What we can learn can make us better

I am unworthy by myself, but I can be great with God.

Its amazing how the two major themes keep coming back to me over and over.
The light of Christ and the foundation of Love for the world.

In one hand, a concept so pure and simple, to Love as Jesus Loves and then to go out and show the world this Love.

Very simple indeed, until we include the twisted heap of secular concepts to our children and dying culture. But instead of focusing solely on the destruction of those that surround us, let us focus on building up the strength of those near us.

Its one thing to know the problems, its another to share that vision of a new world with all you can. By doing the best you can do, you make it happen, not because you are good, but because with God you can be great.

Lets look at what Sanger did in her systematic breakdown of society to the Culture of Death. She didn't say anything wrong about the people, she actually built them up. People, being inherently selfish, found their way to more and more "truths" that could make them feel good. They liked what she said. They liked the fact that they didn't have to worry, that they could be all they could be. (but the sacrifice was it was all they could be without the image of God)

She told the woman they can be equal with men, if they didn't get pregnant, they would be able to be successful and continue to climb the ladders of success without stopping to give birth, and enjoy all of life's little pleasures. She told the men, that this was how to help their wives, they were worth more than how they were treated. She was right, they were and are worth more than how they were ever treated. But her concepts crossed over into a hedonistic lifestyle that focused on the self more than others.

So looking at the human condition, looking at the human need, what is it that we need in our lives to build us up? Its not just rallies and marches, or just posters and buttons. Its dignity and understanding.

For Men, you want to be truly manly? Is that not what you are seeking?
The Eucharist, taking it in and letting it transform you is manly.
Being Holy, which means, being pure, being outside the box of society, being respectful to women and others, being selfless, giving up yourself for others, this is how to be manly. By being lazy, by cheating, by giving into temptation and lust, by mistreating others cause you can, this is a trap, you are nothing but a coward, unwilling to face the world as a true man.

For Women, you want to be worth something? Is this what you seek? Equality and respect? Start with the Eucharist, let it transform you, be the bride you are meant to be. Let your heart of Love shine in the darkness. You are being treated like garbage now, being tossed aside for pleasure, being used as a sex toy and seeking the powers of equality through workplace, but what about the things you really are about, the truth of your holy body, the truth about how precious you are, the only one that can give life in this world, the only one that receives a miracle within your womb, your equality may come at the workplace, but the real equality is being treated the same way with respect and dignity, living a pure life, avoiding temptations, being a strong woman in a society of darkness. You want to be equal, then be as manly in your courage to take up this call. Transform your current self into something greater than an object.

Is this harsh? Is this honesty hard to hear? Yet it sinks into the your very being, into your heart and rests there waiting to be acknowledged. Think about it, what if it was true, that you just give yourself to others, give yourself as a person, your love, not just your body. This transformation can occur in you, and you can gain much dignity and respect, you will walk amongst the giants with no shame, with true freedom, no chains tied upon your feet or shackles on your hands, you will be successful in all you do because there will be something different about you. With God, you can be great and YOU can make a difference. The money isn't the happiness that you seek, it feels good, the pleasures of the skin feels good, the instant gratification feels good, but the feelings quickly fade. The true and ultimate happiness is found within us where Jesus touches our hearts.

When we are selfless in our actions we will feel no anxiety for our wants, but feel only anxious for the Lord, and all the twisted concepts of this world will return to their true shapes, and you will see that all things God has made is good, for in the beginning, this is how it was made, and this is how it should stay.

Please keep me in your prayers and I will certainly keep you in mine.

And now, the time is here...

Yesterday was Christmas.
The night before was Christmas Eve.
The celebrations went on and on, the kids tearing at paper, the families gathered, the food served.
And amongst it all, not once was there a desire to receive anything else but our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even with todays struggles and challenges, the downs are merely just less than the ups, but they are in no way hopeless.
In fact, Because Jesus was born to us, because He came down to Earth to become Man, to be the Word made flesh,
once can always have hope.

God is hope, and all we fear is nothing. All we see and touch, taste and hear, all that we smell, is only part of the sensations we will soon experience. We will be in the bosom of Heaven, and all that has been invisible to us, will be made visible.

If only today, the day following Christmas, people would seek these invisible things with the wisdom provided to them. And not to act out and butcher the pureness and beauty of the event and ways. We have twisted Christmas, we have twisted the idea of love, but in the end, hope shows us these things can return back to the way they were, slightly heavier, with more creases and more wrinkles, but these lines are new lines of wisdom, as now our palette holds more than a blank canvas, but a canvas that has seen a horrible past that can be used to create a most beautiful future.

Modeling Faith Formation

*NOTE WORKING DOCUMENT*

I know, a sensitive topic, But I figured, if we are to understand and go out and offer the new evangelization to people, we need to also speak their language.
Not sure why this all came to me but here it goes.

We start with the definition of success.
Most say it has to do with money, but let us expand that out further.
I believe we can identify three factors that indicate success in a materialistic and non materialistic way. They are:
1.Accomplishment
2.Belonging
3.Happiness

Once these three things are identified, we can start to apply some conditions that influence each of these.

Now we apply techniques and studies based on social emotional intelligence. This usually is applied to educational programs in schools, but can apply to adult learning and in fact any learning. This includes Faith formation since it is a form of learning to trust, grow in faith, etc...

Social Emotional Intelligence has several conditions and criteria that make it effective more in one case or the other. The main things that S-E demonstrates is a higher aptitude to learning with a more supportive and safe environment. This environment can be as small as a classroom or as large as a country.

This allows us to work on the needs of the learner both at an emotional-social level and at a mental/pedagogy level.So they can be nurtured in order to achieve better results.

When we apply this to a country situation in order to understand faith formation, we see very similar effects in community life, family life and faith life.

In most 1st world western countries, the definition of success is often skewed and twisted to that of a material desire. The three factors are only 2/3 fulfilled. The person has accomplished something by increasing wealth, has a feeling of belonging to another level in the social hierarchy, but fails to maintain a happiness that is eternal, since the material objects and desires can only provide an instant gratification and pleasure, and seeking more doesn't mean long lasting, in fact can result in loss of happiness as one becomes bored with the feeling of instant happiness.

In most developing countries we see accomplishments of smaller scale, mostly of a survival nature, a belonging to a family, a nuclear trustworthy and safe environment, and happiness in the small blessings they receive. I am sure there are sceptics out there, but be my guest and explain to me why we see rather happy poor people and the only thing they have in their suffering is faith and family?

In the western world case, we find more cases of depression, suicides, agnostic and atheist behaviors (caused from replacing God with material idols. What could cause such a thing? I think this is a direct confirmation that the family is an important unit of society, it is the functional and needed unit in order for success. Faith is also a needed item, because success cannot be achieved if there is no eternal happiness available or achievable. We find many church goers strictly there for Sunday service, but the warmth is not there to form a strong supportive, and safe community. (safety from the devil and the temptations of sin). Because the western world focuses on Independence and everyone being the leader of the pack, the more western society takes apart the family unit. Add concepts of population control, hedonistic urges for self pleasure and self service, and once can easily see the demise of such a culture.

The poor on the other hand are lacking in material wealth, but strong in family, community and faith. The potential level of success per each member of such a culture is much higher than that of the western culture, as long as they are able to be challenged. There must be a balance in our growth and formation; our learning as it would be.




In the diagram, This is a similar concept to the wheel diagram of God to the world, demonstrating the need for God (the Hub) to power the individual through growth formation (spokes) in order to succeed in the outside world (the wheel).
But each spoke represents instead a triangle growth model. The very tip starts with self, and as one grows, they should be growing outward towards selflessness through service to the world. The four spokes are:

1. Faith Formation
2. Secular Standards Formation
3. Personal Formation
4. Sexuality Formation

When one of these are unbalanced, we lose potential for success as defined above.

If we are too focused on secular standards for instance (material wants) then we start to take away from our faith, personal and sexuality growth.

If too little, the same thing happens but the individuals ability to grow equally amongst the spokes is hindered. Usually a person will find another area to fill in gap and vice versa.

If Faith is strong, but no understanding (learning) of Secular society/personal/sexuality - once may not blend well in society and be less capable to evangelize beyond the inner circle this person has created.

If Personal formation is too strong, then too much is focused on self instead of others, potentially loosing faith, or understanding of one's true self.

If Sexuality is too little, one may seek the selfish pleasures instead of the true understanding of our sexuality as a part of our being. If too strong, one may lose potential to evangelize outside their inner circle as well.

I think the overall pattern is this,
If too high, then the capacity of outreach is less,
If too low, another area is gaining and capacity of outreach is less.

I suppose it best to describe the capacity of outreach as a function of serving others in a servant leadership manner.

Being unbalanced in one area or another I don't think can be described as a bad thing, but just less potential to live a balanced full life. We can look at examples of saints that were cloistered and yet lived fulfilling lives.
I believe this model can help individuals in determining areas of their lives they can work on to balance better and be able to more easily become more selfless.

Strategies in Our World To Bring Love and Life

Society is basically selfish these days, that is what we have been taught

Have pleasure for yourself,
Have things instantly for yourself

Less and less people watch out for others..

This has been the outcome of what is being taught in the schools, teachers have books the schools want to use, these books tell a different story, a rather unchristian themed story of life.

Taught to be independent , but also fend for yourself, competition is good for everyone, markets etc...

so in the solution, the focus on the educational books cannot be visibly Christian (meaning no labeled as Christian, but all Christian teachings/values), otherwise many business and schools will not buy books at first.

But the values can be values like selflessness.

This is 360 deg affirmation.

If we produce material that is focused on serving others first, through activities and concepts..business models, etc...

And Media that reinforces the idea of sharing and accountability as oppose to more money, more honey , more power, more happiness

Then even the non believers, that cannot fathom God as the source of happiness, will see a greater calling to a better happiness.

We will use Christian values translated into secular concepts, very very basic concepts..

But will reinforce them in this way.

Slowly, we can overturn the tide of selfishness.
This will allow other teachings like TOB concepts of chastity and true sexuality to be taught.

You know that a true understanding of sexuality showing how the two come together in union is beautiful.
Symmetry in nature is beautiful
Creation is beautiful

These will be the foundational pieces
Slow but consistent, and massive, very massive..

Reflecting on Pope's Encyclicals

God is Love,

We must transform from ethos to agape.. bring our lust into Divine Love.. Holy Love...

This defines what God is fro us, this is what defines for us the love in which Jesus Loves us, that we must follow
But.. that defines the Love only.. not how to get closer to God to experience this LOVE..

that is where HOPE comes in..
For, within HOPE, we can grow closer to God, in order to feel and then express to everyone we meet God's Love

It is in HOPE that we can see the change in our hearts actually happen
the transformation is not a silly story.. but a reality.. cause Jesus.. when we see Him as HOPE.. allows us to drop our riches in this world in order to follow Christ
Next, after we are able to create in us the HOPE and fill ourselves with Divine Love, then we can move mountains with....

.........FAITH
for our faith then leads us to salvation
we now can love as Jesus loves, and Hope for a new future, and Hope with certainty because our Love in Christ , the Word made flesh, the FAITH of our souls then allows us to do anything in God's name
and we can heal
and then serve others..

LOVE, HOPE, FAITH

TOB in a nutshell..

TOB in a nutshell..

Sexuality is a way we need to show God's greatness.

When we enter into marriage, either as a vocation as a celebate or the sacrament, we must commit faithfully, freely, totaly and fruitful

For in the end, The greatest thing we must remember is to love one another as Jesus loves us.

The confusion of society and sexuality would be gone, no need for laws to control, if we only followed Jesus' teachings, and our body's should show us that..
in all we do, in private and with others.

Are you ready to do this?

Responding to the Golden Compass

This was in response to a friend of mine who was writing about the Golden Compass:

Here's the deal with pullman, he's a confused atheist..
His concepts of no God are muttled and confused.
His concepts of sexuality, even more perverted.
His understanding of the church's terachings on sexuality... uneducated.
He should read TOB.. :) (had to squeeze that in there)

His heart is filled with hatred and his view of the world and CS Lewis is most certainly twisted. If only he read CS Lewis' Great Divorce, would he understand I think the journey his own life must take before he can be truly happy.

There is no happiness greater than that of Heaven, but I guess for someone who is twisted about the existence of Heaven and God, he tries to find the worldly happiness, how unfortunate that he wont find what he seeks, at least not in the everlasting form. Perhaps he will find it in a quick counterfeit, but in the meantime, I pray for him and others like him to step out of the darkness. After all the darkness is only the lack of light, and this serves as more of a reminder that the only way we can find these lost souls that hide in darkness, is to bring the light of Christ to them.

Rather affirming message for me in this season of advent, that we must cleanse ourselves through God's grace, so that we may climb higher mountains and shine the light further.

As for watching the movie, even the regular critics had issues.
Too much for kids, too silly for adults, yet it did make a box office hit.
Perhaps we are only spreading the news to our own, and not taking our lights to the streets. Is it bad to watch this?

Well, I don't think its good to watch it without talking about it to the kids, so it does serve that opportunity, and I don't think boycotting it without explanation is good either, for the more we boycott, the less marketable we are to the industry. Perhaps if we not just exposed the darkness here but also explained the truth of God's message and CS Lewis' message, we could claim yet another victory for Christ.

Will I watch it? I don't think so, at least not until its in the $9.99 DVD sale box at walmart or a friend has one to watch, I did however go to the bookstore to read the ending of the third book, and yes.. Pullman needs our prayers, he is twisted and hateful and only Christ can transform him into something more. It was done with scrooge, and so perhaps this is our modern day example of scrooge-like souls we can pray for.

God Bless
Shaun

Some Good Zenit Articles on HOPE

Just wanted to share some good articles on HOPE, youth, and true Love.

Young People Losing Hope, Says Pope

Hope, an Encounter With Love


How affirming?

God Bless

Part 3: Working Document

Below is a document/talk I am working on.. you can watch its progress, some things in here will be edited out, but for the meantime, all that is included here explains a lot of this series.

PRO-LIFE RECOLLECTION

Talk 1: Expose

INTRODUCTION

Today is a coming of a new age : Truth of World
Today, we gather from all over the area. From different ministries and organization. Our backgrounds bring us from different schools, different families, cities and countries. It’s a great day too cause here we have gathered together despite these differences in our character and we will share our beliefs and values and ideas on building a future in the Culture of Life. Today we will learn what the truth is about ourselves, our country, our world and the love of life that will enable us to move forward as we build this new future.
And as I stand here today in front of you, I join you on our journey at this point in our society and lives. Everything we do, at work, at home building a family, with the poor bringing back dignity revolves around something greater than us. And we are surrounded in a world of division and brokenness, so it is fitting and wonderful to come together and start this journey on a world united in Love and Life.
Today is a Discovery of Self
For the past 90 years, the pro abortion movement has been redefining terms, introducing new concepts that were outlawed by moral and human law. Millions of lives have been lost since those days. And the influences and ideas of some of the founders of the movement made there way to other wars and other battles. In the beginning, the intent was snared by the devil, his manipulation and temptations led these founders down a path of pure pleasure. A poison in their minds, in their actions and in their future. But even amongst these odds, many stood fast and we have always been in God’s grace. We go to work and become successful; we build families, and become happy with our blessings.
Yet we also tend to forget the foundation on which our blessings are built upon. We tend to forget and take for granted how each act we do against our God is always forgiven. That our Father in heaven is constantly watching over us, guiding us, challenging us and molding us.
Should we be concerned? As a citizen of this world, as a person that has kids, knows kids or has ever been a kid, the answer simply is yes. If we continue to build an environment in which the values of today continuously overwrite the foundation on which our faith and our livelihood depends on, then we are left with nothing more than an empty shell.
So as we progress in this understanding today on these topics of what is real and what isn’t, we have to start with the facts and the fiction.
________________________________________

FACT OR FICTION
Since 1917 the world has seen a change in its lifestyle, a rather drastic one at that. The leaders of small activist groups that saw the likes of people such as Max Eastman, John Reed, Upton Sinclair, Mabel Dodge and Emma Goldman1 in the famous Greenwich village of New York, gathered together and pondered at the realization of the human condition. It is a shame that there was not more faith involved in their actions, but nonetheless this group of people became the influence of a woman named Margaret Sanger. During her work as a nurse in the streets with the poor side of East New York, she reflected and blamed the premature death of her mother on the 11 births she gave. After also teaming up with England’s psychologist Havelock Ellis, Sanger came to the conclusion that birth control “would fulfill a critical psychological need by enabling women to fully enjoy sexual relations, free from the fear of pregnancy.”
The fiction however couldn’t have been more far from the truth. God has created us in a very special way. He has chosen to create us in his image and likeness and then breathed life into us from his very existence. Many times we try to find the easiest way to gain pleasure and happiness, even if it forsakes the Creators goal for us. Sure the feelings are positive, and can be a hard temptation to resist, but it’s the waiting for God’s time and God’s chosen person for you that makes it even more pleasurable and a way for us to worship and thank God for His blessings. The Birth Control movement took this fact of life and turned it all around, it was a time where the intellectual movement was dawning, and in all fact was really a modern day Babel. With the help of Mary Dennet, Sanger and women doctors finally found the loophole in the law that had been prohibiting them from giving contraceptive advice to women, they were able to get the law changed to provide doctors the right to counsel on birth control for medical reasons. In 1916, the first Birth Control Clinic was opened in Brooklyn.
From this point forward, the abortion movement evolved into a large scale liberation movement for sexual freedom which provided a way for woman not to worry about pregnancy. Little did they know they were now destroying God’s major gift to the world. Sanger’s ideas and concepts became more lewd as her beliefs in Eugenics and sexual independence in relationships became more publicly popular amongst her peers. After separating with her husband, she continued her affairs and even after marrying again, she kept her sexual independence.
God has created us to love each other as he has loved us. Giving his only son to us, He raised us up and took on our sins. But by following the lust in our hearts instead of waiting for the fulfillment inside us, we find ourselves trapped in a world of temporary happiness and pleasures. But is it really what we are seeking?
This is what today’s battleground looks like:
Because of the efforts of such movements as I just described, sex education in the classrooms has become more radical, with books like “its perfectly normal” available for our children, a book that is pornographic in its own right as it displays young cartoon children in sexual acts including sexual intercourse, masturbation and homosexual acts.
The average age of first sex for children in America is 15.8 years old *, the average length of first sexual relationship is only 3.8 months. 24.3% of all adolescents reported having first sex during the same month as the start of their relationship. Roughly 25% were “one-night” stands.
Studies from the Medical Institute for Sexual health found that the average teen spends 3 to 4 hours in front of the TV each day, which includes an average of 6.7 scenes with sexual topics every hour. And add that to the average teens time with music at 40 hours a week with 42% of the top selling CD’s played on the radio containing sexual content that is “explicit” or “pretty explicit”;
And this is just the statistics for the youth.
All of this information leads to an over exposure of sex before our children can truly learn what the desires inside them are there for. What God has created us for.
To go deeper down the rabbit hole, the movement was only a catalyst for the next movement, the sexual revolution of the 60s and 70s. During these times the sexual liberation also provided a support and venue for pornographic images and easier access to the material at younger ages. And although our society leads us to believe the pleasurable side of pornography, the damages on our youth and future generations is almost irreparable. Leading to masturbation, sexual abuse, dysfunctional marriages and a society that is already reaching a negative birth rate. The more children are brought up in such a society, the more chances they will experience the ripping power of lust without control, a control only found with our Father in Heaven.
And we have been warned of such things,
In Col 3:2 it says “Set your minds on the things above rather than earthly things”,
In Proverbs 24:1 “Avoid letting the world teach us to love what is evil or to envy the evil doer”
________________________________________

The Effects of Life
After the dust settles and we see the land before us, I think you and me both can also find the blessings in our society. In Deuteronomy we are asked to choose between the blessings or the curse, between life and death.
And so although all these things occur, we have to also recognize the other side of the picture. Our Lord and savior came down to teach us and provide us with instructions on battling Evil.
In the beginning God created Man, and He said Man should not be alone, so out of His rib He created woman. And before original sin, both man and woman were naked without shame (Gen 2:25), the only sexual desire was the desire to love in God’s image. (Perfect Love casts our fear (1 Jn 4:18))
The devil then choose to tempt us and trick us and take away our ability to be a gift to one another. The gift of God’s love in its pure essence. Once this had gone away, sexual desire was now inverted and self seeking.
This creates a concept of lust. Which is sexual desire cut off from God's Love. In God's plan, the sexual desire (eros) should be inspired and transformed into agape (divine love). So in our world today, much of the founders of such movements as described have been inwardly seeking self gratification. They wish to fill a void within them, and not realizing that it can and will be filled by divine Love, the twist the truths into the image of the world today.

All of these things tend to lead us further from the truth of how we were made, and what we can do. This is where we just choose the blessings, and recognize the support we have from our families, friends and communities. Imagine if you will a mirror, and in this mirror is not just your reflection, but your reflection as God has intended it, in his image and likeness, this very reflection is full of light and purity, shining forth divine light and love into the darkness. But this light and reflection are slowly marred by the countless temptations that we entertain, the sins we commit both to ourselves and to other. Each time we commit an act against our true intent, we mar the image more. It is only when we accept Christ, and the ways he has shown us to live a more pure and holy life does he start to clean that mirror so that God's image and likeness can be seen by all.

Most of the time, it is beyond us what we do, the influences are great in society. But today, I am standing before you to tell you about the freedom God has offered us. As I presented the lay of the land, it seems so dark and dull, sad and upsetting, but I come to you as a Brother/Sister to present the HOPE of Christ.

You have heard that it was said " You shall not commit adultery, But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (MT 5:27-28). This Hope however is greater than the feeling that perhaps weighs your heart now. Because before there was sin, there was GOD. It "is deeper than the sinfulness inherited, deeper than lust... The word of Christ.. reactivates that deeper heritage and give it real power in man's life" (TB 168)

Through Christ, we can claim a real victory over these things which trap us, including the distortion of lust. Think of it this way my dear brothers and sisters, "If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law" (Gal 5:18). This is not a simple solution to break the law, but rather a message God was delivering to us reaffirmed by Christ, that with change hearts we would no longer need the rules, because our ethos (desires) would be in line with God's plan.

The problem in us lies that we desire wrongly, we desire to commit adultery in our hearts because our ethos is misguided by the ways of the world. In the case of Margaret Sanger and her friends, the lust was greater to them then receiving everlasting happiness. This is why it is important that although we feel no harm that our children and us for that matter, are exposed to music and programming in movies and TV, they in fact are reinforcing the wrong concept of sexuality. It wasn’t many years ago we could find programming that we really good bring our children to. But now, it is harder to find such things, because society is getting more and more used to this new definition of sexuality.

I leave you with this thought, we are told in MT 5:8, that "Blessed are the Poor in heart, for they shall see God", If we are able to expose the truth of what society has pressed upon us, we can understand the path that we need to take to Christian purity. A call to purity not in being prudish, but glorifying and witnessing God's divine love in our lives, a way for us reveal God's mystery revealed in who we are.

Just remember that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" and no matter what has been done in our society or what we have done, our HOPE and light is in Christ and we can reform our hearts to untwist the twisted meaning of sexuality and desire in today's world, and almost see Heaven here on Earth.

Part 2: Anti-Abortion Movement Split Spills onto Presidential Race

Link to Story below:

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/groups/prolife_action/index.html

so what does this mean?
Well from a standpoint of choices and politics..
I think it necessary for Catholics and Pro Lifers alike to understand values.

Going back to our open topic of Sanger and IPPF, the values we talk about where in fact tainted on purpose, very strategically in order to create a new culture. Rich, Educated people that didn't want to loose the power and prestige.

Perhaps this sounds much like a Hollywood movie, but it all stands true nonetheless.
The Eugenics programs and Abortion programs were designed initially for the poor, later to the developing countries where education was becoming a major push. If these countries ever gained on the US elites, then we would see new leaders and new powers. The fact is for the past 90 years the abortion movement really has been an elitist group. Check their books and standings, the truth is in the facts.

So what can we do. what does this mean. The first thing is to be open to God's calling for each of us. There was a struggle in Will Wilberforce because he had wanted to seclude from society and only serve as a monk to God, but God had plans for him to go beyond that. So we must too, not hide and seclude ourselves from secular society.

Boycotting and hiding only make our power over the abortion group weaker.
Because we are no longer marketable, we are no longer buying and adding to the economy, we really become a true minority and aren't worth investing into.

And here's the second warning although pro life supporter numbers are going up, or should I say, pro choice numbers are going down, the definition on the street of what pro life is, is not the real values laid out by Jesus and Mary.

Contraception use is high, even among the "faithful", drug and alcohol abuse is still high, teenage pregnancies, premarital sex, masturbation, living out a homosexual lifestyle still high on lists.

Sex ed in classrooms still feature books like "its perfectly normal" a book that couldn't be more pornographic. Videos like blue dove and the last train still are shown in classrooms in developing nations. And 34% of IPPF funding comes from our tax dollars.

We must continue to not just defend, but to engage the culture of Life, it must be the norm, and not in a cafeteria style, choosing here and there, but in a very open, God-fearing and God-trusting way.

oh and here's a fun read for you, a big no brainer report: Keep the family alive:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/03/AR2007120301797.html

I'll continue again on a large idea that we can participate in. Meanwhile, continue your preparedness for our Savior Jesus Christ. The Holy Family is coming to down!

God Bless

NOVENA-OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE /PATRONESS OF THE PRO LIFE MOVEMENT

Our Lady of Guadalupe Novena


Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patroness of the Pro-life Movement. In preparation for her Feastday, Priests for Life invites all believers to join in a special novena for life from December 3 through 12th by saying the prayer below, indicating to us that you will be saying it, and getting as many others as possible to say it as well.

The image of Our Lady, given to St. Juan Diego (whose feast is Dec. 9), shows Mary as pregnant with Jesus. The Aztec Indians, among whom this image circulated, practiced human sacrifice because they believed the gods were against them. This image proclaimed the Gospel that “God is with us” (Emmanuel) and that therefore we can have the hope that gives us the courage to say “Yes” to life, just like Mary did.

In our day, the image is helping to end child sacrifice as it is brought to abortion facilities worldwide.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Novena Prayer for Life to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Oh Mary, Mother of Jesus and Mother of Life,
We honor you as Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Thank you for pointing us to Jesus your Son,
The only Savior and hope of the world.

Renew our hope in him,
That we all may have the courage to say Yes to life,
And to defend those children in danger of abortion.

Give us your compassion
To reach out to those tempted to abort,
And to those suffering from a past abortion.

Lead us to the day when abortion
Will be a sad, past chapter in our history.

Keep us close to Jesus, the Life of the World,
Who is Lord forever and ever. Amen.

Part 1: Research on IPPF and Life

The following is a collection of research I have been conducting.

This link provides the leading 15 prolife (labeled as anti-choice in PP) organizations.

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/news-articles-press/politics-policy-issues/abortion-
access/antichoice-organizations-6127.htm

I was reading the other day on Margaret Sanger.
Boy, does her life story make me sad, a ilttle upset as well.
Anyways, her actiond started International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), she loved sexual intercourse. straight forward. She could have cared less about women's rights and family rights. She was interested in promoting hedonisitc values and concepts. Contraceptives and Abortion were products of her work, and she had a systmatic way implementing it. A method still in use today in mnay developing countries. In the next set of blogs I will continue to write on the life of Margaret Sanger and the work of IPPF. Not that any of this is new, actually, there is a autobiography that states her involvement in many things that Planned Parenthood has hidden from the public.

She also was a fond believer in Eugenics (Cleansing of the race), thats right, actually some of her books and publications were translated to German and used by German scientists during the second World War, I wouldn't be surprised if they influenced some concepts of the holocaust.

She was fiery for sure, and her influence seemed rather large.
But I leave you with this, if the above organizations know these things, how many are willing or able to develop a new culture in the world. Yes I am speaking of the culture of Life, but I am also speaking of a strong NGO to not just go against, not to just defend life, but to promote it, via media, books, publications, seminars, clinics, everything Sanger created, there can be a good version created as well.

If this interests you, perhaps you have recieved a similar calling. Comment on your thoughts and watch out for the continuation of this topic.

It is ok to work secular for the Kingdom of God, for to seperate oneself from society, only prevents us from knowing and changing the darkest of hearts. We are called to bring light to the world, even Jesus instructed us that a lamp should not be covered or put in a place low, but should be placed high upon the mountaintops for the whole world to see.

Are you willing to Expose and Explain then live as an example of Christ?

Love and Prayer to God

My God, because You are so good, I love You with all my heart
and for Your sake I love my neighbor as myself.
If I love You, Lord, it is not just because of heaven,
which You have promised;
if I fear to offend You, it is not because hell threatens me.
What draws me to You, O Lord, is Yourself alone; it is the sight of You
nailed to the cross for me, Your body bruised in the pains of death.
Your love so holds my heart that, if there were no heaven,
I would love You still. If there were no hell, I would even still fear
to offend You.
I do not need Your gifts to make me love You, for even
if I should have no help of hope at all
of all the things I do hope for, I would still love You
with that very same love.
Amen.

Saint Teresa of Avila

A thought on the struggles of Life

Do not be afraid
Worry not
for your name He has called
and the yoke you shall carry is light, let down your burden

go to HIM and HE will give u rest

then Go and make disciples of Men, Go and live in the light, Go and bring the hearts of many to the One who can unite them all. And if today you hear His voice, a voice in the wilderness, harden not your hearts,

but open your hands, your heart, your spirit...
Live a life that allows the invisible, the mystery of the eternal love of God be made visible through the life of your body, the life of your light

Amen

Books For Loan at the SFC Library

These are all available to borrow.. Some are CDs, some are Books.
Contact me.
God Bless

DAILY
A scriptual rosary
Gospel Readings - year 2008

INTRO TO FAITH
The Faith Explained - Leo Trese
We Pray: Living in God's Presence - Oscar Lukefahr, C.M
Catholicism For Dummies - Rev John Trigilio/Rev Kenneth Brighenti

MEDIA
Behind the Screen - Lewerenz and Nicolosi

REFLECTION
40 Days of Lamentations - Frank Padilla

ADVOCACY
Battle Cry For My Generation - Ron Luge

CHRIS WEST - TOB
Theology of the Body for Beginners - Chris West
Winning the Battle For Sexual Purity (Straight Talk For Men)(3 CDs) - Chris West
Good News About Sex and Marriage - Christopher West
Created and Redeemed (TOB intermediate)(10 CDs) - Chris West
Created and Redeemed (TOB intermediate) Leaders Guide - Chris West

CONTEMPLATING - COMPARISON
Man's Search For Meaning - Victor Frankl

SERVANT LEADERSHIP
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey
The 8th Habit - Steven Covey
Jesus, My CEO -

APOLOGETICS
Peter Kreeft Talks on:
-Arguments for God's Existence
-God's Existence
-Desire
-Divine Truth
-Ecumenism
-Fated and Free
-God's Existence II
-Good, True and Beautiful
-Grief Observed
-Happiness
-Heaven
-Identity
-Imagination
-Lost in the Cosmos
-Christianity in Lord of the Rings
-Mere Chrisitanity
-Moral Theology and Homosexuality
-One Thing Needed
-Philosophy: Handmaiden of Theology
-Prayer for Beginners
-Pristesses
-Problem of Pain
-Pro-Life Logic
-Pro-Life Philosophy
-Relativism
-The Sea
-Sex in Heaven
-Suffering
-Ten Insights on Evil from LOTR
-Till We have Faces
-Time and Eternity
-Word
-Angels
-Arguements for God's Existence
-Language of Beauty
-Cosmic Dance
-Culture War
-Dark Side

Filipino Americans demand for apology from ABC and Desperate Housewives Petition and a Loving Reaction

So here's an interesting one:

Filipino Americans demand for apology from ABC and Desperate Housewives Petition

amazing how these days, we try to live out as Christians, helping many.. but the laughing point comes down to a
sentance that a writer feels is worth the laughs.. and this coming from a company such as ABC, a child company of Disney that pushes Family Friendly viewing.

Just another intersting thing to talk about, and something to take to heart.
Our children hear everything, see everything and read everything..

The world is listening.. imagine what we could do if we only witnessed for the World the beauty of God's Love.

So in our reaction, let us try to show that Love right now, a major wrong has occured, but let us react in Love.. do not slander, just promote the love of God and the blessings and gifts He gives all of us Filipinos, in fact.. that he gives everyone.

Pray for ABC and Terri Hatcher and the writers, I hope they see it is more than just a mistake in a line, but a way of programming that has to change.

God Bless

Its 40 days For Life... What Can we do?

As 40 Days for Life is here,
I figured it best to provide some resources to help us all.

PRAYER TO
SAINT MICHAEL
THE ARCHANGEL
St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen..

The Holy Rosary

Excellent Catholic resources

Let us go out and make diciples of Men, let us pray, fast and witness for Christ, witness for Life.

Latest Zenit News

Latest Zenit News

Long Blogs and Gas Lines

Some say my blogs are too long,
so are gas lines when you find a cheap one.

anyway, I will attempt to help the problem
by writing short blogs.
Starting with this one. :D

SFC USA listening: live blog

SFC USA
listening: live blog

Link to the latest CFC conversation of Tito Frank Padilla and Tito Joe Tale.
Why is it on here.. Cause I want you to read the human in it.
Then I want you to love.
This is family, and even if we can read between the lines, or choose to hear what we want to hear.. it is still, and will always be family.

What do families do? they love... :)

so go out and love your neighbours.
CFC means family, and family means noone gets left behind or forgotten.
(If Stitch can do it, so can you)



SFC USA
listening: live blog

Jesus Freak and Living Single

I was asked today about what a person gets out of marriage verus livign single..
I walked away for awhile to think about it..

I returned with this though "there is a difference of living single and being single"

To live single means a life where you find happiness and dedication to our one God, it is much like that of taking a vocation of the Holy orders, meaning, to remain pure in your life and chaste so you can concentrate on serving God

But i dont think many of today's youth are thinkking about Single this way..
So what do you get in marriage?
The commitment, the vow provides happiness, a gift of Life and a reflection of our Lord's union with the Church, we are called and made for eachother, and thats that.

So as a single, do you live as a single or just be a single?
God's love for us calls us to purity, calls us to greater things, it calls us to Love others.

With todays world of instant gratification and happiness, no wonder so many cant see beyond the blinders of society to see real Love.

Once again, Love is the answer, and living single, although hard, and keeping pure, although hard is achieved from a love of God, and love for whoever God has ready for you.

An email I read this morning said dare to be different, even if society wants you otherwise. I agree.. be different Love Jesus with all your heart and soul, and let him work wonders in your life, to be Single is to be ready and armed and entrusting fully in Jesus our Lord.

I think being a freak for that is well worth it.

Believe and Live!

Mom and Dad (my CFC) - Love is the Answer

I read a note on the wall of my Grandfather's house.
He passed away last tues, and his funeral was sat, with the burial this morning.

it simply read
"
Mom and Dad,

I can't repay the lessons that you taught when I was small
Or give you a gift for the daily treasures I recall...

I can't return the encouragement and loving words of praise
In quite the way you did for me through all my childhood days....

But there is one gift that I can give, Its all the love you've earned,
For love is what you always taught....

And love is what I learned."

Brothers and Sisters, Guests and relatives, For love is what you always taught, and love is what I learned

Let me give this gift to you all, let me express to all love in the largest way possible.
To cry, to laugh, to worry and to smile, all out of love.

For both in life and death, we belong to God, and in this do we find Hope,
because both in life and death, the greatest thing that we feel is God's love,
and the greatest thing we can do for all is love.

Love,
My brothers and sisters Love is the answer.

-Changing Servant

Living in a world of choices

As I reflect upon a recurring theme of Deut. 30, He has given us two choices: Death and Life.
Which one we choose is always the major questions, for sometimes we choose a false good. We can easily be disillusioned or deceived by the evil one.

There are times in our lives where we believe we have the answers, but really we don't have more than a clue to the real answer.

This is the world we live in, a world of choices.
Which do we choose, and where will it take us?

For me, I was thinking about a reaction a coworker mentioned, they said that they personalize things too much, but their psychiatrist helped them find a solution.. to just not personalize things. Well, the initial problem they found with personalizing things was they got frustrated, perhaps because they believed they would have all the answers? who knows..

At the time I went along with it and said, sure.. I mean, hey why not.. it seems simple enough as a solution. But lets look again at the situation.

By personalizing things, the person was passionate, full of zeal and worked hard and did good for the good reasons, once this individual changed their pattern to a cold approach, they still were frustrated, and started not liking so much what they were doing. could it get better or worse?

well, I think the solution lies in knowing the truth. The truth is to choose to live and we can only live through Christ Jesus. So the other solution, unmentioned here is choosing to personalize, but lift up the frustrations and the burdens to our Lord, and let Him take up the load. Be zealous but be calm, be on fire, but be at peace.

What does this mean for the rest of us?
How do you implement it? Is there a big enough reason to care?

of course there is, what this means is that the joy of the Father is yours to take. He promised you a choice, so choose the right one.

If everyone chooses the easy way out, and continues to believe they can leave God out of the equation, then like this individuals passion, your life will go cold. You will be hallow, a body with no spark in the soul. You will continue to live your life but the sun will never shine. The Church walls, all great and spectacular will be empty and cold, with no life within them. It will be as if an eclipse has fallen upon your world.

But if you choose to live, if you choose life always, then the sun will forever shine, the flowers forever bloom, the church halls filled with music and might, the stain glass lit with color upon the floors and ceilings and your love will know no bound.

So next time you hear someone talk about shutting down, lessening the personalization, no longer believing in God or the power of the Holy Spirit, or just being dragged by the current of society, shine your light upon them, destroy the darkness, bring them Hope. In all of us is the Hope of the world, for in our hearts, in our souls, as the Creator has created us in His image, our Hope lies in him, the light of the world.

Amen.

To serve or volunteer: not just semantics

Let me start with a thought on differences,

When it is time for the coming of Jesus.. we will know that God works in so many different ways in so many types of faith, but all pointing to the universal truth, and come the day, all will know Jesus the same way, because he lets his children learn where they will so they be nourished

its so beautiful.. and so confusing

Because human nature is to tell everyone about the good you've experienced, and we are all about defining absolutes, that the happiness we found is the right way; Instead of seeing it like a Picasso painting, it is relative and abstract, happiness is a personal gift of the Spirit to everyone.. and our uniqueness is what allows such desires to grow in different ways at different times..

So what does this mean?

Well, I think it is rather simple.
We are all on the same but different levels. We all will and do experience joy, love and happiness.
But sometimes at different degrees. One find conviction, another only moral responsibility.

When one volunteers, they are doing so aside from their main work, the y are doing so to be a responsible citizen, to do it with passion in the heart and to do it cause it is the moral thing to do.
Perpetual volunteerism does not exist, because the human desire of needs to survive and live defeats the needs of the higher desire, for a number of reasons, from ignorance to intentional blindness to relativism.

But if one serves, they are convicted, they do it not out of pity or responsibility, but instead at a higher level, they do it to be accountable to the cause. It is not done to the side, but done at the foreground with the passion and conviction int he heart. Perpetual is achievable because the nourishment is at a higher calling, it is God's own nourishment, and the servant becomes an instrument for God, seeking no self needs, but that only to serve our Lord and His people.

What does it mean to Change?

I was asked the question:

how many people are eager to change?..

My reaction was: hahah

and this is why:

Thats a great question..
the actual question is:
why do people fear change..

Change is a natural occurance and it always ends with some result
the interruptation of that result being good or bad is the driver to make more people fear it..
seasons change,
humans change as they grow,
the suns position changes,
the earth's rotation changes.

I believe if people saw themselves as controllers and inputters to change, they would be eased..

I think the idea of change without them is hard to swallow

ie: a person is living in the morning, and in the afternnon is dead..
People are more eased if they coulvd've beenthere , cause perhaps they could have done something to stop the change..even if it was inevitable

Hence our obsession on time machines and parallel universes in science fiction

But, if we look at the positive aspect instead, if we look at change as a means , as a vehicle to create something better, whether an environment or a moment, then people would embrace.

So why not see Christianity as a vehicle of change.. to change from evil into good, to change from ignorance into knowledge

If any Christian believed themselves capable of such change, capable of beinan agent of change, then imagine what could happen..

Not to say we can change things all on our own.. but to be agents as in to be used for chagne..

We are called to love, to share love, to spread love, imagine if we did this so openly knowing that tomorrow would be a better day, that we would be steps closer to the true image and likeness we were inteded for.

Why not aim for that change?

Remember

The day starts of cool and free
The Lord, His hand gentle and warm
The further you fly, the more he holds you in his arms
And at that time, that one point in time,
He was there with you
When the water rushed up, and the flames grew high
He was there, when the roads were long and the weather bad, He was there
As I think of all the memories, I feel an urge inside
I want to let you know He was always there
and I honor you, your life, your work, your smile and your kindness
and I am glad, that before you took your final fight,
you learned He was there
and now, upon the wings of the angels, your flights are everlasting
your journeys ever so much more exciting and the Love,
well.. The Love even more Real and uplifting
He is with you, with all of us
I continue to Pray and I know
we will all be reunited again one day
One family, one great loving family
in His arms
Amen

Isaiah 51,57

The Lord our God told us how great His works are.
And we know that he has created all things great and small.

There is a coming brothers and sisters, a new city of Zion is being built.
Today, right here..
in our lives, God has called us to be builders, warriors, soldier, fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers.

We are called to rise up against the darkness and speak out.
To be witnesses to God's Love, to the work of Jesus our Lord.
We know what can become of this world, of its people.
God promised he would not once again flood the world as he did in Noah's time with waters..
But the Lord will flood this Earth instead with Love through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Do you believe that?
Lets revisit the idea of change agents.
Are you not also called to be one of these agents?
Today's world is filled with many things good and bad, many influences and many hearts,
and there are thousands that die each day without knowing about our Lord. So when we are called to be witnesses, it is bigger than just being in one place at one time, it is about making change occur through each and every action we take.

Fear.
However Fear, is in the way. Sin is in the way, doubt and ungratefulness is in the way.
These can be moved aside if you let God truly into your life and take his Love everywhere you go to everyone you meet.

Isaiah 57:11-13:

11 And of whom hast thou been afraid and in fear, that thou liest, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of long time, and thou fearest me not?

12 I will declare thy righteousness; and as for thy works, they shall not profit thee.

13 When thou criest, let them that thou hast gathered deliver thee; but the wind shall take them, a breath shall carry them all away: but he that taketh refuge in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain.

The Lord our God is our refuge, who shall we fear?
He is the stronghold of our lives, whom shall we fear?
We should not fear the the things that prevent us from really proclaiming his word and witnessing to the world, instead let us be God fearing and allow God to work in us, through us and with us to move mountains, to spread God's Love and His word.

Ephesians 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Let us be as one body in Christ in all that we do. As we move forward to celebrate Corpus Christi, let us keep our lives centered on Christ, united in the Spirit so that we may see peace on Earth, in every heart and in every soul.

When the one body of Christ is ready to move, when the global army of God is ready to shout his name in praise and when the world is ready to bow before him, let us be ready, let us let the Holy Spirit lead us to the salvation of Christ.

Be an agent of change, lead and serve, and bring all people, let His people know that God loves them and is always near.

Afterall "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5)

we are already made for this, so lets start acting like it and live our lives this way too.

Amen.

My Failing at Work

my boss handed me my 5 yr plaque and pin..
he said its has been a great 5 yrs.. and hopes the next 5 yrs are just as delightful..
later my coworker came in, shook my hand and chuckled.. he said he like it when my boss said that, cause he know how my attitude with the company has been the past year...
at first Ii thought.. that's funny.
then I realized how transparent I am at work with my dissatisfaction, so much so that an employee knows it..
my question is.. if I appear to be bitter and ungrateful for my job, then how are they to see Christ in me.. sure I can hold doors and say God Bless you.. but does not the bitterness mask the love and joy that God wants to show in me..
I have failed in this arena , because although I may be a God willed, God loving, loving person, I have let a hint of despair and sadness mask the true nature of God's work in us..

In the end, all the words I may speak about God and his greatness will only be written in my mind and heavy on my heart, the true things remembered are my actions and attitudes, and whether or not they reflect God

Thought on Love

Last week, a message of Love was passed upon me.
I thought about how do we change this world? How do we reach out to
so many that don't know any better?

The answer is simple: LOVE

When we say to witness, when we say to lead as a servant and be an agent of change, these things must occur through love. We cannot do these things without it, because we would not change anyone. We cannot live our lives and expect folks to notice God in us if we don't imitate him completely. Which means to Love God and Love your neighbors. And this is really hard to do.

Every person that erks you, every person that pushes the wrong button, we must love.
When we witness, we must show we choose to make the right decision, that we choose to make people our priority and choose to love them

when we lead, its not just being selfless, but doing cause you love those you lead, that you choose to work with them and choose to love them

when we are an agent of change, we must want to change not for ourselves, but out of love for the situation and the folks that are affected..being sensitive.

its all about Love. Its tough, but its right and worth it.

A Servant in Battle

It was an interesting Sunday,
I have to admit I was nervous.
But this is how it went:

Amongst the older Catholics that were there, I felt the urge, a calling to say the truth.
To be real and have it make sense.

It started with the types of soldiers on battle field.

There are several types,
those that don't seem to care at all about the battle, those that don't seem to know there is a battle going on.. those that are unfit for the fight, they have to embraced God's armor and the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
There are those that fight but are alone.. actually, this is the problem..
we have soldiers, missionaries, ordinary people doing extraordinary things that have no support.. Are we praying for them? Are we holding them up? Are we beside them in battle?
Are we tithing so that they may continue the fight?

Ahh.. so that hit didn't it..

So how can I be a soldier?
To be a Christian solider you have to accept and wear the armor of God.
Taken from Corinthians, you must wear the whole armor of God, not just one piece here and there.

You must embrace the entire suit, the battle gear.. and here's the catch.. God made it for marching forward.. it protects you sooo well that you will not fall when with he armor, but the minute you turn your back, well the enemy will attack.

so your asking.. what enemy, what armor, what battle?
hahah.. ok.. The enemy is Satan. The armor I will discuss, the battle is real, it is spiritual battle.

Why would I bring this up in a change management blog about servant leadership? Because if you don't get this part of it, it matters not how well you now the mechanics of change and servant leadership. You must protect yourself with knowledge, you must go forth and fight this battle.

The minute you claim you are a servant leader, in its pure true form, you are a follower of Christ. And this means that Satan is now watching your every move even more greatly. If he knocks down a soldier, imagine all the other things he brings down, the service, the relationships, the mission work.. its a big blow.

So back to the armor.. cause this is something you need to know.
The armor starts with the belt of truth.
Wear this belt cause it hold everything together, the belt of truth is what keeps us grounded in our work its what helps us not live the dual life. it is the way of life.. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the Life.. believe this brothers and sisters.

I am guilty of many times being another person at work than I am at Church and with my Christian brothers and sisters.. why.. cause its hard, we want to fit in and be liked.. But let me tell you this, lament, discern and change your ways brothers and sisters.

The time for change is now. If we will defend the values, the family and life, then you must live your life as a witness for Christ. wear the belt, trust me on this.

Next, the shield of faith.. I love the shield of faith, it is covers the whole body and it allows us to make the impossible possible. Believe in Him, believe in the work and God will make it happen. He will never give you a task you cannot handle. This is true always. You just have to have faith in him and work through him and let him work through you.

Next, the Helmet of Salvation, trust me on this too, believe in God's powers, protect your head, don't let your mind get the best of you. Stay positive, stay focused and stay believing and be strong in your faith.

The Breastplate of Righteousness protects your heart, it is what allows us to fight the good fight, don't ever let it pull you astray and fight for another reason then for Jesus Christ.

The foot gear is the Zeal of willingness.. when God says GO, you GO! simple right. say yes to the Lord. When he asks you to step to the plate, just do it. no need to question, he has you on the right path.

and of course the Sword of the Holy Spirit is the Word of God. Love is giving of your time. So show your love to God, but taking time to learn, read and know him and his Word.
You must have knowledge of the battle you are fighting. If its Pro life, know Culture of Life, if its GK, know the work of Jesus and the poor. Be there brothers and sisters, and do it in His name.

So know this, A Christian soldier is ordinary but God will allow you to do extraordinary thing, the solider will always focus on the work of Love.. this is the basis of all our work because God is LOVE. and we always fight for the right causes.. the cause will move people, but the Love is what will allow us to finish the fight in a winning position.

What is the stance we must take?
We must be Pro God, Pro Family, Pro Poor and Pro Life.
Yes, even you who wishes to be a servant leader and an agent of change, these things will be required of you in order for you to move forward. This will not make you rich on Earth, but will yield you the treasures in Heaven.

Then there is the caliber, that or a leader, a martyr, courage, faithfulness, purity, truth, a warrior, a Shepard and a steward.. these things will build you up as a soldier in the spiritual battle.

You'll be surprised how they move you as well in everything in your life. They will bring you riches, they will bring you excitement and they will bring you everlasting peace.

So if you thought this was out of place, think again. These values are the foundation of Servant Leadership, and in order to endure the change in any setting, whether it be corporate, retail or service, we must learn to love and protect ourselves and those we are called to steward.

Pray on this one.. its a lot.. but then again, its just scratching the service of our calling as soldiers and leaders in our industries and our world.

Empowering Change

Ok, so here we are again..
Its been a little longer than I wanted, but inspiration comes when it comes.
Looking at this past weekend, we held a Covenant Orientation, and I was blessed with the opportunity to give talk 4: Culture of SFC

Well, I was excited, so excited that I just kept making cnonections, and opening doors.
Truly witnessing how amazing our God is.
From the sanctity of Life to the dissolubility of marriage to helping the poor and being stewards.

You see, the latest revelation for me has been on stewardship. Its been so inspiring that I even started writing letters to different leaders and folks about God's latest message to me.

I see it this way, God has asked that we be stewards of all that is his.. so that explains why we give God our talent, treasure and time.. right?

Well, what if you see it this way instead. God, in his great plan has left with us all our resources, that includes the people you lead, the people you influence, basically everyone you meet, he has his flock here on Earth for each of us to steward.

So for teachers, your students are your resources, you are called to steward them, to protect them, to love them and to bring them to God, even if the only way is through your examples.
Parents, your sons and daughters
Managers, your employees
Executives, you company...




These are all blessings bestowed upon you from God. And he has asked each of us by name to support and bring up his children, his lamb so they may know God.

We must serve all, we must be selfless and loving at all times. This sets the tone for evangelization and renewal. Not in the whole Bible banging sense, but in the kind caring, always living your life in a Christ-like manner sense.

Understand?

So we are all empowered to be change agents, we are all empowered for change.
The Change that we are called to now is the change of Corporate America.

It sounds like a big task, a tall order, but think about the messages and the times we are in.
I asked a bunch of our employees about what they thought if we launched an interest group for Christians so that they could support eachother and discuss how to live a Christian life at work. You know, the response was amazing, even the critics believe it would spread like wild fire. People are yearning and thirsting for Christ at work.

And don't forget, with 70% of y our time at work.. well, where else do you think these lessons will be learned to brign back home?

And what about the change environment. Well, companies are seeking for a foundation that is honest, high integrity, moral, serving, selfless, caring, nurturing.. hmmm sounds like Christian values to me.

And the days of seperating religion from work are over. I understood church and state, but when did we start seperating it in Corporate America?

We have diversity councils and groups for different races, different ages even different interests, so before the enemy figure out how to use those tools, let us as Christians stand up and use these tools for his greater glory. Start these groups to support eachother, and feel confident and free to talk about your honest feelings, your honest desires. There is no more need for a mask at work, be proud to be Christian.

I remember a shirt I own: Catholicism is not a spectator sport

I think that sums it all up, so lets get active, lets make it known and ask for the Holy Spirit to guide this work. He has called us by name.

Now let's answer and witness for him, let us not be a spectator.

All in the family

So, all this talk about Changing Servant.. Servant Leadership and Change Management, understanding the Poor, God's Love and so much more.. But how does this apply to us, everyday in our lives.

Sure, I wanna do good things, but I wanna do more than just say it..

Well, picture this, you are there at work 70% of the time, and you start to incorporate these ideas of service leadership to the workplace, and things start to change for the better. Better work-life balance and good relations. Nothing perfect but much better.. then you go home.

now what? What about taking that same attitude home and applying it to your family, or taking it back to your date, your significant other. These are traits that God has given us, built in and ready to use.

sure, selfishly, serving others makes you feel good, but imagine the work that is done from this new found freedom. If you serve your wife or your husband with that intend, imagine what it does for the marriage.

Guys and Girls, imagine the work with your relationship. treat marriage as a sacrament and a vocation, treat your relationship with great respect and always look for ways to serve each other. This is women's and men's liberation. There is nothing sexist or demeaning in serving each other.

This is exactly what we learned from Jesus. Every time we are selfless, the better we become.
We need to recognize the difference this would make.

So start at work, live it, witness it, then bring it home, bring it to every relationship you have and witness it. This will in turn reap many rewards. Instead of thinking how will my wife make me happy, or what can she do for me. You should be thinking what can i do for her, how can I make her happy, not expecting anything in return, except for the joy you receive back from her joy and thankfulness. and sometimes it won't be easy, but it will pay off.

I'll get to more examples later, but for know we must think about it. We must start that change, the environment we work at, we live at and we play at. We are change agents and we are changing servants, I know I am.

Understanding Leadership

Some of this is borrowed from a good friend of mine Kuya R.S, (pic to be released after NE summit in March):

But I think what he speaks of here is true. I added to it the types of management/leadership and what happens when they reach the top.

Looking at the Bowl Leadership, everything appears to be in order, at first, it seems that the leader is making a sacrafice to lead the members. However, caution is in order. Too easily this can feed the ego of the leader, and still, all decisions and respect are given to one line of convergence: the leader. The leader can also start believeing that they provide everything to the member, they provide the raises, accolades and promotions. This tends to create an environment where members owe back their leader, and that they did not earn anything, but it was given to them.

Looking at the typical Top down leadership, that of a patriarch structure, we can see many faults here including a tendancy to mistrust the members. This in turn may lead into micro management and lack of respect. When this happens, members are only assests to the leader, and the leader turns selfish. They start viewing the members as ways for them to gain power and recognition.


Then we look at the Servant Leadership, some flaws may seem like the leader has no backbone, or free thinking, or that the leader is slow because they are always waiting for their members. But I believe the contrary. The leader is interested in serving others and helping their membership. They believe they are working for their members, and with their members, not the other way around. They can see the vision and share it with their members or at least guide them in the right direction. With these qualities, they end up building a stronger more productive team that can handle a multitude of tasks and are willing to give more for the effort because there is a tradeoff of respect and balance. They act as a steward of their resources and empower the membership to do the work.

Of course many choose to argue that no person is completely selfless, this may seem true when looking around at our current leaders and management. But maybe what we need to see is the hope for such a virtue. And then look at the leaders again, and not just judge them on their flaws, but on their strengths. They may end up being selfish over something small like feeling good about helping others, but at least it wouldn't feed larger desires that will distract from leadership.

To conclude, the above graphic demonstrates what happens when the different type of leaders reach the top of their organizations. The big difference is the motivation and loyalty to the people and organization once at the top. Not to mention the role model one provides as well.

Leading Change through Servant Leadership

Companies must lead, not manage.
They must know the language.
Low level employees are looking for communication on their level (X-Gen/Millennials) – are they value add? How? What can they contribute? Is there balance for them? Are they appreciated? What are true opportunities?
Meanwhile, your middle management is interested in what they know (Financial models, projections, security, proof of success) How does this help the bottom line? What do we need to do to get there? How does it increase productivity? Profit?

Change must occur from the top for all corporate changes.
The CEO / president must buy in, their mindset is the start
But the president, although should be visionary, must use other tools as well to manage the change. They must be able to show small successes and must be able to include as many as possible.

The high level management focuses on the why, the middle focuses on the what/how, the low level always focuses on the how.

This can happen if a consulting firm lived to the values it is developing, and then it provides consultants for leadership, not just management.

So what is needed for a servant leader? Servant leader means that you do not just dictate or lead without thought of your constituents, but instead lead with a role as a steward of the resources provided by the organization. In turn it should empower and encourage the leaders to serve others while still achieving results. This sets a better foundation on an organization’s values and integrity.

These changes of course must take place at the top level and trickle down; there will not be room for grassroots change to an age old structure that does not currently view itself as a steward for its people.

Do not lead your life or others by demands in which you do not partake, instead, use your resources and be a steward of them, it is this concept that allows one to overlook the fine china and see the food on the plate. Which one nourishes you more?

Servant leadership embodies values and virtues, not just principles defined by a group. The values and virtues are embodied by the soul.

It is through this type of leadership that change can occur with realism to the visionary. Because your team will be built around trust, ethical conduct, empathy, humility and service. This slowly destroys the lust for power, and instead is replaced by a love to serve others in order to succeed. You choose to lead because it will be good, not because you will get power and recognition. This should trickle down as growth to individuals and increase teamwork, which will in turn increase productivity.



One should think of executive corporate leadership as a vocation, and not just another job. We should be encouraging as Greenleaf puts it “a leap of imagination”

The change and the leadership must be based on humility, a humility that is God fearing. We all have talents and are all worth something. The times of managing with carrots and sticks dangling in front of the employees has come to an end. Instead management needs to start looking at positive reinforcement and creating an environment in which the entire organization is able to nurture a culture for leadership, particularly, servant leadership.

What is required for this to happen? First off, people have to be more important than the profit; second, you cannot use the profit as an excuse for a lack of respect for the employees. Next you have to be truly humble, and put people first, always.

What barriers then must take place, and why always start from the top? Well think of it this way. The only true servant leader who have ever lived was Jesus Christ. Most CEOs and COOs do not want employees that are more loyal to God than themselves, because in this world of the “individual with the most toys wins” the CEO/COO are the gods.

Also, at no time should think that a “Servant” is that of secular and modern times, it is not one who is strictly obedient and lacking free thinking, but just the opposite. Because the servant knows what is right in the heart and follows these notions, they are more free thinking than ever. They have the ability to go forth with courage and conviction about a task knowing that the result is worth more than the money that is exchanged. Do not therefore think of servant as a connotative term, but instead as a leader with integrity and commitment to both the work and their people.

In a world that is shocked by Enron and 9/11, it is no wonder that the new companies and new CEOs are seeking such leaders, one that can accept change and lead the people out of harm while staying on a moral track. These new generations of leaders are the forefront role models of the X-gens and Millennials.

In this sense, the law of the farm holds true, in managing change thru servant leadership you must sow first, reap later.

God’s Form of Change Management, the awakening.

Preface:Ok, so my brain has not stopped since tues..to be honest. it feels really good, and in prayer I have been seeking answers.. we all do I suppose..anyways.. here's the latest in my connections line of thought on the work we are doing..I think you'll see where I am going on this..
Most of this has been inspired from this last week, from people I met, words exchanged, the planning, the mass, the march, the rally, etc… as you can imagine….a lot has happened this past week..

If you have any questions..let me know.. I'll try to expand and expound as time permits.. but I believe this ties to the other doc I sent about connecting GK and pro life, but this connects our daily lives and Pro-Life, us as 'agents of change' and a 'Holy revolution'.
Amazingly.. the last paragraph came to me, and as I read it over again, it reminded me of the vision R spoke of on Tues.Rs vision was of the upper room expanding into a large room, with thousands of people praying, and then a darkness came across the room, a think liquid, but then a "V" was resonating and broke through the black, and light was revealed, the room turned white.. we all had similar visions, all pieces of this vision… in the need it was a celebration of victory over the culture of Death..

Start:
Imagine.. I was praying to understand the connections made on Tuesday’s planning about the formation track of 100%Pure and the pure lifestyle we are called to live, and earlier about our service and the culture of life.

From that sprung all these things that are the foundations that need to be set.
Then, connections were made about change management as a tool for service only, meaning that we could use it to help our members see this change needs to live pure lifestyles. I did not realize the other potentials.

A corporate tool that can be used in our service and our personal lives in all of its aspects. It is a mindset, a way of thinking and understanding that involves many skills in order to communicate and provide a vessel for change.

And I thought that would be a good work environment, hey I'd love that.

But then... if you look at it, working with change management and consulting to the large corporations is a huge opportunity. Slowly, the change due to generation gaps has to be dealt with. (There are conflicts in the work place due to management styles and values of different generations)

This is the only time in history four generations are working side by side. (Matures, Boomers, X-generation and Millennials)
The biggest conflict is the baby boomers and the X-gens and Millennials.
Well, considering that the boomers biggest influence was two assassinations of people poised on freedom (John f Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr) then the sexual revolution of which roe v wade is a product of.

The X -gens sat and waited and some were influenced by the boomers, they have become the teachers and inspirational leaders and then a Pope rose that delivered something to them and to the start of our generation (The Millennials): The Theology of the Body, and although our influences were of 9/11 and bombings and Enron. We are also PJPII generation, united with the X-gens. 9/11 and Enron are signs that the world as it is, is fragile and under the culture of death.
Yet, the glory of God can be seen by the three Vatican documents:
Centesimus Annus (PJPII), God is Love (PBXVI) and Theology of the Body (PJPII)

Change Management is about managing change by creating an environment, a new environment for the change to flourish in.
Our executives now are of the boomer generation, worried about money and quantity. They are materialistic in nature. Family is second par, divorces are high and this influences the younger generations as well.

But there has been many touched by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and out of the fire and ashes has sprung forth an army for God.
Through change management and Centesimus Annus (brining dignity to man at work) these tools can be used to create and influence a new environment built on the foundation of life itself: family.

Is this not what is happening and proving to be true in Gawad Kalinga? Restoring the dignity and family has created a happier community and has laid the foundation for life.
If we can push family and values to the top, and gain respect for it and show through financial analysis (the language of the boomers) that it is for the good of their business, then we will grow the next generations on the culture of life, surrounded by an environment that is pro family and ultimately, Pro-Life.

Hence... over turning the culture of death
This explains why many of us have been in jobs that seem hard or useless or challenging. It seems like we are getting nowhere, and that we are surer about our service than our careers. For if we did not witness the need for change, then how would we know when to start change?
Christ suffered on the cross so that we may see the sufferings we didn't have to endure, and his death freed us from sin, but when society entered into the sexual revolution, they shut their eyes to Jesus, and he was no longer the center of their lives, they denied the gift of Life from God, and all became dark and now the Holy Spirit has broken through the darkness and is starting the revolution which will change the world.

For God’s greater glory. Amen

Pro-Life Celebration of Life, Anniversary of Roe Vs Wade

Good Day to All of you Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

Praise God for the wonderful success and his awesome power during the March for Life events.God was truly present this weekend in all of our regions through our work with Pro-Life.Here in DC, the Rally on Sunday kicked off the Celebration/ Anniversary.
Brothers and Sisters, God once again has shown us that he is the way, the truth and the Lifeand we are called to follow him. And on Monday, many of us did just that, we took a stand for Life andmarched alongside with thousands upon thousands of marchers that all believe in the sanctity of Life with over 150 people, possibly 200 in our contingent alone for CFC from half a dozen states, we were a loud and strong force in the march. It felt so amazing, like an epic movie almost, with God's army marching towards the supreme court and capitol.

God's message was slowly unfolding as the rally started, and then was affirmed strongly at the Verizon Center Mass where more than 20,000+ people gathered for the Eucharist and then we continued and pressed on towards victory for our King!
God revealed to me how important this whole Pro-life movement really is, not just as a pillar, but as a lifestyle. it is something that we ought to embrace wholly and with confidence as the Lord's own hands are upon us. You could feel the Holy spirit's presence at every step, every turn and every praise.

And its amazing how all of our service, all of our programs all stem from the truth found in God's plan for us to live pure lifestyles and witness to others the way of the cross. The message is so simple, God is Love, and we are made in the image and likeness of God, and we are called and desire to Love as God Loves!

Let us not just march for the anniversary of Roe Vs Wade, because we all know victory is at hand, and it will be overturned, but let us march in Celebration of Life, in celebration for each breath we take and each child that is molded by God and brought into this world. Let us all embrace a pure lifestyle as God has asked of us, let us be BOLD in our faith and continue to witness our lives for Christ and let us live out the fight for the Culture of Life everyday, not just once a year.

You are always in my prayers,
Thank you everyone that tunred out and helped in making this a success, all of prayer warriors, event folks and members,We'll see our numbers more than double for next year's celebration.