Four days and counting.

Sunday is the big day. I must confess, I'm having a hard time concentrating. Would it be wrong for me at the wedding, as I am performing the vows to say, "Hey, let's just take a few more weeks to think about this."?

No worries, I won't do that. I don't think. Did you know that there are one million two hundred and seventysix details in planning a wedding? I can name each one.

Thanks for your prayers. I am blessed. April and Linda are amazing.

Hey tonight, we will have rehearsal in the worship suite. There is graduation so just come to the back. The colors for this weekend are Blue tops and Black pants or skirts.

God bless you all.
See you soon
sammy

That's My Girl

Well, in a week my baby girl will be married. Honestly, I have to tell you that it makes no sense. Letting your girl go. But at the same time, I know it's the right thing to do. Peculiar.

It was another great weekend. We all went to the movies to watch Indiana Jones. It was good being together. I'm so proud of my wife and kids. They are the best.

April and I went went to the store on a run for some tasty treats for the house. It was great. We took my scooter. It was so much fun being with her. Cherish every moment with your kids. They grow up way too fast.

We also went to the church to do a test run on how some of the wedding decorations will look. Linda and April are amazing. They have done an incredible job in getting everything together.

Carlos led worship at Palmetto Bay this weekend and I led at West Kendall. I was very impressed by the crew that arrived between 6:00 and 6:30 in the morning to set up "church." And they do this every Sunday. Then I came back to Palmetto Bay for the 12:30 service. I thought, "We have some committed volunteers at our Christ Fellowship." Not just at West Kendall, but at all our campuses. It is normal to serve at Christ Fellowship. If you are not serving you are abnormal. Find your place and get connected.

See you soon
Seek His Face
Samy

Reaching Miami

I'm not much of a photographer but I enjoy seeing the cityscape. I snapped this shot of Downtown yesterday. The city is beautiful at night. I also thought how the Lord has given us favor in reaching this city for Christ. It is amazing, all that God is doing at Christ Fellowship.

We are blessed with folks like you that volunteer your time to serve at each of our campuses. Thank you so much! I appreciate you.

The choir will not sing this weekend. Carlos Lollett will be leading at Palmetto Bay this weekend. We will rehearse tonight the songs that we will be doing next week. We will also meet for our Small Group after rehearsal. I'm looking forward to this weekend. Carlos will do great and I can't wait to worship with the folks at West Kendall.

Come this weekend with the eyes of a guest and ask yourself these questions: Was I welcomed? Were people prepared for me? How did everything look? Let's talk about this next Wednesday.

God bless you all.
Seek His Face
Sammy

Be On Guard

Saturday morning I was out on my front porch playing my guitar, writing a song. It was a beautiful morning. The weather was really nice and it was just God and I. I noticed something interesting; a worm was being overwhelmed by a host of ants. It was amazing. That worm was doing all it could do to get away.

I was reminded of the way that the enemy, our adversary the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. I Peter 5:8. It was incredible. It reminded me of how important it is to stay alert.

After a day of working around the yard, I went back to the front porch to see the result of the attack and low and behold the worm had gotten away. Folks, trust in our Lord for all things. He is there to give you strength. He will never put more on you than you can bear.

Bell Shoals had the funeral for their Senior Pastor and his son on Saturday. Continue to pray for them. My brother asks that you continue to pray for them as they now begin the process of moving forward. It has been an extremely difficult week for them, but our Lord will give them grace.

I so appreciate you. God bless you.
Peace,
Sammy

In This World There Will Be Trouble

These last two  postings have been a bit difficult for me. I'm not quite sure what to say. The death of Pastor Pollack and his son Preston has been hard. I  can't imagine how the family, and the church family must feel.

My wife texted me this verse after hearing about the tragedy: The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Isaiah 57:1

In this world there will be trouble. My boys and I read this verse in our devotion time this morning; Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you  participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. I Peter 4:12-13

I know that the Lord will give strength. Because He who has promised is faithful. Please continue to pray for the Bell Shoals family and the pastor's family. Also pray for my brother, Victor, who tonight will speak in a portion of the prayer service they will have for the Bell Shoals Church family.

I look forward to seeing you tonight. We will pray together and worship together. The launch of DASH was good. Thank you for your commitment. NOTE: The dress colors for this weekend, are any SOLID COLOR TOP and BLACK PANTS or SKIRT. NO BLACK ON BLACK

Peace

sammy

The Difficult Questions

Last night, my brother Victor, who is the Youth Pastor at Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Florida called me and asked me and my family to pray for his pastor. His pastor had been missing for over 18 hours. He and his 13 year old son were on a trip, in a single engine Piper plane. The plane was being flown by the pastor who had his pilot's license.

This morning, we were constantly checking updates on the churches website. I sent texts to my brother, praying for all to be well. Unfortunately, these are the words that I read:

We regret to inform you, our church family, that at approximately 11 AM this morning we learned that search and rescue teams found the aircraft of Pastor Forrest Pollock n the mountains outside of Asheville, North Carolina. Pastor Pollock, 44 and his son Preston, 13, did not survive the crash.

I was shocked and saddened to hear this news. These are the difficult questions of life. I have been numb all day. Praying, crying, wondering why something of this nature would happen to a man serving, loving God and His family.

Please be in prayer for the family. Pastor Pollock has a wife and five remaining children. Also be in prayer for my brother and the entire Bell Shoals family. A vibrant church in our state now grieving with such a great loss.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8;38-39

At times like this, we must cast our cares on our precious Lord. While we are weak, may He give us strength.

Teach us.

Sammy

What another amazing weekend!

Friday I went to see my daughter at the hair dresser. She was doing a test run on what her hair will look like at the wedding. Wow, it's just around the corner. June 1st, to be exact. They are never suppose to leave home. But they do. Hey, Joel, her fiance' is a nice guy. We love him, but they grow up way too fast.

This weekend we started DASH. Our new series. DASH, meaning our life. What will you do with your DASH? Rick's message was really good. A young lady gave her heart to Christ on Saturday night; I asked her how long she had been coming to Christ Fellowship and she said, "This is my first time coming here." God is so awesome. We also dedicated several families and their children at all of our services. I love seeing all the kids, what a blessing.

Today is Mother's Day. I grilled some chicken for the family and did some things around the yard and the house, you know getting ready for the wedding. Linda loved it. I have a great wife, she did an awesome job raising our kids. 

While outside working, the Ice Cream truck came by and we flagged him down. That brought back some old memories. Okay, I have to confess. When I was a kid, I would take coins from my dad's coin collection and buy ice cream when the truck would come by the house. That didn't last too long, my dad noticed some coins missing. I was a bad boy.

It was a great end to a fantastic weekend. 

Continue inviting your friends to church. Just like the young lady who gave her life to Christ the first time she came to church, the person you invite may do the same.

Seek His Face

sammy

Chosen

I Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praise of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

What a great verse. That is what my sons and I read this morning. Because of Christ, we can approach our Lord, knowing He cares for us and loves us. Wanting to have an intimate relationship with us. Check it out.

Hey, see you at rehearsal. We will meet in the rehearsal room. The color for this weekend is BLACK, BROWN or BEIGE. This is the start of DASH. It is going to be great.

I appreciate you all.
sammy

Wow, what a weekend.

From the start of our Ministry Rally, which was really crazy good, to our weekend services, this weekend was really strong. We had decisions for Christ which was so good. Our services were well attended and God is blessing. He is so good!

At the conclusion of every weekend, I evaluate the services. It is good to do that, you know. It keeps us on our "game." I come away from a weekend like this and I am reminded of how great our volunteers are. You all make serving at Christ Fellowship a huge joy! From the traffic ministry team, to greeters, to small group leaders, children's ministry, media, and on and on, you all are amazing. I appreciate you so much.

We have an awesome responsibility here at Christ Fellowship. To reach our city for Christ. Seeing the thousands of people Downtown on Thursday, I can not help but wonder, "What can we do to reach these people for the Lord?" What we do on the weekend is so important. What can we do to maximize our efforts every weekend?

1. Pray for our community. We have the great privilege to live in a city of many different cultures. Ask the Lord to give us wisdom in reaching our city.

2. Be on time. In order for us to be at our best, we must be prepared. Therefore, we must be ready before our guests and members arrive.

3. Major on the little things. It is the little things that often make the biggest impact. Remember Eric's Starbucks illustration.

4. Smile. God has given us something to smile about. I am convinced that everyone wants a relationship with Jesus Christ. They just don't know it. They all want peace, they all want hope, they all want to know what will happen to them when they die. The only One that can give them the things they are longing for, is Jesus Christ. Sometimes a smile is all someone may need to know they are loved and cared for.

Gal. 6:9

Peace.

2008 Corporate Run Reach Beyond

You know I enjoy running, well there are some other folks who do as well. Silvia Roberts, Jeff Sullivan, Berchman Paul, Julie Caldwell, Andrew Flores and my lovely bride Linda. We all took to the streets of downtown Miami to join the mass of over 20,000 runners and walkers! That's right. The 2008 Corporate Run. It was crazy, people everywhere. With our running numbers on, our Christ Fellowship invites in hand, we joined the mob.

We gave out cards, I had some good conversations with some folks, and as always with a Reach Beyond, it's fun just being together.

The highlight was when passing the start line, Berchman, because his height was able to pass one of our invites cards to the announcer. The announcer was calling out businesses that were running or walking in the race. Well, in front of 20,000 people the announcer said, "Christ Fellowship!" It was great!

Do you know that studies bear out that most folks will come to church if they are invited. The invites are so easy. Do it. We have the most incredible message ever!

See you soon.
Sammy