Lots and Lots of Good Stuff Going On

It's been a little over a month since I last posted but I have a good excuse, I have been really busy doing lots of really fun stuff!

 
First want to say thanks to Carrie Pitta and our Events team that made our Thanksgiving Praise Service a huge success! It was great to hear the testimonies from our church family and to share a Thanksgiving meal with so many of our friends.

Congratulations to the five that publicly announced their decision to follow Christ through baptism! I think that is our 13th baptism of year...very awesome to lead a church family that has made reaching the unchurched such a huge priority.

Lastly, my family had the huge blessing of vacationing on a Disney Cruise down to the Mexican Riviera. My parents were very generous and paid for my family and my brother's family to join them on the cruise. It was really cool to hang out with my entire extended family and especially cool to get to know my wonderful nieces and nephews. Then we made a quick trip up to Tahoe before Thanksgiving and enjoyed hanging out with Cecil's parents.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving...if you are interested in hearing a little different take on Thanksgiving here is the link to the short message I shared at our Praise Service. http://www.msconline.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/01-Thankful-for-Whats-Real.mp3

Happy Birthday...to my not so little, little girl!

Singing Happy Birthday at Home

I always wanted my first child to be a girl and God graciously granted that wish. Alanna Joy was born on October 12, 2004 at Washington Hospital in Fremont, CA. As the years have passed she has continually surprised me with her love for God, maturity, and logic. Sometimes her faith in God challenges me, sometimes her ability to understand complex issues catches me by surprise, and sometimes her beautiful smile makes me thank God all over again that I am priviledged to be her father. Happy Birthday Alanna!
  

Celebrating at school

Hanging out with friends at Great America

5 Places to Get Bad Marriage Advice | All Pro Dad

Found this article which has some really good ideas about marriage advice. Hope you enjoy:

When your marriage is on the ropes and you’re feeling hopeless, it’s natural to want someone to lean on. That’s why lots of people turn to various people in their lives to share their problems at home and get advice. But be careful where you turn, or you may compound the stress on an already-fragile marriage.

1. Friends of the Opposite Sex. It’s a tale as old as time: one friend begins to confide in another, and as they talk through her problems and she offers support and consolation, something more happens. Without ever intending to, they’ve formed an emotional bond that’s inappropriate and can easily lead to an affair. Suddenly, a marriage that had some problems has even more. If you must talk to a friend, make it a friend of the same gender.

2. Those Sour on Marriage. Misery loves company, so we have a natural desire to go to a place where we think our feelings and opinions will be validated rather than challenged. Those in a marriage crisis will sometimes turn to another unhappily married or divorced friend whom they know will say, “Believe me, I know. You’ve gotta do what’s best for you.” But is that the smart thing to do? Wouldn’t it make more sense to talk to a friend who’s happily married who might offer insight you don’t already possess?

Read the rest here:

5 Places to Get Bad Marriage Advice | All Pro Dad

Getting Bad Advice

If there is one thing that I have done successfully through my relatively young and limited life it is this: I have sought out good advice. I can list off the numerous people that have influenced my thinking and decision...some through their writings and others through their friendship. I still remember just a few months after getting married that my wife and I wanted to open up an investment account. At the time, I really didn't know about much the stock market and investing but I did know it was wise to save for the future. So I sought out advice from a person that I respected, my wife's uncle Lorenzo. He had a good track record of managing his money wisely and I wanted to learn from him. It has always surprised me how resistant some people are to good advice. I think sometimes it's our pride, other times we know what is right but we really don't care and just want to do what is easiest at the time. I think it's wise to have advisors for all areas of life. I have people I talk to about: theology, church growth/management, marriage, parenting, finances, business, etc...Do you have people in your life that you go to for advice?  Here is a quick criteria I use for deciding who should be an advisor:

1. Are they credible? Would you be willing to switch places with them in life? If your kids turn out like their kids would you be pleased? If your marriage was like their marriage would you be happy? It amazes me that people get marraige advice from the guy who is divorced, finacial advice from the guy who is broke, parenting advice from guy whose kids hate him, and spiritual advice from people who have repeatedly demonstrated they have no spiritual or moral ethics. Don't be stupid...find people who not only talk the talk but walk the walk.
2. Do they share myvalues? If you are follower of Jesus and desire to invest your life in God's Kingdom then look for people who believe and live the same way. I don't want to be influenced towards a self-centered lifestyle. I believe that this life is just a drop in the bucket of eternity. I don't want to live my life like this is all there is. Eternity is real, God is real, and I want my life to accomplish something of eternal value. So when it comes to getting advice about my values or family decision, I look for someone who shares that perspective.
3. Do they have some maturity/age? How you finish in life is more important than how you start. Sometimes we get advice from people that isn't realistic in the longhaul. I want to find balance and sustainabililty for me and my family. I'm suspicious of the newest fads. Will this advice help me accomplish my goals in the long-term.

Great Weekend at Men's Retreat

Really had a great time hanging out with the guys from MSC this past weekend. The men's retreat was really solid. Special props for the food (we all ate like gluttons)! So for all you guys that missed out this year, make your plans now to attend in September 2013.

I heard good things from the Sunday services...Drew did a great job! Special thanks to everyone who helped with the Newark Days Parade. Sorry I wasn't here to participate but I heard we were excellent.

Awesome Day At Church Yesterday!

Church yesterday was great! The message was great (Drew did awesome)! The music was great! The relationship time with friends was great! The Parenting Small Group was great! It was very rewarding to see how our church family is moving forward in spritual growth. People are using their abilities to build God's Kingdom and because of that we are seeing our church family grow. Over the last six weeks we have seen more than 14 families visit our church and the almost all of them have continued attending. We are seeing them get involved and get connected. For all of you that follow Christ with passion, give finanicially, serve in ministry, and love each other unconditionally...THANK YOU! You make my job easy. I love all of you.

A Balanced Biblical View of Homosexuality

One of the truly hot button issues of our generation is homosexuality and same-sex attraction. It is partially a political issue with the constant battle over same-sex marriage. But more importantly to me (and for all Christ followers), it is at its root a moral issue. Regardless of what culture or government says about the subject, we (believers) must answer to a much higher authority. Rarely do I find balanced, well-written material that represents by position on a subject. This article from Christinity Today really captures the essence of what I believe to be a reasoned, Biblical response to the issue of homosexuality.
Hope you enjoy reading it. Feel free to post your thoughts.

Let's Not Cut Christ to Pieces | Christianity Today