Day 1 in San Juan, Puerto Rico

I am getting use to being in and out of town. The one thing I am NOT getting use to is being away from my family and friends. You would think being in Puerto Rico would be exciting, however, it is only a trip when you are working and without your family to enjoy it with. We, Stephanie and I thought hard about making it a family trip. That way I could spend my free time with my family checking out the tropical commonwealth. However, the boys have already missed enough school this year. I even suggested Stephanie coming down and leaving the boys with friends or family. Once again, that just did not seem right. So do you understand how being in a nice place, just isn't all it could be?

Well I will post some pictures so you can see what I see thus far.

This is the desk and TV. Check out the BIG SCREEN!!!! LOL

The above picture is the view out my balcony. Not bad, but below me is the dumpster area and NO ONE uses the dumpsters, the trash is in the street and between the buildings.

To the right is a look at the view to the right of my balcony. The bridge you see is used for a diving board for the locals. Pretty funny to see people swimming off the side of a bridge.

And now we have the beds with the amazing pictures behind the beds. Nice color on the walls. PSSSSST.... I am not painting out bed room again. Sorry. OK, OK I DON'T Want to paint the bed room again, please!!!!

And the last photo of the day will be a picture of my shower facility. Where is the curtain???? LOL. It is unique though, the shower floor is a step up, normally these are usually are step down or level.




YOU KNOW IT IS BAD IF I AM BLOGGING WHILE IN SAN JUAN!

I'M NOT PERFECT, NEITHER ARE YOU. THE BIBLE SAYS SO!!!

Recently we (Carlisle Avenue Baptist Church), completed another year of reaching the children of the community. I wish I could say the year was perfect in execution, however opportunities reared up. When is anything or anyone perfect? Except our Savior, Jesus Christ. There were more successes than failures. We had about the same number of children as previous years, however fewer volunteers. That just shows the strength of the Lord; able to do the job, with fewer workers. This year we had more families not pay, yet God still provided. We are proud to provide for those who can not afford to pay and those who choose not to pay. We truly believe, it is better to accept everyone who wants to be apart of a Spiritual sports program to be able to participate. I am blessed to be apart of the program. Once again, anything man has a hand in, will not be perfect. But as long as God is in the picture, it can not fail. This reminds me of one of the last devotions I shared...

John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

The light being Christ and the darkness being sin. This tells me, that the Light will always win over the darkness. This years program was successful because God was praised. All incidents of opportunity could never shadow the work done in God's name. This year we have had a few families visit and return regularly to Sunday worship service. This is the fruit of the labors conducted during this basketball program. This proves the light overcomes the darkness. (As if we did not already know that)

This leads me to a new thought. I ask myself and I would ask those who choose to read this blog to ask themselves....

Which is more prevalent in me/you, the Light or Darkness????

I already know I am not perfect. I fall short of the glory of God on a daily basis. What about you? Well, I hate to tell you, if you feel you are any better than me, your not. Quit trying to fool yourself, my statements are Biblical...

Romans 3:10-12
As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

See, I'm a sinner, your a sinner. Yours are no different than mine and mine are no different than yours. Because God tell us the cost of sin is equal to all. Death. Also, the escape of sin's grip is also the same for us all. Christ.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What makes us different is how we live. However, do not believe "How you live", will determine your salvation. There is only one way to God, that is through Jesus Christ...

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me....

The Word tells us how to live. He also tells us how not to live. The only thing we can do is evaluate OURSELVES to determine where we need to tweak the life we live. I pose a Biblical Check up, using His Word as a reference.

Mathew 5:44
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...
1st- Who do you consider your enemies? Fellow Christians or Those who stand against Christ?

For myself- I hate no one and love everyone, this is sometimes harder than it sounds. I know I have persecuted other Christian brothers, but I have also prayed for them and for myself for the sin I have committed. I look for the good in everyone, I firmly believe no one wakes up and says, "I wonder what I can do today to cause another harm".

Mathew 6:27 and 6:34
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Do you worry? or Do you trust that God will provide and take care of you?
When people worry they tend to also get defensive. They tend to want to draw attention to someone/something else to prevent attention being drawn to themselves. When you worry, you do not want others to see it, so you divert. Don't worry, God loves us all. Even in our filthy, lazy, unappreciative state. HE LOVE US!!!

For myself- I do not worry. God has always provided for me and my family, even when we struggled, God was there. Sometimes, I feel I may have too much confidence in God. How silly is that, you can never have too much confidence in God, He will NEVER let you down. He may not always give you what you think you need/want. He will provide.

Mathew 7:1-3
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"


Do you judge others? After you do so, how do you feel? Does it make you feel better?


For Myself- YES. I could leave it at that, because I have. IT MAKES ME FEEL HORRIBLE after. I know I have a plank in my eye. PULL IT OUT, PULL IT OUT!Sometimes I do it jokingly. However, one man's laugh is another man's pain. I do believe that JUDGING and Having an Opinion is different. Doesn't make one better than the other, just different. The bad thing about opinions, people ask for them, but really don't want them. Sometimes it is better not to ask. Many people Judge GOD. Isn't that silly? We will talk more about that in a minute. We all have heard "Those who live in a glass house, should not cast stones". God says it better in John 8:7 ..."If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone." A stoned that is disguised is still a stone. Right?

Afterthought-
Romans 14:13
Therefore let us stop passing judgement on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.

Isaiah 40:10
See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him...
Romans 8:28
And we know that in ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Do you believe that the Lord is Sovereign? Do you believe that Everything is done for the Glory of God? Do you trust the decisions that God makes? When things do not go the way you want them to go, DO YOU JUDGE God's decision?

For Myself- I fully believe that GOD IS IN CONTROL. Because not to believe that, means man is in control. God gives man the ability to to make decisions, but God already knows the decision that is being made. THERE ARE NO SURPRISES TO GOD. This is another reason I tend not to worry. May God's Will be done, NOT MINE. A while back the church I attend had a severe disturbance within. This caused a number of families to leave and seek out other churches. In human eyes this was sad, but if you ask all of those who left, they are happier now and more fruitful in their walk with the Lord. Some are disappointed in the how and why they left, but are happier where they are now worshipping. See God has a plan, even if we do not like the outcome, it is always the right plan. I too STRONGLY DISAGREED with the how's and why's also, but you know, I WILL NOT QUESTION THE LORD. Some may see me as a hypocrite. I am waiting for the LORD to move me, until then, I am where the Lord wants me to be. However, trust me, I still Love them all. I can say a few of those days were some of the HARDEST in my life.

Colossians 3:13
....Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Are there people that you need to forgive? Maybe you need to forgive yourself? Are there situations that need to be forgiven? Do you dwell on something that eats you up inside?

For Myself- I believe in forgiveness. I do not harbor on anything. Most of all, I try to forget also. NOW that is HARD. I believe that God tells us that WE MUST FORGIVE, TO BE FORGIVEN. Trust me, We all have some thing/one/situation that needs our forgiveness; and vice versa. Don't waste words, opportunities, and friendships over harboring a grudge.

Revelations 3:14
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot, I wish you were either one or the other. So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you our of my mouth.

Where are you with your walk with God? (Not where you want others to believe) Do you serve God with your talents? Do you want the protection of the Lord, without the persecution? Are you willing to take your sins, failures, needs, and burdens to the alter? Or are you afraid of what others think, when you kneel down before the Lord. This is God's way of saying, Eat or get up from the table. (This is not in the Bible, this is my words)

For Myself- My walk with God is not as close as I wish it to be, nor will it ever. I serve God, but not as much nor as good as I should. I know I have been persecuted, but not as much as I deserve. I have taken my sins, my failures, my needs, and my burdens to the Cross, but I still fall short. I DON'T CARE WHAT OTHERS THINK WHEN I KNEEL AT THE CROSS. GOD HAS GOT MY BACK!


In Closing:

I am not PERFECT, neither are YOU. But I ask for the forgiveness of those I have hurt and I forgive those who have hurt me. I believe that hatred is from the depths of hell and love is from the heights of heaven. Look inside and seek out the Love of Christ. There is only two teams; Believers and Non-Believers. If we are on the same team, why allow the shadow to intrude. Even if we do not agree, we are still Brother's and Sister's in Christ. The fight is not with each other, it is against Satan and his intrusion.

God Bless