Prayer Update for this Week...

Here's how you can be praying for me this week:

1). On Wednesday @ FLOOD, we are continuing through our series called, "OVERWHELMED." Last week we looked at Isaiah 6 and what we are supposed to be overwhelmed by. It was a powerful evening. Please pray for me of what God has been doing the past month for this Wednesday night.

That's it for this week. It's a much lighter week.

Thank you for constantly praying for me.

28 Is the Lucky Number

I received a text message from Pastor Andy (the junior high pastor of PFB Church who is leading the missions team from PFB Church to Haiti in June) tonight. Last night he came up at the end of FLOOD to share about a mission trip to Haiti that is happening this June. he asked for three ways to get involved in this trip to Haiti:

1. Personally be part of the team that goes to Haiti.
2. Support the trip to Haiti through prayer.
3. Support the trip to Haiti through a financial gift.

Well, this is how the FLOOD community stepped up. I cannot tell you how thankful I am to be the pastor of FLOOD. They are an absolutely amazing group of Jesus-lovers.

• 15 of them signed up to be on the team going to Haiti.
• 10 of them signed up to be part of the prayer team.
• 3 of them signed up to offer a financial gift to support those who are going.

After one announcement, 28 members of the FLOOD community signed up to be part of Team haiti in different yet equally important ways.

I absolutely love the FLOOD community.

FLOOD Is Being Set Ablaze

The past month at FLOOD has been unbelievable. In 4 weeks we have seen 10 people stand to make a decision for Jesus (5 happened this past Wednesday night alone) and 6 people get baptized. What God is up to is leaving all of FLOOD speechless. It truly is amazing. Thank you for praying. Keep it up.

"Take Fire" Worship Event

"Take Fire" is happening this Saturday, April 28th at 5pm at Cornerstone Bible Church in Glendora. It is going to be an amazing night of worship. If you have any questions, check out the Facebook page for the event.

Prayer for This Week

UPDATE FROM LAST WEEK AT FLOOD:
OH MY GOODNESS!!! What God is up to is blowing my mind. The best thing was this: we saw a young lady stand up to surrender to Jesus. Here is what we have seen God do over the past three weeks alone at FLOOD:

• 5 people have surrendered their lives to Jesus.
• 6 people have been baptized.
• Our attendance has grown so much that we had to move the ropes for a new section in the worship center last week.

And here's the thing: I have no way to explain it except that it's Jesus. He is on the move and I am so excited.

PRAYER FOR THIS WEEK:

1. Pray for the 5 people who have surrendered to Jesus over the past three weeks as we begin follow-up and discipleship with them. 
2. On Wednesday at FLOOD, I will be preaching what I believe to be the most important message that I have ever preached at a FLOOD worship service. The passage is taken from Isaiah 6:1-8 and explains what we SHOULD be overwhelmed by.
3. On Thursday I will be teaching at the Christian Club at Glendora High School.
4. On Saturday morning I have the opportunity to partner up with Pasadena Nazarene Church and speak at a men's breakfast for what they call, "Man Church."
5. On Sunday morning I get to hang with and teach the high schoolers at PFB Church.

Thank you so much for praying. Keep it up. Like I said above: it is absolutely unbelievable what God is up to.

Handling the Frustrating

We all face frustrating circumstances. That's just part of life. However, I have learned some things over the years that have been very helpful (of course I wish I could remember and I apply these things every time I get frustrated). Here are some things that have helped me as I have to face those situations:

1. Take a breath. So often we react to a situation rather than respond to it. I completely understand that there are situations that come up that you need to deal with right when it happens. However, many of the things that we need to respond to can wait a little while. So, take a breath and try to respond.

2.  Get it out. What I am not saying is to just verbally unload on the person that has frustrated you. Rather, find a way to get out what you would like to say but shouldn't so that you don't find yourself saying those things when addressing the person. So, if it's a response to an email, open up MS Word and unload everything on that sheet. When you're done, quit the program without saving it. Then, write the email. If it's a conversation you have to have with someone, go to your car and say everything that you would want to say by yourself. Then, after much prayer, go to the person and speak with them.

3.  Get advice. You need at least one person who can speak into your life who is also your sounding board during stuff like this. I'm not saying turn it into a gossip-fest, but rather let them be a help in this. And when you are finished telling them what you're thinking, humble yourself to hear their response with an open mind, teachable and approachable. It may be that you were wrong to begin with.

4. Remember the desired outcome. Remember that the goal is reconciliation, not to prove who is right. If the only reason that you get into confrontations is to prove that you're right, you'll just prove that you're a jerk in the process.

These are some things that have helped me. Now if I could just remember to apply them every time.

Prayer Update...

First of all, let me give a shout out to Jesus for what he did last week. I'm so sorry I didn't post this last week, but I definitely wanted to give praise to Jesus for last week at FLOOD. We started our 7-8 week series called, "OVERWHELMED" last week and it was unbelievable. Here were some of the highlights:

• It was one of the biggest attended worship services that I have ever seen on a Wednesday night at PFB Church. I was absolutely blown away with the amount of new people that I met, of all ages, that showed up for this.
• We saw four people surrender their lives to Jesus. Right there in front of everyone, they stood up and confessed Jesus as their Lord. THAT NEVER GETS OLD!!!

So thank you for praying. I'm still in awe of what the Spirit of God did last night.

Here's how you can be praying this week:

1. Tomorrow night I will be sharing with a small group of business grad students at Azusa Pacific for a short devotional. I always like these times to connect with these students. Please pray that God gives me the exact words to share with them.
2. This Wednesday night at FLOOD we are in part 2 of OVERWHELMED. The topic is depression. I'm praying that we see freedom fall on so many who have been dealing with depression. Please pray for me as I pray through, prep, and preach this message.

Thank you so much. I can't tell you what it does for me when I go up to preach knowing that all of you have prayed for me. I totally PUMPS ME UP!!! Thank you so much.

Better Than Our Dreams

"Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, 'The LORD will surely separate me from his people'; and let not the eunuch say, 'Behold, I am a dry tree.' For thus says the LORD: 'To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.'" — Isaiah 56:3-5, ESV


How much of who I see myself to be is connected to what others think about me? Or how much of who I see myself to be is built around the circumstances that I am currently enduring? Here's the truth of the matter: who I am is not based on the circumstances that I am currently going through, but rather is found in the opinion of the God who is over my circumstances.

A eunuch (from the passage above) would be unable to have children because of that fact that he had suffered castration. So children and a family of his own would not be a possibility. Having his name carried on after him would not happen. However, God comes in to share with the eunuch who kept his Sabbaths and chose to do the things that pleased God (in other words, who was in covenant relationship with God), the following promise:

1. A monument within the walls of God's house
2. An everlasting name

But here is the amazing part of what God was promising him: it was better than sons and daughters... That thing that he would have felt deprived of, that thing which God even knew was a tough subject for him, God said that the monument and everlasting name he would give him would be better than that thing that he always wanted.

God meets us where we are, with whatever baggage we have or circumstances that we have to face, and promises even better things than the unmet dreams that we would always have but might never experience. He promises better things—even better than our dreams.

Satisfied By What?

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. — Isaiah 55:2, ESV


What are you placing before Jesus that you actually think will be able to do what only Jesus can truly accomplish in you? God has created you to be a worshipper of him—fully devoted and passionately in love with him. Whenever things or others start to crowd him out of that place in your life that he put in you for only himself to fill, you end up trying to find your satisfaction in those things that will never do that.

If you're dating, stop looking to your boyfriend/girlfriend to ultimately fulfill you. Your spouse won't be able to do that either. Not your job, more money, relationships, reputation, food, addictions, entertainment, sports... nothing. You were created for a love affair with God.

When things are out of line, he will come up with the question that is above. Why would we spend money on things that won't satisfy? Why would we labor and work so hard for anything that does not ultimately fulfill? It makes no sense.

I had to check myself today to make sure that nothing was crowding Jesus out of his rightful place. This was my prayer:

"Holy Spirit—
Please reveal to me if and hat I try to replace you with to be my true fulfillment. My prayer is still this: all of you and none of me."


What's your prayer?

Update and Prayer...

Thank you so much for praying for me while I was away in Mexico. It was an outstanding trip. Here were a couple of the highlights:

1). We saw 8 students from the states surrender to Jesus during the chapel times back at camp.

2). I was able to go into the prison of Ensenada, Mexico with a team of about 8-9 others. While in there we played basketball with the inmates, shared the gospel, prayed over and passed out apples. We saw about 20 inmates come forward for prayer and/or to surrender to Jesus (out of about 80 that were sitting where we were sharing). The apples were a HUGE HIT!!! It was like watching kids with candy. And here's why: an inmate told us that he hadn't had an apple for 2 years.

It was a great trip. Thank you for praying.

Here's how you can be praying for me this week:

1). On Tuesday night I am sharing with the graduate students at the LA Campus of Azusa Pacific University.

2). On Wednesday night at FLOOD I am starting a 7-8 week series called, "OVERWHELMED." Our first topic: "How to Overcome Being Overwhelmed."

Please be praying for the new series. Here are the goals that we believe God put on our hearts at FLOOD to go after this year:

1. See our weekly worship attendance grow from 200-400.

2. See the number of community groups grow from 7-15.

3. To see 300 people committed to a daily Bible reading program.

4. 300 people to find a place to serve.

5. 200 people to make commitments to Christ through the ministries of FLOOD and in other countries.

6. Minister to the physical needs of 500 people (outside of our church) in our community.

7. Increase the percentage of people from FLOOD who faithfully give.

I am convinced that this series will be so helpful to so many people. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to put it on the hearts of so many to not miss this series.

Thank you so much for praying.

FLASH MOB at PFB Easter at Fairplex

Please Be Praying...

Hey all,
AGAIN, thank you so much for praying for me so regularly. I wanted to give you an update on our junior high ministry at PFB. This past Wednesday night, I was told that there were 12 students who made a decision to surrender to Jesus. TWELVE!!! That is huge. I was so excited when I got that text.

Here's how you can be praying this week:

1). Please pray for the Spirit of God to move at FLOOD this Wednesday night. Phillip Allen will be speaking at FLOOD this Wednesday night. Pray for him this week as he prepares and on Wednesday night while he prepares.

2).  This Friday night, there is a Good Friday service at PFB. Please pray for everyone involved as they plan and prepare for it, as well as for those who attend.

3).  Please pray for EASTER SUNDAY at PFB, as well as for all of the Easter services anywhere and everywhere. At PFB we have one Easter morning service at the church (8:00am) and then two at the Pomona Fairplex (9:00 and 11:00am). We are hoping to have 10,000 people between the three services this Sunday. But more importantly, please pray for people to surrender to Jesus.

That's it. Thanks again for praying.