The Third Wish

My dream No. 3.a.1 in my Novena to God’s Love is to become a writer. Dream No. 3c is to have what I do bless others and inspire them to improve their lives.

Yesterday, something awesome happened that made me realize that this third wish is slowly coming true. (There’s still 3.a.2, 3.a.3, 3b and 3d, you see.)

Allow me to flashback a bit to how this all started. A couple of years ago, when I was still in the religious gifts business, I offered to make accessories for Rissa Singson-Kawpeng, Kerygma mag editor-in-chief. She was hosting Kerygma TV. I gave her necklaces and earrings to wear on cam. At that time it was the only thing I could contribute to their mission in spreading God’s

word. Rissa was appreciative, even asked me to make her tiara for her wedding.

When I got involved in Proudly Filipina.com, an online magazine and social network for Filipinas, I was clueless about what an editor does. I asked Rissa for some tips and sent her the link to some of my articles to get a critique. I guess she liked them because she asked me to write for Didache 2010. Wow me, a Didache writer! It was a twelve year old dream that finally came true. (I wrote about this for Didache 2011. Just watch for it there.)

My reflection for Sept. 20, 2010 was about a principle we were taught when I was taking up my Masters in Entrepreneurship. In that piece I included a prayer I composed as an entrepreneur. It’s a quirky little prayer borne out of my business frustrations but written with great faith:

When business dips and sales are few, O Lord, sustain me. When the BIR comes and finds non-existent income, O Lord, defend me. When strategies and ideas run dry, O Lord, inspire me. When opportunities knock and the risk is scary, O Lord, encourage me. When money is scarce and the SSS and Philhealth checks need to be signed, O Lord, empower me. When you finally bless us with abundance and loyal employees need a raise, O Lord, remind me.

The next day, I received some emails thanking me for the reflection. It warmed my heart that my simple little prayer touched these people. One email in particular floored me. It said:

“don't know you but I would like to thank you for your "prayer" sa Didache reflection yesterday.

"When money is scarce and checks need to be signed, O Lord, empower me."

I really like this sis. It became my inspiration since yesterday and I want to make it my personal prayer from now on. I actually posted it in my FB account. You see, I needed to fund a check worth 35k today and since yesterday, been worrying how to produce that amount since funds are low. Praise be to God, before 3pm today, I was able to produce exactly that amount... The Lord empowered me… and thank you so much. May the Lord continue to use you. God bless you.”

So this is what it feels like to be the straw through which God’s blessings flow. I was amazed, awed and humbled.

Outrageously God’s Best: Website Launch

Here’s my pre-launch to-do list:

1. Brainstorm.

2. Weave, mold, alter-to-fit everybody’s input into one unforgettable presentation.

3. Get approval. Squeeze brain cells dry (as Osy, my very dependable Media Ministry editorial assistant, puts it) to revise rejected portions.

4. Ask for volunteers for each task – at least that’s what I called it. Mike I. & Mike T. plus his brother Jep for the video; Osy & Julie as production assistants; Kring, Jessica and Khaki for the costumes; Betsy and Tin for the music; the others for the social networking invites/alerts and as prayer warriors.

5. Say a prayer of thanks for my ministry members who are creative, talented, enthusiastic and have the initiative to get things moving. Did I mention hardworking too?

6. Rope in people from other ministries to help:

•Benjie (straight out of his hospital bed) and Rollie to download the “Overseas Feasters” video. That live streaming portion was really from Canada courtesy of Butsch and Noemi Portento. Yes, Kulasa there are LOJ members who serve the Feast Alabang even from the land of Far, Far Away.

•Ernst and Jo of Creatives Ministry for the fashion show

•Toto of Youth Ministry

•Naty of Special Events for the food

•Eugene of Technical

7. Recruit models. We-ell, in some cases it was really more of cajole, beg on bended knees, hoodwink, blackmail. They said yes for the love of the Lord and probably to stop me from pestering them.

8. Take medicine to counter mild vertigo attacks aggravated by frustration and stress. The dancers, most of them imported from outside the community, arrived at the final rehearsals with dance steps for a different song and were totally clueless about the concept, among other things.

Bro Arun described the launch of the Feast Alabang official website as outrageous. He said people expect religious activities to be boring, serious, somber and limited to spiritual matters. But all the Feasts are growing phenomenally because the talks are about how God is lord over all areas of our lives. And, these are presented in outrageous ways.

The models were truly outrageous! All 14 of them – Tito Steve & Tita Mely, Sis Siony, Bro Efren & Sis Violy, Joey, Alex, Dan, Fe, Manny, Cora, Willy, Susan and Ched. Most of them have passed the golden mark with a handful already in their 70’s. But they gamely strutted their stuff in the catwalk like supermodels. The hoots and catcalls when they paraded onstage were deafening.

The people who made the launch possible had outrageous servants’ hearts. No one complained that we couldn’t give them lunch – we were going over the budget as more than the expected number of dancers came. Media Min members exercised great patience in re-choreographing the dance like nursery school teachers giving instructions to toddlers. The brothers threw away their dignity and did things they probably would not be caught dead doing by their subordinates. Tito Steve who never wears shorts donned one for the launch. The sisters in their be-wigged and be-feathered finery remained ready, eager and joyful through all three tiring sessions.

I had a pep talk prepared for the rehearsal but didn’t get to give it because of time constraints and the aggravation-induced wooziness. It was to encourage everyone to give their best. I believe they are God’s best – chosen especially for that moment to carry out this task of launching the website.

As for the dancers, I will probably never know or might know only a few years down the line why they were the ones sent by God instead of the Youth Ministry members I was expecting. I will make a guess that having experienced the Feast, they will join the community and have their future transformed to one over which our outrageous God reigns.

Watch the outrageous launch here:

Feast Alabang Website Launch from Feast Alabang on Vimeo.

Song of Praise

“God is good, all the time…”

Last Sunday’s Feast had a special format unlike the usual worship then talk that we got used to. Worship was woven into the thread of the whole talk. After Bro Arun sang some lines of the song, he asked us to partner with someone and share why God is good all the time. “What good thing did He do for you this week?”

Beside me was Louie, the son of my Caring Group mates, Rollie and Beng. He said shyly, “Tita, I can’t think of anything.” But I persisted, “it’s impossible that nothing good happened to you this week. Think of something nice that happened.” He smiled. “There was no class last Friday.” His smile got wider. “I went to two parties and had a nice time.” “There you see, “I told him, “God gave you blessings this week.” He was beaming by this time.

“He put a song of praise in this heart of mine…”

Sometimes, we need a little prodding to recall the good things that happened. Sometimes we are only grateful for the things we see, forgetting a host of other unseen blessings. But when being thankful becomes a habit, a veil is removed from our eyes and we recognize blessings instantly. Being in a state of constant gratitude is being in a constant state of praise.

“God is good all the time…”

When my turn to share came, I recalled my many blessings for the week. My elder son was given the opportunity to train as a teacher in a school he likes to work in. He has also begun to serve in the Feast – part of dream No. 1 in my Novena to God’s Love. My younger son finished his thesis. I got to watch the Citipointe Live concert for free.

“Through the darkest night, His light will shine…”

What I didn’t have time to share was the package of blessings I got that day.

• Before the Feast started, we were checking out how the stage looked. Suddenly, I felt the floor tilting under me. The good thing was I was still able to call out that I was feeling dizzy. Belle and Myrna who were standing beside me caught me in time.
• It happened when I was already in the Feast Alabang Center and not while I was driving. I also recovered quickly, served for two sessions and felt well enough to sing and dance in worship.
• My Papa came when I texted him because I was afraid to drive home. He in turn was blessed. My dizzy spell allowed him to attend the Feast which he thoroughly enjoyed.
• Standing behind them, I was treated to the beautiful image of my son hugging my father at the Grandparents’ Day pray over.

“God is good, God is good all the time.”

It’s Beginning to Feel Like Home

Our new home, the Feast Alabang Center is filling up. Last Friday, there were so many people and it wasn’t even a Sunday. There were lots of things going on all at the same time.

The Youth Ministry had dance practice. My Media Ministry had a meeting then practiced for our website launch presentation. The Kids’ Ministry also had a meeting. There were two Caring Groups present for their weekly gathering. After all that was done, the center was filled with the singing of the Music Ministry.

I felt a happy glow to see the center come alive. All the efforts of the Council, servants and faithful attendees to build this dream are beginning to bear fruit.

The Gold Calling Card

What kind of man gives out a gold calling card? Not gold colored. Not gold leafed. A calling card made of one gram of fine gold. It even said so in the back of the card.

I had the rare chance to view this card in one of my interviews for Insight Magazine. The interviewee was the President and CEO of TAT Filipinas Golf Club, environmental lawyer Edna Paña. The calling card was given to her by her boss, the Japanese owner of the golf club.

So what kind of man gives out a gold calling card? Filthy rich obviously. Descended from the royal family. Owns a huge, authentic, centuries-old samurai house that dwarfs the other houses around it. Partly owns a leading Japanese car company, a construction company and a host of other businesses.

Is this gold calling card, patently a glittery show of wealth, ostentatious and sinful?

In his last talk for the series T3: Time, Treasure and Talent, Bro Arun Gogna spoke on “The Gift of Prosperity”. He said the Practical Gospel teaches that we should practice simple prosperity. A simple life is a happy life. A simple life gives two important benefits. It allows us to GIVE MORE and to RELAX MORE.

But, he says, the standard of simplicity is relative. We have to decide what simplicity means to us – an Innova instead of a Mercedes Benz, a Coach bag bought in Divisoria instead of the real thing? The choice is ours but the important thing is we are called to be generous.

Lastly, Bro Arun stressed that while the Practical Gospel teaches us to tithe, the abundance the Lord showers us with must still be cared for properly. We need to be good shepherds of our money.

So to answer my second question if the gold calling card is sinfully ostentatious, I guess it’s not necessarily so. Not if this man can actually afford to give out a 10 gram gold calling card but instead uses the cost of the 9 grams to help others or to preserve the bounty the Lord has given.

In TAT Filipinas Golf Club, it seems the “9 grams of gold” is being used to support Atty. Edna Paña’s worthy causes and advocacy. TAT has a Youth Development Program. Scholarships are given to talented but underprivileged children to hone their golf skills, develop their character and eventually help them rise up from poverty. TAT also builds the employees’ capacity by teaching other skills to enable the staff to augment their income during lean months. Instead of landscaping unused land, it is utilized as an organic farm where 100% of profits go to the employees who tend the land. More importantly, her boss’ “9 grams of gold” has allowed Atty. Paña to transform TAT into a sustainable golf course where care for the environment is strictly practiced.

After my interview, other questions popped into my head.

What will I do if I receive a gold calling card? Nothing much I suppose. The craftsy person that I am, maybe turn it into a bling or a bookmark.

How will I feel if I can afford to give out a gold calling card? If I were that rich, again, nothing much I suppose. To a fabulously rich man that’s just like giving out a paper board calling card with unevenly cut borders (I swear, my last batch is like this).

But the more important question is: What will I do with my “9 grams of gold”? For here lies the true gift of prosperity.

The Feast Alabang is held every Sunday. First session at 11:00 am and the second session is at 3:00. Venue is in the Feast Alabang Center, 2^nd Level, X-site entrance, Festival Mall, Alabang.