300
Last month we had our first annual Men’s Conference called “300″ that was a huge success.
The men of CWC gathered together to be challenged & encouraged to take a stand for Christ, their marriages & families. I was moved to see our men worship & battle at the altars. I am so proud to be associated with each of you. You each took time out of your busy schedules to seed into your families bacuase they are worth fighting for.
This is Kingdom!
Aaaaahhhooo! Aaaaahhhooo! Aaaaahhhooo!
Strength & Honor;
PD
One Man’s Failure
On our recent trip to Hawaii, I had made it a point to stop by Pearl Harbor. My last visit there was over ten years ago but the memories were engrained in my mind. It is strange to think such a wonderful tropical paradise would be home to one of America’s greatest tragedies of all time. It was a tragedy that could have been avoided.
We stood in line early on a Sunday morning (we skipped church that morning!) as we waited in line for the gates to open. I was reminded that it was a Sunday morning much like this one that the Pearl Harbor attack took place. As we filed into the onshore monument we noticed that it was filled with the evidence of that morning’s disaster.
As we watched the movie that detailed the events that led to the heinous attack I was shocked to hear that the whole event could have been avoided. On the morning of December 7th,1941 the Japanese attack force was picked up on radar. The radar operator alerted his commanding officer who misidentified the incoming fleet as American pilots returning from a training mission in California. That one mistake led to America’s greatest military loss on American soil.
One man’s mistake caused countless lives to lost and many to be entombed at the bottom of Pearl Harbor on Battleship Row. The destiny of the world, the nations, families and men were changed that day because of one man.
Don’t miss the warning signs in your marriage, body & your spirit.Be sober & vigilant. Your decision effects so many others lives around you. Adam’s choice brought sin. Achan’s choice brought death to Israel. David’s choice brought judgment to his child. It is not about you.
Don’t miss the signs.
Finally Home
After a whole year of living the “Suite Life of Zach & Codie” the Vera family are no longer vagabonds . . . we have officially moved into our new home! Although we are still unpacking, have no furniture (we got rid of most of it when we left Manteca) this is now home.
I want to take time to personally express my deepest appreciation to following people who made this transition time just a bit easier . . .
To the staff & managment at the Homewood Suites in San Jose, Mr Doyle ONeil, the general manager, you and your staff made us feel at home. You personally went out of your way to ensure our comfort and satisfaction. Your staff was both personalable & professional. We will forever be grateful for your kindness & hospitality during the past year.
Pastor Matthew, Pastor Nick & Master’s Commission, it seems every move I make you guys are right there giving of your time & efforts. I truly appreciate your firendship & support. You made the move bearable & laughable. You truly showed your love & concern for us, thank you!
To Jim & Rhonda Falcone (PHAT Crack), Rene & Yvonne Pizanno (J & R Electric) & Catalina & Rigo Lopez (R L Handyworks) for making the place liveable with the various repairs. You blessed us with both your generosity & your craftsmanship. Thank you!!
To the Rasalan’s & Caratini’s for your friendship & generosity. Sorry it was so confusing & being so picky. Everytime I go into the kitchen I think of you!!
To Pop & Laura for taking care of our monster while we were in transition. I know it wasn’t easy. Laura . . . sorry about the shoes! (and the bread, the biscuits, the donuts, etc) Roman misses you guys & wants to spend the night!
Thank you Julie & Sam Vaiz and Danielle Focoracci for making a difficult process that much eaiser. We are forever grateful.
Finally to the Landa’s for the delicious food you blessed us with. James & Dora as well as Sis Lydia, I can see where the talent for cooking comes from. Thank you.
Why Did I Get Married?
This Friday evening at the Homewood Suites in San Jose we will be hosting our “Marriage Encounter” called “Why Did I Get Married?” This event will start Friday evening with registration & dinner at 6:00 pm, then kick off our first session at 7:00 pm.
The speakers include our very own pastoral staff & their spouses. Each one will be facilitating the discussions that will include
1. Honor or Horror? Pastor Matthew & Monica Vasquez
2. Shallow Hal: Barriers To Intimacy Pastor Dan & Angie Vera
3. Rules of Engagement: How To Fight Pastor Benjamin & Linda Cortez
4. Living Faith To Fact Pastor Nick & Bre Belaski
The cost is only $80.00 which includes a one bedroom suite, dinner & breakfast, seminars and a special encounter gift. You can’t beat that with a stick!
A very limited number of room are available so hurry, first come first serve.
See you there!
PD
Parade of Champions
On the last day of our Hawaiian vacation my family & I were fortunate to observe a historic parade down the busiest streets in Honolulu called the “Parade of Champions”. The Parade of Champions was to salute the Waipio Little League team, other 2008 national title-holders, and the past and present Hawaii Olympians.
The sounds brilliant sounds of marching bands, police escorts and both national & local heroes all of Waikiki stopped to pay honor to these Champions. The parade featured the Waipio Little League World Champions and Manager Timo Donahue, Olympic Gold Medalist Natasha Kai, the Royal Hawaiian Band, and marching bands from the following high schools: Aiea, Castle, Mililani, Waipahu.
The parade would stop & go. One of those occasions as the procession paused, Olympic Gold Medalist Natasha Kai of the US women’s soccer team stopped in front of us waving & smiling as she showed off her gold medal from the 2008 Games. I saw the shine medal around her neck & thought . . . when is the next time I will ever be this close to a Olympic Gold Medal? So I ran over to her escort car & pounded knuckles with her as she gave me an up close look at her medal.
What really impressed me was the honor showed to the past Olympians, medal winners or not. The crowd applauded & cheered for them. It was a moving display of affection & appreciation.
As the parade came to an end, a float carrying the families, coaches & players of the guest of honor, the Little League World Series Champions passed by. They danced & celebrated as Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration” played on the loud speakers. The crowd gave it loudest ovation to these heroes of the Little League diamond.
I noticed that the same float that carried the players included the families. The parents & siblings never threw a stike, hit a homerun, turned a double play or stole a base but they were recognized with and as Champions themselves.
The victories we win in life are rarely done alone. There are always others who have contributed on the road to victory. Today we must make room on our floats to give honor to those who may never step on the field but are hugely responsible for our victories.
Inheritance
We recently went to Honolulu on a family vacation and took the opportunity to scope the land for the church plant in Ewa Beach in `09. Since it had been quite a few years since we had been there we decided to do the tourist thing and take the Island tour. The tour would give us a history of the island & stops at some of the tourist attractions of Oahu from Sunset Beach, Hanauma Bay, Dole Pineapple Farm, Diamond Head, the North Shore & other stops. As I boarded the van for our tour little did I realize that this would be a spiritual tour I was about to embark on as well.
The tropical paradise was breathtaking. The blue waters, sandy beaches and the postcard views were just a reminder of the great Artist that created & painted this portrait with brushstroke of a whisper. The beauty & splendor of the sculpture was just a reflection of the Sculptor. As great as the creation is, it pales in comparision to the Creator.
The tour guide drove us through an upscale neighborhood on the south side of the island which was home to some of the most expensive mansions on the rock. He then pointed to a parcel of ocean front property that had just been sold for over 30 million dollars. No building, no shack, no mobile home just a piece of land. The cost of land was mind blowing to me & we live in the Bay Area!
As we proceeded down the road it wasn’t but five minutes later that we passed the homestead. Same views, same ocean, same breath taking views but what the drive said revealed one of the greatest spiritual truths. He stated that these home cost $1.00 a year. That’s right . . . one dollar a year. Less than nine cents a month! What one person paid 30 million for a piece of the ground the homesteader’s get for 100 cents.
The homestead is a place for native Hawaiians. The homes cannot be rented, bought or sold. As long as they live in it is theirs & once they pass away it is handed down to their heirs. If there is no heir, it is then given to another islander who is one the waiting list. The difference between the 30 million dollar man & the one dollar man is simple yet profound . . . bloodline.
At that moment I wished I was Hawaiian. However, I cannot become Hawaiian. My physical bloodline has been set. I am Puerto Rican & Mexican, that privilege was bestowed upon my by my parents. There is a bloodline I can change. Galatians 3: 26-29 states:
26So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him. 28There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians—you are one in Christ Jesus. 29And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you.
As Kingdom people we have a right to what others are trying to buy. Our bloodline grants us the right & the deed to what others value and seek after. Our inheritance gives us the right to healing, love, blessing, freedom, peace, joy, comfort, joy, grace, gifts, anointing, etc. It is all in our Heavenly Father’s will. It belongs to us.
Here is the kicker . . . it has nothing to do with us. It is all due to our Father. I don’t get these things because I am talented, good looking, tall, holy or deserving. I get these things because of my Daddy!
It’s my inheritance . . . and yours too!
“The Pooper Scooper”
Tonight my family & I were treated by a church member to the Ringley Brothers Barnum Bailey Circus at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. My family & I thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle that is the circus but I could not help but feel guilty that I was missing the Prophetic Evangelism classes that were happening at the church at the same time. (Forget the fact I am on vacation right now . . . that is another blog altogether. Am I confessing here?)
Little did I realize that my understanding of the prophetic would become greater at the circus than at the class. The is not an indictment of the class . . .which have been powerful, informative & practical . . . rather, a vivid example of what we must face as we create this five-fold prophetic culture.
In the midst of the trained tigers, acrobatics, comical clowns & incredible daredevils on the motorcycles what caught my attention & most around us, is when the parade of massive elephants entered the arena. They were as graceful as they were massive. They had been trained to do things that I had trouble teaching our children to do. These beast walked orderly & upon command stood on their heads, laid down, stood upright on two legs and even danced. As they preformed the crowd ooed & awed as each act was done to perfection.
Then it happened . . .
With all the elephants instructed to lie face down, each massive beast did so with their back sides facing us. The largest of the herd proceed to lay down & upon doing so he decided to relieve himself. An avalanche of elephant feces descended upon the HP Pavilion floor. The crowd began to laugh & freak out, yours truly included, about the elephants lack of etiquette. Just then a couple of circus employees immediately ran up and with a snow shovel removed the evident of the accident.
It was then I noticed, while those of us spectators in the crowd were disgusted & entertained by the elephant’s actions, the circus performers & handlers were not fazed one bit. They simply cleaned it up.
The book of Proverbs 14:4 states, “Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.”
They hired people who’s only job was to look for the poop then scoop it up. They were used to it. It had happened before. Infact it is expected when dealing with them. You see the circus performers understand if you want the power & grace of these massive animals you have to be willing to deal with the crap it produces. You can’t have one without the other.
Unlike the circus the church exist not to entertain but to change lives & bring people into a God encounter, a life changing face to face meeting with an all powerful & loving God. However, we like the circus have depended on programs & acts in order to draw people in, people have chosen churches based on how much multi-media, drama & performing acts are used. Like Maximus, in the movie Gladiator, I feel like yelling sometimes “Are you not entertained?”
I want the power of God displayed in our fellowship. I desire to see our family, friends & acquaintances come into a life changing touch from God. I strongly desire to see the prophetic gift stirred up, healings released, words of knowledge given, tongues interpreted & people saved. I want to see the a last days church rise up in this generation that is stirred by faith and fearful of nothing but God Himself. However, when, not if, these gifts are released as they have been recently their will be some embarrassing moments, some cleaning up to do. We can’t have a clean stable & an ox. One produces the other nor can we have a great harvest without them either.
I have a new job now. I am no longer the pastor of this fellowship of believers. I am now the pooper scooper of CWC.
You have a choice to make. I have already made mine. Do you desire a safe & powerless fellowship? Or do you crave a powerful & dangerous (to the devil) people who can move mountains & shovel the crap when need be?
Your move . . . I got my shovel ready.
Church As Usual?
Recently our youth, led by Pastor Matthew, went to Jesus Culture in Redding, California at Bethel church. We have gleaned from the leadership there over the past couple of years through Pastor Kris & the teachings of Pastor Bill. They came back changed & challenged.
On Sunday they took over. I have heard it said that the youth are the church of tomorrow. I strongly disagree. They are the church of today . . . of right now. We can’t wait until tomorrow for tomorrow might be too late. Their enthusiasm was overwhelming and contagious but it was their anointing that shook the foundations.
As I write this they are on a treasure hunt for God. They go to the malls, streets & parks looking for the gold in people. They were not changed by a sermon; they were changed by an encounter with God.
It has caused me to ask can this nation survive another generation of church as usual?
Summer Brake
Summer Break, I mean brake.
Summer time is a season of refreshing, vacation and recharging. For churches it can be the opposite. Many churches dread the summer time. Summer can become summer brake, a time everything stops. In our eight years of existence we have never experienced a summer swoon. Our attendance has always grown and our finances have been blessed even in the summer time.
However, this summer has been extremely difficult one. Our attendance, finances & momentum have taken a big hit. A great Sunday to me was a full house, big offerings & a packed altar. It was all about Sunday. If Sunday was good then the week was a good one. If it was a bad one, my outlook for the week was weak.
Every week I call my mom & dad to report how the previous Sunday went. Needless to say this summer caused me to be less than enthusiastic about my Monday afternoon reports. It was then my father set me straight & it caused me to reexamine my idea of what determined or constituted a successful week of ministry. He stated, “Ministry is much bigger than Sunday mornings.” I began to realize that what I consider success was not success at all. My success is not the number of butts in the seats or money given toward the vision rather how many of those ears who heard the word move their butts and change their world?
It has caused me to ask a question that haunts me daily. It moves me to make a difference in the world in which I live. The old saying, “if a tree falls in the forest & no one is there to see it does it make a sound?” Likewise, if a church closes its doors and it made no difference in the lives of the community, was it really ever open to begin with? If we closed CWC Milpitas or San Jose would the community we serve even notice?
This realization has caused me to walk slower through the crowds, to talk to the homeless lady sitting on the sidewalk, feeding the hungry man laying in the parking lot, embracing the skateboarders who keep crashing into my office wall or simply lending my ears to someone lonely with a story to tell.
This past week was a great week, not because the chairs were filled, the offering generous or the altars packed, (which they were) but the I was shown the true meaning of ministry in the eyes of lonely eyes that now know the Lord loves them. It is time to get out of my office, away from my desk & computer and be Jesus to someone.
Business as usual? I think not.
There are people in our community that need us not only to keep our doors open but our eyes as well. Can you see them?
Lord thank you for the lesson & for recalibrating me into an honest scale.
No Just Us
Scripture
20 It will be a sign and witness to the LORD Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them. ~ Isaiah 19:20
Observation
I find it incredibly interesting that the Lord’s sovereignty is not limited to His people nor to those who call Him their God. The Lord’s desires were not held within the boundaries of Israel. The earth is the Lord’s & the fullness therein. The whole earth & the people in it belong to the Lord, even those who have yet to acknowledge Him.
The Egyptians were an overtly religious people. They called upon every god that they could think of. It was those very god’s they served that the Lord used to plague them in the book of Exodus (the river, lice, frogs, etc). Despite their history the Lord uses a prophet of Judah named Isaiah to speak a word of encouragement & judgment to a people that did not even recognize Him as Lord.
Application
Today, I must realize that God is concerned with everyone of every race, culture & even belief. His love is not reserved for His people alone. The Lord loves mankind. He is interested in all men. If the Lord is concerned even with the ungodly or even pagan, who am I to neglect the very people the Lord chose to create. Here in the bay area I am surrounded by a melting pot of nations & pagan idols & gods just like ancient Egypt. The Lord used Isaiah to release a word to these people of encouragement that the Lord desires to be their Savior, defender & rescuer, even if they have yet to acknowledge Him!
Prayer
Lord, open my ears to hear your word for the nations that dwell in the bay area. Remove my own prejudiced & preconceived ideas of each nationality. Help me look beyond the cultural, religious & ideological differences and release Your word. For the needs of mankind goes beyond the color of our skin or our region of origin, all mankind needs a savior, a defender & rescuer. Help me this day to become global in my thinking, to see each person as a child of the most high God and speak life to the nations that have yet to hear of their Creator. In Jesus name I pray, I love you. Amen