Tuesday, March 29, 2011

No Boring Day With The Lord

While in Papua New Guinea, I was told that "Good Night" meant good evening.  So, when we started off our meeting at 7pm, I had to say good night to everyone.  

This is just one of the things I had to get used to while being away from the Philippines.  I had to get used to the time difference in Papua New Guinea, Australia, and New Zealand. I had to endlessly get used to the right hand drive set up. I had to adjust to using Kina or Australian dollar instead of Peso (always multiplying in my head).  And just when I got used to the changes, it was time for me to head back home for the Philippines.

When I look back at those adjustments I had to make, it was both fun and exciting for me.  You'd find me laughing every time I made a mistake in opening the wrong car door or taking time to pay because I had to find out how much in Peso am I spending my lunch on.  It was exciting because it was not routine, it was a disruption of what I was comfortable doing everyday. 

The Lord wants us to live an exciting life.  He wants to disrupt our routine.  One day he tells Peter, James, and John:

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men (Mt. 4:19)."

Surely, their fishing routine was changed.  When we serve the Lord, no two days will be the same. Our days will be filled with endless possibilities.  Who will I bring closer to God today?  Who shall I pray for?  Lord, where are you sending me today?  What are you telling me through Today's Gospel?  These questions will help us live a boring-free life. 

The things that God asks us to do may not always be something we are used to doing.  It may not fall within our areas of strength.  We might even find ourselves laughing at some bloopers of our attempts in evangelizing others.  But at the end of the day, we are excited because it was out of the ordinary, out of our routine.  There is no boring day with the Lord.

Lord, we know that you have a specific mission for all of us.  And in this mission, help us to see every discomfort as an opportunity to live a more exciting life with You. Amen.




Sunday, March 20, 2011

Christ Culture

On Mission in Papua New Guinea. March 15-20, 2011.


I was able to spend six (6) days in Papua New Guinea for CFC Mission. I was in Port Morseby meeting with brothers and sisters in Couples for Christ and the Family Ministries.  We had teachings and meetings to strengthen the mission.  Being in PNG for the first time, I was excited to know about the culture and how the Lord has been touching the lives of the people. 


The culture of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is many-sided and complex. It is estimated that more than 1000 different cultural groups exist in PNG, and most groups have their own language (Wikipedia).

Although there are a thousand different cultural groups in PNG, you can see the evident spread of Christianity. Through the early missionaries, the Christ culture has sipped in into their country culture. There even used to be tribes who practice cannibalism which obviously isn't very Christian. Thanks to the sacrifices of early missionaries in teaching them the ways of Christ.


Different countries have different societal cultures. It's convenient and tempting to think that we cannot change because of our culture. But we have to rethink if Christ approves of a cultural practice. If in most of the west, premarital sex is a norm, it doesn't mean that it's right. It's not Christ culture. In New Zealand, of which I visited 2 weeks ago, prostitution is legal. It doesn't mean that if the law permits it is then right.  If we are always late, because we are used to it, as in "Filipino time," it doesn't mean that it's right. If the system that you are in is corrupt, it doesn't mean you have to conform.These simply don't fit in to the Christ culture. The Christ Culture is a Counter-culture for societies who have already built in societal sins. Jesus replied, "And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God (Matthew 15:3)?

The Christ culture of faith, chastity, servanthood, humility, sacrifice, and love should prevail in any kind of culture.  Christ can be injected to any culture without compromising faith and religion.  This is called inculturation. 

Inculturation is a term used in Christianity, especially in the Roman Catholic Church, referring to the adaptation of the way Church teachings are presented to non-Christian cultures, and to the influence of those cultures to the evolution of these teachings (Wikipedia).

Christ culture is foremost than Country culture.  We must strive to bring Christ into the way of life of different sectors of society.  Declare that, "I am a Christian first, and a citizen second." 


But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior (Philippians 3:20).



Reflection:

Are you practicing a culture that is aligned to the Christ Culture? What are you doing to make your workplace, school, family, and circle of friends be inculturated in Christ?

Monday, March 14, 2011

Passing the "Ball" of Leadership

March 11, 2011, on the way back from New Zealand to Sydney, Auckland Airport

In New Zealand, the people are true fans of Rugby. The Rugby World Cup will be held in New Zealand on September 2011.
What's interesting about rugby (besides not having much protective gear) is that you can only pass the ball to the person behind you. I think that it's the only sport wherein in order for the team to go closer to the goal, they have to pass it backwards first. And why pass it? Because Goliath-like men are going to be on top of you if you don't, that's why.

It's a lot like leadership, if we want our organization to advance in it's goals, we have to PASS it. Yes, to the person behind us, the person we have been mentoring. This person, our very own Timothy (assuming we are Paul) benefit much from the experiences and lessons we share to them.  Added with his/her own ideas and fresh perspective, he/she will most likely become a better leader, IF we plan to PASS the ball.

Is there someone whom we can pass the "ball" of leadership we are carrying?  Are there deliberate efforts to mentor and strategically position that person for ease of passing? How much time are we spending transitioning the "ball" to this person?

Four things that can help us in PASSing the ball
1. Plan your future goals

By planning goals, it will help you to identify the suitable person who will be able to achieve them.  Without clear goals, you have nothing to leave behind the next leader.  Painting a picture of your vision will help them connect your leadership to theirs.
 
2. Always expose them to action

When the next in line is identified, bring them to important meetings or activities.  Let them see how things work.  It is easier to mentor by processing what happened in the actual event.   This gives them better recall and lessons are more imprinted in the minds.

3. Serve them
Leadership is about servanthood, as exemplified by Christ.  It doesn't mean that if you are higher in position, you get to pressure them and instill fear. Instead, show that you are here to serve and not to be served.  Through service, we will be teaching them about humility and the genuine purpose of leading.

4. Secure Your Trust in them
Trust is probably one of the best gifts you can give your Timothy.  Trust gives them the confidence to decide.  They may make mistakes at first, but show them that you believe that they can rise and do better at the end.  Trust is part of letting go of your leadership and transitioning it to the next. If your Timothy feels secured of your trust, he/she will even go beyond your expectations.

So, while the ball of leadership is with us, we do our best to run fast to our goals and protect it.  When it's time, we pass it on.  Specially when there are those who are truly capable to lead. In history, we have seen the dangers and negative results of leaders who held to their leadership for too long.  Just like in Rugby, we have to pass the "ball" or we will get overwhelmed by the needs of the times. We are all stewards of our responsibilities and God is the one who appoints and anoints.

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?" "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied (2 Kings 2:9).

May God grant those who succeed our leadership a double-portion of His Spirit.  Amen.

Prayer Time Above the Clouds

Flying from Sydney to Auckland, 6:15am, March 6, 2011

How often do we really get to have a chance to have our prayer time on an airplane? So, i grabbed that chance.  As I was about to start, an amazing and breathtaking scenery of clouds greeted me.  Normally I would take a picture of the beautiful scene. But since our camera broke, I would have to record what I've seen through prose.  I also realize that at the time of the apostles 2,000 years ago, there were no planes and they didn't have a chance to go 40,000 feet above ground (Oh well maybe Elijah who was taken up to heaven with a whirlwind). So, here's an account of what I saw and my prayer to our great and mighty Lord of all creation.

Islands of Clouds

The clouds are like the islands
as if you can walk on them
Yes, islands of clouds, are what they are

The horizon radiates in captivating shades of red to blue
How beautiful Your works O Lord,
how majestic Your creation

The sun extends its rays as the morning breaks
How warm is Your love O Lord,
how bright is the hope that wakes us from slumber

Your glory appears before me
The heavens shout in praise of You
Alleluia! You are God Most High

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies (Psalm 36:5).

Thursday, March 3, 2011

God is Passionate About Us

I had dinner with a good friend, John. What one would notice about him is his passion for his craft, photography. I could feel his love for it. He can endlessly tell you about his discoveries and learnings about the art. During a wedding photo shoot, I felt that he was very excited of every pose, every possibility of a perfect shot. He has invested much in it; his resources, time, sweat, and energy.  He has attained much success in the field of photography, yet he tells me that he is still barely scratching the surface. "There is more to learn," he says.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them (Ephesians 2: 8-10).


I've realized that Christ is passionate about us. We are His masterpiece, His handiwork. He is interested about us and is continually excited to hear how we are doing in our lives.  He awaits upon us in prayer. Jesus wants to speak to us, endlessly and passionately, if we listen.

We are His craft, His favorite creation. All through our lives, He wants to mold us to perfection. We respond through our free will, inviting Him to shape us to His intended design, even if painful at times.

Many of us might have known our Lord through school, talks, or prayer meetings. Yet, we are barely scratching the surface of what we know about God. He is a divine mystery. There's still much much more to learn about our great God.

May we be passionate about God as much as He is passionate about us.

 
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