INSURANCE

In the state of California it's is against the law to drive your car without insurance. It's a necessity to have medical insurance for yourself and your family and it's smart if you own a home to have home owners insurance. So I got to thinking Americans like being safe so why wouldn't people who insure everything not want SAVIOR INSURANCE. I would think people would want some kind of protection against the hardships of life mentally and spiritually. It is a known fact that people that put Jesus first in there life...live a happier and fuller life than those that don't. From my own personal experience I have been very happy and realize that my life is a lot better with Jesus at the helm. I may not have a lot of money, cars, or houses. But what I do have is a lot of love, happiness, and Joy. My life is complete because I have SAVIOR INSURANCE. Here is the kicker and the best part of having SAVIOR INSURANCE. All these other insurances you have to pay monthly or annually for...SAVIOR INSURANCE is totally free. People have the chance to get the best insurance plan in the world and it's FREE!! Is that insane...you have the chance to live a life that is full of happiness, joy, greatness, and one of the best parts...you get to live without condemnation. No matter how many times you falter you can be forgiven. Imagine I went to the doctors office everyday I would have to pay a co payment and sooner or later I would be broke. Not with SAVIOR INSURANCE. You can come to God everyday and know that everyday God will help you without a co payment or deductible. Oh and one thing I forgot to mention is that when you accept SAVIOR INSURANCE. You also receive a free pass into Heaven. Wow...okay so lets review you not only get to live a great life here on earth with happiness and joy but when you die your insurance doesn't end there it carrys over to your next stop. The Bible says nobody goes to the Father unless through Me. Me being your SAVIOR INSURANCE Jesus. Let me tell you I'm not only a client of SAVIOR INSURANCE. I'm also a witness of it's glory and power. Nothing is more important in life than having your SAVIOR INSURANCE. To sign up all you have to do is say Yes to Jesus...accept Him in your life and put Him first. For those that have already signed up for SAVIOR INSURANCE remember to keep the policy near to your heart. One day everybody will die but those with SAVIOR INSURANCE will really live.

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May God Bless you and keep you safe.

Carlos

Yes Or No

I want to tell you how important these two words are. These two words can determine your lifestyle, your blessings, your happiness, but also they determine your eternal resting place. These two words are the simplest words in our English language but at the same time these two words can really impact your life. I want to share with you how each one of these words can impact your life greatly both positively and negatively. Each one of us has the Spirit of God living within us but it takes a decision to unlock it. God is the creator but He is not like a Warden. He gives you the key freely and lets you decide. Is it Yes or No? Before I came to know God I lived my life how I wanted and I can see why a lot of people are afraid to accept God's key. When you accept God's key and unlock His Spirit within you. Your spiritual eyes are open and you start to see your life in a whole new way. You see bad habits, or you start to notice bad thoughts and in reality it's not a pretty sight. For me when I accepted Jesus which is God's key and my spiritual eyes were open I went from thinking I'm a pretty good guy to thinking wow I'm a dirtbag. I lied a lot...I was disrespectful to my wife and kids. I did things that were really selfish...but the good thing was because I said YES. The same Spirit that opened up my eyes...also helped me to want to change...gave me encouragement...and never left my side and still has never left my side. I chose YES and because I chose yes. My marriage got better, my self image and confidence were better and I believe my health was better. I don't stress anymore, I laugh alot and I sleep with peace at night. All this because I said YES...now I think back what if I would've said NO to God what would've happened. Well I would've got divorced, my kids foundation would be un stable because I come from a divorced childhood and it's not fun, I would've continued to have bad habits that would ruin my life but most importantly I would've given up my spot in Heaven. See not only does God's key unlock the Spirit within. It's unlocks the door into Heaven for you and without the key you are not getting in. Two simple words that are so easy to remember but harder to follow. Two simple words that determine your fate and your purpose. Two simple words that my 1 year old daughter already knows the meaning to can change your life. All you have to do is decide. This post is not only for people to believe in Jesus but for Christians as well who already believe. Once you choose God's key that doesn't mean your days of decision making are over...ohhh no! You still have to decide Yes or No? Yes to God and all His love, promises, and blessings. Or No and you can continue living the way you want. Just remember is your spot in Heaven and the chance to spend forever and ever with God worth it to you...YES OR NO!!

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May God Bless you and keep you safe

Carlos

DEATH

This is a five letter word that many people fear. It is a word that brings darkness and sadness to peoples lives. It seems that more and more people are losing loved ones at a fast rate these days. I have been one of the lucky ones to still have a lot of my friends and family still around. But it's still heartbreaking to hear people's stories of how somebody they love lost there life. My boss at work has lost his mother, step mother, and his brother n law in a matter of months. I feel so bad for our pastor who gets to know people from the Church, falls in love with people from the Church and then has to say goodbye to people from our Church. You see Church is not someplace where we meet and praise God. It's a place where we see our family members. We are all brothers and sisters. It's a place where we rejoice in other peoples triumphs and we cry with other peoples sadness. Death is something that nobody wants to talk about but it is something that is in inevitable. Everybody wants to enjoy life and live to 100. I say live for today and don't worry about tomorrow. The Bible says who by worrying about tomorrow will add a day to there life. Death comes to us all whether we stay in shape or we don't. It's a known fact we are all going to die one day. But I want to share with you a plan to give you that peace so you can look at death in the face and smile.

There is another five letter word that means hope and peace. There is a five letter word that gives your life confidence and stability. The word is SAVED!! Whether I die tonight or 50 years from now. I can view death and be glad because I believe in God and His promises. I live knowing that when God calls me home it will one of the best days of my life. When I die I want my family and my Church family to rejoice in knowing I'm going home. I want everyone to know they can be saved. Accept Jesus and put Him first in your life and you can have the same type of hope. You can live knowing that when you die you will be God's paradise. I am truly saddened because I have to realize that not everyone will be saved...not everyone wants to follow Jesus or choose to love God. I pray for those people that one day they can see the light. I pray that everybody who has a chance to save someone...do not give up. Please continue to pray for those who are not saved...continue to love. When you hug someone...hug for an extra 10 seconds. Smile more and live for God. Death is a five letter word that brings sadness...but there is another five letter word that brings LIFE.....JESUS!!!!!!!

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May God Bless you and keep you safe.

Carlos

I KILLED JESUS!!

If I were to go out and stand on street corners or tell the world this...They would probably think I'm crazy or laugh at me. They would ridicule me or maybe even get angry at me. But this statement is true! I killed Jesus and you what He did...He saved me. You see mankind gave into temptation and said hello to sin and goodbye to Holiness. Because mankind chose sin and God was Holy. There was separation and there needed to be a bridge between the two. In steps Jesus a perfect man and He needed to be that sacrifice. Last time I checked I was part of mankind and being born I was already a sinner so my sin killed Jesus. It's very heart breaking because Jesus didn't have to die...He was blameless but I understand and because I understand I can be saved. What's more heartbreaking is that a lot of Christians don't make Him the top priority. I mean Jesus is there savior yet they treat Him like a broom. I mean they keep Him in the closet so nobody sees Him. They take Him out when they have some hurt or pain that needs to be swept away...and after He's clean them up...they put him back in the closet. This is a man that should be the lamp in your living room to bring you light. He should be the stove that feeds your spirit in the kitchen, and He should be your bed that gives you peace at night. Sorry that I'm using a lot of house analogies. But I went home for lunch and was inspired. I killed Jesus and He saved me!! By this post I want people to realize that no matter what you did or what you have done. You can always be forgiven. You see my sin killed my creator but He loved me so much that He died so I can be saved. He died so the world can be saved. Man sinned againist God there is no reason why any man should be saved...but God loves us!! I pray that we always stay under His grace. I pray that the world would just open up there eyes and theres hearts to see how much God loves them. I pray that as people pass away every day they would come to be saved. I pray as Christians we can do everything we can to ensure people know about being saved and help them along the way. And I pray that God continues to use me and give me strength so I can serve Him and His people. I KILLED JESUS AND HE SAVED ME!

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May God Bless You and keep you safe

Carlos

WHAT DO YOU SEE!!

After going to Church this past Sunday I started thinking that everybody has two lives. One life is the life that God wants you to live and the other life is the one you live. So the question is what do you see when you look at me? Do you see I get angry and sometimes shellfish. I yell at my kids and hurt there feelings. I argue with my wife over really dumb things as if I want to fight with her. I spend to much time doing things that doesn't involve God. I spend to much time away from God. I don't pray enough...I don't praise Him enough. I'm ungrateful and always want more. I lie to bill collectors. I don't love enough and I get mad really easy. I don't call my mom enough or spend a lot of time with my family. Is this what you see? So many of us have two lives we live. Just like there is a wrong and a right. I want to share with you that it shouldn't be my life. I shouldn't be the one in charge...it should actually be God's life. So this day forward my blog will be renamed to reflect that I'm living God's life. This is what I want you to see!!

I want you to see God's heart in me. I want you to see that I love everyone I meet. I want you to see that I'm willing to help anyone that needs help. I want to bring hope to the hopeless and I want to spread the good news about Jesus. I want to be a blessing to others. I want to give whatever I can to help people love God. I want to help people follow Jesus. I want to share my knowledge and wisdom to help people understand God. But most importantly I want to help people understand that they are more sinful than they can believe but they are more loved than they can imagine. You see the great thing about our lives is that however we are we can be saved. The life that I am in charge of can be forgiven...I can be transformed. I can have love, peace, kindness, understanding, affection and be caring. You see the Holy Spirit is what you should have in charge of your life. Paul once said that there is ZERO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. What this means is you can't just come to Church on Sunday...you have to take the Church with you when you leave and carry it in your heart. Jesus just can't be your Savior...He has to be your best friend and hero. He has to be your role model and teacher. I encourage everyone to let the Holy Spirit lead your life. So when you see me know that your not seeing my life. Your seeing a friend of God, your seeing His Servant, and best of all your seeing GOD'S HEART!!

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May God Bless you and keep you safe

Carlos

YESUS GITANO!!

Yesus Gitano! Yesus Gitano...well your probably wondering what this means. It means Jesus is Lord in Amharic. It is very easy to say the words and to believe the words but living these words is the hard part. A lot of Christians believe Jesus is Lord but implementing it into there lives is something different. You see it happens to me. I believe Jesus is Lord but sometimes I live as if I'm Lord. It is very easy to be caught up in the world...so many things going on. Your mind is always being distracted by the enemy. There are many times that I'm planning on spending time with the Lord where something distracts me and I end up not spending the time with God. The enemy(Devil) is very good at distracting you. He is very good at making you believe things and his sole purpose is to confuse you just enough so you don't spend time with God. In my trip to Ethiopia there was no time, no distractions...it was very easy to spend time with God. There loving God is what they do best and it makes me realize that material possessions only distracts you and takes time away from God. God is the truth, He will never confuse you...in fact God shines the light so your mistakes are made aware to you in the dark. I admire the Pastor of our Church Larry because he does not have a T.V. in his home. That is one of the major distractions I have that takes my time away from God. Jesus said Not everyone who says Jesus is Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven...Those that confess with there mouths and believe in there hearts will be admitted. You see it's easy to say the words but you need to live the life.

The picture that is attached to this blog is that of my daughter after being born. In order to live the life of Jesus is Lord we have to have the heart of a child. My daughter when she was born...didn't know about any material possessions, any distractions, didn't care for things of the world...the only thing she wanted was someone to clothe her and feed her. I think essentially that's all we need is to be like Paul the Apostle. Our Father will always look out for us. We are His best interest but at the same time we need to acknowledge Him. I can't ask God for help and then spend all day watching T.V. or anything else that is going to take me away from him. You see the only way God will help you is if you spend time with Him. It's one thing to ask for help but then you have to acknowledge him by spending time in the Word, Praying, Worshipping Him and given Him your time. God is just looking to be friends with you. I'm not saying don't have possessions...not at all...just don't let what you own posses you! Ask God for guidance and truth...ask for strength to better resist the world but above all live for Jesus...live like Jesus and don't be discouraged...everybody falters. Just continue to ask for forgiveness and keep Yesus Gitano in your heart always!!

May God Bless you and keep you safe

Carlos

WUHA WUHA WUHA!!

These three little words amazingly can save lives. The word means water but it is said in Amharic which is the native language of Ethiopia. You see water is like gold in certain parts of Ethiopia, Africa...especially in a village called Bitta Genet. Water that you and I use to brush our teeth, to take showers, to flush our toilets, to wash our hands, to drink on hot summer days. Water is life to these people. Coming back from a trip in where water is really rare and going to the movies yesterday here in the states and seeing an ad that said "Water so good that it makes your mouth water" It breaks your heart to see that anywhere you go you can get bottle water. That there are companies making millions of dollars selling water. I remember when I was little there was no bottled water and we just drank from our water hose when we got thirsty. It breaks your heart that the kids in Bitta Genet just wanted water from us. I wish the world could see what we saw on our trip and so I put a video together that gives you a glimpse of what we saw. The best part of this story...actually there are two best parts. One is that they have hope in God. They trust in God and they have happiness in that hope. Every person we saw was always smiling and laughing.

The second part of the story that an organization called Lime along with the Church I attend met with the mayor of Bitta Genet and they discussed the possibility of building a well. Which would bring so much Joy to this village as well as villages near by. There was one lady who just wanted us to pray for her and said that the Lord will supply her needs. I love that...Jesus said it best "If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink". In Africa our Pastor showed the people of Bitta Genet a bottled water and reemphasized that statement. I loved that and it brings home the point trust in the Lord. If anybody would like to contribute to the building of the well in Bitta Genet please go to WWW.LIMEWORKS.ORG

May God Bless you and keep you safe

Carlos

Change Vs Comfort = Struggle

This picture is when I really had to accept change. You see we had to camp out for 4 days in a place where there was no running water, no restroom, no fast food, and no luxuries. I learned this simple equation in Africa. Before going on this trip my life was comfortable. I was involved in ministry and I went to Church every Sunday. But while on this trip I have come to realize that if you open yourself to change. God will utilize you and maximize your potential. I feel that because I have opened up myself more to change. God is turning me from a good Christian to a great one. I'm not there yet but I have tasted God's will in my life and I'm hungry for more. I think many Christians fight with change because of comfort. I understand it is a big step to accept Christ as your savior. But many Christians accept Christ and think that's all it takes to being a Christian and although that is a major part there is much more than just that. Everybody in life has a purpose but if you don't accept change your purpose will never be fulfilled. When my daughter was born she loved to drink formula a lot...but as she got older we gave her different things like water and milk. At first she looked confused because it was something different but slowly she began to love it. Then she tired apple juice and had a new love. The point is that even though she was skeptical about trying different things she soon realized it wasn't that bad and she would love it. Us as Christians we tend to want to stay on our formula because that's all we know. God doesn't force you to drink something else but He always shows you it's there.

Being on this trip I realized that God can use the simplest person and use him in such a way that you want to hear what he has to say. For instance there was a pastor named Tashoma who was from our Jimma Church. When we first met him he seemed really shy and timid. But when he started preaching. The Holy Spirit changed him and he had authority and confidence. He spoke Amharic and even though I had no idea what he was saying I was like Amen brother. That's when I knew that if you just let go of comfort and accept change. You will see the true power of God. I knew that whatever I faced or did I would not be alone. The Holy Spirit will help me. You see I've never prayed for healing...but in Africa that's exactly what I did and I felt like I've been doing it for years. I've never sang in front of 1200 people...Actually I've never sang period but in Africa The Holy Spirit changed me and it was awesome to sing for the Lord and His people. What I've come to understand is that God is amazing but what's more amazing is just to let God be God. Don't hold back! Don't let yourself stop you! Everybody has the potential to do miraculous things. I encourage everyone don't be afraid of change. During the trip I saw change vs comfort. But at the end of the trip I saw change + Holy Spirit = JOY! Live for Joy.

May God Bless you and keep you safe

Carlos

Blessed beyond difficulties!

Wow this is my first post. It is a very monumental occasion in my life because I get to share with you my thoughts and my life. I recently came back from a trip to Ethiopia, Africa. Where I learned 2 very important things. It was a trip filled with struggles and adventure but also it was filled with joy and happiness. Going into this trip you don't expect anything but you prepare for the worst. What I gained on this trip outweighed any troubles we encountered. So the first thing I learned on this trip is God's Love. You see going to Church you get to see God's love first hand but applying it to your life is different. My father rarely told me he loved me in my life...in fact right before I left on my trip he stopped by for a visit. Before we parted ways I looked at him and said I love you but he just got in his car and drove off. I would've given anything just to hear him say I love you to me but I have realized that I don't need his love because I have a Heavenly Father who always loves me. Actually one of the reasons I came to know Christ was because of the Pastor of Light and Life named Larry. The first time I met him he told me he loved me. You see God knew what I needed in my life and he used Larry to tell me. In Africa there were people there that wore the same clothes every day, had flies following them all the time, and hardly took showers. Here in the U.S. it is very hard to walk up to a homeless man who is similar to the people in Africa and give him a hug. I am the first to admit I haven't done this here in America...but in Africa the people there are excited to see you and all they want to do is hug you and hold your hand. You can see God's Love in them and I was blessed because I got to hug and hold alot of peoples hands. You see it's not Americans and Ethiopians. It's not us and them...it's my brothers and sisters. It's God's family! Going on this trip has showed me what's it like to love God's people without restriction.

The second thing that I learned is the gratefulness the people of Africa have for God. These are people that have no material possessions, no running water, no abundance of clothes, and really no money. Yet they thank God for life, they thank God for smiles and laughter, they thank God for peace. Here we take life for granite and plan for tomorrow. There they just live in the moment and enjoy it to the fullest. Every Church service we went to when the people would worship they would do it as if God himself were right in front of them and they just wanted to please Him. They trust in God completely and rely on Him for any need they have. They have nothing and they are so grateful...I have allot and it makes me realize that I should be extra thankful. There were times were we faced difficulties and I would get stressed out but I felt like God would smile and say My son why do you worry. This trip has made me realize that if you trust in God your blessings will always outweigh your difficulties.

May God Bless you and keep you safe.

Carlos