Month: July 2013

From Gates to Fairbanks Video Series


Introduction

Part 2 “Operation Throw Away”

Part 3 “Tired, Hurting, But Making Progress”

Part 4 “The River of Revival “

Part 5 “The River of Revival 2”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLrFEc5ZQWA

Part 6 “We conclude the sermon: The River of Revival”

Part 7 “The Little Girls Working Hard…FINALLY!”

Part 8 “Wife and Daughters Gone to Fairbanks” 08/06/2013

Part 9 “Wife and Daughters Arrived at Fairbanks, but Tough Day for my Sons and I”

Part 10 “My Sons and I Finally on the Road “

Part 11 “Second day of Our Travels “

Part 12 “Third Day of Our Travels” -Problems Finding a Hotel to Rest-

It seems like every day we are facing some kind of challenge. Today was the most challenging day of all. The lack of preparation make it fun and exciting, but at the same time it can be a exhausting.

Part 13 “Forth Day of Our Travels” -Spiritual Lessons-

Part 14 We Are Tired

Part 15 Getting Closer: Fifth Day of Travel

Part 16 Getting Closer: “Sixth Day of Travel”

Part 17 Entering The Alaska-Canada HWY

Part 18 Entering Photos and Videos of The Alaska-Canada HWY

Part 19 Another Day of Spiritual Lesson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXyIsySxWZQ

Part 20 The Sin of Familiarity

Part 21 Driving Through The Alaska HWY

Part 22 Final Video: Finally Home!

Malditas Sean Las Drogas


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Malditas sean las drogas que se ofrecen como consuelo en los momentos de dolor y frustración.

Malditas sean las drogas que se ofrecen como remedio cuando la injusticia pone sus manos sobre nuestras vidas.

Malditas sean las drogas que se convierten en hombros fríos en donde muchos buscan su desahogo derramar.

Malditas sean las drogas, parásito de nuestra sociedad que nos roban los hermanos, las hermanas, nuestros padres, amigos, atletas, cantantes, poetas, profesionales y aún analfabetas; el pobre, el rico y todos por igual.

Como el comején, nos mata la cultura y poco a poco convierte en polvo los valores que sostienen la columna vertebral de la verdad.

Malditas sean las drogas. Que Dios juzgue al vendedor que engatusa a nuestros niños en los parques, en las esquinas de caserío, en los balcones de barrio, en las escuelas, en las películas que exaltan el mal y en las canciones tenebrosas que como luz presentan la obscuridad.

Muy pocos encuentran las fuerzas para ser librados de sus cadenas. Muchos se han conformado con el desierto y ni un vistazo quieren darle a la tierra prometida de sus destinos.

Se sienten el nudo en la garganta de una madre cansada. Veo la frente estrujada de un padre que ya no puede más.

La mirada que se pierde en el viento de un hermano que en su propio hermano ya no quiere pensar.

El amigo se esconde en el baño a llorar; la llamada que no quiso acaba de llegar. Las lágrimas no se acaban, como ríos forman parte de los que miran a sus seres queridos caer una vez más.

Maldita sea la que ha acrecentado su imperio de destrucción. Como madera seca bañada en gasolina enciende sus victimas en las llamas burlonas de vidas en estado de potencial.

Malditas sean las drogas, su cultura y su mentiroso ideal. Sin esperanza deja a sus víctimas, sin esperanza de levantarse jamás.

 

¿Podrá Dios sanarte? ¿Tendrás tú el poder de luchar una vez más?

Farewell From Sensei Angel Casiano


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Today is the end of our Martial Arts Program in this region. We will close with a Rank Testing at 1:00 PM. After the test Angelo, my son will bless us with some homemade pizzas.

      Today, the best of the best of my students will be testing; I must add to that list Mr. Pat Brabble from Ahoskie, who supported our program faithfully.

      Many started, but only a few made it all the way to end. We will never claim to be the best, but we, without a doubt, did our best. Your children exercised their body, their souls and their spirit. The Gospel was presented and we made ourselves available to disciple.

      Perhaps, this Martial Arts Program was a small contribution to this community; but without a doubt it was my greatest contribution. I love you all and will remember you in my prayers.

      In a couple of weeks my family and I will be starting our new lives in the great state of Alaska. Only God knows if I will continue teaching Martial Arts. If this is the end, I am well pleased! I sincerely thank all the parents that trusted us with their children. No one can take away what they learned from us.

God bless you all,

Sensei Angel Casiano

An Unrecognizable Church Is Coming


Every gathering in God’s name by God’s people that looks the same every time they gather is a reflection of man’s unwillingness to wait on God. It also reflects the choice of men to control his own destiny together with an open refusal to surrender to God’s Spirit.

      I am totally convinced, and I am not the only one saying this, that before the rapture of the church, we will be totally unrecognizable. I believe that what we are doing today and how we are doing this thing we call church is ridiculously far away from what it will be at the top of the church’s glory. Ezekiel 46:9 tells us,

9 “But when the people of the land come before the Lord on the appointed feast days, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate; and whoever enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. He shall not return by way of the gate through which he came, but shall go out through the opposite gate. (NKJV)

            I believe that the idea of one worship leader Sunday after Sunday and the idea of one person preaching and teaching will very soon be obsolete. The church that is coming is a church where all of God’s gifts will be able to freely flow. This will be a church where we will not know who will lead worship and through whom God will deliver the message of the moment.

      This is not going to be a church without government; to the contrary, God’s government will indeed be restored. God will raise the true Apostles; these men are already here. I want to emphasize that these are men, not women. It is not Biblical for a woman to carry the title of Apostle. These men will walk in great humility and power. Being an Apostle is not defined by the fancy clothing, the size of their building or on how many radio and TV stations your Sunday Shows are broadcasting on. God will surely raise fathers in the ministry.

      The local church is not going to be run by one man, who today we wrongly call “The Pastor”, but by a body of elders. The church will be in order and in that order the Spirit will move freely and powerfully.

      We must understand that Christianity is not about feeling comfortable or about members. Christianity is about growing, about moving up from glory to glory, about being challenged, and about going from revelation to revelation.

      Denominations are mayor obstacles in this process of growing as they all claim to have the Gospel Truth. Denominations of any kind are the result of the rebelliousness and arrogance of men. In no other denomination can we see such arrogance and rebelliousness more than in the Pentecostal denomination, which is the most divided.

      Wherever God’s glory is, change is to be expected. How can we expect our people in our congregations to change when we ourselves offer the same order of service Sunday after Sunday? We must create an atmosphere of change.

      We need to preach salvation, we need to preach sanctification, we need to preach the baptism of the Holy Spirit and we need to make clear that there is never a stop to the growing process of knowing God.

      Beloved, in the things of God, we will never arrive to the understanding of the totality of the knowledge and understanding of God. It is ok to go for the doctorate degree if you want, but that little title can’t be a substitute for a consecrated life of prayer and intimacy with God. Get ready, for an unrecognizable church is coming.

 

 

 

Negligencia Espiritual


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Verdaderamente que ser un hombre de Dios en estos tiempos de tanta frialdad espiritual es extremadamente difícil. Vemos a la juventud consumida con aparatos electrónicos, celulares con acceso al internet, IPOTS, IPATS y otros.

      La oración ha pasado a ser un ejercicio espiritual de muy poca importancia. Queremos hacerlo todo primero y orar si hay tiempo, en lugar de orar y simplemente seguir las instrucciones de Dios.

      Hoy día se visualiza la Biblia como un libro viejo en donde aparecen historias que, por lo general, no son aplicables a los tiempos modernos.

      La negligencia espiritual en nuestros países es enfermiza. La gente se levanta por las mañanas a trabajar o a ir la escuela sin tan siquiera ofrecerle un pensamiento o una expresión de agradecimiento a Dios.

      El Capitalismo Americano nos ha enseñado a mantenernos ocupados, siempre trabajando. Al llegar a la casa todo el mundo está cansado y no hay calidad de tiempo para ofrecerle a la familia. Mas la desgracia más grande es que no hay calidad de tiempo para ofrecerle a Dios. Las familias pasan horas interminables viendo televisión, en los teléfonos celulares y aparatos electrónicos, cada uno por su lado.

      Llega el Sábado y en lugar de usar el tiempo libre para pasar más tiempo con Dios; la televisión viene a ser su desayuno y una ves más no le ofrecen tan siquiera un pensamiento o una expresión de agradecimiento a Dios.

      La idolatría se está comiendo los corazones del pueblo de Dios y estamos cometiendo las misma fornicaciones y adulterios espirituales que vemos a Israel cometer en las páginas de la Biblia.

      La consecuencia de la idolatría de Israel fue el convertirse en esclavos de su propia idolatría. En Ezequiel 23:9 Dios, refiriéndose al reino del norte de Israel, nos dice:

“Por lo cual la entregué en manos de sus amantes, en manos de los hijos de los asirios, de quienes se había enamorado.” (Reina-Valera 1995)

 

      Vemos en el mismo capítulo que Judá cometió los mismos adulterios con Babilonia y las consecuencias fueron las misma; Babilonia tomó control de Judá.

      Los gigantes en nuestras vidas vienen a crear duda en el poder de Dios. Los ídolos viene a ofrecerse como los nuevos dioses. La negligencia espiritual debilita nuestros músculos espirituales haciendo posible la intimidación de los gigantes y la infección de nuestros espíritus con la idolatría.

      Dios tiene ya reservado un remanente. Sin duda que la Iglesia será victoriosa. Mas muchas serán las fatalidades de las congregaciones de Domingos.

      Nuestra Cristiandad no es probada en nuestras membrecías, denominaciones o en quien reconocemos como nuestra cobertura; mas en quien es dueño de nuestros lugares secretos.

      Démosle la espalda a esta vagancia espiritual que nos consume. Abre la Biblia, léela, estúdiala, alaba a Dios, ora y hazlo parte céntrica de tu vida. Pídele a Dios, presenta tus quejas delante de Él, desahógate, llora, gózate y clama delante del Padre.

      Dedica tu corazón a la santificación y recibe el bautismo precioso del fuego de Cristo. Mas no te detengas ahí, nunca creas que haz adquirido toda la verdad; no permitas que semejante arrogancia te consuma. Dios es interminable en sus misterios; sigue buscándolo, sigue amándolo y sigue creciendo en el conocimiento del que te ama como nadie nunca te amará.

God is not Liberal and God is not Conservative


What we, as Christians, MUST desperately understand is that God is not Democrat: Liberals, Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, the NAACP, etc. God is not Republican: Conservatives, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, The Tea Party, etc.

God is God all by Himself and we are called to know HIM personally. In order to know HIM personally we MUST be born again, we must read and study the Bible, we must pray according to HIS will and we must listen and obey HIS voice.

God is our only HOPE. He is greater than any nation, He is more powerful than any racist spirit and through HIM we can do all things. That is regardless of what anybody can say and do, regardless of who is in power, regardless of verdicts, regardless of racism, regardless of the condition of the economy, statistics, discrimination and even our own limitations. To blame the “White Man” for our failures is disrespectful to the power of my God.

My God is the God of justice, He is Love and He will cause the last to be first and the first to be last. He takes what is not and make it something amazing. He takes the unqualified and placed him/her in positions of power.

He has anointed us as Christians to set the captives free and to spread the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our past can’t bring us down, slavery could not eliminate us and even Hell itself can’t overcome us. We belong to God; we belong to a big God!

Stop whining, stop looking at yourself as a victim, stop the entitlement mentality, get up, give your heart to God, follow HIM and trust Him in all of your ways and He will prosper you even as your soul prosper. No matter what you are going through, no matter the color of your skin, etc. This is not my word, but a message from the Lord for you this day.

Are You Really Ready For a Real Street Fight?


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In a violent street fight there are no rules, no point-system hits, no tap-outs, no break every three minutes, no referee, no rules that protect the back of your head or below your waist. A violent street fight is not about belts, it’s not about a trophy or how perfect your kata looks, or about a title. It’s not about looking good or promoting your style.

 

            A real violent street fight is about one thing and one thing only, Survival. If when faced with somebody that wants to steal from you, you are able to live to tell the story, you are a winner. If you can talk yourself or run out of that situation unharmed, you are a winner.

 

            In a violent street fight everything around you is to be used to your advantage; any object, the floor and the wall are there for you to use if need-be. In a violent street fight no part of your opponent’s body is off-limits. On the street there is no such thing as fighting dirty, you are fighting for your life.

 

            As a Martial Arts Instructor I find it irresponsible for us not to recreate, as much as possible, real street fight scenarios. Our dojos are consumed with the point-system approach of fighting and with Katas. Many dojos, even when presenting self-defense techniques are really failing to present real life scenarios.

 

            The primary goal of traditional martial arts is to develop character. That character development will help us to stay away from people, situations and places that will lead to violence. Character helps us to fight without throwing a punch by being alert and aware of what is around us.

 

            The second goal of traditional martial arts is for the martial artist to be able to effectively defend himself, his family, the innocent and the weak, even if that means to loose his/her own life in the process.

 

            There is nothing wrong with the belts, trophies and tournaments, but we must keep in mind what the priorities are.

A Word For Christian/Conservative Minorities


We, Christian minorities, who identified ourselves politically with the Conservative ideology, are fully aware of the brutality of the injustices committed against our ancestors.

We do not close our eyes to this nation’s historical hypocrisy and contradictions. We are also fully aware of the current existence of the spirit of racism. We love our people and we fight for the betterment of mankind, but we fight differently.

We do not fight raising the banner of complaint or the banner of blaming. We take a deep look at ourselves and take responsibility for our own actions.

The atrocity of slavery and even the current injustices that we may suffer are not free tickets to embrace a life of mediocrity, to live immoral lifestyles and to embrace the spirit of violence against others and against ourselves.

Rules have not changed as the result of the pain and suffering of slavery and current injustices. We do not fight by killing, but by loving each other.

Thanks be to my ancestors, for I am free enough to follow God at will. Thanks be to my ancestors, for I am free enough to learn to read, to educate myself, to have access to higher education, to get a job and to make a living. Thanks be to my ancestors, for I can vote, I can run for office, I can open my own business, I can practice any sport and I can even have the opportunity of being the next president.

We bless each other with our words, not curse each other daily and cry racism when somebody else does it. Oh, we fight, but we fight differently! We follow the truth that is only found in God’s Word. We call a lie a lie, even when it comes from our own people. We believe that God is showing us the truth and it is that truth that makes us free.

God has set me free and He is more powerful than any spirit that will rise up against me just because of the color of my skin. We bring down the idols of our hearts and we allow the Lord to fight our battles.

We forgive because it is our duty as Christians to do so, because God forgave us first and because bitterness is contrary to the ordinance of my God. We refuse to sing the songs of the agitators, the false prophets and teachers that walk around with ecumenical titles as they enslave our people to the idols of liberalism.

We are thankful and find inspiration in men like Frederick Douglass who became the conscience of the abolition that God gave us through Abraham Lincoln. We thank God and also find inspiration in men like Martin Luther King who fought a fight that seemed foolish, but did more to our civil rights than any other loud mouth in our present history.

It is sad to say, but some of our ancestors were freer than many of us, even in their slavery, for they knew God in ways many of us never will. There bodies were enslaved, but their spirits had knowledge and an intimacy with God that liberalism will never be able to match, nor promote. They waited on the Lord and the Lord did not fail them.

We encourage young people to look up to the mountains and to place all of their trust in a God that will never leave us nor forsake us. We believe that we are more than conquerors and not victims. We believe in making a living and in only depending on God and not the Government; for we teach dignity to our people.

Oh we fight, but we fight to make a change, not just to throw punches to the air with fancy loud motivational speakers. We pursue loving God above all things and we pursue loving all people not just those who look like us. For the Bible tells us in First Corinthians 13:8 that, “Love never fails…”

8 Things That Get on My Last Nerves


As I grow older I notice that there are a few things that really get on my last nerves and I really need God to help me deal with these things:

  1. Liberalism: It is the “everything goes” mentality, it is the denial of any absolutes, it is the promotion of the victim mentality, the exaltation of the entailments, it is using past injustices to justify present mediocrity, etc. It is bad for America and it is bad for the world.

  2. Racism: The arrogance of some thinking that they are better than others. It comes from white to black, from black to white, from Latinos to Black, from black to Latinos, from the folk in the south to the folks in the west, from the folks from this family to the folks of this other family and vice versa and etc. It is all-ridiculous to me.

  3. Denominations in churches and styles in Martial Arts: I see similar arrogance in both; the ones that think that their denomination carries the Gospel Truth and the ones that believe that their styles are the best.

  4. Church services that purposely look the same Sunday after Sunday: The God in the Bible is exciting, why are we not allowing that God to be manifested in our lives and in our coming together.

  5. People that worship our Founder Fathers and totally ignore their hypocrisy as it refers to their treatment of slaves: I love this country and respect our history, but to ignore our founders hypocrisy is as bad as folks that continue to use slavery as an excuse to not excel in society.

  6. Our liberal press and the power they have to mess up somebody’s image: The press can make you look stupid or smart; good or evil, innocent or guilty. That kind of power combined with many uninformed people, make up a tragic combination.

  7. Looking at Political Conservatism and Christianity as being the same: Being a conservative does not make you or me a Christian. Conservatism or our constitution is not the answers for our problems. God and His principles given to us through His Word are the only answers and hope for our nation.

  8. The greed of Capitalism: Even as I enjoy our freedom and been alive in the land of opportunities, there is a greed that comes out of capitalism in an ideology that promotes long hours of work that completely minimizes the importance of prayer and quality time with the family.

The Worst Sin


The church is very distracted with the three main social and cultural issues in America: Homosexuality, Abortion and Racism. However, I am here to present to you that even as all sin leads to destruction, there is a sin that is above the rest. I am here also to submit to you that the church is guilty of the committing the worst of all sins. Ezekiel 16:46-47 tells us,

46 “Your elder sister is Samaria, who dwells with her daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who dwells to the south of you, is Sodom and her daughters. 47 You did not walk in their ways nor act according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you became more corrupt than they in all your ways. (NKJV)

 

      What brought Israel to her captivity was the sin of Idolatry. Israel turned her spirit away from God and towards the idols of other nations. Everybody knows that Sodom is known for the homosexual sin, but in Ezekiel 16:47 we read: “…you became more corrupt than they in all your ways.”

 

      The first commandment is to love God above all things. Jesus told us in Matthew 22:35-38

35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. (NKJV)

 

      What does it mean to love God above all things? There are many things we can say about our heart, our soul and our minds. However, for this article’s sake we will stay with the basics.

      The heart is the part of us that makes decisions. That is why the Bible encourages us to search our hearts and warns us of how deceitful our hearts can be. The soul is what gives life to our bodies. With the mind we think, we process and understand things.

      To be in pursuit of loving God above all things means that God is central in our decision-making. It means that God is indeed the Captain of our soul and not ourselves and, it means that we have Him constantly in our minds.

      Do you remember how you felt when you were in love? How you could not keep that person out of your mind? How much more are we called to love God? We are called to love Him above all things.

      The greatest evidence of how filled with idolatry the church is not found in the size of our church buildings, in how large our congregations are, in how many TV stations broadcast our services, in how many radio stations we are on, how many times we “go to church”, how long we have been a Christian, how much seminary we have or in how many ministries we are involved in. The greatest evidence of our love for God is found in our prayer life. How can we love God above all things without having a prayer life? How can He be a part of our decision making? How can He be the center of our lives? How can we say that He is always in our minds when He is not seen in the way we act and in the things we do?

      Capitalism has done a great job in keeping us busy doing a million things. People have bought the lie that we don’t have time to pray or that prayer is not as important as some make it sound. Somehow, someway, we have believed the lie that it is ok to wake up in the morning and go on about our business without acknowledging God for anything.

      We truly have become a church that has a form of Godliness, but is denying God’s power. That is the reason prayer is on the bottom of our list of priorities.

      Whatever is consuming our hearts, souls and minds is taking the place of God. A life filled with idols is a defeated life. In Joshua 7 we learn that when we have idols in our lives, God can’t fight our battles. This is the place where the church is at, right now. The church is so busy fighting against the homosexual agenda, so busy coming against abortion and so busy coming against racism that in the process we are closing our eyes in dealing with our own mess.

      See, I am sure that Israel looks at Samaria as less than them; we can see in John 4 that they will not even walk through Samaria. I am sure that Israel saw Sodom as the worst of the worst. However, in the eyes of God, it was Israel who sinned with a greater sin.

      May we bring down our idols, may the Lord give us hearts, souls and minds that are sold-out to Him, and may the Lord raise up a church that will conquer that land of her own destiny and bring down the giants that stand on our way.