A Christmas Greeting

Hello, fellas! I just want to greet everyone (and I don't know how many we are in this blog) a Merry Christmas! I know we all know that Jesus is the real reason behind the season. But I hope this Christmas our hearts will be filled with deep appreciation of what He has done for us and continues to do for us by His grace. Praise Him and thank Him each day. He deserves our very best. God bless to all and may the Lord grant you His peace always (Luke 2:14).

Great picture

Sandy, kamukha mo na rin si Andy. Naks! Palitan mo lang yung idiot board ng medyo mas maganda para astig talaga ang dating. Love to hear your preaching. Maybe I can invite you to speak to our church. Pwede ka ba?

In case you're interested

Hey, bros. I have a website nga pala, just in case you might be interested. The address is http://www.rlccphil.co.cc

Thanks for visiting.

Andy Stanley's tips on preaching

I've been reading his book Communicating for Life Change (borrowed from ISOT, di pa rin available sa bookstore). Ang dami kong natutunan sa pagkuha ng attention ng audience during preaching. Let me share some of his tips...

1. Check your speed. As a rule of thumb, faster is better. Meaning, faster than your usual conversations. Pag raw mabagal, parang di masyadong alam yung message.

2. Slow down on the curves. During transitions, say from intro to entering the Bible text or going into the conclusion, slow down. Para daw yung audience, kahit nawala na sila at some point in your message, maka-pick-up ulit sila. Medyo sakit ko ito - may times di ako tumatapak sa preno.

3. Add something unexpected. One time, during a message about life's interruptions, nagpa-brownout siya in the middle of the message. Buti na lang di siya nagpakidlat :o).

4. Err on being direct with your point. Wag na magpaligoy-ligoy pa. State your point, and state it again. Pag-uwi ng audience, dapat naka-take-out yung point mo.

5. Be a tourist guide thru the Bible text. One verse at a time lang. Don't leave a verse without giving a comment (frustration, skepticism, happiness, etc.), explanation, or highlight. Oo nga naman, di nga pala sila graduates ng seminary. Give signals that you're about to read the main point ("Eto na ha, pakinggan nyo maigi ito ha...") of the text. Explain odd words or phrases. Deliberately misread some text. Have the audience read certain words out loud. All in all, make it an enjoyable journey thru the text.

By the way, like Andy, may bar stool rin ako (see pic above). Sa totoo lang, it relaxes me and helps me to be more conversational in my sermon. When I want to highlight something, I stand up for more emphasis (dramatics!). I'm hooked to his preaching principles (one-point sermon, etc.), sana ISOT will consider his methods as an alternative lesson sa Preaching class.

No Dry Season: Too Good To Be True?

One time during our pastor's accountability/mentoring session, I mentioned casually to the group that by the grace of God, I haven't had a dry period in my Chrisian life (at least nothing that I can remember for at least the last 5 years). Ptr. Sandy was later intrigued by that statement and asked if I can share on what I said and what I mean by what I said. So with much humility, I offer these thoughts.

First, let me clarfy what I mean by ''dry''. I'm using that term in the context not neccesarily of backsliding but of a Christian who enters into a season wherein his personal devotions, prayer life, and sometimes even motivation, passion, and energy for ministry is low.

I cannot recall a turning point or a ''burning bush'' moment as to how I managed to mantain a fervency both for the Lord and ministry. Needless to say, the grace and mercy of God is the number one factor/reason for that, for I affirm John 15: 5 which says, ''Apart from me you can do nothing.''

But this article wouldn't be of much practical help if we stick to jargons or cliches in trying to stimulate one another, especially us pastors who are in the frontlines of ministry. As I reflect on God's goodness and faithfulness in my life, let me share some guidelines I follow on how I have maintained a vibrant walk with God. They comprise a series of comparisons, something like a good v.s. best practices.

1. Truth v.s Real. I teach Theology to students at Messiah College, as such, I have a high regard for truth. I'm convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that CHRISTIANITY IS TRUE, but the issue when it comes to spirituality is this-are Christians REAL? There is a word Jesus Himself uses in describing people who know the truth but don't live out the truth-hypocrites!

I try to live my life wth integrity, and I'll be the first to admit I fall wayfully and shamefully short of my goal. But somehow, in the midst of ugly sins and personal scandals, God has honored my ATTEMPT (not achievement) at integrity.

2. Being Moral v.s Being Spiritual. The issue here is not just of avoiding sin or trying to keep up a good front, but rather an honest pursuit not just of righteousness but of God Himself. We Christians are usually good at avoiding the ''big'' sins-adultery, murder, stealing and pet cultural ''sins'' like drinking, smoking, or playing cards. But how good are we at stuff like helping the poor, fighting against injustice, or even at ''simple'' things like being thankful for all of God's blessings?

There is more to Christianity than just rules keeping. I'm not trying to make light of sin, but God seems to be more honored when like David, we pursue God with all our might-sins, warts, feet of clay and all.

3. Duty v.s. Delight. I try to treat the spiritual disciplines, like bible reading, prayer, and even fasting as a source of delight and not just as a responsiblity. Even when I don't feel anything, I try to be conscious of the fact that God is working in and through me, and that He is using these disciplines to mold me into the image and likeness of Christ.

4. Loving God v.s Being IN LOVE With God. The best way I can expound this is to ask you to try to imagine your parents as compared to your wife or girlfriend (or even crushes, for any very young pastor out there). You love them both , but honestly, how many of us feel ''kilig'' thinking of our parents? You get my point. I try to mantain a child-like wonder, and expectant faith when it comes to my quiet time or even service to God like preaching or leading a bible study or prayer meeting. I always ask God to surprise me, and if in a public context, surprise us. Honestly, oftentimes, nothing out of the ordinary happens, but that hasn't stop me from asking God over and over again, ''Lord, show up. If you want to do somthing new or fresh or supernatural, please do so.'' My biggest reward so far is not a compilation of testimonies on signs and wonders or of the miraculous,but a heart that is soft and tender before God.

5. Existing v.s. Truly Living. One of the modern pastors/authors who really speak to my heart is Erwin McManus. His life theme is ''Live Wide Awake.'' This guy is so adventurous and so courageous that everytime I read his books or listen to his sermons (http://www.mosaic.org/), my spirit inadvertanly get refreshed and renewed. Like him, I try to live a life without regrets. Like our Master, I would love to say when I reach the end, ''Lord, it is finished. Everything you asked me to do, I've done.'' I desperately want to live courageously and be totally unafraid of failure or criticism.

And finally, it's a combination of

6. Faith AND Hope. I used to get discouraged easily, especally when my faith fails-meaning dreams or visions that I thought are from the Lord, only to have me fall flat on my face (which is not always bad). Sometime ago, during one of those ''blue'' moments in my life, I felt the Lord gave me a personal revelaton of the power of hope. When faith fails, there is still hope! I'm now learning to live by both-faith that God will move NOW, but if it doesn't happen, to maintain hope for the future. This potent combination has served to keep my heart from becoming dry and withered. I noticed a lot of pastors dry up because of disappointments and failures. Don't! Live in hope, for the best is yet to come!

Again, to God alone be the glory!

Perk up your creativity

Hi, there. Here is another site that can perk up your creativity (and hopefully your illustrations as well). Enjoy. http://www.ted.com/

Free teaching videos

Want to watch teaching videos for free? Go to http://www.e-quip.net/.

Concering stressful schedules

I agree with you, Manric. We have a crisis of "product." May I add a thought (or maybe more than one thought)? Our problem is not so much our "product," but our "generic" product. I mean, we are aiming to produce generalists in our leadership core. We want supermen who can do all things (not necessarily through Christ). We want leaders who have all the qualities and competencies of an "ideal" leader. (Talk about "traits" overdose!) Consequently, we ask our leaders to do so much. Instead of focusing, they start decomposing. They are spread out like peanut butter, and it's really a mess, Manric. Why? Because of vague definitions of what it means to be a leader (like"one who influences," sorry Max). The truth is, being a leader is more than just influencing. Our model of leadership must be holistic (you're right again, Manric). I believe there are three things a true Christian leader must focus on:

1. Pursue vital relationships (with God, with family, with friends, etc.)
2. Proclaim the word (starts with evangelism but continues on in various contexts)
3. Produce leaders and shepherd your flock through them

There are degrees to this leadership model, depending on what level of leadership you are in. There are at least five levels of leadership:

• Level One: A Mobilizer (one who mobilizes others, duh)
• Level Two: A Facilitator (one who leads a small group of people)
• Level Three: A Manager (one who manages a unit or group of small groups)
• Level Four: A Director (one who gives direction to an organization)
• Level Five: A Catalyst (one who provides momentum to a movement)

Each level would require a different expression of the threefold model that I mentioned earlier. But all true leaders must focus on only three, not three thousand! If you find yourself neglecting any of the three, it's time to reassess and change. If you can't, just quit and go find another ministry situation where you can. I rest my case.

Great freewares

Hi, fellas. Thanks for the info on freewares. They are really useful. Pastor Lito Sampan gave me a freeware. It's called Rainlendar. You can easily find it in the internet. Just browse using that name and you will find it. It's free, of course. Just download it. You can also put it in your flashdisk. Very convenient, very mobile. Nice. You can use it as a way to schedule your time (in reaction to Manric's burden). God bless.

Francis Kong Site

Here are some gems from Francis Kong that you can use in your sermons... http://franciskong.com/

Personal Info Manager

If you're the organized type of person, you'll love this software tool. I use it almost everyday. If you're not the organized type, start being one! he he

Yung generic is called personal info manager. With it, I type and store tidbits of data like my devotion insights, weekly sermons, church plans/executions, things to do, important websites, scratch pad, etc. All of these under 1 manageable file. Everything is indexed thru hierarchical nodes, bawat node may corresponding notepad para mag-type ng info. Dahil indexed, I can easily find my data. Galeng di ba? I have 2 softwares to recommend, both are freewares:

• Treepad Lite v.3 - very simple to use. If you're not the techy type, this is a very good starting point. Check out the info here http://www.treepad.com/treepadfreeware/ . There's a link in that page if you want to download the file. Installation is very simple too! I have been using it for years, until I discovered KeyNote.
• KeyNote 1.6.5 - funtions like Treepad, but with more features. I love the rich editing like bold, bullets, etc., saka yung tabbed windows. Actually, yun lang naman ang ginagamit kong advantages. This means you can use it right away without being bothered by the features. Check out the info here http://www.download.com/KeyNote/3000-2074_4-10072324.html?tag=mncol&cdlPid=10322928. Don na rin ang download.

Pwede ring gamitin ito kung G12 ang small group structure mo. Each node represents a person, tapos use the corresponding notepad to enter info about the person. Yung mga members ng isang leader, you can enter as child nodes. With it, you can monitor kung kanino under ang isang member. Pag nagtransfer ng group, madali rin lang ilipat yung node. Try it, you'll love it!

A Crisis of Product: What Kind?

What do uncommitted and committed Christians have in common? The answer: Both live unhealthy, imbalanced lives. I know I’m over -generalizing a bit, but allow me to explain my heart.

Let’s leave the uncommitted out of the discussion, for it’ clear that those who are uninvolved or apathetic towards ministry are indeed missing out (not to mention, sinning) on something that God clearly intends for them. Let’s shift our attention to the committed. If there’s one word to describe most, not all, of committed Christians in churches, I would use the word STRESSED.

Have you seen them lately? Those who walk around like zombies, with deep, dark eye bags, juggling four or five plates with their hands, and usually impatient and temperamental in leading those under their care or ministry. And yes, brothers, these are our LEADERS! The ones whom we are supposed to emulate, admire, respect, and follow. No wonder Christianity is in the mess it is now.

I recall a story told to me by my boss at Messiah College, Kuya Bob Del Rosario. He recounts a time when he was the head of the CE (Christian Education) department at Greenhills Christian Fellowship (GCF). His biggest concern then was the lack of volunteers to teach kid’s Sunday School. So what he did was he asked around the mammoth church, "how many among you (GCF members) were saved during kid’s Sunday School?" When he finally cornered literally hundreds of now adults, he asked them to volunteer as a sign of gratitude and ‘’giving back’ to the very ministry God used to save them.

To Kuya Bob’s surprise, only a few volunteered. When asked why, many responded, "we love, admire, and respect our Sunday School teachers. We owe them a debt of gratitude we can never repay for bringing us to a saving knowledge of Christ. But honestly, we don’t want to be like them. Because they are always so TOXIC, so hurried, so pressured, so stressed (there’s that word), that we said to ourselves, "we love our teachers, but God help us to never become like them." Ouch!

Let me tell my own story. Actually it’s not mine, but a personal observation of mine. Recently I was at PUP where I met a very committed, fourth year College student. He was part of a burgeoning church, and he has two cell groups which he attends in a week, one as a mentee, and another as a mentor to others. On top of that, he is required to attend their church’s Friday youth service, serve on at least one ministry at church, and of course, be present every Sunday. Committed? Yes. But more accurately, overcommitted. When I saw him, his face looked haggard, his eyes tired, and his body language suggested he was burned out. I had to ask myself-yes, we are producing disciples, but then again, what kind of disciples? Wonder how that boy’s relationship is to his parents (does he still have time for that?); what about his siblings? What about friends and classmates? And most importantly, does this guy still have time for his daily devotions on top of his many responsibilities?

Ptr. Edmund Chan of Singapore insists (and I agree) that the crisis of the church is a crisis not of programs, but a crisis of product. Again, the crucial issue - what kind?

I believe the key to achieving more is by doing less, but doing them deeper and better. I believe the truly healthy Christian is a balanced Christian - having time not just for ministry and church, but also for family, relationships, reflection, rest, recreation, and above all, to walk deeply with Christ.

I have so many things to share in my heart but I think this article (or blog) has gone a little too long. Let me leave you brothers with this thought and ask you to ponder it. It’s a combination of a quote I heard from Edmund Chan, and a sprinkling of my own thoughts

"When we take care of the depth of our lives, God will take care of the breadth of our work and ministry. And even in the end if it turns out we become far less 'successful' in the eyes of our family and peers, at least we can have the satisfaction of thinking deep thoughts, praying deep prayers, and communing deeply with God." -Ptr. Edmund Chan, Senior Pastor of Covenant Free Evangelical Church in Singapore

I hope to hear and interact with you guys on this. God bless.

(P.S. Mentioning of certain churches’ names or ministries is in no way a critique of those churches or ministries, but merely serves as examples to illustrate a point. I hope no one was offended by them.)

Free presentation software

By the way, if you're still using powerpoint, my heart goes out to you. Try visiting http://www.opensong.org and you'll find an excellent presentation software that is so easy to use and so much better than powerpoint, especially for worship. Try it and you'll love it! God bless.

Some recommended resources

Hello, fellas! Here are some sites that you may want to visit for free resources. The first one is http://www.wearesources.org. It contains a lot of free books and articles on leadership development, especially from a Great Commission perspective. Also, you may want to try http://lifechurch.tv. It's another excellent site for free resources. And while you're at it, why not try to visit http://coregroups.org. You'll find excellent discipleship materials there for free. Hope you'll enjoy visiting these sites. God bless.

SIMPLY AMAZING

Congrats pare ko! I know God put in your heart a desire and a great passion to see the men and women of God united in one purpose to glorify God by expanding His Kingdom. Kaisa ko dyan pare and excited din ako na marinig ang mga nakatagong kwento ng kapangyarihan ng Diyos sa buhay ng kanyang mga lingkod. I believe also na safe din ang place na 'to to share experiences and opinions regarding different issues and concern sa church.

Gusto ko lang malaman at marinig muna ang magagandang bagay na ginagawa ng Diyos di para magpagalingan kundi sama sama tayong magpuri sa Diyos. I believe ang tagumpay ng bawat church ay tagumpay nating lahat. Walang inggitan....tulungan lang para kay God.

This site is simply amazing for the glory of our AWESOME GOD!

God bless mga pare ko sa ministry,

Tor Loi ng Tondo

Where to store files for sharing

We can share files through mediafire.com. I suggest you look into that. It's free.

Suggestion pa ulit

Maganda rin siguro kung meron topic of discussion para we can all pitch in, etc. Halimbawa, developing leaders o kaya creating small groups, etc.? What do you think?

Finally...

Okay I followed your instructions to the T. Thanks for allowing me to join. I still don't know how to send files and stuff, just in case, or to retrieve them for example. Baka kasi gusto ninuman magpadala ng ppt files or acrobat files, etc. Suggestion lang naman. Maganda kasi kung meron ganun possibility. What do you think? Also do we communicate in English, Taglish or Tagalog? Puro Pinoy lang ba tayo dito? Kulit noh?

Posting comments

Dear Pastors,

I didn't know, may extra step pala before you'll be able to post a comment. My apologies -nangangapa pa talaga! :o) Anyway, it's quite simple - the one extra step is to have a Google account (one-time only). Kung wala pa, ganito yun...

1. Somewhere below an article, there's a link that says "# comments" - click it.
2. You'll be brought to the comments page. Somewhere below sa bandang right side, may nakalagay na Choose an Identity. Kung ala ka pang Google Account, just click the link "Sign up here" located below USERNAME and PASSWORD.
3. You'll be brought to the sign-up page. Just fill in the fields. You can use your current email address, no need to create a new email address. Click CONTINUE and lo and behold, you have a Google account!
4. Then you'll be back sa comments page. Fill up the comments box, word verification, and click PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT and presto, you're part of the community!

Kung may Google account ka na, then you don't need to do all the above steps. Just do step #4 above. Brothers, all your comments are valuable. So let's keep on trying to make this site work!

Free Online Resources

Internet has blessed us with so many free Christian literature at our fingertips (although I still buy books from Back to Bible, syempre ayoko naman mawala sila). When I need some materials to teach or some issues to settle, I visit these sites (see links on the sidebar)...

• Mentoring Leaders by Wayne Cordeiro - for special lessons for my core leaders (click "Essentials")
• Cell Church Articles by Joel Comiskey - this is where I fully understand about cell church and G12 methods
• RBC Discovery Series - the popular small booklets are available in PDF format
• John Piper's Site - he tackles sensitive issues very well (one time he helped me iron out my theology on Prosperity Teaching)

The others links were recommended to me. Di ko pa masyado na-explore. In case you have other good sites, kindly share them and I will place them on the side bar para permanent.

One Point Preaching

This article was shared to me by my good friend, Ptr. Loi Gatchalian, of PCF-Tondo. It was taken from a book by Andy Stanley. Hinanap ko yung book sa Christian bookstores dito, pero di pa available. Anyway, I think you can get the whole idea from the article...  http://www.williswired.com/2007/10/30/one-point-preaching/

Super-galing! I tried it several times sa worship service, ang laking tulong para maka-preach without notes. Naging simple para sa akin ang sermon preparation. Ang comment ko lang sa article, medyo kulang lang sa pag-connect kay Christ and His goodness sa bandang huli. Gusto ko kasi, at the end of my sermon, mayroong something to give glory to God, and invite the people to be desperate for Him.

Pastors, this is our site!

Dear fellow workers,

Especially the Filipino pastors of this generation... Warm welcome!

I'm a new pastor heading a 2-year energetic church in Novaliches. I have finished my MDiv in ISOT-Asia. But inspite of all the studies, I still need (maybe desperately need) guidance in so many aspects of leading a growing church or maybe even to make a church to start growing.

Sa tingin ko, there are many pastors out there who also in the same situation like me, baka lang nahihiya humingi ng tulong, o kaya walang venue or way to get help. I have happy news for all of us - eto na po ang site para sa ating lahat!

Let us share leadership challenges, solutions, what worked and what didn't work. Kung may magandang sermon o article na nabasa ka, use this site to publish it. Kung may good seminars, financial aids, livelihood projects, groups that offer medical missions, etc., ibato nyo lang sa site na ito. Let each of us be a beggar telling another beggar where to find alms. At ipasa natin ang site na ito sa ibang pastor so they can also join and benefit from our forum. Ang hirap kasi pag mag-isa, so let us make our jobs easier by helping one another. Siyempre, ang kaharian ng Dios ang panalo dito!

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (2Tim. 2:15)

Blessings,

Ptr. Sandy, Praise Christian Fellowship