Mission, Vision, Values

I am real excited for the direction that God is leading us as a church. 2010 is going to be an incredible year as we begin to implement the mission and vision of our church. In order to assist me with this huge undertaking, we are partnering with Pastor Frank Chiapperino, Teaching Pastor for Christ's Church of the Valley in Royersford, PA. CCV is a church that has grown from 0 - 1400 in 9 years. He will work with us as a consultant and coach. Something very unique about Frank is that he grew up in Trinity. His father was on the building committees that built both of our buildings. He comes with passion for Trinity and the Middletown area and an incredible understanding on how to lead a church to 1,000.

On Monday night, we met with our ministry leaders to present the mission, vision, and values of Trinity as well as a strategic plan to implement the mission and vision. We talked about some goals for 2010 and the need to change our approach to ministry so that we can become a church that connects with the unchurched. For too long, churches in America have been inward focused and the consequences have been devastating. People remain lost as Christians in churches hold their cantatas and ice cream socials. The Assemblies of God is in a major crisis as churches remain stagnant without any new converts. My former district in Southern New England, 90% of the 170 churches in 3 states had either plateaued or were in decline. I believe one major reason this has happened is because churches have become resistant to change. Without change, the church will never fulfill its mandate, and never reach today's community. This will not happen to Trinity! It's time now to turn the tides and begin fulfilling Matthew 28, go, baptize, and teach.

The mission and vision of Trinity are simple. Our mission is to help people become fully devoted followers of Christ. Our vision is the build a church that connects with the unchurched. Our core values are: Biblically based, culturally relevent, outward focused, community, discipleship, excellence, grace, stewardship, and spirit filled. These core values define who we are as a church. In 2010, we will begin accomplishing the mission and vision through strategically identifying and completing key objectives. We have begun identifying those objectives and we will begin completing them.

Trinity, get ready because we are in for the ride of our lives. I know that we is about to embark on a journey that we have never been before. I pray that you will open your hearts and begin embracing the mission and vision that God has for us as a church. I believe that as we follow God's plan, we will reach more people than we have ever reached before for Jesus.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support. Ruth and I feel so loved and so free to lead Trinity forward. Your support has been overwhelming. I know that together we will take Trinity to new heights and new places.

Six Month Mark

Sunday, November 1st was my six month anniversary at Trinity as the Lead Pastor and what a day it was. With extravagant worship marked by God's presence, we are making progress as a church and I know that the best is yet to come. On Sunday, we recorded the highest attendance and highest offering given this year. Spiritual progress is not measurable, however, attendance and giving is. That is an expression of what is happening in the spiritual realm at Trinity. Lives are being touched and people are being changed as the Spirit of God is released to move in their lives.

I am continuing in a series entitled, "Conquering Financial Problems." This series has been life changing and I know has helped many of you as multiple people have shared testimonies and positive words of encouragement about how the series has impacted them. Talking money in church is not an easy thing to do. I have been criticized for talking about money in the past, but that doesn't stop me. It just tells me that I'm doing the right thing. After all, Jesus spoke more about money than any other topic in the Bible. There are 500 verses on money and 500 verses on faith, yet there are over 2000 on money and possessions. Jesus spoke alot about money because He had alot to say about it.

If you are facing a financial crisis of any kind, I encourage you to enroll in Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey beginning in January. I know that you will benefit from Dave's teachings. Don't allow the bad decisions of the past, or the problems of the present keep you from fulfilling your divine purpose for the future.

God has been so good to my wife and I and so have you. We are so privileged to be the Pastors of this great church. Thank you everyone for such a generous gift for Pastor Appreciation. Ruth and I love you all. You all have been so loving, encouraging, supportive and open to the changes that God is bringing to our church. We know in our hearts that greater days and greater things are still to be done! Have a great week and Go Yankees!!!

What I'm Reading

Thought you all might be interested in what I'm reading. Well, I'm just about done with the Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson. Incredible book that has inspired me to pursue everything that God has for me. I refuse to be caged but am passionately pursuing God's destiny in my life. No limits, no boundaries, new heights, and new places. I am learning total dependence upon the Holy Spirit and His plan for my life and for God's Church.

I recently started reading The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch. A book about reactivating the missional church. Amazing book that I am looking forward to completing.

Sunday Highlights

What a great day at Trinity on Sunday! Many new faces and some old ones too. I know what the Psalmist meant when it said how wonderful it is when people come together in unity. We are a united church moving forward into everything that God has for us.

This Sunday, I launched a new sermon series that I believe everyone needs, "Conquering Financial Problems." It is a series that I believe can transform your life and transform our church as we discuss the biblical principles of handling money God's way. We left service full of hope and faith.

Our monthly family fellowship dinner continues to be a big part of our church. We are running out of room in our fellowship hall as more and more people are staying and enjoying great food and great friends. I believe that we must be a church that is built on relationships.

Our Youth had an awesome time at youth retreat this year. I'm real proud of Joel & Lynnette our Youth Leaders for making this happen. With only 3 weeks notice, they got a great group of teens together to go on retreat. Great job guys!

Thanks to everyone that makes Trinity tick. Our worship team, kitchen crew, ushers, children's workers, audio and video people, and others. We can't do it without all of you. You are all great to serve with and I know in my heart we are just beginning to see all the great things that God has in store for us as a church.

Ruth and I love you all very much. Thank you for all your prayers and support. This past week, we have sensed increased spiritual warfare. We know that as we move forward, we are not going to move forward without some kind of resistance. Thanks for praying for us, believing in us and letting us be your pastors! We love you all, have a great week!

Would-be cop back home as pastor | recordonline.com

Would-be cop back home as pastor | recordonline.com

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A Day to Remember

On Sunday, September 20th, I was officially installed as the new Pastor of Trinity Assembly of God. It was a day I will cherish for a very long time. People from every stage of my life were in attendance, including my 93 year old Children's Church director! She drove up all the way from NYC to be a part of this wonderful event. I will never forget her and the impact she had on my life. There were so many others that I cannot even begin to mention names at the fear of missing someone. In total, over 3oo people came to celebrate a new beginning for Trinity. Our Trinity family did an amazing job hosting the event and cooking for 300 people. I'm proud of our church. I have never worked with such a great group of people just willing to serve and do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Our main sanctuary refurbishing project was also completed and we held our first Sunday service there on Sunday, September 20th. We had record attendance on that day since I have been here. There were many new faces and people are coming out to see what God is doing at Trinity. It truly is a new beginning for me and my family and a new beginning for Trinity Assembly of God. We all are coming through a difficult season in our lives. We are all now entering a great season of blessing, growth and increase. I know without a doubt that God has great things in store for this great church. I believe that the Lord is calling Trinity to be a place of healing and restoration. The restoration of the physical building is only a picture of the spiritual restoration that God is doing and that He is going to do. He is a God of restoration. He restores our soul. He restores the years that the locusts have eaten. He is a Great God!

The Bible says in Isaiah 58:12, “Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called the Repairer of the Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with dwellings.” This is God's vision for our church. God is calling us to be repairers and restorers. He is calling us to repair His house and restore people back to God. I truly believe that this is the work that the Holy Spirit is doing. A deep work of healing and restoration.

I can't wait for each Sunday to see what God is going to do next. This past week we had Ground Zero Master's Commission. They were sent by God to continue the deep work of healing and restoration that God is doing. This weekend we host Evangelist Greg Hubbard and his wife Robyn. They are great friends of ours and we love them and appreciate them very much. I know that they are going to be a blessing.

Trinity, Ruth and I love you very much. We are so happy to be home and so overwhelmed by your love and support. Thank you for letting me be your Pastor and lead you into everything that God has for you. Thank you for supporting the vision that God has given to me. A BIG THANK YOU for that incredible cake made by the Cake Boss himself. I could not believe it when I saw it. It was the most beautiful cake I had ever received, and to think that the Cake Boss made it. Unbelievable! Because of your love and support and unity, we were able to see God's wonderful blessing upon our lives and church. The best is yet to come!!!

Raise the Level of Your Expectations!

Do you know that what you expect tends to be realized? You must not underestimate the power of your expectations. What is expected tends to be realized. If we always expect the worse, the worse tends to be realized. While you may not always get what you want, you usually get what you expect. You become what you believe. Our thoughts and expectations wield tremendous power and influence in our lives for both the positive and the negative. Proverbs tells us “As a man thinks so he is.”

In the New Testament, we read a story about two blind men who heard that Jesus was passing by, and faith began to rise up in their hearts. We read in Matthew 9:27, that they began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us and heal us.” When Jesus heard their cries, He stopped and walked over to them and asked them this question, ”Do you believe that I am able to do this?” Jesus knew what they wanted. He wanted to know what they believed. The blind men answered back with great confidence and expectation, “Yes, Lord.” The Bible says that when Jesus heard their faith, “He touched their eyes and said to them, ‘According to your faith be it done unto you.’”Matthew 9:29 And their eyes immediately opened. In the modern-day biblical paraphrase, The Message, it says, “Jesus touched their eyes and said, ‘Become what you believe.’”

Trinity is becoming a great church because we are believing that we are a great church. I am expecting and believing God for great things for my life and for Trinity. I know we will become what God wants us to become because of what we believe. We need to raise the level of our expectations and believe God for bigger, for greater, and for more. God has more in store for us. We need to expect great things from a great God. We need to expect increase, favor and supernatural blessing. I know that the moment I arrived at Trinity, I expected great things.

We are moving into our lower sanctuary on September 20th because we are believing for greater things. We are expecting growth and we are expecting God to do things beyond our understanding and comprehension. Sunday service was just a glimpse of what God is going to do in our church. There was such a supernatural presence of God on Sunday that I know overwhelmed all of us. God interrupted my sermon half way through with His presence, Praise God! I know lives were changed, people set free, and strongholds broken. I pray God's richest blessing upon you as you move forward into your God given destiny and as you trust God for more in 2009.

God bless you all. Ruth and I love you and are praying for you. Thank you for all the love, prayers and support. We couldn't do it without you!

Project Continues!

The refurbishing of the lower sanctuary continues and we are on track for having our first service on September 20th! We can't wait! Things are coming together, people are coming together, the funds are coming together and we are all excited to worship in our newly renovated sanctuary. We have freshly painted the entire room, we have expanded the stage, installing new carpets, buying new chairs, updating our audio and video equipment, doing new landscaping, and getting a new church sign. Trinity is a church on the move. We have increased attendance already by almost 50% over the summer! We are expecting our attendance to double this fall. God is doing new things and I am excited for the great things He is doing.

Sunday service was incredible. The anointing of God was so rich and heavy as Any led us into the throne room. All of us were overwhelmed by the presence of God has we had an extended time of worship. Our pianist could not continue playing as he sat weeping in the presence of God. Lives were changed. People touched. We will not be the same. Any led us for the last time and what a job she did. All I can say is "We won't stop till the whole world knows that He's a great God! Great God! Oh, Oh!" I love that song. We also sang, "Hosanna", and "It's Your Love." The worship is moving to a whole new level!

I preached on, "Is There Anything Too Hard For The Lord!" God was in the house and there was a great anointing on the message. I know this that we experience a huge breakthrough as the altars were filled with people believing God for a miracle in their lives and in their circumstances. I know this that at the appointed time, breakthrough will come. Let's keep believing, let's keep trusting, let's keep pressing, and like we learned in the great movie "Finding Nemo" let's keep swimming! We are about to press through into our breakthrough.

Thank you everyone who has helped make this project a reality. We have had so many volunteers and people helping. We are not done, there's still much to do. I could not have done it without you all. You are all a blessing to work with and I am the luckiest Pastor in America to be Pastoring this wonderful church. You guys are great. I could not be in a better place. Thanks for your love, your support and holding my hands up as together we move forward into everything that God has for us. We love you!

The Refurbishing Has Begun!

We have begun the refurbishing of the lower sanctuary! This past year the upper sanctuary was refurbished to seat about 200 people. Now we have begun the refurbishing of the lower sanctuary which will seat 400. We are so excited to see the transformation begin. We know that this physical transformation is a picture of the spiritual transformation that will soon take place in the lives of many, many people. Our upper sanctuary will be used for our Kingdom Kids on Sunday mornings, Youth Services on Friday nights, Wednesday evening Bible Studies, prayer meetings and more. Our first service in the lower Sanctuary will be September 20th.

In II Chronicles 24: 1-15 we read the story of King Joash. He became king of Judah at the age of seven. Shortly after he became king, he became aware of the fact that the temple in Jerusalem was in bad need of repair. So the king simply instructed the people of Israel to bring an offering of their possessions in order to gain sufficient money so that the house of the Lord could be repaired. It says in verse two of II Chronicles 24 that "Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord". He was a young godly man of integrity. It says in verse eight, "at the king's commandment they made a chest and they set it outside of the gate of the house of the Lord." Verse nine indicates that they made a proclamation to bring a collection to place in the chest. In verse ten, the people rejoiced and brought their offerings and placed the offerings in the chest. Verse eleven indicates that "there was much money" that had been placed in the chest. And then it says in the last part of verse eleven that they "gathered money in abundance! The remainder of the story indicates that the work was done to repair the house of the Lord. And verse thirteen indicates that the house of the Lord was put in order and strengthened. “The men in charge of the work were diligent, and the repairs progressed under them. They rebuilt the temple of God according to its original design and reinforced it.” 2 Chronicles 24:13

This is the vision God has given me. A vision to restore, rebuild, and refurbish the Temple to its original design, a House of Worship. We are moving forward with the full support of our Church Board. Thank you for your prayers, your support and your help in making the vision become a reality! Ruth and I love you all very much. We are so blessed and privileged to be your Pastors. You are amazing people. We could not do it without you. Thank you for all of the support. Together with God's help, the impossible will become possible!

Sunday Highlights!

• Sunday is the highlight of my week. I just love Sundays! This past Sunday at Trinity, God did some amazing things. People continue to come and the church continues to grow. This past Sunday we had to put out three additional rows of metal chairs out Praise God! It's a matter of time before we have to move downstairs. I love meeting new people and connecting with others. We had a great time on Sunday morning.
• I preached on the "Five Habits of the Highly Effective Church." Although I love to see the crowds, what is more important than crowds is effectiveness. As a church we must be effective in fulfilling the mandate God has given to us. The goal of every church must be to fulfill its kingdom call and walk in step with the Holy Spirit. Churches that fulfill its kingdom call and walk in step with the Holy Spirit will be productive and effective churches. Churches must develop habits that will result in spiritual effectiveness and productivity.
• Ineffective churches fall short of their kingdom calling. There are numerous ineffective Churches that are not fulfilling their kingdom calling. There are plenty of Churches that have settled for the status quo, business as usual, mediocrity and old traditions. I can tell you right now that there are more churches concerned about living in the past than fulfilling their kingdom calling. They get more excited about Christmas Cantatas than fulfilling the great commission which says that we are to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.
• God has not called us to mediocrity or ineffectivenss. He has called us to greatness and effectiveness. He has called us to identifiable and reproducible God-honoring, life-changing, soul-saving, mission-minded and disciple making practices. He has not called us to reproduce the past but to impact the present and change the future. In order to do that, as a church we must develop and maintain healthy spiritual habits that are going to lead to productivity and effectiveness.

• We ended our Sunday with our Church Picnic at Circleville Park. What a great time we had. It was a blast. All kinds of people showed up. The food was incredible, and those ribs... they were out of this world. Good job Glenn! But of course, Glenn's ribs were no match for the Grillmaster. I took first place with my famous BBQ Ribs!!! I also wanted to thank Keith and Tina for all their help with the picnic. You guys did an amazing job. Maybe next year Glenn!

• I also want to congratulate Rob Segarra and the Trinity softball team who won the OCCCSL Championship!!! Good job guys. On Sunday morning I presented them with the trophy. I'm real proud of our team and real proud of our church. You all have made me a very proud Pastor. Let's get em' again next year!
  
• Ruth and I love you all very much. We are so thankful to God for all of you. We are privileged to be called your Pastors. We are anxious to continue getting to know all of you. God is doing great things. Thank you for partnering with us and thank you for supporting us and loving us.
  

Sunday Highlights

• Change is in the air! Praise God for change. Things are progressing and things are changing for the glory of God. Change is hard for many. People get uncomfortable with change. The uncertainty of change leads to fear. People are quite comfortable with things that are familiar to them. However, if we are going to move forward, we are going to have to embrace change. God wants to birth new things in us and through Trinity. We must be open to the new things that God is doing and going to do. I know that God has incredible things planned for this great church. We are just getting started. Things are coming together and I know that greatness is store for us. Let's keep pressing, let's keep changing! Listen to Sunday's sermon "Responding to Change."
• With your help we were able to order 50 new chairs last week! We had another great crowd on Sunday and we continue to grow even during the summer months. It's been great to get to meet the many new people. I was talking with a member last week and she said that she did not know half of the people that were at church this past Sunday. God is bringing new people in and I'm excited. The chairs will be coming in September. Keep inviting and telling everyone about the new things God is doing at Trinity!
• I was very encouraged with our missions giving. We only have 5 more missionaries that need our support. Thank you for your willingness to give to God's kingdom. Missions is the heart of Trinity. We must continue to support missions and pray for our missionaries as they take the message of Jesus around the world. Trinity currently supports over 30 missionaries and para-missions organizations around the world! Let's see that number double by next year. I know we can do it. Thanks Any! I appreciate everything you did!
  
• Mega Sports camp was a huge success this year. Many kids came out. We doubled our attendance from last year. Any Torres and her team did an amazing job! We will continue with Mega Sports Camp every Wednesday night throughout the rest of the summer.
  
• Pow-Wow last week was great as well. This was my first Pow-Wow and it was great! Our Senior Commander Jim Vizethann did a great job. We have the best! The boys loved it and God did great things. The best part was our times at the altars. God touched and filled many of our boys and I know that they are not the same. Thanks Jim! You did a great job!
• Sunday we also said good-bye to Pastor Frank. He served with his heart and we appreciate his hard work and ministry at Trinity. We praise God for him and know that God has great things in store for this young man. Let's keep Pastor Frank in prayer.
• We had a great day on Sunday. God continues to meet us each week. Ruth and I love you all very much. We are excited to be here and excited for everything that God is doing at Trinity. Thank you for all of your love, prayers and support. You guys are the best!
  

Sunday Highlights

• "Just Give Me Jesus" was the new song Any led us in yesterday and let me tell you that it summed up the entire service. GOD was in the house and Jesus was lifted up. When it all comes down to it, just give me JESUS!
  
• We had an extended time of worship that was powerful as God moved by His Spirit. There was energy and life as we worshiped Jesus in Spirit and in truth. A first time guest came to me afterwards and said, "There's a lot of energy here, I love it!" That was such blessing to hear. Many came to the altars to experience a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit. God poured out His Spirit with visible power and anointing.
  
• As we continue to press forward, we will go deeper in our worship experience. I recently read in "Wild Goose Chase" by Mark Batterson that too often churches do to people what zoos do to animals. They cage them up and keep them tame instead of allowing them to be free. Too often we take people out of their natural habitat and try to tame them in the name of Christ. We end up with caged Christians. Part of going deeper in worship is being able to express yourself freely. Trinity is not a zoo, and there are no cages here. We will be free to worship God in spirit and in truth! No holding back!
• I preached on "Fatal Distractions." It's easy to become distracted with the things of this world. We allow worry, fear, the lack of finances to distract us when all we need to do is focus on Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith. We must remain focused on the vision that He has for our lives and for our church and not allow distractions to pull us away from that focus.
• I love how the Message puts it, “Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet!” Philippians 3:13-15 (Message).
• I am so encouraged by what God is doing each week at Trinity. Ruth and I feel free to serve and minister to you as God would have us to. We love each of you deeply and pray for you often. Thank you for your continued love and support. We could not do it without you all!
  

Sunday Highlights

• The Lord never ceases to amaze me. He continues to visit us with His power and with His presence every week. Thanking God for another wonderful Sunday service. We are continuing to build momentum forward.
• I want to again thank the worship team for a great job. I want to give a special shout out to Leticia. With both of our piano players out, she stepped up to the plate with her acoustic guitar. You were great! Glenn, was also outstanding as he played lead guitar. Any led us into the presence of God with the "Revelation Song." The worship team is really coming together.
  
• I preached a message entitled, "Who Do You Think You Are?" using Proverbs 23:6-7 as my text. Each week I am getting more and more comfortable preaching. There is a freedom that I have preaching that I have not experienced before. There seems to be many that are hungry for God's Word and receiving the message with gladness. Remember that you are PRICELESS!!!
• We concluded our day with a potluck dinner. The food was amazing. We had arroz con gandules, chicken, African rice, plantains, pastelon and someone made me mofongo! It was great. Many people stayed and we had a great time. Thank you everyone for making such great food.
  
• God continues to send us new people each week. It has been great meeting the many new families. I pray that you will consider making Trinity your home.
• Ruth and I have been so blessed being here at Trinity. Thank you all for you love, prayers and support. We are enjoying being your pastors and count it a privilege to serve you. You guys are an incredible group of people. Let's keep moving forward, together!
• Have a blessed week!
  

Finally Home!

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” Jeremiah 29:11-14 (NLT)

This is the passage of Scripture the Lord gave us which confirmed to our hearts that we were to go to Trinity. After 15 years, Ruth and I are back home! God has brought us full circle. We are so excited to be living back again in New York.

On Saturday we moved into our new place. It's a nice little townhouse .3 miles from the church. Ruth and I were overwhelmed by the help and support we received from our Trinity family. A bus load of people came up to Pittsfield to help us move. We loaded the truck in 2 hours. You guys were great. We also had a welcome crew to help us unload. That took us 1 hr. and 15 min.! The food that people brought was great and we had a great moving day. Thanks for everyone that was able to come out and help us. We really appreciate it.

Leaving our home in Pittsfield was very hard for us. We loved our home and we love the city. There are alot of wonderful people there. However, we know that when God calls us, He calls us to leave everything behind to follow His plan for our lives. When God asks us to do this, He doesn't do it to move us backwards, He does it to move us forward. We know that God has great things in store for us here in this new season of our lives. We know that our best years of ministry are still ahead and not behind.

Thank you everyone for your love, prayers and support. Please continue to pray for us as we lead this congregation into all that God has. Pray that our home in Pittsfield would sell. Pray for God's blessing and favor rest upon our lives. We love you all.

Sunday Highlights

• Great service Sunday! Once again we were able to touch the heart of God and experience breakthrough in our service. The presence of God was rich and tangible as we offered our worship to Him. I believe that our pre-service prayer has been preparing our hearts and the atmosphere for us to go to a deeper level in our worship. The music is really beginning to take off. I'm so thankful for the hard work of our worship team and musicians now 10 members strong. You guys are doing an awesome job!
  

• We went from worship to communion and prayer at the altars. Communion always adds to our worship experience. The blood will never lose its power! Worship, prayer and communion always prepares our hearts to receive the Word.
  

• I preached on "Spiritual Warfare" Much of what we experience in the natural is really a manifestation of the battle in the spiritual. We need to understand how important spiritual warfare is going to be as we advance God's kingdom. Remember, we have the authority and the power over all the works of the enemy and no weapon formed against us will prosper! As we move forward we will face resistance. However, let's use the authority and the power given to us to come against all of the weapons and schemes of the enemy.
  

• We are a church on the move. We are moving forward! We are expecting and believing for God to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ever ask or think. I sense an excitement and anticipation in each and every service. I know that we are breaking through to heights and places that we have never been before. Like the children of Israel, we are moving forward to places we have never been to do things we have never done.
  

• Ruth and I are so excited to be here. Your love and support has been so amazing. We can't wait to move down to Middletown. We may be losing a house, but we know we are gaining a family! We know that what God is doing and going to do will far exceed any and all of our expectations. Let's continue to expect and believe God together to do greater things than He has done in times past. Let us continue to work together in a spirit of unity to move forward and take back all that the enemy has stolen!

• Lastly, Pastor Frank resigned Sunday as our Youth Pastor. In his words, he is resigning because he feels God calling him away. We appreciate Pastor Frank and all he did as our youth pastor. God used him and he was very instrumental throughout the transition. We will miss Pastor Frank very much. I know that he has a bright future ahead. We will be holding a special farewell service at the end of the month for Pastor Frank. Stay tuned for more details.
  

Sunday Highlights

• What a struggle I had all week. I see now how the enemy was at work trying to discourage, distract, and hinder what God was going to do on Sunday. All week it has been a struggle for me. I wrestled with God trying to get his mind and heart for Sunday. Usually it comes very easy, but this week I had to press. Late Saturday night I found myself crying out to God for breakthrough. When Sunday morning came, I continued to sense a struggle in the spirit, but by the end of the service we had tremendous breakthrough at the altars. I believe that God brought breakthrough and we are a church on the move.
  
• The message was "Moving Forward." I believe that the enemy wants to keep us stuck in our past and keep us from moving forward. I know that our future is going to be greater than our past. I know that great things are in store for Trinity. We must continue to look forward in order to move forward. We must be able to stop dwelling on the hurts and pains of the past in order to move into our divine destiny. Isaiah 43:18, "Forget about what has happened before. Do not think about the past. Instead, look at the new thing that I'm going to do."
  
• Sunday was also Missions Sunday. Over the past year our missions giving has dropped dramatically. My challenge was for everyone to be involved in missions. I was overwhelmed to see how everyone responded to the challenge to get involved in missions. We were able to see about two thirds of our missionary budget raised in a matter of minutes because of your giving! Praise God! I know that there was great breakthrough as we sacrificed and took on the responsibility of supporting our missionaries.
  
• It was great meeting many new people and first time visitors also. I can sense how God is beginning to bring new people to our church. Our attendance has been strong and I know that this is just the beginning of what God is going to do here at Trinity. Let's continue to make room for God to do what He wants to do.
  
• I know that we are on the verge of great things. Sunday was an important step in that direction as we surrendered our hearts and lives to allow God to have His way. I know that as we continue to live surrendered lives, fully committed and devoted to Him, there is no telling what God will do.
  
• Thank you all for your love, encouragement and prayers. You all have been so great to us. I must have gained 10lbs since arriving here at Trinity. We had such a great weekend visiting with people and getting to know you all better. Thank you for all of your love and support. Ruth and I know that we are at the center of God's will. We are planning to move in July. Please continue to keep us in prayer as we get ready to make the big move. We can't wait to get to New York. We are so excited to begin this new chapter in our lives.
  

Sunday Highlights

• What a powerful Father's Day service today. God presence was so strong during the entire service. I preached on the characteristics of "The Godlyfather," Fervency, Availability, Tender-heartedness, Humility, Encouragement, and Righteousness. The altar time was meaningful and heartfelt as we prayed over our dads. Thank you dads!
  
• The worship was so exciting and dynamic today as we kicked off the service with "Faith." Eli Navas began playing the keyboard and leading the music ministry today. Everyone did such a great job. It was so great to have Mike playing Congas and Glenn playing lead guitar. You guys were great. Any led us into God's presence with great passion and sensitivity. The Revelation Song propelled us into God's presence. Our worship team rocks and I am so thankful for all of your commitment to this ministry. Thanks Eli, Laticia, Glenn, Little Glenn, Tay Tay, Jim, Suzy, Faith, Phyllis, Tina, and of course our sound guy Nick!
  
• We had another great crowd today. It seems like there are more and more people coming each week. I am grateful for those that are visiting and checking us out. Give us a shot, I know that you are going to be amazed at the things God is doing.
  
• A special Thank You to everyone for surprising us with a reception after service for our anniversary. We have such a great time hanging, laughing and talking with all of you. All I can say is that Trinity knows how to throw down on cake. I think I have gained 10lbs since becoming the Pastor! You guys are such a blessing. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.
• Congratulations to our Grads: Taylor, Sergio, Dierdra, and Any. You guys have done a great job and should be real proud of your accomplishments. Looking forward to hearing what God is going to do in you and through you.
• Thank you for all of your prayers for our move and transition to Middletown. We will be moving into our new home by the end of July. We will let you know the date of our "moving in party" if you know what I mean soon. We are very close to selling our home here in Pittsfield. We know that God is working out all of those details.
• Looking forward to next Sunday already! Can't wait to get back to church. I know that God has more in store for us. Ruth and I love you and we are praying for you this week.
  

12 Years of Marriage

Today Ruth and I celebrate our 12 year wedding anniversary. Praise God! He is faithful. He continues to bless us with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. Ruth and I met in September, 1990 at Orange County Community College. I can still see her standing where I first noticed her for the first time. Little did I know that the beautiful young lady standing on the hill would be my wife.

Our wedding day was so great. We were married at First Assembly of God, Port Jervis, NY. It was a hot summer day temperature about 93 degrees. I can remember standing at the altar with very weak knees waiting for my bride to be. She was so beautiful as she walked down the aisle. Our reception was off the hook as we had Marisol Soto and her orquesta come and play. We had a great time singing, dancing and praising God. God is so good.

Here we are about to embark on a new chapter in our journey together in Middletown. We are looking forward to many more great years of marriage together. It hasn't been easy, but through it all we have learned to trust in Jesus and learned to stand upon His Word. He is the glue that has kept our marriage together.

Sunday Highlights

• We had a encouraging, uplifting and dynamic service on Sunday! The worship was great. Thanks worship team for doing an awesome job. "Say So" was really good. You guys are doing a great job leading us into God's presence. The time at the altar was also powerful and encouraging as we pray for one another and believe God for the impossible.
• We had another great crowd at church on Sunday. Meeting new people every week. Really excited to see the growth and progress we have made in only 6 weeks! It looks like we are going to outgrow this upstairs sanctuary pretty quick.
• The parade of babies was so cute. Jen De'Espesito is doing a great job with our Little Lambs nursery. She needs your help so please sign-up to serve on a Sunday. A new curriculum is going to be implemented and we are going to make nursery a fun and learning time for our Little Lambs.
• Also, don't forget to support Any Torres with this years "Mega-Sports Camp." We are expecting tons of kids. Please make yourself available for her.
• A special congratulations to Bill and Marta Wolfe celebrating 40 years of marriage! WOW! You guys are amazing and so inspirational to Ruth and I. We love you both very much!
• Sunday's message was "The Power of Your Words." I hope you were challenged and encouraged, but most importantly transformed by the message. There is power in the tongue, power to build up and power to tear down. Let's be a people and a church that builds up and refuses to allow any form of gossip to pervade in our church.
• Trinity family, Ruth and I love you all very much. We are thrilled to be here and know that we are in the center of God's will. The expectations and excitement that we feel for what God is going to do in Middletown is overwhelming at times. We know that God has tremendous things in store for you and in store for Trinity. Thank you for all of your love, prayers and support. You guys are the best!!!!

One Month Later

Trinity family, thank you so much for accepting us and loving us as your new Pastors. Ruth and I are so blessed to be here at Trinity. You all have been so great and we love you all very much. God is truly moving powerfully in our services by His Spirit. In one month we have seen God do some amazing things. There is a sense of excitement and anticipation for what God is doing but most importantly what He is going to do in our church. It's exciting to seem some familiar faces but also the many new faces who are now attending. We are growing quickly! At this rate we are going to have to move back downstairs into our larger sanctuary pretty soon!

Today's sermon dealt with forgiveness. Let's remember to forgive as God has forgiven us. Let's not allow resentment or bitterness or the hurts and pains of the past to hinder us from moving forward into all that God wants for us as a church. God has great things in store and we must let go of the past and embrace what He has for us in the future. I know forgiveness is tough, but it's necessary. Let us be a church that practices forgiveness. Let us be a church that chooses to forgive and forget.

Transitioning

Ruth and I have spent the last few weeks getting our house ready for sale and house hunting. There are so many houses to look at that it's a little bit overwhelming. With the market the way it is, we might be forced to rent an apartment for now until we are able to sell our home. We know that nothing is impossible with God. We are trusting God for His best for our lives and for our family. As of today, we have not found anything yet, but we are trusting God. Keep us in your prayers as we together move forward into everything that God has for us!

A New Beginning

Today marks a new beginning for us. Today we were elected to be the Pastors of Trinity Assembly of God in Middletown, New York. We are so overwhelmed with what God has done. We have come full circle and we believe that we are on the verge of greatness.

I was born and raised in the Bronx. In 1985, my parents moved us out of the Bronx to Bloomingburg, NY. Growing up Baptist, they looked for a Baptist church to attend, but did not find one they felt comfortable in. God eventually led my parents to Trinity Assembly of God, Middletown, NY, in 1985. It is remarkable to come full circle and become the Pastor of a church I attended as a youth. This is also the church that Ruth accepted Christ in and was filled with the Holy Spirit in 1990.

We serve a great big God! Never in a million years would I have ever dreamed that I would Pastor Trinity. Only God can make the impossible possible. We believe that God has great things in store for this great church. I intend to build on the foundation laid down by Pastor Bricker and by Pastor Giordano. They both have left me a church with incredible potential. I am grateful for their hard work and years of service. I believe that the fruit I will reap will be a direct result of their ministries.

So, here we are at a new beginning and a new chapter in our lives. We have lots to do. We have to prepare to sell our house, find a new place to live, pack and move back to a city we once lived in. I can't believe how much the Middletown area has grown. It is a fast growing area with many relocating from NYC like my family did. We love the area, we love the culture and the diversity. We are truly believing to build a large, vibrant, multi-cultural church in Middletown, NY. All the experiences we have gone through have prepared us for this moment. Like Joseph, we have been prepared for greatness.

The Scripture I leave you is, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that love God and for those that have been called according to His purpose!"

To God be the glory, great things He has done!

A Time of Transition

After 5 1/2 years, Ruth and I have resigned as Senior Pastors of Christian Assembly. It was a very difficult decision. After several months of praying and seeking God for wisdom and direction, through many tears and counsel from close friends, fellow pastors and mentors in my life, it has become clear to us that our ministry at Christian Assembly is finished.

We are very proud of what God did through us throughout our time at Christian Assembly. When we first became the Pastors, the church was experiencing the pain of a sudden loss of their previous Pastor, finances were in the tank, the pre-school was on the verge of closing, attendance had plateaued and morale was low. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we saw a huge turnaround. The church began to grow and finances grew by 35%. We went from a deficit to a very comfortable positive balance in our general fund, the pre-school turned around and enrollment went up, and the church experienced a great move of God's spirit. We birthed multiple outreach ministries in the community which include adopt-a-block, back to school blessing, box of love, revival ride and car show, mentorship for unwed mothers at Redfield House, missions trips to Costa Rica, Jamaica, and LA, coats for kids, Kings Kids and mega sports camp. Our worship style changed to reach a younger audience and people began to come, grow and get excited about Jesus again.

In addition to what God did at Christian Assembly, I also co-founded Berkshire Revival Fires, bringing a dozen churches and pastors together from different denominations. We held two revival meetings in Pittsfield as well as regular prayer meetings and other outreaches. I also served on the board of directors for Berkshire Christian School and assited them in their vision of seeing children in Berkshire County grow in knowledge and Christlikeness. I also served our District serving on the Christian Ed committee working on events, trainings and conferences to assist our district churches with discipleship.

We had a great experience here and we did a whole lot in a short time. God is faithful and we are at peace. We know that God has great things in store for Christian Assembly. My prayer is that people would recognize what God wants to do and move out of the way and make room for Him to do it. The biggest hindrance to any move of God are people who refuse to change or refuse to recognize the new things that God is doing and get in the way of Him doing it.

We thank God for our time at Christian Assembly. We now look forward to the greater things that God wants to do in Ruth and I. We are entering our best years of our ministry and we know without a doubt that we are going to explode at our next ministry assignment. We know that God has propelled us to a whole new level of anointing and ministry and we are about to enter into a season of incredible enlargement and growth.

Ruth and I just want to thank everyone that supported us, loved us, encouraged us and prayed for us. You have been a great source of strength and encouragement. Continue serving Jesus and fulfilling the vision that He has for your life. Leaders will come and leaders will go, but God's plan for you and God's plan for Christian Assembly will not change. The Great Commission will continue be the Great Commandment for every person and every church until Jesus comes! We love you all very deeply.

How Great is Our God!

I saw this video today in it's entirety and it literally blew me away. With all the stuff going on in our world today, I was reminded of how great my God really is. Sometimes we get all worked up over small things and don't realize that there is nothing to big for God. He is in complete control. Please take a few minutes and allow God to minister to your heart through Louie Giglio. I guarantee that you will be blown away as I was!

The Church in a Rapidly Changing World

I came across this youtube video and it has blown me away. I don't know if many of you realize how rapidly our world is changing. This video proves that we must reach this new world and a whole new generation of people with 21st century methods. Church has become irrelevant for so many, yet we continue to believe we are successful because the same people come back every week and hear the same message packaged in a different way. To some, success is repeating the past. I don't believe success is repeating the past. Success is reaching the present. As a pastor, I cannot, nor will not continue to lead a church using 19th or 20th century methods.

What is confusing for so many is that when we talk about changing methods, we start thinking about a changing message. Let me be clear, the message of the Gospel will never change. However, how we present it must change and must be relevant to our culture. Some churches are stuck in the 50's and the 60's. When I walked into Christian Assembly I would say it was stuck in the 70's and 80's. Although we have not arrived into the 21st century we are alot closer than we were just 3 years ago. If we expect to be relevant, if we expect to impact people and reach new people, we must continue to change and continue to rediscover new methods and creative ideas that are going to meet people where they are at. I am not an advocate for change for the sake of change. I am an advocate of change when things aren't working. Let me be real honest with you. Church as usual is no longer working.

My question for you is are you willing to change? Are you willing to try new things? Are you willing to get out of the boat, think outside of the box? or are you quite comfortable where you are at and what you are doing. If you are, just remember, the pain of change is a lot less painful than the pain of remaining the same in an everchanging world. The only thing constant is change. A generation of people are hungry for our message, but will they hear it if they do not walk into our Sunday morning church service. Will they hear it if we refuse to give up our hymns and give up our ties. Will they hear it if we refuse to be creative and innovative and stick to the status quo. They won't, because they aren't. Let's be real, when was the last time an unchurched person found Christ in your church. Now compare that number to how many people live in your city and you will soon realize, it aint working. We need to change.

A New Chapter in American History

On Tuesday, January 20th, a new chapter in American History began. Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. What is remarkable and historic about this inauguration is that President Obama is the first black president of the United States. That is amazing and truly a historic moment for our country.

Recently I watched Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech on youtube. It's not the first time I watched it, but this time it has taken on new meaning. As I watched Dr. King preach, I could not help but think that 45 years later, on January 20th, his dream was fulfilled. I am so thankful and proud that our nation has embraced its first African American President. Being Hispanic, my dream would be to have a Hispanic President with a Hispanic name like Lopez or Nieves. I do believe that I will see a Hispanic President in my lifetime.

What concerns me more than anything is how people are almost deifying President Obama as if he is some messiah or savior. People are placing so much hope and expectation on this one man that it concerns me. Although I am thrilled that we have an African American President, I am reminded that our hope is not in a man, whatever color or race he may be. Our hope can only be found in Christ. Let me remind everyone that President Obama's reign will be for four, maybe eight years. The Bible says that Christ will rule and reign forever and ever and his kindgom will never end.

When we place our hope in man we will always be disappointed. Man will always disappoint us in some way or another. When we place high expectations upon people, they rarely if ever will meet those expectations, and we will soon find ourselves more discouraged and disappointed than before. But when we place our hope, our confidence in Christ, we will never be disappointed, we will never be let down. Christ always exceeds our expecations. He will always do above and beyone what we expect.

In the Old Testament, God's people cried out for a king. The problem was that God wanted to be their king. In asking for a king, they rejected God's authority over their lives. God soon gave them the king they wanted, only to be disappointed. I have a feeling that many are going to be disappointed because they have placed their hope in a man, rather than in God.

I pray for President Obama. I pray for his success, however, my hope for revival, for renewal, for world peace, for freedom, is not in a man but in Christ. The hope of America is not found in a political leader, a Pastor or a President. The hope of America is found in Jesus Christ. He is our hope, our King, our Savior, our redeemer, our Lord. He is my President.

Preparing for Eternity

This life is not all there is. One of the biggest ways you can waste your life is thinking all there is, is the here and now. There is an eternity, and there is an afterlife. You’re going to spend far more time on that side of death, than you do on this side. On this side, you may get to live 60,70,80 or maybe 90 years. But that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to eternity. The time you spend on earth really isn’t that very long. The Bible compares life to a vapor and a blade of grass. It is here for a moment and quickly disappears. It’s like if you stretched out a tape measure from LA to NY, across the entire United States. The first millimeter of that tape measure would not even equal how tiny your life is compared to all the time you’re going to spend in eternity. You were made for eternity and life is preparation for eternity.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:1, “When this tent we live in – our body here on earth – is torn down. God will have a house in Heaven for us to live in. A home He himself has made, which will last forever.” You want to know how much you matter to God. You matter so much to God; He wants to keep you with Him for the rest of eternity. For the rest of eternity – that’s how much you matter to God. He wants to keep you with Him forever. That gives value and meaning to life.

Titus 3:7-8 (Msg), “God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this. I want you to put your foot down. Take a firm stand on these matters so that those who have put their trust in God will concentrate on the essentials that are good for everyone.”

If you were created to live forever, then you must prepare for eternity. Too many people live for the here and now only to find themselves unprepared for eternity. Too many people are living for this world, when God has prepared a world for us with Him in eternity.

Eternity. What is it? How can it be defined? How can it be understood? One dictionary defines it as infinite time. Another dictionary defines eternity as the state of existing outside of time. The truth is that eternity cannot be mentally comprehended. Our minds are finite, incapable of comprehending perpetual and eternal concepts. For example, take a moment and imagine where the end of the universe is. Think of its outer limits. If you could find the end of the universe, what would you find? What then would be on the other side? Can your mind fully grasp the understanding of an endless universe? It can’t. XJob 36:26 (TLB) says, “No one can begin to understand eternity.” Eternity cannot be know in our minds, but it is known in our hearts. XEcclesiastes 3:11, “He has put eternity in their hearts.”

Eternity is placed in the heart of every human being, even though it is impossible to comprehend with our minds. It is within our hearts that we believe in eternity, and it is within our hearts that we believe that there is an eternal, infinite God who created the heavens and the earth and who has created a place for us to dwell with Him forever. He is called the Father of Eternity. All that is eternal is found in Him. He is eternal, therefore what He speaks is eternal. He cannot lie nor what He says be broken. Many today are not building their lives on the eternal bur rather on the temporal. They are building their lives upon the here and now rather upon the eternal life to come. Many are living their life today as if all there is to life is the here and now, choosing not to focus and prepare for eternity.

Friends, eternity is one breath away from each one of us. What we need to realize and understand is that how we live our life today, and the decisions we make today are going to determine how we will spend eternity. What kind of foundation are you building on? Are you living for the temporal or for the eternal? Are you living for Christ, or living for yourself?

The Need for Revival

I write with a heavy heart and concern for our churches and for the spiritual climate of our nation. As I look around at the moral and spiritual condition of our country, it does not take much for me to realize that we are in desperate need of spiritual renewal and spiritual revival. Our nation has slowly declined into decadence, while much of the church is asleep. Our great and God-blessed nation has forsaken its once-solid foundation of Biblical principles, slowly removing God out of its culture and way of life. America is sinking into moral decay as much of the church sits spiritually impotent void of any spiritual life or power. Having fallen into the “cult of the comfortable” the Church for the most part is no longer a power to be reckoned with. It has largely lost the respect of the masses and is often the object of ridicule. Polluted with the desires and materialism of the world, the church knows little about spiritual discipline and living a spirit-filled life. This picture is a mirror image of the churches at Ephesus and Laodicea portrayed in Revelation two and three, to whom the Lord spoke these sobering words, “You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” It does not take much for each one of us to realize that we need revival!

In 1734, shaken from their spiritual slumber, congregations across New England experienced the presence of God in what has been called the “Great Awakening.” So many souls were converted that some thought the millennial reign of Christ was at hand! The moral impact of this divine visitation laid the foundations for the formation of our system of government.

In 1790, spearheaded by a host of dedicated circuit riders, revival spread across the colonies and the wild frontier in what has been called the “Second Great Awakening.” Believers lay prostrate in repentance, and tent meetings were filled for weeks at a time. Society was revitalized as the revival spawned social reform and the modern missions movement.

In 1857, preoccupied with growing wealth, hearts had grown spiritually cold. After a stock market crash, prayer meetings sprang up across the Eastern Seaboard and the frontier in what has been called the “Great prayer revival”, and as far west as California. God was on the move once again and asnmany as 50,000 people a week were being converted.

More recently, by the turn of the century, in 1904 and 1905, the influence of Christianity began to wane. Evolutionary theory and liberal theology undermined the faith of many. Revival was much needed among this new generation. First in Wales, then in many cities in America, God again sent “fire from heaven.” Revival fires spread from Topeka Kansas to Los Angeles and then throughout the United States and the world. People once again were experiencing a mighty move of God’s Spirit. It was from this revival that today’s Pentecostal Church was birthed. In 1914, out of the Pentecostal Movement, the Assemblies of God was birthed. I also believe that also Christian Assembly would be able to trace its roots to this revival at the turn of the century.

Throughout modern history we see that there were seasons and times in which God brought revival to His people. So the question is when will America experience another mighty move of God’s Spirit once again? More than ten decades have passed since the last great revival, and the glory is dimming. We desperately need a new work of God in America again. We desperately need God to pour out His spirit afresh and anew once again. We need God to move our hearts and stir our lives once again. I believe that we will experience revival again. I believe that it will begin right here in New England. If it’s going to happen in New England, then it must begin right here with you and me.

What is “revival”? What do we mean by when I say “revival”? Revival is more than a series of exciting meetings scheduled with an evangelist. It is more than loud singing and preaching. The term “revival” simply means “life again.” Pat Robertson states that revivals are, “unique and precious days in history when individuals and nations return to God from apathy, apostasy, and idolatry.” Webster definition of “revival” is: To restore from a depressed, inactive, or unused state. A restoration of force or validity. To me, Revival is simply a sovereign move of God Spirit upon God’s people that results in personal and corporate humiliation, forgiveness, restoration, and renewal. It is a time when God calls His people to humble themselves, pray, seek His face and turn from their wicked ways. It is a time when God supernaturally visits His people afresh and anew. It is a time for healing, restoration, renewal, and spiritual change. It is a time in which we regain our spiritual fervor for Christ and His work. We must consider our need for revival if we are going to experience it at all.

The question is not whether or not God wants to bring revival to our hearts and lives. The question is do we want revival? Consider our need for personal and corporate revival. Consider our need to repent and turn from our wicked ways. Then, let us pray that God would send revival. Let us humble ourselves to receive what He has for us through fasting. I believe that if we do the things that God is telling us to do, we would see God do great and mighty things. Do you want revival? The choice is yours.

A Merry Christmas

Once again another Christmas is upon us and once again I am amazed at how quickly it has come. It seems as if it were yesterday that we were out in the backyard enjoying a beautiful summer day. How quickly time passes.

Christmas is my favorite time of year, except for the shopping craze that comes with it. I must say, the stress of shopping really iritates me. I do enjoy giving, but it's the shopping that I can do without. Another thing that drives me crazy is the fact that so many people celebrate Christmas without truly understanding what they are celebrating. I mean, the entire city is covered in lights and everyone is at the mall, yet so few people are really understanding what Christmas is all about.

Christmas is more than gifts, more than toys, more than shopping and more than parties. We must be reminded that Christmas is about CHRIST! When people start understanding that Christmas is about Christ, perhaps there will be more people filled with joy this time of year.

This year has been a tough year for Christmas. My brother and his wife, my sister and her husband and my three beautiful nieces will be celebrating Christmas in Florida with my parents. It's hard not being able to go see them because financially we could not make it happen. Financially, it has been a tough year. I can choose to wallow in self pity and say, "Woe is me. Christmas is not going to be good this year because my circumstances are not ideal." I refuse to think this way, instead I will choose to rejoice knowing that Christmas is about the Christ and the hope He gives.

I will enjoy Christmas, I will enjoy my family, my beautiful wife and my two wonderful sons. I will miss others, but I choose to find joy in my Savior and not in the shopping. When I think about it, there is so much that I can thank God for and so much to be happy about. Christmas is a time of joy and happiness, not a time of depression or sadness. When you choose to focus on Christ, Christmas truly can be a wonderful joyful day.

I know that many of you are not in ideal circumstances but learn the secret of being joyful. How can you be joyful? The key is learning to be content. Paul says in Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV), “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Contentment is realizing that God has given to you in your present circumstances everything you need to remain victorious in Christ.

Your ability to live triumphantly above changing circumstances comes from Christ and His power flowing in you and through you. Happiness is not dependent on circumstances or things. Joy comes from something deeper, something apart from prosperity or poverty. Paul’s joy came from the understanding that God was in control and that in Christ he had all he needed to live life victoriously and triumphantly. This did not come naturally, however, it had to be learned through dependence on Christ.

Some of you need to learn to be joyful. Some of you need to learn how to laugh, be happy, and enjoy the life that God has given to you. This comes when you learn to be content in every circumstance of life. When you learn to be content, you will learn how to live a joy-filled life.
Psalm 84:2 (NAS), “My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.” In this verse, “heart” literally means “body and soul” or “whole being.” In other words, what’s down deep within one’s heart is revealed outwardly. Real joy is found in and flows from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Isaiah 61:10 (NCV), “The Lord makes me happy. All that I am rejoices in my God.”

So this Christmas, be joyful. Don't focus on the negative, but focus on Christ. He is the only one that can make your Christmas Merry!

Giving Thanks

I must begin by thanking God for our new son Josiah. He truly is a gift from God. It wasn't too long ago that I buried a child. It has been hard, however, Josiah has made coping much easier. Holding this beautiful baby boy has reminded me once again of the grace of God. He is so good to me. I don't know what I have done to deserve His love, but He continues to lavish it upon me.

Josiah was born on August 25, 2006. He was a big boy coming in at 8lbs 11oz. As soon as he was born, a part of me came alive again. For so long I was shut down and it was difficult for me to really open up to life again, but that all changed when Josiah arrived. Once again I was a proud daddy. Seth will never be erased in my mind nor in my heart. He is still as much a part of this family as my two other sons, but having Josiah has really helped me heal.

Once again the rooms of my home are filled with the cries of a baby. It's wonderful, although I really don't think so at 3:30am. I must say though that my wife is an incredible woman and mother who was made to be the mother of my kids. She gets up without complaining and tirelessly cares for our children. That is who she is and what she does. She is a mommy. Many people don't really think that being a mommy is a real job. They are right. Being a mommy is not a job, it's a calling. Joey is growing up to be a fine young boy because of a mother who esteems him, loves him and nurtures him. I tell you that 30 years from now, when my sons are leading organizations and ministries and are great men of God, I will look back at these days with satisfaction knowing that we did the best we could with these boys. Joey is doing so well in school. I know that God has placed him at Berkshire Christian School for this time in his life. He is excelling and becoming a wonderful godly boy, although at times he needs a little guidance from daddy.

Our church family is doing well. We have truly enjoyed these past 3 years here in Pittsfield and are looking forward to many more. We are just beginning to see the fulfillment of the promise that God gave us when we left Boston, that we were entering into a new season, a season of rich fulfillment. God has been faithful to His promises.

This Thanksgiving, there is much to be thankful for. I am thankful to the Lord for His love in my life, I am thankful to the Lord for my family and church family, and I am thankful for my two beautiful boys, who give me a reason to live and be the best man that I can be so that they can be the best that God has called them to be. "In everything give thanks for this is the will of God" 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

The Davinci Deception

In light of Easter I feel I need to speak out against the heresy found in Dan Brown's best seller the Davinci Code. With 40 million books in print and a major motion picture to debut on May 19th, I feel it is important that people know the truth. What's most alarming is the effect the book, and perhaps the movie, is having upon popular culture. Dan Brown cleverly mixes fact with fiction and people are believing the whole thing.

USA Today said the book consists of “historical fact with a contemporary storyline.” Charles Taylor of the popular Web site Salon.com said: “The most amazing thing about this novel is that it’s based on fact.” Brown even begins his book under the heading “FACT,” telling his readers: “All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.” I think this is ludicrous. I mean, I don't know who should be held accountable here, Dan Brown or the millions of people that are believing the claims written in the book.

Among the claims: Jesus was never considered to be the Son of God until he was deified in AD 325 by the Roman Emperor Constantine for his own nefarious purposes; Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, who bore his child; Jesus wanted Mary Magdalene to lead his church, but she was forced out by power-hungry men and demonized as a prostitute; and the four Gospels in the Bible are essentially fabrications designed to seal this masculine power-grab for the rest of history.

What's amazing is that readers are convinced that this fiction is really fact. A survey by Decima Research, Inc., showed that one out of three Canadians who have read the book now believes there are descendants of Jesus walking among us today. And according to George Barna, 53 percent of Americans who’ve read the book said it had been helpful in their “personal spiritual growth and understanding.”

This kind of teaching is what Paul talks about when he says that some will come and preach “another Jesus.” People will be presenting and teaching another Jesus which strips Christ of His deity and His mission here on earth. Some have said He is a prophet, others say that He is a created god, there are some that say He was a blasphemer, the world say that He was a good man with a lot of good thoughts, many scholars say that He was simply a historical figure that did a lot of good. If we are going to get a proper understanding of who Jesus really is, then we must stop reading fictional books like Dan Brown's Davinci Code and others, and turn to the most reliable source of information and understanding in history, the Holy Bible.

Now, I do not have the time (or the space) to go through the historical validity of the Scriptures such as “Evidence that Demands a Verdict” by Josh McDowell.
What I can say is that scientific and historical evidence proves the validity of the Scriptures and verifies that there was a man who walked the arth 2,000 years ago and His name was Jesus. Scripture is the only reliable place that we can look to discover and understand who this man called Jesus really was and is today. The Scriptures is what contains eyewitness accounts of who Jesus was. Is is there that we discover what He did and what His mission was. It is Bible and Bible alone that gives us clear and reliable understanding of this man called Jesus.

In Mattew 16:15, Jesus asks one of His disciples a very deep and personal question. He asks them, “Who do you say that I am?” They said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Even as Jesus walked the earth there were different opinions and theologies concerning Him. However, at that moment, Jesus was not so concerned about who the world said He was. Jesus was concerned with who disciples said He was. Jesus then asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus is still asking this question today. Jesus is concerned not so much with who the world thinks He is or who Dan Brown thinks He is. He is concerned with who YOU think He is. The only thing that will matter at the end of your life is who you think this man called Jesus really was. Jesus was telling His disciples in essence, it doesn’t matter what the world thinks, or what the theologians think, or what the scholars think. Who do you say that I am?

Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” Matthew 16:16 (NIV). Peter confessed Jesus as the Son of God. Peter thus acknowledged Jesus’ deity as the Son of the living God. The disciples had come to this conclusion as they observed the Lord Jesus over a period of time, witnessed His miracles, and heard His words. All four Gospel writers repeatedly refer to Jesus as the “Christ,” the Greek translation for the Hebrew “Messiah” or “Anointed One.” Even more alarming to the Hebrew mind, the gospel writers all repeatedly refer to Jesus as the Son of God. Putting the two together, Mark opens his account, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, The Son of God.” All four Gospels present Christ, not as a prophet, not as a good person, nor as the leader of a cult, but they present Jesus as deity, Immanuel, God with us.

These first century Jewish men and women came to accept Jesus as the God of their monotheistic faith. Why? Certainly they had been attracted to Him by his teaching and attesting His miracles. At some point they obviously put two and two together to see that Jesus, the Son of Man, was also the Messiah, that Messiah was God and therefore that Jesus must also be God. But it was the resurrection that solidified their conviction that truly He was the Son of God, the Savior of the world. "The Resurrection Factor" by Josh McDowell will prove to you that there is more evidence that Jesus resurrected from the dead than there is that George Washington ever lived.

My friend, don't fall prey to these false teachings of who Jesus is. Jesus is not a womanizer, a prophet, or a mere man. He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Put your faith in fact not fiction. Put your faith in Christ and God's Word. Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me" John 14:6.

Jamaica

I am writing this blog sitting outside of the City of Refuge located in the beautful Blue Mountains of Jamaica. The City of Refuge is a children's home for homeless children. I brought a team of 14 for 10 days to help Pastor Steve and Kim Puffpaff, A/G missionaries to Jamaica for 18 years, to help work with the children and do a variety of construction projects. This is my fourth trip overseas, and I must say that I have never experienced anything like this before.

There are approximately 45 children in this home who were abandoned by their parents. These children are a variety of ages from 1 year to 13 years old. These children are the rejected of society, some found living in deplorable conditions, yet their lives were rescued and they now radiate with joy because they have found a relationship with Jesus Christ and a safe, loving home.

God put on Pastor Steve and Kim's heart 5 years ago to start a children's home for homeless children in Jamaica. With that they took a step of faith and by a miracle of God, purchased one of the most beautiful properties in Jamaica, 4000 feet above sea level overlooking the city of Kingston and the ocean in a distance. This home was supernaturally given to them by the Lord to minister to these beautiful children. They were given a second home in Christiana two years ago called New Vision, which is now run by new missionaries.

I came to Jamaica, not knowing what to expect. As we drove up the mountain I knew that this was not going to be an ordinary trip. Once I stepped foot on this mountain, I sensed God's hand and presence on the property. With the spectacular views and wonderful climate, it definitely felt like paradise. I thought that I had seen true beauty, until I looked into the eyes of these children. In their eyes I saw Jesus Christ. I was brought to tears as I watched 3,4,5 year old children raise their hands, and worship God. As I watched them pray, I examined my own life and realized how much I had grown cold and needed to grow. There are no words to describe the awesomeness and the beauty of God's presence here.

I came to Jamaica with the intention to help some children, only to discover that they have helped me. I have fallen in love with this home, and with these children who were left as orphans but have found a relationship with Jesus Christ. I have gained a new friendship with Pastor Steve and Kim and am leaving Jamaica a changed man.

Many doubt the existence of Jesus Christ and His power to change lives. For you that do, I say, come visit the City of Refuge and meet these children, for in their eyes you will see the face of God and you will never be the same.

Visit City of Refuge at www.cityofrefugechildrenshome.com

Intelligent Design

Once again I am outraged how government continues to remove God from our culture and society. America is on a downward moral slope towards secularization. A federal judge ruled yesterday that the Dover Area School Board violated the Constitution when it ordered that its biology students should be made aware of alternative theories to evolution such as Intelligent Design. U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III ruled that the concept of Intelligent Design is fundamentally religious, and thus violative of the separation of church and state. This is ludicrous. This whole debate about whether one can detect design in nature goes back thousands of years to the ancient Greek philosophers. Aristotle and Dimocrates argued over whether there was design in nature and it's important to realize that all biologists readily acknowledged that the appearance of design, at least, is very strong in life. With all of the information we have today, to think otherwise is to be ignorant. It takes more faith to believe that we evolved from monkeys and apes, than it does that human beings were divinely created.

When Darwin wrote his book on "The Origin of Species," he was ignorant and all of science was ignorant about the molecular basis of life. In the past 50 years, the progress of science itself has discovered that the very foundation, the molecular foundation of life is enormously sophisticated and elegant. There are molecular machines, there are little trucks and buses and outboard motors that shuttle supplies around the cell. And the term "molecular machine" is used routinely in biology. Biology is just filled with terms that imply design. Why not talk about intelligent design. Darwinian biologists seem to think that their theory is extremely strong and yet are afraid to discuss other theories.

Look, evolution is a theory and cannot be proven scientifically. There are many gaps (apes) that have not been filled, and many questions that cannot be answered about evolution. Why not allow alternate ideas or theories of how human beings came into existence? Why not talk about creation as an alternativexplanationon to the origins of the world and everything in it? I'll tell you why not, it makes sense. Scientist would then have to bow in allegiance to God and recognize Him as divine designer.

This idea that talking about creation, God, Jesus Christ, Christmas, or anything "religious" in public schools as being unconstitutional is false and misleading. We live in a Christian nation, founded by Christian men, who were not afraid to mention God, nor the existence of God. What we are doing when we are keeping "Intelligent Design" out of our schools is robbing students from fully understanding and comprehending science and life. I believe in science, however, science is limited. You must include God, if you are going to fully understand science.

Intelligent design is simply trying to account for the data that has been accumulated over the past 50 years. That data is that life is simply too complex to have originated from a bang or a boom. Science will continue to prove that we are intricate, complex beings that find its origin in a divine designer.

The Grinches Who Are Trying To Steal Christmas!

I am disgusted over the fact that there is such a movement to remove Christmas from our culture. Never in our history has there ever been a war over Christmas. I think it's pathetic. We have these "grinches" such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and American Atheists that are spreading misinformation by sending the message that celebrating Christmas is offensive and unconstitutional. Children in schools are no longer allowed to sing Christmas songs that mention or allude to Jesus Christ. Businesses are refusing to use the word Christmas in their advertising. Employers are forbidding employees to put up Christmas decorations, exchange Christmas cards, and say "Merry Christmas." In Boston they have put up a "Holiday" tree and not a Christmas tree. Christmas has slowly become one of the most pagan holiday's of the year, simply because America is removing Christ from Christmas.

The ACLU says that, "The U.S. constitutional framers understood that religious liberty can flourish only if the government leaves religion alone." Give me a break! Abraham Lincoln said, and I quote, "Whereas, the Senate of the United States devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for national prayer and humiliation: And whereas, it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history: that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord:"

This country is a Christian country that was founded on Biblical values. The only reason why we have Christmas is because of a man named Jesus Christ who came into the world to save us from our sins. Our founding fathers understood that. They knew and understood that we were one nation under God. They believed it, they lived it and they proclaimed it.

For all of you grinches that are trying to steal Christmas, you have no right to restrict religious expressions of Christmas. That is unconstitutional! It is discrimination! People of faith should be allowed public expression of their faith. That is our right, whether you are of like faith or not. I will not allow you to intimidate me and keep me from celebrating and expressing Christmas, the most important event known to mankind, the birth of Emmanuel, "God with us!" You can try to stop me and others, but the fact will always remain and never change, Jesus came to this earth to die on the cross for your sins and mine. The real battle is not about the word "Christmas." The real battle is about recognizing the fact that Jesus is Lord and the one true God! My prayer for you is that you would sense the wonderful presence of Jesus Christ during this wonderful time of year, and that you would come to the place where you would invite Him into your heart and life and make Him your Savior. It is only then that you will truly experience and understand the miracle of Christmas.

Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Being Grateful In Tough Times

In life, it is easy to be thankful when things are going well, life is good, and you are healthy. But how are you thankful when times are tough, you have lost a loved one, your bills aren’t paid, you’re sick or your marriage is a mess? How can you be thankful in tough times? How do you thank God when things are just not going your way? It is easy to let tough times keep us from being thankful. It is easy to focus on all of the things that are going wrong in our life. It is easy to focus on the negative things that have occurred this past year, and neglect focusing on the positive things that have happened in our lives.

It is easy to give thanks for the blessings. It is more difficult to give thanks for the blessings in disguise. Usually, God uses tough times to build people’s character and strengthen their faith. By far, the most difficult task is to give thanks no matter what happens—even in the situations that make no sense or are extremely painful. Yet this difficult task has been assigned to all believers. The Scriptures say, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV). NCV, “And give thanks whatever happens…” for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Learning to give thanks in everything means learning to trust God completely. “In every circumstance” we are to give thanks no matter how bad or how tough things are.

It is God’s will that we give thanks to Him in every circumstance of life whether it be in adversity or prosperity. That means our attitude and our actions should continually display thankfulness to the Lord. This easily can be neglected if we choose to focus on the pains, sufferings and difficulties of life, rather than on the blessings of life. Ephesians 5:20, “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul exhorts us to give thanks always for all things.

Did you know that the healthiest human emotion is not love but the healthiest human emotion is gratitude? It actually increases your immunities. It makes you more resistant to stress and less susceptible to illness. It’s the healthiest emotion. The attitude of gratitude. People who are grateful are happy. But people who are ungrateful are miserable because nothing makes them happy. They’re never satisfied. It’s never good enough. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude, of being thankful in everything, can reduce stress in your life. We should be thankful especially during times of hardship and difficulty.

How can we be thankful in tough times?

1. Look at what you have and not on the things you don’t. It’s easy to focus on what we have lost rather than on what we have left. When we focus on what we have lost, or on the things that we don’t have we will miss many opportunities to be thankful to God. God wants us to focus on the “many blessings” that He has bestowed upon us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 1:3 NLT), “How we praise God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ.” God has bestowed every spiritual blessing upon us in Christ. In Christ we live and move and have our being. In Christ we have everything we need. In Christ we have salvation, abundant grace, righteousness, the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, and eternal life. In Christ we lack not one thing.

2. Reflect upon the goodness of God and not on the difficulties of life. Our nature is constantly leading us to focus on the problems and difficulties of life. We always tend to look at the negative and not on the positive. It is during tough times that we need to reflect upon the goodness of the Lord. (Psalm 107:1 NKJV), “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 34:8) “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who trusts in Him.” We serve a good God. We serve a God who is greater than our problems, and greater than our difficulties. Tough times sometimes distort our view of who God really is. God is for us and not against us. His plans for us are good not bad. He has a plan and a purpose for our lives. He wants the best for us and not the worst. Focusing on our difficulties and not on the goodness of the Lord keeps us depressed, discouraged, down and unthankful. We fail to be grateful when we focus on the problem. You must learn how to cast down negative thoughts and see your situation the way God sees it. There is nothing too hard for Him.

3. Remember that God has a purpose bigger than the problem. Although when we are experiencing tough times in our lives, and we may not understand why we may be going through the things that we are going through, we need to remember that “all things work together for good to those who love God” Romans 8:28. We can be thankful in knowing that God will bring good out of all of our afflictions, trials, difficulties and sufferings. God never wastes a hurt. He never wastes a trial. Through those trials God will accomplish His purposes in your life. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “17 For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.” We must not lose hope in the midst of tough times. Instead we need to remember that God has a purpose greater than the problem.

Jesus set the example. Jesus lived a life of gratitude. He regularly thanked the Father. Likewise, we must be people that practice being grateful whether circumstances are favorable or not. A lot of people may ask, “How do I know what God’s will is for my life?” The Bible says, “Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will.” God’s will for your life is, “In everything give thanks.” In fact, if you’re not experiencing the attitude of gratitude you’re out of God’s will.

You may also ask, “How can I be grateful when I’ve lost so much? I’ve lost my job, I’ve lost my health, I’ve lost my husband or wife. How can I be thankful in that situation?” You look not at what you’ve lost, you look at what you have left. You reflect on the goodness of God and not on the difficulties of life. And you remember that God has a purpose greater than the problem.
So the question is: What are you going to give God thanks for this Thanksgiving week? Your health? Your freedom? Your relationships? In everything give thanks. Gratitude is a stress reliever because it gets your eyes off the problem and puts it on the positive things in your life. In tough times we can be grateful by looking not on what we lost, but on what we have, reflecting on the goodness of God and not on the trial, and remembering that God has a purpose greater than the problem.

ipod Generation

This past week my wife and I, and Joey, headed out to the Cape for our annual Minister's retreat. We had a great time meeting other minister's, hearing their stories, and learning about the changing world that we live in. Dr. Earl Creps (earlcreps.com), director of doctorate studies for AGTS, was the featured conference speaker. I truly enjoyed hearing him give us insight into understanding the emerging ipod generation.

So many things have changed so quickly in one generation. I mean, I still remember records (and I'm only 34.) That was like revolutionary at that time. Now we have tiny devices that can hold thousands of songs. I don't even own an ipod yet, and when I finally do, something else would have already taken its place.

What God has been speaking to me, and to the churches in Southern New England is that in order to reach our cities, we must change our approach to ministry by using different methods and different forms. What used to work for the "record" generation is not going work with this ipod generation. In the 1950's, 95% of Americans practiced the religion of their parents, with 75% attending services weekly. This year, one adult in six will change religious affiliation, with about 40% claiming to attend worship regularly. Slowly, the United States is migrating towards a post-Christian status. Earl Creps says, "Historical monotheism has a new companion and competitor: personal spirituality." Actress Alyssa Milano (Sam from Who's the Boss) exemplifies this condition when she states, "I believe in everything. I was raised Catholic, but now I'm more Buddhist, but I don't practice anything specifically."

When I became a Senior Pastor at the ripe old age of 26, I opened my "AG play book," which told me how to have "church" only to figure out that the way we have been doing "church" for so many years was not working. I thought it was simply an issue of execution, only to find out the harder I worked, the more I became disappointed with myself when there were no results. God has finally worked in my heart and life and has led me to understand that it is going to take more than going through the liturgy of a Sunday morning to see lives being changed.

I am on a journey. That journey is to hear what God is saying to the Church. I want to hear His voice as He gives me direction as to how to reach this new ipod generation, and at the same time minister to the needs of the "AM radio" generation of Christians. My life, my passion, my desire is to see people experience the life changing power of Jesus Christ. Old methods, old forms, and old traditions alone are no longer going to make this happen. What we need is to rediscover old time Pentecost, in a new post Christian world.

Hurricane Katrina

By now you should be aware of the devastation that has occurred as a result of hurricane Katrina. I am deeply saddened to see and hear of the loss of life and destruction to this part of our country. According to current news reports, the death toll can be in the thousands. My heart is broken for every person that has lost a loved one. Homes can be replaced, but not people. My prayers and thoughts are with everyone in New Orleans and surrounding areas at this time.

I received an e-mail today that said many churches and people around the country are getting ready to send money, food, aid and support to New Orleans, and the surrounding areas. As Christians we need to pray that God would intervene and help those affected by the hurricane. We need to reach out in love and support. Financially we should all be able to do something to help those that are in need. If you wish to donate, please donate to the Assemblies of God Disaster Relief fund found on their website at www.ag.org.

During tragedies like this, many are tempted to blame God for their loss. There is a tendency to feel as if God has abandoned them and that He is no where to be found. Let me assure you today that God is not the author of evil. His desire for us according to Jeremiah 29:11, is not to harm us but to prosper us, to give us hope for the future. God has not forgotten New Orleans. He understands death and tragedy. Isaiah 53 tells us that He is a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering. It also tells us that He has taken up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. I can't give you an answer as to why this has happened, but I can tell you this. God cares. He loves you and His heart is breaking over the losses that have taken place. The Bible tells us that Jesus wept. I believe today that Jesus is weeping with those that have lost loved ones and with those that have been devastated by the hurricane. God is a God of love and compassion. A God who cares and is concerned for our deepest needs. I know that my God is able to heal, restore, and intervene in a crisis like this.

My prayer for you and for all those that have suffered a loss as a result of Katrina is that in the midst of the tragedy, you would find a Savior who can heal, and restore what has been lost. He is the only one that can heal the broken hearted, and bind up their wounds. In times like this, the only thing we can do is cry out to God for help and strength in our time of need. I know that when I have, He has been always faithful to meet me there. If you find yourself today overwhelmed with life, tragedy, and difficult circumstances, why don't you cry out to a Savior who is yearning to intervene and meet you at your point of need. His name is Jesus.

Change

It has been a while since I have last updated my blog. It seems as if as soon as I get into the office I get inundated with work, planning, adminitrating, studying, counseling, etc... ever feel that way? I do my best to keep to a disciplined schedule, however at times that schedule gets a little out of wack. When that happens, I thank God for a secretary who keeps me organized and on track.

I came across this story that I thought you might like. "One evening a son was talking to his father about current events. He asked what he thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general. The dad replied, "Well, let me think a minute...I was born before television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, frisbees and the pill. There was no radar, credit cards, laser beams or ball-point pens. Man had not invented pantyhose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, (clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air) electric blankets, air conditioners, and he hadn't walked on the moon. Your Mom and I got married first-and then lived together. Every family had a father and a mother, and every boy over 14 had a rifle that his dad taught him how to use and respect. And they went hunting and fishing together. Until I was 25, I called every man older than I, 'Sir'-and after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, 'Sir.' Sundays were set aside for going to church as a family, helping those in need, and visiting with family or neighbors. (I miss that most). We were before, computer-dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy. Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense. We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions. Serving your country was a privilege; living here was a bigger privilege. We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent. Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins. Draftdodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started. Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends-not purchasing condominiums. We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings. We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radio. And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey. If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan' on it, it was junk. The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam. Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of. We had 5 & 10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents. Ice cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel. And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards. You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, but who could afford one? Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon. In my day, 'grass' was mowed, 'coke' was a cold drink, 'pot' was something your mother cooked in, and 'rock music' was your grandmother's lullaby. 'Aids' were helpers in the Principal's office, 'chip' meant a piece of wood, 'hardware' was found in a hardware store, and 'software' wasn't even a word. And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby. No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap......and I am only 51 years old."

Change is inevitable and affects all of our lives. How we respond to change is the key to our success in life. We can either oppose change or accept that change happens. If change happens then our perspective of change should be positive. However, that's usually not the case. As human beings it is our nature to resist change. We are uncomfortable with change. We prefer routine and things that are familiar to us. When change happens, we tend to resist it or oppose it. When we respond to change in a negative way, we are only hurting ourselves. The only change we should fight and oppose is negative change, change in our values, our beliefs, and our faith in God.

Did you know that God's purpose for your life and for mine is change? Romans 8:29, "For those He foreknew he did predestine to become conformed to the image of his Son." God's purpose from the very beginning of time has been to make us like Jesus. God will do whatever it takes to change us into His likeness. This should help us better understand our problems and our difficulties. Everything happens for a reason. God will use the problems of life to conform you into the image of His Son.

Stop fighting change and accept the fact that change happens and adapt to it. Once you accept change, and adapt to change, you will begin to enjoy and appreicate the benefits that change brings. God is changing me as I speak, and it is difficult at times. I tend to want to remain comfortable in my unchanging world, however, God wants me to grow, to mature, and to make me like Jesus. I can choose to resist change, or accept it. When I do, I know that it is will be for my benefit and my growth in God.

I Serve A Big God!

My mother-in-law Elsa was diagnosed with cancer about a month ago. Our family and friends were all shocked to hear the news. Although we do understand that cancer is no respecter of persons, when it hits home, it makes it that more devastating. Two weeks ago, my mother-in-law had double surgery. She had a hysterectomy and they removed the lining of her stomach. The doctors feared that the cancer had spread to other organs and did biopsies on several of them. The good news is that the biopsies came back negative, and there is no trace of cancer, Praise God! All I can say is that I serve a big God!

In times like these, our faith is tested the most. When cancer intrudes into our lives, our first response is why God, why me? I still don't understand why bad things happen to good people, but one thing I do know is that I serve a big God. Cancer is not too hard for the Lord. He can heal cancer, He can heal all kinds of sicknesses and diseases. Why He chooses to heal some and not others still boggles my mind. The only thing I know is that "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brough us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed."

Whatever sickness or disease you might be battling with today, be encouraged to know that there is no sickness that God cannot heal. I know of people that have been healed of Aids, cancer, and all kinds of other diseases. There is nothing, absolutely nothing too hard for God. Put your trust in Him. In the midst of hard times, don't lose heart, but put your faith in God. Job said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him."

A Special Day

June 21st is a very special day. Not only is it the first day of summer, and the longest day of the year, but it is my wedding anniversary. Ruth and I have been married eight years. We have been together a total of fifteen years. I can still remember when I first laid my eyes on her. I knew that she was special. I just had to get to know her. I was 18, she was 20 (although I told her I was 19 going on 20.) You should have seen her face when she found out I was only 18. She cried to her mother and said, "I'm dating someone that is younger than my brother." Well, after a good long cry, she realized that she had to have me back. So here we are, 15 years later and 8 years married.

It is true when people tell you that their wedding day was the best day of their lives. I still remember mine. It was hot, and I was nervous. I can still remember the doors opening up as I waited at the altar. My knees became weak. I prayed that I wouldn't faint. As she walked down the aisle, I thought it was all a dream. As we held hands and said our vows, we knew that we were in God's perfect will. We knew that we were made for each other.

From that day, we have gone through some storms. We went through alot of similar problems that many young married couples do, except that I was a pastor. That adds a whole new dimension to being married. My first job paid me $750 per month. I was a youth pastor at Providence Assembly of God. That pretty much paid my tithe, my rent, and the oil bill. Ruth worked and somehow we managed to make ends meet. When I became a pastor in Boston, my salary dropped. For the first year I made about $5,000, that's the entire year. My second year, I did not take a salary. My third year was about $7,000 for the year. It wasn't until my fourth year that I earned a decent salary. I don't know how we managed to make it through those times, but God was faithful. I could remember receiving a check for $1,000 several times from different people out of the blue. I could remember getting groceries. Somehow, God took us through.

When I was in Providence, my first landlord was a big Italian guy who loved to eat. His name was Steve. Steve loved to eat, and he hated to eat alone. So he kind of adopted Ruth and I. On a regular basis he would make us dinner so that we could eat with him, and the dinners he made! I mean it was lobster. clams, chicken breast, steaks, all on a regular basis. At times he would run out of room in his freezer so he would send up bags of frozen meats for us. That first year, my grocery bill was pennies. All I can remember buying was milk and eggs. God is faithful and He always took us through.

I thank the Lord that today we are debt free, we have a beautiful home and wonderful church and a great marriage, including the best son in the world. Why? Because God is faithful. When I look back at these past 8 years of marriage, the only words that come to my mind are "Lord I'm amazed by You and how You love me." I just want to take time today to say how thankful I am for my wife and for the 8 wonderful years we have been married together.

When Life Comes At You Fast

One of my favorite commercials is the insurance commercial that says, "When life comes at you fast, you need insurance." The commercial begins with Johnny showing his parents his new invention in the garage. Mom and Dad are amazed to see that Johnny made a robot. As the parents stand full of pride over what their son has built, the robot begins to shoot lazer beams from its eyes and blows up everything in sight, including the house and family vehicle. I laugh over and over again when I see that commercial. I could imagine my son doing the same thing one day.

There is alot of truth in that commercial. Just when you think things are going great, something in life always seems to throw you a curve ball. Sometimes life does come at you fast. Ruth and I discovered that Ruth's mom was diagnosed with cancer yesterday. We were all saddened by the news. News like this always makes the brevity of life a reality. Life is so fragile. We are not exempt from anything. It's easy to feel as if things could never happen to you, until it does, then what? What do you do when Doctors tell you that you have cancer? What do you do when your child passes away? What do you do when you experience the pain of this life? I know what you can do. I'll tell you what I do. PRAY! TRUST GOD!

How can anyone go through life without believing and trusting in God. God is able to do anything. He is capable to do exceedingly, abundantly, above whatever we ask or think. He is God. He is the Almighty, All-powerful, Everlasting, and True. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the First and the Last. When things don't go our way, we can either cry and live in despair, or cry out to God and live in victory. Ruth and I are choosing to live in victory in whatever problems or whatever trials we may face. We serve an all- too powerful God who is able and capable to provide for all of our needs. So, when life comes at you fast, forget insurance, TRUST GOD!

Who Moved My Cheese?

I recently came across this wonderful book called "Who Moved My Cheese?" It is a book written by Spencer Johnson, MD, and looks at an amazing way to deal with change in your life and in your work. Johnson tells a story with four amusing, imaginary characters; the mice "Sniff" and "Scurry," and the Littlepeople: "Hem" and "Haw." These characters are intended to represent simple and the complex parts of ourselves, regardless of our age, gender, race or nationality. Sometimes we act like Sniff, who sniffs out change early, or Scurry, who surries into action, or Hem, who denies and resists change as he fears it will lead to something worse, or Haw, who learns to adapt in time when he sees changing can lead to something better! Whatever parts of us we choose to use, we all share something in common: a need to find our way in the Maze and adapt in changing times.

Each of us has our own idea of what cheese is, and we pursue it because we believe it makes us happy. If we get it, we often become attached to it. And if we lose it, or it's taken away, it can be traumatic. The "Maze" is where you spend time looking for what you want. Now, everyone knows that not all change is good or even necessary. But in a world that is constantly changing, it is our advantage to learn how to adapt and enjoy something better. Change in our lives is inevitable. What will make you or break you is how you handle and respond to change. Change can be stressful, unless you have a way of looking at change that helps you better understand it. What do you do when you usually face change? Well, you usually respond like one of the characters, Sniff, Scurry, Hem or Haw.

We usually cannot control the changes in our lives, at work, or church, but we can control how we respond, and how we respond is critical to our happiness and success in life. We can choose to look at change negatively, or we can learn how to adapt to change in order to enjoy somthing better. You can either handle change like Hem, who denies and resists change as he fears it will lead to something worse, or you can handle change like Haw who learns to adapt in time when he sees changing can lead to something better. You see, the whole point is this, we can't live on the cheese that once made us happy and content. Why? Because either your cheese will become old, or it will be consumed and disappear. Change happens!

Once you discover cheese, you tend to want to continue feeding off of the same cheese over and over again without realizing that your cheese supply is shrinking and changing. You could either deny that there are changes occurring or you can notice the changes and expect the inevitable. If you choose not to deal with change properly, and one day you are going to realize that there is no more cheese. You can complain, get angry, depressed, and deny what has happened, and stay in a cheeseless situation, or you can begin looking for new cheese. The more important your cheese is to you, the more you want to hold on to it. When it is gone, the harder it is to find a new piece.

After a while, Haw began to realize that there was no more happiness being in his cheeseless situation. He began to imagine Sniff and Scurry finding new cheese and enjoying it. He began to think about how good it would be for him to be out on an adventure in the Maze, and to find fresh New Cheese. He could almost taste it. The more he began to visualize finding new cheese, the more he saw himself leaving his cheeseless situation. "Let's go," he told Hem, but Hem said, "NO," I like it here, it's comfortable, it's what I know." "No it isn't," Haw argued. "We've run through many parts of the Maze before, and we can do it again." "I'm getting too old for that," Hem said. "And I'm afraid I'm not interested in getting lost and making a fool of myself." With that, Haw's fear of failing returned and his hope of finding new cheese faded. So they continued to stay in their cheeseless situation. They tried to deny what was happening, but found it harder to sleep, had less energy the next day, and were becoming irritable.
By now the Littlepeople, "Hem" and "Haw," were getting tired and weak, just waiting for their situation to improve. The longer they stayed in their cheeseless situation the worse off they would be. After a while, Haw realized that they were not going to put yesterday's cheese back, and it was time to find new cheese. Haw said, "Sometimes, Hem, things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one of those times. That's life! Life moves on. And so should we." Haw prepared to head out into the maze to find new cheese. Just before he did, he drew a picture for Hem of a piece of new cheese, hoping that Hem would be motivated to change. He wrote next to the picture, "If you do not change, you can become extinct." As Haw began to head out into the maze, he smiled. He knew Hem was still wondering, "Who moved my cheese?" Haw began to move into a new direction and eventually found new cheese, and what cheese he found! There were different types of cheese he had never seen before. He tried each one and found that they were delicious. Haw realized that if he would have moved sooner, he would have very likely found a good deal of new cheese there. He wrote this on the wall, "The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you will find new cheese." Haw eventually went back to Hem and tried giving Hem a piece of new cheese only to be turned down. Hem said, "No thanks. I don't think I would like new cheese. It's not what I'm used to. I want my old cheese back and I'm not going to change until I get what I want." Haw shook his head in disappointment and reluctantly went back out on his own, and continued to enjoy the new cheese that he found. He hoped that his friend Hem would one day join him. Haw said a little prayer and hoped as he did many times that his old friend would finally be able to move with the cheese and enjoy it!

Change is difficult but inevitable for all of us. What we need to learn is that if we accept change, embrace it and move with it, we would be far better off than we once were. God is changing our lives and He is changing our church. We can either deny change, or resist change, or embrace it and accept that it is happening and the reason it is happening is because God has something new and wonderful for us. We can either keep asking the question "Who moved my cheese?" or we could simply move with the cheese. We've got to stop holding on to the past, and stop holding on to old cheese. The sooner you let go of the old cheese, the quicker you will find new cheese. The sooner we let go of the past, the quicker we will discover the new things of God. The new cheese is far better than old, or even none at all!

What Could Be More Important?

As we concluded our 40 DOP small group meeting last night, I felt such a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction as our group began to finally gel together. It was our sixth meeting and I think we finally came to the place where we felt that we were amongst friends. As we looked back at the previous six weeks, we really had a sense of accomplishment and we all felt like we learned something very valuable. This last session was very challenging as Pastor Rick challenged us to reach people for Jesus. Each one of us found it difficult to find someone to impact and someone to share our faith with. The truth is, we all kind of live in a bubble, in our own little world with no real relationships with unbelievers. If Jesus were alive today, I think you would find Him rubbing shoulders with non-believers. I think you would see him on the streets, feeding the homeless, or knocking on doors visiting the sick. Jesus was a friend of sinners, and so should we. We were challenged to build meaningful relationships with non-believers so that we can share the Good News with them. We were challenged to reach one more for Jesus.

This is our life mission, to reach one more for Jesus. This is our purpose in life, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to a world that is lost. The message is very clear, we must do whatever we can to reach more people and to see more people come to know Christ. It is up to each and every one of us to look for opportunities to share our faith and to build meaningful relationships with unbelievers so that we might see them saved. So how do we do this, well, it starts with being concerned. It starts with being concerned for the needs of others. If we are more concerned for ourselves than for others, we are going to miss opportunities. Jesus was always concerned for the needs of others. He always went out of His way and He allowed Himself to be interrupted so that He could meet needs.

Jesus said, "In the same way that you gave Me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world." We were made for a mission. God is at work in the world and He wants us to join Him. God wants to redeem human beings from Satan and reconcile them to Himself so we can fulfill the five purposes he created us for. My question to you today is this, is anybody going to heaven because of you? When you get to heaven is anybody going to say thank you, thank you for telling me the Good News? You knew it and you didn't keep it a secret. You passed it on. If we care, we must share.

As we come to the close of 40 Days of Purpose, this next week, after our celebration, my prayer is that you will serve God's purpose in your generation, in your time. What could be more important than doing what God put you on earth to do?

Healing Begins

This weekend has been a very emotional one for me. On Friday my wife and I met with Seth's doctor at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. It has been a very difficult year dealing with the loss of our 51 day old son Seth. A year ago, he had been doing extremely well, then suddenly he came down with NEC. That is a bacteria that kills the intestines. No one really knows what causes NEC, however, there are many risk factors. One is prematurity, and another relates to feeding. We noticed that in Seth's medical records, the week that he died, the doctor ordered his feeding to be increased from 18cc to 28cc. Common sense told me that that was a huge increase. Ruth and I believed that the rapid increase in his feedings is what caused the NEC to occur. For one year I carried the weight that my son's death could have been avoided. Something could have been done. This made depth of the tragedy even greater.

Well, after meeting with the doctor, we discovered that this was not an error, but a natural step in the process to getting Seth healthy. You see, he was on 18cc every two hours. They ordered his feedings to be increased to 28cc every three hours. They discussed that this might be too much so they went to 24cc every three hours. In order for a child to enter the Continuing Care Unit (CCU) they must be being fed every three hours. If you do the math, my son actually was being fed less in a 24hour period. In other words, there was no mistake. It was his time to go with the Lord. I can now say that they was nothing that anyone could have done to save him. We fought, we prayed, we wept, and we cried out to God. The doctors and all the nurses at Baystate tried to save him, but no matter what anyone did, it was his time. You say, why? Why a 51 day old beautiful baby boy? I say because the Master was in need of Seth. It was His time to go.

So what did Seth miss out on? I say, not much. He is at the place that I am longing to be. This is not my home, nor was it Seth's. He is now in the arms of Jesus, exactly the place I dream of being. Paul said, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." It is far better to be with Jesus, but until then, I will be faithful to task at hand. What matters most in life is not how long you live, or how much money you have attained, or how great your career was. Life is short and all those things really don't matter. What matters most in life is knowing and loving Jesus, your relationships with people, your character, your ministry, and most of all, sharing your faith with others.

And so, the healing begins. I can rest peacfully now, knowing that my son's death was ordained by God, knowing that it was his time to go. Although I can't still explain it all, I can sure be comforted in knowing that I will see him again in paradise!

Feeling Overwhelmed?

In life it's easy to get overwhelmed. There is work, church, the children, family, our spouse, yard work, house work, and the list goes on and on. As a pastor, it's easy for me to get overwhelmed with the responsibilites that the Lord has entrusted to me. Overseeing a growing congregation of 300 has its challenges. Last night after a 13 hour day and an extensive time of planning and discussion with our key leaders, I was drained and could not stop thinking. As a matter of fact, if any of you wonder what a pastor dreams about at night, let me tell you. Last night all I dreamt about was small groups and implementing a process to disciple people. Sounds crazy? Well, not for a pastor. My heart and my passion is in God's work. I don't look at what I do as a job, but as a trust. The Lord has entrusted me with my wife, my son, and my congregation. Everyday is different, everyday a challenge. My goal for each day is that I would be all that I can be for the Master in every area of my life. My prayer is that through my life God would accomplish His plans and purposes. So, what do I do when I get overwhelmed? I pray. The Bible tells me to cast my cares upon Him, because He cares for me. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He is a wonderful, loving God who lifts our burdens and carries our cares. He knows the way that I take. He is the source of my strength. He is the strength of my life. I have confidence in knowing that He won't give me more than I can bear! Feeling overwhelmed? Give it to God. He is ready and willing to lift your burdens, calm your worries, and bring you peace in the midst of the storm. The Scriptures say, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in prayer make your requests known to God, and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus."

5 Year Old Arrested?

I was flabergasted as I watched four St. Petersberg Police Officers arrest a 5 year old child. I would never have imagined that this would or could ever happen in our society today. I watched the video and do agree that the child's behavior was unacceptable, however, the manner in which the situation was handled is totally appalling and tragic. This child definitely has disciplinary problems, but to taunt her and follow her with a video camera is wrong. There has to be a better way to deal with discipline issues with our children in our schools than to call the police and have them arrested. Children today are lacking love, attention, structure, and Godly instruction. What children need today is not a police officer waiting to arrest them, but people that are full of the wisdom and love of Jesus to be able to help kids find love, acceptance, and security in Christ. With the divorce rate and abuse rate as high as it is, and the amount of hours that our kids sit in front of the television, and the slow demise of Godly morals and values, it's no wonder why we have so many problems in our schools and our communities today. Our country has removed God out of all aspects of education and life. Schools give out condoms and allow kids to have abortions without a parent's consent. They prohibit students from reading Bibles, praying, and even saying "Merry Christmas," and now we have 5 year olds being arrested. We need to put God back into our schools again. Instead of our teachers and principals calling the police and having these kids arrested, we need parents, teachers, and political leaders calling upon the name of the Lord to have our kids hearts and lives arrested by Jesus! He is still the answer for our world today. 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If My people who are called by My name would humble themselves, pray, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sins and I will heal their land."

A Purpose For Everything

Well, after 4 frustrating days, I'm back online. My computer received a corrupt file from Microsoft on Thursday which corrupted my entire operating system. I had to take my HP to the Geek Squad so that they could save my data and do a total system recovery. Anyway, after a long weekend, downloading all of my software and updating all my files, I'm back! It is a very frustrating thing when your computer crashes. You know, computers are a part of you. Mine is like a second wife to me, so when it goes, I don't know what to do with myself.

As I sat in the office on Thursday, completely frustrated I asked that age old question, why me? why now? I tried to stay positive about the whole situation and did my best to not complain. You see, what I have learned up to this point in my life is that there are no accidents, there is a purpose for everything. It turns out that the gentlemen that helped me at the Geek Squad once attended Christian Assembly. As a matter of fact, he remembers being part of a home group eight years ago. After introducing myself, I got an opportunity to explain to him that we were in the middle of a campaign called 40 Days of Purpose, and once again we were doing home groups. I explained to him that we were answering life's most important question, "What on earth am I here for?" He seemed interested so I offered to give him a copy of the "Purpose Driven Life." He called me later and was very appreciative and said that he would definitely read it.

You see, there are no accidents in life. There is a purpose for everything. The opportunity I had to meet this gentlemen would only have been possible if my computer crashed. You see, God sees the big picture. We get so caught up with the minor distractions in life that at times we miss what God is doing. As I walked away I began to thank God for my problems. I asked the Lord for forgiveness. My computer is OK, I'm OK, and you know what, one more person is reading the "Purpose Driven Life." When you start living the purpose driven life, God will begin using your life for His purposes. When we live a purpose driven life, we are driven by God's purposes not ours. Don't sweat the small things. The next time you have a crisis ask the Lord to reveal His purposes to you. He is a God that works ALL things together for good, to them who love God, and to them who are called according to His PURPOSE!

American Idols

One of my wife's and I favorite TV show is American Idol. We try to watch it whenever it's on and whenever we have the time. Of course, Simon Cowell is my favorite judge. Although most don't agree with him, I think he's right 90% of the time. Randy is a crowd pleaser, and Paula most of the time, likes everybody. Last night performances were mediocre. I wasn't really impressed with any of them, although some of the 70's songs took Ruth and I back a few years. Anyway, my prediction is that Vonzell will win it all, and tonight Anwar will be voted off.

Did you know that there are thousands of American idols? No, I'm not talking about Kelly, Fantasia, or Ruben. I am talking about things that we worship in place of God. You see, the truth is that everybody worships something. We were created to worship God. He put it in our DNA. It's part of being a human being. God created us to worship Him and if we don't, we quickly find a subsitute, even if its just ourselves. There are thousands, if not millions of American idols that people worship all the time. Many worship their careers, retirement, money, sex, people, material possessions, pleasure, and some, themselves. Whenever you love something more than God, that's called an idol. Whenever you have idols in your life, you will have chaos, conflict, stress, and problems. When we love money, pleasure, fame, our reputation, or anything else in life, more than we love God, we will have havoc. We were created to worship God, not things.

Romans 6:13, describes to us the heart of worship. "Give yourselves to God... surrender your whole being to Him to be used for righteous purposes." The heart of worship is surrender. It is when we surrender our hearts, our lives, our dreams, our passions, and everything to Him. It is when we offer to Him our love, our attention, our affection and our abilities completely to him. Romans 12, tells us "So then, my friends, because of God's great mercy to us... offer yourselves a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and pleasing to Him. This is the true worship you should offer." Worship is more than music, a service, or a religious tradition. Worship is offering yourself to God..

God doesn't want anything else from us but our love, our affection, our attention, and our abilities. He is after our hearts. He is after our lives. We were created to worship. No, not people or things, but God. This is our first and highest purpose in life. The greatest mistake you can make is miss your primary purpose in life. So let me ask you a question, what do you love most in life? The Bible says you were planned for God's pleasure. You were made to know and love God. There is not a better goal in life than to know and love Him. You have a choice. Are you going to worship an American idol, or are you going to worship God?

You Are No Accident!

How could it be that such an Awesome, Holy, Almighty, All-powerful God, Creator of the universe, the One who always was, is and will be, consider creating me as the object of His eternal love. My mind cannot comprehend the width, the depth, nor the height of such great love. God didn't need me. He wasn't bored. He just didn't wake up one day and decide to make little people so that He could watch them suffer and burn in hell. No! He created me because He wanted me. He created me so that He could love me. I am still hung up on this truth that God, wanted me. Because of this truth, I know that I am no accident. I know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. The Creator has created me for His purposes.

I don't know what you might have heard growing up. I don't know if you ever experienced the deep love of a mother or a father. I don't know if you were told that you were ugly, stupid, no good, a nobody, an accident, or a miscalculation. You might have been conceived by a rape, an affair, or a one night stand. In whatever way you were conceived, know this, God wanted you here. He created you for His purpose. He created you to love you. You are the most important human being in the universe to God. God is our Father. His love is greater than any human love. You are no accident! You are special! You are the jewels of God. Before you were conceived in your mother's womb, you were conceived in the heart of God. You are His workmanship. Your height, your weight, your skin color, your eyes, your hair, your personality, your features, your gifts, your talents, your abilities, your passions, your interests, everything was given to you by God. He formed you and shaped you. Don't ever look down at yourself. You are perfect in the eyes of God. He longs for your intimacy. He longs for your relationship. He longs for you to respond to His great love. Take a moment today to respond to His love. Thank Him that you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

"Can anything separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love." Romans 8:35,37-38.

Too Busy Not To Pray

In the ministry it's easy to forget about prayer and intimacy with God. After all, as a pastor I've got sermons and Bible studies to prepare, people to counsel daily, board and committee meetings to attend, plan and prepare for the future, solve problems daily, organize campaigns and events, and of course, although they are few, hear people complain about things they don't like, either about me or the church. All in all it's all part of the job. In addition to all of that, I am a father, a husband, a son, and a Yankees Fan. So when do I have time to pray? Prayer comes as a result of discipline. Disicipline is delayed gratification. So, to not to pray, is to not be disciplined. In other words, I must delay the gratification of sleep or anything else that will hinder me from spending time with my Lord. Although I am a pastor, I am human. Prayer does not come easy. It comes with a price. You see, it's not whether or not I find time to pray, I am too busy not to pray. Prayer must be my daily discipline. Without it, I will fail, crumble, fizzle out, decompose, and burn out. One of Jesus' disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray." In a world of multi-tasking, fast food, home theaters, cell phones, and the internet, our heart's cry must be, "Lord, teach us to pray." It's not whether or not the Pastor is finding time to pray. The fact is that all of us are too busy not to pray!

A Pastor?

That's what most people say when they first meet me. They think that I'm too young to be a pastor. In New England, I guess that anyone would expect an old, balding, grey haired fat guy to be a pastor. Anyway, I'm in my thirties and ready to do great things for God. I know that God has a purpose for my life. I have been hearing that all of my life. I know that I am not an accident. I know that God created me and He is the one that has called me into the ministry. This was not my choice. Do I regret it? Absolutely not! I cannot think of doing anything else in life. This is my purpose, this is my calling, this is my destiny. A pastor? Yes. You might say, why a pastor? Well, God told Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you born I set you apart." That's what God did in my life. He called me, and He set me apart for the work of the ministry. This is my purpose in life. Before you ever make the statement "A Pastor?" ask yourself, do I know what on earth I am here for? You see, I know my purpose, and I am living my purpose and there is nothing in this world that I rather do than pastor God's people, except for maybe playing on the New York Yankees!

Babies In Heaven?

April 10th, 2005 was the one year anniversary of the death of my son Seth. It has been a very difficult year coping with his loss. My life will never be the same because of this baby boy named Seth. Although he lived only 51 days, he continues to live in my heart. He will always be a part of my life and my family. Birthday's are hard and holidays are hard, simply because I miss that little guy. The only comfort I have is knowing that because of Jesus, I will see him again and we will spend eternity together in heaven. His brother Joey always asks about his brother Seth. When I allow Joey to do certain things with me that make him feel older, he will always say, "Baby Seth can't do this right daddy? He's too little. Only big boys like me right daddy?"

I might be a pastor of a church, but I can't explain why bad things happen to good people. The only thing I know is that God loves us. He created us to live for eternity. He has provided a way of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. I am on this earth for a purpose. God had a purpose for my son Seth's life. Although I will never see him grow up, never share those father son moments together, and never get to tell him I love you again, I know that when I get to heaven, he will be waiting for me. I imagine he will be 52 days old when I get there and God is going to give me a chance to raise my son, go fishing, play baseball and watch him grow up. Are there babies in heaven? Absolutely. My pain can't make me believe otherwise. I know that Seth is waiting for me. It won't be long before I see him.

Vision

What is a vision? Well, to me a vision is a clear mental picture of the future. God puts in us His vision so that we can visualize what He desires to do. God's vision for me and Christian Assembly is big. Why? Because we serve a big God. I am still at the discovering stage, trying to discern God's vision for the future. All I can say is that I am a step closer to discovering His vision for us. I feel that the 40 Days of Purpose campaign will enable us to become a purpose driven church rather than a program driven or a crisis driven church. This philosphy of ministry will propel us to be able to reach and disciple thousands of people here in Berkshire County for Jesus.

Something New

Well, I thought to give this blogging thing a try. Let's see how it works. Do you think it's a good idea?