Palanca and Agape are a powerful spiritual force within the Fourth Day Community.  It is primarily prayer and intercession on behalf of others but it is also the actual effort, action and sacrifices that are offered for the spiritual success of those we love and serve. The word Palanca is a Spanish word that means ‘Lever’. Palanca is the prayer, sacrifice and service that enables the accomplishment of things that would otherwise be impossible without the Grace of God and thus acts as a lever lifting both team and candidates. Palanca is petitioning God, interceding on behalf of all things that pertain to TD by providing the supernatural power to accomplish the supernatural acts of God.
Our participation in Palanca and Agape is literally the effort and action of pressing down hard on the lever to activate God’s power lifting our brothers and sisters into new dimensions of His grace.  Most communities in the Fourth Day Movement including Tres Dias use the word ‘palanca’ to designate the spiritual force represented by voluntary prayers and sacrificial service. This is accomplished both individually and in community like reunion groups, with the aim of moving beyond the impossible and overcoming any resistance to Grace on the part of those for whom we pray. God is always faithful to do His part and deliver Grace needed for both candidates and team. This lever is an integral part of every phase of Tres Dias, including Pre-Weekend team formation, the Weekend itself and most importantly, the Post Weekend helping new Pescadores to grow as Disciples of Christ.
Letters were the original form of palanca-agape
Initially, palanca was made known in the form of letters to participants and over time it began to be expressed through other means like trinkets and small gifts. It is imperative for each of us to remember that palanca is prayer and sacrificial service not the gift or the trinket used to represent our prayer and service. The gift represents the prayer and sacrifice of the giver. Jesus represents the ultimate palanca on the cross.  There are several categories of sacrifice, such as personal, general and service palanca that are an integral part of every phase of the Tres Dias Movement.
Sending a letter as palanca is a custom strongly recommended in the Tres Dias Movement and since the advent of the Internet, sending palanca has taken many different forms of expression. Just as the lever immensely affected our development creating greater output with fewer resources, it also enables us to quickly and easily share the spiritual force of palanca and even make the gift representing the expression of prayers and sacrifices easily accessible for potential candidates around the world.
It’s in this spirit, I have created an online resource not only for the purpose of sharing creative ideas for palanca but to also make, actual hand made gifts and trinkets as accessible as store bought book marks, mugs and buttons, etc. The biggest difference between the availability of store bought and handmade palanca is the pressing of that powerful lever. Making hand made palanca available via the Internet does not in any way detract from its spiritual value anymore then an emailed palanca letter. Using the Internet to help move palanca around the world as a spiritual force has benefits reaching far beyond our own community.
Palanca and Agape are now more then letters
For example, the internet can be used to bless those without an abundance of palanca living in less wealthy communities and countries, with the real value not in the gift itself but in the spiritual force it represents. This blessing can be both practical and powerful in building relationships to strengthen and unite 4th day local and long distance communities. Other unique aspects of the weekend experience which can be used to carry the spiritual force of palanca include banners, prayer shawls, prayer vigils and lanyards all easily accessible as well.
There are countless testimonies of the power of palanca and its impact in the hearts and lives of those in the 4th day community. There is as much passion in giving and making palanca as there is in receiving it because they just go hand in hand.
I am tremendously excited about working as a palanca cha this weekend because it will allow me the opportunity to gather ideas and maybe take pictures of the palanca and make contact with the creators to perhaps add to them to the online resource.
If you are contributing palanca for the weekend and want to include it in the online resource, it would be helpful to me if you’d include your name and list the materials used and write out simple instructions for making it. Most importantly, please include your email address, so I can make contact with you should I have questions or need clarification. Let us know if you’d prefer that I not share your idea in the resource.
Palanca and Agape can have a powerful impact
I would also be grateful for anyone who would be willing to share a brief written or video clip testimony of how you were impacted by palanca on your weekend. Such a testimony would be a powerful addition to our little website. Shortly, after the weekend you will be able to see your palanca listed as a resource for others to use in other communities around the globe. You can check us out at anytime at by going to www.powerfulpalanca.com or www.Your4thdayConnection.com