this morning at CF DT

this morning at CF DT, i was given the privilege to teach; both at the leaders service and the regular attendee service.

the gospel was shared and people gave their lives to Christ.

i'm always amazed and humbled that God chooses to work through such a messed vessel like myself

the best is yet to come

i would have to say that the best for ministry and city work is yet to come. i can't really say why, other than God is doing incredible things and i'm just grateful to be a part of it.

the best is yet to come.

reload conference miami

today i was given the privelage of sharing the little of experience that i've gained with the brightest folks serving in south florida.

today at Christ Fellowship DT, we were able to host the RELOAD conference; sponsored by the Urban Training Network, Youth For Christ, First Priority of South FL, and Family & Children Faith Coalition.

There were about 275 folks there for the same reason. to learn how to be better in serving and ministering to their communities.

I'm inspired by the great things that God is doing through so many folks. I'm also humbled because I realize after gatherings like this one, I am not needed...thank God.

i want to be faithful

Hosea 3

¹ The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."² So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. ³ Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you."

how many times are we to keep loving someone who doesn't love back? as i read this, i'm struck by the word "AGAIN." i think this is an incredible description of God's love toward us. He loves us again and again and again and again...of course this is God teaching man to honor his wife. but the comparison is clear that God does this with his people the same.

in verse 2 it describes to us hosea's payment for his wife. i know it's weird because it's not american currency. bottom line, it's a lot of money. love is not cheap and there will always be a price to keep it, bring it back, and if necessary redeem and restore it. again, God is the one who leads by example (matthew 27, mark 15, luke 24, john 19) as i glance over the cost of love, i can't but help stop and breathe deeply...because it hurts. to know that i have been the cause of such great pain. how many times has God told me "I'm your God, don't do that because it displeases me." or maybe "You are cheating on me with your time, your money, your resources, your life; stop it."

incredible that God would use hosea in such a way. we honor these men of the scripture, but this is one guy i would not want to be. i can't imagine the difficulty of raising a family without there mother because she's out prostituting herself. hosea is hardcore because he buys her back over and over again - because GOD tells him to.

i want that kind of obedience, i just don't want that kind of trial. i think it's part of the territory however.

i want to be faithful to my God.

that which matters most

so it's been almost 2 months to the day that i last blogged.

lot's of incredible things going on. so much so that it's easy to forget that which matters most. i appreciate this pick that was taken by a buy attending Imago Dei, out in portland oregon; cool cat.

it reminds me most of all that in the middle of life and it's clutter, it's important not to forget the sacred; that which matters most.

what matters most and is it reflected by your time, money, and actions?

life. money. hope.

this weekend at CF we started a 2 part series by dave ramsey. good stuff. lots of insights.

above all, he mentioned this one piece of info that was so true

20% is head knowledge

80% is actual doing

knowing about over spending is easy to understand; not overspending is the tough part

the same thing could be said about all the stupid things in life that we do

we know it's stupid and would never recommend anyone else to do it and yet we somehow end up doing it ourselves

it's the 80% that's tough

to the Don...

tonite i had the cool opportunity of being with a pastor friend of mine, noel lozano (aka The Don) to celebrate his 10 years of ministry. myself along with a few others laid our hands on he and his wife; prayed for their church, membership, future, and God's will

pretty cool time. please continue to pray for him and his family; most people have no idea how hard it is to be a pastor/pastor's wife/pastor's kids

to reading...

been reading about sin lately; what it is and how it works. also been getting ready for a message that i will be sharing at CF DT next week, it has to do with sin.

in the mean time, i'm trying to implement what i'll be sharing. it's easier said than done.

my sin is very real and alive. it reminds me of my past, which stinks.

which is why i'm thankful for God's word; it reminds me of my future, which is incredible. 

can't wait to share with CF next week.

proceed with caution...

so this is what i'm learning about...

God is holy

I am not

i know it doesn't sound like much, but when one begins to understand who and what the essence of God is like, anything in comparison is pitiful; especially me

knowing how screwed i already am and can potentially be helps me reframe my thoughts and my position when i approach God

He's holy...proceed with caution and reverence

"holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts. the whole earth is filled with His glory" - Isaiah

to the sexy prayer...

so i was thinking about guys that lead worship. some cool, others not so much.

either way, when they get into, there's almost always that pause or break in the middle where you can sense that something cool is going on. it's at that point that the sexy prayer begins.

passionate words are uttered. hand gestures are used. it even becomes emotional. 

the catch is in the tone. the voice and feel changes. it's...well, it's sexy.

am i the only one that thinks so?

to breathers...

so being out in the community meeting folks and developing new partnerships is pretty exciting...and draining. been out and about moving fairly quickly for the last few weeks and i'm a bit tired.

not complaining, just stopping to breathe.

if i don't i'll miss the other good things happening all around me.

don't forget to look up every now and then; lots of good things happening in our world.

to 9 years of marriage...

so today i celebrate 9 years of marriage with adriana. loving it.

i can honestly say that i have no regrets in my marriage with her. if  the next 9 are any where as adventurous as the first 9, then the rest of my life is going to be incredible. 

i remember the day i said 'i do.' 

i still 'do.'

adriana, i will love you as long as God allows me to. 

little dave's surgery...

in case you didn't know, my little son dave had a minor surgery procedure done on his ears today. he should be able to hear much better

just wanted to say thanks to all of you who thought of him and prayed for him.

he came out just fine; we are having difficulties calming him down now.

ironically enough, we can already hear that his speech is improving. he's pronouncing his words a bit clearer

thanks friends

to reflections...

so during my quiet times with adriana, we are going over a study called 'down pour' by j. mcdonald. good stuff.

here's where i'm at. there's a few things that i've noted and been convicted of.

-i truly don't realize how holy God really is...it scares me

-i don't spend enough time in worship of Him

-i need to start praying for revival

so with that in mind, i'd like for the blogopolis out there to consider these things with me and to take them to heart

what would it take to bring personal revival?

what would it take to bring revival to our cities?

i know it starts with prayer, what's next?

"I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground" Isaiah 44:3

father's day...

in case you forgot to call your dad, step dad, dad-in-law, mentor, older guy you look up to, etc.... today is father's day.

you might want to give him a ring. if things are weird and you don't know what to talk about, here's a couple of things you might want to say...all true of my dad and those men that have mattered to me

here's 5 things that could help make father's day

1. i love you because...

2. my best memory with you is...

3. one thing that i've learned from you is...

4. one thing that i would like to learn from you is...

5. you are an example to me because...

and to top it off, give your dad a hug and kiss. yes a kiss on the cheek is all good

i love this place

just wanted to let you know that christ fellowship is beginning it's new series this weekend. went to the saturday night service, it was good.

it's about the church, it's role, and how God is doing some great things through it.

check out anyone of the 5 campuses

to facebook...

so i was going thru my facebook and noticed some new friend requests from highschool...la souwesera (southwest)

i accepted and began browsing thru their page. before i realized it, i was like 50 clicks away from my own home page.

initially i thought it was curiosity. but after some reflection, i'm wondering how nosy i really am. also, it's pretty easy to stalk people thru facebook. when ever someone does anything, like updates, pic change, hangover, fart, anything...i'm quickly informed.

maybe i'm the only one, but this has the potential of becoming an obsession if i'm not careful. curiosity didn't kill the cat, but it's making him blind

anybody else have a thought?

is it me or is it all of us?

todays services at downtown...

this am i had the opportunity of teaching at both the christ fellowship downtown services; 9.30 am leader service(my heroes) and the 11 am service.

as i was processing what was shared, i thought i might highlight some of the points that were shared. 

here goes (in case anyone out there cares):

1, we have found the saskwach(bigfoot) in the bible, his name is Goliath. he's big, mean, and hairy

2, the inaction of a nation, people, or person demonstrates what they believe about God

3, God’s invitation for us to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action. (henry blackaby is the man)

4, no action = no faith

5, hasn't God proven Himself to us over and over and over again? why can't we just trust Him?

6, i can only do what i can only do. once i've done my part, God does his part

7, impossible is nothing...for God

i'd love to hear what different folks heard around the city in their houses of worship. 

what's God telling you out there?

to the least of these...

so tomorrow am i'll be teaching at christ fellowship - downtown campus. pretty excited about the opportunity.

however, there a ton of other good things happening while service is on. to name a few, a worship environment is created for our homeless friends. about 150 strong show up. we sing, teach, we don't push it, but many of the folks there even give of the resources they have. i'm floored every week.

showers, clean clothes, breakfast, and a hot lunch are served -- this happens every week. 

sunday mornings are great for different folks, for different reasons. 

so glad to be working within areas that are serving the city; regardless the cost. 

to the least of these...

to little dave...

some pics that my friend merari took...thanks for capturing dave's life. these are the images that we will look back on the day he gets married, has kids, and becomes a grandpa. thanks so much!

to the weekend...

so as i'm getting ready for the weekend, a few thoughts are running through my mind...so here goes.

-the nba finals were a great reason for adriana and i to spend dinner and time with our next door neighbors. it was incredible considering that we didn't really spend too much time watching the game

-i'm excited about teaching at CF DT this sunday am again. had a great response from the staff and folks there last sunday. this week, we'll be looking at the next chapter in dave's life - running to the battle and living on the edge...because that's the place that God has invited us to be (you gotta be there for the whole thing)

-class 401 at all the CF campuses are going on this weekend...get connected!

-we are taking dave's pacifier away today...for good. he's not reacting well to that, but oh well.

-my heart goes out to the many friends and family that have told me within the last 6 months that they've lost their jobs or have gone through financial loss. all good people that love God. i have been and will be praying for you

-my anniversary is coming up - June 24 save the date. this year makes 9 years. i love my wife more than i ever have

-God is in control.

to abilities...

so what do you do when you know that you have abilities and talent greater than that of your supervisor or up-line?

as i sit and chat with more and more folks, i discovering that this is more common than i realized. 

so my thoughts on the matter are as follows:

-honor your leader as best as you can (if you can't follow your leadership, then it's time to go)

-do what's best for the organization/business (if you get in trouble for doing what's right, it's the right thing to do)

-make lemonade out of lemons (if the current leadership is the problem, then provide solutions, not just complaints)

any thoughts on the subject? 

i'm still learning how to handle these things wisely when they come my way

to insecure leadership...

so today, i thought i would throw out some different ideas that i'm gathering from 2 main sources - 1 samuel and the life of saul and johnny hunt, pres of the southern baptist convention. 

basically, being a good leader is tough -- there's so many easy ways to get caught up in the initial success. below are some thoughts that j. hunt came up with; i think this is what happened to king saul.

i hope that i never lose sight of the bigger picture.

-An insecure leader has a hard time giving credit to others. “Why should praise seem like an unrecoverable cost? It is a gift that gives back to everyone.” 
-An insecure leader keeps information from his staff. “When you release information, you convey trust and confidence to others. When you conceal it, you convey just the opposite: no trust, no confidence.” 
-An insecure leader doesn’t want his staff exposed to other leaders—people who may possess qualities you don’t, people who may have skills your staff wishes you had. “When one person grows the whole team grows….Give your people the best—even better than you are.” 
-An insecure leader is often a micromanager. “He’s a control freak.” Nothing can happen that they are not fully aware of. They fear things will fall apart without them. This kind of oppressive control can wring the life out of your team. 
-Insecure leaders are too needy of praise. “For this reason, more than perhaps any other, they can’t really be leaders. When someone needs his followers to always be telling him how wonderful he is, he works in direct opposition to the heartbeat of leadership, which is: building into other’s lives.” 

-Insecure leaders don’t provide security for those they lead. “If the mood and environment in the office is one of fear, second-guessing, and self-doubt, you can be sure an insecure leader is in charge.” 
-Insecure leaders take more than they give. Instead of validating and encouraging others, they are focused on receiving it. 
-Insecure leaders limit their best leaders. “Insecure leaders cannot genuinely celebrate the victories won by others.” 
-Insecure leaders limit their organization. “Not only does insecurity throttle down the horsepower of individual team members; it results in putting restraints on the whole church or organization.”

what do you all think? 

let me know

to small group...home church....

so at small group tonite, we had a really discussion and reality check. we are not in jail, 1. we are not oppressed to not be able to live out our faith, 2. and we are able to discern those things that truly please God, 3. 

i'm excited to be growing with a group of people next to me, not ahead or behind. big ups to our teacher tonite, i think she did a great job.

following our study time, prayer. significant requests were made which is awesome. it shows me where we are as a church family and trust. it also shows the point of maturity where we are in our walk. no prayer requests for in grown toe nails or stuff like that, it was really good. 

and to top it off, we talked about how we could be more involved in mission opportunities and serving beyond the walls of the church. it's really cool to see our faith being lived out infront of our very eyes.

if you're not connected to community, you should be. we meet tuesday nites at my place. dinner included, but let us know you are coming.

to tv series finales...

just thought about asking the blog world

who's going to be back next season on grey's anatomy?

will izzie make it?

will george make it?

i need to know a 'why' as well. help me out. i'm doing a study

to the water shield...

so for a few years, i had this theory going about a 'water shield' that disney had created to keep bad weather out of it's major theme parks and largest fund generators.

the reason that i held to this theory was that after having been in central florida for a billion times, i would always get rained out at one of the universal parks or minor disney attractions, but never at the big parks, let alone the magic kingdom. 

at first it didn't make sense as to why the greater orlando area would be drenched, but disney at best would get a few drops tops. that's it. so out side of being able to control the weather (i don't think that they can yet), they obviously had to have some kind of device to keep inclement weather out...the water shield. 

i know it's a stretch, but think about it. if it's pouring everywhere else, then disney gets just a few drops. hurricanes never damage or effect the property of the mouse. they never close down. salese, despite a bad economy, are still up. 

how do they promise the 'magic?' with a little help...the weather shield is one of those helpers. 

it held true, until today. after a bit of hanging in central fl, the weather shield gave way to a bunch of rain that has left the mouse a bit wet.

i would, however, like to add, that while everyone from daytona to orlando is experiencing 'flood' type weather, disney has rain, but no where near the kind of water found in it's neighbors. 

just saying.

to american idol season 8...

i can honestly say that i've never really been into a.i., ever. tonight i saw the last episode where the final 2 contestants sing. 

it's really not about talent, it's about popularity. i think it's easy to see who's the most talented of the 2.

i've been reading about the life of david and i find it really similar. popularity vs. talent. pretty incredible when you think about saul and dave. popularity vs talent. 

i'll be sharing a bit more about this in a few weeks at cf dt. i'll be teaching there for a couple of weeks in a row. i really feel good about the 2 messages

to this weekend...

so i'm getting ready for an exciting weekend

friday - ministry rally at CF

sat - friend's bachelor party

sun - mother's day with mom's and my wife (she's hot)

jam packed, but worth it for all the involved players

don't forget to take care of  your moms. if you don't, you're a bad kid, seriously. unless mom did something seriously wrong, make sure that you're mom is up there in priority this weekend.

to priorities...

it's funny how consistency with God thru quiet time really yields results. besides the sweetness of being with HIM, the blessings that come out of it are incredible. i don't have more stuff nor have i received a raise at work (wanted to clarify). it has to do with personal fulfillment and personal accomplishment.

i think that i've come to grips with myself on a few different things; one of them being priorities. i always  make the time to do the things that i want to do. there's no reason that God should not be in the picture.

when i refocus on my priorities, everything that i should/shouldn't be doing becomes obvious.

what are some priorities that need to be priorities?

to tests...

it's been a while since i took a test. all to say, that i was super excited when i took a test for something that i've been studying for, for about 2 months...and i passed. it wasn't a 100%, but then again, it's a pass/fail thing. 3 more and then i'm done...for now anyways.

i don't care how old one gets, test stink. 

any one else out there agree?

beach baptism at cf...incredible!

so today crandon park/el farito, CF hosted it's beach baptism for all 5 of the campuses. besides the fact that the day was beautiful, it was incredible to see the amount of friends and family that came out to support their loves in taking the life changing step of baptism

all in all, between the 5 campuses, there were approximately 250 people baptized...incredible.

each person different, different story, different culture, different language; same God and church. 

i have a hunch that heaven will look similar to this

God is doing some crazy things!

easter at Christ Fellowship

so this weekend starting on friday night, i had the opportunity of serving at Christ Fellowship Church here in miami - it was an incredible weekend. 

the thing that stuck out the most was that regardless of the campus, style, or even demographic of the group, the gospel message was clearly presented

of all the times of the year when the message needs to be easily understood and presented, i can say with confidence that in all aspect of the programmed hour, the gospel was shared

thanks to all of you who helped participate and make this weekend possible

i'm looking forward to following up with all of the visitors who came this weekend

friday was good, sunday was awesome...Jesus lives.

to serving...

so this morning, despite the hour change, i was at the caring place (downtown cf missions dept) working with an incredible group of dedicated volunteers (you all are amazing - i'm honored to serve with such incredible people

the task was beautiful...serving the under resourced and under privileged of the downtown community. 

among those present were homeless men and women, recently laid off people with gifts and talent, transexuals, hung over guys, and the 2 or 3 guys that everyone is scared of.

then tonight, at cf palmetto bay, i got to teach 401 - connect to the world. 

i was reminded in the middle of the session why we do what we do

God's priority isn't those present - it's those that aren't present (we call them the lost)

Luke 15 talks about...

-lost sheep

-lost money

-lost son (family)

all of them valuable, all of them equally lost. 

today i was able to serve genuinely. not for show and definitely not because people were watching. i'm happy to be able to say that. in the past, my motives have been mixed. but not at 7  in the morning after a hard hour change and poor night sleep.

yet i've had more than enough energy today to do what matters most. worship God, love my family, and serve other. 

how are you serving where you are?

what are you doing to add to the kingdom in you community?

let me know

to yp summit 09...

so this morning spent some time listening to...

dave edwards...traveling communicator

darren w. from axis (willow creek)

jay strack from student leadership university

francis chan from cornerstone church - cali

david nasser from iran - grew up in the US and is now speaking everywhere

the lead singer from 3rd day

shane 1 of shane and shane and some other great musicians

good folks in good places all doing different things. it just reminded me on how organized God is. all of us doing different things at the same time and yet it's all part of the same picture/puzzle.

lots of good things raising lots of good questions among my staff and internally. good stuff today. looking forward to spending time in break out sessions tomorrow morning and finishing with francis chan again tomorrow afternoon.

keep you posted with more

i miss my wife and son. 

to cf live...

so just want to put it out there

cf live will be happening this weekend at 6.30 pm at cf palmetto bay - it will feel like a service with an extended time of worship and a powerful message by pastor rick

this saturday night only at 8.30 pm, right afterwards, the music portion will be repeated; no message or child care

hope to see you guys there!

to slum dog millionaire...

besides the fact that the movie is a good one, even great one (if you haven't seen it, it's a good one to watch -- much thanks to our friends at fox for the home preview)

something that happened while i watched...i sensed God stirring, yet again.

i was reminded of perspective. over 90 million people living on less than $1 american, per day. this weekend alone i went out to eat twice and spent about an average of $10 per plate -- for one meal.

i know that life here is different. i get that. but knowing that life here is different doesn't change the fact that life over 'there' (wherever there is) is still going on; regardless of me being there or not. 

so i wrestle with stewardship...

-my resources

-my time

i realized that while i'm busy here doing great things for God, i've forgotten about those out 'there'... He still cares deeply for them.

that's what i'm wrestling with...and it hurts.

to the unruined life..

fyi

this weekend we start the new series about dealing with the bad things in each of us -- the jekyll hyde problem

check it out

www.cffamily.org

to saying thanks...

so as i was reading this morning, i came across this passage that made me think. 

in summary, 10 marginalized men needed physical help. Jesus helps all 10 of them, but only one of them comes back to say 'thanks.' His response is 'where are the other nine?'

am i really thankful for all the blessings that i receive; both big and small?

have i really done a good job saying 'thank you' to God and those that He uses to bless me?

i found my self going thru today's events and realizing that there is a bunch of stuff to be thankful about, but unless i would have stopped to reflect on it, i probably would have gone about my regular business and not saying thanks.

have you stopped to say thank you to God or others that He has used to care for you?

has anyone ever stopped to thank you?

let us hear about it

to public educators aka teacher...

so we've been working through some things called 'reach beyonds' 

these are opportunities for people to serve others beyond their current circles of life

our emphasis in feb and march will be to serve the teachers of miami-dade county; for their work and effort in serving our children

this is a shout out to mrs brown, my first grade teacher at village green elem. 

i love her, she always gave me more cookies and taught me about verbs!

any way, we all have fav teachers or teachers that we remember for good reasons

this blog is going out to them

who's your fav teacher and why?

to a random update...

so it's been a while. for all of you out there, lots going on. ministry to continues to move forward and change. that's good. health is back to normal, that's good. 

dave started daycare and is on his way to being potty trained.

adriana started her new ft job - that's a blessing

we joined christ fellowship church - we are serving in their missions dept in the palmetto bay and downtown campuses. i got to teach this morning...it went well.

like i said, lots of good things been happening, but they've been happening pretty quickly.

just wanted to update blogland of what has become. looking forward to hearing from you all soon

to history...

so as we get ready for a historic moment in US history, just wanted to remind folks not to get too busy to miss it.

it's not just another holiday or just another inauguration. for what ever it's worth, whether one voted for obama or not, it's history. 

if you wanna see the impact first hand, you are all invited to watch the inauguration with me at Greater St. Paul AME church, in the West Grove (miami), fl. it's a predominantly african/haitian community; low income. we will be showing the live feed of the inauguration plus a moving word from general colen powell earlier. events begin at 9 - filled with words of inspiration, art, performance, food, and history. if you plan on going, please call the number below to rsvp

come and watch the impact of this event on a community near you. fyi, food will be served for free, just be sure to call ahead of time

Greater St Paul AME Church

3680 Thomas Avenue Miami Florida 33133

(305) 448-2742

to a busy week...

it's been a week full of adventures and opportunity

so here's what i'm learning...

1. opportunity in difficult times is a blessing and reaffirms what one is doing, whether the opportunity is taken or not

2. i'll have an opportunity to work with Disney from now till the end of feb as an area publicist for a some stuff that they are promoting among the faith community in miami

3. ministry organization will lead to ministry sustainability and longevity

4. working with like-minded people makes life so much easier

5. contract negotiations are always a challenge

6. people will always be people

to team...

during my reading in Luke, Jesus was chatting with people who wanted more of a sign from him

he talked to them and the mentioned something huge:

23"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.

it's pretty cut and dry. you are either on my team or you are not. i began to wonder about this passage and then thought, would Jesus consider me a team member of his?

i think He would, however, i think he may mention that i've got some pretty bad tendencies. tendencies that remind Him of the other team. bad habits that need to be changed in order to be more effective on His team.

part of my desire it to gather with Him and not be scattered by myself.

to unisexual family gatherings...

so today i was at a family gathering celebrating the festive 'baby shower' event. the catch was that it was not my direct family, it was family of a family member on my wife's side.

needless to say, i observed a few things that are typical in my culture...good, bad, and ugly.

good - watching family come together is always good

bad - watching divorced family members see each other and sensing the tenseness in the air makes the whole experience just plain weird

ugly - watching grown men participate in stupid games - old men drinking bad booz out of mini kid bottles is just wrong (don't make people do those stupid games, serve the food, get the gifts, and get out)

that's a bit of my cultural experience today.

how is the culture on your side of life?

to 09!

09 is going to be an incredible year.

i know it.

what are you hoping happens this year?

to a new year...

so here a couple of the good things happening in 09

1. new year day at approximately 12.10 am during the ny's day party there was a malfunction with the fire works...they attacked the spectators. it was pretty funny. a bottle rocket punch and a dive into the pool with a dry i-phone were among the highlights of the evening. it sucked for the injured parties, but it was a funny entrance into the new year. for those injured, my condolences. 

2. partnerships at work continue to expand. it's gonna be a great ministry year

3. adriana has had a couple of job interviews line up...God seems to be up to something with her

4. ministry seems to keep expanding to new levels...we'll see where that takes us this year

5. my son can say about 25 words, hopefully he'll be speaking by the end of the year

that's not too bad considering it's the first week of the year. 

i've heard that the best is yet to come

happy new year!