aliens among us...

as immigration continues to grow in the US, it's becoming one of the buzz topics in this year's election. how will it be handled? can it be resolved? what's the best action to take regarding it? it's important to recognize that foreigners, aliens, immigrants, or whatever else you call it are not from here. then again, who truly is from 'here.'

as a Christ follower, i wrestle with this immigration issue. being His, i know that i am not my own. gen. 23, abraham uses the term alien and stranger to describe himself among a people that he has lived with for years. it's easy to say that we are from this place, but are we really of this place.

when a person from a foreign country is here, i know it. whether it's the voice, the accent, the language, the smell, the color, or the way of dress - you can tell that it's different. are we any different? are we seen as aliens or immigrants in a place that is not our own, because technically, we are citizens of a higher place that supersedes culture, language, or even affluence.

as we move on to where God calls, may we remember that our allegiance is not to a flag. Christ is not a white middle class american. our allegiance is to a King and His Kingdom.

what do you think it means to be a God-alien in this place?

how should this affect the way we think, live, and behave?

too difficult to change...

what a difficult thing to give up what is most valuable or important to one in life. im not sure how i would respond if God were to ask me to give up that one thing which is most valuable in life. there is too much pain, hurt, and maybe even unforgiveness that comes with it. when things get taken away, it bothers me enough already. but when i m asked to give things up out of my own will, its pretty difficult. cutting out things that are invaluable seems to be a cinch. but it's those things that hold some kind of value to me, those are the things that i find trouble letting go of.

in gen.22, abraham is asked to let go of his son -- the one that God told him he was going to have, the one that he had been waiting nearly 20 years for, the one who would carry on his name and be a blessing to the rest of the world. God not only asks abraham to let go, but he actually tells him to cut him off of himself (sacrificing him). that's crazy.

what's even crazier is that abraham doesn't even argue with God. no conversation about the matter-- nothing. he gets up, takes his son out on a few days trip, sees the place, goes up, builds an alter, ties his son up, and gets ready to sacrifice him on the alter -- all because it's what God asked him to do.

for all of you who are not familiar, God intervenes and gives him mad props for not withholding even his son from God. abraham becomes known as the 'father of our faith.'

pretty cool name, but the title came at a cost. it nearly cost him the one thing that he cared about most.

can it be that there are things in life that God calls us to 'cut off' from ourselves? things that don't please him? things that He knows are not in our best interest? and maybe, just maybe, because He wants us to be obedient, no matter the cost.


how would you respond if God called you to get rid of the thing that you value most?

how do you obey God when it doesn't make sense or when it seems too difficult?

let me know.

hesitations...

hesitation can be the thing that breaks you the most as God works to develop the best in you. it can be crazy because hesitation demonstrates who's in control. gen 19:16 teaches that lot hesitated; it should have cost him and his home their lives. later on in that verse, we read the words that God was merciful and he got them out. when God speaks, we should act. when we hesitate to act on what we know to be from God, it shows how much we don't trust. does God truly have the best in mind for his people? yes. do we always live like we believe that? no.

i often believe that God calls our attention to get us out of areas or places where we should no longer be. sodom was that place for lot; God called him to leave. i believe that he knew it and yet there was something so charming about the place that made him hesitate. he stopped for a moment to reconsider his options. is it really better out there?

is it really? if God calls you 'out there,' then yes...it has to be. thank goodness for his mercy; for those second chances of redeeming our mistakes, our unwise choices, our hesitations.

why do you think we hesitate to go out there?

why do you think we always reconsider things when we know that God is leading us to a better place, to a place where he's waiting for us?

how do we respond?

in genesis 17, at the age of 90, God visits with abram. he introduces himself "I am God Almighty" (El Shaddai)

then he tells abram to do 2 things: walk before him and be blameless.

in verse 3, abram's response is falling facedown...in reverence, worship, fear? has this calling really changed that much from back then to us today? to walk with God and to be blameless(not at fault for wrong). what's amazing to me is how my response to God is seldom like abram's. the almighty OnE reveals himself through creation, through every breath taken, through life in itself and yet it seems so normal. so..routine-ish. i am convinced that to walk with him, we must first know where he is and which direction he's going in. these are things that we can't control, we must simply adjust to. then the whole blameless thing, we have good amounts of control over what we do or do not do. we can choose to do what's right and be blameless...it's just so hard. but i believe that when we walk with him in intimacy and we when we draw closer to him because we are further from sin and closer to him, we realize how much we are not God and how much we truly do not deserve to be in relation with him. we also realize how good he is and how kind and generous he is. our response to that is worship. falling face down before an almighty God, because of who he is and what he has done. when God appears, our response is worship. not singing, worship.

how do you worship when you aren't at church or without your ipod?

how do you fall facedown before God Almighty?

being credited...

abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness- genesis 15:6


a man who was really to old to have kids is told by God that not only will he have kids, but their will be so many, that it's going to be like the stars in the sky. for believing God, he is credited with righteousness. i know that God does the impossible and i know that God has done the impossible, and yet i still wrestle with doubts. i often think that it's because i try to do it myself and rely on myself instead of Him. i know the right answer, it's the whole putting it into practice part that i can struggle with. i would like to be 'credited unto righteousness.' that would be sweet.

why do you think it's difficult to trust God, even when he's proven himself over and over? let me know.

too much to do...

i am faced with the reality that there will always be something more to do. there is just too much and too little time. so in the process, i feel that God challenges me with using and developing discernment. since i cannot do everything (only God can), part of what i must figure out is what am i supposed to be focusing the majority of my time on. marcus buckingham says that you should 'play to your strengths. you may better weakness to being average at best, but people don't pay for average. focus on your strengths and make yourself invaluable to your organization.' regarding the weaknesses, my weaknesses are somebody else's strengths. one body in Christ makes sense. for all of you who aren't actively serving, your best is waiting to be developed, which means some one out there is doing your role at an average level at best. if we serve God, then he truly deserves the best that we have, not the best of our average. in sports we play our best players to win. in business we use our best people to make the sale and close the deal. you and i have a role in being the best at something that will truly matter, even when the sports season finishes or the fortune 500 company closes. what we do will last forever. make the most of your talent and abilities-it will have an impact on people and time that we will never fully measure until we are on the other side of the fence.

so the question is, what do i do?
-pray
-serve (trial and error - eventually we will find our fit)
-pray some more
-keep serving and develop others to take what we do and make it better
-keep praying


there will always be too much to do. thank goodness we've not been called to do it all. use discernment and serve in your strengths and potential. do that well.

'this one thing i do'
- Paul, apostle, martyr, servant, example

here's to the wii

as we were finishing up small group tonight, i had my opportunity of raising my goblet in toast to the monsters of rock. i rocked so hard that the vibrations of the tv sent a candle flying off and smashing into a bunch of pieces. it was weird...it was awesome. for a moment i felt like i had revisited micheal j fox in back to the future part one --- guitars and amps everywhere; he goes flying. to the wii and the unity that it brings. rock on wii, rock on.

different...diverse

as i study, experience, and watch -- i am more fully convinced that there is more than one way to getting something done, there has to be. it's part of what makes people different. not better or worse, just different. i've learned that there is more than one way to build a fence, more than one way to paint a picture, sing a song, or even write a blog. as i continue to explore, i am coming to grips with the answer: DIVERSITY. different people do things differently, that's it. some do it better than others, but they all manage to get things done -- one way or another. it's amazing to see how people with the same talents and abilities apply themselves differently, getting different results. not worse or better, just different.

if it weren't for diversity, life would look like a checker board. black, red, and so on. thank God for the guy who invented chess. taking the same board and adding to it. changing it and totally making it better. then came the genius who created the case for backgammon which houses the checkers, chess, and backgammon pieces all at once. what's funny is that they were all potentially looking at the same thing and saw different things.

i would like to see things differently. what's ironic is that im a bit color blind. i all ready do, it's just that sometimes, since it's normal for me, i forget that i see things differently. i guess that all we need to is close our eyes and see with our minds. maybe there we'll see things not for what they are, but for what they could be or should be.

i've found that the more i surround myself with people who are not like me, the more diverse that i become. not sure why, but it's what happened. they help me see things from a different vantage point. my mind is opened more when i see what others see because it opens up doors that i did not even see.

depeche mode calls it going from 'microvision' to 'macrovision'

they rock. diverse for their time.

to the giants...

to the giants and the patriots who will play each other for the title. joy. at least i will have something to look forward to in the commercials. fyi, we'll be doing some bbq, pig, and domino tournament at Miami Bap Church. for more info, check out www.miamibc.com -- it's gonna be fun.

what's up with the random weather change?

ps. anne marie, thanks for the invite to the strawberry fields - nothing like old german baptists to brighten my day. them and their cinnamon roles were delightful

thnx again.

Got robbed...

we got robbed last week. God is still good in that He always supplies what we need. whether it's food, wisdom, direction, or a car. truth be told, He goes above and beyond meeting all of our needs. He provides. i was considering this new year and all the craziness that we went through last year -- and as i looked back, it was amazing. we had enough to pay our property taxes, food, flood insurance, oil changes, panera, starbucks, diapers, and so many other perks to life. not needs, but conveniences. He has been so much better than what i deserve which reminds me again, there is nothing i can do to make God love me less. that is so profound. together in small group last night it was amazing to see facial reactions to this very well known truth, because when it hits home, it's like hearing again for the first time. He is so good; not because i have stuff, but because of the consistency of character. He loves. He provides. He gives. He is. amazing...

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.