Well i was able to finish my book, One Month To Live! I really enjoyed this reading and recommend it to those who want a quick devotional book. Enough of a commercial just wanted to share some quick quotes from the book that pushed me:• Life isn’t measured by the number of ybreaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

• A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.
• Your problem is not that you don’t love God enough. It’s that you don’t. understand how much He loves you.
• Learn to attack the issues without attacking each other.
• The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.
• He’s (God) much more interested in our character than in our comfort.
• Ironically it takes a lot more faith to be an atheist then it does to believe in God.
• All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.
• How does one become a butterfly?...you must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.
• The key is to remember that at the center of every problem is a purpose, a revelation of God at work in our lives.
• Prayer should be our first response not our last resort.
• The difference between school and life? In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson.
• Miracles never take place until you acknowledge the situation is impossible without God.
• Studying the bible isn’t enough; we have to put it into our lives for it to be a conviction.
• I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything , but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.
• If we touch one life, we may make the difference between life and death-physical as well as spiritual.
• We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.
• Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.
• Nothing great ever happens without passion.
• So what did Jesus do when He knew He only had one month to live? He loved completely the people He was closest to.

Need your help??

Well lately i've just been in alot of training whether it was at Starbucks or CPMC. As much as i dreaded sitting down, reading, doing paperwork, i also had a chance to learn a lot about both companies. They both are very credible organizations that stay true to their Mission/Vision Statement. I really enjoyed those times when they would explain their core values. So this week I just want learn and study up about Mission Statements, and hopefully Next week just breakdown several M.S's also I would like to define my own Mission Statement for Life. Going through this training has checked me not only as an employee but as a christian and a future church planter. What lies ahead of me is going to be a challenge but if I narrow down where I'm going in Life or How i'm going to live life then it will make things a little bit easier. So for the next week if you can comment me any Mission statements! whether they are from your work place, some that you read online and just inspired you, or even your own if you have one. If you know of any others that would like to post a Mission Statement feel free to tell them. Thank you for all your Help, I can't wait to see what is in store for next week!

A Bible Journey...

Today, I (Amanda) will be sharing a bit from yesterday's reading. I love doing Bible Journeys. The reading was so good, I was just getting a bunch of things out of it! So here ya go, a little peek into my mind:

-Isaiah 53:4-8, He endured ALL OF THIS, just so I could have an abundant life. Amazing! Do I take this for granted? Am I living up to that abundant life?

-Isaiah 54:4, Tee texted me today about this verse, and reading it for myself really spoke to me. Do I have things in my past that I'm embarrassed about? Yes. Do I have to live in them anymore? No. Will I forget them? Yes.

-Isaiah 54:5, Enough of this marriage talk - God is my husband! Think of the qualities and responsibilities of a husband. God is this and so much more!

-Isaiah 54:17, My heritage is that of an overcomer!

-Isaiah 55:2, Quite a profound statement, yet I cannot grasp it's full meaning yet...

-Isaiah 55:6, Does that mean there will be a time when we will be unable to find Him?

-Isaiah 55:9, How high is that? Immense! Such a remarkable difference between our thoughts and God's!

-Isaiah 55:10-11, I never realized the power of this analogy. Rain does not come to the earth without purpose. And it always fulfills it's purpose. It CANNOT fail! So it is with the Word of God - always purposeful and always effective.

-Isaiah 56:3-5, It doesn't matter where you've been or where you are now, the Lord will still honor you in His kingdom if you serve him with a pure & true heart.

-2 Peter 2:8, Bad company corrupts good character

-2 Peter 2:17, What good is a well without water? It is a vessel not fulfilling it's purpose. Created for one thing, yet not doing it. What a disappointment a dry well would be to a thirsty person - appearing to satisfy, yet it is a farce. Still thirsty.

*Have a good one! - Amanda :)

Waiting On You

Isaiah 55:5
“You will call for nations that you don't yet know. And these nations that do not know you will run to you because of the Lord your God, because of the Holy One of Israel who honors you.”

• Do you know how many lives your one single life can change? It reminds me of that one time that Bishop came to preach at San Jose and he used the example of an apple seed. One seed that is planted in the ground doesn’t just contain one apple but it contains an apple tree with several apples. One life can impact many other lives. I would’ve never imagined my life being able to change, help, and challenge other people; but I believe God had everything mapped out and it wasn’t the way I wanted it to be Isaiah 55:8 Sometimes I play around and say “I’m to old” but I’m barely starting to walk in life. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to impact many lives, right now and I cant wait for the many more that are ahead.
• I’ll always remember a word that Dedra gave me which connects this verse to my life, “1,000’s will get to know Christ because of your obedience.” It’s amazing because I know she said more, but this is the only thing that stuck even up till now. Sometimes when I have doubts, fears, or questions about what I’m doing in ministry I always revert to those words. There are 1,000’s of people out there that I may not know but because of my obedience to God they also will have a chance to experience him.
• Lord show me the faces of the families of those individuals and remind me that my life is not my own. I live for you and I live for those that have yet to accepted you as their lord and savior.

The Power of WE!

Well today was an Amazing Day! I had the opportunity to preach at CWCM. It was a busy week leading to Sunday, but it was all worth it. To let you know i was really nervous about this one, i hadn't spoken in a while and I've never spoken to that sort of age group (older people) but everything seemed to flow the way God wanted it to. This is the beginning of something new. I honestly couldn't do this alone so before i go to bed i just want to give some quick shout outs and give thanks to those that made this possible:
•God- well who else would be first. Without him i don't even think I'd be where i'm at right now.
•Amanda- Thanks babe! well i know i could always count on you to be there for me. You were my greatest support this week. I know i put alot on your plate, but thanks for putting up with me. Oh yeah good looking out with the water, my lips were hecka dry.
•Anthony & Tara- Thanks guys for believing in me even when i tend not to believe in myself. I don't know but ever since the beginning when God allowed us to cross paths, you both knew i would be doing something great. Thank you for playing a major role in my life.
•My parents- Thank you for your prayers on Saturday afternoon, it means alot that you both believe in me, and also for calling after service to find out how it went.
•My brother (O-Dogg)- You didn't even have to talk to me, but just your simple text, fired me up. remember JR your the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be!
•P.Nick- Although you weren't there your encouragement before i left pumped me up, "Tear it up Santz" Plus we were both tag teaming today expanding the kingdom.
•The Worship team- Thanks for setting the atmosphere, made it easier for me to preach.
•Rudy-Thanks for helping me with my tie, for those of you that were there you know what i'm talking about, it's funny how God uses the simplest things in life to illustrate his power.
Sis. Rosemary- Thank you for blessing me, even if it wasn't a hallelujah handshake your presence is more than enough.
•The people at CWCM- well all of this couldn't be possible without YOU! thank you for all of your compliments on my tie, and your encouragement. It meant alot to hear those words from everyone, it really helped me. Thank you all!

Thoughts from Orientation

As you all may know, for the last 2 days I've been stuck in a room with 40 other people at orientation for CPMC (it's a hospital) but throughout the orientation they would have breakout sessions with different speakers. Every speaker was professional and had something to say, whether it was the CEO or the guy who is in charge of the gift shop, everyone spoke a little something about the company. Well here are a couple of things that i took notice of and my own personal thoughts:

-CPMC's Vision: "To continue to Grow and strive to deliver the ideal patient experience, we recognize the need to provide compassionate care to all people."
what's my vision for life? what is the church's vision? are we living out what we set out to do? take time today to write out your own mission/vision statement.
-5 Pillars of excellence:
1.People
2.Service
3.Quality
4.Growth
5.Finance
If this brings excellence to this company, what area do i need to work on? maybe your five pillars of excellence differ take time today to write out your own 5 pillars of excellence for your life, family, ministry, work, etc. Five things that if you work on will bring you success.
-COMMUNICATION!! in a big corporation like this communication is vital for their success. Imagine this 4 campuses, over 7,000 employees, and over 100,000 patients. CPMC has had to work on their communication.
WOW this amazed me! I'm just going to be working in one small section of this HUGE company, but they still take time to teach us how to communicate. Are we taking time to learn or refresh this lost art of communication?
-"Think like patients think."
We are here for the patients, they are the most important thing on our agenda, what do they need? that's our purpose. Imagine a church that thought like this: "Think like the first time visitor thinks?" what do they need? a hello, a smile, to feel welcomed. how can this question change our approach to first time visitors.
-"We are prepared for Natural disasters in California, such as earthquakes."
What are Natural disasters in the spirit realm? are we prepared?
-"CPMC is considered a learning organization"
Don't ever think that you reached a level where you can't learn anymore. Learn from everyone, be a student, and don't be afraid to teach. Stay humble and learn.
-"Steal Shamelessly"
What, you want me to steal!! no, not really. Ever see a great idea but just wondered "that could only happen to them" well take those ideas, put your own twist and flavor and implement it into your church, school, or work.

Plan 2 Plan

1 Peter 1:2
“God the Father planned long ago to choose you by making you his holy people, which is the Spirit's work. God wanted you to obey him and to be made clean by the blood of the death of Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be yours more and more.”

• As I’m reading this I am thinking about everything that needs to get done in my life: journal, pray, work, eat, sleep, prepare a sermon, etc. looking at this list, it can get intimidating and frustrating. But as I read todays chapters, I came across this one verse that showed me a character of God that I must imitate. The beginning of this verse says it all, “God the Father PLANNED…” God took time to plan out the wonderful masterpiece, which is you and I. God planned out everything that he made. What does that show me, well I need to learn basic life planning. Like they always say, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
• This week is going to bring a lot of challenges that could easily overwhelm me, but if I plan properly then all my tasks can be accomplished with ease. My schedule is already busy and will just get busier. I need to plan out the important things in life like:
1. My time with God
2. My time with my family
3. My time with Amanda
4. My time for study
What’s important to you? Those are the things you will always keep important in your planning. Hey, if God made it an importance to plan who am I not too.

• Lord allow me to align my plans with your plans. Help me to get organized and want to plan out my days, my weeks, and my months. I want my time with you to be on top of my important list. Help me to plan. Amen

DANGER IS MY MIDDLE NAME...

James 5:10
''brothers and sisters, follow the example of the prophets who spoke for the Lord. They suffered many hard things, but they were patient.''

wow the book of James just put me on check, I mean the heading for this book in my bible reads as followed: ''How to live as a christian'' if this is how a life of a christian suppose to look like then I and the American church have to owe God an apology and repent for not living the life of a true christian. yesterday I heard this podcast which had a catchy title and I believe this could also possibly be another sermon with that same title (sorry for copying you Mark Batterson) ''MAKE US DANGEROUS!'' the life of a prophet and a disciple was nothing less than dangerous. dangerous because their lives were on the line, their reputation was hanging on the words that they spoke. Dangerous should be the way we live, what has happened?

In a country where freedom reigns, where in God we trust, we (Christians) seem OK living w/o danger. I think if Jesus was here he'd be ashamed of his new aged disciples. I ask this question to myself, while fearing the answer, ''what do I need to do to live dangerously for Christ?'' I opened up a news paper and saw an article about a gay celebration here in the city (where else) it bugged me so much that I threw it away. I started thinking how can I live, preach, and profess Jesus and not do anything about this. I remember Rod Parsely once said, ''homosexuals are coming out of the closet, while Christians are running to hide in the closets.'' what will you stand for? how does your dangerous life look like?

Lord make us Dangerous!!!

Lesson applied

James 1:22
“Do what God's teaching says; when you only listen and do nothing, you are fooling yourselves.”

• Have you ever heard a sermon that just stirred you up, challenged you in the very area that you’re feeling weak in, had you up on your feet hollering “amen, say it again pastor, hallelujah hollerback?” I know I have, but I also know that there have been plenty of sermons where I get pumped up only to not do anything about it. I mean when was the last time we lived our life like Nehemiah, driven by vision? When was the last time we left believing that Gods plans for our life are good plans for hope and a future? When is the last time we acted upon the words that God has spoken to us? Ouch tough question, but here is one more, Am I doer of his word or am I just listening? The life of a christian is not of a spectator but of a play maker. So it’s time to get off the bench and DO what God is teaching us.
• If I am to do what God is teaching me, then I have to find out what he is teaching me, here are a couple sermons/lessons that I’ve been listening to or reading about that are going to be on my to do list:
o Nehemiah Project- live a life of vision
• Pray for a vision from God
• Set up a life plan (vision)
o Chase the Lion- Taking Risk
• Take a Risk
• Build faith
o DESIGN- Spiritual Gifts
• God has designed me with spiritual gifts
• Focus on 1 spiritual gift
o One Month to live- Learn humbly
• Answer the questions at the end of each chapter
• Ask myself that question daily

•Lord you teach me new lessons every day but I don’t want to just hear new lessons without learning the previous ones. I’ve always been someone who has learned by hands on experience, so let me learn these lessons by applying them to my life.

Quick read

Well just wanted to share a quick read that really spoke and encouraged my heart, from my book "One Month to Live" so here it goes:

"I'm reminded of a little boy who found a chrysalis on a branch. He thought it was moving, then saw a butterfly, so he took out his pocketknife to help the butterfly avoid the struggle. He cut open the chrysalis, pulled out the butterfly, and held it in his hand, expecting it to fly away. But it didn't move, and within minutes the butterfly was dead. When the challenge to emerge from the chrysalis was removed, the butterfly's opportunity to strengthen its wings was denied. With only weak, wet wings, the butterfly was unable to survive. It needed to struggle in order to soar, and we also need struggles in order to soar. There is no way that we can be changed from the inside out without problems."

Are you selling your PURITY?

Hebrews 12:16

“Be careful that no one takes part in sexual sin or is like Esau and never thinks about God. As the oldest son, Esau would have received everything from his father, but he sold all that for a single meal.”

·      As I was at the hospital reading this, the Holy Spirit just spoke to my heart and said, “Are you selling your PURITY?” wow what a question. Never has the story of Esau become so real and so relevent. My generation has different voices speaking into their lives about purity. In church purity or sex is something that isn’t heard or spoken about because it’s BAD, But if the church aint going to speak about that stuff then the world will, and what the world is preaching is not what God intended Purity to be. Are we selling our purity for a simple morsel of pleasure?

·      I’ll always remember Kris Valottons message about purity and the main thing that stuck with me is that “we need to FIGHT for our purity.” Sometimes we overlook that, and think that purity just comes along. Trust me purity doesn’t come easy it’s a battle and sometimes we do let our guard down and that’s when we hurt the most. That question has really been bothering me, “are you selling your PURITY?” The enemy will always make that morsel of pleasure look better than it really is. I started to think about my future. My purity isn’t just for me, but it’s also for my future wife. I guess to explain my application I”ll let scripture speak for me, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.” –Eph. 5:3 Not even a HINT!

·      My God help me to live out Ephesians 5:3, let there not be a hint of sexual immorality or any other impurity. God give me strength to say no to the quick and easy pleasures that the enemy lays out for me, so I can say yes to the grand feast that you have set before me. There is to much in stake, I don’t want to sell my purity.

Graduation

Wow my kids are graduating! haha, not really my kids but the kids i used to work with at Jumpstart. As soon as we came through the doors, their eyes widened, their smiles grew, they were just so excited to see us (jumpstart team) I guess that saying is true,"you never know how much you really miss someone until they're gone." It's been around 3 months since i haven't seen these little kids, they mean so much to me. I remember when i first started that job. There was a flyer in the class and it read: "want to change a life?" as i read that i knew i wanted to work there. I went in there not knowing nothing about dealing with kids but came out with alot. It's funny because i went in there thinking i was going to be the teacher, but they taught me so much about life. So to the Sojourner Truth graduating class of 2008 i want to say thank you all: Tarika Heinz, Ella Too, Hanyiah Hamilton, Lanyiah Richardson, Maria Westergen, Jeremiah Cross, Nicklas Sprivey, Tony James Harper, and Semaj Jefferson. I wonder what will become of these kids? and i hope that i could have impacted them in a small way.

Combo Conclusion Update

Santz is sleepy so he asked me to write on his blog - and I'm honored! :)

Well, today we carried out the combo conclusion - Troy, me & Santz closed up P Ant's sermon this morning. WOW. It was more than I expected. I was so scared and nervous to speak because I NEVER do it, but I knew God would tell me what to say approximately 5 minutes beforehand - and He did. The boys hecka tore it up - I love seeing Santz pumped up & doing what he is called to do. In the end, P Ant summed it up best - "I just feel like we did what we were supposed to do." Lives were changed, hearts were encouraged, and vision was reignited. We did what we were supposed to do. We're on the right track.

- Amanda (Santos' other half) 

T.G.I.F.

Well this was a great day overall:

-Went to work, learned more about the espresso bar, and cold beverages (working @ starbucks)

-Almost done w/training, just have a five hour starbucks experience tomorrow

-Got my first paycheck from star bucks!! 

-Met this guy named Chris, he's from L.A, we were just eating and i started talking with him he's studying to be a chef, real cool guy.

-Also met this guy on bart. I didn't catch his name but i'll call him Earl (he looked like an Earl) I was buying my ticket while sipping on some Ice Tea i could tell he wanted some but i did too. So i did what every good person would do, I acted like I didn't see him. I tried, but i couldn't, so i gave him my Iced Tea and $3 that i had. You should've seen his face it was priceless. But what got me is what he said, "wow you made my day! ice tea and $3, this is the best day of my life!!" 

-Went to 7-11 to get a free slurpee (thanks for the heads up Christian)

-Got to go the "The Fuse" and see everyone

-P. Nick revealed his new blog check it out!!

-We had a leadership meeting and P. Nick asked us 2 questions: 1.) Do you still feel passionate about this ministry? 2.) What do you bring to this ministry? (strengths, passions)

-There was this homeless lady that always came in the beginning of the move to CWCM, we hadn't seen her for a while. Spotted her, i believe her name is Kristen or Kris, Manda and I talked with her and gave her a salad that Manda had. She was so happy, we invited her back to church, so pray that she makes it this sunday.

-Got a chance to spend time with Manda (missed ya)

-Talked with my good ol' friend Jason Paez, always knows how to make me laugh! (miss my hyna, haha)

-I'm home, getting ready for bed

Phew, that was a lot, my day in a nutshell! It's crazy how much you can do, how many people you come in contact, and how many lives you affect. Today was a good day.

Questions about LIFE

Ever Just day dream and wonder how life could be if you could live out what really is going on in that head of yours? I guess thats where i find myself right now. I'm preparing for our Life Groups and the base verse is one that we have all have heard plenty of times, "the thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." -John 10:10 I started wondering how would that life look like, the life that is more abundant? The thief, well he is doing a heck of a job stealing, killing, and destroying; but how about us, as christians how are we doing at living our abundant life? a question that i heard last week and it is still bothering me, "What would you attempt for God if you knew you couldn't fail?" with God there is no failing, just lessons learned.

My Bible Journey

Micah 6:8- The Lord expects these three things from each of us: 1. do what is right 2. love 3. live humbly.

Micah 7:4- you were warned, but what did you do heed the warning?

Micah 7:8- The One more round spirit. One of the best messages that we need to tell ourselves and that is "i will get up again."

Micah 7:14-  Who is part of your flock? are you taking care of your sheep? are you a shepherd?

Micah 7:19- definition of mercy!

Hebrews 7:2- 10% of everything, so if anyone has questions whether to tithe of your gross or your net, well here is your answer.

Hebrews 7:6- When you go out of your way to bless someone, your door of blessings opens up.

Hebrews 7:11- Jesus is OUR high priest.

Hebrews 7:16- The way He lived put him in position to be the high priest. What position is your life putting you in?

Hebrews 7:27- Jesus Christ only needed to do things once, he never needed a "do over."

Combo Conclusion!

Hey that's a catchy title, but all the credit goes to P. Ant he made it up on the spot, but i like it. Anyways what is a combo conclusion? well that is what you will be seeing this sunday morning at CWCM. Troy, Amanda, and I will close out P. Ants sermon!! this kind of reminds me of my masters days, but with a new team, different styles, and a new crowd. I can't wait for sunday. I know we all bring a different look to the table, but i believe we can pull this one off. Our main question that we are to think about and speak about is "What has kept you going?" remember to keep us in your prayers as we allow God to show us what we need to say.

Jesus prayed how bout you?

Hebrews 5:7

“While Jesus lived on earth, he prayed to God and asked God for help. He prayed with loud cries and tears to the One who could save him from death, and his prayer was heard because he trusted God.”

·      WOW, Jesus knew a little something about prayer. It’s funny because seeing this scripture I thought to myself, “wait a minute, Jesus is the son of God, he doesn’t need to pray?” even though Jesus was the son of God and had the power to heal, to summon angels, to perform miracles he still managed to pray. How important is prayer? Well if Jesus had to do it, then it must be VERY important! But there was the last part, the fine print at the end that shows us what we must do together with prayer and that is to TRUST God. If prayer and trust is going to lead me to live a life like Jesus, then why not make the time to pray and the effort to trust God no matter how my circumstances look like?

My Bible Journey

Hosea 13:6- Remember where you came from, don't allow Pride to erase your humble beginnings.

Hosea 14:2- A prayer of repentance and salvation.

Hosea 14:4- Forgiveness and love should be normal for us because that is the character of God.

Hosea 14:8- The Lord does 3 things for us: 1. He Answers our prayers 2. He Watches over us 3. He Blesses us.

Psalm 100:2- Serving God or man may not always make you feel joyful, but remember that Jesus himself "didn't come to be served but to serve."

Psalm 100:3- WHO'S we are & WHO we are.

Psalm 100:4- Two types of song that a christian should always sing: 1. Song of Thanksgiving 2. Song of Praise.

Psalm 101:2- Jesus is coming BACK!! are you ready for His return?

Psalm 101:3- Guard your eyes!

Psalm 101:5- Stop fires, don't start them.

Psalm 102:1-2- You can feel the desperate cry for Gods Help. Have I been this desperate for Gods Help?

Psalm 102:7- Ever felt alone? well God promises us never to leave us nor forsake us (Deut. 31:6), and that is a promise that will never be broken.

Psalm 102:17- I need God to answer my prayers.

Psalm 102:18- My journals aren't just for me, but they are to encourage my future.

Psalm 102:27- Everything in life will change! your hair style, car models, even the way we do church but one thing remains constant throughout all this, God stays the same.

Psalm 102:28- Pray for the Presence of God for the next generation.

Hebrews 5:7- Jesus teaches us how to pray to God, even though He was the son of God He still needed to pray for things to happen. How much praying are we doing?

Hebrews 5:8-9- Growing up obeying are parents was hard but we managed to learn because we didn't want to get disciplined. Jesus himself had to learn how to obey. Obedience is something that we must learn.

Hebrews 5:12- Are you still in the same grade in your spiritual life? we need to see more spiritual graduations.

Hebrews 5:14- Upgrade from milk to solid food, trust me it's way better.

One Month to live

What if you only had one month to live? what would you change? how and with who would you spend your final days with and doing? several questions arise when that question, "what if you had one month to live?" is asked. I'm reading this book with that title and it is really shaking me up. I mean if i had one month to live i know i would live it to the fullest without holding nothing back, i would do everything that i ever wanted, maybe i would even be bolder about my faith. what would you do? this book has a site at One Month to Live.com, that helps you out in 4 major areas: 1. spiritual 2. physical 3. relational 4. financial. if you have a chance check it out and sign up. it's just 30 days of your commitment. what would you do if you only had one month to live?

                                                             

My Bible Journey

Hosea 10:13- Depend on God's strength not on your own

Hosea 11:1-4- See God's love for his children, sadly the story is being repeated again

Hosea 12:4- Jacob's many encounters with God

Psalm 73:3- Plenty of times i have envied those who have it "better" than me

Psalm 73:17- All of this bitterness, anger, jealousy changed when i entered the sanctuary of God. Have i entered into his presence?

Psalm 73: 21-24- Even when i felt this way you were always with me.

Psalm 73:25- There is nothing else on this Earth that i need besides Jesus

Psalm 73:26- Strengthen your heart! 

Psalm 73:28- Stay near to God! check out this blog from P. Ant, it  put the presence of God in a better perspective. ("There is no substitute")

Hebrews 4:4- Don't be afraid to take a break, even God took time to rest.

Hebrews 4:10- True rest comes only from God

Hebrews 4:12- The POWER of the word of God!!

Hebrews 4:13- Really checked me. You can hide things from people but God sees everything.

Hebrews 4:15- Jesus was 100% God but also 100% man, he faced what you and I face today but just one difference He was able to defeat temptation.

Hebrews 4:16- Don't enter his presence with guilt, shame, doubt, or condemnation but with CONFIDENCE that He can Help.

Deal or no Deal?

Psalm 73:2

“But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.”

 

·      If you don’t know temptation is all around us, 24/7! It’s funny because recently we’ve been doing the study in our life groups about D.E.S.I.G.N. and teaching people that God has a design, a plan, a purpose for their lives. But if we flip the script this also means that the Devil has a plan to try to distort and break the plans of God. If he can get us to lose sight of the purposes of God then his plans prevail over Gods. In Jeremiah 29:11 the Lord declares His plan for our lives “…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Imagine if we truly lived out His plan for our lives? How different would my life look like? The Psalmist said one word that truly blew me away and that one word was “almost.” How many of us were face to face with temptation, defeat, or compromise and we give in? I know I have but this Psalmist was at the threshold of giving into the plans of the enemy, “he ALMOST slipped…” but he didn’t.

·      I don’t want to live so close to the line of defeat, of temptation, of compromise. I want to be as far away as I possibly can. If I ever am faced with any of these oppositions I want to be able to say like the Psalmist, “I almost slipped.” I almost gave into the plans of the enemy but then I remembered the plan that God has for my life, a plan of prosperity, hope, and a great future. I don’t want to put what God has for me on the line.

·      Lord help me to be reminded of your plans daily. When I’m at work, in my house, at school, while I’m driving everywhere and anywhere let me be reminded of your plans. Keep me from slipping or compromising m future. I want to live to the fullest and live out what you created me to do and to be.

Too tired

Today in church my dad was speaking and he was talking about the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36). He mentioned one point that made me say “hey that’s me!” as he spoke about the Mount of Transfiguration he started talking about the disciples, Peter, John, and James (the sons of thunder) during this great phenomenal moment of their lives where Mose and Elijah are there, these disciples are "too tired." In verse 32, “Peter and the others were very sleepy, but when they awoke fully, they saw the glory of Jesus and the two men standing with him.” The disciples were doing what? They were sleeping. I don’t know about you but for the longest time my life has been feeling drained and even when God is in my midst I'm like these disciples, I'm sleeping! I started thinking to myself about ministry. Ministry is hard work, because we always want to bring excellence in the things of God. But as we work harder and harder we may tend to lose focus of what Jesus is doing, what he is revealing, what he is saying. I cant let my passion for ministry take away my passion for Jesus. These disciples walked with Jesus, they were his right hand men, they worked side by side in Jesus’ mobile ministry but in the moment of revelation they were too tired and too weak to capture that revelation. It wasn’t until these men “awoke” that they were able to see what was in front of them and they were able to hear God’s voice. I heard this saying, “you can be busy doing the right things, but still be wrong.” I don’t think that Jesus’ intention for ministry is for us to be too busy that we neglect him. Ministry without Jesus is a slow death. Remember, that without Jesus I am nothing and have nothing. As hard as it may seem I (we) have to awaken from our deep sleep and look at what Jesus has for us.

 

Go Giants

Two days ago i had a chance to take my beautiful girlfriend, Amanda, out on a date. It wasn't anything big but it's something i like to do. I took her out to a baseball game. we had so much fun, just kicking it watching the game and freezing our butts off. There is nothing like a good ol' baseball game, the experience, the smell, the loud noise, it's just perfect. Well thanks Manda for making Tuesday a great and amazing day :) oh yeah Giants won BABY!!!

How strong is your FAITH?

Isaiah 7:9

“…If your faith is not strong, you will not have strength enough to last.”

 

·      How vital is faith? Very vital! At times it’s hard for us to even comprehend what faith is, so lets look at what it means. The dictionary defines faith as “complete trust or confidence in someone or something.” The bible also defines faith in Hebrews 11:1 “Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that somethings is real even if we do not see it.” So in both definitions trust and confidence are the underlining truths, because I need trust to hope for things and confidence to know something is real even though it’s not tangible. But this scripture also shows me that faith is measured. Our faith can either be weak faith or strong faith. I don’t know about you but I would definitely love to have strong faith. If we have strong faith we develop strength to last.

·      How do I develop my faith? Well looking at the definitions I think I have to place myself in certain situations that will allow me to use my faith. See I’ve heard this saying before “if you don’t use it you’ll lose it.” I believe this to be so true. Plenty of times I’ve tried to get back on the field or the court without having played in months and let me tell you there ain't nothing pretty of seeing an out of shaped guy trying to play sports. That same image is how our faith is if we don’t use it. Our faith will be sluggish, out of breath, and strenuous. My faith needs to be developed, I need to place myself in situations where I have to completely trust God and have total confidence in him. How strong is your faith?

·      Lord faith is a tricky thing to have, understand, and develop. I hope that today's reading may be a great challenge, not just to live a strong life but a life filled with strong faith. Lord I can write that I trust you and confide in you, but it’s not until I am placed in those situations where I will know if I have faith. So I  pray this scary prayer, and ask that you may place me in situations where faith in you is the only way out. Amen.