bad comedy or too much drag. It's sad that popular Filipino movies have come to this--slapstick and elementary humor, to resonate with a movie critic's review I read about another movie entry. I have to admit, coming out of one of these movies, I really felt stupid. But you got what you chose right. I hope we can make better movies. I agree on the suggestion that MMFF's leadership be given to a film organization, not MMDA who is primarily in charge of city traffic and order. I also hope they will feature indie movies of quality content in the mainstream, more accessible to the public.

Closing 2013. In with 2014!

Yesterday we went and visited our parents in Caloocan. The last time we step foot there was October. But the place remains the same, with a few small changes here and there. But it's still the home I grew up in as a post-college young adult (We moved a lot when I was a kid).

It was a simple new years eve lunch celebration. I led our new year's prayer, thanking God for His faithfulness in 2013. In the past weeks I've been somewhat loathing this routine break (for reasons that will warrant another blog post), but a few days before I've got an "obvious discovery": We haven't had any major trouble this year, no sickness or loss in our family; we have never lacked, God was just always on time. Despite the challenges and selfish moments in my head, God has brought us through.

My father is turning 60 in 2014. My mom 59. And he said for his birthday he wants to travel, hop on a plane and go somewhere far away ... with snow ... and it's Japan. Okay so we gotta prepare for that.

In the afternoon we went to Lucky Chinatown Mall just to hang-out. Lawrence had his haircut. We also met Zarah his girlfriend there. We planned to hang-out at Starbucks, but since it was full we went to UCC instead and my brother foot the bill (he's grown up now :). We stayed up pretty late (6PM, before the mall had their early new years eve close), hanging out, sharing stories and just enjoying each other's company.

We came home to Makati and the new years noise is starting to build up. The house didn't plan for media noche, but instead prepared for today's New Years Lunch of another sumptuous lunch spread (my mother-in-law cooks really good).

And as the outside world grows noiser by the minute, I'm beside Nette, sharing thanksgivings, memorable moments of 2013, sharing resolutions and commitments. Bottom line: I'm just so thankful I have Nette who is my lover, friend and partner. I was challenged by Ptr Joey Bonifacio's message last Sunday about how this new year he's repeating one of his lifetime goal, to make himself his wife's best friend for life. He even said that when he dies, his tombstone would write "follower of Jesus, wife's best friend, father of so and so". I was so challenged by that that this year I shall do the same, do my best to make myself my wife's best friend.

When the clock struck 12, we worshiped God, thanked Him for his faithfulness in 2013 and entrusted our lives, our marriage, our ministry to the Lord in 2014.

Thank you, Lord for your faithfulness in 2013. We are anticipating your goodness in 2014.