Let's face it, shall we? This week, Mario discussed the topic of being self-disciplined - gotta tell ya it was very challenging to me personally. We dug deeply into the subject and I realize though I will never reach perfect discipline on this side of eternity, I'm better off than I was a year ago. The point is discipline is the glue that makes good habits stick - those days when you don't want to do something you know you should, discipline is what forces you to keep on going. This topic in and of itself is so deep, I really recommend that you subscribe to our podcast and listen in. This week's message was entitled "my Discipline - Gotta Go to Work!" which is another segment in the myFace series. Until next time, peace out!

p.s. Here is a video clip that gives a little better explanation of the topic from tangle.com.

We all seem to be creatures of habit. When you boil it down, a habit is nothing more than a learned behavior that is practiced and soon becomes second nature, so much so that the person isn't even aware that they are doing it. For example, running a red light could become a habit if you do it enough times. Eventually, however the consequences of said habit will catch up to you. Everything both good and bad have consequences. In your mind, you have to stop and think, 'hey, why am I doing ______ ?' You fill in the blank. Then think it over; is this blank a good or bad habit? My suggestion is to ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to reveal what habits you have that the Lord would like you to change.  Have a great week everyone!  The video below really explains it in great clarity, check it out!  Peace out!

What an awesome weekend! The Super Bowl was in deed, super. However, that is not what made my game-day. No, what happened earlier in service is what did it for me.

Exhausting myself teaching practical life application through the unadulterated gospel truths and to subsequently witness people spiritually awaken as they fight through the realization that most of us have spent far too many years off course from the plan God has for our life, is nothing short of breathtaking. I am blown away knowing that our people are making decisions that express how they cannot spend another day in the pain and emptiness of chasing apparitions in the form of false promises and broken behaviors.

Seeing genuine growth in the people who attend Salmon Creek Community Church is absolutely amazing and exciting.

In the depths of my soul I only fear one thing—the thought of losing my passion to see the children of God get better in overcoming themselves and the brokenness of this life. My beautiful bride thinks it absurd for me to be concerned since I have been pursuing this passion for the better part of three decades. Maybe she’s right but I dare not risk it!

Today is a one of those days when I did something that is as dangerous as it is beneficial for me to do—pause and take inventory of my “full” life.

This can be dangerous for me because I sometimes get feedback that I may not be running at a sustainable pace, which is at the minimum, unhealthy. Furthermore, it is dangerous because it means that might not be able to accomplish the goals set before me as quickly as I would like or that I would have to modify the size of some goals from their envisioned splendor.

The beneficial part has to do with a recognition that I am off set point and that recognition should lead me to the corrective action of recalibrating back to established disciplines and assure my running at a sustainable pace.

The core issue for me is discerning whether I am highly-functioning or overloading; whelmed or overwhelmed.

I realize the implications of me becoming overwhelmed. Nobody wins.

It is at these times when I hear a still small Voice telling me to just stop and plug into the relief valve of life. So, I simply pull-over and stop where it becomes clear to me that God is reminding me of His desire to use me and not break me.

Here is what I do to recalibrate:

1. Refer to the Owner’s Manual (the Bible) for diagnosis scriptures.
2. Plug in headphones and listen to worship songs and press into the Holy Spirit and let Him minister to my very soul.
3. Wipe away tears as He restores my soul to original design standards.
4. Discard defective parts and leftover pieces.
5. Say thank you to the Lord, my Savior, as I go with a reminder to take it easy for a while and to always maintain a sustainable pace.

One of the best parts of being in the apostolic role of pastor for me is seeing the results from the work God is doing in His people; and where there is overt change in what was once hopelessly broken people and situations—there is now healing, reconciliation and restoration.

I’m not certain of exactly what God has placed inside of me that drives me to want to see people and circumstances change for the better however, I am so glad that it is in me.

I cannot time/date stamp the moment when this insatiable desire to help fix brokenness began in me. However, I can say it became clearer to me once I emptied out my whole heart and asked the Lord to help me see just a glimpse of what He sees because at times in my life in the past all I could see was my own pain being covered in the pain of others.

God did something amazing, which is kind of a duh statement, for the reason that He is God. The Lord opened my eyes and spoke to my heart and revealed to me that I had choices and options—and it is by my choosing will I endure misery or migrate to something better.

Eventually, I chose to migrate to something better—and once I got better I wanted better for those around me that I cared about. Afterwards God started to expand my world and before long I started caring about countless numbers of people. And that was the “setting of the hook.”

Many years have passed and I am still processing what happened to me while living out this simple truth: the journey to Heaven is as important as the destination of Heaven. Furthermore, even above journey and destination is who the ones are accompanying me in travel.

There is no clean way to end this thought  other than to offer you what is currently in my heart and that is: Oh, how I long to worship with the angels; but not before I finish my assigned work in leading others to join the final choir.

Pastor Mario