Thursday, December 25, 2008

Feliz Navidad

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La velada navideña fue todo un éxito.
Por Hno. Rigo
Jueves 25 de Diciembre, 2008.

Antes que nada deseo enviarles a todos un mensaje de paz y de bendiciones, en este día de navidad, dejándoles un canto para la gloria de nuestro Rey.

Gloria a Dios en las alturas
Que mostró su grande amor
Dando a humanas criaturas
Un potente Salvador.
Con los himnos de los santos
Hagan coro nuestros cantos
De alabanza y gratitud,
Por la divinal salud;
Y digamos a una voz:
¡En los cielos gloria a Dios!

Gloria a Dios la tierra canta,
Al gozar de su bondad,
Pues le brinda paz constante
En su buena voluntad.
Toda tribu y lenguas todas
Al Excelso eleven odas,
Por el Cristo santo y fiel
Que les vino de Israel
Y prorrumpan a una voz:
¡En los cielos gloria a Dios!

Gloria a Dios la Iglesia entona,
Rota al fin su esclavitud
Por Jesús, que es su corona,
Su cabeza y plenitud.
Vigilante siempre vive
Y a la lucha se apercibe,
Mientras llega su solaz
En la gloria y plena paz;
Donde exclaman a una voz:
¡En los cielos gloria a Dios!

Muy buenos días a todos y que bien se siente estar entre el amor de los hermanos en Cristo.

Debido a un fenómeno natural, hubo fallo de transformador, creando un apagón en la cuadra que corresponde al edificio del templo. Pero eso no detuvo a que hubiera fiesta, incluyendo canto “acapella” de “Noche de Paz”.

El pastor predico un mensaje en donde DIOS REVELA LA VENIDA DEL MESIAS, basado en la escritura bíblica de Isaías 9:6 (leer también 7:14; 9:1-2)*. Seguramente pronto nos enviara la nota homiletica.

Mientras tanto algunas damas preparaban los deliciosos alimentos que abastecieron el compañerismo, todo se hizo de una forma ordenada y a luz de velas y candelas.

En dicha celebración, los caballeros se movilizaron para facilitar el acceso de estacionamiento, y dirigir a la congregación con lámparas, asegurando el orden y la comodidad de los presentes.

Aprovecho este momento para anunciar que a partir del 1 de enero del nuevo año 2009 la página estará operando en la siguiente dirección: laprimerasf.org

Aunque ya esta en operación, es muy probable que no este finalizada, pero para ese entonces se proyecta que tenga toda la información. La dirección de antes quedara en función de archivo y de referencia, como enlace e instrumento de propagar el evangelio de nuestro Señor Jesucristo.

Reciban bendiciones.

"Y repentinamente apareció con el ángel una multitud de las huestes celestiales, que alababan a Dios, y decían: ¡Gloria a Dios en las alturas, Y en la tierra paz, buena voluntad para con los hombres! " (Lucas 2:13-14)

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Fotos de Rigo Galvez Lucas 1:26-38, 2:1-20

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

BOSQUEJOS Sábado 20 y Domingo 21 de Diciembre 2008





BOSQUEJOS Sábado 20 y Domingo 21 de Diciembre 2008

Supliendo una necesidad en la navidad.  Mateo 25 :35-40

 

Servicio o trabajo útil al prójimo sin repicar campanas.  

 

*Jesús ve  necesidades en las navidades:

a. Hambre y sed. 

 

*También hay hambre y sed de caricias en la familia.

 

b. Un forastero: necesita sentir calor y aprecio. 

 

*En esta época de navidad aumentan los suicidios.

 

c. Desnudez. 

 

d. Enfermedad. 

 

e. Los presos. 

 

*Hay hambre, sed, desnudez, soledad, enfermedad y cárcel  peores que sólo sacia Jesús.

 

Las personas sin Cristo necesitan saber que:

*El hambre y la sed de justicia y amor los sacia Jesús.

 

*La soledad termina con Jesús en el corazón como compañero para siempre.

 

*En cualquier enfermedad, Jesús es el doctor por excelencia.

 

*Si está prisionero de vicios o pasiones, Jesús es el Libertador.

 

*El desnudo espiritual es cubierto con la sangre de Jesús y la armadura del Espíritu Santo.

 

*Algunas veces los cristianos no queremos ver las necesidades. (37).

 

 *En Jesús hemos encontrado todo en la tierra y vida eterna al morir.

 

 

BOSQUEJO Domingo 21  de Diciembre 2008.

 Que hago con .  Proverbios 3: 9-10

 

*Dios habla:

a.  Sobre el bautismo en 40 versículos en la biblia.

b.  Sobre la oración en 275 versículos

c.  Sobre el amor en 650 versículos

d.  Sobre finanzas, posesiones materiales y riqueza en 2,350 versículos.

 

*Sobre  las riquezas, Dios habla:

a. 88 veces en Mateo.

b. 54 veces en Marcos

c. 92 veces en Lucas

d. La palabra o verbo DAR aparece 1, 500 veces en la biblia.

 

Prov. 10: 22

 

Proverbios enseña sobre como compartir, usar y  ahorrar  su dinero.

1er. principio: Usted y yo deberíamos dar. 

Proverbios 14: 21 

*Las personas generosas son felices, viven contentas; y Dios quiere que seamos felices.

 

2o. principio: Dios dice que usted y yo deberíamos DAR de nuestra riqueza.

 

*Primicias o productos  en Proverbios = cosechas, granos y frutos.

 

Producto en la actualidad = dólares.

 

Levíticos 27: 30

 

*Diezmo significa el 10% de sus entradas, del dinero que recibe. 

 

*Dios dice que el DAR bíblico comienza con el 10%.

 

3er. principio: Cuando usted y yo damos estamos honrando a Dios.

 

*Cuando damos, estamos tratando a Dios como nuestra maxima prioridad.

 

*Dios es la persona más importante del universo. 

 

* Dar generosamente honra y agrada a Dios.

Prov. 14: 31

 

*El reto de dar es una manera como Dios nos prueba una y otra vez.

 

*Donde está su tesoro allí está su corazón. Lucas 12: 34

 

*Cuando usted y yo damos, honramos a Dios y Dios nos honra a usted y a mí.

Prov. 3: 10.

 

Prov. 11: 24-25

Malaquías 3: 10 

 

*Dios es el dueño. Usted y yo somos los administradores. 

 

*Primicia es toda fruta que viene primero y debe ser dada a Dios.

 

 Deuteronomio 26: 2-4

 

 

*La iglesia local  debe ser el centro o lugar para sus diezmos. 

 

4o. principio:  Dios dice que deberíamos DAR cuando le adoramos como congregación.

 

*A Dios debemos darle los primeros frutos, lo mejor.

 

*Las sobras o frutos podridos causan molestias en el "estómago" de Dios. 

1a. Corintios 16: 2a  

*El diezmo es parte de nuestra adoración a Dios. 

 

5o. principio:  Deberíamos DAR confiando en que Dios honrará Su promesa. 

 

 Proverbios 19: 17

 

*Decídase hoy a DAR generosamente. Proverbios 21: 26

 

*Posea y domine usted al dinero. No permita que el dinero se posesione de usted.

 

  2a. Corintios 9:7b.

 

*Dar, diezmar, es el acto de adoración de un corazón contento, agradecido y generoso.

 

*Si usted ha confiado la salvación de su alma a Dios, confíele también su futuro financiero. 

 

Confie sus finanzas al Señor…crea en Sus promesas.

 

 


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Friday, December 19, 2008

donde hallar fortaleza en la frustracion





 

BOSQUEJO Sábado 29 de Noviembre 2008.

 Dónde hallar fortaleza en la frustracion. Fil. 4: 10 - 13

 

*Nosotros podemos controlar nuestras emociones y nuestras reacciones.

 

1er. paso: Demos gracias en todo.(11) 

 

2o. paso: Pidámosle a Dios que nos ayude a adaptarnos a los cambios.

 

*El contentamiento es independiente a las circunstancias externas.

 

3er. paso: Disfrutemos lo que tengamos aunque sea poco. (12).

2a. Cor. 11: 23-30. 

 

*Las  circunstancias y y situaciones externas no nos harán felices.

 

Proverbios 15: 17.

 

*La felicidad es resultado de la condición espiritual del corazón.

 

*No nos obsesionemos con lo que tenemos o por lo que no tenemos. 1a. Tim. 6: 7-8

 

4o. paso: Apoyémonos en el poder del Señor.(13).

 

*La frustración no tiene solución humana. La solución es divina.

 

*El verbo PODER en versículo 13 significa en griego  Dynamo.

2a. Cor. 12: 9                Isaías 14: 27

 

Posibles razones para estar atravesando momentos angustiosos, frustrantes:

1a. razón:  Dios quiere que tengamos una relación cercana con El.

 

2a. razón:  Dios diseñó la frustración para pulir cierta área de nuestra vida.  

 

3a. razón: Podría ser para que demos atención a algo o alguien que hemos descuidado.

 

*Dios puede frustrar muchos planes nuestros porque quiere algo diferente.

 

BOSQUEJOS DOMINGO 30 DE NOV 2008

11 AM….Buscando la sanidad en el Señor. II Crónicas 7: 14   

*Los grandes avivamientos no ocurren por un predicador famoso sino por medio de la oración.

 

*Un avivamiento no llega porque se busca. Llega orando y buscando el rostro de Dios.

 

*Orar es confesar nuestra necesidad y nuestro deseo de recibir y hacer  según Su voluntad.

 

Hay 3 características en una oración para avivamiento espiritual:
 
 1a. característica: La oración para sanidad y avivamiento espiritual necesita corazones quebrantados. 
 

*Era una manera de mostrar a Dios, desesperación y quebranto.

 
a. Dios visitará  a Su pueblo en el punto de desesperación, cuando no pueda más.  

b. Dios visitará a Su pueblo cuando haya lágrimas sinceras y un corazón quebrantado.

 
c. Dios no oye a un corazón petulante que se auto-justifica.

Salmo 51:16-17

 

*Sólo un corazón quebrantado es lo suficientemente grande para que Dios viva allí.

 

*"Es raro hallar corazones quebrantados. Es aún mas raro hallar  corazones quebrantados en las iglesias".

 

Por qué es que la iglesia actual estaría satisfecha?

a. Posiblemente porque se está comparando con el mundo y no con la iglesia del N.T.

 

*Humillarnos y buscar a Dios con un corazón quebrantado y pedirle que nos ayude.

Apoc. 3: 1



b. El avivamiento NO es para quienes  NO quieren llorar y humillarse genuinamente.

 

*Dios quiere oir un clamor de corazones dolidos y llenos de  amor por Su iglesia.

 

2a. característica: La oración para avivamiento y sanidad  se caracteriza por la urgencia.
  
Jeremias 29:11-13    

 

*Las personas que oran por sanidad y avivamiento en su iglesia y en sus vidas nunca se rinden.  

I Tes. 5:17.

 

*No deje de orar NUNCA. No se rinda. Manténgase orando.

*Los cristianos necesitamos ser como Jacob. Génesis 32:26b.  

3a. característica: Una oración de avivamiento y sanidad se caracteriza por la santidad.

  
Isaias 55:6-7

Salmo 66: 18   

 

*Un avivamiento jamás llegará a una iglesia o nación sino se confiesan los pecados.

 

Santiago 5: 16.   

 

*Dios perdonará, oirá y sanará cuando un pueblo en santidad clama.

 

*Dios volverá Su rostro a Su pueblo y oirá cuando nos volvamos a El y obedezcamos.. 
I Tim. 2:8.

 

*Dios busca hombres y mujeres que oren por su familia, iglesia, ciudad o nación.

Salmo 24: 3-5
 
*Muchos venimos a la iglesia sin arrepentirnos de algunos pecados y sin pedir perdón a Dios.

 

Muchos traemos a la iglesia malicia, odio, rencor, ira, chismes,lujuria, avaricia, celos, etc.
 

*Si no se ora con vidas en santidad, Dios no responderá.    

  Jonás 3: 10 

 

*Los avivamientos y sanidad han ocurrido cuando Dios ha sido genuinamente invitado.

 

  Exodo  10: 11

 

 

 

BOSQUEJO 6 PM Domingo 30 de Noviembre 2008.

Hablando del arrepentimiento. Jeremías 31: 19.

 

*Arrepentimiento es un cambio de dirección. 

 

*Un arrepentimiento total, pleno, produce frutos.

 

*El arrepentimiento sin salvación, sin Cristo no es completo.

 

*La primera señal de que Cristo vive en el corazón s una persona cambiada.

 

1a. enseñanza: No nos dejemos llevar por la religiosidad en el corazón. Lucas 3: 8

 

*Cuidado con esconderse debajo del disfraz de la religion. Lucas 3:7   Gálatas 5: 19-21.

 

Lucas 3: 8b

 

2a. enseñanza: Sin arrepentimiento genuino NO podemos ver el plan de Dios.

 Mateo 10: 7 

 

*La condición para que el Reino de los cielos llegue una persona es el arrepentimiento.

 

*Para cambios y triunfos en la vida hay que dejar algo, sacrificar algo.

 

*Qué tiene el Reino de los cielos para los que se arrepienten de corazón? Gálatas 5: 22-24

 

*Dios No manda nunca que cambiemos o dejemos algo para hacernos daño. 

3a. enseñanza: Hay un límite de tiempo para arrepentirse. Hebreos 12: 17.

 

*Dios no puede retroceder el tiempo para hacernos 30 años más joven.

 

 

 





--
Rigo Galvez

Business Owner: Save Money Here:
http://sales.payjunction.com/rgalvez

LA VIRGEN MARIA - QUE DICE LA BIBLIA




BOSQUEJO 11 am DOMINGO 14 de Diciembre 2008.

 Qué dice la biblia de la virgen María. Lucas 1: 26-28 .

 

1a. enseñanza: María fue un cumplimiento de las profecías. Isaías 7: 14

 

2a. enseñanza: Se dio a respetar por su prometido y su prometido la respetó.

Lucas  1: 27 

Mateo 1: 25 

 

3a. enseñanza: María fue humilde, obediente, sumisa y servidora a Dios.

 

*Cuando Dios nos llama para servirle nos capacitará con el poder de Su Espíritu Santo. Lucas 1: 35

 

4a. enseñanza: María nunca reclamó adoración para ella y Dios nunca se la dio.

Lucas 1: 38 

Lucas 1: 49

Juan 2: 5 

 

5a. enseñanza: María fue una excelente esposa y madre.

Mateo 2: 13-14 

 

 Juan 19: 25 

 

6a. enseñanza:  María desaparece de la historia en el libro de los Hechos.

Hechos 1: 14

 

*Hasta hoy, el Espíritu Santo reina en la tierra hasta que Jesús arrebate a su novia.

 

7a. enseñanza: María reconoció que, como usted, necesitaba un Salvador.

Lucas 1: 47-48 

1a. Juan 2: 1

Hechos 4: 12   ..

1a. Timoteo 2: 5 

 

 

 

BOSQUEJO 6 PM DOMINGO 14 DE DIC 2008.

Bendiciones del servicio Marcos10: 45

 

Bendiciones de servir.

 

1a. bendición: El servicio sacrificial es bien recompensado. Marcos 10: 45

 

 

*Todo el que quiera ser GRANDE y prosperar deberá primero ser servidor(a).

 

*Cuando producimos para el Señor, El nos da vida 

 

2a. bendición: Un servidor fiel y eficiente es apreciado y recompensado. 

1a. Timoteo 5: 18   Romanos 4:4

 

*La constancia y la perseverancia son claves para triunfar. 

 

*En el servicio hay que definirse a quien queremos servir. 

 

*Si Dios supiera que El no es suficiente, nos empujaría a trabajar para alguien más. 

 

1a. Cor. 9: 14

 

3a. bendición: El servicio a Dios proporciona protección. Daniel 3: 28 

 

 I Reyes 20: 1-7

 

*Un siervo es un sirviente listo para hacer  TODO lo que le pidieren.

 

*Un(a) sirviente(a) debe ser fiel, leal, diligente.

Josué 24: 15 

 

 

BOSQUEJO Miércoles 17 de Diciembre 2008.

 Es bueno ser cristianos saladitos. Mateo 5 : 13

 

 *El tamaño  no es tan importante como la fuerza e intensidad de nuestra influencia.  

1a. enseñanza: Tenemos una oportunidad divina única.

*Jesús dice, nos guste o no, que los creyentes en El somos sal de la tierra.

a. La sal es visible.
 *Como sal de la tierra, nuestra labor es ganar almas y establecerlas en la fe. 
 *Sin contacto no hay impacto en las vidas de las personas. 
Mateo 9: 10-13   Juan 17: 14-15
b. La sal es valiosísima.
c. La sal es vital.   
2a. enseñanza: Es una responsabilidad incuestionable, definida. 

1.      Por naturaleza, somos nueva creación. II Cor. 5: 17  y  1a. Pedro 1: 23. 

2.      Por propósito, debemos ser puros. 

*La pureza debe ser parte integral del pueblo de Dios. 1a. Tim. 5: 22  1a. Pedro 1: 15-16
      3. *Por propósito debemos preservar.

*El impacto más dramático del cristianismo es que ha dado un nuevo valor  a la vida humana.

*El cristianismo detiene o/y evita la corrupción total de la sociedad. 

2a. Tes. 2: 7

*El propósito de los creyentes es retardar el decaimiento moral y espiritual en el mundo.

*La manera más efectiva de parar la corrupción en la sociedad es traer a las personas a los pies de Jesús.
4.  Por propósito debe ser penetrante. 

*Nuestro testimonio debe ser una advertencia de condenación a quienes rechazan a Jesús. 2a. Corintios 2: 15-16       Hechos 17: 6.
*Cuando la sal penetra la comida donde es aplicada  agrega sabor. 

*Nuestra vida como cristianos no puede ni debe ser una vida  sin sabor y aburrida

 (Job 6:6).

*La sal causa sed. Los cristianos debemos causar sed de Jesús a nuestro alrededor.
3a. enseñanza:  Una posibilidad espantosa, horrible.

*Los cristianos podemos perder nuestro poder de dar sabor con un testimonio manchado.
Debemos cuidarnos de no perder nuestro poder de dar sabor:

a. Por asociación con gente del mundo.

b. Por la contaminación. 

Prov. 13: 20  1a. Cor. 15: 33   Santiago 1: 27
 *Un cristiano contaminado es inefectivo en su influencia al mundo.
c. Repudio. 
*Un cristiano que pierde su testimonio es bueno para nada.

 

 

 





--
Rigo Galvez

Business Owner: Save Money Here:
http://sales.payjunction.com/rgalvez

Monday, December 15, 2008

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Merry Christmas!

I am making a conscious effort to wish everyone a Merry Christmas-- my way of saying that I am celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. So I am asking my email buddies, if you agree with me, to please do the same. And if you'll pass this on to your email buddies, and so on... maybe we can prevent one more American tradition from being lost in the sea of political correctness.

May God bless you and your famliy.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Un llamado que seguimos ignorando | Domingo 7 de Dic 2008





BOSQUEJOS Domingo 7 de Diciembre  2008

Un llamado que seguimos ignorando Marcos 16 :15

 *Llevar el evangelio a todas partes es un MANDATO de Jesús a Su iglesia.


*La tarea de todo creyente es llevar el mensaje de Jesús a todos lados.

  

1er.principio: Orar por obreros.  Lucas 10: 2  

a. En la Iglesia.
1. Orar por nuevos obreros que quieran comprometerse con Jesús.
2. Orar por los obreros ya existentes.
3. Orar por obreros llenos del Espíritu Santo.

b. En la cosecha.
1. Orar por los involucrados en la cosecha.
2. Orar porque Dios envíe obreros a la cosecha, no sustitutos sino colaboradores.

c. Orará usted por más obreros?
 

2o. principio: Proclamar elevangelio. Hechos 5: 42.

a. En la iglesia.

 b. En la comunidad.
c. En el mundo.
d. Se involucrará usted en la proclamación del evangelio?.  


3er.  principio: Proteger el evangelio. 1a. Juan 4: 1

a. Contra la falsa doctrina.
1. Una falsa doctrina niega la deidad de Cristo.
2. Una falsa doctrina es engañosa.
3. Una falsa doctrina trae destrucción.
4. Estar lleno del Espíritu Santo protege de ser engañado por falsas doctrinas.
5. Conociendo la Palabra de Dios protege  de ser engañado por falsas doctrinas.

b. Contra la apatía.
1. Falta de interés manifiesta, volverse indiferente.
2. Algunas personas se vuelven perezosas para oir el evangelio. 
3. Tenemos que cuidarnos del trabajo de Satanás.
4. El evangelio debe mantenerse fresco en nuestro espíritu.
5. El pecado nos conduce a la apatía.
6. La apatía termina "matando" a las iglesias.


c. Se comprometerá usted a estudiar la Palabra y ser lleno del Espíritu Santo?

   

4o. principio: Personificar el evangelio.  

Colos. 1: 10       1a. Tes. 2: 12 

a. Con poder. Hechos . Hechos 2: 4    Efe. 3: 20
b. Con pureza. (2a. Cor. 6:17)
c. Con propósito. Rom. 8: 28   

 

 

6 pm Domingo 7 de Diciembre 2008

Siete hábitos de santos bien santos 1a. Pedro 1: 15-16

 

*Los hábitos viejos pueden ser descartados y reemplazados por hábitos nuevos mejores.
  

*Los cristianos somos llamados a vivir una vida santa.  1a. Pedro 1: 15-16
 

1er. Hábito: Un creyente "bien santo" entiende que las Escrituras son la guía en su vida diaria      Salmo 1: 1-2 
 *La gente "bien santa" ama la Palabra de Dios.  

 

*La biblia tiene poder para protegernos de toda la basura que llega a la vida.

Salmo 119: 11

*Los cristianos "bien santos" compartimos la Palabra siempre que podemos.
 Col. 3:16 
*El studio y la aplicación práctica de la Biblia es un hábito del creyente "bien santo".
 
2o. habito: El creyente altamente santo busca diariamente a Dios en la oración. 
 1a. Tes. 5: 16….

*La oración es la comunicación con nuestro Padre celestial. 


Padres y abuelos debemos exponer a nuestros hijos y nietos a la disciplina de orar.  

*Una vida de oración conduce a una vida de santidad.

3er. Hábito: Un cristiano altamente santo está comprometido a seguir a Cristo siempre.

2a. Tim 2:8-9a

*Sólo en Jesús hay recompensas eternas.
 Juan 14:6  

*La devoción incondicional a Jesús es un hábito de un cristiano "bien santo".
 
4o. hábito: Los cristianos altamente santos son guiados por el Espíritu Santo.
Gálatas 5:16 y  25 

 Hechos 16: 6-10
  
5o. hábito: Cristianos altamente santos son responsables para con la casa de Dios y los santos.     Hebreos 10:25 - 
 
*Si asistir a la iglesia no es un hábito sino algo ocasional, hágalo un hábito.

6o. hábito: Cristianos altamente santos son obedientes en separarse de la infleuncia del mundo. 1a. Tes. 4: 3  

*Una vida de pureza personal es absolutamente requerida por el Espíritu Santo.
 
*El espíritu de este mundoi es un espíritu de impureza y de egoísmo. 
 
7o. hábito: Cristianos altamente santos buscan servir por agradecimiento a Dios.
 
2a.  Cor. 9: 8-13 - 

*Dios no nos dio dones espirituales para que gocemos tenerlos sino para usarlos.

*La intención de Dios es que vivamos en santidad, sino no lo hubiera mandado. 

Sólo con Cristo trabajando desde adentro con Su espíritu Santo podemos hacerlo

Arbolito de Navidad


Arbolito de Navidad
Originally uploaded by deejayrig
Hola Hermanos De La Primera

Un saludo de Navidad

Thursday, December 4, 2008

May be of interest....

Hello Everyone! We've reached 30,000 original visitors just this weekend in our blog, and wanted to thank all the returning visitors from all over the planet who visit this blog on a regular basis. As usual, I try to bring about current issues as well as cultural and social current events, particularly in the areas of mass communication.
 
I would like to share, a professional view in the area that affects us most [due to our present economy]: Our work place.
 
Many may not realize that there are twenty four hours in a day, an average of ten hours you are away from home interacting with co-workers, so you actually spend more time with people at work than with your own family. In my case probably even less because I manage social events on weekends. The sad reality is that many don't even realize they are involved (or sucked) into a mob, due to a defense mechanism that prevents them to see any wrong doing on their part. This includes involvement by omission often called "look the other way". Many employers, managers of supervisors feel "disrespected" whenever asked for anything out of the boundaries of their control, such as adhering to policy or payroll issues, often seeing an employee as an adversary and their questions as an act of intolerable insubordination.
 
It does not matter the size of the operation, you may work for a bureaucratic government office, nonprofit org or a private enterprise, it happens everywhere. I always thought it is a primary survival instinct, were a weak -by virtue of performance, gender, or lack of academic achievement- is typically the target. My 2c. I leave you with the article and let us know what you think.
 
Best regards,
 
Rigo
 
Published at 7:00 am 12/04/08
 
Mob Mentality - from BCBusiness Magazine, courtesy of Vicki O'Brien

Mob Mentality

By Vicki O'Brien

In the space of a year, Sheila went from being on the A-list at work to being isolated, singled out for criticism and branded as "trouble." Like most targets of workplace bullying, the 45-year-old university instructor did not immediately realize she was facing a concerted campaign of emotional abuse by her superiors, women she once trusted and considered friends and mentors.

As months passed and the social isolation, hostility and false accusations of wrongdoing intensified, Sheila (BCBusiness agreed not to identify her or the university) worked even harder to prove her tormentors wrong. "I became a better teacher, published more papers and earned more grants and awards," she says. "But each achievement was seen as confirmation that I consider myself better than everyone else, each protestation against an unfair accusation a sign that I am a difficult person. And when I make no protestation, it's seen as an admission of guilt."

Like scores of men and women in workplaces in B.C. and around the world, Sheila was a target of "mobbing," a painful, insidious form of emotional abuse at work. Mobbing is the latest wrinkle in bullying, a workplace phenomenon that's been around as long as work itself. Where traditional workplace bullying usually involves a dysfunctional relationship between two co-workers, mobbing is the relentless persecution of one employee by a group.

Mobbing is defined as a conscious effort to exclude, punish and humiliate a co-worker. It's different from bullying, which is far more prevalent, is usually committed by one person targeting another and ends when the offender is transferred, fired or leaves the company. Mobbing starts with one or two perpetrators, then spreads like wildfire through an organization. You are being mobbed when colleagues attack your dignity, integrity and competence over a period of months or years. As the abuse accelerates, more co-workers unquestioningly accept the party line that you are unpleasant and inept and have no place in the organization.

Such relentless persecution is often fuelled by envy, suspicion, gossip and innuendo and thrives in tumultuous organizations where bad bosses and sadistic employees are protected by apathetic management or watertight collective agreements, a climate in which good people are afraid to speak out for fear they will also be targeted. Unfortunately, this collective silence condones and even exacerbates the bullying; without a dissenting voice, perpetrators become even more emboldened.

Based on the personal stories told to BCB, here's how mobbing happens. One day, completely out of the blue, you'll realize that your projects are winding down and you don't have enough to do. Your new assignments seem designed to isolate you from your co-workers: either your workstation is moved or people no longer seek you out. As time passes, you may be deliberately excluded from meetings or not given enough time to prepare. Supervisors and peers routinely ignore all your questions and requests for support, set you impossible deadlines and unachievable targets, usurp your responsibilities, undermine your decisions, take credit for your work or spread false gossip about your conduct or ability to supervisors or senior management.

A phenomenon long recognized in Europe, mobbing is on the rise in Canada due to the growing labour shortage, and that rise is particularly steep in the west. Experts say B.C. business leaders need to heed warnings about disturbing workplace conduct such as mobbing. If firms are to compete internationally for skilled workers, they must become coveted places to work. That means addressing ugly, often hidden issues affecting employee health and safety and demonstrating less tolerance for toxic behaviour during working hours.

Vancouver employment and human-rights lawyer Sue Paish, who has dealt with numerous cases of workplace abuse and harassment, has a serious warning for B.C.'s employers. As companies scour the globe to replace retiring boomers from the shop floor to the executive suite, the result will inevitably be a more diverse workforce in terms of age, gender, religion and race. She wants to warn B.C.'s business community that a more diverse workforce will inevitably lead to more employee conflict - a surefire precursor to bullying and mobbing.
And it's trending up. In 2005, B.C. welcomed 44,000 immigrants, 7,000 more than in 2004. To help ease the workplace crunch, the provincial government launched a new program last year to link newcomers with job opportunities, and help them overcome barriers related to language proficiency, academic qualifications and skills upgrading.

Paish warns that cultural diversity is well and good as long as newcomers are properly integrated into a healthy workplace. While the government may be making efforts to ease the transition, it won't be enough. There must be a sincere commitment by management. "I'm concerned because we've struggled for 30-plus years to address issues raised by women in the workplace, and we're still dealing with them today," Paish says. "I don't think employers have the luxury of time when it comes to managing the cultural issues they are about to face." Her contention that diversity can fuel conflict in the workplace is supported
by University of Waterloo researcher and mobbing expert Ken Westhues, who reports that many of the bullying targets he studies have foreign accents.

BCBusiness first came across the mobbing phenomenon while researching an article on bad bosses ("Bad boss, bad boss") for our December 2006 issue. After reviewing
personal anecdotes on local websites, we were surprised when 21 people emailed us, describing long-term group-bullying experiences at work. Several referred to themselves as mobbing targets, which prompted us to dig deeper. The word "mobbing" turned up more than six million hits on Google, including a B.C.-based website, nobullyforme.ca, formed in 2003 by former Vancouver bullying targets to offer support and information to Canadians
traumatized by co-workers.

When we think of group bullying in B.C., it brings to mind two shameful local tragedies that made national headlines: the 1997 death of 14-year-old Reena Virk of Victoria, who was savagely attacked by a pack of teens and then drowned, and Mission's Dawn Marie Wesley, also 14, who hanged herself in 2000 after being bullied at school.

Unlike their playground and adolescent equivalents, workplace bullies and their
supporters rarely lash out physically, observes the University of Waterloo's Ken Westhues, a sociology professor whose books on the subject include The Envy of Excellence and The Remedy and Prevention of Mobbing in Higher Education. Instead, he says, the "mature" bully's weapons of choice are long-term social and psychological intimidation and manipulation, which can be as damaging as physical violence.

Again, there are high-profile local examples. Last year, news reports described male members of Richmond's Fire-Rescue Services using offensive, juvenile tactics against four female colleagues. It's alleged that among other mobbing tactics, male firefighters broke into women's lockers, scrawled threats and obscenities on locker walls, placed human excrement in work gear, shredded clothing and sprayed it with chemicals.

When mobbing goes unchecked, it can push the victim to respond with violence, and, in extreme cases, that violence can escalate to murder. In 1999, Canadian Pierre Lebrun walked into work at an OC Transpo garage in Ottawa, shot and killed four co-workers, wounded two others and then turned the gun on himself. His mother later told an inquest a handful of colleagues had repeatedly teased him about his stutter. A coroner suggested that their thoughtless abuse pushed a man in an already fragile emotional state completely over the edge.

Ironically, it's in the unionized workplace - an environment where it's very difficult to fire someone - that mobbing and bullying can go unchecked. Paish, who was hired by the City of Richmond to review its firefighter debacle, says unionized workers being mobbed by peers should not expect a lot by way of support from their unions. Such cases place unions in a direct conflict of interest: they are unable to show preference for one member over another. It's one reason why bullying and harassment in the public sector are often ignored and left to fester, she says. The situation can sometimes go on for months and years, leaving employees who traditionally count on their union for support feeling especially disenchanted.

Paish declines to discuss Richmond council's reaction to her 57-page report but has plenty to say on the subject of workplace abuse. "It's far more prevalent than most organizations are prepared to acknowledge," she stresses. "People tend to think, ?It's not happening in my workplace,' but the truth is it's probably happening down the hall and in the next office. If it's being dealt with at all, it's being dealt with in confidence."

Because the little Canadian research that exists on mobbing has focused mainly on universities, where group abuse of academics seems prevalent, it's tough to attach firm numbers to the incidences of mobbing in B.C. workplaces as a whole. However, the Canada Safety Council says workplace bullying (which includes mobbing) is far more prevalent than other destructive behaviours covered by legislation, such as sexual harassment and racial discrimination. Clearly, what's happening here in Canada reflects a disturbing global trend. (The issue of mobbing became so public in Italy that it was the subject of a 2004 award-winning film, Mi piace lavorare [I Love to Work], written and directed by Francesca Comencini.) According to a 2006 report ­issued by the International Labour Organization, abuse in the workplace has reached epidemic levels in some countries and is taking a major toll on their economies, due to increased absenteeism and sick leave.

"Bullying, harassment, mobbing and allied behaviors can be just as damaging as outright physical violence," says the report. "Today, the instability of many types of jobs places huge pressures on workplaces, and we're seeing more of these forms of violence." It goes on to cite a U.S. study that estimates one in five American workers has experienced mobbing or destructive bullying in the past year.

Instead of focusing on your performance, your evaluations (if you receive them at all) come in the form of angry, critical tirades, based on unsubstantiated, personal comments from peers or supervisors. In all likelihood, you will learn you have "an attitude problem" and are not "a team player." As the mobbing continues unabated, this negative criticism becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You turn into a physical and emotional wreck and dread getting out of bed. After enduring months of isolation and abuse, your work and your personal relationships suffer, and, like many mobbing targets, you may find yourself considering suicide.

For three years, Jane (not her real name) had successfully trained and coordinated word-processing teams at a mid-size Vancouver law firm without any problems. Then she began to experience bullying by her female boss. When her firm converted to new word-processing software, Jane says she was refused training, deliberately kept out of the loop, isolated from co-workers and shunned by colleagues who had once been her friends.
"In hindsight, it was a cynical attempt to make my work conditions so unbearable that I would quit," she says. "I did reach out to my teammates, but my effort met with aloofness and avoidance." Jane struggled on in this uncomfortable environment for six months, when her boss (who was also the company's HR supervisor) began berating her behind closed doors. She accused Jane of incompetence and of having "a bad attitude," although she never gave specific examples. Jane, who claims she had a spotless employ­ment record prior to this conflict, says she reported her mobbing to the office manager and asked him for a performance review. But it never came.

Struggling to complete her assignments without appropriate tools or direction, Jane spiralled, wracked with stress, insomnia and depression. When things were at their worst, she asked a former colleague what she had done to upset her and was stunned when the woman bitterly replied, "I hate you, just because you are you." Although Jane reports that her supervisor later apologized for making unfounded comments about the quality of her work and her conduct at the office, the painful experience has left Jane, now 57, emotionally fragile and unable to work full-time.

Swedish psychologist Heinz Leymann identified the mobbing phenomenon more than 20 years ago after investigating the impact of workplace bullying dished out by supervisors, peers and subordinates. According to his research, 92 per cent of mobbing targets develop symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at levels similar to those who have experienced combat, rape and prison camps. He also estimated that 12 per cent of Swedes who commit suicide have experienced mobbing. While some European countries have introduced anti-workplace-bullying laws, Quebec recently became the only jurisdiction in North America to adopt specific anti-mobbing legislation.

Westhues, himself a target of mobbing earlier in his academic career, says it's not
surprising that the phenomenon was first identified in Scandinavia, a region generally characterized by a high standard of living, a highly educated workforce and relatively high job security. "On the outside, these countries appear to control people's nasty, aggressive impulses," he notes. "In such a situation, workers act out their aggressive impulses in slow, quiet, sneaky, underhanded, collective ways that define mobbing." He suggests Canada has been slower to recognize the phenomenon because we are influenced by a suck-it-up, don't-be-a-baby mentality that also prevails south of our border.

It took Stephen Hill more than a year to regain his health and confidence after
experiencing mobbing while working at a Vancouver university bookstore. After settling with his employer, he retrained as an employment counsellor and, in addition to his work with unemployed clients in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, he now helps others understand and survive workplace bullying.

Through a website, nobullyforme.ca, Hill and fellow former bullying victim Karen Learmonth assemble the latest international bullying information and resources, publish a monthly newsletter and help establish regional bullying support groups. There are currently four in Canada. Hill says they want targets to know they are not alone, that they are not crazy and that a broad range of health problems, such as headaches and insomnia - and, in later stages, PTSD symptoms such as anxiety, depression and difficulty concentrating - are all linked to abusive treatment at work.

Contrary to popular opinion, those most vulnerable to mobbing are not subservient, easily intimidated or insecure, he stresses. In fact, they are generally well-liked, principled, technically competent, co-operative and non-confrontational. "A bully considers such personal strengths and abilities a threat and decides to cut them down," he says.
"As targets usually do nothing to merit dismissal and tend to ignore subtle cues to leave, they are subjected to harassment designed to force them out." A recent No Bully For Me online survey concluded that 20 per cent of Canada's bullying targets are male, 80 per cent are female and 66 per cent are aged 35 to 55.

Who are the bullies in our midst? Twenty-three per cent of No Bully For Me's respondents said they were abused by a woman, 41 per cent by a man and 36 per cent attributed their bullying to both sexes. Fifty-three per cent said the person initiating the bullying was a manager or supervisor, and 42 per cent cited a co-worker or peer. According to our previous research on workplace harassment, experts have categorized bad bosses into seven types: the angry, aggressive jerk; the arrogant, self-righteous know-it-all; the charming, two-faced backstabber; the silent grenade (someone who is wound tight and ready to blow); the micro-managing control freak; the penny-pinching profiteer; and the opportunistic manipulator. While such stereotypes are quite often accurate, bully watchers like Hill say it's better to recognize and respond firmly to the first signs of abuse than to try to identify a potential tormentor.

Some bullies are outwardly aggressive and relish playing visible, leading roles;
others operate below the radar, using gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice and other non-verbal messages to ridicule, demean or threaten their targets. Most experts agree that such devious tyrants are the most dangerous. They know what they want but hide their objective beneath a veneer of charm, pretending to act in the best interest of others, especially their employers. Often, only the target sees their darker side.

Some bullies are narcissists and sociopaths, esteemed by their bosses for the very qualities that make them top-notch bullies. Their ability to "show well" to senior management is a huge problem for anyone hoping to leapfrog a bully boss in the hopes of finding support and relief from someone higher up the totem pole.

All too often, in-house disputes that don't obviously contravene human-rights or labour laws (covering workplace harassment or discrimination based on age, race, sex or
sexual orientation) may be shrugged off by management as personality conflicts and brushed under the carpet. This common misperception might explain why a survey done by the U.S. and Canada Workplace Bullying Institute found that only 18 per cent of targets who reported abusive misconduct to their bully's manager received the help they requested. Forty-two per cent said their boss compounded the problem, and 40 per cent said he or she did nothing. But while larger firms are more likely to have policies around acceptable workplace conduct and harassment, they also offer more hidden corners where conflict and abuse can incubate.

Julie, a senior programmer in a major international software developer's Vancouver office, tells us mobbing was not an isolated event in her workplace. "While [the mobbing] was happening to me, another colleague, an older man, was experiencing a similar situation," she writes in an email. "I read his last evaluation in which his mana­ger said he was inferior to his peers. In fact, he did the work of three to five people: he was a ­valued member of the team and very well respected, except by management. Some people tried to help him but he eventually went on sick leave and left the company. He was so traumatized by his experience that he can't even drive anywhere near the office."

Hill says bullying targets are usually high achievers who think, "If I work harder, I will make this situation better? Because we tend to stay longer in a toxic workplace, we are much more damaged when we do get out and begin to recover." In their efforts to get justice, mobbing targets often sacrifice everything, he says, including health, family and career. While the decision to fight or quit depends on an individual's financial, social and emotional strength, based on his own debilitating experience, Hill recommends that bullying targets move on, rather than stay on principle and risk being scarred for life.

Through No Bully For Me, Hill is lobbying for a series of nationwide anti-mobbing initiatives, including a workplace-bullying hotline; an updated list of worst workplaces; a network of support groups; and a register of psychologists, counsellors and other professionals who understand the impact of workplace bullying and can help targets recover and successfully return to work. "Interestingly, I think the economy is actually doing us a favour," says Hill. "Employers are starting to take workplace abuse more seriously because it's a highly competitive environment, and they want to attract and retain staff. As a result, we are
talking about these issues a lot more and bringing them out into the open."

Taking a Stand
You're the target of mobbing at work, you're losing sleep at night and there's no relief in sight. Before you give up and quit - or end up on stress leave - consider these strategies:

* If you are being isolated or bullied, do not quietly endure the abuse. Find advice and support at websites such as nobully forme.ca and mobbing.ca.
* Be proactive. As soon as you experience any sort of abuse or start to feel uncomfortable with the way someone behaves, ask your tormentor to sit down and talk with you. Stay calm and unemotional; explain briefly and respectfully why you feel targeted, how it makes you feel and stress that it is unacceptable. Experts say this may just resolve your problem; some bullies are socially inept and do not fully understand the impact of their behaviour.
* If a reasonable request for fair, respectful treatment meets with unreasonable anger, do not retaliate; some of the worst bullies will use your emotional outbursts against you.
* Being flexible and agreeable will not help you deal with people involved in mobbing. They see such qualities as a sign of weakness and may ramp up the abuse. Stay firm in your convictions.
* Do not immediately approach your tormentor's boss. Bosses often view a bully quite differently and may dismiss your complaints.

If the harassment or bullying does not stop, check company policy. There may be written procedures that you need to follow. Keep detailed records of the bullying and when and how you have tried to stop it.


Wednesday, December 3, 2008

TO TWEET OR NOT TO TWEET

Rise of the TwitteratiIn the Information Age: Knowing equals Being.

“En la era de la información: Saber es equivalente a Ser” lo describe Kathleen Parker en su articulo, que publico el día de hoy el Washington Post.

Nota: El articulo esta en ingles pero puede ser traducido al castellano con uno de los traductores automáticos de Google, para aquellos que no mastican muy bien el ingles, si es que así lo prefieren.’

En lo personal, vengo con esto del Internet desde hace muchos años, inclusive desde que no existía el Internet personal, mas solo existía en las escuelas. En 1993 obtuve mi primera cuenta de AOL, y un MODEM que se tardaba un siglo entero para conectar, y se escuchaba aquella palabra mágica que decía: “you got mail”.

Algunos mas avanzados obtenían cuentas fuera de AOL cual requería aventurar en otros sistemas, incluyendo el IRC y el mIRC. A medida que mas y mas gente obtenía computadoras personales, crecían las diferentes comunidades que se comunicaban por medio de “Internet” a nivel popular. Ganando de tal manera la buena fama que era un medio de acceso informativo mas rápido, y la mala fama que destruía hogares, porque se podía “chatear” [charlar, o platicar] con miembros del sexo opuesto, [y en muchos casos hasta del mismo genero porque se disfrazaban].

A medida que ha venido pasando el tiempo, el acceso se ha facilitado, y el Internet se ha convertido en una “necesidad” en todos los hogares, y para las nuevas generaciones, es algo indispensable como vehiculo social.

En la evolución reciente, han crecido mas grupos sociales o foros sociales, pasando a los Web logs o blogs, para después pasar a los sitios socialmente interactivos como lo son MySpace y Facebook, además de otros que también son populares como Hi5 y mas. Existen otros que piratean información como lo son WAYNE (dicho sea de paso sugiero tengan mucho cuidado, porque en un rato de descuido, uno presiona “yes” y extraen las direcciones de correo que la computadora personal guarda para facilitar archivo de datos, en su sistema operativo).

Simultáneamente, por un buen rato se ha venido desarrollando el sistema de mensajes, o Messenger, que se ha incorporado a la telefonía. En parte se volvió popular porque era mas barato enviar mensajes de texto que usar el sistema activo de voz, mayormente entre los adolescentes.

La sed de estar conectados, saber lo que sucede o lo que esta pasando con otros seres sociales, facilito la cultura del twitter, Cual permite dejarle saber a otros en la red o circulo de amistades lo que están haciendo en ese preciso instante, además de compartir otros archivos, simultáneamente. Por ejemplo, alguien puede estar de vacaciones, tomarle una foto o video a algo de interés común y enviarlo instantáneamente para que otros puedan recibirlo en ese preciso instante.

Muchos dicen que se han creado un habito al punto de llamarle un vicio. Los padres con hijos bajo su cuidado fácilmente pueden limitar el uso del tweet. Como método de corrección, o castigo para los menores. En los trabajos, también es algo preferencial, el poder tener la libertad del uso de mensajes, ya que para muchos, tal privilegio no existe, porque lo prohíben en las áreas de empleo. (Según cuentan, muchos se la pasan en el bendito Internet todo el día).


Rise of the Twitterati

By Kathleen Parker
Wednesday, December 3, 2008; A17



"I have discovered that all human evil comes from this, man's being unable to sit still in a room."

-- Blaise Pascal

We are sitting in a restaurant, sipping wine and chatting, when my friend begins twittering.

Not in the usual way. Two women twittering turn no heads. Rather, she is "twittering" via her iPhone, typing out a message to subscribers who inhabit the quantum universe of blogs, URLs and spheres.

For those who still commune by glance and gesture, "to twitter" roughly means to express an abbreviated thought or observation in real time to a live, self-selecting audience of brain voyeurs. People who want to know your every cogitation and sign up for the privilege.

Shorter than a blog posting, a "tweet" consists of a concise sentence or two and essentially answers the question: What are you doing?

Often, the answer is not riveting, as in: "Getting ready for work." Other times, as in the recent election, twitterers have been put to constructive use, such as reporting possible poll shenanigans.

Under ideal circumstances, a tweet would offer something insightful -- or newsy, such as: "Rahm Emanuel just walked in."

As, in fact, he did the evening of my twit-initiation. Instantly, my friend's twitterees -- all 5,000 of them -- knew what she knew and were, for what it was worth, As Good As There.

In the Information Age: Knowing equals Being.

Twittering isn't entirely new, of course. The Facebook generation has been sort of twittering for years, posting prosaic bulletins about their whims and whereabouts, providing a glimpse of what the world would be like if hummingbirds could type:

"Jordan is busy busy!"

"Josh is driving to the mountains today."

"Kate is sooooooooo never drinking martinis again."

On Planet Facebook, nothing in one's life is not worth mentioning. To what end, one can only surmise. I am, therefore I am, therefore I am. But what are friends for, if not to feign interest in what's not the least bit interesting?

Serious twitter subscribers expect more than a mood update, I'm told, and presumably won't stick around long for less. Or will they? I recently created an account at Twitter.com. Nary a tweet have I posted thus far, yet already I have a dozen subscribers.

Who are they? How long will they wait? Why do they wait? Will they spurn me if I fail to twitter? Would a banter suffice? In the spirit of gamesmanship, herewith a tweet:

"James Dobson's letter-writing campaign to set me straight re God and GOP appears to be backfiring. Most e-mails from his Web site the past two days disagree with Dobson."

As my son would say, "Baaam!"

Truth be known, I confess to a certain, inexplicable calm. Gratification, if you will. Perhaps there is something to this twittering business.

One's every other thought couldn't be considered compelling, surely. But there may be merit to this yet-new thing. Wouldn't we be interested in, say, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's twitterings? Barack Obama's? Sarah Palin's?

Come to think of it, how long before we begin to expect, if not demand, that public officials twitter? Already, blogging is de rigueur for anyone seeking a wide audience or market share. Nearly every newspaper Web site now offers multiple, topic-specific blogs to which reporters, editors and columnists are expected to post.

The Obama campaign revolutionized political communication and fundraising. Fireside chats and radio addresses may nurture our nostalgia, but blogs and twitters feed our need for speed. They also give an impression of human contact without the muss and fuss of actual intimacy.

For serious twitterers, there is additionally a commercial aspect. Building one's base, so to speak, eventually leads to possible marketing opportunities. When one has a million subscribers to one's thoughts, one may have a salable asset. A penny for your thoughts potentially becomes legal tender.

What all this means in the long term is anyone's guess. How much information can a brain usefully process? What end is served by the random tweets of countless individuals? The impulse to be incessantly in touch can be viewed either as gregarious or as a sign of consuming anxiety. Twittering may be the opiate of the obsessively, compulsively disordered.

Who needs the couch, after all, when no thought is ever repressed?

Something to consider. Or, perchance, to tweet?

kparker@kparker.com.
http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W0RH00614A213509E86D62EF5A27E0