Category: God

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God

The Second Day Of School

Once upon a time I went to this school …

Saint Matthias Catholic School, Lanham Maryland
Saint Matthias Catholic School, Lanham Maryland

… that’s attached to this church …

Saint Matthias Catholic Church, Lanham Maryland
Saint Matthias Catholic Church, Lanham Maryland

From September 1973 through June 1975 I was a Catholic School student for my 1ST and 2ND grades. My two teachers made quite the impression on me – literally and physically. I still remember them to this day. Sister Mary Laura was very strict, and Sister Mary Josephine was a lot of fun. I don’t think that I ever saw the former crack a smile, and the latter always seemed jovial. Back then it was quite common for teachers to scold their students with common classroom objects hitting your bare skin. My how times have changed !

My first Communion occurred on Saturday February 15TH 1975. It’s one of those dates that I shall remember forever.

I was pulled out of Catholic School following the completion of the 2ND grade, and I attended public schools for the next 10 years after that (1975-1985). We (my family) continued to attend the Sunday morning service at the church for a year or two after I stopped attending school there, but then we pretty much dropped out of the church scene as well.

It would be another 30+ years before I regularly attended another church.

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God Music

Monday Night Countdown

Early in the morning during a typical 7-mile drive from home to work nearly two years ago towards the end of August 2006 I flipped the radio dial off of Y-100 (Mainstream / Secular TOP 40) and discovered CALL-FM (Christian TOP 40). Little did I know that such a mundane moment as changing the radio station in the car would signal the beginning of God’s fantastic journey for me. Little did I know that my previous life was about to come to a gradual end. Little did I know that I was about to be saved and reborn onto a new Life.

Peter 1:23-25 (NLT)
23  For you have been born again. Your new Life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death. But this new Life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.
24  As the prophet says, “People are like grass that dies away; their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of wildflowers. The grass withers, and the flowers fall away.
25  But the word of the Lord will last forever.” And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.

This life-changing period in time was clearly documented at the time on my once popular hit music web site. This week’s ‘Monday Night Countdown’ signifies what was essentially my personal soundtrack at the time. It’s the TOP 5 songs that were on the radio at the time as God was rescuing me from the darkness and leading me into the daylight.

5.  Love Addict – Family Force 5

4.  High Of 75 – Relient K

3.  Time After Time – Spoken

2.  The Stand – Last Tuesday

1.  Desensitized – Jonah33

Categories
God People

Life Pointe Church Sunday Morning Tossed Salad

1. This was my 83RD Sunday morning with Life Pointe Church in Homestead Florida. I know this for a fact because I keep track of it on an Excel Spreadsheet. I’m documenting my fantastic journey electronically as I follow Jesus Christ with you. It was nearly 19 months ago that I was first greeted by the church as a 1ST-Time Guest on a Sunday morning in January of 2007. I decided during that very first service that this was the church that I was going to attend – my first church in over 30 years since I was a Catholic grade-school student of 7-years-old. I returned the following Sunday morning as a returning 2ND-Time Guest. I became a regular attender after that, and then about 10 months later in December 2007 I officially became a member of my church. Life Pointe Church had no longer become the church that I attended, or the church that I went to. It had become MY church – a church that was not a building, but rather a church that was the living and breathing collective body of people. I am the church. We are the church.

2.  One of my favourite parts of the Life Pointe Church experience is participating in our bimonthly membership luncheons where we all gather over at The Capri in Florida City (where all of the food is), eat a delicious Italian Lunch, and then talk about what our church is all about. It’s all about taking that next big step from Regular Attender to Member. It’s all about progressing forward on His fantastic journey for you. It’s all about living more like Him – and looking more like Him in our day-to-day Lives. Your friends, coworkers, acquaintances, etc. should be able to see the miracle of Jesus Christ in you and in your actions. You are a Disciple of Jesus. Act like Him. Follow Him. Lead others to Him.

3.  Pastor Jesse did another outstanding job filling in for Pastor Travis (who returns next Sunday morning to kick-off a hot new message series that’s really ‘Loaded’). Jesse spoke with us about ‘True Worshipers’. It’s who God seeks. He seeks a true worshiper who worships in awe, with abandonment, and with intimacy. Once you know God in a truly intimate way you totally love to be in His presence. He is your audience. Talk to Him. Sing to Him. Do so in faith knowing that only He will make your Life absolutely complete.

NEXT SUNDAY MORNING AT LIFE POINTE CHURCH !
NEXT SUNDAY MORNING AT LIFE POINTE CHURCH !
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Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

Let’s do it:

1.  It feels like a Monday for me because I took a 3-day weekend from work (to include Monday). I had so much fun setting up and personalizing my sparkling new desktop computer system on Saturday and Sunday that I spent Monday catching up on everything else that I would have normally done during the previous two days. I got it all done and then some on Monday !  I was proud of myself when I went to sleep.

2.  After over 15 years with State Farm I saved over 24% by switching my auto insurance to GEICO yesterday. Back in February I compared State Farm with GEICO, and had I made the switch back then I would have saved a mere 9%. It wasn’t worth the time and the trouble to switch. But a more than a 24% savings is definitely worth it !

3.  The MASSIVE political ads continue to inundate and stuff my (old-fashioned) mailbox. I’m actually taking the time to glance over all of the fancy and glossy literature, but the joke is on them. I’m not voting in the Primaries – not even via absentee ballot.

4.  A closed door that you can not open due to the fact that it is locked shut and you don’t have a key for it, or there is another impeding factour (such as a person who won’t let you in) is very symbolic of ‘The End’. You can’t go any further. You can’t proceed. Progress is halted. STOP !  It’s certainly not a positive symbol – especially if you are on a fantastic journey. Before I was saved by Jesus I regularly hit closed doors in my life – literally, figuratively, and symbolically. Nowadays (in my new Life) I don’t encounter too many closed doors. I am simply more aware of the ones that I need to stay away from. But when I do reach a closed door on this journey it is far more painful than it ever was in my previous life. Sometimes what isn’t that big of a deal to one person may actually be a closed door to another person. There should never be a closed door between me or you – and God.

5.  Back in November 2007 a Canadian Dollar was worth more than U.S. $1.08. Today it was only worth U.S. $0.94. The British Pound has dropped from above U.S. $2.10 to below U.S. $1.90. The European Euro was flirting with U.S. $1.60 as recently as the start of July 2008. Now it’s down to nearly U.S. $1.49 !  Our U.S. Dollar is making a substantial comeback. That’s allowing oil prices and ultimately gas prices to drop.

6.  The last time I went through the Starbucks (in Homestead) drive-thru I received exceptional customer service. That’s a good thing because they had already received two strikes in a row from me, and had they received a third strike in a row I would have initiated a temporary boycott of the joint. A boycott of Starbucks is something that I’m not sure that I’m ready for yet.

7.  I got a haircut at the legendary Woody’s Barber Shop yesterday. I always feel clean and refreshed after I get my mop cut. Believe it or not I actually don’t keep track of when I get a haircut via an Excel Spreadsheet. There’s no point to it. If my hair blows around in the wind then it’s time to get a haircut.

8.  If HP wanted to do a television commercial right here in my living room then all they would have to do is simply film me sitting down here at my computer workstation using all of their fine products.

9.  I have an HP printer-scanner-copier all-in-one device now. I bought it at Office Depot yesterday. Those two pictures of Barney and Fluffy that I posted on the blog last night were the first two that I scanned (as a test). I’m gonna look around for some more classic pictures. Maybe I’ll find one of me from my U.K. days some 23 years ago. You can see what I looked like as a goofy 18-year-old !

10.  My credit card company just raised my credit limit by a tad. They must’ve seen how much money I spent this past weekend !  😯