I am thankful

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. The day is not a celebration of someone's birthday, or an honor to some great person of history. Thanksgiving is a day that was originally set aside by our nation's first president (George Washington). The day was designated as a day to thank God for His blessings and provision.

I am thankful for my wife. Kim is a precious gift that God has given me. And I thank the Lord that she is so wonderful. I love being married to Kim! And I am also thankful that she loves being married to me!

I am thankful for my 4 children: Rebecca who is growing into a compassionate young lady, Jacob who is turning bold for the Lord at age 8, Allison who is very loving, and Andrew who is excited about life (at age one).

I am also thankful for my church family. It is within this context that I enjoy a great job and wonderful friendships. I also love sharing the vision to reach out to people who have not yet met Jesus, and share the Hope that God can offer. Thanks to all my friends at HRC who live to "Develop Passionate Followers of Jesus Christ."

I am also thankful for my extended family. I have great parents, a wonderful sister, great in-laws, and a few non-blood relatives...

I am thankful for the following blessings: health, my home, financial provision, peace, hope, my (eternal) future, my opportunities to impact my community, and much much more.

Let me encourage all who read this blog to take some time to reflect on what you are thankful for. Feel free to do so in reply to this blog... because I would love to red it!

free van

Hey everyone! I am so excited about what God is doing at HRC! We have the privelege of giving away a van to a family in our church who is desparetly in need of a vehicle. We are working with a number of local business and a program called "Recycled Rides" in order to make this happen. On December 18, 2008 we will give away (free of charge) a van to the Zamudio family. Check out the link to read more! http://www.riverdalebodyshop.com/RecycledRides.aspx
And, I will look for your comments!

Pastor's Christmas Open House

Dear friends,

I hope many of you are reading this. I am sending this blog to announce our annual open house. This year, please join us on December 7, 2008 from 4pm to 8pm. We will have some wassel, cookes, and lots of fun.
It is our pleaseure to open our home to our entire church family, and other friends during the holiday season. Mark your calendars to come and visit with many others during your Christmas celebration!
Feel free to reply to this blog and let me know if you are coming...
If you are reading this blog, please feel free to become a follower, and be in the loop whenever I share a new posting.

Obama - president elect

I must say that I have a level of concern regarding our new president elect. My concern is in the moral future of our country. I see that Obama has been pro same sex marriages and pro abortion. I am sure that senator Obama and I have other moral conflicts.

Sometimes there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel when the USA elects a democratic president as we think about our economy. This time around - I do not think the answer will be provided by a political party. And f it were - the price we pay in moral compromise to relieve some of our countries debt is NOT worth it.

Here is my challenge to believers! Pray for President Elect Obama. Pray that his heart will be sensative to God! Pray for him to exercise God-given wisdom. Pray for our country! I recently received an email asking us to pray for our president elect from election day to inauguration. Join me in this challenge!

Remember that the hope of our country is not in Obama, democrats, republicans, money, dreams, or anything thing else... except for one thing. The hope of our country is in the Lord! So, call on Him!

Coming on Wednesday

Friends of HRC,

Wednesday nights have been awesome @ HRC. I want to remind those who know, and share with those who want to know that this Wednesday will include an additional element. There will be worship, prayer, and a Bible study (from the book of James).

However, we will also launch a strategy to pray for the lost. As many of you know, this Sunday was the beginning of a new sermon series: Harvest Time. We learned how to pray for the H.A.R.V.E.S.T. To go hand in hand with the message, we will distribute H.A.R.V.E.S.T. prayer guides on Wednesday. Included will be a condensed version of the sermon notes, as well as a written strategy to pray for others.

This is one Wednesday that you will not want to miss!

A CALL FOR RESPONSE

I believe that each person needs to vote - especially for the President of the United States. When we vote we need to think about God's will, our families, our children, the future of the country, ourselves (this is where we consider economics, and other political issues).
But, as a Christian we should vote through the eyes of morality and Godly Character. It would be more appropriate to be a country who is struggling financially if we are morally pursuig God.
So, as you prepare to vote, consider God's will... vote on moral issues...
The most mportant thing to do is to pray. Wow! what if the 2 presidential candidate both had major encounters with Jesus before November 4th...
Please follow this link to watch a video about voting from Dr. George Wood (General Sup. of the Assemblies of God): http://ag.org/top/

sharing my heart

I have finally entered the world of blogging. I have set up this new blog to use as a platform to share my heart. I have titled my blog "the voice" since this is where my voice can be heard. I will use this blog as a way to stay connected to people. Feel free to interact with my comments.

I will also use this blog as a way to share information with people: people at Harvest Ridge Church, and people who have regular contact with me. I will also use this blog as a touch point to other pastors, to leaders, and to friends who make an investment in thinking.

This blog will be an inside look at what is going on in my life... and what is on my mind.

I look forward to the opportunities to voice what is on my heart!