Del Sol Northeast update - 02/03/2010

Here's the latest update on Del Sol Northeast:

- This past Sunday was technically our first weekly worship celebration service. Meaning that it was the first time we met a week after the previous Sunday. Even though out kickoff was on January 24^th, we hadn’t met for 2 weeks before then so this Sunday was really our first regular Sunday. We had a good crowd of people and LOTS of kids. Not everyone from the community that came the previous week returned on Sunday, but some did – which is a good thing. One family came back and brought their kids, and each of their kids brought an unchurched friend, so our kids’ ministry was definitely put to good use!

- We started a series called “TXT”, which is a 3 week series where we’ll examine the Bible to see why it is the Word of God, what incredible sacrifice it took for it to be passed down to us today, why it is the most reliable book in all of history, and why it is the ultimate love letter from God to us. These messages lean a bit more towards and informational type of message, so please pray that God will give me wisdom as I study & preach to pass on information but to also show how that information practically applies to life today.

- On Sunday we had one of the youth bands from our East campus, under the leadership of Lee & Angie Loper, come and lead us in worship through music. They were phenomenal!!! I know they honored the Lord and their parents have much to be proud about in them. This Sunday a different youth band from our East campus will lead us in worship through music. I’ve never heard them play, but I trust that they will also humbly lead us to God since they are under the capable leadership of some great people from our East.

- While we’re extremely grateful for our youth who are leading us in worship through music, they won’t be able to do it forever, so we’re actively praying and looking for the person that God has in store for us to be our worship director at the Northeast campus.

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. As I mentioned above, please pray that God will give me wisdom as I study & preach to pass on information but to also show how that information practically applies to life today. It’s important to know the history of the Bible and why it’s reliable, but what’s most important is to know the message of God’s love that the Bible conveys to us.

2. Ask the Lord to guide and unify the youth band that will be playing this Sunday at the NE campus – that He will enable them to lead us into a spirit of worship through music and that He will glorify Himself through them.

3. Ask the Lord to raise up in His wisdom and in His timing whoever He has in store to be the worship director at our Northeast campus.

Thanks for your prayers - I truly believe they make a big difference.

- Ariel Martinez | ariel@delsolchurch.com

Del Sol Church - Northeast Campus Pastor

11501 Vista del Sol, El Paso, TX 79936

Office: (915) 855-3798 ext. 231 | Cell: (915) 449-0552

Del Sol Northeast prayer update - 01/28/10

Here's the latest update on Del Sol Northeast:

- Sunday was our kickoff into weekly worship celebration services at Del Sol Northeast! We had two public services at 9:30 & 11:00 am and had a good crowd from the community in attendance. Most everyone who attended our last preview service on the 10^th came back, one of them brought someone with them, and 3 new couples & families showed up.

- We also had a pleasant surprise; KFOX 14 and KINT 26 both showed up to do stories on us. I was interviewed on KFOX and Grace Taylor was interviewed in Spanish on channel 26. Nobody seemed to know how those channels found out about Del Sol Northeast – not even the cameramen – but it was a big blessing and free publicity. I think that someone from our East campus probably told someone who knew someone in the local TV industry and that’s how the word got out. However it happened, it was a surprise and a great blessing. Here’s the link to video of the KFOX interview: http://vimeo.com/8970098

- The day before out kickoff on the 24^th, our team got together to show God’s love in practical ways by doing two different service projects: some went to a laundromat to pay for people’s loads of wash and for the dryers and others went to a supermarket to hand our free coffee and donuts in the cold, blustery weather. Those of us who did the coffee & donuts served about 20 people and made some brief but good contacts. Those who went to the laundromat served a handful of people and had some extended conversations. I think the greatest impact of those outreaches was the impact we made on the owner of the laundromat and the staff of the supermarket.

- This Sunday we begin a new message series called “TXT” where we’ll look at the history of the Bible, why it’s reliable and trustworthy, and how it’s more than just a book but is really the ultimate love letter. I hope you’ll be praying for us about that this week.

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. Pray for me this Sunday and for the following two weeks as I speak about God’s Word and explain why we trust the Bible and why we sit under its authority.

2. Pray for our launch team, that they can find exactly where is best for them to serve at the NE campus, and that God would give me wisdom about how to feed and shepherd them in this crucial time.

3. Ask the Lord to continually refresh me, to give me vision for the future, and to do whatever He sees fit in me and through me.

Thanks for your prayers - I truly believe they make a big difference.

- Ariel Martinez | ariel@delsolchurch.com

Del Sol Church - Northeast Campus Pastor

11501 Vista del Sol, El Paso, TX 79936

Office: (915) 855-3798 ext. 231 | Cell: (915) 449-0552

Del Sol Northeast update - 01/13/20X

Here's the latest update on Del Sol Northeast:

- Sunday the 10^th was our third and final preview service at Del Sol Northeast. It was a great experience and was a booster shot of momentum for our launch team. We had 53 adults between the 9:30 volunteer service and the 11:00 public service, 11 kids, and 7 in the band and tech team. That’s a total of 71 people in attendance for the day. Since we’ve had 2 kids for both of the previous preview services, it was great to see so many kids there and their parents as well.

- Aside from our launch team (which is a mix of Del Sol people that live in the Northeast and that live on the Eastside), we had around 20 adults from the community show up for the public service. That really helped give the room a fuller feel and it helped create somewhat of a buzz about what’s going on at Del Sol NE. As I’ve followed up with the guests from Sunday, they’ve all seemed excited about their experience with us and seem to want to come back for our grand opening on the 24^th.

- Most of the people from the community who showed up were people we had met through previous outreaches like our Fall Festival and other servant evangelism events we’ve done. A couple of them had been invited by people from Del Sol East and one family showed up because some of our launch team members had seen them stopped on the side of the road and pulled over to help them.

- On Saturday the 23^rd, we’ll invest some time in outreach at a convenience store and a laundromat not too far from the NE campus. We’ll invest a couple of hours washing windows and mirrors for people at the convenience store and giving people tokens to pay for their laundry loads and detergent for them to use. As they do their loads, we’ll take time to talk with them and hear their stories, try to entertain their kids a bit, and will also have some coffee and donuts available – all of it will be free, no strings attached, just to show God’s love in a practical way and to invite them to the service the next day.

- So our grand opening will be Sunday the 24^th at 9:30 and 11:00 am. I want you to know that you’re invited. We would love to have you come see what God is doing in Northeast El Paso through Del Sol NE. Also, on Thursday the 21^st, we will have a time of worship through prayer and praise at the NE campus from 7 – 8:30 pm and you’re more than welcome to come then as well.

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. Ask God to bless our upcoming outreaches and the grand opening, making them fruitful and successful according to how He would define success. Ask Him to give us favor with those we are trying to reach, that they would see we have no other motive than to share God’s love with them.

2. Please continue asking the Lord to give me wisdom so that I can delegate what is appropriate to delegate and so that I can use my time wisely and efficiently, and in a way that honors Him.

3. Ask the Lord to continually encourage our volunteer launch team members - that they would know that their work is tremendously valuable and that God will honor them as they honor Him. Ask the Lord to show me how I can constantly encourage them in and equip them for ministry.

Thanks for your prayers - I truly believe they make a big difference.

- Ariel Martinez | ariel@delsolchurch.com

Del Sol Church - Northeast Campus Pastor

11501 Vista del Sol, El Paso, TX 79936

Office: (915) 855-3798 ext. 231 | Cell: (915) 449-0552

Excusing vs. Confessing

A few days ago I wrote about a major lesson that was drilled into me last year - the difference between expectation and expectancy. Another major life lesson that God was teaching and reinforcing in me last year is the important difference between excusing and confessing.

Maybe you hadn't given much thought to the difference between expectation and expectancy, bit I think that if we were honest, we'd probably say that we're a bit more familiar with excusing vs. confessing. And if you're anything like me, you probably excuse your faults far more than than you confess them.

When you're excusing your faults, you say things like "I'm sorry I'm late, but ..." or "I know you said you didn't want me to do that, but ..." or "Yeah this is wrong, but ..." There's always a "but" and there's usually some remorse and sorrow - but it's usually remorse and sorrow for getting caught, not for erring. Excusing gets you off the hook in the short term, but in the long term it hurts relationships because people will eventually get tired of your big ol' but, will stop giving you the benefit of the doubt, and you'll lose credibility because people will stop trusting you. Keep it up and you'll become known as someone who always has an excuse, albeit usually a really lame one.

Confessing is different. Confessing is healthy and though it can occasionally hurt relationships in the short term, it actually strengthens and fortifies relationships in both the short and the long terms. Confessing is saying "I'm sorry." Did you get that? It's saying "I'm sorry - period." Not "I'm sorry, but ...", just I'm sorry. It's owning up to your mistakes and being willing to accept the consequences and hopefully the grace, mercy, and forgiveness that will come with your confession.

Funny thing is, in the Bible God doesn't mention much about excuses except to condemn them and show how people really mess up and look pretty lame when they make excuses. God does talk in Proverbs 28:13 and James 5:16 about the incredible power of grace and mercy that comes when you confess your sins.

I wasted too much time and squandered too much credibility in 2009 making excuses, so as 2009 came to an end I decided to stop excusing and start confessing. And now that 20X is off to a running start, I hope that you will choose with me to not waste any time excusing but to invest into our relationships by confessing our sins to each other so that we can find mercy and healing.

Expectation vs. Expectancy

There are a couple of major life lessons that God's been teaching and reinforcing in me over and over this year. I'll write about the other one later but the biggest lesson I've been learning is the difference between expectation and expectancy.

Honestly, this is something I've never really thought about before - and I would venture to say that you probably haven't either - but it's a powerful thought. Do you know what the difference is between expectation and expectancy?

Expectation is saying I want something from you; expectancy is saying I want to be with you. Expectation causes one to get upset when you're late; expectancy causes one to just be so glad when you get there - no matter what time it is.

Expectation is hard and cruel master. It's totally performance based and rather selfish; if you don't do what I want you to do, I become disappointed, disenchanted, frustrated, and upset. Expectation doesn't build up a relationships but rather, it strains relationships. It puts a burden on one person and gives power to the other. It turns a relationship into a situation where there are winners and losers - and that's not how relationships should be. It is more suitable for business contracts than for human relationships. Expectation is something we have to deal with, so it would be wise for us to clearly make our expectations known to each other instead of keeping them unspoken and harming our relationships by doing so.

Expectancy on the other hand, is simply wonderful. It's life giving, hope building, and relationship strengthening. Expectancy is behind the saying "absence makes the heart grow stronger". It is not selfish but selfless. It actually takes off the burden that expectation puts on us and replaces it with a sense of joyful anticipation. It's what causes a mother to work so hard to make her son or daughter's favorite food when they come home to visit from college. It's what causes a dad to drive home fast after a business trip and move briskly to the door so that he can see his wife and kids even just a second sooner. It's what causes kids to want to stay up late so they can be with grandma and grandpa. Expectancy is what fuels relationships because it is a mark of God's love and promise to return one day and take His children Home with Him.

This year, I've seen both the ugly face of expectation and the beautiful face of expectancy in different relationships of mine. I've seen a friend get angry at me because I didn't fulfill their expectation (which I didn't know they had until I had failed to meet it), and I've seen friends bear with me and extend much grace to me when I was late or had a short fuse or was impatient. Thankfully, the amount expectancy from those I love has far outweighed the amount of expectation.

And the expectancy I experience from those I love is a soothing balm for the harsh lashes that expectation leaves on my soul. It lets me know I am loved, helps me move closer to believing I am wanted, and shows me in a tangible way what God's grace is like. I believe that God is more a God of expectancy than expectation.

So I hope that this year, you have experienced expectancy far more than you have expectation. And I hope that next year, you will not be a person of expectation, but will be a person of expectancy.

New Moon, Old Lie.

I came across this review from Dare2Share shortly after the new Twilight movie came out and thought it was interesting. Enjoy!

- Ariel

// // // // //

So it turned out pretty much as expected. A massive opening night with millions of Twittering Twi-Hards clutching their preordered tickets and finally embracing the über-anticipated sequel, The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

To sum the movie up - one girl…two guys…cool vampire (literally)…hot wolf (here boy!)…and, like, danger-lust-romance-mystery…OMG!!!

Picture the rival gangs in Grease, only with superpowers, much better stylists and costume designers.

In my mind, the siren call of this movie to the tweens and teens of this generation could be summed up in one word -

Love.

Wouldn’t you agree? Behind all the fangs and fur is a syrupy sweet repetition of “I love you, but I’m a vampire, and I can’t protect you,” and “I love you, but I’m a werewolf, and I can’t protect you.”

Don’t misread me here, I’m not a Twilight hater. The idea of the movie is interesting and the effects are cool, but what is not cool is the picture of love being portrayed here. The normal moviegoer might conclude that relationships as consistently, codependently fiery and passionate as Edward’s and Bella’s are normal and should be desired in life. As one writer put it:

“Twilight and New Moon are essentially uncritical celebrations of that overwrought, obsessive passion that is the hallmark of immaturity - passion that wholly subordinates all sense of one’s own identity and elevates the beloved to summum bonum (highest good), or even the sole good…” *

But that kind of love relationship isn’t healthy, nor does it portray what real love is really like. In other words, enjoy the movie, but don’t buy the love lie. Romance is awesome and an amazing part of life, but trust me, it can only come from a proper understanding of love.

Which then begs the question… what is love? Well, before you answer with “baby don’t hurt me!”, perhaps we should consult the Person who invented love in the first place?

This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:12-13).

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

Are you seeing the glaring difference here? Twilight tells us to look at love as an emotionally driven rollercoaster ride that is greatly impacted by circumstances, appearances, and expectations being met. It’s a flame that builds when the winds of passion are present, but it can grow cold with a mere unkind word or unfaithful action.

Yep, that’s pretty much our culture…but there is a better way. There’s a love that stays as constant and burning as the North Star, because the fire is fueled from the inside out. It’s a love that says, “I’m committed to you no matter what. If the emotions are there, great, but if not, you are still the object of my dedication.”

This is the kind of love that “never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

This is also the love that drives people to “lay down their life for their friends.”

And did you know that you are already the object of that kind of love?

Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:7-8).

God loved you before you were born. He loved you when you were unlovable. He still loves you when you doubt and disbelieve.

He loves you so much that He gave His only Son to die rather than live in eternity without you!

That’s the kind of love that lasts, and when a relationship is built on that kind of foundation, there is passion and romance that no book or film will ever come close to portraying. And when we are consumed with the love of God for us, earthly love will fall into its correct place on our list of priorities and desires.

And speaking of “laying down your life for your friends”… have you lately? Do their needs come before yours? And most importantly, have you put your coolness on the line by sharing the good news of the love of Jesus with them? That’s real love - a love that this cold world desperately needs.

* "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" Review by Steven D. Greydanus http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/movies/reviews/2009/newmoon.html

Sunday night mind purge

- This week has been crazy and busy and awesome and inspiring and depressing and an all around thrill ride roller coaster.

- Last Sunday, the 13th, was our second preview service at Del Sol Northeast. It was very interesting, lots of lessons learned, lots of technological problems - but in the end, it was blessed and I believe that God was honored.

- Monday was a really unproductive day. I served at Wayside at lunch time, then went to work doing some stuff at the NE campus, then worked at Carl's Jr. for awhile before meeting Walter at Costco to help him bring a purchase home with him that he needed a truck for. After that, I spent the evening at home working on some stuff, looking for a truck, and resting.

- Tuesday was a busy day spent mostly at the office. I had a good workout session at the gym, then showered up and went in to the office until about 4 pm. Then I had about an hour to go downtown, deliver 4,700 CD's to a mailing house, pickup a sign from a vendor, and then buy some fabric. It was a big rush but I was able to get it all done in an hour. Thankfully we postponed our NE campus launch team meeting until Thursday so I was able to enjoy a $2.99 country fried steak meal at Grandy's and then go see a friend's choir concert that evening. turned out to be a lovely evening.

- After the gym on Wednesday, I cleaned up and spent most of the rest of day at the office. During my time there I had a great, energizing, exciting meeting with Troy, Ed Romo, and Stephen Meyer as we talked and dreamed about the future of the new worship venue at Del Sol's East campus.

- And at the end of my week, which is Thursday, I spent it in the morning at the office, having a very encouraging meeting with Walter, then spent the afternoon working at Corner Bakery. Thank God for free WiFi! I was able to get quite a bit of work done, started to get to know some of the staff there, and had a good lunch.

- Then Thursday evening, we had a great celebration and launch team meeting at the NE campus. We had a good ol' fashioned Baptist pot luck dinner, then spent the evening preparing for an outreach on Saturday and just spending time in God's Word, remembering His goodness and remembering that this life is not the end - that one day we will be glorious and without pain and will be perfect in Heaven. God will be our God, and we will be His people. And that's what I can barely wait for!

- Friday was my day off, so I slept in, lounged around home, finally hit up the gym, had lunch, then went to look at a couple of possible trucks to buy. I also had new speakers put into my current truck. So the trucks I looked at turned out to be bad deals and I ended up coming home pretty discouraged and frustrated and just spent the evening sulking, then finally went to bed.

- Saturday morning was pretty great! Del Sol Northeast spent the morning and a bit of the early afternoon serving the Northeast community by wrapping gifts for free - no strings attached - at Kmart on Dyer. We wrapped close to 100 presents and served about 40 people in our few hours there. We had some great interactions, made some great contacts, and had some very deep, meaningful connections with two or three people who were really seeking something new, a fresh start. I hope they do come to our next service on January 10th and begin their new journey with God.

- And this morning was bittersweet at Del Sol East. I love worshiping with my Del Sol Church family and I'm very excited about what God is doing at Del Sol Northeast and I'm ready to get things going full speed ahead - BUT ...it's gonna be incredibly difficult to leave the campus I've known literally the majority of my life and not be there every week like I have for nearly the past 14 years. I have three more Sundays at Del Sol East and honestly, I'm really struggling with that. It's gonna be hard, but it's gonna be so worth it when we see the first person come to faith, the first person get baptized, the first person become a member of Del Sol Church.

- Thankfully I had a great lunch meeting after our worship celebration services with the Romo family. Man I just love those people so much and I'm so excited about what God is gonna use them for. I'm honored to be a part of their development as leaders in the Lord's precious Church.

- And as I think back on this week and this year, I can confidently say that it will be worth it all when we go Home to Heaven.