03:27 We hope that we are helping you through this podcast and that this sparked a conversation between you and the people that you trust ⏤ more importantly, a conversation with God. Our desire is to help one another to grow in our leadership capacities.

04:42 Here’s a recap of our previous episodes in this series:

• Episode 32: Being Out of Season and Choosing Isolation
• Episode 33: Bitterness, Avoiding Confrontation, and Losing Trusted Friendships
• Episode 34: Forgetting Fun and Serving the Schedule
• Episode 35: Perpetuating an Artificial Image and Building a Third World

You may also visit this site for a summary of the book, 10 Warning Signs of a Leadership Crash by Stephen Mansfield

9:26  Dean: The last warning sign that we will be talking about is Losing the Poetry.

What does it mean to “lose the poetry?”

“Stephen recounts a movie called Broadcast News in which the main character, who’s a news producer, gets up and sees if the day’s news can still make her cry. One morning, it doesn’t. That’s losing the poetry.”

Sometimes, we get used to the things that we do, to a point na wala nang dating sa puso natin…

JV: Losing the poetry puts us in a position in our leadership where we forget the reason behind the things that we do. As leaders, it’s important for us to know why we do what we do…

11:26  Dean: Why do you do what you do and what do you love most in what you do now?

JV: As a campus missionary… I just know deep in my heart that this is where God has placed me.

Dean: Natuto ako mag-gupit ng buhok ngayong quarantine… I am also offering to cut the hair of some of my friends… I just love the feeling of having to serve them… I think, when it comes to what I do as a leader and as a campus missionary, I just love to serve.. Di ko naman iniisip na maging campus missionary, I just love to serve God. Every opportunity that I would be able to serve God in the ministry, masaya lang talaga ako dun. Having to serve other people, seeing other people ⏤ especially students get to know God better through the service that I could offer them at a specific moment, sobrang masaya na ko dun. I hope that I do not lose that along the way…

JV: Serving is something that we need to be able to see dito sa ginagawa natin as campus missionaries. Alam mo lang na kahit walang nakatingin o may nakatingin, gagawin mo pa rin. Meron kang makukuha rito o wala, alam mo lang na gagawin mo sya because you just know that you love that… What is that area in your life na hindi mo kailangang itulak para gawin? That’s your poetry…

Dean: Not losing the poetry for loving God and serving God, dun pare-pareho talaga tayo. Wherever you are placed ⏤ whether you are a student, you are working already in whatever organization you are part of… serving God is first and foremost and I hope you do not lose that… Wherever you are serving, whatever God is asking you to do, I hope you do not lose the heart for that.

19:00 JV: Is there a moment in your life where you experienced losing sight of the reason—the heart of what you’re doing?

Dean: Yung familiarity pwedeng dalawa yan. Yung isa, you become familiar to a point na may flow ka na…The longer I do it, the faster and the better that I do it… On the other hand, it’s another thing yung, “sawa na ko…” In the things that I do as a campus missionary… yung negative end of being familiar, minsan iniisip ko, ‘Ah alam ko na yan… Ah parang narinig ko na to sa ibang students. Kulang lang sa tulog yan, sa pahinga, kulang sa prayer…” Parang iniisip ko, photocopy nalang yung mga pinagdadaanan at problema ng mga students na ‘to. That I should say, I am losing the heart, I am losing the poetry… I am treating one case as just another case, parang reseta nalang kailangan nila, hindi listening, hindi prayer, hindi Gospel… Nangyari yun sa ‘kin many times and I got convicted of that as well… 

JV: Na-experience ko yung ganito ‘pag di malinaw yung transition or walang clarity in terms of direction… Sometimes, mas nauuna yung, ‘Tara, trabahuhin na natin to!’ bago natin maintindihan… Because of unclear things, we lose our poetry. Nung na-experience ko to, it’s something that convicts me kasi dumating ako sa isang point na alam ko sa sarili ko na hindi ko na sya ginagawa para lang sa mga bata or para kay Lord. Ginagawa ko na sya dahil sa meron akong kailangan na i-meet na deadline or i-meet na expectations ng leaders… Talagang nakaka-lose ng drive sa ginagawa natin… I hope that whatever we do in the ministry will always cut to the heart…

26:27 JV: What do you think are the things that can contribute to this crash, losing poetry?

Dean: Familiarity, that’s one. Being familiar with the things that we do… On the other hand, meron din kasing things na nakakaapekto rin talaga, hindi lang dahil sa paulit-ulit pero dahil nakakapagod. Burnout is one. Burnout really slowly kills… There are external factors that are very tiring… pero may mga burnout na kasalanan din natin kasi may internal happenings din sa puso natin… These factors that bring burnout in us lead to losing the heart of the things that we do…

JV: Since external things are uncontrollable, let’s focus our energy on the things that  are controllable, which is the internal... You need to choose your battle when you experience burnout. The greatest battle that we will face this season is you and God…  Yung walk natin kay Lord, ilaban natin.

Dean: ‘Pag kausap natin si God, no judgment… In fact, God is actually listening, He knows the burdens deep within our hearts… At the same time, God has placed people around you… At times when we feel like we are losing poetry ⏤ we are becoming too familiar, we are experiencing burnout, I hope that we have these people to trust…and who would point you back to God…

35:22 JV: Losing poetry is not an instant thing na nangyayari, it’s a gradual thing… Let’s guard the good deposit that the Lord has placed in your heart… Let not those things na naka-offend, nakasakit, nakapagod… na maalis yung passion, mission, and vision sa ginagawa mo… We hope that you’ll fight the good fight of faith…

Dean: Hopefully, you will see God in the process… If you feel like, you are just too deep… parang di na makakabalik… There is no hopeless case for Jesus. You can always turn to Him, go back to Him… Continue to run the race because the good work that God began in you, God will continue to bring it to completion. I hope that we will get help if we need help from other people…

37:56 Dean: When it comes to a point that your calling is challenged, what is the vision that you always go back to?

JV: Yung compelling reason is because of the Gospel. I want to see young people who would love God more than anything… The greatest success and fulfillment is seeing young people loving God and following Jesus.

Dean: When I preach the Gospel to this student, when I disciple this student, uuwi to na may dalang hope…because the Gospel has made that person never the same again… 

We don’t know to what extent the impact is on a young person’s life when we preach the Gospel. Wherever you are, wherever God has placed you… think of the vision God has put in your heart why you are doing the things that you do now… I hope that it’s for the honor of God and for whatever reason God has called you. If you think about it, does it still hit you?… We have to go back to it from time to time.

JV: If you experience this, we hope that you will find that it’s worth it to fight for your poetry. At the same time, we hope that you will find the courage to continue to show up… and continue to be surrounded by people who will help you in this season…

Dean: If pagod ka, don’t quit. Just take a break. The good thing about taking a break as a child of God is that the Bible tells us to:

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

            -1 Peter 5:7 NIV

The ENC Leadership Podcast is hosted by Dean Pasaba and JV Puno.

Processing Questions: 

1. What is the vision that God has placed in your heart? Was there an instance in your life when you forgot the heart of what you are doing?
2. What are the practical things that you can start doing this week to guard the good deposit that God has placed in your heart? Who are the people you can talk to whenever you feel tired or start to lose sight of the vision God has given you?