Shepherding

When I joined staff of Campus Crusade for Christ, this passage spoke firmly in my heart. 

1 Peter 5: 1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

It's my 9th year serving as a missionary on campus and in those 9 years of helping Christ known in campuses through evangelism and discipleship, shepherding is vital to effectively lead well. We can lead not because of the position that we have but by being a good example that influences the people around us. Position is strategic and yet without influence, you can't help make changes happen. 

I have learned that effective shepherding means ministering a team from the Word and his own example of spiritual growth and exemplary ministry. It's very important that we help members of our team focus on what the Word says rather than our own opinions. We journey with them in their situation - whatever it is. We may not offer advice but we can always pray for them and let them know that we care. I asked a fellow team leader one time how often does he spend time with his teammates. By simply asking this question, I would have an idea if this person is leading well. In shepherding, we need to pause for a while and ask a question, "How are my teammates?" 

When I had a bigger team, to ensure that I'm updated on what's going on in every member of my team, I asked them to give me a semi-monthly report that I also created for me to lead well with the right information. This report contains  both statistical and narrative data about their journey with God, family, teammates, disciples as well as some items related to their numerical goals. By reading this report, I have a picture of how our team really is. To reinforce leading with information, I would take time to be with each one of them at least once a month (except for women where I meet them in pair or my wife is with me). How will you do that in a team composed of at least 10 members? This is a great challenge, but there's always a way if we love to do it or choose to do it. My wife and I help one another by having all the women met by her while I meet all the men. We also maximize Men's time or Women's time to bond in whatever leisure things we want to do and yet making sure that we discuss topics that could help benefit each one. 

The shepherd's role is to oversee, lead, feed and protect.

He is characterized by eagerness to serve. He is loving. He provides for them rather than lording it over them. He is not greedy and is a good example. A leader that leads as a shepherd will feed his team from the word, he will provide direction, protect them against heresy, and unnecessary trails and he will be a servant and example.

The shepherd's role is to display a sense of mission and help motivate a team to get there--- making Jesus known in our campus, city, nation, region, world.

Paul in Colossians 1 said, "25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ."

Paul had no doubt at all regarding to what his mission in life was. In the same way, we leaders must be reminded that God has called us to help fulfill the Great Commission in this generation and to live for His cause. Every aspect of our life must be lived in relation to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. As we lead our team in helping accomplish the mission, are we leading side-by-side with them, modeling what does it take to see this mission keep going?

A powerful team is a team that is shepherded well. A team that is shepherded well feels valued and motivated to work as team in accomplishing the task, even if the task may seem impossible to attain. 1 Peter 5 is a good reminder of a true leadership. A true leader leads like a shepherd.

Compassion

Community. This is what came into my mind upon seeing the floating community of Vietnamese people in Cambodia. I learned these people moved to Cambodia because of the war that took place in Vietnam. 

God moved my heart to have compassion with them by praying for them. I was wondering how is their daily life with their fathers fishing everyday, kids going to school, women taking care of the kids, etc. 

No matter what is our status in life, whether we are well provided or lacking in so many things, what really helps a lot for everyone to survive is the community that we have. We live together in a house or a community where we could help one another survive. Like in the case of these Vietnamese people, it's hard to live at the lake with your house floating on the water, and yet this community hold them together. The help of the Cambodian government, NGOs, etc helped a lot as well. 

God's original design is for us to live in a community with one another, be in fellowship, expressing our love to one another and to Him. It is innate in us to help one another and yet because of sin, it was corrupted. 

I pray that one day, this will village on the lake will get to know their Creator and have a strong community of worship to Him.

Earning Trust in Leadership

How do you trust your teammates?

Most leaders I have interacted with face challenges on relating well with teammates. Relating well is a process. It's not an overnight thing. The bottom line for a growing relationships? Trust.

So, how do we communicate trust? 

On one occasion, I asked Divine, "Do you think our teammates are trusting us and our leadership with them?" And she responded this way, "Do you trust them?"  This question struck me to think twice, make an assessment of myself if I truly trust my teammates. I agree with the principle that you reap what you sow. This is s real in my journey of trusting relationship. 

We can trust our teammates by delegating tasks and allowing them to fail, not easily rescuing them as long as we journey with them. We are communicating to them that they have the potential to do an assigned task. We engage with them. We don't worry for whatever would be the outcome because we know them. We value them more than the result of the task.

I had a teammate who did an excellent job in planning for a certain project to reach out to the potential leaders on campus. I know his capacity to plan strategically, but I have a glimpse of his leadership style that may set him to failure, but I do give feedback and assure him that the working relationship with teammates, the process of managing or leading a project is what's important, not the project itself. Days passed by and the team was not able to reach the goal of reaching the number of potential leaders on campus, but what encouraged him a lot is the team's effort and journey together to see the goal reached. We focused on reaching the goal as we walked together side by side, learning from one another. This is relational leadership. We grow trusting one another as we believe in each one's potential that contributes to the goal. We don't want to just "use" our teammates in order to achieve our goal that we alone would be glorified.

To gain trust, be trustworthy.

It is not demanded. It is earned. We need to work on it by investing trust to our teammates and those we can work with along the way. We need to assume the best for people. 

Gaining Respect in Leadership

The best way to gain respect from others is by investing respect on them. 

We respect our teammates when we come on time during agreed meetings. This has been built in my system. The moment I'm late, I feel so sorry. I would call or text my teammates if I cant make it to the agreed time. 

 I remember an instance when we had a meeting, I noticed that almost all of my teammates weren't around yet five minutes after the agreed time. I observed that this has been happening for at least three times. I was not feeling okay at that time and so when the members of my team were all complete, I addressed this issue and we discussed about it. There was another instance when I observed that my teammate was always coming late and I really confronted him to the point that he cried.

Listening to other's opinions is one of the many ways to show respect. Each person is a unique art of God, a miracle of God, by His design, by His intention. Being aware of our teammate's  boundaries,  privacy and preferences would be very helpful also to know how to deal with him in such a way that we truly respect him. 

As we respect our teammates, I believe, they will respect us in return. This is very crucial as we lead people as God has called us to serve Him in this capacity. As we respect a person, we are affirming God's view of him.

How will you show respect to your teammates in such a way that will glorify God?

Two Must-haves of a Leader

What are the distinguishing mark of a leader for him to succeed? There are many practical ways of answering this question and yet in my personal journey, these two stand out and remain to be true.

1. Be God-centered.

The way we relate with people reflects our relationship with God. 

Many times, I find myself underestimating or not really trusting others. When they say they can do it, I would make sure that they can make it which communicates a lack of trust or no trust at all. What made me realize this truth in me are the feedback that I get from those I work closely with. How could we get an honest feedback? In my experience, I would intentionally ask for feedback and assure them that I will not defend. At times, I would also find myself so defensive. Thanks for the conviction of the holy Spirit. In my quiet moments with God, thoughts on these lessons keep flowing in my mind. And I keep learning. Trust is the key to relate well with people. You can't open yourself to them unless you give yourself a chance to trust them. It's a choice.

How can you say you love God if you don't love your brothers? 

2. Be Other-centered.

Christian leadership is a calling that acknowledges your personal interests and the interests of others above you. This is about prioritizing others. This is one area I'm trusting God to continually work in and through me. What helped me have a healthy practice of this is by asking questions to my teammates. As they share their thoughts, I would do my best to listen well and to really understand what they mean. Of course, there are also times that I'm so excited in the conversation which means cutting them off in the discussion and I would tend to dominate. :) 

Being other-centered also means cooking my favorite menu (I'm more confident to do this) for my teammates. Listing down the top three qualities of my teammates. Spending time with them with the goal of knowing them. It also means asking them about their needs, praying for them and appreciating them through any valid means of communication. For me, I would say the words straight in front of him or through text messages, emails or FB messages.

Philippians 2:1-5 says, "1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,"

To be other-centered means others increase while I decrease.

Triple A Leadership

Accept. Affirm. Affect.

Accept. Acknowledge that these are the people of God. In His sovereignty, they are placed or assigned to be under you. One good way to practically develop acceptance of any person I work with is to spend time with him and get to know his interests. Focusing on his strengths would be helpful too. Many times we find ourselves not liking others because of our own issues. Mostly, insecurities, envy, personality differences. But as we continue to get to know them and focus on them, we will see ourselves becoming more other-centered. Pray for a heart that accepts our teammates, whoever they are.

Affirm. We need to realize that they count for something. They are known as critics, supervisors, encouragers. What helped me when I led a team in Mapua campus before was to ask every member of my team to come up with the top 3 good qualities that they want to communicate in front of every team member in one of our staff meetings. This exercise helped us to be more appreciative of others, affirming them of God's unique design and gifting for them. Regarding feedback on something to improve? Well, they also shared only one item. I found this helpful to see my flaws and how to grow more as a leader.

Some of them said:

 I can say that God is at work in your life in the area of leadership - you grow a lot in leading a team, your disciples that results to a good ministry experience and you know how to control your emotions. In the area also of relating to people. In the family- your are more intentional in connecting with them and giving time to spend with them specially the growing kids. Personal- more confident ka na to speak sa tunga ( you are now more confident to speak in front of the crowd).  And ang isa nga na appreciate ko gid sa area sang ministry (one thing I do appreciate in the area of ministry), you walk your talk. Pero may I suggest? Loose weight lang gamay and ang tyan indi gidadakuon. Hehe. Daw mas ok sya. 

As a ccc missionary, you do your responsibilities with excellence. Fruitful ministry is evident in any ministry assignment because you show complete dependence on God. You give high value in your personal walk with God and also value your relationship with the people around specially in your family. I appreciate how you give time to your family in spite of busyness and multiple roles. You also have the heart to serve your teammates and look to their potential than their problems. 

As a missionary, I 'm blessed with your passion to serve and your commitment to develop and raise disciples. As a family, I thank God that you are doinyg your best to strike the balance in giving your best to meet the needs of your family and to see to it that they are happy. As a person, I saw much growth to you and how the Lord gives the desires of your heart. Just keep a humble heart and walk much closer to Him. 

Good evening kuya:) I have seen emotional growth in your life. May self- control  na :) You give more time with your family even though you have a busy schedule. As a leader, you are more secure. You are more open, you welcome comments and suggestions. More open-minded. 

Affect. We need to affirm verbally or by any valid means of communication. We need to be truthful. This is leadership.

Maximizing Your Holy Week

In any parts of the globe, many are observing the Holy Week, which commemorates the Passion of Christ, begins on Palm Sunday 2013, which falls on March 24, 2013. Holy Week 2013 ends on Holy Saturday 2013, which falls on March 30, 2013.

Many people would go somewhere like beaches, pools, mountains and the like. It's a holiday for many, if not for everybody. You would love to drive along EDSA.

But what is the real essence of Holy Week? Maundy Thursday? Good Friday? Black Saturday? Easter Sunday? I asked a friend some tips on how to maximize this week and he said, "read the bible." That's true. As I pondered about this season, I'm brought back to my knees, thanking Jesus because it's all about Him. There's nothing we can do that could pay back what He did on the cross for us. He did it because of the Father's love for us. He doesn't want that any man should perish but for everyone to have a full life in Him through His Son Jesus Christ who died on the cross once and for all. It's painful for a Father to allow His son to die for you and me, but His LOVE overcomes. 

This week, it's but proper to meditate on what He did for us, and if we haven't made a commitment yet to surrender our life to Him, you can do it so by expressing something like this...

"Lord Jesus,  I admit that I am a sinner and I live a life on my own. I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I surrender my life to You, so You can make me the kind of person you want me to be.  Thank You for forgiving my sins and for giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life and make me the kind of person You want me to be. Amen."

Have a meaningful week. Jesus Christ is the reason. Take time to be alone with Him and thank God for what He has done. Our response should be to worship Him, adoring Him for who He is. 

Watch this video link (http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KGlx11BxF24). 

What lessons did you learn during this week? How would you apply it personally?

Journey in the WORD

Thank You for Your Word!

1 Peter 5

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

What comes to mind?
In my present situation, I just need to humble myself before God which means to just rest in Him, wait upon the Lord, trust in His goodness and faithfulness. To humble means to submit to His Lordship, perfect plan and timing. It means being confident in the Lord and His might. I will not put myself on the top nor work for recognition. Even with this leadership journey. A proud person doesn't normally listen to others. He thinks to have the best idea. With this, I pray to have a listening heart and mind to God - to really be humble before Him and take time to listen to His still, small voice.

"In that proper time he may exalt you."  God is the One who will protect you and promote you. So, in my situation, I should not fret whether I will be recognized or not with what I do.
It is a good reminder that God cares for me and all I have to do is to cast all my cares to Him. What are my cares that I need to surrender to God now? MPD in the next few days, condo unit, family, health, role for Southeast Asia Campuses, and the list may go on and on...

"Be on guard, feed my mind with His word, be observant, careful, discerning..." - paying attention to God and His word. The devil is looking for opportunities to destroy God's wonderful plan for my life but I have to be grounded in His word, I have to be on guard, wear the weapons of faith (Ephesians 6).
By His grace, I will always pray that God will cover me with His power to resist the devil and be firm in faith. God will ultimately work in and through my life as I surrender to His Lordship and power. I can't do it on my own.

As I go through the sufferings of this life, focusing my eyes on Jesus, only God will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish me as I obey Him in His eternal purpose and glory in Christ.

What's your journey with God's WORD lately?

Transition