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The Copper Scroll

Janet and I just finished reading The Copper Scroll by Joel Rosenberg. We've read all of his books, except Epicenter. I'm sure we'll hit that one sometime before the Rapture. We've become fans of Joel's. He knows his stuff. If you like end-times, CIA, biblical archaelogoy type of stuff, these are good reads.

The real copper scroll is one of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Some scholars believe it holds hints to where the treasures from the Second Temple, including the Ark of the Covenant, are hid. Rosenberg's book is filled with historical data that his fictional characters use to search for these treasures.

I love books. Today we went to Dr. Seuss's 50th birthday party. Here's a book everybody should read: Oh, The Places You'll Go.

Whenever we hit Thrift Stores, I look for burried treasure in the books section. Here's my recent find: The Twelve Caesars by Michael Grant.

Prophecy Fulfilled

Iran is hooking up with Sudan. This was prophesied about in the book of Ezekiel. Check out what Joel Rosenberg says about it: Click here.

Quiet Time Tip #1

My good friend Art Murillo, who pastors The Way Christian Fellowship, included this in his enote to his church. Thought you'd benefit from it.


"Be still and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10

This beautiful lyric was originally sung by the Soprano Section of the Temple Choir. It tells us to take a minute amidst the hurry and hustle, and trials and turmoil, to think on the Lord. He is God. Our lives are in His hand.

Quiet Time Tip - Set a Time

Set a specific time everyday when you can spend a few uninterrupted minutes to read a portion of Scripture and pray. Plan for just a few minutes. But, you must plan.

For most people, early morning works best. Plus, it's just great to start your day by giving it to the Lord. Also, there are many examples in the Bible of Godly people (including Jesus) meeting with the Lord early in the day. If this is your plan, your preparation may start by going to bed a little earlier the night before.

If early morning doesn't work for you, just plan a time of day, when you will be awake, alert, not distracted, and not pressed for time. Though you're going to start with just a few minutes, you don't want to be constantly looking at your watch - that will distract you too.

So give it thought, and whatever time you choose, commit to it just as you would any other important appointment (dentist, doctor, date). Nobody likes to be stood up, including Jesus.

Lastly, your best planning will include prayer. Ask the Lord to help you with this and know that I will be praying for you as well.

Saturday Night Service

We had our first Saturday night service this past weekend. What a joy it was to lead worship for over 200 worshippers! We're starting a study in the gospel of John. As we spend time in this great book of the Bible, we are praying that Jesus will revolutionize our lives.

The last song we did, the one right before Pastor Pedro came to bring the Word, was Chris Tomlin's "How Great Is Our God". It's a fantastic worship song, and this weekend was one of the few times that I've done it. For me, when I hear the people singing the last chorus acapella I think about the Lord on His throne, listening to countless multitudes on earth raise their praises to Him. How great is that!

SE Pastors Conference

Great conference. It was good seeing old friends. We had dinner, Thai food, with Pastor Lucho Garcia of Lima, Peru, a long time friend. Janet and I were both on a missions trip when Lucho first started Calvary Chapel Gracia, in Lima. Lucho told us we were the first ones to come there. It was a great trip.

I appreciated Bob Coy's words. Rarely do I hear a sermon from him that I don't walk away wanting to be closer to the Lord.

I had a short but sweet conversation with Jeff James, the worship leader from Calvary Chapel Tallahasee. They're in a new building.

The Lord is doing much work through so many.

We were blessed to have our good friends Andy and Gen Falleur from Calvary Ottowa share at our church in Kendall. They stayed with us for a couple days. God's going to to do great things in Canada and Andy and Gen are going to be right in the middle of it!

God, continue to glorify your name!

Happy Birthday Abuela Mima!

Last Tuesday, we celebrated the 84th birthday of Genesis and Caleb's great-grandmother. Before we ate, we all stood in a circle and wished Abuela something for her birthday. I wished her a closer and closer walk with the Lord. Others in our family wished her similar blessings. She really received it and desired these spiritual things in her life. What an inspiration! She didn't desire a million dollars, a chance to be the next American Idol, or a DVD set of the latest novela.

Life on earth is finite. We all will age. And one day we will die. Let's store up for ourselves treasures in heaven as we look forward to getting our new bodies and live forever in that perfect place.....

Happy New Year

What a great year 2006 was for us! The highlight, I think, was moving back into our house.

We are excited about 2007. I think January is my favorite month of the year: NFL playoffs, the Calvary Chapel Southeast Pastor's Conference, season premiere of 24.

At Calvary Chapel this year, we are looking forward to starting our fourth weekend service: a Saturday night 6:00pm service. Personally, I look forward to watching the Lord continue to develop the worship ministry and really multiply our small group ministry. It's all about discipleship.

2007 also marks the kickoff of 1360 AM, south Florida's Christian talk station. I listened to it a bit today and heard my friend Edward Abraham, pastor of CC Doral on air!

Lord, may You be glorified in south Florida like never before!

Merry Christmas From The Sieler Family

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,which means God with us.”Matthew 1.23

What joy Jesus brings into our lives.

This year’s highlights include: Caleb turned one and spent more time at home than in the hospital,he starting gaining weight and eating consistently. He’s got a great smile and is an incredible explorer!. Genesis started school. She absolutely loves reading, drawing, and playing with her brother. Janet is the best mom and wife on the planet. She is a pre-K 3 room-mother and a translator at our church. Pat started leading worship at church, taught in the Bible college, and is having the time of his life as an assistant pastor at Calvary Chapel Kendall. Our family also was blessed to be able to move back into our home in Miami after living with the in-laws for thirteen months.

Thank you for your friendship. We love you!

Pastor Chuck

What a priveledge it is for ourc church, Calvary Chapel Kendall to host "A Country Christmas" with Dennis Agajanian and Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. Pastor Chuck has been used by the Lord in tremendous ways.

Look forward to seeing you there.

"Sweet Sweet Jesus" on Myrhh Records Top Picks

Last night I led worship at a prayer meeting at our home church, Calvary Chapel Kendall. While I love playing with a band, there's always something special about leading worship with just a guitar. Usually, I have no pre-arranged list, but maybe just a couple songs that are on my heart to play. The presence of the Lord was there last night; it was a special time.

One of the songs I played is an intimate worship song about what Jesus has done for us and looking forward to being with Him forever. It's called "Sweet Sweet Jesus." My favorite line in the song is "I can't wait to see you."

This morning I discovered that "Sweet Sweet Jesus" made number three on Myrhh Records top picks this month! You can check out the list here.

Check out the links to the right to download the audio and sheet music for "Sweet Sweet Jesus".

Spend time with Him!

Thanks, Dad

Dad visited us for a little over a week. He left last Sunday, back home to Las Vegas. He's somewhere around eighty-six years old.

When I was a kid, I hung out alot with my brother Jeff. At the time, I wouldn't have said that he's my best friend, but thinking about it now, he was. Of course, as brothers, we got in our share of fights. But I'll never forget that time that he defended me. I ran a kickoff all the way back for a touchdown and some punk on the other team tackled me after I scored. I didn't do anything, but Jeff ran and tackled him for tackling me. It was a great hit. Don't remember if we won the game, I think we did, but it was alot of fun.

Well, Jeff and I would like to thank Dad. We have alot to thank him for.

So, dad...

Thanks for raising us. For teaching us everything you know about life. For defending this country during World War II. For marrying mom. For showing us how to work. For exposing us to football and music. For trusting us, when the time was right. For paying for all of that food, school, bikes, video games, Hot Wheels, Legos, music lessons, vacations. Thanks for taking us to Disney and Mount Rushmore, and to visit Grandma in San Diego so many times, and to the Space Needle, and Hoover Dam. Thanks for all the stories. For helping me with my golf swing (didn't do much good). Thanks for the cars: the '59 Thunderbird, the '72 Gremlin.

Thanks for playing football out in the street with us.

Thanks for loving Janet and the kids.

So much of me is you. And so much of Jeff is you.

In many ways you taught me what it means to be a parent. Being there. You were there for us.

Thank you.

Zero Friends

Ok. I finally joined the myspace community. I have zero friends. You can check out the page here.

Would you be my friend?

Sweet Sweet Jesus

Sweet Sweet Jesus, an original worship song written by Pat, was recently added to the www.sharesong.com database. They have a voting system for favorite songs. Click here to cast your vote. You can also check out the most recently added songs here.

Ted Haggard

It's easy to get all the news about what's happening with Ted Haggard. Gordon MacDonald, one of my favorite writers, I believe, puts all of this into perspective.

This is from a Leadership Journal blog and can be found here.

November 5, 2006
The Haggard Truth
Gordon MacDonald on the lies all-too-easily believed

What are Christian leaders to make of the spectacularly painful experience of watching Ted Haggard this past week? The president of the National Association of Evangelicals and pastor of giga-church New Life Community in Colorado Springs, Colorado, gradually admitted to purchasing methamphetamines and the services of a male prostitute. We asked Leadership editor-at-large Gordon MacDonald to reflect on what we should learn from this episode.

It is difficult beyond description to watch Ted Haggard’s name and face dragged across the TV screen every hour on the news shows. But as my friend, Tony Campolo said in an interview last week, when we spend our lives seizing the microphone to speak to the world of our opinions and judgments, we should not surprised when the system redirects its spotlight to us, justly or unjustly, in our bad moments.

We are still in the process of learning what has actually transpired over the past many months on the secret side of Ted’s life. In just the last few hours the leadership of New Life Church has announced that he has been asked to resign. His ministry at New Life Church and as leader of the NAE is over.

I’ve spent more than a little time trying to understand how and why some men/women in all kinds of leadership get themselves into trouble whether the issues be moral, financial, or the abuse of power and ego. I am no stranger to failure and public humiliation. From those terrible moments of twenty years ago in my own life I have come to believe that there is a deeper person in many of us who is not unlike an assassin.

This deeper person (like a contentious board member) can be the source of attitudes and behaviors we normally stand against in our conscious being. But it seeks to destroy us and masses energies that—unrestrained—tempt us to do the very things we “believe against.” If you have been burned as deeply as I (and my loved ones) have, you never live a day without remembering that there is something within that, left unguarded, will go on the rampage. Wallace Hamilton once wrote, “Within each of us there is a herd of wild horses all wanting to run loose.”

It seems to me that when people become leaders of outsized organizations and movements, when they become famous and their opinions are constantly sought by the media, we ought to begin to become cautious. The very drive that propels some leaders toward extraordinary levels of achievement is a drive that often keeps expanding even after reasonable goals and objectives have been achieved. Like a river that breaks its levy, that drive often strays into areas of excitement and risk that can be dangerous and destructive. Sometimes the drive appears to be unstoppable. This seems to have been the experience of the Older Testament David and his wandering eyes, Uzziah in his boredom, and Solomon with his insatiable hunger for wealth, wives and horses. They seem to have been questing—addictively?—for more thrills or trying to meet deeper personal needs, and the normal ways that satisfy most people became inadequate for them.

When I see a leader who becomes stubborn and rigid, who becomes increasingly less compassionate toward his adversaries, increasingly tyrannical in his own organization, who rouses anger and arrogance in others, I wonder if he is not generating all of this heat because he is trying so hard to say “no” to something surging deep within his own soul. Are his words and deeds not so much directed against an enemy “out there” as they are against a much more cunning enemy within his own soul. More than once I have visited with pastors who have spent hours immersed in pornography and then gone on to preach their most “spirit-filled” sermons against immorality a day or two later. It’s a disconnect that boggles the rational mind.

No amount of accountability seems to be adequate to contain a person living with such inner conflict. Neither can it contain a person who needs continuous adrenalin highs to trump the highs of yesterday. Maybe this is one of the geniuses of Jesus: he knew when to stop, how to refuse the cocktail of privilege, fame and applause that distorts one’s ability to think wisely and to master self.

More than once we’ve seen the truth of a person’s life come out, not all at once, but in a series of disclosures, each an admission of further culpability which had been denied just a day or two before. Perhaps inability to tell the full truth is a sign that one is actually lying to himself and cannot face the full truth of the behavior in his own soul.

But then all sin begins with lies told to oneself. The cardinal lies of a failed leader? I give and give and give in this position; I deserve special privileges—perhaps even the privilege of living above the rules. Or, I have enough charm and enough smooth words that I can talk anything (even my innocence) into reality. Or, so much of my life is lived above the line of holiness that I can be excused this one little faux pas. Or, I have done so much for these people; now it’s their time to do something for me—like forgiving me and giving a second chance.

I am heart-broken for Ted Haggard and his wife and family. I cannot imagine the torture they are living through at this very moment. Toppled from national esteem and regard in a matter of hours, they must adjust to wondering who their real friends are now. They have to be asking how these events—known by the world—will affect their children. Mrs. Haggard will not be able to go the local WalMart without wondering who she may bump into when she turns into Aisle 3 (A reporter? A church member? A critic?). Both Haggards will face cameras every time they emerge from their home in the next few days until the media finds another person with whom to have its sport.

The travel, the connections, the interviews, the applause of the congregation, the organizational power, the perks and privileges, the honor: gone! The introit to people of position/power: gone! The opportunity to say an influential word each day into the lives of teachable younger people: gone! The certainty that God has anointed one for such a time as this: gone? And what will grow each day is the numbing realization of regret and loss. In time they will be approached by people who will say in one way or another, “I used to trust you, but what you’ve done has made me very angry….you’ve turned my son away from the gospel….I thought I knew you, but I guess I didn’t.” It will be a long time before either of the Haggards feel safe again. Suffering over this will last most of a lifetime even after some sort of restoration is rendered. How I wish this could all be lifted from them.

Perhaps there will come a day down the pathway when there will be some kind of return to influence. But right now it is—or should be—a long way in the distance.

Among my prayers is that the leadership of New Life Church will not assume that “restoration” means getting Ted back into the pulpit as soon as possible. The worst thing in the world would be to raise his hopes that just because he models a contrite spirit he can return to public life in the near future. He, for his own sake, must take a long time to work through the causative factors in this situation. He will not resolve whatever is wrong in his own soul by going back to work. He and his wife must set aside a long, long time to allow their personal relationship to heal. Forgiveness is a long healing, not a momentary one. And there are those five children. Thinking of them makes me want to weep. And then there are countless people in and beyond their church who must take a long time to figure out what all of this means. No, the worst things Ted’s friends and overseers can do is to try and bring him back from this prematurely. The best thing they can do is ask him to retreat into silence with those he loves the most and listen—to God, to trusted elders.

The statement issued by the NAE Executive Committee late Friday afternoon seems flat to me. It appears to have been written by savvy PR people who wanted to say all the nice and appropriate things which might mollify the media and cause no heartburn for the lawyers. The burden of the statement seems to be that the NAE is already on to the question of who the next leader will be. The fact is that, all too often, we have seen the President of NAE on the news and talk shows speaking as the leader of so-called 33 million evangelicals. I’m not sure that most of us were polled as to whether or not we wanted Ted Haggard (or anyone) speaking for us. I know that last time I felt safe about anyone speaking for evangelicals as a whole was when Billy Graham talked on our behalf. But, as of late, an illusion was permitted to grow: that the NAE was a well-organized, highly networked movement of American evangelicals headed by Ted Haggard who, when he spoke, spoke for all of us. Now, unfortunately, that voice has misspoken, and our movement has to live with the consequences.

I have a fairly poor batting average when it comes to predicting the future. But my own sense is that the NAE (as we know it) will probably not recover from this awful moment. Should it? Leaders of various NAE constituencies are likely to believe that their fortunes are better served by new and fresher alliances.

Ever since the beginning of the Bush administration, I have worried over the tendency of certain Evangelical personalities to go public every time they visited the White House or had a phone conference with an administration official. I know it has wonderful fund-raising capabilities. And I know the temptation to ego-expansion when one feels that he has the ear of the President. But the result is that we are now part of an evangelical movement that is greatly compromised….identified in the eyes of the public as deep in the hip pockets of the Republican party and administration. My own belief? Our movement has been used. There are hints that the movement—once cobbled together by Billy Graham and Harold Ockenga—is beginning to fragment because it is more identified by a political agenda that seems to be failing and less identified by a commitment to Jesus and his kingdom. Like it or not, we are pictured as those who support war, torture, and a go-it-alone (bullying) posture in international relationships. Any of us who travel internationally have tasted the global hostility toward our government and the suspicion that our President’s policies reflect the real tenants of Evangelical faith. And I might add that there is considerable disillusionment on the part of many of our Christian brothers/sisters in other countries who are mystified as to where American evangelicals are in all of this. Our movement may have its Supreme Court appointments, but it may also have compromised its historic center of Biblical faith. Is it time to let the larger public know that some larger-than-life evangelical personalities with radio and TV shows do not speak for all of us?

And so I pray: Lord and Father, how sad you must be when you see the most powerful and the weakest of your children fall prey to the energy of sin and evil. There is nothing any one has ever done that we –each of us—is not capable of doing. So when we pray for our brother, Ted Haggard, we pray not out of pity or self-righteousness but with a humble spirit because we stand with him on level ground before the cross. Father, give this man and his wife the gift of your grace. Protect them from the constant accusations of the evil one who will seek to deny them sleep, tempt them to talk too much to the public, arouse conflict between them as a couple and with their children. Send the right people into their lives who can provide the correct mixture of hope and healing love. Deliver them from people who will curry their favor by telling them things they should not hear. Restrain them from making poor judgments in their most fearful moments.

Lord, be present to the leaders and people of the New Life Church. And to the NAE leadership which has to live with the side-effects of this tragedy. And to people in the evangelical tradition who are wondering today who they can trust. What more can we pray for? You know all things. We so very little. Amen.

Baptism Video

A couple weeks ago, I had the incredible honor of being part of our churches third baptism of the year. I never get tired of seeing people baptized. This day was certainly I ministry highlight for me. Our media team put together a fantastic video of the event which we send out to all those who were baptized. I wish I had a video of my baptism! Check out the video: click here.

Great Way To Make Some Extra Cash

Ok. So I saw this headline, "Iran offers cash to US tourist". I figure, "Great. I just got my property tax bill and house insurance bill. I realize it cost a premium to live here in sunny South Florida, so maybe I could offset these crazy expenses by taking a trip to visit my cousin Belinda in Tehran." So I checked out the story at CNN.com. It's only $20.00. $20.00? I think I'll stay here.
Here's the story: click here.

Worship Music

I'm in the process of uploading some of the worship songs that I've written so that others can have access to them. I'll be posting the full-version, high quality mp3's as well as sheetmusic. Here's the initial link if you'd like to check it out: click here
I'll be adding to it as often as parenting, spouse, and work duties allow. Please check back often, especially if you're looking for new worship songs.

Prayer For Janet

As I write this, Janet is getting ready to address a group of junior and senior high school girls who are attending Calvary Chapel Kendall's Uth Nation Lock-In. The title of her testimony is Avoiding Youthful Lusts. Please keep her in prayer. Thanks

Ministry Update

Last Saturday, I was priveledged to be part of a water baptism where we baptized over thirty people. The day before, I got word that I would be doing the "dunking" due to some unexpected events that the other pastors had to attend to. So my friend and fellow minister, Vern, who oversees the School of Discipleship, had the incredible opportunity to share with those who felt led to get baptized. It was definitely a great day. I never tire to see people get baptized. What a beautiful thing - it's something that's been happening since John the Baptist. Each person that got baptized has their own story of how God is working in their lives. It strikes me that this whole Christian life is divine - God reaching into hearts and having a relationship with people.

The next day, Sunday, at church for all the services, we had Ben Glenn, the Chalk Guy. Throughout the three morning services and one special evening services over sixty people gave their lives to Jesus.

Jesus is alive and working in people's lives.

This Friday night Janet will be sharing with the junior high girls at the Uth Nation Lock-In. Please keep her in prayer. She will be sharing her testimony about relationships entitled, "Flee Youthful Lusts."

The Psalms

For my devotions in the morning, I read through the Scriptures, Old Testament and New Testament. Right now, I'm in Psalms and Acts. I don't think there is any other book that draws you into communion with the Lord better than the Psalms. They are great for meditation.
"God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

Last Wednesday, I had the great honor of teaching the service at our church, Calvary Chapel Kendall. You can listen to it by clicking here.

Amazing Little Girl

My mom died when I was in high school, my senior year. A week or so ago as we were decorating my three year old daughter's room, my wife had set a small picture of my mom temporarily on her night stand. I took the opportunity to explain to Genesis that this was her Grandma Sieler, daddy's mommy, who is in heaven.

Fast forward several hours. The picture was put away, and Genesis was laying in bed; we were getting ready to pray. So hear's what she said to me. "Your mommy's in heaven?" "Yes," I said, a bit surprised that she was thinking about that. Then she asked me, "You miss her?" Now I was really surprised. She connected the dots between a loved one being in heaven means not being with them, and the sense of longing and missing that exists in that situation.

Grandma Sieler is probably hanging out with Jesus marveling at all that eternity has to offer.

Christian Heart Surgery

One of the nurses that we met at Miami Children's Hospital during our extended stays is named Julissa. We met her when she noticed we had a Bible. What's cool about Julissa is that every so often she takes time off from work and goes to minister with an organization called Samaritan's Purse. She uses her skills as a pediatric cardiac nurse to assist cardiac babies all over the world. With her permission, here's an update of a recent trip of hers to Mongolia.

Samaritan's Purse rocks! So does Julie! Here's her email:


It has been an AMAZING week! Our mission to Mongolia was incredible. God was so present!!!

It started off in Beijing as we had a day to do some sightseeing before entering Mongolia. We saw the Great Wall of China, The Forbidden City, The temple of Heaven and then did some shopping… for those of you who know and like to haggle the prices… you would have loved it!

We then flew to Ulann Bataar, Mongolia where we were greeted by a reception for us and the children and their families. It was precious to see that here were the little lives we would touch throughout the week. We all worked really hard! There were 5 nurses with 2 intensivists and we just all shared the work. The nurses divided up the days and we all took turns at doing night shift and worded over 60 hours each all week God blessed our hands and helped us with the resources we had. We had a great team and I was so encouraged by the willing spirit everyone on the team displayed.

We trust His sovereignty even when we did not have the outcomes we would have wanted… I was there with the team of doctors and the surgeon when they had to tell a couple of the really sick children that we would not be able to repair their heart defect. This brought tears to my eyes as these children and teenagers had to be curtailed for the next trip or to be brought to the US. The need is so great and it was unfortunate that even though we had the great team… we were still limited in being able to do very complex cases. This was heart breaking as many of these children and their families had been waiting for years to have these surgeries done. On the other hand… I was blessed and saw how my heart just fell in love with these adorable Mongolian munchkins!!! I was so blessed to have been a part of the team that served these children and their families!!!

I was telling my friend that each morning it was so precious because as a team, we would have a devotional time together where one of our leaders would give a message from the Bible and then we would pray together. It was beautiful to offer our hands and talents to God and know that He would use it for His glory!!! We made many friends during the trip and our group grew very close. I also had a special blessing as our flight out of Mongolia was cancelled which gave us an extra day in Beijing (I am sure I will feel the effect Tuesday when I get to work ;) We were able to visit one more place which was the temple of heaven which had beautiful gardens! We had a great time also just laughing and getting to know each other! I laughed so much on this trip for which I just thank God for!!!

We did a total of 25 cases, 11 surgeries and 14 cardiac catheterizations. The final day we were there, the hosting hospital physicians took us to the country side where we had sheep stew, rode horses, had a yak wagon ride, got warm in these little Gers (winter houses that the Mongolian people live in) and were blessed by a concert that night given by the Mongolian national symphony to express their gratitude.

I could go on with details and I have many pictures but I just wanted to say THANKS to all of you who were praying for us… GOD heard your prayers and blessed us as we gave to these precious families. Even through the difficult times we know GOD was there. I was blessed by this team and plan, (Lord willing) to come back and do it all over again!!!

I pray you all will continue to remember the Mongolian people and these children with cardiac conditions in your prayers. Please pray that God would provide for us to continue to grow this as He wills so that we can continue to bless these families. There is another part of the team that arrived as we left and this team is going into the countryside to search for children with cardiac conditions.

In His Mighty LOVE,

Julie

At Midnight

"But at midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God" Acts 16:25.
Two great components of a spending time with the Lord: prayer and singing. Singing has a great way of focusing on the Lord and forgetting about everything except Him. It's a great ingredient of a walk with the Lord.

What song is on your heart for Him today?

Church

As Genesis and I were driving to school today, I told her the name of a church as we were driving by it. She said, "Daddy, there's sin at that church?" I told her, "No. That's where people go to be forgiven of their sin." She said, "I like that church."

You're Invited to Caleb's Baby Dedication

We are thankful to the Lord for blessing our lives with Caleb. Most of you know that the past thirteen months for us have been a test of faith and perseverance which would have been unbearable without your prayers and outpouring of love and help.

On September 24th at Calvary Chapel Kendall we will celebrate Caleb’s life by bringing him before the church and dedicating him to the Lord. It will be part of the 12:30pm Worship Service.

If you are unable to attend or do not live in the Miami area, please join us via a live internet web-cast by going to Calvary Chapel Kendall's webpage and clicking on “Live Broadcast”.

Calvary Chapel Kendall is located at 16435 SW 117th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33177

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Drilling

I recently hung a towel rod in our bathroom. I had to drill several holes through porcelein tile. It took a long time. I broke about three or four masonry drill bits. Something had to be wrong. I went online. Turns out drilling through that type of tile usually requires a diamond tipped bit (which I did not have) and even then it takes a long time.

It reminded me about the necessity of having the right tool for the job. Sometimes when our hearts are hard, the Lord has to use the "diamond tipped drill bits".

But if you have the right tool for a job, the job gets done right. The master craftsman always has just the right tool.

When I was getting ready to mount our microwave above our stove, the cabinet guy showed up. He offered to help me. As it turns out, I was helping him because he knew what he was doing.

Jesus knows how to put lives back together. Every week I get to stand on the platform leading worship before people whose hearts are in the process of getting touched by the Lord. Whenever Pastor Pedro gives the invitation and hands go up, I rejoice that there's people who are becoming the workmanship of the Master Carpenter.

The Journey

I want to grow deeper. I want to be concerned about quality more than quantity. I'd rather spend five minutes in close communion with Jesus, than to read five chapters in my through the bible in a decade program. I want Him. He is my fuel. Without a connection to Jesus my time and relationships are squandered. His Word is like ammunition; it's like a shield. Life is short; it all needs to be about Jesus.

Every Family Needs A Slave

So we went to Naples. Discovered Genesis LOVES the "pecina." That's pool in Spanish. I love spending time with my family. I also love working and completing projects and brainstorming and imagining, "what if.....?" Before we left, I must admit I had some secret thoughts of getting some work done on vacation.

A friend told me the day before we left, "Don't even think about this place (work) when you're gone. Be a slave to your family." I love spending time with my family, but those words, "Be a slave to your family" stuck in my head the whole time we were gone. When I had opportunities to look to my interests, I heard my friend, "Be a slave to your family." When I wanted to do something more me-centered and less us-centered, I heard that voice, "Be a slave to your family."

Now here's the deal. In the process of being a slave, you become a bond-servant. What's that? Yea, a bond-servant. One who is a slave by choice, and loves it. That's what we are, husbands. Bond-servants to our wives, bond-servants to our kids.

Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it (Luke 9:24).

Off To Naples

So for the next several days, Pat, Janet, Genesis, and Caleb along with the grandparents will be resting and relaxing and playing at the pool and the beach in Naples.

Are You Ready For War?

We need to be close to Jesus. "Be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless" (2 Peter 3:14). We live in crazy times. Things are going to get really crazy. Consider this article.....

A new study of 115 Iranian school textbooks concludes that Iran is preparing its children for war, and is willing to risk massive casualties for the opportunity to defeat America in a world-wide cataclysmic confrontation.... click here for more...

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

If you haven't yet met Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, click here for your introduction.

Direction Amidst Fickleness

Have you ever noticed the fickleness of a child? Genesis completes her first (ever) week of school today. Our morning routine involves her and I leaving the house at 7:30, I drop her off at school then I go to work. On our way to school today, she kept saying, "I don't want to go to school." After about the twenty-seventh time, I said, "Ok, Genesis, if you don't want to go to school, I'm not going to tickle you." All of a sudden she wanted to go to school.

I also become a "tickle shark" that really tickles her. So she asked for the shark. I told her that the shark was sleeping and the only way to wake it up was to say, "I can't wait to go to school!" I knew all along that school was what she needed today; we were going there no matter what she said.

Have you ever noticed that three year olds change their minds alot?

What my daughter needs is gentle, loving direction from her father. That's what we need too.