Discordant Notes

“Discord is the devil’s tool to prevent service for God from being delivered.”

This message clanged like a gong ripping through the quiet of my prayer time. It was a call to action and God’s prodding for me to write another guideline.

(Yes, Lord, I get it already. You let these things happen to hustle me into writing.)

I ignored His first poke to write this blog. The blessing of cool-headed and supportive leaders stilled turbulent waters so there was not much compulsion to write. Besides I had just written #6. God usually lets me catch my breath before He zaps me with the next guideline.

But then He sent a second poke, no erase that…call it a shake that rattled my teeth a bit (when I have to forego my rare chance of going to the gym, it’s a teeth-rattling experience). Plans for the gym were scrapped as I needed to exercise my peacemaking abilities instead.

I had to step in right away because it happened before. It was probably my fault it recurred because I was too busy to really sit down and talk with the parties involved right after the last incident.

Lesson learned: resolve issues as early as possible. When resolution is delayed or the conflict is glossed over, there is a danger that bad feelings will fester. Discord will erupt and prevent people from working together to do God’s appointed task.

John Maxwell cited St. Paul’s message from Philippians 4:2 in his Leadership devotional to stress the importance of teamwork: “I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.” Maxwell said,” The term he uses connotes harmony. Singing in harmony doesn’t mean singing in unison. Players should play different positions on a team. Harmony means their efforts complement the efforts of others, rather than conflict with them.”

But even with the best intentions and hearts for service, discord will erupt in a community because of the human factor. There is no perfect community with perfect servants. It is then the servant leader’s task to spot discordant notes early on and take measures to restore harmony ASAP.

And there you have Guideline #7 for my Manual for Servant Leaders Who Insanely Love to Serve God Despite Harassments and Frustrations: Guard against discord by nipping it in the bud.

Plan, Prepare, Pray

This is supposed to be Guideline #6 for my Manual for Servant Leaders Who Insanely Love to Serve God Despite Harassments and Frustrations. But for the moment it will be a theory or a tentative guideline at best. I need to observe where it goes before I declare this to be a solid principle.

Let me explain.

When I took up my Masters in Entrepreneurship we were taught that for a business strategy to be successful one has to make plans, set objectives, assess the resources (human and financial) needed and set targets. That’s in a nutshell of course (I have to clarify or my professors might take back my diploma if they think that’s all I learned).

In “Gatherings on Fire”, a seminar I attended given by Bro Arun Gogna, it was also stressed that planning and preparation are important. The first step he gave when preparing for a big event is to brainstorm. He advised that we “gather leaders or representatives from each ministry that will implement the Big Idea” twelve months before the date. A timetable is used to map specific tasks that have to be done before the big day.

Both of these sources of knowledge stress that we have to PLAN and PREPARE for any project to be effective. I included PRAY because as a people of faith who belong to a community, servant leaders must pray for even the tiniest task they have to undertake.

Something as innocuous as a Christmas party proves this guideline to be sound. I’m sure all the 4 teams in our community prayed for success. We all planned and prepared for the presentation and games. But the Blue Team won because they planned more and prepared more. They were ready with glittery name tags and labels; they had more props and costumes; they met more often; and they probably practiced more too.

These form the foundation of my theory. What throws me off is that there are events or activities that fall short on the planning and preparation side but can be rated as successful: the Holy Spirit visibly moves the attendees, things come together in the nick of time, servants are suddenly available on that date and many more happenings that obviously took place because of prayers.

So my dilemma for Guideline #6 is: do I state that “Servant leaders must plan, prepare and pray before undertaking big activities” or do I say “Servant leaders must pray before undertaking big activities and just throw proper planning and preparation to the wind hoping they will land on God’s lap (Bahala na si Lord)”?

I will hazard a guess that planning and preparation are still very important because when we are ready, more blessings will come. To use a story Bro Arun mentioned in his article in the Feast Alabang bulletin last Sunday in a different light, the man who brought a truck was able to get more food than the man who brought a sack. Both were blessed, but one got immensely more because he was better prepared.

Let me get back to you on this guideline after I find out without a doubt which statement God and time favored.

* Thanks to IC de Guzman for the Blue Team photos.

Prayer for a Balanced Life

To my family and friends and to all those who are blessed by this blog even in a small way: A Grace-filled and Prosperous New Year! Thank you for sparing time to read my thoughts and reflections about the crazy, wonderful, sometimes frustrating, oftentimes enlightening events in my life.

Here I am at the start of the year feeling like I have two pairs of eyes. One pair at the back of my head looking back to the year that was. With gratefulness I see the Lord’s abundant blessings to me, my family and my Feast family.

He has given us good health and provisions. He even gifted us last year with special treats. My elder son landed in the top ten in his licensure exam. My younger son got a new job just as the year was about to close. And I began writing for a magazine that recently won a Catholic Mass Media Award. (Yey for Kerygma! I have a reflection about that just bursting to be written.)

And the other pair is where they normally are gazing ahead to the coming year with hope that more dreams will come true. They are also looking at ways to apply the lessons learned in the past year.

One challenge that I grappled with last year was how to cram everything into a 24 hour day. I wish there was a 48 hour version of those days. It seemed like many things on my to-do list were all needed yesterday.

Often, time for my family and my health regimen were sacrificed. Even work schedules were sometimes shredded to itsy-bitsy pieces. So this year I’m praying for a balanced life so that each area will get equal or equitable attention.

If you feel that your timetable is as chaotic as mine, pray this with me:

When my schedule gets roiled in a turbulent sea,

I must stay afloat to get where I want to be.

Help me Lord to keep my life on an even keel.

All areas steered by your steady hand on the wheel.

My family I put at the top of my list.

When more pressing things beckon help me to resist.

My body is your temple, a gift you have knit.

Grant me a firmer resolve to keep myself fit.

My work is your way to shower me with treasures.

Keep me diligent and far from useless pleasures.

My service is how I bring others to know you.

Give me a loving heart for this task to pursue.

Throw in friends and some hobbies to this scale I must balance.

Now you see why I need you Lord to give me your guidance.

I pray that you’ll help me end this year with joy and success

‘Cause I breezed through my myriad of roles with minimal stress.

There Must Be a Better Way to Celebrate Christmas

My son getting pulled over for running a YELLOW light by a PEATC cop angling for payback for working on Christmas Day was the last straw. It capped a month of barreling through a sea of Divisoria shoppers while weight lifting two or three or four heavy bags; wrapping gifts (I didn’t make it on time), cooking and preparing costumes till the dawn mass bells rang; and racking my sleep deprived brain for scripts.

I am now officially a non-fan of the Christmas season.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not joining Scrooge and saying, “Bah, humbug!” to Christmas. I’m not swearing off all the trappings and the decorations (I would love to dress up my home more if only I had the time).

I still love the reason for this season deeply and passionately. I’m still grateful to the Lord for the great gift of His Son.

What I don’t like is pressure and hassle that the celebration brings. Do we even remember who it’s all for in the mad rush to buy gifts, in practicing for Christmas presentations and in budgeting for the one hundred and one charitable causes that mushroom in December?

What I’m saying is there must be a better way to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. I’m looking for something more intimate and serene. A celebration where He is the important one. A celebration where He does not get substituted by other people and events.

So here I sit in the quiet of the 26th – a lull before the revelry of the New Year brings on another hectic round of wrapping gifts (yup, still doing that), partying and cooking – pondering on how I can honor the celebrant properly.

Maybe next year I can celebrate Christmas on the Feast of the Annunciation. After all life begins in the womb and this was when Mary was told she will be the mother of the Son of God – “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.” (Luke 1:31)

That will certainly be stress-less as only Jesus and I will be in His party. I can go on a personal retreat so we can really hang out and talk.

As for the Christmas gifts, I still have to give my family gifts on Christmas because the children look forward to that in our gatherings. But as for my friends and people I work or serve with, I want to think of a creative way to get around that.

I can give my Christmas gifts on their birthdays. That way my gift giving will be spaced out throughout the year and I can spend more time honoring the celebrant in December. I can also use the extra time to savor the memory of each blessing He has gifted me with for the year.

Or maybe I can pick another special holy day to give out my Christmas gifts. Let me think about that. I should come up with something by New Year’s Day because my fondest wish is to be able to enjoy the Christmas season next year and be a fan again.

Sticks and Stones

I’m sure you’re familiar with this famous reply to taunts and threats: “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me”? This may be true in the physical sense but words can harm in other ways.

Speak God’s Words. That’s the title of talk 2 of the Transformed series at the Feast. The talk last Sunday (Dec. 4) reminded me of the ways that my words can destroy other people or how I can be hurt by some thoughtless remark. When words are used to complain, criticize and ridicule they become instruments that can shatter a person’s worth, reputation and self esteem.

There was an incident that happened when I was just starting to serve as emcee. Someone remarked that I was not good enough for the job for the simple reason that I happened to have a uterus and my voice can only go as low as Alto 2. In short, only men are fit to be emcees. I was floored by the chauvinism.

Not only that, the critic proceeded to rattle off the names of every Tom, Dick and Harry who are more qualified…to my face. That almost shattered my ego and almost stopped me from hosting any event ever again. I said almost because I happen to have skin about an inch thick (that thick) on my face (in Tagalog we call it kapalmuks) so it didn’t bother me too much. I was okay after about a month. ;) Other people who are more sensitive might have quit on the spot. Imagine the harm done if this was said to a young person at the brink of launching a longed-for career.

During the talk we were exhorted to use our words for good instead. They must be used to compliment, correct in a loving manner and refresh. Let me share something I wrote in my journal almost a year ago to illustrate my point.

Jan.14, 2011

Giving Delight

“Listen, for I will speak noble things; And the opening of my lips will reveal right things.” – Proverbs 8:6

As I was preparing the articles I have to bring to the writing seminar I’m attending tomorrow, it dawned on me that writing is not the greatest gift that the Lord has given me. My greatest gift is delighting people with the articles that I write about them or their businesses. I make them happy because I highlight the good that they do.

One of the articles I’m bringing is about the controversial Vicki Belo. When it was posted in Proudly Filipina.com, someone commented to my partner that my series of articles managed to bring out her good points.

Another article in my portfolio is the one I wrote about my father for his 80th birthday. I was feeling a bit down on his birthday because I could not afford to splurge on a grand party for him. All we could manage was a nice, classy dinner in Alba’s for the family. After the occasion, I wrote an article for Insight Magazine extolling his virtues as a man of God, a family man, a friend and a crusading lawyer. He was ecstatic when it was published. He must have given out several dozens to friends and colleagues. That, more than the fancy dinner, was the best gift I could give him.

Words must be used to give life and hope rather than to kill dreams. In the wrong mouth, words can be deadlier than a sword.

From Glory to Glory to Glory (Day 2)

The tenor’s fluid rendition of the song gave me goose bumps. “Hosanna, in the highest. Let our King be lifted up. Hosanna.” A hush fell over the audience as Arun Gogna, the last speaker for the Kerygma Conference 2011 Faith Stream, announced the arrival of our special guest.

He was ushered in by 4 young men bearing banners that proclaimed His greatness – “King of Kings”, “Messiah”, “Alpha & Omega”, “Lamb of God.” Our special guest was Jesus, truly present in the Holy Eucharist.

As Fr. Steve Tynan bore the monstrance down the aisle, the crowd instinctively fell on their knees in adoration. It was a stirring sight enhanced by dancers solemnly marching in with raised flags.

Many faces were bathed in tears, mine included. Unlike the audience, I knew what was going to happen but I was still awed by His presence in the unfolding event.

It was a fitting finale to a day spent deepening our knowledge about the Catholic faith. It also capped months of preparation by the Faith Stream team; the last few days steeped in stress. With Jesus before me, I could now serenely look back to what was…

The job description for Production Manager only said: 1) assemble production team and coordinate communication; 2) coordinate with secretariat; 3) provide scripts/schedules; 4) provide t-shirt sizes of the team; and 5) coordinate with PAs of speakers.

Sounds manageable. I can do that. I agreed to serve especially since the whole team is from Feast Alabang. But my duties morphed into something resembling the mythical Hydra. When I ticked a task off my list, more popped up.

So there I was at the Faith Stream dealing with a string of unrelated tasks and bloopers. “Where are the table cloths for the book tables?” Huh? “Where will we put the signage for the parking lot?” Duh. “There are attendees who bought food stubs for the other venue and they’re mad the concessionaire is not here.” Uh-oh.

“Sis, even the front row seats were numbered, where will the speakers sit?” I cringed as I imagined asking our first speaker, the Archbishop-elect of Manila no less, to vacate his place when the ticket-holder for that seat comes.

And there’s my personal blooper. I turned my cellphone to silent mode in obedience to the house rules. I therefore missed several calls to alert me that Bro Bo Sanchez had arrived. I flubbed my primary role of being the key coordinator.

But I was not alone in the welcome bloopers. When Myrna, our hardworking Program Director, asked Bo to sit beside the Archbishop who had arrived earlier, he mentioned that her beloved hubby was still at the entrance waiting for our esteemed guest.

By God’s grace, the problems were addressed and the bloopers became memories we could laugh about over dinner.

God rewarded the teams’ efforts by helping each one survive many challenges. The stage with its stained glass cathedral windows design came out majestic. The singers and the band heightened worship with world class music. The dancers were gracefully in sync. The technical team managed a glitch-free event.

We were also blessed with high powered speakers(Archbishop Chito Tagle, Bro Marwil Llasos, Fr. Domie Guzman and Arun Gogna), host (J Yogawin), worship leaders (Rissa Singson-Kawpeng and our track head, Carl Fontanilla) and capable Central Support teams.

As I knelt before the Holy Eucharist during the recessional, I thanked God for revealing His glory at the KCon.

Special thanks to IC de Guzman for this precious photo with Archbishop Chito Tagle who is touted to be the next Pope. (I hope, I hope, I hope.)

From Glory to Glory to Glory (Day 1)

Top Ten

I was tired and harassed. The difficulties were piling up as I wasn’t just singing with the Grand Feast choir, I was also Production Manager for the Faith Stream.

But I was also excited! As I wrote in my last blog, I know without a doubt that the trials of serving at the Kerygma Conference will eventually bring a shower of blessings. The Lord cannot be out-given.

Little did I expect that God will send His blessings via express delivery.

The day before KCon, I was drowning in preparations for the Faith Stream: meeting, distributing t-shirts and IDs, printing car passes and signage, lists, tasks, etc., etc., etc. In the midst of all these, my elder son called and said, “Mom, guess what I’m a teacher!” I said, “Of course you are, sweetie.” He works as a pre-school teacher.

He said, “No Mom, I’m a real teacher.” Then I got it. On September 25, 2011, he took the Licensure Examination for Teachers. He passed! We had been praying about this and here was our answered prayer.

Then I asked, “Are you in the top ten?” He said he was the first to finish when he took the exam thus my hope that he will land in that magic circle. He didn’t think so. He didn’t notice his name.

I was fine with it. It was a big blessing already as only 22.68% who took the exam for elementary teachers made it.

But last Friday after the Leadership Stream, I saw 2 missed calls from him. When I returned his call, he said a friend had congratulated him on Facebook. It was only then he found out he placed seventh! Or, as my father pointed out, just 1.6 points less than the topnotcher.

Even before I got into the thick of service for KCon, God already sent a delightful surprise. It was more than what we prayed for.

Serving God in itself is glorious. It becomes even more so when He beats you to the draw.