Reflections of a Running Reverend

Taking-off from Mile 6 - Photo by: West Gateway Trails So I ran the Winter Solstice Marathon in Willow this past weekend. And like I said in my previous post, I was doing it as a prayer run. I was " running for those who can't ." On the solstice, the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, I was running for those who are in the darkest times of their lives and longest nights of their souls. A colleague of mine said she felt the prayers. She even mentioned a specific time of the day when she felt it! I have also been getting emails and messages from friends, thanking me for running the dark path with them.   On the eve of the race, I sent a text message to a friend with a link to my blogpost and the words: "I'll be running for you tomorrow." My friend texted back with a heartfelt message expressing thanks and ending with, "Now I know... I will never be alone."   Now I know I will never be alone. Isn't that the good news...

I am running the Willow Winter Solstice Marathon this Saturday. It will be another prayer run for me. This time, I'm running for those who can't. Let me explain. From its name, the Willow Marathon is held on a Saturday closest to the winter solstice, the day when the darkness is longest. In some churches, a Longest Night or Blue Christmas service is held and is specifically planned to minister to those who are in the midst of darkness during this season of joy and cheer. It is for those to whom Christmas is a burden because of certain life situations they are in. For those of you who are in the longest nights of your souls, for you who are living in the darkness of your life situations, I dedicate this run to you. This is for you who have lost loved ones, and you who are going through difficult times. This is for you who are going through painful divorces, you who are worn-out trying to work it out and you who are going through stressful life transitions. This is for...

There is no other time I feel more disconnected from the Philippines, than at Christmas time. It's just not the same! Now don't get me wrong. Celebrating Christmas here in Alaska over the past 6 years has been meaningful. But there are certain nuances, certain traditions and ways of celebrating that are unique to my homeland that I truly miss and crave. And the disconnect from friends and loved ones back home is truly magnified during this season. Listening to Filipino Christmas carols in my car or from my computer usually brings tears to my eyes as my soul acknowledges this disconnect. Thankfully, the wonders of technology allow me and my family to connect with our loved ones across the seas. Being disconnected is a reality we have to deal with as residents of Alaska. In my traveling to the different ministry contexts around the state, the reality of isolation became very evident, more so in the contexts like Nome and Unalaska. Yet even in churches on the road system, it...

A couple of years ago, I was asked to write an article about Advent on the Faith Blog of the ADN (then Anchorage Daily News). I was asked to reflect on the theme: Advent as an Antidote for Acquisition or Consumerism. I thought I'd share that with you today as we begin our Advent waiting. Advent provides an alternative to the commercialism that has come to define the holidays. It calls us to a time of waiting. It is a time of preparation, calling us to focus on what we truly celebrate during Christmas – the birth of Christ. More than just a countdown to Christmas, the progressive lighting of candles on an Advent wreath give us themes meant to light our way through the season. We are called to HOPE. And it’s not just hoping for gifts under the tree. Advent calls us to dig deep within and name what it is our hearts are truly hoping for. We are also called to find PEACE, which is an antithesis to the hustle and bustle of the season. As my m...

I am a first generation immigrant from the Philippines. My wife and I, together with our older son, came to America in 2008 when I was appointed to serve the United Methodist Church of Chugiak here in Alaska. Our younger son was born here. As an immigrant family, adjusting to life and ministry in a foreign land had its challenges. Transitioning to ministry here was the easy part, almost seamless, thanks to the United Methodist connectional system which makes us do things in distinct, almost similar or at least recognizable ways wherever we are in the world. It was adjusting to American culture and lifestyle that was a little more difficult. When we first got here, we had to apply for social security numbers, driver's licenses and other documents that established our identity and our residency. It felt like starting from scratch, that we never existed prior to coming here. Coming from a cash-based economy, we had to apply for credit cards and learn how to use them. We had to e...

Bishop Hagiya commissioning new Alaska Clergy in 2013 It takes a special breed of person to live in Alaska and call it home. It also takes a special breed of person to serve as a pastor here. It is a beautiful land with unique ministry settings, each with its own set of joys and challenges. In my role as Superintendent, I have received and continue to receive applications to serve here in Alaska. Some of them are legit and worth considering. But some of them, I feel, are for the wrong reasons. Some say they love to fish & hunt and so Alaska would be a great fit for them. Some say they love the outdoors. Some say they love to hike and ski. Some say they want to be away, to live in extreme, isolated settings. While these are good skills and interests to have for one who is serving in Alaska, these, in my opinion, shouldn't be the primary reasons to come here. One has to feel called to serve in any of our settings . Here are two stories of two such people I am honored to c...

One of my biggest learnings so far in this new role is this: "Anchorage is not Alaska." Its part of it, but its not the whole of it. The more I travel to our different ministry settings around the state, the more my eyes are opened to the reality that there is more to life and ministry in Alaska than my experience of it as pastor of a bedroom community of Anchorage has given me. There are different ministry contexts with unique opportunities and challenges. When I visited Southeast Alaska a couple of months ago, my mind was opened to the realities of air travel in that part of the state. I became acquainted with terms such as "fly over" and "milk run". A "fly over" happens when it is too stormy, or too windy, or too foggy for an airplane to land and so it flies over and goes on to the next destination in the "milk run" which is a chain of airport stops a airline flight needs to make to pick-up and unload passengers and cargo before ...

East Anchorage UMC, where the Conference office is housed, is a polling place and so as I write this post today, I am watching people from all walks of life coming in and out of the building to vote. It's been a steady stream of people since I came in! And this is a good thing! I am not a U.S. Citizen (at least not yet) but if I were, I would be part of this exodus. As I sit here, I am also witnessing how folks from East Anchorage UMC are engaging the voters, offering them coffee and treats. There is so much negativity and mudslinging clouding every election season that this simple act of hospitality comes as a breath of fresh air. No, they are not campaigning for any candidate or advocating for a certain cause. They are merely saying "Thank you for voting." What a great witness! And what a great way to engage their neighbors! They are certainly making great connections. If you have already voted, I thank you for doing so! If you haven't, I encourage you ...

One of the things we enjoy in our new house is the front balcony on the second floor. From there we watch the rain or the snow fall, wait for the northern lights, admire the views and observe what's going on in the neighborhood. Our older son loves how he can wave and say "hi" to friends who are passing by. For those who have started following this blog, last week I said that I was not posting but was spending time in the balcony. "Going up to the balcony" has been used as a metaphor for stepping back to assess an issue or a situation from an "unengaged" position. It means taking time to reflect, think and process before acting or reacting to the issue or situation at hand. Because most of the time, our emotions get the better of us and cloud our judgement. Many times, we act and react poorly because we were impulsive. It's like giving yourself a timeout. When you're in a heated discussion that's going nowhere at a meeting, it may be ...

AK Professional Church Workers' retreat at Birchwood Camp October is supposedly (at least according to social media) Pastor Appreciation month. So, let me take this time to say: I appreciate all my colleagues in the Alaska United Methodist Conference and I celebrate the wonderful variety of gifts and graces that they offer! Last week, we got together for our annual Professional Church Workers' retreat at Birchwood Camp. Our schedule this year was a departure from the "learning retreats" we've had in previous years. It was a time to share, reflect, hang out, play, rest and simply be. There were inputs from a Spiritual Director and a couple of our colleagues but these, too, were geared towards community building and spiritual reflection. Many said it was renewing, refreshing, what a retreat should be. One of the things I really appreciated about the retreat were the offline sharing of stories. Conversations were not programmed. They just happened organically...

Snow on the mountain peaks after the rain The leaves are all yellow now here in the Anchorage area. Some are still hanging on the branches but most of them are on the ground. The overnight temperatures are dipping. For the past week or so, I've had to scrape frost off my windshield in the morning. A quick squall yesterday left snow on the mountain tops. Its only a matter of time before that snowline finds its way down.  I hate to say this friends but the seasons are changing and winter is coming. Many people who find out that I am serving in Alaska after living most of my life in the Philippines, cannot wrap their heads around the fact that my family and I are loving it here. "How do you do it?", they ask. "You must be be miserable.", they say. But we say, "No. We love it here. Alaska is home for us now, or at least for the foreseeable future. So we have to adapt." And I feel that we have adapted well. Running in layers Adapt is what w...

I just got back from a trip to visit our churches in Southeast Alaska. What a great experience it was to connect with folks from the UMC of Sitka, First UMC of Ketchikan, and Juneau churches: Aldersgate UMC, Douglas Community UMC and Northern Light United Church (Methodist-Presbyterian). My heart has been warmed to hear and witness the wonderful things God is doing in and through these churches as they engage their mission field for Christ! I am inspired by the dreams and visions they have to change the world starting with their communities. I am encouraged by their sense of hope in the midst of difficulties that each of their faith communities is facing. I am humbled by and truly grateful for the radical hospitality shown to me in all of these places. The trip was also filled with deep lessons for life and ministry. I will be writing about these in the next couple of blog posts. Let me start with this one today: When I was in Sitka, Pastor Ferdie Llenado and two of his sons bro...

Come and find the quiet center in the crowded life we lead, Find the room for hope to enter, find the frame where we are freed: Clear the chaos and the clutter, clear our eyes, that we can see All the things that really matter, be at peace, and simply be. I love these words from the hymn "Come and Find the Quiet Center" by Shirley Erena Murray. They remind me of my constant need to center myself in God before I engage the busyness and the business of the day. It is so easy to get caught up with the demands of our to-do lists and our chores, places to go to, people to meet and schedules to keep. With the continuing advancement of information technology, the temptation is stronger than ever to dive into our work first thing in the morning. And that just dictates how the rest of our day would go, doesn't it? It doesn't slow down from there. We continue on that dizzying pace until we are ready for bed. And even from bed, we find ourselves checking that last email,...

Map of the last race I ran I used to never study the map of a course before a race. It's because I knew my running buddy Stephen did that. And since I ran my first three marathons with him, I never bothered. I would maybe look at the map a couple of times, just to have a sense of where the course would take us. But I seldom paid attention to the details. That changed during my last race, which I ran without Stephen. I felt that I had to have a better grasp of the courses' intricacies. And because it was a longer distance than I had ever ran before, I paid close attention to where the climbs were, where the aid stations were located and where the flats and downhills were situated. I had to plan for these. I had to know where the inclines and declines were, and how long they were so I could pace myself. I had to know where the drink stations were so I could regulate may liquid intake. I had to know what food and drink was available at the aid stations so that I knew what to...

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7, NRSV Finishing strong. This is what every runner hopes to do at every race and run. For long distance runners, it means running all those miles but leaving enough in the tank for that final push. My running buddy Stephen uses a very Alaskan metaphor of a woodstove or fireplace. At the start of a marathon, he would remind me to pace myself, to time the "feeding of logs into the fire" strategically so that the flame keeps going. He also reminds me to leave enough for the final push. Then in the last mile, he goes, "Alright, Carlo, whatever logs you've got left, this is the time to throw it all in the fire! Time to go all out!" One time, I actually told him, "I don't think I have any logs left." I just didn't have enough in the tank to finish strong. I've since learned to pace myself better and in the last race I did, I actually had...

I did it! This past weekend, I ran my first ultramarathon, the inaugural 49K Ultra here in Anchorage. And thanks to your help, I made it, running it in 6 hours, 12 minutes and 18 seconds. I say "thanks to your help" because I know that you were with me. In my last post, Come Run With Me , I shared that I was going to do this race as a prayer run, dedicating a mile to praying for each of the churches in the Alaska Conference. And I invited you to join me in praying for at least one church. For those who were able, I invited you to run, walk, jog, or bike a mile as they prayed. I am thankful to all of you who joined me on this prayer run. I certainly felt your presence! And it definitely was helpful, especially at the points when I wanted to quit. Prayerfully thinking about the congregations, pastors and lay people helped keep my mind off the pain in my tired legs. And it motivated me to finish. The prayer run took on a whole new meaning for me with a woman I met durin...