The Pale Cuban

On the Night You Were Born

As September came to a close I was feeling large and miserable and so very ready to get the baby out of me! Willow was not necessarily more active than normal, just very strong! Her turning and…

BTL Top 5 Books of 2011

The Tension of Letting Go or Holding On

I believe The Clash said it best, “Should I stay or should I go now?”

There are certain times when you are at the intersection of life and a choice must be made.

This is a Ghost Watching Room I stumbled upon in a Antique Mall. I guess the bad economy has hit Antique Malls. So sad. Oh yeah, somehow the video was recorded backwards… coincidence or software glitch?  

Is your Church too cool?

This is a very interesting read.

tmazon:

Ever wonder what happens to those fireworks the police confiscate every year? Here, the NYPD set off 5000 lbs of fireworks all at once…

Smoked Salmon Crepe w/capers & lemon dill creme (Taken with Instagram at Helena’s Chocolate Cafe and Creperie)

Bullied.

I have been bullied.

I have been punched.

I have become an uncounted number.

Taunts.

Teased.

Tormented.

I am not alone.

During my school days a fellow classmate would come to my…

Horner’s Corner BBQ! Word on the street is this joint has the best BBQ in town. (Taken with instagram)

Peace Festival (Taken with instagram)

This was a centerpiece on a table next to us. Speechless! (Taken with Instagram at Buca di Beppo)

Happy Atheist

Hanging out with Thirst tonight. (Taken with Instagram at Bethel Assembly of God)

I had a great conversation with my Senior Pastor about the season of our church and where it’s going in the next year. We started looking at our church culture and who we are trying to reach and minister to and he said something that resonated with me; He said: “As a church, we are only as strong as we minister to the weakest among us”. I know so many people in ministry that have put more focus in painting with a broad brush and have become excellent at letting people fall through the cracks. Their thought process is as follows: “Well, these misses are inevitable”, and they keep following the same equation. Personally, I think it’s sad. The thought I would pose is this: “How much stronger would a church be if they focused on the people who are falling through the cracks and then build their ministries from that basis.” Isn’t that whole basis for the church; so that it would be a hospital for the sick? Our hearts should be geared towards the “least of these” (Matthew 25:40) and I have observed that many have flipped this mindset around and are missing what Jesus intended for His bride. I’ve said this before and I’ll need to say it again for any of my friends and haters who think I hate flashy services… I LOVE having the technology, lights and atmosphere for a service - its vital we are relevant to our culture; those tools are great catalysts to the presentation of the gospel. However, a strong, healthy church, that Jesus would be proud of, will never be built from a video bumper, a lighting board, a secular song for a sermon intro or a ProPresnter script. I would dare to say that we would be in sin and would have to explain to Jesus why our church was more of a show than a vehicle for the gospel.

I strive, with God’s help, to build ministries with the “least of these” in mind. I could have the best band, lights, technology etc… but if I’m missing the people who are falling through the cracks, then am I really fulfilling my purpose in the kingdom? My encouragement for you is to not only be good at painting with the broad brushes of ministry but to be an expert with the smallest of brushes as well. It is there where true ministry and church health is born

Forty Days Without Facebook (Twitter too)