Monday, November 27, 2006

Winter Wonderland




I enjoy taking photos so here are a few more! I hope you like them as much as I do!

Wow, look at the snow! But there is more!

Friday, November 17, 2006

Thanks Alex


Thank you Alex!

Once again you have never seized to bring that wow factor in the Church. You are a creative genius and you have exceeded the call time and time again. Thanks for bringing life and joy and strength to this work. I know God will bless you more than you can imagine

Once again, thanks Alex!

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Pray for us!

Hello, dear Friends,

What you are looking at is our most ambitious work yet! I just wanted to post this prayer request. We are doing a little mini movie for our annual PMC Christmas Event. It is beyond our means to do and quite frankly, some of us are really stressed. We are doing some things we have never done before (like Video editing, singing, acting)! This is the biggest faith undertaking for this event for any of us! So please pray for us.

We just want people to get the message of Jesus Christ and have a little fun at the same time. We've done this event so many times and now we want to see souls saved and maybe even tickled. We know we are weak, and broken, and that we can't do it in our own strength. It is really beyond us.

The countdown is on and we need help. Will you pray for us? Can you also pray for the people who will see it. We want to lift the name of Jesus? Not the name of our church or pastor or worship team. Just Jesus' please. He has done so much for us so we want to give him a gift for Christmas for a change. We even want to make him laugh a little...

Thanks again!

Friday, November 10, 2006

The Prophetic Ministry

I get a kick out of the prophetic ministry. We recently had our church jammed pack with people ready to hear a prophet speak to edify the body of Christ. The sheep are hungry. They want to know that God is intimately involved in their lives. They can use some encouraging words to keep them going. They want to know what God has in store for them in the future. They can also use some advice to reassure them and put some of their fears at ease. They can use some personal words of hope and peace.

And who can blame them? This life isn't easy and Jesus says that in this world we will have trouble... (John 16:13). The bible even says that those who live a godly life will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12). Just look at Pauls life:

"... I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.

24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.

25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,

26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.

27 I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches." (2 Corinthians 11:23:28)

Wow! Who can identify with that these days?

Well anyway, I was thinking of some of the prophets in the Old Testament, specifically Hosea. Now, the prophets were usually people who would express their utterances using symbolic actions. In the case of Hosea, he married a harlot or prostitute. His relationship with Gomer, his unfaithful wife, was a symbol of God's relationship to unfaithful Israel. Israel was caught up forsaking their God for false idols again and was actually described as whoring after idols. Such graphic and maybe even vulgar speech. It is not for the Sunday school, that's for sure. But the Bible never sugar coats sin. Not for a second.

Can you imagine if Hosea came into our churches today? Here he is, marching down the aisle an onto what we westerners call the altar where holy preachers pound their pulpits and pump the congregations pulses. Today Hosea steps in with his immoral and sensual wife. He comes to the pulpit and talks about how his is heart broken because his wife has slept with a bunch of other men. He expresses his greif. We sympathize and mourn and maybe even squeeze out a tear! Than he says that he is actually expressing the heart of God who is mourning over the fact that we forsaked him for sin. We commit spiritual idolatry! Isn't it horrible?

And yet Hosea is still faithful. He could call for divorce but doesn't. He still loves Gomer even when she is unfaithful but he is hurt, even mad, but still remains faithful yesturday, today and forevermore. He will keep his vow and love his unfaithful wife anyway! Sure it hurts, sure he is suffering, sure he feels rejected, alone, broken. How could this happen to him? And yet that what God goes through with us. When we sin and forsake Him and run after other people or things at His expense.

This is the prophetic ministry of Hosea! It is much different than what we might expect? It has more to do with what God is going through than what you are going through. It has to do with God's broken heart! It has to do with God's feelings and hurts and problems. It has to do with God!

Well, I wonder if our modern day prophets would do this for God? I wonder if our churches would make room for Hosea's prophetic words? I wonder if we would allow for his prophetic actions? I wonder... Well, we'll just have to wait and see and dismiss the Sunday school in the meantime.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

14 Tests All Leaders Must Face

I'm just loving these new books I'm reading. One of them is called 14 Tests All Leaders Must Face. It is AWESOME! Probaly because I have had to face all the tests I have read so far and it is such a reassurance to know that God has got me on the right path. Isn't it marvelous how He speaks to us? It is great to be reminded that he was with us through all circumstances.

But I wanted to add another test to his book. He, Frank Damazio, mentions the frusteration test! I was thinking of the times when we are faced with obstacles that are far bigger than ourselves. Immediately we want to get frusterated. Especially when we don't know what to do or where to begin. It is trying... But I've seen leaders (I'm not exception) fall into a little trap. They end up taking out their frusteration on people who are trying to help them.

Isn't it funny how we leaders determine the atmosphere of our workplace? I have worked under other leaders who come in with just a rotten attitude. It is even tougher when the team is giving it their all and things are moving forward but their moral is low because the leader is having a mood swing. Than the team ends up feeling discouraged and start to lose their focus, energy and motivation. The quality of output is lessened and they end up fulfilling what the leader most fears.

Well, we know we have fallen in this trap when we start to value the program over the people who are doing their very best. The flesh gives way and you know it when you see: discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy (Galations 5:20-21). And than we end up valueing programs and goals over the most important commandments, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-38)

Ouch! I just hate this trap. But we all must face it. And God bless those leaders who can put it all in perspective. Who can see the project and goals and keep them in the context of Matthew 22:37-38. These are the leaders who go the extra mile for those sheep who go the distance for them. They never make anyone feel like they are just being used as a means to and end. They don't take advantage of people's sincerity. These are the leaders who maintain, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in the midst of all circumstances (Galations 5:22-23). And they do it only when they fully rely on Jesus' and not their own gifts, energy or charisma.

Thank you for making us feel valued! You bring new confidence in us! You build our energy and remind us that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains (Matthew 17:20). You remind us that nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26). Thank you! Your legacies will never be forgotten!

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Divine Appointments

I love this thrilling adventure we call life. I love this walk of faith we have with the creator of time. We go to all sorts of places and hear all sorts of sounds. We catch all kinds of sites and meet all types of people. Speaking of people, I just met someone new in the body of Christ.

So I decided to take on a class on Old Testament because I just love the Bible. But than I was feeling kinda lonely so I decided to pray that God would help me make friends in the class. I'm in a theatre with a couple of hundred students, almost all Christians so it shouldn't be to hard. Low and behold God did nothing less than ansrew my prayer.

This dude comes up beside and plugs in his laptop and so I say, "Hi!"

Well, we started getting into a conversation and you wouldn't believe it. He went to the same Bible College as some of my pastor friends. He even knew them. He also was affiliated with the same denomination as me (not that that matters in our generation anymore). Not only that, but he even plays guitar. I notice he has a wall paper on his computer of some of my most famed guitar heroes. Well, we get to talking about equipment and you wouldn't believe it but we have almost the same equipment. Same amp, guitar and even effects pedal... (But he has more toys than me) He even likes the same bands as me.

What a great God we have huh? Isn't amazing how God puts people in our paths? I just love Him! Gosh, the world doesn't know what they are missing. It is really sad! I wish they could only know what a real adventure is. It is better than any of these dull movies we see. But life with God is better than even the bestest of movies!