Points to Ponder

Some points to think about this week:

1) We always want the answer(s) to the "Big Why". We don't need answers. We need God, and He alone is ALL we need when we are hurting, suffering, etc. In his suffering Job asked "Why", but God never gave him an answer. Instead, God gave him all he ever needed: His presence.

2) Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.

3) Hurting people are hurtful people. Love them anyway. It may confuse them at first, then it draws them next. When you respond right when others treat you wrong, their first response would be to treat you worse (like a test). Keep at it, and you'll see the walls start crumbling down. Respond as Jesus would.

4) Churches are not museums for saints, they are hospitals for sinners.

5) When we judge, we reveal our own heart. What we see is what we are. It's the law of recognition.

4 Prayers

Are you ready to pray these 4 prayers? God truly spoke to me with this message from last Sunday at Palm Springs Drive Baptist Church.

1) "Search Me"
Example: Flashlight

2) "Break Me" - Psalm 34:18
Example: Glow Stick - it doesn't achieve its purpose until it is broken

3) "Stretch Me"
Example: Bungee Cord - When it is stretched, it has strength.

4) "Send Me" - Isaiah 6:1-8
Example: Suit Case - God is in the habit of sending us to places with great need.
You may say, "I'm ready to go". Question is, "did you pack your suit case?"

Where has God sent you these days???

20-Day Campaign

In 20 days, I strongly believe God will reveal something very significant to me that will again bring about change.

2008 has undoubtedly been the most eventful year of my life, and it isn't even over yet! And, October has been the most eventful month so far. (Historically, it has always been April. Now, it's October. These months happen to be my kids' birthday month!)

As I fill these 20 days with prayer, I shall commit to engaging in a 20-day campaign to recognize at least 20 people who have recently made a big, positive impact in my life, my family's life...one day at a time.

God is always at work, whether we choose to join Him or not. I can clearly sense that He is mightily working in my life right now. I must prepare myself spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. I may not be clear regarding "what" it is,...but I am "convicted" that while waiting, I shall continue to serve Him and others around me, regardless of what is coming my way. I must step back and detach myself, let go...be still so I can sense more of God's presence and leading...especially in the next 20 days. This may hurt.

Reading:
Philippians 3 - Joy in Believing
Philippians 4 - Joy in Giving

My Favorite Elephant Story

There was once a story of an elephant in a zoo
He cried day in and day out
"What happened?" a visitor asked
"He accidentally sat on a big nail,"
Said the zookeeper.
"So, why isn't he getting up?"
"Well, it's obviously painful enough to make him cry...
But it's not painful enough to make him move."

Don't just sit there. Do something!

About: Rescue

Meditating On: Psalm 46
Theme: God is always there to help, providing refuge, security, and peace. God's power is complete and His ultimate victory is certain. He will not fail to rescue those who love Him.

Depressed?

Elijah's Great Battle With Depression
Source: Faith Bible Institute Study Guide - Volume IV

We may be shocked that such a bold prophet of faith could so quickly have become a fearful and fleeing prophet who sunk into suicidal depression and despair. However, this portion of Scripture teaches us several truths concerning the causes and cures of depression.

1. The Who of Depression: The first thing we must learn is that no one is immune to depression.
   
   a. Spirituality does not guarantee that you will not battle depression.
   
   b. It does, however, give us access to Scriptural Principles and Scriptural Power to deal with and conquer depression. Elijah did not flee, but he knew to Whom to run.
   
   
2. The Why of Depression: Elijah's depression was caused by a number of factors.
   
   a. Prolonged Emotional Stress - after hiding out for 3.5 years.
   
   b. Extreme Emotional Stress - in facing the prophets of Baal.
   
   c. Emotional Fatigue - which follows joy as well as sorrow.
   
   d. Disappointment - after his great victory was followed by threats on his life instead of revival (the triggering event).
   
   e. Isolationism - feeling he alone still served God.
   
   f. Physical Fatigue - caused by his great journeys
   
   g. Physical Weakness - caused by his lack of food.
   
   h. Satanic Opposition - It has been often been Satan's ploy to attack us just after great spiritual victory, when we are tempted to drop our guard and prone to pride and self-sufficiency.
   
   
3. The How of Dealing with Depression (from Elijah's example):
   
   a. Recognize that God must be part of your solution from the first - Elijah headed straight from the Mountain of Baal to the Mountain of God.
   
   b. Deal with Physical and Fatigue factors at the start - God caused Elijah to eat and sleep before the first word of counsel. (1 Kings 19: 5-7)
   
   c. Seek Spiritual (and Scriptural) counsel. (1 Kings 19:9-10, 15)
   
   d. Spend time in the presence of God in honest prayer and listening to His Word. (1 Kings 19:9-14)
   
   e. Get busy - stay active even when you don't feel like it. (1 Kings 19:15a)
   
   f. Find God's purpose for your life and fulfill it. (1 Kings 19:15b-17)
   
   g. Recognize that you are not alone. (1 Kings 19:18)
   
   h. Get back around other people and develop good relationships. (1 Kings 19:19-21)
   

Unedited Feelings

Claiming: Romans 8:28
Meditating On: Psalm 88
Theme: When there is no relief in sight, God understands even our deepest misery.

Commentary:
Have you ever felt as if you have hit bottom? The writer is so low he even despairs of life itself. Although everything is bad and getting worse, he is able to tell it all to God. This is one of the few psalms that gives no answer or expression of hope. Don't think that you must always be cheerful and positive. Grief and depression take time to heal. No matter how we feel, we can always take our problems to God and express our anguish to Him.

Our feelings may be as obvious and painful as those expressed by the psalm writer, but they are never the complete picture. In fact, our feelings are usually very unstable. When we bring our unedited feelings to God, we allow Him to point out where they are incomplete. We are in trouble whenever we give our feelings divine authority or assume that God can't handle what we feel. Praying the psalms teaches us to bring God everything about us and trains us to experience His presence even when our feelings tell us otherwise.

Source: Tyndale's Life Application Study Bible - KJV

Strike 2!!!

I find birdwatching to be very fascinating, and I could still remember the time when I was feeding a raven. Ravens are very greedy birds, but despite this inherent trait, God still used this bird in a mighty way in Elijah's life. The Bible depicts Elijah as a great man of faith. He was the second man on Earth to meet God without dying (Enoch was the first). 1 Kings 17:2-24 talks about God's provision and Elijah's faith, obedience, and perseverance. In this story, Elijah obeys God's command to hide from wicked King Ahab at Brook Cherith during a drought. God provides ravens to faithfully feed him bread and meat twice daily. This is amazing, because ravens are noted for neglecting even their own young due to their greediness. As time progresses, the brook slowly dries up, but Elijah chooses to stay there until God tells him to move.

So many lessons can be learned from this story. The ones that strike me today are as follows:

1) If God can use a greedy raven to care for His faithful servant, He can use anyone, including me.

2) No problem is too big for God. He can choose to supernaturally provide for our needs, like how He used the greedy ravens to faithfully feed Elijah twice each day.

- I can always trust that God will provide for my needs, especially when I obey Him, regardless of my circumstances, geographical location, etc.

3) If God tells me to go somewhere, I should go there and stay there, regardless of the challenges and difficulties, until He tells me to move.

Personal Application: I know that God clearly told me to move to Florida and I know that He placed me where I am at today. During this journey, He has faithfully provided for all of my needs (and more) through various past and present sources. Yes, life can be challenging for me sometimes, but I pray that I will not allow my circumstances and my flesh to control me. I'll joyfully choose to stay where I'm at, until God tells me to move.

I still don't know why I'm here. Perhaps very recently, I may have unintentionally failed the first opportunity to carry out one of His purposes. As I humbly asked for forgiveness today, God comforted and assured me that His will--not mine--will always prevail, regardless if I mess up (intentionally or unintentionally). Good to know, especially since it's always so easy for me to mess up in certain things, in many things. I don't know about you, but I've still got a lot of growing-up to do! I pray that God will give me another opportunity to pass the same test that I just failed miserably. Ouch, I just flunked my first test!!! Wait a second, this was my second test. The first test happened exactly 8 years ago, and guess what? I failed that one, too! Oh, and I happened to live in Orlando during that time, as well!

Strike 3 is not an option, so Lord, please help me! Please open my eyes, my heart, to what You're trying to say and do...and by the way, please give me a third chance. And, please help me prepare this time, so I'll know what to do.

I don't like failing, but most of all, I don't like failing God.

So anyway, while I'm here, I'll continue to serve God and others joyfully with the talents and abilities He has blessed me with. And, if ever I miss a step in the process, I know He'll deliver me whenever I would humbly come to Him for help. I'm not going anywhere, until then.

Like with Elijah, God used the raven to teach me many valuable lessons today...

Back In My Bat Cave

Today, I woke up feeling different. Something is going on inside my head, my heart, and I can't even express it. There are still some things about me that I don't understand, why I react the way I do in certain areas, situations, etc...regardless of how I've been coached about it in the past and in the present. It's really a horrible feeling because it's something I don't think I can control. Unfamiliar territory. Something I can't seem to grasp. What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to say? What am I supposed to think? I really don't know. I really don't understand. I really don't know what to do next (on my own). Especially in times like these, I become more grateful than ever that God knows me. He sees my heart. My actions may be misleading, I might be very difficult to read, but God knows me well...and He knows what's best for me. I shall lay this at His feet...pick up my pencil...lock myself up in my bat cave...and sketch some cute penguins. I haven't sketched in over 10 years. This will be interesting.

Thanking God for His promise in 1 Peter 5: 7 KJV, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

Back to Basics

This message is dedicated to my children, Diego and Gabriel.

In a journey to find ourselves
We sometimes forget who we truly are
Where we came from
What we have been through
What worked
And what didn't work
And if and when we finally realize
That things stopped working during this long journey
We must first look up to God
And He will show us
To look back at the things that made things work
And Who made them all to work
To remember to go back to the basics
So we can now look ahead and press forward
Without leaving the most important things behind.
Live simply, bless richly.
And don't forget to start at home.

God has moved me to just start typing tonight, and in a minute's time, an important message was created. It may have only taken me one minute to write this, but may the impact be eternal.

Greater Orlando Scavenger Hunt - AppleOne

First Draft


This video was made specifically for AppleOne.
To view the main promo video for the Greater Orlando Scavenger Hunt,
visit scavengerhunt.ning.com.
Additional videos are being posted to this site each day!

NOTE:
This was all created using my macbook pro's basic video editing software
(and this includes capturing video). Go, Apple!

Final Version (My Previous Coworkers):