First things first! My Morning devo:
“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”
– Psalms 23:3, 6 NLT
This is a clear view of how God protects and provides for us. He never fails to renew my strength and He is so intentional working in my life making sure I am on the right path. Actually, I realized that God’s immeasurable love is overwhelming because He continuously loves me and redirects me to His path even if I won’t bring Honor to His name or even give credit for it after. That pseudo-Independence is NOT a good example of how should I live if I am to follow Jesus – it is the complete declaration of total surrender to the One who makes everything possible in my life.
I have and I am still being pursued by the Lord and I cannot imagine why a Sovereign God would do that to a mere creation like me? I cannot explain how warm His love is and I pray to have at least a bit of His heart so that I could share the same love to others. Whenever I talk to Jesus, my heart leaps for joy na parang kinikilig kasi ibang klase ang pagmamahal na pinaparamdam niya sa akin.
Father God, I praise you and I am in complete awe of your unchanging and unfailing love. Only YOU can give that kind of love to me and I know I am nothing if it wasn’t for that love. You are saving me day by day through your Grace and I cannot imagine how to live my life again without you. No other man here on earth can and will die for me just like what your son Jesus did JUST TO SAVE ME and no other man can and will pursue my heart like what you are to me all the days of my life. I am a sinner and I am blessed to experience your saving grace every second of my life. I am nothing but thankful. May You always hug me tighter when there are temptations on my way because, without the Holy Spirit, I cannot fight them alone and with my human strength. May You always remind me to be intentional in loving my family and friends just as you are teaching me now. Lord, I can never be perfect but may You continue to provide wisdom and be Christ-like today and till the day you come back for me. Thank you for everything and I praise you and love you, in Jesus mighty name, Amen.
Kids, this is a story of how I became a Faci and the experience of being one.
Faci – Facilitator (fa·cil·i·ta·tor); a person that makes an action or process easy or easier.
It is a known fact that I am a trainer by profession and by heart. The career path I am in now perfectly complements my God-given talents in speaking and imparting learning & development to people. I found joy and encouragement when I see people I train develop and grow by allowing me to tap on their potential. In a nutshell, I found my sweet spot. As a trainer, it is a “must” that you know your topic or at least research a lot about it. Moreover, it requires passion.
Remember the story of how my Fridays nights are booked? It kinda started there. I learn by example and you can simply lead me by example.
My third and last table. Czar, my former B1GFridays faci and now DGroup leader. #SpiritualMommy
Volunteering is not a new thing to me since I grew up learning and inculcating the virtue of altruism in my veins but I know I am pretentiously altruistic back then. I somehow need to feel the “NEED” for me before I could dive into it. I need to feel that I can really contribute something or at least have something to learn afterward. See how impure and selfish my heart back then and how ironic that I wanted to join a selfless activity and yet my motives are all selfish. I praise Jesus for teaching me to be selfless and to obey God the Father. Again, I can be taught by example and I thank God for allowing me to meet His daughters who are living and walking with Him.
Czar, as intentional as she is.
Ate Trixie, my True Life Retreat Faci, and her stories of how Elisabeth Elliot inspired her to volunteer.
All these women inspired me to become a volunteer and with a number of different committees, there is no doubt that I can join the Facilitators’ Committee; Again, a sweet spot. However, making that decision was not easy for me. I never doubted that I could perform but I have doubted my knowledge and my intention. I continue attending my DGroup and practice Bible Reading and Praying but I know I will never be at par with my two previous Facis whom I look up to. I did experience God’s love for me and witnessing God’s grace in my life and I was guided by the knowledge from attending B1GFridays, B1G13 Persevere, and DGroups – also, there is the Bible to give me the facts that I need but somehow, I still felt insufficient for the role.
My DGroup Leader, Czar, has been convincing and encouraging me nonstop to volunteer and there came a time nakulitan na ako that I had to ignore topics like those. LOL. But God reminded me to humble and realize the intentionality of my DGroup Leader who wants nothing but for me to grow in Faith. I know I have to obey but I still kept quiet. I was learning everything I could and I was checking on my heart IF I could. My thoughts were crowded with “What If”s and I am purely thinking of my reputation as a Faci in the future. I experienced 2 great Facis and I really wanted to follow their example. SEE. The knowledge was there but the intention was not right. God and I had to talk.
As I was doing one of my morning devotions, I came across with this passage:
“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT
God impressed on my heart that I should not be following examples from other people except Him. I was worried and doubtful about how can I present myself as a Faci when all I need to present is how God worked and is working in my life. I don’t need to show off the achievements and how knowledgeable I am in the Bible but I just need to magnify God’s glory and share His love with Resounding Joy. I praise God for clearing my thoughts and humbling my heart to be led by the BEST FACI and that is Jesus. As Google defined the term “facilitator” above, I realized that Jesus made the process easier for me. Jesus died and made it easy for me to live. Jesus’ blood made it easy for me to directly speak to God the Father. Jesus saved me. Who Am I not to obey? As my friend Jill once told me, “delayed obedience is disobedience.”
“I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.” Psalm 119:60 NIV
You see, I was stubborn and I needed grace. God never failed to make me feel saved by His grace day by day and it humbles my heart being reminded of it. I prayed hard and obeyed.
I attended the Volunteers’ GA without the knowledge of my DGroup Leader – but I eventually told her that day and she was there also. Lol. She prayed for me and for my heart.
I was blessed to find a family here and I am encouraged by their servant hearts. What a humbling experience to serve the Lord!
I have my own table number!
A notebook given by my bespren few years back and I final knew where and how to use it.
Sneak Peak inside the notebook. My Faci Journey in Prints!
I was learning alongside with my table participants and I couldn’t thank God enough for this opportunity. I was surrounded by great facis to guide me in the BILIB-IT Cluster Family and I am encouraged by their stories of how God worked in their lives. When B1G True Life Retreat was announced, I knew it would be for the big leagues and there were calling for volunteers. I know I need to learn more but in my heart, Jesus whispers that I have to try.
After a series of training, prayers, and tests, I finally made it!
As a facilitator in the B1G Ministry, I have learned a lot and what’s more, I gained more than what I was worried about. I was taken care of really well by the Faci Care committee and I am encouraged more and more. The Holy Spirit is continuously guiding me as I talk to the ladies and I always pray that it will be more of Him and less of me. Humbling, indeed.
I am also encouraging whoever is reading this to try. Never be stumbled by fear and surrender the worries to God. Let the Holy Spirit guide you and His works magnified through your brokenness will be the best example of how sovereign God is.
Sharing with everyone the Volunteers’ video. It was my birthday when they took this that’s why I am not on it so don’t try to find me 🙂
Leave a Comment