SOME GOOD ADVICE…

I was given some very good advice from a very wise man.  He told me to do what he said he never did.  He said, “Manny, please don’t allow the ministry to cause you to miss out on being there for your children – those times are invaluable and very precious.”  I’ve decided to take that advice to heart.  Although I won’t be able to be there for every event, I will certainly try to be there for most of them.  Children are only young for a little while and we cannot miss precious opportunities.  Some meetings can go on without me; some people will have to wait; and I don’t have to be everywhere and at everything.

Last week I was at a 5- hour dance showcase for Calysta, Zion and Zealynd and sat on the edge of my seat when they danced all their numbers.  My heart was filled with excitement as I saw them perform in the talent God has given to them.  They did a great job – pictures to be posted on my Facebook very soon.

Today, I find myself in Orlando at Zayne’s first state swim competitions.  He’s done so well and has improved 300% since he began in September.  Now, he swims 7,000 yards a day in practice and has been promoted three times – He’s now swimming for the Gold Team and the coaches say he has incredible potential.  Do I sound like a proud father? I believe so…because I am!

LOCATING OURSELVES

Have you ever been located?  When you are reading, whether the Bible or any type of literature, and what is being read pinpointed you in such a way that it caused you look at yourself in an atypical perspective?  I call it “being located.”  This happened to me yesterday… it hurt, but it was crucial.  Locating ourselves is very healthy.  We can never compose necessary changes until we locate ourselves and see what we’ve had a blind eye to.

Here’s some advice in locating yourself:

1. Never surround yourself with people that will tell you what you want to hear.
2. Surround yourself with people who just don’t know the Word of God but use it in its entirety – like for teaching, encouraging but also for rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
3. Be sober at all times… don’t get intoxicated with the wine of your own ego and NEVER believe the news press of your “success.”
4. Just when you think you’ve arrived, realize that you really have a very long way to go.  We really never arrive at our destiny while we’re alive, that only happens when we die.
5. Never take credit for something God is doing. The moment you do, blinders will cover your eyes that will prevent you from locating yourself. Only a severe humbling will remove them – not a good thing at all. And always remember, God will not be robbed of His glory! (Proverbs 16:18)

Oh, there’s so much more…  but please remember this… when Jesus arrived at the scene in Galilee, John the Baptist said that had to decrease so Jesus could increase (John 3:30); that hasn’t changed yet.  When Christ arrived in our lives we will have to continue the same exercise – like forever!

Anxious to read your thoughts,

Pastor Manny

AFFECTING DESTINY CONFERENCE

I love conferences.  It’s always a great time to meet new people, fellowship with old friends, receive information, get ideas and stir up much creativity. I’ll be heading to Oklahoma for our annual Affecting Destiny Conference, March 3rd – 5th.  If you are able to get away, check us out; I believe the preregistration is still available.  The conference has a great theme this year and it’s layout is geared more to a workshop /equipping then to corporate meeting format.

See ya there…

THE NEED OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

I absolutely love it when pastors gather together to plan Kingdom events for our city.  You have to understand, this is not a common thing in Miami, but I believe it will be in the near future. I’m currently on the way to a meeting with Mission Miami. We’re a ministerial association, which meets regularly to plan out evangelistic events and prayer meetings.  As my staff drives me to the meeting place, I needed to take the travel time to write this blog.

I believe the ONLY way we’ll experience a breakthrough in Miami-Dade County is through the unity of the Pastors and churches. Currently, we are short 1500+ churches in Miami-Dade in order for us to reach the national average.  We are the least evangelized and churched area in the country with Seattle and Las Vegas being right under us.  According to the Association of Religious Data Achieves (thearda.com) our region is 79% agnostic. There has not been a recorded move of God in Miami-Dade County ever!   Churches are scarce and the few larger ones, who have broken the 1,000-membership ceiling, have been here for a minimum of 3 decades.

Please keep us in prayer as we endeavor to reach our region for the cause of Christ.  This is our home, and we must see the hand of God move.  I believe it’s up to us not God.  He’s waiting on us.

Anxious to read your thoughts,

Pastor Manny

THE APOSTOLIC

As I continue to study the mindset, approach and frame of mind of the Apostolic, I come up with one conclusion, if you’re called to be one, then it’s not about you but about those you are building and pouring into.   Without writing a dissertation on the subject, basically, the apostolic function is the attitude of a pioneer. It’s one who plants and initiates – but it’s more. One who gives birth to sons and daughters in the kingdom – but it’s more.  It’s one who becomes a bridge builder and connects people to their destiny – but it’s more. It’s one who DOES NOT surround themselves with people so they, in turn, could make their dreams come true, rather it’s the opposite.  The apostle is not the top of the pyramid but the bottom of it.  They are supposed to push the people God has given upward.

We have a problem, especially in the western church, with the apostolic understanding.  The funny thing is that those who profess they’re in the “movement” and are self-claimed apostles are doing the opposite of what they’re teaching.  And on the other hand, those who don’t really care about the “movement” are the ones actually doing it.

I don’t claim to be an apostle nor will I ever call myself one, but I do know I have a burning desire, inside me, to build up my son and daughters so they, in turn, could press forward and accomplish what I could not do on my own.  I’m learning some stuff… It’s not all about me and the making of my “dreams of grandeur” come to pass; that’s not why God has given me such strong men and women of God who are called and destined to be in full-time ministry.  I’m supposed to push them up and forward, not they push me up and forward.

I’m so exited for over the next six months. Many folks will be taking their first short-term missions trip.  They’re putting themselves in a place where they will minister the Gospel in ways they’ve never imagined!  We will be planting and overseeing another church, this time in Lima Peru.  Laz and Janet Perez are working the field in Lima and already have a 50+ people in their core group by June they should have about 200+.  They are doing awesome!  And come June, we’ll send to Lima, Peru about 75+ people to help officially launch the church! Good Times!

More on this later… it’s getting too long – LOL!

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

Let me recap some brief highlights of our weekend…

• I’m so proud of our evangelism ministry!  We, once again, fed and clothed hundreds of people that are homeless in the streets of Miami.  Way to go guys! The message is being received and people are catching it – PRAY. GIVE. GO! Greater things are yet to come!

• Our men’s life group had a 4 hours prayer meeting, on Saturday night, at our meeting center.  I received word that men  (most are recent converts) were on the carpet in deep intercession praying for our church and our region!  Again, the vision is being caught – PRAY. GIVE. GO!

• What can I say about Sunday morning? A great time of worship and instruction in the presence of the Lord!   A great crowd, great worship and expectation! Better than anything… 4 people born again! – That never gets old!

• PRAY. GIVE. GO.  – Oh, have I mentioned that it appears that people are catching it! It’s what we are doing this year – once it’s caught, you will see – we will experience GREATER THINGS!!!!

• On a personal note… After service, we were at a 5-hour dance showcase for three of my children, Calysta, Zion and Zealynd at the Cooper City High School Auditorium.

• Wow, can those kids dance! Just didn’t realize how much they have to practice and how physically demanding it is.  I’m so very prod of them… That was Showcase, now the local, regional, state and national competitions begin!!! Come back with ribbons and trophies!

• Oh have I mentioned that people are catching it?  PRAY. GIVE. GO!

ENCOURAGE SOMEONE TODAY!

I woke up today with an overwhelming desire to encourage people.  We all need some encouragement – sometimes it’s the extra push we need to get us through a tough time.  I know, for me, it’s been a life-saver!  Go ahead..encourage someone today... say something nice to them, tell them how much they mean to you – don’t preach to them but pour in them the Word of the Lord. Call them, email them, text them…do whatever it takes!

Enjoy your Friday – This weekend will be an awesome one!

Pastor Manny

TAKE HEED, THEY’RE ALL CONNECTED

Every decision we make, big or small, is ultimately intergraded and connected with our current location, condition and situation. Have you ever found yourself somewhere in life and asked, “Wow, how did I ever get here?” I have… And since hindsight is always 20/20, we get a good picture of the steps we took to arrive at our current location.  What I’ve realized is that the seemingly insignificant decisions I’ve made, which cut against the Biblical integrity of my heart, caused me to veer off of my desired destination ever so slightly. And the more of those bad decisions we make, although we repent from them, pull us away from our preferred target.

Ok, we all make bad decisions…so where’s the hope?  The answer is in recognizing that these bad decisions are not stand alone choices.  When we quit drawing a circle around these individual choices and dismissing them as isolated incidents, we’ll begin to walk with more caution understanding that all my decisions are connected and thus collectively leading me to a destination.

Here’s a sobering thought…the next time you ask yourself, “How did I ever get here?” Your immediate answer should be, “I decided my way here.” We make thousands of decisions daily, out of those, only a handful of them are moral decisions that will either keep us on our destination or slightly pull us away from it.  Yes, I’ve felt like Snoopy , in the above picture, many times. But what I’ve learned is that all those small “wrong choices” lead me to an undesired destination. But by being prudent and mindful, keeping the big picture in mind, with God’s grace, I should substantially decrease my wrong decisions thus, causing me to arrive where I need to be. “Lord, help me to be mindful of all my decisions…I don’t want to miss them mark!”

Anxious to read your thoughts,

Pastor Manny

FEELING RESTRICTED, RESTRAINED or CONFINED?

Boundaries. We all hate them. No one likes to be confined to a certain path; we would rather have an open range of freedom in our lives! It’s funny how we, as Christians, love to talk, teach or preach about order, authority, protocol and even obedience but in reality struggle with all of them. We’ve become professional justifiers and have found ways of how to rationalize our thirst and lust for doing things our way.  Don’t get me wrong, we love our God but we also love “our way of loving Him.”

I’m discovering some things… I’m realizing that I have to pay a hefty price to in order for God to reveal Himself to me in a greater dimension. And the price is my freedom.  The more I want to receive His life in me the more I have to give up my own. I’m realizing, not many people desire to do that.  This is why every church has a high attrition rate. People drop off of Churches where they feel too much is being asked of them. But in reality, it’s not the church that is asking but God. We yearn to do God’s will but on our terms and our demands. We feel confined and overwhelmed when we have to make choices of relinquishment. We say things like, “it’s too much… it’s too demanding… but in reality it’s what determines whether we really love God.

The harsh reality is that trying to live life in God’s kingdom – our way – is the epitome of hypocrisy. It boils down to simple consecration and relinquishment.  I know…hard word…  But I like what Andy Stanly said in his book, The Principle of the Path, “One never accomplishes the will of God by breaking the law of God, violating the principles of God, or ignoring the wisdom of God.” It can’t be done our way. The fact is that our lives in God’s Kingdom must be lived within the confinement of His word. And It  can’t be done our way – a permit is required!  Let’s embrace His boundaries.

Anxious to read your thoughts,

Pastor Manny

COUNTING NICKELS AND NOSES

Numbers are important.  Keeping proper data of what your ministry is producing is an intelligent endeavor.  God thinks numbers are good – He even authored a book in the Bible called Numbers. Numbers say many things and the neat thing is that in all that they say there won’t be a lie in it for “numbers never lie.”   We’ve made some good investments in software that will allow us to track just about any number we desire to in our church.  This will help us see where we’re strong and where we’re lacking; thus improving the overall performance of our ministry if we implement it correctly.

But the only problem I have with numbers is when they begin to dictate me instead of me dictating them. When an ambitious performance mentality creeps on me, I become too “numbers oriented.”  They begin to overwhelm me and begin to build a driving force within me to get the numbers up.  Not a good thing at all… Ever happen to you?

Our minds naturally tend to embrace a false sense of security. We all know that the only true security comes from the hand of God, but since it’s not tangible, like numbers, we shy away from God’s hand and lean on our own.  We tend to think that this only happens when we hit tough times and numbers are low, but that’s not always the case.  In the height if king David’s success he decided, for whatever reason, to spend much time and money counting his mighty army.  The Lord dealt with him severely because his motive for doing so was wrong.  He began to believe the news report of his own ego and think that His “numbers” brought him power and safety.(2 Samuel 24)

God has, once again, convicted me of paying too much attention and concern on numbers.  I’m young and very hardheaded, but I’m getting it.  A very good friend of mine said to me the other day, “Pastor, don’t spend to much time counting nickels and noses, God is the one who gives the increase anyway…” Let’s not be concerned with numbers, although they don’t lie, neither does God… I’ll believe His promises over current numbers any day!

Anxious to read your thoughts,

Pastor Manny

SPIRITUAL LITMUS TEST

It’s all about motives.  One can never separate motives and ministry.  Serving successfully in ministry doesn’t always mean that the heart is error free in it’s motives.   For coming off the path of God-tested motives is a very easy thing to do!

Our walk with Christ will forever be a walk of motives.  Understand this, God cares about our thoughts, motives and our hearts more than anything we accomplish.  We, of coarse, will always think the opposite.   And when we’re spinning our wheels and don’t feel we’re accomplishing anything; we fall into the vacuum of failure, insufficiency and inadequacy.

The Apostle Paul said, “For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. The Apostle came to a place where his decisions in ministry weren’t based from pleasing him or others, rather to please God. And this came about by him passing various spiritual litmus tests.

Litmus tests in politics are used on potential political party nominees and Supreme Court judicial nominees.  They are a series of questions asked by committees to judge and test the candidate’s knowledge and intellect in regards to his potential office, but mainly to test and determine the heart’s motive of the candidate.  I believe the Holy Spirit does the same with us on a continual basis.  Our hearts are tested on a continual basis so God can approve us and entrust us with His Gospel.

So whether you are in fulltime ministry or serving in laymen ministry, don’t shy away from God’s litmus tests in your life.  Let Him ask you hard questions and continue to stay at a place of repentance.  It’s not about what we build and accomplish on earth as much as how and why we do it.  As you lead and appeal to people, make sure it does not come from error or impure motives.

Anxious to read your thoughts,

Pastor Manny

PURE MINISTRY

I leave today on a road trip with 11 other men to do an encounter retreat for the men of Dallas Central Church in Georgia.  What I like about what we are doing is that it’s pure ministry. Here are some reasons why:

1. I’m going with a team.  Travel ministry should always be plural. C’mon, even the Lone Ranger had Tonto! Besides, the time spent with the men I’m taking will be invaluable.
2. We are doing it for free… We didn’t ask for an offering…we’re not trying to meet a budget; we’re not expecting anything in return.  We are going because God said to go.
3. It’s not a “gig.”  It’s an opportunity, by relationship, to see people transformed.
4. What we’re doing isn’t based on a personality or the popularity of a preacher, rather the power of God.
5. Our objective is to teach, preach, inspire, pray, pray, pray, worship and worship again until the word takes action in them – not to “wow” with Biblical gymnastics so they, in turn, can give in a big offering.
6. We aren’t selling books, CD’s, DVD’s or any other product.
7. We aren’t promoting any man or woman or any ministry.
8. We aren’t receiving names or emails to create address lists for newsletters.

There you have it… That is why I call it “PURE” ministry. Unfortunately,  “traveling ministries” today have become no better than the traveling snake oil salesman of old. We’ve just become more sophisticated at the craft. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a bone to pick with them; I myself travel when given the opportunity. But I just wonder how much justification really occurs in the hearts of some men and women who do the above…  Let’s return to basics…if we are preaching simplicity then let’s do it!

Anxious to read your thoughts,

Pastor Manny

PRAY. GIVE. GO. THREE VERBS-ONE FAITH

We’ve adopted three words this year as the tag line of our church. PRAY. GIVE. GO.  In its simplest form, Christianity is an action word – it’s a VERB!  Many people confuse Christianity with Church-ianity.   Church-ianty is the attending of a church for our own desires, needs and wants.  It’s seen as a place to feel comfortable and unprovoked, as social places where one can make “new friends” that have things in common with.  For these people, it has to be a place where they won’t feel challenged but rather entertained in an array of encouragement designed to make one feel good about their inconsistent view of faith in Christ.

A matter of fact, before Christians were called Christians, they were called Followers of the Way. Only once was the church called Christians in the book of Acts (Acts: 11:26).  All the other occasions they were called Followers of The Way (Acts 19:9; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14; 24:22). You see, the foundation of our faith is a word of action – it’s a verb! It’s a journey on a path preordained by God that is full of adventure, challenges, pain, difficulty and excitement! It’s not one of convenience, comfort and coziness as many believers are falling into this self-absorbed trap of unproductively.  Our belief is one of movement not sitting, one of advancement and not just existing.

This year all that we do will derive from PRAY. GIVE. GO – only three words – three verbs that truly describe the very essence of our faith.  All of my sermons will come from these three words… get ready… for it’s time that we pick up cross and FOLLOW HIM on this WAY.  Let’s do it for our faith is a VERB!

Anxious to read your thoughts,

Pastor Manny