Basketball, basketball, basketball

I have a basketball family. Thanks to my dad. And my grandfather. And my uncles.

So, this time of year is fun. Final Four. NBA playoffs.

Since I'm hanging with the family this weekend, some observations:

• We bought my parents a new, HD, flat panel TV. Don't worry. My dad paid.
• It was neat to see, after we set up the TV, how basketball and the new nephew brought us together.
• The Lakers are only one game behind the Cavs for the best record in the league after last night.
• But, why the heck is Pau Gasol still playing so many minutes this late in the season? He had as much post season activity as Kobe (since they played each other in the gold medal game of the Olympics). Laker Nations needs Pau as much Kobe.
• Andrew Bynumn can have as much fun as he wants. Just stay away from the Playboy Mansion and Playboy bunnies and get your knee better.
• Could it be that we have a Villanova/Michigan State championship game?
• I just watched this Jay Bilas segment on Villanova's offense. I like this stuff, understanding the ins and outs of the game. Bilas should be a coach.

Back to lounging...

Attention all technology people...

I will be the first person to admit that I am a technology G-E-E-K!

I enjoy being around technology. I've worked at technology stores. I "snuck" into this year's Consumer Electronics Show (amazing experience!).

I am very excited about the soon-to-be-released Palm Pre smartphone.

I have a blog, Facebook, Twitter, and ways to update all three on my phone.

My MacBook goes with me wherever I go.

And, if I was being honest, I could find more technology to be consumed with.

So, this morning, as I was exchanging Tweets with fellow youth minister Chris Faddis, this simple phrase re-surfaced in my mind:

Hi-tech/low touch

Bob Schrimpf is a friend, a holy man of God, a devoted husband and father, and a youth worker who has influenced many ministries and lives across the country. He coined this phrase and has shared it at conferences and meetings that he is asked to speak at.

And he shares this phrase to point out that, while our technology makes us more "efficient", it does not make us more loving or compassionate. Our humanity is not "cyber" by nature, it is physical by nature.

Touch, not texts, are natural. The warmth of a hug, not a Facebook bumper sticker, expresses authentic, loving relationship. Sharing laughter with one friend, not hundreds of anonymous Twitter followers, will bring us joy and peace.

This is not a bashing of technology or the people that use it!!!!

Technology works. And it does have a place in our culture, in our family lives, in our ministries.

But, for as advanced as technology will continue to become, it will not replace the need for the physical-ness of our human relationships.

Why is this? There are lots of very smart people, inventing very smart things.

Those smart people thinking up those smart gadgets can't design or create one very important thing...

LOVE.

Incarnated, self-donated love is the ONLY thing that can fulfill our deepest desires and longings.

And that can only come from Our Creator, the One who made us in His image and likeness, who reaches down from Heaven to touch us - I mean, physically and really touch us - in the Sacraments, in the Church, in our relationships.

We may have a hard time perceiving God as God. It is an act of faith to recognize that he is touching us, speaking to us, watching us, listening to us at every moment of our day in a very real and physical way.

So, send out your text or post or tweet. But be sure to follow that up with love.

Should I stay or should I go now?

Ahhhh, yes the words of this R.E.M. song are running through my head this morning. It would be so nice to spend the day here in L.A., help out my brother and sister-in-law, hang out with my nephew.

But, there is much work to be done in San Diego. Retreats to plan. Music to learn. Programs to administrate. Laundry to be laundered (lots of laundry, I might add).

Yes, the proverbial tug-of-war of life and of ministry.

Mike Patin talked once about learning how to better manage tension in our lives. While many of us are on the quest for "balance", many of us are unable to achieve it because we can't clearly discern where God is guiding us.

But when we are aware of tension (i.e. should I have my Confirmation meeting or go witness the birth of my nephew?), the Holy Spirit now has a greater opening help us make decisions, big and small.

There are contexts in our lives when we should prioritize ministry over life. But, there are clearly times that ministry should take a back seat to life. Like, canceling that Confirmation meeting to witness the birth of my nephew.

I think my family and the Holy Spirit would agree I got this one right.

It's about time for a new post

I haven't blogged in over three months. Busyness is one reason. Twitter is another. Lack of organization is up there too. But, today of all days, I have many reasons to post.

Today is the Feast of St. Patrick. For probably obvious reasons, this day has significance for me since I am named after this holy man of God.

I went to Mass this morning, and, in honor of St. Patrick, Fr. Ernesto used this as a closing prayer:

Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me.

This prayer was so true for me today, as I celebrated the birth of my new baby nephew, Andrew Jr.

I was most certainly consumed by God in every sense, from receiving Him in the Eucharist as I started this day to the loving support of my parish community to the courage to re-prioritize my day to seeing the joy of my family to holding a gift from heaven in my arms.

The change that a newborn brings about in his/her parents is, of course, monumental. But, is there a different, yet no less monumental change brought about in the lives of the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, family friends, communities?

I would say that the answer is an absolute yes.

I don't know how my life will be different. But it will definitely not be the same.

I have a new teacher in my life. A young man who will teach me about love. How to receive love, but definitely how to give love. This young man will be a reminder by every laugh and cry and dirty diaper that, even though I thought I had love figured out, I don't.

And while this young man cannot use words to speak yet, he'll communicate a language that is at the core of every human heart he will come in contact with. A language of life. A language of hope. A language of family.

There is cuteness in thinking about sharing in the journey of this young man. But this new life has caused me to think about my own conversion. If I am to live my vocation as uncle, I must be a better Christian, a better son and brother, a better friend, a man of integrity, an example of God's mercy and peace.

At every Mass, the priest prays these words that has really stood out to me lately:

Make us grow in love.

We better get started, nephew. I have a lot to learn from you.

P.S. Nephew, on the day you were born, the Lakers had a bad loss to the 76ers, I have not yet completed my NCAA Tournament bracket, and I'm sleepy but want to catch up on 24.

In need of a writing spot

Some of the great writers/thinkers I know have a physical location that aids them in their writing/thinking.  For some of them, they have several locations.

I do not have one of these locations that I've designated my writing spot.  Sometimes, it's my bedroom.  Sometimes my office.  Sometimes a sports bar.

Obviously, the creative process can happen at any time and any place.  But there does seem to be about your current surroundings that make a difference.

Speaking of creative, I'm meeting with a sister in ministry tomorrow to vision on how I can be a better worship leader.

Other random thoughts:

• I decided to bust out the scarves that my mom has bought for me through the years.  Pretty sweet, not gonna lie.
  
• One of the blessings of ministry is getting to welcome home youth group kids from college, especially around Christmas time.
  
• Getting body work done on the car this week, so I'm cruising around in a Pontiac G6.  Not a bad ride.
  
• The Utah snowboarding trip is this week.  Oh Lord, please let my body survive.
  

Avenida Magdalena

I’ve driven the 5 freeway from San Diego to Los Angeles for a significant portion of my adult life. And while there have been many reasons over the years for my northbound adventures, my final destination was not so much about a city or a building, but about home.

Yesterday, as I drove up the I-5 through San Clemente, I noticed a sign that I’ve driven by during those many many journeys: Avendia Magdalena, 1/4 mile.

Normally, I would not think twice about this sign, as it looks the same as every other sign on the freeway.

But, Magdalena is the name of my beloved grandmother, who died on Nov. 30.

And I drove by the sign on my way to the airport, to get on a plane to attend her funeral in her home, Cebu.

This moment of awareness of this sign was both sad and joyful.

Sad because it was a reminder of the purpose of this journey. And joyful because it was a reminder of the final destination of this journey.

There is that cliche, “Home is where the heart is”. I think of home whenever I think of my grandmother, whether it was at her house in the Philippines or going to church or a fast-food restaurant or a beach resort or a shopping center.

Throughout my entire life, she taught me to value something greater than myself: God and family. And family, with all it’s imperfections, is a place where two of God’s gifts reside: love and mercy. She gave both generously. I’m sure she made sacrifices for my good that I will never know about. She expected that God and family were first in my heart, even to the point of demanding it.

I am who I am today because she defined home in all it’s beauty and all it’s responsibility.

I will be arriving at her house shortly. I will see pictures of her. I will feel her presence. I will remember her in the family and friends that are gathering to celebrate her life. But she won’t be there to greet me, as she did every time I came to visit her. And, while there is sadness in this realization, there is also hope.

While it might seem like my idea of home should be different without her, there is something strangely familiar and comforting. And that’s probably because now, she’s directing me to a different home, heaven, waiting to greet me there.

My Thanksgiving list

I was at the ultimate Thanksgiving feast yesterday morning - Mass - and listened to a wonderful homily by Fr. Brian.  He encouraged us to be thankful for everyone and everything in our lives.  But...he also said that our gratitude needs to be directed towards the source of all of our blessings: God, our Father in heaven.  In fact, the Thanksgiving holiday was instituted by President Abraham Lincoln with this very thought in mind.  (You'll note in reading President Lincoln's proclamation that our country's issues in 1863 are not that different than what we are dealing with in 2008).

Now, for us as Christians, this seems to be an no-brainer, to give thanks to God.

Yet, I couldn't help but feel Fr. Brian's words pierce my heart.  He challenged us to give thanks from the depths of our hearts, in authentic love for God, not just in tokens of gratitude.

And, it made me realize, that I suck at being grateful.  I'm not grateful enough.  And I probably don't even offer quality gratefulness.  It's not because my parents didn't teach this to me.  It's not because I don't know how to do it.  It's really because I lack the humility to give thanks.

So, here is my very small attempt to live and express the love that I have for the blessings that God has given to me, despite my smallness, and brokennesss...

• To my father, Vicente Jr., who models for me courage and faithfulness to the truth of Jesus Christ and His Church, and the on-going search for that truth.  I would not be the man of God I am today without his example.
• To my mother, Maria, who is to me the definition of love: the self-donation, without counting the cost, always willing the good of the other (whoever the other is).
• My sister, Sister Jennifer, who has endured much and sacrificed much to be in the joyful vocation that Christ has called her to live.
• To my brother Steve, who has always embraced and lived the freedom that is ours when we trust the divine plan, not the human plan.
• To my brother Andrew, who is a man in every sense of the word, and growing beautifully in to his vocation of husband and father.
• To my sister-in-law Grace, who has been a blessing to our family from the very moment she entered our lives.  My brother is lucky, but I think we're equally as lucky.
• To my cousins, my greatest regret in my life is that there are too many miles that separate us and calendar years between our visits.  Yet your presence in my heart and my prayer is always strong.
• To all of my grandparents, Vicente Sr. and Magdalena and Simeon and Eugenia, the best I can do to repay your love is to keep you in prayer and live by the example you set for me.
• To all the priests that have nurtured my faith.  My ministry and my desire to do God's Will would not be possible without your wisdom.
• To my Groupies, I never thought the brotherhood of faith that we share would be so necessary for my sanity and my trust and my hope.  I need your presence in my life more than you will know.
• For music, especially the Coldplay and John Mayer albums that kept me company during my drive home to LA yesterday.
• For people who don't answer an incoming call on their cell phones in front of other people, particularly when that other person happens to be the God of the Universe.
• To old friends who I lost contact with, please know that I pray everyday for our paths to cross again.
• To Rob, Tony, Trish, Michelle, Patti, Franc, Tina, Debbie, Pete, Susan, Roberta, Del, Cheryl, Tim Liz, Melani, Chris, John, I'm in awe of your dedication and desire to serve.  Thank you does not seem like enough of an expression of gratitude.
• To my roommate Nick for how he lives out the Beatitudes.
• To youth workers of every denomination, you are my people!  Thanks for sharing this journey with me.
• To the St. James community, who continue to amaze me by their generosity and love.
• To teens past, present and future of St. James Youth Ministry, I cannot name all of you for fear of forgetting someone.  But know you have touched my heart and brought me closer to God.  My life is most certainly better off for your presence in my life.
• For musicians and speakers who have devoted their talent to serve the people of God, you give me reason to pray hard and worship more from the depths of my heart.
• For the Sacraments, the source of my life.
• For my many crosses, God's gift to me that I may glorify Him and allow him to love me.

Make a new list

For as much as I visit Facebook on a daily basis, I just this morning realized that there is a "Make a new list" feature.  This allows you to organize your friends however you please.

I decided I would create different lists, in the hopes of adding a level of organization to my Facebook experience.

And as I was trying to figure out what to call each list, I for the first time actually went through the names of the people I've connected - or re-connected - with on Facebook.  I reminisced about different experiences I shared with some people or just wondered how others were doing.

But I struggled with naming the lists, because I felt like I should distinguish my high school and college classmates from young people that have been/are part of my youth group.  Or people I've met through the Catholic community here in San Diego from my brother and sister youth workers.  I even struggled with how to "categorize" people based on their age or current life experience/status.

However, this thought kept coming back to me as I discerned: regardless of how the person is related/connected to me or how old they are or what they've been through or which of my lists they end up on, they are still friends.  They bless me by their presence in my life in such a beautiful variety of ways.  They are constant reminders of God's goodness and mercy to me.  Maybe the very pure goodness of "social networking" comes not from the creators of Facebook, but from God's desire that we "should not be alone". 

So to my friends, thank you!

What turning the other cheek really means...

When I was a young lad, my parents made us read alot.  And I mean ALOT.  One of the things we had to read was a series of books on influential people of our modern world: Louis Pasteur, Helen Keller...people like that.

The book/person I remember the most was Jackie Robinson.

His story stood out to me partly because he was a Brooklyn Dodger (and I was a fan of the West Coast version of that team), partly because he was a talented baseball player, and partly because he went to a high school not too far from mine.

But what really touched me was that he was asked to make sacrifices for a greater good and truth.  

Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Dodgers at the time, knew that signing the first African-American major league baseball player would be scandalous to the establishment.  And he knew that Jackie would have to endure much hardship, not only for his acceptance in the league, but so that other African-American players would someday have the same chance to play.

The book chronicled Branch Rickey counseling Jackie to turn the other cheek at all the slurs, physical violence on the field and lack of support from teammates that would most certainly be directed at him.  

And, of course, history has proven that his choice to not repay evil with evil changed the hearts of a professional baseball league, its players and an entire country.

Why do I remember this now?

The greater good and THE Truth is bigger than the candidates that will be elected tomorrow and the laws that will be passed or defeated.  And what is good and true always and in every case prefers giving life and sanctifying the family unit.

Some of you reading this (Christian and non-Christian alike) do not agree with Christianity's stance on many of the issues on the ballot, particularly her support of California's Proposition 8 and Senator McCain's candidacy for the Office of the President.  Your reasons for disagreeing are understandable given today's cultural definition of love and your outspokenness is a beauty of our democracy.  To you, my prayer is that your passion can be directed towards moments (however big or small) of serious contemplation, where you can discover the fullness of your search for THE Truth, not just the small portion of it that we absorb from our culture.  In this contemplative journey, you may discover that THE Truth is in the very nature of our humanness - our true identities as male and female and the deepest longings of our souls.  And maybe, just maybe, in this journey you will understand why the pro-life, pro-family value system is so important to all humanity.

Some of you reading this are already committed to the Gospel message of Truth and desire that Truth to be borne out in our nation's government and policies.  Those that live the Christian life are called by God to make sacrifices to stand for a greater good and Truth. However, we cannot confuse what the greater good is here. It is bringing about the mercy and forgiveness of the Lord, not winning an election. We must choose to not repay evil that will be done to us because of our faith with evil.  We must choose unwavering charity to all people regardless of their political stance, whether or not the pro-life, pro-family values reflected on the ballot receives the most votes.  We must choose to take up our crosses, which may very well take the form of enduring personal attacks or violence, lack of support from our own families and brothers and sisters in faith, and/or loss of civil liberties. In choosing all these, we will cooperate with Christ in changing the hearts of our families, churches and our whole country.  And the victory will not belong to a political party or ideology, but to Christ, the way, THE Truth, and the life.

And, so now, we pray, that turning the other cheek will bring about peace and life...

Oh dear...another communications thing-a-muh-jig...

After weeks of hearing about this Twitter thing, I decided to get one for myself and try it out.  I have to admit, for as technology-savvy as I think I am, I'm not totally sure I get what this does.  It seems like it's mobile status updating/mini-blogging.  So, we'll see what happens with it.  Gotta find people to connect with I suppose...

Just when I thought I could be Tiger Woods...

I played in a golf tournament on Monday for our parish school.  And it was such good times.  I was in an awesome group.  The weather was great.  The food was abundant.  And the beverages were cold.

But...

I did not play up to what I expected.  And, let me tell you, that sucks.  The thing of it is that I really felt good about my swing and my ball striking and my putting and that I would put together a pretty decent round.  It didn't take very long for that to all come crashing down.

I guess the beautiful thing about humility is that it brings you to the real reality of your life, who you are, and who you aren't.

So, I suppose I shouldn't be too bent out of shape that I won't be quitting my "day job" for the PGA Tour.

It just sure would have been nice to hit a few more fairways and greens...

Long time no blog...

I hope I don't use that as a title of my blog very often.  It's been almost two weeks since I've posted.  And it's not for lack of topics.  It's just been that hectic.

Let's take this weekend, for instance.  It was non-stop from early Friday morning to late Sunday night.

Helping someone from church prepare a mission trip video, preparing our school of the week video, meeting with the principal of our elementary school, high school homecoming, parish festival (which included my visit to the dunk tank), Life Mass, youth group...

I'd have to say the highlight for sure was attending a conference with Christopher West.  I've never seen him in person (although, when he first started his presentation, I laughed because he sounds exactly like he does on the CDs my brother Steve gave me).  Christopher is a Catholic theologian and considered an expert on Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body.  The purpose of his presentation was to address the raging debate on the definition of marriage.

He made such a convincing argument for marriage as between a man and a woman.  It was rooted in the beauty of our Catholic teaching.  Yet he said that we can't enter into dialogue or change hearts by using the "because the Church says so" approach.  

He used so much "data" from non-religious sources: the development of civilization, dictionary definitions, the body of a male and female human being to make his point.  And he said, "Let the data speak".

But it was interesting that, as he developed his presentation, it became more of a blueprint for something bigger that just Prop 8.  He gave us insight into being authentically Catholic in the world today, being evangelizers, for serving in a ministry.

And it also affirmed something that has been in my heart and on my mind...that maybe, just maybe, I'm supposed to help give life to this blueprint.

A shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist...

With those words, every episode of the 80s version of Knight Rider began.  Yes, I will admit to being a fan of the show.  The car was cool.  The character, Michael Knight, was cool.  He was the PG version of Jack Bauer (with a car as a sick-kick).  And the supporting characters were cool.

So, now there is a 2008 version of the show, with a new car for KITT, and a new protagonist, who happens to be the son of Michael Knight.

I have seen the first two episodes.  It has a lot of the similar plot lines as the original, but with some different mythology and the use of the current production techniques to make the action sequences interesting.

But, any show is successful because of the writers' ability to engage us with the characters.  So, no matter how cool of a car KITT is, we are really more interested in Michael and Sarah and their adventures.

P.S.  You need to play the Turbo Boost game.  It's just silly fun!

Home is where the heart is

Twenty years ago, I was a sophomore at St. Francis High School in La Canada, California.  While my life is much, much different now in 2008 than it was in 1988, there is at least one thing that is the same: the Los Angeles Dodgers winning a playoff series.

In '88, the Dodgers went on to win the World Series, with the help of the famous Kirk Gibson home run in Game 1.  With last night's victory over the Cubs, Joe Torre's team is one step closer to repeating that success.

Now, even though I've become a Padres fan, I cannot but help and root for the team of my childhood.  And this has made me reflect on something deeper.  Maybe, just maybe, "home" invites us back for a visit every now and then, not just to remind us who we were, but to teach us that who we are is because of who we were.

The funny green line

So, the youth ministry video is done.  I've had some good feedback already from everyone who has seen it.  I pray that it will serve as a reminder to everyone about the beauty of God's mercy, that's He's always calling us and giving us the choice to enter into it.  And hopefully, it will inspire generosity of time and money, of which I can use large helpings of both.

As I said in my last post, I am most definitely an amateur editor.  Because of this, I cannot figure out why there is a silly little green line at the bottom of the screen that appears and disappears.  I hope no one minds.  It will certainly bug the technologically inclined.

Now, this funny green line has pointed me to something else.

My friend in ministry Marko blogged today about how inadequate, unprepared and unqualified he feels sometimes in his role as the president of a youth ministry resource company.  He called himself a "poser".  He's a junior high youth pastor at heart, not someone who can talk easily about financial projections, strategic plans or collaborative partnerships with business people.

And, boy, did that just hit the green line on the head for me.  For all of my professional experience, I love to do ministry.  I love the life of ministry.  I love how ministry has brought me closer to God.  I really have no idea how to remove the green line from a video or raise money or lead a group of people or administrate this ministry.  I'm not saying that I'm down on myself.  I'm stating a truth that I've known about myself for a long time, yet was afraid to admit because, like Marko, people would see me as a "poser" too.

I've had this feeling for the better part of my ministry career. And, let me tell you, it kinda sucks. And yet, that feeling forces me to spend more time on my knees in submission to His will.

Youth workers (and everyone involved in ministry) almost has to have this feeling of inadequacy to keep us humble. I don’t know about you, but it is certainly a huge challenge to stay humble when doing the Lord’s work.

I wrote in another post that the thing that keeps us out of trouble is humility…recognizing who we are, who we are not, and why God loves us so abundantly because of that!

Now, please don't misunderstand me.  This is not my attempt at getting any sympathy or positive affirmation.  

It's just that the green line reminded me that God fills my incompleteness in ways that I can never imagine possible.  I hope no one minds...

A smattering of schtuff...

• I'm currently listening to two very powerful albums: Revelation by Third Day and Hello Love by Chris Tomlin.  Both albums are not just wonderful musical experiences, but are also powerful expressions of how God works in the tangible to draw us close to Him.
  
• The iPhone is still a pretty amazing machine.  My friend told me today that the word on the street is that it will be available through multiple cellular carriers within a year.
  
• I love to eat.  Picking up breakfast at Pipes Cafe in Cardiff always brings a smile to my face.
  
• Is it just me, but are there ALOT of people (men AND women) who are fanatical about football?
  
• If you haven't done so already, you need to see the video on catholicvote.com.
  

Family Weekend

My Grandmother is visiting from the Philippines for a few weeks.  And this weekend, we had family day.  And Villa family day usually consists of two things: eating, shopping and more eating.  Oh, and picture taking.  It's definitely not a gathering without picture taking.

So, here's a picture of my beloved Grandmother and I (taken, of course, after our family day of shopping and in between eating).

As we were hanging out, it hit me...we (as in you and I) need to take time for family.  Whether it's flying 16 hours or driving for two, the travel is a worthwhile investment in love.

P.S.  Google Earth rocks!

P.S.S.  What a football weekend: St. Augustine High vs. Carlsbad on Friday, SDSU vs. Notre Dame on Saturday and Panthers vs. Chargers today.  Oh yes, ready or not, it's football season again!

What I did this summer...

Sorry it's been a while since I've blogged.  I love the start of the school year.  But it is hectic.

So, here are some thoughts on the recently concluded summer break:

- Four medals for USA Volleyball (3 golds, 1 silver).  The gold medal match of for the men's indoor tournament has to be one of the best of all time.  Hugh McCutcheon modeled the reward that is possible when we endure in trial.

- Steubenville San Diego was special.  Special because God was there.  Special because He made us all one.

- I'm going to be an uncle.  That's pretty cool.

But, by far the highlight was going to the Dominican Republic on "vacation".  There are no words I can use to accurately describe how God jolted me for eight days so that I could see His face clearly and without distraction.  However, this video that the Holy Spirit helped me put together may give you a small glimpse of how He re-affirmed for me true meaning of being blessed.

Oh happy day

I am a huge fan of the Olympics.  These are some of my highlights so far:

• Gymnastics is ridiculous.  Like X Games ridiculous.  Some of the tricks the dudes do now are unreal.
  
• Michael Phelps is a beast.  Hopefully he'll be as good as a sober driver as he is in the pool.
  
• Team USA Men's Basketball looks good.
  
• Volleyball in all it's forms is my favorite sport.  Maybe because I used to play.  Maybe because all the US teams will contend for medals.
  

Here's a silly video from my mission trip to the DR:

But, this is the best news of the day for me: I now live exactly 8 minutes from an Apple Store!!!!!!

Blessed are the poor

Our days of rest and relaxation end today. We're packing up our stuff and headed to Crossroads to begin our week of missionary work with the poor of the Dominican Republic.

I'm praying for lots of humility this week so that all 24 people in our group, especially me, can encounter the face of God in the other. And that we will all be changed. For the better.

That we may rejoice in knowing our spiritual poverty, and how blessed indeed that we may be.

Blessed Mother Teresa, pray for us.