PRAISE DAY: Christian Community

I was asked to do a talk for the Corinthian Youth Movement's Praise Day on Sunday, July 3, about Community, while considering the fact that they just had their latest batch of new members! :) So I decided the topic should be Christian Community, not just any mere community. ;)

This is just a very simple, no-brainer kind of talk. I have just one aim - that the members, especially the fresh batch, will get to know ano ba itong pinasok nila. Simple answer - it's a Christian Community.

Like I said, a Christian community is not just like any community. Well, it's similar in the sense na it's also a group, an affiliation. But what sets us, a Christian community, apart from any other community out there is that we are CHRISTIAN. By Christian, we mean we are OF CHRIST... we gather FOR CHRIST.



[PERSONAL SHARING from someone who has experienced both ;)]




A Christian community has three basic elements. By basic, we mean these are MUSTS that need to be fulfilled para ang isang community ay matawag na Christian community. These elements are as follows:


1. Profiling or Spiritual Autobiography of the Members 


Activity: Get a piece of paper and form it into any shape you want. Divide the group members into groups. Each group would look into the shapes their members have and form one big "anything" from those shapes. :)

Profiling works in a similar way. During the weekend, people of various "shapes" answer the call or invite to join. Of course, you need to get to know each other. Sino ba 'tong mga kasama ko? Anong pinagkakaabalahan nila? What do we have in common? Only then will you be able to get your acts together and determine how you will actually serve God.

Simple example:
Teatro Ebanghelyo's profile of members is, naturally, mga bihasa sa performing arts. So they serve God through the performing arts. 'Yung makikita nilang magaling kumanta, kakanta; 'yung magaling sumayaw, sasayaw; and then at some points, may overlapping kasi ganun ka-generous si Lord that He gives us more than one talent! They serve God through stage and street plays especially 'pag may malaking religious events like Christmas, Holy Week, etc. 

If that's the case for Teatro, what will it be for Corinthians?


2. Listening


This is basic in all groups, more so if the group happens to be a Christian community. After profiling kasi, siyempre you need to determine how the group is going to last the tests of the changing times. 

As we have learned during the weekend, our community has a motto. It's "Pass it on... God's love." This is not just a quote that's meant to impress. It's not just for inspiration. It should also serve as a basis, a gauge, a requirement in all the things we do for and with the community. We should always ask ourselves, when I say or do this, am I actually passing on God's love?

Thus, the importance of listening. Syempre, to what our fellow Corinthians have to say about it. But you know what, you don't necessarily need to be in a conversation to listen. There's also what we call listening to ourselves. And then syempre, there's listening to God.


3. Prayer 


Syempre, the most important! What is a Christian community if the members were not praying? We know it's our communication with Christ. Therefore, importante siya, kasi 'di ba, kay Lord ang grupo natin, eh! So we can say prayer is not just a form of communication, it's also an acknowledgment that our group is for Christ.



Like I've said earlier, these three are just the BASIC elements. 'Yung iba pang elements, I should say, diskarte at time-tested principles na rin ng community. Here are some na na-glean ko from the Corinthians, which has actually been around for 30 years already:

• REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE CHOSEN. Gaya ng sinabi sa inyo nung weekend niyo, you were called to be part of the community... and then after that, God will choose who will do certain tasks at hand. Refrain from judging your fellow community members na parang hindi siya fit, parang dapat, hindi kanya ang task na 'yan, kasi in the first place, it's not you who decide, it's not the members who decide, it's not even the secretariat or the adult couple that decides, but it's God. How do I know? Eh 'di ba nga, we pray? We talk to God. You may not notice or you may not think it's evident, but we actually have a direct line to Him. Trust that you have a direct line to Him, because YOU ARE CHOSEN.

• DO NOT WORRY IF THE NUMBER OF YOUR PM ATTENDEES IS NOT HUGE. You don't determine that. It's the leader of the group who does! He picks who goes and who does not. Even then, we should not judge those who does not go, because it only means that God has a different plan for them. And it also doesn't mean that if God has a different plan for them, it means they are no longer Corinthians. Sinasabi sa atin during our weekend - ONCE A CORINTHIAN, ALWAYS A CORINTHIAN. Therefore, it only means that they (we, kasama ako, kasi hindi na rin ako regular attendee) are an extension of the community... kasi hindi naman tayo bonded by physical lang, eh... we're the spiritual kind - we're bonded by the spirit. So while you may be a small group physically, out there, you have tons in the spirit with you. But even then, we cannot make this an excuse to NOT attend prayer meetings, lalo kung ang reason ay tinatamad ka lang. We may laugh at this, but it's actually a subtle way of the Devil trying to sneak you out of the community. Pray that you will be shielded from this, and pray that your brothers and sisters in the community will be shielded, too.

• KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS GROUP IS GOD'S. We do not run it. You do not run it. He owns this group. He FOUNDED this group. He may not have physically founded the group, but He founded it through the Spirit, through the people who always come to Him in prayer - to the people he's always in a communication with. And, He will be the sole authority to decide whether this community is going to continue or will start ceasing operations. He always has reasons. The examples don't have to be profound... sabi nga ni Lord, 'di ba, we're just like Him? It's just like us when we're running our own business - syempre gagawin niyo lahat para hindi 'yan malugi o magsara. Trust, have faith, that God, our Founder, will always have that instinct, that SOP, in mind. Let go and let God all the time.

Finally, sana lahat kayo sa bagong batch, mag-active. Kasi if God can work such wonders in a community, chances are, He's also going to work wonders in your lives! 

Right now, you are receiving the call of confirmation that God is choosing you to work for Him in this community. You may ask, paano? Mamaya, your community leaders will tell you how. :) 

God bless and keep passing it on... God's love. :)

Saying "Hello Once More" to Essays.ph :)

September 10, 2013. It's just almost six in the morning.  My little son has just gone back to sleep after checking out what his parents were doing at this time of the day (his dad, who's a teacher, is preparing for work; I prepared his breakfast).  And it's just a day since I "officially" took my maternity leave (we don't really have maternity leaves since we're contractual employees... but at least, you got a job to go back to).

Read that previous sentence. That was exactly the reason why I'm truly grateful companies like Essays.ph exist. Essays.ph provides a haven for moms like me who, in blunt terms, don't have anything once we take breaks from work. Even students could apply! I honestly wished I discovered this when I was still in college.  I remember bugging my parents way back to allow me to apply for odd jobs but they weren't letting me. If I've just learned about this in the past, maybe Mom and Dad would not have any qualms about me wanting to have my own money!

APPLICATION IS A BREEZE!

On the Essays.ph homepage, just click on Apply Online. Yes, you don't have to go elsewhere and wait in long queues just to tell 'em you want the job. Just fill out the form with your credentials, follow the instructions, and you're good to go!

TAKING A JOB ORDER IS JUST LIKE ANSWERING AN ASSIGNMENT IN SCHOOL

That's basically the reason why they don't call it job orders, they call it assignments.  And you don't need any special skill for those.  As long as you could write decently and you know basic computer and navigating skills, you'll be all right.

And unlike school, you don't have to bother about doing assignments you don't like. You choose from a myriad of choices, like this:

BEST OF ALL, YOU GET PAID!

And you choose how you get paid.  You can open a bank account especially for this purpose, or you can choose to get the payment through one that you already have.  You can also get it channeled through LBC. You can even get paid through G-Cash!  Very convenient, indeed.


HOW ESSAYS.PH HELPED ME

I just can't stress this enough.  This has been my savior all through the times when I'm out of work for maternity leaves.  You see, I have two kids (one is already in heaven).  With the first one, Marky, our family really relied heavily on my earnings as a web content writer, especially when I took my leave.  My husband's earnings back then were so measly all we could afford through that money were diapers and milk.  Through writing web content for companies such as Essays.ph, I earned enough, even more, to tide us through the "dry" months.

And there's not even a loyalty issue if you stopped for a while because you're back on your two feet and your regular job. Essays.ph accepts that most of the people who apply for them do so because they have time on their hands, because they would want to do something out of their free time.  And yes, the best thing about spending your free time with Essays.ph is that you get to WRITE! You really get to be called a WRITER, no matter how young or old you are!  And yes, best of all, YOU GET PAID for the assignments you do!

The best time to apply is now! Go to http://www.essays.ph to find out exactly how! :)

God speed! :)

Will This Be Another Unfinished Blog? :)

During my school years, I've been keeping a diary, and some entries were unfinished, most often because I was already too asleep and tired, and when I woke up again, I find myself no longer in line with what I have been writing the night before. Now, I try to keep a blog, but well... things have been keeping me off our personal PC, Marky being first on the list. :) Not that I resent my son being the disturbance. He was actually a pleasant distraction. :)

Anyway, I'm now seven months pregnant with our third baby. :) Still haven't brought stuff for him, save for the onesie and bib set, and the lavender baby wash I've brought from Avon. How I wish there's more baby stuff available for babies out there! (Hmmm... a business idea?)

Still doing direct selling business, but I'm honestly not contented. :o It's still not under my name. My lack of a permanent address deters me from doing it better. :o I feel that I can do it best if I have my own say in the business. Anyway, I hope I can find more options in the future.

That's all for now. :) I would like to write some more, but the washing machine cycle just stopped. :) Time to go back to mommy duties.

God speed. :)

Promotion... The Fight... The New Baby! :)

June 14, 2013. That was the date when my boss told me that, starting Monday, I'll be the new Executive Producer for Aksyon Breaking morning shift. 'Twas my first ever REAL EP stint! It left me enthralled, but not quite. My son was sick. And it might be another bout of TB.

Went through three gruesome weeks because Marky's down with fever that goes up, down, up... colds, cough, headache, and sore throat. I and Daddy almost had no sleep. We also contracted colds and cough. But we stuck through it. Now, Marky's fever-free. And it's his last day now for medication.

Just remembered what my mom-in-law told hubby in the past: "Ang anak, dapat pinaghihirapan 'yan."

So, Hello Once More, Blogger! :)

Been wanting to blog for the longest time, but my pregnancy sickness is getting the better of me. :o So I endeavored to wake up a bit early so I'll have some strength to share at least a couple of things happening in my life right now. :)

Right now, I'm five months on the way. :) Dunno what the gender is yet... some people kept asking me, as if I can go through ultrasound every week... but yeah, you guys will just have to wait. :) I'll get an ultrasound again when I reach six months. :)

LDM says my due date is August 24, a day before my own birthday. ;p Interesting. Would there be rainshowers and flood as well? 'Cause that's what happened when I was born. :D

But my ultrasound says my due date is September. Not bad. We'll both be Virgos. :)

At work, we're on the height of preparations for the election coverage.  Missing my online gig at Essays.ph. Yep, I'm back in the online business... but I can't really do anything for them right now because schedule is tight. But at least, I'm signed up for some sure work when I go on maternity leave. :)

Also into a new business right now, direct selling a cosmetics line. :) It's something I'm really passionate about at the moment. Thanks to a neighbor who opened my eyes to its benefits, but really sorry because I can't sign up officially with her. Hehe. I hope I can come up with enough to fatten our account for the future. :)

Yes, we've already celebrated Cyrus' first ascension anniversary. :) I have a separate post about that soon. :) Next up: Our 13th anniversary as a couple, and Marky's third birthday! :)

That's it for now. Gonna nap for some time before going to work. :)

God speed. :)

I'm Pregnant Again! :D

Baby number three... here we go!

'Been chatting with Marky these days. I keep telling him that he should take care of my tummy because his baby is here. I tell him about when he was in my tummy himself. I refuse to let my tummy be bumped by anyone or anything. I challenge duels when that happens. And, he tumbled so much whenever he's hungry. When he's out into the world, he would get his milk from Mommy's breasts. So I told him to expect the baby sucking from my breasts too after nine months.

I also told Kuya Marky to please understand that I will have to carry the baby more often, because it's gonna be weak and helpless. I told him to help me dress the baby up. He's gonna give me the clothes, the nappy, and the oil. He's gonna put the oil on the baby's chest. Then, he's gonna slide the nappy under the baby's butt. There are times when he feels jealous of the stories. But I assured him we will remain bestfriends, and that he's gonna have an additional bestfriend. :)

For now, here's my ideal meal plan: For breakfast, it's eggs encrusted with basil and rice. For snacks, it's processed fruit. Lunch would call for chicken ceasar salad and mashed potatoes with orange juice. And dinner would ideally be pasta. Healthy, huh? I noticed also that I was kinda giving up on rice. I cannot finish even just a cup of rice now. 0_o But I kinda force myself to because I know I'll be hungry if I didn't.

I'm seeing financial challenges ahead. The office will be farther away from home after the May elections. We'll be building a new home. Daddy wants Marky to go to school next year. And my Mom... she's asking for help for my dad's medicines!

Happy News :D

I got a segment at TV5's primetime newscast, Aksyon, which airs weekdays, 6 to 6:45pm... it's called Happy News. I can't actually call it MY segment because I'm not even a segment producer... I'm just a story supervisor editing scripts and checking the output, and the reporters cover the story... but anyway, it's basically about stuff that's gonna make our viewers smile. :) Here are the stories we already aired in that segment:

* ROMANTIC PHILIPPINES (by Kaye Imson) - Philippines was awarded the Most Romantic Destination by a Chinese publication. They based this on a survey. Kaye scouted the country for stories of tourists and Pinoys who fell in love in our tourist attractions. :)

* PUPPIES SAVED (by France Noguera) - a woman saves 7 puppies in the middle of a huge fire in San Juan. Her mom-in-law got mad at her because they almost didn't save any clothes. But for the heroine, the puppies were more important because they also have lives.

* FOLDABOTS (from Pilipinas News, voiced by Laila Chikadora) - a really brilliant Pinoy artist invented robots that can be cut out of paper. Just don't let Marky play them, and they'll stay good as new. ;p

* KAWAYAN FOOD (by Laila Chikadora) - it's about food that's made of labong that's not just gata or sauteed or whatever. Filbamboo makes interesting concoctions out of the bamboo shoot... and gives livelihood options, too.

* BELLY GOOD PROGRAM (by France Noguera) - by far my favorite story. DOH has this Belly Good Program, which rewards people for losing weight. Now, the officials will take the challenge (imagine Sec. Enrique Ona and Asec. Eric Tayag with waistlines ranging from 80 to 90 inches in 6 months! Now that's cool!)

* BIRDS OF PREY KINGDOM (by MJ Marfori) - kids used to think of the brahminy kite eagle or lawin as dangerous, man-eating creatures. But here, the lawin can be a friend and a playmate.

* PINOYS INVITED TO OBAMA'S INAUGURATION (by Jun Loyola) - I don't even know if Pnoy's invited to Obama's inauguration after being reelected U.S. President. But four kids from Reedley Int'l School are, and they're making the country proud.

* PINOY AMONG 22 TO FLY TO OUTER SPACE IN 2014 (by Paolo Bediones) - next year, 22 ordinary people will be given the chance to fly to outer space. One Pinoy is already assured of a ticket. Who can that be? ;p

Supervising these kinds of stories can be "brain-freezing" at times. The writing requirement in TV5 isn't so "news-y" like that of the other networks. Our rule is write to video, make it "jologs," make it sound as if it came from a tabloid. And when it's a feature story, it has to be FUN and not sound so PR. As in! And the bosses expect so much from Happy News. 0_o But I admit, the first week I spent handling Happy News has been... fun. :) When I was in high school, my journalism teacher told me I'm gonna flourish in features. I thought I was kind of "demoted." But now, I understand that it's actually the feature stories that SHOULD bring in ratings.

Tomorrow I'm gonna post stuff that I want covered for Happy News. :) Hihi.

God bless and Happy Friday!

(Geese, I just realized that it's already Friday!)