Six Days to the Triathlon...5 Days to Parables...1 Day to the mid-week Worship Service Downtown

Yesterday as I was on my routine...running on Monday's, something happened to me that has never happened before: It was about 6:30 AM, still dark, and these two dudes pulled up next to me while I was running and asked me this; "Hey dude, do you have a lighter?" I told them "No" and they came back at me with an expletive and drove off into the dark. I thought, "Where would I be carrying a lighter?"

This morning I was to ride, but the weather was terrible. I'll try for my swim and ride later this evening.

October 4th/5th will start the new series, "Parables: Stories About You." This is really going to be good. You'll hear from members of Christ Fellowship sharing their stories.

October 1st, is the launch of our Mid-Week worship service Downtown. If you work Downtown and are planning on going, please call the church office so that there can be a meal for you. Yep, free lunch.

See you all soon.
Sammy

God is so cool! Really!

Last night was a really good night to start our weekend, which happens to be the last weekend of Revelation. It has been amazing!

We had a good night last night. Everyone was up on their game...forget about the "U" getting beat in the last few minutes of their game.

We did something different with the Background slides. One verse broken into four different slides (created by Veronica Ponce) and then color shifted each slide during the song. It looked sweet. Charlie, Eddy and Steven, our super volunteers came in on Thursday evening and prepared for the service. Nice job guys. By the way, Jeff and Amy and the baby are doing great.

The music portion of the service was a taste of Heaven. Thank you worship team. You all sounded so good. I can't wait for the next three services.

Our small group has decided to continue meeting for Identity, our next small group study. Probably because my lovely wife made the best dessert ever. Some kinda apple fritter thingy that was crazy delicious! The small group material will go with the book Identity, written by Eric Geiger. I have begun reading this, and you are going to love it. Books on sale now at the media resource center.

"What made last night so good for me?, you ask. For three years I have been inviting a friend that I met through our relationship with Perrine Elementary School. Well last night he came with his family. I was so excited. They loved it and will be back. That's what it's all about.

I love you all. See you soon.
Sammy

Escape To Miami

In October I will compete in my first Triathlon. I'm pretty excited about it. I've been thinking..."Why and I am doing this?" Is it for the fun of it? Is it for the adrenaline rush that comes with the competition? Is it to keep my body healthy? Or maybe it's for the stretchy pants? All those are great reasons, but... here is what I've noticed. All of a sudden, God has me in a sub-culture of people that I would never have known.

It's amazing! These folks love the sport. Good people with the same problems that many of us have, with one difference. They have not found Christ. AJ, Carlos and Mitch have introduced me to some of these people and I'm excited about what the Lord is going to do. God has given us a love for these people that is real. Just today I was able to with one of these guys. Pray for us.

We are nearing the end of Revelation. It has been good and the small groups have been awesome! I'm excited about tonight. The worship team will rehearse and then we will meet with our Wednesday small group.

see you.

Bill Baggs State Park Beach Baptism!

Wow! It was an awesome evening at the Beach. That's a statement that I wouldn't typically make. You see, "the sun is not my friend." ... that's a story for another time.

Back to the beach. The only time I go to the beach is for Beach Baptism. It was Sunday and it was really, really sweet. Reports are that there were around 200 that were baptized. The official number should come shortly. We had around 800-1000 people hanging out at the beach. It was so cool.

Four people from my small group were baptized: Natasha, Lucy, Milenka and Maylin. I gotta tell you, that was a special moment for me. I loved it. God is so good.

Wow, what a weekend. The USA wins the Ryder Cup and I don't even play golf, the Dolphins destroyed New England and best of all we saw a boat-load of people who before the world said, "I believe in Jesus and today I announce it to the world!" Awesome! I gotta go run off this excitement!

Our Guest Services Ministry did amazing in directing traffic. The cooking crew...delicious, and Berchman...I love you. Nice job.

The fun doesn't stop, so see you this weekend as we wrap up Revelation.

Seek His Face
Sammy

I Chronicles 22:19 a

The other day, I had an echocardiogram. Yea, didn't know that I knew that word. Well an echocardiogram is a test in which ultrasound is used to examine the heart. It provides single-dimension images [that's a cool phrase] known as M-mode echo that allows accurate measurement of the heart chambers.

The echocardiogram does something that is way cool with imaging. It is called 2-D or two dimensional; it is capable of displaying a cross-sectional "slice" of the beating heart, including the chambers, valves and the major blood vessels that exit from the left and right ventricle.

Why do I tell you all this. Well, why all this echo stuff was happening, I was able to hear my heart beating. It was amazing! It reminded me of hearing the heartbeat of our children before they were born, but the first thing I thought of was, "Wow, that is my heart beating. That is the life source, the engine, that keeps me alive."

All of a sudden phrases that I have used sounded different to me: "I love you with all my heart", "I wish you could know my heart," "Lord, I give you my heart." I just laid there and pondered.

Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God.

As we wind down towards the end of Revelation in our small groups and in our worship services, let's not get hung up on "the mark of the beast", or the different interpretations of the events to come, but instead seek the Lord with all our hearts.

It's gonna be a great weekend. We also have Beach Baptism...SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!

It was a good weekend

Well, another weekend has passed. It was good. Our Friday night small group was really good. A lot of good discussion and Linda made some awesome peach cobbler and Madelyn made some delicious brownies. Oh, did I mention the Bible study was good? If you're not in a small group, you're missing out on a tremendous opportunity for growth, encouragement and just good ole fun. It is in small groups that we do the "one anothers" of the Bible. Looking for more info just go to: www.cffamily.org

Well, I had my official "first spill" on my bike. Yea, that's right. Apparently I have a hard time riding anything that has only two wheels. [I wrecked on my scooter about two years ago.] It didn't hurt too bad. Just humiliated.

Brandon led at Palmetto Bay this weekend and nailed it. It is great to see how God is using the worship leaders at all of our campuses. I'm so honored to be serving with all these guys.

Thanks Hector and Jeff for the hard work you put in each week to make the services happen. Our media team did great. All the volunteers that come each week...WOW, we couldn't do it without you.

While Brandon was leading, I was teaching 101 over at Perrine Elementary. We are still adjusting to the new location but everybody seemed tapped in and enjoying the experience.

I'm looking forward to this weekend. Yea, part five and Beach Baptism at Bill Baggs State Park this Sunday.

Seeking His Face
Sammy

It was a good day.

Well, "How does it feel to be 50, you ask?" Just like it did when I was 49. I feel no different. Actually, I feel great! The Lord has blessed me and I have to give Him all the praise and glory.

Worship team, thanks so much for the fun party. The "Mexican Mess," [one of my favorite foods Linda makes] and Banana pudding was over the top. I loved it. The gifts and love that you all showed was so encouraging. I love you all.

Linda, you are so good to me. Thanks for the party. For the cool camera. Wow! I was not expecting that. Thanks for putting up with me for 27 years. I love you.

Church staff, you all were so gracious and encouraging to me. I love working with you all. I know I can be a pain.

It is good to be here at Christ Fellowship. Thank you Lord.

Hey choir, don't forget. We're singing on Saturday night. Brandon, who will be leading worship this weekend while I teach 101 is excited about having you lead with him. Practice was great, and your contribution will be really, really good. The songs are going to be awesome!

You will wear jeans and black top on Saturday. You will wear, white tops and black bottoms on Sunday.

I really appreciate you all. Please arrive at 5:30 PM on Saturday for rehearsal.

Let's be in prayer for a super weekend. Well, I'll be getting ready for my Friday small group. Revelation has been really been good.

See you all soon.

How quickly it came

Well, tomorrow I will turn...uh,...you know...uh...well...how do I say this?...Okay. 50. There, I said it.

Wow, it came so fast. I spoke to my mom today, and asked her the time of day that I was born, and she said late morning. I was so small, around 3 pounds, that I "just popped out." Those were my moms words.

I have thought back at my life and can humbly say, "Thank you God for your love, grace and mercy." The Lord has blessed me with a loving wife and three great kids. He has provided for me, He has been and is my Strength and Helper. My Hope and Peace, my Comforter and Friend. He is my Lord and forever will I worship Him.

Thanks Christ Fellowship, for allowing me to serve here. Thanks worship and media team for your commitment to Christ. I love you all. I could not do this without you.

Thanks Rick, for believing in me. It has been a pleasure working with you these last 11 years. Eric, thanks my man, for stretching me. It is great having you on the team. To all the staff of Christ Fellowship, I love you and you encourage me daily.

Thanks my precious Linda, for putting up with me. You are the best. You have always been my biggest fan. Andrew and Austin, it was great going to dinner with you all. We always have a blast together. My precious April, just texted me to wish me a Happy Birthday. I texted her back and said, what would make this day one of the best ever, is if she were here.

How I love you Lord.

Well, I'm heading to bed. Lot's to do tomorrow.

Feeling good

It looks like we'll be missing the major impact of Hurricane Ike. Wow. I needed to clean up around the yard and garage anyway.

It's amazing what we'll do to get ready for a hurricane. We watch the news, we see the signs in the sky, we go to the grocery store, we check on family and neighbors, we do everything we can to be prepared and then wait.

We've heard three messages now on Revelation. We see the signs of the Lord's return. We see the evidence of it through the scriptures, we watch the news...

We know the end of the story. Do we check on family and neighbors to be sure they are in Christ? Do we spend more time on earthly things than what we should store up in heaven?

Let's be sure we are sharing the awesome news, of who Christ is.

Connection classes this Sunday at 9:00 AM and Beach Baptism is on September 21. See you all soon.

Session two of our small group

Well, on Friday our small group met for our second session It was really good. We have some really great people in our group. I can't wait till next week.

I spent most of the morning getting ready for Hurricane Ike. I'm thinking that this dude may miss us. But, the day was really good. Especially being with my family. The guys and I had a blast. Linda, did stuff inside and cooked a sweet meal. I needed to clean the garage anyway.

Well...it's just around the corner...yep. I'm having a Birthday. Does this card tell you anything.

The Lord has been so good to me. Forever I will praise Him.

See you soon. I love you all.
Sammy

Preparing for my small group and...I don't want to say it.

Last week we started our small group. We meet at my home on Friday nights and my sweet wife does a great job in having our home all ready. It was a great start. We have a great mix of people. I love it. The discussion was good and just hanging out and praying together was really, really nice.

So today, after hitting the road on my bike, I cut the grass...you know, the yard needs to look good for company, and now we are prepping for our second session.

We also had a hardy [now there's a word I've not used in a long time] discussion at our small group that we have after the worship ministry rehearses on Wednesday. This group consists of people people from our worship team. This group was a natural one to start because we were there at church already. So after we rehearse, we meet back in the worship suite, watch the DVD, discuss and pray. It's great.

Something that we'll be praying for this weekend is "Ike." We'll be praying that God would allow this hurricane to move out into open water and just die. We'll also be praying for another strong weekend of Revelation.

"Lord, when I think of Who you are, I am humbled that you would care so much for me."

My Maiden Voyage

Well, I registered to compete in my first Triathlon. A triathlon is where you swim, bike and run a specific pre-determined distance, one right after the other. There are three types of triathlons. A Sprint, for new chumps like me, Olympic, and Ironman.

Only one problem. I had no bike. I've been training, running a bunch, swimming...but no bike. Hum. Well just like God, He provided. Some of my friends knew I was looking for a bike, and the rest is, well as they say..."History."

I have a awesome looking bike. "God, You are so incredible. I humbly say thanks."

On Monday, I made my first ride with the guys that made it all happen. We had a great time. We rode to Homestead Bayfront Park. Round trip, about 32 miles. I'm happy to say, that I didn't wreck. Although the night before I fell twice trying to un-clip from my pedals.

So if you see me on the road with my "stretchy pants" on, just ignore me.

Hey, I look forward to seeing you all this Wednesday. We will be doing our second week of small group. I love you all. It's gonna be a great weekend.