Thank you ministry partners for making this possible!

2011 was a blast! =)

“Preparing Students for LIFE”

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Thank you for all your support and prayers!

Over 7,000 came and we’re “ignited!”

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The Right Thing 101 By John C Maxwell

A few years ago, I published a book called Ethics 101. In it, I proposed that ethics was not a changeable thing, based on your situation or personality or industry. Instead, I explained that I believe that ALL ethics boils down to one thing: The Golden Rule.

Essentially, asking the question, “How would I like to be treated?” is an integrity guideline for ANY situation.

Think about it: How DO we like to be treated?

1. We want to be valued.

Did you know that in the American marketplace today, 70% of those who leave their jobs do so because they do not feel valued? Don’t you want others to accept you for who you are and show you through their actions that you matter?

Valuing others, not for what they can do but simply because they are human beings, is the foundation of ethics.

2. We want to be appreciated.

Closely related to the need to be valued and loved is the desire to be appreciated for what we can do. Don’t you want to excel and achieve? Knowing that what you do matters builds your self-confidence and self-worth.

How do we express appreciation? Begin by thanking people at every opportunity. Give credit to others. And make a point of praising people in the presence of those close to them, like family members. Broadway producer Billy Rose shrewdly observed, “It’s hard for a fellow to keep a chip on his shoulder if you allow him to take a bow.”

3. We want to be trusted.

George MacDonald said, “To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.” Think about it: Good marriages, business relationships, and friendships all require trust. Without it, you don’t have open and honest communication, and the relationship can be only temporary.

It takes a leap of faith to put your trust in another person, especially someone you don’t know well. But as Henry L. Stinson said, “The only way you can make a man trustworthy is by trusting him; and the surest way to make him untrustworthy is to distrust him and show your distrust.”

4. We want to be respected.

When others trust me, I receive responsibility and authority. When others respect me, it touches something deeper within me. It gives me dignity and builds my confidence. As Arnold Glasow said, “The respect of those you respect is worth more than the applause of the multitude.”

The respect of a leader gives people the freedom to perform at their best and the incentive to work with excellence. I can’t think of a more positive working environment.

5. We want to be understood.

Charles Kettering said, “There is a great difference between knowing and understanding. You can know a lot about something and not really understand it.” Likewise, we can know a lot about a person and still not really understand them or why they do what they do.

But the desire to be understood is so strong that many disagreements can be resolved simply when one party (or both) gets the sense that they’ve been understood.

Understanding others means extending yourself and meeting them where they are. You must put the burden of connecting on yourself, not on them.

6. We don’t want others to take advantage of us.

We can cut through almost all of the ethical and moral dilemmas of life by observing this principle with others. If anyone could interpret what I do as taking advantage of them, then my actions are probably a bad idea.

What do you think of the needs listed above? Did I miss anything? And just for the sake of discussion, let me pose a question you can answer in the comments:

Describe a situation in your past in which a person in authority expressed value, appreciation, and respect for you. Why does that instance stand out to you? How did you respond?

Find more on ethics for all areas of life in Ethics 101.

—————–

John C. Maxwell is an internationally respected leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold more than 19 million books. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP, a non-profit organization that has trained more than 5 million leaders in 126 countries worldwide. Each year he speaks to the leaders of diverse organizations, such as Fortune 500 companies, foreign governments, the National Football League, the United States Military Academy at West Point, and the United Nations. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell has written three books that have sold more than a million copies: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader.

I was recently meeting with a pastor and he shared an idea about parenting from the verse that’s been read at probably every baby dedication or parenting series you’ve ever been to:

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
Proverbs 22:6

He told me that in the Hebrew, it literally translates “Train a child according to his way.” I checked it out and it’s legit.

The implication is that this verse isn’t simply about giving our children good structuring or sound instruction. Or negatively, about training them up to go in the way we desire. It’s also about customizing our approach to our children based on their unique DNA and gift set.

Many people are familiar with strengths-based leadership and the fact that the most effective leaders are those that focus and invest in their people’s strengths. But fewer people realize that this applies to our first and primary sphere of leadership: our families. And specifically, our children.

Instead what often happens is that we think a one-size fits all approach will work for every child everywhere, including ours. Or that the goal of parenting is to produce a well-rounded individual, so we focus on making their weaknesses mediocre rather than their strengths phenomenal. Or worse, we want our children to have our strengths, or ones we wish we had.

The problem is that your child is unique on purpose. They have their own God-given strengths and aptitudes. And it’s these that you need to call out and encourage.

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: Mediocrity is mass-produced. Destiny and excellence are custom designed.

The catch is that’s not only true with you. It’s also true with your children.
You are a peculiar person. There will never be another you.
But your child is also a peculiar person. There will never be another of them either.

God doesn’t intend for your child to be like everybody else. He already had everybody else when He made them. There’s something unique in your child. Something special. Significant. God has a calling on their life. There are exceptional abilities that only they have.

Your role as a parent is to identify and maximize them. Not change them or flatten them out. Or accommodate them to yours.

Train up your children in their strengths and they will discover the purpose for which they were created. And when they grow up, they will not depart from it.

———-

Steven Furtick is the Senior Pastor of Elevation Church.

(note: it’s interesting to learn some insights from a man’s point of view. )

How to Set Standards by Sean Patrick Si

We all have standards in life. You and me. Some of your standards could be that you don’t want to live at your parent’s house forever, some could be that you want to take a bath twice a day, etc. There are lots of different kinds of standards that we have set – conciously and/or unconsciously.

Where do we get our standards?

Our standards don’t just pop into our heads like an idea. It is made and formed out of lifestyle. Simply put, we get our standards from wants and don’t wants.

We see the lives of other people. We see the lives of our parents, our siblings, our friends. We see the lifestyles of each and every person we meet and know – and from there we then come to a realization of what we want out life to be. You can say that we compare and measure the lives we want with the lives we’re seeing and experiencing now.

There are different kinds of standards:

Some standards you can let go of

These are the standards that you’ve set before you thought about it thoroughly. These are the standards that need changing and that can be improved. These are the standards that you can improve on or that you can leave behind in order to adopt a new one.

For example: You were brought up to always head straight to breakfast. Someone told you to first wash your hands before doing so – you change your standard and now you decide to wash your hands before every meal.

Some standards you keep

These are the standards that are instilled in you. You’ve created and protected these standards with reasoning, belief and decision.

For example: You always pray and read God’s Word after you wake up and before you sleep.

Some standards you have to die for

These are the standards that you believe in with all your heart. These are the standards that you will never let go of no matter what the reason.

For example: Your standard of refusing to deny Christ as your Lord and Savior.

What are the standards today?

I believe that we lack standards in our time today. The world teaches you that standards are a barrier for growth and understanding. The world tells you that having no standard is okay – that way you’re flexible and are true to yourself.

These are all lies.

If you do not have a standard, you’re not becoming more flexible. You’re becoming weak. Without your own standards, the world will set it for you. And the world’s standards will sooner or later destroy your life.

I see a lot of men today without standards – even ‘Christian’ men. Most of them have standards so low that they sit on it and are humming their lives away comfortably. They don’t want to marry because it’s a hassle. They don’t want to work because they can live off with what their parents have anyway. They play computer games all day because they’re good at it. They want sex but they don’t want the committment of marriage. And they think they’re ‘real men’.

Ladies, don’t set your standards low as to settle for men like these. Set your standards high too because real Christian men still exist in this world. You are worth the wait and God will be the one to put him through your way.

Where do you find the right standards?

Where do we look for standards? Do we search for it in friends? Maybe. Do we look for it from billboards? From books perhaps?

The first place to look for your standards is from the creator and designer of your life. He’s laid it all out in His Word. The standards we have to live in come from the Bible. Who would better know the rules and standards that are best for us than the one who created us?

Set your standards

Real men set their standards high – so high that they need to push themselves to jump in order to reach it.

——-

Sean Patrick Si – A Blogger and editor-in-chief of God and You and SEO Hacker. He is dedicated to sharing his faith and wisdom and God to the online community.

We had a powerful, inspiring and life-changing time last October 29 and 30, as 160 student leaders from our churches in the region got connected, equipped and empowered not only to make disciples but also live a life of character that pleases God.

With lessons that tackles Calling, Character, Competence and Chemistry, our LifeBox National Team composed of Pastor CJ Nunag, Chryso Fajardo, Maya Reynoso and Babes Bato successfully launched the new face of Regional Leaders Convergence at this year’s host, Victory Davao.

Pastor CJ started it off with a foundational truth that everyone has been called by God. And the first calling is a call to Jesus - a call to have a relationship with Him. Jesus called the first disciples to Himself (Matthew 4:19). He is calling us to have a personal relationship with Him. The point was Christianity is all about – Jesus.  (Jesus period.) And so everything about life revolves around Him. So when we say we love Him, our actions and the way we live our lives should show that. Then followed by a lesson on the importance of character, by Pastor Peds of Davao. We’ve learned this - The more we follow Jesus, the more His character is built up in us.

During the evening, the Campus Mixer, dedicated in creating synergy and connection between student leaders was filled with fun and fellowship. The highlight was the time of worship. God’s presence really ministered to everyone. An altar call was also given, in response to God’s call  for those who feels like there’s a call to go on full time campus ministry work. It was encouraging to see that around 60 students responded to that call. We ended by praying for one another and for the campuses in the region of Mindanao.

Day 2:  Pastor Jerry of Zamboanga and Pastor Job of Cagayan de Oro shared about competence.

King David, learning from his life, had integrity of the heart and skillful hands. Pastor Jerry made a point that integrity is having the right heart to do the right thing. On the other hand, Pastor Job learning more from David, emphasized that he (David) was an ordinary man, just like us, called by an extraordinary God to do extraordinary things for Him. He was called to leave a mark, and God is calling us too, not just to live but leave a mark in our generation.However, before David was able to experience God’s calling for him, he went through a process of testings to mold his character and faith. Thus making a point that, skills will come when we don’t quit the process. Hence, it gave us a deeper appreciation on the trials we face as God’s way of training us for a greater calling.

And Pastor Joppet of General Santos finally nailed the importance of chemistry as we fulfill God’s call for us. He shared about the importance of teamwork, and insisted that only by working together we could achieve our goal - every campus in every nation.  And ended with an encouragement that we have a great team because we are part of the Team Jesus.

The session also included some “break-up sessions,” where we were able to interact more and learn from one another.

Regional Leaders’ Convergence focuses on leadership development of our students, equipping them with lessons that will hone their skills and character in a higher standard.  Elevating students’ conviction to a higher call is the answer to the growing need of our churches as more complex youth groups and cultures are formed inside the campus walls.  The school’s landscape has definitely changed with the birth of new forms of social media and technology, which greatly affects the perspective, and formation of our youth today.