By Pat Pagulayan
Here I am, wide
awake at 3am, reflecting on the last 8 weeks of StAY. Blame it on my
malfunctioning body clock courtesy of doing shift work.
Anyway, as you
all know, we have had Jeff Cavin’s Quick Journey through the Bible in the last
8 weeks of cell group. I can’t fully recall how the idea came about, but I
remember that it was a choice between Jeff Cavin’s Quick Journey through the
Bible, Fr. Robert Barron’s Catholicism, or Christopher West’s Theology of the
Body. It was not an easy choice to make, as there is a need to inform young
adults on those 3 topics, most especially on Theology of the Body.
But at the end
of the day, I decided to go with the Quick Journey through the Bible. Above all,
as Catholics, we should know more about God. And what better way to start
knowing more about Him (other than journeying with Him of course), than to know
His Word. Aside from that, StAY’s mission is to bring God to young people. A
lot of young people like you and I are seeking God; that’s perhaps why some of
us came to StAY in the first place. And God has revealed so much of Himself and
His love for us in His Word. As St. Jerome said, “Ignorance of Scripture is
ignorance of Christ.”
Sadly, a lot of
us lack appreciation for the Bible, and it is difficult to be motivated to read
something that we don’t appreciate. Personally, being led to have this for cell
group is God’s gentle nudge on me to read the Bible in an organised manner as
well. I have started reading the New Testament back in September last year and
it has opened my eyes to how valuable the truths that God’s Word provide. I
started encouraging people in my small group to read it as well, however, the
most common question thrown at me were “how do we read the Bible?” or “where do
we start reading the Bible?” And so the decision to push for Quick Journey
through the Bible (QJB) came about.
Then the
organising part came. First of all, we needed the materials. Jessica Lee from
Emmaus has kindly lent StAY her DVD, Leader’s Manual, and Student Workbook.
Reproducing the workbook was easy. However, the Bible Timeline Chart was
another story. It’s painstaking enough to assemble them one by one, but
moreover, to write on every single one of them as I realised that some of the
words were too light to be read. But I guess the excitement took over, and by
God’s grace, I was able to assemble 40 charts before Session 1.
Productivity
came with a downside though. I was just recovering from a spiritual/emotional/psychological
roller coaster during Lent, and as I got caught up with the preparations for
QJB, my prayer life dwindled. I could hear Kenny’s words echoing: “Manage your
priorities. Spend time with God. Ministry doesn’t necessarily bring you closer
to Him.” In my head, I was just pushing myself to think that I only need to get
through the first session, then everything will flow from that. True enough, it
was just Session 1 that needed the most preparation. I’m very thankful to Jack
for taking over the Spiritual Gifts session we had at cell group as it bought
me more time to prepare.
Second, the
facilitators. The first question in my mind was how am I going to get people to
jump into the boat with me when I myself don’t know what I’m getting myself
into? But as God once again proved to me that He will always provide, He has
put courage in the hearts of some members to step up and take this journey with
me. As majority of them are new ones, the StAY Leaders have willingly
buddied-up with each facilitator to guide them and the group as well.
Everything was
set and all good to go.
Session 1. There
were around 25 people who were there as we started opening prayer. A lot of new
faces, which is good. Then more people came. And more people came. And more
people came. Before we started watching the DVD, there were around 40 people in
the room! We had to grab more chairs from the other rooms to accommodate
everyone. It is at these times that I thank God that I have OCD. I prepared for
4 groups, but I also had a back-up leader in case we needed a 5th group (which
we did). We ended up having to put a group in the hallway because there were
too many.
As I looked
around the room that evening, I felt overwhelmed. At the same time, I felt
upset. Recalling all the hours I spent on assembling materials, I thought to
myself, “Oh, they’re not here for cell group; they’re just here for the Quick
Journey”. Right there and then, I felt God convict me, asking me why I’m doing
this whole activity in the first place: is it to get people to come to cell
group, or to provide people an opportunity to appreciate and know His Word?
Ouch. That hit
me right where it was meant to. I thank God for putting that in my heart right
at the very start. It has taught me a valuable lesson on leadership and
humility. Getting my intention right has provided my perspective a steady
ground that enabled me to just be still in the challenges of the remaining 7
weeks.
The remaining
weeks were alright. There were a few bumps here and there, such as the projector
suddenly deciding to retire, sudden change in venue, change in facilitators,
absent facilitators, sub-optimal speakers, etc. But yeah, I guess we cruised
right through it.
And now, 8 weeks
is done and over with. The first thing I thought of was, “Yes! No more luggage
to drag around!”
But on a serious
note, all I could think of after was that I hope that the 8 weeks have somehow
stirred up something within those who have taken the Quick Journey through the
Bible to actually start picking up and reading their Bible. I pray that there
is more appreciation for God’s Word, not just from the lecture, but from the
small group sharing as well.
It amazes me how the whole
story is focused on a basic and simple question: Do you trust God? Jesus came,
relived the experience of the Israelites, and proved that yes, we can trust
God. And as I reflect on my walk in these past 8 weeks as well, God has proven
once again that yes, I can trust Him.
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