ski trip

This is my first post on this blog. I am encouraged by what it has become; a place for accountability, teaching, sharing, fellowship, discipleship and love. Praise God. To all who post and read, continue to do so and pray that we may build each other up by the awesome power of God.
This year's water ski trip was very encouraging in that it showed all in attendance at the worship and preaching services, the great and mighty power of God. We had the opportunity to share in fellowship and worship with a church that truly desires to glorify our Lord. Faith Bible Church was used by God to show, not only the kids but also the leaders what a church who lives for God looks like. Thank you FBC and Praise God!
The preachers, Chris Mueller and Scott Artavanis were amazing. They were faithful to preach the word. Praise God! Mr. Mueller taught about the Sovereignty of God and on Life and Death from Ephesians 2. Then to close, Mr. Artavanis preached from 1 Thessalonians 1 and showed us some qualities of true believers.
My encouragement to all who had the privilege of joining us at camp is to not let yourselves get back to your old habits. Live for Christ! Be imitators, examples, & witnesses of Christ and repent always, for sin separates us from our Holy Lord, all while waiting for the 2nd coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Strive to be like the faithful Thessalonians!

2007 Water ski trip

This years Water ski trip was a success. For once in my life I come back home content and happy about the worship and teaching that went on in the wilderness rather than the fun we had. Being surrounded by other christians who sincerely loved christ 24 hours a day was the most awesome thing that I've ever experienced. It was something that I had lacked since I stopped going to Friday morning prayer.

Worship was like nothing else. The songs. The band. The people. Everything was bent towards God's glory. The band provided such a awesome example of how we should worship Christ. They urged us not to sing if it wasn't sincere, that we should sing knowing what we were singing rather than just sing because everyone else was singing. The music was centered around God's attributes and the Gospel.

The teaching was deep but easy enough for us teens to understand. The first night we jumped straight in and Chris Muller taught us on God's sovereingty and the difference between being dead or alive in christ. After that, for the next couple of nights, Scott taught out of 1 thessalonians giving some elements that a true christian should possess.

being with The youth was another learning experience for me. I had never really met any other christians who were so devoted and with such love for our Lord. For about a week or two before camp, I had fallen in a spiritual slump. And I'm embarrassed to say, wasn't devoted as I should be. I pretty much just did whatever. Behaved wrongly. But being with these other students, with the other teachers, with our own church, was just so uplifting.

In only four days I learned so much on how to Love God. Even though I had been raised in the church, I felt like an unbeliever discoverung Christ and what its like to be in his family for the first time.

One thing we learned was that since God is sovereign, there are no accidents. I'm Glad that the Lord has opened my eyes to this. Everything that happens, happens for the Glory of God.

Please pray for me that I would continue to Love God the way that I have. That I would never lose sight of what Jesus has done and that I would just continue to Grow.

trials.

1 Peter 1:6

"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,"

Peter tells gives us some of the reasons that we go through trials in 1 Peter 1:6-9. I wanted to focus on just one reason to start out with. Notice he says that the trials will come "if necessary". God sovereignly allows trials to purify us. The purifying involves the burning away of any sin in our lives. Verse 7 compares it to metal being tested by fire. When the metal is held up under the fire, the impurities will burn away. God is doing what is necessary in our lives.

Sometimes these things aren't actually sins, but things that we have turned into sin ourselves. Any gift from God can become an idol in our lives.

So when going through a trial, it is often beneficial to do a self-examination.
This is not to say that all trials are for this reason (ie. persecution for the sake of righteousness). It's just to say that It is a good possibility.

youth ski trip.

Romans 10:17

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."

Pray for the youth on the ski trip at Lake San Antonio. Scott Ardavanis is preaching.
He will be expositing Ephesians chapter 2 (intense!). "Least Of These" (the band from Grace Community Church and the Resolved Conference) will be playing.

God is going to do great things on this trip.

oh yeah... and pray for me. I'm on a trip on the east coast right now. I had the time requested off for the ski trip. So I figured I'd still use the time for something. I'm visiting my sister in NYC, various friends on the east coast, and a missionary training school called New Tribes Missions.

bankrupt.

Matthew 5:3

"Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

This is the first Beatitude. The first sentence in the very first sermon taught by Jesus. It's not only very important, but it is also the first step.

Two things.

1. Blessed = Happy
2. Poor in Spirit = Spiritual Bankruptcy

The sooner we realize we are incapable of attaining the standard Christ calls us to (Matt. 5:48), the closer we are to finding the One who can help us attain that standard. That calls for humility. Jesus was saying, 'You can't be filled until you are empty.' You can't be worthwhile until you realize you are worthless apart from Christ."

"In the church today there is little emphasis on self- emptying. I've seen many books on how to be filled with joy and other things, but I don't think I've ever seen a book on how to empty yourself of self. Too much of contemporary Christianity feeds on pride. But a person without poverty of spirit fails to understand the grace of God and cannot be a Christian since salvation is by grace through faith. Also, the graces of the Christian life can't grow without humility."

-John MacArthur

the mirror.

Romans 3:20

"For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin."

Don't forget to use the mirror while witnessing.

How the Death of Christ Shows God's Glory

Romans 3:21-31

21But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- 22the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since God is one. He will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

1. The cross of Christ displays God's Righteousness
25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

The cross is to reveal God's righteousness in that he forgives the sins of those who have faith in the death, burial and ressurection of his son.

2. The cross displays God's Grace
27Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.

The cross displays God' s grace because it shows us that our salvation is given by him and through him. In the cross we have nothing to boast because God has done everything, he has even given us the faith to believe.

3. God's consistancy is on Display
29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,

Verse 29 tells us that God is consistant because he has one standard for judging. His standard is the same for the jew (who have the law) and the gentile (who dont have the law).

30since God is one. He will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith

Verse 30 tells us that he will save the the jew and gentile the same, that is through faith and faith alone. This shows his consistancy in salvation. He will justify through faith because of what Christ did on the cross.

4. The cross displays God's holiness
31Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

God's law is a reflection of his holiness. God's holiness demands payment for sin, therefore Christ died on the cross to fulfill this payment that God's holiness demands. On our own we could not pay the penalty for our sin, so christ, in his loving kindness gave us his life as a holy sacrifice that we might live for the glory of the Father.

God is fully glorified in the death of his son.

John Macarther

desiring God.

A clip from a sermon by John Piper at Southern Seminary.

just ask...

usually i feel pressure to post something profound or insightful. my delay is the result of my own desire to seem smart or look like i know more about what i'm talking about than i really do. being simple is something i have always been and i have learned to view that as a blessing instead of a curse. i've recently realized this because i have found the simplicity of Gods Word, prayer, and the message of salvation through the cross.

God made all of these things easy enough for a child to understand. opening Gods Word daily, talking to God through prayer diligently, and sharing Christ's redeeming nature to people are not hard things to do... if you WANT to do them. if you're constantly trying on your own, you will fail. as did i.

and this is my point...
there is NOTHING we can DO to earn our salvation. so why would we think that there would be something we could DO to help us be obedient to God. just like salvation, God gives it to us as well as the desire to ask for it. so in the same sense, God will give us that WANT and the desire to ask for it. God has never broken any of His promises and this gives us the ability to ask as a innocent child would for something of their faithful parent. let's praise God for making it so simple.

james 1: 5-8
"if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. but let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. for that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways."

matthew 7: 7-8
"ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. for everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened."

happy birthday.

Happy Birthday Johnny Mac!

John F. MacArthur, Jr. was born June 14, 1939 in Los Angeles.

3 questions.

1 Corinthians 4:7
"For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?"

(Thank you Phil Johnson for a great sermon, expositing this verse)

Paul asks the Corinthian church 3 questions.

1. Who is the one who makes you unique and different than others? (answer: God)

2. Is there anything that you have that was not given to you by God? (answer: No)

3. Why do you act as if you have attained anything on your own? (answer: pride)

There is both great theology and great application in this verse.

Theology:

God is sovereign. He is the giver of everything we have (salvation, the faith/repentence/belief, the obedience, the wisdom, the understanding of scripture).

Application

Your life should reflect an attitude of gratitude and humility. Even the fact that you can understand any scripture or doctrine is a gift of God... so why be arrogant or proud as if you earned the WWE title by athletic ability, when you know that the whole thing is scripted and planned out ahead of time?

Thats why it's so ridiculous that the most arrogant are the ones who believe in God's sovereignty. It doesn't make sense. Shouldn't we be the most humble? God sovereignly gave us the ability to understand that doctrine.

Truth AND LOVE in Action.

diligence. labor. precision.

II Timothy 2:15

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Paul tells Timothy that he needs to be a worker or workman when it comes to dividing or handling the word of God. When one thinks of work, no thought of leisure or relaxation comes to mind. work is labor.

Are we laboring when it Comes to God's word?

The second half of the verse says "rightly dividing the word of truth"
The greek word for "dividing" is "orthotomeo" which is a very straight and careful cut or a very precise dissection. We not only need to be laboring, but also being extremely careful with God's word. There is a fine line between truth and error. This is God's words to us. He is sovereign king and creator of the universe. Since he is speaking to us, let be very careful and reverent with what He is actually meaning by what he is saying.

I recommend a Strong's Concordance (which is where I found the greek translation for "dividing") and also Bible commentaries, to help with proper interpretation, context, and background of the passage.

So my encouragement to you and myself is lets labor and use extreme precision when it comes to God's word, Not to mention "diligent" (the first part of the verse) which means that we should be probably doing this daily.

Jesus really did pay it all.

When we sing "Jesus paid it all" we should know that he truly did pay it all. When Christ died he did not just pay for our sin, no he paid for so much more. When Christ died he bought everything blessing that God gives us. Everything God blesses us with is because the blood of Christ. Christ also bought the bad things in our life that God uses for good. Every bad thing that God uses for his will was bought with Christ's blood.

The only thing we deserve is eternity in hell. Thats it. Yet God in his grace and mercy offers us eternity in heaven. When I think about this I can not help but think about how sinful I am and how holy God is. Why would such a holy and just God offer his own son for a horrible sinner like me. The amazing thing is not only does God spare us from his wrath but he goes even further and blesses us.

All things come from God and all things were purchased for us by the blood of Christ. Praise Jesus, The spotless lamb of God who humbled himself for us. Praise his name forever.

thank you.

venice church has been my home for the past 23 years. i am indebted to the faithfulness of many who served God and showed me love and taught me God's word. i just want to thank them for their faithfulness, friendship, instruction, and love.

to:

jen villaryo - fellow missions-passionate sister.
kevin rodney chalk - greatest roomate in history
carrie castillo - hospitality and joyful giver.
the faithful friday prayer warriors - mr. sweet, nick, ruben, b.j., brian, paul, richie, ernesto, and kelly.


Wayne and Dolores Copes - faithful friends and co-laborers in Christ.

Bob and Wendy Tripp - for letting me walk over to their house everyday after school and constantly welcoming me in to hang out with Becky and Amy, and cooking food for me and sharing a contagious passion for serving God.

Pam and Randy Kirk - who have been spiritual mentors of love and compassion, inviting me to family functions, making me laugh, letting me play hairstylist and being examples of Godly parents.

Brad and Denise Jensen - for helping me as i grew up from a young boy to a teen to a young adult and relentlessly showed me the importance of the foundation of God's word, and treating me and caring for me like a son.

Craig and Amy Henson - for guiding me. for shepherding me. for correcting me. for training me. for nurturing me. for forgiving me. for loving me. for being my family.


i thank you. i love you. i will miss you.
you are my home.

as Paul told the Philippians, i want to share with you:

Philippians 1:3-5

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now"

God will always be there...

2 Timothy 4:16-18

16At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. 17But the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me, in order that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was delivered out of the lion's mouth. 18The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

After Paul was deserted and abandoned by his close friends and people he ministered with, he was not bitter or resentful. Instead he was forgiving, asking that it may not be counted against them. He is able to assure Timothy that even though his mentor might be in prison and close to death, even though the church was in turmoil and combating false teachers, even though Timothy would face persecution and false teachers like Paul did, God would give him the strength, courage, and fulfill his promise of never leaving or forsaking him so that he may be able to honor and glorify his name through serving and sacrificing for Him. The Lord will protect and deliver us from every wrong, evil deed, and persecution any man could throw at us. Paul knew he was nearing the end of his life and his long and fruitful ministry serving God, and with that, he also knew that he was closer than ever to the prize that he had faithfully sacrificed and fought for his whole entire ministry.

the valley.

The Valley of Vision

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision. Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine; let me find Thy light in my darkness, Thy life in my death, Thy joy in my sorrow, Thy grace in my sin, Thy riches in my poverty, Thy glory in my valley.

Taken from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett

God is..

i know God is...

holy
just
almighty
all powerful
in control
perfect
the beging and the end
the Father
the Son
the Holy Spirit
worthy
trustworhty
powerful
majestic


i also know He...

is love
has compasion
gives grace
shows mercy
is beautiful
is the redeemer
will never leave me

God has given me so much and yet i know He has the power to take it all away. i am certain that if all is taken from me He will never deprive me of the reltaionship i have with Him which is the ONLY thing i need. i want nothing but Him and all else is considered a perishable gift. thank you Lord for who you are and for the unconditional love you have for me, a sinner.

decisions.

Check out today's article at SF Pulpit. It is coincidental that they post on this topic today, considering the decisions that I am facing this week.

I posted on the same topic not too long ago... Finding God's Will.

A verse that keeps coming to my mind:

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."

blinding love.

Romans 12:1-2

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

I think living in Los Angeles has clouded my understanding of what God's will is. Im not saying that this is what Los Angeles does to everyone, but it is what has happened to me . I have lived here my whole life and now I don't want to let go - I'm in love with it. This selfishness has led to another problem - conforming to this world. I have found myself so consumed with caring for the vanity and the ideals that this world calls important. This in turn has made it hard to present my body as a living sacrifice. It makes me forget that I was bought with a price.

However, the more God reveals Himself to me, the more it transforms me. God renews my mind through the Holy Spirit. Then the cloudiness of the world/self begin to dissipate and God's will becomes more clear. This is what I long for. This is what wish would last forever... Seeing God's will - His perfect will.