NAVIGATING THROUGH TURBULENT TIMES

I believe there are seasons in our lives when we must press through internal times of turmoil. These times of turmoil are spiritual epochs that are turbulent and tumultuous.  They come on you like troubled waters – almost like canoeing on a quiet stream and SUDDENLY arriving at a RAPID.  And learning to navigate through these troubled times is the key and purpose and intent of them.

These turbulent times are managed by the enemy of our souls but allowed by the lover of our souls. Our time of deliverance will not come during the crisis but at the end of it.  God’s deliverance is not one of escape rather one of endurance – to pass through the predicament all the while retrieving and gleaning wisdom from it.

No one likes these times in our lives.  But in my understanding of them, they always come before a great time of breakthrough!  Great change and promotion seem to always follow seasons of spiritual, relational, financial and ministerial chaos.  And again, the keys to learn to navigate through the troubled waters are by maintaining a clean heart and pure motives.   Hang in there… it’ll soon be over – promotion is on the way!

Anxious to read your thoughts,

Pastor Manny

MIRRORS and LIGHTING

I’ve been at the SIMPLIFY Conference at Oklahoma City since Tuesday. I noticed something about conferences; conferences are like mirrors and lighting. They illuminate things and cause you to look at things about you from many angles.

Since Victoria couldn’t come with me, I traveled with Johnny Olivardia, one of my staff pastors.  Johnny is a “beard guy,” – not a standard typical beard but a thin “designer beard.”  Designer beards require much maintenance, especially if you’re the type that needs to shave everyday. He usually uses various mirrors and with much lighting.  But unfortunately he only had only one mirror and didn’t have the lighting he was normally accustomed to. It took him close to an hour to finish his “beard masterpiece” and at the end he noticed that his lines and edges were crooked.

Conferences are like mirrors with good lighting. They allow you to see things about you that you couldn’t see in your own environment.  God’s word is described in many metaphors.  The Apostle Paul described it as “light” and a “mirror.” These two concepts allow us to see, with clarity, the things that are typically hidden from us.  I’m learning to create an environment in my life where His word is not just the foundation of where I stand but a light that illuminates and a mirror that reveals the things in my life that are not healthy.

Anxious to read your thoughts,

Pastor Manny

UN-FORGIVENESS CAN BE COSTLY

The Lord spoke a timely word directly to my heart today.  I just think it’s so neat how the Lord has a way of communicating to us exactly what you need via various avenues.  In this case it was a blog post by Pastor Mark Batterson. I’m really excited about him coming to our church on May 13th for our GO. Mission’s Conference. Now, when I said it was timely, I really meant it… It was very timely!

So, instead of me rewriting it and putting it ion my own words, I’ll just give it to you exactly how he wrote it. As I read it, I actually felt like it was coming directly to and out of my spirit. It was quite a spiritual experience… I thank God for His faithfulness! – Here it goes…

It’s so hard not to harbor bitterness. It’s so hard not to hang on to unforgiveness. It’s so hard to offer the same kind of grace that we’ve received from God. But it is the only cure, the cure all. How do you let go and let God?

I think the formula is found in Job 42:10: “And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his three friends.”

Can you imagine how difficult it must have been for Job to forgive his friends. They added injury to insult as Job suffered tragedy after tragedy. He lost his family. He lost his wealth. He lost his health. And then his friends took away his dignity by attacking his integrity. That’s all he had left.

I’ve found that when someone wrongs me I have a tough choice to make. Either I try to get even in some form or fashion. Or I have to begin praying for that person. I honestly believe that prayer is the only antidote to anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness. You can’t just forgive. You’ve got to pray for that person. Why? Because it will change your heart. You’ll find that a supernatural love for that person disarms your anger. Forgiveness will set you free. And prayer is the key.

If Job can pray for his fair-weather friends who turned on him in tragedy, then we can certainly love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us or misrepresent us.

Anxious to read your thoughts,

Pastor Manny

KEEP LEARNING

My blogging will be hit and miss throughout the next few days.  I’m currently at the SIMPLIFY CONFERENCE in Oklahoma City.  I like conferences…there’s something about a gathering of people that are hungry for knowledge and understanding in the field they operate in.  It’s important that we always position ourselves to hear new information and concepts communicated. No one has a monopoly on wisdom and knowledge, but we must be willing to hear others convey the things people have discovered and experienced.  And this is done through reading books, hearing podcast and attending conferences from different circles and camps.

Get hungry for knowledge and understanding in whatever field you’re working in.  Don’t be closed minded in thinking that you have learned all there is to know and are doing all that can be done. We serve a very CREATIVE GOD.  There’s always a new and fresh way of doing things… Keep pressing…Keep learning.

Anxious to read your thoughts,

Pastor Manny

GOOD TIMES @ MHC!

We just came off yet another powerful week of ministry in the life of Miami Harvest Church here are some quick highlights…

• Our times in Corporate Prayer are getting stronger and stronger. Great things are happening in our Tuesday night meetings. Come and join us, 7:30pm at our meeting center.

• We began a phone conference prayer chain for Carmen Infante (Janet and Jessica’s mom) where we are praying 3x’s a day for her healing of cancer. If you want to join, please call our church office for information.

• Our life groups are increasing in number and strength. I’m very proud of them!  Make sure you join a life group if you haven’t yet…

• What can I say about our Sunday morning gatherings??? AWESOME!!  What a time of common-unity (communion) we had yesterday!  It makes a pastor very happy when people ask for forgiveness and forgive each other. That’s what fellowship at the Lord’s Table is all about.

• We had our annual TASTE OF THE NATIONS gathering. We had a very GOOD CROWD…. GOOD FOOD… GOOD PEOPLE… GOOD TIMES!!! Pictures and video will be posted on our website this week.

• Congratulation is in order to the Ambassadors Unchained Life group in winning the TASTE of the Nations Life Group Challenge. What can I say, “FINALLY?”

The month of March will be yet another powerful month… Our Kenya Missions Team will be traveling and much preparatory work will be done for our GIGANTIC EASTER WEEKEND!!! Can’t wait!!!

CHANGE…GOOD CHANGE

As we continue to press forward in our vision to reach Miami-Dade County, change will forever be a part of our culture.  It’s forever true… a changeless God is always working a change in us!

Today, change is manifesting in the natural.  We get the opportunity to move our corporate offices to another location.  The location we are moving to is a little out of the way for many people but its benefits far out-weigh the distance.  It will be more suitable for our media department as it has it’s own filming studio and it’s also more secure for all the equipment we own.   Change is never seamless and never messy, but always necessary.  We will keep our  “meeting center” (place where leadership, prayer meetings and Fusion Youth meets) for now until we find the location for our COFFE SHOP / 2^nd LOCATION.  Can’t wait for that to manifest!!! For it’s on its way!

Keep dreaming people; change is coming…GOOD CHANGE IS COMING!

Anxious to read your thoughts,

Pastor Manny

LUKEWARM NEUTRALITY

Yesterday, I briefly discussed the spiritual state of neutrality. There’s so much more on the subject that can’t be touched on through blogging only. I will be teaching/preaching on this topic this Sunday.

But let me continue… Neutrality is a state of inaction. A prime example of neutrality was the Laodicean church in the book of Revelation (Rev. 3:14-22). The church of Laodicea fell into neutrality and became just as their city’s water supply – lukewarm. Laodicea, because of its topography, was known for having a lukewarm water supply.

Jesus used that example as he exposed their spiritual condition. It was good news and bad news, they weren’t cold (not completely dead) but they weren’t hot (completely alive) either.   They lacked the fervor they used to have and embraced an indolent behavior.  They replaced their vehement passion they once had with nonchalant, laid-back head knowledge of their faith. They became “inward” in their faith, therefore, becoming nonproductive in their purpose.  God help us… Let’s keep the fire of our faith burning.

Mark 12:30 - Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

NEUTRALITY

Life has a way of bringing about situations and circumstances that cause us to retreat into a mode of neutrality.  The main strategy of the enemy of our souls is centered on keeping us in neutrality. And also, our carnal nature contains within its programming a predisposition of keeping us in a state of neutrality.   Neutrality in God’s kingdom can be defined in many ways… Here are some:

1. Neutrality is a state of being, where we refuse to engage in our potential. It’s a neutral stance in our placement of existence.
2. Neutrality is a detachment from the place of planting and fruitfulness in our lives – The place of prayer, worship, service, etc.
3. Neutrality is impartiality to a moral stance.  It’s neither being hot or cold. It’s riding the fence…politically correct… Frankly, it makes God nauseous.
4. Neutrality is the attitude of objectivity. There’s no loyalty to a corporate vision. There’s no patriotism – no partisanship to the cause of Christ.

The Goal of NUETRALITY in the life of a believer is to abort dreams. The state of neutrality cancels out the environment of impartation, which, in turn, prevents us from conceiving God-given dreams that grow into manifested purposes.

Now that I’ve briefly identified neutrality, I hope you’ve located yourself – I sure have. And how do we eliminate neutrality? Ahhh… more on that later.

Anxious to read our thoughts,

Pastor Manny

Make an ASK of YOURSELF

I really felt like I preached a key message to the life of MHC this past Sunday.  In preacher’s rhetoric, “It just felt good…!”  Please log on to your iTunes and download the podcast, it should be ready for listening by tomorrow evening. The message was about PRAYER, ASKING and RECEIVING. GO for it!

ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD

Encounters with God aren’t events we do rather, they’re actions that identify who we are.  Encounters with God must become a standard of living.  Now, encounter retreats are different from encounters with God.  Encounter retreats play a major role in the consolidation and assimilation of new believers and new congregants of our church.  Their intensions are to simply bring people to a place of “God consciousness” which in turn, will bring them to a place where they could wrap their minds around the power of His grace, forgiveness and deliverance.

But encounters with God must be incessant actions of existence in the lifestyle of believers.  Without them, we discredit and demote ourselves to the place of survival where struggle becomes common.  It’s in the constant pursuit of His presence and fellowship that we develop an internal “God awareness” that will carry us through our peaks and valleys in our journey of purpose.

This weekend is an “encounter retreat weekend,” where 42 people are gathered to seek one thing, an ENOUNTER with GOD.  Although the retreat is an event, what we teach and impart will hopefully become a lifestyle.

I hunger and thirst for a fresh touch of His Spirit.  I long for an encounter with the living God… I pray that my lifestyle does not mutate into one that’s away from a continual encounter with Him.  I pray these are your thoughts and desires as well.

Anxious to read your thoughts,

Pastor Manny

PRAYER & FAITH

We have three mantras this year, PRAY. GIVE. GO.  Prayer is such a vast subject to discuss.  We do know that God will not involve Himself in our lives outside of prayer.  In the end, it boils down to FAITH.  God wants to be believed.  If He feels pain, I believe it’s only when He is doubted.   His eyes do range throughout the earth looking for someone who believes and moves in faith.

Here are some thoughts about your faith and God’s involvement…

1. God has an obsession to be believed.
2. God destroys those who doubt.
3. God rewards those who believe.
4. Tears don’t move God.
5. Desperation doesn’t move God.
6. Manipulation doesn’t move God.
7. Education doesn’t move God.
8. ONLY FAITH moves Him.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Heb. 11:6

Anxious to red your thoughts,

Pastor Manny

WHY WE QUIT DREAMING.

1.  Loss of security

Always remember that God is your source…whoever or whatever pays your income is not your source rather they are your “re-source.”  It all ultimately comes from Him.

2. Fear of Failure

• We must eliminate the fear of failure.  Always understand that your failures are the birthplace of success.  Failure is one of the greatest sources of wisdom.
• Failure is not an enemy – if we leverage it correctly, it’ll become our friend.
• Failure is never fatal in Christ and never final in His grace!
• Failure succeeds when we quit – so NEVER QUIT!

3.  Self-Doubt

• I know we believe in God, but we have to also believe in ourselves!
• Quit blaming yourself about how things are… (I have to practice this on a daily basis – LOL!)

4. The pain of Change

• Pain is part of life; we can never escape from it and the same goes with change.  Change is a constant part of life.
• Change is painful but so is remaining the same.  We can either experience the pain of change or the pain of staying the same.
• When we look past the pain of change and embrace our dreams, when we arrive at them, we won’t remember the pain of the change.

OH, WHAT IS PASTOR GOING TO DO?

I’ll have to admit, some Pastors are never satisfied.  There are some pastors that’ll never be happy until they get a 100% buy-in.  And until they do, they’ll feel a sense of deficiency and incompletion within them.  The simple reason is because of the law of cause and effect. They know that a 50% buy-in will produce 50% participation.  But here’s the clincher, there’s no such thing as a 100% congregational buy-in, especially if the church is much larger than the national average.  Oh, what are they to do?!  Here are the choices…

1. Keep pressing, pulling, plowing, sowing, etc, etc and cross your fingers so you won’t end up in an insane asylum.
2. Pack your bags and go – because the level of internal frustration will only continue to increase all the more.
3. Make a mental shift and do what “#1” says but only focus on those who have “buy-in.

Ok…Ok… I’ll confess… I’m one of those pastors!  And yes, at times this overwhelming sense of frustration overcomes me.  And yes, I know that many pastors would love to have a congregation like MHC.  Our volunteer involvement is at an all-time high along with our over-all giving.  But, of coarse, there’s that certain percentage of people who are always a “day late and a dollar short” (no pun intended) to everything we are doing as a church.  As a pastor, I will forever live with the burden of continuously trying to bring peripherals into the life-giving core of our congregation. And that is a heavy burden to carry.  By the way… I think I’m leaning toward #3, but without that “crossing fingers” stuff.

Here’s the  link to our  audio PODCAST.  Tomorrow, we’ll have the presentation uploaded on our website for your viewing.