boycott the parade...

Today was the day where the straw broke the camel's back. We packed our van and left after 'noche buena' around midnight to drive to orlando and visit the mouse. the plan was to be there at 10 am for the xmas day parade - the one that you and i have grown up seeing for the last 35 years (depending on your age). lo and behold, to our surprise, what we have been fed on tv and what actually takes place in WDW magic kingdom is not the same - not the same idea, ball park, or even zip code. what we saw was a regular parade (it was good, it was disney), but it was not what we had been led to believe we were going to be seeing. no bon jovi, jonas bros, or hannah montana...at the very least. after having driven through the night to be present for the parade, we were informed by 'joe' our handsome monorail attendee that the parade was all pre-recorded...in september -- september. disney did it again. they used their magic to fool me one more time. i hate them and yet the truth is, i'll probably be back for the mouse again. on a positive note, i ate a turkey leg, flinstone style. it was good. boycott the xmas day parade -- it doesn't matter, it will probably be recorded by halloween. eat more turkey. merry xmas.

lovers of life

for all you lovers of life, fret not. as quickly as finals time has arrived, it will as quickly leave. study, don't cheat, and don't cheat God of His time. love life during the holidays, if not, it's not worth celebrating.

ps. xmas lights can only be connected up to 3 strands at a time. more than that will cause the in built fuse to blow.

enjoy life, now.

be wise...

if you are not ready for the holidays, get ready. like it or not, they are quickly arriving. i found it odd that the day after halloween there was xmas lights and decor up already. we sure do make a whole lot of money during the holidays. be wise with how you spend you money and time this holiday season. ask yourself, is it really worth it? is it worth it to God? what is the wise thing to do. paola did a great job this week in the small group -- makes you think about what's really important and best. let's be smart and let's do what's right - be wise for the days are evil

Focus on here and now

It's been very busy, but very good. As we consider our calling to overseas work, i'm always reminded that thinking about the future at the expense of the present is not good. It's easy to think about tomorrow or what tomorrow can be like, yet without focus and work today, tomorrow will only be an after thought when it gets here.

A major event is coming to the life of MBC and it's time to focus. It's easier to think about what life can be like somewhere else. Yet truth be told, i am here, now. called serve, minister, and focus; here, now. While there is still daylight, we have been called to work - Jesus.

help, now!

if any of you out there know of someone or some place where i can find headphones in BULK for CHEAP, please let me know. every place that i go to online gives it to me cheap, and then gets me with the shipping costs.

other than that, we are going bowling at STRIKES at dolphin mall at 7.30 pm. you are responsible for paying for your own game and shoe rentals.

i dare any of you to through down against JOHN STRIKER aka - D.love

i will strike you in the mouth! later.

Tough times

after a week of difficult experiences, i am pleased to announce that God is still good. had many opportunities this last week to share about his goodness, even through death. to our friend eddie v. i know that he loves God - he's in a better place. mr. ramirez, also another lover of God. both rejoicing with Jesus - i am so jealous. please pray for there families and wives that they leave behind. thanks for taking time to love on them and to provide for them in their time of need.

true religion is this, to care for the orphans and widow.
James 1, the Bible

Big Announcement

hey friends, this just in. in case you missed this last sunday @ MBC, the announcement was made...we are going back overseas. we've been wrestling with this calling for a bit, but God has made it clear that this is what He wants most for us. delayed obedience is disobedience. a lesson that i know well and that i've taught many a time...so we must practice what we preach. therefore, we will be heading back to europe sometime next year. not sure yet so please pray for us. it's either italy or spain. both have their ups and downs, so please join us in praying for discernment towards making the best choice.

see you out there!

ZEAL - one year

ONE year of zeal...come and gone. for all of you who attended, i hope that it was an incredible experience. just so that you are all aware, the magic doesn't just happent. it takes a team of dedicated and committed people to pull it off, whether it's once, twice, or weekly.

to all of you that have helped out at zeal...THANK YOU!

you have all been a tremendous blessing to myself and so many others.

guys, one year down. we've got till He comes back again

keep on keepin' on!

Summer of 07

all you suckaz...im back. been a bit of a crazy summer, but we made it. just so you know, i've adopted a new friend from guatemala. i like to call him mr. worm. he is currently abiding within my stomach. im losing weight which is good, but im dizzy a lot. gotta get that taken care of. anyhow, he'll be out sooner or later.

This summer i...

went to a ms/hs camp in NC
went to guatemala to do a youth camp/vbs
went to orlando for the college and singles summer retreat
went back to guatemala for the pastor's conference (AMAZING!)
going to cuba in sept.

for all of you haters who have knocked my absence, your mom. j/k. your dad, seriously. :-) like you guys much.


just a reminder to all of you have started your classes this month...i graduated already. i no longer have to go to school. take it as incentive for finishing your classes as soon as possible. one day, you to will be able to say that with confidence -- school is over.

any way, on a serious note, this year could be the year that...
-you shared your faith with that person that you see over and over, but you've never shared with before
-you go out and feed a homeless person out of the abundance that you have
-you shave your head bald
-plug into your church and connect to a ministry
-you and give a whole lot more than you receive

just some thoughts that have been on my mind for some time now.

DONT FORGET -- Sept. 2 ZEAL - ONE (first anniversary/birthday part for zeal) be there or not be there, its still gonna be pretty awesome

for all of you who have been praying for us, much graz. for all of you who have been working with us this summer, much graz.

Recap of Sanfran

here are some pics of the different things found in san fran. pretty cool.



pretty cool town if any of you ever get a chance to check it out. lots of different cultures blending to make a country of many: USA.

Going weekly

hey everyone, just to remind you that zeal goes weekly in may. start making plans for it now - God's gonna do something great; He already is. see you all there -- it starts at 7.15 pm.

www.zealmiami.com

www.myspace.com/zealcollege

www.miamibc.com

Changing trends...even in california

As we drove down highway 1 this morning i was spending some time reading about different trends occurring in our modern world today. it amazes me how the shift from where we were to where we are is occurring right under our noses and we don't even realize it. from one end to another, the can people can be so different and yet so similar. everyone independent of anyone else. each going in their own directions to achieve their own goals. as i read and watched it dawned on me some of the shifts that have occurred in miami over the last 3 years since we got back.

1. Price of real estate changed and with it the 'kinds' of people that live in certain parts of the city
2. People try to get the most return on the minimal amount of work
3. We all deserve what we want, whether we have earned it or not
4. More and more couples seem to be divorcing
5. We are starting to see the emerging 3rd and 4th generations of kids who are now American Hispanic vs. Hispanic American
6. Kids born here seem to be turning against foreigners of their countries of origin

there's some more stuff, but it's too late right now. it's 2 am in miami and even though im on the west coast, my body and mind are still on the east.

point of the blog is work towards your goal by putting in the time and energy. it's not a bad thing to work and to work hard for what you sense God watns. and along the way, don't forget that their were many that went ahead before you; be nice to them.

San Francisco

taking off to san francisco tomorrow. time for a little rest and relaxation. im really looking forward just to getting to taking some time to be with family and friends. for all you out there that read this, pray for us; im pretty sure we will be carrying little dave the entire time. that should make for interesting story by the time we get back. any how, we're gonna see the golden gate bridge, probably lots of different cultures, and hopefully a san fran giants game - maybe i'll catch a home run hit by barry bonds, that would be awesome. you should be expecting some cool pics soon after we've seen some things worth seeing - don't worry, i'll keep you all posted on the adventure. see you guys when i get back.

First Impressions....

been working on something that needs to be addressed. pretty key the whole doing things and doing it right the first time. spent the day with mark waltz, the guy running the 1st impressions ministry at granger community church in indiana. good stuff. lots of work that needs to be done, but it puts into perspective all the work that needs to be done personally in my life and the life of many ministries in the church. you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. my hope and desire would be that i make an incredible first impreession on others because of WHOM i represent: Christ. just thinking about the impressions HE made on people and the examples that HE left me. one shot at being good - make it count everybody!

fyi, that's me and mark at the conference. smart guy with lots of know how.

Music that moves

You are the King glorious
And you reign victorious
On an everlasting throne
You reign
-Steve Fee

I was moved to hear these words. If you haven't checked out this song it's called 'victorious' - the albu is 'burn for you.' good stuff. Check it out.

Obedience, it's that simple

You don't have to be smart, good looking, or even brilliant to do that which God desires most, obedience. Anyone can qualify, but few choose to. This idea of God before all things is the simple test that demonstrates to me whether God is first or not in my life. If he is, then I am beign obedient. If He is not in some areas, then I'm not being partially obedient, I'm being disobedient, period. May we learn from those who have gone before us and shown us what not to do. I believe that there is much to be learned in the successes and failures of those that have gone ahead of us. Often times, i have discovered that God honored obedience. That obedience resulted in innovation and success. You don't have to be smart to obey, but you would be stupid not to. Obedience, it's that simple.

Good things

i know that it's been a while, but it's been a pretty busy ride since we got back from Spring Retreat. Easter came, things changed - pretty much, life happened. all in all, it's bee pretty good with a couple of curve balls here and there. tonight we finished our series at ZEAL entitled colors. we shared about major social issues that have been ignored. personally, i think we walked away more informed and pumped towards involvement and change; both locally and internationally. we collected enough money to help build a well in africa - that in itself is enough to brag about. the cool thing is that the people that we are helping won't ever meet us, we are doing it because it's the right thing to do. also, some of our students have begun a ministry towards helping some of the homeless in miami. as for ZEAL, we too will be joining that work on the last sunday night of every month, especially now that ZEAL is going weekly in may.

may 6th is the next one. next series: Be Noticed. i think it's going to be awesome

anyways, that is what's up. to all you bloggers, make a change where you are. that is your first responsibility for ministry. don't wait for tomorrow, you and i are not promised a tomorrow. act now. work where you are. minister in your reality.

"good things. good things. mazel, mazel."
Along Came Polly

Funny thing about choices...

Funny thing about making choices, especially when the choices you make will affect you greatly, potentially for ever. What should i do? Where should i go? What does God really want me to do? All valid questions, that i unfortunately do not have all the answers for, I am not God. However, in my experience, i've learned that when you begin to ask the right questions, discerning what is next does not seem that difficult. Based on who you are and the experiences that you have gone through, where you do you see yourself making the biggest splash for Him and His kingdom? Before your dreams, before your goals, what is God's dream, His goal? Once you've discovered what that is, where do you fit into that picture?

Funny thing about making choices, we often make some of the biggest decisions beginning by asking the wrong questions, the wrong priorities at heart, beginning with us first in mind. Then we wonder, why things aren't as good as they should be. Why things don't always work out. Weird part is, we then ask God what is going on? Why aren't things better or as good as they should be? What would happen if we started deciding with Him in mind? What if the priority was His and not ours? What would the outcome be? It would be better for God and His kingdom and for us, as His people.

Funny thing about making choices...we will all have to make them, the question is what will we decide when the time comes to it? Choices...they really are something funny.

Life is good.

Every blessing that we receive whether we feel that it is deserved or not, it comes from God. Amazing, because we are so blessed and yet so often we fail to recognize it. When we think of the freedoms made available to us here, it leaves me floored. To think, that on the other side of this earth, in a time zone approximately 19 hours ahead of where i now am, lives are being traded and sold as if they were baseball cards or some other type of commodity. If only i would realize how truly blessed i am to live where i live, to serve where i serve, to simply be without worrying where i will be tomorrow because someone managed to 'move' for his/her better interest. How grateful i am that God, in His infinite mercy, 'moved' me to where i am today. May i be kind enough to tell of his goodness and glory. May we all be so kind to honor Him and his goodness no matter how hard or bad we may think that we may have it.

Spring Retreat...the Last Day

hey everyone! here at spring retreat - day 3. going to be leaving tomorrow, so sad. So far, retreat has been pretty good. God is doing lots of really cool things with the students here. Rey's message on Thursday was powerful - God used him greatly. Last night was pretty good, especially the camp fire. It was awesome to see students breaking things that hold them back, especially in front of the whole group. Truly powerful.

Some kids have been sick - they are doing better now. anyway, tonight is the last night at retreat -- really looking forward to seeing what God is going to do to finish tonight. please continue to pray.

Spring Retreat...departure

Hey guys, im totally pumped about retreat this weeked. i know that GOD is going to do some awesome things in my life and in the lives of our students, the students that we love. it's going to kick like karate. peace


"i like to it. is that such a crime?"
Ned Schneebly aka Dewey Finn aka Jack Black - yes.

Sunday's talk...

to reach a lost world with the forgiveness and love of Christ that can be measured in a real and tangible way. this was the gist of sunday's message. it was a tough one to share because of how ineffective personally i am in loving others who are not like me.

God has been breaking my heart lately for the lost and isolated. if you know of different ways to minister to different people, i am all ears to new and improved ideas as well as working with groups that are already ministering to those in our city.

i look to the day when we will love people where they are and intentionally go after them in their current conditions. that's what Jesus did. He found me not in heaven, but quite the opposite. forget the lights and the smoke, funny jokes, and the innovations. if we simply communicated Christ with our lives, what a difference that would make. then all the other things like the lights and presentations would matter. till then, priority check.

just to finish, pie; 3.14 -- someone actually finished the unfinishable equation. he has no life.

amazing gift

today i celebrate one of the greatest blessings that God has given me. today is adriana's birthday. she is amazing. she is my ministry partner and best friend. if ever i was blessed by God, it was the day that He gave her to me.

on her birthday, i celebrate the gift that God gave me. i won.

Neverland is boring...

"Once you're grown up, you can never come back, never." - Peter Pan

Hard thing growing up. Means you gotta do things that you may not like to do. Might have to take responsibility for yourself and sometimes even others. Growing up, why do we have to? Because God made you to grow. Whether we like it or not, it is inevitable. And as we grow, the factor that will determine where and how we grow will be our choices. As we grow, so will the weight of our choices. Bad choices will come with their consequences. Good choices will come with reward. We will have to face life and it's choices - and when we do, we will have to choose; will you grow up or not? WIll you make the right choice or not?

Once you're grown up, you may never be able to go back, but if you remain young and little, you will never be able to move forward and grow. Make the right choice.

God and hope

God and hope were the words that were whispered into my ears late on wednesday night. lot's of stuff going on up there lately. questions, concerns, your normally stuff too. answer: God and hope. He knows what's going on. He really has everything under control. He is God and i am trusting Him to be that. God and hope, what more do you need?

Trust

It's a hard thing...to trust. You have to reach down to the deepest parts and hold on. It's sounds easy to trust God, but when it comes to it, our actions reflect more than our words. Actions demonstrate what we truly believe - about God, others and self. Trust and obey - good thing not if, but when you do it. I highly recommend it. He has entrusted us to so much, how can we not trust Him with all that we are and have?

Inconvenienced

I don’t feel like it...word that we utter when the undesired comes about. It has become a statement of words used to justify what we do or what we don’t do; especially when we feel like it or not. Imagine if some of the greatest doers of the our world would have fallen into the circle of those that I will call the “inconvenienced.’ Would we still be writing by candlelight? As I write this blog entry, I do so from the comfort of a back seat, as I am driving back from a retreat in Orlando. What if Edison would not have felt like it? Would he have been able to live with himself in an ‘inconvenienced’ state? What if the Marx brothers would have given up on flight? If after attempt 37 they would have given up because perhaps they felt that it was not worth it or because they just did not feel like it? Talk about inconvenienced. Tonight a young lady was sharing about inconveniencing and joining into the ministry of suffering – for us in the states, it’s more about the ministry of inconvenience. What if Abraham wasn’t into traveling? If he had not felt like going to the mysterious beyond when God invited him? What if Noah wasn’t into building boats? Maybe it was just too much of a hassle. What if Moses was not into parting the seas or even sheep herding for that matter? What would have occurred if these men of old had not felt like it because it was too much of an inconvenience to them? What if Barnabas had decided not to spend time with Saul because of the inconvenience? What if Peter had not been into sharing with the multitudes? What would have come of that? What if Paul was not into writing letters? What if Jesus was not into crosses?

Could it be that we have missed and are now missing what God has called us into existence for because we refuse to be a bit inconvenienced? God’s greatest blessing lies in the fact that He has blessed us greatly to accomplish His greater will. What is His will? It is doing that which we can do, with the blessings that we have been given, because for some reason or another, He chose to endow us with these blessings, these opportunities in order to accomplish something greater than us experiencing comfort in the menial. The blessing of His will lies in recognizing that we are capable of so much more. The cost of so much more for us...inconvenience.

Oh, that we would go and live on the edge of inconvenience. Oh, that we would experience being in a foreign place where we have no control; in this place where we would be forced to put a complete faith in Christ. After, is this not what He did Himself? He emptied Himself, taking the form of man in order to experience life as we know it. He left all that He knew, His glory, His paradise, His comfortable home, to be with a bunch of foreigners. He had a complete faith in His Father; that He knew what He was doing and when He was going to do it. What if Christ had not felt like it? What if it would have been too much of an inconvenience?

Ironically, there is a silent cry that most cannot hear calling out to each of us, daily. It is a plea to those who have been rescued to not leave those in need, behind. It is a simple matter of sharing the remedy of truth. We cannot control if they will respond to the cure or not. However, we can attempt to administer it. And yet, to our own demise, we choose not to, daily, because we do not feel like it. What a pity. What a shame.

Imagine what could be, what should be. Yet we settle for an alternative truth. The truth is that we don’t care enough about others because it inconveniences us, because we don’t feel like it. God forgive me, for not caring about that which you care most about...that which you value most – Your Kingdom, Your Glory, Your Creation.

From disaster to a free fall

Recovering from disaster. Words that we here from all over parts of the world, our own country, and city. Typically we read and here this phrase after some form of natural disaster, a lifechanging event, or after a rampant disease and it's affects on society. This phrase can easity describe some of our daily adventures. Unfortunately, it can describe what some of our most special relationships are like. If you have ever broken trust and tried to fix things afterwards, you understand the idea of recovering from disaster. When you have failed to kept your word and broken faith with others, we hope that they let us fix things -- recovering from disaster. Daily, we can crash and burn with ourselves and the how we fail to meet our own expectations in life. We wake up, take a deep breath, and begin reconstruction - recovering from disaster. Amazing, how we work. If we would only learn to be better. To be more consistent at the good and avoid doing that which leads to failure. Would we have to recover from disaster all that often? I'm not sure. I know that one of the things that all of us are consistent at doing...failing. Crashing and totally messing things up. We all one way or another recover. The question is, how well do we recover? Some us learn and grow. Some of us don't and shrink. These are the people always wondering why life hates them - why life is always picking on them. We grow through disaster. We learn through failure. We experience by risking. We grow by...im not sure what the word is, but the idea is a mom eagle throwing her kids out of the nest in order to learn how to fly. If they don't get pushed out, they won't learn to fly. They won't learn to fend for themselves. They will grow co-dependent and eventually die. When you get pushed out you learn by force. Often times, we fail at what we achieve because we are often pushed into doing it. However, we all recover. We hit the ground learning lessons the hard way, but we learn, we grow, we recover. The school of experimentation and risk: LIFE. Recovery is the process of growth. (I learned this watching Gray's Anatomy - Thursday nights ABC).

I've not figured it out yet. But i've crashed alot. Still crashing. Still alive. Still growing. Still living and loving.


"i'm free, free falling.
And all the vampires
walkin' through the valley move west down ventura
Boulevard.
And all the bad boys are standin' in the
shadows, and the good girls
Are home with broken hearts."

Tom Petty & the H-breakers

Something New

It's always pretty interesting when you get yourself into something new. It might work. It might fail. Either way, it's still something new. I think that's why people are scared to try new things. The reality is, that most people fail before they ever begin because they give in to the fear of failure. Without failure, there is no room for growth and improvement. New is different and even uncomfortable at times. New can even be threatening when it goes in a direction that we did not like or expect. That's the risk one runs when trying things that are new.

Today, something new happened. I am taking a risk. We'll see if it works. I'm going into an unexplored territory where some have had great success. However, there are many more that have given up miserably to failure because they did not have instant success with the new. The mystery of the "new." No one knows what it's going to be like. Yet, it is inevitable because the only constant is change. Change leads to new. New leads to fear, except for those who stand in the "new" and ride it through. These are they that we come to recognize and follow. These are those whom naturally aspire to places of influence -- those who managed to navigate through the "new."

Today I started something new. Now time will show me if my work and effort will be worth it. My adventure into the "new."