The Story of Ariel.

Looks like we have things backwards.

2012-01-23T18:06:00.002-07:00

Yesterday was the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision which legalized abortion. In 1973, the Supreme Court legalized murder under the premise of it being a woman's "choice". Since then over 50 million Americans have been violently robbed of their right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, as the Declaration of Independence says.

Yesterday was also the day that Joe Paterno died. He was the most winningest college football coach ever, and he was the long-time coach at Penn State University. I read an article by Bill Reiter on the Fox Sports website that said "Joe Paterno was a sick man. And Joe Paterno failed at the most important thing ever entrusted to him - the knowledge that should have made it possible to stop Sandusky before someone else finally did." That reference is to the child abuse scandal that cause Mr. Paterno to lose his job.

Considering that, I can't help but wonder if we have things backwards in our great nation. We celebrate the legalized murder of defenseless children, but we mourn the death of a man who didn't do anything to stop the horrible abuse of innocent children when it was in his power to do so.

Something's not right with that.

Does Jesus hate religion?

2012-01-13T20:26:00.002-07:00

Right now the big thing with a lot of people on Facebook and YouTube is this spoken word video called "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus". You can see it for yourself here: http://youtu.be/1IAhDGYlpqY

I've seen many of my friends post it on Facebook, talking about how great this video is. Tonight, I finally watched it to see what the hubbub was all about. After watching it, I have very mixed feelings about it. First, there are several things I really like about this video. It's a really well produced, visually captivating film, with very good cinematography. The building in the background is simply magnificent.

The young man speaking, Jefferson Bethke, seems to me to have a genuine heart in communicating the message that a relationship with Jesus matters more than religion. It's definitely true that "Jesus>Religion", as the screen shows for about 10 seconds in the beginning of the video. I really respect that Mr. Bethke was so transparent in talking about his faith story (his "testimony", to use a religious term), and I think it's what he's trying to communicate with this video. I almost totally agree with him ...almost.

This is a phenomenally powerful video but there are some things about it that in my opinion, are just not completely true. Anytime we watch or hear something about Jesus, God, Christianity, etc. - a very, very important question to ask is "is is true?", because anyone can produce a captivating video that can go viral online.

So is what Mr. Bethke says true? Not all of it. I think that some very important points of this video are misunderstandings or misinterpretations of what the Bible says. So let's start with the the first thing he says - which is the main point of the video. He says that "Jesus came to abolish religion". Is that true? From what Jesus said and from how we see in the Bible that Jesus lived His life, the answer is no.

Jesus did not come to abolish religion. In Matthew 5:17-19, Jesus clearly states that He is not against religion and the rules of the Old Testament Law. In verse 17 (NLT), Jesus said "Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose."

To my understanding, and please do correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that Jesus says anywhere in the Bible that He hated religion or that He came to abolish it. What Jesus spoke against so much was not religion by itself, but abused and perverted religion. That's a VERY important distinction. While Jesus was on earth, He faithfully observed the religious holy days of Judaism. He insisted that people believe in Him and in the teachings of the Old Testament. He commanded that you do certain things to show that you are His follower. If anything, Jesus instituted pure religion by commissioning the Apostles to begin building His Church, and by beginning the religious traditions of Believer's baptism and the Lord's Supper (also called Communion).

I have read the Gospel records of Jesus many, many times. I've read the Epistles (like Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, etc.) many times. Never once in the Bible have I seen religion condemned; I've only seen abused and perverted religion condemned. If anything, the Bible speaks highly of pure religion in James 1:27 (NIV): "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Another example of why Jesus is not against religion in and of itself: what He did and did not do when He cleansed the Temple. You can read about that in Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, and John 2. What Jesus did was make a whip, drive out the merchants, turn over tables, and condemned the merchants for selling their stuff in the Temple. What Jesus did not do was condemn the merchants for selling their stuff. Did you get that? Jesus never said it was wrong to sell animals for sacrifices and the things people needed for religious practices. He condemned them for doing it at that location, in the Temple, in the Gentile's court, because that essentially kept non-Jewish people from worshiping God.

So you see, it's not religion in and of itself that God is against - it's empty religion, abused and perverted religion, that God is against.

Now there are several other things that rub me wrong in this video - like the cheap shot he takes twice against Republicans. That was unnecessary and somewhat judgmental. I'm not a Republican (I consider myself an Independent), but anyone can see that he could have made his point without taking jabs at the GOP.

But much more importantly than that, Mr. Bethke is very critical and judgmental of Christianity. He says that religion started many wars. Well, that's sort of true. First, just because someone does something in the name of a certain religion doesn't mean that's what that religion teaches them to do. A great example of that is the Westboro group who protests military funerals and says that God hates America. I don't call them Westboro Baptist Church because they do not practice what Baptists practice, they don't believe what Baptists believe, and most importantly, they do not fulfill the Biblical description of a church. They do and say a lot of horrible, un-Godly things in the name of Christianity - but they do not represent what God says in the Bible.

Westboro's and Hitler's beliefs is not God and is not Christianity - their motivation is purely satanic. So just because some terrible things were done in the name of religion (like the Spanish Inquisition) doesn't mean religion is to blame. And religion is not the only reason wars have been started, so to single it out seems to be pretty unfair.

In this video, he also accuses churches of failing to feed the poor and telling single moms that God doesn't love them if they've ever had a divorce. My question would be "what churches are you talking about?" I know there are some churches that are focused just on themselves and don't live out compassion and justice like God says Christians should - but it really bothers me that he generalizes much of Christianity as being all about big buildings and not about showing God's love in practical ways. When it comes to feeding the poor - I can tell you about many churches in my El Paso who have big buildings but do a great job of feeding many, many hungry people in our community - churches like Del Sol Church, Abundant Living Faith Center, First Baptist Church of El Paso, CrossPoint Church, and Skyline Baptist Church. About divorce - I also know many churches who don't judge but minister to divorced people through programs like Celebrate Recovery and DivorceCare.

So his generalization about churches not caring for the poor and divorced is very, very unfair and untrue.

Now I could go on about the other things I disagree with about this video, but I won't because this post is already long enough. Kevin DeYoung does a great, fair, thorough analysis of every word of the video here: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2012/01/13/does-jesus-hate-religion-kinda-sorta-not-really/

Here's my point with this post about that video: I'm very grateful to Mr. Bethke for making this video because I'm sure God is using it to minister to people's hearts and to raise conversation about why Jesus is better than empty religion.

But Christians - let's be very, very careful about what we post and promote online. 2 Timothy 2:15 says that we should be careful to handle and explain the Bible truthfully - so let's think carefully about things first and make sure that what we promote will correctly represent God and His Word, the Bible. I'm not saying this video is blasphemy and I'm not judging anyone for posting it on their Facebook - but I am saying it does not correctly and fully represent Jesus or the Bible or reality. It's a good try, but there are some serious problems with this video, in my opinion.

You may not agree with me, but I'm not asking for agreement. I'm just asking you to really think about what the video says and run it through the filter of Scripture. Please don't just believe anything that someone with a slick video and a cool poem says. For us Christians, the Bible is our source of truth - not videos on YouTube.

So ...is Jesus against religion? From what the Bible says and from what Jesus said, the only conclusion I can arrive at is a big, resounding NO. It's very clear that the abuse and perversion of empty religion is what Jesus is against. Religion is a beautiful, beautiful thing that honors God and greatly benefits people - but only if it's pure, Godly, Biblical religion.

We should all want to be religious - but the right kind of religious.

My 2011.

2011-12-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

It's New Year's Eve, and suffice it to say this has been one of the most interesting years of my life. It's been a really LONG time since I've been this happy to see a year end.

Professionally, this has been one of the best years I've ever had. I have been amazed countless times at the great things God is doing through Del Sol Church, Youth for Christ El Paso, and The Encounter Movement. I have seen God transform people in amazing ways, I've seen Him lead people to great generosity with their time and money, and I've seen grace in action more than ever before. I've seen the absolute pain, horror, and devastation that sin causes, but I've also seen how God's grace and forgiveness is stronger.

I've also seen how God can heal and restore, and that's been indescribably beautiful to see. I know that what God has done is just the tip of the iceberg, and I am so excited to see the greater things that He will do next year. When it comes to ministry in El Paso, I truly believe 2012 will be a year of blessing, prosperity, and breakthroughs like we have never seen before. I feel tremendously humbled and privileged to be a part of that.

Personally, 2011 was one of the worst years I've ever had. I started out the year struggling with a depression that was affecting my life in a bad way. I wrote about that here. I went through months of counseling and finally experienced God's deliverance from that. Then I enjoyed a short time of good circumstances during the spring - and then came summer.

At the beginning of summer I got hit with a bad case of bronchitis. That was terrible, and I hope it never happens again. I also met a very lovely young lady and we began to kindle a relationship. It was very nice, very innocent and pure, and a lot of fun. She's a very wise, Godly young woman and I was excited at the potential for a long-term relationship. By the end of summer, she had to leave to go back and finish her last year of college.

We talked about what would happen next, and agreed that it would be best to wait until after she graduated to look into the possibility of a serious relationship. Shortly after that, she met another guy at school and they began a relationship. So as difficult as it was, I prayed for them, blessed them, and left that all in God's hand. I don't understand what happened, I don't know why things turned out the way they did, and I don't know if I'll ever have closure about that. I probably will after awhile, but it sure doesn't feel like it right now.

Around the same time, I also found out about a sinful situation some people I love were involved in and because of the circumstances, had to immediately intervene. That turned out to be pretty messy and I'm still helping them through the restoration process with that.

By this time, it was fall and I was getting pretty worn down by life. I hoped things would be a little calmer in life, but boy was I wrong! On Thanksgiving morning, I was heading to the parade Downtown and got rear ended by a lady in a big truck driving full-speed on the freeway. After waiting on the side of the freeway for nearly an hour, help arrived. The ambulance took one of the girls to the hospital and the rest of us went on our own and spent most of the day in the hospital. Since then we've been dealing with a long, painful, slow recovery from our injuries.

A little while after that I was asked to intervene in another messy, sinful situation. That was really painful to get involved in, and I'm also still involved in helping in that restoration process.

Then came Christmastime. One of my brothers wasn't able to make it home, making this the second year in a row my family was incomplete at Christmas. We made it through Christmas and ended up having a blessed time, and then a couple days after that I began to get sick. Turns out I have strep throat. I went to the clinic, got a couple shots, and passed out from the pain. After awhile, I was able to go home and since then I've been trying to heal up. As of today, I'm still feeling pretty lousy.

So ...you can see it's been a very difficult year for me. I have experienced physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual pain like I never thought I would. And you can see why I'm glad this year is over.

But - I'm optimistic and hopeful about 2012. Hardly anything has changed. Seems like things have gotten worse, actually - yet I believe next year will be a good year. Today, Steven Furtick, pastor of Elevation Church, posted this on twitter: "The difficulty of the trial you survived indicates the depth of blessing that's ahead. God tests you to promote you."

I fully agree with that. I believe that everything I've been through will be a launch pad for greater things. Why? Because God is good. Not everything that happens is good - but God is good.

Psalm 107:1 NIV says: "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever". Even through all the pain I've had, I can still confidently tell you that's true! God is good.

In John 10:10 CEV, Jesus said "The thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest". I LOVE that Scripture. I know that stupid satan tried to destroy me in 2011, but he failed like he always will. More importantly, I know that Jesus wants me to have life in its fullest, in Him.

So my goal for 2012: live life to the fullest by living it in Him. 2012 will be a great year because in good and bad - I will be living it with my Lord Jesus. And He is enough for me.

Christmas Gifts That Make A Difference

2011-12-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

Still looking for some Christmas gifts? Don't know what to get for someone? Why not give a gift that will last longer than a gift card, a fruitcake, or clothes? Here are some GREAT organizations to buy a gift from:

- International Justice Mission. This is my FAVORITE organization of all. If you're reading this, you will never be owned by someone else. You will never be property. Sad to say, not everyone in the world has the same freedom. You can buy the gift of freedom for someone in our world. Check out IJM by clicking here.

- charity: water. My next favorite organization. Did you know almost 1 billion people in our world don't have access to clean water? That to turn on a kitchen faucet and have clean water come out would be a miracle to nearly 1 BILLION people on earth? And did you know that just $20 provides clean water for one person for 20 years? Give the gift of water. You can buy gifts here or donate in someone else's name here.

- Compassion International. This is a phenomenal organization that is hugely respected across the world. You can help Compassion release children from poverty in Jesus' Name. There are so many ways to do that, you'll just have to go here to see all the gift options.

- World Vision. A few years ago I gave my three brothers a goat for Christmas. Yes, really - a goat. Somewhere in a developing nation, a family received a goat, which provides milk and cheese for food, manure for crops, and wool for clothes. There are lot of other giving options here.

- The A21 campaign. Last but certainly not least is A21 - an organization working to abolish justice in the 21st century. You can write a Christmas card to a survivor of human trafficking, or give a financial donation that will be used to fight human trafficking through legal fees, as well as costs related to healthcare and housing for victims. Check out A21 here.

I hope this Christmas you'll consider giving a gift that will make a difference.

My thoughts on current politics.

2011-11-08T22:19:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: these are my personal thoughts and opinions on current politics. My personal opinions are not at all related to or connected any non-profit organization with which I am affiliated.

Ok now that we’re clear about that, here are some miscellaneous thoughts about current politics in El Paso and beyond:

- I get very excited about politics and elections. I think the voting process is a huge privilege, and it’s the best way to make your voice known. Voting is much more effective than protesting like the ridiculously selfish & socialist “Occupy” groups are doing. But that’s another post for another day …

- Today in Texas we voted on 10 important constitutional amendments. I voted against the one that directly affected El Paso because I don’t think El Paso needs another taxing entity. We already pay enough taxes to enough entities.

- I’m glad that the city of Socorro, Texas elected Trini Lopez to be mayor again. He seems to really care about the community, unlike most other Socorro politicians. I like him.

- I think my city representative, Dr. Michiel Noe, is doing a fantastic job on city council. For once in a long time, I feel like I am actually being represented in city government.

- The only El Paso politicians I trust are Dr. Noe, city reps Acosta, Robinson, and Niland, county commissioner Dan Haggerty, county judge Veronica Escobar, and state representatives Dee Margo and Joe Pickett.

- Though we don’t totally align philosophically, I highly value the opinion of former YISD board member Liza Montelongo. I hope she runs for elected office again soon.

- I used to think anyone but Congressman Silvestre Reyes would be better for El Paso – until Beto O’Rourke joined the race. He is definitely not better than Reyes.

- I think Governor Perry is exactly right for Texas, but I don’t think he would be a good President of the United States.

- I really like Herman Cain, and I don’t believe the accusations about sexual harassment. I like that he is a businessman and outsider to politics, yet he knows about government since he worked with the Federal Reserve.

- Although I like Mr. Cain, I don’t think he’s ready to President this time around. He just doesn’t have the experience needed and I don’t think that the Presidency is a good place for on-the-job learning. I think he should be a Vice President in 2012, and then run for President in 2016 or 2020.

- I would love to see New Mexico’s governor Susanna Martinez become President in 2016 or 2020. I like her – a LOT!

- I believe President Obama really thinks his policies are best for America, but in my opinion – they are not. We are far worse off than we were before he was elected, and almost everything he has done has been very harmful to our great nation. It’s time for a real change.

You probably don’t agree with me on some of these things, but those are my opinions. Take ‘em or leave ‘em.

Adoption.

2011-09-16T22:05:00.001-06:00

Around the beginning of this summer a friend of mine mentioned something that I had always been favorable towards but never really thought about: adoption. They told me that they really want to adopt a child when they get married. They also asked me what I thought about adoption, and since then I've been thinking about it a lot.

Honestly, I had never really thought of it that much - but I have never felt negative or turned off to it at all. As a matter of fact when I was growing up, my parents frequently talked about their desire to adopt a little girl - so adoption has always been seen as a realistic, desirable thing in my family. So when my friend asked what I thought about adoption, I told them I wouldn't mind adoption at all. As a matter of fact, I might even want to adopt someday if I get married.

So ever since my friend rekindled that thought in my mind, I've been thinking about it ...a lot. And then a couple of Sundays ago I saw a story on the front page of the El Paso Times about the difficulties of adoption in Mexico. I believe it was on September 4th, now that I think of it. So the article was chronicling the story of an American family who has been trying for years to adopt a Mexican girl. They've spent thousands of dollars on administrative costs and court costs, and in making trips to Juarez to go see her over the years. They've basically watched her grow up and even though the Mexican government is making it nearly impossible for them, they still have hope that she will soon be part of their family.

The article also talked about many other kids who are in that orphanage waiting for a forever family and it showed several photos of the kids - some of them teenagers - playing at the orphanage. I looked at those photos of the little kids and thought maybe someday I'll adopt a child like them. I looked at the photos of the teenagers and wanted to be an older brother to them.

Honestly, it's really bothered me since then that SO many of these kids have been waiting for SO long, and that the Mexican government is making it so difficult for the adoptions to be finalized. It just doesn't make sense to me.

So ...adoption. It's a beautiful thing and it's an amazing, visible picture of God's love for us. Someday if I ever get married, I think I'd like to look into adoption. I pray and hope my wife will be open to that, because I think adoption is a really great thing.

What about you - have you ever thought about adoption? Would you be open to adopting a child?

Pray for Youth for Christ El Paso.

2011-09-01T20:44:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow morning, we as the board of Youth for Christ El Paso will gather together at 8:00 am to pray for the new school year of ministry with YFC. I want to invite you to join with us in prayer wherever you're at. Below are the things we'll pray about and even if it's after 8:00 am tomorrow, please pray for these things anyway. I believe this will be one of the greatest ministry years ever of YFC, so thanks for your prayers.

Prayer Requests:

1. That God would open any unopened doors in every and all areas of YFC: financial areas, churches, and campuses.

2. That this year we would be able to reach even more young people for Christ. That there would be a 10-fold multiplication of what God is already doing on YFC campuses in El Paso. That many more campuses and churches be added.

3. That through the planning of upcoming banquet, God would open even more doors in financial areas that perhaps we have never tapped into.

4. That as a Board we would begin to intercede frequently, and not only pray during our board meetings.

5. That the banquet would be 100% sponsored through business donors in this city.

6. For all our families.

7. For Rick (YFC's executive director), as he has to deal with various pressures from different people in different areas. That God would pour more and more of Him as he continues to walk in faith with the vision that God has given him in this city for YFC and Ft. Bliss.

8. That as a Board, we would be so united and stand together in times of battle and discouragement.

9. For Tara (our campus director) and her family: provision and strength to manage tasks that God has placed in their lap.

10. For Rosemary and Zach (YFC staffers): for greater leadership and greater abilities to manage responsibilities. That God would open contracting positions at Ft. Bliss so that they can continue to help with YFC.

12. For our jobs and ministries that each of us is doing. That God would prosper the work of our hands and give us greater favor.

13. For continued passion of each YFC chapter.

14. That this year, God has marked it as a year of great increase for YFC, and that we would hold on to that promise with all we got!

We pray based on God’s Word:

Psalm 91:15
They will call to me, and I will answer them.
I will be with them in trouble;
I will rescue them and honor them.

1 Corinthians 15:58
So my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Do not let anything move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.

Colossians 1:10
... so that you will live the kind of life that honors and pleases the Lord in every way. You will produce fruit in every good work and grow in the knowledge of God.

Hebrews 6:10-11
God is fair; he will not forget the work you did and the love you showed for him by helping his people. And he will remember that you are still helping them. We want each of you to go on with the same hard work all your lives so you will surely get what you hope for.

I love my wife.

2011-08-31T22:24:00.000-06:00

I don't know if I've met her yet or not, but I love her. With all my heart! I think about her everyday and I pray for her constantly. I ask the Lord to protect her heart, her mind, her emotions, her finances, and her body. I ask God to prosper her and bless her, to make her wise, and to give her a heart that will be compatible with mine.

There's a big difference between loving someone and being in love with them, but I love her and I'm in love with her. I love her as my friend and partner in ministry, and I'm in love with her as my romantic partner and soul mate.

To love is to serve, so I'm preparing myself right now to serve her. As a matter of fact, serving her for the rest of my life is one of the things I'm looking forward to the most about being married to her. I know it will be work, I know it'll be frustrating, I know it'll challenge me and will require an enormous amount of self-sacrifice, but I want to do it for her. She's worth it all to me.

I've been working hard for a couple of years now to become physically fit and healthy for her. I know that heart disease and diabetes run in my family, so I want to do what I can now to avoid getting sick later so that she doesn't have to deal with that. I've also been working hard and sacrificing a lot to pay off my school debt so that when we meet, I won't be bringing any debt into the marriage. That will be especially important if she has debt that we'll need to take on together. Since money problems is one of the biggest causes of marriage problems and divorce, I want to do everything I can now to avoid that stuff in the future.

In the Bible, Ephesians 5:22 says "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." Wow, what a big challenge to men. I want to know how to do that. Even though I'm not married, I'm trying hard to learn exactly what that means and how to do that for her. I know it'll take a lifetime to know how to love her like that but that's ok, because I've already given her the rest of my life anyway.

I know many people say that the romance fades and you just get used to each other after awhile. Call me naive, but I don't ever want that to happen to us. Perhaps they're the exception to the rule but I've seen a few couples who have been married for decades and they're still affectionate and in love like they were in the beginning. I want to do everything I can to always romance my wife so that even after 20 years of marriage, we're still in love. Even after years of marriage, I still want to hold her hand while we drive together or while we watch movies together.

I don't ever want to stop dating her. And I won't ever get used to her. I know that'll keep me on my toes and will stretch my creativity, but she's worth it.

Even though we're not married, and I don't even know if I know who she is yet - I love my wife. I really, really do - with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I just hope and pray - oh how I pray so much - that God will continue shaping me into the kind of man she needs me to be.

Because she's worth it.

Intentional Encouragement.

2011-08-08T21:58:00.001-06:00

I've never been a fan of "random acts of kindness"; honestly, I think that's a dumb concept. I believe we should be intentional about our kindness, not random. By "intentional", I don't mean we should be kind to some and not to others, and I also don't mean we should have some hidden motive behind our kindness. I just think that we should choose to intentionally be kind to everyone we meet, rather that just randomly picking someone out.

That's about as silly as when people open up the Bible to some random page, point their finger down on some random verse, and then expect God to speak to them through that. That's just playing games with God and disrespecting the Bible. But, that's a different topic to write about ...

I truly believe our kindness should be intentional. And what's more, I think our encouragement should also be intentional. Too often I think we encourage people for what they do, not for who they are. We encourage people when they make the team or do well on a project, but how often do we encourage them just for the sake of encouraging them?

Here's how this came about: yesterday I was talking with a friend and the topic of notes of encouragement came up. This friend mentioned that they frequently have notes given to them or left on their car, and I mentioned that aside from Minister's Appreciation month, my birthday, or at Christmas, I don't really get any notes or cards. I actually don't remember the last time someone gave me a note of encouragement just to encourage me.

(Don't feel bad for me; I'm not throwing a pity party. And please don't feel like you have to give me a note or a word of encouragement after reading this post)

But that got me thinking: my friend must feel special every time someone gives them a note "just because". And on the rare occasion that someone has encouraged me "just because", it's felt like a booster shot to my soul. So this morning, I woke up and decided that I would try, in some small way, to encourage everyone I saw today. At home I gave my mom a hug and told her I loved her.

Then later on I ran into someone at work and decided to encourage that person. I told them how they have such a kind, caring disposition which makes people feel at peace, and that they are doing a great job at the church office.

When I told them that, I saw this person's eyes well up with tears. This person was shocked and they stammered out how they had been struggling with feelings about their inadequacy and shortcomings, and that I made their day by telling them that. I took a moment to pray and ask God to encourage them, gave them a hug, and then went back to my office to work.

I sat down and was just floored. This person is always so nice and seems to always be smiling, so I was humbled and honored that they would open up with me and let me pray for them. If I hadn't been intentional about encouraging them, I probably never would have had the chance to minister to this person and speak life into them.

So I want to challenge you: be an intentional encourager. Make a decision to encourage at least one person a day - and try to encourage them for who they are, not what they do. Send someone a card once a week to let them know that you appreciate and respect them. Whatever you do, figure out some way to intentionally encourage others.

Is it more work to live that way? Yes. Do you have to really look beyond yourself and be considerate of others? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes. Proverbs 11:25 NLT says "The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed." Today was one of many instances in my life where I can tell you that this verse is very, very true. It's worth it to intentionally encourage, and the Bible promises that God will bless you for it

Don't be a random encourager; be an intentional encourager. You never know whose day you might make.

Ministry.

2011-08-07T19:12:00.000-06:00

The month of July 2011 was ....indescribable. In both a good and a bad way. Honestly, I still don't even know how to describe it. It's so surreal to have experienced such sheer happiness and joy, while at the same time experiencing such shocking betrayal and pain. I feel like I've experienced every extreme emotion imaginable, all within the span of a few short weeks. I wish I could elaborate more, but I can't. I still feel a little numb to it all.

I can honestly say that the third week of July was the most difficult and painful week of all my years in ministry, and one of the worst weeks of my life as a whole. Something horrible happened that I still can hardly even believe - and yet I'm grateful that through it all, the Lord blessed me in tremendous ways with courage, wisdom, and clarity of mind that I can only say came from God. Again, such a paradox: I experienced emotional trauma like I have never felt before yet at the same time, I experienced joy and peace from God like I can't even describe.

In the middle of dealing with some intensely personal stuff, I also had the privilege of helping several people from both campuses of my church work through some really difficult stuff. I went to bat so many times for them through prayer and through serving for them in practical ways, even when I was feeling totally drained myself and was the one needing to be ministered to.

And through it all, I kept remembering one thing: this IS ministry.

Ministry is not a program for an hour a week on Wednesday or Sunday. Ministry is not being in a small group Bible study. Ministry is not serving the community. Ministry is not teaching people the Bible. Ministry is not evangelism. Yes, those are all important components of ministry, but they are NOT ministry. Ministry is about caring for the one.

Ministry is ALL about the one.

The one person who is in the hospital, feeling uncomfortable because of their illness and wishing they could just be at home.

The one person who was in a dangerous situation and needs your help.

The one person who is living their life, doing whatever they want, hurting themselves and hurting others because they know they're looking for something but they don't even know what that is.

The one person who needs help moving. Or cleaning their house. Or mowing their lawn.

The one person who feels overwhelmed and needs someone to help them keep their head above water.

The one person who was betrayed and feels like they can never trust again, so they need someone to show them through Christ's love that they WILL find healing and WILL be able to fully trust again soon.

The one person whose life is going well, but is still living life without Christ and is heading to a Christ-less eternity.

The one person who can't pay their bills and needs a church family to rally around them, not as a charity case but because they are family, and families take care of their own.

The one who just really needs a hug. They don't need to you fix everything, they don't need your advice - they just need a hug.

Ministry is all about the one. And the high privilege and calling a minister is to minister to the one. Even when he's tired. Even when he'd rather do other things. Even when it's easier to let someone else do it.

Ministry is all about the one, and the minister needs to know - REALLY know - the people he ministers to in order to best minister to them. Proverbs 27:23 NLT puts it this way: "Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds."

In Luke 15:3-7, Jesus talks about the importance of leaving the group of 99 sheep to go find and bring back the ONE sheep who was lost. Ministry is all about the one.

So now it's August. I feel like I've been through the wringer. I feel like I've been hit by a Mack truck. I feel like I've poured myself out to the last drop for others. It's been tough and I've never experienced anything like this before, but I still count it a high privilege. It is an honor - an HONOR - to stand alongside people in their most difficult times and help them keep their eyes fixed on the hope of God.

As indescribable and difficult as July was, I wouldn't trade it for the world. It was a great month of ministering to people ...one at a time.

Grace.

2011-07-29T22:54:00.000-06:00

As I've worked to overcome depression the last 6 months or so, I have listened to one certain song over and over again and it's really ministered to my heart and helped me heal. It's called "You Love Me Anyway" by the group Sidewalk Prophets. You can watch the video here. In that song, there's a powerful refrain that goes like this:

"I am the thorn in Your crown, but You love me anyway. I am the sweat from Your brow, but You love me anyway. I am the nail in Your wrist, but You love me anyway. I am Judas’ kiss, but You love me anyway."

I don't know about you but many, many times I've felt like the nail in Christ's wrist and I've felt like Judas' kiss of betrayal. I've chosen to sin, I've chosen to rebel, I've chosen to settle for less than God's best and have done what I wanted or what felt good in the moment - but when you do whatever feels good, it doesn't feel good for long. And pretty soon, I feel like I personally betrayed God. And in a sense, anytime we sin, we actually do personally betray the Lord.

Yet the majesty of grace is that even if I had literally driven a nail into Christ's wrist or if I had literally betrayed Jesus with a kiss on the cheek, He would love me anyway. It's amazing how Jesus welcomed back and restored Peter after he had betrayed Jesus. Based on that, although I have no Biblical basis to prove it, I really do think Jesus would welcomed back and restored Judas if Judas hadn't committed suicide.

You see, that's the power and the beauty of grace. Whether we directly betray God like Judas did or we indirectly betray Him like Peter did, Jesus welcomes us back with open arms. In the same way that the rainbow is a reminder from God that He will never again flood the whole earth, the cross stands forever as a reminder that no matter what, God will always take us back. The cross is an everlasting reminder of God's grace no matter what we do - past, present, or future.

I have been the nail in His wrist. I have been Judas' kiss. And He loves me anyway.

Now that's grace - the grace of God.

Bring a mop.

2011-07-18T21:52:00.001-06:00

"A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out." - Isaiah 42:3 NIV

This verse came alive to me in a very personal way this weekend. I was listening to a talk from a church planting conference and the speaker mentioned this verse as part of the introduction to his message, but it hit me like a Mack truck.

Read that verse again. Really ...go read it again right now. Do you see the mind-blowing, wonderful, amazingly indescribable grace of God in that verse?

To think that God would see a bruised and bent life and not break it; to think that God would see one little lingering flick where there should be a smoldering fire and He would not extinguish it ...wow ...now that's grace.

Last week I heard a pastor who had committed adultery, was restored, and has now started a new church talk about how Christianity should not be about shooting our wounded, but how we should just "get a mop" and, with the power of Christ, help them clean up the mess they've made of their lives.

Hrmm. Seems to me Isaiah 42:3 is basically saying that God is in the business of getting a mop. That when He could rightfully come across a bruised reed and break it, He doesn't. That when He sees a smoldering wick, He doesn't blow it out. That God loves to redeem and renew. That God is in the business of raising the dead. Wow. Now that's grace!

Are you tired? Are you feeling worn out? Do you feel like you can't go on anymore? You just really need a break right now? If life too much for you to handle right now? If you feel like that, you're probably a bruised reed or a smoldering wick. Honestly, I've felt that way a lot in recent weeks.

But isn't it overwhelmingly wonderful to know that even though God sees our mess, our brokenness, our sin, and our failures, He doesn't break us or condemn us - He just gets a mop? That's the grace of God right there.

And if God sees our mess and gets a mop, then when we see another Christian make a mess of their lives, we should just go alongside them and get a mop. That does not mean we ignore or downplay what they did and that does not mean they they are exempt from discipline or from the consequences of their sin. There is a place and time for discipline and consequences; those are a very important part of redemption.

But instead of just throwing them under the bus, our first reaction should be to go alongside those bruised reeds and smoldering wicks and bring a mop. I think that's what God would do.

She takes my breath away.

2011-06-14T19:05:00.000-06:00

The very first time I saw her, I told myself that I'm in love with her. She takes my breath away whenever I see her. I get goose bumps whenever I think of her.

She turns heads, she is so beautiful. I admire her so much because she stands for all that's good.

I love the way she moves so freely, yet she's so strong. The colors she wears will never go out of style. I made a promise to protect her with my life.

That's the way I feel about Old Glory whenever I see her flying freely above our free skies.

- Ramon Valenzuela, El Paso, TX

God is not through with Juarez.

2011-06-13T13:58:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I was reading through the El Paso Times and an article really struck a chord with me. It was an interview with new police chief in Juarez, Julian Leyzaola. You can read the article by clicking here.

About Chief Leyzaola the article said that "he has taken on the enormous challenge of reining in crime in one of the most violent cities in Mexico. It is a daunting job, but he comes with experience. Leyzaola gained international prominence for helping reduce violence in Tijuana, cleaning up the city's police force and openly challenging drug organizations."

About the drug cartels - especially the powerful Zetas - Chief Leyzaola says "Am I supposed to tremble when the Zetas are mentioned or what? I think it is them who should tremble when they talk about the authorities."

Think about the power of that quote for a moment. Let it sink in.

This police chief - in one of the most violent cities in the world, where thousands are killed every year in the drug violence and where the police force is riddled with corruption and kickbacks - he believes that the drug cartels should be afraid of the authorities.

I agree with him. And I hope and pray, oh I pray so much, that the authorities will get the upper hand in this war because I believe at the core of my heart that God is not through with Juarez.

At the end of the interview, Chief Leyzaola said he still believes that he can change the country. This is a man who recognizes that God-given right for the government to provide order and security, and it seems to me that he recognizes the fact that good MUST triumph over evil. The police MUST triumph over the cartels and criminals in Juarez. They simply must.

And the good news is, God is on their side:

"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God ...For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer." - Romans 13:1 & 4 NIV

Natalie Grant has a powerful new song out called "Your Great Name" and in the first verse she sings "Every fear; has no place; at the sound of Your great Name. The enemy; he has to leave; at the sound of Your great Name." How true are those words! The real source of this chaos in Juarez is satan. His mission is to steal, kill, and destroy - but he HAS to run away like a little girl when God steps into the picture. And according to the Bible, Chief Leyzaola is a man who is literally on a mission from God to clean up Juarez. Judging from the article in The Times, I think he will succeed.

He thinks that some semblance of order will be restored to Juarez within a year and a half. I hope and pray so. The enemy, which in this case is the drug cartels and other criminals, must flee because God is on the side of Chief Leyzaola and his police force.

So for those of us who are followers of Christ, we have a responsibility to pray for Juarez. This is not a light responsibility; we must be on our knees, praying faithfully and passionately for God to restore peace to Juarez. The fact is, God is not through with Juarez. That city's greatest days are ahead of her, and as her neighbors to the north, we must pray for and support them.

Here are a couple of Scriptures you can pray over Juarez:

"O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure." - Psalm 7:9 NIV

"Confuse them, Lord, and frustrate their plans, for I see violence and conflict in the city." - Psalm 55:9 NLT

When you hear about the violence and senseless killings in Juarez, pray. Pray and remember that the enemy has to leave at the sound of our great God's Name. Pray and claim peace over Juarez in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Pray and remember that God is not through with Juarez.

Opening Up.

2011-05-15T19:15:00.000-06:00

I am one of about 10-15% of Americans.

I have depression.

In my early teenage years I struggled with depression for a couple of years and I thought that was all behind me, but then in December it came back and by the beginning of March, it was back with a vengeance. It was beginning to seriously affect my life and was stealing my happiness away from me. All I wanted to do was eat and sleep and eat some more. The things that I used to take pleasure in, I no longer enjoyed.

You know the commercials for depression pills where the people have to wind up the little figurines of themselves? That's how I felt - like I had to wind myself up just to get out of bed each morning. At my lowest point, I experienced something that totally opened my eyes to how others feel: I didn't want to live anymore.

It's not that I was suicidal. I didn't want to kill myself; I just wanted to cease existing. It was so strange to experience that, and that was when I knew I needed help. So after 3 months of keeping this intensely personal battle a secret, I made one of the toughest decisions I've ever had to make: I told someone about my depression.

Doing that was one of the most TERRIFYING things I've ever done.Honestly, I was worried that it would cause me to carry a stigma. I was worried that people would think of me differently and would behave differently around me. And you know what? Some people did. But that's ok.

Going public with my depression has been one of the greatest and most humbling things I've ever done. I prayed about it for awhile and decided that I needed to be on display with my depression because I believed God would glorify Himself through it. So I decided that if I was gonna gonna go in, I was gonna go ALL in. I cannonballed into the water by telling my parents, my fellow staff members, my GrowGroup family, and a few others as I felt necessary about my battle.

By being open about it, God has opened up so many opportunities for me to minister to other. I can't tell you how many times I was transparent with someone about my depression and I saw their disposition totally change. It was like new life was breathed into them as they realized they weren't the only ones. Every time I told someone about my depression and saw how God used it to bring healing to them, I also felt healed a bit.

As treatment for my depression, I started counseling. Let me say, I have always had massive respect for our counseling team at Del Sol but it wasn't until I actually started going to counseling with Justin that I fully understood and appreciated what God does through our amazing counseling team. They have so many great resources that can really help you find healing in God and be transformed as you put into action the plan they give you. I am amazingly grateful to our counseling team for helping me through this.

So now, 4 and a half months into this ordeal, I'm at a point where I feel better because I am transformed. I don't know if I'll ever be "healed", but honestly I don't know if that's even the point. But I do know that Romans 12 talks about being transformed by the renewing of your mind, and I know that 2 Corinthians 1:4 says that God comforts us in our troubles so that we can comfort others with the same comfort God gives us.

In other words, my depression can be a ministry. So if I'm never healed, but God can use my pain to minister to others ...I'm ok with that.

Psalm 3:3 says that God will lift up my head. I can't even count how many times since December I have asked the Lord to be the lifter of my head and restore to me my joy. He has answered my prayer because there is incredible power in prayer.

So now that you know about my struggle, will you pray for me?

My thoughts on Osama bin Laden

2011-05-04T21:54:00.000-06:00

Three days ago it was announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed. Sadly, right away it seems that Christians were divided about this into two groups: the group who celebrated justice being served and the group that mourned the death of a man who is now spending an eternity without Christ. Some quoted a verse from Ezekiel which says that God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked. Others - myself included - quoted verses talking about the justice and righteousness of God triumphing over evil.

Let me just say to start that I should have thought before I posted anything. I learned a big lesson from all this.

Now a few days after the fact, having had plenty of time to think about it and listening to the perspective of Christians I respect who stand on opposing sides of the issue, here are my conclusions.

The death.

First, I don't think anyone would argue that his death was just and was not murder. That being said, as Christians I believe we should do two things with equal energy:

1. We should mourn the death of a wicked man who has now entered a Christ-less eternity. If you have even the slightest idea of what a horrible place hell is like, you would understand why there should be absolutely no pleasure in knowing that OBL is there. Hell is a terrible place, horrible beyond description, and we should take no pleasure in even someone as depraved and wicked as OBL or Hitler being there. Anyone - ANYone - being in hell is a terribly sad thing which we should mourn.

2. We should celebrate the fact that justice has been done. We should not celebrate the death, but we should celebrate the fact that good triumphed over evil and justice was served. The Bible is very clear that the primary role of government is to protect its people. Romans 13 reminds us that the government "bears a sword" for a reason, and the job of government is to bring justice swiftly and fairly. So the fact that an enemy of the State was found out and eliminated as a threat to our nation is right and just because it is a triumph, and that is something to celebrate. There's nothing wrong with rejoicing in the triumph of good over evil, and we should all be tremendously proud of our soldiers for a job very well done.

To embrace one of these viewpoints without the other is (in my opinion) wrong, shortsighted, and shows a lack of a proper understanding of the Bible. Honestly when I first heard the news I embraced #2 without embracing #1 and that was wrong. When it comes to OBL's death, I would encourage you to ask if you are responding to this in a Godly way and repent if necessary, like I've done.

The photos.

Today the President announced that the government would not release the photo of Bin Laden's corpse. He was quoted as saying "We don't trot out this stuff as trophies". When I first heard this, I didn't know how to feel about it. My first instinct was that the government should release the photo so that every American who wants to can see it, as was done with the corpse of Saddam Hussein.

But after a little more thought, I've come to realize there are some good arguments for both releasing and not releasing the photos. One of the arguments against releasing the image is that it will incite muslim terrorists to attack. I think that's a pretty weak argument because terrorists are gonna attack either way. They're gonna be angry about the news alone and releasing a photo won't really do much more to incite them.

I think the best argument I've heard for not releasing the photos is that we should take the higher ground that muslim terrorists and not stoop down to their level of parading these kinds of things around. That seems to be the approach our President is taking and I see some validity to it.

The other argument I've heard is that the government owes it to the citizens of America to prove that our number one enemy had been eliminated. That to dispel rumors and conspiracy theories, the government should be open and honest and show the proof that justice has been served, again, like they did with Hussein.

As a Christian, I agree that we should take the higher ground. But our government is not a theocracy. This is a secular government and because of that, they should release the photos and the video of the burial at sea. There will always be conspiracy theories, but the average American citizen has the right to know the truth and the best way to prove what has been done is through photos and videos.

What do you think about all this? Do you agree or disagree with my conclusions?

Why I don't believe the tragedy in Japan is God's judgment.

2011-03-15T15:20:00.000-06:00

Every time a massive tragedy happens - be it 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, or the recent tragedy in Japan - some presumably "well meaning" Christian says it was the judgment of God on those people. Just today, KVIA reported that a candidate for a city council position claimed this was God's curse on Japan.

Apparently this man, not the Bible (which is the Word of God), is the spokesperson for God!

All sarcasm aside, I disagree with him and I think it's vile, merciless, and plain stupid to say that - especially while Japan is still in crisis. I mean, even China - one of Japan's enemies - is putting aside their animosity for awhile to provide help to Japan. Seems that even a horrible, ungodly government like China's is showing more grace to Japan than some Christians.

I think there are some major flaws with the notion that every time something horrific happens, like the aforementioned events, they are God's judgment on evildoers.

First, not EVERYONE in New Orleans (Katrina), Washington, New York City, and the United States (9/11) or Japan are vile, evil sinners worshiping false pagan gods. Many of them were regular, normal people living good lives. Sinners living apart from Christ, sure - but nothing blatantly anti-God, nothing outright blasphemous.

Second, what about all the Christians in those places? In the Old Testament, didn't God spare Israel from judgment at least because of the remnant of faithful God-followers? Since the Bible says God never changes, shouldn't we expect that He would at least offer mercy because of a faithful few?

Third, the Bible is very clear throughout the Old Testament and especially in the New Testament about God's grace - that He is being patient and restraining His judgment (see 2 Peter 3:9). And Romans 2:4 says it is God's KINDNESS that leads people to repentance. So if God wanted people to turn from their wicked ways, it would be in keeping with what the Bible says for Him to draw people to repentance through His kindness, not harsh judgment.

Fourth, if these are God's judgment, you have to ask - where was the forewarning? Throughout the Bible God always gave people a chance to repent before bringing judgment and destruction; Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Jonah are great examples of that. When did the people of Japan and New Orleans - as a whole, not just as individuals - receive a warning to repent? For God to bring punishment without first bringing a chance to repent seems very out of character for God; it would make it seem like God is a schizophrenic.

So could these events be God's judgment? Yes, that's possible. God is sovereign and is good and right and just in everything He does. If He were using these events to bring judgment, because He is God He has every right to do that and we cannot accuse Him of being unfair or unjust. BUT - from what the Bible says about how God chooses to relate to us right now in the age of grace and in the new covenant because of Jesus - I would say these things are probably not God's judgment.

So why do these things happen? Because we live in a broken, messed up world under the curse of sin where although Jesus is King over all, stupid satan still has some power as the prince of darkness. So I would attribute these horrible events to what Romans 8:19-22 says: these are the tragic effects of sin being played out in creation, but probably not the judgment of God.

As Christians, as followers of Christ - yes we need to speak the truth without compromise - but I think we need to be smart about it and be sensitive. Right now is simply not the time to pronounce God's judgment - not when they're still counting bodies.

What do you think?

2011-01-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

Today is Global Human Trafficking Awareness Day. I’ve heard many different statistics about human trafficking and how prevalent it is. One estimate I saw yesterday is that one in four victims trafficked to the United States travels along I-10 – the main highway that runs right through my beloved city of El Paso. That’s roughly 17,000 victims a year.

That is simply unacceptable. Words cannot describe how unacceptable that is. Just one person being trafficked in our country – or in our world for that matter – is one person way too many.

Injustice is something that really bothers me. It messes with my heart and sometimes overwhelms me to the point of tears. I hate injustice. I hate it! I don’t even know how to describe the anger and pain that I’m filled with when I think of injustice.

Injustice cannot continue. NOT ON MY WATCH.

I will fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. I will devote the rest of my life and whatever financial resources I can to help bring an end to injustice in our world, whether it’s slavery, forced prostitution, lack of clean water, or any other situation where basic human rights and dignity are stolen away.

In November I went to the Catalyst One Day event in Phoenix, and one of the singers there sang an updated version of the old hymn “It Is Well”. As he sang that song, it hit me: I can rightfully sing this song. All things considered, it really is well with my soul. But how many millions of people in our world today, how many people we see face to face every day in El Paso cannot sing that song because it is NOT well with their soul?

How many beautiful young girls do we see at the store and we don’t even know that they’re forced into prostitution and are screaming “it is NOT well!”? How many men are forced into manual labor with no hope of escape and they can only sing “it is not well”?

This simply cannot continue any longer. Not on my watch.

That’s why I’m a huge supporter of two organizations whose missions are to bring an end to injustice. International Justice Mission specifically addresses injustices like slavery and the sex trade. Charity: water addresses the injustice of people in developing nations not having clean water to drink.

If you’re like me and you say “not on my watch”, then do something to help. Donate to IJM and charity: water, and tell everyone you know about them. Also, you can be at the “Save the Brave” concert tonight from 6:00 – 9:00 pm at the BSM (101 E. University, at Mesa & University next to Whataburger).

Join with me today and for the rest of our lives in crying out “NOT ON MY WATCH!”

No resolutions, just values.

2011-01-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

So every New Year, people talk about turning over a new leaf, changing their ways, and making resolutions. New Year's resolutions are big, and it seems like they're impossible to keep.

I don't make New Year's resolutions. If I'm gonna do something or change somehow, I just do it - regardless of the time of year.

However, I've gotten a bit off base in life. I haven't been living in total, unconditional surrender to God, and I've been missing out on living in His best for me - so I need to realign my life. To do that, I'm not making resolutions but I am realigning my values.

This year, these are the things I want to value in life:

- Being in love with God. Too often last year I loved God and was obedient to Him - but I wasn't crazy in love with Him. Far too often I was living more out of duty and commitment to Him than out of love. My prayer is to love God more than I love anyone or anything else, so I am making some big changes in my life. I don't want to just settle for loving God; I want to be passionately, recklessly, totally, hopelessly IN LOVE with God. Nothing less than that will do and nothing else will matter as much as that. That will be my ultimate value this year.

- People. Last year reminded me in so many ways that aside from God, nothing matters more than people. NOTHING. Seriously - nothing. No amount of money, no amount of ministry work, no project, no task, no technology, no TV show, no video game - nothing. Period. And yet, I so often seem to forget that and behave like projects matter more than people, rather than the opposite. But this year, I am choosing to value people above all else, save God. I will prioritize people even at the cost of personal productivity. People matter to God, so they better matter to me.

- Making reading a priority. I really suck at reading. I mean, I know how to read but I hardly ever make time to do it. I tend to see it more as a "if I have some spare time to do it" kind of thing instead of a "this should be a priority because leaders are readers" thing. I have a stack of about 20 books I've bought that I want to read, and about 50 more on my Amazon wish list, so I really gotta get to work on this one!

- Communicating over talking. I talked way too much last year, and didn't communicate enough. I failed epicly when it comes to communication. I assumed that people understood what I meant and even though I said I wanted to over-communicate, I didn't. I definitely under-communicated. This year I will strive to be concise, clear, and to the point. I will also value simply having more conversation just for the sake of conversation. I really enjoy having conversation with people, and I want to do more of that.

- Getting dirty. My life has been too clean, to "American Dream". I haven't gone hungry, I haven't gone thirsty, and I haven't gone without anything I need - or want, for that matter. Yet millions of people throughout the world, and hundreds of people in my El Paso have. I don't think I crossed paths with anyone who was truly in need last year; I don't think I did enough in the Name of Jesus Christ to meet real needs and address injustice around me. That is not cool. I will value addressing injustice around me, and I will be intentional about doing so. The Bible says that to whom much is given, much is demanded. It says I am blessed to be a blessing, so I must get grimy, I must get in the gutter, I must get dirty this year.

What will you choose to value more this year?

A "Normal" Teenager.

2010-12-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

I invested a good portion of the day today with a 15 year old guy. We went to the Westside, had lunch, then adventured around the mountain neighborhoods of El Paso, and walked around the UTEP campus. It was a great time. And for most of the time we talked about theology, church stuff, politics, etc. We also joked around about things and had lots of fun.

Then when I dropped him off at home, he said he wanted to help me at the Christmas Eve service tomorrow at Del Sol Church Northeast.

He has invested countless hours with me in doing ministry at the NE campus - from doing work on the grounds, to outreaches, to playing in the worship band on Sunday mornings. Interesting thing is, that's normal for him. It's normal for him to be at the church instead of at school or getting into trouble with friends on the weekends. I like that!

I like that he, as a teenager, considers it normal to be actively involved in ministry. He could easily spend all his time with girls, or playing video games, or doing anything else - but at his age, he enjoys serving the Lord by doing ministry stuff. And he's not alone; there are dozens of other teenagers at the church that also invest much of their free time - and even their time at school, for that matter - serving the Lord.

I hope that at Del Sol Church, we always make it more normal for teenagers to be actively involved in church ministry work and in missions work throughout the world.

What was considered normal behavior for teenagers when you were growing up?

Christmas songs.

2010-12-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

I love Christmas music. I'm a Christmas music junkie. Here are some of my favorite Christmas songs, and Christmas songs I cannot stand.

Some of my favorite songs:

"O Holy Night" is without a doubt my favorite Christmas song.

"I Celebrate The Day"

"Christmastime Is Here"

"Do You Hear What I Hear?'

"Joy to the World"

"Wonderful Christmastime"

"Happy Christmas"

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

"All I Want For Christmas Is You"

"Emmanuel"

"Christmas Canon"

"Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town", the Bruce Springsteen version

Least favorite songs:

"I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas"

"Santa Baby"

"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"

"Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer"

"Grown Up Christmas List"

"The Christmas Shoes"

What are some of your favorite and least favorite Christmas songs?

International Justice Mission

2010-11-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

My favorite non-profit organization is, without a doubt, International Justice Mission. You should give them money, and lots of it because they're doing AMAZING things in the Name of Jesus. They're fighting injustice and I believe that through God's power, they're winning.

I support them financially each month, and this is why:

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE

Location: Bangalore, India
Date: November 4, 2010
Result: 15 slaves freed

Dear Ariel,

Late last week, 15 forced laborers were brought to freedom from the brutal rock quarry where they had been held as slaves. In the quarry, they faced physical violence and verbal abuse — and several victims had not eaten for days at the time of the rescue operation.

Now free, rescued laborers, accompanied by IJM staff, receive their official release certificates from local authorities.

The rescue operation posed significant challenges for IJM staff and our local government partners. The quarry was located on a dead-end dirt road — the final mile of which was impassible by vehicle.

Despite these obstacles, IJM and the local government and police were able to rescue all 15 slaves — each of whom received official Release Certificates, which entitle them to critical assistance from the government so they can rebuild their lives.

Three children who were living at the facility with their parents were also released and spared a future of slavery. These men, women and children are now back in their home villages, and are enrolled in IJM’s long-term aftercare program.

Thank you for your recent financial support. The freedom these 15 former slaves now know is just one example of how your giving has brought justice to victims of violent oppression.

Gratefully,

Laurie Hayes
International Justice Mission

One year.

2010-11-07T21:33:00.000-07:00

On November 8th, 2009 - one year ago this Sunday - we held our first worship celebration services at Del Sol Church Northeast.

I vividly remember what it felt like that morning when I pulled into the parking lot. I remember what it felt like when we had finished rehearsing and prayed up and began to pace around, nervous as could be, wondering if anyone would even show up! I remember what it felt like at 9:29 am when it was one minute away from beginning our first service. I remember when I stood up for the first time and began to preach my first message there.

I can summarize in one word how I felt it all: TERRIFIED.

And now, one year later, I can still summarize in one word how I feel: GRATEFUL.

Seriously.

A year later we've got a much better handle on things now programatically speaking. Our services run pretty smooth, for the most part. Our kids ministry team does a phenomenal job - where kids don't want to leave because they enjoy it so much. We've had GrowGroups start up and are seeing people really open up and began to experience true Biblical community. We've served the community like crazy! We have THE best weekly and once-a-month volunteers that you'll find in any church. And I'm very grateful for all of that.

But more than anything I'm mind-blowingly grateful that God would, for reasons I just don't understand, use me and work through me and allow me to lead as a part of His beautiful bride, the Church. I simply don't understand that. I think about all my faults and sins and don't understand why so many people would follow my lead and go along with me on this journey to Love God, Love People, and Serve the World in Northeast El Paso. I'm astounded.

I just don't understand it all, but it's very humbling, and I'm VERY grateful.

Thank You my wonderful Lord Jesus for everything You've done through Del Sol Church Northeast in this year since we began this crazy journey. Thank You for leading us. Thank You for giving us vision and direction. Thank You for sending people who are far from God to us so we can lead them back to You. And more than anything, thank You for using me. I am so far from perfect. I can be such a sinful idiot. And yet, You still choose to pick me up, dust me off, and work through me. Thank You, my God.

It's been a long day ...

2010-11-04T21:54:00.000-06:00

Today started at 5:30 am for me. I got up, showered, ate, and headed off to meet my dad at Providence hospital and sit with him while he was waiting for his procedure. We waited for about two hours before he was taken in to the surgical suite.

I'll be honest - I was doing ok up until after they wheeled my dad away into surgery. When I sat down in the waiting room, surrounded by strangers, I fought to keep from crying. I didn't know if I would ever see my dad again. Thankfully I had brought my computer and some books with me so I was able to start working and take my mind off things.

After being in the waiting room for awhile and texting friends and family to give them updates, I walked down the street about a block away to the Baptist Student Ministry building where I was able to do some more work using their free wifi. It was good to be out of the hospital setting and to just dive into my work.

By 11:15 am it was time to go back and get an update on my dad. I went back to the waiting room and about 15 minutes later, the doctor came out to tell me the good news that everything went well, they were able to clean out the clogs in his legs, and he would most likely NOT need another surgery.

Not long after that they called me back to walk along as they wheeled my dad to his recovery room. That was pretty difficult too, seeing him asleep on the bed with all the tubes and such all over the place. I could hardly look at him. We got to the recovery room and since he was asleep, I was gonna just hold his arm and say goodbye - but he woke up so I was able to tell him the outcome of the procedure, and that I love him. He'll be staying overnight in the hospital and I'll pick him up tomorrow, mid-day.

As I walked to my truck, I felt like for the first time in days I was able to breathe again. The stress and anxiety seemed to melt off my shoulders and I was able to relax. I went to the office for a meeting and for what I thought would be just a couple hours of work. I ended up being there til about 5 pm. Naturally, I was little more than a semi-functioning zombie by the time I left the office.

I got home, wanting to take a nap but seemed to be glued to the couch in which I had sat down on to watch TV. Around 5:45 I got up, staggered to my bed, and passed out for about an hour. Then I woke up, showered, and went to get some dinner. Then I gassed up Sam, my truck, and came home. And here I am. And I am SO ready for bed and SO VERY ready for my day off tomorrow.

It's been quite the day, and I hope it's the kind of day I never have to live through again for many years.

Fear.

2010-10-25T19:41:00.003-06:00

There are several things I fear in life. Some are irrational, trite, and small fears; some are significant, profound, and I think many would understand why I fear those things.

I'm very afraid of needles, snakes, and insects. Also, I'm a little afraid of heights. Falling off a roof and busting my knee last spring certainly didn't help with that one!

But there are some more significant things I fear.

- Cancer. Honestly, this is something I fear tremendously. I've seen my grandpa die from this, I've seen many others battle it - some have won from an earthly perspective and were given more life on earth; others experienced true victory left this earth, going Home to be with out Lord. Honestly, cancer is something I really, truly fear - and I hope to never get that vile, wicked, stupid disease.

- My parents growing older. Kind of going along with the cancer thing, sometimes I see my parents getting older and I fear what will happen if one of them gets cancer or some other debilitating disease. Or if from mere old age they become unable to care for themselves. I fear what will happen then; will I be able to care for them or not? What will we do when the time comes for my mom or dad to go Home to be with the Lord?

- Being disqualified from ministry. Nobody is above being decimated by one stupid, sinful choice. Ministry leaders especially are prone to spiritual temptation and failure because of the intense nature of the job and because of increased spiritual attack that comes with the work. I hear of pastors who are in ministry for decades and decades, and I pray and hope and fear not a little bit that I will some day fall into the trap of sin, embarrass the Lord and His Church, and be disqualified from ministry.

When I fear, it can be intense. If I leave it unchecked, it can be overwhelming and disabling. In my younger years, I let fear steal away many of my days. So in order to conquer my fear through the power of God, I have memorized and constantly go back to this one amazing verse:

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." - 1 John 4:18

Perfect love drives out fear. It casts out fear. It hurls it away from us like you would throw a rock across a room or projectile vomit several feet away. So just what is perfect love? It's the love of God. I mean, what love could be more perfect than the love of God that compelled Him to do whatever it took and go to the most extreme lengths to bring us back to Him? If the cross of Jesus Christ doesn't give you tremendous confidence in our God, then I just don't know what will.

So when I fear, I remember that there is no fear in love. I remember that God's perfect love drives out my fear. I remember that fear is not from God; it's from stupid satan. I remember that God did not give me a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7), that I can do everything through Him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13), and I remember that the same power then conquered the grave lives in me (Romans 8:11).

So when I take my focus off my fear and put it on the Word of God, fear loses it power over me and it just fades away into the past.

Like the old bumper sticker says: "No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace". It's cliche, but it's very true. Perfect love drives out fear.

What do you fear? How do you deal with your fear?

charity: water

2010-10-11T20:57:00.004-06:00

Look at this infographic, then go to http://www.charitywater.org and get involved.

100% of any money you donate goes to providing clean water to the people in our world who don't have it. Yes, 100% of your money!

5 Months

2010-10-11T19:25:00.001-06:00

That's about how long it's been since I last blogged. So much has gone on, I won't try to recap it. But I will try to begin to blog more regularly - at least once or twice a week.

So let's see what God will do with this thing! Thanks for reading.

Because of them.

2010-05-31T22:08:00.002-06:00

Because of them, I slept soundly last night without any fear of a foreign army invading my city.

Because of them, I went to the gym this morning without even thinking twice about it.

Because of them, I was able to mow my own lawn without fear of my piece of land being confiscated without recompense.

Because of them, I was able to paint my front door without worrying that it will ever be broken down by gestapos.

Because of them, I'm able to post this without fear of it being monitored by the government, censored by them, or taken down because they do not like the views I express here.

Because of them, our Constitution has been protected and still guarantees me many freedoms I take for granted.

Because of them, you and I say and do hundreds things every single day in freedom, without fear of the government or any foreign enemy.

Over one million men and women of every race and creed have given up their lives for the sake of freedom, for the sake of this great country, and for our sake. May we never, EVER forget their sacrifice.

To all who have ever sacrificed for our great country: thank you.

I have a dream.

2010-05-11T19:18:00.003-06:00

So we all know the most famous line from Martin Luther King Jr. - "I have a dream ..."

Do you?

Seriously. Do you have a dream? Mr. King had a dream, a dream that he died for. A dream that has mostly become a reality in the generation that came after him.

It's amazing how powerful a dream can be - powerful enough to cause someone to lay down their life for it.

I've had a dream for awhile. I don't know how to bring it to fruition, I don't know how much it'll cost, I don't know the details - I don't even know what the first step might be - but I know it's a dream that could be used to make a huge impact for God's Kingdom and could really help people in their time of need.

Here's the dream: a mobile help center. Imagine with me; you have a crisis at your home, like a water pipe bursting and flooding your home, or a house fire or God forbid, a murder in your home. Or anything really that causes you to be in a crisis. You call 911 and the appropriate first responders show up but not long after them, another group shows up: the service team in their mobile help center.

This RV or trailer pulls up in front of your home with the people and resources ready to help solve your crisis as much as is humanly possible.

- If your home is flooded they bring shop vacs to clean up the water and vacuum our furniture, tools to remove ruined drywall, a fresh supply of groceries, a place to wash & dry clothes, etc.

- If there's a murder in your home, this team has all the equipment necessary to clean up the scene after the police are finished so that you don't have the clean up the spilled blood.

- If there's a fire - food, pillows & blankets, clothes, toiletries, toys for the kids, etc.

- It would be versatile enough that it could be used even when a crisis isn't occurring; it would also be used for blood drives, food drives, health fairs, service projects, etc.

Sure, other churches have done something similar to this. And the Red Cross offers some of these services. But I'm imagining a mobile help center, stored in a warehouse with a variety of supplies in stock, that is versatile enough to meet nearly every need a person might have and that can be there right away to help. It would also be used in months following a crisis to help people for the long haul - not just a few days or weeks.

And most importantly, this would all be done with the love of Jesus in the Name of Jesus.

This would probably cost a lot to start and maintain, and it would require some well-trained, committed team members who could be on call 24/7, but I think it's doable. This dream surely requires some fine tuning, but I think it's definitely doable.

What do you think - any thoughts?

Del Sol Church Northeast update, 03/17/10

2010-03-17T16:19:00.000-06:00

Here's the latest update on Del Sol Northeast:

- Easter is coming soon so in preparation for that, last Sunday at Del Sol Northeast we started a message series called “A Place for Everyone” where we’re taking some time just to revisit what the heart of Jesus is for His Church, what our attitudes and actions need to be in order to make DSC NE be a church campus that pleases the Lord, and what God’s mission for Del Sol is.

- Also in preparation for Easter we are doing a mass mail out to the community surrounding the NE campus, and we’ll also be putting up posters at stores all around and handing out invite cards. We’ll also be leaving a small potted flower with an Easter invitation card at several hundred homes in the community. If you’ve been looking for an easy way to support our church's Northeast campus, this is it! You can help us walk down the streets and leave a flower at each home as a way to help us invite the community to our Easter worship celebration services. Come together as a GrowGroup, come with friends, make it a family service event - just come help us get the word out! If you’re interested in helping us with this, please let me know.

- We’ll be starting a new message series on Easter Sunday called “The Real Jesus”, which will start on Easter Sunday. In that series we will look at several different misperceptions and mischaracterizations of Jesus (Spooky Jesus, Best Buddy Jesus, etc.) and we will see who the Bible says Jesus really is.

- Thankfully God has provided people to lead worship through music at the NE campus since we kicked off in January, but we can’t go on forever having a different band and different leaders each week. So some other staff members and I have come up with a couple of ideas that should help us have some immediate regularity with out worship through music and be able to identify someone who can lead us in worship through music on a more permanent basis.

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. Pray for us as we approach some people about leading us in worship through music on a short-term basis as well as on a more permanent basis.

2. Ask the Lord to prepare the hearts and minds of those we will serve and who will receive invitations in the mail for Easter at Del Sol Northeast. Ask Him to send many from the community to DSC NE so that they can hear the life-changing message of the Gospel.

3. Keep asking the Lord to challenge those from Del Sol NE who are Christians to be proactive and intentional in inviting their friends, neighbors, and coworkers to Del Sol NE.

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 - 03/03/10

2010-03-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest update on Del Sol Northeast:

- A couple of weeks ago we started a message series called “aka God”, where we’re looking at a few of the Old Testament names of God to see what they mean and how they apply to our lives today. Last week we looked at the name Jehovah Tsidkenu (sid-keh-noo) which means God is our righteousness. It was a good week and a challenging message because I called the believers there to return to living righteously and the non-believers to begin a righteous relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We had a good response and I believe God was honored.

- On Sunday we have several first time guests – from what I can tell, one family and one couple come from a Christian background and the third family does not but was invited by someone from our East campus. We had a good crowd, which always brings a positive energy to the worship celebration service, and people seemed to be excited as they left. My hope each week is that everyone who comes to Del Sol Northeast will have a good experience with us and a genuine encounter with God. I believe that happened on Sunday.

- This coming Sunday we will finish up the “aka God” series by looking at the name Jehovah Nissi, which means “the Lord is my banner”. It should be interesting as we see how God goes before us and in the battle of life, is the banner we look to in order to be encouraged and to know where to go.

- As Easter nears, I’m talking with my directors about what we need to do on Easter Sunday itself and what needs to happen beforehand – outreaches, hospitality setup, etc. We’ll also be doing a mailout to the neighborhood around the campus to invite them to a series called “The Real Jesus”, which will start on Easter Sunday. In that series we will look at several different misperceptions and mischaracterizations of Jesus (Spooky Jesus, Best Buddy Jesus, etc.) and we will see who the Bible says Jesus really is.

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. Please continue to pray that God will soon raise someone up to lead our band and tech teams.

2. Ask the Lord to guide me and give me clarity as I think about and make goals for the long-term future of Del Sol NE. Ask Him to give me vision and show us what He wants us to look like 3 months from now and one year from now.

3. Keep asking the Lord to challenge those from Del Sol NE who are Christians to be proactive and intentional in inviting their friends, neighbors, and coworkers to Del Sol NE.

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 - 02/24/2010

2010-02-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest update on Del Sol Northeast:

- Two weeks ago we finished up our message series called “TXT”, where we looked at the Bible and saw what it took for us to have it, why it’s reliable and trustworthy, and how it is the ultimate love story. We then started up a GrowGroup on Tuesday nights where we’re looking at the Bible, specifically Philippians, to see what God would say to us as we do life together and as we study His Word. It’s been awhile since I’ve led a Bible study that’s not topical but simply going through a book of the Bible, so I’m especially excited about this group.

- Last Sunday we started a message series called “aka God”, where we’re looking at a few of the Old Testament names of God to see what they mean and how they apply to our lives today. Last week se looked at the name Jehovah Rohi (row-hee) and saw that God is our loving Good Shepherd; this coming Sunday we’ll look at Jehovah Tsidkenu (sid-keh-noo) which means God is our righteousness. I’ll be calling the believers there to return to living righteously and the non-believers to begin a righteous relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

- We’ve been meeting weekly for a month now and in this time, we’ve really been finding out who we are as a campus, finding out what works and what doesn’t, what our strengths and weaknesses are. I’m constantly reminding our team that Jesus said He would build His church so He surely won’t leave us hanging; we just need to be faithful and obedient workers.

- One of our biggest challenges has been that we don’t have a worship leader. I’m extremely grateful to the different bands from our East campus who have been coming on different Sundays to lead us in worship through music – but we are expectantly waiting on God and trusting Him in hope that He will soon raise someone up to lead our band and tech teams. Please be praying about this.

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. Ask the Lord to raise up whoever He has in mind to be our worship leader. While we work on his timetable, it would be a great relief if this happened sooner rather than later. =)

2. Ask the Lord to give my leaders and me wisdom, vision, and creativity as seek to Love God, Love People, and Serve the World in Northeast El Paso.

3. Ask the Lord to put it on the hearts of the Christians from Northeast El Paso who attend Del Sol NE to be proactive and intentional in inviting their friends, neighbors, and coworkers to Del Sol NE.

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 - 02/10/10

2010-02-10T17:28:00.001-07:00

Here's the latest update on Del Sol Northeast:

- We’ve been seeing some good things that God is doing at Del Sol Northeast. I’m especially proud of our volunteers who have really stepped up with tenacity, perseverance, creativity, and commitment. Del Sol Church – both campuses – could not work without such amazing, incredible, wonderful, selfless volunteers who commit so much of their time and heart into making Del Sol Church a community where people are lead into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. To all our volunteers at Del Sol Church – thanks SO much!

- On Sunday we continued a message series called “TXT” by scrutinizing the Bible to see whether or not it is credible and trustworthy. We asked some tough questions, we put the Bible to the test, and we saw that history & science, fulfilled prophecies, and the words of Jesus confirm that the Bible is the most reliable, credible, and trustworthy in all of history. It was exciting to explain why we as Christians put so much trust in the Bible and it was good to be reminded that the Word of God passes all tests with flying colors and will stand above all else, no matter what.

- We also had one of the youth bands from our East campus lead people into worship through music at our Northeast campus. Last week I said that I had never heard them play but I was amazed at how they really worked hard to facilitate a genuine, quality worship experience. A big thanks to our East Campus’ Youth & Young Adults Pastor Troy Sanchez for working so hard with them to help them be excellent lead worshippers.

- This Sunday we’ll finish the “TXT” message series by looking at the Bible as the ultimate love story. We’ll see what love really is according to God’s definition as found in the Bible and we’ll see how Jesus is the greatest example of true, genuine, selfless love.

- It’s been exciting to see first time guests and returning guests each week. The best part is when someone who was a first-timer the previous week returns the following week and brings someone with them. There are several people who have been coming every week since our launch and we’re looking at simple ways to get them connected in service – maybe through helping kids with crafts, greeting people in the parking lot, or handing out a bulletin.

- Del Sol Northeast is now on Facebook and Twitter! You can become our Facebook friend by searching for "Del Sol Church Northeast" and you can follow us on Twitter at "twitter.com/DelSolNortheast".

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. Pray for those who will be there this Sunday, that they will truly see and understand the great love of God for them and will respond to that love by committing their lives to Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

2. Pray for our volunteer ministry directors and I as we work together to get more people involved in Serving the World by serving at the NE campus.

3. Ask the Lord to give me wisdom, vision, and creativity for the future as we as a new campus work to find our footing and become established in Northeast El Paso.

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 - 02/03/2010

2010-02-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

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

2010-01-28T20:37:00.001-07:00

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

2010-01-13T15:53:00.001-07:00

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

2010-01-03T20:15:00.033-07:00

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

2009-12-28T21:38:00.033-07:00

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.

2009-12-21T16:17:00.003-07:00

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

2009-12-20T22:40:00.014-07:00

- 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.

Dear Grandma Martinez,

2009-12-20T14:23:00.007-07:00

Today is 19 years since you died. I was only 4 when you passed away. I only have one memory of you but from what I hear about you from my family, you were a great woman.

I wish I could have known you.

I wish I would have been older, or that you would have lived longer, or something. I understand that you did become a Christian in your later years, so I really look forward to getting to know you when I go Home to Heaven.

Grandma, I didn't really know you - but I love you, I miss you, and I'm thinking of you today.

- Your grandson, Ariel.

A winter greeting.

2009-12-19T16:31:00.001-07:00

To my Democrat friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

Additionally, I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010 , but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wish.

Furthermore, should you be a person who does not celebrate anything, or should you prefer to celebrate another season of the year, please accept my sincerest apologies for having offended by sending you this greeting.

To my Republican friends:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Del Sol Northeast prayer update - 12/17/09

2009-12-17T14:38:00.002-07:00

Here's the latest update on Del Sol Northeast:

- This past Sunday, December 13^th, we had our second preview service at the Northeast campus. All things considered, it was good. We learned a lot of lessons since the first preview service, so we were much better organized this time around. We also learned some frustrating lessons, mostly related to technology, on the spot that morning. Funny how something works perfectly fine on Saturday but doesn’t work so well less than 24 hour later. Despite some small obstacles, I’m REALLY proud of our NE campus launch team for stepping it up and working together to put on a good, God-honoring worship celebration.

- We had a few new people from the community show up for this second preview service, which was very exciting for everyone. When a new family drove into the parking lot, one of our host team members came to me all excited and practically shouted out “New people are here!!!”, then regained her composure and told everyone “New people are here, but let’s not overwhelm them. Spread out.” I was very proud of how she handled that situation.

- So we’ve made some more contacts in the community and will keep working hard to do so – one person, one family at a time. We’ll keep serving, keep advertising, keep inviting, and most importantly, we’ll keep praying and thanking God for everyone He sends our way. All throughout this journey to beginning this new work in the Northeast, we’ve seen over and over how God has given and taken away. His fingerprints have been all over this thing and there’s just no way we could manufacture or fake what He has done. I truly believe that He has great things in store for Del Sol Northeast!

- If you’re a part of the Del Sol Church family, you’ve probably heard that opening up a second worship venue at our East campus is in the works. One of the unexpected blessings of being on this journey to launch Del Sol Northeast this year is that I’m able to consult with the venue team and help them avoid mistakes I’ve made as they prepare to launch the second venue at the East campus. Being able to help them and bless them in that way has made all the frustrations and hard lessons I’ve learned at the NE campus worthwhile. I’m very excited about what God has in store for both campuses of Del Sol!!!

- We have one more preview service at DSC NE – Sunday, January 10^th, 2010. If you’d like to come, you’re more than welcome to. You can either come to our volunteer worship celebration service at 9:30 am or to our public worship celebration service at 11:00 am. Two weeks after that service, we will have our grand opening when we will launch into weekly worship celebration services. That date for the grand opening is January 24^th, 2010, and it’s coming soon!

- As I mentioned in my last update, one of the major tasks I’m working on for our grand opening in January is making sure each ministry area (Follow-up, Outreach, Host, Parking/Grounds, Music/Tech, Kids, and Prayer) has a director, a co-director, and team members and that everyone knows what is expected of them and what they’re supposed to be doing. Please keep praying for me as I work on making sure all our bases are covered and that we will be fully prepared for those whom the Lord will send to us.

- We’re also trying to finish up work at the Northeast Campus property itself – getting flooring finished, getting trim put on, getting the exterior painted, getting a new roof put on the auditorium, etc. Please pray that we can get it all done by January 24^th.

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. Thank God for sending those from the community whom He sent to our second preview service and ask Him to send even more for our third preview service on January 10^th. It’s not about numbers – it’s about telling people the Gospel and leading them into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, so we want to do that for as many people as we can.

2. Ask the Lord to be with me as I work on the projects I mentioned above (covering all our bases, finishing up work on the NE campus property, etc.) – that I will use my time wisely and efficiently, and in a way that honors the Lord.

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

Del Sol Northeast prayer update - 12/02/09

2009-12-02T21:37:00.001-07:00

I apologize that it’s been nearly a month since I sent out the last update on the Northeast campus. Here's the latest update on Del Sol Northeast:

- Throughout the Thanksgiving season, we have been working hard to Serve the World and show God’s love in practical ways by serving the community around the Northeast campus. We’ve done that by giving people boxes of stuffing with a sticker that has our contact info on it, saying we want them to get stuff on use – no strings attached. We distributed 10 Thanksgiving food baskets, which included a turkey and all the trimmings to make a full Thanksgiving meal, to people in the Northeast that we found had needs – no strings attached. We also spent some time on a recent Saturday at a convenience store picking up the parking lot and offering to clean people’s windows, headlights, and tail lights for them – again, no strings attached.

- One of the major lessons we’ve learned working in the community around the Northeast campus is that the phrases “Free” and “No strings attached” are golden. We’ve found that when we’ve offered to serve people, they’re suspicious. They think we want money from them or want to proselytize them or force something on them. So we quickly learned that smiling faces speaking the word “free” and especially the phrase “no strings attached” is what really opened up doors for us to begin to get to know people and for them to allow us the privilege of serving them.

- We’ve also been preparing for our second preview service at the Northeast Campus, which will be on Sunday, December 13^th. If you’d like to come, you’re more than welcome to. You can either come to our volunteer worship celebration service at 9:30 am or to our public worship celebration service at 11:00 am.

- One of the major tasks I’m working on for our grand opening in January is making sure each ministry area (Follow-up, Outreach, Host, Parking/Grounds, Music/Tech, Kids, and Prayer) has a director, a co-director, and team members. This will be crucial or else we’ll have balls being dropped, people not being ministered to, and we won’t be prepared to receive those that the Lord will send us. Please pray for me as I work on making sure all our bases are covered and that we will be fully prepared for those whom the Lord will send to us.

- In addition to working with people and preparing my sermon, I’m also coordinating finishing up renovation work at the Northeast Campus property itself – things like getting flooring finished, getting trim put on, getting the exterior painted, getting a new roof put on the auditorium, etc. I’ve got quite a bit on my plate with all of that, but I know that it’s just for a time and that it won’t be this way forever.

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. Continue praying for our Launch Team as we prepare for the second preview service, do more outreach into the community, and as we work together so that everyone can find exactly where their place is at Del Sol Northeast.

2. Ask the Lord to help those in the community to be open to us as we seek to serve them, to receive us well, and not suspect any ulterior motives. Please ask the Lord to give us open doors in the community.

3. Pray that many more from the community will come to our second preview service on the 13^th and that God will lead to Himself those who will be at that service.

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 - 11/11/09

2009-11-11T18:43:00.001-07:00

Here's the latest update on the Northeast location:

- This past Sunday, the 8th, was our first preview service at Del Sol Northeast. A preview service is like the soft opening of a business, intended to give people a preview of what things will look like at the grand opening, and to allow us to work out the kinks in our systems, equipment, and setup so that everything should go smoothly for the grand opening on Sunday, January 24th.

- For the first preview service, we had a handful of people from the community and about 25 or 30 from the East campus join us at 11:00 am, so the room felt pretty full, which is a good thing. We also had a smaller volunteer service at 9:30 so that those who would be serving during the 11:00 am service could worship before serving. We’re still in the process of evaluating our first preview service and while there are many things we need to work on for the second preview service on December 13th, I think this Sunday was a good start for Del Sol Northeast and showed everyone involved that God has a bright future, full of possibilities for our Northeast campus.

- I’m very grateful to those of you from Del Sol East that came out to join us on Sunday, and I’m VERY proud of our volunteers who gave up a good portion of their Sunday morning to serve at the Northeast campus. Thanks to all who prayed for, attended, and served at our first preview service this past Sunday.

- On the 31st of October, we had a free Fall Festival at the NE campus. Thanks to Grace Taylor and Kim Loya, it was so well organized and looked really good. We had almost 50 volunteers from the East campus serving, and we had just over 60 people from the Northeast community come out to the festival. Just like the preview service, there’s a lot we learned for next time, but I think that this event was also a success. We were able to make some good contacts with those who did come out and we were able to have a lot of face time with them, which we wouldn’t have been able to do if there had been a bigger crowd show up.

- Preparing for the Fall Festival and then for our first preview service was a major endeavor that required countless hours of work [and countless fast food meals on my part =)], but now that we are on the finished end of those events, we can take time to breathe, rest, be refreshed, and prepare for doing more outreach into the community and to prepare for the next preview service. December 13th seems so far away, but like your passenger side mirror on your car pretty much says - “things are closer than they appear.”

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. Continue praying for our Launch Team as we prepare for the next preview service, do more outreach into the community, and as we work together so that everyone can find exactly where their place is at Del Sol Northeast. Our team is pretty unified but satan loves to bring division, so please ask God to bind us together and to ward off anything that might bring disunity.

2. There are a lot of details to work through for our next preview service. Also, I’m preparing to preach at the East campus on Sunday, November 29th and then again at the Northeast campus on December 13th, and I have many other responsibilities as a staff member of Del Sol. Please pray for me to be well rested, to be closely connected to the Lord, to turn away from temptation, and to be wise in building up my relationships.

3. Ask God continue to work in the community around the Northeast campus, that He would send many more from the community to our second preview service and that He would give us favor with them as we show them God’s love in practical ways by serving them in coming weeks.

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, 11/06/09

2009-11-06T21:25:00.001-07:00

Hey prayer team!

I apologize that it's been a couple of weeks - 3 weeks, actually - since I sent out my last prayer update. So much has gone on, and so many of you have been a part of it, that I simply haven't had time to send out an update.

Hopefully next Wednesday I can get back on track with sending you regular updates but until then, this is how you can pray:

1. This Sunday, November 8th, at 11:00 am is our first Sunday morning worship celebration at Del Sol Northeast!!! Please pray that God will lead our worship time and will make his presence known to everyone there. Pray that God will speak through me as I preach, and pray that as His Gospel message is preached, He will draw many to repentance and to a new life in Christ.

2. Pray for me to really internalize the message He's given me and to speak it boldly and humbly. Also, since I will give out everything I am on Sunday, ask Him to strengthen me and that after Sunday, I can rest and recover and again be filled with Him.

3. Pray for those from the community who will be there on Sunday, that they will be open to us and will be favorably disposed towards us so that we can truly make good connections with them and can discover how we can Serve the World by serving them.

Thanks SO much for your prayers - they are truly making a difference, especially in this intense time as we really gear up to launch Del Sol Church - Northeast campus.

- 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

Sunday Night Mind Purge, 10/18/09

2009-10-18T21:15:00.024-06:00

- Woah, what a loooong day Monday was. I went to the gym, went to the office for a couple of hours, then went with some youth to spend the rest of the day trying to finish painting the inside of the NE campus - what with it being the Columbus Day holiday and all. We weren't able to finish it all, but got like 95% of it done. A few of us will go back this Thursday to finish some areas that need touching up, finish painting a new wall that was added, and do some major cleaning and organizing (hopefully).

- On Tuesday morning, I overworked my knee at the gym so I spent the rest of the week in quite a bit of pain. Thankfully I didn't have to walk too much in the day because I spent most of it working at the office, in staff meeting, and then doing more work. I left the office around 4:30, ran a couple of errands, scarfed down dinner, then met some peeps at the East campus to carpool to the Northeast campus.

- We started the "How to BE Rich" group study on Tuesday night and though we had a much smaller group, we had some REALLY good, honest discussion. I think God really used the Scriptures and the message from Andy Stanley to refine and convict us. This week we're doing an outreach so we won't do another session of the study again until next week. I'm REALLY looking forward to that.

- Wednesday was one of the longest days I've had in a long time. After hitting up the gym, I went in to the office and stayed there 'til nearly 8 pm working on a rough draft of a brochure for Vision 10.10.80 to give to our graphics designer. Aside from that main project, I worked on a plethora of other stuff related specifically to the NE campus and globally to Del Sol as a whole. A long, but very productive day, it was.

- Thursday was an interesting day because until about 2 pm, we didn't have power on at the offices. Thankfully, it was a planned outage while they replaced a main power line that had burned out the previous week in an unplanned outage. So I had a quick meeting with our graphic designer in the cafe of the worship center, then ran some errands I needed to run, went to The Bagel Shop in the Northeast to work for awhile, then spent the rest of the afternoon looking at carpet options and getting estimates over the phone. Hopefully we can get something set this week and get the new carpet installed in the next couple of weeks.

- I also set up an appointment with an exterminator to take care of a wasp nest there and with some guys from the church to paint the exterior of the NE campus this week. Hopefully I can meet with a landscaper this week so we can get all the trees and bushes trimmed too.

- So by the time Friday came, I was really ready to relax and have a day off. I slept in, had a good, relaxed time at the gym, had a quick lunch and then spent pretty much the rest of the day with my parents, looking at different models of cars at several dealerships. We sure drove a lot, but I felt pretty relaxed because I was with people I love, NOT thinking about work.

- I woke up really early Saturday so I could be at the NE campus at a little around 8:45 am to meet up with some others and go clean up part of Dyer street as part of Keep El Paso Beautiful's El Paso Pride Day. The 4 of us were able to clean a whole city block in about 3 hours! We piled up about 20 big bags of trash and a truckload of miscellaneous stuff like lots of wood, a shopping cart, tires, and other random stuff that didn't go in the bags. I was very proud of the others 3 who gave up their Saturday morning to help clean up part of our great city, and I felt like we - along with those from our East campus who cleaned up a lot on the Eastside - really contributed to making our city a better place to live.

- And through that experience, I determined that the "Don't Mess With Texas" slogan is something we should ALL take to heart. Littering is just not cool - period.

- After that I came home, met my parents, and spent some more time looking for cars. Then we came home, I had some dinner, and then spent the rest of the day relaxing and resting.

- Oh and also, the insurance company took my CRV and my mom's car on Saturday afternoon. Sigh ...I miss my CRV.

- Today I was running really late to our Sunday morning worship celebrations for some reason. I sat in a different spot than usual, which gave me a very different perspective of the whole worship celebration. Then after greeting people for the second service, I read some, then played with a couple of kids after the service was over, and then had lunch with the Pryors and my parents.

- Afterwards I went to look at some trailers just outside Horizon City and had fun taking the truck off the asphalt onto the dirt. I'm sure the truck enjoyed just being a truck. Somehow I haven't been able to get a Sunday afternoon nap in over a month. I really need to try to break that trend next Sunday.

Del Sol Northeast Prayer Update - 10/15/09

2009-10-15T15:09:00.001-06:00

Here's the latest update on the Northeast location:

- This weekend we kicked off Vision 10.10.80 at Del Sol East. If you don’t remember, Vision 10.10.80 is an exciting new giving emphasis over and above the regular giving of our Del Sol Church family. The “10.10.80” means that 10% of the total amount given will go to expand our World Missions activities, another 10% will go towards our Northeast location to help us grow and become established as another location of Del Sol Church, and the remaining 80% will go towards paying off the balance for construction of the Children’s Ministry Center at our East campus so that we can continue to use our budget to fund ministry, rather than having to use it to pay off a mortgage.

- Getting ready for Vision 10.10.80 while getting ready for the launch of Del Sol Northeast has kept me pretty busy. On Monday, I spent most of the day painting at Del Sol Northeast with some great youth from Del Sol East. I’m very grateful because with their help, we’re nearly finished painting the inside of the NE campus. A couple of men from the East campus – Butch Villarreal and Wayne Webb – will be painting the outside of the NE campus next week and I’m working on getting a landscaper, exterminator, and carpet man out there soon so that we can have the property all finished by the end of the month.

- This week we started a new study at our Tuesday night group at the Northeast campus: Andy Stanley’s “How to BE Rich”. We did the first 2 sessions on Tuesday because next week we’ll be going out into the community to serve, and they were both eye opening, convicting sessions for our group. We had some good discussion about the study and about the Scripture related to the study, and spent some good time praying for each other. On Tuesday the 27^th, we’ll spend some time going prayer-walking in the community. Know that you’re welcome to join us on Tuesday nights, so please let me know if you’re interested.

- On Saturday, October 31^st from 2 – 5 pm, we’ll have our first big community outreach at the Northeast campus: a free Fall Festival! We’ll provide free games, candy, food, and prizes – all as a way to both serve the Northeast community and to let people know that we’ll soon be launching out Northeast campus. There are several opportunities to serve at this Fall Festival (security/parking, running a booth, serving food, setup, tear down, etc.) so if you’re interested in serving, even for just an hour, please let me know right away and I’ll give you the details.

- On Sunday, November 8^th, we’re preparing to have our first monthly preview service at the Northeast campus. It’ll be a full-blown preview of what things will look like when we start meeting weekly, so we’ll have worship through music, prayer, preaching, and kids’ ministry. We’ll have another one in December and in January, and then launch into weekly gatherings at the end of January/beginning of February.

- We’re still nailing down the details, but I’m very excited about this upcoming first preview service!!! We’ll use the Fall Festival on the 31^st as one way to promote this preview service, and I believe that God will honor all the prayer and community service we’re doing and will send us many people who we can tell the Gospel to on this Sunday.

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. Pray for our Tuesday night group as we go out into the community and serve this coming Tuesday, the 20^th. I truly hope we make a big impact in people’s lives as we show up ready to serve, not wanting anything in return but simply wanting to bless them in the Name of Jesus Christ.

2. Ask God to lead and guide us, giving us direction as we prepare for the Fall Festival and for our first preview service on November 8^th. There are a lot of decisions to be made and details to be done, and I especially need God’s wisdom as I oversee those decisions and details.

3. Ask God to even now open the hearts and minds of those in the community to us as we do this Fall Festival and preview service, giving us favor with them. It has to be the Holy Spirit who gives us favor in the community and opens doors for us to speak the Gospel and show the Gospel by serving people in practical ways.

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

Sunday Night Mind Purge, 10/11/09

2009-10-11T21:48:00.019-06:00

- It's been another whirlwind week this past week!

- Monday was a really hard day, and I can only describe it as being God's grace and strength that got me through it. I had been sick the previous week and had just started feeling better that weekend, but then I woke up on Monday and felt like I had been hit by a Mack truck. I felt SO weak and tired, had a fever, was all congested, and had a nasty cough. It was terrible. I wanted to just go home and sleep but I had a couple of deadlines to meet, and ended up staying at the office 'til about 5 pm because my computer was giving me problems and was running so slow.

- I finally went home and just slept for about an hour, then got up, had dinner, watched some TV, then went to bed again around 9:30 pm.

- Even though it was a HORRIBLE day on Monday and I was extremely frustrated with my computer, I'm so glad that I stayed and worked on Monday because a power line fried at the East campus, so we were without power there 'til nearly 2 pm (which was past the deadlines I had to submit some files). We celebrated Troy and April's soon to arrive second child at staff meeting, then after our meeting, I did some more work at the office, went home to rest for a little bit since I was still sick, then met my NE campus peeps at the East campus to carpool to the NE for an outreach night.

- We spent most of the evening walking the streets around the NE campus, knocking on doors, offering to serve people by doing minor maintenance and cleaning at their homes. We also gave them some home made bread and offered to pray for them, if they were comfortable with us doing so. Afterwards, we met back at the NE campus to share stories, celebrate wins, and pray. It was great! I really sensed that God has been honoring our prayers all this year and is opening up doors for us in that neighborhood.

- I spent Wednesday at the office all day, working on some more important projects - mainly getting ready for our upcoming harvest party at the NE campus and putting together a brochure for Vision 10.10.80, a generosity emphasis that kicked off this morning, that we need to mail out pretty soon. That evening was First Wednesday, which was just a blessed time of worship through music and prayer. It was good and right to spend the evening in focused prayer for Juarez.

- Thursday was a crazy day. I had wanted to take the day off to rest and try to get the upper hand on my sickness and get fully well, but instead I had to work. I spent some time at the office, but also had a couple of meetings and a hospital visit in the afternoon. Thankfully I was able to get it all in - I had those two very productive meetings, made the hospital visit, and got some major work done on projects that I needed to get done.

- On Friday, I was finally able to sleep in and rest. A good friend of mine had a birthday party that evening, but I stayed home because I REALLY needed the rest. So rest is what I did most of Friday, after a relaxed lunch at Souper Salad and spending a little bit of time looking at cars.

- Thankfully I was able to sleep in a little bit again on Saturday morning, then spent the day working on stuff for the NE campus. I took Rick and met Josh & Nicki out there and we looked at the sound & light equipment that we have and figured out what we need to buy, then went to lunch together, then Rick and I spent the rest of the afternoon buying some supplies that we need for the NE location.

- As I mentioned above, we kicked off Vision 10.10.80 this morning at Del Sol Church's East campus. I love hearing Walter talk about vision and the future of our church. I'm always just totally blown away at how good God is to us and how He is blessing us in a really incredible way. We live in a time where out denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, is in serious decline and where churches across our nation and city are losing influence and momentum and are dying - and to His glory, God is blessing and growing us at Del Sol and we are bucking the trends of most churches these days. While some of it is because of our willingness to risk and because of our humble, Kingdom-minded leadership, all the credit definitely belongs to the Lord and not to us.

- It's SUCH an honor and privilege to be in the game with what God's doing at Del Sol these days.

Del Sol Northeast prayer update - 10/07/09

2009-10-07T12:36:00.002-06:00

Here's the latest update on the Northeast location:

- Things have been so busy – in very good ways, as you’ll see below – that once again it’s been two weeks since I sent out the last update. Thanks for bearing with me about that.

- As a church, we’re just about to start Vision 10.10.80, an exciting new giving emphasis over and above the regular giving of our Del Sol Church family. The “10.10.80” means that 10% of the total amount given will go to expand our World Missions activities, another 10% will go towards our Northeast location to help us grow and become established as another location of Del Sol Church, and the remaining 80% will go towards paying off the balance for construction of the Children's Ministry Center at our East campus so that we can continue to use our budget to fund ministry, rather than having to use it to pay off a mortgage.

- I’ve been working with Walter to prepare for Vision 10.10.80, and we’ve had some short deadlines to meet, so I’ve had to focus a lot on that the past couple of weeks.

- On Saturday, we had another workday at the NE location and thankfully, we were able to probably about 85% of the painting done that needed to be done. For the rest, we’ll be going out at 1 pm this Monday, October 12^th, to hopefully finish up. If you’re interested in helping us finish painting, please email or call me and I’ll give you more info.

- We’ve continued to meet on Tuesday nights at the NE location, praying, worshipping through music, doing a Bible study, and preparing to serve the community. Last night, we spent the bulk of our time going down a few streets in the community, letting people know that in two weeks, we’ll be back ready to serve them - no strings attached - by doing minor house cleaning and maintenance (changing smoke alarm batteries, vacuuming carpets, washing windows, polishing mirrors, etc).

- A couple of ladies on our launch team took it upon themselves to bake some small loaves of blueberry bread to give to people as we went door to door, so we also gave those away to many people, with a card on it that basically said the bread was a free gift in the name of Christ and to contact us if there was any other way we could serve them. We also offered to pray for people if they wanted us too.

- Afterwards, we came back together, shared stories and prayer requests, and talked about what the next step is to keep Serving the World by serving the community around the NE location. For the most part, we were well received by the people whose doors we knocked on; we had responses ranging from fear of not knowing why we were there, to shock and disbelief that we would want to serve a stranger with no strings attached, to excitement about the NE location opening up.

- One lady we talked to said that her daughter had been telling her mom that she wanted to go to church, so the mom was very excited that we’d be meeting right by her house and said she’d be there whenever we start meeting.

- Based on the general openness and excitement from the community, I believe that God has hearing your prayers and has been going before us, preparing that community to receive us well as we step in to tell them about the Gospel and to create environments where they can Love God, Love People, and Serve the World.

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. God is working in our Tuesday night gatherings, building up momentum and giving people a vision for the Northeast location. Please continue to ask God to work in us and through us on the launch team as we prepare to launch this Northeast location.

2. Along the same lines, ask the Lord to send us more volunteers to join our launch team. Ask Him to speak to people at our East campus about whether He wants them to be involved in launching the NE location.

3. Pray for those in the community that we met last night. Ask the Spirit of God to work in the hearts of all the people we met last night, that they would understand that we want to serve them with no strings attached, that they would be open to us and to the Gospel, and that they would spread the word and create a buzz about the Northeast location among their friends, family, and neighbors.

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

Sunday night mind purge, 10-04-09

2009-10-04T22:15:00.012-06:00

- Wow, I can barely believe it's already October. This year seems to have flown by far faster than any years in recent memory. I'm already in next year in my mind!

- This week was crazy busy. I don't know how I survived it all. By the grace of God, I suppose.

- Monday was a busy day, and I woke up stressed because I knew I had some deadlines that I had to meet by midweek. I didn't think I'd meet them, but with God I was able to and felt much more relaxed and at ease by Monday night since by then, I saw that I'd be fine.

- On Tuesday, I was at the office all day finishing up some projects, working on some stuff for our upcoming Vision 10.10.80 giving emphasis, and prepping for our Tuesday evening gathering at the NE campus. We had a good meeting out there and made plans to take this Tuesday evening and get involved in the community, asking how we can help meet some needs and show God's love in a practical way. It was a really long day, but really good. I'm always so encouraged and refreshed by being around my Del Sol Church family.

- Wednesday was a crazy busy day. I started it out with an early visit to the gym, spent most of the day at the office, then went off to the NE campus with Rick at 4 pm to finish putting primer up in the portable building out there. We were there 'til nearly 10 pm, getting it ready to be painted on Saturday at our workday.

- Also, on Wednesday, this man walked in off the street (he was waiting for a bus at the bus stop right in front of the East campus) and asked for help. At first, I thought he was wanting money but he said that wasn't what he needed. After about 2 hours of talking, he finally crossed over the line of faith and prayed to commit his life to Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. That was pretty awesome, especially since that morning I had asked God to give me an opportunity to tell someone about Him. I was riding high all day after that.

- Then on Thursday, we started our 10th month of 2009, and it was yet another super busy day for me. I worked until about 6:30 pm, then had a meeting at 7 pm, and was finally able to start to unwind at 7:45 pm by having dinner at Chick-fil-A with Rick & Kristin.

- I slept in 'til about 11 am on Friday, and for the first time in weeks, actually felt kind of refreshed and like I had actually gotten some sleep that night. I ended up having to spend about half the day running errands to get ready for the workday on Saturday, but finally got to rest and relax some on Friday afternoon and evening. I was wanting to go to the homecoming game at Hanks High School, but I decided to stay at home and rest instead. I'm glad I did that because Hanks lost, and it's never fun or relaxing to go to a game, sit for hours on hard bleachers, and then lose a game.

- So then on Saturday, I headed over first thing to the NE campus to meet a bunch of other people and FINALLY start painting the auditorium and kids portable out there. I was so excited that I made sure I got to apply the first roller of paint on the walls. I'm VERY grateful for everyone who went out there to work, and I'm so glad we got as much done as we did. This is a sneak preview of what the auditorium will look like:

- After we finished up and I finally left around 4 pm, it was dark and rainy, so I spent a couple of hours driving around, looking at cars in case the insurance company declares my CRV to be a total loss from the hail damage. It was kind of fun and relaxing, but I was glad to get home and finally have a shower, change into some relaxed clothing, and go to bed. I barely slept though because so many things were running through my mind that night.

- Naturally, I woke up totally exhausted this morning. And because I was physically & mentally tired, I had to really fight to get up and going and felt so discouraged and down as I drove to the East campus for our worship celebrations. I asked God to encourage me as I spent time with my church family, and for the sun to break through the clouds at lunchtime. Thankfully, He did both. I had a great lunch with some of the Pryors, ran over to the NE campus to pick something up that I left on Saturday, then had a nice nap before heading back to the East campus for the wedding vow renewal ceremony. That was cool.

- And now, it's bedtime for bonzo. Good night!

Sunday Night Mind Purge

2009-09-27T22:04:00.007-06:00

- Man it's been a crazy week, and this new week is gonna be intense and crazy and busy and rushed! I've got several important deadlines to meet for some print publications in order to have them ready by Sunday, so if you would, please ask God to help me focus and get things done well and in time.

- On Monday I took a half day off and slept in since I wasn't able to take a day off the week before, so I woke up, cleaned up, and went to volunteer at Wayside for lunchtime. Afterwards I had to go meet the gas company people at Del Sol's Northeast campus to get the gas turned on, then went to work for a bit at The Bagel Shop, then did some reading at Starbucks for awhile before coming home around 7 pm after a long day in the Northeast. Thankfully I had a good conversation with someone at The Bagel Shop and started to get to know a manager at Bux. I hope that those relationships develop in coming weeks.

- Then on Tuesday, I spent some time in the office, we had a good staff meeting, and then I had a great meeting with John MacKay, one of our church's elders, then met some peeps to carpool out to the Northeast campus for a casual, low-key time of worship through prayer, music, and Bible study. I asked the people there for ideas about how we can reach out into the community and show God's love in practical ways and got some great feedback. I'm excited for what God's got in store for the future of Del Sol Northeast!

- On Wednesday morning, I met Isidro Contreras, our East campus' property manager out at the NE campus to talk about what work needs to be done and so that he could see what we needed to get some new, sturdier industrial locks put in. I like Isidro - he's got a good vision for property and how to do things well. He provided some great feedback and I'm very grateful that he took the time to meet me out there.

- After working all day on Wednesday, I met Rick and Kristin for dinner at Chick-fil-A. I love CFA, especially with good company like them.

- Honestly, I can't remember off hand what I did on Thursday. I do remember meeting with Jeremy and then Walter in the afternoon, but that's really all I remember.

- Friday was a strange day. I woke up with pretty much every muscle in my body tensed up and all my joints were cracking as I moved. It was very painful and uncomfortable but thankfully I was able to get stretched out and get going, but that didn't prove for a very restful day at all.

- Thankfully on Saturday, I was feeling better when I woke up so I went to the gym for awhile and got a good workout in, then went to a birthday party at the park for a couple of friends and spent most of the afternoon there. After that I came home, relaxed for awhile, then had to run to Walmart to get dog food and a couple of other things. That was kind of a bummer because it was like 9 pm, but I was able to get home in time to get to bed around 10:30 pm.

- I didn't fall asleep til well into Sunday morning though because I could not seem to make my mind stop running. I did get some good ideas that I took note of, so I guess it wasn't totally a waste. While I was up, I watched some of the British version of The Office, which is not nearly as funny as the American version of The Office, with Michael Scott, Jim, Dwight, Pam, Stanley, Phyllis, Stanley, and the rest.

- Today was my dad's birthday so after our church gatherings today, we had the Pryors over for a brisket lunch and just enjoyed time together, celebrating him. I love my dad, I'm glad he's been around for 64 years, and I hope we have him for many, many more years.

The land of miracles.

2009-09-27T15:57:00.019-06:00

Today I finished reading a book by Thom Rainer called "Surprising Insights From the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them." It's a big book with lots of research, so it took me about 3 months to finally finish it, but I'm so glad I took all that time to read it and really soak it in and think on it.

This book takes an interesting approach in surveying the unchurched; most research on the unchurched is based on conversations and interviews with people who are still unchurched - that is, they're still not attending a local church. Rainer, though, interviews the formerly unchurched - that is, those who are new Christians or are new to church, those who have just recently made the move from not attending church to regularly attending church. In this book, he interviews the formerly unchurched about what it was that drew them to the church, and he interviews pastors of churches that are successfully reaching the unchurched and non-Christians, asking them about themselves and their churches.

So because of that twist on the research, and mostly because my good friend Josh recommended the book to me, I took the time to read it. And I'm SO glad I did.

At the end of the last chapter, there's a line that really resonated with me, that really touched me in the deepest part of my heart. You need to know that I have a greatly broken heart for those who don't know Jesus, and I have a deep-seated passion for Christ's Bride, the Church.

So as Rainer wrote about reaching those who don't know Jesus Christ, and about how many churches in our country (and ESPECIALLY in my denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention) are in serious, dangerous decline, he found hope at the end of his research - even in the midst of the serious anemia in the American Church, overall. He saw that there are churches and pastors that are reaching the lost in droves, and that are focused on God's Kingdom, and that are "making hell a less crowded place" as Perry Noble from NewSpring Church likes to say.

After thinking on churches that are making a difference for God, this is what Rainer wrote on page 234:
"I have entered the land of miracles, and I do not wish to return. Too much is at stake. Too many lives hang in the balance. Let us storm the gates of hell. And let us see, in God's power, more of the unchurched become the formerly unchurched. To God be the glory!"

He's seen the land of miracles and doesn't want to return. I agree. I hear so many self-professed prophets talk about how the church is dying and how churches that grow and are seeker friendly only water down the Gospel to tickle people's ears, as if the choices are either be friendly or be antagonistic to seekers!

NO! I refuse to throw in the towel, I refuse to raise the white flag, I refuse to give up, shut up, or stop. I'll freakin storm hell with a half-empty water pistol, and do it alone, if I have to!!!

Like Rainer said, I've seen the land of miracles, and I don't want to go back to ordinary. I've seen the Gospel transform lives and I don't want to be anything but a part of that. I've seen people who were ready to take their own life, and then Jesus saved them both spiritually and physically. I've seen people who once were living in chains, in bondage to drugs or sex or alcohol or rage or a myriad of other things find those chains fall off and find healing in community. I've seen people so in love with Jesus Christ and so committed to the cause of Christ that they would choose to sacrifice immense amounts of money, time, and even their own lives because of Him.

So just like Rainer, I've seen the land of miracles in my 9 years of being in ministry, and I don't want to return to a regular, ordinary life.

And now, I'm gonna go fill up my water pistol halfway with water and then I'm headed off in the direction of hell. Feel free to join me if you'd like - but even if you don't, it's going down son ...

Del Sol northeast prayer update - 09/23/09

2009-09-23T12:21:00.001-06:00

Here's the latest update on the Northeast campus:

- A lot has gone on since my last update 2 weeks ago, so in order to keep this update brief, I’ll try to fill you in on the major things that have happened.

- Last Wednesday, the 16^th, I went out to the NE campus with a couple of men from the East campus who posses the know-how about contracting and construction, and we looked at what our options are for the kids ministry area and what we need to do as far as minor repairs and renovations to the facilities there. I really appreciate Jim Hetzel and Butch Villarreal for taking the time to go out there and give me their input, because that really helped clarify some things for me.

- During that week, we also worked to get all the utilities turned on for our workday on Saturday the 19^th. Much thanks to our financial secretary, Nancy Contreras, for helping us with that!

- On Saturday, we had a workday at the Northeast campus. We were there from 9 am ‘til 3 pm, and spent a lot of time cleaning the buildings, doing yard work, and starting to prime the walls so that we can paint them soon. I invited our youth, my GrowGroup, and several adults from the East campus, so we ended up having 21 people come to work, most of them staying to work the whole time. We got a LOT done, and I’m very grateful to everyone who showed up.

- There’s still more work to be done, so we’ll have another workday out there on Saturday, October 3^rd from 9 am – 3 pm. If you’re interested in coming out to work with us on that day, please let me know right away. The more, the merrier.

- Yesterday evening we had our first gathering out at the NE campus, and 14 people showed up and brought great attitudes and great ideas for outreach. I think we started to “build the mo!” (build up some momentum) with last night’s gathering. So, we’ll meet every Tuesday evening from 6:30 – 8:30 pm to bring together anyone and everyone interested in helping launch the NE campus. It’s a casual, low-key time to worship through music, prayer, and Bible study, to prepare to launch Sunday worship celebrations, and to reach out and show God’s love in practical ways to the community. If you’d like to be a part of these gatherings, please let me know. Those of us who live on the Eastside will meet at the East campus at 6 pm sharp to carpool to and from the Northeast campus on Tuesday evenings.

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. Ask God to help us build momentum through the Tuesday night gatherings, and to show us how we can get more people from the community involved to help us build up momentum so that we can really make a big impact for the Lord in the Northeast community.

2. Pray for those who have committed to help Del Sol Northeast launch, that God will bless and honor them for taking a risk and being obedient to Him by joining our launch team. And as Luke 10:2 says, ask the Lord to send out more workers into the field to help us reach Northeast El Paso for Him.

3. As we meet on Tuesday nights and as we prepare to reach out into the community, ask the Lord to work on hearts, giving us favor and open doors with the people in the neighborhoods around the NE campus so that we can really make inroads there for the Gospel.

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

Sunday night mind purge, 09/13/09

2009-09-13T21:28:00.023-06:00

Ahhh, what a week!

- Monday was nice. It was Labor Day weekend so I didn't have to go into the office or do work. I ended up sleeping in, hitting up the gym, spending most of the afternoon doing yard work, and then doing some reading and watching TV to round out the evening.

- I get tremendous amounts of satisfaction, pride, and happiness from doing my yard and having a well-trimmed lawn.

- Funny thing about holidays though is that while you get a day off, work tends to pile up afterwards so that you need a holiday from your holiday!

- So I spent most of Tuesday at the office, trying to catch up on some stuff I was already behind on from the previous week and getting ready for my GrowGroup that evening. Interestingly enough, nobody showed up for the group, so I took Becky and Alexa MacKay (who host the group at their home) out to the future NE campus property to show them the facilities and get their input about what reasonable updates and renovations we might need to do. So that was fun and it redeemed the evening.

- Wednesday was a CRAZY day - it was LITERALLY one meeting after another after another. First thing in the morning I had a breakfast meeting, followed by a drop-in meeting at the office, then a lunchtime meeting, then about an hour or two break between another meeting. It was a good day though, with a lot of relational stuff accomplished. We sure have some good, good people in our community of El Paso, Texas.

- Thursday was another long day at the office. After working there in the morning, I had three meetings, one after another, and ended up staying for awhile at the office to get some work done (since I had meetings pretty much all week!) and then rushed off to City Hall to pickup a copy of the blueprints for the Angora Loop property where the NE campus will be meeting. After that I hit the gym for a bit and then cleaned up and met Rick for dinner at CFA. All in all, it was a good day.

- Friday was hard. Not only was it the 8th anniversary of one of the most horrible days in our great country's history, but that morning also held the funeral of Bruce Bannon, a very good, Godly, irreplaceable man from the church. He's one of those people whom nobody can ever seem to speak against and whom you can't seem to speak highly enough of. It was a hard morning. He was only a few years older than my parents. Those sorts of things, combined with my parents' declining health ...they're just ...hard. I don't know how to explain it, but it's just hard watching my parents grow older. It's just really, really hard.

- Thankfully, Friday was also the birthdays of two friends of mine, so I was able to celebrate that and tried to rest the remainder of the day.

- I had wanted to get more done yesterday than I did, but I ended up spending a couple of hours at the gym getting a good workout in, then doing some reading, going into the office for a few hours to get ready for the Leadership Summit this weekend, then went to Starbucks to read for a little while before going home and heading off to bed.

- This morning, Walter really brought it in his message on sex, straight from what God says in the Bible in Song of Songs. I think he did a really good job of handling the topic in a very blatant, honest way but not in an inappropriate or sensationalist manner. I'm very proud of how he handled such a precarious topic, and I believe that there were some people there who began to rethink their perspective on sex and that those who have impure sexual backgrounds hopefully began the journey towards healing and wholeness that only Jesus Christ can bring.

- After both worship celebration services, I was up by the stage to pray with anyone who might come up, as I'll be doing more frequently on Sunday mornings. Nobody came up to me for prayer at the first service but after the second service, I had a couple come right up to me as soon as the gathering was over and ask for prayer. I was so honored that they would trust me enough to share part of their life with me and to ask me for prayer. I count it a privilege to be able to pray for people in times of need.

- Afterwards I rushed home, made myself a quick lunch, went to get my haircut at Supercuts

- There are SO many details to be worked out regarding the NE campus, and I have SO much to do this week, but I'm really excited about what God is doing and how He's leading. I just wanna stay humble, obedient, and submitted to Him. (and had a good conversation with the stylist), then came home, showered up, and went to our bi-annual Leadership Summit. I REALLY enjoy anytime that we get to be together with so many of our volunteers. I led a breakout session for the NE campus where we talked about a bunch of the details and answered some questions.

Del Sol Northeast prayer update, 09/10/09

2009-09-10T13:21:00.001-06:00

Here's the latest update on the Northeast campus:

- Yesterday was a day with literally one meeting after another after another from first thing in the morning to late night. I didn’t end up getting home ‘til nearly 10 pm, so needless to say, I didn’t have much time to write up and send out this update yesterday. Yesterday was very busy, but also quite productive.

- On Tuesday, my GrowGroup grew from 5 people to 3: the hosts and myself. So, rather than doing our study this week, I took them out to see the NE campus facilities and listen to their perspective about what we might could do there. It’s always kind of a bummer when nobody shows up for something you’ve planned, but I think God redeemed the time through our “field trip” out to the Angora Loop property. I think it helped those two that went with me see the actual facility and catch a little more of the vision for a Del Sol Church location in their part of the community.

- Yesterday afternoon, I took some ladies from the church and met my parents at the facilities where we’ll meet for Del Sol Northeast. It’s a property 2 miles north of the Loop 375 & Railroad Dr. intersection, at 6815 Angora Loop S. I wanted them all to be there to look at it from a different perspective than mine, to look at the property with some fresh eyes and to brainstorm some ideas as to how we can do some freshening up and modernizing of the property. We made some good progress, talking about pain colors and about some other options of what we need to do there.

- Afterwards, I talked with Troy, our Youth & Young Adults Pastor here at Del Sol East and we set a work day for next Saturday, September 19^th to go and start priming the walls, cleaning up weeds & overgrown grass, etc. in order to begin getting it ready for us to meet there soon. It feels SO good, after nearly a year of planning, to finally stop talking and actually take action, and to be getting so close to actually launching the location!

- If we’re able to get things in order there and get our supplies in time, it really looks like we’ll be able to have our first monthly worship service there (called a “preview service”) in November! This isn’t written in stone, but right now I don’t anticipate coming across any reason why we wouldn’t be able to do so.

- This Sunday afternoon is our bi-annual Leadership Summit at Del Sol. Pastor Walter will talk about where we’ve been this year and where we’re going this fall and next year, and after a large group sessions, we’ll have ministry-specific breakout sessions. I’ve invited most everyone who has expressed interest in the Northeast location to come. If you’re part of the Del Sol Church family and I haven’t yet contacted you to invite you, please know that you're invited to come to the summit this Sunday, September 13^th, from 4 – 7 pm and to come to the Northeast location breakout session after the main session so that you can learn more about Del Sol Northeast and how you can be a part of it, if you so choose.

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. Keep asking God to prepare the way for the Northeast campus by opening doors for conversation with people in the Northeast community and by preparing the hearts of people in the Northeast so that they’ll be open to invitations to come to Del Sol Northeast.

2. Ask God to lead me as I lead the Northeast GrowGroup, to bring the people He knows should be there, and to help us be a presence, make an impact, and gain momentum in the Northeast as we prepare to launch the NE location.

3. Pray that God will lead myself and my team members as we work out all the details for what needs to happen to prepare the Angora Loop property for DSC NE (paint, landscaping, renovations, equipment orders, etc.) and as we organize and mobilize people for workdays there. Also, ask God to lead people at Del Sol East to be eager to help us prepare the facilities by working at the upcoming workdays.

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

Sunday night mind purge.

2009-09-06T22:04:00.053-06:00

- So Monday was a very busy day for me - I knocked a whole bunch of important tasks off my to-do list, prepared for the first week of my GrowGroup which was on Tuesday, got some good reading time in, and talked with some other staff members at Del Sol about getting some volunteers for the NE campus working as apprentices in some ministries at the East campus.

- Tuesday was a long day. Working all day, with staff meeting in the middle of the day, then heading over to the Northeast to lead my GrowGroup at the MacKay's home. I wasn't sure if anyone would show up, and I was SUPER nervous about it, but it ended up turning out pretty well. There were 5 of us total, and hopefully we'll have several more join us this coming week. If you would, pray for my group because how it turns out is gonna greatly determine how well it looks like the Northeast campus will turn out. In other words ...there's a lot of pressure on me for this group to go well, so I'm just trusting God to do His thing here.

- Wednesday was a long day spent mostly working at the office, followed by First Wednesday that night. It was so great to hear the reports from the Spain and Slovakia missions trips that our church took this summer. I'm really excited about what it seems God is leading us to do in the future in the area of international missions.

- On Thursday, I went into the office in the morning and worked on a couple of projects but then spent the most of the afternoon running errands and doing research for some things we're working on for this fall at Del Sol. I also took a little bit of time to finally try out Crave out in Kern Place and do some sightseeing at UTEP.

This is the inside of Crave:

And the Sun Bowl:

The Don:

- Friday was a nice, restful day. I hit the gym, then had a nice relaxed lunch, ran a couple of errands, went for a drive, then came home and watched the movie 17 Again (which wasn't as cheesy as I thought it would be). Since Hanks wasn't playing a home game, I just went to have dinner at Chick-fil-A and then stayed home for the evening, resting and relaxing.

- On Saturday I slept in a bit, went to the gym for a nice long workout, then had lunch, did some cleaning around the house, and got ready for the UTEP football game. I went with some guys from the church and had a great time at the game (even though the Miners lost because of a bad call by a ref in the last few seconds), then went to get some food afterwards. We didn't even get to the restaurant until about midnight, and I didn't end up getting to bed 'til close to 1:30 am. Needless to say that even though it was fun, it was not the wisest of decisions.

- So this morning, it was pretty hard to wake up but I did it. Interestingly enough, my parents were listening to Andy Stanley so I didn't wake up to my alarm but to Andy Stanley's voice. Weird. I also woke up feeling pretty sick, but it was a GREAT worship experience this morning, and it was really great to run around serving, taking care of things and helping people feel welcome during the 11 am service.

- After that I went to lunch with my parents and had some great conversation with them, then came home and took a little nap. I had planned on doing yard work, but I've just been too tired from staying out so late last night. Thankfully, the office is closed tomorrow so I get another much needed day to rest my mind.

Friday Five (a little late) - Five Things I appreciate about Terry

2009-09-05T14:28:00.012-06:00

This week's Friday Five (just a little late): five things I appreciate about Terry Gooding, our Prayer Ministry Coordinator at Del Sol Church:

1. Her heart for prayer. She's the prayer coordinator, so of course she's got a heart for prayer - seems a no-brainer, right? Well, I wouldn't say so since throughout history there have been many pastors who weren't even Christians, so I really respect and appreciate that for Terry, prayer is not just her job, but her passion - a passion that's extremely contagious.

2. Her leadership abilities. Terry's a meek, mild-mannered, unimposing character. She's not an up-front, must be in the spotlight kind of person. She's a faithful servant, often in the background - but there's an interesting characteristic about her: she's a great leader. Most people think to be a leader you have to be visible and vocal, but Terry seems to do just fine leading the prayer team her way - out of the spotlight, letting God get the glory.

3. Her desperation for God. Part of her unimposing character comes from her desperation for God. She does not at all try to pretend she's got it all together because she knows that she - like the rest of us - are all messed up, sinful, broken people who need God's grace to live in a way that is both pleasing to Him and beneficial to us.

4. Her caring heart for people. Being the prayer ministry coordinator, Terry deals with some incredibly sensitive, personal prayer needs and handles them in a very wise, careful way. Also, she is extremely approachable and caring and gentle, and she makes you truly feel the love of God when you're around her.

5.Her willingness to help. There have been many times in staff meeting where we're discussing a matter and Terry offers to help, or makes a helpful suggestion about someone else who might be able to help with something. She's extremely helpful, and always eager and available when you need something, no matter how big or small.

Del Sol Northeast prayer update - 09/02/09

2009-09-02T15:57:00.003-06:00

Here's the latest update on Del Sol Church's Northeast location:

- Last week I mentioned that we’ve finally found a location to meet in, on a road in the Northeast called Angora Loop (which is just about 2 miles north of the Loop 375/Railroad Drive intersection, just off Railroad Drive). I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at our options as far as making it into an environment that’s more welcoming, friendly, and functional for what we’ll be doing. I’ve also been thinking about and looking into advertising, promotion, how we can serve the community there, etc.

- Last night we had the first meeting this fall of our GrowGroup that meets in the Northeast. There were 5 of us there, but hopefully we’ll be able to get some more people to come next week. I challenged the group members to bring someone with them next week, and I’ve printed some invitation cards that we can use to invite people to the group. I’m excited about the people we have in the group, and about those who told me they couldn’t make it this week but wanted to come next week. I think if we can get people excited about what’s going on with the group, then that excitement will help us build the momentum we need in order to launch the Northeast location in the coming months.

- It seems every week I have at least one or two people (sometimes more) come up to me, without any spurring or solicitation on my part, to ask me when the Northeast location will open up. They’ll tell me that they live in the Northeast, or that they have family or friends or coworkers that live out there and they want to get them connected. That tells that God is up to something with Del Sol Northeast, that He wants us out there, and that even though we don’t have a large base of people from Del Sol who live out in the Northeast, we are still wanted by the people of Northeast El Paso. I’m very excited to see what God will do when we actually start meeting out there soon.

- In addition to preparing to launch the Northeast location, we’ve also got quite a lot going on at Del Sol East, and all of us on staff are busy getting ready for the rest of the year and are already planning for next year, so we’re definitely very busy bees around the office.

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. Ask God to continue to open up doors for me for conversation with people who live in the Northeast, and to even now be opening up the hearts of people who live in the Northeast so that they’ll be open and receptive to the Northeast location when we launch.

2. Please pray for the Northeast GrowGroup that just started. Ask God to do a good work in each group member, to send more people so that we can grow numerically, and to use the group to build excitement and momentum as we get closer to launching the NE location.

3. Please pray for Pastor Walter and our staff here at Del Sol Church, as we prepare for what God has in store for us the rest of this year and next year. Ask God to give us grace, encouragement, joy, patience, strength, endurance, and everything we need to lead and to be able to encourage and equip our church family.

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

Friday Five - Five Things I appreciate about Teri

2009-08-28T22:28:00.013-06:00

Today's Friday Five - Five things I appreciate about Teri Valdespino, our Missions & Ministries Coordinator at Del Sol Church:

1. Her servant's heart. One thing that describes Teri is that she is a servant. Sure, she leads - but she does so as an incredible example of what it means to be a servant leader, to be first among equals. I've seen Teri lead in many, many things - and I've never once seen her complain or be afraid to get in the game and serve right alongside everyone else. She's definitely a servant.

2. Her caring, maternal heart. Teri has a great way of bringing a maternal ethos to things. She's a great mother to her two kids, and she carries that wonderful maternal attitude on in her work - which is definitely a good thing considering that she often works with people who really need a tender, caring touch.

3. Her willingness to grow. Teri came to Del Sol from working in a bank, so she's had to really be on her feet in order to learn about ministry, about leadership, about theology, about the Church - and she's never afraid to ask questions. She reads, she asks questions, and she learns. That's an awesome characteristic about her.

4. Her ability to build teams. Teri seems to naturally do what many other leaders struggle at - build teams around a single purpose. That purpose may be something as little as copying and stapling papers, or something as big as assembling an international mission trip. I've constantly been impressed at her team-building ability.

5. Her heart for the community. Teri has a big heart and a deep concern for our community - especially the poorest areas of our community, around Downtown and in Second Ward. I think that, paired with her Kingdom mindedness, is what makes drives her and makes her such a great Missions & Ministries Coordinator.

Del Sol Northeast prayer update, 08/26/09

2009-08-26T15:46:00.000-06:00

Here's the latest update on the Northeast campus:

- I apologize that I didn’t send out an update last week; it was a very busy week though, with some important developments concerning Del Sol’s Northeast location.

- Two weeks ago I mentioned a possibility of some shopping center space that had recently opened up and that we were looking into that option. Just around that time, another facility – a former church in the Northeast, on a road called Angora Loop – became available as another possible option for us to meet at. There are some major pros and cons to both the shopping center and to the former church property, so we took some time to go look at both properties and then pray, think, and discuss what the wisest option for us would be.

- After lots of prayer, thought, discussion, and several late nights staying up thinking and praying, we’ve come to the conclusion that though the shopping center I mentioned two weeks ago is a great option and a great opportunity, it just would not be the wisest use of our financial resources at this time – so it looks like we’ll be renting the property on Angora Loop for awhile to get things started. It’ll be a “starter home” if you will, a place for us to get things started and then grow out of after a little while.

- This property will require some minor improvements, mostly things like painting, carpeting, landscaping, etc. – things to make it an environment that’s more welcoming, friendly, and functional for what we’ll be doing. Location is important, but what’s more important is what goes on at a location so even though this property is not the best location, it’s a great opportunity for us to step things up and create environments on Sunday mornings that people are excited about coming to and are willing to go out of their way to invite their friends, neighbors, and coworkers to. It’s also an opportunity for us to do something that will hopefully improve the neighborhood a bit by making improvements to this facility.

- So there are two major ways in which God has guided us lately: first, in providing a location for us to meet at and second, providing a location where we can be a fixed church campus rather than one where would be portable. It would have been a huge and very difficult feat to ask people to drive 30 minutes on Sunday mornings to the other side of town, get there 2 hours before the worship celebration service, set everything up, have an hour long worship celebration service, then spend another hour and a half putting everything back before being able to drive another 30 minutes back home. That would have made for long, tiring Sundays and an immense amount of wear & tear on our people and equipment, so I’m very glad that we won’t have to do that for now.

- Two weeks ago I also mentioned some dates of Sunday morning worship celebration services that we were preparing for; I’d like to keep that schedule if at all possible, but it’ll depend on how quickly we’re able to prepare the property for our gatherings, so that’s a matter of prayer as well.

- God has given us incredible amounts of clarity and direction in these past couple of weeks, in large part due to your prayers, so thank you SO much for praying faithfully.

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. Thank God for the clarity and direction He’s given, and ask Him to continue leading the way by showing us exactly what we need to do with the Angora Loop property in order to make it a more welcoming, friendly, and functional environment for people to come to.

2. Please ask God to show us His pace – meaning that we want to move along at the speed He wants us to go at, not going so fast that we get ahead of what He’s doing and not moving so slow that we lag behind and miss out on God-given opportunities.

3. Please ask God to continue giving us guidance and wisdom about programming matters like kids ministry activities, GrowGroups, the preaching schedule, etc.

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

Sunday night mind purge

2009-08-16T22:27:00.011-06:00

- On Monday morning I met with a realtor to look at some shopping center space that's recently been made available in the Northeast, in the Las Colinas Plaza at the intersection of US 54 and Kenworthy. We talked about some of the details and I told him that we're interested in the space as one of our options but that I'd need to talk with my supervisor about it when he got back in town the following week. These are some pictures of it:

- After that, I spent the day working in the Northeast at The Bagel Shop and at Starbucks, sending out some emails and continuing to work on a renovation of the Del Sol Church website among other things.

- Most of my day on Tuesday held me being at the office, having a couplme of important meetings, doing some dreaming with other staff members, creating a preaching calendar for the Northeast location for next year, and working out details on some other important projects I'm working on. After being at the office all day, I went to the gym for awhile and got in a good workout before coming home for dinner and to unwind and get ready for Wednesday.

- Wednesday was another day spent at the office. I had some important projects I needed to get finished before the weekend (which for me starts on Friday), so I decided I needed to work at the office the whole day. So I did, then hit the gym afterwards, and went home to unwind and get ready for Thursday.

- I didn't get nearly as much work done on Thursday as I had wanted to, but I had a meeting with my accountability partner mid day that was important, so I had to postpone some of my "to-dos" until later. After my meeting, I came home to read for awhile, then went back to the office, worked some, then met some friends for dinner and then went to the Firehouse to ask a couple of people some important questions and ended up hanging around for awhile just talking with friends there.

- Friday was a very strange day; I woke up with a dark, angry funk on me. I don't know what it was, but it was nasty. Actually, I think it was a spiritual attack and it took me all day and lots of prayer to get through that. Thankfully, the David Crowder Band played that night at the Activate MusicFest, so it was a great time to worship with other believers and to focus on Him, not on me.

- Friday, my ordinary Sabbath day off, was not very relaxing so on Saturday I slept in, rested throughout the day, and went back to Activate that night. We saw Superchick and others play, and it was just a fun time with good music.

- This morning I woke up early and met my team at El Dorado High School to watch/help The River's Edge Church setup for their Sunday morning worship service. It was a great time of learning, and helped clarify some things for me. Based on what my team said, I think it was beneficial for them too. I mentioned that potential shopping space, so hopefully we won't have to be a portable church because it's gonna be really hard, but if we do, now we know some of what it'll entail.

- Afterwards I went to lunch with the Loya family and then came home and took a long nap. After that I did some updates on my iPhone and went to Starbucks for a couple of hours to read.

- When I went to the school this morning, I arrived about 15 minutes late; 15 minutes after my team. I had felt bad about that and while I was at Starbucks, I was really convicted that I needed to apologize to my team. They worked their tails off to get their on time, and it was very disrespectul of me to get there late. I should've been the first one there, not the last one. And what troubled me the most is that tardiness is become an irresponsible habit of mine; I know that because some friends of mine joked with me recently that they knew I'd be late to something because I was always late.

I don't want to be known as someone who is always late, and I think it's irresponsible and disrespectful of me to be late and expect others to be on time. So as you read this, I'd appreciate your prayer and your accountability in this area. I want to be known as being on time and even being early, not being late. I want to respect people's time by being on time all time.

Del Sol Northeast prayer update

2009-08-12T14:16:00.000-06:00

Here's the latest update on the Northeast campus:

- Last week I mentioned that we won’t be able to meet at Dr. Nixon Elementary School, and so I’m looking into other possible meeting locations. I’ve been doing my research so that I can present Pastor Walter with some options when he gets back next week from a family vacation he’s on. I’ve looked at a small church building that’s available, I’m pursuing North Star Elementary School, and I found some shopping center space that just opened up a couple of months ago when a pizza place closed down. I’ve also looked in the YMCA, but it probably wouldn’t work for our purposes.

- Last week I also mentioned that I’ve been believing and claiming Ephesians 3:20 which says that God will do something far better than what we could even imagine would be best, and I believe that He is answering that. If all else fails, we could definitely meet at that old church building (though it’s not the ideal location or facility, we could make do), North Star ES is a much nicer, newer facility than Dr. Nixon ES and it’s on a main road, not a residential road, and the shopping center space I’m looking into is right at the intersection of two main roads in the Northeast, behind a Walgreen’s drug store and across the street from an Albertson’s grocery store – so it has the advantage of being identified by the landmarks it’s nearby.

- I’m open to whatever God leads us to do, and we definitely want to be wise managers of the money God has given us access to, but after much prayer, thought, and discussion I would really like to meet in the shopping center space, it that’s at all possible. The downside to meeting there is that the rent would be significantly higher than what it would be to meet in a school, but I think it would be a better option because:

We would have access to it 24/7 so we could do midweek stuff and maybe even open it up to the community throughout the week, whereas we would be paying a large sum of money to meet at a school for a limited time on just one day a week.
It’s close to those landmarks I mentioned above, unlike schools which are usually in neighborhoods away from main roads.
We would control over it as far as the arrangement of the facility and rooms.
Though the rent would be higher, we would save money on some expenses that are unavoidable in a portable setting, such as having to buy portable staging, purchasing of a trailer, insurance on the trailer and its contents, monthly rent on a storage space for the trailer, fuel for the truck used to pull the trailer, etc.
We wouldn’t have to spend 3-4 hours each Sunday just setting everything up and tearing it down like we would have to do if we met in a school. The wear and tear we’d save on the volunteers alone is worth it, in my opinion.

I’d like to be able to secure a location soon, because we need to start ordering equipment and setting down some other details pretty soon, so please ask God to give us wisdom and direction about this matter.

- Because we don’t have a location secured yet, we’ve had to make some minor changes to our schedule, but we still plan on launching in to weekly worship celebration services in January. We dropped our preview gathering in October, but should still be able to have one on November 15^th, one on December 13^th, and then one more on January 10^th, launching into weekly services on Sunday, January 24^th instead of on January 10^th.

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. Please continue to ask God to show us where He wants us to meet, to open the doors we should go through, and close the doors we need to stay out of. Ask Him to give us favor where we need favor and most of all, please ask Him to give us wisdom to discern what the next step is.

3. Please pray for me as I continue to try to wrap my mind around everything that needs to be done and as I try to meet more people in the Northeast community. Also, please pray for our NE campus staff we brainstorm together, work on the details of graphic design, mail-outs, advertising, servant evangelism outreaches, preaching calendars, and all the other things we need to prepare for.

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

A different kind of Sunday night mind purge.

2009-08-09T22:15:00.018-06:00

Usually on Sunday nights I write about what happened during the previous week, but I want to do something different with this post. Several weeks ago, on the morning of Sunday, July 19th, I had the honor and privilege of bringing a message to the Del Sol Church family, and it was an incredible experience for me. I've had many people, even three weeks later, commend me on my message three weeks ago, so I want to write about my thoughts from that experience.

I suppose they're convictions of mine, really, about preaching:

- When I preach, I have to present the Gospel in a compelling manner EVERY time. No exceptions. If that were to be the last message I ever preached, I would want it to be known as a message where I told people about the life that only Jesus Christ can give. And since I have no guarantee of tomorrow, EVERY time I preach could be the last time, so I just have to preach the Gospel every time. And for me, talking about the Gospel just never gets old!

Every time we gather on Sunday mornings, someone's "one" is there. The "one" son or daughter or friend that they've been praying for months would come to church. The "one" person in their life who they finally worked up the nerve to invite to church. The "one" neighbor or coworker who finally started showing interest in God and the things of God, and who finally agreed to come to church. So you can see that the stakes are way too high to not present the Gospel every time.

- "Solidly Biblical, Intensely Practical." That's the motto of the School of Christian Ministry at Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina. I read that statement on their website awhile back when I was looking at the grad school program, and that statement really resonated with me. Whenever I preach, I want it to be a message that is solidly Biblical because my main responsibility is to honor God and do justice to His Word, the Bible, handling it in a way that is right and proper and that glorifies Him. I also want my messages to be intensely practical, because I believe that to teach the Bible without teaching how to apply it to one's life is to do a great injustice to the listener.

Jesus, along with Paul and many others in the Bible never seemed to just preach the Bible and not tell people what to do with it. Jesus talked about being people of action ("doers"), not just listeners ("hearers"), and as a leader and preacher, I believe it is my God-ordained responsibility to teach the Word and to teach how to apply our lives to the Word. Solidly Biblical, Intensely Practical.

- The Church exists more for those who aren't there than for those that are, more for the lost, unsaved, nonbelieving outsider than for the already convinced. This brings great tension for those of us in church leadership - how do we reach wide (focus on the lost) and go deep (help believers grow) at the same time? It's a tension we have to deal with, but I honestly believe that Jesus would have a bent more towards the lost, but would also know that the mission of His Church cannot be accomplished without the committed believers who are willing to sacrifice to great extents for that cause.

Because of this, I believe that churches should do anything - ANYthing - short of sin to create environments where the lost can come in, connect with God in a personal way, understand a little more about what God says in the Bible, experience His love, and can have an opportunity to commit their lives to the Lord Jesus. That'll make things uncomfortable sometimes for us believers, especially traditionalists, but Jesus never said we should be comfortable - He said we should be committed.

- A next step should always be laid out clearly and concisely. This kind of goes along with the intensely practical thing but when I preach, I want people to know what they need to do next - whether that means they stop dating the Church and commit already by becoming a member, or if new believers need to be obedient to Christ and be baptized by immersion, or if those still exploring the faith should ask for more info so they can be better informed about Jesus and His Church, or if some need to commit their lives to Christ on the spot, before they leave the room.

Giving someone a clearly laid out next step is a vital part of showing them how to journey along with Christ, and those of us who are just a few steps further along on the journey should turn around and show those just beginning where to go next. Next steps are crucial in a message.

- The message shouldn't always try to make people feel better and leave happy. Oh I know that people get beat up in the world and that the Church should be a place of refuge, and I know most people will readily confess that they're not perfect and that they know they've messed up - but that's not an excuse not to present the truth. And the truth about the truth is that the truth sometimes hurts. I've recently stopped telling people I hope they have a good time at church, because maybe God doesn't want them to have a good time - maybe He wants them to be convicted like the dickens!

Maybe He wants to root out sin in their lives and is going to use what happens at that gathering to help do that. So maybe as a preacher, my goal should just be to honor God and preach what He leads me to preach, not what I think people need to hear. They need to hear what God wants them to hear, not what I want them to hear.

- If God doesn't show up, we're all wasting our time. We can't produce a move of God. We can facilitate it, we can prepare for it, we create an environment where hearts are open to His Spirit - but if it's not God, we're wasting our time and we might as well close up shop and go home. It's not about music, it's not about denominational label, it's not about what anyone wants or thinks. That's why I will not preach unless I have a couple of men pray for me first. I must have God's anointing, my words must be inspired by Him.

It's all God, or it's nothing - plain and simple.

Those are my basic convictions about what must go on when I preach. I sure hope and pray that those things happened when I preached 3 weeks ago, and I hope and pray they'll happen again each and every time I have the huge honor and privilege of standing in front of a crowd, preaching God's Word to them.

Friday Five - Five things I appreciate about Dag

2009-08-08T14:34:00.008-06:00

So it's been awhile since I've posted a Friday Five, and even though today is Saturday, I thought that it'd still be good to get back on the saddle with Friday Five's, albeit just a day late.

Awhile back, I wrote about the things I appreciate about Pastor Walter; today, five things I appreciate about our GrowGroups Pastor, Dag Sewell:

1. His passion for God. Dag is a man of God, with a passionate love for God. He is a strong in knowledge of God and the things of God, but it's not a head knowledge that doesn't lead to action. He knows God, he knows the things of God, he knows God's Word, and that knowledge leads him to be the kind of man God has created him to be. He's a great man of God.

2. His passion for people. If there was one thing that could be said about Dag besides that he is a man who passionately loves God, it would be this: Dag Sewell is a man who passionately loves people. He loves his family, he loves his fellow staff members, he loves GrowGroup leaders, he loves the whole Del Sol Church family, he loves other church leaders ...he just loves people in general, no distinction and no favorites! You may not know that Dag works full time leading Howard Payne University's El Paso Branch, and works part time at Del Sol. That's a LOT of work, yet with all of that he somehow still manages to be an incredible husband, a great father, and an all around great person.

3. His genuineness. Dag is one of the most genuine people you'll ever meet; he truly is a great example of "what you see if what you get". I've never gotten the sense that he was posing or pretending, I've never gotten the sense that he was doing something he didn't want to do - he's just as genuine as can be, inside and out (not that I'm implying our other staff members aren't also genuine).

4. His sense of humor. He's stinkin funny! One of the reasons I enjoy hearing him preach on occasion is because he always does a good job weaving his sense of humor into his messages, like this past Wednesday night when he, being bald, talked about "those of you who can pull out your hair" doing so. I'm always drawn to people who are secure enough in God and in themselves that they can use self-deprecating humor to bring down walls. I really enjoy Dag's sense of humor.

5. His humility. As I mentioned about Walter, Dag is also an incredibly humble man. He's a man who is well respected and who is spoken of well by many, many people in these parts, he's a very capable leader, he's a great example and role model to younger leaders and younger Christians - and I think the reason he is all those things is because he's not full of himself - he's full of God. In other words, he's not focused on himself, but on God. He's truly a humble man.

Let's brag on Dag a bit. If you know him, leave a comment with some things that you appreciate about him.

The cup.

2009-08-05T22:37:00.015-06:00

Tonight we had First Wednesday, which is our Lord's Supper service we have about 9 or 10 times a year. It's a time for believers to come together, worship through music, giving, sitting under Biblical preaching, and taking part in the Lord's Supper together as a church family.

We usually take the two elements of the Lord's Supper, the cup and the bread, toward the end of our time together. This is the cup:

It's just a little, disposable plastic cup filled with Welch's 100% grape juice - but it's symbolic of an incredible truth; it's symbolic of the blood of Christ which was spilled for you, for me, and for everyone else throughout history so that we imperfect people could have a personal relationship with perfect, Holy God.

It's a really incredible thing, what the Lord's Supper symbolizes.

Whenever I hold the cup in my hand, I always hold it under the light and over my hand, looking down through it and seeing my flesh under the redness of the fruit of the vine. I do that because it makes me think of how God the Father sees me - He sees me through the blood of Christ and because of Jesus' blood, I am clean and pure and holy.

He doesn't see my sin, He doesn't see my selfishness, He doesn't see my mess of a life, He doesn't see my shame, He doesn't see my screw ups - all He sees is the perfect blood of Jesus Christ.

And that's why I'm humbled to take part in the nearly two millennia old ordinance of the Lord's Supper, because of what it reminds me of and more importantly, of Who it reminds me of.

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. - 1 Corinthians 11:26

Del Sol Northeast prayer update

2009-08-05T16:20:00.000-06:00

Here's the latest update on the Northeast campus:

- I didn’t send out an update last Wednesday because I was on vacation for the most part of last week. However, we did see some interesting developments since then, which I’ll fill you in on in this week’s update.

- For the past few weeks, I’ve asked you to pray about a meeting I would have with the principal of Dr. Nixon Elementary School. Well, I met with the principal and assistant principal last Tuesday, and long story short, we will not be able to meet there. The meeting went very well and there are no bad feelings; they just simply cannot host us because of various reasons which were explained to me and which I understand. I’m very grateful for all the time the administration at the school took to work with me over the past few months, and I want it to be known that we will bless them and be gracious to them even though things didn’t work out with them.

- You should know that this is not really a bad thing; it’s simply God giving guidance and telling us that for whatever reason, that school is just not the place He needs us to be. Interestingly enough, there’s a brand new elementary school being built about half a mile away from Dr. Nixon, and I found out today that another church will be meeting in that new school starting in October – so God’s at work there and rather than be upset, I bless the school and I bless that church that will be meeting at the new school. It’s great to see God is at work there; it’s not about us, it’s about Him and His Kingdom anyway.

- So what’s next? There are several other schools around there, there’s a rec center out in the Northeast, and there’s also a former church building that’s available, and there’s even some shopping center space that recently opened up, so we’re in the process of praying, seeking God, and thinking through these other options. We can’t really move ahead with other things like advertising, promotion, ordering equipment, etc. until we have a place where we know we can meet, so this is definitely a big prayer request.

- As great as Dr. Nixon ES seemed like it would be, I’m excited because I know that according to Ephesians 3:20, God has something in store for us that’s way better than what we ever could have imagined. I believe that a year from now, we’ll look back and think about how low we were aiming and how small we were thinking in wanting to meet at Dr. Nixon. I don’t know what’s in store for us, but I know it’s gonna be great because it’s gonna be from God!

- One quick update about the staff for the NE campus: we now have a kids’ ministry director! I’m not going to saw their name right now, but I believe they’re a great fit for the position, they have a great vision, and I’m very excited to see how God will work through them at Del Sol Northeast!

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. As I mentioned above, we are asking God to show us where He wants us to meet. Please ask God to show us where He wants us to be and to open the doors we should go through and close the doors we need to stay out of. Ask Him to give us favor where we need favor and most of all, please ask Him to give us wisdom to discern what the next step is.

2. Please continue to ask God to raise up all the volunteers that we need to be a fully functioning campus, and to guide me as I approach other Kingdom-minded churches and businesses to raise the rest of the money we need to cover all of our expenses to launch this campus well.

3. In this search for a location to meet at, I want to be a good ambassador of Christ to all those I will interact with, like school administration, city officials, realtors, etc. Ask God to give me words to speak and the right attitude to have as I interact with them.

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

Post-vacation mind purge ...

2009-08-04T21:43:00.019-06:00

So I just had a much needed, way-too-short vacation. I spent the first few days just relaxing at home and then from Thursday 'til Monday, I was in Dallas with David Pryor and Alex Romo.

The first weekend of my vacation (the weekend of July 25th) was pretty similar to any other weekend, and it really took me a few days to start to unwind and disconnect my mind from work. By Monday, I was starting to relax but I ended up having to do some work on Tuesday and then lead my GrowGroup that night, so it was weird having a few days off, then working one day, and having the rest of the week off.

On Wednesday I relaxed some more and prepared for my trip on Thursday. Thursday morning I left to Dallas and what should've been a 10 hour trip turned into a 12 hour trip because we left later than what I had planned, we made a couple of spur of the moment stops, and ended up getting a little lost in Downtown Ft. Worth, thanks to bad directions on the Google maps app on my iPhone.

We spent pretty much all Friday at Six Flags in Arlington (which was awesome and better than Six Flags in San Antonio, I think), and on Saturday we went to the Dr. Pepper museum in Waco, then met a friend of mine in Ft. Worth, and went to a campus of LifeChurch.tv there afterwards. After that we met a friend of mine back in Dallas at Speedzone, which is an arcade with outdoor go karts, a drag racing track, and some other stuff like bungie jumping and such.

On Sunday morning we woke up early and went to The Potter's House church, which was a really interesting experience. The building was massive, and there were SO many people there! We had to park across a highway, walk over a steel catwalk to get to the parking lot, then walked into the building and had to walk up to the balcony because it was so packed. When we got inside to our seats, the joy and celebratory spirit was amazing! There were thousands of people there singing out to God, celebrating the spiritual life that only He can give us.

After almost an hour and 45 minutes of singing and stuff, T.D. Jakes finally came up to preach but by that time, we had to leave to go visit another church - First Baptist Church of Dallas, right in the heart of downtown Dallas. What a difference going from a massive, contemporary, charismatic black church to a very traditional, upper class, Baptist church! They were both so different, but I really enjoyed both experiences and I think it was good for us to see those different expressions of worship. It just goes to show that God is so big and great that there are many ways for us to worship Him.

After that, we met my brothers Aaron and Aramis for lunch, then went to the Sixth Floor museum, which is in the building from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy in 1963. After being there for awhile, we headed off to Watermark Community Church in northern Dallas for their 5:30 pm service. Of all the churches we went to, that would probably be the one I would want to go to if I was in Dallas. I loved the environment there, and I was incredibly impressed by all the stuff do for the community, like a mentoring partnership with an impoverished school, giving a truckload of food to a food bank, sending their youth to work at a Christian summer camp for disabled kids, and having a beauty day for prostitutes in Dallas where they gave them a makeover, manicures and pedicures, and took glamour shots as a way to remind them that they are women of great value to God and to His church. I was also impressed that during the pastor's message, I saw most of the people with open Bibles on their laps and taking notes not on a provided outline, but on their own notebooks that they brought themselves. It really was a great experience there!

Afterwards we went to Panera Bread, then went to the hotel and chilled for awhile before going to bed. The next morning, we hit the road to come back to El Paso.

So all in all, it was a great experience. I had a REALLY good time with David and Alex, we had so much fun, had great discussions, joked around a lot, and just enjoyed our time there together.

As I got my mind off work, got out of town, and asked God to open my heart and mind to what He wanted to speak to me, I kept sensing His reminding me over and over and over that He is God, He is Lord, He is in control, He is good, and He will be faithful to provide. Most of all, He kept reminding me that He loves me. And that's enough for me.

Sunday night mind purge

2009-07-26T20:36:00.017-06:00

So this week has been interesting, stressful, exhilirating, boring, and fun all at the same time:

- On Monday I began the day with physical therapy, which, although the people there are really nice, is just not a good way to start the day - or the week for that matter. =)

- After that, I went in to the office for awhile, did some work and had a really good, deep conversation with a dear friend of mine, then went to The Bagel Shop and worked there for awhile, then went to read at Starbucks for awhile before having a quick meeting with a couple of people to do some mid-course correction on a leadership issue, and then ended the day with a nice long session at the gym. It was a super busy and somewhat stressful, but good day.

- Tuesday was a looooooong day at the office. I spent the day working on budgets, writing up some stuff, prepping for meetings, and looking through the DSC website (which we're fixing to do a major overhaul to in the near future). After working all day, I rushed over to the Northeast to have a quick dinner and then lead my GrowGroup. Funny thing about evening GrowGroups - more often than not it seems, you're really tired and kind of don't want to go, but you go anyway and you leave so blessed and so glad you went. That night was one of the most blessed times we've had all summer!

- Oh Wednesday ...the longest day of the week for me. It went from 8 am 'til 11:30 pm straight - no break. I had PT, then ran some errands for the church, then went in to the office, then had a lunch meeting, then did more work at the office, then went to the gym for awhile, then rushed home to shower up, and then had a NE campus staff meeting. We talked through so many important things and laid out some detailed plans that though I was tired from such a long day, I felt so accomplished, excited about the future, and thrilled about what God is going to use us for in the Northeast part of our city.

- After that I went to the airport to welcome back the Slovakia team. It was good to see them all, and I ended up taking Walter home so I got to hear all about their experience during the few weeks they were there. It sounded like they worked hard, had a good time, and really made an impact for God in the lives of the people there. It also sounded like there's great potential for a long-term partnership with our contacts over there.

- Thursday was a long but interesting day, which held a wonderful surprise! I started the day off by working at the office for a little while and while I was there, I received a surprise message that some missionary friends of mine, who I hadn't seen in almost 2 years, were in town for vacation and wanted me to drop by and see them at their hotel if I had time. So after working a bit and having a lunch meeting in the Northeast, I went to go visit with them for a couple of hours. It was good to see them - even though they shared some frustrations and some discouragements, all in all they seemed so much happier than the last time I had seen them.

- After that, I went to the gym, came home and finished a project I needed to have done for a meeting with Walter on Friday, and then went to the Firehouse to say hi and ended up hanging out all night with friends and some of the youth.

- So Friday, after a good meeting in the morning with Walter, I began my vacation. I had a nice, leisurely lunch, then ran a couple of errands and came home to relax for awhile. It was so stinkin hot that I ended up taking a nap and then watching TV most of the evening.

- On Saturday, I woke up and went to the gym for a good workout, then came home and cleaned out my car, showered up, went to Walmart to get some vitamins and milk, then came home and hung out for awhile. At 7:30 pm, I went to Life Church to checkout their Saturday night service, which was interesting. I liked Monty's message.

- This morning, I went to the early service at Christian Joy Center, a mostly black church here in El Paso, and just loved the jubilant spirit that my brothers and sisters there have. I ended up leaving early, right when the preaching started, because it had already been over an hour and I needed to get to Del Sol to worship with MY church family. It was so good to have Walter back with us, and it was so good just to worship with my church family. As I was walking in, someone said "aren't you on vacation?" with a "why are you here if you're on vacation?" tone and I told them that I'd still come to Del Sol even if I didn't work there! =D

- Afterwards, I went to lunch with the Pryors and had a good time just enjoying being with them, then came home and took a nap, and lounged around for awhile before I started writing this post.

- And now, the vacation continues. Pray for me if you would, that I can learn to relax and unwind during this time. It's really hard for me to disconnect and unplug my mind from work, and I'd really like to do that this week. great, is just not the best way to start off a day - or a week for that matter! =)

Del Sol Northeast prayer update

2009-07-22T23:38:00.001-06:00

Here's the latest update on the Northeast campus:

- The principal and some of the office staff at Dr. Nixon ES are back on duty today, so I called this morning to see if I could setup an appointment to meet with the principal this week, but he can’t meet with me until next Tuesday afternoon. That’s kind of a bummer because that’s during my vacation time, but I’ll have to meet with him during that time because this is something that can’t wait; I need to know ASAP if we’ll be able to meet at Dr. Nixon or if I need to find another place for us to meet. I believe God’s in control and is working things out, but I just need to know what the next step is here so I can coordinate some things for the launch.

- So right now, even though the principal’s back in the office, I’m still in the waiting room (so to speak) when it comes to having a meeting location nailed down. Right now I’m going ahead in faith that we will be able to meet there and in my mind, that’s what I’m thinking about.

- I’ve spent some time this week, and am meeting with my staff tonight, to work out the specifics of what we’ll do to promote and advertise the NE campus in the next couple of months. We’re talking through mail-outs, flyers, radio spots, online advertising on Facebook and MySpace, and doing lots of outreach events to let people know about Del Sol Northeast by serving them. I’m especially excited about one of the events we’re planning to do – offering free gift wrapping at the Walmart in the Northeast on a Saturday in December. I haven’t worked that out with the store manager yet but if we can do that, I think it’ll be a great way to show God’s love in a practical way, and to promote the NE campus.

- In the midst of all this, I’ve been dealing with some health issues that have been bothering me. I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately, I’ve been having some sour stomachs, and the biggest issue is that I’ve been having tremendous pain in both knees the past week and a half. I’ve been in physical therapy and after a month of it, this morning the therapist told me things had not been going well and that I need to see my doctor again. When I last saw my doctor, he said the next step is to do MRI’s and after that, we’re looking at the possibility of surgery (which is also something the therapist mentioned might have to be the next step).

- Of course, all that’s a big distraction and discouragement and it makes working and thinking difficult - but it’s also driven me to be in a place of total surrender and totally begging God for help and strength and courage. I’ve constantly been having the attitude that if this NE campus is going to happen, He’s gonna have to be the one who makes it happen and He’s gonna be the one to get the glory for it, because there’s no way it could be me making it happen.

- As I mentioned above, my vacation time is almost here; I’ll be on vacation from this Friday, July 24^th to Monday, August 3^rd. I’ll be in town the first few days, but I’ll be going out to Dallas with a couple of teenage guys from the church during the latter part of my time off. We’ll leave El Paso on Thursday the 30^th and come back on Monday the 3^rd.

Here's how you can pray this week:

1. I’ve been asking for several weeks, but I’ll ask again: please pray specifically for favor, understanding, and openness with the principal at Dr. Nixon. It seems that the assistant principal, office manager, and office staff are all excited to have us meet there, so I pray and hope and trust God that their excitement, combined with all our prayer, will do a work in the principal so that he’ll allow us to meet there. Please keep praying about this issue.

2. Please pray for my health – for my sleep cycle, for my digestive health, and for my knees. I really don’t want to even entertain the thought of surgery, and I don’t even want to begin to think about what could be causing the sleep/digestive issues. Honestly, I feel like my body is fighting against me. Please pray for me about all this.

3. Ask God to raise up all the volunteers that we need to be a fully functioning campus, and to guide me as I approach other Kingdom-minded churches and businesses to raise the rest of the money we need to cover all of our expenses to launch this campus well.

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